Wild Instincts (RWBY/Kimetsu no Yaiba)

Blake knew how to move carefully. It was part of her life after all. Having lived as a White Fang member gave her some skills. She tried to calmly breathe out, as she flipped a page on her book. But it was difficult. After all, how was she supposed to be unfazed with this... thing next to her? She would never say that out loud, but how else was she supposed to describe someone wearing nothing more than furred pants and a…a concerningly realistic looking boar mask? She couldn't even tell if he was looking at her, but the boar eyes stared into her soul, she just knew it. Not that she was looking at him more than with just simple glances. Her instincts told her that if she stared for too long, he might wake up. If he was sleeping at all. The snoring suggested that, but maybe it was just exaggeration on his part.

"Hello there!"

She closed her eyes. Why? She did such a good job at finding some inner peace. Opening her eyes, she saw the girl from earlier in the day, dragged by a blonde. The two of them gave her neighbor a weirded out look, before starting to talk with her. Or rather at her. It was awkward for everyone involved. While she was pleasantly surprised that Ruby was interested in books, they didn't become friends immediately. Speaking of friends…

"Soooo... " Yang trailed off, awkwardly pointing at the boar man next to her. "Who's your friend?"

"I don't know him," she quickly said, feeling sweat running down her neck as he grumbled and shifted in his sleep. She let out a sigh of relief. Of course in that moment, the Schnee family had to ruin everything again.

Honestly, she should've braced herself more. The argument. The fighting. The volume. She still jumped up when jagged steel was rammed into solid stone (Weren't the weapons supposed to be in the lockers?) and literal steam came out of the boar's nostrils.

"SHUDDAP! I NEED TO SLEEP, YA STEPPING STONES!"

The room shook from his roar. As quickly as he exploded, he deflated again, slumping against the wall and snoring loudly once again. At that point, everyone decided to calm their beating hearts and just go back to their sleeping spots. As Blake extinguished her light, she closed her eyes with a deep breath.

Hopefully she didn't have to deal with this guy too often. He seemed like trouble.

/

Ruby looked nervous when her name was called up for the next sparring match, and Blake couldn't exactly fault her. Her opponent was someone that was shrouded in mystery, so to say. Nobody at the school knew exactly what he was capable of. But just like Ruby, Inosuke Hashibira was chosen as the leader of his team, ICRS, or Icarus. While his combat skills weren't well known, she knew that he didn't condone racism, which put him higher in her book. At least she assumed he didn't condone racism, after the public humiliation he made his team go through after picking on Velvet. He referred to it as a "waste of time" since they weren't training instead. Was Blake grasping for straws? For all she knew, he was an insidious racist, his mask hiding and both representing his mocking opinion about faunus.

She was shaken out of her musings when the fight didn't start yet. With confusion, she followed everyone else's eyes and saw that the screen only had Ruby's aura visible.

"Mr. Hashibira, please sync up your scroll with your aura."

"My what with my what?"

Professor Goodwitch blinked slowly. Realization and horror seemed to dawn on her, while the students in the spectator seats began to mutter among themselves.

"...You don't know what aura is," she stated more than asked, causing Blake to widen her eyes in shock. What? No, that was impossible. What kind of idiot would try to get into Beacon without an aura? As she ignored Jaune's sneeze behind her, she sharpened her ears to make sure she wasn't mishearing things.

"Can ya eat that?" Inosuke asked, tilting his head in confusion. Either he was the biggest fool of all or he actually got through Initiation without any aura. Did he just not encounter any Grimm? Glancing at the rest of team ICRS, she doubted it.

Cardin and the rest of his racist friends looked positively terrified. A light shone in the arena, and everyone could see Inosuke on the screen now. Blake bit her lip before patting Yang on the shoulder who began to mutter with worry. If he managed to get through initiation without aura... what could he do with one now?

"Here I go!" Ruby shot off the ground, using her semblance to become nothing more than a blur. To Blake's surprise, Inosuke didn't seem to be bothered by her speed. If anything, he almost seemed used to it in a sense. Was he actually seeing anything in that mask? Either way, he crossed his blades over his head, blocking the scythe that came from above. Ruby's eyes widened, before she was blown away as Inosuke uncrossed his swords.

Suddenly, he exhaled, and her ears twitched. Why did it sound so weird? Then, as his arms tensed up, Inosuke seemed to mutter to himself.

"Breath of the Beast Eighth Fang... "

Ruby blinked in confusion as she braced herself-

"EXPLOSIVE RUSH!"

-before she screamed in panic, ducking down from a scissor strike that seemed to cut the very air itself. Realizing close combat was a bad idea, as she jumped away, she shifted her weapon. Inosuke tilted his head, as if he didn't know what he was facing. But as Ruby shifted to long distance combat, the masked teenager was once again breathing out in a way that sent a shiver down Blake's spine.

"Breath of the Beast Tenth Fang! Whirling Fangs!"

The shots were released. But they were all knocked away as Inosuke seemingly held two shields, rapidly spinning in his defense. Ruby whined, realizing this was going to be a tough fight as she reloaded her scythe. But Blake couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

What was up with that breathing?

In the end, Ruby managed to win, whittling down her opponent's aura. But nobody was really fooled. After all, the boost in parameters was disorienting if one only recently awakened their aura.

Inosuke Hashibira was only going to become more difficult to fight from now on.

/

Blake sighed in annoyance. Nothing. Going through the library for some hints led to nothing. Most breathing techniques she found were more mediative, unsuited for combat. So was Inosuke's technique something that was self taught? She shook her head. No. It couldn't be. Something so potent had to be taught. The only other explanation would be that the boar obsessed guy was a genius. Then again, maybe he was?

Shaking her head, she put the book back. Standing up, she left the aisle, only to stop, her eyes widening.

Beautiful. That was the first thought that entered her head when she saw the person at the table. The ends of his hair, smooth and almost silky, had a nice blue shine to the rest of his black hair. Sharp, green eyes that augmented his almost soft features. Blake felt her face heat up before coughing to herself. What was she doing, ogling someone like that. It was in that moment that the individual shifted, looking at her. Revealing his very pronounced abs and revealing a familiar boar mask sitting on the desk. She choked. He rolled his eyes, apparently used to the absolute shock she was experiencing.

"Whaddya want, Break?"

"It's Blake!" She hissed, her ears twitching in annoyance. One quirk she found out about him? He could not, for the love of all that was holy, remember any names properly. Not a single name he said was said correctly. She was pretty sure at this point that it had to be on purpose. As her emotions began to boil up in her chest, she glanced at the mask and back at him. He was human. The dark side in her mind told her that the mask was indeed a tool for racism. In her turmoil, she crossed her arms, glaring at him openly.

"Why the mask?"

"Why not?" He grunted, causing her to clench her fingers on her arm.

"Do you know how bad it looks like on u-I mean them? Faunus might assume you are mocking them," she explained ,trying to remain calm. In return, Inosuke bristled up with a huff. Jabbing his thumb at his chest, he glared back at her in defiance.

"Why should I care?! I'm just payin' respect for my ma'!"

Her thoughts stopped at his words, her irrational anger forgotten. She raised her hand, her expression morphing into disbelief.

"Your what?"

"I was raised by boars, duh."

Blake blinked. Inosuke stared back at her as his finger pointed at his mask. Slowly, the girl nodded before taking a seat. With her hands folded, she leaned her forehead against them.

... That made an incredible amount of sense. All of it now. Inosuke was literally a savage, in the least offending way imaginable. The confusion at fire arms and technology. The way certain terms were foreign to him. He was like a wild animal finding civilization.

"My turn." Inosuke's voice shook her out of her musings. He pointed at her, a curious expression on his face. "How do they work? Ya cat ears?"

She grew pale as she instinctively covered her bow. Or rather her ears. Gulping, she tried to force a fake smile, trying to divert his attention.

"I-I don't-"

"I can feel the difference, so don't bother," he interrupted her, waving his hand dismissively. Then with a smirk he tapped at his own skull. "Ya should be showing them off more! Ya cat mom or dad would be proud! My boar ma would be happy if I had tusks!"

For a moment, Blake wanted to hit him. How dare he imply her parents were just animals. But then she took a closer look at him. He seemed genuinely excited, as his eyes shone with interest. Did... did he really think one of her parents were actual cats? She began to giggle. He really was. That... was almost cute.

"Oi, don't mock me!" He shouted, almost sounding like a child. Shaking her head in amusement, she shook her head.

"I'm a faunus. My parents are just like me."

"Hm. Boring."

Blake knew she should be more offended at her parents being called boring. But boring was better than being called any other actual slur. With a smile, she looked at the book he was reading. Her ears twitched, intrigued. She didn't take him for the reading type.

"What were you reading anyway?"

She realized she made a mistake when he seemed to deflate. Anger but also shame was in his eyes as she hunched his shoulders a bit, while poking at the book as if it was some offending creature.

"A book I can't read. So there, nothin'. I asked for a book with la-la-reading stuff and I got this." He showed it to her, a book on the level of a kindergarten kid. "Pictures are nice and all, but I dunno what these symbols mean."

Oh. Of course. Blake bit her lip. Now she felt bad. Of course he wouldn't know how to read, if what he was saying about his literal boar parent was true. An idea came to her. He didn't seem like that bad of a guy. And honestly, she was still interested in his breathing techniques. So a little give and take wasn't out of the place, right?

"Do you want me to teach you?" She asked, feeling a bit embarrassed at offering. He blinked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Ya sure? We aren't on the same team."

"Doesn't have to mean anything." She pointed at herself and then at him, a smile on her face. "You can teach me a bit of your breathing techniques in exchange."

He crossed his arms, humming in deep thought. Then, with a smirk, he nodded at her.

"Your funeral, Break."

"It's Blake!" She shouted, annoyance dwelling up in her. Inosuke snarled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"That's what I said!"

In the end, this wasn't gonna be the last lesson filled with frustration. He wasn't the studious type, quickly losing his patience. And he was rather bad at explaining, deciding to literally beat the techniques into her body with mediocre success at best. But the two of them were improving, ever so slightly.

/

"Oi, Break."

She must have been really out of it. After her... fallout with her team, she didn't have much sleep ever since she left Beacon with Sun. So she chalked it up to that that she didn't notice the boar mask right next to her face until it spoke up. And she definitely did not shriek in panic, falling off her seat and making a scene. No way.

Breathing heavily as she had her hand on her chest, she threw a death glare at Inosuke, boar mark and all as he tilted his head innocently.

"Where did you come from?!"

"Ya didn't come, so I tried to find ya." He sounded displeased as he twirled his hand with a huff. "Luby, Wiz and Blondie didn't know where ya where, so I located ya myself."

"How?" She asked quietly. Was she that easy to find? In response, Inosuke posed, flexing his muscles.

"Spatial Awareness, ha! Took a while! Too much stuff going on for my skin!" Blake chalked whatever he was saying to his breathing. Anyway, crossing his arms, he leaned forward, his mask's snout pressing against her face. "Why'd ya run away?"

Run away. Shame filled her at the all too familiar word. Pushing him away, she cleared her throat, raising her hands in a placating manner.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I have to do this."

"Do what?"

"Find the White Fang," she muttered. At her words, Inosuke merely stared at her in silence. Then, he reached for his swords at his hips.

"Are those bad guys?"

"No, they aren't!" She shouted, holding his hands and pushing his blades back.

"I mean, they are terrorists."

She snapped her head at Sun, who had his finger raised, glaring at him. As he flinched back, she sighed, trying to calm down. He wasn't exactly wrong, but... !

"Well, yes, but that-"

"What's a terrorist?"

Blake's eyebrow twitched. Right. How could she forget his ignorance? Sun was less prepared than she was, openly shocked at his words.

"Dude, did you live under a rock?"

"Cave in the mountains, now answer the damn question!" Inosuke shouted, stomping on the ground in impatience. Sun blinked before turning to Blake, pointing at Inosuke as he did so.

"What?"

"Long story," Blake muttered, rubbing her temples a bit. With a sigh, she pointed at Inosuke with a frown. "Okay, you can come with us. Just don't tell my team!"

"Sure."

Honestly, she expected a bit more resistance. Especially once she explained it all. The White Fang. Her connection to it. The reason why she left her team and felt like she couldn't return anymore until she proved her and the White Fang's innocence. But instead of worry or anger or anything, Inosuke was just... apathetic. It bothered her. Was he just hiding his true emotions? So while they were waiting at the docks with Sun, Blake couldn't help but speak up.

"Aren't you bothered by this? Me being formerly White Fang?"

"Did you kill people?"

He said it so abruptly, Blake had to shake her head and repeat his words in her head. Once she processed his words, she shot up from her prone position, glaring at him in indignation.

"What? No!"

"Torture them? Make them suffer? Play with them as if they were toys and think yourself superior?"

Blake slowly lost her anger as she saw Inosuke clench his hands around his swords. Sun seemed to notice the change as well, taking a careful step back.

"Inosuke?" She asked with worry. Despite the mask, she could imagine him blinking in surprise as his grip seemed to relax. With a deep breath, he shook his head, looking back at the docks, seemingly focused.

"Ya didn't do any of that." He shrugged. "Just a normal girl. No big deal."

Just a normal girl. Her heart felt lighter at his words. She touched her chest, feeling the warmth, but confused where it came from. It couldn't just be those simple words, right?

She couldn't think more about it as the bullheads landed. With the White Fang leaving them. Her heart fell at the sight. No...

/

Torchwick escaped. How? Why? When? None of that mattered. He escaped, he manipulated the White Fang and he got away again when they almost had him after his first prison escape. Now Blake was left on her own, trying to find any sort of bread crumbs that could lead her to him. Not like her team was willing to help, she thought darkly. Rubbing her exhausted eyes, she sighed as she was about to pocket her scroll. Maybe there would be some rumors in town. But just as she put her scroll away, it vibrated. Looking at the message, to her surprise, it wasn't one from her team that told her to meet up or rest.

It was Inosuke. Cancelling their lesson. With the usual terrible grammar mistakes he always made. A lesson she forgot they even had, to her shame. With guilt she recalled how terrible she was lately at helping him how to read and listen to his lessons. But then again, she thought as she frowned... he wasn't focused himself. Lately, he seemed….subdued. Ever since the food fight, which he claimed he won by just eating his way through their improvised weapons. And now he cancelled their lesson, something he always seemed to look forward to, despite their clashes. Heck, didn't he search for her after she left for exactly that reason?

The worry grew. Soon, she walked away from the bullhead she was heading to, that worry having overpowered her paranoia over Torchwick. After some search, including asking his teammates that behaved a lot more than in the past, she walked through the forest on Beacon grounds. Soon enough, she found him at the edge of it, staring at the trees. It was unnatural. Seeing him so quiet and so... defeated. With his shoulders slumped over as he sat on the ground. With a sigh, she sat down next to him. She felt herself relax, as the wind rustled the leaves. More relaxed than she felt lately.

"You look like crap, Blake."

His voice was more like a low growl than an actual voice. She turned to him with a weak glare, but she could tell her heart wasn't behind it. It was then that she realized that he called her by her actual name. She felt herself blush a bit. Since when did he do that? And was that a sign that they were proper friends now?

... What was she thinking, of course they were friends. Only friends would be stupid enough to fight and hunt down criminals with her. Friends she had been neglecting lately... Trying a smile, she patted his shoulder, trying to lift his mood.

"If this is about leaving you out for the mech fight, I'm sorry. I'm sure you can get another chance."

"...Hm... "

"Inosuke? What's wrong?" Blake asked softly, carefully. A shivering breath escaped Inosuke as he let his head fall, as if he was defeated by something.

"...I miss home," he muttered.

Mom and dad. When was the last time she talked to them? Or even just sent a message, telling them... everything? About how sorry she was? About how she left the White Fang? Blake shook her head. No. She wasn't important right now. Her friend was. And she felt guilty never trying to find out more about his life before Beacon.

"You can't talk to them? Your... friends?" She asked, hesitating. Did he even have friends? Surely he had. That kind of look wasn't something one would have if there wasn't anyone to go back to after all. Now she had to wonder what kind of friends he even had and wow, that was a rude thing to even think about.

"No."

Blake felt her ears drop at his defeated tone. What else could she say? Asking if using a scroll was possible sounded insensitive. Surely he already knew that. Which meant it was a problem of logistics and he couldn't just solve that. Without much to say she could only lower her head, as she awkwardly patted his back.

"I'm sorry."

"I dunno how to get back," he continued on after a short moment of silence. He gestured around him with his arm. "Nothing in this place is….familiar."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked quietly, concerned about the fact that he didn't even know his way back. He took a deep breath before pointing at the sky without looking up.

"Moon's broken."

"Yes? It's been like this all-"

"It wasn't broken back home."

His quiet words hit her like a rocket. What? That didn't make any... sense... Something slowly dawned on her. But no, that was ridiculous. Ludicrous. Out of this world, no pun intended. The only way the moon might not be broken to him would be... Blake realized she was starting to hyperventilate. Trying to calm herself, she pulled out her scroll with a map, pointing at it with a shaking finger.

"...Inosuke, is your home somewhere on this map?"

"Dunno how Nippon looks like," Inosuke replied without even looking at the map. Part of Blake was frustrated at his lack of education. Another part of her was still panicking. Nippon. That didn't prove anything. Could just be a local name that the general public didn't know. Shooting up, she caused Inosuke to turn to her, tilting his head. With a weak smile, she nodded back at him.

"Just... give me a few days. Okay?"

"Oi, whaddya-"

She didn't wait for his reply. She made her way towards the library with a determined expression. She would contact her parents after she found out where Inosuke's home was. Whether it was on Remnant or not.

"I'm not even investigating the White Fang and Torchwick anymore!" Blake shouted, getting sick of Yang lecturing her. Yes, she had a point. Yes, Blake wanted nothing more than to fall dead on the ground. But this... this was important. More important than Torchwick. She hadn't even been thinking about him the last few days. This was a matter of someone potentially having lost his home forever and she'd be damned if she wouldn't do her best to prove Inosuke otherwise, if only for his peace of mind!

"What are you doing in the library all the time then?!" Yang asked accusingly, her voice echoing in the classroom.

"It's-" Blake stopped herself. Who would believe her? That Inosuke might be from another world entirely? And what right did she have revealing something he didn't share with anyone but her as far as she knew? So despite her indignation, she bit her lip and looked away.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing!" Yang shouted, reaching with her hands for her shoulders. But before she could, the door was kicked open, causing the two of them to whirl around at the door. Blake's eyes widened as Inosuke walked down the stairs, his mask hanging off the back of his neck for once.

"Oi!" He threw his thumb over his shoulder with a scoff. "I can hear ya from outside!"

Blake couldn't help but smile. At least he seemed happier now. Unfortunately he wasn't distracting enough, as Yang threw her arms up in the air.

"Maybe you can help me out here, boar boy!" She pointed at Blake with an exhausted groan. "Tell her she needs a break!"

Inosuke crossed his arms, taking one look at Blake. Then a smirk appeared on his face as he let out a snort.

"You still look like crap."

She felt something snap in her. So much effort and that was the thanks she was getting? With a snarl, she shoved him away before spreading her arms wide with her teeth barred.

"I'm just trying to help you!"

"With what?!" Inosuke shouted back, visibly confused. Blake took a deep breath, shaking her head as she lowered her gaze in shame.

"I... I haven't found anything about your home." Almost pleadingly, she looked up, trying to force a smile on her face. "Maybe it's just called something else, but I promise I-"

"Stop that."

The tone was flat. Almost authoritative. Blake blinked before tilting her head.

"Huh?"

"Talked with Ozma after we talked." He raised his thumb at her with a smile. "He's lookin' into it."

"Ozma?" Yang asked, turning to Blake. The latter licked her lips in thought before shrugging.

"I think he means Ozpin?"

She felt dizzy. If the headmaster was looking into it, older and more experienced than her, what else could she do? Well, now she could probably look after Tor-

Before she could even finish the thought, something hard hit her forehead. She yelped in pain, covering her head. Did... did he just headbutt her?! Before she could get a word in, Inosuke pointed his finger at her, repeatedly poking the spot he just attacked.

"Get some sleep, idiot! Even I rested when my throat was all fucked up!"

"From yelling?" Yang asked dryly. Without missing a beat, Inosuke turned to her and pointed at his throat with a snarl.

"From being crushed by a spider demon!"

Awkward silence reigned between them. Yang nodded a few times, humming a bit before turning to Blake with a flat expression.

"He serious?"

The faunus couldn't help but smile a bit. Inosuke never really lied. Spider demons? If her theory about him from another world was true, that wasn't so out there, fantasy like as it was. So in the end, she could just helplessly shrug.

"Pretty sure."

Still, with two people telling her to rest now... was it really that bad? Then again, if even Inosuke told her to rest... maybe they had a point. Sighing, she let her shoulders sag as she shook her head at the antics of her friends.

"Alright. Fine. I take a nap-"

She had no idea what happened next. One moment she was standing. The next moment she felt her head being grabbed and then forcefully shoved down.

"Wha-!"

Blake was lying sideways, her head on soft fur. It was only a moment later that she realized what was going on and her face turned crimson red. L-l-l-lap pillow?! By Inosuke?!

"Sleep!" He demanded. She tried to force herself up, but he kept a solid grip on her head as he held her down. So all she could do was flail aggressively, wishing to dig a hole for herself.

"How can I sleep like this?!"

"It's comfy, I should know!" Inosuke replied, puffing out his chest with pride. Blake could only blush more as she was right in front of his abs. Why did he refuse to wear the school uniform?! Why didn't Professor Goodwitch try harder?! Licking her lips, she forced herself to face away from the meat grinders-

-just to look right at Yang's face. A face that had a smile so wide that it was almost disgusting to look at. Oh god, the rumor mills. She had to escape this now or else her school life would be ruined.

"That's not the issue!" Blake shouted again, but the damn idiot would just not get it! Damn it, she should've slept earlier! Then she'd have the power to escape this hell! But it was too late and not enough. Yang giggled, already at the door during her futile struggle.

"Good job, Inosuke!" She playfully waved at them before turning her back to them. "I'll leave you two alone~!"

"This is a mis-"

The door closed. Her fate was sealed and all strength left her.

"Should I sing ya a lullaby?" Inosuke asked with a grunt. Blake could only groan. In the end, his idea of a lullaby were weird boar noises. And against all odds... it worked. Blake soon lost herself, snoring away on Inosuke's lap.

/

She kinda felt bad at rejecting Sun. She saw him as a nice guy. Good friend even. But as a date... she just didn't feel it. Then again, she was glad he was so accepting of it. Even if his phrasing was weird.

"Eh, was a long shot anyway, what with the current competition."

She felt her face heat up. Oh, she knew what he was referring to. Misunderstanding like everyone else. Yang sharing the 'hot details' sure didn't help. Ruby awkwardly trying to be supportive. Nora not so subtly asking for tips. Weiss pitying her taste. And Inosuke, utterly ignorant of any of those things. Which was good. Since nothing was going on between them. Honest.

So what if she was looking at him more lately? So what if she paid more attention to his habits and traits, like his surprising flexibility? Perfectly normal to do with a friend. Still, with the dance coming up... she couldn't help but throw a certain question into the round.

"...How hard do you think it'd be to put him into a suit?" She asked with amusement in her voice. The group at their table let out a snort. Yang waved his hand dismissively.

"Too hard."

"But imagine the power it'd unleash, heh."

They laughed at Nora's joke. Then the laughter died down and they sat in silence, contemplating. Sharing some looks, they slowly nodded to each other. Inosuke seemed to notice something was up, slowly stopping to eat as he turned to look at them.

"...What?"

Moments later, the event called 'The Chase' would occur. In the future of Beacon, it would be one of the many legends told. About the over the top hunt for one student, in the quest of putting him into a suit. Suffice to say, it was a hard fought battle.

"STOP RESISTING!"

"BREATH OF THE BEAST TWELFTH FORM - ZENITSU RUNNING!"

"CORNER HIM!"

"HE'S AT THE CEILING!"

"I THOUGHT HE WAS A BOAR AND NOT A SPIDER?!"

"YOU NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE!"

"I CUT HIM OFF, YOU GO THAT WAY!"

Anyway, after much screaming, effort, tailoring and hygiene products, Blake couldn't lie to herself.

Inosuke rocked the suit, even as he scratched at it and mumbled like a child. Well, he actually was. It was a bit surprising knowing he was at Ruby's age. Anyway, she was a bit... peeved when he didn't comment about their outfits at all. That changed quickly when she subtly hinted at it.

"What about it? You're good looking either way."

That wasn't the end of the surprises however and her realization that Inosuke was too damn smooth for his own good. After all... he was way too good as a dancer. Sure, he didn't dance in a traditional sense, but he had instincts to make up for. With the beat, Blake felt her breath leave her as she was practically swung around by him, someone a bit smaller than her. Midway through, she realized she was laughing. More than she ever did. And Inosuke was the reason for it.

For some reason, that thought didn't bother her as much as it should.

/

With the tournament coming up, Blake was surprised that everyone was perfectly fine with asking Inosuke for some help. They might even go up against each other, but they all agreed that Inosuke was probably the strongest in the class, after Pyrrha. And the latter even admitted that her Semblance was the bigger factor in this case than her own skill. Perhaps it was just her humility speaking. But Blake knew that the breathing techniques, if nothing else, would help immensely. And if she was a betting girl, after seeing Inosuke go during the Breach, she gave him good odds at beating Pyrrha sooner than later.

Anyway, all of that led to them finding team ICRS in the training rooms, training. Or rather Inosuke training, doing pull ups, as the rest of the team was... on the ground, beaten and begging for mercy.

"P-please... save us... !" Cardin hissed before his face hit the ground. Naturally everyone next to Blake felt a lot less sure about their idea. Before they could change their minds, Inosuke saw them. Dropping down, he waved his arms at them.

"You wanna get stronger, right?! Get in!"

Fortunately for them, he didn't immediately try to jam his techniques down their throats like he did with Blake. She grumbled under her breath as he took the time to explain it as good as possible, thanks to her sacrifice as the first victim. At least now he told them how he learned his breathing, from the wild and the height of the mountains teaching him. How it enhanced the blood flow in their body, increasing their physical abilities.

However, when he explained his style, he also talked about others. Water. Lighting. Insect. Fire. Unfortunately he didn't know exactly how they worked. Apparently it was different enough that one couldn't just learn his Breath of the Beast and then use the techniques of other schools.

"You never told me about them," Blake asked. Inosuke's enthusiasm dropped down a bit as he shrugged.

"Never came up."

While he received weird looks, only Yang knew like Blake that something deeper was up. The latter bit her lip. Right. The other styles must have belonged to his friends. Another reminder. Still, Inosuke bounced back relatively quickly. He took a large gourd and proceeded to show off what a higher level breath user was supposed to be capable of.

As in blowing up the gourd with only his breath. It was rather shocking, seeing it break into shards. There was only stunned silence. Awe at a skill that could be only used by one person in this world. And of course it was Yang who broke the atmosphere.

"...Well, ya sure got some blowing skills."

"Phrasing!" Weiss shouted, her face turning red. But like oil in fire, Inosuke huffed, his hands on his hips as he puffed out his chest.

"Why? I have blowing skills!"

"Stop saying blowing!"

"By the way!" Ruby shouted, changing tracks quickly even if she didn't seem to get what the problem was. Excitedly she pulled out two beautifully shining katana, presenting them to Inosuke. "I repaired your blades!" As he took them in his hands, she proudly straightened up her back. "Still got that sun absorbing trait but it's way tougher now!"

It was a weird trait to have for a weapon. Inosuke was quite insistent that it was still able to absorb and save up solar energy, even if it was minor at best. Was it a weakness of those demons he fought? Honestly the more she heard about them, man eating monsters that looked like humans, they sounded more like vampires than anything else.

"Hm."

He stared at the blades before wandering off towards Cardin. Picking up the mace after putting the blades down, he turned the weapon a few times. Growing frustrated, he glanced at the owner of the weapon.

"Oi, can you make this smaller?"

"Button on the left, retracts the handle... " He weakly replied, enjoying the cold floor he was lying on.

"Thanks."

Soon enough, only the mace head was left. Fitting neatly in his hand, he moved it a few times. A feeling of dread filled Blake, as she remembered how his blades looked originally.

"Inosuke... ?" She trailed off as he knelt over his blades. Ruby and the others tilted their hands in confusion. It was in that instance, he did something horrifying.

With loud, savage grunts, he smashed the mace head into the blade, hammering shards out of it. Ruby shrieked in horror, before fainting. The others could only gape at the sight. Blake in the meantime was busy holding Yang back as her eyes glowed red.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You wanna pick a fight!"

Inosuke stopped and turned to her. Yang was breathing heavily, awaiting an answer. Instead, all she got was the sight of him doing the same to the other blade.

"I'll fucking kill you! Don't waste my sister's hard work!"

"Yosh." His eyes sparkled as he held his weapons up. Now team JNPR was helping Blake as well, barely holding Yang back as she was trying to claw Inosuke's eyes out.

"DON'T YOU YOSH ME, YOU PIECE OF MEAT!"

God, why did she like Inosuke so much to protect him from justified anger?

Honestly, Blake wasn't the type to get overly excited over a tournament. While she was happy getting a win with her team in the first round, she gladly handed over the torch, so to say, to Yang and Weiss for the other rounds. Close as they were, she didn't think that she nor Ruby would've done a better job.

Of course now she was torn for the final phase of the tournament. After all...

"You going down!"

"You wish! You're my stepping stone!"

Blake sighed as Yang and Inosuke shouted at each other. Yup. Yang was going up against him. Unless Yang figured out some new tricks, she was concerned about her chances of winning. Still, it was good to see Inosuke essentially carrying his team. She was a bit worried when Cardin acted weird in the double match, but whatever Emerald was pulling, it did "jack shit to me" in Inosuke's words. Something about how he saw things that didn't match up with what he was feeling on his skin. Though she was a bit concerned with how brutal he was when knocking Emerald out. It was a nasty blow to the head. All Inosuke had to say about that was she gave him a bad feeling.

Knowing him, Blake was willing to trust it. Still, it was a bit concerning. After all, didn't Adam start off that way? The slippery slope? She shook her head. No, she shouldn't think about it. It was in the past.

"Soooo, what're your plans after this? The two of us are going back to Patch."

"I think... I'm going to visit my parents," Blake said slowly. The others seemed surprised at her words. All she could do was sheepishly shrug at them. After all, she made the decision to send a message. Immediately after that, she was more or less ordered to come home at the earliest convenience. What choice did she have? It was either that or get hunted down by her parents and be grounded for life. Besides... she was starting to miss them. Hearing about Inosuke's circumstances made her see things in a new perspective. Speaking of him, she wondered, her face slightly red as she covered her mouth.

"Hey, Inosuke you got anywhere to go?"

The guy stopped midway in his eating, before slurping up the noodles with a shrug.

"Meh. Not really."

"Want to come with me?"

... Why was everyone staring at her? Eyes wide, with the exception of Inosuke. It was then that Blake realized that she said those words, not muffled enough by her palm. She felt her face heat up, as Yang and Nora began to grin widely. Inosuke on the other hand hummed in thought before shrugging nonchalantly.

"Sure, why not."

Fortunately for Blake, he decided to leave, wanting to warm up. Unfortunately for her, that left her at the mercy of the worst kind of beings: Gossiping girls.

"Ohoho, smooth~!"

"Already meeting the parents, nice~!"

Nora and Yang quickly invaded her personal space. She hid behind her shoulders. By all means, she should've denied them, as futile as it was. But as she thought of saying 'no, it wasn't like that'...she just couldn't. Instead averting everyone's eyes. The atmosphere began to change, the laughter awkwardly dying out. It was Weiss, who stared at Blake in disbelief as she put a hand against her right temple.

"Oh god, you're serious."

"Hmmmm... !"

... Who was she kidding. First Adam, now Inosuke. Why was she always crushing on the thick headed stubborn guys? Blake sighed, her face slightly flushed as she buried her face into her arms on the counter. At least Inosuke wasn't a terrorist. And that's all that mattered... right?

How did everything get bad so quickly? It started subtle. Insidious. Yang attacked Inosuke even after the battle was over, the latter barely able to dodge the attack. The mood in Vale became worse since then. And Pyrrha, what she did to Penny... Then the attack, started by the mysterious woman. ALl those Grimm. All the White Fang. And-

"Come now, Blake. Stop running away!"

Why was he here?! Why was he after her?! Didn't he have more important targets to take down?! Was he so obsessed with her?! As she frantically ran away, towards the ruined cafeteria, she stumbled over the rocks.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed, her vision becoming dizzy. No, no, no, had to get away, quickly! Yet no matter how fast she went, his voice, yelling and taunting, was never far away enough.

"After everything we've been through?! You turned your back on us! On me! Did you think there wouldn't be any consequences?!"

In the end, she was at a dead end. Pressing her back against the wall, she held her weapon up, shaking in her hands.

"Go away!" She yelled, aiming her gun at him. Yet she couldn't pull the trigger. Memories of better times came back. And in that moment, Adam's face seemed to soften up, ever so slightly.

"You could never hurt me. C'mon. Just come back. We can fix this."

He held his hand out. Whispering comfort. And Blake knew, in her heart, that it was fake. He only wanted control over her. The worst was... he did. She clenched her eyes shut, even as the hand approached.

Someone... anyone... please... !

"Oi, bull. She said go away."

Blake's eyes snapped open at the voice. An instance later, something crashed between her and Adam, forcing the latter to back off with a snarl. As the dust settled, Adam put a hand on his blade, snarling at the intruder.

"Who are you?!"

"Member of the Demon Slayer Corps! Demon Slayer Inosuke Hashibira!" With both of his blades in his hands, he pointed one of them at Adam as steam escaped out of his mask. "You get the fuck away from her!"

"...This is who you left us for?!" Adam shouted after a moment of disbelief. "All we desired was fight against injustice and now you pick this... this savage?! Are you serious, Blake?!"

Blake began to shiver. No. Nononono. Adam was strong. Stronger than any student in this school. She tugged at Inosuke's pants, her legs having given out a long time ago.

"Inosuke... p-please, run away!" She shouted. He glanced at her, expression and body language completely unreadable. Adam began to laugh, smirking at him.

"Yes. One chance. Do it for dear old Blake."

"Ah... "

It was quiet. Inosuke gently shoved her hand away. Nodding to himself, he stared at the ground, his swords scraping over the ground as his body grew slack.

"I get it now," he muttered to himself. "Ya ain't no faunus nor human."

Adam blinked in confusion. Blake did too, before something soft was put over her head. His boar mask. She shoved it away, curiosity overcoming her terror for a moment. What she saw was breathtaking. Inosuke's face was distorted in a mask of utter fury. Not only that... black markings spread over his face. Boar tusk like markings spread over his cheeks. With how close Blake was to him, she could also feel that his body heat was borderline scorching. With a snarl, he widened his stance, arms crossed as veins bulged on his forehead and arms.

"Ya nothin' more than a stinkin' fuckin' demon!"

Blake felt helpless in that moment. But as she felt the soft fur on her head, tears began to well up. Despair and hope, two sides of the same coin, began to become a storm in her chest. What could she do... ?!

"Demon, hm?" Adam's body shook before he took a deep breath, burying his anger into his heart. The sort of anger that boiled under the surface, just waiting to explode. "Alright, Blake. Looks like I have to show you what consequences really ar-"

He didn't get far.

"EXPLOSIVE RUSH!"

"Guh!"

Inosuke exploded from the ground, his blades next to Adam's neck an instance later. The latter could barely bring his sword up, diverting the attack. But the momentum was on his side. Whatever that mark did, it increased his capabilities immensely. A flurry of blades cut the ground and the walls, as the two swordsmen never stopped moving. It was like looking at two savage beasts, boar and bull, charging at each other whenever they could. At the sight, shame and fury began to fill her heart.

What the hell was she doing, just sitting there?! She couldn't lose him. She couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He needed help. And as if hearing her thoughts, Adam had to duck away from a shotgun blast. Jumping through the ruined wall, Yang grinned, reloading her gauntlets.

"Sorry I'm late!"

"About damn time!" Inosuke yelled, kicking Adam's legs away. The latter grit his teeth before using the momentum to spin sideways with his blade, forcing the former to back off.

"C'mon, partner!" Yang shouted, before jumping into the fray.

"These are the people you choose?! A savage and a human?!" Adam shouted, desperately defending from the fists and blades trying to overpower him. Blake bristled up. What did he know?! Reloading her gun, she kicked off the ground, aiming at the openings as the two front fighters, her friends, created openings for her.

"Shut up!"

Adam grunted in pain. Blake couldn't help but smirk. They were winning. Slowly but surely, cuts and bullet marks appeared on him. They were whittling him down. While Inosuke was beginning to move slower, his breathing becoming more ragged, they were piling up the da-

Adam smirked. His body began to glow red, as Blake landed next to Yang. Her eyes widened, as a memory returned to her.

Oh no. His semblance. Just as the thought entered her mind, two things were already moving. One was Adam, his blade being shot out of its sheathe, increasing the force of his counter attack. The other was Inosuke, already knocking them to the ground. The explosion that sounded was deafening and Blake grit her teeth as she and Yang scraped over the ground by the after shock. Coughing, she tried to see what was going on. Her eyes widened in horror as the familiar red blade rested against her neck. But instead of death, all she could see was Adam's smirk. With a gesture of his head, she slowly glanced behind her.

Her breath stopped at the sight. Inosuke was inbedded in the wall. His blades lied broken on the ground. And... and he was bleeding so much. No, no, no... !

"Inosuke... !" She choked out, about to crawl over there. Yet the blade stopped her short. Clicking his tongue a few times, Adam shook his head in a chiding manner.

"This is what happens if you don't listen, Blake!"

It was her fault, she realized numbly. Her-

"AS IF!"

A fist knocked the blade aside and Adam grunted as he was thrown over Blake. The latter could only stare at the ground, her mind drowning in despair. She could barely register Yang standing behind, protectively, as she yelled at her. But she couldn't make anything out.

Inosuke was dying. It was her fault. She should've never come here. Should've just accepted her fate. As if hammering the point in, Adam snarled at Yang, his blade, dyed in blood, was pointed at the blonde.

"It's over! Stop struggling or you end up like that savage!"

"Never," Yang hissed in defiance. Then, turning her gaze at her partner, she harshly forced her to turn around as she grabbed her forearm. "Blake, get up! He's not perfect! He's hurt!"

"Inosuke... Inosuke... " She could only mutter, clutching her head.

"Damn it!" Yang cracked her neck as she took on a fighting position. "Fine, you wanna tango, let's tango!"

Something moved behind Adam. Blake could barely register it, but it made her look up. What she saw caused her to blank out. Huh? No. How? With those wounds... she had to be seeing things.

"Fine. More blood to spi-"

Before Adam could end his sentence however, the phantom Blake saw interrupted him. A scorching hot fragment of a blade poked out of Adam's throat. He gurgled, clawing at it. In one rough movement, the blade was cut out of Adam sideways. Blood, bubbling but not cauterized, dropped to the ground. As he gurgled, Adam fell to the ground, twitching. Soon enough, he stopped moving, the light leaving his eyes. And standing above him, was...

"Inosuke!"

He was hurt beyond belief. His arms hung as if they were nothing more than weak strings. His left eye was shut, maybe even gone completely as the scar marred his face. In his teeth were the jagged remains of his blade, crimson red for some reason. Spitting it out, he began to fall. Finding renewed strength, Blake rushed to his side, catching him. He breathed heavily, each breath sounding agonizing.

"Wha... " Blake sharpened her ears. Then she saw Inosuke grin weakly. "Whaddya... think I should name that…?"

Tears welled up in Blake's eyes. This was all her fault and he was joking?!

"Idiot... !"

"C'mon, you carry him, I cover you!"

She didn't need to be told twice by Yang. Still, guilt reigned in her heart as she felt the warm blood of Inosuke drench her back.

/

Blake didn't know what to do. Lying in her bed, aimlessly staring at the ceiling she was oh so familiar with in her days as a child. Being back in Menagerie felt... surreal. With Beacon having taken massive damage and the Headmaster being heavily injured according to Goodwitch, there wasn't really a place to stay. Not that it bothered her too much. After all, she did plan to go back anyway. She just hoped it could've been under better circumstances.

It wasn't like she left too abruptly. The goodbye with her team was filled with tears, but they promised to meet each other again. Even if she was worried about Weiss. The Schnee family had some certain rumors about them for a reason. But, it still felt like she was running away. From a certain someone. Her thoughts moved to Inosuke and she clenched her eyes shut.

Lost an eye. His arms would never be the same. The scars would remain forever and even after a lot of rehab, they might only move half as good as they used to. All her fault. She had to leave him behind. It was for the better. As much as it hurt. Shaking her head, she rose up from her bed. Suddenly, a knock on the window caused her to jump a bit. Turning her head, she wondered who it was-

-only to spot an all too familiar boar mask pressed against the glass. Suffice to say, her parents didn't miss a beat as they broke into her room with the way she shrieked in existential horror.

One thing led to another and she was glaring daggers at Sun, who whistled and found her mom's food just fascinating. Meanwhile Ghira glared at Inosuke with suspicion, occasionally looking at the black eyepatch covering his left eye or at the bandages that covered up the scars marking his arms.

"Inosuke, why are you here?" Blake asked quietly. He in return shrugged nonchalantly before giving her a frown.

"You invited me, remember? Then you just left, so I had to ask Sun over there where you lived."

"Sun!" She shouted, who flinched. Then he put up his hands in self defense

"What? If a bro asks me, I help that bro out! Besides, figuring out where Belladonna lives wasn't exactly hard!"

"Inosuke, was it?" He nodded and Ghira cleared his throat. His body rose, in that all too familiar and shameful dad posture and he threw his thumb over his shoulder. "There are some repairs that need to be done and I need a strong hand."

"Haha, no problem!"

As he followed her dad, Sun excused himself. Leaving her at the mercy of her mom. Who quickly clasped her hands around Blake's and giggled in a giddy highschool girl manner.

"So, nice boyfriend~! Following you to the ends of Remnant!" Excitingly, she began to shake Blake's hand. "How did you meet? How was your first date?"

"I didn't confess yet," Blake mumbled, knowing better than to lie. Then, with a sigh, her shoulders sagged in defeat. "I don't even know if he gets the concept... "

"Oh, don't be silly, Blake!" Kali laughed, waving her off dismissively.

Hours later, with the sun coming down, it was Ghira that proved her right. With his big hands, he rested them on her shoulders, eyes filled with pity.

"My apologies, daughter. You have an uphill battle to fight."

"That bad?" Kali asked with concern. Then the trio looked out of the window, witnessing Sun and Inosuke fishing with loud screams and laughter, which was rather counterproductive to fishing. Ghira sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know when I shifted from 'I will break your neck' to 'seduce my daughter already'..." He trailed off, letting the words sink in as Blake covered her crimson face. With a sigh, he crossed his arms with a frown. "But he did not get the hint." With a warm chuckle, he nodded before patting Blake on the head. "Suffice to say, I like him, Blake. So don't worry about my approval."

She let out a grunt, face still covered. Kali sighed, her hand on her cheek as she considered the circumstance.

"Oh dear." Patting her shoulder, Kali raised her thumb encouragingly. "Well, looks like you have to be direct."

"Do I look like I can do direct?!" Blake hissed, pointing outside. Immediately, her parents shook their heads at the same time, which actually hurt a bit.

"No, but you have to. For the sake of the Belladonna bloodline," Kali said in a grave tone. Blake choked before shaking her head furiously.

"Do you have to phrase it like that?!"

"For the sake of the Belladonna bloodline," Ghira repeated, just as grave as his wife. Then a moment later, the two of them chuckled at her expression, pouting furiously. That was why she ran away from home! All the teasing was too much!

/

With the days rather peaceful, Blake had no choice but to take Inosuke out on... dates. While he gathered some attention, whether or not he had his mask on or not, he didn't seem to care much. Nor did he seem to get that what they were doing were dates.

Walks on the beach. Playing in the jungle. Cooking together, eating together. All the romantic things Blake could think of and he acted like he always did. As if he was with a friend. It piled up. She understood he probably lacked context and experience. That it was part of his charm. Still. The teasing and then the pity she received began to pile up, until one day...

"I love you!"

Inosuke froze as they walked on the beach again. Blake processed what she blurted out and was this close to running away. Yet she stopped herself. No. She was done playing around. Either she was getting rejected now or not, she had it with this uncertainty. Looking up, with her face deep red, she didn't see the expression she wished to see. Inosuke's face was scrunched up in... utter confusion.

"Hm? Hm? Hhhhhhmmm?"

Blake exhaled as her temper rose. He still didn't get it?! Fine! Screw it, if she was already on this path, might as well trust her instincts! Taking a deep breath, she followed up on her momentum as Inosuke was still processing her words. Holding his hands in hers, she glared at him with determination.

"In a sexual way!"

That determination died immediately after she processed her own words. What?! Instincts bad! At least Inosuke's face was turning a bit red, so that might be a success?!

"Romantic if I have anything to say about that, young lady!" Her father's voice boomed loudly and she snapped her head around, glaring at the stalkers hiding behind the trees. Still, she shook her head and turned back at Inosuke, shaking his hands up and down as panic filled her heart.

"Right! Right! Romantic! Not sexual! Maybe later!" Why couldn't she shut her mouth?! She felt her head becoming light and dizzy. God, hell, take her down now!

"Hm... Hm... Hhhhhhhhmmmm…"

"I-Inosuke... ?" Blake whispered nervously as he nodded a few times with a flush face. Then, he gently seperated their hands... and took off, dashing over the beach towards the forest.

"...Eh?" The girl could only blink at that... action. Did he just run away? She wasn't the only one in disbelief. Sun and her parents appeared from behind the trees. Sun threw his arms in the air.

"Oh come on, man! Really?!"

Meanwhile, her mother merely sighed in exasperation and her dad... rolled up his sleeves with a dark expression.

"Kali, light up the stove, we're going to have boar tonight."

"Waitwaitwaitwait!" Blake shouted running towards them. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her beating heart. All things considered... maybe… "I... I think he's just... overloaded?"

"Honey, that's no excuse."

"Yeah, how old is he, twelve?"

He might as well be mentally, Blake thought darkly. Still. She had faith in him. He literally got crippled for her sake. And wasn't that a depressing thought. In the end, there was no need to worry. While it became dark, Inosuke returned.

With a bear carcass.

At least it was bled out already, but it was quite the gruesome sight as Inosuke dropped it down in front of them in their living room. Then, on his knees, he lowered his head, blushing and awkward.

"Not-not the best present, but it was the biggest thing I could find!"

Turned out that Inosuke was under the impression that he had to gift something before dating Blake properly. Wherever he got the idea that it had to be wildlife instead of just flowers was beyond any of them. Yet the way he earnestly asked made Blake weak in her legs. Since when was he so... so... !

Before she could finish her thoughts, Kali put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, a fire in her eyes.

"I want at least three grandchildren."

"But only after marriage and coming of age!" Ghira interjected as Blake began to stutter, her mind overheating with the imagination. One thing led to another, a small celebration done, before she and Inosuke were alone under the night sky on the roof. Inosuke cleared his throat awkwardly, turning to h.

"Sooooo... How does this wo-"

Blake couldn't help herself. After everything they've been through... she threw her arms around him. They lost their balance, his back landing on the rooftop and she pressed her lips against his.

It was awkward. Sloppy. Their noses hit and their kiss lasted for a split second. Staring at each other, at the weak display of love... they couldn't help but laugh as they rolled around, tickling each other.

Life was good, Blake decided.