Okay, so before this chapter starts I feel like I need to address a few issues people have brought up with the recent chapters.

There've been a few reviews, but most have come in the form of PM which is... I don't know why they want to hid it if they have genuine complains, I'd listen to them either way.

But, this is about how this story is now 'Grimdark'

when I first saw someone use it I just stared for a minute and thought 'huh? You think this is Grimdark?'

well apparently a lot of people did.

I'll be honest and say that I wasn't aware people would think of the last few chapters as that, but it was a surprise all the same. To me, it's not, but if people feel that way I know I'll have to look into it.

And I did. You guys for a part seem pretty upset about it. So really I had two options, ignore it or address it here. Hopefully none of this comes off as me be contrary or ignorant to what you've been saying but I'll give this a go and explain myself as best I can despite that risk I guess.

First off, as I've said, I didn't think this would be seen as Grimdark. to me, this is on the mild spectrum of dark so far, to me none of it's been that bad. maybe that's just because of personal experiences both in what I read, and watch as well as real life experiences but it didn't really register that people would be horrified by this.

maybe shocked a bit, but that was about it.

I'm not going to 'censor' Anything, though maybe that's too hard a word to use. If you don't want to read this story because of that I completely understand of course.

That being said, I'd also like to assure the people who've said they're worried about this story getting 'even darker'. I don't plan on making it darker, at least not intentionally so that's something, but even then, guys.

the darkness has been going on for pretty much only three chapters.

it's the fall of Beacon after a terrorist attack, in a world full of evil shadow monsters attracted by fear, despair and hatred.

It should be dark.

But just so you don't have to worry, you should know it's just the Black moment. it's the part of the sorry where it's at its worst. there might be more of these moments, but they'll be well spread out. I'm not writing this just to torture the characters. I wouldn't spend over a year on this story I that was the case.

I have a rule in cases like this; all the bad stuff that happens to a character, has to eventually be evened out by an equivalent amount of good stuff and vice versa.

So.. if you're looking for fluff, chill and happy moments you get them eventually, when it suits the story.

I don't have much else to say, hopefully I haven't insulted or annoyed many people with this, but I do worry when a number of people all have a problem with it. I want to fix it in most cases but with this one? Well I can't, people just have a different threshold with what they can tolerate.

So if you're okay with this, I guess we should get into the chapter.

One last thing.

It's here early so I can start working on the next one right away, and that one is coming this weekend as a precaution. personal stuff means I don't know if I'll be able to write next week even though I still will try to.

So you get two chapter this week instead of one as a sort of apology for it.

...

Storms.

Blake didn't like storms. They blotted out the sky, shrouding it in darkness. They brought torrential rain that battered down everything they touched. They brought thunder that deafened the Faunus at the best of times and shook her core at their worst.

Storms at seas she found, were far worse.

"Brace!" The captain roared, and Blake did so just in time as a wave crashed into the side of the ship, rocking it dangerously.

The Faunus felt her legs shake as she held herself up. She was tired, exhausted even. The storm had started two days ago and hadn't let up since. In fact it had just gotten worse; with gale force winds, rain so heavy she could barely see in front of her and waves so high they threatened to capsize the ship altogether.

The captain pushed on regardless, unwilling or perhaps unable to urn back at this point. And so Blake was left to hole herself up in one of the Cabins. Except with the constant rocking, she'd emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor, and the smell and been putrid, forcing her onto the deck.

There hadn't been much better. But at least.

"Let me help!" she called up to the Captain above. He was an old man, with hair white as snow and beard to match it. "Fine." He barked. "We lost power to the engines and had to unfurl the mast, get over there and tie it down with the crew!" she nodded and ran down the port side of the ship. She didn't have to go far before she heard the struggled and pained grunts of men and women, and the next she saw them, tugging and pulling at thick, heavy rope.

She ran to them and grabbed on. They gave her room without so much as a question, too busy with trying to keep the ship moving in this weather to care. The woman in front of her was the first mate. She had short brown hair, eyes and skin and a fierce scowl on her face as she held onto the rope tight. Another wave hit the side of the ship, the other crew members lost their grip and the first mate was suddenly dragged forward.

The mast groaned as the first Mate cried out in alarm as she realised what was about to happen. The rope was taut and stretched in too many places, it was about to yank her off her feet from the stain and she'd be through from the ship and to a watery grave.

Blake grabbed hold of the rope before that could happen. The mast protested as the storm rocked it. The Faunus stumbled a few steps before finding her feet and planting them for all she was worth. Her strength as a Huntress was the only thing that kept her standing and even then it was a near thing. Her arms and legs screamed out in agony and her teeth clenched so hard she was afraid they would break.

The First mate was fine though, she managed to catch herself and the next moment she was grasping the rope again.

More hands reached for it as the other crew members scrambled to their feet, and on the other side of the ship the same yells and groans could be heard as the rest of the crew she couldn't see did the same.

"Keep it steady!" the First mate bellowed.

Blake growled. She had thought that was obvious; they needed to keep the sail facing the way it was to get them out of the storm. If it moved any further to the right or left they'd capsize, if they stayed in one place they'd capsize, if they moved too fast they'd capsize, did this woman really think she needed to be told!

She caught herself a second later. No, that wasn't her thoughts. Those were the monsters residing in her. Fortunately, the sound that escaped her throat had been lost to the storm, and Blake continued to pull with everything she had, trying to keep it steady. Rope burned her hands and rain pelted her back. Her hair was soaked, getting in her eyes and her ears were clogged with water. The sea salt was overwhelming and the rocking made her sick.

But she held on for all she was worth. To do anything less was to let the ship sink to the bottom of the sea.

Another wave crashed into the ship, shaking her to her core. There was a cry however when the ship failed to right itself a moment later, and seawater flooded the deck for a moment. The First Mate gasped. "the mainsail!" she cried.

Blake looked up and followed her terrified gaze.

The one she assumed was the mainsail had a tear in it. The wind, or that wave must have been too much for it to hold. Without it they wouldn't be able to move forward. They'd die. "We need to do something!"

"I can." Blake responded, already moving."

The First mate cried out in surprise at the sudden extra force with which the rope pulled her forward. She couldn't reach out and stop Blake as she leapt up, grabbing onto the ratlines and climbing as fast as she could. The wind chose that moment to get stronger, and Blake grit her teeth as it threatened to throw her off the ship.

The Faunus forced herself on, higher and higher as the cyclone raged around her. Higher, higher until she was eye level with the tear. She reached for gambol shroud and fired the blade forward. It shot across the shot, wrapping around and digging into the other side of the beam.

"Here goes nothing." She muttered, holding up the cleaver.

She stabbed at the sail as cleanly as she cloud, forcing the blade through. She did it again from the other side. Then again, and again. Repeating it over and over like some bastardised sowing technique. The ribbon struck taunt and pulled the two halves of the sail together. As fast as she could, she tight it to the ratlines. There was a cheer from down below as the ship managed to right itself. It had wor-

Blake gasped as a blast of wind hit her head on. She lost her grip and was knocked free of the shroud. She was going to fall. She was going to fall into the sea and drown.

Her body moved. More specifically, her left side moved without her permission, snapping out and clutching the rope, dragging her back before she could crash down below.

She fell against the ropes a second later, shaking and panting as she held on for dear life.

Her left side moved on its own, gripping a horizontal piece of rope as her left foot pressed against it. Sit lowered her down the rope and onto the deck once again as her sense suddenly came back to her as she stumbled.

"We're not done yet." The First mate yelled over the storm, standing her up. "Keep holding on!"

She did so without a word, trying to catch her breath.

Blake wasn't sure how long she held on, how long she gripped the rope and ignored the burns, how long she grit her teeth, how long she was drenched, how long the storm raged. It was all lost in a blur as she did her best to keep the ship together with the rest of the crew.

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, but suddenly Blake heard the ships horn sound and gasped as she looked ahead. There was a break in the clouds, sunlight. The storm was letting up!

The men and women cheered as the rain lessened, and the wind weakened.

And then all at once, almost miraculously, they had escaped the storm and were on calm seas once again.

Blake gasped, and fell back. She sat on the ground, back against the wall and uncaring of the soaking wood below. All she wanted to do was catch her breath.

A hand fell on her shoulder and she looked up to see the first mate grinning down at her tiredly.

"Well that was definitely something. I don't think we could have done that without you. I guess we were lucky."

There was a call from the other crewmembers as they began to lower the main sails properly, and one of them came over to them with Gambol Shroud. He gave it to Blake gently, bowing to her and saying his thanks before hurrying back to the others to help.

"Well then." The human woman said. "Guess that explains it. You're a Huntress then?"

"I…" she said between breaths. "I'm a Huntress-in-training."

"Well that's more than any of us. Come one. I need to talk with the captain. You should come with me Huntress-in-training." Blake let out a reluctant sigh, but got to her feet all the same and followed.

The climbed the steps and entered the captain's little room. The man from before was there, hands on the wheel. He saw his first mate and nodded, then he saw Blake, and his eyes glinted with something she couldn't recognise.

"What's it like out there Alisson?"

"We managed captain." the woman reported. "It was bad there for a second, and we're going to need a new set of sails when we dock. I almost ended up at the depths myself though, if it wasn't for this one I'd been dead."

"Really now?" the Captain hummed, turning to take Blake in fully.

"She says she's a Huntress-in-training captain."

"Oh yeah? That's certainly an interesting story. Would you mind telling me which school you're from exactly?"

Blake met his eyes. "Beacon."

It was all she said.

It was enough, judging by how both humans grimaced. "Ah." He said. "bad business what happened at Beacon. Lots of people running from their homes. If you trained there you were probably right in the centre of it all. I… Sorry about that."

"it's fine." She told him. Though judging from her clipped tone she didn't really mean it.

The Captain hesitated "Although," he said. "I do have a few questions still, about that."

Blake flinched back. His eyes trailed up and down her left side, to her torn white coat, with holes and gashed all along it. The sleeve was ripped, evening her Grimm-like arm, and her collar was missing on one side. The side that covered her darkened neck and face. The branching marks had receded since Beacon, just a little, just so they reached under her eye. She wasn't sure what that meant, but what she did know, was that it made her far more conspicuous. "It's not my business though" he told her, pulling back. "All I need to know is that you saved my first mate and kept this ship from sinking. We're in your debt."

"I… It's nothing. It's not like I could let the ship sink with me one it."

"All the same thank you, the rest of the passengers are still below deck shivering. If you want I can tell them you helped."

Blake shook her head. "No thank you. It would be better if people didn't know I was here."

"Oh?" the captain chuckled. "There's a story there, I can tell."

She shrugged, turning to leave. "I sure everyone has a story. Mines not that exciting."

The door closed behind her as she stepped outside into the gentle breeze. The captain watched her go.

"I wonder about that."

…

…

The moons broken pieces cast light onto the surface of the ocean. It sparkled in a night that would have otherwise been dark.

Blake let out a long breath, leaning against the railings of the ship. It was calm now, the crewmembers were resting below, and the other passengers were fast asleep. It was just her up on the deck.

It was quiet, relaxing, peaceful.

Her hand fell to her left arm as it twitched.

She took another breath. Breathing exercises.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

Her ears fluttered atop her head as she closed her eyes, focusing on her control.

The twitching subsided after a minute and she opened her eyes, glaring down at her ar. Even looking at it now disgusted her.

And it had gotten worse.

Her fingers hand shortened slightly, matching the length of her actual hand now, but her nails had gotten sharper, like claws, monstrous talons that ended up cutting her clothes every time she so much as touched them with it.

And it had started leaking.

Whereas before it had been a mist emanating no more than a hairs breath from her limb, it was a thick, dark miasma now; smoke and fog black as grim leaked from her arm and into the sea, dissipating as it touched the water.

It sent shiver's up her spine every time she looked at it, and it was even worse when she came in contact with people who saw it.

Get out of Vale had been almost impossible, between Faunus being blamed for what the White Fang did at Beacon, to Faunus recognising her face and…

And her tenuous control on her own actions.

Earlier had been a stroke of pure luck. Her- this arm had saved her, but it usually acted out when she got to close to other people. It was violent.

She sighed. What was she even planning on doing? She'd be jumping from one problem to another when she got to-

"You know," a gruff voice called, making her jump. "You say you don't have an interesting story, and then you go and act mysterious like this at night."

Blake scowled. "I don't know how it's any of your business even if I did have a story to tell. Do you bother all your passengers like this?"

"No," the captain admitted, leaning on the railings beside her. "But I get bored you see, out on the open water like this means I have to entertain myself with the people on board, and I find that people who travel alone usually have the most interesting stories."

"Can't it just be that they like to travel alone?"

"Maybe, but that's unlikely right now, considering where this ship left from, and I have a feeling about you, being a huntress and all that."

"Huntress-in-training." She mumbled. He was right, even if she didn't want him to be. She had a story. It wasn't one she wasn't to tell though.

"You don't have to say anything." He told her suddenly, maybe sensing her troubled thoughts. "I'm a ship's captain, not a therapist, but I do think that talking about these things with people can help… you have my word I won't tell anyone, after what you did."

He got no answer, and so looked over the ocean instead, content to rest there, in the peace.

And then…

"I'm going home." She said. The Faunus didn't look as the captain turned to her, lest she lose her nerve. "Menagerie is where I grew up so… I'm going home." She was talking now, and she kept talking. "I left after fighting with my parents and I haven't seen them in years and, and I'm running. I'm running from people trying to hurt me and-and people I hurt and I…" she trailed off, the desire to speak fleeing from her as fast as it had appeared.

The captain hummed. "Well that definitely sounds like something. Not much in the way of details but I can tell storytelling isn't your forte." He peered at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm still curious though, about that arm that moves on its own."

Blake stiffened.

The man blinked at the sudden chill that swept over his body.

"I-"

"That's noneof your business." Blake snarled dangerously. The captain backpedalled, his survival instincts screaming at him to run. The girl realised what she'd done a second later and flinched back, shrinking in on herself and looking away.

The human stared. "More and more interesting."

"I-I-" she stuttered.

"Well that's my fault I think." He said suddenly, laughing heartily as if he hadn't just felt threatened for his life. "Don't worry about it. I know when I've stepped onto sensitive issues." He tipped his cap. "We should be arriving in Menagerie soon enough, sometime tomorrow thanks to that storm… goodnight miss."

With his piece said the captain left Blake alone, and as he left her sight she cursed herself. She shouldn't have reacted like that! She shouldn't have snapped like that!

She was acting like an animal for gods sake. Wa she really that wrong in the head?

Of course she was, Adam had said so.

Blake's good hand gripped her head as she felt a migraine come on. Every time she thought back to that moment her head felt like it was about to be split in two. She barely remembered anything from it that wasn't pain. Her head was like a fog, obscuring the most important details so that all she was left with was the horror.

Adam trying to kill her, Yang appearing and then that woman in red.

And then trying to kill Yang.

Her head fell into her hands. Gods, she was a monster. She'd hurt Yang, she knew she had.

At least she was gone now, out of the girl's life. Blake couldn't hurt Yang if they never saw each other again.

It was the best choice, the smartest option. She'd be out of the way, and maybe… maybe she'd be able to make sure she couldn't hurt someone like she did Yang again.

For that to happen though, Blake knew she had to go home.

To menagerie.

Her parents.

It… had been a while since she'd seen them, talking to them. She wondered just for a bit if when she saw them they would forgive her.

She thought back to Yang's dad Taiyang.

If he could forgive Qrow, and Ruby for leaving him then… then she knew her parents would too

That at least as a comfort.

That comfort was soon erased, when the next day, they arrived to dock in Menagerie. It had taken another full day, and the sun was currently dipping over the horizon, bringing with it dusk, and a red sky.

But Blake didn't have time to focus on the weather.

No, she was focused on the flag that waved overhead.

The White Fang were on Menagerie.

She could see them from the ship, the red uniforms of the Mistrial branch, patrolling the docks, weapons in hand as they inspected every Faunus that disembarked from the ship. Blake couldn't risk them seeing her. If they did then Adam might know.

Oh gods, what about her parents?! Where they okay? She swallowed. There was only one way to find out. She had to get home, she had to find them.

Blake managed to find a coat on board the ship, on that had a hood to protect crewmembers from the rain. She disembarked, taking care to avoid the… checkpoints, that the White Fang were controlling.

In a way, she realised not much had changed as she snuck through the town. People still littered the streets, bartering and trading with one another with practised ease. There were so many people even at this time of the day, work it seemed never ceased. It was a reminder however just how different it was to the rest of the world; Blake saw more Faunus here than she had in all of Vale, she saw more in one place than she did even the White Fang.

There so many, and it was made even worse as those White Fang, carrying swords, spears and guns made their way through the streets, Faunus giving them a wide berth and shooting wary looks their way.

Was Blake confused or did they look… hungry?

Blake shook her head. Questions for another time.

She darted into a back street, weaving her way through the alleys like she was familiar with them. And she was, she remembered playing here when she was a child.

It was painful, seeing how similar it looked, and yet how it felt so different, so alien. She could see her house though, in the dist\nce. She let out a sigh of relief. It was still standing and the lights were on.

That would mean her parents were fine. She could see them, talk to them and everything would be alright.

She held on to that, as she made her way closer and closer, all the way until she was close enough…

To see White Fang guarding her home.

Her blood chilled.

The White Fang were here too. They… they had the home surrounded, they were acting like they owned it!

Where were her parents? Her dad would have never let the Fang into his home! Not after what they'd done.

Blake reached for Gambol Shroud, freeing it from its sheath as she reached the house, climbing up and slipping through one of the windows. Her feet clicked almost silently on the wooden beams in the ceiling.

Her eyes surveyed below her. Everything looked… in place.

The decor didn't look t have changed much, and it wasn't covered in dust. It was in use, someone was using this home.

It didn't answer her question of who but at least it meant Blake hadn't arrived at the time of a slaughter. What did, as she skirted above, was the footsteps she could hear below. She inched over the edge to look down and froze.

A familiar form of dark skin met her vision.

Ilia.

She was moving before she could think up a plan, leaping down from the rafters and slamming her feet into the other Faunus' back.

Ilia gasped as she was brought to the floor, fighting for breath that had been knocked out of her. She made to call out, for help or just as a warning, but went silent as a black blade tipped her throat.

"What are you doing here?" Blake hissed.

"B-Blake!" Ilia stuttered in obvious shock. "You're alright! I- I hadn't heard if you'd be able to make it out of Beacon I-" a hand dug into her ribs, making her cry out as the sword pressed harder, almost drawing blood.

"What," Blake repeated dangerously. "Are you doing here?"

Ilia's voice was tinged with fear as she spoke again. "Blake I can explain, just please put the sword dow-"

She was cut off as Blake suddenly twitched, leaping off the girl as a spear swiped at her from above.

The cat Faunus hissed as a Faunus dressed in a red robe charged her with a battle cry.

She ducked, drawing the leaver of Gambol Shroud along the haft and smashing the pommel of her blade against his temple. She went down just as another pair rounded the corner.

Gambol Shroud clicked as she aimed and fired at the pair.

They were at least competent enough to dodge the bullets, weaving through them as they closed the distance.

Blake was expecting it though, sidestepping the first stab from the one of the left, the second from the one of the right before stepping into their guard and stomping on the one of the rights knee. She head as satisfying crunch as he screamed out, and the noise did enough to startle the second one. She spun, lasing out with Gambol and thrown it past him.

The Faunus got a second to feel confused before Blake yanked the ribbon and herself forward. Her blackened fist crashed into his nose and he went down in a heap.

There was more shouting now, they'd been alerted.

Blake's eyes fell to Ilia, who swallowed.

As the commotion got louder and more guards turned the corner Blake reached down and dragged the girl up, spinning her around and using her as a human shield, blade once again at her throat.

"Move and she dies!"

They must have believed her, because the group of a dozen guards stopped dead in their tracks. She saw their eyes flicker to the three bodies. She hadn't killed them, but they couldn't tell from the distance between them. Good, it gave her more to work with.

She growled into the shaking girl's ear. "I'll ask only one more time. What are you, what are the Fang doing here?"

"We were invited." Ilia whimpered, and she did so, because Blake's other hand dug into her spin hard.

"You expect me to believe that?" Blake asked, an animalistic noise building in the back of her throat.

"I-It's the truth! We-"

"What is going on here!" all eyes swerved to the new, booming voice and Blake gasped.

Before her, pushing through the terrorists, a man towered over over them all, with dark hair and golden eyes so much like her own.

His face contorted into that of confusion as he lay eyes on her, then shock when he realised who she was. "Blake?!"

"What!" another, more feminine voice cried out, and suddenly, her mother was there, just as shocked, but so hopeful.

It vanished when she saw the situation her daughter was in, three men unconscious on the grounds, and another with a blade to their throat.

Blake was about to ask what was happening, what they were doing with the White Fang. Or, she might have just run into their arms, she wasn't sure, but both options became a moot point when her eyes felon the third to appear.

A woman in red, with short dark hair, bright predator eyes, feline ears and stripes all over her body.

A sound escaped Blake's throat against her will.

It was angry.

"Sienna Khan."

Ilia whimpered. Her blood had been spilt. The tiniest amount, no more than a drop, but it had been all the same.

Sienna watched her warily. "Blake Belladonna… yours is a face I didn't think I would see again" he voice was measured, placating. Her gaze flickering to the one clearly under her command, and the daughter of the former White Fang leader. "…It's a pleasant surprise… why don't you put the weapon down?"

Her parents were there with her, looking for all intents and purposes like they didn't know what to do, like they couldn't believe their daughter was holding a girl hostage. A little bit of her wanted to just let Ilia go… but all it took were the memories; of her team and friends fighting against the Fang, of Weiss, confessing that they had done to her, her family and people she'd known, and of Yang who had been hurt by them.

Blake's face hardened. She took a step back, dragging Ilia with her. "Not until I get some answers. If I think they're good enough I'll let her go, if not, I'll paint the walls red."

It hurt, watching her mother take a step back in horror, this situation was a mess, it was making everything so much harder. But she wouldn't give these people a chance to capitalise on her weakness.

So she ignored her family, and focused on Sienna, who was regarding her with something else now, something she couldn't place.

"What." She repeated, one final time. "Are you doing here?"

It was not Sienna who answered.

"I invited them into my home." Her father said, stepping forward. "They asked for my aid, so I gave it to them."

Blake stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And then her face morphed as she became enraged.

"YOU WHAT!?"

Her voice was a trigger, her rage sparked something in the Faunus, an instinctual fear that sent most of them back a step.

Sienna did no. she lashed out, flicking her wrist forward as a chain lashed out.

It was razor-tipped, and Blake didn't have time to react at it pierced her blackened arm, more importantly, the one holding the sword to Ilia's neck.

There was a spurt of blood, and perhaps Sinan had been intent on having it pierce her. Perhaps she expected the pain to make her drop her weapon. She most definitely expected to have the chance to pull her pained arm away and give Ilia the chance to free herself.

Judging by how her triumphant face froze however, she didn't expect the blood to be black.

She didn't expect that instead of flinching back, Blake's arm, of its own accord, twisted, wrapping the chain around the limb, and with Gambol shroud still poised to cut, pulled Sienna closer as she struggled.

Blake's eyes flickered to her arm.

"Huh… maybe it's good for something after all."

The pain was there, it was agonising. But her arm did not react. Even though she could feel it, it did not flinch.

It wasn't her after all, it was its own creature, and it would not be forced back.

She felt the pull and Sienna strained against it, trying to inch the sword away from the dangerous place it was.

Black miasma began to leak from the limb as Blake snarled, as she felt those blackened vines spread up her face.

"Stop!"

Her mother cried out suddenly, and they froze. Blake felt her chest wretch as she saw her mother's face. It was scared, worried. "Please stop, both of you."

It was an ordeal, it really was, to force her sword away from ilia's throat and let the girl stumble away, clutching her neck. Not because her arm wouldn't let her, but because she didn't want to.

But she did, and she felt a sharp pull as Sienna freed her weapon from Blake's wound.

Now opened up fully, black blood dripped onto the floor.

They all looked down at it warily.

"Well," Blake mused. "It's not red, and it's not the walls, but I did say I'd paint something in blood."

They looked at her now, with varying degrees of horror or disgust.

Blake sighed. She missed Yang even more now… Yang would have laughed at her joke. She liked her humour

Unfortunately, Yang wasn't here, and after a few more moments of tense silence between them, her father albeit reluctantly offered for them to all talk it out over some tea. So that's where they were, Blake, her parents, Sienna, and surprisingly Ilia, sat around a table on their knees, and each of them shooting her disturbed looks.

It was her father that spoke first, after coughing into his fist.

"So… Blake. You… you made it out of Vale. We weren't sure with the CCT down but it's a relief to see you're fine despite the… circumstances."

He glanced down at her arm. She Blake made a point not to look perturbed by his look. Yes, she hated it, she hated looking at her arm, and being reminded what it was and what it had made her do but that was her business, not his. He had no right to look at it, at her that way. Right now, she was wrapping it in bandages… she'd found out that while damage on her left side didn't seem to be fatal, her Aura wouldn't or couldn't heal it.

So she was left to do it the old-fashioned way.

The white wrappings were quickly stained black.

"We were so worried about you," Her mother jumped in when it was clear she was refusing to answer her father's unspoken question. "We hadn't heard from you in so long and then we saw you at the Vytal festival and-"

She was cut off as Blake's hand suddenly squeezed too hard and the table splinted. Not too much, just where her hands were gripping. She remembered a moment later, that while such actions would be noted, but unsurprising for Huntsmen, it was probably a shock for two civilians.

"Sorry." She muttered. "Vytal wasn't the best of times… I don't like thinking about it."

She didn't say how… angry it made her feel.

"I-" her mother hesitated. "I can understand that. We didn't see all of it, but we did see the Grimm attack the city. It must have been horrible."

Blake blinked, looking up at her mom. "It's not the Grimm I hate thinking about."

That seemed to throw her mom through a loop. "Then… what do you-"

"Weiss." Ilia suddenly spoke up, and Blake's posture was suddenly very, very stiff. Judging by the look she was sending the girl, her next words would need to be chosen carefully.

"Weiss Schnee," she repeated. "She was hurt during a fight. I… I got her out of there and handed her over to some doctors. Last thing I was able to check she was okay, or, at least she was going to be."

Blake held her gaze for a minute, not saying a word, and Ilia felt herself fidget. She didn't look away though, no matter how much she wanted to.

Suddenly, those black veins that had reached Blake's eyes receded, and her shoulders slumped. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'm… I'm sorry about hurting you earlier."

Ilia's hand unconsciously rubbed her next, where the blade had bit into. It was clear now, not even a scar.

"It's fine. After all I did that was probably getting off likely. She saved my life when Mountain Glenn went down do so… I just returned the favour."

All the same, Blake nodded.

"I'm... sorry, I'm confused." Her dad said. "What were you doing in Vale at that time Ilia?"

Blake blinked.

And blinked again.

She turned to stare at her dad, and judging by the way he frowned, she could tell he knew she was looking at him as if he were an idiot. That quickly changed as Blake realised something.

"You don't know?" she gasped. "How could you not know?"

"Know what Blak-"

Blake's hands slammed down on the table, and it groaned from the abuse. All the same, Blake pushed herself up, and pointed at the tiger Faunus in the room. "Her people attacked the city! Her people butchered men, women and children by the hundreds! Her people, tried to kill me, my team, my friends, and everyone else in Vale!"

Kali's hands flew to her mouth in horror, eyes wide at the news. It confirmed it, they really hadn't known. That just made her angrier.

Ghira turned to Sienna.

"Is this true?"

The tiger Faunus glanced at him, before taking a long sip of her tea. Then, her eyes met Blake's. They were calm.

"It's more complicated than that, but yes."

"Don't you dare act like you didn't-"

"We did join in on the attack." Sienna cut in, interrupting Blake's rage. "But what I was made aware of was that it would be on the School, and even then, only to send a message."

"Because killing students sends a great message for the White Fang."

"I admit it wasn't the right Corse of action, but it was the one offered to us. However I didn't want to attack all of Vale, nor side with Grimm of all things and destroy the only way for people to communicate through the world. That was too far."

"Words from a killer like you aren't worth the breath you waste on them."

"And you're much better?" Sienna accused. "You were apart of the White Fang, even when it was under my control. You took part in the act, you killed people. Did you not?"

Blake's face was apocalyptic, and Sienna realised she'd made a mistake somewhere.

"I was forced to kill innocents by Adam's orders. As soon as I did I realised how wrong it was. I left Adam and tried to make it right! You ENCOURAGED his killings!"

"I did what I thought was right." Sienna snarled. "The Humans were butchering us I chose to do something and stick by my principles. I didn't run from them as soon as things got hard."

"Don't you fucking dare! Don't you dare drag me down to the same twisted level as you. You ordered the attack, you sentenced those people to their deaths, and even if it had been the target you had wanted, you would have still been killing people who did nothing wrong. But now here we are, and you stand in front of me and act like you have the moral high-ground you bitch? A child-killer?"

"Blake!" Ghira snapped. "That's enough!"

"NO!" Blake roared back, and her father actually stumbled back as a sound not human, Faunus nor even animal ripped from her throat.

"Adam is a monster she made. He's a killer, a remorse demon and slaughters people who stand against him and he hurt- he hurt-" she broke off in a choking sob, but before Ghira could even register it, the pain in her voice, Blake glared up at him. "It's yours as well." She hissed. "it's your fault. Adam was under your control and you didn't do anything. Worse, just because people asked you stepped down! You gave it to Sienna, and this is what happened. The blood of the people who died are on your hands too!"

"Blake!" her mother exclaimed.

She stopped, breathing heavily and looked around. Ilia was cowering, terrified of Blake of all people as she shook. It was as if she saw Blake as a stranger, as someone who would hurt her. She wouldn't, not after what she'd did for Weiss.

Kali looked horrified, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeming. Whether that was because of her words, or because her limbs were smoking again,or the veins on her face, she wasn't sure, but she realised she didn't care.

She looked to Sienna, who was staring at her, studying her with interest. She saw her as a threat, one to watch, but she was interested in her, something about her.

She was curious.

Lastly, she looked to her father.

To his face.

He was heartbroken. Her words, had actually hurt him. She'd hurt him.

Like she hurt everyone else.

But she was still so angry.

Blake spat to the side, and stormed past him, out of the room. She needed some air, and she needed some peace.

…

…

Blake's hands gripped the rails as she took a deep breath on the balcony.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

The shattered moon beamed down on her, and it annoyed her.

She was angry, she knew that. It was not a natural anger, she knew that too.

This… thing, that was a part of her, was doing something to her. It was messing with her emotions, amplifying them.

What she had said to her dad… none of it had been untrue. Deep down, she really did blame him, as twisted as that was.

And she hated that she knew that too.

She hadn't even seen her parents for an hour, hadn't spoken to them for more than twenty minutes and she'd already done this to them. "I shouldn't have come home."

"Maybe not, but here you are now."

Blake stiffened, as Sienna Khan leaned against the railing beside her, looking out towards the town. If the tiger Faunus noticed Blake's discomfort, she didn't mention it, though Blake was sure she did. "There's no point regretting that you've come home. You've done it, it's already happened."

She didn't look Blake's way.

"You should feel remorse for what you said to your father, but you should not regret it. It's been said, you can't change that now."

"Like I should trust the words of someone like you." Blake growled menacingly.

Sienna hummed. "Someone like me? I suppose you don't have to, such things are decided by ourselves. You can ignore my words and nothing will change. Or you could listen and they might."

Blake looked away, but she didn't protest when the older woman spoke again. "I have done things many would agree are wrong. I have hurt people. And for that, I know that the ones I have won't forgive me for what I've done. They have every right to hate me, I understand that… but the people I helped? The Faunus I've empowered and risen up? They are how I can see that while what I've done is hard, it's right."

Blake scoffed. I've seen first-hand what you've done. Humans mistrust the Faunus even more than they did before. Now it's just coupled with fear." She turned to Sienna, and with a look in her eye that made the tiger pause. "You haven't done anything hard. Lashing out, making people fear you? That's easy. You took the easy way out. So did dad."

She sneered. "Just because people were impatient, because not everyone agreed with how he did things he stepped down. He ran away from it. Maybe that's where I get it from. I run away, just like he did."

Sienna raised an eyebrow. "And what would you have done? His people wanted change and he couldn't give it to them."

"I would have kept going." Blake snarled, and Sienna actually blinked in surprise. "I would have ignored their words, their selfish complaints. The people who rallied against his didn't want change, they wanted revenge. The ones who were impatient? What could they have known? People below don't understand what it is to be at the top, who lead have to push on despite what others say. No matter the protests, the arguments, the arguments."

"And that is any different from what I was doing how?"

"Because you were just like the others." Sienna took a step back. Blake followed. "You didn't choose what was hard. You didn't want change, not change that would last anyway. You wanted to fight, you wanted to do what was easy and made you feel better and because of that you gave power to the ones that hated humanity more than you."

Blake bore into her eyes, a hairs breath away from her now. "You were just like all the others that didn't know how to fix things, but thought you did. You want to know what I would have do? I would have strived for peace, and when things got hard I wouldn't have backed down like dad. I wouldn't have taken the easy way out and hurt people like you. I would have done what was hard, and put everything I had into making a world where Humans and Faunus weren't forced to live together out of fear, but because they trusted each other."

And suddenly, Blake felt tired. She took a step back, and looked away wearily. Sienna was frozen stiff, staring at her.

Instead, the White Fang got two leaders they couldn't make the hard choices, could shoulder the burden of hatred. Two cowards, on both ends of the spectrum."

"…and you have?" it wasn't a challenge, or a spiteful comeback. It was a question, and an honest one. Blake thought back to the promise she'd made to Weiss, to shoulder the hatred of Humanity and Faunus onto herself. To work together with her to make the world better. It felt like such a long time ago.

She thought of Ruby, and her smile, even in a broken world, with what she'd been through she had hope.

She thought of the Heiress, with her loneliness, and her duty, how she could open up, and tried her hardest, despite the pain the world had caused her to understand it.

And she thought of yang, and her smile, and her warmth, and all the amazing things about her, how she stayed strong, even as the world tried to destroy her.

She looked to the moon and realised.

She hadn't given up yet.

She wouldn't run. This was just a temporary retreat until she could control herself, this thing that had saved and ruined her life.

She wasn't running. She had made a promise.

"I have." She said at last, and the words, words she had never heard, but felt with so much familiarity they may as well have been imprinted on her soul. "No matter how hard it gets, I'll keep trying, keep striving for the right kind of piece… I'll keep moving forward."

There was silence.

And then, Sienna stood beside her once again.

"When you stayed in the White Fang, despite your parents' departure, it bolstered the cause instead of weakening it. I don't think you ever realised how much your mere presence inspired them. They believed that because you remained, you and Adam, that what they were doing was right."

She sighed. "And when you left, people were shaken. They were unsure of themselves, of what they were doing. If I had been better, maybe it could have been me who inspired them. Instead, it was Adam. He took it all, their rage, their betrayal and their despair and he used it. People became loyal to him, not to me. It was only near the end, when he became more… volatile, that I realised what was going on, when the plan changed."

Her hand roamed up over her waist, and Blake suddenly noticed the bandages wrapped around her side. She'd been stabbed. Any closer, and it would have been fatal.

"Only the oldest, the closet, perhaps the strongest, were loyal to me. I worked with that as much as I could, to keep them like that. The people you say today, the ones in the town, at the docks, just a few hundred, where those who stayed with me."

"What are you saying?"

"There has been a schism." She told her, and suddenly, Blake felt her mouth run dry. "Adam wanted more, more than he had. He tried to kill me. There was a betrayal. It was only because I saw it coming that I was able to survive… he's working with someone, someone powerful that I don't know of. Some kind of… master. He has control over the White Fang, the masses. They are unskilled compared to my own, the strongest of his having died in the Vale attack. But they are fanatic, insane, and they grow by the hour."

"You don't lead the White Fang anymore."

"There is no White Fang. There is no movement for equality in any measure. Adam only wants death. He told me that he wants the Humans to serve the Faunus. It's madness."

Sienna gazed over the town, once again. "I think that this might truly be the only organised home for Faunus, that doesn't want the same. The ones that don't want to fight… Ghira wants to stay out of it. He doesn't want to bring fighting to these shores."

Blake closed her eyes. "But he doesn't know Adam, not like we do."

"Exactly." She nodded. "Sooner or later, Adam will turn this way, to the home of all Faunus, and he'll destroy it… these people have to be ready."

"And you want my help. Don't you?"

"I can feel the power from you Belladonna. It's dark, and dangerous, but it's powerful and we can use it. Help me make these people stronger, in secret if we have to. Help me build them up and defend them. You do not trust me, I can understand that, but this goes beyond that."

"Making the hard choices." Blake mused and turned to the other woman, extending a hand, purposefully her darkened one. "Alright… as I see it, even if it's just a precaution for now, even if dad doesn't agree, we have to do it."

Sienna glanced down at it, and without fear, grasped hold of the Grimm-like hand and shook. It was a deal, a contract, a binding. Two people, who fought for different beliefs, understood what had to be done. Ironically, perhaps that was what they should have down with humanity, from the very beginning. "We can begin as soon as you're ready, but for now, what are you going to do?"

Blake paused, and looked back towards the moon.

There was doubt.

"I need to apologise to dad first… I went way to far with what I said. But after that? I think… I'm going to rest."

...

...

So Blake's back in familiar territory and unfamiliar faces, and she's here alone. We'll see how that works out for her, she's got a lot of stuff top be worrying about.

I'll be getting into more of the consequences the Fall and on the world next chapter, so stay tuned for that.

Yang's next, and you'll get to see what I've had planned for her for a while...

Okay So I can promise it's not a bad thing at least.

You'll have to see how later this week.

But on this chapter, let me know you're thoughts on it, or of what I set up top, communicating your opinions will help me work on them.

But in the mean time, if you thought this chapter was any good I'd appreciate it if you could follow or favourite it, and I you have time leave a review.

I'm already getting to work.

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