A Touch of Shadow
AN: Takes place between Volume 4 and 5
'Honestly, there is a bed here.'
The soft glow of moonlight of the Menagerie sky illuminated the room as Blake entered the guest room where Sun was housed. Said faunus was currently asleep on the couch, dozing languidly without a care in the world. Despite that slight annoyance, she couldn't blame him too much. Seeing the tray and cup, it was clear that he had finished drinking the tea, mixed with an herbal tonic that her mother created to help Sun sleep in order to soothe the pain from his recovering wound.
Given from her former friend…
-"I am done seeing my friends hurt because of me."-
The sight of seeing him struck down was still jarring in her memory and with it, a pang of guilt. With a frown, she had to forcefully quell the negative thoughts again. As much as she felt responsible for what happened, she had to accept the fact that it wasn't her fault. And it seems that Sun wouldn't let her sulk either.
-"When your friends fight with you, it's because we want to."-
A rueful smile came across her lips. For all his jovial mannerisms and carefree attitude, Sun can be really deep and serious when he has to. Ideally, she wondered if that was a side he showed to others as well, or was it just toward her. A bit conceited on her part, she knew. After all, he would not have been the leader of his team if he didn't show it to his teammates at least. But it does also mean that he may regard her as special, something else she couldn't deny.
After all, he followed her all the way to Menagerie …
Shaking away wayward thoughts, she stepped into the room to pick up the tray, only to stop short midway as Sun's tail lightly twitched. His breathing was still soft, so he wasn't awake and it was just a reflex, but it irked her that she would be drawn and gives attention to his tail's movements every now and again. She knew he didn't do it on purpose (at least, she didn't think he did), but it was mainly the fact that she noticed. Partly because of her feline-faunus nature, and partly because it was him…
And the secret part of her…well…just liked it…
Unconsciously, her amber eyes lifted up to his sleeping body, the moonlight seemingly softly caressing his muscular features. His perfectly toned abs in particular, was a feature that earned him more than enough fangirls, very apparent in the Vytal tournament. And she was very aware to his physique, seeing it with regard to his fighting style and ability. Her imagination trickled in, seeing the scene before her from one of her favorite passages from Ninja in Love…
-0-
Her kunai drawn, she made her way toward the target without so much as a breeze. The darkness of the clouds shadowed her form as she approached him. She heard the sound of breath, a moment away from being silenced. It would be a quick death, a mercy to be given death in sleep.
But it was here that, for the first time in her life, the darkness betrayed her, giving way to the moon's light and revealing to her the full form of her target. Surprise was her first response, seeing the target was young, roughly the same age as her. She had only a sketch of the target, and it hardly did him justice as she gazed upon his bare chest and striking face.
Through her mask, came the unusual heat on her cheeks as her focus lingered to his lips. Without thought, her fingers pulled away her mask. What is she doing? What is wrong with her? It was as though all her training had fled from her along with the shadows. What is this aura of his that was drawing her, not to death, but to something else, a sensual-
-0-
Blinking, Blake suddenly realized in shock that she was no longer standing over Sun, but kneeling right beside him! Was she…acting out the story? She felt almost exactly like how the protagonist felt through the pages of the story, right down to the burning cheeks shrouded in moonlit shadow. Shutting her eyes, she calmed her heated thoughts. The last thing she needed right now is to follow the progression of the tale.
Her own fault for her choice of reading material…
Despite that, however, she had yet to rise up and move away from him. Rather, she returned on to what she had earlier called wayward thoughts, all the while keeping the more…lustful thoughts at bay. Perhaps what was unusual to her was the fact that she had to, at least consciously. She had never seen him any more than another friend. No, that wasn't true. Maybe it was because he was a faunus? Not completely. Although she would admit that was a factor, their interactions showed that they had different lifestyles and outlooks with regards to the world.
Perhaps that what it was…The contrast between her and him…
Morning and Night…
It never ceased to surprise her how different they were. Their personalities, their attire color-scheme, even their semblances and how they use them. Yet they were able interact together so well, battling together against the Grimm and the White Fang on multiple occasions. And off the battlefield, they were able to converse easily enough, due to his easygoing nature that somehow slipped through her defensive and…skittish behavior. Aside from her team, Sun was the closest person she knew, and in many cases, even more so.
More than she realized…
Not for the first time has she wondered about what his feelings were for her. He had done too much for her sake not to think about it. She pondered about asking once or twice, but always refrained. If she was to be honest, it wasn't that he wouldn't answer, but rather that he would and she would know the answer. Besides, even to ask would be pointless.
It was practically written all over his face…
She began to rise up, but paused, inadvertently bringing her face (dangerously) close to his. She was surprised by the flickers of desire that began to flare up in her again by the proximity. She had to admit the temptation of following through with the story's passage was more desirable, if only a partly. But as she told him before, she wanted to figure things out with her current life, and that included her feelings for him at this moment.
That being said, to call him a friend, even a close friend, while it was easy for her to say, wasn't quite accurate, not in the least. Whether it was the alluringly soft atmosphere, knowledge of his slumbering condition, feline inclination, or subtle desire, Blake slowly moved toward his face and softly nuzzled her cheek against his. It was a light touch, something her parents did to her when she was young; a sign of fondness and strong affection.
And maybe, for him… just a little more…
-"...My hero."-
Lifting up away from him fully with a hint of a smile, she picked up the tray and quietly walked away. She slid the door and partly did so before seeing her mother coming up from the hallway. Given where she was, she worried that her mother might decide to tease her, but no such remarks came up other than a simple inquiry.
"He's asleep?"
"Yeah" she replied, internally letting out a sigh of relief. "That tonic of yours really works wonders."
She returned with a light hum before motioning toward her. "I'll take that."
"Okay." Passing her the tray, she pecked a kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight Mom."
Taking the tray and cup into the kitchen and depositing both there, she began to make her way toward the bedroom, only to continue on to Ghira's study room, where, sure enough, he sat with a several sheets of paper on the desk, his brow furrowed into the work before him. But he was still aware enough to sense Kali coming up beside him.
"Kali. Ah, sorry. I guess I got lost into paperwork again. I'll be finished in –"
Without a word, Kali lent close to her husband and nuzzled her cheek against his, deliberating purring into his ear as he instinctively pressed back against her gently. Seeing her step away, the chieftain gave her a quizzical (albeit pleased) glance at her, knowing that her smile sometimes hid more mischievous intentions.
"What was that for?"
She merely gave him simple hum. "No reason."
It had nothing to do with the moment she realized she had misplaced the tonic for Sun's tea and stepped in to check, only to find the door ajar and seeing the more-than-affectionate action from her daughter toward their houseguest (a romantic scene beneath the glow of the moon no less). Nothing to do with seeing Sun's expression after Blake left the area (leaving the door slightly open again) and seeing the blond softly rubbing his cheek amid the moonlight.
No reason at all…