"I could've taken him."
At first glance, she was a simple woman. At least, that was what she had thought of Yang Xiao Long in the beginning. She was loud, carefree and ever pining for attention – the kind of person Blake absolutely could not stand. Needless to say, Blake had been anything but pleased with being her partner, but she persevered. With luck, she would be free of this blonde after the initiation, and would end up with a more decent partner. Not that it mattered anyway, since she was perfectly fine on her own.
When she found out that she was stuck with her, Blake cursed her own misfortune. She did not even need a partner to begin with, much less one that was a personified ball of energy. She told herself her resentment was because Xiao Long was weak, because Xiao Long was loud, because Xiao Long was a goof who did not know how harsh life could be. However, the more she tried to believe that, the more obvious it became as to why she really did not like her.
Somewhere deep down, she had realized Yang was the opposite of her. Somewhere deep down, she might even have admired her. That was why, despite her usual passive demeanor, she wanted to be more like the woman called Yang Xiao Long.
"Blake!"
Disobeying her brain's commands, the Faunus's feet stopped moving, rooting her to the spot. It probably did not matter since Yang would have caught up to her anyway, but Blake hated how she still wanted to hear her words, even after all that happened.
"What's wrong?" she asked, keeping her tone flat as she refused to face her partner. "Shouldn't you be taking care of Ruby?"
"Blake," Yang said, her voice wrecked with stress and fatigue. Blake doubted that she was crying, but after the last few months, nothing surprised her anymore. "We need to talk."
"There's not much to talk about, Yang," Blake deadpanned. "Just tell Jaune-"
"I'm not going to apologize."
Blake actually forgot about her indignation for a split second just to turn and stare at Yang. The blonde's face was, surprisingly, not sporting a huge, toothy grin; rather, she looked totally serious.
"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.
"I said I'm not going to apologize," Yang repeated. "I can't take back the words, so I won't say I'm sorry. It won't change the fact that I've hurt you with them."
"So what're you here for?" Blake asked.
"I want us to move on," Yang replied. "Regretting won't do us any good, so I want us to be able to get over this without forgetting about it."
Blake was unsure of what to say anymore. Sure, she had not expected Yang to be the kind of person to apologize outright, but this was just plain ridiculous.
"So what do you want?" Blake asked coldly. As though trying to match her attitude, several icy drops fell and splattered against her skin, warning her of incoming rain. Normally, she would be seeking shelter right away, but Yang was in the way. "We just kiss and make up or something?"
"I rather 'out' than 'up', but no," Yang replied with a hint of her usual bubbliness. "I want you to know you have my word that I will never say something like that to you again. I can stake my life on it."
Well, at least one thing had not changed: Yang was still as unpredictable as ever. Try as she might, Blake could never tell what she was thinking. Even though she was a straightforward kind of person, Yang was just… different, somehow.
"Though if you want an apology, I'm sure I can compromise," the blonde said with a wink. Having been her partner for so long, Blake could tell that she was genuinely sorry, and that her current smile was nothing but a façade, but she said nothing. She was well aware that right now, she had to say something, but the words just simply got caught in her throat.
"I wasn't really expecting an apology, Yang," Blake replied with a sigh. Words were cheap, and Yang of all people knew that very well. "I know you didn't mean it. It's just that… your words reminded me of that night, and I just lost it for a bit…"
Walking over to the nearest tree with slow, heavy steps, Blake leaned against it with an exhausted sigh, sliding down and sitting on the mossy ground.
"Not gonna climb it?" Yang asked cheekily.
"You hush," Blake warned. "I haven't forgiven you yet."
She said that, but her expression had already softened. Yang, being the infuriatingly observant partner that she was, smirked and sat down next to her, not saying a word as she held the Faunus's hand in her own.
"Have you calmed down a little yet?" Blake asked, looking up at the sky.
"Have I calmed down?" Yang asked incredulously. "That's totally my line! Guess a cat got my tongue ther-"
"Yang," Blake made sure to emphasize the name nice and clear, so that even the oblivious-acting blonde could get the hint. Even that did not work, nearly crushing her hand with an iron grip would probably get the point across.
"Alright alright! I get it!" Yang exclaimed, wincing as she struggled to free her poor hand from Blake's absurdly powerful claws (pun intended). "Sheesh, no need to get a hairball over- Ow! Okay already!"
A peaceful silence descended after that, leaving them some time to their thoughts. In that dreadful, deafening void of resounding echoes, however, all Blake could hear were the screams.
Men. Women. Boys. Girls. Human. Faunus. A cacophony of countless voices, screeching – hollering – inside her head, their sharp cries splitting her skull. It hurt, but above all, it was so vivid.
Right before her very eyes was a field of corpses, flooding the landscape with their pulsating red fluids. A rancid odor filled the air, dancing along the icy cold blades of wind. Her body shook, but never collapsed; her eyes feared the sight before them, but never once did they tear away from the horrors to which they had been forced to bear witness.
The hollow, invisible gales howled, piercing her skin like a knife she could never stop. It caressed her ear, bringing with it the irksome laughter of Death, only to fade into nothingness before she had even registered the sound.
"Blake!"
The landscape disappeared. In its place, grey skies without end loomed overhead, tainting the world beneath with its depressing hue. Rather than being still and heavy, the air had changed, encasing her in a space of invisible ice, freezing every molecule in her body.
"Blake!"
A faint tingle of warmth pressed against her hand. A voice, distant yet powerful to her ears, called out her name, leaving a ghostly echo in its wake. Did she recognize the owner of that voice?
"Y-Yang," she gasped, noticing her partner's presence at last. "I… I…"
"It's alright," Yang assured her, squeezing Blake's body tightly. "You don't have to say anything."
She wondered how her face must have looked like. For Yang's voice to change that drastically… what kind of expression must she have been wearing on her face? What on Remnant did the blonde see, reflected in those hazel irises?
What sort of monster was she looking at?
"Don't think about anything," Yang pleaded. "Don't feel. Don't talk. Just let it all out. Trust me."
She heard those words, but everything after that was nothing but a blur. All sound disappeared in an instant, drowned out by the sudden downpour as it pounded her skin like a myriad of needles. It was cold, it was absolutely freezing, but there was still an enigmatic presence around her, enveloping her in a nostalgic sense of warmth.
Nothing could be heard beyond the acrid applause of thundering rain, and she could no longer feel her numb limbs. She remembered her words, and she remembered wanting to obey that simple command, but she could not remember if she really cried. Against the roaring cloudburst hollering all around them, Blake couldn't even hear the sounds of her own wails anymore.
All that existed in the cold, unforgiving space, was Yang's warmth.
"Are you sure?"
"For the fifty-sixth time, yes," Blake replied exasperatedly. Despite being a guy, Jaune sure worried like a little girl.
"Besides," Yang added, pushing a lock of hair out of her face. "We're already en route; it's not as if we can just pull back now."
"Yeah, but-" Jaune began, but a brief shake of Pyrrha's head deterred him from saying anything else. "Alright, I get it. Let's get this over with."
"Yang," Blake said, standing next to her partner as they prepared to descend the helicarrier. "When this is over, I have something I need to say to you."
"What; a proposal?" Yang asked, her usual cheeky grin tugging at her lips. "Aww, you don't have to; you already know I'll say yes."
Blake rolled her eyes. That woman was ever a mystery.
"Aaanyway," Yang said, jumping out of the helicarrier. "Kick ass first, talk later, hun!"
Shaking her head, Blake followed after her, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha to stare at each other awkwardly. This was part of the plan, but it was still uncomfortable for the red-haired Amazon.
"Let's run through the plan again," Pyrrha suggested. "You'll break in through that window – there, that one – and I'll make my way up from that stairwell. Don't bite off more than you can chew, alright?"
"I think we're already way past that point, Pyrrha," Jaune replied, staring out at the warzone below. Beacon – the place he had spent time training, making friends and living up to the legacy left to him – was filled with clashing weapons, flames and blood. It was a sight he had witnessed only once before, and it was something he had wholeheartedly wished he'd never see again. "Say, think we'll run into people we know?"
"I hope not," Pyrrha sighed. She didn't continue the sentence, but she was sure Jaune understood anyway. "I'll be going. Good luck."
Left alone, Jaune pulled out his weapon. He wished Ruby was here, fighting with them, instead of staying behind at the Lighthouse. He had hoping for as much help as possible, so that their chances of surviving could at least increase a bit. If Ruby had been here, it would have been that much more reassuring.
But she did not come along. She would probably never stand by him again, fighting with him against the evils they had to defeat. While he hated to think like that, he had to face reality – Ruby Rose would never fight again.
Is there even a point anymore?
Harboring that single, unanswered question, Jaune Arc leapt off the plane.
Getting to his feet, Jaune quickly scanned the area for enemies. His landing had been decent, which would have given him enough time to react to hostile fire, but there was none. In fact, the headmaster's office was completely empty, save for the presence of one other man.
"I'm afraid I must go," Ozpin said into his Scroll. "I wish you best of luck."
Hanging up, the former headmaster of Beacon turned to look at his former student. It was difficult to discern his gaze behind the shades, but for an instant, Jaune was sure their eyes had met.
"You certainly look different," the older man commented, no doubt referring to Jaune's scar.
"You've defected?" the blonde asked. There was no surprise in his voice, just a low, furious growl.
"I have," Ozpin replied easily. "So let's not waste time talking, shall we?"
This chapter was difficult, largely because Yang gave me a hard time…
Sorry for the loooong period of absence; fell sick and couldn't type anything for a while. I'll try to get the stories up and running again real soon, so bear with me!
Till next chapter! And yes, it's Ozpin versus Jaune. Yep, you saw right.
Edit: Best wishes to Monty Oum, and here's wishing him a speedy recovery. If you can, do help out with the fund raising (I can't put links in the doc, so please go check it out at the Rooster Teeth website).