Yuma had been ready for Ilia to lash out at him since he spotted her out on the street. He had mentally prepared himself for all of her bluster and fury, and he knew that in a sense, it was justified. A few hits were expected, and he had even dropped his aura prematurely in order to let her rough him up for appearance's sake. All of her words, mannerisms, and actions toward him had been expected and almost planned on his part… but he never saw Sun's reaction to his news coming.

It started slowly, with the boy's tail immediately ceasing all motion at Cinnamon's name. Then, the tip flicked in a spasmic, almost unnatural way, and Sun had clenched his fingers tighter around his weaponry. His diplomatic demeanor was next to shift into something animalistic and intimidating enough to cause Yuma to take a step back as Sun flicked his eyes to the bat-winged faunus. Sun clenched his teeth and his neck tendons became visible as he hissed his words in a threatening voice.

"…Cinnamon is here?" Sun demanded as he took a step toward Yuma. "After what she tried to do to Weiss? After she threatened us with harming Blake and Kali, while we were forced to come to Atlas? And you're telling me she has the nerve to demand our help!?"

Yuma continued to back up to the wall blocking off the alleyway as Sun advanced upon him, and Ilia was close behind.

"Hey, listen, I get it! I really do! I know she's done wrong by you guys, but you've gotta listen t-"

"We don't have to listen to anyone," Ilia interrupted as she cracked her whip upon the concrete, sending up a shower of sparks. "We're cutting our own path, making our own rules, and doing what we need to in order to protect Remnant! Cinnamon abandoned everything she claimed to stand for and put a knife in my back after I helped her save Haven Academy! And for what? To get close enough to take a shot at my friend? To almost get my brother killed by Adam Taurus!?"

Yuma's wings twitched as his back hit the wall, and he found both of the other faunus standing mere feet from him as they fixed him with a pair of unblinking glares.

"Ilia, come on, you know me," Yuma tried. "We served together in the Fang, and you know better than to shoot the messenger…"

"I know that if Cinnamon has something to say to us, she can come and say it to our faces," Ilia spat. "You trust her? You're content to be her little lapdog, and make up a story about being watched?"

"It's not a story!" Yuma insisted. "She's working with a guy who has some sort of crazy tech-related semblance, and he's calling the shots! He's one of Salem's inner circle!"

Again, Sun's tail stopped moving, and he let out a tense, rattling breath. His anger continued to build as he snapped his staff together and held it in one hand.

"…you know about Salem? Cinnamon is working with Salem!?"

"I'm the only one in the Fang that knows about Salem!" Yuma replied. "The only one in Mantle, anyway! She told Daisuke, and she told me. Dai's out in Kuo Kuana, a-"

"Who the hell is Daisuke?" Sun asked as he turned his attention toward Ilia.

"…Cinnamon's boy toy," Ilia replied with a sneer. "They've got a whole thing going on, and it's… it's complicated. I'll fill you in later. I'm guessing he's her second in command, now?"

"Yeah," Yuma confirmed. "Look, just… just let me talk, and then you can make a decision. We don't have time for all of this back and forth, especially now that my scroll's offline. Someone might get sent to look for me."

"Talk," Sun commanded. "And don't leave anything out."

"Okay," Yuma agreed. "I'll keep it short, but… Cinnamon returned to the White Fang main camp, where Dai's been running things since she left for Haven. She retook command, and some creepy asshole named Tyrian Callows- another of Salem's inner circle- came and warned her that he was there to make good on the debt that the White Fang had run up with Salem while under Adam's command. Given what Cinnamon told me about her time in Mistral with you lot and what Ozpin told you all, you should know she couldn't exactly resist…"

"So, what?" Ilia asked as she folded her arms. "She just caved? She's bowing down to that would-be world-conquering witch to save her own ass?"

"To save the faunus," Yuma corrected. "You know how she feels about us getting thrown into harm's way, and what she'll do to avoid letting us get hurt. Not only that, but… not quite. She threw in with Salem and sent every member of the Fang in the main camp to Kuo Kuana. Daisuke's in charge of the Fang there, now, and he's answering to Kali Belladonna. They're working together with the Black Claw to expand into the rest of Menagerie, while Cinnamon runs a smokescreen here and collects information on what exactly Salem's planning."

"…this is unbelievable," Sun said as he began to pace. "She just gave up her position as High Leader? And now she's here, causing trouble in Salem's name?"

"She had to give it up," Yuma reminded. "And she was forced to come here to attempt to get her hands on 'the relic'… whatever that means."

Sun and Ilia exchanged an uncomfortable look.

"…which relic?" Sun asked.

Yuma raised a brow, his wings twitching slightly.

"There's more than one here? She only mentioned that Watts was instructed to cause chaos in Mantle so that Salem can eventually get access to 'the staff', but I have no idea what that means. She also mentioned that Watts knows about some lamp in Mantle, but not what it does, or why it's important. All of this seems to be on a need-to-know basis, and I don't need to know. She's on edge and playing her cards very carefully, right now. I don't even know if the rest of her crew knows what they're doing here."

"Her crew," Ilia repeated. "Name them."

"Arthur Watts is the ringleader," Yuma began. "I don't know anything about him. Mustache, skinny, kinda creepy. He's planning something to do with Mantle, but Cinnamon has no idea what he's up to. Probably something to do with security systems, or the tin cans they use for law enforcement. I dunno. There's this green haired girl that looks to be about your age, Emerald Sustrai."

"Shit," Sun cursed as he continued to pace. "Emerald's bad news. Really bad news. She was there at the Fall of Beacon, along with Mercury Black. Her semblance is crazy powerful. Targeted hallucinations."

"Great," Ilia said sarcastically. "Just what we need, as if we're not stressed out enough to start hallucinating all on our own. Anyone else?"

"Yeah. This prissy kid with an eye tattoo named Scarlet David."

Sun stopped walking immediately and turned to give his full attention to Yuma. For a moment, his anger was replaced by total disbelief, and his voice became very quiet.

"…what… did you just say…?"

"Scarlet David?" Yuma repeated while folding his arms across his chest. "He just seems like some random academy douche to m-."

Yuma jumped as his words were interrupted by the sound of an impassioned yell and the unmistakable noise of a steel-coated fist smashing through brick. Sun had driven Ghira's gauntlet directly into the wall of a nearby building, sending fragments of stone tumbling down to the ground as he shook with fury.

"…Sun…?" Ilia asked hesitantly as she took a step backward.

"Scarlet… was my teammate," Sun seethed as he pulled his shaking hand back from the ruined bricks. "The last one alongside Neptune and Sage. He was always a little difficult to work with, but to willingly throw himself in with Salem…"

"I… don't know what to tell you," Yuma said as he transitioned into leaning upon the wall behind him. "I don't know anything about him, or how or why he joined up with Watts' task force. That's basically everything I know, and what Cinnamon told me to tell you. Be on the lookout for anything strange and tech-related in Mantle and give those names to General Ironwood. She's being watched, and Watts can watch all of our scrolls… or at least, we think he can. That means communication with Cinnamon is basically impossible, outside of fringe cases like this."

"So, we're basically still flying blind, but now the Fang here are working for Salem instead of following Cinnamon's personal orders," Ilia summarized. "Great. That's just fucking great."

"Not totally blind," Sun proposed as he retracted Ghira's gauntlet back up into its pauldron. "At least… at least we have some names, and hopefully Cinnamon can figure out a way to let us know what the hell is going on down in Mantle, once she finds out. We'll need to start taking jobs down there immediately and snooping around ourselves… maybe tap into Robyn Hill's resources and knowledge of the city. I think I speak for both of us when I say I hate Cinnamon and what she did to us… but Salem's the bigger threat. We've gotta report to Ironwood and hold in our personal grudges. For now."

"For now," Ilia agreed before turning toward Yuma. "Go. When you get the chance to talk to Cinnamon in private… tell her that I haven't forgiven her. I'll probably never forgive her for what she did to us… but to get us any information she can, as soon as she can. She'll find a way."

"She always does," Yuma said optimistically as he began to walk. He scooped up his fallen sword and shattered scroll from the floor of the alleyway and gave the pair of faunus a quick salute, before walking around the corner. "Stay safe, kids."

Sun stared at the spot from which Yuma disappeared, and eventually shook his head with a frustrated snort.

"…I'm not even going to ask. I know you're not, and neither am I," Ilia said. "We have to find Ironwood. Now."

"Yeah," Sun agreed. "But there is one good thing that came out of this…"

"There is?" Ilia deadpanned as she began to follow Sun out of the alleyway.

"Salem's crew doesn't know about the lamp being here. Cinnamon at least had the spine to keep that from them…"

Ilia wrinkled her nose as she and Sun walked out onto the street, her head pounding and mind racing.

Blake continued to hug her knees close to her chest as she sat atop a fallen tree in front of a bonfire. She could see Daisuke knelt before the fire pit and doing something, but she wasn't really watching him at all. Her mind was elsewhere, and she felt anything but warmth despite the nearby flames.

"Well… I'm going to pretend that poking at the fire with a stick for a few minutes somehow made it better," Daisuke announced as he sat upon another fallen log across from Blake. "You've been quiet. Is it the whole 'Cin isn't who you thought she was' thing? I'm guessing it's probably that."

"It… isn't that," Blake denied as she shook her head and finally met her companion's eyes. "It's the feeling that comes along with that. The feeling that we're in the wrong place, at the wrong time."

Daisuke made an uncomfortable noise as he brought his tail around and into his lap. His facial expression was hidden behind his mask, though his eyes were clearly full of worry.

"…you think I should go after Cin. She managed to get word to me that she's heading to Atlas, using a signal-boosted device from one of her new allies."

"I know that we should go after Cin," Blake said confidently. "Mom is sending me to Atlas as it is in a few weeks, but I think that's too long of a wait. I could have held out, as much as I'm missing Sun, but… Daisuke, I don't think Cinnamon can last without you. I don't think she would have lasted this long without you… and it sounds like after the two of you fled Mantle, you've been seeing each other less and less. She's out there doing what she thinks is right for the benefit of everyone, but she's just… she's going to do something she shouldn't. There's going to be a mistake that she can't walk back. She can't even call you right now…"

For the first time since they had met, Daisuke fixed Blake with an annoyed look and furrowed his brows.

"And what makes you so sure that she can't handle it? She wanted me to stay behind, a-"

"Because I was the same way," Blake interrupted as she thumped a hand into her chest. "I did the same thing. When Beacon fell, I thought that my friends would be better off without me. That I was a disaster magnet that brought them nothing but pain, and that they would be safer without me weighing them down because of my past. Because of my connections. Because I had people to protect. Is any of this sounding familiar?"

"You had Sun with you, right?" Daisuke asked as he reached up and began to knead his fingers into his forehead. "So you didn't ditch everyone. Cin has friends up north, too."

Blake sighed heavily, and gripped the log beneath her a bit tighter.

"I had Sun with me because he followed me, against my will. He watched over me from the shadows for almost two weeks before making his presence known. I was pissed. I took out my anger on him, and he took it like a champ, even though he shouldn't have. He stuck by me through my worst moments and helped me struggle through the worst time of my life. A time that… I largely inflicted upon myself. If he had given up on me? If he had listened to me, and just left me alone? I would be dead. I would have eventually gone after Adam, or Adam would've come for me. There are some things you can't do alone, no matter how dedicated and skilled you are. It sounds obvious, but it's a lesson I forgot until Sun saved me."

"Then what are you suggesting?" Daisuke asked as he rested his elbows upon his knees and spread his hands open in a questioning gesture. "Give up on expanding Menagerie? Stop protecting the faunus? Hand the Fang over to Kali, and chase after Cin? We would have to literally rescue her from Salem's lot, and after we were done, she would kill me for going against her plan."

"Do you know how many times I outright threatened Sun, if he kept on pushing me?" Blake asked. "He pushed anyway, and now, I'm in a better place than I've ever been in life. My life moves in the direction I want it to, and I've learned that standing alone doesn't make you strong. Leaning into others who will keep you standing does. I thought I made a mistake splitting off from Sun and coming to Kuo Kuana, but I'm glad I did, now. I have to stop you and get you to change course."

"And you think Kali would just be fine with this?" Daisuke replied. "You think she's ready to take on that responsibility, running the Fang and Claw, rebuilding, and expanding?"

"I know she'd be fine with it, and I know she could handle it," Blake asserted as she stood up. "Belladonna women are strong… and she has Qrow with her. Another individual who thought that just being around people would end up getting them killed. He's since come around and been an incredibly valuable member of our team. I'd imagine Amaya would stay behind, too- she's got a good head on her shoulders. You must have people you trust that could pitch in to the effort, too."

"Sure," Daisuke agreed with a shrug. "I've got a few I know I can rely on for bigger jobs around Menagerie, but… I'm not the type to put my own wants and needs before the greater good."

"…my gods," Blake said as she shook her head and stared across the fire at the other faunus. "You couldn't be more like Sun if you tried."

The crackling of the fire filled the otherwise silent clearing for several minutes. Blake folded her arms across her chest and stared at Daisuke, who seemed lost in thought as he kept his eyes on the flames.

"Daisuke… going after her- saving her, isn't selfish. That is the best move for the 'greater good' right now. You've already seen what she'll do in the name of maintaining cover, and you know in your gut the kinds of things that Salem would request to prove her loyalty. If we all get to Atlas and coordinate with her, maybe we could sabotage whate-"

"She tried to kill Weiss," Daisuke cut in as he flicked his eyes up to Blake and awaited a response.

Blake simply stared, her mouth agape for a few moments as her feline ears drooped.

"She… what…?"

"You heard me," Daisuke insisted. "When she said she was 'taking care of' Adam? Cin pit him against Weiss as she was trying to fly out to Atlas. If Sun hadn't stepped in and helped, she'd be dead. She's resented the Schnee family for as long as I've known her, and now, you know why. Cin is goal oriented. Driven unlike anyone I've ever seen to do what she says she's going to do, no matter whose head she has to step on to reach those heights. The only exception is me."

"I…" Blake began, only to shake her head emphatically. "While she and I are going to have a long talk about that, and while that means Sun and his crew may be in danger… that doesn't change everything I've said up to this point. That's a rash decision she made on her own right there, and one that cut her off from potential allies, if she ever runs into Sun again. That's one huge mistake already. How many more can she afford to make while sleeping in a viper pit?"

Daisuke finally stood as well and brushed off his worn burgundy pants.

"…you're taking the news that Cin tried to murder one of your best friends rather well."

"What's the alternative?" Blake demanded. "I can't do anything about it from here. If anything, that's more reason I need to be there… and you have reason to be there, too. Once we clear the rest of this section of forest tomorrow… I'm heading back, and then I'm putting together a team to head to Mantle. You know I'm right. You know she needs you… no matter what she says. Take it from me. Cinnamon needs saving, and you're the man for the job."

"Let me sleep on it," Daisuke insisted as he turned away and began to walk toward his tent. "This isn't an easy decision…"

Blake watched as the man disappeared behind the tent flaps, before picking up the discarded stick and beginning to idly poke at the fire.

"…deciding to accept help and rely on others wasn't easy. I can't imagine deciding to gamble everything to provide that help is, either…"

Author's Note:

Well, this chapter has been a long time coming. Hopefully it's becoming clearer and clearer why the decision to keep Sun and Blake apart for so long was made, though there will be much more Blacksun in the very near future…

-RD