Chapter 8
"Memories of Beacon"

The Battle of Beacon, six and a half months ago

The encounter had played out in her mind many times. She imagined what her reunion with Adam would be like. As much as she attempted to run and hide from her past, the one thing that was always in the back of Blake Belladonna's mind was the fact that one day she would have to face Adam directly.

She just didn't expect it to play out like this.

So far, the battle had gone very poorly. Blake had no intention of letting this go on longer than she needed to. Deep down, she knew she had no chance in a battle with Adam. The first chance she got, she was going to get the injured student out of there and leave. However, before she could really do anything, Adam already had the upper hand. With no effort on his part, he had knocked Blake down. Just as she was recovering, Blake heard something running in from her left. Looking over, she saw a Creep coming in for the kill. With no time to react she could only brace herself. Just as it was about to tear into her, a gunshot ran out and killed it. Blake had hoped backup had arrived, but her joy was short-lived as she quickly saw her savior was none other than Adam. As she got back to her feet, he simply said one thing.

"Not before you've suffered for your betrayal, my love."

Blake frowned at that. Adam not only had every intention of drawing this out, but for him this battle was deeply personal. This was about opposite ideologies. Blake originally believed in the White Fang's mission, but as they turned more and more violent, she knew she couldn't stay in the group. Adam however, saw a traitor. He also saw a person that once denied him the one thing he wanted the most. In his mind, Blake not only needed to be eliminated, but she also needed to suffer.

Meanwhile, Blake tried not to think about what Adam had called her. There was once a point where she did look up to Adam. But, that was before that twisted side became known to her. At one point, she did love him. Adam loved her as well, and he had attempted to tell her as much. The problem was, Blake loved Adam like an older brother. While she did hide among humans, that was far from her only secret. She trusted Adam enough to share that secret with him.

Adam Taurus was the first person Blake had ever come out to.

Upon admitting that to him, it was almost like a switch had been flipped. While he had never raised a hand to her, he instantly became distant. The verbal abuse and names he called her were actually worse than what she got from humans. Blake quickly learned that he fit just about every stereotype regarding jealous former lovers. Overall, it reinforced her choices to hide her faunus heritage and not tell anyone else her other secret. Eventually, she did have to admit her secret to Sun. However, unlike Adam, he at least did what he could to help her hide it.

As he approached, Blake couldn't help but feel sadness. As recently as a few weeks ago, she was still making excuses for him. Despite the fact that he had murdered people, she felt that somehow he could be guided away from such a fanatical lifestyle. She longed for the days where life in the White Fang was simple. Adam would be the big brother she never had and no one would get hurt. Blake wasn't one that typically believed in the simple idea of black and white, good and evil. To her, the world was far more complex than that. There were good people who did bad things for the right reasons. Conversely, there were people the world would call villains. Yet, those people made decisions that would paint them in a terrible light while improving conditions for others. However, she now knew without doubt that if there was anyone who could be considered pure evil, it was Adam Taurus.

Without warning, Adam drew Wilt and slashed at Blake's head. She was quick to dodge the blow and proceeded to fight back. Three quick slashes from Gambol Shroud were quickly parried by the combination of Wilt and Blush. Blake attempted to attack again, but following a dodge, Adam had brought the barrel of Blush to her face. On pure instinct, Blake summoned a shadow clone as Adam pulled the trigger. As the clone dissipated, she managed to get to his right side. Before she could react however, he had already managed to bring the hilt of his sword around and hit her in the stomach. Blake quickly went to her knees from the unexpected blow. Before she could do anything else, Adam aimed a hard kick to the back of her head.

Blake dropped her weapon as she fell to the ground. Her vision blurred as she frantically searched for Gambol Shroud. Just as her eyesight came back to her, Adam grabbed her by the hair. Pulling her up, he whispered into her ear, "I hope you're paying attention." Before she could figure out what was going on, Adam made her face the unconscious student she was attempting to save. Without warning, he proceeded to shoot him. Blake's eyes went wide with horror at the sight. Even without her weapon, she was about to make an attempt to fight back. Before she could do so however, Adam threw her back towards Gambol Shroud, then turning his attention back to the dead student, he proceeded to unload the rest of his ammo on the body. Blake was completely shocked as she laid on the ground. Adam however, let out a menacing laugh as he turned his attention back to Blake.

"And now, the spark has lit the fire, my love."

Blake could only look at him with disgust. Adam needed to be stopped. The problem was, she wasn't sure how to go about doing it. Their skill levels were just too far apart. There was also the fact that he knew her every move. Blake wasn't even sure how to begin fighting back.

Adam saw the look he was getting from Blake. While she didn't know what he was thinking, she could at least tell it had angered him. Sheathing his weapon, he said, "Don't be so naive Blake. All those thefts? All those missions for the White Fang? That was training! We were training for this moment! The moment we would rise up and start the Faunus War once again!" Shaking her head, Blake told him, "No! That's what YOU wanted!" Once she said that, Adam let his anger and rage fully take over. As he took a step forward, he screamed, "YOU FOOL! This could have been our day! Can't you see that?" Blake struggled to her knees. Was he really this blind? How could Adam think a full-blown war was the answer? Blake attempted to hold her tears back as she spoke. "I never wanted this!" she said, as she tightened her grip on Gambol Shroud. "I wanted equality! I WANTED PEACE!" As he took another step forward, Blake saw a chance to do something unexpected. Transforming her weapon to its handgun form, she quickly attempted to shoot Adam at point-blank range. Yet, Adam proved he was always ready for anything. With a quick, simple motion, he drew Wilt halfway out and used Blake's rounds to charge the weapon. As it began to glow red, he screamed out in rage.

"WHAT YOU WANT IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

Suddenly sheathing the weapon again, Adam quickly delivered a forceful backhand to Blake's face. Getting knocked back down once more, she noted how unsettling it was once Adam switched back to a calm, normal voice. "But, I understand" he said with no hint of anger. It was almost like he was scolding a young child now. Then, things took a creepy turn.

"Because all I want, is you, Blake."

Blake saw that disgusting grin on his face. She didn't even want to begin to imagine what he was thinking. Letting her own anger get the best of her, Blake attempted to point her weapon in his direction and shoot at him. Adam was starting to grow tired of this game. Before she could pull the trigger again, he kicked Blake hard. The force of the impact sent Gambol Shroud flying away. Deep down, he felt that he should just kill her. It would be so much easier to just end this. However, she was a traitor to him. Even worse, she had denied his love. To him, that was unforgivable.

No, he would continue this. He would deny Blake the death she deserved, until every last ounce of misguided hope was drained. Adam took another step towards her and eventually kneeled down as he spoke. "As I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love." Adam's thoughts turned very impure as he debated how he would begin. She was beaten, disarmed, and completely at his mercy. She would not deny him this time. However, fate apparently had other ideas.

"BLAKE! Blake, where are you?!"

The sound of another woman's voice drew the attention of both faunus. Adam turned just in time to see a young blonde quickly knock out one of his men with Shot Gauntlets. As he looked back at Blake, he could see the fear on her face. Part of him wanted to ask Blake if this was her lover, but sometimes actions spoke much louder than words. Adam smirked as he drew Wilt once more. He savored that look of fear on Blake's face as he spoke.

"Starting with her."

Before she could even react, Adam drove Wilt right into Blake's abdomen. Adam's Semblance allowed him to penetrate nearly any aura. The trade-off was that his own aura was very weak. However, all Adam needed was one good blow. Many people didn't expect him to be able to do such a thing. Therefore, many battles ended before the victim knew what happened. Meanwhile, when charged, his weapon could burn almost anything. That combination easily made Adam an extremely dangerous man to face. Any blow from him could easily end someone's life. In this particular case, a charged Wilt driven into someone with Aura was counterproductive. It's burning effect would quickly cauterize the wound. However, that was precisely what he wanted. He needed Blake to draw this woman in. He also wanted Blake to see everything he would do to her.

Meanwhile, Blake tried to resist screaming out. She felt Wilt's edge plunge right into her stomach. Then, she felt it go right through her back. Blake felt the burning sensation as Adam let the blade linger inside her for a moment. She knew he purposely avoided her vitals. Her abdomen and back felt like they were on fire, and she thought she was going to be sick from the smell of burning flesh and blood. To scream out would be to betray Yang. However, the pain was far too great. Within moments, she let out her anguished cry.

Finally, there was Yang. As soon as she heard the scream, she knew Blake was nearby. She first saw the body of a student riddled with bullet wounds. Then, she saw Blake. She was laying on the ground wounded. Her attacker was a man wearing a Grimm mask. While he wasn't dressed like the rest of them, there was no doubt in Yang's mind that this was a member of the White Fang. But, that was not important to Yang. Seeing one of her best friends injured in such a way set off a rage that Yang had never felt before.

The next few moments only took about five seconds, yet it was almost like time slowed for all involved.

"Get away from her!" Yang shouted as she powered herself up. She didn't catch the begging, pleading look on Blake's face as she told her to stay away. Blake's attacker sheathed his weapon and just smirked at Yang. That was the last straw for Yang. With her eyes flashing red and her aura flaring up around her, she let out an inhuman scream as she used Ember Celica to launch herself forward. Yang was not a killer, but she wouldn't be satisfied with knocking him out.

She was going to rip his damn heart out and show it to him as he died. At least that's how events played out in her mind. Instead, things went very differently.

After wounding her in an attempt to draw Yang in, Blake was only able to watch helplessly as her friend rushed in. It had all happened so fast. Blake's mind barely had time to register what was going on. Panic gripped her once she saw the blood splatter on the ground. At first, she feared the worst and had thought Adam killed her on the spot. It wasn't until Blake saw her right arm hit the ground that she realized Adam was going to do what he did best.

He was going to take his time with the two of them.

Blake knew she would have one chance to get them both out of there. If she did, it would mainly be due to the fact that Adam did everything slowly and deliberately. He had his back to them and simply admired his work as he watched Yang's right arm and bracer burn to ash. As wounded as she was, Blake somehow managed to get back to her feet, get over to Yang and pick her up. She knew she was going to need a distraction. If this failed, they were both going to die right here. Blake would not allow Adam to take his time with her. She was going to make sure he knew that he'd have to kill her. Already weak, she couldn't afford to mess this up. Focusing as much as she could, she attempted to summon a shadow clone. What happened next shocked her.

Instead of a clone of herself, Blake managed to summon a clone of Yang.

Blake blinked for a moment at the sight. She tried to think about how that was even possible, but she was at a complete loss. How did she do it? Why did she do it? Blake didn't know. In fact, she didn't really care. The main goal was getting the two of them out of there. A second clone would help, but she needed to be quick now. Adam wasn't going to wait forever. Her head hurt as she focused once more and attempted to concentrate. Eventually, she managed to summon a clone of herself laying in the spot Adam had left her. That was enough for Blake. With both clones ready, Blake didn't waste any time. Using the last ounce of strength she had left, she somehow got Yang up and took the long way around. As she ran by Adam, she quickly picked up Gambol Shroud and sheathed it. Getting both arms around Yang, Blake continued to run. Eventually, she heard Adam say something, but Blake was too far away to hear it. She assumed he was speaking to her clones and hoped that by the time he noticed, the two of them would have some distance.

As she ran, part of Blake worried about Adam following them. Yang's wound was quickly sealed by Wilt when she lost her arm. Blake risked looking at it and instantly regretted it. It took everything she had to keep herself from throwing up over the gruesome sight. Part of her felt this was her fault, but then she quickly realized that charging up Wilt might have been the best thing for Yang. Had the weapon been uncharged, the wound would have never been cauterised. Blake suddenly realized that if it hadn't been for her ill-advised actions, Yang would likely have died from the blood loss. It was a small comfort as she ran.

Blake was doing the best she could, but she was not faring well. She had taken a beaten from Adam, and been impaled once his sword was powered up. Despite the wound being sealed shut, all the extra effort and movement had managed to open it up again. What was left of her aura did slow the bleeding down somewhat, but it was too much. Eventually, Blake could feel her aura disappear. Once that happened, it was almost like the floodgates had opened. Blake was going to need medical attention soon, or else she was going to die.

Yang was slowly starting to become heavier in Blake's arms. There were no Grimm or White Fang around, but that didn't settle the nerves of the young faunus. Risking a look back, she half expected to see Adam. He apparently wasn't following them, but it did nothing to calm Blake. Instead, worry began to rise as she saw just how much of a blood trail she was starting to leave. Was the body really suppose to have this much blood? Blake didn't get very long to ponder it. That was the point her strength finally gave out. Her arms felt like rubber as she dropped Yang. A few seconds later, her legs gave out, and she fell face first to the ground.

Not like this. This can't be how it all ends.

Blake's vision was starting to blur as she heard footsteps. Looking up, she saw a figure in white approaching and instantly assumed it was a White Fang member. There would be no way in hell she'd go down without a fight. With the last of her strength, Blake pulled out her weapon, converted it to its handgun form and with a very unsteady hand, took aim. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, she realized her mistake.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE BLAKE! It's me!"

Blake painfully let out a sigh of relief once she heard the voice of Weiss Schnee. Three more figures were bringing up the rear. Once they drew a bit closer, Blake could see that it was Coco, Sun and Velvet. Weiss attempted to turn Blake onto her back as she let her weapon drop. Blake could see the concern on the face of Weiss as she turned to face the others. "She's hurt bad! Coco, I'm going to need your scarf. We've got to use something to stop the bleeding until we can get a medical team here." Under normal circumstances, Coco would have objected to anyone touching her scarf. All things considered, this was about as far from a normal situation as they could get. Coco certainly wasn't going to let another huntress die from blood loss, so she gave it up without protesting. Blake was about to tell them to focus on Yang, but quickly found she didn't have to. "Oh my...YANG!" It was Sun's voice. Blake was too weak to turn towards Yang, but she was able to see Weiss. As soon as she looked over, Blake saw the shock on her face. At one point, Blake didn't think it was possible for Weiss to become any more pale, but what little color she did have in her face seemed to completely drain away as soon as she saw the wound. Coco was the next to speak. "Velvet! You're the fastest one out of all of us! Find some help and get them here quickly!" Blake didn't hear a reply from the rabbit faunus. Instead, she heard rapid footsteps as the girl ran to find help.

Weiss was using Coco's scarf to put pressure on Blake's wound. As for Blake, she couldn't help it anymore. Her tears were flowing freely as she gave them the quick version of events. "He was just too powerful. I shouldn't have stopped to fight Adam, but there was a helpless student. I couldn't save him. Adam just murdered him right in front of me." Sun was now with Weiss, while Coco tended to Yang. Blake could see from the look of confusion that Sun had no idea who she was talking about. The look of pure rage on the face of Weiss told Blake that she wouldn't have to explain much. "The leader of the White Fang is here?!" she said, barely able to contain herself. Weiss looked half ready to run off to battle, but she was thankfully stopped by Sun. "Yeah...very bad idea" he told her. "You've got Blake and Yang injured. No offense, but if the two of them couldn't stop him, then you're not going to do better alone. Besides, if he didn't follow them to finish them off, he's likely long gone." Blake didn't believe he was gone. Part of her still worried he'd show up out of nowhere and kill them all. However, it seemed to make Weiss realize that running off would be suicide.

Blake completely broke down as she laid on the ground. Unable to contain herself, she cried as she spoke. "You can't let Yang die. We can't lose her. I can't lose my partner!" Weiss did the best she could to comfort her friend. Meanwhile, Sun knew of Blake's secret and was able to read between the lines. For her sake, he didn't say anything that would expose that fact. "Don't worry" he said as he kneeled down near them. "Velvet should be back soon. We're going to do everything we can for her." Blake calmed down a bit, but she still felt terrible about the entire turn of events. For a few months now, there was a feeling in the back of her mind she ignored. Yang's interests seemed to lie elsewhere, otherwise she would have said something. Nearly losing her had made Blake realize that she couldn't deny it any longer.

She loved Yang, and regardless of how Yang felt, Blake couldn't live without her.

AN: Originally, this was going to cut back to the hospital. Adam was going to make Blake go on the run, then we'd see the key moments as Blake struggled to stay alive. However, the hospital chapter needed a Beacon flashback to fully work. Adam needed to be established a bit more, then before I knew it, I had an entire chapter on my hands. Following this, the next few will be quicker shots. The first few Blake chapters with cover the initial days on her own. Then, it'll move on to the big moments as her injuries begin to stack up.

Sun: He's one of the big hurdles regarding Bumblebee. There's plenty to suggest that Midnight Sun could just as easily be a canon pairing, however I ultimately think that due to hints that have been dropped in show and behind the scenes, Bumblebee is just as likely to win out. For this story, Sun is in on Blake's secret. I figure she would have told him around the time of the dance. Since then, he's essentially done what he could to keep up appearances for Blake.

Adam: It's funny. While he had every intention to kill the train crew, for the better part of two years the fanbase figured he'd be some misunderstood villain. Some people thought he might eventually become an anti-hero. Once the creepy part of his character was in the open, everyone seemed to turn on him instantly. I'm a fairly recent member of the fanbase. I only started watching RWBY just before the Volume 3 premiere. Even then, I felt Adam being a noble villain would be too obvious. I was pleasantly surprised (and extremely creeped out) when he turned out to be the opposite of what folks predicted. If you got a stalker/potential rapist vibe from him, then perhaps I did my job a little too well ^_^()
As for his powers, based on the little we've seen of him in action, it seems like under the right circumstances, Adam can destroy nearly anything. Going off theory and headcanon at the time of writing, I'm going to say his Semblance can allow him to break through aura with the trade off being weakening his own.

Blake: The show doesn't flat out say it, but it is suggested that Blake managed to make a clone of Yang. Adam approaches Yang, attacks Blake's clone, then once that disappears, he turns to see the two of them escaping. The tail end of Volume 3 seemed to have several members of Team RWBY tap into more powerful versions of their Semblances.

Let me apologize to all the Blake fans now. These next few chapters are going to suck. Brace yourselves.