~~AAAND START!~~ (The Forge)

The fogged window muted dawn's first light, creating the perfect mellow wake-up call. Blake rolled out of bed and landed nimbly next to Yang.

A serious expression lay on Yang's face as she slept—one Blake would never have guessed would be there. She had expected something more relaxed and couldn't help but wonder what Yang had gone through to deprive her of that.

There were a lot of things Blake didn't know about Yang. Before, she would have been fine with that, but as time went on, she found herself listening a little more intently every time Yang mentioned something about herself.

"Harmless" curiosity about a strange human was turning into just plain curiosity about Yang, and she knew that couldn't possibly be a good thing.

Yang stirred. "Mm… Morning, Blake," Yang mumbled, stretching out on the floor's fur rug. "You're up early today."

Blake rolled her eyes. She woke up at the same time every day. "Good morning." She quickly changed into her day clothes and put Gambol Shroud on her back. "Ready to train?" Turning around, she found Yang lying on her side, trying to turn away from the light.

"Give me five minutes?"

Blake rolled her eyes for the second time that morning and tossed Yang's leather jacket and tasset near her. Both of them knew it was never just five minutes.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up," Yang groaned.

After eating a quick breakfast and taking care of Bumblebee, who had grown quite used to Blake, the two left towards their usual area for some aura training. Yang was improving very quickly. It was as if she didn't simply control the fire, she became the fire. It was captivating… but still not enough for her to win in anything yet.

Even so, time went fast. "Wow, it's already almost time for lunch," Yang whistled. She stretched out her shoulder as she looked at the sun. "So, any idea of what you want to eat?"

"Fish," Blake answered without thinking. Was that even a question?

"Um, Blake, it's not like I don't like fish, but we've had that for almost every meal since I've been here."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "What's your point?"

"Can we eat something else, please?"

She knew this was bound to come up sooner or later but she hoped she could keep having fish for at least a few more days. It was so good it wasn't fair. She wasn't going to allow herself to just give it up. "How about this, Yang? If I win the next spar, we keep having fish."

Yang brightened. Ever the optimist, she was definitely up for the challenge. "Alright, but if I win, no fish for a week."

That was, in a word, unacceptable. "Deal."

"Bring it on, Blakey!"

Blake unsheathed her weapon in a fluid yet calculated move. Feeling confident, she mirrored Yang's smirk. This time, neither of them was going to wait around.

Light bloomed in the middle of the clearing when they clashed. The sound of metal, the roar of flame, the buzz of electric current… They fell into the complex rhythm of combat. Adrenaline invigorated the two and whether they were locked in a heated exchange or circling each other looking for weakness, there was a hum in the air that didn't come from Blake's aura. Most of all, it was fun.

Blake almost couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. It was freeing. She could tell Yang having a good time as well; she wouldn't stop smiling. Immersing herself back into the fight, Blake defended against a two hit combo and returned the aggression. Gambol Shroud conversed with Ember Celica in a passionate debate of who was stronger… but one of them held back.

Blake knew that if she could draw the fight out long enough, Yang would burn herself out. Sure enough, a while later, her response to the attacks started to slow and her defense lessened in fortitude. Blake saw her chance and took it without a second thought. The image of her victory meal popped into mind and spurred her onwards.

Blake propelled herself forwards and the Yang took the bait, shifting her balance to meet the attack. Before the two collided, Blake used her semblance to create a clone and veered off in a wide circle just outside of her peripheral vision. When Yang realized it was a clone, it was too late. Blake's blade was already pressuring her jugular to add to the forest's color scheme.

Normally, they would have stopped the spar here. Blake waited for her opponent to admit defeat, but the admission didn't come. Perplexed, she was about to speak when Yang's aura faltered unexpectedly. She had literally burned herself out. Drops of vermillion stained the blade along with the addition of a single strand of golden hair. The two froze.

Yang looked down. One beat. Two. Three beats passed.

A scream made Blake's second set of ears strain against her bow in an instinctive attempt to lay flush against her head and she jumped back as a firestorm erupted from Yang. She spun around, burning a furious gold. Instead of lilac, Blake's eyes met red. Glowing red. If Grimm had souls would they, too, burn like this?

"Blake…" Yang's voice was a low growl. "What. The hell?" Something was barely tangible in this moment. Murderous intent. Out of all the times Blake had experienced it before, it hadn't truly inspired fear. Not until now. Maybe it was because she hadn't cared enough to feel it. That alone inspired its own fear.

Blake took a step back. Yang blasted forward.

When she blocked a right hook, Blake realized that Yang's aura still felt the same. She was still her; this was no mishap or abomination.

Everything clicked in that moment. "Yang."

"What?" Yang snarled.

"Your semblance… this is it."

Yang froze, startled. She blinked twice—the second time, lilac returned. A brilliant smile graced her lips. Her anger had flown off with the breeze stirring the canopies.

She gestured around, looked at Gambol Shroud, and laughed.

It was then Blake found beauty in the burning gold. She didn't have long to admire it, however, for the blonde collapsed backwards into the grass with her flames extinguished. The small cut on her throat had already healed, leaving a bit of dried blood, which her scarf easily covered.

"Yang?" Blake walked over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just…" Yang took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were playful. "I guess I won."

Blake grimaced, having completely forgotten about their deal.

Yang took one look at her and laughed again, pumping a fist into the air. "We're having rabbit today!"

/-/-/-/

Yang sat at the table with Blake. It had taken her a while to trap a rabbit, so they had to wait until dinner to eat it. As a result, Blake got to have her fish one last time. Yang had never been praised for not catching something before… but it made Blake happy so she was glad it worked out. One more meal of fish hadn't killed her.

The rabbits in Forever Fall had red fur to blend in with their surroundings. Yang wrinkled her nose in disgust when she remembered that Weiss's coat was lined with the stuff. Then, she got to thinking about Ruby. Finally, her appetite was gone almost as soon as her mouth had started to water.

She wondered if her sister was doing okay, if the assassin hadn't wounded her too badly, if Weiss hadn't been overly cold to her, and if she wasn't mad or worried about her leaving. She thought about it every night after she combed her hair. Even if staying with Blake was enjoyable, she knew she couldn't stay here forever.

Yang had come to get answers and she had stayed to get her aura under control, not to master it. She knew she should leave now that she had accomplished all that. It had been about a week and a half since she'd left.

A lot can happen in a week and a half.

Yang looked up to see Blake looking at her from behind a book with a slightly raised eyebrow.

She cleared her throat. "Uh, Blakey?"

Blake put down her book. "Yes?"

"Thank you for letting me stay here and train with you. I'm glad you saved my life."

Blake looked perplexed. "You're welcome…"

"But, I can't stay any longer. Ruby's probably worried about me. I have to get back."

Blake looked at her for a long time.

Yang felt a little guilty that it looked like she just came here to get what she wanted and leave. Well, she did, but…

Finally, she got a reply. "Aren't you going to eat first?" Blake had picked up the book again, but was still looking at her.

"Oh, uh, y—yeah!" Yang began shoveling food into her mouth.

"Yang?"

"Mhm?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about aura when I unlocked yours. You had a right to know."

Yang shrugged and swallowed her food. "Don't worry about it."

Blake nodded and added quietly, "But, you probably shouldn't tell anyone about aura. People aren't… the most receptive to it."

"Why's that? Aura's awesome! If everyone had it, the Grimm would be running from us!"

"That may be true, but no one really knows about it. You might be mistaken for a witch."

That made sense, but it begged the question... "Then, how do you know about it?"

"I was raised outside of the kingdoms. If you can't fight, you can't survive," Blake said curtly. There was a ghost of a frown on her face as she began to read again.

"Oh." Yang knew she shouldn't pry about Blake's past and decided to leave it at that.

/-/-/-/

Blake watched Yang mount Bumblebee. There wasn't really anything left to say and she didn't try to come up with something.

Yang approached her on her horse. "So, this is it, huh?"

"Yeah. This is it." Would this be the last time they'd meet? A week and a half ago, she would have been happy to never see this human again, but now…

"Thanks again, Blakey. For everything."

Blake looked down for a moment. The nickname stopped bothering her a while ago and she actually found it endearing. That made it more uncomfortable than something meant to be demeaning. She was used to that from humans. She wasn't used to this.

"You're welcome, Yang."

For a moment, Yang just looked at her as if she was trying to draw up the courage for whatever she had to say. "Uh, Blake? I was thinking..."

"Oh, no."

The adventurer laughed and drew herself up. "No, really! I was hoping we'd… um… meet again?" She paused. "I guess what I'm saying is, do you want to be friends?"

Blake's eyes widened. Sure, she'd had partners and acquaintances, but, a friend? Had she ever had such a thing? Did she want it? She was far beyond worrying about Yang's trustworthiness at this point and… Blake supposed that if she did, in fact, want a friend then Yang would be her best option.

"Is that a no?" Yang's face was falling fast.

Blake took a deep breath, shook her head, and smiled. "No, I think I'd like that."

Yang beamed. "Great! I'll see you again. Soon."

Blake felt a little bit of pride at being the cause of that absolutely radiant grin. She normally took those away from people. "Okay. Goodbye, Yang."

"Bye, Blakey!" And at that, she rode out of Forever Fall.

Blake watched until she disappeared into the mist then found her way back inside. The first thing she did was remove her bow and flex the stiffness from her ears. The second thing she did was open a chest at the foot of her bed and take out another ribbon to tie on.

A red and white mask stared at her from the depths of the container. She wondered what Yang would do if she knew about her past. She was determined not to let her find out. Tying the new ribbon on over her ears, she sighed and sat at the table. It was quiet. That didn't really bother her, though, and she began to read from where she left off earlier.

But beginning was all she could do. Focus seemed to elude her and instead, her mind drifted back to Yang.

She contemplated how long "soon" could really be.

~~AAAND STOP!~~

AN: A little short but also adorable. I should warn you... a Weisspocalypse is on its way. Be prepared, for the storm stops for no one.

NEXT: Black, and White Highlights