The idle ticking of the wall clock filled the otherwise silent room with what felt like a deafening noise as the two adults stared each other down, unblinking. Taiyang tightened his grip around the shaft of his trident and wrung his dominant hand, finding it a bit shaky.
"…you abandoned us," Taiyang said quietly, his voice low and barely hiding a furious edge. "You abandoned me, when I needed you most."
"I did," Raven said simply as she set the bottle of wine down upon the coffee table and leaned forward, her hands clasped between her legs as she rested her forearms atop her thighs. "And now, I'm abandoning my tribe, for the same reason I left you."
"Honestly, Raven?" Taiyang spat as he walked a bit farther into the room, keeping a firm grip on his trident as he moved to stand next to the couch across from Raven's. "I don't care what your reasons were. All I care about is the fact that you left not only me, but our daughter, and ran off with some band of criminals out in the woods. Do you have any idea how much that hurt? Do you even know the amount of pain you put Yang through, and the damage you've done to her?"
Raven let out a ragged sigh and ran a hand through her tangled mass of shaggy hair.
"…I've got some idea, yes. I'm not asking for forgiveness- I know I don't deserve it. I came here to tell you what Yang's doing, and what I'm about to do. Once I've said my piece, I'll leave you alone, but I need you to listen to this, for her sake. Please," she finished as she gestured to the furniture across from herself.
Taiyang slowly transitioned to sit upon the couch, and kept his trident held upright beside himself.
"…fine. Tell me everything you know."
"Haven Academy was attacked," Raven began, only to watch Taiyang's eyes grow wide. "Yang was there to defend it, and so were Ruby and… Qrow. The school was under siege by the same forces that attacked Beacon- they're led by a woman named Salem, capable of controlling grimm. Salem's agents came to my camp and coerced me into helping her take what she needed from the school. I had no choice but to do what she asked, and… stand against Yang and Ruby."
"You did what?" Taiyang seethed. "Raven, give me one good reason to stay sitting instead of coming over the table and starting something only one of us will walk away from."
"Let me finish," Raven insisted as she narrowed her eyes. "You don't understand what's going on, and how serious this is- Yang and Ruby are fine, and I knew they would be. You raised them well, and Yang has bec-"
"Don't," Taiyang threatened. "Don't finish that sentence. Don't act like you know what I did for her, or what she's been through. Give me the facts, and go."
For once, Raven had the grace to look away as a hot wash of guilt overtook her features. Eventually, she settled for looking down to the carpet as she shook her head and began to speak in a hollow, defeated tone.
"…four 'maidens' capable of magic- true magic, without dust or semblances- exist in Remnant. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, just like the fairy tale. I am the Spring Maiden," Raven stated as she finally looked up at Taiyang once again. Ethereal fire lashed out from the edges of her eyes, causing Taiyang's to widen in surprise.
"What… how…" the man questioned, while leaning back into the couch cushions.
"…the 'how' isn't important," Raven denied as she dispelled the effect and returned her gaze to the carpet. "What matters right now is what I'm capable of. Each of the four major academies was constructed by Ozpin, each with a vault to hide a relic of incredible power. Each vault requires a Maiden to open it, and Haven was my vault. Salem threatened me, you, my tribe… everyone and everything that matters to me, in order to get me to bring her agent to the relic inside. So… I opened it. I fought and killed her agent, when it was down to just the two of us… and then I ran."
Taiyang furrowed his brows and took his time to parse the implications as best he could.
"…where's the relic now? Where are Yang and Ruby? Why did you…?"
Raven sighed once again and seemed to deflate a bit as her shoulders slumped.
"The relic is… Yang took the relic. She's protecting it and bringing it to General Ironwood in Atlas. She volunteered to transport it to take some heat off me," Raven admitted. "And I let her, because I'm a terrible, selfish person."
"…you know, I've spent a lot of days trying not to believe that," Taiyang offered as he finally brought his trident to rest across his lap. "But to hear it straight from you, even if I'm inclined to agree… I don't know how that makes me feel."
Another long pause occurred, and neither of the two moved as Taiyang merely stared across at the top of Raven's head as she kept her hands clasped to either side of it.
"…neither do I. All I feel right now is regret, and fear. Salem will come for me, regardless of where I go. She wants not just the relics, but absolute power. That means that eventually, I'll become a target… if I'm not one already for killing her disciple."
"Then open a portal to Yang, and you and I can stand with her," Taiyang replied immediately. "We can bolster their defenses and support our daughter like we always should have."
"I've thought about doing that, and… I can't," Raven said as she finally looked back up. "I can't face her, and doing that would be suicide. Salem is going after the relics, Tai… and we don't know if Atlas is next. If she goes for Vacuo and actually secures that relic while we're busy defending the other one… there may be no stopping her."
"…then open a portal and send me to Yang," Taiyang said coldly. "You may not want to stand with her, but I do."
Raven fell silent and picked up the bottle of wine once again. She took a long swig and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looking utterly miserable.
"…I don't know if Salem can be stopped," Raven admitted. "This all feels like we're delaying the inevitable, and even if you don't believe me when I say this… I don't want to see you get hurt, Tai. I've been around here more than you think, watching you and Yang and wishing I'd made another choice. Any other choice than to just abandon you… but it was too late, and for your own good. It kept you and Yang safe from people who would have hunted you, if they ever found this house. Right now, I'm going to protect you again, even if you don't want me to. I'm not sending you to Atlas to die."
"So what, then?" Taiyang asked angrily. "You're just going to leave me here to die later, and alone, if this Salem woman really is unstoppable? What are you going to do? Just… up and run again, and keep up a chase for as long as you can?"
"I'm going to Vacuo," Raven said coldly as she placed the wine bottle down with a resounding thud. "I'm heading out there to tell their headmaster everything and begin fortifying the school. It's about time I did something that will benefit others without hurting people I care about."
"Then I'm coming with you," Taiyang replied immediately.
"…what?" Raven asked, her voice full of worry as she tensed.
"You heard me," Taiyang replied firmly as he swiped the bottle off the table. "If you're heading out there to provide support, and you're not going to let me stand with Yang… then I'll stand with her in spirit. Defending Vacuo is important, in case Salem attacks there next… and I haven't lost my edge. I'm not going for you. I'm going to indirectly help our daughter, and for the people of Remnant. I'm a huntsman, and I'm not about to let petty grudges between us stand in the way of that. Use the shower, borrow a robe, and sleep on the couch tonight. You look like shit and clearly need rest. I'll put on dinner."
Raven stared at Taiyang in disbelief as he drank from the wine bottle and then placed it back in front of her. The man stood up and left his trident upon the couch as he made his way back to the kitchen. Raven sat very still for several minutes as she watched him get to work on preparing food, before she slowly stood up and made her way to the bathroom without a word.
Blake laid atop her borrowed bed, pillow clasped firmly to her stomach as she stared silently at the wall. Her mind buzzed with a flurry of unwelcome thoughts, and the constant, blending ideas seemed numerous and unpleasant enough to make actual noise within her skull. The faunus' head pounded as she focused on simply breathing, her eyes stinging and raw from what felt like hours of sobbing. She squeezed her pillow a bit tighter as she drew her knees up closer to her chest, only for a knock at the bedroom door to interrupt her thoughts for a brief moment.
"Blake?" Neptune's voice called from the other side of the door. "You in there? Can I come in?"
Oddly enough, Blake felt absolutely nothing in response to the sudden interruption. Though she thought it would make sense to be annoyed, she couldn't even bring herself the energy to deny her friend's request. She merely laid in place and continued to stare, thoroughly unaffected and uninterested. The sound of the doorknob twisting and the door creaking brought about the same absence of response, as did the gentle shutting of the door and the echoes of Neptune's footfalls across the wooden floor.
"…Blake?" the boy asked softly. She could feel his presence standing just behind her at the edge of the bed, though she made no effort to move.
"…I'm okay," she replied. Her voice came out gravelly and hoarse, as though she had almost choked upon the words.
Blake felt herself sink slightly as Neptune sat upon the bed behind her. After several seconds, she felt a warm hand rest gently upon her shoulder.
"…it's okay if you're not," Neptune reassured in a near whisper. "I… don't really understand what's going on, but I saw your face at the table downstairs. I came to check on you bec-"
"Thank you," Blake interrupted, her voice flat. "But really, I'll be fine. I just need a little time, and then I'll be ready to start working."
"Okay," Neptune replied, his voice uncertain. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"
Blake neglected to answer, her mind a numbing blank in contrast to its previous state. She continued to stare silently at the wall for a long while, all too aware that Neptune was still sitting behind her, and that his hand had left her shoulder at some point.
"…Adam Taurus was a monster," Blake said slowly, unsure whether she was trying to convince herself. "He… he was more than the High Leader of the White Fang. He was my mentor. My… first boyfriend, my first lover. He ruined me."
Blake's ear twitched as she felt Neptune's weight shift slightly upon the bed, as though the boy had suddenly become uncomfortable. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and Blake heard the distinct sound of nails scratching through hair behind herself.
"I… yeah, I knew bits and pieces, but… so, you're feeling… something… now that he's gone?" Neptune asked.
"…I'm feeling something," Blake repeated with a sniffle. "And I don't know what it is."
"…but it isn't good," Neptune clarified.
"No. No, it isn't," Blake agreed.
An awkward moment passed as Neptune found himself unable to think of anything to say. The boy shifted once again and settled for rubbing at his temples in frustration, instead.
"…Blake, I'm really, really sorry that I'm so shitty at this. I want to help, but I have no idea how."
"Being here helps," Blake reassured as she closed her eyes. "Just being here, offering comfort… I really do appreciate it, Neptune. Don't think that you're inadequate or making a mess of things. This situation is the most awkward I've ever been in, internally. I have no idea how to put what I'm feeling into words, and that isn't your fault."
"…try?" Neptune requested. "I won't judge you. I know that's like the absolute baseline for comforting someone, but it's true. If you want to just talk, I'll listen. I don't mind."
Blake allowed herself a half-smile and blew out a breath through her nose.
"I guess… it just all seems so surreal, and heavy. When Cinnamon said that she would kill him back in Mistral, I felt relieved that I wouldn't have to deal with it personally. I think I always knew that it was either him or me, eventually, and letting her be the one to get rid of him actually took a huge burden off my shoulders. I felt fine with it, when it was just an idea. I honestly thought I would be happy to hear that he was dead," Blake explained.
"…but you're not?" Neptune guessed.
"I… really don't know how I feel, at all, but 'happy' isn't it," Blake admitted. "He abused me, Neptune, in every sense of the word. When things went wrong within the Fang, he would scream until I was terrified and felt like he would attack me in a fit of rage. Once or twice… he actually did. He hit me, every so often. He even forced himself upon me."
Another bout of shifting happened behind Blake, and she could only guess what Neptune might have been doing.
"He… Blake, h-he…?" Neptune questioned, unable to finish his sentence.
"Raped me," Blake finished for him. "More than once. Sun knows."
Neptune didn't reply, nor did he move upon the bed at the revelation.
"…and yet… I still feel sick at the thought that he's finally dead. I thought I would feel free. Like someone had finally taken shackles off of my mind, and like all that would ever matter anymore when it came to love was Sun. But… he's still here," Blake said quietly. "Even in death, he'll never leave. I know that now, already. I can't just erase what he did to me from my mind, no matter how much I want to."
"That just makes you an incredible person, Blake," Neptune said in a shaky voice. "You… you have every right to hate him. I-I wouldn't even think twice if you told me that you were overjoyed that he's dead… but you're not. You're keeping those memories and… like… trying to use them for something good, to improve yourself. And even though he did so much to hurt you, you're still sad that he's… yeah. That a life had to be wasted on such anger."
"…I think that's part of it, yes," Blake agreed. "I think… I'm tired, Neptune. I'm so, so tired of watching everyone and everything around me turn inevitably to violence and conflict. I hate seeing myself at the center of so much hatred, bitterness, and suffering. I hate feeling like darkness follows me wherever I go, and I hate being told that I've ruined things… because I feel like that's what I do. I feel like I ruin people."
"You may feel like that right now," Neptune cautioned, "but when you see Sun again… I can tell you personally you've done anything but ruin him. You've made him so happy, Blake…"
"…and he's done the same for me," Blake said with a wet sniffle. "I don't really think there's anything left to say. I just… I need time. I need to get to the point where I feel something other than shame and regret again."
"Yeah," Neptune agreed. "I… could stay, or I could go. Maybe bring you some food? Whatever you need, Blake."
"I'm not hungry," the faunus answered quickly. "But please don't leave."
"I won't," Neptune reassured. A long pause passed, before Neptune cleared his throat once again. "Should I… do you want me to… t-to uh… I could, you know, cuddle you, if that would help? I mean, if that isn't too far. I don't mean it in a pervy way, or l-"
"…please," Blake said softly. "I really need it right now, and I know what you mean. Sun would understand."
Neptune shifted once again upon the bed, and Blake could feel his body heat move closer behind her. A slow, nervous arm gingerly wrapped itself around her as he pressed his chest into her back, and she felt his uncovered flesh against her bare shoulders and nightie.
"Are you… still just wearing those stupid boxers?" Blake deadpanned as her feline ears perked up and she raised a brow.
"Hey!" Neptune whined. "I came straight here after filling Amaya in about what's been going on, because you looked like you needed a friend! I didn't have time to get dressed!"
Despite her misery, Blake chuckled softly before heaving a small sigh.
"…thank you, Neptune. I did need a friend… and you're an incredible one. I'm sorry for being so difficult."
"You're not difficult, you're just…" Neptune fished for a descriptor, only to come up with nothing. "…you're kinda difficult sometimes, yeah."
"I know," Blake admitted with a subtle smile. "Still… thank you. If you ever need anything, I'll be there for you. I promise."
"Thanks. Let's just hang out for a while, until you feel ready to take on the day," Neptune suggested as he gave her a gentle squeeze.
"Yes," Blake agreed. "Let's."
Author's Note:
Have a second chapter in as many days to make up for the semi-long gaps that have been occurring. Sorry for not updating as often as I used to- juggling this, Arboretum, planning out new stories, being sick, and dealing with several people in my family and friend circle coming down with Coronavirus has been a little much, lately. Still- I'll try to get back to speedier updates.
-RD