Sun swallowed hard as he stood outside of the guest room and went over all of the possibilities in his mind once again. Though he had no idea what exactly he was about to walk into, the thought of turning around or doing anything else at all never crossed his mind as he gripped the doorknob and slowly turned it. He listened intently for any movement or indication of Blake behind the wood, but came up with nothing. After a final, deep breath, he pushed forward and stepped inside of the familiar room.
Immediately upon clearing the entryway, Sun was greeted with the jet black barrel of Gambol Shroud aimed squarely at his face, and shaky wildly. Not even a second later, the sight was replaced by Blake's tear-stained face as the weapon dropped to the floor and she launched herself at him. Sun caught the sobbing faunus and wrapped his arms firmly around her back as he trailed one hand up into her hair.
"It's fine, Blake. I'm here. It's just me," Sun reassured over the echoes of several pairs of footsteps from the bottom floor. The sudden noises caused Blake to cry out and shiver, and she squeezed even tighter around his neck. "Hey! It's fine! Everyone's alright, and the house security is double checking that this place is on lockdown."
"It's not fine," Blake protested, her voice a hoarse, hard to decipher mumble as she mashed her face tightly into Sun's collarbone. "I watched for a while from the balcony, and then I couldn't… he's here, Sun! He's in Kuo Kuana, and he knows about us. There's only one way this can end, and I c-"
"Shh," Sun interrupted as he stroked Blake's hair. "Let's not talk about endings. There's nowhere safer to be right now than here, and we've got allies on the inside of the Fang. The best thing we can do right now is just stay put, make a plan with your parents, and wait for word from Ilia."
"We're not going to get word from Ilia, Sun!" Blake nearly shouted as she pulled back slightly to look up at him. "She could have warned us! She should have told us that this was going to happen! She knows I can't deal with this right now!"
"And I'm sure she has good reason for not contacting us. If we really don't hear from her… then I'll get us an answer," Sun resolved as he transferred his hand from the tangles of Blake's hair down to her shoulder. "I'll get through to her, if I have to… but I still have faith. I still think this is going to work out. I got the people to see a little bit of Adam's hypocrisy, at the very least."
Blake's ears perked as she gave him a look of disbelief. "You… what? What happened, after I stopped watching? I only saw a few minutes of the back and forth between you two. When he started trying to justify the attack on Beacon, I just… I couldn't listen anymore. I barely made it that far."
"That's fine. You did your best, Blake. Now, you need to let us be here for you a-"
"It's not fine!" Blake strained as she pushed a fist into Sun's chest. The move caught him off guard, and he fell silent as he watched Blake burst into a fresh round of ugly tears. "It's… not fine. I can't let you fight my battles for me. I can't just keep running, and that was my first instinct again!"
"But you were aware of the possibility," Sun offered. "You at least knew that that was how you would probably react, and gave me warning. I don't mind standing in for you."
"Just because I knew, doesn't mean that it was right," Blake countered. "Look at me. I feel like I can barely stand, just thinking of him. If… when he comes looking for a fight, I'll force myself not to back down. I won't let him steal anything else from me."
"And neither will I," Sun agreed. "He's on our turf, now, and… a-and we've got this," he finished, cursing his momentary hesitation as his thoughts drifted back to the close call that had happened not half an hour before. Sun looked away, hoping that Blake hadn't noticed the sudden hitch in his speech.
"…Sun," Blake began as he shifted his eyes back to meet hers. "What's wrong? You didn't answer my question about what happened, after I came back inside."
"I didn't answer because you moved on to something else," Sun said as his tail twitched nervously.
"Sun."
"I…" Sun paused, and every fiber of his being screamed at him to lie. He slammed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth as he inhaled, before making his decision. "…I almost got myself killed. I wasn't thinking, and Fennec… was on standby, with Adam's sword."
Blake's eyes widened as a chill pulsed through her body. "But… then how…"
Sun heaved a sigh, and shook his head. "…Cinnamon. She caught it out of the air, and stopped what probably would have been a massacre. Everything you've said about him is right, Blake. He's delusional, savage, and totally out of control. I don't think he'd actually care if he had to burn down all of Kuo Kuana to get a quarter of these people to follow him to Haven."
"I don't care about Haven right now," Blake seethed. "Don't ever do anything like that again, Sun."
"Don't say that! What was I supposed to do?"
"Stand back and let my father handle it!" Blake insisted as she dug her nails into Sun's chest. He winced, and she pushed away out of the hug and folded her arms. "You put yourself in danger, and got away with it this time, but if he had managed t-"
"I know! I know, alright?" Sun interrupted. "I just… he… he insulted you, and I completely lost it. Something came over me, and I had to defend you, alright? I told you I'd fight him off to protect you, and I felt the need to do it with words… even if I went a little overboard. I'm sorry, okay?" he asked, as he threw his arms out to the sides.
Blake gave Sun an even look, before walking to the bed and flopping backward upon it. Neither said a word as Sun joined her, and copied her motions to end up at her side. The pair of them stared up at the ceiling together in silence, until some sniffles from Blake prompted Sun to take her hand. She entwined her fingers with his, and kept her eyes skyward as she began to speak in a small voice.
"…I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, especially over his insanity. I need you, Sun."
"And I need you. Look, I know you keep saying you need time, but… it's up. It sucks, I know, but we need to face this now. I'll text Kali and tell her and your dad to just do their thing, while I help get you back on your feet, alright? But tomorrow… tomorrow, this gets serious. We get up, we sit down, and we make a game plan. A plan that involves Ilia, either as a friend, or… an obstacle," Sun finished ominously.
"…okay," Blake replied as Sun took his scroll out of his pocket. "Just stay with me. Be here, and help me work my way through this."
Sun nodded as he began to type out a message to Kali. He brought his other hand up to wipe away Blake's tears with a thumb, and then cupped her cheek as he pulled her into a gentle kiss.
"We'll get there. Just… think of this as the next big step. A new beginning that we're well prepared for. Together like this, we can handle anything."
Once again, Sun found himself unable to sleep. Over the course of eight hours, the only things that had changed had been his lack of shirt and positioning, as he and Blake found themselves higher up on the bed and their heads upon pillows. Blake cuddled tightly into his side as they talked for the majority of the early evening, until she had slowly fallen asleep. Sun had closed his own eyes and attempted to follow her into a peaceful dreamscape, only to find countless thoughts anchoring him in the waking world.
The scenario of the speech replayed in his mind over and over on an endless loop. Sometimes, Adam managed to catch his sword. Others, Sun was quick enough to draw his staff and counterattack before Adam even managed to get Wilt out of its sheath. Occasionally, Sun found himself on the ground, a horrible, warm liquid spilling from his stomach as the moment rewound and began again. In another version, he was standing over Adam, who had been beaten into the dirt and left broken and bleeding by the confrontation.
In both scenarios, Sun felt the same way; horrified, both at the thought of one of two lives being lost as a direct result of his actions, and of what either outcome would do to Blake.
In the few moments that other thoughts filtered in, Sun found his mind on Blake, primarily, and the progression of their relationship. Once or twice, he had wondered where Neptune was, and how he had handled the situation with their team. At that exact moment, however, Sun's thoughts were on Ilia, and he felt an intense, surging feeling of frustration grip his chest.
As though on cue, Sun's scroll vibrated and caused him to twitch uncomfortably in surprise. Blake groaned and tightened her grip around his arm as he fished through his pocket with the other to draw his scroll and bring it to his face. A photo of Ilia greeted him, along with a short line of text.
Be there in ten. I have an hour, at best.
Sun felt his frustration boiling up into anger as he slid his thumb across the screen, and began to move backward to sit up in bed.
Blake's room.
Without waiting for a response, he slipped the scroll back into his pocket, and rested his hand atop Blake's arm. Her eyes fluttered open into half-awake slits as she let out an adorable yawn, her head naturally rising from the pillow.
"…Sun…?"
"…Ilia's here. I'm going alone," he said firmly as he rubbed at Blake's knuckles. She considered him through a sleepy haze, before letting herself crash back into the pillow below.
"…you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"No," Sun answered quickly. "I want you to go back to sleep, and pretend I never woke you. I'll be back soon," he reassured as he gently picked Blake's hands and arm off his own. She allowed it, before closing her eyes once again.
"If you're sure. Love you."
"You, too," Sun nodded as he slipped out of bed. He headed for the door and elected to leave his shirt and shoes behind while he made his way out and through the halls, down the familiar path.
Again, rushing winds echoed along the paper walls, and Sun narrowed his eyes at the staccato sounds of raindrops against the roof. He shook his head as he made his way toward Blake's room, and drew his weapon from the back of his belt. Sun flicked his wrists and swirled the separate parts to form a long, red and gold staff as he pushed through the door, and flicked the light switch. He was greeted with nothing, and moved toward the balcony door with a huff.
Sun slid back the paper and looked outside into the darkness and pouring rain to try to catch sight of Ilia, but came up with only droplets and distant lights. Annoyed once again, he turned and began to pace the room, weapon clenched tightly in hand, as he focused on the sound of the rain to try to calm his thoughts. Minutes passed until a familiar voice met his ears, and he stopped in mid-stride to look at the speaker.
"Sun? It's just me. Why are you armed?"
Ilia stood wide-eyed and nervous in the door frame, wearing a deep blue spaghetti strap top and black pajama pants. She was soaked to the bone, hair hanging straight and soggy as she held her arms and shivered. Sun's anger began to melt away almost immediately at the sight, before flaring up again as he looked away.
"…because you've got some explaining to do, Ilia."
Ilia cast her eyes to the floor with a guilty look as she shivered. "Look, I'm sorry! If I had a chance to safely make a call, I would have! I barely managed to keep in touch with Cinnamon while we were on the island! What if one of them asked to see my scroll, or overheard me? Sun, there was just no way th-"
"No," Sun cut in. "Not that. Why, exactly, did Adam need to know about my past?"
Ilia made a pained noise as she slowly began to approach Sun. "…I… I had to give him something."
"Not that!" Sun said with an icy tone.
"Yes, that!" Ilia insisted. "My entire job in Kuo Kuana was to keep an eye on the Belladonna manor. He asked for what I learned in my time here, and if I gave him nothing but the obvious…" Ilia paused, before looking up at Sun defiantly. "Consider what he almost did to you, earlier today. Think about what he'd do to me, if he found out the truth."
Sun took several breaths before setting his weapon down on the bed, and heading toward the bathroom. Ilia followed, but stayed several steps behind as he began to speak once again.
"…what, exactly, did you tell him?"
"…everything. Everything, but the fact that I'm on your side. He knows about your relationship, and he knows what I know about you. Someone told him that I had two scrolls on me. I had to give him something good, after he mentioned that, so… he now has a copy of all of the files I took from your scroll. I'd probably be dead, otherwise. I… it's my fault, for not being careful enough around the Fang, and not keeping your scroll hidden. I'm sorry, Sun. I wouldn't have said anything, if that was an option," Ilia admitted with a sniffle.
Sun emerged from the bathroom with a fluffy black towel, and closed the distance between them almost immediately. Without a word, he draped the fabric over Ilia's shoulders and began to ruffle it against her skin as he kept his eyes away from hers. She extended her arms out to the sides to give Sun access, and he wrapped the towel around them, one after the other, to dry the exposed skin.
"…why are you wearing pajamas in the middle of a rainstorm?"
"I had to sneak out from the Notched Blade," Ilia explained. "I didn't exactly have a choice, and now I'm freezing."
Sun let out a guilty sigh as he made his way over to Blake's dresser, and peered inside. He closed the top drawer as he was met with a pile of panties, and tried the next, only to find her collection of nighties. He pulled out a blue one, and offered it to Ilia.
"…here. I'll turn around. Just… finish toweling off, and I'll explain it to her in the morning."
Ilia accepted the garment with a thankful nod, and Sun turned away from her as she began to strip.
"Thanks. Sun… I'm really sorry, but it might have been life and death. I know I screwed everything up worse than it already is, but… can you try to forgive me, eventually? I plan on keeping my promise to stick with you two."
"…I already have," Sun admitted as he shook his head. "Even though you… really complicated things today, and Adam knows too much… you're still my little sis."
Ilia's facial scales flushed pink as she finished drying herself off, and rolled on the nightie. She began to work the towel through her hair as she cleared her throat. "…you can turn around now."
Sun did as she said, and couldn't help but smile ever so slightly as he noticed her coloration and guilty grin.
"What? It's true. I'm not giving up on you that easily. I'm just… a little annoyed. I'll get over it," Sun reassured as he moved to sit on the edge of Blake's bed.
"Thanks. I really don't deserve you," Ilia commented as she sat down beside him and continued to dry her hair.
"Yeah, well, whatever. I'm not going anywhere, whether you like it or not. Where did you go, after everything went down? Did you learn or see anything useful?" Sun asked.
"Well… yes, and no," Ilia began. "Cinnamon attracted one hell of a crowd to her ship, and she spent the rest of the day fielding questions and instructing citizens of Kuo Kuana to pack their shit and get ready to head out. A lot of people went, Sun. It's… really not a great situation, right now."
"And what about Adam?" Sun inquired as he uncomfortably shifted his weight.
"He was on the boat most of the day, with Cinnamon… but I left for the Blade to book a room after a while, so I would have an opportunity to get to you guys. I know the ship left the harbor a few hours ago, with a lot of people on it… but I don't know if Adam was among them," Ilia confessed as she crumpled the towel into a soggy ball and rested it atop her knees.
"Great," Sun griped. "So he's either here and waiting to make his move, or en route to Haven Academy with an army of gullible morons. The people still here have no reason to believe us that he's going to make an attack at the school. I guess that means we need to pack up, head for the Academy, and do our best to defend it while leaving Kuo Kuana vulnerable."
"Unless… I give you my scroll," Ilia said slowly. "I don't have anything from Adam himself, but… maybe if I ask Cinnamon, she would tell me, and then you could use it as evidence?"
Pins and needles rushed through Sun's arms as he looked Ilia over.
"…no. No, if we do that, you will get killed. I'm not putting you in jeopardy like that," Sun said with a sense of finality.
"What other choices do we have, right now? We can trust Cinnamon," Ilia said with confidence. "She's told me a lot over the past few days, and she probably saved your life, earlier today. If I ask, she'll probably at least tell me we're headed to Haven, in writing. That, along with some of the other things I have on my scroll should be proof enough that the Academy is in danger. Besides… she let me defuse her bombs, while I was away with the Fang. She might even help us defend the Academy, at this point."
"Ilia…" Sun started, but trailed off. "I… don't know. I don't know what to do, right now. Can you stay the night, and talk to us, and Blake's parents, tomorrow morning, so we can come up with a plan all together?"
Ilia shook her head sadly as she looked over to the open balcony. "If Adam's still here tomorrow, and I'm suddenly missing… it's not going to look good. I should really get back…"
Sun let out a ragged sigh, and cradled his head in his hands. "Damn it all. Alright, then… just go. Take another nightie with you, wrap it in a fresh towel, and change, once you get back to the Blade. Just… promise me you'll contact us as soon as it's safe again, and then try to get over here? We're getting close to the time that you're going to have to stand with us in the open."
"I know, Sun. Trust me, I know… and I'm scared," Ilia said as she scooped up her damp clothing and rolled it into the soggy towel. She made her way to the dresser and grabbed another garment, before dipping into the bathroom and taking another towel. "But… it's less scary, when I've got you and Blake to protect me. I'll be back soon."
"You better be," Sun instructed as he pushed himself off the edge of the bed and made his way to Ilia. She leaned up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek, and he pulled her into a quick squeeze in response.
"Well… we're really in deep now, huh? Get some rest, and I'll see you again as soon as possible. Don't text me. I'll text you."
"I know," Sun affirmed. "Goodnight, Ilia. Try to get some sleep, yourself."
"Oh, I absolutely won't," Ilia said as she headed to the door and slipped out onto the balcony. She gave Sun a small wave, which he returned, before she disappeared over the railing and into the rain.
"…and neither will I," Sun said to no one in particular as he slid the balcony door closed once again, only to rest his forehead against the wooden support. "Fuck."
Author's Note:
I suppose now is as good of a time as any to admit it, given what I said about chapter count at the end of the last chapter- we're going up through Volume 6 in this story. Get ready for some pretty huge departures from canon… as well as Cinnamon's purpose in RWBY to all come together. The hints are there already, with more to come. Keep an eye out.
On the same subject, 50 is just a guess… but remember, this story was originally a 10-chapter little look into Sun and Blake's relationship during volume 4. Then, I actually thought I'd somehow get all the way up through volume 6 within 30 chapters. I am the worst judge of story length in history, so just assume that this story will go up to that point, and then… some things will happen. Big, mysterious things.
Next update on Sunday, the 21st.
-RD