Jaune and Ren shared an glance, followed by an awkward nod in silent agreement that they would refrain from saying anything to their teammates.
It had been fifteen minutes since the three of them entered Blake's hospital ward, and Yang had not stopped arguing with their raven haired teammate. Both sides were proving to be extremely stubborn, refusing to back down regardless of whether or not they were wrong or right. And neither Jaune or Ren wanted to attempt to break their way into the conversation, especially not with the risk that the two verbal combatants might turn on them for siding with the other.
"Look, I get that you want to help people Blake, so do I!" Yang took control of the conversation once again, continuing the verbal tug-of-war with her partner. "But running off to fight terrorists is not the way to do it! I've gotten into my fair share of dicey situations with bad people, but what you did was just stupid!"
Both Jaune and Ren turned their eyes to a fuming Blake as she opened her mouth to retaliate. "And what was I supposed to do? Just let innocent people die?!"
"You could maybe let the police do their jobs!" Their eyes went back to Yang. "Those weren't just run of the mill mooks at some club, Blake! Those were ACTUAL terrorists! Am I seriously having to explain danger to someone who took a sniper round to the leg?!" Yang's eyes shifted to Jaune, causing her fellow blonde to fidget anxiously. "And you! Why didn't you do a better job at STOPPING her?"
"Hey, woah!" He raised his hands up in defense. "I tried my best! Do you really expect me to try to overpower a friend who can kick my ass easily?"
She opened her mouth to offer a response, but couldn't find the words. He was technically right, despite the fact that he was a decent fighter, she highly doubted that he could overpower anyone on their team if he needed to. Instead, she focused on something else. "Friend. That's what you call her?" Jaune might call Blake a friend, but she certainly wouldn't. "She's barely spoken to us since we started classes at Beacon! I've tried to get along with her, but she does nothing but push me away! I don't think she's even shared a single sentence with Ren, and I've seen her talk to you all of two times!" She had tried her best to be friends with her partner, she always gave people a chance when it came to that sort of thing. But the one time she managed to get even remotely close to Blake, she shut herself off from everyone else and became hostile. And she was tired of it.
"Look, Yang, she HAS been speaking to me whenever she stops by Tuksons. And yeah, she's been a little distant, but I don't really see what that has to do with the situation-"
"It has EVERYTHING to do with the situation! The entire reason she ran in and got hurt is because she didn't want to listen to you! It proves that she doesn't care about what any of us have to say!"
"I do care about what you have to say!" Blake barged her way into the conversation.
"Like hell you do! You ignored everything Jaune said just to go run in and try to be a hero!"
"I didn't go fight the White Fang because I wanted to be a hero!"
"Then why did you go fight them then? Whatever you were risking your life for isn't worth it!"
Blake shut her eyes tightly and gripped her blanket, her anger coming to a boil. "I fought them because I don't want them ruining my life again! If I can't stop that, then I might as well just be dead!" There was silence after her comment, her eyes slowly opening in response. She shouldn't have said that. She didn't want to say that. Why did she say that? The thoughts were racing through her head as she stared at her three teammates, who were staring back with equal parts surprise and curiosity.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked as he stood from his chair. "How did the White Fang ruin your life before?" Blake sat motionless and silent, her eyes drifting to her lap. Jaune's thoughts drifted back to the previous night, a particularly important piece of information flashing in his mind. The White Fang Lieutenant that she referred to as "Banesaw" stated that she was to be captured alive for someone named Adam. "Was it that Banesaw guy?" His question garnered a nervous fidget from her. "Did he do something to you? What about that Adam guy that he mentioned?" The name "Adam" certainly caused a reaction in Blake, her eyes going wide as she curled back into her mattress, her teeth grinding in what appeared to be rage.
She had backed herself into a corner and she knew it. The worst part was, she didn't know of any way out of this situation that didn't involve either lying or revealing the truth. Lying was something that she was okay with, she had been doing it for a long time now after all. But there was always the option of telling the truth... Yeah, right. She felt slightly more comfortable about the fact that Jaune was also a faunus, and therefore knew about the prejudices that she had to face, but what would he think of her if he found out the truth? He would be ashamed to even be associated with her. Another Faunus, hiding themselves in shame while he proudly stood out in the world and stated who he was. And then there was the fact that she has been in the White Fang previously, meaning that she was a terrorist. But she wasn't what they are now, she could never bring herself to kill an innocent person in the name of "equality" as they called it. There was nothing equal about what the Fang was doing.
She just wanted them to be more active and aggressive in their protesting, that was all. She never wanted what the rest of the group had planned.
"Blake... you look like you're about to throw up." Yang's voice broke the silence in her head. "What's up with you all of a sudden? Are you having some kind of war flashback or something?"
"I..." She couldn't tell them. Not only would she endanger them along with herself... she knew that deep down they just wouldn't accept her. "I can't tell you."
"...Huh? Why not?" Yang waited for a response, but got none. Her anger quickly found its way back to the front of her mind. "You're kidding, right? You're just gonna go and say that the White Fang ruined your life, and when we ask you how you just give us a bullcrap excuse and then say you can't go into details?!"
They could never know the details, and she would do anything to make sure that they didn't. "I just can't, okay Yang? I'll listen to you guys from now on, I'll try to be a better friend, but I don't want to talk about what happened, alright?!"
The answer did nothing to sway her partners determination to learn more about her past. "I don't care about that, I want answ-"
"Blake." The two of them turned their attention to Jaune, who had gotten out of his chair. "It's okay if you don't want to tell us." Yang's anger soon turned on him, which was something that he had fully expected. He held out a hand in an attempt to give him a few more moments of speaking time. "We all have our secrets. And we all have our right to keep them." He locked eyes with Yang. "If she says she's willing to try and fix her mistakes, then I think we should give her the chance, don't you?"
Blake was stunned. She had fully expected the rest of her team to join in on the conversation, demanding to be told the truth. But something in Jaune's eyes lead her to believe that he knew what she was talking about. He knew how she felt, to keep a secret that could ruin your life if it got out. There was understanding in his eyes that she hadn't seen in them before. And it made her think, that maybe she could at least do good on her word and be friends with him, if not anyone else in her team.
Yang grit her teeth for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "Fine." He had a point, much to her annoyance. It wasn't fair to just start grilling her on information that she didn't want others to know. And it was true that she wanted to fix her mistakes, but how much of that was meant and how much of it was just a lie to get them off her back? She had experience with those kinds of "deals" when it came to Ruby. Sure, they were about small things like sharing cookies or cleaning her room, but things like that could apply to any situation. "One chance."
That was all that she would allow though.
Despite what Yang might have thought him however, Jaune was actually just as curious as Yang was. But he would be a huge hypocrite if he began to pry into the secrets of others. Sure, he could justify it by saying that his secrets had the potential to be deadly to both everyone around him, and himself. But who's to say that Blake's secrets weren't the same? The only time those kinds of secrets should be exposed is if they endanger others, or if the person wants to tell you about them. And neither of those were the current case.
Once things had finally calmed down, the rest of the day was mostly spent just discussing the prior night in greater detail. Despite the fact that Yang was still furious with her partner, she hid her anger well enough.
It wasn't until the doctor came into the room did things get heated again. Yang had made a particularly loud argument when the doctor told her that visiting hours were over, and that they couldn't stay with their teammate for the night. Despite the fact that the doctor looked like he was regretting having to kick them out, she was partially glad. She needed some private time while she was actually conscious. She had more that she had to think about.
After a few more minutes of loud complaining outside of her room, Jaune and Ren managed to get Yang to leave well enough alone. Blake found herself sighing in relief, and there was no doubt that a lot of other patients were sighing just like she was. At least now she had time to think to herself.
"Well, Ms. Belladonna." Or not.
"I regret to inform you that you are scheduled for release tomorrow morning." The doctor stated as he walked back into the room. "Your leg is in well enough condition for you to move around via the usage of crutches. And given the rate at which it's healing, I'd say you'll be walking with that leg again by next week." He chuckled to himself. "Aura is a heck of a thing, isn't it? I've been working in the medical field all my life and I still can't believe how fast it can heal injuries."
Blake didn't respond. She simply continued to stare into her sheets, contemplating all that had happened within the past forty-eight hours. It was still something that she found herself being unable to properly comprehend. "You know..." She heard the doctors voice again. "I know I'm only a medical doctor, and not a psychological one, but that doesn't mean you can't ask me for advice."
"I don't know what you mean." The words left her mouth quicker then she could even think them up.
"Heh." The doctor scratched at his beard for a moment. "The whole hospital heard your argument with your friend. Got a lot of noise complaints."
Blake could feel her cheeks heating up. "Uh... sorry."
"Ah, it's no problem. Besides, I think everyone is relieved that your partner was able to calm down in the end. And it's far more reassuring that you all made up after everything was said and done." He paused for a moment and coughed into his hand awkwardly. "You uh, you did make up, right? Your partner looked like she was still steaming when she left earlier, and I don't think it as all because of the visiting hours."
She grit her teeth. Yang most likely wasn't happy with the answers she got, but what could she do about it? She had nobody around that she could bounce the subject off of without revealing that she was a- Her eyes gleamed for a moment as she stared at the doctor. "Doctor, can I ask you a question?" She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "How do you live your life in the world?"
The doctor stared at her and pondered the question for a moment. "I assume you're asking because of my tail, right?" He chuckled to himself when she nodded. "Well, there are certainly people who look down on me. I've had many patients who flat out refuse to see me because I'm a Faunus." He scratched at his beard before taking an interest in the ground. "It hurt for awhile, knowing that people hated me because of my tail. But eventually, I learned to stop caring. There are going to be people who hate you because of what you are no matter where you go in the world, no matter what species you are."
"That might be true, but people hate Faunus more then-"
"Yeah yeah, that's true too, if you want to look at it that way." He interupted. "But the most important thing is surrounding yourself with people who care about who you are, not what you are." His face scrunched up a little. "Ugh. That sounded like some kind of after-school special."
"...But what if people reject you?"
"Is this about your bow?" Though he asked a question, he didn't give her a chance to respond. "Listen, if your friends start hating you because of the fact that your a Faunus, then they were never your friends to begin with." He paused for a moment, a small smile gracing his face. "Now, if they start hating to you because you lied to them, that might be another story."
Blake cracked a small smile. "Thank you, doctor. I think you've really helped me out." She paused for a moment before letting a small laugh escape from her lips. "In more ways than just medical."
"Well, I'm glad." The doctor laughed in return before he took his leave. "However, Ms. Belladonna..." He stopped at the doorway, turning back to her. "I'd like to ask you for a favor." Blake tilted her head slightly as she stared at the doctor, the smile on his face growing just a bit bigger. "Please don't end up in here again, alright?"
Blake smiled once more. "You have my word."
"Why am I subjecting myself to this torture?"
Jaune looked up from his desk, turning his body around just enough for him to spot two figures plopped down in front of the television. The clacking of game controllers signaled that they were playing a game, something that he could only imagine Yang roped their teammate Blake into. "Aw come on!" Yang nudged her partner's shoulder with her own. "This is fun and you know it!" The resulting groan from Blake told him that it was not fun and she knew it. Leaning over slightly, he managed to get a decent view of the television screen, only to see that the two of them were playing some sort of fighting game. One character was constantly being bounced off of a wall, only to end up being combo'd back into it by another.
"I don't think beating Blake up against a wall is something she finds fun, Yang." He called out, causing them to turn and look at him. Yang scoffed at his words as she paused their game. "Oh please," She flashed a rather evil smirk. "I'm not beating her! I'm teaching her on how NOT to play the game!"
"Hmm... Is that so?" He hummed for a moment before his eyes drifted over to their silent friend, who currently appeared to be reading a book on his bed. "Perhaps Ren could teach you a few things too?"
As if it were a command, Ren's face shot up from the book that he had been quietly reading, a gleam of excitement shining brightly in his eyes. Yang's reaction was one of pure fear, her skin turning white as a ghosts as she shot to her feet. "Uuh, yeah let's not do that. Hey, Blake, got any other ideas on how to spend the day?" There was no doubt that Yang was looking for something to save her own skin, she wouldn't go up against the game master again. Not until she was more prepared, at least.
"Actually, I did have an idea for something..." Blake reached into her pocket and slowly procured two small pieces of paper. "I remember how you wanted to go see a movie last week, Yang, so I thought maybe we could go this week." The two small paper tickets sparked a bigger reaction than she was expecting, yelping when her partner scooped her into a hug. "I take that as a confirmation that you want to go?" She coughed out as Yang continued to suffocate her.
"I really didn't think you'd remember that! Have you been holding onto those all this time?"
After her partner put her down, Blake shook her head as both an answer to Yang's question and a way to gather her senses. "No. The ones you had expired, these are new ones that I bought myself."
"Aaw!" Blake narrowly ducked under another attempted bearhug. "That's so sweet of you, Blakey!" The blonde continued her mewling, despite the fact that she had missed her target. "I guess it's a date then!"
"Um..." Blakes face gained a small amount of color. "Sorry, Yang. I don't uh... I'm not like that."
Yang stared at her partner in confusion for a moment before blowing a raspberry. "Pff." "I didn't mean it like that, Blake. Just cos it's a date doesn't mean you have to be romantic about it." Yang stated as she wrapped an arm around her. "So what time is the showing?"
"Five forty-five."
Yang glanced at the clock, noting that it was nearly four thirty. "Guess that gives us some time to get to Vale and grab a bite to eat." She stated as she began pulling her partner towards the door. "I know a nice place near the theater that has some good steak and salmon." She grinned a little when Blake's face lit up at the mention of fish.
And with that, the door slammed shut behind them, leaving Jaune and Ren behind.
"...They didn't even ask us if we wanted to go with them." Jaune sighed as he sat back down at his desk. "...I kinda wanted to go." He added before he went back to his studying.
"Perhaps it's for the better. Those two really weren't getting along until recently." Ren returned to his book, the room falling into a peaceful state of silence. "Seeing them like this now is very reassuring."
Ren was right, since returning from the hospital, Blake had stayed true to her word. She interacted with all of them and attempted to actually form bonds, although Jaune couldn't help but notice that despite everything, she still seemed a little distant from him. Perhaps she was still secretly angry at him for what happened the week before, but he really didn't care. He would do the same exact thing over and over again if he had to. Still though, it was nice to see that she was at least on a friendly basis with Yang again. And although the two of them became friends faster then he thought they would, it seemed as though Ren had formed the closest attachment to Blake out of all of them... Despite the fact that they rarely shared any spoken words. Perhaps it was some sort of silent ninja-like bond that they had going on, shared through their literature and silence.
And when Blake had finally gotten the cast off of her leg, she was even more social. Both her and Yang had taken Yang's sister Ruby out for lunch the other day, something that scared the rest of them. Because the more social she got, the more that they couldn't help that she was only being so just to appease them. But her actions seemed genuine, so if she was faking it, she was a master at doing so.
"Jaune? Are you alright?"
He looked up from his desk and turned to Ren, who had a look of concern on his face. Well, Ren-levels of concern, anyway. "I'm fine, why do you ask?" He responded in confusion. Ren simply stared down at Jaune's legs, his eyebrow going up in a fashion that suggested he didn't believe his team leader. Matching his partners gaze, Jaune saw that his right foot was rapidly tapping against the ground. Jaune grit his teeth behind his lips. Not this again... Shutting his book, he quickly hopped out of his chair and sat on his bed. "I must be feeling a bit jittery." He explained as he put on his shoes. "Maybe a walk around the campus will help." Just before the blonde walked out the door, he turned and informed Ren that he would meet him in the mess hall for dinner. He had heard that tonight was steak night.
"Jaune, wait." He turned to see that Ren had chased after him. "We need to talk for a moment. About your behavior this past week."
"W-what do you mean, Ren?"
"You've been acting strange, Jaune. You're very jittery, prone to being startled, and I've seen you get up and leave the room almost every night for hours on end." Ren's magenta eyes buckled down, piercing Jaune's nerves with their serious appearance. "Is something wrong?"
"It's... nothing, Ren." Jaune lied, waving a hand in front of him. "It's just a bit of aftershock from what went down in the city, I'll be fine."
Ren didn't seem to entirely believe the excuse, but he nodded anyway. "Alright. But if this persists, you may need to seek medical attention. We don't need your grades to falter because of what happened, nor do we need you to end up with any mental conditions from the battle you fought in."
Jaune chuckled lightly. "Thank you, Ren. You're a good friend." With another wave, Jaune turned and began walking down the hall. "I'll be fine." He called out one last time.
After that, as Jaune wandered around the campus, he couldn't help but think back at the problems HE had been having since last week. He was beginning to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with his head, because he had been getting many strange thoughts and urges since as of late. The biggest concerns were mostly the fact that he just always wanted to be outside. Even now, he felt like just letting loose and running around randomly. He was also getting a nasty case of insomnia, frequently getting up in the middle of the night to wander the halls of the campus aimlessly. There was also a craving for meat. Meat of any kind, it was such a terrible craving that it threatened to drive him mad if he didn't have some kind of meat on a daily basis.
...And then there was the day that he stalked one of the second year students around. Velvet, was her name. At least, he was pretty sure that's what it was. He really didn't care to remember. He just caught one glimpse of her ears, and he found himself following her around for the next hour. Of course, he was stealthy in his approaches, making sure to never alert her of his presence. He also always made it seem like he just naturally ended up wherever she was, in case someone else had been keeping an eye on him.
Even today, he found himself briefly looking for any sign of her before remembering that her and the rest of her team had left for a mission just that morning. The most terrifying thing about all these urges, is that they had begun to worsen over the course of the week. And now they practically clouded his mind if he wasn't actively engaging in some other activity or conversation.
Was he beginning to think that he actually was a Faunus now? No, that's racist. Faunus surely don't act like this, letting their instincts run wild. And his curse? That had been kept in check, there was no way that it could be anything relating to that.
Unless...
"Oof!"
Jaune nearly fell backwards after ramming into what he thought was a brick wall. But upon gathering his bearings, he found two red eyes piercing through his soul. What he had actually rammed into was a man that looked as if he had just crawled out of the seediest part of town, and with the massive sword that was holstered on his back, he certainly didn't want to offend this man. "S-sorry, I wasn't-"
"Watch where you're going kid." The man cut him off, his voice sounding tired and gravelly. Without another word, the man thoughtlessly shoved him aside and continued his stride towards Beacon Tower, muttering something about how "Oz's new recruits are getting worse each year."
"Oz?" Jaune mumbled to himself as he watched the man continue on his way. "Was he talking about the headmaster? Jeez, I feel sorry for him if he has to deal with a guy like that..."
Ozpin stared at the video feed for the fourth time, watching the events of the battle that had happened a week prior take place once more.
A woman in a red dress was on the ground, blood pooling around her. Yet she continued to defy death by struggling to her knees. Another woman, with a strange grimm-like mask on stood over her, raven-colored hair still rocking back and forth from the violent storm of action that had only just stopped. The masked woman raised a brilliant red katana that seemingly shimmered in the light that the street lamps provided. And then suddenly, the video cut for the smallest second. A single frame of static, that could barely be spotted. But that single millisecond was enough apparently, because the woman in the red dress had all but vanished.
Not even the blood that poured from her wounds was left.
Ozpin hummed as he took a sip of his coffee. He then watched as the raven-haired woman looked around frantically before rushing off camera. Ozpin quickly switched to another recording, this one catching the woman running into an alleyway. Another recording was pulled up and placed next to the first, this newer one observing the opposite end of the alley. The times were synced, and Ozpin watched the woman run into the alley once more. She did not come out of the other end. After that incident, the remaining White Fang in the area either fled or surrendered to the law enforcement that quickly swarmed the area. And with that, the video recording ended.
Ozpin let out a sigh. There were so many questions he had, so many theories as to what this event was about. But he had no way of narrowing things down until he was certain of who she was. Things would be so much clearer if he had the help that he requested with him-
"So what was so urgent that you needed me to haul ass back here for, Oz?"
Ozpin, in a rare moment of surprise, jerked his head upwards to see who had entered his office so quietly. There stood the man that he had trusted for so many years, the one who had done so much for him. His tattered red cape was thrown haphazardly over his shoulder, unable to hide the fact that the rest of his attire was just as tattered. The man's hand brushed passed his worn grey shirt, reaching into the pocket of his black pants to procure a metal flask. With great haste, he unscrewed the cap and brought the container to his lips. It was a terrible habit of his, and Ozpin had always wished that he would switch to a healthier liquid, like coffee. The man drank so much that he could be considered inebriated almost twenty-four seven. Especially from the look of his hair, the black, short hair looking matted and unkempt. The bags that hung under his bright red eyes also suggested that he had very little in the ways of sleep.
All in all, a quite unsightly mess of a man.
But appearances can be deceiving, and that was what Qrow Branwen was.
Ozpin relaxed slightly and leaned back into the comfort of his chair, his hands folded over one another on his lap. "I apologize for having to call back here so soon, Qrow. But I thank you for coming."
Qrow let out a small cough as he stowed his flask away from whence it came. "Soon is a bit of an understatement. Barely had my foot off of Vale before I suddenly get called back to the coop." He leaned forward, his brow furrowing. "So what's the deal?"
Ozpin's brow furrowed in response to Qrow's own, the headmaster leaning forward once again so that he could reach the keyboard of his computer. With a few taps of the keys, the video he had been playing earlier reappeared on his screen and began to play from the very beginning. With a small push, he spun the monitor around and showed the destruction to his friend as his answer. Qrow watched with morbid fascination as the two women fought, a few civilians being evaporated in the resulting blast of fire that emerged from the woman in the red dresses hand. "There are quite a few reasons why I called you back, Qrow." Ozpin began, his hand reaching out for the keyboard once again. "But the most important one is this."
With a click of the computer mouse, the video paused, centering upon the woman adorned with a grimm-mask and raven colored hair.
Qrow stared at the picture for a moment before a smirk lined his face. "What's so important about her? She doesn't look so tough." With a small chuckle, he leaned back into his chair. Though the resulting stare from Ozpin informed him that fooling around wasn't his best option. "Come on Oz, you know that ain't her."
Ozpin let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you. I just needed to be sure."
"Needed to be sure? Come on, this one doesn't look anything like her. The mask is all wrong, the hair is straight, she doesn't even have her bandana that she got when she was ten." Qrow leaned forward and narrowed his eyes, studying the woman for a few moments before another smirk lined his lips. "Plus," He began as he leaned back in his chair. "This ones got a really nice rack. Nothin' like her at all."
"One would think that you would avoid implying such things about your sister, Qrow." Ozpin took a swig from his mug. "After all, I'm sure Taiyang would have a much different opinion on the matter."
"Tch. Nice one." Qrow's hand quickly dove into his pocket to retrieve what he referred to as his "comfort flask." It seemed like he would be emptying it of its contents today. "So from the looks of things, those stories about Vale getting attacked were true."
"Indeed." Ozpin nodded his head slightly. "The White Fang have chosen to make a bold move. They are not my highest priority, however."
"Really, Oz? Aren't you supposed to be protecting this world from the "forces that conspire against it?" as you put it? I don't think ignoring the White Fang is going to-"
"I do not plan to ignore them, Qrow. But look at the video footage again." Ozpin pressed play once more, the combat resuming. Qrow studied the woman in the red dress this time, noting that she was a bit too flat in the chest region to be of any interest to himself. The lower half wasn't that bad, though. But what really stood out was the flames that shot from her hand, and the power that radiated off of her body.
"So it's her, then? The one who attacked Amber?"
"You tell me, Qrow." Ozpin turned his monitor back around. "You were there, were you not."
"Yeah... Yeah, I was. Doesn't mean I got a good look at her when she ran off. There were three of em, remember?" Qrow folded his arms and sighed. "So I guess this means I'm staying in Vale for a bit longer, huh?"
Ozpin nodded. "Despite the fact that the woman looked mortally wounded, Amber has not recovered. So that can only mean one of two things, the woman is still alive, or her assailant has claimed the powers from her."
"And you think both of them are still in the city, right?"
"I do." Ozpin wheeled his chair back slightly, allowing him to stand. "I do not believe that these incidents were simply acts of terrorism to proclaim the White Fang's presence." He turned to the window, gazing at the cityscape that lingered in the distance, the setting sun bathing the landscape in a beautiful orange glow. "I believe this is simply the start of something much bigger. And I will need your help, most of all, Qrow."
Qrow couldn't help but smirk. "Heh, when don't you?"
Jaune's eyes snapped open.
With a very quiet sigh, he pulled himself out of bed, got dressed and silently left the room. Another sleepless night, just what he was looking forward to. Once again, he found himself trudging down the halls of Beacon, the only light being that from the night sky that shined through the windows. He was giving serious consideration to going to see the nurse, starting tomorrow. If Ren had begun noticing his behavior, it was time for him to get some professional help.
"Jaune?"
His hairs stood on end as the voice startled him from behind. Without even thinking, he felt his nails tingle and morph into claws, his teeth also briefly ached as they changed shape. But only for a moment did he allow his nerves to get the better of him, and he quickly cleared his mind and undid the small transformations that his subconscious had activated.
He turned slowly and glared into the darkness, amber eyes greeting him in shock. "I'm sorry." Blake's voice parted the veil. "I didn't mean to startle you." Jaune felt his body ease up as his teammate's visage became clear. But the expression on her face seemed as if she was troubled.
"It's alright, I shouldn't really be out this late anyway."
"I've noticed that you've been spending a lot of time out at night this past week. And according to Ren, so has he. Is something bothering you?" He was taken aback by that. Blake also knew about his nightly outings?
"Uh, no." He lied. "Sometimes I just get this feeling, that I want to be out in the dark." He paused for a moment and let his own words sink into his brain. "Well that sounded... stupid."
Blake smiled, the smallest hint of a chuckle escaped from her lips as she spoke. "No, I understand. Sometimes the darkness can be comforting, despite what a lot of people think. It's actually a little strange, how it can be terrifying one moment and safe the next." She took a few steps towards him. He could feel his entire body twitching with anticipation, he wanted to just reach out and... "I'm sorry for following you." She stopped in front of the window. "It's just, this past week, I've had a lot on my mind."
"Really?" From the way she acted, he certainly couldn't tell. "Anything bad?"
"...In a way, yes." She took a deep breath. "Do you remember what I said in the hospital last week? That I had a secret that would change everything?"
"Uuh... I don't think you said it would change everything. You just said that it was important."
She shook her head. "The details don't matter, Jaune." For a moment, his eyes stared at her swaying hair with strange curiosity. "I wanted to talk to you about that."
"Woah, hold on." He held out a hand. "I don't want you to tell me anything that you don't feel comfortable with."
"I wouldn't be standing here if I wasn't comfortable with it." That was a lie, she didn't want to be standing there at all. She never wanted anyone to find out any of this. But it wasn't fair to keep it from him of all people, not only a fellow Faunus, but one who had saved her life. The guilt from keeping such a secret from him, it was eating away at her insides like a starved rat. "Despite the fact that I've only been trying for a week, I feel like I really have made a better connection with you, Yang and Ren." She sighed as she began to pace back and forth. "And the secret. My secret. Well, if I don't tell at least one of you now, and you find out yourself later on... It would ruin everything."
"Truth be told, I didn't want any of you to ever find out." She chuckled sarcastically to herself. "I was completely fine with going through my entire four years without ever telling anyone." She smiled ever so slightly as she stopped in front of him. "But now I know that if anyone can understand me, even a little, it's you.
"Me, huh?" He was doubting that. He really wasn't the kind of guy that was relatable at all...
"So... I'm going to tell you..." Her hands began to reach up towards her head, her bow. "Everything about me."
Jaune carefully watched as her hands began to fiddle with her bow, when his eyes went wide. He was met with a sight that chilled him to his very bones, that made him want to faint. It was something that he had completely neglected since he came to Beacon, to Vale, and in this moment all of his worst fears were finally realized as he stared not at Blake Belladonna, but the window that was behind her. His vision pierced the night sky, fixated upon the one thing that would ruin his entire life.
The shattered moon of Remnant, in full bloom.
Author's Notes
I'm sure a lot of people thought I forgot about the fact that Jaune was supposed to be a werewolf in this.
Surprise! I didn't!
On that note, I hope that the way things wrapped up with Blake's recovery and her clashing with Yang didn't come off as too rushed, but I felt as if it was beginning to drone on at this point. And there really wasn't much of a way I could think of to make it sound... well, different.
We know the reasons why she doesn't want to tell them her secret, and she made it clear to them that she didn't want to do so. What else could I really say?
And there's also plot that we need to get to, this isn't a fluff fic after all.
But for now, all I can say is, get excited. Because the werewolf part of the fic is now starting in full swing, baby!
