A Prison of Ice
XVII.
Blake didn't know how much time had passed since she sent that text message to Makoto Yuki.
Minutes? Hours?
She wasn't sure; it had all been a blur. She had been far too focused on keeping the silver-haired boy laying in her bed alive to keep track. The only constant had been the raindrops that fell against her window frame and the light breathing from the boy in front of her.
She had stopped most of his bleeding, but that was all she could do for him at this point. She may have helped treat some of Adam's injuries in the past, but they had mainly been cuts and bruises at the worst. Mercury's condition was life-threatening and far beyond what her meager medical skills could treat. He needed to see a professional soon, before it was too late.
A sudden knock on her door froze her in place.
Was that Makoto Yuki? Or someone else entirely? She reached for Gambol Shroud and kept it close as she made her way to the door. At times like these, she couldn't help but wish that she had picked a nicer hotel; one that at least installed peepholes for their doors. Slowly, she pushed the door open and kept her other hand gripped tightly around the handle of her sword.
When she saw who it was standing outside, she let out a small sigh of relief and opened the door all the way.
Makoto Yuki stepped into her room and made a beeline straight for her bed, ignoring her completely. He had an unreadable expression on his face as he examined the other boy's injuries. Blake poked her head outside her door and took a quick look around. Strangely enough, she didn't see anyone else. Why hadn't Makoto brought a doctor with him? Didn't rich people like him always have private doctors and such?
Before she had a chance to ask, she heard Makoto mutter something to himself as a light glow emitted from his hands.
Blake watched on with a curious fascination as the warm light enveloped Mercury entirely. She wasn't sure how much time had passed. Five minutes? Ten? But by the time the light had finally faded, Mercury's complexion had changed for the better. His breathing had relaxed and had it not been for the numerous bandages wrapped around his body; she might have even thought that he was peacefully asleep.
Was that a healing Semblance or something similar?
"He should be fine now." Makoto suddenly said before he turned his attention towards her. "Thank you for helping him by the way."
Blake just shook her head in response. "There's no need. It was the least I could do after…" She averted her eyes. "… you know."
"Even so, you have my thanks." He offered her a small smile before his expression grew serious once more. "... Would you mind telling me what happened to him?"
"There's not much to say. I was out for a walk when I found him bleeding out in an alleyway." She explained in a detached tone of voice. "I brought him back with me instead of the hospital in case whoever attacked him decided to finish the job."
"That was probably a good idea." Makoto nodded in agreement. "Mercury's not weak, so whoever did this must have been a skilled huntsman."
"I'm sorry I don't know anything more."
"Don't be." He helped his hand up. "You've already done more than enough. I'll get some answers soon once Mercury wakes up."
Their conversation died out soon after and a dull silence overtook her room.
Makoto had taken a seat by her bed and was watching Mercury with an unreadable expression on his face. Not knowing what to do next, she took a seat on her couch as well. Now that she finally had some time to calm down; she couldn't help but think how hectic the day had been so far.
Blake hadn't expected to see Makoto again so soon, or at all, really. And helping save his friend from a near death experience? That had been the last thing she had expected when she went out for that walk. At the very least, she had managed to do something to make up for her past mistake, right?
She didn't think that it made up for what she did, but at least it was a step in the right direction…?
No.
Who was she fooling? As if she could make up for killing someone's parents just like that. Makoto didn't seem to hold any visible disdain towards her, but that just made her feel even worse. She almost wished he hated her; it was what she deserved after all. He was right when he said that she sought out judgment for her sins; the guilt was just unbearable otherwise.
"… Hey, Makoto?" She softly whispered.
The boy's eyes glanced over towards her with a curious glint in them. "Yes?"
"I… I decided to become a huntress. To help people." She quietly replied. "… and to make the world a better place."
Blake wasn't sure why she had suddenly blurted that out, but it seemed only right. Perhaps she was simply looking for his approval? A nod in the right direction for her path to redemption? She didn't even know anymore, honestly.
"I… see." Makoto carefully replied. "I think that's a very admirable goal to have, Blake."
"Do you think it's a stupid way to try and make up for things?"
Makoto suddenly looked at her with a serious look in his eyes.
"No, Blake. I don't believe it is. What you did was wrong, and there's no excuse for it. But what happened afterwards proves that you've learned from your mistakes." His lips morphed into a sad smile. "And if it will help you forgive yourself, then by all means, chase after that goal of yours. I told you before Blake, I've already forgiven you. You only need to forgive yourself now."
Makoto Yuki really was like a saint.
That was why the weight of her actions only burned away at her soul even more. Had he been some selfish corporate suit like the rest of them, she wouldn't have felt nearly as bad. She might have even felt vindicated like Adam had been. But Makoto wasn't like that, he was a genuinely good person. He just wanted to do the right thing, and she had done something terrible to him that couldn't ever be taken back.
And so many others had been hurt because of her as well…
"It's a lot more painful to live with than I thought..." Blake admitted more to herself than anything. "But I'm still going to do whatever I can to fix this."
She owed all the victims that much at least.
"I'll never forget what happened, but… I won't let it define me." She slowly stood up as she built up her resolve. "If anything, I want you to remember that I tried my best to make things right."
Makoto only smiled at her in response.
And then Mercury suddenly stirred, grabbing everyone's attention. The boy let out a small groan as his unbandaged eye slowly fluttered open. There was a dazed look in it, as if he had just woken up from a long feverish dream.
"… What the hell hit me?"
"That's what I want to know." Makoto dryly replied. "... It's good to see you awake, Mercury."
"Huh…?" Mercury turned his head in confusion and furrowed his brow. "What are you doing here, Makoto?"
"I came here to heal you after Blake let me know she found you half-dead in some back alleyway."
Mercury blinked at that; as if he had finally snapped out of his stupor.
"Well… shit."
Blake had mentioned that she was a bit famished and went out to buy some food, but that was probably just her excuse to leave the room and give him some time alone to speak with Mercury. Makoto was grateful for that, because whatever mess Mercury had gotten himself into, he didn't want to drag her into it as well. She had enough to deal with on her own plate already, like that overwhelming guilt of hers.
"… I feel like shit."
Makoto felt the corners of his lips twitch up in response. "You look like it as well."
Mercury looked up at him with eyes full of fatigue, anger, and perhaps a hint of shame? It must have been bad if Mercury wasn't even up for their usual banter.
The other boy sighed and slumped back down onto his bed, rubbing one hand over the bandages on his face. The light in his one visible eye looked dead, his hair was messy, and his clothes were wrinkled. It was definitely not how he normally looked—he usually dressed impeccably and kept his appearance neat.
It was a strange sight to see because Mercury usually walked around with a bravado that seemed to exude an aura of invincibility.
Makoto felt a familiar tug at his heartstrings. It always bothered him immensely when his friends got hurt. He'd tried to distance himself from the feeling in the past, but it had never worked for long. Weiss had once mentioned that he was far too kind for his own good, but it wasn't anything like that. He was just afraid of losing the people close to him; of being alone once more.
"... Mercury, who did this?"
The boy in question let out a hollow chuckle at that. "You don't have to worry about them. I took care of it."
Makoto frowned in response. "... Let me rephrase the question then. What happened today and why were you attacked?"
"Well… No point in hiding it now, I guess." Mercury sighed. "I was working on an assassination job."
"An assassination job…?" Makoto repeated. "Why…? And for who?"
Mercury didn't meet his eyes and kept his attention towards the window instead.
"... Some of the gangs here in Mistral were going to come after you, eventually. I took care of the problem before they had a chance."
Gangs? Some of the crime families in Mistral? He supposed that was plausible, father had a bunch of ties with the criminal underworld in Mistral and not all of them ended in friendly terms. So, instead of attending cooking classes, Mercury had been roaming around the city carrying out hit jobs on gangsters the whole time?
And Jacob had been the one covering for him.
"Jacob…" Makoto slowly began as he connected the dots. "Does he know?"
"Of course he knows." Mercury scoffed. "He was the one that asked me to do it."
That made a lot more sense; the pieces finally added up now.
Mercury shouldn't have known about his father's relationships with the many crime families of Mistral. Jacob, on the other hand, had been around his father since the start and probably knew everything. Makoto knew Jacob was just trying to protect him, but he still couldn't help but be angry at him.
Jacob knew how dangerous of a job he had given Mercury and it had almost gotten him killed.
"The both of you should have told me."
"For what? You've got enough bullshit to deal with already. You shouldn't have to worry about this as well." Mercury curtly replied. "You hired me as your bodyguard, so it's only natural I deal with this stuff instead of you."
"You could have died, Mercury. You would have died had Blake not found you."
"There's always a chance you could die in this line of work. Dying just… comes with the job."
It bothered him how nonchalant Mercury was about his own life. There was something fundamentally wrong with that way of thinking. It reminded him too much of himself and how he had used to be. Even now, there were times he had to actively stop himself from falling down that slippery slope.
That's not how someone should live their life; SEES had taught him that much.
"You're my friend, Mercury. I don't want you to die."
Mercury just sighed and glanced up at him again. His gaze was empty, dull, and devoid of emotion. It almost felt as if he were looking into a reflection of his past self. Was this how Yukari felt back then…? If so, he would have to apologize to her if they ever met again.
"The both of you should have told me." Makoto continued. "We could have figured something out together. I don't need you to be an assassin for me, Mercury."
"And do what?" Mercury replied with a dark chuckle. "This is all that I know how to do…"
"Then it's time to learn something else. Don't stay stagnant in that dark path forever." Makoto shook his head. "You're just scared of change, so you stick with what you know even if that path leads nowhere in the end."
"Yeah? And what if I can't!?" Mercury challenged back. "I'm not like you! This life is all I know!"
"Then try again!" Makoto put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "No matter how many times you fall back into the darkness, just know that I'll always be there to pull you back out."
Mercury looked stunned for a moment and seemed to be at a loss for words.
"That's what friends are for." Makoto said with a smile. "So no more of this assassination business, alright?"
Mercury only weakly nodded in response. "... Sorry. I was just trying to protect you."
"I'm not some damsel in distress, Mercury."
"I know that! I'm not saying you're weak." Mercury looked down at his bed sheets and clenched his fists. "It's just… you're my first friend. I didn't want you to get hurt either."
"Then you should know how I feel right now."
"... Yeah." Mercury replied with fatigue evident in his voice. "My bad. It's not a good feeling to have."
"Good." Makoto said as he held out his hand. "Friends are supposed to rely on each other, alright?"
"Yeah. You got it, boss." Mercury nodded in response as he grasped his hand into a firm shake. "... Man, I must really be losing my mind."
Makoto raised an eyebrow at that. "What makes you say that?"
"People die all the time. Hell, I've put down my fair share of people, so I know all lives are equally trivial, including my own." Mercury looked out the window once more. "And yet… when I imagine you dying? I just can't stand the thought. Drives me crazy."
Makoto just shook his head in response.
"You're not going crazy, Mercury. You're just learning what it means to truly be alive."
That was something he was all too familiar with. After all, he had to learn the same thing during his time with SEES.
In hindsight, Blake should have probably asked what they wanted to eat before she left. It was too late now though, so she just ordered some of her favorites instead. She hoped they liked fish, and if not; well, more for her then. By the time she made it back to her room, Mercury was already sitting up in her bed and looked remarkably better than before.
Both pairs of eyes suddenly glanced over at her and she felt like an intruder inside her own room.
Had she interrupted something…?
"Uhm… Anyone hungry?" Blake asked as she awkwardly held up the bag of food in her hands.
The two boys in question shared a brief look with one another before Mercury raised a hand up in the air.
"What do you got?"
Blake walked over towards the table and put down the bag she had been carrying.
"Just some fish sandwiches. I hope that's alright."
Mercury only nodded slowly in response.
His body didn't seem to be able to properly move just yet, but he still managed to pull himself out of bed all on his own. The fact that he could move at all was already a miracle, healing semblances really were something special, weren't they? Mercury grabbed the strap on top of the bag with both of his hands and carefully pulled it closer to him.
"Don't overexert yourself, Mercury." Makoto chided as he moved to help the boy towards the chair by the table. "I might have healed your wounds, but you still need some time to rest."
"Yeah, yeah." Mercury waved off as he dug into the bag. "Thanks for the food, by the way. Oh, and for saving me too." The boy added as an afterthought before he pulled out a thinly wrapped fish sandwich.
"... You're welcome." Blake softly replied before she leaned against the wall and watched as the boy took a bite from his sandwich and chewed on it slowly. Mercury's visible eye widened in surprise after the first bite.
"Hey Makoto, these are pretty good." The boy pointed out in between mouthfuls. "You should get the chef back home to make these sometimes."
Makoto just let out a small sigh and shook his head. "You're being rather nonchalant for someone that just nearly died."
"Meh. I'm used to it."
"That's–"
The sound of a scroll ringing cut off whatever Makoto was going to say next. The boy in question reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll.
"Princess calling you?" Mercury asked with a knowing grin. "It's about that time, huh?"
Makoto just rolled his eyes in response.
"We'll finish talking later. I need to take this call, can you watch over Mercury for a bit, Blake?"
"... Sure." Blake replied with a brief nod before Makoto stepped out of the room, leaving her alone with the boy in question.
Mercury was still eating his sandwich, so Blake figured she could just stay silent until the boy finished his meal or until Makoto returned; whichever one came first. However, it seemed that Mercury had his own plans.
"He's definitely whipped." Mercury pointed out as he wiped some mayonnaise from around the corners of his mouth.
Blake found herself getting a bit curious about that; the love life of celebrities was always interesting to read about after all. "Was that his girlfriend calling?"
Mercury just snorted in response. "She might as well be. They're together in all but name at this point."
Blake wasn't quite sure what to make of that, and even though she wanted to find out more, she decided not to pry any deeper. It didn't feel right to gossip behind Makoto's back like that, even if Mercury seemed more than willing to talk about it.
"Hey, so I've been wondering." Mercury began as he finished the rest of his sandwich. "Why'd you save me, anyway?"
Blake furrowed her brows at that. "Because it was the right thing to do…?"
"You know I wanted to kill you before, right?"
"Sometimes, I wish you did." She softly muttered to herself. If only so she didn't have to bear the weight of her sins anymore. "... I guess you could say that I want to make up for things."
"For what?" Mercury asked with genuine curiosity laced in his voice. "Makoto already said he forgave you."
"I know he did." Blake replied as she slid down to the ground and hugged her knees. "But that just makes me feel even worse about it…"
Mercury didn't immediately respond to that and just put an elbow on the table as he stared out the window once more.
"... Can't say I understand the feeling." He eventually replied.
"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Blake murmured to herself.
They fell into silence then; with Blake staring at the ceiling while Mercury continued to look out the window. Eventually, Makoto stepped back into the room and seemed to clear the air with only his presence.
"Done talking with the princess, already?" Mercury asked with amusement evident in his voice. "I hope you didn't rush because of me."
"It looks like you're finally done eating." Makoto dryly replied. "Are you ready to head back home?"
"I guess. What about Blake though?"
She raised an eyebrow at her name being brought up, but didn't intervene.
"What about Blake?" Makoto repeated with a raised eyebrow of his own.
"She wants to make things up with you, right?" Mercury asked. "Why not hire her to help you out with what you're doing at the mines? She's a Faunus and an ex-White Fang member, so she could probably give you some good insight into things."
Blake's eyes widened in surprise. "W-what?"
"Hmm…" Makoto seemed to give the idea some thought. "That's not a bad idea." He looked over towards her. "What do you think, Blake? You have some time until you leave for a huntsman academy, right?"
"M-me? Uhm… Yeah, I-I mean yes!" She quickly answered. "I would love to help!"
"Great. I'll have someone from my team contact you soon then." Makoto replied before he made his way over to Mercury. "Let's head out for now, Mercury. Can you walk if I lend you my shoulder? Or do you need me to carry you?"
"The shoulder's fine. Save the bridal carry for the princess." Mercury quipped back as he put an arm over Makoto's shoulder. "By the way, we're even now, Blake." The silver-haired boy added as he limped past her.
She blinked at that. "W-what?"
"You saved me and I just got you a new job." Mercury explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "So we're even now."
She wasn't even sure how to respond to that.
"Using me to pay back your debts, Mercury?" Makoto dryly asked.
Mercury just smirked in response. "Friends are supposed to rely on each other, right?"
Makoto only rolled his eyes before he shut the door.
And then they were gone, leaving Blake alone in her apartment once more to process what exactly just happened. Mercury had just helped get her a job at the Yuuki Corporation as an… advisor? Aide? Associate? She didn't even know anymore at this point. But… with this, she could make things better for the Faunus while still helping Makoto out at the same time.
This… was her path to redemption, wasn't it?
Author's Notes- Wow, has it been a month already? Sorry guys, been super busy with work and haven't had much time to write much. I managed to get this one finished over the weekend though, so there's that! Hopefully work lightens up on me so I can write more, but it is what it is. On another note, a friend made some nice art for me, so we have a new shiny cover art to look at!
Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and I'll see you all next chapter!
If you like what I write and want to give me some support: ko-fi dot com/specialfx