Shadows: A Tauradonna Collection

Drabble: Come back

Summary: [Pre-volume 1] Adam Taurus is ordered to find Blake Belladonna, a former member of the White Fang, to make her pay for her treason to the faunus organization. Nevertheless, will he be capable to submit her to justice once he finds her? This new mission will test the loving bonds that once kept them together.

Rating: K+

A/N: Time for some angst, the third option is here! New poll at the end of the chapter! Enjoy.

The sun was already down when Belladonna exited the library. Vale's one was bigger than the new library her father ordered to build in Menagerie. Honestly, she preferred old libraries with that special charm and the smell of dusty books than the new buildings with polite shelves and shiny floors. That place was magical, too magical for a human kingdom. In time to time, the cat faunus had learned that the human kingdoms weren't as bad as they made her believe a while ago. She had grown quite fond of them since she applied for Beacon Academy. However, what had made her lose the sense of time was a small stand in front of the exit that offered books to hire. Blake had never heard about something like that and at the moment they offered her to take some books and return them in a week, she didn't hesitate and had left the library with a bag full of old volumes and new romance novels, her favorite combination. Its weight was heavy but she didn't have any trouble carrying them, it only slowed her down more than usual. She asked herself if the human had known she was a faunus would have offered her so many books, trusting her blindly to return them in a week.

The ears on top of her head twitched under the bow as two boys crossed paths with her. Luckily, none of them had malicious intent, they were just a couple having a romantic walk under the moonlight. That made her draw a melancholic smile, missing somebody hidden deep inside her heart. But was had been done was for good, she didn't regret leaving the White Fang and its brothers and sisters behind. She was fulfilled with being a huntress, she felt useful and like she could do some good in the world. Anything to forget her past could comfort her…

Blake's cat ears twitched again, sensing something behind her. She turned carefully and saw nothing, just the empty street behind her. It was dinner time and at that hour nobody was out in the streets. Maybe it would be a good idea to return to Beacon through the center where a lot of people would be in restaurants and cafeterias and she wouldn't be so alone, an easy prey. She rushed to one shortcut to the center of the city, entering a dead end street. She would only have to jump the wall and in a few minutes she would be safe and sound, surrounded by other people. The feeling of her being chased wouldn't disappear…

Belladonna climbed up through a metallic container and threw the bag full of books on the other side of the wall. Then it was her turn to jump but the sound of heavy footsteps approaching couldn't be ignored. The cat faunus faced a dark shadow making its way into the dead-end street, approaching her. A very familiar form had been chasing her since she had exited the library. It was him.

"A-Adam?" Blake dared to ask, not knowing if that was a good idea or if she should ignore his presence and run to safety. He continued pacing forward, not even reacting to his own name being pronounced by her.

"My love…" He started, finally stopping right in front of the container where she was standing. He was wearing sunglasses to hide his brand and his usual White Fang attire. This wasn't a pleasant surprise, just a job to do. "You are coming with me." He sentenced.

She guessed his intentions as his hand got a grip on Wilt and Blush. If she wouldn't do it voluntarily, he would make her. Blake didn't hide all this time, at least, not from the White Fang. She tried to stay in the distance but at the same time keep herself informed of the activities and rallies the organization performed. Her main objective had been camouflaging among the human crowd but not to hide from her former membership as a whitefanger but from the other humans. Even though, Blake wasn't silly, she knew what happened to the ones that betrayed the Fang and she feared that Taurus wouldn't have mercy on her just because they had been close.

"Why?" Belladonna asked, using the dialogue as a resource to figure things out and examine the bull faunus' intentions. Should she run or…?

"You know I can't let you leave." He replied, unsheathing Wilt and Blush. A great disadvantage was that Blake was weaponless. "Deliver yourself to me voluntarily and the tribunal will be merciful."

No, she didn't have time to submit herself to the faunus tribunal to be judged for betrayal to the faunus brotherhood. They would imprison her in the best case and that wasn't on her plans. Taurus wanted to make justice and Blake just wanted to forget and run. And so she did.

Blake heard Adam sigh as she jumped over the wall and started to run, leaving the bag full of books forgotten on the beginning of a new dead-end street that would bring her to the center of the city. A few seconds later, she heard Adam jumping that same wall and following her. However, speed was Blake's strong point and she won in velocity as she randomly rushed to the central streets. A faunus criminal like Adam would be exposed in the human crowd. And especially, in front of the two policemen regulating the traffic on the next intersection, a few meters away from them.

"My darling!" He called from behind her as Blake passed through the first humans, who stared at them weirdly while he chased for her. He had also noticed the police's presence...

Nevertheless, she was disguised as a human, the bow hiding her cat ears. Adam was the one suspicious. It was a risky move but it was her only chance. However, before she could reach the policeman, a hand got a grip on her wrist, pulling her backward.

"Let me go!" She yelled, trying to draw attention to them. In the eyes of the humans, a faunus following a poor young human girl would alarm them. She tried to free herself from his grip but Adam ended pulling her into a warm embrace, a strategy to calm down the judgemental eyes of the people around and the cat faunus herself.

"Shut up." He commanded, his low growl in her cat ears. "You know what happens when we draw too much attention in missions, don't you remember?" Of course she did, Adam would kill them. It was a potential threat.

Belladonna felt overwhelmed as the embrace got tighter. She teared up as his warmth was trying to confuse her. Why was he doing all of that? Her feelings were suddenly messy because of that contact that in another context would be honest and loving. Now, none of that was left, Adam just felt hatred for her and the punishment for treason to the organization would be severe. She just wanted to return to Beacon.

Taurus noticed how one of the policemen stared at them suspiciously as Blake started to cry discreetly. He would have to make an effort to not look suspicious.

"I'm sorry, my love." He said loud enough for the policeman to hear it. "I know you're upset, but if you come with me we can find a solution." For some reason, that last part was something Blake could understand, knowing it wasn't said just to fake they had a couple argument.

"I want to be alone." Belladonna sentenced, breaking the contact with him and managing to make a few steps away from him, being a few centimeters away from the policeman. However, she couldn't expose him completely or she believed Adam was capable to kill them. "This isn't an argument we can solve right now." She also spoke between the lines so he would understand what she was trying to say.

"At least let me accompany you back home." He gently reached for her hand and caressed her fingers with his. "I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you. It's too late to go alone."

Adam had won, the policeman lost interest on them and turned around to return to his labor. Blake had no other choice than let herself be pulled by Adam and leave the center behind as he brought her to a more isolated area of the city, both remaining silent. She walked behind him as he led the way, the threat was still in the air but the violent behavior had disappeared or so it seemed. Maybe he was willing to forgive her… Or not.

The faunus couple arrived at a lonely park full of vegetation and silence. In other circumstances, Belladonna would enjoy being there. Adam stopped in front of a beautiful fountain and made her sat on the rocks that contained the water inside. He sat extremely close to her and Blake felt the urge to look away and contemplate the nocturne lights being reflected on the crystal water. Adam did the same but his hand never left hers, a gentle hold keeping them together. Blake was glad to notice that their fake embrace had also softened him.

"Why are you here, Adam?" The cat faunus finally asked, facing him as he took off his sunglasses.

"I have orders to chase and apprehend you." He confessed, being predictive, it was the usual protocol with the traitors to the White Fang. "I'm also searching for answers."

It was her turn to explain and she felt her heart pounding too hard to focus on her words. Adam perceived a slight tremble on her fingers as he sat closer, her knees touching his legs. Blake would have sworn she didn't miss her past life but she couldn't say the same with Adam. She stared into his marred eyes and couldn't hide her crystalizing eyes. How many times did they spend in intimate and romantic situations like that? None of them could deny their feelings for each other but neither did they start an official relationship.

"I'm sorry." Blake muttered, her head low, regretting hurting Adam after abandoning him. "I didn't feel right fighting for our rights that way." She explained, expecting comprehension from him.

"You're too good, Blake." He praised, softly caressing her cheek with one of his fingers, making her look up at him. "But you've left me alone as well. That is something I can't forgive you for."

The cat faunus' heart ached with that last sentence. His contact disappeared, the one in her face and the other on their hands. Taurus turned his face away, hiding his sorrow. Blake knew she was the only privileged that could see Adam's emotions. After all, they had shared emotional moments that nobody else knew, being there for each other whenever they didn't feel right. They had been each other's rocks and their emotional bond now was broken because of Blake. Adam felt betrayed and she was guilty for it, feeling bad and regretting everything. If Taurus had begged her to stay she would have. The simple thought of that moment on the train when he tried to reach for her made Blake's chest pound painfully.

"I thought you were different. That you really saw some good in me." He said with a sad tone she had never heard before. "You were the only person that could understand me. I even began to imagine that maybe you could…" He didn't have enough courage to end the sentence.

'I even began to imagine that maybe you could love me back.' He silenced his own thoughts as the cat faunus processed his feelings. He tried to be strong, hard, rough like when he appeared, but deep down he was just hurt.

"What would have you done if you had known I was going to leave?" Belladonna asked out loud.

"Follow you wherever you wanted to go." He replied without hesitating. Maybe she should have trusted him and told him the truth, that she no longer belonged to the White Fang, that she had nightmares after bloody missions and that violence wasn't the solution… But what had been done couldn't be changed.

"Then come with me to Beacon. The initial test is next week, I'm sure we can come up with something to be in the same team and stay togeth-..." She tried to convince her but Taurus shook his head, silencing her.

"Now it's too late for that." He sentenced, their eyes meeting again. "I have a job to do and now I have finally found you."

Taurus was too hurt to return to her arms. His feelings couldn't be fixed and now the Vale branch of the White Fang depended on him. He couldn't leave his brothers and sisters, he wouldn't like Belladonna did. This would be the first step to forget her.

"Will you deliver me to the tribunal?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts.

"No."

He reached for her bow and Blake let him untie it, uncovering her faunus traits. The cold wind of the night caressed the black fur of her cat ears as he smelled her faunus scent on the black bow. Then his eyes traveled back to hers as he tied the bow on her hand, Blake too surprised by his actions to protest. Then he unsheathed Wilt and Blush.

"Don't move." He ordered, approaching the sheath of the sword to her palm where the bow was tied. He felt the pulsation of her aura being triggered as a precaution. "Don't trigger your aura, Blake."

Belladonna needed a reassuring glance to leave aside her instincts and deactivate her aura. He held tight her palm open and the sheath made a superficial cut to draw enough blood to impregnate her bow with it. The cat faunus hissed due to the pain but didn't heal herself with the aura until he untied the bow from her hands. Only then she made the cut disappear with the help of her aura.

"From now on, Blake Belladonna is dead to the White Fang." He sentenced, enveloping the black bow covered in her blood with a white tissue, keeping it safe in his pocket to present it as a clue of her death.

Taurus stood tall and gave his beloved cat faunus a last glance before turning around and starting to leave. He felt the silence of the air filling the void in his heart as he left his love behind, doing what had to be done in order to protect her and let her start a new life. Luckily, this time she would find her own path. Maybe he would also find another loyal and trustworthy partner to keep escalating inside the faunus organization and finally reach equality of rights with the humans.

However, he suddenly felt a warm grip on his hand, restraining him back, preventing him from leaving. It was Blake. She was at the edge of crying.

"And to you?" She asked, confusing the bull faunus. "Am I dead to you?"

He couldn't resist the situation and the sight of the cat faunus crying for him. She bit her lip as the tears fell down, damning her own name for showing such vulnerability for a man. The warm leather of his gloved hand comforted her as his fingers wiped out the salty tears. Adam let out a trembling sigh as a signal of his troubled mind. Letting her go was harder than he thought without even considering the fact that he wouldn't follow the orders of his superiors.

"No." He finally replied. "You'll always be here." He said, placing her hand in his chest, right where his heart was pounding hard.

It all happened so quickly that none of them were fully conscious for the first seconds. Belladonna had to stand on her toes to reach for him and made their lips met in a first shy kiss. Adam let himself lose control and gave in to the passion as he deepened the kiss, pulling Blake closer by her waist, feeling his petite body against his. This tension had been kept hidden forever and Taurus was really upset because they had never dared to confess each other's feelings until now. He tasted the flavor of loss in her mouth as they separated to catch some breath.

Their glances were kept together for several minutes, none of them daring to speak to the other. Then the cat faunus hold onto him and buried her face in his chest, cuddling warmly and feeling how his chest moved up and down. Adam froze and looked at how vulnerable she was, showing that face of her because she trusted him despite his clear intentions to hurt her ten minutes ago. Her cat ears were bent down as she expected to receive some kind of soothing caress from him, but none of that came. Instead, Adam's hand got a grip on Wilt and with his trembling breath stared down at Belladonna. Maybe, maybe he could kill her and accomplish his objective… However, his hand never moved to unsheathe his sword and in a few moments Blake broke the embrace.

"Thank you, Adam." Blake finally said, knowing that thanks to his lie she would be protected and out of sight from the White Fang.

Taurus knew that he had been a fool, for once his own feelings betraying him. His heart had decided that she should remain alive despite pretending that he had to chase her and, at least, bring her to the faunus tribunal. The choice had been made in base of their sweet memories together and nothing could change that. He unlocked his eyes from hers and put on his sunglasses to put an end to that uncertain night. His internal struggle had left him emotionally weary, he would need some time to forget his former beloved partner.

"Take care, my love." Were his last words before he disappeared into the bushes, leaving Belladonna all lonely in the park.

The cat faunus needed to sit in the fountain for a few seconds to calm her breath. She was sure that she would cross paths with the White Fang from time to time and maybe then they would face each other once more. But this time, it wouldn't be a nice reencounter but a duel between a traitor and the leader of the branch. It was the price she had to pay, risking all her past to aspire for a better future. Better but alone.

A/N: You know, Adam's strategy in front of the policeman is the new tendency for abductions. I read that some kidnappers would fake being the couple of the person escaping and then nobody would suspect that the struggling person was in real danger. It would look like a regular arguing couple. I just thought somebody like Adam would be capable to use the same plan and be successful. Be very careful out there.

Answers to the reviews:

merendinoemiliano: Hey friend! Thanks for not forgetting about me during these days. the hiatus is killing the RWBY Fandom. However, the things revealed in RTX seemed to cheer things up.

emaleewhittaker: Thank you, my dear. Luckily the situation at home will be stable anytime soon. Once my mother finds a decent job, I'll limit myself to study and keep writing. Hope you liked this angst as well!

Princess-Sera: I'm excited to plan good things with you via PM. We'll discuss more details soon, I'm all for your proposal.

Sassylittlebird: Thank you! I was scared about everybody forgetting about this collection after the hiatus.

New Poll: Vote the option you want me to publish first:

Option #1: Shelter under the storm [Pure Fluff]: A nocturne storm brings out Blake's fears to lightning and thunder. However, that night she is not alone and will find a way to make his partner open his arms to her in order to have some shelter.

Option #2: Blake's birthday: As Blake birthday hits in, the work in the White Fang brotherhood keeps appearing. Add more problems when a certain bull faunus doesn't recognize what he feels and when an incident at the workshop destroys the equipment of the branch. Will Blake be able at least to enjoy one moment of her special day?

Final Author's note: Have you seen the poster for V7? What do you think about the new designs? Despite not having Adam in the plot anymore I'm excited about the new Volume. Hopefully, we'll see some more of the Schnee Dust Company so I can write Adam's past decently and following the Canon.

Frozeheart7