Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters.

BACK TO YOU

Destruction, fear, and loss. The fall of Beacon seemed to haunt Sun every moment of every day. It's presence in his mind was inescapable. The level of destruction he'd witnessed in that single night was something he never thought possible, much less something he would have to experience, and it was unsettling. The sense of chaos and panic that permeated the memory was something that Sun would forever carry in his mind and in his heart, an oppressive darkness that would never truly fade.

Even more disturbing, however, was the loss of a fellow huntress…Pyrrha. Although Sun had only known the Spartan girl for a few months, her death had come to him as a horrific shock and unwelcomed wake-up call. News of Pyrrha's death had effectively shattered any naïve belief that life could return to what it once was. News of her death had only confirmed what every person knew to be true but never wanted to admit…that they were not invincible and that their lives, like the delicate wisps of a candle flame, were something that could very easily and very quickly be snuffed out.

But, the most terrifying realization of all was that Sun had come too close to losing her. Amidst the chaos of that night, he had nearly lost Blake. And after everything he'd witnessed, after what had happened to Pyrrha…and to Yang, Sun couldn't stand the thought of letting the Faunas girl out of his sight. In fact, the mere thought of her on her own, alone…vulnerable…even if she was one of the most capable huntresses he'd ever met, was something he did not want to entertain.

Sun wouldn't have peace of mind until he was sure that Blake would be looked after, especially now that Beacon had fallen, team RWBY had been separated, and the White Fang would undoubtedly be searching for her. He had to know that someone would have Blake's back in case things took an even greater turn for the worst, that someone would be in her corner no matter the odds. So, as Sun caught sight of Blake trying to escape Vale's borders, he took it upon himself to be that someone, to be the person who would have her back no matter what. Even if that meant he'd have to brave the unknown or face adverse conditions, he'd do anything for that girl because she was worth the risk.

Besides Neptune, Blake was the only person in the world who'd ever taken him seriously enough to confide her innermost thoughts and feelings to. For whatever reason, she had seen something worthy in him and had trusted him to guard her secrets and fears. Her actions had demonstrated a level of faith in him that no one else had ever shown, and that trust and belief meant the world to him. And, in turn, Sun had allowed himself to place his complete trust in her. More importantly though, Sun had let that trust evolve into a unique friendship, which—if he was being honest—had somewhere along the way evolved into love for the enigmatic huntress.

Now, here he was. Sun was standing beneath a moonlit sky with Blake, heading to her homeland of Menagerie. "It'll be a regular journey to the East! Yeah, I like the sound of that."

Blake quietly laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Sun, Menagerie isn't exactly as…well, it's very different from the kingdoms of Vale and Mistral."

The monkey-boy made himself comfortable upon the ship's railing as he turned to face her. "Huh, well what's it like?"

Blake paused for a few moments as she thought about how to describe her home to the boy sitting next to her. "Well, the sun never seems to stop shining so it's always very warm…something I think you'll find appreciable" she said as she gestured to Sun's style of clothing. He smiled brightly in response.

"And the streets are always lined with merchants and their wares, people flitting from one seller to the next. It's usually very busy during the day, especially at the docks. But, at night everything seems to still. As soon as the sun sets, the merchants and village people return to their homes and even the work at the docks seems to stop. Afterwards, it's sometimes so quiet that even from inland you can hear the waves hitting the beach shores in the distance." Blake smiled slightly as a wave of nostalgia washed over her. Sun couldn't help but to feel entranced by that small smile.

"Sometimes you'll hear all sorts of musical chirps ring out from the covers of diverse plant life. Sometimes you won't hear anything but the sound of rainfall. But the best thing about nights in Menagerie is when the sky is clear, because the light of the moon turns the crystal-clear waters into a silver reflection of all the stars."

She paused, "Menagerie can be pretty peaceful at times, and sometimes it's...not."

Blake turned to look at Sun then, his gaze soft as he stared back at her. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"It sounds like my kinda place" Sun said as he continued to stare into Blake's golden orbs.

"Mmm" the cat Faunus softly hummed in acknowledgement before finally looking back towards the calm waters, the hint of a smile upon her lips.

(A few hours later)

The sea was washed in the moon's silver glow, the reflections of a few celestial lights flickering on its mirrored surface, creating a somewhat magical atmosphere. Sun had always loved the sight of a full moon shining within a clear sky, but to see it with the vastness of the sea spread before him as well…well, it was definitely something he could get used to. Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same for sleeping on the hard wood surface of the boat's cargo hold.

The stow away had been sleeping in the cargo hold for five days now, and he was afraid his back couldn't take much more…not to mention all the splinters he'd had to pick out of his tail the following morning. The thought caused him to grimace.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Ahhhh!" Sun exclaimed as he jumped up from the railing he'd previously occupied, the action causing him to nearly fall overboard. The huntress quirked her eyebrow as Sun scrambled to recover his footing. Luckily, the boy's Faunus tail was able to steady him as his feet found purchase upon the bottom rung of the ship's guardrail.

"Blake, what are you doing out here?! I thought you said you were going to bed hours ago."

"I-I couldn't sleep" answered Blake as she nervously rubbed at her arm, avoiding Sun's eyes. "But I think the real question is what are you doing out here?"

Sun laughed nervously. "Well I don't exactly have a place to stay, you know…being a stow away and all" he stated as he scratched the back of his neck in a sheepish manner.

"Didn't really think this whole stalking thing through, did you?" Blake said teasingly.

"Hey! I'm not stalking you, don't make me sound like some kind of creep!"

"Well, you did follow me halfway to Menagerie…. without my knowing, or invitation for that matter" Blake returned in a pointed tone. She crossed her arms and did her best to glare at the now guilty looking Faunus. However, upon seeing Sun's apologetic expression, Blake took a step closer and comfortingly placed a hand on his shoulder. She could never truly stay upset with this boy, no matter how hard she tried.

"Sun, it's ok. I-I think I can understand why you came after me…just please, try to understand that I left for a reason, ok?"

"I'm trying to." The look in Sun's eyes was sincere and the cat Faunus could feel a swell of appreciation rise within her chest. It never ceased to amaze her how sensitive and caring Sun could be, they were a few of the qualities she'd come to greatly admire in him.

The sound of Sun awkwardly clearing his throat pulled Blake from her thoughts. "So, you wouldn't happen to know if there's like a spare bed I could crash in? I promise I'll keep out of the way, it's just that I don't know if I can go back to sleeping in the cargo hold…too many splinters" Sun said in a mock, horrified tone.

"Well, I think I know of one place you could stay" answered Blake after a moment's consideration. "Follow me…notice how I actually said it was ok to do so" she added, the girl just couldn't resist teasing Sun a bit more.

"Yeah, yeah. Dually noted" he responded in an exasperated tone but with a hint of a smile upon his lips. Blake could only shake her head at the boy. He sure is something, she quietly thought to herself as she led Sun towards the ship's sleeping quarters.

"You want me to sleep here? With you?!" Sun grew increasingly nervous as he watched Blake move to the other side of the not so large bed and shed her trench coat. Sun swallowed the groan that threatened to escape his lips as Blake exposed the creamy skin of her waist. "Are you sure?"

"Sun, you can either stay here or you can go back to the cargo hold, it's your choice. This will only be necessary for a couple of days. There is one more stop along Mistral's borders and, when that time comes, we can speak to the captain about getting you your own room. But, until then, this is the only place I know of" said Blake in as calm a manner as possible, despite the fact that her heart was racing and her palms were growing sweaty. Was she really telling Sun to stay with her? In her room? In her bed!? Apparently, she was.

Sun weighed his options… stay in the dark, damp cargo hold and risk more splinters in his tail or…stay in a soft, warm bed with a beautiful Faunus by his side. The choice was simple really. "Ok, I'll stay...but only because I'm tired of those damn splinters in my tail" he said with a playful smile, a smile that was intended to mask his nerves. "And, only because you are sure" he added in a soft but serious voice. Sun wouldn't push her to do something she was uncomfortable with, especially where he was involved.

"Yes Sun, I'm sure." The sound of Blake's even reply relived some of the monkey boy's uncertainty, he smiled at that.

"Great, in that case I call the left side!" Sun exclaimed as he leapt onto the bed and made himself comfortable on the mattress. Blake laughed at the boy's actions, "Fine by me."

Blue eyes followed Blake's graceful movements as she moved around the room and readied herself for bed. She really is something isn't she? Beautiful, strong, captivating. What I wouldn't give to see her smile just for me…if only, right? Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Sun quickly tore his gaze away from the huntress's graceful form and shut his eyes. If only.

Soon, the lamp light was extinguished and Sun felt the mattress dip to one side as Blake crawled in besides him. Both huntsmen remained as quiet and as still as possible, not wanting to disturb the other. However, after a while, Sun grew uncomfortable with the heavy and awkward silence, "Blake, if this is too weird for you I can leave." When a continued silence was the only answer the boy received, he quietly sighed and moved to vacate the bed. But, a small hand shot out to stop him. "Huh? Blake?"

"Don't go" was all the girl said, the soft command was spoken in a voice so low that Sun almost didn't hear it. The Faunus boy eased back onto the bed, careful not to crush Blake's outstretched arm, "Ok, I'm not going anywhere." He felt Blake shift towards him. In the dark, his Faunus sight allowed him to see the outline of the huntress's form, she had rolled onto her side and her face was a few inches away from his own. He rolled onto his side as well.

"I told you earlier that I couldn't sleep. I…I'm terrified to close my eyes Sun. He is all I see when I do." It was hard for Blake to admit, but once the words were out of her mouth she felt a slight weight lift from her chest. She was so tired of being alone, even if it was to protect the people she loved. The emotional strain was just too much sometimes and for one-night Blake didn't want to be alone with her fears…alone with Adam.

Sun felt his heart constrict, the fear and pain in her voice was evident. It killed him to know that she was hurting in such a way… and that he couldn't say anything to ease her worries because that guy, Adam, was still out there. Sun felt an intense anger rise within his chest at the thought of him.

"Blake, he will be brought to justice for everything he has done...I promise."

She released a heavy breath, "Don't talk…just stay, please? I-I don't want to think about him right now." His heart broke just a little more every time he heard a waiver of fear in her voice.

"Yeah" the monkey Faunus said as he reassuringly brought his hand up to cover Blake's. The unexpected contact caused her to stiffen in surprise and Sun immediately began to pull away, thinking he had overstepped. But, just as he began to do so, Blake quickly grasped his hand and moved closer. Burying her face in his chest, she quietly mumbled a 'thank you' against the boy's skin and allowed the warmth of his body to comfort her. She wouldn't be alone tonight.

Sun was more than surprised by the Faunus girl's actions but, nevertheless, he felt a small and affectionate smile split his lips. Wordlessly, Sun slid a cautious arm around her waist, while he gently slipped the other under her head. However, when he noticed that she had yet to steady her breathing, Sun grew brave enough to softly stroke her hair…hoping the action would calm her and allow her to drift into a peaceful slumber.

As Sun's fingers combed soothingly through her hair, Blake began to feel her heart rate slow and her nerves settle…which was a little odd considering his initial embrace had been partially responsible for her elevated pulse. But, eventually, Blake felt herself drifting into what would hopefully be an undisturbed sleep. In fact, she had grown so content in that dark, gentle moment that she failed to realize the soft sound filling the room…she had started purring! Suddenly, she stopped and she could feel her cheeks turn red as a wave of embarrassment washed over her. What would Sun think?

The boy, however, could only smile as the sound of Blake's purring filled his ears. It was rather adorable, but he wouldn't dare say so. Sun was sure of he said anything about it Blake would instantly pull away and he loathed the idea of ruing this moment with something as simple as a joke. So, he kept his mouth shut and allowed Blake to think he hadn't noticed.

Blake knew that Sun had become well aware of her embarrassing show of contentment though, how could he not? She was purring right into his ear for Dust's sake! But, it made her appreciate the boy's sensitivity all the more. She smiled in the dark, He really is something, isn't he? And, with that fond thought, Blake allowed herself to finally succumb to sleep's embrace and Sun was soon to follow. Each of them finding a moments reprieve from the fear that plagued their minds and hearts as they rested in each other's arms.

End of Chapter

(A/N): I am so happy that I finally got this out! Anyways, this is purely for BlackSun supporters' enjoyment. I hope you read, enjoy, review, and favorite! This is only my second RWBY fanfic so go easy on me if you leave a comment. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. If you liked this short story I am planning on writing another BlackSun fic at some point...so stay tuned for that! Thank you for your interest!