Vengeance Is My Name
Chapter Sixteen
"Mark my words, Ruby, this will not end well." Winter spoke gravely as she tightened the straps on Ruby's travel pack.
"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked lightly, bending over at the waist in front of Winter to snug up her knee high boots.
Winter sighed in frustration, turning and looking away.
"I just... have a feeling." Winter muttered.
"Mhmm."
Against her will, Winter glanced down at Ruby from the corner of her eye.
The tall, thin warrior was bent over playing with the straps of her boots, and damn it all if that enticing, perfectly shaped ass wasn't swaying side to side teasingly, inviting her to come closer and push up against it, her hands on Ruby's hips as she-
Winter let loose a growl of annoyance, turning away and kicking annoyedly at a rock. She made satisfying contact with it, sending it skittering across the dirt.
"Something bothering you?" Ruby asked, straightening up as she brushed her messy hair out of her face.
Winter didn't bother with a reply, using the height of her heels and her straight posture to levy that whole inch of height she had over the younger girl. Glaring down at Ruby as best she could, she was a bit annoyed to find that her glare was having little effect, as usual.
Ruby grinned up at her, perfect rows of white teeth gleaming proudly in the morning sun.
"Your scary face doesn't work on me!" Ruby indicated herself with a thumb to her chest, her childish demeanor shining through her decidedly adult facade.
Winter reached out with one hand and clasped Ruby on the shoulder, making the girl stop and look at her for a moment.
"I want you to be careful." Winter said somberly.
Ruby stared at her curiously, silver eyes flitting back and forth between twin orbs of sapphire blue.
"I'm always careful." Ruby replied.
Winter groaned despite herself. "Then I want you to be extra careful, because it's scary to think that you're always careful."
"Hey!"
Winter ignored her.
"I'm serious, Ruby. I can't go with you, and you have no idea how much that irritates me."
"Then tell your stuffy father that you're gonna miss the meeting in favor of doing super awesome exploring with your friends." Ruby offered.
"I cannot."
"Why?" Ruby tilted her head to the side ever so cutely, baring her slender, graceful neck to Winter's hungry gaze.
"Be... because." Winter caught herself. "Because I'm not twelve, and I'm not going on 'super awesome exploring with my friends.'"
"Well, you totally should." Ruby muttered.
Winter didn't bother responding as she hefted the pack off the ground, heaving it over onto the back of the horse that stood patiently by, waiting for his rider.
"Just try to hurry back." Winter said, agitatedly. "Your people need you."
I need you. Winter thought silently.
She was not looking forward to being without her Rose Commander for however many days this took.
And, she thought, this was all Qrow's damn fault. When that stuffy bastard got back from this wild goose chase, she was gonna treat him to so many 'celebration drinks' that he was going to die from alcohol poisoning.
Ruby moved over to the side of her horse and effortlessly swung herself up onto the horse's back, despite the lack of saddle. Brushing her long, unbound hair back out of her face, she grinned down at Winter.
"Don't look so sour." Ruby said. "You probably won't even notice I'm gone. Try to enjoy yourself; I'll have lots of work for you when I get back."
Winter nodded stiffly.
"Of course."
Ruby smiled. "Good."
"Is there anything else?" Winter asked, dreading the imminent departure of the girl she'd been side by side with for close to two years now.
Ruby shrugged, suddenly losing her jovial attitude as she glanced around herself with uncertainty.
"There... there is one more thing." Ruby said quietly.
"What?" Winter stepped closer, placing her hand on Ruby's thigh as she leaned in to better hear the girl.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you." Winter said.
Ruby glanced around herself once more, shoulders rising as she inhaled deeply. Seemingly satisfied, she reached down and grabbed the front of Winter's immaculate shirt, wrinkling it instantly in her tight grasp.
Before Winter could protest, however, Ruby leaned down and kissed Winter on the mouth, forcibly pressing their lips together.
Winter got over the initial shock as swiftly as it had appeared, however it wasn't quick enough, as she made to reciprocate the kiss, Ruby pulled away, straightening up and rubbing the back of her neck embarrassedly.
"Sooo... I've kinda wanted to do that for a long time, and... yeah. It seemed like a good idea... "
Winter stared up at her dumbstruck, unsure of what to say or do.
Ruby must have misinterpreted her response however, for she winced, hissing softly between her teeth.
"Sorry... I'm gonna go now."
Winter reached out to stop her, to say... anything, really, but Ruby had already dug her heels into the sides of her mount, spurring the horse into immediate action.
Winter stood there silently, touching her lips as she watched Ruby ride away.
Despite wanting one last look at Ruby's face, the girl never once looked back.
It was nightfall when the tired mix of hunted and hunters stumbled into town, backtracking further and futher away from Citadel where Weiss was being held.
Adding to Blake's dismay, was the realization that Yang was actively ignoring her.
'I suppose it's fair that she's mad at me.' Blake thought, shame filling her for the umpteenth time at the memory of her earlier behaviour.
Broken and defeated, she'd given up. Death was a welcome thought compared to trying to carry on in the face of such rampant adversity, and in that despairing moment, she truly didn't care whether she lived or she died.
Yang, however, had obviously cared. Whether screaming in protest, or screaming in pain, Blake could only suspect which one were the case, Yang had hauled herself upright, cradling her hand and clutching her shoulder as she threw her body over Blake's.
Yang had dared Pyrrha to strike them both down. Yang had loudly declared her own life worthless and forfeit if anything happened to Blake, and whether she meant it or she were simply posturing, Blake refused to take that risk.
Involving the cheery blonde in any of this was the last thing Blake wanted to do, but the girl seemed to always find a way to finagle her way in to business she had no part of.
Unwilling to risk Yang's life for her own foolish whims, she had swiftly retracted her statement. After a bit of back and forth, Yang had somehow made them promise on whatever honor they possessed that they wouldn't harm Blake. They'd agreed, and only then did Yang roll off Blake to land painfully in the dirt, grunting with exertion as her heavy, labored breathing did little to mask how much pain she was in.
Blake felt like absolute shit.
Nothing was going right for her. In fact, absolutely nothing had gone right for her.
It was overwhelmingly depressing, and each day brought forth a new set of problems that seemed to grab her by the ankles, weighing her down and pulling her deeper into the quagmire that was her current situation.
As much as Blake wished Yang had no part in any of it, Blake owed her life to the girl, and was incredibly grateful for it. Despite the deeply rooted desire to just be killed so all of her suffering and heartache would finally come to an end, there was a small part of her that shied away from it all, knowing that Yang would be hurt by it.
Somehow, the thought of Yang hurting in any way made her incredibly uncomfortable. She wasn't really sure what to make of those thoughts yet, so she tabled them in favor of thinking through her current situation.
"I said I was sorry." Blake murmured, staring at Yang's back as the blonde walked ahead of her. Blake's wrists were currently restrained, a leather strap bounding them tightly in front of her.
In front of her, Yang sported similar restraints.
Yang, once again, ignored her. The thought that the talkative, easily riled up blonde could stay so silent for so long really drove home just how upset Yang was.
And Blake was the root of all that discord.
Blake's gaze fell to Yang's left side, which was entirely covered in dried blood. Her left shoulder was messily bandaged with no attempt at sterilization or cleaning, and Blake was worried that infection would soon come to claim her arm.
"Here. Here's your room."
Blake and Yang were made to pause as they stopped in front of a door. They'd been lead to a Rose Army outpost in the middle of town, and now were being shown to what Blake could only assume was a holding cell disguised as a room.
"How do you know we won't try to escape?" Yang spoke for the first time in hours, and her words were directed at Pyrrha, completely ignoring Blake.
Pyrrha shrugged. "Try, if you must. Just know that the offer to join the Rose Army and make something of your life is only offered once. Right now we are giving you the benefit of the doubt. You've sworn your life in servitude of the Rose Army. If you feel you must try to run, do so knowing we will stop at nothing to hunt you down and kill you. We will eliminate every trace of your existence from this world, as well as any ties you claim you had to the honorable army of Ruby Rose."
Pyrrha's face was devoid of emotion as she recited a speech she must have given at least a hundred times, but Blake had a feeling it hadn't lost an ounce of sincerity from the first time she'd spoken those words, until now.
The man that had captured Blake - Mercury, they'd learned he was called - stepped forward and undid the strapping that held them immobile. As Blake rubbed at her raw wrists, she was sure that Yang would have done the same, if she could move her left arm.
As if reading her thoughts, Pyrrha reached into a small bag.
"Use this. Both of you." She held out a small box that Blake figured contained first aid equipment, and she took it gratefully, risking a glance at Yang.
Yang steadfastly refused to look at her, rending the gulf in Blake's heart ever deeper.
"Thank you." Blake's voice was quieter and weaker than she intended it to be.
Pyrrha glanced between Blake and Yang.
"We aren't your owners. We freely serve the Rose Army because we believe that we serve the best, unbiased fighting force in the world, with the kindest, most understanding leader. Like I said, either you commit to becoming the best version of yourself you can be, or you run. We won't pass judgement, only a blade. Whatever you choose, do what you have to do to be true to yourselves." Pyrrha looked to each of them, expecting a response, and Yang nodded once. Blake copied her quickly.
"We'll have someone bring you your possessions in a bit."
With that, Pyrrha and Mercury turned around, walking away.
Blake glanced up at Yang, who ignored her in favor of pushing the door to their room open, stepping inside.
Blake followed meekly, unsure of what to think of this new, much quieter Yang.
"This... isn't as bad as I imagined, as far as accomodations go." Blake spoke softly. She was met with silence as Yang moved over toward one of the two beds in the room, throwing herself onto the bed face down. When she didn't move or speak, Blake sighed quietly and sat upon the other empty bed. Pulling herself up to the headboard, she leaned against it and crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap.
Never before in the short time she'd known Yang had the girl ever been so quiet before. It was unnerving in a way she couldn't explain, Blake thought. Yang was so lively, so outspoken and energetic, it seemed there was nothing that could get her down.
Except me. Blake thought miserably. Blake risked a glance at Yang, examining the girl closely as an odd thought occurred to her.
Now that they were in a room with two available beds, there would be no point in sharing one. The idea that they had no reason to share a bed anymore struck Blake with an unexpected amount of disquiet. The thought picked at her brain, an incessant itch that magnified the suddent gulf that had opened up between them. Yang was in another bed, feet away, which might as well have been a whole other world away.
She had to wonder why that bothered her so much.
Her heart still held nothing but love and yearning for Weiss, so why did it feel like Yang was slowly worming her way into her thoughts and affections?
Blake pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them tightly as she rested her forehead on her knees. She drew a shuddery breath that did nothing to calm the panic welling up inside her.
What would happen when she got Weiss back? If she got Weiss back? Where would Yang go, what would she do?
Blake swallowed thickly, the panic that stirred in her chest slowly morphing into a hurricane of worry and anxiety.
... Would she ever see Yang again?
The thought of Yang disappearing from her life forever sent a wave of trepidation roaring through her, weighing her down and deadening her senses.
She didn't know why, and she didn't know how, but the thought of life without Yang by her side was terrifying, and she was struggling to come to terms with what that might mean for her and Weiss.
She sniffled, trying her best to hold back tears, but it was impossible. Inevitably they fell, dampening her cheeks and staining her clothes dark with wetness.
"Are you crying?"
Yang finally broke her silence, and Blake's breath caught in her throat.
"No." She whispered.
She heard Yang's bed shift, a hiss of pain and a muted curse before her own bed dipped. A second later and Yang's arm was around her, her warm body pressed against Blake's right side.
"Doesn't sound like you aren't." Yang challenged.
Blake shook her head, unable to speak.
"What's wrong?" Yang asked, her voice much more gentle this time. "Besides everything obvious, " She added.
Blake was silent for a moment as she tried her level best to organize her chaotic thoughts into some sort of coherent order. It was nigh on impossible, partly because her thoughts were so numerous, so jumbled, and partly because the feeling of Yang pressed up against her was hugely distracting.
"So many things." She eventually choked out, keeping her head pressed to her knees so she didn't have to look at Yang.
Yang clucked her tongue quietly.
"Tell me about your childhood."
"What?" Blake almost whipped her head up to glare at Yang, but she found she simply didn't possess the energy.
"Tell me about your childhood, when you were younger." Yang repeated, gently rubbing Blake's shoulder.
"Why?"
Blake felt Yang shrug against her.
"I'm interested."
"It's not a happy story, Yang."
Yang paused a moment.
"You don't want to talk about it?" She asked softly.
It was Blake's turn to shrug.
"No one ever wanted to listen."
Yang chuckled quietly. "I told you already, I'm here for you. I'll listen."
Blake ignored the warmth that spread through her body at that sentiment, crushing it down before it could swell into something dangerous.
"No one is ever here for me forever." Blake spoke bitterly. "Not even my own parents."
Yang made a questioning sound in the back of her throat.
"You very briefly mentioned your parents when I first met you." Yang's tone was gentle, cautious, as she broached the subject. "Did they pass away?"
Blake shrugged. "Who knows." She murmured. "Who cares?" She whispered, her voice breaking.
Yang was at a loss for words. It was obvious the subject was more sensitive than she had imagined.
"Blake... I... "
"The only memories I have of my parents are not fond ones." Blake filled the silence with her meek voice.
"I don't remember much, but I do remember my parents arguing. They argued lots. About me. I don't know why. All I know is that one night, my mother picked me up, carried me out into the dead of night, and left me on the step of someone's house. She knocked on the door, gave me one last look, and disappeared into the night. I was four years old."
Yang opened her mouth to speak, but found she didn't have anything to say.
"Blake- "
"I was four goddamn years old!" Blake yelled, slamming her hand into the bed, her anger growing at how ineffective it was in showing her rage.
"Four, Yang! Do you know what that feels like, to have your own mother abandon you?"
Yang shook her head. "I... I don't... "
"The last thing I remember is the look in her vivid, golden eyes. She looked so happy to be rid of me."
"I'm sorry."
"I hope she burns in hell." Blake whispered vehemently. Raising her head, she turned to look at Yang, vision blurred with tears.
Yang's lilac eyes widened, and she regarded Blake with an indescribable expression on her face.
"I don't really know what to say." Yang spoke honestly, sighing.
Blake shrugged, reaching up to wipe her cheeks with the back of her hand.
"There's nothing to say. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have parents. Whether they're dead or alive, who gives a fuck. I don't."
"So you don't think of them at all?"
Blake looked up at her, narrowing her eyes. "Why the hell would I?"
Yang hummed quietly. "I don't know."
Blake scoffed, and returned to staring at her knees.
"What was all that about earlier today?" Yang asked.
Blake frowned. "What's with the twenty questions?"
Yang grinned weakly. "You're always so quiet. You hold everything inside and I never know what you're thinking. It can't be healthy to hold everything in all the time. Everyone needs someone to talk to, ya know?"
Blake's frown deepened to a scowl. It had no effect on the blonde.
"Is that why you never shut up?"
Yang nodded, unphased by the gentle ribbing.
"Of course!" She spoke, sounding a bit more proud of that than she should. "Anyway, I was curious about what happened; you never really had a chance to explain."
Blake stared at her knees, mind cranking through the details of her plan, wondering where she had went so wrong.
"The morning I left you; I had a plan. I did it the way I did for a few reasons. It was obvious we were being followed. I didn't know the extent of the monitoring. I couldn't discuss my plan with you, with the risk that I could be overheard. So I wrote a note, and left under the cover of darkness. Your reaction had to be genuine. I needed you to be pissed off, and out for blood. It was a bit of a risk being so on the nose with the note; telling you where I was going was just begging for you to follow me. I wanted to be more discreet, but I wasn't sure you'd get it."
"Are... are you calling me dumb?" Yang asked, her tone rife with disbelief.
Blake snickered. "In a roundabout way." She teased. The small grin that had curled her lip disappeared, and she glared at her knees once again as she continued.
"I made myself a hideout where I could oversee the most obvious routes that left the city to the north, and I waited. Not long after, you stormed by, cursing up a storm. It was actually quite funny watching you."
Yang sighed. "I was so pissed."
"I heard you, by the way."
"Hmm?"
"'If that cut up alley cat thinks she can ditch me, she's got something else coming to her.'" Blake mocked. "I heard that. And every other mean thing you said."
Yang paled slightly, leaning back away from Blake.
"Uhhh... well, to be fair, I was pretty upset."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's what you want to say?"
Yang shrugged in confusion. "What else would I say?"
"You'd say sorry, you ass!"
Yang laughed. "Right. I'm sorry I said mean things after you up and left me without a goodbye, leaving me to think that I'd done something to upset you, or that you didn't want to be friends anymore." She said facetiously.
Blake schooled her face into one devoid of expression, fully aware of how bad she sounded when Yang phrased it like that.
"Thank you."
"So you were following me? What for?"
Blake shook her head, releasing her grip on her knees and allowing herself to relax against Yang's chest, snuggling into her comfortable arms.
"No, I wasn't following you. I was following Pyrrha. She trailed you out of town. I was surprised to see that she was the one stalking us. It didn't make sense that she knew our every move, especially the lead we had on her originally when we left her for dead in the forest."
Yang nodded. "That one surprised me too."
"What I wasn't expecting was for there to be two of them. While Pyrrha was tracking you, and I was tracking her, that Mercury fellow was tracking me."
Blake's hands tightened into fists. "God, I was so fucking stupid." She growled.
"Hey, hey, none of that." Yang gently rubbed Blake's shoulder, pulling Blake a bit tighter to her chest. Blake stiffened for a moment, before allowing herself to be hugged tightly.
"The whole time you were travelling, I was well within earshot of you. Most times, I was within sight of you. So was Pyrrha. All I needed was the right time to strike, but she was relentless. So were you, actually. You barely slept, barely stopped to eat or drink. The only times I was counting on being able to take down Pyrrha was during the night when you stopped to sleep. But you never did. I was exhausted, tracking you and Pyrrha for two days straight, trying to stay silent and undetected while keeping up to your manic pace. It clearly wasn't good enough, because that Mercury fellow followed me easily."
Yang sighed quietly.
"Sorry."
Blake shook her head. "Don't be. In hindsight, I should have known you'd follow me like a lost puppy, stopping at nothing to find me." She teased.
Yang glanced away from Blake, finding something interesting to look at on the far wall.
"Yeah... whatever... "
Blake giggled, and leaned her head back against Yang's shoulder, looking up at Yang.
"It was sweet, though." Blake murmured. "You obviously cared a lot."
Yang nodded. "I do."
Blake closed her eyes, listening to Yang's faint heartbeat. There was a companionable silence that stetched on for a few minutes, before Yang broke it.
"Hey, sorry, I gotta ask- you said you were an orphan, and spent most of your time homeless in the streets of Nova- then you said your mom dropped you off on someone's step?"
Blake bit her bottom lip, eyes still closed. "Turns out, the people who lived in that house did not like my kind."
Yang's face hardened.
"Did they...?"
Blake shook her head. "They weren't unkind; they gave me food, and shelter. Yet, it was obvious that they didn't like me. I didn't understand that I was different back then; I didn't know that demons and half demons were disliked, distrusted. But I knew when I wasn't wanted. So I left."
"You left?"
"I didn't have much, except my pride. Living on the streets by myself was better than living with people who despised my very existence."
"Wow... "
Blake shrugged. "It is what is is, Yang."
Yang was quiet for a moment.
"Blake- " Yang began hesitantly, then stalled.
"Hmm?" Blake coaxed gently.
"Why did you ask Pyrrha to kill you?"
Blake flinched, lifting her head off Yang's shoulder. As Yang silently bemoaned the loss of contact, Blake tried to think of a way to explain herself.
"At that point in time, it just didn't seem worth it. Nothing is going right, and every plan I have blows up spectacularly. I'm no closer to finding Weiss than the day you found me, and every move I make just leads you deeper into trouble that you didn't sign up for." Blake's voice was low, sounding tired and resigned.
"At least if I had died, you would have been freed from following me around and being the victim of my bullheaded stupidity."
Yang ground her teeth together audibly, making Blake wince.
"Don't be so stupid." Yang growled, roughly pulling Blake back to her shoulder and holding her tightly.
"That was the stupidest thing I've ever heard you utter, and I heard you ask for money after saying it was likely you'd die before you could pay it back."
Blake huffed indignantly, but didn't fight Yang's possessive hold on her.
"I don't think that was stupid at all. I think it was admirable of me to be upfront about the odds of the loan being repaid. I had no intention of swindling Sun out of money."
Yang rolled her eyes.
"Don't change the subject. Besides, if you think you can just take the easy way out of this, you're wrong. I made a promise to you, to help you get your girlfriend back. If I have to carry you there myself, I'll damn well do it."
Blake gently nuzzled her cheek against Yang's shoulder.
"I appreciate it. But, why? Why put so much effort into something that isn't your problem?"
Yang shrugged. "What else are friends for?"
Blake pondered that for a moment.
"Is that what we are? Friends?"
Yang shifted uncomfortably.
"Of course. What else would we be?"
Blake was silent for a long while as Yang clung tightly to her.
That was a question she wasn't sure she had an answer for.