Chapter Five
"Hold on, Sun. Just, hold on," Blake cooed softly to Sun, praying that he would open his eyes or speak to her. She'd been so mean to him, flying into a rage about privacy. Now, they were sitting on a roof and he was stabbed. She didn't have her scroll and Sun's was laying out in the trees behind her house because of her stunt. It was possible Blake could carry him, but she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't further injure him.
He was hurt because of her, because he wanted to help. She never should have opened up. This was always going to be the end result.
"Blake!" Ghira's voice came from a few allies over, followed by unintelligible murmurs from her mother, probably following close behind.
"Dad! Thank brothers, Dad!" she cried, not daring to take pressure off the wound in Sun's chest. "We're up here, Sun's hurt!"
After just a moment of work, Ghira arrived on the roof with Kali on his back, holding onto his neck. He saw Sun and immediately lifted the injured man to his chest. "Make sure your mother gets home safe. I'll get him home and under the care of the medical staff."
"Thank you," Blake said softly, watching as her father lept from the roof, landing as if he weighed as much as a feather and not as much as an ox. Once they were out of sight, Blake had to recompose herself, having nearly lost her cool. "I'll help you down, Mom, let me just find a safe place for you to climb down."
"Blake," Kali said, her voice low. When Blake met her gaze, her mother's expression was one of worry and sympathy. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine once I'm sure Sun is alright," she said, unwilling to elaborate. Quickly, she found a corner of the building with thick, sturdy pipes zigzagging down the wall. "This should be fine. I'll jump down and then you can just climb down the pipes."
After Kali was safely off the roof of the building, the two walked down the pathway through Kuo Kuana. Blake remained silent and Kali didn't break the silence, thinking it was best if they got home first. Even then, Blake, Kali, and Ghira sat in the living area—staring down into cups of tea and waiting for news on how Sun was doing—silently. Blake had quickly disclosed what had happened and gave her father the scroll, but had fallen nearly catatonic since then.
Ghira was the first to speak. "You did well, you know. It couldn't have been easy facing Ilia again after all this time."
For a moment, Blake said nothing, only spinning her cup in her hands.
Kali hopped in, hoping for any response. Blake was reserved, but this was ridiculous. "I'm sure Sun will be fine. You said he's strong. Of course, if something happened to your father, I'd be a mess. I can't blame you for worrying."
"I'm sorry…" Blake said softly.
Her parents exchanged glances, their concern growing. Kali's feline ears folded as she spoke to her daughter. "What could you possibly be apologizing for, Blake?"
"If I hadn't come back, you wouldn't have to deal with this."
"Nonsense," Ghira said, glaring at the girl. "I wouldn't want you anywhere else if you're in danger."
Blake clenched her jaw tightly, but her thoughts were interrupted when a knock came from the door. She quickly stood, opening the door and coming face-to-face with their chief of medical staff. He entered the room, greeting Blake with a nod. Closing the door, she returned to her seat, hoping he was here to deliver good news.
"He's going to be fine. We ensured no organs were damaged. It seems to be a soft-tissue injury, so he'll just need a week or so to heal," the man explained, looking between the members of the family. "It was smart to bring him in, it could have been much worse."
Her heartbeat settled as she accepted the news. "Good."
"I wouldn't expect him to wake up any more this evening. His injury wasn't severe, but he was in shock."
After a few tips on maintaining Sun's condition, Blake moved to the room he was lying in. Seeing him unconscious on the couch bothered her more than she thought it would. She sat there for what seemed like hours until her mother made an appearance, entering the room quietly.
"Oh, hey, mom."
"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting in a chair across from her daughter.
"I'm fine, Mom."
"You don't look fine, Blake," Kali said, sympathy written all over her face. "If it were Ghira, I'd be a mess."
Blake's gaze snapped up to her mother's. "Why do you keep saying that? You keep comparing Sun to Dad."
"Oh, don't play, Blake," Kali said, smiling softly at Blake. "I know you guys are private, but I can see it in you. You care about him far more than you really want to admit." The younger Faunus' ears went flat and her eyes wandered again. "I wish you would tell me what makes you afraid to be open. I know I wasn't always the best listener, but I will always have time for you."
"It's only recent. We haven't even really made it official yet."
"I'm not talking about you hiding things about Sun," her mother said softly. "It's been a long time since we've talked about Adam, but do you think something he did—"
"No." The word came out as a sharp interruption. She didn't want to talk about Adam. In fact, Blake could go the rest of her life never talking about Adam Taurus ever again. "Sun has nothing to do with Adam."
"Blake," Kali said, her tone dropping, and forcing Blake to succumb to childhood conditioning to meet her mother's gaze. She looked stern and worried. "Are you okay?"
Blake bit the inside of her lip to fight back the thought that she knew Kali was trying to portray. Kali knew. After a deep breath, Blake spoke. "I will be. I'm working on it."
That admission seemed to calm Kali's nerves a great deal, as she stood. She walked over and kissed the top of Blake's head softly, directly between her ears. "I'm glad you're safe. I'm going to get some rest, I don't remember the last time I was up this late!"
"Okay, Mom, I love you."
Kali paused for a moment, smiling at the small sentiment. "I love you too."
The older woman left the room, leaving Blake alone with Sun. She stood from the chair she'd been sitting in and resettled on the floor, leaning against the couch with her head resting against Sun's thigh and her hand reached out to hold his. There, she managed to sleep until sunrise.