Sun groaned in annoyance, his tail swishing behind him. The rain was warm as it hit his tail, dribbling gently against the umbrella above his head.
"Are we there yet?" Sun asked.
"Just a little further," Neptune said.
They trudged through the tropical forest, water dripping down the trees, running down the giant elephant ears. There were very few houses out this far, the muddy road surrounded by forestry.
Sun perked up as the forest thinned out, the muddy road getting somewhat rockier. The rain began to slow, the ground beginning to slope upwards. Neptune collapsed the umbrella, the rain a gentle mist as they climbed up the mountainside.
Sun's head felt dizzy as they climbed higher and higher, the forest disappearing the further up they went. The stone's around them began to change color as they climbed higher, drab browns being replaced with bright reds, yellows, greens, purples, and blues, all intertwining to create a rainbow of colors. They had a glass like sheen, the mist making them slick. Sun glanced at the wall of stone next to him and froze, his jaw dropping He heard Neptune stop, looking back at him.
"Duuuude," Sun said, pointing at the rainbow rocks. Neptune gasped in surprise.
A multitude of ink black ants in bone armor skittered around inside the rocks, long twisting tunnels carving there way through the rainbow stones. Sun went to the wall, pressing against it, staring in awe at the Burrowers as they moved around inside the mountainside.
"Blake really wasn't kidding about the Grimm here," Neptune said. Sun nodded, his forehead rubbing against the stone. The Burrowers continued at their work, not noticing him at all. He backed away, looking up; they were almost at the top, not much further to go. He looked over at Neptune, giving him a smile and a nod.
They continued their trek upwards, the rain stopping. The humidity began to die, a sharp, dry wind nipping at Sun, his shirt flapping around him as they reached the top. A guard stood at the top of the mountain, a riflespear in hand, confusion on his face. Neptune went to the guard, talking to him in that language, the words alien sounding. Sun smiled, walking forward, resting his hands on his hips as he stared out, the dry wind biting at his face.
The mountains shone bright, hundreds of colors dancing in the air. A vast desert lay between the various rainbow mountains, clouds of dust and sand blowing over the dunes. He inhaled, breathing deep, savoring the scent of the desert air; of sand and heat, of home. He squinted, something huge was swimming through the sands off in the distance, didn't look like the Worms back in Vacuo. He glanced back as Neptune grasped his shoulder. Neptune smiled at him, and looked out at the desert.
"Glad you got to see it?" he asked. Sun nodded, looking back out at the dunes.
"It's not the same as the one's back home, but it's the closest I'll get for a while." Sun said.
The rain pitter pattered against her window, the room dark. Blake sat on her bed, looking around; it had been so long since she had last seen this place. Her bed squeaked as she shifted, the mattress rather uncomfortable. Dust covered the bookshelves, the pages of her books beginning to yellow. She got up from her bed, going to the bookshelf. She smiled as she looked over the familiar spines, at her childhood favorites. She pulled one of the books down, nostalgia hitting her as she looked at the faded cover, at the dog eared pages; Mohabbat: A Tale of Two Princesses.
"Which book is that?"
Blake gasped, clutching the book to her chest, her ears flattening. She looked over; her mother stood in the doorway, the hallway light brightening her dark room. Her mother cocked her head to the side as she looked at the book. Blake looked away, feeling heat creep into her cheeks.
"Just a dumb fairy tale." She set the book back on its place on the shelf, resting her hands behind her back. "Did you need something, mom?" Blake asked. Kali glanced around her room.
"It's okay we left your room alone, right?" Blake cocked her head to the side.
"I guess?" Kali walked into the room, going to the bed, and sitting down. "When you ran away, you're father and I were so worried. We thought you would be back after a day; that you had to cool off. And then two days passed. And then a week. Then a month, a year, two years." Kali trailed off, gripping the purple bed sheets, her gaze on the floor. "A part of me, deep down, was afraid I would never see my little girl again." She looked up, flashing Blake a smile. "I wanted to spend some time with you. See what kind of woman my daughter grew up to be."
Blake grasped the blue ribbon on her arm, and nodded. She took the spot next to her mother. She stared at the floor, her hands in her lap, unsure of what to say.
"What kind of books do you read now? You read a lot of stories about Hunters and heroes when you were little." Kali asked.
"I like mystery books a lot now." She looked back at her bookshelf, smiling as she looked at Mohabbat's spine. "I'm rather fond of romances now too."
"Oh?" Kali gave her a coy look. "Any series in particular you like?" Blake blushed, and shook her head.
"I'd rather not say." She said. Kali giggled, but dropped it. Her mother played with her hands for a moment before looking up at her ears.
"You're father and I were really proud of how well you fought in the Vytal Tournament." Kali said. Blake looked at her. Kali smiled. "That sword of yours was really awesome." Kali's smile faded, and she sighed. "But the bow you were wearing…was Beacon really that bad? I saw there were some Faunus who competed but you were the only one who hid it." Blake cocked her head to the side.
"I mean… Vale is still a Human kingdom, there were still horrible people and places that refused to serve us. But I met a lot of humans who weren't like that at Beacon, and there were a lot of Faunus human couples too. But that wasn't why I wore it; I didn't want people knowing who I used to be."
"I see." Kali was quiet for a moment, her gaze falling to her lap. "I'm glad things are at least a little better then when I tried."
"Tried what?" Blake asked. Kali smiled sadly.
"It was a long time ago, before I met your father. I had it in my head that I could help our people by sneaking into Haven and being the first Faunus Hunter to graduate. Silly dream now that I look back on it." Blake's ears twitched as she looked at her mother.
"What happened?"
Kali smirked as she stood across from her opponent. She took her stance, her escrima sticks posed. The teacher had her clipboard at the ready, Kali's opponent laughing as he unsheathed his sword.
"Begin."
Her opponent charged at her with a yell, swinging his sword down. Kali smirked, her arms shooting up, one stick catching the blade as the other shot forward, slamming into his gut. He staggered back with a grunt; Kali pressed forward, slamming one stick onto his arm, the other slamming against his face.
He swung with a yell, Kali smirked as she spun around his blade, a stick striking his knee. He whirled, swinging the blade. She ducked, her eyes widening as she felt the blade trim off a few hairs, the ribbon tying her ears slicing in two. She heard the class gasp, and her opponent back away, his jaw dropping as the ribbons fell to the floor, her ears flattening as they all stared at her.
Kali kept her hands behind her back, grasping them, uneasy. The Headmaster sat at his desk, staring at her.
"Headmaster Ikari, I-"
"Quiet." He said. Kali closed her mouth, her palms sweaty. He stood from his desk, trailing his hand over the mahogany wood. "You entered my school under false pretenses; you must be well aware of why there are no Faunus Hunters in Mistral." Kali nodded her head, a knot in her gut as he approached her. He stopped in front of her, staring down, his hands resting on his hips. "Ms. Khan, under Mistralian law, you should be arrested." Kali swallowed, her hands trembling.
Headmaster Ikari sighed, closing his eyes, and looking away.
"You were a good student, Kali. You would have made for an amazing Huntress." Kali's lip parted, her ears twitching. "You're expelled from this school, but when the police ask about you, I'll just tell them your ears were a rumor. Wear your bow when you leave."
Kali blinked, her eyes wet. Her Headmaster wouldn't look at her. She nodded at him, and turned to leave, her ears flattening as she opened the door.
"He ended up losing his job over that," Kali said. Blake's ears were pinned to her head as she looked at her mother. "The Council fired him for lying to the police about me, and refusing to tell them where to find me. I was back home in Wind Path when I heard the news." Kali chuckled. "The Faunus in Mistral City were upset about the news, and some started to protest; why couldn't they be Hunters?" Kali smiled. "You can guess who that brought into their city."
Kali crossed her arms, a wave of disgust hitting her as her sister watched the news.
"A representative of the White Fang, one Hōzuki Ghira, has stated that he and his followers will be holding a civil protest in Mistral City in the wake of the controversy surrounding Haven Academy." Sienna laughed.
"The fuck's that race traitor gonna do? Hand out flower crowns to the humans and hope things go the way he wants?" Sienna said. Kali glowered at the screen as a picture of a large man with a mane of hair and a scraggly beard appeared in the corner. She tuned the reporter out as she spoke.
"He's wasting his time." Kali said. Sienna sighed, and turned off the tv. She looked over at her, giving her a mischievous smile.
"Feel like going to Mistral? I'm sure the Khan sisters can spice that protest up." Kali smiled back at her wickedly.
Kali made her way through the crowd of protestor's, Sienna at her side.
"Right to Fight! Right to Fight!" the crowd chanted. Kali side stepped a Faunus with a picket sign, the crowd growing thicker the closer to the front they got, the chanting growing thunderously loud. She shoved her way to the front, narrowing her eyes at Him.
He stood in front of the crowd, a mob of humans across from him. She sneered as she watched him turn back and forth between the two groups, shouting, his voice carrying over the crowd.
"The Faunus have fought and died for many a human cause; Faunus blood was spilt during the Great War just as much as human blood was. We feel as much devotion and love for our Kingdom's as the Humans do, we detest the Grimm as much as the humans do. It is only right that we, the Faunus, are given the capacity to join the Hunt against the Grimm." Ghira raised a fist as he spoke. "Any Faunus who has the skill and potential in aiding against the threat of the Grimm should be allowed the opportunity to do so. We deserve that right."
Kali's eyes widened in shock as some of the humans began to approach the crowd, Ghira smiling and nodding at them, pausing in his speech as they joined his crowd. Kali turned, staring in confusion at the human who took the spot next to her. Sienna's nose wrinkled in disgust as more and more of the humans from the opposite crowd began to join Ghira's.
The human crowd began to part, shock and worry on their faces as police marched through the crowd. The chanting began to die down, worried murmuring replacing it. Kali swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, as the police formed a wall with their riot shields, blocking the humans off, standing before Ghira. Ghira's voice did not quiver.
"The Faunus have faced despotism before, and we have not bent or broken. We ask for the equal opportunity to risk our lives for the betterment of Remnant."
An officer stepped forward, a megaphone in hand.
"You and your ilk are protesting without a permit, and without Mistralian citizenship. You are to disperse and end this at once."
"I can assure you, the people who have joined me are Mistralian's."
The murmuring in the crowd grew louder, people starting to back away as the wall opened, the officers drawing their nightsticks. The officer with the megaphone dropped it, lowering the faceplate of his helmet.
"I am placing you and the members of this riot under arrest for disrupting the peace."
Screams erupted in the crowd as the police charged. Kali stood paralyzed, staring as the officer's ran at her, her mouth agape; people were shoving past her as they ran. She saw some of the police stumble and fall as the crowd of humans behind them rushed them, beating and kicking at the police that fell. Sienna ran past her, a snarl on her lips, ducking under an officer's nightstick and grappling for it. Another officer appeared behind her, slamming his nightstick against the back of Sienna's head. Sienna hissed, stepping out of the way of the next swing-
"Look out!" Kali yelped as she felt herself get thrown to the ground, her head hitting the concrete. She groaned, shaking her head, her world spinning. Ghira laid on top of her, a grimace on his face, his teeth gritted in pain. Kali stared up at him, trembling as several officers beat at his back.
"That was your aunt, father, and I's first arrest. Mistral, and the other kingdoms were in an uproar about what happened, and the Council made it legal for Faunus to attend Haven and become Hunters. They appointed a Faunus as the Headmaster as a show of good faith, and pardoned all of those who had been falsely arrested."
"Why didn't you go back?" Blake asked. Kali shrugged.
"I considered it. But I thought I could do more good helping your father in the White Fang, and…well, we hit it off after that. I remember when I first heard about your father; I hated him so much, I thought he was just some complacent fool who would never be able to help our people. And he proved me wrong that day." Kali looked over at the blue ribbon on her arm. "I guess we fall in love with people we never thought we would."
Blake grasped the ribbon, biting her lip and looking away. Kali wrapped an arm around her.
"I didn't want to ask while Sienna was here but… I recognize that shade of blue." Blake's stomach dropped.
"It's not what you think," Blake said. Kali chuckled.
"I figured it wouldn't be." Kali gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I'm a little confused but I'm sure you have an explanation." Blake rubbed the ribbon, sighed, and closed her eyes; Weiss' smiling face filling her mind.
"When I first met her, she was exactly what you would think a Schnee would be like. She was rude, she was stubborn, she was a racist bitch, and I hated her. I wanted to see her dead. But…" Blake took a breath. "There was something about her that I couldn't place, something that caught my attention. And as time passed, she actually started to change her views on the Faunus; she wanted to learn about our people, she wanted to fix her behavior, she wants to help the Faunus." She smiled. "She's beautiful, she's smart, she's so talented with her sword and glyphs." She opened her eyes, and looked her mother in the eye. "And she's just as much of a victim of her family as we are. Her family abused and neglected her, and brainwashed her into thinking we were responsible for her suffering. She wants to take over the SDC and right the wrongs her family has done." She looked at the ribbon, and smiled. "She is my moon, and I'm her stars, mom."
Kali hugged her, patting the back of her head.
"I guess I won't be getting grandkids then, huh?" Blake reeled from the hug, her cheeks burning.
"Mom!" Kali started to laugh, a hand going to her mouth to try and stifle it.
"Sorry dear, I just wanted to break the tension." Kali's laughter died down, and she rested her hands in her lap. "I'll take your word that Weiss is not like the rest of the Schnee's. I'm glad you've found someone who makes you happy." Blake smiled.
"Thanks, mom." Blake hugged her mother, smiling warmly. Kali patted her back as they hugged. After a moment, Kali broke the hug, smiling at her.
"I'll leave you be for now, Blake. I know you like your space. But I want to hear more about Weiss and the rest of your team when you have the chance." Blake nodded.
"Okay," she said.
Kali got to her feet, going to the door. She paused at the doorway, and looked back at Blake.
"I'm so glad you're back," Kali said. She turned and left, shutting the door behind her.
Blake exhaled, and leaned back on her bed, staring up at her ceiling. The rain sounded gentle, her room dark, comforting. She lifted her head, craning her neck to look at her bookshelf. She smiled, getting up and going to the bookshelf; time to see if her childhood favorites held up.
Neptune sipped from his smoothie as they left the shack, Sun waving bye as he exited the door. They stood under the canopy, the rain gentle.
"Aight, so we saw the desert, got smoothies, what else do you wanna do?" Sun asked. Neptune took another sip from his papaya smoothie, thinking for something to do. He watched a woman run past them, a loaf of bread stuffed under her arm, struggling to keep her umbrella up as she ran. Neptune looked down the muddy road, the port visible off in the distance.
"Wanna go check out what they have down there?" he asked. Sun shrugged, and then nodded.
Neptune was surprised at how crowded the port was when they arrived; no one seemed to mind the rain as they shopped at the various stalls. He smiled as he felt Sun wrap his tail around his waist as they entered the crowd. They made their way through the huge crowd, trying to find a vendor who wasn't being swarmed by customers. Vendors shouted, beckoning more people to the crowd around their stalls in between helping customers.
"Freshly caught fish! Best on the island!"
"Herb baked bread! A variety of choices!"
"Mussels! Clams! Delicious sea urchins!"
Neptune grunted, groaning in annoyance as his smoothie was knocked to the floor.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Neptune looked from his smoothie to the woman he had bumped into. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her skin a deep tan. Her cheeks had a blueish hue as she looked at the spilt smoothie. Sun cocked his head to the side, tightening his tail around him as they looked at the girl.
"Ah, it's fine. I was almost done anyway." Neptune said. The blue turned to a pink, a look of relief washing over the girl. Neptune narrowed his eyes as he looked at the girl's right hand. She wore a glove but it looked like a part of her skin had been… burned? It had the same look as when Blake had shown them her emblem. The girl tugged at her glove, pulling it up, the scaly skin being covered. The girl closed her eyes, cocking her head to the side and offering them a sweet smile. "I'll try to be more careful. I don't want to cause any trouble. We Faunus got to stick together, right?"
"Y-yeah," Neptune said. The girl opened her eyes.
"If I run into you two again, I'll treat you two, as payback. That okay?" she asked. Neptune glanced down at the glove again, noticing the flash of red on her cheeks and in her eyes. He nodded.
"Sure. Sounds good." He cocked an eyebrow. "What's your name?"
"My name is Ilia."