Broken

Blake found her sitting at the bar up top, three shot glasses full of a brown liquid arrayed on the wooden surface before her. As the faunus approached, she knocked back one of the shots, her face impressively impassive throughout the action. Blake's eyes darted around the room, taking note of the half-full booths set against the wall, and the three other patrons set up at the bar as well. Looked like she wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes at least, though the lack of noise coverage meant this conversation was going to have to be quiet.

What she had to tell Yang wasn't really intended for the public's ear.

The faunus slid onto the barstool beside the blonde. There was a small bandage covering the injury on her forehead, and she now had on the rest of her outfit. A dark brown jacket with sleeves rolled above her elbows, a white, cloth skirt that ran from in front of her right leg around to the middle of her back, and a pair of worn leather boots. Her entire outfit was much more somber than her old combat attire. Her shorts were longer, and her undershirt now covered her cleavage entirely. The only color to the whole thing was her scarf and the elastic orange fabric hugging around her left calf. It was all so muted, so dead. So not Yang.

It had been four years, and Blake was still having trouble coming to terms with just how much her partner had changed. But that's why I'm here, she thought, narrowing her eyes at a particular scratch in the bar as Yang dropped another shot. Her thinking was quickly interrupted as her companion growled a question.

"Why are you here?"

Her eyes snapped up to Yang's face, though the brawler wasn't looking at her.

"I'm here for you." Yang snorted, the unsaid message clear as day. Obviously. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. I've been running back-to-back missions and-" Blake stopped, realizing that she was rambling. She swallowed. "How have you been?"

She cast Blake a sideways glance, and Blake almost shuddered at how cold her gaze was. She didn't think she'd ever get used to that look. Not whenever it was directed at her. Yang didn't answer, instead knocking back the last shot. She raised her hand, making a subtle motion at the bartender, and he nodded at her before reaching under the counter and pulling out a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass.

"You're hurt," Blake stated, seeing the knuckles on Yang's right hand had split open from her earlier fight. "Here," she reached forward, gently taking Yang's hand in both of hers, "let me-"

Yang snatched her hand away from her partner, glaring at her with red-tinted eyes. "Blake, why are you here?" she hissed. The bartender calmly set the fresh shot before her as Blake bowed her head silently. Yang grabbed the glass and brought it to her mouth.

It froze on her lips, though, at Blake's next words. "We found Roman."

Yang gently set the alcohol back down, her eyes boring holes in the bar. "Where?"

Blake shook her head. "No."

Yang looked up angrily, eyes now a deep crimson. "Blake-" she started through clenched teeth before Blake interrupted her.

"I'm not telling you where he is." Yang inhaled, clearly about to fly off on her, but Blake continued. "If I do, you're just gonna run straight at him and get yourself killed. I am not telling you."

Yang slammed her fist down on the counter. "Then why the fuck are you even here!"

Blake miraculously managed to keep her face calm and her voice level, despite how deeply those words cut her. "I'm here to tell you to we're going after him tomorrow."

Yang snorted. "Good luck with that." She turned back to the bar and picked up her shot. "If you're done, you can just see yourself out now."

Blake's hand clamped down on her upper arm. Yang sent her a warning glare, but she matched it with one of her own. She hadn't come all the way here just to be dismissed like that. "I feel like you've misunderstood something, Yang." She saw some of the anger drain from her face. "When I say we're going after him, I don't mean Beacon. I mean me," she pointed a finger at herself before moving it to indicate Yang, "and you. Us. You and I are going after Roman tomorrow. So no, I will not tell you where he is, not tonight." She released the blonde's arm. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow. There's no way I'm giving you any chance to run off on your own. Not again."

Yang was silent for a minute. Then she grunted and tossed back the final shot. She slapped some lien on the counter and slid from her seat, making her way to the exit.

"RDA. 9AM," Blake called to her as she pushed through the double doors. And then she was gone.

Blake turned back to the bar and waved at the bartender. "Flightless Nevermore. Double." As the man set about mixing her drink, Blake allowed her shoulders to slump and a sigh to escape her lips. She hoped that this had been the right decision.

Yang jiggled the key in the lock, hissing in frustration when the damned thing still refused to turn.

Fuck it.

She lashed out with her foot and was greeted with the sound of splintering wood. She stalked into the small, dingy apartment, glaring at the destroyed doorframe as she did so. I'll deal with it later. Yang wasn't normally so explosively angry, but that lock had been tormenting her for weeks, and Blake's unwelcome visit had set her on edge. The faunus was the only one who still came to check up on Yang. Weiss had never come by, and everybody else had only dropped in once or twice. Blake was the only one who had kept coming all four years, though. She only showed up every few months, which was fine with Yang. If she had her way, her ex-partner would never come to see her. She was far too vivid a reminder of the very world Yang had fought tooth and nail to leave behind. Blake's visits always drove a deep shard of despair and pain into what remained of her heart. They left her feeling hollow.

Yet, at the same time, she was excited. For the first time since her return to Vale over three years ago, she felt something like anticipation coiling in her stomach. At last, she could go back on the hunt. She could go after the ones who had destroyed her life again. Find them. Hurt them. Break them.

There was a switch next to the door, and as she flipped it, a weak bulb spluttered to life above her, casting eerie shadows over the enclosure. She walked into the living area, one of the four rooms that made up the decrepit apartment. The other three were a bedroom, a tiny bathroom, and an uncomfortably small kitchen which she rarely used. Furniture was sparse, only a sunken couch and an old, beaten coffee table stood in the living room. A thick layer of dust laid over everything, and small piles of clothes lay crumbled in several places. The sorry state of her apartment didn't really matter to Yang; she was barely even here. It was just a cheap place to store her things.

She moved into the bedroom, not even sparing the thin, lumpy mattress then rested in the corner a glance. She had picked it up mostly for appearance's sake, as she was more accustomed to sleeping on bars and benches these days. Besides, she had learned quickly after the Siege that restful sleep was no longer a commodity she was afforded. There was a small closet set in the wall opposite the mattress, and it was there that Yang's goal lay.

She reached up to the shelf spanning the width of the space, hands fumbling around, searching. A few boxes got in her way, and she tossed them over her shoulder without a second thought, spilling their contents onto the floor. Papers, trinkets, and supplies spilled out from the cap-sized containers, but Yang didn't care. Her lilac eyes were wide, peering into the shadows hiding the shelf's contents. Her heart hammered in her chest and she could hear her blood pounding in her ears. She could feel her hands tremble slightly as she continued her search.

Giddiness.

Was she really that excited for this? It seemed that way, but she wasn't sure if it was strictly excitement that was doing this to her. She could already feel some bad memories stirring, and she could tell that it was probably only going to get worse whenever they went after Roman. So anxiety, too, probably had a lot to do with it. But it didn't matter, 'cause this was her chance to finish what she started. To avenge her sister and finish cutting every single attachment she had left to this life.

Her frenzied thoughts quieted as her hands brushed against a cool, hard surface. She ran her fingers along the edge, and she grasped it by the handle when they found it. A few object spilled to the floor as she pulled the dark wood case from its hiding place. Yang held it before her in both arms and blew lightly across the top of it, causing a maelstrom of dust to fly off into the air. There was still a thick layer of the stuff resting on it; she hadn't touched this, nor its contents, in years. She walked to the bed and set the case down, kneeling on the floor before it.

There was a golden combination lock on the front, nestled beside the leather-fitted handle. Four numbers. Her fingers flew across the lock, inputting the numbers with a practiced ease, and there was a soft cha-chick as the internal catches released themselves. Yang opened the case, taking a deep breath of the musty, stale air within. There, nestled amongst the foam and felt within, were her weapons.

"Hey there, Ember," she whispered as she gently stroked of one of the yellow gauntlets. "Looks like we'll be going on one last mission." She glanced at the dings, dents and scrapes that littered the both of them, and at the black scorch marks that still marred the right one's surface. "I promise this is the final one. We'll be done after this." She removed both of the gauntlets from there resting place and slipped them onto her wrists. The weight was familiar and yet entirely foreign at the same time. It had been so long. She threw her arms back, and Ember Celica unfolded, with more than one or two unwanted creaks and groans.

Yang stared down at the gauntlets. "Yeah," she murmured, "this will be the final one."

Blake walked out of the bathroom, finishing tying the knot in the red cloth wrapped around her left wrist. Her thin, black robe was tied loosely about her waist with a silk sash. A wave of steam followed her out into her bedroom. She sighed and pulled the towel off from around her neck, tossing it over her shoulder into the hamper in the bathroom. She slid onto the bed, slumping onto her back and staring up at the ceiling.

She could've gone back to Beacon for the night, but her apartment was closer. And besides, if Ozpin found out what she had done, he would be anything but pleased with her. Provided she managed to avoid any conversations with either him or Glynda before the mission tomorrow, she'd be fine.

"Yang," she breathed, as thoughts of her partner filled her mind. She wouldn't lie: it hurt, seeing Yang. Seeing the fear and pain in her eyes every time she saw Blake's face. It hurt a lot, and it had every time she had checked up on her throughout the years since the Siege. It was awful, seeing her waste away like she was. Every time she saw the blonde, she was a bit thinner, a bit gaunter. Her eyes were more sunken, surrounded by dark circles from lack of sleep. The worst, though, was the look in those lilac orbs. She hadn't really thought it possible after the Siege, but more and more life seemed to be draining from her irises. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the woman she had known disappeared entirely.

No, she thought as she laid the back of her hand across her forehead and closed her eyes, she might already be gone. I may have lost her a long time ago. Golden eyes opened again. That didn't mean she was gonna give up though. She had made the decision to bring Yang along on this mission not just because she deserved a shot at Roman more than anyone, but because Blake was hoping this might jolt her back into existence. It might somehow bring out a bit of the old Yang. At least, that's what Blake was hoping. Honestly, this was her last try, her final chance. After this, she had no idea what she could do for her. She had done everything else she think of, and nothing had proved effective.

She sat up as she felt her stomach drop. Unfortunately, over-stressing herself about things was a bad habit she had developed in these fours years. She knew it well, but that didn't prevent her from succumbing to it. Equally as unfortunate, it seemed only another bad habit she had picked up could quiet her raging thoughts. Blake stood and walked around her bed. She snatched a small pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her nightstand and made her way to the sliding glass doors that separated her room from the balcony. She pulled open the door and took a deep, refreshing breath of the frigid air.

Blake tapped the cardboard box against her open palm before sliding a cigarette out and clenching it between her teeth. Her thumb flicked open the lighter's top before striking the flint, and a flame sparked to life. She preferred these old fuel-based lighters as opposed to the newer Dust ones, no matter how much her teammate sang their praises. Once the cigarette was lit, she shook the lighter closed and inhaled deeply, feeling the smoke scorch its way into her lungs. Her nerves began to calm, and she exhaled, leaning against the stone railing that came up to her waist. A slight breeze blew by, tousling her still damp hair and carrying away the smoke.

A small smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth as she remembered the shitstorm that had ensued the first time Weiss had caught her smoking. The heiress had practically exploded with rage, and even after she had calmed down a few days later, she and Velvet had still given Blake a scathing lecture on taking care of her body. She had apologized then, and assured them she would quit. She was sure they knew that she was lying, but it seemed to satisfy them. Blake was just careful to only do it when they weren't around after that. Though, to be fair, she did start limiting the amount of times she smoked after that, saving it only for when she really needed to calm herself.

Normally on nights like this, after seeing Yang.

With tired eyes, she watched the tapestry of the city lights spreading out before her. One of the advantages to having an apartment on the twentieth floor, she could see everything. The green lights of Beacon winked in the distance, and Blake had to take another drag to suppress the choking feeling that threatened to crawl up her throat. Being with Yang always brought these feelings screaming back to the front of her mind. Her sleep was probably going to haunted by visions of Deathstalkers and little girls wrapped in cloaks of crimson blood tonight.

Golden eyes fell to the red cloth encircling her wrist.

She touched it gently with her right hand, and a small, humorless, hopeless smile curved her mouth.

Hey, Ruby, if you were here, what would you say? What would you think of what we've all become? I've done what I could, but I don't think it's enough. I don't think it ever will be. If it was you, you'd be able to fix us all, wouldn't you?

Blake drew on the cigarette one final time before flicking the butt out into the void. She turned to go back inside, but stopped for moment, her head bowed.

"Hey...Ruby..." she whispered, "I'm sorry."

The only reply was the soft howl of the wind, quietly whisking her words away into the night, and Blake stepped inside, eyes stinging from more than just the cold.

A/N: And there we have Chapter 2!

Not gonna lie, this one hurt to write at several points. Like, really, really hurt. So I kinda feel you guys, and I'm kinda sorry, but I'm not gonna stop

Also, before I forget ('cause I totally did in chapter 1) this Book's theme is 'Red Like Roses, Pt. II'. which if think about it, is probably really, really obvious, hahah

For those of you who've reviewed, favorited, and followed already, thank you so much! you are amazing and I love you ^_^

Also, for those of you who reviewed (quite a number of you, which makes me so fucking happy), you've already gotten the first taste of this, but I'm trying something new. I'm going to endeavor to respond to every review I get on this story, even if it's just to say thank you. I've never really gotten into replying to reviews, but you guys are so awesome and I really wanna respond to your enthusiasm with my story and the pure excitement you show. It might take me a few days, but I will do my absolute best to respond to everyone (unless you don't wish me too, in which case just let me know, and I'll understand)

Anyway, please let me know what you guys thought! I dropped a few hints about things that have occurred in the time skip in this chapter, and at least one reveal is coming next chapter (one I've been anticipating for awhile now) so look forward to that!