A/N: Hey everyone! Guess who's back? Thank you so much for your patience with this story! I'm hoping to get more updates MUCH faster than three months, but I appreciate all the support and comments given in it's stride. (Also, I finally fixed the formatting issues on this site my bad). I hope you enjoy!
Blake grunted as she collided with her raven-haired leader in the middle of the hallway. It was much too early in the morning to be dealing with that level of energy; she didn't understand where the two sisters got theirs from.
"Hi Blake! Bye Blake!" Ruby called out as she ran past, going back up the stairs to their rooms.
Blake stared for a moment, amber eyes wide as she watched Ruby race up the stairs. The red-hooded girl was clearly in a hurry; for what, Blake didn't know. She loved Ruby dearly, but when she got going, it was hard to keep up sometimes – Yang and Weiss always had a much better hold on the younger girl, for good reason.
Shaking her head, she continued to move, walking through the doorway over to the kitchen, striding over to Yang, wrapping her arms around her partner's waist, pressing her face into her hair.
"Morning Blake!" Yang grinned in response, turning the girl around and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Looks like it's just us today."
"I noticed," Blake rolled her eyes, giving a smirk before letting go of her girlfriend. "I ran into Ruby already – literally – but where's Weiss?"
Yang paused, putting the finishing touches on their breakfast before taking two plates over to the table in the center of the kitchen, motioning for Blake to join her. "Asleep."
Blake blinked. "Weiss…sleeping in? Weiss Schnee? Our Weiss?" That wasn't normal, as far as Blake was concerned. Although Yang and Ruby were much more morning people compared to Weiss and Blake, it was always Weiss that was adamant about setting alarms, making sure she never got too much sleep, lest she become unproductive. When thinking about it, Blake thought it was probably healthy for her to get some extra sleep – she needed it – but it was certainly unlike the heiress.
"Yeah," Yang nodded, taking a bite of her food, closing her eyes to savor it for a moment before continuing. "Ruby's really worried. I told her everything would be alright, but you know how she gets when something involves Weiss. There's no stopping her."
"You're right," Blake nodded, letting out a quiet sigh, ears twitching downward before staring out the window in thought.
Weiss Schnee was such an interesting case for the faunus. Their friendship was something that no one saw coming – Blake most of all. The Schnee Dust Company was corrupt; that in itself was still true to this day. But that was something everyone was painfully aware of, and Blake still held regrets over her initial opinion of Weiss simply based on her father's company – not that the girl had exactly given off the best impression in the beginning herself. But through the two years they had been teammates, the pair held a bond not unlike the bond Ruby and Yang shared. Blake had learned, through their fights – both with and against the other – that Weiss felt with every fiber of her being. She was so similar to Blake, while still being so different, and it was something that brought a new level of understanding between the two. She cared so much, and over time, Blake couldn't help but feel protective of the heiress, which was why she was a little worried about Weiss now.
She knew something was off – even if she couldn't quite pick up what yet – and she had a feeling Ruby was in the right to be worried.
"Blake?" she jumped slightly, Yang's voice bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked back at the blonde, smiling when Yang reached out, intertwining their hands together. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Blake smiled, rubbing her thumb gently across Yang's knuckles. "Just lost in thought. I think…maybe I'll talk to Weiss."
Yang smiled, lilac eyes glowing with understanding. "I get what you're coming from but…let's wait. I trust Ruby to handle Weiss. If there's anything going on, Ruby's the one who'll coax it out of her; we both know that. And besides…today is our day. I want to focus on you. On us."
Blake smiled, nodding once more in response. Yang was right. Even though she was concerned about her friend, Yang was her number one priority, and she couldn't help but be excited to spend some quality time with her lover. It had been a while since they'd had time to go out on their own, with them being so busy with their mission planning and schoolwork.
She stood up, reaching her hand out to her girlfriend, pulling her into a chaste kiss, wrapping her arms around her neck, feeling a shiver down her spine as Yang deepened the kiss.
They parted, and she felt her face flush.
"C'mon Blakey," Yang smirked, blush prominent on her face as well. She always was less suave than she liked to come off as. "Let's go for a ride."
"Urgh…" Weiss shivered as she came to, pulling the cloak around her shoulders closer together. Her entire body ached and as she looked around, she realized she was not in bed with Ruby, and looking at the time, she realized it was noon.
"Shit," she swore out loud, the chuckle from across the room startling her, her hand instinctively falling to her hip, in search for her weapon.
She felt a hand brush hers, calming her down as she felt the soft, yet callused hands of her girlfriend on hers, and a kiss on the back of her neck that sent shivers down her spine.
"It's just me," Ruby whispered into her ear, causing her face to turn as bright red as the cloak that Ruby had wrapped around her in her sleep.
That cloak was a sign of Ruby's trust and love, and it warmed her heart so much, knowing that the only person Ruby would trust with it besides herself was Weiss. At the same time, the knowledge of that trust made her stomach churn in guilt. She hated keeping things from her team, Ruby most of all, and when it came down to it, she did not feel she had earned this trust that Ruby had given her.
Ignoring that negative train of thought, Weiss leaned into Ruby, smiling gently. "Hi, Ruby. What're you doing?"
"Well," Ruby drawled, turning Weiss' chair so she was facing her. "I was a little worried considering my partner was not in bed when I woke up, and instead was sleeping on the uncomfortable desk. It's a little disorientating, especially when she promised to take things easy while here."
Weiss flinched. "Ruby, I had-"
"I know," Ruby interrupted, sharper than intended. "I know you have to deal with the company and...it's fine. It's okay."
"Ruby…" Weiss sighed, placing her hand on the bridge of her nose in frustration. Ruby Rose was quite possibly the worst liar she had ever met, and Weiss knew so many liars to compare to. "It is most certainly not okay. Talk to me."
"Only if you talk to me!" Ruby snapped, frustration escaping outward. She took a step back, breathing in deeply when she saw Weiss' flinch and cursed inwardly. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't raise my voice. I just...you're clearly going through something and you won't talk to me. I notice it Weiss, I notice. And I just wanted to take you out tonight, cause you're clearly stressed and I also kind of wanted you to meet my mom and I just wanted everything to be okay!"
Weiss waited, eyes wide as Ruby trailed off in her rant. It was only on rare occasions that Ruby shared her emotions so clearly - especially when she was feeling something as strong as anger. She had always tried to hide it; not that it ever worked on Weiss. But she was especially caught on Ruby's comment about her mother. And suddenly everything made sense.
"Your...mother?" she asked, tentatively as she stepped closer to Ruby, gently placing her hands in her own, staring up into the silver eyes now glistening with tears. "You wanted me to meet Summer?"
"...that's not the point…" Ruby mumbled, staring at the ground before returning eye contact. "But yeah. I-I know it's weird but...I just, you're important to me, she's important to me, it's dumb."
"Ruby." Weiss interrupted, placing her hand on Ruby's cheek before smiling. "I'll go. I'll meet her."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course."
"Thank you Weiss," Ruby smiled, face flushed slightly before she blinked. "But we're not done with this conversation! You're hiding stuff from me, your girlfriend and that's still not okay!"
Weiss nodded, biting her tongue. She had hoped Ruby would get distracted as she sometimes did and wouldn't push the topic. She turned away, walking outside the door. "We'll get to that eventually. Now go get ready. We have stuff to do."
Ruby sighed loudly, which Weiss tried to ignore as she stared at the window outside. She was lying, and she knew that Ruby was aware of it.
'Sorry Ruby…' she sighed to herself, stomach hurting with guilt and self-loathing, before walking out the door, waiting to meet the other half of the Rose family.
There was a certain thrill that Yang always had when riding her bike; even more so since she convinced Blake to start going out on drives with her. It brought her comfort - being one who was at Beacon for a thrill, she needed something to give her that after studying - and also was simply something that gave her freedom.
Yang never held anything against her family; she was the one who decided to jump in as the caretaker of Ruby when her mother died, but it greatly restricted her freedoms. While kids were out playing, she was teaching herself how to make meals and making sure her little sister was happy. She had no regrets, but as she attended Signal, and now Beacon, freedom was something she really yearned for.
And now that she had Blake, she was able to have that freedom and show off to her beautiful girlfriend, which she was more than okay with.
She kept an eye on the road as she swerved through the familiar pattern of trees to their destination. She loved the clear atmosphere of Patch, and the forest-like environment of her hometown. The main city was great, and she loved being in Vale, but it was the more relaxing being alone in nature. It allowed her to be herself, and deal with whatever she needed to, without dealing with the risk of Ruby or anyone else seeing it.
She chuckled as she spotted her parking spot, in a small closure of trees. She gave herself a mental high five for remembering her secret childhood spot, even after nearly a year of being away from Patch, as she slowed down.
She could feel Blake's ears twitch behind her in confusion, arms squeezing Yang's waist tighter as she came to a stop.
"No need to fear Blakey!" she cheered, turning her head to face her girlfriend with a wide smile on her face. "We're here!"
There was a sudden lack of weight around her, so she hopped off Bumblebee and walked her bike over to her usual spot: next to some boulders that were placed sometime as a child.
"Not that I'm against this," a voice behind her began, making her jump before turning to Blake. "Why are we in the middle of the forest? I thought we were going to the city today?"
Yang shrugged, motioning to the faunus to follow her into the enclave. They still had a bit of a walk to go.
"Yeah, I was going to, but we had a late start due to making lunch," she responded, motioning to the basket she was carrying in her hand, "And besides, Rubes said she wanted us to go to the city tonight to grab supplies for tomorrow anyways, and I figured neither of us wanted to make two trips, so...oh here we are!"
Taking Blake's hand in excitement, she walked them over to a glade where the sunlight was shining. As they walked into the garden, Yang's smile widened as Blake gasped in awe.
Yang still wasn't sure how exactly she had found it, or how such a place existed. But here it was - her secret hideout from her childhood. There were flowers of all colors - ranging from red to blue to purple to orange - and an old abandoned bench nearby. Yang suspected someone used to live close to the glade because of the format and organization, even if the overgrown plants had gotten out-of-control over time. The grass was bright green, as it was in all of Patch, and gave plenty of places for the pair to choose where to sit.
"It's beautiful," Blake whispered, ears standing up as she looking around the area.
"Right?" Yang chuckled, laying out a blanket near the roses. She motioned for Blake to sit down as she pulled out their lunch - simple tuna sandwiches and waters - enough for a meal that would make Blake purr, but not too complicated as to risk being broken on the way. "I used to come here all the time as a kid. I found it one day, and used to come to get away. I love my family more than anything, but sometimes, I just needed some Yang time."
Blake nodded, eyes closing in bliss as she bit into the food. "I can understand that. I just never would have pegged you for someone needing quiet."
Yang chuckled, wrapping her arm around Blake's shoulder, pulling her in closer. "I may be loud and proud, kitten, but even I needed some time away from Rubbles."
She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. "It also was good to deal with everything - especially after what happened with my mom. I had to learn to calm down, something Qrow had taught me, ever since Ruby and I's adventure that almost got us killed."
Blake nodded, deciding not to comment, remembering the story of Yang's childhood she was told in their second semester at Beacon.
"So I would come here. I'd meditate, I'd train, it became important to me," Yang finished, shrugging her shoulders before grabbing her water. "I've never brought anyone else with me before though. Not before today. It's...nice."
Blake's eyes widened. "Really? Not even Ruby?"
"Especially not her. I love Rubbles but...this place would become a training ground for her so fast," Yang smirked, shaking her head at amusement of her little sister, swinging her oversized scythe.
"And besides," She stretched once more, pulling Blake in close to her, kissing her cheek gently. "Us being here, in our own little spot, is like a dream come true. It makes my head buzz with love over you,"
When Blake blushed and rolled her eyes, yet didn't turn away, Yang knew she had won.
"How did I fall for someone as cheesy as you,"
"That's my little secret Blake. I can't tell you."
She winked and as Blake laughed, Yang knew that no moment could be more perfect than any moment with Blake Belladonna in her life.
"Hey Mom," Ruby started, bouncing up and down in nervousness and she stared at the grave in front of her, Summer Rose engraved on its front. She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to come here for a while. I've been at Beacon! Just like you! It's been so great, I have such an amazing team and just like you, I was chosen to be leader. Crazy right?"
She paused, staring up into the orange light in the sky, signaling the evening. "...I really hope I've been able to make you proud Mom…"
She barely whispered the final words, biting her lips as the emptiness and loneliness that always came when thinking of her mother hit.
Ruby barely registered that she was crying until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Ruby?" Weiss asked, pulling Ruby in close into a hug. The pair were silent for a few moments, as Ruby got her thoughts together.
"I'm okay, Weiss," she smiled as she pulled away, ignoring the glare that Weiss shot her in disbelief. She'd tackle that later, she told herself.
"Anyways!" she said, motioning between Weiss and the grave in front of her. "Mom! This is Weiss Schnee, my teammate, best partner in the universe and, get this, she's my girlfriend! She's great!"
Weiss flushed at the introduction, making Ruby's heart skip a beat as she watched her girlfriend step up closer, doing a polite curtsy that made Ruby chuckle. Weiss was really taking this seriously, and she appreciated that.
"Hello, Mrs. Rose," Weiss started, smiling down at the engraved words. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. As your d-daughter told you, I'm Weiss. I do my best for our team, so I'm glad to finally make your acquantence as well,"
Ruby smiled, assuming the conversation was over - she hadn't expected much out of this, it was more sentimental than anything - but Weiss continued.
"You should be proud of your daughter, I know I certainly am," Weiss smiled, glancing over at Ruby, eyes shining with joy. "She's the kindest, most selfless person I've been able to know. She's a great leader; she even puts up with me and her sister-er, no offense ma'am. She's grown so much in the year I know her, and know that I'm honored to be her teammate...and girlfriend."
"Weiss…" Ruby stepped closer to her, gently grabbing her hand and squeezing. Words couldn't describe how happy she was, how that feeling of emptiness was lifted, at least temporarily from her chest. "She's pretty great, right Mom?"
Weiss did one last curtsy before nodding to Ruby, giving her a quick kiss before walking away, giving her some privacy. She knew this meant the world to Ruby, and she had done her best to perform her best in front of Ruby's hero, something Ruby knew she had to repay her for later.
As she walked away, dress blowing gracefully in the wind, Ruby smiled once more.
"I miss you so much…" she said. "But, I know you're always with me, mom. I love you so much. And I'm going to keep making you proud! We're going on our first big hunt as a team tomorrow, and I'm so excited! Team RWBY will be the next Team STRQ, I just know it!"
She bounced in excitement, grinning widely, before coming to a stop, finally placing her mom's favorite flower on the grave.
"Thanks for listening Mom. I'll see you soon," she smiled once more, putting her hood back off before turning around.
With that, Ruby bounced away, jumping on Weiss from behind, ready to go home to prepare.
She knew things were going to only go up from there. This mission was going to be a success and then she and Weiss could work out...whatever it was that they needed to work out.
In her excitement, she just barely missed the flutter of a figure in the distance, sprinting off in the other direction.
"Looks like it's almost time…" the figure muttered to a radio on the other side of the world, smirking before starting its' run to report once more.