*kicks down door* I'M BAAAAACK!
Again, I am SO sorry for the long hiatus! College and life got in the way, and I decided to wait a little to write more before posting so I could get a good grip on what is expected for Adam's character.
Incidentally, season 3 happened and all of my headcanons for Adam were smashed into smithereens...(How could you do this to us RoosterTeeth?). The whole episode left me really discouraged, mainly by the FNDM's attitude towards Tauradonna shippers and a lot of hate they've been receiving. Also, pre-med courses are starting to take their toll, and I'm usually too unmotivated to write after studying, lol.
But, as I (slowly) was writing my Hetalia crossover, I logged on to DeviantArt and noticed someone had left me a really nice message. (Thanks so much for the encouragement!) that alerted me to check my account...
HOLY COW, GUYS! I had no clue that this had gotten popular in my absence. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS! Seriously, I was having a bad day until I found out about this; I couldn't stop smiling after!
For now, I'm going to try my best to post when a new chapter is written, but please be prepared for long waiting intervals! (Finals are in a month...)
I sincerely hope you guys enjoy this chapter and keep your eyes peeled for the next update! :)
Chapter 6 – The Day It Ended Part II
As soon as they had stepped out into the main road, the smoke had made it impossible to see five meters ahead.
"Shoot," Lycannis cursed and popped the safety off his shotgun, "We're sitting ducks out here." Blake's hand automatically went for her knife. Cat ears alert, she tried to detect any sound.
"C'mon, we better tread carefully." As quietly as possible, they continued down the dirt road. The air was thick and silent, setting the two Faunus on edge.
Blake's golden eyes scanned the area; she couldn't see anything. But, whether caused by paranoia or fear, she knew that there was another Grimm's presence somewhere, lurking and waiting to strike.
Suddenly, Lycannis fired off into the smoke. The sound echoed, and something fell to the ground.
"They know we're here," he muttered under his breath, "but they have easier prey at the village. We're just their entertainment."
"The Grimm are…toying with us?" it was hard to imagine an animal – no, a monster – to have such malice.
Blake gulped. Her eyes stung, and the smoke made the back of her throat feel scratchy. The reality of the situation just hit her. There was the chance that she might not ever see her family again. The thought brought forth a sharp jab of panic in her chest, constricting her lungs and making it hard to breathe.
The White Fang leader fired another shot into the smoky haze; another body fell.
"We're getting close…" he muttered under his breath, "I can hear the fire." Blake strained her ears, and, sure enough, she could hear the crackle of wood.
However, she could smell something sweet…like smoked meat – burned flesh. Gagging, she breathed through her mouth and tried not to think about it. But, the thoughts of her parents persisted, and Blake wanted to see them more than ever.
The smoke got thicker, but she soon saw a large building looming overhead. It was the White Fang headquarters set ablaze, and the screams of the trapped and injured would forever be seared onto her mind.
"N…no…" she breathed; the flames reflecting in her golden eyes, "Wh…why…" The sound of gunshots were heard in the distance, and Blake could hear the animalistic roars of Grimm ring in her eardrums.
Lycannis cursed and raced around to the entrance, but it was sealed off by burning wood. Something seemed to go through the White Fang leader's mind as he stalked off a few meters away. He turned and looked back at the entrance.
"I can't get in," he snarled, "Dang it!" He let out a wounded howl full of misery and pain.
"I should have stopped this!" he snapped.
"NO! NO! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!" He fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands.
The sight of the White Fang leader looking defeated made panic rise in Blake's chest. What was happening? Was this an attack? She was about to approach him but saw a shape move from the corner of her eye.
"Mr. Lycannis, WATCH OUT!" However, he was too slow. Before the leader could move a Grimm lunged at him from the smoke.
"NO!" Blake did the only thing she could think of; she raised the gun and fired. The bullet whizzed by Lycannis and caught the Grimm in the skull. The next thing she knew, the Grimm's dark blood was staining her clothes. The monster slumped down, dead.
Breathing heavily, Lycannis nodded at her. The leader took one last look at the burning building before turning to her.
"We need to get out of here," he said quietly, "There's nothing else we can do…"
"What?" Blake couldn't believe her ears, "What about the villagers, everyone else? My…" Yet, Lycannis seemed to ignore her as he strode past.
"Fiona left to find your parents. Right?"
"Y-yeah…are they…" Lycannis continued walking, ignoring Blake.
"We need to get out of here first," the tone of his voice was void of any emotion. Blake could tell he was deliberately avoiding her question; it scared her.
Blake's eyes turned towards the burning headquarters, and she could feel something terrible pierce her heart. Blake knew, then, that she would never see her parents or Fiona again.
Blake could feel her throat close up, and tears sting her eyes. All of a sudden, a hollowness grew in her. It was gut-wrenching, and she could feel acid burn the back of her throat. The horrid feeling of realization was choking her, and Blake could feel her mind completely shut down.
She wanted to die – to be with her parents.
"No…" Blake's arm fell limp to her side, "No…Mom…Dad…"
The smoke burned her eyes to the point where tears couldn't come out. Blake didn't want this to happen. She was orphaned too young. Her parents wouldn't be there to watch her grow up.
Blake image, the one of growing up with her parents, was gone. There would be no more birthdays celebrated together, no more hugs from her father, kisses from her mother. There would be no more "congratulations" or "good job" whenever she blocked a direct blow. Shade and Luna wouldn't be there for her indictment into White Fang or her first speech as its diplomat. In a second, a happy future was gone, and all Blake could see was herself wandering along empty alleyways, tired, hungry…and alone.
The bright happiness was gone up in smoke.
Lycannis looked away with a pained look on his face. By now, Blake's eyes were covered with tears, but she stubbornly tried to rub them away.
"We need to move," he said gently, "We can't do anything. It's no use being here." Numbly, Blake nodded and followed.
Suddenly, there was a gunshot in the distance. Lyannis looked up. Then, he tore off towards the source of the sound; Blake was hot on his heels.
Within her; Blake felt a tiny spark of hope. Perhaps, her parents somehow managed to escape.
As they neared closer to the sound of gunfire, Blake could see a singular shape move amongst the smoke and flame – it had a large, bushy tail.
Before Lycannis could stop her, she cried out "Fiona". The figure turned, and light brown locked on to amber.
"Blake!" As soon as the words left Fiona's mouth, a Grimm leapt up from behind and tackled her to the ground.
Instantly, without hesitation, Blake raised her pistol and fired. The bullet embedded itself in the Grimm's neck, and it let out a dying howl.
For that spilt second, Blake felt a thrill. She was glad that the Grimm was dead as she eyed the carcass with hatred.
Fiona shot to her feet and raced towards the White Fang leader and the little girl.
"Sir," Fiona was breathing heavily and blood flowed from her wounds, "There's…"
"This is an attack," he spat, "There's nothing we can do here." For a moment, Fiona looked taken aback before she looked at him with desperation.
"What do we do…" she said, "Do we run?" Lycannis looked like he was thinking long and hard.
"Yes… you do. I'll call for back up. You two head for the coast. I'm sure there's a boat for you two to get on. You need to leave Menagerie and get to the other station at Mistral's coast. Tell them you're one of the survivors from the Menagerie attack." He glanced down at Blake.
"Your parents didn't die in vain," and he turned away.
"What are you going to do, Mr. Lycannis?" Blake asked. However, the leader didn't turn back and simply walked into the smoke.
Blake turned back towards Fiona. She felt exhausted and barely had the energy to stand on her own two feet. The fox Faunus looked away.
"C'mon. Let's get out of here."
"Fiona, Mom and Dad…" To Blake's shock, Fiona's chest shook; she was concealing her sobs.
"Blake…I don't think we'll see them again." That was the final nail in the coffin. Blake looked down and tried to process this new information. But, she felt as if she were closed off in the darkness as the tiny ray of hope left her.
Wordlessly, Fiona led her out of the village and back to the Belladonna home. No Grimm stood in their path. In the back of her mind, Blake wondered if they were at the village, terrorizing the residents.
Blake wanted to do something, but the child felt helpless. Moreover, she was still reeling from the fact that…
Blake could feel a new wave of tears sting her eyes.
"There's a supply train somewhere," Fiona's voice was hoarse, "Blake, do you still have that envelope with you?" Blake handed her the letter, expecting Fiona to tear it open and read its contents. However, the fox Faunus reached into her pocket and pulled out a lighter. Instantly, the paper was set aflame.
"Fiona!"
"I can't leave any evidence behind," her voice was pained, "That was what your parents wanted me to do if they…" She swallowed. "I'm sure there's a grappling hook in the closet, Blake."
And, with that, she retrieved the hook from the closet, grabbed Blake's hand, and led her out into the forest.
For the rest of the journey, Blake vaguely acknowledged Fiona using the grappling hook to pull them up the large stone wall. Then, they walked for who knows how long. Fiona left a trail of blood from her wounds.
Then, when it was nearly dusk, Fiona had located a supply train and crawled into one of the boxcars.
As soon as her feet landed onto the floor, Fiona collapsed with a groan. Blake went to her and pulled out bandages from her back pack. It was then, Blake realized, that she had carried the pistol with her throughout the entire ordeal.
With a sharp pang, Blake remembered that her parents had forbidden her to go anywhere near guns.
But instead of dropping it, Blake calmly placed it to the side and tended to Fiona.
The Fox faunus looked battered as if she had been through hell. Though, Blake was sure that the words rang true to her.
Calmly, Blake peeled away the cardigan and began to dress her wounds, careful of aggravating any clots.
Fiona was right – there was no time to grieve.
The next thing Blake remembered, Fiona was nudging her awake and quietly asking her to eat something. The wind ruffled Blake's long, black hair, and she opened her amber eyes.
Yawning, Blake sat up and found that the supply train was moving. The forest sped by in a green blur, and the moon cast long shadows in its ivory light.
"Blake," Fiona held a bottle of water out to her, "You need to drink something, or you'll get dehydrated." Blake took the water and gulped it down, hoping that it would cleanse the taste of smoke that still lingered on her tongue.
"Fiona…" Blake looked down at her dirt-covered hands, "What do we do now?" Fiona sighed.
"I'm going have to go to the station in Vytal and get reassigned. You…" Fiona looked at Blake carefully, "I'm not going to get separated from you; I promised Luna and Shade that I'll take care of you if something happened to them. I'll list you as my dependent, and you'll probably stay at the station while I'm on missions."
Blake nodded solemnly. Yesterday's events still lingered in the back of her mind, giving her a dull headache.
Fiona sighed, wincing at the bandaged gash over her arms and stomach.
"Mom…Dad…was it quick? Did they suffer?" Fiona looked away as a incomprehensible look cast over her face.
"Go back to sleep, Blake," she said, "I'll wake you in the morning."
Well, that was dramatic. I initially had a lot more traumatizing things for Blake to see, but I wanted to keep this as close to her character development as possible. And, to those of you guys who were hoping to see Adam, I'm going to warn you that he's not going to be here for the next 3-4 chapters. "From Shadow" is primarily focused on Blake's character, but you will see a lot of Adam and Blake interaction when they re-unite!
Also, as a forewarning, please do not post "so-and-so ship is better" or "you're supporting abuse". You like your ships, and I like mine. If you do not like this fanfiction, there is a "back" button on your web browser. I was reluctant to continue this story because of the fandom hate, but encouragement and support helped me keep going. Therefore, please do not bash the author or the fanfic! It's impolite, and I don't think you'd like it if someone said the same thing to you!
To end this on a positive note, thank you so much for the reviews and favorites! I hope you will like what I have in store for our favorite Faunus!
Love,
raining-indigo
