~~AAAND START!~~ (Love)
Blake stood on the edge of the porch with one hand on Gambol Shroud as it hung from her robe's belt. She and Yang had been given traditional Harmonist's clothing, consisting of tapered dark brown pants tied off with tan leather, and a tan robe with brown designs fastened with a belt or sash the same brown as the pants. A purple tassel indicating Blake's aura's element hung from her neck, fluttering in the dry wind. She was barefoot, and could feel granules of desert sand slowly eroding the stone porch whenever she walked.
The temple itself was a simple, single story compound. It had the minimum of eight rooms and six Harmonists. The temple's master was unusually young, but stuck to the traditional schedule without exception. Every morning at dawn, the Harmonists ate a light breakfast in silence. Then, they left their shared living quarters and moved to the first room for meditation.
Meditation started in half an hour. For now, Blake surveyed the empty courtyard. It had been so long since she'd stepped foot in a temple. The familiar architecture brought back memories of training before she'd joined the White Fang.
The White Fang took traditional fighting techniques and distorted them for their own lethal gains. Blake could hardly remember the techniques' original forms, and nowadays, she used the White Fang's variations sparingly. The resulting gap in knowledge left her feeling disconnected and melancholic. In an effort to force their ideals onto others, the Faunus of the White Fang had destroyed their own culture. Now that Blake had disowned the White Fang, she was left with almost nothing from her past.
And, if she wanted to return to her roots, she had to hide her own identity.
Closing her eyes and knitting her brow, Blake drew her sword slowly. The way her parents had taught her to so long ago. It felt awkward and inefficient, but also… right. Menagerie was affecting her more than she'd thought. Making her sentimental about things she'd thought she'd buried.
Running through what she could remember of the first sword form, she returned the blade to its sheath and resumed her still position on the porch. If she listened closely enough, she could hear a group of Grimm howling in the distance, but they almost never attacked temples. Because of this, temples were commonly known as Harmonic Grounds. Of course, it was also why Harmonists were called Harmonists.
Blake scowled. She would only ever be called a traitor. A fugitive.
After brooding for some time, she heard Yang stir in the guest room behind her. Her lips automatically curled upwards despite her overall mood. Yang had missed breakfast three days in a row because she'd slept in too long despite Blake's best efforts to wake her. Getting Yang awake before sunrise was like trying to convince the sun to pull the tide. Luckily, the Harmonists ate again in three hours, so she was never hungry for long. Still, Blake was considering getting creative with her methods…
Yang got up from their shared hammock and ambled towards the sliding door. Pushing it aside, she wrapped Blake in a sleepy hug from behind. "Mornin'..." she mumbled, relishing every last second of lingering slumber.
Blake's melancholy melted away and she relaxed. "You're up late again," she teased lightly. Not that she minded mornings like this.
Yang didn't bother with a coherent answer, pulling her closer and nuzzling into the crook of her neck instead. She was trying to fall back asleep.
"Yang," Blake reminded.
"What? We have time…"
"Not very long."
"Mmm… well, then maybe you could help me wake up?" Yang requested.
Blake exhaled in feigned exasperation, then spiked her aura. Lately, Yang had been claiming it gave her energy. As far as Blake knew, she'd never had that ability, but new things had been happening a lot recently. Even events that probably should have been questioned seemed almost ordinary.
Yang laughed happily and kissed her on the cheek, drawing out a faint blush.
"Thank you. How are you feeling this morning, Blake? You eat yet?"
Blake thought about it, a sly smirk sneaking its way onto her face. "No. Actually… it's a bit chilly this morning," she said suggestively. The desert heat would build soon, but temperatures between sunset and sunrise could get down to thirty degrees.
Yang smirked back. "I can help with that," she replied, raising the intensity of her flames.
Blake allowed herself to bask in them for a while, feeling her muscles relax. The two watched the empty courtyard, lost in their own thoughts. A sun bird landed on the temple roof. A gust of wind disturbed the thin layer of sand surrounding it…
When the half hour was almost over, Blake kissed Yang on the lips, letting it linger. "Meditation starts soon," she reminded, drawing away. Such intimate behavior among Harmonists—even honorary ones—wasn't exactly pious.
"Ugh, I forgot about that," Yang pouted.
Blake laughed, heading inside. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Mm… not really," Yang admitted, closing the door behind them. "I kept dreaming about a goat."
"A goat?" Blake repeated, intrigued. "What about it?"
"It ate a snake." Yang wrinkled her nose. "It looked worse than it sounds."
Blake could only imagine.
Yang lit up. "Hey, speaking of things being worse than they sound, how's your elbow?"
The flesh was still raw and tender, but at least a lower layer of skin had returned.
Yang shook her head. "I wish I could help it heal faster… I didn't get any that bad."
Blake re-bandaged the wound and shrugged. "We just need to give it time." It hurt, but she'd rather be hurt than dead.
At that, they headed to the meditation room.
/-/-/-/
Weeks passed and Blake's wound healed. Yang was able to tell the moment it happened, and the two sparred in the training room to celebrate. Sparring, however, quickly escalated into other activities…
All in all, Yang would call it a productive evening.
That night, a nightmare woke her up. Well, not a nightmare per say… More of a feeling. She carefully rolled out of the hammock. Luckily, Blake wasn't waking up any time soon.
The sliding door to the courtyard was open.
Yang exited the room through it. The courtyard was still empty. She wandered to the center of it. The broken moon shone down on her. It seemed larger than usual.
"I was beginning to think you'd never be ready," a woman said, breaking the silence. She was standing on the roof where the sun hawk had landed earlier.
Yang immediately equipped Ember Celica. "Who are you?" she demanded.
The woman jumped from the roof as if it were nothing and met her in the middle of the courtyard. "My name is Raven Branwen. I'm your mother."
Yang's eyes widened. She lowered her fists. "What…?"
Raven tilted her head forwards a fraction of an inch. "Yang, we have a lot to talk about." She sounded sincere.
And, Yang could tell she wasn't lying.
/-/-/-/
The cold woke Blake up in the middle of the night. Yang was gone.
Instantly uneasy, she got out of bed and grabbed her weapon. She could sense Yang in the courtyard, but something didn't feel right. The sliding door was open… Blake walked outside. What she saw instantly spiked her aura.
Yang was in tears, and an older woman Blake had never seen before stood with a hand on her sword. The two looked similar. Almost like family. However, this woman was clearly not an ally.
Blake stood between the two, glowering at Raven. "Who are you?" she demanded.
Raven watched her, somewhat surprised, somewhat impressed. She turned her attention back to Yang. "Well?"
Blake unsheathed her sword and growled. She wasn't about to be ignored.
"Blake, wait!" Yang said. There was a beat of silence, then anger washed over her. Yang took a step forward. "You… abandoned me! Do you know what it was like to grow up wondering—"Her voice cut out. "Wondering what terrible things about you could possibly make your own mother leave? I searched for you for years, but you never cared enough about me to show up even once. And now you want me to just—what—walk away from everything I care about because you suddenly need to use me now? Screw you, Raven! What about when I needed you?" she shouted. "I thought there might have been a reason why you let me grow up without you. Why you would wait for eighteen years of my life to show up—but, you're just a bad mom!"
Blake couldn't hide her astonishment. This was Yang's mother?
Raven frowned. "I may have made choices you don't agree with, but this isn't about me. This isn't about you, either. Are you coming or not?"
"No! I'm not going with you! Choices I don't agree with?" Yang repeated, incredulous. "Is this just a business deal to you? You left me!"
A monk opened the sliding door to their sleeping quarters. "What is going on out here so late at night?" When he spotted Raven, he gasped. "Red eyes! A Branwen!"
Moments later, all six Harmonists had Raven surrounded.
"Leave this place, depraved one!"
"As soon as I get what I want," Raven said.
"Yang's not going with you," Blake spat, though she was unsure as to what exactly was happening.
Raven didn't respond.
The Harmonists rushed her.
Raven took a shallow breath, then cut them all down. The temple master flew through another sliding door and crashed into whatever was beyond it. The others simply fell to the ground—some in pieces.
"What… Why would you do that?" Yang cried, shaking with anger.
"Was I supposed to let them kill me instead?" Raven inquired.
Blake felt nauseous.
"Yang, please. We don't have time for this. You can hate me all you like, but you need to come with me. If not voluntarily, then… I'll have to take you by force. This is probably difficult for you, but there's no helping it."
Yang equipped Ember Celica. "I'm not. Leaving."
Raven nodded. "Very well. From here on, I cannot guarantee your safety." She attacked, aiming straight for the vitals.
Blake, who had never really stepped away from between the two, blocked the first swing. She made eye contact. Those red eyes… They were just like Yang's, and yet polar opposites.
Raven stepped back for a moment. "You must be Blake," she said finally. "I should thank you for helping Yang get this far… but now is not the time to protect her from fate. Step aside."
Blake scowled. She could sense she was in over her head. Nevertheless, she readied her sword.
Raven pursed her lips. A moment later, she lunged. Even though Blake was ready for it, Raven was too fast. Before she could register what was happening, she was on the ground, coughing up blood.
"Blake!" Yang screamed.
Raven sheathed her sword and stepped away, waiting.
Blake had sand in her eyes, and her blood stained the courtyard. She tried to push herself up, but the gaping slit in her abdomen made it feel like she was pushing up only one half of herself. The other half wasn't about to be persuaded to go anywhere. Her upper body hit the sand again with a wet thump.
Suddenly, Yang was at her side, carefully flipping her over, trying to burn the wound closed. Blake wasn't like Yang, though. She was fragile. She'd lost too much blood as it was. Why was this all going so fast?
Yang held her close, sobbing, saying things Blake could barely hear.
A thought came to mind. She'd never told Yang that—
Blood streamed out of her mouth when she opened it. Yang was begging her to stay. To conserve her strength. Anything. They could both taste the red, irony liquid. Time was short.
"Nn…" Blake furrowed her brow. "Yang," she rasped.
Yang tried to shush her, but she wouldn't allow it.
Color was fading from everything, and the night was getting colder.
Blake gathered up all her energy and smirked as the hopelessness of it all hit her. Still, she had to say it. She had to say it simply because it was true.
With her last breath, she whispered, "Love… you."
Yang's heartbroken face abruptly cut to black.
/-/-/-/
Raven raised an eyebrow as Yang's flames erupted in black and gold.
"She didn't have to die," Yang snarled lowly. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her irises were a perfect red.
The intensity of her aura melted the courtyard sand into impure glass. Maybe Raven should have done this sooner if it meant she could begin to master her powers. Unfortunately, the golden flames dominated her aura, and the black flames subsided. At least it wasn't all a waste. "Why are you so angry?" she asked. "You can still save her… if you're willing to make a deal."
Yang hesitated.
"My semblance is creating contracts," Raven explained. "I saved you once before, though you don't remember it. In order to give someone what they desire, I take what they value most in proportion to their request. If you create a contract with me, I will allow your flames to heal her." Raven glanced at Blake on the courtyard floor. "In exchange, you will come with me, and you will never see her again. If you do, the healing will be reversed. Do you agree to these terms?"
Yang opened her mouth, then closed it, then gritted her teeth.
"You don't have long to decide."
"I agree," Yang said. "To your terms."
Raven nodded. "Go and heal her body. I will retrieve her soul." At that, she opened a portal to the Void and stepped in. Finding Blake's soul wasn't difficult. There weren't many recent black ones floating around. Coaxing it out before it disassembled and merged into the Void's structure wouldn't be difficult, either. As long as there was a portal leading to Yang, Blake would go to her. Love was like that.
When Raven returned from the Void, Blake's body was almost fully healed. A light scar sealed the gash on her torso. It didn't take long for her soul to find her body, either.
People had developed such a stigma for raising others from the dead. As long as the corpse was fresh, however, it was a simple task. A person was only made of two parts.
"Say goodbye," Raven said quietly.
Yang clenched her fists. She knelt down, sighing in relief when she heard Blake start to breathe. "I didn't want it to end up like this," she said. "But, I'm glad you're okay… I can't even think of a pun right now, so… Say goodbye to Ruby for me. And Weiss, I guess. And everyone else. I don't know what's going to be happening, but… I probably won't be seeing any of you again…" She paused. "And, Blake? I love you too. I think since I met you, I've loved you." She laughed. Swore. Choked on a sob.
Raven opened a portal to Mistral. "Let's go."
Yang got up reluctantly, looking back and lingering in the gateway before walking in completely.
The portal closed, leaving the blood-soaked courtyard in the care of the broken moon.
~~AAAND STOP!~~
AN: Hey, everyone! If you're wondering why I'm posting so much at a time these days, it's because I won't have time to do it otherwise. I've become pretty busy recently, and I don't want to leave you guys hanging. So, I'll be uploading the rest of the story when I can manage... Until then, deuces!
NEXT: The Beginning of the Epilogue