A/N: So, it's here finally! Chapter Two! It only took me, what... three-ish months?
So here's the thing:
Some of the letter in this chapter was meant to be crossed out, but me, being a noob, has no idea how to do that. So, heh, The AO3 version ( /works/11053008/chapters/28835829) of this chapter is more accurate than this version. Nothing is different between the two versions, but if you want to see what was crossed out, go ahead and read it there. Otherwise, have fun reading. I hope you like it~
Chapter 2: The Meeting
Letter # 5,182
Evening Yang,
It's been a little over two months since I found out you went to Beacon University, and I still haven't got the courage to talk to you. I can't believe how beautiful you've become.
Captain of the Basketball Team, huh? The business and law college is on the other side of the university so it's no wonder we haven't seen each other.
I'm not much of a sports fan, much less basketball… but I can see why so many people adore you. You were amazing in the match against the Haven Lions, even though you guys lost. Sun told me that Beacon and Haven have this rivalry between the sports teams because Haven seems to always outshine you guys.
I'm sorry if that's a sensitive topic for you. And sorry if I'm assuming.
Yin says"hi," by the way. I can't believe I just wrote that! And in pen too...
Anyway, here is today's update:
Sun and I are hanging out with Ilia today so my parents can go to date night. She decided to stay with me this weekend and go home Sunday night. Menagerie is quite the flight from Vale. You should visit sometime, if you haven't already.
One of my friends, Lie Ren, invited me to this party happening tonight, but I declined for obvious reasons. He was going to celebrate something with a high school friend of his that finally got time off from work. Ren didn't say the name though, but it sounded like he and his friend are close. He was excited while he was inviting me. I heard Pyrrha was organizing it, so you might be there. That might have been the best time to talk to you, huh?
I hear Sun and Ilia calling me, so I'd better stop this letter early.
Good night.
In the bedroom of a single-room apartment, Blake closed the notebook after writing her most latest entry. Before Blake would join Ilia and Sun in the living room, Blake walked out of her balcony. It was a beautiful night with a slight breeze. The only thing that bothered Blake was the light pollution disrupting the view of stars.
She took a breath in and turn back into her room, locking the balcony behind her and closing the curtains for the night. From there, Blake exited her bedroom to meet Ilia and Sun in the living room.
The two were sitting on the couch, watching T.V. together. When Blake arrived and called their attention, Sun and Ilia leaned over the back of the couch.
"Finally done with your creepy letter?" Sun asked, jokingly. This angered Blake, however.
"It's not creepy!" Blake, embarrassed, shouted in response, this making both Sun and Ilia laugh. Calming herself down, Blake walked to the kitchen, "I'm assuming you two called me for dinner plans? I can make something really quick if you're hungry". Blake knelt and opened a cabinet full of pots and pans.
"Actually," Ilia mentioned, grabbing her elder sister's attention, "Sun told me about this great seafood place that serves all kinds of stuff like teriyaki, salads, grilled fish and meats, and sushi. I was hoping to go there tonight?"
Blake scratched the back of her head. It wasn't news that Blake loved fish. And it wasn't news she'd never reject Ilia, which Blake deducted that Sun planned. Blake released a heavy sigh and walked over to Ilia, patting her on top of her head, "Alright then. I guess we can have you explore Vale since we didn't get to do that last time".
Ilia smiled and got up from her seat, "Great! I want to see everything from your childhood, Blake. You were originally from Vale, weren't you?"
"Yeah. I was born here. But it's been a long while since I visited my favorite places. A lot's changed," Blake said. She looked out her kitchen window, "I wonder how everyone is doing back in the orphanage".
Silence fell upon the three. Blake never really talked about her time in the orphanage. Both Sun and Ilia knew it was a bit of a sensitive topic for her to talk about. It was a topic that the two never brought up.
Wanting to fill the awkward atmosphere, Sun looked at Ilia, "Hey kid, why don't you and Blake get ready to go to the restaurant? I'll make the reservations. Good thing the restaurant isn't too well-known so it shouldn't be hard to at least let them know we are on the way."
With a nod and a smile, Ilia joined Blake as the two went into the bedroom.
Inside a sunbathe white, bedroom-sized walk-in closet, twenty-three-year-old Weiss Schnee was getting ready as she sat in front of her make-up mirror. She was combing her long white hair, styled up to her usual side ponytail, as a princess or maiden would. She let out a heavy breath while placing her hair brush on top of the drawer. She got up from the stool and walked around the closet to see the many different outfits she had to wear.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a small box tucked away under her long dresses. It had been a long time since she saw them, seeing the dust collecting on top of them.
"What are these?" Weiss wondered aloud, pulling one out to check its contents. She removed the lid and was shocked to see it. With a smile on her face, she sat and pulled out the first thing she saw: a pink crown, made of Popsicle sticks, with the word "Rice" written across the front. Small flower decorations filled the excess space on the crown. Judging by the size, it was for a child.
"So this is where I put it, huh?" Weiss went up to the make-up mirror and carefully put the crown on her head. Weiss let out a laugh and looked at the crown through the mirror as she made different poses.
Then, Pyrrha looked into the doorway of the closet to check on Weiss, "Weiss? Are you ready to-". Witnessing Weiss with her guard down, Pyrrha softly laughed, this leading to Weiss hiding the small crown behind her back. "I didn't expect to see that coming in here."
Weiss, flushed, looked away. She turned to the box and carefully placed the crown on top of the other toys and knick-knacks in the box, "Please forget what you saw."
"Why?" Pyrrha came in to sit on the seafoam, round ottoman in the middle of the closet, "We never get to see that side of you. It's actually pretty cute."
"It wasn't cute! It's embarrassing!" Weiss became defensive, which caused Pyrrha to chuckle once more. Weiss put the lid back on the box and carried it to where she found it, looking at it for some time before going back to the make-up desk, "Are we meeting everyone at the restaurant? Or am I bringing everyone in the limo again?"
"Of course not. Jaune is picking up a couple friends of his and they are meeting us at the restaurant," Pyrrha smiled. Thinking of Jaune, Pyrrha was reminded, "Oh, Weiss, I was talking with my team's captain about the same thing awhile back. I know you are busy with singing and all, but are you seeing anyone at all?"
"No, way too busy for that sort. You know it's much harder for me than another girl to find a boy who won't use my name," Weiss zipped up her make-up kit. She placed it in a large purse she grabbed from under the desk, "I'll just wait until it's my time to fall for someone". Weiss placed her wallet, work phone, and personal phone on her purse before zipping it up. The smaller, snow-haired songstress put on a red hat to hide her hair and a pair of seafoam-colored sunglasses to conceal her identity. She looked at Pyrrha, "Time to go."
"Yep, no way someone will recognize you tonight," Pyrrha and Weiss walked out together.
Ruby walked out of the apartment building she lived in to meet up with Jaune Arc and Penny Polentina. They were her best friends since high school and Ruby had always been the studious type to them. Even Penny, who spent a lot of her time indoors and building robots, was more socially active than Ruby was.
And in all the years they've known Ruby, they had never seen her in what she was wearing that night before: a sparkling, red, cocktail dress with the skirt held up by a rose at the thighs. Her long hair, falling inches shy to her hips, was curled in the front and the rest was tied into a bun. She also wore her regular glasses.
"Sorry I'm late. Yang couldn't let me go out in jeans and a t-shirt," Ruby sounded angry. She let out a sigh and sat in the passenger side, "I had to beg her not to get me contacts for tonight."
At the sight of this, Jaune's and Penny's cheeks turned red, the two seeing how pretty Ruby was.
Noticing it, Ruby looked at her old-time friends, "...What? You guys are looking at me weird."
"It's, uh, it's nothing…" Jaune looked forward to put the car in drive and rode away from the building.
"It's just...You could get a boyfriend if you looked like that everyday, Ruby," Penny smiled as she complimented on Ruby's looks, "Jaune's scared you'll punch him for thinking something like that."
Ruby looked at Jaune, looking mischievously, "Oh? Is he now?"
"Penny!" Jaune looked at the redhead in the backseat. The only response from Penny was a laugh. With a sigh and paying attention to the road, Jaune continued to speak, "Speaking of boyfriends, are you expecting to get one in this meet-and-greet dinner?"
Caught off guard, Ruby glared at Jaune. One can swear she growled at him like an angry dog.
"Wh-what?! I was just asking!"
Ruby let out a sigh and looked out the window, "You know I want to finish school before trying to find love. It's just who I am."
Penny leaned over to see Ruby in the front seat, "But you said that you were in love with someone once."
Ruby shocked, looked at Penny, "Penny!"
Jaune looked over to Ruby for a second, "Really?! You were in love once?! Why did you never tell me this?!"
"Penny found out. I didn't even tell her," Ruby looked ahead, hands on her laps. Looking at her hands, she remembered her time at the orphanage with a seven-year-old Weiss Schnee and her five-year-old self, sleeping hand-in-hand. She sighed, her eyes closed "Besides, I don't want to talk about it. It was a long time ago."
As Penny and Jaune felt concerned for her, they sat back in their seats. The subject was changed after some time.
Yang, riding her motorcycle with Neptune, blazed through the busy streets of Vale. While Neptune used goggles to shield his eyes, Yang used the shield from her motorcycle helmet. It was a Friday tradition for the two to grab dinner while they study. For the last year and a half, Yang and Neptune went to a hamburger restaurant at Haven University, but due to Ruby needing help going to a dinner with Jaune and Pyrrha, Yang had to be home at a specific time. With a late start on the study night, both Yang and Neptune finished their weekend homework moment before.
"Sorry about the last minute change. The dining hall must be closed at the university dorms by now. I can grab you dinner before having to drop you off," Yang told Neptune, her feeling bad for making Neptune miss a meal.
Neptune shook his head, "You don't have to, Yang. Something like this was bound to happen. I mean, it's not everyday your sister decides to be a social butterfly."
Smiling, Yang let out a soft laugh under her breath, "True. She sure loves books and studying, doesn't she? I'm glad she's hanging out with her friends today and meeting new people." She zoomed off further ahead and passed cars and traffic towards downtown Vale. Being a Friday night, as expected, the area to be packed with people going to bars and having family dinners out.
Yang arrived at a small strip with various stores still open. Among the store was a decent-sized restaurant, which Yang and Neptune arrived at after parking the motorcycle. The blonde looked at her blue-haired companion, "Is this the place you were talking about?"
"Yeah, the Blue Jay," Neptune commented, "Sun and I found this place a few months ago. It has really good seafood and sushi. I know you love sushi so I thought you might love this place."
Yang looked up at the wooden sign with a smile. She looked at Neptune, "Heh, I'm not that much into sushi anymore. Not like when we were kids." She started to walk into the restaurant with Neptune joining her side, "But I don't mind it every so often".
It was really loud in the restaurant, despite it being fairly empty-looking in the front. The inside seemed to be dimmed with lights, but it was enough for people to maneuver around the restaurant fairly well. Yang waited for a host to come to the front.
"Is it a seat-yourself-sort-of place, or are they short-staffed today?" Yang looked at Neptune, confused.
"I'm not really sure. They could be having a party going on. When there is a big party, usually a lot of the hosts, waiters, and waitresses are attending to it," Neptune said. He walked up to the podium to ring the bell and hope someone comes to the front.
Suddenly, Ruby stormed passed Yang and Neptune, looking mad. It was a look Yang was used to seeing, but something was different when Ruby walked by. It almost looked like she was crying, sad, distraught.
Paying no mind to a concerned Neptune, Yang followed after her little sister, telling Neptune to get a table or bar while she went to see what was wrong with Ruby.
Ruby was outside the restaurant, looking up to the sky. She took in deep breaths. Tears were formed at the corner of her eye. Ruby removed her glasses to wipe them away, but the tears would come back and Ruby covered her face, "What am I going to do now? I can't go back inside."
Yang came out of the restaurant, joining Ruby's side, "Hey sis".
"Yang?" Ruby jumped in surprise. She wiped her tears fast and put her glasses back on. She sniffled and looked to Yang, "What are you doing here?"
"Having dinner with Neptune. We're going to be studying at the apartment afterwards," Yang rubbed her head, nervous to change the topic. She took a breath and looked at Ruby, "I'm guessing this is where that party was. Are you having fun?" Yang knew Ruby wasn't having any fun, the elder sister not liking how Ruby looked when they bumped into each other. Something had upset her…
"Hey, Ruby, I need to-" A girl's voice said.
Hearing the voice, the two girls looked over to see the snow-haired idol, Weiss Schnee, come out of the restaurant. While Yang had a somber feeling to it, Ruby didn't look at all happy.
Ruby clutched a fist, angry to see Weiss.
"Oh." Yang said, remembering that Weiss and Ruby had a bitter ending to their separation.
Fourteen years prior, Yang witnessed Weiss and Ruby enter a car with Qrow and Summer. It would be the last time Yang would see Ruby as a kid. She thought it would be the last time she saw Weiss as well, but Weiss returned a week later and she hadn't been the same since. She noticed Weiss had stopped interacting with the other kids. Weiss and Yang were adopted at the same time, but Yang never knew what happened to her snow-haired friend.
"Weiss…"
"Yang?" Weiss was taken back at the sight of the blonde. Her eyes widened and took a move towards Yang, but with Ruby there, it made it hard to withhold her need to hug her. Weiss gulped and stayed against the door. Smiling, she waved, "Hello Yang. It's good to see you again."
Yang looked to Weiss, back to Ruby, and then back to Weiss, "Hey Weiss. It's good to see you too."
Ruby turned away from Weiss, which Weiss reacted to, "Yang, can you take me home now? I don't want to be here."
Weiss clutched a fist to her chest, hurt.
Yang looked at Ruby, "Ruby…" She looked at Weiss who was hiding her face to hide her emotions and let out a sigh. Not knowing what they did in their past, Yang let out a sigh, "I'll tell Neptune to cancel the table then. We can eat at home." Yang walked back towards Weiss. She gave her a hug, "Weiss, I really am glad to see you, but whatever happened, Ruby is still pretty mad about it. You think you can forgive her for being rude to you?"
Weiss looked down, whispering back, "I, I'm not the one who was hurt by what happened. If anyone should ask to be forgiven, it's me."
Yang only looked at her and held her tight. She took a breath and smiled, rubbing Weiss's arms. She didn't say anything before going into the restaurant.
Weiss looked up to Ruby who had her back to her. She took a step but refrained.
"Yang doesn't know, does she?" Ruby spoke to Weiss. The younger girl half-turned to give Weiss her attention. Her glare struck fear into the snow-haired woman, "She doesn't know what you did, huh?" Seeing Weiss shake her head, Ruby let out a sigh and turned away. She made a "tch!" sound. Ruby wasn't crying, but she was still notably upset. "You're so foolish, you know that".
No response. Weiss knew it was true.
Yang came out of the restaurant with Neptune. She sighed, "I'm so sorry, Neptune."
"It's alright. As long as your sister makes the meal, I'll forgive her for it," Neptune playfully punched Yang's arm.
The two walked by Weiss first and Yang looked over to her, still wondering what exactly happened between them. Neptune looked forward and and smiled. He ran forward pretty quickly and shouted, "Sun, Blake, Ilia! You guys came too?!"
The mention of Blake's name peaked Yang's interest. Turning from Weiss, Yang's eyes met with Blake's golden ones and Yang's eyes were wide with shock. She couldn't believe it. Yang held her beloved locket tight. "No way…," Yang spoke softly as she took a couple steps forward. She let her locket dangle and started to run to her.
"Blake, is it really you?" Yang asked, holding the girl in her arms tight. Feeling Blake's arms wrap around her was enough for a validation, Yang tightened her hold and dug her face in Blake's shoulder. It was the happiest she had felt in a very long time.
