Summary: Weiss and Yang spend the night in Raven's camp. Based on events in Volume 5, Chapter 4: "Lighting the Fire"

Everything had happened just so fast. Yang was still trying to wrap her mind around her current situation later that evening as she stood by the tent's entrance. Raven had given Yang and Weiss a tent to share for the night, hoping the space would provide them enough room and time to process her revelation and come up with an answer to whether or not they would be staying with Raven and her tribe.

Yang still wasn't sure if she trusted her mother. On one hand, her story seemed to make a lot of sense, but on the other, Raven was still a thief, her people murderers, and she had still left Yang to grow up without ever truly knowing her. So Ozpin's war strategies weren't exactly… conventional… Yes, he had led many, many innocent people to their deaths all because of something he had started centuries ago — man, it was still weird thinking about that — but at the same time, those people had inevitably chosen their fates the day they signed up to become Huntsmen and Huntresses.

But Yang didn't want Ruby to be a part of that. Now, more than ever, she just wanted to find her sister, to bring her home and just have all of this be over. But it wouldn't be that easy — Ruby was already with Qrow, Jaune, Nora, and Ren, and the five of them already had their hearts set on following Ozpin. Whether she believed Raven or not, Yang couldn't deny one thing: Ruby was in severe danger.

"Yang?"

The brawler snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face Weiss, who had just finished getting ready for bed and was now climbing into her cot. Her hair was down and neatly-brushed, now, and she was wearing a temporary tee and shorts that she'd borrowed from one of the Bandits while Raven washed and stitched up her dress. Her wounds had mostly healed, but Yang still couldn't help but frown when she saw the girl flinch, knowing that her own mother had been the source of some of those injuries.

"It's getting late," the former heiress commiserated. "You should try to get some sleep."

Yang offered her a small smile, but let it fall as soon as she turned away again. "I will soon. I just want to make sure this tent is secure."

That was a lie. What Yang hadn't yet told Weiss was that she had been suffering nightmares and panic attacks ever since the fall of Beacon, and she was afraid that if she went to sleep now, she'd only wake her friend when the nightmares returned. She still didn't know how to talk to Weiss about everything that had happened since they'd been separated. Even after all of the training and support from her father, Yang was still scared. She was still hurting. And she still wasn't used to this damn prosthetic arm.

Weiss had enough on her plate already. She didn't need Yang keeping her up when it seemed Weiss needed the sleep so much more.

"To be honest, I'm not sure I'll get much sleep."

Yang furrowed her eyebrows, glancing over her shoulder at the forlorn-looking princess. She finally took a step away from the tent's entrance, and toward the empty cot that stood beside Weiss's. "Why's that?"

The smaller girl sighed. "I haven't slept through an entire night since the fall of Beacon. How could anyone after what happened?"

Yeah… Yang sat down on the edge of her cot and faced Weiss, watching in concern as her friend seemed to shrink in on herself. "You never did tell me… what happened after the fall. You said you're not the heiress anymore, but you never elaborated…"

Weiss looked up at Yang with a pained expression, her bottom eyelids twitching in a clear attempt to hold back tears. "When I was brought back home, things were… difficult," she whispered, her voice thin and fragile, much like her current state. "For a while, I stayed cooped up in my room, not really wanting to talk to anyone… My family isn't exactly known for their hospitality."

She turned her gaze back toward her drawn knees, pulling the fleece tighter to her chest. "I knew my father would eventually want to talk, but I wasn't sure what to expect when he finally did… He told me he wanted to hold a charity concert for Beacon, and that he expected me to sing. I accepted because I knew I didn't really have a choice. Plus, it was for a good cause… or so I thought…"

Yang leaned back on her cot as she listened, hiding her hands behind her back as her left began to involuntarily shake. She didn't know why it was happening now, but she didn't need the focus — this was Weiss's turn to speak.

"After the concert, some of the guests were saying horrible things about the Faunus… you can probably guess what… so I walked away, tried to get my bearings. Then this… this jerk started harassing me, asking a million questions about the charity, as if he didn't have the faintest idea about what happened to Beacon. I got rid of him, but he wasn't even the worst of it… I overheard this woman bad-mouthing Vale, saying it was about time the kingdom collapsed, as if all those people living there, their lives didn't matter! And that's when everything went South…"

"The nerve," Yang muttered under her breath, her eyes now narrowed as she continued to listen, wishing she had been there to personally deliver those people a swift punch to the face…

"That's exactly what I was feeling," Weiss admitted. "And that was the last straw. I called her out on it, told her, told them all to get their priorities straight. My father tried to silence me, but I drew back, accidentally summoned a Grimm… I would've killed her, Yang! I didn't mean to, but if Ironwood hadn't been there to stop it, I would've killed her…"

Yang finally straightened up again, the tremors in her left hand coming to a stop, and she reached forward with her right, laying it gently on the edge of Weiss's bed. "It wasn't your fault…"

Weiss closed her eyes, her head shaking. "It was, though…" When she opened them again, she didn't even try to hide the tears this time. "After that, my father and I got into an argument… I told him I wanted to leave, that I didn't want to stay in Atlas anymore, and he started going on this rant about 'upholding the family name'. It only escalated from there, and he slapped me… It was the first time he ever got truly physical…"

"Weiss…"

She sniffled, bringing a clenched hand to her cheek to wipe away a fresh stream of tears. "He told me I was not allowed to leave. Not Atlas, not the house… not until I started abiding by his rules. He revoked my status as heiress, gave it to my stupid little brother… I decided there was nothing left to do but get out of there, as soon as I possibly could… I refused to be his prisoner…"

Yang sucked in a deep breath, holding back her own anger toward Weiss's father as she listened to her recount the horrific experience. She wished she would've been there… she wished she would've been able to protect Weiss… It wasn't right; nothing about her situation was right. She had no idea just how bad Weiss had had it until now. Why hadn't she paid more attention?

"So I practiced my summoning until it was perfect… or as perfect as it could be under the circumstances… and I did it! My butler helped me escape, and I paid some cargo pilot to take me to Mistral so I could track down Winter." Weiss let out a small huff. "He was actually cool… The first person besides my butler to treat me like an actual person since I returned to Atlas… But we ran into some trouble with some Lancers, and got shipwrecked here. I don't know what happened to him, but your mom found me, and, well, that's how I ended up here…"

Yang let out a quiet hum. "So you went from one prison to another…"

Weiss glanced up at her. "Yeah, being in that cage really sucked, but it wasn't nearly as bad as being in Atlas… I was actually waiting for the perfect moment to make my escape, and then you showed up."

The blonde smirked. "Well, I'm glad I could help."

Her friend exhaled shakily, sniffling once more as she tried her best to give Yang a smile. "So, yeah, I haven't exactly had a good night since…"

"I don't blame you." Yang sighed, lowering her gaze to her hands as she wrestled with her emotions. One part of her really wanted to open up to Weiss. It was only fair after everything the former heiress had just shared with her. But the other part was still afraid, still hesitant, still worried that if she gave that little piece of her to Weiss, she'd lose her just as quickly as she'd lost Blake. It seemed lately that every time Yang got truly close to someone, the world would find a way to cruelly rip that person away…

"Y-yang?" Weiss's voice was timid, seemingly filled with even more nervousness than before.

She looked back up at her friend, meeting scared, desperate eyes. If looks could kill, then Weiss's broken expression surely felt like an arrow through the heart. All Yang wanted to do was go back in time to erase all of the bad things in Weiss's life, in her own life, to stop the attack on Beacon from ever happening. Maybe then Team RWBY would still be together… Maybe then, all four of them would still be okay…

"If you're going to stay up, c-could you sit with me? Just until I fall asleep?"

Suddenly, warmth flowed back into Yang's cheeks, into her whole body as she took in Weiss's words. This was a request Yang could definitely do, something that would benefit them both. She nodded, smiling as she moved over from her cot onto Weiss's, carefully shifting her weight onto the very edge of the bed while Weiss settled down into her pillow.

The smaller girl let out a short yawn, and smiled tiredly up at Yang. "I know the circumstances aren't the greatest right now, but I'm glad we're together again."

Yang lifted a hand to Weiss's forehead, and gently brushed back a few of her bangs. "So am I, Weiss."

You're in good hands, I promise.

She wasn't sure when exactly she had fallen asleep. She didn't even know for how long when the sounds of frantic shifting woke her from her slumber. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tent before she remembered where she was, and it took a moment longer to realize that the sudden movements were coming from the girl directly beside her.

Yang seemed to be mumbling something in her sleep as her right hand continued to flinch, her fingers clenching and unclenching around the blanket that covered Weiss. Just as Weiss was about to lift a hand to wake her, the blonde rolled away from her, and directly onto the floor.

Weiss immediately threw her blanket aside as she lunged to the edge of the bed, peering down at her panicked teammate as she woke up with a start, glancing around the tent in horror. When she finally noticed Weiss, her eyes widened in recognition, her mouth hanging open with unspoken regret.

"I-I…" She stood up, starting to move away, but Weiss moved quicker, catching the blonde by her wrist.

"No, wait!" Weiss pulled Yang back down to her cot, moving over to give her friend room, but not daring to let go of her. "It's okay… You don't have to leave…"

Yang sighed, bringing her free hand to her tired eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you… You were sleeping so soundly, too…"

Weiss shook her head. "You don't have to apologize." She glanced down at the hand that was still gripping Yang's wrist, frowning as she loosened her fingers, and moved them down to intertwine with Yang's. "Does this happen a lot?"

"I…" Yang sucked in her bottom lip, a contemplative look on her face. She let out another sigh, this one heavier, more resigned. "Yeah…"

The former heiress swallowed. She wasn't exactly sure how to comfort Yang, not used to being in a position like this. But she wanted her friend to know that she was there, that she was listening, and that she wasn't going to go away. She guessed she knew what the nightmare was about, but she couldn't help Yang if she opted to stay silent. "Was it… was it the guy who took your arm?"

Yang visibly tensed. Her fingers tightened around Weiss's for a moment before she realized they were still intertwined, and she turned to Weiss with a guarded look. "Adam."

Weiss furrowed her eyebrows. "Did you know him?"

"No. I saw his name on the news." She glanced down at her free hand—the cybernetic one, and clenched her fist, raising it to eye level. "I still see him every time I close my eyes… that menacing grin, that blade… Sometimes, I can still feel the pain, like it's ingrained into my aura... I have this new arm, now, but it doesn't even begin to make up for what I lost…"

"I'm sorry…"

Yang frowned. "For what? It was my own recklessness that cost me my arm."

Weiss let out a sympathetic hum. "Maybe. But I still can't imagine how much it hurt… how much it still does…"

"Yeah…" Yang lowered her arm back to the cot, and turned back to Weiss. "I'm sorry."

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "For what?"

The blonde closed her eyes. "I'm not the same person I used to be. When… when he broke me, I… Well, I haven't exactly been able to pick up the pieces, let alone find them all… I don't know if I'm going to be the same again."

Weiss nodded. "Maybe not. But I'm not the same, either… Is that really so bad?"

Yang chuckled, opening her eyes to glance at Weiss. "You? No, I guess not. I like this new you."

"Good," she answered, finding a smile. She gave Yang's hand a gentle squeeze. "And whoever this new Yang turns out to be once you've figured all of this stuff out, I'm sure I'm going to like her, too. In fact, I already do."

"How could you?" Yang asked, her fraction of a smile quickly dissipating. "I've been nothing but guarded since we've reunited."

Weiss clicked her tongue softly. "You may think that, but I distinctly remember you returning that hug. You weren't guarded in that moment, and you're not guarded now. And even if you were, that's okay. You have every right to be. We're in a strange place with some not-so-nice people, and we've got a long journey ahead of us."

Yang bit her lip. "What are we going to do, Weiss? About Ozpin, I mean?"

She frowned. If she was being quite honest, she hadn't actually thought much about Raven's revelation since they'd left her tent. She wasn't even sure she believed the woman; after all, she did kidnap her and try to ransom her back to her father… If Raven was truly a good person, if she was truly taking the path she saw was right, then why did she act in such shady ways, involve herself with such dirty people? Weiss had already decided that she was going to do whatever Yang wanted to, and she had a feeling that Yang would go after Ruby regardless of what she believed to be true. She didn't stop to think about what they were going to say or do once they got there, though.

"We're going to rescue Ruby, right?" Yang continued. "I can't just let her walk into a war… I can't lose her, too, Weiss…"

Weiss shook her head. "No, we're going to get her back. I promise." She blinked a couple of times, exhaustion beginning to catch up to her. She leaned her head against Yang's shoulder, both for support and for comfort. "The rest we'll figure out when we get there."

Yang glanced down at her with gentle eyes. "You should probably go back to sleep."

The smaller girl stifled a yawn. "Not if you're not going to."

"Weiss, you're already falling asleep on me."

She closed her eyes, a tired smile stretching across her lips. "It's almost morning, anyway. If you want me to, I'll stay up."

"I think this new Weiss might be a little crazier than the old one."

At that, she opened her eyes, immediately narrowing them in offense. "Hey! I am not crazy!"

Yang laughed. "I think I vividly remember a time when you jumped on top of a chair just to make a point to—" Her smile immediately fell, as did her posture, and it only took a second for Weiss to figure out why.

"Have you… Have you heard from her?"

"No… Have you?"

"No." Weiss frowned. "I wonder if she's okay…"

"Me, too…" Yang stared off into the distance for a while, not speaking again as her lilac eyes wandered around the tent. Weiss laid her head back on Yang, her heart sinking as she wondered, worried about the fate of their friend. Yang had never outwardly admitted it, but Weiss could always tell that she saw something deeper in Blake that surpassed friendship. She knew Yang had confided in Blake in ways she hadn't confided in anyone, not even Ruby or Weiss herself. The blonde had literally thrown herself in front of a blade for her, and look where that landed her… Weiss knew Yang didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't bother to press any further.

Instead, they sat there, their eyes growing tired as they watched the darkness slowly fade into light, warmth creeping through the cracks of the tent as the sun began to rise, giving way to day.

Weiss wasn't sure how long they'd been sitting there when the flap to their tent that served as a makeshift door finally opened, and a dark-haired woman with fierce red eyes poked her head inside. Upon seeing the two awake, her eyes immediately widened, her lips set into a frown that looked a lot to Weiss like regret.

"You didn't sleep?" the woman asked, her attention moving to Yang, who immediately stiffened at her mother's voice.

"Do you care?" she asked bitingly, her eyes downcast, seemingly avoiding Raven's gaze.

Raven sighed, not in annoyance, Weiss noticed, but in resignation. Something about her body language told Weiss that the woman did care, much to Yang's disbelief, and while this was neither the time nor place to bring it up, Weiss couldn't help but at least feel a little grateful that she hadn't yet completely given up on her child, estranged as they were.

Yang shifted, gently nudging Weiss with a tired smile. "We should probably think about getting up."

Weiss just nodded, pushing herself up to support her own weight. She turned her gaze toward Raven. "Thank you for letting us stay here."

The older woman stood awkwardly, raising a hand to her hilt in what seemed to be an act of emotional defense. "It was the least I could do." She cleared her throat, and straightened her back. "I have your clothes finished for you. You can pick them up in my tent, and then we can discuss where you two wish to go." With that, she turned around and left, allowing Weiss and Yang their space once more.

"Weiss," Yang said almost as soon as Raven had gone.

She glanced up at her teammate with weary, questioning eyes.

"We're going after Ruby," she continued, but Weiss sensed there was more to Yang's statement than just that. "But I'd like to stay another day. I have some more questions, and I think you and I could really use the rest."

Weiss didn't even argue. As much as she wanted to get away from this camp, she had already promised herself that she'd do whatever Yang decided, and she couldn't deny that she needed a little more rest. She still had a lot to process about her situation, and being thrown through a portal right into the midst of all was not something she could do on just a few hours of sleep. "Okay."

Yang, however, seemed surprised by the simple answer, her brow raising as she turned to face Weiss. "So you don't have any objections?"

The smaller girl shrugged. "Honestly, Yang, all of my plans up to this point have already been tarnished, so I'm willing to do whatever you want."

Her teammate hummed. "Oh. Okay, then."

Weiss smiled, and reached out for Yang's hand. It seemed like that was her go-to maneuver, now. "And Yang?"

"Yeah?"

She gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's actually try to sleep tonight. I promise you'll be alright."

Yang blinked, taking a moment to process Weiss's words. She glanced down at their hands, and after a moment, squeezed back. "Okay."

Weiss removed her hand and pushed herself to her feet, stretching her arms over her head as she stifled a yawn. She turned back to Yang with a tired, but confident smile. "Well, we should go. Wouldn't want to keep your mother waiting."