A Prison of Ice
XII.
Makoto stifled a yawn as he looked through some new company reports.
The yawn wasn't from a lack of sleep; more from boredom if anything. He had received enough of an earful from Weiss to not try working throughout the night again; even if that was when he was the most productive. There were a lot fewer distractions in the middle of the night after all. Unfortunately, if he tried to pull an all-nighter again; Mercury would tell Weiss and he'd get another call from an angry heiress.
Despite the cool-headed attitude she always tried to portray to everyone, Weiss could have quite the temper.
Still, he didn't really mind that much. Both of his friends only had his best interests at heart after all. Makoto knew better than anyone that he tended to disregard his own health. Yukari had been of the same mindset, always lecturing him about his dangerous stunts on the battlefield. It was just in his nature, he supposed, to be self-sacrificing to a fault; no matter how much he tried to deny it.
His lips curved into a wry smile.
How unfortunately ironic, and here he was telling himself he had no interest in playing the part of the hero anymore. Mercury was right; he really was too soft. When it came down to it, if someone truly needed help, he wouldn't be able to turn them away. With a practiced maneuver, he quickly scribbled his signature across a few different boxes and checked the clock hanging over his desk.
It was about that time when Weiss would be free.
Makoto wouldn't forget again, she might really get angry this time if he missed another one of their weekly calls. It didn't take very long for her to pick up, only three rings. Surprisingly, she didn't have her camera on; which was rather strange. She had been the one that insisted that they always had their cameras on when they talked after all.
Was she angry at him or something?
"Weiss…?" Makoto tentatively asked. "Is something wrong?"
"N-no. Nothing's wrong." She quickly answered. "What makes you say that?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Your camera's not on."
Weiss didn't immediately respond. "... I just didn't feel like turning it on today." She eventually replied. "That's all."
"Are you sure…?" Makoto asked once again. "You can talk to me about it, Weiss."
There was another temporary lull of silence. "... Do you remember what I said last time? About wanting to be a huntress?"
"Of course." Makoto replied, unsure of where she was going with the conversation. "What about it?"
He could hear her sigh over the phone.
"I told Father about it. He wasn't thrilled…" Weiss trailed off. "Still, I told him that this was what I wanted to do, and I would not take no for an answer… Father gave me an ultimatum, pass his test and prove myself or give up on my goal altogether."
"I proved my skills and passed his stupid test, of course." She continued, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "... Unfortunately, I didn't come out of it completely unscathed."
Makoto blinked as he fully took in and processed what Weiss had just said.
"Did your father have you fight…?"
The video feed on her scroll suddenly turned on. Weiss stared back at him through the screen with a wry smile on her face. On the left side of her face, a recently healed scar ran down her left eye. A single blemish on her otherwise spotless skin. He felt a spark of anger build up within him at the sight, and at Jacques for allowing Weiss to get hurt like that.
"It was an Arma Gigas; if you were curious." Weiss replied as she brought a hand up to her scar and averted her eyes. "... I must look rather hideous to you now with this disfigurement."
Makoto's gaze softened. "That's not true, Weiss."
"You don't have to lie to me, Makoto."
"It's not a lie." He earnestly replied. "... Don't think of that scar as a mark of shame. Think of it as a mark of pride."
Weiss looked back up at him. "A mark of pride…?"
"If that scar came as a result of you standing by your own decisions; then wear it with pride, Weiss. Don't let your father stop you from following your dreams." Makoto offered her a smile. "... And you still look beautiful to me."
Her cheeks flushed a bright red as she averted her eyes once more.
"... Gods. You always know exactly what to say, don't you?" She let out a small laugh. "... Thanks for not forgetting to call this time."
"I tried my best to remember." He replied with a sheepish smile.
"You did." Weiss agreed with a small grin of her own. "Now, just remember to sleep on time."
He let out a sigh in response. "Yes, mother."
Weiss crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you get so sassy?"
"Who knows?" Makoto shrugged. "Mercury must be rubbing off on me."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I suppose I'll need to speak with Mercury later as well then."
Makoto chuckled.
"Go easy on him, Weiss. He means well. Most of the time."
"Right, I'm sure." She sarcastically replied with a roll of her eyes. "... Anyway, I'm a bit tired, so I'll be retiring for the night."
"Alright." Makoto waved. "Good night, Weiss."
"Good night, Makoto." She echoed with a soft smile. "Don't stay up too late."
And then the call ended.
It had been a pleasant distraction from work and provided him with a much needed break. Now that it was over with though, it was time to get back to looking over company reports. At the very least, looking over those reports always did wonders in putting him to sleep. He wouldn't have any trouble sleeping tonight.
Blake had never been in a position where she had to work in the mines. Her family had been rather well off and she had a good childhood. She had heard stories, of course, of the terrible work conditions and the shoddy pay. The humans took advantage of her people's labor, that much was for certain.
From what she had seen of the Yuki Corporation mines so far, they were nothing like the stories.
Perhaps it was the effect of the new CEO, but the Faunus here at the mines weren't miserable at all. There was a buzz in the air; one that she distinctly recognized from the early days of the White Fang. It was hope, hope that things would get better and from the looks of it, they were. All the equipment she had seen looked brand new, and there was even a cafeteria building currently under construction outside of the mine.
That only made the guilt in the pit of her stomach gnaw at her enough more.
Makoto Yuki didn't deserve what happened to him; what she did to him. No one deserved to have their family murdered like that, but for it to happen to someone like him? Gods, she was a monster. How could she have let something like that happen? How could she have let Adam talk her into that insane idea in the first place?
Bombing a factory of all things?
She could understand destroying Dust supplies or even stealing them, but blowing up a factory? Now that she had some time to think about it, how would they even have evacuated everyone in there? Waltz in and tell them about the bombs they had just planted all around the factory? What a farce; Adam had never planned on evacuating the workers to begin with.
He had simply fed her lie after lie, and she had believed them.
Gods, she was a fool. Blake brought a hand over her hair and slumped down against the wall. What had she done? What had she even been doing this whole time? Her father had been right about Adam the whole time and she had spurned him. That was another person she needed to apologize to; that list only seemed to grow as the days passed by.
A pair of footsteps next to her suddenly shook her out of her thoughts. A man with dog ears sat down on the ground next to her and handed her a bottle of water. He had a kind look in his eyes as he offered her a smile.
"You look like you could use something to drink."
Blake suddenly realized how dry her throat was. She gingerly accepted the man's offer and greedily gulped down the cool liquid from the bottle. Water had never tasted so good.
"... Thank you." She eventually replied after putting the cap back on the bottle.
"No worries." The man casually waved off. "I haven't seen you around these parts before."
"... I'm new to the area."
"Not hard to see that." The man replied. "Name's Joshua by the way."
"Blake."
Joshua pulled out a chocolate bar from his pocket and took a bite. "You don't talk much, do you?" The dog Faunus asked in between mouthfuls.
"No, I don't." She dryly replied. "... Can I ask you something though?"
"Go for it."
"Do you work here? At the mines, I mean."
"Yeah, been here for almost four years now." Joshua answered before he finished the last of his chocolate bar. "Why, you looking for work?"
"No." Blake shook her head. "I was just wondering if Makoto Yuki really shows up here like the rumors say."
"Oh, the new CEO? Yeah, he stops by here a few times a month." Joshua put a finger to his chin in thought. "I think he's supposed to be coming by in a few days, actually."
Blake brought her knees close to her chest; she could finally apologize to him then.
"I see." She replied. "Thank you."
"Gotta warn you though, he's pretty popular around here." He pointed out. "Almost like a folk hero. It might be hard to find a chance to talk with him."
She gripped her knees tighter. "He's done that much?"
"Honestly? Yeah, he has. He's made things a lot better around here for all of us." Joshua truthfully replied. "I didn't believe it at first, but when you see him here all the time putting in the effort… it's easy to see why he's grown on everyone here."
"... So you don't think he's helping out of fear from the White Fang?"
Joshua just snorted in response.
"Makoto comes down here to the mines by himself. No bodyguards or anything. Just his butler or one of his buddies. That doesn't sound like someone that's scared to me."
That was what Blake had thought as well.
Makoto Yuki wasn't helping the Faunus because he feared the White Fang. He was helping them because he wanted to, because he was a good person. Even though he had all the more reason to hate the Faunus after what she and the White Fang had done to him. He still tried his best to right his father's mistakes and help the Faunus instead.
Blake felt her ears droop. She really was a monster, wasn't she?
"I could even buy my little sister something nice for her birthday this year thanks to those pay raises Makoto got us." Joshua said with a grin. "He's a good guy; helping us folks out even after what happened to his parents."
Every word Joshua continued to utter felt like someone was taking a knife and stabbing her in the gut. Blake didn't bother to walk away or tell him to shut up, however. She deserved this after all; for what she had done. So while Joshua continued to tell her about Makoto Yuki; she just nodded along with a forced smile on her face.
To this day, Mercury still didn't understand why his old man stopped working for the Yuki Corporation. It was an undemanding job that paid well; all he had to do was follow Makoto around and protect him. Killing people was way more difficult and with how much preparation every job took, the pay ended up being less in the long run. Marcus had said that working here had made him soft, made him weak, but who was really correct in the end?
The answer was obvious enough, Mercury was still alive and kicking while his old man was six feet under.
Makoto was visiting the mines again today, which meant that Mercury was also visiting the mines. He wasn't a huge fan of the place; it smelled too much like raw Dust and made his face itch. A job was a job though, and even though Mercury liked to play around a lot; he still considered himself a professional. He trailed behind Makoto like a shadow; eyes darting back and forth watching everything like a hawk.
Unfortunately for him, Makoto had become rather popular as of late.
Popularity attracted crowds and crowds were a bodyguard's worst nightmare. There were just too many people to pay attention to, too many places to watch at once. He had been tempted to just fire a round into the sky to disperse the crowd, but Makoto wouldn't have been too happy about that. It was a pain, but he'd just have to work a bit harder than usual.
The sun had already started to set before the crowd finally dispersed. Makoto had been answering questions, addressing concerns, hell he'd even seen the guy give out some Lien from his own wallet. For someone that hated being around crowds, he sure knew how to play the part of the amicable CEO when he needed to.
"Finally finished playing up the crowd?" Mercury casually remarked as they both walked down the road towards the manager's office.
"Hopefully." Makoto answered with a tired look in his eyes. "I just need to speak with the manager and we can head back."
"I'm telling ya, just let me fire off a couple rounds into the air. You won't have to worry about crowds again."
"Perhaps, but I'll have a host of other new problems instead." Makoto dryly replied. "Your input is appreciated, Mercury, but I'll have to pass."
He just shrugged in response. "Suit yourself, boss man."
They both made their way towards the manager's office. Mercury took a seat on a bench nearby as Makoto walked up the stairs before he paused and looked back with a raised eyebrow.
"You're not coming in, Mercury?"
"Nah, I'll keep watch out here. It's too stuffy in that room."
"... If you say so." Makoto simply replied before he made his way into the manager's office and shut the door.
Mercury let a few minutes pass by before he stood up.
He looked around the area and didn't see anything out of place. Something felt off though; he couldn't shake the feeling that someone had been watching them the whole time they were here. He hadn't mentioned it because he didn't want to give Makoto more problems to worry about. Dealing with things like this was a part of his job description, anyway.
"You want to come out now?" Mercury called out to no one in particular. "I know you've been following us."
Silence was the only response he received.
"Are you really going to make me drag you out here?" Mercury sighed when they still didn't respond. "... Alright then, don't say I didn't ask nicely."
Mercury suddenly heard a pair of footsteps shuffle to his left. He angled himself so he would be able to quickly fire off a shot from his greaves if needed. A slim figured slipped out from the shadows of a nearby alleyway in between the buildings. Once they finally stepped out of the darkness, he could see that it was a girl with cat ears. Yellow eyes and black hair framed her face, but what really caught his attention was the weapon that was strapped to her back.
It looked like a mechashift sword of some kind.
A close range fighter then; CQC was his speciality so she shouldn't be too much trouble for him to take care of if she proved to be hostile. He wasn't an assassin anymore though, so he couldn't attack first; Makoto had been rather adamant about that. A bodyguard was only supposed to retaliate if necessary; which was a pain, but he didn't make the rules.
That was Makoto's job, his role was to just follow orders.
"You want to tell me why you were tailing us the whole time?" Mercury asked as he clicked off the safety in his greaves with his heels. Just in case.
"... I just want to talk to Makoto Yuki." The cat girl replied as she slowly held her hands up. "... I'm not looking for a fight."
Mercury just snorted in response. "You sure have a funny way of showing it then."
She reached for her sword and Mercury tensed up; getting ready for a fight. The girl just tossed the weapon at his feet though. It landed on the ground with a loud thud; kicking up some dirt and gravel at the same time.
He raised an eyebrow at the girl.
"I just want to talk." She repeated with a hint of desperation. "... Please."
Something about that look in her eyes stirred something within him. He didn't like how they made him feel, so he shoved the feelings back down into the depths of his mind. Reaching down, he picked up the sword and walked back over towards the bench. He took a seat and held the sword lazily over his shoulder before letting out a small sigh.
"... Fine." Mercury eventually replied. "You're going to have to wait though; the boss man's in a meeting right now."
The girl offered him a small smile in gratitude. "... Thank you."
"You might as well take a seat." Mercury tilted his head towards the bench. "Makoto's probably going to take a while."
"... It's fine." The girl softly replied. "I'd rather stand."
Mercury didn't bother replying to that and just shrugged in response. The girl stood near the shadows in the alleyway, as if she were ready to break off into a run at any time. It was a bit strange, but he wasn't one to talk; everyone had their own weird quirks. It was just a part of growing up in this messed up world.
It was awkward as hell as they both watched each other in complete silence until Makoto finally stepped out of the manager's office. The boy in question walked down the stairs and raised an eyebrow as he glanced at him and the girl standing by the shadows. Makoto looked over towards him for an explanation.
"She said she wanted to talk to you." Mercury simply answered with a shrug.
"... I see." Makoto replied before he turned his attention towards the cat girl. "Can I help you with something…?"
The girl didn't immediately respond; she looked like she was all but ready to run off back into the shadows. Mercury didn't understand; she wanted to talk to Makoto, but feared him at the same time? What was up with that?
"... My name is Blake. Blake Belladonna." The girl eventually replied when she found her voice. "And… I was the one that killed your parents."
Mercury blinked at that.
Oh. Shit.
Author's Notes- Wow, I'm surprised at how many people seem to like this story. Guess I'll keep working on this story then. Also, I haven't seen the Ice Queendom anime yet, so I can't comment on whether or not it'll be in this story. Should I give it a watch? Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and I'll see you all in the next chapter~
If you like what I write and want to buy me a drink: ko-fi dot com/specialfx
