A broken moon shines over the house. Blake stares at her father's door, beside which hangs an empty birdcage, when Kali Belladonna speaks, startling her.
"You know, you can always go in and say hi." Kali is carrying a tray with a tea set on it.
"I don't wanna bother him."
"A father's never too busy for his daughter."
"Not all of my friends would agree with you on that."
Kali kisses her daughter on the cheek and hands her the tray. Blake accepts it, but is a bit taken aback by being handed it. "Here."
"What? Where are you going?"
"You've never been very talkative, but that boy you brought home loves to run his mouth. I wanna hear more about the adventures of Team RWBY. And Canary has a few stories as well, team REDS sound very interesting." Kali walks away, her footsteps audible.
Ghira calla out from inside his office. "Kali? Is that you, dear?"
Blake gives a nervous start of surprise when she hears his voice. The tray shakes in her hands, and she lets out a quiet whine. Ghira straightens some paperwork on his desk. The porch door slides open and Blake steps inside.
"Uh, hey dad."
"Blake! Well, this is a pleasant surprise."
Blake struggles to say anything. "I..."
Ghira stands t9 help her. "Please, come sit." Father and daughter both move to the oversized coffee table and lounge furniture, and Blake sets the tea set at the end where her father sits. "Don't worry, I've got it. Sit down, sit down."
"I don't wanna keep you if you're--"
Ghira chuckles while pouring tea. "Nonsense, I've been cooped up in here all day." He puts a cube of sugar in the cup nearest Blake. "You still take sugar, right?"
"Oh, actually, uh-"
Ghira pulls back nervously. "Oh! Sorry!"
Blake panics. "No, no no no, it's fine."
"Oh, here, take this one." Ghirardelli's tries to offer her his cup.
Blake taking her cup hurriedly replies. "No, really. It's, it's no big deal."
"You sure?"
Blake nods. "Positive."
Ghira sighs. "Old habits, I suppose." Blake takes a sip of her tea and winces with a tiny exclamation of pain. "Might wanna let it cool."
Blake lowers the cup and speaks with a slight pain in her voice. "Right." She sets the cup down on the table.
"So... is it... warm... in Vale?"
"Huh?" Blake recoils
"It just... seems like your outfit doesn't cover very much."
Blake looks down at herself and crosses her arms. "It covers plenty."
"I mean, a little more armor might help. Don't you think?"
"I'm fine. I don't need armor. I can look after myself."
Ghira tries to respond. "I..." He stops; sighing before continuing. "I know you can. I'm sorry." He sets down his own cup. Blake's expression saddens, and she looks away, bowing her head.
"Why?" She asks. Her question is met with a hum. "Why would you say that?"
Ghira moves to be beside his daughter, going down to one knee and putting a hand on her back. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? What did I say?"
"How can you still love me after what I did?"
"Blake..." He gets up and sits beside her on the couch, putting his arm around her. "Your mother and I will always love you."
Blake begins to tear up, slowly getting more and more emotional. "You were right. I shouted at you and yelled at you. (looking up at him) But you were right. I called you cowards!"
Remorsefully, she lowers her head closer to her father. He holds her. "It's okay." He says softly.
Blake pulls back a bit. "I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom. Erin and I should've listened to you, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She says the last part turning away from her father.
Ghira turns her by the chin to look at him and then wiping a tear from her eye with his thumb. !Blake, it's fine. We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail. I know Jaden hasn't worried for Erin's potential to fall. The only thing he and I ever feared was that you would fall down the wrong path, and I am so proud to see you haven't."
"But I did! (sniffles) I was--" She lowers her face again.
"And you pulled yourself out. You came back. There aren't many who possess that kind of strength and even fewer that have the courage to face their demons again. Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon - you confronted the White Fang time after time. Whether it's because Erin pushed you that way or you did so on your own, doesn't matter, you stood your ground when it mattered."
Blake nods. "I didn't do it alone."
"No, you didn't. Which is why I wanted to ask you... why did you leave Vale? Why did you leave your friends behind?"
Blake once again begins sniffling. "I..."
Behind them, a ruckus is heard slightly before the porch door falls inward, Sun and Jaden on top of it and yelping. Blake turns around. Standing at the door behind Sun clearly annoyed is Canary.
Blake hurried looks over affronted and standing up. "Sun?!"
Ghira is also standing while Sun gets himself upright and tries to recover from the situation. Jaden chuckles from being on the floor and in a small green haze he and the door reverse perfectly in motion from how they fell, and he opens the door properly.
Sun chuckles. "D'yuh! Whoa! This isn't the bathroom! Uh, I'll just be going! Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment!" Sun gives an awkward giggle.
Blake and Ghira both glare at Sun, Blake's right ear twitching. Ghira takes a breath and closes his eyes for a second.
"So, Ghira my old friend, how's the kid?" Jaden tries to cheer up the mood with a cheesy line.
"I'm so sorry for them." Canary apologizes.
"Again Jaden?" Ghira says annoyed.
With a groan of frustration, Blake slams her hand on a wooden railing startling Sun. They are on the porch outside Ghira's office.
"Ugh! No concept of privacy, (slams her hand again) no respect for personal space!"
He raises his hands defensively, before Canary ruffles his hair. "Seriously, kid, learn boundaries."
"I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry!" Sun apologizes earning a grunt of frustration from Blake. Angrily, she turns her back on him and marches a few steps away. "Look, I promise it was important! I needed to find you to talk to you!"
Blake turns back, exasperated. "What, Sun? What could be so important?!"
"I was talking to your mom and she said something weird about the White Fang!"
Blake holds a finger up and striding forward. "I'm stopping you right there."
"But—!"
"I told you, I'm not here to fight the White Fang, I'm not here to fight anyone. I'm here to rest, to figure things out, and to see my family."
"Your mom said White Fang members don't wear masks in Menagerie. But Canary, Mr. Eclipse and I saw one at the market yesterday! I even have a picture!"
He pulls his Scroll out of his back pocket.
"Sun!" She shouts.
Sun brings up the image. "Look, I'm trying to help!"
Blake pulls his Scroll out of his hands and tosses it out into the trees.
"I don't want your help!" Blake shouts.
Sun stares at his Scroll and turns to Blake, growling. The sound of the Scroll landing, followed by a feminine, gasping sound is heard from the trees where Blake had just tossed the device. Sun's, Canary's and Blake's eyes go wide for a second and they slowly turn, eyes narrowing.
The visual becomes a wide shot of the three of them on the porch that is slowly pulling back. It cuts to the dark trees, moving in slowly. A dark humanoid shape with a white mask can just be made out, perched atop a palm tree. The visual cuts to Blake as she gasps and cuts back to the figure, a female Faunus with thin, curved, dark gray horns and black, spotty skin. She is wearing a black, sleeveless stealth suit with a gold zipper and slightly lighter-black straps with gold buckles on it. On her face is a large, white Grimm Mask with elegant, curvy red markings.
The woman leaps into the air, giving a better view of her. The legs of her stealth outfit are short, and she wears high-top boots. Her black hair is pulled back in a ponytail that curls up at the end. The Faunus soon disappears. On the porch, Blake steps forward with a determined look in her eye while Sun throws out his arms.
"A freakin' ninja?!" He shouts.
Canary turns to Blake. "A spy!"
"But why would—?!"
He cuts off as Blake and Canary jumps onto the railing and then off into the trees.
"Hey wait!"
Kali comes out from around the corner and inside the house, close behind her are Cindy, Jaden and his daughter.
"What's happened?" Kali asks.
Sun tries to recall everything while backing up toward where Blake leapt from as he speaks. "The White Fang is evil, I totally called it, and I'm bringing your daughter back!"
He leaps down off the second story deck. Cindy rushes down stairs to get her weapon as Jaden chuckles. Kali's mouth drops open for a moment before she brings up her hand, worried.
"We'll, seems Blake will fight after all." Jaden chuckles with a sigh. "A shame you couldn't see them now, Pearl."
Blake Belladonna and the masked White Fang member leap from tree to tree, Blake in pursuit of the other Faunus. They both pause for a moment, gripping different trees. A noise above the spy makes her gasp and Sun Wukong appears, dropping down.
"Gotcha!"
She leaps on, out of his path. Blake pursues while Sun lands on a branch.
"Hey, wait up!"
"Don't let her out of your sight!" Blake orders.
The spy emerges from the trees and onto a roof. She continues to run across the buildings, Blake right behind her. Sliding under some arching pipes, she finally turns and stops. Using her weapon in whip form, she slices the pipe, releasing steam to block Blake. It doesn't work; Blake moves right under the pipes through the steam.
"Why are you watching me?" Blake asks.
The girl smiles and lowers her weapon. Sun lands on the roof behind her, causing her to turn around.
"Give it up! I'm not above hitting a girl, you—!"
He gets cut off when the spy's whip comes at him in an attack, which he falls back to avoid. Blake takes advantage of the distraction to kick the Scroll out of the spy's hand. The girl is surprised, avoids Blake's next attack, responds with a kick of her own and attempts to retrieve the Scroll. Sun tackles her instead.
"Grab the Scroll! Seems someone thinks it's important!"
"Get off!" The spy shouts as she headbutts Sun, cracking off the part of the mask covering her left eye, and tries to race Blake to the Scroll. Instead, first one and then a total of four clones tackle her. Sun is holding his pose to control his Semblance and Blake pauses.
"Quit staring and grab it!" Sun orders.
Blake listens, and Sun finally releases his Semblance, which he had been struggling to maintain, and falls to his knees. The clones disappear from atop the girl. She rises and aims her weapon at Blake.
"Blake, watch out!"
Blake turns, rising with the Scroll in her hand. She sees the broken Grimm mask crumble from the spy's face.
"Ilia." Blake says.
Sun works to get to his feet. "Wait, you know her?! But she doesn't even look like a f—aagh!" He gets cut off when the color-changing Ilia strikes an electric hit near his shoulder with her weapon. Sun cries out and falls.
"Sun!"
"Give it to me." Ilia orders.
"No."
Ilia changes color again. "You shouldn't have come back."
"Neither should you have." Canary's voice is heard as he kicks Ilia from behind, the girl rises from the ground nearby holding her weapon. She uses her weapon to create a rush of dust, which allows her to escape.
Blake briefly acknowledges that Ilia has disappeared before rushing over to Sun. Canary takes the scroll from Blake. He grabs his own and presses a button to call Cindy.
"Sun! Sun!" Sun is lying on his back, bleeding from the wound Ilia caused. Blake covers the wound with her hands. "No, no, no, not again, please! Help! Somebody! Hold on, Sun, just hold on."
"Cindy, bring Mr. Eclipse and Mr. Belladonna. Tell Mr. Eclipse to get us onto the Menagerie guard."
It is daytime in Menagerie birds tweet in the trees around the balcony outside Ghira Belladonna's study. Inside, a shirtless Sun Wukong lies on the couch, his head propped on the arm and his hands folded over his abdomen. A slow pan of his body reveals a bloodied bandage on his left shoulder where Lightning Lash had struck him, as Sun blinks awake. He raises his head with a groan.
"Blake?" He asks, hazily.
Blake Belladonna is sitting on a chair across from the couch, her body facing him. Her head is bowed and her hands are folded in her lap. Cindy sits on a chair nearby bored, while Canary paces back and forth.
"This... is why, Sun. This is why I left them all behind." Blake says.
Sun struggles while sitting up. "What are you... wait, where am I?"
Blake gets up and walks over to the couch as Sun looks around in confusion.
"I am done seeing my friends hurt because of me."
Sun sits up properly. "Blake..."
"Shut up! Do you think I like being alone? Every day... every day I think about them! Ruby, Rei, Weiss, Erin, Dusk, Sky, Yang... they were my friends! I loved them like I never thought I could love anybody. And I hope they hate me for leaving."
Sun raising himself up to reach out to her. "You don't mean that."
"Yes, I do!" She is forceful enough with her voice that Sun pulls back.
Blake holds her hand to her head. "Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can't." She sighs sitting down. !You saw Ilia last night and she's not even the worst! No. No more. They're better off without me. I made my choices and I'll deal with the consequences because they belong to me."
Canary scoffs and bops Blake on the head surprising her. "You think you're being selfless, but you're not. Yeah, that chameleon friend of yours got Sun pretty good. But I'd bet he'd do it all again if it meant protecting you."
Sun nods. "Yeah, I would." Blake turns to face him, surprised. "And I can promise Yang would say the same." The monkey faunus says in full seriousness.
Blake turns away, looking down.
Sun speaks, sitting up fully, with effort. "You can make your own choices, sure. But you don't get to make ours. When your friends fight for you, it's because we want to. So stop pushing us out! It hurts more than anything the bad guys could ever do to us." Sun looks at the floor and Blake, who had turned to face him, turns away again. "But, if it makes you feel any better, the next time I go up against Lizard Girl, it won't be for you - it'll be to get even."
He attempts to point to his wound with his left thumb, but he can not complete the motion and it aggravates his injury. Sun winces in pain and Blake laughs.
"My hero." She says looking at Sun.
The door behind Blake, the same one that Sun crashed through the night before, crashes down again. This time it is Kali Belladonna and Jaden's daughter embarrassing themselves through eavesdropping too closely. Behind her, Ghira looks down at his wife on the ground with his hand on his hip. Jaden stands there with a smile. Kali pops upward the two females
Kali pops up in an affected tone. "Oh! Oh dear, would you look at that, he's awake! Thank goodness!"
Ghira covering his face with his hand. "Kali, please."
"See, dad they're fine, I'm not super worried for their safety."
"Jada, please..." Jaden chuckles.
"Mom!" Blake shouts.
Sun chuckles. "Hey, Mrs. B!"
Blake walks over to her mother. "What are you doing?!"
"Well, sweetheart, your father needed to speak with the four of you."
"What about?" Canary says taking the role of squad leader.
A Scroll is set down on the coffee table. It shows a master folder labeled W. F. with six subfolders inside. The subfolders are labeled: Assignment, E.L., P.R., E.W., S. F., Untitled. "I'm afraid you were right to be suspicious." Ghira says with full seriousness.
"What do you mean?" Blake asks.
"Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang, and stage a full-scale attack on Haven Academy. It would be the Fall of Beacon all over again."
"Not if we destroy the White Fang once and for all." Sun says.
Blake's eyes widen. "No." She stands up, full of decision. "We're not going to destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back."
"We'll, I need to get a warning out to Ferrari and Grimoire. They're headed to Mistral with Ruuby and what's left of JNPR. If I'm lucky, Erin will already be on the way to meet them with Yang."
"Okay." Blake agrees to Canary's needs.
"We will win." The words are scribbled on a white board in the background by Cindy who stares at everyone steeling everyone's resolve.
Chapter End.