A/N: Hey friends! Blue here with a chapter that I have been very excited to share with y'all. It needed some reworking, but now it's finally ready to be put up here for you guys! Thanks for all your reviews, but I'm afraid… This one also might have a pretty big cliffhanger. But some questions will be answered as well! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy the Bees!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
Chapter 7: The Second Event
Blake hadn't heard anything from Yang since the park. What else had she expected? She basically accused her of being some sort of criminal. There could have been so many other explanations, but that was the first one she thought of. Maybe it was because of all the things she went through with Adam.
After all, the man went insane and Blake had received the brunt end of this. He was so angry all the time. Blake thought she could help him, save him. But that only earned her a bruised cheek and the feeling of loneliness and worthlessness. It finally ended when he brutally beat a man to death for simply cutting in front of him in a convenient store. She hated that it had to come to that for her to escape the mad man, but she couldn't help but view it as a blessing in disguise.
"Hey Blake!" Sun greeted as she sleepily trudged into her cubicle. "You alright? You seem kind of off."
"I'm fine. Just a bit stressed."
"Weeeeell." Sun started with his normal over the top bravado. "We were all gonna go to that karaoke bar in downtown Vale. You want in? It's good stress relief."
Blake had prepared to turn the man down once again. Ready to tell him that she had far too much work to do (which was actually a lie, she could probably finish it all within the work day). But then she thought of another blonde in her life. One that kept trying to get her to expand her horizons. To try new things.
To live.
"That sounds wonderful, Sun. I'd love to go."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes, I'll go to karaoke with you guys."
"Wow, what has gotten into you, Blake Belladonna?"
"Let's just say that I have a new friend who is helping me take more chances."
"Well, I love this friend! Alright, I'll text you the deets later." Sun exclaimed, walking away. Soon, however, he returned a little embarrassed. "I don't have your number."
Blake giggled, taking his phone and inputting her digits. He smiled giddily and scampered off to work. Shaking her head, she logged into her work computer and began to edit the piece she had received from Tukson.
But then she stopped. Her fingers slowly stopped their rapid motion on the keyboard. As if controlled by some unseen force, she opened up a web browser and checked on her personal work. She skimmed through her latest piece and for the first time in a while, she was satisfied with her work. Others seemed to be too.
'Great job! I always enjoy reading your work. Keep it up!' One read.
'Oh my gooooooood! I didn't expect that! I am SO ready for what you put up next!' Read another.
The more she read, the more she smiled, her grin growing wide and genuine. The negative comments were still there, but they didn't seem to stick. They couldn't seem to leave scars, ones that etched into her mind. The kind that reminded her of her short-comings. They did nothing this time. She was doing well. She was actually doing well!
Spurred on by this feeling of success, she closed her browser and rose up from her seat. She left her cubicle and headed down the hall with determination. No way in hell was she gonna back down now. She was feeling confident, she was a new person, a new Blake. She wouldn't let her fears get in her way any longer.
And so, she rapped her knuckles on the door in front of her in a rhythmic manner. Staring at the plaque that simply read 'Ozpin', Blake waited for said man to open his office door.
"Ah, hello, Miss Belladonna! What brings you to my office today! Has Tukson not sent in his next chapter?"
"No, he did. I was wondering if I could um... Talk with you."
The gray-haired man's eyes widened marginally, but a soft smile found it's way to his lips. He opened the door more and gestured her in with a wide sweeping motion of his hand. Nerves actually setting in (now that she was in the room) she cautiously shuffled over to the seat in front of her boss' desk. There were a bunch of little doo-dads and bobbles. A dozen or so little contraptions that had cogs that idly spun around without the need to push them.
And of course, there was a steaming cup of coffee on his desk. It had a strange little symbol of two battle axes. It was a bit nerdy, but nothing out of the ordinary for the man.
"So, what is it you would like to talk to me about?" Ozpin said, gliding over to the desk and gracefully taking a seat in his swivel chair. As if to show he was giving her his full attention, he closed the laptop in front of him.
"Talk! Yes! I... I..."
"You?"
"I... I'm sorry. I'm a bit nervous." Blake admitted.
"No need to be. I don't bite." He said with a smirk.
"Right, right. Well... You see the thing is... I... Well ever since I was a little kid I... Sir I-"
"Ozpin."
"Ozpin, right. Ozpin..." Blake started, regaining her strength and confidence from earlier. She thought of her dreams, thought of her goals in life. She thought about what Yang said, how she believed she could do it. So she took a breath and said "I would like to write for this company."
The man was silent for a minute (it felt like a year to Blake). He was just staring at the new writer, expressionless. It felt as if he was staring into her soul, she felt so vulnerable and terrified. After a minute, a small smile reappeared on his face.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask me."
"You... What?"
The man leaned back in his chair and laced his hands together on his lap. The daunting look from before was gone, replaced with the normal laid back boss she grew to know.
"I know an aspiring writer when I see one. The minute you stepped into this building, I could see you wanted more, I could see the hunger. Though, you were a little more timid than some of the others I had seen like you." The man laughed to himself. "Your work is good, Miss Belladonna. Or should I say... Shadowwriter42?"
Blake felt her face heat up at the mention of her username.
"H-how did you know about that?"
"I make it my business to know what my staff is doing, wouldn't want anyone taking ideas from the company, now would we?" He told her. "Besides, you aren't as quick as you think you are. I've seen your page when you thought no one was looking."
"I... I am so so sorry about that sir! I swear i-it was only when I had already finished my work and-"
"Miss Belladonna, it's fine. I'm not mad."
"Oh... Ok?"
"Now, I can't promise you anything for sure, but I can make you a deal." He told her. Leaning in, he rested his chin on his linked hands. Blake felt herself lean in as well. "Write something for me. It can be anything really. A short story, something you would like to continue in a series, anything you want. Show me what Blake Belladonna can do. Impress me... And you may find yourself signing a contract for your own series."
"Are... Are you serious?" Blake asked, almost vibrating in her seat.
"I am indeed. This isn't a promise, but an opportunity."
"T-thank you so much!" She exclaimed, raising from her seat. Her quivering hand found it's way to his and shook it firmly. "I won't let you down, Sir! Ozpin! I won't let you down, Ozpin!"
"I certainly hope so. I expect greatness, Miss Belladonna."
"I will bring it, for sure!" She told him, backing her way to the door. Before she left, she turned back. "What is the deadline for this?"
"No deadline, just get it to me when you can. Take your time on this one."
"Yes, sir... Ozpin sir. Ozpin, Juust Ozpin." Blake rambled as she left his office. She leaned her back against the closed door momentarily, letting the conversation sink in fully. She had a shot! She had a shot at writing her own novel! Maybe her own series!
She bounced back down the hall feeling giddy and free. That was until she saw something very out of place.
Someone out of place.
A frazzled looking Yang was wandering around her cubicle, looking around her office. As if she was searching for her.
"Yang?" Blake asked as soon as she got closer. Yang's eyes intensely locked with hers.
"Blake." Yang stated. "I need to talk to you."
"What? Can this wait?" Blake asked. She looked around to make sure her co-workers weren't watching this. "I'm at work."
"It's important." She whispered urgently. In her eyes, Blake could see fear and danger. She walked past her cubicle and pulled Yang into a more secluded area.
"Alright, but since you dragged me away, I get to go first."
"Blake-"
"I may get to write my own novel!" Blake exclaimed. She expected the same reaction from the blonde, but all she saw was... sadness and fear.
"That's... um... That's wonderful."
"It... is." Blake said. "You inspired me, you know? You inspired me to be better. To strive for more in life."
"I'm... I-I'm glad."
"You don't seem glad." Blake noted. "If this is about the other day, I'm really sorry. I jumped to conclusions. I've... been through a lot and I was afraid. I was afraid history was going to repeat itself."
"That... I wouldn't let that happen, Blake." Yang told her in a serious tone.
"You don't even know what happened."
"Y-yeah, you're right." Yang told her, but it sounded like a lie. "I have no idea what happened."
"Yang?"
"This isn't about me, right now. I have something I need to tell you about." She said, steering the conversation back in the direction she wanted it to go.
"What's wrong? I haven't heard anything from you in a couple days! And now you show up looking-"
Blake said, gesturing to Yang. "Like this. You've got me worried."
"I know, I'm sorry." Yang said, rubbing her eyes. "I wasn't supposed to talk to you."
"Weren't supposed to?"
"You can't go to karaoke tonight." Yang stated, cutting straight to the point.
Hold the phone. That statement set so many alarm bells off in Blake's mind. She never mentioned her plans for the night. She would have noticed if Yang was in the building, the girl isn't exactly subtle. And she just made the plans. She couldn't know about them.
But... She did.
"How did you know about that?"
"It doesn't matter right now. Just tell everyone not to go. Tell them the place just got a bad health inspection or whatever. Just make sure they don't go!"
"Yang, you're scaring me." Blake whispered, backing away from the blonde.
"PLEASE! You need to trust me on this! Make sure they don't go."
"Why?"
"I can't say. I-I shouldn't even be here."
"What? You're not making sense, Yang."
"I have to go. Promise me you'll make sure they don't go."
"I-"
"Promise!"
"Ok, I'll make sure they don't go there."
Yang let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you." She whispered. "I'll... um... I'll see you later, Blake."
And then she was gone once again. What just happened? How did she know? Blake was still shaking from the encounter. Unless she was listening into their conversation, there is no way she could have known.
Why was it so important that she stay away from that karaoke bar? Enough was enough, she was sick of being in the dark. It was time to figure out what was really happening. So she gave Sun the warning about the bar (which he luckily believed) and simply changed the plans to another bar. He gave another invitation, but she had to turn this one down.
She had a karaoke bar to go to.
XxXxX
It only took her five minutes to realize that this plan was probably dumb. She was all alone in a strange bar and she didn't tell anyone she was going to be here. It may have been pretty cheery with all of the singing going on, but it was still foreign to her. She almost wished she hadn't given that warning and went with Sun and the rest of her co-workers. Maybe she would have even sung a song.
But that would be nearly impossible now. Not with the way her mind was racing. She was never really scared of Yang until now. Once again, she had to question herself; had she fallen for another crazy person? Yang never seemed insane before. She was always calm and carefree. The opposite of the Yang she had just seen.
But it was Yang, she could tell. In those lilac eyes she saw the concern and the care. She couldn't be malicious and care about her like that, right? But Blake had years of experience with Adam that said otherwise. Someone could be cruel to one cheek and kiss the other in the span of ten minutes.
"Alriiiight. Up next is Dave singing Armed and Ready. Well I hope you're 'ready' for this song!" The cheesy host announced. A small little business man in a green shirt and yellow tie walked up to the stage and started singing. He wasn't the worst singer, but he definitely did not consider his song choice well enough. The song was a strong rock ballad when he really should have been going for a soft, more subdued piece.
Then again, who was Blake to judge, she wasn't gonna sing tonight. She was just here to...
What was she even here for? Nothing was happening (besides off-key singing). Then why did Yang give that warning? Was she planning on coming here to sing? Was that it? No, that was ridiculous. There were other karaoke bars she could have gone to. Besides, Yang wouldn't care who heard her sing, even if it was atrocious.
"Why did you tell me to stay away from here?" Blake thought out loud. Again, she thought about how Yang knew about the plans in the first place.
It scared her.
"What are you doing here?!" A voice asked, brimming with fear and desperation. Blake jumped in her seat, suddenly being addressed. She looked to her side to see Yang right next to her.
"Where did you come from?"
"Why did you come? I told you to tell them all not to come."
"I did, they're not here."
"You were included in that."
"Why can't I be here, what is happening?"
"There's no time! Just come with me, we can go out the back." Yang begged, tugging on Blake's sleeve. She pulled her hand away from the frantic girl as if she was about to dip it in acid.
"No."
"What do you mean, 'no'?"
"I mean NO!" Blake told her. She didn't want to confront Yang like this in public, but with all the music and merriment, no one paid them any mind. "You have been acting weird all day. Actually, you've been acting weird since you 'met' Ruby!" Blake used air quotes.
"I don't have time to talk about Ruby right now."
"But there is something?"
Yang ran her hands through her hair. She took a shaky breath and looked back to Blake.
"There is something but I can't tell you. Now let's go!"
"I knew it! I knew you knew her!"
"Blake! Now is not the time." Yang told her. She reached for her arm, but the raven-haired girl pulled it away before she could touch her. "Blake, you-"
"Tell me what's going on and I'll go with you."
"Blake, The-"
"Tell me!"
"HANDS IN THE AIR, THIS IS A ROBBERY!" A low booming voice shouted from behind Blake. Whipping around, she saw a large man with a rifle and a ski mask on. The music came to a halt and everyone ducked down. But Blake... she just stared dumbfounded at the man.
Yang knew this was going to happen, she was sure of it. She was right all along, she was a criminal. This man was someone she worked with, he had to be. She turned back to Yang to see that she too was not ducking like the rest.
"You knew about this."
"I... I did."
"I was right. I-"
"SHUT UP, YOU TWO!" The man yelled, pointing his gun at them.
But Blake didn't pay any attention to him, she didn't even hear him. She kept her eyes on Yang.
"How did you know about this, Yang?" Blake asked, her voice raising.
"Blake, stop." Yang whispered.
"No! You knew! What's going on? You said you weren't a criminal! Well this looks very criminal, Yang!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" The man interjected again.
"Blake, please..." Yang whimpered, tears in her eyes. "Quiet down."
"NO! I've had enough! You better explain what's going on or-"
"THAT DOES IT!" The man shouted. Blake heard the sound of the man cocking his gun. As she was turning around, she heard the gun fire directly at her. She jumped at the sound, but found that she wasn't in any pain at all.
That's when she noticed that Yang was in front, her arms outstretched to protect her.
The man seemed as surprised as Blake and unloaded a couple more shots into the blonde.
He kept shooting her.
Yang.
Right in front of Blake.
"NO!" Blake shrieked as the man emptied his gun into the girl in front of her. And then, somehow, she pried the gun out of his hands and smashed the end of the weapon into the side of his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Faster than she should have been able to, Yang dropped the gun, grabbed Blake's hand and retreated out the back of the bar.
Blake couldn't speak for a minute, frozen in shock. She watched Yang stagger forward. She was hunched over, hugging herself tightly. Finally, she broke from her silent stupor, bursting into panic ridden sobs.
"Oh g-god! Oh god oh god oh g-god,Yang! Y-yang it's guh-gonna be ok!" Blake blubbered and she shakily moved over to Yang. She hadn't seen her injuries yet, but she knew it was gonna be bad. She knew that she got shot point blank at least five times (there may have been more, but she was too shocked to keep track). She knew that the chances of her surviving were low. But that wouldn't stop her from trying to save her. "Y-yang, you gotta l-let me see it. Let me h-help you."
"I'll be fine."
"You just g-got shot! Let me h-help!" Blake shakily shouted. She pulled out her cell phone and started dialing for an ambulance. The faster she got help, the larger chance she had of survival. She turned away from Yang as the operator picked up on the other line. "Yes, h-hello? W-we need help at-"
From behind her, Yang grabbed the phone out of her hand. Blake turned back and saw Yang still hunched over with Blake's phone up to her ear.
"Yes, there was an armed gunman at the karaoke bar on Fifth Street. He's been incapacitated."
"Yang! Yang, you need to tell them that you-"
"No one was hurt, an ambulance is not necessary." Yang told the operator and hung up the phone.
"Yang!" Blake cried. She grabbed the phone out of her hand, getting ready to call again. "What are you doing? Y-you need help!"
"I told you, I'm fine." She said, starting to walk away. "Go home."
Blake was stunned she was able to walk, let alone stand. But she was covering up her torso. Blake grabbed Yang's right shoulder and turned her around, determined to help the woman out. She refused to let her bleed out in some alley.
She prepared herself to see a bloody mess, to see the life substance trickling down Yang's mouth.
That wasn't what she saw.
There was no blood, not even one drop. Her clothes were torn where the bullets hit, but there wasn't even a scratch on her skin.
She saw her get shot. It happened right in front of her. And now here she was, completely fine save for her bullet riddled clothes.
"Blake."
"Wha... What?" Blake breathed, slowly stepping back.
"Blake, I... Um."
"What are you?" Blake whispered.
Yang stepped closer to her.
"St-stay away from me!" Blake shouted.
"Blake..." Yang said, eyes tearing up.
She didn't even let her answer.
She ran off towards her apartment, scared and confused.
XxXxX
Yang watched as Blake ran off from the alley. She hung her head and rubbed her shoulder in shame. She shouldn't feel ashamed, she was able to stop it, but... The way Blake looked at her. The words 'what are you?' echoed in her head.
It was a moment, that they weren't watching. A moment they didn't know about. She was thankful, cause if they did... Who knows what they would have done to her. Yet... Now she was just alone with her thoughts of the event.
Blake must think she was some kind of monster, some freak. She... She couldn't tell her what she really was, but she wasn't a monster. She had to make this right. Yang was always good at coming up with plausible explanations. This one, however, was more difficult than the others.
"Yang," A voice called to her. Shivers ran down her back and she stiffened up. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing," Yang curtly told them.
"You've been off the radar a bit, We couldn't find you." The voice calmly explained. "What were you doing?"
The voice was too calm.
"Nothing... I wasn't doing anything."
"The second event was today, Yang."
"Was it?"
"You know it was."
"And, what happened?"
"It was prevented... somehow."
"What do ya know..." Yang said, playing dumb.
"Yang, you're only making this harder for her."
"I don't know what you mean."
"You prevented the second event. Now she has to deal with the third one." The voice explained, cutting to the point. "And we both know how painful the third event is."
Yang looked to the ground. She rubbed her face in frustration, running them up into her bangs and then down her long locks with a sigh.
"Because you have served us so well in the past, we are giving you a warning this time." The voice continued. "But let. It. Happen. Or else."
And the voice was gone.
The third event.
They were right, it was the worst one. The inevitable one. Fate was fate, you couldn't mess with it without it messing with you. She knew it, it had to happen. And she would move on. She would be assigned another case with another person. She could just forget about all of this.
Forget the way her ebony hair flowed side to side when she walked. She could forget the way she smiled whenever she entered a book store, like a kid in a candy shop. She could forget the way she would talk faster when discussing her favorite authors. She could forget the sensation of hugging her, how right it felt.
She could just forget Blake.
But she didn't want to.
She didn't want her to become just another assignment. Even if she never saw her again, she wanted her to live a full life, not cramming as much life as she could in two months. Yang had been a bit of a rule-breaker in her youth, but it was always for a good cause.
Maybe she needed to become that rule-breaker again.
Maybe the third event didn't have to happen.
XxXxX
It took a while to walk to her apartment, but Blake had finally made it back.
Thank god.
After what had happened, she needed some sense of normalcy. She kept seeing the image of Yang getting shot right before her eyes. And the fact that she walked out unscathed. She thought that maybe they were in on it and they were fake bullets, but how would fake bullets rip through her clothes like that.
She slipped her key in the lock and found no resistance.
Ruby and Weiss.
At least they would be there to listen to her and tell her that she wasn't going crazy. She opened the door and found that they were both calmly waiting on the couch for her. It was strange though, usually the two would find things around her apartment to keep themselves preoccupied. Weiss would keep busy in the kitchen, making some sort of beverage or some snack they could all share and Ruby would grab some book from Blake's collection. This time, the were just waiting for her with serious expressions.
"Hey, glad you're back. We-... Is everything ok?" Ruby asked.
"No." The raven-haired girl honestly answered.
"What's wrong?" Weiss asked.
Then Blake went on to explain the very strange things that had happened to her that day. How Yang showed up and knew things she shouldn't, how she knew that the robber would show up, the fact that she got shot multiple times, but was completely fine. All throughout this explanation, Ruby and Weiss never seemed phased by the events that occurred. When she finished her story, they shared a knowing look and nodded at each other.
"You don't think any of this is weird?" Blake asked, looking for some validation.
"Well, we actually came to talk with you about Yang." Weiss told her.
"You both know her?"
"I only know of her, but Ruby does." Weiss clarified.
"Ruby, please tell me." Blake begged. "How do you know Yang?"
Ruby looked down, took in a deep breath, and then made eye-contact with Blake.
"Yang is my big sister."
"What? But... She said that her sister was... Gone."
"Technically right on two accounts." Weiss commented.
"I'm getting there, one second." Ruby said.
"I'm so lost. Please just... Tell me what's going on."
"Alright, so... I'm not actually under witness protection. That was a lie Weiss came up with so nobody would dig into my background and find anything strange."
"Why would you need that?"
"Well, that's the thing. Ruby Rose is my actual name. There are records of me and Yang out there."
"No." Blake retorted. "No, I looked for them."
"How far back?"
"I went back forty years, Ruby!"
"You didn't go back far enough."
"What?"
"The records of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long are older than forty years." Ruby explained. She took a deep breath, as if she was preparing for what she would have to say next. "And those records will say that we died in 1937."
"What?" Blake asked, dumbfounded. "So you both took on the identities of these people who died in 1937?"
"No, we are those people who died in 1937."
"But... You aren't dead." Blake argued. "What are you talking about?"
Ruby and Weiss looked at each other once again. Ruby sighed and rose from her seat. She stepped out into the middle of the room.
"It'd probably be easier if I just showed you." Ruby said. She closed her eyes in concentration as a light bathed her body. Soon after it covered her, a pair of brilliant silver-tipped wings burst out from her back, glowing radiantly. They flapped up and down and Ruby began to hover a foot or two off of the ground.
"You're... You're..." Blake stammered.
"I'm an angel. That's what Yang is too. Except I did something that angels aren't supposed to do." Ruby said, looking over to Weiss with a sad smile. "I fell in love."
