Thanks as always for the reviews and support! This was meant to be a short chapter compared to the others. You can see how well that plan turned out...
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Chapter 4.
I'm close by, I'll stay here. Through all things I will be near.
None of them went to school the next day.
All they could manage was a weak, reassuring call on Ruby's part.
She was a bit nervous when the Schnees' father answered, sounding troubled about his daughters' wellbeing. Evidently, Blake and Weiss had not eaten dinner last night after the hectic events that had transpired, nor had they eaten so far that morning.
When she requested the phone be passed to her girlfriend, Ruby's heart sank when she heard Weiss' voice.
"Hi, Ruby..."
It was thin and cracked and wavering with the beginnings of a forced smile thrown in. Nothing like she had ever heard Weiss speak like before. It worried her.
"Weiss... are you okay?" She felt her own voice on the verge of chokin already.
There was a feeble chuckle in response.
"Not exactly. It's complicated..." she confessed. "But I'm more worried about Blake... She hasn't eaten or said a word. She's locked in her room, but... I can't even go to her..."
Ruby listened with a constricting lump in her throat that thickened as Weiss explained her condition. Her panic attack from the previous evening had been so detrimental on her health that she could no longer walk. Upon trying to get out of bed that morning, she had fallen instantly and had been rendered physically unable to eat, and only a few of the fluids and medicines she was given stayed down. Her parents had called for a doctor immediately to have her examined. Weiss begged them to do the same for Blake, but it was no use.
"We've tried everything, honey," her mother had sighed, leaning in gently to hug Weiss. "This was a really terrible event for the both of you. It's going to take some time to come to terms with everything, especially for Blake. When I knocked on her door and called her for breakfast, she said she wanted to talk to you, but..." She had shaken her head. "You need to recover, too."
Weiss realized her sister's pain was more emotional while her own was physical, so naturally her parents sought to help her first. But Weiss knew for a fact that Blake's pain was just as bad, if not worse. She wanted to get out of bed as quickly as possible and go to her, but as things were now, that was impossible.
Ruby listened to her girlfriend's words with frustrated tears in her eyes. She knew this mess would affect them all, but she never thought it would be this bad...
By this time, Yang had sat down beside her on the couch; she had also barely said a word since last night.
It was then Ruby thought of something that would surely start to mend things a little between them.
"Hey, Weiss?" Ruby asked quietly. "Can I... can Yang and I come over to visit?"
When she mentioned Yang's name, her elder sister sent her a surprised look before quickly shaking her head. But Ruby did not get the chance to ask what was wrong before Weiss spoke again.
"I... I'd love to have you here, Ruby. I think it would help a lot." There was a flicker of life in her voice now that gave it strength. But her tone soon lowered regretfully. "Unfortunately... I don't think, ah... I don't think Blake really... wants to see Yang right now... She's more than welcome to visit, though."
But Yang's shoulders had already slumped; she had heard Weiss' reply clearly. Blake did not want anything to do with her.
Yang rose heavily to her feet, and Ruby quickly finished up her conversation with Weiss before hanging up and following her sister.
"Yang, I think you should come," she insisted. "Despite what Weiss said... I think Blake really does want to see you."
"No, Ruby." Yang's reply was hoarse, as though she had not spoken all day, which may have been just the case. Ruby could not remember. "She doesn't want to see me. That's a fact if I've ever heard one. This whole thing is my fault anyway..."
"Yang, stop it!" Ruby shouted. "You can't go blaming yourself for what happened! It's not your fault Shroud died or that Weiss had a panic attack! It was an accident, and it could've been a million times worse if you hadn't been there! I-If you hadn't been there then-"
"Ruby, please don't say it-"
"If you hadn't been there, Blake might be dead right now!" she screamed defiantly.
"Damn it, Ruby!" Yang hissed, her hands balling into fists as tears welled in her eyes.
"You know I'm right..." Ruby lowered her voice, also sniffling now. "Yang, you saved us all from a much worse tragedy than what happened." She took her sister's hands in hers and slowly uncurled her painfully-tight fingers, rubbing her thumb over Yang's palms. "Come with me. Please?" Her silver eyes were imploring and scared, scared of going to the Schnee's house alone, scared of what kind of state she might find them in.
Yang never could say no to her sister.
With a defeated sigh, she followed Ruby over to their hall closet and slipped on her shoes.
Their mother had opted to stay home from work today in order to keep her daughters company as they recovered from the traumatizing ordeal, and Ruby went to her and explained what was going on. She consented to letting them visit the Schnee sisters, as she knew how close they lived, but she insisted that she drive them there.
As Ruby and Yang settled into the car, they hardly spoke. Yang, who normally took the passenger seat when they were with one parent, now sat in the back with Ruby, silently buckling her seat belt and turning to look out the window.
Ruby wanted to ask why she was suddenly choosing to sit in the back with her, but she realized the answer before she could inquire. The passenger seat was for adults, but today, Yang was just a nervous kid.
As they drove, the only sounds were of the light music from the radio and the breeze from the rolled-down windows. As they got to the area of town near Glynda's house, Yang promptly turned herself away from the window and closed her eyes, not wanting to remember anything.
When at last they reached the Schnee residence - a large mansion that was not unfamiliar - they all walked to the door together. Mrs. Schnee answered, and the two mothers exchanged greetings and went to the living room to speak; one of each family's daughters had been dating for some time now, so the parents were all well-acquainted.
Before joining the women, Mr. Schnee pulled Ruby and Yang aside as they were removing their shoes.
"Blake only wants to speak to her sister," he cautioned them. "But Weiss needs rest right now. Please refrain from letting her get out of bed, despite how much she'll request it."
"Yes, sir." Ruby and Yang both nodded seriously to him before heading for the stairs.
The winding staircase echoed with the soft patter of their footsteps as they ascended. Yang held back a bit as she followed her sister into Weiss' room first.
The girl was laying propped up in her bed, supported by pillows, hair down and dressed in pajamas that were too big for her. Various bottles of medication were set on her bedside table. Weiss cracked a small smile when she heard them enter, her eyes shining a little as they met her girlfriend's.
"Hi, Ruby." Her voice was still hoarse with exhaustion, contradicting the gleam in her gaze. Ruby went to her instantly, pausing before she could wrap her arms around Weiss, scared she might hurt her.
"Weiss... c-can I-?"
"Of course you can, you dunce."
With relief, Ruby pulled her into an embrace, Weiss reaching up to do the same. The last time Ruby had held her like this, Weiss was sobbing, freezing, and agonizingly short on breath.
But now, she was calmer, warmer, and Ruby held her a little bit tighter.
When they parted, Ruby realized how pale Weiss' face was and recalled she had not eaten since lunchtime yesterday.
"Weiss... you still can't eat?"
"Oh, come now. Don't give me that look." Weiss reached up to push Ruby's bangs aside, revealing her furrowed brow. "The doctor said I'll be fine by tomorrow and can go back to school the day after." She offered a reassuring smile for a brief moment, but it soon faded. "I'm not the one you should be worrying about right now. Medicine will heal me, but... it's not that simple with Blake." She exhaled a withering sigh as her eyes flashed guiltily up at Ruby. "I know my parents advised against it, and my doctor did as well, but... please take me to my sister," she begged.
"No way, princess," Yang spoke up for the first time. "Your father told us specifically-"
"I know what my father said." Weiss raised her voice to stop Yang's. "But I need to talk to her. I need to see her. I-I need to... hold her..." Without her realizing it, the tears had already begun to flow.
Panicking, Ruby found Weiss' hands and rubbed them gently, murmuring softly to her as she kissed her cheek. She knew Weiss was plagued by thoughts of what could have – what had almost – happened. She could not bear the thought of losing Blake. She needed the confirmation of her presence one more time to hold her together.
She lifted her gaze again after a moment, offering a plea both sisters found impossible to refuse:
"Please..."
It was the request of a girl at her breaking point, perhaps even past that already. The kind of request that would never allow Ruby and Yang to forgive themselves if they denied it.
The brunette looked to her elder sister, torn between listening to her girlfriend or Weiss' father. There was pain in Ruby's eyes, and Yang could not bear to see that. They all knew Blake would speak only to Weiss anyway, so perhaps that was where they needed to start in the dark-haired girl's recovery as well.
Quietly, Yang approached Weiss' bed, giving a small nod to Ruby. Her sister went to Weiss' side, supporting her shoulders and slowly helping slide the girl's legs off the bed. The white-haired girl passed a grateful look to each of the sisters as she pressed her bare feet to the floor, testing her weight a bit as Ruby tensely gripped her shoulders.
Weiss' legs wobbled slightly, and she stood slowly. But evidently, it was still too quickly for her body to handle.
A rush of motion instantly crashed over her, making her head throb, her stomach twisting with nausea. She slipped from Ruby's grasp and fell forward, Yang only just barely managing to dart forward and catch her.
"Weiss-!" Ruby wailed. "Oh, god-"
"Whoa, whoa there!" Yang held Weiss tightly as she guided her back to the bed and back into Ruby's embrace. "Yeah, sorry princess, but you're not going anywhere."
"Weiss... Weiss! Are you okay?" Ruby whimpered, cupping her hand to the girl's cheek. Her girlfriend gave her a dizzied look, her gaze shifty and unfocused as she slumped forward slightly. "Weiss?!"
"I'm fine..." she wheezed unconvincingly. "Ruby, please, I- I just want to see Blake... please..."
"It's okay," Ruby soothed. "Weiss, Blake's okay. Blake's fine. Nothing happened to her. Sh-She's just down the hall in her room, she's okay... you're okay..." She swallowed thickly, tears streaming down her face and mixing with Weiss' in their laps.
She kissed Weiss' forehead, murmuring soothing words to her, but it seemed only one thing could give Weiss the reassurance she needed.
Ruby looked helplessly to her sister, her eyes tortured and scared as Weiss sobbed into her shoulder.
Yang could not take any more of this. She bit her lip as she leaned down, wrapping her arms around both girls gently.
"Don't worry. I'll get Blake here. I promise. So take it easy, princess. Ruby's here for you." She brushed her fingertips through Weiss' hair, hoping she had heard her.
Yang then leaned down to her sister's ear, whispering under her breath, "I'm so proud of you, sis. You're doing great. Take care of her and leave Blake to me." She pulled away with a grin, lightly ruffling Ruby's hair. Her sister seemed to have calmed down now that Weiss was in her arms, and she sent Yang a grateful look.
"Thanks, Yang. I mean it."
"I know you do." Yang kissed the top of her head briefly. "Now sit tight. I might be a little while, but I'll get her here."
She let the younger girls go and headed for the door, smiling softly as she watched Ruby comforting Weiss. Yang really could not be more proud of her little sister.
Yang closed Weiss' door behind her and slowly began walking down the hallway. She could hear the distant murmur of their parents' voices as they chatted; the more serious tones and words from earlier as they had discussed their daughters' conditions had been traded for somewhat lighter, more easygoing voices now. That was good; Yang did not want them worrying more than they had to.
She walked slowly, trying not to make too much noise as she went to Blake's door. She knew there was no use in knocking but she did it anyway, two light taps with her knuckles. "Blake..."
Yang hardly knew where to start. She pictured exactly what the other girl was doing right now, curled up beneath her blankets, stubbornly ignoring her growling stomach in a room dark from curtains that prevented the sunlight from entering. Yang did not expect an answer, but she at least wanted to be sure Blake was listening.
Unfortunately, she had no means by which to prove that to herself, so she opted to lean her back against the door, sliding down to sit on the floor. Yang had comforted Ruby countless times before for various reasons, but she had no idea how to deal with other people, not even a close friend like Blake.
Blake was like another sister to her in some ways, despite the complicated emotions that went into things.
But in all the years Yang had known her, she had never had to deal with something like this. The worst that had happened between them until now was stressing over school or finding part-time jobs, and the most she had ever done for Blake was defend her from bullies.
But this pain was something Yang could not punch or shout at or shoo away. She had no idea what to do.
But she had made a promise to Ruby and Weiss, and she knew she needed to try something.
"Blake, listen to me," she sighed, trying to arrange her thoughts. "I can't even begin to imagine the pain you're going through right now. Shroud, she-" she realized a second too late it might not have been the best idea to say the cat's name right now, but she pressed on. "She was like a child to you. You raised her more than any of us did. We all loved her, but you... you were closest to her. You had a connection. You have every right to grieve and be sad and feel hurt. I'm not saying you can't do that, but I wish you wouldn't do it alone."
As she spoke, she was unaware of Blake on the other side of the door.
She lie in bed, her face buried in a dampened pillow case that was still drying from the previous night's tears. She was a bit surprised that Yang was here, but she knew she should not be; that girl never seemed to stay away from her.
Part of Blake wanted to get up, if not to go to her door, then at least to open the window and let in some air, but-
She whimpered softly as another swell of emotion rose within her, listening to Yang's words as she recounted memories of their beloved cat:
"Blake, I loved Shroud because she was the number one reason you smiled." Yang wished she could have made Blake smile as often. "Whenever you played with her... you got this look in your eyes, and I loved-"
It hurt.
That word.
"I loved watching you... I loved that look in your eyes. And I loved Shroud because... in a way, she's what brought us together in the first place. If not for her, I probably never would have met you, and my sister wouldn't be so happy with yours..."
She lowered her tone seriously then.
"But... even though Ruby's with her right now, Weiss isn't happy. None of us are after what happened, but Weiss..." She paused, trying to think things through before she spoke.
As she arranged things in her mind, she heard movement from inside the room, blankets shifting, timid footsteps creaking across the floor, a soft noise as Blake knelt down on the other side of the door. Yang knew the mention of her sister had concerned the girl; though she was always treated as the younger sibling, Blake was technically older, and she cared for Weiss just as deeply as Weiss did for her.
"What..." Her voice was cracked from all the screaming she had done the evening before, all the crying throughout the night. "What... about Weiss?"
Yang savored the sound of her voice, weak as it may have been; it gave her the comfort she needed.
"That's right..." she murmured. "Yesterday you were so distraught... I don't even think you were aware of anything else... Do you remember when Ruby and Weiss found us? When our parents came and took us home?"
Her only reply was silence.
"I thought so." Yang continued, reciting what Ruby had told her after calling Weiss last night, the things she had heard from Weiss herself. "Your sister was a mess, Blake. She had a really bad panic attack when she found you. You passed out in the car but they took Weiss to the hospital. Her heart was really strained. They had to give her medication to knock her out so she'd calm down. Even when she woke up again, she was badly shaken. And now..."
Yang trailed off for a second when she heard Blake gasp in dismay. But before the girl could start blaming herself for Weiss' present condition, Yang promptly continued.
"Now she's weak and sick and she can't even get out of bed. The medicine won't help her. Only one person can help her now, and Weiss has been asking to see her for hours." She leaned her head back against the door with a light thud. "Blake, please come out. For your sister."
She paused again before speaking with the utmost delicacy. "Shroud's gone, Blake, but we're still here, and right now, Weiss needs you. We need you."
Thankfully, she did not need to say any more.
On the other side of the door, Blake stood shakily to her feet, leaning against the wooden frame heavily for support. Yang heard the soft hiccups between whimpers of Weiss' name, laced amidst broken apologies. The door knob clicked and the blonde scrambled to her feet as she turned to face the door.
The door creaked open slowly to reveal a girl who was the definition of terrified. Both hands clutched at her chest as she wobbled two steps forward on shaking legs. Her entire body was shivering now, and there were dark circles under her eyes, stretching down into her puffy red cheeks that were drenched with salty lines. New rivulets cascaded down her face now, the tears joining into the already-existent dampness leaking down her neck and into the fabrics of her shirt. Past her quivering lips spilt her sister's name again and again, tumbling out like a broken promise:
"Weiss... W-Weiss..."
She blinked her golden eyes open for a fraction of a second and looked up at Yang imploringly. Her arid throat constricted with another sob as she stumbled forward, giving Yang an excuse to move. She caught Blake in her arms and sunk to the floor with her, holding her tightly as she ran her hands up and down her back, through her hair, over her shuddering shoulders.
"Shhh, don't worry. I've got you," she whispered. Their positions now reminded her of yesterday during the rainstorm, after the accident.
But this was different now. Rather than grief, Blake was crying for better reasons – wanting to see her sister, wanting to make sure she was alright. Yang knew Weiss was probably at her limit by now as well.
Blinking away the tears in her own eyes, Yang coaxed the girl back to her feet once her crying had slowed a bit. Gradually, she helped Blake down the hallway, steadying her limping gait as they neared Weiss' door.
Yang rubbed her left hand over Blake's shoulders. "Come on, don't make that face in front of her," she murmured as her free hand went to the door and knocked twice. "Ruby?"
A few soothing words were spoken to Weiss in Ruby's voice, followed by a quick scrambling of feet across the floor as her younger sister bolted toward it, opening it breathlessly.
"Yang-!" She gasped, worry lacing her voice while her eyebrows furrowed in concern above her silver eyes. "Weiss is- oh-!" She cut off instantly when she saw whom Yang had brought with her, watery silver eyes meeting quickly with gold. "Oh, Blake! Oh, thank god! I was so worried!" She threw her arms around the older girl who seemed so much smaller now.
Blake sniffled and returned the embrace lightly, having forgotten how much she had missed Ruby's contact until now.
"Hi, Ruby..." she murmured.
"Oh, Blake. I'm so sorry. But I'm so glad you're okay. Weiss-" She looked up sharply. "That's right! B-Blake come on!" She grasped both of Blake's hands in hers and brought her forward into the room, making sure to mouth a grateful "thanks" to her elder sister.
Yang followed them inside, hoping it would not be too crowded or overwhelming for Weiss. The white-haired girl was propped up in bed where Ruby had left her a moment ago, fresh tears dripping down into her lap.
But when Ruby called her name softly, the girl lifted her head. Her eyes blinked away the excess tears and Weiss gasped.
"B-Blake-?"
The sight of her sister caused the barricade holding back the tears to burst. Weiss reached out with arms that trembled and fingers that curled needfully toward her. "Blake... B-Blake-! Oh, god..."
Ruby ushered the dark-haired girl forward toward the bed, and Blake had already started to cry as well.
"Weiss... Weiss...?"
A gentle pat on her back sent her forward, covering the last foot of distance between her sister and herself.
Blake crawled onto the bed and slipped into her shaking arms. Weiss crushed Blake to her with every ounce of force left in her body. Blake wailed aloud as she did the same, sobbing apologies into her shoulder as Weiss hushed her. A soothing hum emitted from her throat, soft and smooth, and its purpose was to cajole.
Before long, Blake's whimpers had quieted and the tension left her shoulders. She succumbed to slumber she had not gotten last night in Weiss' arms now, just as she had done so many times before in their younger days.
With a silent request in her eyes, Weiss looked to the sisters. They obliged and went to the bed, carefully lying both girls down on their sides. Weiss kept her embrace on Blake, pulling the exhausted girl to her chest and placing a light kiss on her forehead.
The other pair of sisters took their cue to depart, but not before Ruby gave Weiss one last, sweet kiss.
As she was pulling the blankets up over her girlfriend and Blake, Yang sauntered to Blake's side. Leaning down, she kissed the sleeping girl's cheek.
Weiss looked up at her and smiled a little.
"You love her, don't you?"
"Was it that obvious?" Yang chuckled.
"Um, yes?!" Ruby groaned. "See, I told you you should just-"
"It's not that simple, Ruby," Yang muttered. "I... I can't be sure if she-"
"Yang." Both Ruby and Weiss spoke her name then.
Then, Weiss continued alone. "I've known Blake my entire life. I've never seen her in love before. Not until now." Her mist-blue eyes sparkled with reassurance.
Yang shuffled her feet and sighed.
"Yeah, but-"
"Ugh, Yaaaang!" Ruby was exasperated. "You're fine!"
Yang's lavender eyes drifted down to her shuffling feet and she said nothing more.
"Well, either way," Weiss murmured. "Things will work out one way or another. Don't worry, Yang."
The oldest girl met her gaze briefly, gave the slightest nod, and turned away.
Ruby wished them well, declaring she and Yang would be going back to school after the weekend. Weiss wished them goodbye before she curled herself over Blake and closed her eyes at long last.
When Monday came, Ruby and Yang found themselves walking to school alone.
Ruby had received a text message from Weiss that stated she had almost fully recovered, but she and Blake would not be returning to school until the following day.
So for now, the two sisters walked together down the familiar sidewalk.
The atmosphere shifted drastically, however, once they neared the garden.
Yang watched as Ruby stopped walking, staring woefully into the bushes that were sporting tiny blossoms. But no familiar pair of eyes glowed back at her. She heaved a sigh and Yang rested a hand on her shoulder delicately.
"Ruby..."
"Ah. There you two are."
The sisters spun around in surprise as a somewhat familiar voice spoke.
The owner of the house they were in front of at present stood before them, her strawberry-blonde hair tied into a professional-looking bun as she dusted off her formal attire and pushed her glasses up onto her nose.
"Ms. Goodwitch!" Ruby exclaimed in greeting. "Good morning! We were just on our way to school-"
"I'm quite aware of that." Glynda smiled softly. But it soon faded when she saw the grief in their eyes. "I'm also quite aware of what happened here a few days ago. I was still at school at the time, but I was informed of what happened after I'd gotten back. By then you girls had all just been taken home. I'm sorry about what happened." She bowed her head respectfully in a moment of silence.
She had watched these girls grow up together as they passed her house every morning, watched them play with and care for that cat with more love and affection than she could describe. She knew the tragic accident had taken its toll on all of them, and even on Glynda herself in a way.
Presently, she placed one hand on Ruby and Yang's shoulders each, having them look up at her. "Where are the other two?"
Though Weiss and Blake did not attend Beacon like the three of them did, Glynda knew them just as well as if they were her students.
Yang sighed as she answered.
"They're still recovering. They won't be coming back until tomorrow."
Glynda's lips fell into a small frown.
"That's too bad. I've been waiting all weekend for the four of you to come by."
Ruby tilted her head curiously.
"Why's that?"
Glynda's smile soon returned.
"Because I've got something to show you."
A/N: Surprise, surprise.
Ch 5 preview: "Dammit, Weiss, I swear, if you-"
"I haven't told her anything," Weiss snapped. "That's for the two of you to figure out on your own. But Blake has been considering some things aloud at the dinner table over the past few weeks. She's not set her mind on anything yet that I know of, but..." She paused and seemed to change around what she had originally wanted to say, instead swapping it for something else. "Yang, let me just tell you; if you've got something to tell my sister, then you'd best see that you do so before graduation next month."
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