AN: I'm not dead yet! I didn't mean to take so long off, but real world issues, a busier schedule and nearly a month in the hospital kept pushing this to the back burner. Either way, I've at least managed to lay out the concepts for the rest of the chapters for this story as well as finish reworking this chapter. I'm still planning on finishing this story and hopefully get chapters out quicker than once every seven months. I want to thank everyone for continuing to support and follow this story despite the hiatus.

"I don't see why I have to be here, too."

"Because you are a kind, caring teammate and I needed help carrying her to the infirmary."

"Oh come on, she wasn't that heavy; you can't be that weak."

"Can't you please at least pretend to give a damn about your teammates?"

"Can you please stop pretending that she's actually our teammate and not just a burden Ozpin dumped on us?"

Blake bristled at Yang's complete lack of empathy for the girl they had to drag out of that bathroom but before she could retort any further, a nurse approached the pair.

"Miss Belladonna, can I please speak with you?" The nurse, Helen according to her name tag, called out to the girls as they continued their rather animated talk. After an overly exaggerated sigh, Blake swallowed her frustration and turned her attention to the nurse calling out. As Blake stood up to speak with her, Yang just lazily draped her arm and leg over the chair that Blake had just vacated. She stared off at nothing in particular as she had as much interest in the current situation as a dog has with the fleas on its back.

"We've managed to stabilize your teammate for the time being. None of her injures were life threatening, but she did suffer a broken leg along with a pair of broken ribs and a fracture in her lower left arm that will all need to be mended before she can be cleared to leave. We're hoping to get her back on her feet in a week or two at the soonest with reoccurring dust transfusions. Visiting hours don't end until nine so you can go visit with her now if you wish; she's currently resting in room 105."

"I'm so glad to hear that. Thank you for everything you've done for her." Blake bowed her head as she thanked the nurse before heading towards the hallway and the room in question. She had just crossed the lobby before she noticed her partner shuffling towards the infirmary's front doors.

"Are you not even coming to see how she is?"

The only response she got from her bunkmate was the creaking noise from the door hinges as it was slowing to a stop. Blake could only shake her head at the sight before turning back and heading towards hallway. She barely made it to the doors before a flurry of rose petals cascaded around her. She regained her senses after a couple of moments of dizzying bewilderment to find her flustered leader with a hand against the doorframe as she was regaining her breath. The bright red, aromatic tornado barely managed to avoid crashing into Blake but that only resulted in an uncomfortably close gap between the girls. Unfortunately for Blake, Ruby thought absolutely nothing of it as she poked and prodded for news on their newest teammate and her newest friend.

"What happened? Is she ok? Where is she? Is she hurt?" Ruby quickly peppered Blake with questions after recovering her breath. Flying through the entryway and skidding to a stop before crashing into her teammate had left her only a bit fatigued.

Blake wanted to chastise her for her completely reckless actions but Blake could only swallow her words given the earnest look of distress and concern contained in Ruby's eyes as she waited for answers. Instead, all she could manage was allowing a soft chuckle to escape her lips before responding to her.

"You've probably already heard rumors in the halls, but she was attacked in the bathroom by Team Cardinal along with some other lowlifes. I haven't seen her yet, but I was just on my way to her room."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!"

Before Blake could even explain anymore, Ruby had already bolted down the hall to go visit their wounded teammate. All she could do was shake her head at her leader's unabashed enthusiasm and follow behind her down the hall. A few moments later as she's rounding the first turn, she runs into a slightly confused Ruby heading back towards her.

"Um, what room is she in?"

"…Just follow me, Ruby."

The pair of girls wandered through the hallways of the clinic as Blake led the way until they arrived in front of Neo's room. Blake quickly grabbed Ruby's collar as she tried to rush into the room. After quietly scolding her rambunctious leader, Blake cracked open the door and peered inside to find Neo lightly sleeping in her bed. She closed the door before turning her attention back towards the antsy girl behind her gently massaging her neck.

"She sleeping right now so you really need to keep your cool. Don't just rush in there and wake her up, ok?"

"I'll be fine Blake. I won't wake her up." Ruby half-pleaded with her teammate before Blake opened the door back up. With the door opened fully up, the sight became much clearer to the pair.

Neo was lying in a bed up against the near wall with wires and an IV running up to the machines beside her. The bandages wrapped around her arms and head made for a rather solemn sight. Only the slow, constant beep from her heart monitor tracking her pulse filled the air in the room. The scene laid out before her hit Blake like a bucket of ice water. She stood frozen for a minute, just absorbing the sight, before breaking the stupor and sitting in the seat next to the bed on the far side of the room. She placed a hand just on the edge of the bed, not daring to disturb her as she rested. Ruby followed behind her and grabbed a seat beside the table on the other side of the room before pulling it up next to the left side of her bed.

After actually seeing the results from the vicious bathroom attack, reality hit Ruby hard as her mind became a flurry of thoughts and emotions. Sorrow for the horrible experience that Neo just had to endure for no good reason; anger at Cardin for perpetrating this brutal attack; regret at her thought to give her space. If only I chased after her. I could've stopped this.

"Do you think I could get some time to talk to her alone, Ruby?" Blake's voice cut through Ruby's mental self-flagellation and drew her back into the hospital room she physically in.

"As team leader, I want to be here when she wakes up. I was the one she was with just before this assault happened! How can I possibly leave her side again after that?" Ruby practically jumped out of her seat as she responded to Blake's ludicrous request. There's not a chance she could leave Neo's side again at a time like this. While she did attempt to keep her shocked response rather muted, Neo still ended up stirring and rolling about after her commotion. Ruby's hands immediately shot up to her mouth and she quickly looked at Blake as if she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar again.

She didn't see anger. She didn't see annoyance. She couldn't even put into words how to describe the look on Blake's face when their eyes met. She thought Blake would push back and tell Ruby to leave or argue or something, but all Blake did was utter 'Please' in a barely audible, almost pleading whisper. Her face sported an uneasy smile that looked like it could shatter at the slightest touch. Ruby was taken aback at her friend's simple request and a myriad of thoughts and emotions played out on her face before she responded.

"Well, it looks like she might be waking up soon, and I bet she's going to be kinda hungry. I think I'll go talk to the nurses about getting some food brought in for her." Ruby headed towards the door after deciding it would be better to not pry into this issue and give them some space. Before she left, she turned to ask another question.

"Do you want me to grab you some food, Blake?"

For the first time since she'd been in the infirmary, she saw a natural smile emerge as Blake chuckled at her question.

"That would be wonderful, Ruby." And as she turned to leave…

"Thank you." A twinge of red dotted Ruby's cheeks as she continued out the door; thankful that she had her back to her.

Blake turned her attention back to the girl lying in the bed who was currently looking back up at her. She reared back in surprise as Neo continued to stretch rather gingerly as she tried to fully wake up. Blake quickly regained her senses as she noticed Neo weakly reaching towards her phone resting on the stand beside her. Blake hurriedly grabbed the phone and handed to Neo before she had to exert herself any further.

What happened?

Another wave of surprise washed over Blake as that was the exact question she wanted to ask Neo, but that quickly passed. She probably couldn't remember most of that encounter or anything afterwards.

"Yang and I saw the commotion at the bathroom and took a look at what was happening. After we saw those monsters assaulting you, we had to jump in. Thankfully, we got you here quickly and I just found out that there's no real permanent damage. I'm sure the doctor can talk to you about that better than I can. I'm just so glad they didn't kill you." Blake barely managed to finish that statement without breaking down to tears once again.

Why did you bother?

After typing in a response, Neo tossed the phone into Blake's lap and rolled away from the girl. Blake couldn't believe the question she had typed in. How little did she think of herself?

"What are you talking about? How could I leave my friend to those jackals like that?" Blake tried giving her the phone back but she would just petulantly roll to the other side each time. After breaking down and physically forcing the phone into Neo's hands, she finally got a response.

Why bother saving a monster?

Blake's heart dropped when she read that message. Does she really hate herself that much?

"You're not a monster. I've seen your kindness. I've seen the emotions that dwell within your heart."

Neo snatched the phone from Blake's hand and quickly punched in a response before tossing it back at the hesitant girl hovering beside her bed.

What kindness? What emotions have you seen? Please explain because all I've felt is fear or hatred. Go ask Cardin how kind I was.

"Cardin is the one who tried to just kill you! I don't want to even think about what his opinions on kindness and humanity are!"

I tried to kill him first! How could you blame him for that! He was just exterminating a monster that you keep trying to save. Why are you even still bothering?

"BECAUSE I USED TO BE THAT MONSTER!"

A pregnant pause permeated throughout the room after that furious exchange between the pair. Neo could only look up at Blake in shock as she could only turn away from the bed after dropping that bombshell. For the first time in the argument, the mute girl was left speechless.

"Back when I was in the White Fang, I was looked at and treated like just a monster. I never truly believed that, but those self-deprecating thoughts were always latched onto the back of my mind like a leech just draining away any feelings of self-worth. The worst experience was one of the early White Fang rallies before violence became one of our calling cards."

Blake took a breath as she returned to Neo's side and sat back down in her chair. She started to recall the events once again from the day her father was beaten, but now she was recalling the events following that assault; memories she had long tried to bury.

~Many Years Ago~

It was pure and utter chaos. Faunus were running every direction. Humans were lobbing bricks and other projectiles while chasing down anything with a tail or extra ears. All you could hear were a chorus of yells and screams and all you could smell was the blood splattered across the field they were protesting on not ten minutes prior.

Blake was standing stock still in the middle of that bloody field; scared, confused, overwhelmed. Every fiber of her being was screaming to go find Papa. He can protect her. Papa always protected her. Unfortunately, she had to keep fighting her instincts and remind herself that Papa was lying on the ground being stomped on in a clearing just ahead of her.

She was finally shook from her stupor as a terrified deer faunus shouldered past Blake as she was running for her life. The frightened faunus barely made it a step past her before Blake saw her body go slack and her eyes lose focus. The dust round that tore through her chest left a ghastly looking wound in the center of her back as the poor girl fell to the ground face first right beside Blake. There were slight twitches coming from the body of her White Fang sister as she vainly attempted to reach out towards Blake for help before the arm dropped back down to the earth and the faunus's body finally fell silent and still; so very, very still.

The situation was finally starting to become real to Blake. The numbness of the shock was wearing off and she couldn't help but start retching. Her legs finally started responding to her mental pleads as she managed to start running towards the closest bathroom. She thankfully made it without issue, quickly dove into the nearest stall, and started violently hugging the toilet.

"Sounds like one of them's in here!" A voice echoed from the entrance as a new wave of fear washed over Blake while a pair of humans made their way into the bathroom to investigate. A grizzled looking man sporting wild looking salt and peppered hair and a rather unkempt five o'clock shadow was in the lead as he walked in. His crazy hair and rippling muscles hidden beneath a non-descript dark t-shirt stood at odds with the softness of his baby blue eyes as they scanned the bathroom. A smaller, scrawnier man dressed in similar t-shirt and jeans getup appeared in the bathroom just behind the first. He also sported a beard, but kept it much more maintained than his companion's and it was accompanied by a full mane of blonde hair perched on top of his head. They both stood a good couple feet taller than Blake and, despite the well-groomed man's diminutive stature, each looked and moved as if they knew their way around in a fight.

As they scanned over the room, Blake tried to gather herself and prepare for a fight. She didn't have much time to work with as the lead man quickly pushed open the first stall door. He was startled when he found himself confronted by a tiny, angry faunus girl swinging her fists wildly at him. Despite the surprise assault, he laughed off the petite blows against his chest before he grabbed her by the shoulder and tossed her into the middle of the bathroom.

"Looks like this one has still got some fight left in her!" He threw his head back as a wave of laughter washed over him after watching the faunus's futile efforts.

"Not really surprising. Even mongrels lash out when ya corner 'em." The smaller man snidely commented as she landed, splayed out in an unsightly display near his feet.

Their back-and-forth gave her precious few seconds for breath before the shorter man kicked Blake back against the far wall of the bathroom. Panic was truly setting in for her now. She didn't know how to actually fight. She didn't have the experience and she didn't have any concept of tactics. All she could do was scramble to defend herself as the older-looking one of the pair reappeared from the stall and stepped towards her. Once he managed to get close enough, she reeled back and put all her strength into a punch to his side. He didn't even bother dodging as her fist connected solidly just below his ribs. He barely even noticed.

"Hah, look at that! She's still trying to fight back. That's some spunk right there." The apparent alpha of the pair laughed off her attack before backhanding her with enough force to send her tumbling into the stall next to them. She barreled through the stall door headfirst and slammed into the brick wall behind it before her body fell limp beside the toilet.

"Damn, Rob did ya see how her head smashed against that wall? I think you killed her."

"Ehh, they're pretty durable. I doubt she'd die from just that. Look at that, she's still squirming around. You can still get some shots in, Chuck."

Blake felt like she was in a complete daze trying to pull herself back up to her feet. Her mind felt so scrambled from that impact against the wall, she couldn't even form a coherent string of thoughts. She could barely even see straight as blood poured out of a massive gash across her forehead. A concussion was obvious and the orbital bone surrounding her left eye was shattered. She stumbled as she managed to regain her footing but a boot slammed into her cheek and drove her back into the wall. Her head slammed into the brick and mortar once again with a sickening crunch as her body collapsed in a heap between the toilet and the floor.

"Looks like she's gone now."

"Whatever. Just drag her out of that stall. I still have some tension to work off." Rob replied as a lurid smile creeped onto his face.

Chuck grabbed her by the leg and tossed her motionless body into the middle of the bathroom. Blood streaked across the floor along the path before Rob stopped her with his foot and pinned her against floor.

Blake managed to regain enough consciousness to roll her head over and see the human grinning ear to ear.

Please…just kill me...

Before her consciousness fluttered back out of her grasp, she saw her torturer's face disappear as a blade took its place.

The next time she awoke, she found herself lying in a bed. Pain coursed through her body as it felt like there was a jackhammer pulverizing the inside of her skull, but that horrible feeling meant she was alive. She never expected to still be alive. A nearby door opened as someone walked into the bedroom. It looked like a young faunus sporting a small pair of horns on his head. Is he a ram or maybe a bull faunus? Wait, did he save me from those monsters? As she pondered her thoughts, the young man set a glass of water on the nightstand beside the bed and moved to replace the damp cloth resting on her head. The cloth fell over her face as she jerked back instinctively as he got close. She immediately realized her mistake as the pain in her head redoubled from her reaction.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. Your body's still a complete mess. I know we heal quickly but with all the damage those disgusting animals did to you, you need time to recover. Just calm down and don't make any sudden movements. Ok?" The young faunus slightly panicked as he tried to calm Blake down before she hurt herself even more.

After the newest wave of pain started tapering off, Blake managed a simple thumbs up after thinking twice about nodding her head. The faunus let out a rather large sigh before allowing a smile to emerge on his face.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. I found you in that bathroom with those miserable excuses for humans and I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. They would've killed you if I didn't hear them in there. I've been tending to your wounds, but it'll take a long while for you to heal. The broken bones will take some time and your eye will be rather sensitive to touch for a while. I'm cooking some food right now, so I'll bring that in when it's done. Now if you don't mind, can I replace that dirty cloth now?" The young faunus finished his quick explanation of his view on the incident and what happened after Blake blacked out. She spent a minute to process the words she heard before tentatively nodding in the affirmative. She made sure to move her head at a much slower pace this time. He laid the new cloth on her forehead and grabbed the old one off her lap before walking back towards the door. Just before he left, he popped his head back into the room.

"Oh yea, my name's Adam, by the way. I'm sorry we had to meet like this."

Blake leaned back against the chair while wiping away the tears that escaped down her cheeks. No matter how long time stretches out from that point, recalling those memories still cut as deep as a fresh wound. She jumped slightly as she felt a hand grasp her hand that was resting on her leg. She looked down at the hand clasping hers and followed the arm back to the girl lying in the bed until Blake's eyes met with hers. A fresh set of tears welled up in her eyes as she grasped Neo's hand with both of hers. Time froze around them as they sat there in silence.