This idea came to me out of the blue, it's a bumblebee focused One-shot that may or may not remain a One-Shot because I enjoyed writing this. This is the first time I've published on this site. So any formatting problems please forgive me!
Disclaimer: RWBY and all the characters belong to Monty Oum.
Here we go: After Ashes
A shadow darts through the forest with quiet ease. With barely a sound made apart from the rustling of leaves.
Gambol Shroud rips through the air, the contraption unfolded into it's sickle form, it's teeth grapple onto a nearby tree and the black shadow pulls. Her weight and force of the momentum yanks her up and around the towering tree sending her spiralling around the body taking the chips and barks with her.
She lands with amazing grace onto a thick branch that barely swayed under the sudden weight. With another tug she forces the grapple to loosen and the contraption is once again in her hand. A small smile tugs at her lips, she'd barely broke a sweat and her trap was well under way.
"Is the bait in place?" a muffled noise emits from her ear piece.
"I rather you not refer to me as 'bait'"
"Bait for a bear, it's only fitting."
Blake might not have been able to see the blonde but she's sure the brute was grinning smugly on the other side.
"The bait is waiting patiently for step two." Blake almost seethes out the second word, it was honestly a testament of her abilities to have been dealing with the brawler with such patience.
"Alright, let's get this party-"
"Focus!"
"Yes ma'am."
Blake could almost see the mock salute.
Leather gloves tug at her collar that barely covered the lower half of her face, it was the middle of winter yet she still tends to forget about the cotton scarf left haphazardly strewn across her desk. That same warm scarf that a certain hooded team-leader had bought her for Christmas was probably tucked away under all that paper work that had piled up during the early peaks of winter.
For mammalian Grimms, they sure liked to roam around the cold season probably due to the lack of immediate prey. And with the lack of food they had the tendency to expand their hunting trips outside of their usual grounds. Some were even desperate enough to hit the local villages but that was something easily dealt with by the local huntsmen and huntresses, combined with the freezing conditions and the strength of the freshly graduated hunters, the Grimms were mere child's play. At least the ones that attacked in herds.
It was the ones that travelled alone that it became a different story.
It became something that only those with more than novice experience could handle.
And so Blake had to toss some of her more 'unpressing' files to one side much to a certain frosty team-mate's disdain. Monthly reports would have to wait.
Blake huffs and her eyes follow the wisp of white that dissipated into the air, the reports look damn good right now and so did the fireplace... the warm crackling fire place.
She shivers and pulls at her collars, futilely fending herself from the cold.
A loud crack reverberated from behind her perching position. Luckily it seems she won't be staying in the cold for long, if they get this done smoothly and quickly then maybe they'd both get back in one piece. No trouble, no extra Grimms just a simple one-kill-mission.
Blake's two pairs of ears pick up a haughty cry of victory not long after the cracking sound.
Who was she kidding.
"Yang, are you in position?"
No reply.
"Yang, can you hear me?"
Still no answer.
Damn it.
As Blake was about to leap off her perch she was met by a distinctive roar all too close for her liking.
The familiar bone armour and red mask appeared from within the depths of the forest, mouth agape and roars similar to those of an Ursa. But this was more than the usual Ursa, it's enormous hind legs were the widths of this tree and it's overgrown body, clumsy in it's movements, nonetheless a deadly mass. Blake would not like to be crushed under this particular creature not with having witnessed this creature at it's hunting peak.
However as luck would have it, the Giga Ursa was heading her way and it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. She was pretty sure that with the speed the creature was charging at knocking the tree clean from it's roots would be an easy task and down she'd go.
Blake readied her Gambol Shroud; it gleams at it's next prey, as Blake liked to think, in anticipation. Blake however is more exasperated over the fact that the blonde was nowhere in sight considering how close the Giga Ursa had gotten to their prime attacking spot. It would seem step two had failed.
Or so she thought.
"Yeeehaaa!" the familiar battle cry reaches Blake's ears once again.
Just what is she doing?
The firing of shotgun rounds follows the scream.
Blake turns to witness a yellow blur dart heads on towards the Giga's mask, with another dramatic battle cry the gauntlet's of her partner reloads and smashes into the Giga's head. White hot flames engulf the entire Giga as well as Yang and Blake can't help but remain glued to her spot amongst the trees.
The flames give way to smoke and the fire ceases in velocity, that is when Yang decides to leap from the toppling Giga.
Blake, trying to swallow what feels like her heart lodged in her throat, shakes her head at Yang's dramatic entrance. She always had a flare for explosive entrances and in this case it was indeed explosive.
The fiery blonde stood to her full height, it was only then that Blake was able to fully view the power-house of their ragtag team and just how much she's changed. They've all changed to some extent but none more so than their Yang Xiao Long. She stood at a powerful six foot one, shoulders wide, arms and legs and built with an impressive muscle structure that echoed throughout her entire being. All that she is and all that she's become was all down to her training and the battles that were fought. Whether it was a certain King Taijitu from their awry mission at the great canyons or the War of Ashes.
Blake's eyes can't help but glance over the prominent memory of the terrible war, it's seared flesh still protruding and barely healed as if the wound was still burning. The scar ran along and around her lower right eyelid and curved upwards, but it doesn't stop there it ran up her scalp and stops just above her ear; the hair surrounding it forever incapable of growing back from the trauma.
Blake blinks away the memories of fire and blood and refocuses her attention on the lilac eyes that stare back at her.
At least that hasn't changed.
The blonde seems to have noticed Blake's current dazed state and throws a fist in the air and a victorious thumbs up to boot. That ever shining grin still accomplish at putting Blake's thoughts at ease.
And her enthusiasm remains.
For that Blake is grateful for this brute.
"You are as reckless as always."
Lilac eyes glimmer at her in mischief, Blake smiles back.
"Yup, would you have it any other way?"
A rhetorical question. They both knew the answer.
A grumble from behind Yang broke the contemplative silence, she turns in time to find the smoke parting to reveal a red mask and very burnt snout.
"I almost forgot about you papa bear."
The huntress in black readies her weapon, a little irked by the rude interruption. Her black tresses flowed with the wind and from that she determines her next move, the faster they get this done the better.
"Lets finish this Yang."
Yang was already crouching low, her gauntlets whirring and ready to hit the beast head on.
"Wait for my signal!"
Before Yang could protest the shadow huntress was already leaping off and bounding towards the next tree. Gambol shroud was reverted into it's sickle form; she tossed the blade and that was when Yang got really confused.
"Aren't you meant to take it's head off?" Yang wondered out loud.
Blake's weapon had wrapped itself around the horns on top of the Giga Ursa, the ribbon coiled round and round the bears face and eventually, once the shadow huntress yanks on the ribbon that is followed by the pull of a trigger, her sickle takes the Giga's sight as the sickle lodged into one of it's eyes.
Apart from the obvious sickle addition to her weaponry she ensured when in battle she could enable her Gambol Shroud the longest reach possible after the débâcle in the canyons. Lets say that her usual ribbon extensions are tied to neither arm but now coiled within her contraption pack on her back, with automated reeling at the press of a button it allows Blake to pull in her prey for the kill.
Ruby aptly named it the Black Widow.
Her first few runs with the Black Widow weren't at all pretty, the awkward angle of the reel landed Blake in a few dangerous situations such as landing on her back on top of a Death Stalker in which Yang made quick work of but not without throwing in a few jokes about a turtle landing on it's back. But Ruby quickly solved the problem with a special set of fingerless-leather gloves. These gloves had small clamps that lock in the ribbon allowing Blake full control of the reel making awkward landings a thing of the past or so she hoped.
Blake was now struggling to tug against the manic beast that was tossing it's head to and throw in anguish.
Leather gloves pull back with force, she has to time this right.
"Yang you have to shoot it's legs!"
Yang moves with determination though it took her a few seconds to snap out her confusion and she eventually fires her blazing rounds into the Grimms trunk sized legs.
It worked.
The Grimm almost topples over only for it to fall into it's all fours. It's roar rips through the wind almost knocking Blake from her position but she's not finished.
She taps the button on her pack and she is sent reeling into the much heavier beast but this time she wasn't on her back, she is going to ram head on from above oddly something she had scolded Yang for.
Maybe the brawlers recklessness has finally rubbed off on her.
Maybe she likes the rush.
Either way, she takes out the other half of her Gambol Shroud and aims it right towards the middle of the red mask.
Hopefully the force of gravity will break the bone.
"Blake!"
Alarmed by the cry but it was too late for the huntress to react to the Grimm's sudden movement.
Gambol Shroud certainly found the mask but not where she expected it. Her blade had hit and slid off the boned spikes on top of the head where it's snout should have been, with this one slight move from the Grimm it made Blake's weapon useless against the jagged bone.
In slow motion she feels the Grimm twist her weapon out of her hand and knocking it's flat side against Blake's chest; the wind was knocked right out of her and she is sent tumbling onto the ground at great speed.
A dust cloud gathers from her fall as she barely stables her landing when she hears another battle cry from the blonde. Except this time she's close enough to feel the smouldering heat that engulfs the area.
Blake stands to her boot cladded feet brushing off and coughing out the dust that she accidentally inhaled mid-crash. She was glad her aura was on full blast to protect her from the brunt of the counter-attack, she was surprised that the beast was even able to inflict a counter but then again this was a Giga. They were known for their surprises.
Blake refocused her aura once again feeling the shadows consume her body, there were other things that had improved over the years. Apart from the weapon upgrades and battle gear additions much to Ruby's joy; their very skills were honed and sharpened to their finest at least that's what Ruby tells them. A lot of Blake's inherent Faunus abilities have been honed to give her senses the extra boost thanks to her team leader's tailored training programme, Ruby dubbed it 'The Super Ninja Master Samurai Training Programme' Blake would like to have educated Ruby on the actual history between the Ninja and Samurai but decided against it after seeing the hooded girl's glee.
After so many years of observing RWBY as a team the enthusiastic leader often praised them for their improvements and was always there with her tool box when there was a need for fine tuning; Blake guessed that was the reason why they continued as team RWBY from Beacon and beyond.
Yang's love for her team was very apparent; Ruby no doubt felt the same passion as her older sibling along with her sense of pride as leader of team RWBY; Blake herself hid her smile when Ruby proposed the continuation of the team but Blake was no doubt elated about the news; however it was Weiss that proposed the opposite, disbanding the team meant that she would take up the Schnee mantel but after a dispute with her father and the start of the war, Weiss returned to the team with the excuse that her older sister was chosen as the more appropriate successor but Blake knew that she'd just missed them.
RWBY became a beam of hope amongst hunters alike and especially the glue that kept the four very different girls together, having played a pivotal part of the War of Ashes some would call team RWBY heroines and legends of their time. But to each of the girls RWBY was their home and life, no matter how much damage was dealt, how many wounds inflicted and the amount of blood on their hands.
Blake's eyes flicker to the battling blonde on top of the struggling Grimm, her arms pumping back from the recoil after firing Ember Celica, the golden plates were worn and scarred just like their owner. It's many years on the battle field made the weapon a force to be reckoned with again much like their owner. A faint glow wound around the blonde's right arm when she fires another round after the hit the outlines of a distinctive scale pattern ignites on her forearm along with Yang's burning locks.
After losing quite a large portion of her hair, Yang had sought out an alternative solution for her loss of power. Dust Branding had been an underground business amongst dust collectors and black markets alike, blending dust with ink was a notion Ruby and oddly Weiss found fascinating, albeit illegal at the time but during and after the war a lot of things were deemed necessary. Dust meant power no matter what form they were in. They were darker times and darker times changed things and people especially those with a scar as reminder.
Blake remembered the darkness that enshrouded Yang more than her own aura could handle, the cries of anguish and pain was something that rung through her very soul; a burst of aura had rushed through her and it was cold...too cold to be coming from her partner.
After the war, the team spoke little to nothing of the events that occurred during the invasions but to everyone's surprise it was Yang who brought back the light into the team, as per usual it seems. But Blake knew something was off, everything was off. After the war nothing felt the same.
Enthusiasm was often feigned and memories were brushed away, Blake watched Ruby fix all that needed to be fixed and she was sure that for the past few years she'd succeeded. Everything looked like it was back to normal, they were hunting again, cleaning up the mess and aiding the poor.
There was bickering, mockery and laughter. Yet they never spoke of the darkest five years of their lives. And they knew that was taking a toll on them.
Yang sought underground parlours for her personal brand, a black and gold dragon, Weiss scoffed at the idea whilst Ruby squealed in delight. Blake was a little taken back by the length of the dragon, spanning from her wrist to her shoulder blades where the dragon's head resides.
But she admits, it was very Yang.
It was her way of filling the void and compromising for her loss.
Blake pulls her Gambol Shroud from the ground, worry graced her features after remembering the past.
Amber eyes seek furious Lilac ones, she's not at full power just yet. Blake needs Yang to hold on just a while longer.
It won't be long now before she breaks the bone.
And break it, Yang did.
The furious blonde with lilac eyes seethed at the immobile Grimm beneath her, Blake could make out the blonde irking her lips into a snarl and so Blake decides to move quick before Yang sees red.
She cannot let that happen.
Blake grapples against the ribbon that was still attached to the Grimm and presses the reel button. Her body flings forward and into the beast at break neck speed, her aura enshrouding her entirety as she twists her body and pierces her blade through the air and straight through the broken bone and into unsuspecting Grimm's neck. With both her feet planted on the large body Blake roughly cuts upwards releasing her blade and finishing the beast all together.
She shudders out a breath of air whilst pulling her Gambol Shroud loose from the eye of the rotting Grimm.
She was sure she held in her breath for that final strike. It's over now. Weiss would be delighted to know just how tough these Gigas can become, and their smarter too.
"He was a tough cookie huh?"
Blake's ears twitch at the remark, she sheathed her weapon unclamping her ribbon in the process letting her pack reel in her Gambol Shroud and locking it in place.
"Tell me about it."
A thud from heavy boots and fluttering of fabrics alerts Blake of Yang's presence, if the simmering heat wasn't enough, Blake could now feel her fiery breath on her neck.
Blake brushed her bangs back and away from her face, it's gotten longer and more unruly over the years and Blake just doesn't have the time to tend to it any more so she opts to just keep it brushed back, this meant that her ears became more prominent features not that she minds any more, with the War and RWBY's reputation it became clear just who's side she was on. She hated to admit it but seeing fresh hunters quiver in their boots at the sight of her feline features was often amusing especially the moment they realise that she'll be their senior advisor for their probational period. Also Yang's appreciation of the ears on her head have been flattering to say the least, disruptive to their packed schedule but flattering.
Speaking of which Blake senses just how close the blonde was standing, her proximity renders Blake practically immobile. She knows what's going to happen.
The shadow huntress feels warm strong arms wrap around her shoulders and a chin rest on the top of her head just between her ears. Yang was a good three inches or so taller than her and the brawler has her way of rubbing it in, this was one of the ways.
"You did an awesome job, Kitty cat."
Blake feels the vibration on her head and almost hisses at the brutes condescending tone.
"What did I say about-"
"Last time, I promise."
Blake sighs and revels in the warmth of the brawler, it had been a long time since Yang has hugged anybody but she would get the occasional pat on the head, another way of winding her up. Yang likes to crawl under her skin from time to time and that hasn't changed since the war.
"You always say that."
Blake could almost feel Yang's grin.
"I do don't I?"
The Faunus rolls her eyes remembering the times the blonde would disobey direct orders from the Hunting councils and Ruby herself, heck she lost count the many times Yang would divert away from the task at hand and leaving Blake mid-mission was a time and time again occurrence.
Yet.
Yang wraps her arms further around the Faunus and nuzzles into the feline ears, her nose tickling her senses and warming her freezing appendage.
She always comes back.
"Where did you go?"
That was one question that could echo throughout five years that Yang had fought in the forefront of battles and into the present day.
But of course Yang could only answer about today, the five years remain to be untouched.
"The Ursa was a little clumsier than I thought it'd be so, I took it through a few diversions."
Blake's ears perk up at the revelation.
"Oh? What kind of diversions?"
Yang seem to be avoiding the question as she brings her hand up to play with Blake's sensitive ears, as if Blake wasn't already exasperated by the blonde's confession.
"Like a village-"
"What!?"
Blake reaches both hands up into Yang's face attempting to move the brute off her head.
Yang clamps her hands back down by her side hushing the Faunus to calm down.
"It was a small excursion, I didn't let anything happen to the villagers, trust me!"
"Trust you? After abandoning our plan to endanger an entire village?"
Blake tries to flail out of Yang's powerful grip but of course the blonde won't let that happen.
"They barely saw the Ursa and the Ursa was too distracted by yours truly."
Yang chuckled at the memory, the warm vibration almost calms Blake down...almost.
"Plus it was funny seeing that old lady lose her dentures after seeing big bear over here."
And Blake again loses her cool, she wiggles out of the blonde's loose hold because now Yang was too busy laughing to herself that she'd forgotten to keep her hold on the Faunus, who has now turned around to face the blonde with the deepest scowl Yang has ever seen.
"Hey hey, why are you frowning?"
Yang raised a finger and proceeds to prod the slight wrinkle between Blake's eyes.
Blake flits the brute's hand away clearly not amused and knocks the blonde around the head with her fist, albeit watching her strength, not like Yang would be fazed by it but the Faunus never likes using force on her own team-mates.
Yang's head tilts to one side and almost guffaws at the weak blow.
"You're pretty feisty today I must say."
Blake huffs again but this time bringing her eyes up to meet Yang's, they were now standing face to face.
The lilac orbs swirl in delight as amber ones scrutinizes, it's been a while since they've been this close. She can feel Yang's arms wrap around her waist and pull her in for a tight hug and Blake can't help but shudder at such intimacy.
She's missed the warmth, they've barely been able to give each other more than a glance since Yang's return from her 3-month mission. The brawler had been flitting back and forth from Vale to Vacuo throughout the entire year and this was their first mission together. Blake had to do some rescheduling because any novice to expert hunter could have taken up the distress signal by the famous Yang Xiao Long. Blake almost fell off her chair after viewing the alert on her scroll, Weiss then proceeded to question the flushed Huntress but Blake had already scrambled up and over her desk ramming into a filing cabinet in the process and by the time Weiss could get up from her seat, the shadow huntress was out the door.
So yes, it was pretty obvious to say that Blake had to do a lot of last minute rescheduling and even cancelled her very important meeting. But none were more important to her than her partners return, albeit a very quiet return.
"Don't make me worry again." Blake muffled into the blonde's leather trench coat, the smell of leather and gunpowder reminded Blake of the bike rides Yang use to take her on. The so-called 'Death Trap' wasn't as bad as Weiss made it out to be. The feeling from the wind in her hair and the smell of leather and gunpowder as she held onto the Blondes back, became a source of comfort for her and she missed it dearly.
Blake nuzzles into the blonde probably all too enthusiastically because the moment Blake peers up from her revelling she finds a very mischievous grin beaming down at her.
"I missed you too Blakey."
The nickname stirs something inside of her so her hand in instinct cups the blonde's left cheek, she feels the blonde move in to the touch.
Slowly Blake's fingers trace over the beginning of the scar below Yang's eyelid and she visibly stiffens at the move, the blonde's shoulders slump as she closes her eyes letting Blake do what she has to do.
Blake blinks to thank her partner and lifts her fingers over the burnt flesh, curving under her eyes and over her temple, by then Yang's breath hitches and Blake stops. Unsure of whether or not to go on until the blonde subtly nods. Blake's vision begins fogging up from the tears that threaten to spill but she keeps them in and follows the scar once more over the seared scalp where the scar was noticeably more enflamed.
Yang slowly opens her eyes and Blake can't help but be pulled in by them but she quickly shuts her eyelids refusing those lilac orbs, refusing to be taken by the very person that had shut her out all those years ago...but she's back now and she's right there, right in front of her holding her tight and God, how Blake wished that she would never let go but like grasping onto air it becomes pointless because Yang moves with the wind itself, the wind that casts away the ashes of the past and she will forever be flying, moving, abandoning her team and leaving her.
Familiar hands carefully cup the sides of Blake's face as she finally opens her eyes to see golden locks frame a blissful smile and her freckled nose wrinkles with joy. Blake trembles under her touch and collapses into the strong woman's arms, and like that Blake lets go of her silent tears.
There were no words needed for that moment in time, because they both knew exactly what the other needed and that for now was Yang to never let go.
Another flash of imagery flutters across Blake's vision this time of Yang, war torn and exhausted, half of her face was bloodied and scarred whilst the other half was charred with ash.
She whispers the same words that resounded through every single one of Blake's nightmares.
'It's alright, Blakey, I'm alright.'