Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful day, perfect for a visit to the beach. The sun was bright and warm, there was a soft breeze that wasn't too cold or too humid and, most of all, it was the weekend – in other words, no classes to attend.

Going to the beach had initially been Yang's idea. Ruby had quickly supported her sister with much enthusiasm and, despite Weiss' protests, it had been decided that Team RWBY was going no matter what. The jubilating blonde even extended the invitation to Team JNPR, and all four members promptly agreed to come along as well. It was bound to be a fantastic day out, like it always was when the two teams got together, after all.

Truth be told, though...Blake hadn't said much. She never really said much.

It wasn't that Blake had anything against going anywhere or doing anything with the group of friends, but she wasn't a fan of water in great quantities. At least, that was the primary reason for her silence. The secondary reason was completely unrelated. Blake just made sure to bring along a book and her personal journal, in case she was inspired to write. That would most likely keep her entertained for a good part of the day, or for however long the two teams planned on staying. She doubted she would be left in peace to read for too long, knowing that her friends would want her to participate in any activities they initiated, but Blake could still try.

And, for the most part, she surprisingly was given her space. Comfortably seated in a wooden lounger in the shade of a vacant beach umbrella, the quiet girl had her golden eyes glued to her book, thoroughly intrigued with the development of the story. It was the tale of an impossible love amid a war born from racism and prejudice – a plot that hit close to home. Blake had barely been bothered, the sound of her friends laughing and enjoying themselves further off a sort of reassuring reminder that although she sought solitude, she wasn't actually alone.

Ren had tried to relax nearby at the beginning as well, but Nora had wanted none of it and had all but dragged him over to the rest of the group so he would play games with the two teams. And while Blake considered herself fortunate that the hyper girl was more interested in getting her partner involved than the bookworm, Blake was aware that there was someone else on her own team who probably wouldn't let her seclude herself all day. Probably. Realistically, never.

The inevitable eventually occurred.

"Blaaake! Hey, Blakey!"

Her cat ears perked up, making her bow twitch subtly. That voice. That one voice she could never tune out and could never ignore. Blake's gaze slowly shifted from the pages of her open book and up towards the approaching person, who had first been walking, but began an effortless jog on the white sand to arrive faster after seeing that they had Blake's attention.

Yang – the secondary reason for Blake's earlier silence – had ostensibly taken a swim. Her hair was dripping water and clinging to her skin all the way down her back. She was wearing a yellow bikini, the bottom piece tying together on each side of her hips and the top piece shaped more or less like a bra, one side displaying the blonde bombshell's flaming heart emblem in black. Her tanned skin was glittery with beads of water. To say the least, Yang looked good in a bathing suit, her strong and quite prominent muscles and tall, curvaceous figure on full showcase for all to see.

Blake focused her eyes on the beautiful young woman's face as she approached so she wouldn't be caught staring. Bright lilac met sharp golden, and Yang grinned as she came to a stop. "Hey, Blake. Team JNPR wants to battle us in a game of volleyball. You wanna? It won't be in the water, promise."

The Faunus considered Yang's invitation for a moment before glancing at the book in her hands. It was a really interesting story. And she was really comfortable where she was.

"C'mon, Blakey. You can't stay sitting there all by yourself the entire time we're at the beach! It defeats the purpose of being here. Come have some fun with us. I love it when you participate."

Blake legitimately believed that Yang wasn't lying when she said that she loved it when her partner decided to engage in the group's activities – that was one of the things about Yang, after all. She had an authentic care for others and, by nature, enjoyed seeing her friends getting along and having a blast. But it was the way she specified I – and not we – that made Yang's approach more personal and true. She was like that with everyone, and Blake had no reason to doubt that Yang sincerely did want her to join them.

But old habits die hard, and the reserved bookworm couldn't bring herself to say the simple words that would make the social butterfly's day in a heartbeat, no matter how much she wanted to see that thrilled glint in Yang's amazing lilac eyes.

"I think with Ruby's and my semblances, we would be overkill. Ruby might even be able to handle a game on her own. I'll join you guys later, if that's okay?" After looking at what their friends were doing for a moment, Blake met the blonde's stare apologetically.

Yang's beam had dimmed, disappointment evident. Nevertheless, she tried again. "Are you sure? It's not the same without you."

Blake had to smile a little at that. Leave it to Yang to make her feel like she was important. If only she knew how much of a difference that alone had made in Blake's life. "I'm sure. You don't need me to have fun. Like I said – I'll join you later."

Her partner hesitated, and finally acknowledged with a movement of her head. "Alright, then. But I'm holding you to that!" Her grin was back, and she winked before heading back off towards the others.

The Faunus found herself watching Yang as she walked away, and when the golden girl glanced back in concern, Blake gave her an encouraging nod before shifting her eyes back to the book. However, no matter how much the story had intrigued her previously, Blake now realized she was rereading the same sentence over and over again without processing or understanding the meaning of it. She sighed quietly and was forced to give up. The only thing on her mind was Yang. Always Yang.

She had attempted to halt her feelings so many times before, and she still was. But it was incredibly difficult to not fall harder every time Yang went out of her way to reassure Blake or get her to voice her opinion as if it mattered or to just generally make her feel valued. Blake knew that was just who Yang was, and it had nothing to do with attraction. There was no reason for Blake's feelings to be reciprocated.

The raven-haired girl bit her bottom lip, deliberating, and then marked her page before putting her book away into her bag and taking out her journal and a pen. For a moment she stared at the blank sheet before her, the breeze lifting the corner slightly for a few seconds. The white, lined page seemed intimidating while Blake attempted to form words out of her feelings, but, finally, she lowered the tip of her pen to the paper and began to write.

I remember the first time we met. I didn't think much of you back then, and still not for a while after that. You were loud, boisterous, and came across as shallow and not particularly smart. To put it plainly, you seemed like the typical, popular dumb blonde. You and your sister, Ruby, irritated me beyond words, and then you would get on Weiss' nerves, too. Between the three of you, there was enough bickering to make the entire academy lose its patience.

But the problem was never you. It was me. I had just severed my ties to the White Fang, and being wary of everyone was my norm. As much as I despised what the White Fang had become, I had remained long enough that it continued to exercise a certain influence on my thoughts and actions after I left. You were human, almost all of you at Beacon were. You couldn't be trusted. I was attending Beacon to pursue what the White Fang's original cause had been – to help people, to make the world safe for everyone, especially for the Faunus. And I was going to do that on my own. I didn't need anybody, not after being deceived and hurt and betrayed so many times before in the past.

Professor Ozpin's partnership method quite literally propelled a wrench into my plans, however. Your landing was loud and unnecessarily garish, just like what I imagined your personality to be. Back then, I wondered if you were also insane or if you had a death wish, as you would definitely attract Grimm with that display and your insistence on announcing your boredom to the entire forest.

I had no intention of letting you see me. You were the last person on my quickly fabricated list of tolerable partner candidates. I was going to leave you to your area and search for someone else. Truly, I was. But then...I didn't. I figured that maybe if I had no choice but to collaborate closely with another person for the rest of my time at Beacon Academy, it might have been preferable for me to choose someone I couldn't possibly grow fond of. I wouldn't develop expectations, wouldn't be let down again should something go awry.

I followed you, half convinced I was making a mistake. But the way you handled those two Ursai surprised me. You were strong, vigorous, and your fighting style relied heavily on your martial arts skills, using your body as a weapon. You were in sync with yourself, and I admired that about you. Most of all, though, your confidence was evident. You were fearless, even if it bordered on reckless with the kind of taunts you spouted.

My initial thoughts on your talent underestimated what you were truly capable of, though. I have met only one other person who could compete with the pure power you demonstrated when enraged. Unlike Adam's semblance, though, yours was a wonder to behold. Knowing my own set of skills and areas of expertise, and knowing how well I had worked with him, it was more than clear that being partnered with you would be advantageous to both of us – on the battlefield, at least.

At this point, Blake paused to gather her thoughts, the memory of first meeting Yang one that she now remembered tenderly, and maybe with a bit of regret for the kind of person she had been back then, over a year ago. Very cynical and distant. The brawler hadn't deserved many of the judgments the ninja had quietly entertained about her.

Blake's gaze gravitated to where her friends had set up their volleyball game. Yang was immediately apparent with her shock of blonde hair that had dried in no time at all – probably a result of her semblance. It appeared that Ren had decided not to play, preferring to watch from the sidelines. The teams were therefore equal. The speed at which the ball was sailing through the air between both sides was astounding. The gang was definitely enthusiastic, and Blake could see the elated grin on Yang's face, a clear sign that she was enjoying herself. Blake couldn't help but smile a little, too, glad that her partner hadn't allowed her refusal to dampen her spirits.

It wasn't like Yang needed Blake to have fun or be happy. The extravert had so many other people who loved and supported her and liked to spend time with her. Blake wasn't even sure she counted as a friend. She kept to herself so much and tended to always have a certain negative vibe about her person... She couldn't imagine being good enough to be a friend. But Yang had always been there for her, in contrast, reminding Blake that she had a team willing to help her and that she wasn't alone. Most of all, Yang had offered understanding and a shoulder to lean on. And that was more than Blake could ever ask for.

She sighed, returning her gaze to her journal, and continued writing.

Yang, you annoyed me at first not because you were boisterous, not because you were constantly drawing me from my want for solitude, not because you kept blurting awful puns, but rather because I couldn't concede that you were a deeply caring person and genuinely looking out for me. You most definitely were not a dumb blonde, and you were not shallow. You accepted everyone and surrounded us all in your warmth and attractive, jovial personality. Just the fact that you had made it into Beacon proved that you were intelligent and studious enough to achieve your goals.

All my life I struggled with my heritage as a Faunus. My parents died when I was young because of it. I was mistreated and tormented, learned to be ashamed of these animal appendages that marked me as different, as less than human. The White Fang was this collective hero that would save us from that kind of treatment and give us the same rights as humans. I was a fervent believer and defender of the cause. But I was young and still naive and taught to do things a child should not be adept at. Stealing, using the shadows to my advantage, infiltrating secure buildings and turning off the alarm systems, disarming opponents... I didn't understand at first. I thought it was normal. I thought it was just.

I wish I had left sooner.

I have a dark past, and that darkness followed me to Beacon – like a kind of permanent stigma – even if all I wanted was to extricate myself from it. But it practically defines me. I am shadow. My very semblance reflects this. I haven't done much good in my life, and I doubt I deserve the friends and the help I have received here.

But you, Yang Xiao Long, are like a bright light in my world of gloom. You pull me from my comfort zone and make me experience life as pleasant and new, the very pillar of any changes that have occurred within me – although I wonder if you even know it. I began to wake every morning and be inexplicably happy to have the sun, itself, by my side. Warm, reassuring, invigorating, joyful. But also powerful, dangerous, and explosive. And I never could have felt safer.

You're more than a social butterfly. There's a certain maturity and protectiveness about you that you gained from having to raise Ruby mostly by yourself. And, deep down, you have an intense drive to search for your mother, but you know where your priorities lay. You face your problems head on but don't let them control you – and I have admired that, for I have proven incapable of behaving similarly. By nature, you are a deeply passionate, generous soul. You forgive me for all the stupid decisions I make and continue to value me, as if you understand my plight and are trying to make up for all the lifetimes you couldn't be there for me. But that's ridiculous because I am well aware that I am not something you would miss, that I do not contribute to your happiness. That comes from within yourself, not me.

And I can't blame you for that, Yang. I'll never burn as brilliantly as you do or compare to your inextinguishable flame. It's only fair that I keep my feelings hidden, that I cherish you in silence and satisfy myself with what you do give me. You are my light, my sun, my warmth, a constant friend that I've found I can no longer live without. If you didn't exist, I would have found a way to invent you. Every day spent by your side makes it harder for me to silence the voice of my heart, but I have to if only to keep a chasm from opening between us. It would kill me, so I would rather grace your lips with a smile than with my own touch...

Blake had to stop writing when she realized she had tears in her eyes, blurring her vision. She blinked fiercely, trying to clear the wetness, suddenly feeling very self-conscious and a little foolish. That was enough, no more writing. She would not cry. After wiping her eyes in a few quick motions, she put her journal and pen away into her bag before carefully standing up. The young woman took the opportunity to stretch, maybe a bit languidly, and then began heading over to her friends. Even if Yang made it difficult for her to concentrate, these people had become an important part of Blake's life and she wouldn't take their presence for granted. She had lost too much as it was. She thought she knew better now.

She thought she knew how suddenly someone could be there one moment and gone forever the next.

Sunsets were a beautiful thing. They were especially breathtaking when the view was unobstructed, as was the case now. Team RWBY and Team JNPR had gone to a nearby restaurant for supper and hadn't left until a little later into the evening, choosing to return to the beach since the day "wasn't technically over," to put it in Ruby's words. Nonetheless, it had been a good idea, as everyone had proceeded to have as much fun as they had that same afternoon, if not more.

Well, that was what it sounded like, in any case, from where Blake was sitting on the sand, facing the water and watching the tide make its way in at a gradual pace. The waves seemed quieter somehow, the seagulls gone somewhere to rest. It was peaceful like this. Blake had taken her bow off, considering that there weren't very many people still present at this time and she doubted that she ran the risk of mockeries. She had her thighs up against her chest, resting her chin on her knees, observing, listening.

The sky was painted in vibrant colors of red, orange, yellow, and pink – a sight not even the most talented artist could render justice – and although not quite so bright anymore, the sun radiated a comfortable warmth that Blake allowed herself to quietly bask in. She had once again sought out solitude, preferring to relax after the animated discussions over supper than to engage in more physically demanding activities. Blake adored her friends, but apart from Ren and Weiss, they were all quite outgoing and excitable, and Blake couldn't always keep up with them together at once. Not when she was tired, anyway.

The young woman was aware that Yang was approaching even before the blonde sat down next to her without a sound. Blake had recognized the casual fall of her steps, the strong beat of her heart, and the slight increase in temperature of the air when she was around – all things that were exclusive to Yang. The energetic girl had apparently not taken another swim, guessing by how she was wearing the same clothes she had donned before supper – consisting of a beige jacket over a white tank top and a pair of jeans, completed with her usual combat boots and a purple necklace that complimented her eyes.

Yang didn't say anything at first, sitting cross-legged and watching the sunset next to her partner in silence. Blake quietly inhaled the mixed, subtle scent of vanilla and gunpowder that Yang seemed to permanently carry with her and had to resist leaning into her side. As much as Blake hated her feline urges, she couldn't help but sometimes be subjected to certain instincts that were clearly animal in nature. And there was something about Yang that made those urges surface more easily. For instance, her constant warmth made the cat Faunus want to perpetually cuddle up against her. Even Yang's scent prompted Blake to want to smell more closely. Both of those actions would have been weird in every circumstance, including the present one. So, Blake refrained.

After a while of sitting side by side without saying a word like this, Yang eventually murmured, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Blake raised her eyebrows. "Talk about what?" Of course, she could figure what Yang was referring to, but since Blake would have actually favored not revealing her feelings, she would see if she could somewhat change the topic of the conversation. Apparently, that comprised of also playing dumb. Blake had done worse things, honestly.

"Well, you know…" Yang hesitated. "You've been kind of distant today. Actually, you've been that way for a while now. Like, you want to have fun and participate with us – I can see that you do – but then you just...don't, and you tend to look sort of pouty after. Do you wanna, like…maybe talk about what's on your mind?"

There had been a reply on Blake's tongue even before the golden girl had finished speaking, something about pouty being a thing Blake didn't do, and she opened her mouth to speak, but then...nothing came out. Yang was looking at her and made it evident that Blake had her undivided attention. And with the fiery hues of the setting sun shining on the gorgeous blonde, bright lilac speckled with dark violet gazing intently into amber, Blake found that she couldn't even remember what she had been about to say. Her brain simply felt like it had melted into a pudding.

But she had to say something, because staring would give the wrong impression. "Um..."

Real smooth, Belladonna. The Faunus frowned, frustrated with herself, and shifted her head away from the breathtaking sight beside her, returning to watching the sky...which, in comparison, and despite the obvious impossibility, suddenly seemed like a lesser work of art. God, Yang. You are not making this easy for me at all.

"Blake? Hey…don't be angry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."

Yang's voice was gentle and sounded so calming to Blake's sensitive cat ears, which automatically flickered towards her every time she spoke. The raven-haired girl would never be able to fully conceal that, and they would always betray a small part of her feelings. Exactly how many of the movements Yang interpreted correctly was a different matter, though – or if she thought there was something to interpret out of the motions at all.

"I'm not angry, and we both know it's going to keep you awake tonight if I keep my thoughts to myself," Blake replied with no particular intonation, which made Yang chuckle a little.

"Sure, but I'm only asking because I want to help. But if you're not ready, then I'll just sit here with you and watch the sunset. It's very...purrty." Yang's lips curved into a huge, deliberate grin.

Decidedly, Blake wouldn't even deign that last comment with a reply. She exhaled heavily through her nose, the only sign that she found the prankster's puns insufferable. Well, that was a lie, really. She didn't hate them. They were just never all that great, and instead of inspiring amusement, they tended to cause almost physical pain. But Blake didn't hate them. Maybe she was a masochist that way.

The two friends sat in a comfortable kind of quiet for a while, only interrupted by the noise their team and JNPR were creating further down the shore as they had some kind of playful beach war and the sound of the waves as they collapsed to reach the coast. It was still relaxing, and even if Yang was totally an expert at ruining the moment, Blake nevertheless cherished sitting by her side and ultimately being the focus of the lilac-eyed girl's attention, no matter how platonic. It was these rare occasions that Blake stored more preciously into her memory, to savor them whenever she was submerged with a longing she knew was senseless to feed but could no more help herself than the proverbial snowball in a pit of flames.

Yang suddenly broke the relative silence, uncurling her legs from beneath her and stretching them out, leaning back on her hands, hair swaying behind her. "It makes me sad that I'm the cause of whatever you're feeling right now," she stated softly, not meeting her companion's golden gaze, which had switched back to her when she began talking.

Blake's heart thudded harder in her chest. "Excuse me?" Had she heard that properly?

"I mean, it's pretty obvious this is my fault," Yang continued, appearing sorrowful – an expression Blake wished she could kiss away in another life. She controlled herself. "You don't get that look in your eyes with the others, when they turn away and you think no one is watching. You're okay. But when it's me, I see it almost all the time. It's been a few weeks now. I saw it several times today already. What did I do wrong, Blake?"

Wrong? Blake lowered her gaze in shame. She might have laughed if she wasn't so afraid she'd cry. You did everything right.

Yang had altered her position again, this time opting to face her partner entirely. Honest dejection in her lilac orbs, she added in a murmur, "I'm always trying my very best to be the kind of person you can trust and lean on when you need support. I thought I was helping to make a difference for you... You seemed to smile and open up more when I did that. But these days... I mean, it says a lot about my friendship skills if one of the people I care about the most becomes sad because of me and then doesn't even want to talk to me about it..."

Blake was able to calm herself at least marginally when she realized her partner hadn't truly figured out her feelings. Nonetheless, Blake wondered if this was worse. Her behavior had made Yang question her usefulness and trustworthiness. But that wasn't it at all. It was exactly because of how great of a friend – of a person – Yang was that had Blake slowly but surely falling head over heels for her. Again, the problem was never Yang. It was always Blake.

But knowing she was one of the people the brawler cared about the most warmed Blake's heart, even if she wondered how it was even possible and being all too aware that she was hardly worthy of the distinction. "There's nothing wrong with you, Yang," she almost whispered, looking down. "You did nothing wrong. It's me. Do not blame yourself over this." Her throat felt increasingly tight.

Long, calloused but gentle fingers cupped Blake's jaw and exercised a small pressure so that she would raise her head and meet Yang's shining eyes. Blake's breath caught at the touch and the intensity of her teammate's gaze. I can't keep doing this for much longer. This is going to break me.

"If it's you, then please, please tell me why." Yang's voice was so tender, her sincerity so evident, that Blake found herself overwhelmed with a force so powerful it threatened to blind her. She wanted to tell Yang. She wanted to tell Yang so badly. But Yang was already moving on. "We've done this before, Blake. I won't watch you run head-first on this path a second time."

And it's going to hurt.

The Faunus didn't say anything for a moment, internally waging a war for control over her feelings and urges and simply restraining them made her eyes slightly misty with tears. She wouldn't cry, but it had become painful to behave and she was only making her companion increasingly worried for her.

"Blake?" Yang murmured.

She extended her other hand to hold her partner's.

Naturally lured by the movement and enamored by the strength in those warm fingers, knowing that this mark of affection was so candid – so spontaneously Yang – and yet so inaccessible, Blake's heart cracked just like glass. This was it, then. Her breaking point, the beginning of the end. "I'm in love with you, Yang," she finally admitted against her better judgment, quiet and hopefully unambiguous. She felt as if her whole world were crumbling around her and that she, herself, was the sole cause. It was probably what Blake deserved anyway. She couldn't bear to look Yang in the eyes. "And I keep falling for you day after day, again and again, no matter how much it hurts. I love you with every beat of my heart, every breath I take, and in all my waking moments. And I – I just… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."

If the situation hadn't been so serious, the pure openness of Yang's shocked expression might have been comical. But Blake couldn't bring herself to smile. There was nothing funny about watching Yang's expression shift from stun to acceptance and then to saddened apology, and from that, confirming that Blake's feelings were not reciprocated. It was no surprise, really. She had known this from the start. Yang had never shown a romantic interest in girls before – even Blake, at first, had been obliged to deal with a considerable amount of confusion about the way she felt before conceding to it – and any past relationships (however few and far between) Yang had mentioned had undeniably been with boys.

But Yang pulled Blake into her arms right there on the sand, making the Faunus' golden eyes widen and allowing her to bask in the subtle scent of vanilla and gunpowder, holding her tightly in one of Yang's signature bone-crushing hugs, the kind that was immediately warm and reassuring in a way that only she could convey through such force.

"I didn't know," Yang breathed into Blake's black hair, tickling her ear and nearly making her shiver. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I could have been affecting you that way. I thought... Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. I was obviously wrong. All my efforts...they meant that much to you?"

One of the things that made Yang incredible was that even upon such a revelation, she didn't inspire embarrassment or humiliation. She simply continued to show care and that she didn't want such circumstances to prevent them from being as close as they had been before. She effectively proved that Blake's fears had been unfounded and that the reserved girl should have just told the truth before it became a problem, a burden – and a heavy one at that.

Still, Blake was falling apart piece by piece, crying without crying, clinging to her partner with the strength of desperation. But this was only fair. Yang could be compared to the sun, itself, and Blake had absolutely nothing to offer the sun. If anything, she would only dim its light with her darkness. "I told you not to blame yourself," she whispered shakily, unable to refrain from burying her nose in her friend's thick mane of hair, fingers clutching the folds of Yang's clothes. "I'm the one who failed to control myself. And now that you know...can we please just forget about it? You don't feel the same, and I don't want to ruin our friendship. I would rather try to move on than lose you." Her voice hitched at the end. As true as the statement was, it did nothing but add more fissures in her heart to say it.

Uncharacteristically, Yang did not reply. She just kept the cat Faunus securely wrapped in her embrace for a while, waiting for Blake to relax as a cue that they could continue the conversation with more of a level head. Eventually, she pushed Blake back with care, enough that their eyes could meet at a comfortable distance. Yang looked thoughtful, if not maybe a little troubled, chewing on her lower lip and searching her partner's amber orbs for a sign of something. Blake had to look down, breaking the contact. She was still so ashamed.

"Blake," Yang finally said in a susurration, waiting for the girl to actually look back up before sharing what she had on her mind. "I care about you just about as much as I do Ruby, the only difference being the number of years spent together. I want Ruby to be happy, and that's normal because she's my family and I love her. But I also want you to be happy. I haven't genuinely wanted that for many people in my life, since very few of them have stayed long enough for it to matter."

Blake's cat ears were flat against her head. Her shoulders drooped.

Yang paused, collecting her thoughts. Subconsciously, her fingers began to tap against her thigh, giving the impression that she was reasoning out loud. "We have at least two more years here at Beacon. You're a part of my team, my partner, and you're my best friend, too. We've had our ups and downs, but I feel we balance each other out pretty well. I mean, I, for one, would want us to stick together once we graduate."

Blake tilted her head to the side a bit, showing that the beautiful girl in front of her had not lost her attention. She appreciated what Yang was saying about her, though, and her composed demeanor helped the Faunus recover from the previous painful emotions, although there was a lingering sadness Blake couldn't quite chase. She had never imagined that Yang considered them close friends, let alone best friends.

Yang's lips curved slightly into a small smile. "Like, I don't actually know about you, but even before this, I kind of figured that's how it would go. I have a hard time imagining a future in which Blake Belladonna isn't somehow present with me on missions. You know, like having you watch my back and strike in the nick of time, or just being able to talk to you about things after a long day is stuff I've grown used to. Plus, I think Ruby would agree with me when I say you've been a really positive influence on me with how calm and cool and smart you are. I mean, we've even learned to trust each other with our lives. So, I'd miss having that if we went our separate ways, you know?"

At this point, Blake knew Yang was trying to get somewhere with her speech, and based on what she had chosen to mention so far, a tiny flicker of hope – and along with it a healthy dose of nervousness – sparked to life within the quieter girl. Still, Blake wasn't entirely certain just what, exactly, her partner was trying to say, and she by far preferred listening over interrupting.

Except someone else did that for her. That someone had an authoritative – if not bossy and a little sarcastic – kind of voice.

"I don't mean to rain on the party you two seem to have going on here, but we're going to miss the airship if we don't leave immediately. Some of us don't particularly feel like being here until midnight, if you get my gist."

The two girls looked to their side and up, beholding Weiss standing with her hands on her hips and her slight signature frown on her face. They both simultaneously glanced behind her where, further down the shore, the others were packing up or talking while waiting. It was then that they also realized it had gotten rather dark out, the sun almost well below the horizon, and the grey-blue water was lapping at the sand only a few steps away.

Yang promptly jumped to her feet and extended her hand to Blake, who took it and stood as well. While they dusted off their backsides, the girl in beige and blue then addressed the Schnee heiress, "Weiss, tell Rubes and the others to start heading off without us. We'll catch up before the airship leaves."

Weiss creased her fine eyebrows even more, appearing as if she might have wanted to dispute that decision, but then rolled her icy blue eyes. "Whatever. Don't blame me if you miss it, and don't worry Ruby." With that, she turned on her heels and began walking back towards the group. The two huntresses in training watched her go, and once Weiss was out of earshot, Blake looked up at the slightly taller girl in concern. It must have been important if Yang felt the need to finish the conversation right then and there.

Yang hummed briefly, probably attempting to recall what she had been saying and figuring out a way to shorten it, before properly facing her partner and meeting Blake's gaze. "What I was trying to get at, Blake... Since we're most likely going to be around each other for a long while still, and because I want you to be happy, I thought that maybe..." She hesitated, and Blake's throat tightened again, her cat ears flattening once more. Yang noticed this, and continuing to look uncertain, she gently took the raven-haired girl's hands into her own warm and strong ones to keep Blake reassured. Yang's voice was just a murmur when she finally admitted her thoughts, "If you would like to give it a shot, I wouldn't mind seeing if...maybe, I can learn to reciprocate your feelings?"

Blake probably would have asked Yang to repeat that if she hadn't been so sure she had heard correctly. She stared at her friend incredulously, unable to form a complete logical thought for a moment or two. When it finally sunk in, what Yang was literally suggesting, Blake found that she wasn't immediately ecstatic, instead troubled and anxious. "Do you even know what you're saying? What that involves?"

Yang appeared mildly uneasy as she replied, "To be honest, maybe not entirely. I mean, I've never looked at any girls that way. I don't know if I could...really...romantically be interested in you or not one day. But I figure that if we do things a couple would do, and if I keep in mind that goal, it's something that I can develop, just like anything else...right? You're already a good friend, an awesome partner, and an attractive person in general. I don't see why I couldn't find it in me to see you as more than that."

Blake shifted her weight from one foot to the other, cat ears still flat against her head. She knew Yang was being authentic and believed her intentions were harmless, but... "Yang," Blake said, wincing at how distressed she sounded. "I want to say yes. I really do. But I hope you realize you can't spout stuff like that and then not seriously commit yourself to trying. My feelings for you are already well-developed, and saying yes would give you the power to truly hurt me if you were just...doing it to see if you could. I need to know that..." What did Blake need to know? This was so far past her wildest dreams. She tried again. "I need to know that if I agree to this, it's because you think you can benefit from a relationship with me, too. Committing yourself to this just to make me happy will be counterproductive to your goal, Yang." She was holding her partner's hands tightly, heart pounding, desperately wanting her to understand.

Yang instantly pulled Blake into her arms again, trying to convey through action what she couldn't say with words. This was the golden girl's usual tactile approach, the one that had proven extremely useful in the past when dealing with Blake. "I would never play with your feelings," Yang uttered sincerely. "Never. We'll find a way to make this work, and that is a promise I intend on keeping. Okay, kitten?"

If Blake hadn't been blushing before from being in the blonde's embrace, she definitely was now after being given that pet name. "O-okay. I'm going to hold you to it." She paused, wrapping her own arms around her favorite brawler to return the hug out of joy and disbelief that this was actually happening. She nuzzled her face into the crook of Yang's neck and breathed in her scent contentedly. "Don't call me kitten, though," Blake mumbled.

At that, the extraverted girl was back, laughing heartily and holding her companion tighter. "Alright, I won't...kitten."

Blake groaned but never let go or tried to move away. "You're incorrigible."

Yang only snickered more.

Chapter Text

Yang stopped outside of RWBY's dorm room and paused. She took a deep breath in, slowly exhaled, counted to three, and then entered. The room was empty save for Ruby who was probably on her bunk – the little, random noises she made when she studied betrayed her presence. Otherwise, Blake and Weiss' beds were neatly made, and there was no sign of them in the room. Yang's own bunk was in a bit of a mess, though. She should probably fix that later. Probably.

Yang stood there for a moment, thinking, and then finally took a few steps closer, clearing her throat in a manner that was probably unnecessarily loud. Here went nothing. "So, Ruby! There's something you should know, what with being the team's leader and my sister and all."

Ruby peered down at Yang from her spot, beholding her casual demeanor that most likely did not hide her troubled expression. Yang knew her emotions were always on her sleeve. Most of the time, at least. But she liked it that way. In this manner, her intentions – whether they were threatening or affectionate or anything in-between – could never quite be ambiguous. Plus, with Ruby, it helped to keep more open communication, too.

Yang suspected the reason why Ruby was currently alone was because Weiss and Blake had gone off to the library to do some extra research on the team's next Survival assignment. The two girls didn't often go out of their way to spend time together, but when it came to studying and academic efforts, Blake and Weiss worked extremely well as a duo and were excellent at keeping their respective partners from dragging the team's average down.

Because – and this had to be faced – Ruby and Yang might have been the strongest fighters in the group, and their skills might have been essential to the team, but the half-sisters' areas of expertise simply weren't in theoretical books and cramming an insufferable amount of knowledge into their heads while remaining in relative physical inactivity. That said, Ruby did try a little harder than Yang, as being RWBY's leader required her to perform at her best at all times. Nonetheless, it was often difficult to not get bored out of their minds while studying. They, by far, preferred training at the gym and honing both their tactical and fighting talents in team practice sessions.

If anything, Yang's intrusion was probably a welcome break for Ruby because she seemed to grasp that despite Yang's attempt at looking undisturbed, she actually had something important to say and needed her sister to pay attention. And, indeed, Ruby was prompt to shut her book and hop down from her bunk in order to sit on the edge of Weiss' bed, gazing curiously at Yang with her bright silver eyes. "What's up?"

Yang found herself fidgeting with the folds of her back skirt at her sides. Knowing she looked a little lost, she managed, albeit bluntly, "Um, so… Blake loves me. Like, romantically." There was no tactful way of launching a nuclear missile, really.

In any case, Yang had previously asked Blake if it was alright to speak with Ruby about their new situation in private, which the Faunus had hesitantly agreed to. Yang therefore wasn't going behind her partner's back in the matter. That would have probably not been a good start to their relationship. So long as Weiss and the others from JNPR weren't immediately made aware of the news, Blake had conceded that Yang wasn't being too premature in needing someone else to confide in. Ruby was someone they both trusted and was the wisest choice for reasons already mentioned.

That being said, Yang would have still preferred speaking to Pyrrha, as the two had become closer friends over the course of this past year, thanks to the amount of training they did in their off-time. And although Pyrrha had shown unmeasurable talent in the art of romantic frustration in regards to Jaune in the past, she was, ironically, gifted in giving good relationship advice. She was also older than Ruby and was on a higher level of maturity, too.

Yet, despite Yang's natural inclination to keep Ruby from worrying about anything in general, it was more important for the young leader to be the one to know. Maybe Yang could speak with Pyrrha later, if Blake was okay with it.

Ruby blinked a few times, apparently rather bewildered with the news. Once it sunk in, the look in her silver eyes started to darken. "Do I need to...talk to her?"

Realizing that her behavior had seemingly marked the revelation as a negative thing, that maybe it weighed heavily on Yang and therefore required her little sister to take drastic measures – as she, herself, might have done if the roles had been reversed – Yang promptly waved her hands, shaking her head vigorously. "No, no, no! God, no. It's just that...well, I've decided to date her. Sorta."

"Sorta? I thought dating was a yes or no kind of thing…"

"Yeah, well… Okay. Yeah. We're dating."

The girl in red grinned at first, happy for Yang now that she knew it was actually positive news, but then Ruby's eyebrows creased in confusion. "But...you never said you were –"

Yang interrupted her with a motion of her finger, indicating for Ruby to be quiet and listen. "I'm not. But, honestly..." She plopped down on Blake's bed, now sitting across from her sister, and sighed a little. In her past relationships, even if they were very few, Yang had never told Ruby about the guy unless it had become meaningful to her. Which, actually, had only happened once. So. She had been happy to share, though, and had even danced her little sister across the room with her on that one occasion.

But Blake was different, the whole everything about the situation was different. And also completely, utterly foreign to Yang – sort of like a language she didn't speak. All she knew was that she wanted to give it her best, but to say that she was excited was altogether the wrong term to describe how she felt. Confused, or nervous, might have been more appropriate – she couldn't make a display of confidence about it when she literally had nothing to rely on concerning the matter in her past. And although she was aware that Ruby wouldn't be able to really offer any advice or examples of experience, Yang felt that she could still help sort things out.

"Honestly," Yang repeated, her foot beginning to jitter against the floor – more because she felt the need to move than out of anxiety, "I've thought about it in more detail, and I'm actually kind of honored that I attracted Blake. I wasn't doing it on purpose and I definitely didn't see it coming, but Blake doesn't go throwing her affection around like it's no big deal for her. She's super careful about that. I mean, you know and saw for yourself how long it was before she even trusted us, her own team! Plus, I think I've been pretty clear about which way I swing, myself…" Yang had her hands clenched together on her lap, but she loosened them as she chuckled briefly. "So, it's like...it's huge. Everything was playing against her."

"Yang, you sound like you're regretting your decision..." Ruby appeared worried, tilting her head to the side with her eyebrows still furrowed attentively.

The blonde tapped her knee as she pondered. Finally, she said, "No, that's not the problem. I just... I feel that I'm...rather terrified about hurting her. I agreed at first because I do care about her as a friend, and you know me – act first, think later, right? I want everyone to be happy, so I sorta thought we could be girlfriends no problem. But now that I've put some thought into it, I've come to the same concerns that Blake had and still may have." Yang paused, passing her hand through the thick locks of her hair. "Since she already loves me, and that she knows I'm aware of it but that I just don't feel the same, and because I'm known for my impulsiveness, I could, like, super easily say or do something insensitive without even realizing it. I could –"

Ruby had already been smiling, but she guffawed now, cutting Yang off in a manner that absolutely flabbergasted the social girl. The youngest of the two didn't even try to apologize. "Yang, just...Yang." Ruby snickered, pulling her legs up under her and getting more comfortable on Weiss' bed. "You're, like, the most caring person I know, and based on that, I'd be more worried about some random store clerk hurting her feelings. Maybe you don't love her like she loves you, but if you're still the Yang I know, you'll find a way to compensate." She beamed confidently. "Even when you were furious, you never treated me wrong. You were always able to make me feel safe. So, I think it's kinda funny how you're suddenly scared about this."

A smile slowly curved Yang's lips until she was grinning. The brawler was proud of her little sister to an extreme, always had been. And although Yang still experienced a great deal of uncertainty, Ruby had indeed helped her feel more confident about the situation with those reminders. It seemed Ruby had been gaining maturity somewhere behind Yang's back, that little cape-wearing munchkin.

Some of her pep returning, Yang hopped up from Blake's bed and rushed over to grab Ruby and give her the tightest hug the older sibling could muster, even lifting her off the bed and laughing heartily when Ruby tried to struggle and breathe and, ultimately, fail. But Yang let go soon after, cackling more when her sister gasped for precious air.

"Thanks Rubes! Love ya," she smirked and winked cockily.

"...There you are..." Ruby wheezed, as if accomplishing some heroic feat before dramatically flopping to the floor.

Yang raised her hands like a predator, grinning like a maniac. "Now you're just asking for it..."

Ruby glanced up, and then her eyes widened. Too late.

Yang tackled her, fingers merciless as they tickled Ruby's sides.

"Noooooohoohoohahahahoo...!"

The weekend was over. It was time to focus on classes and homework and training. As of late, Team RWBY barely had time to do much more than study, eat, shower, and sleep between their academic obligations.

Yang was, by nature, a person who was easily distracted when even mildly bored. She preferred staying active and just doing something fast-paced rather than sitting in class, listening and taking notes. This was quite the contrast to the intense and undivided attention she could give when something interested her. Throughout the week, this was the way she found herself observing Blake, now regularly and often with a curious look on her face. In the mornings before classes, the breaks between classes and lunch, when they were doing homework in the evenings, or whenever they were talking, usually in a group, Yang made it a point to notice things about her partner that would have been giveaways about her feelings, had she known to lookout for them before.

Blake obviously realized what Yang was doing, at first raising her eyebrows questioningly when the blonde was caught staring fixatedly, but then over time Yang graduated to impatient huffs or frustrated glances. Still, Blake never said anything about it, and since Yang knew her partner wasn't afraid to speak her mind – especially when irritated – she could only guess that the Faunus wasn't truly bothered by her persistent, searching gaze.

So, Yang continued being a total creep.

By the middle of the week, she had made several discoveries, and each time she did, she wanted to smack herself for not discovering them sooner. For one thing, now that Yang was doing most of the staring, she found that Blake had a tendency to glance at her – and just for a little longer than what would be considered insignificant, as if she were routinely making an overall visual checkup to see how her friend was doing. Yang wouldn't have otherwise made a case out of it, but Ruby and Weiss didn't have that kind of concern for each other during lectures, let alone during the ones given by Professor Port, so she had to conclude that there were deeper feelings than just camaraderie involved.

For another thing, whenever Yang was speaking, Blake's cat ears consistently flickered towards her, something that did not occur with anybody else half as often. Even in public, despite wearing that blasted bow, Yang would see it subtly twitch in her direction the moment she started talking. This allowed the girl in yellow to assume that her partner was keenly aware of her, in a manner that she definitely wasn't towards others.

Next came Blake's touches. They were never anything strange, just small things like a brief tap to get Yang's attention or a bump on the hip to get her to smarten up when she was being excessively foolish around her friends – simple, mundane gestures that otherwise wouldn't have been questioned. Except Blake never touched anybody. Ever. That had to be a sign and one Yang should have clued in to way earlier. Because, like, duh.

But it said something about Blake's ability to conceal her emotions that even these small signs of uncharacteristic behavior had not raised any suspicions. Or maybe Yang was just incredibly dense. She liked to think she wasn't, though. It made her wonder if she would have thought much of it had she noticed these things before the Faunus confessed her love. Maybe, maybe not. If she'd figured it out on her own, though, Yang would have been a lot more prudent about the way she showed Blake she cared about her, probably refraining from most of the physical affection Yang tended to prefer. Actions spoke louder than words, after all, and the sociable girl had always been honest and natural about such things.

It had been clear that Blake hadn't planned on falling in love, and had even sought to fight it. Still, Yang had to admit that although there was no way she wasn't guilty in part, no matter how unconsciously, Blake's feelings did make her feel rather special and humbled at once, for all the reasons she had voiced to Ruby.

Since that last Saturday, the duo hadn't acted much differently around each other, apart from Yang's tactless and obvious staring. The energetic girl figured easily enough that Blake wouldn't initiate anything until she knew it wouldn't cause any discomfort or awkwardness for her straight partner. Therefore, Yang took it upon herself to take the first steps, thinking up an idea for their first date that would put Blake at ease and offer moments for the two to talk about their expectations concerning their couple. It would probably be good to get the basics laid out before something regrettable happened.

By Friday, Yang had thought of what could potentially be an excellent first date with Blake. She didn't want to start off with anything too romantic, but nothing too platonic either. It couldn't be too noisy, nor could it be too private. And they needed to be able to stop and talk for a while and be comfortable doing so. From there, Yang figured they could do something more engaging and enjoy each other's company for a bit and then be back in their shared dorm room before Weiss became suspicious.

That was how the couple found themselves in Vale sometime shortly after classes, sitting at a table against the window in a small diner on the first level of a very large bookstore. There weren't too many people, and those present were either speaking quietly out of respect for the building they were in, browsing for books, or reading. The diner was more of a coffee shop, but it did serve small meals such as, say...fish and chips. Emphasis on the fish.

"This is...thoughtful of you," Blake commented with no particular intonation, glancing towards a display of books further off. Her sharp golden gaze then settled back on Yang. "Is this compensation for staring at me all week like I grew a second head?" Her slender fingers wrapped around the hot cup of tea she had ordered, as if searching for heat. Although Yang was aware of the air conditioning the building provided, her semblance constantly kept her body at a comfortably warm temperature and was therefore unaffected by it. Perhaps, though, it was a little cool for her friend.

"Oh, you noticed that?" the goofball asked with a far too innocent grin, knowing perfectly well that the Faunus had caught on the very first day.

Blake raised her eyebrows, appearing rather unimpressed. "A Goliath would be subtler than you. What gives? I was beginning to think there really was something wrong with my face."

Yang had to laugh, although she kept it at a subdued volume. "Nah. Just checking for all the signs I missed. Speaking of which, you are very good at hiding the way you feel for me. I'm glad you said something."

The bookworm started to shrug, but then she paused, uncertain. She finally admitted quietly, looking down at her tea, "I'm glad I did, too."

Yang beamed appreciatively before taking a sip of her scalding, black coffee, which did not burn her. Again, her semblance proved to be useful in many everyday events. "Does that mean I'm starting off Yangtastically for a first date?" She winked emphatically, all too aware that her puns created almost physical pain in others. In truth, they were utterly harmless, which was what made them so funny to keep spouting.

Blake gripped the bridge of her nose, shutting her eyes tightly. She didn't even need to groan. "I swear to God, Yang. Every time," was all she muttered, causing her partner to start snickering again.

"You know all your exasperated reactions just encourage me, right?" she chuckled. "And, I mean, if you hated them for real, it would be kinda hard to love me..." They were such an integral part of her personality, after all.

"I tolerate your puns," the raven-haired girl corrected, but there was an amused glint that had appeared in her regard now that she had opened her eyes again. "That said, your believing yourself hilarious is what I find comical. Don't abuse that knowledge."

Yang put a hand over her heart and faked a solemn look. "Yes, ma'am!" She couldn't hold the act, though, and started giggling after. She was rewarded by a smile that was slowly curving Blake's heart-shaped lips. With that expression on her face, the blonde noted, she looked interestingly more feline, especially with the sunlight making Blake's pupils take the shape of thin, vertical slits. The gold of her irises were so bright they seemed to be faintly glowing.

It was about then that their table number was called, letting the girls know that their meals were prepared. Yang immediately stood, announcing that she would get it and that Blake wasn't allowed to move.

The way Yang saw it, the best thing she could do was treat her new...girlfriend (it was very strange to apply that term to Blake) the way she would have liked to be treated in a relationship with a man. And really, a true romantic couple was composed of two close friends who shared things and did certain things together they didn't do with anybody else. Yang and Blake were already friends and had shared quite a bit about themselves with each other over the two years of their partnership. It wasn't like they were complete strangers who had just decided to start dating and needed to begin from scratch...which, now that Yang thought about it, might have been easier. Maybe. Probably not. But maybe. Whatever the case, being straight to begin with complicated things. Yang just needed to focus on trying to change the way she viewed her long-term friend.

And to be honest, she wasn't entirely certain she would be able to on her own. Which was why it was important for her to have that conversation with Blake.

Therefore, when Yang returned to their table with two plates of fish and chips, utensils and napkins included, and after settling down on her seat, she first allowed a few moments of silence to occur while they began eating. After taking another sip of her coffee, however, she said in a more serious tone, "Blake, I don't want you to feel shy about expressing your feelings."

Blake met Yang's gaze, careful and pensive as she tilted her head a little, but remained quiet.

"I mean, I'm not totally dumb about this. I know strong emotions incite actions. You can't honestly tell me you don't struggle with any urges to show your affection." Yang paused, thinking. Automatically, her fingers began drumming on the table. "I'm not saying, like, kissing and stuff. But, you know, any holding or cuddling you feel like doing – that's okay. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you like my 'scent,' so...smelling me is purrfectly acceptable, too." She was about to grin and wink again, maybe to help break the ice, but then she realized that Blake was blushing, and quite darkly at that.

The young woman in black was clearly embarrassed, the bow flatter on her head than it usually was.

"Blake?" Yang blinked, not quite sure about what was causing her partner's discomfort but concerned nevertheless, hoping she hadn't crossed a line.

Blake mumbled something, but it was too low for the blonde to understand. After being asked to repeat her words, Blake sighed heavily and said in a louder tone of voice, shoulders slumped in a dejected manner, "I can't help it if my Faunus heritage grants me super developed senses and prompts me to act like a cat sometimes. Don't make fun of me."

In that moment, it took all of Yang's willpower to not get up again and go hug her friend breathless whilst cooing at how cute Blake was. Call it aggressive love, call it nonsensical, but with the reddened cheeks, the discouraged posture, the almost childlike complaint...although being part feline, Blake looked like such a kicked puppy it was nearly just as irresistible.

Instead, the prankster took a fry from her plate and threw it lightly at the bookworm, effectively getting Blake's attention and a totally adorable confused frown along with it.

"I wasn't making fun of you," Yang smiled reassuringly. "Your Faunus traits are part of who you are and I completely accept what's natural for you to do when it involves me. If you want to smell me, then smell me – whether it's because you enjoy it or if there's some other reason behind it, I don't even care. I'm, like, the last person who's gonna think you're strange. If anything, I actually find it cute. And don't be afraid to tell me whatever crosses your mind, either."

Her face was still a bit pink and her expression was still a bit confounded, but Blake eventually found the courage to meet Yang's lilac eyes and ask, uncertain, "Are you sure?"

Seizing the opportunity, the girl in yellow was prompt to reply with a huge grin, "I'm pawsitive."

Yang received a fry squarely to her forehead.

Later, after the couple had finished eating and had done a bit of browsing in the bookstore, the taller of the two being patient enough to allow the bookworm to buy a new novel for herself, the two girls headed out for their next destination. Yang took the lead, enthusiastically guiding her partner to the place she had in mind, chatting about random subjects and generally trying to keep Blake entertained.

To be honest, the date didn't feel too different from just hanging out with Blake as a friend, the only exception being a closer attenuation to the raven-haired girl's feelings. Yang was enjoying herself, especially because Blake seemed to be acting a little less guarded, responding to the energetic girl's eccentricities more openly and showing her amusement more often.

As much as Blake was calmer, quieter, and more reserved than the goofball, she also never made Yang feel bad about being herself. In fact, Blake seemed to encourage it in a way, the simple act of playing along every now and then being key to that observation.

The stores were beginning to close for the day as they kept walking, but a window display case filled with different rings made Yang slow down. She didn't stop, though, but Blake still turned and arched her eyebrows inquisitively when she realized Yang was lagging behind.

Yang merely grinned, catching up. "Sorry, I was just thinking about a convo I had with Pyrrha. I told her she should be the one to propose to Jaune because, I mean, let's face it, he's never gonna do it, himself."

Blake's regard became somewhat critical. They started walking again, side by side. "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? They just started dating at the beginning of this year."

Yang's eyes widened. "Exactly, Blake! It took a full year before Pyrrha decided to kiss him – and she had to because nothing else she did opened his eyes to her feelings!"

Blake's gaze narrowed, but she looked vaguely amused. "So, let me see if I'm following your logic. Because Jaune is dense and blind, then obviously Pyrrha should be the one to propose?"

Yang turned her head and bobbed it insistently at her partner. Blake merely continued to observe her skeptically from the corner of her eyes. "Yeah!" Yang exclaimed, as if it might somehow be the ultimate convincing statement Blake needed to believe her.

She was wrong.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow. They're dating now – I'm sure Jaune knows how the steps work."

"You'd think so, but Blake!" Yang protested dramatically, "Don't you see the humor in Pyrrha proposing? Like, it would legit be the best."

Blake's amusement turned into a smirk. "I see. So, it has nothing to do with Jaune at all – or even Pyrrha, for that matter. You just want to get a kick out of their relationship."

"Um, duh." Yang laughed, and Blake slowly shook her head.

"Am I going to have to tie you to your chair at their wedding?"

"What chair? Kitten, I am crashing that party so hard Pyrrha will disown me as her friend forever."

Blake was visibly bewildered. "Why would you crash a party you're probably going to be invited to in the first place?"

Yang only laughed, and they continued like that as they walked, talking about things of no real consequence and enjoying each other's company. It took them a little while, so the sun was beginning to set when they reached Vale's community garden and park. It was a few acres in size, filled with beds of flowers and forest to walk among. It was also kind of a touristic area, as it featured statues and symbols of the past war set among the beauty of the surroundings. There was history here, and Yang was well aware that her knowledgeable partner would find it interesting.

She proved to be correct. Blake wanted to stop at every monument and read the inscriptions on the plates. She often had a few comments to offer, sometimes even some extra information she felt compelled to share. In those instances, Yang made sure to listen to what her teammate was saying, genuine curiosity prompting her every now and then to question her friend further on the subject, which seemed to please Blake. If the blonde was honest with herself, this wouldn't have fallen into her list of preferred activities, but for the sake of her partner she felt it was appropriate. And it wasn't all that bad, either. Blake was a lot of fun in her own introverted way, as she had always been with her somewhat dry humor, and never took the prankster's teasing to heart – occasionally choosing not to acknowledge the gibes at all when they were too awful.

After walking for a while, the couple began making their way back, aware that it was getting dark and that they did have to be on time to catch the next airship to Beacon. They strolled leisurely side by side, enjoying the soft breeze and admiring the waning light of the setting sun, listening to the leaves rustle and the birds chirping. The dirt crunched under their footsteps, and Yang eventually interrupted the comfortable silence they had lapsed into.

"So…I had a little chat with Ruby."

Yang glanced at Blake in time to see her raise an eyebrow. "About us?"

"Yep."

"How did it go?"

Yang's lips quirked upwards as she remembered the conversation. "It went well. She reassured me. And she won't hurt you or anything."

This made Blake smile slightly, too, accompanied by an ironic eye-roll. "Because that's what I was scared of, obviously." They both laughed a bit, but Blake quickly sobered and asked, "Why did you need reassurance?"

The question quieted Yang as well. She hesitated. It would only be normal for her partner to be worried about that, probably, considering the circumstances. Plus, Yang had kind of brought up the subject first. "I just don't want to hurt you, is all," she tried with a casual shrug of her shoulders, attempting not to make a big deal out of it so Blake's concern wouldn't increase. To further appease her companion, Yang added honestly, "Sometimes I wonder what I'd do without her. Everything's all good now."

Blake looked at Yang from the corner of her eyes, but the blonde was hard-pressed to guess what she was thinking. The Faunus remained silent, though, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Yang, and the golden girl immediately searched for a way to distract Blake so the mood didn't darken. This was their first date, after all. They were supposed to be having fun, and Yang would make sure of that.

She took in their surroundings, and it was as she was doing so that Yang was inspired with an idea. In fact, if there had been a light bulb atop her head, one would even say it was a pretty bright one. Well, maybe. But being in a hurry to move away from their previous conversation, Yang didn't really take the time to think it through – she just figured it would work one way or another.

"Hey, Blake." A smile began to play on her lips.

Beside her, Blake beheld her expression and immediately appeared suspicious. "Yes, Yang?" she replied warily. She was no fool, after all. But there was no way she would expect what Yang was about to do, not after the general calm the two had been keeping since the beginning of the date.

Yang grinned hugely before stepping in front of her friend, forcing her stop moving, and deliberately poked Blake's nose, making her frown and go cross-eyed briefly. It was hilarious. "You're it," she announced simply and immediately took off running, laughing like a maniac and abandoning Blake to stand there, stunned.

She knew for a fact the cat Faunus would chase her. It made things a lot more thrilling to sprint as fast as she could, her strong legs carrying her across large distances with each bound, nevertheless fully aware that despite her best efforts, Blake had always been the lighter, more agile of the two, therefore making her the swiftest. Being caught was inevitable, but the social butterfly was set on trying not to be. Not until they reached the main clearing of the park near the entrance, at least. There, after having saved time by running, they could spend one last bonding moment before needing to leave. Yang had just wanted to render it more exciting.

The golden girl could practically feel Blake on her heels, and it made the adrenaline pump in Yang's veins, her semblance activating if only to get more power out of her legs. The trees on each side of the dirt path became a blur as she whizzed by, and she was still laughing like a madwoman, this definitely being the highlight of her evening. As strange as that was. But Yang was a thrill-seeker, after all.

It should have raised alarm bells in the brawler's mind when she made it to her desired destination without being caught, some five minutes later. Instead, she came to a stop just beside the large map kiosk and turned, panting and still snickering while she leaned herself against her thighs, expecting her pursuer to not be far behind. Her eyebrows creased when she realized there was no sign of Blake anywhere.

Slowly, Yang straightened her posture, recovering quickly from the run, as it was nothing compared to what she did in training, and searched her surroundings. It was much darker out now, the area illuminated by a single lamp post not far away, which caused the lighter colored flowers to glow faintly. It was also very quiet except for the sound of crickets chirping and her own still rough breathing. There were a few fireflies, too, Yang noted. Had she lost Blake? Impossible. Had her partner decided to not chase her? That couldn't be. Was she perhaps...hiding?

"Oh, Blaaaaake... Here, kitty, kitty," the extraverted girl murmured, absolutely certain that her friend had played along. She was one-hundred percent convinced of it.

And then her nape began to prickle – and very intensely at that – in a clear warning of imminent danger. Heart pounding, Yang spun on her heels, coming face to face with the map board, and then looked up...

...just in time to see Blake propel herself from the top in a cat-like fashion, claws out – or so to say – and tackle the energetic young woman to the soft grass beneath them, causing Yang to yelp in surprise and, at first, struggle to free herself, her initial instincts wanting to fight. However, she instead soon found herself laughing again, becoming a helpless heap of hilarity, completely allowing the Faunus on top of her to have the upper hand.

"You play a very dangerous game, Yang Xiao Long," Blake muttered, indifferently gazing at her nails and apparently comfortable to sit on her partner's abdomen with no clear intention of standing. This should have come across as a sign of something bad, but once again the goofball was just too occupied with being amused to notice.

She was still giggling. Blake had really gotten her, she had to give her credit. "Didn't know tag was classified under the 'extreme sports' category," she snickered.

Blake's eyebrows shot up skeptically, glancing at the girl beneath her without appearing impressed. "Everything is relative, Little Sun Dragon. You just decided to play a game of cat and mouse...with a feline Faunus. That's called tempting the devil, which you seem to adore doing for some reason. Guess who was the mouse?" Her glowing golden gaze locked with bright lilac, and Yang didn't miss how she had voiced the question as a statement.

And suddenly the golden girl became extremely aware of the position they were in. Her chuckling stopped, and her eyes widened substantially. If Blake had to be compared to anything at that moment, the term 'predator' undoubtedly applied, and it was a little intimidating. "Blake...don't do it."

"Why shouldn't I? You insist on provoking my Faunus instincts. Maybe you'll finally learn not to." Blake innocently glanced at her nails again.

Yang shifted uncomfortably and tried to give the raven-haired girl the cutest kicked puppy look she could muster. "Please don't...?" she squeaked meekly.

Blake blinked, and just when the blonde thought she was going to taste what revenge felt like on the receiving end, shutting her eyes tight, she instead felt a light and pleasant scratch on her jaw, near her chin. Confused, her eyes flew open again, this time seeing that Blake was smiling apologetically, displaying a set of perfect white teeth with sharp canines. "I would never hurt you. Although you are a pain. You can quit the act."

Immediately, Yang started laughing again, her entire demeanor returning to her regular carefreeness. She was, however, once again stunned into silence when Blake carefully leaned over and laid her cool lips against Yang's forehead in a tender kiss, slender fingers gently gliding along her jaw and then stopping to rest on her chin. Yang became very still, staring at her partner's pale throat, unsure what to do, exactly, especially because the Faunus' touch lingered for a little longer than a mark of platonic affection. Not that kissing someone on the forehead like this was a platonic gesture to begin with or anything.

Blake hesitantly pulled away, eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed, an expression that betrayed a much deeper emotion.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, opening her golden gaze. "The alternative would have not only been more awkward, but also against your wants." She sighed, slowly shaking her head and then moved off Yang, standing up and offering her hand, that same sad look in her regard.

Yang could only stare, the information of Blake already being in love with her at the forefront of her mind in that particular instant, her words registering and making her realize that the 'alternative' in question was…an actual kiss on the lips. But Blake had fought with herself and opted for something more innocent. The gravity of it wasn't lost on Yang. She took her...girlfriend's hand and stood up as well, only to then pull Blake into her arms and hug her tightly, wanting her partner to know she wasn't unaffected by the efforts made to respect her wishes. "Don't apologize, kitten. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to do that. It's okay."

The only response Blake gave was a nuzzle against the crook of Yang's neck and a return to the embrace with the kind of force only desperation could give. "Thank you, Yang," she whispered, her breath tickling the blonde's skin. "This was a very considerate first date, and I had fun. Next time, though, let's do something that's a little more up your own alley."

It concerned Yang that Blake had chosen to not further talk about her feelings – much like she had remained enigmatic about her thoughts during their earlier conversation – but Yang figured it would probably only make it harder for her companion if she insisted. And she did not, by any means, want to cause poor Blake more heartache than she must have already felt.

Yang was seriously going to have to put a lot of work into this. That was a promise she had made and was going to keep.

Chapter Text

In all honesty, agreeing to date you, Yang, was probably a horrible decision. You don't love me the way I love you, and you most likely never will. This relationship will continually make you feel uncomfortable. There will be this constant pressure on you to do things you just don't want to do. Further, I would only darken your light and sadden you with my gloom. I can unfortunately imagine this attempt at romance ruining our friendship, all because of me. I should have refused you.

Do you know what love is, Yang? It's unconditional. It's selfless. Patient. Faithful and true. I can appreciate your intentions and fall harder for you because of them, but I cannot accept that you would trouble yourself for the sake of pleasing me. I never asked that from you. I wanted you to want this relationship so that we could work at it together in equal measure, and if you make yourself uncomfortable in the process – if you allow yourself to receive more than you can give – then what good is trying if it will only create unspoken tensions between us?

To answer your question... Yes – God, yes – I struggle to not show you my love through tender embraces, gliding my fingers lightly over your skin, passing them through your hair, and kissing you softly... But there are other ways for me to show you. Sacrifice. Support. Understanding. These things do not need to be displayed by touch, and in the long run, they contribute far more than any caress could ever.

We're in a relationship now, though, and what's done is done. I'm happy to try, despite the immense uncertainty. So, this is my sacrifice for you, Yang. I will refrain from the physical and let you engage in it at your own pace, even if it almost pains me to do so. I will deny my

"Whatcha writing there, Blakey?"

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Yang was casually sitting beside Blake as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Outside, right there against the large tree trunk, in the shade of its healthy foliage, set apart from the other students enjoying the fresh air or doing homework while lounging on the grass, not directly in sight, protected from most of the strong breeze that was gusting that day, was a relaxing place to sit, having enough sunlight peeking through to provide cozy warmth. This is where Blake wrote.

She had been far too engrossed to even notice Yang until her journal was promptly plucked from her hands – one moment she was staring at the paper, and the next she was not. Her eyes widened and she tried to grab her journal back. "Yang, no!"

Except the eternal goofball was apparently in a playful mood and clearly hadn't realized that whatever her partner had been doing, it might have been personal. Yang moved her quarry out of reach, Blake reacting so swiftly she ended up almost halfway across her girlfriend in an attempt to take her journal back. Instead of being successful in this pressing endeavor, however, the sudden shift of weight caused Blake to be taken by her momentum. She sprawled over Yang's lap, forearms landing on the grass on the other side of the brawler's strong legs, stopping her from doing a face-plant.

Blushing fiercely, heart hammering, Blake turned over and tried again, lunging for the spiral notebook much like a cat would for a toy, but Yang only switched it to her other hand and brought it almost a full arm's length away, a huge grin plastered on her face. What didn't help was that she had purposely opened her legs enough so the bookworm's backside would hit the ground between her thighs, destabilizing Blake and forcing her to lean back again to catch herself. She was now positioned horizontally across Yang in a rather disagreeable position.

"That's my journal! You're not supposed to...read it..."

It was already too late, really. Yang's curious and amused lilac gaze had already skimmed over the page, and by the crease that had formed between her eyebrows, she had figured out that the entry was about none other than herself. There was no taking it back. Even if she tried again, Blake knew all too well that the damage was done. Yang would want to know what was written at all costs.

If the Faunus hadn't been wearing a bow, her cat ears would have been flat against her head, which she lowered a little in shame, waiting for her girlfriend to finish reading. The smile slowly but surely disappeared from the blonde's expression, and Blake practically shrank into herself. This was not what she had wanted to happen at all. Her journal was a means for her to express what she couldn't say aloud, to help her make sense of her feelings, or simply to put down on paper a memory or information she didn't want to forget the slightest details of. It was personal. Private.

And yet, because this was Yang, a part of Blake still argued that the golden girl had a right to know, that it was even imperative for her to know exactly how the raven-haired girl felt. That said, Blake had always been a very reserved individual and didn't enjoy having her partner read her deepest thoughts without permission, significant other or not.

Yang quietly handed the spiral notebook back to Blake, who immediately took it and flipped it shut, glaring angrily but blushing at the same time in embarrassment, even shame. One could have disputed that by not persisting in trying to snatch the journal back she had implicitly given her consent for it to be read, but that was by all means false. It was simply out of the question to fight the brawler over something that could easily be ripped or damaged – especially something with sentimental value.

"Blake...why didn't you just tell me?" Yang finally asked softly, meeting Blake's golden gaze a little regretfully. "You were going to mention your instincts, weren't you? That you were going to ignore them." She looked worried now. "I can't let you sacrifice that. They're part of who you are and if you have to deny yourself such an important aspect of your personality for me, then this relationship is gonna head nowhere pretty freaking fast. If this is about yesterday, the reason I got all tense wasn't because I was uncomfortable. I just didn't know how to respond. Like, did you want me to hold you, or should I have put my hands on your waist, or was there –"

"Yang."

"Yes, kitten?"

"You're beginning to ramble."

"Oh." Yang paused, evidently processing the anticlimactic revelation. But then a bright grin illuminated her countenance. She unexpectedly pulled Blake – who was already sitting across her lap – against her chest, securely wrapping her arms around her and allowing the Faunus to nuzzle Yang's collarbone.

It goes without saying that Blake was surprised by Yang's decision to hold her in a manner that would clearly not seem platonic to onlookers. The breeze blew against them, but cuddled together as they were, Blake barely felt it. Any remaining upset from the recent violation of privacy melted away under the living heater's perpetual warmth and was replaced with genuine appreciation. She shifted slightly, wanting to be more comfortable but also searching to press herself closer to her girlfriend, quietly inhaling Yang's vanilla and gunpowder scent. This made Blake content. It was comparable to a physical relief, like a small weight had been lifted from her chest. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, resting her hand on the lively girl's abdomen.

"Do you know why I told you not to be afraid of showing me your affection?" Yang wondered lightly. Since it was a rhetorical question – as Blake had correctly assumed – Yang continued without really waiting for an answer, "It was so you could help me learn to love you romantically. And it would be easier for me to do things like this..."

Blake felt Yang's lips on her temple, near her eyebrow. It was a gentle but brief touch. She nevertheless flushed pink, but the result was undoubtedly what Yang had planned: Blake was absolutely gratified. This was already so much more than she had ever expected. "Holding me like this doesn't make you feel awkward at all?" she asked in mild amazement.

"Well, I'm not gonna lie; it does a little. Actually, a little more than a little." Before Blake could even react to that, however, Yang tightened her grip – as if she had known her partner would try to pull away upon hearing the admitted and almost brutally honest truth, given the chance. She immediately added, "But the whole point is for me to get used to it, to learn to enjoy it. If we never do things like this, how am I ever going to see you as more than just a friend?"

Blake was silent, heart beating a bit more rapidly than normal. She was internally conflicted. On one hand, it was near bliss to be huddled against her personal sun, enveloped in her reassuring warmth and scent, listening to the nervous thudding of her heart through her chest and enjoying the resonance of her voice when she spoke through the same means. But on the other hand, she couldn't be completely happy knowing that this feeling of safety and attachment wasn't reciprocated, that Yang was forcing herself to do something which, for the time being, wasn't natural for her. Or might...never be natural, either, even if she tried.

But Blake couldn't think about that possibility. It was painful enough as it was.

Despite her girlfriend having tightened her hold, the raven-haired girl insisted on pulling away and Yang couldn't force her to stay within her embrace, so she let go. Without meeting the concerned lilac gaze set on her, Blake carefully moved off Yang's lap and stood up, grabbing her journal in the process and putting herself at the mercy of the strong wind. It made her slightly wavy black locks get in her face and flail wildly, but she gave no sign of it disturbing her. "You knew the others and JNPR are going out today, right?"

Yang, who hadn't budged from leaning against the massive tree trunk, blinked up at her a few times, probably confused by the sudden change of subject. When she finally jogged her memory, she spontaneously jumped up, exclaiming, "Yes! That's right! There's this sweet laser tag place that opened this week and it's specifically meant for huntsmen and huntresses! We totally wanted to give it a shot."

Blake had to smile a bit at that, nevertheless raising her eyebrows skeptically. "We?"

Yang at least had the decency to appear mildly embarrassed, as a brief reversal of roles. "Well, I mean, like, not us us, but the group of us in general. 'Cause, you know, Weiss is probably just going against her will and stuff. And you...well, you were coming, right?"

The girl in black was definitely not blind to the hopeful glint that had sparked to life in her companion's lilac eyes. As usual, slight butterflies formed in her stomach at the knowledge of Yang wanting her to be there, to participate. Because she mattered. If Blake's presence had to be important to anyone, Yang would have always been the first to say it. Genuinely.

Yang had left the safety the large tree provided from the wind, too, and her unruly, long blonde hair was blown into an insouciant mess. She was beautiful.

There was no way Blake could refuse.

"If it's up your alley, I'm game." The Faunus unfortunately only realized what she said after she said it. And it was already too late. Her prankster could pick up on possible puns faster than she could throw a punch, and if Blake's comment was anything at all, it was a joke waiting to happen. Blake braced herself, seeing the mocking glimmer appear in Yang's eyes, and knew that she knew that Blake knew just by the size of the grin that spread across her lips.

"Is that an invitation?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows in an attempt at making the innuendo more obvious. "'Cause you're definitely game if you're in my alley, kitty." And then she winked.

Blake thought she had braced herself. She had assumed that whatever Yang had been about to say would have been some stupid Faunus-related pun that would have once again ruined the moment, and life would have moved on. It was actually much worse than that. It was an openly flirtatious joke, one that not only addressed Blake's Faunus heritage but also directly called on her instincts – something primal that was excited at the prospect of hunting...or in this case, being hunted. It was exactly the same feeling she had been overcome with when Yang had decided to initiate a round of tag.

Blake hadn't been lying when she told Yang she was playing a dangerous game.

The quiet introvert therefore found herself unexpectedly blushing a dark red and doing her utmost to strangle the sudden urge to tackle her girlfriend right then and there. "You're the worst," she mumbled, trying and ultimately failing at hiding just how much the pun had affected her.

Yang was laughing, clearly getting a kick out of Blake's reaction. "Oh, man," she wheezed, "If that's the way you look when I flirt with you...even if it's just a joke..." she never finished her sentence, being that she was taken over with another bout of giggles.

The cat Faunus still had her pride. She wouldn't just stand there and endure those mockeries until the end, so she turned around and started walking back towards the dormitory, cheeks still red and wishing there wasn't that emotional distance between herself and her partner. It wasn't fair for Yang to throw those suggestive remarks at her as if they were all just simple puns, not when Blake wanted it to be more than that. And especially not when it provoked her instincts and she had to behave.

And yet, this was exactly what she had been willing to sacrifice for Yang.

Quickly, it sounded as if the prankster realized her error because her chuckling stopped and she caught up with the bookworm, grabbing her arm gently so the two girls could look at each other. "Blake, wait. I'm sorry. I thought it would be funny and I was wrong." Bright lilac gazed pleadingly into sharp golden, and whatever Yang saw there made her sigh. "There's that look in your eyes again. I'm really sorry. Forgive me?"

Blake was crestfallen. She wanted to laugh with Yang. She wanted to receive her flirting and maybe even tease back. The problem did not lie in the joking, itself, and she by no means wanted to change that aspect of her sun's personality or make Yang feel like her sense of humor was hurtful – because it really wasn't, and it never had been. The circumstances merely denied Blake the privilege of responding in the manner she would have enjoyed, therefore removing a large part of the appreciation she could have retrieved from the exchanges.

"Of course I forgive you," she replied, and then slowly shook her head, forcing herself to just let the incident go. She wasn't angry with Yang, after all. She was angry with herself. Blake put her hand overtop of her friend's, where it was still on her arm, and gave an affectionate squeeze while attempting to smile reassuringly. "Let's get going, okay? The others are bound to be leaving shortly, and I don't want you to miss this."

Yang tilted her head to the side, observing Blake's face for a sign of something – what, she didn't know – and finally, a slow smile formed on her lips. "Sounds good to me. Let's go!"

It was quite a large chamber, both in surface area and height. This was because it had a second level, one which looked down on the first, and other floating platforms that were at varied strategic locations, supported by nothing. There were corridors, hiding places, horizontal slits in almost every wall to take opponents by surprise, and in the middle was an open territory, which only had low hedges to sit or crouch behind. Some of these were taller and covered over to provide refuge against anyone up above.

The chamber was mostly in darkness, instead offering fluorescent configurations on objects and on the floor to act as guides and orientation markers. Each person had to slip into lightweight pieces of armor over their torsos and intricately fabricated helmets over their heads. The suits were equipped with sensors that detected when a shot hit, and if it was the case, the player's chosen gun would not function for about five seconds. The reason for the term 'chosen' being put to use here was because there were various kinds of weapons to pick from, depending on each person's comfort preference or simple style.

It was specifically designed for huntsmen and huntresses, after all, and there was a higher level of professionalism and skill expected.

Team RWBY and Team JNPR decided to separate into squads of two, each player resolving to coordinate with their respective partners for maximum efficiency. It was with a fair amount of enthusiasm that the group geared up and stationed themselves with their single allies at different ends of the large chamber. They then had thirty seconds to mentally prepare and briefly discuss possible strategies. There was loud music playing, the bass resonating through the floor, which contributed to the excitement of the game.

Five seconds before the start, their guns activated. If it was even possible, the hype increased.

Three...two...one...

Begin.

The more vocal players bellowed challenges and ebullient exclamations that echoed through the halls, allowing everyone to know that they were on the move and unafraid. It was very soon found out that despite the lack of bullets, the guns still made sounds similar to their authentic kin when fired, adding to the realism. Also, because it was nevertheless fairly somber, each armament was equipped with lasers that immediately put a red target dot on whatever it was pointing at. One could see exactly where they were about to receive a shot if they didn't react swiftly enough.

There was a lot of action happening, a lot to be watchful for. Each team of two was fearless, some more daunting than others and heading straight into the heat of fire and trusting their acrobatic skills to avoid losing points. Others were more crafty, preferring stealth over the direct approach, and struck their opponents unexpectedly. A few – although not the majority – were inexperienced in using guns at all and needed time to adjust and gain their own techniques. Although the game was entirely on friendly terms, there was still a high level of competitiveness over which duo would win. Physical battle encounters were not uncommon, a way to both practice and render the laser tag venture more entertaining.

Blake tried extremely hard.

No, really, she did. Armed with a black handgun lookalike, she used the darkness to her advantage and was nearly invisible until it was too late. She endeavored solely on headshots (these were worth more points), sometimes altogether knocking her opponents down with a well-placed kick to get a clear aim if they were close enough for her to attack. Her area of expertise was in accuracy and agility, after all, and in every other circumstance she would have usually been a deadly ally. She was silent, calculating, and had an amazing ability to focus. This was without mentioning she was also incredibly smart and skilled, habituated to using a kind of pistol on a regular basis, as Gambol Shroud quadrupled as one – other than being a katana, a kind of grappling gun, and a cleaver. There was a reason why she was often referred to as a ninja, and she had an advantage the others didn't to top it all off: night vision. If anything, all things considered, Blake was probably the most efficient, talented and dangerous player on the custom-built war-zone terrain.

But she wasn't. Not in this case.

Why, one may ask? She was a cat Faunus. And there were lots of lasers. Everywhere. Constantly. Tantalizing. They made it impossible for Blake to properly concentrate on the task at hand, so occupied as she was on not chasing every single one that darted across her field of vision. Her sharp golden gaze was forever distracted by red dots flitting by in every direction, and in the frenzy her mind was slowly but surely entering, moments of inattention became increasingly numerous and prolonged. Inevitably, as the game carried on, she became a far too easy target and barely managed any points of her own.

But she really did try extremely hard.

However, when one was partnered with someone named Yang Xiao Long, just trying in this situation was next to hopeless. Blake did not want to give the prankster a reason to mess with her again, and the effort she put into staying still was incredibly taxing on her performance. If Yang hadn't noticed until now, it was a Dust-infused miracle.

But if she did, she made no attempt at teasing her partner. It goes without saying that despite this, the blonde did seem to often repress laughter. Because the two had such different fighting approaches, any strategic plans they had concocted were rather vague and they mostly stuck to following each other, one staying behind and hidden, the other in full sight and constantly moving. Blake therefore wasn't always aware of Yang's expression, but she did catch her staring and smiling knowingly a few times when the Faunus would manage to snap out of her hypnotized trance. Sharp golden would immediately glare at bright lilac as a warning, and Yang would innocently pretend she hadn't seen a thing and keep playing.

When round one was over and the group returned to the entrance to view their score, panting and laughing and sharing satisfied comments, Blake saw that she was placed right there at the bottom of the list, just under Nora but above Weiss and Jaune. It seemed both sword wielders had difficulty using a gun. In the teams list, because of her, Blake and Yang ranked poorly, only beating Pyrrha and Jaune, who were last. Either Jaune had been so bad he had taken his partner down with him, or Pyrrha had been slightly out of her element. She did have a tendency to use Milo in its spear form more than its rifle one, after all.

"Wow, Blake and Yang. Especially Blake. This is shocking," Weiss commented, clearly intent on removing the attention from her own very low point score.

Ruby giggled at her partner, though. "Pft, Weiss. I thought you were better with a gun than that."

This caused Weiss to immediately turn away, red in the face. "Well, in a controlled environment, yes..."

With a smirk, Yang pivoted and looked at her partner. The raven-haired girl crossed her arms and, much like Weiss had, gazed elsewhere, not needing to look to see the huge troublemaker grin that undoubtedly crossed Yang's lips. Somehow, Blake guessed, the prankster had been dying to tease the quieter girl and had barely managed to refrain from doing so during the first round. The only thing that had assuredly prevented Yang from being obnoxious was possessing just the necessary amount of competitive spirit, and probably hadn't wanted to purposely make the two of them lose more points. But now round two was going to start.

And it was a free for all. Yang would have no mercy, competition or no.

Blake was unsure how she would get through this next stretch. As she made her way to the beginning checkpoint without a sound, she realized she was frowning. There would be no escaping this time. She was going to do terribly, and she was going to be pursued by none other than her own oh-so-trustworthy teammate to be the butt of a cat joke.

No, she couldn't think like that. Shaking her head, Blake resolved to do her utmost to not be an easy target and to even beat Yang in points. She would not become some gibe for her girlfriend to make fun of. She wasn't an animal, not entirely anyway. She could control herself. Lasers were just stupid lights that acted as guides. They couldn't be caught. It was senseless to even try. They weren't even alive. She would not chase them, end of story.

Round two, begin.

Night vision allowed the cat Faunus to see as clear as day in the darkness, but it was usually at the expense of colors. Everything took on different shades of grey. However, the fluorescent marker guides – especially the very bright ones – allowed for some color to enter and be processed. The lasers probably would have been tolerable had they been of just some other grey tone, but there was exactly enough visible red to make them distracting.

Blake refused to become transfixed. She dashed forward, pointing her handgun lookalike at the ground, keeping close to the walls and quickly ducking when she went by the long, horizontal, neck-level openings. There was already gunfire echoing through the chamber, keenly felt as much as the loud music pulsing through the floor. The shots were more numerous than they had been in round one. There was one more target per person, after all.

Hearing the sound of running footsteps approaching (her ears hardly ever failed her, despite all the noise), Blake swiftly made her way to the side of an archway and pressed her back against the wall, keeping absolutely still. The person's breathing became audible, and at the last moment Blake stuck her foot out, effectively tripping her opponent and sending them flying a good five feet forward as they were taken by their own momentum before face-planting on the ground. Without missing a beat, Blake jumped and pressed her foot on the person's back to stop them from standing and got a clean headshot out of the encounter. She recognized her opponent as none other than Jaune. That had been almost unfair.

"Ah, c'monnn," Jaune groaned, but the silent ninja wasn't planning on lingering any longer. She was standing in front of one of the windows, and there was a red dot near her shoulder. She hopped backwards, leaving behind a shadow clone of herself that quickly dematerialized but gave her the necessary time to escape and allow the decoy to be shot at instead. Before Jaune could even turn around, Blake was already long gone.

She could do this. She was going to beat Yang and prove to her that she wasn't one to be messed around with. She just had to keep moving and stay focused.

...If, of course, that little red dot would quit trying to track her on the wall to her right. Blake frowned at it, attempting to hide by crouching and making whoever was aiming think she had moved along. But it remained right there, occasionally darting from side to side or even up and down. Blake's frown became a glare. Her gaze followed it intently in disdain, wishing it would just leave her alone. It was going to die one day. Pure evil should not...

God! Nora was standing at the entrance of the small sector Blake was in, pointing her massive grenade launcher lookalike straight at her. Caught so off-guard, the raven-haired girl literally hissed and propelled herself directly into the air, leaving another decoy behind to mistake Nora's aim. She then used the wall behind her to fling herself at the hyper member of Team JNPR and knock her down with a midair roundabout kick. Nora crashed into the wall but recovered rather quickly and tried to retaliate with a swivel and punch – her weapon too cumbersome to try to fire again in this rapid exchange – but Blake tacked sideways and took a shot at the girl's head just as she passed by.

"I will have my vengeance!" Nora exclaimed in good humor after hearing the pistol fire and noticing her grenade launcher had deactivated.

Blake barely smiled and then was running again, intent on not letting that blasted red dot catch up with her. It had definitely remained the whole time in that room she had just left. Surely it wouldn't be able to follow her everywhere she went?

She needed to get out of these corridors. It was too constricted for her fighting style and it was too easy to be taken by surprise. The middle of the chamber was her least ideal area, but the second level had been the most efficient spot for her, she had found. Lots of space to move, but also not completely in the open yet still offering many hiding places. It also had a very advantageous view to shoot at targets below.

The drawback was that to get there, she would have to be in plain sight and also be subjected to seeing a lot of lasers. But she really needed all the help she could get to beat Yang, and this was her only chance.

She veered the next corner, startled to have come face to face with Weiss. The two practically collided, but Weiss had the instinct to jump back, landing on her hands and then springing up into the air again to land on her feet, immediately taking aim with her pistol. The only problem with her tactic was that it had given Blake the opportunity to aim, and Weiss was the one that ended up being hit. Nonetheless, it had been a close call.

Blake didn't take the time to acknowledge the heiress nor her scowl afterwards, because right outside there, past her and from where she had come from, were the platforms that would lead to the second level. She instantly rushed towards them and vaulted up on the first, now out in the open for all to try and shoot at. The lasers came from many directions and the temptation to just stand there and admire them was overwhelming, but Blake was determined. Heart pounding, she continued her acrobatics to avoid fire, knowing that the darkness would make her a much more difficult target, and finally managed to pounce onto the second level. Immediately rolling to the next safest cover and just sitting there, breathing hard, Blake collected herself.

Unfortunately, she wasn't given much time.

Her eyes widened. Right there in front of her. That red dot. She could swear it was mocking her. Moving in little circles like that...it was even blatantly laughing. It dared her to catch it and prove that it could suffer for its existence. Slowly, it wandered near her foot, teasing. She stared at it with such intensity it became the only thing she could see. Red. Evil.

And then just like that, it flitted off. Blake's reaction was instantaneous. Never minding to compose herself, she sprinted after it, wary enough to stay low and make an attempt at remaining hidden as best she could while she ran. But she was entirely focused on the stupid red light that wouldn't stay still for just five seconds. It always played dirty. It heeded no rules and cared about nothing but itself. It had to perish.

Yet at the same time it was just so mesmerizing. She couldn't look away.

It had stopped. Right there on the low wall to crouch behind. Blake halted as well and ducked low, placing one hand on the cool floor and leaning forward a bit, observing the offending red enemy with far too much interest, just like a predator would its prey. Distractedly, she was aware that a rifle shot had sounded not too far off and that she had been hit, but all of that no longer mattered. None of it did. It was just her and that irritating, tiny –

It was on the move again! That traitorous crimson glow. Blake chased after it furiously, easily leaping over the low wall and following it closer to the left edge of the chamber, utterly transfixed by the idiotic thing. Some loud rifle fired across the room, and somewhere at the back of the Faunus' mind she knew Ruby had scored herself a headshot. But that too was unimportant; there was a crisis happening, and Blake would put an end to it before it harmed anyone else.

The red dot came to a stop again, and Blake all but tripped over herself trying to halt suddenly – definitely not one of her more graceful moments. She stared at it, leaning forward and getting ready to pounce. But then something made her look up. It was another red dot, but it seemed to be floating. No, it was...it was...the source. Of course! It all made sense now. The tricky fiend was just the byproduct of something far more nefarious. If she eliminated its origins, it would never come back! She could hear it laughing. It thought it was all so mighty and powerful. It could never have been more wrong.

Her pupils dilated even further, and Blake the cat Faunus jumped into the air, effortlessly clearing the ten or so feet that separated her from her target, claws out, and tackled her opponent.

To say the least, it was much sturdier than she expected. The impact practically knocked the breath out of her, but she held firm as they tumbled to the floor, and her teeth clamped down on something as she sought to claim dominance over her prey. It let out a satisfyingly shocked yelp. She would destroy the thing. She would demonstrate exactly what the consequences were of threatening everything she cared about. She would...

"...ake! Hey, Blake! Blakeyyyy!"

Blake blinked a few times, and suddenly seemed to see the world clearly again. Laser tag. Trying her very best to beat Yang. Proving she wasn't an animal. Gunshots and loud music. Darkness. Also, warmth beneath her and the smell of vanilla and gunpowder. Confused, she first glanced ahead, seeing someone's collarbone, and then gazed up a little and was met by Yang's beautiful face, who appeared to be both absolutely befuddled and on the verge of cracking up.

"Hi!" Lilac eyes glittered mockingly in the somber lighting. "So, kitty, why are you biting my hand?" Her voice was dripping with honey sweetness.

And that's when the Faunus realized...everything.

Chapter Text

Wasn't there a saying that went 'it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt'? Yang didn't believe in that one. She liked to think her pranks were entirely harmless, as she never played them in a mean-spirited manner and only put them into action with people who knew that. Those individuals were generally her friends and family, close relationships that she already cared for and proved so as often as she could. To add to that, most of them were huntsmen and huntresses, so they had auras to protect themselves with should her practical jokes be a little more...daunting, or so to speak. But the jokes were never truly hazardous to anyone's safety or health.

They solely meant to generate hilarity...or at least amusement…or, on the other side of the spectrum, homicidal urges…

That being said, Yang had indeed noticed just how much Blake had struggled to keep from chasing all the lasers in the first round. And, naturally, Yang had also been unable to refrain from contributing to Blake's troubles in the second stretch.

Just as the Faunus was plagued with cat instincts, the goofball was forever intensely tempted to tease those she was close to the moment occasions presented themselves. Yang's partner was one of her favorite targets – because she was usually so placid and serious, and instigating more animated reactions from her was a pure pleasure to the blonde. It was just that the only manner by which she seemed capable of achieving her goal was through provoking the kitty within. This went without mentioning that ever since Blake had admitted her feelings, Yang interestingly found it twice as compelling to prod at her temperate composure.

Therefore, it was far more hilarious than painful when Blake knocked her down and bit her. Yang had been surprised, for she had made the mistake of underestimating Blake due to the instinctive trance the Faunus had been in, and hadn't expected the normally calm girl to literally attack the source of the red laser dot. And, to top it off, Yang had been some ten feet away. She had lost her shotgun lookalike as soon as she had been tackled, so it only made sense that Blake had bit her hand instead. Frankly, Yang had been relieved it had been herself and not the metal of her weapon, as that would have been more than a little...teeth-grinding.

Heh.

Now under her victim, faces a few inches apart and Yang's hand still caught in Blake's mouth, the culprit clearly saw dreaded realization hit her dark-haired partner. Yang couldn't help the wide grin that crossed her lips. Through the somber lighting, Blake's eyes widened and she immediately released Yang, but only to suddenly grab her collar – taking advantage of their compromising position – and press her pistol to the now not-so-amused-and-much-more-stunned brawler's temple before pulling the trigger.

Earning Blake a headshot.

Yang stared in disbelief.

The Faunus' eyes seemed to glow and smolder like pools of molten gold as she approached Yang's face even more, causing the blonde to truly grow uncomfortable for the first time since becoming Blake's girlfriend about a week ago. She did not desire this kind of proximity. But the silent ninja stopped when they were practically nose-to-nose and murmured in a low, almost threatening tone as her gaze bored into Yang, "You continue to play with fire, Little Sun Dragon. And you just got burned."

Ohhhh, yeah. Better apply cold water to that and fast, too, Xiao Long.

Although Blake was more than obviously irked, there was no way she hadn't been aware of what she had just uttered. Yang always appreciated a good pun, and although this one was not all that great – Blake just wasn't the pro-comedian Yang was, after all – it was nevertheless the thought that counted. Yang therefore couldn't remain offended by what Blake had done. But Yang was still feeling rather awkward about the position they were in, as Blake was straddling her hips to forbid a smooth getaway. Also, her hand had still not forgotten about having been chomped on a few moments ago.

But Yang had a few tricks up her own sleeve. She hadn't been dubbed the Pun Master (self-dubbed, but still) for nothing, and her grin was back instantly. "Oh, but kitten...don't you know? You can't burn fire!" And with that, the girl in yellow made her semblance flare, illuminating their vicinity and creating enough heat to make Blake jump back and get onto her feet without hesitation. Yang followed the motion and was quickly upright as well. The two faced each other defiantly. Yang winked at her partner, harmless flames licking across loose strands of her hair. "What's wrong, babe? Am I too hot for you?"

Blake glared and started to raise her gun, as if she had every intention of scoring herself another headshot while the brawler still hadn't recovered her shotgun. However, she then strangely paused mid-movement, appearing suddenly fascinated with something in the direction of Yang's face. Yang's reaction to this was peer at Blake in confusion, creasing her eyebrows. She glanced behind herself quickly, verifying that it was indeed her that Blake was randomly ogling.

It was.

A sniper shot then clearly resounded from below, followed by a young, piping voice shouting, "Yang, you're not even trying!"

It took a few seconds, but once Yang realized what had just happened, she couldn't help herself; she began cackling, so much so that she started doubling over, holding her stomach as her semblance faded. No, that was quite true – this round, she wasn't trying at all, playing as what some would call a "camper," minus the trigger-happy stigma that accompanied the title, making her a completely insipid enemy for everyone to shoot at. Pyrrha had, as a matter of fact, been hiding in Yang's general vicinity and just scored herself some easy points whenever she fancied it, but Yang had been so unresponsive that the warrior had just moved on. It was simply far more amusing for the prankster to make Blake's life difficult, even more so because she knew the ninja wouldn't remain angry with her. She couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Proof of this was that Yang soon heard a second laugh join her own, the soft chime that belonged to none other than the very target of her teasing: Blake. This gratified the social butterfly in way nothing else could, as the silent bookworm laughed so rarely and had all but forced Yang to make it one of her objectives almost daily. Not that she was particularly successful in this endeavor...but when she was, like now (even if she technically wasn't, since it was incontestable that she was being mocked...), it took all of her willpower to not hop up and down in delight.

Blake was the one to quiet first, but then she said rather tonelessly, "You know, on a scale of one to ten, your jokes mostly vary between 'Will the pain never end?' and 'Dear God, someone stop her before it's too late.' But then other times, like now, you reach the 'I'm going to murder you for that' level. So, Yang...take a guess at which line you crossed."

Yang became silent pretty quick at that. She stared at her friend. Blake stared back.

"Shotgun!" Yang yelled and dove for her weapon before the Faunus could react, grabbing it and then rolling into cover behind a low wall, grinning like a maniac. She knew Blake wouldn't kill her for real. Plus, that hadn't even been a proper one-to-ten scale. But she also knew her toying might have been slightly excessive. Blake had shown legitimate signs of irritation. Yang would have to find a way to make it up to her. And she would stop with the laser teasing. But for now...

Well, the extrovert was incorrigible, and proud of it, too. It was one the best afternoons she'd had in terms of fun, and just for being who she was, despite her intentions and probably being unaware of the effect her behavior had, Blake was a main contributor to that. And Yang really did appreciate it.

A few weeks later, students at Beacon Academy were just concluding a difficult evaluation and exam period. After the laser tag outing, and on Weiss' enthusiastic insistence, Ruby had coaxed her teammates into high gear so that everyone would study and train more than sufficiently to ace their tests. This meant that Team RWBY practically breathed academic obligations for almost a month straight. This wasn't due to Ruby becoming a severe leader. It was more so that the girls were nearing the end of their second year at Beacon and had started to gain a greater sense of responsibility – especially after dealing with the threat Cinder Fall, Roman Torchwick, Adam Taurus, and the White Fang had been not so long ago. It didn't stop them from finding occasions to amuse themselves, and they certainly still were the young and energetic girls they had always been, but time had a way of changing things for the better in these apprentice huntresses.

For the most part, of course.

Which was why, when Carnival Week came around in Vale, Team RWBY would take advantage of their extra day off from classes to spend it in the city. Weiss had been reluctant about it, arguing that the end of the final semester was approaching faster than they gave it credit for and that now wasn't the time to slack in their efforts. But she was very quickly submerged in protests and complaints from Ruby and Yang. Blake didn't involve herself, although she did appear to have a penchant for Weiss' point of view after making a show of needing to think about it when asked to pick sides. However, since she didn't speak up, the ice queen had no choice but to acquiesce on the basis that maybe they did need and deserve a small moment of respite – but only in order to better excel afterwards. Ever the self-proclaimed voice of reason, she took it upon herself to kindly remind her teammates that they would have two full months during summer to do whatever it was that pleased them, after all.

And she wouldn't be wrong in that declaration. Even Yang would have to admit it.

But on the night before the group's planned activity, this proved to be one of the many thoughts not on the golden girl's mind. She tended to brush off most of whatever the heiress felt the need to add once her point had been made, anyway, since a lot of it was often just Weiss being Weiss – and that had rapidly become much less noteworthy a long time ago. Generally, with Weiss, it was just best to take some and leave some.

No, Yang was lying in her bed on the top of the second bunk, staring up at the ceiling through the darkness, thinking about her partner – the very same one currently having her regular late-night shower in the next room. Yang felt sad for Blake. The two had been "dating" for about a month now, but with the kind of busy schedules the team had, the possibilities to have any kind of bonding experiences were next to nonexistent. Plus, they were rarely by themselves, and having decided that everyone except Ruby needn't know about their new relationship forced the two girls to be careful in public. Not that there was much to be prudent about to begin with...

And this bothered Yang. Not personally, since she didn't exactly desire further romantic interactions with her friend, but because she was all too aware of Blake's feelings and how the situation might have been affecting her. If Weiss had convinced Ruby to keep Team RWBY focused and strong after this single vacation day, it meant that tomorrow would be all Blake and Yang would have until summer to truly work on their couple (and even then, plans were still up in the air). She wanted her companion to know that she hadn't given up on trying. Yang had been putting in a conscious effort to grow closer to Blake, despite all the studying and training they did – observing her more often; placing herself near the Faunus when they were reading their work material, sprawled randomly on the floor in their dorm room; sitting beside or across from her at lunch in the cafeteria; listening more attentively when she spoke... They were insignificant actions, but within their circumstances and taking into consideration their respective feelings, Yang was doing all she could.

And yet Blake continued to give her that look, an expression of regretful longing that regularly appeared after interacting with Yang, however briefly, and this generated doubt and worry within the blonde's mind – doubt that she would be able to reciprocate the raven-haired girl's love, worry that she was causing more harm than good, even if she gave it her best shot. It wasn't easy. Blake was hellbent on not making Yang uncomfortable, no matter how many times the lilac-eyed girl assured her that it was okay. At every instance, Blake gave the impression of being unable to accept her girlfriend's willingness to put herself through the inevitable if they wanted the relationship to progress.

And that was the pinnacle of Yang's comprehension – the rest was beyond her. Why, if this was what Blake desired, did she insist on creating such distance between them? Why did it feel like ever since that implication-filled moment on the beach, they had ultimately been growing farther apart? What was Yang doing wrong?

The shower turned off just then, signaling that Blake would be out within the next few minutes. Yang turned on her side to face the wall, stared at it for a moment, and then repositioned herself on her back. She let out a sigh. Neither the ceiling nor the wall offered any inspiring advice, and this issue was going to keep her awake if she didn't find some sort of solution. Anything would help, really.

She heard Blake washing her face at the sink soon after, and Yang decided she needed out of the room. There was pressure building, no matter how "okay" it seemed for their relationship to be crawling along at a pace even a turtle could outrun. It wasn't okay. Blake wasn't happy and Yang wasn't happy because of that. Plain and simple, and Yang needed to not be in the same room as her partner right now. She needed to think and to move.

So, Yang grabbed her scroll, swung her legs over the edge of her bunk, and hopped down to the floor as quietly as she could so as not to wake Weiss – Ruby was probably still awake up on the bed above hers, but that was fine – before heading towards the door. She grabbed the knob, but then heard Ruby's loud whispering voice ask, "Yang? Where are you going?"

Yang winced. She hadn't thought the younger sibling would concern herself over Yang's current actions. Silly me. Ruby was trying to be a responsible leader, after all. The blonde turned and saw Ruby's cute face peeking around from the blankets hanging from the ceiling over her top bunk. "Just, uh...going for a short walk. You should sleep, Ruby."

Ruby scrunched her nose. "Okay, but it's past our curfew. Don't get in trouble."

Yang forced a bright grin. "Me? Trouble? Never."

The young leader's head disappeared back into her bunk-fort, apparently buying the reassurance despite her disbelief. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say."

Yang did not reply to this, but she breathed a short sigh of relief and quickly exited the dorm before Blake had time to come out of the bathroom. But just as she had told Ruby, Yang didn't go very far. Right across the hall from RWBY was JNPR's dorm, and Yang stopped in front of the door. She opened her scroll and pulled up a certain warrior's messaging screen.

Hey Pyrrha wake up

Yang waited in silence for about three whole seconds before giving up on patience being a virtue and began spamming her redhaired friend with messages.

I wanna talk

Im outside ur door

Its kinda urgent

Wake uppppp

Ur face smells

Its so lonely out here

Whats that weird stain on the carpet

Nikos!

JNPR's door suddenly swung open, revealing Pyrrha in her pajamas and her scroll in one of her hands. She winced when the light in the hallway reached her eyes, and gave Yang a half confused, half tired look. "Jaune spilled...something."

For a second Yang didn't understand what Pyrrha was referring to, but then quickly realized and let out a snicker. "You mean on your face?"

Pyrrha winced harder. "I feel like there's a joke I'm missing, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to know. Is that what you wanted to talk about? The stain on the carpet?"

Yang was tempted to continue pulling Pyrrha's half-asleep leg for the laughs, but the matter on her mind was bothering her enough that she sobered…right after snorting in amusement at the clueless girl's question, that is. "Heh, uh, no. But maybe some other time. Can we go elsewhere to talk?"

Pyrrha blinked slowly and then shook her head before stepping out into the hall with Yang and quietly closing the door. "How about just the end of the hallway over there? It's past our curfew – we can't go far."

Yang looked to where Pyrrha motioned and then nodded. "Sure." There was a small lounge area right before the staircase where they would be able to sit, in the same vicinity as where the elevator was located, too. It was far away enough that Yang figured their words wouldn't be apprehended by a certain someone with super-developed hearing in RWBY's dorm room.

The two made their way down the hall, and once they arrived at the lounge, Yang quickly claimed the sofa while Pyrrha shook her head again and sat in the armchair. At least she looked a little more composed now. "To what do I owe the pleasure of being so rudely awoken, hm?"

Yang opened her mouth, ready to answer immediately, but then…said nothing. She had not obtained Blake's consent to speak about their relationship to anyone but Ruby. This kind of complicated things. Yang slumped her shoulders and then rubbed the back of her neck. She'd have to beat around the bush and talk about what was bothering her…without talking about what was bothering her. Fortunately, Pyrrha would probably still be able to help at least a little.

"Okay, so, um… There's this…situation, right?" Yang started lamely, but Pyrrha only leaned forward to rest her chin on her hand in order to better pay attention, so the blonde continued, somewhat reluctant, "What would you do if, like, you were straight and –"

"Which I am. I am straight."

Yang widened her eyes at Pyrrha. What kind of interruption even was that? "Not you you! The hypothetical you. And in this situation, let's say you have a friend, a girl, who is gay – or, you know, maybe not entirely straight –"

"Are you my hypothetical friend?"

They suddenly both went quiet and stared at each other, both daring the other to argue. It lasted a few seconds before Yang tried cautiously, stepping on the battleground, "No, I'm your real friend."

"Are you hypothetically gay or, you know, maybe not entirely straight?"

Honestly, Yang should have known Pyrrha would give her a hard time. It was what they did to each other, after all. The artillery had arrived – Warrior Nikos was obviously no longer half asleep. Still, Yang tried again, "No, I'm –"

"Are you hitting on me?"

"Oh, my God, no. Pyrrha! Stop and listen, I –"

Pyrrha leaned forward even more, green eyes glittering in amusement. "But am I your friend?"

Yang threw her hands up. "You're starting not to be!"

Pyrrha grinned and got comfortable in her seat again, casual in her satisfaction. She crossed her legs. "You were the one asking about my sex life not five minutes ago. Expect retaliation."

Fair point. But Yang did need Pyrrha's cooperation this time. The situation truly was bothering her. She let out a sigh and hung her head. "Blargh."

There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on longer than it should have, but when Pyrrha spoke again, her voice was softer, as if she knew something was up now. "Okay. No more jokes. I'm listening."

Yang had to take another few seconds to gather her thoughts again. As much enjoyment as she got out of her humorous interactions with the redhead, and as much as she appreciated the dynamic between them, at the end of the day, those weren't what made Yang trust Pyrrha for advice. No, Pyrrha knew when it was time to be serious and levelheaded and redirect the conversation to get back on track. And she was perceptive – much like Blake, actually – seeing through Yang's pranks and cheery façade and coaxing the truth out.

So, now it was time to talk and leave the jokes for later. Yang let out a breath and then simply asked, "What would you do if your friend – a girl – told you she was in love with you?"

Pyrrha crossed her arms and creased her eyebrows. She seemed to give the question some thought before answering. "That's…a tough one." She hesitated, and continued, "But…for both our sakes, I'd have to say I'm sorry. I don't think I'd be able to make her happy, and I wouldn't be happy, either. It would suck to reject her – I don't like hurting others anymore than you do, especially those I care about – but it might hurt more if I made a promise I couldn't keep."

Yang couldn't reply to that. Not right away, at least. Her uncertainties were being confirmed – and Pyrrha was practically using the same words Blake had. It was perfectly valid – Yang's relationship with Blake had no guarantees, and it would be more painful to drag it out than to make a clean cut and let time heal the wound. But… "But let's say you agreed to give it a try anyway."

Pyrrha was silent, and they looked at each other, green irises boring into lilac in search of unspoken information. She seemed to find what she was looking for because she then said, "Then I would do my very best to keep my promise, even if I made it on a whim – as I'm guessing you did."

Yang dropped her gaze and felt the heat rise to her face in shame. Yeah, she hadn't exactly been thinking further than the tip of her nose. Pyrrha had seen right through her. All that had mattered, in the moment, was doing anything to make Blake's pain go away. Yang hadn't taken into consideration the problems that would come up in the long run – problems that could easily tear them apart.

"People's emotions aren't meant to be played with, Yang," Pyrrha added gently. "You try your best, and if both of you come to the conclusion that it isn't worth it, then you can mutually end it. But you need to speak with her. Not me."

She was right, of course. And Yang had every intention of doing that. But now she had a better understanding of how important it was for her and Blake to talk, no matter how difficult the subject. Yang had made a promise, and trying didn't just mean actions – they had to communicate, too, to make sure they were on the same page. Because, clearly, right now, they weren't, and that needed to be fixed.

Yang hopped to her feet. Her face was still a bit hot from embarrassment, but she had a goal in mind now. She put her hands on her hips. "Pyrrha, you aren't a genius and you didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but thank you. I needed that talk."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "You're welcome. I'll remember that next time you wake me up."

Yang grinned and waggled her eyebrows before heading back towards RWBY's dorm room. "Goodniiiight!"

"Night, Yang. See you tomorrow," came the undisturbed response somewhere behind her. Pyrrha was heading back, too.

Tomorrow would be important. Even if Yang couldn't find a whole lot of time to spend with Blake alone, the imperative part was having a heart-to-heart with her. Yang had made a promise, after all.

"Yang! Ohhhh, look at all the rides!" Ruby grabbed her sister's arm in excitement, pulling so hard she caused Yang to momentarily lose her balance. This reminded Yang once again that her half-sibling had grown quite a bit since their first year at Beacon, not so much in height than in strength.

The older of the two laughed a little as she stabilized herself and ruffled the redhead's hair. "You say that every year, Rubes."

"Last year too," Weiss muttered to enforce the point, crossing her arms and still appearing quite miffed about agreeing to the activity. "It was the same story. I argued the same things. You two complained the same way. And here we are, standing in the same place at roughly the same time. Am I the only one getting a strong sense of déjà vu?"

"Oh, come on, Weiss. Stop being such a –"

"Team JNPR is herrreee! Now where's all the cotton-candy?!" yelled a voice that unmistakably belonged to Nora.

In reaction to this, Weiss gripped the bridge of her nose and slowly shook her head in frustration. "Like I said; déjà vu."

"Yay! You guys came!" Ruby abandoned Yang's side in a heartbeat and rushed over to meet the group, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. Weiss was entirely ignored, much to the lilac-eyed girl's amusement.

Yang followed her younger sibling, though, deciding to greet Team JNPR as well. Pyrrha grinned and met her first. "Hey, you. Looking a little more chipper than yesterday. I'm glad."

"What can I say? I have great friends."

"Uh-huh. Sucking up won't win you any points. And you weren't particularly grateful yesterday, as I recall. But I'll let you off the hook for now."

Yang laughed. "Let me guess – you'll beat me later."

"Uh, as she always does, obviously," Jaune butted in, coming closer, and Pyrrha discreetly took his hand, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah, obviously. I get better every day, for your information. Even when I'm bad, I'm good. I'll beat her next time." Yang narrowed her eyes in fake defiance and crossed her arms.

"Yang, stop lying."

"Blake! Help me! Pyrrha's being mean…" Searching for their taciturn teammate with her gaze for support, Yang discovered that Blake had lagged behind, nose planted in a book – and it looked suspiciously like the one she had bought when they had gone on their first date.

Jaune looked smug. "Guess your partner's gonna leave you all alone to the sharks…"

Yang glanced at the couple, her amusement fading. She shrugged. "I'll go talk to her. You guys go on." She put a term to the conversation after they agreed, and then made her way over to Blake just as the group was becoming loud in their excitement once Pyrrha and Jaune joined up with them. She would have liked to continue bantering with her friend and Jaune, or race Nora and Ruby to the nearest ride, but her girlfriend was her priority, especially today, and Yang wanted her to actively participate and be part of the fun. She knew Blake would enjoy herself, too, if she set her mind to it. The Faunus just needed a bit of...convincing.

Casually, Yang swung her arm around the young woman's shoulders – causing Blake to stiffen and turn her attention away from her novel – and said, "It would be pawsitively awesome if I could have the pleasure of your presence by my side, and I would love to see a smile on your face." The girl in yellow paused just long enough for Blake to start creasing her eyebrows, and then added facetiously, "You should totally put the book away and go on the merry-go-round with me." For emphasized effect, she grinned and winked.

Blake glanced towards where Teams RWBY and JNPR were already waving for the two girls to hurry up. "Us," she murmured, and met Yang's playful regard. "You mean 'us.'"

Sometimes – or rather, often – the prankster uttered things without truly thinking about it. She was forced to jog her memory of literally the past ten seconds to recall what Blake was correcting her on. When she realized what it was, she was both tempted to agree and wonder why it mattered, but then she thought better of it and decided not to make the others wait too long. "Nope! I meant me, by my side!" She grabbed the raven-haired girl's hand and took off running, jerking her forward and leaving her no choice but to follow along.

Carnival Week was a major annual event in Vale. Various rides, games, and all sorts of activities were set up in a rather vast area of the city with many restaurants and shopping malls in short walking distance. If there was any time during the year to spend absurd sums of lien, it was during this entertainment-filled week. It attracted tourists and visitors from all over Remnant, sometimes even huntsmen and huntresses from other combat schools if they had the time and energy. There were activities suited to everyone's level of thrill-seeking, for children and adults alike. Each day there was a different special event for the crowds to attend, and the end of the week was concluded with an explosive grand finale of fireworks.

Yang remembered a time when her father and Summer would bring Ruby and her for that specific occasion, somehow always managing to find the quietest spot with the best view over the lake, despite so many others coveting the same. They were tender memories she recalled fondly, a time when her dad laughed often and loved with all the warmth in his strong arms, a forever-present role model for his daughters. After Summer's death, Taiyang's bright inner flame had unfortunately grown so dim and distant that it had forced Yang to become the family's light source in his stead. She was the one, afterwards, who took it upon herself to make sure Ruby never missed the loud and colorful illuminations in the sky every year. Her little sister's innocent and fascinated expression always made it more than worth the effort anyway.

After entering Beacon, though, seeing the fireworks up-close had become nigh impossible, their schedules forbidding it, and that was something Ruby was quite old enough to understand. From the academy's courtyard, they were visible in the far distance, and that was the isolated spectacle they satisfied themselves with – along with this one day they had off at the beginning of the week. As Weiss had so tactfully pointed out, today would be fairly similar to the previous year's day off...but for Yang and the young leader, it was still rather strange and disheartening to break from tradition. Plus, they had partners and friends by their sides now, too.

...Which actually made up for a lot of it, if Yang was honest with herself, even if she did miss those unique moments with her half-sibling. There was a lot of fun to be had by involving such eccentric personalities. For example, it turned out that the first ride the group went on was, in fact, the merry-go-round, utterly tossing aside the fact that they were adults. They had no children in sight to accompany or supervise either.

There might as well have been no difference.

They were all hyped, and in her excitement, Nora was incapable of remaining on one pony, especially because carrousels were not known for their thrilling experience. She initiated a round of tag that Yang joined without a second thought, the blonde putting away bittersweet memories for now and chasing the loudest member of JNPR from one horse to another in circles, inciting Ruby and Jaune to take part in the game, too. This lasted no more than two minutes before the ride's attendant decided they were causing too much of a commotion, disturbing the other calmer patrons, and kicked the troublemakers off without even issuing a warning.

Both teams left together, refusing to be separated so soon, some laughing like madmen – Yang included. And when Weiss fumed about how incredible it was that they managed to get banned from the merry-go-round – and right off the bat, for that matter – even Blake and Ren couldn't help but have a good chuckle. There was nothing to be surprised about, after all – it should even have been expected. When Nora and Yang set their hearts to it...

Plus, Yang figured, if she could have fun and foster part of Blake's and the others' amusement in the process, then it was a win-win situation. Not that Weiss would know about that, so she could keep ranting if she wanted.

The next ride Yang insisted the group had to do, like last year and while the energy was still high, were the bumper cars. She gained Nora's, Pyrrha's, and Ruby's support immediately. Jaune hung his head and mumbled about 'losing very badly' – everyone remembered it – but on an exchanged look from Yang to Pyrrha, who grinned and then just took his hand, the defeated boy instantaneously perked up and exclaimed his sudden enthusiasm with a, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Now having the majority onboard with her idea, Yang jumped in victory and punched the air. She turned to start walking but caught Blake's regard, observing her. There was a shadow of a smile on the young woman's lips, something between mirth and longing flickering in her gaze. If Yang recalled correctly, this was a vast improvement from the stubbornly steadfast girl planting her feet in the ground, crossing her arms and directing a glare so venomous at Yang that the blonde hadn't even tried to convince her to join in on the bumper cars. Now she appeared rather open to the activity, albeit hesitant about it, too – she hadn't agreed to it, after all...but she hadn't disagreed, either! – and Yang couldn't help but beam at her girlfriend, delighted that Blake was much more comfortable and relaxed with the group. She had come a fairly long way from the unapproachable, almost cold and haunted individual she had been when the girls had first met.

The bumper cars were a riot. Teams RWBY and JNPR obviously weren't the only ones in the cars, but that didn't matter. Music blasting through large speakers nearby and hearts pumping with the high energy, laughter and friendly shouting were in definite abundance, some players more ruthless than others but everyone enjoying themselves nonetheless. That is...until all the crashing and bouncing made Jaune sick and, without further warning, proceed to vomit all over himself and the poor patron in the machine in front of him. Which also happened to be Ruby.

Weiss was beginning to be pretty accurate about her "déjà vu" comments.

"He was told not to indulge in too many bowls of Pumpkin Pete's this morning..." Ren reflected in his calm voice, as the two teams of four distanced themselves from the most recent ride after receiving unpleasant grumblings from the exhibit's attendant, who ushered them and everyone else off the bumper cars while the puke was mopped and wiped up.

Out under the sun now, removed from the crowd, Pyrrha was trying, without much success, to help clean off her partner, who was doubled over and moaning, leaning himself against a garbage can with one hand and generally not making the emerald-eyed girl's life any easier. It looked like she wanted to giggle but wasn't doing so because gagging from the smell was also an opposing reaction. Yang would have made fun of them, but there was a more pressing matter for her to pay attention to.

"Ew! Ew! Ewwww! Gross!" Ruby whined loudly in an utter state of panic and disgust. Her older sibling tried to calm her, but instead of staying still, the girl in red rushed off suddenly, the last thing heard being a desperate wail about, "Washroooooooms!"

"Ruby!" Yang started, having every intention of chasing after her, even if she knew all too well that her chances of catching up and finding the younger sister were legendary – and Yang was awesome at legendary, so that was saying something. However, someone put their hand in front of her before she could begin running, forcing her to remain standing where she was.

She impatiently glanced to her side.

"I'll go look for her. You wanted to amuse yourself, and I would be a poor partner if I couldn't take care of this." Weiss' glacial blue eyes displayed mild annoyance upon seeing that the brawler was about to dispute this decision. Gratingly, she cut off Yang before the blonde could even speak, "Plus, now I have an excuse to not follow you on another one of your demented adventures." With that, Weiss stiffly strode off in the direction Ruby had gone, not looking back once to verify that the elder sibling wouldn't insist.

The robust young woman put her hands on her hips and watched her teammate go, a disbelieving frown on her face. Sometimes the ice queen had her moments, too, in that oh-so-charming, Weiss-cold manner of hers to show she wasn't heartless. She just never seemed to choose them appropriately. Yang couldn't do anything about it now, though, and it did allow her to concern herself over her other friends' wellbeing. Slowly shaking her head, barely convincing herself that Ruby was in good hands and promising herself that she'd contact her sister later via their scrolls, she turned back to Jaune and Pyrrha, and her grin instantly returned.

There was no denying – it was hilarious to watch those two. They almost naturally recreated movie-like scenes of a heroic warrior coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress – Jaune being the latter, in literally every case. That was probably why it was so comical.

As it turned out, the couple decided to separate from the group as well to find the washrooms, as Ruby had had the sensible idea to begin with, despite taking off abruptly. The two left, Jaune leaning on Pyrrha so visibly he might as well have been hanging off her shoulder, and Yang couldn't help but think it was a mighty good thing the redhead was solid and muscular – not as much as the brawler was, but muscular nonetheless. Yang would have to tease them later. Pyrrha wasn't going to live this one down easily.

By the time Yang switched her attention to her remaining friends, she curiously found only Blake in sight, who was standing a few steps away in silence, the perfect picture of patience.

The Faunus arched one of her fine eyebrows and shrugged rather casually. "Nora saw something," she stated simply, as if that clarified any confusion Yang might have had.

Which it did. And it also explained Ren's absence, too. No surprise there.

"So just you and me!" Yang exclaimed, part cockily, partly in marvel. It had happened so fast. Suddenly, they were just two. Refusing to linger on the non-essential details, though, she walked over to her partner. She wanted to focus on Blake today anyway, to try and make her happy – or at least not cause that look of forlornness to cross her facial features once – therefore, in a sense, she was quite alright with this change in circumstance. "Anything in particular you wanna do?"

Blake started to say something, defined lips parting to speak, but a much more masculine voice was heard instead.

"Blake! Neptune, it's Blake! Come over here."

Both girls turned towards the voice, in time to see Sun Wukong strolling up to them, dark grey eyes glinting joyfully and grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, yeah, hey Yang! It's great seeing you guys here, at the Carnival, of all places. Are you two, like, alone or something?"

"We could say the same about you," Blake quipped in vague amusement as Neptune came to a stop next to his pal. She crossed her arms. "Pretty far away from Haven. You can afford to miss at least three days of schooling? And the others just left us not even five minutes ago."

"We will join ourselves to you, then, fine ladies," Neptune replied in his eternal attempts at being smooth and charming, bowing his torso slightly, hand on his chest.

So much for her plans to be alone with Blake for a while, Yang thought with mild disappointment, nevertheless applauding the goggle-wearing, blue-haired young man's ridiculous antics. She glanced at her girlfriend, who appeared impassive as usual. It was true that Neptune and Sun were pleasant company, and, she had to admit, quite handsome, too. And Sun...well, Sun's name might as well have been Abs. He definitely put the woo in Wukong. Plus, he and Neptune were a comical duo. And she could still ensure that Blake wouldn't be left out and treat her as specially as she could without it being too indicative of their relationship to the boys. They wouldn't stick around forever anyway, right? She was glad to see them, though, and she may as well enjoy their presences at least a bit with Blake while they were there.

"Yeah, most of our exams are over, and those that are left don't require so much studying," Sun admitted flippantly in response to Blake's question. He rested his hands at the back of his head, abdominal muscles stretching as he searched the surroundings. "So? How about a roller coaster or something? Or even better...let's do the Zipper!" His dark grey eyes lit up enthusiastically.

"Dude, that would be so sweet." Neptune grinned and bumped fists with his partner.

The Zipper was more of an extreme ride, one which consisted of twelve narrow cages pulled around a long, rotating, oval boom with a cable around its edge. It was unpredictable, capable of strong vertical G-forces and numerous spins. Only two individuals could enter each cage, and there was enough room to sit, but otherwise the patrons were securely barred in and couldn't move much at all. Nonetheless, they could use their hold and balance to turn their car upside down and straight again as many times as they wanted for the duration of the ride.

Yang loved the thing. It was a rough attraction that wasn't meant for the feeble, and it offered quite a thrill for the adventure-seeker. They hadn't done it last year, either, so she was more than willing this time. "Heck, yeah! I'm totally up for it." She looked over at Blake, convinced it was an experience she would savor. "Whadd'ya say, Blakey? Do you wanna, or do you wanna?"

But Blake seemed a bit troubled, what with her eyebrows being creased and the way she was looking down at the ground. And before Yang could ask what the problem was, probably because she was momentarily surprised that there was an issue in the first place, Sun stepped closer to her girlfriend and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Aw man, I'm so sorry, Blake. Duh, Sun – you idiot. It's fine! We can do something else, like...the drop tower! That thing is pretty awesome too!" he beamed a little awkwardly, giving her shoulder a squeeze and then dropping his hand.

Neptune seemed thoroughly disappointed with the change of plans, slumping his posture for emphasized effect. "What? C'mon, man! We aren't gonna do it just because Blake is scared?"

Yang gazed at Blake and then at the hand Sun had lowered. For one thing, Blake wasn't showing any signs of fear. For another, there was a silent exchange that had happened here, one in which the two Faunus had been in agreement, and Yang had failed to understand. If Blake wasn't afraid, but it was clear she didn't want to go on the Zipper anyway, then what...?

Sun smacked his partner with his yellow monkey tail and shook his head. "Forgive him, for he knows not what he says." He smiled reassuringly at Blake, and she acknowledged with an appreciative tilt of her head. Sun then faced Neptune. "Blake isn't scared. I thought I told you about these things already? She has cat ears, and those are, like, super sensitive to pressure. With the amount of G's that ride can pull, it would cause her a lot of pain, even if it lasts just two minutes."

Yang's eyes widened in realization as the information was processed. She stared at the quiet girl.

"It's okay. You didn't know, either," Blake offered with no particular intonation and then shrugged slightly. She invited Yang to follow her with a motion of her head. "Let's go. The drop tower is an immensely suitable replacement." The darkly dressed young woman began walking, Sun and Neptune readily going along as well.

But Yang had caught her regard as she turned, and the expression in Blake's eyes had been all too familiar. Maybe not as pronounced, and Blake was generally difficult to read when she chose to hide her feelings, but it had been there. And as Yang hurried to keep pace with the three of them, she couldn't stop from blaming herself for this occurrence. It had never even crossed her mind that Blake's cat ears could have been sensitive to high forces, and because of her ignorance, she had stupidly pressed her friend to engage in something she might have wanted to do but couldn't, hence the sadness. It was Yang's fault. Only a few minutes after promising herself she wouldn't cause Blake's sadness today...

It didn't matter if the feline Faunus had said it was okay. It obviously wasn't. But Blake once again refused to talk, refused to share the thoughts and concerns on her mind, refused to truly open herself to Yang, to tell her why she kept such an emotional distance. And somehow, the blonde knew it was because of her, because of something she was doing wrong. She wasn't treating Blake right. She wasn't playing her role as the bookworm's girlfriend correctly, wasn't listening close enough, wasn't paying nearly enough attention.

Yang pepped up, however, when the small group of four reached the drop tower after walking for a good ten minutes. She couldn't remain in a low-spirited mood, especially if she was determined to improve, and it was also rather challenging to stay morose around Sun and Neptune. They chatted as they waited in line, and Blake appeared to have recovered her own good mood, too, often gazing at Yang in admiration or amusement – and was that longing? – when she started laughing with the boys. Yang would simper at her in response, reminding herself that she was extremely fortunate that Blake had shared her feelings with her. She had to show that she wasn't taking that leap of faith for granted.

The drop tower was a thrilling experience. Neptune sat beside Sun, Sun beside Blake, and Blake beside Yang. As they rose higher and higher into the air, the extrovert caught Blake observing the view beyond them with marvel, her golden eyes capturing everything they could as if her life depended on it, taking in the tall buildings, the vast city of Vale, the lake glittering in the distance as the sun shined down on it, and the mountains far beyond. Her fascination was rather adorable.

"Brace yourself," Yang murmured, and, when Blake glanced at her, winked. The breeze played with their hair, tendrils lifting slightly and landing across their faces. "You're about to fall hard."

Blake didn't even have time to roll her eyes at the innuendo. The ride dropped. Yang cackled like a madwoman as the adrenaline pumped through her veins, wind sending her hair flying in every which direction. She heard Sun and Neptune joyfully yelling their hearts out beside her.

When it was over and they started putting distance between themselves and the attraction, legs a bit wobbly from the nerves (and Neptune fixing his blue hair), it was then that Blake began chuckling. Yang gazed at her in wonder and couldn't help the grin that crossed her lips upon hearing the soft chime of her girlfriend's laugh. She had been silent on the way down, but the expression of utter delight that had been on her face when they reached the bottom had been telling of how much she had enjoyed herself. And this made Yang glad. This was what she wanted for her.

"Whoa, Blake...it seems like forever since I heard you laugh..." Sun looked at her in awe. "It...it's really nice to hear it again. Wow."

Yang had to suddenly stop a moment at that, eyebrows creased as her smile dimmed. "Blake...does laugh every now and then. Probably more than she used to, in any case."

Blake wiped her eyes with her slender fingers, beginning to calm herself and not taking any offense at being spoken about in the third person despite being physically present.

"No, I know...but this is great. I sort of wanna stick around to hear that sound more." Sun scratched the back of his head sheepishly while Neptune gave him this knowing look from behind.

Blake's cheeks appeared to have reddened a bit when she said, "I believe you can thank my teammates for that development." She then glanced at her partner, and Yang knew the message she had conveyed through her regard. Their teammates had helped, but Yang was a far more significant contributor to any changes that might have happened within Blake's personality.

The social butterfly beamed but had to turn her attention to Sun. Ever since he had shown up, something had been nagging Yang about him, something that had, at first, not bothered her...but it had gradually made itself more urgent to be figured out. And it was so obvious now it might as well have slapped her. Sun was interested in Blake, romantically. Yang had never really taken notice before, but even digging into her memory of the first time Sun had run into their lives – literally – in fact revealed evidence that shouldn't even have been questioned or ignored.

She hadn't been in many relationships, but Yang knew what she was witnessing. She had hung out with enough of her past boyfriends' friends to understand that Sun liked Blake and had been subtly hitting on her from the start. It had just taken Yang a moment to clue in.

The group continued walking, Sun continuing to chat with his cat-like kin, and Yang found herself only listening distractedly as she focused on this recently discovered knowledge.

She knew this technically posed a problem. But she also knew that no matter how she thought about it, she wasn't jealous. Perhaps part of it was Yang not feeling any romantic emotions for her friend, perhaps it was simply that the lilac-eyed girl knew Blake would sooner break up with than cheat on her, or perhaps it was just obvious that the bookworm had never shown that kind of interest in Sun. Perhaps it was a mix of all this.

But Blake wasn't stupid, and she wasn't blind. She must have been aware of Sun's feelings, and she must have seen through his attempts to draw closer to her. And if Yang did nothing, if she remained quiet, then the message that sent to Blake wasn't particularly encouraging or hopeful... But what was she supposed to do? Their relationship was a secret! She couldn't just...boldly step in and put a stop to this. That would be weird, wouldn't it?

Yang was pulled from her pondering when Neptune exclaimed, "Oh duuude! Check this out. Let's do it!"

She looked around. The four of them had reached the games area of the carnival, which was more or less located in the center of all the other attractions. It was at a spacious four-way intersection, one of Vale's beautiful fountains smack in the middle and offering a nice view among the noise and bustling activity surrounding it. There was a light, little calliope tune playing in the background, the kind of music that was so typical to carnivals, and the smell of something delicious in the air suggesting the presence of fried food and popcorn nearby.

Sun and Neptune had hurried over to one of the games further up and to their left. When Yang and Blake approached, they saw why the boys had taken a particular interest in this one. It consisted of using a pistol of sorts to shoot at fast moving Grimm targets, all the while trying to avoid hitting the others that represented innocent lives. The two girls watched Neptune begin after he handed over a few lien, but Yang quickly spotted something else that intrigued her.

"Oh, Blake, I think I found one meant just for you! Get over here." Grinning, she grabbed her partner's arm and, once more, all but dragged her over to a stand south of the fountain, a good fifteen meters from where the Haven duo was stationed. Sun noticed them leave but rapidly brought his attention back to what Neptune was doing. He had it bad. It was so striking, now that Yang had taken note of it.

"I would have followed you," Blake muttered, shaking Yang's hand away from her arm and then turning to evaluate the game in front of her. She arched her eyebrows, nonplused. "So, why is this one meant just for me, again?"

"Because," Yang picked up a tactical throwing knife – or kunai – from the counter, under the watchful eye of the employee, and showed it to Blake with a wicked smile on her lips. "This is a weapon for a ninja, and you are a ninja."

Blake rolled her eyes at the Yang-logic, but the corner of her mouth had definitely twitched upwards. "I'm not a ninja. Now give that to me before your hurt yourself." She snatched the blade from Yang before the brawler could even react and positioned herself in front of the counter, taking out a few lien to pay her turn.

Laughing, Yang leaned herself on the ledge, resting her chin on the palm of her hand to look at her girlfriend as she took the five additional kunai the attendant gave her. "You insult me! The only kind of hurt that tiny, minuscule knife could do is a scratch. And even then..."

The employee began to explain that the point of the game was simply to pop the balloons tied to the opposite wall. It wasn't meant to be dangerous or complicated, the excitement supposed to come from using an actual real-life weapon...for the patrons that weren't already huntsmen and huntresses, of course. It was not recommended to throw more than one knife simultaneously, as that increased the risk of injury. Popping six balloons one after the other – meaning missing none – would win Blake a large stuffed-animal of her choosing. He wished the raven-haired girl luck and removed himself from the danger zone but never took his eyes off the duo.

Blake began by testing the weight of the kunai and getting a feel for it, observing its shape in detail and giving it a few small swings to figure how it sliced through the air. She then met Yang's amused stare and said, "The knife itself might cause little harm. It's the wielder you should be wary of." And then without a warning, without even looking, she threw the first one.

Yang blinked at the loud pop and then at the muffled thud that indicated Blake had just scored herself a point without batting an eye. She looked over at the wall and saw that the blade was halfway wedged into it, the tattered remains of a balloon hanging off it. Her eyes widened. "You cheated. That was so totally rigged."

"I'm offended that you doubt my skill, after almost two years of fighting together. Allow me to demonstrate only one more time." It was Blake's turn to grin mischievously, and she showed Yang the five remaining kunai in between each of her slender fingers, three in one hand and two in the other. She proceeded to add in a most patronizing manner, "We'll talk about this 'tiny minuscule knife' and how it would only scratch you, afterwards, 'mkay?"

Yang narrowed her eyes at the girl in black, daring her to do what they were both thinking she was going to do. "A scratch like a cat's claws, kitten. It would do nothing more."

Blake didn't even dignify that comment with a reply. Instead, she faced the wall, observing her targets and visually measuring distances with her sharp golden eyes. The silence became thick with anticipation as she focused, and then suddenly, Blake went into motion. She threw the first two, spun and used the momentum to launch the last three. Yang admired the movement, but she was far more enthralled by what took place about ten feet from them. One after the other, the balloons popped and dull wallops followed immediately after. The kunai didn't even vibrate from the impact, they were so firmly imbedded into the wooden wall.

There was a moment of quiet.

"Although..." Blake observed thoughtfully, speaking first, "you are partially correct to discredit me. This is, after all, a controlled environment in which I had time to evaluate and prepare my throws."

Yang finally recovered from her shock and began laughing heartily. "Showoff! Remind me to never play darts with you." She continued to chuckle as the employee calmly collected the six kunai from the wall. It didn't matter what Blake said – she was a ninja, there was no denying it, especially after this display of talent. And the blonde had to admit that it had been pretty cool to see the young woman go through with that, and with so much confidence, too. If Yang was to be honest with herself, though, she was more impressed by witnessing it happen than surprised that Blake could actually do it at all. The darkly dressed girl had all sorts of tricks up her sleeve when it came to combat.

"Choose your prize." The attendant waved at the stuffed animals hanging from the booth's ceiling, appearing to have gained a certain admiration for Blake as well.

Yang gazed on in mirth at her friend as she frowned up at her choices, appearing rather uninterested in what she had won. Blake was veritably quite something. She had known what her options were from the start, and despite apparently not fancying any of them, had played the game anyway and totally rocked at it. She wasn't one to parade her skills for the fun of it, but for some reason or another, she had gone along with Yang's spontaneous idea nevertheless. And Yang always enjoyed it when she did that.

But then Blake lowered her gaze and met Yang's lilac regard. She tilted her head a little. "Pick one you would like. My gift to you."

Oh! Yang's eyes became round. She stared at Blake, unable to move for an instant. Gifts were something Yang did not receive often – only Ruby made it a point to buy her older sibling something when she worked up enough money during the summer, about two times per year, sometimes only once. Yang had never asked this from Ruby and had often insisted that it wasn't necessary for her to do that, all too aware that it was hard-earned lien being used to purchase an item that, in the end, the eldest sister considered a luxury, nothing she needed. Yang was the one that was supposed to give presents and spoil those she loved – and spoil them she did. It was a pleasure for her, and she never expected anything in return.

But when she was gifted with something, she was very appreciative of it. Her father, Taiyang, had been scarce for most of her life, but Yang had seen how generous love was, how happy it made those he gave to, how happy it made him...before it tore him apart. Yang had understood fast that it was important for her to focus on the joyful moments, though, and to recreate that kind, selfless spirit, in order to be the pillar of warmth and light she promised herself she would be for the sake of others, but mostly for the sake of Ruby. Moreover, Summer had been someone who bathed her children in love, too, before she died.

"Yang?" Blake was observing her in slight concern, probably because of her momentary lack of reaction.

"Blake! You amazing person, you!" Yang came to life and hugged her girlfriend tightly, trying to convey through her embrace what she couldn't say with words. She felt Blake's arms hold her hesitantly, but both girls knew it wasn't the appropriate time to prolong such a fanfare of affection. Yang pulled away, beaming, and had to snicker a bit when she saw the faint blush spreading across Blake's cheeks.

The poor employee looked so befuddled.

"Well, don't just stand there. Pick one." Blake's encouragement came out sounding vaguely amused.

Yang looked up at the large stuffed-animals hanging from the ceiling of the booth, and it only required five seconds for her to spot the one she wanted. Grinning, she pointed at the black panther, and the attendant carefully brought it down to give it to Yang. Its body was as tall as her torso, the tail reaching her knees, and it was made from a delightfully soft material. The eyes were wide and yellow, making it look like more of a cub – it was adorable – and the paws were as broad as her own hands.

"There. Now every time I look at this, I'll think of you." Yang giggled, knowing all too well that she was making a kind of pun again about Blake's Faunus heritage. That wasn't the only reason, though. She did legitimately like how cuddly it was, and it seemed appropriate to get one that would somewhat have meaning for both girls.

As they began slowly walking back to where Sun and Neptune were, Blake gripped the bridge of her nose, slowly shaking her head. "Confound it, Yang. You are incorrigible. Of all your choices..." But then the shadow of a smile curved her lips, allowing Yang to know that she wasn't bothered by the joke. In fact, Blake's gaze expressed the very opposite of annoyance. She was happy – her golden-amber eyes were laughing, and this gratified Yang immensely.

Blake could have refused to play the game. She could have put very little effort into it. She could have even decided to not take a prize at all, if not keep it for herself. But no – Blake had wholeheartedly participated, had dished out a few of her own savings, and had given it her best. And then she had gifted Yang with a souvenir that rightfully should have gone to herself. She might not have realized how much the action meant for her partner, but it was clear her present had been sincere and that she was pleased – with reason.

Yang leaned over, took Blake's hand to give it an appreciative squeeze and pecked her on the cheek before murmuring, "Thank you." And then she straightened in time to watch her girlfriend's face redden, causing her to guffaw. She loved how responsive the generally so placid girl was to her teasing and marks of affection, and when the two reached Sun and Neptune, she was still chortling about it.

Sun was just finishing up his turn at the shooting-Grimm game and managed to win a souvenir for himself, something small enough that he just stuck into his jeans' pocket. He faced the girls, and opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but then his gaze traveled to the black panther in Yang's arms, before beholding the joyful expressions both girls were showing and then down to the space between them, somewhere at the level of their upper thighs. He looked confused, to say the least.

Yang's eyes widened. She had forgotten to let go of Blake's hand. Immediately, she released her and said jovially, "So, Blake is the best tactical knife thrower ever, just so you guys know. Also, something smells heavenly, and I'm starved. It's gotta be lunch time by now. Should we grab a bite?"

Sun appeared to shake himself at the mention of food (and Yang congratulated herself on her fast thinking to come out with a topic no man could resist...), eyes lighting up and switching his attention to the brawler's face. "Uh, yeah. About that… We're supposed to rendezvous with Scarlet and Sage somewhere's else in not too long..."

"You could join us," Neptune offered with a charming smile, showing off a set of perfect white teeth.

Yang wasn't opposed to the idea. She would have gladly spent more time with both guys, and would have liked to see Scarlet and Sage again, as it has indeed been a while since they had all done anything together, but when she glanced at Blake, she knew now was the moment to say goodbye. "Blake and I have to find our teammates, too, and Ruby ran off before the two of you showed up, so I wanted to message her to see if she's alright. Plus, I think a trip to the ladies' room is in order. We might bump into each other again later, though?"

"Maybe!" Sun smirked, and then peeked at Blake before adding, "So, I guess we'll see you around?" Upon receiving confirmation from Yang, he saluted a bit comically, saying, "Laters!"

Neptune pretended to remove an invisible hat off his head and bow, just like a gentleman would do, and then grinned before following Sun. The two were quickly out of sight.

When she had been at the top of the drop tower with her friends, Yang had caught a glimpse of the mountains and hills beyond the lake. She hadn't been able to appreciate the view at the time for obvious reasons, but now she could. The water glittered and twinkled in the sunlight, occasionally interrupted by sailors taking advantage of the pleasant weather to navigate their boats. It was peaceful to watch them, moving slowly out in the distance. The mountains were just a hazy blur on the horizon because of the heat waves in the cloudless sky.

The background noise from the carnival was still present, of course – chatter from the crowds and music – but Yang and Blake had walked away from the midst of the activity to find a vantage point where they could admire the view. They leaned side by side on the wooden fencing that kept people from wandering too close to the ledge, and for a few moments all they did was gaze at the scenery before them. Yang was at ease here, in this atmosphere of life and fun, and taking a breather without actually leaving was equally enjoyable.

She figured they had about twenty minutes. Once Yang had checked on her sister and verified that Weiss had found and helped clean her up, it had been decided that Teams RWBY and JNPR would meet up where the duo of yellow and black were presently waiting. Ruby had explained through text that everyone was all at various sections of the carnival and had decided that the look-off was an easier rendezvous point, being just a five-minute walk from the spacious four-way plaza where a lot of the games were located. Yang and Blake had already been nearby and had therefore been first to arrive.

And now seemed like a good time to talk with Blake. It was entirely possible this would be the only kind of time they would have for today, just the two of them. They weren't actually alone, though – there were others walking about, mostly couples or families with children who were taking a stroll along the water or stopping to admire the view, too. But nobody cared or would care about two girls just having a chat here, so Yang knew she couldn't let the opportunity pass without having at least said something.

She licked her dry lips, grounding herself, and then turned her gaze away from the water to set it on the bookworm. "Hey, Blake? Can we talk?"

She didn't really know what to expect from this conversation, in all honesty, but she had an inkling that by the end of it, it would be determined whether or not their relationship was worth continuing. Maybe. If they couldn't find a way to be on the same page, then things weren't looking up. It did make Yang feel a little nervous.

Blake's bow seemed to twitch once as she turned her head to meet her companion's regard, the gold of her irises bright and striking in the sunlight. She appeared relaxed, as if she were enjoying herself, and upon looking at Yang, the intensity in her eyes softened. "Talk about what?" she asked, undisturbed but interested.

There were several responses that sprang to mind, all of them sudden and important enough to cause a reaction, so instead of scrambling for something more tactful – or even for the premises she had established for her argument to begin with – Yang simply stated one of the conclusions she had come to. "Do you think we should break up?"

Indeed, a reaction did take place. Blake's relaxed posture stiffened and she leaned away from the blonde, now looking more upset than her usual placidity would allow. Her eyes went wide but for a second, mouth opening a bit as if to respond, but then her expression closed completely. The calm of the moment had been ruined. Nevertheless, Blake lowered her gaze and replied quietly, "Only if that's what you want, Yang."

Yang wasn't entirely sure what to say for a few seconds. Blake already sounded resigned, as if breaking up was an inevitability that might have come sooner rather than later. There was something not right about that, and Yang wasn't known for backing down so easily. "It's not what I want. Is it what you want?" She turned her body to face Blake this time, keeping the stuffed panther securely tucked under her arm.

The bow on the Faunus' head seemed to lean backwards, as if Blake's cat ears wanted to flatten, and she stammered, "N-no. Of course not. I don't understand."

Okay, so they both didn't want to break up. That was…something. Unfortunately, that something meant nothing in the present dilemma. Yang pressed forward with her previous supporting conclusion, thinking that perhaps it was the more sensible of the two. Second time was the charm, right? "We should go public, then – tell the others and stuff."

Blake stared at her girlfriend for a moment, something between hurt and confusion clear in her eyes. She creased her eyebrows. "I don't understand your train of thought. What's going on?"

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Yang began to realize she had not conveyed her thoughts in the proper order, and attempted to level with Blake by saying, "Well, if you don't want us to end, then I thought maybe the problem was you being unable to openly show that you have me."

At that, Blake looked almost offended, eyes widening once more in outrage. "That I have you? You think I want this relationship so I can show you off like some trophy? God, no!"

And the number-one prize for sticking their foot in their mouth – and then taking it out to promptly stick the other one in – at the absolute wrong time went to Yang. She had messed up, bad. The lilac-eyed girl took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. She was jumping from one thing to the next too fast. "I'm sorry, Blake. That's not what I meant – I'll try again." She was backpedaling, but her worry and doubt were beginning to surface and had caused an unfortunate sequence of poorly chosen words. She had to get herself together or else the issue definitely wouldn't be resolved. "I feel like you've been distant with me, and then you also didn't want anyone but Ruby to know about us, so I wasn't even sure if you wanted this. But you say you do, so it seems like the logical step would be to let people know."

Blake didn't answer immediately. Instead, she closed her eyes and turned away from Yang for a moment, massaging her brow. Much like Yang had, the introvert took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, too. She looked like she was fighting a headache. But when Blake brought her attention back to her partner, she looked composed again, albeit still a little rattled. She put her hand on the fence beside them. "Okay, just so you know…generally speaking, conclusions come last, not first. Please, try to give me a warning next time."

Agreeing one-hundred-percent, Yang nodded, uncomfortable and thoroughly repentant. "I'm really sorry. I'm bad at this." She had not meant to cause Blake any pain, and, in hindsight, could only imagine how much distress her initial question must have generated within the poor girl.

Blake slowly shook her head, looking regretful. "If anything, I'm worse at this than you. I get where you're coming from now, though… It's alright." She paused, hesitating, and bit her bottom lip. Finally, shoulders slumping somewhat and gold avoiding lilac, she asked, "You know what going public entails, right?"

It was odd. Sometimes, Blake gave the impression of bearing the weight of the world in her heart. The phenomenon manifested itself in glimpses of profound sadness in tired regards, rapidly concealed behind masks of quiet monotone. It also presented itself in bouts of driven and justified anger, words and actions said and done for the sake of righteousness. But Blake was independent and taciturn, and Yang had a feeling that the only reason she could see through the walls sometimes was due to Blake placing in her companion a certain amount of trust. Or…maybe Yang had simply recognized the look of a torn soul, having seen it much too often in the past when she stared in the mirror.

Encouraged by this mark of progress, however small it seemed, though, and regaining a bit of pep by the same notice, the blonde perked up and managed a bit of a smile, attempting to be reassuring. "Yeah! We get teased to death and shown an incredible amount of support, and we get to be real wherever we are, around anyone."

Blake blinked, apparently mildly caught off-guard. "That's…not…" She fell silent. Two heartbeats later, she decided to ask instead, "Is our couple becoming official what you want?"

She had asked that question twice now. Well, not that exact question, and the first time hadn't even been one, but she was obviously concerned about Yang's comfort again. At this rate, it was becoming an obstacle in itself. Gently, Yang put her hand on Blake's on the fence, and made sure to catch the Faunus' gaze. "What I want, Blake, is for our couple to work, so that you can be happy, and then I can be happy, too. But I need to feel like our relationship is actually a thing and that it's going somewhere." Yang paused, and then added more lightly, "Plus, we need the sunscreen against the UV rays. He keeps hitting on you."

Blake furrowed her eyebrows, gold leaving lilac only to be drawn towards their linked hands on the fence. She ignored Yang's rather great pun and murmured, "I don't mean to be distant with you. I'm just afraid of things getting weird between us if we take a step you're not ready to take."

"But I need this, kitten. Being secretive is making this more difficult for both of us. I don't want you to feel afraid of showing me your affection whenever you want, and, like I said, the others knowing and expecting us to be a thing will put a good kind of pressure on me – like, I can make jokes about us openly, tease you, get teased by them – and receive their support, because they will support us – and that'll improve my level of comfort with you."

Once again, Blake didn't answer right away. And it was in the ensuing silence between them that something dawned on Yang. She intertwined her fingers with Blake's and gave her hand a squeeze before asking, "Is there a reason you're hesitant about telling them?" Because there had to be. Blake had yet to state a shared desire for this step to happen, after all, and there had been several occasions where she could have. But she had not, and now Yang was anxious that Blake wouldn't tell her at all.

"I…" Blake's bow seemed to twitch. "I'm not hesitant. If you think this will be good, then we'll tell them. It was just…the cat jokes. Most of them, I don't mind, but…you crossed a line when we played laser tag. I'm not an animal, and you shouldn't be getting a kick out of inciting me to act like one. So, we can tell the others, but please be careful about your jokes."

Oh. So, Yang had done something wrong, and although Blake may not have realized it, herself, she had erected a wall between them because of it. Why had she not said something sooner? Yang had never intended for her pranks to be hurtful. "I understand. I'll be careful, I promise. And I'm really sorry. But…" But there was something else. It was weird. Blake had sounded like she was telling the truth – and for all intents and purposes, she probably was – but at the same time…maybe it hadn't been the whole truth.

And Yang had every intention of asking about it, to really make sure everything was okay, but before she could do or say anything meaningful, it was right about then that their teammates began to arrive. Ruby led the group, yelling out to Blake and Yang, evidently excited to have everyone reunited again.

Yang let go of Blake's hand, and a silent agreement passed between the couple that they would continue their conversation at a more convenient time. For now, they had come to a decision, and they seemed to be on the same page, for the most part – Yang would make sure of it later – and that was the important thing for the moment.

They proceeded to greet their friends and listen to the tales they had to share, resuming the fun they were supposed to be having and discussing what they would do for lunch.

The day was far from over.

Chapter Text

I should have listened to Adam. I should have listened to Adam. God, I should have listened to Adam!

Blake ran. She had been running for a while now – how long, she didn't know, but enough that her legs were weakening, knees threatening to buckle at every impact of her steps. Her heart was pounding so sharply in her chest she could feel it thudding in her head, insistent and almost deafening. This wasn't some light jog to test her endurance. She had been training regularly, and this had nothing to do with a mere cardio exercise. No, Blake was sprinting with every speck of energy she could muster because her life depended on it. Adam had warned her. Repeatedly. But she had refused to heed a word of it.

My ears. God forsake it, my ears!

Black dots began to invade her vision, a sign that if she continued, she would faint. But she couldn't stop now. They were still behind her, their angry shouts only a few yards away, whispers of the wind carrying their promises of nothing but torment to her senses and crawling across her skin like a horde of venomous insects. How they had managed to keep up with her was a mystery, but this race to save her life was going to be her downfall. She was panting so severely she could barely even intake the oxygen her muscles needed to function. Her surroundings had become a haze, buildings and streets and landmarks blurring together to form discolored barriers in every direction she glanced. She had no idea where she was.

The Faunus should not have needed to hide their heritage. They should not have been ashamed of who they were. And while the humans could throw all the insults they could possibly imagine at her, Blake would still walk with her head held high and prove that her kind were not just vulgar animals. She would answer the racist comments with a controlled attitude, a mild spirit, and an exemplary behavior. She may have yet been a child, but her comprehension of the situation had amazed more than one. Adam didn't understand that violence only bred more violence. Blake would not don that bow – would not conceal from society an inheritance she should have been proud of – but would rather be living proof to testify before all of humanity that the Faunus were deserving of equal treatment and rights.

But now, as she stumbled once and scraped her palms on the pavement to avoid crashing altogether, legs protesting excruciatingly and her entire body clamoring a moment of rest, Blake began to realize why the bow was at least a reasonable idea. It had nothing to do with cutting her pride, defiance, courage, or whatever other righteous cause she could think of down to size. At the very basis, it was for her own safety. And maybe Adam had known that. Maybe Adam had only been looking out for her.

She had rebuked him for it.

Too drained and on the verge of losing consciousness, Blake used what awareness she had left of her location's layout to veer suddenly to her right, straight into a decrepit alleyway. She collided with the ground, rolling over herself once and then finishing on her back. Moaning, bruised, and mindful that she couldn't just lay there in plain sight, she pulled herself to the brick wall, behind a large metal garbage container that smelled of rotting meat. A swarm of flies buzzed off, angry at having been disturbed.

The irony of the situation was not lost on Blake. It was her very standpoint that had forced her to flee – as if she were some coward – that had obliged her to make a choice which, in the end, all came down to a single basic truth: be the predator, or become the prey. The hunter or the hunted. And no matter what angle she looked at the dilemma from, it changed nothing; she was the animal in either case. The snake or the mouse. The eagle or the fish. The lion or the gazelle. They would view it no other way. And, really, weren't these primal rationalizations shedding light on the line between feral and sapient?

Blake hated it. She hated that, at her motor core, her mind was a slave to her instincts, and only by sheer determination and self-control could she act and think of her own free volition. As if, by some ruthless scheme of fate, a war for dominance would forever rage on in her head. It annulled all of her efforts, everything she fought for and believed in, and gave the humans leverage to use against her and her kind. It made her a liar and a hypocrite.

She closed her eyes, clenching her teeth to stop from breathing loudly, from chattering. She held back another moan – the hammering of her heart against her skull wouldn't calm. It was about then that she took note of the subtle rain and moisture seeping into her clothes, chilling her until goosebumps crawled across her skin. The ground was cold and dirty, and her hands were bleeding. Deep inside, she knew her odds of escaping unscathed were null.

At least her instincts granted her a kind of sixth sense, which had often saved her from deceitfully harmless scenarios before danger struck. Sometimes, though, she wished they were less astute. Like now. She could've worked with a little naive hope, as this certainty of being caught only petrified her.

The gradual approach of several running footsteps came to a sudden halt.

"Where did it go?!" a gruff but fairly young voice demanded, far too near for her liking. "It disappeared right around here. Search for it!"

Blake's conviction was reinforced when it occurred to her that her hiding spot was not a clever one. Fear clawed at her guts as if wanting to shred them, and her teeth were clamped shut so tightly it hurt. She couldn't think, let alone move – she was so tired. She wouldn't have the strength to resist, to defend herself. They wouldn't have any pity on her. To them, she was just some vermin poisoning their lives, not even worthy of being recognized as a 'she.'

"Hey, Mark. I found it." A snicker.

Blake opened her eyes, too exhausted to glare, only feebly gazing up at the boy standing before her, pleading him quietly to show her mercy. She drew no joy from lowering herself to such a pathetic level. But they had discovered her faster than she had anticipated. Yet if it somehow demonstrated that she was a creature with feelings, thoughts, not devoid of intelligence...

She met his regard and saw nothing but a cruel glint of arrogance and mockery, the venom that fed this want to abuse and dominate. He reached down and roughly grabbed her arm, hauling her up and showing her off to the other two pursuers like some prize he had won. Two pairs of eyes peered at her with the morbid curiosity of a child who had received an unknown plaything and, after a long brazen inspection, decided they didn't like this new toy. It was humiliating, degrading her to the status of a mere tawdry object.

Blake tried to disengage from the boy holding her, but her attempt was weak and he reacted unfavorably, wrenching her arms back to stop her from trying again. "Oh, no you don't, you stupid cat! You're going nowhere now that we've got you."

"You're talking to it like it understands you, Joel," the young man in front of her spoke, the one with the gruff voice who wasn't quite out of puberty yet – probably Mark. He grinned wickedly and strode towards Blake, only to send his fist into her stomach with unrestrained force, adding in a low, grating murmur as the Faunus doubled over, "It's an animal. And it needs to be shown its place in the world because it doesn't know that, either."

Blake was winded, but before she could process the pain, the boy behind her – Joel – kicked her above the calves in quick succession, causing her fall to her knees. It was then that she started coughing violently, face almost pressed to the cement, frantic for air. An unforgiving hand gripped her raven locks and yanked her head backwards. Wincing, she found herself staring into the menacing orbs of the oldest of the group. He sneered before spitting in her face, immediately jerking her downwards as Joel let her smash into the ground without resistance.

The three began laughing as Blake both shuddered and whimpered. She attempted to wipe the saliva off her cheek but instead only smeared it with blood – just another stain that wouldn't so much temporarily soil her skin as it would permanently taint her soul. Breathing harshly, she began crawling to escape from the trio. Her mind was fogged and shame burned through her as much as pain did. Through the ringing in her ears and the roaring of their mirth, the only thing she knew for certain was that she had to try and get away. But it was an effort made in vain. One of them grabbed her shoulders and brutally pulled her onto her back, directly in the center of the three. Horror-stricken, she cowered against the wall, desperately wishing this was an awful nightmare she would just wake up from.

Her training had taught her to use the shadows to her advantage. She was discreet, swift, and had fingers nimble enough to rob even the most cautionary victim in broad daylight. Her stealth allowed her to break into secure buildings without being caught. She could pick practically any lock thrown her way. The White Fang made these acquired skills mandatory, and at every instance it was the same monologue, one she had heard so often she had come to believe. They didn't teach her violence. This was part of their peaceful protests, this was to gather information, this was to prepare them, just in case. This was honorable.

But it didn't prepare her for such a dire situation. She was defenseless.

"Look at it. It's disgusting. Like some hybrid experiment gone wrong," Mark snidely noted, causing more chuckles to ensue. He then kicked her, hard. "It should have been killed before it was even born, and its mother with it!" The other two joined in, shouting encouragements to each other and insults to her. The first few kicks caught her in the abdomen and chest, knocking the breath from her yet again, before she managed to roll into an anguished ball, protecting her torso and head as best she could. Her ribs exploded with pain, and she cried, suffocating and slowly losing her hold on reality, on consciousness – it was so agonizing.

Even animals were shown more consideration than this.

Thankfully – mercifully – she heard a command to stop be ordered from somewhere far away. Like some Dust-infused miracle, it was obeyed. She didn't move, only shaking and sobbing, daring to hope that maybe someone was arriving to help...but that prospect was quickly crushed.

"Joel, hold its arms! Nate, its legs!"

They took hold of her, one of them grasping her wrists and the other her ankles, and briskly stretched her out to heave her off the ground. Blake screamed, her wounded muscles and injured ribs flaring in a phenomenal protest to the treatment she was receiving, and she almost blacked out right then and there. She glimpsed a small knife at her peripheral, and glacial dread swept through her, cold and implacable as the bite of the wind in winter. She wasn't going to survive this assault. They were out for blood.

But something much worse than death awaited her. Mark seized one of her cat ears and pulled. Blake whined, instinctively lifting her head to protect the sensitive appendage from further mishandling. But Mark kept his grip tight. He smirked, callous and sadistic. "Let's rid you of these ugly things nature gave you, shall we? Hold it still, guys."

Despite her enormous fatigue, despite the bruises and fractures she assuredly had, when it dawned on Blake that Mark was going to sever her cat ears from her head, a sudden burst of adrenaline pumped through her veins and focused the world around her so sharply that it became almost ethereal. The small fur-covered members protruding from her hair weren't just another part of the Faunus' body like her arms or her legs. They were precious, fragile, a part of Blake that anchored her to who she was and what she wanted. They were a symbol, going so far as to represent her closely guarded heart – candid, delicate, and perceptive.

"I'd rather die!" she hissed. "Let go of me!" But she couldn't risk struggling. Not when he still had her ear between his fingers. This brief renewal in strength would be absolutely useless if he didn't let go, even for just a second, and the distress this was causing Blake was attaining chimerical levels. She was utterly powerless – she knew it, and worse was that they knew it, too.

Mark ignored her and pressed the blade against the base of her feline appendage. Blake's trembling became violent and she pleaded for him not to do it. He might as well have been deaf...if it wasn't for the fact that he just laughed at her. She had never been this terrified in her life. One resounding thought became clearer and more powerful than the jumbled mess the others were, like it was suddenly the only thing that made sense in the world.

The Faunus may be animals...but the humans are monsters.

It made no sense at all, of course – Blake knew that, was well aware that generalizations led to prejudices and that such false beliefs contradicted everything she strived to achieve, and yet...and yet...

Mark started to cut.

Blake shrieked, tiny beads of crimson trickling through her hair and dripping to the dark pavement beneath her, staining the ground with her blood. The blade's edge tore through her – she could feel it under her skin, ripping her heart, carving her soul.

The talons of darkness were invading her vision once more when a deep, authoritative voice shouted, "Hey! Leave her alone!"

After that, everything was a bit of a blur. Mark released her, and so did the other two, dropping her carelessly and taking knives from their own pockets. A fifth person landed in the alley, someone who was younger than Mark but already bigger and taller than he was. Adam.

At the sight of him, the ten-year-old girl's relief was fantastical but also very short lived. The last thing she witnessed was Adam fighting her aggressors, clothing soaked from the rain, and she lost consciousness just as he was gripping the gun he had at his belt...

Later, when Blake came to her senses, first acknowledging the stillness of her surroundings and then the quiet drizzle falling from the grey sky above, she would afterwards lay eyes on her partner, her mentor, and Adam would have no visible reaction except wordlessly handing her a long piece of material, placing it in her open palm. Blake would only stare at it for a long moment, warring to control the overwhelming despair forming a knot in her throat, before ultimately losing the battle and collapsing into tortured sobs. Broken and sore, she would then close her fingers around the ribbon, hold it against her chest as she shook – an effect of the trauma – and vow to herself to never remove the bow in public from that moment forward. Never.

Some wounds were no more than superficial, sometimes they were so deep they traveled the distance to the metaphorical heart. And those, unfortunately, often never scarred over, never…healed.

Adam's silence had expressed more than what words could, a final twist of the blade in the gaping lesion. He had been right.

She had made a mistake in refusing to retaliate.

"Remnant to Blake. Hello? Remnant to Blake, do you copy?"

Blake suddenly blinked a few times, lonely alleyway and run-down buildings being replaced by tables scattered across the green grass outside, an intimidating Grimm mask fading from sight and the innocent silver eyes of Team RWBY's leader taking its place, peering at her curiously. Her mental transition from the past to the present was not easy, and she was almost surprised there were no clouds blocking out the sunlight or any dead bodies lying nearby, blood oozing from bullet wounds...

"So, what's it like on the moon, Blakey?" Yang amusedly asked from beside her.

RWBY and JNPR had crowded around one of the bigger picnic tables outside of the restaurant they had chosen to have lunch at, all eating the club sandwiches and fries they had ordered about fifteen minutes ago. It was a pleasant group meal, and the reigning outdoor ambiance contributed to the relaxed chatter of the individual conversations respective to their table and the others'.

The contrast between the current setting and the direction Blake's thoughts had traveled was rather flagrant...but not without cause. In fact, on a general basis, Blake would focus on more pleasant memories and reflections, well aware that concentrating on the atrocious ones too much would negatively influence her emotional health. But, every now and then, something would spur her to reminisce her past, and she couldn't always refrain from reliving it in her mind.

She would be lying if she said it didn't affect her sometimes, despite all the training she had received and the knowledge she had gained since the White Fang.

Blake turned her head and beheld her girlfriend's warm expression, from the mirth in her beautiful lilac gaze – laugh-lines creasing the outer corners – to the sincere curve of her mouth, and was able to draw a sliver of reassurance from the confidence and playfulness shining there, drawing her in and calling to mind a breathtaking sunset. Nevertheless, Blake was also reminded of what it was that had prompted such macabre recollections in the first place, and although quiet, the sigh that escaped her lips betrayed a more somber mood than what she allowed the others to see.

"Nothing as interesting as you make it sound," she replied, forcing herself to smile a bit and feeling relieved when Ruby, sitting across from her, appeared to buy it. Yang... Well, Yang had learned to read her quite impressively over the course of the past month, even more so than the progress she had made as a friend over their last two years at Beacon. Blake, in turn, had ceased to underestimate Yang's ability to see through her and was therefore not amazed when the humor dimmed from the golden girl's expression and concern took its place.

Under the table, Blake felt warm, strong fingers take her hand on her lap, and she immediately clasped them, accepting this mark of support and sharing a brief look with Yang to let her know she appreciated it. "Are you sure?" the blonde wondered gently, focusing the full force of her devoted attention on Blake. Her question was no longer referencing what could have hypothetically been entertaining on the moon – that much was obvious.

Ruby kept glancing at the two knowingly while she continued the discussion she was having with Jaune and Nora, and Blake took this as her cue to move on to other subjects. It would be an attempt at chasing the darkness that insisted to cling to her in the same way two lovers were intimately acquainted – an analogy so unfortunately accurate it verged on being literal. In response to her girlfriend, Blake nodded and said, "I'm sure. I was actually thinking that...since we're all sitting here together... Do you want to tell them now?"

Yang's eyebrows shot up almost comically high, as if the topic Blake had chosen to address stunned her.

True, the question was utterly unrelated to the bookworm's thoughts – or rather, it was entirely related – but perhaps it was more so the chosen timing of the announcement, too. They had agreed to go through with it, and although they hadn't spoken about the foreseeable problems in detail yet, it would be more advantageous for them to get the news out in the open, especially because, in the end, they both wanted it this way.

Yang was quick to grin, something that resembled the rise of the sun. "Allow me the honors?" And then, as if she knew Blake would be okay with it (How could she have said no, after all?) and as spontaneous as always, she hopped up – taking her plastic cup and a fork to make a series of hollow, muted clinks – and got everyone to quiet down. Blake had to shake her head at the goofball's antics but smiled at her enthusiasm. It was both calming on her nerves and touching.

Now being the center of attention, Yang cleared her throat and sat back down, once again entangling her fingers with Blake's, and declared, "So, Blake and I have this great news to share..."

She paused for a second, just for the sake of dramatic effect in that maddening Yang-like manner of hers, clearly double-checking that all eyes were on them, and announced, "We're a couple!" And then, to prove her words, and with a proud look in her eyes, she stirred Blake to put their united hands on the table and show it for all to see.

The reactions the they received were...startling, to say the least.

"Oh, finally!" Nora exclaimed extravagantly. "I thought we'd have to endure the googly-eyes and the long silences and the everything you guys do forever! I've been wanting to just lock the both of you in a room and never let you come out!" she smacked the wooden surface to emphasize her point and beamed like a maniac. "Congratulations!" she laughed, and Blake wondered, among many other unbidden thoughts, if she should have been worried for her safety. Because Nora really would have never let them out.

Never minding the food – although most of the plates were empty at this point, in any case – Ruby jumped over the table and crashed into both Blake and Yang, wrapping her arms around them in a bone-crushing hug and altogether knocking them off their bench, sending all three girls sprawling onto the soft ground. "I'm so happy for youuuuu! I've just been waiting for this moment ever since Yang told me you were gonna give it a try!" She giggled, and added, "Blake! It's like you're gonna be my sister now!"

Ruby's eagerness and joy were endearing, and Blake did chuckle a little as she sat up with Yang, but the beautiful girl was fast to rectify the situation, although laughing, herself. "Whoa, hold your horses there, Rubes," she snickered and hugged her younger sibling again. "Still working on that, if we get there. In the meantime, thanks! I'm glad you accept this so easily." She closed her eyes, embracing Ruby even tighter and grinning before adding, "Love ya, little sis."

Meanwhile, after overcoming a brief sentiment of inadequacy and forcing herself to give Ruby's shoulder a friendly squeeze, Blake managed to return to her seat. She nonetheless observed the heartwarming scene for a moment, watching the two girls sit back to talk a bit between themselves. It was so natural, this tenderness Yang had for her family, and Blake found her feelings for the social butterfly swelling within and filling her with the assurance that Yang was not a choice she would regret, no matter the final outcome. She didn't believe she deserved this selfless, impartial, and infinitely affectionate young woman, and the fact that Yang was trying so hard to remain by Blake's side as her companion and confidant was one of the qualities the raven-haired girl had difficulty dealing with. Blake wasn't good enough for this kind, generous soul, and it made no sense to her that this same person would be going to such lengths for her. Yang was attempting to overcome her own sexuality, for heaven's sake!

Blake would understand if, in the end, Yang decided it wasn't worth it. She would be heartbroken, but she would never be angry. Yang's presence in her life was a gift, an unexpected one, certainly, but if Blake lost her...

Well, there was no questioning whose fault it would be. Maybe this impression of inadequacy wasn't so brief after all.

"It was about time," Weiss muttered, pulling Blake from her thoughts. "You were making me sick."

Ah, yes. Another detail that eluded Blake's comprehension at the present moment, what with the high energy and the strong emotions circulating. She creased her eyebrows and tore her gaze from Yang and Ruby to regard the heiress. "None of you appear particularly surprised about this..." her voice wandered off, just as her eyes flickered to the others at the table, perplexed. Only Jaune needed to have his hanging jaw pushed shut, something Pyrrha did with two fingers as she smiled in polite apology at the girl in black.

"We...had our doubts," the emerald-eyed warrior confirmed delicately, glancing at Yang as her simper widened. "Yang isn't known for her subtlety, after all…"

Blake raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask for an elaboration – not because she didn't know Yang lacked certain...finesse; Blake rather wanted clarifications for what Pyrrha was referring to, exactly – but was interrupted before she could even speak.

"Let me just make something abundantly clear!" Weiss' tone was mildly annoyed, and Blake was prompt to give her undivided attention to the white-haired girl in case objections were thrown about the kind of couple she and Yang formed. It was true that Weiss' opinion on the Faunus had changed considerably since RWBY's first year as a team, and although she was helpful with and supportive of Blake, she had also demonstrated some reluctance to being less judgmental about the Faunus and the White Fang as a whole. And just as Blake had defended her kind before, she would do it again if she had to. It wouldn't be the first time this sort of altercation took place between her and Weiss anyway...

"I don't...like this change in relationship status." The Schnee heiress paused, deliberating, and put her finger up to discourage any disruptions. It appeared as if they would have sprung from more than just Blake. Weiss rolled her eyes. "Not because I'm against it, but because now we have to set up more rules, and I know for a fact that Yang is going to find ways to break every single one of them, just like she managed to do with the ones we made at the beginning of our first year."

Any tension that might have begun to build in the air was evaporated by that explanation. Nora even giggled and shared a knowing look with Pyrrha, who grinned and leaned over to kiss Jaune on the cheek. The poor boy blushed all the way to the tips of his ears. Blake admitted to feeling relieved that the issue was nothing short of an anticlimactic normal occurrence, as well, if she was honest with herself.

"I heard my name. What's up?" Yang might as well have materialized out of nowhere, her presence next to the bookworm was so sudden. She gave Blake a friendly wink before darting her gaze over each person's face and then focusing on Weiss. The amusement slowly died from her expression. "Are you giving this kitten a hard time again? You know I can't stand for that..."

Yang was probably one of the only people Blake knew who could so kindly, and with so much calm, insinuate that she was going to punch the individual she was talking with through a wall if they didn't smarten up – and it wouldn't be a threat. It would be a promise. And since Weiss had legitimately done nothing to deserve such a fate, Blake gently put her hand on Yang's upper arm, fingers grazing her iron-solid bicep, ensuring to first have her attention before she said, "Actually, Yang, Weiss was making a rather valid point..."

The girl in white was glaring, and spoke up just as Ruby was taking her spot beside her again, "Rules. We're going to make some, and I demand that you respect them, plus those we established before."

As if the seriousness of Weiss' tone hadn't registered, Yang started snickering and her muscles relaxed. "Blake and I barely even hold hands right now, and it's been a month already. I sorta doubt you'll find us making out on the bed anytime soon. Also, what are rules if not meant to be broken?"

"You got that right!"

"See? Even Nora agrees."

"Nora thinks it's okay to lock you and Blake up in a room forever, and break people's legs. I think her approval doesn't count."

"But does Ren share that opinion?"

"…"

"He nodded! Everything is valid!"

"Yang."

"What? Okay, so he didn't nod. Ruby, help me!"

"Uh, well...Weiss and Blake aren't wrong..."

And so it was settled.

That had been almost a week ago. They hadn't created any rules at that precise moment, but it was something they had sat down the next day to talk about, sometime after classes. It had been more important for them to enjoy the rest of their day at the carnival, once again going on rides as a group and taking the time to fully appreciate those leftover hours of respite. They hadn't returned to Beacon until late that same evening, exhaustion compelling them into their beds almost immediately. Nevertheless, they were satisfied with the events of their day, and their night's slumber had been both rewarding and undisturbed.

But, again, that had been a week ago. Blake was now in the middle of a combat examination in Professor Goodwitch's homeroom, and allowing her thoughts to vagabond would only interfere with her performance.

She was quick to return her focus to the battle at hand. Only two Creeps and three Beowolves remained from the most recent – and last – wave to defeat. Secretly, Blake was relieved to have taken down the King Taijitu early – although it had been a bit of a fluke, as killing the toughest Grimm monster in the group first was not her usual manner of proceeding. She had been forced into wasting precious energy by doing so, though, when the horde had made her retreat directly into the Taijitu's reach. Already being fatigued by fighting the previous bunches, Blake really had no other choice but to exterminate the more formidable foe before her strength was completely depleted.

Two Creeps and three Beowolves should not have been much more of a problem. But, as it was, she had been combatting wave after wave on her own for the better part of two hours, and she was tired. Her movements had slowed, her dance-like fighting style beginning to lose its purpose.

Dancing had its rules and rhythm, after all, but it could just as well be chaotic and desultory; she could learn the steps and even know them by heart, or she could let the cadence take her and influence her moves instead – instinctive, fierce, and lethal. The Grimm would be an example of inconsistent and disordered, but Blake wasn't stumped by this. Even chaos had a pulse, and all she needed to do was fall into sync, finding each creature's time – and then break it.

Ruthless. That's what she was. Adam had taught her to be so. The White Fang had inculcated savage insurrection while she had only strived for righteous justice. And if this struggle hadn't already turned her insane, then finding a balance between the former and the latter seemed to be a method within Blake's reach. Dip, jump, and twist into one – twirl, waltz, and slide into the other. Whatever was necessary. Synchronicity. Efficiency.

Exactly the things being incapacitated by her fatigue.

It would be important to note here, though, that the Grimm she was currently battling were not the original soulless monsters she was used to encountering, but rather tangible holograms Beacon materialized to test individuals or groups of students during exams. It was a fairly new system, built and set up at the beginning of RWBY's second year. Most classrooms were equipped to substantialize at least one holo-Grimm creature, with the exception of Professor Goodwitch's homeroom, which was designed much like a large auditorium to allow sparring matches between students. Several dozens of foes were therefore not uncommon.

Blake was at the end of her rope, though. It was one thing to fight Grimm for hours with a team, but it was an entirely different story doing it by herself. Her tactics rendered her a tenacious opponent, especially when she could leave a clone behind as a distraction when she needed a brief moment of respite. She was also one of the rare students who had endured until the last wave, but exhaustion had caused a collection of mistakes which had been taxing on her aura. She was operating on pure stubbornness more than anything else now.

Professor Goodwitch must have realized this, because when Blake landed and rolled back onto her feet after swiping through one of the Beowolves and firing Gambol Shroud at the second – noticing too late that the Creeps were charging at her from two different directions – and while she braced herself to parry the best she could, all the Grimm remaining suddenly vanished.

The immediate silence and lack of movement were destabilizing.

Blake blinked a few times, panting harshly, and taking a moment to realize the battle was actually over. Heart pounding, she slowly straightened from her crouched position and shut her eyes to find her calm and quiet the thudding in her ears. Almost two hours. Technically, it was an achievement – the simulation was automatically put to an end after two hours. But she hadn't defeated the final wave, and had the teacher not intervened, she would most likely have been wounded.

That hadn't happened to her in a long while.

"Congratulations, Miss Belladonna," Professor Goodwitch called out, and the sound of her brisk steps echoed a bit closer on the marble floor. "That was one of the more impressive scores I've evaluated this week."

Blake opened her eyes and reached back to put Gambol Shroud where it belonged against her shoulder blades. She turned to face the ascetic woman, breathing heavily through her nose but allowing the professor to know she had her attention.

Goodwitch was looking through the notes and information she had documented into her scroll. "There is a visible improvement in your technique, and you appear to be fighting with more confidence than you did at the beginning of the year. Making it to the last wave of Grimm before the two-hour mark is a testament to your effectiveness in combat – you are resolute and waste neither time nor energy, weaving implacable aggressiveness and shrewd restraint into a somewhat still awkward design, but you're getting there." She locked her piercing gaze with Blake's. "You can be proud of your progress and performance today, Miss Belladonna. You will receive a full report of your grades by the beginning of your summer vacation."

Blake nodded. "Thank you, Professor."

"I suggest you get some rest. Your final week of this academic cycle will be your harshest, as you must surely know."

Indeed. Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and all the other second-year teams would be sent out on various reconnaissance missions, adapted to their estimated competencies. They would be left on their own, though, and needed to prepare for an entire week of huntsmen work. Just as two hours of incessantly fighting holo-Grimm was to test individual students, this one week out in the field was to assess them as a team. They had been looking forward to it ever since Team CFVY had returned successful the previous year, and if RWBY organized themselves appropriately and made plans according to their given skills, the task would – should – be well within their range of capabilities, too.

"Of course." Blake nodded her head again, digressing from the conversation, and then slowly made her way out of Professor Goodwitch's homeroom. Her muscles were sore and her heart was still beating fast. Her clothes clung to her damp skin uncomfortably, and something about coming so close to being injured awoke unpleasant memories in her mind.

She had asked Adam to train her. Never again did she want to feel as helpless, as violated as she had been back then, some nine or so years ago. In so asking, a part of her had embraced the darkness – and skirted making love to it. Her entire past felt like one huge and irredeemable mistake. It was laughable that she would be here at Beacon, attempting to prove she was worth more than her regrettable history. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed to be all that defined her.

If she had known back then what she knew now...

I would have chosen to run anyway. Just not from them. From me.

Blake pushed the door open and stepped out into the hallway, caught in her somber ruminations. She turned to her left and kept walking, gaze lowered to the floor, and it was then that someone suddenly appeared beside her and slipped their arm around her waist, falling into step with her.

"Soooo? How'd it go?"

She knew it was Yang even without looking – the strength in her arms, the warmth radiating from her body, and the mixed scent of vanilla and gunpowder spoke for themselves. But Blake looked nevertheless, being rather surprised about, first, being pulled from her reverie (she hadn't expected anyone to be waiting for her), and second, that Yang was making it obvious to the public they were a couple. She wasn't holding Blake all that close – her touch on the silent girl's hip was light and casual – but it was nonetheless just intimate enough to be considered more than friendly.

"It went...well, I suppose." The young woman found herself glancing at each of the students' faces she walked by, searching for signs of disapproval, and the further they went, the more tightly strung Blake felt. Who was she to be seen at Yang's side like this? She was nothing but shadows and a mockery of a good person, a stain against the brilliance, a monster next to an angel.

She hadn't told Yang the whole truth, back at the carnival. The cat jokes were only part of a much greater problem.

"You 'suppose?'" Yang wondered with an amused arch of her eyebrows. "Don't get all shy on me. You're an absolutely amazing fighter, and you finished kinda early, so that means you must've totally kicked butt! C'mon, share the juicy details!"

Blake tried to ignore the utter confidence Yang had in her abilities, as finishing early could have just as well meant she had taken a beating and had been pulled from the battle before her aura was completely spent – which was what had technically happened, anyway. But in the end, Yang's trust became the proverbial pebble landing on a monument of precariously balancing boulders, tiny yet devastating by its weight. She couldn't bear it.

She was happy to have taken this step forward with Yang, of course…but it hadn't even been a week yet since they had gone public. Yes, they had set down a few rules, and there were some adjustments to make, but Yang couldn't have been entirely comfortable with all of it already. In fact, part of Blake had forgotten why Yang was even bothering to begin with.

The blonde didn't have to go out of her way like this.

"Actually, Yang... I'm sorry, but I'm gross from the evaluation, and I need a shower. Could you not have your arm around me right now, please?" She started to disengage herself from the lilac-eyed girl at the same time as making her request. She wasn't being dishonest, really. Blake legitimately did feel disgusting...but the fact that it extended beyond a layer of sweat was a detail her friend needn't have concern herself over.

Yang appeared mildly confused, but then she went along with it, retracting her arm as she said a little sheepishly, "Uh, yeah, sure. My bad. I guess I didn't notice because it doesn't bother me. Sorry about that. Heh." She chuckled, but it sounded a bit off, as if she were forcing herself. Yang couldn't lie to save her life, much unlike the ex-member of the White Fang. If Blake knew Yang at all, she was more than likely trying to ease the tension.

Blake spiraled further into the familiar whirlpool of self-hate she had created for herself. She had made Yang blame herself again. It wasn't fair. "No, Yang, you don't have to apologize. It's not you. It's..."

Me. It's always me. I'm everything wrong with you.

When Blake didn't finish her sentence, Yang seized the opportunity to lighten the mood. "You know, I'm pretty sure Weiss didn't mean 'No excessive touching' when she said, and I quote, 'No excessive touching,'" she teased playfully. "But hey, no harm done, right? It's better to let me know than to do something you don't like...so thanks for telling me!"

Everything.

Yang wasn't stupid. She knew what Blake had been about to say. But she hadn't pressed the matter. Instead, she had offered honest gratitude. And while it embraced the Faunus' front, it simultaneously – albeit unwittingly – twisted the self-inflicted blade in her back, reinforcing her conviction that she was undeserving of Yang's affection, that she was the chilling breeze threatening to snuff out the flame. Blake had witnessed and taken part in far too many crimes to not perceive their intimate bite, and this was one mortal sin she couldn't make herself guilty of. Yet heartache made her unable to let go.

The beauty within the beast was a mere childhood fantasy, after all. The idea of it was flawed at its core. A monster was a monster – there was no changing it, and there certainly wasn't anything beautiful about it. And so...Blake would never truly be able to mix the two. She would forever be...an "awkward design," trying to be the former when it was obvious she would always and solely be the latter – the beastly half. An imposter.

The rest of the way back to the girls' dorm wasn't an effortless walk for Blake. She tried to distract her thoughts, and Yang helped by prompting her to recount the details of her evaluation and generally being supportive and encouraging, but when Blake was finally able to seclude herself in the bathroom, leaving Yang to start studying with Weiss and Ruby, it was somewhat of a relief. The weight of her inadequacy next to the sun personified had become heavy indeed. And she felt awful for it.

Her shower was quick, just long enough to scrub herself clean from the sweat. She didn't particularly like being under any kind of water, especially because it was too easy to get in her ears – and that wasn't a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, there still lacked nifty inventions for the inconveniences of being a Faunus in a society that had prioritized the everyday wellbeing of the humans for so long, and unless she had a bath (an egregious prospect), Blake had to be extra careful when washing her hair.

When she had the time, like now, after her shower, Blake would also take advantage of these private moments to massage the feline appendages at the top of her head. She wore her bow regularly, and after several hours of being constrained, the sensitive members became sore and uncomfortably warm. She didn't want her friends seeing what other consequences she dealt with as a Faunus. She knew they would insist for her to leave the bow off, and she was all too aware their suggestions would be well-intentioned and aimed at putting her at ease with who she was, but...

She couldn't detach herself from it completely. Not yet – even if the White Fang had been disbanded for almost a year now. Perhaps the apprehension was irrational, perhaps not. But she preferred keeping her heritage discreet during classes and in public, where too many judging and scheming eyes still lurked.

There was a time when she would have been proud of the furry ears protruding from her hair. Survival, however, had taught her the harsh reality of such naivety.

Her fingers started at the back, gentle but accurate and experienced by force of habit. They slowly moved to the caudal borders – the outer sides – and Blake paused, just as she had done countless of occasions in the past. Her left cat ear had a scar at the base, a thin, unfeeling line where the nerves had been severed, just below the cutaneous marginal pouch, which testified to a once cruel injury. She passed her index over it, a light touch which had long ago become mechanical after verifying the wound to the point of obsession when it was still fresh, ensuring that it healed well and didn't bleed again.

And heal it did – achingly, gradually, but it did. Except it didn't. No, the cut it had carved into Blake's heart persisted. A vital part of her had been damaged, had fed venom into her veins, and had altered the very foundations of her reasoning and beliefs. Suddenly, the White Fang's monologues weren't just ingrained into her – they made sense. Motivated by seemingly vindicated shame and hurt, Blake had then walked the tortured path of cold determination to never again fall prey to such weakness, blocking out the world and trusting no one – no one but Adam. And she trained. And she fought. And she died inside.

Mistakes. Nothing but mistakes, at the expense of her self-worth, and almost at the cost of her life.

I betrayed myself.

There was no pride to be drawn from her cat ears.

Blake finished her ministrations after five minutes, and as she put her clothes on, she began to mentally prepare herself for the studying she had to do, forcing her thoughts from dark reflections and onto more practical topics. Feeling physically clean and less sore made the task arduous instead of impossible, much to her relief. The next exam for her Aura Theory class was on semblances, a detailed analysis of their effects, methods of manipulation, and the basis of their phenomena. It was a rather interesting subject, actually, and Blake was looking forward to testing her knowledge and memory. She knew she still had holes to fill and flaws to correct.

Another five minutes later, and she opened the door to be met with the not-too-surprising sight of Ruby precariously hanging off her top bunk, reading her textbook with her head facing the floor while Weiss sat at the desk, scribbling notes and generally appearing more productive than her partner. And Yang was...

Not studying, if the quiet sounds coming from her scroll and the way her fingers moved on the surface were any indication. Also, she was laying on the floor in a haphazard manner, just about as strange as Ruby's position, what with the way her calves rested on Blake's bed and her thighs pressed against the side of it. This caused Blake to slowly shake her head, half in amusement, half in exasperated disbelief. That girl.

"What a funny approach you have to schoolwork, Yang," she commented with no particular intonation. Upon realizing she sounded a tad critical by her choice of words, she added, "Is something wrong?"

There were two reasons why Yang might have been procrastinating. She was either bored...or there was a problem on her mind which prevented her from focusing. Both were equally possible. If it was the latter, Blake would do her utmost to alleviate the burden.

Mischievous lilac eyes locked with guarded yellow-amber, and a deliberate grin spread across inviting lips, causing the Faunus to wonder if sunrises were beautiful at all compared to such life and warmth. "Blake! Did you know occupying your mind with –"

"Yang."

The golden girl laughed, apparently finding it comical that Blake wouldn't humor her, and the darkly dressed young woman was forced to assume she was just unexcited with studying. "Okay, kitten. You're right." Yang snickered again, closing her scroll, and then swung her legs off her girlfriend's bed before jumping to her feet.

"I swear it's like magic," Weiss muttered from her seat. She turned in her chair to scrutinize the duo with a frown. "Even Ruby can't get her to smarten up like that."

The younger half-sibling giggled, raising her book so her face was visible to the team. "Blake just says her name, and voila!"

Yang shrugged, a casual movement far too impish to be considered careless. "What can I say? Her bow is off – I can't resist." Flippant as ever, she beamed and winked at her partner. "So? Where do we start?"

Blake had to take a brief moment to consider the possibility of the statement her teammate had just spouted, and then decided to discard it as mere playful teasing –just like the rest of the conversation, in fact. She had no control over Yang whatsoever. If the blonde listened to the raven-haired girl's advice about taking her grades seriously more than she did Ruby's – her own flesh and blood and her leader – then it was her own choice. Her reasons seemed regrettable, however. Ruby's suggestion to study should have carried more weight than Blake's. Actually, Ruby's suggestions concerning just about everything involving their performance as a team should have been important to Yang. She was her younger sister, her best friend. They had gone through so much together, and Blake had no right to take her place. Nevertheless, the Faunus was surprised and secretly pleased by her companion's whimsical response. She would never encourage it, though, out of respect for Ruby's status.

"Come with me," Blake offered, ignoring absolutely everything that had just been said. She grabbed the books she needed before heading for the dorm's exit. "Maybe a change in decor will help you concentrate."

"Ooooh, I like where this is going," Yang tossed flirtatiously, and as Ruby stifled a laugh, Weiss snorted in disbelief before returning to her notes, apparently fed up with the discussion. The brawler seemed not to notice, starting to collect her own textbooks from her bed, where the stuffed panther Blake had gifted her now lived – she slept with it – but then she paused. "So, where are we going, exactly?"

Blake rolled her eyes. Of course Yang would put on a show of confidence, only to immediately render it meaningless by such a question. "The library. We can find a quiet spot to research and memorize the material we need for the exam." They were both taking Aura Theory, after all. She gave Ruby a warning glance, as the redhead seemed hell-bent on teasing them. "And by that, I mean nothing else but schoolwork."

Ruby smiled innocently, and her older sister scoffed as she made her way towards Blake. "Ouch, what a mood-killer. And here I was, thinking you wanted me all to yourself!"

Of course I do. What I don't want is this facade you're putting on for me.

Instead, Blake finally reacted to the gibe, albeit half-heartedly. "Oh, woe is me. The devilishly handsome temptress strikes again." She opened the door. "Now stop with the jokes and come."

Yang cackled, and the pair was out of the room just as Ruby was calling out something about avoiding the intimate corners of the library. Blake's sensitive hearing picked up on giggling and then the sound of someone hitting the floor bodily, which was then followed by painful groans and a series of frustrated exclamations from Weiss.

Why, yes. Precariously indeed.

The sun was beginning to set, bathing the library in an orange glow and making the aimlessly drifting motes of dust in the air visible. It was rather silent in the large, spacious chamber, except for the occasional electronic beeps of the computer consoles being used by other students. There were a few quiet conversations taking place, but for the most part, the atmosphere allowed for peace and focus.

Near the back of the hall, sitting at one of the many tables beside the large windows, were a girl in yellow and another in black. They were facing each other, small piles of books having accumulated on the surface before them as they searched for the information and answers they needed to pass their upcoming test.

"How does one measure the approximate auric field of its source caster, and why is this relevant?" Blake wondered, holding one textbook in front of her as she gazed at Yang in patient expectation of an answer. They had been studying and bouncing questions off each other for the past couple of hours, keeping track of the notes they deemed important by saving them into their scrolls. They would be able to revise and quickly quiz each other later that way.

Yang had started to yawn, but then she gave Blake a confused look, as if she had been thunderstruck. "Uh, wha? You can measure a person's auric field?"

Blake tilted her head a little. "Yang, we just went over this five minutes ago..."

If Yang became anymore sheepish, she might well turn into a sheep. "Uh, yeah, but...well, I guess I just need a brief reminder?"

Blake raised her eyebrows, all too aware that her active girlfriend was probably reaching unexplored levels of boredom. Nevertheless, she gave her a chance and obliged, knowing Yang was intelligent and could apply herself with care, given proper motivation. "Aura is a naturally occurring force. The unmitigated effects and range of its power are still unknown, but once awakened, it can be sensed by others who also possess an active aura, thereby making it possible to receive a relative measurement of the amount an individual has. Some are particularly attuned to it – such as Ren, for example. But much like electromagnets and energy, an auric field is calculable with the help of an equation. What is that equation, and why is it important to know the math of it?"

"...Yes."

Blake blinked, waiting for an elaboration, but when she realized Yang wasn't going to provide one, she creased her eyebrows. "That's not an answer. You aren't your uncle, and you aren't drunk...although I suppose I'm repeating myself. But I digress. We were just reading about the math process – you have it in your mind, and I know you can remember it."

Yang chuckled before roughly running her fingers through her lustrous blonde locks and sighing heavily. It was fascinating, really, how she spoke with her whole body, and the utter loss and fatigue she expressed now was a far cry from the dullness Blake had initially presumed. "I don't know, Blake. I can't focus. I'm sorry."

It was becoming evident indeed that Yang was more than just unexcited about her schoolwork. Why she had chosen to hide her disquietude, and even more so how Blake had neglected to see beyond the playful jesting, were both mysteries. Blake could remedy at least one of the two, though, and wouldn't ignore the signs a second time after noticing them. Third time, actually. She was already kicking herself for being too preoccupied with her own self-degrading castigations to give Yang's feelings the concern they deserved. Oh, the irony.

Blake carefully put the book down in front of her. "Don't apologize. What's wrong?" She regarded her sunray intently, giving her undivided attention.

Despondency suited Yang just about as well as an infant's boots fit an adult. Neither did, and both were rather painful to watch. She looked around, as if her surroundings would somehow lend inspiration or whatever help she was searching for, before settling her gaze on the dark-haired girl across the table and sighing again. "Can I ask you something?" she wondered, finally.

"I'm all ears. Two pairs of them, even." To emphasize, Blake twitched the feline members at the top of her head.

Yang beheld this with a curious mix of marvel and contemplation, and then lifted her hand a little. "Can I touch them?"

Although it was so spontaneously, so innocently, so genuinely Yang, that wasn't the reaction Blake had intended to elicit, and she would not, under any circumstance, reveal the sudden dread that clutched her. Instead, she reached for her girlfriend's upraised hand, and guided it down to the middle of the table, where she held it in both of her own gently – perhaps to pre-emptively soothe the coming disappointment, but also to ensure that Yang wouldn't try again. "No, you can't. And I'm assuming that wasn't what was bothering you, either." She had forced her tone to be soft, to swerve the topic away from her refusal and back towards Yang's queries.

"Right," came the short reply, Yang's attention again momentarily distracted by the small circles being traced on the back of her hand by Blake's thumb. But then amethyst met gold, and the Faunus had rarely seen Yang look this serious. "Blake, what are you expecting from this relationship?"

Blake froze, eyes locked with her partner's. There were a few responses she could have provided, such as enthusing about love or confiding wishes of forever and happiness – all those mushy, adorable, heartwarming, and, ultimately, hollow sentiments – and etcetera, but none of them were the kind being asked for. Nor were they satisfyingly honest. Blake had to break eye contact. Because of regret or shame or...no, it didn't matter why. "Nothing," she murmured, gazing down at their intertwined fingers. "Absolutely nothing."

A certain stillness hung in the air, silence engulfing the two as the warm, setting rays of the sun continued to bathe them in the colors of fire. Somewhere at the other end of the room – and it might as well have been at the other end of the world, for all the care given – the heavy entrance doors of the library closed shut, signaling the departure of a few more students.

"...I don't understand," Yang finally found her voice, and she sounded both concerned and stunned. "Why? I-I mean... Why?"

Something about the stress in her tone made Blake quickly look back up at her, and her eyes widened slightly. Yang wasn't just bewildered...she was hurt, and it tore through Blake almost physically. This was her fault. Again. Yet the words still wouldn't come to her lips, the ones her love wanted to hear and had ever so kindly been asking for, even since day one.

Faced with Blake's muteness, Yang gained an impression of composure – if a firm, almost unyielding expression could be considered as such, that is. She suddenly stood from her seat, keeping their hands interlocked, and said, "Your turn to follow me. We need to talk."

Yang had used that inflection on Blake once before. Back then, however, through her boggled, sleep-deprived, and Torchwick-obsessed mind, Blake had attempted to resist it and had, of course, failed miserably. In hindsight, it had been for the best. Today, with her thoughts clear and paying a special attention to it, the raven-haired girl found herself seized with how caustic Yang's tone of voice was – in the 'capable of burning' definition of the term. It usually wasn't safe to play with flames, and if Blake was truthful, she didn't particularly want to find out what would happen if she did.

She rose from her chair and tailed Yang without protesting.

They left their books behind, but that proved not to be a problem as it seemed the riled young woman hadn't planned on bringing Blake very far. Yang guided her past a few rows of bookshelves, to the back of the chamber, through the glass doors located nearby, and onto the wide balcony outside.

The early summer air caressed their skins and carried the fragrance of grass and moonflowers to their noses, and now the comfortable rays of the sun seemed to welcome them with an embrace. The beeping of computer consoles was replaced by the pleasant chirps and songs of various birds, and the only sound hinting at not having stepped into a peaceful, vivid dream was the far off chatter of students enjoying the weather someplace else within Beacon's campus.

The layout of the balcony allowed for a few more tables, all of them empty, but Yang pulled Blake to the white cement parapet, where she let go of her hand to place both of her own on the edge and inhaled deeply. They were a few dozen feet above ground level, and although part of the view was obstructed by one of the academy's shorter spires, it was beautiful nevertheless.

Blake tentatively leaned against the safeguard next to her partner, remaining quiet, waiting for her to speak her mind. She was fairly certain there was a reason for having come out here, after all.

When she turned to face Blake, Yang appeared to have calmed somewhat. She didn't express herself immediately, however, as if she were considering the best way to do so, and Blake began to worry. Yang's lilac gaze was intense, ardent, and if she had to think about her words before saying them…

Some of the hurt she must have felt was apparent in her voice when she started talking. "When I said I would try to reciprocate your feelings, I meant it. Every word. And ever since we agreed to become a couple, I have been putting every effort I could spare into loving you as more than a friend. If I could just make you smile, if I could just satisfy your want for my affection...if I could just make you happy." Yang paused, and her expression contorted, as if it couldn't decide between pain and frustration.

A knot formed in Blake's throat. They had already addressed this.

"Except there's a problem. I can't do it on my own. Literally zero relationships last if there's only one person trying. And Blake? I have been in that kind of situation before, and it's exhausting. I have this tendency to give all of myself – no hesitation, all or nothing – and you know what? Most of the time, I'm happy that way, because it's rewarding. I mean, you know that motto – treat people the way you want to be treated, and they tend to do exactly that. There's the ones that just don't, obviously, like out of spite or something – can't stand the cute happy-go-luckies, and the joke's on them. Others don't care enough, or once they've bled you dry, they leave you there like you never mattered in the first place."

Yang was talking out of experience. And for the most part, and in contrast to Blake, she seemed emotionally unaffected by her past – yet it was evident she had learned from her mistakes and knew what she didn't appreciate. The turn their conversation was taking was beginning to cause much apprehension in Blake.

"But then there's you." Yang regarded the Faunus, uncertain. "I know you do care, and you're definitely not a lost cause. But every time I try to get closer, you step back – as if, for some reason, even if you say you love me, you don't want this relationship and are just going through the motions because I suggest we should. I mean, you weren't even the one to ask me out! And no matter what I efforts I make, no matter how much of myself I give, you refuse to share yourself in equal measure. And, I dunno, maybe I've entirely overlooked the definitions of introverted and reserved, maybe I don't know you as well as I thought I did and I'm completely wrong about all of this, but at some point...it just doesn't make sense." She sighed, and her shoulders slumped along with her exhale. "All I want is to understand, Blake. Work with me. Try me."

Blake swallowed with difficulty. Every single word had struck home and only enforced her helplessness. Her cat ears twitched as the gentle breeze touched them, and she had to blink back tears. "I don't think you can understand, Yang," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

But Yang was quick to reply. "Is this about you being a Faunus?" she asked softly, not offended in the slightest. "Because I'm pretty sure I can meet you halfway – but you're gonna have to actually explain it to me first." Her gaze betrayed her hurt. "Please, Blake. Give me – give us a chance. I want to know more about you, to be able to love you like I know you love me." Yang had one hand on her hip, the other supporting her weight on the parapet. Her demeanor was inviting – if not a little sorrowful – and any signs of frustration were gone now that she had spoken her feelings.

Blake's heart began to pound in her chest as she was gripped with the realization that no one had ever insisted on knowing her this deeply before. No one had searched to understand her point of view as a Faunus, despite the gap created by being from a different species. It was so sweet, so naive, so untainted by prejudice and opinion, as though Yang truly saw her as her equal and everything could be overcome with a simple chat. Was this girl even real? Or was she a figment of Blake's imagination?

She looked away, forced to remain silent as she attempted to compose herself. It was impossible for a human to comprehend, of course. They did not possess an instinctual sixth sense; they did not have night vision nor were their other five senses as developed as the Faunus'. And they certainly didn't have bizarre urges randomly prompting them to act like animals. She could explain her perspective, and Yang might have a certain grasp of it and be capable of envisioning what it must be like, but she would never fully empathize.

However, Yang was also sincere and well-intentioned. She had opened her heart to Blake and was offering her partner a final ultimatum to try and do the same. That's all Yang wanted. Just a chance. And she was still waiting, patient and kind and amazing and worth more than anything the ex-member of the White Fang ever deserved.

Blake found herself digging her fingers into the cement of the parapet. She stared at them, and finally opened her mouth. "I can't tell you everything in one conversation. It's too much. But I'll share a bit. You've been more than generous with me, and I've been awful."

She managed to relax her fingers and exhaled slowly. Yang didn't have to empathize. Demanding that from her would have proven Blake to be both a hypocrite and unreasonably harsh. True understanding wasn't necessary. Mutual respect and appreciation was. Yang appeared to stand behind both beliefs, and there was the common ground between the two companions. It was a leap of faith, then. Blake had never been good with those. But a glance towards Yang allowed her to muster up the remaining courage she needed to continue.

"I didn't expect anything from this relationship because I never thought – never dreamed – you would agree and even, as you said, be the one to initiate it. I admitted my love because I just couldn't keep it to myself anymore. You were always there, making feel like I was somehow important, and I can't count how many times I've wanted to tell you. But I don't believe you could ever feel the same way I do." Blake smiled sadly, longingly. "You're…a lot of things I wish I was, and if I compare myself to you, I constantly come to the same conclusion: who in their right mind believes they deserve the sun? I have nothing good to give you, Yang, and you…you don't need me to shine this brilliantly." She would have said more, but she had to stop talking. Her throat was too tight and she wouldn't make an even greater fool out of herself.

"Blake, you're spiraling." Yang gently grabbed the bookworm's shoulders, inciting Blake to face her friend. Her hands found Blake's face, cupping her jaw, and a single tear escaped one of Blake's eyes. "Hey, come back to me, kitten." Yang's voice was soft, reassuring. "Yeah, two perks of my semblance are fire and heat, and I guess that makes me kind of like a really tiny sun – like, an itty bitty baby one – but I think you've been giving me too much credit and too little for yourself." She wiped away the tear with her thumb and smiled encouragingly. "We're just two normal people, Blake, and if you really wanna use metaphors, then darkness isn't the right word to describe you. You're more like the night sky. You're speckled with wonderful little lights than everyone seems to see except you, and you've helped me find my way more than once with your biggest, brightest star of all – you're a real friend, and there's no one's moral compass that I trust more than yours."

There were tears streaming freely down Blake's cheeks now, a silent testament to how deeply she was touched by her girlfriend's words. Yang pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly and saying nothing, allowing Blake to bury her face in the crook of her love's neck and draw strength from her embrace. Yang's warmth enveloped the smaller of the two, safe and mesmerizing and consoling, and somewhere at the back of her mind, Blake had a glimpse of beauty – as if, somehow, Yang could make Blake see the good in herself with the simple force of her heartening strength.

"I somehow convinced myself you were just forcing everything," she murmured, her voice hoarse. She laughed without humor, and found her hands gliding around Yang's back, fingers clutching her clothes and holding her closer. "I thought you didn't actually care that much. You, the embodiment of authentic. So, I assumed you would be more at ease if I pushed you away. I didn't want you doing anything you didn't want to."

Blake felt Yang turn her head a little, and became acutely aware of how near the blonde's lips were to one of her cat ears. She was somewhat distracted and assuaged, though, when Yang slowly glided her fingers through Blake's raven locks, tips grazing her spine on their descent – but she never once touched the feline appendages.

Probably taking into consideration where her mouth was, the golden girl seemed to know she had to speak quietly. "Blake…it's not a secret I'm a physical person. A lot of the time, I just go with what seems natural. I told you I was comfortable with the idea of you being my girlfriend. And I'm beginning to enjoy the relationship. It's very different, it's very new, but it's not unpleasant, and I do like the personal challenge of it. And being able to care for someone I'm close to is always a plus."

If Yang had been lying, if she had been forcing the words at all, Blake would have detected it. But she was being absolutely honest, and the wonders it operated for the Faunus' heartache were phenomenal.

"Also, your hair is totally the silkiest thing I've ever touched, and I'm never gonna get tired of doing this."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Blake's mouth. Yang always knew just the right words to say to lighten the mood – yet without erasing the sincerity and seriousness of their previous interactions – just a quick, spontaneous comment to level the rest. "Thank you, Yang," she murmured, doing her best to convey the tenderness she had been overwhelmed with in those three simple words. It would never be enough, though.

"Girlfriend or not, I would do anything for you, Blake." Yang's hand continued its incredibly relaxing caresses through Blake's hair, slow and gentle. "And I'm beginning to realize that maybe you need time, too. Have you ever allowed anyone this close to your heart before?"

Blake closed her eyes, resting her cheek against her sunshine's shoulder. The question should have spurred unbidden memories about Adam, probably, but with Yang's warmth against her and with her unique scent being all the bookworm could smell, the answer seemed easy enough to give. "No, not like this. I've never loved anyone…like this."

Yang's voice was sincere and affected. "Then I'm honored, and I will be patient with you. But…Blake?" She carefully pushed her partner away. Blake's hands glided from Yang's back to rest on her companion's waist as gold met lilac, and for a moment, Blake forgot how to breathe. If there was anywhere the sun personified looked most gorgeous, it was in the light of the setting sun, itself. The two friends were standing so close to each other, one of Yang's hands cupping Blake's jaw and the other still entangled in her hair.

"Yes?" Blake whispered, mesmerized and not daring to move.

"Let's both contribute, okay? I know it's difficult for you to believe this won't be another thing that'll hurt you…but I'm asking for your trust. Let's do this together, alright?" Yang's head seemed to duck a little, as if she were somehow shy, and the temptation to glance at her lips was nearly impossible to resist.

But Blake forced herself to focus. This was Yang's final condition. Having allegedly already been in a relationship where she had been the only one trying, she refused to exhaust herself again in another. And Blake would not do that to Yang. Her girlfriend would be patient with Blake, but the raven-haired girl had to work at sharing herself with Yang and allow herself to hope the relationship could last. Efforts on both ends – a couple was composed of two people, not one. And the fact that Yang seemed so confident she could learn to love Blake romantically should have been all the reason the Faunus needed to believe in her companion – an opportunity to show Yang, despite whatever the future held, just how much she loved her.

Blake couldn't take that for granted. There were very few people selfless and adventurous enough to willingly and steadfastly engage in a relationship which, for all intents and purposes, would make them uncomfortable on a regular basis – just for the sake of the other person.

Yang deserved much more than a chance.

Blake shook herself from her trance and mustered up her courage to lay a soft kiss on Yang's cheek. "I'll give you my best," she murmured, making it a personal promise she firmly intended on keeping.

"I know you will," Yang grinned as she stepped away, a radiant, touching thing to see, one Blake's heart fluttered over and felt gratified for having been the cause of. Her partner grabbed her hand and winked. "Okay, so I'm all good to focus on studying now. Gotta get that done so we can rest enough for the mission, right? How about you?"

Blake couldn't help the affectionate simper that crossed her lips. Resolutions agreed upon, tension dissipated, goals to work towards, and Yang back to her chipper self – a real combination of things to make Blake feel quite a bit better. Quite a lot better, actually. But there was one last unresolved issue. Just a minor one. "Sure, but just so you know, the moon isn't a star."

Yang sighed dramatically. "Blake, just go with it! You have a full, nice, and bright moo –"

"Right, before that turns into a pun, lead the way."

"And I can see the amount of work you invest in it."

Honestly, Blake's eyeroll skills would reach mastery levels with this relationship. "Please, stop."

"How's mine?" Yang waggled her eyebrows, turning her lower body a bit.

Golden eyes quickly averted elsewhere – anywhere but there – and cheeks burned. Wait, no. Ugh. "Get it moving before I kick you."

Laughing now – or, at least, Yang was laughing and Blake was quietly dying inside from embarrassment while somehow still bathing in joy – they intertwined their fingers and made their way back inside the library to continue their research.

Chapter Text

To say the least, Yang was enjoying herself. Smirking, she quickly sidestepped, swerving out of her opponent's line of sight in the nick of time. Fist failing to connect with its intended target, her adversary stumbled forward with their momentum. Before they could recover, Yang gave them a little offending push on the back, effectively causing them to tumble to the mat with a surprised "Oomph!"

The brawler's smirk turned into a wide grin. "C'mon, Rubes! You got this!" she called out to the red heap of a body that was her sibling.

Ruby groaned and made a show of feebly attempting to sit, but then, pretending to be utterly spent, just collapsed again. She said something; however, her voice was muffled because her face was pressed against the sparring mat.

Yang chuckled. "Sorry, there, sis." She raised her voice to make sure Ruby made out her next words. "I couldn't hear you because my ears are all locked up!" It was probably one of the worst puns she had ever made because it was such a stretch…but Yang was proud of it, like all her jokes. Well, most of them. But still. Either way, her hair was so thick and wild that her wordplay might have even held a hint of truth.

She knew her puns were bad if she had to justify them even to herself.

"You could at least say something that isn't complete gibberish," Weiss huffed indignantly from where she was situated on the benches further off, but she was mostly ignored. As bad as her joke had been, when it came to Weiss, Yang would defend every single one of them to the death. To Weiss', that is.

However, bad or not, Ruby did giggle at the pun and managed to get to her feet, turning to face her older sister. "If you're done being the lamest comedian I've ever known, I'll totally show you I do got this!" She raised her fists in a friendly challenge.

Yang beamed and moved into position as well, glancing at her surroundings before focusing on Ruby. They were in the vast gymnasium of Beacon's facilities, using their time off between exams to train. There were other students present, their voices and occasional yells echoing off the walls of the large chamber, but none of them were close enough to worry about.

For the past few months, Yang had been teaching Ruby the basics of kickboxing under the pretense that it was vital in case she lost her scythe, Crescent Rose, in battle or couldn't have it with her at a moment's notice. As dubious as such circumstances were, they were not impossible – in fact, it was one such occasion that had almost been the death of her in the past – and so it was a precautionary measure born of past experiences. Yang worried for her younger sibling, after all.

Ruby had accepted enthusiastically – thrilled for the one-on-one time she would get to spend with her adored sister – and had made phenomenal progress over just a short period. Yang had even been able to start showing her more advanced techniques over the course of the recent weeks. It went without saying that Yang always had a reason to be proud of RWBY's leader. Ruby was constantly learning and improving in many areas of her life.

Yang returned her attention to the friendly battle at hand. They had decided against using their semblances, but despite this and Ruby's lack of expertise, the girl in red could give the brawler a good fight for at least a minute or two when she applied herself.

...But then Yang would step up her game and immediately take advantage of the first mistake Ruby made, as she had just done moments ago. She would always do so with a self-assured grin – Yang was a bit of a show-off that way.

Ruby never seemed to mind, though. They were both having an equal amount of fun doing this.

They circled, silver and lilac locked as they jounced on their feet and protected their faces with their fists. The brunette suddenly hopped forward and jabbed low. Yang crunched and parried. She would have slammed her elbow into Ruby's upper back, but the younger teen was prepared and tacked backwards. Without missing a beat, she punched Yang's face while there was an opening.

Or, rather, she tried to. Yang grabbed her fist, winked, and then pulled. Her sister crashed head-first into the mat – however, she swung her leg out to trip the taller of the two, who merely jumped and then stepped away to regain her bearings.

"Oh, nice one!"

Ruby rolled over herself once and then was up on her feet again as well, silver eyes twinkling in pleasure and mirroring her sibling's regard. They both knew who would be the winner of this fight, but by no means did it diminish the enjoyment of it.

There was a movement from the corner of Yang's left eye that momentarily distracted her. A certain dark-haired someone had just entered and taken a seat beside Weiss. Yang grinned and returned her attention to Ruby…

Too late.

Her aura was protecting her from physical harm, but Yang nevertheless felt the punch in her stomach and it did still wind her. She doubled over, and Ruby only had to kick her behind one calf to bring her to her knees.

Through her shock at having been defeated so quickly, Yang was only somewhat aware of the speedy monster hopping around her victoriously. "What was that about never taking your eyes off your opponent?" Ruby teased before giggling happily.

When Yang found her breath, she began laughing. By no means was her pride hurt – in fact, it swelled for her leader. She had listened well. Ruby extended her hand and Yang took it firmly, allowing the smaller of the two to help her to her feet. "You deserved that one," Yang admitted with a snicker, patting her sister on the back. She glanced towards the benches and added loudly, "I mean, if Blake hadn't strutted in here like she owned the place or something, I would've totally won."

Blake visibly rolled her eyes, but one corner of her lips lifted upwards into a half-smirk.

"Excuses, excuses!" Ruby said in singsong, grabbing her bottle of water nearby and taking a swig. "Also, since when did Blake get here?" She looked over at the duo seated on the benches, perplexed. But then she shrugged and returned her attention to Yang. "Dad would be ashamed of you for letting some girl shift your focus from the combat," she added before wiping her mouth and simpering, effectively removing any bite that might have been present from her statement.

"Oh, you're really looking for it if you're bringing dad into this," Yang responded with an amused smile. She raised her hands, wiggling her fingers as a playful threat.

The truth was that the extrovert didn't mind at all if their father had been mentioned. He was the one, after all, who had taught her how to fight – and he had done it very well. For all his faults, Taiyang couldn't be reproached for his earnest teaching of the martial arts to his eldest daughter. That said, Yang did find Ruby's comment a little bizarre for the way she had said "girl." Yang would have never been distracted by some girl. A boy, probably – if he was particularly tall, ripped, and handsome with stormy green eyes… – but some girl?

Just Blake. Blake was an exception. At least, that was the plan.

Upon realizing the threat Yang's fingers represented, Ruby's eyes widened, and she squeaked, bolting in a flurry of rose petals to join Weiss on the benches and attempt to hide behind her. This caused the heiress to frown and lean away from their leader. "If you think I'm going to protect you from that oaf…" Her frown turned into a scowl.

"Who're you calling an oaf?" Yang challenged lightly as she approached the trio on the benches, putting her hands on her hips to feign offense. She knew her grin would betray her mirth.

"Don't pretend you don't know," Blake interjected in her calm voice. Her golden eyes met Yang's lilac, and by the way they inspired teasing malice, it was clear the Faunus was just playing along – as she often did when she was in a good mood.

Ever the one to take advantage of such situations, Yang was quick to point at the black-haired young woman. "Listen here, you!"

There was a pause, the girls waiting in patient expectation for Yang to air her grievances.

Failing to come up with anything witty, she simply exclaimed, raising herself to her full height, "Fight me!"

Legs crossed, Blake leaned her chin on the palm of her hand and regarded Yang with a look that was nothing short of the epitome of unimpressed.

Yang glanced at Ruby and Weiss for help. Upon meeting her gaze, Ruby smiled and began chanting quietly, "Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight." That wasn't helpful, and she was rapidly shushed with a glare from her partner and another threat of curled fingers from her sister. That munchkin was just begging for a good tickling.

"Well, since Ruby insists…" Blake slowly stood, a half-smirk forming on her lips again.

Yang grinned from ear to ear. The two teammates had sparred several times in the past. It wasn't a matter of gauging who was the best combatant between the two – rather, it was to work on their weaknesses and hone their strengths. Doing homework with Blake, while informative, was nothing like fighting with her. The lithe young woman was swift and agile on her feet, more than capable of meeting Yang strike for strike, and even forcing the brawler to push herself – pick up the pace and think not only faster but smarter, too. Brute force alone would almost never undo Blake Belladonna – it was too slow, too obvious, and really only proved effective if the Faunus was fatigued. Yang had quickly learned to use restraint and wait for the most opportune moment to give a devastating blow, combining wits with power.

And Yang loved testing her limits and improving her techniques, something that fighting Blake offered in spades.

"Come get it, partner," the blonde taunted mischievously, raising her fists and hopping backwards, returning to the sparring mat.

Blake didn't take the bait. In fact, she seemed to dangle one herself as she took a moment to stretch her muscles, deliberately unhurried and seemingly bored. Yang put her hands on her hips again, tempted to bite. Pride and amusement instead made her stand there and watch this rare show of confidence. Blake often won these matches between them, after all.

Finally, the ninja joined Yang on the mat. Their gazes locked, and the robust woman moved into a defensive position, keeping her center of gravity low while she evaluated her teammate, who returned in kind.

Blake's bow was straight on her head, betraying how her cat ears were on high alert. Her golden gaze was unwavering and focused. One corner of her mouth was lifted only slightly, the shadow of a smile. She was in a good mood, and she was apparently looking forward to the fight.

Yang grinned and beckoned with her fingers for Blake to attack first. It had already been clear she would to begin with – her posture betrayed her intention, from the way her torso leaned forward a bit and the tension in her long legs, ready to propel her into motion.

Blake didn't hesitate. As she jumped into the air, Yang dove to the mat and rolled, immediately turning around before she was even on her feet. She barely parried the kick to her face with her forearm. Yang jabbed with her other fist, narrowly missing Blake's jaw. The Faunus summersaulted backwards and Yang took a step back just in time to avoid Blake's soles.

The brawler went after the ninja, who recovered from her acrobatics and ducked beneath Yang's punch before tackling her midriff. Yang was winded as Blake's shoulder connected, and the girl in black pushed forward with surprising strength, lifting her partner's heavier weight enough to send her sprawling into the mat.

Man, she's fast.

Yang wouldn't be defeated that easily, however. She encircled Blake's waist with her thighs and gained the upper hand with a powerful surge and roll, grunting with the effort it took to get Blake on her back. Before she could immobilize Blake's wrists, the smaller of the two sent the palm of her hand straight into Yang's chin. Yang's head snapped back, and her teammate seized the opportunity to shove her off.

Immediately, the two got back to their feet and faced each other.

"Go, Yang!" Ruby cheered. "You can do it!"

Beginning to feel pumped and encouraged by her younger sister's shout, Yang charged at Blake. The dark-haired girl was instantly ready to defend herself and quickly parried Yang's jabs one after the other with her palms and forearms. Yang jumped and twisted into a roundabout kick, knocking Blake in the shoulder and causing her a momentary loss of balance. Their gazes met, and Yang winked, grabbing Blake's arm and using the opening to send her fist careening into the Faunus' face.

Too late. Blake had already recovered and gripped Yang's arm, too, and let herself swing down, directly between the blonde's legs. Before Yang even knew it, she found herself staring up at the ceiling high above, having executed a forced frontal flip. And then a slight dizziness set in, making her realize she had hit her head on the sparring mat.

Blake's face appeared above her, concern etched in her features. "Are you okay?"

Yang blinked but then grinned as she felt her semblance sparking within, bringing the world back into focus. "You bet, babe!" She grabbed each side of her girlfriend's head and slammed her forehead into the bridge of Blake's nose. Yang only needed to let go for Blake to reel backwards, hand over her face.

The robust woman jumped to her feet, laughing. That was a defeat for her partner, the first time ever! Blake had to be losing her edge – disconcerting as it may be, that move hadn't been anything special. To be fair, Blake hadn't held back, either.

Yang turned and outstretched her hand towards Blake, who glared up at her as she lightly prodded her nose for any damage. "Oh, c'mon. Your aura took the brunt of that." Amused lilac met sharp golden.

Blake regarded Yang and then gripped her friend's hand.

…Only to pull her down roughly, and Yang found herself unexpectedly smooching the mat. It was unpleasantly salty – not the greatest experience. Nevertheless, the goofball started cackling as she rolled over. Blake had her eyebrows arched, but she looked rather amused, too.

"I love it when you're feisty," Yang giggled, and then stretched her arms out behind her head. "So, that was a tie?"

The quiet introvert smiled a little then, finally, and said, "No. You won. I underestimated you…somehow."

Yang sat up next to her girlfriend, leaning back on her hands and sharing an affectionate look with Blake. The lilac-eyed girl knew Blake hadn't truly lost her edge – if anything, given the friendly circumstances of the fight, Blake had merely allowed herself to show more worry than usual for Yang's wellbeing. Yang wasn't going to complain – not only was it kind of adorable, but it had enabled her to win the battle. This dating idea was really starting to grow on her.

"You were distracted by all this crazy hotness," Yang teased, gesturing at her own body. "I mean, I know I'm irresistible, but you gotta control yourself, Blakey…"

Blake smirked and stood. "Oh, yes. Nothing more attractive than a head so big it can't fit through the doorframe. Absolutely." She began walking back towards Ruby and Weiss, every bit as flippant as Yang could be. But probably better, too, because Blake had that sass about her.

Blake was particularly great when she was in a good mood, Yang decided. And if she had any say in it, Yang would definitely try to upkeep her girlfriend's happiness. The golden girl hopped to her feet and caught up to the Faunus. She was about to casually put her arm around Blake's shoulders but then, remembering that the bookworm didn't like being touched when she was sweaty, promptly lowered her hand.

Blake seemed to notice, though. "It's okay. Only this once." She glanced at the blonde, vague amusement lingering in her gaze.

Yang raised her eyebrows in surprise, but was quick to grin and sling her arm across Blake's shoulders. It was actually kind of nice being so affectionate with someone again. The duo came to stand in front of Ruby and Weiss. "So? What do we do next?"

The two shorter girls shared a look, and then Ruby was on her feet, too. "Team RWBY! Let's assemble in the simulation chamber!"

Weiss suddenly frowned. "Excuse me. That's not what I thought we agreed on. Shouldn't we start packing?"

Ruby blinked and then paused to consider her teammate. "Um, well… But, isn't it too early to pack? We're only leaving in three days and –"

"That's exactly the point! We're already late!"

The girl in red bit her bottom lip, appearing rather uncertain about how to proceed next. Yang knew her little sister like the back of her hand – Ruby wanted to train. Setting up for a mission, while not exactly boring, was not, by any means, the mission, itself. That said, Weiss' manner of speaking to Ruby wasn't something Yang appreciated. Still, the young leader insisted on being grown up, and Yang wouldn't always be there to intervene. She had learned to let Ruby deal with Weiss on her own. Mostly.

"One round in the SC. Then we can pack," Yang suggested, sending Weiss a warning glance and tightening her hold on Blake's shoulder.

The heiress opened her mouth as if wanting to dispute that, but then met Ruby's pleading and hopeful regard, and sighed. "Fine. But only one simulation round."

Ruby outwardly expressed her joy with a high jump into the air and a loud, "Yes!" And then she immediately dashed out of sight, leaving rose petals in her wake.

Weiss rolled her eyes and stood before following the newly created floral trail, slowly shaking her head in apparent mild exasperation.

Yang realized she was grinning. She looked at Blake, who motioned with a small movement of her chin in the younger partnership's general direction. "Let's not keep them waiting." And then Yang felt Blake carefully slide her arm around her waist.

The extravert beamed. "Sounds good to me! Let's go."

With Yang and Blake holding each other, the couple followed Ruby and Weiss to continue their training.

"Uhh…lemme see… Oh, I know! Okay, okay – so! I built Crescent Rose all by myself, I used to be afraid of the dark, and Yang once found me playing with dolls." Ruby sat back, satisfied with her choices.

"The last one!" Nora exclaimed, leaning forward. "The last one is a huge lie!"

Ruby snickered but pretended to zip her mouth shut and throw away the key. "Not saying just yet!"

Yang glanced at the individual faces present. JNPR had joined RWBY in their dorm room to spend some time together before they departed for their respective missions the following day. They were sitting in a circle on the floor and had decided to enjoy a conversation game as a group – just something simple and fun before everyone would have to get to bed.

Ruby was pretty good, Yang thought amusedly. She hadn't even glanced at Yang, a subtle movement that might have betrayed the truth – or maybe even the lie. Yang only knew which one it was by process of elimination, drawing facts from memory. Otherwise, that had been a pretty sneaky set of options.

"I'm tempted to say you were never scared of the dark," Pyrrha spoke up, a small smile gracing her features. Her emerald eyes met Yang's lilac, but the blonde only grinned in a manner that wouldn't reveal her thoughts. Pyrrha crossed her ankles out in front of her comfortably and looked back at Team RWBY's leader. "Fighting Grimm like you do and often demonstrating so much bravery… I can't imagine that being true."

"I bet it's the dolls," Jaune gazed from Pyrrha to Ruby. "She's way too much of a weapons girl. But, I mean, Pyrrha's argument seems pretty valid, too…" He creased his eyebrows, clearly stuck in the dilemma.

Ren's magenta eyes beheld each person's expression. Eventually, he only sighed and looked towards Weiss. "Let's see what Ruby's partner has to say. I think there are certain details being left out of these choices."

Weiss arched her eyebrows. "I agree with Ren. I'm not risking this trickery." She paused. "You didn't build your weapon all by yourself. Impossible."

Yang wanted to guffaw, and stopping herself from sharing a look with her younger sister was a real challenge. That said, Yang being the only one not allowed to take a guess at the answer, everyone then turned to Blake.

The so far silent girl, who was sitting next to her partner, regarded Ruby and Yang with her sharp golden eyes. Finally, she simply stated, "Building Crescent Rose alone is your lie."

"I mean, suddenly that makes a lot of sense…" Nora whispered, eyes wide.

"Points go to Weiss and Blake!" Ruby declared, laughing. "My uncle Qrow helped me build Crescent Rose while I was in Signal. I might be a weapons enthusiast, and I might have been embarrassingly good in my mechanical classes…but I still needed a teacher to guide me through it."

"So that means…" Jaune started with surprise.

"Yup! I caught my baby sister playing with dolls!" Yang finally gave in to her urge to cackle. It had only been one time, but looking at her now, nobody could have guessed that Ruby had played with the same toys most other little girls had.

"I was five years old!" Ruby protested, eliciting chuckles from most of the group of friends. "And besides, it wasn't just dolls. I had toy cars, too."

"Yeah, which you somehow took apart to make cheap weapons for your dolls," Yang pointed out, creating more hilarity. If there was one thing Yang and Ruby had in common, it was their incorrigibleness. That said, Yang recalled almost having a conniption when she realized her little sister had been handling potentially sharp objects. The family-oriented girl might have only been seven years old at the time, she still had the awareness of the danger the taken-apart toy cars represented.

Yang's gaze gravitated towards Blake. The Faunus was smiling in amusement, listening to the teasing comments that continued to be tossed back and forth among the two teams. But she seemed to notice Yang looking at her, and turned her head to meet her girlfriend's regard. Blake's expression became questioning with a mere arch of her eyebrows.

The bookworm was definitely smart, Yang found. She had figured that out very quickly, of course, but while Weiss had guessed correctly, too, the heiress had felt the need to explain her choice, as if she weren't confident about it and just wanted to keep face. Blake had just…delivered a plain, assured answer – after only observing the two siblings. She hadn't been told all of their history or such small details. She couldn't have known. Yet those sharp golden eyes of hers had seen right through the game.

Despite having been teammates for two years, Blake, categorically, continued to impress Yang.

"So, who wants to go next?" Ruby suddenly piped up as the conversation died down.

A smile formed on Yang's lips, but she didn't break eye-contact with the girl wearing black. "I volunteer Blake," she announced mischievously.

Blake's eyes narrowed. "You can't do that…"

Yang winked. "But I just did." She then turned back towards the rest of her friends. "Whad'ya say, guys? Blake hasn't had a chance to share yet." The truth was that Yang wanted Blake to participate, too. Her partner had been offering her opinion, of course, and just as she had with Ruby, Blake had often assumed correctly which statements were the lies. But now, Yang was curious to know if she could read her teammate as well as her teammate could read her.

"I think she definitely deserves one," Pyrrha agreed, slowly shaking her head in the couple's direction. "But I also think your poor girlfriend has the right to refuse."

Yang feigned offense by bringing her hand to her chest and looking taken aback. "My poor girlfriend? Pyrrha! How could you? I treat Blake with so much love and dignity that –"

Someone's hand suddenly smacked into her face, causing Yang to sputter and stop talking. She heard Nora and Ruby start laughing. Even Pyrrha chuckled. Yang grabbed the person's wrist and took their hand away from her face in disbelief. She found Blake – the culprit – staring at her in amusement. "I'll do it. No need to utter such ridiculous lines."

"You just hit me!" Yang blinked, shocked.

"You'll survive."

Now Yang's eyes widened. "In the face! Also, rude!"

Blake's expression became almost devious. "Oh, c'mon. Your aura took the brunt of that."

And that was how Yang burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. She gasped between laughs, "Oh, my God, Blake. You're amazing." It was an absolute fact in Yang's mind now – when Blake was in a good mood, she was particularly fantastic. If it emboldened her to act more open and less afraid to be herself, then Yang really wanted to help upkeep it.

"I've said it before. You two gross me out," Weiss muttered.

"Let's just ignore Yang," Nora suggested. "Blake! Two truths and one lie!"

"Hey!"

"Nora…" Ren gripped the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

Yang managed to calm down, but she didn't let go of Blake's hand. They intertwined their fingers on her lap. As the room became silent again and everyone's attention focused on the Faunus, Yang said, "Okay. We're listening to you."

Blake's eyebrows creased a little as she seemed to ponder. Her hold tightened around Yang's fingers, but then she finally declared, "Alright. My favorite color is purple, I once dreamt about eating a live tuna fish, and I occasionally read erotica."

"You what?!" Weiss and Jaune both simultaneously exclaimed in shock.

"Whoa, Blake is admitting to reading shameless smut?" Ruby appeared thoroughly entertained, grinning wickedly at the golden-eyed girl, who was keeping a carefully neutral expression.

Didn't even blink, Yang mused with a small smile gracing her lips. It was actually quite hilarious. Blake had intentionally brought this upon herself – and Yang had a feeling she knew why.

That said, the prankster really needed to start filtering her mouth before she spoke. The only way Ruby could have known about smut was thanks to Yang's jokes about Blake's reading material, and Yang would have preferred keeping Ruby's mind untainted by such perverted imagery for as long as she could.

"Isn't Blake's favorite color black?" Nora wondered innocently, wide-eyed.

A nerve under Blake's eye twitched, and Yang decided to take sides with her partner on this one and put an end to her misery. Simpering, the blonde opened her available arm to gain everyone's attention. "Guys, guys. Do you honestly think Blake would say she reads smut? Clearly that one's the lie." Yang paused. "Although it's really funny you all think it's not." She chuckled.

"Well, look who's grouping us all together," Pyrrha teased gently, and Yang stuck out her tongue at the redhead.

"Oh, so wait! You mean that Blake reads smut all the time?" Nora gasped. "Not just sometimes?"

At last, Blake reacted, slowly bringing her free hand to her face and letting out a long sigh. "Ren, I beg of you. Do something about your partner." She looked up. "My favorite color is purple. And I don't read any kind of erotica, thank you very much."

"So why do you get so embarrassed when you're caught with Ninjas of Love?" Weiss asked critically.

Blake hesitated briefly. "It's…not that good of a book, per se… It's overrated and cheesy, and the plot points are delivered poorly. I pride myself on reading only quality material, and this is more of a guilty pleasure of mine, for my own amusement. Believe me, if I had truly wanted to keep this secret, none of you would have even suspected it. Remember these?" Blake bowed her a head a little to emphasize the twitch of her cat ears, which were bowless. "None of you figured I was a Faunus until I said something."

"I mean, she's not wrong…" Jaune conceded uncertainly.

Yang's gaze lingered on Blake's furry appendages for a moment, wondering, and then focused her attention back on the group. "'Course she's not. Blake's a smart cookie. Now let's give her a break. Who wants to go next?" She didn't need to look to know her girlfriend had given her an appreciative glance. The small squeeze of her fingers was an answer in itself.

Nora opened her mouth, but Weiss interrupted her before she could even speak. "Actually, I don't mean to be the mood dampener, but look at at the time. It's late, and we have to be up early tomorrow for our respective missions."

"Weiss is right," Ruby agreed, but she appeared disappointed nevertheless. Yang would have liked to continue as well, but if Ruby was so easily picking her partner's side on this one…well, Yang wasn't about to argue when her little sister was looking out for their wellbeing as a team, as a leader should. "But we should totally do this again another time!"

There was still something Yang needed to know before JNPR left the room, though. "Hey, do you guys know if we'll be seeing each other before we're sent off?"

Pyrrha, who had stood with Ren, turned and replied, "We were able to wish our farewells to Team CVFY last year before they embarked on the airship. If things haven't changed, we'll get our chance, too."

The rest of the friends got to their feet as well, and Yang approached JNPR as they crowded at the door. "Well, just in case – be safe." She gave Pyrrha and Nora a brief hug each, a firm handshake with Ren, and a pat on the shoulder for Jaune. "Night, guys!"

Once everyone had said their goodbyes, JNPR exited the dorm, leaving RWBY by themselves. The four girls didn't waste time standing around, though. They changed into their pajamas and went about their nightly routine, and proceeded to check their gear to ensure they had everything they needed for their week-long mission. They would have to verify it all again before they left tomorrow, too.

Packing had always been quite a bit of a chore for Ruby and Yang. Organization wasn't their strong suit, and, personally, Yang didn't exactly have the patience to fuss over her belongings until they were neatly arranged to allow for maximum carriage. That was why it had taken Yang a painful while to pack, and being certain she had everything with her to avoid having to do it all over again, she didn't bother with a thorough verification of her equipment.

Instead, she turned towards her team. "How are we feeling about the mission?" she asked lightly.

"We've practiced a lot – on our own, as partners, and as a unit. Plus, the mission is supposed to be adapted to our competencies. I think we'll be fine," Weiss replied dismissively, gazing at her one suitcase with a frown and finally deciding to click it shut and put it down by her bed. Her challenge had been finding the strict necessities and sticking to them alone – something Yang had taken a mighty pleasure in antagonizing her about.

"I can't wait!" Ruby chirped, hopping up onto her bunk and sticking her head out from behind her improvised bed-sheet curtain. "It's gonna be awesome. Team RWBY fighting Grimm like real huntresses for a week! This is what we've been training for, what I know I've been dreaming to do!"

Yang smiled at Ruby's endearing enthusiasm. The blonde had utter confidence in her team and her leader, and she had no doubt the task ahead of them would go smoothly, but that didn't stop her from showing her sisterly concern. She took a few steps closer to Ruby's bunk to gaze up into her sibling's silver eyes. "Promise me you won't be reckless, though, Rubes."

Ruby grinned and sniggered. "Right back at you, Yang. You're crazier than I am!"

"And don't you forget it," Yang retorted, waggling her finger at the young brunette and sharing a laugh with her. "C'mere," she added, standing on her tippy-toes as Ruby leaned forward so that Yang could kiss her on the forehead. Seventeen or not, this was customary for the sisters, and it was one of the rare motherly attentions Ruby still allowed Yang to enjoy. "Now get some sleep, little sis. Sweet dreams," she murmured, and Ruby disappeared behind her blanket of a curtain with a, "G'night! Night, Weiss! Night, Blake!"

"Goodnight, Ruby," Weiss replied as she slipped under the covers of her bed. Blake's soft, slightly muffled voice was heard next.

Yang acknowledged Weiss with a movement of her head, and then went over to shut off the lights. The room was plunged into darkness. Yang tentatively made her way over to her and Blake's bunks but didn't climb up immediately. Instead, she carefully sat down on the edge of her girlfriend's bed. She couldn't make out Blake's shape without the light, but she heard and felt her move into a sitting position. She imagined the Faunus could see her just fine, though, thanks to her night vision.

"Are you alright?" Blake wondered quietly.

"Yeah. But what about you? You didn't answer my question earlier." Yang kept her voice low, too, so that her conversation with Blake wouldn't disturb Weiss and Ruby.

"Oh. I'm fine." The bookworm was silent for a moment, and Yang thought she would leave it at that, but then Blake decided to reveal more. "Ruby's excitement is actually a little contagious. I'm looking forward to the change of scenery."

This caused the corners of Yang's lips to twitch upwards. "I'm glad you aren't too stressed, then. And, hey, I'm sorry I put you on the spot during the game. That probably wasn't –"

"It's okay, Yang," Blake reassured her honestly. "I had fun. Thank you for involving me – it was amusing, all things considered." Her voice then became concerned. "But what about you?"

"What about me?" Yang asked in surprise. "Which part? I had a blast."

"I mean the mission. How do you feel about it?"

Yang resisted the urge to chuckle. She might not have been able to see Blake, but the fact that she was showing genuine worry for her friend – reaching out – was an effort Yang appreciated. Also, it was cute. "We're going to kick butt," the brawler responded confidently. It didn't really matter what she thought, in the end, but Blake's question had been sincere.

"You two should be trying to sleep right now," Weiss muttered from across the couple.

Yang ignored the heiress and slowly extended her hand towards the general direction she assumed the raven-haired girl was. "Where's your face?"

There was a pause, but it wasn't long enough for Yang to start feeling silly or think she should probably have explained that inquiry. "Here," Blake murmured, and the sociable girl felt the quiet young woman's cheek softly against her fingers.

She grinned. "Don't move." Yang then leaned towards Blake, and pinpointing her target based on where her hand was, laid a brief kiss just above the tip of her girlfriend's nose. She paused as she did so, pulling away slowly as she beheld the wide-eyed look Blake returned, glowing faintly beneath the moon's soft, twinkling light, streaming in through a gap in the curtains.

"That's for head-butting you the other day," Yang said quietly.

Blake was silent for three heartbeats, and then she breathed, "Goodnight, Yang. T-thank you."

Yang was silent for just as long, and then she withdrew and stood, laughing lightly. "Night night, kitten." She then climbed onto her top bunk and sunk under the covers.

She found herself staring at the ceiling for a moment. Beneath her, Blake seemed to have not moved, and Yang replayed the scene in her mind, realizing what she had just done. She hadn't really been thinking right then – kissing Blake on the nose had seemed appropriate and friendly, but then there had been that pause. That was…not friendly.

She didn't regret the gesture, though, which meant she must have been comfortable with it. However, Yang hadn't imagined it was romantic when it happened…yet hindsight revealed it probably could have been. Especially from Blake's perspective. But even if Yang had meant nothing romantic by it, if Blake had taken it that way, then that was alright. Yang didn't mind. Wasn't that the point of their relationship? To make Blake happy?

No, that wasn't it.

They had spoken about this. It was so they could both be happy. And Yang was happy – Blake respected her, didn't pressure her, and made a conscious effort to let Yang in. Plus, Blake really was amazing, good mood or not.

Yeah, this relationship had a fair chance. Even if Yang didn't have any romantic feelings for Blake, the Faunus' reaction had been well worth the confusion afterwards.

And who knew what tomorrow would bring.

Chapter Text

Initiation into Beacon Academy took place at the very outskirts of the Emerald Forest. Students traveled northwards to the abandoned temple to collect relics and then returned to Beacon's cliffside to be updated on their next task before receiving their team assignations.

That hadn't been Team RWBY's last experience with the Emerald Forest, and their second adventure in the area had revealed just how vast it was and how very little ground they had covered during their initiation. Previously, RWBY's last end-of-year field exam had brought them around the western borders in an investigation closely monitored by Professor Port. On foot, they had been three days away from Beacon – and that was still only a fraction of the forest.

This year, it appeared Headmaster Ozpin was sending RWBY almost into the heart of the Emerald Forest, a whole two-hour flight from Beacon. Despite the location being somewhat unfamiliar, at least the nature of the mission was a continuation of what they had accomplished last year. This inspired more confidence in the members of Team RWBY.

"You remember your investigation of Merlot Industries," Headmaster Ozpin said calmly, looking at each of the four young women from above the rim of his small glasses. They were in his large clockwork of an office, at the top of the academy's tallest spire, being briefed on their mission as they stood at attention in front of his desk.

"Yeah. We learned Dr. Merlot might be behind the sabotage of the security network within the Emerald Forest," Ruby recalled in a serious tone of voice. "And we found crates that could have been used to capture Grimm."

Headmaster Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. Very good. Thanks to your efforts, we were able to reset most of that network grid and continue our monitoring of Grimm activity in the sector. However, there is still one area that failed to come online, and we are detecting an unnatural concentration of Grimm at the periphery of our radars. And we still don't know why technology from Merlot Industries was discovered there to begin with."

Blake was quick to put the pieces together. "You want us to find out why the network failed to reset in that particular area and clear out as many Grimm as we can while we're at it," she guessed, keeping her voice carefully composed.

"Which means this could, technically, take less than a week," Weiss added, thoughtful.

"You are both correct." Ozpin regarded them with his enigmatic, piercing stare. He took a sip of his coffee. "There is supposed to be an abandoned cabin near the blind sector where you can set up from. Unfortunately, the shuttle you will be embarking on cannot carry you that far – it's too dangerous to land. You will have to travel on foot for about a day before reaching your destination. Head east from the drop-off site."

Ruby tentatively raised her hand. "Uh, so, will Professor Port be the one communicating with us again, or…?"

"No. You are on your own for this mission. Our long-distance transmit signal is being scrambled by something in the area, but that is not for you to fix. Focus on eradicating the Grimm and being on the lookout for any abnormalities. Your shuttle will remain at the drop-off site, and should you need extraction, it will be ready to leave at a moment's notice. I assure you, though, that while the concentration of Grimm is high in numbers, as a team, you are capable of shouldering this." Professor Ozpin paused. "Any more questions?"

Yang spoke up next. "Yeah, I have one. What happens if there are too many Grimm and we can't collect any information after seven days?" she wondered curiously.

"Fall back and return to the shuttle. Do not extend your mission unnecessarily or risk running out of supplies. You are being graded on effort and teamwork more than on your success." Ozpin stood from his chair and circled his desk to stand before the four girls. "Your shuttle is leaving within the next hour. I suggest you make sure once more that you have everything you need before your departure." He took another sip of his coffee and then finalized the briefing with, "Godspeed, Team RWBY."

Blake shielded her eyes from the early morning sun as she stepped through the thick glass doors of the academy's entrance. She blinked a few times, quickly becoming accustomed to the bright light. A clear blue sky, a pleasant breeze and the warm touch of summer on her skin – it was an otherwise charming start to the mission.

After being briefed by Headmaster Ozpin, RWBY had returned to their dorm room to pick up their supplies and then get their weapons from the student lockers. They had crossed paths with JNPR, exchanging a few short farewells, before continuing on their way, knowing they didn't have much more time.

Ruby quickly emphasized that fact when she suddenly exclaimed, "Guys! The shuttle is already there!" She pointed towards the very end of the pathway outside, where there was, indeed, a small airship waiting against the ledge of the cliff. She was practically bouncing up and down, she was so full of energy. "I'm gonna go tell them we're coming!" With that, RWBY's leader bolted in a flurry of rose petals.

Blake glanced at Yang and Weiss. They had already discussed who would be carrying what while they traveled, so Yang looked a bit silly with four sleeping bags on her back and her own supply kit, but she insisted she was strong enough to take it. Nobody put it into question. Ruby had their food rations, Weiss a few of their toiletries and Dust rounds, and Blake the medical and survival items. They also each had one small luggage bag that would stay in the shuttle, just in case they became desperate – although they weren't supposed to need these extra items and would lose points if, for whatever reason, it came down to fetching them.

So, for all intents and purposes, Team RWBY was all set.

The modest airship they were traveling on had a hull where the girls could sit facing each other during the flight, but the seats were meant for practicality and not comfort. The back of the hull could open if there was a need to jump out. There was a (very) tiny bathroom. They could walk to the cockpit if they wanted, and next to the bulkhead was a small room that acted as a med bay.

RWBY was flying with a few officers who would stay with the shuttle to defend it once it was landed. They sat with the four girls in the hull, and Yang had struck up a conversation with them at the beginning of the flight to know their names – Grey, Gideon, Thornton, Schiefer, Dylan, and Claud. They were friendly enough, and talking with them further inspired a sense of trust among the group. They displayed a reassuring amount of professionalism without being inhuman, and Blake found herself thinking that should RWBY need extraction, the men would assuredly do their best to arrive as fast as possible.

She was sitting next to Yang, listening to the conversations but without participating in them. The golden girl had an arm casually slung along the back of Blake's seat and appeared completely at ease in this situation, chatting as if Team RWBY wasn't about to be put in a dangerous situation. Blake might have allowed herself to put her guard down, too, and would have leaned against Yang's side, but either the sitting arrangements were too uncomfortable or Blake was still experiencing reservations – whatever it was, it was making her a bit restless.

The constant dull droning of the shuttle as it flew was persistent in her ears. But that wasn't the only thing. They were supposed to be keeping an altitude of about one thousand five hundred feet above ground, and although the flight was free of disturbances, Blake could clearly feel the shifts in pressure when the small airship veered in the air. It wasn't enough to cause any vertigo or nausea, but she didn't like it.

In accordance with this, the landing was naturally even more disagreeable as the shuttle decelerated and their altitude dropped. Blake normally had no qualms with motion – when she, herself, was the one moving, that is. And even the large airships that carried students to and from Beacon didn't cause a problem since they were so slow. But this was her second time on a rather small, fast-flying corvette, and it was no different than the first. Inevitably, the too-quick changes and the fact that she wasn't the one causing them affected the balance in her inner ears.

She was happy to set foot on stable ground again, to say the least.

Gambol Shroud secured against her shoulder blades, medical supplies wrapped up tightly in a cylindrical casing against the small of her back and the survival kit tucked in a pouch strapped to her side, Blake took a few steps forward on the grass. She started by recovering from her vertigo, inhaling deeply and taking in their surroundings.

They were in a flat clearing in the forest, shrubbery around the edges fading into tall tree trunks and uneven terrain. Sunlight filtered in through the branches, a soft breeze rustling the leaves and playing with a few strands of Blake's hair. There was the distinct sound of birds chirping, too. It was surprisingly peaceful.

That said, this didn't last long. The relative silence was interrupted by the officers setting up a perimeter and unloading their equipment, as well as Weiss and Ruby, over by the ramp into the hull, having a bit of an argument over what to do, exactly, with their extra supplies – even if they had already determined what to do with them before the flight. Blake paid no heed, gazing further into the forest and wondering why it was so calm. She reached up and hesitantly undid her bow, freeing her cat ears, and as they flickered in various directions, searching for abnormalities, Blake wrapped the ribbon around her forearm.

Nothing. Just the soft murmur of nature. And also a creek nearby, guessing from the quiet trickle of water over rocks coming from somewhere to her right. It appeared the Grimm really were concentrated in one specific area – an area that wasn't anywhere near here.

Blake turned towards the shuttle and realized that Yang wasn't too far away, arranging the sleeping bags on her back in a manner that wouldn't hinder her. She caught the Faunus looking her way and grinned. Blake tentatively returned this with a small curve of her lips before allowing her gaze to carry on and continue searching the trees, just to be certain.

"We'll contact you once we've reached the cabin," Weiss was saying, speaking to the officers now. "And if we haven't arrived by tomorrow night, then you might have to come looking for us. Or fly back to –"

"Weisssss," Ruby let out in a long-suffering manner. "They have their orders already. We're going to be just fine. But we should go now. C'mon. Yang, are you all set?"

"You bet!" came the enthusiastic reply and the telling shclicks of Ember Celica unraveling from their bracelet forms. "And I think Blake is waiting for us, too."

"Cool! Let's go."

Blake took that as her cue to join her teammates and start heading into the trees with them, leaving the clearing, crew, and shuttle behind.

The first part of their trek through the forest proved to be pleasant and utterly Grimm-free. It was a little disconcerting for Blake, and Weiss did reveal a shared concern about it, but Ruby and Yang brushed it off with their characteristic carefreeness and insisted that they should just enjoy this walk in nature. The beauty and peacefulness that surrounded them made it next to impossible to stay tightly-strung, and so when RWBY took a break to have a brief lunch, they did so while chatting leisurely and taking advantage of the serenity.

They continued on their way afterwards, far from tired just yet. Soon, they lapsed into silence for a while, the sound of their steps on the forest bed the only thing interrupting nature's quiet.

Until Yang decided to speak, that is.

"So, what did the policeman say to his bellybutton?"

Immediately, Blake knew a terrible joke was on the horizon. Much like how the sun set and the sun rose, it was an inevitability. She narrowed her eyes at the back of her girlfriend's head, who only turned to glance and wink at her.

"Yang, I swear…" Weiss muttered from farther up ahead.

"He said…" Yang, completely ignoring the exasperation, paused for effect and then exclaimed, "You're under a vest!"

At the front of the line they formed, Ruby actually giggled. Blake surprisingly found herself trying not to smirk. That one had legitimately been just bad enough to be amusing.

"You should not be encouraging her!" Weiss huffed indignantly.

Yang was snickering now. "What do you call a cow with no arms and no legs?"

"Cows don't have arms, you dimwit!"

"Ground beef! Eh? Eh?"

At this point, both Ruby and Yang were laughing while Weiss grumbled unintelligibly under her breath. Blake realized she was smiling – not necessarily because the puns had been funny, but because the sisters' mirth was simply contagious. Also, the fact that they were blatantly ignoring Weiss was a bit comical in itself.

To think Blake was in love with that goofball…

But suddenly, her cat ears stood on high alert as she abruptly stopped walking, overcome by an imminent sense of danger. She had barely opened her mouth to warn her teammates when an alpha Beowolf jumped into her field of vision, sailing above their heads and landing just a few feet away, digging its claws into the ground to slow itself down and face them.

"Whoa! Where'd he come from?" With a series of heavy metal clicks, Ruby was quick to arm herself with Crescent Rose's scythe form.

"Aw, Weiss! Look what your bad mood attracted!" Yang teased, moving into a combat-ready position.

Weiss unsheathed Myrtenaster unhappily. "What my bad mood attracted? This is your fault thanks to your horrible jokes!"

The alpha didn't wait for them to finish their argument. It threw back its head and let out a long, chilling howl, the sound causing goose-bumps to crawl up Blake's spine. It was calling its pack. There could have been dozens of them. Her cat ears flickered in several directions, and dread settled in her stomach.

"They've surrounded us," she revealed, and no later had the words left her mouth that an uncountable number of glowing red eyes appeared, followed by the dark, armored shapes of the monsters they belonged to.

"I mean, we've handled worse," Ruby remarked. "Time for some butt-whooping! Weiss, glyphs! Yang, up!"

Blake immediately crouched and cupped her hands in front of her in time to receive Yang, who had rushed towards her and stepped up to jump. Blake propelled her further into the air, and, only a second later, Yang used Ember Celica to clear the treetops.

Weiss' glyphs appeared at several strategic locations, including in front of Ruby's rifle and Blake's pistol, and as the Grimm rushed towards them, Ruby and Blake fired their weapons with abandon through their glyphs. The ice bullets ricocheted through the portals, teleporting and creating a maze of deadly projectiles that turned RWB's surroundings into a deathtrap most of the Beowolves fell prey to in their attempt to attack.

Those who stayed behind were quickly caught in a rain of fire, Yang shooting Ember Celica relentlessly in a circle while she was airborne. She smashed her fist into the ground upon a perfect three-point landing, launching a shockwave that gave RWBY breathing room again.

There were only a few Beowolves left – all getting back to their feet now – along with the alpha, which had only planted its claws in the ground to remain stabilized. In a phenomenal display of her speed and upper body strength, Ruby charged the minor Grimm with her scythe, cutting through them before they even saw what happened.

The alpha ran at Yang, but Blake was quick to throw her pistol at Weiss, who caught it and pulled, tightening the ribbon and tripping the alpha at the last moment. Yang had time to turn and uppercut the monster so hard in the jaw that its momentum changed course. It reeled backwards and landed right back where it had been earlier.

"Checkmate! Now!" Ruby yelled, running in their direction.

Weiss threw the pistol back at Blake, who sheathed the katana part of Gambol Shroud and gripped the handle of her cleaver. Respective swords in hand, fierce expressions on their faces, Weiss and Blake dashed towards each side of the alpha just as it was raising itself and simultaneously slashed through its throat as they crossed paths over it, effectively decapitating the creature.

And just like that, the fight was over. The dozens of Grimm corpses were already disintegrating in wispy curls of dark smoke, and the dead silence settled over Team RWBY in the wake of combat. Nature had held its breath in the presence of the fear these monsters impressed.

"That was really easy," Yang commented, rolling her shoulders. "Not even out of breath or anything."

"Agreed," Blake replied, but she didn't put Gambol Shroud against her shoulder blades again right away. Still wary, she looked around, senses on high alert, searching for anymore signs of the enemy. There were none, though. Still, for some reason or another, Blake felt…disquieted. And she couldn't blame being inside a shuttle this time.

"We've improved since our first mission, obviously," Weiss pointed out, sheathing Myrtenaster. "That we know how to coordinate just by Ruby shouting one-word orders speaks for it." She rolled her eyes.

Ruby giggled. "We're just awesome. Good going, Team RWBY!" She stepped over and high-fived her grinning sister.

"Alright, let's not get cocky," the Schnee heiress interrupted their mirth, imperious as she put her hands on her hips. "We should keep moving now, too. The faster we do this, the faster we can return to Beacon."

Weiss wasn't wrong about that. But Blake doubted rushing the mission because of mere impatience would bring any praise from the headmaster. She didn't voice her opinion, though. Ruby was competent enough to know that as well, and RWBY's young leader had demonstrated her title qualification often enough to earn the reserved girl's trust – even her respect and affection.

"Yeah, okay. Hey, Blake? Everything good?" Ruby stepped closer, concern etching her features. This made Weiss and Yang look in their direction, too.

Blake was prompt to put Gambol Shroud back against her shoulder blades. "Yes, I apologize – just being overly cautious, it seems. We can continue on our way." She nodded towards the direction they had been walking, hiding her unease. It was already fading, anyway, as if her nerves had been shot and she was just recovering from it. That's all it had to be.

Ruby beamed and then started walking again, Weiss, Yang, and Blake following suit. The Faunus kept her eyes on the ground in front of her, focusing on what both pairs of her ears were hearing. Little by little, the birdsongs began, first tentative and faraway but then drifting closer and more merrily as nature exhaled the breath of life it had earlier withheld. The ground was soft and slightly spongy, indicating it had probably rained the day previously. The group's footsteps were therefore mostly quiet.

Everything was back to normal, as if the creatures of Grimm had never disturbed the serenity in the first place. Blake sighed and slowly shook her head. This must have all been because she was hyper-aware of heading straight for a Grimm-infested area. It made sense for her to be wary and on the lookout for trouble. That was what they were here for, after all. RWBY was talented and capable of what was to come – it would be a lot of fighting and their endurance would surely be put to the test, and maybe that was all that was making Blake uncomfortable.

Yes, that had to be it. We're going to be fine. Blake tried to drill that thought into her instinctual senses.

And for the most part, it worked.

"Pheeeewwww," Yang exhaled unnecessarily loud, dropping the sleeping bags and stretching her arms out high above her head, arching her back in the process.

Blake found herself watching the show in amusement, golden eyes momentarily fixated on the exposed skin of her partner's slim but well-defined midriff, but then drifted to survey their current location once more. RWBY had chosen a spot to set up camp for the night before it became too dark. It was another clearing, but much smaller than the drop zone. It was also next to a cliff ledge, which allowed for much greater visibility. The drop down was steep and deadly, something RWBY would have to be careful about, but at least the probability of being attacked from that side was next to nonexistent. Unless a giant Nevermore decided to fly in. But based on how things had been progressing thus far, that seemed unlikely.

"Well, since I know I'm going to be asked anyway, I'm gonna go gather some wood," Yang announced, but there was a smirk on her face, betraying her good humor.

"Oh, yeah! Wait, sis, lemme go with you!" Ruby piped up. The brunette turned to look at Weiss and Blake. "Is it okay if we leave you two to preparing the campsite?"

"Go on," Weiss waved her hand dismissively, but it was devoid of any annoyance. "We can take care of ourselves."

Blake nodded in affirmation, giving Ruby a small, reassuring smile. "It's fine."

Yang had already walked and stopped further off, waiting for her sibling, and once Ruby had made sure the two other members of her team were alright, she immediately rushed to join the energetic young woman. They disappeared out of sight in their hunt for firewood, but Blake continued to hear their friendly chatter, even if it became just a murmur in the background. At least they hadn't strayed too far from camp.

Blake and Weiss weren't sociable by nature, and both understood that about each other, so they exchanged few words as they unrolled the sleeping bags and collected rocks to form a circle where they would light the fire. After listening to Yang and Ruby entertain conversations and jokes on and off throughout the day, the relative silence was now welcomed.

It went without saying that Blake didn't mind the talking. She had gotten used to it, even learned to enjoy it sometimes (and Yang's voice was never not pleasant), but when moments of calm presented themselves, Blake usually noticed them and took the opportunity to appreciate them. She had the impression Weiss felt similarly, too, so although they didn't say anything except to coordinate about the organization of the encampment, their quiet was comfortable and relaxed.

RWBY hadn't encountered anymore Grimm that day, strangely enough. Blake sometimes heard them, way out in the distance – packs of Beowolves or wandering Ursai – but they were never close enough to be worried about. Even Yang and Ruby had been forced to admit that it was unusual. The Emerald Forest was normally swarming with Grimm activity, but it truly did appear that for some reason or another, they had all gathered in one specific sector.

Blake was sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag when Yang and Ruby returned to the campsite, both girls carrying about half their weight in fallen branches and dead wood. It looked excessive, but Blake would be the first to argue it was better safe than sorry when it came to warmth. They dropped their quarries near the stone circle, but then Weiss got on their cases about it and the three arranged the firewood into a single, neat pile.

"Hey, did we bring a lighter…?" Ruby wondered faintly, looking sheepish.

Yang was placing larger sticks where the campfire would be when she said, "Yeah, we had trouble finding dry wood. It must have rained yesterday or something. We're gonna need some real…firepower for this one." Yang waggled her eyebrows at Blake, grinning, and the Faunus only rolled her eyes as she allowed herself a small smile in response to Yang's.

That was always the best – Yang believing herself the epitome of hilarious.

"Utter gibberish," Weiss muttered, shaking her head. "Here, get out of the way, you oversized oaf. Let me do this. Also, Ruby, I'm blaming you for our lack of a lighter."

"Me?!" the girl in question whined. "Why me? Yang was in charge of that one!"

Yang scratched the back of her head as she moved out of Weiss' way. It was extraordinary how much the siblings resembled each other when they were sheepish. "Oops?" was all she offered as an apology. Blake distinctly remembered Yang failing to check her supplies thoroughly yesterday and that morning, so she wasn't entirely surprised the blonde had forgotten something. Still, Blake was partly accountable for that shortcoming, as she was Yang's partner and could have easily insisted that Yang be conscientious about her packing, especially because it was for a mission.

But Blake had chosen to trust Yang's judgment instead. It seemed Blake's own judgment had been faulty. At least it was just a lighter. It could have been worse.

"Never mind," Weiss huffed, kneeling by the piled-up branches and taking out a red Dust vial from one of the pouches on her belt. "This is such a waste of dangerous material." The girl in white sprinkled a tiny amount of the particles over the wood and then put the vial back into her pouch. She then stood, unsheathed Myrtenaster and struck the metal of its blade against the rocks. A hot spark wasn't even necessary. The dead branches caught fire in a red flash that caused Weiss to step away quickly.

Fortunately, it only lasted a few seconds. The flames died down in intensity until a comforting campfire was crackling healthily.

With that done, Blake took note of how much darker out it had gotten, the sun well below the horizon now. The glow of a few stars were beginning to be visible, and Blake's gaze was drawn towards the opening where the cliff ledge was. Her cat ears twitched. With a sigh, Blake stood from her sleeping bag and headed over towards the opening, leaving the warmth of the flames behind.

She stopped when her feet reached the rockier terrain, not daring to get too close to the sheer drop before her. But Blake's eyes took in the immensity of forest and sky that stretched out forever, a sea of green bathing in the dark blue hues of dusk. Wisps of clouds were out in the distance, maybe leftovers from yesterday's rain. Blake took a slow, deep breath in. She could smell the earth, the dust, the moss, and the freshness of the calm breeze. It touched her skin and played with wisps of her hair, murmuring sweet nothings in both pairs of her ears. It brought along the smoke from the fire, too, and she was hit with a strange mix of nostalgia and resentment.

Sometimes, it seemed like there were traces of Adam and the White Fang in even the smallest, unrelated things. This was not the forest of Forever Fall, but she had been encamped outside with her ex-partner like this before her final mission with him, the night before they planned to raid the Schnee freighter. It was disturbing, having such familiar peace ruined by flashes of regretful memories. And maybe this was part of the reason why Blake felt on edge about this mission, among other things.

She found her eyes wandering up to observe the darkening sky. Without Vale's city lights, the brave stars showing themselves seemed brighter and much more visible. And the sky was so vast, so magnificent, that Blake was forced to contemplate how insignificant she was – a fleeting speck of existence in the constantly evolving flow of time. It was all so relative. Her past was far behind her now, buried eight feet under.

Indeed, this was what Yang had compared her to – the night sky. A scattering of little beautiful lights against a canvas of infinite greatness, and although the moon was not out tonight, the sentiment remained. Yang believed in Blake's moral compass like nothing else. As if Blake was doing the right thing now, walking the right path – moving forward and refusing to run back, a creature capable of and already doing good.

And Blake, in kind, dared to believe it was true.

With a bit of a smile on her lips, Blake returned to the fire, once more sitting on her sleeping bag. Yang immediately moved from her own to plop down next to the Faunus.

"Hey, you alright?"

Blake's smile widened in affection. "Yes. Just took a moment to enjoy the view."

Yang's gaze drifted towards the opening where Blake had been standing, and she stared for a short while. Something in her regard shifted, and Blake knew that Yang knew what she meant now. The blonde gave her partner an appreciative glance. "I'm glad," she said, sincere. She then put something round in Blake's hands. "For you."

Blake took it and realized it was a small can of tuna. Yang then gave her a fork, beaming knowingly. Blake narrowed her eyes at the brawler but decided to not question her about it. Some inquiries were just better left unanswered. Plus, tuna was tuna, and Yang had just warmed Blake's heart again without even peeping a word.

RWBY proceeded to share a small meal in mostly silence, only interrupted by the snapping of the fire and the chirping of crickets in the distance. It was a surprisingly relaxing setting, considering how they were on a mission in a supposedly high-risk area. Blake felt like she was waiting for the other ball to drop at any moment.

"So, Weiss can take first watch, I'll take second, Yang third, and Blake fourth," Ruby announced after a while. Silver eyes glanced at each member of her team, the flames reflecting in her orbs like two little mirrors. "Everyone okay with that?"

Yang gave her sibling a thumbs up. "Totes."

After Weiss nodded her head in agreement, Blake started to get prepared to slip into her sleeping bag. "I should try to get some rest right away, in that case."

"We all should," Ruby conceded, and Blake listened to her teammates getting ready for the night as she laid on her side. She wasn't exactly comfortable, but it would do. All the walking they had done that day eventually caught up to her, though, and hard ground or not, Blake slowly but surely began drifting off into a light sleep, knowing she would be safe under her friends' watches until it was her turn.

Blake awoke in a bit of a start. She felt mildly disoriented as she took in her surroundings, and her heart only calmed once she realized where she was and that the encampment wasn't under attack. Nevertheless, something had caused her to wake, and the reason dawned on Blake when she saw the dying glow of the embers. She was chilly. Of course, she was also fully aware that the weather wasn't that cold – it was summer, after all, and her friends were probably fine – but the temperature had dropped enough to have the cat Faunus searching for more warmth.

Blake slowly sat up and raked her fingers through her hair, shaking out the longer strands at the back of her head. Ruby and Weiss were sound asleep across from the glowing coals, and this allowed Blake to presume it was sometime after midnight – Yang's watch. The night was quiet, and a soft breeze rustled the branches around the clearing. Blake flattened her cat ears.

She soundlessly slipped out of her sleeping bag, drowsy but unable to find slumber, and put more wood on the burning coals. She watched the flames start licking the dry wood and put her hands out to feel the warmth for a moment, but then a noise made her look somewhere further off behind herself. Through the darkness, thanks to her night vision, Blake took note of Yang sitting against a tree on the outskirts of the clearing, fiddling with Ember Celica.

In her sleep-addled mind, the only thing that registered to the raven-haired girl was that Yang usually repelled any coolness in the air around her. Plus, Blake's watch was probably in about an hour or so – she couldn't imagine getting much more rest if she went back to lying on the uneven ground.

Blake found herself sauntering over to Yang's location, steps quiet and undisturbed, and once she was close enough, she let herself slide down next to her girlfriend against the large tree trunk. It was then that lilac eyes noticed Blake.

"Hey," Yang greeted softly, raising her arm and wrapping it around the Faunus' shoulders. Blake immediately leaned into Yang's side, finding relief from the slight chill against the living heater's body. She sighed, tucking her nose into the collar of Yang's jacket and closing her eyes, comfortable and appeased by the familiar scent of vanilla and gunpowder.

"Hey…" she whispered in reply, already easing into a relaxed state of almost-unconsciousness. She could hear Yang's strong heartbeat thudding regularly against her human ear, and it was incredibly calming. She was practically enveloped with Yang. Somewhere far out in the distance, a Beowolf howled, long and eerie, but Blake didn't give it much thought.

Yang seemed to, though. "It's the same one since the end of Weiss' watch, according to Ruby. About every hour, it howls – and from roughly the same location." Her voice was soothing and quiet, though, so it seemed like the information wasn't anything that worried her.

"If it's not moving, then we don't have to be concerned by it here," Blake murmured, only half paying attention to the conversation. She felt like she could actually catch that last hour of sleep cuddled up to Yang like this.

The blonde appeared to realize Blake's drowsiness because she didn't reply. Instead, her fingers began to slowly comb through the Faunus' raven locks, never tugging, and, briefly, Blake wondered if paradise felt anything like this gentle treatment. She snuggled deeper into Yang's side and rested her hand on the golden girl's abdomen, lulling further back into dreamland as the reassuring caresses continued. Just when Blake supposed the ministrations couldn't get any better, Yang started to lightly scratch her, right at the base of Blake's cat ears. She never actually touched them, but it felt so good that Blake's insides seemed to melt, muscles relaxing blissfully. She dipped into sleep…

…and right back out when a noise was heard. Blake froze, immediately awake, and felt Yang's sudden tension by the brawler's similar lack of movement.

"Blake…did you hear that?" Yang whispered, tightening her hold on the raven-haired girl's shoulders.

Dread settled into Blake's stomach, her cat ears flattening against her skull. This was the absolute worst timing. Of all the moments, why did it have to be now?

Yang's voice was barely audible when she said, "We need to wake Ruby and Weiss." She then started to detach herself from Blake so she could stand.

Alarmed now, Blake gripped Yang's clothes and pulled her back down with unintended roughness before grabbing her shoulders to make sure she'd stay still. Quite a feat it was, considering the brawler's strength.

Yang stared at her with a mix of bewilderment and vehemence. "What are you – Blake! That Beowolf probably found us!" Her tone was hushed but urgent.

Blake shut her eyes tightly, knowing she was going to regret this. She took a deep breath in before exhaling slowly and looked her girlfriend in the eyes. "Yang, calm down… It wasn't the Grimm."

Now Yang appeared completely baffled. "What? But you heard it as well as I did –"

"Yes, Yang. I did hear it." Blake's gaze became intent, trying to convey the truth without actually saying it. "And it wasn't the Grimm." She wouldn't let Yang wake Ruby and Weiss from their much-needed rest unnecessarily over this. No matter how embarrassing.

"But…" Yang looked at her with utter confusion through the darkness, clearly torn between believing her partner and keeping their teammates safe. But then, finally, realization dawned on her. Her eyes first widened in surprise almost comically before quickly turning into excitement. "Oh, my God! Blake! You can p–"

Blake slammed her hands over Yang's mouth in panic and whispered fiercely, heart pounding, "Not so loud! God, I swear you're the worst." She glared at her girlfriend pointedly. The last thing she wanted was to have their teammates not only wake up but also know what happened. Blake wished she could crawl into a hole enough as it was.

Yang's lilac eyes betrayed her mirth, and Blake suddenly felt something wet and warm flick across the palm of her hand. She instantly recoiled in disgust, freeing Yang's mouth. "Did you just lick me? What is wrong with –"

Yang didn't let her finish, though. She laughed, quietly, and cupped Blake's face in her hands so the two could look at each other in the eyes. "But Blake, you can purr!"

"I'm aware," Blake replied dryly, not amused. She wiped her palm on her thigh. At least Yang wasn't being loud anymore, that absolute pain.

"But it's…it's amazing!" Yang giggled and rested her forehead against Blake's. Her voice, although still obviously delighted, became more gentle. She paused for a heartbeat. "You're amazing. You know that, right?"

Well, that was certainly unexpected. Blake blinked and felt the heat rising to her cheeks. Being able to purr was amazing? No, it really wasn't. It was…shameful. Just another thing that made her less human and more animal, nothing that deserved such flattery. How could Yang just say that with so much sincerity?

Blake couldn't bring herself to pull away, though. Somehow, Yang continued to show Blake the beauty in herself by the pure admiration and trust she demonstrated – now, and in every one of their interactions previously, no matter how undeserving Blake felt.

"It's rather embarrassing," she muttered, gazing down so she wouldn't see the unadulterated confidence in the affectionate extrovert's eyes. Part of her felt like she couldn't accept such favor – but knowing it was there anyway, genuine and caring, no matter what Blake thought of it, was enough to make her believe that maybe, just maybe, her cat-like traits weren't so wretched after all. She wanted to believe it, at least.

Yang pulled away, allowing her hands to trail down Blake's shoulders so she could clasp their fingers together. "Why'd you do it, then, if you don't like it?" Her tone was soft and curious now.

Blake stared at their intertwined fingers before meeting Yang's gaze again. She sighed. "It's been years since I've done that, actually." She creased her eyebrows. She remembered Adam, what seemed like centuries ago now – when he was still honest and gentle with her – letting her sleep with her head on his lap, his hands caressing her hair and her ears. Blake quickly banished the memory from her thoughts. "Only when I have my guard down, when I feel completely at ease, and the situation is right…I might…purr. I can't exactly control it."

Blake knew what she was admitting by revealing that information. Yet she also knew she wouldn't have uttered a word or even purred at all if it wasn't the truth: she trusted Yang that much on an instinctual level, it seemed. She had displayed a vulnerability next to no else had been permitted to witness.

Yang's eyes widened a little again, processing the statement. And then she smiled warmly, genially. "Blake, I'm honored. I really, really am. This is…well, I can't even describe it. I promise I won't peep a word about it. C'mere." She pulled Blake into a hug, probably her way of sealing the promise, and Blake closed her eyes contentedly. "Plus, I mean, I'm totally thrilled I get to enjoy it all to myself," Yang added in a murmur. "You're the best, Blake."

And Blake held Yang tighter, a rare, truly happy smile forming across her lips. Yes, Blake would do everything in her power to return this understanding and support Yang gave so willingly, and she would do it out of love. God knew how much this ray of sunshine deserved it.

The couple eventually separated, but Blake let her fingers linger on Yang's cheek. She leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the other before saying, "Thank you, Yang. You should probably catch the rest of your night now." She pulled away a bit, a soft smile still playing on her lips. "I can take over from here."

Yang grinned and hugged the Faunus one last time, briefly but just as tightly as before, and then got to her feet. "Stay sharp, partner." She winked, and then turned to head towards the campfire area.

Blake watched her go, admiring the blonde's form absentmindedly as she walked away – more captivated by Yang's mere presence than by her body. Although, that toned, hour-glass shape certainly didn't hurt. The girl in black brought one knee to her chest and rested her head on her hand, contemplative. "Goodnight, Yang," she murmured, knowing Yang wouldn't hear. It didn't matter to Blake at the moment, though. "Sleep well." She was feeling surprisingly lighthearted, and the smile floating on her lips refused to fade entirely.

I'm totally thrilled I get to enjoy it all to myself.

Oh, Yang. Somehow the social girl had made Blake happy she could share that part of herself alone with Yang, too. It had made Yang laugh and beam joyfully – and that was far more gratifying than it was embarrassing. And who better to let her guard down around with than the genuine altruist, after all?

Blake couldn't imagine or think of anyone else.

Wasn't there a saying about it always being darkest before the dawn? It was a nice expression, all things considered, but on a starry night such this, Blake couldn't really affirm it as being entirely true. While her night vision might have granted her a superior sense of sight in the dark, Blake still thought that even her friends would have been able to navigate in the forest without too much trouble.

But they needed their rest, and Blake was fine with watching over them and using her more developed Faunus senses to better "stay sharp," as Yang had put it. She liked this calmness and beauty, anyway, and that was how Blake found herself standing near the ledge of the cliff, admiring nature's vast expanse again in silence and waiting to catch the first lights of dawn.

Somewhere very far out to her left, the Beowolf howled, starting low and rising into a long, chilling note for a few seconds before fading into the quiet once more. Blake's gaze gravitated to the creature's approximate location uneasily. It was her third time hearing it since she had awoken. And this time, she felt a familiar sense of dread clutch her guts. It wasn't normal for a Grimm creature, especially a Beowolf, to stay in the same place for hours upon end. And why was it howling anyway? Was it possible for Grimm to accidentally get injured?

Blake's ears flattened against her skull before flicking back up on high alert, twitching in several directions. She turned, observing her surroundings as her pulse accelerated.

Everything was calm. There wasn't even a breeze now to disturb the stillness.

She didn't know what was making her anxious. Her friends were sound asleep, the fire was crackling quietly, and there certainly weren't any glowing red eyes creeping closer through the darkness. Everything should have been fine. Yet her instincts continued to warn her of imminent danger.

And then the Beowolf began to howl again, and Blake froze. It had never howled twice in the same hour, much less within a few minutes. The Faunus listened, more attentive than ever before, as the howl continued, rose in pitch, wavered…

…and came to an abrupt halt. A few seconds later, Blake's acute hearing detected hundreds of growls and roars. She looked far out to the source, narrowing her eyes, and saw something she should not have seen. Light. And not the rays of the sun or the glow of the stars.

Heart pounding, Blake scrambled towards the encampment and kneeled by Ruby. She grabbed the younger girl's shoulder and urgently shook her. "Ruby! We have a problem!"

Ruby's eyes opened groggily. "Bla… Why are you…?" And then she seemed to realize Blake's expression. She sat up ramrod straight, fully awake as she looked around in a bit of a panic. "Blake? What's wrong? Are we under attack?"

"No, but we have a situation." Blake stood, looking towards where she could hear a lot of angry Grimm. "I can see light where that Beowolf kept howling from. And there's a lot of activity happening in the same area now."

Ruby jumped to her feet and tried to see what the girl in black was talking about. She shook her head. "It's too far away. I'll take your word for it, though. We should probably investigate."

If it were possible, Blake's unease grew. Still, she wouldn't advise against Ruby's wishes. If there was light, it probably meant – somehow, way out here – the presence of humans or Faunus. And they wouldn't be alive for long with the numbers of Grimm Blake was estimating. "Alright. I'll wake Yang."

Ruby immediately got to Weiss' side with similar intentions. It was unfortunate for everyone to miss out on needed sleep, but at least they'd all gotten six hours or so. It was better than no rest at all. Yang wasn't easy to wake up, but she was eventually alert enough to have the situation explained to her.

Rapidly afterwards, RWBY loaded their weapons, gathered only the necessary gear, and left their encampment roughly the same without bothering to pack up. They would have to return later. At least, that was part of the quickly fabricated plan.

"Blake, take the lead!" Ruby ordered as the four girls started their run through the forest.

The Faunus didn't hesitate. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss fell behind her as she accelerated, but Blake made sure to not lose her team in the darkness. It felt uncomfortably familiar to the raven-haired girl, dashing between trees and avoiding branches and shrubs as best she could. Her anxious mind made the leaves sometimes look dark crimson instead of green. She didn't like this at all.

"I can't believe we left the fire burning!" Weiss exclaimed, sounding both miffed and concerned.

Yang scoffed. "Of course you'd worry about that, Miss Set-The-Forest-On-Fire."

"Oh, save your breath for running!" came the heiress' snappy reply. The prankster snickered, and Blake thought Yang would say something to spite Weiss further, but it seemed she decided to take the girl in white's advice to heart. RWBY had a while to go still, and although they trained and kept an intensive cardio regiment, a sprint through such uneven and obstacle-filled terrain would take a toll on them if they didn't focus.

Blake didn't allow herself to become distracted, though. She kept moving, confident in what she was hearing and using her more developed senses to guide RWBY straight into the wolf's mouth. At least, that's what it felt like. She wanted to say this was a terrible idea, that they should have waited until the sun rose, but lives were possibly at stake. It didn't matter that her sixth sense of sorts forebode an incredible amount of danger, that somehow the whole situation felt wrong. They would just have to be careful. As ridiculous as that seemed.

"Well, there's the cabin!" Ruby pointed out, and then laughed. Did she not realize the seriousness of the situation? "We should have kept going just a little longer last night!"

Blake only spared the wooden shack a glance as they raced by it through a clearing. It was too late now, and in any case, Yang's thoughts apparently mirrored Blake's fleeting ones, guessing by her complained outrage of, "Are you kidding me? We could've had a cozy place to sleep?"

"Confound it," Weiss muttered. She also added something about Ruby laughing, but it was mostly unintelligible. The four girls were panting regularly now, anyway, and none of them spoke again after spotting the location of the cabin. At least it was their most useful find so far. It meant they were on the right track.

Much to Blake's increasing alarm.

She strained to keep tabs on what was happening, and it didn't take long before very human shouts were heard among the growling and roaring of the Grimm. A few moments of sprinting later, and the rest of RWBY could make out the commotion in the distance, too. It had the effect of sobering Ruby and Yang very fast. None of them said anything, too occupied as they were with keeping their footing and maintaining a steady breathing rhythm, but the dread that settled on the team as they approached was palpable.

Hundreds of Grimm against four huntresses in training? It would indeed put their skills and teamwork to the test. Had Ozpin put lives other than their own into the equation when he had said they could handle it? Had he even known? Somehow, Blake highly doubted it. And that raised the stakes so much higher. A retreat would be inevitable for RWBY if they hoped to make it.

The four girls slowed their pace as the forestry began to thin out unnaturally and their surroundings becoming more illuminated by the light of whatever lay ahead. The first lights of dawn were just cresting the horizon when they arrived. Hearts pounding, breaths heavy from running, Team RWBY was forced to come to a complete halt when they saw what was happening.

It was utter chaos. Within the huge clearing before them looked to be a facility of sorts, a couple blocks of buildings connected to each other at ground level surrounded by huge electric fences that had been torn down by Grimm. And scattered on the same ground everywhere were hundreds of carbon cages in varying sizes, some broken, others toppled over – but it was clear what they had contained.

The Grimm infested the place, dashing in every which direction and attacking everything that got in their way. They were furious. More distressingly, there were corpses on the ground – wearing lab coats – and huntsmen already on the scene. It was impossible to count their numbers, but they were there, about a dozen of them, shouting at each other and yelling at the Grimm they fought against.

Ozpin wanted Team RWBY to find any abnormalities? This definitely qualified.

"We gotta help them!" Ruby commanded, and immediately took out her scythe and sprinted into the clearing teeming with monsters.

Yang, Weiss, and Blake followed rapidly, unwilling to leave their leader alone in the midst of such an insane situation.

"Be careful! You stubborn –" Weiss never finished her insult. In an amazing set of acrobatics, she dodged and evaded several Creeps that had charged at her.

"We have huntresses, boss!"

Blake swiped through a Beowolf, and lunged across to another, eyes darting in search of who was speaking. She couldn't remain stationary, though, and trying to spot anything among the mass of armored dark shapes was next to impossible.

"You have your orders!" a female voice replied, stern and implacable.

What?

Blake heard Yang let out an angered cry, and by the rocking under her feet and the explosion that followed, the ninja assumed the brawler had just cleared her immediate surroundings of Grimm. Unfortunately, the shock also short-circuited the large post where the light was coming from. It sparked and then went out, plunging the whole area into partial obscurity. Worse, the luminary didn't stay out – it began to flicker on and off jarringly.

If the circumstances could get any less ideal, Blake didn't even want to know. She could see in the dark just fine, but this? Even this made fighting difficult.

And for the love of God, what was going on?

Blake jumped on the back of an Ursa and propelled herself into the air. She caught a glimpse of Yang, fighting…one of the huntsmen? Blake landed, decapitating a Beowolf, and danced around a few Creeps, slashing through them –

"Why are you attacking us?!" That was Weiss, somewhere to Blake's left.

"Just die already!"

And then Yang was screaming in fury. "Don't you dare leave! Arrghhh! Get out of my way!"

Blake swiveled, panicked, but couldn't intervene. Glowing red eyes rose before her, and she leaned back to avoid the deadly claws of the Ursa. The Grimm were swarming everywhere among the broken cages, and the noise of all the chilling growls and yells, coupled with the flashing light, made it extremely difficult to get her bearings.

The same female voice from earlier commanded from somewhere, "Change of plans! Never mind the equipment! Dispose of everything!"

"What are you doing?!"

The light continued to flicker, creating far more confusion and alarm in Blake's mind. How dizzying it must have been for her friends. She ran from the Ursa, using Gambol Shroud's pistol form to shoot at every dark figure before her, trying to get closer to Yang.

"Yang! I can take care of her!" Ruby exclaimed.

And then Blake saw. The huntsman was still giving Yang a hard time, and she was firing Ember Celica every time she could at someone who was yards away from her, closer to the building. Her hair was glowing, and she looked incensed. Blake caught a glimpse of an incredibly long, red sword slicing the air and creating a dark maelstrom of sorts.

"We need to work as a team, you reckless dolt!"

But Ruby appeared out of nowhere with Crescent Rose, using her semblance to reach the woman faster, apparently oblivious to Weiss' shriek. Time seemed to slow. Ruby raised her scythe, ready to strike. The woman turned…

"Ruby!" A fierce scream from Yang had Blake switching her attention from her leader to her partner, who grabbed the huntsman's face and shoved his head down at the ground – an impressive show of brute force, but it was dangerously concerning, too. With the flashing light, it looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

The woman had tacked to the side at the last moment, and much to Blake's alarm, stuck out her foot only slightly. Ruby didn't seem to notice, and she couldn't slow her momentum.

Yang didn't bother with the huntsman any longer. Enraged, she began to sprint, but she never made it in time. Ruby tripped and careened headfirst into the cement wall of the building. Yang's step faltered, but she continued towards the woman, firing Ember Celica relentlessly, decimating anything in her path. Blake finally reacted, jumping into motion and covering Yang's flank by swiping at the Grimm that ran directly at them.

The masked figure saw them approaching and barked, "Destroy the facility!" It was a final order to the other huntsmen. She walked into the portal she had created, and it immediately sealed behind her in a flash of red.

Yang yelled wordlessly, frustration and fury evident in her demeanor. Despite her worry, confusion and panic, Blake grabbed the brawler's arm firmly and forced Yang to look at her. Caustic crimson met golden. "Cover me," Blake urged. "I'm going to take care of Ruby."

The blonde didn't reply, but she seemed to understand. The duo separated, Blake running towards Ruby's inert body and Yang single-handedly taking on dozens of Grimm creatures at once.

"Weiss!" Blake shouted. "To us!" She kneeled by her leader's side and carefully turned Ruby onto her back. She was unconscious, and even more concerning, there was blood running down her temple. Her aura hadn't protected her. Why? Yang couldn't know this – not now. She was keeping a level enough head to focus and cover Blake from their enemies, and it had to stay that way.

Blake may not have understood everything that was happening – it was all a mess, and the huntsmen were attacking them, as if dealing with hundreds of Grimm wasn't hard enough – but she was aware that she was the only person on the scene who could actually see better than anyone else. And God knew how familiar she was with these sorts of chaotic situations. All things considered, she could still think rationally, and she knew what needed to be done.

But where was Weiss?

There wasn't time. Blake quickly retrieved the med kit from the small of her back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Yang physically assaulting a Beringel, but her back was turned and there were two Beowolves running towards her.

Oh, no you don't. Blake gripped her pistol and shot them one after the other in their heads. And then she fired at the light, destroying the bulb and putting an end to the dizzying flashing. The dim light of dawn would suffice. It had to.

To Blake's relief, Weiss finally came into view, jumping down from one of her glyphs and exclaiming, "It's one thing to fight Grimm, but other huntsmen, too? What's going on here?!"

"Doesn't matter!" Blake retorted sharply – and she found that it was true; right now, it really didn't. There were more pressing problems. "Take Yang's right, and contact extraction!"

"What's wrong with Ruby?!" Yang suddenly called out angrily. "Why isn't she up already?"

Weiss and Blake stared at each other for a heartbeat, another layer of dread settling on them. The heiress looked weary and stressed, and Blake knew they had to act fast.

"Blake?!" Yang screeched. The brawler didn't need an answer though – her team's silence had said enough. "I'm going to kill you all!" she furiously spat, flames beginning to lick across her brightly glowing hair as she charged one of the huntsmen further off.

"I've got you," Weiss huffed, and glyphs appeared around Blake and Ruby, creating a protective barrier. Weiss then took out her scroll but was forced to defend herself against a small, vicious swarm of mini Nevermores simultaneously.

Blake knew their time was limited. They were all fatigued, and the pressure was taking its toll. She, herself, was worried sick about Yang, but Ruby needed her attention as it was. Blake checked the younger girl's pulse and found her heart was beating too slowly. To assess the severity of the blow, Blake took the small flashlight from the kit and shined it into Ruby's eyes. Much to Blake's distress, the girl's pupils did not constrict. She probably suffered a concussion. There was very little Blake could do except stop the bleeding.

Without warning, one part of the facility suddenly exploded, an infinitely huge percussion that shook the earth as debris flew in every which direction. Blake cried out, lowering herself over Ruby's body and covering her head. Something hard knocked her in the shoulder blade, but her aura took the brunt of it. She remained still, heart pounding and ears deafened by a loud, painful ringing.

Wincing, Blake slowly straightened, noticing the huge piece of cement lying on the ground beside them. Something else, far worse, caught her attention. The facility was ablaze, part of it entirely destroyed. The pieces were everywhere, and the fire was spreading fast. Blake could already feel the heat, and the smoke assaulted her finer sense of smell uncomfortably.

"Yang! Weiss!" she shouted, but she couldn't even hear her own voice, and the glyphs prevented her from properly seeing her surroundings.

She was isolated, she didn't know if her teammates were alright, and Ruby's life was in her hands. Blake did the only sensible thing at the moment – she focused on her leader. She rapidly opened her medical kit and wiped the blood from the wound on Ruby's head with a cotton pad, noticing that her hands were shaking, but she was unable to calm herself enough to control it. Blake disinfected the injury afterwards – and it was still bleeding. She was quick to take a bandage and apply it over the cut, before ever so gently wrapping gauze around Ruby's head.

The rotating glyphs around Blake suddenly flickered a few times before altogether disappearing. Blake grabbed Gambol Shroud and attempted to stand but fell back onto one knee as a wave of dizziness took her. She held her head, wishing she could just hear. Sweating from the heat and fear, Blake looked up and realized the inferno had spread to the trees, setting the sky on fire. The smoke was so thick that she could only see darker figures running all over the place – some Grimm, some human.

"…ake! Blake!" a muffled, faraway yell reached her, finally, and the Faunus tried to see where it was coming from, but it was impossible to tell.

The raven-haired girl began to cough, her eyes watering, but was glad that at least her auditory sense was gradually returning. "I'm here!" she called out, hoping her teammates would hear her. She raised her scarf over her mouth and nose to keep from inhaling too much smoke. "Yang! Weiss!" she tried again.

"Blake!" came the replied shout, and soon after, Yang and Weiss' shapes became more distinct not too far from her.

"Over here!" She coughed again and then turned towards Ruby to drape part of her cloak over the unconscious girl's nose. There was no way to tell when extraction would arrive, and Blake didn't want Ruby's state worsening.

Her teammates were by her side within moments. Blake experienced a wave of relief, knowing Yang and Weiss were alive and that they were reunited. She gazed up at Yang and saw the golden girl just standing there, staring in what seemed like horror at her younger sibling. Her lower face was concealed by her scarf, too, so it was difficult to guess her expression accurately.

"We can't stay near the building," Weiss urgently informed them. "The fire…"

"Ruby has a severe concussion," Blake replied woefully. "It would be dangerous to move her."

Yang collapsed to her knees next to Blake. "It's even more dangerous if we don't get out of here, though…" Her voice was hoarse, probably raw from screaming. She took Ruby's hand into her own. Blake only had an idea of what the older sister must have been feeling.

Blake's cat ears suddenly rose high on her head. "I hear it!" she exclaimed, gazing up at the sky in the direction that RWBY had originally come from. "The aircraft. It's coming!"

"I'll coordinate with them," Weiss declared, taking out her scroll again. She turned towards the clearing and froze.

Blake's gaze gravitated to what she was looking at, and her eyes widened. A King Taijitu, and several Boarbatusks approaching – close enough that their shapes were obvious. "Yang…"

But Yang didn't respond. She was fixated on Ruby, her regard absent. Blake tried to shake her, but Yang only slowly shook her head, tightening her hold on Ruby's hand. She'd lost all her will to fight, the fury from earlier snuffed out.

"Blake!" Weiss had just defended herself with one of her glyphs, a Boarbatusk smashing into it right in front of her.

Blake didn't have a choice. She had to leave Yang there with Ruby. She attempted to stand again, and this time she managed to stay on her feet. The Faunus gripped Gambol Shroud firmly and ran towards Weiss to help. Both of their auras were low, their breaths came as rasps and their eyes were so irritated it was difficult to see clearly, but they knew they had to hold on just a few minutes longer. Their leader – and Yang – depended on it.

A time-dilation glyph appeared beneath Blake, and the ninja felt the world slow down around her. The flames and the smoke and the growling Grimm became almost still, quieting everything to a low, muted hum, and Blake sprinted into motion, avoiding one Boarbatusk, jumping over another, and then ascending one of the Taijitu's necks, firing her pistol at the thing all the way up until she could stab her sword directly into the creature's brain.

Time sped back up, sound hitting the Faunus full force once more. The Taijitu's head snapped back, and Blake was airborne, sailing straight for the inferno. She created a shadow clone and propelled herself off of it, right back at the snake's damaged head. Blake used her sheath to cleave right through the weakened neck. The massive head thudded on the ground at the same time as Blake landed and rolled over her shoulder to diminish the hit on her aura.

Weiss was performing similar acrobatics as she dodged the Boarbatusks, managing to get two of them to collide into each other and get their tusks caught together. One of them flipped the other onto its back, and Weiss seized the opportunity to impale the creature with Myrtenaster. She rapidly got out of harm's way afterwards.

The loud droning of the shuttle was right above them now, and Blake and Weiss continued fighting, keeping the Grimm at bay as it began its descent. A machine gun was soon heard, the bullets completely undoing the Taijitu's other head. Blake began to believe they might actually make it.

The two huntresses covered the aircraft as it landed and continued to defend it as Dylan, Grey, and Claud came out of the hull to help load Ruby into the ship. Scheifer, Thornton, and Gideon stayed at the top of the ramp, shooting at the Grimm with their assault rifles to cover the rest of their squad.

It wasn't until the three men rescuing Ruby were back inside the shuttle and that it started to slowly take off again that Weiss and Blake retreated. They ran towards the closing ramp, pursued by still more Grimm, and vaulted into the hull when it was halfway shut. The two turned, Blake firing her pistol at the Beowolves that attempted to leap in and Weiss throwing her red Dust vial at the ground beneath them.

The hull closed, but the explosion shook the ship as the shockwave launched it higher into the air. Numerous metallic clanks followed, the surviving huntsmen shooting the corvette from below. Fortunately, the armor withstood the attack. The shuttle turned and finally took off, carrying its cargo safely. RWBY would be given oxygen masks and taken directly to the hospital.

In the meantime, Dylan and Claud monitored Ruby and administered what medical care they could. But Yang never left her sister's side, never let go of her hand. She continued to look absent, unresponsive to exterior stimuli, and Blake's unease did not relent. A single unspoken question seemed to run through all of their minds:

What if Ruby didn't wake up?

Chapter Text

It was a magnificent day on the island of Patch. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the sun shined brightly, casting its light and warmth over the tranquility of a certain meadow surrounded by tall trees and underbrush. Birds chirped joyfully, leaves rustled periodically, and butterflies fluttered undisturbed – pleasant testaments to the calm that reigned.

Yang was happy. Her dad was on their house's porch, preparing barbeque on the grill as he whistled a cheery tune, Ruby was outside exploring with her, and, more importantly, her mother – Summer – would be coming back tonight. Food on the horizon and a delicious smell in the air, spending time with family, and seeing her mom again soon…they might have been simple things, but Yang's spirits were high and nothing could ruin that for her. She'd been impatiently waiting for this day ever since Summer had left, anyway, just two weeks ago.

"Ruby!" Yang giggled and quickly went to fetch Ruby from the edge of the woods. Ruby could walk now and her little legs sure carried her far if someone didn't keep an eye on her. She was an extremely curious baby and had taken her first steps at a very young age, as if she couldn't wait to start her own adventures without anyone's help. It was a recurring theme between the two siblings at this point – Ruby somehow managing to eclipse herself and Yang bringing her baby sister back to safety. It was fun to a certain extent, too, because Yang always knew where to find Ruby, anyway – exactly in the places she shouldn't be, mischievous as she was.

Yang hopped in front of Ruby before she reached the trees and grinned. "I gotchu!"

Ruby's silver eyes widened and she took a few wobbly steps back. "But de woods! I wanna see de woods!" She made an attempt at getting past Yang. Whatever had caught her attention seemed like an important matter.

The six-year-old girl wasn't going to let her reach her destination, though. Yang laughed and took Ruby's hand, trying to return her focus on the house. "C'mon! Daddy's almost done cooking supper! Aren't you hungry?"

"But I saw someding! Lemme go, Yang!" Ruby twisted away, urgency in her tone and fascination in her eyes.

Her own curiosity piqued, Yang turned back to the forest and took a moment to search for whatever it was her almost four-year-old sister could have possibly seen. "Was it a bird?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Ruby shook her head vehemently. "It had legs! And it flew!" she spread her arms wide, mimicking a winged creature.

Yang now scratched the back of her head quizzically. "So, like…a bird?"

"No, Yang!" the little girl in red creased her eyebrows, thinking. "It was like a…a skwel!"

"What's a skwel?" the blonde looked at the trees again, befuddled. She paused. "Is it like a bird?" The teasing smile she gave her sibling was utterly obvious.

"Yaaaaaang," Ruby wailed. She slumped her shoulders, defeated. The soft breeze played with the short strands of her chestnut hair. "It's prolly gone now…" she sighed.

That was when Yang saw it. A little furry animal scurrying up one of the trees at the speed of lightning as it made squeaky chittering sounds. "A squirrel!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Silly Ruby, squirrels don't fl…"

The "skwel" suddenly jumped off the trunk and sailed through the air, all four webbed legs extended wide, and landed on another branch further off.

"…y. Oh."

"See? I told you! I told you!" Ruby hopped up and down excitedly. She kept pointing at the small animal, following its rapid progression through the trees with her finger. Yang fully conceded that it was adorable. Just like her little sister, in fact.

She giggled, watching the squirrel go. "You sure did, Rubes. It's so cute!"

"Girls!" a voice suddenly called from the house further behind them. "Come over here if you want to eat! It's ready!"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Daddy!" she exclaimed – as if he hadn't been there all along and she was surprised to hear him – and let go of Yang's hand to quickly turn and make her way towards their home.

The blonde's amused lilac eyes watched her go – Ruby was quite fast on her feet for her age. But Yang was still swifter than her! "I'm gonna catch youuuu, Ruby!" she called out, grinning from ear to ear as she began to go after her sibling.

The younger girl glanced behind herself, silver eyes round as coconuts, and immediately tried to speed up. Her run looked bumpy and teetering on the recently mowed lawn, but she was definitely determined.

"I'm gonna get chuuuu!" Yang teased further, hopping closer. This caused Ruby to start laughing, high-pitched and unrestrained. They would reach the balcony steps soon, and Yang was quickly gaining on her sister. "Go, Ruby! Go, go, go!"

Ruby screamed in her excitement, her baby-like voice causing Yang to guffaw – it was just so adorable. Just before they reached the stairs, the six-year-old caught up to the shorter girl and hugged her tightly, declaring, "I got you! I got you!"

Both siblings were giggling uncontrollably, and it wasn't until their father – chuckling, himself – said, "Alright there, troublemakers. Calm down. Let's get you two seated at the table," that Ruby and Yang pulled away from each other enough to climb the three steps onto the balcony, Yang making sure Ruby didn't fall by holding her hand.

Their father, Taiyang, gathered the smallest of the two into his arms and carried her to the high-chair fixed to one of the wooden seats at the modest table nearby. Ruby immediately started telling her dad about the flying "skwel," her speech eager and curious and amazed all at once. He laughed as she recounted the story like it had been some great adventure, the marvel still evident in her eyes.

"Well, Ruby," he replied lightly as he made sure she was buckled in securely in her high-chair, "I know something else that's even faster than the squirrel."

Yang watched him waggle his eyebrows as she sat down next to her sibling and found herself beaming in amusement and fascination, too. Her dad made the funniest faces sometimes.

Ruby's eyes widened again. "What is it? What is it?"

Taiyang turned slightly and winked at Yang before bringing his attention back to Ruby. "It has two legs –"

"It's a bird!" Yang exclaimed, grinning hugely and then turning into a helpless pile of cackling when two pairs of eyes stopped to stare at her.

"No, Yang! No birds!" Ruby wailed and gazed at her father pitifully. "Daddy, it's not a bird, is it?"

Taiyang was chuckling heartily now along with his eldest daughter. "No, it's not, Ruby," he snickered. "Your sister is being a troll. Yang, give me a high-five!" He raised his hand towards said troll. Yang didn't have to be prompted twice. She reached out and smacked the palm of her father's much larger hand, still laughing.

"I'm telling mommy when she comes back!"

"Daddy won't tell you what's faster than a flying squirrel if you do that…" Yang leaned towards Ruby, trying to waggle her eyebrows like her dad had done earlier. She wasn't sure if she'd succeeded, but she'd keep trying with time.

Ruby seemed mortified. Her face scrunched up adorably as she thought about the ultimatum, but then Taiyang ruffled her hair with a chuckle, his large hand covering the entire top of Ruby's head. "You tell mommy you're the fastest in the whole world. You'll see." He straitened his stance, cobalt blue eyes grinning, and then went over to get the plates.

Ruby was smiling again, and Yang couldn't help the simper on her own lips, either. She turned her head to gaze out at their vast front yard, squinting slightly because of the sun and feeling the soothing breeze play with her hair and caress her skin. Sometime after they were done eating, their mom would be driven up the long dirt road and dropped off near the house by a chauffeur. Yang imagined Ruby and herself running up to her and hugging her tightly, this hero, this slayer of monsters, and the best mother ever. She couldn't wait!

Yang turned back towards the table as their dad put their plates in front of them – cut up pieces of steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli. It smelled so deliciousssss...but ew, broccoli. "Daddy, when is mommy coming back?" she looked up at Taiyang curiously after cringing at the vegetables. She already knew the answer – the two sisters having pestered their dad all day with that same question – but maybe it had, in some awesome intervention of fate, changed.

He sat down opposite her with his own plate of food and looked at his wristwatch. "Well, Yang, maybe in an hour or two." And then he took his fork and wagged it at the blonde, arching his eyebrows. "Also, don't think I didn't see that face you made. If you want to be strong like your amazing old man, you gotta inhale that broccoli like your life depends on it."

Yang pouted, observing her dad's powerful build critically – this man that seemed to tower above her when he was standing and could lift her high onto his wide shoulders, making her feel as invulnerable as he surely was. No one could touch her when she was up there. She could even reach for the sky.

Her gaze returned to the broccoli on her plate, and she winced. Yang did indeed want to be like her dad – invincible. That way, she could always protect and look out for Ruby.

She would leave the broccoli for last, though.

Because…well, ew.

"Yang, you do it like dis!" Ruby exclaimed, and took a vegetable to bring it towards her nose. She attempted to breathe it in, but ended up smearing it on her face, which caused the two siblings to start laughing again.

The moment of hilarity didn't last long, though. The three family members stopped when they heard the distinct sound of a car approaching on the dirt road to their house. It soon came into sight, the black armored vehicle that huntsmen and huntresses were usually driven in.

Supper completely forgotten, Taiyang stood slowly from his chair while Yang's eyes grew wide once more in excitement. She jumped from her seat just as Ruby started hitting the surface of her high-chair. "Lemme out! Lemme out, daddy! Please! I wanna go see mommy!"

Yang impatiently waited for her dad to wipe Ruby's face and get her out, continuously glancing at the car as it drove closer and came to a stop nearby. The tinted windows made it impossible to see who was inside. But that didn't matter. "Hurry up, daddy!" she urged.

"I know, I know," he replied with a grin, and finally lifted Ruby from her highchair.

As soon as Ruby was on her feet, Yang grabbed her hand, and the two girls hurried down the steps and ran as fast as they could towards the vehicle, simultaneously shouting joyfully, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

The car was much bigger up close than it had seemed from the porch. Yang wasn't intimated, though – she was so excited! Their mom had actually come home earlier than the time their dad had been telling them all day!

They came to a halt by the passenger door but didn't have to wait long for it to open.

The person who came out wasn't their mother, though. Their gazes traveled up the man's frame until they saw his face – a familiar one, actually.

"Uncle Qrow! Uncle Qrow!" the two sisters exclaimed enthusiastically, bouncing up and down, as they were happy for his visit even if he wasn't the person they had initially thought they'd see.

"Hey there, kiddos," he greeted them rather tiredly, crouching down to be at their height. Yang and Ruby tried to hug him, but he kept them at arm's length for a moment, observing their beaming faces with an incredibly sad look in his red eyes. Yang couldn't figure out what he was doing, and her grin faltered. But then he sighed and attempted to smile a bit, himself, before accepting their hug, pulling the two girls in and holding them tightly.

"Qrow?" came Taiyang's voice from behind them, sounding disturbed. "What are you doing here? Where's Summer?"

"Did you see mommy? Huh? Did you?" Ruby demanded, silver eyes fervent.

Qrow opened his mouth as if wanting to answer, but then he watched Taiyang approach and deliberately stood, holding Yang and Ruby by their hands. "Tai. We need to talk. Privately." His rough voice was stern, and Yang found herself glancing between both adults in worry, sensing the growing tension.

Taiyang didn't seem to take kindly to Qrow's words, however. He briskly stalked up to him. "I asked you a question, Qrow."

"Please, Tai. Not here."

"We aren't going anywhere," Taiyang retorted with an audibly upset growl.

Qrow stepped forward, letting go of Ruby and Yang and glaring at their father. "I said I need to speak to you privately."

Yang took Ruby's hand and both backed away from the two men, intimidated by their anger and unfriendly stances. Ruby even edged behind her older sister slightly, as if seeking to hide. Yang wished she knew what was going on – their uncle and their father had never been this aggressive towards each other. Not in front of them, at least, and she wondered if it was somehow her fault.

Why had Qrow looked at her that way? Had she made him sad?

Taiyang and Qrow continued their silent confrontation only for a few more seconds before the taller of the two backed away some and lowered his eyes. Taiyang turned towards Ruby and Yang, and upon noticing their frightened faces, his own expression softened.

"Go inside the house, girls," he said gently. "Yang, take care of your sister. Make sure the two of you finish eating."

Yang glanced at Qrow, who gave the subtlest of nods, and then she incited Ruby to follow her. The two didn't run this time, and Yang looked back at her dad to make sure everything was alright. It didn't seem like it was, and she didn't understand why. She could guess, though, that whatever it was, it was bad. But she had a mission now – like her mother did. Take care of Ruby. Yang could accomplish that task – she knew how, too.

The house seemed oddly quiet and still without the presence of their father. Once they were at the table with their unfinished plates of food – having grabbed them from outside – Ruby asked in a hushed tone, almost fearful, "Yang, what's going on? Why are dey angry?"

"I dunno, Ruby," the six-year-old replied. Curiosity willed her to look out the window and find out, but Ruby had become her priority. "Eat your food. I'm sure daddy and uncle Qrow are gonna be alright."

The young brunette gazed up hesitantly at her sibling. Without her highchair Ruby had to almost keep standing in order to reach her food properly. "Okay," she agreed, but she didn't sound convinced. Nevertheless, she brought her attention back to her food and began eating again – much more slowly than before, though. Yang knew a joke was in order, or even some sort of game to entertain her little sis, something that would distract her and lighten the mood. Anything, really.

However, no sooner had Yang opened her mouth to speak that furious shouting was heard from outside.

"What do you mean, she's not coming back?! No! That's impossible! You have no right to come here and just announce –"

"You think I'm joking? No, Tai! Why would I come all the way out here just to –"

There was the muffled sound of someone getting punched and then two car doors opening and slamming shut. Every fiber in Yang's being urged her to watch and see what was happening to clear her confusion and insecurity.

"Yang?" Ruby squeaked. "What does dat mean?"

Once again, Yang wished she could explain. But she didn't comprehend the situation anymore than Ruby did. Plus, Ruby had to stay safe before anything else. Heart pounding, Yang jumped from her seat and got her sister to hop down, too, and then grabbed her hand once more. "It's gonna be okay, trust me," she tried to reassure her, like their dad and Summer had often done when their children were scared. Yang wasn't really certain if she managed to be convincing – she was in need of reassurance, herself, and incapable of believing her own words, there was no one else to help her.

They paused when they heard their uncle start talking again.

"Listen to me! They found her body, took it in to verify her identity, and it was her. I saw her, Tai. I…I saw her. Summer is dead."

"You're lying!" Taiyang retorted, but he sounded desperate and less sure of himself now.

"I have no reason to lie to you, Tai… I'm sorry."

Whatever was said next was too quiet to be heard.

Ruby had begun to sniffle, and Yang's heart was thudding hard in her chest and in her ears. She felt a tight ball in her throat, but she couldn't cry. She didn't even know why she was feeling this way, this confusion and upset, she didn't know what any of it meant, but they were all probably the cause of her distress. It must have been even worse for Ruby.

"Follow me!" Yang prompted weakly, tugging on Ruby's hand. "They're just having a conversation, Ruby," she assured as confidently as she could as they entered their shared bedroom a few moments later. In the presence of her sibling or not, Yang was beginning to feel very alone and helpless. She couldn't let Ruby see or know that, though.

Yang was able to get Ruby into her crib thanks to all the times she had watched her dad do it. Lifting Ruby wasn't a difficult task, either – Yang was a little taller than most six-year-olds and she had proven to be strong for her age, too. Plus, well, Ruby wasn't exactly heavy and she hadn't experienced any recent growth spurts. She was just small.

Ruby didn't seem to comprehend why she had to be put in her crib, but she thankfully didn't fight Yang about it. Which was good because Yang didn't really know why, either – she was just trying to imitate her parents. The older girl figured Ruby would feel safer there, and being here in the room meant they would be isolated enough from the outside that they wouldn't have to hear the commotion happening. That said, Yang's fear didn't relent. She knew what dead meant, but it just wasn't processing in her mind. She thought Ruby knew, too, but – maybe – if they stayed calm and if Yang did what her father had instructed, they would find out that everything was okay. Uncle Qrow and her dad both liked teasing and playing pranks, after all. That had to be it…right?

Right?

Unfortunately, it seemed it wouldn't happen that way.

Ruby and Yang heard the front door open, followed by Taiyang's uncharacteristically slow, heavy footsteps on the wooden floorboards. Both girls waited in silence, almost holding their breath, but he didn't walk very far, nor did he call out to them. Instead he pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, making it creak loudly before the house returned to utter quiet once more.

Yang glanced at Ruby. They were holding on to the bars of the younger girl's crib and had been looking out their shared bedroom door even if they wouldn't – and couldn't – see into the kitchen. Ruby still appeared like she was on the verge of tears, bottom lip quivering, and Yang swallowed hard, fighting her own urge to cry.

"Yang?" Ruby whispered, voice breaking.

The blonde blinked several times and did her very best to give Ruby a smile. Yang had to be strong for Ruby. That was what she had been asked to do, right? Take care of her little sister. "I promise it's gonna be alright," she said, putting her hand overtop of Ruby's and squeezing. She thought she actually sounded reassuring that time.

Considering how frightened and useless Yang felt and how hollow her promise seemed, Ruby wiping her eyes and nodding came across as somewhat of a tiny miracle.

The front door suddenly opened again and the two girls knew it was Qrow without needing to find out. Nothing was said for a strangely long while, until Qrow's voice was heard, sounding gruffer and graver than usual, "Summer was there for all of us, and especially for you. Don't let that go to waste."

Yang craned her neck to hear better, but it became evident that after a moment of lacking response, her dad wasn't going to speak. She didn't know what was wrong – he usually always had something encouraging or optimistic to say.

Qrow took a few steps and then opened the front door. There was another pause. "Tai, you have two girls who need you. You aren't allowed to shut down again. I'm leaving, but you have to take care of them." On those words, their uncle walked out and let the door close behind him.

Ruby and Yang listened to him descend the porch stairs, and a little later, a car door slamming shut. And still no other noises coming from the kitchen. Yang's heart wouldn't calm. She needed to see her dad and find out what was wrong. Desperately. She was scared.

Yang first made sure Ruby would be okay. She gave her little sister her favorite teddy-bear – it was a small dog – saying, "Here, Zwei will keep you company. I'm gonna go make sure daddy is alright and ask him what's going on."

Ruby took Zwei and hugged the stuffed animal firmly. She nodded, closing her eyes tight and plopping down in her crib. "Okay."

Yang pursed her lips into a thin line, creasing her eyebrows as she turned towards the door. She hesitated, unsure if leaving Ruby was the most appropriate course of action – what if not completing her task properly made everything bad? Then it would be her fault for sure! – but Ruby looked like she could handle being alone in the room for a few minutes. Yang wouldn't be gone long – she was going to get her dad, and he would reassure them both.

And then mommy will come home. She would smile, hug them, and tell them everything was okay, too. There was no reason to be scared or feel alone. They could be happy, and go play outside together while the sun was still bright. Ruby would be alright and she'd be able to tell mommy all about the squirrel, too.

It was with these frail beliefs in mind that Yang pushed herself to take the steps necessary into the hallway. Still, her heart refused to stop pounding. She heard the armored car outside drive away, signaling the assured departure of her uncle Qrow. Her socked feet made no sound as she padded slowly closer to the kitchen, and she had a moment of hesitation before actually turning the corner. She stopped, holding her breath.

Taiyang was indeed sitting at the table on the chair closest to the entrance door. The sunlight filtered in through the window nearby, but he wasn't looking outside. His burly form was hunched over, his face hidden by his strong arms on the table. Yang's eyebrows creased in concern when she saw that his shoulders were shaking a bit. Was he sick?

"Daddy?" she murmured, uncertain. She took a step closer, once again wishing she knew what to do.

Her father made a bit of a strangled noise as his body tensed, and Yang realized what she was seeing. He was crying.

No, this wasn't right. It just wasn't. Yang's eyes filled with tears and she ran towards him, putting both of her hands on one of his forearms urgently. "Don't cry, daddy," she begged him, voice hitching in her distress. "Please, don't cry…" She lowered her eyes, swallowing with difficulty. The ball in her throat had reappeared, making it hard for her to speak. It felt like she was just telling those words to herself. She had never seen her dad like this. She didn't understand what was happening. He was strong, solid as a rock, and had always comforted his children. This wasn't normal. He wasn't supposed to cry.

There was no prank. He wouldn't smile nor would he offer comforting words.

"It's okay, daddy," she tried again in a whisper, but the tears escaped her eyes and instead of helping, her attempt at reassuring him seemed to only make him worse, broken sobs forcing themselves out now. He wouldn't show her his face. There was nothing she could do.

Yang stared, blinking to clear her vision, but it was useless. She was useless. Maybe this really was her fault. Silently, she sat on the chair next to her dad and retracted her hands from his arm, putting them between her knees tightly. She gazed down at her lap, waiting, even if all she wanted to do was hide, somehow, just some way to make herself feel more secure. Nothing made sense anymore.

"She's gone," Taiyang choked out between sobs. "Summer –"

Yang's eyes widened and her head snapped back up to fixate on her dad. "But daddy, you said she was coming back tonight. She can't be gone!" What was he talking about? It couldn't be –

Taiyang suddenly slammed his hand down on the surface of the table, startling Yang from her inner turmoil, and he finally looked at her, eyes bloodshot and expression filled with pain. "She's dead, Yang." He stared at her in his upset, and Yang recoiled, intimidated. Her dad saw this, and his shoulders slumped, his voice becoming just a lifeless murmur. "She isn't coming back."

Yang's mind was reeling, trying to process the information. She knew what dead meant. Dead was not moving. It was…it was…

Not here anymore.

Mommy wasn't coming back home. Not tonight, not ever again. Yang couldn't hold back or ignore her pain this time. The ball in her throat expanded and her whole chest felt constricted. The overwhelming sense of loss that took her was suffocating. "Mommy," she whimpered desperately, covering her face with her hands. It was so hard to breathe.

And as if that wasn't enough, Yang heard Ruby in their bedroom, crying for someone to hold her. She must have heard what was happening in the kitchen – Ruby was clever, she had known something was wrong, too.

But what was Yang supposed to do? She couldn't do anything! She had even made the whole situation worse! It felt like the foundations she stood on were gradually crumbling beneath her, and there was no one around to help her find safer grounds. She was on her own and she was scared to death, trembling in her despair. There was no way she was strong enough to keep holding Ruby when Yang was barely even keeping herself together.

Sniveling through heaving breaths, Yang looked at her father, silently pleading for him to at least go reassure her little sister. Hearing her cry so loudly was crushing. She didn't want Ruby to feel alone. Ruby needed to smile again.

But Taiyang just sat there, his cobalt regard now dull and empty as tears continued to stream down his cheeks. He didn't even seem to know Yang was beside him anymore.

Yang, take care of your sister. That was what he'd told her. And now she was failing at that, too. But she loved Ruby too much to give up. No matter how weak and destroyed Yang felt, her baby sister needed her. If their dad couldn't do it, then there would be no one else who would be there for her. Because Summer was gone. She wasn't coming back. Yang was all Ruby had.

The blonde jumped off her chair, shaking and still sniffling, but she forced herself to take a deep, painful breath in before carefully exhaling. It didn't do much to calm her, but Yang's wellbeing didn't matter now. She would not make Ruby's crying her fault – she would be there for her. She'd protect her.

Yang quickly went back to the bedroom, finding Ruby wailing and rattling the bars of her crib, trying to get out. Zwei had been thrown on the floor, unhelpful. When the little girl saw Yang, she became somewhat appeased. Her face was red and wet with tears, but she asked hesitantly, voice hoarse, "Yang… Where's mommy? I want mommy."

It was in that moment that Yang was truly faced with the impossibility of her naïve determination. How was she supposed to tell Ruby that…? The tears swelled up in her eyes again, and she ran up to the crib to help Ruby out. But Ruby was much less cooperative this time around.

"I want mommy!" she shouted, and began to cry again, fighting Yang so she'd let go of her.

"Ruby!" Yang choked, desperate and feeling powerless. She forced her little sister into a hug, holding her as tightly as she could despite the younger girl's struggling. "It's gonna be okay, Ruby!" How was she even saying that? "I'm here. I'm here, Ruby. Everything is okay. Everything is okay."

Everything is not okay. It never was.

They'd learned to move on, of course, and live happily despite Summer's absence, but even that was a lie. Taiyang had never recovered entirely. Ruby still spoke to her mom's gravestone. Their uncle Qrow was constantly drunk. Yang…

Well, Yang had been told, shortly after the news of her death, that Summer hadn't even been her biological mother. Fancy that. Yang had wasted years of her life searching for the woman who had given birth to her, seeking answers and closure that she thought would mend the rift made by Summer's passing. None of it had been granted to her. All she had was a picture and a name. Everything she had thought to be true had been ripped from beneath her at a formative stage of her life, where stability was most important, and she'd been charged with the far too heavy responsibility of making sure Ruby was cared for. Yang had been forced to grow up much faster than any child should have and build her own foundation to plant her feet upon. But it had never been solid. At every other moment throughout her life, she had felt like her world could crumble without warning and there'd be nothing left to hold on to.

And now, in this ironic twist of fates, it wasn't Ruby who needed Yang. Yang needed Ruby. She wanted to find her mother, she wanted Summer to come back, but she needed Ruby – the only constant, the only sure presence she had – the most.

Except Ruby was lying in a hospital bed not three feet from her, hooked to an IV and other instruments, breathing through an oxygen mask and having been declared comatose. It was a miracle she had even survived, and there was no guarantee she'd ever wake up.

And whose fault was that? Raven Branwen's – the coward of a woman who had abandoned Yang at birth. Once again, Yang was lost. Without Ruby, without the one person who had always been there, Yang had nothing – nothing except a smoldering anger towards her biological mother and a need more pressing than ever before to pry answers from that woman's mouth.

But even that had dulled after the initial encounter. Now Yang was just sitting here, staring at her half-sibling's pale, unmoving form, unable to accept that this was true. Ruby's head was heavily bandaged – they'd been forced to operate to relieve the pressure accumulating in her skull, and her hair was partly shaved off where the injury had been stitched. The medical treatment she'd received on the airship had boosted her aura levels to prevent brain damage from the trauma, but the consequences were what the doctors called an auric coma. She would either wake up when her body was done healing, or she wouldn't wake up at all because the injury sustained was too great and her aura was only able to protect her, not cure her. They couldn't disrupt the process – her aura was the only thing either keeping her alive or stopping her from turning into a vegetable.

And Yang was once again left alone to cope, every beep from the heart monitor a small jab to remind her it wasn't all just some awful nightmare she'd wake up from. It was reality. Weiss and Blake had gone…somewhere, after they'd been treated for all that smoke they had inhaled. Yang hadn't been listening. She was supposed to have followed them – probably – but she refused to leave Ruby's side. They'd been gone for about an hour now. Or maybe five hours. Yang didn't know anymore, and it didn't matter, either – she'd lost track of time after realizing her little sister was hurt. It just felt like one moment she was wreaking havoc on her surroundings at a Grimm-infested facility, and the next there was just the empty, oppressive sound of silence. Silence, and Ruby in an aura-induced coma.

None of it made sense. None of it was okay.

The door into the hospital room suddenly swung open, someone quickly saying, "I came as fast as I could after hearing the…" Taiyang slowly stepped inside as his voice trailed off, and then he froze upon taking in the scene. The door closed behind him. "Ruby, no." He rushed to her other side, eyes wide and panicked. "How did this happen? Is she alright?" He looked at his older daughter, eyes pleading for an answer.

But Yang only spared him a glance before returning to fixate on Ruby. She felt so far removed from the entire situation, like she was staring at a body, a stranger, through a window in another room, another life. "Raven," she murmured, but her voice was hoarse and weak. Yang's eyes felt dry and they continued to burn, but she hadn't cried – she wouldn't, either. As long as Ruby was breathing, there was still hope. She wouldn't give that up. She'd be there.

"Raven?" Taiyang repeated in disbelief. "You mean Raven did this?" He sounded like he had more to say, but then he looked down at Ruby and the words seemed to die in his throat. He swallowed hard, and sat down too, shaking his head in denial.

Yang had long ago developed an indifference to her father's pain. She hadn't had a choice. She understood him, understood his reasons, but had ceased to offer sympathy when it became obvious he couldn't stop wallowing in self-pity instead of pulling himself together and doing his job as a parent should. He didn't expect comforting words from her anymore – Yang had eventually made it clear to him she wouldn't handle his burden on top of everything else, especially when none of it was hers to bear to begin with.

"Is Ruby going to be okay?" Taiyang asked, voice sounding a bit gruffer.

"Auric coma," was all Yang replied. He would know what that entailed.

And indeed, he did. The shaky sigh he exhaled was evidence of it. He observed his younger daughter desperately and massaged his forehead, blinking back tears. "Yang, we can't lose –"

"I know," Yang interrupted him. "Dad, I know." She didn't want to talk about it, either, and made sure the firmness in her voice transmitted that message. She didn't need nor want his hopelessness.

Taiyang caught on. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and staring at Ruby in his upset. They lapsed into silence for a while, both adults falling into their private ruminations. It wasn't too long, though, before Taiyang muttered, "I don't understand why she would have done this."

Yang raised her eyebrows. Was he actually going to finally talk to her about Raven? "Hurt Ruby, or abandon me?" she retorted, losing patience at the topic of that coward. "Did you even know her, dad? Because the number of crimes she's committed are accumulating, and you're still here, shaking your head like you can't believe it. But maybe it's totally believable that –"

"Raven was my assigned partner!" he objected, as if that somehow justified his opinion, but then he looked down and didn't say anything else.

Yang didn't bother to question him anymore about it. She knew nothing he could say would be helpful in any case. He was a man blinded by love and by his own belief that there was always something good to be found in others. To a certain extent, Yang was similar – but she'd also stopped being naïve about it over six years ago. Ulterior motives were a thing, and not everyone was genuinely kind – a lesson she had learned the hard way, unfortunately. Some people successfully played the nice card for years, in fact, before their true colors were revealed.

A terse rapping on the door managed to switch Yang's attention away from Ruby. Father and daughter watched as the familiar form of Qrow opened the door. He stayed at the doorway for a moment, his expression grim but apparently not surprised to see either of his nieces in such bad states. He must have already been aware of the situation.

"Your emo friend followed me," he finally declared, opening the door wider and rolling his eyes as he stepped out of the way.

After only a brief moment, Blake walked by him. "Thanks." She shot him a bit of sarcastic look before going over to sit beside Yang. Discreetly, Blake slipped her slender fingers between Yang's and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Yang barely noticed. Qrow had been gone on a mission. His presence here meant he had been recalled early specifically for this case and had important information to transmit to them concerning what had happened – and Yang wanted to know. She needed to know. If there were any leads that would guide them to Raven, she was going to hunt that woman down for what she had done to Ruby.

Qrow closed the door slowly and then paused for a moment. He eventually turned to look at his small audience of three, and his gaze stopped on Yang and Blake. "Thanks to your entire team's swift communication and efforts, we were able to capture some of the huntsmen at the facility and take them in for questioning. Following that, we verified the identity of their leader and found her. Raven has been taken into custody."

Yang immediately rose from her chair, letting go of Blake's hand. "Where?" she demanded.

Qrow calmly put his hands up a little. His tone was a bit inappropriately light when he spoke. "Whoa, calm down, firecracker. You can't –"

Yang took a step forward, glaring as she grated her question again, "Where is she? Tell me where Raven is being held so I can tear her –"

Qrow crossed his arms and frowned. "It doesn't make sense to give you that piece of information, especially after that. There are no visitors allowed."

Yang clenched her hands into fists. She wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Look at Ruby!" she seethed. "Look at her! Raven did that! My baby sister is in a coma and may never wake up, all thanks to my mother. I have every right to want answers!" Did he not understand how important this was for her? Or how messed up the situation was?

Blake reached for Yang's arm, grazing the brawler's skin softly, apparently attempting to appease her. "Yang, please –"

But Yang retracted her arm. "Don't." Her eyes felt so dry. Revenge. Closure. Raven held the key to all of it. As Blake put her hand back on her lap hesitantly, Yang returned her attention to her uncle. She took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself, but her blood felt like it was boiling in her veins. "Raven – your very own twin – abandoned all of us. Not just me. She just up and left you, my dad, Summer, and me. And now we discover her in the Emerald Forest, capturing Grimm for who knows what reason, ordering her guards to kill us." Yang could feel her fury burning cold, turning her eyes to crimson. "We finally have an opportunity to get answers, and you're just going to follow orders?"

Unlike what she would have preferred, Qrow didn't bite. He leaned his shoulder against the wall, his expression darkening. "I know Raven better than any of you in this room. I can't tell you why she did what she did, but I can tell you her reasons for doing things have never been senseless."

Yang recoiled a little, her eyes first widening in incomprehension before narrowing angrily. "Why are you defending her?!" she vociferated, a jab of betrayal making her rage spike. "Nothing excuses what she's done!"

"I'm not defending her," Qrow growled, straightening his stance and finally letting go his air of indifference. His red eyes became stern and unreadable. "I'm just telling you to trust me. No visitors. Do you understand?"

The blonde glowered at him, breathing rougher as she sought to keep control over her turbulent emotions. But Qrow's indecipherable expression remained unwavering, and it was through this silent confrontation that Yang realized she wasn't going to get what she wanted – what she needed. Even if she tried to fight him, her uncle wouldn't budge, and she knew that despite the terrible frustration it caused.

Yang finally lowered her gaze and swallowed with difficulty, forcing her fingers to relax by her sides. "I understand," she murmured. It had never been so hard to admit defeat. Without Ruby, without this, she had no purpose. She was just as helpless as she had always been, her insecurity worse than it had been as a child. She had nothing but old wounds tearing open again, and she couldn't do anything to make the bleeding stop.

But she wouldn't let it go. She would see Raven eventually. And when she did, Yang would make her pay.

Qrow relaxed his stance and seemed relieved that his niece had backed down. He sighed and turned back towards the door. "I need to leave now. Before I go, though… Yang, Ozpin still needs to debrief you about your mission. And Blake, you'll have to go with her, since you left early." On those words, Qrow left the hospital room.

Yang stood still for a moment, the heart monitor's beeps ringing in her ears until her legs lost their strength and she decided to sit back down again. Her gaze automatically drifted back to Ruby, and her eyes started to burn once more. Still, there were no tears that came. Her anger simmered, and Yang slowly lapsed into the absent state of mind she had been in since the accident, staring and not understanding how this could be possible.

Taiyang and Blake didn't say anything either for a long while. The three of them just sat there, caught in their own thoughts. Yang found that she didn't even care. They were all useless. Every single last one of them.

At some point, Blake finally spoke up. Her voice was gentle and hesitant when she asked, "Yang, do you want to come eat something with me?"

Yang only shook her head. "No." She wouldn't leave Ruby.

Blake exhaled softly, and after a brief instant, she carefully put her hand overtop of Yang's. "Yang, please. It's the middle of the afternoon and I'm sure you haven't –"

"I'm not hungry," Yang interjected, beginning to feel a bit unnerved by Blake's insistence. There was a bigger problem than food right now.

Blake didn't seem to grasp that, though. She made her voice even more tentative, as if she didn't quite know how to express herself, saying, "Maybe… Well, I think getting some fresh air would help you, at least."

At that, Yang yanked her hand away from Blake's and glared at her. "I can get food later!"

The Faunus' golden eyes widened, bowless cat ears leaning backwards in her confusion and shock. "Yang –"

"Just leave us alone, Blake." Fed up, Yang refocused her eyes on Ruby. How could Blake not understand? Yang needed to be here. She didn't want Ruby to wake up and be alone. That was a feeling she didn't wish upon anyone. Yang would know, having spent years feeling exactly that way. Completely on her own. It wasn't until Ruby had been a bit more grown up that Yang had been able to start relying on her more. And that was one of the reasons Yang needed her. Ruby would wake up – at least, that's what the older sister desperately tried to convince herself of.

Yang came back to the present moment. Taiyang was still sitting on a chair on the other side of Ruby's bed, observing both of his daughters sorrowfully. He noticed Yang looking in his direction, and then he asked, "Are you…in a relationship with that girl?"

Yang blinked, strangely feeling like the topic of that question seemed so foreign and faraway – part of a conversation that might have happened in a different timeline, one that wasn't amidst a world of hurt. "Uh, yeah," she muttered. "Yeah, I am." She glanced to her side, expecting to see Blake and hear a response from her but…

Blake wasn't there anymore.

She had left.

Chapter Text

Blake didn't have the energy to make her footsteps as noiseless as they usually were. They sounded heavier than she would have liked on the ceramic flooring of the hospital corridor, but in the end, this was of little consequence. Her thoughts were preoccupied with a far different, more pressing issue entirely.

There was no denying that Yang's behavior had hurt Blake, and for more than one reason, too. Blake had purposely left the debriefing with Ozpin early, leaving Weiss to explain her perspective on the mission on her own, just so that she could be with Yang – specifically for the blonde's sake. She hadn't showered or unpacked yet, nor had she taken a moment of respite for herself so she could recover from the events that had happened at dawn. She was tired, hungry, stressed, covered in soot, her aura levels were still low, and she had abandoned her teammate during an important meeting just to be with Yang.

And even more than that, Blake was worried for her girlfriend and morbidly concerned about Ruby's state, too. She just wanted to help, to offer Yang some support despite everything. The brawler had looked to be in dire need of it.

But Yang had categorically refused Blake's shoulder. Worse, Yang had pushed Blake away.

The Faunus clenched her teeth and roughly passed her hand through her dark hair, pausing at the end of the hallway to lean her back against the wall. She closed her eyes for a moment. Blake knew she was blowing this out of proportion. Their interaction had been brief, after all. Still, it stung that even for such a small, insignificant topic, Yang had treated her like a nuisance. But it wasn't so much the action itself that bothered Blake as it was the bigger picture behind it. What if the subject had been a matter of life or death? Would Yang have reacted the exact same way?

Blake had to put things into perspective, though. Yang's adored and only little sister had been knocked into a coma thanks to Raven – the blonde's biological mother, if Blake had been listening correctly. She was already worried about her leader and friend as it was – she could only imagine how painful and destructive such a situation must have been for Yang.

They were all nerve-shot and exhausted. Blake admitted she could have been less insensitive and shown more understanding, and maybe just doing that would have made their altercation happen much differently.

She couldn't let this get to her. Yang needed someone to be there for her, whether she wanted it or not, and Blake letting such petty things get under her skin wasn't going to help. She was hurt, yes, but Yang was living something terrible and the raven-haired girl couldn't blame her partner for lashing out – she knew Yang wasn't like this by nature.

Blake opened her eyes and sighed quietly, already feeling calmer. Yang had consistently been there for her in the past, showing a care and devotion that Blake had rarely witnessed before. Her support and affection had even helped the Faunus feel better about herself as a person – and all of that had inestimable value in Blake's eyes. No one else had ever been so generous and kind with her, and she loved Yang more than anything for it.

It was time to return the favor that had been so unselfishly given to her.

However, Blake would have to help herself a bit, first, if she hoped to not let an incident like this happen again. She needed to shower and do something to get her mind off what was said. Plus, she figured that leaving Yang with her father and Ruby for just a few more hours would give the dust a chance to settle.

With that goal in mind, Blake pushed away from the wall, tied her bow back over her cat ears, and made her way through a few more corridors, down the elevator to the lobby level, and then out of the hospital. The sky had filled with grey clouds as the day had progressed, but it had yet to rain. She checked the time, determining that she'd have to hurry if she didn't want to miss the next airship to the academy. There were cabs already waiting outside – all she had to do was get in one of them and tell the driver to take her to the airship harbor.

It took about fifteen minutes to arrive at her desired destination. Blake swiped her scroll in the middle console, identifying herself as a huntress-in-training, and sent the transportation fees off to Beacon. She thanked the driver and then got out of the cab before hastily walking into the terminal, managing to get through the jetway just before the attendant closed the gate.

It was easy to find an empty seat. There were hardly any passengers present – which was normal. It was the end of their second school year and students were either completing their final exams or already heading home for the summer. Blake slowly shook her head and sighed, gazing out the window. She didn't know what kind of grade to expect on their catastrophic assignment. It barely seemed to matter at this point. Their mission had quickly stopped being about school and turned into a fight for survival, something no one could have predicted.

Everything about this was awful. Blake wanted to know why that facility had been there to begin with and why Yang's mother was involved in such suspicious activity – Merlot Industries, no less, which had been known for capturing Grimm in an attempt at studying them closer and experimenting on them. It was illegal – it was incredibly dangerous. And Raven had made that area twice as lethal by ordering her huntsmen to attack RWBY, too. It had been a veritable massacre with extremely tragic consequences. Blake wanted answers, too – if not for her, then for Ruby's and Yang's sakes.

Some half hour later, returned in RWBY's empty dorm room, Blake was slipping out of her clothes and getting into the shower. She didn't stay under the water any longer than necessary, as per usual, soon out and dressed in a sleeveless white cardigan over a black tank-top and a pair of dark blue jeans – casual wear. She was about to fix her bow over her head, but then she hesitated, looking down from the mirror and at the sink, where her fingers gripped the counter tightly.

Yang had, through several accidental slips and other more purposeful remarks, made it obvious that she liked Blake's cat ears. The Faunus also distinctly recalled Yang asking if she could touch them one time – scratch that, Yang had made that same request at least five times since she'd learned about Blake's origins. The dark-haired girl had caught the eternal goofball staring at them in wonder and innocent curiosity every single time Blake had let them free. Clearly, her cat ears meant something to Yang.

Blake sighed, trying to let go of her apprehension, and then tied the bow around her forearm. Anything to get her ray of sunshine back, it seemed.

She stepped out of the bathroom but then stopped in her tracks when she saw that Weiss had arrived. The heiress, still dirty and contradicted, was standing by the open window, tapping a message into her scroll with a bit of a frown on her face. She glanced at Blake, acknowledging her presence.

After a brief pause, Blake made her way towards her bed. "I'm sorry I left you to deal with the debriefing. How did it go?" She carefully sat down, crossing her legs.

Weiss finished with her message before addressing the bookworm's question. She turned her back to the window, facing Blake to lean against the bookshelf and crossing her arms. The level stare she then gave Blake made the Faunus crease her eyebrows in concern, cat ears leaning backwards slightly. Something was wrong.

"You shouldn't have left, and Yang should have been with us. If Ruby doesn't wake up…we're going to need a different leader."

The news hit hard, and Blake's tired mind strained to grasp the magnitude of its meaning. "What?" Her expression became flabbergasted. "They're already talking about that so soon? Why?"

Weiss exhaled heavily, making it evident she wasn't any more thrilled about the subject than Blake was. "Because we're a unit, even on break, and as a unit we need to be organized and know who to go to for orders if there is an emergency. With Ruby out of commission for who knows how long, Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch deemed it fit to settle the matter as soon as possible."

Blake looked down at her lap, processing the information. This was ridiculous. Choosing a de facto leader so soon after the accident made Ruby's condition seem more permanent and hopeless. It was inexcusable.

"They want to put you in charge, Blake."

The Faunus' head snapped back up so she could stare at Weiss in shock. "I can't accept that. Why me?" Her heartbeat accelerated nervously. Blake had only ever been in charge of a group one time in her life, and that had been during her time in the White Fang. As Adam's partner, his second in command among organized criminals, it was only natural that she had been turned to for orders. But some of their operations had not gone according to plan, and Blake had deaths on her hands – Faunus she had seen as brothers and sisters. She had no will to return to a role that only had negative memories associated to it. Even when she had received her team assignation at Beacon, Blake had been relieved not be chosen as leader. And the sentiment was not about to change now.

Weiss gave a bit of a scowl. "According to both of our versions of the story and various other observations they kept on us over our time here, you were the one that qualified the most for the role. You can ask them yourself if you want the exact reasons why." She rolled her eyes.

Blake's bewilderment was turning into outrage. This made no sense at all. "I won't do it. This is illogical. What happens if I refuse?"

Weiss blinked, looking a bit puzzled that Blake was stepping down from the offer. "Then the position goes to me by default. We all know Yang couldn't take the lead, especially not in the state she's in."

Blake had to force herself to ignore that last comment. "Fine. Then take it." Actually, no. She wouldn't ignore it. Her gaze became pointed. "We all know you want the role anyway."

Weiss made a face and went to sit on the edge of her own bed, facing Blake. She lowered her head and massaged her brow for a moment before shaking her head and dropping her hand. "Believe me, I would. Not happily – think what you will, but I don't like this, either – but I'd do it." She regarded the girl in black and white evenly. "But I'm leaving for Atlas to deal with certain responsibilities with the SDC, among other things. I don't have time. And I think we both know you and Yang are going to be sticking around Vale for a while."

This was utter madness. Blake rubbed her face, wondering if all of this was just some cruel joke. They'd been fighting for their lives and protecting Ruby early that very same morning, and now the afternoon wasn't even over and Ruby's position as leader was being handed to someone else. To Blake – the teammate that should have been the least trustworthy among them. Couldn't they have waited at least a day? Let them recover, get their thoughts organized?

"Blake, it's not like you're going to be giving Yang orders or trying to reach me to give me some. This is a precaution for emergencies." Weiss stood back up. "Look, I get it. Ruby is in the hospital and this doesn't seem fair. But if something does happen, and we don't know who's in charge, then that could get the rest of us in the same spot as Ruby." Her tone softened. "You aren't taking her place. Nobody could do that. But she'd want you to do this for us."

There it was. Weiss might have seemed cold and haughty with her holier-than-thou attitude, but she cared about Ruby and she cared about the team. It was her family upbringing that had trained her to appear indifferent. And part of Blake knew that Weiss could have easily taken charge despite the distance and busy schedule, if the position really was as simple as she was putting it. In essence, Weiss was indirectly telling the Faunus she preferred submitting to Blake's leadership than being the one to look up to in case of an emergency – and coming from the Schnee heiress, that meant something.

Blake dropped her hands and sighed. She did not like or want this. But irrefutable logic was hard to refute, and Blake was tired of the conversation. She was tired, period. "Alright, fine." She slowly shook her head, unable to believe she was giving in. At best, this felt like betrayal. At worst, it was an egregious mistake and a horrific lack of foresight. Blake immediately regretted accepting, but she couldn't back down – as much as she loathed to admit it, Weiss was right. "I'll do it."

Weiss nodded. "Good. Ozpin still needs to see you and Yang, though. As soon as you can."

"As soon as I can convince Yang to leave Ruby's side, you mean," Blake corrected, dreading the moment already. How was she going to announce to Yang that their team was now called BWY or BYW…? Whatever. How would she deliver that news and also manage to get Yang to step out of the hospital? Without causing a scene, no less? Blake frowned as she stood and headed for the door. She had plenty of reasons for not wanting to be in charge of the team. "Are you going to visit Ruby today?"

"Yes. I'm going to get cleaned up first, though. I will join you later."

"Alright. See you then." Blake walked out of the dorm room.

She had a few errands to run before returning to the hospital.

Blake could feel both Yang and Taiyang's gaze on her as she gently set the vase down on the desk against the wall, near the door. She took the time to fix the small bouquet before taking a step back to observe the way it looked in the room. The daffodil, the camellia, and the alstroemeria, accompanied by the asters, brought a touch of life and color to the otherwise dull surroundings. They were flowers that didn't smell too strong, either, so as not to cause an olfactory disturbance.

Satisfied, Blake turned to face the direction Taiyang, Ruby, and Yang were in. She kept her expression carefully composed while the two blonds continued to stare at her, unsure if her gift would be accepted.

Yang returned to look at Ruby, but then she lowered her head. She was hunched over and had her hands clamped together, signs of her exhaustion and stress. The bouquet seemed to have had no effect on her. "You came back."

She said it so low that Blake only heard thanks to her cat ears. Blake glanced at Taiyang – who was still observing her – and then quietly went to sit next to her girlfriend. "Of course I did," she murmured, glad that this seemed to have an importance to Yang. She gently rubbed the brawler's back in slow circles, trying to be reassuring. "I'm sorry about earlier. Ruby means a lot to you and I shouldn't have insisted." Blake paused, and then added hesitantly, "I did buy a few nutritional bars for you, though, when you do get hungry. You'll be able eat something without having to leave Ruby."

Yang nodded but didn't reply. She seemed calmer but definitely still out of it and preoccupied with her little sister's state. Blake continued caressing the blonde's back for a moment before gliding her fingers to Yang's hands. Softly, she pried them apart and then clasped one of them tightly, a gesture that Yang reciprocated.

"It's going to be alright, Yang," she whispered. Blake couldn't promise that Ruby would wake up – she wanted to have faith that it would happen and transmit that hope to Yang, but mostly she wanted Yang to know that no matter the outcome, they would get through it. They had been through a lot together already, after all. This was admittedly one of the harder challenges, but they could do it. They would be okay. Yang would be okay. At least, Blake hoped so.

A few minutes of silence followed, and then Taiyang eventually asked, "How long have you two been dating?"

Blake blinked, a bit surprised about being asked such a question. From Yang's father, no less. Did they not communicate on a regular basis? The young woman seemed to remember the half-siblings receiving letters from their dad every two weeks or so. This was…well. Hm. "It's been almost two months now," she replied, as Yang appeared far from being both willing or able to answer any inquiries.

The nature of this particular one made Blake take a moment to think about it, though. Their couple was still just budding, especially considering that they'd known each other and been friends for two years beforehand. Nevertheless…almost two months already. Time sure did fly when they were occupied. It was a bit of a victory for Blake to indulge in – she had been convinced their relationship would quickly fall apart within the first week or two because of the evident barrier their differing sexualities presented, among other, more minor reasons. But they had been taking it slow, being careful and respectful of each other, as well as trying to keep a good level of communication. Against all odds, these combined honest efforts seemed to allow both Blake and Yang to be comfortable and satisfied with the progress their couple was making. Not everything was perfect, clearly – and it would be unrealistic to expect perfection, too – but if they had made it this far and continued trying, then Blake supposed they really could manage to stay together in the long run. She had Yang to thank for such an optimistic outlook – Blake's pillar of warmth had believed in them from the start and had never given up on her, even when the Faunus had been bent on hating herself and erecting walls between them because of it.

Overcome with a wave of appreciation for her girlfriend, Blake raised their intertwined fingers to her lips and kissed the golden girl's knuckles affectionately. This caused Yang to stir and look at the bookworm, haggard and uncertain, and Blake caught her lilac gaze before smiling gently. "I'm here for you," she promised in a susurration.

"Thanks, Blake," Yang acknowledged and then refocused on Ruby, but her answer came across as mechanical, as if Blake's sincerity hadn't been grasped and the brawler was replying out of courtesy. It was better than nothing, and the raven-haired girl supposed it would take a while before Yang was well enough to be as perceptive as she usually was.

"Yang did tell me about you. I remember now. Ruby spoke of you, too," Taiyang suddenly revealed, catching Blake's attention again.

"…And what have they said about me?" Blake glanced at Ruby's unmoving form, chest constricting.

"I know you're Yang's partner and the quietest member of the team." Taiyang looked down. "Most of what I've heard is from Ruby, though." His regretful expression turned into a bit of a sad but amused smile. "They didn't really know what to think of you at first. Ruby said you were a mystery and Yang assumed you were just a tough shell to crack. Based on the little tidbits I got about you over time, though, I guessed that you had become a good friend and a trusted confidante. It made me think that you were probably a mature and reliable person. Ruby said you're an awesome fighter and she wouldn't hesitate to put her life in your hands." Taiyang's cobalt gaze met Blake's golden. "Thank you, Blake, for looking after them."

A persistent voice at the back of Blake's thoughts continued to insist she wasn't worthy of such praise, making the young woman lower her regard. She hadn't imagined that Ruby would have been regularly mentioning Blake's name in her letters, let alone showing that kind of admiration. It made Blake's heart sink more. Still, she said, quietly, "It's nothing. I consider them my family." And it was true. Having no one else to assign such a term to, it seemed only right that Ruby, Yang – and Weiss, too – had become her home. Yang especially.

A moment of silence followed Blake's response, long enough that it seemed Taiyang had nothing else to say, but then he asked, "Do you love her?"

Caught off-guard by such a direct question, Blake's eyes widened a bit. "Uh-um –"

"I'm sorry," Taiyang apologized with a small shake of his head, "That was indiscreet of me. It's just that Yang has only had boyfriends in the past, you know…"

Blake recovered quickly. "It's fine. And no, she's not into girls." The Faunus glanced at her girlfriend tenderly. "But I do love her. Very much so. She's the one who suggested trying to reciprocate my feelings."

"I'm right here," Yang sighed with a bit of exasperation, leaning her chin on the palm of her free hand. This made Blake look at her in worry. For all intents and purposes, Yang's unfocused, faraway gaze on Ruby and general lack of speech or emotional response to exterior stimuli hinted at the blonde being very much not here. She was so unlike her usual self that it was more than a little concerning for Blake.

Before the bookworm could say anything, though, it was about then that Weiss made her entrance into the room. She'd bought flowers, too – one yellow, one red, one white, and one purple. She set the vase next to Blake's present, and then greeted the half-siblings' father politely. Her icy blue eyes settled on Ruby's immobile form for an instant, and her otherwise composed expression wavered, a mix of sorrow and regret making themselves known for a few seconds. "How are we doing?" she eventually asked, getting a grip and taking a seat as well.

"Fantastic," Yang replied morosely, not even glancing at her.

Blake squeezed Yang's hand again. Things were bad when the prankster was missing opportunities to make puns – Blake found herself wishing, for the first time ever, that Yang would make just one small, awful joke. At this rate, there really was no way Blake was going to get Yang to follow her to Headmaster Ozpin's office. "As you can see, not so great," she added unhelpfully.

"Have you…?"

"No. Not right now."

Weiss nodded. They lapsed into silence after that and remained quiet for a long while. At some point, Weiss left again to go have supper, saying she would come back later. Taiyang left as well, but made no such promise. In fact, he said absolutely nothing on his way out. Blake snacked on a few of the dry food items she had bought and convinced Yang to eat one nutritional bar, but the older sister refused to have anything else afterwards. True to her word, Weiss returned in the evening – something that Yang and Ruby's father did not do. For what reason, Blake didn't know, but he hadn't looked too great when he had abandoned the girls in the hospital room. She supposed it had been a lot for him to process and endure. That said, Blake also recalled Yang telling her that Taiyang had duties at Signal, so perhaps he was just busy.

Her impression was that he had been a lively, warm man once – he reminded her a lot of Yang – but that cruel events had taken their toll on him, creating the weary, faded person she had spoken to. It was actually kind of sad.

Despite this, it had become evident to Blake that Yang and her dad did not have a close relationship. Not necessarily a bad one, but there was a perpetual sort of tension between them. Yang had mentioned quite a while back that her father had shut down after Summer's death. Blake didn't fully know what that entailed, but even from the very beginning, it had been clear that Yang acted almost like a mother figure to Ruby. If that meant what Blake imagined it did, then Yang had been forced to bear a heavy responsibility from a young age. That the energetic young woman would still hold Taiyang accountable for that over a decade later… Blake wasn't sure what to think. It didn't seem right that Yang would hold such a grudge – her character was too selfless and loving. But could she really be blamed? She would have lost her entire chance at having a normal childhood because her father wouldn't properly take care of his family…

Now curled up on the armchair – where Taiyang had originally been sitting – Blake looked over at Yang through the dim lighting compassionately. The blonde had fallen asleep on the seat she'd been in all afternoon, her arms crossed and her head lulled against her own chest. Blake had tried to get her to move to the couch, but to no avail. Weiss had taken Yang's place there instead, blue eyes glinting in the darkness as she stared absently at Ruby with her chin on the palm of her hand. The heiress looked like she was about to sleep, too.

The quiet, regular heart monitor beeps continued, and in the silence, Blake could hear each of her teammates breathing – Ruby's the loudest through the oxygen mask, and then Yang snoring ever so softly once in a while. Blake closed her eyes, sighing deeply as she sought to relax.

Tomorrow will be better, she thought to herself, hopeful. Yang would accept the offer to go back to Beacon, have a shower, eat, and accompany Blake to the headmaster's office. They'd be able to find a distraction together afterwards, anything to help lift Yang's spirits. The young woman refused to let her girlfriend despair and stay morose – that just wasn't Yang, it wasn't right. And Blake would be there for her every step of the way.

Blake was, by nature, a light sleeper. Call it feline instincts, call it sensitive hearing or call it deeply ingrained training from a young age, Blake could wake at the slightest suspicious sound. Indeed, her first few weeks at Beacon Academy had been a bit of a horror show with the tightly strung nerves and les nuits blanches. In other situations – such as field missions – uncomfortable bedding arrangements made this issue/non-issue worse.

So, to say the least, when someone snarled, "Get back over here, Weiss!" followed by a door loudly slammed shut in a fracas, Blake nearly jumped out of her skin – and almost fell off her seat, too – fully awake but completely disorientated. Also – and, oh, dear – she was going to feel that night spent on the armchair later, in her lower back. Scratch that – she was feeling it now.

Groaning, Blake took note of Yang and Weiss' absence from the room. Her gaze traveled to Ruby, seeing how nothing seemed to have changed, but then Blake suddenly froze, Yang's scathing tone of voice registering in her mind.

Oh, wait.

Oh, no.

Dread settling in her gut, and cursing under her breath, Blake quickly stood and, ignoring the pain in her muscles, dashed out of the hospital room as fast as her groggy state allowed her to run. She had to get to her teammates before they got to each other, or else things would escalate explosively – and by that, literal explosions were implied.

Yang and Weiss had a bit of a strange love-hate relationship. Their interactions usually consisted of colorful insults, sarcastic off-hand remarks, and teasing. If Yang could poke fun at Weiss, she would. And if Weiss could mock Yang, she would. Somehow, that never affected their teamwork or their…camaraderie. Feelings were never hurt, grudges were never kept – no matter how terrible the comments.

That being said…both Yang and Weiss had awful tempers when incensed, and if they happened to be having a bad day or got up on the wrong side of the bed…

Well, it was safe to assume Beacon wouldn't cover any mindless off-campus property damage.

At least Yang was out of the hospital now.

This is not what I meant when I hoped for better… Blake internally grumbled as she took the stairwell, propelling herself over the railings one after the other on her descent to save time. A series of quick acrobatics later, Blake had arrived at the lobby level and hurried towards the exit. Through the glass doors, she could already see Yang and Weiss outside on the sidewalk, but the scene was not something she looked forward to stepping into.

Yang had grabbed hold of Weiss' forearm – tightly, if their stances and expressions said anything – and the brawler was shouting while gesticulating angrily with her other hand. Weiss, although glaring at Yang, was leaning away and appeared a bit fearful. Like this, Weiss' overall petite-ness was flagrantly obvious next to Yang's tall, muscled build.

Blake could hear what the enraged young woman was saying even before she pushed the doors open.

"…and you are her partner!" Yang jabbed Weiss in the chest with her index finger to emphasize her point, hard enough that Weiss had to bring a foot back to keep her balance. "If you think I'm just going to calmly let you leave Ruby behind like the ice bi –"

"Yang, let go of Weiss!" Blake commanded after making it outside, gripping Yang's iron solid arm and forcing the robust girl to look at her.

Yang's red-tinged irises were a force of their own as the blonde met her stare. However, Blake didn't budge. She did become aware of a few passersby watching, and her cat ears flattened against her head, her confidence wavering, but she rapidly forced herself to stay focused on Yang. "I'm serious. Let her go."

"Did you know she was leaving?" Yang growled, keeping her vice-like grip on the heiress. Weiss didn't have Myrtenaster with her and she wasn't dressed in her combat attire, so if the situation was to go south, she would be at a severe disadvantage. In the furious state the brawler was in, it wouldn't take much for Yang to punch through Weiss' aura and actually hurt her.

Blake measured her words carefully, not wishing to make Yang anymore angry than she already was. "Yang, listen to me. I don't know what's going on right now, but I'm sure this can be –"

"Did you know she was leaving?" Yang reiterated with a snarl, and Blake had to control herself to not swallow hard or step away. It was all very nice to have an extra-powerful ally on the team to fight Grimm beside, but when that power turned against the wrong targets…

Unfortunately, the ex-member of the White Fang had experience with that.

Blake had to find a way to disarm the ticking bomb before her. It wasn't just a matter of avoiding collateral damage or hurting Weiss, but also saving the reputation of both students and professors at Beacon. They were huntresses in training, and any destructive behavior on their part reflected badly on their school.

Plus, Yang in this state of mind worried Blake more than Yang being quiet and guarded.

This time, Blake opted for a more honest approach. "I learned about it late in the day yesterday," she said as calmly as she could, and after deciding that maybe Yang just needed someone to be on her side, she quickly added while sending a warning glance at Weiss, "But she didn't tell me when her departure was. Weiss, were you seriously about to leave for Atlas just now?"

The girl in white and blue was stiff when she replied, "I was going to pack the rest of my belongings and then get on the next airship, yes." She glowered at Yang. "And I'm going to be late if this brute doesn't –"

"You are in no position to throw insults at me right now, princess," Yang hissed, but amazingly, she seemed to have calmed down enough to not explode at the tiniest provocation. There was still some work to do, though, before she'd become reasonable again. "Ruby is in there, kissing death and by herself, and after everything she's done for us – for you – you're just going to up and go like she doesn't matter?"

Ah. Yang's excessive reaction was beginning to make sense now. The wound came from far and traveled deep. Judging by Yang's regular carefree, warm and friendly attitude, Blake supposed Yang didn't share or let others see her pain all that often, and now she was spitting vitriol at anyone who directly or indirectly attacked the place she was most vulnerable. Nonetheless, as much as she might have had experience with them, Blake wasn't used to handling these kinds of situations, and she felt the pressure of several pairs of eyes on them warily watching what would happen next. Part of her wanted to flee or hide, the other part just wanted to help. Yang did not deserve to feel like this.

"I was planning on coming back as soon as I could," Weiss explained, finally appealing to Yang but nevertheless looking a bit nervous. "Even if Ruby hadn't been hurt, I would have had to leave anyway. I have responsibilities as a Schnee, and as much as I loathe to prioritize them over Ruby, I don't have a choice." She seemed to want to leave it at that, but since Yang still refused to release her, she added with a pointed glare, "The sooner I can take care of this, the sooner I can return."

Blake carefully placed her hand over Yang's – the one holding Weiss – and pleaded softly, "Please, Yang. I know you're in pain, but Weiss isn't an enemy."

Yang didn't move, and for a few tense, concerning moments Blake thought the brawler would get mad again, but then she finally dropped Weiss' arm. "Whatever," she snapped, and turned to stalk back inside the hospital.

Blake's eyes widened. Oh no. That can't happen. She gave Weiss a withering look, saying, "We're talking about this later. Go." She didn't wait for the heiress to respond. Blake hurried after Yang, ditching Weiss outside, and caught up with the blonde just as she was entering the stairwell. The space was constricted, but Blake still bodily put herself in front of Yang before she reached the steps to halt her progression.

Yang came to stop and narrowed her eyes at the Faunus. They defied each other, neither moving, both daring the other to protest. The silence stretched on, the space between them growing thick with tension. "Blake," Yang finally said in warning tone. "Get out of my way."

Blake had no desire to face her girlfriend's wrath again, but this was important. Yang had finally left Ruby's room – if there was any time to convince her to take care of herself, it was now. And so Blake steeled herself and responded with, "Yang, please, listen to me. No one wakes up from an auric coma two days after they go under. You know that as much as I do. It takes a while. Come back to Beacon with me, have a shower, and please eat. We can come back here tonight, I promise."

But this had an adverse effect on Yang - a horrible one. Her nostrils flared as her eyes filled with crimson. "What? So, you want to abandon Ruby, too, and make me come along with you? No! I swear to God, Blake, if that's how it's going to be –"

The blonde's tone of voice held an impending ultimatum that struck a fear so intense in Blake that she found herself almost choking on her words as she interjected with an immediate sense of urgency, "N-no, Yang! No. I'm not abandoning anyone, and you aren't, either. Please, h-hear me out." Blake's mind was reeling, trying to keep control over her panic while simultaneously coming up with reasons to convince Yang. This was going nowhere near the direction Blake had hoped. "Do this for Ruby. Would she want you neglecting yourself for her? She's going to be worried about you when she wakes up and sees you so bent out of shape. You don't want to add on extra stress, do you?" Her voice hitched and altogether almost broke. She couldn't lose Yang. Not now. The mere thought of it made Blake sick to her stomach.

Yang's breaths were seething, her expression caustic with her crimson eyes and clenched fists. All Blake could do was desperately meet her stare, gaze wide and injured. It seemed so long ago now, but Blake remembered placing her closely guarded heart in Yang's hands. She remembered Yang promising such ridiculous things as never hurting her, trying if Blake tried. Blake remembered putting her faith in this ray of sunshine because of her steadfastness and honesty – all the warmth and love she gave so generously.

But Yang seemed to have forgotten those promises.

"That doesn't matter, Blake," she hissed. "You're being selfish. If you can't see that and let me get back to my sister, then we're through." She took a step closer, her stance unfriendly. "Now, get out of my way, or I'll move you, myself."

Blake trembled, her eyes misting with tears. "Yang," she pleaded, and her voice was more affected than she would have liked but a hole was ripping open in her chest. "I understand how much Ruby means to you. She's important to me, too, and I'm worried about her state. To tell you the truth, I'm…scared – maybe not as much as you are, but I'm still scared. But, Yang, if we don't take care of ourselves, then we're going to be useless to Ruby. This isn't what she'd want from us."

Fiery red pierced golden, unstirred. "Move," Yang growled, gripping Blake's shoulder and shoving her roughly to the side to begin to climbing the stairs.

The raven-haired girl's back hit the wall with a hard thud and tears spilled from her eyes. Blake might not have exhausted all of her arguments, but there was nothing else she could say, nothing convincing enough she could think of that would somehow change Yang's mind. And now she was losing the woman she loved with her whole soul because her efforts had failed. How ironic that she'd known this would happen from the start, yet still agreed to doom her heart to breaking. She couldn't stand this.

"I need you, Yang," she murmured hoarsely.

For some reason, Yang came to an abrupt stop.

Blake's throat felt constricted and her heart was racing. She didn't even know what she was uttering anymore. "I realize that's selfish of me to say and that I'm just proving you right, but it's also the truth. It hurts to see you like this, and I feel so awful right now because you and Ruby are stuck this way. I don't expect you to prioritize me, but I'm just trying to help. I need that, Yang. I need to see you feel better." Maybe she really was a masochist, putting her heart on her sleeve just to be rebuked more. Selfish, petty, and useless – that's what she was. It made perfect sense that Yang wouldn't want her around anymore. Still, Blake had rarely experienced such acute pain.

The blonde slowly turned and stared at the Faunus.

Unable to meet her gaze, Blake looked down. It was only fair, wasn't it? She had never deserved that golden beauty. If only for herself – if only to know she had said it at least one time before everything fell apart once and for all – Blake added in a small, strained voice, "I love you, Yang. Please, don't leave me."

Her words seemed hollow and empty in the silence that then stretched on, and if it hadn't been for her sensitive hearing picking up on the brawler's thudding heart and rough breathing, Blake may have thought Yang had left her for good. She shut her eyes and quickly brought her hand to her mouth, attempting to muffle the sob that suddenly wracked her entire body. Her shoulders shook with the effort it took her to keep a semblance of composure.

She had tried. She had actually poured her heart yet again into a cause she had believed was worth fighting for, and she had yet again messed it up. Blake had lost. She was alone, as it was only meant to be, and it was entirely her fault - because Blake was nothing worth forgiving.

Against her expectations, Blake heard Yang descend the two steps she had ascended earlier, bringing her in front of the raven-haired girl. She didn't know what Yang was doing, but Blake couldn't bring herself to look up. That apparently didn't matter, though, as Blake felt Yang's fingers softly graze along her cheek, cupping her jaw and brushing away unwanted tears. Yang's other hand took hold of Blake's, gingerly inciting the Faunus to lower it from her mouth.

It was only then that Blake finally raised her eyes, confused and disbelieving of what was happening. Yang's expression was sorrowful and apologetic, and taking advantage of the interruption in Blake's crying, she susurrated, "I won't leave you. I'm sorry."

Blake wasn't sure she actually comprehended what Yang had just said. She just stared, not understanding, searching Yang's now tired lilac irises for a hint of what this meant.

But Yang only sighed heavily, pulling Blake into her arms firmly and making the dejected girl's golden eyes widen in stun. "I'm an idiot," she whispered into Blake's hair. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

The Faunus' eyes filled with tears again – of relief this time – as she finally registered that Yang was being mindful and sincerely apologizing for her behavior. And it wasn't so much the regret that made Blake so consoled as it was the reassurance that she was, in fact, not losing Yang. She wasn't losing Yang. Blake wrapped her own arms around the golden girl, pressing herself closer and burying her face against Yang's shoulder, holding her as tightly as she possibly could. They weren't breaking up.

Blake could not describe how afraid she had been. The prospect of life without even Yang's friendship made her feel lost and empty. She didn't know what she would have done without her pillar of warmth, nor did she know why Yang had changed her attitude after Blake's spilling her heart out – it shouldn't have had such an impact on the brawler. Blake didn't care to question it at the moment, though. She just wanted to focus on Yang, to make sure this was real and that the strong young woman wasn't going anywhere. Blake wasn't losing Yang. They weren't breaking up. Yang hadn't meant it.

"God, I'm stupid," Yang breathed guiltily, and repeated, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was angry and –"

"It's okay, Yang," Blake murmured, voice still thick with emotion. "I understand. It's okay, really." She exhaled and closed her eyes, drawing as much comfort and strength as she could from Yang's embrace and presence if only to start stitching the bleeding wound in her own heart. "I'm just happy we didn't –"

"Shh. I know. I'm sorry. I'm staying."

Blake sighed again in relief, breathing easier already. They fell silent after that, clinging to each other tightly until they were both convinced neither of them were going anywhere. Blake didn't blame Yang for her actions. She knew the circumstances put a lot of stress on the blonde's shoulders. Nevertheless, her heart continued to beat rapidly in her chest. The close call made her realize how frail their couple still was and how extremely careful she had to be with Yang. The older sibling could say she valued Blake all she wanted, but it had become abundantly clear that Ruby held the first place in Yang's heart. And that was okay. It was only normal.

Eventually, Yang gently pulled away but remained in close proximity to Blake. She laid an apologetic kiss on the top of the Faunus' head before resting their foreheads together. Her hands glided to the sides of Blake's neck and jaw, thumbs caressing her skin in small motions. Blake kept her eyes shut, leaning into the soothing touch. She felt drained now, emotionally and physically, and just hoped that their argument was done and over with. She didn't have the energy to confront Yang all over again.

"I should probably shower, right?" Yang suddenly prompted quietly.

"Probably," Blake replied in the same soft tone, opening her eyes to meet her girlfriend's wondering gaze.

"That bad?" the blonde asked a little sheepishly.

Despite the strain, Blake felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards slightly. "Let's see…" She purposely inhaled through her nose, long enough for Yang to take notice. "Yeah, you definitely stink," Blake decided. Yang's scent wasn't actually all that bad, though. She mostly smelled like smoke, gun powder, and earth – reminders of the battle in the Emerald Forest. Her sweat was the least noticeable odor. Nevertheless, it had still been three days since Yang had last cleaned herself – a shower was indeed in order no matter what the scent.

Yang cracked a bit of half-hearted smile, finally, before stepping away from Blake. "You're probably right. I do feel pretty gross." She slowly shook her head, bringing her fingers up to massage her brows as the ghost of the smile on her lips vanished. "I'm so sorry, Blake. What I said…"

"Forgiven already, Yang," Blake assured once more, tentatively reaching for her companion's hand. "I promise I don't blame you. Now, please, don't blame yourself, either. Let's go get you cleaned up and find something to eat. It will help you feel better."

Yang hesitated, looking up the stairs in worry, and Blake feared the golden girl would try to go back up to Ruby again. But then Yang sighed and took the bookworm's outstretched hand. "Alright. Let's go."

Relieved and together, Blake and Yang finally exited the hospital to return to Beacon.

I am…a fool. A blind fool. First, a perfect stranger, then a partner, a good friend – and now more. Two years. And in all that time, in all the moments spent learning and growing together, I failed to see. I saw your qualities, I saw your beauty, and I saw your potential, and I convinced myself you were whole. Or maybe you convinced me, instead. But that does not excuse my faux pas. I assumed nothing was amiss, that you were strong, and in so doing, utterly forgot that the kindest souls are oftentimes the ones who have suffered the most.

My eyes are opened now, though. That it took Ruby's comatose state and your rejection of me to notice your surface is flawed and broken is unforgiveable. Yet you still sought my forgiveness – over and over – as if my own shortcoming somehow didn't exist and you were the only one making a mistake. Where – and when – I wonder, did you start believing that the faults of others were your burden to bear? That you should feel so inclined to keep all your pain hidden behind walls of joyful smiles and selfless encouragements is not fair, and it certainly isn't right.

But there they are, the consequences of a stolen childhood. They're naked to the eye, now that I've witnessed and experienced the fruits of your parents' abandonment firsthand – your insecurity, your pent up anger, your fear. It's all there, and although you may never tell, it does poison you slowly.

I cannot allow you to continue like this – on your own, believing everyone will leave you eventually. What happens, Yang, if Ruby doesn't wake up? I love you far too much to watch you fall apart completely. You won't be alone, and that is a promise I intend on keeping. You will always, always have me.

Blake was sitting on the edge of her bed when Yang came out of the bathroom. She had tried to read while she waited, but her mind was too preoccupied to focus on her book. The words had just blurred together, and their meanings were obscured by the haze of problems she had to deal with. So, Blake had taken out her journal and written instead. Now, though, she was staring absently at nothing in particular and was caught by surprise when the door to the bathroom opened. She hadn't thought enough time had passed for Yang to have both finished showering and gotten ready.

The tall blonde was wearing a simple black halter top under a short-sleeved olive jacket and a pair of low-cut skinny jeans. The tips of her hair were still a bit damp, but it seemed it was taking its regular, disheveled, and slightly curly shape again. Actually, Yang was shaking it out as she stepped into the room. She already appeared fresher and more like her usual self, a detail Blake was glad to see. Only the dark circles under her eyes and the lack of carefree amusement in their lilacs betrayed her somber mood.

Blake closed her journal and put it on the bookshelf. "Feel better?" she asked with concern.

"Cleaner," came Yang's reply. She paused, and then asked, "Can I take a nap before we go see Ozpin? I didn't have a good night."

Blake tilted her head a little, taking in the fatigue in Yang's posture and the dullness in her eyes, and then acquiesced with a movement of her head. "Sure. I might sleep a bit too, actually."

Yang nodded and then, unlike what Blake presumed her partner would do, let herself fall onto Blake's bed. "Is this okay?" she wondered unenthusiastically into the pillow.

Blake had turned to stare at Yang in bewilderment, but the choice wasn't difficult to make. In fact, despite Yang's haggard state, Blake felt quite pleased with the request. At least Yang was already demonstrating that she didn't want to be alone. It was a start. The raven-haired girl refrained from smiling, though, as best she could. "It is," she consented, keeping her tone composed. Glad to oblige, Blake then deliberately laid down on her side, facing Yang but being careful not to let their bodies touch, and propped her head up on her hand. She didn't want to take advantage of this moment – didn't want to take advantage of Yang.

The blonde rolled onto her side as well, wordlessly meeting Blake's gaze. Absolutely straight-faced, she unexpectedly said after a brief instant, "You know that's creepy, right?"

Blake blinked. "Uh, what's creepy?"

"Watching me try to sleep."

Blake felt the heat rise to her face. She looked away, muttering, "I was – um, just… I wasn't watching you."

Yang cracked a small smirk, but her expression quickly became more serious again – a bit inquisitive, too, with one of her eyebrows arched like that. "You aren't wearing your bow?"

The Faunus became aware of her bared feline appendages again and made them twitch in response. Still trying to recover from the leftover embarrassment, she murmured while looking anywhere but at her girlfriend, "No. I… I know how much you like seeing my cat ears, so…"

Yang was silent at that, and Blake forced herself to meet the golden girl's lilac eyes again to find out why. Yang looked thoughtful, if not a bit sad, too. "You know you don't have to do that," she replied quietly, almost sorrowful.

Blake softened her gaze. It was rare to see Yang so reticent, so dismal, and Blake was seized with how fragile she seemed like this. It made no sense to her that someone like Yang – beautiful, lively, and kind – could have been hurt so deeply. Blake reached over and gently tucked a few strands of Yang's hair behind the blonde's ear, letting her fingers glide along Yang's smooth jaw as she withdrew her hand. "I want to, though," she whispered sincerely. "It's about time I did, anyway. I'm alright."

Yang nodded a little, but it was clear she was getting sleepy. She yawned shortly and sunk into the pillow, apparently getting more comfortable. "Your skin cream smells nice," she mumbled, her eyes fluttering shut. "Sorta like…that soap there? …Clean…"

If it hadn't been for the circumstances, Blake might have thought the compliment was bafflingly random. But she allowed herself a small smile this time. "The subtle smell of fresh air?" she offered helpfully. "With natural, rejuvenating ingredients?"

But Yang had evidently drifted off into slumber, making Blake's joke fall flat. Her breathing was slow and even, her lips parted only slightly. If anything, she finally looked calm. Blake could therefore forgive her for missing that awful attempt at humor.

Blake didn't watch – admire, really – her for long, though. The Faunus carefully turned onto her back so as not to disturb her girlfriend, propping one knee up and linking her fingers together over her stomach. Even if they weren't touching, Blake could feel Yang's warmth, could smell the vanilla in her scent, and it was as reassuring as it always had been.

Things might not have been perfect, and Blake might have been feeling a nagging stress despite the moment of serenity, but in this instant, her resolve was of iron. Even if it took years, she would prove to Yang that she could be relied on. For now, though, her priority was to help Yang feel better, to keep her distracted in the hope of improving her mood. Just as she had told Yang, herself, Blake needed that, because if Yang was unhappy, then so was Blake.

She just needed a little patience.

"I'm here for you, Yang."

Chapter Text

Yang blinked her eyes open, and for a moment she was really confused upon finding that the room was strangely dim. And there was something dark in front of her face obscuring her vision even more. Had the curtains been pulled together while she slept? Yang creased her eyebrows, the gears in her head rotating slowly, trying to remember, but then she finally realized something else – something that made her eyebrows shoot up in awkward alarm.

It seemed that, for whatever reason, Yang was not in her own bed. It didn't smell like her. It felt different somehow. She was also not alone. There was a sort of warm weight on her chest, but, like, not really on her chest. More like against her chest since she was on her side. Her arm was in a strange position – not an uncomfortable one, but just…not normal. And what the heck was her leg doing?

She felt really well rested, aura levels replenished and all, if anything positive could be drawn from this uncanny predicament.

Although, cozy and recovered – as nice as those were – really didn't compensate for the absolute weirdness of practically inhaling another person's hair. Because, well, Blake was just literally that close. Yang was, without mincing her words, thoroughly spooning the Faunus – erm, her girlfriend. That came as no consolation.

Yang could feel the heat rise throughout her entire body, but not in excitement – rather, in total embarrassment. What even was this? She was so used to snuggling the stuffed panther Blake had gotten her that…

Ohhhh myyy Goooood.

With the sound of blood rushing in her ears, Yang feared that she had voiced this last concern out loud it had been so clear in her head, and she froze, expecting Blake to wake up. Unfortunately, in Yang's utter discomfort, freezing meant tightening her hold – and that was what caused Blake to stir.

No, no, no, no – oh, my God, just what –

Blake groaned. "Ugh, Yang, what are you doing?"

"That is an excellent question!" Yang squeaked quickly, her voice one octave far higher than she intended thanks to her nervousness. And she still hadn't moved. Heart pounding, she was fast to rectify the situation and wormed her arm from underneath Blake's and sat up suddenly, as far away from the sleepy girl as she possibly could.

And apparently as loudly as she possibly could, too, because she slammed her head against the bottom of her own bunk in the process, yelping in pain. Of course, if Yang wasn't in her own bunk, then it meant she had to actually be careful about sitting up. This never happened to her with the ceiling. She wanted to literally die.

"Yang? What…?" Blake turned her torso over to stare at the blushing blonde in complete befuddlement, the disorientation clear in her expression. She narrowed her golden eyes. "Are you…okay?"

Yang ignored the drumming in her ears and the soreness at the top of her head, covering her face with her hands. "No. I'm not," she wailed. She didn't understand what was even happening. They had gone to sleep in an entirely platonic manner. Yang had enjoyed plenty of sleep-overs with her friends at Signal and never cuddled up to any of them like that – like, that hadn't even been cuddling. Yang might as well have been on top of Blake.

Ugh.

"What's wrong?" Blake sounded both groggy and puzzled. She moved, and it was by this motion that it occurred to Yang that their legs were still entwined.

Yang jumped and bashed her head all over again.

This time, as the brawler just pulled her knees up and hid her face against her thighs, Blake straightened up, too, and finally – finally – they weren't touching anymore. Later, Yang would have to apologize for agreeing to the bunk bed idea. If she hadn't been trying so hard not to think about Blake, Yang would have praised her partner for putting up with it all this time. What a bruising arrangement.

"Yang, seriously. What's going on?" The Faunus could not have sounded more concerned – and apparently also blissfully ignorant of the utter catastrophe that was currently happening.

No, me! Not the time for cat puns!

How could her brain betray her like this? This was, hands down, the single-most shameful moment of Yang's entire existence. And she had done a lot of shameful things – such as agreeing to the bunk beds – so that was saying something.

"Did you…have a bad dream?"

I'm having a nightmare!

She couldn't look at Blake. It was secure here, wrapped in a tight ball and refusing to show her face. She could just pretend the world didn't exist. Maybe everything would go away. But not Blake. But also, at the same time, Blake.

God, please kill me.

The only response she could give Blake's previous questions was a plaintive, excruciated moan. This was horrible. Her head throbbed painfully.

"Right… So, I'm going to turn on a light, get you some water… And then you can tell me what this is all about." Blake got off the bed.

Yang wasn't sure she could ever move or speak again, anyway. She couldn't believe any of this had even taken place because, well, not only had her arm been around Blake's waist, not only had Yang been holding her possessively close, but even the blonde's leg had been in on the amorous spooning.

To say the least, Yang couldn't think straight.

Stop with the puns already! God!

She was vaguely aware of a light being switched on, but with her face hidden as it was, it didn't make much of a difference for her. Yang then heard Blake open the mini fridge they kept in the corner of the room, probably retrieving a bottle of water from it. It was highly unrealistic, but Yang secretly hoped Blake would stay over there. And by that, she meant for the rest of her life – just to ensure they'd never interact ever again. Ever.

But, of course, it was highly unrealistic.

Hopes withering and dying, Yang waited in unfading unease as Blake approached once more. She felt the Faunus sit on the edge of the bed again. To the lilac-eyed girl's barely discernable relief – because her humiliation was still too monumental – Blake didn't come any closer. She also didn't say anything. The two young women shared the next few moments in silence, one patiently waiting for the other to calm down and breathe easier while the other internally lamented her existence. Yang had to admit – the situation could have been a lot worse. For example, Blake could have been laughing, and Yang might as well have dug her own grave and buried herself in it. And, frankly, she still wanted to. But neither of those things were the case. What a miracle that was.

"We slept a lot longer than we should have. But I think we needed it," Blake eventually observed in an even tone of voice. Yang had to give her credit – the attempt at changing the subject had been delivered smoothly. "It's past ten o'clock. At night."

The revelation had a sobering effect on Yang as it kicked her brain into overdrive again, but for an entirely different reason this time. Her eyes widened and she uncovered her face. "What? Are you serious?" Alarmed, she moved past Blake to get off the bed. "What about Ruby? Blake, we have to –"

The Faunus gently grabbed Yang's arm to stop her from going any further. "Yang, we can't go anywhere so late into the evening. There are no airships leaving Beacon until tomorrow morning."

Yang paused, confronted with an anxiety-causing dilemma. On the one hand, she was supposed to have been back by Ruby's side at this time, and not presently being at the hospital made her feel like she was failing her little sister. On the other hand, that didn't even matter now because there was nothing she could do to fix the problem – but letting it go was much more difficult. She was just so worried.

"Why don't you try to relax and tell me what happened just now?" Blake prompted softly, tugging only slightly on Yang's arm and handing her the bottle of water.

Her question brought back the previous extreme awkwardness to the forefront of Yang's mind, and the golden girl felt the heat rise to her cheeks once more. She was able to keep most of her cool this time, thankfully, and after another moment's hesitation, Yang opted to try and focus on Blake. She couldn't go watch over Ruby and she would rapidly run herself down if she spent the next seven or so hours pacing back and forth in her upset. Part of her wanted to do that – there must have still been some way to get to Vale so late at night, and Yang was more than willing to put her brain power and energy into finding it – but she also knew Blake was right there, and she wouldn't have any of that. If anything, a distraction would at least make the hours go by faster.

So, Yang took the bottle of water and deliberately sat back down on the edge of the bed, carefully ensuring that there was enough distance between her and Blake that their legs wouldn't touch. She swallowed hard. "Uh, well… See… The thing is –" Yang scratched the back of her head uncomfortably. Then she uncapped the bottle and took a drink. This made no sense. She could purposely stick her foot in her mouth time and again, make terrible jokes, say and do the stupidest things, but she somehow couldn't express this. Truly, Yang was having the worst consecutive days of her life. The cold water seemed to help, though. "I was, uh, kinda…totally, er, spooning you?" She forced herself to look at Blake.

The Faunus slowly blinked her golden eyes – much like a cat would at their owner, in fact, as a sign of affection – staring at Yang without surprise. "Yes, you were," she acknowledged calmly. Her head tilted to the side a bit. "Is that what's making you blush?"

So, Blake hadn't been in blissful ignorance earlier. And the fact that she was displaying next to no emotion about this was driving Yang up the wall. It wasn't like she had never experienced intense snuggling before – she wasn't having some naïve moment of innocence – no, that wasn't the reason at all. It was just that…Yang was straight. Boy-orientated. She had been spooned before – not the one doing the spooning. And certainly not to a girl. Well, Blake. But still. Same thing. Because Blake was a girl. Obviously.

Yang slumped her shoulders. "I blame the stuffed panther you won for me."

Now Blake looked vaguely amused. "You know I won't complain, Yang." One corner of her lips raised into a small, crooked smile. There was a sort of…happy glint in her eyes, and, suddenly, Yang felt less embarrassed. At her own expense as it might have been, seeing Blake like this seemed to almost make up for the humiliation. Almost.

Yang managed a bit of a sigh, attempting to let it go. If anything at all, Blake deserved to savor that cuddling or at least recall it without the taint of a negative reaction – especially after the way Yang had treated her earlier that very same day. Yang slowly shook her head. "Yeah, I know." She looked towards the door, still wishing she could go find Ruby even if she had given up on that plan – for the moment, at least. It was hard to not think about it.

"Hey," Blake gently caught the blonde's attention, getting Yang to look at her again. "We should eat something. Any ideas?"

Yang mulled the question over, finding it hard to think about the subjects of food and if she was hungry or not. "Uh." She wasn't hungry. But she also knew Blake wouldn't take that for an answer. The Faunus was clearly worried about Yang's state of mind, and the normally carefree girl not acting like her usual self or taking care of her own needs was only making it worse. She didn't want Blake being concerned like that. It really wasn't her burden to bear. Therefore, Yang finally attempted a smile. "We could raid the cafeteria?" And then, because Blake looked like she wasn't buying it, Yang added, "I'd totes get me some, like, lobster or something. Or – even better – we could cook ourselves a turkey!"

Blake narrowed her eyes a little, creasing her brows while her lips twitched upwards into an amused smile. "I don't think we can do that, but sure. Let's see what we can find." She stood, and while Yang might not have been sure if Blake believed her or not, at least she wasn't pressing the issue further.

Yang got up as well. She had to convince Blake she was… Well, she wasn't okay, but she didn't want Blake being concerned about it. "What do you mean, we can't do that? We can do anything! It's past ten o'clock!"

"I think we should see if it's even open, first," came the familiar rational reply as Blake headed for the door.

"Oh, right. Have you been down there at this time before?"

Yang followed her out and into the hallway. Lilac eyes were drawn to Team JNPR's door, and Yang supposed the four members were still gone on their end-of-year assignment. They wouldn't know anything about what had happened yet, and the brawler found herself dreading the moment they would learn when they returned. She just hoped they would fare better than her own team had.

"No. But there's a first time for everything."

Yang immediately looked up at the ceiling, tempted to whistle innocently. But she didn't. "Like, for example, unintentional spooning?"

"Among other things. You aren't going to let that one go, are you?"

"It may or may not have scarred me for life." If Yang were to be absolutely honest with herself, though, she did have to concede that Blake was warmer and apparently more comfortable than the stuffed panther the blonde kept on her bed. Yang had slept like a baby, after all, so that had to be one benefit, right?

Walking in front of her, Blake looked over her shoulder to give Yang an amused glance. She didn't say anything, though, only smiling enigmatically before continuing to guide her partner through Beacon's very strangely quiet hallways. It wasn't in their habits to roam around the academy so late into the evening, and Yang was a bit weirded out by the stillness. Apart from her own muffled footsteps on the maroon carpeting – because Blake's footsteps were admirably soundless – Yang couldn't discern any other noises. If the idea hadn't been so impossible, the couple might as well have been the only people in the entire school.

It didn't really help Yang's unrest, rather enforcing the belief that she had somewhere else to be, just like a lot of other students did at this time of the year. How would she ever manage to kill seven or so hours without losing her mind? She highly doubted she would able to sleep again, and she even less wanted to be left alone with her thoughts, at the risk of concocting some sort of crazy escape plan that would most likely just get her in trouble, in the end, no matter the reasons for it.

No one had ever accused Yang of being unimaginative or torpid, after all.

Still lost in thought, Yang followed Blake through a few more hallways, down a couple flight of stairs and eventually to the double doors leading into the cafeteria. Blake gripped one of the handles and gave an experimental pull – the door opened. The couple shared a triumphant glance before Blake pulled the door open entirely and allowed Yang to step inside the cafeteria first.

It was dark inside, but Remnant's fractured moon provided soft, natural lighting through the tall windows that lined the far right wall. The vast room was basked in a ghostly blue glow, tables, chairs and counters reflecting the moonlight. It was so bizarre seeing the normally bustling place so devoid of commotion or people. Like this, the cafeteria seemed…abandoned and eerily quiet.

Which was why Yang almost jumped when the door suddenly closed shut not far behind her, the sound way too loud and conspicuous than it had any right to be in this setting. She turned to see Blake wincing, hand on the door's push bar.

"Sorry," Blake apologized, and even her soft voice seemed hollow, resonating only slightly because of the room's emptiness.

Yang shrugged before looking around again. It became apparent that there was no food that had been left out – not all that surprising, really. There weren't even any dried food snacks. "Hm. Nothing to eat here."

But Blake walked past the brawler, footsteps somehow still silent on the vinyl flooring. She headed towards a door that was located near the large buffet, and Yang perked up in interest, hurrying to catch up with her. If they were to find food anywhere, it would definitely be in the kitchens.

"I don't think this is going to be open, but…" Blake reached out and turned the knob. This time, it didn't budge. The Faunus sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, then."

Yang paused, and then her expression lit up as an idea crossed her mind. "Wait, move back. I've got this."

Blake's golden eyes widened as she clued in to what Yang wanted to do. "No. You are not –"

"I totally am!" Yang sing-songed, grinning as she took a step back and brought her fists up.

Blake was quick to bodily put herself between Yang and the metal door. "Stop. I've got a better idea." She didn't move until the lilac-eyed girl chuckled and motioned for Blake to proceed with this "better" way. Blake sighed and rolled her eyes before turning to face the door and taking out, of all things, a bobby-pin from her pocket.

It was Yang's turn to widen her eyes, immediately catching on. "You know that's illegal, right? Also, why do you even have that?"

Blake crouched down but still gave Yang a sarcastic glance. "Because kicking in the door is so much more legal. Also, contingency in case my partner decides blasting academy doors open is a good idea," she replied dryly, making the taller of the two snicker in sheepish amusement. Whether that statement was true or not, Blake certainly knew Yang well. But Blake got to work, inserting the bobby-pin into the lock and moving it carefully up and down. She was focused on her task, Yang noted, her hands steady and her gaze unwavering. Even her cat ears were turned straight towards the lock, twitching ever so subtly at every tiny helpful sound that Yang couldn't hear from where she stood. It wasn't long before Blake used her nail to turn the lock with a giving click.

To tell the truth, Yang was impressed. As Blake stood back up, the blonde couldn't help but ask, "That wasn't your first time doing that, was it?" It had been rather clear that it wasn't. The calmness, confidence and speed – and lack of proper tools – with which Blake had picked the lock made it evident. Yang supposed it was one of the things the Faunus had learned as a member of the White Fang, and although it was kinda cool in the brawler's personal opinion, she also knew the reality of it wasn't an altogether particularly positive thought.

"It's not a skill I'm proud of," Blake replied, her tone neutral and confirming Yang's suspicions. "But it has saved my life more than once."

"Is this one of those times? Kept you from starving to death?"

"No. Kept my partner from blasting academy doors down, remember?"

Yang started laughing, and the raven-haired girl opened the door and walked into the kitchens – this time leaving Yang to keep the door open for herself. Blake found the light switch as Yang came inside, and then the two girls took in their surroundings.

There was an island in the middle with several burners to cook on, surrounded by countertops – pans, pots and cooking tools hanging from the ceiling above it – another larger door at the left back wall that probably led to the freezer, several fridges lining the wall beside it, and cupboards and drawers everywhere. There were sinks, more counters and oil bins to the right.

Yang's laughing died down so she could ask, "We aren't actually cooking something, are we?" She paused. "Not that I'd mind or anything, but, you know, I think we aren't allowed here in the first place…"

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Blake asked, humoring as she made her way over to the fridges and open one of them to see what she could find.

"I think the locked door was a giveaway." Yang hummed, checking the pantry. "Or maybe it was the empty cafeteria. Or maybe – and get this – it was stepping out of our dorm after curfew." She had to admit, though, that getting up to mischief reminded her of happier times – and, again, that Blake was even here, helping this late-evening excursion happen smoothly, as she had often done in the past despite her muttered comments about absurd activities – and put Yang into a bit more of an adventurous mood. Her concern for Ruby still nagged at the back of her mind, but this was fun. She might not have been all that hungry yet, but the stimulation of getting into trouble without doing anything harmful made stealing a bit of food for real the ultimate offense, and Yang wanted to enjoy that. It wasn't the craziest thing the thrill-seeker had done before, but it was nonetheless entertaining.

Plus, Blake had totally done all the work with her bad-butt ninja skills. That was worthwhile.

Yang retrieved a microwaveable noodle soup supper from the pantry, and realizing that Blake hadn't said anything yet, the extrovert turned to see what her girlfriend was up to…only to see that the Faunus had disappeared. Yang creased her eyebrows, assuming that Blake had gone back to the cafeteria, and then filled her plastic bowl with water before sticking it in the microwave located on a shelf in the corner of the room. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her – she was in a fully functional kitchen with plenty of ingredients to make a proper meal, yet instead of cooking anything, she was just using the staff microwave to heat up an unhealthy, super salty packaged soup.

What a victory this was.

Yang waited the four whole minutes it took for the microwave to finish heating the soup, carefully took the steaming bowl and then, even more carefully, walked out of the kitchens with it. She found a spoon at the end of the buffet, where the other eating utensils were, and then searched for Blake with her gaze.

The Faunus was over at one of the tables, sitting on the edge of the surface instead of on one of the chairs. She appeared to be eating – not surprisingly at all – a can of tuna. There was also yogurt on the table beside her and a snack-sized box of apple juice. Yang raised her eyebrows, finding that to be a comical – if not peculiar – mix of things to eat but choosing not to comment on it. She went over to Blake and sat down on the chair closest to her partner.

"Didn't look for any HV dinners?" Yang wondered in amusement.

Blake gracefully shrugged. "I see you didn't shut the light off," she shot back instead, and Yang grinned. The prankster liked the teasing and jabbing fun at each other they often did. However, Blake paused, looking down at the food in her hand and then swinging her foot once. It seemed something had been on her mind because what she said next came out as a hesitant murmur. "I need to talk to you about something."

Yang took a spoonful of soup into her mouth. "Mm?"

Blake looked around, creasing her eyebrows. "This echo is strange."

That certainly wasn't among the things Yang had been expecting. Confused, she took in the empty, moonlit room again as she swallowed. She hadn't been paying any particular attention to the resonance of their voices anymore. But perhaps the Faunus' sensitive hearing made it more difficult for Blake to put aside. "Sure. But I bet that's not what's bothering you. What's up?" If Blake felt the need to stall instead of just telling Yang what was wrong, then that was a bit concerning.

Blake sighed, and Yang only grew more apprehensive. "Because Ruby is in the hospital right now…" she glanced at Yang, looking equally fearful, and continued, "Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch deemed it fit to choose an interim leader for our team. They wanted it to be me."

The news couldn't have hit harder. Yang froze, processing the revelation. At least, she tried to. "What?" she finally uttered, putting down her spoon and fixing a stunned stare on Blake. Her mind was reeling.

"Weiss informed me about this yesterday. I'm not okay with it, but in case of emergencies, we need someone to turn to for orders. And if Ruby isn't in a condition to give them to us…" Blake's voice trailed off and she looked away sadly.

Just like that, all the negative emotions that had been ailing Yang ever since Ruby had gotten hurt came rushing back to the forefront of her mind. She had trouble breathing. This…wasn't right. No. She couldn't accept this. And Blake had… "Did you take it?" she asked, so quietly she wasn't even sure she'd spoken out loud.

Blake was fast to meet Yang's gaze again. Her expression was worried. "I…I didn't want to. But Weiss was the next one they considered…and she told me herself she preferred giving the position to me. I –"

Yang stood up, causing Blake to fall silent. It didn't matter. Yang knew the answer anyway – had known even before Blake had started explaining. They were completely erasing Ruby from the picture. She might as well have already been dead to them. Three days. That's all they needed to shove a knife in her back. And Blake…and Blake had…

"Yang –"

But Yang had heard enough. She briskly turned and stalked towards the cafeteria's exit, hoping to just…get away somehow. She needed to see Ruby. Desperately. She didn't know how she was going to manage to get back to Vale at this time, but she had to try.

She was aware that Blake was following her – and it wasn't helping her mood. The Faunus didn't attempt to stop Yang until they reached the courtyard outside, though.

"Yang! Please, you can't go to Vale." Blake gently gripped Yang's arm, and the brawler did come to a halt – albeit with a great deal of reluctance and frustration. She clenched her fists, doing her best to remain calm. Her heart was pounding and the sense of urgency to see Ruby was threatening to make her lose patience and lash out at Blake again, but Yang had made a promise. It had never been more difficult to keep it, though. She was torn.

"I'm sorry," Blake murmured. "I'm really sorry. I don't like this – not any more than you do – and I was going to refuse. It's not fair, it's too early, and this isn't right. But Weiss insisted that this was purely for emergencies. I'm not taking Ruby's place. I don't want to."

Yang slowly turned to face her partner. In the soft glow of the moon, the sincerity in Blake's pleading golden gaze was clear as day. Deep down, Yang knew Blake hadn't had much of a choice. She also knew that Blake was smart and sensitive enough to go with the lesser of two evils when stuck between a rock and a hard place. And her words proved that this had been the case. Nevertheless, Yang couldn't help feeling betrayed. Ruby was her everything, and just the mere thought of casting her aside – even just a little bit – cut deep.

But Yang had to give Blake the benefit of the doubt. She had to, or she risked being a detriment to their relationship…again.

"Alright," Yang managed hoarsely. She unclenched her fists, eyes burning. "Okay. I believe you."

She had to control herself. More importantly, this wasn't going to give Blake any reason to think Yang was fine if she didn't act even like a semblance of her usual self. Yes, she needed to be by Ruby's side – if only to dispel her worry and feelings of loss, to somehow stop the ground she stood on from crumbling entirely – but she couldn't. Not right now. She didn't even know where she had been going – just so long as she had been going somewhere. Still, she wouldn't have gone far. Or she would have broken some rules – rules that merited much more severe consequences if broken. Maybe it was a good thing that Blake was holding her back. Maybe Blake wasn't an enemy. Maybe…maybe Blake was trying her best, too.

"Yang… I'm here for you, okay? If you need to talk, or anything whatsoever… I'm here." Blake's eyes were wide, almost fearful, but there was a certain determination in her expression, too. "Just…please, wait until morning. We'll go see Ruby together without causing any problems. She'll be alright until then."

Guilt tore through Yang. This was all her fault. She was messing everything up. Blake didn't deserve the way her own girlfriend was treating her. She even less deserved bearing the blonde's burden. Worse, how could Blake even help? They were all useless, and Yang had failed her role as a big sister. She was a screw up. And Blake was…still standing there, waiting. Waiting for what – that, Yang didn't know. Really, Yang didn't know anything anymore. She was lost and felt terribly insecure and afraid, and Ruby was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

…And Blake was the only thing keeping her from jumping off the cliff.

Yang sighed, attempting to let everything go with the exhale – and failed miserably, of course. Still, she managed to regain a bit of composure. A bit. "I know. I'm fine." Her reply came out harsher than she intended, but she needed Blake to know that, if only for the sake of not appearing so weak and scared. Blake wouldn't understand the way Yang was feeling, anyway. It wouldn't have even made sense to put that kind of pressure on her.

But then, as if the Faunus had read Yang's thoughts, Blake blinked back tears and swallowed hard. She let go of Yang's arm and almost whispered, "You told me something, once. It was hard to believe at first – hard to make that leap of faith. You said 'I'm pretty sure I can meet you halfway – but you're gonna have to actually explain it to me, first.' And then you said 'Please, give me – give us – a chance.' …So, I did." Blake met Yang's disbelieving stare a bit nervously. "And you didn't lie. You met me stride for stride, and there hasn't been one moment where I felt like you didn't get it at all." She looked down again, and her voice broke. "I've been happy, Yang, because I trusted you and you never let me down."

It was funny how Blake could just say that when, earlier that very same day, Yang had more than evidently caused her a lot of heartache. Had Blake become amnesiac? Probably not, but Yang wasn't sure why Blake would have omitted it from the story. Nevertheless, Yang was touched. There was a tight ball in her throat that she couldn't seem to swallow and her eyes still burned, but she actually managed a small, pained smile. She knew why Blake had brought that memory up. To a certain extent, it was cute. It was heartwarming. But this was different. Yang couldn't bring herself to share her thoughts. "Thanks, Blake. But I promise I'm alright." For good measure, though, she briefly caressed Blake's cheek and attempted to smile more joyfully. "You're the best, kitten."

Blake appeared momentarily confused, but Yang didn't allow the conversation to continue on the same topic. She walked past her partner, back towards Beacon, saying, "I think we have food still waiting for us. My soup is probably getting cold and your tuna must be getting warm. Sounds yummy."

"Uh, yeah," Blake muttered, quickly catching up with Yang. "Yeah, wonderful." But she didn't leave it at that. Suddenly, Blake grabbed Yang's arm again and forced her to stop walking. The couple faced each other once more in front of the entrance into the academy. Blake's amber eyes were intent, worried and searching for a sign of something in her companion's expression. However, Yang made sure to only seem bemused, as if she were wondering what her girlfriend was up to.

Blake wasn't fooled. That much became obvious when she sighed and then, out of nowhere, hugged Yang tightly.

Lilac eyes widened, and Yang just stood there awkwardly for a moment, processing this unexpected action. But Blake didn't let go, burying her face against Yang's shoulder, and before Yang really knew what she was doing, she found herself reciprocating, wrapping her own arms around her partner – gently – and closing her eyes at the sudden sensation of relief that came with the embrace. She hadn't realized how much she needed this until it was given to her, and the benefits were immediate. A small weight had been lifted from her chest, and Yang actually felt like she could breathe now. "Thank you, Blake," she whispered into silky raven locks. It was all she could say without cracking.

"Anything for you, Yang," Blake replied in the same tone, soft and caring. Yang tightened her hold, drawing as much comfort as she could from Blake's presence. She couldn't believe how calming it was, how steady and real her girlfriend felt in her arms – much better than a stuffed panther, all things considered. Blake really was the best.

Eventually, though, Yang pulled away slowly, cupped the Faunus' jaw with her hands and laid a gentle kiss on Blake's forehead – partly to thank her again, partly in the hopes of gratifying her. "Let's go finish eating."

Blake nodded. The two girls gazed into each other's eyes for another short moment, and then Yang smiled before heading off again, Blake right by her side.

Yang couldn't, for the life of her, remember the title of the movie she and Blake had chosen to watch. After finishing their small meal and cleaning up after themselves, the couple had returned to their dorm and connected the holoscreen the room was equipped with to Yang's scroll. They had searched a list of movies, but Yang had only been paying enough attention to acknowledge a title that came across as vaguely interesting when first mentioned and quickly read about. Blake had agreed to it easily enough, so that had been…passable on the blonde's part, she supposed.

The girls had taken their pillows from their beds and the comforter from Blake's and had set up a comfortable spot on the floor to watch the movie from. They'd even turned off the lights, settled back and relaxed to enjoy the movie side by side, sitting in the dark.

Yang had watched for the first fifteen minutes or so – put in extra effort, even, to make it seem like she was intrigued. And to reassure Blake, she had even invited the Faunus to cuddle against her. Blake hadn't hesitated, scooting closer to lay her head on Yang's shoulder and curling up against her side. Yang didn't mind this particular form of proximity, as it wasn't anything like the weirdly amorous spooning from earlier. In fact, it suited Yang – Blake couldn't see her expression like this, and if she tried to look, the brawler would feel the movement and could immediately compose herself if necessary.

At some point, though, even that had slipped Yang's mind. Some time into the movie, her gaze had become unfocused, seeing the images on the holoscreen but failing to process any of the information. She just felt…removed from the entire situation. Incredibly alone, too, even if Blake was right there. Over the course of the film, Blake had slowly slipped down further until she was laying on the blonde's lap now, it seemed. Yang recalled similar circumstances with Ruby. Her younger sister would fall asleep like this, especially if Yang caressed her hair. And then later, the older sibling would pick Ruby up into her arms and carry the girl to her bed and tuck her in. Sometimes Ruby would wake up long enough to wish Yang goodnight. Sometimes Yang just kissed her forehead and whispered the words before going to her own bed.

She missed those moments to no ends. She missed Ruby.

Yang's fingers continued to caress absent-mindedly, softly gliding through raven tresses and stroking the upper part of her friend's back. She didn't want to think about what would happen if Ruby didn't wake up. Yet the fear was making itself more and more known in addition to the pressure Yang already felt to be there if Ruby did open her eyes. It could have already happened. And she would be alone, and wonder where her friends and family were…

Wait. I am petting Blake.

Yang blinked, tuning back in to the present instant. The main protagonist was having a heart-to-heart with his love interest – at least, that was what it looked like. Yang looked down. Blake was hugging the blonde's legs with one arm and resting her head on the other. She seemed pretty involved with the movie. That said, Yang really was petting the Faunus. Partly curled up on Yang's lap like this, Blake almost felt like a cat. Automatically, though, Yang wondered if she was crossing a line. She stopped her hand's repetitive motion. Treating Blake like a cat was wrong. Blake had insisted she didn't like it. And Yang hadn't been thinking, as usual.

"Sorry, Blake," she whispered guiltily. She was screwing up so many things.

"…Huh?" came the quiet and slightly confused response. Blake turned over onto her back to look up at Yang questioningly, golden eyes reflecting the light of the holoscreen in the darkness like two little mirrors. "About what?"

Yang hesitated. "Well…" she sighed. "Uh, I was petting you. And you said you didn't like that kind of thing but I just…wasn't paying attention, and I'm sorry." She looked away, creasing her eyebrows. "I'm really sorry. I've been so stupid, and I keep messing up, and –"

"Yang?" Blake interrupted her remorseful rambling with concern. "It's okay. That…that wasn't crossing any lines. It was pleasant, I promise."

"It…was?" Yang was slow to catch on, not quite understanding why… But then she realized –

"Yeah. You were just stroking my hair, right? Nothing to it." The bookworm sounded patient and genuine, and Yang realized it was herself who had made a mistake in judgment. She was so worried that she was beginning to be stressed about the smallest things and wrongly attributing fault where there was none. Her anxiety was starting to make her feel guilty about everything.

"…Oh. Yeah…right." Yang attempted a sheepish smile, scratching the back of her head briefly. "Heh. My bad. I was just concerned for a sec there. But I guess it's all good."

Blake tilted her head a little. "It is." She observed Yang thoughtfully for a moment longer, but then she turned to continue watching the movie.

Yang, however, found herself watching Blake. The Faunus really was interested in the film, and Yang supposed she, herself, would have been too if she had been feeling like her normal self. Blake's cat ears twitched every now and then, picking up on the tiniest sounds and unconsciously responding to the air that Yang softly exhaled every time she breathed out. And every single time, the lilac-eyed girl couldn't help but be enthralled.

"Blake?" she murmured.

"Hm?"

Yang hesitated, and although she figured she already knew the answer to the question she was going to ask, she built up the courage – or the audacity – to ask it anyway. "Can I touch your cat ears?" She immediately regretted it, of course. Obviously, that was a sensitive subject to Blake and the Faunus had, at several occasions, made it clear that her feline appendages weren't to be touched. Or rather, it was because she had refused so many times that Yang guessed it was a delicate topic.

Blake carefully rolled onto her back again, staring up at Yang with an indecipherable expression on her face. It took a few seconds before she finally said, "Alright."

Yang blinked, stunned. "What? Really? 'Alright?'" Blake was going to let her…?

Blake deliberately sat up, back turned to the holoscreen and facing Yang diagonally. The movie was entirely forgotten just as the characters started to gently kiss, and Blake took a deep breath in before exhaling. "Yeah… You can touch them." And when Yang just sat there without moving, Blake bowed her head a little, exposing her cat ears to Yang's sight fully and emphasizing her accord.

Yang managed to unfreeze and ever so hesitantly raised her hand. But the closer she came, the more Blake seemed to grow tense, cat ears leaning backwards. In fact, when Yang's fingers were mere inches away, it occurred to the extrovert that Blake was holding her breath and kept glancing up at the approaching hand nervously, jaw clenched and fingers balled into fists on the carpet.

And suddenly, Yang paused. This…wasn't normal. That Blake was showing so much apprehension – fear, even – made it dawn on the brawler that the bookworm might have experienced something traumatic. And Blake's past refusals made more sense now. A lot more. Someone had hurt Blake, had treated her feline appendages with enough brutality to leave lasting repercussions.

Yang dropped her hand, saddened. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't realize it was that bad." She looked down. "I wouldn't have asked if I'd known."

Blake seemed to literally decompress, her relief was so evident. Nevertheless, the reserved girl met Yang's gaze. "Yang…I know you won't hurt me." She reached for the blonde's hand with both her own and raised it to the level of her eyes before inciting Yang to stretch out her fingers, palm facing Blake. Yang watched, concerned and intently focused when her girlfriend tilted her head forward again. She tried to be as still as she possibly could. Part of her still didn't understand how Blake could trust her like this, but…she was determined not to hurt the poor girl, especially not physically.

So when the top of Blake's head pushed gently against Yang's hand, the blonde continued to not move a muscle, letting Blake rub her head against her palm until Yang's fingers brushed the furry feline members naturally. Yang's eyes widened a little. "They're so soft…" she marveled, amazed. Blake let go of her hand, and Yang finally touched the cat ears on her own. They leaned backwards – still as a sign of Blake's tension – but Yang made sure to be extra careful. She was all kinds of honored and thrilled to be able to finally caress them. "Blake, seriously. This is so cool." The tips of her fingers glided along the edges and then followed the shape of their backs. The fur really was incredibly soft – even more so than the silk of Blake's raven locks.

The Faunus didn't respond, but she did seem to relax gradually under Yang's ministrations. And when Yang lightly scratched their bases, Blake sighed and even pushed a little harder against Yang's hand. Yang recalled what her partner had explained to her about what happened when she was particularly at ease, but she doubted she'd be able to get Blake to purr again – not at the moment, anyway. Yang supposed there was still too much fear in Blake's heart for purring…but the sociable girl swore to herself she'd get Blake to do it again eventually. Not because it was super cat-like – no, Yang just wanted Blake to feel that comfortable around her regularly. She deserved to feel that way.

But unexpectedly, Blake straightened up all of a sudden and looked at the holoscreen like a deer in the headlights, causing Yang to let go of the Faunus' cat ears, and said in disbelief, "Oh, my God, are they really going to have sex?"

Bewildered, Yang turned towards the movie, too, and upon noticing the intense make-out session, couldn't help but let out a laugh. Blake's reaction had been so instantaneous, she'd clearly still been partially listening to the film despite everything else. "So innocent, so pure," Yang teased, fetching her scroll. "Here, let me skip it."

"It just seemed inappropriately early," Blake countered, somewhat defensive as she crossed her arms and gazed up at the ceiling – anywhere but at the holoscreen, actually – much to the goofball's amusement. Nonetheless, Yang managed to skip to the next scene before the present one became too steamy and flustered her companion's sensibilities.

"What about all that smut you read?"

"I do not – how even dare you. I'm offended."

Yang laughed and pulled the bookworm into her arms – and onto her lap – for a purposely smothering hug, tucking Blake's face against her neck and wrapping her arms around the girl tightly enough that she couldn't move away – and Yang continued to snicker while Blake struggled to escape.

"Yang Xiao Long, I will –"

"Say the magic words!" Yang sing-songed between giggles.

"You absolute pain –"

"Nope! Those aren't magic at all."

Blake seemed to give up on fighting the brawler's embrace, shoulders slumping in defeat. "This isn't so bad. Maybe I'll just stay here."

Yang grinned. "Nice try, but I know you want to watch the movie."

"Fine. Let me try something else." There was a pause, and then Blake started tickling Yang's exposed midriff.

Yang's reaction was immediate. She howled with laughter, releasing Blake and batting her hands away to make them stop. Blake started chuckling, too, and Yang feared she wouldn't relent, but it seemed she had mercy. She didn't go very far, though. No, Blake just turned and leaned her back against Yang's chest, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder and getting comfortably seated between her legs. Yang was momentarily uncertain about how to handle the proximity, but then she tentatively snuck her arms around Blake's waist, linking her fingers over the Faunus' abdomen, and decided that it wasn't too awkward after all. Actually, it was…kind of nice. One of Blake's hands found both of Yang's and started drawing small patterns on her skin while Blake's right cat ear brushed and flicked against Yang's jaw. It pulled another smile from the golden girl, and Yang resolved to actually try and pay attention to the movie and enjoy it with her girlfriend in her arms.

In fact, she wanted Blake to know that she appreciated this. Therefore, Yang captured Blake's hand in her own, holding her companion closer and turning her head to kiss the bookworm affectionately just below her cat ear, and then on her temple, too. Blake seemed to get more comfortable, and Yang relaxed further, actually feeling…more at peace now, like she really could focus on the movie – and on Blake, who seemed reassuringly soft in her embrace. This was special.

…Blake was special. It was the least Yang could do for her.

When Blake and Yang had taken the elevator up to Headmaster Ozpin's office at around five in the morning, they hadn't been expecting to find him there. It was five in the morning, after all. Nobody was awake at such an ungodly hour at the beginning of summer vacations – unless they had slept all afternoon and for part of the evening beforehand, of course. Which was the same thing as saying unless they were Blake and Yang. Because the couple had done that. Unfortunately.

Apparently, Headmaster Ozpin hadn't caught the memo about vacations, either. The girls were rather quite shocked to see him standing by window that served as a wall behind his desk, back to them and sipping away at coffee. The rising sun provided enough light to illuminate the spacious chamber, and Yang found herself looking around – just as she always did when she entered the place. It all looked so…grand and complicated with the huge rotating gears that acted as a moving ceiling. To be honest, it fascinated Yang. Being a more hands-on individual, enjoying building stuff and having built her own motorcycle all by herself – Bumblebee – the mechanics of the clockwork-like gear system was somewhat of a marvel to her.

But not as much as touching Blake's cat ears. That had been entirely unique in its own right, so much so that Yang still couldn't quite get over it.

"Headmaster Ozpin?" Blake called out, tentative as the couple slowly approached the metal and glass desk side by side. "You were expecting us."

Ozpin turned away from the window and regarded his two students in vague surprise as they came to a stop nearby. "Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao Long. I know I asked to see the both of you as soon as possible…but this is quite a mark of…zeal."

"We may or may not have been awake all night," Yang provided helpfully, sheepish as she scratched the back of her head. She suddenly wondered if it was possible that their little excursion had been found out. She doubted the consequences would be all that awful, and she didn't feel all that guilty anyway, but sometimes Ozpin seemed to just…know things.

"Our aura levels needed to be recovered, so we slept for most the day yesterday," Blake added, much more composed and calm than Yang was. Sometimes Yang couldn't help but admire her partner's ability to stay completely cool under pressure.

…It was probably one of the reasons why she had been selected to be RWBY's leader while Ruby was out of commission. Yang still had difficulty accepting the news.

"Yes. Of course. Very well, I suppose that brings us immediately to the purpose of your presence here. Do take a seat, both of you." Ozpin walked over to his desk and set his mug down, picking up his larger scroll instead. He tapped in a few commands before continuing, "If you don't mind, our conversation will be recorded for the sake of documentation – just as it was last time. Standard procedure."

"We understand," Blake acknowledged. Yang glanced at her as the two girls sat down on the chairs in front of the desk, but didn't say anything.

After a moment, the headmaster put his scroll down on the desk again as he took a seat as well, but it stayed active, showing that it was now recording. Ozpin paused, and then gazed at the two young women, expression indecipherable. "Miss Xiao Long."

Yang straightened.

"Your teammates, Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna, have already recounted their versions of what happened on your end of year assignment. I would like to hear yours now. From the beginning, please."

"Alright." Yang fidgeted a little, jogging her memory. Unfortunately, doing so instantly put her in a bad mood thanks to the fight that had gone all sorts of wrong at the Grimm-infested facility. She sighed wearily. "We left Beacon early in the morning, um, two days ago? I was in charge of our sleeping bags – and, uh, bringing a lighter. Which I forgot. Anyway. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and me got on the aircraft. I chatted with our crew during the flight, to get to know them a bit and stuff."

She kept talking, reliving the mission in her mind as she did. Her favorite part was finding out that Blake could purr. And although Yang understood that she wasn't supposed to withhold any information, she did omit that small part. She didn't know if Blake, herself, had told Ozpin about it, after all, but if Yang had to guess, the Faunus didn't want anyone knowing about that…quirk. It took a while, but without any interruptions Yang did eventually get to the section of the story that she despised the most.

"I saw her almost right away – Raven Branwen. The woman who abandoned me at birth. She was near the building, shouting orders to the huntsmen. I guess they worked for her. There was, like, a dozen of them. I got angry – really angry." Yang exhaled slowly, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. The mere thought of Raven infuriated her. "The Grimm were everywhere, and it was impossible to get to her, especially with those traitors stopping us – stopping me. And when she saw me, she tried to leave through one of those portal things she uses. There was no way I was letting that happen." Yang clenched her fists. "But the stupid huntsman – he just wouldn't get out of my way. The next thing I knew, Ruby was dashing full speed at my mother and I was screaming because I couldn't warn her in time. And Raven – she…" Yang took a shuddering breath in, doing her best to control her fury. "She just stepped to the side and tripped Ruby. And Ruby hit the wall at, like, a hundred-fifty kilometers an hour." The blonde had to stop speaking for a moment. She was shaking, almost violently so. "I told her not to do anything reckless."

Blake suddenly grabbed hold of Yang's hand firmly, and the brawler blinked, reminded that she had an audience…and that she was being recorded. She again tried to calm herself, and anchoring herself to Blake's hand, managed to succeed to a certain extent.

Headmaster Ozpin regarded them without saying a word, without revealing a single thing he might have been thinking. He just waited patiently for Yang to continue.

"Raven escaped. I almost killed one of her huntsmen, and I sure as Dust took out my anger on the Grimm. But then there was some explosion that blew up half the building. It was hard to find my teammates after. And when I found Blake, and I saw Ruby…just laying there…" Yang's eyes were burning fiercely again, and the urge to go find her little sister was making itself very much known. "I just…I stopped. I didn't care about anything else anymore. I guess I shut down. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital in Vale." Red-tinged irises met the headmaster's collected regard. "Did you know Raven, Professor? Do you have any idea why she would do this?"

Ozpin was silent for an instant, and then he took his mug of coffee and took a slow sip. Before he could say anything, though, headmaster and students heard the elevator door slide open. They turned and saw Professor Goodwitch enter the office. She paused when she saw there were guests, but apart from narrowing her eyes, she let nothing show if she was surprised to see them so early. She came forward, taking out her work scroll.

"Good morning," she greeted them in no particular tone. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Her piercing green eyes seemed to briefly focus on a space between Yang and Blake, and both girls suddenly realized they were still holding hands. They let go, and Yang was intensely tempted to glance at the nearest clock. As a side note, it appeared she had indeed been talking for almost an hour.

"Glynda. Perfect timing, as usual. You aren't interrupting. Yang just finished with her version of how Team RWBY's mission took place. Coffee?" Ozpin moved towards the pitcher as he made the gracious offer.

"No, thank you." Professor Goodwitch went to stand on the opposing end of the desk and faced the girls. "Do continue where you left off. I may still be able to provide help and take notes."

Yang shared a look with Blake, and then took a deep breath in to calm herself yet again. "I was just asking about Raven. Raven Branwen – my uncle Qrow's sister. I want to know why she did what she did."

Glynda arched her eyebrows, but it was Ozpin who spoke. He leaned himself back in his chair, linking his fingers together in front of himself and looking thoughtful. "Raven was a very driven young woman – she didn't let anything stand in her way." He motioned towards Yang, "I dare say you are similar in that regard. But one of the defining traits of Raven's character was her steel. Where your father, Taiyang, would risk his life for his teammates, even at the expense of failing a mission, Raven would sacrifice them instead if it meant achieving her goal." Ozpin allowed time for the information to process. He took another sip of his coffee and continued, "She did change over the course of her time here, seeing the importance in teammates and allowing herself to relax sometimes. It made her a more effective fighter."

"She was the deadliest in our class," Glynda added, neutral. "Perhaps, even, one of the most dangerous and successful huntresses Beacon has ever trained." She rolled her eyes. "It must run in the family. I loathe to bring him into this discussion, but Qrow was the only one who could really stand up to her in battle. And we know how powerful you, yourself, are, Miss Xiao Long."

Yang didn't know how to take the information she was receiving. It wasn't quite the answer to the questions she had asked, but it definitely told her more about her biological mother than she had ever learned before. She wasn't entirely certain she liked what she heard, though. Also, Professor Goodwitch had been in Raven's class?

"How is this pertinent to the mission?" Blake suddenly asked, and Yang was grateful for the Faunus' presence, forever keeping the brawler grounded and knowing when it was time to step in.

Ozpin sighed. "I'm afraid I can't answer the questions you asked me, Yang. All I can tell you is that Raven never did anything without good reason, and she killed more Grimm than most other students did on a regular basis. Make what you will of that information."

Yang clenched her fists again. Her uncle had said almost the exact same thing, and for the life of her, Yang could not imagine anything that would excuse harming a huntress in training and ordering for her and her teammates to be killed. And it certainly, certainly did not excuse abandoning a baby shortly after giving birth to it. It didn't matter what Headmaster Ozpin or Professor Goodwitch – or Qrow, even – said. Clearly, Raven wasn't the same person anymore.

"Are you okay, Yang?" Blake wondered with concern.

The brawler unclenched her fists and looked back up. "Yeah. I'm fun-freaking-tastic. Is there anything else you needed, Professor, or can we leave?"

"No. That will be all. I apologize, Miss Xiao Long, for not being of more use to you. How is Ruby?"

"Auric coma," Yang replied gruffly. "I was about to go check up on her with Blake."

"I'm sure she'll be alright," Professor Goodwitch offered with surprising sympathy. "Your sister has proven herself to be capable of a great many things."

Yang didn't respond. She appreciated the words, but coming from a teacher, they didn't really feel personal or truly caring. They were…hollow, only permitting a surface-level reassurance.

"Thank you for listening to us and for your help," Blake suddenly spoke up, emotionless. "Before we leave, though…" Yang gave Blake a surprised look, wondering what she could possible have to say, but the Faunus only firmed her jaw. "Since Yang and I will be staying in Vale for an indeterminate amount of time – and so will Weiss, once she returns from Atlas – the three of us are volunteering for border patrol for the summer. It will do us good to stay in shape while we wait for Ruby to recover."

Yang stared at Blake without really comprehending for a moment. She knew what border patrol was…and she didn't necessarily have a problem with it…but why had Blake just decided that without consulting her? Had she even warned Weiss?

Professor Goodwitch started tapping on her scroll – probably entering their names into the patrol program. "Very well, Miss Belladonna. Thank you. I will send your team's sector assignations and schedules to your scrolls later today. Do take care."

Blake nodded and then stood from her seat, quickly imitated by Yang. The two headed towards the elevator and out of Headmaster Ozpin's office.

Chapter Text

The wind blew softly through the trees, swaying the smaller branches and rustling the leaves at their ends. The rays of the sun filtered in through the tops, spots of lights and lines of shadows on the forest bed dancing to the natural harmony of birds singing their daily, gentle songs. Somewhere nearby, lost in the foliage, a squirrel chattered animatedly, somewhat of a disturbance but equally calming in its own, strange way. The patches of grass were tall here, strewed with bushes and large rocks, and the scent of dirt and vegetation carried easily in the fresh morning air.

Golden eyes gazed on as cat ears flickered in sync with the sounds they heard, and Blake let out a small sigh. As long as there was music, there was nothing to worry about. Her Faunus senses weren't alerting her to any immediate dangers, either. Nevertheless, Blake was worried.

…Not that that held much weight, these days. It seemed to have become the mood she defaulted to ever since the accident.

Yang was standing a few feet away, partially turned from Blake, looking at…something – or, maybe, at nothing – between the large tree trunks further off. Stray strands of her unruly blonde locks flailed in the wind, and her stance was a bit more slumped than usual.

They were going to start the third year of their partnership two months from now. And Blake, true to her silent and reserved self, had spent a lot of that time observing and listening to her teammates – even more so Yang. Two years wasn't a great deal of time, but it was long enough that Blake had learned to notice the subtler changes and unspoken emotions in Yang's body language. This, at first, had come to be for the purpose of effectiveness in combat as partners, but Blake's interest had, over time, developed into something more familiar and caring in nature.

It wasn't like Yang was all that hard to read in the first place. On a general basis, what Yang felt and what Yang thought was what Yang showed. She was extraverted, sociable, friendly, and had her heart out on her sleeve. Whether she was happy about something or not, it was usually obvious.

Blake may have found this exasperating at the beginning of their partnership, but it was now far from being the case. It seemed that, somewhere along the course of the energetic brawler's life, Yang had felt the need to foster a secondary coping mechanism that did not involve open and honest displays of emotion. This deceitful façade of cheeriness only seemed to make its appearance when Yang was deeply, personally upset about something and didn't want anyone realizing or asking her about it. The act was alarmingly believable – and believed alarmingly often, too.

But Blake's watchful eyes didn't miss or skirt over the signs that Yang wasn't okay. She could smile, laugh, and show all the pep she wanted, but Blake wasn't buying it.

Unfortunately, Blake didn't know what to do, either.

"We should probably keep walking," Yang suddenly suggested, her tone casual. It occurred to Blake that she had been staring and that Yang had noticed. There was a bit of a smirk on her lips.

Blake blinked, remembering they had a job to do. Border patrol. They had left their dormitory about two hours ago to make their way to their assigned area at the outskirts of Beacon Academy's property. It was their second time out protecting a section of the perimeter, and the first time had been somewhat difficult when they had started, as the Grimm had insisted on going solely after Yang. After a while, Yang had just given up and suggested being used as bait. She had refused to admit anything about her negative emotions, though. Blake hadn't liked the idea, but it had turned the tides in their favor, and that's what they had been doing ever since – Yang, out in the open, a victim for the vultures to pick on until they were killed by Blake's swift intervention from the shadows.

There was something wrong about that, an uncanny parallel to Yang's personality and how she never hid, never even pretended to, as if she were prepared to take the world head-on and expect not to get harmed in the process. Except it wasn't true. She was hiding.

And still being harmed.

Today, Yang wasn't throwing random taunts out to draw Grimm to her. She was quiet, her bravado gone. Her strides were slower and lacked confidence. She would stop every now and then, finding interest with something in her surroundings, and then keep going, withdrawn.

They hadn't encountered many Grimm as of yet. The ones they had fought, though, were some of the more powerful ones. And Blake didn't like that, either. It was like that saying, that known truth: the bigger the demons…well, the bigger the monsters, too.

So, yes, Blake was worried.

"You're right. We should. Sorry about that," she finally responded, kicking herself into motion. But then she stopped and faced her companion again. "Yang," she almost stammered, "I have your back, alright? I'm here. I'll be watching out for you." It was awkward saying it because she knew it was a little out of the blue and the point of their strategy had already been established yesterday, but she meant what she said.

Yang seemed to grasp what Blake was trying to convey, though. She nodded, an appreciative smile gracing her lips. "I know you will. Let's get going."

They shared a look of understanding, agreeing, and then Blake headed further into the woods, out of direct eyesight, using her practiced stealth to blend into her surroundings. All the while, she made sure to keep Yang in her field of vision, refusing to let anything happen to her. They moved through the uneven terrain, and Blake kept her senses alert for any signs of danger while Yang continued her hike as if it were a casual stroll in the park.

Except…she wasn't casual. She was inattentive, and her pace wasn't regular, as if it followed the same rhythm as her thoughts – sometimes fast and brisk, other times slow and distracted. More often than not, she seemed to wander, lost. Like now.

Her head was bowed, staring at the ground instead of looking at where she was going, steps uncertain, almost tentative. Blake had to stop, even, and wait for Yang to move along before continuing. She seemed to get a grip pretty soon, though, shaking her head dismissively one time and quickening her pace once more. Blake creased her eyebrows, concerned, wondering how badly Yang's mind was harassing her. She seemed to be hitting a rough note, her strides stiff, her boots hitting the dirt harder.

Really, Blake wished she knew what to do. Was it best to leave Yang to figure it out on her own? Should Blake intervene somehow, try to get Yang to talk to her?

But they had a task to accomplish yet, and now wasn't the moment for conversation. They kept walking, and the brawler didn't seem to be calming down this time. Her fingers clenched and unclenched, and if Blake paid close enough attention, she could hear Yang breathing harsher. A twig snapped under a heavy footfall, and, after a moment of pause, Yang broke into a jog.

Confused, Blake went after her, moving more rapidly – and with more difficulty – through the shrubbery in her attempt to keep up and not lose sight of the golden girl. If this was some game Yang was playing, Blake wasn't finding it funny. This was putting them at a risk, making them less prepared in case of an attack. At this rate, Blake really would have to try and talk to her partner again.

And then Yang was running.

It took a moment for Blake to react, she was so surprised, but then she cursed under breath and accelerated, too, deciding to ask questions later. She knew Yang tended to be brash on the battlefield, but this was a whole different level of recklessness. This was…this was stupid.

Yang was sprinting now, and Blake was forced to come out of concealment to keep up, dodging bushes and fallen branches, avoiding trees and sudden dips in the bumpy ground while trying to maintain – and even gain – her speed. "Yang!" she called out, focusing on the mane of wild blonde hair a few dozen meters ahead of her. "Yang, what are you doing?! Please, stop!"

But the brawler was unresponsive and only kept going. Fortunately, Blake could maneuver more easily and was steadily catching up. Her concern, however, grew exponentially when a sudden sense of dread overtook her and almost made her stumble. A branch scraped across her cheek. "Yang!" she winced and called again, this time more desperately, trying to warn her girlfriend of the imminent danger – a danger she couldn't even see yet.

She didn't have to wait long. The birds had gone silent.

Blake was only a few yards behind Yang when a small clearing became visible up ahead. Yang never slowed down, and Blake never saw the large, abnormal mound of dirt and moss until the blonde was actually running by it. Blake's eyes widened, but it was too late. The nest exploded, a Death Stalker leaping out and catching Yang between its sharp front mandibles.

"Yang!" Blake's voice tore through her throat as she grabbed Gambol Shroud from her back and started firing her pistol at the monster as she approached.

"I'm not hurt!" Yang shouted back, her voice strained. Blake saw that her girlfriend was trapped against the creature's mouth, mandibles keeping Yang prisoner as she struggled to escape. Her feet were dangling just above the ground, unable to provide any lift or extra power.

The news was of little relief. Both knew Yang had made a terrible mistake. That thing had already torn away at the clothes covering Yang's abdomen, and now it must have been chewing away at her aura. The brawler's arms were pressed against her sides, muscles wrenching and pushing, clearly trying to set herself free.

Blake had to roll to the side to avoid the Death Stalker's stinger as it lunged towards her, quick as lightning. She then jumped up high, narrowly escaping a swipe from one of the pincers, and doubled back, out of reach. Heart pounding, mind racing, Blake took a moment to think the situation over.

If she wanted to access Yang directly, she would have to act fast. Those pincers and the stinger would be used to keep her at bay, and if she got caught, too, then they were both no better off than dead. Further, Death Stalkers were strong creatures, and any hit would damage her aura greatly.

But Blake was on a time limit. Yang's own aura wouldn't last forever, and the Faunus didn't even want to imagine what would happen if the mouth ripped through her partner's torso. Elaborate plans were out of the question. Seeing Yang still struggling uselessly, Blake opted to go with the first idea that popped into her head.

She dashed forward and jumped, sailing through the air before landing deftly on the Death Stalker's carapace and firing her pistol at the monster's globulous, glowing orange eyes. The thing screeched and lurched, almost throwing Blake off. She managed to get down on one knee to keep her balance, right there in front of Yang, and jabbed her sword between two of the Grimm's armored plates, anchoring herself to her weapon as the Death Stalker shook with fury. "This isn't how I imagined this moment," Blake commented breathlessly, twisting viciously into the Death Stalker's body and eliciting an enraged shriek.

"If I say yes, will you look out?!"

Blake followed Yang's panicked gaze upwards. Her pupils became thin vertical slits in her fear, and the world seemed to come to a slow as images of her life flashed before her eyes. The deadly tip of the stinger was hurtling towards her faster than she could react, and Blake muttered under her breath, "I do..."

Yang shouted wordlessly, but it was too late. The stinger crashed into Blake, the world went dark, silent, and seconds later, Yang was released. She tumbled backwards, gained her balance, and immediately sprung up, golden mane aflame – literally – and slammed her heel down on the stinger with a furious yell and all the power she could muster. Shadow-clone now dissolved, the stinger dug itself even deeper into the Death Stalker's head, which was crushed against the ground. Yang proceeded to smash her fist into the arched tail, effectively breaking it, just as Blake came around the massive body, slashing at the monster's legs until it altogether collapsed.

The partners then retreated together and fired their weapons at the Grimm relentlessly until their chambers emptied. When all was said and done and the smoke cleared, all that was left of the Death Stalker were wisps of fading black tendrils, agonized screeches silenced for good.

Blake and Yang stood there, breathing hard and watching the remains of the Grimm slowly disappear. They kept themselves in fighting stances for a moment longer, nerves completely shot, until Yang then stifled a snicker. Blake stared at her like she was crazy, and Yang gave up, leaning her hands on her knees as she chuckled freely and panted at the same time.

When Blake was sure she could speak without interrupting herself to breathe, she asked, confused, "What's so funny?" For all intents and purposes, the raven-haired girl should have probably been raving at the blonde for running off without warning and getting them both into that dangerous situation. But for the life of her, Blake couldn't find it in herself to be angry with Yang at that precise instant. She was just happy her girlfriend was safe, and that laugh – although unexpected and probably related to stress – was genuine. That mattered more.

Yang glanced at Blake, grinning as amusement twinkled in her irises. "Those are your famous last words?" she asked, a note of amazement in her tone. "'I do'?"

Blake opened her mouth to retort, but then realized she had nothing to say in her defense. Instead, she rolled her eyes and mumbled, "I saved you. Be grateful." She then let out an impatient huff.

This made Yang snicker more as she started walking again, heading back into the woods. "My hero."

The Faunus followed behind, and finally finding her own saving grace, she was compelled to object, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you technically agreed to marry me."

Now Yang laughed again. "You're wrong! I didn't actually say I would. It was a hypothetical question. Plus, the word 'marry' was never used, so we could have been talking about anything."

Well, it had been worth the try. Unfortunately, Yang was much more talented at these word games. So, Blake gave up and just said, "Please, don't run off again – I mean it."

The brawler let Blake catch up, and she smiled reassuringly. "I promise I won't. I was kinda scared for a sec there, too. Like, if that hadn't been one of your shadow-clones…"

It appeared that even in dire situations, Yang worried about others first. She was brash, spontaneous, and sometimes gave the impression of having no value for her own life. But she was Yang. She made up for her faults a hundredfold. Nevertheless, that past situation was a predicament Blake had no desire to repeat, and Yang sharing similar sentiments about it was a relief to hear. Still, if Blake had just spoken to Yang earlier…maybe it could have been avoided altogether. Or maybe it would have been worse.

Either way, Blake's inaction was a problem. She still had no idea what to do.

Somehow, that had to change.

Yang and Blake made an arrangement with Taiyang. Because Blake deemed it extremely unhealthy for both Yang and herself to remain at the hospital at all times – and Yang halfheartedly agreed – they would alternate with Taiyang to keep an eye on Ruby every day. So, when Yang's father came in, the couple could leave, take care of their border patrol duties if they were scheduled, or do something else with their time off. Later, they would return to the hospital and then Taiyang could depart.

Ruby's state remained stable and unchanging, much to Blake's chagrin. The bookworm had conducted research on auric comas while Yang had been showering one time, and what she had found out wasn't particularly encouraging. Auric comas lasted from anywhere between two days and a week…if the patient healed. If they didn't come to after a week, the chances of ever awakening at all were bleak. Aura was a strange, powerful force that continued to work in mysterious ways, but sometimes…

Sometimes the sustained damage was just too great, and all the person's aura could do was keep them alive in a perpetual state of unconsciousness.

And they might as well have been dead.

Yet there could be no solace or mourning because of that chance – no matter how slim – of waking up. It was an eternal cycle of hoping and despairing. And Blake couldn't bring herself to share the information with Yang right away. At least, not until a full week – and maybe a few more days – would come to pass. It was still too early to accept a reality in which Ruby may no longer be a part of. And Blake could barely shoulder this, herself.

Team JNPR returned from their end-of-year exam about three days after Yang and Blake had met with Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. The duo was just returning from border patrol to get cleaned up when they realized that there was activity in JNPR's dorm room.

Initially, Yang seemed to want to avoid meeting them at all costs by practically lunging for RWBY's own doorknob, but then JNPR's door swung open and out stepped Pyrrha, freshly showered and nicely dressed in comfortable and light summer attire. Blake watched with a mix of sympathy and amusement as Yang was forced to turn around and face her friend in the hallway, making it look like the most painful, painstaking action in the world. Blake quickly became sorrowful, however, when Yang grinned brightly – just a little too brightly.

"Hey, Pyrrha! I'm happy to see you guys are back!" Yang sounded jovial, pleasant, sincere, and absolutely not like herself all at the same time. "How did your mission go?"

Pyrrha smiled, gracious as usual and apparently oblivious to Yang's fake cheer, and glanced at Blake before replying, "It went well, all things considered. We were tasked with hunting down Grimm that were ravaging one of the towns at the outskirts of Vytal. They just kept coming, and the area was kind of large, so that's why it took us several days. Getting there and coming back took a while, too. We're exhausted." She paused and tilted her head curiously. "When did you and your team return? Today, too? You look a little beat up."

Blake supposed that if Yang could have escaped through the floor, she probably would have. She certainly looked like she wanted to, in any case. "Um, well, we came back five days ago…"

Pyrrha raised her eyebrows, surprised. "You…" But then she took a moment to really look at both Yang and Blake, and her eyebrows creased in wary concern. She knew something was amiss now, her eyes darting between the two girls in search of unspoken information. Finally, she asked, "…Where are Ruby and Weiss?"

Yang's gaze lowered to the floor, and her voice came out small and quiet. "Weiss is in Atlas."

Blake waited, and so did Pyrrha, but it appeared that Yang couldn't speak anymore. Blake therefore took a deep breath in and came a little closer. She suddenly understood Yang's reluctance at meeting JNPR in the first place. Announcing the awful news was a daunting task. "Ruby was severely injured at the beginning of our mission. We faced a situation no one was prepared for, and the consequences were…well, they were disastrous. We extracted as soon as we could. She's still in the hospital. Auric coma."

Pyrrha's reaction to this was to stare at Yang and Blake in shock for about two seconds before she stepped forward, her hand beginning to reach out. "I am…so sorry," she murmured, equally sincere and horrified. Her fingers brushed Yang's shoulder. "Yang, why didn't you just tell me…?"

Yang kept her eyes averted. "I'm sorry."

Pyrrha stood there, still under the spell of the bad news, but then she recovered enough to pull Yang into a tight hug. Blake remained a few feet away, giving them space. She knew Yang and Pyrrha were good friends and that this mark of affection would help her partner cope. Yang needed all the support she could get. Blake wasn't blind, after all. Still, she didn't want to pry or force her girlfriend to talk, so she humored Yang most of the time, if only because it seemed to help the golden girl's mood. That said, it couldn't go on forever. Keeping everything bottled up was going to poison Yang eventually, and Blake wouldn't let that happen.

It was so much easier said than done, though. If Blake didn't want to talk about something, all Yang had to do was offer warm embraces and a few kind words, and Blake gave in. The inverse was not true. In fact, these things only seemed to make Yang clamp up tighter.

So, if not support and reassurances of trust, what could Blake possibly give Yang that would make her lean on the quieter of the two?

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Pyrrha asked gently as she pulled away from Yang but kept her hands on the brawler's arms.

Blake's eyes widened a bit as she stared down at the floor. She immediately resented herself for her inability to have even asked such a simple question. Thank goodness for Pyrrha.

Yang sighed heavily. "My dad can't always be at the hospital when we're not there. He has other responsibilities. Do you think you could…?"

"I can for a few days – and I definitely will – but I'm going back to my family in Mistral for the summer. Jaune won't be available, either. You can probably ask Ren and Nora, though."

"Who you talking to, Pyrrhaaa? I heard my name!" came a sing-songed, loud, and energetic voice from inside JNPR's dorm room. It seemed that if the devil was spoken of, the devil appeared. The door practically slammed open again and Nora came bounding out. "Hey! It's you guys! Hey, Blake! Hey, Yang! How's it rolling?"

The girls turned towards the new arrival. Nora stared at them, expecting an answer, but then she seemed to take note of their saddened expressions, and her demeanor changed entirely. She straightened up and creased her eyebrows. "What's going on? Anything Ren and I can do?"

Even Nora had better social common sense than Blake about this, it seemed. The Faunus' chest tightened.

"Ren, Nora's including you into something without telling you again…" came Jaune's voice from JNPR's dorm, half distracted and half being a tattle-tale. They sounded pretty busy in there.

The only reply his comment got was a sigh and a "If I can't hear her, then it must not be terrible. Now, I need to use the shower, if you're done in there."

Nora waved her hand carelessly. "Ignore them." She paused. "But for real. What's going on?"

As Blake softly clasped Yang's hand, it was Pyrrha who turned towards her teammate to summarize the situation. After doing so, Pyrrha added, "It would be a huge favor to Yang if you or Ren, or both of you, watched over Ruby when she, Blake, or Yang's father can't be there."

Nora's eyes lit up. She saluted Yang, her enthusiasm returning. "Absolutely no problem! It will be done. Ren and I are staying around Vale anyway – probably sign up to kill more Grimm, too. Just tell us when to be there, and we will!"

Yang seemed visibly relieved, shoulders relaxing. "Thank you so much." She appeared as if she might have wanted to say more, but then she swallowed hard and remained quiet. Blake assumed that having the support of her friends like this touched her. Indeed, Yang wasn't alone. Maybe one day she would fully realize it. But for now, it was more important that she knew she had friends who cared.

…And also someone who loved her with their whole heart looking out for her. It would help – hopefully.

Blake turned towards the two young women from JNPR. "Yang and I want to get cleaned up. We're on the border patrol program already and just came back from fighting Grimm. We'll catch you guys later, alright?"

"Of course! We'll let you recover." Pyrrha was fast to give Yang another brief hug. She smiled genuinely at Blake and then headed down the hallway with Nora, who called back to the couple, "See you around!"

"See ya!" But as soon as their backs were turned, Yang's smile dropped and she quickly entered RWBY's dorm room, letting go of Blake's hand. Blake quietly closed the door behind them and watched as Yang came to a stop in the middle of the room.

A short, heavy silence followed, one the Faunus wasn't entirely certain how to break. Fortunately – or unfortunately, perhaps – she didn't have to.

"Thanks, Blake," Yang murmured. She attempted to say something else, but then she shook her head and went to collect the items she needed to shower.

Blake was left to stare after her girlfriend sadly as Yang shut the bathroom door behind herself, and the raven-haired girl wished there was more she could do to help. But there was very little left to try. The days were passing, Ruby still wasn't showing any signs of waking, and there was no way Yang didn't know the situation was degrading. Aura usually worked faster than this. Wounds healed entirely within three days if the injured rested the whole time.

And this…this wasn't it.

Yang wasn't stupid. Blake knew that. But Yang had also tacitly erected a wall between them by keeping her thoughts to herself, and it wasn't like Blake hadn't tried to prompt Yang to open up. There wasn't much else she could do than show continued support, but it killed her because it seemed so insignificant and useless. Yang knew that – had said so more than once. There was nothing anyone could do.

Blake quickly wiped her eyes from the mist that had accumulated unexpectedly and blinked several times to help herself regain her composure. The circumstances did affect her deeply. Ruby wasn't okay, Yang was in pain, Weiss was gone for a while…and Blake had to deal with all of it. Stressful didn't begin to describe the problem. But this wasn't about her. She wouldn't indulge in self-pity – not again. She had to be stronger than that.

Therefore, Blake walked towards her bed and took Gambol Shroud from her shoulder blades to start disassembling the weapon and cleaning it while she waited for Yang to come out of the bathroom. Anything to keep her thoughts occupied with practical endeavors.

Blake and Yang stepped out of the hospital building, letting the heavy glass doors close shut behind them. Golden eyes glanced at the sky, seeing the clouds that threatened to hide the sun, and Blake hoped it wouldn't rain any time soon. She sighed quietly and gazed at her companion as the two stood together by the large entrance.

A car slowly drove by, most likely a visitor among so many others searching for an empty parking space in the vast lot.

"So…what would you like to do?" Blake asked calmly, knowing that Yang still had Ruby on her mind. It was like this every time they visited. Yang would sit there, either on a nearby chair or on the edge of her sibling's bed to hold her hand, and silently stare at Ruby, never showing more than a hint of sorrow. Blake respected these moments by remaining quiet most of the time, lost in her own thoughts or sharing Yang's sadness. Sometimes, the couple would speak, but nothing significant was ever said. Regret and guilt continued to linger, painfully unaddressed. Today, it wasn't until Pyrrha and Jaune came along later in the afternoon that Yang brightened up enough for extended conversation. She never allowed the true extent of her upset to be obvious to anyone, though. Blake wasn't even sure she, herself, had a full understanding of just how much the circumstances affected her girlfriend.

But Yang wasn't sleeping well. The dark circles under her eyes and her growing sluggishness when she fought Grimm during patrol duties were proofs of this. And Blake could hear the brawler tossing and turning above her at night, the creaks and heavy sighs sometimes keeping the bookworm awake for a long while, too.

It was concerning. More than concerning, in fact. Yang continued to pretend and put on a brave façade, and Blake continued to feel useless and terrible about the situation.

Yang shrugged. "Whatever you wanna do," came her casual, unhelpful response. She wasn't looking at Blake, though. Her regard seemed lost somewhere amid the taller buildings of Vale – the business district, most likely, although the Faunus couldn't fathom why – out in the distance.

Blake pursed her lips, cat ears leaning back as she quickly came to the conclusion that no matter what it was they did, exactly, the important part was distracting Yang and getting her away from the hospital for the rest of the day. "We should walk," she proposed, taking a few steps forward and prompting Yang to follow her.

It worked. Yang caught up in a few strides, effortlessly matching Blake's pace. Within a few short minutes, they were already on the sidewalk and leaving the hospital behind. "Are we going anywhere in particular?" Yang wondered, peering at Blake curiously.

The Faunus attempted a small smile. "No. Just going on a walk downtown together."

"Okay." Yang gazed downwards at the cement for a moment, reflective and quiet, and soon after, Blake felt the blonde's hand tentatively slip into her own. Appreciative, Blake intertwined their fingers, gladly cherishing this sign that Yang was still trying, still reaching out for support in subtler, unspoken ways – whether she knew she was doing it or not. The reserved girl wouldn't give up on that – wouldn't give up, period. There was still hope, even if Ruby's state seemed bleak…and even if Blake sometimes felt like her relationship with Yang was teetering. But she had to keep trying, too. Blake loved that girl too much to just let their couple fall apart, and it was these seemingly minor gestures of both affection and trust that gave her this hope.

The hospital wasn't too far from the main road going through Vale, so it wasn't long before the couple started encountering more people going about on the sidewalks. Yang didn't let go of Blake's hand, though, much to the Faunus' joy. In fact, the golden girl seemed rather at ease, despite the faraway, tired look in her lilac irises. Blake wasn't really sure Yang was looking at anything in particular, though. Vale was a nice, charming place, trees lining the sides of the roads at regular intervals while the buildings were well-kept and inviting. Some shops had their products out on the sidewalk at their fronts, vendors enjoying the weather and keeping an eye on their goods. Vehicles were constantly driving by, adding to the general bustle and noise of city life.

At this time of year, though, it seemed a little quieter than usual – or rather, perhaps the correct way to describe it would be a noteworthy decreased amount of stress. Blake could hear the wind rustling through the leaves on the trees she and her partner walked by, could focus on individual conversations if she wished, and didn't feel pushed or rushed to get anywhere. Despite the greying sky, the colors of their surroundings seemed brighter.

And maybe, just maybe, despite the ominous circumstances of the present, there was a silver lining yet. Rain would never fall forever.

Yang was still here. She was still trying. Her gently clasped hand told true tales of this. In fact, even Blake's bared cat ears recounted a story of their own, of how Yang had everything to do with their now unconcealed secrets. And Blake had made a promise, too – one time on a lonely balcony, what seemed like an eternity ago, and a second time just on the brink of what had seemed like the end, mere days past. She had every intention of following them through.

With a slight squeeze of her fingers and a murmured "Hey," Blake caught Yang's attention. Lilac eyes turned to meet golden inquisitively, and Blake was about to open her mouth to share what she had on her mind but was interrupted before she could even speak. Her scroll played a brief tune, alerting her to having received a message. She creased her eyebrows in puzzlement, and Yang was immediately even more curious.

"Who is it?" she asked in a tone that sounded too intent for simple, general interest.

"I'm not sure," Blake responded, retrieving her scroll from her pocket as they continued to navigate on the sidewalk, making sure to not bump into anyone or anything. She pulled her device open and brought up the message, knowing Yang was most likely hoping for news from the hospital. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case. "Oh. It's a letter from Ozpin." This had been sent through the academy's secure channel, and Blake had to put in her password to access it. She quickly skimmed over the content of the document. "I guess it's officializing my role as the de facto leader and explaining why I was chosen for it. Among other things." A few words caught her attention, and she frowned. "Wonderful. My experience as an officer in the White Fang actually counted for something." Deciding to have a look at it later – and unwilling to be even more disgusted by it at the moment – Blake closed her scroll and put it back into her pocket. She slowly shook her head, biting her lower lip.

Yang was silent for a while, back to not-watching everything going on around them. She had lost her earnestness at the mention of Ozpin. Now she seemed even less inclined to comment. Blake was fully aware that it was still hard for Yang to accept the situation, and she felt the need to apologize again, but the blonde suddenly asked, "Blake, where were your parents?"

It was a fair question, although – like every other time Yang jumped from one topic to another without any apparent link between the two – Blake had trouble following the brawler's train of thought again. Still, this new subject did not, by any means, improve the Faunus' mood. Further, they were supposed to be focusing on Yang getting better – not talking about Blake's past. "They…were murdered when I was very young. The White Fang took me in and cared for me."

"…Oh. I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. Don't worry about it." The reserved girl tried to brush it off. If Yang really did want to know the full story, there would be a more appropriate time for it at a later date. Right now, bringing up tragic events was probably not in Yang's best interest. Blake may not have been as adept at conversation tricks as the social girl was, but she nevertheless quickly searched for a change of topic. Her eyes wandered, seeing how the street opened up to a plaza ahead and… "Hey, remember this place?"

Yang raised her eyebrows and reluctantly turned her head to look at where Blake was pointing. Her face lit up in recognition, the black-haired girl's history hopefully forgotten for the moment. "Yeah! This is where the Vale Carnival happened!" Her gaze darted around, as if seeking something, and then it stopped on its target somewhere up ahead. She suddenly tugged on Blake's hand – an excited gesture, although not quite a happy one, either. "C'mon!"

Blake almost stumbled but rapidly regained her balance and had no qualms with being pulled along to wherever Yang was going, and the sociable girl's excitement, muted though it was, infected Blake like it usually did. The couple crossed the street, Yang barely taking the time to look both ways, and made it onto the opposite sidewalk just before a car drove by. They arrived at the waterfront and the esplanade that ran along it in the next few moments, and Yang came to a halt near the front of a small lakeside weapons shop. She smiled proudly. "This is where you owned at being a ninja and got that panther for me."

They were on the far left side of the huge open and circular area, but this was where most of the booths and games had been. Blake could even smell the popcorn and fried foods again if she tried hard enough. It had been bustling with activity and children, music blasting through no-longer present speakers. Now, though, it was relatively unoccupied and quiet, a few people standing around and chatting, taking pictures by the rails or continuing on their way. The greying clouds over the water most likely discouraged visitors.

The corners of Blake's mouth twitched upwards, but she gave Yang a bit of a curious look. The extravert wasn't always aware of her surroundings; that Yang would specifically recall where that knife-throwing stand would be – and be right about the location, even spotting it from afar and with people obstructing the view – was…intriguing. "You remembered it was here?"

Yang beamed. "Of course! I mean, I kinda have to. You gave me a gift here, Blake!"

Much to the Faunus' surprise, a delighted grin broke across her lips in response to that comment. It was such a simple thing, but Yang truly had appreciated the stuffed panther. She slept with it and had committed to memory the very place Blake had given it to her – and she was still happy about it. That was special. "I'm glad," was all she found to say, although it was the result of being genuinely touched by Yang's caring nature…again. But instead of hoping that her emotion had been conveyed in her tone properly, Blake gathered a bit of courage and went the extra mile to express herself further. "It was my pleasure, you know. You can…tell me if you'd like to have something from time to time." She turned her smile towards Yang. "If it makes you that happy to receive gifts, that is."

Yang blinked, but then she suddenly pulled Blake closer, chuckling softly and laying a brief kiss on the bookworm's forehead. "Blake, silly, it's not the gift that makes me happy." She grinned and actually sounded more like her normal self. "It was you. You were really sweet." Their faces were still fairly close, bodies nearly facing each other, and Blake had to put in a conscious effort to not remove the space between them, so entranced as she was by Yang's presence.

She didn't have to focus for long, though. Yang snickered again and was off, pulling Blake along once more towards the center of the plaza. When the Faunus snapped out of her smitten daze, both wondering if she had dreamt up that small moment and convincing herself that it was just her, she took note of where Yang was going. It was the fountain, the only grand decoration in their surroundings excepting the tall, leafy trees separating the line of shops from the lake before them. The fountain was circular in design, with three round basins supported and stacked on its tower, all made out of white marble – a monolith, simple but tasteful, if only because of its age.

There was a couple already seated alongside the lowest basin's edge, but Yang seemed to want to sit on the other side, facing the waterfront several yards further ahead. Blake lowered herself down next to her companion, keeping her eyes on the blonde for any signs of what Yang was up to next. But Yang merely leaned forward, presumably admiring the lake, looking content enough. A seagull, perched on the railing away from them, let out a few short cries and then flew off. Lilac irises followed its course until they caught gold watching.

Yang was always beautiful, strikingly so. Blake didn't break eye contact.

"This is where I would have liked to watch the fireworks from," Yang eventually admitted in a quieter tone of voice. She turned back towards the water, and so did Blake. The lake was calm, although the introvert could still hear it lapping on some rocks somewhere below the railing, and despite the darkening clouds, the vastness the waterfront opened up to definitely would have promised an excellent sight to the carnival fireworks. "We could have sat here together and just relaxed, you know, with Weiss and…Ruby…" Yang gazed down at her boots and idly kicked the cement. "We missed them this year. For the first time."

Blake chastised herself. This wasn't a date. It wasn't even supposed to be about them as a couple. It was about trying to help Yang and being there for her. Blake allowing herself to be enraptured and swayed by her feelings for her girlfriend was selfish, especially knowing that romance was probably not on Yang's mind at the moment. Ruby was still in a coma, and if it saddened Blake, then she could only imagine how much more painful it must have been for the older sibling. "We'll see them next year," Blake tried to promise, being careful to not expressly say anything about Ruby. False hope was worse than…well, it was worse than telling the awful truth. And Blake hadn't done that yet, either, out of fear of crushing Yang's spirits even more.

"Yeah…" the golden girl's lilac eyes shifted up towards the sky, and then she sighed. "We should get going, before it rains."

Blake tilted her head. Yang was right. They were still on foot, and getting caught in the depressing weather wouldn't be pleasant for either of them. "Restaurant?" Blake suggested, standing and offering her hand for Yang to take again.

"Sure."

The duo decided to take the boardwalk, following the line of trees and eventually making their way back onto the sidewalk where the waterfront ended for the docks. It was further down the street that they found a small but cozy seafood restaurant to enter. A waitress led them to a table near the front window and left them with the menus. By the time they chose their meals and had the plates set down before them – a lobster tail for Yang and shrimp linguini for Blake – dusk had begun to make itself known.

They had been keeping relatively quiet since leaving the plaza, and now Yang was halfheartedly poking at her food, eating bits and pieces, but she was quite evidently not so hungry anymore. The waitress had initially offered them some wine, and Yang had agreed to a glass, but Blake had kept to water. She had watched her girlfriend for a while, eating slowly in her concern, but then decided to break the silence. "Something on your mind?"

Yang glanced up in surprise and then furrowed her eyebrows. "I just… There's something I've been wondering. I wasn't really sure how to bring it up."

"I'm listening," Blake assured, noting that this must have been quite serious if Yang couldn't immediately talk about it like she usually did. The Faunus put down her fork, giving the blonde her full attention.

Yang took a sip of her wine, the glass almost finished already. She deliberated and then asked, "Why…why did you sign us up to patrol without telling me? Or Weiss?" Lilac met golden intently.

Oh. Blake took a deep breath in and exhaled. She wasn't all that astonished the subject was coming back to bite her. "You're right. I should have spoken to you about it. Nothing really excuses the choice. I'm sorry."

Yang put her fork down, too. "Blake, I don't care. It's too late now, anyway. I just want to know why."

The refusal of the apology, along with the leading hesitance, made the raven-haired girl realize that Yang was bothered by what had been done – or rather, by what hadn't been done, really. And it was understandable. They had mutually agreed to be honest with each other and Blake, yet again, continued to keep some information to herself. She looked down at her plate, suddenly feeling her own appetite dwindle. "I…actually hadn't been entertaining the idea for very long. And when we spoke with Ozpin, I figured I'd approach him and Professor Goodwitch about it as soon as possible." It was Blake's turn to sigh. "Yang, we aren't going to be leaving Beacon or Vale for a little while. I had to find something for us to do, something that would keep our minds occupied. It seemed appropriate to keep ourselves in shape and practice being huntresses while we're waiting around. And if Ruby wakes up, she would probably want to get back on her feet the moment she could, too."

"What do you mean, 'if?'" Yang suddenly glared at her partner.

Blake instantaneously knew her mistake and regretted not taking the time to think before speaking. It was like this every time, wasn't it? She made mistakes when she acted or spoke too hastily. "I didn't – I didn't mean…" she stammered, and then stopped to try again more calmly. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Yang shot back, beginning to lose patience now. She leaned forward and said in a low, almost hissing tone, "You're acting like you're expecting us to be here all summer. We're not. As soon as Ruby wakes up and feels up to it, we're probably going to go back to Patch like we did last time."

It was in that moment that Blake knew she couldn't backpedal or extricate herself from the specific topic of the conversation without giving Yang another reason to not rely on her. As much as the introvert hated the present situation, she had to come clean – and even that wouldn't be damage-free. Proof of this was how Yang had just admitted to entertaining future plans with Ruby.

This was gut-wrenching.

"Look, Yang, I'm sorry. This is all so messed up and despite what the professors or what Weiss says, I hardly think I'm qualified to handle…everything. I am trying, but this isn't easy for me, either. I –" Blake interrupted herself.

She was trying her hardest to support Yang, to take on responsibility for the team and keep herself from cracking under the pressure, and every single time Ruby was mentioned, Yang attacked or distanced herself from Blake. It was one thing to command a group of individuals whom Blake had no attachment to and who, for all intents and purposes, knew almost nothing about her. It was an entirely different matter dealing with someone who had her heart in their hands and kept squeezing instead of being careful every time the situation seemed to totter.

"You what, Blake?" Yang insisted, still glaring.

And Blake was tired. She was trying, and Yang was putting Ruby first. It was normal, to a certain extent, but…

She happened to glance out the window, noticing how dark it had gotten outside. Most prevalently, though, the rain hitting the glass made everything seem heavier. "You aren't going to like this."

Yang opened her mouth, looking ready to challenge Blake yet again, but then her expression changed. It went from angered to reluctant in a heartbeat, and the blonde looked out the window, too. "Tell me anyway," she murmured, strained.

Blake put her napkin in her plate. She wasn't going to finish her food. "Auric comas last between two days and a week. The chances of waking up at any point past that are next to null." And there it was. The brutal truth.

Yang closed her eyes. She seemed fairly composed, but the pain was evident nevertheless, barely concealed behind those lids.

"Yang –"

"Can we…just go back to Beacon?"

Blake closed her mouth. There was nothing else she could say, and Yang wasn't sharing the thoughts on her mind. Returning to the academy seemed like their only sensible option now. Therefore, Blake slowly stood, glanced at Yang, and then went to take care of the bill.

When she returned to the table, Yang informed the Faunus that she had called a cab and that it would arrive within the next few minutes. Knowing they had to vacate the premises, they both then headed outside, staying near the entrance and close to the brick wall, where they were sheltered from the rain a little thanks to the restaurant's small awning. The pavement was wet, glossed over and pattering with rain, and bigger droplets kept hitting the ground in front of them, dripping from the awning's cloth. It was completely dark out, a street lamp illuminating the area they waited in. Blake supposed there might have been some beauty to be found in the scenery, but even with her night vision, she couldn't find it in herself to take the time to appreciate it. She was next to Yang, leaning against the wall, but there was a certain distance between them and it felt like miles rather than just a few inches.

This wasn't what she wanted.

The taxi parked nearby, and the girls hurried inside the car, quick to shut the doors. The muffled sound was abnormally loud after so much silence. Blake told the driver their destination and then settled back into the seat, crossing her arms. She wasn't angry. Well, she was, but not at Yang. She was angry at herself for those lapses of judgment, but she was especially frustrated with her inability to help.

Blake risked a glance at Yang. The golden girl was looking out the tinted window, melancholic, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. She might have been looking at Vale's bright city lights. She might have also just been looking at the trails of water gliding along the glass. Or…she could have been staring at absolutely nothing.

No, this wasn't what Blake wanted at all. She wanted Yang to be happy. This tension between them was the result of miscommunication, and Yang wasn't the only one to blame. Blake hadn't been forthright. She had assumed it better to wait, but clearly, that hadn't been the wisest decision. She wanted to make it better, to fix the problem and be close to Yang again…but the blonde was elsewhere now, the lost, absent look in her eyes sign enough that she wasn't ready for such a discussion.

Blake lowered her eyes sadly.

The couple didn't say another word the rest of the way back to Beacon. It was pouring by the time they disembarked from the airship, and even if they ran as fast as they could to get inside the academy, they nevertheless ended up a lot more wet than either of them were comfortable with. Blake's mood soured, intensely disliking the water, and was the first to get to the bathroom to exchange her damp clothes for her dry pajamas. She had every intention of just getting under the blankets, sleeping the night away, and making it up to Yang tomorrow.

But when Blake opened the bathroom door again, freshened up and ready for bed, it became obvious the evening wasn't quite over for her. Yang was up on her own bunk, but she hadn't changed. Only her boots were off, haphazardly kicked on the floor by the door. She wasn't even laying down – just sitting there against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest, gaze lost somewhere outside through the slit of the window that wasn't covered by the curtain. The darkness of the room did not hide from the Faunus the tears reflecting in lilac irises like little mirrors.

Blake's heart ached, and she knew she couldn't ignore Yang, couldn't humor her, or let this go on for another day. She had done enough of that, had believed that Yang would eventually come to Blake on her own if the bookworm was patient, but the situation was degrading. Tension between them or not, Blake would not idly stand by this time – she would go to Yang instead.

And so, Blake climbed up onto Yang's bunk, prudent and watchful of her companion's reaction, but there was barely an acknowledgment. She sat down, too, perpendicular to Yang, close enough to touch but not quite touching. A moment went by, shared in silence and stillness, but then Blake spoke – softly and without malice. "Yang, I'm here for you. Please, tell me what's on your mind. I want to help."

Yang sniffed, and at first it seemed like she was going to ignore her partner's presence since she didn't move or make any other sound. But then she turned her head and their eyes met. Blake's chest constricted when she saw the depth of despair looking back at her. Yang made a bit of choked noise, and then, "Ruby isn't going to…" her voice, already thick with emotion, broke. "She isn't going to wake up, is she?" A few tears – the only tears Blake had ever seen her cry – finally escaped and trickled down Yang's cheeks.

It was heartbreaking, gut-tearing, to see Yang in such a state – vulnerable, trying to hold herself together but ripping apart at the seams. And for all the world, Blake wished she could promise everything would be okay – but that was one thing she could not do, because it was a lie.

Yang's façade was crumbling piece by piece before Blake's very eyes.

And unfortunately, Blake's lacking response was an answer in itself. She felt horrible, and Yang stringing those few words together hit Blake harder than a train. Only now did she fully understand that Ruby's silver eyes might have become a thing of the past. There would be no more youthful encouragements, no more awkward yet equally charming conversations, no more innocent or adorable moments to laugh at… Ruby – their leader, their friend, their family – was going to be stuck in an aura-induced coma until she died.

"I failed, Blake," Yang suddenly croaked, and the bookworm's eyes widened.

"Why?" How could Yang have possibly…?

"I was supposed to take care of her!" Yang leaned to the side, resting her forehead against the wall as her legs uncurled a little. She shut her eyes tight and began to shake – Blake realized the blonde was still trying keep control. This lasted only a few seconds before she gasped and covered her face, her entire body racked with agonized sobs. "I promised her… I promised…"

Yang was inconsolable, unable to form complete sentences, whimpering between cries and still trying to breathe. Blake's vision blurred, but she reached out to Yang and pulled her trembling, damp form into her arms. Yang clung to her desperately, harder than she ever had before and feeding her tears to the Faunus' shoulder. Blake held on, too, wanting Yang to know that she didn't have to cope alone, that there was someone who cared enormously for her to lean on. "I'm here, Yang," she whispered, although she hardly believed it would help. "Come back to me." A ball of emotion in her throat was making her own voice thick, and she held her girlfriend closer. "Yang…? Hey, breathe…"

Yang was practically rasping, she was so choked up. And she seemed to try to calm herself, if only to pitifully moan, "Blake…" before collapsing into more tortured sobs, her grip on Blake never loosening, as if mortally afraid of being left alone.

It was all Blake could do to not fall apart, too. Teeth clenched, heat behind her eyes, she gently ran her fingers through Yang's hair, trying to comfort her the best she could. How long had Yang been pushing down her sorrow? How many times had she been forced to stop and convince herself over again that Ruby would open her eyes soon, just to keep from coming undone like this? It must have been her only anchor left. Her current state was such a torn mess, it was clear she'd lost her inner turmoil against hopelessness.

"She's all I have, Blake…" Yang's weeping had become quiet, pathetic cries, and she was still struggling to breathe without gasping for air.

Blake didn't take offense to this. Ruby held a greater place in Yang's life than she did, after all. "This isn't your fault," Blake murmured, but it had little effect on reassuring her girlfriend. She continued to hug Yang quietly and realized that she had even been rocking her a little, but she didn't stop. She waited, saddened and pained by Yang's hurt, knowing she had to be patient. It seemed so wrong for the brawler to be curled in on herself, clutching Blake to keep a hold on reality and regressed to the point of being just a scared, lost child. But Yang had been pretending to be strong, had been putting on a brave façade and smiling so that no one could imagine she carried a heavy burden of her own.

"I'm not going anywhere, Yang." Blake swayed softly, cradling the blonde in her arms and vowing the same words in her heart. She kissed the mane of gold by her face and sighed. "Shhh…"

And Yang, slowly, eventually, little by little, began to calm and breathe more regularly. Her grip loosened, her quivering became less pronounced, and after a while her crying receded to short snivels and difficult swallowing. They huddled together in mostly silence, preoccupied by their own thoughts, until Yang finally spoke again, voice hoarse and weak, "I don't know what I'm going to do, Blake. Ruby – I… I'm nothing without her." She took a shaky breath in and whimpered, "I couldn't save her…"

Blake may have been affected by the situation, too, and there was a part of her that felt the loss deeply, that wanted to mourn, but she needed Yang to stop blaming herself even more. Whatever was going through the golden girl's mind at the moment, it wasn't rational. "I couldn't save her, either," Blake replied, low and careful, "I tried to, like you did. Do you blame me for that failure?"

Yang turned her head, resting her cheek against Blake's shoulder. "…No. But you didn't have a responsibility towards her. She's my…she's my baby sister…"

"Yang, it was beyond both of us. Please, don't do this to yourself." Blake bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, adamantly wishing her companion would just see her own worth.

Yang didn't say anything in response for quite some time, and Blake knew she would have to work on convincing her partner there was nothing else that could have been done. She would not let Yang be that harsh with herself.

After sniffing and leaning her forehead on Blake's shoulder this time, Yang managed to articulate in a small, broken voice – much to the raven-haired girl's distress – "I'm tired, Blake."

So am I. They were both exhausted. The past week had been hard on them on so many different levels. They needed some rest. "I know, Yang… I know." Blake took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. An unrelated kind of pain took her, but she knew it was best if she asked the question. "Do you want me to stay?"

Yang's answer was given through a slight nod and by tightening her arms around the Faunus' waist. Blake's relief was instant, and she gently prompted Yang to move away enough so that they could lay down. It seemed that the blonde didn't care to change her clothes first – she just took her jacket off and let it fall to the floor before lying down on her back, one hand going up to cover a part of her face. Blake hesitantly reclined as well, and this time, it actually felt okay to not put so much effort into ensuring they weren't touching at all. Yang didn't flinch, and her arm came down to rest across her abdomen. Two lilac irises still reflected tears in the darkness, but at least she wasn't sobbing anymore.

"Goodnight, Yang," Blake whispered.

Yang was silent, and the raven-haired girl thought she would stay that way, but then she replied, "'Night, Blake."

It was with the rain pattering against the window and the distant rumbling of thunder that Blake drifted off into sleep. Her final thoughts were of Yang, hoping her girlfriend would find enough peace of mind to rest, too, if only for tonight.

Chapter Text

Yang's eyelids felt heavy when she awoke the next morning. Her entire body felt heavy, in fact. She didn't want to move, didn't want to think…just lying there was fine. Maybe even for the rest of the day. It was as if she had spent the night fading in and out of sleep, the rumbling of thunder accompanying tender memories about Ruby. They haunted her mind and made her want to sob all over again, depriving her of any peace or rest. Numerous times, she thought she'd crack and break under her desperation.

But she hadn't wanted to disturb Blake. Yang knew the Faunus was a light sleeper and that any unnatural sounds would cause her to wake. As it was, the stormy skies might have made slumber hard for her. The last thing Yang wanted was for Blake to have to deal with her pain in the middle of the night. She was so ashamed to have shown such weakness, such deplorable vulnerability. There was no way Blake wouldn't see her at least a bit differently now. But Yang didn't want to be pitied. She was supposed to be strong. She was supposed to hold her own. The only thing that mattered, the only thing she did want, was for Ruby to wake up.

However, time had run out. Ruby may still have been alive, but she was gone. There was nothing, and it felt like an entire chunk inside Yang's body was gone, too. She felt hollow, empty, yearning for the reassurance of Ruby's presence. She'd lost her goal in life. She'd lost her only constant, the only person who had always needed her and who had always kept her grounded. Yang had defined her entire self around caring for Ruby, her brave and adorable baby sister. She didn't know how to go on without her.

…But then there was Blake. Blake, somehow having moved down to lie on Yang's abdomen, was still there. And as much as Yang tried to convince herself the only reason she hadn't cried again was out of shame and fear of bothering her girlfriend, the blonde also realized that Blake's gentle warmth had been something Yang could try and focus on to help herself relax. And it had worked a little. Blake had stayed, despite everything.

Yang opened her eyes, squinting and blinking up at the ceiling as she adjusted to the morning light. She still didn't want to face the day, but she was also unable to find sleep anymore. She passed her hand through her hair and sighed, wondering how she would manage to even function properly. Her eyes, which still burned a little and felt puffy from last night, glanced downwards, and she saw Blake curled up against her side, arms and head resting on Yang's belly. The Faunus was probably still asleep. Her cat ears weren't twitching, anyway – although, they weren't ramrod straight, either.

Yang returned her hand to rest across Blake's shoulders. Thoughtful, she caressed her partner's back, mildly surprised that this closeness didn't make her feel awkward anymore. Rather, once more, Yang was just grateful to not be alone. It must have been because they weren't spooning. Eventually, though, Blake did stir. She seemed to want to press into Yang's abdomen at first, but then began to stretch. Yang's fingers ran up and through those silken raven locks to briefly scratch Blake's head, just at the base of her cat ears.

"Good morning," Blake mumbled, leaning into the touch a little. Her entire disposition seemed incredibly cat-like all of a sudden, and Yang immediately suppressed the fleeting idea of owning a pet. That was not okay.

"Hey." She found herself sighing and closing her eyes again, covering her face with her other palm and wishing that by doing so, all her problems would go away. Unfortunately, of course, there was no relief.

A short pause followed, tension-free, and then Blake began to move again. Yang's hand slipped down the Faunus' arm as Blake carefully raised herself up to her knees so that she could crawl back beside the blonde and get comfortable next to her. "How are you?" she murmured softly.

Yang opened one eye and saw that Blake had her head propped up on her hand, golden irises gazing at Yang with equal tenderness and concern. But Yang didn't want to talk. She didn't want to fall apart again. Instead, she turned to face her companion and pulled her closer by the waist so she could rest her forehead against Blake's shoulder. She closed her eyes once more, trying to draw strength from her best friend's – her girlfriend's – presence. "Thank you, Blake," she whispered, voice still a bit raspy.

Blake seemed to understand. Gentle fingers hugged the brawler reassuringly, and the raven-haired girl relaxed into Yang's embrace. "Anything for you, Yang. I promise I'm here."

Yang found herself mulling those words over in her mind, if only as a distraction from more painful musings, and they seemed to have an echo. It was slow and tiring to think of why, but she came to the realization that Blake had professed similar – if not identical – sentiments more than once. And it hadn't just been the previous evening. Ever since Ruby had been hospitalized, Blake had been there, reaching out, trying. Her actions had been so loving, so attentive…

It dawned on Yang that Blake hadn't been lying about her feelings. She'd taken the Faunus' word for it, of course, and she'd reaffirmed Blake's confession in her mind by being watchful for the signs…but now Yang truly felt the extent of Blake's love. It was such that Yang could have asked anything, could have done anything, and Blake would have still been there, no matter how hurt.

"I'm a terrible person, Blake," the lilac-eyed girl moaned, but she only held her partner tighter.

"Yang, no… Why would you even say that?"

"I've been –"

Without any warning, Yang was interrupted by the sound of the dorm room opening and then someone walking in with a lot of shuffling. If she hadn't been so bewildered by the abrupt intrusion, Yang might have been tempted to bury herself under the covers and forget the world existed – all the while keeping Blake tucked securely close. But she turned over, noticing how Blake looked surprised – and a little uncomfortable, too, cat ears leaning backwards – wanting to see what was going on.

Lo and behold, Weiss had returned. She pulled a single white suitcase into the room, a clear frown on her face, shut the door and proceeded to look around their dorm. Her icy blue eyes immediately froze on the couple up on the top bunk, and if it was at all possible, her scowl deepened. "I leave you two here for a week, and you –"

"Why are you so rude?" Yang mumbled, deciding she didn't want to look at Weiss and turning back to lean against Blake again. The heiress' shrill voice was one of the last things the brawler wanted to hear at the moment. Despite Weiss' absence for a week, this return from Atlas was hardly welcome, and Yang wasn't feeling inclined to all that much civility towards her after how she had just abandoned Ruby.

"Why am I so rude?" Weiss retorted in annoyed disbelief. "You just interrupted me! And this," she paused briefly and Yang supposed she was gesticulating towards the couple's bunk, "Whatever this is, must be breaking some rules!"

"Chill out, princess," Yang muttered, internally rolling her eyes. Had she been in a better mood, she may have been embarrassed, but as it was now… Why did she even put up with this? "We only slept together."

"You wh –"

The blonde was compelled to clarify, if only for Blake's sake – because if Yang might have been embarrassed in differing circumstances, then she didn't even need to see Blake's expression to know the Faunus was probably dying of it. "I mean," she drawled, unamused, "we only sleep-slept together…"

Weiss didn't respond, but Yang felt a bit of a burning sensation at the back of her head, and she knew the girl in white was throwing daggers.

But not literally, so Yang ignored her.

It was in the following silence that Blake finally spoke up, and she sounded just about as uncomfortable as Yang had assumed her to be. "Um, Weiss… Hello. I – we weren't expecting you to be back so soon…?"

It sounded like Weiss chose to walk further into room, towards her own bed, before she responded more calmly, "Yes, well… I have some news."

No sooner had those words been spoken that Yang turned over again to stare at the heiress intently while Blake sat up, equally interested. "What do you mean?"

Weiss huffed and lifted her suitcase onto her bed. "I mean that I actually made myself useful elsewhere, so you can stop treating me like I'm the devil incarnate. Your mother is being held in Atlas, by the way."

"What?" Yang sat up, too, directing a wide-eyed glower at the girl in white. Had she heard correctly?

But Weiss merely opened her suitcase, keeping her back turned as she began unpacking. "You heard me."

The gears in Yang's mind were still having trouble rotating, as if they were rusted and creaky from misuse, but eventually, a few of them caught and started the engine. The grogginess vanished – mostly – and Yang kicked herself into motion, pushing away from Blake and jumping off their shared bunk. Her landing wasn't entirely graceful, but she smoothed out her clothes and took a step towards her other teammate. If Weiss knew Raven was in Atlas… Well, Yang wasn't going to patiently wait for the details. "What did you do, Weiss?" she asked, on edge.

The heiress turned to face the brawler. Icy blue met determined lilac, and Weiss brought her hand up to wave a small piece of paper in front of Yang's eyes. "I pulled some strings. This is your ticket to Atlas. My sister, Winter, will be meeting you there and bringing you to visit your mother." She paused. "You're welcome."

Yang stared at the simple, little paper in the shorter girl's hand in disbelief. Once again, the gears in her brain seemed to jam, her mind slow to process what this revelation entailed. She reached for the ticket, hesitant, and looked it over – as if she somehow doubted its authenticity, despite knowing all too well that Weiss wouldn't lie about this – while the white-haired girl rolled her eyes and returned to her suitcase.

"I thought you had responsibilities with the Schnee Dust Company," Blake suddenly remarked from the top bunk, sounding just about as stunned as Yang felt. "That's why you left. That's what you told us."

"I did. I do. But I want answers, too, and I wasn't going to stand idly by and let Ruby's attacker rot in jail without facing at least one of us first." A bit brusque, Weiss clicked the suitcase shut after unloading its contents. "Someone as dangerous as Raven… I had my doubts about where she was being kept. But I had to make sure, and it wasn't certain I would be able to secure an unauthorized visit."

It was Blake's turn to hop off Yang's bunk, barely making a noise upon a much more successful landing. "So, you sat there, convincing me to be the team's leader," she started, sounding rather peeved, "and then proceeded to just hide your intentions and act out on your own? Why didn't you just tell me?"

"And give you some possibly false hope?" Weiss retorted, aggravated as she pivoted to face the Faunus. "I have nothing to apologize for."

"I could have worked with it," Blake retaliated in a low, almost angered tone. "Yang was furious when you left. This past week has not been easy for either of us. The least you could have done was let me know why, exactly, you were abandoning me to deal with everything."

It was in the middle of the ensuing silent confrontation that Yang refocused on the present situation. She glanced from Weiss to Blake and quickly intervened with, "Weiss, this ticket says the airship is leaving at one p.m. Are you serious right now?"

"Yes," came the curt reply, and Blake turned away with an annoyed sigh. "I couldn't choose a more convenient time. If it doesn't suit you, too bad."

Yang's eyes returned to the piece of paper between her fingers, and her gaze became a glare. "Oh, it suits me just fine," she muttered, tearing her eyes away and heading towards the bureau to get a change of clothes. "I can't wait to make her pay for what she did…"

This was her chance. Finally – finally – Yang was going to meet the woman who abandoned her and who put Ruby in a coma. There would be no such thing as a happy reunion or forgiveness. That traitor had caused too much pain, too much destruction, and she'd made it personal. No, Yang had no intention of showing mercy to Raven Branwen. The mere thought of her mother and actually seeing her set Yang's heart ablaze with pure, unadulterated rage.

The robust young woman turned and strode past her girlfriend to head for the bathroom, but Blake gently grabbed Yang's arm to stop her. "Yang, wait…please."

Impatient lilac met worried golden. "What, Blake? I have to hurry."

"I know. But…is that really your intention? You're going to travel to Atlas to hurt your mother?"

Yang was immediately defensive. "She's not my mother," she snapped and, wanting Blake to understand and agree, added in a bit of growl, "You saw what she did to Ruby. You know what she did to my dad and to me."

"So, be the better person," Blake tried, tentative and concerned and about as on edge as Yang. "I know you, Yang, and you have too kind of a heart to do something like what you're planning. You're going to regret it."

The brawler freed her arm from Blake's fingers, unable to believe that the Faunus was standing in her way again. Qrow had already done that – she didn't need her own partner to be doing that, too. "You don't get it, Blake. You have no idea –"

It seemed that this time around, though, Blake had been pushed a little too far as well. She stepped closer, a dangerous glint in her irises. "Oh, I don't get it, do I?" she asked, and when Weiss attempted to escape by way of the door, Blake briefly interrupted herself to order, merciless, "Stop. You're staying right here." She turned back towards Yang, daring her to talk. When she didn't, Blake continued, "My parents died because humans killed them. And I won't even begin to describe what they've done to me. My entire childhood has been peppered with loss and violence. Do you know what I did, Yang, in response to that? I sought vengeance for the longest time, thinking that if I returned the favor, the pain would go away and I'd be able to sleep at night. Take a guess at how well that turned out for me."

Yang was silent, gauging her girlfriend and knowing she wasn't really being asked to answer. Still, the fury continued to boil inside, and Yang couldn't stop herself from trying to justify her actions. "My family –"

"Your family is alive!" Blake cut in gratingly, a tremor in her voice that betrayed her fear. Her cat ears were flat against her head. "You still have a mother, still have a chance to build that relationship, and you want to just throw it all away?"

They stared at each other, one in disbelief, the other in rage, and Yang had enough. One way or another, Raven would know she had made a terrible mistake. The golden girl turned on her heel and went into the bathroom, shutting the door just before hearing Blake say gratingly, "Weiss, tell me you're going with her."

But Yang didn't care to hear the rest. Purposely ignoring her two teammates' voices on the other side of the door, she was fast to start the shower, get undressed and drown out all other sounds as the hot water hit her body. And she tried not to think, tried to focus on the pain and the loss and use those to channel her venom at Raven – because she needed that outlet – but her mind refused to stop there. What would she do afterwards, when everything was said and done? How much better would she feel for making her own mother taste her wrath? It was useless. Even if she beat Raven into a pulp, Ruby would still be in a coma. Nothing would be fixed, nothing would be changed.

Yang's frustration spiked, and she almost gave in to slamming her fist into the wall. She was turning in circles over and over again, flipping the same pages without finding the exit or the closure she had wasted years of her life searching for. She was that same little girl, pulling Ruby into the woods in a wagon and endangering everything she cared about just because she couldn't let go.

Except the circumstances were different now. She was at the tip of a breakthrough, on the verge of discovering the answers she'd long sought after, hours away from the key to all her hurt, and despite it all, there was still Blake.

By the time Yang got out of the shower and started putting on a fresh pair of clothes, the blonde's anger had receded to embers and was replaced with exhaustion and a feeling of emptiness. She had a headache. Blake was right. She always was. More importantly, she also understood. She knew. And as much as Yang was beginning to agree that making Raven suffer wasn't going to help, the brawler also couldn't be sure she'd be able to control herself when they met. No matter where Yang stood regarding the situation, that woman had betrayed her family – not once, but twice. The mere thought of that was enough to ignite her fury.

Yang glanced at her reflection in the mirror, took in the dark circles under her eyes, the dullness in her expression and the slump of her shoulders, and turned away in disgust. This wasn't who she wanted to be – at least, it wasn't who she wanted others to see. Not this. Not the look of a torn soul. For the first time ever, putting on a brave face felt too hard. The burden she carried had become too heavy. Yang had tried to smile, had tried to pretend she would be alright, but her façade had become worn and cracked, betraying her desperation. She hated it, hated herself for her weakness, and maybe wanting to hurt Raven so badly was just a reflection of the punishment Yang wished on herself.

She took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, gathering the strength she needed to face her teammates again. Her hand paused on the doorknob, trembling, but then she frowned at this and gripped it harder, determined. She opened the door.

Weiss was sitting at the desk, typing away at some document on her laptop, and Blake was on the edge of her bed, dressed in a fresh pair of clothes but looking just about as tired as Yang felt. She didn't acknowledge that Yang was out of the bathroom, though – instead, Blake just kept staring at a piece of paper in her hands, and the golden girl lowered her eyes in shame. "Weiss?" Yang called out, turning towards the heiress.

Weiss stopped her typing and pivoted in her chair to look at her. "What is it?"

Yang glanced at Blake again and then creased her eyebrows. Quietly, she asked, "Can Blake come with me?"

Blake's head snapped up to blink at Yang before giving Weiss a wide-eyed look of puzzlement. Weiss responded to this with, "I told you." She then regarded Yang evenly. "I already gave Blake her own ticket. You better pack for one night and then get going if you two don't want to miss the airship."

Yang thanked Weiss with a nod of her head and then sighed in relief. She didn't waste anymore time, going over to the bureau again to get another change of clothes. Blake was silent, and Yang couldn't tell what her thoughts were, but she stood and began packing for one night as well. This made the blonde aware that she had apologies to make – she had wronged Blake and had then proceeded to take for granted that the raven-haired girl would follow her anyway, and even though it seemed to be true, it didn't render Yang's behavior any more okay.

Unfortunately, there was no time to express those amends at the moment. She gazed over at Blake sadly, hoping to at least convey her regret with a look, but Blake remained focused on her task, clearly closed off.

It would have to wait. Just for now.

Yang and Blake hadn't spoken much on their way to Vale's airship harbor. They had eaten a brief, early lunch, said their short goodbyes to Weiss – who promised to visit Ruby and take care of any patrol duties that came up during the next two days – and then they'd set off.

The sky had cleared of the stormy clouds from the previous night and promised a smooth travel to Atlas. The harbor was definitely busier, too, bustling with activity and people, and Yang took note of how closely Blake followed her through the crowd to reach their terminal. The bow was back on her head, hiding her cat ears, and as much as it saddened Yang, both girls knew that it would be safer for Blake so close to Schnee territory.

Weiss had purchased special first class tickets for them so that they could carry their weapons onboard, and the young couple was pleasantly surprised to see that they had their own private corner all to themselves. There were a few other people up where they were on the second level of the airship – businessmen, mostly, who paid them no heed – but it was quiet and the seats looked comfortable. Having never flown first class like this before, Yang had a genuine appreciation of the opportunity.

She sat down by the window, and Blake took her place facing Yang on the opposing side. The Faunus set Gambol Shroud on the seat next to her, and Yang checked Ember Celica briefly at her own wrists. The girls were both quiet for a long while, and Blake didn't seem to have any intention of talking, either, as she looked out the window with an impassive expression on her face. Yang adjusted herself in her seat a little and then decided to take out her scroll to keep occupied while they waited for the airship to lift off. The flight was going to take eight hours or so – there would be plenty of time to clear the air. No pun intended.

Sometime after the airship had taken off, though, Yang couldn't stand the silence anymore and put her scroll away. Her partially gloved fingers drummed on her knee, and this caught Blake's attention even before Yang could say anything. Nevertheless, the raven-haired girl kept her mouth shut, observing Yang in an almost unnerving sort of way – patient but also very attentive. There was about two feet of space between them, yet somehow it seemed like they were at two different ends of the world.

Yang's shoulders slumped. She had done this. It was all her fault.

But Blake deserved an apology. It didn't matter what Yang felt. So, finally, she decided it was time for her to gather her courage and speak. "I was wrong to react that way," she offered in a murmur, ignoring the tightness in her throat. "You were trying to level with me, but I was too caught up in my own anger to hear you out. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stomp all over that bridge."

Blake crossed her arms and relaxed into her seat. Her expression didn't change, though, and Yang worried. The silence persisted, growing heavier by the second, until Blake finally asked, voice toneless, "Do you remember Adam?"

Immediately, the fiery-headed bull Faunus – the leader of the now defunct White Fang and, more importantly, Blake's crazy ex-boyfriend-slash-teacher-slash-somethingsomething – came to Yang's mind. She had no good memories of him. He was a dangerous madman who had very nearly severed her arm and who, for all intents and purposes, merited the end he met. "Yeah, I remember him," she replied, furrowing her eyebrows in concern.

"He hadn't always been violent and filled with hate," Blake revealed. Now she crossed her legs as well, and her golden eyes traveled to look out the window again. She sighed. "He was my friend for the longest time, and he was gentle, kind…loving. There was a lot of passion in his heart, and he used it to fuel his advancement in the White Fang and to encourage me, too. But…as so many other misguided Faunus, that passion consumed him, controlled him, and turned him into the man you met." Blake's eyes returned to Yang. Her voice softened. "The changes were subtle. Honest mistakes turned into vindicated reasons and excuses. The crimes became more horrific by the month, and before I knew it, the man I loved had made a monster of himself – aggressive, vengeful, and manipulative. By the time I left the White Fang, I didn't even recognize him anymore."

Yang stared at Blake for a moment. She had never really stopped to ask herself what, exactly, had happened between her girlfriend and Adam, and now that she knew the story… Well, the parallels that the bookworm must have been drawing were very, very naked to the eye. Yang lowered her gaze in shame.

"…Or maybe the signs were always there," Blake then added slowly when Yang said nothing, gaze faraway and melancholic. "And I was too blind to see."

Yang's heart seemed to clench in her own chest. No. It wasn't like that. It just wasn't. "I… I'm sorry, Blake. I didn't realize that… I mean, I'm not –" she interrupted herself, caught by just how not okay this was. As much as Yang refused to believe she was anything like Adam… Twice now, she had directed her rage at Blake – Blake, who had been nothing but supportive and helpful, and still Yang had treated her as secondary, as an obstacle in her way. Worse, the first time she had threatened to break up, and this second time she had shown a total disregard for Blake's past and learnt experience.

It was no wonder that Blake was being reminded of Adam, all because Yang was allowing Ruby's state and her own personal feelings about Raven to control her every action.

Blake leaned forward then, uncrossing her legs and her arms, and Yang looked up pitifully. The Faunus reached over and gently took hold of the golden girl's hand, irises unwaveringly intent. "I know you aren't like him, Yang," she said, her tone low, and there almost seemed to be a challenge behind her words, daring Yang to prove her right. "But I've already seen where the path you were taking leads, and I'm sorry if you think I'm trying to stop you from finding closure or happiness, but that's not the case." Blake squeezed her hand, and her voice was sincere when she continued, "I love you, more than you can possibly imagine, and I just want to spare you from more pain."

To Yang's surprise, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, drawn out from beneath her regret caused by Blake's words and presence and continued support. She blinked a few times to quickly clear the wetness – there was no way she was going to cry in public – and leaned forward, too, so she could grab her girlfriend's other hand and hold them together between her own. "I know, Blake," she murmured, her voice just slightly thick with emotion. She was going to prove Blake right. Yang wasn't Adam and any similarities were going to end here and now. "And that's why I wanted you with me. I know I haven't reacted nicely to you putting your foot down before, but you do come through to me some way or another. And you're right. Hurting my mom isn't a great idea. I just have a hard time keeping my anger under control when the feelings are so strong, and now I'm afraid of what I'll do when I see her." Lilac met amber hesitantly.

Blake was still listening, head tilted a little, patiently waiting.

Still waiting.

Yang's heart pounded in her chest. She had never admitted this next part to anyone – had never allowed herself to feel like this about anyone. And yet here she was – laying her soul bare to this one, precious girl who deserved a world of happiness, something Yang could not fathom she could give. But she would try – starting with this, no matter how much it hurt to show that kind of vulnerability. "I need you, Blake," Yang croaked, suddenly terrified. If she hadn't been holding Blake's hands so tightly, Yang's own would have been shaking. "…I can't do this on my own."

Blake seemed to know, though – just like she always did. She let herself be Yang's anchor without judgement or question, her acceptance a greater balm on Yang's nervous heart than anything else had ever been. "You won't be," Blake then assured, golden eyes fervent. "You were there for me during my own rough moments. I miss you, Yang, and I'll do whatever it takes to help you feel more like yourself. I promise I won't leave you."

And there those words were again, words that Yang wanted to believe but was still too scared to put her trust in. Nevertheless, Blake hadn't broken that promise thus far, and that counted for something. It…actually counted for a lot. Appreciative and grateful of the unadulterated affection shining in pools of molten gold, Yang leaned in closer and laid a gentle kiss on Blake's cheek. She lingered there, if only to briefly contemplate how forgiving and patient her partner was, and then slowly pulled away. Blake seemed a little flustered, first searching Yang's eyes, but then she dropped her head with a bit of a sigh.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked softly, concerned.

"It's nothing," Blake replied. She slowly shook her head, as if she were mocking her own thoughts, and then pulled away from Yang to lounge back into her seat and cross her arms again. She refused to meet Yang's gaze.

It was obviously a lie. Yang debated whether or not to respect Blake's silence or insist, and then decided that it was more important to communicate. There was still plenty of time, and it was just the two of them in their corner – now was as good of a time as ever. "It's not nothing. Please, tell me, Blake."

The reserved girl sighed deeply once more, almost at a loss. She finally looked at Yang. "It's really not that important. I just…" she hesitated, and admitted under her breath, "It's hard not to kiss you sometimes."

"…Oh." Yang lowered her eyes and creased her eyebrows. Somehow, she had completely forgotten that Blake's affection and support sprouted from more than true friendship – romantic love was involved, too. And having been in relationships before – and especially her last one – Yang knew how strong certain feelings could be.

She had an apology to finish saying.

However, just when she opened her mouth to speak, Blake beat her to it by asking, "Yang, do I…make you happy? Do you feel like…you're missing something?"

Oh, the irony. Blake wasn't the one supposed to be asking those questions.

Nevertheless, Yang's initial reaction was to want to immediately respond with an affirmative and dispel any doubts her girlfriend may have had, but Yang also understood that they were serious questions to which Blake wanted a thoughtful answer. So, she took a moment, quickly reviewing her own feelings to determine if she was unhappy with anything regarding Blake. Off the top of her head, there was nothing except being upset with herself for ignoring Blake's emotional needs. "Yes – I mean, no. No to the second part. I mean –" Yang paused, wondering where this awkwardness and stammering was coming from. She was usually smoother than this. She tried again. "Okay. I am happy with you. I probably wouldn't even be…here, really, without you. You've been…very present, and that helps. I don't feel like I'm missing anything – not from you, anyway. I miss Ruby, but that's different." She wasn't entirely certain that what she was saying made sense, but she needed to get that apology across now. It was far from fair that Blake felt any kind of doubt about all of this. "I'm sorry, Blake. This is my fault. You shouldn't have to worry about your standing between us. I haven't been paying attention to you…and I'm sorry."

Apparently, after a moment's hesitation, Yang's butchered apology motivated Blake to carefully stand and come over to sit beside her. The raven-haired girl seemed reluctant, but she leaned over a little and placed her hand on Yang's knee and waited to speak until the blonde looked her in the eyes. Her tone was gentle, albeit somewhat tired. "I know you mean well, Yang. So…we'll visit your mother together, go to the hotel and talk it out, and then get some rest. And then…I guess we can move on from there. Alright?"

Yang paused, observing the bookworm with a bit of a nagging feeling at the back of her mind, something about Blake acting distant, but Yang didn't want to push the matter. She had mistaken Blake's mood before, after all, because of her own emotions clouding her judgment. She didn't want Blake to worry even more. "Alright," Yang agreed. "We'll do that. Together."

Blake nodded, and Yang put her arm around her girlfriend's shoulders – partly to stop her from returning to her seat, partly to try reassuring her with another physical mark of affection. And maybe Yang just wanted to know that Blake really wasn't going to leave, too. It had become abundantly clear over the past few days that Blake was keeping Yang rational and grounded – and the blonde would need that more than ever when it came time to face Raven.

Blake sighed and allowed herself to lean against Yang, crossing her arms again but nevertheless appearing comfortable.

It was going to be a long eight hours. They could take it easy and try to relax just for the duration of the trip.

Solitus, the kingdom on which Mantle and Atlas had been built, was a land of eternal winter. Snow was not uncommon during summer, and the actual winters were harsh – almost dangerously so. The only reason the inhabitants managed to survive all year round against the freezing climates was thanks to advanced Dust technology that utilized the highly volatile fire crystals to keep buildings warm and electronics and machinery functioning.

Even most kinds of Grimm were ill-adapted to live on Solitus. Only the larger, more lethal types found ways to appear, roam around, and attack when it was particularly tempting. But the people were prepared against those, too. Atlas was home to the most efficient and well-trained military on Remnant, as well as being the most heavily protected city – imposing stone walls and impressive manpower and artillery. Even Mantle faired well, being under Atlas' guard and because it was located near the ledge of an icy, rocky precipice that dropped into the turbulent ocean below.

Whether graduating huntsmen and huntresses from Atlas Academy – previously known as Alsius – decided to join the special operations or not, they nevertheless contributed to fighting the more dangerous Grimm and upholding Atlas' best military legacy.

However, that was just about where Atlas stopped being grand and awe-inspiring. Weaponry, army, technology, and training aside, Atlas was as cold and harsh as the weather it held up against. Yang noticed this as soon as she saw the tall, rigid and grey towers cutting themselves out against the darkening sky through the airship's window. Atlas was meant to be a fort. There was a residential area, of course, but first and foremost, it was factories and a military base.

When Blake and Yang disembarked from the airship at the port, the blonde's impressions didn't get any better. They weren't outside yet, and she could already feel the chill – not physically, but…emotionally, as if the quiet, uncaring expressions of the people and the oppressive silence of the area became their own living entity somehow.

"Looks like a real fun place," she commented as she and Blake walked out of the terminal, single suitcases in tow and weapons secured on their persons.

"Yeah…real fun," Blake repeated under her breath, and Yang had to glance at her out of concern. The Faunus was somewhat stiff, bow ramrod straight on her head as she looked around warily. Yang immediately sympathized and would have taken Blake's hand, but it was the one she was using to carry her suitcase.

Atlas was not, by any means, a welcoming place. Everything was stark, colorless, and utilitarian – entirely meant for practicality and not for beauty. And as much as Yang racked her brain to find something to lighten the mood, she – much to her own frustration and disappointment – failed to come up with anything. So, the two girls didn't say another word as they found their way outside, where a chauffeur was supposed to be waiting for them, and braved any critical expressions thrown their way as they went.

They had dressed according to the expected weather – Yang with one of her heavier, armor-enforced jackets zipped up high, her regular orange scarf hiding the rest, gloves, and a warmer pair of combat boots. Blake had a charcoal peacoat, black scarf tucked securely into the high collar, gloves as well, and equally warm boots. Still, when the cool outside air hit them, there was a momentary pause while they realized what a difference the temperature was to Vale's summer.

It was snowing lightly, the flakes falling lazily in the still, chilled air. The couple's breaths created fog when they exhaled. The ground was wet, one of the bright parking lot lights reflecting patches of ice here and there on the cement. The sky was dark, no signs of stars – just Atlas' city lights shining in the night and their glow in the smoky clouds above.

"Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao Long?" came a gruff voice from their left.

Yang turned her head and saw a white sedan parked near the sidewalk. Standing by the passenger door was a man dressed in a suit, looking at them sternly – probably the chauffeur. "That's us!" she called out to him, glancing at Blake to make sure she was okay and ready to follow. Blake nodded almost imperceptibly, and then they headed over to him while he stepped forward and held out his hand to them.

"My name is Frederick. I'll be your chauffeur until you depart again tomorrow morning."

"Cool…literally. Nice to meet you!"

They shook hands, Frederick giving Yang an unimpressed look before shaking Blake's hand next. He wasted no time, moving to then open the car's rear door after informing them that he would take care of their luggage. Yang went in first and scooted over to the other side to give Blake the space she needed to get in. Once they were settled and the door was shut, Yang was compelled to comment, "Straight-to-the-point kinda dude, huh?"

The trunk opened.

"Does it look like anyone has fun here to you, Yang?"

"Nope. The parties must be all kinds of awesome."

Blake rolled her eyes and buckled her seatbelt before crossing her arms. Despite the warmer temperature in the car, she seemed chilled still. Yang had to once again remember that her semblance was keeping her own body from freezing and that Blake had to deal with the entirety of the weather like anybody else.

The trunk was shut, and Yang reclined in her seat. She was trying not to think about Raven too much, distracting her thoughts with anything that piqued her interest even just a little, but now that they were in the car, it was hard to stay oblivious. They would be heading straight for the prison from here. In less than an hour, she would be meeting her traitorous mother.

Yang's hands clenched on her lap. No sooner had she done this that another hand came to separate them and hold one tightly. The blonde glanced over at Blake, who gave her a firm look, eyes reflecting the light from outside in the darkness of the car. "Together, as promised."

A small, appreciative smile curved Yang's lips. "Together," she agreed again. But her smile didn't last long, and by the time Frederick had gotten into the driver's seat, Yang had turned her head away to stare out the window. She could already feel the tension in her own muscles, and she had to focus on her breathing to stay calm.

Twelve years. That was the amount of time Yang had searched for Raven. Five of those had been wasted on too-obsessive seeking, leads often guiding her away from her family and friends for several days at a time – away from Ruby. It had all amounted to nothing except endangering those she loved and damaging her relationships with them. But she'd been young. Far too young. Eventually, she had realized her mistake – that of almost becoming like her own mother by leaving her family behind – and she had quickly rearranged her priorities. Only Ruby mattered. Yang hadn't given up on her search for Raven, but for Ruby's sake, she had forced herself to stop focusing on the hunt.

And now it was all about to come to an end. Ruby was in a coma, but Yang would get the answers she wanted. Somehow, just maybe, she could at least find some closure and restructure the foundations she stood on to be more solid. As for the rest…

Well, Blake was still there. She hadn't left. At least…not yet.

Yang saw the prison long before they arrived on the premises. Or, rather, it was the mountain the prison was built into that she saw long before they got there. Its looming, gigantic, and jagged shape had been an ominous and obvious shadow as soon as they had left the main part of the city behind them. And as they approached, a bunker-like compound at the front became noticeable from afar. Everything about the prison stood out as unforgiving – stark, bleak, and imposing shapes cutting themselves out against the dark sky and the even darker mountain. Bright lights illuminated the grounds and parking lot, creating a sort of eerie vibe to the buildings. The tall, barbed electric fences certainly emphasized this impression.

Frederick drove the car up to the entrance gate and stopped at the checkpoint. He rolled the windows down as one of the security officers came out with a flashlight, immediately asking them for identification. Yang and Blake fished out their Beacon ID cards, momentarily blinded when the officer pointed the light in their faces to verify them.

"Reason for being here?" he asked sternly after checking their cards.

Blake, who was on the officer's side of the car, replied without missing a beat, "Winter Schnee is waiting for us."

The officer nodded curtly. "Very well. Carry on." He then handed them their cards back before returning to the security booth and activating the gate so it opened to let them through.

Frederick drove on, but he didn't go towards the parking lot. Instead, he continued around another long, electric fence, heading straight for the side of the mountain. There was another checkpoint they had to be double-verified at with two pieces of ID instead of just one, and Blake also had to specify at what time they were meeting Winter before the guards let them go.

The road dipped downwards as they drove into the mouth of the tunnel, and Yang stared intently out the window as blue light after blue light went by her field of vision along the wall. They were going underground, into the mountain. Her tension was reaching new heights, so much so that a small headache had begun to harass her. They were getting closer.

Yang felt Blake's hand on her knee. She looked down and realized that her leg had been jittering anxiously. The blonde gave her girlfriend a bit of sheepish smile, glad of the reminder that she wasn't alone. The moment of companionship didn't last long, though. Frederick was bringing the car to a stop.

They were in front of an iron portal, a pair of large double-doors that normally allowed vehicles to drive in. The tunnel separated to the left and right, but it seemed that wherever it was that they were going, it was even deeper into the mountain. There were several armed officers approaching the sedan.

"This is where you get out for now. I will be waiting here for your return," Frederick informed the girls, impassive.

Yang glanced at Blake, whose expression betrayed her wariness. The Faunus nodded nonetheless, and then the two huntresses in training got out of the car. The air was damp and cold, and Blake was quick to find Yang's side as the officers came up to them. They were asked to show their IDs once more and ordered to hand over their weapons.

Initially, both Yang and Blake hesitated at this, but they eventually cooperated and gave Ember Celica and Gambol Shroud to the men. It didn't please either girls to be separated from their weapons, but they understood without having to be told that Raven was being kept in a restricted area of the prison and that no outsiders were to be trusted. This point was further emphasized when the officers searched Yang and Blake's persons for any illicit items or hidden armaments.

"Don't worry, your weapons won't be meddled with and you both will have them back upon your return," came a woman's voice from behind them.

Yang and Blake spun around and were met with the sight of Winter Schnee, elegant and imperious as ever and flanked by two other guards, walking undisturbed towards the group.

"Hello, Winter," Blake greeted her cordially, if not almost…stiffly.

Yang sympathized. Neither of them were comfortable in this atmosphere, and now they were even more wary with their weapons gone. It certainly wasn't the most relaxed of circumstances. Still, despite her mood and everything else, Yang attempted to be at least a little pleasant. "It's good to see you again," she said, forcing a bit of a smile.

Winter tilted her head forward a little in response, hands locked behind her back. Her grey-blue eyes were stern. "We don't have much time. I suggest you follow me immediately."

Yang remembered Weiss telling them before they left that their visit with Winter was unauthorized. They were breaking the rules, and Weiss' sister hadn't been happy about calling this favor in. Winter most likely wanted this to be over as soon as possible, and Yang didn't doubt that they were probably maneuvering within a limited timeframe, too.

"Lead the way," Blake replied, taking a step forward.

Winter didn't waste another second. She turned on her heel, guards following suit, and headed off towards the side of the large iron portal. Yang and Blake trailed behind as two other officers fell in line after them, evidently tagging along to keep their eyes on the girls. Footsteps echoing slightly in the empty space, the group headed towards a normal-sized door in the tunnel wall, one that Yang hadn't even noticed the existence of beforehand, it was so inconspicuous. It, too, was made of iron, and Winter had to punch in a code and have her handprint scanned before it unlocked. She did so quickly, accustomed by force of habit.

The door opened to a wide but short hallway. Once again, the walls were bare and stark, not even offering signs to indicate where they were in the underground structure. Fortunately, if anything, it seemed that the temperature was at least warmer inside. Winter led them to the front desk, but they didn't stop there for long.

"I had visitor badges prepared for you in advance," she stated without emotion, grabbing the two cards from the front desk staff and handing them over to Yang and Blake. Her gaze became pointed. "Don't lose those if you want to leave on time and avoid trouble."

"Duly noted," Yang responded, feeling somewhat targeted by that suggestion. She slipped the badge over her head and made sure it was visible on her chest while Blake did much the same. Inevitably, though, Yang's eyes traveled around, heartbeat accelerating in her chest. Raven was in the same building as them. It was finally going to happen. Yang was going to meet her face to face. Nervous did not begin to describe how she felt.

"Good. Now come this way," Winter commanded, turning towards the far left wall, where four elevators were located.

They took the furthest to the right. Their group of seven – four armed officers, Winter, Yang, and Blake – had plenty of room inside, but Yang could see just how uncomfortable Blake was. The Faunus' jaw was clenched, she stood ramrod straight, and her expression was especially severe. If Yang was honest with herself, she wasn't doing much better. But enclosed spaces weren't her problem in this instance. Her mind was racing, unable to fully grasp what was to come. After twelve years of searching, and now with Ruby gone…

Yang glanced at Blake – her partner, her best friend, her girlfriend. They had been through a lot together. Despite this, Yang had rarely sought out support from Blake – or from anyone, really. The brawler was far too used to dealing with her issues on her own. She took care of herself when she got sick. She worked out and trained hard to be strong and not need anyone's help to defend herself. She never let anyone see her fears, never let anyone risk themselves for her. For the longest time, Yang Xiao Long stood her ground just fine all alone and showed the world the best of her.

But in this particular moment, after feeling so weak and vulnerable and failing her role as Ruby's big sister, after breaking down because the foundations she stood on were shattered and there was nothing left to hold on to, and now that she was about to face her greatest demon of all, Yang could not put on a brave face. She was angry, scared, and everything in-between, and Blake was the sole reason she was managing to keep a level head. So, Yang took hold of Blake's hand and squeezed tightly – this time not for her partner's sake, but because Yang needed to know she wasn't alone, that there was someone there she could draw strength and reassurance from. She needed Blake now more than ever.

And Blake seemed to understand. She squeezed back, and it was then that the elevator doors opened, revealing another front desk of sorts – smaller, though, and the security was stricter. They all had to have their identities verified twice, checked again for illicit items or unauthorized weapons – and Blake had to leave her coat behind – and it was only once they were all cleared that the desk staff opened the gate into the next section. After the gate, though, there was another door at which Winter had to punch in her code and provide a scan of both her handprint and retina.

"Almost there," she informed them curtly as the door's heavy bolts unlocked and opened.

Yang's heart was hammering, and she had to focus on breathing normally. There was another hallway here, just as colorless and empty as everything else, the usual exceptions being cameras and slots in the walls where turrets of sorts were currently inactive. Dauntless of these, Winter led them to two doors further down on the left that were side by side but separated by iron bars and yet another gate.

At this point, Winter stopped and ordered her men to stand guard. She punched in her code, and the door unlocked. "We are going in here first," she directed towards Yang and Blake before entering the dark room. The two girls followed obediently, and Winter shut the door behind them.

It was a small, almost lightless room containing lots of electronics. There were monitors on the far wall, but Yang couldn't see the screens because of their privacy guards. A panel with various keys and buttons ran along the right wall, near the monitors, with moveable chairs in front of these. As the three women moved into the empty space in the middle of the room, Yang's hip accidentally bumped something on the side, and she was fast to move away.

"Sorry!" she apologized when Winter gave her a disapproving look. It seemed that all Yang had hit was a small table with a coffee machine on it, though. She slowly shook her head, returning to look in front of herself, and then she froze.

The one thing Yang had somehow failed to take proper note of in the room was the large, rectangular window smack in the middle of the right wall. And through this window, Yang's eyes rapidly took notice of – and focused on – the person sitting at a metal table in the center of the adjacent room, wrists cuffed to the surface of it and ankles bound to the chair.

The red and black huntress attire was gone, replaced with the prison's grey inmate uniform, but the jet black hair and crimson red eyes were unmistakable. Raven sat still, staring straight ahead of herself at the door leading to the hallway. Yang could only see her from profile, but the older woman's expression was clearly blank, devoid of emotion but somehow proud and unbeaten, too.

"Is that…?" Yang approached the glass slowly, eyes wide, bottom lip and fingers trembling.

"It is," Winter confirmed, standing back.

Yang had never been this close to her biological mother before. She stopped in front of the window, jaw slack and conflicting emotions battling for dominance within her. This…this was the woman who had abandoned her at birth. It was the woman who had put Ruby in an aura-induced coma. And Yang looked like her, especially when she was furious. She should have expected this. Save for the blonde hair and tall, robust frame, Yang looked nothing like her father. But it was such an awful slap in the face. She wanted nothing to do with this traitor, much less be anything like her.

"Can she see us?" Yang asked in a murmur, her jaw beginning to clench alongside her fists.

"No. This is a mirrored glass. And I can't let you in until you're calm."

The brawler took a shaky breath in, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Raven. Ruby was no better off than dead because of her. That woman was a murderer. And the longer Yang stared, the more convinced she became that it no longer mattered if Raven had left the family – if anything, it helped Yang feel more detached. With every passing second, the face that had seemed so familiar at first was growing increasingly foreign. Raven was a stranger. She was a homicidal lunatic, and she'd hurt Yang's baby sister.

All that mattered now was getting answers for Ruby.

"Yang? Are you…okay?" came Blake's worried question. Her hand gently touched Yang's arm. "You're shaking."

Yang was sorely tempted to push her away. Of course she wasn't okay, and of course she was shaking. This was…this was… Rarely had there been a lack of words to describe her rage. "Blake," Yang articulated with difficulty, "You need to let go of me."

But Blake persisted. "I won't. We don't have much time. You want to talk to her and get answers? You need to see past your anger." Her grip tightened, but her other hand came to hold Yang's balled fist, caressing it softly and trying to get her fingers to relax.

Yang knew Blake was right – just as she pretty much always was. Except Yang's vision was almost red and her body felt dangerously warm. At this rate, she was going to damage some equipment and fail Ruby completely. But it was just so hard to control herself. That woman deserved to die. And she was just sitting there, captured and bound but looking no more remorseful or guiltier than she had back in the clearing. It was disgusting, and all Yang wanted was for Raven to feel the wrongness of her actions, to have a full drink of her own medicine and choke.

"Yang," Blake said again, more pressingly this time. She pulled on the brawler's arm, forcing Yang to tear her eyes away from Raven and look at her. Concerned golden sought out raging crimson. "Let it go, Yang," Blake urged, low and intent. "If not for your own sake, if not for mine, then do it for Ruby. Get those answers. Forget the rest – just for now. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you hurt Raven over this – and I know because I've been there. Trust me."

Yang was breathing harshly. For all intents and purposes, she should have shoved Blake out of the way. But her girlfriend's eyes were honest and concerned, determined to have Yang see reason, and the firmness of Blake's grip was grounding. She was asking for the exact same thing Yang had asked of her. Trust. And after all this time, two years in total, if there was one thing to finally be learned about Blake Belladonna, it was that she knew and understood exactly what Yang was going through and just how hard it was to put one's faith in another person so completely like that. And so, if she was asking for trust despite the impossibility of it, then it was only all the more reason to listen to her.

Yang closed her eyes and pulled the Faunus into a crushing hug, trying her best to anchor herself to Blake's presence and focus on it, if only to help chase her own anger away. She breathed in deeply, immediately reminded that Blake smelled nice – like soap and oatmeal skin cream – and slowly exhaled. There was a strange kind of relief in putting part of the burden on her partner. "Okay, Blake," she murmured halfheartedly into silken raven locks. "Okay. Alright. I will."

"Thank you," the quieter girl replied in the same tone, embracing Yang just as tightly.

The hug didn't last long, though. Winter cleared her throat, and the couple quickly remembered that she was in the room with them. They separated, Blake blushing slightly and looking at the ground while Yang glanced towards her mother again. Her fury had simmered, but she would have to be careful. It still threatened to boil over, and Yang imagined that if Raven said anything mildly provoking, she might not be able to resist taking the bait. But this had to be done.

"Let's do this," she said, quiet but determined.

Blake nodded in agreement and turned to Winter. "We're ready."

Winter acknowledged with a neutral, "Very well. Follow me." She then walked past them and opened the door. Yang and Blake followed her out, and she immediately went towards the gate, where she had to punch in her code and provide a hand print again. She pulled the sliding bars open, and the girls walked through. Winter did as well, and then shut the gate behind them by pushing it closed. They turned towards the door.

Raven was behind that door – sitting in an interrogation room located in the underground part of the prison, deep into the mountain. Yang was about to actually speak with her. The blonde had to take a deep breath in and slowly exhale once more to keep a semblance of calm. She reached for Blake's hand, and the bookworm quickly clasped their fingers together reassuringly.

Winter told them to approach. "I'm not going in with you. I'll be supervising from the other room. You have less than ten minutes, understood? Whatever it is you have to ask her, make it fast."

"Thank you, Winter," Blake replied. "And I'll make sure to keep Yang on track."

Winter put in her code again. "Good luck, for what it's worth." She grabbed the knob and opened the door.

Yang was frozen for a moment, unable to step inside, but Blake gave her lower back a gentle, encouraging push. The brawler moved forward, heart pounding. Once they were inside, the guarding officer walked out and Winter shut the door.

Raven's crimson eyes immediately locked with Yang's lilac. It was disturbing, staring into such familiar but destructive irises. The older woman showed no emotion, and all Yang could do was stare, caught between punching those lights out and falling to her knees. How long had it been since she had waited for this moment? They were face to face now, nothing between them except a metal table, and somehow Yang's mind had gone blank.

She hated that face. She hated it so much. Yang's fists shook.

The silence stretched on, but Raven eventually broke that twisted spell by stating tonelessly, "Hello, Yang."

And with that, just by hearing her voice, a part of Yang snapped. She lurched forward and slammed her hand on the table, seething, "Why did you do it?!"

Raven jumped, momentarily startled, but despite her daughter's sudden proximity, she met Yang's burning regard without flinching. "You're going to have to be a little more specific. I've done a lot of things."

There were several things Yang wanted to say and ask, and all the words were crashing into each other in her head, demanding to be addressed first. Her frustration was so extreme, the circumstances were so unreal, and now she was facing the person who had hurt her the most… Tears welled in Yang's eyes. "You killed my baby sister," she whispered hoarsely, accusing. "Ruby… She's…gone because of you."

Raven was unmoved. She didn't speak right away, though. And the more her unperturbed silence persisted, the closer Yang got to giving in to the urge of hitting that traitor so hard she'd suffer from…from…something. Definitely something.

"Yang," came Blake's tentative voice from behind. "I think you need to step away."

Irate, Yang turned away from Raven, once again breathing harshly and doing her best to keep herself calm. She massaged her brow, her other hand on her hip as she blinked away the unwanted tears. Blake caressed her shoulder gently. It was so hard to keep in control.

"You are huntresses in training," Raven finally responded, not sounding an ounce guilty. "Occupational hazards should be expected."

Yang went still. "What?" She turned back towards her mother, fury once more ignited. "I may never see my little sister's smile again, and you're telling me it's an accident?"

"Yes," Raven deadpanned. "I could have drawn my sword. But I didn't. In fact, I didn't do anything to your sister. She crashed into a concrete wall."

"Because you tripped her!" Yang vociferated, unable to believe what she was hearing. Did Raven honestly think she had done nothing wrong? That she had somehow been the good guy by not attacking Ruby or any of them directly? She was out of her freaking mind. No wonder she had abandoned Yang at birth. But that was no excuse, and Yang couldn't let her get away with it.

Unfortunately, Blake wouldn't let Yang get any closer. The Faunus' hand was once again gripping the brawler's arm firmly, and a glance in her direction revealed that Blake's expression was unrelenting, clearly telling Yang to compose herself. "This isn't why we're here, Yang," she said sternly. "I'm sorry."

The brawler held back a growl, but she knew Blake was right. Arguing over what had happened was pointless now, no matter how difficult it was to drop the subject. Eventually, Yang was calm enough to ask, still on edge, "Why were all those Grimm in cages? What were you doing at that facility?"

Raven arched an eyebrow. "I thought it was self-explanatory, considering the…scientists."

"You mean the dead ones," Blake retorted this time. "The ones you killed."

"Is it information you want, or are you just here to accuse me of murdering everyone?"

"Just answer the questions!" Yang's patience was growing very thin – no, in fact, she'd lost patience the moment Raven had opened her mouth. Had Yang's dad really been in love with this lunatic? Further, she had had enough of Qrow being a witty jerk – she didn't need his twin sister to also make the same kind of condescending remarks.

"Again, to state the obvious – experiments." There was a slight sarcastic tone to her voice now.

"What kind of experiments? You're already admitting to doing something illegal."

After a brief moment of consideration, Raven side-stepped the question and retorted, "I'm a huntress. My job is to protect people from the Grimm, no matter the cost." She glared. "Now put two and two together. I don't have to justify my actions. Especially not to you."

Yang was fuming. This made no sense to her, and Raven was talking as if she had been doing the right thing all along.

Ignoring the bait, though, Blake stepped forward and asked sharply, "Were you working with Doctor Merlot? If so, where is he?"

Raven looked unimpressed. Sardonic, she said, "Merlot was an idiot wasting his time and resources on operations that were making the Grimm even more dangerous than they already are. No, I took care of that madman and put his equipment to much better use."

Yang couldn't take it anymore. Viciously, she snarled, "I don't know in what kind of twisted reality you live in, but you are not the hero here!" She took a step forward, coming to stand next to Blake and pointing angrily at Raven. "You left me! You left everyone! You betrayed all of us! And for what? Trying to find the solution to the world's number one problem by putting the Grimm in cages?" Yang lowered her voice, glowering. "You're right. You don't have to justify your actions. In fact, you couldn't justify them even if you tried."

Raven was utterly impassive. It was as if Yang hadn't spoken at all. And more than ever before now, Yang wanted to beat her, strangle her – anything to make that uncaringness disappear. Raven wouldn't even be able to defend herself, cuffed to the table and chair like that.

With the grain of self-control she had left, though, Yang managed to restrain herself and ask, entire body strung like a tightrope as she hoped to finally make a dent in that unassuming armor, "You ordered your guards to kill us. Why?"

But Raven took the question in stride easily and replied, "I ordered them to kill the Grimm. Unless you somehow missed the horde destroying everything around you."

"Your men attacked us," Blake countered, unwaveringly astute.

"Then they evidently misunderstood. By all means, keep accusing me if it makes you feel better, but you're wasting your time."

Yang had heard enough. Raven refused to concede anything, and the brawler's fury was boiling over. All she wanted now was for her mother to pay, to regret everything she had ever done. Her jaw tightened, her nails dug into her palms.

Unfortunately, Yang never got the chance to move. The door to the interrogation room suddenly opened, revealing Winter. She looked grim. "Time's up. We need to get out of here."

Yang punched the wall. At least, she tried to, but Blake was holding her right arm and kept it still. Instead, Yang shook her off and headed for the door without a second glance at Raven. It didn't matter. She'd had more than enough. Her mother had pushed her too far as it was – they were security risks now.

"Wait," Blake unexpectedly said, making Winter scowl.

"Thirty seconds, Belladonna," she abided with a warning tone, and Yang turned at the exit to stare at Blake, wondering what she could possibly have left to say that was so urgent.

The Faunus stared at Yang's mother, as stoic as Raven was unflinching. Their expressions were almost identical. Blake finally asked, "Did you mean to do it?"

"Again, both of you – specify 'it.'"

"Did you mean to hurt Ruby and kill those scientists, Merlot included?" Blake repeated, faster now as time was quickly running out.

Raven considered Blake without a word, and then her crimson eyes locked on Yang. "No." She returned to Blake. "And I never admitted to doing anything wrong."

Yang grimaced. "But you did!"

"That's enough," Winter intervened gratingly. "We need to go now."

But Blake apparently wasn't done. Ignoring Winter's warning, she approached the table and uttered in an almost threatening tone, "I held Yang back from getting to you for her sake. And you should be really glad that I did." Another step, and the back of Blake's hand collided with Raven's cheek, the slap resounding almost deafeningly in the small room, Raven's head snapping to the side with the force of the impact.

"You're pathetic," Blake spat.

Winter immediately pushed by Yang and grabbed the offender by the arm, viciously snatching Blake away and practically throwing her back towards the door. "Are you insane?" she snarled at Blake, making sure the raven-haired girl was outside of the room while keeping the door open for Yang to follow them out.

And Yang was going to, even reaching the doorframe, but she then stopped to spare a glance at her mother. Raven had recovered, her posture straight again, but for the first time, her crimson eyes were ablaze with emotion – fiery rage pointed at their backs, humiliation kindling the ire somewhere behind it. Yang turned away, finally heading out the door, something like satisfaction dissipating some of her anger.

Blake had broken Raven's mask of calm. And it felt so good.

The door slammed behind her. Winter started coldly fuming as she punched in her code to open the gate. "When I say we're on a time limit, that doesn't mean we can afford to go over it. This isn't some appointment; this is illegal. This is my career! It's even more than that, actually, and if I have to deal with the consequences of you two running your mouths, I'm going to extend your stays in Atlas, and you're not going to like it!"

"It's like we're with Weiss all over again," Yang commented, not at all pleased with the tirade. "Relax, Schnee. We can run."

Winter grumbled unintelligibly under her breath, sliding the bars open and letting Blake and Yang through before following and sliding the bars shut again. Once again flanked by four guards in all, the group made their way back to the first front desk at a hasty pace, where they dropped off their visitors' badges.

It was only once they were back in the tunnel – where the huge iron portal was – and the damp, cold air hit them that Blake spoke up again. "Uh, I forgot my coat."

Yang's eyes widened and she turned to Winter.

Weiss' older sister beat her to it, though. "No. There's already too much time wasted. You need to leave. Take your weapons and get out of here." Winter's tone allowed no arguing against. She motioned behind them, and the girls saw the officers walking over to them with Ember Celica and Gambol Shroud.

Yang took her bracelets but she was quick to return her attention to Winter. Despite everything, the specialist had done them a huge favor, and that deserved gratitude. "Thank you, Winter. We owe you one."

Winter scoffed. "No, you don't. I owed Weiss one. We're equal now. Don't keep Frederick waiting."

Yang attempted a small smile, but she nodded and joined up with Blake, who was already waiting at the car. She was probably getting pretty cold. The couple got in the sedan, and both were glad it was warm inside. They buckled up, and once they were all settled in, Frederick drove off, back the way they had come from, Winter and her surrounding officers soon long out of sight.

Yang's mood didn't improve on the drive to the hotel. She was quiet the entire time it took to get there, lost in somber ruminations. That visit with Raven had been…unsatisfying, for the most part. Granted, Blake smacking her was, like, the coolest thing Yang had ever seen – and probably the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, if she was being honest – but, otherwise…

They'd gotten some answers, of course, but it just felt like even more questions had been prompted, and Yang didn't know what to think anymore.

Her biological mother was and wasn't what Yang had expected. Detached and uncaring, certainly, but that impassivity and those cryptic responses… To say that Raven got under Yang's skin was an understatement. In that woman's opinion, she had done nothing wrong. She had craftily kept her implication with the deaths and the experiments vague. In fact, it had even sounded like she felt she was working for the greater good – that she was innocent. To a certain extent, it was as if Raven hadn't even known what they were talking about. But her calmness had been the most destabilizing. She was so confident in her delirium and so clearly intelligent that it was almost impossible to not believe that her side of the story, whatever it was, was the right one.

But Yang refused to give her the benefit of the doubt. She didn't deserve it, not after all the pain and heartache she had caused. And just because someone was good at lying didn't make their lies any truer. At the end of the day, it all came down to the fact that Raven had abandoned her family and caused Ruby to fall into a coma. Nothing excused that and nothing made it okay.

She had been so close. Just a few feet away. Yang could have hurt her, could have made her pay for what she'd done. There might not have been the time to kill her, but Yang could have gotten a few good punches in – make her bleed like Ruby's head had bled. After meeting Raven face to face, it was hard to think of why Yang would have regretted making that woman suffer, herself.

But there was one reason Yang could think of, one that seemed incredibly important now. Blake, the one person who had stuck around – through the tough and the painful just as much as the fun and the easy – and had held Yang's hand, had been a constant reassuring presence ever since the accident. She had been the voice of reason, placid and rational and helping Yang keep a level head. But more than that, her logic hadn't been cold and pitiless – it had come from a place of warmth and care. Yang had needed her, and the Faunus hadn't left for a single second. Blake had made it clear that she understood what Yang was going through – it may not have been the exact same circumstances, but the feelings were practically perfect matches. And all Blake wanted was for Yang to be happy and to avoid a more destructive path.

Blake, just like Raven, had known exactly what she was doing. That slap had been calculated, not the product of inconsolable rage. Had Yang been the one to attack Raven, she might have gone so far as murder. And even if it hadn't ended in such a macabre way, Raven would have only grown smugger – Yang's violence would have only enforced the point of her confidence. Blake's violence – controlled and unexpected – had forced Raven to reevaluate the situation, forced her to care. And that was the reason why Yang would have regretted being the one to lash out.

So, with Blake's help, Yang had refrained from beating Raven into a pulp. And Yang liked to think she had finally done right by her partner in so doing – it was the only reassurance she had from that entire tense exchange. She just wanted Blake to be happy with her – and she was more than happy with Blake in return. Trusting Blake had paid off.

Yang trailed behind her girlfriend down the bright hotel hallway without a word, suitcases in tow. It was actually a rather nice-looking place – far from being run down, it wasn't super fancy, either. The carpet was taupe along the sides and light grey through the middle. The walls were white, black frame borders running along the bottoms and the doors were black, too. It was simple but somewhat spacious and welcoming – for the interior of a building in Atlas, that is.

Blake had respected Yang's silence in the car, and apart from getting their room's key from the receptionist, neither girl had uttered a word to each other since leaving the prison. The room Weiss had booked for them was on the fifth level, so they'd taken the elevator. Their silence hadn't been awkward or uncomfortable – they were merely both lost in their own thoughts. It was getting fairly late, so there was no doubt that they would be going to bed shortly after they readied themselves for the night.

This rung especially true for Yang. After today and after the entire past week…well, Yang was just…tired. Emotionally, physically – she was drained. She figured she'd be asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow – if only her mind would stop racing for a minute.

Blake unlocked the door to their room, the one at the very end of the hallway, and then opened it. She went in first and quickly found the lights. Yang stepped in next and briefly looked around, eyebrows raising in appraisal for the short moment her interest lasted. It was a large enough room with two queen-sized beds, a high-definition holoscreen placed on a six-drawer bureau, and a small table in the far corner accompanied by two comfortable looking chairs. The back wall was pretty much made out of window, but they could close the curtains before they went to bed.

It was a little cool in the room, so Yang wasn't surprised when Blake said, after taking off her boots and putting her suitcase on the bed closest to the entrance, "I'm going to have a warm shower. Do you mind turning the heat up some?"

"Yeah, no problem," Yang replied halfheartedly as she slowly removed her own combat boots. Blake didn't have her coat anymore, and she already got cold quite easily, so the energetic young woman figured the cat Faunus would be intent on warming up as soon as they got in.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" Blake wondered as she rummaged in her suitcase.

Yang glanced over at the room in particular. "Yeah. Just one sec, I'll be quick." She went in, surprised at how fancy the décor was compared to the simple niceness of everything else – there was a walk-in shower –and was out only a few short minutes later after washing her hands and brushing her teeth. "It's free," she announced quietly as she grabbed her own suitcase and headed for the other bed.

Blake, with the items she needed to shower, left Yang alone and locked the bathroom door behind her.

Yang sighed, shoulders drooping. Everything was so messed up. Part of her just wanted to sleep, another part wanted to cry, and the last part of her still felt like punching something. She rubbed her face, fleetingly wondering what she was even doing – here or anywhere, really. She went over to the corner where the window and the wall met, finding the heating system's digital thermometer and cranking it up to a good number. Her eyes were then pulled towards the window, and Yang paused.

It seemed they were high up enough to have a great view of the city. Light flurries continued to fall. Atlas Academy was the most prominent sight – it made up most of Atlas, in fact. The airship port was visible, too, out in the distance, and it looked quite busy still. Yang could even see those almost impenetrable walls from one end to the next – the intervallic blue lights were what made it distinguishable in the darkness. And in the sky just as on the ground and on the walls were sentinels, on the lookout for Grimm.

Raven had called herself a huntress. She'd said she was doing her job – protecting the people, "no matter the cost." The worst part was that she was right. But if that was what being a huntress entailed – sacrificing individual lives for the sake of the many and throwing the rules out to the wolves, then Yang wasn't so sure that being a huntress was what she wanted to do anymore. Of course, Yang knew she often broke the rules, herself – but it was all for fun. If she knew someone would get hurt (apart from herself) if she ignored the regulations, then she'd back off and obey. It was as simple as that.

No, Raven somehow assumed she was above the law and that all of her actions were justifiable. She was wrong. There was already too much chaos in Remnant – the world didn't need powerful hunters taking matters into their own hands in whatever way they pleased. A prime example of how bad of an idea it was had been the White Fang.

Blake knew what she was talking about. Blake knew a lot of things, actually. Yang had to admire her for that – her convictions, her wit, and her ability to make sense of the world around her. Sometimes, when Yang was around Blake for a while, the extravert realized she still had a lot to learn.

Yang found herself sighing again. She slowly shook her head and moved to pull the curtains closed. She was starting to feel the beginning of a headache – it had been a grueling day on her already low morale, and now it was evident she needed sleep.

She dug into her suitcase, found her pajamas and changed into them tiredly. Yang then threw her jacket over one of the nearby chairs and put her other clothes in with the rest of her luggage. Finally, Yang put her suitcase on the carpet beside the bed and padded over to shut the lights off. She knew Blake wouldn't mind, what with her night vision. The blonde proceeded to feel her way back to her bed in the darkness and got under the rather thin sheets to get comfortable.

She turned on her side, facing the curtains, and it immediately became apparent to her that she was going to have another one of those nights when her eyes didn't naturally close. Another sigh escaped her and she buried her face in the pillow. No matter how exhausted she felt, no matter how much she just wanted to sleep, her mind refused to shut down.

Her thoughts immediately wandered off towards Ruby. Weiss hadn't contacted Yang or Blake since they had left, which meant there was no news – no change – in Ruby's state. But the eldest sibling was already coming to terms with this new, awful reality – Ruby would probably never wake again. This was it, then. Yang's pillar was gone, and she still missed her baby sister like never before.

A few tears pricked at Yang's eyes, and her initial reaction was to try and blink them away, but then she failed to see the point. Most of her life had been devoted to making Ruby smile and laugh and be happy. She'd stopped her tears so often just to be strong for Ruby. But Ruby…it just…

It didn't matter. Ruby wouldn't see her cry anyway.

Yang fed her tears to the pillow silently, but even exhaling soon became difficult. She hugged the cushion tightly, trying to muffle her sobs and wondering how many more nights she would have to spend begging for sleep to take her and not being granted that one, small request. She was so tired, and the pain never seemed to end…

She'd been foolish. There had been a part of her that had hoped Raven would care, would show some kind of remorse – Yang had even been ready to break bones if that was what it took. It was senseless and brought up by an inconsolable state of mind. But in those last moments of conversation, Yang had seen someone else show how much they cared. Blake, usually so calm and collected, the one person who had been telling Yang over and over to restrain her anger, had stepped up and threatened Raven. She'd done more than that, too – apart from the slap, Blake had prompted a response from Raven that had allowed Yang to find at least a little bit of closure, a little bit of hope.

Raven hadn't meant to hurt Ruby. It really had been an accident, no matter how sordid the circumstances and intentions were. And Blake was to thank for that piece of information. In fact, Blake was to thank for being there all the way through.

Yang's sobs relented slightly, but she still had to force herself to be extremely quiet when Blake came out of the bathroom. Another scene like the night before wasn't on the list of things Yang wanted to repeat so soon. She listened, holding her breath, as Blake did something with her suitcase with an impressive lack of sound, before the Faunus slipped into her own bed.

While Blake got comfortable, Yang took the opportunity to exhale as noiselessly as she possibly could. It seemed to work, as Blake finished moving and didn't say anything.

Yang continued to breathe softly, managing to get a grip so as not to alert Blake to the fact that she wasn't feeling great. And even if Yang knew she was pretending to sleep, it was still a little awkward just lying there in the dark, both of them not peeping a word. It was so quiet in the room. Blake must have supposed Yang was asleep by now – knowing her, the bookworm surely would have said goodnight if she had known Yang was awake. And who knew how tired Blake was? Maybe she was already dipping into sleep, herself.

But Yang heard her girlfriend move again, adjusting quite a bit before going still once more. This was just like Yang, wasn't it? She could have just been honest and said something. She still could say something, really – but if Blake was trying to sleep, Yang wasn't about to disturb her. So, the blonde was trapped into waiting for signs and sounds that her partner was asleep so that she could return to fretting over her own inability to do so.

Now Yang was definitely awake.

She also almost jumped when Blake suddenly whispered into the silence, tentative, "Yang?"

The brawler's mind, out of exhaustion, went into overdrive, rapid-firing in a debate over whether or not to respond. It seemed, however, that she needn't come to a decision. Blake did that for her.

"I know you're awake, Yang," the Faunus said, this time in a murmur.

Yang actually relaxed, half glad that the awkwardness was over. The other half was drowning in embarrassment at having been caught, though. "How did you know?" she mumbled.

"You usually snore a little. And I can hear your heart."

The seconds ticked by with almost physical sounds as Yang wondered if it was sweet or creepy that Blake had taken note of those specific things. She opted for sweet. "You can't sleep either?" she asked, finally turning over to face Blake's bed in the darkness. With the curtains closed and the lights off, Yang couldn't even really see anything anyway.

Strangely, Blake took a moment to reply. She eventually admitted, "…No. I'm still cold." There was a pause, and she followed up with a half attempt at humor, "These blankets aren't designed for people like me. All that time spent training, and I'm still soft because of Vale's climate."

They were both clearly tired. The joke wasn't all that funny, but Yang still found the corners of her lips raising. She understood, though. The blankets were thin, it was cold outside, it had been cool inside, too, and it still was. Blake had just come out of the shower and her hair was probably still damp, she hadn't had her coat for the ride from the prison to the hotel, and Yang remembered that Blake particularly liked warmth. It was no wonder she was chilly.

And if Yang was honest with herself, she wanted Blake to come closer. She didn't want to be alone. Therefore, Yang pulled her blankets up as she said, "Come here, then."

There was a moment of pause in which nothing happened, but then Blake moved. A few seconds later, she was carefully slipping under the sheets next to Yang, who let them fall over the bookworm's shoulders. Blake seemed to literally bring a current of cool air with her. She was an icicle.

"Blake, kitten, you're frozen," Yang caught Blake's cold hands in her own in concern. "Why didn't you just hop in bed with me right away?"

"Because I thought you were asleep at first, and I'm not sleeping with you without your permission," came the mumbled, embarrassed response.

Yang grinned. She couldn't help it. "You're adorable. Cat ears and addiction to warmth and all."

"You know what?" Blake responded, half offended, half amused. "Here." She freed her hands. The next thing Yang knew, cold fingers were gliding up her sides, under her shirt, and stopped at her waist. She was then pulled forward, Blake cuddling closer as she intertwined their legs, too, feet and toes executing the same frozen revenge.

Initially, Yang shuddered and made a bit of a yelping noise at the cold contact, but then she laughed nervously. This was…frontal spooning. This was… Oh, boy. Yang's body quickly heated up, the blush rising to her face like a first-degree burn.

This is fine. This is fine. This is fine, she chanted to herself, trying her best to not make a big deal out of it like she had the last time. The room wasn't on fire. It was just her. And Blake was icy...and indeed soft. There was no panic.

"Yang…your heart." Blake hesitated. Her head was almost directly against Yang's chest. It was no wonder she could hear the extravert's heart thudding like a kick drum. There was a panic after all. "I-I'm sorry. Should I –"

"N-no! It's fine. Just, um, let's not talk about my heart for a little bit." Yang clenched her teeth. She was uncomfortable, yes, but she didn't want to be. It was just Blake. And Blake was cold. She needed this.

Fortunately, Blake made it a little easier for Yang to handle by slipping her hands from under Yang's shirt and instead embracing her back, on top of the shirt. "Alright," Blake responded, sounding vaguely amused. Yang was able to relax just slightly, and she moved her arms to wrap around the Faunus, gentle and hopefully inviting for closer cuddling. One of her hands found Blake's cat ears and Yang realized those were cool, too. She caressed the velvety fur softly, trying to focus on the marvel of them and not on…other things. Other things would make her bolt for the door if she thought about them for too long.

Blake seemed to melt somewhat, relaxing into Yang's arms and burying her face in the crook of the blonde's neck. Even Blake's nose was cold – all of her extremities were. Poor thing. It didn't matter if this made Yang awkward and uneasy – it was more important for Blake to be warm. She had done a lot for Yang – she deserved this.

They fell silent again, and little by little, as Blake's body temperature climbed, Yang's heartbeat calmed. They held each other, much more intimate than anything else they'd done before, but there was a strange kind of comfort that came with this unique proximity. Yang could not feel alone – because she wasn't. Blake was right there in her embrace. It was an appeasing balm on her nerves and troubled mind, and Yang found that she was slowly getting comfortable as she got used to it. Overcome with a wave of affection for her girlfriend, Yang naturally tightened her hold and curled her body a little more around Blake's.

"Blake?" she whispered, this time being the tentative one.

"Hm?"

Yang shut her eyes tight. She took a shaky breath in and slowly exhaled. Her voice came out small and quiet. "You aren't going to leave me, are you?"

It was a fear that had started to make itself known that very same morning. She wasn't sure how to express it, and she didn't want to come across as insecure…but it was beyond her. People had left her behind all her life. She was only starting to trust that Blake meant what she said, but it was hard. She was essentially giving Blake the power to crush her.

Blake's fingers caressed Yang's back tenderly. "No. I won't," she murmured, breath tickling Yang's skin. She was beginning to sound sleepy, but her words were sincere. "I love you, Yang. More than anything."

Yang didn't reply, but Blake's answer finished appeasing her. It even made her smile gratefully, and Yang finally began to feel herself drift. "'Night, Blake," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Yang. See you in the morning."

Yang felt these drifting sensations, but she also felt Blake's presence. With that promise on her mind and as her consciousness faded, she fought to indulge in both, easing off the cliff of slumber but holding on to the feeling of Blake's new warmth. She treasured both for what could have been a minute or an hour, but, eventually, sleep would overtake her and Blake would be held by the lasting strength in Yang's arms.

Yang slept peacefully that night.

Chapter Text

It was dark in the room when Blake opened her eyes. Not pitch black like when she had fallen asleep, but dark. The curtains were thick enough to block out most of the light, but a thin crack between them revealed that it wasn't very bright outside to begin with. Part of Blake knew without having to look at the time that it was still early in the morning – maybe, even, earlier than what was considered sensible. But she was awake now, and Blake blamed the almost absolute silence in the hotel. No birds chirping outside, no one making noise in the hall or in any of the neighboring rooms, and the heating system was off at the moment…

That said, Blake was far from uncomfortable. The blankets might have been thin and the mattress might have been a bit hard, but she was in Yang's arms – and that compensated for both the cool air and the unyielding bed. The blonde's auric warmth naturally spread through the sheets, and Yang must have been sleeping peacefully because the temperature and flow of her aura never fluctuated. One of her hands was still near Blake's cat ears, fingers barely touching the fur. Blake could feel the golden girl's soft breath on them every time she exhaled, since the Faunus' head was tucked under Yang's chin. It was nice, in a comforting sort of way, and breathing in her fading vanilla scent only added to that. The calm, strong thud of Yang's heart was especially appeasing.

Their legs were still entangled, and the intimate proximity Blake was experiencing with her partner made her happy – she couldn't help it, no matter how hard she tried. Waking up to Yang like this made Blake's heart swell with affection and joy, and she closed her eyes again for a moment as she hugged the blonde just a little closer, never wanting the embrace to end and cherishing every second. A smile tugged at her lips, and Blake realized that it was too wonderful of a morning – she couldn't suppress the smile and she could even less stop the rumble that started in her chest. First low and hesitant – since Blake did actively try to silence her body's natural reaction to such happy coziness out of mild self-conscious embarrassment – the purring eventually picked up and Blake was forced to just let the vibrations of her larynx and vocal cords happen. She had no control over it. And, if Blake was honest with herself, she was relieved to express her happiness – for the first time ever – like this because it was Yang she was being held by, and Yang's arms were the safest, most reassuring, and caring place in the world. There was nowhere else Blake wanted to be.

Tenderly, she kissed Yang's shoulder, lingering on the softness of her girlfriend's skin, and then rested her forehead there for a while, purring away like a locomotive despite herself. Blake missed Yang, there was no doubt about that. She missed the social butterfly's laugh and her contagious good mood. She especially missed the mischievous sparkle in those beautiful lilac irises, and even the awful puns and pranks it inevitably preluded. And Blake would be lying if she said it was easy being the kind of immovable pillar Yang could be. But this moment, this intimacy, this love – it gave Blake a renewed determination to not give up, and she could barely even feel the exhaustion she had felt for the past week or so.

Her fingers caressed Yang's back gently, and Yang's arms seemed to embrace Blake a little bit tighter. Truthfully, Blake didn't want to hope too much – but the fact that Yang hugged the Faunus so possessively in her sleep seemed to be telling of the golden girl's growing affection. But Blake couldn't be sure – for all she knew, maybe Yang just hugged anything she slept with – the stuffed panther was an example of this. It wouldn't have been surprising, if it was her insecurity manifesting itself through her unconscious mind and grasping for things that would not leave her. In any case, Blake wasn't going anywhere, and she had absolutely no complaints about being held so closely.

She nuzzled the hollow of Yang's neck, basking in warmth and everything Yang, and little by little, Blake's purring quieted. The reason quickly made itself known, and Blake internally sighed about the stupidity of having a bladder. Momentarily, she debated with herself, wanting to delay the inevitable for as long as possible to treasure her partner's presence, but she only managed to win another five minutes or so. She sighed quietly, and began to very carefully disentangle her legs from Yang's. When she tried to pull away from the embrace, though, Yang's grip tightened and the blonde buried her nose in raven locks before exhaling comfortably.

Although she was pleased by this, Blake was also forced to capitulate. Softly, she placed her hand on Yang's bicep and pushed away enough to move her lips to her girlfriend's ear. "It's okay, Yang," she whispered. "Let go. It's okay."

At first, the tactic seemed ineffective. But Blake tried to move away again, and Yang's arms relaxed this time, allowing the bookworm to slide out of the bed without waking the still sleeping beauty. Immediately, Blake was assaulted by cool air and she clenched her teeth, crossing her arms. She spared another glance at Yang, verifying that the brawler was alright, and then quickly went to her luggage to grab the warm pair of clothes she had packed for herself. She then went to the bathroom to freshen up and proceed with her regular morning routine.

When she came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for the day, Blake's gaze happened to look at the time. She had assumed correctly – it was still quite early in the morning. They had about four hours left before it became ten, when it would be time for them to meet Frederick outside. Blake slowly shook her head, but she didn't regret being awake. Through the dim lighting in the room, her golden irises once again found Yang's curvaceous form in the bed, and Blake briefly entertained the thought of being able to wake up every morning like she had, live with the knowledge that she could return to that warm embrace at the end of the day and spend every night in Yang's arms.

But Blake was fast to blink and chase the desire away. They were far from being there yet – if they would ever. Right now, there were other priorities, other concerns that dwarfed the importance of whatever stage their relationship was at currently. Still, the Faunus allowed herself to silently sit on the edge of the bed next to Yang, in quiet admiration of her partner. She was so beautiful, and Blake was glad that her sleep finally seemed restful. She both needed and deserved it.

Blake lightly tucked a few strands of golden-blonde hair behind Yang's ear. Her fingers lingered, slowly tracing the shape of Yang's jaw, continuing to marvel at the softness of her skin. Her thumb grazed Yang's plump, almost pouting bottom lip, and Blake sighed a little. Resisting the urge to do something else, she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Yang's forehead, briefly inhaling the fading vanilla scent again, before pulling away and standing up once more.

She could let Yang sleep for another hour or two. They had plenty of time.

Blake went back to her suitcase and quietly rummaged for her journal. A few moments later, she took a seat on one of the chairs – for enjoyable scent reasons, the one that had Yang's armor-enforced jacket slung over it – at the small table in the corner of the room and stared at the blank sheet of paper before her, collecting her thoughts. After another glance at Yang, Blake began to write.

Raven Branwen. I have familiarized myself with the identity of that name over the course of this past week. Trying to remain neutral and see the situation from a strictly unbiased point of view has proven impossible, though, despite how hard I've tried.

My conflict with Raven begins with Yang and ends with anything related to Yang. Beyond that – I suppose I'm unsure as to where I stand. That she abandoned Yang at birth and hurt Ruby angers me, definitely, but Raven follows a path I am ill-placed to condemn. Was I not an active member of the White Fang, after all? Did I not commit crimes of my own, taking the fate of others into my own hands and believing I was doing it for the greater good?

…But I was misguided, young, and driven by emotion. And, I guess in some ways, I still am.

Raven is different. She already has experience on her side, and she is smart and calculating. There is no doubt about that. Possibly, it is what makes her choices so unsettling to consider. The woman I met in that interrogation room was far from being out of her mind or motivated by a need for vindication. There is a dangerous kind of iron in her character, certainly, but I fear Raven Branwen knows exactly what she is doing and has a firm grasp on reality. There was no feverish or mad glint in her eyes; she chose her words very carefully, avoiding anything remotely incriminating while being honest enough to seem believable.

I do not know what she and those other huntsmen were doing, exactly, at that secret facility. Yang and I were unable to pry that information from her, as she side-stepped the question with sarcasm and we ran out of time. The facility was also destroyed and, with it, any clues as to what those experiments on the Grimm were. Raven had planned for every contingency, it seems.

The authorities must have found something, though, or else I cannot imagine on what grounds they would keep her locked up in Atlas' highest security compound. Either way, her case is being dealt with, and I doubt we will manage to retrieve any other data related to the incident. I am hoping that Yang will be appeased with having met her mother, but should she decide to launch her own investigation into Raven's history, I'll do my best to support and aid her in such a course of action – so long as we are not breaking any rules. First and foremost, my concern is with ensuring Yang's happiness – and if I can't keep her safe, then I can't guarantee that she will be happy.

But that is merely a hypothetical situation. For the moment, Yang is still upset. She's become unmoored from every constant in her life and is drifting now – and with Ruby gone and Raven not being the person Yang had hoped for, I have to step up. I'm not qualified to do so, and my record of reassuring Yang is spotty at best...but I have to help her. She doesn't have anyone else. I will never take Ruby's place, neither do I want to, but if I can at least get Yang to pull through...then maybe

Blake paused, cat ears twitching towards the nearby bed as she was alerted to Yang's heartbeat accelerating. Just as Blake's gaze switched from her journal to focusing on Yang, the blonde – whose back was to Blake – propped herself up on one arm all of a sudden.

"Blake?" Yang then sat up fully, hands patting the mattress at her sides in a bit of a panic, looking around urgently. "Blake, where are you?"

Immediately reacting to the distress in her girlfriend's voice, Blake was fast to stand straight up from her chair, but made sure to appear calm in her movement towards the bed. "I'm right here, Yang," she said quietly as she approached.

Yang's head snapped to her general direction, and the moment the Faunus sat down, she pulled Blake into a constraining, frightened hug. "Blake, oh, my God, I thought you left…" she breathed, voice shaking.

The usually so confident girl's heart was beating frantically – Blake could feel it against her own chest, Yang was holding her so tightly. She had legitimately been terrified that Blake had gone. Worried, Blake wrapped her own arms around Yang's back securely. "I'm right here," she repeated in a whisper. "It's okay, I promise." One of her hands rubbed slow, reassuring circles on Yang's back while the other gently embraced the blonde's head, hoping it would help her calm down.

It took a moment before Yang responded. She buried her face in Blake's shoulder, grip not relenting. "Thank you for being there," she murmured, and let out long, pained sigh. She was silent after that, but she continued to hug Blake, as if she was still scared that the Faunus would go somewhere if she let go.

Blake stared at the wall, concern making her crease her eyebrows. She didn't stop the motions on Yang's back, saddened by her partner's struggle against this fear of abandonment and knowing there was nothing else that could be done except being there. But Blake had stopped running a long time ago, and this she would do for Yang as long as Yang needed her. It seemed to work, to a certain extent, too – little by little, the brawler's heart found its regular, strong thud as she grew reassured that Blake was present and not going anywhere.

The silence stretched on, but then Yang spoke again, softly, "You left in the middle of the night…" And before Blake could deny that or reply that it was morning now, Yang added, woeful, "Does this count as a three-night stand? Or is it two? I…forget how many times we've slept together."

It took all of two seconds for Blake to realize that her prankster of a partner was finally making a joke. It was just that Yang had sounded so serious… And then when Blake understood what the joke entailed, she became mortified. "Yang," she hissed, face heating up at the implications and embrace starting to loosen. But Yang refused to let go, and a low rumble of laughter started in her chest. She pushed against Blake to stop the Faunus from escaping, and the two girls ended up rolling at the bottom end of the bed, Blake struggling to get away from her incorrigible girlfriend while Yang just continued to chuckle.

"Yang Xiao Long! We did not have s – I-I mean, don't make jokes like that."

They came to a stop, Yang on top of Blake and still snickering into the raven-haired girl's shoulder. Blake just laid there, feeling the sturdy weight of Yang's body on hers, face on fire and heart pounding. The blonde's laughter died down soon enough, and they were quiet again for a few seconds. "I'm just…I'm happy that you're here," Yang eventually admitted. She slipped part-way off Blake, cuddling against her partner's side and keeping her head on Blake's shoulder.

Still trying to calm her breathing, Blake closed her eyes for a moment, refocusing on conversation. Yang made it incredibly difficult to behave sometimes. "And I'm happy to be here for you," she finally responded, hoping she sounded gentle. She opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling, and then glanced down at the mane of golden hair before her affectionately.

"Was I dreaming, or were you purring earlier?" Yang mumbled.

Feeling mildly self-conscious again, Blake hesitated. Why was Yang an expert at discovering dirty little secrets? "I…um, yes. I was. I was…purring."

There was a pause. "…That happy, huh?"

Blake didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. Or maybe she just didn't trust her tongue to spout anything intelligent. Or maybe Yang just struck her speechless sometimes, for no actual valid reason.

Yang separated from Blake a little, propping herself up on one arm to see the reserved girl's expression. Blake found herself staring into gorgeous pools of lilac speckled with dark violet, messy blonde locks tumbling over Yang's shoulder and curtaining one side of their faces, and Blake's breath caught when she realized how close they were - and how much closer she wished they were. "If you woke up in the arms of the person you love most…" she started in a whisper, careful but hopelessly enamored. Tentatively, her hand reached up and cupped Yang's jaw, wondering how much she could permit herself without creating a rift between them - without burning, this near to the flame. Her eyes glanced down at the beautiful young woman's lips, those curvy, mischievous lips that spelled trouble all around, but Blake was fast to meet Yang's gaze again, barely allowing herself to breathe. And then she realized she had forgotten what she had even been saying.

But Yang, much like some holy creature impervious to magic, broke the spell by lowering her regard and creasing her eyebrows, deliberating. "I know," she murmured. Gentle fingers wrapped around Blake's wrist, and Yang brought their hands back down. "I'm sorry, Blake. We'll get there." She hesitated, and then added, "I'm…gonna go shower. Then we can have breakfast." With that, she moved away from Blake and went to grab her suitcase, putting an official end to the moment. She may as well have brought the warmth in the whole world with her, too.

Blake was left to lie there, suddenly cold and numb, but she propped herself up on her elbows in time to regretfully watch Yang disappear into the bathroom. When she heard the door lock, Blake just let herself fall back onto the mattress, heart beating in her ears. Her fault. She'd gone too far. This desire to kiss Yang was unacceptable in their current predicament. She had to show more restraint – Yang wasn't ready to try taking that step yet.

The Faunus sighed, cat ears leaning backwards as she passed her hand through her hair. It wouldn't happen again. Blake refused to pressure Yang. There would be no more thinking about it, no more hoping for it. Blake had already voiced her want – now it was all up to Yang. End of story.

About an hour later, once Yang was showered and dressed and ready for the day, the young couple made their way out of their room and down to the lobby level of the hotel. It was there that they found the breakfast area, a somewhat small but comfortable looking café. There were only a few other patrons present, quiet conversations carrying with the smell of toast and coffee – which Yang immediately went for once she spotted the counter. Blake followed, but instead of coffee and toast, poured herself some green tea and grabbed a fruit muffin. The two girls then found a table for two near one of the walls and took their seats.

Yang took a bite out of her toast while Blake blew softly on her tea, and the blonde seemed to chew slowly, thinking. Once she swallowed, she said, "I don't think I properly thanked you for yesterday."

"What about?" Blake prompted, patient and arching one of her eyebrows. She wanted to say that Yang had already professed a few thank-yous as it was and that no others were necessary, but Yang apparently had this on her mind, and Blake gladly obliged.

Yang looked down. "Well…holding me back. Keeping my anger in check. I, um… Nobody except Ruby was ever really able to do that." She cleared her throat. "I still don't know how I feel about everything, but I think I'm happy that I listened to you. Especially if…well, especially if you're happy that I did."

Blake put her tea down, hands wrapped around the cup for warmth as she considered this. She eventually met Yang's uncertain stare. "I didn't want you to do it for me," she replied honestly. "I'm proud that you controlled yourself, yes, but I also wanted you to do it for you. On the spur of the moment, making Raven suffer seemed like the right thing to do – and I'll admit that, at the time, there was a certain satisfaction in hitting her. But I wish I hadn't done it. In five, ten or twenty years from now, would you be able to look back on that violence and not regret it, too, no matter your reasons?"

"I don't know," Yang muttered. Her expression darkened. "I just...don't know. You saw her, too, Blake. She didn't care. And she's done so much wrong… If I'm being truthful, I don't share the regret you have for your actions."

Blake hesitated. She agreed with her partner to a certain extent, of course, but… The raven-haired girl gathered her courage and sighed deeply. "Yang, I need you to understand something. Raven isn't being kept in there because of Ruby. I know it's difficult to accept, but Ruby attacked first and Raven legitimately wasn't the one who hurt her. According to the law, your mother is innocent in that regards, especially with it being all too easy for her to plead self-defense. And they wouldn't lock her up for abandoning her family. That's…the harsh reality."

Yang was silent, but the Faunus noticed the tension in the brawler's shoulders and how tightly she gripped her cup of coffee. "I think I knew that, deep down," she finally let out, glaring at her plate. "Maybe it's part of the reason why I'm so angry. It just… It's not fair."

"No, it's not," Blake conceded. "And I will stand by you on that. But whatever Raven was doing, whatever reason she had for leaving you… We haven't heard the full side of her story. We don't actually know what the experiments were. Yang…what I'm trying to say is that Raven is a huntress like you and I are training to be, and no matter how ethically wrong her means may be, she's still not an enemy. And I don't think you could have lived with yourself had you just…beaten her or, worse, killed her."

Yang's glower met golden furiously. "Are you defending her?"

Blake's eyes widened a little. This seemed oddly familiar, and not in a necessarily good way. Blake was arguing like Qrow had, of all people. But this was important. She couldn't let Yang focus on just a single side of the events. "Yang…have you ever weighed the fact that Raven didn't get rid of you? That she…still brought you full-term? And that she didn't mean to hurt Ruby? What do you think that says about her?"

"I…" Yang seemed to struggle with herself, but whatever won the internal battle made her lose her glare. She swallowed hard. "I guess…her priorities are…elsewhere."

"And that doesn't make her actions okay. Believe me, Yang, Raven's behavior has every cause for reproach. But that doesn't make her a bad person. If it did…well, I wouldn't be much better, and you should hate me, too."

"But, Blake, you left the White Fang!" Yang countered in a hushed voice. "You realized you were wrong, and you did something about it. You care. My mother – she doesn't deserve that kind of forgiveness!"

It was about then that Blake knew she had to level with Yang to diffuse the conversation. And she was fine with doing that because, ultimately, they were in agreement. She wasn't against Yang and she wanted the blonde to know that. They were on the same team, they were partners, and Blake was willing to go through the worst and back for Yang - heartache, heartbreak included. That was what mattered at the moment. So, Blake made her voice calm and hopefully appeasing as she said, "You're right, Yang. As of yet, Raven has done nothing deserving of leniency. And I'm not asking you to forgive her. All I'm saying is that because we don't have all the facts or the full story, you could maybe try…reigning in some of your anger."

"Blake, we may never know all the facts or the full story!"

"I understand that. But that's why you should keep control over your emotions – just enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. Nothing else. And I promise I'll be the first to make her pay if she ever tries to hurt you again." Tentatively, Blake reached out and placed her hand on top of Yang's clenched fist. "I'm with you, Yang, for as long as you'll have me. I just want to ensure your happiness, and holding grudges only poisons that."

It was clear that Yang loathed to compromise at the moment, but Blake knew she would give it some thought. And, really, that was all Blake could hope to achieve right now, and it was alright. Yang might have been brash and often guided by the whims of her emotions, but she was smart and kind, too, and these were among the reasons why Blake had faith in her companion. She just had to keep being patient.

They finished their breakfast without saying much else, lost in their own musings, and after a while, returned to their hotel room. After verifying the time, they saw that there was still about an hour left before they had to meet up with Frederick. Yang sat on the edge of her bed and whipped out her scroll to call Weiss. Their conversation was short, as the heiress had no news about Ruby to provide, and the brawler didn't seem to be in a good enough mood to attempt any other lighter topics.

"There's something else I should tell you before you hang up."

Blake's cat ears twitched curiously, able to hear Weiss' voice fairly easily in the silence of the room. She'd reclined on the other bed, leafing through a pamphlet that advertised activities to do in Atlas as she tried not to listen in on the call, but Weiss' interruption had been too obvious.

Blake glanced at Yang, and the blonde raised her eyebrows before prompting, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Sun and Neptune just got here. They heard about what happened and came to offer their support." Weiss paused. "Come back as soon as possible. I don't want to keep them entertained for longer than necessary."

This actually elicited an upwards quirk of Yang's lips. "Whatever you say, princess. The flight is still gonna be eight hours. How long are they staying?"

"I don't know. They aren't leaving right now, anyway – not Vale, not Ruby, and especially not me. I can't hold them off for much longer. I'm hoping they'll leave once they see you two. In any case –"

Weiss was interrupted by Sun's voice in the background shouting, "Hey, Yang! We're waiting for you and Blake! Say hi to her for me!"

Followed by, "Dude, shouldn't you just call her?"

Weiss quickly spoke again, ignoring the guys. "Do not miss your flight. Bye."

"Alright, bye." Weiss having probably already ended the call, Yang just had to slip her scroll back into her pocket. She then regarded Blake, still looking vaguely amused. "I guess you heard all that?"

Blake responded with a movement of her head. Although unexpected, it was kind of Sun and Neptune to take time out of their vacation days to travel all the way from Haven to offer their support. However, Blake wasn't entirely duped – Neptune liked Weiss, and Sun had made his interest in Blake, herself, quite clear. The bookworm highly doubted their sole purpose for visiting was out of the kindness of their hearts or for Yang and Ruby. If anything, they were visiting to 'console' the 'woebegone' Blake and Weiss. Nevertheless, some kind of effort was there. It had to be appreciated.

Suddenly, Blake's scroll started beeping, alerting her to an incoming call. She didn't need to check the screen to know who it was. With a sigh, she took it out and stared at it without answering. She didn't have any issues with Sun, per se, and he was friendly to talk to, but she was alone in a hotel room with Yang, and it hardly seemed fair to give her attention to someone else in the present circumstances.

But then Yang said, "You should answer that. He hasn't seen you in a while."

Blake stared at her girlfriend, searching for any signs of her being bothered, but there were none. She was being genuine. So, Blake sat up and swiped the screen before bringing the scroll to her ear and saying, "Hello, Sun."

"Hey, Blake! How's it going?"

Wanting to return to Yang, Blake hoped to keep this conversation short. Details could be given at a later date, if necessary. "Good." She paused. "…What about you?"

"I'm great! I mean, sorta. I heard what happened. Did Yang tell you Neptune and I are in Vale?"

Yang extended her hand towards Blake, beckoning for something, and Blake creased her eyebrows at her, confused about what she wanted. "Yeah, I overheard her conversation with Weiss," she replied to Sun, and added, "What happened to Sage and Scarlet?"

Yang pointed at the pamphlet on the edge of Blake's bed, and the Faunus clued in.

"Oh, you know," Sun tried to brush off the question. "Sage has his girlfriend, and Scarlet, like, just wanted to get back home for the summer break. That kinda stuff. I mean, I sent them a message, but they couldn't make it."

He said a few other things, of which Blake only paid half attention to as she gave Yang the pamphlet with her free hand. The blonde then smiled dashingly before giving a quick wink as a thanks before settling down, reclining against the pillows placed between the headboard and her back.

"Blake?"

Golden eyes blinked as the raven-haired girl refocused on Sun. "Sorry," she mumbled, wondering why Yang was flirting with her now. "Yang was just… Anyway. What about you and Neptune? Aren't you on vacation, too?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not like we were doing anything. Plus, we figured we hadn't seen you guys in a while." It was Sun's turn to pause, seemingly realizing this topic required him to show more compassion. "How are you holding up?"

Blake glanced at Yang again, who, instead of watching something on the holoscreen or playing a game on her scroll or doing anything that would make interrupting noises, was quietly reading the pamphlet with interest like an angel. "We're…slowly feeling better. It's going to take time."

"You, too?" Sun wondered.

Blake realized she'd spoken for both Yang and herself. Their relationship with Ruby wasn't the same, and it was only normal for them to be affected differently, but it seemed Sun wanted to know how Blake, specifically, was feeling. "Yes. We can talk more when Yang and I return to Vale." She inwardly sighed. "Thank you for calling, Sun." She did mean this.

He hesitated. "Yeah, sure… No problem! See you soon, Blake!"

"Yes. See you." Blake was quick to put an end to the call. She sighed outwardly this time and put her scroll back into her pocket. A short silence followed.

"You know…" Yang eventually drawled, and Blake looked at her. "At some point, we're gonna have to tell him you're wearing sunscreen."

This sounded familiar, but the Faunus couldn't really put her finger on it. "What?" she asked, once again puzzled.

Yang's lips twitched upwards. "We're gonna have to tell him you're taken. All those UV rays hitting on you can't be healthy."

Ah. That joke. That's what it was. Blake remembered now. Although, it also prompted her to ask, "Does it bother you?"

Lilac eyes blinked, not expecting the question. Yang lowered the pamphlet, turning her attention to Blake. "I, um…" Her eyebrows furrowed, looking unsure. There was a part of Blake that was, frankly, hoping Yang would say yes. And it wasn't because Blake rejoiced in or wanted Yang to feel jealousy – a trait that was usually unbecoming of a person, anyway – but if Sun hitting on Blake bothered her, then it meant Yang did feel some form of deeper possessiveness. That said, it could have just been her insecurity manifesting itself again – and that needed to be worked on.

But Yang didn't even answer the question, much to Blake's disappointment. Instead, she slowly sat up and crossed her legs, putting the pamphlet on the bed beside her before clasping her hands in her lap. She didn't say anything else for a moment, and Blake waited, patient but concerned. Finally, though, Yang asked in a murmur, "Do you ever think about what you would have done if I hadn't agreed to date you?"

It was tempting to remind Yang that she was the one who had suggested dating in the first place, but Blake knew now wasn't the time for a game of technicalities. This was definitely sounding like Yang's insecurity speaking, and although it could have been curiosity, too, the golden girl appeared too dismal for the question to merely be out of general interest. Blake lowered her eyes. "It never crossed my mind, no." She gazed at her hands, recalling how Yang had held them in that life-altering instant on the beach, a little less than three months ago. So much had happened since then. "I'm grateful to be with you, Yang, and I don't dare imagine a life in which you would have rejected me."

"That's not…" Yang sighed and mumbled, "I mean, I appreciate that, but what I meant is…you could have dated Sun or something. You could've…not had to deal with –" Yang gestured with her hand, trying to encompass the metaphorical everything, "– all of this."

And so, what went around came around. But despite the topic having returned to Sun, what Yang was expressing wasn't jealousy. It was melancholy and mild wonder. Therefore, although it was a bit of a shot in the dark, Blake guessed, "You think I could have been happier without you. That Sun could have been a better choice."

Yang shrugged, despondent. "Look at me, Blake. I'm a mess. I'm hardly the person you need me to be."

There was a sort of irony in how inverted their situations suddenly seemed. But they were two different people with two different backgrounds, and what had helped Blake would probably not be as helpful for Yang. It was part of the process, though, wasn't it? Adapting to each other? Learning to deal with these things together? Blake's confidence had been boosted by Yang's near-constant reassurances and her own growing confidence in their relationship, and, with these, Blake had slowly come to accept that being a Faunus – feline instincts, physical resemblances, and all – did not make her a monster or anything less than human, and that she was worthy of affection. In fact, she felt somewhat at peace with these facts, going so far as initiating affection and returning the reassurances, herself.

But these actions would not help Yang, not in the same way they had helped Blake. Blake may have experienced betrayal, loneliness, anger, loss, and trust issues – and might still have had to deal with these feelings every now and then – just like Yang had, but Yang's hurt all stemmed from abandonment. Yang needed time and stability above all.

"Yang, you know I felt the exact same way. I still do, sometimes," Blake finally responded. She stood from her bed and tentatively sat next to her companion on the other. "But who is to say what I need except me? No matter what, you are still the woman I fell in love with. I want you to be happy and feel like yourself, but I don't need you to be anything except you. I'm just here to help."

Yang stared at Blake for a moment, but then she turned her head away. Her expression shifted from reluctant to pensive, and then she wondered absent-mindedly, "A woman, huh?" Pensive became slightly amused as Yang looked at the Faunus from the corner of her eyes.

Blake would have probably given a hefty sum to know her girlfriend's thoughts, but if the glint in those lilac irises was telling of anything, it seemed Blake had said something right. Testing the waters, Blake decided to add – gently, though, and sincerely, "And not just physically."

Yang's eyebrows rose comically, but her lips twitched into a smirk as she turned to face her partner entirely again. "Blake Belladonna, are you checking me out?"

Blake's eyes widened, heat rising to her cheeks. Clearly, flirting was not her forte. "U-um, what? No, I-I was just –"

Yang's smirk became a full, mischievous grin, emphasizing just how deep Blake had dug her own grave. "Well, since you seem to have difficulty collecting your thoughts right now, maybe we can start with what you do know. So…what exactly makes me a woman physically, Blake?"

"I…" Probably, Blake's entire face was red, and Yang had become the very last thing she wanted to look at all of a sudden, taking a mighty interest in the pamphlet on the bed between them. Side note: A fun activity to do in Atlas was ice-sculpture competitions.

"It's the boobs, right? I knew it was the boobs."

Blake, now hiding her face with her hands and wishing death would take her now that she was ten feet under, muttered under her breath, "And those hips certainly don't lie…"

Yang actually laughed. It wasn't one of her hearty, infectious laughs, but it was amazing to hear after so long nonetheless. "Oh, Blake. And you call me incorrigible."

Blake lowered her hands, face on fire. "But you are, and this is exactly why."

"What? Because I flirt with you?" Yang snickered.

Blake struggled to keep calm. "No, of course not. You're just so…so…"

The blonde leaned in closer to her partner, inches away from Blake's face, a teasing smile on those lascivious lips. "I'm just so…?" Yang batted her eyelashes.

Blake's heart hammered in her chest. She knew Yang wasn't going to kiss her. This was just Yang teasing, flirting harmlessly, and Blake only gave her fuel when she reacted with so much embarrassment. So, convincing herself that Yang was just playing games – and understanding that this was what Yang always did – Blake managed to gain a semblance of composure. She met the mocking lilac stare that was so close to her own and murmured, unimpressed but still putting an effort into holding herself together, "You're very crass, Xiao Long. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Yang leaned away, proving Blake correct. The prankster chuckled, amused as she slowly shook her head. "I see how it is now. I can only get those adorable reactions for the first few seconds, then you become a bummer again."

"I'm a bummer, am I? You're all bark, Yang. It's disconcerting at first, but then it's easy to brush off." It actually wasn't, but Blake had given Yang enough fuel as it was.

Yang faked offense. "How even dare you? I can bite if I want."

Blake narrowed her eyes before arching her eyebrows in skepticism. She wasn't really in the teasing mood, not after the serious conversation they had been having intermittently, and certainly not after having to deal with her own awkwardness, but if Yang really was going to insist on this game in particular, then Blake could play, too. It seemed only fair. "No, Yang. I can bite if you want."

Yang blinked, realization dawning on her. But then she chortled again. "Well, that turned on me real quick. I take it back. You aren't a bummer. Don't bite me."

"Thanks, I won't." Blake paused, regarding her partner, and then asked, "So, what do you want to do?"

Yang looked around, as if the hotel room would miraculously grant her the answer. Apparently, it did. "We could just watch something for a bit. Wanna?" She motioned towards the holoscreen.

Taking this offer of truce, Blake nodded. "Sure. It'll pass the time."

Yang hopped into motion, finding the remote on the table in the corner of the room and then returning to the bed. She got comfortable against the headboard again and then looked at Blake expectantly, raising her arm a little. "C'mere."

The Faunus didn't argue. She moved towards her girlfriend and settled down against Yang, partially on her side, resting her head on her companion's upper chest and her hand naturally going to Yang's abdomen. The blonde wrapped her arm around Blake's shoulders and then turned the holoscreen on.

While Yang flipped through the channels, Blake was able to regain the rest of her composure, chasing the remaining awkwardness away. And then she remembered that their conversation had initially been serious and that Yang had side-stepped and altogether evaded the question of jealousy. It seemed insidiousness ran in the family. But it was too late to return to the discussion now, and the fact that Yang hadn't answered the matter directly hinted that she either didn't know or didn't want to answer. They could come back to it later, probably.

So, Blake relaxed against her warm partner. First, the two watched the local news for a bit before Yang decided to search for something else, eventually finding a daytime talk show that neither really cared for but were familiar with from Vale. But it didn't seem to matter – not to Blake, anyway. She was satisfied with snuggling up against Yang, holoscreen or not, for the next twenty minutes or so. After all this stress – in Vale and in Atlas – and after Raven and Winter and Yang's increasingly infrequent breakdowns, Blake felt glad to be able to lie here for a bit. There was nothing more important in her life right now than Yang, and although the blonde still might have had a bit to go in terms of recovery, Blake wasn't going to shy away from this opportunity to love and be loved – maybe not that quite yet, if ever, but she was happy to be in Yang's arms nevertheless.

Blake jolted awake. Immediately, she realized there was something very urgent for her to check and bolted upright to turn and stare at the time. The numbers took a brief moment to register in her brain, but then she relaxed a little. They weren't late. There were still a few minutes left before it was time for them to go outside.

Blake turned back towards Yang and saw that the brawler was looking at her in amusement, eyebrows quirked. "A little on our toes, are we?"

Cat ears leaned backwards. "Sorry. We should… We should probably start getting ready." Saving face was another thing Blake wasn't very good at, it seemed.

Yang's lips curved into a smile. "Blakey, it's okay. There's no rush." But then she added, teasing, "You can sleep on my lap on the airship, since you're so tired. I'll protect you from the time monsters."

Blake rubbed her face. "I'm not…" She sighed. There was no point in arguing that one. And Yang being facetious was a relief, if anything.

Also, time monsters? Blake wasn't awake enough to deal with that nonsense. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"Maybe."

Blake rolled her eyes. How funny that Yang should feel creeped out if Blake did that to her but the reverse was untrue. The Faunus let it slide. "We should get going – for real. We have to check out first."

"Alright, alright." Yang shut the holoscreen off and then stood up. She stretched, arms high above her head and shirt riding up her lower abdomen. Apparently knowing that Blake was watching – enthralled, really – the blonde commented, "Yup, all woman here…"

Blake immediately turned away and went to the bathroom to check if they were missing anything while Yang burst into quiet laughter behind her. Fortunately, the prankster stopped with the flirting after that last joke and helped pack everything up. Once they were certain they had all their belongings and that the room was tidy, the young couple, weapons equipped, headed down to the lobby level to check out at the reception desk.

Afterwards, Blake and Yang made their way outside. Unlike the night previous, the weather wasn't as cold thanks to the sun shining brightly in the sky. Even Blake, who generally disliked the cold, managed to find the temperature somewhat tolerable. That said, Yang had lent her heavy jacket to Blake, not really needing it, herself, so that did have an impact on Blake's perspective. The snow crunched under their boots, and the girls saw that Frederick's sedan was parked not too far away on the side of the road.

"How long do you think he's been waiting there?" Yang asked discreetly.

"Probably a while."

"Do you think we should stand around here and make him wait a little longer?"

Blake was about to respond negatively, but then the driver's door swung open and Frederick stepped out, just as slick as he was yesterday in professional suit attire.

"I think he needs shades," Yang confessed, not bothering to be discreet now that she could be heard by the butt of her jokes – more Yang-logic. "He'd look pretty cool in shades. I'm gonna go tell him that." Yang walked forward to meet up with Frederick.

Blake stared after her in disbelief. That poor man. Her gaze turned into a squint. If Yang wanted to keep making jokes… There was no love lost between Blake and the Schnees – or their employees, really – but Frederick had been courteous with them and Yang was making his life difficult for no reason, and Blake decided to save him just this once. She let go of her suitcase and bent down towards the snow, gathering some into her hands and quickly packing it into a ball.

Yang had almost reached Frederick. The snowball hit her square in the back with an audible thump.

The brawler froze, and Blake calmly grabbed her suitcase's handle again before walking towards her. Yang turned around. Wide lilac met unperturbed golden. "Did you just –"

"Yes."

Yang started to respond, hands on her hips and pout on her face. "Great, now I'm w–"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off by Frederick when he called out, "Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao Long, your flight departs in less than an hour. I suggest you hurry."

Blake knew what Yang had been about to say. She also knew it would have been another attempt at making her blush. Therefore, Blake was obliged to swiftly take a handful of snow from a nearby bush and proceed to let it fall into the back of Yang's shirt as she passed by.

"Gah!" Yang wriggled, trying to (unsuccessfully) grasp the snow, and Blake almost laughed at the spectacle. It didn't last long, though, Yang's patent body heat rapidly melting the cool intruder. "You fiend!"

Blake grinned and handed her suitcase to Frederick. "Come on, Yang! Stop wasting so much time."

"So funny!" Yang exclaimed, pulling her luggage again. "Dying of laughter! I can't contain myself!"

Blake got into the car, pretending to ignore her companion's voice, although the smile never left her face. She knew Yang wasn't upset with her. If Yang dished it out, she should have been able to take it, too, and Blake knew she did.

A few moments later, Yang settled into the backseat on the other side of the car and gave Blake a look. "You're not my friend anymore," she said, childlike as she put on her seatbelt.

"Well, that's unfortunate," Blake commented with her typical half-smirk. "I was just thinking I could share my lunch with you. But since we're no longer friends…"

The trunk closed, and Frederick headed for the driver's side.

"Fine. Doesn't matter to me – my lunch is gonna be first-class airship delicacies anyway. So, there."

Blake gave her a fake impressed look. "Not bad. It's like you're one of those snobby rich kids."

Yang chuckled then, breaking character as Frederick got into the car. Undisturbed by his presence, they continued to banter back and forth like that on the drive back to the airport, enjoying this much-needed downtime and stress-free conversation.

They relaxed on the airship, too, this time sitting next to each other right away. And as the airship began its flight away from Atlas, the girls watched the city slowly fade from view together. They wouldn't miss the weather or the omnipresent feeling of cold, and their experience with Atlas was mostly summarized by an unpleasant encounter with Raven and all her secrets. But at least Blake and Yang had spent some time together, just the two of them, and that counted as a good thing.

And now they were heading back to Vale, and Blake could only hope Yang's mood wouldn't falter and keep sliding. By heading back to Vale, they were heading back to Ruby and Weiss, who had abandoned them, and the visitors Sun and Neptune, who would cause problems in their own ways. Yang seemed to be alright at the moment, but Blake feared that today's banter and the positive vibes would fail them both as soon as they were forced back into a broken routine. But Blake would do anything for Yang, and she'd do her best to stop the worst from happening.

"Hey, Blake!"

The Faunus barely had time to exit the terminal before a certain blond-haired, monkey-tailed individual was embracing her tightly. Bewildered, she managed to return the hug a little, but she definitely felt awkward. "How'd the flight go? How was Atlas? Do you need help with anything?"

Bombarded by questions and still caught in the lasting embrace in public, Blake was a little at a loss for replies. She did manage, though, "Uh, Sun, hi – you can let me go."

"Oh, right! Sorry." Sun backed away, grinning broadly. "But for real. Can I help you with that? Your suitcase, maybe?"

"Uh," Blake looked around for Yang and saw that she was occupied, talking with Neptune and – lo and behold – Weiss not too far away. The bookworm returned her attention to Sun. "Yeah, sure. Thanks." She handed him the luggage, keeping Yang's jacket draped over her forearm and Gambol Shroud on her back.

"No problem! So, was it cold in Atlas?"

"It… Yes. It was." It was also difficult for Blake to concentrate with so many people around, and what she really wanted was get to some place quieter. But Sun didn't seem to know that, and he appeared to be waiting for a bit of a longer explanation. "There was snow, if that helps," Blake elaborated.

"Oh, wow. That's, like…way colder than here. Did you like it?" His dark grey eyes were excited, apparently showing just how happy he was to see Blake.

"Not really. And I lost my coat. Yang had to lend me hers." Blake glanced around nervously again, and her eyes caught sight of Yang's gaze momentarily. But that was all she needed. Yang seemed to quickly excuse herself from Weiss and Neptune, motioning for them to follow, and the three walked over to Blake and Sun.

"Oh. Well…"

"Hey, Blake," Neptune greeted in his smooth voice, interrupting Sun, and she nodded at him in response. Sun welcomed Yang casually.

"We should go somewhere less crowded to keep talking," Yang then suggested, and her hand slipped into Blake's, much to the reserved girl's relief. Nobody seemed to question Yang's words, and the group made their way outside. Vale's weather was indeed a lot warmer than Atlas'. It was the end of the day here, but it was nowhere near cool, and they would probably be going out to eat supper together eventually. Maybe. First, though, Yang and Blake would have to get their suitcases back to the academy.

There were definitely fewer people outside than inside, and the group of five stood in the warm air together, lingering beside the road of the airport's international arrivals terminal. Blake let go of Yang's hand once they had stopped, but the young couple shared an affectionate glance.

"So, Neptune and I have been bugging Weiss about this, but we don't actually know where we could sleep…" Sun turned towards them, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"For the record, they never asked about sleeping arrangements until now," Weiss huffed, glaring at Sun. "I'm sure Nora and Ren won't mind letting you two stay in their room. Pyrrha and Jaune are absent."

"I'm cool with that," Neptune agreed easily.

"Sounds good to me, too. Where do we want to eat? I'm starved. Anywhere's great."

"Slow down, there, buddy," Yang motioned with her hand at the same time. "Blake and I have to get our luggage back to Beacon first. Then we can eat."

Blake didn't really like imposing herself here, but she was tired. "Preferably in the cafeteria," she added. "If that's alright? These past few days and the flying have been exhausting."

They all looked at each other, checking to see if anyone objected to this. Since no one spoke up, their plans for the first part of the evening were therefore decided. The group headed off, walking to the harbor area of the airport and waiting in the terminal for the next departure to Beacon Academy. About an hour later, they were making their way down Beacon's auburn dormitory hallways until they reached Team RWBY's room.

Yang tossed her suitcase onto her bunk before heading straight for the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Sun looked questioningly at Blake. "Do I put this on your bed?" He still had her luggage.

Blake had started detaching Gambol Shroud from her back. She nodded. "Yes, please."

He immediately went over to Blake's bunk and set the suitcase down on the mattress.

"How long are you going to be?" Weiss wondered in the bookworm's direction. She was standing by the doorway with Neptune.

Blake raised her eyebrows. "I don't know. Probably not too long. Why?"

Neptune was the one that answered. "Weiss and I could go down to the cafeteria right now. Maybe start a food fight again."

Weiss seemed to want to protest against that, but then Sun laughed. "I still remember that. It was so awesome."

Blake smiled a little. It was indeed a good memory. She turned back to Weiss. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Great. See you guys down there," Neptune winked, suave as usual, and then he and Weiss exited the room, leaving Sun and Blake to stand by themselves.

Blake returned her attention to her weapon, verifying that it was still clean and in working order, and then walked over to her bunk, where she crouched down to get Gambol Shroud's case from under the bedframe.

Sun stood beside her, not saying anything for a moment. It was only once Blake had pulled the case out and put it on her bed that he spoke up. "Hey, Blake?"

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "Hm?"

After briefly testing that it would hold his weight, he leaned his shoulder against the precariously-made bunk supports. "Since it's just you and me right now… How are you holding up about Ruby? Like, for real?"

Blake had unclasped the case's locks and opened it. She recalled not telling Sun how she, specifically, felt about Ruby's situation, so it didn't come as a surprise that he was asking her about it now – and he was apparently under the belief that she hadn't told him because Yang had been with her. "I'm fine, Sun." She wasn't, not really – there had been no time or opportunity for her to deal with how she felt concerning Ruby – but she wasn't about to get into that now. "I'm not saying it's easy, but I'm managing."

It was right about then that Yang came out of the bathroom. Sun looked back briefly, but his focus returned to Blake. Understanding that the conversation was over, he nevertheless said seriously, "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. You can totally give me a call or something." He grinned. "And I'll, like, stow away on the next boat and come see you ASAP."

It was sweet of Sun that he was willing to do that much for Blake. Truly. But as she put her weapon into the case, she caught sight of Yang pretending to check over her gauntlets in the background, and lilac irises sent a meaningful glance her way.

Blake closed the case, finding that she actually wasn't a fan of turning down this sincere offer. Still, it needed to be done. "Thank you, Sun. But, um…there's already someone I can confide in." Golden met dark grey. "Yang's my girlfriend."

Sun blinked and then looked at Yang again. His expression went from surprised to slightly confused. "Wait, what?" He looked between the two girls again and chuckled a bit awkwardly. "Okay then. If you say so." Amused dark grey met golden again.

Blake narrowed her eyes a bit. He sounded like he didn't actually believe her. Or was at least uncertain about the whole thing. But Sun couldn't have been that dense. Maybe he was just trying to take the news lightly. So, Blake repeated, hoping it would emphasize her rejection, "Thank you, though." She then put the case back where it belonged beneath her bed.

Yang motioned for the door with her head. "Let's go. I'm guessing Weiss and Neptune went ahead of us? Wouldn't want to keep them waiting for too long. Who knows what they'll get up to." She kept her tone joking, but Blake heard the strain behind her words.

The positive vibes had begun to fade.

"Nah, Neptune's too much of a nerd to pull any moves," Sun replied, matching Yang's façade of jocosity but completely oblivious to the underlying stress. He went towards the door. "We might catch them playing chess if we're quiet enough."

Yang's lips curved upwards, but the smile never reached her eyes. "Right. C'mon, Blake."

And so it was with a familiar feeling of anxiousness trickling coldly down her spine that Blake followed them out.

SCENE SPOOF

Blake returned her attention to her weapon, verifying that it was still clean and in working order, and then walked over to her bunk, where she crouched down to get Gambol Shroud's case from under the bedframe.

Sun stood beside her, not saying anything for a moment, uncharacteristically lost in thought. It was only once Blake had pulled the case out and put it on her bed that he spoke up, real serious. "Hey, Blake?"

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "Hm?"

After briefly testing that it would hold his weight, he leaned his shoulder against the precariously-made bunk supports. "Since it's just you and me right now… I was just wondering…" He leaned in closer, a tall build of muscle and attractive masculinity, and Blake's cat ears leaned backwards as he unexpectedly made puppy-dog eyes and asked, as if afraid, "Do you think Glynda-sensei will notice me if I wear lime green spandex undies for her? To match her pretty eyes?"

Blake stared back in horror.

Chapter Text

Yang had a way with guys. She had learned that very quickly as she entered her teenage years. Whether it was the blonde hair or the bright smile or the feminine figure or the sociable personality or a combination of all that and more, men seemed to just take notice and gravitate towards her. And although the attention was flattering, it was also sometimes a little bit annoying. But she also learned there were advantages to it.

For example, it had been very easy to find and convince a guy to fabricate false IDs for her for free. And now, she didn't even need to call out to the bartender for him to see her at the counter. Nor did she need to wait very long. He finished mixing a drink for another customer, and with a charming smile crossing his lips, came over to Yang, looking dashing in his black vest over a tight, white button-up shirt, accentuating those broad shoulders.

Yang returned the grin and leaned over the glowing purple counter a little. "Hey," she greeted him once he was close enough.

"Hey. What can I do for you, beautiful?"

Part of Yang wanted to flirt back and say something like, "Oh, a lot of things, handsome," but she showed a bit more restraint. Instead, she kept her smile up and said, loud enough to be heard over the music, "Strawberry sunrise, with the cute umbrella, please. Whiskey cola and a vodka tonic. And a round of shots, too."

Amused, he made a bit of a scoffing sound. "Anything else?"

The blonde drummed her fingers. "Yeah, actually. My friend wants to know if you have any champagne?"

"Coming right up," he replied with a smirk and then turned to the wall behind himself to start making the drinks.

Yang stared at his back for a moment, eyebrows quirked mockingly, but then she turned around, too, and observed her surroundings for the fourth time since arriving, a few hours ago. It was her first time coming to this particular nightclub, and immediately upon entering, she found that she loved it. All the way from the ceiling's huge, modern spiral of violet and blue lights to the sheer aura of party every corner bathed in, Yang felt right at home. Pink, purple, red, and blue lasers flashed to the beat of the electric jam the DJ had going on the stage, piercing through the steam created by the fog machines, and a crowd of people were on the dance floor with their glowing bracelets and necklaces, moving in tandem to the throes of the music.

This was her scene, where all the fun and thrill was, and her lilac irises took everything in with wonder. She couldn't believe she hadn't heard of this place sooner. It was her friends who had brought her here for a final evening out together before Yang started her first year at Beacon Academy, which was only a week away now. The small group was here to enjoy tonight to the maximum, and Yang had every intention of doing that. In fact, she had already danced for a while and had drunk enough to get a decent buzz going, but her evening was only just getting started.

"Well, hello there, hot stuff," drawled a voice from beside her.

Yang glanced to her side, seeing another patron sitting at the bar – a man who had to be at least ten years older than she was, and he was clearly drunk.

This was one of the downsides Yang had discovered about her looks: namely, perverts and jerks. She'd learned to deal with those, too. First, she ignored them. If that didn't work, she asked them to leave her alone. And if that didn't work, Yang Xiao Long was perfectly capable of beating a grown man into a pulp. She was a huntress in training, after all, with proficiency in the martial arts.

"I heard you flirting with the bartender. You come here alone?"

Yang pretended he hadn't spoken, keeping her entertained gaze everywhere else but on him. She hadn't even flirted with the bartender - she'd controlled herself.

Fortunately, this guy seemed to have some form of intelligence because when he realized Yang wasn't going to acknowledge him, he returned to his drink with a noncommittal grunt. Yang's shoulders relaxed accordingly.

Sometime afterwards, she turned around again to face the bar and only had to wait a few more moments for all the alcoholic beverages she had ordered. The bartender served them to her on a platter, and Yang thanked him with a wink after telling him to put the cost on the tab she and her friends had opened shortly after arriving. She then took the platter, carefully balancing it as she made her way through the people dancing and then towards one of the tables at the back.

When she was near enough for her friends to spot her approaching, they immediately started whooping and expressing their joy that she'd come back with drinks. Yang grinned at them and set the platter on the table, grabbing her strawberry sunrise and taking a seat on the corner of the table. "Shots for everyone," she declared, gesturing at the glasses. "Knock yourselves out."

"Girl, we're gonna need more than just those for that," one of her friends joked, followed by a few agreements and laughing.

"Yeah, yeah," Yang gibed along with them. "You're all so grateful. I can go get more later."

"Eyyyy!"

"You know we love youuuu!"

They were a group of seven in all, a mix of her friends from Signal and her boyfriend's friends. Her eyes briefly scanned the individual faces – two girls she'd met in elementary and a boy she'd been partnered up with when they'd been building their weapons. There were less familiar faces, ones Yang only knew because they were Chase's pals and she hung out with them sometimes. But then Yang's eyes met Chase's stormy greens, and her smile became more affectionate in nature.

She hadn't met Chase at school. He'd spotted her at the park one day during her early morning run, had decided to join her, and they had been inseparable ever since.

"Thanks, Yang," he said sincerely but with amusement, taking the whiskey cola and bringing it to his lips for a sip.

"No problem, babe. It's just how you like it – four cream and five sugars."

Chase almost choked and quickly brought the glass away from his mouth. "What?"

Yang and several others at the table guffawed. "I'm kidding. It's safe."

He slowly shook his head, but he reached his hand out and Yang slipped her own into his, holding it on her lap. "I thought it tasted right…"

She grinned. They'd been together for just over a year. He was going to turn twenty soon – almost three years older than she was, but the only person who seemed to care was her dad. He didn't quite approve of the relationship because of that, but for all other intents and purposes, Chase was a good, regular, and responsible guy and Yang was happy with him – even her dad had eventually taken a liking to him, too. And Chase was kind with Ruby. That counted for a lot. A lot, a lot.

"Okay, lovebirds! You can stop with the googly-eyes. Time for the shots!"

"Then Yang can go get us some more because she's such a bro."

Yang waved him off. "And I'll keep being a bro so long as you keep paying, buddy." She rubbed her index and thumb together at him.

"Yang is bae. All of our bae."

"Well, she would be if she played for that team… So, really, she's only half of our bae."

That was one of Yang's friends, pretending to hit on her. It was a bit of a joke between them now. She finger-gunned the girl and clicked her tongue. "And don't you forget it, honey-buns." She followed this by exclaiming, "So, are we doing those shots or not?" and putting her strawberry sunrise down to grab one of the smaller glasses.

"Yesshhhh!"

"Everyone ready?"

"Three, two, one, drink!"

Yang brought the shot to her lips and downed it in one short gulp at the same time as the others – except Chase, who wasn't supposed to be getting drunk tonight – and slammed the glass back down. It burned her throat and warmed her belly, but she enjoyed the feeling.

"Whoo! Again!"

"Yang, go!"

"Yaaaaaang!"

"Okay, you bunch of babies! I'm going! I'm going!" Yang stood up, snickering, but didn't let go of Chase's hand. "But Chase is gonna come with me. Right, Chase?"

Her boyfriend stared up at her. "I am? Do you need me?"

"Absolutely! We'll get two rounds." Yang waggled her eyebrows at him, trying to convey that she had something else in mind. She knew perfectly well that he knew what she wanted, but playing hard to get was one of their favorite games. Love was something to always be worked for, after all.

And it helped keep their flame bright.

"But –"

"C'mon, you gorgeous slab of man. Move your butt!" she pulled on his hand, and he finally stood as well, chuckling.

"Alright, alright. Lead the way."

Behind them, the group erupted into whistles and exaggerated thank-yous, and Yang just waved back at them lazily. She would get their shots. Just…not right away. There was something else that interested her for the moment.

She guided Chase through the crowd of people, and once she was sure their friends couldn't see them anymore, she tugged her boyfriend closer. "Wanna dance?" she asked loudly over the sound of the bass.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!"

Chase didn't reply, but he didn't fight or argue. He seemed to be chortling still, in fact, and he followed Yang easily through all the people, not letting go of her hand. They moved a little closer to the stage, and this time it was Chase's turn to pull on Yang, bringing her back against his strong chest, warm hands snaking around her waist. Yang grinned, feeling the bass reverberate through her body, raising her arms and briefly caressing Chase's cheek from behind as she did so. He tightened his hold, beginning to grind against her, and she reciprocated, rolling her hips and taking pleasure from this proximity. His hands continued to roam across her stomach, gentle but firm, and Yang slowly brought her arms back down to shamelessly grab his rear and press him tighter to her gyrating hips.

"Someone's feisty," he commented in her ear, the husk of his deep voice sending goosebumps up her spine.

Yang laughed but didn't reply. They swayed to the music together, and apparently taken by the momentum and beat, Chase suddenly pulled on her arm, turning her around to face him and putting his hands on her waist. She met his stormy green eyes, loving their color and the dark lashes that framed them, and gave him a mischievous smile before flipping her hair one way and gliding her hands down the sides of her own body, rocking her hips. Their hands joined, and he clasped them before spinning her back around to lean flush against his chest again, keeping her hands imprisoned, and their bodies seemed to melt into each other, they were so close. He kissed her neck from behind, and Yang closed her eyes as they found their rhythm, swaying and grinding, hands exploring in a fun and tantalizing way, touching and caressing over their torsos everywhere they could reach, reminiscent of all the loving nights they had spent in each other's arms.

After a while, though, the two found themselves breathless and needing to get off their feet. With little deliberation, they pushed their way out of the throng, heading back to the bar so they could sit for a minute and order those shots Yang had promised their group. After ordering, Yang informed Chase that she would be right back, giving him a happy – if not promising more for later – peck on his cheek before heading to the washrooms.

She came out a few minutes later, feeling refreshed and like she was ready to show her man off some more, dancing or otherwise, but as she made her way back to the bar, dodging servers and flirters alike, her mood momentarily paused and her eyes locked on a little problem ahead of her – sort of like a mosquito that needed to be swatted. Standing beside Yang's sitting boyfriend was a girl. And that girl was chatting with him. And she was leaning against the counter, pushing out her cleavage to where his eyes could not avoid it, and he seemed to be amused by whatever she was saying. The girl had golden-blonde hair, much like Yang's own, but unlike Yang – who was wearing a dress that was fitted around her chest and then flared out just above her knees – this girl was wearing one of the skankiest, brightest dresses in the room, and everything about her screamed 'attention-seeker.'

It was the exact type of cliché that happened in corny romance movies. And it wasn't fun to watch in real life at all.

There was a part of Yang that didn't understand why Chase was even giving that bug the time of day, and she tried to reason with herself that perhaps he was just being friendly – much like she, herself, was with the majority of people. Chase was a nice guy and she trusted him, and that was why she didn't want to jump to conclusions, but she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all. There seemed to be too little distance between them, and the girl was playing with her hair now, and Yang could recognize flirting when she saw it.

She wasn't going to let this continue. So, keeping her temper in check, Yang approached the two at the counter, making her presence known by slipping her hand across Chase's back – low on his back – and asking, "Who's your friend, babe?"

The girl stared at her, expression first surprised but then contorting into something less than pleased.

"I actually don't know," Chase replied with mild amusement. "She didn't give me her name. Just started talking to me." His own arm came to wrap around Yang's waist and then he addressed the girl, "This is my girlfriend, Yang. You might have heard of her. She's pretty popular around here." She wasn't sure about that, though it was flattering, but the more Chase spoke, the sourer the girl's expression became. Yang wasn't exactly amused, but it did ease some of her concern. "I mean, it's no surprise. She's super awesome, super kind, super charming, super hot… I could go on." He tilted his head, checking with Yang, and then returned to the girl. "But what's your name, again?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I'm leaving."

And so she did. Just like that.

Yang didn't bother watching her leave. She turned back towards Chase, giving him a bit of a pouting look. "If you weren't interested, why did you let her talk to you? She was totally flirting – I saw her."

Chase smiled and pulled Yang onto his lap, encircling her waist with his strong arms and kissing her shoulder. "You, Yang Xiao Long, are the most amazing person in the world." He hugged her against him and added, "It was funny listening to her dig her own grave. And I may or may not like it when you get possessive."

"You're a bit of a jerk, you know that, right?"

He chuckled against her neck, warm breath heating her skin. "But you wouldn't have me any other way."

She enjoyed being in his arms like this, and she knew he was being sincere and that she'd initially found his flatteries reassuring, but… "You were kind of brutal."

"You're right. She didn't deserve that."

It was just as he finished saying those words that the bartender handed them their two platters of shots. They thanked him and then the young couple carefully carried the platters back to the table where their group was. They didn't address the topic of the girl again, instead focusing on having fun and chatting with their friends. Chase 'responsibly' refused to take any other alcohol except finishing his whiskey cola, as he was one of the two designated drivers for the evening. Yang took part in only one of the two next rounds of shots, choosing to sip at her strawberry sunrise from then on afterwards. She didn't want to get wasted. They went back to the dance floor as a group for a while and then walked around on the second level for a bit, partaking in a game of 'who-can-spot-the-silliest-looking-partygoer,' their almost-drunken states causing them to laugh and stumble and make fun of each other for their idiocies as they went.

Finally, it was almost three in the morning when the group separated, joining up with their designated drivers to go back home. Chase drove two of Yang's friends from Signal back to their places first, and then it was just her and him on the drive to her father's cabin. The entire ride was hazy, tonight's drinks having brought her to a fantastic level of intoxication, but she remembered making Chase laugh. That was what mattered. His laugh, his happiness. He parked the car on the side of the hidden driveway, out of sight from the house for the time being. It was dark outside, and because Yang lived on the outskirts of Patch, they could hear the crickets chirping from inside the car.

They were silent for a few moments. She thought he would bring her to his place, like he sometimes did when they wanted intimacy. Not tonight, though, it seemed. Yang wasn't entirely sure what to think. But this wasn't really the first time this kind of thing happened.

He was an ordinary guy. He wasn't training to be a huntsman. He worked out plenty, sure, but Chase was a musician. He played bass, guitar, and drums like a veritable virtuoso, and he was trying to make a name for himself. And Yang admired that about him. She especially liked that despite his goals, he always found time for her. He was always there. And he got along with Ruby, and the siblings' dad had even learned to appreciate Chase's solid presence. He was her longest lasting relationship and he brought a reassuring kind of stability to her life. And he had a killer smile and gorgeous green eyes and a great personality. He was confident, talented, generous, and affectionate, and they were inseparable.

But for the past month or so, every now and then, Yang got this inkling that Chase was growing more distant – that his heart wasn't in the same place as hers. And the closer they got to the day Yang would head out for Beacon Academy, the more…absent Chase seemed to be. They'd spoken about it, too. Chase had explained that he was trying to make the transition to the new schedule easier and wanted Yang to be ready for their inevitable lengths of separation. There was no way they would be seeing each other as often with Yang living on campus, dealing with homework, training, curfews, and being gone on missions who knew how often. Yang had wanted to ensure his behavior didn't mean they were breaking up. It wasn't. He promised it wasn't. He wouldn't leave her.

He promised.

They had kissed, made-out, said their goodbyes for the night, and that was the last Yang had seen of him. He didn't message her, didn't reply to any of her calls, never answered his door, nothing. He had either been really good at hiding or he had somehow disappeared. Yang eventually learned the truth by asking his friends – Chase had been contacted for an important music gig in Mistral, and he'd just dropped everything and left.

Torn apart and feeling betrayed, Yang inquired as to if Chase had at least made it to Mistral safely. His friends didn't know. He hadn't given them any news since leaving, either. For all Yang knew, he could have been dead.

It had been really hard hiding her heartbreak, especially from Ruby. Fortunately, she hadn't needed to do so for long. The excitement of going to Beacon came along, and with Ruby being so thrilled and hyper, and Yang keeping herself well occupied with the move and initiation, Chase became a painful memory the blonde managed to not dwell on.

Really, it all seemed to emphasize this specific pattern: Chase, like too many others, just didn't want to stay with her. Chase never gave Yang cause to doubt his fidelity, after all, but after the tension and reluctance to speak about Beacon...Yang had been left to believe that she was the problem. Every time, that was the point that was driven home. That the people she loved just abandoned her or shut down, some way or another, even if she gave her all. That was just how it seemed to work. Raven, Summer, Taiyang, Chase, her friends from Signal…

Ruby.

Yang softly moved a few strands of red-tipped bangs away from Ruby's face, sadly staring at her pale skin and the gradually healing wound on her head. The heart monitor continued its quiet beep, beep, beep, and Yang tightened her other hand's hold on Ruby's. It had almost been two weeks since the accident, and time had never seemed to drag on for so long before.

Yang's eyes gravitated to where Blake was sitting on the couch, on the other side of Ruby's bed and against the wall. Their gazes met, and Blake stared back at her with a mix of affection and concern. Sun was sitting next to Blake. He'd expressed his sympathies for Ruby to Yang, and he was acting appropriately subdued for the situation, but Yang wasn't sure she liked him being around. More particularly, being around Blake all the time. Blake had been clear with him yesterday about her relationship with Yang, but the blonde had seen his reaction and saw the way he acted since.

She was no stranger to men, having hung around plenty of them and dated a few and knowing how they were because of that. Sun hadn't quite believed Blake. He'd been a little more careful for the rest of the evening yesterday, but this morning he was right back to hitting on her and jumping around her like a puppy in love.

Yang knew why Sun hadn't accepted the truth. He was a nice, fun guy, so it had nothing to do with disrespect. It wasn't even about not wanting to accept the truth. No, Yang had no doubt about it – he just couldn't see it. And girls sometimes pretended to be gay for each other – one reason being to dissuade guys from pulling any moves on them, among other things. Heck, Yang had sometimes pretended to be gay for one of her friends at Signal because it was funny, and other times because the jerks needed to be kept away. If this was what Sun believed, then it wouldn't matter if Yang or Blake insisted they were together. Sun was too confident in his ability to approach Blake.

Yang did not want to lose her. That much she knew. And Blake had shown no interest for Sun in a long time, not in that way, but Yang feared her girlfriend might if she felt unsatisfied with how much physical affection her partner was giving her. And combined with the belief that people abandoned Yang because of her… Well, Yang may not have felt jealous, but she was certainly afraid of losing Blake, of losing the special bond and trust they shared. Almost viscerally so. And this caused her a certain level of discomfort, too, because now she fretted over having to take steps she wasn't ready to take in order to keep her girlfriend. And what if, in so doing, she would just end up tearing apart their relationship after all?

It felt like such a tricky terrain to maneuver and Yang had rarely felt such icy claws on her spine.

She didn't get the chance to say anything, though – not that there was much she could have said to begin with. There was a knock on the door, and then Nora and Ren walked in. They paused at the doorway, as if they had momentarily not expected so many people to already be in the small, quiet room.

"Hey, guys," Sun greeted them amicably.

His words seemed to break the ice, and Nora and Ren walked further into room and closed the door behind them. "You're all here together?" Ren wondered, gazing from face to face curiously. It was true that they were pretty crowded inside now.

"Yeah, we're giving Weiss, Blake, and Yang our support," Neptune replied with a shrug. "How was the hunt?"

Nora grinned. "It was great! We totally killed five Ursa Majors and a huge pack of Beowolves. Like, thirty of them!"

Ren's palm promptly collided with his face. "Two Ursai, five Beowolves. No more, no less."

Yang couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips while Neptune, Sun, and Nora laughed quietly. Her eyes found Blake again, seeing that the Faunus looked vaguely amused, too, pools of gold glimmering.

"Ren's just being modest," Nora drawled in a somewhat bragging tone, flipping her hand. "But, anyway! Where are we supposed to sit? You're taking up all the room, fatsos!"

Weiss stood up before anyone could retort, apparently slightly ruffled by the insult – her, literally the most petite in the current group. "I think we were just leaving. We'll let you and Ren take over." Icy blue met lilac, Weiss' tone gentling. "Is that okay, Yang?"

Yang knew she couldn't stay in the room. They had been here for most of the morning either way, and there was an agreement between her and Blake that it wasn't healthy to be glued to Ruby's side for the entire day. Even if she insisted, Blake wouldn't have it. So, reluctantly, Yang sighed as she said, "Yeah, we're going." She leaned over and laid a tender kiss on Ruby's forehead, giving her little sister's hand a squeeze as she did, and whispered, "See you later, Ruby." Yang then got to her feet with another, shorter sigh. Her eyes wandered to the flowers on the small table nearby, several vases that had been given as gifts, and she put her hands on her hips upon noticing everyone was looking at her. "Well?" she demanded, anxious to move on from the unwanted attention. She turned towards Neptune, Sun, and Blake, forcing a grin. "Get your lazy butts off those seats and let's go!"

Her exclamation broke whatever weird spell had been cast on the group, and Sun was the first to speak again. "Yes, ma'am!" he agreed, hopping to his feet. He followed Neptune and Weiss out after sharing a brief goodbye with Ren and Nora.

Blake was the last to stand. She came over to Yang's side and then said to Ren and Nora gratefully, "Thank you for doing this. It means a lot."

"Meh, it's no problem at all," Nora replied with a beam.

"She's our friend, too," Ren added, nodding towards Ruby. "Has there been any change in her state?"

Yang looked down in sorrow. "The wound on her head is healing, but otherwise…no change."

"She's stable, though," Blake added in a reassuring tone. Her hand found Yang's bicep. "Her aura is keeping her from slipping any further into the coma."

Nora sobered some and said softly, "I have faith in Ruby. She's going to make it."

Yang was unconvinced, but the important part for the moment was that Ruby still breathed. Her chances of ever waking up might have been next to null by now, but at least she…at least she wasn't dead. Even if it felt like she was. Yang wished so desperately to see her baby sister's silver eyes again, alive with enthusiasm…

Trying to get a grip and wanting to change the subject, Yang forced some amusement into her tone as she asked, "How did you sleep with those two bozos in your dorm room last night?" She was appreciative for what Ren and Nora were doing, of course, but it was just too hard to keep talking about without succumbing to more tears. And Yang was tired of crying. She was supposed to be the supportive and upbeat one – not the one everyone pitied. She hated being looked at that way.

Nora rolled her eyes, quickly catching Yang's drift. "Oh, my God. They won't shut up!" She snickered. "But Ren slept like a baby because, well, me. It's all good."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle at least a little with Nora. She wasn't going to ask what that even meant. "Thanks, you guys. Really." She hugged the shorter girl tightly and shared a brief hug with Ren as well. They said their goodbyes and joined their other friends in the hallway, leaving Ren and Nora to watch over Ruby for most of the afternoon. Yang's dad would replace them later when the evening came around.

Weiss, Sun, and Neptune were standing further off in the hallway, the two guys laughing about something while the heiress pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Yang and Blake walked up to their friends.

"We need to do something," Weiss informed the young couple, opening her eyes to stare at them. "I enjoy Neptune's company on his own, but both of them together are insufferable."

Yang muffled a snicker. She had guessed as much. "Geez, Weiss. Life must be terrible. Did you even have anything in mind?"

Weiss sighed. "No. That's why I'm asking you."

Yang looked over to Blake at her side, in case her girlfriend had an idea or had planned an activity ahead of time. Blake only shook her head, though. Lilac irises saw her cat ears twitch, and Yang creased her eyebrows, trying to think.

"Let's go outside first," Blake suggested casually. Slender fingers intertwined with Yang's, followed by an encouraging smile.

"Yes, let's," Weiss agreed. She turned towards the boys and got their attention by clearing her throat. "Ahem. We're heading out, if you want to come along."

"No problem, Ice Queen!" Sun exclaimed, finger-gunning her with both hands.

She scowled and started walking.

"Dude, be calm," Neptune intervened as they fell into step behind Weiss. "You know she doesn't like being called that."

"Okay, okay."

Yang and Blake followed behind the guys and Weiss, all five choosing to take the stairwell so as not to crowd an elevator, and once they had reached the lobby, they headed outside. The blonde took in a long breath of fresh air, letting the sun remind her that today was a nice day and that she should try to make the best of it. If there was one thing to keep her mind occupied on currently, it was figuring out a way to make Sun actually realize that Blake was not an available option. And, if anything, it would force Yang to get her imagination into gear again.

"Why don't we go for coffee?" Weiss wondered, facing the group. Her exasperation from earlier was gone, and Yang knew the heiress was making an effort to be civilized, especially out in public as they were.

However, Yang was also trying to act more like herself, so getting under Weiss' skin was one of those mandatory things she wanted to do anyway. "Just coffee?" the robust young woman teased. "Boring."

The white-haired girl crossed her arms and huffed, "I don't see you suggesting any activities!"

Yang snapped her fingers. "Well, fudge. Oh, I know! How about skating? Or building snow-forts? Or ice-sculpture competitions…?" She grinned. "Whoops! That's Atlas. My bad."

Beside her, Blake stifled a chuckle. They had both read that pamphlet, after all. Weiss only raised an eyebrow while Sun and Neptune gave them confused looks.

"Is that what you did while you guys were there?" Neptune asked, quizzical.

"Like a really short vacation in the north?" Sun added, equally puzzled. "Who even does that?"

"Nah, just a lot of hot se –"

Blake tugged on Yang's hand, and the brawler met the scariest glare she'd ever seen. She swallowed hard and laughed sheepishly. That had been a real fast switch from amused to warning. "…Hot sextuplicating papers with a photocopier? It, uh…it broke. Overheated. Too many papers."

The application Yang. exe has stopped working.

"…What?"

Blake groaned, as if Yang had somehow punched her. "How do you even know that word…?"

Yang struggled with herself. Neptune and Sun's questions had reminded her of Raven, who was the real reason why she and Blake had gone to Atlas, and that was what had caused the prankster's thoughts to crash so spectacularly. She had to get herself out of the debris, and fast. "I may or may not have had to do that once. Anyway! I have an idea now!" She knew how completely idiotic and unsmooth she had just been. First almost embarrassing Blake and then painfully sticking her foot in her own mouth? Funny that her mind decided to let her down before picking her back up. She was usually a little more quick-witted than this.

"Oh, yeah? What is it?" Sun perked up, dark grey eyes brightening. He had seemed momentarily caught off-guard, but Yang might have been imagining things. She still wasn't in the best state of mind.

Damage control. Yang could do that. "You're all gonna love it, believe me. Just follow the leader! And by that, I mean the leader's girlfriend – me."

Sun's eyes widened. "Wait, are you serious?"

The golden girl immediately hoped he had realized the truth. She was trying very hard not to be subtle – which was saying something because Yang knew very well that 'subtle' wasn't a word that described her to begin with. If blatant sex jokes had apparently not been above her…

"Blake, they made you the new leader?"

…Nope. Yang sighed internally. Although, Sun had pointed out Blake as the leader right away – not Ruby. So, he did recognize that there was something going on between Yang and Blake…right?

"Um, yes. The de facto leader, that is. But I'd rather not talk about it right now. Let's follow Yang, okay?"

Sun nodded, sobering. "Okay. No worries, Blake." He looked at Yang and beamed. "We're ready to go! I trust your judgment."

"I don't," Weiss muttered, but Neptune seemed to say something that engaged the two of them into conversation, making the frown leave the heiress' face.

It didn't matter. Yang was pretty sure everyone would enjoy themselves. That was one of the things she was good at – finding a fun activity her friends would all like. She could do this. "It's actually not that far from here. We can walk. Follow me!" Putting on a bright smile, she then proceeded to make her way out of the hospital's parking lot and onto the sidewalk, Blake by her side and the others tagging along close behind.

It took them about fifteen minutes to arrive. Yang came to a stop and stood proudly in front of her destination, hands on her hips. "And here we are!"

The modern-styled building was huge and completely conspicuous. If it hadn't been surrounded by other pretty fancy and wacky-looking places, the group would have known where she was bringing them long before they got there. After all, the building was relatively unremarkable in its remarkableness, its silver, mirror-like panels and unnatural angles hiding what looked like glowing orbs of light beneath the central gap in its design. The side of the building was then attached to another segment that had a wavy roof and more mirror panels that reflected the sunlight.

The reactions Yang received from her friends were varied. Most prominently, though, was Neptune's immediate, deadpanned but chilled question of, "The aquarium?"

But Sun exclaimed, smacking Neptune's back, "Ohhh dude, yes! This is perfect!"

"Ohhh dude, no. Nuh-uh, no way. Not going."

Yang's good mood faded a little. She had utterly forgotten about Neptune's fear of water. She had meant to find something that they'd all enjoy, and she normally would have taken into account everything she knew about her friends, but… Well, Yang was still experiencing difficulties working at full-capacity, it seemed. She was disappointed with herself for it.

Meanwhile, Blake tilted her head at Yang. "This isn't because I'm part cat, right?"

Weiss was silent, so Yang shifted uncomfortably and murmured, not meeting Blake's gaze, "You can't tell me you won't enjoy this…"

But Blake gently put her hand on Yang's arm and assured, "I'm kidding. This seems like a good idea."

"It sure is!" Sun agreed, stepping closer before anything else could be said. "Neptune's being a big wimp right now, so we should just leave him and go. What do you girls think?" He grinned at them.

"Uh…" Yang knew Sun was just joking, but she was pretty sure leaving Neptune behind wouldn't please Weiss. Plus, there was a nagging feeling that was beginning to make itself known, demanding that Yang find something else to do in which they could all have fun.

However, Weiss sighed just then and grabbed Neptune's arm. "I can turn water into ice if I have to. I won't let it touch you. Now come."

It was funny watching Neptune surrender so easily and after so much bickering with Sun. It seemed the heiress' ice-cold charms even scared away phobias. Fascinating. That said, Yang was grateful. Whether Weiss knew it or not – probably the latter, though – she had just lifted a weight off Yang's shoulders.

She took hold of Blake's hand, and with Sun tagging along, jovial as usual, they followed Weiss and Neptune into the huge, fancy building. The blonde's eyes were instantly drawn to the extremely high and unnaturally-shaped ceiling – in fact, with the water-like lighting effects gliding along every wall, it even felt like they had just entered some sort of large aquatic cavern.

"Sweet," Sun commented, impressed.

"Can I go back now?" Neptune asked in a somewhat intimidated voice. "I mean, you never know when you'll need someone on the lookout outside…"

"You'll be fine," Weiss intervened matter of factly.

They continued talking as the group approached a small, rocky basin to their right. The water inside was crystal clear, allowing visitors to see the small orange and black fish swimming idly within. There was a note on the wall above the basin that warned guests not to feed the fish or drop coins in the water.

"Oh, hey! Blake, there's this teacher at Haven that has these exact kinds of fish in his classroom," Sun shared, enthused. As Blake stepped a little closer, he added, "It's kinda weird because, like, the aquarium is right on the edge of his desk, taking up most of the space like it's no big deal. He's a pretty unique old guy, too."

Yang watched as a bit of an amused smile formed on Blake's lips. She looked from Sun to the fish in the basin before glancing at Yang and replying, eyes back on Sun, "So, he's a bit fishy, then?"

The brawler was stunned only for a second. She started laughing while Sun stared at Blake a little incredulously. Through her snickers, she managed, "Blake, you're amazing..."

"Thanks. You're not bad, yourself." The cat Faunus offered Yang one of her typical half-smirks. She looked happy, though, and Yang found herself extremely grateful for Blake's presence.

"Let's get over to the reception desk so we can wander around," the golden girl suggested, loud enough so all her friends could hear. At the same time, she gently pulled on Blake's hand to prompt her to follow, intertwining their fingers affectionately.

And it was right about then that something occurred to her. It was a bit of a strange moment for this realization, but Yang took note of how she and Blake rarely went anywhere together without holding hands. More than that, it seemed like Yang had been the one initiating this frequent contact recently, often because she needed it. Just knowing that Blake was there for her, right by Yang's side, never too far or out of reach… It was always reassuring. Always grounding. Yang could anchor herself to Blake when all else failed.

Well, maybe not Blake, specifically. There were no guarantees the Faunus would stick around forever. But Blake did still give Yang a solid starting point, and that was already so incredible.

"I mean it, Blake," Yang found herself insisting as they approached the reception desk. The young couple glanced at each other, and the blonde added sincerely, "You really are amazing."

Blake's reaction was unsurprising. She had difficulties with honest compliments, so the light blush and the downwards direction of her golden gaze was expected. Yang suspected her girlfriend hadn't done this earlier because the comment could have just been a joke. But now it definitely wasn't. Yang wanted to make sure Blake knew exactly what she thought of her – regardless of if the sentiment was genuine or out of fear of losing Blake, it didn't matter. It was just important that Blake knew she was held in high esteem by someone she cared about. Yang knew that.

"Thank you," Blake murmured. She looked like she wanted to add something else (and if Yang had to take a guess, it was probably self-deprecating), but then she only sighed, slowly shook her head and stepped up to the desk where the receptionist was waiting for them.

"Hello! How may I help you?" the woman asked, smiling pleasantly.

"Hi. We want to tour the aquarium. She and I are together." Blake, doing her best to recover, motioned briefly at Yang before looking back at Weiss, Neptune, and Sun. "The others will tell you how they want to pay."

Yang's eyes widened a little. "Whoa, wait. I never asked you to pay for me."

"That's because I volunteered," came the quipped response. "It's alright, I promise." And before Yang could protest, Blake took out her lien card and swiped it through the receiver the receptionist held out to her.

"But –"

It was Blake's turn to pull Yang away, closer towards the first tunnel-like corridor, where the group would start their own tour of the exhibits. While they waited for their friends to pay, Blake explained calmly, "It's okay, Yang. Remember what I said about my parents? I'm in an alright place, financially, and two aquarium tickets aren't going to hurt me."

Yang creased her eyebrows. "Oh…" She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. "I didn't…um. Shouldn't you be saving it or something?"

"I am," Blake acquiesced with a small nod of her head. "I only spend what I can afford." She tilted her head a little. "That said…I hardly ever spend anything anyway. I'm more than happy to pay for you."

The extrovert was unwilling to give Blake reason for a few more moments, entertaining the idea of paying her back, but then their friends started walking over to them, and Yang let it go with a sigh and an appreciative smile. "Okay. Well, thank you. You're the best." Either way, Yang could rarely win against Blake in these battles of logic and reason. The bookworm was far more placid and rational than Yang was, after all, and she was usually right about things in general anyway.

And if she was honest with herself, Yang was very glad that Blake had a good head on her shoulders. This quality had protected and maybe even saved Yang several times over the course of the past two weeks. Scratch that – even from the very beginning, when the couple had been nothing more than teammates, Blake's initial aloofness had had a calming effect on the brawler.

"I am going to die," Neptune announced morosely, shoulders slumped as he walked closer, behind Sun, and interrupting the robust young woman's thoughts.

"Nah, dude. You'll live, trust me." Sun then stopped near Blake and Yang. "So, are we ready or are we ready?"

Yang simpered. "We're ready! You good, too, Weiss?"

The heiress motioned with her hand. "Let's go look around." She placed herself beside Neptune.

The group then started down the fairly dark corridor, but it wasn't too long before they reached an area that was bathed in a soft blue light. The corridor opened to another large, cavern-like chamber, the walls uneven and sand colored with the reflection of water on them. This time, though, the effect was authentic. The entire right wall was made of thick glass, allowing the group to see the aquatic life on the other side.

Yang's eyes widened a little. She jumped forward and exclaimed, "Those are the cutest fish I've ever seen!" She put her hand on the glass, staring in marvel at the hundreds of tiny fish whizzing to and fro. Their iridescent scales seemed almost rainbow-like, and they swam in perfect synchronicity, a mass of adorable, reflective bodies.

"It says here that they're a cousin of the guppies," Weiss read, mostly for Neptune's benefit as she stood by the information panel. She didn't sound particularly enthused, but it appeared as though she were making an effort to distract the poor guy. "Although, they behave differently, what with the swimming together, and are a bit bigger."

Neptune made some kind of plaintive noise that was interrupted by Sun cooing, "Aw, they're social. What do you think, Blake?"

Yang immediately glanced back, seeing that Blake was a few steps behind, arms crossed and apparently looking directly at her partner. At least, that's what it seemed. Sun was standing next to her, waiting for a response.

"I think…they're very pretty." Blake smirked, and Yang was now absolutely certain her girlfriend really was staring at her and not at the fish.

"Shame, kitten, shame," Yang called out with an amused shake of her head. Blake waxing cliché? Yang returned to admiring the fish.

"I try," Blake droned, ironically, and the golden girl grinned to herself. They both knew Blake's flirting abilities were questionable. Yang continued watching the cute fish for a moment and then turned back towards her friends.

"I wanna see some sharks," she announced.

"I'd like to see the outside now," Neptune mumbled immediately after. He then added extra quietly into the ensuing silence, "Although, sharks are cool."

"So, he's afraid of the water, but somehow he likes sharks…" Blake stared on at Neptune with narrowed eyes.

Beside her, Sun chuckled and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I don't know. He's weird like that sometimes."

"We might have to walk around for a bit before we find them," Weiss intervened, putting a hand on her hip. "I doubt they keep the exhibit near the entrance."

Neptune hung his head.

Yang, who had been observing how close Sun and Blake were standing to each other, forced a smirk and exclaimed, "Let's do it!" There had to be a way to get Sun to realize he had to back off.

She stepped away from the glass and went past him and Blake to turn the corner into the next section. She heard the rest of the group behind her, and they went slowly, looking and commenting on the various, smaller fish tanks in the walls that contained numerous exotic kinds of marine life. There were other visitors they sometimes had to walk by, and they eventually even met one of the actual tour groups with their guide. However, they didn't stay with the small crowd, instead moving along and taking a different passage when the route forked. This path ended up leading them to a circular, dome-like chamber where all the walls were made of glass.

"Jellyfish!" Yang looked around, amazed. They were everywhere, pink, yellow, purple, and blue blobs of different sizes floating serenely among the algae with beautiful tails trailing behind them. Some of them seemed to glow. Yang approached one of the glass walls and looked into the depths of the water, admiring the peaceful movements. She leaned against the railing, realizing that she was smiling despite herself.

Blake came up beside her. They were both silent for a moment, and then Yang found herself giggling briefly. She met Blake's questioning stare, and Yang provided, amusement in her voice, "I feel like it would be funny to tap them on the head." She motioned with her hand, as if she were petting a dog. "And their bodies would ripple real slow and everything. I think it would be fun to watch."

"Oh, Yang." Blake quirked an eyebrow and shook her head as the corners of her lips twitched upwards. "I think you would end up getting stung more than anything else. Glad your imagination is up and running again, though."

"Yeah… I think it would be nice to be a jellyfish."

Blake blinked. "Um, you mean you'd like to be transparent but somehow still be the bane of everyone's existence at the beach?"

"Yes. That is exactly what I mean. Blake, c'mon, humor me! I meant that they don't really do or worry about anything. They just…float and bob up and down." Yang's gaze was drawn to one particularly blue jellyfish that was swimming close to the glass.

Golden eyes followed where lilac was looking. They were both silent again, comfortable in this mutual understanding, until they were interrupted by Sun and Neptune somewhere behind them, who were making a commotion as Sun tried to pull Neptune out of the corridor they had come from. It appeared Neptune was terrified of this particular chamber and was insisting that he could find a way around. Sun, of course, disagreed. It was Weiss who finally convinced Neptune to hurry to the other side and into the next hallway. She then kept him company.

"Wow, she must really like him," Yang commented, impressed. If Weiss hadn't had a conniption yet, her feelings must have been pretty serious.

Sun came over to stand on Blake's other side. "Neptune must like her, too, because he's actually making an effort here."

"Well, let's not keep them waiting, then," Yang declared and tugged on Blake's arm to pull her along as she moved forward. It bothered her that Sun kept trying to get close to Blake, and Yang still didn't know what to do to make him stop. Normally, if he'd just been some random stranger, she could have blown him off real easily or something, but Sun was a friend. She wasn't thrilled with the possibility of having to hurt him. Plus, being straight kind of made it hard for Yang to just grab Blake and outright kiss her.

She knew Sun was following behind them, and it was as she continued racking her brain for an idea that she was finally provided with one. It was totally awkward, it wasn't great, and it wasn't guaranteed to work, and Blake would probably freak out, but it also might just have been brilliant. To help prevent her partner from overreacting, though, Yang tilted her head towards Blake's as they walked and murmured into her cat ear, "Blake, play along. I am going to put my hand in your pants."

Blake's eyes widened. "What?" she hissed quietly yet sounding completely disquieted.

Yang hadn't meant to make it seem so inappropriate, but it was too late now, and her mouth was her worst enemy today for some reason. "I'm just gonna touch your butt. Don't freak out." She immediately wanted to smack herself. That wouldn't make it any better. Nevertheless, Yang slipped her hand into one of Blake's back jean pockets as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She really hoped Sun would notice because feeling how Blake's butt muscles moved when she walked was not on the list of things Yang had wanted to find out so soon.

"I hope you know I'm going to slap you later," Blake whispered fiercely, face colored red, and Yang let out a bit of an uncomfortable laugh. She wouldn't blame Blake for wanting to do that. Yang wanted to slap herself, too, after all. Maybe several times.

They joined up with Weiss and Neptune, and Yang kept her fingers securely and awkwardly tucked into her girlfriend's back pocket, palm flat around the curve of Blake's rear. And as they continued on their way again, Blake moved closer to Yang to lean into her side, cat ear flicking against her cheek. At least they wouldn't look so unnatural now. That said, there was one thing the blonde had to admit, unwillingly as it might have been.

Blake had a really tight butt. Yang was almost jealous.

"You need to show me how you work out, because man –"

"Yang, you are already in ten feet above your head. Don't dig any deeper."

This time, Yang couldn't help the louder laugh. Her face felt like it was on fire, but speaking before thinking like she usually did, Yang found herself saying, "You mean…don't dig any deeper into your pants?"

"Yang!"

Truly, Yang was mortified with herself, too, but she could barely breathe through her hilarity now. Apparently, what little functioning part of her filter had failed completely today.

It was probably the nerves. Or something. Or maybe Blake's butt had magical electrical powers and had short-circuited everything. However, when Yang glanced back at Sun and saw the monkey Faunus looking troubled, Yang's laughter died down. Maybe, finally, he was cluing in. As embarrassing as her spontaneous plan was, it might have actually been working. And although Yang was relieved about this long-awaited revelation, Sun's expression did not make her happy. As slow as he had been to realize Blake was taken, Sun's feelings were still real. Yang had seen the way he looked at her partner. He had truly believed he had a shot with Blake.

And, maybe, if Yang hadn't been so sure Blake wanted to be with her, and not with Sun – not right now, anyway, and hopefully never – the golden girl might have felt a lot guiltier. In fact, she might not have tried so hard to keep Blake near at all. Sun was an honest, enthusiastic, and nice guy. He was their friend, and Yang knew him enough to know he would have taken care of Blake. He would have treated her right, for the most part. Yang was just a little uncertain of his discernment abilities. Blake tended to hide her feelings, and as great as Sun was, he sometimes wasn't perceptive enough to notice the subtler cues and hints of her thoughts.

Nevertheless, Yang was still a little regretful. She knew she had done the right thing, but purposely hurting another friend in any way, shape or form wasn't easy for her, no matter the justification.

The hallway they entered finally led the group to the main attraction of the aquarium – it was the area where guests walked under the water through thick glass tunnels and saw different species of sharks and stingrays swimming beside and above them, joined by hundreds of other kinds of cool and colorful fish. Yang was in awe, and it seemed her friends were, too. They stood around at first, staring up at the incredible view, but eventually moved along to not be in the way of one of the tour groups that soon arrived. By that point, Yang had taken her hand out of Blake's pocket and intertwined their fingers again instead. After getting out of the way, they continued admiring the aquatic life and the grace with which the larger marine animals swam. They also stopped to read some of the information panels this time, marveled as they were by what they saw.

The rest of their exploration of the exhibits wasn't as breathtaking, but interesting and informative nonetheless. An amusing fact about Blake that Yang discovered when they entered the amphibians exhibit was that the Faunus didn't like frogs and even less liked toads. She was even a little jumpy around them. Excuse the pun. To say the least, Yang made sure to tease her about it.

Weiss didn't like the frogs and toads, either, but Neptune was surprisingly good at keeping her calm when he wasn't threatened by the prospect of tons of water falling on him. Plus, Sun kind of retreated to hang out with them more, and he provided the joking for them.

It was around suppertime when the group emerged from the aquarium. There were jokes about Neptune making it out alive and just being a big baby, but, ultimately, Yang was glad that it seemed they had all enjoyed themselves. They even bought small souvenirs – souvenirs they had no idea what they'd do with or where they'd put them, but it was for the sake of the memory, after all. They ate at a small restaurant nearby afterwards and then walked to the airship harbor to catch a flight back to Beacon Academy. There, they joined up with Nora and Ren and played a few games in their dorm room together before the three girls from Team RWBY retired to their own room for the night.

However, Sun stopped Yang before she could go in. Blake gave her a worried look, but Yang reassured her and closed the door. She turned back towards Sun. "Let's get away from the rooms to talk," she suggested, trying to sound pleasant.

"Yeah, sure." Sun followed her down the maroon hallway, and they came to a halt when they arrived at the small lounge for their level of the building – the same place Yang and Pyrrha had spoken in what seemed like forever now. Unlike that time, though, Yang and Sun didn't sit down on any of the couches or chairs.

"So… What's up?" she wondered, turning to face Sun and biting her lower lip.

Sun massaged the back of his neck uncomfortably. He really was handsome, and if it hadn't been for the circumstances, Yang might have been interested in him, herself. He had good qualities, and he was fun to be around. There was an optimism and earnestness about him that was admirable, that might have been good for Yang or Blake, in another life. She was sure Blake could see these things in him, too, and he probably didn't carry the same kind of emotional baggage that Yang did.

But, as it was, Blake had made her choice, and so had Yang.

"I, uh… I mean, I'm gonna talk to Blake, too, but I wanted to say I'm sorry," Sun finally admitted. "I honestly didn't think there was actually something going on between you two, and, uh, I guess I've been overstepping some boundaries."

The simple fact that Sun was standing there, apologizing to Yang and saying he would do the same to Blake, spoke leagues about the kind of guy he was. It was brave of him, really. Just a few hours ago, he'd had his hopes crushed, yet here he was, expressing his regret and assigning to Yang the rightful priorities and privileges that went with her role as Blake's girlfriend. It said one of two things about him, or both: Sun cared enough about Blake to be on good terms with both her and his rival, or he was just a really great guy.

"I'll admit I was a bit surprised you didn't catch on when Blake literally said 'Yang's my girlfriend,'" the blonde said lightly and with an amused smile, removing any bite her words might have held.

Sun chuckled a bit awkwardly. "Heh, yeah. I guess I just…couldn't believe it. I really thought I had a chance." He paused, hesitating. "You'll take care of her, right?"

Yang nodded. "I will. I try my best."

"You better, 'cause I'll be right there if you don't," he replied with a laugh, and although Yang laughed with him, she had a sneaking suspicion he was telling the truth. Most likely, if an opportunity to be there for Blake presented itself, he would grab it. And if Yang slipped up and he learned about it, she had no doubts that Sun would be the first to pick up the pieces.

In a way…it actually almost kind of reassured Yang. As unsettling as the thought was, knowing Blake would have someone there for her no matter what happened was soothing.

As such, Yang gave Sun an appreciative smile, and they then started walking back to the dorms. They said goodnight to each other, and Yang retreated inside Team RWBY's room, closing the door behind her.

The first thing she noticed was that Blake was already in her pajamas and seemed to be heading for her bed. She stopped and turned when she heard the door open, though. Weiss was still in the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" the bookworm immediately asked, taking a step forward but hesitating to walk up to Yang directly.

The brawler smiled. "Yeah, I am. Just making peace between friends." She was the one to meet Blake by the bunk beds. She lowered her voice once they were standing close to each other. "What about you? Did you enjoy yourself today?"

"I did." Blake paused. "Speaking of…" She whacked Yang lightly on the shoulder, and the blonde stepped back, surprised but snickering. "You had that coming."

"I did, didn't I?" she laughed. "I'm sorry, but I had to give Sun some visual proof that we were going out. I'll let you cop a feel if it'll make us even?"

Blake scoffed. "If I'm going to touch your backside, it'll be during a much more tactful and romantic setting, thank you very much. Who do you think I am? You?"

"Shots fired," Yang chuckled, being very careful to avoid thinking about what Blake even meant by that. There had been enough awkwardness for the day as it was.

Weiss came out of the bathroom then, and it was Yang's turn to get ready for the night. After changing, washing her face, and brushing her teeth, she was out a few minutes later and saw that Blake was still waiting for her before they shut off any lights. Weiss' back was turned to them, apparently trying to sleep already. Yang walked over to Blake and sat down next to her on the edge of the bottom bunk.

They couldn't really have a private conversation, what with their other teammate being in the room, so Yang wasn't entirely sure what Blake wanted to say, but she waited patiently for the Faunus to speak nonetheless.

However, it seemed Blake didn't want to speak just yet. She merely turned and caressed Yang's shoulder – the same one she had whacked earlier – and gazed into lilac irises for a moment. Yang could see in those golden eyes that Blake had things to say, or questions to ask, but the only thing she murmured was, "I love you."

And for the first time ever since entering this relationship with Blake, Yang felt helpless with how to respond to that statement. All the other times, they had been in conversation and Yang could naturally address something else Blake had said. She hadn't even been doing it on purpose, in fact. But it wasn't the case now. Blake had said nothing else. Just a simple, heartfelt "I love you."

Before Yang's mind could start panicking, though, Blake leaned in and laid a gentle kiss on Yang's cheek. For all intents and purposes, it seemed the Faunus hadn't been expecting an answer at all. Yang was just being self-conscious unnecessarily.

…But that wasn't really right, was it? Eventually, Blake would need an answer, and Yang had to be able to provide one.

"Goodnight, Yang," Blake whispered, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she hugged the golden girl gently.

Yang readily reciprocated, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's svelte form and closing her eyes to better appreciate the embrace, lips against Blake's shoulder. "Night night, Blakey."

They still didn't part right away, though. The hug lasted a few seconds longer, and then they mutually separated. Yang smiled at Blake one more time, actually feeling somehow lighter now, as if Blake had taken a weight off Yang by taking her into her arms, before standing and going over to shut the lights off.

By the time she climbed into her own bed, Yang realized she had spent an entire half of a day without thinking about Ruby, specifically. She still worried, and her sister's condition definitely remained at the back of her mind, but Yang felt…okay. It hardly seemed possible, but it was the truth. Yang was okay, and it was all thanks to Blake and the rest of her friends.

Sleep came without too much difficulty that night.

SCENE SPOOF

"Jellyfish!" Yang looked around, amazed. They were everywhere, pink, yellow, purple, and blue blobs of different sizes floating serenely among the algae with beautiful tails trailing behind them. Some of them even glowed. Yang approached one of the glass walls and looked into the depths of the water, admiring the peaceful movements. She leaned against the railing, realizing that she was smiling despite herself.

Meanwhile, Neptune and Sun were still in the corridor, walking slowly, deep in conversation. "Dude, I gotta tell you this," Neptune was saying. "Weiss actually puts her guard down around me – it's weird, but she has this accent going on. But that's unrelated to what I wanted to tell you."

Sun creased his eyebrows. "Uh, okay. Then tell me the real thing!"

"Like, she keeps saying she's a veterinarian. I dunno, but she's really insistent about it."

"What? But she's the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company! How can she be a veterinarian?"

Neptune shrugged. "That's the thing! Well, not really. I guess since we're in an aquarium, she feels the animals' lives are super important and that her being a vet needs to be repeated often. But it was so weird. I had to come talk to you because last time she grabbed my arm and looked deep into my eyes and said she was a vet again."

Sun was confused. "What exactly did she say?"

"She just kept saying, 'I'm vet! I'm vet!'"

Sun paused. And then it dawned on him. He grinned. This was great. "Do you think she's trying to let you in on how she might be a super top secret, secret agent for the government disguised as a veterinarian?"

Neptune sighed. "I dunno, man, but this is creeping me out. She tried to pull me into the girl's bathroom earlier."

"I bet it's because she can't tell you anything in public. Dude, she's really opening up to you."

Realization dawned on Neptune, too. He grabbed Sun's arms. "Oh, man, you're right! I'm gonna go tell her I know what she means now!"

"Go get her, tiger!" And with that, Sun shoved Neptune into the jellyfish's exhibit area, causing the blue-haired young man to stumble. In his attempt to regain his balance, he grabbed hold of Sun's arm, and both guys proceeded to cause a commotion as they tried not to fall over each other onto the floor. Weiss quickly came over and helped Neptune before urgently pulling him all the way over to other side and into the next hallway.

Neptune tried to reassure her, "It's okay, Weiss! I'm fine, and I know what you mean now." He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked deep into her eyes. "I get it. You're a vet." He winked emphatically. "You're just trying to save the fish!"

Weiss sighed and murmured, "Was ein Dummkopf."

Neptune grinned, satisfied, and then walked off, hands in his pockets, saying, "I'll go scout out some intelligence!"

Behind him, Weiss huffed again and muttered to herself, "Ich denke ich werde mich an der Leiche meines Anführers entlasten.

"…mal wieder."

Chapter Text

Blake took a deep breath in before slowly exhaling. This, the Faunus repeated a few times as she centered herself, focusing on the beat of her heart and keeping her mind clear of all distractions. She had stretched her muscles and warmed up only a few moments ago, so now it was only a matter of preparing herself mentally. One single goal. She had gone through this multiple times, and she could do it again. In fact, this was one of the rare things Blake knew she could ace without a problem.

"Are you ready, Blake?" Nora called from the control panel, somewhere a few meters behind and to the right of the raven-haired girl.

Blake's eyebrows creased. No distractions. She inhaled deeply again and then breathed out. "Ready," she finally replied.

"…Are you sure?" Yang wondered, probably standing near Nora.

"Yes." Blake squared her shoulders and bent her knees a little, preparing herself to dash the moment she was given her cue. Still, she concentrated on her breathing and heartbeat, keeping her senses sharp.

"But what if you're not?"

That was Sun this time. Their concern was appreciated, but Blake was absolutely ready for this. "I am," she assured, wishing they would just press the start button. At this rate, she would lose her focus.

"I don't think you are, Blake," Nora chastised, but she was immediately struck with a snicker, which caused Yang, Sun, and Neptune to join in.

They were trying to tease Blake and get her to become impatient. But she was determined. "I'm ready," she insisted, cat ears twitching. Deep breath in. Slow breath out.

"Blake, we understand if you're nervous," Yang said gently, but there was clear amusement in her voice. "It's okay to be afraid."

"I'm not." Blake kept her eyes locked on the sliding metal doors in front of her. Any moment now, they would try to catch her off-guard.

"You know we're here for you!" Nora sing-songed.

Okay, that's it. Blake straightened her stance and turned to face her trouble-making friends. "Press. the. button."

This time, the four guffawed, bunch of pranksters that they were. Blake watched them laugh for a few seconds, unable to believe any of them were her friends. Only Ren and Weiss had stayed back, closer to the wall where the monitors were, observing the scene in quiet entertainment and dimly concealed suspicion, respectively.

Blake wasn't actually annoyed, but she put a special effort into looking the part as she crossed her arms and waited for Yang, Sun, Nora, and Neptune to get a grip. Unfortunately, it only seemed to make them laugh more, until Yang started trying to get them to calm down through her own giggling.

"Okay, okay, Blake," she managed, wiping her eyes and apparently trying really hard to keep a straight face. "We'll press the button. We were just pressing a couple of yours, first."

Behind her, Nora, Sun, and Neptune erupted into more sniggering, and a radiant grin crossed Yang's face, too.

"You are all incorrigible and I don't even know why I agreed to this," Blake retorted, slowly shaking her head. "We were supposed to be training."

Indeed, they had all woken up about an hour ago and regrouped in the academy's main gymnasium for their early morning workout. With Ruby out of commission and Jaune gone off to Mistral with Pyrrha, that left Sun and Blake as the only two team leaders present within their current group of friends. And since Sun was only visiting and acting like more of a friend than a leader, that put the entirety of those responsibilities on Blake's shoulders. She was the one who decided that continuing their workout regimen through the summer would benefit them, especially since they were members of the border patrol units. They would need to keep in shape. And, initially, this plan had worked without much issue, but the fact of the matter was that they were still on break for the summer, and today was the day everyone had chosen to goof off. Not to mention that Sun and Neptune didn't follow this regimen to begin with.

For example, they had all convinced Blake to try and break her own record on the simulated obstacle track "just for the fun of it." And Blake, not having the heart to force her teammates and friends to be more serious about this, had caved and decided to give it a shot for their amusement.

What a fantastic leader she made.

And so, here she was, waiting for them to press a stupid button so she could humor their curiosity. She should have known they would give her a hard time. Blake actually ranked within the top ten fastest students to go through the track, right above Ren in sixth position, and it was mostly thanks to her semblance, quick reflexes, and agility. She didn't really care to boast about it or even take pride in it – it was just the way things were, and she would improve if she could, but her friends tended to make a bigger deal out of it than she did. Blake was honestly just glad to be confident in her "ninja" skills concerning the track.

"You don't look ready yet to me, Blake," Sun called out, grinning just as broadly as Yang.

Blake looked up at the heavens before turning around to face the sliding metal doors once more. She grabbed Gambol Shroud from her back, unsheathing the sword before collapsing it into its pistol form. The cleaver part remained on her back. She didn't need bullets for this – the obstacle course had sensors everywhere, and just pointing her gun at the holographic enemies resulted in their destruction.

Blake then closed her eyes as she centered herself again. While she was confident she could beat the track in about the same time she had before – having done so more than once in the past already – she doubted she could significantly surpass her record. Not with her friends purposely trying to keep her distracted. Plus, she didn't really see the importance of it right now. She would try, and she'd definitely give them a good show, but that was just about all she knew she would achieve.

"I'm ready now," she said, loud enough so they could hear. Blake bent her knees again, one foot slightly in front of the other, pistol pointed at the ground for now.

"Good! Starting the countdown!" Nora exclaimed.

Blake braced herself, knowing she would have to immediately break into sprint the moment those doors slid open. The obstacles were hardly ever the same in there, and they never followed the same pattern. The track was intelligent, too, able to monitor progression and adapt accordingly.

"Three, two…one… Go!" With that, Blake heard Nora slam her hand down on the button.

The metal doors came open abruptly, but the Faunus was ready. She leapt into motion, clearing the doors and hurdling over the first low wall before sliding underneath the next and pointing her weapon at both holographic Grimm creatures that charged her from the front. They disintegrated without coming close to touching her. Blake continued without hesitation, running down the short hallway before the course could turn into a slippery slope, and flying through the second set of doors safely.

But she wasn't done yet. Blake was forced to zigzag now, dodging columns that rose out of the floor, often blocking her way. She put her semblance to use, a shadow clone rushing away from her to confuse the course long enough for her path to be less arduous. Dozens of Beowolves materialized ahead of her, and she managed to destroy a few before being upon them. She tacked by one lunge and evaded another, grabbing the cleaver on her back to decimate the rest of the hologrimm that stood in her way.

Blake could hear her friends cheering on from afar, but she tried to tune them out, keeping that one goal in mind – reaching the end. The third set of doors was raised several feet above the floor, and Blake took a running start to pounce and grab the ledge to haul herself up and over, all in one fluid motion. It took her only a second to see that she was on a platform and would need to make a rapid descent. Although her heart was beating faster now, she didn't hesitate, hurling herself into a brief freefall to hit the next platform, feet first. Turrets came out of the walls, but Blake ignored them and plunged down to another landing, barely registering that she had made it before she was airborne again.

The turrets fired lasers at her just as she collided with the ground, rolling over herself to redirect the impact, but she never stopped moving, breaking into another wild sprint to avoid being hit. Holographic Boarbatusks appeared out of nowhere, charging at her, but Blake didn't let that slow her down. She jumped to grab one of the metal support beams above, using her momentum to swing herself upside down on her hands, and in the fleeting instant where she was weightless, she aimed her pistol down at the monsters stampeding by below, balancing on one hand as she effectively destroyed them.

And then Blake was swinging back around to launch herself into the air once more, throwing Gambol Shroud at a higher support beam and holding on tight to the attached ribbon. She cleared several meters like this before her weapon lost grip on the beam, but it was enough to get through the fourth set of doors that had just begun to close.

Stumbling a bit on the fast and brutal landing, Blake quickly caught herself and came to a very momentary halt, breathing hard through her nose now. Her next challenge was a wall of several tall, rotating doors. Eyes locked on the speed of the rotations, and calculating the smoothest way to get through, Blake began running again. The first two were easy – she went in between them and got into the third without too much difficulty. She swayed, nearly smacking into one of the doors in the fourth and was pushed out on the other side by the fifth with about as much grace as a waddling penguin.

I hate those things. Blake shook herself, recovering, and sped back up, diving through one of the rings in a wall of hoops and rolling again when she hit the floor. She got back to her feet, still dashing, and her eyes widened a little at what she saw up ahead. It was a large gap in the track, far too wide to jump, and there were no support beams above. The precipice was along a slight curve in the path, though, and that was enough to urge her forward. She didn't know how deep it was, but that didn't matter – Blake wasn't going down. She leapt onto the wall as fast as she could and darted, clearing the gap in five rapid steps and pushing off once she was safe.

She was immediately assaulted by several holographic Beowolves, forcing her to use her cleaver again to get rid of the fray as she danced around swiping claws and lunging bodies. When she was finally done with them, she realized the fifth and final set of doors at the end of the track was beginning to close. She definitely wasn't beating her record this time.

Nevertheless, the world seemed to slow as Blake fell into a sprint. Each step brought her nearer, each second brought the metal doors closer together. Panting, heart beating in her ears, Blake formed a shadow clone which she used to propel herself forward with even greater speed. At first, it seemed like a terrible mistake because she tripped over her feet, the momentum too great to manage, but then she actually fell through the closing doors right on time in a most spectacular fashion.

Unfortunately, this ended with a painful, frontal collision with the floor, first heavily landing on the cleaver part of Gambol Shroud before rolling over herself several times in an uncontrolled manner. She finally came to a stop a few feet further, lying flat on her back and staring up at the high ceiling with the unpleasant, metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She had bit her tongue. Funny that her aura had protected her from her weapon but hadn't protected her from something mundane like that.

"Blake!" she heard her friends shouting, "Oh, my God, Blake! Are you okay?"

She didn't respond, only dazed and breathing hard as she tried to recover from the adrenaline rush. Again, why had she agreed to this? What a terrible, powerful influence Nora was.

Yang was the first to reach her partner. The blonde knelt by her side, obvious worry in her expression. Actually, it was a bit more than that. It looked like near-panic. "Talk to me, Blake. God, you're bleeding!" Her fingers gently brushed the corner of Blake's lips. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," the Faunus assured, although her tongue was awfully sore. She swallowed some blood and winced. "Help me up."

She attempted to sit, but Yang kept her down by pressing her hand on the bookworm's shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't," she said with concern, and lilac irises darted over her body, checking for more wounds. "That fall looked really painful, and your aura didn't take the impact. You might be hurt elsewhere."

That wasn't true. It seemed Yang had forgotten all about the things she had learned in their Aura Theory class. Blake wasn't injured anywhere else.

The others had all reached the couple by now. They gathered nearby, and Sun asked, "Should I go get a nurse?"

"I'm fine," Blake insisted, putting her hand over Yang's to reassure her more. "I just bit my tongue. Nothing major." She tried to sit up again, and this time Yang helped her, one supporting hand on her back and the other holding her arm.

"She's fine, everyone!" Nora exclaimed, waving her arms. "Clear the area! She's fine! Nothing to see here! Everything is good!"

"Well, she did trip and fall on her weapon…" Ren reflected, trying to make a point that was, unfortunately, lost on his rambunctious partner.

"Let's give them some space, at least," Sun intervened, and he pulled Nora a few steps back. The others went along with the suggestion.

Blake was beginning to catch her breath, although her heart was still pounding. All in all, it had been a good run and she got most of her workout done for the day, despite failing so impressively at the end. She passed her tongue over her teeth, trying to get the taste of blood out of her mouth.

"Hey, can one of you guys get some water?" Yang asked, looking back at their friends. Sun immediately jogged off towards the benches. Satisfied that what she asked was being taken care of, the sociable girl returned to Blake. Gold met worried lilac, surprised that Yang was so close – close enough that they probably breathed the same air – but the blonde merely cupped Blake's jaw and used her thumb to wipe away the leftover blood on her girlfriend's lips. Her touch was as solicitous and tender as ever. "We shouldn't've gotten you to do that," she murmured, regretful. "I'm sorry. It was dumb."

Blake appreciated the concern, she liked Yang being so close even more, and although she figured this initial panic sprang from the anxiety about what happened to Ruby, that didn't mean Blake would accept any excessive guilt on the brawler's part. "I agreed to do it, didn't I? Don't blame yourself. It was fun, all things considered."

Yang searched Blake's gaze, probably attempting to determine if the raven-haired girl was lying, and Blake quirked her lips, trying to smile reassuringly. This finally got Yang to smile a little, too. "Okay. Yeah, you were pretty cool. I'm glad you're on our side."

"So am I," Blake replied. She couldn't really find much else to say, her mind too preoccupied with admiring the lighter specks of lilac in Yang's irises, framed by rich, golden eyelashes. It truly was unreal how beautiful this kind and caring girl was.

Much to Blake's chagrin, though, the spell was broken soon after. Sun crouched on her other side and handed her a bottle of water, Yang moving away just a bit. "Here you go," he said pleasantly.

Blake thanked him as she took it. She uncapped the lid and then took a full swig, washing out her mouth. The cold water felt good and refreshing, and once she was done drinking, she felt alert and much calmer.

"Ready to get up?" Yang wondered, eyebrows creased.

The cat Faunus nodded, and both Sun and Yang helped her stand. Sun then stepped away as he said, "Well, no matter what, you were awesome, Blake." He grinned. "But I bet I could beat you."

"I'd like to see you try, monkey boy," Yang retorted dryly in Blake's stead. "That thing learns and adapts and helps students outperform themselves. Most of them don't even make it to the end. I know I didn't."

"Ren did!" Nora called out, and Blake slowly shook her head.

"Even Ruby doesn't rank first on it," she offered helpfully and took another sip of her water. "You need more than speed to get through." Blake paused, suddenly assessing Sun. He had a good handle on martial arts and he was quick on his feet. She had seen him in action, too, and could vouch for his ability to strategize in combat. Plus, his semblance, which was somewhat similar to her own, would be a valuable asset in getting him through faster, if he ever attempted the feat. "I think, though, that you could probably make it within the top ten, too." She stopped talking when her tongue suddenly reminded her with a sharp pang that it was wounded.

Sun beamed and looked over at the obstacle course for a moment. Then his dark grey eyes returned to the young couple. "Next time I visit, I'll give it a shot," he said confidently, nodding. "But Neptune and I have a flight to catch in… Uh…" He creased his eyebrows, stumped. But then his expression brightened and he turned towards the others, who were talking further off. "Hey, Nep!"

"Yeah?"

"When do we leave for our flight?"

"One hour, dude."

Sun's eyes widened. "One hour?! Shouldn't we be, like, on our way to the harbor now?"

Blake and Yang glanced at each other, both unsure what to do. It seemed, though, that they didn't need to do much at all.

Neptune walked over, shaking his head. "Sorry, man, I meant we gotta leave in an hour. No rush yet."

"Have you guys even packed?" Yang inquired curiously. Blake felt her partner shift around and realized Yang had not moved away since helping her stand. In fact, the lilac-eyed girl's hand was on Blake's waist still, allowing the bookworm to lean on the warmer, sturdier form. She wondered if Yang was doing this on purpose or if she was even conscious of her protective gesture at all. Maybe she was just offering her body as support out of worry for her companion, though. Whatever the case, Blake enjoyed the proximity.

Sun scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, no."

"We should probably do that, right?" Neptune chuckled.

"You should," Blake agreed. To be honest, the whole departure was a bit unexpected – she hadn't known they were leaving so soon. They hadn't said anything about how long they were staying when they arrived or at any point onwards, but Blake had assumed they might have stuck around for about a week. Two nights were markedly less than that. That said, it was possible they had other things to do or other places to be – just because students were on vacation for the summer didn't mean they were free from obligations.

Actually, if Blake's memory was correct, Sun had mentioned last year that he had a seasonal job to take care of during summer, something about loading heavy crates into trucks. She did feel a little bad for not asking him about it this time around. In her defense, there were a lot of things on her mind, but still. It wasn't really an excuse.

The group eventually dispersed. Ren went back to JNPR's dorm room with Sun and Neptune to help them pack while the girls went to the cafeteria for breakfast. There were a few other Beacon students already down there, other huntsmen and huntresses in training who were staying to take part in the border patrol program. The girls made sure to choose an empty table large enough to fit the guys as well, whenever they returned.

Breakfast went by without too much incident – except Blake found it a little painful to eat, and Nora's mere presence was a hazard to people's safety sometimes – and by the time they were done and putting any of their garbage in the trash, it was time for Neptune and Sun to catch the next airship to Vale.

Nora and Ren said their goodbyes at the academy, as they had to leave for patrol duty soon, and strangely enough…Yang stayed behind, too, instead of seeing Sun and Neptune off from Vale with Blake and Weiss. Blake was confused by her partner's decision, but Yang assured her that everything was fine and that they'd see each other later.

Nevertheless, the extravert still caught Blake just before she boarded the airship with her friends. "How's your tongue, by the way?" she had asked, concern etched in her regard.

Blake unexpectedly found herself blushing a little at the question. "Uh, I'll be fine. Just hurts a bit, is all." She wasn't entirely sure why Yang would still be worried about it. And she became even more flustered when Yang raised her hand and…hesitated. Blake thought the blonde had been about to lay it on her cheek, and the bookworm didn't know how she would have reacted if it had been the case, but then Yang only patted Blake's shoulder, seemingly trying to reassure the Faunus. Honestly, the wound to Blake's tongue was just embarrassing, if anything – it really wasn't deserving of this kind of attention. If, of course, it was the cause of Yang's behavior in the first place. Blake didn't know what that had been about.

However, Yang only smiled, warm and genuine like she always was, and said, "Okay. See you later then, kitten."

Cheeks still a bit heated from uneasiness, Blake was fast to turn away as she mumbled in response, "See you." She left Yang standing there, not meaning to be so awkward in her confusion but nevertheless walked up the ramp into the airship and hoped Yang would understand. Maybe the prankster was purposely flustering her – Yang seemed to take a mighty pleasure out of doing that, after all.

Blake's mind didn't linger on it for too long, though, as she sat down next to Weiss in the seating area of the airship. Sun and Neptune sat in front of them, bickering amicably and involving Blake and her teammate in the conversation regularly. They still had things to say about the aquarium, sharing their thoughts and their favorite – as well as the not so favorite – parts of the visit, and the discussion eventually shifted to Blake's performance in the obstacle course. She didn't like the attention any more than she had earlier, but it passed the time, and before the four knew it, they had arrived in Vale about a half hour later.

At the harbor, the small group stopped before the terminal for Mistral to say their goodbyes. The area was actually pretty busy at this time of the morning, people walking around to get to their different destinations, and the general hubbub of chatter and flight announcements faded to a constant background drone. There was a kind of warmth and liveliness to the ambiance, though, especially knowing that the sun was out and that becoming an icicle wasn't on anybody's mind – quite the stark contrast to Atlas' airship port.

Sun and Neptune turned towards Blake and Weiss, and the heiress was the first to speak, reverting to a detached and diplomatic tone, "Well, it was nice for the both of you to visit. I think we all enjoyed ourselves. Come back another time."

Sun smirked. "Weren't you, like, annoyed about us being here?"

Weiss sighed. "Only the two of you together. Separated, you're tolerable."

"More than tolerable, apparently, if you ask Neptune," Blake muttered under her breath. The frankness was admirable, though. She realized she sounded a bit immature, but maybe Yang was rubbing off on her. Whether or not that was a good thing…

Weiss huffed. "Let's speak more privately," she told Neptune, and grabbed his arm before pulling him a few steps away.

Blake would still be able to hear what they were saying, of course, but she chose not to focus on their conversation. In fact, she was left to stand there in front of Sun, awkward in the ensuing non-silence and not knowing what to talk about.

Sun put his hands in his pockets and looked around. Blake kept her eyes on the floor, in the space between them. And then she remembered there was one thing she had wanted to ask him. Her gaze met his. "Are you leaving because of your seasonal job?"

Sun appeared momentarily surprised, eyebrows quirked like that. "Uh, yeah. You remembered?" his gaze lit up, enthusiastic but for a second. "They do still want me this summer. Because I work well and stuff." He paused, and then a bit of a cocky smile crossed his lips. "Disappointed to see me go?"

Blake stared at him. They both knew that wasn't why she had asked, but she could see Sun was still grasping for every straw he could find. So, Blake was careful to say, "I thought you and Neptune would be staying longer. The way you made it sound, and with Ruby's condition…" Her voice trailed off, realizing she wasn't ready to share her feelings about Ruby's state without getting choked up, and quickly concluded with the point she meant to make, "Your departure is just unexpected, that's all."

Sun's reaction to this, though, was telling. He uncomfortably massaged his nape, looked at the floor, kicked it idly, and finally admitted, "Yeah, um… I've been meaning to tell you… I'm sorry for, you know, getting between you and Yang."

"Apology accepted," Blake replied, suspecting that this was the topic he and Yang had broached the night before. Nevertheless, his answer to Blake's previous statement was unrelated, and the raven-haired girl had a feeling she knew where this was going.

And indeed, she was proven correct when Sun added, trying hard to conceal his apparent glumness, "You're a really cool girl, Blake, and I thought I had a chance…well, with you. I like you. I like you a lot. And, um, I hope…" His monkey tail twitched nervously behind him. "Well, does Yang make you happy?"

Blake softened her gaze. Sun might have been expressing some mild jealousy, but it was clear his feelings were sincere and that he was trying to look out for her wellbeing. She wouldn't be brutal with him. "She does, Sun. I promise."

He chuckled a bit, not meeting the cat Faunus' regard. "Okay. I'm glad to hear it. Either way, Blake…" he hesitated, and then finished, "I just need some time. Seeing you and Yang together… I just don't have my place here right now, you know? Not with the way I feel about you."

Blake understood what he meant. Not only had he been rejected, but he had to deal with the fact that the person he liked was in a relationship with someone else – and that couldn't be pleasant. If she had been in his position, denied Yang to such an extent…it might have been hard to stick around. Once again, Blake couldn't believe how fortunate she had been that Yang had agreed to date her. It had always been beyond her realm of possibility.

And yet, here they were. Here she was. Saying no to Sun, feeling for him but not regretting her decision. She didn't like hurting him, of course, probably not any more than Yang did, but it was inevitable. Her heart belonged to someone else. "It's okay, Sun," she murmured, compassionate. "Take the time you need."

He was quiet, staring down at his shoes for a second, but then he looked up at Blake from under his feathered light blond bangs, and attempted a small smile. He did have his charms. "I'll visit again sometime. I still want to be there for you, if you ever need another friend."

"Thank you." Blake paused, trying not to linger on the offer. She appreciated it, but she also didn't want to give him any false hope. Further, Neptune and Weiss were coming back over. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"I will. And you do, too." His gaze went over to Weiss, his smile becoming another smirk. "See ya, Ice Queen."

Weiss narrowed her eyes but managed to say nicely enough, "Goodbye."

"We'll see you around, Blake," Neptune said with a friendly grin.

She nodded in response, and then that marked the end of their exchanges. The two guys grabbed their luggage and went through the terminal for Mistral, disappearing into the crowd. Weiss and Blake stood there for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts, until an unspoken cue passed between them and they turned to leave to find the smaller part of the airship harbor and return to Beacon Academy.

Upon coming back to their dorm room, Blake and Weiss found Yang sitting at the desk, very busy with…well, a pencil and a piece of paper. Tongue peeking out in her concentration, the blonde appeared to find her task quite important for some reason or another. This was a little surprising, as Yang rarely sat at the desk to do any of her work – further, she didn't actually seem to be doing work to begin with. She was just drawing.

To say the least, Blake was befuddled. For one thing, art was not her partner's forte. For another, after Yang had skipped saying goodbye to Sun and Neptune in Vale, drawing was not one of the things Blake had been expecting to find her doing instead. It was kind of strange.

Nevertheless, Blake didn't comment. She merely raised her eyebrows and then went over to her bed to sit down while Weiss rummaged for her laptop. However, Blake's gaze drifted out the window for a moment, her attention captured by the birds outside and appreciating how empty Beacon seemed without the full house of students present. The soft breeze rustled the leaves on the branches of the tree next to the window, but Blake didn't focus too much on that. It was another one of those lovely summer days, the sun bright and warm without a cloud in the sky.

Blake didn't want to admit it, but with Sun gone, she felt a little lighter. Despite all his good will, he had been putting a bit of a strain on her, and she suspected the same could be applied to Yang. It was nice to just sit there, basking in the warmth and not having to think about ways to deal with someone who, ultimately, hadn't made her feel any better about Ruby – even if this had been his original intent.

He had tried. She couldn't fault him for that.

The raven-haired girl's attention was redirected at Weiss when she headed for the door again, laptop bag in hand. "I'm going to the library. I still have work to do. Is there anything you had planned for today, Blake?" She stopped by the door, sending the Faunus an inquisitive look.

Golden irises flicked from the window to the Schnee heiress. "No, nothing more. But… Weiss?"

"Yes?"

Blake's cat ears leaned back a bit. She wasn't sure why, but this made her feel slightly awkward. Maybe nervous was the right word. This was important, after all. Weiss waited, fine eyebrows beginning to crease expectantly as the silence persisted, and Blake finally gathered her courage to say, "I didn't get the chance to thank you properly for what you did. We've been on the go ever since you gave us those tickets, and then with Sun and Neptune visiting… There just wasn't the opportunity to thank you for arranging the meet up with Raven. It means a lot to me, and I know it means even more to Yang."

Yang stopped what she was doing to look at Weiss as well. She tapped the desk with her pencil, looking almost grave. "Yeah. Thanks, Weiss. I…wasn't expecting you to help us when you left…" She cleared her throat and passed her hand through her hair. "And I guess that means I also owe you an apology. Sorta. I mean, you still left Ruby. But I'm sorry for shouting at you and stuff."

Weiss stared at them for a moment, impassive as she considered their words. Her expression remained guarded, but she eventually let out, "You don't have to thank me. I take care of my friends, and that's all there is to it." She paused, and added a little more quietly, "I appreciate the gratitude, though." Weiss didn't linger, though, as per her character. She was quick to compose herself, nod at them, and then leave the room as if the conversation had never happened.

Blake and Yang were silent. The birds outside continued to chirp. For no apparent reason, Yang chose this moment to move away from the desk, the chair making a bit of a scraping sound on the carpet as she did so, and, pencil and paper in hand, came over to sit next to Blake on the bed.

Initially, Blake didn't think much of it. She glanced at what the blonde was attempting to draw – it looked vaguely like some sort of large bicycle – maybe it was a motorcycle – but not really understanding why Yang had moved to continue the image, Blake was left a bit perplexed. "You know the desk was the best place for that, right?" She crossed one leg over the other and leaned her chin on the palm of her hand, feigning mild disinterest. This seemed like another one of those times where Yang's spontaneous thought processes escaped her.

Much to Blake's bemusement, Yang only scooted closer while the shadow of a smirk formed on those mischievous lips. She kept her eyes on her picture, though, and the introvert began to suspect something else was going on. "Yang, what are you doing?"

The prankster seemed to hold back an amused snort, and said as seriously as she could, "Just drawing a bit closer to you – nothing to worry about."

Blake blinked. "Yeah, but the desk…"

And then she realized.

Yang must have seen Blake clue in because she broke her act and started snickering. "Eh? Eh?"

There was this bizarre feeling of affectionate betrayal harassing the Faunus suddenly. "You planned a pun," Blake half accused, half deadpanned. She didn't know whether to be in utter disbelief or…or in utter disbelief. She was so sure nothing Yang did could surprise her anymore – but it seemed Blake had been wrong. She covered her face with her hand and groaned, causing Yang to laugh more. "Drawing a bit closer to me? Really? Is that why you didn't say goodbye to Sun and Neptune in Vale? Because you wanted to do this?"

Blake wasn't truly exasperated. If anything, that was one of the sweetest puns Yang had ever made – in that completely painful, unromantic, anticlimactic way of hers, of course, but sweet nonetheless. It was also reassuring for Blake – this meant Yang was on the road to recovery. And, just maybe, it meant Yang really was drawing closer to her, too.

The golden girl giggled and crumpled the paper into a ball before tossing it into the nearby garbage can. Apparently, it hadn't held any sentimental value, and Blake's tiny spark of hope flew away with it. "I'm not that punny, Blake." Yang snickered again. "I actually had an idea. Wanna go on a date?"

Once again caught by surprise, Blake raised her eyebrows, cat ears twitching towards her girlfriend. "A date? Where?" She found her hope immediately reanimated – although she tried very hard to tone it down, just in case Yang played her feelings like a yo-yo again – and she figured it was because this meant they would be going out for the specific purpose of being a couple. It was true that ever since the accident they had been spending a lot of time together and in close proximity to each other, but the circumstances had not been appropriate for attempts at romance. Blake had tried her best to be careful about the kind of attention she gave Yang, fully aware that the blonde was not in any emotional shape to reciprocate that type of focus.

But now Yang was suggesting an actual date. And Blake, having grown thoroughly wistful for her partner's undivided attention over these past two weeks, felt the butterflies return to her stomach alongside a resurfacing yearning she was quick to hold under again.

"You know better than that, Blakey. If you wanna find out where, you're just gonna have to come with and see where I take you." Yang beamed. "But I think you're gonna love it. First, though, we need to go to the cafeteria and steal some food again."

Toning down Blake's relative excitement was actually pretty easy after that statement. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Of course not," Yang agreed mildly and winked. "It's a figure of speech. But we do need to grab some sandwiches – at the very least." She hopped to her feet, but Blake didn't get up right away. Lilac irises searched for golden, and Yang creased her eyebrows. "Are you coming?"

Blake hesitated. She was struggling with herself, caught between wanting to just enjoy herself with Yang and thinking past that to make sure Yang was okay with this. It had only been two weeks. Ruby's state was still a sore spot, and Blake, herself, was beginning to find it hard even to let it cross her mind after all that time trying to be the strong one. She knew part of Yang's current pep was forced. "Yang…you don't have to do this for me, you know."

Some of the amusement left Yang's eyes. Her gaze softened. "I want to do this for you." She stretched out her hand towards Blake. "Come. Let's go spend some time together, just the two of us."

It was right about then that Blake realized they would have a problem. And it wasn't even really a problem they would both have. It was just that Blake was completely, hopelessly in love and couldn't possibly resist Yang when she phrased the offer like that, looking as beautiful and genuine as ever. Bye-bye, precious backbone; hello, disgusting positivity.

Nevertheless, Blake intended to continue being careful. This did not mean she should – or was even permitted to – push herself on Yang. It wasn't like Blake to make those kinds of advances, in any case, but she still felt the need to make that clear with herself. She would enjoy her time with Yang while keeping in mind that the lively girl was only beginning to feel better. It didn't matter what Yang said or even how enthusiastic she acted – that social butterfly had a bad habit of masking her sadness with smiles and disingenuous flirting. In fact…

Blake ignored the hand Yang presented and said, "You really need to stop distracting me like that."

It was Yang's turn to blink. Uncertainty made her retract her hand a bit. "Uh…what?"

Blake stood up on her own. "You asked me about my tongue before I left for Vale because you knew I'd be too flustered to think about why you didn't come with us after that." Yang might have been a master at both deflecting and attracting attention on herself – probably an annoying skill gained from being sociable and charismatic – but Blake at least had enough wit and perception to see through the ploy. "If you wanted to plan a date with me, why didn't you just say so?"

Yang let her hand fall as she chuckled a bit sheepishly. "You caught me. Man, I can't get anything past you, can I?"

"You're doing it again. Except, you know, not as well as before. What's going on?"

"…Are you sure your tongue is okay?"

"Yang."

The brawler laughed. "Alright, alright. You win." She paused, expression still mirthful, and admitted, "Nothing's really wrong. I just wanted this to be a nice surprise for you." She looked down and passed her hand through her hair again, confirming that something was causing her some stress. She finally confided, "And, um…I was scared. It's stupid, I know. But you've been there for me and...and I haven't been there for you, and then Sun came along and he's a cool guy and he likes you, and he wouldn't have all this baggage you'd have to worry about, and –"

"Yang, you're rambling." Blake put a comforting hand on her girlfriend's bicep. Her heart was beating a little faster than normal, but that was because she found herself fighting to keep her hopeful emotions from soaring. Yang had been scared of losing her. Actually, it was more than that – she'd been afraid of losing her to Sun. Blake could not, under any circumstance, encourage or reward jealous behavior on Yang's part, but this definitely meant something. "What were you scared of losing? My friendship?"

Yang looked back up, uncharacteristically alarmed. "No, not… Well, I mean, yes, kinda, but…"

The temptation to press Yang into continuing that sentence was monumental. But what? What else had she been afraid of losing, if not just Blake's friendship? The silence persisted, both of them evidently struggling with themselves, and Blake was the first to get a grip. She would not push Yang. Hesitantly, daringly, she put the side of her curled index under Yang's chin and said softly, "I love you, Yang. Not Sun. I don't care what he has to offer. I'm with you, I've chosen you, and I want to stay with you, for better or for worse – if you'll have me. If I'm enough for you. I'm trying to be." She paused, waiting to see if Yang would say anything, but the golden girl seemed at a loss. To help her out, Blake added with a small smile, "And I'd be really happy to go on that date with you."

And a smile did form on Yang's lips again, relief overpowering the worry in her regard. Blake dropped her hand, but Yang stopped it midway to intertwine their fingers. "Thank you, Blake. You're the best."

Blake didn't say anything to that, but she felt like she didn't have to. She was content to give Yang an affectionate look with an equally affectionate hand-squeeze, and her companion seemed entirely reassured. With both girls feeling more confident about each other and ready to go on the date, they finally left the room, cafeteria in mind first.

Blake was pretty sure the date entailed a picnic, at the very least. Yang wouldn't acknowledge this supposition, but the sandwiches, blanket, and fruits tucked into a backpack kind of made it obvious. That said, Yang brought Ember Celica and insisted that Blake bring Gambol Shroud, too, so the Faunus wasn't willing to argue the picnic idea from her girlfriend, in case Yang's imaginative mind had other plans for the food – ideas that may or may not have involved trying to feed the Grimm.

Honestly, Blake wouldn't have been surprised. Yang had done crazier things.

But then the brawler wanted to leave Beacon to go to Vale instead of heading for the woods at the perimeter of the academy, and Blake was once again perplexed. She knew there was a pretty park in Vale where they could sit on the grass to enjoy their lunch, but that didn't explain the weapons. And Yang refused to explain them as well.

Things got even more puzzling for Blake when the golden girl brought her from the harbor to the port, on the other side of the docks, and displayed no intention of actually getting on a boat. They stood around near one of the benches on the boardwalk, but Yang didn't want to sit down there, either. The air smelled strongly of salt and rusted iron – with a vague whiff of rotting algae, too, which wasn't entirely pleasant for Blake. There were seagulls everywhere, filling the sky and peppering the ground with white and grey. People were up and about here as well, either waiting for their ferries, discussing with captains, or buying food at the nearby street sellers.

Blake kept a watchful eye on a pelican roosting on a rafter ahead. She could swear it was staring at them.

"So…what are we doing?" she eventually asked – for the third time in the last forty minutes or so.

Yang's eyes finally betrayed her current intent by quickly darting around, as if searching for something. "Hanging out. You'll see."

Blake rolled her own eyes and kept quiet. They were waiting for something to happen…or for someone to arrive. Either way, Blake's curiosity was appeased for the moment. Mostly. She still couldn't figure out what Yang actually wanted to do for this date, though. It seemed that working and being friends with her for two years hadn't given Blake enough insight about the blonde to guess these things yet. She supposed she would learn with more time… If Yang wanted to stay with her for that long, that was.

"Is it just me, or is that bird staring at us?"

Blake narrowed her eyes. "You mean the pelican, right? The one on that rafter?"

"Yeah. Like, it's creepy. I usually like birds, but this one's just…stalker-ish."

The Faunus shifted her weight, and the pelican ruffled its feathers. The staring contest continued. "I think it's afraid of me."

Yang turned her head to look at Blake, half befuddled, half amused. "Why?"

Blake wasn't actually certain of her statement. She frowned at the rather large bird and took an experimental step towards it. The pelican moved as if to spread its wings before settling again. There was a pause. "Because, maybe, I'm part cat?"

Yang scoffed, which rapidly devolved into laughing.

A small smile graced Blake's lips, glad to hear the joyful sound, but she nevertheless creased her eyebrows. "What's so funny?"

The extravert attempted to muffle her giggles by putting her hand over her mouth. She was highly unsuccessful in her endeavor. "I'm sorry, Blake, it's just – oh, my God – because your lil' tiny cat ears are terrifying…" She interrupted herself, caught with another fit of snickers, and managed, "And that bird is huuuge…"

Blake didn't know how to react. She figured Yang wasn't being serious about her comment and didn't mean any harm by it, but years of prejudice and abusive behavior on Blake's kin did make her wonder if there was some truth in the remark. "Well, it seems to think so, anyway…"

Yang slowly shook her head. She reached for Blake and pulled the young woman into a brief but tight hug, still chuckling. "They're the softest, cutest things ever, and I think that pelican is confused. We have food in a backpack, remember?"

"Right." Blake returned the hug for the short moment it lasted and forced the negative thoughts away. Yang was right, and the situation absolutely was a lot funnier than it was offensive. Also, getting riled up over a bird was all kinds of ridiculous.

She really needed to stop acting like a cat sometimes.

To Blake's pleasant surprise, though, she did find that she wasn't particularly upset with this thought anymore. Being compared to a cat, or acting like one – it did still bother her just a little bit, maybe out of embarrassment for seemingly uncharacteristic behavior, but there was no overwhelming shame or disgust about her Faunus heritage like there used to be. She didn't feel the need to apologize or retract into herself for what had happened – being so focused on some dumb bird. In fact, she had just leveled the whole scenario with lighthearted sarcasm in her own head. She felt okay. Yang liked her cat ears and her feline instincts – found them cute, even – and Blake could accept that. She could accept herself as a whole.

The marvel of this realization made Blake grin along with Yang. It was liberating, being able to share in Yang's mirth without having to deal with mental self-flagellations, without ruining the mood or making her girlfriend feel guilty for mere harmless jokes. Blake could find them amusing, too, and not take herself so seriously. It was altogether amazing, and she knew she could have never reached this freedom without Yang. Blake owed that gorgeous blonde everything – and she couldn't have been happier for it.

"If it steals my tuna sandwich, we're going to have problems."

Yang blinked and stared at her, uncertain – because, for one thing, Blake made sure to sound unforgiving, and for another thing, they both knew Blake thought tuna wasn't a matter to be trifled with. But then the bookworm smirked and gave her partner a quick, teasing quirk of her eyebrows, and Yang started laughing again upon cluing in on the fact that Blake was actually kidding. "Oh, my God, Blake. You're so amazing."

"Thanks. You're pretty great, too."

Yang seemed like she was about to reply to that, but she was never given the chance. Somewhere behind her, someone called out, "Yang! Blake!"

Both girls pivoted towards the direction of the voice, still smiling gaily but now having their attentions turned elsewhere, and searched the mass of people. It didn't take them that long to spot who was calling their names. Yang's father, Taiyang, was one of those men who stood out in a crowd with his tall, muscled build. Even the blond hair was unusual to see in Vale. But those weren't what caught Blake's eye at first – no, it was the thing beside him that was the most noticeable.

And it wasn't a stubby little dog.

Blake recognized Yang's deathtrap of a motorcycle. In all its yellow, orange, and black glory, the monster on wheels that the brawler so affectionately and ironically dubbed Bumblebee was quite a sight to see out here at the port. It seemed like forever since the last time Blake saw it. After the stunt Yang had pulled back in their first year at Beacon while their team – plus Sun and Neptune – investigated the White Fang and Roman Torchwick, Taiyang had confiscated Bumblebee on the basis that Yang had no business driving it for dangerous extracurricular activities. From then on, Yang had only been able to drive it when she visited her home on Patch. To say the least, Blake hadn't been expecting to see it again anytime soon.

However, that being all said…

"Yang, you absolute troll – is that why you were drawing a motorcycle earlier?" Blake could have committed murder with how outrageous the situation was. Yang had been dropping hints the size of Leviathans all over the place, and the introvert had failed to notice them all. This feeling of affectionate betrayal was growing – Yang played her games masterfully, showing just how smart she could be when she set her mind to something. Much to other people's dismay and misfortune, of course – Blake's included.

Yang finger-gunned her partner and sniggered. "You got it, babe. Are you feeling okay? I thought for sure you'd figure it out."

Clearly, someone was proud of their wit. Actually, as hurt as Blake's pride was, she was pretty sure Yang had just become about a hundred percent more attractive for outsmarting her. How peachy. "I am not getting on that thing."

"Yeah, you are," Yang laughed just as Taiyang reached them with Bumblebee. Her grin faded a little. "Hey, Dad."

Taiyang smiled, looking a bit tired but genuinely glad to see them both. "Hey, Yang. And hi, Blake."

"Hello," Blake greeted him with a nod. She thought about asking him how the boat trip went, but there was this strange awkward energy she was starting to sense between father and daughter, which kept Blake from saying anything else.

Taiyang held her gaze for a moment, but then he returned to Yang, looking slightly more concerned. "I brought your motorcycle, like you asked me. This date you're going on, though – you'll be safe, right? Where are you taking her?"

There was a bit of a tightness in Yang's voice when she spoke next, and she wasn't smiling anymore. "Dad, we'll be fine. We aren't going far, and I won't do anything stupid with Bumblebee. We're even bringing our weapons. You have nothing to worry about."

Blake glanced at Yang. But doesn't he? Ruby was in the hospital. Yang was all he had left, and Blake hardly believed she wasn't aware of that. Why was Yang being cold, then? It wasn't like Blake hadn't noticed this tension between them before, back when they had been at the hospital together, but…

Taiyang shifted and passed his hand through his hair – and Blake suddenly knew where Yang got the nervous habit from – before saying, "I know, Yang. But…promise me you'll be careful. After what happened to Ruby…"

Blake saw the look in Yang's eyes harden. The Faunus knew her girlfriend was about to reply harshly, so Blake gently took hold of her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Yang…" She didn't want to get between them or involve herself in their family problems, whatever they were, but she also knew that getting Yang to diffuse the situation would be in everyone's best interest. If anything, Yang seemed almost bitter right now.

The robust young woman paused, conflicted, and then let out a bit of a sigh. It sounded a little frustrated, but her shoulders did relax slightly with this exhale. "I promise I'll be careful. Blake and I will look out for each other…just like we've always done."

"We will," Blake affirmed, but she cast an affectionate, sidelong glance at her partner before taking notice of Taiyang, who regarded them thoughtfully.

"Thank you," he finally said, relief evident in his voice. Cobalt then met golden. "And Blake? I wanted to tell you…well, I'm glad you're there for Yang. I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to talk, but I wanted you to know that."

Blake knew what this was. Taiyang was expressing his acceptance of her by Yang's side. It wasn't his blessing – they were far from being there yet, or from even considering it – but Blake felt happy. Yang's father accepted Blake as his daughter's girlfriend for now, and although the raven-haired girl hadn't realized she'd been searching for this approval, it did make her feel more at ease. It felt like a step forward.

She smiled appreciatively at him, and even Yang seemed to have recovered a bit of her previous enthusiastic mood, too, if only to say, "Thanks for bringing Bumblebee here, Dad. It's cool of you."

"Yeah, no trouble." He pulled the bike towards Yang so she could take charge of it. "I'm going to visit the hospital and keep an eye on Ruby while you two are gone. I'll take your motorcycle home with me again when you get back." He paused. "Take care, Yang. I love you."

"…I love you, too. See you later."

He smiled, still looking as tired as before. "Well, enjoy yourselves. Bye, Blake."

Those words, followed by a brief, casual wave, had Taiyang walking away, headed in the direction of the road further off where a few taxis were parked.

Blake and Yang watched him go for a moment, and then Yang suddenly sighed again and shook her head, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry, Blake. I know that was kinda awkward."

The bookworm hesitated, only because she wasn't sure how to handle the issue, until at last she tried, "I'm just not really sure what you're holding against him? Is it still because of…well, shutting down after Summer's death?"

"Yeah…" Yang's shoulders drooped. "I know it's been a long time. And I thought I'd gotten over it and stuff, but with what happened to Ruby… I dunno. Everything just seemed to resurface – for both him and me." She stopped talking for a few seconds, and Blake thought she would continue on the same topic, but then Yang unexpectedly attempted an amused smile and added, "I'm totally glad he supports us, though, 'cause I don't think he would've brought my baby here if he didn't like you."

Blake glanced at said 'baby' and raised her eyebrows skeptically. It was nice that Yang appeared to be confiding in Blake about her past and personal feelings more easily, but it seemed that no matter what, some things never really changed – at least, not right away. The blonde remained somewhat flighty, jumping from one subject to the next without much of a warning. Maybe she didn't even realize she'd made a habit of it. Nonetheless, it was a drastic improvement from pretending that everything was alright and keeping all her thoughts to herself. If Yang was willing to talk about her feelings in bits and pieces like this without any major prompting from Blake, then that was progress, and the Faunus would go along with it.

"Well, if that's the case, now I wish he liked me a little less."

Yang's smirk reached her eyes, that entertained twinkle reappearing in those beautiful lilac irises. She swung a long, toned leg over the motorcycle and patted the space of black leather behind her. "Blake Belladonna, you sit your tight butt right here or I'm leaving without you."

Blake rolled her eyes. Despite all her good looks and tempting flirts, Yang somehow made it so easy to say no sometimes. Sarcastically, Blake muttered, "When you put it like that…"

The prankster, unfazed, chuckled and motioned her partner closer. "Wait, for real, come here. Put this on, first." She handed Blake a shiny, black helmet without waiting to see if the Faunus would actually step forward. Apparently, Blake had no choice in the matter. Not that she minded that much. She just wasn't fond of that deathtrap. Or wearing a helmet over her cat ears.

…But she trusted Yang, and Yang had promised that Blake was going to "love" the date. So, wherever it was they were going, she was sure it would make up for the uncomfortable ride to get there. Unless, of course, they were attacked by Grimm. Because, apparently, that was an actual possibility at the place Yang was taking her. But Blake would try not to focus on the negative outcomes, or else she increased their chances of running into trouble. Grimm were all kinds of fun like that.

Blake carefully lowered the helmet onto her head, flattening her cat ears so as not to hurt them. In front of her, Yang reached for the clasps, and Blake let her loosen them a bit, briefly tempted to kiss those solicitous fingers moving so closely to her lips, but she restrained herself. Yang buckled the clip under Blake's jaw and then smiled reassuringly before putting on her own yellow helmet. She then patted the seat behind her again, inviting Blake to get on.

"C'mon, Blakey. You get to hold on to me as tightly as you want. Resistance is futile."

Blake narrowed her eyes. Yang was showing her love of holovision again – one of the many things she found enjoyment in. Nevertheless, she was also right – resistance was futile. If riding Bumblebee was a frightening prospect, getting to hold on to Yang in the process made the whole idea a lot less nerve-racking. So, with a resigned sigh, Blake mounted the back of the motorcycle, movements a bit timid because of this being her first experience with the machine. The shocks lowered the chassis some as she sat her weight on the seat, and she leaned back for a moment, initially surprised to have Yang's hips between her thighs. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it definitely hadn't been this.

Heartbeat accelerating a little, Blake told herself to stop thinking like a pubescent boy and get a grip. Er... It was also then that Yang ignited Bumblebee's engine, and the sudden roar immediately banished the remaining inappropriate thoughts from the Faunus' mind. She was fast to take a quiet, calming breath in before slowly exhaling and leaning towards Yang's back. Nervously, she raised her arms and slid her hands around Yang's slim but firm waist, fingers feeling taught muscles and warm skin along the brawler's bared lower midriff.

Despite being distracted by and wary of the monster she was sitting on, Blake nevertheless had to clench her teeth and focus very hard on not focusing on Yang's body. She could barely believe she was allowed to do this, had more respect for the blonde than that to begin with, and such desires were completely not okay at this point in their relationship. Plus, she wasn't really being fair to herself, either. She would not entertain those kinds of thoughts, period.

"You're gonna have to hang on tighter than that, Blake," Yang called out to her, and Blake realized how ridiculous she was being. Like, honestly.

She was still hesitant, but she moved closer to the warmer form and tightened her grip around Yang's waist. Blonde hair tickled Blake's face a little, assaulting her nose with the scent of vanilla, and, coupled with Yang's natural smell of gunpowder and something sweeter, Blake felt right at home. She was a lot more comfortable than she thought she would have been, and she did feel safer like this.

"So, during turns, you're gonna have to lean with me, okay? But, otherwise, don't let go until we've arrived."

"Alright." Blake wasn't sure she had been heard, though, so she nodded against her girlfriend's back to let her know she got the message.

Shortly after, Yang pushed Bumblebee forward, carefully weaving through a few passersby until she reached the side of the road, where she pulled on the throttle and got her feet off the ground. At first, Blake didn't even want to look, shutting her eyes and clutching Yang out of a fear of falling off. She felt the bike accelerate, heard the purr of the motor, and could sense Yang's confidence through the ease of her control, but it still took Blake a while before she was calm enough to relax her grip so it wasn't uncomfortably tight. And it took even longer before she was ready to open her eyes and watch the buildings and streets and landmarks whiz by.

Blake was a huntress in training. She fought creatures of Grimm for a living and was proficient in doing so. Heck, Blake had hurled herself onto moving trains and had even battled against giant machines. To top that off, she could have died more times than she was comfortable counting if it hadn't been for her aura shielding her from a lot of initial damage. And in this particular circumstance, Blake knew very well that her chances of getting hurt while Yang drove were next to null. This fear the bookworm was feeling was completely irrational, and yet she couldn't do much else about it except put her trust in Yang – because that seemed to be the only solace her mind accepted to be calmed by. Had it been anyone else driving, Blake would not have gotten on this monster.

By the time Vale's rural houses and farms were replaced by dense forest, though, Blake's huntressing instincts had begun to kick in and she was able to keep her nervousness at manageable levels. In fact, feeling the wind on her face and arms was even kind of pleasant, and she had a better appreciation of the sturdiness of Yang's presence against her front. The blonde hadn't pulled any crazy stunts so far, and her driving was steady. It was reassuring.

At some point, Yang steered off the main road and onto a smaller dirt path, wooden fencing along the tree line on both sides. It was curious, only hearing the muffled sound of Bumblebee's engine in this natural quiet. Blake thought she might have actually been able to get used to this.

The path started ascending pretty soon, the slope not too steep but noticeable enough for the girls to shift their balance. Blake realized they were heading onto the side of one of the mountains that acted as Vale's barrier against the bigger kinds of Grimm. Why Yang knew of a place to picnic out here was beyond Blake – although, it wasn't entirely surprising – but the Faunus found herself looking forward to it, anyway.

About ten minutes of driving later, the ground leveled out again and the path opened up to a pale dirt clearing, sort of like a small area to park vehicles in front of the simple wooden fences. This was where Yang brought her motorcycle to a stop, right beneath the shade of a large, leafy tree. She put her foot on the ground, and Blake loosened her hold on her girlfriend's waist, already looking around with interest. The path did continue up the side of the mountain, but it seemed designed for hikers from this point on, due to its narrow size and apparent rockiness. The breeze was also just a bit cooler up here, and it felt nice.

Yang turned Bumblebee's motor off, and Blake was left with a slight ringing in her ears at the sudden silence. Fortunately, that quickly faded, too. The brawler was the first to get onto her feet, and she helped Blake move off the bike immediately after, a pleased grin somewhere behind those twinkling lilac irises – emphasized by the slight laugh lines at the edge of her eyes, no doubt.

"So, how was it?" she asked, barely concealed enthusiasm apparent in her voice. She hadn't stepped away from Blake yet, and now she once again reached for the clasps under her companion's jaw.

"Tolerable," Blake replied, hesitant. Yang unclipped the buckle as she explained further, "Scary at the beginning, but I'm okay now."

The golden girl didn't reply, but her beam was answer enough. She carefully removed Blake's helmet, and the Faunus twitched her cat ears around in relief as soon as they were granted their freedom of movement. Yang watched this, clearly still enjoying the sight of the furry appendages, and Blake watched her in return, finding the child-like marvel in her regard somewhat amusing.

Nevertheless, Blake passed her hand through her hair to get rid of any tangles, and this snapped Yang back into motion. She took off her own helmet, shook out her hair, too, and hung both helmets on one of Bumblebee's steering bars.

Meanwhile, Blake observed her surroundings some more. They were at the top of a hill, and her gaze was drawn to the view beyond the wooden fence. Her eyes widened a little. She could see almost all of Vale from here, and her sharp eyesight even spotted Beacon Academy's tallest spire way out in the distance, higher up than any other building and partially hidden by wisps of clouds. And directly below – way below – there was a glimpse of the port and the lake, water as blue and tranquil as ever. Blake had never thought of Vale as pretty or serene, but it suddenly looked the part from where she was standing. It was amazing.

"Wanna give me the backpack?" Yang offered lightly, interrupting Blake's admiration of the scenery as she came to stand beside her.

Blake could hardly tear her eyes away. "Yang, how do you know this place?" she asked instead, knowing she sounded awestricken.

Yang leaned her arms on the fence, thoughtful as she looked out towards Vale as well. "A few years ago, I was following some intel about a possible hideout my mother could have been using, higher up in the mountain." She shrugged. "I didn't really believe it, but you know how I was back then. And as you can guess, I found nothing. This is just some place for dumb couples to hang out, if they're feeling kinda daring. Almost nobody ever comes here."

Blake considered this, and then she quirked her lips, amused as she raised her eyebrows. "So…we're a dumb couple feeling kinda daring, are we?"

Yang's eyes widened, realizing her mistake. But then she saw Blake's expression, and she started chortling. "No, we are huntresses in training on a date. Big difference."

Blake smiled. She found that she was absolutely happy right now. Between the fantastic view and the even more fantastic company – and finally experiencing a true, stress-free moment they could spend together after what seemed like forever – the bookworm knew without a doubt that Yang had been right. Blake was going to love this.

And, somehow, Yang, in this romantically-focused setting, despite being dressed in her usual biker-esque fashion, looked more gorgeous than ever in the swaying shade of that large tree. Her eyes were the windows to her soul, and they were bright and open and breathtaking in their colorful violets and lilacs. Golden locks framed a soft, mischievous face before tumbling down her back and accentuating a figure to die for, femininity and muscle finding a perfect balance. Blake knew she was staring, and she knew Yang could see this, but her throat suddenly felt dry and she had no idea what to say. Her mind had gone blank.

Fortunately, Yang didn't seem to care nor did she tease Blake about it. She merely reached over and gently took the backpack from Blake's shoulder. This movement did break the spell, but Blake was grateful for it this time. It was all very nice to admire her girlfriend for the rest of eternity, but she was also pretty sure they were supposed to be having a picnic. And knowing Yang, she was probably hungry.

"We can set up down here," the sociable girl said pleasantly, as if there hadn't just been any awkward ogling going on, and slung the backpack over her own shoulder before jumping over the fence with the help of one hand.

Blake shook herself and followed, vaulting over and landing on the soft grass on the other side. The young couple descended the shallow slope together, but they didn't need to go very far. Yang stopped where the ground seemed to be just a little more level and then grabbed the blanket from the backpack to spread it over the grass. Blake helped straighten it out and folded it neatly into a square, and then both girls sat down cross-legged on it, knees touching.

"So, what do you wanna eat first?" Yang wondered, still rummaging in the backpack.

"Apple?"

"Can do." Yang immediately found one in the bag and lightly tossed it to Blake, who caught it with both hands. For herself, Yang took out her turkey sandwich right away, confirming Blake's earlier suspicion about her partner's appetite.

They didn't say much at first, eating in a comfortable quiet and gazing at the spectacular scenery before them. Blake listened to the birds, allowing herself to relax, as the melodies meant there were no Grimm nearby. The sun warmed her face, Yang warmed her side, and Blake continued to bask in a contentment she was not used to feeling – but she welcomed it wholeheartedly.

"Thank you for this, Yang," she eventually said. "I mean, I know we aren't leaving just yet, but this is…wonderful."

The golden girl smiled. "I think we needed this. I finally feel…more like myself. And it's mostly because of you."

Blake was glad to hear that. Perhaps the efforts she had been putting into being there for Yang might have actually been useful – that Blake, herself, had been worth something important to Yang. Because, really, the only thing Blake wanted was for Yang to be happy. If the bookworm had a hand in it, then that was a rewarding bonus. She would keep trying her best.

They continued eating – Blake finished her apple and started on her tuna sandwich while Yang took a bite out of the second half of her turkey one. They spoke intermittently, the subjects of no real consequence as they were simply enjoying both the fresh air and each other's company. Soon, Yang was rummaging in the backpack again to fish out their small desserts. Blake put Gambol Shroud beside herself to sit more comfortably on the blanket, and when Yang handed her the blueberry muffin, she decided to inquire, "Remember when you asked me what I would have done if you hadn't agreed to date me?"

Yang sat back with her own muffin in hand, raising her eyebrows. "Uh, yeah? What, you gave it another think-through?"

Blake smirked, mildly amused. "No. But I did think about how you were the one to suggest dating in the first place. Remember that, too?"

Yang laughed, strangely sounding a bit nervous. "Heh, whoops. I must've been in a bad place to not recall that properly. I'm sorry." She paused, her chuckling dying down, and now she looked thoughtful. She took a bite of her muffin, chewing slowly for a moment. "But, you're right… You never actually even mentioned wanting to date me." The implications seemed to dawn on her just then. Her eyes widened and she swallowed. "Oh, dust, Blake – I just assumed, and then I threw all of that relationship stuff on you…" She blinked up at her companion in disbelief. "Did you, Blake? Did you want to date me before I brought it up?"

The Faunus bit into her own muffin and took the time to chew and swallow before she answered. She made sure to sound reassuring and gentle when she spoke. "I knew you were straight, and, back then, I was convinced I could never make you happy. It's the reason I never told you about my feelings until that moment on the beach." Blake regarded her partner compassionately. "The truth, though, Yang, is that no, I didn't want to date you before you brought it up. I could barely accept being your friend. I was so sure I was ruining your happiness somehow. It utterly escaped me why you would even want to try dating me. But I don't regret accepting, nor do I hold your assumption against you. It's okay. How could you have known?"

Yang was still staring, apparently flabbergasted enough to not know how to fill the ensuing silence.

Blake furrowed her eyebrows. She put her muffin down, and gold met lilac a bit sadly. If she was being honest, the answer to this next question frightened her. But she needed to know, if only to get a sense of where their relationship was at – and that might have been why it was so daunting to begin with. "What about you? Do you ever think about what you would have done if we hadn't agreed to date?"

Yang seemed to recover a little, but she didn't reply right away. She took a page out of Blake's own book – that is to say, another bite from her muffin, and only answered once she was done chewing. Blake's trepidation grew with every second her girlfriend didn't speak, until Yang finally put an end to her misery and said, "I do. Often. And, at first, I did wonder what the heck I was doing." She chuckled briefly. "Because I'm straight, right? Why am I dating a girl? Mostly, though, I was actually just thinking about you. I felt sad for you." She paused and came to the part Blake almost desperately needed to hear. "Recently, though, even if I've still been thinking about the what-ifs, I can't seem to come up with a clear answer. The only thing I know for sure, Blake…" and Yang looked at her, "is that right now, without the kind of support and presence you've had in my life, I'd still be a mess. And, maybe, my want for revenge would have led me to become a criminal. So, for that, I can't even explain how much I owe you." Yang's bottom lip quivered a bit, betraying just how much this meant to her.

Blake wasn't entirely sure what she'd been thinking. This conversation had started as an innocent enough question, and yet here they were, unexpectedly laying their hearts bare to each other in the middle of a moment where they were supposed to be relaxing and enjoying themselves. But Blake couldn't say she regretted that, either, because now she knew Yang's feelings. Now she knew where she stood in regards to her girlfriend. Yang felt a tremendous amount of gratitude, and her actions had always shown just how much she cared. Because if she didn't have any sort of affection for Blake, how could she have done even half of the things she had without batting an eye? There was love to be found somewhere in there – maybe not the romantic kind, but love nonetheless.

It was a lot to assimilate. Blake was silent, trying to determine if she was happy or hopeful or disappointed or afraid. Maybe she was all four. But to be hopeful or disappointed implied she had expectations, and Blake had been very careful to not entertain those…until, of course, Yang had encouraged her to. And maybe Blake had hoped for love, was happy to receive it, but was equally disappointed and afraid that it wasn't the romantic kind – and that it may never be, either. She didn't know what that meant, what it entailed.

But Yang had admitted not knowing certain things, too. And, necessarily, that much meant Blake didn't have all the details. She couldn't put an accurate label on Yang's feelings – all she could do was recognize their sincerity and depth.

And, maybe, that was enough for now.

"Blake?" Yang asked, bringing the raven-haired girl back to the present moment. The blonde wouldn't meet Blake's gaze, acting somewhat evasive all of a sudden. She had finished her muffin partially, but now she put it down, too.

Heart beating faster than before in her chest, Blake tried to keep her emotions in check as she prompted, focusing the whole of her attention on her girlfriend, "Yes?"

Yang took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Whatever she was about to say next, it seemed like it wasn't easy for her. She waited a few seconds, as if trying to maintain her calm, and, refusing to look at Blake, she asked quietly, "Do you still want to kiss me?"

"Do I… What?" Blake stared, unable to process. She wished she could use the excuse of not being certain if she had heard correctly, but the problem was that she knew exactly what Yang had just said. But…was she asking what Blake thought she was asking? Or…was Yang asking just for the sake of asking? It was ridiculous, Blake knew – because why in the world would Yang ask that question just for the fun of it? – but Blake really didn't know how to handle this new development. She quashed her growing anticipation, just in case her imagination had broken free, while the butterflies went wild in her stomach. She really needed to keep those under control, too.

Yang laughed nervously once more, and now Blake knew why. "Well, I didn't want to just assume things again. I don't know. Do you?" She paused, apparently waiting for an answer, and when Blake remained in dumbfound silence, Yang added awkwardly, "Because, like, I thought we could give it a try. Or something."

The answer, of course, was an excited and resounding yes. Except Blake didn't express it like that because Blake didn't do excited. Actually, she found that she was probably just about as nervous as Yang was, since it seemed that Yang was indeed asking what Blake thought she had been asking to begin with, and the Faunus hadn't been prepared at all. Yang was ready to try kissing? Blake's lips curved into a small, hesitant smile, though, and she murmured, "...I'd like that."

Yang creased her eyebrows, and she turned her body towards Blake a bit more. Their eyes met, both girls considering what they were about to do. Blake's heart was pounding in her chest. She hadn't expected Yang to offer this – not now, perhaps not even anytime soon. But, then again, Blake didn't always follow Yang's line of reasoning. Hindsight also revealed that kissing had been part of the extravert's plan from the very beginning. No wonder Yang had been so confident about Blake "loving" this outing. Because how many times had the raven-haired girl caught herself longing for this, only to be turned down, however kindly?

But this was finally happening. Their first kiss. And Yang had chosen a beautiful setting for it. The wind played with strands of her blonde hair, sunlight reflecting gold in the messy curls, and pools of sparkling lilac held eternity in their dazzling irises. The birds continued to chirp, undisturbed in their leafy emerald and topaz homes, and although the surroundings were spectacular in their serenity, the girl sitting before Blake captured the brightest colors and the most exquisite details.

Yang began to lean forward a little, and Blake trembled. "Don't move, okay?" whispered Yang while the Faunus zeroed in on the gentle, husked sound of her partner's voice.

Blake couldn't respond. There was a tingling energy at her fingertips, and while her heart wouldn't be soothed, there was nothing she could say that would justify how much this meant to her. Yang rendered her speechless, and if she didn't want Blake to move, then Blake would remain as still as a statue if it meant tasting her girlfriend's lips. This was just a glimpse of paradise.

Without any sudden motions, Yang raised her hand and touched one side of Blake's face, skin warm and reassuring. She held Blake's gaze tenderly and came a little closer, enough for the reserved girl to smell the vanilla and gunpowder in the brawler's scent again, and Blake welcomed that even more than the contentment she had been feeling earlier. She wanted to be enveloped with Yang and hold on to her forever.

Yang approached her face, near enough that Blake could do more than smell her enticing scent, but also feel the golden girl's patent body heat, and the Faunus' insides melted. Part of her wanted to grab Yang and eliminate the space between them immediately, and Blake suspected it had to do with undesired instincts beginning to show themselves, but the greater part her was putty in Yang's hands and was more than willing to go through the waiting game for this. For her. Yang was worth it a hundred times over.

Blake was lost to love, head over heels, without doubt or question, and she liked the slowness if only because it meant the moment was lasting. She held her breath and began to close her eyes as Yang's nose brushed against hers, heart racing and fingers tightening around the blonde's knee – when she had placed it there, exactly, Blake didn't know, but Yang didn't seem to mind. She could feel her girlfriend hesitate, those plump, curvy lips mere millimeters away, and Blake wanted to tell her it was alright, wanted to show her how alright it was with a soft, delicate kiss, but Blake would not be the one to close the gap between them, no matter how much she wanted to. This was Yang's decision, and Blake wouldn't push her.

And Yang tilted her head just a little, and that was the specific moment when both hers and Blake's scrolls let out a few urgent beeps before going silent.

There were a couple seconds of pause as both girls processed the interruption in confusion. Yang was the first to react, moving away from Blake to grab her scroll from her jacket's pocket, but Blake, herself, was still too dazed to figure out what was actually happening. All she knew for certain was that Yang had been this close to kissing her, and now she was that far from going through with it. Crestfallen didn't begin to explain Blake's new dilemma.

"Blake, it's the hospital!" Yang exclaimed, worry evident in her tone. She fumbled with her scroll, putting it back in her pocket, and when she saw that Blake was just staring at her, Yang gripped her shoulder insistently. "Blake, I'm sorry, but we gotta go. Right now."

The Faunus blinked, finally beginning to realize that something a lot more pressing than a kiss was going on. Yang's scroll wasn't the only one that had beeped. Blake's scroll had, too. They had arranged for the hospital to send them an automatic notification when there was a significant change in Ruby's state – whether it was good...or bad.

And after this much time…

It did not bode anything good.

Yang jumped to her feet, not even bothering to pack anything up. She started running back up the hill, calling out, "Blake, move! Forget the stuff, just hurry!"

Blake's heart was still pounding, but it was for an entirely different reason now. Yang was expressing near-panic, and the raven-haired girl didn't like the odds. She was still lightheaded from not breathing and having Yang so close, but Blake nevertheless did her best to kick her brain into a different mindset and get to her feet as well, grabbing Gambol Shroud as she did so. This was urgent. Whatever had happened to Ruby had direct repercussions on them, and it was imperative for Yang and Blake to find out if their leader had gotten better or…worse.

And, right now, Blake was beginning to experience some panic, too.

She was fast to join up with Yang on Bumblebee, put on the helmet, and hang on tight.

SCENE SPOOF

"Well, if that's the case, now I wish he liked me a little less."

Yang's smirk reached her eyes, that entertained twinkle reappearing in those beautiful lilac irises. She swung one long, toned leg over the motorcycle and patted the space of black leather behind her. "Blake Belladonna, you are putting your tight butt on this seat or staying here by yourself, and I'm going to eat your tuna sandwich."

There was a pause, and then it dawned on both girls what the extravert had just uttered. They both simultaneously blushed a dark red and they both looked everywhere else but at each other. Those seagulls flying in the sky were incredibly interesting, suddenly.

"Oh, my God – I mean! Uh – I'll just let you eat your own sandwich – no! Ew, that's worse." Yang hid her face in her hands, balancing on the bike with her legs.

"This is a prime example of verbal diarrhea."

"Gross!"

"Thanks. You, too."

Yang blubbered unintelligibly into her hands. Unintelligently, too, probably.

Blake was a lot more amused than she wanted to admit she was.

Chapter Text

Yang had barely brought Bumblebee to a complete stop when she removed the key from the ignition and took off her helmet. She didn't even wait for Blake, placing the helmet on the steering bars and dismounting the bike in a hurry before running towards the hospital's entrance, a few yards ahead. Heart pounding, Yang pushed through the glass doors and went straight for the stairwell at the other end of the lobby, dodging other visitors and a few support columns. Forget the elevators. Forget the critical stares sent her way from the greeting desk. Nothing seemed fast enough.

She nearly slammed into a man in the stairwell as she took the steps three at a time, but she was too panicked to excuse herself. Instead, Yang just went around him and kept going. She needed to see Ruby. Ruby had to be okay. She had to be.

Yang's legs were beginning to protest against this mad sprint up the stairs by the time she reached the fifth level, but she didn't care. That didn't matter. Breathing harshly through her nose, Yang shoved past the heavy, creaking door and, continuing to ignore the disturbed glances from the people nearby, raced around the corner and followed the hallway path she had memorized to reach Ruby's room.

She saw her father halfway there in one of the wide corridors but had no intention of stopping for him. Unfortunately, he had every intention of stopping her. Taiyang put himself in her way, and she tried to circumvent him, but he grabbed hold of her arms and forced her to face him, bringing her running to an abrupt halt.

"You can't go see her right now!" he urged, trying to pull her closer to the wall and nearly tripping her balance.

She struggled to get free, both brawlers battling to overcome each other's physical strength. "Let me go, Dad!" she seethed, momentarily managing to get loose and taking a few steps away before Taiyang gripped her clothes and pulled her right back towards him.

"They won't let us!" he growled, shaking her once so she'd listen.

Yang realized he was upset, too. It was enough to weaken her fighting, and lilac glared into cobalt for a brief second before Yang shoved against her father with a resigned but frustrated, "Ugh!"

Taiyang finally let her go, knowing he had convinced her to stay put, and they stood there, tense and breathing hard.

"Why can't we see her?" she fulminated. "What happened?" Yang knew very well that her anger was coming from intense worry and that she had no reason to be dishing it out at her dad, but Ruby's state had changed and there was no way of finding out if she was alright except by seeing her or asking a nurse. But it seemed the nurses weren't helping. And that didn't reassure Yang whatsoever.

Blake, having caught up by then, came to a halt next to Yang, concern etched in her regard. She looked from father to daughter, slightly out of breath from running, and waited for the explanations as well. She had probably heard Yang from down the hallway.

Taiyang sighed and passed his hand through his hair. "I don't know," he admitted gruffly, and then he rubbed his face. "I went for a walk, and when I came back, I wasn't allowed into the room. They –"

"Why did you leave her?!" Yang shouted, unable to believe what she was hearing. She had trusted her dad to do one thing – just one – and he hadn't even done it right. She gripped the collar of his shirt, glowering. "Explain yourself!"

He stared at her, pain evident in his eyes, but before he could say anything, Yang felt Blake gently take hold of her arm. "Please, calm down, Yang. This isn't going to help Ruby."

The blonde glanced at her, saw the deep worry and fear reflecting in golden irises, mirroring Yang's own feelings, and then returned her glare at her dad. She was incredibly disappointed with him, and part of her wanted to punch him for being so incompetent as a father yet again, but Blake was right. Taiyang had no power in this situation – not anymore than she or Yang did – and fighting in the hallway like this would only get them in trouble, ultimately taking them further away from Ruby.

So, Yang let go of her dad and took a step back, putting forth the effort to remain at least reasonably calm, even if her heart was still pounding and even if worry and annoyance made her want to put a hole in the wall. Did they not have any input on Ruby's condition? She could have been dying in there. "Why did you leave her, Dad?" Yang reiterated, clenching her fists. "And did the nurses say anything at all?"

Taiyang looked down, crossing his arms. "I…I just needed some air. I'm sorry, okay? It's hard…watching her like this. She looks so much like Summer, and –"

"Dad. Fine, I get it. What about the nurses?" Yang knew she was being impatient. But, again, she'd lost her patience with her father a long time ago. This was nothing new. And it wasn't that Yang didn't understand or empathize with the effects of Summer's death – because God only knew how hard it had been on her, too – but Taiyang had shut down. He had forced Yang into a role she hadn't been ready to fill by failing to uphold his responsibilities as a caring parent. Sure, he had ensured there was always income for the family, and Yang was grateful that she hadn't had to shoulder their financial security on top of everything else, but money meant very little when a six-year-old was falling apart inside, could barely stitch the pieces back together by herself, and was left with no other choice but to become a mother figure for her younger sibling.

Yang did not regret raising and devoting so much of her time and energy to Ruby. She shouldn't have had to, of course, but it wasn't the most significant problem. No, the fact of the matter was that Yang would have gladly lived on the streets if it had meant finding stable ground and reassurance in her father's presence – for her own sake as a frightened child and for Ruby's. She didn't care about money. Money didn't buy family, didn't buy love.

But Taiyang had thrown himself into his work at Signal, often coming home late, waking up early to work out and then leave again. And that was when he wasn't sitting in the house somewhere, lost to the outside world, making himself a stranger to his daughters. Over the years, he had recovered, somewhat – if burying the memories and refusing to move on could be called recovering. By the time he was ready to start being a proper father again, it had been too late – too late for Yang, at the very least.

Ruby had been a little more forgiving than her sister, being the sweet and adorable girl that she was and not having lacked a parental figure to care for her, but Yang had grown up on her own, and too quickly. Taiyang had missed his chance to be her dad. She had eventually accepted his friendship and combat training, and they learned to get along and cooperate with each other, but this was done without ever really addressing the past. Raven and Summer were not spoken about. And Yang had pretended to be fine with that, but the truth was that she resented how her father still refused to give her the closure she needed. Because he couldn't let go. He couldn't think about it.

And now that Ruby's life was in jeopardy, Taiyang seemed to be shutting down again. Yang did not hate her dad – no, she loved him – but the feelings they had ignored were simmering beneath the surface, and this was the cause of Yang's impatience and anger. If he had just stayed with Ruby, they could have at least known what caused the nurses to rush in and stop visitors from seeing her.

"They just told me the doctor would come see us later," Taiyang muttered, and a spark of his earlier upset flashed in his eyes. "They didn't say when, but they did say something about trying to stabilize Ruby's condition. When I started insisting to know more, they threatened to have me escorted out."

Yang stared at him in silence, heart in her throat, wishing this was just some awful, twisted nightmare. Ruby had gotten worse. The doctors were trying to save her. And here Yang and her dad were – forced to wait, to marinate in uncertainty and fear. She felt like she could hardly breathe.

And as if that weren't enough, Taiyang hung his head, his voice breaking a little in his defeat. He seemed to shrink in on himself. "I'm sorry, Yang. I'm so sorry."

This reanimated the blonde's fury, hot and violent. "Don't say that," she snarled and shoved his shoulder, making his back hit the wall. Raging lilac met agonized cobalt. "Don't you dare give up on her. You don't get to say 'I'm sorry' after all this!"

"Yang!" Blake pulled on her arm again, alarm in her voice, but Yang didn't step away immediately. She glowered at her father, the tingling, heated energy of her semblance burning within her and quickly turning her eyes crimson. He was a coward, a failure, and she could deal with that when his mistakes concerned her, but she would not let him give up on Ruby – Ruby, who had forgiven him so easily and let him be a father to her, who had never given up on him despite his previous flagrant ineptitude. He had to pull himself together now – enough was enough.

But Blake pulled on Yang's arm once more, harder this time, when she saw that the brawler wasn't backing down. Firmness made its way into the Faunus' tone. "Yang, I know you're angry – and you have every right to be – but step away. Leave him, just for now. Please."

Of course, Yang was hurt by all this. But being furious was so much easier than letting herself break down again, was so much easier than showing how vulnerable and alone she felt facing the situation. It was also the same old pattern – she would not show weakness in front of her dad, would not give him the chance to own up to his failure while she only risked being disappointed and hurt more. At the very least, Yang could reason with herself enough to realize that a fight with him was currently pointless and maybe even counterproductive.

Blake's grounding grip on Yang's arm helped the blonde stabilize herself, finally letting her companion pull her away from Taiyang. He stayed there, miserable against the wall while the young couple found a small waiting room nearby – thankfully unoccupied and quiet except for a news report playing on the lone holoscreen in one of the corners. It felt stuffy in the room and did not help the couple's unrest, but it would have to do for the sake of a little more privacy.

Yang's heart was still pounding. She didn't want to sit right away, so Blake stood with her by the row of chairs against the wall, holding a clenched fist in her hands, occasionally massaging it as the bookworm tried to get her partner to relax. Yang appreciated this, and although her mood wasn't much improved, the heat of her semblance did recede and the tingling in her fingertips gradually faded.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before slowly letting it out. It was so hard to stay calm. And now the new problem was that, with no one to direct her upset at, Yang found herself assaulted with panic again, constricting her throat and threatening to make her knees buckle. Her bottom lip quivered. "Blake?" she murmured unsteadily, opening her eyes to find her girlfriend's concerned regard.

"Yes?" Blake creased her eyebrows.

Yang took in a few shallow breaths. Her eyes burned so badly. "I just..." She swallowed with difficulty, and now her hands were shaking, too. Voice becoming just a broken whisper, she tried again, "I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose her, Blake. I… I –" her voice hitched, and Yang covered her mouth with her free hand as she lowered her head and took a step back, restraining an awful sob that blurred her vision with tears.

But Blake pulled her closer almost immediately and wrapped her arms around Yang, holding her in a tight embrace. "Whatever happens, Yang, you won't be alone." Blake rubbed gentle circles on the blonde's back while her other hand hugged Yang's head. "I promise. I promise."

Yang buried her face in Blake's shoulder, trembling and sobbing quietly. Her fingers clutched the svelte young woman's clothes in her pain, trying so hard not to fall apart. Hot tears escaped her eyes, dampening Blake's shirt, but neither girl seemed to care. Blake kept murmuring reassurances, and Yang held on to those, held on to her companion's presence because it was the only thing she could firmly ground herself to. And Blake, despite her more graceful build, did feel strong, supporting the weight that Yang leaned on her without needing to bring a foot back. She was soft and calming, solid and real in Yang's arms.

"Let's sit down, okay?" the Faunus whispered in her ear, and Yang nodded, sniffling. She didn't want to let go of her girlfriend, but if they were going to have to wait for news of Ruby's fate from the doctor, it would be best for them to sit. Nevertheless, Blake didn't break contact with Yang entirely, keeping one arm around the brawler's waist to help her take her seat. Blake then eased herself down next to Yang, intertwining their fingers against her thigh.

Yang wiped her eyes and let out a long, pained sigh. She passed her hand through her hair, trying to gain her composure. "I'm sorry, Blake," she somewhat rasped, and swallowed with difficulty again. It wasn't any easier maintaining a level head faced with Ruby's possible death.

"There's nothing to apologize for," came Blake's gentle, forgiving reply. The golden girl felt the need to huddle against her partner's soothing form once more. She sniffed and leaned her head on Blake's collarbone, and the Faunus reciprocated by carefully resting her chin on Yang's head after giving it a comforting kiss. It was only then that Yang began to think more clearly, and she closed her eyes, doing her best to only focus on the stable thudding of Blake's heart.

Yang wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. All she knew was that, more and more now, Blake seemed to hold the key to her calm. And she was still here, still giving Yang the whole of her support. Yang was just too tired, too worried to think much past that, though. She was happy she hadn't pushed her companion away this time, that much was certain, but any positive thoughts were unfortunately muted. Blake made it just a little bit easier, though, by slowly tracing small patterns on the blonde's palm and wrist, and it gave a reassuring something else Yang's mind could distract itself with. Still, memories continued to haunt her.

Promise me you won't be reckless, Rubes.

Right back at you, Yang! You're crazier than I am.

Yang, take care of your sister.

And then mommy will come home.

She's not here anymore.

Yang must have zoned out for a while, staring at the blank wall ahead, because she didn't realize Weiss had arrived in the waiting room until the heiress actually sat down on one of the chairs facing the young couple. Yang blinked, her mind slow to pull itself out of its self-destructive trance and return to the present moment. She creased her eyebrows, and Blake seemed to notice Yang had tuned back in, hugging the golden girl's shoulders a little.

Weiss appeared mostly undisturbed – albeit frowning slightly more than usual – and she didn't say anything, either, which began to bother Yang. She waited, but the silence persisted and Weiss continued to look unperturbed, so Yang asked, somewhat aggravated, "Don't you want to know what happened?"

Icy blue met frustrated lilac. "I spoke with one of the nurses. I already know what happened. Thank you, though."

Yang's eyebrows rose and she immediately sat up, pushing away from Blake and leaning forward to stare at her other teammate intensely. "What did they tell you?"

Now it was Weiss' turn to look mildly bewildered, and Blake was the one who provided helpfully with, "They haven't given us much information."

"Even threatened to escort my dad out when he got angry and insisted," Yang added in a mutter.

Weiss seemed to have a realization dawn on her as she put two and two together. "I see. They wouldn't tell me much at first, either." She paused, frowning, and said more quietly, looking down at her hands, "...They don't know what's happening. Ruby's aura experienced a spike in activity before just...breaking."

Yang's heart began to pound again. Without any aura, there was nothing keeping Ruby's injuries at bay from draining her physical health.

At that meant only one sickening thing.

Desperate for reassurance – anything that would hint at a better outcome than this – Yang looked at Blake, and the Faunus seemed momentarily frozen before she managed to say, albeit tightly, "She'll make it. She's strong." Blake followed this by squeezing Yang's hand.

But the blonde only hung her head and rubbed her face with her other hand, clenching her teeth. She was anxious, terrified that this was the end, that a doctor would walk through that doorway within the next few minutes and announce the one thing Yang didn't think she could live with. And for the first time in her life, Yang felt cold. Frighteningly, suffocatingly cold.

"…How are you feeling, Weiss?" Blake eventually asked after a long moment of baited silence, hesitant.

Yang glanced up at the heiress, her expression caught somewhere between distress and a glare. But Blake was right in asking – this, Yang had to admit. Ruby meant something to all three of them – Yang ran the risk of losing her sister, Blake her friend, and Weiss her partner. Ruby had been their leader for two years, a confidante and source of encouragement and fun for all three girls. She'd made Team RWBY a cohesive unit, had brought them together and even made them a bit of their own small family. But she had worked even closer with Weiss. And despite all the ice queen's complaining, arguing, and biting remarks, Yang knew Weiss cared. Her actions had always spoken louder than her words.

Either way, if that hadn't been the case, Yang would not have accepted her or treated her like a friend, for the most part. They had their differences and they didn't always get along, but Yang did respect Weiss and did understand how valuable of a teammate she was. And as Ruby's partner, she had been incredibly supportive when it mattered most. Weiss deserved to express herself about Ruby's condition, and she deserved to have Blake and Yang's listening ears.

But Weiss' regard only became harder, ice turning to steel. "What do you want me to say, Blake?" she asked, her tone strangely calm, contrasting with her gaze. "I could lose my leader, my partner. I promised Ruby I'd be the best she'd ever get. Now look where we are. Look at how thoroughly I've failed and broken that promise." And then Weiss looked away, the only visible sign of how affected she was. She crossed her arms, too, but instead of making her look angry, she only appeared a little more fragile, as if trying to hold herself together.

Yang stared at her. She didn't know what to say. It was shocking to learn how similar their feelings were right now. Sure, the stakes were higher for Yang because Ruby was her family and she loved her enormously – but the sense of failure, the impression of having broken an incredibly important promise…

"I'm sorry, Weiss," Yang murmured, and she swallowed back the ball of emotions constricting her throat.

"Sorry?" The heiress raised her eyebrows, meeting Yang's gaze once more with a skeptical look that verged on disapproval. "Don't be sorry, especially not for me. Pity leads nowhere. This is something I have to live with, whether Ruby makes it or not. All I can do is try making amends and continue keeping my promise in whatever way I can. I don't go back on my word, and I won't sit by and do nothing because of a mistake."

They glared at each other, Weiss daring Yang to argue and the brawler wanting to because it gave her an outlet for her anger, but there was nothing she could say. Weiss was right. And even since the beginning, Ruby's partner hadn't stopped working. Weiss had immediately gone to Atlas under the sole pretense of needing to carry out business with the Schnee Dust Company but had, in actuality, also gotten the means for Yang and Blake to visit Raven in prison. Further, she had refused to take Ruby's position as their leader and fully supported Blake's decision concerning border patrol. At every occasion, she made herself available to keep an eye on Ruby, sometimes staying longer than she had been asked to. And even now, she had gotten information about Ruby's state that nobody else had been able to pull from the nurses.

Weiss had continued to be the best teammate she could be, despite everything. Even Yang couldn't say that much about herself – she had fought with Blake, fought with Weiss, and generally made life difficult for everyone by being uncooperative, flighty, and aggressive.

Yang lowered her gaze in shame.

"We all have different ways of dealing with pain," Blake eventually spoke up, sounding a little uncertain. She appeared to be trying to defend Yang without negating the validity of Weiss' perspective, except awkwardness made it seem out of place, almost. Still, Yang appreciated the effort. "I'm doing what I can. You're doing what you can, too, Weiss. And I can guarantee you that Yang has been doing her best as well. We just…" Blake sighed, long and tired, before finishing with, "It's not easy. We need to be there for each other."

Yang tightened her hold around Blake's hand, words failing to express what she wanted, what she felt. It had always been this way. Yang was just better with the physical marks of affection than she was with her words. And Weiss didn't say anything in reply to Blake, either, but the white-haired girl's expression softened and she did give the young couple an almost imperceptible nod. It wasn't much, but it spoke volumes about Weiss' willingness to be supportive. And Yang could be satisfied with that. Maybe, even, she should have been learning from the heiress' example.

The small group of three lapsed back into silence, but this did not last long. Not long at all, in fact. Only a few moments later, Blake's cat ears twitched and she looked towards the doorway. Yang immediately noticed the shift in tension and raised her eyes as well, heartbeat accelerating nervously. Ten seconds later, a doctor walked into the room. He stopped at the entrance and regarded the three girls gravely, clipboard in hand. "Are you the rest of Team RWBY?" he asked.

"We are," Weiss replied, terse and clearly on the edge of her seat.

Yang couldn't stay sitting. She could not patiently wait for the doctor to get to the news. It was beyond her – her worry and fear were too great. But just when she started standing with every intention of walking up to him and demanding that he tell her if Ruby was alright, a firm, restraining hand appeared in front of her and stopped her from getting up any further. Yang glanced to her side and opened her mouth to protest, but Blake was the first to speak.

Her tone left no room for jokes or beating around the bush. "Doctor, is Ruby alive?"

Yang's heart was hammering frantically by now. She gazed at the doctor, desperate for the answer.

He glanced at his clipboard and hesitated. Rage ignited within the brawler. "Aura…is a complex phenomenon we haven't fully grasped the full functionalities of yet. We did everything we could to stabilize her system, but –"

No. Yang couldn't stand it. She pushed Blake's hand away, tears burning behind her eyes as she got up and brutally shoved past the doctor to get out into the hallway.

"Yang!" Blake called out hoarsely, but the blonde was already running. She tried to dodge the other visitors and nurses as she went, but she cared a lot more about reaching Ruby as fast as she could. Yang didn't apologize to those she accidentally bumped into, and she began to panic because she didn't seem to be moving nearly fast enough. She didn't even know why she thought sprinting would change anything. The doctor had said… The doctor had said that…

Please, no. No, no, no, no... Tears blurred Yang's vision. Ruby's room was right around the next corner. Fear assaulted the golden girl, and her heart was pounding in her head now. How was she going to bear the sight of her younger sister lying motionless in that hospital bed? How was she ever going to live with herself?

It wasn't true. No. After turning the corner, Yang opened the door and came to a stop, shaking and barely managing to keep from crying. Her eyes rested on the lone figure in the room. There was Ruby. Her chest rose and fell slowly. The heart monitor was still letting out its regular, quiet beeps. Ruby was...not... She was alive. She was still breathing.

The relief was such that the tears finally did escape Yang's eyes, and she rushed forward to carefully pull her little sister's body into a hug, burying her face against Ruby's shoulder. "Oh, my God, Ruby…" she whispered brokenly. She had been convinced that this was the end. That all hope would have been lost – that there would have been no more Ruby to hug at all.

"…Y-Yang?"

The blonde went silent – even the quiet sounds in the room seemed to fade out of focus. Yang slowly pulled away to look at Ruby's face. Haggard, bleary, and squinting – but very much alive – silver irises met misty lilac. "Ruby?" Yang murmured, not quite believing it. Her fingers touched the sides of Ruby's face. "Are you…awake?"

Silence.

Then, "…Can I brush my teeth?"

"Ruby! Oh, my God, Ruby!" Now Yang was definitely crying. She embraced her sister again, much tighter, feeding her tears to Ruby's shoulder and never wanting to let go. Laughter mixed itself in with her sobbing. Ruby was alive. She was awake! There were no words to describe Yang's joy. Her heart was still beating frantically and she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or if this actually was reality, but Yang would hold on to her baby sibling for as long as it took to reassure herself that Ruby really was going to be alright. She was already trembling as she cried and laughed, feeling like her heart would burst, she was just so happy.

"Yang… Can't…breathe…"

It required a physical effort for Yang to loosen her hug. Ruby inhaled deeply, and then Yang felt her sister's still weak arms around her back, attempting to return the embrace. It made Yang want to cry even more. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I missed you so much. I'm so happy you're okay."

It was then that Yang heard the door swing open, and Blake's worried voice beginning to say, "Yang, please, the doctor –" but then she must have seen what was happening because Blake went silent.

Yang heard Weiss' heels and another pair of shoes stepping on the floor, alerting her to the presence of the heiress and also the doctor entering the room. But Yang didn't care to look at them just yet.

Ruby hadn't replied, and although Yang knew, deep down, that it was just because she was tired, the blonde still felt a pang of concern and pulled away just enough to look at Ruby's face again. Exhausted silver eyes met her gaze once more, and Yang again experienced a surge of relief. She kissed Ruby's forehead several times, and the redhead weakly tried to bat her away, but Yang only laughed more and smothered her in a hug again. "I'm never letting you go! I missed you so much!"

"Yaaang...get offff…"

"You are terrible at delivering good news," came Weiss' accusing voice from behind them, evidently addressing the doctor. "I should find a way to get you fired."

"I didn't mean to… It's just that we aren't sure if –"

Weiss interrupted him with, "Please, go. You can give us the details later."

Still grinning and with tears of joy still escaping her eyes, Yang turned to look back and saw the doctor leave. Weiss was standing nearby, a rare expression of relief and affection on her face as she gazed at the siblings. Blake was there, too, smiling. The Faunus approached the sisters, and she seemed to ask Yang for permission with a look, so the sociable girl scooted a bit to give Blake some room. Hesitant at first, Blake then came a bit closer to stand by the bed, and touched Ruby's forearm.

Ruby, who was still squinting and acting disoriented, managed to look up at Yang's partner. Recognition came into her haggard regard. "Hi, Blake," she whispered.

The look in Blake's eyes became tender, her smile warming. "Hi, Ruby. How are you feeling?"

"Tired…"

The blonde grinned again, too happy to see Ruby awake and hear her sister's voice after so long, despite her clearly fatigued state. She was alright. It had felt like an eternity. A never ending nightmare. But she was alright. Of course, Yang was nevertheless worried that if Ruby closed her eyes to sleep, she may not open them again. Yang was scared of that possibility – even though she knew, deep down as well, that it actually wasn't one. Being asleep and being comatose were not the same. Ruby was still weak – she needed that rest.

Weiss came around on the other side of the bed, but kept a bit of distance, arms crossed. "You are a reckless dolt, Ruby Rose. We almost lost you."

Ruby creased her eyebrows, and Yang could practically see the hamster sprinting in her head as she tried to remember what happened. She was just so pale. "…How long was I…out?"

"Just over two weeks. Your aura was keeping you in a coma," Blake provided calmly. She then took one of the chairs nearby and brought it closer to the bed so she could sit without crowding Ruby's space.

Yang took Ruby's hand into her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We missed you so much, Rubes. We… I…" She swallowed hard. "There was no guarantee you would wake up."

"But you are awake now," Weiss added before the mood shifted. "And we're glad to have you back."

Ruby seemed to struggle with the information she'd been given and processing everyone's emotions at the same time. "I'm…just really tired…" she muttered. Her eyes fluttered, showing that she was indeed fighting sleep.

Despite Yang's maybe-not-but-probably irrational fear that Ruby wouldn't wake up again if she slept, the blonde cared about her little sister's wellbeing a lot more. It was quite a bit to take in, Yang supposed, and now that Ruby's aura had finished – hopefully, although they would need confirmation from the doctor – healing her head injury, it was only normal that the younger girl needed to recover all the energy it had surely used doing so. Therefore, Yang leaned over and gently kissed Ruby's forehead again before murmuring, "We'll let you rest, little sis. Just make sure you come back to us. I love you." She gave Ruby another small hug before pulling away.

RWBY's leader was already drifting off. She made a quiet sound that could have been an acknowledgement, but she was clearly too out of it to say anything else. Soon, it became obvious she had fallen asleep. The heart monitor continued its peaceful, regular beeps, and Ruby's breathing was even and soft. She looked exactly like how she had in her comatose state, and Yang's heart seemed to tighten in her chest out of worry. She had to mentally convince herself over again that Ruby was just sleeping. She would wake up later, once her body recovered more.

Weiss' heels clicking on the floor in the ensuing silence seemed abnormally loud as she went to sit on the armchair in the corner of the room. The heiress crossed her legs, and she looked lost in thought, maybe even showing signs of tiredness, too. She didn't say anything, though, so Yang returned to watching Ruby, briefly glancing at Blake first.

The Faunus was looking at Ruby as well, appearing equally distant, maybe even almost…sad? But then Blake lowered her head after a moment. Her eyebrows creased, and then she said quietly, "Excuse me. I'll be back." She then got up, avoiding Yang's gaze, and walked out of the room.

Yang stared after her, unsure what to think. But Blake had said she'd be back. That was what counted, and Yang didn't want to leave Ruby's side yet. Lilac irises watched the door close behind Blake before gazing at RWBY's young leader, who was sleeping soundly again. The doctors had removed the bandages around Ruby's head – Yang finally noticed, now that the excitement was receding somewhat – and the wound seemed to be healing well. There had never been any mention of infection, and it certainly did not look like there was or had been any, either. Blake's intervention and first aid had been swift and adequate despite the chaos. She had done what she could, and it seemed to have been enough.

And Yang…well, Yang had tried to reach Ruby, too, but she had been too far away, Grimm forbidding her from getting there fast enough to help. The brawler lowered her eyes. She'd been so furious. Raven had done all of this – had caused all this pain, purposefully or not.

"We better not let this go to waste," Weiss suddenly said into the relative silence.

Yang turned her head to look at the heiress. She furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Weiss glanced at Ruby and was quiet for a moment. Finally, she explained, "One of us almost got killed. And it wasn't because we worked as a team." Her gaze returned to Yang, harder. "You let your personal feelings cloud your judgment. Ruby did, too. Both of you were reckless. We got separated. Blake and I couldn't even cover you properly. That can't happen again. Next time, there might not be a second chance."

Yang glared at Weiss. There were several things she wanted to retort that with, but Weiss was, once again, correct. Yang had seen Raven, and then she'd forgotten all about her team and the Grimm. All that had mattered was reaching her mother before that woman disappeared again. And Ruby had naturally reacted just as brashly, knowing what Raven meant to Yang. They hadn't coordinated, hadn't allowed their respective partners to intervene.

And partly because of that, Ruby almost lost her life. If the same mistake was made next time, and one of them got hurt, the injuries could very well end up being fatal. And the girls would partially have themselves to blame for it. "It was my mother. What did you expect us to do?" Yang nevertheless muttered, annoyed that Weiss had to be right again. She knew she as being petulant, but…

"We need to strengthen our teamwork," Weiss replied. "And you need to work on your self-control…just as I need to keep working on my attitude."

Well, at least she was admitting it. Yang refrained from commenting out loud.

Weiss sighed. "In the meantime, though… Ruby is going to be okay. I can see that you're worried. But she'll wake up later. And we'll…figure things out together when she does."

It was a truce. Weiss was offering reassurance. This wasn't the time to start an argument, and if the ice princess was willing to make the effort, then Yang knew she should abstain from getting angry, too. It was the least she could do – that they could both do, in fact. They might not always get along, but fighting now was senseless – especially after everything that had happened. "Yeah… Okay."

And it was right about then that the door opened. Yang and Weiss both looked to see Taiyang come into the room. He didn't seem to be in any kind of panic, but he did walk over to Ruby's side immediately. He looked at her for a moment, half worried, half relieved, and then met Yang's stare. "Is she sleeping? The doctor told me she was out of the coma."

Yang nodded. That explained the calmness. Taiyang returned to gazing at Ruby, and then he reached his hand to her forehead and gently caressed her temple. He then let out a long sigh and hung his head. "I'm sorry, Yang. I meant to be there."

Whether he was referring to Ruby's awakening or being there for Yang when she was younger, the blonde wasn't sure. Their earlier argument felt like it was still hanging over their heads, after all. Maybe he was talking about both instances. Probably he was talking about Ruby, though. Yang was tempted to make further reproaches, but, again, with Weiss – of all people – setting an example of peace and also knowing that Blake wouldn't approve, Yang withheld any scathing remarks.

If the brawler was being honest, this perpetual tension between herself and her father – which had only accumulated since the accident – did not make Yang feel good. She loved her dad, despite his flaws, because she knew he did mean well and that he had tried to atone for his mistakes over the past few years. He had done a good job of resuming his role properly as Ruby's father, and he had been particularly careful with Yang, approaching her more as a friend than as her parental figure, knowing that it was too late for him to be the latter. And they had gotten along. Yang had started to let him back in. Although this whole ordeal had caused old wounds to reopen, Yang did not want or need their relationship to degrade to the point it had been after Summer's death. And the more she gave it some thought, the more she regretted her behavior towards her dad recently. She still wasn't happy with him for leaving Ruby at the worst possible moment, but she did regret her earlier actions.

"I know, Dad," Yang finally replied, conciliatory. "And…I'm sorry, too." She didn't really know what else to say, and she also didn't feel it was appropriate to address their issues in front of Weiss, so she said nothing else.

It seemed to be enough, though. Taiyang looked at his older daughter and gave her a thankful – albeit tired – smile, understanding what she meant to convey. He then quickly glanced around the room, his expression becoming a little more concerned. "Where's Blake?"

Yang paused, only then realizing that Blake hadn't returned yet. "Uh…bathroom? I dunno. She said she would be back." Nevertheless, doubt began to creep its way into Yang's mind. Blake leaving so suddenly in the middle of a super happy moment – especially with that sad look on her face – was a bit strange in hindsight, now that Yang gave it more attentive consideration.

Taiyang paused, too. He hesitated and then said, "Maybe you should go check up on her, just in case?"

In case of what? Yang glanced at Ruby. She still didn't want to leave her baby sister's side just yet, but the urge to know if Blake was alright was making itself increasingly persistent. The Faunus had said she would come back, and Yang believed that, but something just…didn't seem right. Both Taiyang and Yang had people important to them leave without warning, and…well…this was too familiar for comfort.

Apparently sensing part of Yang's dilemma, Weiss spoke up. "We'll both stay here to watch over Ruby, Yang."

While Yang couldn't trust her dad to stay, she knew it was a different story with Weiss. Weiss would not only remain where she was, but she would probably also keep Taiyang from going anywhere as well if he suddenly needed to leave the room for some reason or another. "Thank you," Yang conceded, and then she laid a kiss on Ruby's forehead. Yang then stood, a little bit unwillingly, but finally walked out of the room.

The corridor greeted her with a few visitors walking by, but the blonde ignored them. With a bit of a bounce to her gait, Yang wandered towards the direction of the nearest bathroom, even if she wasn't entirely sure where Blake had actually gone – she really could have needed a bathroom break, or she was…well, Yang couldn't think of any other reason why Blake would leave at the time she had. Except, of course, if Blake had lied and had no intention of coming back. She could have left the hospital altogether.

The thought caused Yang to accelerate down the hallway, and she stopped a nurse halfway to ask if they'd seen a black-haired huntress anywhere. The nurse pointed Yang to continue in the same direction – that is to say, towards the waiting room the girls had just been in not too long ago. Blake may not have returned to it, but Yang at least had somewhere to start looking. She quickly strode across the remaining distance, being more careful to not bump into anyone, and came to a stop at the entryway of the waiting room to look in.

Blake was not there.

Yang paused and made sure to keep calm. Where were the bathrooms? Right – they were further down the very same hallway. Blake had better be in one of them. If not…well, Yang didn't know what she was going to do to the minute detail, but it definitely involved using her scroll and fetching Weiss.

The robust young woman walked out of the waiting room and hurried to where the bathrooms were located, the bounce to her step now gone, and stopped in front of the four doors. They were single bathrooms – two for the men and two more for the women. Hesitantly, Yang knocked on one of the women's doors, listened for any sound, and then tried the knob. The door opened and revealed a small, dark and completely unoccupied stall.

Yang didn't give up, though. There was one more to go. She highly doubted Blake would have gone into the men's washrooms, after all, if she was here to begin with. Yang knocked on the other door and listened, and she thought she heard a sniff, but she couldn't be sure and then it was quiet. She turned the knob, but found this one locked.

Yang stepped back. Blake could be in there. Or it could be someone else. Either way, Yang had to make sure, as kinda weird as it was. She grabbed her scroll from her vest's pocket and brought up Blake's messaging screen. Rapidly, she typed:

R u in the bthrm i just nockd

The answer didn't come right away. Nevertheless, Yang was relieved when Blake's response came as a one-word affirmative about ten seconds later. Yang put her scroll back into her pocket and stepped closer to the door again. Although glad that Blake hadn't left the hospital, Yang wasn't satisfied with just that. She was pretty sure she had heard a sniff, and then someone trying to be quiet. Something just didn't seem right, and her gut-instinct about Blake was usually spot on. Yang spoke normally, knowing Blake could hear her. "Are you okay in there?"

That answer didn't come immediately, either. Finally, though, Blake said, "I'm fine." This was followed by another sniff.

Yang narrowed her eyes. Blake didn't exactly sound fine. Her voice hadn't been smooth, and if Yang didn't know any better, she might have thought Blake was crying. Except Blake hardly ever cried and the situation did not constitute a reason to be sad. To say the least, Yang wasn't going to let this one slide so easily.

She opted for a more humorous approach, though, just in case she was wrong. "Blake, you know I can kick this door down. And I swear I'll do it if you're not okay and not letting me in."

There was another pause. Yang was already preparing to step back, fully willing to put both of them in awkward positions if it meant ensuring Blake was alright. But then Yang heard the latch unlock, and the door opened a crack. The blonde took this as her cue to move forward, and she carefully pushed the door open enough to slip inside and shut it behind her, in case Blake needed the privacy. She then laid eyes on her companion and went still.

Blake was a mess. Not a makeup-stained, ugly kind of mess, but her face was red, her lips were redder, her eyes were bleary and there were tears still rolling down her cheeks. She looked like she had been crying pretty hard.

Yang's eyes widened. Some people were beautiful when they cried – something about sheer emotion coming to life on normally guarded facial features. Yang knew she wasn't one of those people...but Blake was. It gripped the blonde to her core to see this girl in such a state of pure anguish. "Blake?"

The Faunus lowered her gaze in shame and sniffed again, quickly wiping the tears off her face with her hand. "I didn't want you to see me like this," she muttered, voice clearly hoarse.

Heart aching for Blake, Yang took a step closer. She really had never seen Blake cry to such an extent. It hurt – a lot – and Yang was happy she had listened to her dad's advice about checking up on her partner. Letting Blake deal with this alone, whatever it was, was not okay. "What happened? What's going on?" Yang didn't understand, of course. Ruby had woken up and they had all been overjoyed to see that she was alright – Blake had even been smiling. So, what had caused the shift in mood?

Blake let out a long, unsteady sigh, and Yang wondered if she was about to cry again. The raven-haired girl certainly looked like she was barely holding herself together. She swallowed with difficulty and rubbed her arm. "We…we almost lost her, Yang," she finally managed in a croak, and took a shuddering breath in before exhaling again.

That's it. Yang couldn't stand seeing Blake in so much pain. She crossed the two steps separating them and pulled Blake into a reassuring hug, arms surrounding the svelte form as much as possible. Blake didn't move right away, but she finally leaned her forehead on Yang's shoulder and encircled the brawler's waist carefully, accepting the embrace.

Yang sympathized with what Blake was feeling – Weiss had said something similar directly to Ruby, too, after all – but the bookworm's current predicament obliged Yang to give the statement some more thorough consideration. They had almost lost Ruby. And it had caused Yang and their father a lot of pain, and Weiss and Team JNPR had been deeply affected as well. Even Sun and Neptune, to some extent, had deemed it necessary to visit. But while it was true Ruby came close to dying, she hadn't. She was alive, she was awake, and she seemed to be on the road to recovery now. Everyone was happy – or, at least, Yang had no doubt they would be when everyone learned the news. Yang wanted to bounce up and down, she was so relieved and so thankful to whatever gods existed. Ruby being alright was next to miraculous.

So, the real reason behind Blake's taking this so hard was still a mystery to Yang. She knew she was missing something important because Blake wouldn't cry without grave cause, and Yang feared being accidentally insensitive because of that, but still she tried softly, speaking into velvety raven locks, "But…we didn't, Blake."

Blake only shook her head against Yang's shoulder, fingers beginning to grip the folds of the golden girl's vest from behind, and her hair tickled Yang's face. "No, we didn't." She stopped, apparently once again trying to keep her composure. Blake took another shuddering breath in. "But we came too close, and I – and I…" Her voice broke and wavered before she managed to admit with a sigh, "I don't think I could have dealt with it." She sounded like she was definitely on the verge of sobbing now. The words came rushing out, hoarse and desperate. "I did everything in my power to be there for you, to be strong and hang on to that one small hope, but I'm not like you, Yang." Blake sniffed and her hold around Yang tightened, their bodies pressing closer together. "I could barely handle this."

And Yang finally realized what piece of the puzzle she was missing. It crashed down on her like a rockslide, so much that Yang opened her mouth to reply right away, staggered as she was, but nothing came out. She pulled away from Blake to stare at her in shock, hands on the Faunus' biceps. This was not okay.

During all this time, of all the people who were affected by Ruby's coma, Blake was the one person whose feelings had not been addressed, the one person who had been forced to take on the team's position as leader one moment to the next, the one person who acted as an immovable pillar of strength and logic, the same person who simultaneously kept Yang grounded while also taking every emotional hit the brawler could possibly throw at her without so much as a single complaint.

It was the same person who was standing before Yang, crying because she had almost lost her friend and had been terrified of being unable to continue supporting her partner if the worst happened. It was inconceivable.

"Blake, I…" Yang didn't know what to say. There was nothing she could say to justify the situation. Yang, herself, had made Blake's life a living nightmare by almost every single one of her actions. She couldn't even imagine what must have been going through the Faunus' head – probably, at every other instance, she must have intensely feared losing Yang altogether, whether it was through a break-up or through Yang irrationally going after her mother. It blew Yang's mind that Blake had, time and again, taken chances on such frail odds and risked it all by stepping up and putting herself in the blonde's way.

Yang's heartbeat accelerated. Blake had, without fail, chosen the lilac-eyed girl's wellbeing and safety over love. Unconditionally, unselfishly. Because, in the end, what guaranteed her that Ruby would survive, and what guaranteed her that Yang would ever reciprocate her love when all was said and done?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And now that it was over, Blake was breaking because the uncertainties and fears were finally taking their toll. That's why she locked herself up in this cramped, dimly lit, stuffy bathroom, away from her team. While Yang and Weiss had been happy to have Ruby back, Blake removed herself to unload the heavy burden from her shoulders without ruining the moment for the others.

It was strange, seeing Blake under this new light. Not the dim yellow one they were standing under, but something just seemed different, and Yang couldn't figure out if she was dumb or if Blake had always been this attractive of a person. Maybe it was a lot of both.

Blake cleared her throat a little, and Yang realized she was staring. The reserved girl's cat ears were leaned backwards, and she was looking away now, seemingly beginning to regain some of her composure. "It's alright, Yang," she said, sounding just a little uncomfortable. "It's not your fault."

Yang's expression softened. She could see Blake was vulnerable, that despite not crying anymore, her heart was left unguarded. It made Yang want to hold her close and protect her. But no matter how hard she tried, there appeared to be no words to express what she meant to convey. Well, maybe there were a few. Sadly, they weren't much and hardly relevant. "I'm glad you're not like me," Yang murmured. It didn't even begin to explain what she felt, though. She was glad Blake was strong where Yang was weak, and that, in itself, deserved a hug, at the very least. But it was more than that. Blake had been there through the thick and thin, the fun and the difficult, and that deserved a long hug and profuse thanking, if not reciprocated concern.

But even friendship didn't cover the whole of Blake's support and care, and saying thank you or hugging the Faunus just wasn't enough. At this point, gratitude wasn't the only thing Yang was feeling – there was something that ran deeper, that justified the sometimes-non-platonic intimacy between them. She liked Blake. She liked Blake a lot, and this quiet, amazing girl in front Yang seemed more precious than ever before. And Blake was raising her eyes to look at Yang again, most likely wondering why the blonde had even said that single sentence without explaining, and all Yang could do was stare into those two pools of molten gold like they held the answers to the universe – and maybe they did because Yang realized what she wanted. It really was the only thing that could express just how happy she was.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, creasing her eyebrows in confusion.

Yang held her girlfriend's gaze for a moment longer, glanced at the cat ears that were still leaning backwards, and then moved her hands from Blake's biceps to instead cup her face and remove the space between each other. Blake's cheeks were warm from crying, and her lips seemed even warmer. Yang closed her eyes and kissed her, uncertain at first, but Blake didn't respond, instead breathing in sharply through her nose out of surprise. She leaned backwards, lowering her head and somewhat breaking the contact, and Yang immediately snapped her eyes back open, worried that she had made a mistake. But Blake's eyebrows were still furrowed and her lids were half-closed, and she wasn't putting anymore distance between her face and Yang's. Their gazes met, so close to one another, hovering but for an instant before Yang touched her lips to Blake's again, even more lightly than before. She saw Blake close her eyes, and Yang did, too, when the raven-haired girl reciprocated tentatively, equally hesitant.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but the kiss was gentle and, more than knowing Blake wanted this, Yang wanted it above all, too. Blake's being another girl wasn't exactly a real problem at the moment, either – instead, Yang worried about Blake, her partner. Therefore, Yang pulled her companion a little closer, caressing warm skin with her thumb and finding a kind of relief in this proximity. Blake's lips were soft – it definitely felt different from kissing a guy – and Yang had to appreciate that, but she realized it was also disconcerting, enough that her initial confidence wavered. She attempted to sense cues from Blake instead, the svelte girl's lips lightly gripping Yang's upper one, and the blonde tilted her head just a bit for – hopefully – both their comfort's sake. Blake's hands returned to Yang's waist and one of them pushed the blonde's hips against hers while the other wandered up Yang's back, and the Faunus exhaled the breath she had taken earlier out through her nose, her lips releasing Yang's only to kiss them again with more fervency.

Yang didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Blake was already getting carried away. And Yang tried to reciprocate, allowing her fingers to wander through raven locks and following the slow, steady motion of Blake's lips on hers, but while kissing Blake wasn't totally unpleasant, Yang did need to breathe, and it was starting to feel kind of awkward. Blake, despite being soft, was also...very amorous. Surprisingly, though, just when Yang was about to pull away as gently as she could, Blake was the one who separated. She didn't put much distance between them, though, and when Yang opened her eyes and let herself breathe, she met a pair of mildly dazed golden irises. In fact, it dawned on Yang that Blake hadn't even been looking at anything until those amber eyes actually focused on her. Then Blake's expression became a bit stunned, and she opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but then closed it again.

The almost lack of space between their faces – and, really, the entire lack of space between their bodies – was beginning to make Yang sweat, but she made an effort to power through and ask just a little uncomfortably, "Uh…was that okay?"

Blake creased her eyebrows, and Yang clearly saw her glance down at her lips – an obvious sign of what she wanted, Yang noted with regret – but then the Faunus released her hold around Yang's back and allowed her to move away to a more manageable distance, much to the sociable girl's relief. "I… That was…"

Unfortunately, Blake seemed to be at a loss for words – just as Yang had been earlier, actually. The blonde did worry that she might have made a mistake, especially at first, but she wasn't confident enough to make any assumptions.

They had just kissed. On the lips. Because Yang had acted completely on the whim of immense gratitude and deep affection. And while extending the embrace for too long had made her feel awkward, it had otherwise been enjoyable, all things considered. Maybe? Disconcerting, but enjoyable. Yang had only ever kissed guys before, and her experience with the men she had dated had her used to forwardness and a bit of a rougher feel. Blake was gentle, felt soft, and instead of being forward…well, Yang couldn't quite put her finger on it. But it was different, whatever it was, and Yang had yet to figure out if she liked it or not. She also didn't know how to respond to it, which caused the uncertainty to begin with.

She was using that word a lot. Different.

But they had actually kissed. Yang had kissed Blake, another girl, for real.

Blake let out a sigh that verged on wistful. Their eyes met again, and she finally managed to say, "It was okay, yes. More than okay." There was a twinkle that had appeared in Blake's gaze, something that Yang was not used to seeing. Her tears were entirely gone and her face wasn't so red anymore. Even her cat ears stood more at attention on top of her head. "What about you? That was rather…sudden."

Yang looked down. She didn't know how to react to the tenderness in Blake's voice and the unadulterated adoration in her regard. They spoke novels about the sincerity and depth of the raven-haired girl's love. And all Yang had done was kiss her. It was as if the tiniest marks of affection made up for everything and gave Blake reason to be happy, and Yang was almost overwhelmed by that.

There was only one other time in her life when she had felt so cherished and important. And it hadn't been with Chase or any of her three other past exes.

"You did a lot for me, for the team, and even for Ruby," she murmured. But then Yang paused for a moment. With the series of events that had taken place in such a short period of time, Yang's heart had barely taken a break. She was kind of surprised she wasn't having a mini heart attack by now, her heart was beating so hard. Nevertheless, she raised her head to look at Blake again with more determination. "It never really hit me just how difficult it must have been for you, though. I took you for granted, Blake. And I'm sorry about that. But the kiss – that was the only way I could think to show you how happy I am for…well, for you. You mean a lot to me." Yang touched Blake's cheek again. "I wasn't there for you like I should have been, kitten, but seeing you cry hurts more than I can describe. Don't be afraid to talk to me when things are tough. I promise I can take it."

A small smile graced Blake's lips. "You mean a lot to me as well. And if anything, I'm sorry I left. It was…just a lot to deal with all in one moment. I didn't mean to worry you. How's Ruby?"

With the topic of the conversation returning to her baby sister, Yang experienced a rush of giddiness again, albeit a little more muted than the first time. "She's still sleeping. But she's okay. Weiss says we have to work on our teamwork."

Blake nodded. "We do. We'll get there." She hesitated, thinking. "But for now it might be smart to get out of the bathroom."

Yang's eyes widened and she glanced around, remembering that they were, indeed, still in the women's bathroom. Crying and kissing and generally doing exactly what couples did when left unsupervised. Yang let out an awkward chuckle. "I mean, you're not wrong." She followed this by opening the door and motioning for Blake to go out first. Once they were both out into the hallway, they took a moment to get their brains into a different mindset.

Yang passed her hand through her hair, but it was Blake who spoke first. "We should probably go find that doctor and ask him for those details we didn't let him give us earlier."

This caused Yang to frown. She knew they had to, of course, but… "If he wasn't the reason Ruby's condition got stabilized, I'd punch him. He made me think Ruby had died."

Mild amusement crossed Blake's regard. "I know. He didn't handle that announcement very well. I can do the talking, if you'd prefer."

Yang slowly shook her head and sighed, shoulders drooping a bit. "No, you've done a lot already. I'll behave."

Blake was silent for a heartbeat, and then she unexpectedly said, "I love you, Yang."

The blonde met Blake's sincere golden gaze, slightly caught by surprise, but then felt herself genuinely smiling in response. Ruby was out of the coma, Blake seemed to be feeling better, and Yang was still riding the high of recent positive emotions. Her family was going to be okay, her team was reunited, she hadn't been abandoned, and Yang was bathing in relief. She felt energized and ready to take on the world, and although she knew she'd probably crash pretty hard when the evening came around, at least she could enjoy the feeling for the time it lasted.

And maybe it would last for a few days, if she remained optimistic. With Blake by her side, it could turn out to be a piece of cake.

[INSERT SCENE SPOOF ABOUT BLAKE HAVING MESSY, GRUESOME PERIOD ISSUES IN THE BATHROOM HERE. I'M A GIRL SO I'M ALLOWED TO MAKE THAT JOKE. HAHA.]

Chapter Text

It stained their clothes, oozing from deep gashes across their throats, soaking the backs of their heads with crimson. Their blood was all over the ceramic floor and smeared on the walls. The two men lay there, motionless, eyes staring lifelessly up at the ceiling. They hadn't died immediately. There had been time for them to feel pain, to struggle and grip at their wounds in attempts to slow the bleeding. They had even tried to defend themselves and retaliate. Alas, their efforts had all been in vain.

After sabotaging the cameras, Blake had watched the guards crumple to the floor like puppets cut loose through the dim lighting of the chamber. Behind an angular red and white mask, golden eyes had witnessed Adam strike them down without blinking. The assault had been fast and merciless. No hesitation. Blake had expected nothing less from her partner. Not these days, in any case.

What had she allowed herself to become?

Somewhere above them, on the ground level, workers were setting fire to the factory, causing chaos and generally making Blake and Adam's task much easier. Sensitive cat ears clearly detected a lot of muted shouting and gunfire.

"Blake, I need you," came Adam's rough voice in the disturbed silence, pulling her from her thoughts. He was lifting one of the men from behind, under the arms.

Blake's stomach churned. She knew the plan. They had discussed it at length and in detail, and she had agreed. Seeing it unfold firsthand was a different story altogether. Adam had lied – he said he would knock out the guards, not kill them. Blake had suspected his murderous intentions from the start, of course, despite his assurances. Still, she agreed. He needed her.

It wasn't like she was allowed to disagree, anyway.

Her feet seemed to move on their own volition. High-heeled boots stepped in the puddle of blood, and Blake crouched behind the other man's head before slipping her hands under his arms and lifting him part way off the floor, mimicking Adam. The metallic smell made her want to throw up, it was so fetid. Nevertheless, Blake powered through, doing her best to even refrain from swallowing. They dragged their victims over to the vault door, one on each side, and removed the plated gloves said guards were equipped with before placing the still-warm palms flat against the hand-scanners on the wall.

Blake's heart was pounding. She knew this was going to work. Their mission success rate was almost alarmingly good, and, on top of that, the Faunus slaving in these mines were far from being sympathetic to their employers. The intel they had supplied was solid and would not fail the White Fang. Adam would make sure of this; he was thorough and efficient with whatever tools the mission gave him.

They were getting what they wanted.

Only, they weren't getting it in the way Blake had originally hoped. But here she was – sunken to the same level of criminal activity. She might not have killed anyone, herself, but she was just as guilty for not intervening. She wanted to claim the reason was entirely because Adam had become an unstoppable force and she didn't dare stand in his way, but the truth was that a certain scar at the base of her left cat ear still pained her heart. She was scared. Angry, too, but mostly at herself for her lack of confidence.

The scanners flashed green and Blake heard creaking gears rotating followed by heavy bolts retracting. Adam let go of the body like it was some useless doll and immediately gripped the hilt of his sword. Although disgusted by the blood she had gotten on her hands and clothes, Blake put the man she was lifting down more gently and then pressed her back against the wall as the thick vault door began to slide open. As soon as he could, Adam tossed a flash grenade inside before turning his head away. Blake closed her eyes right before it detonated. When she opened them again, Adam had already disappeared into the next chamber amid the furious shouting of orders being given. There was loud gunfire, strangled cries, and the sound of bullets ricocheting against metal, and Blake clenched her teeth. She wasn't worried about Adam – she was worried because of Adam. He wasn't going to spare a single life if he could help it. He despised humanity.

But Blake had followed him to every rally, had been by his side at every meeting, had gone on every mission as his partner in crime – it was such that whenever most other White Fang members thought of Adam, they thought of Blake, too. She was his shadow – the shadow of a man who had become a monster. As such, she was no different. This was the bitter reality.

The door at the top of the metal platform, on other end of the chamber, suddenly swung open. Blake saw a handful of men emerge, flashlights pointing beneath their assault rifles. The electricity had been cut by another group of White Fang operatives earlier, and so the auxiliary power was now only supporting the dim yellow lights on the floor. Blake could see just fine – this was an age-old trick the Faunus used against the humans. It was how the war had turned in their favor.

And this situation was much the same. Blake held the advantage – she had seen them first and they would never be able to see her unless she decided to let them. The handful of men still had to descend the stairs, and this was part of her role – to cover Adam's back if needed. Blake dashed away from the wall and silently jumped on a stack of large wooden crates further off to the side of the staircase. She remained hidden, stealthily climbing onto the stack that was about twenty feet above the ground, letting the darkness that reigned near the ceiling consume her. There she waited for the men to start their descent.

They were wary. Even if they could assuredly hear the fighting in the next chamber, their steps were slow and they swept the perimeter with their flashlights, constantly in search of a threat. There were five of them.

The ground shook a bit as another explosion went off up above, causing dust and small pieces of rock to fall from the ceiling. Blake immediately grabbed Gambol Shroud and threw her pistol over the last guard in the line before quickly snapping it back thanks to the attached ribbon. The blade caught him in the shoulder, and, using the element of surprise to her advantage, Blake pulled with enough force to bring him toppling over the railing with a pained cry. The other men started firing their guns while he lost his with a clatter and landed with a hard thud on the ground below. By that time, Blake already had Gambol Shroud in her hands again, and the other four men were looking everywhere but failed to find her.

Blake's eyes darted over her surroundings in search of another idea, which she found quickly upon seeing the metal support beams and piping across the ceiling. First, she wrapped the ribbon around her hand and forearm a few times before tossing a pebble down below as a distraction. While her ruse caught their attention, she threw Gambol Shroud up at one of the support beams and firmly hooked it there. She then ran across a few crates to gain momentum and propelled herself into the air, performing a wide arc that brought her feet crashing into the next guard in line and sending him flying over the railing as well. Blake returned to the crates again upon her landing, but her position was compromised. Therefore, she fell into another sprint and executed the same tactic, this time dropping on the stairs behind the men.

She had the upper ground. After kicking the third guard between the legs, she grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him over the railing. The last two men turned to point their guns at her, but Blake had already used the hand-rail to jump and swing her legs around, boots colliding with their rifles and knocking them right out the men's hands. She dodged a punch from one, saw the other fetching a knife from his belt, and allowed him to swipe at her. He fell through her shadow clone, and Blake hopped over them both before turning and hitting the weaponless one in the neck with the end of her pistol, knocking him out.

The last guard tried to cut her again, but his blade only found the skin of the evanescent shadow clone once more. Blake gripped his arm and used her other hand to smash the side of his head into the rock wall beside them. He crumpled down next to his partner.

She stood there for a moment, breathing hard through her nose. They weren't dead. They were just unconscious. Nevertheless, Blake didn't feel good. There was a time when using violence to achieve her goal would have never even crossed her mind. These men were not unharmed – she had still hurt them. All because of what?

She had become loyal to Adam. He saved her life. She was blinded by love. Blake had tried to excuse his criminal behavior for too long, and in so doing, had brought a burning iron to the values she believed in until what was left was distorted, numb, and ugly.

But Adam's actions were no longer justifiable. They were blatant murder and hate. He killed in cold blood, and he was a far cry from the honorable man Blake had known. The White Fang was no longer diplomatic. This was another war waiting to happen, and Blake knew that if she continued down this path, she would be caught in the middle and forced to choose once and for all.

This wasn't what she wanted. She may have betrayed herself, and the shame she felt may have threatened to send her further down the road of self-destruction, but Blake couldn't stand this anymore. She had never stood for this at all.

"We're done here, Blake."

She turned. Adam was walking out of the other chamber, a large briefcase in one hand. His clothes were dark, but there were splatters of an even darker, inkier substance covering them. Their mission was a success. The factory was destroyed, most of the men were dead, the Faunus were free, and Adam had the main Dust components in his possession. And Blake had helped it all unfold.

He started up the stairs but was forced to come to a stop when Blake didn't move. The mask he wore hid his eyes, what had once been a reassuring expanse of blue, but Blake could guess he glanced at the guards at her feet. He was silent for short moment, then he murmured, "They wouldn't have hesitated to kill you."

Of course, Adam didn't voice the question that hung between them. Why had she shown mercy if they wouldn't have? He didn't have to ask it, though, and he knew the answer anyway. And when Blake didn't acknowledge that he had spoken, Adam merely said, sounding aggravated, "Move, Blake. We have to return to camp and prepare to intercept the Schnee train."

Blake obeyed. She started ascending the stairs, stepping so as to avoid the bodies in the process. Adam did not. He was a looming, vicious presence behind her, and Blake's gut seemed to knot. She had tried to stop him one time. Only once. He had made her regret it. Painfully. They reached the top of the platform and went through the door the guards had come in from earlier. There was another staircase here made of cement; the Faunus duo had had to sneak through the factory to reach it the first time they came in. But now there was orange fire light glowing in the newly ruined tunnel – the factory was gone. Police sirens were heard in the distance, approaching fast.

Adam put his hand on Blake's back, near her nape. She felt a chill run down her spine and accelerated her pace, knowing she wasn't going fast enough. The smell of smoke and burnt flesh assaulted Blake's nose as they reached the surface, and she nearly gagged. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the night, although the thick, dark grey haze made it hard to see.

Blake wanted peace, equality. She wanted the Faunus to be safe. She wanted the world to be a better place. The scene before her was not that. It was death and destruction. If this continued, Adam and the White Fang would single-handedly bring hordes of Grimm to Vale and make everything so much worse. They were not the solution Blake had so fervently and naively believed in, once upon a time. In fact, they had become a deadly toxin, poisonous to the virtues she wished to return to.

It wouldn't be easy. Blake felt guilty and ashamed, and she was still angry and scared. She wasn't sure how she would ever make amends for her crimes or if she would ever be worthy of what she used to stand for again, but there was one thing she knew for certain. As she and her partner ran through the smoke and debris, Blake resolved in her heart that the Schnee train would be the last mission she helped Adam with.

She had a few days to figure out her own agenda, to formulate a plan without Adam finding out. God forbid if he did – Adam would not let her get away with betrayal unscathed. Possibly, he may even kill her if he had any inkling that she would fight him. So, yes, Blake was afraid.

She was terrified.

But she couldn't do this anymore. Blake was breaking, and if this continued, she would soon be unrecognizable from her former self. She wouldn't just be Adam's shadow – she would become a monster, herself.

Monster. Beast. Animal.

Heart pounding in her ears, Blake glanced at Adam running beside her. There was a car waiting for them further down the road. The police had yet to arrive, but the sirens were getting louder. Adam had timed the operation perfectly.

It might have been too late for Blake, anyway. No matter what she did now, she was a coward. If she stayed, she knew she would fail to stand up for herself. There was no courage in that. It was a tale as old as time by now – she had thought running was a mistake. She had thought Adam was right in fighting.

And he was. He had always been. But not like this. Never like this. But Blake was too scared to change, and Adam had taken advantage of that knowledge. He beat her down. And now, through a cowardly act of self-preservation, she was once again going to run from her problems instead of fighting the way she should have. The correct way.

There would be no blaming her instincts. This was pre-meditated. Blake was nothing but a monster and a coward.

It was true that aura was a complex phenomenon that no one – not even the most versed scientists and researchers – had yet grasped the full functionalities of. Some people believed that it was a manifestation of the soul while others thought it was a power ingrained in each living being, unlocked through meditation or through some exterior factor of cause and effect. And while it was possible to measure and gauge aura and study its manifestations – semblances, for example – there was no real answer as to where it came from or how it worked or what the full extent of its capabilities were, exactly. Of course, people who unlocked their auras could feel it within them and had some understanding of how to use it defensively and offensively for attacking and protection purposes, but this still failed to provide any clear, concrete explanations.

Even Atlas' military, despite having found a way to construct robots that possessed a "soul," could not perfectly imitate aura or put its full potential to use. In fact, after the grave incident during RWBY's first year's Vytal Festival, the manufacturing of these robots had been discontinued, having been deemed too unreliable.

Aura could heal wounds, too. At least, that was the case for Ruby. But there had been no way of knowing if the healing would be successful or if it would keep her in a comatose state forever, acting as a constant shield against brain damage. The doctor had feared that although Ruby had woken up, there may have still been some complications. After all, Ruby's aura had broken, and it had only been thanks to the medical staff's swift intervention that her state hadn't deteriorated. After that episode, the doctor was uncertain if Ruby would remain awake or if she really was healed completely – the scans had shown that her condition was stabilized and everything looked normal, but only time would truly tell if there were any lingering repercussions.

The doctor's best guess at why this had happened at all was referencing the theory that aura didn't protect against self-inflicted harm - for example, biting one's own tongue or having one's own brain smash against their skull. Unfortunately, in Ruby's case, that didn't explain why she had gotten an exterior head-wound, too.

What was clear for now, though, was that Ruby's body had experienced slight muscle atrophy and needed to undergo about a week or two of physical therapy. Her aura would accelerate the process if she rested well between sessions, twice per day. It had been amusing, seeing Ruby so determined to get back in shape. If Blake had thought RWBY's young leader drove her team efficiently and hard when it was necessary, the black-haired girl became convinced that Ruby drove herself even harder in these moments of personal weakness. Blake believed it was both inspiring and admirable on Ruby's part. She continued to prove she had a lot of spirit.

But Ruby wasn't alone in this process of recovery. It had been three days already since her miraculous awakening, but Yang had been there with her almost every second, ensuring her little sister ate her meals and rested undisturbed. She also helped Ruby with her exercises and constantly offered encouragement. Weiss was almost no different – she remained at the hospital during the night and was there for Ruby when she woke up in the morning. As for Blake, she was always present with Yang, holding a quieter but just as supportive role within the team. Ruby was far from being on her own.

Nora and Ren had come to visit her, too, as soon as they had gotten off patrol duties that first evening. Ren may not have been so outwardly ecstatic as his partner about the good news, but it had been clear the duo was extremely happy to see that Ruby was alright. They continued to pop in for about ten minutes every day, too.

"Today I'm gonna walk by myself!" Ruby announced as she and her team entered the hospital's small gym. Ren and Nora had left before it was time for her therapy session.

Yang, who was pushing Ruby's wheelchair, grinned in amusement. "I bet you will."

The therapist had given them an outline of the young girl's exercises and steps. Ruby had quickly regained her usual pep and optimism, and even yesterday's last session had seen her take a few wobbly steps on her own. Yang had looked so proud, especially because Ruby's determination to recuperate had her advancing faster than anticipated.

Blake gladly shared in these small victories as well. She was happy – happy that Ruby was awake and happy that Yang was pretty much back to her sociable and outgoing self. But Blake was relieved, too, to a certain extent, and part of her still experienced this relief acutely sometimes. She had had no desire to lead Weiss and Yang, and the stress of dealing with that possibility hadn't quite left her mind yet. The events of the past three weeks had made Blake uncomfortably aware of the role she played in the team, and how if Ruby were to fall in combat for good, the responsibility of leadership would once again land on the shoulders of the ex-White Fang member.

It was a hypothetical situation, of course, because Ruby was alive and well now, but Blake was nevertheless shaken by the prospect. If Ruby really did succumb to her wounds one day, then Blake would have to be more firm about asking Weiss to shoulder that kind of burden. She simply did not trust herself to lead, did not even want to come close to having the kind of responsibilities she'd been given in the White Fang. Yang, by herself, would be almost too much to handle in such a case, anyway. Blake couldn't see herself being able to hold the weight of those factors combined.

"Ready? Three, two, one, up you go!"

Yang's voice pulled Blake from her thoughts. The raven-haired girl looked over in time to see her partner hauling Ruby out of the wheelchair and helping her grip the two horizontal bars nearby. Ruby hung on, and Yang hovered in close reach, ensuring her little sister wouldn't fall while she adjusted to standing on her own. The energetic young woman was just so attentive to Ruby's well-being – it was heartwarming to watch the two siblings interact with each other again.

They had fussed over Ruby's hair, too, once some of the excitement had faded. Because of the operation and stitches, Ruby had a slash of baldness where the doctors had shaved her. It wasn't styled at all – Weiss had expressed her disapproval about it the most – and the girls had been looking at possible haircut options to make it look more natural. The irony was not lost on Blake – Ruby was the least interested in those discussions, right alongside Blake, herself. Nevertheless, despite the mild torture, Ruby now had a hair appointment the following week that Yang would probably have to forcefully drag her to.

Blake caught herself smiling as she watched them, but she wasn't compelled to stop. Even when she saw Yang glance over at her, the smile remained and Yang grinned back with a quick wink. This made Blake's heart flutter, and the raven-haired girl momentarily forgot about some of her concerns. For the first time in her life, Blake felt like she was allowed to be genuinely happy, no shame attached, and it was unbelievably freeing. She still had concerns, of course, but they no longer forbade her from basking in the warmth burning in her chest, and the feeling was novel.

It was right about then that the hospital's gym doors opened, and Blake turned her head to see who the visitors were. It was a pleasant surprise to see Pyrrha and Jaune walk in. Their return was unexpected – Ren and Nora had said nothing about it, and as far as Team RWBY had been concerned, the two lovebirds were supposed to have been in Mistral for the summer.

But here they were, hand in hand and sporting the proof on their skin of having spent time in the sun.

"Oh, my God, it's Pyrrha and Jaune. Weiss, help Ruby! I'll be right back."

As Weiss took Yang's place by their leader, the blonde rushed over to the new arrivals to hug them tightly. It had barely been three weeks since she had last seen them, but the social butterfly was excited to be surrounded by her friends again. Blake slowly shook her head, deciding to let Yang have a moment to greet them on her own.

"You guys are back so early! What happened?"

Pyrrha looked over at Ruby and smiled. "Nora sent us a message about your sister, actually. We were worried about her, too. You must be so relieved now that she's alright."

"You can't imagine," Yang replied with a bit of a sigh. But then she grinned again. "Come see her! She's almost walking by herself again!" Pride and elation clearly reflected in Yang's tone. The extrovert grabbed her two friends and practically pulled them off their feet to get them over to Ruby.

"Pyrrha! Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed happily as she saw them approaching. She tried to turn with the help of the bars and managed to do so with a little support from Weiss.

"It's so great to see you're okay, Ruby!" Jaune was the first to give her a friendly hug. Both of them, being team leaders, had seen them spend a lot of time together, offering each other advice and encouragement, and Blake could only imagine how much it must have meant to Jaune to have his training companion back.

"It'll take more than an auric coma to beat me!" Ruby affirmed with confidence, but she seemed to give both Jaune and Pyrrha a tighter and longer hug than necessary, and Blake knew the younger girl was using her bravado. Someone like Ruby – especially because she was related to Yang – simply did not come out of a near-death experience emotionally unscathed. Unfortunately, it was exactly because Ruby was related to Yang, and because Ruby was influenced by her, that the young girl was able to hide her feelings relatively well. Only Yang and the people used to seeing through Yang's crisis-time facades were able to see that Ruby wasn't quite alright yet. But time and support from family and friends would help heal Ruby's mind.

It wasn't that much different from Yang's emotional scars, actually. Unlike Yang had been at the time of her own childhood, though, Ruby was presently surrounded by caring and loyal friends, and Blake had little doubt that their leader would make a full recovery soon.

"Could you hear stuff around you?" Jaune asked curiously as he pulled away. "Because, apparently, you can hear what's going on when you're in a coma."

"Uh, no, not really," Ruby replied once Pyrrha stood back, sounding disappointed about that, herself. She gripped the bars to help keep her balance, and Weiss stepped closer again in case she was needed. "Sometimes I felt like I was dreaming, though. Sorta. But it was pretty quiet. I mostly didn't realize I had been out so long."

"That's good to hear. It would have been scary for you if you had been caught between being awake and not," Pyrrha reflected, but then she smiled reassuringly. "We really are happy to have you back among us, though."

Ruby beamed. "I'm glad to be back, too."

"How long are you both staying?" Weiss inquired, glancing from the tall redhead to Jaune with an arched eyebrow.

Pyrrha looked over at Jaune and gave him a small smile, and whatever the blond saw in her eyes made him provide quickly, "Just a few days." He chuckled a bit awkwardly. "We kinda had plans back in Mistral still."

"Yeah, I bet," Yang commented with a twinkle in her eye, nudging Pyrrha in the ribs.

"Oh, stop it, you," Pyrrha batted her friend away with a laugh. "You're terrible."

Blake chose that precise moment to stand from her seat and approach the group, deeming the initial greetings and questions over. And she did want to participate in the conversation and say hi to the two members of Team JNPR, after all.

Yang laughed as well but added easily as she calmed down, "It's great that you guys took some time off from your vacation to see Ruby. And, you know, me and Blake. But not Weiss."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding!" Yang snickered again, and Blake, having arrived by her partner's side, discreetly snuck her hand around her girlfriend's waist, both as a means to be near her and as a tiny reminder to not start any fights with their white-haired teammate. She knew Yang wouldn't, of course, as things had pretty much returned to normal between the brawler and the heiress, but it was better safe than sorry.

Yang turned her head to meet Blake's gaze, immediately circling her companion's waist with her own arm as if it were the most natural reaction to the intimate gesture. She seemed to smile affectionately at the Faunus with her eyes, to which Blake responded in kind.

"What about you and Blake?" Pyrrha suddenly asked, both amused and curious. "You seem…much closer."

Last time Pyrrha had seen Blake and Yang, the young couple still had been dealing with a lot of tension, both between themselves and concerning Ruby's coma. They'd been holding hands, but Blake supposed Pyrrha was right – after all, it had taken some time before she and Yang had felt jointly comfortable enough to stand close to each other. And now they were joined at the hips. Blake found herself smiling again. She really was happy with Yang, and if the way the golden girl looked at her was any indication, Yang seemed to be happy with Blake, too. At least, Blake hoped so.

"I can tell you all about it later," Yang assured Pyrrha with a warm grin. "Did you guys stop at your dorm first, or did you come straight here from the harbor?"

"We dropped our things off first. But it was kind of a long flight…and Jaune got sick."

Jaune chuckled uncomfortably at that. "Yeah, um, so, believe it or not, but puking is tiring."

"You guys can come see me later if you need some sleep," Ruby piped up. "And I'm gonna be leaving the hospital in a few days, anyway, if everything goes well."

"We'll stay here until then," Pyrrha promised. A few more words were exchanged with the group, and then the two visiting members of Team JNPR took their leave. The red-haired warrior hugged Ruby once more, almost longer and tighter than necessary, which Ruby seemed still quite glad about, but then she pulled away and Jaune looked like he was about to hug Ruby again, too, instead giving her a friendly pat on the head. Blake suddenly felt a lot better about her own social awkwardness.

They were surrounded by good, genuine people, though. That was the important part, and Blake appreciated their concern and kindness very much as well – something she made sure to tell them before they left.

In the silence that followed Jaune and Pyrrha's leave, Ruby suddenly giggled, and the three other members of RWBY turned to look at her curiously. She tried to wipe the smile off her face, but failed phenomenally.

"Jaune puked on the airship again."

"Oh, thank God I wasn't the only one who made that connection."

And then, of course, there were those things that never changed. Blake slowly shook her head with a smile, disengaging from Yang's side as the playful girl started bantering with her sister. Weiss stepped away from them, too, but she didn't seem annoyed, and when she caught Blake staring, the two shared a look of understanding. They could give Yang and Ruby more leniency about being rambunctious together. Life was too short, too fragile to not indulge in those happier moments and appreciate them while they lasted.

Blake's eyes fell on Yang once more. She didn't know if Yang was truly happy with her – she seemed to be, and maybe she was, but there was nevertheless the possibility that Yang wouldn't fall in love. And, eventually, that would tear them apart. But what they had now – this closeness and companionship – was precious and worth every struggle and tear, and it had caused more good than bad, even by Yang's own admittance. Blake was happy, and Yang was at least grateful and satisfied, and for the time that this lasted, there would be no more ruining it with fear, dishonesty, and silence. There was no knowing what the future held for them, but they had mutually agreed to work at their relationship together, to the best of their abilities, and Blake held on to that with her whole heart, more hopeful than she had ever allowed herself to be in the past. And that was what mattered.

A sudden buzzing noise brought Blake back to reality. Yang and Ruby were still laughing, attempting to get through the younger girl's exercises but without much success because of their mirth. Weiss was standing nearby, watching, and glanced at Blake again with arched eyebrows. None of them seemed to hear the sound. Blake's ears twitched, trying to locate it.

"Yang, your scroll," she finally realized, looking at the blonde's pocket.

"Oh?" Yang's giggling died down and, still grinning, fetched the device from her pocket and swiped the screen, not even looking who the caller was, and brought it up to her ear. "Hello?"

Ruby looked at her older sister expectantly, and there was a brief pause, Blake detecting a man's grave voice on the other end. His identity wasn't a mystery for long.

"Uncle Qrow? Hey, what's up?" Yang creased her eyebrows, looking confused, her smile slowly fading. Whatever her uncle said next made her seem a bit worried. A few seconds passed, and then, "Yeah, sure. We'll be there in a bit... Alright, bye."

Yang hung up and put her scroll back in her pocket.

"What did he say?" Ruby asked curiously. "He doesn't call us often."

Yang shrugged. "He wants to see Blake and me. As soon as possible, since he doesn't have a lot of time."

Ruby was the one looking concerned and puzzled now. "He wants to see Blake? I don't get it. Did you guys do something…or something?"

Weiss, Yang, and Blake all shared a look. They knew exactly what this was about, and it probably meant they were in trouble.

"So…I'm guessing that means you did do something."

"I can tell her what happened," Weiss finally volunteered, glancing at Ruby but ignoring her statement. "I imagine my sister will contact me later, anyway. You should go."

Weiss was right. As much as Blake wasn't looking forward to this meeting, and as much as Yang didn't seem to quite grasp the importance of it, they were somewhat obliged to show up and take responsibility for their actions. What they had done was illegal, after all.

"Yang, where did your uncle want to meet us?" Blake asked, turning towards her partner.

"Ozpin's office." She hesitated, biting her lower lip apprehensively. "Okay, let's go, then."

A few more, much less awkward hugs later, Blake and Yang left the hospital, too.

Ozpin was not in his office. Nor was Professor Goodwitch. It was very bizarre walking into the large space and seeing only Qrow there, standing by the long window that acted as a wall, waiting. The metal gears and clockwork continued to rotate on the ceiling, making a low droning noise in the background. Blake still couldn't fathom the utility of such equipment, and even if it was just for looks, she couldn't understand the appeal. It was almost ominous, and didn't help the feeling of dread settling in her gut as she and Yang approached Ozpin's desk.

It was the middle of the afternoon and the sun was shining in brightly – fortunately not blindingly, though, thanks to the bluish-green tint on the glass – and this was the only comforting thing about the situation, as Blake liked the warm light on her skin. She and Yang refrained from holding hands this time, aware that the conversation they were about to have with Qrow warranted some level of sobriety… As if Qrow and sobriety had any right to be in the same sentence.

They stopped by Ozpin's desk, and Qrow finally turned to face them. His hands were in his pockets, but his expression was grim. And he didn't speak right away, either, only staring at them with his unsettling crimson eyes until Blake's cat ears started leaning backwards and Yang shifted her weight from one foot to the other, both girls becoming ill at ease.

Blake was suddenly acutely aware of Qrow's resemblance to Raven – it was uncanny and kind of aroused Blake's anger. She couldn't quite stomach seeing those eyes again so soon.

"So…" he finally started, casual yet clearly intent on making a point. "I heard you two visited Raven."

At least he didn't beat around the bush. Blake had little interest – or patience, really – in extending this meeting for longer than necessary.

"I have a right to know who my mother is," Yang retorted, defensive. She didn't really seem angry, though, but it probably made sense for her to be on edge, much like Blake was.

"Sure, you do," Qrow agreed mildly. "But what part of 'no visitors allowed' didn't you get? If you wanted to see Raven so bad, Yang, we could have arranged something…later." He shrugged.

That sounded like a lie. Or, at the very least, not the complete truth. This made Blake begin to wonder about the nature of this discussion – after all, how had Qrow known about their trip to Atlas? Unless Weiss or Winter had told him – which seemed counterproductive on Winter's part and highly improbable on Weiss' – Qrow must have found out by some other means. Except Blake couldn't figure out who could have possibly told him other than one of the guards that had been with Winter or even the receptionist that Blake had accidentally left her coat with. But that didn't make much sense to the Faunus, especially because the excursion had been pre-arranged and guided by Winter, herself.

Yang paused. Blake remained silent, observing her partner assess this, until Yang frowned and said, "You and Dad have barely told me a thing about her ever since I started searching. I asked to know more, I asked to see her in the past, and both of you said that wasn't possible. Why are you suddenly saying it's fine?"

"Because we know where she is now," Qrow answered, still reasonable and calm and every bit as suspicious as Blake supposed this conversation was. "The authorities would have eventually allowed visitors. You just had to be patient. But you and your emo friend here couldn't contain yourselves from getting into trouble."

Blake had this nagging feeling that Qrow still wasn't telling the whole truth – like Yang and Blake getting into trouble was just an excuse for the real purpose behind this meeting. In fact, the more Blake thought about it, the more she realized the actual authorities would have been taking the lead in this discussion if this had at all been about the law being broken – not just some lone and otherwise very busy huntsman who just happened to be related to both parties involved and who was taking a leave of absence from his mission for this specific cause.

No, this meeting was personal, Blake realized. Personal, and yet it still had nothing to do with Yang's right to see her mother. Blake didn't breathe any easier.

"Weiss arranged the visit through Winter. How are we in trouble?" Yang crossed her arms, defiant now, her train of thought appearing to follow a similar path as Blake's.

But Qrow didn't react the way Blake thought he would. Instead of having the perfect answer to Yang's challenge, he momentarily looked surprised. As if…as if he hadn't known about Weiss or Winter. This made Yang's question a lot more legitimate.

Qrow opened his mouth, probably having already found a seemingly unperturbed thought to reply with, but it was Blake who spoke, eyes narrowed and tone sharp. She wasn't going to let Qrow continue to bring them on his little distracting boat ride, and her next words would both be to emphasize Yang's point and prod Qrow for any other answers. "The authorities have no idea we were in there illegally. The only people who know are Winter, Weiss, and you. Why did you want to see us?"

Qrow looked directly at Blake, eyebrows raised. And then he glanced at Yang and slid his hands out of his pockets to cross his arms, too, falsely impressed. He returned to Blake. "You remind me of Raven. A lot. Not sure I like it. But since I won't get anything past you…"

Yang turned to regard Blake in confusion. "Blake? What's going on?"

Blake sighed. She didn't like being compared to Raven, despite having done it herself with Yang back in Atlas. At least Qrow would come clean now. Blake had been right – he'd been hiding the truth behind this meeting. And it seemed only normal that Yang would let herself be duped more easily by family, especially by someone she most likely trusted. If Qrow had spoken to Yang alone, Blake theorized that he would have convinced Yang of whatever it was he thought was best. Unfortunately, it seemed he hadn't anticipated Blake being like Raven and thwarting his intentions by seeing right through them. Of course, Blake knew Qrow didn't mean anything malicious by this – perhaps, at the very basis of his reasoning, he was only seeking to protect his niece – but Blake wouldn't let anyone, especially family, be dishonest to Yang if she could help it.

She had been surrounded by and taken part in manipulation and lies too often to not recognize the signs here and now. "He wants something," Blake replied, eyes not leaving Qrow. But then she figured she was being too standoffish and wary towards someone who was far from being an enemy and slowly shook her head before looking at Yang more gently. "This isn't about you seeing Raven. That part's fine. Your uncle is concerned about something else." Golden eyes returned to the uncle in question. "Which I'm hoping he'll tell us now."

Yang made a quiet "oh" sound and also looked at Qrow, appearing firmer and little more upset than before. "What's going on, Uncle Qrow?"

He leaned himself on Ozpin's desk, his expression grim again. It took him a moment, but he finally asked, "Did Raven tell you anything?"

"Not much," Yang provided, mood visibly darkening even more. "Just that she didn't mean to hurt Ruby. And that she's on the good side."

Obviously, Yang didn't believe that.

Qrow was silent, and Blake stared at him. He did not have the disposition of someone being disappointed by that information – or lack thereof. In fact, his gaze was piercing with intent, as if searching for something significant. And Blake had a feeling she knew why, if she based herself on how this conversation had been evolving.

Qrow knew everything. He knew what Raven had been doing at that secret facility deep in the Emerald Forest, he knew why she was being kept in Atlas' highest security prison, he knew why there were no visitors allowed, and more importantly, he knew why it was vital to make sure Yang and Blake knew nothing.

That's what this meeting was about. Whatever Raven had been doing…the authorities – and by extension, Qrow – needed to ensure it remained a secret.

So, Qrow probably really was only trying to protect Yang – and the population in general – because if what Raven had been doing had anything to do with all those Grimm being kept in cages, it was more than likely extremely dangerous and, because of that, forbidden.

And Blake could get behind that. She didn't want to endanger Yang any more than Qrow did, so insisting to find out what those experiments had been about was not the way to go. Fortunately, Yang hadn't made those connections yet, it seemed, and in this case, ignorance was probably bliss. Further, Blake had already spoken to Yang about giving her mother the benefit of the doubt – the nature of those experiments was still unknown, and therefore the arguments were unchanged. This whole meeting actually affected nothing in their lives, now that Blake knew what was going on.

Qrow gazed at her, though, eyebrows arched again, and Blake willingly confirmed Yang's statements. "Yes, that's all Raven told us. If you were hoping we'd have any other information, then I'm sorry. She wasn't exactly cooperative with us."

Qrow himself had compared Blake to Raven. He would perceive the meaning behind her words and know that she was telling the truth. And, indeed, he gave a slight nod and uncrossed his arms before pausing for a moment. "Well, that sucks," came the vaguely sarcastic comment, but Blake knew they were on the same level of understanding now. So he then casually put his hands back in his pockets and asked Yang, "Did you want to still see her some other time?"

Yang furrowed her eyebrows. Blake saw her clench her fists and look down, and then the brawler said, "No. I'd rather not." She swallowed before looking back up at her uncle. "Thanks, though."

"Suit yourself," Qrow shrugged, but his eyes remained on his niece for a few seconds, not nearly as careless as he made himself out to be. He finally glanced at Blake again before leaning away from Ozpin's desk, shifting the mood and marking the end of this particular conversation. "I have to go now. I'll see you two around."

"Are you gonna go see Ruby?" Yang asked before her uncle could move any further, sounding more concerned now – always so anxious about her sister's well-being.

This finally made Qrow crack a small smile. "Yeah, I'll do that." He hesitated, and then seemed to make up his mind. He came over to Yang, his regard more affectionate now, and he briefly put his hand on her shoulder. "Stay out of trouble, firecracker. I mean that."

"No promises," Yang managed, although her reply was half-hearted. Something must have still been bothering her.

Qrow didn't say anything to that, but his gaze became firmer again as he dropped his hand, and now he looked at Blake. "You."

Blake blinked, cat ears leaning backwards again at the unwanted and unexpected attention.

"Whatever it is you're doing – keep doing it. Take care of her."

"Um –"

But Qrow didn't wait for Blake to ask any questions or attempt any intelligible words. He walked passed them, saying lazily, "Ozpin will be up here soon. Thank him for me if you aren't gone by then, will ya?"

Shortly after, the elevator doors closed, and Qrow was no longer in the office.

The young couple stood there in relative silence for a moment, processing the discussion they'd just had with him, and, eventually, Yang turned towards Blake, eyebrows creased into a small frown. "How did he know we went to Atlas?"

Blake had no answer to that one, either. She looked down at the floor, loosely crossing her arms. "I don't know. He just did, somehow." It was the only thing that didn't make sense to her about Qrow's motives. But it also mattered the least, Blake supposed. What counted was that he wanted Yang to be safe, and so did Blake.

Yang seemed to consider this, looking thoughtful. "So, we aren't in trouble?" she finally asked, slightly surprised lilac meeting interested golden.

Blake slowly shook her head, patient and somewhat endeared by Yang's habit of thinking only after acting or speaking – in this case, at least. "No. Although we may still be found out later. But I guess that, for now, we're fine."

Yang nodded. But then she suddenly said, "I still don't think you're like Raven. He was mean to you."

Blake allowed herself an affectionate smile. "It's alright, Yang. Raven and I might share a few similarities, but I think they may be some of the more practical ones. Your uncle is just cynical. And, in any case, I think that was a vote of confidence at the end there, so that's…well, that was a thing." She paused, and while Yang did crack a smile at Blake's Yang-ism, the raven-haired girl's own crooked grin did fade. It was a little bit ironic that Yang would attach herself to someone so similar to the root of her abandonment issues. And perhaps that was even why Qrow had deemed it necessary to say something to his niece's girlfriend in question. But Blake had no intention of leaving Yang if the blonde wanted her to stay – a key difference.

However, it became evident Yang was doing that thing again where she tried to distract Blake with relevant but completely unimportant topics in order to avoid the real subject that bothered her – and the Faunus had almost fallen for it this time. Blake's regard became concerned. "What about you, though? Are you okay?"

Yang opened her mouth, light returning into her eyes, but it vanished as soon as it had come and she sighed instead, opting to be honest – much to Blake's relief. "I would have an opportunity to see my mother again. But…after last time…" Yang's chin firmed, jaw tightening. "I know I said no, but…" she hesitated, clearly trying to control her emotions. "Shouldn't I visit her again if I could, Blake? She just makes me so angry…"

Well, this was a phenomenal leap that almost made Blake take a step back. Yang was asking Blake for advice. Yang was relying on Blake for help to make an important, personal decision. That was… Blake had not expected this. And she certainly couldn't take it for granted or mess up her reaction. Suddenly anxious and afraid that she'd cause Yang's trust to slip between her fingers, Blake froze and found herself unable to say anything while her mind scrambled to gather her usual, rational thoughts – and fast.

Yang had been looking at the floor, but now her lilac eyes settled on Blake, both frustrated and concerned, probably wondering why her partner had strangely become mute.

Ultimately, this was Yang's decision. Some sense of logic returned to Blake, and although she still panicked, she also figured that she could not push Yang in one direction or another. Although the brawler was often whimsical and guided by emotions, she was fully capable of making sound choices – Yang had proven this by her ability to self-sacrifice for the sake of raising Ruby, and quite well at that. And so, it seemed that the right thing for Blake to do was to put the decision back into Yang's hands, to show that Blake trusted Yang, too.

The Faunus exhaled unsteadily and gave Yang a hopefully sympathetic and reassuring look. "I…think you still have time to give it some thought and figure out what you want most. I'm sure your uncle will let you know when Raven can be visited…legally." And then Blake found herself smiling crookedly again. "I appreciate you asking for my opinion, though."

Yang tilted her head, uncertain, but then she breathed a long sigh, her shoulders relaxing. "You're right. Thank you, Blake. And…" she blinked, appearing mildly confused, "you're welcome?"

Yang hadn't even realized. This made Blake beam even more. But instead of pointing out what Yang had done, Blake merely took the golden girl's hand and gently pulled her toward the elevator. "We should go before Ozpin gets here."

"Oh, right. Yeah, we should," Yang agreed, and she tightened her hold on her girlfriend's hand, easily following Blake.

The elevator ride back down to the lobby was quiet but without tension or awkwardness.

Blake came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and ready for bed. She massaged her scalp a little as she walked into the shared room, breathing a sigh of relief. She had made sure to rub out as much dampness from her hair as possible with the towel before brushing it, as part of her usual ritual, as she didn't want any stray water droplets running into her ears while she slept.

It was silent in the room, with the exception of the quiet sounds coming from Yang's scroll as she played a game. She was up on her bunk, seemingly in her pajamas as well, resting on her back and wholly focused on her scroll's small screen.

Blake paused briefly. Weiss' absence was still strange. The Faunus wasn't used to the serenity – without both Ruby and Weiss, there was no bustling of activity or random bickering before bed. It was just Blake and Yang – had been just the two of them for the past few days – and Blake fully appreciated how straightforward and uncomplicated her nights were. Yang was not difficult to live with. It wasn't that Blake minded Ruby and Weiss, for the most part – she had gotten used to the inevitable noise, after all – but this was a nice change of pace for a while, something she hadn't noticed when Weiss had been gone to Atlas, as there had been too much stress between them to enjoy the solitude. Now they could.

Nevertheless, Blake slowly shook her head before walking over to the light switch. "Can I turn off the light?" she asked in her girlfriend's direction.

"Yup!" came the chipper response, and Blake flicked the switch off. In the darkness, Yang closed her game as the bookworm headed for her bottom bunk. However, before Blake could even pull the blankets back, Yang's voice came tentatively, "Blake?"

Blake stopped, hand on her comforter, cat ears moving towards Yang curiously. "Hm?"

"Are you okay with sleeping with me tonight?"

That was an unexpected request. Yang had not asked this any of the previous nights. That said, Blake didn't have to think about it much and was happy to oblige. She missed Yang's arms around her. Therefore, Blake straightened her posture and started climbing up onto Yang's bunk. "What's the occasion?" she wondered.

Yang scooted over closer to the wall to make some space and replied, "Ruby and Weiss are gonna be back here tomorrow night. I thought we could snuggle one last time."

A small smile crept along Blake's lips as she carefully slid over and laid down next to the blonde. She liked it when Yang made up lame excuses to be affectionate. It was cute. "You make it sound so final," she teased in a murmur, adjusting to get comfortable without pressing too close to Yang.

"Well, uh, yeah." Yang turned onto her side to face Blake and suddenly added dramatically, "Also, what are you doing? I said snuggle! Not…whatever it is you're doing now." She grabbed ahold of the raven-haired girl and pulled her closer with a snicker.

"I'm trying to respect you," Blake muttered, blushing a bit. So much for the uncomplicated nights. The irony was that it wasn't Yang being difficult – it was Blake. She had to stop doing this to herself. Therefore, after a bit of internal struggle, she allowed herself to cuddle up against the warmer form, even burying her nose in the crook of Yang's neck. "It's not my fault you get all awkward when we sleep together."

"It's not your fault that I'm straight?"

Blake poked Yang in the ribs, causing a fit of giggles to erupt from the golden girl. "I would hope not, you pain."

Still chuckling a little, Yang wrapped her arms around Blake and adjusted as well so they could both be comfortable. "I'm kidding. You're the best." Yang's hand passed through Blake's hair slightly, and the Faunus shut her eyes, already finding solace in the strong embrace and the subtle scent of vanilla. She really had missed being in Yang's arms. It was safe and reassuring there. Plus, Yang wasn't shying from this proximity – in fact, she had been the one to ask for it. That was wonderful in itself. Blake felt her muscles relaxing. She did not resent or feel jealous of Yang's focusing so much attention on Ruby over the past few days, but now that the attention was focused on her, it genuinely warmed Blake entirely. Yang was so cozy.

"Blake?"

Feline appendages twitched curiously again. "Hm?"

"Can I pet your cat ears?"

Yang was whispering, aware that her mouth was near said cat ears. Blake immediately remembered the first time she had let Yang touch them. It hadn't been painful. Not in any way. Yang had not grabbed them or pulled on them. She had been very careful. Further, Blake knew Yang would never harm her that way. It was unfortunate that this whole train of thought had to be repeated in Blake's mind before she gave her answer, though. She couldn't help it. The idea of anyone mistreating the physical aspects of her Faunus heritage again was terror-inducing.

"Sure," she finally replied, trying to sound calm. Similarly to the first time Yang had asked, Blake's heartbeat had accelerated apprehensively and her muscles tensed. She didn't want to react this way to Yang, all too aware that it caused the blonde to second guess herself, but Blake had no control over her body's instinctual defense mechanisms. It was all she could do to just stay put.

Yang didn't touch Blake's cat ears right away, though. Instead, those solicitous fingers continued through raven locks, lightly grazing Blake's cheek and shoulder as they went. They returned to the Faunus' temple, once more slowly moving stray strands from Blake's face, and although her heartbeat didn't calm, the gentle attention did help her relax a bit. Blake would be lying if she said she didn't adore it when Yang did things like this. They were incredibly comforting for such small gestures, and the occasions seemed rare.

Yang's fingers reached the base of Blake's cat ears, which she scratched affectionately. Blake leaned in closer to her girlfriend, resting one hand on Yang's waist, and let out a short sigh of contentment, lips against the living heater's collarbone. At this rate, maybe Yang would actually manage to soothe her partner's fearful heart, at least partially. The fingers passed down the back of Blake's head before returning to the front. Yang's index softly traced the side of Blake's face, and the bookworm relaxed further, surprised by how easily she was melting into these tender ministrations. She must have been craving Yang's solicitude. Blake didn't want the moment to end.

Eventually, Yang's caresses glided back over Blake's ears, slowly. She didn't press down, only followed the slant of the feline appendages as they tilted backwards. Blake felt herself tense a little again, but she realized she wasn't nearly as frightened as she had been just two minutes ago. Yang was so magnificent, so caring, and Blake was so comfortable she thought she might actually fall asleep if those caresses continued.

And they did. Yang's fingers traced the caudal borders, petting in the direction of the fur, always slow, always gentle. Blake eventually felt her ears tilt upwards again, leaning out of their unease. She sighed quietly again, finding that it did mean a lot to her to share this with Yang. She wanted to give all of herself, and allowing Yang to indulge her curiosity and show her affection in this way was important to Blake. Even Adam had never been this interested in her cat ears.

"Blake?"

Yang was scratching and petting along the bases again. Blake caught herself actually beginning to loll along the gentle waves of sleep when she came back to a more aware state. "Hm?"

"Who cut you?"

Well, that was definitely one way of chasing away any drowsiness. Now Blake was completely awake again. She stilled, opening her eyes and moving away enough to meet Yang's worried gaze glinting in the dim moonlight. Yang cupped Blake's jaw, thumb lightly rubbing the Faunus' cheek. Clearly, the blonde was nowhere near being sleepy just yet.

"I felt your scar."

Blake lowered her eyes. She hadn't ever told the story to anyone. It was painful to even think about. She should have known Yang would find out, though, especially because of their growing intimacy. "…They were just teenagers, not much older than I was. Three boys. I tried outrunning them, but…" Blake clenched her teeth, refraining from shuddering at the memories. "I still remember their names."

Yang's gaze had hardened. "How old were you?"

"Ten. Adam stopped them from finishing what they started."

Yang closed her eyes for a moment, evidently battling her anger. Her voice was tight when she spoke. "If you want me to find them…"

Blake propped herself up and took hold of Yang's hand firmly. "He killed them. And I wouldn't want you following the same path. I'm alright now, Yang."

"'Alright?' Blake, you've never let anyone touch your cat ears for as long as I've known you, and both times you finally let me do it, you practically jumped away out of fear!" Yang intertwined their fingers in concern. "How is that okay, kitten? You're traumatized. I can't even imagine how awful that must have been for you…"

Blake considered Yang quietly through the darkness for a few seconds, cat ears leaning backwards again. She knew very well that her partner's anger was born from genuine care and worry, and it was definitely sweet on Yang's part that she would go so far as to avenge Blake, but the Faunus couldn't encourage that kind of behavior. She had done it once before with someone else, and to say it hadn't gone well would be a horrible understatement.

Nevertheless, Blake couldn't say she wasn't touched by Yang's candidness, either. So, she leaned her head into Yang's hand a bit more and gave the other a squeeze. "Yes, it was awful," Blake finally admitted. "…And yes, I might be traumatized, but you're helping me a lot as it is, Yang." She found herself grazing Yang's cheek with her fingers, too, surprised at the longing of her own gesture. "Just by treating and touching me the way you do…"

There were a lot of things she could have finished that sentence with. Yang had done so much for her, after all. But Blake felt it wasn't necessary to voice any of those actions. Yang generally understood what her feline companion was trying to convey without much having to be said, and in this instance, the impression held true. The blonde was silent, but the anger seemed to fade from her regard and she tucked a few raven locks behind Blake's human ear, looking more thoughtful now. For a few heartbeats, there were only the sounds of their breathing and leaves rustling outside. Yang was still rubbing Blake's cheek with her thumb and Blake was tracing Yang's brow now – absent-minded caresses as they pondered on the conversation they just had.

At some point, Blake refocused her attention on Yang, realizing that the brawler was observing her without saying a word. The Faunus drank in her partner, grateful to have this powerful and magnificent woman by her side. To even be allowed to share a bed with her from time to time… Inevitably, Blake's thoughts began to wander along with her eyes, drifting down Yang's face to find her lips. The bookworm contemplated the source of her temptation, remembering once more the unexpected yet long-awaited moment she had been yearning so deeply for, better and sweeter than anything she could have ever imagined. She had even forgotten they were in a tiny bathroom, of all places. It had been so hard to pull away. Yang had made her so happy.

Blake supposed there was no limit to how much love could grow. Over and over again, she found herself falling head over heels, each time harder than the last, and her heart ached to show this gorgeous woman the strength of her love. She knew she should probably ask Yang for permission. It was possible the lilac-eyed girl had no idea what Blake wanted and this would just ruin the enjoyableness of these unfortunately fleeting minutes. But…Yang generally wasn't dense about Blake's desires. She was straight, not stupid. Just as before, Yang appeared to know without Blake having to utter a word, as the golden girl adjusted her position slightly and invited her friend closer with a subtle pressure on the introvert's nape.

Still, Blake hesitated. She glanced at Yang's eyes, verifying that it was okay. Her heartbeat was accelerating again, purely out of nervousness and anticipation. Yang seemed to smile a little, one corner of her lips twitching upwards, and Blake found her insides knotting up while she swallowed with difficulty. It was unbearable. Barely allowing herself to breathe, heart pounding, fingers trembling slightly against Yang's cheek, Blake gathered her courage and braved the distance between them. The kiss closed the gap, and Blake closed her eyes, rapidly submerged in bliss. She gripped Yang's upper lip with her own, slow and gentle, wanting this to last forever if she could help it. Yang seemed content with following Blake's lead, reciprocating just as softly, if not a bit tentatively, uncertain. She was so warm, so real against Blake, and the Faunus did not want to make her uncomfortable in any way. She just wanted Yang to be happy, too.

Blake's entire body felt like it was gradually being consumed, her pulse beating quickly somewhere behind the haze that settled on her senses, but she did not push closer, instead exhaling unsteadily through her nose and sliding her lips down enough to grip Yang's bottom one. The blonde's fingers were wandering into Blake's hair, reassuring, inviting, and the golden-eyed girl couldn't help it – she leaned further over her partner, pulling away without breaking the contact before pressing their lips together again with all the affection she could muster. She guided Yang, tender and without hurry, savoring every second until the nerves dissipated and all Blake could feel was her joy, relief, and the softness of Yang's kiss. They were still holding hands, and Blake tightened her grasp before letting go, gliding the tips of her fingers along Yang's forearm and slowly up a firm bicep before resting on a strong shoulder. She wanted to deepen the kiss so badly. But she couldn't. There were embers burning in her belly and they threatened to ignite a fire she wasn't certain she could contain.

So, Blake lightened the embrace, lips pulling a bit on Yang's before they separated, but the bookworm couldn't bring herself to go far just yet. Yang allowed herself to breathe again while Blake opened her mouth just little, slightly more out of breath than her companion. Her heart was still thudding like a kick drum. The feelings were overwhelming, and they were part of the reason why she was rendered breathless so easily. Blake's thumb caressed Yang's collarbone, and she gently rubbed the side of their noses together before laying another shorter but just as tender kiss on the brawler's lips. Unwilling to put anymore distance between them, Blake merely raised her head enough to meet Yang's searching gaze.

They were both silent again for a few seconds, processing what had just happened. Well, maybe Yang was – Blake was just admiring the blonde's beauty and bathing in the fuzzy, warm blankets of happiness. Eventually, though, Yang looked down and murmured, creasing her eyebrows, "Why…do you kiss me like that?"

Considering that Blake was currently on cloud nine, Yang's question didn't immediately click. But then golden eyes widened a bit and Blake gave her girlfriend a little more space, concerned that she had done something wrong or that Yang hadn't enjoyed herself at all. "What do you mean?"

Yang was quiet, looking somewhat troubled. "I…" she seemed to struggle with her words, practically frowning now. "It's just that… No one has ever kissed me like you do." Their gazes met again, and when Yang saw that Blake was still confused and worried, she added uneasily, "I thought I knew what being loved felt like. But…I was wrong." She dropped her hand from Blake's face and passed her fingers through her own bangs, blinking a few times, as if her eyes were dry. "It's kind of scary, Blake."

The Faunus went still, staring at Yang through the dim light of the moon's peeking through the curtains, wondering what could have possibly happened in the sociable girl's past relationships for her to feel this way. It had been clear to Blake that Yang had figured out pretty quickly what she didn't want in a romantic partner, but this was different, and Blake didn't have all the puzzle pieces, either. It was a little distressing. She did not want to scare Yang off. "I…don't understand." Blake carefully sat back, getting out of Yang's personal space. The more svelte of the two didn't want to assume anything, but Yang seemed to be implying the way Blake kissed her was frightening because it made her feel loved. And that would be an unfortunate paradox to deal with if it was true.

Yang pushed herself up so that her back was resting against the wall. She fiddled with the blanket some, her expression still troubled. "I mean, like…unless it's because you're a girl and I'm just confused, but I'm pretty sure the idea is the same for guys, too. I'm realizing that…" Yang sighed heavily, looking at a loss. She slowly shook her head, apparently failing to find the words to express herself.

Blake paused, waiting to see if Yang would speak again. But they both just sat there, a million questions and unspoken thoughts in the silence between them, until Blake tilted her head a little and asked gently, "How do I kiss you, Yang?"

Their eyes met, and the blonde was blinking again, lilac glinting in the dark. She lowered her gaze once more and Blake heard her swallow. "With your entire being, Blake," she whispered. "It's like both having all of you and feeling like the most important thing in the universe at the same time. And…"

Yang's voice trailed off. There was something she was trying to say, but it just wasn't leaving the recesses of her mind. Whatever it was, Blake figured it had to do with the extravert's past boyfriends. She was glad Yang felt cherished – that was how Blake wanted her to feel, after all – but there was still some uncertainty clinging to the subject. And she didn't want to push Yang about her past relationships.

"Do you…not like it? Is it…too early?" Blake feared the answer, of course. If Yang said she didn't like it, then Blake would respect that, obviously, but what would it mean for their couple? That they would never kiss again? How would that go for them in the long run?

Yang interrupted Blake's thoughts before they became too anxious, though. She leaned forward and clasped both of Blake's hands tightly. "It's not too early. I kissed you first and I meant it, remember? I just…don't know if I like it yet. I know I don't not like it." Yang paused, eyebrows creased as she considered the thought, probably as confused as Blake was. "I think you kiss well, actually. But…it's still a bit weird for me. It just feels so different. I think I need to get used to it, is all…and, you know, not always being kissed like the world might end tomorrow."

Yang had been perfectly reasonable…right up until she hadn't been. At least, it wasn't quite reasonable for Blake. Her fingers intermingled with her girlfriend's. "I can't take you for granted, Yang," she murmured sadly. "I could lose you, lose us in the blink of an eye. After what happened to Ruby, you know that as much as I do." Blake looked away, holding back a resigned sigh. "But…I'll try not to be so…intense…every time."

"You can be intense sometimes, I promise." Yang nodded. "And that's fine when we're alone. But maybe not so much when we're in public?"

It would difficult, as Blake knew very well she would struggle with her longing and would, at any given moment, want to kiss Yang like the world might end tomorrow, but the introvert figured she was also enough of a prude – and wanted to respect Yang, above all – to show some restraint in public. It felt like they had already made so much progress as a couple within the past few weeks – and even just today, Yang's asking Blake for advice concerning something so significant – that the least Blake could do was continue being patient. She did not want to ruin what they had together.

So, Blake brought Yang's hand up, closer to her face, and gently kissed battle-scarred knuckles. "Anything you want, Yang," she whispered, and the blonde smiled affectionately in response. She pulled Blake towards her, and the bookworm laid back down, carefully snuggling into those strong, inviting arms. Yang seemed to hug Blake against her, resting her chin on a raven-haired head, and Blake once more found herself bathing in warmth and the subtle scent of vanilla. Her cat ears flicked against Yang's throat while she listened to the reassuring thud of her heart, and with the brawler's soft fingers caressing the base of her feline appendages, Blake began to drift into sleep.

"'Night night, Blakey."

"Goodnight, Yang… I love you."

SCENE SPOOF

But Qrow didn't wait for Blake to ask any questions or attempt any intelligible words. He walked passed them, saying lazily, "Ozpin will be up here soon. Thank him for me if you aren't gone by then, will ya?"

Shortly after, the elevator doors closed, and Qrow was no longer in the office.

The young couple stood there in relative silence for a moment, processing the discussion they'd just had with him, and, eventually, Yang turned towards Blake, eyebrows creased into a small frown. "How did he know we went to Atlas?"

Blake had no answer to that one, either. She looked down at the floor, loosely crossing her arms. "I don't know. He just did, somehow." It was the only thing that didn't make sense to her about Qrow's motives. But it also mattered the least, Blake supposed. What counted was that he wanted Yang to be safe, and so did Blake.

Yang seemed to consider this, looking thoughtful. "So, we aren't in trouble?" she finally asked, slightly surprised lilac meeting interested golden.

Blake slowly shook her head, patient and somewhat endeared by Yang's habit of thinking only after acting or speaking – in this case, at least. "No. Although we may still be found out later. But I guess that, for now, we're fine."

Yang nodded, but before she could share what she had on her mind, the elevator doors opened again and, much to Blake and Yang's surprise, Qrow walked back into the office.

They stared at him, but he only gave them a nonchalant glance before casually walking back to Ozpin's desk. Without paying any attention to the two girls, he went behind the desk and opened one of the drawers. Blake narrowed her eyes, watching him rummage inside with one hand and wondering if this was even allowed. What was he doing?

"What are you looking for?" Yang asked, curious.

Qrow didn't reply. He reached into the very back of the drawer, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "Ah, just what I need," he finally commented, and retracted his arm. There was something in his hand. It…well, it looked like a chocolate bar. The kind that also had caramel and peanuts in it, to be exact.

Qrow pushed the drawer shut and walked by Yang and Blake again. Without saying another word, he returned to the elevator and was once again gone a few moments later.

Blake and Yang stared at the elevator doors, then their gazes shifted and met.

"Does, um… I mean, is that…"

"Same."

Blake paused, stumped. She wondered if that made all of Qrow's credibility fly out the window or if it made him extra myster – no, his credibility was definitely out the window. "What were we talking about, again?"

"Uh… So, how we might get into trouble later for visiting Raven…?" Yang scratched the back of her head. "Not sure I should be taking that so seriously after what we just saw…"

It seemed Yang was having similar issues to Blake. "Maybe it was a really good chocolate bar?" she suggested, unsure.

"Do you think it was Ozpin's?" Yang arched her eyebrows skeptically. But then her expression turned to absolute shock. "Oh, my God, he stole Ozpin's chocolate bar."

Blake winced. She wasn't even sure what was going on anymore. "Ozpin may not care about that…"

And no sooner had those words left Blake's mouth that the elevator doors were opening again. This time, all hell broke loose. Several men in armor who were carrying guns rushed into the office, quickly surrounding Blake and Yang and yelling, "FBI! Put your hands behind your head! Now!"

"What?!" Yang stared at them, bewildered, and Blake felt much the same. Unfortunately, she had plenty of experience with…well, this. She slowly put her hands up while Yang exclaimed, "Who the heck are you guys?!"

"I said put your hands behind your head!" the man who was probably the leader shouted sternly, taking a step closer to Yang and pointing his gun menacingly at her chest.

"Yang, do as he says," Blake advised, trying to keep calm. In reality, she was both anxious and completely confused.

"Shut up! You're both under arrest for theft!"

Yang had started to raise her hands, but she dropped them again, suddenly furious. "We didn't steal anything! It was just a chocolate bar! Calm your tits!"

Apparently, that didn't go over too well. One of the men tackled Yang to the floor, and Blake stared in stun.

Qrow had set them up. There was no other explanation. Nothing other than that seemed feasible to Blake. Their discussion with him had essentially been pointless, after all. So, this was the real reason behind it all.

Qrow had just wanted a chocolate bar.

With caramel and peanuts in it.

And Ozpin had guarded it preciously. Yang being manhandled was proof of it.

The plot thickened.

Chapter Text

"Here you go, darling."

"Thanks!" Yang beamed at the cashier as he handed her a cup holder with three cups of ice cream on it. She took the holder and then quickly inspected the cups, ensuring they contained the correct flavors, and once satisfied, Yang pivoted to search her surroundings.

The sun was really bright in the sky today, and the air was hot. Even the slight breeze was warm, too, and this temperature definitely warranted cold treats. There were several wooden tables in the park next to the ice cream shop, some under the shade of tall, deciduous trees further off and others right there on the sun-beaten pavement. The grass was verdant and recently mowed, sometimes interrupted by patches of wild flowers as well as a dirt path that curved around towards the children's playground. There were a few seagulls hanging out in close proximity to the shop, one of them seemingly staring right at Yang, all of the birds clearly hoping to get treats, too.

Yang's smile persisted, and it widened a bit when she found what – or rather, who – she was looking for. She started walking towards one of the tables under the shade of the trees, where three individuals were bickering together – well, two of them were bickering. The third was gazing on and shaking her head. But it was the picture of normalcy, and, if anything, it made Yang want to smile even more.

"But it's my symbol, Weiss! It would have looked so cool!"

"It would have looked like unnecessary and frequent maintenance! You don't even like going to the hairdresser."

"Yeah, but… Well, it could have been a simplified version of it, then!"

"You're missing the point. I think what you got does just fine and suits you well."

Ruby and Weiss were still discussing the younger girl's new haircut, it seemed. Along with Blake and Yang, they had just come from the salon and, as predicted, almost had to drag Ruby to her appointment. She had been pouting for the entire duration of it, too, and it had only been with the promise of going out for ice cream afterwards that Ruby had cheered up. If it hadn't been for the scar and reminder of why Ruby was getting her hair cut in the first place, Yang might have laughed the whole time – Ruby acting like she was being mistreated, when she absolutely was not, was one of the funniest and cutest shows ever. But, as it was, Yang could do no more than smile.

She hadn't quite forgotten what it had felt like to lose Ruby – and she probably never would. As happy as Yang was to have her baby sister back, she knew the experience had scarred her, too. Grief lingered, buried somewhere in the darkest recesses of her heart, right along with her other insecurities about being abandoned. These fears may not rise to the surface often, but they were there, waiting at the back of her mind.

But Ruby was back on her feet now, and she looked good and healthy again. And Yang would do her very best to focus on that. Further, as much as Weiss had fussed over and rejected any hair styles the rest of the team had suggested, Yang had to give the heiress credit – the final decision did indeed suit Ruby very well. It was a variation on her original haircut – the longer side remained approximately the same length, reaching past her jaw, while the other side was mostly shaved close to her skull. It looked like not much had changed, but the new style gave Ruby a bit more of a mature edge.

She looked…well, she looked seventeen now. She wasn't that cute kid Yang could read bedtime stories to every night anymore. Things had changed so fast – and they could have ended far too prematurely.

It was weird for Yang, being in a position where she recognized she had to start treating Ruby like an adult, yet knowing Ruby was just still so young and vulnerable. It was even harder to quell Yang's protective nature after the recent trauma.

Fortunately, Yang wasn't left to fend for herself – she knew that now.

For the moment, she was surprised that Ruby was trying to discuss having her symbol on the side of her head. Yang thought about saying something as she got closer to the table –something that probably would have been a pun – but then she caught Blake watching her, and any witty comments seemed to dissolve in a wisp of smoke. Instead, the blonde felt her amused smile relax into something more tender, mirroring the affection now glowing in pools of shimmering gold. As she came to a slow stop, Yang watched the shadows and light dance across Blake's olive skin, little tiger stripes and leopard spots that moved with the wind and the leaves above, tendrils of raven hair gently fluttering across a simultaneously soft and sharp face.

"Hey," Blake greeted her quietly, and it was only then that Yang realized Weiss and Ruby had stopped talking, being that she heard her partner's voice without distraction.

But the sight of Blake was like a balm on tightly-strung nerves, a safe haven from which Yang could draw strength and comfort. Suddenly, the weight on Yang's shoulders was less heavy, and the world seemed just a little brighter and more colorful. Indeed, she didn't have to bear her feelings alone anymore. Blake was there.

Her friends were there, too, obviously, but Blake was...just the most prevalent presence – the safer one.

Yang recovered rapidly from her daze, though, before the silence became awkward, and said, "Hey!" She beamed and handed one of the cups to Ruby, adding, "Cookie dough and triple chocolate for you," and handed a second cup to Blake accompanied by, "gourmet vanilla for you," before taking the third cup and ending with, "and butterscotch and strawberry for me." Yang paused for effect, knowing that they were all wondering why the fourth member of their party had not received any ice cream. When all eyes started turning to Weiss, Yang then joked, "Oh, sorry, Weiss. I forgot your cup of sand back there. Lemme just go get that…"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Very funny. You don't know what flavor I like, do you?"

Yang opened her mouth to retort, but it was Blake who murmured with an amused smile, "That implies she knew my own favorite flavor, but I never told her…"

"You like the way I smell, and I smell like vanilla, so I sure hope that means you like vanilla ice cream."

"TMI, Yang! Ewww," Ruby wrinkled her nose.

Yang plopped down next to Blake, their shoulders brushing, putting on an offended expression. "First of all, that's not what I meant and that's not how you make inappropriate insinuations. Second of all," she narrowed her eyes at her sister, "Ruby Rose, don't even get near the gutter. That's my place."

Before anyone could protest or agree, Weiss grumbled, "Here's an idea: let's all stop talking about the gutter and move on to more productive conversations." She gave Yang a pointed stare. "And just so you know for next time, I like cappuccino."

Lilac eyes glanced towards Blake, who merely shrugged with an entertained golden twinkle. Yang's lips twitched upwards in response. She returned to Weiss. "I can go back to get you some if you'd like. For real."

Weiss slowly shook her head. "No, thank you. Ice cream isn't even healthy."

"It's not like we have it all the time," Ruby pointed out. "I mean, once every week or two won't kill us."

"No, but your recklessness will."

Both Ruby and Yang stared at Weiss, who stared levelly back. That was certainly one way of addressing the giant elephant in the room – or park, or whatever – an incorrect way, but a way nevertheless. Yang's leg started to jitter under the table.

"We're all working on that." Blake intervened before the situation escalated, gently placing a discreet and calming hand on Yang's thigh. "It's not going to happen again. Let's just enjoy ourselves for now."

"Blake's right," Ruby agreed, determined but peppy as she put a finger up. "Let's enjoy ourselves. What should we do after this?"

Yang sighed shortly, letting go of the tension and giving Blake another appreciative look. The Faunus beamed proudly with her eyes and then presented Yang with a spoonful of her own ice cream. Amused now, and deciding to take advantage of the too-easy opportunity, Yang opened her mouth and approached to close her lips around the spoon slowly, keeping direct and piercing eye-contact with Blake, who quickly started coloring red. "Mmm," Yang purposely moaned, continuing in a husk, "Blake, it's so good..."

The hand on Yang's thigh suddenly tightened – a lot – and Yang almost spluttered the ice cream out, she tried so hard not to laugh. That actually tickled, and crimson was a really funny shade on Blake, especially with her eyes wide and her expression so flustered like that.

"Why do you do this?" Blake mumbled, letting Yang get the ice cream off the spoon before turning away in embarrassment, loosening her grip on the blonde's thigh again.

Yang swallowed and grinned hugely. "Because you're adorable and I'm a sadist." She winked and then returned her attention to Ruby and Weiss, smirking at their respective obliviousness and exasperation. Without missing a beat, she asked, "You know what I've always wanted to try?"

"It better have nothing to do with what you just did," Weiss muttered. "You're depraved."

"Nope to both of those things!"

"Whatever."

There was a pause. Yang glanced between the three girls, who were now waiting for her to continue. Her smile widened. The silence persisted.

"Well, are you going to say it?" Weiss puffed, eyes wide.

Ruby giggled.

Yang took a spoonful of her ice-cream, amused gaze traveling to the sky as if searching for the answer to Weiss' question. She took the time to swallow before speaking. "You know that thing where you try to escape a room and it's like a puzzle? What's it called?"

"An escape room?" Blake volunteered, still trying to recover from her previous embarrassment.

Yang looked at her, seeing the questioning expression on her partner's face, devoid of any hesitance or lingering darkness, and the blonde grinned. "Yeah! That! You're the best, Blake."

"I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, you did."

"You said the words yourself, Yang."

Yang had already opened her mouth, ready to retort, but she realized that Blake had a point. The brawler closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. "Fine. But you're still the best."

"Oh, spare us," Weiss suddenly groaned, pulling everyone's attention. "You need to stop with all the flirting. What's Blake's hand even doing under there?"

"You're just jealous," Yang rebutted, but she shared a happy glance with Blake, who mysteriously reddened yet again and took her hand off Yang's thigh. The social girl tried – also, yet again – not to laugh. "Maybe one day, Weiss, you'll have a special someone, too, who will get you through the tough spots and lift you even higher in the good spots. Unfortunately, you might be old and wrinkly by that time. And, you know, your hips might break."

Ruby snorted.

Weiss gave her partner and Yang a weird look, somewhere between confusion and a scowl. "While your comment was completely uncalled for, it was also oddly poetic."

Yang caught Ruby giving her a funny look, too. The younger girl sniggered. "Blake makes Yang's heart sing."

"What does that mean?" Yang shook her head. "Anyway, so how about we try an escape room?"

"I'd be up for it!" Ruby immediately agreed, her comment forgotten in a heartbeat. "Sounds like fun!"

Weiss seemed to give the suggestion some thought, eyebrows creased, but then she said, "For once, I think your idea isn't completely demented. Figuring out an escape room together would help our teamwork. I think we should do it."

Yang snickered. "Ohh, high-praise from the Schnee heiress. Why do you gotta make it sound like work? We're on vacation!"

"I'm not saying it's work," Weiss argued, but her tone was much less confrontational. In fact, she made her voice a little softer when she added, "But after what happened, I think we should be more aware of our cohesiveness as a unit and build on actively helping each other."

She was right. Of course she was. But Yang didn't enjoy thinking back on that terrible night. Nevertheless, Weiss had a point.

Ruby seemed to nod sagely to this in support of her partner. "We'll do it. Someone wanna look up where it's located?"

"I have the address here already," Blake suddenly provided. She had her scroll in her hands, and her golden eyes looked to Ruby as if searching for further instructions.

"Great! Thanks, Blake. Is it very far from here?"

Blake scanned Vale's map for a moment, and then she said, "It's walkable – should only take us twenty minutes or so."

"Should we go now? And eat our ice cream on the way there?" Yang wondered, taking another spoonful of her own ice cream.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ruby chirped, and Blake nodded.

This seemed to settle the decision. With the discreet sound of their wooden benches creaking, all four girls began to get up from the picnic table, cold treats in hand – except Weiss – and, together, they left the shade of the trees.

Yang immediately fell into step next to Blake behind Weiss and Ruby, and if it hadn't been for the snacks they were both holding, she would have reached for the Faunus' hand. But, as it was, they only shared a tender glance and bumped shoulders. Yang grinned.

Team RWBY was in jail. With the rusted bars and the cracked, stained concrete and the stale air and the dim lighting. The metal entry door had been closed heavily and locked behind them, and Team RWBY now only had about eight feet of walking space each way within the cell. There was even water dripping annoyingly into a puddle somewhere, and a pair of chains and shackles hung from the wall.

Honestly, it looked a lot more like a medieval dungeon than a real-life prison. And it was just as creepy.

"This is lovely," Blake commented as her golden eyes took in her surroundings attentively, voice resonating a bit, but her tone made it hard to guess if she was being sincere or sarcastic.

Weiss had stayed by the wall, and she touched her finger to it with a grimace. It looked damp. "They even made this place dirty." She rubbed her fingers together, trying to get rid of the grime that had stuck there.

Ruby had wandered to the bars, and she was holding two of them, head sticking out to look around. There was an old wooden table and chair in the far corner on the other side. "I think this is really cool," she chirped.

A thought suddenly occurred to Yang between these various opinions and observations – a completely dumb and inaccurate thought, but she had to say it anyway. With a bit of a smirk, she said, "Heh. I'm my mom."

Surprisingly, Blake actually clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress a snort. "Yang, that's terrible. "

This made Yang start laughing. "Sorry, couldn't help it."

"Ohhh, I get it." Ruby turned away from the bars. "'Cause Yang's mom is a criminal!" She snickered.

"Is this how you would act if you were really in jail?" Weiss suddenly asked, disbelieving. "We're supposed to get out of here. I'm already feeling claustrophobic."

"Chill out, Weiss. This is also supposed to be fun. Do you really want us to role-play?" Yang motioned towards the shackles on the wall and then gave Blake a mischievous side-eye, "Because Blake and I could get right down to business with those, if you'd prefer."

Blake covered her face and choked.

Weiss crossed her arms. Her scowl, however, moved away from Yang and relaxed on Blake when the Faunus, apparently desperate to change the subject, walked towards the far-left wall with an intense look on her face, gaze refusing to meet Yang's. Yang watched in amusement as she stopped in front of the hazy, distorted mirror that hung there.

"Did you find something, Blake?" Ruby wondered curiously, walking over as well.

"Um, I think so," the reserved girl mumbled. "There's something carved into this."

Yang and Weiss approached, too, intrigue replacing hilarity. Blake was right. The mirror had something written into it, but it was faint and hard to make out. It would probably have taken the girls longer to find if it hadn't been for Blake's sharp vision – and her extremely keen attempt at finding something – anything – else to talk about. Still, Yang was impressed.

"'If quick escape is what you seek,'" Blake murmured, reading the inscription, "'then look within, and looketh deep, for courage, strength, and self-deceit are nothing to one's self-receipt.'"

Immediately, Yang suggested, "Maybe there's something behind the mirror?" It seemed kind of obvious, but it was still a possibility.

Blake, who was the one standing directly in front of the mirror, reached out and tentatively tried to remove it from the wall. It didn't budge. She tried sliding it from side to side, but that didn't work, either.

"...Maybe we have to smash it?"

"We're not smashing the mirror, Yang," Weiss retorted.

"One day."

The girls all backed away for a moment. Yang glanced outside the cell, and suggested again, "Maybe there are keys we're supposed to try and get from the table out there somewhere?"

"Maybe. But how do we even get out there?" Ruby creased her eyebrows.

Implacably logical as ever, Blake pointed out, "We wouldn't need the keys anyway if we got out there."

"Oh." Both Ruby and Yang deflated. "Right."

"It says we have to look deep if we want to escape quickly. Maybe it means look deep within ourselves?" Weiss didn't sound so sure of herself, though.

"You mean like coming up with a reason why we were supposedly put in jail?"

This made Blake and Weiss start discussing options together. Yang and Ruby distanced themselves a little, beginning to survey the walls inside the cell in search of some kind of clue. They looked pretty barren and generally just gross and old and, well, clueless. And kind of smelly, too, if Yang was being honest. She wrinkled her nose as an intrusive joke about elderly people trotted across her mind.

"What if we're in here to contemplate the fleetingness of life?" Yang murmured, mostly to herself and with a small smile on her lips.

Weiss interrupted her conversation with Blake to snipe, "Deep. Never wax philosophical again."

If she only knew where that comment had even come from. Yang glanced over at them and immediately found Blake's laughing gaze, which made the blonde's smile broaden in affection. She winked.

"Hey, I think there's something here," Ruby suddenly announced from one of the corners of the cell.

Everyone's attention switched to the younger girl. She was crouched kind of low, and moved to the side to let the others see what she had found. It was a hole in the cracked wall, fake cobwebs in front of it, and it looked large enough to fit a hand into.

Team RWBY stared at it for a moment, until the silence was interrupted by Yang with, "So...who wants to stick their fingers in the dirty hole?"

"For God's sake, Yang!" Weiss exclaimed. "Blake, do something about your girlfriend."

But Blake was too busy covering her face again and shaking her head. "I have no control over her," she mumbled. And then she added even more quietly, "...She only has control over me."

"Um?" Ruby blinked at them, blissfully ignorant of the joke being addressed. "I'm just gonna..." She tentatively reached into the hole, parting the cobwebs, and only a second later, quickly retracted her hand, "Ew! Ewww!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"There's like...worms in there or something!"

Yang opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, it was covered over by Blake's hand. Amused lilac met mortified golden.

"Don't."

Yang raised her eyebrows and, like last time this happened, gave Blake's palm a fast lick.

The Faunus was quick to pull away and wipe her hand on her clothes, embarrassment and disbelief written all over her face. "Would you stop doing that?"

"You love me."

Blake sighed deeply, giving up.

Yang grinned and pecked her partner on the cheek before sidling up to Ruby. "Here, I'll try." The brawler stuck her hand into the hole and started carefully feeling around. Her fingers rapidly came in contact with these small, long, wet...things, but they didn't seem to be writhing. If they were indeed worms, they must have been dead. Yang frowned but powered through her own mild disgust and kept patting around the hole, searching for something useful. Only a moment later, her fingers curled around a lever of sorts. She tried pulling it, and it gave, but nothing seemed to happen.

The girls stared at each other for another moment, waiting, but when nothing continued to happen, Yang retracted her hand. There was a pale yellow, wriggly thing hanging off her index, and she suddenly started laughing. "Ruby, these aren't worms! They're spaghetti noodles."

"That's still gross. Did you actually find anything?" Weiss asked, cynical.

"Yeah. There's a lever at the back. I pulled it, but..." Yang motioned at their surroundings, shaking the noodle off her finger at the same time. "As you can see, it did diddly squat."

Ruby squinted. "Do you think the room is broken? I mean, one of the bars over there is even loose."

Weiss threw her hands up. "One of the bars is loose? Ruby, why didn't you say so?"

"I mean, I just did..."

Weiss marched over to the two bars Ruby had been previously holding and looking through, and gripped them to see which one it was. The left one made a bit of a clanking noise when jolted, so Weiss focused on it. However, no matter how much she appeared to pull or push or haul, the bar remained in place.

"Wait, lemme try," Ruby offered, walking over. Weiss stepped back, and Ruby examined the bar more closely. She took it with one hand and shook it a bit, and then stared up at the top for second before looking down at the bottom. "Oh. I see." Ruby crouched and then pulled at the bottom of the bar with both hands before pushing it towards the left, and pulling once more. This time, it actually worked and Ruby was able to start lifting it up.

But it only went so far. Just as the group began believing they had found a way out of the cell, the bar was once again stuck just a few inches upwards. Ruby tried yanking and twisting it, but it didn't budge.

"Guys, it doesn't go any further than that. And we still can't fit through." Ruby looked back at the girls with disappointment, letting the bar go.

"This can't be that hard," Weiss muttered, disgruntled as she crossed her arms. "We are four intelligent huntresses in training. This should be easy."

Yang put her hands on her hips, trying to think, and watched curiously as Blake made her way back over to the mirror. The bookworm's eyes scanned over the script, her lips soundlessly forming the words. She creased her eyebrows.

"Hey...Blake? Remember when I said we should smash the mirror?"

Blake raised an interrogating eyebrow at Yang, the corner of her mouth twitching upwards. "Yes?"

"Try pushing it like a button instead?"

Blake's other eyebrow joined the second in realization, and she placed her palm on the mirror's surface before pushing. It worked seamlessly. The mirror nudged into the wall, and there was a metallic scratching noise by the bars of the cell.

The girls turned and watched as one of the bricks moved to the side, revealing a panel with a numeric dial pad on it.

"Good job, Yang," Blake sent over, sounding impressed.

Yang beamed.

"I don't understand," Weiss eventually commented. "Why give us this but also give us a lever and a loose bar? I don't see the connection. How are we supposed to get the code?"

There was another silence. Weiss had a point. It was all very nice to feel like they were finally getting somewhere, but without a code, they were still exactly where they had first started.

Ruby raised a finger. "Um..." Her shoulders drooped. "I have nothing."

But Blake's cat ears suddenly perked up. She returned to the mirror once more and read, "'Courage, strength, and self-deceit are nothing to one's self-receipt.' Weiss, I think you're onto something. I don't think we need the lever or the loose bar at all!" Animated with a charming kind of glee at believing she had solved the mystery, Blake fumbled as she searched her pockets for something.

"Blake, what are you saying?" Ruby wondered, beginning to be excited, too, even if she didn't quite know why Blake was.

"I'm saying that 'self-receipt' is not a thing, but receipts by themselves definitely are."

"Wait, you mean you think the answer has been on the receipt all this time?" Ruby rushed over to the quieter girl just as Blake managed to pull the receipt out of her pocket and carefully unfurl it.

"That...actually makes a lot of sense," Weiss admitted, sounding somewhat relieved.

Yang snickered. "What, you're surprised that Blake figured out a riddle? Which of us does the most reading again?"

Weiss wasn't given the chance to reply. "It's here," Blake said, a triumphant smile on her face. "There's a random number at the bottom."

"Yay! We're free!" Ruby hopped and punched the air.

"Not so fast, speedy. We're not out yet." Yang affectionately ruffled her sister's hair. Always so optimistic.

Weiss huffed impatiently. "Just give me the code, Blake. I'm ready to put it in."

Blake recited the numbers to the heiress – there were just five of them – and when the final digit was punched in...nothing happened. Again. Team RWBY exchanged looks ranging from exasperated to confused.

"Is there another number on the receipt?" Yang wondered.

"Or maybe Blake didn't solve the riddle, after all?" Weiss suggested.

"No, hang on," Blake interrupted any further input, a frustrated crease between her eyebrows. "I know what's wrong. Yang, go push the lever back. Ruby, put the bar back how it was." Her tone was serious, like she needed this to be right for some reason.

Yang found that she didn't like seeing that desperation on Blake, something in her chest tightening, and was prompt to try and be reassuring. "Hey, don't sweat it, kitten. I'll go put all my fingers in the hole again."

"I swear to God, Yang." Blake's face reddened with a flustered blush. The tension in her posture seemed to vanish, though, and this was what made Yang grin. "What has gotten into you, anyway? You're even more inappropriate than usual."

While Yang reached into the wet noodle-infested hole to push the lever back, she replied lightly, "I'm in a good mood, in good company, and my girlfriend is adorable. Why wouldn't I be super inappropriate?"

"Here's a reason," Weiss glared at the prankster. "Maybe your so-called 'good company' doesn't mind disowning you for your behavior."

Yang smirked and shot back, "Not everything is about your company, Weiss."

"Ugh, whatever."

Yang wiped her hands on her jeans, satisfied, and called out to Ruby, "You good over there, kiddo?"

Ruby bounced up to her feet. "Yup! We're good. Weiss, try the code again."

The heiress didn't even need Blake to repeat the combination. Weiss' fingers flew across the dial pad, and – lo and behold – there was a heavy click and the door to Team RWBY's cell swung open with a long creaking noise.

"Blake, you're a genius!" Ruby exclaimed joyfully, making her way out right away, followed by Weiss.

Overcome with pride and affection for her girlfriend, Yang wrapped an arm around Blake's waist, using her other hand to gently turn the Faunus' head closer and lay a soft kiss on her cheek, near her lips. And then Yang grinned at Blake's growing blush and murmured, "I think that deserves a reward later."

Blake narrowed her eyes, searching Yang's gaze, and challenged in a low voice, "Don't make promises you aren't prepared to keep."

Yang pulled away, chuckling in surprise. "Okay, okay. You got me." It was funny because Blake was learning to retaliate, and like her combat style, her strikes were precise and merciless. But the discreet, mischievous smile curving the bookworm's mouth made Yang's heart suddenly feel like it had blown up three times its size in her chest. Her grin became stupidly large, but she didn't care. She followed Blake out, a bit of a bounce to her gait, and wondered why that made her so giddy.

There wasn't much time to really think on it, though. Team RWBY walked in the only direction they could – that is to say, down the short corridor that led into a fairly vast, dome-like room where the ceiling was supported by three large columns in the center. They paused as they took in the rest of the chamber.

Placed horizontally in the middle of the three columns was a five-spoked wheel that reminded Yang of an old pirate ship's rudder control. Three of the spokes were tied by chains that extended to the columns, where they were tied and secured by padlocks. The chamber had four other arches along the walls that looked like they led to similar cells Team RWBY had just escaped, but one of these – the one across the dome room from them – had a darkly dressed warden standing guard with a spear in one hand.

Yang stared at him, but he was very still. And then he suddenly nodded his head three times. And then he was very still again.

"I don't think that's a real person," Weiss informed the group. "Animatronic, probably."

"Creepy," Ruby commented. "So...what do we do?"

The girls looked around, trying to find a clue, and Blake spotted it first on the wall beside them. It was a piece of parchment hanging there, and Blake approached to read the words inscribed on it. "'Thrice and thrice and thrice again, the weary warden nods his head. Unbound, no chains to impede your gain, be swift, be silent. Pull out thine lead!'"

"Uhhhhhh sounds like Blake's gonna have to do something," Yang snickered. "Swift and silent is her thing."

Blake rolled her eyes.

"You might not be wrong, Yang," Ruby suddenly said thoughtfully, rubbing her beardless chin. "The warden has a set of keys. I bet we need those."

All eyes turned to Blake.

She squinted back. "Really?" But when smiles were all she got in response, Blake sighed. "Fine... I'll go steal the keys from the fake, only-nodding person."

"Careful," Weiss warned. "I doubt the nodding would be important if there weren't consequences for not being swift and silent."

Blake acknowledged this with a movement of her head, and was about to make her way over to the warden, but Yang grabbed her hand. She gave her girlfriend a wide, innocent look. "Blake, whatever happens, I just want you to know that..." Struggling to keep a straight face, Yang took a long, pained breath in. She began to speak, then stopped, regaining whatever composure she had falsely lost, and Blake, now looking almost concerned, made it so hard for Yang to keep up the act.

"Yang?"

The blonde barely managed, "I just want you to know that I will sing songs of the bravery you've shown today."

Any tension that had formed in Blake's expression dissolved, and she shook Yang's hand away while the prankster started laughing. "Cry me a river. Anyway, here I go."

Yang wiped her eyes and affectionately watched her partner leap into action. The Faunus took a few quick steps and hopped onto one of the pillars, easily bouncing off it to land on the other side of the chain on her hands, and then propelling herself over the next chain, back arching in the air, and noiselessly finding the floor again in a low crouch.

It was always super cool to watch Blake execute aerobatics like that. She was so graceful and light on her feet, and Yang had to definitely admire that kind of agility.

And she's allll mine, too. Without a doubt, Yang was filled with joy and pride to have this girl in her life.

The blonde continued to watch as Blake approached the warden carefully, pausing and staying as still as a statue every time he started nodding. There were probably sensors that activated when that happened. Probably. Or maybe it was just part of the game. Either way, Blake was doing amazing. The warden stopped nodding one final time, and Blake grabbed the keys from his hip before quickly making her way back to her team, much faster this time.

She wasn't even out of breath when she reached the girls.

"Whoo! You go, Blake. That was awesome," Ruby cheered.

"What took you so long getting to the warden?" Weiss asked, confused.

Blake glanced back towards the animatronic. "Sensors. And a locking mechanism on the keys every time it nods. I had to be more careful."

Yang had been right. It was a pretty impressive system, though, and made the escape room experience much more interesting. "So, we got the keys. Let's hope they unlock those padlocks."

Ruby put a finger up. "Team RWBY, to your stations! Blake, take one padlock. Weiss, the second one, and I'll take the third. Yang, you get ready to turn the wheel."

The girls didn't ask any questions. It was the next most logical step to make, after all. Yang positioned herself near the wheel while Blake used the keys to break one of the chains free. She then tossed the keys to Weiss, who did the same with the second padlock, and threw the keys to Ruby, who did the same with the third. After all the chains were undone, Yang grabbed one of the spokes and tried pushing the wheel.

It didn't budge.

She frowned and tried pushing in the other direction. There was a bit of give, but no matter how hard she tried, it was barely turning. "Uh, a bit of help here, guys."

"I thought you were supposed to be as strong as a horse, Yang," Weiss gibed, coming over with Ruby and Blake.

"Um, I'd like to see you try moving this at all on your own."

"...Fine, you're right."

All four girls grabbed a spoke, and then on the count of three, they began pushing together. The wheel turned much more easily this time, the loose chains dragging on the floor, but after making three complete circles, the wheel stopped having any give and the girls were forced to back away.

They looked around, trying to see if anything in the chamber had changed, but like in the previous room, their efforts seemed to have yielded no results.

"I don't get it. The steps were pretty straightforward. Steal the keys, use them to unlock the chains, and then turn the wheel. Why isn't it working?" Ruby creased her eyebrows, confused.

"Let's hear what the clue has to say again, then," Weiss suggested.

Blake began walking over to the wall where the parchment was located. She was halfway there when there was a groaning noise. Team RWBY pivoted towards the source, and watched as the wheel slowly rotated back into its original place.

"Huh." Yang squinted at it. "Rude."

Ruby giggled.

Blake came back to them with the piece of parchment in her hands. "'Thrice and thrice and thrice again, the weary warden nods his head. Unbound, no chains to impede your gain, be swift, be silent. Pull out thine lead!'. We've done every part of this. I don't understand it, either."

Yang was as stumped as the others were. She frowned, trying to think, wondering how they were supposed to solve this if even Blake, the master of riddles, herself, couldn't come up with a solution.

"The expression," Weiss suddenly said. The girls switched their gazes to her expectantly. "That's not how the expression goes. It's not 'pull out thine lead.' It's 'get the lead out.'"

"She's right," Blake affirmed, but the Faunus still appeared conflicted, trying to figure something else out.

"Okay, cool stuff, but how does that help?" Ruby wondered, following the same train of thought as Blake.

Realization dawned on Yang. "The spokes," she said. "I bet they come out. We didn't do every part of the riddle yet. We gotta turn the wheel again and then take the spokes out."

"Yang, you're also a genius!"

"Hey, couldn't have done it without the ice queen over there."

Weiss sighed. "Don't call me that. Let's see if this even works."

The girls once again got into position, using their combined strength to rotate the wheel in three full circles. Ruby then said, "Okay, quick, before it turns back."

Yang tried tugging on the spoke she was holding. It wriggled, and with a bit more coaxing, she was able to pull it out of its hole. "Gee, what is it with this place and things in holes?"

"Dear God, Yang," Blake muttered, successfully yanking her own spoke from the wheel. She shook her head, and Yang grinned.

The brawler took hold of the fifth spoke while Ruby and Weiss finished with theirs, and declared, "Alright, are we ready for this?"

"Yang, just do it. Fast," Weiss grumbled.

Yang stuck her tongue out at the heiress and then jerked the spoke out of the hole.

This time, something happened. They saw the animatronic warden step to the side, revealing a door that swung open and, surprise-surprise, revealed the arcade the escape room was linked to.

They had done it. They were out. They had escaped.

"Woohoo!" Ruby raced towards the exit, calling out, "I'm so getting T-shirts!"

Yang proudly looked towards Blake and Weiss. "Go, team. Ammirite?"

Weiss actually smiled. "We did a good job, yes." She nodded towards the exit. "I'm going to go make sure she doesn't do anything foolish." Weiss then strode out of the chamber.

Left alone, Yang and Blake paused, not quite ready to leave the room just yet. "Did you like this?" Yang asked, taking a step closer to her girlfriend. She knew she definitely had. It was an activity worth repeating, once the room developers came up with a different theme later on.

Blake's eyes twinkled. "I did. It really felt like we had stepped out of present-day Remnant for a while there."

Yang beamed. "Except for that dial pad in the first room, though. Maybe it was like a sci-fi fantasy thing. But yeah, it was pretty great." She paused. "You were pretty great."

Blake ducked her head a little. "It wasn't anything special."

"Aw, Blakey. Sure it was." Yang outstretched her hand, and Blake took it without hesitation. "We should go before they kick us out."

Blake looked up at the blonde, and Yang gave her a conspiring wink. She pulled on her partner's hand a bit, and both girls started heading towards the exit. Before they reached it, though, Blake tentatively asked, "Yang? May I...kiss you?"

Oh. Nerves made tension form in Yang's stomach, but, ultimately, it was just because Yang wasn't used to it yet. Also, they were in public. This mark of affection wasn't something that came naturally to Yang with Blake, so of course it would be awkward for while, having to ask for permission when the desire arose. But Yang turned towards Blake, trying to give her partner an encouraging smile. "Okay, but just a little kiss."

This seemed to give Blake a moment of uncertainty. "If you would rather not right now..."

It was Yang's turn to slowly shake her head, but she kept her gaze open and sincere. She did want to. Maybe not out of desire or longing, not in the same way Blake did, but Yang was finding that kissing Blake was actually maybe enjoyable. And Yang wanted to learn to really like it. More than any of that, though, Yang wanted Blake to be happy. That was the most important thing to her. "I do, kitten. But I'm not ready to make out in public just yet."

Blake's face reddened. "That's not..." she sighed, "...what I meant. Okay, just a little kiss." Despite being obviously flustered, the raven-haired girl stepped closer to her girlfriend and tilted her head up to lay her lips gently on Yang's, fingers on the brawler's shoulder. The blonde's hands found Blake's hips immediately, but the kiss was over before any awkwardness could be felt. It had just been a warm touch, a soft token of love, and even though it hadn't lasted long enough to be amorous, Yang still felt strangely out of sorts. Like...really happy, like Blake managed to make her feel incredibly cared about with that one small action.

"That was a very little kiss," Yang stated, unable to keep the corners of her mouth from curving upwards while still holding Blake by the hips.

"You told me a little kiss. So, I gave you a little kiss."

"But it was so little."

"Are you complaining?"

Yang laughed and took both of Blake's hands, guiding her out of the escape room chamber and towards Weiss and Ruby at the counter where they were purchasing T-shirts. "It was a very nice little kiss."

Blake blushed, but the glint in her golden irises spoke novels about how glad she was about that. And Yang was equally affected. Almost giddily so. They were progressing. They were working.

And their day wasn't over just yet, either. Team RWBY would finish buying the T-shirts, have fun trying them on in the girl's bathroom, and then spend the rest of the afternoon playing games at the arcade. Weiss had to go back to Beacon after that to take care of some work, but Yang, Ruby, and Blake would visit Taiyang on Patch for supper, spend the evening there, and then join Weiss at Beacon for the night.

Yang had a difficult time remembering a happier moment in her life.

"Alright, fam. Whose turn is it to help with the dishes?"

Both Ruby and Yang groaned, but then Ruby giggled and said, "Dad, it's been, like, months since we last did the dishes together."

Taiyang, from his position near the sink, motioned as if to object, but then he seemed to have an even better idea because he declared, "Well, that just means everyone needs to do them together! You, too, Blake!"

They had finished eating not too long ago – Taiyang had grilled up steak and potatoes on the barbeque and Blake had offered to help Yang make a quick salad when they had arrived with Ruby, who had taken it upon herself to set the table outside. It had been a group effort, music playing on the stereo meanwhile, and since the sun had still been nice and bright, they had eaten on the porch.

Yang had to admit to being in a really great mood. The music, the chatter with her family, having Blake around, spending time outside... This all reminded her of when Summer had still been alive and the happy memories Yang associated with that time of her life. It was nostalgic, but Yang felt optimistic and generally...content. That was right word.

She liked being out in the sun, especially this late in the day. It wasn't hot – just warm, and the birds were still out, warbling away in the trees with no care in world. She was actually home for the first time since winter break, and she had missed the cabin, missed how much closer to nature Patch was compared to Vale – an island too small to have any major towns and too small for Grimm to wreak any havoc. It was its own little paradise not too far away from everything else.

And Yang was here with Ruby and her dad – and Blake. Things felt exactly the same and yet completely different, and Yang loved that.

These were the basic things Yang attached the most importance to in life, after all – family, friends, and adventure. And today had provided all of that for her.

"It's okay, Dad," she said with a smile. "I'll help."

Her volunteering apparently made Ruby's day because the younger girl jumped up and grabbed Blake's wrist, saying excitedly, "Thanks, Yang! Blake, come on! I wanna show you something." And then the Faunus was unceremoniously dragged into the living room, giving Yang a helpless look right before she disappeared.

Yang chuckled a bit and then turned towards her dad. "C'mon, old man. You wash, I'll dry."

"Sounds good!"

They got to work, father and daughter cooperating like they used to before Yang had gone off to Beacon. And, at first, they said nothing as they listened to the music playing on the stereo and to Blake and Ruby talking about one of Ruby's favorite childhood books in the living room.

Taiyang eventually spoke up, though, hands in the soapy water and saying with a bit of a smile, "You certainly know how to choose them."

Yang opened her mouth to retort, but then she closed it and creased her eyebrows as she re-realized something. After taking one of the plates to dry it, she finally murmured, "Blake...chose me, actually."

"She did?"

Yang could only think back on a crooked, wry smirk revealing itself from behind a falling Ursa just over two years ago. Blake had come out of hiding just for her. "...Yeah."

There must have been something in Yang's tone as she said that one word affirmative because Taiyang gave her this weird, knowing side-eye. "She treats Ruby well," he commented after a moment.

Yang almost snorted at the immediate joke that came to her mind – how Blake had literally treated Ruby well during their end-of-year mission, what with her expert first-aid dressing. But that wasn't what her dad was talking about, obviously. Still, it was definitely part of it. "She always has."

"That's good." Taiyang paused. Eventually, he admitted, "I think she's really good for you." He gave the dripping salad bowl to Yang, adding seriously, "Like, if I were you, she'd be the one."

Yang kind of laughed, taking the bowl. "Dad, that's creepy."

Her father joined in on the awkward chortling. "You know what I mean, sunshine. But for real, how do you feel around her?"

Taiyang had never really said such things about Yang's past boyfriends – not even Chase. He seemed to approve of Blake entirely and without any reservations. For whatever reason, this both made Yang feel incredibly proud about Blake and also kind of troubled. "Um, I'm not sure what you're asking."

"I've seen her keep you from doing things you might regret. I guess I'm wondering if you feel like she's controlling you." Taiyang placed some more plates in the drying basket while Yang put the bowl away in one of the cupboards. "I can only comment on what I see, and what I see makes me think you two trust each other a lot. But none of that matters if you're not happy, Yang."

Yang's expression briefly opened as it dawned on her what her dad was concerned about. But then she smiled, and it even felt tender to her. "Nah, Dad. No worries. Everything's great behind the scenes, too. I feel good around her."

"Have you told her that?"

"What do you mean?"

Taiyang didn't immediately reply. There was clearly something on his mind as he frowned a little, and sensing that what he wanted to say was important, Yang stopped what she was doing, too, and leaned herself on the counter to wait.

Cobalt met lilac. He looked at her, this strange, mixed expression of regret and pride shining in his eyes, and he said, "You've grown into a wonderful young woman, Yang, and you did that by yourself. I wasn't there like I should have been, I didn't give you a reason to think I cared or even admired what you accomplished." He smiled at her sadly, affectionately. "I can't take that back. But if you'll let me give you this one piece of advice, impart you with the little wisdom this old guy's learned the hard way..." His gaze became firmer, barricading tears behind the point he meant to make, and Yang felt the chink in her armor. "If you love someone, Yang Xiao Long, you cherish every moment and make sure they know." And then he pointed towards the living room, a bit of a smile returning to his lips. "So, get outta here and go spend time with your girl. I'll finish this up."

Yang stared at him, struck speechless. She tried to come up with something to say, struggled, even, and all she managed was, in a small voice, "...Okay." And then she used the hand towel to dry her hands, not really seeing what she was doing, stuck in a weird kind of trance.

Taiyang returned to washing the dishes, apparently satisfied with that response, so Yang started heading for the living room, but then she stopped in her tracks. She had to say something more. Her dad was right about all of it – he knew just as much as Yang did about the consequences of abandonment and apathy. And this was no longer just about him, no longer just about Ruby, and no longer just about Yang. Blake was in the picture now, too.

Yang turned a bit and said, "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?" He glanced at her.

She took a calming breath in. Then, "Thanks. I love you."

This made him beam. "I love you, too, kiddo." He then waved his hand at her. "Now quit wasting time like I did."

"Yeah, alright." She smiled, and feeling more at peace, she left her father in the kitchen to walk into the living room, where she found Ruby and Blake sitting on the sofa with a pile of books beside them. They actually seemed pretty engrossed in a conversation about one of the books in particular, and Yang watched them for a moment, enjoying the sight of her two favorite people getting along. With the conversation she'd just had with her dad lingering in her thoughts, the scene seemed to mean more to her, too, her heart once again feeling like it had become far too big for her chest. Eventually, though, Yang managed another smile and moved forward while saying jokingly, "Okay, nerds, break it up. Too many worms in here will damage the cabin."

"Yaaaaaaang," Ruby complained. "You read these to me when I was young!"

"Uh-huh. So? What's your point?"

Ruby squinted at her older sister. "You're a worm, too!"

Yang sighed dramatically and brought a hand to her chest. "Ouch. Fine, then. Can I steal your company?"

Ruby harrumphed but then started gathering her books. "Yeah, yeah. Take your girlfriend. I was gonna play some games anyway. But we gotta leave in about an hour, so get back down here soon, okay?"

Yang took Blake's hand and helped her off the sofa, giving Ruby a quick wink. "As you say, fearless leader. And thank you." She then grinned at Blake. "C'mon, I'll show you my room."

Blake arched her eyebrows but said nothing, instead calmly following Yang upstairs, where the blonde guided her to the closest bedroom near the top of the staircase. She opened the door and let her girlfriend walk in first. As Blake took in her surroundings with interest, Yang came in and quietly shut the door behind them.

She didn't have a necessarily nice or lavish room. It was fairly basic, in fact – just a single bed under the window, a desk with a chair, and a dresser with framed pictures of Yang with Ruby, Summer, and Taiyang on it. There was an Achieve Men poster on the wall in front of the desk, and a closet across from the foot of the bed, plus a plain carpet on the floor. And that was it. Yang's family had never been rich – they had made due with the basics and personalized what they could, but it had never really been an issue.

It was cozy, it was home, and that was what mattered.

Having Blake in here was a unique experience, though, Yang had to admit. There was a time when the blonde would have never guessed her partner would be interested in visiting. But here they were, girlfriends now, and there was something heartwarming and intimate about letting Blake see where Yang had grown up.

Blake stopped in front of the dresser, taking a moment to observe the pictures on its mantle. She smiled a little at what she saw. "You were cute," she said, quiet.

Yang looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling a bit shy – that was new. She decided to go over and take a seat on the edge of her bed, where she attempted to gain her composure. "Thanks. I was also a bit of a brat." She snickered as she made herself comfortable.

This earned the goofball a knowing glance from amber eyes. "I can believe that. You still like getting up to mischief even now."

Yang, unable to stop herself from teasing, looked up and gave Blake her best smolder. As hotly as she could, she said, "But you wouldn't have me any other way."

Blake's expression became partly affectionate, partly amused, partly unimpressed, and she tentatively pulled out the chair from the desk to sit facing Yang. Their eyes met. "You're right. I wouldn't."

It was admitted so bluntly, without embarrassment or shame, and Yang was once again returned to her initial bashfulness. She considered Blake for a moment – in silence, as there was something she wasn't certain about, something she wondered how she could address naturally. No more jokes, no more walls.

This resulted in the two girls just staring at each other without saying a word – one on the bed, the other on the chair. It wasn't awkward, though, strangely, as if they understood what was going on and there was no need to interrupt such admiration.

But the longer Yang took in Blake's topaz and gold irises framed by long lashes, her soft nose and heart-shaped lips, and cat ears standing calmly at attention, the more a clear question began to form in Yang's mind. She creased her eyebrows. "Blake?"

"Hm?"

They were still drinking in the sight of each other, relaxed and content with the space between them for conversation. Yang slowly passed her hand through her hair and then rested both on her lap. "Why…do you love me?"

At first, Blake blinked and shifted in her seat, taken by surprise. She appeared conflicted, but then crossed one leg over the other and set a twinkling, soft regard on Yang. "That depends," she murmured, cocking her head to the side a bit. The shadow of that crooked smile appeared on her lips. "Are you asking to be showered with compliments, or do you want the naked truth?"

Yang wasn't sure why she thought this question had been a good idea anymore. Blake evidently felt very strongly for Yang – obviously, duh – and the love looking back at her was both proof of that and also suddenly seemed to make a game out of Yang's heartbeat.

But that was alright. Who needed a normal heartbeat, anyway?

"The naked truth, please," Yang finally decided. The compliments wouldn't mean much to her, anyway – at least, not right now.

Blake was quiet, this time taking her turn to observe Yang. There was crystal intelligence reflecting in pools of amber, as if holding all the answers Yang could ever want, but then Blake stood and came to crouch in front of the blonde, causing her to lean over a bit with interest. Gentle fingers caressed and cupped Yang's face, even brushing stray strands behind her ear with the utmost care. "I've learned to accept who I am and stand up for us both because of you. You taught me bravery and strength, taught me to always strive to be the best version of myself, no matter what happens next – even if it might hurt." There was something honest and warm in her expression, putting Yang in a position of feeling completely adored. She swallowed hard, and Blake concluded in a gentle murmur, "I love you because for the first time in my life, I believe I'm worthy of being loved in return."

Yang could only gaze back in quiet awe. She couldn't possibly understand how she had such a powerful influence on Blake's life, but unlike any compliments the Faunus may have professed, not one of her declarations was anything Yang could refute. It was like a sucker punch to the gut – Blake had essentially just set in stone that Yang mattered, after all, and had done something invaluable.

And with Blake's admitted truth came a realization for Yang, something that finally put in words the extent of unknown emotions swirling within her heart. Yang could have said the exact same things about Blake, after all. It was overwhelming, to a certain extent – kind of like it had been in that tiny bathroom at the hospital. But it was different, too – maybe even stronger. Yang felt the need to deflect, and before she knew it, her mouth was spewing things, anything.

"Of course you're worthy of love, Blake. Do you even know how amazing you are? You're super cool and collected, a totally awesome fighter, the best, most patient person in the entire world, and you're really caring and supportive, way smarter than me, and you seem to just notice and know things sometimes that seem impossible, and you're responsible and mature and –" Yang interrupted herself when she realized that Blake was grinning, showing off her sharp canines and affirming that she really did have a beautiful smile. "What?"

"I was just thinking I should ask, who's showering the other with compliments, after all?"

Yang blinked as reality dawned on her, and then heat rose to her face. "Uh, well, it's just, I, um..."

"And you were so eloquent three seconds ago."

Yang stared at Blake's face, any and all words jammed in her throat, taken by how openly teasing and happy her girlfriend looked. That was not fair. Nobody was allowed to be so breathtaking.

Speaking of. Yang had actually stopped breathing, and when she came to terms with this, she blinked again and raised her head towards the ceiling to break whatever spell she had been under so that she could gasp loudly and get the air back into lungs. Why did the back of her neck feel so hot?

And as if the situation couldn't get worse, they both heard Taiyang on the other side of the door suddenly say jokingly, "Hope you girls are being safe in there!"

"Dad!" Yang choked, and then she groaned and buried her face in her hands, mumbling – mostly to herself, "That's not how sex works between girls..."

Blake laughed – she laughed – and called back, "It's alright, Mr. Xiao Long. Nothing to be worried about."

"Okay. And call me Tai, Blake."

They then heard his footsteps disappear down the hallway.

Yang dropped her hands from her face, once again seeing Blake's greatly entertained regard. Her heart was beating really fast and there was no reasonable way to do anything about it. But then she blinked as it dawned on her that Blake was still crouching, looking up at Yang, and the blonde sighed and softly clasped her girlfriend's hands. "Hey, get up here. I can't imagine that's very comfortable."

It might have been true that even Yang hadn't exactly known what she'd meant when she said 'get up here,' but when she helped Blake stand and pulled her near, and Blake hesitantly sat on Yang's lap, facing her, Yang found herself thinking this might have been a tad too far. Blake was really close, her face just a tiny bit higher than Yang's, and the energetic girl's heart was definitely pounding now. But that was apparently okay – Blake looked equally nervous, albeit still rendering Yang breathless with how tender the emotion in her golden eyes was.

Yang wasn't used to this and it was making her awkward, and they were just admiring each other again, but then she asked, murmuring because she wanted to, "Can I give you a small kiss?"

And the tenderness in Blake's eyes seemed to triple in strength, her expression becoming warm and inviting. "Yes, please."

So, anxious and uncertain, but also happy and giddy, Yang leaned forward, closing her eyes and gently placing her lips on Blake's. And like every single three other times they had kissed, Yang was still struck with how soft Blake was, how there was no hint of roughness anywhere. Her hands rested on the bookworm's waist, and Blake draped her arms on Yang's shoulders. Yang leaned into her companion a bit more, gripping Blake's bottom lip before turning her head slightly. It wasn't not enjoyable. Blake was reciprocating, but she was being more careful, letting Yang lead. There may not have been any desire or overpowering emotions for Yang, but the longer they kissed, the more she felt comfortable enough to determine that she did like it.

She liked the proximity. She liked how this made Blake happy, how they could share in something pleasant and both get something out of it.

Her arms came to hold Blake closer, and Yang pulled away just long enough to exhale through her nose before she embraced her girlfriend again, hands tracing the lines of Blake's back. And she felt the shift in Blake's intensity, how the Faunus wrapped her arms around Yang's neck, her kiss becoming more amorous, more insistent. Yang tried to follow, but she eventually broke the contact and sighed. They rested their foreheads together, and Blake was breathing a bit more heavily than Yang.

"That was not a small kiss," the raven-haired girl whispered, and Yang heard her swallow.

Yang opened her eyes, lilac finding amber right in front of her. "Maybe not," she replied in the same tone. "I'm sorry if it gets too much for you, kitten."

Blake slowly shook her head, the tips of their noses just barely brushing. "It's alright. I'm happy. One step at a time." And Blake purposely rubbed their noses together this time, which made Yang smile in amusement but she returned the little mark of care, too, because it was cute.

They both ended up laughing quietly when they realized what they were doing, though.

Yang's hand caressed and cupped Blake's cheek, looking at her joyful expression and suddenly thinking it was the most beautiful thing in the world, and overcome with affection, the blonde leaned in and kissed her again. And then she pulled away and hugged Blake tightly, and it was Blake's turn to sigh as she hugged Yang back.

Yang closed her eyes again, resting her face on her girlfriend's shoulder, and a bit of a smile crept to her lips.

She was happy, too.

Chapter Text

Blake was awoken by a bright light suddenly shining onto her eyelids. She groaned and winced, turning over in bed to hide her eyes.

"Wakey, wakey, Team RWBY!"

This habitual morning greeting would need some getting used to all over again. Blake could not find it in herself to be annoyed at Ruby's exclamation, though.

"What's the big idea, Ruby?" Yang grunted from the bunk above Blake, voice muffled as she was probably talking into her pillow.

It all sounded so normal – the way things should be.

"We're going to the beach!"

This declaration caused Blake to turn back towards the room, squinting at the open window – and at the Ruby standing proudly beside it in her pajamas.

The Ruby wasn't wrong. It looked like a beautiful day out there. The sun was warmer than ever, a pleasant blanket on the skin, and the breeze coming in was soft without being too cool or too hot. Without a cloud in the sky, the weather was indeed perfect for a visit to the beach.

So, obviously, that was what Team RWBY did that day.

Yang, although slow to get the sleep out of her eyes, was immediately onboard, to no one's surprise, and when the two sisters turned to their partners with hopeful stars in their gazes, they were met with almost no protests at all. Blake didn't even need to consider the idea – she was already rising from her bed and getting ready. Weiss checked their schedule, just in case they had border patrol duties that day, but Blake already knew the schedule and prompted Ruby to go ask Nora and Ren if they wanted to come along. Ruby's eyes had widened in excitement – maybe in a little disbelief that Blake was going out of her way to be supportive, too – and she had rushed out in flurry of rose petals.

Then Weiss started to collect Ruby's beach gear before getting ready, herself.

Blake had noticed changes in the small things – how everyone was much more appreciative of Ruby's presence, much more intent on listening to her and supporting her decisions. And she also saw how Weiss argued less if Blake cooperated easily on more divisive topics. Even Yang toned her sarcasm down around the heiress. The teasing never stopped, of course, but the insults and off-handed remarks were less biting, the look in her eyes more joyful, and Weiss' comebacks lacked some of their usual frost. If there was anything different to be observed between the two, it was newfound respect.

...or, rather, basic civility.

But all four girls acted with more gratitude towards each other, having learned all too personally that life was fragile and fleeting. They should have realized this far sooner, of course, and the recent scare could have ended in far worse a fate, but RWBY was back together as a unit and as a small family of their own, and that was what mattered now – being there for each other and moving forward.

And now they could truly enjoy their summer vacation in between their responsibilities as huntresses in training. Weiss would have to leave for Atlas again sometime in the following month, but that was for the future to worry about.

Today was for the beach. And when RWBY plus Ren and Nora were all prepared and heading out their doors, Blake paused, staring down at the object in her hand, giving it a second thought.

"You coming, Blake?" Yang wondered from in the hallway, seeing that Blake, as usual, insisted on lagging behind the group.

Blake nodded, "Yes, hang on." She then walked back into the room and put her journal on her bed. She stared at it for a moment longer, wondering if she would miss it, considering that there was no harm in bringing it, just in case. But in the end, Blake turned away and closed the door behind her on her way out. They would be gone for the day and Blake had every intention of participating in the activities the group had planned, reassured in the knowledge that Yang loved it when she did, and even Blake, herself, knew she would have fun. There would be no need for her journal – nor a need for a book – especially knowing she could always read or write some other time. And so, while Blake reached out and took Yang's outstretched hand, smiling, Blake's private thoughts since entering Beacon stayed behind, forgotten.

Blake was, initially, not very good at beach volleyball. The problem was that every time the ball sailed in her direction, her first instinct was not to make it bounce away from her – it was to bat it out of the air and to the ground right in front of her. Her friends laughed the first few times, and Blake would feel the heat rise to her cheeks as she became self-conscious, but with the encouragements that followed, and Blake's own resolve to get a grip over her feline nature, the Faunus was soon at least hitting the ball up and keeping a semblance of rhythm to keep the game going. She didn't always send it flying in the correct direction, unused to keeping her wrists locked in this manner, but the more they played, the more comfortable and accurate she became. If anything, she quickly got really good at spiking the ball.

Impressively good, in fact.

Ruby, Weiss, and Ren formed one team while Yang, Nora, and Blake formed another. Nora and Yang's power hits compensated for Ruby and Ren's swiftness, and Weiss and Blake were about equal in talent, which evened the odds. Probably, once they became better at the game, Weiss would start using her glyphs while Blake could use her shadow-clones, and the odds would still remain equal.

But, of course, there was always something to distract Blake's attention – the blonde bombshell on her team, for example. And even if Blake had seen Yang in her scandalous yellow two-piece in the past, the effect it had on the bookworm seemed to have only gotten worse.

So, if Blake got hit in the chest and then in the face by the ball before she decided it was time to stop ogling her girlfriend, she did her best to at least keep her dignity intact and refuse to admit she was staring at Yang, specifically. It was the seagulls. They peppered the sand like litter and flew awfully close sometimes. They were the ones to blame.

And the only thing Yang had to say to that was, "Yeah, and I bet their hips don't lie, either, right, Blake?" and followed it up with a teasing eyebrow waggle.

Blake groaned. She should have known her comment would come back and bite her. No one was ever safe from Yang's humor. Blake wondered what it said about her that she preferred blaming her cat instincts over blaming her attraction to Yang, though. Probably a lot of things – things she didn't care to think about right now, anyway.

Ruby's team won the game, in the end, but nobody was truly upset. In fact, everyone walked away from that game with grins plastered on their faces. And it wasn't long before Nora was running towards the water, yelling at Ren to follow, before Ruby decided to fly by at the speed of light, right in time to send water splashing at Nora.

Blake watched them, staying a safe distance away from the waves rolling in on the shore and smiling, endeared by the youthful behavior. She remembered missing out on this about three months ago, laying on her lounger, hearing her friends amusing themselves but refusing to participate. She had felt so undeserving back then, like she would just dampen everyone's spirits if she accepted Yang's invitation, and had deemed it better to be self-effacing, hiding her Faunus heritage behind a little black bow. Even Weiss had been more social than her at the time. Blake slowly shook her head – she had been so wrong to keep herself away from her team, away from Yang. She had never been happier than now, and her friends seemed to be happy that she was with them, too.

"So, if I were to ask you to play Frisbee in the water with us…what would be your answer?"

Yang seemed to have materialized beside Blake, Frisbee in her hands. Lilac eyes glittered joyfully with a hint of hope in their depths, and Blake wondered if Yang could see into her mind with those mischievous eyes, too. Her question was suspiciously relevant. Nevertheless, Blake had to give it some thought. "My answer would be…yes, but only if nobody gets water in my ears." She didn't like water in general, but she supposed that if she didn't go in any further than her calves, it wouldn't be that bad.

Yang put her hand on her heart. "I swear it on the blood of my ancestors!"

"Why are you always so dramatic?" came Weiss' sarcastic – but not biting – voice as she walked towards them. "All you have to say is 'No, Blake, we won't get water in your ears.'"

"Oh, 'scuse me. Lemme just correct myself – no, Blake, we won't get water in your ears, but we'll definitely get some in Weiss'."

"You better not," Weiss retorted as she started making her way towards Ruby and Nora. "I'm going to get them out of there so they can join us."

"Uh-huh," Yang snickered, and Blake rolled her eyes. They watched Weiss go, and then Yang decided to ask, "So, what were you thinking about?"

Maybe Yang really could see right through her. Golden met lilac affectionately. "Just that I regret wasting our first two years as teammates being withdrawn and ashamed of who I am and what I've done. You, Ruby, Weiss… You've been a true family to me, and I willingly blinded myself."

Yang's grin dimmed, but it was her turn to slowly shake her head. "That's in the past, Blake. What matters is what you do now, and I'd say you've come a really long way from when we first met."

Blake nodded. "I know. And it's largely due to you guys. But I'm not berating myself over it anymore. I'm just glad we pulled through."

Yang gazed out towards Weiss, Nora, and Ruby, pensive. Weiss was still trying to convince Ruby to get out of the water while attempting to avoid being splashed by Nora. Ren stood nearby, apparently debating over whether or not he should try to help the Schnee heiress with her endeavor. Yang smiled. "I'm glad we did, too."

There was a pause, both girls content in this shared sentiment, but then Yang started towards the others. She looked back, motioning for Blake to follow with a wave of her hand. "C'mon! Let's go help Weiss."

And Blake followed without question, voluntarily putting in the effort to participate and be there with Yang and the others in the good moments, too, and not just the hard ones. She was enjoying herself, and was genuinely looking forward to the rest of the day.

Playing Frisbee with the group turned out to be a little crazy – Ruby dashing at the speed of light to intercept overkill launches from Nora and Yang, Blake using shadow clones to block and catch certain other throws, Weiss confusing the direction the Frisbee flew with her glyphs, and Ren being able to foresee most of their moves before they made them – to say the least, other people on the beach gave them a large berth or even observed them with great amusement. Blake did eventually find out that the water was somewhat cold but tolerable, sometimes having to step in it to catch the disc.

By the time they were out of breath and laughing, they decided to go to a nearby cantina for lunch, eating unhealthy fries and burgers and ice cream – even Weiss made the exception – and this was followed by collapsing on the beach to sunbathe. They did not all catch some rays, though – Nora and Ren walked off, probably to swim and enjoy the waves, while Weiss made sure to choose an area with a vacant beach umbrella she could sit under, prone as she was to sunburns.

It was as they were setting up their area that the girls heard all four of their scrolls suddenly alert them to an important notification. They all shared a look. It couldn't be the hospital again, could it?

Ruby was the first to look into the group's beach bag, undisturbed with kneeling on the sand. She fetched her scroll and pulled the handles open, quickly bringing up the message. "Oh! Our grades came in."

Relief swept over the young women, and they took their own scrolls from the bag one by one, forgetting about getting comfortable for the immediate moment.

"I wonder how our last mission impacted our overall..." Weiss' voice trailed off and she creased her eyebrows as her gaze skimmed the document, "...score? Why does our team have two different marks?"

Blake unlocked her personal document on her scroll by putting in her student password, rapidly finding what Weiss was referring to near the bottom. "87.15 or 86.40? What does that mean?" Blake was honestly just as confused. They were passing, fortunately – and that was good news they would most likely celebrate later – but even if it seemed like their team score was indeed being impacted by low numbers somewhere, that would not have warranted two different marks.

"What? Hey, yeah, you're right... That's weird." Ruby was seeing it, too.

Blake began searching her personal grades for any clues. There was almost a minute of silence as the girls all seemed to do the same thing. But whatever was going on, it didn't seem to have anything to do with Blake – her personal average for the year was a 95.2, which was kind of amazing, even for Blake, but it appeared this was because she had scored extra high during her second semester on her end-of-year exam. This would have normally brought her joy or at least pride in herself, but Blake could only feel regret. The sole reason for this group occurrence was because of how terribly wrong their last mission had gone. With Ruby out of commission, Blake barely had a choice to step up and take the reins.

It wasn't anything nice to reminiscence on.

And it also didn't answer any questions.

"What even is this?!" Yang suddenly raved, staring wide-eyed and somehow looking both enraged and completely puzzled at her scroll. "Why did I get a zero and a one-hundred percent in my Physics class?! What's A#?!"

"Well, there's the culprit. Yang, what did you do...again?" Ruby squinted at her sister.

"This hurts my brain so much," Weiss seethed. "You better have an explanation for yourself."

Yang's outraged expression met the rest of Team RWBY. "You know what this is? This is bull. This is conspiracy theory crap. I spent half my time in that class asking genuinely confused questions about obvious contradictions, and the professor kept giving me stupid answers that made total sense but always finished by saying something like 'but it varies.' Which, if the studying I actually did is true, is not possible in physics!"

"So, you were both right and wrong for everything you did in that class? Nobody ever take Physics again. I forbid it." Weiss scowled.

Yang chucked her scroll back into her bag, apparently done with her grades. "Whatever," she grumbled. "At least I still got something between 83 and 87.1 as a personal average."

"Well, I scored a 93.9," Weiss announced, decidedly satisfied. "What did you get, Blake?"

Weiss and Blake, despite not having all of the same classes, had done a lot of studying together and had kept tabs on each other's progress. It was normal that Weiss would be curious. Blake ducked her head a little, though. She was almost tempted to lie. "Um, 95.2..."

The heiress' eyes widened. "How did you score higher than me?"

Blake was quick to explain. "Different classes! I'm sure if we had the same ones, you would have done better than me. And then there was that whole end-of-year mission..."

"Hey, credit where credit is due," Yang intervened, laying a reassuring hand on Blake's shoulder. She seemed to beam proudly at the Faunus with her eyes, and Blake felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Blake's a really smart cookie. And she even helped me pass my Aura Theory class!" Yang did grin then, and she switched her attention to the youngest member of the group. "What about you, Rubes?"

But Ruby wasn't smiling. Her expression even looked kind of pained as she reviewed her document.

"Ruby?" Yang moved closer to her sister, her grin fading and being replaced with concern.

Ruby sighed. "My personal average for the year is 67.2..."

"What? How?" Weiss settled beside her partner as well.

"Because of our end-of-year field exam." The red-head tried to laugh, but it lacked pep. "I scored a 48.7, probably because of...well, because I got knocked out."

It was incredibly concerning news. The team's average was alright – again, they were passing – but Ruby's grade was threatening some terrible amount of recuperation. "Are you passing, at least? They aren't going to fail you, are they?"

Weiss took Ruby's scroll from her and rapidly started scanning the document while the younger girl was embraced by Yang. "It's gonna be okay, Ruby. We'll figure this out."

Blake looked expectantly at Weiss, and the heiress suddenly stopped skimming, attentively reading something she had found. "Weiss?"

The white-haired girl didn't answer right away, but then she smiled and said, "There's nothing to figure out. You are okay, Ruby. Headmaster Ozpin personally gave you an exception under the unfortunate circumstances this happened in. He says you performed very well during the entirety of your year and should not suffer even more because of an out-of-control event."

Ruby pulled away from Yang and gave Weiss a wide-eyed stare. "Really?" she squeaked.

Weiss returned Ruby's scroll. "See for yourself."

Ruby's silver eyes quickly darted across the document as she confirmed what Weiss had just said. Her shoulders seemed to sag with relief. "I'm gonna have to give him a huge –"

"Hug!" Yang exclaimed, giving Ruby another, much tighter embrace.

"I'm not hugging Ozpin!" Ruby protested, her voice muffled against the blonde's shoulder.

This warranted Yang's laughter, and even Blake found herself smiling. They were all relieved to hear the news. Team RWBY would be able to start the next year off on equal grounds and keep improving their skills together. More importantly, they would be able to move away from the tragic incident of this year even faster. Things were truly looking up.

Weiss set her hand on Ruby's shoulder for a brief moment as a sign of support, but then she said, "Well, I've already been in the sun long enough as it is." She proceeded to sit on the lounger she brought and apply more sunscreen to her skin. Blake, Ruby, and Yang settled down more comfortably in the sun without a problem next to her, but Yang insisted on getting Ruby to apply some more sunscreen, too.

"But Yaaang –"

"Nope, you are not burning in my presence!" Yang caught her younger sibling before she could attempt to run away, which quickly devolved into struggling and laughter as they play-fought.

Ignoring their eccentrics, Blake lay down on her back nearby, deciding that despite the fun she'd had so far, this was still definitely her favorite activity of the day. Lying in the warmth of the sun, relaxing, maybe even napping… Blake closed her eyes, the noises around her slowly fading into a muted background drone. This seemed to be the only time Blake so easily drifted towards sleep.

Until, of course, Yang had something to ask.

"Hey, Blake, can you –"

"If you're going to ask me to undo the knot of your top, the answer is no." Blake didn't open her eyes.

"But, Blake! How am I gonna tan right?"

"Just because I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean I will encourage the exhibitionist in you. There are children here." There was a pause, and Blake almost left it at that, but then she decided to make a bit of a joke out of her instincts, opening her eyes to look at Yang and adding dryly, "Also, you're my human, and I'm not sharing."

Ruby made a gagging noise while Weiss coughed uncomfortably, and Yang just blinked in surprise before laughing. "Well, I won't argue with that, I guess," she chuckled, and then leaned over Blake a little, eyes twinkling in amusement and – Blake's heart fluttered faster – adoration. "Are you saying I'm your master?" she asked quietly, inching closer, voice sweet like honey. "Because it sounds like you're saying I'm your master."

Blake narrowed her eyes, even if her heart insisted on thudding harder in reaction to the blonde's proximity. She would not let Yang win at these mind games, and matched her tone with, "Are you being racist? Because it sounds like you're being racist."

Yang's eyes widened, but then she took the remark in stride and grinned, leaning in even closer so that her mouth brushed on Blake's cheek. "Well, what if I called you mistress instead?" Her lips touched Blake's human ear. "…Would you like that?"

"U-um –" Blake felt the blush all the way to the tips of her cat ears, all possibility of intelligent response wiped clean from her mind…and replaced with a mental image she had to internally struggle not to entertain. Apparently, winning at mind games against Yang was a hopeless cause.

In Blake's failure at answering, Weiss spoke up, mildly aggravated, "Would you two find somewhere else to flirt? You're both being disgusting."

And Ruby decided to add, mocking, "Yeah, there are children here."

"Oh, my God, you two," Yang collapsed beside Blake, faking offense. But then she snickered. "It's official, Blake. We're now that couple who has to be affectionate behind closed doors only. We're too gross together for the rest of society. What has the world come to?"

Blake recovered a semblance of composure with Yang no longer invading her personal space, thankfully. "I don't know, Yang. But I thought we were past slavery."

"But not sexual innuendos!"

"Seriously, you two need to either stop talking or go somewhere else with your depravity," Weiss scowled.

Ruby giggled, and Yang gave up on commenting – and also on untying her bikini, much to everyone's relief – instead turning onto her stomach so the sun tanned her back. Blake slowly shook her head and closed her eyes again, finally feeling the blush leave her face. The group fell silent as they relaxed, but Blake found the corners of her lips twitching upwards a little despite herself.

Yang was right about one thing – Blake really had come a long way. She was much more comfortable with who and what she was – and that was what it said about her preferring to blame and defer to her feline instincts over her own girlfriend. More than no longer hiding her Faunus heritage, Blake could also poke fun at herself and flirt back to Yang's inappropriate jokes, and she was happier for it.

Truly, Blake was happy to have Yang in her life, no matter what.

The beach always emptied by sunset. It was great, really – the crashing of the waves and the distant chirping of crickets could be fully appreciated this way. The sky was already alight with red and orange, bathing the sand and water in warm, comforting hues. The evening was exquisite.

Blake had wandered away from her group of friends, but she wasn't alone, not this time. Yang was by her side, hands entwined as they walked near the tide rolling in. The temperature had dropped a little, and so Blake had slipped on a pair of capris with a tank top over her swimsuit after accepting Yang's invitation to go on a stroll as a couple – but only if the blonde dressed a little more decently, too. Yang had agreed with a laugh, so now she was wearing tight-fitting short shorts and a short-sleeved cardigan that she had tied the front of over her bikini top – so, ultimately, she was still showing off a lot of skin, but it was an improvement.

At least it was easier for Blake to control where she was looking now.

They had walked for a little while, eventually coming across an area of the beach that had large rocks emerging from the waves to their right, and rocky cliffs further off to their left. The setting sun reflected sparklingly on the formations, and Blake and Yang came to a stop, looking up to the top of the cliff for a moment before returning their gazes to the ocean.

It was relaxing, to be alone together, admiring the view, and Blake found herself leaning against Yang's side, head resting on her shoulder, Yang reciprocating and wrapping her arm around Blake's waist. The Faunus bathed in her girlfriend's warmth and in the light of the sun, enjoying the peaceful sounds of distant birds and crickets chirping. A lone seagull flew above them, letting out a brief cackle as it continued on its way. Even the strong thudding of Yang's heart was reassuring.

"I had a lot of fun today," Blake eventually said. She meant it. Perhaps it wasn't something she would repeat frequently, as she needed her quiet time, but spending the day with her friends as a group was worthwhile every now and then.

Yang tightened her hold a little. "I'm glad you did. And it was great to have you playing with us." Her voice was soft, genuine. "I love you, Blake." She sighed, content.

"I love you, t – " Blake interrupted herself, heart missing a beat. "What did you just say?" She pulled away from Yang, enough to set a wide-eyed, disbelieving stare on her. Now her heartbeat was accelerating anxiously.

Yang chuckled, awkward, massaging the back of her neck, eyes shining. "Uh, heh, I guess I did it again, right? Conclusions last, not first. I'm sorry. It's just that you've been there for me, Blake, and you give me everything I need and you're this incredible per –"

Blake felt her throat tighten with a ball of emotions, tears pricking her eyes. "No, no, no. Oh, Yang, I don't care. Not right now. You love me?"

Bright, sincere lilac met hopeful, touched golden. An easy, affectionate smile graced Yang's features. "Yeah. I love you, Blake. Very much."

And Blake couldn't hold herself back anymore – she threw herself against Yang to hold her tightly, arms around the blonde's neck, joyful, relieved tears spilling down her cheeks. She buried her face in lustrous locks, the fading scent of vanilla overwhelming her, and Yang returned the embrace with equal strength, her own arms firm around Blake's waist and back, lips against the Faunus' shoulder. They held each other close, and then Yang was lifting Blake off her feet and spinning her around. She only did it a few times, but Blake was still initially surprised and clung to her girlfriend even tighter, then quickly felt like her heart might just burst from happiness.

Yang loved her back. Blake felt so light and free she thought she may just be able to fly.

Yang set her down gently, and then they slowly separated. The tears continued to escape Blake's eyes, and when Yang saw this, she softly cupped the raven-haired girl's cheek, wiping some of the wetness away with her thumb.

"Can I hear you say it again?" Blake asked in a small, tentative voice. Because she felt like it would never be enough – she wanted to keep hearing it over and over, but she would take anything Yang willingly gave her.

Yang's lips quirked upwards, her touch still caring around Blake's jaw and cheeks, keeping the girls near each other. "I love you, Blake. You mean the world to me."

The effect was gradual, but Blake, so overcome with joy and love for her partner as she was, suddenly found it all bubbling through her and the next thing she knew, she was laughing – openly, without restraint. She was not ashamed or embarrassed. She was happy. Incredibly, veritably so. And then it wasn't long before Yang was laughing a little, too, passing her fingers through Blake's hair and then hugging her once more, a brief embrace from the sun.

She pulled away again, holding Blake's face, gazing into her eyes, and asked, "Those are happy tears, right?"

Blake nodded, her laughter quieting, and managed to murmur, "They're happy tears, yes."

Yang's tender and hopeful lilac regard was the most breathtaking sight in the fiery lights of the sunset. She caressed Blake's cheek, and then she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to the bookworm's in a careful, tentative kiss. Blake closed her eyes and reciprocated willingly, tilting her head a bit, hands sliding down to rest on Yang's waist, heart racing, amazed at her partner's initiative. Gaining some confidence, Yang deepened the embrace, and Blake found herself exhaling through her nose, suddenly smiling again, which caused the warm girl to pull away. But Yang saw Blake's expression, and she grinned, too, eyes twinkling.

They rested their foreheads together, and Blake had to blink, clearing her eyes from more tears. She held Yang closer, hands trailing up to rest on the sides of the extrovert's neck, and Blake found herself whispering, "You mean it...right?"

Yang let out a quiet giggle, saying in a susurration, "I mean it, Blake. I'm in love with you." And then she kissed Blake again, enrapturing and infinitely tender, before pulling away just far enough to continue in the same tone, "I want to cherish you and have you in my life like this. I love you, Blake Belladonna."

At this rate, Blake's heart would manage to escape her chest and soar for the heavens. Her smile widened and a few more tears landed on her cheeks. She could barely utter the words, she was so touched, but they came out anyway, timid and vaguely hoarse. "...I love you, too, Yang Xiao Long."

For whatever reason, this made Yang giggle again, and her thumb was rubbing soft little patterns on Blake's chin. "I want to make you happy the same way you make me happy."

"Always," Blake murmured, and she almost choked on another relieved sob. Instead, she pulled Yang close and buried her face in her love's collar, arms tight around her, and Yang reciprocate just as securely. And Blake felt safe. She was safe. She was home.

There was an unexpected gust of wind, making their hair whip to one side a bit, but they didn't immediately end the embrace. It was only when they realized they weren't alone anymore that they separated and found that Ruby had appeared, switching her weight from one foot to the other and making the sand crunch.

"Uh, hey, you guys!" she greeted them with awkward optimism."Sorry for interrupting. It's just that we gotta go so we don't miss the last airship to Beacon. Heh."

Yang and Blake looked at each other, still beaming, and then an unspoken agreement passed between them. Blake wiped her eyes as they intertwined their hands, and then Yang nodded at Ruby. "Yup, we'll be there. You better go tell Weiss before she pops a fuse."

Ruby snickered and then saluted. "You bet. Hurry up!"

And then she sprinted off, rose petals fluttering in her wake.

Yang tightened her grip on Blake's hand, and they shared another affectionate gaze before they started walking, heading back to their group of friends side by side. The sun was almost entirely below the horizon, the red sky turning to dark blue, bringing the day to a close. They had enjoyed themselves, Yang and Blake, and reassured in the knowledge of the love between them, they were both satisfied to be together and confident they could overcome any challenges they may face in the future.

Their couple wasn't perfect, and there would undoubtedly be more hurdles to figure out when the time came, but for now they were happy and they were there for each other. They had friends who supported them, helping them be the best versions of themselves and make wiser decisions, too. And so, hand in hand and as the sun finally disappeared for the night, Yang and Blake found their friends and teammates, and together as a group they made their way back to Beacon Academy, laughing and worry-free, forlorn no more.

Chapter Text

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Hey, everyone.

If you're taking the time to read this, then I wanted to thank you for following Forlorn and being a part of the journey. This work is the first I've ever completed, even if I've been writing stories since the time I learned to write as a child. And I want to start a streak of completed works with this, too.

Some of you were around when Forlorn was first posted online a few years ago, and were probably – and understandably – confused or upset when I took it down, only two chapters away from the end. I wanted to once again apologize for that and reassure you guys that my reasons had nothing to do with negative criticisms. In fact, I welcome any and all comments about my writing! Know that I simply deal with personal struggles in my life, and taking Forlorn off the internet was a result of this. But I couldn't let it stay that way. This story means the world to me and getting rid of it was like erasing a piece of myself. It has helped me figure out and accept my sexuality, and based on some of your own reviews, dear readers, it seems Forlorn has also done the same for you, among other incredible things, too. I cannot begin to describe how heartwarming and humbling it is to learn that my writing could have impacted some of your lives and relationships for the better. So, with the utmost gratitude and sincerity, thank you for being with me on this ride.

And while I am expressing immense appreciation, there is also huge thanks that goes to Cowjump, the writer of RWBY Bumblebee (and White Rose) fanfics Valence and On Kaiser Island, for all his patience and kindness and support during this journey. He is my best friend, a great and funny person, my very own professional editor, and an invaluable sounding board to my ideas. I could never have done this without him – truly – and I encourage you all to give his stories a read and leave him with some nice words.

In more recent news, Warwolf has lent his eye to help me out as my beta reader – he is a self-published author and offers a unique perspective on my writing, and I'm hoping he will aid me in catching possible weaknesses/plot holes in my future works before they are posted.

A big shout-out goes to Moongarm, Reeves3, Nightlocker, Sojamanic, and Private LL Church for all their praising reviews and honest care for what Forlorn represents. To the five of you – you cannot imagine how far reaching your reliability and words were. Your optimism, honesty, and understanding were always what I looked forward to the most.

I also want to thank Flagarach, Writer of Things Here, and RobinxRaven Writer, who gave me some useful input and criticisms, and helped me find ways to address weaknesses in Forlorn's writing. Praise is always wonderful, but I especially appreciate those who give me opportunities to analyze what I've done wrong so that I can either fix it or do better next time – and generally improve as a writer. So, thank you for those opportunities and taking the time to explain your thoughts.

There are some ideas in Forlorn that were never mine, such as the carnival, the aquarium, and Tai's father-to-daughter talk with Yang, among a few others. It was you, dear readers, who commented and wrote Forlorn with me, in a way. You helped make this story what it is, and if I could, I'd give you all a hug! Maybe one day. :)

On a slightly different note, if there are parts of Forlorn that you did not enjoy, all of you awesome readers, then that is completely alright. There are parts of Forlorn that I'm not fond of, either! Let me know if you have any complaints or concerns – it will be my pleasure to read your opinion and do my best to improve for future works. As for me, my greatest regret is chapter three. It's a really dumb chapter in which I made Yang accidentally seem like a huge jerk, and there was no way for me to fix it beyond writing something completely different – which I couldn't do because chapter four relies on chapter three's current content to make sense. I tried to atone by addressing the issue in chapter four, but the truth is that chapter three is just painful. So, to me, it is Forlorn's weakest link, and I can only hope that you who read this story can forgive it and remember the rest with a smile.

This isn't quite the end of the journey, though! I have a sequel pretty much all planned out, so be on the lookout next Sunday for the first chapter! I'm really excited (and nervous) to find out what kind of reception it will get.

Lastly, as a quick mention, if you want to listen to Forlorn's audiobook, subscribe to me on Youtube under the name "A RWBY Fanfic Production" and leave some nice comments for all the hard-working voice actors and actresses on the project!

Yours truly and with love,

Jay