Beta: Dark Whisper
The Fall Project
War
The Silver Falls
Since taking up this new job of guarding an extremely powerful woman from the throes of an untold evil, Rey had since learned to accept what she thought to be the impossible. Magic, old myths becoming reality, ancient beings who have walked Remnant for thousands of years... everything she knew from childhood to be simple fantasy was now very, very real. As a result, she had learned to expect the unexpected.
Nevertheless, learning of an adolescent boy with the ability to lead an army certainly would have still topped her short list of impossibilities. Yet here she was, wearing a dress for the first time in four years at a densely packed banquet in said boy's honor. She held a cup of water in her hands rather than a bottle of beer or glass of wine, having given up habitual drinking a year prior.
The place was crowded enough for Rey to feel uncomfortable, being the quiet person that she was. General Ironwood taught her a way to circumvent this however, by pulling away to sit at the edge of the room and simply watch people and guess what kind of behavioral quirks they have.
For example, Jaune Arc's friends were precisely the amalgamation of misfits she expected from Beacon Academy, possibly due to Headmaster Ozpin's severely abstract methods for choosing their teams. There was a black-haired cat faunus who couldn't suppress the movement of her ears, both Schnees with their pompous air of self-confidence, though the eldest of the two appeared to be openly speaking to Qrow Branwen. And smiling. And laughing.
She allowed herself a small grin. Some part of her always hoped for those two, despite their awful breakup years before. It was certainly a bloody mess, one that she remembered clearly. The current CEO of the Schnee Dust Company and Winter's father, Jacques Schnee, forbade their relationship because of company image. When the two ran away together to live their lives as they pleased, the brutal man had Qrow hunted down and beaten to near-death.
She never wanted to tell Jacques where they were hiding, but at the time orders were orders and she followed them to the letter.
Upon scanning the rest of the room, she noticed one Pyrrha Nikos who appeared quite smitten with her team leader, standing close at the blonde's side while he politely conversed with many of the party's patrons. With a few seconds of careful observation, it was clear the young man felt the same, if glances in her direction and an ever-present smile were of any indication.
Moving on, she noticed many more students of Beacon Academy, all friends of Jaune Arc. One of the twins seemed to be in pain, clutching his left abdomen and wincing from time to time, likely a recent battle wound. As for the rest, none of them sparked her interest, though by her count they were missing at least two members. Perhaps they were wounded or killed in Beacon? She never heard of anything like that, so perhaps they were merely running late.
In the meantime, she watched as Mr. Arc was paraded about by Professor Port, who gracelessly introduced him to each and every person in the room. She chuckled at his feeble attempts of escape from the burly old man's vice-like grip, a grin shaping the corners of her mouth as Glynda pried Jaune off of Peter and berated him for mistreatment of students.
While they shared a laugh of Peter's antics, the last two of Jaune's friends entered the room. One was a rather pretty young woman with long blonde hair and a robotic right arm, and the other was a winged faunus that Rey instantly recognized. She gasped the moment she laid eyes on him, coughing up the water she was just drinking. Her face went red from a collection of embarrassment, lack of air, and panic as she turned her head in a hope that the young faunus wouldn't recognize her.
"Are you alright?" the spring maiden's gentle voice questioned, lightly patting her on the back.
The older woman slightly nodded her head and glanced back to Milo, who was staring at her in shock. She watched, wide-eyed, as he nudged his blonde companion and whispered something in her ear, gesturing toward the table full of food. Before moving on he gave her one last glare. No one could've missed the anger in his eyes.
A curse slipped through her teeth as she stood from her seat and spun away, ignoring the maiden's protests. She quickly moved to the nearest doorway, too flustered to realize until it was too late that it was not an exit but a small balcony that overlooked the city of Mistral below. In an effort to appear calm and collected, she continued forward and leaned against the metal rail.
But the arrival of Milo churned up old, painfully repressed memories of her final mission with Atlas.
He was only fifteen when she had assisted in kidnapping him under the orders of Atlesian General James Ironwood. Even when he was so young, they were not ready; this was no average boy, nor even an average student Huntsman. Rey remembered painfully that she could only listen through the comm radio of their Bullhead as he slaughtered a dozen of them in a bloody rage against the raiders invading his home.
Rouge, Jay, Red, even her husband, Gladir...
By tomorrow, that will have been be three years ago. Since then, Milo had grown into what many would consider a fully-fledged Huntsman capable of taking down even the most deadly of targets. She would have no chance against a killing machine like that, even in her prime.
The door opened with a creak and her heart pounded in her chest. She soon found that she was breathless and in mortal danger, of that she was certain. He had every right to kill her, after everything Atlas had done. After everything she had done. In a moment, she realized the truth: this was her fate, as atonement for all the deeds she had committed. A painful death at the hands of someone who's world she tore asunder.
She wondered what he would do. Would he shove her off the balcony and turn back to the party as if nothing happened? Would he simply stab her in the heart with one of his swords, or perhaps snap his fingers and watch the flames dance across her skin?
Rey turned to confront him and braced herself, bearing a frightened expression. The tension in the air was suffocating, and she put a white-knuckled grip on the railing behind her. An inkling of self-preservation rose from within, and she knew she didn't yet want to die. She was protecting someone now, trying to be a part of the few things that were still good in the world. That was worthy of something, or so she hoped.
He continued to walk toward her, his imposing frame and stance forcing her against the rail.
"W-wait. I'm sorry," Rey stammered, swallowing hard. "I know you hate me, but please... don't kill me," the woman begged.
Milo glared at her disapprovingly for a moment before stepping to the side. The railing creaked as he pressed his weight into it and took in the scene of the brightly lit city. "Relax," he told her. "I don't hate you."
"...You don't?" she confusingly questioned.
"Don't forget that I was a soldier too. You followed your orders blindly, but that doesn't mean you're the one to blame," he explained in a solemn, far away voice. He turned his head and glared at her with anger in his fiery golden eyes. "That being said... you'll get no forgiveness or apologies from me. I did what I did to protect my family, and you followed your orders. Because of that my family is dead, and your team is dead, but..." he paused, hit teeth gritting in what could only be rage.
"But we both know who's fault it really is," he concluded with a growl. "You should hate him as much as I do."
For a short time, they stood in uncomfortable silence. Milo stared down into the city with a frown while Rey unwittingly gaped at him.
"Enjoy the party," he said quietly before turning and leaving her to her thoughts.
As the door clicked shut, the ex-Atlesian shuddered, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. Was he so readily willing to let her go, or was this show of mercy the result of months of thinking?
She decided she ought to return, and nervously made her way back to Spring's side. The younger woman gave her a sidelong glance with a hint of worry.
"What was that about?" she prodded, nosy as ever.
"He's someone I wronged," she hesitantly explained, knowing full well that it was a vast understatement.
"The Angel of Vale? What could you have done to gain his anger?" she questioned with a raised blonde eyebrow.
"They call him an angel?" the Atlesian asked in shock.
"He saved many refugees from the kingdom of Vale. Is he not deserving of the title?"
"Angel of Death, maybe," she forebodingly answered, bitterly recalling the complete silence of utter devastation, and his smoldering, unconscious bloody body at the center of a glass crater. She sometimes woke up still smelling and tasting the ash that rained down from the sky that awful day.
Rey glanced over the woman's shoulder, watching as Milo conversed with his many friends. To many he might look happy, but she was a blood-stained warrior who always noticed when someone else had the mark; the tense shoulders, the lying smile, and the ever present sadness in the eyes that was sometimes brightened by loved ones. There was weight on that man's shoulders, and he was close to caving under the pressure.
"And to answer your question," she spoke, turning once again to meet Spring's blue eyes, "I helped in making him into a monster."
One day after the party, Jaune was instructed by Headmasters Ozpin and Lionheart to take the teams on a short vacation. He agreed, albeit reluctantly, but only after Pyrrha coaxed him into it. A few hours later they took a private airship (courtesy of the Mistral Secretary of Defense) to a place Pyrrha suggested; a little-known jungle oasis called The Silver Falls.
The location was gorgeous; a collection of small pools and more than half a dozen waterfalls nestled between two gently sloped mountains. The site was surrounded by flowers and placed stones that structured the landscape to make it all that much more beautiful.
Once everyone got settled, they took their time enjoying themselves and the victory in their own way. The more easy going members of the group; Ruby, the twins, Nora, and Neo, were in the pool splashing around and wreaking havoc while the others took their time to relax, sitting in a close circle to idly chat with each other.
Blake sat in the shade with a new book in her hands, although the smile that usually crept into her cheeks from reading seemed to be missing. Weiss fussed about how impossible it was for her to tan, saying over and over again that her pale skin was a Schnee curse.
Jaune and Pyrrha sat close, the latter of which was pestering and prodding for the young leader to put down his scroll and relax for a change. To their left sat Yang and Milo, both of which were watching their teammates at play. Neo stood a few dozen feet up at the top of the waterfall, a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Neo, what are you doing? That's way too high, get down from there!" Cade called, standing up from the circle.
"Yeah, don't break your neck on the way down," Yang interrupted. "God forbid you make my day." The young man glared at her with with a harmless threat.
"What? She's a little devil," she countered.
Neo flicked an obscene gesture at them before leaping from the precipice, splashing into the deep water at the far side of the pond.
"Well... you got me there," Cade mumbled.
A few shouts from the pool diverted their attention, and they watched as Ruby and Nora sat atop Mike and Gabe's shoulders and were trying to push each other off. Nora was winning due to her obvious advantage in strength, until Mike suddenly sneezed. In a flash of blue light, both he and the young reaper teleported twenty feet into the air, crying out in surprise and a bit of joy as they fell back down into the pool. Many in the circle rolled their eyes at their friends' barely-sane methods of horseplay.
"I don't understand how they do it," Milo commented, peering over his shoulder at the separated group. "How do they simply set aside the war and play around like nothing is happening?"
"I know what you mean," Jaune responded. "They always seem to be able to pull themselves away pretty easily."
"You two are starting to sound more alike for once," Cade laughed, shifting his weight and grinning when half the group gave him crazed looks. "They're doing what we're supposed to be doing," he explained. "We need to take this time to relax while we still have it."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Milo spoke. "I don't think I can do that," he said. "There's too much going on for me to worry about."
"Exactly! That's what I keep trying to tell her," Jaune agreed, pointing a thumb at the red-headed Mistrali, who lovingly nudged him in return.
"Well I think Ozpin is right," Yang announced. "If relaxing is what we need, then relaxing is what we'll do." She suddenly grabbed Milo's hand and pulled him to his feet, his wings twitching open as he nearly lost balance.
"Yang, hey-" he protested, trying to both loosen his arm from the young woman's death grip and slow them down a bit before she started dragging him through the dirt.
"Shush, we're relaxing!" the blonde exclaimed as they vanished through the treeline.
The group passed glances between each other before breaking into a fit of giggles and laughter, while Cade snickered and he lifted his scroll, tapping the timer to stop the clock from counting any further. He turned to the pond and raised it up for the others to see. "Seventeen minutes! You guys better pay up!" The twins let out a groan and started swimming toward the edge to grab their wallets.
Milo followed Yang through paths all too familiar to him as she blindly meandered the grounds, searching for the best spot to talk about things. He of course knew a perfect place, but wasn't sure what kind of 'talk' the young woman wanted to have at this particular time. He considered letting her speak first, but changed his mind. Clearly she wanted to say something, otherwise she never would've pulled him away from the group the way she did.
"So, what's on your mind?" he questioned, giving her a sidelong glance as they trudged forward along the path.
"Nothing, I just thought we could sit and talk," she answered. The young man gave her arm a tug, raising an eyebrow to let her see that he knew better.
Yang rolled her eyes and chuckled, a little bit pleased at how well he seemed to know her. "Fine, you win. All this talk of relaxing got me thinking, and I was curious of what you planned to do once the war is over." The wide eyed look of surprise he had brought a smile to her cheeks, but it faded when his eyes narrowed and he started to frown.
"After..." he stalled, then raked a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "We need to focus on surviving the war first."
"But there has to be something," she urged, taking a seat in the soft grass. "You can't tell me you haven't thought of what you want, not even once."
He gave a heavy sigh and sat across from her. "I can't think that far ahead. It all depends on..." he hesitated. "Everything depends on where I stand when it all ends."
"What does that mean?!" she demanded in his face. "You are too cryptic."
"Things with me are always complicated," he lamented. "Some things I've done will come to light and people won't respond well to it. Including our friends."
She blinked, unsure of how to respond. In the end she decided to simply nod as a sign of understanding but Milo shook his head and averted his gaze, feeling ashamed. Did he really think his friends would hate him? Was he worried that she would hate him?
If Milo was so worried about his past, then she would have to find a way to make him talk about it. If he understood that she trusts him, then he might just trust her enough to tell her what is bothering him so much. "Well... If you can't think about the future," she spoke hesitantly, "Then tell me about your past, so I can understand your present."
"Yang, it isn't some fairy tale," Milo sternly said, pointing a serious glare in her direction. "Its... Its... There aren't words to describe what I felt that day."
The young woman sighed. No matter how hard she tried, he always seemed to bottle up when it came to the past. She knew it was difficult to bring up, but how can she ever understand what he feels if he never tells her?
"Are you sure you want to know?" Milo asked with a somber, reluctant tone.
The young blonde gaped, slowly nodding as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Follow me."
She obeyed without protest as he quickly stood and turned off the path, trudging strongly through the knee-high brush. She stayed a few feet from his heels, carefully avoiding any thorns and sharp branches that were so common in Mistral forests.
"Where are we going?" she questioned, peering over his shoulder.
"Somewhere no one can eavesdrop," he declared without looking back.
Yang felt anxious, to say the least. After nearly a year of trying to get him to talk, Milo was finally, finally going to tell her! She could, at last, understand what made him tick and that was enough to have her nearly shouting with joy.
Less than a minute passed before they broke through the treeline into a new waterfall, this one with a much smaller pool than the one the other teams were currently resting and playing in.
Milo didn't give her any time to sight-see, however, urging her forward with a touch of her arm and moving along the edge of the pool and toward the waterfall. The water was crystal clear enough for Yang to see small fish swirling in waves beneath the surface.
The low roar of the falls grew as they approached, coming to a stop next to the rock face of the towering waterfall. The stone was almost completely coated with flowering vines that draped downward into the pool at either side of the waterfall. Yang could taste the misty spray and suppressed a shiver from the cool air of the falls as Milo carefully scanned the forest around them.
"What are you looking for?" she irritably questioned.
"Making sure nobody followed us," was his only reply. Once he was certain the coast was clear, he took a few more steps toward the cliff face and reached for the vines.
Yang had expected they would need to climb something one way or another and started stretching her arms in preparation, but the last thing she expected was for Milo to push aside the vines and reveal a perfectly concealed cave entrance that lead deeper into the cliffside.
"Watch for Grimm," he warned in a whisper.
Carefully stepping through the dark tunnel, Yang could see a light coming in from the opposite side. The air was misty and warm against her skin, making the cave feel akin to a relaxing sauna. Thankfully no Grimm were present, and they were now standing behind the waterfall as it raced in front of them.
"This is where my parents met," Milo said sadly. "They ran away from home and both found this place on their own. They never separated until she died when I was born."
Yang could relate. She wanted to say that she knew what it was like to not know her real mother, but she didn't dare interrupt this. They sat next to each other a dozen feet from the falls, the young blonde resting her head on Milo's shoulder with their backs to the cave wall.
"We were a good family, but..." he sadly closed his eyes as he painfully recollected the memories.
"What happened?" she asked quietly, taking his hand in reassurance. "What happened to you?"
He took a deep breath and gripped her hand tightly. He stared into a small puddle at the center of the cave, recollecting the single most scarring memory of his life. "Once upon a time there was a kid named Milo, who dreamt of soaring through the clouds with wings..."
From the early days of his childhood to the moment Nova was created, he told her everything.
Blake sighed as she slapped the book closed, shaking her head and rubbing her exhausted eyes. She had spent the last ten minutes on a single page, never seeming to be able to focus enough to actually read the words.
She absentmindedly plucked at the soft grass as many thoughts and emotions plagued her mind, feeling uncertain with her team's cause as well as Adam's. Both seemed to agree on one thing, that to fight was the only possible solution. And then, of course, there was Milo; a young man who Adam said killed his own sister.
She didn't think Nova would do such a thing, but a restored Milo with wings and full memories was an entirely different person. Less forgiving, more aggressive, and set enough in what appears to be his own cause to openly fight General Ironwood during the attack on vale, who only survived because of the intervention of his right-hand soldier, Winter Schnee. Perhaps Milo did kill Cinder Fall, out of anger for orchestrating the attack if nothing else. Or maybe there was a whole lot more to his story. Lie Ren always said a Phoenix was a great deceiver.
But what of her own cause? She came to Beacon to try and change people's opinion on Faunus and the White Fang and to stop the organization's crimes, only to accomplish nothing. Adam offered for her to return to his side but her entire reason for leaving was because they were hurting innocents. And she had a feeling that wasn't about to change. Did he know how it hurt her heart?
It felt as though she were falling like a leaf in the wind, with no ability to control where she might land.
"Is everything alright?" a kind voice asked. Blake blinked away her thoughts and lifted her gaze. Lie Ren was kneeling a few feet away, giving her a concerned look. "You look like something is bothering you."
Blake sighed, shaking her head as her gaze returned to the book in her lap. "I'll be fine, thank you though, for your concern." She traced the leathery creases of the old binding. Her ears squared on him as he took a seat across from her rather than quietly leave her to her business like he usually did.
"I know your partner has been... distracted," he said with a hint of disdain. "And if you're any bit of the thinker I am, then you need someone to talk to. Seeing as the others aren't quite observant enough to notice, I am here to offer what help I can."
Blake smiled in thanks, her eyes downcast. Ren was always remarkably good at reading people, so much so that it wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if he figured out she was a faunus long before it was ever revealed to the group. He is ever-quiet, ever-watchful, and very protective... like any true Huntsman.
She respected him greatly, and could see how a certain hyperactive hammer-wielder could become obsessed. "I can't seem to stop thinking about my part in this conflict."
"Are you having doubts?" he questioned with a worried expression.
Blake sighed as she unconsciously began toying with her long black hair, which curled loosely over her slender shoulders. "I've always had doubts," she mumbled. "I've put so much thought into what I should do for myself, for the Faunus... I've fought for and against both sides in this war, but neither side makes me feel like I'm in the right place."
"I see," the young man frowned.
"I don't know what to do," she said softly, her heart growing heavy in her chest.
Ren rubbed his chin as he pondered for a moment. "If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?" he questioned.
The fidgeting stopped as the young faunus gave him a confused glance because of the seemingly out of place question.
"What?"
"Just bear with me," he insisted, waving away her confusion. "Imagine your perfect day. What do you have? What are you doing? What makes it a perfect day?"
She was about to object but thought better of it, choosing instead to dig deep into her desires and find what she truly wanted.
What would be her perfect day? As she closed her eyes, she found herself not in Mistral, but Vale. She was alone in the waning light of the afternoon sun, sitting cross legged in the forest. It was quiet, her sensitive ears hearing nothing but the turning pages and the swirling breeze that caught the bed of crimson leaves so well known to Forever Fall, causing them to dance in circles around her. There were no Grimm. There was no war, only the steady breeze and dancing leaves. It was enough to make her smile.
Everything was calm, quiet, peaceful.
It was peaceful.
"Peace," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered open as she returned to Mistral and her gaze fell back to Ren. Her cheeks reddened, feeling embarrassed for having become so easily enraptured by her own fantasy. "I-I want there to be peace," she stammered.
The young man gave her a reassuring smile. "As good a cause as any, I would say. One that is certainly worth pursuing."
Blake hesitated, biting her lip for a moment as her ears drooped. "I'm not sure you understand what that means for me, Ren."
"I became a Huntsman because I have someone I need to protect," he revealed. "It wasn't exactly what I wanted at the time, but rather something I knew needed to be done. Now here I am, happier for it."
Blake opened and closed her mouth, words failing to form around her countless thoughts and emotions. Ren was admitting that he was not fighting for the cause, but was doubtlessly protecting Nora. He didn't choose a side, but rather pursued his own goal which ultimately led him here. Eventually she gave a slow, sad nod of understanding.
"Thank you," she sighed. "For listening... and for helping."
He stood to leave, but hesitated. "I... can't see you as an enemy, Blake. Whatever you choose, remember that there are people here who do care about you, and we could never raise a hand against you." Before she could respond he walked away, leaving her alone to her thoughts.
Blake knew he meant well, but there was nothing simple about choosing what to do when the world was at war.
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."
-Psalm 56:3