Day 4: Relationship Reveal
A ‘Damaged Good AU’ snippet
The war against Salem was won. Kali didn’t know the particulars but she knew that her little girl had survived. Had survived and was coming home to visit and, “introduce someone to you both,” so not Sun, then. She had already met the lively young man, and she hoped he was okay too.
“Kali!” Ghira cried out as he opened the door, “did you see? Blake’s coming home to visit.”
“Yes dear, I saw that. She’s also bringing someone with her. Someone new.” Ghira’s smile faded a little at that. “Do be nicer to this one, for me?”
“Yes dear,” the leader of Menagerie sulked.
“Mom, this is Yang!” Blake said excitedly after freeing herself from her parent’s crushing hug. “She’s, she’s, my…”
“Girlfriend, mom. Yang is my girlfriend.”
“Welcome to Menagerie,” Ghira stepped towards the, admittedly very attractive, blonde and offered his hand. A robotic prosthetic grasps his hand in a solid shake.
“Thank you, Mr. Belladonna. Or Chief? Should I call you chief?” The young Huntress looked distressed, thinking she had already blown her introduction.
“Don’t be silly, Ghira is fine. Or Mr. Belladonna if you don’t feel comfortable with first names.”
Kali rolled her eyes at how easily her husband was accepting a FEMALE paramour over the male that had accompanied Blake home last time. “You may call me Kali,” she said offering her own hand. She also didn’t miss Blake’s slight frown out of the corner of her eye.
“I understand your position but there was a war. If they want kids, adoption is always a possibility.” Ghira said, not looking up from his book. “But I was sorry to hear about the boy, Sun. He was a good friend to Blake, and very brave. I’ll have my staff see if they can locate any of his family on the island and tell them the bad news.”
Kali, who had cried upon hearing about the cheerful boy’s death, sniffed again, “it’s just, I thought, oh, Ghira, little blonde grandkittens! I fell in love with the idea.”
“Kali, you would have loved them regardless of hair color or faunus trait and you know it.” Putting his book down, Ghira pulled her into a hug. “Don’t think of it as loosing your dream, just think of a new one.”
“Your right and I will, love you, good night.”
“Good night, my love.” Ghira turned out the light. “Wait? Did you say I was right?” Kali slapped his arm lightly.
She knew her husband would fall asleep regardless of what she did, so Kali opened her new scroll that Blake had downloaded pictures of all her friends into. The two shorter girls looked so happy together. Yang had said her sister Ruby and the Schnee girl, Weiss, were already planning their wedding.
The pretty young man with the vivacious partner were smiling at each other instead of the camera. His thumb was gently tracing a scar on her face.
The young boy with the old eyes, and the red eyed green haired girl were both throwing up goofy hand signs and faces. The goofiness seemed forced but they were obviously happy. The last couple of pics Kali looked at before closing the scroll were of a tall blonde boy, not Sun, a human who was obviously in great pain as he leaned heavily on a crutch. In the first one two older men in the pic stood by at the ready, like they worried he may fall. One was obviously his father, the other was perhaps an older brother? In the second pic, he was in a hospital bed, a sleeping faunus baby with almost ridiculously long fox ears asleep on his chest as he read from a storybook. A purple haired little girl sat beside him listening in rapt attention.
Everything was white; but Kali knew it was just a dream, so she looked around for some landmark to go towards and found one, a door. She attempted to walk towards it but found herself rooted in place. The she saw others going towards it and knew this was THEIR door, at least it was for the three children. The children walked between a man, with the strangely curved horns on his head, was in some kind of robe that had a silly cartoon bunny on the front. On their other side was a redheaded young woman that looked almost familiar.
“WHEN YOU STEP THROUGH THIS DOORWAY YOUR LIFE WITH YOUR PARENTS WILL BEGIN,” the man’s voice boomed with…power. But gently wielded power, power tempered by grace.
“Oh, I wish you would remember this so you could tell them hello for me,” the redhead said as she knelt to hug the three. Then she turned to Kali and suddenly Kali found herself right next to them. “You too, Chieftess Belladonna.”
“Blake’s friends can call me Kali,” she found herself saying, even though she didn’t recognize this girl as one of them.
“We’re here to break the rules again,” the woman said conspiratorially, “but I thought you should meet these three a little early.”
Kali knelt to look the three children in the eyes, “and what is your names?”
“We don’t know yet,” said the black haired girl with the heterochromatic eyes. One a shade of blue Kali felt like she had seen recently, the other a purple that matched Blake’s new girlfriend.
“Our moms won’t name us until after we’re born,” the blonde haired boy with VERY familiar golden amber eyes and adorable cat ears finished.
The other girl had no visible faunus features, but large, adorable, silver eyes just smiled and waved. Her gold hooded cloak with black buttons hid her hair but Kali couldn’t help but smile back. She reminded her of Blake’s team leader so much.
“And what do you mean I can’t remember this?” Kali asked the two grownups.
“WHILE MY BROTHERS HAVE RELINQUISHED THEIR CLAIM TO THIS WORLD THERE ARE RULES I MUST FOLLOW.” This close to him Kali realized she was in the presence of something…More. Divine. But she felt no fear.
“You will know, without knowing, that their time will come. And I have it on great authority that you and your husband will be in their lives for quite a long time.”
Kali’s eyes widened, “these three are?”
“YOUR GRANDCHILDREN, YES.”
Kali squealed as she knelt down again to pull the three into a hug. “Oh, I wish I would get to remember all of this!”
“That would be just grand, but it’s time for you to wake up now.” The redheaded girl said with a smile, “after all you have some planning to do. Their father is… rather dense, and his self esteem wasn’t the greatest before his injuries.”
“Sooo, I’m not sure your mom likes me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Yang, she likes you…I think.”
Yang grinned over at her girlfriend, “you think?”
Blake sat up in the bed, “she put you in my room instead of guest quarters. I just think she’s, well I’ll be honest, she always wanted grandkids.”
“Do you?” Yang asked sitting up as well, pushing her blonde mane of hair out of face.
“Want grandkids? Maybe someday, but we’re missing a step.” Blake dodged a throw pillow, “and honestly there’s SO MUCH TO DO! How will we find time to do the first part?” Blake said, already sounding exhausted.
Yang scooted over and rested her girlfriend’s head on her shoulder as she intertwined their fingers. “Well I’m not going anywhere so I’ll help lighten your load.”
“Even if it means staying on this tiny island and helping it become the kingdom it deserves to be?”
Yang opened her mouth to answer but a knock on the bedroom door interrupted her.
“Girls,” Kali called from behind the door, “coming down for breakfast?”
“Yeah, mom, be right down.”
As the two entered the dining room Kali surprised them both by walking past Blake to give Yang a long hug. “I’m so sorry about yesterday dear. You are a lovely match for my Blake and I’m happy you are here.” She pulled out chairs so that the two Huntresses were sitting next to her. “So I was looking through the pictures you sent me and I want to hear all about your friends.”
“Sure thing Mrs. B! Who do you want to know about first?” Yang said with a smile obviously on more comfortable ground.
Kali opened her scroll and the last picture she had looked at last night, Jaune reading to the faunus baby and the purple haired girl, just happened to still be up. “So who’s the new father?”
“Oh, that’s Jaune,” Yang started, “Blake mentioned him and his team last night.”
“But those aren’t his kids.” Blake interjected, “the baby is his goddaughter, Zinnica, and that’s her older sister, Amethyst.”
“Well, for a Huntsman, he seems good with children.”
“Oh, yeah! Vomit Boy,” Yang involuntarily flinches, “sorry, Jaune is great with kids. He’s got three younger sisters and four older.” Yang pauses to take a bite off her eggs.
“Yes, his parents have eight children, and his mom comes from a large family too.” Blake supplies after sipping her tea.
Using her own teacup to hide her mischievous smile Kali prompts the two, “Oh my! Tell me all about them…”
