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Black Cats and Broken Mirrors
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They tried their best
In a world that was not kind.
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For as long as Blake could remember, she was treated as a stray. Cursed among her own people. Recognized for her usefulness by the White Fang, but always kept at a distance.
Of the handful who truly accepted her, one was Adam.
And eventually, that relationship too, became corrupt.
Hurt and scorned by many, Blake closed herself off. Deciding to fight the evils of the world alone. She would right her mistakes and find a way to make the world a better place for Faunus and non-Faunus alike. A lonely battle to be sure—and a lonelier path to follow.
The girl took with her nothing but her Gambol Shroud and books for company. They would be her sole companions on her road to becoming a Huntress. It would be enough, she was sure.
That is, until the day someone forced her book down and made her look up again.
"HELLOOOO~" the girl waved energetically in her pajamas.
And like the first ray of sunshine, she forced her way into Blake's life. Big, loud, and oh, so bright. She made Blake open up once more. Her fated partner. And with the girl, came her hyperactive little sister and a snobby, but caring heiress.
Suddenly, Blake was no longer alone.
She had Weiss and Ruby. And most importantly of all, she had Yang.
Yang became her sun and stars, in an otherwise pitch-black sky.
…
But now that light was gone. She chose to shine on another.
Blake's fingers curled around the hilt of her sword so tightly, her knuckles turned white. Neo approached from the direction Yang left.
She glared daggers at the small figure with such hatred, her ears stood on end. She couldn't remember another causing her so much rage.
She took her! She took Yang from all of us!
FROM ME!
It was more than that, Blake knew. It was because Yang walked away and chose Neo willingly.
It was anger.
And jealousy.
And regret.
…And self-loathing.
Blake wasn't good enough. She took what she thought was freely given for granted. Yang tested her, practically begged her to fight, but she refused. Was that really so wrong? Was it so wrong to refuse fighting someone who meant the world to her?
But it didn't matter. Not anymore.
Yang chose Neo, not her.
And just like that, Blake was a stray again.
It tore at her, like a rusted dagger sawing through her heart. And from its wound, poured all her darkest, ugliest emotions. The wrath she reserved for Adam came bubbling to the surface. And then, there was no recourse, save for the girl in front of her.
So Neo would became the focus of her ire.
Blake rushed forth as Neo backpedaled into the trees. She followed close, but her enemy made such nimble turns, it gave her feline agility an unexpected challenge.
Attempting to add speed to her chase, Blake threw Gambol Shroud and anchored it to a tree Neo was rounding. And when they both turned the corner, Blake slingshot herself at Neo, closing the distance to a hair's breadth.
A thin blade jabbed straight into her forehead. The bone of her skull caved, and Neo's sword chiseled deep through the frontal lobe.
The shadow clone faded to nothing, while the original snuck behind.
Blake leveled her blade at the neck line. She could see the other's eyes settle on her without a hint of surprise.
The thin point of Neo's parasol pierced Blake's throat and cut up through her esophagus. Blood spilled, flooding her lungs. She felt a choking desperation for air.
Again, the shadow dissolved and died in place of its creator.
The color of Neo's irises flickered from pink to bone white. She turned to the side, right before Blake appeared there. The sword sank into another clone up to the handle.
Blake savored her small victory as she stepped back from the flames molded in her form. When the trap was about to detonate, Neo popped her umbrella open and dispersed the explosion harmlessly.
The tiny girl flipped her parasol and reached out with the cane end.
She hooked Blake's neck, dragging her in. A vicious kick delivered to the midsection. All the air escaped Blake's body as it whipped back from the blow—only to be pulled in for a second.
Another kick. Neo's heel pummeled her opponent's flesh. The point of impact the same as the first, down to the millimeter.
Blake's ribs cracked. How many were fractured, she wasn't sure. But it didn't end there.
Neo grabbed a handful of hair and held Blake by it. The parasol in the other hand flipped end over end, before slipping the tapered steel into Blake's stomach.
Neo cocked her head with an annoyed stare at the stone statue in Blake's likeness. She delivered a kick that decapitated the head and sent it tumbling to the feet of its subject.
Blake stared at her sculpted face. Its painful expression mimicked her own, while she held her sides kneeling.
She had taken damage, despite using her clones. There was a definite sting in her abdomen that refused to subside. When she brought her hand to examine the wound, she found blood dripping from her left side. Neo's last attack breached the skin and was a fraction inch short of her internal organs.
Her attack almost went through? How is that possible—?!
Blake stared up and saw Neo strutting over, umbrella swinging. An attitude of dominance and condescension accentuated every step.
Blake gingerly stood and activated her Semblance once more. But the moment she did, Neo blinked her irises white.
The shadow copy choked on a sword gouging through its mouth. Neo cleaved through its teeth and tore her blade out the side.
After Blake made her retreat, she felt a gash open the inside of her cheek.
She knows. Somehow, she's tracking my Semblance. She can see it!
Blake's Faunus heritage gifted her with enhanced vison, but Neo's seemed to outclass hers by miles. It was almost as if the other was clairvoyant.
Is it her Semblance?
As Blake observed her foe more closely, she noticed something peculiar.
Neo lacked the usual playfulness she often displayed. Instead, she wore a look of utter contempt. Blake hadn't caught it in her fit of rage. Only now did she see Neo bore a similar hatred to her own.
Blake couldn't understand.
How could she?
She was too consumed in her own thoughts to understand the feelings of her opponent.
Neo approached her unlike any enemy she fought before. The girl's usual lofty attitude was absent. There was no playing with her food, like she had with Weiss. Neo wanted Blake's lifeless body skewered on her sword.
Why?
Because Neo knew, somewhere deep in Yang's heart, there would always be a place for Blake. A tender softness for the former partner. Something special for the poor, stray kitten to call home—despite whatever words or circumstances stood between them.
Yang held onto that feeling dearly, like some kind of treasure.
And Neo hated that.
Neo wanted to carve it out and grind it into dust beneath her feet.
To her, Yang was all hers.
Blake's existence contradicted that.
So the small girl flashed her most maddening smile to date. The edges of her lips pulled high and tight. Both eyes pink—so sharp, they prickled the skin.
"(She's mine.)"
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X
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With every failed encounter, Blake's rage grew and her judgment suffered. She cared less and less about her near-death escapes, only desperate for a way to cut Neo to ribbons.
But every time she would strike, her adversary moved just out of reach or evaded at an odd angle. When Blake thought she was left, Neo was right. When she pursued, Neo retreated. When she expected them to defend, Neo advanced.
Blake's mind was in disarray. But as if working by some coincidental remedy, the single-minded focus began giving her the means to fight evenly.
Her brain became so muddled, it led to her body moving on its own accord. Blake relied more and more on instinct, and to her and Neo's surprise, it worked in her favor.
Whatever Neo's trickery or Semblance was, its effectiveness lessened as Blake leaned harder on intuition rather than thought. The tide wasn't turned, but the flow was indeed shifting. Blake read it and so did Neo.
Which is why, on the next assault, Blake decided to fake two clones and go on the offense in full force.
The moment she neared Neo, light reflected in her eyes, like a rotating mirror. The blinding glare did nothing to abate her attack, but what she saw next stole her breath away.
It was Yang.
Blake's mind shouted for her to stop, but her body moved through the motion regardless.
Her Gambol Shroud cleaved into Yang's collar. And when it did, thousands of glass shards exploded on contact. The miniature crystalline knives pelted and lacerated her body. Some causing small cuts, while others, deep gashes.
Blake's body crumpled to the ground in pain. Fragments stuck all over her skin. It was anguish to move or simply breathe. She trembled, trying to orient her body in a position that didn't prick at her nerves.
Blake could only see white.
How dare you!
Pure, burning white.
How dare you!
She lifted herself to her feet, despite her wounds. Hunched over and limping, Aura fading. The overload of pain stimuli fed into her emotions.
"HOW DARE YOU USE YANG LIKE THAT!" Blake roared, spitting blood through her teeth.
In such a dire situation, still she only thought of destroying Neo. To do everything in her power to make Neo feel what she felt. Nothing spared to her own well-being.
…
Blake reached into her pouch and pulled out an obsidian crystal. It was an ominous looking thing. A smooth sheen played across its surface the size of half her palm.
Blake gazed down at the Bane.
Her knees gave out and she slipped momentarily, but caught herself. She was barely holding on. Her body was ready to collapse at the slightest release of tension. Feelings for Yang and hatred for Neo were the only things keeping her going.
A trickle of blood paved its way down her brow and colored her vision. Her head felt light. Her stamina was sapped.
It was the weakest she felt in a while.
Far from the best conditions to use Bane…
But what choice did she have?
I'll do anything to get her back.
With that sentiment, Blake gripped the dark crystal so hard it verged on shattering in her hands.
Across from her, Neo saw the Bane's glint and switched eye color. Her angry smile became mixed. She knew what the substance did—and understood the desperation the other must feel to resort to such measure.
Blake continued to stare down at the crystal. Buried memories surfaced. The cruel voices of children and adults alike whispered venom in her ear.
"It's that black cat again. Don't get near her. She's bad luck."
"There's always a chill around that one. Don't know what it is, but I hate it."
"The weirdest stuff happens when she's near. She says they're accidents, but it's definitely a curse."
"Don't make eye contact! Don't even walk on the same street as her!"
Their words died out and a sweeter memory came. One of a certain boy coming to her rescue from a group of bullies. Hair the color of blood and horns of a bull.
He offered his hand.
"You should learn to protect yourself. I can help with that."
Adam was good back then. As noble as any hero of fairy tale. But now he was changed, warped into something twisted. Was that Blake's fault, too? Was it because she really was cursed?
And now, with Yang whom Blake loved more than anyone, whom she cherished more than anyone.
Why does this keep happening?
"Misfortune follows you and those around you."
Can all I do is hurt the ones I care about?
"Dirty black cat~ "
Why me? What's wrong with me?
"Cursed with bad luck~ "
…I really am cursed, aren't I?
"A Wicked Familiar. Just like in the stories…"
Tears poured down Blake's cheeks and her hands trembled. The bridge between her eyes became hot. She choked and hiccupped, as her throat tightened so hard it hurt.
With a violent motion she brought her palms to her mouth, chomping violently into the obsidian glass. Crystallized flakes snared her gums and tongue, scraping at her teeth like knives. Despite the pain, she bit hungrily into it again and again. The crunching shards snapped like the sounds of something precious crumbling.
Blood dripped from her open maw with a dark tinge. Foreboding energy flowed through her jaw's nerve endings to the rest of her body. It colored the veins under her skin as black as the Bane she consumed.
Blake's body convulsed. Pupils thinned, enhancing their feline likeness. The bow on her head unraveled and her ears furrowed. Teeth and nails grew a full length longer. And from every open wound, started to seep a dark mist.
She let out the hiss of a feral beast. Smoke and shadow consumed her body, until the only visible thing was the yellow glow of her eyes. A savage wildness danced in them now—and they focused right on Neo.
Blake bent down on all fours. The belt on her Gambol Shroud swung back and forth like a tail.
Neo alternated between different colored irises, trying to find the right perspective to view the new threat. Caution urged her to make reevaluations. But before her assessment was complete, the creature attacked.
With speed and movement unlike before, Blake pounced at Neo with bared claws and fangs—instantly slipping in front of her prey.
No trace of sanity left in her.
Blake gave herself fully and completely to her darker, baser instincts.
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X
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Neo's mirror image shattered as Blake drove their claw through it. The feline's head darted back and forth, searching for the original's whereabouts.
As they maneuvered their surroundings—dark smoke constantly permeating their body—the grass they stepped on shriveled and died. Trees that were damaged in previous clashes, bent and timbered. The temperature of the once warm forest grew colder to the breath.
All the while, Neo used her parasol to hang off a high tree branch, out of sight. The girl observed the feral Blake with bone white eyes.
A threat, she measured.
A different threat from before.
It was the effects of Bane. The energy substance very much like Dust, but fundamentally different.
To utilize it, the wielder infused it into their own body. A practice which was forbidden because of all the things that could and did go wrong. This was thought to hold especially true for Faunus, who possessed animalistic traits.
Bane awakened their feral side…
Their "Grimm" side.
But as dangerous as it was, it had its uses for those that damned the consequences. Bane renewed the consumer's strength and Aura in a way Dust did not. In return for bestowing such potent gifts, it exacted a warrior's sanity as price. Cursed madness became their strength.
Only a fool would use it.
A desperate fool.
…
Neo reflected Blake's soul in the mirror of her eyes. She peeked into the deep-seated memories locked within.
And her contempt for Blake grew at what she saw there.
Neo used her umbrella to float softly to the ground. The feral cat turned and snarled at her, but she remained unfazed. Only continuing to peer into those yellow shining eyes with ruthless disdain.
A cursed child, Neo thought.
An ugly reflection of what she used to be, or rather still was. She wondered if she would spite Blake if she spoke—like the ones who once spited her.
"She's so creepy AND UGLY!" they would say.
So Neo changed her appearance.
"It's gross how she makes herself look like the prettiest girls! BUT YOU CAN TELL IT'S HER BECAUSE OF HOW DUMB SHE TALKS!"
Her speech impediment wasn't her fault.
"Why don't you say anything? I bet I can make her scream!"
She was quiet, so they hurt her.
"Ow! She cut me!"
So she hurt them back.
They were cruel, so she became twice as much. They threw stones at the mirror that reflected themselves, and were surprised to find it hurt. She was what they showed her.
A mirror doesn't lie, after all. It only reflects.
…
…
"—Well, aren't you a cutie," a man commented, while licking his ice cream. "Tell me something, you wouldn't happen to know what stabbed all my men now, would you?"
Neo held up her small blood-caked hands.
"Seriously? This was you?" the man gestured to the backstreet full of injured bodies.
Neo nodded.
"Hm." He didn't seem to bear much grudge for what she'd done. "Now, that's some talent you've got there, my little friend. Whaddaya say? Wanna join up with me? Together, we'll turn this world right on its head!"
Neo stared at the man reflected in her eyes. He was a cruel character born from a cruel world. Different from all the people she usually frightened off, this one stood his ground easily and wasn't unnerved by her.
Perhaps the man knew full well what he was and accepted it long ago. A mirror showed what he already knew. In a sense, another byproduct of a mad and maliceful world.
Neo pointed to the ice cream he was eating.
"What, you want this?"
Neo nodded.
"Kids sure are simple. It's a trade, then!"
The man gave Neo his ice cream and they walked from the dark alley hand in hand.
"You don't say much, do you?"
Neo shook her head.
"I like you. The silent type. You just let me do all the talking."
"…"
"So, what do I call you?"
Neo shrugged.
The man looked at the ice cream she now ate.
"Neapolitan."
"…"
"Nea sounds a bit soft for a nick. How about 'Neo'?"
Neo nodded happily and changed her hair to match the ice cream's color scheme.
"…Now. That. Is. Nifty," the man said with an impressed tone. "The name's Roman, by the way. Roman Torchwick. Something tells me this is the beginning of a fun and beautiful friendship!"
…
…
Neo's memories were interrupted by Blake bounding towards her.
With a quick flick of her wrist, she materialized a familiar-looking cane. Red handled, black shafted, and tipped with a crosshair. Neo shoved the gun's nozzle into Blake's jaws and unloaded several rounds into their throat.
The misty creature backed off, smoke wafting from their mouth. Although the attack should have been fatal, the Bane-induced Blake simply coughed it off before pouncing again.
Neo flashed a sad smile at Torchwick's old cane.
She then, activated her Semblance.
Various mirrors around them began flashing in and out of visibility. They spun and danced like ballerinas. Their surface reflected images of Blake, Neo, and the environment with perfect likeness.
With two weapons in hand, Neo teleported around her adversary from all angles, stabbing and shooting the mist-covered cat. She stepped in and out of the glass doorways like navigating a world of her own creation.
Blake retaliated with a fervor. Her Gambol Shroud whipped wildly, shooting at every image of Neo. The bullets pierced the glass, but not much else.
After a while, the assault halted and Neo appeared clear range of Blake. She unfolded her umbrella overhead. A finger brought to her lips and a thinly parted grin curled her lips.
The sky distorted, like shifting puzzle pieces. Similar to the way a chandelier hung on a ceiling.
Then suddenly, the heavens fell.
Gigantic mirror blades rained down the whole area. As the glass fell, they took on reflections of Blake's inner self—torn, broken, anguished. Relics of a tormented soul that died upon plummeting to the earth. The scene looked like the inner works of some nightmarish mass suicide.
The hail of macabre Blakes buried the original with its relentless downpour. Meanwhile, they bounced harmlessly off Neo's parasol like water droplets.
And as swiftly as the attack started, so too, did it end.
Neo folded her umbrella once more, skipping over to the crumpled vestige on the ground. Blake's wounds were severe enough they were beyond recovery.
The poor girl's eyes glazed over. The yellow in Blake's irises paled. A bit of sanity returned as the feral side retracted.
They coughed blood.
It was no clone, no replacement to take the place of their life.
It was Blake—and she was dying.
Neo drew the full-length of her blade from her parasol's sheathe. It freed with a slow, scratching ring.
She held it above. Her eyes flickered with malice, burning Blake's visage into her memory.
The stab came swift, right through the heart.
There was no resistance.
Feedback from the blade told Neo she struck true.
Blake heaved her last, and what little shadow still billowed out of her, smothered. The body no longer moved. A deathly stillness took root.
Only silence left.
…
"Hih-"
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"Hihee.."
…
"Hihihihyhy…"
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"HIHIHYHYAHAHAHA!"
Neo's neck craned back as she cried with laughter. Her vocal cords strained from long disuse. It was a noise mixed of mad joy and sorrow. A twisted sound of victory.
When she finished, she pulled the sword lodged in Blake's chest.
…
But it did not give.
A black apparition coiled the weapon, keeping it in place. Its misty claw ascended the cane's length and gripped Neo's arm. The nails pierced her skin, seeping something into her like a snake bite's toxin.
Suddenly, billowing shadows consumed Blake's form once more. The corpse's amber eyes gleamed with new life.
Blake snarled at Neo.
After Neo's initial shock, she snarled back just as viciously.
The battle between the misfortune souls continued.