Chapter II: Adaptation

April 26, 2006 2:25 PM Vale Standard Time (VST)

"Enjoy your four day weekend," the teacher shouted to drown out the sound of the release bell. "And remember, you're essays on The One Hundred Year War are due on May 1st; that's next Monday!" The students, naturally, barely paid any mind as they all clambered to grab their belongings and leave the grounds. To celebrate the end of the Hundred Year War the students of the Vale School District were always given two days off; the day of the final battle, April 27th, and the day of the signing of the treaty, April 28th. This year, to their delight, these days happened to land on a Thursday and a Friday, giving them a four day weekend. As such, the room was emptied faster than usual.

Blake Belladonna, now thirteen and only a few months away from her fourteenth birthday, was nose deep into a new novel yet again, completely oblivious to the bell that had rung. "Blake!" came a male voice, breaking her trance. She looked up and met the face of her closest friend; Adam Taurus. His hair and eyes were both a deep crimson, and growing out of his head was a pair of bull horns; like her, he was a Faunus.

"Hm?" she asked absentmindedly, slowly placing her bookmark to keep her page.

"You up to hang out during the weekend?" he asked with a broad smile. "There's a movie premiering this Saturday that I really want to see. It looks like it's going to be great!"

"It's not Superman Returns is it? Because, honestly, it looks awful," Blake said dryly with a slight smirk on her face.

"It won't be that bad," Adam assured. "Come on, what do you say?"

Blake smiled and shook her head. "Sorry. My parents want me to stay home this year. I think we have a family reunion or something. I'm not sure."

Adam shrugged, hiding his dejectedness. "Oh well. I'll be sure to tell you all about how wrong you are about the movie on Monday, then!"

"Just don't forget to do your homework," Blake jabbed. "You can't copy me this time, or we'll both fail."

"Yeah, yeah." he said with a wave. "Have fun with your family, Blake!"

"You too, Adam," she said with a wave as he left.

The teacher, Ms. Gale, sighed as she approached. "I just don't see how you two became friends, honey," she said sincerely. "You're just so quiet and well behaved, and he's..."

"Adam."

"Yes. That's really the best way to describe him. Adam is Adam."

Blake giggled. "Tautology at its finest."

"And there you go again. How does a thirteen-year-old even know what tautology is?"

"I like to read," Blake deadpanned with a slight smile.

"I know, honey. I'd honestly be getting onto you for doing it during my class if you didn't have such high grades."

Blake stood as Ms. Gale spoke, packing away her school supplies and various books into her backpack. "I can remember everything I read after reading it just once, so it's not that hard to keep up," she said with a shrug.

Ms. Gale smiled. "Well, tell your family I said hello for me. See you next week, dear."

"Will do. Have a good break, Ms. Gale."

Shouldering her backpack, Blake left the classroom and eventually made her way to the streets of Vale. The nightmarish memory of fleeing her childhood home seemed like a distant haze as she'd grown accustomed to living among humans in the Spring Court. The capital city, Vale, was a far cry from the Menagerie that she saw in her memories. While Menagerie was no small settlement, she remembered thinking that Vale looked like a jungle made out of concrete and steel the first time she laid eyes upon it.

At first the transition was difficult, as it had only been a short eight years since the end of the Hundred Year War. This meant that the Faunus population outside of Menagerie was scarce and unwelcome in most of the other nations, especially the Four Courts, and Blake spent the first two years in the Vale School District completely alone and ostracized by her human classmates. It wasn't until the end of 1999 that other Faunus families began to move into the city proper, and that was the year that she met Adam. Brash, tactless, impulsive, and more stubborn than his namesake, Blake was amazed that she'd become such close friends with the boy. But it wasn't a secret by any means. They'd met as classmates in August of '99, but it wasn't until the turn of the millennium that they actually spoke for the first time.

Blake was being bullied by a group of older human boys. Being only seven, nearly eight-years-old, at the time she wasn't sure how to handle it. Out of seemingly nowhere Adam popped up and walked right up to the largest of the boys. In hindsight, perhaps breaking the older boy's nose wasn't the best course of action, but it meant the world to Blake; Adam's actions came from sincere concern from the heart. Truthfully, she'd have preferred going to the movie with Adam today. But she wasn't lying when she said that her family wanted her home. She also spoke the truth when she said that she didn't know why she was told to come straight home.

Shrugging to herself, she pushed the thought aside. I'll find out soon enough. Twenty minutes passed as she walked the busy streets before she finally arrived home. Back in Menagerie her family had been wealthy and powerful, easily living in the largest home in the city. Now? She wasn't poor, nor did she go without, but she still felt that it was odd that her father opted for a tremendously smaller home to make their new lives in. Supposedly they don't even have to pay for anything according to her mother, Kali, as the Lord Vincent Arc voluntarily covered all of their expenses. Yet, her father's pride couldn't be satiated and he landed a job in construction nearby, seemingly ignoring the income provided by the lord, but also unable to return it since Lord Vincent just sends it right back every single time. Her father's pride wasn't a bad thing, however. She had the privilege of visiting one his work sites once, and she distinctly remembered laughing at the sight of Ghira single handedly carrying a small I-beam while the other workers looked on in shock.

As she approached the front door her gaze drifted to the driveway that rested adjacent to the house, and she noticed a black luxury car sitting idly that she just barely recognized; it had been years since Lord Vincent had personally visited her family. What's going on? she thought to herself as she opened the door.

"Mom, dad, I'm home!" she shouted casually as she slipped her shoes off and placed them on a nearby rack.

"Welcome home," Kali greeted, standing expectantly in the entryway. "Come into the sitting room, Blake. We have company."

"I saw that. What's the Spring Lord doing here?"

"We honestly don't know," her mother admitted. "He sent us a letter Monday morning that explained that he had something important to tell us today, but refuses to say what until you got home from school."

"Okay." The two feline Faunus made their way to the sitting room where Ghira and Vincent seated across from one another having a pleasant conversation about family and shared interests. This would have been a good sign in Blake's mind, except for the fact that Vincent's escort, the man named Alchemy, stood nearby with a serious look on his face. What's happened?

"Bless that girl, though, she's worked so very hard to get where she is today. She's supposed to grow up and be Jaune's personal bodyguard, just as Alchemy is to me, but I'll be damned if she isn't the most mischievous little girl I've ever known. Jaune's been a big brother to her since we took her in, and he still can't figure out how to deal with her!" Vincent said, erupting into a hearty laugh.

Ghira chuckled in kind. "I must admit, my old friend, I'm quite impressed. Your generosity knows no bounds. How have I not heard that you'd adopted this girl? What did you say her name was? Ruby?"

"Well," Vincent answered sheepishly. "Unlike Jacques and, to an extent Oprheus, I don't much care for the limelight. I try to keep my personal affairs as private as possible."

"Smart thing, that. I remember how hard it was to keep anything private when I was younger. Why, when I asked Kali to marry me it ended up turning into a huge scandal. I was the first Belladonna in generations to choose my own wife after all."

"I'd wish I'd had a chance to hear that rumormill," Vincent said with a sad smile. "War somehow made news travel slower than normal across borders. Especially considering we were enemies."

"Technically enemies. Only on paper. It was only due to your persistence that we managed to come to a peaceful agreement."

"I disagree. You were a wiser lord than you give yourself credit for."

"And yet, here I am; building the world one brick at a time as a ghost. The whole planet thinks that my family is dead, and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't miss the lordship."

"Perks of the commonness of the name Belladonna I'd imagine."

"Indeed," Ghira said with a similarly sad smile before he noticed Blake and Kali. "Ah, my lord, you remember my daughter, Blake?"

Vincent stood and slowly approached Blake with a happy smile on his face. "My goodness, you're Blake? You've grown so much! Why, the last time I saw you was when you were barely taller than this!" To emphasize, he placed his hand at his right hip. "I hate to say this out loud, Ghira, but it's a blessing that she resembles her mother. But, watch out, Kali; she may grow up to be even more beautiful than you as well." Blake blushed. Why do adults talk like this? It's embarressing.

Kali laughed. "One would hope so."

"I'd bet you've got boys lined up out the door to try and win you over, Blake."

"Ha!" Ghira coughed a hearty laugh. "I'm afraid not, my lord. Adam won't allow it. He's too protective of her."

"Adam? So, there is a boy for you!"

"N-no!" Blake stammered. "We're just friends. He beat up my bullies for me when we were small and we've just been looking out for each other."

"Ah," Vincent sighed. "Well, that's just fine too. Jaune and Ruby are pretty much going to always be best friends, I'm sure. Nothing more."

"Ahem," Alchemy interrupted. "I'm sorry, Lord Vincent, but the whole family is present. This matter is most pressing."

Vincent's expression darkened and became serious. "Right, right. Sorry." He sat back down, and Alchemy handed him a manila envelope. "What I'm about to tell you hasn't been made public yet. It won't be made public until tomorrow, but I felt that you and your family, Ghira, needed to know this first." Opening the envelope he pulled out a thick multi-page document and offered it to Ghira. "Skim the first couple of pages and tell me what you think."

Nodding, Ghira accepted it and began to read. Within seconds, his eyes went wide as he slowly lowered the document onto the table that rested between the two men. "This is true?" "As true as true gets. This could be what you need."

"What is it, dear?" Kali asked.

Ghira sighed, but then his lips formed into a gentle smile. "Kojima is dead. Menagerie has been liberated."

Kali gasped. "That's great news! Why isn't this public yet?"

"Because," Vincent answered. "Our sources can't pinpoint where the remnants of his regime have run off too. We obviously have to tell the world that this tyrant is dead, but we run the risk of accidentally painting him as a martyr to some of the more extremist Faunus in the Courts. They may be leaderless, but they aren't finished. Now that their political foothold has fallen away we fear that they may turn to a more extreme manner of self expression."

"You're forgetting the most important part of this document," Ghira pointed out. "Sienna is the one who killed him. She's taken over as Lady of Menagerie. The Faunus are in good hands."

"Sienna took over?" Blake asked. "That's a good thing, right?"

"No government leader can outright stop extremism and corruption. It will always exist in some form or another," Vincent explained. "Sienna may get the backing of the people, but she can't stop all of them from aiming to reclaim the lordship in the name of Kojima's ideals." Vincent shook his head. "I remember Kojima. We met during the signing of the treaty. He never said a word to me, or to any other human for that matter. I could see it on his face."

Ghira nodded. "He never saw the truce as a means to peace. He thought that it was a sign that the humans had won and the Faunus had given up. He blamed me for losing a war that no one was capable of winning. That was 1989. He sat on that hatred for eight years, letting it fester as he slowly built up a means to start again, culminating into a coup d'état. I'm sure he'd have eventually broken the treaty and started the war all over again when he felt he was able to."

"This news will go public tomorrow," Vincent reiterated. "Ghira, not only as your protector but as your friend, I would advise that you return to Menagerie and reclaim the lordship. If anyone can quell a potential uprising in the name of vengeance, it's you."

Ghira shook his head. "No. The time of Belladonna leadership has passed. There is nothing we can do to reclaim their loyalty. Kojima wasn't the only one to see me as a traitor."

Alchemy spoke up for the first time, saying, "I'm sure Sienna would welcome you back with open arms. She was your most loyal servant."

"I gave her explicit instructions upon my departure that Menagerie's fate was to be placed into her hands, not mine!" Ghira shouted. "I will not risk returning and sending my people plummeting into another downward spiral, not while there are those you believe me to be in the wrong! That's the sacrifice I've made. I willingly became the villain so that my people would someday know peace."

"But you don't have to be, dad," Blake said meekly. "You have a chance to make them see that you made the right choice. You should take it."

He shook his head again, locking eyes with Vincent. "Thank you, Vincent, for telling me this news. I believe this to be a good change for the Faunus. But I will not return and risk doing more harm than good. The life of a working class man suits me and my family better, I think."

Vincent opened his mouth, then promptly closed it with a gentle smile as he decided against arguing. "Of course, your life is yours to live as you see fit, my friend. I cannot and will not tell you otherwise." He stood and straightened his jacket. "Though you are no longer a lord, I can't help but still show you the proper respect," he added as he bowed. "Perhaps I should invite you into my home someday. I'm sure Jaune and Ruby would love to become friends with young Blake here."

Ghira chuckled. "Perhaps someday, friend. But not this day."

"No," Vincent agreed. "Not this day."

The following Monday arrived without incident. The news networks broadcasted the information nationwide, just as Lord Vincent had said, and the reception seemed mostly positive. Blake entered her school, her backpack slung over her right shoulder as she read a book in her left hand. The bell signaling the start of the day rang, and without once looking up from the pages she walked through the halls and entered her first class of the day.

Waiting for her in his seat, situated next to hers, was Adam Taurus, looking rather dejected. "There you are," he said. "I've been wanting to talk to you all weekend!"

"What's up?" Blake asked, finally putting her book away.

"Did you see the news? Kojima's been usurped by someone named Sienna!"

"Yeah, I saw. What does it matter to us? We live in the Spring Court."

Adam scoffed. "He was trying to make things right for the Faunus, though. He barely had a chance!"

Blake, feeling nervous, tried to deflect. "Adam, we're fourteen. We're not supposed to even care about politics, let alone understand it."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But still, isn't it kind of a bummer? Oh well, maybe this Sienna will do something useful."

She shook her head, trying to find a way to change the subject. "How was your movie?" she asked.

"Oh my God, it was awful!" Adam shouted, and he was about to go into a full rant about it before the teacher entered and started class as the final bell rang.

Blake gave a sigh of relief.