Voices - Chapter 2: All Our Days

Blake stared sightlessly out of the window of her recovery room in the infirmary. The sun was shining brightly outside, the morning after she'd woken up from the incident at the warehouse. Four days after said incident, actually, and miraculously healed up for the most part due to her newly-increased aura levels.

Oh, and her dead partner was in her head. Let's not forget that little tidbit.

*Now you're just being overly dramatic.*

The Cat Faunus sighed, her brow furrowing slightly, as she continued to gaze listlessly out the window.

*Still ignoring me, huh? Not gonna make me go away, ya know.*

I'm not ignoring you.

*Remarkably enough, I got this whole new ability to sense Grimmshit. Comes from bein' inside your pretty little head.*

The comment made her blush slightly, more than Yang's normal flirtatious antics would have were she alive. Perhaps it had to do with the tangible emotional content that was attached?

Not something she wanted to dwell on right now, push it to the side and hopefully she wouldn't… go digging.

*Look, I know this has gotta be… difficult…*

Difficult? she repeated scornfully. DIFFICULT?! You're dead, Yang! Dead! And it's my fault you're dead, and now I can't even deal with my guilt with you being… in here!

*That's what's bothering you, dealing with the guilt?*

"Among other things," she muttered out loud.

*Right.* Yang's mental sigh whispered through her brain like gentle breeze. If she weren't so agitated, she might have actually enjoyed the feeling. *Whelp, I can at least help some with that. This ain't your fault, kitten.*

How can you-

*Nope, you get to sit back and listen to me. And listen really good, okay?*

Blake rolled her eyes. "Fine," she murmured.

If there were any cameras enabled in her room, she'd likely be written up soon for a psychiatric evaluation.

*Do you trust me?*

Of course I do, what kind of question is that?

*Then why can't you trust me to have made my own choice?*

The Cat Faunus blinked her eyes uncertainly. What do you mean?

*I mean that I acted under my own free will. You didn't force me any. I made the choice to follow you, and I made the promise to watch your back. And I did. We were gonna be huntresses, Blakey. It's a dangerous job we signed up for, and this was gonna happen someday. At least I went out saving your life, which made it all worth it.*

"How can you even say that?" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears once more. Your life was not worth less than mine!

*And I say it was.*

Blake sighed again, brushing the tears from her cheeks. It was all so incredibly unfair, no matter what Yang said she would still be here if it weren't for her. Yang shouldn't have been the one to die. If anyone should have lost their worthless life, it should have been her.

*Stop thinking that kinda stuff,* Yang said without any rancor. *You're not worthless.*

After everything I've done…

*Doesn't mean shit. You had worth to me. Don't make what I did mean less.*

What do you mean? she asked once more.

*If you were worthless that'd make my sacrifice worthless as well, right?*

Blake let out a soft laugh of surprise. When did you get so wise?

*Eh, I'm full of surprises, kitten.*

No doubt. So… what now?

*You got me. First things first, though…*

Right. Blake sighed once more, a bit more despondently this time. What do we tell the others?

*...That you picked up a hitchhiker?*

Blake couldn't help it, the giggle that soon cascaded into a helpless laugh. Oh my Oum, Yang… Seriously, I know this isn't going to affect you, but I have to figure out what to do the next time I see Ruby and Weiss.

Her questioning was met by silence. A silence that was starting to be tinged with… anger.

The Cat Faunus, confused, began to run through what she had just said in her head, and then paled as she realized her poor choice of words.

Yang… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that about affecting you…

*How do you think this is like for me, Blake?* Yang's voice in her head was harsh, as if she were attempting to restrain herself from screaming. Blake winced at the effort, feeling the rage bubbling under her own skin like a fever.

Yang…

*It sucks, okay? It sucks ass! All I've ever had was my body, my… Being physical, fighting, or my looks, or… And what do I have now, huh? My fucking brains? That's all I have left to me, that's what I have left to get by, the weakest part of me to help you survive?*

Stop it! Blake tried to shout internally over Yang's ranting, her voice thundering inside her head. Your brawn and your good looks weren't your true strength!

*What?* the former blonde scoffed. *What else was there, huh?*

Your heart. Blake softened her voice. The way you can encourage people, bring out the best in them with nothing but a smile and a couple of encouraging words. You're not just the fire, you're warmth personified.

Yang was silent for a few moments once more, but this time it was more thoughtful.

*Is that how you think of me?*

Yes, she blushed lightly.

*Huh. Well… okay, then. Um, sorry for going off like that.*

Like you said before, it's been a rough couple of days. We're both… adjusting. And besides, I'm used to you getting Yangry.

The peal of laughter inside her head made her smile softly.

*Oh my Oum, kitten, am I gonna start rubbing off on you now?*

I could think of worse things.

o o o

"I don't understand," Blake murmured, staring at the picture on the scroll in front of her. "What does this mean?"

She'd recognize the man anywhere, of course. How could she not? At one time in her life, he was the most important person to her.

At one time, she would have died for him.

"This is a surveillance photo taken from the rooftop of a bank," Ozpin explained gently. The headmaster had visited her on the day she was to be discharged from the infirmary, both to facilitate it and to go over the statement Blake had made a few days ago as to her activities on that fateful day. "They had just installed cameras up there a short while ago, it's likely he didn't know they were there. You do know him, correct?"

The Cat Faunus nodded slowly. "Yes, I do… but why are you showing me this?"

"Because, if the time on this picture matches up with your earlier account, he is staring right at the rooftop you and Miss Xiao Long were on."

Blake's blood ran cold. There was no way Adam hadn't recognized her. He had seen her, and then set up an ambush.

He tried to kill her.

He did kill Yang.

Blake's fingers curled into fists as she trembled with the effort to contain her rage, though she knew it wasn't just hers that was coursing through her.

*That fucking bastard… And I can't even go kick his teeth in, that… that… Argh!*

Ruby and Weiss were there as well to help her to their room later, the both of them sitting on the couch close together. "Blake?" the petite brunette whispered worriedly. "Are… you okay?"

"No," she whispered harshly. "No, I am not."

o o o

She was back in her room now, curled up on her bed with a novel in her hands. A pose she'd taken so many times in the past that it was almost second nature to assume this position without even thinking about it.

But there was no way for Blake to concentrate on her reading, not with the chaotic swirl of thoughts running through her crowded head.

And it didn't help that she kept expecting a certain blonde mane of hair to drop down from above to spout something silly or flirtatious or… just anything in the way that Yang always did.

The little things that would always light up her day.

*Aww, that's so sweet, kitten.*

Blake gave a soft snort of laughter as she blushed. Stop listening to my private thoughts.

*Well, if you could manage to maybe, I dunno, keep some of those thoughts private, I might figure out the difference, y'know?*

The Cat Faunus sighed and shook her head slightly, though she froze when she realized her action had attracted the attention of a certain observant heiress across the room. Both Weiss and Ruby were keeping her company while they did their homework.

Blake had a pile of it to catch up on herself. She simply knew any attempt at concentrating on such would be ultimately futile.

*Weissicle is gonna pick up on us soon enough. Figured out what yer gonna say yet?*

No, I'm still… trying to decide on that.

The problem, as she ascertained it, was that coming right out and telling her teammates that Yang was inside her head... Well, it sounded insane. And considering the fact that she'd recently come out of a coma, there wasn't a better or quicker way of finding herself back in that infirmary than just blurting out the truth.

*I think you're selling Rubes a bit short, ain't ya?*

Perhaps not Ruby, but Weiss?

*Hmm, okay, maybe. Still, it's… It sucks to see my little sister hurting like this, y'know?*

I do know, Yang, and I'm… I'm so sorry she's going through this.

*But the longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be.*

Blake sat her book down with an irritated huff. I know that, Yang! And I get how difficult this is for you to just… sit back and watch, alright? I do, truly. But I have to… No, we have to do this correctly.

*Y'know what's the worst?* Yang asked after a moment's pause. *I'm never gonna get to feel her arms around me again.*

Blake stifled a sob as she brought her hands up to her mouth. Oh, gods, Yang…

*No, it's… It's alright, I shouldn't have brought that up, I don't want you to feel any more guilty, okay?*

Still-

"Alright, Blake," a firm voice sounded from next to her. "Talk."

The unusually unobservant Cat Faunus started as she was suddenly made aware of a certain heiress who was now perched on the edge of her mattress, a concerned but unyielding look on her face. Her head swung the other way as Ruby climbed onto the foot of her bed, looking equally concerned, though her eyes were still slightly puffy from crying herself to sleep the previous night.

*More likely she's been going off to cry when nobody's looking. She hates to have others worrying for her.*

Blake sighed, trusting in Yang's knowledge of her sister. "Ruby, have you been crying again?"

"I…" The brunette girl sighed, and stared down at her hands twisting together in her lap. "Yeah," she admitted in a small voice.

"You know you don't have to go away, we're here for you," Blake reminded her in a warm voice. "Always have been and always will be."

Ruby nodded, sniffling slightly even as a small smile crept across her face. "You sound like Yang," she whispered.

The raven-haired girl stiffened at the comment. Oh no, am I becoming that obvious? Are you really rubbing off on me like that?

*Dunno. Don't need to sound like it's as bad as all that, though.*

Says the pun master. Oh, Dust, what if I start cracking bad puns now?

*Hey, now, those were always awesome puns!*

Really, Yang? Really?

"Blake!"

She turned her head, startled once more at the insistent tone in Weiss' voice. "Er… sorry, what?"

"Have you been listening to a word I said?" the heiress huffed, crossing her arms and glowering at her.

"No, Princess, I guess I haven't," she retorted sarcastically. "Been a little preoccupied, so sorry."

Instead of rebutting with an angry retort of her own, Weiss' eyes got wide as she extended a finger towards her. "There! That right there is what I'm talking about. What is going on with you, Blake? Ever since you've woken up, you've been acting… oddly. A lot like Yang, if you ask me."

With a groan, Blake dropped her head back against the wall with a thunk. "I appreciate the concern, but… it's nothing I can talk about just yet, okay?"

"But-"

"Really, Weissicle, it's alright."

"There it is again!" Weiss barked, poking Blake in the side. "Only Yang ever called me that! Same with 'Princess'!" She leaned forward, her ice-blue eyes intent. "Please, Blake, will you please tell us what's going on?"

"We're worried about you, Blakey," the other girl spoke up softly. "Don't shut us out, okay?"

Blake sighed and closed her eyes. "I would never do that, Rubes…"

Ruby leaned forward and placed a small hand on her leg. "But why do you keep sounding like… like Yang?" Her voice hitched slightly when she said her sister's name.

*Just tell them, kitten.*

"I'm trying to," she murmured out loud.

"Trying to, what?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"To… to tell you…" Blake kept her eyes screwed shut, willing the fearful tears to hold back. I can just tell them, they're… like my family, I can tell them this and they won't think I'm crazy… hopefully…

"So, after you left, that night I woke up," she began quietly. "I… Well, something happened. Or more like, I realized something… No, that isn't right… Argh!" She let out a very Yang-like cry of frustration, clenching her fists up to her temples. "Why is this so difficult?"

She felt Ruby move up next to her and drape a reassuring arm around her. "Just say it, Blakey," she brunette murmured. "You know we're not gonna judge or anything. We're here for you."

"Right." Blake dropped her hands and opened her eyes to stare at them in her lap. Just get it over with. "When Yang… died, she didn't… completely die."

"She… what?" Weiss gazed at her in confusion, while Ruby jerked back and brought her hands up to her mouth in shock. Interestingly enough, it seemed as if the younger girl was catching on faster.

Blake lifted up one hand helplessly, palm up, before letting it fall once more. "Somehow, I don't know how… her aura transferred to me. It's why mine increased so much, and how I healed so quickly… and… and I have her inside of me, too."

"Inside of you?" If anything, the heiress looked like she might pass out from the shock of what she was disclosing. For her part, Ruby had her eyes tightly shut, the tears flowing down her cheeks and across the hands she still had clamped over her mouth.

Blake had no choice but to plunge on, she'd come this far. "I'm so sorry… I know it sounds crazy, and I thought maybe I was at first, but… she's here, inside me. I can talk to her."

Ruby took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped her face with her sleeves. "Can she hear me?" she asked in a broken whisper.

"Yeah, she can."

*Tell her, she ain't getting rid of me that easy…*

"She says… you ain't getting rid of her that easy," Blake said softly, unconsciously following her partner's speech patterns. "I always had your back, same as you did me, and ain't nothing gonna come between us, okay Rubbles?"

The petite brunette choked out a wordless sob and flung her arms around Blake's neck, her tears quickly soaking through her shirt.

*Oh my Oum,* Yang's broken voice said in wonderment. *I can… I can feel her, oh Blake, I can feel her arms around you… around us…*

Blake let out a happy sob of her own, unable to keep her emotions in check with the mental bawling Yang was now doing in her head. She just clutched Ruby as close to her as she could, stroking her hair back like Yang used to do when she was little and climbing into Yang's bed to help chase away the night terrors.

With a start, Blake realized she was viewing the memory as her own. She could tell it wasn't, it felt… different somehow, slightly off, but it was a memory now in her head.

"Blake, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Weiss asked, her face still incredulous but obviously accepting in the face of Yang's words.

The Cat Faunus gave a small, hesitant laugh. "I wasn't sure how to without sounding, well… insane."

Weiss just shook her head in wonderment. "Well, I certainly can't blame you for that…"

Blake nodded. "This is going to sound even weirder, but… I'm going to… withdraw a little bit? Yang needs some time with her sister."

The heiress just nodded, observing with cautious eyes as Blake closed her eyes and relaxed into Ruby's embrace, letting Yang have her moment.

You deserve this, Yang…

*Thanks, kitten.*

A/N: Hmmm, those feels though… They run strong in this story. So now Blake and Yang have a target for their anger. Even though they still have plenty of issues to work through, at least the rest of the team knows. Though, again, that adds even more issues to the whole pile…

So, we have cover art now, provided by the magnificent mustachioedoctopus over on Tumblr!

And yeah, I said weekly postings didn't I… Sigh… I've already written through chapter 4, just editing and reviewing now before writing the final chapter. Sooo… maybe once every other day? Maybe? Ah, who knows, as usual I'll post 'em when I post 'em. Many thanks for reading so far, and also for the favorites and follows! Reviews of all kinds are always welcome!

Eterya: I am indeed taking some liberties here with Aura, but also some of this will work out over the course of the story. Glad you're enjoying it so far!

AntonSlavik020: Hey no worries man, not every story I write is for everyone, lol. I do like the angsty stuff sometimes, and while this one will get somewhat fluffy in the end, there's a lot more angst to go through first!

Guest: This is actually my first try at Bumblebee/Bumbleby. I usually go for the more… esoteric ones (North Pole, Pink Lemonade, Purruby). So, naturally, when I actually do Bumblebee it's not gonna be normal. I am a fan of Ladybug though, dunno why for sure but I blame Jefardi and ShowMeYourFury. In a good way.

Martin Hooper1: Different indeed. And yeah I'm still in the canon Bumblebee camp, I know it's gonna be a very slow burn if it happens, maybe even the length of Season 4 if it happens at all. But the best love stories work that way.

Stay shiny!