Chapter 36: Bonds

The all-too-familiar chime sounded in the small tent. To Pyrrha, it was almost ear-splitting. Jaune stirred as he heard his Scroll go off. There were a few seconds of silence before Pyrrha's went off as well.

"Gods, what do they want?" Pyrrha moaned, attempting to push her face harder into Jaune's neck. She could feel his warm skin pressed against hers, his strong arms wrapped around her body, and his gentle breath on the top of her head.

"Five more minutes," Jaune joked, embracing Pyrrha and pressing her closer. He was still exhausted, not just from the hours of walking and moving the day before, but the secret night of passion that had followed. Their mission had taken them to the outskirts of Forever Fall, and after a long day of doing reconnaissance in the beautiful red forest, both Jaune and Pyrrha had made up their minds. This was where, when the war was over and victory was assured, they would marry. They would move out to the countryside and start a family. They would live happily ever after. But for now, they were in a small olive-green travel tent where they had only set up one cot. But as long as the other was there with them, it was the most comfortable bed in Remnant.

Jaune sighed. "We should probably check. It could be important."

Pyrrha groaned and whimpered playfully as Jaune started pulling away from her. He rose up from the cot, stretching his back and holding his arms over his head. He scratched an itch on his arm, then stood and walked to the pile of clothes and armor that had their Scrolls sitting on top. Pyrrha smiled as she watched him walk to the pile and bend over to retrieve his Scroll, opening it up and blinking his tired eyes to read the message. As he read, the look of tired content on his face slowly faded into an expression of surprise.

"What is it?" Pyrrha asked, sitting up and letting the blanket fall off of her body.

Jaune read for a few more seconds, then replied. "Beacon was attacked," he said.

Pyrrha sat up straight, ready to swing her legs over the side of the cot. "What?" she questioned again. "They attacked the fortress?"

Jaune kept reading. "The report says that the Resistance, aided by people who appeared to be members of the Crown, attacked Beacon. The fortress itself wasn't breached, but they completely destroyed the laboratory. They detonated the firebombs inside and blew it up." He glanced at Pyrrha. "They want all Huntsmen and Huntresses back as soon as possible."

Pyrrha sat on the edge of the cot in shock. Jaune reached down and grabbed the bundle of clothes that were hers. Minding the armor pieces, he gently tossed them to her. She caught the bundle in her arms.

"Better hurry," Jaune said. "This is pretty big."

Pyrrha nodded, but gave a slight smile. "You sure we can't stay naked for a little while longer?"

Jaune chuckled as he began pulling on his black undershirt, though Pyrrha could not help but notice he had an odd, strangely concerned expression on his face when his head popped out the top. She decided not to mention it and began pulling on her scarlet panties and brown stockings.

Jaune dressed quickly, putting on his undergarments and quickly sliding on his armor. He fastened his chestplate and secured his bracers, finishing by retrieving his sword and shield. Pyrrha had put on her corset and skirt, and was pulling on her boots as Jaune began walking to the exit to the tent.

Jaune paused, then sighed deeply. "Qrow Branwen is dead," he said. "I thought… I thought you would want to know." He gave a nod, then walked outside into the morning sun.

Pyrrha had finished putting on the boot and began reaching for the other, but slowed to a stop. Her arm fell to her side as unpleasant memories came back. She shuttered, but as she recalled, she remembered what else happened that day. She had met Jaune. She glanced to the flap he had exited from, hearing him preparing to take the tent down.

She was lucky to have him.

Weiss shifted in her seat. The airship was uncomfortable, but she was so tired she was ready to force herself to sleep. Soon she would be back in Vale, and would have to report to Lord Ozpin. That thought lingered in her mind, causing more discomfort than the cold metal and awkward position of the seats. However, another layer of discomfort was nearby. Every time she felt ready to drift off into sleep, one of her eyes would open to observe Ren sitting across from her. He was always meditating, and Weiss wondered if he was sleeping at times, but his presence made her far more uncomfortable than it ever had before. Normally she would be relieved that the chatterbox Nora was gone, but now… it felt like that ditzy Huntress had reigned in some of Ren's cruelty. The look in his eyes after Haven fell… it scared her. She could not help but wonder what really happened to Nora in the prison.

All this death and destruction never bothered her before. Why was it now?

The morning sun reflected off of the blazing red leaves of Forever Fall. Blake relaxed her body a bit. She had spent the entire night curled up as tightly as she could to preserve her warmth. Ilia had managed to make a small fire, but at the risk of the White Fang finding them they dared not make it bigger. With no blankets or cover from the cold night air, they simply had to curl up as tightly as possible and lay next to each other to stay warm through the night. However, neither of them slept well. Though that was partially due to the temperature and the discomfort, it was primarily because of their own minds. Both women's thoughts were spiraling from the betrayal that had just taken place. Ilia feared to sleep, believing it was her job to guard Blake. If she fell asleep, the likelihood that she would be found and killed by the traitors or even some Grimm was just too high.

Blake's head was spinning as well, but was filled with more rage. She imagined killing the revolutionaries over and over again, and those thoughts of torture and revenge always led back to Adam. He did this to her. And now she had nothing. No White Fang, no resources, no Sun Wukong, and not a hope to lead her people to a bright new future. Even they had turned against her. She had no people.

Blake shivered, the chill in the air not having disappeared entirely. The morning sun was slowly heating things, but Blake was still suffering. Her mask, which she had briefly fallen asleep in and not yet taken off, was beginning to ache and sting. As her thoughts continued to race regarding the revolt, she began to think about what Perry had said.

"Ilia," Blake said, but it was in a horse and wheezy voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Ilia."

Ilia, despite being almost just as tired as Blake, immediately sat up. Blake felt the minuscule bit of heat from Ilia's body leave her back. "What is it?" she said, trying to sound alert, but coming off as groggy.

Blake paused, then rolled onto her back to face her friend. "Was I wrong?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Ilia said.

"The Faunus… the White Fang. I really thought… that I was doing the right thing for them."

"You were," Ilia said. "But they failed to see that."

"Maybe," Blake replied, looking up at the trees. "I thought they would want revenge on Adam as much as I do. But maybe… maybe…" She trailed off.

Ilia sighed. "May I speak freely?"

Blake murmured. "I'm not your High Leader anymore."

Ilia nodded. "But you are my friend."

The corners of Blake's mouth rose slightly. She waved her hand, signaling Ilia to speak.

Ilia sighed again. "I have to agree that we were putting a lot of focus on finding Adam. Maybe too much. There are other things the White Fang needed to do. You did say we were going to attack the Schnees the day we took over, and that never happened."

Blake moaned. "Ilia, I-"

"Wait a moment," Ilia interrupted. "That being said, that coup was no way to solve things. At least you and I tried negotiating with Adam before our revolution. And, even though I can see the traitors' mindset, I also know that none of them - none of the White Fang, including me - knows just how personal your goal really is. How deep it goes."

Blake huffed and placed her hands on her mask, covering her eyes. She figured she would explain, but only what she was willing to share. "Adam and I… we knew each other long before the White Fang was even conceived. We were close." She gripped her hands into fists while remembering. "We were… very close." She rolled back onto her side, lowing her hands and using one to prod at the dirt. "But, as time went on… we started to grow apart. We both wanted the same thing, but he was too soft. Not willing to take a risk or take a life. Do what it took." She flicked a pebble. "We butted heads over that. Our relationship went from intimate to barely speaking. I don't think either of us really knew what to do.

"When the day of the revolution happened, I did something that none of the other White Fang knew about. I offered Adam a deal. Despite being the one we were revolting against, I told him that he'd be safe. That he'd be in the highest ranks, answering only to me. That no harm would come to him. I thought… I could make him see. And then, when he realized what the right thing was, and how much I had done for him… he might come back to me."

Blake's brows then dropped and her hands clenched into fists again. "But what thanks did I get?" she growled. "He conspires behind my back. He give his allegiance to a bunch of humans. To humans." The word felt bitter on her tongue. "Just like the rest of them, he was ungrateful. After my first attempt to apprehend him failed, I tried to move on. I tried to…" She started to sputter as her glance turned to Ilia.

Ilia nodded with a sad, but understanding look on her face. "You tried to replace him. With me."

Blake frowned. "I'm sorry, Ilia. I didn't mean-"

"You didn't lead me on," Ilia said as she glanced at the ground. "Deep down, I always really knew. I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I just can't be him. I can't distract you from him, either." She looked back at Blake. "And I shouldn't."

Blake exhaled deeply. "He hurt me, Ilia. And there is one hell of a price to pay for that."

"And it's a price I want to help you collect," Ilia said. "You may not be my leader anymore, but you're still the person I trust most in this godsforsaken world. Wherever you go, I'll be right beside you, as your friend. You can go where you need to as long as you know I won't leave. I'll follow you like morning follows night."

Blake could not help but smile. "Thanks, Ilia," she said.

The air had warmed up, and Blake felt comfortable stretching out now. There were a few moments of silence, save for the distant sounds of birds. The silence was interrupted when they heard a rustling.

Despite their lack of sleep, both women immediately rose to their feet and readied their weapons. The rustling continued nearby, along with what sounded like muffled speaking.

"The White Fang?" Ilia asked.

"I'll check," Blake said, slowly walking towards the sound.

"I'm coming with you," Ilia added, smirking as if Blake had not just heard her speech.

The two slowly approached the brush, ducking down and peering through the foliage. It was difficult to see at first, but they soon saw two people walking out of the forest. There was a man with blonde hair and a woman with red hair. Blake took a moment, but recognized them as a Huntsman and Huntress. She had seen them before at Beacon. She whispered this information to Ilia.

"Lord Ozpin's goons, huh?" Ilia whispered back. "Should we kill them both now?"

Blake was about to respond in the affirmative, but thought about it for a moment. "Not yet," she said. "We'll follow them."

"Why?" Ilia asked. "They're probably just going back to Beacon."

"And that's where Adam is," Blake said. "I don't have the White Fang's needs to worry about anymore. He's my only goal now. We might get information, and if they came here in any type of vehicle, we might be able to stow away and get a faster ride to Vale."

Ilia nodded. "Lead on."

Blake nodded, waited until the Huntsman and Huntress were on the edge of her vision, then began following forward, stealthily making her way through the trees.

Ruby groaned as the medics pressed more pads against her burned skin. They had hit her with a pretty massive dose of painkillers, but she still felt weak and sore. Each touch and pull on her bleeding body hurt. Ruby had very reluctantly gone to get medical attention. She felt like accepting it would undermine everything she had worked for: to be the most feared and the most powerful. There would be medics who would see her as vulnerable. But in that moment, Ruby had put her greater desires aside just to make the pain stop. Now she was loopy from the drugs, and what remained of her conscious mind decided to just sit back and let the doctors do their work. She figured she'd kill them all after she recovered. Right now, she just wanted to rest.

Ruby did not know it, but Yang was in the next room over. Yang was even more confused as to what was going on. She only remembered being in a lot of pain, then even more. Hot, burning pain. She passed out. In the few moments she was awake, like now, she felt a sensation she did not seem to recognize. There was no chain or collar around her neck. There was cool rags on her skin and over her face. Her stumps were not aching. And most of all, she could not feel Ruby's presence. From the furthest recesses of her memory, she was able to comprehend this sensation: comfort. She was comfortable. Her mind, despite being broken and now even more foggy due to medication, felt true relaxation for the first time in so many years. A mind that had been shattered and made feral managed a cohesive thought:

"My nAme… mY NaMe… IS yaNg."

"So… what's stopping you?" Neptune asked.

Sun sighed as he leaned against a tree. "My deal was specifically with Blake Belladonna, not the White Fang. They'd probably lynch me if I went back demanding payment."

"Then we need to track Belladonna down, make her pay what she owes us," Neptune replied.

Sun waved his hand. His tail twitched behind him. "Forget it," he said. "She has nothing to offer us now."

"Her life, then?" Neptune asked.

Sun shrugged. "Maybe," he said.

Neptune pondered for a moment. "Any chance of making a deal with the new White Fang?"

Sun huffed. "Maybe, but I don't want to. This whole thing has been nothing but trouble. We would have gotten more accomplished just running things ourselves."

"So… now what?" Neptune questioned.

Sun stretched out his arms. "Back to business, I suppose. But what I will do is this: all the hunters will be informed that here are bounties on not just Adam Taurus, but the entire Resistance. Additionally, there will be a price on the heads of Blake Belladonna and Ilia Amitola as well." He glanced to Neptune. "Let's make 'em big bounties."

Neptune smirked. "And when you get Blake, what then?"

Sun laughed aloud. "I think a guard animal, chained up and yowling at trespassers would be a pretty humiliating fate, don't you think?"

Neptune chortled evilly. "Whatever you say, boss."

Sun leaned forward and waved his friend along. "Come on, man. We've got a long walk back."