Author notes: Wow, finally another update. I apologise in advance for where there is random splits / paragraph jumps. Ive tried fixing it but it just doesnt save. Next time i get on a pc ill try to fix it again. Also im sorry for any bad grammar, punctuation or spelling in this one. I'm writing this on a friends phone in the middle of Peru with nothing to help my terrible language. Speaking of, this chapter contains some strong language at some points. You have been warned if thats not your thing.
Disclaimer; I own absolutely nothing. Credit to all characters and scenarios goes to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum.
Cold.
That's the first word which registers to Yang as she slowly wakes up from her dark magic induced haze. It's unclear how long she was passed out, but from the strong ache in her limbs and the heavy haze on her mind, it must have been a while. Clicking and realigning her tired bones, her body shivers and trembles as she slowly wakes. Fortunately, The sharp climate which surrounds her doesn't possess the bitter bite of frost or the searing burn of ice, but the eerie chill of autumn rain, allowing her a few precious moments to aclimatise.
No. Not cold, damp… She thinks as the repulsive scent of musk, stagnant water and waste invades her nose. Flinching away from the harsh scent as quick as possible, the peaceful echo of water droplets suddenly becomes clear alongside the heavy panting of someone else's breath.
"Hello?" She wheezes as she gingerly opens her watery eyes, wanting to know where she was and who she was with.
The view is unfocused, but through the blur thin bars of sunlight cut through thick slabs of crimson rock, providing the only light in the room and illuminating slow descending dust motes
Must be in a cave of sorts, but how did I get here… Was it Raven? Was it Blake? Goose bumps quickly cover her flesh from head to toe at the thought and her body shivers and trembles at the unwelcome question.
As soon as her skin crawls in fear, she gasps as it feels like her body is licked by the scorching burn of flame.
Her crimson eyes snap open at the instantaneous pain which wrecks throughout her body.
A blood curling scream tears its way from her throat the instant the excruciarting ache in her limbs fully registers itself. Her body instinctively convulses in on itself at the intensity of the pain, causing the already tormented muscles to scream in fervent anguish.
She howls as she thrashes backwards and forwards like a rampaging beast in blind hope of escaping the blistering agony to no avail, her wrists and ankles are bound but through the pain and her piercing roar, she doesn't acknowledge the sound of the thrashing manacles or the desperate pleas for her to stop.
"YANG! – PLEASE!" A hauntingly familiar female voice suddenly shrieks.
Yang can't believe her ears.
"YOU NEED TO STOP!-" A man bellows.
THIS ISN'T REAL! THEIR NOT – NO!
"-HELP HER!" The man demands with a yell as Yang screams louder and thrashes more.
"- I CAN'T!" The girl dejectedly cries in misery.
"NO! JUST STOP IT! STOP – PLEASE!" Yang wails as she focuses all of her energy on breaking her restraints to the point that her bones creak and almost snap.
"JUST DO IT!" The man barks back.
Yang screeches as the pain in her wrists increases tenfold as the metal around the flesh crumples and squeezes tighter and tighter till she struggles to feel her hands. WHAT'S HAPPENING! NO! NO! NOT MY HANDS! I CAN'T LOSE MY HANDS! She internally screams as tears stream down her cheeks in sheer panic and she kicks like a frenzied bull at the thought that she was about to lose both her hands.
"FOCUS ON THE PAIN! – YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN AND STOP MOVING!" The male voice desperately yells from her right. "YANG PLEASE, IT'LL STOP HURTING IF YOU DON'T MOVE!" Yang yelps as she viciously shakes her head from side to side and tries to focus on the words of the familiar voice.
"That's it, Yang. Focus on my voice! One, two, three. Breathe. One, two –" The man coos.
Yang's bottom jaw uncontrollably trembles and a heavy mix of saliva and tears trickle down her chin as she clenches her eyes. Her face is flushed and sweaty and a broken bawl escapes her as her spine unintentionally lurches forwards as she tries to time her breathing with the man's words.
"two, three – There. You'll be alright, Yang."
"Please – Just please –"Yang pitifully whines as she slumps against her chains and slowly continues shaking her head. "Please just let this end, - I –I can't do this anymore."
"I'm sorry, Yang – but you don't have a choice." The male voice replies.
"Why? Why can't I just -"She sniffles as the burning pain in her limbs dies down and she relaxes into her chains. "Why can't it just end?"
"Because people still need you, Yang." He says nonchalantly.
"Nobody needs me. Not anymore" Yang growls back. "I'm - I'm a freak. A monster."
"Ruby, Weiss and Blake need you Yang, now more than ever." The girl suddenly states from her left.
Yang's heart breaks at the girl's gentle voice and the still ever-present tenderness in the speakers tone. -I've missed her so much.-
"No, they don't. They all carried on after- after- What happened." Yang winced at the memory. "They moved on and they've been fine without me" She answers with a sigh as a tear of sorrow escapes her. "And now that Adam can no longer hurt Blake, she doesn't need me either."
"We need you." The voice replies and Yang nearly releases a sob at the girl's pleading tone.
"No, you don't." Yang gently hiccups and looks down at her exposed feet. "I'm so sorry, but - you're dead Pyhrra. None of this is real."
The room grows silent aside from Yang's sobs as the words settled in the empty air around them.
None of this is real.
"Yang. Look at me."
Yang swallows as she lifts her head and looks to her left.
There.
Beyond the blur of tears and the straining dark and shadows, a figure leans against bars of the purple and red rock. She slouches, not even a metre away from where Yang is chained. The once flawless skin on her arms is covered in ugly splotches of yellow, purple and brown whilst the rest of her figure is hard to see through the obstruction of what looks like a cage, hidden in the darkness.
Yang's breath hitches and she squints, not quite believing how her hallucination has perfectly captured the undeniable shape of her old friend, from the flow of now knotted red hair, to the scratched Spartan armour and the tired emerald eyes.
Pyhrra.
"Yes, it's me Yang."
Yang can't help it. She sobs.
"Pyhrr- Pyhrra!"
The side of the Spartan's lips turn upwards in a slight smile and tears build in her own eyes at Yang's reaction. "Hello again." She whispers as she raises her right hand from the bars and unsteadily waves at the blonde.
Yang whines, caught between not wanting to indulge the twisted fantasy and never wanting to look away. "You- You- No... This isn't real."
"It's real Yang, I know it sounds crazy – but this is real." Pyhrra reassures while Yang closes her eyes, still doubting the reality.
"It can't be real! You died! Ruby- She saw you die." Yang cried.
Pyhrra sighs before the man on Yang's right speaks. "She didn't die, Yang. Neither of us did."
Yang looks up towards the right. The man is the same distance away from her as Pyhrra is and is slouched inside the exact same type of cage as the red head. However, unlike Pyhrra, he looks completely unscathed in his green suit and dented glasses unlike the bruised Spartan.
Ozpin.
"No offence – Sir. But that's exactly what a delusion would say." Yang angrily mutters, unknowingly agitated with his presence.
"Hmm" He hums as he scrunches his eyes and studies Yang's crumpled form. "These – delusions… How long have you been having them for?" He quickly questions.
Clenching her fists and ignoring the searing pain at the action, Yang frowns back at her former headmaster. Not liking the way that he was analysing her and asking her questions she was not indulged to answer.
"I'm not telling you anything."
Ozpin breaks his gaze from Yang and looks up to Pyhrra, who gives him a concerned look which doesn't go unnoticed by Yang.
"Yang –"
"No!" The unhuman growl cuts Pyhrra off and echoes throughout the bleak and empty cells as Yang stiffens and tears her deadly gaze back towards her friend.
"You were dead Pyhrra! You died!"
The room suddenly becomes completely silent, the atmosphere thick with rage and unrest at the outburst as Yang quickly loses her control and lets out her pent up frustrations.
"As soon as I woke up that day, one of the first thing's I learnt was that you were gone. That Ruby ran up the side of that god damn tower and she saw you get fucking shot through the heart with an arrow by that – that – woman!" Yang spat.
No one dared move as Yang glared at Pyhrra. In the back of her mind, she knew that she was being unfair but she couldn't care less to stop. She needed this.
"And do you know what Pyhrra? - I didn't believe it. I refused to believe it. I had actually convinced myself that Ruby was just confused and that you couldn't be dead." She growled, not once breaking eye contact. "It was only until my uncle came in and spelt it out to my face that it fully registered to me and even after that, it took some time, but needless to say that we all grieved for you. I mean, Jaune was a fucking wreck, Nora and Ren weren't much better and Ruby couldn't even say your damn name –Just, - Fuck! – Even I spent countless fucking day's bedbound mourning you!"
Yang pants as she stares into Pyhrra's tear filled eyes. Her anger all but gone at the way her friend slowly retreats backwards with her trembling hands held over her now agape mouth. "I'm – sorry." Pyhrra whimpers.
Yang quickly sighs and takes a deep breath, looking ashamedly down at her tethered ankles, instantly feeling guilty for her rant.
What happened was not Pyhrra's fault.
"I just – I missed you." She confesses after a tense moment of quiet. "I've missed you so much."
Yang slowly looks back up to Pyhrra, who's still shaking like a deer caught in headlights. "I- I shouldn't have gone after her, I shouldn't have-"
"No." Ozpin abruptly interrupts. "You did the right thing"
Yang immediately frowns but doesn't turn towards him. The right thing? –Really?
"It took incredible courage and bravery to do what you did, Miss Nikos." Ozpin half-assedly assures. "- If it wasn't for you, who knows what that woman would have done."
"Right." Pyhrra sadly mumbles as she wipes away a stray tear. "It was my destiny." She tiredly mutters, her emerald eyes dimming slightly at the clearly repeated statement.
"Precisely." Ozpin all too enthusiastically agrees.
Yang remains limp in her chains, completely in awe at the interaction. What kind of bullcrap is that! She thinks. "Her destiny!" She angrily questions, turning her crimson gaze to Ozpin. "Are you saying that it was her destiny to die on that tower?" She nearly roars, shocked that Ozpin would hint at such a thing.
"Yes."
Yang's jaw drops at his sudden bluntness and a fiery rage subsequently builds in her system, but before she can retort, Ozpin continues. "- Just as it was your destiny to end up here."
"Excuse me!" Yang all but roars as she bolts upright, her shackles ringing and slicing at the rush. Fully prepared to beat the hell out of the older man until the pain in her muscles returns within a singular heartbeat and she falls against her chains. Crippled by pain.
"Yang!" Pyhrra calls as she rushes forwards against her cage and stares concerned at the whimpering and shaking blonde whilst Yang struggles to hold herself upright and grimace at the unamused looking Ozpin.
"Yang, it's alright!" Pyhrra states as Yang results to growling at her former headmaster. "Ozpin's right; It wasn't my destiny to become the fall maiden, but too delay her. And in order to do that, I had to- to be defeated." She stutters, immediately causing Yang to cease growling and look at her friend, confused.
Fall Maiden?
"To give you and the others time to stop her." She finishes with a slight nod and trembling bottom lip. Clearly struggling to believe in her words herself.
"What the hell?" Yang states as she frowns at Pyhrra. "What are you talking about? It was not your destiny to die there Pyhrra! And secondly, what the dust is a Fall Maiden!" Yang all but screeches, angry and unhinged by the talks of destiny.
"Not what is a fall maiden- but who?"
Yang instantly flinches backwards as the cool, venomous tone of Salem's voice fills the echoing room.
"Ozpin's students always ask the wrong questions." She arrogantly flaunts as she steps forwards from the shadowed darkness and leans centimetres away from Yang's face.
Yang nearly wretches again as the repulsive stench of purification and death suddenly contaminates the air and soaks into her pores. "What ever did you teach them at that so called- Academy of yours Ozpin? Because it clearly wasn't logic." She torments as she looks towards the former headmaster, expecting an answer.
Quickly turning her head to the side in pointless hopes of backing away from the overbearing scent, Yang bites her tongue and frowns at the smirking Salem. 'It clearly wasn't logic my ass'. She thinks before she questions her." Who is a Fall Maiden?"
Salem smiles at the interaction, turning back towards her soon to be protégée. "I see that you're a quick learner in the least– good, but your still not asking the right question. It's not who is a, but who is the fall Maiden."
Yang's mind reels. Who is the fall maiden?
The fall maiden's a person? But - Who? - Then she remembers, "It wasn't my destiny to become the fall maiden, but too delay her." And it all just clicks. The battle of Beacon… The person that Pyhrra delayed at the top of the tower... her murderer…
"Cinder Fall."
Yang's blood boils and her tongue burns as she says the words. Cinder Fall.
"So not only are you a quick leaner but you also possess the gift of basic initiative. – Impressive, for a human." Salem soothes as she raises her right hand and strokes it along Yang's cheek.
Yang's eyes turn a charcoal black, the irises instantly darkening with her rage. "How do you know Cinder Fall."
Salem frowns at the question and pulls her hand back away from Yang as if she was burnt and straightens her posture. "A tale for another time. Until then, you're going to learn how to control yourself and your humanity." She orders as she turns her back away from Yang and starts slipping away into the dark. "I suggest you do so quickly, or I shall have to do it myself, by force."
"What do you mean my humanity?" Yang yells, once again painfully thrashing against her constraints.
Salem laughs a deep, un-humorous laugh. "I mean you wouldn't want to have another Raven incident would you?" She taunts before a loud screech of rocks sliding against rocks fills the cavern and silence once again falls.
Yang breathes heavy at the interaction. My humanity?
"Listen to me, Yang. This is of the upmost importance." Ozpin commands as he tries capturing Yang's attention. "What happened with Raven? What did you do?"
What happened with Raven?
Yang laughed at that. The way he instantly presumed that she did something to Raven. The way that he was right.
"I thought that she was Blake." She said as she drooped from her chains and looked straight ahead. As if she wasnt quite there: As if her humanity was already slipping. "The voices told me that she was her. They showed me that it was her." Yang growled, her own voice unrecognisable to even herself - a raspy, self assured voice that sounded more like a man than the young girl that she was.
Ozpin frowned at the information whilst pyhrra stood still, complexed by what she was hearing. The mere idea that yang would do something against blake was improbable. "You - You didn't hurt her did you?"
Yang tilted her head to the left, towards Pyhrra before she answered. "No-"
Pyhrra sighed in relief at the answer, until yang finished the rest of her sentance. "I broke her apart."
Forfeiting the sudden devastated look
on the spartans face, Yang whipped her head to the right as ozpin incoherently muttered something and held his head in his hands. For once looking as old and withered as his fellow prisoner.
"What made you attack the mirage of miss belladonna?" He finally whispered after a moment, still not looking up. "What was it that made you turn against her?" He muttered into his palms, as if he was praying for her absolution at the feet of a disconcerning god.
"Why does it matter" She barked.
Ozpin raised his head at this and sighed as of the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because this is when you first let go of your humanity, miss xiao long. " He said. "And if we can figure out what made you lose faith in yourself, in her. Then it maybe possible to prevent it from happening again. Like it is now."
Yang shook herself at this. It had been five minutes and only now, after being told, she realised that the darkness was slowly pulling her under with its hook-like claws and pointed teeth.
"What's happening to me?" She half whispered-half sceamed. Her head to unfocused to chose which one to use first.
"I can't answer that until you tell me what happened." He responded as calmly as a doctor telling a patient that they had a common cold instead of life threatening cancer. "What made you break."
Yang tilted her head to the ceiling, blinking away the threat
of fresh tears before she begun in a wavered whimper. "The voices talked to me. They told me about Raven, about her alliegances. Then they reminded me of all the bad that I had done." Her eyes became glassy as she told the tale, as if she was there once more, enduring the torture of the voices.
"Go on." Ozpin encouraged.
"Then they talked about them ." Yang shuddered as she remembered what had been said. "I couldn't hold on after that."
"Who are they, Yang? Why couldn't you hold on?" Pyhrra encouraged.
Yang closed her eyes. Hoping that it would be easier to answer that way. "Blake." She uttered. "Blake and Adam."
Pyhrra wasn't suprised when Blake's name was mentioned. It was always Blake and Yang, Yang and Blake. Always one with the other like an unseperable force. The other name that was said however, was one that she didn't know.
"Who's Adam"
The question made Yang jolt upright as if the mention of his name shocked her with a thousand volts of electricity, waking the dead creature within.
"Who was he to who?" She asked, her voice raspy and masculine once more.
"Who was he to Blake? Who was he to you? " Pyhrra gingerly responded, aware of the use of past tense and the fact that she was tredding on thin ice.
Yang huffed. "To blake, at first, a saviour. He was a leader, a teacher... a lover." She licked her lips at the last word. "In the end, her undoing."
Both pyhrra and ozpin grimaced as she began to laugh. A sound not unlike the woof of a rabid dog, a sound which did not belong to Yang.
"And what about you?" Ozpin interupted before she could fall into hysterics.
"Me? " She asked. "To me he was a taboo. In the beginning anyway. I knew he was involved with Blake, but I never knew how much until the Vytal festival. Not until he stabbed her and maimed me, then he became a nemesis, a personal bag of meat for me to beat up until that day, where, well, I did."
"Did what?" Pyhrra questioned, completley unprepared for yangs twisted response.
"Why? I killed him of course."
Ozpin slumped against the bars of his cell and swept his right hand through his grey hair at the statment. It was as if he knew deep down that she had killed Adam , but was disappointed by the confession. Pyhrra however gasped, backing away from yang as if she was finally aware of the beast she was trapped inside with.
"Wh- Why?" She begged once her back hit solid wall and she was as far away from Yang as she could be.
Yang spat on the cave floor at the question. "He was going to kill Blake, so i stopped him. But only after he killed me first." She said before glaring at pyhrra.
"How? How is that - it's not possible!" Pyhrra muttered to herself , but before Yang could interject, Ozpin beat her to it.
"It is. It is possible, miss nikos." He assured before turning to yang with a raging fire in his eyes. "I just can't believe that you, of all people, Yang xiao long would stoop so low."
Before yang could even open her mouth to retaliate, rattle her chains in protest or threaten him with empty promises, The sound of grinding rocks returned from behind her. Followed by a creeping chill up the back of her neck and the sound of footsteps.
"Why is it so hard to believe, Ozpin." Salem soothed as she slivered past Yang's right. "You knew from the beginning that your precious team RWBY was special. Tell me, why did you waste them all away and place your hopes in this other girl here."
Ozpin was silent.
"Not feeling talkative today I see, very well." Salem said as she snapped her fingers.
Yang raised an eyebrow at the way pyrrha begun to shake until, from the shadows on her left, Raven appeared.
Yang swallowed and straightened her back at the sight of her mother. She was suprisingly standing strong with her arms folded behind her back, as if nothing had happened at all. However, as Yang looked closer, it was clear that she was leaning more to her left, as if it was to painful to stand straight and through the dark, cracks could be seen on the mask of grimm she wore over her face.
It made yang sick thinking of what would be seen under the mask.
Raven stepped forward as if on cue and approached Pyhrra's cell before she pulled out what looked like a set of keys from behind her and opened a hidden side door, before joining Pyhrra inside.
Yang couldn't look away as Pyhrra shrivelled into the far left corner as Raven locked the door again behind her. Something wasn't right. This wasn't the Pyhrra she remembered.
Salem continued staring at Ozpin as if waiting for a response until, after five seconds of waiting. She clicked her fingers once more.
It all happened so fast after that.
Raven lunged at Pyhrra who raised her hands in a cross motion over her face, and began brutally bashing, punching and kicking the fallen spartan.
Blood splatted against the walls, through the bars and onto yangs face.
"STOP IT! RAVEN STOP THIS PLEASE!" Yang yelled but was drowned out by the sounds of Pyhrras screams.
Buckling onto the floor with a echoing slap, Pyhrra begged for mercy but Raven never stopped.
A thick stream of blood instantly covered the floor and pooled at the bottom of Yangs feet.
Thrashing in her manacles at the heat of the blood on her toes and side, Yang fumed at Ozpin who was still staring of with Salem. "MAKE HER STOP! PLEASE OZPIN."
Ozpin remained motionless as if the agonising yells fell on deaf ears.
Yang saw red.
The echoing roar which ripped from her throat wasnt human and for a fleeting second the sound of pummeled meat stopped and only the whimpers of the broken remained.
Salem broke her stare with Ozpin then and turned to face the widly panting Yang. Sweat covered the entirety of her flushed red body and the veins under her skin were blown out so much that it was a miracle that they hadn't already exploded.
Effortlessly gliding towards Yang, salem grasped her jaw with her left hand whilst pulling open her right eyelid with her right.
Yang tried to buck, to get away from the soothing touch but Salem just increased the pressure of her grip until she was completley immobile.
Scanning her open eye, salem suddenly smirked then pulled back before snapping her fingers once more.
Raven stepped away from Pyrrha then and turned towards the hidden door before pyhrra suddenly jerked and lunged towards ravens back, where the keys dangled from a lose chain.
Before Yang could yell at her to stop, Raven turned with the speed of a samurai and caught Pyhrras right hand in her own.
They stared at one another for a single second before Raven flicked her hand and with a sickening snap, broke pyhrras wrist.
"NO." Yang yelled as pyhrra fell on her back and clutched her right hand with an open mouth in a silent scream.
"WHY!" She bellowed at Raven who turned and walked out of the cage as if nothing had happened. "WHY."
To make you learn. Humanity is weakness.
Yang shivered as the voice returned but couldn't even dare to dwell on it. Not with what had just transpired. Not with what brutality her mother had just shown.
"Until the next time, Ozpin." Salem goaded before turning away from him and everyone else in the room. "I look forward to it."
The presumed door behind Yang opened as Salem left the room. Yang was about to try and comfort the still crying pyhrra or yell at Ozpin but remembered that Raven was still in the room
Looking up at her mother, Yang felt nothing but disgust and was about to scream at her before Ravens gaze fell upon her own and she hurried away after Salem as if she couldnt stand to hear what Yang had to say.
Yang huffed before calling out to her fallen friend. "Pyhrra are you okay?"
Stupid question. She's clearly not okay.
"I'm - I'm okay" She sniffled through blood and tears.
" Pyhrra, you're not -" Yang began before she was cut off.
"It's okay, Yang." She interrupted. "It had to be done."
Yang frowned. "What?"
In answer pyhrra opened her left palm, revealing a flat little key inside.
"Something about this place blocks alot of my semblance, but if I really focus, I can control the polarity of certain close by metals for a short time."
Blind, simmering hope filled yang. They could escape this. The idea felt so good she couldve cried tears of joy.
"We don't have much time." Pyhrra croaked as she tried leaning up on one knee.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Yang cheered. "Open the door, set us free and lets go!"
Pyhrra sighed. "This key isn't for my cell."
The hope and happiness Yang had let herself feel suddenly came crashing down.
"This key is for your chains."
Yang swallowed hard. "So? If I bust out of these" she said while rattling her constraints. "Ill summon my weapon and bust you out too."
Pyhrra weakly smiled at that. "You can't, if you make too much noise, they'll know." She sighed. "You're the only one who's getting out of here."
"No." Yang growled. "I'm not leaving you."
"You have to or noone is leaving this place." Pyhrra desperatley whined.
Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted to argue but deep down she knew Pyhrra was right. "Okay."
Pyhrras eyes lit up the slightest amount before she hauled herself as close to Yang as she could get. Clenching her left fist she exhaled heavily before squinting her eyes and willing her semblance to lift the key into the air.
Yangs breathing hitched as the key levitated and slowly crept towards her as if being pulled on invisible strings. 3 foot, 2 foot... the key approached before Pyhrra squeeled and the key dropped, less than a centimetre from the floor.
"Pyhrra! Are you okay!" Yang desperatley questioned.
The spartan nodded her head slightly before griting her teeth and forcing the key higher and higher till it slid into Yangs left hand manacle with a satisfactory click.
As soon as the chain popped open Yangs left hand immediatley pulled the key out and inserted it into the right chain and with another click, both her hands were freed.
Ignoring the emence pain of movement, Yang bowed down amd released her feet before turning to Pyhrra who had collapsed against the wall with a fresh trickle of blood down her nose.
"I'll come back." Yang promised as she bent down to pyhrras level. "I'll come back with others and I'll get you out of here, I swear."
Standing, Yang was about to rush to the double doors she could see behind her before Ozpin spoke up.
"You can't leave."
Yang froze. She completley forgot that he was even there. "Watch me." She spat before pushing through the doors and ignoring his mumbled shouts about destiny.
Stumbling against an upward stairwell, Yang panted as her legs fumbled for traction and her mind wheeled for directions. She had no idea where she was going. Up and up, down and down, left, right and even back she ran.
Her heavy footsteps padded and loudly echoed through the room and her heartbeat raced to match its tempo. She was terrified. She was making too much noise but she couldnt bring herself to slow.
She had to be close to an exit.
Yet the corridors were all the same; same colours,
same pattern and the same length. Just as she was about to backtrack to try and get an idea of her location, she skidded along a tiled floor then came to a stop.
Standing perplexed at the end of the corridor, Raven blocked the path ahead.
Yang didnt know what to do. They were at a standoff, like in the old western films where the cowboy and the villain waited for the other to make the first move.
Yangs feet trembled but just as she was about to run back, Raven slowly raised her arm and pointed to the left.
Go right.
Her flight reflexes kicking in, her legs darted fowards and without a conscience decision, she ran.
She heard footsteps following her, making her only push forwards faster until she saw a door.
Pushing herself as hard as she pyhsically could she lunged through the door and into light. She slid across the floor until she crashed into something as hard as rock.
Looking up, relief filled Yang until she realised it wasn't a rock she had crashed into at all, but a person. Salem.
It felt as if she had been doused in ice water. This couldn't be happening.
Just as she was about to leap up and retreat, the door slammed open behind her and Raven burst into the room.
Looking up between Yang and Raven, Salem frowned. "Leave us." She barked at Raven who looked desperatley at Yang before leaving.
"I thought that you might be able to learn by yourself what it meant to be strong,what it meant to be better than them." Salem spat as she once more swirled her hands and restrained Yang with blood red glyphs. "I see now that I was wrong - that you need some encouragement."
Yang said nothing as her body was forciblly moved this way and that until her back was bowed and her neck was exposed to Salem.
"After this, you will see true power." She said before her hand began to glow and swirl like one of Raven's portals and something emerged from her hand.
Yang struggled then as a deep, quiet clicking noise resonated from Salems hand and grew louder and louder as she brought her arm down to her ear.
"What is that!" Yang squeeled as from the corner of her eye she saw a creature with a pair of large, grotesque black mandibles and atleast six hairy legs.
"Hush." Salem growled as she approached Yang from the side and lowered her hand to the back of her neck.
Yang screamed as a slicing pain cut across her neck and something began poking and proding at the cut before burrowing and squirming beneath the flesh.
The final thought which came to Yang before the creature attatched itself to the nerves in the back of her head was a simple one; she should've gone left.
...
"Well... that was awkward" Yang mumbled once Pyhrra had shut the door, causing Blake to laugh harder.
Yang smiled at the sound and was about to turn around and admire the sounds maker before she remembered what had happened before Pyhrra knocked on their door.
Instead, she rubbed her still sore head once more and gingerly stood from the floor and grabbed the now used medicine bottle and put it back in the kitchen to be dealt with later.
By the time she returned to the bunks, Blake had stopped laughing and was huddled over in pain. "Eurgh- Yang? Do we have any pain killers" She whimpered as soon as she realised her partner was there.
"Open your eyes and you'll be looking at it." Yang unsteadily chimed, knowing thats not what Blake necessarily wanted to hear.
Wearily opening Amber eyes, Blake frowned at the sight of Yang not holding pain medication. "Very funny.." She grunted. "Where's the real painkillers?"
Ouch. Low blow. Yang thought before shrugging it off. "You're not allowed to take other medication with the cough medicine, im sorry, Blake."
Blake looked like she might cry at the news, but before a single tear could be shed, Yang crouched low and put her hand over Blake's. "Hey, hey. It'll be alright." She soothed before remembering her cure for such a pain with Ruby.
"If you really want and don't mind, there really might be somerhing that I can do to help."
Blake quirked an eyebrow at this but nodded her head none the less. Once more curious as to what Yang could possibly do.
Yang tried to control her smile as she crouched down and crawled across Blake's bed. Lifting the many blankets, Yang shuffled down the bed and next to Blake until their skin touched. As soon as the smooth skin of her thigh grazed Blake's, Yang gently flinched back, not knowing if that was okay or not.
"It's alright, it actually felt good." Blake whispered before her cheeks flushed red.
Yang smirked at the colour before slowly raising her left arm before dropping it aginst the back of her neck. The fact that Blake hadnt protested or shied away filled her with confidence. "Is it okay if I -eh, er touch your stomach?"
Blake's eyes widened and she was about to politley decline before thinking, what's the worst that could happen?
"Okay."
Yang swallowed before closing her eyes and activating her semblance to a certain degree and forcing the flow of energy into the palm of her hands. "Just let me know if you want me to stop." She whispered before slowly placing her right hand ontop of Blake's stomach.
"Ahhh." Blake moaned before quickly placing her own hands ontop of Yang's right one,enjoying the heat she provided. It wasnt scolding like she had been expecting but the perfect warmth to take away the pain.
Yang chuckled at the way Blake moaned and melted against her. She was so glad and thankful for not only being able to take the pain away but also being allowed to be this close, this intimate with her partner.
"Thank you." Blake purred before nudging impossibly closer towards Yang so that their bare legs were entwined and her head laid against the side of Yang's chest.
Yang's breath hitched as Blake rested against her boob but she didn't dare complain. "That's- that's alright. No problem."
Blake smirked against Yang's breast at the way she stuttered. It was adorable seeing the usual stoic and confident Yang reduced to a blushing school girl.
Yang felt her body heat risng but fought to control it. Now was not the time to be a total horndog. "Just glad that I can help."
Blake hummed before snuggling deeper against Yang and closing her eyes, allowing a quick and content sleep to overcome her.
The shallow rumble of Blake's sleeping purr made Yang bite her lip to restrain her giggles. She didnt want to chance waking the sleeping beauty, so instead of trying to untangle their entwined limbs, she kissed the top of Blake's head and followed her into a peaceful slumber. Unknowing t
hat it would be the last time that she was allowed such comforts.