Hello! So I apologize for any grammatical errors, I read this like 5 times and I keep finding errors. If I kept going I would never publish it. Anyway, I have some important stuff to discuss at the bottom. See you down there!
P.S. Fun fact: Lake Kawaguchi is a real place in Japan where some of the most common fish is rainbow trouts. *gay shipping intensifies*
Blake loves literature, everyone knows that by this point. At first she loved the many stories that her father would tell her, and yearned for more. They were an escape to her, really, an escape from cruel reality. She yearned to live the lives of the protagonists in those books, they seem much better off that she would ever be. And there was this… feeling that comes with learning about so many stories, with their own lives between those pages, and reading them felt as though she was living along with them. It is much true that a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, the man who never reads lives only one.
Not all the stories she reads are the same, some went from fantasy, to futuristic, fairy tales, and even historical. She did seem to, however to have a habit of picking up… romance novels more often than not. But that's besides the point.
The point here was, that every single person in this room expects her to believe that a young fourteen-year-old boy had the soul of professor Ozpin within him. She might have read many books that she wished were true, but Blake knew how harsh reality is. Real life isn't a fairy tale, it is what it is.
"Yep, that was our expression too!" Nora exclaimed. "Then Ruby's uncle kinda fell flat in his face."
"I'm pretty sure that's because he was drunk Nora," replied Jaune.
After a long day of lunch, talking and catching up with everyone, the only people left in the room was team RWBY and JNR, Sun and his team decided to call it a day and left to catch up on their own. But not before Sun had a brief talk with Blake, hoping she'll be okay on her own. Yang being the unspoken question.
"I'll be fine," she had answered, figuring that although the talk with her partner wasn't over, they would be okay.
Yang then spoke up on how she was able to get to Haven quickly, her mention of her mother catching Qrow and Oscar's- err, Ozpin's? attention.
"So, the maidens, magic, Salem, and now… reincarnation? The other stuff was overwhelming to begin with, but this?" was Blake's answer.
"I know this is much for you to take in, but I feel it is important for you to know this, I fear that what is to come will be a great burden on all of you. The more you know, the better off you'll be. There is a saying that knowledge is power, and that couldn't be more right."
A pause, before he turned to Yang, "Miss Xiao Long, you mentioned your mother spoke something of this nature. Is this more or less what she told you?"
Weiss glanced at Yang, seeing her deep in thought, she answered for her, "for the most part."
"You forgot something," Yang interrupted, "you forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother."
A surprised gasp came from Ruby, and confused glances were thrown around between everyone, but Jaune was the one who spoke up, "what is she talking about?"
"Oh, great," muttered Qrow.
"Hmh, that's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily. You mother must trust you a great deal."
Yang's only response was a grimace.
Ozpin sighed, "my ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain… "magical" power."
He stood up from the couch he was sitting in he started pacing around the room. Yang's expression wary the entire time. "Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to "see" more, to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I… well… gave them the ability to turn into birds." He chuckled humorlessly, "rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?" He paused next to Qrow looking up and assessing the reactions.
Everyone's expression turned questionable, unable to actually believe his claims, save for Yang and Jaune who seemed to be even more wary against Ozpin than they already were.
"You turned them… into birds," Ren repeated slowly.
"Alright, now you're just messing with us," was Nora's skeptical reply.
"What else is new," Jaune agreed with her.
" – He's telling the truth," interrupted Weiss. "We saw it. Yang's mom… changed, right in front of us."
At this point, Yang couldn't take it anymore. Her mom had insisted she ask questions, to not trust blindly, and she was beginning to see why. "Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?
"Yang, that's enough." Qrow interrupted, "we made a choice. We wanted this."
Yang paused at her uncle's response. He wanted this? what in the world for, what is he fighting for. Who is he fighting for?
Ozpin glanced at Qrow asking for permission to tell the story behind it, "may I." At his nod, he continued to pace forward. "Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear."
"Okay, so, have you done this with others?" Ruby asked, trying to grasp this new information. "Like General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch?"
Ozpin now stood next to Yang, pausing to try and answer their questions as best as he could. "As helpful as that might be, unfortunately it is not that simple. My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount that I gifted to Qrow and Raven was, all things considered, rather miniscule. You see, centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first Maidens."
The clock ticked in the distance, with no one able to say anything, it made the only noise in the room.
"Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to… 'play close to the chest.' I believe that's how you phrased it?" he asked Qrow, glancing back at him.
"Heh, yeah."
"Everyone has a choice. The Branwen's chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties, in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice." Ozpin turned his back to them and closed his eyes for what he said next. "If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There's no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat."
Glances where thrown around, but no one moved. Uncertainty and slight fear apparent in their eyes. Just what did they get themselves into. Who would've thought that the dream of becoming a huntress/er and study at Beacon Academy, come to this?
Upon hearing nobody move from their seats, he opened his eyes and turned around, "very well then –
Yang stood. Grabbing everybody's attention. Her sister's in particular, "Yang?"
"If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there's one thing I know about her, its that she somehow always knows the right thing to do. But, if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths."
"Understood."
Yang sat back down.
"Let me get one thing straight," Blake finally spoke up after moments of silence. "You're telling me that there are two souls in that boy's body? So not only are fairy tales true but so are fictional fantasy novels?" She asked, still unable to grasp that bit of information. Screw turning people into birds, shifting wasn't unknown in her family tree, but that was a faunus secret that most faunus didn't even know about. No, reincarnation, just who is Ozpin, if that's his name at all.
"Ahh, seems you may have had a run in with one of my books."
A look Yang never saw Blake display was sprawled on her face. Said faunus was currently blinking a few times, almost thinking she heard wrong, then slowly asked, "… you… wrote those books…" She had the author of The Man with Two Souls in front of her?
Ozpin smiled at this, "it seems I may have a fan?" Yang chuckled, amused at her partner's current realization and predicament.
Blake stayed mute, torn between asking him for his autograph or rocking back and forth in a corner from these roller-coaster mind tricks that today has been. Instead, she simply rubbed her hands down her face, wondering how exactly she got into this mess.
"Well, I'm sure that is enough information to last you a life time. If any of you have any questions at any time, please, don't hesitate to ask. I encourage you to get a good night's rest."
With that, Oscar seemed to be back and excused himself. But not after apologizing profusely to Yang for having his hand on her shoulder so casually.
"What now?" Asked Jaune.
Ren was the one who spoke up. "Well, the road ahead will soon be filled with hardships and peril, and it's been too long since we've been together. Let's enjoy this moment, at the least."
"….."
"Yeah, turns out Ren gets real deep when he talks."
Dinner was served surrounded by laughs and smiles. Weiss told her story of summoning a Boarbatusk in the middle of a dinner party to attack some snotty woman taking the Fall of Beacon lightly. Jaune kept asking himself how he kept losing the map during their trip to Mistral. Ruby talks about that Nukelavee Grimm that Sun hear rumors about.
"Do you realize you might have run into one of the most notorious legendary grim that's has been around for centuries?" Blake interrupted, floored at hearing her leader take on such an ancient being.
"Really? I mean it was pretty tough. Like, really tough. I was actually worried there for a bit." She pondered. "But Sun mentioned a Flying sea monster you guys fought! That must have been epic! I've never seem aquatic Grimm like that! Just the ocassional big fish."
"Sea Feilongs are actually quite common around those parts near Menagerie. They just don't get bothered so easily, it almost seems like they are, agitated recently." Blake responded.
"Wow, we just have to go visit there sometime! Oh! And we can meet your parents too! I wonder what they look like." Ruby exclaimed and pondered.
Blake eyed her team leader warily, unsure of how she exactly she thought her parents looked like. Her imagination can be quite… unique at times.
"… I don't think going there anytime soon is a good idea Ruby." Weiss inputted.
Ruby sulked at that, "aww why?"
"Because Menagerie is an overpopulated island for faunus specifically, Ruby. I doubt being visited by humans would be a smart choice at a time like this. Especially with the white fang around. No offence."
Blake raised an eyebrow, "none taken. And your right. Being thrown into a small almost ¾ uninhabitable island didn't sit well with a lot of faunus. It's actually a huge factor in how the White Fang came to be. Putting a huge amount of angry people together made it quite easy."
"And your dad was the one who started everything?" Asked Weiss inquisitively.
"He was a spokesperson that wanted to speak out about the injustice that faunus have been subjected to. Just peaceful protests and slowly making progress to try and help people understand. They responded with nothing but insults and practically spit in our faces," as she talked she noticed everyone started to become attentive. It was the first time that Blake has spoken, and she was being very open right now. About her origins, her upbringing. "My father believed that being provoked would solve nothing, but not many were willing to put up with that. So, others brought up ideas that, unfortunately brought faster results. Fighting back."
"You never talk much about your past, and I'm glad you're confiding in us Blake. You're pretty much fighting two wars right know, Salem and the right thing to do for your kind. Just know were here for you. We all are." Weiss added, uncharacteristically warm. Well. That was a lie. She changed, all of us have.
Blake smiled. "I know. I just, didn't want to bring this down on all of you. We all applied for beacon for distinct reasons. Mine happens to be this."
"The thing with being part of a team, is that the weight that you used to carry by yourself on your shoulders, is now for all of us to help you carry it." Ruby offered.
"Yeah, took me a while to understand that." She spoke softly.
"Welp, I don't know about you guys but I'm beat!" Yang interrupted.
"Same here, today was exhausting."
Given that there were now more people than rooms, it was decided that they would each have to share in pairs, deciding to split off into partners. This current development forced Blake to pause, glancing over at Yang who had been silent during the whole evening. Not one word was passed between the two since the Garden talk. Their situation was a bit on the awkward side at the moment, even though their talk had gotten along okay.
Ruby showed each person their given rooms. Blake and Yang's being the furthest from everyone else. Upon entering the first thing you could feel as the door closed was tension in the air. Tension so intense it was hard to breathe.
"There's a shower there if you wanna go first," Yang broke the awkward silence.
Blake was about to take it, until she realized one thing, "I don't have anything on me." Thinking this trip was only going to be to have a talk with the headmaster, Blake left everything back at the tavern.
Yang pondered this for a moment, then walked over to her things she'd unpacked yesterday. "I have a comfortable hoodie that can probably fit you like a dress." Fumbling a bit through the drawers, she mumbled a low 'here it is' and turned around with the fabric outstretched in front of her. It did look very comfortable… and… yellow.
Yang raised an eyebrow at seeing her partner eye the material critically. "If you don't like it –
"No!" she burst out impulsively, "it's just that, you sure have an obsession with yellow." She tried to explain.
She cocked her head and eyed her outfit. "As you do with black. Like your transition to more of the purple though, it suits you."
Blake let out a shaky laugh, "touché." She took the hoodie from her and headed for the showers, hoping for the best, her current clothes were clean at least. She was so glad she took a shot at the showers in the tavern yesterday. Although the place had a homey look, it didn't look very well cared for in the cleaning department.
As Blake walked in and started undressing she realized she completely forgot about the golden object still hanging on her right wrist. So many things had happened today that it never even crossed her mind.
Should I… give this to her now? she thought.
Taking it off carefully and placing it in the counter she gazed over to her reflection. Its been so long since she stood in front of a mirror. Her hair seemed way longer, and her bang were starting to grow over her eyes. Trailing her gaze down she saw that clean vertical scar on her lower abdomen that, compared to her scars on both her forearms, looked way nicer. The jagged lines that crisscrossed her arms, due to the chains that held her upright, were a cruel reminder of what Adam was capable of, and that he needed to be stopped.
As she finished up and left the bathroom, she tried tucking the bottom of the sweater further down. Feeling self-conscious at showing a lot of leg skin. Which she immediately felt silly about, having more scars on her upped body than below. Raising her head, she saw that the lights were off, and that Yang was already in bed. Or at least she thinks she was. Trying her best not to disturb her, she placed the golden bracelet down on the counter on her side of the king bed.
She tried so hard to sleep, she did. But it was getting harder and harder these days. As it was, she already was a light sleeper giver her days in the White Fang and sleeping out in the open. But recently she's been getting less than 4 hour sleep. Napping throughout the day helped, but she couldn't do that all the time. After 3 hours of trying to give in to the dark, she gave up. Sitting up, she figured some fresh air might help.
With as little noise as possible, Blake kept the obnoxious yellow hoodie but put on her pants and boots, grabbing her weapon before opening the door.
Now, what's the highest building around here.
Black long hair, that long red sword that she favors, along with those red eyes were the last thing she saw of her mother before crossing that portal. She left again, in a different sense. Yang tried reaching out for her, tried to get her to understand that we can find a way to defeat Salem, together. But when she reached out and turned her around, it was amber eyes she saw, not red. Beautiful golden amber, her ears finally free from that obstruction she so called a bow. She was smiling, but there was a hint of sadness to her. She was slowly starting to walk away from her. Yang stepped forward to try and reach for her again, but it seemed as though each step she took forward, Blake took three backward. She was getting further away from her until the last thing she saw was a red blade, thrusting through her from behind.
"Blake!"
Widened eyes searched the room frantically, her heart beating insanely fast when she found the space next to her cold and empty. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to breathe. She's fine, she's here. She just probably went to get something to drink.
It took her a while to get herself together, but she managed to do it. Her shaking arm wouldn't stop though. She tried to grip her left arm to stop it when she realized there was nothing but dead air. Breathing a few more times she grabbed her mechanical arm from the counter to her right and tried to clasp the mechanism back on. It took four tries with a shaking hand, but she was able to do it.
After a few more minutes her seemed to have calmed down but was curious at the still no return of her partner. Looking over to her side again, she was going to look to see if Gambol Shroud was here when she saw a rather smaller object on the opposite side of the bed. Confused, she stood up and searched her drawer to make sure she wasn't mistaking.
Nope. Her weapon was safely tucked in her drawer, yet when she turned around, there stood another replica.
It… it can't be. Can it? Walking over to Blake's side, she grabbed the similar looking weapon from the bedside table. There was no mistaking it. This was her weapon. But, how? The last time she had this was at the Fall. Back when she… back when she was brutally beaten by Adam Taurus. Did Blake have this? How did she.. she wouldn't have gone back there. That's a suicide mission with all those Grimm. Speaking of, where was she.
Setting her weapon back down she looked around the room again, slightly panicked at not seeing her weapon. She wouldn't. She wouldn't do that again. She can't.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying again to calm down, bumping into the table behind her. Opening her eyes again, she noticed Blake's white coat and top.
Yang let out a breath. Blake wouldn't be caught dead wearing yellow. But what the hell is she doing at. . . she looked at the time on her scroll. 3am?
After some debating, she got dressed and grabbed her left Ember Celica, after some thought, she picked up her other half and slid it into her belt bag.
Now, if I were a cat, where would I go? She thought.
She dangled her feet on the edge, swinging them back and forth. She raised her right foot up and rested her chin on her knee, I wonder, if I fall, would I land on fours like a cat or on my two feet? She thought. Although the cat faunus hated to admit it, she did tend to have a few… feline tendencies, though her love of tuna was simply because it would be a sin for someone to hate such a delicacy.
Looking up at the moon, she let her mind wander. She remembered the Nevermore fight back at Beacon's initiation. She remembered being slammed back by Nora and falling over the edge. That feeling of free falling, it was nice. It sounded odd to her, but there was something about feeling the wind rushing past you and the freefall felt… well, it's hard to put it into words.
"I wonder…" she murmured, standing up and leaning over the edge inquisitively. She kind of wanted to replicate that feeling, wanted to forget all of this for just a moment and simply… let go.
She was currently standing on top a building in the Academy top grounds that faced the edge of the mountain hills. It was not very far from the open elevator that Yang showed her a few hours ago. This time, the view was different. The moon was the only source of light at the moment. The silence was music to her ears, and the wind that lightly blew her ebony locks away from her face was refreshing.
This is what she needed.
Maybe being on the road for so long made her feel claustrophobic inside a closed space with a comfortable bed. But who was she kidding. The reason she couldn't sleep was because of the person that was laying next to her. After to many months of regret, anger, sadness, and pain. Simply laying down next to her as if nothing happened made her feel… undeserving.
Was it weird of her to feel the need to be hated? She should be hated, yelled at, or even kicked out for the things she's done. She feels so undeserving of her thoughtful team that she thinks this could be a dream. That if she fell asleep and she woke up, she'd be back in the outskirts of Vale, fighting Grimm in Forever Fall and keeping the White Fang off her back. She didn't want to wake up.
I don't want to be alone again. I don't.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Erasing those thought from her mind. She shouldn't undermine the support and friendship of her team. They deserve better. Opening her eyes once again she looked back down the edge of the cliff, earlier thoughts of possibly jumping for the heck of it floating back into mind, replacing her poisonous thoughts.
Her extreme sports thrill thoughts were interrupted when suddenly, a loud metal screeching sound reached her ears, causing them to fold down in slight pain. The sound caught her of guard, she turned around swiftly and smoothly despite the 3-inch width of the edge she was currently standing on, resting her hand on her weapon behind her back with bent knees.
To her surprise, a pair of lilac eyes stared back at her. The blond didn't notice her at first. She had opened the metal door with more force than necessary, cursing under her breath when it caught on the uneven cement roof, slowing the door to a complete stop about halfway. Not ready for the sudden halt, caused Yang to slam the left side of her body against it.
"Fuck," she grunted.
Blake's lips raised ever so slightly at the current antics she was witnessing.
Yang felt someone was watching her so she scanned the surrounding area looking for a certain someone, her eyes soon landing on Blake's form in the shadows. She was in a defensive stance, but upon seeing that it was Yang, her body seemed to immediately ease up. When their eyes met, neither moved.
As Yang observed Blake, she noticed that her eyes looked… more feline than usual, and when the moonlight started to shine from behind those stormy clouds, they almost seemed to glow a gorgeous amber. Accentuating the narrowed pupils, a lot more. Her skin also looked paler than usual, but not enough to be considered sickly, more of a soft glow.
Taking a look of where she was standing, she asked, "so its true?" Breaking the silence that almost border lined awkward. The faunus cocked her head to the side in question, making her look very much like a cat. She mustered all her strength to not smile at how adorable she was being right now and not even knowing it. "Cats and their love of heights," she responded, looking pointedly at her. It was honestly her best bet at finding her, looking for high places that is.
Understanding flashed in Blake's eyes along with a chuckle that she allowed free. "Fortunately, I know how to get down," she quipped back. She let go of her weapon that she had still been gripping and look another glance behind her. Damn it looks tempting to give it a go and jump.
"You're not actually thinking about jumping, are you?" Yang asked. Sure, they had aura, but one wrong landing at this height could be disastrous.
"I've dealt with worse," was Blake's response, not taking her eyes off the view. She was looking for the right place to stick her weapon in order to swing safely to one of the many levels of living down the mountains without dislocating her shoulder.
"Can I join you?" Yang asked tentatively.
Blake didn't answer, but she turned back around to face the view and sat down the ledge once again, moving over to make an open spot. Yang took the unspoken invitation and sat down next to her. After a few silent moments, the silence was broken once again.
"So, what brought up suicidal thoughts tonight on a full moon?" Yang tried to joke. She was slightly concerned if her partner really did jump. Not because she didn't believe in her skills but… she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
If she jumps, she'll leave me behind. Again.
"It seemed fun."
"It seemed fun to jump off the side of a mountain," Yang asked in disbelief.
"Well, it's more the feeling you get, its hard to explain. Kind of like, you are letting all your worries go. Nothing is on your mind except…" – How can I explain it?
" – except being free," Yang finished for her.
Blake jerked her head sideways at her statement, "exactly," she agreed.
Yang smiled widely now. "I know what you mean," she said. "And there is another way other than jumping off the highest building or being launched into a forest full of Grimm."
She stood up and offered her hand for Blake to take, "follow me, there's a friend of mine I want you to meet…"
Now, Blake didn't know what to expect exactly, but this surely did not come to mind. When they finally reached their destination.
"Bumblebee?" Blake asked incredulously.
"Yup."
"…"
"Oh, c'mon! Don't tell me you've never seen a motorcycle before." She asked gesturing at her love and pride.
"Oh, I have. I used to ride one, I just never named an inanimate object before." She muttered that last part.
"You own a bike?!" Yang asked in pleased surprise, ignoring the jab at her girl.
"Uh, no. I just used to ride one for a while…" she tried to respond evasively, but Yang caught on.
"You stole a bike?!"
"… it was black… and in my defense, I was being followed and needed a fast getaway." She avoided eye contact, silently chastising herself for admitting in stealing something.
"If my girl ever goes missing, I will bring hell upon you Belladonna." Was Yang's response. No looking down at her for stealing, no disapproving glare. Just Yang and her usual warm smile with an edge of playfulness.
"Noted," she commented with a chuckle.
"Now, come on." Yang swung one leg over and retracted the kickstand. Sliding in next to her, Blake saw her partner about to hand her the only helmet she had, a bright yellow one with her insignia.
"You wear it," Blake told her.
"You're the guest today, you do the honors."
"I can't…"
"Why not?" she asked, looking back.
Instead of answering, the faunus simply twitched her cat ears. Yang looked up at the movement and her questioning gaze shifted to realization.
"Oh."
"Besides, I doubt you know what speed racing is…" she goaded.
That brought a smirk to the blonde's face, "Oh, now you're just asking for it… kitten," her eyes twinkled with mischief.
Blake blinked at the nickname. She used to call her that back at Beacon to try and get a rise out of her, it worked sometimes. Its been so long since she heard it however, that she forgot she was supposed to be mad about it. Taking her a while to quip back, "… you did not just –
She was cut off by the loud roar from underneath her, and she was nearly certain it was done on purpose. Wrapping her arms around the taller girl's waist, her suspicions were confirmed when she felt rather than heard the blonde chuckling.
"Hang on tight," she tried to speak over the engine.
Blake tightened her hold a little more, bringing the front of her body flush to the blonde's back. Satisfied, Yang released the kickstand and started forward.
It. Was. Amazing. Although she wasn't going extremely fast, she wasn't exactly going slow either, the wind whistling loudly on either side. Yang was right, this was much better than jumping off a cliff. She felt, free. Free of the huge weight that she carried on her shoulders, free from her past mistakes, free of the war that was to come. Just for a moment, she truly felt free.
Having no place in mind, Yang had nowhere to go. She was really just following a dirt road now that looks like it was meant for hiking. The further out they ventured the thicker the trees grew, but Grimm attacks were far and few around these parts, they had their weapons of course, just in case. A few more minutes of silence passed, and they neared a small cliff that turned into a very small beach. This ended up being the small body of water that centered on the landmass of Anima.
Yang decided it seemed like an okay place to take a break and enjoy the scenery. It was beautiful to be honest.
Stopping the bike near the edge of where the dirt road stopped, and the sand started, she turned off the engine. Blake immediately missed the rumble and vibrations of the… bumblebee. But raising her head and looking up she saw why they stopped. She found herself face to face with lake Kawaguchi, a place she had been before a few years back.
"Wow, the view from Patch has nothing on this," Yang commented.
Blake could see what she saw, a breathtaking view of a vastly sized lake surrounded by cherry blossoms that are now mostly on the lake than on the actual trees. The mountains on the opposite side of the lake were barley visible, but there nonetheless.
Its pretty, but it didn't beat the view from Menagerie. She didn't know the exact science behind it, but she guessed that the lack of landmasses nearby the tropical island gave you a full view on the beauty that was the ocean. The colors orange, soft yellow and a certain shade of purple made it breathtaking.
Blake said nothing as they both dismounted and approached the shore. Yang took the liberty to plop down on the sand facing the lake. Not seeing any objections, Blake sat next to her, a safe distance away.
Yang noticed this but said nothing. Instead she reached out to grab the item in her bad and placed it between them. Looking down, Blake saw that she placed Ember Celica down. A bit confused at the sudden disarming, she looked back at her partner questionably. Her response was to show her left arm with her other bracelet.
Blakes eyes widened slightly, looking back down and confirming that that was indeed the right-handed weapon she had been carrying for quite some time.
"Mind explaining why I found that on the counter? I mean, I thought it was as good as gone. Not that it made much difference anyway."
Ah, that's right. She left it out. Blake tried to make some sense of what Yang might be feeling about her 'borrowing' her weapon. But she saw nothing but curiosity.
"When I went back for my weapon, I saw yours. I couldn't just… leave it there."
Yang realized that she didn't truly know what went down after she… went down. She was knocked down hard by Adam and then what? How did they both get out of there? She never truly asked around how she got to safetly, didn't want to know anything about anything really, after she found out the people she lost along with the school.
"How… how did we get out of there Blake?" She asked tentatively. This topic wasn't approached before, and they both had scars, physical and psychological, from that time.
Blake hesitated, shes never talked about this before. Hell she tried never to even thuink about that moment in her life before. It was a cruel reminder of the day she almost lost a loved one. But… she figured at lest Yang deserved to know what happened.
"… after you were down, Adam tried to finish you off…" she trailed off, her thought retuirning to that day. "I honestly am surprised at what happened next, I… created a clone, but not just of me. Of you…"
Yang eyed her out of the corner of her eye, her body still facing the view. "You weren't able to do that before?"
"No, just of myself. And even then, it was only for a short amount of time, which is why I mainly use my semblance to take the hits. But… that time I was able to maintain a solid copy of you and me. He's never seen me use my semblance that way, so he never saw me carry you out until the last second, until after he…" Blake closed her eyes. "Until after he sliced his sword clean through my clone's head."
Yang's fists on the sand balled up into fists. Her expression a mix between anger and fear. That could have been her, she thought.
"… you carried us both out then, badly wounded," she assessed.
"It was nothing compared to you. You were losing blood too fast, I –
Blake took a deep breath to calm down her nerves. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it." She then chuckled humorlessly. "Turns out I was the one who was in danger of blood loss, your semblance somehow cauterized your wound after a while."
Yang's head snapped to her right, staring at her partner incredulously. "But Sun said you left the ship as soon as it landed… wha – you didn't –
Yang was at a loss of words. She had thought her partner's wound wasn't deep enough to need medical attention, but for her to be on the edge of bloodloss?
"You are trying to tell me that, you had a life threatening injury while you carried us both out of there and you run off on your own without proper medical attention. On top of that you decide to go back to the school an retrieve our weapons while injured… a place crawling with Grimm?" Yang spoke slowly, unbelieving.
"I know how to take care of stab wounds… " she tried to justify herself.
Yang was facing her fully now, a look of restraint marred her face. "You are one of the smartest people I know, hell you were in the top 5 rank at school. But that is probably the most idiotic things you've ever done. Did you even bother to think?! Ask for help? If you didn't wanna see me, fine, you could've asked Sun for help! But heading into a place swarming with Grimm on an injury that should've landed you in the medical center is practically suicide! Even I am not that reckless! Me!"
Blake said nothing.
"I know."
Yang scoffed. "That's all your gonna say? 'I know,' that's your excuse?"
"I don't have one, I was just desperate. I couldn't stay unarmed with the White Fang after me, so I risked it."
Yang stop and pondered for a moment, looked up at the sky for a brief moment before saying, "Okay, yesterday your had your share, youre side of the story, your explanation. Now its my turn to talk. And I am going to tell you that you are one of the most frustrating people I have ever met."
"I get that youre not on the sociable side of things and you don't like aking for help. But its common sense, to NOT go in there alone in that condition Blake. What you did was reckless, period."
"That being said, knowing that you were doing all this while I was at home feeling sorry for myself makes me feel even worse.
"Yang, I –
"Don't talk," she scolded.
"When I woke up, the last thing I remembered was you getting stabbed, I needed to know you were okay. That you were alive. Then Sun tells me that you just left. Do you know what that did to me? I might have been slightly traumatized when I had an arm missing, but you leaving like that destroyed me Blake."
"I felt useless. I couldn't save my friend, couldn't save myself, and I was alone. Weiss was shipped home, you ran away, Ruby took off on an impossible mission. I might have been with my dad, but I was alone, a lifeless shell that breathed."
"I open myself to you about my past, about my mother, and knowing that, you chose to leave. That destroyed my trust in you Blake. It still is. I don't know if you're just going to leave again without saying goodbye or –
"I won't."
"I can't trust that," she smiled sadly. "I can hear you promise that, but the fear still remains. Just like this morning, if I hadn't seen your clothes I'd still be having a panic attack."
Blake paused, she had a panic attack?
Yang chuckled humorlessly, "that makes me sound so much like an overly attached girlfriend, sorry."
"Don't be. I caused this, and I'm so, so sorry."
She could apologize all she wanted, but that changes nothing. The damage was done. But Yang being Yang, she deflected her troubles. "Seeing you in yellow is quite a sight by the way," she tried to maneuver away from her panic attack topic. Said girl blinked and looked down, apparently having forgotten what she was wearing. Her look of surprise and embarrassment obvious.
"Well now I'm just offended, that's my favorite hoddie," she observed her partner getting a slight flush despite the lack of light.
Blake shrunk into herself the slightest bit and murmured, "yellow looks better on you." Now it was Yang's turn to be taken aback by the compliment, her heart beating just a tad bit faster.
Intending to ignore her reaction towards a compliment, she resumed their conversation. "Heh, thanks. But back to the matter at hand, I just… I wish you'd trust me more, be more open with the team, with me. And I'm not talking trust just in the battlefield."
Blake blinked at her for a few moments and let herself me slightly miffed. "You think I don't trust you? That I'm not open with you?" she finally answered with a slight raise of her voice. "Yang, you are probably the person I've been most open with since… ever. I was never close to anyone more than I have been close to you."
The blonde started at her, still disbelieving.
Blake then lowered her voice a bit, speaking in a melancholy tone, "I get that I'm not the most open person, but the fact that I accepted you as my partner despite what happened with Adam? It wasn't easy, Adam was the closest thing I had to a friend, if you can even consider that friendship. I trusted him with my life, and he didn't even hesitate in trying to decapitate me," she said dryly. "That's something I cant just forget, yet I let you in, Yang. Despite all the shit things I've gone through."
"I don't like opening up to many topic about my past, yet you know more than anyone in my life. That small bit of my life might mean nothing to you, Yang, but there is no one I would consider talking to about it who isn't you." Blake paused for a breath, releasing her clenched fists.
"I told you the other day that my decision to leave was probably the best, but leaving like that might not have been. I trust you enough to talk somewhat about my past and I should have done just that. I should have talked to you, given you the circumstances, then left. And it crossed my mind, it did. But I knew you wouldn't let me go," she turned to her and gave her a sad smile. "You'd never let any of your friends go knowing they'd be in danger. So, I made the selfish decision to not give you a choice. I left to hurt you, to have you hate me for doing so and not go after me. I know I've said it a couple of times, but I truly am sorry Yang."
Throughout the entire speech, Yang stared intently at her partner, assessing every blink, every breath, every lip movement, everything.
"You're right, you shouldn't have done that. And you're right, I wouldn't have let you go. Because that's what friends do, we help each other and support each other through thick and thin. But, you know that now. I'll have to thank Sun for that." She now looked back out to the view, observing that the sky seemed to get brighter.
Yang was silent after that, again. She ignored Blake's apologies, not wanting to hear them. She did however, needed to let something be known. "I apologize for belittling your trust in me."
Blake, frowned, confused.
"Since I met you, you seemed to have this… aura around you. Like you've seen the real world through your own eyes, someone whose been wronged and carries the scars. Some might mistake it for a more mysterious personality, which I admit I almost did. I keep accusing you of not opening up to me, when you have. Little by little. You stopped being so guarded around us, you let yourself show more emotion, and although you didn't share much about your past, you still do, little as it may be. You even mentioner Adam before and didn't give a second thought. I'm sorry for looking over that…"
"It was you."
It was Yang's turn to frown, "huh?"
"You're the reason I ever cared to open up. I don't know how you do it. You just…" make me feel safe, she wanted to say. "You have a way with words, and you don't even know it. It catches me by surprise sometimes…"
Yang pondered this for a moment, "so… would you say you made the right choice in choosing me as you partner," she asked nonchalantly, trying to catch her off guard.
"Ye –
Blake stopped herself too late. The damage was done.
Yang immediately grinned and laughed, "I knew it!" The faunus rarely blushed, but she was just glad it was dark at the moment. "I didn't – I wasn't -" She stuttered, Blake never stuttered.
"I knew someone was following me, thought it was the Ursa at first but your timing was just too perfect." Yang chuckled a bit more sensing her partner's flustered state. "I finally got you to admit it."
Blake sighed in defeat, "I'm not going to live this down, am I?"
"Nope!" was her only response.
She sighed some more before uttering, "Its getting later than it already is, we should head back."
"You're right," Yang stood up, she was about to turn around when she saw Blake trying to hand her something. Her other half of Ember Celica. After some thought she said, "hold on to it for me."
Blake started back into her lilac eyes, cocking her head to the side.
"My new arm doesn't allow for wearing it, maybe now that I have it I can have it built in. But meanwhile, you can keep it safe for me. You have been until now."
"Alright," she responded softly, following her partners retreating form.
As they climbed on to the bike, its loud engine filling up the silent air. And throughout the entire ride back, Yang let herself smile. She meant what she said back there, that Blake used to open up the tiniest bit every once in a while, but she felt that today, she let her in an entire step.
It was dark, the only illumination came from the flickering of burning wood surrounding her. Blake was on her hands and knees on the floor, her weapon yards away to her left. Drops slowly started to appear before her, landing on the ground. At first, she thought is was her blood, feeling intense pain on the side of her face with her hair slick with grime stuck to her forehead, but she soon realized it was her tears, she was crying.
Yang lay still, a few feet in front of her, clutching her stomach with both hands to stop the flow of blood that poured out of her in waves. But she was awake, pain radiating through her lilac eyes, eyes that were looking at something beyond the faunus.
"I told you, Blake, I always keep my promises." Adam spoke from somewhere behind her.
That's a lie, she thought. You promised you'd never let anything hurt me.
She heard him move closer, the sound of his footsteps sounding loud in the otherwise silent dinning hall. She didn't have time to react before feeling a fierce yank of her hair backwards. Forcing her back on her knees with her head tilted back, she grunted, trying hard not to give him the satisfaction that he was hurting her. She raised her arms to grab the hand that had an iron grip on her hair, but all she could do was force his hand closer to her head in order to lessen the pain of her hair being pulled from its roots.
"You're crying," he stated, glancing at the tear tracks still visible on her cheeks. He lowered himself down onto one knee and whispered in her right human ear, "what did I tell you about showing emotion?" he asked. Sounding like he used to back when he mentored her through her training in the White Fang.
Almost automatically, she answered, "it's a sign of weakness." That was probably one of the first things he ever taught her, the one thing that maybe was still even drilled deep into her mind.
"That's right, you mustn't show weakness. Isn't that right?" He asked, trying to coerce a response and simultaneously tightening his grip.
"… its… a sign of weakness… can't… show… weakness." She responded, her voice tight with pain.
That's right. She forgot. How could she forget? Emotions just got in the way. Makes everything difficult.
"Do you remember? That thrill? The thrill of hurting those who hurt you?" he continued.
Yes. She thought, I remember. I remember their screams, their pleas, but I never stopped. I never stopped hurting them. Even when they gave me the information I wanted.
"But then what happened? You came here," he gestured to Beacon's dining hall, or what was left of it. "You came here and gave your back to us!" He started to raise his voice.
Blake flinched, her second set of ears pressing against her head to the onslaught of Adam's rage.
"But I forgive you," he continued, uncharacteristically calm. "I forgive you, Bella. It won't be simple, but you can redeem yourself, all you have to do is show me the real you. Show me who you used to be and use her as an example."
Blake closed her eyes, not wanting to see Yang's expression to this.
Adam got even closer to her, his other hand gripping her chin to turn her to face him. Pressing his lips to her cheek almost sensually, he murmured, "She is an example of why we fight, a human who doesn't understand our pain. Thinking Grimm are the only true evil, when they should be looking themselves in the mirror."
The more Adam seemed to speak, she more… calm she started to feel. Her fear started to wash away. Her tears started to stop. Yes, finally. She feels calm, at peace. I forgot what this felt like, she thought. Succumbing to the numbness she started to feel wrap all over her body. What had he said? To make an example of that girl?
"It's not…" the girl croaked. Blake could barley see her form in her current predicament, however, Blake could bet Adam narrow his eyes to slits beneath that mask. "Emotions?… they make you stronger. When you fight for your friends, your team, the people you love. Nothing more makes you stronger to fight for them." As she spoke, she gradually started to stand. Barley keeping herself on two feet, but now making contact with Blake's eyes. "And I wont stop… fighting for you, Blake."
Staring at the girl in front of her, filled with so much determination, almost made her feel sorry for what she was about to do. Almost.
Sensing her change in demeanor, Adam let her go. But not before handing her his sword, and as she gripped the handle above his, he hesitated in letting Wilt go. Keeping both their hands on the hilt, Adam leaned down once again and whispered in her ear.
"Last chance Bella, you fail to prove yourself to me, you both die. But not before making you regret ever leaving me." He stood up and stepped back, waiting. Blush in his other hand.
Blake didn't move at first from her place on her knees, still staring at the blonde woman before her who kept looking at her with such familiarity. Who was she?
"… Blake…" the brawler questioned, with furrowed eyebrows. Her eyes, those beautiful amber eyes that have always been filled with a glimmer and mystery, are gone. They now looked… dull, lifeless. With no emotion.
Straightening up ever so slowly, Blake refused to lose eye contact with her, lest she take her by surprise. Breathe in, out. Calm, stay calm. Center yourself, let go and don't feel. Conceal, she muttered to herself repeatedly.
Blake took one step forward, Yang took one step back, wincing when the sudden movement caused her wound to radiate pain all over her body.
"Blake, listen to me. You're letting him get in your head!" she tried to reason.
Blake? Who's that, the faunus wondered, as she took another step forward.
Eventually, their little cautious dance ended up with Yang backed into the wall at the far end of the dining hall, glad to have some support to keep her upright. But now she was cornered.
"Blake, its me. C'mon, lets go home, Ruby and Weiss are still waiting for us," she kept on talking with a smile that seemed to waver the closer she got. She started to look worried, but not for herself.
Stopping before her, Blake cocked her head to the side, that adorable action so familiar, so Blake. Then, upon seeing that she made no move to raise her right hand with the red gleaming blade, she tried again. "Blake?"
Blinking, she said nothing as she raised her left hand to touch the tips of her fingers to the stranger's cheek. Why does she look so familiar? Who are you? Not realizing that she spoke out loud, the blonde answered.
"I'm your partner," she said simply.
Blake started to feel different, her heart was pounding fast against her ribcage, she was short of breath, and her hand against the stranger's cheek started trembling. "What… what's happening to me… "
Those lilac eyes softened, and she reached out to place her hand over the trembling girl's heart. "You're scared," upon seeing her friend start to breathe erratically, "it's okay… its going to be okay."
My head hurts, what was I doing again? Blake looked up, familiarity sparked in her amber eyes.
"Yang?" She whispered.
Said girl smiled in relief, "hey there, kitten…"
"I knew you couldn't do it," a voice spoke from behind. The last thing she registered was feeling Adam's sword in her right hand moving. It moved backward, then straightened, and them moved swiftly forward.
A pained gasp escaped the blonde's lips. Eyes widening. Adam had taken matter to his own hands and wrapped his larger hand atop Blake's on the weapon. Finishing the job.
"No…" what just….No, no, no, no, NO!
A choked gasp was the only thing Blake could muster. Her entire body stiffened and froze.
"Blake?"
Yang. That's Yang's voice. But she couldn't respond, couldn't utter a single word. Where am I? I can't see anything!
"Calm down! Blake? Can you hear me?"
Yes, she tried to say. But nothing came out. She tried moving her body, but it seemed as though she was paralyzed. The best she could do was clutch the sheets on her sides tightly, painfully.
Wait, sheets? I'm in a bed. That's right. In a room, in Mystral. Away from him. She thought.
"Can you open your eyes?"
My eyes? Ah, they're closed, so that's why I couldn't see. She tried, but couldn't, she was afraid of the bloody images that were there not a few seconds ago. Yang's eyes losing their spark, closing lifelessly.
No, no. I can't…
She felt a warm hand cup her right cheek, instinctively Blake stiffened even more, her expression twisting to one of fear. Adams hot breath in her ear still fresh in her mind. Her breath hiccupped as she seemed to sink onto the mattress.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay" Yang whispered. She pressed her forehead against the struggling faunus, "breathe, Blake. I need you to breathe with me okay?"
But she couldn't, she couldn't get those images out of her head. And the more she remembered the dream, the worse her breathing got. Is this what it felt like to hyperventilate? It's like she couldn't breathe in long enough, just short uneven breaths.
"Open your eyes Blake, I'm right here."
It took a couple of failed attempts, but eventually, the faunus was able to blink rapidly at the sudden light. A big contrast to the dark environment the dream took place in. Worried lilac eyes stared back at her, it was oddly familiar, just like in the dream.
Yang always acted like the mother hen in the group, making sure everyone in the team was okay. And although Ruby took most of that attention, whenever those bad nights made an appearance for Blake, it showed throughout the day. Usually in the forms of wanting to be alone a lot more often than usual, talking a lot less, and getting irritated quite easily.
Blake distinctly remembered having one of those nightmares, her mind drifting to Adam and the White Fang throughout the day. Somehow, her partner knew. She never let her out of her sights those days, almost as if she sensed she had a nightmare and didn't want her to be alone. She wasn't obvious about it, knowing how distant her partner tends to be, but she couldn't hide her worried glances every now and then.
I'm making her worry again, Blake thought, glancing into her eyes. They were so light, so beautiful. She suddenly realized her obsession with her partners eyes. They were a soft lilac purple, the same shade as the sunrise in menagerie, they reminded her of home.
It took her a moment to realize Yang had been talking to her, only catching last words.
" – Kay?"
Seeing her confused expression, she repeated herself a tad bit slower, never losing eye contact. "Are you okay?"
That brief moment of staring into her eyes, seemed to have calmed her down, but as soon as that moment broke, she started to panic again.
"Nonono, hey, keep looking at me."
Blake had closed her eyes, her hands started to tremble. Releasing her death grip on the sheets, she brought them to her chest and clutched them together, digging her nails into her palms painfully.
Seeing this, Yang forcefully unclasped her death grip and intertwined her left fingers with hers, placing it next to Blake's head. She then pinned her left hand against her body with what was left of her right arm, which was surprisingly enough to keep her immobile.
"Look at me."
"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly, her thoughts still on the dream.
The blonde frowned at the response but ignored it. "Look at me."
She did, hesitantly.
"Breathe with me."
She did.
Slowly, slowly her breathing returned to normal, tension left her body and slowly she was able to move again. It took a good 10 minutes, but all the fright and horrors of the dream started to be left behind. Deep, deep back into her mind. Along with many other poisonous thoughts.
Seeing improvement, Yang let go of her hands and slowly raised her head from hers. She was sitting on her side of the bed, next to Blake's waist.
She knew Blake had reoccurring nightmares back at Beacon, and one could miss the signs if you weren't looking for them. But ever since getting up for a cup of water, she couldn't erase the expression her partner wore. A mix of fear and sadness. She tried to wake her up but didn't want to startle her, so she simply placed a comforting hand to her forehead, humming. Something she usually did for Ruby. Briefly, the faunus had opened her eyes and looked up at her, whispering her name questionably before falling back to sleep.
She figured that Blake didn't remember any of it, seeing her act as though nothing out of the ordinary happened the rest of the day, but looking further behind that stoic mask she puts up, she saw a lonely troubled look, a look that forced her to keep an eye out. Not wanting her to be left alone for even a second. Although she never again was able to be awake during her nightmares, she could distinguish whether or not he had one that day. And those days she chose to spend with her, that heartbreaking expression of her partner still fresh in her mind.
She never, however, expected this level of nightmare. Hell, this wasn't a nightmare, it had to be a night terror, she was quite familiar with those.
"Are you okay?" Yang repeated once again.
This time, Blake was calmed, she rose slowly but was stopped by her partner's hand on her chest. "Stay down, that was quite a scare you had. I'll go get you some water."
Blake felt her partner rise and head out their room, she didn't glance at her, not wanting to see what her expression was after experiencing her… problem.
She hadn't had one of these in a long while, her only guess was that seeing her team again brought back those fears. This one however was, inexplicably worse. The paralyzing was new, she couldn't move at all. Generally, she froze for a few seconds when waking up, but she was truly paralyzed this time, for what felt like hours. It felt horrible. she honestly didn't know how she would've dealt without Yang.
Yang.
Blake rose from the bed to a sitting position. Great, now I got her mixed up with my personal demons.
She raised her head at the door, seeing Yang walk in with a glass of water.
Yang, upon seeing her partner ignoring her request to stay down, clicked her tongue. "Tsk, what did I say woman?"
"Sorry."
"There you go again," she hummed, "its fine, here, drink this."
She took the glass and drank, she didn't realize how dry her mouth was until she finished the entire glass. This whole experience was slightly new to her.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm –
"And I swear if you come with an 'I'm fine' line I will flick you so hard…." She warned, not finishing her threat.
Blake faltered for a moment and said nothing.
"I know you used to have nightmares," she admitted, grabbing Blake's attention. "But, were they always this intense?"
"… for the most part," she admitted. "The… paralyzing thing is new."
Sensing reluctance from her, Yang decided to not push things any further for today. She seemed calm and didn't want to provoke another breakdown. They had very little sleep as it was, "are you okay, now?" she rephrased the question.
"Yes."
"Let's try to get some sleep, as little as it will be."
Blake simply nodded but didn't move, even as Yang took her position back on the bed, her back facing her. The remnants of the dream, although not as intense, still lingered. Was that really just a nightmare, or was it her mind trying to tell her something?
For a small fraction of the dream, she had gone back to the… emotionless killer she once was. It horrified her to see herself that way. But deep down, she knows it the truth.
After a few minutes she thought the blonde was asleep until said person shifted underneath the sheets to turn herself over. Lilac eyes most definitely awake. Observing her own partner with slightly widened eyes, most likely with thoughts still on the nightmare. And although things between them weren't one-hundred percent, she wasn't just gonna leave her be.
Raising her right elbow, she lifted the covers. "Com'ere."
Slowly, but surely, Blake slid down until she was face to face with her. She watched as Yang pulled the covers over both of them. Yang shifted one more time, but this time was to raise her head slightly and place her chin atop Blake's head, in between her cat ears. Blake was about to ask what she was doing until she heard soft humming. Humming she could have sworn sounded very familiar, like she's hear it before, but she was too tired to even bother to think about it. Her eyes slid closed, little by little, until she was sound asleep. Long sleepless nights finally catching on to her, and she finally cave in to them, because now… now she felt safe.
Okay, so. Hear me out.(Keep in mind that this story was written before volume 5 came out) I get that Yang went through on of the most traumatic experiences of losing a limb, and she has gone through shit, she had a breakdown, but ultimately she got back up. And although she still struggles, she's learned to deal. Blake, hasn't. She hasn't had time to 'deal' with the outcomes of the Fall of Beacon, she's been on the run and almost immediately she is thrown back into another war with the people she ran away from. It's bound to break her somewhat (and Adam isn't even on the equation yet). Ruby is another character that i feel need to have a 'break down,' but we'll get to that.
On to another matter.
Would you personally prefer long chapters that take a while or shorter chapters that are more constant? I personally prefer this format, but there are a few sections that could have been made shorter and could easily be 2 chapters here. leave a comment!
If you see errors, let me know so I can correct them! As well as repetitions, i feel i repeated a few words like, a thousand times lol.