Never going back
Disclaimer I do not own the rights to any of the Characters or all that hooblah that belongs to Rooster Teeth.
So this story starts right after the events of volume 2, the only difference is the attack was a bit more dramatic.
It's been two weeks since the attack on Vale. That's two weeks for everyone to adjust to everything that has happened. Two weeks to tally up the damage done, and the lives lost. Within the first few days General Ironwood came with what seemed like an entire fleet, but realistically it probably wasn't even half, and the show of force seemed to calm everybody's nerves.
It wasn't a surprise to find out the school has been cancelled at Beacon, what with the teachers being the most experienced Hunters and Huntresses in the area, they would be needed to help guard the Breach. What was a surprise was how long it was canceled for; most students expected it to be off for a few days at most, some were hoping for maybe a week. But when they saw their scrolls read "1 month" it seemed almost unreal. A few of the students took the opportunity to go home and see their families but most opted to stay and help with what they could, even if Ironwood's men seemed to have everything under control.
The first two weeks seemed to go by incredibly fast, and it was surprising at how quickly people seem to forget tragedy. All it took were a few scandals in the news and some celebrity gossip, and it seemed like everyone was ready to move on. But even if the world was ready to move forward, it seemed like a select few couldn't even if they tried.
It might have seemed like an extremely small deal to anyone else but on this particular morning it seemed like to be the mother of all deals to one particular heiress.
"RUBY! How could you do this?"
Ruby differently did not expect this kind of blow up when she came out of the bathroom this morning. Looking utterly confused she tried to think of what might have done to get this kind of reaction.
"Weiss? Uhm… I am not… I mean I didn't do anything to you."
Weiss just stood there in the middle of the room looking like she might literally explode.
"HOW CAN YOU LIE TO ME LIKE THAT? RUBY I KNOW YOU USED MY SHAMPOO!"
Relief flooded over Ruby so strongly that she almost started to laugh "Your shampoo? That's what you're upset about" Almost asking out of disbelief.
"Yes this about my SHAMPOO you dolt! You can't just use someone else's shampoo!"
At this Ruby finally lost it and started to laugh almost falling to the floor.
"What is wrong with you Ruby? This is no laughing matter."
On her hands and knees now Ruby could only muster out a few words in-between breaths "Shampoo… sham…POO! HAHAHA!"
Weiss couldn't take it anymore stomping her foot on the ground to try and get Ruby's attention back on her "Ruby this isn't a laughing matter!" the words came out with a little more venom then before. "I have to order that shampoo all the way from my personal hair stylist back home."
Blake was just starting to wake up- well, more like forcefully woken up - by her two quarreling teammates. "Weiss is right Ruby, you really should have asked before using someone's shampoo." Blake said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Weiss stopped abruptly, looking almost embarrassed at Blake joining the conversation, even if it seemed like she was on her side.
Ruby, noticing her chance to get away, quickly started for the door "What was that Yang… Oh you need my help with... uhm... getting some food? Well okay if you say so, see you guys gotta go help Yang bye!" She barely finished before bolting for the door.
"Ruby Wait!" Weiss cried as the door slammed close behind the extremely happy girl, having finally gotten away. Pinching her fingers to the bridge of her nose to try and relieve some of the tension, Weiss turned to Blake. "Thanks for agreeing with me."
Blake looked over at Weiss; she had barely said a word to her personally since the whole ordeal with the train. In fact Blake didn't think she would ever hear the Heiress address her again; she knew they had never been super close to each other beforehand, and once she found out that she was a faunus it got even worse.
"No Problem."
The words immediately felt awkward on Blake's lips.
They both just stood there for a bit, the room filling with in uncomfortable silence, neither of them really knowing how to continue. Before they both suffocated in the room it seemed Weiss couldn't take it any more. "Blake I'm sorry." The words looked like they almost hurt coming out of her mouth.
Blake stood there for what felt like another minute before replying; "You're sorry?"
"Yes, Blake, I am sorry. I am sorry for mistreating the Faunus- for mistreating you. I am sorry for what happened on the train. And I am sorry that you had to come to my rescue." Weiss' voice was surprisingly soft; Blake didn't even know if she would have been able to hear her if not for her feline ears.
Before Blake could really think of what to say she found her mouth already moving. "Weiss... you don't have to apologize, we're teammates. It is our job to help one another when they're in trouble-" Before she could continue Weiss cut her off.
"No it's not okay! I was the only one who couldn't hold their own on that train! Ruby handled herself with Professor… I mean Doctor Oobleck. Yang handled herself against that pink haired girl." (Yang hadn't shared with them the exact details of the fight, but when they had found her there had been no sign of the silent girl, so she had obviously won) "And you beat Roman! I was the only one who needed help! And I know what you are all thinking: 'Oh Weiss is just the spoiled Princess, she doesn't really belong here with us, there is no way she would have made it into this school without her daddy….' But it's not true… I am strong….I am…" Weiss couldn't continue, her voice breaking from emotion. She tore her gaze away from the black-haired girl, unable to meet her eyes any longer.
To say Blake was in shock was probably the understatement of the year; she had never seen Weiss like this, she almost didn't think it possible. "Weiss, you know that's not true. Ruby and Yang both know that you belong here. They know how incredi-"
"What do you think Blake!" Weiss almost screamed at the floor, still not willing to look up at Blake.
Oh how Blake did not want to be in this situation, she wished so could just go back in time and tell herself to shut her mouth. Sadly her semblance was not time travel and she doubted that her shadows would help her here.
Trying to compose her thoughts she decided that she should say something. "Weiss, if you had asked me this at the start of the year, I would have said yes, you don't belong here. But that was before I knew who Weiss Schnee was, that was when I thought Weiss Schnee was just a little girl that had an important last name. But now I know that Weiss is so much more… you are so much more then just your last name and I will always want you as a teammate"
Blake stopped, wondering what was going to happen. Was Weiss going to think she was lying? Was she going to be angry? Her thoughts stopped there however because Weiss did something that neither of them were expecting. Before Blake could even realize what was happening Weiss threw both arms around her body and was hugging her, surprisingly strong for her smaller form.
Before Blake could even react it was already over; Weiss had let go of the one sided embrace and started for the door. Everything in Blake's body wanted to pull her back in, she would have never asked for it, or expected it, before. But being that close to Weiss felt different, she couldn't figure it out but it felt completely unlike Yang or Ruby's hugs. Despite having the nickname of Ice Queen, Blake couldn't have felt warmer than when Weiss' arms were around her. Blake reached out to grab her hand but Weiss was already out the door, and while the only thing Blake wanted to do was give chase, seeing as how she was still in her nightdress she wasn't about to brave the halls.
She just stood there wondering why Weiss would just run off: all she could think of was that either she had embarrassed Weiss with what she said, or that Weiss embarrassed herself with her own words and actions. Blake's thoughts were interrupted when she felt something on her shoulder, as she looked down she saw her nightdress had a small dark spot on her shoulder.
She must have cried on my shoulder Blake thought. That must be why she ran off: She didn't want me to see her crying. As Blake walked into the bathroom she was shocked when she saw her reflection in the mirror. "My face is so red!" she thought out loud. "There is no way one hug from Weiss could cause me to blush this much." Pulling herself away from the mirror so she wouldn't have to look at her newly formed tomato face, she started to undress and get into the shower.
I can't believe she said that, she thought to herself. Does she even realize what she said to me? She just apologized to me about how she treated faunus, does that mean she really isn't angry about my ears?
Starting to adjust the water so it was just hot enough for it to have a nice effect on her body but not hot enough to burn her, she still couldn't take her mind off of what just transpired between Weiss and herself. I shouldn't have let her go, the thought wouldn't leave her mind. If I didn't, what would I have said to her? Should I have apologized back to her? The thought instantly left her mind when she started to wash her body, feeling all the scars on her back and thighs. She knew she didn't have to apologize, if it wasn't for the Schnees she wouldn't have these scars, the Schnees are the reason why she had suffered so much, but now Weiss was apologizing to her.
She doesn't fully understand what she is saying… yes that's it. Blake thought, If she did she wouldn't have just left, there is more I want to ask her about it.
Finishing washing her hair and the two feline ears atop her head she knew she was going to have to hurry up and get to the cafeteria before it stop serving breakfast. Yang was an amazing partner but when it came to food she could rarely think of anything other then getting it all in her stomach as fast as she could. She only had 10 minutes to get down, definitely not enough time to fully dry her hair, and the hairdryer sitting on the sink was out of the question: she hated that thing it was far too loud for her ears, not to mention if she had it on them for more then 5 seconds it burned them like crazy.
Looking into the mirror one last time as she put on her bow she was quite pleased with her appearance. Well, other than her still wet hair, but there was nothing more she could do if she wanted to get something to eat. Hey maybe I will be able to talk to Weiss a little bit more about what happened she thought as she walked out the door. The thought of Weiss getting so emotional at what Blake said never fully occurring to her.
"She only has two minutes left!" Nora was practically screaming at her watch, as Ruby, Yang and the rest of team JNPR looked at the two doors leading into the cafeteria.
"I am telling you guys she is totally going to make it, there is no WAY Blakey would miss out on breakfast." Yang said, with one of her classic grins on her face.
"I don't know sis, when I left she was just starting to get out of bed and it looked like her and Weiss were about to talk" Ruby's didn't sound too confident at her words, but of course that didn't stop her from saying them.
"ONE MINUTE!" Nora now screaming at her watch to try and get it to slow down.
"There is no way she is going to make it! I am so winning this bet!" Jaune sounded extremely confident
"Jaune." Ren asked.
"Yes."
"There she is," Ren just barely getting the words out before Yang, Ruby, and Nora all started to cheer.
Blake looked like a deer caught in headlights; she was standing completely still just staring at her friends: Nora and Ruby were almost jumping with joy and Jaune had his head on the table with Pyrrha's hand on his shoulder. A few seconds later she noticed that Weiss was not at the table (was she really that embarrassed? Blake thought), and decided that she should start moving to the table herself.
"I told you guys she would make it." Yang said almost hugging Blake when she sat next to her, but opted for just a nudge to her shoulder.
"You guys bet on me?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just Jaune and Yang." Ren spoke up slightly, in order to be heard over the cheering girls.
"And you better not try and back out of it lover boy, you wouldn't want to know what I do to people who back out of bet." Jaune's head pop up from the table at Yang's words.
"I wont, don't worry. An Arc always keeps his words." his spoke back into the table.
"Ok what does he have to do?" Blake asked
"Be carefully Blakey, you know what curiosity did to the cat." Yang almost sang with how happy she was with herself.
"Wow sis, you just can't get any better at those jokes no matter how many times you try, can you?" Ruby spoke as Blake gave Yang a half-hearted death stare.
Blake was about to ask again when her stomach intervened with a small rumble bringing her full attention to the plate of eggs and toast in front of her. "Has Weiss already finished eating?" she asked as she was getting her first bite ready.
"She hasn't been down her yet, we thought she was going to be coming with you." Ruby spoke up first, Nora fallowing right behind her. "Yeah Ruby told us she was in a pretty sour mood today."
"Nora!" Pyrrha was fast to try and stop whatever Nora was about to say next.
The conversation seemed to end there as the rest of the teams were just finishing their meal as Blake started hers.
"Oh that's her right now." Ruby said as she picked up her vibrating scroll, stopping right when she saw what was on the screen.
"Ruby I need help, don't tell the others. Please come alone."
