A/N
Hey, guys. It's me. I'm back.
Err, if you don't know who I am—which is pretty likely, actually—then hi. I'm Clem. A year ago, I told everyone that I was going to quit fan fiction. Possibly forever. It was, like, a whole thing. I basically poured my heart and soul out, wrote about my pain and all that jazz, and... Well, I was pretty sure I was done with the whole fan fiction thing.
But, as you can see, I'm not. And I'm... honestly pretty scared. Of what, I'm not sure. I feel sort of like a liar. I was pretty sure I was never going to come back here again. I made my readers (which may or may not include you) believe I was never going to come back. Then, one year later, here we are.
If any of you feels like you've been lied to, then I'm sorry. But hey, I'm back now, aren't I? (Then again, I'm not sure any of my old readers would even come back. Nor am I sure any of you would care. I doubt any of you even remembers me.)
Before we get into the story, I'd like to thank my bestest, awesomest, nerdiest friend FeugoFox42 for writing this story's summary! I'm pretty sure he took one look at my disaster of a summary, read through the explanation of what my story is, nodded, cracked his knuckles, pressed his fingers against the keyboard, and BAM! An awesome summary showed up. Like magic.
So, yeah. FeugoFox42 is the best, basically. Check his stories out!
TITLE: Between Lives
WORD COUNT: 66.000
CHAPTER COUNT: 29
SUMMARY 1: Yang and Blake are enemies on opposite sides of a decade-old war. They are also high schoolers forced to work together on the same project. It's... complicated.
SUMMARY 2: War has raged on Remnant for years. Yang and Blake are enemies on opposite sides of said war. But when night falls and they drift off to sleep, both wake up on Earth as high schoolers; an escape from the unending bloodshed. An escape, that is, until they cross paths, and all hell breaks loose.
SHIPS: Bumblebee (major) and Whiterose (minor)
TROPE: Enemies to Lovers
CHARACTERS: Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen, Ghira Belladonna, Kali Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Illia Amitola, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Sun Wukong, Adam Taurus
ROUGH DRAFT WRITTEN FROM March 30th TO April 17th
CURRENT DRAFT WRITTEN FROM April 18th TO May 4th (with a break to write another story)
COVER ART BY ME
UPDATE DAY: Friday (US time)
CHAPTER 1
"Are you certain we should make her the captain, of all people?"
Yang blinks a lazy blink, staring up at the moustached dick in front of her—or what little she can see of him, through the lantern light at her right. "You got a—" she starts, then curses inwardly. Too late, though. Moustached Dick is frowning at her already. "I am more than capable of leading an army to fight the Menagerians."
Moustached Dick's moustache twitches. He turns to face Ironwood, saying, "She's incompetent. We all know she is."
"Well, fuck you too."
Another slip-up. This time, even Ironwood notices, frowning at her. MD—AKA Moustached Dick—gestures at her with his fat hands. "See! This is part of the problem!"
Alright, yeah. She shouldn't be making that sort of mistake, but can you blame her? The clock is ticking, and she's anxious to get up from her chair and go to her room—or, as they say here in Remnant, sleeping chamber.
Ironwood's lips press into a thin line. "Actually, I do not. Would you please elaborate?"
MD's nostrils flare, blowing the hairs of his moustache. He gives her another glance—a hesitant one, this time. "This is unwise, general," he says, speaking in a quieter tone, as if she weren't five feet away from him. "She is nothing like us. There's something about her that…"
Yang grits her teeth, gripping the armrest of the wooden chair. Ironwood nods at MD as he lists off every 'strange' words she's uttered, the unorthodox expressions that made no sense.
Worst part is, she can't blame him. Hell, she agrees with him. Promoting her into Captain is, as MD put it, unwise. For one thing, she's only got three years of experience in the army. Even if she's stronger than most soldiers, that doesn't make her qualified to lead them.
Besides, would anyone even take her seriously?
"On the contrary," Ironwood says, "I think her being different is exactly why she should be made Captain."
"Sir, please reconsider."
Yang snorts, earning her one indignant look, and one tired look. The light of the lantern flickers, but they're kept from total blackness by the steadily darkening sky through the only window of the room. It must be what, 5? 5:30?
She's gotta leave, ASAP.
"Sir, for the last time, listen to—"
"Enough!" Silence lulls over the room. Ironwood towers over MD, spitting out every word. "I've made my decision, and I will not regret it. Do you understand me?"
Despite everything, Yang's heart goes out for MD. But it is his fault for being such a bitch. Ironwood has no choice either. The king and queen have promoted him into the rank of General, and that means less time in the battlefield, and more time cooped up here in the castle.
It's a good call. Ironwood is a brilliant swordsman, but he's an even more brilliant strategist.
MD opens his mouth. Closes it. Looks away, his frown deepening. Throat bobbing.
No word comes out.
Yang fakes a huge yawn, yet again drawing their attention. "Well, then. You two lovely gentlemen settle this dispute, while I go tend to my business." She winks. "And by that I mean sleep."
MD's whining is audible even from outside the room, bouncing against the high ceilings of the castle. As she closes the door, she catches a blur of red, disappearing behind the corridor near herHer hand still on the handle, she sighs. "I know you're there."
From the turn of the hallway, Ruby pokes out, holding a small lantern and a sheepish look. "Hi, Yang."
"What are you doing here?" Yang takes another glance at the window. The sun's completely gone.
"Speaking of, I really ought to—" doze off "—rest."
"Will you take the offer?"
Yang releases her grip on the door handle, head drooping. "Ruby…"
"You'd be good at it," she says, walking towards Yang. Her eyes sparkle with conviction. "You're the strongest girl I know."
"Girl? Not person?"
She smiles. "That would be our father."
Yang snorts, then looks away. "I'm not sure, Ruby. I may be a good soldier…"
She's more than good. Her aura is stronger than most, giving her a natural advantage over the Menagerians. It's not just that, though. She loves battles. The way your world narrows into you and your enemy. The way you don't have to think; you just do. The sweat and blood and grime that comes with it.
Gambling with her own life is a thrill better than roller coasters and football matches could ever be.
But leading? Leading means gambling with other people's lives. "I don't want that responsibility," Yang says.
"You may not have a choice."
At that, Yang winces. Their last battle hadn't been the most refined. The Menagerian ambushed them as they were setting up tents. Ten of those bitches appeared out of nowhere. It was a wonder any of them survived without a captain to guide them.
The sky is pure black now. "I really do need to catch some Zs." The expression confuses Ruby, but unlike MD, she doesn't call her a freak. She doesn't even question it. Yang places her hand on her head, then gives it a good ruffle. Ruby huffs, but doesn't pull away. "You should head back to your sleeping chambers. It's not good for a princess to roam around the castle like this."
Ruby gives her an affronted look, lowering her lantern. "My being a princess is exactly why I ought to roam around the castle. Also," she adds, "I'm to meet Weiss and stroll through the garden at the seventh bell."
Yang puts her hands to her hips. "You mean you're to explore each other's gardens?"
Ruby's face turns into a rosey shade of red. "Yang!" she exclaims, shoving her and stomping away. But it's not like she's making stuff up. They're even not trying to hide it. She doubts they can. They like each other too much.
Yang chuckles, dropping her hands and looking down at the floor. Stone cobbles.
It's the small things that catch her off-guard.
She takes another glance at the sky through the window. Time to stop screwing around. Her footsteps echo throughout the carved walls. The stone pillars—or, she thinks they're made of stone—are her only companies as she navigates her way through the castle. Floor stones give way to carpets.
She didn't lie, not really. She does need to sleep, or to do the closest thing she can do to sleep. She doesn't bother stripping herself off her clothes. She just unbuckles her belts, and slips out of her shoes and pants.
The mattress creaks as she throws herself on it, cotton mattress and silk sheet pressing against her.
She closes her eyes. Her mind drifts into thousands of thoughts, loosely interconnected. The longer her eyes stay closed, the lesser things make sense.
Then, everything goes black, and for a heartbeat, she is nothing, surrounded in the dark void. The only place where she can feel the cold.
The world crashes back into her, and she startles awake.
"Ugh, finally!" Ruby frowns at her from the door of their chamber—no, room. This isn't Remnant anymore. "It's seven thirty. We're going to be late for the third time this week."
"Sorry," Yang mutters, pushing herself off the mattress with an elbow. The spring mattress whines under her weight. She rubs her face. "Really sorry, Rubes."
Ruby's shoulders droop, and the strap of her bag droops alongside them. "It's fine, it's fine. Just… hurry up, alright?"
"Alright."
And with that, Yang trudges on, no longer as a 17-year-old magic-wielding soldier in the midst of a war between kingdoms, but as a 17-year-old high school student an hour away from flunking her Chemistry exam.
#
It takes Blake a moment to understand why her dad is eyeing her the way he is; she's reviewing her battle strategies. To him, it must be gibberish, what with places called Vale and Menagerie and the Emerald Forest. That is, if he could read Remnant writing.
She closes her notepad.
The boredom dies away as she remembers something. "Dad, may I leave?"
"Leave?"
"It'll only be a moment." He hesitates, so she adds, "All of my—" belongings "—stuff is packed anyway."
His lips purse, but he nods.
Blake stumbles out of the box-filled room, pausing to take everything in by the doorway. With everything packed up, the room looks bigger, hollowed out. "Can you believe it?"
He looks up from his phone, then glances around. "No," he says, breaking into a smile. "Oregon."
"Oregon," she echoes.
"We're moving to Oregon."
She shares another smile with him, then lets herself out. Her heels clank against the marble floor. The hum of electricity is faint but audible. Earth never has a true silence. There's always a noise, no matter how faint it is.
Illia is a floor above her, lounging in her room. Unlike Blake's apartment, hers are full of things, ranging from her mug collection to scattered pieces of paper. Her pet chameleon—something which never fails to make her smile—lounges in its cage. Resting its head against the glass. Blinking its slitted eyes at Blake.
"Blake," Illia says. "Hey."
"I wanted to bid you goodbye. In private." It's a half lie. She simply doesn't want to be in her apartment anymore. It's weird to be there when it doesn't look like her apartment anymore. "How's Stan?"
"Cuddlier than usual." Illia nods to him, who blinks a lazy blink. "I think he knows you're leaving."
"He better." Blake has half a mind to walk over to his cage and give him leafy greens and belly rubs.
"He'll miss you." Pause. "I'll miss you too."
Blake blinks at Illia, whose smile has disappeared. This is the part where Blake confesses that she's anxious to leave, that she's afraid to move to a new school in the middle of the semester.
Only, none of that is true. Sure, it'll be hard to form connections with her peers in less than a year, but she's dealt with worse.
Much worse.
Saying she'll miss Illia won't be true either, not because Blake doesn't appreciate her, but because she won't be parting ways with her. Not really. Tonight, when she closes her eyes, she'll spend time with Illia again.
But Illia doesn't know that, though.
Illia crosses her arms. "Can you at least promise me to not be a total nerd?"
"I am no—" Blake splutters. "I'm not a nerd."
Illia's eyebrow lifts as she stares at Blake's notebook. "Sure you're not." Blake clutches the notebook with her hands, pulling it close to her chest. Illia laughs. "At least try to make friends, for my sake. I can't handle the thought of you being all alone out there in Beaver State."
"I'm not sure, Illia," Blake says, her grip on the book tightening. "I don't do well with… people." Not ones from Earth, at least. Not that she's a social butterfly between the Menagerian soldiers either.
Illia grabs her arms. "Join a club then!" Blake blinks. "Any kind of club'll do. Even a nerd club. Look, don't get me wrong, you're…" She looks away. "You're super cool, or whatever, but—" she meets Blake's eyes again "—you can't be all on your own, Blake."
I can, if I do so please, Blake wishes to say.
"I'll be busy enough as it is, what with my AP classes…" Then again, she hasn't paid much attention to those, or her regular classes. How can she with the Valeers attacking left and right, unwilling to rest until the Menagerie kneels before them?
Her phone buzzes again. She better wrap things up. They're scheduled to leave at the fifth bell.
"Promise me you'll at least consider it?" Illia asks.
Blake sighs. "I promise," she says. "Though I can't promise it'll be a thoughtful consideration, though."
Illia gives her a funny look, and Blake's cheeks heat up. She should've phrased it differently—less Remnant-sounding.
Illia runs a hand through the door frame, sliding up, then down. "Hey, when you're out there on the greener pastures, try not to forget about this city, yeah? We may not have trees, but we do have Starbucks. We're not all bad."
"I'll always remember this place," Blake says, missing Seattle already. She quite likes the city life.
Illia's face turns soft. "I'm gonna miss you, Blake."
"And I you, Illia."
"No, I…" This time, Blake grabs her phone when it buzzes. A string of texts from Dad reveals that the movers have grabbed all of their boxes, which means it's time to leave. She tells Illia so, and Illia's face falls. "You better get going, then."
"We'll keep in touch."
"You better."
Blake hovers by the door, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I should—"
"Blake, wait."
Illia looks strange. Nervous, but also determined. "What is it?"
"Close your eyes."
"What?"
"Do it."
Blake wants to question her, but something in Illia's face stops her. Nodding, she obliges, and her world becomes dark. Not as dark as the void, but dark all the same.
Soft lips press against her own, lingering and pushing before retreating.
Blake's eyes open, but Illia won't meet her eyes. "I needed to do that," she says. "Just once. Just to know how it would feel." Blake's mouth opens and closes, her throat bobbing. Illia meets her eyes, then breaks into a wan smile. "You really didn't know?" More throat bobbing, more silence from her end. "Goodbye, Blake. I'll miss you."
The door closes, leaving Blake standing there, her mind buzzing. It takes eleven more texts from Dad to snap her out of her shock.
#
"Yang Xiao-Long, please report back to the principal's office," the announcement says, the volume and feedback causing her to hiss. Whoever's saying that, they're standing wayyy too close to the mic. They repeat themselves three more times, then, with an audible click, the announcement ends.
All eyes are on her, and Yang doesn't have the urge to finish her cigarette anymore. Still, she has to preserve her don't-give-a-shit attitude, so she takes another drag. Blows the warm smoke out of her mouth. Pretends they were flame, imagining the bleachers they're holing up under setting on fire.
"Well?" Nora asks.
"Well, what?"
"Aren't you gonna to go?"
Another drag. "In a minute."
At her side, Ren tilts his head. "What did you do this time?"
"What didn't I do is the real question," she says as she stretches, the tips of her shoes grazing against the uncut grass, "I'm too lovable for my own good." And stalling, she doesn't add.
Ren and Nora share a look, then shrug. Yang takes one last drag before giving it to Nora, who tips her head back and blows out three rings with one inhale. Show off.
"But really, Yang, what did you do?" Ren asks, shaking his head when Nora offers him the cig.
"I don't know," she says, which is a lie. Her grades have been slipping. They weren't high to begin with, but ever since the Menagerian's attacks have been increasing, her focus on school has been dropping from a zero to a negative. "I don't care, either."
The speakers ring on. This time, the announcer sets a distance from the mic, repeating Yang's full name again, and asking her to go to the principal's office again.
"Jeez," Yang mutters, standing and shielding her eyes from the sun, "why the rush?"
A/N
One thing I'd like to remind you is that this isn't primarily a romantic story. Yes, it does have some Bumblebee in it, but it's also got some other stuff. Like, other (non-romantic) relationships. And a plot. And maybe even a subplot or two. And, well, other stuff. If you're here for the bees and the bees only, then I hate to break it to you, but it'll take some time before some real mushy stuff shows up. Remember; Yang and Blake start out as enemies here. They're not gonna suddenly swap spit after, like, two chapters. Though, that doesn't mean them being enemies is a dull thing in comparison. Oh, trust me. You're going to love it. I know I sure do. I mean, c'mon! It's enemies to lovers! What's not to enjoy?
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. As stated above, this story will be updated once a week, with roughly 2k words/chapter. (There are, of course, exceptions to this rule.) That means I'll see you guys next week. (If you guys do decide you want to keep reading.) I hope you're having a good day. If not, then I hope this story makes you feel better. Don't forget to keep yourself hydrated. Thanks for reading, everyone!