Well. Back I am. So sorry it took so long, between traveling to see my best friend (Noa is the best btw), illness, work, and being sucked back into the game The Old Republic, I've had no time! But I sure hope you guys like this chapter. More angst, a bit of fluffy friendliness, and of course, even more angst. Because I'm a jerk. Enjoy! :)
Weiss glared hatefully into those lilac eyes. 'Traitor' her mind whispered. Someone she trusted, someone she loved as a friend, a woman she'd believed in, had betrayed her. The tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her she had struck first, she had screamed such hateful words at a woman who had lost everything, but she quickly shoved that voice back again as she always did when it spoke up. No. This woman was to blame, it was her fault Ruby had gone, and she'd still have Ruby at her side if Yang hadn't failed to stop her from running off! Yes, it was Yang's fault, of course it was!
Something in her mind hit her, a moment where she realized exactly where she was and what was going on. For a brief second, the haze that always seemed to cloud her mind cleared, and she realized she was holding Yang by her hair and yet…Yang's eyes were lilac. Not red. Not a single drop of crimson had flooded into those eyes, though they stared back into her blue ones.
Weiss took a moment to study the woman before her, to actually look at someone who she hadn't seen in eight years. Her hair was matted and tangled, its golden shine dulled to a sickening yellow. Though none of her trademark crimson was in her eyes, they were bloodshot. Her arms hung limply at her sides, the sleeveless garments revealing shoulders and arms crisscrossed with scars, far more than Weiss remembered her having when they were in a team. A team. Her old team, her old times...
"Weiss! You need to try this one, this would look great on you!" Yang gushed as she came running up to Weiss. Weiss glanced over her shoulder, her perusal of new skirts being interrupted by Yang's exuberance. Yang had a wide grin on her face as she darted over, holding a pristine dress in her hands. She quickly held it up against Weiss before the shorter woman could react, before nodding once. "Yeah, you gotta try it on. C'mon, go!"
Weiss had long since given up on trying to argue with Yang when they went shopping, so with a heavy sigh she took the dress and marched into the changing rooms. Though Weiss and Yang's personal tastes in clothing could not be further apart, Yang somehow had this instinctual knowledge of what would look good on her friends and teammates. Weiss had learned to trust her judgement. Running her hands along the soft fabric of the dress Yang had shoved at her, she had to admit it looked beautiful in her hands.
When she finished putting it on, she glanced up at the mirror, her eyes widening. It really did look incredible on her. A soft blue, it hugged her torso, accentuating her slender form without clinging to her. The top was cut just low enough to highlight the gentle curve of her chest, as the thin straps reached up to bind behind her neck in a halter style. She spun about, glancing over her shoulder to see her pale back revealed down to her lower back, leaving her smooth skin on display. A high slit ran up the left leg, letting flashes of her legs appear behind the fabric.
She stepped out of the changing room to stand before Yang, the brawler's eyes going wide as Yang gave a laughing cheer to herself. "I knew it! That looks amazing on you! You have to buy it!"
"I don't know Yang. It looks great, but it seems a waste. It's not like we have many formal events left, it's our last year and the dance already passed…" Weiss trailed off.
Yang brushed it off. "Oh come on! We've got the celebration after we graduate still! You can wear it then! Maybe even impress a certain somebody? Eh?" Yang winked at Weiss, the heiress' cheeks going pink.
"I've no idea what you're talking about!" she huffed as she spun about, crossing her arms over her chest. Four years living with Yang had inured her to her personality though, and she kept her tiny grin well-hidden as Yang chuckled behind her. She went back into the dressing room and began stripping the dress off carefully.
"So how many books do you think our bookworms will have covered the floor with?" Yang asked from outside the dressing room, amusement in her voice.
Weiss rolled her eyes as she sighed. "Considering this is the first break we've gotten in four months? By the time we get back the entire contents of the shelves and Blake's personal collection she hides under the bunk."
"Which one of them?" Yang asked as she held up a shirt in front of her, critically eying it.
"Dust, all of them I'm sure. I've no idea how you can stand letting Ruby read that tripe though."
"She's her own girl, if she wants to read bad ninja smut with Blake she can," Yang replied as Weiss stepped out of the changing room holding the dress. Yang eyed Weiss for a moment, before the heiress sighed and nodded. Yang broke out into a wide grin again, winking at Weiss.
Weiss pointed at Yang. "You know the rules. If I buy this dress, you have to buy something like it too."
Yang nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, I already got it! I found a dress for me too, that's how I stumbled across that one!"
Weiss arched an eyebrow at Yang. "So who are you trying to impress, hmm Miss Xiao Long?"
Yang sputtered, her face going red for a moment before she managed to control herself and glared at Weiss. "No one, Princess!"
"Sure, whatever you say, oaf."
"Oh shut it, Ice Queen."
"Make me, brutish fossil!"
"Fossil? I'm only three months older than you!"
"And thusly you'll always be the old fossil and I'll be the young beauty."
"I'll have you know we Xiao Long's age incredibly well! You should see my father, looks like he's still under thirty!"
"I have seen your father. I've also seen your uncle."
Yang made an hmph noise at that. "Hey, Qrow's a perv, but he's still in his prime too."
Weiss rolled her eyes as she carefully held the dress, gesturing to the desk at the front of the store. "Well? Are we ready to return?"
Yang grabbed up the plastic containing the dress she'd found, along with assorted other articles of clothing she'd found and nodded. "I wanna stop and get a coffee before we return though. I feel like we're gonna need it."
Weiss shrugged as she lay her clothing out at the register, handing her card to the attendant without waiting for the total. "Sure, I could go for some coffee. But to go, we have to get back before curfew or Glynda will have our heads. Again."
Yang chuckled as she pulled out her wallet to pay for her clothing. "Aw, it wasn't that bad, at least it was just training."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "For you, miss 'works out six hours a day', sure. I don't do well with weight training."
"Yeah, you're too scrawny for that. But since Ruby likes you being scrawny like that, guess you won't complain huh?"
Weiss spun about eyes wide as she stuttered. "W-wait, Ruby likes…wait, no! I don't know what you're talking about!" Weiss turned away from Yang and snatched her bags off the counter, stomping to the door as Yang grabbed her own and followed her, chuckling.
Weiss shook her head slightly, clenching her eyes closed tightly for a moment before opening them to glare once more at Yang. Forget that, forget the past, forget it all, Yang had to pay! That's what they said she had to do, that's how she'd get Ruby back. Right, they knew what they were talking about. She could trust them, they'd been the ones there for her when no one else was. They had promised she'd have Ruby back and it was coming true, so of course they were right! Right? But first…payback.
The summoned knight lifted its blade, holding it out wide as though to bring it across in a wide slash. Blake's voice caught in her throat as she tried to scream out, but Pyrrha wasn't frozen. Metal chains scattered about the courtyard flung up and wrapped themselves around the massive creature, tethering it to the ground and nearly dragging the sword from its hands. Weiss growled, and with a peremptory gesture rune circles formed around the chains, glowing a brilliant blue for a brief moment before the metal shattered. The knight quickly flung its right arm out to the side, heading towards Pyrrha's form. She lifted her shield to intercept the blow, the force of it launching her off her feet.
Jaune cried out, throwing his free arm out to grab Pyrrha. His prosthetic lost grip on the wall as her momentum hit him, and the two of them went tumbling to the ground, his leg sparking and hissing as it skidded across the cracked concrete below. Ren began to move forward, but a black glyph formed below his feet and locked him to the ground, preventing him from moving. Not once did Weiss let her eyes leave Yang's as she straightened her shoulders. The knight once again lifted its sword, preparing to swing.
In that moment, Blake, unable to move, barely registered the sounds of a weapon unfolding behind her, or how the air suddenly felt full of static. But a tremendous explosion behind her got her attention, just in time to see a blur shoot forward in a blaze of flame. For a second, Blake's addled mind confused the fire for Yang's, wondering when Yang had moved, but one moment later, as the knight was impacted by the blur, its form shattering into nothingness as it was disintegrated in one blow, Weiss tumbling away as well.
Yang dropped from the wall where she had been held, her legs hitting the ground and instantly buckling, falling to her knees with a loud crunch. She hissed in pain, biting her lip, but just let herself fall the rest of the way, slumping into a sitting posture against the wall. Blake looked up to see a wrathful Nora standing above Weiss, Magnhild at the ready, her face twitching slightly not unlike Weiss'.
Nora snarled at Weiss. "How could you?! Blake has spent years looking for you two and Ruby, and the first thing you do is fucking try to kill Yang?! She's your friend Weiss! So is Blake! And you fucking hurt Jaune and Pyrrha and almost hurt my Ren!" Nora darted down and grabbed one of Weiss' arms, yanking her to her feet and stepping forward into her space. With nearly identical height, their noses were barely a few centimeters apart as Nora glared at the wide-eyed Weiss.
Blake felt a sudden warmth blossom in her chest at Nora's words, reminding her once again that she didn't deserve such wonderful friends as these four. She glanced back to see Pyrrha on her feet, helping Jaune scramble up as he panted. She saw the tremors pass through him as he tried to support himself, but Pyrrha just threw his arm over her shoulder and gave him the solid foundation he needed to stand. Motion from Weiss brought her attention back to the two women before her, seeing Weiss shake her head once, twice, a third time. She brought one hand up to beside her head, the other shaking, as she smacked her palm on the side of her head, a gesture Blake had seen Nora do time and again.
Nora noticed it too, her glare turning into a shrewd glance as she narrowed her eyes at Weiss. She dropped Magnhild, the loud thud of the hammer drawing Weiss' attention to it for a brief moment before Nora planted her hands on Weiss' shoulders, forcing the white-haired woman to look at her. Ice blue eyes full of confusion latched onto Nora's. Nora cocked her head at Weiss and spoke, her voice quiet. "You hear them, don't you?"
Weiss nodded in response. Blake waited with bated breath as she watched Nora, who stood staring at Weiss for a moment, a look of understanding passing over the two women's faces. Nora reached down and grabbed Weiss' hands gently in her own, before pulling them up and covering Weiss' ears with them. She released Weiss' hands, before placing her own over her ears. The two kept their eyes locked for a moment as Weiss stopped shaking. She took a deep breath, the courtyard dead silent, before relaxing her shoulders.
For the first time since she'd arrived, her eyes seemed clear momentarily, although her face still twitched as her gaze scanned over the area. She stopped at Yang's slumped form, biting her lip, before she shook her head again. She looked over and for the first time in eight years, she saw Blake.
Amber and blue met, as Blake's eyes welled with tears. Weiss rocked back slightly, her expression unsure as she stared. Nora placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder, making her jolt, before giving her a small push towards Blake.
Weiss stumbled as she walked, leaving Myrtenaster behind on the ground where it had been thrown from her hand, but she managed to make it to a few feet before Blake's kneeling form. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but her head twitched and she closed her eyes tightly. She took in another deep breath, before looking down at Blake. "H-hi," she managed to choke out, before words failed her again. Ren came up beside her, looking down at Blake pityingly.
"Weiss, come with me. You should rest," he said, sharing a glance with Nora who nodded. She quickly grabbed Magnhild and Myrtenaster, before following after Ren. Blake opened her mouth as if to speak to her, still desiring to apologize for earlier, but Nora shook her head at her with a soft smile. She bent down for a brief moment to speak to Blake softly.
"It's ok Blake. You're forgiven. Gotta stick together, right? You can handle it, I believe in you! Now go get your partner." Nora straightened up and with a tiny nudge on Blake's shoulder, marched off after Ren who was leading a silent Weiss away.
Blake looked over to see Yang, still slumped against the wall, the bottle she had been holding currently held up to her face as she drained it. She shook it for a moment, before sighing, giving the bottle a weak toss. It hit the concrete on its side, but the throw had so little force in it the bottle just slid across the ground, skidding until it hit a crack in the concrete and rolled over it, getting stuck in the small dip it created.
Blake stumbled to her feet, shuffling slowly over towards Yang. As she got near, her nose was hit with the incredibly powerful scent of alcohol. She nearly felt drunk just from the scent. For her part, Yang slowly lifted her head to look up at the approaching Blake. Blake had lost track of how many times she'd choked back a gasp today, but this time she couldn't resist letting it out.
Yang's eyes, once such a clear lilac, were bloodshot and blurry. Her right eye was blackening, the bruise spreading across her face rapidly, turning pale, dirty skin to a dark color. Her lip was split, blood trickling down her chin, dripping off it to fall into her lap. As she glanced at Blake, a spark of recognition flared as she mumbled in a raspy voice. "Hi Blake."
Blake gulped, feeling so many emotions flooding through her at once she wasn't sure what she was feeling anymore. But she was determined that this meeting would go better than the one with Weiss. "H-hello, Yang." Inwardly she winced. Who the hell just says 'hello' to someone they'd not seen in eight years?
"I look like shit, I know," Yang commented. She gave a humorless chuckle. "You got anything to drink around here?"
Blake straightened up. "O-of, of course! I mean, I can get you some water, and we have some juice somewhere-"
"That's not what I meant and you know it. You're not that stupid Blake, unless things have changed that much," Yang's tone was drained and tired as she replied to Blake.
Blake felt like she had been slapped from Yang's words, and her jaw dropped. "I…I…" She mentally slapped herself. Now wasn't the time to be getting insulted by Yang's insinuations. Yang was still hurting and upset and drunk, no need to blame her. "W-well, you really shouldn't be-"
"Shut…up," Yang warned, making Blake jerk back in shock. "I don't care what I should or shouldn't be doing, got that?" Blake's mouth dropped open at the openly hostile tone in Yang's voice, her eyes flaring red for the briefest of moments. "I spent eight years thinking my baby sister was dead, and now you people fucking come around telling me she's alive or whatever. I sure hope you're right, because when I find her, if she doesn't have a damn good explanation, I'm going to break her fucking face. So, believe me when I say, I need a fucking drink."
Blake was saved having to respond by Pyrrha's timely arrival, the red-haired woman reaching down and hauling Yang to her feet. "I'll find you something. Let me show you to your room."
Blake just watched as Pyrrha helped Yang stumble away. Pyrrha turned around and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Blake as she tried to help Yang walk away, leaving Blake stunned. A hitch clack noise from behind alerted her to Jaune's presence behind her.
"I'm sorry that this went like this, Blake," he said, his voice contrite.
Blake shook her head in negation. "No. I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't want to believe it. I…I don't know…I don't know what to do now. How do I fix this? Jaune, what do I do?!"
Jaune placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a squeeze as he leaned slightly on her. She reset her stance automatically, used to the position. The two of them would often stand like this, late into the night, looking up at the sky and just talking, going over their day. Sometimes they'd talk about their worries and fears, just the two of them. Jaune didn't want to burden Ren, not with how much Ren had to work through to help Nora, nor could he talk to Pyrrha when half of them featured his worries about his relationship with her.
For Blake's part, she found Jaune to be the perfect, attentive listener. He'd just listen as she spoke to him about her mission, about her wish to have her team whole again, and never discouraged her. It was nice, having someone who'd just be there by you and would listen.
He sighed. "I don't know, Blake. I really don't know. Maybe…maybe it'll get better after a little while. It's been eight years. Nora can help Weiss I'm sure. Whatever's wrong with her, seems to be a lot like Nora's problem."
"Ren said Weiss was vivisecting and torturing the Grimm. Nora didn't do that."
"Nora has a hammer. Weiss has a rapier. Weapon probably had something to do with that. Nora did break the legs of every Grimm she found after all."
Blake had no idea why that made her giggle, but something about that memory, about that line, reminded her of the first time she'd ever said that. Jaune's dry chuckle beside her made her realize he had thought the same as her, the two of them sharing a tiny laugh for just a brief moment. She sighed, taking a deep breath after. "We probably shouldn't be laughing at that."
Jaune shrugged. "We probably shouldn't do a lot of things. Doesn't seem to stop us."
Blake smiled, a genuine smile as she glanced up at Jaune. A single tear trickled out of her eye as she sniffled slightly. "Thank you. For being here."
Jaune glanced down at his leg, and flexed his other arm for a moment, before giving a rueful half laugh. "Not easy for me to go anywhere else, really."
Blake gave him a gentle push in the shoulder, before straightening up. "I guess we should head in. Let's get you back to your room."
Jaune nodded, shuffling forward with the same clanking noises as Blake walked beside him. "Maybe tomorrow will be better."
Blake closed her eyes tightly, squeezing them together before taking a deep breath. "I hope so, but I doubt it right now."
"Have hope, Blake. Don't give that up. It's kept you going this long. I'm sure it'll serve you well."
