MEEEMEEEES, thanks Fox.

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  The silence of darkness encompasses everything, there is no heat, no light, and no life. Just cold silent darkness.

  "How... did it get to this point... How did I fuck up so badly."

  Suddenly a small white light shines, and it shows memories of the past.

  A very young Byzan, very boy-ish looking, runs along the roof tops of Menagerie. He ughs a few times, showing he's currently missing a tooth. He's wearing a white tank top, with bck shorts, and a pair of purple sandals.

  He jumps onto another roof, and yelps as he nearly falls off, but he steadies himself. He lets out a sigh of relief as his big ears droop. He hears a familiar voice talking below him, and he crawls to the other side of the roof and peers down it, his amber eyes looking in curiosity.

  Below him is a very young Bke talking to her friends from school. Byzan lets out a happy sound as he calls out to her, Bke's brows furrow as she looks up, spotting Byzan, her eyes go very wide.

  "Bke... my dear sister. I always admired her, and loved her. To me, she was the best person in the world. And she was always a little overprotective of me."

  "Byzan!" Bke shouts in slight anger, while speaking ?le. "What are you doing up there?! Get down!"

  Bke's friends gnce at each other with a raised brow.

  "Okay!" Byzan calls out and he starts to get down, but his hand slips and he falls off the roof. Bke shouts in surprise and worry as Byzan falls fast first on the ground, in front of her.

  "Byzan!?" Bke grabs him, and looks him over. "Are you okay, does it hurt anywhere! Speak to me!"

  Byzan blinks a few times, before growing a rge smile. "HI, Bke!"

  Bke sighs in relief as Byzan appears fine. Then she pulls his cheeks in anger. "What were you doing up there?!"

  "Stwwwooooooop!" Byzan whines, and Bke stops. "Dad tries to make me take a bath, so I ran away! And I wanted to find you."

  Bke shakes her head as she pulls Byzan off the ground. She's a little taller then him. "But why were you on the roofs?"

  "It's the easiest way to get around, and it gave me the height advantage. Besides, I see you run along the roofs all the time."

  Bke flicks on of Byzan's ears. "Do as I say, not as I do."

  Byzan deadpans. "That's so me."

  Bke grips his ears tightly, making him hiss and growl like a cat. She then looks to her friends with an apologetic smile.

  "Sorry, but I have to take my brother, home now."

  "It's... okay..." One of her friends reply.

  Bke starts to drag Byzan away by the ear, as he kicks and hisses.

  "Now, we're gonna go home and you're gonna take a bath." Bke orders. "Because you kinda do smell."

  Byzan yells. "No, water is evil!!!! EVIILLLLLL!"

  Bke raises an eyebrow as the two walk through the streets of Menagerie. A few people greet them as they pass. Bke lets go of Byzan's ears, and grabs his hand.

  Someone from a nearby fruit stall calls out to them.

  "Byzan, Bke!"

  The two gnce over and see a faunus with rge pointy bck ears, with golden fur on the inside, and golden eyes. He a few years younger then the two.

  "Azraq!" Bke and Byzan wave to him as they pass.

  "I do wonder how Azraq is doing, my dear cousin, I hope you're okay."

  After a few minutes of walking, the two siblings arrive back home. And the first thing they hear is-

  "Byzantine Doré Beldonna!" Kali Beldonna shouts as she walks over to them.

  Byzan's ears fold down as he steps towards his mother, as she gres down at him. Kali sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

  "I know you hate baths, but you can't just run away."

  "Sorry, mama." Byzan apologizes.

  Kali kneels down and grabs Byzan's hand. "Come on, let's get you cleaned."

  Kali stands back up and leads Byzan away. Byzan gnces back at his sister, and she gives him a smug face.

  "I did have everything I ever wanted, a loving family and everything. A seriously over protective sister."

  A young Byzan cries as he runs to his sister, who's sitting at a desk in her room.

  "Byby, what's wrong?" Bke asks as she hops off her chain.

  Byzan tries to wipe some tears away. "Some kids at school-" He hiccups. "-stole my tuna stuffy!"

  Bke's expression grows dark as Byzan cries into her shirt. She just wraps her arms around her crying brother and pats his back.

  Later the next day, Byzan's sitting in his room, reading a book when his ears flicker as he hears yelling. He tilts his head as he sets his book down. He hops off his bed and walks through the house, where he hears his parents yelling.

  Byzan peeks around the corner and sees the backs of his parents, with Bke in front of them. Bke has a bloody nose, a bruise on her cheek and a bck eye.

  "Why would you just go and attack them?!" Kali shouts.

  "You know not to antagonize people." Ghira says.

  Bke notices Byzan, and she gives him a smile and a thumbs up. Byzan just raises an eyebrow and tilts his head.

  Later that night Byzan's getting ready for a bed, and Bke sneaks into his room. She has a few band aids on her face.

  "Byby!" Bke whispers, and the cat looks over.

  "Bibi?"Byzan questions.

  Bke pulls out a stuffed tuna fish out from behind her back, and holds it out to Byzan. "I got it back for you."

  Byzan's eyes shine with stars as he grabs it. "Thank you, Bke!" He brings his sister into a tight hug.

  Bke smiles happily as she returns the hug.

  "An amazing cook for a mom."

  Byzan sits in on a stool in a kitchen as he watches his mother swiftly move about the kitchen. Ingredients, knives and ptes are thrown about, a massive fish is being swiftly cut up.

  He blinks a few times and watches as three ptes are swiftly filled up with a gourmet meal. Kali smiles as she hands him a rge pte filled with tuna, peppers, potatoes and a few other greens.

  "...Wow..." Byzan mutters.

  "I'm so amazing, aren't I?" Kali does a cute pose and Byzan gives her a thumbs up.

  "I even had a dad, who to me, was the strongest there it"

  Byzan watches as Ghira lifts up a couch with Bke and Byzan on it. The two ugh as he pushes it up and down.

  "But where did everything start to change? Hmm... I think it was when the Elders wanted me to start training to become the next Cheif."

  Byzan is getting ready for school and he meets up with Bke at the front steps, and they head down them, only to come across a few Faunus in robes.

  "Byzantine, today you'll be coming with us." One of the faunus steps forward and holds their hand out.

  "B-But, what about school?" Byzan asks.

  "From today on, you'll be getting special lessons from a tutor."

  "Can Bke come?" Byzan looks between his sister, and the Faunus.

  "I'm sorry, but only you're allowed to come."

  Byzan looks a little sad as he looks at Bke, but she gives him a smile.

  "It's okay, I'll see you ter." Bke rubs his head, making him smile.

  Byzan grabs the faunus' hand and he watches as Bke walks into town. Then they bring him somewhere else.

  "From then on, I saw Bke less and less. I was always so busy with special tutors, that I hardly ever got to see Bke. And I was never able to go and out py, as there was so much homework as well."

  Byzan sits at a desk doing his homework, and hears ughing outside. He gnces out a window and watches as Bke pys ball with some of her friends, making Byzan sad. He just turns back to his homework and continues doing it.

  "This went on for years, and during that time I saw Bke less and less. To the point I was lucky if I saw her once a week... I hated it with every fiber of my being."

  Byzan, about ten years old, still very boy-ish looking. Though his hair is a little longer. He's gring at a paper in front of him as he writes on it.

  "I did one time asked my dad, why isn't Bke doing this. He told me the Elders don't want a female Chief, and something about staying with Tradition. And as the only male heir to the Beldonna family, I have to go through this, so I can take over when my father steps down... What a load of Cat Shit. I've barely been able to see my family, let alone my own friends."

  Byzan sets his pencil down and stares up at the ceiling as he leans back in his chair. He puts a hand through his hair, scratching his rge cat ears.

  "But this all did change on night, when I found something."

  Byzan enters his room and finds a basket of clothes on his bed. He sighs and heads over, and starts putting them away, until he finds one of Bke's dresses in his clothes.

  He goes to bring it to her, but then a random idea passes through his head. He walks over to a rge standing mirror and looks at himself, then to the dress in his hands.

  A few minutes ter, Byzan is wearing the dress as he messes with his hair a little. He walks back in front of the mirror and his eyes widen, he nearly looks exactly like Bke.

  He spins around in the mirror and smiles, feeling better than he has in the past few years. But then an idea pops into his head.

  'The Elders don't want a female Chief, then they probably wouldn't want a male Chief dressed like a girl.'

  A familiar Cheshire grin starts to form on his face.

  "Perfect."

  'So when my next lessons came around, I wore the dress and kept my hair like Bke's. Let's just say, the Elders were furious. And they demanded that I would change, but I refused. So they brought me to my father, and demanded that I be changed. But you know what my father said."

  "Byzan can wear and act how he wants.' Ghira gres down a the old faunus in front of him. "I will not force my son to change, if he wants to dress like his sister, He can."

  The Elder's face was so red, he looked like a cherry. A smirk forms on Byzan's face.

  "Soon, I started rebelling against the Elders, I started wearing makeup, I even started voice training to make myself sound more feminine. Let's say the Elders were getting fed up, and the st straw was me joining the White Fang, following Adam, a friend that Bke made a couple years ago."

  Byzan ughs as he and Bke run around the house, the first time they've pyed in years.

  Byzan now looks more feminine, wearing a long dress and his hair in a pony tail. He now has the purple triangles below his eyes and his voice is much more feminine.

  But then a voice calls out to them, they both stop and look over to see a young Adam waving to them with a smile. He holds up a set of three wooden swords in his hands.

  Bke and Byzan both run over to him, and he hands the two a wooden sword. Bke and Byzan then stand across from Adam, holding the swords sloppily.

  "And I started noticing some things, I felt much more comfortable wearing female clothes, and acting all feminine. And I also noticed that I started having feelings for both females and males. My parents were happy that I was being true to myself, and not shutting all this away. I... couldn't ask for any better parents, even Bke started teaching me how to be more like a girl."

  Byzan is then seen holding up Hellish Shroud, having just finished crafting it at a workbench at his home. A special White fang mask rests on the bench, purple markings adorn the white mask.

  "I joined the White Fang to stop discrimination against the Faunus, and take down those who are very extreme in what they do to us. But... I never joined to be a killer of innocents."

  Smoke raises in the sky as a rge house is engulfed in fmes. Blood drips off a bck katana as someone stands a few meters away from the house.

  A teddy bear burns in the entrance of the house as a small hand, unmoving hand, clutches onto it from within the burning fmes. The crackle of the fire echoes as a few crashes are heard from within the house as it starts to fall apart.

  A pair of amber eyes stare, slightly shaking, at the burning house.

  Byzan clenches onto his katana as dark red blood drips off it and onto the grass below. His Grimm mask, with blood covering it, is at his feet. His jaw is slightly dropped, before he clenches his teeth.

  Part of the roof caves in on the house with a cloud crack, fmes pouring out of the new hole. A couple burning photos fly out from a second floor window, showing a human Mother, a Faunus Father and two faunus daughters smiling at a camera before the photo burns away.

  Byzan then looks down at his red stained hands and weapon. He drops his weapon on the ground and clenches his fists in anger.

  "Byzan!" A new voice calls out as someone approaches the cat.

  Byzan gnces to the side to see his friend Adam Taurus approach him, blood covering part of his white Grimm mask.

  "Adam..." Byzan mutters.

  "We must go." Adam orders. "The authorities will be arriving soon."

  Adam turns to leave, but Byzan suddenly speaks up.

  "Why... Why did we have to do this?" Byzan asks.

  Adam turns around, with a frown. "We do not allow traitors to live. It had to be done."

  "But... he had a family... They were innocent."

  Adam slowly approaches Byzan. "A traitor will only breed more traitors. They could no be allowed to live." He picks up Byzan's bloody Grimm mask and puts it on the cat's face, and roughly shoves Byzan's katana onto his chest. "This is how we do things now, Byzan. So shut up and follow orders. Lisa doesn't question, so neither should you. Now let's go."

  Adam walks off and Byzan gnces at the burning house and sees the front entrance colpse. He grits his teeth and cleans the blood off his weapon and puts it on his back before following after Adam.

  Night arrives hours ter and Byzan's in a tent, putting stuff in a bag. He's moving pretty fast as he rushes around the room, grabbing stuff and putting it in the bag. When suddenly someone opens the tent fp.

  "Byzz?" Bke enters Byzan's tent, causing him to sigh as he sets the st object in his pack. "What are you doing?"

  Byzan closes his pack up. "I'm leaving Bkey..." He throws the bag onto his shoulder and turns to his sister.

  "Leaving?" She struts over to her brother. "What do you mean, leaving. You're leaving me?" She grows worried.

  Byzan puts a hand on Bke's cheeks. "I promise to come back, okay."

  "But-" Bke starts to tear up.

  "Bkey, I can't be around this anymore. And I want... I want to explore the world."

  "Without me?"

  Byzan smiles. "It'll just be a little while okay, I can't be protected by you all the time. I have to be my own person."

  "I want to be your shield though." Bke grabs onto Byzan's arm. "Please, don't leave."

  "I'm leaving, Bkey, please don't make this harder then it needs to be."

  Bke grits her teeth and turns away from her brother. "Fine. Just... Just go."

  "Thank you." Byzan heads over to the entrance of the tent. "Look, I shouldn't be too long, I just want to see a little of the world."

  "You... promise to come back, right?" Bke doesn't look at her brother.

  "I already promised, didn't I?" Byzan opens up the fp. "See you ter, Bkey. I'll be back."

  With that Byzan heads off, leaving her sister behind. She curls her hands into fists before sitting on the ground, sniffling

  "Then I left her, for five whole years. Not a single word to her or my family, or to any really. First I traveled around Vale for about six months, then spent the next year and a half in Mistral, where I met my Mentor. She taught me everything I needed to know to be a good fighter, and even a good singer. Then I met her... The one who controls the Grimm.

  A teenage Byzan, a little younger than the one we know, is standing dark castle. Blood red skies outside, he gnces up to a figure sitting on a throne.

  "I've heard greet things about you, Byzantine Beldonna."

  A cold sweat runs down Byzan's neck as Salem continues.

  "And there is something that I need someone of your... particur skills for." Salem crosses her legs, and slightly leans forward. "I need your help for something in Ats, you can back out now, but..."

  A Seer grimm clicks as is floats around him.

  "You might not go back alive." Salem smiles as her eyes slightly glow. "And if you get me what I want, I'll give you a reward. But first, let's hash out the details of our deal, right?"

  Byzan just stares up at her.

  "And I shook hands with the devil

  .. I mean, for finding out all sorts of information about Ats and all their little secrets, I did get a pretty good reward. Let's just say, she has a lot of stamina."

  Byzan, snow floating down around him, stares up to the floating city of Ats.

  "Three years of that pce, I caused so much trouble, but meet so many good people... People like Jackie. Dear Oum, I miss him so much. Well, I'll probably be seeing him soon, but I don't think I'll be going up, but down."

  The light disappears from the darkness, bringing back the cold and quiet.

  A sigh ripples through the darkness.

  "I guess I deserve this..."

  silence eats away at everything, until the beating of a heart echoes through it. It gets louder and louder until a bright light shines though the darkness, pushing it away.

  "Byzan! Byzan!" Bke shouts as he opens his eyes seeing her above him. His vision blurs for a few seconds, before clearing up again.

  An orange evening sky hangs above Bke, bags under her amber eyes as she stares down at her brother in worry. A soft breeze blows the leaves hanging from the tree above them.

  Bke sighs and shakes her head. "You're too stubborn for your own good, you know." She looks around, then back down to him. "Let's get you out of here."

  Bke wraps her around around him and starts to lift him up, causing his vision to turn red as he yelps out in pain.

  "Just bear with me here, Byby." Bke mutters as she lifts him up in a Princess carry. "I got you, just listen to my heart and stay awake."

  Byzan rests his head against his sister's chest, hearing the rhythmic thump of her heart. It feels soothing to him, making the pain go numb.

  He notices his blood staining her white shirt, and his eyes start to grow heavy, but he fights his hardest to stay awake. Bke looks around, then heads down the hill, carrying her younger brother as tight as she can; fearing if she let go, she'd never see him again.

  .

  .

  .

  Smoke from a crackling fire rises into the nighttime sky. Bke props Byzan up against a tree, as she puts a dented bucket of water on the ground next to him.

  She looks over his form, seeing the deep cuts and gashes, the blood soaked into his clothes. Her eyes creep up and notice the missing cat ear on his head, making her own fold down. Byzan just limply sits there, his eyes staring bnkly at the ground, fighting to stay awake.

  Bke then pulls out a cloth and dips it into the bucket, and brings it towards Byzan. But Byzan tries to shrink away from it, making Bke stop.

  "Byby, if I can't clean those wounds, they'll get infected." She says in a soft tone. "And you know what happens when wound get infected."

  "...fine..." Byzan barely mutters.

  "Thank you."

  Bke then spends the next couple hours, cleaning and bandaging him up. After it's all done, Bke helps Byzan into a new pair of clothes she acquired.

  It's just a simple white button up shirt, a bit big for him. Some jeans, boots and a rge grey coat. He's covered in bandages, a rge one covering half of his head.

  Bke brings Byzan close to the fire, much to his pain and displeasure. She sits on the ground and ys his head on her p. She starts to pet his head, running her hands through his hair and messaging his cat ear.

  Byzan nestles into her p as he starts to grow comfortable. The only sound is the crackling of the fire, as the two remain in silence.

  "Who did this to you?" Bke asks in a low tone.

  "...A few people..." Byzan mutters, his throat parched.

  "Give me names."

  Byzan closes his eyes. "Lisa Leslie.... Pink Watts and Neopolitan."

  Bke stares down at her brother, as she softly pets him. "I'll remember those names. And I'll find them." A glint fshes in her eyes.

  Byzan just hums as darkness takes him once again. Bke just continues to pet her brother, staring down at him. The crackling of the fire echoes into the night.

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  03-18-2025

  3700 words