How long had it been? Almost a whole month?
Golden eyes glimmered in the darkness as Blake lifted her head from the book she was reading. She didn't need light to read. She could see just fine with the limited light of the dorm room she had been living in for the past three weeks.
However, it had undoubtedly been interesting staying here.
She gazed up at the top bunk of the bunk beds they had constructed, where her leader slept. From the sound of it, he was sleeping. On the other bunk, the sisters were also asleep.
If someone had asked her this time last year if Blake had expected to be here? In the dorm of a Huntsman Academy, training to become a Huntress?
She would not have believed it.
How rapidly things could change.
How... Disenfranchised she became with... Him.
Blake repressed the urge to sigh as she looked out the window. For so many years, she believed in him. Believed what he said made sense... Even when it went against what she believed in. Finally, this summer, he went a step too far, and she cut him out and left, stopping him from committing a tragedy.
In doing so, she was left on the streets, wandering and trying to find her place in the Remnant. Unsure what to do, she thought to try the skills she had learned for the acceptance test for Beacon...
Blake passed with flying colors and was invited to attend the school. And here she was, with three new partners, holding a much brighter view of the world than she had before. Three that still held hope...
And she was thankful for it. It was... Refreshing to see the brighter side... To see another Faunus choose to fight the injustice of the world differently and face it with such brilliant optimism...
Her gaze shifted back to the bunk above, where Naruto rested. He definitely was interesting. Naruto was outgoing. He could be overwhelming at times, but also knew when to pull back and give her space.
But he also held a chip on his shoulder. A desire to prove himself and show everyone who he was and what their people were capable of. Naruto fought for what he believed in.
Blake could respect that... Even if it terrified her that the last person she respected fought for what he believed in. The difference between them was light and day.
And this time... She didn't plan on getting close.
Didn't want to get hurt again.
Besides, he was taken.
"Good night," Blake gently whispered as she set her book aside, tucking herself into her sheets, closing her eyes, a light smile on her lips as she muttered to herself. "A girl can still dream, though..."
"You too. Get some sleep." Naruto sleepily muttered from above.
Blake's eyes snapped open, and her heart raced.
Had he been awake the entire time?! Oh no...
Did he hear what she said?!
How was she going to explain that?!
[ X ]
"Go, Blake!" Ruby cheered from the seats as Blake engaged blade to gun against her opponent, Ren.
Ren was as swift as she was. As strong as she was. His training matched hers. And if there was anyone on his team who was as intellectual as she was, it was Ren. They were evenly matched.
As were their teams. Blake and Ruby had failed to pick up a win in these draws against Team WNPR.
Not a surprise when they match up against Pyrrha. She was the invincible girl for a reason... And she hadn't expected how hard Nora could hit.
...She knocked her out cold in their last match...
Blake had to pick up the win this time to reclaim the top spot in the rankings. Their teams had been swapping spots, neither team able to pick up more than two wins in a row. It was important for her friends to compete in the Vytal Festival...
...Even if she didn't want to.
So Blake pressed her advantages. They may have been relatively even in strength and speed, but she had range with Gambol Shroud's ballistic chain scythe mode and possessed the longer reach with her cleaver and katana. Ren only had sickle-like blades as the guard to StormFlower.
Deflecting Ren's bladed gun with her katana, Blake struck quickly with her cleaver. Ren intercepted the slice, but not the swift rolling kick to his left side that knocked him back, giving Blake room to fight at a distance, shifting Gambol Shroud into its chain scythe mode.
It was a distinct advantage she had over Ren. She could fight well in short, long, and mid-range.
And as he evaded her strikes, she pushed him back, moving Ren to where Blake wanted him. Ren closed the distance once more, where his martial prowess would come into play.
But Blake didn't allow that as she escaped with him, fazing through Shadow. He tried to shoot back at her, but Blake tossed her chain scythe and caught the blade end into the wall. With a tug, she gave herself just enough momentum to outrun his rounds, running along the wall and pulling her gun from the wall.
And using a trick she had picked up with Ruby, she changed the cartridge of her Dust rounds she fired behind her. The recoil wasn't anywhere near enough to boost her momentum typically; however, with Combustion rounds, Blake was able to increase her speed just enough to close the distance between his rounds, flying at him with a straight kick that slid between his guard and into his ribs.
Ren was knocked back and into the wall, knocking him down temporarily. Blake had him right where she wanted. Blake shifted Gambol Shroud into its dual-blade mode. He had no place to maneuver or retreat.
After training with her team and learning how they fought, Blake picked up on a great deal and applied it to herself. Especially Naruto. Where he lacked in book smarts, he more than made up for it with ingenuity outside the classroom.
Learning how to position oneself effectively in a fight was a valuable habit to acquire. It was something she hadn't thought about before, as her last partner didn't need to think about it. He simply blocked and retaliated...
Ren grimaced, grabbing his ribs, as he struggled to get back to his feet. But if there was one thing Blake learned from Adam, it was not to give her opponent the chance...
"Match, Blake Belladonna," Glynda stepped beside, calling the match sooner than anticipated.
However, upon second inspection, Blake realized why. Ren's Aura had slipped under the threshold, so Glynda had to call the match.
What bothered Blake was that Glynda's gaze was sharper than usual as she stepped in. Blake shrank from her gaze. Did she... Know?
Blake wearily slunk away and into the rows as her Yang loudly boasted. "Oh yeah! We've retaken the lead! Good job, Blake!"
"Woop, woop! Way to go!" Ruby gleefully cheered as Blake joined them.
"Yeah, yeah! We'll get it back!" Weiss scowled, glaring directly at Yang.
"Oh ho! Confident! I'm gonna like our dance!" Yang broadly grinned, causing Weiss to shudder.
Blake ignored the bickering. She only faintly smiled toward Ruby and nodded, sliding into her seat...
Only to have a foiled drink passed to her.
"Here. Picked up a pack of these from the campus store. Good for recovering after training." Naruto slid the sports drink before Blake. With a nod and a simple smile, Naruto turned his attention back to class as his mother called upon the students to review the match.
Blake tuned her out momentarily, gazing upon Naruto. It was a simple gesture, but one she appreciated. The kind of gesture from her last partner had disappeared over time...
And it meant more than he knew for her to see that simple kindness again.
"Thanks," Blake accepted the gesture, punctured the package with the straw it came with, and took a sip.
Naruto flashed a smile before returning his focus to the discussion below. A light flush spread across Blake's cheeks before she shook her head.
No... She couldn't...
It also helped that Ruby squinted in her direction, jealously obvious. It was good she was here. It was a good reminder. She didn't want to connect with someone again. Not now...
When, at a moment's notice, she could be forced to leave her new friends when her past caught up to her. The last thing she wanted was to drag them down with her. When the time came...
Blake would face the consequences of her actions alone.
[ X ]
It was a quiet afternoon as they studied in the library. An anomaly for sure, but Blake couldn't help but snicker at the scene before her.
Ruby was the only one diligently studying for the exam they had tomorrow. Yang, long since becoming frustrated with the textbook and study sheets, threw her head on the back of the chair and was ruminating over her life choices. Naruto...
Naruto had turned his study sheets into origami? A towering giraffe?
How?! And when did he take the time to color it?
"Hehe... This was a much better use for this paper." Naruto grinned as he cracked his knuckles and looked upon his work.
"It is quite impressive." Blake let out a soft laugh before giving Naruto a reproachful look. "Now, how are you supposed to study?"
"Ugh... Fine!" Naruto pouted before exhaling upon seeing Blake's frown. "Yang, can I use your study sheets?"
"Sure. I'm done with 'em." Yang shrugged, pulling out a laser point and began to flick it off and on in the distance.
Blake scowled. What could she be doing... She didn't know, did she?
"Who's doing that?" Weiss's voice resonated from a distant table, quite miffed.
Yang simply whistled as she hid her laser pointer from sight. Weiss glowered, but said nothing. She likely suspected Yang for foul play, but had no grounds to stand on.
"Yang, be nice." Ruby looked up from her homework and frowned.
"I will be when she pulls that stick out of her butt and loosens up." Yang retorted with a snort.
"She has improved quite a lot over this last month. She isn't glaring or mouthing off to us without reason." Blake mentioned, noticing the shift in Weiss's attitude.
"Yeah, yeah, I know... Still chews us out when we goof off and try to prank people." Yang scowled.
"Much as I hate to admit it, she is in the right about that sort of stuff." Ruby sighed before finally noticing the giraffe in the middle of the table. "When did that get there? And why is its neck broken?"
"Cause it crossed me! It shouldn't have done that!" Naruto glowered at the broken origami giraffe before exhaling. "I can't wait for our first assignment after this exam. I wonder what we're gonna do? Heard there were several missions lined up by the professors."
"Well, we were assigned to Professor Port along with Team WPNR. I imagine it has to deal with Grimm studies." Blake mused.
"Yeah, not surprising. I seriously doubt the Headmaster would have assigned Mom as our overseer for our first assignment. I am surprised it wasn't Professor Peach, cause I swear she hates me." Naruto shrugged before grimacing at the thought of Professor Peach being their overseer.
"I wonder why... Could it be because she is also in charge of medical and has to deal with Cardin almost daily?" Ruby sharply glanced in Naruto's direction.
"Hey, I don't hold grudges. I only pay out receipts." Naruto shrugged Ruby's glare off, much to her chagrin.
"Could you four not be so loud? We could hear what you were discussing from our table." Weiss complained, stepping over toward them with her team in tow, Pyrrha and Nora waving. "And for your information, I heard that we're going to be doing something in the Emerald Forest. Something about unusual Grimm activity."
"The same place where we were initiated?" Naruto raised his brow, recalling the forest before nodding. "Cool. There are some pretty strong Grimm the further you get from what I know. Giant Nevermores, Death Stalkers, King Taijitu..."
"I suppose we will have to wait and find out this weekend after our exams." Pyrrha faintly smiled.
"Ugh! Don't remind me about that! I just want it to be over with!" Yang let out an exasperated groan of defeat, slumping in her chair.
"Ah, don't be that way! How about this, you pass, I'll make some chocolate chip pancakes for everyone to celebrate?" Nora chirped.
"Really?" Yang jolted forward in her chair. "Ah, dammit! Now that's pressure! Ugh, Naruto, give me those back! I gotta study!"
"Nora... You were going to do that anyway..." Ren whispered before being shushed by Nora with a simple finger poke to the nose.
"Boop!" Nora grinned, causing Ren to roll his eyes.
Blake, however, couldn't repress her urge to chuckle upon seeing Yang react in such a manner. So childish... But so understandable...
It was an innocence she missed. How she wished she could regain it. Alas, the world was cruel...
Hopefully, her friends wouldn't have to face that harsh truth anytime soon. They deserved this brief happiness.
[ X ]
Blake couldn't say she liked this mode of transport. Being strapped in the back of an aircraft, facing Weiss's team, preparing to be dropped off in the Emerald Forest.
Blake wasn't like her mother, who preferred to travel by sea. She found flying more convenient. It was simply flying in the back with a group of people like this that made her feel uncomfortable. It reminded her of the memories she had sitting in the back of a Bullhead with her last partner.
No matter where she went, she could escape thinking about him...
She couldn't escape him no matter what... What was going to have to...
Feeling her shoulder being nudged, Blake was knocked out of her headspace as she glanced up to see her new partner frowning. "You feeling alright?"
Blake recoiled upon seeing Naruto's worried expression. She didn't want him to know what she was thinking...
Not until she was far more comfortable with him... With her friends.
And that would take a long time. A time she hoped she was afforded.
"I'm okay. Just thinking." Blake forced a faux smile and shook her head. Didn't want to worry him...
And it pained her to see Naruto furrow his brow and squint at her. He obviously didn't believe her and knew something was up...
But Blake was bailed out as Professor Port stepped into the aisle between the two teams on the airship. "Alright, students! Allow me to give you your directives one last time."
"Our destination is deep within the Emerald Forest, near Mountain Glenn. We have noticed several strange observations of the Grimm being drawn to locations in large quantities far beyond their typical behavior." Professor Port stated, standing in the aisle between the two teams, gazing upon them.
"Do the areas have high concentrations of negative energy?" Ren asked with a frown.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. I should say, the draw should be minute compared to the ruins of Mountain Glenn, and there should be no reason they are attracted in such a manner." Professor Port shook his head.
"Mah, any unusual activity besides that?" Naruto asked with a quirked brow.
"None that we are aware of, but it could easily be missed with how remote this region typically is. It's why we need boots on the ground to investigate and come up with answers." Professor Port stated as the hangar lift to the airship began to lower.
"Um, Professor... Aren't we going to land?" Weiss's features fell upon seeing the hatch lower.
"Unfortunately, reception in this region sometimes can be fickle. By keeping in the air, I'll be able to stay in communication with you and monitor the situation. Call this our forward base of operation, Ms. Schnee." Professor Port explained as the whipping winds came rushing in from the open hatch. "Any questions before you land?"
"Nah, we got this! Sounds like a pretty simple investigation!" Naruto flashed a grin, unstrapping from the side and glancing at the rest of his team and an apprehensive WNPR. "Ready, guys?"
"It's time to get this party started!"
[ X ]
"Sorry, can't help you. You're on your own."
Qrow exhaled as the bartender and owner of the bar placed his drink onto the counter and walked away. He thought he could get some information here, but even he seemed weary to talk.
Unwilling.
Afraid.
Information had been scarce. The bastards knew how to stay hidden. Out of his sight.
Qrow could only operate by instinct. Gut feeling was the only thing keeping him in this chase. They covered their tracks too well. No one was willing to talk—even those who were notorious for spilling information on the ongoings of the criminal underground.
There was a reason why Juniors stayed in business.
Typically, it wasn't hard to make the man talk. Yang could make the man talk. So either he didn't know anything, or he was so afraid he didn't want to risk being found out.
Qrow sighed, glancing at the bartender as he served a lovely young woman a few chairs down from him. How the apple fell and rolled far away from the tree. Junior's old man wouldn't have spilled half, if any, of the information he was willing to share. Would have told him to his face to go straight to hell and then put up a valiant fight.
The man built his empire, only to watch it fall before his very eyes. After the incident three years ago happened and the Xiong Clan fell apart, and only its tattered remains stayed under Junior's "Leadership."
But investigating what happened that day was far from Qrow's mind as he took a sip from his drink, sitting at the bar. He had to think of a different approach. Whoever these punks working for her were, they had seized some sort of control over the criminal underground. Or at least enough to keep them quiet, not fearing being thrown in jail.
That was a problem. He didn't want to have to resort to more drastic measures...
"Huh?" Qrow noticed the young woman Junior had served had moved several seats and was next to him, flashing a thin, lustful smile, a second glass in hand.
Even in his drunken state, Qrow recognized something off about this. A woman approaching him? Now, that wasn't unusual; however, he did the picking up. Not the other way around.
However, he noticed something peculiar about this woman, who was obviously trying to catch his attention. She had heterochromatic eyes.
One pink.
One brown.
And she hadn't said a word as she offered a toast after offering him the second drink.
Frowning, Qrow hesitantly accepted it. He was leery about drinking from the glass. Against his better judgment, he drank it.
If it was poison, so be it. His system was strong enough to fend most poisons...
If it were, he could get some information out of this peculiar woman. Right now, with how this investigation had been going, he would take any he could get.
And if he could get some in the process...