Author's Notes:

I remembered how hard it was to write this chapter, both the emotional parts and the... other parts. I actually took a break from this project to write a smaller project just because I was so, so scared of messing it up.

Co-Writer:

FeugoFox42. Guys, seriously. This guy's the best. Check his stuff out!

CHAPTER XIV

Gone

Her footsteps were heavy against the snow. Her feet sunk with every step and Yang cursed at how it slowed her down from getting back to her partner. Despite how much she knew Blake needed to get something into her system, leaving her felt like it was the worst decision ever.

She would soon find out that her feelings were right.

"Blake," she spoke, not yet looking away from her snow-covered boots, lightly shaking the can of cocoa in her hand which she'd heated with her semblance. "I'm sorry, I don't think they serve Earl Grey teas on juice boxes or cans but-"

… Blake was gone.

Yang blinked, the realization not yet settling in on her. Not fully.

The spot where Yang told her to stay, to not move… Blake wasn't there anymore. There was a trail of footsteps against the surface of white, leading to… elsewhere. Where? she didn't know. She didn't think she wanted to know.

"Blake… c'mon now… don't pull this on me."

She tried to put on a smile. It vanished when the noirette still didn't appear out of thin air, surprising her.

She stood for a couple more seconds, waiting until that part of her that believed this was all a horribly-executed prank died.

Blake was gone.

Her boots felt heavier as she walked, as though the snow piling in on top of it were mountains of rocks.

She stopped, her gaze lingering down where her helpless partner once laid. Where they'd shared their first kiss.

She… still couldn't believe it.

Blake had kissed her.

And now…

Blake was gone.

The can on her maddening grip shrunk and dented… before it shattered in half completely before her eyes.

And for one simple heartbeat, the liquid flowing out was blood red.

Blake was gone.

"No…"

She fell to her knees instantly.

Why?

Why?

Why?!

Why did she abandon her?! What did Blake have to hide from her anymore?! Did she really matter that little to her?!

It was then that Yang finally noticed a small black fabric, surrounded by snow.

She grabbed it, her touch gentle as if holding a sick kitten.

A puff of cold air appeared before her as she drew out a sigh.

Did… Did Blake not trust her?

Did Blake not care about her?

She let her eyes close. They felt so heavy… They'd felt heavy for a long, long while now… She'd been dying to let them stay closed for hours.

She wanted so, so badly for this to be over.

She just…

She didn't want anything to happen to Blake…

Was that really so selfish of her…?

Maybe…

Maybe she should just… let her go. Give up.

It's…

It's obvious Blake doesn't want me to chase after her right now…

I should just…

Respect her wishes.

And in doing so, she could try to find her way back to the hotel, warned Weiss about Blake's… abnormality, maybe get in help from Beacon. If Glynda knew one of her own students was affected by the weird virus-thingie then she'd definitely send in a search party - professional adults whose jobs were to search and find missing people.

They'd…

They'd actually be able to find her, get real clues, find real connections… and not just… not just screw around in a bar all day, beat some guy up, and depend on a rumor to set on their path… on her path. She was so in over her head that even the dude she beat up literally told her it was a bad idea.

… Face it, you got all the way here just because you're lucky.

It had nothing to do with skills nor thinking nor… anything, really.

She just…

Stumbled into a place where Blake happened to be in…

And even then, she couldn't bring Blake back, couldn't make her stay…

She'd failed.

I… I should just… do the right thing.

… A single snowflake swayed from above, resting in front of her, where her partner once laid, helpless and hopeless and terrified.

The memory of their kiss warped itself around her head.

For a moment, Blake was there, lips still connecting to hers, that same electrifying, addicting feeling coursing its way into her body, making her feel as though she was alive, as though she could do anything, as though… as though everything would be okay.

Yang held onto those feelings like a lifeline.

It only occurred to her now that wherever she was now and where she was going… Blake was still as helpless and hopeless and terrified as before, perhaps even more so.

And you're going to do nothing about it?

"... No."

Of course she wasn't.

Blake was her partner, her friend, and much more.

She was the girl she loved.

And, as she recently found out, may also be the girl who loved her.

She…

The vision of Blake all alone and weak and weaponless, facing off whoever it was she was facing…

It didn't sit well with her.

In fact, the vision nauseated her.

"No."

She would not let that vision become a reality.

Yang pictured Blake's smile after the kiss - how she looked as though she was finally able to breathe, finally able to smile and be herself.

She wanted to let that vision become her reality instead.

She'd recklessly burned out half of her semblance all day and burned even more of it trying to warm up her freezing, miserable partner. She didn't even know how much Aura she'd got left, it was hard to tell without a scroll…

Not for the first time, Yang regretted not looking for her scroll the night it went missing.

Though, she didn't need her scroll to deduct she wasn't being her best self. Hell, she wasn't sure if she was being her moderate self either.

Her body was sluggish, her mind fried up, and if she were to look in the mirror, no doubt would she find bags under her eyes; her sleepless nights were finally catching in on her.

She had so little ammo in Ember Celica, and she left all her extra ammo in the hotel - the hotel which she didn't know the direction of and forgot the name of.

She would curse the fact that she was lost… if not for the fact that being lost was what led her to Blake in the first place.

Her legs were shaky as she stood. Her hands still shook after she clenched them.

"I can hear his voice, telling me what to do…"

If a fight were to occur…

She might not make it out at all.

… Heh. As if that's going to stop me from chasing after my stupid partner.

Yang followed the trail of steps, quickening her pace when it became larger and less human the longer the trail went. It didn't take her long to find out where she went.

Blake was gone.

And I'm going to bring her back.

…

The ringing sound was muted, at first. But it still pulled her from her slumber. Which she did not like.

Who dared awaken Queen Weiss Schnee from her slumber?! She'd behead them for attempting such a disgraceful, traitorous act! For she was the Ruler of Remnant!

Oh.

Wait.

That was just a dream, wasn't it? She... was saddened by that fact, especially because Dream-Weiss had Ruby Rose as her slave. Heh… That was fun… and also, perhaps slightly inappropriate (it was very inappropriate and she should be ashamed).

Her scroll ringed and buzzed angrily, demanding her to forget about her very nice dream and focus on reality.

Begrudgingly, the half-awake heiress answered the phone, not even taking a moment to see who was calling her.

"Schnee-Rose residence speaking…"

"Weiss," the voice she half-recognized to be her partner's boomed from the other line, quick with urgency. "Weiss, is Yang with you?" She blinked, not fully registering the question. But she didn't have to answer, for Ruby suddenly yelled, "Wait! No! Nevermind! I have to tell you this now! It's important!"

"Hold on." She blindly reached out for the lamp switch, hissing like a vampire exposed to the sun when light invaded her senses.

She took a moment to compose herself - AKA groaning for all of Remnant to hear at having been pulled away from her precious, precious sweet time - before snapping into focus.

"... What?"

If Ruby was bothered by her hostility, she was doing a tremendously good job hiding it. "Look, so, after you guys left, I didn't want to just sit around and just wait while you and Yang are working your butts off in the middle of a blizzard or a storm or whatever." That was… acceptable, she supposed. "So I went to the library to look up your location, I wanted to know where you are and all about where you're staying and all that jazz."

"That is… mildly weird."

"Look, I was bored, okay?! And, anyway, there was this pop-up thing and it looked interesting and even though it was a pop-up I was desperate so I clicked on it and turns out there's an old base- a hideout they used to, well, hide years ago, like, 'during The Great Faunus War' years ago, and it's-"

"Ruby. Slow down."

Her mind had been jostled awake immediately at the mention of that horrid war for equality, and now she was attentive and fully worried about where the team leader was going with this.

"O-okay, sorry." There was a deep exhale of breath from the other line. "Look, Weiss, I need you to listen carefully, okay? You and Yang did not come to the wrong place. The mission isn't a bust. I'm one hundred percent certain Blake is or will be going to where you guys are now. Do you understand what I'm saying, Weiss?"

"N-no," she said truthfully, if not quite nervously. "I… I don't… What makes you think-"

"Because Weiss… The hideout I was talking about earlier, from the great war…"

A beat passed.

And then another.

And then-

"You're standing on top of it."

Weiss' eyes widened. When Ruby didn't start talking, she urged, "Tell me everything."

"Yeah, so, after I clicked on that pop-up, I spent, like, ten minutes doing research. Apparently, they used to hide down there to surprise us humans, which was sort of interesting but also kind of dark. Maybe that hideout has been closed off, or maybe it didn't exist at all - I mean, I did find it on the internet-"

"But if it is…"

They didn't have any other lead. As vague and farfetched of a shot it was, it was still a shot. And they were desperate. And they missed their teammate dearly.

Plus, Ruby had always been smarter than she was given credit for - she was the team leader, after all - and her instincts were almost always correct.

When Ruby thought something was worth investigating, then something was worth investigating. Simple as that.

Weiss sighed. "I'll tell Yang once she gets back." The blonde brute would not like it if she were to check on this mysterious, hidden place alone… not she'd actually want to do it in the first place. They were teammates! If Weiss was dying, that oaf would be dying with her! There was no choice!

"And when will she get back?"

Weiss wasn't sure. "Probably in five or so minutes. She said she was going on a walk," she added, hoping it would help.

The other line was quiet for a time. It made her uncomfortable. "When did she say this?"

"Twenty minutes ago, right before I fell asleep." Weiss rubbed her temple. "Look, Ruby, I'm sure your sister is-"

"No, Weiss, what time did she say this?"

Weiss paused, quite shocked at the intensity in Ruby's tone. It wiped out any thoughts that the team leader was simply panicking for the sake of panicking. "It must be around nine, o-or maybe eight."

"Weiss… It's almost midnight."

"What?"

"It's eleven twenty," she elaborated.

A heartbeat passed.

And another.

And then another.

"Weiss..." the voice choked, desperate.

"I know, Ruby."

There was a sharp intake of breath as if the girl from the other line was desperately trying not to break down. "Will they be okay?"

Weiss' heart thundered.

Blood rushed in her ears.

And yet the night was quiet, unnaturally so.

The moon - broken as it may be -didn't shine its comforting light. It chose to hide. The stars did the same, vanishing, painting the sky the darkest shade of black.

It was almost as if they didn't want to be present. Not tonight. As if they knew something would happen.

"... I don't know, Ruby."

…

The manhole cover wasn't just dented. It was thoroughly crushed, many feet away from the manhole itself… as if the lid had been ripped apart from it and thrown away…

She saw claw marks.

Claw marks the size of an Ursa.

But she knew better.

It was no Ursa.

The image of her bloodied partner kept flashing into her mind, mocking her, encouraging her to turn back, to simply try to find her way back to her hotel, to get the needed ammo, to get Weiss to call Beacon before dragging the princess along for the ride, to do something - anything - other than this.

But the reasonable part, or perhaps the unreasonable part, thought better.

I can't let her go.

She braced herself… and let her body fall down into the abyss.

She landed on the surface and not directly on the murky water. She counted her blessings.

She lifted one foot up - not intending to spend even a second more than necessary in this shitty place - to take a step but…

She couldn't see anything.

She cursed for the hundredth time that night for not bringing a Scroll with her, even if it wasn't hers. At least with a scroll, she could use the screen to produce some sort of light, dim as it may be. All she could see with her inferior human senses were a tunnel of sorts that led her to… somewhere…

Yeah, I can't see shit.

But that didn't stop her from pressing forward.

"Blake?! Blake, where are you?!"

The more paranoid part of herself warned that she shouldn't be shouting in a foreign place lest someone with ill-intentions heard her. She'd be able to take them out easy-peasy, of course, but she wasn't too keen on wasting her already dwindling energy on a fight she could've avoided altogether.

Her steps were hesitant, and Yang tensed at how loud they echoed.

This is straight out of a horror movie…

She didn't know how long time must've passed. She couldn't tell the time in this place of pitch black. She couldn't tell many things, really.

There was this part of her that kept on telling her to go back while she still could, and this part grew larger and more believable the longer she walked inside the underground.

But then she saw a black silhouette on the far corner of the slightly-less black place, and she stopped only to see that silhouette disappeared into the corner.

She couldn't see that much.

But she saw that it, the inhuman-looking silhouette - walked - or rather ran - on four legs. And that was enough.

Yang was no fool.

She knew full well what she was about to face.

She knew how small her chance of success was.

And she still continued on her path anyway, following the invisible trails of the beast that she suspected used to be someone she was very close with.

No. Stop. There's still hope.

That hope withered when she was at that corner only to realize there were five paths ahead of her. Five more tunnels that could lead her to dust-knows-where.

Five tunnels.

Four possibilities she couldn't find Blake.

Only one possibility that she saved Blake, and even then, it was a small possibility. Too small to be realistic.

"No…"

The desperation flashed into anger in a heartbeat.

"NO!"

She didn't have time for this, didn't have time to make a choice as dire as this. Blake could be anywhere by now. She could- she could even be facing him right now.

She- she- she couldn't just stand here and do nothing!

But… but…

But she couldn't afford to make the wrong choice too.

Her teeth were gritted so hard they might break. Her breathing heavied with each exhale. Her fists were clenched and she had the sudden urge to direct her frustration onto the wall beside her. It was better than to stand here looking like an idiot, after all.

She pulled her fist back, eyes already red…

But then she froze and gazed at the wall, eyes slowly dimming down to a calm shade of calculating purple.

Her muscles relaxed but stayed firm. She stepped forward onto the wall, pressing her hand against the stack of bricks, gently brushing down.

Those eyes continued to calculate. And suddenly they widened.

And she gave that brick wall a satisfying punch that shook the tunnels, creating a sound not unlike a roaring, furious dragon.

The smoke and debris didn't clear for a long while.

She couldn't see what was in front of her.

But she didn't need to.

A humorless chuckle. "What good are secret doors if our so-called heroines will simply waltz through the wall?"

Her heart drummed at her chest, creating this almost sick feeling, as though she could pass out at any moment.

She'd done it.

The very thing she promised herself not to do.

She'd thrown herself into the lion's den.

When the smoke finally cleared, she wasn't surprised to find that the place looked like a bunker, with canned foods stashed on the rows and rows of shelves. There was a metal door on the far corner, opened, leading to dust-knows-where.

But Yang couldn't afford to focus on that door…

Instead…

All she could focus on was the person standing in the middle of it all…

The mad man. The sicko. The one who caused all of this madness. The one who'd hurt Blake.

And he was looking at her like how one would look at an insect, fox ears standing highly and proudly, alert. A bag was slung over his shoulder, and she could see scribbled papers poking out of it, cramping its space.

She gulped, overwhelmed.

It only dawned on her now. Right at this moment.

This man… no, this monster…

He could very well kill her. In one way or another.

He…

He posed that big of a threat.

She…

She couldn't afford to do anything reckless. She… she…

What should she do?

"What's wrong, simpleton? Are you at loss for words?"

And then it hit her.

What exactly she should do.

It was the very same reason why she chose to come down here in the first place.

The only reason keeping her from freaking the fuck out.

"Where is Blake?"

She activated her weapon, letting the familiar gold palette of Ember and Celica slithering around her hands.

The clicking sound indicating she was armed and ready was music to her ears.

"Whoever do you mean?" The cheeky, disgusting smile gracing his lips told her he knew exactly who she meant.

She aimed her fist onto him - his head to be exact. Did he have huntsman-training? Did he have any training at all? What about his semblance? How dangerous was it?

She narrowed her eyes at the way he eyed her weapons. Though facial features never twitched, something akin to worry danced in those coal black eyes.

Even monsters feared pain, she supposed.

Intimidation.

Y-yeah. That could work.

She could intimidate him into subdue. No hassle, no nothing. And she could make him tell her where Blake was and where he placed the antidote that could heal her - if he even had it.

No one needed to do anything drastic…

She just needed to play her cards right…

"Hands where I can see them." She hesitated when he complied wordlessly, racking her brain, trying to remember what all those cops always said when arresting criminals in those cop movies she'd always watched. Why didn't they teach this shit at Beacon? Or even Signal, for that matter?!

… The more she thought about it, the more she realized that they probably did teach her the basics of arresting criminals…

She just… didn't pay attention…

Dammit.

She was about to consider improvising on the spot when he, out of the blue, spoke.

"She might be my favorite subject yet…"

All rational thoughts ceased.

"What?" she asked against her better judgment.

He stared at her for a moment too long. Somehow that made her even angrier. "All of those other subjects… They're all so…" He clicked his tongue. "Weak-willed. So disappointing. But… she…" He broke into a fit of cackles. "She fought bravely, actually thinking she could do it, that she could disobey me. It was so, so amusing to watch."

Shut up.

"She kept fighting," he continued, unperturbed by her rapidly reddening eyes. "Even when both my semblance and the dose have taken their full effect on her, she still fought..." He hummed as though he was a philosopher thinking of life's meaning. "I wonder if it has to do with her being a huntress…"

Shut. Up.

"You know, I think she kept saying your name, over and over." He had the audacity to step forward and toward her, posture slouched as if he were in no immediate danger. He then shrugged, saying, "Assuming you're Yan... or is it Yin…? Yanny, perhaps?" He gave another, lazier shrug. "It doesn't matter anyway. The girl you once knew is gone."

"SHUT UP!"

All it took was one second.

And then he was down on the floor, one shaky hand pressing against his slowly-swelling cheek, blood trailing down his lip. For a moment, she was mesmerized, transfixed by the red oozing away and dripping down. It was satisfying to watch. Almost as satisfying as punching him.

The bastard was lucky she didn't use her gun.

He opened his mouth to speak.

She didn't give him that chance to speak, already pulling him up by his collar, gripping his hair forward just so she could look at him dead in the eyes.

"You. Don't know. Anything. So stop talking like you do!" She didn't recognize her own voice. That didn't stop her, though, and she pressed on in rage. "I'm too damn tired of all this bullshit! You're going to tell me wherever the hell you locked her up. And then you're going to give me the antidote that will heal her for good. And then I'm going to haul your sorry ass up back to Beacon or the fuzz or who-the-hell-cares-anymore where you'll be locked up for good! Understand?!"

He continued to look at her, his face blank, almost impassive, even.

She took a shuddering breath.

"Tell me where she is… now." She couldn't sound more threatening even if she tried.

He didn't speak. His mouth twitched forward.

"You son of a bitch."

She gave him a well-deserved punch to his other cheek, and he responded by letting out a strangled yelp.

This time, though, she didn't need to force him to look at her. He did so out of his own volition.

"You…" A small hiss of pain that did not concern her. "You really think she can be saved…?"

She wanted to tell him that of course she thought Blake could be saved, but she stopped herself at the last moment, lips already parted.

He was trying to get her all riled up, that much was obvious. He kept talking to her all this time-

… Time.

… That was his goal, here.

He was stalling.

A growl reached to her ears, sending shivers down her spine.

She released him without a second thought, turning towards that door, squinting her eyes to better see the threat that lay beneath the unknown.

A part of her whispered to her she already knew what - or rather, who - was on the other side.

She…

She just didn't want to believe it. She refused to believe it.

"You know what's great about pets?" a voice cackled, echoing throughout the underground, its mirth palpable. "It's that they're really overprotective. You do so much as pinch their owner, and they're going to consider you a threat that must be exterminated."

She couldn't even hear his voice. Couldn't hear anything other than her own heart, wailing and burning and tearing itself apart.

No.

No.

No.

Please. Please, don't. Don't let this be a reality. Please, this- this must be a dream. It has to be. Please. Let me wake up. Let me wake up from this nightmare. I- I hate this. I hate this so much. I want to wake up. Please.

But reality simply wasn't kind.

And Yang was met with gold eyes that were so familiar and so foreign, holding so much strength and determination, yet so lifeless.

"Blake… no."

Black the Beast descended from shadows.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Notes:

Eyyyyyyyy.

That ending thooooooooooooo.

Oh, and also, oh boy, oh no, whatever shall Yang do now?

Also-also, I know that I don't respond to comments as much as I used to, and I'm sorry for that, but just know that I appreciate each and every one of your lovely comments! Yeah, I read them, and yeah, they help :)

Have an awesome day!