RWBY: Dark/Unclean

Blake turned over on the cot, panting. Sweat ran down her naked body, and was especially built up around her mask. She ran her hand through her hair, brushing over her feline ears on top of her head as she did so. Her bosom heaved with every pant as she caught her breath.

Ilia, who was just as sweaty and out of breath, scooted closer to Blake and pressed up against her. Blake felt the girl’s smooth, moist skin press up against hers, which did not help in calming her down.

“That… was… amazing…” Ilia said in between breaths, still shaking and squirming from the intensity of her climax. She laid her head down on her leader’s shimmering shoulder. “Thank you… Blake…” she panted as she closed her eyes.

While Blake was not unappreciative of the girl’s company, her mind was wandering from the partner at her side back to her failure at the tower. It had been over a week since the battle, and she was still raging over the fact that Adam Taurus had gotten away. What made matters worse was that he had actually found the Resistance group he had been helping, so now had a team of allies protecting him. No matter how much she tried, she could not seem to shake the anger she had been feeling since she was forced to retreat. For the past week she had been taking her fury out on the trees and Grimm of the Forever Fall forest where they were camped, but nothing seemed to reduce her rage. She had finally tried to relieve her tension by spending a night of passion with Ilia, but even now her hatred and need for revenge was dominating her thoughts. Careful not to jostle or disturb Ilia beside her, Blake clenched her teeth and squeezed the hand not wrapped around Ilia’s waist into a tight fist. The sweat pooling around her mask was beginning to itch, and she briefly considered removing it. But no, no one, not even Ilia, could see the face that lied beneath.

It was not long before the exhausted Ilia fell asleep, and Blake lay on the cot in silent rage. She wanted nothing more than to go looking for Taurus again, but she had been gone too much recently, and her people needed her. She considered what troops they could spare to hunt Adam down, but everyone would be needed for an upcoming raid on a Schnee mine. As Blake seethed and considered her options, she suddenly got an idea. Some of the pressure on her temples seemed to dissipate as she realized that she had an asset that she was not taking full advantage of: one of her allies, a magnificent bastard in Vale, may be of help to her.

Of course, there were downsides. If she went through with it, the annoying bastard would probably give her a hard time as well as demand money for such a task. The bastard was a crime kingpin, a vile gangster with an army of bounty hunters under his command. If she offered up the right price, the bastard was sure to deliver Adam Taurus and even the other Resistance right into her fingertips.

While it might cost her, Blake decided it was worth it to receive Adam Taurus’ head on a silver platter. She exhaled deeply, deciding she would visit her ally the next day. For tonight, however, she would try to enjoy her company.

Weiss stepped out of the shower, the excess water running down her pale figure. She always preferred to take cold showers for whatever reason; they just seemed to fit her icy personality better. However, this shower she decided to make warmer than she usually did. She felt dirty and exhausted, having spent over two hours fighting Lord Ozpin’s Grimm. Every bone in her body ached, and she was ready to wash the sweat and blood off to finally be clean again. The Grimm was not the most intelligent foe she had ever faced, but was certainly one of the strongest. She could not block the swings of its blade with her rapier; the giant armor would have crushed her. So the entire ordeal was a dodging game, constantly trying to outmaneuver the colossus while finding the occasional opportunity to strike at its joints. However, it was faster than she would have guesses, and struck her with its armored fists and boots more times than she cared to admit. After two hours, she finally pierced the armor and struck the monster on the back of the leg, causing it to kneel down and allow Weiss to stab into the creature’s helmet, killing it. Now she just wanted to rest. For once, she envied the Huntsmen and Huntresses who were secluded in darkness and silence.

Weiss’ nude form walked over to the mirror. Her sore, delicate hand reached up and wiped the condensation from the glass, allowing her to observe herself.

“You look like a wreck,” Weiss murmured to herself. She usually cherished these brief moments of privacy because she could say or do whatever she wanted without it reflecting on her image, but now she felt lonely and upset.

Weiss reached up and slowly ran her thin fingers over the scar on her face, shutting her eye to see it in its entirety. She thought about the one who had given it to her, and wondered how Winter would have fared at the tower or even against the Armored Grimm. A loose drop of water ran from her snow white hair down her face, following almost the same path as the scar. It ran down her cheek, then down her neck, resting on her collarbone. Weiss sighed, causing the drop to come loose again, run down her chest, over her breast, and finally release on the underside of her bosom, falling from her body and dripping onto the floor.

Weiss barely noticed it.

Mercury was leaning up with his shoulder against the wall, and Roman was behind the kitchen counter, leaning against it with his arms crossed. Adam sat in the corner, running his finger along the chip in his mask. Emerald was standing by Cinder’s side.

Roman shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right,” he said.

Cinder nodded. Her explaining what their options were regarding Salem was, as she expected, not received well. While Adam sat aside, Mercury had been very vocal about his disagreement and Roman had been silently resistant.

“I know it doesn’t,” Cinder replied. “But Emerald and I have given it thought for a couple days. We can’t support her anymore.”

Mercury sneered. “I expected better of you, Cinder.”

Cinder glared at him. “Weren’t you the one who was rolling their eyes at her, complaining that she was always rambling?”

Mercury stood up straight. “Look, just because she gets on my nerves every once and a while doesn’t mean I hate her. I respect her just as much as you do. Without her, I wouldn’t be walking today. My dad would have just taken my legs and left me to rot in a gutter.”

Mercury glanced down at his legs. He ran his hand along one, feeling the hard metal underneath. “She gave me legs to stand on. She made me new again. It hurt me too when she lost her mind. If anyone should go, it should be me!”

Cinder shook her head. “No. We need you.”

“We need her too!” Mercury shouted.

“Knock it off, Merc.” Roman interjected, his voice gruff and serious. He put his hands on the countertop and used it as support as he limped over towards Cinder. “As much as we hate to admit it, Cinder and Em are right. She’ll be brain-dead by the end of the year, and even with the plants we’re growing, we probably won’t have enough medicine for even that long. No one intends to hurt Salem, but a lot of things happened that weren’t intended. We didn’t intend for her to get sick in the first place, nor did we intend for Tyrian and Hazel to not be back…” He paused and choked up a bit. “We didn’t intend for Neo to die. But that’s how things are. We want to keep Salem safe, but it’s become increasingly clear that we don’t get what we want.”

Mercury looked away. “I don’t know if I could let it happen. I’d feel unclean.”

Adam had been listening to all of this in respectful silence. He had seen this woman Salem around the base quite a bit, but had never attempted to get to know her. From what he had gathered, she had been a wise and good mentor to these people before the bombing, but something happened during that time that made her lose herself mentally. He recalled his past mentor, a Faunus woman named Sienna Kahn. She was always no-nonsense and strict, but had a heart of gold and was his inspiration to begin the White Fang. When she died in a Schnee factory, Adam had felt similar feelings of guilt and regret that his allies were no doubt feeling now.

As Adam listened, he suddenly heard another sound other than his allies arguing. It was extremely faint, but just prominent enough to get his attention. He could not even make out what it was.

Just as Cinder was about to raise her voice at Mercury, Adam interjected.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Adam said respectfully. “But do you hear that?”

They all went silent as they listened. The base was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Then Adam heard it again, though he still was not sure of what he was hearing.

Emerald perked her head up. “I hear it too,” she said. “What is that?”

“I don’t hear anything,” Mercury muttered.

“Well shut up, and you might.” Roman snapped back.

The base was quiet again, then the sound returned, slightly louder this time. Cinder, Mercury, and Roman all raised their heads higher, all now able to perceive the sound.

“What is it?” Cinder inquired.

Adam shut his eyes under his mask and tried to focus on the sound. “It sounds like… crying.”

“Crying?” Cinder asked.

“I think so too,” emerald said, also closing her eyes.

“Is it Salem?” Roman asked.

“No…” Adam murmured. “It sounds like a child crying. Like a little girl.”

Cinder raised her brow, but was beginning to distinguish it based on Adam’s suggestion.

“Will someone check outside?” she asked.

“I’ll go,” Emerald said, walking past her allies to the metal door of the base. She slowly reached up, grasped the grille, and slowly and as quietly as possible, slid it open and peered through it.

“Guys,” she whispered. “you’re not going to believe this.”

Cinder was the first to react, slowly walking over to the door, her footsteps briefly breaking the silence. Emerald shifted aside, and Cinder stepped forward and peered through the gap.

The environment was the same dark, decrepit, demilitarized wasteland she had always known, with the shadows of the setting sun growing over the landscape. However, there was one abnormality: about a hundred feet from her was a girl, who looked like she was, at maximum, in her early teen years. She was short with pale skin and a mess of short-cut, tangled orange hair on her head. Her clothes appeared to be a tattered white blouse, a pair of dirty grey overalls, and torn black stockings full of holes and rips. Even from the distance, Cinder noted her bright green eyes and noted large freckles on her cheeks.

The girl had tears streaming down her face and was wincing in pain with every step she took. Under her arm was a worn-out crutch, and she had her left leg raised as to not put pressure on it. She cried as she limped forward, sniffing loudly and gasping in between sobs.

“Oh my gods,” Cinder muttered. “What’s a little girl doing here?”

Blake walked quickly through the wasteland. She hoped no Grimm would spot her; she was in too great a hurry to be bothered with them at the moment. She kept her eyes forward on her destination: a small building underneath a collapsed bridge. After peering around one last time to check for Grimm or other unsavory characters, she reached a metal door and knocked on it.

The grille almost immediately slammed open, and a pair of ugly eyes peered out. They sized Blake up (annoyingly pausing on her breasts), but then looked hard at her mask.

“What’s the passphrase?” the man with the ugly eyes asked in a gruff voice with a long drawl.

Blake huffed. They knew who she was. But she understood the precautions that needed to be taken, and wanted to get them over with.

“The real world isn’t the same as a fairytale,” Blake said just loud enough for the man to hear.

Even from the other side of the door, Blake could see the man nod. “Now state the password.”

Blake nodded. The security passphrase was the same every time, but the password was different depending what one’s business was.

“Stowaway,” Blake said.

The man nodded again, then slammed the grille shut. There was a second of silence, then the metal door creaked open. Blake could hear the music from inside. She swiftly stepped in, and the man shut the door behind her.

“Long time no see, High Leader Belladonna.” The ugly man smiled at her, revealing a missing tooth.

“Spare me the pleasantries, human.” Blake sneered. “Just take me to him.”

The shady man nodded, then began walking down the hall. Blake followed closely.

As they walked, the music grew louder. Soon, the dark hallway ended and Blake found herself in a brightly lit room. It had been some kind of dance club before the bombing, so none of the neon worked anymore, but high-powered lights illuminated a bar and an abandoned deejay booth. The bar was still operational, and had patrons lined up across it. On the former dance floor were long metal poles with naked women twisting around and rubbing against them in erotic pole dances: a tan girl with dusky rose hair, a dark-skinned woman with long blonde hair, and an extremely short girl with huge orange pigtails and a rainbow tattooed on her arm. As Blake walked past, she saw a pair of women staring her down near the boombox playing the techno music: one in an expensive-looking outfit peering at her over a pair of dark sunglasses, and a brunette rabbit Faunus with her arms crossed and a sour expression on her face.

The shady man led Blake away from the dance floor to a door just left of the bar. He nodded to the man behind the counter: a tall black man wearing a fedora and sunglasses. The man nodded back, then pressed a button on the underside of the counter. The door unlocked with an audible click, and the man held the door open as Blake walked through.

The hallway was dimly lit, with a large pair of double doors on the far end. The man stepped out, then spoke.

“You know the drill. Tell the second-in-command the next passphrase, and just knock on this door again when you’re done.” With that, he shut the door behind him, leaving Blake in the hallway.

Blake walked with a brisk pace to the other end. Sitting next to the double doors in a cushioned chair was another man, much younger and more handsome than the other, with bright blue hair and a pair of glasses resting on his nose. He looked up when he heard Blake’s footsteps approaching, and immediately stood up and pushed his glasses up to his forehead.

“Ah, High Leader Belladonna. It’s been a while.” The man smirked. “I heard you lost something. Or should I say, someone.”

Blake sneered. “I just want to get this over with as soon as possible. I don’t care if you’re his second-in-command, you’re human, and I have no respect for you.”

The man shrugged. “Well, can’t say I didn’t try to be civil.” He crossed his arms. “What’s the passphrase?”

Blake clenched her fists at the human’s remark, but decided it was in her best interests if she did not start trouble.

“Journey to the east,” she said.

The man chuckled slightly, then turned and opened the left side door for her. He opened his mouth to make another remark, but Blake stormed past him and into the room before he could say anything.

The room was large and dark. Two bodyguards stood on either side of the door: a massive, seven foot man with a giant sword on his back, and a thin boy with dark, scarred skin and copper-colored hair.

In front of her, behind a desk and sitting on a chair comparable to a throne, was the bastard she had come to see. He smiled upon seeing her, standing up from his seat.

“Well well! My favorite pretty kitty, come to hang out with me!” He beamed, making Blake increasingly angry.

“We may be allies, but you will address me as ‘High Leader Belladonna’ and nothing else. Do you understand?” Blake growled through clenched teeth.

The bastard recoiled and raised his hands up in front of. him, still grinning. “I’m sorry, Your Worship. I forgot it’s all work and no play with you. Shame, really, as I know you and I could… have some fun…” He winked. “…if we wanted to.”

Blake clenched her teeth. This was the downside she had considered the previous night.

The bastard sat back down. “So, ‘High Leader Belladonna’, what brings you here? Have I finally outlived my usefulness to you, and you’re here to kill me for not being a part of your group?”

Blake shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. I’m here to put a bounty on someone.”

The bastard laughed and leaned forward. “A bounty, eh? What, your subordinates in the White Fang can’t find someone? I’ve heard through the grapevine that former High Leader Taurus hasn’t been seen with you much anymore.”

“Yes, the bounty is on him.” Blake sneered. “He is a traitor and a deserter, and I am willing to pay good money if you bring him to me, alive and unspoiled.”

The bastard grinned and leaned back. “Well, my bounty hunters will be pleased to hear that.” He raised an eyebrow. “How much is the White Fang willing to offer for the retrieval of this traitor?”

“A hundred thousand Lien.” Blake responded.

The bastard was noticeably impressed. “A hundred thousand, eh? While it’s true that Lien isn’t worth as much after the economy around here collapsed… that’s still a pretty payday. You’ve got a deal, Belladonna. Pay up, and I’ll have every one of my hunters on the search for him.”

Blake glanced back and forth, then reached into her satchel and pulled out a bag of Lien. She threw it down onto the desk. The bastard grinned.

“Don’t make me wait long,” Blake huffed. Then she stared the bastard right in the eyes. “And don’t disappoint me, Wukong.” She turned and began walking away.

“No worries, Belladonna.” Sun Wukong called to her as she stepped out the door. “The Golden Monkey always delivers.”

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