Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
BGM: Scent of Silence (Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories)
"So tell me… what happened?" Byleth asked as she had brought Blake into her room and closed the door, while having also put up a sign outside that said "Do not disturb: Therapy in session".
She had also poured some tea on her desk and handed it to Blake.
"Start from the beginning, if you don't mind." Byleth added, giving her a sweet smile.
Blake looked down in her tea, seeing her bloodshot eyes after having cried so much. "It… it all started on a simple mission. The Galactic Federation knew Samus was at SR-388 so she was perfect for this escort mission. Samus was about to go but… thought it'd best if I tagged along. Rosalina and ROB came with us as well while Pichu and her Metroid… although now I've heard his name is Newt… stayed behind with Palutena while Pikachu came with us too."
"Why did Samus think about you?"
"A few days ago, I think it's been a week now… we were just chatting on the roof of the mansion, talking about how both of our Adams are so different. Then… Samus thought it'd be fun if I came along too."
"Ah, that makes sense. A little bonding exercise never hurt anyone."
"Yeah… I thought it would be an in and out mission. Go to SR-388, see what the Federation wanted to do and come back home. Then… we come into contact with this thing called an X-Parasite. Apparently this one creature who had pinned Samus down was infected by it and some drool got on her suit. Then, she got infected and nearly died from it… her ship got irreparably damaged in the process."
"That explains the new ship. I was wondering if she gave it a paint job but that makes more sense…" Byleth mused.
"We meet the new AI and we head over to this BSL station. It stands for Biologic Space Lab." She added as Byleth nodded. "There was an explosion there so we went to investigate… and that's when we learned the X-Parasite is more dangerous than we thought. Apparently the X-Parasite goes inside its host and kills the host, and then proceed to mimic the host."
"Wait… so that would mean…" Byleth immediately pictured the SA-X. "Oh dear… an X-Parasite mimicking Samus at full power… that's terrifying."
"To make matters worse, they reproduce asexually…"
Byleth's eyes widened. "So you mean-" She pictured more than one. "Oh Gods…" She whispered in horror. "At least it didn't have intelligence?" She hoped, but Blake's facial expression said it all as Byleth's heart sank. "Oh… honey…" She put her hand over her mouth.
"At first, we didn't encounter it… I felt a bit homesick though, but Rosie thought I could make a few video logs to send to everyone so it felt like I was communicating with everyone. It kinda… calmed me down a bit." She said.
"Mind if I see these?" Byleth requested as Blake handed her the scroll as Byleth would look through it. "Oh wow, you made a lot of these…" She said as she tilted her head. Why is Rosalina the star in two of these? She thought.
"Yeah… so anyway, we go around and we encounter this Malicious Metroid that seemed to have taken an interest in me. At first, I didn't see it but as soon as it went Alpha, it started to become clear that it was sucking me dry of my aura."
"Wait, it did what?"
"Yeah, a Metroid that was interested in my aura. It was like… it was addicted to it. Yeah, we had a few rough encounters with the SA-X that made my skin crawl, but this Metroid… it just kept growing and at one point, it kidnapped me and put me into this trance…"
"Oh my gosh…"
"And then we get into what happened after my team saved me. We fought this creature called Serris and… it grabbed a hold of my hair but luckily Rosalina saved me by cutting it, which is why I'm short haired now."
"That would explain it…" Byleth nodded.
"This Serris was really fast in the water and we could barely keep up… and then it flooded the entire room and before I knew it… it ate me alive." She said as Byleth's eyes widened, nearly dropping the scroll in shock. "And I tried to fight my way out but… in the end, I drowned… luckily, Samus was able to revive me but…"
Blake put herself in a fetal position, putting the cup of tea on Byleth's desk and wrapped her arms around her legs. "It just… it just got worse after that… we met this guy named Shou Tucker, the Metroid was getting more aggressive as a Zeta Metroid, the SA-X nearly gouged my eyes out and also tried to have some plants eat us alive while having us wrapped up in a bondage-like state…" She shuddered. "I don't think I can read Ninjas of Love after that…"
"Dear gods…" Byleth said, feeling herself being at a loss for words. Ruby, Xena, Weiss and Marnie, she can handle… but what Blake had went through was enough to horrify her.
"Before we got kidnapped by plants, I had contacted my Wisp and luckily it got here in time and saved us from being eaten alive by those things. There was hope after that… I felt like we stood a chance. Sadly, Samus could still safely absorb the X-Parasites because Metroids can eat them without any ill effect and… well, she's part Metroid now. I forgot to mention that part."
"It's… it's okay." Byleth said, trying to find her words again.
"And then… just when I hoped things were looking up, Ridley happened. He had dropped by earlier and he had teamed up with Shou Tucker… at first, Ridley was more interested in destroying a clone of his, but apparently it was just his way of gettig rid of the competition. He messed us up pretty bad and he was about to kill Pikachu but, in my aura-less state, I went in and took the hit instead… I have a bad Plasma burn scar on my back because of it… and well, he was the one responsible for the scars on my face…"
"Oh my word…" Byleth said. Looking at it closely… it reminds me of what Adam did with Weiss… She thought to herself.
"And… we found the Metroid lab after we fought Ridley. We blew it up along with the SA-X and we thought we were in the clear. I was hopeful, all of us were… there was a bright end at the tunnel and… that's when he learned from this AI who took control of ROB's body… that… there were ten more of them."
TEN?! Byleth thought to herself, her hands over her mouth in horror. Oh gods… She thought, flashing back to her first fight with Samus. She had asked Samus to go all out as a training exercise just to see what she was like at full strength. To say that Byleth got her ass kicked was a massive understatement. Sure, she got hits in on her own, but Samus pretty much dominated it. She completely understood why she tends to hold back in Smash fights.
With this in mind, ten copies of Samus who goes all out was enough to make Byleth pale up.
"With ten lurking about the station… I… I lost it. I went into full despair and I thought I would never make it out… I even said my goodbyes in a video log because… I thought I'd never make it out…" Blake said, tearing up. "And then… I got out of it with the help of my team and… Ridley who was trying his hardest not to admit he was terrified of them… we go to try and blow up the station and… that's when we came into contact with all ten of them."
"Oh no…"
"And… that's… that's when I went feral. I completely snapped and I just… I just lost it…" She started to sob. "And… then… then we try to evacuate and then we run into Shou Tucker and Nina, his Metroid pet who was now an Omega… it violently ended him, it gave me this massive scar on my chest.. It turned ito a Metroid Queen and it nearly ate me alive and-"
Blake would feel a comforting soft hug, snapping out of her train of thought as she would realize that Byleth was hugging her, with a bit of smothering in her rack. "Shhh, easy… deep breath…" She said, gently moving over to her bed and holding the Faunus, rubbing her back as she could feel the faunus's breathing on her chest. "Control it… take it easy…" Byleth said gently.
"I… I also was looking in that fish pond… and… I saw my reflection turn into Adam…" Blake said.
"Blake, honey… you're nothing like Adam. This ex-boyfriend of yours is nothing more than a monster… Weiss can definitely attest to that." Byleth said. "I think all of the stress from the Metroid, the X-Parasites and the ungodly amount of SA-Xs did a number on your mind that's making you hallucinate… or maybe it's a side effect of the trance the Metroid put you through…"
"Mmm…"
"But I know one thing… you're still you. You're still the Faunus we all love… you're nothing like Adam. Just tell your mind you're nothing like him. You're not like him at all…"
"I know…" Blake sniffled. "But… I don't think I'll ever be the same… I… I went feral for pete's sake… am I gona go into that constantly now? It… it absolutely terrifies me…"
"Shhh…" Byleth whispered. "Might I suggest listening to some easy listening music? Maybe do some yoga? Take a nice easy walk in Mushroom Fields. Just take your mind off things… and… I don't recommend watching any horror films for a long while. Just take it easy, do some meditation… anything to keep your mind off things from that horror you experienced."
"Right…" Blake nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, secretly enjoying resting her head on Byleth's breasts before she sat up, pulling away from Byleth and hugged her. "Thank you…"
Byleth smiled. "You're welcome." She said as Blake went to drink the rest of her tea and then walked out of the room.
Byleth sat on her bed, deep in thought as she let out a sad sigh. She deeply worried about Blake, then again, she worried about everyone who came for therapy.
Sure, Ruby's doing a whole lot better but every once in a while, that lingering fear would come back. It didn't help that Dark Ruby was still out there somewhere. The Xenas formed as one and was completely healed, but they would occasionally drop by for a chat, not that Byleth didn't mind at all. She enjoyed their company.
Weiss still gets nightmares and on top of that, Dark Weiss wouldn't leave her head, but she tries her best to stop thinking about it. She still frequently comes over as the two talk it out. She can't really blame Weiss for being a bit terrified.
When she heard about Marnie, she was worried that Marnie was not the same, but she's still her chipper self, especially finding out she's happier being with the Koopa Troop, something that Byleth found amusing. Still, Marnie has had her sadder days and she drops by for a session. Of course, she can't blame Marnie at all considering a part of her is missing.
Though, Marnie had pointed out she's feeling more at peace with her new arm and eyes, but is still occasioally bothered by Damian in her dreams.
Blake, however… to her, Blake has had it worse compared to everyone, although she can't help but feel as if someone else has had it worse, but never mind about it. Byleth would turn her head and see that Blake's scroll on her bed.
"Oh… she forgot her scroll." She said, but then remembered the video logs that Blake had mentioned as she picked it up. "Right, I meant to watch these." She said as she pressed the first video, while also remembering to take the sign off of her door.
End BGM
A few minutes later…
Dorothea opened the door. "Knock knock, I brought hot chocolate~!" She smiled and saw Byleth looking absolutely horrified while watching Blake's video logs. "Hello? Babe? Are you watching a horror flick without me?"
"Huh?" Byleth turned her head. "Oh, hey honey…"
"What's up?" Dorothea put the hot chocolate down.
"I… had a therapy session with Blake."
"Blake? Oh dear, I wondered why she had those scars on her face. What happened?" She asked as Byleth explained the whole ordeal as Dorothea's eyes widened, her hands over her mouth in horror. "Holy crap…"
"Yeah… and… I just got done watching her last log video." She said as Dorothea would watch the logs and as several minutes went by, Dorothea pressed her back against the wall as her mouth was covered by her hand. A tear went down her cheek.
"Oh my gosh… she was so filled with hope in the middle and… then she was despairing at the end… oh my gosh…"
"I told her that she just needed to listen to some easy listening music or take a walk through Mushroom fields or do some yoga to get her mind off things." She folded her arms, deep in thought. "But I feel like it's not enough."
"What do you think we should do? Poor girl's had it rough compared to your other patients! Damn… this is horrible compared to like… Weiss and Marnie!"
"Right… so we just need to do something."
"Like what, throw her a surprise party?"
Byleth opened her eyes. "A surprise party… that would cheer her up."
"Wait, what? That was just a throwaway suggestion." Dorothea said. "But you know what? Blake needs all the love she needs!"
"Exactly!" Byleth nodded. "All the hugs, all the love and support…"
"Lovingly sandwiched by the two of us~"
"Yeah, lovingly sandwi-… huh?"
"What? We did it to Weiss when she was feeling down that one time. Made her feel a lot better! All the comfy pillows she could ever ask for~"
"Yeah, but… considering Blake was in a tight spot after being eaten alive, I don't think being squished is the best option."
"Oh… right."
"Although I'm definitely keeping that in mind." Byleth chuckled. "Now… we just need to get her parents involved."
"Why not her neighbors too?"
"The Schnees? You know what… yeah, let's do that!" Byleth grinned, as the two went to drink their hot chocolates. "We might have to postpone our date…"
"You kidding? This is way better than a picnic under the stars!" Dorothea grinned. "This is now our date, hon!"
Byleth nodded. "Right, now let's get this party going for Blake. She needs it."
"In the meantime… we need to find Blake because I think she left without realizing her scroll is still here." Dorothea said as the two lovebirds took off.
Once at the Belladonnas…
"Mrow! Mrow!" Chamomile scratched at the door once the doorbell rang.
"What is it, dear?" Kali asked, picking up the Skitty and opening the door to see Byleth. "Oh! Byleth, so nice to see you! If you're looking for Blake, she's not here. She's currently wandering around the town with Sun."
"Good enough for me." Byleth said. "Listen, I need to talk to you guys about something. Dorothea and the Schnees are on their way here right-"
"WAAAH! Ow…"
Byleth turned her head to see Dorothea on her butt as Weiss and Klein helped her up. "You okay?" Byleth called out.
"Yeah… I'm fine! Just found a patch of ice on the sidewalk!" Dorothea said as she and the Schnees walked inside.
"What's this about?" Weiss asked.
"Well… I just had a therapy session with Blake and, well, she told me everything." Byleth said. "I even watched her video logs."
"Video logs?" Ghira asked. "I wasn't aware of this…"
"Oh, she made these video logs so she wouldn't feel so homesick. It was Rosalina's idea." Byleth pointed out.
"Oh, how cute!" Willow smiled.
"It's… anything but that." Dorothea said as Byleth would set it up on the Belladonna's TV where they would watch all of Blake's videos.
"Oh… how… horrifying…" Willow frowned as Weiss and Kali felt their hearts drop over Blake's last video.
"Dear me…" Klein said. "Miss Aran has told us about this endeavor but I never thought it would have been that bad on Miss Belladonna's mind."
"Indeed… and while I have given her suggestions, I feel as if this isn't enough." Byleth said. "Dorothea suggested doing a surprise party of sorts to lift her spirits up. She needs all the love as possible because I feel as if she's had it worse compared to my other patients."
"Right! A surprise party… that'll be the first step!" Kali said, immediately on board. "Our daughter needs all the love!"
"Right. We need all hands on deck." Byleth said and looked around. "Where's Whitley and Winter?"
"Whitley is with his group of friends. Last I heard, they're with the Phantom Thieves." Willow said.
"And Winter is doing a training exercise back in Atlas with the Winter Ops and Esdeath." Weiss said. "I think it's a joint training exercise with General Ironwood and his Ace-Op team."
"Ace Op?" Dorothea quietly mouthed.
"That's good enough." Byleth said. "Alright, let's get to work." She then had an idea. "I'll be right back… I just thought of something." She then handed the scroll to Dorothea. "Send a text to her boyfriend. I'll be right back."
"You got it!" Dorothea said as Byleth ran out the door.
"Blake…" Weiss whispered, feeling absolutely worried for her as Willow put her hand on her shoulder.
"Blake's still here, sweetie." Willow smiled. "I know you wanted to go help Blake at the station…"
"It's… it's the last video log…" Weiss said, nearly tearing up. "You… you heard the despair in her voice!"
"I know…" Willow nodded, wrapping her daughter into a hug and gently kissing her on the head. Kali and Klein would put a hand on Weiss's back.
"Do not feel bad, Weiss. We wanted to help as well." Ghira said. "Now, we're going to help her to give her all the love and support she needs."
"Rrrgh, come on… we have technology at Garreg Mach now and yet, I still don't get this whole texting thing! Where is it…" Dorothea wondered, looking through Blake's scroll until she found it. "Oh, there it is." She said, looking through her contacts and found Sun. "There you are." She said and started to text him.
"Hey."
"Blake? What are you doing texting me? I'm literally right next to you… wait, are you texting me with your mind? Holy crap, technology has improved overnight!"
"Sun, you dummy. It's me, Dorothea!"
"…Who?"
"You know, Byleth's drop dead gorgeously hot girlfriend?"
"The brunette that Byleth tends to make out with?"
"Duh!"
"Ooooh, Dorothea! Now I remember. What's up?"
Blake is dating THIS knucklehead? Dorothea sweatdropped. "There you go. Listen, Blake forgot her scroll back at Byleth's room during a therapy session and we're thinking of doing a surprise party for her."
"Oooh, a surprise party? Yeah, she needs all the loves… I've heard what happened."
"Yeah. Think you can preoccupy Blake until it's time?"
"You can count on me, Dorothy!"
"Great, thanks."
Dorothea got out of the messages and letting out a sigh, scratching her cheek. If Ilia and Mercie hadn't met, I would immediately recommend Blake to Ilia… how the hell is Blake making it work with this doofus?
At Peach's Castle…
BGM: Peach's Castle (Fortune Street)
"Oh hello Byleth!" Peach smiled. "Do you want some tea on this brisk day?"
"Not right now, but thank you." Byleth smiled. "Listen, I need a favor."
"Oh? What is it?" Peach asked.
"We're throwing a surprise party for Blake and I think you're the best person who makes such wonderful cakes."
"Ooooh! A surprise party! What's the occasion?" Peach asked as Blake would whisper in Peach's ear. Peach's smile disappeared before nodding. "I'll make it extra special for her. In fact, I'll come over to the Belladonna's right now!" She said as Byleth nodded.
Peach immediately ran back into her castle and came back with a bag full of ingredients in a comically large backpack. "I'm ready!" She said as Byleth sweatdropped.
"Uh… oh my, I didn't think you'd take baking a cake so seriously." She said.
"Let's go." Peach said, grabbing Byleth's arm and taking off.
"Whoa!"
End BGM
Meanwhile, with Black Sun…
BGM: Have a Nice Talk (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)
"Soooo, Blake, what do you want to do?" Sun asked. "We could hit up Coconut Mall, go for a walk at Mushroom Fields… we can go into Simon and Richter's world and throw eggs at Dracula's Castle!"
"I don't feel like doing any of that…" Blake said quietly.
"Oh…" Sun slumped a bit, looking over at Seer who was accompanying them as he looked at Sun, both of them looking concerned.
"Sol… Sol!" The Absol said.
"No thanks…"
"Ah! I got it!" Sun said, walking past an arcade. "We can play in the arcade! I know how much you like to destroy me in Pong!"
"No…"
"Okay, how about Pac-Man? Galaga? Dig Dug!"
"No."
"Okaaaay… Donkey Kong! Uh… that one fighting game that Sonic was in… uh… Sonic Brawlers was it? How about Street Fighter? Dance Dance Revolution?"
"I don't feel like it…"
"Uh… Mario Kart… GP… was it? Bomberman! …Wait, no, that's not arcade."
"I don't feel like playing any arcade game at all…"
Geez… what did these parasites DO to her? He thought as he looked around. Come on, there's gotta be something we can do. "We can do a Pokemon battle! Leo recently evolved into Infernape! He can go toe to toe with that Zeraora of yours."
"No… I just want some peace and quiet right now…"
"Right right, peace and quiet." Sun looked around, scratching his head as he would turn his head and see a group of kids ice skating. "Ah!" He grinned, stopping to take a look. "Heh, yeah, that could work! Ice skating… that might do her some good!" He said. "Hey Blake, how about some ice skating?"
End BGM
Silence.
"…Blake? Hello?" Sun turned his head. "What, did you get distracted by a porno… graph… ic… nov…el…?" He turned around. "Blake? Blaaaaaaaaake!" He called out, but realized that Blake was gone. "Oh no, she disappeared on me… I take my eyes off of her for one second and she's gone! GAH! STUPID! YOU HAD ONE JOB!" He yelled, facepalming.
"Oi… I better go find her. She probably hasn't gone far."
Later that night, at the Belladonna's…
"Tonight's forecast is gonna be a chilly one tonight. Best stay indoors because the Mushroom Kingdom is about to get hit by a blizzard tonight. Vale already got hit and now it's already making its way toward the Mushroom Kingdom, so stay vigilant. Remember, do not go outside unless you absolutely need to. It's gonna be a white out tonight. The high will be a chilly 31 degress tomorrow and the low will be in the teens, so bundle up tomorrow!"
"Where is she…" Byleth wondered, pacing around the room as Ruby, Yang, the Mario Bros, Claude, Ibuki and even Rosalina was there. The latter still recovering after what happened at the BSL.
"She has to be coming soon, right?" Peach asked, as she just got done baking a cake while Kali and Ghira had finished making the punch.
"She has to… come on, Sun… don't let us down…" Dorothea hoped.
Weiss, meanwhile, has a massive pit in her stomach as she had Blake's scroll in her hand, watching Blake's last video log over and over again as a tear ran down her cheek. It was then that Yang would pull the scroll away.
"I think that's enough watching that." Yang said.
"I can't help it… you can see she was despairing!" Weiss said before sighing, putting her hands over her face in frustration. "I… I just can't help but…"
"Hey, we're worried about her too. She'll come around." Yang said.
"Yeah, as a matter of face, I think Sun will come through that door with Blake at any moment now."
Ibuki's ears twitched. "Oh! Oh! Ibuki hears footsteps on the other side of the door!"
"Places everyone!" Byleth said as everyone starting hiding while killing the lights… and then when the door opened up…
"SURPRIIII…iiiise…?" Everyone tilted their heads, seeing Sun alone.
"Sun… where's Blake?" Byleth asked.
"Aheheheh… well…" Sun rubbed his head. "I… uh… might have lost her…"
"Might have…?" Weiss's eye twitched. "MIGHT HAVE?!" She was immediately up in Sun's face, angrily shaking him. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN "MIGHT HAVE"?!"
"Waaaah! Eeeeassssy!" Sun exclaimed as Ruby and Yang pulled Weiss away.
"What happened?" Ghira asked in concern.
"Well, I was trying to distract her with stuff but she didn't seem interested in anything and just wanted peace and quiet. I then see some kids ice skating and I thought it'd be fun to cheer her up! But… I turn around and I see Blake just up and vanished!" He said. "I looked around the entire town and she was nowhere to be seen! I figured she came back home but apparently… she's not here."
"Oh no… no no no no no nooooo…" Weiss said, fear creeping in her voice. "Don't tell me she's gone! She has to be in town somewhere!"
"This isn't good…" Byleth clenched her fists. "We need to find her before something terrible happens." She said. "We need a search party… eyes in the sky!"
"I'll get a hold of Penny and her sister!" Ruby said as Mario and Luigi brought out a cape feather and a Tanooki Leaf.
"I'll get my Lumas to search." Rosalina said, closing her eyes and telepathically calling her Lumas to help search.
"Ibuki'll go out and look!" Ibuki said.
"I will too." Weiss said.
Claude got up. "I'll get Ingrid and Seteth."
"We need to find her as soon as we can… that blizzard is coming fast and we don't have much time." Byleth said as Weiss ran out, whistling to signal Azure as he came flying out as she hopped on his back with Ruby and Yang hopping on while Ibuki brought out her hoverboard as they took off with the Mario Bros right behind them.
Meanwhile… with Samus…
"Mmm…" Samus let out a relaxed hum as she was relaxing in the bathtub. "I'm not one for parties… but I hope Blake is having a fun time." She said, letting out a relaxed hum when her phone went off on the other room. "…Oh, sure." She mumbled as Pikachu came running in with the phone.
"Thanks bud." She said, taking the phone and answering it. "Hello? Oh, hi Byleth. How's Blake?"
Within two secods, Samus immediately sat up with a worried look on her face. "SHE WHAT?!" She yelled. "I'll be right there!"
With Blake…
BGM: Escape Through the Snow (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX)
"I haven't realized walking through the snow would be so… calming." Blake said, her hands in her pockets and her hoodie over her head. She wondered where Sun had wandered off to and let out a sigh. Probably got distracted by whatever Neptune was doing.
"Sol…" Seer said and then felt something coming and turned to Blake. "Sol. Sol!"
"Hmm?" Blake turned to him. "…Oh, five more minutes, Seer. I've been enjoying it." She said as she continued walking with Seer still accompanying her.
As they walked, Aqua would be walking opposite of her, enjoying the brisk walk she was taking… and then she would spot Blake. "Blake?" Aqua spoke up, but Blake ignored her and kept walking as Aqua would turn to her.
Why did she look so sad? …Did I see scars on her face? She wondered as she scratched her cheek before deciding to walk away, not wanting to pry into Blake's problems.
…And yet… something bugged her.
Aqua turned her head again, this time stopping and looking at Blake disappear. Something about her didn't seem quite right… and whatever it was, it was bothering the heck out of Aqua. She could leave it alone… but something in her gut was telling her that Blake needed all the help she needed.
And fast.
"Blake…" Aqua whispered before she chased after her.
Blake continued to walk ahead and subconsciously made a left turn, thinking she came across an intersection, but instead she wandered right into a forest. Her mind deep in thought as she flashbacked to where she saw Adam's reflection.
I'm not like you… not… like you! She thought to herself.
"Sol! SOL!"
"Huh? Oh!" Blake yelped, nearly smacking into a tree. "What…? Did I make a wrong turn?"
"Sol."
Blake rubbed her head. "Whoops…" She said as she turned around. "I guess I made a wrong turn. Come on, let's go home."
"Sol." Seer nodded as Blake was about to take a step… when her ears twitched.
End BGM
"Hmm?" Blake wondered, turning her head and looking deep into the forest. "What was that?" She wondered as she walked toward the source as Seer curiously walked after her.
As they continued walking, Blake would pick up on the sound of crying and wailing. Seer would pick up on it as well as they got closer before they found a nest.
Blake would cautiously approach the nest, making sure no monster was nearby until she climbed up and saw something that took her breath away.
In the nest… was a baby Nargacuga, shivering in the cold. It was letting out small Nargacuga noises, but to Blake… it sounded like it was crying. Blake would crawl into the nest as Seer would climb up to investigate.
The baby Nargacuga would continue to cry out, but then it would turn its head to Blake, letting out a small whine. "You poor thing…" Blake whispered. "Where's your mother?" She asked as the Nargacuga seemed to let out a few whines to her.
"Did she… go out to hunt but never came back?" Blake asked as the small Nargacuga nodded. "Did she get in some nasty fights?"
Another nod, a tear rolling down the little one's cheek as it let out a small sad chirp.
"You were begging her not to go…" She said as it nodded again. "You poor thing…" She whispered, her ears lowering. She was taking pity on the Nargacuga as she gently reached out to it. The Nargacuga would investigate her hand before nuzzling into it before climbing onto her, going into her hoodie for warmth.
"Come on, let's get you out of this cold." Blake said as she climbed out with Seer and slid down the nest before getting up, however she would notice Seer was looking on edge all of a sudden. "What's wrong, boy?"
"Hmph… and where do you think you're going?" A voice asked as Blake let out a gasp and turned around to see Adam.
"Ad-Adam!" She exclaimed. "What… what are you doing here?"
"I heard some wailing, and I had thought I heard the sound of a baby Nargacuga. Turns out, I found it being kidnapped by you."
"I didn't kidnap it! It was freezing in the cold and its mother didn't come back!"
"Ah… so that explains a few things." Adam chuckled. "Looks like the Nargacuga I fought earlier was the mother."
"What…?! You… you killed this little one's-"
"It got in my way. I silenced it." Adam said as a hole in the clouds made the moonlight shine through, hitting Blake head on where Adam would see Blake's scars on her face. "Oh? You seem to have some facial scars."
"Mmph… what about them?"
"They seem to be similar like to what I did with your girlfriend." Adam said, remembering how he struck Weiss. "Heh, although I don't remember cutting your face up."
"It's none of your concern!"
"Of course it isn't." Adam said. "First it's a scar on your face, then it's a mask… and, before you know it… you'll start killing humans." He smirked. "Blake, I'm starting to think you're becoming just like me." He said as Blake gasped, flashing back to her reflection.
"No… I'm not like you!" Blake declared. "I will NEVER be like you!"
"Heh…" Adam would take off his mask, showing off his SDC brand. "You think you're not, but soon… you're going to be needing this." He said, tossing it to Blake, but she backed up.
"You went down a dark path that I couldn't follow anymore. I went my own way." Blake said. "And because of that, I met Team RWBY… I met the Mario Bros… and I met a lot of good friends!"
"One scar will decide your fate. Look what happened to me." Adam said. "I formed the Crimson Fang. You should join me. Together, we'll show the humans that we Faunus aren't to be messed with. Humans should serve the Faunus… better yet, they should be submissive. If you join me, I promise that Seryu won't put a bullet between your eyes."
Blake scowled at him. "You can tell Seryu she can fuck off a bridge." She said. "I'm not like you. I'm not like Seryu and I sure as hell am not like the Crimson Fang! I am my own person and I REFUSE to be on your side!"
"…That's a shame. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use brute force… but then again, I was thinking you would have rejected me regardless." He said, snapping his fingers as they would see a Glavenus approaching them from behind.
BGM: Disquieting (Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories)
"Wh-what the hell?!" Blake said as Seer got in a fighting stance.
"Sol…" Seer growled as the Glavenus bit down on its tail and moved his head, lighting it up as Blake paled at the sight of it.
"Hand over that Nargacuga nice and easy."
"Like hell I will!" Blake said and then noticed Adam's arm. "What… your arm…!"
"Ah, so you noticed. I replaced the arm that your dumb Rathalos tore off with a Moosifer. Fits me quite well, don't you think?"
"You're becoming more of a monster all the time." Blake scowled. "And as I said again… I'm NOTHING like you!" She picked up the mask and threw it at Adam, hoping to hit him on the head but he would simply catch it.
"Oh Blake… it pains me that it must end like this. But it's for the good of everyone." Adam said. "Kill her."
"Night Shade!" Blake ordered as Seer would leap into the air and threw down a Night Shade from his horn, but the Glavenus would tank it and would slam into the Absol, sending him to a tree. "SEER!" She yelled as the Glavenus towered over the Faunus as it raised its tail up and slammed it down, but Blake would roll out of the way and attempted to run but a fireball hit her in the back… which agitated her burn scar and on top of that, her aura broke.
"Nnngh!" She grunted as she fell on her knees, her arms around the baby Nargacuga. She would look over to see the Glavenus towering before her as it let out a loud roar as Blake turned her back, closing her eyes as the tail came down.
End BGM
CLANG!
"What?!" Adam said.
"Huh?" Blake wondered as she turned to see Aqua right behind her, holding off the Glavenus with her Brightcrest Keyblade.
"Rrrgh… hrraaah!" Aqua cried, parrying the attack and unleashing a Triple Blizzaga attack to counter, making the Glavenus back up.
BGM: Terra (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)
"Who are you!" Adam demanded to know.
"My name is Master Aqua… and I will not allow you to harm Blake." Aqua declared.
"Aqua?" Blake asked in surprise as Aqua turned her head, giving her a small smile.
"It's a good thing I saw you." Aqua said before turning back to Adam. "And might I ask who you are?"
"Adam Taurus." He said, making Aqua lightly gasp, flashing back to what Weiss had said to her during their first meeting. "Tch… nothing irks me more than a human interfering with Faunus business!"
"What irks me is that you would go out of your way to harm Blake with this creature." Aqua said.
"I'm only going to say this once. Get out of our way or else."
Aqua stood her ground, snapping her fingers as a barrier got between her and Blake. "Not a chance." She said.
Adam smirked. "Blake, let this be a lesson to you when what happens when you have a human interfere with the Faunus. Let this be a lesson for when you left the White Fang."
"Aqua… be careful…" Blake quietly pleaded.
"Don't worry, I got this." Aqua said.
End BGM
"Kill her." Adam ordered as the Glavenus roared and charged at Aqua.
BGM: Unforgettable (Kingdom Hearts III)
The Beast and the Monster - Adam & Glavenus
The Glavenus quickly swung its fiery tail at Aqua, but she gracefully cartwheeled out of the way as sne ran over and slashed it a few times before hitting in the face with a Triple Blizzaga attack. The Glavenus would respond by breathing fire at her, but she gracefully dodged… but would get hit by the Glavenus's tail and was knocked away several feet but she recovered and landed in the snow, sliding a little.
That creature hits like a truck… I need to get it out of the way first before taking on Adam. She thought, using Curaga on herself as the Glavenus would charge at her, seeing Aqua packing something in the snow as it breathed fire at her, but Aqua would roll out of the way as the Glavenus charged at her… but then Seeker Mines came out of the snow and struck it, making it roar in pain as Aqua rushed ahead and slashed it a few times to knock it back.
The Glavenus would leap over and attempted to bite down on Aqua, but she jumped to the side and saw the tail swinging at her, forcig her to backflip and hit it with a Triple Firaga. She then did a few cartwheels away from it as she dug into her pocket.
Here's hoping this is enough. She thought, pulling out a few vials of Gravity Dust that she had bought in a Dust Store in Toad Town, then she aimed her Keyblade at the Glavenus, using Zero Graviga to bring the monster up into the air as she then threw the Gravity Dust toward it, where it would break under its underbelly and formed gravity crystals underneath it to keep it at bay.
That should hold you. Aqua thought. Now for Adam. She turned her head, only to see a Kasizzle heading toward her as she deflected it with her Keyblade as Adam charged ahead and slashed at Aqua with his Claw, but Aqua would block with her Keyblade where she would see venom dripping from the blade.
Aqua let out a scowl before parrying him, quickly hitting him with a Thunder Surge to send him back as she would then gracefully slash at him a few times before Adam would grab the blade and yanked it out of her hand.
"Mind if I borrow this for a bit?" Adam smirked, holding it in his hand and pointing it at Aqua, which she folded her arms with an amused chuckle. "You laugh while I hold your weapon? You're defenseless without it."
"Oh, I don't need it for magic though." Aqua said. "But if you insist on hitting me with it, then go ahead. I'm wide open."
"You'll regret that." Adam said as he lunged at her, swinging the Keyblade at her, but before it could even hit her neck, the Keyblade disappeared. "Huh?!" He said as Brightcrest reappeared into her hand. What surprised Adam even more was that she didn't even flinch.
"Thank you kindly." She said, countering with a slash before throwing her Keyblade up in the air and throwing a Triple Firaga with her bare hand before catching it.
"Rrrgh… what was that?!"
"The Keyblade chooses its master. You don't choose it." Aqua said. "Frankly, I'd say a monkey has a better shot at being a wielder compared to you."
"Fine… who needs it." Adam said as his Moosifer arm glowed with energy as he proceeded to jump forward and Kaboomble Punched her, but Aqua would gracefully dodge it as he punched the ground, the force of the explosion was enough to send snow and dirt flying everywhere as Aqua shielded herself, then she got hit with a Kazapple attack and then kicked away.
"Hraaaah!" Adam yelled, slashing at Aqua with his Claw, but Aqua swiftly dodged and unleashed Raging Storm, sending him flying as she would then use Magic Hour, striking Adam as he fell on one knee but he shook it off as he used a Kacrackle Kick to Aqua, but she would jump over him and countered, sending him sliding underneath the snow as he let out a snarl, as he started to charge up a Kasizzle attack… completely unaware of where he was standing.
However, Aqua did as she aimed and fired a Triple Firaga and Triple Blizzaga. "Hmph… all of that bluster and you failed to hit me." Adam smirked.
"I wasn't really aiming for you." Aqua said as Adam raised an eyebrow as he looked up… and saw the Gravity Dust crystals shattering and the Glavenus fell right on top of him.
End BGM
"Oooh." Aqua winced. "That'll hurt." She said, noticing the Glavenus was a bit unconscious too.
"Sol…"
Aqua turned her head to see Seer limping toward her as she would use Curaga on him and then turned around to walk toward Blake, slowly picking her up and wrapped her arm around her. "I got ya." She said, using Curaga on her as well.
"Th-thanks…" Blake quietly said as the Nargacuga would climb up on Blake's shoulders, looking a bit worried about her.
"Come on, let's take you home." Aqua said softly and turned to Seer. "Can you take us there?"
"Sol." The Absol nodded and guided her as Aqua would walk with an exhausted Blake next to her.
A few minutes after they left, the Glavenus awakened and let out a snarl, slowly getting up as Adam would brush himself off before putting his hands on his knees, growling.
"Damned… human…" He grumbled as he stood up, feeling his back pop into place and turned around. "Come on, let's head back to HQ. That human will not live to see another day the next time we meet." He said and then smirked. "As for you Blake… consider yourself lucky, but I will be back." He would then limp back to HQ, his head held high as the Glavenus walked next to him.
As they exited the forest, they would feel the wind picking up as snow started to fall. "Oh dang… a blizzard…" Aqua quietly said as they pushed through… and in the blustering snow, they would see a green glow through the white out. "What… is that?" She asked as she aimed her Keyblade at it, but noticed Seer was calm about it.
"Sol! Sooool!"
"I found her!" A voice called out as Samus walked into Aqua's vision and was joined by Pikachu, Pichu, Newt, Penny, SAPR, ROB and even Ilia.
"Blake!" Ilia exclaimed. "What… what happened?" She asked Aqua.
"She ran into Adam." Aqua said as Ilia's eyes widened.
"She's not hurt, is she?" Samus asked.
"She got a massive fireball to her back, but she should be alright." Aqua said. "First we need to get out of this blizzard."
"Right." Penny nodded. "Come on, Blake's house is this way!"
"Thank you." Aqua smiled as SAPR would put her hand onto her ear.
"We found her. We are taking her back to Blake's house." SAPR said.
"Oh thank heavens!" Weiss would say.
"WOO! They found Blake-chan! Good thing because Ibuki was getting lost in this blizzard."
Once at Blake's house…
"Easy does it… easy…" Aqua said, putting her down on the couch. "There we go…"
"You must be cold… I set up a fire for you." Kali said.
"That won't be necessary." Aqua said before a shiver ran up her spine. "Okay, maybe just for a little bit."
"Blake! What the hell happened? I take my eyes off of you for like two seconds and you ran off!" Sun said.
"I thought you ran off…" Blake said.
"Are you kidding? Why would I run off on you, especially in your condition?" Sun asked. "You should've said something, ya dummy! …Oh wait, that was probably a poor choice of words…"
Blake looked down. "Sorry… I just… had a lot on my mind and…" She started to tear up. "I'm sorry… I didn't realize where I was going and I didn't mean to worry you all…"
Weiss walked over. "Blake… it's okay. We're glad we found you." She said as Pikachu jumped into Blake's lap.
"Pika! Pika!"
"What happened? Aqua said you had a run in with Adam." Yang said.
"I… I was too distracted by my thoughts with what had happened on that mission." Blake explained. "I hadn't realized I walked into a forest, nor did I realized I walked past Aqua. Then… I heard a cry for help. Next thing I know… I find this little guy." She said, referring to the baby Nargacuga as it had nestled in her hoodie on her head.
"Pichu?" Pichu wondered as he tried to poke it with Newt accompanying him.
"And then of course, Adam shows up and explains that he silenced its mother and… he noticed the scars on my face. He was saying stuff like "I'm gonna be just like him" and "It all starts with a scar" and whatever… and… he has this monster with him."
"What kind of monster?" Ruby asked. "A big bad Anjanath?"
"No… but it was like that, but it had a tail that has a blade attached to it, and it heated up rather quickly."
Rosalina nearly choked on a piece of cake. "He has a Glavenus?! Oh my stars…"
"Oh dear…" Peach said as Mario and Luigi looked at each other worriedly.
"And then… Aqua came to save me." Blake said. "She fought the two of them and held them off."
"It's a good thing I followed you. Something tells me you were hurting…"
Blake teared up. "I'm… I'm sorry I worried you all… I…"
"Hey…" Byleth knelt down. "Hon, look at me… the good thing is that you're safe and sound, that's all that matters." She said, giving her a gentle hug.
"Alriiiiight!" Ibuki grinned. "Let's celebrate Blake-chan's return with a nice big music festival!"
"Um, Ibuki? Mind if you tone it down? I suggested easy listening." Byleth pointed out.
"Oh…?" Ibuki tilted her head, holding her guitar. "Uh… sure… Ibuki could try to do that." She said, scratching her head. "Never really done an easy listeing heavy metal song but… she could try…" She sweatdropped. "Ah geez, that's gonna be hard to pull off." She said before grinning, pulling out Rosalina's guitar. "…Is what she would say but she has been rocking out on Rosie-chan's guitar! Nice easy listening songs for Rosie-chan to listen to while she recovers!"
"She can play on a regular guitar too?" Ruby asked.
"Aw come on, Ruby-chan! If Ibuki can play on an electric guitar, how bad can a regular guitar be?" She winked and started strumming it. "Besides, nice change of pace from playing heavy metal, no?"
"Ah, can't argue with that." Ruby nodded while Rosalina let out a giggle as Peach handed Blake a bowl of ice cream and cake, plus some punch.
"Here you go, sweetie." Peach smiled as Blake smiled, happily taking it as Peach handed everyone a slice of cake and ice cream while Ibuki would happily play on the guitar to calm Blake's nerves, the faunus having moved to the couch where RWY would be by her side, Byleth and Dorothea right next to her, and her parents, Sun, Seer, and Chamomile close by, with her Wisp sitting comfortably on her lap,
"Let's see… Weiss has a Rathalos, Rubes has a Zinogre, Blake's got a Nargacuga… I wonder what I'll get… maybe something badass!" Yang chuckled.
"Well, we'll see…" Weiss chuckled as Blake let out a relaxed sigh.
"Nice and easy…" Blake smiled, closing her eyes and letting Ibuki's soft music flow through her ears.
Meanwhile…
"Come on…" Futaba said, furiously typing on her keyboard. "Come ooooon, almost there…!" She said as the screen suddenly went bright in front of her eyes.
"Welcome… to the World of Remnant's network."
Futaba's eyes lit up. "No way… no freakin' way." She said, grinning excitedly. "YEEEEEEEEEEES!" She raised her fist up high. "YES YES YES YEEEEEEEEEES!" She cheered. "…Oh, this calls for some music!" She grinned as she looked for music from her phone.
BGM: Fanfare (Final Fantasy VII)
"Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah daaaaah~!" She sang happily. "FINALLY! That's more like it." She smirked. "I finally got past all of those puzzling firewalls and it was so WORTH IT!" She grinned as she went onto her Discourse.
"We did it!"
"We sure did." SonicFan70 responded. "Now, shall we see what makes this network tick?"
Futaba grinned widely. "Oh yeah!" She said, cracking her knuckles. "Let's see what we can uncover~!"
Futaba's Internet adventures will continue in the next Super RWBY Gaiden chapter.
And thus, this one shot comes to an end... but what will Futaba uncover? We'll just have to find out!