16

 Chapter 16: V2C3: The Sins We Bear

A/N: Volume 2 OP: "PEACE SIGN" by Jonathan Young

Blake Belladonna sighed deeply as she sat down on her bed and took off her black bow to reveal her cat ears. Those ears, the mark of her status as a Faunus, were currently drooping forward as her thoughts swirled and raced and chased each other until she almost felt physically exhausted. It was usually easy enough to act normally when there were other things to focus on but, as the day winded down and she had less to do, it became harder and harder to keep the storm that was roiling inside of her from showing. It seemed that she had been doing a good enough job of it, though, since no one seemed to have noticed anything odd. Well, Shirou had and he knew exactly what was troubling her but he was an exception. He was too polite to try and interfere unless he felt that he had to so he had just restated his offer to help her in any way he could and then left her be. She honestly really appreciated that about him even if it just reminded her of his own issues.

Ever since the battle on the docks and the revelations that had brought, Blake had been consumed by thoughts of the White Fang. Just what in the world were they planning? They had done some pretty big operations while she was a part of them but nothing on such a scale as to require that much Dust. It didn't even make sense as a general supply job since it didn't fit their MO. No matter how much she thought about it, it just didn't make sense. Had they really changed that much since she left a bit over half a year ago? Was it related to that man having made a deal with some Human? Was Sienna Khan planning to make a large push into one of the kingdoms? There were just too many questions and not an answer in sight.

As if she didn't have enough to deal with, Blake's thoughts also kept going back to the conversation she had with Professor Ozpin the morning after the battle. He had revealed, in a roundabout way, that he knew that Blake was a Faunus and implied that he had known since the beginning. While that unnerved her somewhat, the fact that both Shirou and even Penny had figured out her secret lessened it. Then there were the other questions and implications. She still had no idea what the professor had meant when he asked what she was but the implication that she might be a threat to others wasn't lost on her.

Then there was Ozpin's comment about Blake's relationship with Shirou. It had just been an innocuous statement, saying that they must be close, but she felt almost compelled to explain their relationship. She had only explained the events that led to her staying in his apartment and saying that she considers him to be a good friend but even that much seemed to satisfy the headmaster if his pleased smile was anything to go by. It made sense, she supposed. She knew that Ozpin was the reason Shirou had an apartment in Vale and had been given the chance to join Beacon. He was basically Shirou's guardian, for all intents and purposes, so of course he would want to know how his ward is doing. He also couldn't just ask Shirou directly because Shirou was simply too nice. Even if he was having issues, he'd never tell someone about them unless you caught him in the right mood.

Her answer to Ozpin aside, Blake honestly didn't know what her relationship with Shirou was. He was undoubtedly a good friend but a lot of the things he did seemed odd for mere friendship. If it had been someone else, Blake would have thought that he was trying to court her but the idea of Emiya Shirou doing something with an ulterior motive was absurd. There had truly been nothing more than simple friendship behind his actions and he honestly didn't expect or want anything in return. To him, this was just something you did for a friend.

Then there was the matter of Blake's own feelings towards the boy. It was undeniable that she was close to Emiya Shirou. He was closer to her than anyone at Beacon and closer than anyone had gotten since Ilia. She hadn't been lying when she promised herself to help him whenever she could and she had been trying to live up to that promise. There wasn't much that she could do since Shirou's problems seemed to be rooted in his tragic past but she still did what she could. She'd study with him whenever he wasn't studying with Ruby, she'd volunteer to partner up with him for class projects that absolutely required a partner (which often doubled her workload but she didn't complain) if one wasn't assigned to him, and just generally did whatever she could to make his life a little easier. She cared for him a fair amount, that much was undeniable, but the full extent of her feelings were completely unknown, even to herself. Regardless, it was something she'd have to take great care with in the future. If that man had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't trust her feelings.

The whirlpool of thoughts had started to give Blake a headache when she heard the rest of her team walking down the hall. When Blake had left them, they had been playing a game of Peril in the library and had just started a new one but it seemed that the game had ended unusually quickly. Their first game had taken them a solid three hours but this one had barely lasted one.

"Ugh, we should have never let him play!" Yang said as she approached the door to their room.

"You're just mad cuz Jaune beat you! See, if you had just attacked when I told you, none of this would have happened," Ruby replied.

"The fact that it was Jaune is what makes me so mad! I didn't even know you could do that!" Yang continued as she entered the room with the rest of the team.

"To be fair, he said that his family played the game every week since he was a kid."

"Stop," Weiss interjected after they were all inside. She spun on her heel and pointed accusingly at Blake, who had been in the process of trying to sneak out the door. "Lately, you've been quiet, antisocial, and moody!"

"Yeah, Blake. You're normally pretty quiet but you've been a lot worse than usual. What's going on?" Yang asked, the concern clear in her voice as she approached her partner.

Blake looked trapped as her eyes flickered between her partner and the rest of her team who were looking at her expectantly. With drooping ears and a deep sigh, Blake hung her head and spoke, "I just, I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

"You're still thinking about Torchwick?" Ruby asked as she approached her teammate.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"

"I get that this is a big deal to you, Blake, but Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it," Yang said.

"I don't want them to handle it! Stopping the White Fang is the only way I can atone for my sins!"

"What are you talking about?" Yang asked, suddenly concerned.

Blake squeezed her eyes shut and took a steadying breath before her emotions could overwhelm her again. "I used to be a part of the White Fang. I've done horrible things to so many people. I've hurt them, betrayed them, lied to them, stabbed them in the back. My hands are stained with blood and this is the only way I can think of to make up for that."

"You've killed people?" a stunned Weiss asked, her complexion paler than usual.

"Not directly but a lot of people have died because of things I've done. That's why I want to be a Huntress. I want to save people to make up for the ones I've hurt so I won't be hounded by this guilt."

"Hey, it's okay," Yang said as she placed an arm around her partner's shoulders. "So what if you want to help people for selfish reasons? You're still helping people. Hell, I want to be a Huntress because I'm an adrenaline junkie and fighting the Grimm gives me such a rush. We can't all be like Rubes here and want to be a hero so people can be happy."

"Yaaaaaang!"

Blake gave Yang a small smile which the blonde returned tenfold. It was really sweet how her partner had been making such a conscious effort to be there for her and cheer her up since that night on the docks but all of the support in the world wouldn't change simple facts. As such, she shrugged out of Yang's half-hug before saying, "Thanks but that still doesn't change why I'm doing this."

Weiss swallowed thickly before speaking up despite the slight tremor in her voice, "I understand why you feel the need to stop them but we're just students. We're not ready to handle things like taking down criminal organizations."

Blake opened her mouth to respond but visibly restrained herself. Getting into another shouting match with the heiress would accomplish nothing. "And we may never be ready," she said with some heat. "The longer we wait, the stronger they get and the harder it will be to stop whatever they're planning. They'll come to us eventually whether we're ready or not so we need to go to them when they're not expecting it. Taking action is the only way we can get ahead here."

"I suppose you do have a point there," Weiss conceded with a sigh. "Alright, let's do this. It could be fun."

"What?"

"We're a team, aren't we? If we're going to stop these ne'er-do-wells, we're going to do it together."

"Weiss is right!" Ruby said as she pumped her fist into the air. "We might not be able to do it on our own but I know we can do it together!"

"That's the spirit! What d'ya say, Blakey?" Yang asked.

Blake smiled at her teammates, a bit more fully this time. She really had no right to drag them into her problems like this but their overwhelming enthusiasm was infectious. She didn't deserve teammates like these but she'd certainly work until she did. "Alright, then. We're in this together!"

"Let's hatch a plan!" Ruby said dramatically as Yang cheered her on. Ruby's enthusiasm quickly turned to horror as she gasped, "I left my board game at the library!"

"We're doomed," Weiss said as she cradled her face in her hand as Ruby ran out the door.

"I'll be right back!"

Ruby was barely five feet out the door when she suddenly crashed into someone. Well, she assumed that it was someone but it felt more like hitting a brick wall. "Sorry. Are you okay?" Ruby asked as she looked up at the person she had run into from where she now sat on the ground.

The person Ruby had run into was a dark skinned girl with mint-colored hair and piercing red eyes. To the girl's right was a fair skinned boy with silver-gray hair and matching eyes. Both were wearing black clothes that Ruby vaguely recognized as being Haven Academy's uniform. The girl seemed friendly enough with her small smile but the boy kinda gave Ruby the creeps with his constant, oddly stoic scowl.

"I'm fine," the girl said while extending her hand to Ruby. "Just watch where you're going."

"Oh, right, sorry," Ruby said as she took the girl's hand and stood up. "Um, I'm Ruby! Are you new?"

"Visiting from Haven, actually," someone else answered. The mint-haired girl stepped aside to reveal a pale skinned woman with long, raven black hair whose bangs hid one of her amber-colored eyes.

Ruby's breath caught when she saw this woman even as her brain kicked into high gear. Despite there being no signs of danger, her instincts were screaming at her that the woman before her was dangerous and it was taking a not inconsiderable force of will to keep herself rooted in place. While her body language was fairly relaxed and friendly, it was her eyes that had set Ruby on edge. This woman's amber eyes instantly brought to mind Shirou's ocher ones and then the comparisons wouldn't stop. Like Shirou's, this woman's eyes seemed friendly enough but they contained a depth to them that most people lacked. Just like Shirou, she had seen things that had shaken her very core and changed her utterly as a person. What laid beneath that mask of geniality was something that Ruby had no way of knowing but, if her instincts were right, it wasn't good.

Pushing her nerves down, Ruby collected herself and said, "Ooh! You're here for the festival! But exchange students have their own dormitory."

"I guess we just got turned around," the silver-haired boy said.

"Hey, don't worry, it happens all the time," Ruby said reassuringly as the mint-haired girl and the silver-haired boy walked past. "Uh, your building is just east of here," she said to the raven-haired woman.

"Thanks," the woman said before walking past as well. "Maybe we'll see you around."

"Yeah, maybe!" Ruby said to their retreating forms, trying to force some cheerfulness back into her voice. "Oh, uh, and welcome to Beacon!"

Ruby couldn't help but stare after them as they left, not bothering to respond to her welcome. Her eyes soon drifted to the door to Shirou's dorm and she was suddenly overcome by the urge to knock on the door and tell the older boy everything. Not just about the strange trio but about the plans she was making with her team as well. She had no idea what he could do about them but even the idea of him knowing was comforting and having him along to help with whatever they ended up doing in the future would certainly be nice.

Ruby almost unconsciously walked to his door and stopped just short knocking. This was silly. That trio from Haven had unnerved her but that didn't really mean anything. Her instincts didn't always lead her correctly and Shirou had been trying to get her to not rely on them so much. She still felt that she should tell him about what her team planned on doing but that could wait for tomorrow. She knew from Jaune that Shirou meditated every night so it would be rude to interrupt him. She would tell him tomorrow once her team actually had an idea as to what they were going to do and she had talked to them about bringing him in.

With her mind made up, Ruby turned away from Shirou's door and made her way back to the library.

OoOoOoO

"Thanks again for coming, Shirou," Velvet Scarlatina said as she and Emiya Shirou made their way through Vale's commercial district. Being that it was in the dead of winter and that snow had fallen the night before, the streets were relatively empty (which was to say you could actually move your arms without hitting someone). While the noonday sun made it not nearly as cold as it had been this morning, the temperature was still low enough that most people preferred to stay inside. This, naturally, made it the perfect time to get some shopping done before school started back up.

"It's no problem. I'm always happy to help," Shirou replied with a wave before returning his hand to the pocket of his black, hooded jacket. For her part, Velvet was wearing a chocolate brown woolen sweater and heavy, black jeans to go along with her black boots. Her mink gloves were a dark scarlet and she had her hair tied back in a low ponytail.

Shirou had been called out by Coco Adel in order to help with some shopping for the upcoming dance (it seemed that Team CFVY had been the ones chosen to plan it this year). Coco herself was supposed to have been there but something urgent had apparently come up that forced her to leave the job to Velvet. Shirou didn't terribly mind playing pack mule when told about it up front and Velvet was nice to talk to which was another plus. This also gave Shirou a chance to see what Vale looked like when blanketed by snow which was definitely something he wasn't going to complain about. It hardly ever snowed in Fuyuki and what snow they did get was very light so seeing the ground covered in several centimeters of the stuff was a new and frankly exciting experience.

Shirou paused for a moment as a sudden thought occurred to him. He wasn't entirely certain if it would be rude to ask but his long conversation with Blake two months ago made him think it would be fine. Even if it was a bit of a faux pas, Velvet would probably forgive him. "If you don't me asking, what do you do if your ears get cold?" Shirou asked while gesturing to the long, brown rabbit ears on top of Velvet's head.

Velvet stared at Shirou in bewilderment for a moment before giggling, "You know, you're the first person to ask me that since Coco. That's why I have these." Velvet reached into her cream-colored handbag and pulled out a pair of brightly colored articles of clothing made from polar fleece that looked a bit like really small leggings.

"What are those?" Shirou asked with a tilt of his head.

"Ear socks! See?" Velvet said as she slid them over her rabbit ears before giving a little twirl. Shirou was briefly overcome by how adorable Velvet looked but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. "It's a little warm for them, though," she said as she took them off and returned them to her bag. "The fur on them isn't just for show."

"So, what did Coco want us to get, anyway?" Shirou asked as they continued walking.

Velvet pulled out her Scroll as she answered, using a stylus to navigate through menus, "Not a whole lot, honestly. Since we were chosen to decorate for the dance, we were given a discretionary income for any decorations we might need. Fox is doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the theme and layout while Coco is taking care of the minor details. Since Fox is still working on his design, we're just picking up a few small things that'll be needed regardless of what theme Fox goes with."

"Seems pretty straightforward," Shirou said with a nod. "What's Yatsuhashi's role in all this?"

"His biggest contribution will be once we start getting everything set up. He's physically the strongest one of us so he'll literally be doing the heavy lifting. Outside of that, he's also helping both Fox and Coco with their tasks since his spatial reasoning skills are incredible and he has a surprisingly vast knowledge of patterns."

"And yours?"

"Moral support, basically," Velvet admitted with a nervous smile. "I'm okay with clothing— there's no way you can't be after spending a year with Coco— but not much else. Coco still asks me for my opinion every now and then, though."

"Well, at least you're contributing. It'd be really awkward if you were the only one not doing work."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I still wish I could be a bit more helpful but there simply isn't anything I can do."

"I can certainly understand that feeling. Still, with your team being the ones behind the dance, it's certain to be interesting."

"Are you planning on going?"

"Not really. I might have poked my head in to see how it looked but with it not being held in the ballroom, that won't be happening. I've never really been one for that sort of thing anyway."

"Really? That's too bad. Once it's officially announced, I'm certain that a lot of girls will ask you to take them to it."

"If you say so."

"Well, anyway, hey, Shirou, um… Do you… have any plans for the rest of the day?" Velvet asked while watching Shirou out of the corner of her eye, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Well, since we're already here and Coco doesn't need that stuff right away, I was thinking that maybe, if you wanted, we could… just… hang out a bit?"

Shirou hummed in thought for a moment. While it seemed like a waste of time, he truly didn't have anything better to do and it wasn't like Velvet was bad to be around. "Sure. I don't mind."

Velvet smiled brightly at Shirou even as her face heated up a bit more, "Great! Why don't we hit up the mall first? I know some pretty great stores you might like!"

OoOoOoO

Shirou had to admit that Velvet was completely correct and that coming with her on this excursion had been a great idea. The Stalwart Mall was one of the smaller malls in the City of Vale but its selection of shops more than made up for it by offering things a bit more niche and specialized. The very first store Velvet had led him to was a small one tucked in a corner called Cooper's Culinary Corner. As the name suggested, it was a kitchen supply store that offered a rather large array of high quality goods at reasonable prices. It took Shirou a considerable amount of willpower to not spend all of his money there but that didn't stop him from buying a few things (the shop thankfully had a delivery service so he wouldn't have to lug his purchases around). He also took the time, after being prompted, to teach Velvet a bit about the basics of cooking utensils.

After that, Shirou felt the need to return the favor. He didn't really know what Velvet liked or what any of her hobbies were so he took a chance and led her to a sweets store he had looked up before their previous outing. Velvet had been aware of it but had never actually been in it and she seemed excited enough to check it out. The person at the counter had scowled at them when they entered but Shirou paid them no mind as they looked about. While Shirou never had much of a sweet tooth, it seemed that Velvet did and the shop's wide selection made her act, well, like a kid in a candy store. This, naturally, lead to Velvet asking if Shirou knew how to make sweets which he admitted that he didn't. He could easily make baked goods but the actual art of candy making was something he never looked into.

The first complication in their day came when they went to check out. Shirou let Velvet go first but the shopkeep simply looked from the bag of candy on the counter to Velvet before giving her a disdainful sniff. "We don't serve your kind here," she said with a sneer.

Velvet gasped and took a half-step back while Shirou took a step forward and glared at the shopkeep. "I want to speak to your manager," Shirou said evenly in a tone that would brook no argument.

"I am the manager. More than that, I'm the owner. We don't serve her kind here. Be grateful that I let your little pet in here at all."

Shirou reacted before he even fully registered what had been said. He took another step toward the counter and placed his left hand on it even as his right hand pulled back in a fist. He was fully intent on leaping over the counter and beating the shopkeep within an inch of her life but the action was stopped almost before it began when Velvet grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Shirou, it's okay. Let's just leave," Velvet said in an even voice. Shocked, Shirou looked over to Velvet's lifeless expression even as the shopkeep belatedly reacted to Shirou's advance and stumbled backward.

Shirou examined Velvet's face for a moment before taking a deep breath and sighing. "Very well. The candy here is probably low quality anyway."

Once outside of the store, the pair walked in silence for a moment before Shirou spoke up. "Why didn't you do anything?"

"There's nothing I can do. Letting you assault her wouldn't have solved anything. It would have just gotten you into trouble. This isn't the first time this has happened and it won't be the last, either. This is just a fact of life for me." Velvet gave Shirou a weak but sincere smile. "Thanks for sticking up for me, though," she said as she hugged him. "That makes twice now that you've stood up for me and I can't tell you how nice it is to see it happen."

Emiya Shirou was frozen solid. Every muscle in his body tensed up while his mind refused to work. Velvet was hugging him. A woman was hugging him. Someone was hugging him. A sensation that Shirou hadn't felt in a lifetime was happening. A sensation which Shirou thought he didn't need was happening. A sensation which Shirou didn't deserve was happening. All at once, memories of the disastrous Fifth Holy Grail War came flooding back unhindered.

The last time Saber hugged him after he had run her black form through with Caliburn. The first and last time he got to hug his older sister, Illyasviel von Einzbern, as she died from the strain of using the incomplete Third Sorcery to bind his soul long enough for his body to be healed. The blood-soaked hug of Tohsaka Rin as she bled out after having killed her estranged sister, Matou Sakura. Fujimura Taiga's half-hug as she lay crushed under the remains of the Emiya residence. All of these memories came flooding into his mind in an instant and destroyed all of his barriers.

Just as Velvet began to pull back, thinking she had made a mistake, Shirou's arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug as Shirou clung to her like a drowning man would a life preserver. Without thinking, Shirou buried his face into the crook of her neck even as his body began to tremble from the barely restrained sobs and his tears flowed freely. The feelings of sorrow, loss, and self-loathing that he spent hours every morning trying to exorcise had suddenly been brought back in full and it was all he could do to stop himself from breaking utterly.

Velvet, for her part, was shocked beyond words. Shirou had seemed a little odd to her before but what was happening was so far beyond her expectations that she had no idea how to handle it. While she had certainly hoped that Shirou would reciprocate her hug, this was something far deeper and darker than anything she had imagined. She could practically feel the pain radiating from him even as his tears started to soak her sweater and the heightened hearing of her rabbit ears allowed her to hear his heart beating wildly. With her mind not knowing what to do, her instincts took over and she found herself pulling the boy closer as her right hand massaged gentle circles between his shoulder blades and she hummed a song her mother used to sing for her when she was scared as a child.

Needless to say, they were drawing a fair share of odd looks but a particularly fierce glare from Velvet was all it took to make the passers by remain as such. She had no idea how long they stood there but her throat was just starting to hurt by the time Shirou started to calm down. The boy pulled away and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, the occasional tremor passing through his body as he fought to hold himself together. He took another step back and Velvet was almost afraid that he'd run but instead he bowed so deeply that his torso was parallel to the floor.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice raw with countless emotions.

"It's okay," Velvet replied as she placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him back up. "Come on. I know a place where we can sit and talk for a bit."

As it so happened, the place Velvet took Shirou to was a small cafe. She led Shirou to one of the back corners away from everyone else before going to get them a drink. They sat in silence, slowly sipping away at their drinks for a few moments (green tea for Shirou, caramel macchiato for Velvet), before Velvet decided to break the silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently.

"I'm sorry," Shirou said as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Memories that I weren't prepared for came back and I lost control. What I did was inappropriate."

"It's okay," Velvet reassured him. She had no idea why he kept blaming himself for this. "I'm just glad you weren't alone when that happened. Do you want to talk about those memories? It might make you feel better."

Shirou knew that he probably shouldn't tell her anything but it was too late to stop. After his display and using her to comfort himself like he did, he owed her no less than an explanation. So he told her. He told her about being found by Qrow and being taken in by Ozpin. He told her about how the town he's from doesn't exist anymore and how he was the only survivor. He told her about how everyone he ever knew and loved was dead and he had been unable to save anyone. He even went farther than he did with Blake all those months ago. He told her about how his mentor and self-proclaimed older sister both died in his arms. He told her about how his "real" older sister that he had just met died in order to save his life. He even went so far as to tell her about how he had been forced to kill the one he loved above all others.

By the time Shirou was finished, their drinks had long since gone cold. Velvet sat with her eyes squeezed shut as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to go over to her friend and hug him but she feared that doing so would simply cause another relapse. As if the events he had described weren't bad enough; the detached, emotionless voice he used to describe them tore at her heart. She had thought that Emiya Shirou was a strong, reliable man but, while that remained true, she now saw that the image he presented was just a mask. She saw the broken, tortured soul that lied at Shirou's core and couldn't help the tears of sympathy that came as a result.

Mustering up her willpower to still her nerves, Velvet took a deep breath and leaned over to place one of her hands on top of Shirou's. She looked into his dead eyes and forced herself to give him a reassuring smile. "Thank you for telling me this, Shirou. I can't imagine what you must be going through. I don't know what I can do but if you ever need anything, anything at all, just ask me and I'll do my best to help you," she said, proud that her voice only wavered slightly.

Shirou stared blankly into her eyes for a long moment before giving her a wan smile and nodding, "Thank you."

While the rest of their day out passed without incident, Velvet wouldn't be forgetting what she learned anytime soon. She cared for Shirou to some unknown extent before and the events of today simply deepened that feeling. She knew that he wouldn't actually come to her for anything if he could help it but the offer had to be made. Besides, it wouldn't stop her from doing everything she could to help him out anyway.

Velvet had no idea where all of this could lead but she was determined to follow it to the end.

A/N: Pretty heavy chapter this time around. We get some altered interactions among Team RWBY due to Shirou's presence, some altered reactions from Ruby due to the Nasuverse merge, and some fully original scenes featuring everyone's favorite bunny girl.

I can't tell you how many revisions the outing with Velvet went through in the planning stage. All kinds of scenes were suggested and then thrown aside. I knew that I wanted to actually show the racism against Faunus more than the show did at this point (it's actually been doing a decent job of that now) and Velvet made the perfect person to do that with since Blake's still hiding her race. There was going to be a scene of Velvet being approached by some racist assholes while Shirou was off getting something and he'd come back to find the goons unconscious on the ground but then I got to the scene of Velvet giving Shirou a hug and Shirou proceeded to suplex me and demand I write what ended up happening so there ya go.

On a side note, Velvet is surprisingly fun to write. There's just some quality to her character that makes her fun to explore. You can definitely expect to see more of her in the future outside of her canon appearances.