Chương 117: 19
Chapter 19 – Razor Blake Smile
Blake sat impatiently through their lessons that day. She wouldn't have listened to Port in even the best of situations, but this certainly wasn't the time to start. Yang hovered nearby, as she had all day, seeking to run interference between her and Cardin. She didn't dare even look at him, afraid of what she might see.
Afraid of what he might provoke her into doing.
Jaune would be okay, he had to be. And as soon as classes were over she would go and retrieve him herself, no matter who stood in her way.
She'd blown up a White Fang warehouse – fought Schnee security droids, faced Roman Torchwick himself.
A team of four idiots who didn't know who they were pushing? Child's play.
The waiting however… was less so. Especially since the lack of distraction gave her mind free reign to imagine what he might be made to go through. Because of her. Because he'd offered to help out late at night, just to stop her from working herself to destruction.
Because he'd cared enough to give a damn.
Damn it…
Their final lesson of the day though… that was when her ears truly perked up.
"Cardin Winchester," Miss Goodwitch read out, before seeming to take a long sigh at seeing who was chosen next, "and… Blake Belladonna."
Yang looked no less pleased by the decision, standing nearby with her arms out – as though unsure who she was supposed to stop, and how. Blake pushed past, eyes firmly focused on the man who was confidently climbing into the arena.
He looked smug, as he often did. And she knew he hadn't lost many fights up until this point. Only when he really faced one of Team RWBY, or any of the three from LVN. The closest had been with Lie Ren, and even that hadn't looked good for Cardin.
She smiled grimly, knowing exactly which way this fight would go – if one could even call it that.
"Break his legs!" An excitable voice called out from the crowd. And Blake had the amusing urge to turn and give the orange-haired girl a nod.
"The bout is to continue until you are knocked from the ring, aura levels drop into the red. Or, when I call it, you will both cease immediately. Am I understood?" No one else had received such a clear explanation of the rules. Left unsaid was that the woman wasn't willing to stand for their bitter feud.
"Understood," Blake nodded, even as her opponent did the same – adjusting his two-handed mace across one shoulder. He was slow and cumbersome, but definitely packed a punch. It would only take a few hits and she would be out of the fight.
Fortunate then, that she didn't intend to be hit.
Miss Goodwitch called the match, and a moment later Blake was within Cardin's guard, scowling as she dragged Gambol Shroud up his body. The impact of striking his aura sent shockwaves down her arm, but it was enough to push him back as he growled and swung down on her. The Blake she left behind was crushed, but it only served to make him underestimate the lack of resistance. And as his mace went straight through the incorporeal construct, it slammed into the ground with enough force to jar his entire frame.
He was so off-balance that when she stamped her foot into the back of his shin, he almost collapsed.
But he didn't give up.
Good.
"You think you're so damn hot," he gritted out as he stood up once more, holding his mace across his body to defend from her. "Trying to make fools of everyone who doesn't meet up to your standards. Looking down on us like you're something special."
She didn't bother to respond to his words. Nothing more than the irritating squawking of someone who didn't know when to open their mouth. Instead she feinted to attack his front, only to slip past his weapon when he moved to block – spinning past his flank as she slammed a heel into the back of his head. Once more the brute staggered but remained standing. His aura slipped a little lower however, approaching the yellow.
"You're no better than the rest of us," his words were almost lost in the whistling of his weapon, swinging left and right as he made to push her back. The faunus weaved between the blows, more than conscious of what would happen if she let him connect. A second later however her eyes widened as he over-extended, even as his own seemed to flash with that realisation. Gambol Shroud broke into two within her hand, spiralling in a wide arc around him as she stepped directly onto the mace as it slammed into the ground. Racing up the haft she delivered a quick kick to his chin, snapping his head back, before she leapt over his frame. Gambol Shroud's ribbon followed a moment later, clotheslining the teen and throwing him from his feet.
Cardin made to stand, one hand grasping his weapon for purchase even as the other pushed against the floor. He stopped however, still kneeling, as a blade tickled his chin.
"From where I'm standing," she said, "it looks like I'm better than you." It would be so easy to beat him… to slam Gambol Shroud into his neck, which would certainly cut a sizeable chunk from his aura. Even if she didn't have him in this position… he would never be a match for her. "I want my property back, Winchester."
And here's hoping Jaune doesn't hear me referring to him as property.
"Tch, you want your toy back?"
"That's what I said." Her eyes narrowed as his lips twisted upward, an ugly sensation settling in her gut as he carelessly knocked her blade aside with one hand.
"Tell you what then Blake," he said her name like some kind of insult, "if you beat me in this fight, I'm going to go straight back to my room, tear your little toy to pieces – and then set fire to the remains, until it's nothing more than ash."
A claw of ice gripped her stomach, even as the bastard rose up before her, gripping his mace with a wide grin on his face. Burn him? She had no idea what that would do… would he be trapped in one of the fragments, or a single grain of ash? That might not be a problem if she could come upon the remains, but what happened when Cardin opened the window and the ash was blown away?
Would Jaune honestly be trapped within a single grain, never to have a chance of freedom, or of moving on?
Would he be trapped for eternity?
Yang watched the fight grimly, even as her own partner broke the teen apart with ease. Normally it would have been enough to earn some cheers from her, or at least a smile. Not this time, however. Not when Blake was clearly dragging the fight on, using the excuse of training to inflict as much pain as possible.
There was no understanding that girl sometimes… no matter how much she wanted to. Was this really all over a single teddy bear?
And if so, who was it from? Sentimentality was a tricky thing to deal with. Ruby's cape was one of the last remaining things from Summer, and Yang fully expected her little sister would fly into a rage if someone stole it from her – Hell, she'd help! So she could understand if the bear itself was on the same level… it was just… who was it from? She'd guessed it was some kind of boyfriend, but the reaction seemed a little too strong for something like that. Especially since that mystery toy-boy was apparently still alive, judging from the whispered conversations she sometimes heard from the bunk below hers.
Silly Blake, she really did seem to think she was being stealthy with her whispered scroll conversations. Either way, such strong feelings of sentimental value tended to relate to gifts from someone who… wasn't around anymore. From someone who'd died.
She wasn't sure she dared ask who Blake had lost.
"Something's wrong," Weiss whispered from nearby, drawing the blonde's attention back to the fight – even as Blake stood up and stepped back. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had alarmed the heiress beside her. Cardin was being dominated and crushed, in which case… why was he smiling?
Yang let out a startled cry when his mace smashed into her partner's ribs. Equal parts shock, concern and anger – as the lithe girl bounced twice across the mat; coming to rest on hands and knees. How had she not seen that coming!?
Come on Blake!
The man charged her downed form, rearing back and delivering a mighty kick that caught the girl in the stomach, lifting the faunus a full two feet from the floor, before she collapsed back down on her side – coughing loudly.
But why didn't she use a clone to dodge?
"Blake, move!" Yang shouted as Cardin raised one foot to stamp on her. There were over twenty metres between them, and yet the blonde could clearly see her partner's amber eyes meet her own. Blake had heard her clearly… yet those eyes simply drifted shut – right before Cardin's boot slammed into her spine, pushing her into the mat even as her aura trickled closer to the red.
"Miss Xiao-Long! Please await your turn in the ring," the teacher snapped, drawing Yang's attention to her.
"You need to stop this fight! Can't you see something's wrong?" The older woman snorted, adjusting her glasses as she regarded the fight.
"Miss Belladonna's performance is unusually poor, but defeat is as much a lesson as victory Miss Xiao-Long. If she failed to pay attention then this will teach her not to underestimate a foe in future."
Damn it.
That might be true if Blake was messing up, but Yang knew her partner better than that. It wasn't that she wasn't able to dodge. Blake was choosing not to dodge. And there was no way she was doing that on purpose.
Yang bit her bottom lip as Blake ricocheted across the stadium once more, slamming into the wall before sliding down to rest at the bottom. Her aura was barely a sliver from red, and it was clear to all of them it would only take another hit to push her into a loss.
At least it would be over soon.
Lilac eyes watched as the burly man strode towards her, grinning the entire way. She watched as he didn't kick her, didn't take the easy and merciful option for robbing her partner of that last sliver of aura. But instead took his mace in both hands and brought it back over and behind his head. Lilac eyes saw Miss Goodwitch open her mouth and draw forth her crop, no doubt about to end the match before such a devastating blow could land.
And behind those lilac eyes, Yang knew that Cardin might not stop – that he might argue in the heat of the moment that he didn't hear the command – even as the mace slammed down into her partner's defenceless body.
And then, bright red eyes met his.
And her fist met his jaw a moment later, sending the bastard arching back to slam into the floor.
"Cease the fight!" Their teacher shouted, "stand down!"
"Hear that Cardin?" She hissed, hair glowing as it billowed around her, "that's the only thing that keeps you alive right now."
"Tch," a wad of spit hit the mat as he touched his chin, "makes sense she'd need you to fight her battles. What's wrong? Not as fun to watch your teammate being knocked about? When it's okay for you and yours to do the same to everyone else?"
"Miss Xiao-Long," Miss Goodwitch cut her off before she could respond, stepping between the two parties as she turned her icy glare on all of them. "You'll be joining your partner in detention with me for that little display, and you Mr Winchester will be doing the same."
"What did I do wrong?"
"I know full well you were aware of Miss Belladonna's aura levels, we do not condone purposeful overkill in spars. Something I've warned you of before."
"Right, got it," the teen waved his hand as he turned back to the crowd, holding his arms up in victory. To Yang's utter disgust more than just his team clapped and cheered. If she found out any of her old friends from Signal were among them… dust help them.
"Miss Belladonna's aura is low, but it should have protected her from any injuries," the older woman sighed, "take your team and put her to bed for a few hours. A good rest should have her back on her feet. Your detentions will be scheduled for tomorrow."
Yang didn't even bother responding, instead kneeling down to lift the beaten faunus up into her arms.
The rest of their team quickly closed around them, a shield to protect their downed companion from any who might seek to harm her.
"Come on Yang," Weiss sighed as she pulled the blonde away, "Miss Goodwitch said she needs rest. We'll get her some food and bring it back with us."
"I don't feel right leaving her like this…"
"She isn't going anywhere, besides – you got that message right? Maybe whatever it is someone sent you will help distract a little bit."
"Come on sis," Ruby's voice comforted, "if you hover around then you'll just make noise and wake her up. She needs rest, not a nurse."
"Okay… but not for long, I'm really worried about her."
"We all are, now come on."
The door closed with a click. Blake's eyes opened a second later, tortured muscles groaning as she rolled to the side and staggered out of the bed.
He needed help.
A few people spared her glances as she limped down the corridor, though none made any effort to enquire if she was okay or even speak to her. Maybe it was the focused look on her face, or just that they had other places to be.
Or maybe they hated her too. What did it matter? She had her team and she had her partner, two of them in fact. That was already more than she'd ever had before and more than enough for her now.
She didn't know the name of the one who opened the door, she'd always just referred to him as the one with the Mohawk, but he squawked indignantly as she pushed past him, forcing her way into their room. It stank, and there was clothes littered across the floor, but her eyes barely lingered on them.
"What the-?" Someone yelped.
"Well, well, well – look who it is?" The hated voice reached her ears, the bastard sat on one bed with an open magazine before him. "Y'know forcing your way into another team's room is a punishable offence, even more so if you're here to… I don't know, steal something of mine?"
"Give it back." Her voice came our raspy, but firm. She needed something to drink, but hadn't felt the thirst through her determined march. Yellow eyes continued scanning the room, until they widened at what was on the mantelpiece.
Jaune!
Golden fur, button eyes – trapped beneath a glass jar of some kind, topped with books. She could see his flickering eyes widen, even as one paw came up to touch the glass. He seemed to glance around, before hurling himself at the barrier – bouncing off and sliding to the floor.
"Look, we can make a-" Cardin began, only to stumble back as she pushed past him, racing for the bear. Something caught her leg, her other foot slamming into the back of her own knee as the world lurched.
There was a sickening crunch as she hit the carpet, one arm outstretched towards her goal even as the world went dark.
The last thing she saw before she passed out, was her partner going still.
"Whoah!" Cardin stepped back as the crazy girl pushed by him. Nearly fell himself when her legs crashed into his. But as her body slammed loudly onto the floor, and didn't move? He couldn't help but wince.
Oh he knew exactly what it would look like if someone came to find her unconscious on his floor.
"Oi, Belladonna? You still there?" The girl stirred, hands drawing back into her body and beneath her, pushing the girl up so that she was on hands and knees in the middle of their room. He let out a short sigh of relief, before coughing loudly.
"Look, I've been thinking – and maybe we can come to a little deal on your toy. Me and the boys have got some big assignments coming up, and since you're so high and mighty in clas-"
"No."
The word made him pause, eyes narrowing as she staggered into a standing position. Her voice sounded a little… off, like she was slurring her words a little. For some reason he couldn't help the way his eyes drifted to the bear, silent and still in its little aquarium. He didn't think he was the only one to notice the shift in the atmosphere, not from how his three teammates were slowly climbing to their feet – hands edging towards their weapons.
The girl's face lifted, and he had to resist the urge to step back upon seeing the frown on her face. He'd seen her frowns, small and judging, like she was raising her nose at something she found offensive. This… this was different. Wider, it took up more of her face… and her eyes… they almost seemed to flicker.
"You've fucked up Cardin," the girl laughed, "and I think we're well past making any deals."
"W-wait a second," she was injured and exhausted – yet something about the way she laughed filled him with fear, "let's not do anything we might regret."
"Trust me Cardin," she seemed to flicker, and a second later she was within his guard, "I'm not going to regret this."
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