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“From shadows, we’ll descend upon the world…”
The music fluttered to Yang’s ears while she punched away at a tree. She hummed absentmindedly as she trained, focusing more on the powerful vocals than the lyrics they sang. A bounce was added in her stance; her feet drummed against the dirt in time with the drummer’s consistent energy.
Now entranced, Yang joined in like a delayed echo.
“And we’ll rise…”
She drew her arm back for a final swing.
“And we’ll rise!”
Wooden shards erupted from the bark when her fist connected. Yang squeezed her eyes shut to protect them from the splinters heading for her face. She only opened them after wiping her face clean. Her breath heaved from how intense her workout got this time. The mystery song had really helped to hype her up.
However, to her surprise, there was an additional section that closed it off. A piano - near-sporadic and de-escalating to a slow finish. Yang wasn’t too into the classical genre; although even she had to admit, the inclusion gave the effect of a brisk jog at the end of a marathon. She could get behind a musical journey like that.
“Hey, that sounded like a nice band. Got anything more from them, particularly focusing on the girl-”
Yang’s words died as soon as she turned around. There was no other person around. Not even a music player anyone could have left behind. The only one capable of making any sound here was herself. And since she didn’t have a full rock band set on her at the moment, along with only one voice and not a pair, she was left wondering where else that music could’ve come from.
And where can I hear more like it...?
“I burn! Can’t hold me now…”
Blake clenched her teeth as the rock only grew louder. Not that she didn’t enjoy a few tracks from the genre herself. It’s just that bouncing, adrenaline-filled music did not go well with sitting and relaxing with a calm, quiet book. So whoever was blasting that outside - to the point she could swear it was coming from inside her own room - was about to get a piece of her mind!
Her mind struggled to focus on the words on the page she had been stuck on for a few minutes now. Every time she felt she was making progress, Blake would realize she had no clue what she just read and would be forced to backtrack. The lyrics of the song just kept blending in with the words of the book. Not even speaking them out loud would work, as she would just find herself echoing the female singer.
“I get what I want, so don’t bother and just watch me burn.”
Blake silently swore under her breath. At first because of her slip up, and then because the song switched to a male rapper. At least the girl’s voice had sounded nice, despite the interruption!
She shook her head in order to clear it. What? Where did that come from?
It was time for her to put her foot down. Blake got up from her bed and marched to the window. She forced it open and shoved her head out.
“Do. You. Mind ?!”
Her angry hiss was for naught, however. There was no one out there. Only the night birds, who flew away from their perches in fear of Blake’s rage. And yet the music was still ringing in her ears, which twitched in both irritation and concern. Her yellow eyes scanned the area.
Curiously, she pulled back and closed the window. Then opened it. Then closed it. Then opened and closed it again. She paced the room for several moments, before pouncing on her bed and shoving all the pillows over her head.
The music is just as loud, no matter what I do! It’s like it’s all in my head…
All Blake could do was wait for the song to be over and hope another wouldn’t play right after.
“Baby can’t you see? You could be with me…”
She never thought she would ever hear it play again. The voice coming from the stereo was wrong, but her teammate’s voice perfectly matched the memory.
“Swing all you want…”
Blake gasped and finished the lyric. “Like a fever I will take you down?”
Yang turned from the punching bag to face Blake, who was on the other side of the work out room.
“You know this song?” the blonde asked.
“Not really.” Blake admitted. “But I’ve...I think I’ve heard you sing it before?”
Yang’s eyebrows furrowed. “How long ago? The semester hasn’t gone by that fast, has it?”
Blake shook her head. “No, I heard it...I heard it one night while I was reading. Long before coming to Beacon.”
The faunus watched her partner’s face, knowing full well how crazy she must’ve sounded. She wouldn’t believe herself if she were in Yang’s shoes.
And yet Yang started to hum. It was a familiar song to Blake - one she hadn’t sung since her days with Adam.
“‘From Shadows’?” Blake tilted her head. “How do you know that...it was private between me and…”
She trailed off, realizing she almost gave her secret away. She couldn’t let her team know. Not about her heritage, and not about him .
“I heard you sing it once.” Yang answered. “In the forest back at Patch.”
Now it was Blake’s turn to be confused. “But I’ve never-”
“I know. It just…” Yang’s eyes grew distant as she remembered. “It just started playing in my head. You and some other guy singing. I know you probably don’t believe it, but I swear it happened.”
Blake’s features softened. “No...I think I went through the same thing, too.”
Yang nodded, and the two continued to silently study each other. Yang’s rock music was the only sound within the room. She took a step forward.
“So…” Yang started. “What do you think it means?”
“I’m not sure. But maybe it could be…” Blake stopped and shrugged. “A sign?”
Yang’s mouth slowly stretched into a grin. “A sign of what?”
And Blake smiled back. “That we should go and karaoke together sometime.”
“Let me be your bumblebee…”