I never thought something so simple would change my outlook on life.
A simple book.
Hmph, it may seem deceiving...
Was it all a dream?
Was it reality?
I don't know.
What I know is that this book turned my life upside down and forever changed it.
It sent me to a new world to gain a new perspective.
It forged me into who I needed to become...
With his help, I finally realized my worth and realized who I was.
...Only if I didn't fall in love with him...
Now, I just wish I could go back and tell him...
[ X ]
"Blake?" Two golden eyes lifted from the pages of her book and stared into shimmering silver eyes, their expression vivid, gazing upon her, although muted, as she gazed back in worry.
Blake frowned. Gently clasping her book shut, she sat up from her lower bunk bed and took in her teammate's expression. It had only been a short while since she came to Beacon to train to become a Huntress... Something she felt she was well qualified for... Maybe too qualified for.
Only Pyrrha could give her problems in a fight. ...Maybe.
Shaking her head at that thought, she softly smiled. Ruby was named their squad leader, and she had an idea of what this was about. She had precisely been approachable.
"Yes, Ruby? What is it that you need?" Blake's ears perked as she smiled warmly at her team captain, trying to put the younger girl at ease.
"Well, you see... Uh..." Ruby started before trailing off, scratching the back of her head, put off by the forward response. "I know you prefer to be alone during your free time, and I totally get that! I love reading too! But, uh, I thought um... We could, you know, have a team bonding session. ...I know Weiss has her issues with you being a Faunus..."
"Ruby, she just has issues," Blake snorted, her lips quivering into a smirk. "Girl has got to get them sorted out."
"Ain't that the truth!" A boisterous voice responded as the bathroom door of their dorm room snapped open. Their blonde teammate came out wearing a simple orange tank top and shorts, vigorously drying her hair before flashing a blinding grin. "So, wanna hang out with us this afternoon, partner? Even Princess agreed... Grudgingly."
"Could you let me finish, Yang?!" Ruby wailed, glaring at her sister, who had finished bathing.
"Sorry! Just trying to help ya." Yang sarcastically replied and waved, causing Ruby to scrunch her face at her older sibling.
Scowling at her supposed partner, Blake rolled her eyes and opened her book once more. "I'll think about it."
"What?!" Yang's expression soured, and she squinted at her partner. "What the heck? You were joking and interacting with Rubes! Come on, partner, you have to open up a little!"
"When I feel like it." Blake's ears curled, and she shook her head. Her partner was being loud. That wasn't a bad thing... She kinda liked that about her. Remind her of him in a way...
Blake's expression faded as she sprawled the text of the book. It was why she desperately combed through every page. She wanted answers... To see if something would change... Maybe then...
She could see him again.
"Could you be any louder?" The door to their dorm room creaked open, and the last member of their team entered. A pristine and proud young lady strutted into the room, placing her books on her bed, shooting a sideways glare at Yang as she did. "I heard you in the hallway... Trying to convince Blake?"
"I was trying," Ruby muttered before motioning to Yang helplessly.
Weiss rolled her eyes at the two hopeless halfwits. With an icy cold stare aimed at Blake, she took a brief breath to relax her nerves before approaching her and putting aside her differences. "Look, even I'm going with the dolts. If we're going to be a team, we must get to know one another. Work with each other..."
"I am aware." Blake looked up and met Weiss's gaze. She, however, shook her head before his gaze fell back onto her book. "But I'm not ready to make that commitment again. Not just yet. I have to make sure first... That everything isn't gonna just change again. "
"Again?" All three of their eyebrows raised, and each shared a similarly worried glance. That was the most information they had ever received from Blake. And what did she mean by change again?
Now they had to know more!
"Wait... Were you a part of another team at another school before?" Weiss frowned, attempting to solve the conundrum of the teammate. "Was your team expelled or something like that? ... Or worse..."
"No. Nothing like that." Blake sighed, shutting her book, and shifted so she sat on the side of her bed. Holding out the book toward Ruby, seeing she had shown the most interest in her hobby, she allowed her to take the book from her.
Staring at the book, Ruby couldn't help but wonder what it had to do with anything, so she flipped it open to the page she saw Blake reading. However, her eyes flickered as she saw something familiar on the page. A name...
Blake Belladonna.
"What if I were to tell you..." Blake exhaled, her ears drooping as she leaned on her bed while gazing out their dorm room window. "My story is chronicled alongside the main character of that book."
"For sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and all begins the day I was pulled into the world of that book."
[ X ]
(Two Years Ago)
It had been a long, trying day for one Blake Belladonna.
Shutting the heavy wooden door behind her, a teenage girl with long, dark black hair slumped against the door. Her golden eyes shimmered as she sighed and thumped back against the door. She hadn't expected her decision to upset her father so much... Or her mother.
"I'm just trying to do what I feel is right..." She muttered, meekly gazing down at the floor, her feline ears on top of her ear drooping while her figure slumped forward.
She never quite understood the decision her parents made. They were the leaders of the White Fang. To step down from that position of leadership during a time when they were needed most. They were looked up to lead, yet they stepped down and allowed someone else to take their creation in a new direction?
It was no wonder Adam was so frustrated and handed out masks to all those who would listen to him... She kind of agreed in a sense. He was just so...
Blake's face flushed before she scowled. No. He was too radical. But he was her friend. He had been helping her train for so long. Taught her so much... She wanted to help him...
"Blake." Blake's ears perked up as she heard a knock on her door, and her mother's voice followed. "Can we talk?"
"Yes!" Blake scrambled to her feet, realizing she was blocking the entrance to her room, and opened her door.
On the side, her mother stood demurely. Her long ears curled as she took in her daughter's demeanor. With a soft sigh, her golden eyes shimmered as she looked around the room for a moment before frowning. "Blake, I know you..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake snapped, a low growl in her throat as her ears lay flat on her head at her mother's supposed accusation.
"You have already made your decision." Kali frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, matching her daughter's gaze. However, with a sigh, her expression softened, and she gently smiled. "I have long since accepted that. You are your father's child. You are just as stubborn as he is. You will do what you think is right, no matter what others think."
Blake's ears snapped up, and her eyes widened. Was her mother... Giving her her blessing?
"But..." Kali's eyes sharpened, and she stared sternly at her daughter. "Promise me... Please take your time and think twice about this. I know you want to help our people... I know you do... But going about it this way... There's a reason we left the White Fang in someone's hands, Blake."
Flinching at how her mother stressed her words, Blake could only nod. She knew she wanted her to take her time and think it through. To use the head on her shoulder that she was blessed with. To not react so much with her gut instincts and feelings. She just wanted her to think.
"Oh, this came for you." Kali held out a small package toward Blake. "I think it is the next series of that book you like. The one about the boy with two souls."
"Oh," Blake took the small parcel from her mother, gently cradling it like a treasure. She always loved reading. It was a hobby her mother got into when she was little. Something that helped her escape the realities and pressures she faced...
She really could use a good read right about now.
"I promise I won't take this decision lightly." Blake held the package to her chest, meeting her mother's gaze. "I won't make a blind decision because of what someone says. I will do what I feel is best for our people."
"That's all your father, and I can ask for." Kali grimly smiled, slowly turning from the doorway. "But know this... No matter what decision you make..."
"We love you regardless."
[ X ]
Blake was beyond restless. Pacing back and forth to expel that energy. What did she mean by that?
It frustrates her to no end that she said that. She tried to stop focusing on what her mother said, but now she was hyper-fixated .
Did it have something to do with Adam? They didn't have a problem with him before! Was it now that he was talking about these extreme views that even Lady Khan was weary and shied away from?
She knew they were wrong! That wasn't the point! Something needed to be done, and they were doing it! ...And maybe she could persuade Adam to return to his old ways...
To whom she remembered him as. He had only lost his way. She could change him and bring him back to the light!
"Ugh!" Blake rubbed her temples and frizzled her hair, letting her annoyance fray her nerves. Her mother knew just what to say to rile her up!
Her eyes shifted and fell onto the unopened parcel that contained the book series she had ordered. Yet, she knew what she needed to soothe her nerves.
Snatching the package off the bed, she opened her window and sat on the sealing. Letting the fresh yet stifling air of Menagerie waft over, taking it all in as she looked upon the city, she took a deep breath.
Her mom was right. She needed to take a moment and think this all through. She did not want to be weighed down by her emotions; otherwise, she would sprint out of there and see Adam.
No, a level head was needed to prevail. She needed to be the opposite of her favorite protagonist and not wear her emotions on her sleeve. Sometimes, it was a good thing, but other times...
"I wonder how the story progresses from where it last left off." Blake mused, unraveling the parcel to see the latest chapter of The Sun and the Moon and how the Boy with Two Souls would respond after barely saving his friend in the desert.
Given they just learned information about a possible mole in the Snake's lair...
She couldn't resist opening the pages to find out. It would help clear her mind from this turmoil, which in turn...
"Ah!!!" A bright golden light burst from the pages when she opened the book.
The heat it generated as it enveloped her was so intense! She couldn't keep her balance and was forced to close her eyes and hold out her hand to shield her eyes. She cried out as she felt like she was launched off her window seal and fell back outside on the hard dirt.
She groaned in agony from the fall. She felt queasy for some strange reason, and her stomach clenched. The world rapidly and violently swirled around her despite lying motionless on the ground. Why did everything hurt suddenly? Her entire body ached. It was like she had just finished sparring with Adam...
Voices echoed distantly and rapidly approached, causing her ears to curl and lay flat on her head. So loud.
"What the hell was that? A flash-bang?! I'm going to check it out! Someone might be in trouble!"
"Yosh! I'm with you, Naruto! Let's go!"
"Don't just run in! Hey! Listen to me! Argh! You two are so frustrating! Tenten!"
"They're not wrong!"
Blake winced, yet was thankful at the same time. People were quickly responding to what had happened. She didn't recognize any voices, but they were likely people within the village. Her father was an important figure, and anyone on patrol would immediately have seen that light and come to investigate. So she was in good hands.
"What the... A girl?" A boisterous voice announced as someone reached down and gently touched her neck. "Gotta pulse. Sakura! Could use your help over here!"
"Seriously?!" A shrill voice incredulously responded at a distance before suddenly being at her side. "What the... Where did she come from? ...Get out of the way, idiot! I'll do a check-up on her!"
"Ow! Easy! I was moving over already!" The loud voice retorted, clearly annoyed as it sounded like he was shoved out of the way. That was genuinely rude. He had only asked for her assistance...
Did he say her name was Sakura... Wait... Another name she had heard before...
"Neji, anything of note nearby?" A more toned tone and mature male voice requested as she felt a soft hand placed on her chest. "Something doesn't feel right."
"Nothing." A stoic voice responded as an odd aura spread and washed over her. All the aches and pains slowly were soothed. The nausea vanished. Everything just felt better in an instant...
Golden eyes snapped open. She blinked several times, unable to recognize what she was seeing. This wasn't home... But she recognized these people. Oh, she knew them.
Her eyes widened, darting over every person present. Her heart raced. How was this possible? There was no way. It couldn't be. How could she be in her novel?
"How ya doing?" Naruto grinned, running his hand through his golden locks before frowning. "Say, what happened to you? We were just returning home and out of... Hey, hey, hey!"
It was all too much to handle. This had to be a dream. Yes! That had to be it! There was no way she couldn't be here. She had to have fallen and hit her head...
"Crap! She fainted!" Naruto groaned, scratching the back of his head as the girl with strange cat ears on her head passed out on the ground. "What is with my luck and girls fainting around me!"
"Why does this keep happening?"