Chapter 16

After passing through several relatively normal train cars, Team YYRN, Yang and Weiss arrived at another absurdly large one. There was obviously a shadow to fight, Rise could sense it, but it was nowhere to be seen. They advanced warily, expecting an ambush at any moment. They did not have to wait long. Accompanied by the screeching and grinding of joints in desperate need of lubrication, a robotic shadow dropped from the ceiling. It looked similar to a Spider Droid but was slightly larger. It immediately scattered the group with a series of shots from its arm and shoulder-mounted cannons.

After the initial attack, Yu found himself behind the shadow. He charged up to it, firing lightning all the way. In melee range he slashed at it with his blade repeatedly, his strikes drawing showers of sparks but doing no apparent damage. He persisted with his electric attacks, but they too did nothing. The shadow spun around rapidly, swinging one of its legs out and into Yu's midsection. He tumbled backward and slid to a stop on his back. The shadow targeted him and fired one its cannons. A wall of ice shot up in front of Yu, shattering as the cannon blast struck it. Weiss swept in, sliding forward on her glyphs.

With Weiss now the most immediate threat, the shadow turned its attention to her, firing several cannon shots that she easily dodged. She cycled Myrtenaster and launched a line of fire at the shadow. Flames surrounded the shadow but it kept firing. Weiss leapt over the shadow, and catching a glyph at the peak of her jump, launched herself Myrtenaster-first into the monster. Her blade glanced off the shadow without leaving a scratch and she slammed into the ground. The shadow reared up on two legs, slamming them down at Weiss.

Yang was there in a flash, punching the shadow's legs aside as Weiss scrambled to safety. Now behind the shadow, Yang unleashed a flurry of explosive punches into its back. The shadow jerked and stumbled under the force of the blows. Recovering quickly, the shadow spun around. Yang ducked one outstretched leg but was hit in the face by the second. She flipped through the air and slammed into the wall as the shadow charged at her. Yosuke hit the shadow with wind from the side, knocking it off balance. It struggled to keep its footing but flipped over and skidded across the floor in a shower of sparks.

"Now!" Rise shouted. "Everyone attack!" The group charged in, furiously assailing the shadow with their weapons. It groaned and screeched under the assault but sprung back to its feet. It spun around with incredible speed, forcing the group to retreat, lest they catch a leg to the face. Free of the group, the shadow skittered across the floor to an empty corner of the area. Its cannons fused into one gigantic weapon that glowed and whined as it charged up. The cannon fired, launching a slow but huge projectile at the group. Before reaching them, it split into multiple explosive warheads, each tracking toward one of them.

Naoto concentrated and thrust her fist upward. Spectral shields appeared before each member of the group, absorbing the shadow's attack. Naoto wobbled and dropped to a knee, exhausted. The shadow began charging its cannon again.

Weiss rushed in front of the group. "Fire at the cannon through my glyph." Weiss ordered as she produced a floating white circle before her. The other complied, emptying their guns at the shadow. On impact, their bullets exploded into balls of ice that stuck to the shadow, plugging up its weapon. The shadow fired anyway, but could not break through. The massive projectile exploded inside the shadow's chest, blowing the entire beast to pieces. The pieces melted and evaporated away.

"You're a criminal and a murderer just like me." Blake's shadow said. Even though she knew it was just a cheap copy, she could not help but think of it as Adam. "You haven't changed one bit since we worked together. You killed two Faunus in cold blood just before you came here."

"Cold blood?!" Blake shouted. "Self-defense! I wouldn't have laid a hand on them if they weren't working with you…with Adam…to torture Weiss and kill me. I did what I had to."

"Keep telling yourself that." The shadow said. "I see the bloodlust in you. The hatred, the rage, the evil, it's all there. I trained you well, but your cowardice ruined everything. All you do is run away. You even ran to get here. You could have killed me in the club. You had the jump on me. But you didn't have the guts."

"I'm done running." Blake growled. There was a commotion at the door as Team YYRN, Weiss and Yang burst in.

"The door's open, let's just go!" Yang shouted to Blake.

"Yes, run away." Blake's shadow taunted. "Now's your chance."

"No." Blake said. "I won't run, not until this is finished."

"You're finally showing some backbone." The shadow said. "Maybe there is still hope for you." Her shadow stood and pointed to Weiss. "Help me kill that Schnee bitch and all will be forgiven. You know what her family has done to the Faunus, what they still do. Anything else would be a betrayal of your people."

"Weiss is my friend." Blake said. "I'll never hurt her. I don't care what her name is. I don't care who her father is. All I care about is who she is."

"Would she say the same thing if she knew what you've done?" Blake's shadow asked. "Those White Fang attacks on her family were pretty traumatizing."

"I never hurt anyone." Blake said.

"You may not have pulled the trigger, but you helped point the gun." The shadow said. "That's something you can't deny."

"I…I…shut up!" Blake screamed. She drew Gambol Shroud and charged at the shadow, grunting at every step taken on her injured leg. She swung her blade, but her shadow was gone before it arrived. It had jumped straight up and punched through the ceiling of the train car. Blake growled and jumped up after it.

"Blake, wait!" Weiss called after her in vain. The rest of the group scrambled to follow her.

At the rear of the train, there was nowhere to go. Blake's shadow stood on the edge. She charged. Suddenly, the shadow melted into a puddle of black liquid before reforming into a ten-foot-tall Minotaur that retained Adam's features. The awful truth finally hit Blake. It had been staring her in the face all along, and she knew on some level, but somehow she had repressed it. She was not facing Adam. It was something worse. The monster that stood before her was just a reflection of her. Everything it said, everything it did, was a reflection of her. If the things it said were terrible and evil, it was because deep down, she was too. She stumbled to a stop just in front of the shadow and dropped to her knees.

As the others looked on, the shadow picked Blake up, lifted her over its head, and slammed her down hard. She smashed through the top of the train car and disappeared into the darkness inside. Yang charged without thinking. She was fast but the shadow was faster. As she jumped into her attack, the shadow met her with a backhand smack. She tumbled aside, heading off the speeding train. Weiss produced a glyph in Yang's path, knocking her back atop the train where she landed roughly. She charged straight back at the shadow, but with its longer reach, the attack was futile. It punched her straight in the face and she slammed down hard, the back of her head hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

"She's going to get herself killed." Rise warned. "Get her out of there!"

Yu ran forward, grabbed the downed Yang by the collar and slid her back toward the rest of the group. Rise pulled Yang the rest of the way and held her down as the groggy Yang tried to get back up. Yu found electricity to be ineffective and ice likewise. The attacks were very good at making the shadow angry. It charged him, lowering its horns to use them as a battering ram. Yu jumped over the shadow as it charged, landing behind it as the shadow slid to a stop. He slashed at the monster with his sword, cutting through its hide as it roared in pain. It may have been hurt but it was still fast. It spun around and swung a fist at Yu. He deflected the attack with the side of his sword, but another punch followed from the other side. It caught him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Naoto pummeled the shadow with fire, more to distract it than anything. It worked, and the shadow ran at her. Naoto fell back as Yosuke stepped up. A blast of wind caused the shadow to stumble backward. Weiss covered the floor behind the shadow with ice. As Yosuke's wind pushed it back, the shadow slipped and slammed down on its back. More ice locked the shadow in place, providing an opening for the others to attack. Team YYRN rushed the shadow and slashed at it with their blades as it struggled to get free. They were tearing it apart. Suddenly, the shadow melted back into black liquid. Free of the ice it reformed, but returned to Adam's form. The wounded shadow fled the group and jumped down into the train car through the hole Blake had made. The group followed, their opportunity to finish the shadow off slipping away.

The shadow stood in the center of the train car, the downed Blake behind it as it faced the group. It no longer looked injured. Though in a human form, it looked as strong as ever, a look of confidence on its face. "I'm going to kill the six of you, and then I'm going to kill her." The shadow hissed. "That little interlude on the roof was interesting, but now you'll witness my true power!" It thrust its hands forward and a blast of energy knocked the group off their feet. Just as they started to get up it sent another wave, knocking them back down. It drew a sword and began to approach. Every time one of them tried to get back up to fight, a wave of the shadow's hand sent a blast of energy to put a stop to that. "Now, who should I kill…"

The shadow stopped mid-sentence and looked down. A black blade protruded from its chest. Blake, bruised and bloodied, had thrust Gambol Shroud cleanly through the shadow. For a moment, the two stood there still, a look of shock and terror on the shadow's face. Blake's face showed only grim determination. With a grunt Blake wrenched the blade upward, cutting out through the shadow's shoulder. This time when the shadow melted, it did not reform. It simply evaporated away. Blake collapsed, injured and exhausted.

Weiss rushed over and knelt at Blake's side. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm so sorry." Blake said. "All the things I've done, I wouldn't blame you if you hated me. I'm a terrible person. You saw my shadow, that's me. I'm angry, violent and cowardly. I'm a monster."

"That's not the Blake I know." Weiss said. "The Blake I know is smart, brave and kind. I don't care how you were or what you did before we met. That doesn't matter. What matters is the person you've become. We all make mistakes, but what really matters is what we do next. Just the fact that you're beating yourself up about this shows that you're not that person anymore. And the things you did to my family? I don't blame you. I don't even want to know what they were. My family is responsible for some terrible things. Together we can make it right, for both of us."

"Weiss…I…" Blake stammered with tears running down her cheeks. "But…I…I don't…"

"We'll get through this together." Weiss cut her off. She grabbed Blake around the shoulders and hugged her tightly.

"Together." Blake said, hugging her back.

"Wow, this is getting hot!" Yang shouted. "Do you want me to book you two a room to yourselves?"

Flustered, Weiss pushed Blake back and stood up. Yang walked over and helped Blake to her feet. "You really know how to ruin a touching moment." Blake said, wiping her tears away. "Where's Ruby?"

"She's still in here somewhere." Yu replied. "We'll get her tomorrow."

"Why not now?" Blake asked.

"Because you're bleeding from a gaping wound in your leg." Yang answered. Blake looked down to see that the ribbon had slipped down her calf, exposing the bloody and jagged wound. Yang pointed to Team YYRN. "They're pretty clear about not doing too much too fast."

"Please tell me you're willing to go to the hospital." Rise said.

"Weiss, how are you at sewing?" Blake asked.

"I made this combat skirt myself." Weiss said.

"Good, the first aid kit back in our dorm room has some sutures in it." Blake said. "I hope you're not squeamish."

"I could do it if Weiss doesn't want to." Naoto offered. "I have extensive first aid training."

"Don't encourage them." Rise sighed. "Why does everyone on this planet hate hospitals so much?"

"Well, they rescued Blake." Jaune said as he slipped his scroll into his pocket. Pyrrha's mood visibly brightened. Ren was just as low-key and Nora as excited as usual. "She's a little beat up but she's alright. Tomorrow they'll get Ruby."

"I still wish we could help." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, I want to crush some monsters!" Nora added.

"They don't want to put us in danger, especially with your injuries." Jaune said.

"I know; it's alright." Pyrrha said. She was feeling much better, but was definitely not ready for combat. The gash on her head was healed but she still felt weak. There was also the lingering headache. The doctors told her she was badly concussed and that it could take a long time to heal fully. They had only allowed her to walk that day and even then with plenty of people around to catch her if she lost her balance. Ren's recovery was progressing at about the same rate but he showed none of the same restlessness.

"It's getting late; I think Nora and I should head home." Jaune said. "We'll see you after classes tomorrow."

"Oh, I want to stay here." Nora moaned. Ren shot her a look to indicate that he agreed with Jaune. "Fine." She sighed. She and Jaune headed out.

"If I have to stay here much longer, I think I'll go insane." Ren said a few minutes later. "I like peace and quiet, some meditation, but this is too much."

Pyrrha was very surprised to hear that. Ren seemed content. "I feel the same way." She said. "The boredom is driving me crazy."

"The way wounds heal with aura is fascinating." Naoto said as she stitched up Blake's leg. "It's a little disappointing that I won't be able to see more natural progress." Weiss was totally grossed out, unable to look as Naoto worked. Yang, on the other hand, watched intently. Despite the lack of anesthetic, Blake showed few signs of pain, even as the needle poked through her skin, dragging the sutures behind it. She would occasionally grit her teeth or wince but mostly just kept a straight face. Naoto looped one last suture through Blake's leg before knotting it and cutting the line. "That should do it. I'm sorry the other side was so sloppy."

"Don't worry about it." Blake said. "I'm guessing you don't have much practice on live patients."

"Looks great." Yang said. She spun the cap off a bottle of medical alcohol and poured it over the wound. Blake winced and groaned in pain. "That should prevent any infection." Blake wanted to punch the big dumb smile off Yang's face for that, but she knew her teammate meant well.

"Thanks." Blake said, resisting the urge to say something she would regret later. Yang started to slap the wound but Blake caught her hand. "If you do that I'll shave your head while you sleep." Yang jumped back, grabbing her hair protectively.

"Is it…fixed?" Weiss asked. As much as she was concerned for her teammate's health, she mostly did not want to see the horrible wound again.

After reaching into the first aid kit, Naoto pulled out a bandage. She wrapped it tightly around Blake's leg and secured it in place. "All done." She confirmed. Naoto closed up the first aid kit and left.

"I didn't know you were so squeamish." Blake said to Weiss.

"I'm not usually." Weiss defended herself. "I could see the inside of your leg…moving. And the needle poking through your skin…" She shivered. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah, I hope Ruby's okay too." Yang sighed. She sat down, all the joy and playfulness from a moment ago gone. "I promised to protect her, to always be there for her, and now I'm here where it's safe and she's in that world with the monsters. I feel like a failure."

"Come on, it's not your fault." Blake said. "You've done everything you can and more. I'm sure she's fine. She's a lot tougher than she looks."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Yang said. She did not look any happier.

"There's something else isn't there." Weiss pressed.

"She's been through so much." Yang said. "I'm really worried about what her world will be like. I mean, it just seems like it gets worse with each of us. I would do anything for her to not have to go through that."

"Uh Naoto, your hands are a little bloody." Yosuke observed.

"I know; I haven't had a chance to wash them." Naoto said. "I just wanted to let you guys know that Blake's all patched up. She should be ready to go tomorrow."

"I still feel like we're rushing this." Rise said. "We're all pretty beat up the three of them especially. We can't risk failing."

"We can't afford to wait." Yu said. "Ruby's already been in there for days. As much as we're just kids, she's really just a kid. I'm really worried about her."