Here we are again, plans upon plans, never done.
Beta: CrowSkull
YBWR
Chapter 19- A Boisterous Belch
"Huh, that is weird," Blake replied to Yang as they walked together toward the massive CCT tower that allowed communication via the internet and scrolls throughout the entire world.
"I know, right?" Yang said. She wore a slightly different uniform today, instead of her usual outfit she sported a red and black leather jacket that had a strange symbol etched into the back of it along with a pair of blue jeans. When Blake asked what it was all about, Yang told her that the jacket used to be the only thing Raven, her mother, wore aside from her huntress uniform, and the pants were her late fathers. Blake had a much more mundane reason for wearing hers. Simply a darker short-sleeved version of what she usually wore, only that there was a skirt to it now. "I don't think he's all that weird honestly, and really he doesn't look that much older than you or my sister. He's like, mid-twenties at most."
"He is a fourth-year student," Blake remarked, remembering an earlier part of their conversation. "The appearance of age differs from someone in their mid-twenties versus someone in their teenage years. Adam, the one I told you about who helped teach me, is four years older than I, and most would assume that he is much older just by the way he looks and carries himself."
"Yeah well not everyone can have the best Specialist and Huntsman in Atlas for a boyfriend," Yang teased.
"Bwuh- that's not the point!" Blake exclaimed, blushing and coughing into her fist, she recovered quickly. Refusing to let Yang bait her into overreacting any more than she already had already. "Just, ugh. I understand where you are coming from, but really, I don't think it's anything to be too concerned over. People decide that they want to be a huntsman too late all the time. He's probably just one of those people."
"Hm, you're probably right." Yang sighed. "Ah, whatever. No sense in fussing about it anymore as you said. Did you hear that Cinder has taken up an apprentice all of a sudden?"
"I am aware," Blake said as they stopped at the end of a sidewalk waiting for the signal that let them through to appear. This part of Beacon where the CCT was located also doubled as a residential area and part of the city. Higher class people usually lived there, which made sense when Mantilian guards and their robots were seen walking around patrolling the area and making sure crime is at an all-time zero. Yang might have just thought that would be the case because the Vytal Festival is so close to kicking off, but her mother taught her to be better than that. Smarter. Well, on the bright side, at least they didn't have to worry about any crime while they were there. "Emerald Sustrai, she's older than us, right?"
"Yuh-huh," Yang confirmed. "A third-year from what I remember. I never really talked to her but I asked Jaune and apparently, she's uh… well, I'd be lying if I said any of us knew her well at all. I think we share only a couple of classes together with her and lunch."
"It is a bit sudden," Blake commented. "That Professor Fall would have chosen an apprentice so soon after she announced to us that she would be taking one eventually. A shame, I would have liked to have that position."
"Hmph," Yang scoffed as the signal came for them to walk across the road. "I wouldn't. I can tell that she's a slave driver, I can't imagine that she'd be letting Emerald sleep longer than six hours since that's the minimum that the body needs in order to function."
"Wow, you were actually paying attention to Professor Callow's lessons," Blake teased. "What a surprise, really, it is."
"Oh shush, you know just as well as I do what his lessons are like. He just goes nuts! There isn't any time to ask any questions and somehow he does it all and makes you understand it, how!? How does any teacher just scream for an hour straight and somehow make perfect sense."
"Perhaps because the way he is explaining it is rather simple," Blake said.
"Ugh, of course you'd say that. Such a straightforward answer that's easy to understand." Yang complained. "He's gotten to you too, oh, the humanity."
"Stop exaggerating, it's nothing so dramatic as that," Blake said. "Also, we're here. We're going to have to start focusing on the mission at hand. Do you remember what you need to do?"
"Duh, of course I do!" Yang huffed. "I'm the one who came up with the plan, remember? You do your thing with the WFC records and I'll call my mom and say hi to her since it's been a while.."
"Doesn't she have a portal semblance you told me about?"
"Yeah, but do you want my mom literally appearing out of thin air in our dorm room or in the middle of class?"
"I suppose not." Blake sighed. "I also can't help but notice that you have the easiest job out of all of us. Ruby is going to some illegal information broker and Weiss is going to attempt to infiltrate one of the Blue Revolt recruitment meetings. I am essentially stealing records from my father while you are… calling your mom."
"To be fair, it's not like I have many other options," Yang said. "I don't know the girls Ruby's going too and she told me that they won't trust anyone they don't know, I wouldn't be able to blend in with Weiss since I might snap and punch someone, and lastly, I came up with the plan. So hah."
"Whatever," Blake rolled her eyes. She knew Yang meant nothing by it. At least she was actually going with her to the CCT instead of letting her do it all on her own. She appreciated it since she suspected that she might receive a call from someone she didn't want to speak to, like her father or… mother, even. She appreciated her presence, even if she wasn't doing much with it other than being present.
"Right! We get in, make our calls, get out, and we'll meet with Ruby and Weiss later tonight when they're done with their tasks. Everything should run smoothly, I mean, Weiss is even wearing a wig so her white hair doesn't expose her!"
"It is good to be optimistic," Blake said absentmindedly. They were closing in on the CCT now, but something caught her eye on the way. A head of blonde hair that didn't belong to her partner for once. She remembered his name, and it was hard to forget him after Yang told her that he was the one that was able to drive away from the White Fang and save their lives. What confirmed it was the absent wave of his tail. Though for some reason, he appeared lost and didn't know what to do, simply wandering around with no real goal alone. "Is that Sun?"
"Sun!?" Yang echoed her instantly. She followed her eyes and saw him as well, then jogged up to him with Blake in tow. "Sun! Is that you!?"
Sun looked at them both with wide and nervous blue eyes. "I… uh… no?" A belch escaped from his lips, he covered his mouth with a fist and looked away. "Sorry, I can't talk right now. Later? Yeah?"
"What? Wait!" Yang called out to the blonde boy as he started speed-walking away from them. "What the hell is up with him? I wanna chase him down. I'm gonna."
"Are you sure?" Blake asked. "I thought you wanted to talk to your mom."
"If mom wants to see me she can open a portal to me anytime she wants!" Yang exclaimed, dashing off after Sun. Once her fellow faunus noticed, he started running away as well. Which only made Yang want to run faster.
"Yang!" Blake called out uselessly as her partner quickly disappeared around a corner of a building. Seeing that she was now alone in this, Blake sighed to herself. So much for appreciating her being there while she makes those calls. "I could have done this alone anyway, it's fine." She said to herself. "Besides, Sun was definitely being suspicious. I'm sure she'll tell me about it once she's done interrogating him herself."
It wasn't a big deal at the end of the day. Blake was easily able to distract herself from the absence of her partner with the thought of the history behind the CCT and its origins being a prototype project from Mantle's best scientists and technicians. The history behind these buildings was rather simple. After the Great War, the world needed a way to keep in touch with itself. With Mantle's advanced technology and a great drive to improve themselves and make it up to the other kingdoms for the bloodshed caused by war, they created the CCT. At first, they thought bigger, to make a satellite that would orbit the planet itself and therefore spread a connection that way, but such technology was too far ahead of their time. Even now, anything involving space was mostly a dream. It was fitted with a long elevator and several rooms of computers that were specially designed for business calls or otherwise to people all across the globe as long as the receiver approved the formation of the connection. Since her name was Blake Belladonna, that meant that a call to the file processing team was well within her power as the heiress to the White Fang Corporation.
Yet when the time came and she was helpfully brought to one of those seats secluded near the back of the room provided to her by the staff, Blake found her fingers trembling as the call was in process. Getting the files should be easy, so why was she so nervous?
She didn't get the time to figure it out as a face appeared on the screen. A man's face she didn't recognize but still wore the trademark over-polite smile of someone who works for the richest company in the world greeted her with a tone so artificial it could be mistaken for plastic. Blake rode through it with one of her own. There were few things her father taught her that truly stuck for good, and that was how to be a fake.
"Hello, Miss Belladonna, what can I have the pleasure of doing for you today?" The staff member asked.
"I'd like access to any files regarding past robberies of official WFC assets." Blake recited in a practiced tone.
"Is that so…? Forgive me, Miss Belladonna, but I do not know if you have-"
"I am very aware that I do," Blake said, cutting him off. Another thing her father taught her was to always remain in charge of a conversation if there was something she wanted. "For I am the heiress to the WFC. Now, are you going to give me what I want or am I going to have to call up my father and tell him why I am being made to wait so long?"
"I-If I could just get a reason to put down…"
Check and mate. Blake smiled internally.
"It is for official huntress business. A training procedure, you could call it, for my teammates and I. This information will not leave my mind once I have it in my knowledge. In fact, I am not even intending to request for a physical copy of these files." She had a good memory that she trusted, so she didn't have to worry about forgetting. This was for Weiss, she couldn't forget something like this.
"Very well…" She felt bad for how relieved the man looked now that he felt as though he was out of trouble. Though she was nowhere nearly as bad as her father would have been, she was sure he could survive. "I will forward you the files regarding robberies, pending and processed both, to your personal scroll. Is that okay?"
"That is fine, yes."
"Fantastic, I will be sending it to you now. Alas, there is one more thing," Right when Blake was starting to feel relieved, the man continued. "I have received a request from your mother Kali to speak with you. With the files you want to be sent to your scroll, I will patch you through now."
"W-wait!" It was too late. Blake came face to face with another woman with the same eyes and face as she did, but with slightly darker skin and shorter hair. She didn't know what to say or do, even when her mother greeted her politely.
"Daughter, darling" Kali Belladonna slurred. "I haven't spoken to you in months. Mind explaining why I notice that you are at the CCT making a business call without even saying hello to your dear mother?"
Blake instantly hung up and ran back to the elevator.
Ruby sat in the driver seat of her car, pushing the button to transform the vehicle into a convertible. Weiss stood off at the side with her arms crossed and her features unimpressed. Ruby looked at her, keeping that same grin on her face and only widening it further as she pushed the button again, letting the convertible transform itself into a normal car again. When Weiss still didn't get inside the car, Ruby pushed the button one last time. Leaning back and sighing dreamily as Weiss rolled her eyes.
"So," The red hooded girl traced a finger around the steering wheel. "You going to get in or not?"
"I don't know why you're trying to impress me," Weiss said instead. "I already knew that you had a car. You only tell everyone you meet about it, including me, every afternoon."
"Ah, c'mon Weiss, but it's also a convertible!" Ruby exclaimed, giggling like the teenage girl she was as she bounced in her seat.
"How did you even get the money to pay for something like this?" Weiss asked, leaning forward and touching the car. It was in fact real, and it must have been very expensive. She's never experienced such money for herself - well, that would be a lie considering who her parents were. But she has never had that much money before. Her parents made a point not to spoil her while she was growing up in the Blue Revolt. It was to toughen her up, they said. Well, it did work and she held no bad feelings for them. But getting back on topic, Ruby wasn't exactly someone in her mind who'd be able to scrounge up this much money through work while also training to become a huntress at the same time.
"It used to be my birth mom's car," Ruby replied with a shrug.
"Birth mom…?"
"Oh, did you think me and Yang were full-blooded sisters?" Ruby asked, chuckling to show that she meant nothing by it. Weiss raised an eyebrow, opening the passenger side door and sitting in her seat.
"Explain, if you don't mind." Weiss politely requested.
"Sure, Raven Branwen is my mom, but she didn't give birth to me. She gave birth to Yang though. Before that, my dad was married to a different woman. My bio-mom," Ruby explained. "Raven's technically my stepmom, but she's taken care of me ever since my father died on a mission and Summer Rose - bio-mom - went missing out of nowhere not too long after I was born. This car is literally the only thing that she left for me."
"Oh… I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't worry about it," Ruby laughed, patting Weiss on the shoulder to emphasize that she was fine. "This happened a long time ago, I cried enough tears thinking about her. I still have her surname Rose as well, so in a way she's still with me."
"Well, that explains some things," Weiss said with a nod. "I always did wonder why you and Yang looked so different, but I never wanted to be rude and asked."
"Trust me, you're one of the ones who's been the most polite about it." Ruby said as she started the car. The engine roared like it wasn't older than Ruby herself. Weiss felt the vibrations through the vehicle, and it startled her somewhat, but she couldn't lie. She was a little impressed with the functionality of this vehicle. "What about you? We've got a few minutes before we get to where I need to go and where we split up, any big story you've got about your parents?"
"My parents were the leaders of the Blue Revolt." Weiss pointed out.
"Yeah, but I'm sure they weren't always the leaders," Ruby remarked.
"They were, for a long time." Weiss said. "I hardly remember a time when they weren't. Ever since what happened to our old home village and to my brother when I was still at a very young age, they've been the same. Not cruel or bad by any means," she eagerly pointed out. "My parents were great, they still are. But they had a major flaw. They encouraged my sister and I to join the revolt, and we did. But… sorry, this is difficult to talk about."
"No, no, it's okay. I remember what you told us about your sister the first time." Ruby said. "I think I can piece it together. Your parents were a little too supportive, so that led your sister down her path and you down yours. Damn… it must have sparked a lot of resentment when they stepped down all of a sudden."
"It wasn't like they had much choice in the decision… the Revolt was losing under their leadership," Weiss explained. "But there was a man who never lost a battle, who was somehow able to win battle after battle through great sacrifice. But he was different, he fought with his men, and lost an arm fighting for them and yet continued to give orders and demanded that they don't fail just because he was injured. His name is James Ironwood, and through a near-unanimous decision, he usurped the position my family once had."
"Huh, Watts didn't teach us that in his class," Ruby pointed out.
"Not many historians know the full truth. I doubt even I do, even though I was there." Weiss said. "Are we nearly there?"
Ruby allowed the sudden change of topic. "Yeah, just another few blocks or so. We'll be there in another minute or so."
Another minute or so passed and they did make it. Ruby knew the city well, it seemed. Weiss exited the car when they parked on the side of the road and listened as Ruby took out the keys and closed up the convertible part of her car and locked it with a beeper. The club that Ruby mentioned before where this strange information broker supposedly resides is literally just called The Club. Which Weiss thought was just lazy. Thankfully, she didn't have to go inside the place, that was Ruby's job as apparently, these Malachite sisters distrusted strangers even more than they distrusted Ruby. She didn't know how Ruby got herself involved with these kinds of people but right now she didn't care much at all, as long as it was for the purpose of stopping the revolt from hurting any more innocent people.
"This is where we split up," Ruby sighed. "You sure you want to do it on your own? I could join you once I'm done here. It's just a recruitment rally, right?"
"Recruitment rallies have rules and regulations that are handed to each person and they are expected to remember them by heart. Not to mention there's a background check. If someone were to search up your name they'd find out that you are attending Beacon and are my partner." Weiss explained. "Whereas I already have a fake name and a wig to cover my hair so there's no panicking or confusion. Trust me, I've planned this out thoroughly already."
"Okay, okay, don't need to get all Wattsy on me already. Sheesh, you really took his lessons to heart." Ruby said. "Alright, you go do your thing and I do mine. Remember, if there are any emergencies-"
"I'll give you all the signal to come to help me." Weiss finished for her. "I remember the plan."
"Good." Ruby looked up at the sky. "Let's try to get this done on all sides before the sun goes down. I have this new video game I've been itching to play and Saturday only comes every six days."
"You'll survive, I'd wager." Weiss snorted.
"I'm just surprised that we were able to keep our other friends out of this so far," Ruby said. "I mean, its not like me or Yang are the best at being quiet."
"You said it, not me." Weiss remarked.
"Yeah, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad we're able to keep this within our team. We wouldn't want to get anyone else involved, right?"
"Right…" Weiss looked suspiciously at Ruby. "Why do you sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than anything else?"
"Penny and Ciel are talking to the bouncer." Ruby pointed out. "Aaannd now they're waving at us."
Weiss sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Of course they are…"
Yang chased after the blonde monkey faunus all the way down the road and into the city. She wasn't going to let him make her lose sight of him. She had questions that needed to be answered! Sun clearly wanted to move faster, and Yang knew that he definitely could, so what gives? If he really wanted to get rid of her, he would have done so already!
"Sun!" Yang shouted out, stomping her foot as she exclaimed. "You owe me an explanation! I thought we were friends!"
"W-We are friends!" Sun shouted back.
"Oh yeah? Then why'd you try to avoid me just now!?"
"B-Because!" Sun replied. "I don't know you!"
"Like hell, you don't! You're the one who approached me and my friends! You were shirtless, you said hi, and then we adopted you!"
"I remember it all clearly!"
"Then why are you running? Why are you running!?"
"Urgh!" Sun felt the paradoxical thoughts within his own mind and he short-circuited. Stopping all of a sudden and feeling Yang crash into his back. She bounced off and fell to the ground, but was quickly helped up. She was about to say something, but Sun grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her off the ground. Since she was still so much shorter than him, her legs dangled helplessly beneath her even as she kept moving them as if she was still running.
"Sun!?" Yang cried, embarrassed all of a sudden. "What are you doing?"
"Alleyway! Private conversing time!" Sun exclaimed as he carried Yang and sprinted into the adjacent alleyway. They moved so quickly Yang felt as though she was experiencing the same kind of whiplash she felt with her sister when she used her semblance while holding onto her. When they came to a sudden stop, Yang whipped back, and it was only due to her aura that she was able to stay in one piece and uninjured. Sun let her feet hit the ground, and Yang instantly felt dizzy. However, she did not lose sight of her goal.
"Where… did you go… the other day?" Yang slurred as her dizziness slowly faded away. "I… ugh… you disappeared all of a sudden! You didn't even send me a text, I was worried about you!"
"I'm sorry I caused you distress, but don't worry!" Sun gestured to himself, and then to his abs. "I'm completely okay! My abs are fine as well. I just went to my partner and he took me to go see my mother. I know it was sudden, and I can tell you did not appreciate my secrecy, but really," Sun's face suddenly looked sad. "It is better that you no longer call me friend. I don't want you to get into any trouble."
"Eh? What are you talking about?" Yang asked. "What trouble? You're just Sun, why would I get in trouble for just being your friend?"
"Because I am not human!" Sun suddenly exclaimed.
"Eh?" Yang looked confused. "I know you're not a human, you're a faunus. Ooooh, is this one of those things that Blake told me about before?" She asked. "Like, because you're a faunus and I'm a human, you're better than me and we're not supposed to be friends?"
"I… um…" Sun struggled to find a way to tell the truth without telling the truth. "Yes?" He burped. "I-I mean… look, it's not like that. I'm… different. I can't tell you why, because then I'd get in huge trouble, but I don't want to get you in trouble as well. Because I like you, Friend Yang."
"Awe," Yang patted the back of her head. "I like you too, Sun."
"And that is why as much as I enjoy being in your company, I don't want to risk you getting in trouble. I have an aunt too, who really likes to keep an eye on me. She arrived in Vale not too long ago as well. If she finds out that I've been talking to too many people that she doesn't approve? Let's just say that she'd tear me apart."
"Nope." Yang simply replied.
"Nope?" Sun echoed.
"Nope." Yang nodded. "You're my friend, and nothing's going to change that. You helped save Weiss and Penny and you beat all the bad guys before anyone could get seriously hurt. So you're not only my friend, but you're a friend that I owe. So I am not letting you go until I return that favor."
"But… I just told you…"
"Nope!" Yang booped Sun on the nose. "You're not escaping from this friendship mister. No, if's, and's, or crazy moms and aunts."
"Are… are you sure?" Sun asked nervously. "My mom's men are looking for me right now… and I have a beacon in my head- I mean, my scroll," Sun corrected, burping lightly as a result. "So they are practically right around the corner right now."
"Wait, your mom sends men after you?"
"To collect me, yes. Nothing too serious." Sun said as he lifted Yang up from under her armpits. "I am going to throw you in that metal trash can. But don't worry, there is no trash in there. I already checked."
"Yeah, sure- Wait what!?"
Sun stuffed Yang in the trash can and slammed the lid back on so hard that it bent the trash can in such a way that it would make it extremely difficult for Yang to push herself out without destroying the trash can itself. If that wasn't enough, whatever light was able to squeeze through the cracks was smothered by a dirty blanket. Yang held her breath, there may not have been any trash in there, but it still smelled terrible! Ugh, and this happened right after she said that she owed Sun a favor. Was this what he meant by favor!? She didn't know, but she'd play along for now. She heard the men Sun was talking about before make their way into the alley and start questioning him. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but she knew that Sun was trying to deflect the topic on what he has been doing for the past several minutes, and then explain why he decided to go on a run now of all times when the city was at its busiest rush hour. Yang was content with waiting, especially when she heard that they were about to leave.
Then something trickled down in front of her face. It wasn't trash or liquid disgustingness, but it was small and black and had eight legs. She didn't know what it was and didn't want to panic at first sight, but when she leaned in and saw eight little eyes staring back at her, she didn't like what she saw.
The trash can exploded open and she rolled around in the dirty blanket that Sun threw over the garbage can. The soldier Sun was talking to looked at her and screamed at her to stop, but Yang couldn't. The spider was on her face now, and it was not happy either. She could feel it trying to nibble through her aura, and that made her panic right alongside it. She sprinted off in a random direction, ignoring even Sun when he called to her. Yang couldn't, and she also couldn't stand that stupid blanket anymore! She tore it off her body and the spider with it, letting out a sigh of relief when she was able to slap off the spider from her face before it could get any scarier. She hadn't realized that she was in the middle of the road when she did, but she did notice the giant truck honking its horn and slamming on its brake as he barreled toward her at fifty miles an hour.
Yang scrunched her eyes shut and screamed, activating her semblance desperately with what little power she had in reserves. A bright yellow light flashed through her eyelids, causing her to flinch. However, she didn't feel like she was run over but an eighteen-wheeler. When her eyes opened once more, she saw Sun with three of his clones in front of the truck, all with their hands on it with Sun himself all the way in the front with his body pressed up against the giant machine. Sun let out a sigh of relief, and deactivated his semblance and turned back to her with his usual grin.
"Hey Friend Yang, are you okay?" Sun asked, not realizing that the skin on his hands and abs were peeled back, revealing a metallic body.
And there we go. Tried to make this even more different than the original episode with some extra dialogue and a slightly different take on some things. Hopefully, it worked out well enough for this to not be a glorified rewrite.