Guess who's back?! I am so, so sorry for not updating sooner, but exams really have been an absolute bummer. But hey, I have a new chapter right here, so be happy!
I think I might as well tell you here, but I'm afraid that White Rose will not exist in terms of being lovers. This is because Weiss will be the same age as Yang, which means that she will be several years older than Ruby. I'm NOT saying that White Rose will not exist at all, but it will exist more in the sense of Ruby finding another older sister basically. (So it will be super adorable, because older Weiss will get all flushed by young Ruby's insane cuteness!) I won't reveal what part Weiss has in this story yet though. You'll have to read the chapter to find out!
Without further ado: Chapter 6!
Yang whistled cheerfully as she fumbled in her pockets for the keys to the house. Jaune and Pyrrha had allowed her to leave work early, as business was rather slow that day. She just couldn't wait to flop down onto the sofa and watch some television. The blonde unlocked the door, opened it and stepped through.
"Ruby, Blake, I'm back!" Yang called cheerfully, as she placed her keys down on the kitchen table.
When she got no reply, her smile dimmed slightly, as she made her way to the living room. Her smile came back at full stretch once she saw that Ruby and Blake had fallen asleep on the sofa watching TV again
"So adorable," said Yang softly to herself.
At that moment, Ruby's scroll buzzed, and Yang could see the message that she had been sent as the screen briefly lit up.
The smile was wiped off her face when she saw what had been sent to Ruby.
Blake jolted awake as she heard a rather loud angry shout. Ruby woke similarly, although she also let out a startled gasp as she did this.
The Faunus turned around and she saw Yang holding a scroll, an expression of pure fury on her face.
"Yang!" exclaimed Ruby. "What's wrong?"
Yang said nothing, but held up Ruby's scroll, screen facing her and Blake.
Blake felt anxious as Yang looked like she was going to crush the scroll any second.
Ruby's eyes widened and Blake's followed suit.
On the screen, was a picture of Ruby's scars, with the caption: 'Look at me I'm Ruby Rose and I self-harm because I'm pathetic and attention seeking!' The sender of the message was unknown.
"Uhh…" said Ruby, looking down at the floor, not meeting her sister's eyes.
"This isn't the first message either by the looks of it…" Yang's voice was relatively quiet, but Blake could tell that Yang could start shouting at any moment.
"I-" began Ruby, but she was quickly cut off.
"Why didn't you tell me? Do you not trust me?" Yang asked shakily.
There was both anger and pain in her eyes.
"Of course I trust you Yang…" muttered Ruby quietly. "It's just… the last time that someone bullied me; you went and broke their legs… And that didn't solve anything…"
"Okay, true... But we can't just do nothing either!" exclaimed Yang.
Ruby turned to Blake, a pleading look in her eyes. Blake sighed, before speaking up.
"On the one hand, you being bullied is a serious matter Ruby," said Blake, looking at the brunette, who nodded her head. "But I don't think violence is the answer… So I would suggest maybe getting Ruby a tutor or something…"
A short silence followed Blake's suggestion, which left the Faunus worried that she might have said the wrong thing.
"I mean, that probably sounds silly, but-"Blake began.
"No…" said Yang, cutting her off. Blake was relieved to see a smile on the blonde's face. "That's a good idea actually, there's someone who I know that can help us out, and it's just my luck that she actually owes me a favour…"
Yang then looked at Ruby. "Is that alright with you Rubes?"
"Yeah," said Ruby, nodding with a smile.
"Alright, it's sorted then!" said Yang, her anger seemingly dissipating. "Good job Blakey," she said with a giggle.
Blake fought off a slight blush at the affectionate name. It felt kind of… satisfying when Yang called her that.
She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head. She shouldn't have been thinking about such things.
"Hey Weiss, come on in!" said Yang, fully opening the door, and allowing a girl, who looked the same age as the blonde, inside the house. She had white hair, and clear blue eyes.
Blake was standing at the kitchen sink, washing some vegetables. She turned round and her eyes widened as she realised who this was.
Weiss Schnee…
The heiress to the biggest mining company in all of Remnant. The same company that enslaved Faunus and treated them like shit.
If Blake wasn't so shocked, she probably would have laughed at how ironic this all was.
"We're definitely even now, right?" asked the Schnee Mining Company heiress, narrowing her eyes at Yang.
"Yup!" said the blonde cheerfully.
Blake was curious as to what favour the Schnee would owe Yang, but she knew that it probably wasn't any of her business.
"Good," said Weiss, with a tight lipped smile. "So where is Ruby then?"
"Oh, she's just upstairs," said Yang. "She's a little scared because… Well, because she's Ruby," she added with a little giggle.
A smirk formed on Weiss' face, but it quickly faded, Blake noticed, as her gaze fell on the Faunus.
"Can you get your slave to prepare me some coffee?" the white haired girl asked bluntly.
Blake felt a jolt of indignation, but she reminded herself that not every human was like Yang and Ruby.
She could see that Yang was slightly uncomfortable with the current situation, as the blonde didn't react for several seconds.
"Earth to Yang," said Weiss with a frown, patronisingly waving a hand in front of Yang.
"Wuh? Oh sorry," said the blonde quietly. She looked towards Blake with a guilty expression on her face. "Blake, can you make some tea for Weiss please?"
The Faunus nodded, turning back to the kitchen, and she filled the kettle with water, ready to be boiled.
"It'll be done in five minutes," said Blake, not looking back at Yang or Weiss.
"Where are your manners?" Weiss snapped, and Blake turned around, eyes widened. "Don't you know to look at your superiors when speaking to them?"
Before Blake could reply or even react properly, Yang thankfully came to her rescue, grabbing Weiss by the hand and taking her out of the kitchen.
"Come on Weiss, I'll go and introduce you to Ruby!" she said quickly.
Blake turned back around to face the kitchen counter. Sure, she had been shocked at first, but that was only because Yang and Ruby had never spoken to her like that before. But what else would she expect from the heiress of the Schnee Mining Company?
Several minutes later, the kettle had boiled, and Blake had prepared Weiss' tea. She was half tempted to spit in it or something, but she decided against it. That would be a pathetic way of 'getting back' at the snob. Anyway, she doubted that Yang would approve either, if she were to tell the blonde her idea.
But even if she was going to spit in Weiss' cup, she wouldn't have told Yang about it anyway, so she had no idea where that thought had come from.
As she walked upstairs with the cup and saucer in hand, she saw Yang heading back down.
"Blake…" said Yang softly, just as the two were about to pass each other.
"Yang, if you're going to apologise on Weiss' behalf, don't," said Blake, looking at Yang directly in the eyes. "You've done nothing wrong…"
The blonde seemed like she was going to argue against it for a minute, but instead, she just nodded, and continued down the stairs.
Blake made her way up to Ruby's room, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She opened her eyes again, and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" came Ruby's cheerful reply.
Blake opened the door, and saw that Ruby and Weiss were sat at the desk, with various books and pieces of paper lying around everywhere.
The brunette turned around from the desk, and smiled brightly at Blake. The Faunus was hesitant to smile back in the presence of the Schnee heiress, but she nonetheless gave Ruby a quick smile, before setting down the tea on the desk near Weiss.
"Your tea, miss," said Blake politely, her old instincts kicking in.
"You can go now,' said Weiss bluntly, waving her away. Rather rudely, Blake could have added.
But without a complaint, Blake exited the room.
It seemed that whenever things started looking up, something else always had to ruin it. Blake had to say that she had been certainly content with how things were currently going. She would never admit it to Yang, but the hug that she had received from the blonde was fresh in Blake's memory. Of course, the main reason for this was because she had secretly longed for someone, anybody, to show some affection towards her. And with Yang being the first to do so, the memory was still ever present.
But of course, Weiss Schnee of all people had to come in and start breaking the peace that was in the house.
Blake was currently chopping vegetables for dinner, but she paused as she sensed someone entering the room. The Faunus' enhanced sense of smell managed to pick up hints of lavender shampoo, which indicated it was Yang who had entered the room.
"Hey Blake…" said Yang.
"Yang…" said Blake quietly, thinking that she was trying to apologise again.
"I'm not here to apologise!" said Yang quickly. "But it is something that concerns Weiss…"
Blake said nothing, but turned around to face Yang. The blonde took this as a cue to continue.
"Look, you don't even have to pay any attention to what I'm saying, and if you disagree, then that's perfectly fine, but just hear me out, okay?"
Blake nodded, respecting Yang's wishes, although she really didn't see any more to Weiss than a racist, privileged bitch. She kept that to herself though.
"Alright… Things are kinda… Complicated with Weiss. I know she comes across as racist and everything, but that's honestly not the whole and true story, despite what it may seem…"
Blake said nothing, still processing the information.
"I mean, if she truly was the racist brat that she appears to be, I wouldn't exactly be friends with her, would I?" she said with a small laugh.
Blake had to concede that point was true, but she was still very skeptical about what Yang was saying about Weiss. She nodded for Yang to continue.
"I can't tell you all the details, not yet anyways," said Yang. "But I've known Weiss for a lot of years now… She's been through a lot, which is why she's like this today… But please, her story is far much more than just being the heiress to the Schnee Mining Company, so don't be too quick to judge…"
In all honesty, Blake had no reason to doubt Yang's words. Although hot tempered and not very serious at times, the blonde struck her as a very honest and trustworthy person. Yet, she could still not find it within her to believe Yang's words.
"Hasn't she already just judged me for my Faunus heritage though?' asked Blake with a frown.
Yang sighed and gave Blake a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I know… I know…"
There was a short silence before Yang spoke up again.
"There's no way that I condone how Weiss acts towards the Faunus, but she's…" Yang sighed. 'She's been through a lot… I don't expect you to react any differently to Weiss straight away, and I don't think she'll react any differently to the Faunus anytime soon… But just at least consider what I said… It's hard for me when Weiss is derogatory towards the Faunus as well you know?"
Blake frowned, and she noticed a hint of sadness in Yang's eyes, but she ignored it. She couldn't just make a judgement based on how Yang was feeling. It was her choice and her choice alone what she believed about Weiss.
"I'm sure I'll be able to put up with it…" said Blake, not looking directly into Yang's eyes, as the Faunus wasn't sure if this statement was true or not. She was almost immune to any insults or abuse from humans, but the fact that the heiress to the company that just so happened to be the biggest contributor to Faunus enslavement would be coming round every afternoon did not really sit well with her.
"I know you're not one hundred percent sure," said Yang.
So she was perceptive as well.
"But," the blonde continued. "That's good enough for me…"
Blake nodded, and as Yang turned to make her way back out of the kitchen, the Faunus took this as a sign that the conversation had come to an end. Just as she was about to turn back around to finish chopping up the vegetables, the blonde spoke up again.
"Blake… We'll get through this. Okay?"
Blake's eyes widened in surprise at Yang's firm tone.
"If Weiss ever goes over the top, I'll make sure that she stops, alright? I'll promise you that Blake…"
Blake somehow knew that Yang would keep this promise, even if it meant going against her friend. That was when it struck her. Yang was willing to go against her friend, just so Blake, someone who she had not even met that long ago, a Faunus especially, would not have to bear the brunt of Weiss' derogatory remarks.
"You'd be willing to go against a human, a friend of yours, just to stand up for a Faunus slave?" asked Blake. She meant no ill intent behind the question, she was genuinely curious as to why Yang would go to such an extent.
"What, have you got a problem with that?" asked Yang with her signature smirk.
"N-no, of course not!" said Blake quickly. "I'm just curious, that's all…"
"Well," began Yang. "Firstly, I consider you to also be my friend. Ruby considers you a friend too by the way." Yang chuckled.
"Secondly, I'm not really standing up against my friend… I'm just standing up for what's right."
And with that, Yang headed out of the room.
Blake's Faunus ears perked up as she heard Yang whisper something, and she heard words that she was certain the blonde didn't want her to hear.
"Anyway, you're worth it…"
Blake was currently setting some carrots to boil for dinner, but Yang's words kept replaying over and over in her head.
Yang considered her a friend? And Ruby too? Sure, the sisters had been friendly to Blake, but it had never actually crossed her mind that they were friends.
The Faunus was not exactly quite sure what to think about this, but the fact that Yang did consider the two of them friends, made Blake feel happier.
And that other statement she made about standing up for what was right. Yang was correct in saying that. Perhaps in a way she would be going against her friend, but then again, the blonde was doing so with good reason. And that was to protect Blake against Weiss' judgmental, prejudiced words.
The heiress hadn't actually said anything too bad to Blake yet, but she had no doubt Weiss was definitely capable of doing so.
But Yang's last words were what was bothering Blake the most.
She had meant, presumably, that Blake was worth standing up for. Of course it was kind of flattering, but Blake was still confused.
She had no idea what the real intent was behind Yang's words. The fact that she had whispered it, not wanting Blake to hear probably, might have meant that she was embarrassed to say it out loud. Or it could have just been something that Yang thought of just after she'd left.
Whatever Yang had meant, Blake found that she was surprisingly content with the fact that Yang, a human, considered her worth protecting.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Immediately, she went over to the oven, and checked on how the lasagna was doing, in order to make it look like she was doing some work, for fear of suffering any reprimand from Weiss, even though the white-haired girl wasn't even her owner.
"Are you two all finished now?" asked Yang cheerfully, who had joined Weiss and Ruby at the bottom of the stairs.
"No Yang, we just thought that we'd come downstairs for no reason," came the reply from Weiss.
"Still snarky as ever I see…"
Blake turned around as Yang, Weiss and Ruby walked into the kitchen.
"Is Ruby doing okay so far then?" asked Yang.
"She still has a lot of work to do, although I understand that the circumstances are to blame rather than Ruby herself. But, she seems very eager to learn, so I have no worries at this stage.
Yang nodded with a smile. "Alright great!"
Blake noticed that Weiss was carrying the cup and saucer that she brought up to them earlier. She expected Weiss would issue a command to have Blake fetch the cup or something, but to the Faunus' surprise, the heiress placed the cup and saucer on the kitchen table, and made eye contact with Blake.
She was unsure as to what the heiress would do next, but was surprised, shocked even, that Weiss just simply nodded to Blake, before turning away and heading towards the front door.
Blake could only watch as Yang opened the door for Weiss. The white-haired girl walked outside and stood at the doorway.
"Thanks for coming Weiss!" said Yang cheerfully.
"It's not a problem Yang," came the reply.
Yang also stepped outside for a moment, to converse with Weiss further. Once again, this may have been something she didn't want Blake to hear, but the Faunus' enhanced hearing managed to pick up Yang's voice.
"-hard, but please, at least try…"
Blake couldn't pick up what Weiss replied with next, but she didn't strain to listen. This conversation likely wasn't any of her business. But seeing as Yang was closer to the door, she managed to pick up most of what the blonde said.
"Don't worry about it! I understand that it will take time, but you'll be coming round almost every day."
Again, there was a pause as Yang seemed to be waiting for Weiss to speak. Then Yang spoke up again.
"If you need anything, just ask alright, I'll try and support you through all this…"
Another pause.
"You can never really judge someone until you look at things from their point of view Weiss… Just remember that, and honestly, you'll find it a lot easier."
Up until that point, Blake had accepted that they could possibly be discussing Ruby's tutoring, but when Yang had spoken that line, she started to think maybe it was something to do with Weiss and her views of the Faunus instead.
But what difference would it make? Hateful opinions of the Faunus must surely have already been engraved into Weiss' head, and the heiress would be much too ignorant to ever challenge those views.
But it seemed that Weiss had put up little argument when Yang was talking to her, and Weiss also hadn't said or done anything derogatory towards Blake when she had come downstairs. Also, Yang had told her not to judge Weiss too quickly, as the girl had apparently been through a lot.
All of these things confused Blake a lot, but perhaps she was not fit to make a judgement on Weiss just yet. It seemed that Yang had asked both Blake and Weiss to consider things from the other's point of view, and Blake decided that she would honour Yang's wishes. But she was only doing this for Yang, not because she really wanted to sympathise with Weiss. After all, could she really sympathise with someone such as Weiss?
Then again, it was Weiss' father who was the one causing torment towards the Faunus, not the heiress herself.
Blake was most definitely puzzled. She had no idea what to think. The only thing that she was definitely sure of was that she needed a nap. Maybe that would clear her head and allow her to make a fair judgement on the situation.
"Hope that lasagne is ready Blake!"
She was snapped out of her thought by the cheerful voice of her owner.
"Yes, almost," she replied, recovering quickly.
"Good, cause I'm starving!" said the blonde, rather upbeat.
Blake allowed herself to smile. Right now, she would just forget about everything that had happened, and she would sit down and enjoy dinner with Ruby and Yang.
Her friends.
Did anyone catch the 'To Kill a Mockingbird' reference?
So hey, once again, I really apologise for how long it's taken me, but I've been having a bit of writer's block recently. I hope this chapter is to everyone's satisfaction.
Such a badass line from Yang before she walks out xD.
Anyways, I will be showing more Ruby and Weiss interaction in the next chapter, but this fic is bumblebee based, so White Rose will not written too often, but it will affect the story line quit a bit.
I'm sorry if you White Rose fans are disappointed in any way, but this is the way I planned the fic to go in the first place.
That brings me on to my next point. I have only planned in depth for the fic up to this chapter. I mean, I have a basic idea of how the story will progress, but I've not really done it in much detail. The reason for this, is that I thought this story wouldn't be that popular, but after seeing how so many of you liked it, I felt compelled to continue, but now that brings me to this point.
I've seen many examples of where writers write stories as they go along without much planning. These writers then lose interest and drop their stories, but there is no way I'll ever lose interest in this fic! Angsty Bumblebee is the best Bumblebee!
I'm really enjoying writing this fic, so in order to keep it going, if any of you guys have any suggestions on where to take this fic next, that would be awesome! I have a basic idea of what is going to happen, but I think advice on how I reach these ideas is needed.
So please PM me if you want to help. Not that I'm forcing any of you guys to do so!
Don't worry though, I definitely won't be giving up on this story!
Anyways, regular stuff, review with what you thought of the fic and all that jazz, and stay tuned for more!
Until next time!