A/N: Hi everyone, woohoo, got another chapter posted just for you guys! I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I decided to write and post this story but I am genuinely loving the ride so far. Thank you so much for your support and for reading my story. I loved writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Please keep reviewing/commenting - it makes me happy :) Thank you! I also wanted to give a shout out to "Uft" my biggest supporter who has been cooking and feeding me delicious food all weekend just so I would have the time to write. Thanks babe.

Chapter 7: The Calm Before the Storm

"Soooooo Princess…how was your night of passion with Blakey? Enquiring minds want to know! Details, Ice Queen, details!"

Blake choked on her jasmine tea and began coughing violently, all traces of her fatigue dissipating as her amber eyes glared daggers at Yang who pointedly chose to ignore her in favour of wrapping an arm around Weiss whose face had turned an impressive shade of red even as everyone else at the table cowered and ducked at the first tell-tale sign of a Weiss Schnee meltdown.

Weiss angrily shrugged off Yang's arm and shot to her feet, her ice blue eyes terrifyingly cold as she fixed her gaze on Yang, fury emanating in waves from the heiress.

"Yang Xiao Long! Truly you are the scourge of humanity! You're a menace…a plague…a…a blight to all of civilization!" Weiss slammed her metal food tray so forcefully against the table it splintered into pieces, causing her yoghurt to splash onto Jaune as her coffee spattered all over her from its broken mug and everyone held their breath as they watched the shiny red apple rolling merrily along the table until it came to a stop…right in front of Blake. Her amber eyes snapped towards ice blue and they locked gaze.

The entire food hall was silent except for the continuous drip of Weiss' spilled coffee. No one dared to breathe or move.

"That bad huh?" Yang stage-whispered loud enough for the whole room to hear as Ruby frantically tried to shush her sister.

Trembling with rage, Weiss speared Yang with another Schnee death glare and without another word, stormed off. Ruby groaned and banged her head against the table. It was just way too early for this.

"What!?" Yang protested as Blake scowled and stood, vigorously wiping tea stains from her uniform to no avail. Sighing, she gave up and grumpily muttered something about changing before she too left the food hall.

"You know, Sis? I was hoping we would have some peace since Weiss and Blake seemed to be fighting less but…," Ruby sighed heavily.

"Awwww, Baby Sis! Don't worry, now that Blakey and Ice Queen are in lurrrrrve, they'll totally achieve world peace in no time!" Yang affectionately ruffled her sister's hair as she continued to devour her gigantic stack of pancakes.

Blake could feel a blush staining her cheeks as she began her slow trek back towards her dorm room. She just could not understand what was going on with her the last couple of days. Why can't she stop thinking about Weiss Schnee? Okay, that one was easy. Accidentally or not, she had almost killed her and Blake was a good person with a conscience so it made sense that her guilt and moral compass would repeatedly direct her thoughts to the heiress.

What Blake couldn't figure out was why she kept breaking into cold sweat or why her heart rate would speed up like a runaway train every time she so much as looked at Weiss. And why the hell can't she stop thinking about the heiress' striking ice blue eyes? No, ice blue doesn't quite do them justice…cobalt then? Cerulean maybe? No…azure, definitely azure, she decided. Really, Blake? Arguing with yourself about her eye colour now? What is happening to me?

Blake shut the dorm room door and immediately looked up at the clock. 10 minutes before her first lecture. Damn it, Yang! She groused as she decided there wasn't enough time to change in the bathroom and hurriedly stripped off her blazer and shirt, dumping the stained clothing on her bed as she rummaged in her wardrobe for a fresh blazer and shirt.

Deep in thought, she had barely shrugged into the new shirt when the bathroom door suddenly burst open with no warning and Blake let out an undignified shriek as she was caught off-guard even as her amber eyes stared wide-eyed at Weiss Schnee's toned stomach and her…her…

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Blake! What in Remnant are you doing in here!" Weiss screeched, her open shirt flapping at her sides as she stumbled backwards and hit the floor hard just as she saw Blake raising her arm to shield her eyes as she too tripped over her own feet and crashed in front of the wardrobe. They both scrambled to their feet at once, Weiss sprinting back towards the bathroom and attempting to open…the…damn…door! And Blake desperately rattling the wardrobe knob to within an inch of its life, all in vain. Both doors remained stubbornly close. The silence was deafening as both girls slowly turned around to face each other, faces identically crimson as they both held on to the front of their shirts as if their lives depended on it.

"So…sorry, Weiss! I didn't realise someone else was in the room!" Blake wheezed, her heart pounding so thunderously she could barely hear her own high-pitched apology.

"I…I…," Weiss stammered, her eyes immediately drawn towards Blake's skin peeking out from her shirt even as she swallowed hard and tried her damnedest to stop staring. Like what you saw? What!? It's the stress of the situation! I'm under duress! Weiss defended herself to her annoying pompous mind. Sure, sure. Oh, shut up!

Before they could say anything else, their heads snapped towards the door as they heard Yang's distinctive heavy footfalls and her cheerful whistling. Matching looks of utmost horror etched onto their faces, they both raced towards the door, the terror at the literal hell and endless teasing they would have to endure from Yang spurring them on…so close…so close…almost there…

The door banged open just as Blake and Weiss skidded to a halt, their momentum so great Blake crashed into Weiss' back and they both went down in a tangle of limbs, Weiss' head ending on Blake's chest as she squeezed her eyes shut, wishing death would come and claim her right this very instant.

A brief silence before Yang snorted and started laughing at the sight that greeted her, huge booming guffaws that rattled the door frame as Blake slowly sat up, one arm around Weiss as the heiress obstinately kept her eyes closed.

"It's…it's not what it looks like, Yang!" Blake growled in indignation.

Yang laughed harder, her entire body shaking with mirth as she wiped tears from her eyes. Casually, she whipped out her scroll just as Weiss bravely opened her eyes.

Snap! Snap!

"Yang Xiao Long, don't you dare!"

Yang glanced at her handiwork and gave her teammates her best shit-eating grin.

"Well ladies, I came to apologise but I can see that was unnecessary. As they say, improvement comes with practice!" She winked salaciously at the dumbfounded pair. "And oh, nice touch coordinating your…lingerie…I like the monochromatic theme!" Her obnoxious laughter echoed throughout the corridor as Yang sauntered off.

"Please just kill me," Weiss muttered.

"No, let's kill her!" Blake proposed.

"Of course you would defend the SDC! Why should it matter that they're nothing but a gang of bloodthirsty, vicious, money-hungry, Faunus-abusing cowards operating under the guise of a corporation!" Blake's amber eyes glowed with anger, her fists clenched tight as she bared her teeth in a snarl.

"Where is your evidence of this so-called mistreatment of the Faunus? The SDC employs Remnant's biggest Faunus workforce. Without us, all those Faunus you're so terribly fond of would have no jobs and starve!" Weiss furiously countered, her rage so great it was a struggle to contain her temper.

"Evidence!? Are you really that ignorant? Or are you just turning a blind eye because it's your family raining hell on Faunus everywhere? Don't be so naïve! Are the thousands of tortured dead Faunus bodies not proof enough!?"

"How dare you! Don't bring my family into this! Who do you think you –"

"What? Hit a bit too close to home? Do you have any idea the kind of torment you Schnees unleash on the Faunus in the mines? How many senseless deaths you have caused because of your barbaric practices!?"

"Enough! I am sick and tired of listening to your lies and slander, Blake! Who made you the defender of the Faunus, huh? Why are you so interested in those murderers and terrorists? You dare call the SDC abusers? What about all the assassinations and cold-blooded murders the Faunus committed over and over again? Huh? They revel and celebrate each time they kill an innocent person! Why don't you defend that, you idiot!"

"The White Fang is not the Faunus! Get that right, Heiress!"

"Stop defending murderers and animals, Blake!"

"They are not animals! That's the problem right there with humans! All the Faunus ever wanted was equal rights and to be treated just like any person!"

As they shouted each terrible accusation, Weiss and Blake unconsciously gravitated towards each other until they stood merely inches apart, both trembling with the effort it took not to accidentally unleash their Auras.

Up close, Blake could see how upset the heiress really was. Blake knew Weiss had exceptional self-control and was unrivalled in her ability to mask her true emotions at all times, not to mention her complete mastery in schooling her facial expressions to mirror whatever she chose to portray to the world.

And so Blake was stunned to witness the depth of the anguish and the profound sadness that lurked beneath the heiress' azure eyes. She looked shattered. This was the face of someone who had known unspeakable pain. Involuntarily, Blake sucked in her breath with a soft hiss but that was enough to snap the heiress out of her momentary lapse of focus as she carefully rearranged her expression into one of impassivity and cool detachment, her armor firmly locked into place once more. It was fleeting, but Blake knew what she saw and she felt her stomach lurched, suddenly feeling sick and she bit her lip so savagely she tasted blood.

Weiss knew better than to ever let her guard down and reveal what she really felt. She berated herself viciously for her mistake and it was a mistake because she knew Blake saw her pain, no, her weakness. She had no defense for this. None! She had been trained since childhood to never show any weakness or vulnerability. Even now, her Father's lessons hammered mercilessly into her mind where she stood until she felt near tears at the memories of the relentless tirades her Father drilled into her.

Furious with herself for her lack of discipline and her error in exposing her emotions in public and suddenly feeling exhausted to her bones, Weiss held her head high as she confidently walked towards Professor Goodwitch at the front of the classroom. Noting the utter silence, Weiss subtly glanced around and wished she hadn't. Everyone knew about the countless assassinations and murders of the Schnee family members. One by one, each death had been plastered all over the news and papers for all to see. Her Schnee pride could not bear to see the pity, the shock and the occasional self-satisfied looks on her classmates' faces. Weiss mouthed a silent apology as she walked past Velvet Scarlatina, her rabbit ears drooping as she gave Weiss a sympathetic nod.

"Professor Goodwitch, I apologise for my…lack of restraint in today's debate. I assure you that I meant no disrespect and my opinions are entirely my own and are in no way a reflection of my family's or the SDC's thoughts in this matter," Weiss' voice was strong and polished with not even the slightest hint of emotion in it. "I also hate to impose Professor, but may I please be excused for the rest of today?" she asked quietly, lifting her chin to look directly into Professor Goodwitch's eyes. It took everything Weiss had not to flinch at the understanding and empathy reflecting in her favourite Professor's eyes.

"You may be excused, Miss Schnee," she said softly.

Weiss took her time walking out of the classroom, her face serene and expressionless and her gait dignified and self-assured as if she had not just allowed her enemy to witness her heartbreak.

Watching that small lonely figure walking out of the classroom broke something inside Blake and she unknowingly began to run down the classroom, determined to chase after the heiress.

"Miss Belladonna! Where do you -," Professor Goodwitch began sternly as Blake threw her an apologetic look as her long legs carried her out of the classroom.

"You take Weiss and I'll take Blake?" For once, Yang's face was serious, her lilac eyes sombre and solemn.

Ruby shook her head. "No, I'll take Blake and you take Weiss. Okay? Trust me, Sis."

"Always, Baby Sis."

Outside the classroom, the sisters parted ways; Ruby activating her semblance as a flurry of roses swirled gently in the corridor as Yang glanced at her scroll, wondering if she should start with the library or their dorm room.

End Notes: Sorry to begin this chapter with hilarity only to end it on a sombre note - but come on, I gave you monochromatic lingerie! Eh? ;)