A/N
This one's Blake-centric by the by. And I think a lot of you are gonna love who shows up, instead of a golden haired monkey-dude, it's someone a little darker.
Team Ruby's Dormitory, Beacon Academy.
Still catching her breath, Ruby leaned forward, hands on her knees as she stopped just outside the door to their dormitory.
She glanced up at Weiss, seeing her looking none the worse for wear and not a hair out of place. "That little guy can run so fast! What kind of madman makes us revise while running the entire gym!"
Even so Weiss swayed a little as she waved her hand at Ruby, before dropping onto her bed with a grunt. "Yeah." her muffled reply came back.
Finding it beyond her to make the ascent to the contraption she slept on hanging over Weiss's bed Ruby opted to slid onto the floor with a groan. "Good thing it's officially the end of lessons for the rest of the year. Yippee."
"What a relief." Weiss said, managing to flip herself up and stumble back to her feet, breathing a little hard as she knelt down and poked her head underneath her bed.
Ruby managed to raise a eyebrow, only to groan again when Weiss pulled out a thick book, dropping it on the slight girl's lap. "Aw, really-"
"Even though our lessons are done, we still need to train hard, Ruby." Weiss glanced to the side. "...unfortunately." She noticed the puppy-dog look on Ruby and immediately sighed. "It won't be for long. Just some brushing up."
Weiss had a little smirk as Ruby punched the air, suddenly full of life again. "Yes, awesome!-" She stopped and composed herself, clearing her throat. "I mean, let's hit the gym! Even though we just left there! And Yang and Blake are still there!"
"Right..." Weiss's eyes searched the floor. Ruby frowned. "Can we talk? Blake's been acting a little stranger than usual since we passed our trial."
Ruby arched a eyebrow, glancing at the books completely filling the shelves sitting next to Yang and Blake's bunk. "Well... she hasn't really been reading much lately."
"And she's been taking these walks, disappearing for hours at a time, she even ignored my suggestion on fixing up that contraption she and your sister sleep in!"
Weiss swept her hand at the dangerously unstable construction sitting across from them, consisting of two single beds standing on top of one another with only a stack of books providing any semblance of stability.
At Weiss's outburst, Ruby's eyes flicked upwards at the creaking ropes holding up the sagging mattress of her own bed. "Yeah... dangerous." She shook her head. "But Blake's always been like that. She's a ninja. Duh."
Weiss shook her head. "But not to this extent. Something's up with her... and I'm worried about the team because of it. I think you should talk to her."
"Okay. On one condition."
"What?"
Ruby twiddled her fingers for a few moments before snapping her fingers and grinning at Weiss. "We... skip training today and head into town, It'll be fun! You need fun! And they're organizing the town for the Vytal festival! You like organisation!"
Weiss went to shake her head, knowing that she needed to get to the bottom of this for the team's sake. But at the puppy dog look on Ruby. The lip quiver defeated her. "...alright." She looked to the side. "I guess I do. But promise me you'll speak to Blake as soon as we get back?"
Beacon Academy Gym.
On one of the many sparring mats littering the wooden floor of the room, they faced each other.
"I'm still so pumped! We wrecked that giant creepy fly-thing! I call that a win! Thank god it wasn't squishy or squirmy. Hate those things."
The tall blonde's sides heaved as she blew a loose golden bang out of her face, while across from her Blake cautiously advanced, hair contained in a ponytail as opposed to the messy and tangled look Yang rocked, she still wore her black bow though.
"You said it, Yang." Blake said between heavy breaths, before rushing forwards.
Breathing heavily Yang lifted her forearms and blocked each of Blake's quick jabs, standing her ground and only moving when Blake changed direction or the intensity of her hits.
She waited just for the right moment to shift her weight, impressed at how quick the other girl could move while still keeping focused.
Yang found her chance as Blake extended just a bit too far, quickly trapping her wrist between her palms. Yang dropped to one knee to dodge her kick, popping back up with a chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Blake's stomach. Blake squeaked in alarm as Yang fell back with a smirk, aiming to slam her into the floor.
Blake also had a smirk, and Yang realized too late. The agile girl managed to wriggle her feet up onto Yang's front, and pushed her down to the floor, using to momentum to spring away and land on the mat. She balanced on the balls of her feet, hands up and ready.
"Oww..." Yang groaned, feeling all of the fatigue hit her all at once."I think now's a good time for a breather."
"Usually you don't quit." Yang would have said something before feeling another rush of air on her skin. She opted for just laying there, catching her breath until the air whipped up around her and Blake blurred into view, carrying a towel in her hand.
Blake came over and pulled her up. "It was a good workout though."
Yang eagerly accepted the towel, wiping it up her arms and around the nape of her neck and shoulders, before grabbing the edges and rubbing her face with a muffled sigh. "Y'know, I can't get over how awesome your super-speed thing is. Very handy!" Her muffled voice came out from within the towel.
"I've had to use it a lot." Blake shrugged, grimacing as a few unwanted thought invaded her mind. She chewed the inside of her cheek, remembering the countless times she would have gone hungry or cold without her semblance.
She blinked twice, trying to shake them and went to look up at Yang, again wondering what she could even say to someone like her when the tall blonde's attention suddenly went elsewhere.
Yang arched a eyebrow and glanced at the door to the sparring room as it gently swung to and fro, barely enough to clear the doorframe but enough for a gap. Yang narrowed her eyes as she winked at Blake, leaving her standing there in confusion.
The tall girl rolled her neck as she stopped, leaving the towel resting over her shoulders as she heard someone standing on the other side. Rolling her eyes she flinged the door open so hard that it crashed into the wall with a crack, revealing Jaune standing there with a shocked look.
His cheeks flushed as he quickly looked downwards, suddenly discovering a spot to pick on his white singlet instead. But he couldn't stop them sliding even further to her pale legs, completely bare apart from the bright orange short-shorts she wore. "Hi Jaune. How are you?"
"Good, uh, I was kind of passing by and thought I heard you and Blake-" Yang grabbed him by the collar.
"No, wait!-" Blake folded her arms, waiting for Yang.
"-PROTECT ME CONE!"
She winced at the bone-shattering thud, coupled with the boy's groans a few seconds later.
"Sorry, Yang!" Pyrrha came into view, peering at the two of them from the doorway with a apologetic look.
Yang turned around, flashing a grin at her. "No prob, Pyrrha. Keep a leash on him or something?"
"Can do!"
"Those two are inseparable nowadays." Yang observed, before turning to Blake and smacking her head. "Darn!"
"What?"
"I just remembered that-"
"Already taken care of." Blake smiled.
"Cool. Where did he find those traffic cones anyway? This is the gym."
"Oobleck had the entire class doing relays while reciting the history of the world and associated phenomena verbatim. You didn't see them?"
"... verba-"
"From memory."
"Oh yeah."
Yang shrugged and started hopping from foot to foot, loosing a breath each time she punched the air.
Blake glanced at her with a amused look. "I'm amazed you recover so quickly."
"Yeah. Gotta have fun with it! Like this! Punch-punch-punch!" Yang launched several jabs in quick succession, which Blake dodged like lightning. Yang loosed a squeak. "Sorry!" She noticed that Blake was completely fine. She blinked in surprise. "I've seen you move, but that was cool. You must have had a great teacher."
"The street actually. Nobody taught me" Blake's eyes widened before she quickly looked away, scared at what she just said. In her mind several seconds passed and Blake was sure Yang had heard clearly.
"Really?"
Blake froze for a second in confusion and looked at her with a cautious nod. "...yeah. It's not something I like to talk about."
She wasn't sure what to feel about the huge grin Yang had. "That's neat!"
"You kind of disappeared when we were in the Forever Fall."
"I was off collecting sap for the professor's class, Yang. The deeper you go the more you find." As she said this she had unknowingly clenched her fist and looked down at the floor.
Silence filled the room. And Blake wasn't sure that either of them wanted to break it. She made the mistake of glancing up.
"Blake. I'm a big sister. Ruby is terrible when it comes to hiding stuff." Yang smirked and folded her arms as Blake stiffened. "I'm just worried. As a friend."
Yang reached her hand forward but Blake shied away from it, turning her shoulder with a regretful look.
She ran a hand over her black bow. "...I'm going for a walk."
For the first time since Blake had met her, Yang's words didn't have any kind of lift or bounce to them. "...Alright."
Blake looked away and moved towards the door at a stiff pace.
Coin District, City of Vale.
She closed her eyes against the wind as it picked up to a firm breeze, knowing that in a couple of minutes all of her troubles and problems would drain away.
Blake shook her head and sighed, opening her eyes and staring down at the golden lights of the streets stood up, reaching to tighten the straps on Gambol Shroud's harness, eyes briefly flicking to the side at how abruptly she left Yang.
She lowered herself over the roof's edge, dangling for a moment before finding purchase on a windowsill below, Blake once again wondered how she even ended up at Beacon Academy. She wasn't even sure how she got accepted, especially having the kind of background a place like Beacon would never accept. Shouldn't
But she got in. And she still asked herself why.
The girl appeared as a shadowy black blur, gradually making its way down the golden walls of the apartment complex, every window on its bulk awash with brilliance and cheerful caught snippets of the same conversation repeated a dozen times from dozens of different voices. Her eyes narrowed at every inane word, too uncomfortable with how similar the people inside sounded to those she knew as a child. How cruel those people could be.
She loosed a frustrated grunt as she dropped onto the pavement, stalking out of the well-lit street into the stillness of the dark alley boots clacked on the cobblestone that paved many areas of the town's old district, eyes straight ahead as she subtly surveyed her dark surroundings with well-practiced.
Blake passed a dumpster sticking out from the wall and immediately narrowed her eyes. Quick as a flash Gambol Shroud was drawn and leveled at the fiery-haired man's throat.
He held up his gloved hands, red markings on his face standing out from the shadows. "Woah now. I left mine at home."
"Stop. Not another word." Her golden eyes narrowed, her grip stayed firm.
"And you'll hurt an old friend? Your warmth hasn't changed, Blake."
"Shut up. I left you on that train!"
"You did." He murmured.
His foot edged forward just a little and she flinched, amusing the tall man as he slowly moved out into the light, grey eyes looking straight into her from behind a bone-white eyemask, red markings scratched into its surface like claw-marks.
"What are you doing in Vale?" She grinded her teeth and renewed her grip on gambol Shroud against the man's sigh. "Answer me, Adam!"
"What we were good at."
She gave a bitter chuckle. "Munitions? Money? Something to do with Beacon? Why else come to Vale? There's nothing for the White Fang here!"
"The Academy does have substantial surveillance. It might even be a challenge for me. But I'd never pass as a student."
"Then why-"
"I must say I am surprised to find you palling around with the Schnee Heiress."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed to a glare. "Leave this town. Right now. If you touch any of them I'll kill you." Blake narrowed her eyes as Adam shook his head.
"Your 'new friends' don't concern me, Blake."
"Trying to bring me back in the fold, Adam? I left you behind. And that's where you'll stay!"
"Yes. Back to your friends. To your family. The White Fang misses you."
"I don't miss them. Or you."
For a moment Adam's face fell behind the mask, before he curtly nodded.
Blake didn't care. "What are the White Fang doing here, Adam? What are you doing here?"
"Searching for a thief and some traitors to the cause. I'd also thought I'd try my luck with you. For old times sake."
"What thief?"
"He's been harassing the White Fang. Stealing from us. I was in the kingdom looking for some info on a couple of upstarts who think cavorting with scum like Roman Torchwick is a good idea. So Alpha asked me to find this little thief as a favor." Blake frowned at the mention of that brute, and at the brief flicker of softness behind the mask. "Join me, Blake. We're fighting for something good."
Blake looked to the side, old feelings threatening to stir up before she growled, pressing the edge of the blade closer to his neck with hardened eyes. "And hurt innocents in the process? That's how you work. That's not me."
"Whatever gets the job done." Blake saw his hand move too late, faster than her eye could follow. His fingers closed around her wrist, squeezing just enough to make her gasp and drop Gambol Shroud to the ground.
Once again, Blake saw the beast as Adam glared at the black bow in her hair. "I gave you a chance. If you interfere, I will have to act. Not something I really want to do, but sometimes you have to get your hands dirty for a good cause."
"Let go of me!"
Her hand fell limply to her side as the air blurred around Adam, masking him for a moment before he disappeared into thin air. Blake's eyes were wide as she stared wordlessly at the brick wall over the dumpster, rubbing her wrist.
Blake screwed her eyes shut, knowing she needed to get back to the academy, to tell Ruby or Yang, or one of the professors about Adam being in the city when her own thoughts immediately rebelled against the idea.
"I tell ya'. You're hearin' voices again, there's nobody there." Blake looked down the alley at the streetside in the direction of the voices, her eyes having to adjust for a moment. She quickly moved around the dumpster and crouched low, pressing her back to it and peering around the corner. Her eyes flicked to Gambol Shroud on the ground, before focusing on two unkempt men stopping at the entrance to the alley.
"I'm no idiot. I heard something."
She heard a head-slap being administered. "Of course you're a idiot. We'll be late."
"Do we have to go there now? I just finished my coffee, the Dust shop will still be there."
"If we stall, it just means the Chief will be throwing more paperwork our way."
"Arc's such a hardass. I hate our job."
"Just remember. Free donuts."
Blake narrowed her eyes as they moved off, waiting until they had walked out of earshot before scooping up Gambol Shroud and sticking to the dark.