Chapter 9
Unite
Night…
Shade was outside with his hand on his shoulder.
Dawn noticed Shade outside and walked out to him.
"Hey."
She said, causing Shade to turn.
"Oh hey Dawn."
He moved his hand off his shoulder.
Dawn remembers seeing Shade's injured shoulder back at Beacon.
"What happened to your shoulder?"
Shade sighed and moved his sleeve to show a large scar that was in the shape of a claw.
"A present from Cinder during the battle at Beacon Tower,"
Shade fixed his sleeve.
"You're the only one who knows what truly happened up there."
Dawn said, looking a little concerned.
"What exactly happened?"
Shade looked down
"I failed."
His arms were shaking before he closed his fists.
"If i was stronger then Cinder would be dead and Pyrrha would be…"
He took a deep breath.
"I should've stopped her, but I thought we could take out Cinder, I could not have been more wrong."
Dawn put her hand on Shade's unscared shoulder.
He looked up at her.
"You did all you could, that's all anyone can."
Shade looked away.
"Look, our team is no stranger to death and it never gets any easier."
"Shade turned to Dawn.
"But one thing I know is the pain makes you realize what you have and makes you want to protect it."
Shade remained silent.
He walked past Dawn.
"Next time i see Cinder i'm going to make sure no else gets hurt by her."
He had a dark tone in his voice.
"Ever."
Dawn looked at Shade a little concerned.
The Battle continues at the Belladonna residence as Ghira was fighting against the Brothers of the White Fang.
Right before a grunt could attack the distracted Faunus, Sun burst through a window and knocked him out.
The Brothers focused their attacks on Sun who blocked by spinning his weapon.
"Hurry!"
He shouted and Blake and Erika jumped from the second floor in front of the brothers.
Before they could do anything though Erika used her semblance to make vines lower them towards Blake who used her semblance combined with Ice Dust to restrict them.
Erika looked at the Brothers more than at Blake.
'She doesn't need to fight Ilia.'
Erika quickly ran out of the room.
"Erika, wait!"
Blake quickly ran after her.
The brother broke free and glared at Sun and Ghira.
"I won't let you down sir!"
Sun said.
"Shut up!"
"You got it."
And the two ran into battle.
Erika had entered a big room and saw Ilia wearing her mask.
"You beat Blake here?"
"You and her were closer than I was. She doesn't need to fight you anymore."
Erika aimed her spear at Ilia.
"I can't let you do this."
"Cant or wont Killer."
Erika glared at Ilia.
"That's the look of a killer, why don't you just admit it?"
"Because I still believe what the Belladonna's taught me."
In an instant Ilia jumped at Erika.
Their weapons clashed and Erika shot her weapon pushing Ilia into a wall.
She quickly used her camouflage.
Erika stood still and listened.
Suddenly Blake ran into the room.
"Blake no."
Ilia appeared behind Erika and struck her back.
Erika swung her spear but Ilia ducked and vanished again.
She went quiet.
Blake walked up to Erika.
"Just stay out of my way Ilia."
Suddenly she appeared and tried to stab Blake who dodged with her Semblance.
Erika took a moment to recover as Blake and Ilia fought.
Their weapons clashed.
"Why do you feel like we have to hurt people to get our way!"
"Because it works!"
"Not always."
Erika said as several vines grabbed Ilia and pulled her in front of Erika.
She quickly used her plant covered arm to strike Ilia's stomach and pushed her back.
Ilia attacked Blake once again this time she shocked Blake's weapon away.
She knocked Blake away and whipped at her.
Erika blocked the whip with her vines.
"You can't win this fight Ilia."
"Say you."
She threw off her mask and turned the lights off.
Erika just smiled.
"You don't know a thing."
Ilia attempted to stab Erika who quickly blocked and smacked Ilia in the face with her spear.
"Impossible!"
Ilia said before hiding.
"Don't underestimate me."
Ilia, enraged by Erika, ran at her and kept attacking her.
Erika blocked in response.
While this was happening Blake got ahold of her weapon.
"Why didn't you just leave?"
Ilia said to Blake while still hidden.
"Because I ran away too much."
Ilia was on the second floor and started whipping at the two Faunus.
They quickly took cover and Blake pulled out some fire rounds and looked at Erika.
She nods and runs from her cover distracting Ilia.
Ilia whipped at Erika and Blake shot the fire at some plants on the second floor.
"Sorry Dad, Sorry Erika."
They quickly caught fire.
'I wonder how my semblance would affect burnt plants.'
Erika thought while she dodged.
The fire quickly spread and Ilia was more visible.
Erika looked at the two and was about to help Blake then she stopped.
'I need to let the others know.'
Erika quickly ran out of the room.
She ran quickly back to the room Ghira and Sun were in but when she got there no one was there and instead there was a big hole in the wall.
"That's where i just was."
Erika ran through the hole and saw Ghira clashing fists with one of the Brothers and Blake on the ground.
Ilia was standing there watching.
Erika readied her weapon.
"Ilia!"
The other Brother said while getting off the ground.
"What are you doing? Fight!"
He ran towards Ghira but was shot back by Erika.
"Back off!"
She said while running towards him.
Ghira continued fighting the other Brother while Erika started to struggle to keep up with the current one.
Suddenly Sun jumped through and kicked him away.
"Where have you been?"
Erika questioned.
"I got pushed back."
He saw Blake on the ground and looked at Ilia.
Erika nodded at him and Sun ran at Ilia and they started to fight.
Ghira and her knocked both Brothers back and Sun had Ilia pinned against a pole.
"Stop!"
Blake shouted at Sun.
"Please."
Ilia quickly slipped away, making Sun hit the pole.
Part of the Second Floor started to crack.
It was about to fall on Ilia when Ghira ran to her and held the broken floor up.
"Go!"
He shouted and Ilia quickly ran out from under it.
Sun used his Semblance to help Ghira hold the broken floor.
Suddenly one of the Brothers ran at Ghira with both their weapons.
Blake threw her weapon around her Father.
Erika went in front of the Brother.
"Hi there."
She grabbed his head and slammed him into the ground, shattering his aura.
Blake pulled Ghira to safety.
"If he jumped he would have died when I pulled Dad out."
Blake said while looking at Erika.
"No one deserves to die."
Suddenly Kali walked in with the bat winged Faunus knocked out.
The other brother regained consciousness and started screaming right before Ilia shocked him with her weapon.
She dropped to the ground and started crying.
Ghira walked out of the building with two White Fang members on his shoulders.
Erika tied up the remaining ones with her vines and they were all dragged out of the building.
Ilia kneeled behind the Belladonnas as they walked out.
Sun was resting against a wall and Erika was standing next to Blake.
She walked forward, Ghira was about to stop her but Kali stopped him.
Erika stood to the side.
"Humans didn't do this, we did this Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We are just as capable to hate and violence as humans are, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us? By doing nothing and staying silent. We let others speak and act in our place and we are not proud of the choices they make then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him."
Erika listened to Blake's speech with a smile on her face.
'She just gave courage to the Faunus
"So I'm going and I'll stand by myself if I have to."
"I'll stand with you!"
Blake turned around and saw Ilia standing.
"If….If you'd have me"
Blake smiled.
Erika went up to the guard next to Ilia.
"Let her go."
But.."
"Do it."
Ghira said to the guard.
Ilia walked to Blake and she placed a hand on her shoulder.
One by one the Faunus on the island agreed to go with Blake.
Erika watched Ghira and Kali walk to Blake.
She looked at the picture of Shin she had.
'Hang in there just a little longer.'
Erika thought to herself.
Two weeks passed and the Battle for Haven began…
AN:We are finally done with the filler, it took way too long to do these chapters because of how little there was to do with them. Anyway I'm going to be working hard on the last chapters cause this is where the fun begins.