Author's Note: Holy shit we passed chapter 20 guys! And it was my largest one, even tho i was able to make it within my deadline, that's just awesome! And… if y'all remember the chapter count from Part One, it went up to 60 so…. I guess you can say we're already ⅓ through Desertion: Part Two!
Also yeah, now my record for the biggest chapter is 15k words! Haha, and luckily for you guys, this one will hopefully be a long one too!
Song: Nothing Else Matters by Lissie.
…
Gage and Emile were walking back to the now taken White Fang compound, in utter silence as they made their way out of the forest.
Gage was still trying to process what just happened twenty minutes ago, what happened between him and that young teenage White Fang member…. And how he put an end to him.
He was walking through the snowy and war torn forest until they made their way back to the outpost, and reached the remnant of the wall that Yang and Weiss had demolished only an hour ago.
The ghost's eyes were dead and kept staring ahead, and Emile noticed it, since it wasn't that hard to see that…. Gage was somewhere else in his mind right now…. But he needed to come back to face the reality of what he did.
"Kid… you sure you're okay?" Emile asked him.
All it took for him to come back was the blink of an eye, and he didn't hesitate to speak the truth…. The real truth. "No, I'm not. But I haven't been ever since I went into that hospital… so it doesn't really matter." Gage answered him.
Emile just looked down at his metal arm as it hung there with it's fist clenched, and he just stayed quiet as Gage tried to reassure him to not worry about him.
"...I'll survive. It's what I always do."
After that, the two finally made their way back into the outpost, and weree heading towards the main compound building where Gage had left his lover and her Team, since they seemed to have had it handled.
And thankfully, the battle was over. Medical ships had arrived to treat casualties on both sides, and a small band of about six medical tents had been set up on the right side of the base…. As the Collectors gathered all the prisoners they could find on the left side of the base.
They were to be rightfully questioned, if they could be understood, and sent off to any other agents that were within the infrastructure of the VCPD, The Atlesian Army, or the Vacuo-Vale Border Patrol. Either way, those faunus were going somewhere with bars for them to stay behind.
Gage wasn't looking for any information from them anymore, since they were in Collector hands. And if they were to tell him something, he wouldn't be the only one to in know. So… he just went on to where RWBY was last, in search for Yang.
They were approaching the place he was last before he ran off to catch the now dead faunus, and he couldn't see it at first due to the snowfall…. But… the entrance to the compound building was where the blonde brawler lied.
She was laying against the door frame of the building as she clutched her side and shoulder in pain, and small desperate gasps and breaths escaped from her mouth while her Team were crowded around her, trying to aid her as she apparently lied there in pain!
Gage saw this only after the snow cleared from his vision, and he stopped dead in his tracks as his grip on Mistletoe loosened, and his mouth opened a bit in utter shock.
"...Oh shit!" Emile cursed.
Then, he felt his eyes become moist immediately as he assumed the worst, and let out a silent gasp before he dropped Mistletoe onto the snowy ground, and sprinted towards his injured girlfriend.
As he got closer and the mist finally stopped obscuring his vision, he could see that Weiss, Blake, and Ruby were all speaking softly to her, and that he could also hear Yang sniffle and groan, which caused Gage to fall, but he slid on his knees and got right behind Ruby,
"YANG!"
He then grabbed Ruby's shoulder and pulled her away from her older sister, making her cry out as she tumbled back into a pile of snow, "H-Hey! -Ooof!"
Gage was already hyperventilating a bit… since he knew he left as she was beginning her fight with the White Fang soldiers, and if he stayed he could have prevented this, "No-No-N-No-No." He silently pleaded with himself.
"*sniffle* ...Gage!"
He crouched down in front of her, prepared himself for whatever bloody mess she was in… and he finally laid his eyes upon her to see…. That there was no blood. Or scratches, or anything really aside from a few bruises on her face and… small red marks that were scattered across any skin below her neck that was showing.
The ghost just saw her smile painfully at him as she put a hand against his chest, and signaled for him to stop… and he just gasped with relief as he wiped his eyes and cupped both of her cheeks with his hands in respite,
"W-Wait-Y-Y...You're okay?"
"*shaky exhale* ...Mmhm, so don't you start crying... heh…"
She was feeling good enough to tease her boyfriend like she always would, and it just made him chuckle shakily as Yang put her other hand around his metal wrist, and made him lower his hand from her face.
That was when he failed to contain himself from tearing up, since this added even more shock to the amount he still had inside of him from when he was forced to kill the wolf faunus from earlier, so he didn't hold himself back as he grasped his girlfriend's shoulders, and pressed her against the wall she was laying against, closed his eyes, and suddenly kissed Yang on the lips passionately!
She gasped quietly as he did it, and she just put her hand against the side of Gage's face as she kissed him back and felt all the stinging pain from the White Fang's plasma rifles slowly fade away for only a few seconds thanks to the feeling of her boyfriend's cold, but sweet lips.
Ruby, Weiss, and Blake just watched tham and sighed, but all gave the couple a cute smile in the end, and soon their moment ended as Gage broke the kiss, sniffled, and hugged Yang tightly, using his left hand to put her head against the side of his neck.
But after their embrace ended and he only had one arm around her, Gage turned to Ruby and glared at her as he panted, scooped some snow up from the ground with his right hand, made a tiny snow ball with it, and threw it at her.
"That's for scaring me!" The ghost yelled at her.
She yelped as she felt the snowball hit the left side of her face, and it just made her angry because of how sudden and cold it was, "Gageee! Why are you throwing it at me?!"
"Because Yang's hurt and you look funny when you're mad!"
"Hehe, he's not wrong Ruby." Weiss giggled.
Blake just smiled and watched as her Team leader grumbled and also made a snowball before she threw it at Gage, and it hit the back of his shoulder. He didn't react to it though, so the feline faunus and Yang giggled too as he smiled with relief and turned to Weiss,
"*sigh* ...What happened to her?" He asked the icy haired heiress.
"Yang got pelted with those stun rounds, and her adrenaline gave out after her fight, so then all the pain came to her at the same time… right Yang?"
The ghost looked back at his lover, and the blonde exhaled with a smile as she looked up at him, and gently ran her hand up Gage's left arm to soothe him, despite the prosthetic being cold as fuck.
"Yeah… They were putting snow on the places i got shot when you got here…"
He replied with a chuckle, and scooped up some more snow before he rolled the right sleeve of her hunter outfit's cream jacket up, and gently pressed it against a red mark that went from her bicep to her forearm,
"And you get mad at me for getting hit only a couple times…"
"Yeah… sorry… i didn't know that they weren't lethal…"
"It's okay Yang…"
She closed one eye as she said that, because of the pain that the ice touching her stinging skin made… but once Gage saw that, he sighed again and just kissed her arm gently… since he knew that would make her blush.
He was still shaking a bit from the sight of her lying there… because in those few seconds it took for him to run to her, he thought about how what he would done… and how much he would have panicked if she did actually get hurt, as he was basically the only reason that she was here.
So… he turned to her again, and just began to repeatedly kiss her neck as he spoke to her softly, in an attempt to cheer her up, "Mmm… you're not moving a muscle when you wake up tomorrow morning… you're getting breakfast in bed from me again…" He said, a little bit too loudly.
"Awww…" Ruby cooed.
The realization that Yang's whole team was still watching them both, probably with smiles and googly eyes, soon rained over them, and now the couple both blushed… but then Yang remembered that Gage had ran off without her while she was fighting, and his disappearance worried her.
"O-Oh-uh… that reminds me… where did you go anyway Gage? I… I got scared when i saw that you were gone…"
The ghost's expression then changed from ruffled, to a more somber one as he looked back at Emile, who was smiling at them both up until that point….and Gage just watched as he turned away from him… since he knew that he had to handle this part for himself.
So, Gage moved back to look Yang in the eyes, and he…. Lied with his answer. Since he knew that she would be angered if he was to tell her the truth, and that was the last thing he ever wanted reveal.
"I uh… saw one of the guys you knocked out of there try to escape, so i went after him…. And….. he got away. I lost him in the forest, and Em found me out there."
She let out a tiny sigh as she looked glanced over at Emile with a gaze that expressed her thankfulness for getting her boyfriend back safe, and he just gave her a small nod in return, making her smile as she turned back to her lover,
"*sigh* ...I'm just glad you're okay."
"Yeah… same goes for you too-"
Then all of a sudden, Gage felt someone on the inside of the compound building entrance kick the side of his left foot hard, and he instantly looked up and to his left to see that… the person who hit him was Grisha.
His first initial reaction was to scowl at the older man and sigh heavily… but he decided not to once he saw the Collector's face. He didn't look like his usual pissed off and hardass self, instead he… looked like he just saw an actual ghost.
And…. he looked at the couple with a serious and flustered stare as he spoke to Gage in an almost robotic tone of voice ever. "Come with me. We found 'eir file storage and…. You really need to see this."
The ghost nodded, and was about to stand up until Yang stopped him, and pointed back at Grisha..…as she did not expect for him to turn towards her, and also say something to her...
"...Both of you."
...
Gage, with Yang leaning against his body as a way to keep her balance, and the rest of the group, including Emile and Grisha, made their way into the cellar that was underground, which was where the White Fang kept that facility's nerve center.
They walked down an old staircase as Grisha whispered their findings to Emile, and eventually found their way into the huge room.
There was a large computer system with multiple monitors surrounding one huge once as it was placed on the surface of the back wall, and there was a large desk under it, where three other allies were standing, and watching the screen.
Those three were Jed, Prinella, and… Jackson Wesson, who had his hood up as he was on his scroll, rather than actually looking at their findings. "Found 'em!" Grisha shouted.
The three other agents turned and saw RWBY and Gage, and they all smiled… though, Jackson's was more of a smirk that was aimed towards the ghost as he approached him. "Oh look, you actually showed up on time for once!" He joked.
Gage was having none of it although, as he felt Yang press her head against his body in a tired manner. So, he stopped, and stared daggers at the hunter before he growled his reply,
"Jackson, i just had a scare, and i am NOT wanting to hear your shit right now… so just shut your mouth, and find a goddamn chair to sit in…" He hissed.
Jackson was taken aback by his reply, and just held his hands up as he gave Gage a nervous smile, "Whoa, okay Gage. Jeez... I don't remember pissing in your cereal this morning…"
The ghost ignored that one, and kept walking to where Emile and the rest of RWBY were standing in front of the screen.
Grisha was behind him, and quickly felt Jackson tap his shoulder as the couple slowly made their way to the front of the room "...Aren't you going to say something to him?" He asked the man in black.
"No? I only fuck with people when they're in a good mood. It's only fair."
Prinella then popped up from behind the two… and gave Grisha a quick peck on the cheek as he crossed his arms in annoyance, "Hehe, you can thank me for making him say yes to that bedside agreement…~"
"Hmph… you're just lucky that i have a heart Prin..."
Now, Gage and Yang stood in front of the screen next to the rest of the blonde brawlers' team, and…. They just saw three still imaged across the big screen.
It was a screenshot from a security camera that was set up in the far right corner of the room, and it was looking down at two different people.
And one of those people, were of course Adam Taurus, but…. He was looking down at someone who was shirtless, wearing dark brown pants with the bottom of the legs being torn to shreds, and he had scars all over his chest and back along with a mask made from medical tape that covered every inch of his face… except for his slightly misty left eye, and afew strands of his long, brown, and greasy hair that were poking through his bandage-mask.
The apparent prisoner, was chained to the wall with one hand while the other one, his right one, was missing two of his finger tips, probably the aftereffects of even more torture…
...But the weird thing was, that when Gage looked at the picture… at the mystery man in chains… he felt… familiar to him. To the point that he was drawn to him rather than the fact that he knew his mortal enemy was still alive.
Blake on the other hand, became unsettled at the sight of her old friend, especially because of the respirator that he was forced to wear, thanks to Gage… but when she looked at the prisoner… she became confused.
However, before she could ask her question, Grisha walked up to the rest of them and stood next to Gage as he put his hands in his pockets… looking like he was... sorry for him.
"Bad news is… we got nothing on your dad, and it turns out the Taurus kid is still alive too… but, that doesn't mean we didn't find something for you."
Yang watched as her lover's shoulders lowered, from his excitement turning into depression, and he just looked back up at the picture of the prisoner and asked.
"*sigh* ….Who's that guy then?"
The brit shrugged, and rubbed the back of his head once he and Jackson both looked at each other, since they looked through all the photos together, and including the dates they were taken.
"We dunno, but there's other pictures of him that date back more than a year ago strangely…"
And that was when Blake stepped forward,and looked at everyone else with as she looked at Adam in the photo, and her cat ears perked up… since he wasn't known to keep humans alive.
"Wait a second…" She started with a large amount of confusion. "The Fang aren't known for keeping prisoners alive that long… humans at least.'
Jed narrowed his eyes towards the screen, and just turned to everyone as he rested his rifle on his shoulder once again. "Welp… maybe he's an important one?" He suggested with an extended arm and a smile. "If so… then we'll find 'em right? Maybe he'll know things about them. Hehe."
Both Jackson and Emile smiled at the senior's enthusiasm, but Grisha still waved him off, as this wasn't what he wanted to show Gage and Yang.
"That's a fight for another day. And besides, it's not what I wanted to show the kid and his girl…"
The couple both looked at him with open and curious eyes, and Yang's sparkled with far more curiosity than her boyfriend's… as she didn't understand why the Collector would acknowledge her in such a serious way, since he never did before.
"What is it?" She asked him.
"...Something that'll get your uncle as stirred as much as you are…"
Then, he pulled a tiny remote out of his pocket, and pressed it's main button so the screen would slide to another image… that did not focus on the White Fang's mystery captive… and it made Yang cover her mouth in awe.
The screen now showed another screenshot from a security camera , but… this one appeared to be from the city. And the kicker? It looked to be from Hei Xiong's nightclub, aka Junior's, but… it wasn't for sure.
In the still image…. It showed a woman that everyone in that room never thought they would see, talking to a man at the main counter of her bar… and it was too blurry for the bartender to be identified as Junior, but it was most of the Collector's first guesses.
The mysterious woman wore a shallow cut black dress, with five necklaces with an assortment of beads around her neck, and a pair of matching red studded body armor and gauntlets. She also had black, thigh-length boots with a red splatter pattern.
But her most distinctive feature was a fearsome, full-face mask that resembled the face of a Creature of Grimm. Which had four eye slits, as well.
However, This woman, was in fact a Collector herself. Her name, was Raven Branwen. She was the sister to Qrow Branwen… and the paternal mother to Yang Xiao Long.
Gage and Yang both gasped, and the blonde was nearly in tears again, since it had been so long since she had a lead on her mother… and in a way, she had something new now because of her lover, and it filled her with joy that she actually went along with him for this.
"Holy shit…" Gage muttered under his breath. "...Is that?"
Grisha cut him off before he could finish his question, and just gave him a straight answer with a smirk to go along with it, though, Jackson and Emile were both smiling at the time too.
"Yup, it's Raven. After six months we finally have something on her. Well… you found something on her rather." He said, as he gave a small bow towards Yang.
She became flustered with so many emotions, and she soon felt Gage hug her tighter, along with… Blake, who came from behind.
Ruby and Weiss both smiled, and the blonde tried not to let her voice break as she took a step forward towards Prinella, who was now sitting near the computer's main console.
"...I...I need a copy of that!"
"Of course dear."
Yang limped towards her, and held her scroll out so she could take it and upload the picture file to her phone, but while she did that… Jackson and Emile both moved over to Gage, and Em just placed his hand on the ghost's shoulder.
"Sorry about your dad's stuff kid, but we still have The Archive to go after."
Gage gave him a little smile, and just watched as his girlfriend looked up at the screen like she was staring up at a starry night sky… and he imagined it too as he replied. "Yeah… still though, this was a good day for me too."
Jackson snickered, and just watched Yang as well… but with the same smile as Gage…. Because they were both happy for her. "Probably because she'll be all over you after this, since you probably dragged her along." He chuckled.
"I doubt it. I still have to have this talk with her afterwards that'll change her attitude… but, this means that if she can find something about her mother… then there's still a chance I can find out what happened to my dad… and who was the other culprit…"
Blake's ears picked up on his words… and her smile faded even more as she stood behind the three Collectors… since she was thinking the exact same thing as her partner's boyfriend.
That didn't change her overall attitude to the blonde's small victory though, and she continued to smile at Yang while Emile crossed his arms… and made an interesting suggestion.
"You know… she took that entire room of troopers out in a flash…. Maybe she should think about becoming an agent like us…"
Gage rubbed the back of his head, and looked over his girlfriend curiously. "...And i'm not ashamed to say that she can bench press a lot more weight than i can…" He said, with a tiny blush.
Jackson was the second to respond, as he knew she was well skilled when it came to close quarters combat, but he couldn't see her as becoming a Collector… not right now at least.
"Hold up Em, are you sure about this? She looks to be a spontaneous gal. With that kind of temper, she could be a handful."
Gage just gave the hunter a glance that said, 'really dude', and he just sighed as Em tried to interrupt before another fight would break out.
"We can see it can't we Jay? And unlike this one-" He then grinned and pointed at Gage's sage prosthetic arm with his thumb casually, "-She doesn't get as hurt as much. Surprisingly."
"...You've got me there."
Then like a flipped suddenly switched, Yang turned back and glared at Emile and Jackson before she walked over to Gage, and hugged him tightly as her scroll was in her hand.
"H-Hey! He's just doing his duty as my Care-Bear! ...Right Gage?"
"-H-Hugh! ...Y...Yes... Yang…" Gage groaned as she hugged him, and pressed his face against her chest.
She giggled, and just looked down at her boyfriend one last time before she let go of him… and stared down at her scroll happily. Both her hands were holding it, and soon Gage put his single flesh hand on top of hers as he smiled back at her… and she sniffled a bit.
"*sniffle* ...Hehe…"
And now that Gage could see her become filled with that one joyful emotion… he brought her close, and hugged her tightly again as she hid her head from everyone by burying it against Gage's neck, and she just sighed one last time with a more shaky voice.
The ghost looked around the room as he held his beloved in his arms while she tried to stay quiet, and it allowed for him to see that everyone was smiling or giving a small grin to the couple. And yes, everyone was doing it, Even Grisha.
He just looked back at Ruby, Weiss, and Blake before he turned back to Yang, and the feeling of her clutching his body so hard made him yearnful to cuddle with her, as nightfall was fastly approaching… but, he still had to tell her about his deceitful act…
..So, he gently brushed the back of the blonde's head, and whispered into her ear softly as she sniffled once again, "Hey Yang…. Do you wanna go home now?"
"...Yeah. *sniffle* ...Let's go home Gagey…"
…
Three Hours Later…
…
It was now the dead of night, nine o'clock at night to be exact. Gage and Team RWBY had returned to Beacon Academy about two hours ago, and almost immediately, Gage and Yang went back to his dorm room to take their long shower together, relax and tend to each other's wounds gently.
Now, they were both sitting on the ghost's bed, and Yang sat ontop of it with her legs criss-crossed as she was wearing her yellow tank top and short shorts as Gage sat behind her, shirtless.
He used his prosthetic arm to lower the right strap of his girlfriend's tank top, and he had a rag that was dampened with cold ice water in his other one.
He placed it ontop of her right shoulder blade, and rubbed it gently against one of the red spots that were left by one of the plasma shots that came from a White Fang soldier,
"*pant* *pant* ….Ohhhh… mmm… right there…"
"Just stay still Yang… i got you…~"
She heard his tongue roll with his response, and she then sighed as she felt his lips press against the side of her neck, where there was also another red mark… or maybe it was an old hickey. Who knows.
Either way, she bit her lip and glanced back at him as she felt his bare chest being pressed against her back, and it was something she thoroughly enjoyed. "Heh… i think you're enjoying this too much." He teased her.
"Shush… it's just been a while since you've… kissed me there."
The blonde turned, and faced her lover as he put her tank top strap back up, and gently put his hand against her cheek with a grin. "I can continue… if you want."
She thought it was a gateway to get right into some more nightly lewd actions, and though she thought it would help her body relax… she couldn't help but feel a bit too tired from their little mission. So, she kissed Gage's lips once quickly, and stared into his eyes,
"*smooch* ...I'll think about it...~"
Yang smiled, and soon just turned her body and fell back onto the bed with her head resting upon her pillow as Gage did the same, but laid besides her with his eyes closed as he exhaled deeply, and she took out her scroll so she could look up at it.
They were both now lying on the bed, him on the left side and she on the right, and the couple both also let their feet hang off the edge while they started to ease up, with a relaxing sigh escaping from both of their lips...
Yang held her scroll out in front of her face so they could both look up at it, and the blonde touched the case of the device with only one of her fingers as she giggled again,
"Hehe, i guess that really was all worth it."
Gage looked at it too, and gave off a blank smile while he moved his right hand towards one of hers as she laid it down on the bed, and he made their fingers intertwine. "Yeah…. Hopefully it was…"
His voice sounded tired… and depressed from Yang's ears, and it caused her to put her hands down, and look to the left ,into his bloodshot eyes as he squeezed her hand.
She knew that he was still happy for her, and he truly was, but… she also knew her Care-Bear well enough to tell when he was upset… so, Yang did the only thing she could think of.
The blonde turned her body towards him, cuddled up next to him, and ran her right hand up his bare chest as she leaned closer, and kissed his cheek before she whispered a something into his eardrum, in an attempt to console her lover...
"Hey… Everything will be alright. Sooner or later, it will be…"
"*exhale* ...I know it will Yang. Don't worry about telling me that." He whispered back as he put his metal arm around her, and brought her closer.
She just casually ran her hand through his hair, and blinked with a smile as he felt the cold metal brush against her back before she continued to feel up Gage's upper chest, which had a heat pack pressed against his abdomen.
"So now what? Sleep…. Or maybe have a… private late night celebration?~"
Her lewd suggestion made him blush, and instantly sit back up as he looked to his left and hesitantly grabbed his black shirt. "U-Um, A-As much as I… would really like that right now…. I have something that I need to tell you, something… that you're not going to like..." He said ominously as he put his shirt back on.
"Oh…"
"Y-Yeah…"
"...Wait… did something happen when you chased after that soldier in the forest? Is that it?"
She sat up too once his blush didn't last as long, and she sat on her knees behind him as he scooted over to the foot of the bed, and sat there. Looking away from her… as he knew that this was a good a time as any to tell her the truth about his and Ruby's mission from last night…
However, the way she started off made him freeze and tense up… and he looked back at her with wide eyes as he broke out into a cold sweat, but thankfully Yang couldn't see anything different,
"N-No- nothing about that! It's… *sigh* ...it's about last night. "
She began to squint at him now, and scooted closer so she could sit next to him, and she let her gaze up when she saw how… guilty he looked. But for what was the question.
"...Me and Ruby didn't actually go into the city for weapon supplies… instead, w...we… we went on a…. Recon mission together…."
Yang's eyes fluttered, and she leaned close towards Gage while her eyebrows raised, and she frowned too . "Y...You what?"
"...I got this message from Qrow about a mission, and Ruby saw it… and she… blackmailed me into taking her with so then she wouldn't tell you about the text..."
The blonde looked absolutely lost and dumbfounded by her lover's reveal, but soon her eyes narrowed and she fought the urge to growl at him, since she wanted to hear what else he had to say… even though it would only do more harm now.
And he knew this, how pathetic it was going to sound for an apology… but Gage had to tell her. Because he was in the wrong, and if they had been together for as long as they were… then they had to trust each other. It was only right.
"And after that night when i came back… and our little date from earlier today… i couldn't do it. You have the right to know about it more than anyone else so… i'm sorry Yang..."
She had her hands on her knees at the moment since she was sitting crissed-crossed still, and the grip on her own calves tightened as she decided not to hold back anymore, and looked over at Gage as her eyes turned red from the build up,
"R...Rrrgh, damn it Gage! Y...You-"
"I know-"
"NO!"
He flinched as she raised her voice, and Gage turned back to look at his girlfriend like she was about to leave a fiery red handprint across his cheek.
Yang's eyes narrowed with an unbelievable amount of frustration, and remembered that night he came back…. And how happy she was.
Seeing him there all wet, cold, and exhausted while there was a bouquet of roses and a card lying in his desk in wait for her. Was that why he got the roses? To ease her nerves so he could tell her today?
These questions kept on being asked over and over again in her head… and it made her feel devastated. For her Gage, her Care-Bear, to manipulate her like that. It was not like him… but she didn't know that it wasn't what he was trying to do before… so it made her only angrier,
"How could you? ...The card… and the roses… was that why you got them for me Gage?"
He saw her red eyes become sadden, and he immediately jumped to deny it, as it wasn't the truth, and he put one hand on her leg as he moved closer and shook his head, "What?-No!"
"I got you them because I felt bad for leaving you in a dorm by yourself when I could've been there with you! Especially after that guy broke in here…."
She just scooted back to her side of the bed, the right side, and sat behind Gage with her hands on her knees, and with her body leaning towards her lover, which made the ghost feel like a child that was being scolded by an adult.
"Then why didn't you stay, or take me with you?!"
"Because Qrow gave me a lead and he said I owed him one! And i really wanted to tell you but… you were already so scared and stressed in my eyes that i didn't want to make it worse for you…"
Yang huffed, and crossed her arms while she looked at Gage as he hung his head low, in defeat… as he realized that he was acting like a child.
"Yeah well… you did a real good job of that…" Yang hissed.
In his mind, he could see a child version of himself… and a child version of Yang behind himself as he held a cardboard cut out of Javix, trying to defend his woman from the wrongs, the thrills, and the fights that she loved ever so dearly.
He knew that she was the last person on Team RWBY that needed a knight in shining armor… and he had both lines of defense when he should be the one holding the shield, and she the blade.
They needed to defend each other. Not one protecting the other, that was what lead to this conflict of theirs, their overconfidence in their abilities. It was the star couple's one flaw… and it convinced Gage that he deserved to be ridiculed by the one person he loved the most in this world..
"I know what I did Yang… I shouldn't have done it, but I still came out alive! Sure i… may have been pushed into the ocean, b-but it was right off a pier and the water was shallow, and I survived! That's gotta count for something…"
He went off into his defensive rant once he stood up, and just stood in front of his lover as she sat on the bed, and made her back up a bit onto their pillows as he looked back at her.
She still had her red eyes giving him a menacing yet graceful glare… but she didn't look as serious as her words were sounding, as the blonde was more mad that she had to say such things and act like this to get her point across.
"*sigh* ...Gage, you don't get it!" She sighed as she looked down, and hugged her own knees. "...During that picnic earlier, you said that you'd never go on a mission without me. You made that promise to me, and it was already broken! So how am i going to take everything you say seriously?"
"Yang, i would NEVER say something bold to you if it wasn't serious. I only lied to keep your dreams and sleep schedule from getting any worse… " Gage replied, almost growling his answer at the top of his lungs as was making stern hand gestures to match his attitude. "And now my question to you… is do you think those things would have changed if you did know?"
Yang made sure to not look up at Gage…. Because she didn't know how to answer that question without telling him that she probably would have become a bit more paranoid of her surroundings than she already was.
So, all she did after that was grab Gage's blanket, and lift it up so she could gently slide under it before turning, and laying on her side, looking away from him.
She knew she could just storm out of the room in her tank top and short shorts and head up to her Team's dorm… but she didn't want to. Not because she was sorry, but because she thought she could make her lover feel even worse… sort of.
The blonde thought that if she stayed and just gave him the silent treatment… then he wouldn't be able to rehearse and plan out an apology to himself with her in the room, and he'd have to wait the entire time until tomorrow to even speak with her.
"...Yang…." Gage sighed with desperation.
"...Just leave me alone!" She replied with a shaky whisper. "Stop… please… I just... need to think without you trying to pull me back into your arms..."
Gage felt like she just gave his heart a sucker punch, and it was hard enough to silence his slight anger, and fill him with sorrow as he sat down next to her legs… and put a hand on her hip weakly. "...Taiyo-chan…"
But Yang didn't even give him that, as she reached back with her left arm, gabbed his wrist, and raised his appendage off of the side of her body as she gave his heart another imaginary blow, before she forced herself to close her eyes.
"...Goodnight, Gaigus…"
She let go of his hand, and Gage kept his mouth closed while he clenched his teeth, and pulled his hand away and felt his body sink into the mattress, with the feeling of his heart now stinging with more pain than the injuries he was given that day.
The ghost stared at his lover, and soon stood up again. He knew that she was already unbelievably stressed, and now it was made almost ten times worse because of his reckless actions… so he mentally called himself an idiot for doing this, and he began to walk around to his side of the bed, feeling defeated and miserable.
He was hoping she'd feel better about it in the morning… but he knew deep down she'd be a ticking time bomb either way, and he just wanted to forget about today… so, he turned towards the light switch, and waved his metal fingers towards it and turned it off.
Then, Gage felt his scroll vibrate and it made him sigh as he wiped his eyes, and took out a pair of earbuds as he climbed into his bed and raised the covers a bit, making sure that there was a gap between his and his lover's body.
He stared down at his scroll, plugged in his earbuds, and selected a playlist by one of his more favorite bands named Imagine Dragons, and it began with their song, Release.
The ghost put the left earbud in, and looked at his notifications to see that he had also received a message from Ruby, which asked, "Did u talk 2 Yang about the thing? What happened?!"
Gage grinned a bit once she saw it, and he was quick to reply as he finally laid his head down onto his pillow, and pulled the blanket up to his chest. "Well, she got loud, scolded me, and now she's lying next 2 me in bed and is giving me the silent treatment. So… idk."
"Awe. You oki?"
He rubbed his eyes, and turned towards his lover as he closed his eyes, and let his eyes adjust to the artificial light of his scroll. "I'm fine… i just need 2 start fixing myself. I gotta see that i don't have 2 b responsible for her 24/7…"
He was quickly sent a picture from his lover's little sister, and it was a selfie of herself making a weird face, as she was squinting at the camera just as another text was attached to it.
"Okay, but just for the record…. I think ur doin fine Gage. Yang's just afraid of losing anyone else… especially u. She'll see… so, just don't get hurt, and get her trust back!"
She sent another picture of her sticking her tongue out and giving a thumbs up, and he tried not to laugh… but he was still happy that she was willing to give him some advice on what to do… and he thought he had enough insight to be ready for tomorrow… as he was feeling tired.
"I'll try my best Rubles. Now, my body's killing me, so i think ima sleep now. Hopefully things will be better in the morning."
"Hehe, okay. Good luck Gage! And i hope u both feel better! Gnight 3."
He smiled at her heart emoji, and for some reason waved at his scroll's camera before he said goodnight, and put his other earbud in. "Night Ruby."
Then, he turned off his scroll, turned the volume of his song down, and turned to Yang for a few seconds with eyes filled with regret as he sighed, leaned closer to the back of her head, and kissed the back of her neck gently before he scooted back over to his side of the bed,
"*smooch* ...You know i'll always love you. Even through things worse than this… i promise that my heart will always belong to you. That's the one promise i know will last…but, anyway... Goodnight Yang…. I hope you sleep well."
After that, Gage turned away from his lover… and finally closed his eyes. But… Yang's opened once she heard his voice… and the only thing she chose to do, was to hug the blanket that was wrapped around her body… and sniffle as she closed her eyes again, and began to drift off without him into the night…
…
…
…
After about a good two hours into his slumber, Gage awoke from his sleeping feeling… like he was out of it. Mostly because it was around midnight at the moment, but he still felt… weird
He felt if it was almost like he was both lying in water… and if all his nerves just shut off or something, and he fidgeted a bit before he stood up, and cursed to himself.
"W...What the hell…"
Gage grumbled that, and stretched his legs a bit before he looked over at where Yang was… and she wasn't lying next to him.
The sight made him sigh again, and he just assumed that she went up to her dorm after he fell asleep.
He looked to the left, over to his bathroom, and saw that the light was off in there too.. so he got up from his bed, since he was feeling weird, and he thought that washing his face would help his body settle.
His body felt contorted and in pain after he got up, so he just groaned and sighed a bit as he entered the bathroom, and turned the lights on.
The first thing he did when he entered was turn on the sink, and put his metal hand against the counter to keep his balance as he looked down at the water, and ran his palms under it so he could bring them back, splash the hot water against his face, and look back up at his reflection in the mirror.
Gage looked at himself, and saw that the bruises on his face were starting to fade, the one from Roman's fight at least, and the dark ring around one of his eyes that he received from Neptune remained. But it still made him shake his head in pity… for himself…
"*sigh* ...Look at you… you're losing it. And now… i think you're starting to lose her… and yourself..."
He glanced down at his hand as he said this, and was surprised to find a little dried blood and dirt on, which made him try and not think about the fight he had with that faunus teen… but… then, something else made him forget about it completely,
"...Oh… are we now?~"
The ghost was not expecting to hear a voice, especially one of a familiar woman, that was not Yang's at all, and the voice made him jump as he looked up into the mirror… and nearly screamed in horror.
In the mirror, was the infamous ghost he has been seeing throughout the last two months…. And it was of course Ruby and Yang's dead mother/stepmother, Summer Rose.
She was standing… exactly where he was, but his body didn't show up in the mirror, it was as if her own figure was his real reflection, and the weird thing about it was that she was smiling too.
The first thing Gage did was take a step back and nearly fall back into his tub as he stepped onto the floor mat that was behind him as he began to mumble to himself.
"N-No. No, no, no… you're not real."
"Well that's a harsh thing to say, especially after what I did for you the last time we spoke."
He just remained there speechless, and took a quick glance around the room, questioning if this was reality, or another one of his morbid dreams.
The ghost was simply expecting for her face to contort into some of nightmares, and for her to crawl through the mirror so she could pounce on him with some bloody claws that would form from her hands, but luckily it didn't happen… yet at least.
Summer stood there, with the hood of her white cloak blocking out her reddish black hair and… red eyes, as she tilted her head to the side, and smiled innocently as she let out a tiny laugh,
"Hehe… well, you've seen me around a lot recently Gage, so you should have seen this coming."
"I… I thought i was just going crazy… PTSD…. or something else in my head…"
That response made her laugh even more… but a bit more louder, as the room began to even become darker to Gage's fearful, turquoise eyes.
Her laugh eventually became a little hysterical, even for her, and it just made him begin to pant a bit in fear of what she would do to him…
"Hahaha! That may be there, but i'm not apart of it. I'm… just apart of you now."
Gage's hand began to shake once she said that…. And once she did, her body and figure suddenly shape shifted with a quick white flash, and she… turned into a mirrored version of himself.
His mirrored image resembled himself exactly as he was… and the image spoke with Summer's voice instead of his… thankfully. "You cheated death because of me, and you were scathed with just my mark… but now, there will have to be a new… you."
The ghost, and… the phantom looked at each other through the mirror, and her fake persona followed Gage's every movement, mimic him as he put his hand up, and waved it up at the mirror as it shook violently.
"Our meeting that night was meant for something else…. And you said it yourself, you want to change the world… for them. You can't do that by yourself… and that'll be where i come in.… so after what you did in that forest today…. You'll be yourself…. And so will i."
His doppelganger's words angered him, and it made him strike his palm against the glass of the mirror, making his evil reflection crack as he yelled back at the thing, "What the hell is that suppose to mean?!"
"You'll be the two of us together, we'll share one mind not because i want to… but because soon, you will need to. If you want the world you seek to become whole at least, and it'll be ours."
"Don't be vague!" He growled, angry from how Summer decided to act now out of all the days she could have. "Answer me!"
"I can't Gage, i've already wasted too much energy trying to get here…. But i know you'll need my help soon… very soon or… maybe even after you wake up… hehe."
She gave another giggle, which sounded weird coming from his own reflection, but soon the reflection just winked at the real Gage… and he became enraged.
He clenched his teeth, made his prosthetic hand turn into a fist, let his own red eyes show as he let a tear fall in fear from what she meant, and he shouted as he raised his prosthetic, and caused the glass to break and shatter as he smashed his metal fist against it.
But… something happened that he didn't expect. The glass did shatter, with the image of Summer's replication of him still on the broken glass… but it didn't matter, as there was yet another Gage on the other side of the mirror, behind the glass, and he was staring black at the real Gage with the same bloody red eyes.
He looked… different though. This Gage was wearing the same exact thing he was at the time, a black shirt and his light brown jeans, but… his shirt was ripped and the ends were tattered and stain with blood.
His metallic arm had some of the sage paint scratched off of it, while his other arm had a massive gash or… bite mark that had blood gushing out of it… but that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part of the ghost's doppleganger, was it's face. It's facial hair was scruffy and almost had a beard at this point that wasn't kept at all… and he had a blood trail going down from his lip… and there were two more coming from both of his eye sockets.
The evil Gage looked back at the real one, and just smirked with a small chuckle as he smiled, turned, and began to walk back into the dark mist that was surrounding him, and all the real Gage could do was stick his hand through the broken glass, and reach out to him as he screamed,
"No, no! ...Don't go! Don't you fucking go!"
Then, finally, as he snarled and spat at his war-torn and bloody self, the darkness and mist began to surround the real Gage, and it just consumed and blocked out his vision until all the ghost could see was the color red again…
"...GET BACK HERE!"
…
…
…
~Remember all the sadness and frustration… and let it go… let. It. Go.~
Gage woke up from his nightmare in a cold sweat, and with a wet metallic taste in his mouth as he quickly raised his head up from his pillow while his eyes were widened, and gasped loudly.
"*gasp!*"
He leaned up from his bed while his earbuds were still in, and soon ripped them out as he began to pant silently, and scanned his dark room out of fear of seeing Summer again…
...But there was nothing. The only other person in there was Yang, who was now laying next to him on the bed, still facing away from him. All she did was grumble in her sleep, and she continued to face away from her lover.
Gage on the other hand felt his own heart as it was pounding on the inside, and tried to calm himself down as he felt… his nose begin to bleed.
He tasted it already, and just wiped some from his nostril as he laid back, let out a deep breath,and mumbled nasally to himself as he began to sniffle, "Egh…. Damn it…" He said.
The ghost gulped down some of the blood, and leaned his head back onto his pillow, since he didn't care and honestly thought it was a better way to deal with it.
"...Why today…"
He blinked once with another breath,and glanced at Yang as she fidgeted in her sleep again and let out a silent, and tired moan as she unknowingly scooted closer to him. "Mmm…"
Gage just watched her, and felt his chest rise and fall until he felt the coldness of the room… and closed his eyes as he rubbed his temple with the palm of his metal hand, and sighed yet again.
"*sigh*"
He went on to keep his eyes closed for a few minutes so he could try and forget as he felt the warmth of his girlfriend's body again…. until he felt his eyes… begin to itch, and he just rubbed them, but then they started to burn.
Gage growled at himself, sniffled and turned onto his side again… but it only got worse. "Rrrgh… come on!" He silently yelled at himself.
However… as he went to sit up again…. He felt a liquid…. Begin to slowly seep out of his eye socket as he opened his eyes again, and he thought it was a tear a first from the shock… but then he noticed that the substance didn't flow as quick… and it was a way too sticky and thick to be water.
Then as he noticed this, he instantly woke up, wiped his eye socket…. And held his hand out while the other eye began to leak the same thing.
"W...W-W….What the fuck?!"
The ghost stared down at his normal hand…. And could clearly see a streak of… blood smeared against his fingers, and he stood up with a loud inhale before he looked over to the his bathroom, and ran to it, not caring about his noise level.
But as he ran to the bathroom, he felt the liquids from both his eyes and nostrils began to lightly stream down his face, so bad that the bottom of his eye became stained with blood, and he could see it there, and it blocked out his vision a bit!
He kept mumbling the word, 'No!' to himself as he threw the bathroom door open and turned on the lights, hyperventilating as he tried to wipe his face and saw that the only thing left on the hand he used before was a giant red blood stain!
This all happened as Yang leaned up from her side of the bed and sent a glare towards her lover as he made all that noise, not knowing what was going on, and she just rubbed her own eye as she lowered the blanket from her upper chest.
Gage finally got inside of the bathroom, and was scared to look at his reflection again, but he soon forced himself to look into the mirror again… and the sight he saw was absolutely terrifying.
There was indeed blood pouring down from his eyes, and his nose, and it was smeared as it was now going down through his stubble/scruff and to his chin.
He instantly pinched himself with his metal arm to see if it was a dream… and nothing happened, so he collectively slapped himself, and even used his prosthetic to punch the wound on his abs, but even that didn't do anything, as he only felt more pain.
"Aaaagh! Fuck!"
It wasn't a dream… and that realization made him whimper as he reached for a roll of toilet paper that was sitting on top of the toilet that was next to the sink, and covered his right eye and tried to dry it as he did the only other thing he could…
"*huff* *huff* ...Yang!" He shouted.
The blonde groaned, and just leaned up from her bed, looking annoyed as she looked over into the bathroom tiredly, and sighed, "*sigh*… what?"
"GET IN HERE NOW!"
His booming voice frightened her… because she thought that maybe he was just drunk or something… but then she looked over to his side of bed to see if he had a bottle over there… but the only thing she could see was fresh blood that had just been spilt onto his pillow!
So, she instantly threw the blanket away, and ran over to the bathroom as he kept panting and gripped the bathroom counter heavily with his metal arm.
Soon Yang rushed into the bathroom and looked at Gage, and looked down at the floor to see even more blood spots there too. "G… G-Gage?!"
He clenched his hand and cracked the marble counter, lowered his bloody wad of toilet paper from his eye… and slowly turned to his lover with his bloody face… and bright red eyes, leaving yet another permanent scar in her mind for her to try and forget.
"W… What's happening to me?!" He whimpered.
Her mouth opened wide before she took a step back, and covered her mouth as she let out a blood curdling scream that could have broken glass!
"O-OH MY GOD!"
Her eyes began to produce tears from the shock and awe, and after pausing for a few seconds, the blonde ran, gabbed for the toilet paper roll that was behind him on the toilet, and pulled a crap ton of it off of the roll so she could begin to furiously wipe the blood off of his face.
Now they were both hyperventilating, with Yang's being a lot more frantic, as she could see his red eyes this time! They weren't the color of blue she loved dearly, and she knew it wasn't because of her grogginess. They were red, LIKE HERS COULD BE, and she knew it!
She wiped his eyes and Gage growled in pain as he covered his nose, and that was when she noticed that his skin was looking a lot more pale and was even colder, and that was enough for her to see this as an emergency.
So, Yang wrapped a double layered line of toilet paper around his eyes, and tied it to him before she grabbed onto his arm, and tried to pull him out into the room with her, "*gasp* I...I'm getting you to the nurse, right now!" She sniffled.
"B-But i can't see!"
Gage took a few steps with her, and he tried to put his metal arm around her neck so he could follow her better, and she was making sure that he could walk straight as she now tried to drag him over to the front door.
"*gasp*...I...I'll carry you across campus if i have to! *gasp* ...Just don't worry, i'm going to make sure you're okay!"
The automated security A.I. for their dorm, which Gage named Virgil, heard their mentioning of the nurse, and he turned on and blared out in his robotic voice, "Nurse requested! Now notifying Nurse Shayna!"
Then, the door to their dorm opened automatically, and Gage was now hugging Yang as they both stumbled out of the door, and Yang began to gasp even more as she smiled, and nodded at the camera that was attached to the outside of their dorm.
"*gasp* ...Gage… *gasp* ...What did you just do?!"
"*sniffle* ….I don't know!"
…
After stumbling around the school for a good twenty minutes, the couple made their way to the infirmary, and got the Nurse to look at the ghost just as the bleeding from his eyes stopped, and he was on the verge of passing out.
They were sitting inside the Nurse's office with him on a infirmary bed, and with Shayna hovering over him with a small flashlight being shined into his red eyes while Yang sat next to him in a chair, using a tissue to dry her tears.
Gage grunted and winced every minute as his eyes were still itching, and more blood occasionally seeped out of his eyelid and down his cheek, but thankfully Yang had already clogged his nostrils with two tissues, so that wasn't a problem anymore, but this whole experience was so bad that she was starting to shake once they got him into the hospital bed.
She knew it was there, but there was a small patch of dried blood on her shoulder that she chose to ignore solely so she could try and think about her lover's condition at the moment, and how this could have happened,
"Yup, I've never ever seen anything like this before." The nurse stated.
She wiped Gage's eye again with a wet rag, and just watched as his pupils returned to its turquoise color, and his gasps became even more quieter, though it could be from the blood loss.
"*G-G…. *sniffle* ...Gagey, stay awake for me okay?" Yang asked as she scooted closer to him, and ran her hand through his hair again.
"I...I am…"
Then the nurse finally turned off the light, and took an eyedropper out before she quickly dabbed two drops onto each of the ghost's eyes, and sighed as she moved away from him.
Gage flinched from the sudden coldness, and he wiped his eyes again, as his eyelids remained bloodstained and eventually started to get tears out of them instead of the vital red substance.
"*huff* *huff* ...What the fuck…."
Shayna just rubbed his arm, and smiled as she watched Yang take her place in hovering over him with her tissue still in hand, "*gasp* ...Is it over?" She asked both him and the nurse.
"I hope…." Gage answered as he put his hand on her hip blindly. "*huff* ...Heh… I was expecting more out of that…" He said, trying to ease her with his sense of humor.
His lover just glared at him for trying to make the situation less serious than it was, but the nurse was the one to laugh instead of her this time, "Haha, well, you're lucky I started taking night shifts, since I seem to be the only nurse here that's delt with you before Mr. Sim." She chuckled as she patted his shoulder.
"*sniffle* ...And why's that?"
Gage asked this as he rubbed the bottom of his eye, and leaned up from the bed, but Yang kind of jumped back, and put a hand on his chest to signal for him to slow down his movements. "Don't rush it Gage!"
"Sorry-"
"Because, I think I may have an easy answer for why this happened." Shayna finished, as she looked towards the couple, sat down in a chair, and took out a file from when Gage was in the infirmary last time back in late august.
Yang let out a shaky sigh and just went on to clean her lover's eyes a face with a rag a little harshly, and she allowed for him to ask the obvious question, "What the hell could cause that?"
The young nurse brushed some of her blackish purple long hair out of her face, and took off the bloody gloves she was wearing before she disposed of them, and moved over to the right side of his bed, as she placed a hand on his forehead.
"Well, it could have been because of your semblance defect after you phase through an object, or let something phase through you… but you don't seem as nauseous as last time..."
"*sniffle* ...So?" Yang asked her impatiently.
Shayna rolled her eyes at the blonde, and turned Gage's face to look at hers, and she finally asked him one last important question… to her at least. "Mr. Sim, did your birthday recently pass?"
"...Uh… about two months ago… Why?"
"Hmm… then this could be a sign of your semblance being able to evolve along with your body, and your defect would normally cause your body to bleed… but this time it was when you had no other open wounds… so then maybe it had to find somewhere else to let the blood flow."
The couple both stared at the doctor with a poker face, and Gage squinted at her, since that didn't even make sense physiologically, or anatomically… at least he didn't think it did.
Then, the nurse looked down at his prosthetic, and tapped his metal wrist lightly, just as Yang moved her right hand down and grasped his metal fingers in anticipation,
"Or, maybe your semblance is trying to adapt to this thing… since it's trying to make your nerves recognize it as an actual limb." She added with a tiny smile.
Gage's prosthetic hand wrapped around Yang's hand as he let out a tiny sigh of relief along with her, and smiled back at the doctor as it seemed the rest of the color return to his face, and his girlfriend finally calmed herself too.
"So… that's it? I just have some more growing to do?"
"It's just a theory, and it makes some sense to me… but it can't explain that lucid dream you told me about."
Gage had tried to tell her and his lover what he was experiencing beforehand when they were plugging his nose, and he luckily managed to explain the whole thing without mentioning Summer… only the Evil reflection, and the darkness…
Yang still had her own questions about the red eyes but…if it was true that her boyfriend's semblance was evolving, then maybe that was the reason why…. Though, she still had her doubts.
"...Do you think this could happen again Nurse?" She asked her.
"Maybe. Though, I'd rather it not happen again. I hate having to see you two here…"
Shayna said this in a voice that depicted both sorrow, and a nurturing feeling towards the couple, since the last time they were here, Yang basically forced him into a make out session after she saw him wake up after he crash landed back at Beacon when he was returning from his mission.
That day was special to her, since it was the first time she's seen any sort of special bond between two students in her early career, so she saw it as a memory to keep.
"Well… *exhale* ...Thanks for being concerned Ma'am." Gage thanked her with a small wave before he lowered it, and looked at Yang. "So… now what. I don't know if i should sleep… or not…"
"I'm staying here for the next six hours, so i'd try to get some shut eye, and if something happens, i'll be right here."
Yang sniffled again, and blushed as she held onto Gage's arm and began to pull him off of the infirmary bed, rather… desperately.
He was thinking she was beginning to lose control of her built up emotions, and he was obligated to move with her so she wouldn't explode in tears in front of someone else, or…. The opposite.
"W...We'll just go back to the dorm. *shaky gasp* ...Gotta go clean up remember?"
"...Oh… yeah, forgot about that."
He stepped off of the bed, and made sure his arm was wrapped around his lover both for his own balance, and to try and comfort the brawler so her eyes could become dry once again. "Yang i can stay here if you want me to…"
"N-No! ...It's fine, i… i can handle it again if i need to. *sniffle* ...Let's just go to bed Gage, okay?"
"Okay… whatever you say Taiyo-Chan."
Gage followed her over to the door, and stood next to her with his right arm still wrapped around the back of her neck as she blushed and gave her boyfriend a nimble peck on the cheek, a part of it that wasn't blood stained, before she opened the door to the hallway, and waved goodbye to Nurse Shayna,
"Bye, and thanks for… you know. Helping him..."
"Not a problem hon'. O-Oh, and make sure that the next time we meet, it'll be about something less violent! Maybe you could ask me for another pregnancy test?~"
Her 'goodbye' made Gage's eye grow as big as they could, and Yang just growled in embarrassment as she helped him out into the hall, and shut the infirmary door with a loud bang, and a bright blush upon her now red cheeks…
And he tried to see what that was all about… but she just huffed, and it caused him to shut his mouth and follow her as her bare feet began to quietly step back towards the dorm building...
"G-Grrr….."
…
Later…
…
"Access Granted!"
Virgil chirped as the couple entered their room again, and the lights automatically turned on, revealing small spots of blood that went from the bed, to the bathroom, and to the door… and there probably was a few splotches across campus too.
Yang chose to ignore it, and immediately sat back down on the bed silently, and since Gage didn't to trigger another panic attack, he just kissed her forehead and began to get to work on cleaning the dorm again.
He cleaned with a frown and a blank stare as he heard his girlfriend try to keep herself from letting it all out, and he didn't even speak to her for a good twenty minutes until he was sure the bathroom was clean, his mouth and throat wasn't dry, and his arm was looking clean too.
Then, once he covered the blood stains near the bed and decided how he'd get the stains out via google in the morning, he flipped his pillow over to the clean side, cleared his throat, nostrils, and tear ducts from any blood, and finally got on his knees in front of Yang.
He had a baby wipe in his metal hand, and looked up at her. She was taking in heavy breaths, her eyes were watering, and she looked… scared.
"Hey." Gage whispered.
Yang looked down into his normal turquoise eyes… and let a tear fall as she saw them, glad that they were back to normal again. "M….*gasp* ...Mmhm?"
He then gave her a tiny smile, and used the baby wipe in his hand to wipe off the stained blood on her shoulder before he rubbed her skin there, and gave her a kiss on the cheek in return for the one she gave him not that long ago.
"*smooch* ...It's okay Yang. It's over now."
His blonde lover gave him a small nod, so he just stood up, sat down next to her, and pulled Yang into a tight hug, which she gladly accepted as she hugged him back with a massive amount of strength, and buried her head against the side of his neck.
She silently cried as she saw the faded blood on his chin and neck, and soon her tears began to fall and travel down his neckline as she began to sob… for him.
"Damn it… *gasp* ...W...Why do the bad things… *gasp* ...only happen to you?!"
Gage sighed, and just made sure that Yang's legs were situated in a way so she was sitting bridal style in his lap again, like she always wanted to be held if she was scared by something, and he brushed the back of her head gently...
"So then they won't happen to you." He answered her.
The blonde brawler felt her body become soothed by his actions, and she felt her ears ring a bit as she focused all of her strength on hugging her boyfriend as he held her… as she honestly felt that he was… fine after a day like this.
"But… *gasp* ...all that in one day?! You getting shot with plasma, getting torn apart by my bitchy attitude and mean words, being let down by your contacts, and now this?! *gasp*...HOW DO YOU DO IT?!"
The ghost could understand her curiosity, as he was beginning to question it himself as he was cleaning, and he continued to hold his lover so it felt like he'd never want to let go…
"...I don't know." He whispered with total composure and calmness. "So much has happened to me that I'm just… attached to you so dearly. I mean... don't you get it Yang..."
"...I care more about You than I care about Myself."
He stated this with the utmost amount of courage that he could find, and he just hugged her tighter as she raised her head back up and stared at him like he had just proposed… again.
"You're all I've got in this world, so I have to make sure nothing happens to you until the day I die…"
However, the mention kg death made her jump out of his grasp, and she squeezed his shoulders tightly as she continued to gasp and sniffle .
"B...But that's, *gasp* ...What I'm afraid of! You getting yourself killed because of some stupid mistake again… but it'll be because of me this time!"
Yang couldn't even imagine what she'd do to herself if she was the reason for her lover's demise. It'd be the death of him…. And herself too… all because of her own two hands.
She didn't want it to happen though, and the thought of such serious things made her stomach feel like a knot was tied inside of it and that nothing could make it better… and Gage saw it so… he just tried to do what he could to help her think about the light instead of the dark again,
"It won't Yang. I'm not going to die again, because you're still here with me. And if I'm to leave or be taken from you… then I know that you'll find me in the end, and I'll do the same for you. We'll find each other through space… and time… no matter what, because I know you'll find me again like that day you find me out in the forest… it was fate. Our fate, to find each other there and fall in love… so even if something happens to us… then our history is destined to repeat itself."
Her body became tense, and she closed her eyes, stunned at his word choice, and how crazy it sounded. But, Gage looked down as he held her, and soon scooched back a bit so he could lay her down on the left side of their bed, and so her head would lie on top of her pillow gently.
"But I still need to hear you say that… so I know that you'll believe it too…"
Yang opened her eyes as she felt his hands move away from her calves and lower back, and she tried to smile at him while she was trying to figure out what those words are that he was talking about… so, she just made a wild guess though her now quiet gasps and sniffles…
"*sniffle* ...I'll find you?"
He chuckled at her attempt, and layed down next to her so he could stare into her huge beautiful and watery lilac eyes once again, "Yeah… but with a little more… enthusiasm!" He replied jokingly.
"Hehe… *sniffle* ...Okay… Gage. I'll Find You. No matter what, or where, or how… or when. I'll do it as you do the same. I'll be wherever you are in spirit… for the rest of my life. I-I… I promise."
Her vow brought a smile to his face that was kept short, as Gage scooted closer to her… leaned in… and kissed her on the lips once without her approval… yet, she still welcomed his act with open arms.
Yang's arms coiled around Gage's neck, and she only tightened their embrace further by pulling him in closer, and moaned a bit before she broke the kiss, and gently pressed her head against his chest for some more comfort.
"...It's like our song Yang, remember? Because as long as I'm with you… then Everything Will Be Alright?"
"Yeah… *sniffle*…I remember Gage..."
Now they were one again. Back in each other's loving arms as she was depending on him to fix the broken feeling in her heart, and for her to warm his so it could continue to beat ever so passionately
And despite the hardships and bumps in the road they went over today… deep down they both knew that even that wasn't enough to pry them apart. Nothing would be...
" Yang, I'm sorry about… everything I've done that's made you distressed… i… I just-"
Gage tried to apologize for his deceitfulness actions as he tried not to look at his lover, but Yang… put a hand on his cheek, and made him look back into her eyes as she smiled,
"No. Gage…. I understand why you did it, I just let my over protectiveness and stress get the better of me… so… you're forgiven."
"...Really?" He asked her, looking a bit shocked.
"J...Just don't do it again, or I'll have to actually leave the dorm. Hehe…"
They both chuckled, and he continued to brush her hair with metal hand until felt her airs begin to shine and warm him again, which radiated even more as he grabbed onto their blanket, pulled it over them both, and she made sure to make him move over so he could rest his head onto his pillow again.
"Now… let's get some shut eye Care-Bear… and you're going to need it, since you're suppose to be giving me breakfast in bed again tomorrow morning.~"
Gage chuckled, and laid his head and body back onto his side of the bed, but Yang just continued to lay her head on top of his chest again. "Oh yeah, Hehe... I'll be right on that Taiyo-Chan…"
"Good… now close your eyes. I'll just keep watching you until I can't anymore…"
He knew she was just making sure the bleeding wouldn't start up again, so he gave her a quick nod before he closed his eyes, put his metal arm around her one more time, and started to drift off again.
"Okay… Goodnight Yang… I love you…"
"Goodnight Gage… i love you too… a-and… thank you.. *sniffle* ...For all the pain you've had to go through for me…"
…
Back at Bolin Peak…
…
The winter night was dark and violent, as the winds and snow flowed through the night sky relentlessly as the Collectors were trying to maintain and… repurpose the outpost they took earlier that day.
Most of the forces went home or took the White Fang soldiers they captured to be questioned, and dropped off to the Vale police force back within the walls of the city, but a fifth wave was sent to secure the area and…. Tidy up a bit.
Two men were personally sent by Emile out into the forest behind the outpost… to retrieve the body of the white fang soldier that Gage had killed back during their assault, and now… they were loading his frosted body onto a stretcher, while an oil lamp laid near them on the snowy ground, and was set right next to the frozen blood that stained the snow below their feet…
"Poor kid…"
"It's not his fault George, he didn't know any better… damn Taurus kid is just making this worse…"
"Well, i hope we get him soon…"
"Yeah, me too."
The two medics conversed with each they put the body on the stretcher, and began to carry the dead soldier back towards their staging area inside of the destroyed outpost… and thankfully, the left right before someone else had to make themselves known…
However, they left the soldier's black helmet to freeze out there, as they didn't think it held anything important… and luckily, someone else managed to find it.
Then, a hand with a black glove that was attached to a red studded gauntlet grabbed onto the side of the helmet, and picked it up off of the floor, as a woman's sigh could be heard as the two medics started off back into the forest.
She raised it up so she could inspect it with her own eyes... But the custom grimm mask she wore made it hard for her during that night, so… she used her other hand to take hers off, and revealed her face to the world.
The woman had black long hair, red eyes, and a very similar face and physique to Yang Xiao Long…. Her daughter. This woman, was in fact Qrow's sister, Raven Branwen.
"*sigh* ...Finally, something i can analyze…"
Raven attached her grimm mask to her belt, and tapped the side of the helm so it's external port could be opened, and she pulled a small S.D. card from it with a huge smile.
She knew with her past experiences with the wolves that they had to have a map internally inserted into the H.U.D. of their helmet, since they were of course the White Fang's special forces.
So… this small card in her hand could possibly contain every single location they had under their control, and it pleased her… because she's been looking for someone as well.
Raven laughed a bit as she stared at the card for a few seconds, took out her own black scroll, and… opened it's lock screen so she could stare at the exact same image of the prisoner that both Gage and Yang saw earlier that day, and she internally rejoiced.
"...You poor thing." She whispered.
She had been assigned to find this man by her brother a long time ago, despite other important things, but this prisoner was a vital asset to their cause, so much so that they believed that he, and maybe some other new additions, could possibly end this Silent War before it could become known to the world.
The older woman looked at the picture… and was happy to see the coordinates of the next location she was to investigate show up on the bottom of the photo.
"*sigh* ...No matter. Today was a good day… for me, for Gage… and my daughter. But, i'm just glad he's here... Because with both him, and… you, then we'll finally be able to get a foothold in this Silent War…"
Her mission now was to find this man on the other side of the border, near the Forever Fall forest… and she knew that the prisoner would be there, considering that the White Fang were trying their absolute best to keep him away from the City of Vale.
And now… her search was about to begin.
Raven continued to stand there in the snow as the two medics walked out of her sight, and she knew that she had to move now to her next location, so the Fang wouldn't become paranoid as before she could make a move.
So as she looked down at the black helmet, she used her other hand to take ahold of her own mask again, pulled it off of her belt, covered her face with it again as she smiled.
And finally, while she felt her mask cover her facial features and let her red glowing eyes become the only thing visible to the dark world, she looked up towards the shattered moon one last time… and narrowed her eyebrows as she grasped the hilt of her sheathed sword… and spoke to the night… as if it was the friend she was suppose to bring back home.
"And now… thanks to our little ghost… I now know where i must go to find you… my old friend..."
…
Author's Note #2: Hey guys, i just wanted to let you all know that the fifth re-edited chapter of RWBY: Desertion has been uploaded, or will be… soon, annnd i also wanted to tell you guys that THE DESERTION TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY IS A WEEK FROM TODAY! ON NOV. 16th! Two years! Two goddamn years i've been doing this for you guys! I'm so happy right now… so… expect something special next chapter… that doesn't involve fluff or any lewd things at all… e-ehehe. (Sorry if it's not your thing btw.) BUT ANYWAY, i'll of course see you guys… in the next chapter!