Chapter 26: Schism

Kanan's bedroom, 19:00 pm…

Kanan's head was pounding as his eyes struggled open.

His mind felt fuzzy, like a fog had been cast over it.

He loosely remembered his fight with Nathan, and being choked out, which was when he realised he was in his room.

And that Yang was stood at the foot of his bed, glaring at him with a fury that made him want to hide under the covers.

But as he tried to reach down, he realised his hands were restrained. "W-what the…?!" Kanan spluttered.

"Thank Jason for that." Yang said, directing his attention to her. "He deemed you too much of a threat to be left unrestrained."

Memories started drifting back to Kanan, and upon realising, he grunted angrily. "Of course he did…" He muttered.

Yang sighed. "What has gotten into you, Kanan?" She asked, walking up to him. "I get that you were trying to do what you thought was best, but this is Nathan and Blake we're talking about."

Kanan didn't respond, at which Yang added:

"You were right there when Nathan nearly died at Beacon, Kanan. You should know better than anyone why Blake would want to keep the baby; if it's even there."

Kanan scowled. "You really think Blake's making the right call? Trying for a baby in the middle of a-"

"Shut. Up." Yang snarled.

Kanan clenched his fists, but held his tongue.

"And yes; I do." Yang replied, answering the question Kanan had been in the midst of asking. "Because as her best friend, I will fight to my last breath to defend any children Nathan and Blake have, be that now; or later on. As her brother, you should feel the same way. Unless you care less about Blake than I thought you do."

"Of course I-" Kanan made to retort, but fell silent, realising that Yang was right. His heart sank as he realised the mistake he made.

Yang took a deep breath. "I love you, Kanan… but I think you and I need a break. Because I can't see myself having a future with someone who'd callously force their own sister to abort a baby because they disagreed with the timing."

Kanan felt his heart shatter as Yang then left, leaving him to think on his sins.

Outside…

Yang shut the door behind her before slumping against it, feeling her heart fracturing several times over.

She had meant it when she had told Kanan she loved him. And that fact made what she had just done hurt worse than any phantom pain from her right arm could ever do.

Tears blurred Yang's sight, but she wiped them away, sniffling heavily as she forced herself to take a deep breath.

It came out shakier than she would prefer, but it'd have to do.

For now; she needed a shoulder to cry on.

And she felt like there was only one person who could be that shoulder for her.

Nathan and Blake's bedroom…

Blake was finally asleep.

Gently extricating himself from his girlfriend's arms, Nathan sat up in bed.

Nathan had been calm when he'd arrived to comfort Blake, but now, he was seething.

Aside from himself, Yang and her parents, one of the people Blake trusted the most had been Kanan.

And he had violated that trust in a way that led to Nathan being uncertain Blake would ever trust Kanan like that ever again.

A brother's blade cuts the deepest…

Nathan shuddered as he remembered those words. They'd been the words he said every time Master Drake had begged for him and Jason to reconcile following That Argument.

But even as he shuddered, the fires of Nathan's anger continued to be stoked, thinking of all the things he and Kanan had been through.

He'd come to consider Kanan the brother he never had.

But now… now Nathan wasn't sure what he felt about Kanan.

All Nathan knew was that he felt like more damage needed to be done to Kanan.

If you're gonna hurt someone; do it so badly that you won't need to worry about them getting payback…

Old advice from Ghost arose in Nathan's mind, and with a glance towards his sleeping girlfriend, Nathan leaned in, and pecked her on the forehead.

Then, Nathan stood up, and called Phoenix's Breath to his hand, holstering it as he approached the door to his and Blake's bedroom.

The sound of Blake stirring drew his attention, but after ascertaining Blake was still asleep, Nathan sighed and stepped closer to the door, quietly opening it.

Only to jump back as he saw that Yang was stood in front of the doorway.

"Yang?" He asked softly. "I thought you were waiting for Kanan to wake up."

Yang looked up and met Nathan's gaze, her expression telling Nathan everything:

She'd followed through with what she'd said she'd do when Kanan woke up.

"Oh… oh gods…" Nathan said gently. "Come here…"

Yang wasted no time in stepping into Nathan's arms, finally breaking down crying as she sobbed hard into his shoulder.

Pulling Yang closer, Nathan ran his hand soothingly over Yang's back, as his other hand gently began to stroke Yang's golden blonde hair.

He held her there for what felt like forever, letting Yang shake with emotion, soaking his shoulder with fresh tears.

He knew Yang loved Kanan deeply, meaning that forcing herself to end things with him must have hurt Yang worse than losing her arm ever did.

Heartbreak was a pain Nathan knew all too well; from when he'd found out Ahsoka had left the order, all to way to having to run for his life when the Jedi Temple fell.

But his heartbreak paled in comparison to whatever Yang was feeling in that moment, and he prayed then and there that he would never have to break up with Blake.

Because he doubted he could look at another faunus again without remembering his shattered heart.

Eventually, Yang's heavy sobs gradually became whimpering sniffles, and Nathan's shoulder was significantly drenched.

Nathan didn't care though. Yang needed him. And so he would answer her call.

After what felt like hours, Nathan gently stepped away from Yang, who met his gaze with a weak, tearful smile.

"Thank you, Nate…" She croaked, her voice hoarse from so much sobbing.

"Anytime, Yang." Nathan replied, giving Yang his own warm smile. "Anyway… Blake is inside. Go rest with her."

Yang nodded her appreciation, stepping past Nathan and into the bedroom.

Nathan watched her climb into bed with Blake before taking a deep breath, setting off for Kanan's room.

"Hey, Nate?"

"Not now, Nora." Nathan snapped as he continued on.

"Nate, it's about-" Nora made to say.

"Not. NOW." Nathan snarled, whirling on Nora, who backed away, hands raised in surrender as she wilted under the force of his glare.

The moment Nora was out of his line of sight, Nathan spun on his heel and continued towards Kanan's room. He hated having to snap on his friends like that, but Nathan knew that sometimes, you couldn't have interruptions or distractions, especially not with what he planned on doing with Kanan, as he stopped outside Kanan's door, sliding one bullet into Phoenix's Breath before entering the room.

Kanan's bedroom…

Nathan watched as Kanan looked up and met his gaze, eyes widening at the sight of Nathan in his room before a look of anger crossed the face of the son of Sienna Khan and Ghira Belladonna.

One that was replaced by a look of fear as Nathan brandished Phoenix's Breath, levelling it at Kanan.

Nathan silently closed the distance until the revolver was aimed directly at Kanan's face.

Only then did Nathan finally speak:

"I should kill you right now." He snarled. "Stuff this gun into your mouth, blow your fucking brains out and make it look like you offed yourself out of despair due to Yang breaking up with you. You know I'm capable of doing it."

Kanan wordlessly nodded.

At that, Nathan lowered Phoenix's Breath. "But then again… killing you would raise more problems; namely with your parents, and the White Fang. And given the fact I already have the Empire; Salem's forces, the FRA, and the Atlesian Military all wanting me dead… I'd rather not make any more enemies than I already have. So… here's what we're going to do."

Nathan then clambered on top of Kanan, sitting cross legged on the bigger man's chest as Kanan groaned in discomfort. "You're going to lay there; hopefully as uncomfortably as you possibly can be, and listen closely. I want you to digest this. Because before I get off of your chest and walk out of this room… I have a lot of things I would like to get off of my chest."

Once more levelling Phoenix's Breath at Kanan, Nathan said: "Now… I don't hate you, Kanan. In fact; I don't even dislike you. Matter of fact; I understand why you feel the way you feel about the possibility of Blake being pregnant. You're her big brother. It's natural for you to want to protect Blake. But what's not natural is you trying to drag her off for an abortion she might not even need! Fuck the Force, Kanan… what did you expect her reaction to be? Did you think she would thank you for doing her this tremendous solid and remain close to you? No! Oh wait; I forgot the word no means nothing to you! Or at least; it means nothing when it's not what you want to hear. Do you have any idea of the damage you've caused, Kanan? Or that you could have caused?"

Kanan didn't respond, merely stared Nathan down silently.

Nathan sighed. "Let me break it down for you. Blake is thankfully asleep now after crying herself to sleep over the course of an hour. All because you tried to force her to do something she didn't want to do. Blake trusted you, Kanan! And I thought I could, too! But now; here we are, and I'm not sure whether or not either me or Blake can ever trust you. In fact; I'd be surprised if Blake even wants to enter this very fucking room by herself; even when you're tied up like this! Do you see what I'm saying, Kanan?"

Kanan wordlessly nodded.

"Blake's now afraid of you." Nathan said. "Your own fucking sister! You've broken her trust, nearly broken her heart, and very likely; irreparably broken your relationship with her! All because you can't seem to grasp that no means no." Pausing, Nathan added: "And then there's Yang. One of my best friends; someone I would willingly take a fucking bullet for! There's another person you've damaged. Because right now; as we speak; she is in my room after spending Force knows how long crying into my shoulder! Because she fucking loved you, Kanan! You were the best thing to ever happen to her, and yet she felt the need to end things with you. Do you have any idea how much that must fucking kill her?! I could tell just by how she was acting that she still loves you. And the fact you left her with no other choice but to break her own heart makes me sick to my fucking stomach."

Kanan bowed his head, shame radiating off of him.

Nathan took a deep breath. "The damage you've caused… it could take months, even years, to fix completely. If it even can be fixed at all. And if it can't be fixed… then you've only yourself to blame." At that, he finally climbed off of Kanan, and exited the room. He needed time alone.

The lounge…

Thankfully, the lounge was deserted.

Meaning it'd be perfect for Nathan to take some time for himself.

Collect his thoughts, and then hopefully head to bed with a clear head.

Sitting down, Nathan leaned back so that he was laying against the back of the sofa.

Being able to talk to Kanan had done wonders to ease Nathan's anger, but a lot of thoughts still remained.

"You know; the moment I saw you chamber that bullet; I thought you were going into Kanan's room to kill him."

Nathan looked up to see Jason step into the room, looking at him. "I'm still wondering if I should have pulled the trigger." He admitted.

Jason nodded. "So… is Blake pregnant?"

Nathan met Jason's gaze, replying: "And why the fuck should I tell you? Planning to drag her off to an abortion clinic yourself if she is?"

"Whoa, hell no, Nathan!" Jason said. "I'd never even think of it!"

"Are you saying that truthfully? Or trying to throw me off so that I don't suspect you should it actually fucking happen?"

Jason raised his hands in a placatory manner, saying: "Nathan… believe me when I tell you that I have absolutely zero intention of doing such a thing. Especially given that I might be a father-to-be myself."

"Then you'll fucking understand when I fucking tell you not to breathe a fucking word about this to anyone." Nathan said icily. "I fucking hear any fucking one of the older peeps here even use the word 'pregnant' in a fucking sentence including Blake; I'll break their fucking jaws." Sitting forwards, Nathan added: "And if that fucking little sewer rat Kanan breathes a single fucking word of this to Sienna, Ghira, or even fucking Kali; he's a fucking dead man. Have I made myself clear?"

Jason nodded.

"Good. Now get the fuck out of my fucking face." Nathan snapped. "I need to be alone."

Jason nodded and left Nathan there alone in the darkness.

Sometime later…

The sound of the front door being unlocked drew Nathan's attention, and he looked up to see it open as Jaune and Pyrrha stepped into the house.

His anger dissipated as he saw Pyrrha pull Jaune into a passionate kiss once the latter had locked the door, and he found himself smiling.

The kiss was broken, and they made to head to their room.

Until Pyrrha saw Nathan by himself in the living room.

"I'll join you later." Pyrrha said gently to Jaune before kissing him and heading towards Nathan, sitting down next to him.

"What… happened?" Pyrrha asked.

"Kanan fucking happened." Nathan replied. "Turns out he's got it in his head that Blake's pregnant, too. And because he disapproves of the fact me and Blake decided to try for a baby; he tried to convince her to get an abortion. When she refused… Kanan opted to try and use force."

"Oh my…" Pyrrha commented.

"Thank the gods I was nearby." Nathan added. "But when I stepped in and told Kanan to back off… something snapped, and Kanan attacked me. I fought back; and we wound up wrecking the upstairs coffee table and busting through the window leading to the central garden in a violent brawl that ended after I choked Kanan out."

"Is Kanan okay?" Pyrrha asked.

Nathan nodded. "We've cuffed him to his bed as a precaution. But… but Yang's broken up with him. Spent a good few minutes crying into my shoulder over it, too."

Pyrrha sighed. "Poor Yang… I can't imagine how heartbroken she is right now…"

"Me neither…" Nathan replied. Sitting forward, Nathan looked at Pyrrha. "Sorry for ruining your mood. Can't imagine I'm making you feel good about getting engaged."

"Don't be sorry, Nathan." Pyrrha replied. "You looked like you needed to vent a little, and I will always be willing to lend you my ears." Raising her left hand, Pyrrha added: "Besides… I can't help but feel happy anyway."

Nathan smiled as he beheld the ring on Pyrrha's hand:

It was made of gold, with a red pearl set in several emeralds.

"It's gorgeous…" Nathan mused, taking Pyrrha's hand in his to get a closer look.

Pyrrha giggled. "Isn't it? It's precisely the sort of ring I wanted as well. Jaune must have been in contact with my father."

"I'm surprised he had the balls to even pick up the scroll." Nathan joked.

Pyrrha giggled again as she sighed happily. "We hope to marry as soon as a wedding can be arranged."

"That desperate for Jaune's dick, are you?" Nathan joked.

Pyrrha blushed, but smiled. "Among other things…" She said, placing a hand on her belly.

Realisation dawned on Nathan as he said: "You're fucking kidding."

Pyrrha shook her head. "Far from it, Nathan. Me and Jaune have agreed to start trying for a baby as soon as we are wed."

"How soon?" Nathan questioned. "Like; are you just gonna strip and fuck on the floor the moment you're pronounced husband and wife, or…"

"On the night of our wedding, silly!" Pyrrha responded, lightly slapping Nathan's arm. "What you're suggesting would be more along the lines of you and Blake."

Nathan snorted. "Guilty as charged, Miss Nikos." He admitted.

"Then I assume I can call the police then?" Pyrrha joked.

Nathan laughed. "Only if it's a public wedding."

Pyrrha laughed in response, before the laughter finally died down.

"So… how many kids are you planning on popping out?" Nathan asked.

"I told Jaune I will birth as many children as I can before I reach the age of thirty-five." Pyrrha declared.

"Fuck the Force, Pyrrha… Nathan remarked. "Never expected you to add 'Baby Factory' to your list of nicknames."

Pyrrha laughed once again, adding: "It's one nickname I will wear with pride."

Nathan chuckled. "And me and Blake were gonna settle for just three." He remarked.

Pyrrha nodded. "Regardless; me and Jaune will try and space our children out." She admitted. "So that I'm not pregnant all the time. I still want to make time to be a Huntress."

"Good; because I don't plan on picking up your slack when you're off in some hospital shoving your latest kid out." Nathan remarked.

Pyrrha laughed one more time before they parted ways for the night, heading for their respective bedrooms.

Nathan and Blake's bedroom, 21:30 pm…

Nathan opened the door just in time to see Yang right behind the door.

"I… there are some spare rooms I can use." Yang said gently.

Nathan folded his arms. "You sure? I can easily let you sleep here with me and Blake."

Yang nodded. "Yeah… I'd love to room with you and Blake; but… seeing you two every night… it'd just remind me of what I don't have any more…"

Nathan sighed and nodded understanding. "Our door will be open if you need us, Yang. Just hop inside and either cuddle up to me or Blake."

Yang smiled. "I'll… keep it in mind." She said gently, before then hugging Nathan.

"You're one of my best friends here, Yang." Nathan said softly. "I'll be right here if you need me."

"I know." Yang replied before breaking the hug.

Then leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.

"Good night, Nathan…" Yang said softly.

"Good night, Yang." Nathan replied. "Sleep well."

At that, Yang moved past Nathan and headed off in search of a vacant bedroom.

Nathan sighed before turning his attention to Blake.

She was still asleep, but was clearly feeling the absence of warmth nearby keenly.

Coming right up, Blake, Nathan thought to himself as he quietly closed the door behind him.

Tip-toeing to the bathroom, Nathan quickly brushed his teeth, ignoring the blood that he spat out afterwards that was more or less a leftover of the brawl with Kanan before stepping back out of the bathroom and grabbing his bedclothes.

Quickly but quietly changing into them, Nathan finally turned his attention to Blake, noticing she was still in her clothes from the day.

Easily remedied, Nathan thought to himself as he gently removed her boots, setting them down by the bedroom door, followed by her jeans.

Next came her top, which he decided to leave on; ingeniously lowering the straps of her top so that he could then remove her bra underneath, putting that to the side before raising her top's straps again.

Finally, Nathan joined his girlfriend in bed, pulling her close as he pulled the covers over them both.

He pressed his hand to Blake's belly, thinking of the child she was more than likely carrying, and taking a deep, happy breath as he imagined Blake's belly growing larger as the baby did the same within her.

Finally, he planted a kiss behind one of her feline ears, whispering: "I love you so much, Blake Belladonna. I will always love you; no matter what happens."

Once he had said that, he finally allowed himself to settle down to sleep.

It came quickly, as Nathan expected, and before long, he had joined his girlfriend in the world of sleep and dreams, his whole world in his hands.

This was easily one of my favorite chapters to write. One of my biggest challenges early on as a writer was wanting to establish any form of conflict within a group of heroes. Thankfully; my Transformers and the Lion King series helped me in that regard, and now here is my latest offering.

Besides that... I really enjoyed Nathan's pipe-bomb on Kanan, as well as his warning to Jason and the rest of the older people. I really wanted to sell just how furious this whole mess has left Nathan. And just how ruthless Nathan can become if pushed to a certain point.

Anyway; let's answer some reviews:

Sharnorasian Empire: Jeopardy would be putting it mildly. Kanan is so deep inside the doghouse that it'd take a pneumatic drill to dig him out. Nathan turning to the Dark Side though... I should hope this chapter gives you a glimpse of just how ruthless Nathan can become, should he ever turn.

That said; thank you all so much for taking the time to read this chapter. If you enjoyed it; y'all know what to do.

I shall see you all next week with Chapter 27, which sees Blake's possible pregnancy draw another person's ire.

T-Rock14