Kali Belladonna walked slowly across the grass, her body framed by a subtle, fuzzy glow from the moonlight. Sun sat up properly and rubbed at his eyes as he watched her approach. Much like her daughter, Kali's makeup was ruined, her hair was streaked with soot and filth, and her expression was dour. Quite unlike her daughter, however, her top was coated with spatters of dried blood, and her expression was a steely glare stern enough to give Sun goosebumps.
"…are you two alright?" Kali asked, her usual motherly warmth entirely absent in her tone. In its place was something that sounded more akin to a growl, and for a moment, the harsh cadence almost reminded Sun of Ghira.
"…physically? We're fine," Blake offered with a weary glance at Sun. "Otherwise… you already know."
Kali reached out and rested a heavy hand on Blake's shoulder, before gently touching her forehead to her daughter's. "I do. But… this is life, now, and our path is clear."
Sun looked down at the grass and leaned back slightly while planting his hands into the ground. He tried to fight back against gravity and turn his frown into anything but, and failed spectacularly.
"Kali… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry for everything. I wasn't fast enough to find Ghira, and you wanted nothing to do with this, when we first started talking about it. Everything tonight could have been avoided if we'd just…" Sun trailed off, feeling deflated as two sets of eyes glared through him. Over in the distant crowd of assembled faunus, a spirited cheer rang out.
"I told Ghira, when the three of you said you wanted to take back the White Fang, that something horrible could happen as a result. That we were playing with fire, and we were lucky to get out when we did," Kali seethed. "I was right… but I take no pleasure in it. Now, though, it's too late to play 'what-if', or wallow in regret. Ilia was smart enough to get us hard evidence so that we can move on Haven, and Ghira would want us to go there as soon as possible and make sure that he didn't die for nothing. We're going to the school, saving it through any means necessary, and then… then, the White Fang is mine."
Blake tensed as she watched the exchange, and then shook her head solemnly. "Mom… are you sure you want to retake a leadership position? Aren't you the reason that Dad left the Fang?"
"Partially, yes… and no, I'm not," Kali agreed as she shook her head. "But I refuse to see the organization we built used for things such as this any longer, and the two of you still have a lot of life left ahead of you, as well as teams to find. The people here are already ready to go and join us as members of the Black Claw, once transport gets here."
"The… Black Claw?" Sun repeated. His heart sank as the answer became immediately obvious to him, and he had a feeling that Kali knew.
"In Ghira's honor. ETA on our flights are still at least six hours. I called in a favor to get word out to the mainland and secure us a few cargo planes. I'd tell you two to sleep, but… I know exactly how pointless that notion would be," Kali said with an annoyed sigh.
Blake shifted her weight to one side, her ears slowly curling downward as she gave her mother an unsure look. "…and what about Dad?"
"Coming with us," Kali replied. "Once Haven is secured, we'll… have a ceremony. Something small, between the three of us." Another rallying cry rang out from the crowd, and Kali's ear flicked toward the assembled people. A sharp, straining voice echoed out into the night before another cheer rose again, and Sun pushed off the grass to dust off the front of his shorts.
"What's going on over there? We're all right here."
Blake's gaze was locked on the steps of the manor, where a figure was pacing back and forth and making spirited hand motions. "…Ilia's not."
Sun followed her eyes to see the outline of his adopted sister raising a fist into the air, earning herself another yell of approval from the crowd. He shook his head as Kali offered him a wry grin.
"…she's really growing up to be something, isn't she? Keep her close, you two."
"We will," Sun said as he looked to Blake. She shot him a sidelong glance, and offered back a firm nod.
"…we will. If there's… anything positive to this mess, it's having her back. That's all thanks to Sun"
Kali walked over to Sun and pulled him into a tight hug. Immediately, she recoiled before he had the chance to return it. More quickly than he could react, Kali trailed her hands up his left arm and to his shoulder, where Ghira's pauldron was clasped around his deep red dress shirt. Kali's eyes locked with Sun's, and he found himself speechless at their intensity.
"I only just noticed," Kali said as her eyes narrowed. Sun tried to look away, but he couldn't bring himself to tear his gaze from her fiery eyes. A long silence followed as Kali gently traced her fingers along the etched metal, before softly resting her palm against the curve of the armor. Suddenly, she pulled her hand back and punched Sun hard in the shoulder, just below the plate. "…it looks good on you."
Sun felt his eyes begin to water once again, and lifted a gloved hand to wipe at them with the back of it. "It… barely fits."
"You'll grow into it," Kali reassured as she flattened her hand against the center of his chest. "I'll give you his belt, to go with it. Keep him with you. Always."
"Always," Sun replied as he looked over to Blake. Instead of finding her there, he saw only the tree, and momentarily panicked before he caught sight of her making her way over toward Ilia and the cheering crowd.
"…lean into her," Kali advised as she dropped her hand back down to her side. "Ghira was there for me when my father died, and it helped a lot. Blake seems to be handling this much better than I expected… but it's plain to see that you're headed for a breakdown."
"That obvious, huh?" Sun mused as he raised his arms into a stretch. "I guess your comparison between Blake and I and your relationship didn't really pan out, after all."
Kali gave Sun a playful look, and shook her head. "…I said our relationship was similar to yours. I never said our roles were the same, within it."
Sun raised a brow, and folded his arms across his chest. "You mean…?"
"…I was like you. Honest, eager, selfless to a fault. Ghira played the part of Blake. I never let him in, and kept chipping away at his emotional baggage until I was caught out, vulnerable, and unable to deal with my own worries anymore," Kali informed. "Sound familiar?"
"Uncomfortably so," Sun said. "I think… I think I'm gonna go take a walk, around the house. Just… take it all in, one last time. And, hey- are you alright?"
Kali's expression fell into one of soft appreciation, before she stood on her tiptoes and leaned up to plant a gentle kiss upon his cheek. "…Belladonna women are strong."
"The strongest," Sun agreed. "Can we talk more, later? Maybe on the plane, or after this is all over?"
Kali chuckled, and pinched Sun's cheek. "That's not even a question, Sun. You're practically one of my own, at this point. We'll look after each other."
"Yeah, of course. I'll see you soon, or when the planes get here at the latest," Sun replied as he gave Kali a small wave and began to walk.
"I'll be counting on it," Kali said before turning to join her daughter and Ilia at the steps of the manor.
"…I promise I'll take care of her. Even better than before. That's all I can really do for you, other than… leaving this. Dumb, I know, but… just take it," Sun said softly as he kept his eyes on the dirt and leaves beneath him. Yet again, his eyes began to feel misty as he continued to whisper to himself, his head in his hands as he sat alone.
"And… I know you probably wouldn't blame me, but I do blame myself for not finding you sooner. They'll want me to let it go, and maybe I will, eventually, but… I tried. I really did. Maybe… if I'd just let the people who work in the manor fend for themselves, I could've gotten there… but you'd never have made that trade, would you?" Sun asked as a teardrop hit the ground. For once, he did nothing to try to hide his feelings.
"I don't know why I'm just… talking right now, alone, like I've lost my mind. I guess some weird part of me hopes you'll give me a sign, or you're listening, or… s-"
"…who are you talking to?"
Sun jumped upright from his seat upon the uneven stump, and brought his arm up to mash his face into the crook of his elbow. He coughed hard and wiped his tears away as he looked around for the speaker, only to find both Blake and Ilia walking toward him between the trees. The pair looked exhausted, unkempt, and emotionally drained as they reached their friend.
"I'd like to know, too," Ilia added as she leaned back into a tree. "I'm guessing you were just mumbling to yourself, though."
"…yeah," Sun hastily admitted. "Sorry. I'm losing it."
"We're all losing it," Blake reassured as she closed the distance and gave Sun a quick kiss. "Finding you took ages. The planes are almost here."
"Good, good. Does anything else need doing, or are we pretty much set?" Sun inquired as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, only for Blake to gently push him back down to sit upon his uneven stump.
"We're good, and I wouldn't let you do anything else, anyway," Blake warned.
"Both of us and Kali spoke to the people still in Kuo Kuana... and it's a crowd of about 50. They seem really into this whole 'Black Claw' notion," Ilia said with a wave of her hand. "I… may have gone a little overboard, talking to them."
Blake turned and looked to Ilia, before walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You were amazing."
"I was pissed," Ilia corrected. "I feel… I guess it doesn't matter. We should focus on the now."
Sun made a mental note of Ilia's words, before shifting to sit more comfortably on the tree stump. "What is our plan, for 'the now'? We get on the plane, we head for Haven, and…?"
"…I guess it's a few steps, really," Blake began. "I'll contact the local police once we're close enough, and feed them everything we've got. Fennec's scroll is a literal goldmine on the Fang, and there are direct threats against Haven in there."
"Meanwhile, I'm going to monitor my scroll to see when Cinnamon's in range… if she's ever in range," Ilia said with a sigh.
"You really think we can still trust her?" Sun asked.
"Personally… it's going to depend on how she takes the news about our house, and Dad," Blake said. "If I don't hear what I want to hear, she's next on my list."
Ilia furrowed her brows as she looked over to Blake, seemingly offended. "Cinnamon's not responsible for any of this. She would never have allowed the attack on the manor, and especially wouldn't have let Adam… do what he did. Besides- those bombs going to Haven are disabled because she gave me access to them on the ship, and fed me the wires to cut. I trust her. I'd trust her with my life," Ilia finished. Sun and Blake both remained silent as they looked at each other, before Sun ran a hand through his hair.
"…alright. Then, for now, we… assume she's with us, at least partially. I really hope those bombs are still disabled, or it's going to make our job a hell of a lot harder."
"They will be. If they're not… then you can take it out on me, and Cinnamon," Ilia resolved.
"Well… if you two are doing that, I guess I'll call Neptune, once he's in range. That… is not going to be a fun conversation," Sun grumbled.
"…Neptune?" Ilia asked.
"A member of Sun's former team. They're… estranged, right now," Blake explained.
"Yeah, that's one way of putting it. Neptune will help us out, for sure, but the other two…" Sun pulled a face, and scratched at his scalp. "We'll see, I guess. If nothing else, at least we've got the remainder of Kuo Kuana for backup, and more coming. It's not totally hopeless."
"One… small thing," Ilia added. "I've been combing through Fennec's scroll for the last hour or so, and he and Adam kept making mention of a man named Hazel, and… some woman, who neither one of them has named. Some kind of benefactor to Adam, sending him supplies… and pissing him off, for some reason. She's apparently going to be at Haven, too."
A visible chill pulsed through Blake, and her shoulders tensed. Sun gave her a pointed look before she looked away.
"…that means Cinder," Blake spat.
"And where there's Cinder, there's her little gang. No idea on this 'Hazel' guy, but he could be one of them," Sun replied.
Ilia looked between the pair, before shrugging. "You're going to have to explain what the hell that means between here and there, because I'm totally lost. I'm guessing it's not good."
"Really not good," Sun clarified. "We need all the help we can get… though where there's Cinder and her crew…"
"…RWBY might not be far behind," Blake finished. "Gods, if only."
Sun nodded as he rose from his stump. "Keep your eyes on your scrolls while we're in the air, ladies. We've got work to do, a whole new team to assemble, and a school to save."
"All in a day's work," Blake replied with a roll of her eyes. "I guess this is karma for walking out on my team, and the Beacon cleanup effort."
"Well, no matter what it is… let's get going. Kali's probably waiting for us," Ilia said as she uncrossed her arms and reached for Sun's hand. He took it, and clasped his other to Blake's as they set out. The trio began to make their way through the forest in silence, as Sun spared one last look backward at the small clearing he had created with Ghira weeks before. His emblem necklace rested at the base of a cleanly-cut stump, twinkling softly as it caught the moonlight.
Author's Note:
Time for the story to fly, quite literally. The Battle of Haven, and then Volume 6 are rapidly approaching, They'll both be very different, and hopefully in a good way.
Next update on Sunday. It's a fun one.
-RD