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Mistral, the hotel the heroes where staying during their adventure. Now, Blake sums to the team.
It's the night after the attack at Haven. Blake's finally reunited with her team. She had an entire day to hear the things that happened to them during her absence and to tell them the thing she did too. They had time to celebrate her return too. But when all that is done, when it's almost time for everyone to go sleep, Yang interrupts her.
“I want to talk to you alone.” she says, serious.
“Of course, Yang.” the other nods, understandably.
They go to the patio outside, Renmant's broken moon shining above them. Yang stops in the middle of the patio and Blake does the same a few steps before her.
“Can you imagine what I want to tell you, Blake?” her companion asks.
“I…” Blake says, her cat ears nervously positioning at the sides of her head, “I imagine you want to tell me you're angry with me for leaving.”
“Well, it's to be expected. Right?” she asks, getting angry indeed. “You surely imagined I would react like this.”
“Honestly?” the brunette asks, lowering her head and ears, “I expected you… all of you to yell at me that you didn't want me back. Maybe even punch me in the face.”
“I'll be honest too.” says the blonde, clinching her fists, “I thought about doing something like that.”
Blake chinches her fists too, expecting to be punched. But her companion releases her fists.
“But I don't wish you any harm.” she swears, yet looking hurt. “That said, you did hurt me, Blake. Yet, I feel like the way I feel is no big deal to you.”
“Don't say that. You mean everything to me. I can imagine how much you suffered and I'm sorry.” Blake empathizes, looking hurt too. “I suffered being apart from you too.”
“Then why did you leave!?” Yang shouts, both angry and hurt. “You didn't have to leave and be alone! What made you think you had to do that?”
“I thought it was for the best.” argues the brunette. “Adam cut your arm only because you were important to me and that could've been your head.”
“I know very well what I lost that night, Blake.” counterattacks the other. “My arm and you. And I didn't have to lose you. No one blamed you for that night.”
“And yet, it happened because of me. Even Sun got hurt because he insisted in coming after me.”
“What if you were the one getting hurt? What if you needed us?”
“I do need you, that's why I returned.”
The two of them stop for a second, both of them almost crying.
“I need you too.” Yang finally admits. “That's why I welcome you back. I can put my pride aside for you. That doesn't mean I'm forgetting what you did and your argument is not a valid excuse.”
“I know.” Blake admits. “I tried to justify myself, but I do realize I was only running away like a coward, like I always did.”
“I remember you telling me that at that campfire at Mountain Glenn.” the blonde reminiscences, looking sad. “I assured you that I knew you would never back away from a challenge.”
“You overestimated me. I wanted to stay with you, but I was too weak and cowardly. I ran away back to my parents like a scared kid. I know how stupid that was, how pathetic I acted. But I’ve gotten stronger. I come back and stopped Adam. I will finish him next time. I’m not going anywhere. Never again.”
She looks at Yang trying to be as strong as she can and she looks back at her, still looking sad, but managing to force a smile.
“You are here. That's all that matters somehow.”
But the brunette’s still unsure about her sad tone.
“I will always be here. I promise.”
“I believe you.” the other insists, walking towards her and putting her metallic arm over her shoulder. “It's okay.”
But it was not okay.
I can forgive the past, but now I'm worried about the future. She says she won't run away again, but the enemy is stronger this time. I believe her, but I can't help having a small doubt.
She doesn't trust me entirely and I don’t blame her. I have hurt her and I cannot allow letting that happen again. I want things to be normal again and I will do everything I can for that.
And so, they started fixing their relationship.
“Here, let me help you whith that.”
It's the least I can do. I want her to count with me for anything.
“Blake, you don't have to do that.”
Why does she act like that? Does she think she still owes me?
“I'll protect you.”
Not only did I indirectly cause you to lose your arm, I ran away. But I will not fail you again. I will stay by your side this time.
“What?”
Does she think I need protection because losing my arm made me weak? Does she only stay with me because she thinks that?
“We can't quit until the lamp is safe.”
Those things really drain your will to go on. But the way I overreacted to Blake at the cottage was my entire fault.
“It's not your fault. It was those… things.”
I almost died. Did my current state of mind made me more vulnerable? I should patch things up with Yang.
“I mean, you're great. And I'll hurry back.”
No! Why do I keep screwing things up with her? I can't have her offended again!
“Go.”
That argument at the cottage is over, Blake. Don't worry. I know what you mean.
“Yang!”
I can't have her getting hurt because of me again! I have to protect her this time!
“It's okay. Catch your breath for a second. I can hold him off.”
I know how you feel, but I have to atone myself too. This time will be different.
And finally…
Blake's cat ears lay down, sticking to her head. Her hands, still holding her broken blood-stained weapon, start to tremble furiously. At the same time, she breathes faster and faster, until she's practically hyperventilating. She ends falling to her knees when she cannot stand on her own anymore, crying, as she cannot hold back the tears either. That fight has left her exhausted, physically and mentally. Adam was gone, forever. The person that has caused her so much pain will never hurt her again. And yet, he had managed to make her cry one last time. The problem isn't only that he leaving makes her remember all the wrongs he did to her, which would make her feel all the pain over the feeling of relieve, it's that he had managed to actually hurt her with his words one last time. She did promise to stand always be in his side and she broke that promise. Yang was right though, he was never the person she made that promise to. But she did run away from him, the same she has always done when she faced a problem that scared her. And now she has promised she will stay by Yang's side and she was scared of breaking that promise and hurting the person she actually loved again.
That's when Yang hurries to hug her and she instinctively returns the hug. She needs her, so she tries focusing on her. How good her hair smells, how her body can radiate such warmth, how her hug can be so strong and kind at the same time. Those are the thing she loves about her. She loves her, that's why she will stay by her side; she only needs to remind herself that. All her doubts start to disappear slowly.
“I'm not gonna break my promise!” she struggles to say while still sobbing, “I swear!”
Yang forces her to break the hug for a little, so she can face her. She looks sad too, for her, though there’s no doubt in her eyes. She doesn't doubt her words.
“I know you won't.”
That's enought to make her ears raise up. As she puts her metallic hand on her cheek, she grabs it, holding her until she makes the tears stop.