A/N: Another chapter for ya. Just to let you all know, I have a couple chapters written in advance, so I will not be updating this fast in the future. Anyways, back to the lovely bees and their heroic escapades. Actually, more Yang time in this chapter than anything. But is that really a bad thing?

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

XxXxX

Chapter 2

It was two by the time Yang returned back to the manor, so she decided to slip in the back entrance. She had tried, in vain, to find more clues after her chat with Nightshade. Under any other circumstance, she would have used the front door, not bothering to conceal her late entrance. These were not ordinary circumstances though and Yang didn't want anyone to worry more then they already ha-

"Yang. Xiao. Long." A high pitched voice called out from the dark as soon as the blonde stepped foot in the door. She enunciated each name as if they were each pieces of evidence that proved Yang guilty. A light flicked on, temporarily blinding the lilac-eyed girl. When she was able to see again, a certain short, ivory-haired, heiress stood there, arms crossed in displeasure. Yang instantly gave up on her attempts at stealth and simply sighed.

"Heeeey, Weiss," the blonde sheepishly replied, a hand scratching the back of her neck.

"Don't ' Heeeey, Weiss' me! Do you have any idea how late it is?" She lashed back at the blonde, her voice growing more shrill. Her hands had moved from their crossed position to her hips in fury.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I-"

"You, You what?" Weiss fumed at the blonde venomously, and the blonde, in turn, winced. "You were too busy partying? Or drinking? Or-"

"Of course not!" Yang had finally had enough, she snapped at the heiress. "What do you take me for?" And for a moment, the two just stared at each other engaged in a wordless staring contest. Weiss was the first to break, hiccuping from tears. Yang immediately regretted letting her anger get the best of her.

"Weiss... I.." the blonde started

"No, you can't do this to me, Yang," Weiss ordered, but it came out more as a whimper compared to the way she was shouting at the girl before. "Not now... not with Ruby being..."

"I know... I'm sorry."

The heiress broke down before Yang's very eyes, and the sight was rather distressing. Not as distressing as finding out that your own sister had been taken and you, a super hero, had been unable to stop it from happening. No, it was not that bad. Still, the heiress was not one to wear her heart on her sleeve. That was what Ruby did. And while it was true that this had rubbed off slightly on the normally cold girl, this was a new level. She dropped to her knees and started to sob. Yang did what her years of being Ruby's big sister had taught her. She knelt down with her and put a reassuring arm around her shoulder.

They had all grown close, hadn't they.

It had always been just her and Ruby for the longest time. Hopping from foster home to foster home. They were lucky enough to be transferred together. There was a brief time that they were on the run from the foster system, but by the time they had gotten the girls back, Yang was eighteen and legally took custody of her sister, though she was a mere two years younger than Yang. It was also around that time that Ruby had met Weiss and they had... well, things actually did not go so well. Yang recalls Weiss saying that Ruby was an 'Accident prone, hero junkie with a terrible taste in movies'. She wasn't wrong, but the words were not meant to be endearing, rather they were spat out at the red-head. Ruby, being the optimist she was, took it as the former. And thus, She asked if she could spend more time with the ivory-haired girl.

Weiss immediately answered with a resounding 'No!', but this wouldn't deter Ruby. When she was determined, nothing could stop her (which is why her desire to be a hero was very troubling to Yang). Ruby insisted that she would grow on her and that she would grow to like those aspects about her.

But Ruby was wrong about one thing.

Weiss grew to love those aspects about Ruby.

Against her 'better judgment', as she had said, she had fallen for the girl clad in red. So much so that it was her who asked Ruby out. It was when they started dating that Weiss learned that their... 'living situation' (if you could call it that) was not very good. Yang had tried to provide for Ruby by herself, but finding a place to live in Vale City was a challenge. So the pair didn't really have a permanent residence, finding shelter when they could.

Weiss wouldn't have it.

So for three years they had been living under the Schnee manor in Vale City. Originally, Weiss was from Atlas, but her family owned a residence in the capitals of the most powerful kingdoms. Weiss had apparently grown weary of the people of Atlas and wanted a change. For a while, it was only Weiss in the manor, but Yang and Ruby gave the manor the life that it so desired.

And Weiss, well... Weiss had begun to feel like family to Yang.

Now it was evident that the feeling was mutual.

"Y-yang, after what just happened... I was afraid... I thought... that you... and..." the normally composed heiress spoke between sobs.

"I'm sorry, Weiss," Yang soothed as she rubbed circles in her back. "I didn't mean to worry you,"

"Then what in OUM'S name were you doing?" The bite in her voice rose back up marginally. Yang looked away, unable to reach Weiss' gaze.

What was she supposed to tell her? 'I'm actually Yellow Dragon and I teamed up with Nightshade to beat the CRAP out of whoever took my baby sister'? No, as much as she trusted Weiss, telling her about her secret life would only cause her more strife. At the same time, she couldn't just lie to her, especially if she had a feeling that she would probably be out late looking for clues with nightshade until Ruby was found. No, Weiss needed to know that she would most likely be out this late or even later.

"I was... trying to figure out what happened to Ruby." Yang spit out after a long pause.

"You... You what?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Look, I have some connections here in Vale," Yang fibbed slightly "I might have found people who can help us... But I can't tell you anymore than that. All I can tell you is that I will have late nights like this, and you need to trust that I am ok... Alright?"

"Yang, you can't be-"

"You would do the same for her if you had the opportunity!" Yang cut her off before she could even finish her protest. "Don't even try to tell me you wouldn't, Weiss Schnee."

The Heiress opened and closed her mouth a couple times, as if she was trying to formulate her concerns, but they all died on her lips. She finally gave up and let her lips form a straight line, staring at the blonde before her, as if she was trying to figure out some ancient puzzle. After a minute or two of Weiss just staring at Yang, she finally let out a big sigh.

"Just... be careful," Weiss conceded "And message me to let me know that you are ok."

"Awwww, you really do care about me!" Yang teased, prodding the ivory-haired girl's side, to which she squirmed away from the blonde's contact.

"Of course I do, you big oaf!"

"And... Though I don't like to see ya cry... It's reassuring to see how much you care about my little sis,"

"Was that ever in question?!" Weiss snapped defensively, angered by the blonde's insinuation that she hadn't known that she cared for Ruby.

"No! No, it's just," Yang gave warm smile "It's nice to see you step away from your role as the 'Ice Queen'. You're a lot warmer than you claim to be, aren'tcha Weissy?" Yang made quotes in the air when she had said 'Ice Queen'. This was the name some called behind her back (or in some cases, straight to her face) due to her cold exterior. Only Yang and Ruby (especially Ruby) knew what lay underneath.

The ivory-haired girl puffed up her cheeks.

"I'm sure I DON'T know what you are talking about, Yang Xiao Long." Weiss huffed, seeming to not notice or not care about Yang calling her 'Weissy'. A small warm smile crept onto her face and betrayed her true emotions. "But thank you,"

"Of course, Weissy!" Yang beamed.

"Don't press your luck, Xiao Long," She warned.

So she HAD noticed.

XxXxX

Yang awoke the next day around seven in the morning, surprisingly well rested. Maybe it was due to the fact that her bed was SO comfortable. No, seriously, it felt like she was floating on a cloud. That had to be one of her favorite things about living in the Schnee manor, everything was built for the resident's comfort and pleasure. She can still recall laying down on this bed for the first time.

It was when Weiss was showing her and Ruby around the large estate. But at the end of the 'grand tour' (That's the only kind of tour you could give in an estate that massive), she had finally shown them their own rooms. A small chuckle escaped Yang's lips as she remember the bright red flush on the heiress' face when Yang flopped on the bed and let out an almost orgasmic like moan, rolling around in what felt like heaven to her. Weiss chided her, telling her that such noises were 'inappropriate and crude'. But she couldn't help herself! It was just THAT blissfully soft. In fact, she decided to sleep in the chair for the first two weeks, not wanting to get used to that kind of comfort in case they got kicked out. When she was certain this was not just a temporary gift, she gave in and let the temptress of satin draw her in for good.

Yes, this could certainly be the culprit for her restful state, but she felt that this was not the whole reason. The real reason was that she had a plan to get Ruby back... well, kind of?... She wasn't exactly sure where to start to look for clues, but she wasn't working alone, now was she?

Nightshade, the hero of the night. The shadow of justice. She had somehow convinced her to help. No one has even seen her since she disappeared after the train incident with Raging Bull. And to just... find her on a roof of a building? At night too. Unlike most heroes, Yang preferred to do most of her work during the day.

Often times, the police couldn't get to the scene of a crime until it was too late or tensions were too high. Yang took it upon herself to be better and remedy the problem before things got too out of hand. And now that she had a reputation, the "baddies" (As Ruby liked to childishly call them. Twenty years old and she still used phrases like that) didn't try and shoot her as much. Which was good, because though none of them directly hit her, some grazed her. And yes, though the use of her special aura did heal some of them, it didn't heal all of them. Which usually meant either wearing long sleeves, pants or making up some excuse about her being clumsy and accidentally hurting herself, lest her identity be discovered.

Not that she was TOO concerned, the perception blocker on her goggles worked wonders.

But that first night she had seen Nightshade had been one of the rare times that she had been out patrolling, rather than out for a specific happening. She was about to ask the figure what she was doing on the roof so late at night, but when she realized who she was, she stopped herself. She just... watched her.

To be honest, it was hard for Yang to believe that this was the same hero they had seen save the day so often in the past. She seemed very defeated, depressed.

Lonely.

Yang almost forgot who exactly she was watching. She didn't see the hero of the night. She didn't see the shadow of justice. She saw a broken young woman, a frightened girl who was merely dressing up as a hero.

Someone that Yang had the urge to save.

She shook those thoughts from her mind soon though. She couldn't just go up, sit down next to her and say 'what's wrong, kiddo?' like she would try and do when she would see a dejected citizen. She didn't claim to know Nightshade, but from what she had gleaned off of her, she assumed doing something like that was a surefire way to get her face clawed off.

Literally.

So she stuck to just observing with deep fascination. It was a short time later that the mysterious hero had seemed to notice something in the distance. She wondered what it was she had seen, but knew she probably would not be able to find it. She had heard that along with various other heightened senses, Nightshade had incredible eyesight due to her animal enhancements. The girl then sighed, seeming even more morose than before.

"Sorry, Ruby," She heard her say. "I'm not coming back. Nightshade is gone."

And just like that, she was gone, flying away.

After finally uttering her surprise at the situation, she looked over to the area that Nightshade had been watching before she left. Luckily, what she wanted to see did not require enhanced vision. A girl clad in red was handing out posters for the HFO meeting about Nightshade. Yang immediately recognized the girl.

Ruby.

Nightshade knew Ruby?

She was so baffled over this revelation that she didn't even consider Ruby's safety, something she was REALLY beating herself up about now. Sure she was an adult now, but come on, she was her younger sister. Maybe giving her a curfew was a bit too much, but Weiss had agreed with her on that one. In fact, it was the heiress herself that had suggested it. Something about Ruby being 'too clumsy to be out late at night' and Ruby retorting with 'but heroes don't fear the dark'. Yang might have brought up the use of her wolf-shaped night light, which earned her a whiny 'Yaaaang'. And ended in Weiss giving Ruby the silent treatment until she acquiesced. But it didn't stop them from losing her...

No, she couldn't think about that now. Thinking that way wouldn't get her anywhere. She had to focus on the positives, like this connection between Nightshade and Ruby.

Everyone who knew the red-head knew about her affinity for super heroes. She had held off on getting a proper job so she could take time to 'find her powers and fulfill her destiny,'. Sure, she took some part time jobs here and there, but nothing that really lasted. She dedicated more time to getting as close as she could to the heroes of Vale. It's why she joined the HFO. If only she knew that she lived under the same roof as one.

So if Ruby had met Nightshade, she would have been telling everyone she knew. The blonde knew that she would never hear the end of it. So Yang came to the conclusion that Ruby knew Nightshade in her civilian life, which was... weird to think about. It could be someone that Ruby sees every day, not that she would know.

The nice part about being a hero in this day and age is having that perception manipulator. Heroes used to have to be exceedingly careful with their duel identities. They either had to act completely different as a civilian or heroes and were found out very often. That is when a man (That no one really knew much about) named Ozpin discovered a way for heroes to keep their identities secret easier. He created technology that allowed the wearer to unconsciously feed aura into. In turn, it changed how people perceived them. So the only way for someone to discover who was behind the mask was for them to literally take off the mask in front of them. That or shattering the illusion by just telling them who they were and giving away key information about themselves.

It was a good thing that this did exist, since the blonde was sure she would have been found out a while ago. She didn't act much different between her two lives. Perhaps Yellow Dragon was a bit more vibrant and confident, but she lived her civilian life in a similar fashion.

She wondered how Nightshade was in her civilian life. Was she sad too?

Yang shook her head as she (regrettably) lifted herself out of her personal cloud. There was no use getting close to her temporary partner. They would hopefully not need to work for long and she seriously doubted Nightshade would open up to her in that amount of time.

The lilac-eyed girl got changed and started on her morning meditations. She always knew that she had a temper issue, but now her eyes changed from a cool lavender to a fierce scarlet. That was a literal red-flag that she was not ordinary. Maybe she could play it off to some, but if Rubes saw that, she would know something was amiss.

Well... she wouldn't have to worry about that for... No, no stopping thinking that way. She begged herself.

So that is why she found it necessary to practice meditating, finding her inner peace... and the rest of that crap. When meditating didn't work, her heroic escapades helped her blow off some steam.

After a about thirty minutes, Yang started to get ready for work. The only reason she had taken yesterday off was because Weiss insisted and she wanted to look for clues on Ruby's kidnapping. But now that her plans to get her back were in place, she had to act like everything was ok and that nothing out of the ordinary was happening to Yang Xiao Long.

Well, besides having a missing sister...

Today was gonna be harder then she thought.

XxXxX

After spending the rest of the day trying to relax and calm herself, Yang arrived at work ten minutes before her shift, receiving some looks of compassion from some of the other workers. She hated that, she'd rather they treat her with the same disinterest that they always did. When she stepped into the break room, she found a raven-haired girl with a bow atop her head, nose stuck in a book. She looked up lazily from her book, but soon closed it when she realized who had just walked in.

"Yang," Blake said softly, eyes wide with surprise and concern.

"Heya, Blake," Yang tried to conjure up a bright smile, but found that it dampened a bit. She couldn't lie to her, as much as she tried.

"I... Didn't expect to see you here today," the brunette seemed at a loss for words. Well, at least she isn't saying that she is- Yang started to think "Yang... I am so sorry."

Sorry.

Yang sighed, tired of hearing it. It was just a reminder, one that she didn't need. She knew Ruby was gone, she knew she was gonna get her back. That should be enough. She shouldn't feel so hurt by what was happening. But she did, it hurt inside. And not just because she wasn't able to save her, but because her sister had just been kidnapped. She was human after all. And being around people was all of a sudden so hard for her and she wanted to just lash out at everyone.

But Blake wasn't everyone. And she knew that the girl was genuinely concerned about her.

At least she hoped she was.

"Thanks," Yang smiled pathetically. "But, I'm fine, really,"

"Ok," the girl meekly replied, her eyebrows still knitted close with worry. "Just.. um... nevermind." She looked as though she wanted to say more, but stopped herself. Yang took notice of this, mostly because this had become a habit of Blake's.

"Just, what?" Yang prodded.

Yang had wanted to become closer to the girl and... well, who was she kidding? She liked her a lot. She fell for her the moment she met her, the long raven hair, the piercing amber eyes, the cute little bow atop her head. She idly liked to imagine they were two cat ears, the girl seeming so feline as it was (Yang noted that her usual bagged lunch consisted of a tuna fish sandwich and a bottle of one percent milk).

She was also unlike anyone else the blonde had been interested in previously. Yang had a tendency to hook up (as the girl had yet to ever commit to a relationship long enough to call it anything but that) with people who were much like her. Bright, cocky, and full of energy. Blake was not like that at all. She was quiet and humble and often kept to herself, usually reading a book. But as Yang discovered, Blake was much like the books that she read. The first couple chapters were hard to get through, but once you did you couldn't put it down. You were hooked.

And Yang sure was hooked on Blake.

Unfortunately, the amber-eyed girl seemed to be very resistant to Yang's attempts to become closer. When they first met, Blake and her had gotten together quite frequently actually. They had seen a couple movies, Blake had shown her her favorite book shop, and they had even gotten lunch with Ruby and Weiss when they had days off. Things seemed to be going well... or so she had thought.

One day (Yang wasn't even really sure why) Blake clammed up once again. She wasn't mean, per se, but she was... distant. She exchanged pleasantries, had a little banter if Yang was lucky, and then small comments here and there. Blake had canceled all of their future plans and all of the blonde's attempts to hang out with her book-smart co-worker were rebuffed with a polite 'no thank you' and a small, sad smile. Always that sad smile.

That was what made it more confusing. The fact that Blake always looked like she wanted to say 'yes', but held herself back. That is precisely why Yang never stopped asking. It's why Yang pushed the issue, hoping (but not expecting) for the raven-haired woman to speak her mind once more.

That's why it was so surprising to hear what she said next.

"Um... I was just wondering i-if you... wanted company on your walk home?" Blake asked, almost hopefully. "I mean, I completely understand if you want to be alone. I know I would if my... um, well..." She froze up, as if she was about to let a part of her mysterious past slip through, and closed her mouth tightly.

"Uh, yeah! That would," Yang cleared her throat, not wanting to sound too eager. "That would be really awesome, thanks Blake." Her smile grew a bit brighter, almost to it's normal wattage.

Well, that was unexpected. Yang thought to herself as she and Blake got ready for their shift. But she wasn't about to complain. The girl she adored finally wanted to spend time with her and she had a powerful ally in her search for Ruby. Maybe things weren't as bad as she thought.