It was Blake's day to get the mail.
She went down to the mailroom and opened their box to check for anything. She saw a couple of letters and magazines, grabbed them, and made her way back to their dorm. She started flipping through them as she wandered the halls.
She saw a couple of weapon magazines for Ruby. That girl really did like her weapons, as innocent as she looked. There were a couple of business letters and such for Weiss. Blake wasn't sure if she would ever take control of her father's company, if she became a huntress. There was a letter to Yang from her dad. Odd, there wasn't one for Ruby. Blake shrugged. Maybe it was a letter system between the two that Ruby didn't have. Then she found a letter that surprised her.
It was addressed to her. However, it just said her name on it and Beacon Academy. Nothing else. That meant whoever sent it didn't want to be known. That actually made Blake kind of nervous. If it was from the White Fang, Blake wasn't sure she wanted to read it.
When she returned to the dorm, she threw everyone their respective mail and flopped onto her bed. She stared at the envelope for a couple of seconds. She smelled a faint scent of a familiar person, but she couldn't tell who it was. Finally, curiosity getting the better of her, she opened the letter and began reading.
"Dear Blake,
Yes, you think we wouldn't be able to find you. After leaving us… Oh who I am kidding this is the Author's Note. Yep. I did it again. Hiding it in something that a character is reading. You thought it would be a letter from Adam, didn't you? Nope. I haven't thought about using him yet. Hmmm… The possibilities. Oh yes, where was I? Right, Author's Note.
Let me start of by talking about the last… chapter. The reaction I got from it was definitely… different than what I had expected. I meant it to be humorous in Yang's sense of what she was doing. Also I have seen pictures of Blake x Blake shipping so I assumed Yang was alright. I guess not everyone agreed. Some people found that creepy. My apologies. I did, however, have a very fun time planning that story. Every time I get to funny plot points, I always have to smile. And whenever I make these I grin wickedly. But that's different.
As for this chapter? Its actually going back to the story. Yep, we're back on track. Chapter 10 doesn't actually connect to the story, as I said. It was just for fun. This, however, connects back to an older chapter, if you can remember. I'll let you figure that out. You might not be happy about this, but we're leaning back towards more sad type stories. I guess not exactly sad, but definitely not cheerful. I'm saving that for the Holiday Special. I'll write that during my break. For now you get this… Enjoy!"
Blake facepalmed. She had actually expected a letter from the White Fang, not the Author. It would have been a climactic plot, but nope, had to be a disguise. She sighed and threw the letter across the room. Blake put her head on her pillow and started to take a nap. It was time to get back to the story.
Something was definitely wrong with the R and Y of Team RWBY, and Weiss was beginning to get concerned. They had been acting very strangely during the week, and Blake and Weiss had taken notice very quickly. Although strange was not foreign for the two sisters, this type of behavior was just uncharacteristic.
Yang and Ruby were acting empty. Often Weiss noticed their eyes unfocused. When they were focused on anything, she could see the sadness and the hurt within them. They weren't interested in doing anything, barely keeping up in their studies. They were shying away from spending time with their partners, preferring to be alone or with each other. Where they went, Weiss wasn't sure, but they would leave for a while. It was beginning to scare Weiss.
The only thing they were doing normally, or even excelling at more than usual, was fighting. They seemed to be very angry, as if to vent something. Weiss was beginning to suspect it had to do with a personal family thing, as they both were affected. She wanted to talk to Ruby, but Weiss was afraid that would hurt her even more. So she went to Blake.
They were sitting under a tree outside. They were both wearing their combat gear, as there were no more classes for the day. The sun was beginning to set, casting a brilliant orange glow on the two girls. Weiss sighed. Nature could really be beautiful sometimes, despite all the terrible things it hid. The real world was cruel and unforgiving, and one had to accept that. Shaking herself back to the situation, she spoke.
"Blake, I'm starting to get really concerned about our teammates. Their behavior is far from normal, and it's starting to frighten me. I know they hide sadness under their thick skins, but this is absurd. It seems like someone they know personally just died."
Blake flinched, remembering the talk she and Yang had about Ruby. That had shaken the blonde girl a fair amount. Hell, it didn't even involve Blake and it had shaken her too. What if that was somehow involved in what was wrong.
"If you are that concerned, why are you coming to me? We both have seen what is going on, and talking to me about it does nothing to help them."
Weiss shook her head. "I'm not sure if going to them would be a good idea. If we get close to actually speaking about what it is, it might make the wound deeper, and that would be even worse. I'm not speaking with Ruby about it for fear of hurting her even more."
Blake looked at her icy blue orbs. "I'm afraid I might have an idea about what is causing them so much trouble. However I'm not sure how it could connect to the present, as what happened is old news."
Weiss hesitated before speaking. "I… I might have the same idea as you."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "And how would you even know what I am thinking?"
Weiss took a deep breath. "I… well I think you are talking about that… thing you discussed with Yang a while back after she spoke to me."
Blake gasped. "How did you know what we spoke of!? Were you eavesdropping."
Weiss grimaced and then shrugged. "I'm not proud of it, but what Yang said concerned me too. When I saw you two talking and the serious look on her face, I had to know also."
Blake just sighed. "I guess you had every right to listen. After all, I eavesdropped in on your conversation with her to bring up that topic in the first place. That was not a good talk to have. That made me harbor the fear of either one of them getting hurt, as the other would probably be destroyed by it. They can't function without each other."
Weiss nodded. "As much as the blonde brute annoys me, without her I don't know what Ruby would do. I just hope eventually I can come to fill that gap in case."
Blake smiled. "As do I Weiss, as do I. They need more people to love them in their lives. Yang has her father, Ruby and me, but she couldn't function losing either of us." Her smile quickly changed to a frown.
"She was extremely upset when I was injured in the Forest of Forever Fall. And Ruby… if she lost her mother figure… again, I'm not sure she could make it."
Weiss looked down. "Well we need to do something. However, I think you should talk to Yang before I speak to Ruby. If it involves their grandmother like we think, it would be easier for her to speak about it."
Blake stared at the sun for a second before responding. "I agree, but I still don't want to do anymore damage."
Weiss put her hand on Blake's arm. This seemed odd, the faunus girl and the girl who mistrusted faunus to be having such a moment, but when it came to their loved ones, race sort of flew out the window. Weiss wanted to help Ruby more than anything.
"Blake, we have to do something. Not helping might be even worse."
She saw a tear flow down the black haired girl's cheek. The faunus was having a hard time, that was obvious. However, she stood up and looked at the heiress. She smiled, but the smile was filled with sadness.
"I guess I shall go and find her then. If I find out anything important, I will come to you. We will figure out something to do. We must."
Weiss was surprised when she felt a warm feeling running down her cheek as well. The icy princess thought she was strong, but here she was breaking down for a moment. Weiss didn't care though. She nodded at Blake. The faunus spun around and walked away to go find her blonde partner.
Blake was wandering the campus to try to find her girlfriend. Yang recently left the room a lot, and Blake thought she was taking walks to clear her head. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't working because Yang would come back looking worse than before.
Blake was about to give up her search when she thought she heard Yang's voice. It was coming from outside the window she was at. She looked down and saw Yang cradling a crying Ruby in her lap. She didn't look so good herself. Yang was shaking like she did when she was holding back tears. The blonde appeared to be singing a lullaby to her sister.
Blake just stared at the scene before her. Blake was a strong girl, her time in the White Fang teaching her many tactics to hold in her emotions. That didn't mean she was heartless, though. But seeing her teammates in that state was like taking a bullet to her heart. Something was really wrong, and she needed to help them in any way she could.
Blake decided to go wait until Ruby left and she could talk to Yang herself. She found the nearest staircase and descended to the first floor. She walked outside to check if they were both still there. Seeing that they were, she climbed into a tree and started waiting.
Blake had to admit, she had heard Yang sing before, and it wasn't really great. However this lullaby she sang was beautiful, and it hurt Blake's heart to listen to. The words greatly displayed how Yang had stepped in as a mother figure for Ruby. She sang about how she would always be there for Ruby no matter what, and that things would be alright. How she would turn Ruby's life to gold.
Pretty soon Blake found the hot feeling on her cheeks again. She wasn't shocked this time, though. She was watching the love of her life and her sister, on of Blake's best friends, both mourning their grandmother, who was a major part of their life.
However, despite all the sadness, Blake was confused. Her main thought was, why now? Why pick such a time to be sad about this. They had seemed fine no less than a week ago. This had suddenly popped up, and they slipped into a world of sadness. She had to find out.
Eventually, Ruby's tears stopped flowing, but she was still crying silently. Yang held her close, as though she was afraid of losing her sister there. Ruby must have been tired, because she fell asleep in Yang's arms. It was cute to see, as Ruby looked so young and innocent to Blake. Ruby was lucky that she still had a trace of childhood in her personality, and Blake felt bad that on the first day she had almost burst that bubble.
Yang sighed and stood up, holding her sister bridal style. She began to make her way back to their dorm. Blake jumped down and followed them. She had hoped Ruby would have left on her own accord, but Blake could just pull Yang out and talk to her.
They got back to their room. Yang opened the door slowly and saw no one was inside. She wandered in and went over to Ruby's bed. Showing her strength compared to everyone on the team, she lifted her sister up to her bed and tucked her in, planting a kiss on her forehead. She walked back to her side of the room and was about to jump to her bed when she saw Blake walk in. She could tell Blake wanted to talk about something important, so she wordlessly followed her partner out the door.
Blake led Yang to the bench where they had first kissed. It was a frequented spot by the pair, loving to sit there and talk about everything going on. It was also the site of two serious conversations, and was about to add a third. She sat down and motioned for Yang to join her. The brawler sat down and looked at her, waiting for Blake to start.
Blake sighed and regarded Yang's lilac orbs. Her amber one's stared back with a seriousness that unnerved the blonde. Blake was only that serious when something was up, so she knew they were going to have a serious discussion. She prepared herself for what she knew was to come.
"Yang, something is up with you and Ruby. Weiss and I can tell. It's been affecting you very negatively, and it's worrying us. You two seem, almost like you aren't there. It looks as if something really bad has recently just happened." Yang grimaced at that statement.
Blake continued. "Now Weiss and I are smart girls. We were able to put together that this probably involves Summer. Would you care to explain? Or do I have to go to Ruby? I fear it would be harder for her to explain."
Yang dropped her head. So they figured it out. Well, it was only a matter of time. Yang sniffled. She and Ruby had hoped to just pass the date without too much trouble, but of course to no avail. It hurt too much not to feel anything during the week leading up to it.
"Well Blakey, you're right that it involves Summer. You always were smarter than everyone else. To be honest, there's a date that's approaching that is significant to her, and any memory of our grandmother is very sad. So…"
Blake put her hand up to stop Yang. "What is the date? What is it's significance."
Yang paused and took a deep breath. "Well… it's… it's…" She hesitated again.
Blake motioned for her to continue. "It's what Yang? You can tell me."
Yang felt a tear form in her eye. "The anniversary of Summer's death." The tear fell.
Blake was stunned. So that's why they were in such a way. Five years ago, they lost probably the most important person in Ruby's life and a very important person in Yang's life. Yang then had to fill that role for Ruby, who was scattered from the loss of someone she loved so much. And now that terrible date was approaching them.
Blake forced Yang to look at her. "When is it?"
Yang went back into her unfocused state. Blake felt more sadness well up inside her. She tried again, with more urgency. "When is it!"
Yang didn't meet her gaze but responded in almost a whisper. "Tomorrow…"
Blake paused for a second. "And what are you two planning on doing?"
Yang looked at the school. "We're going to visit her."
Blake knew she had to be there to comfort them. "I'm going too."
Yang whirled around towards her. "What…?"
Blake swallowed. "I'm going with you…"
Yang tried to stop her. "But Blak-..." She was cut off by a stern voice.
"WE are going with you, no matter what you say." Blake looked and saw Weiss approaching from out of nowhere.
Yang's eyes began to water. "But… You can't come along. I don't want either of yo-..."
Weiss stomped her foot. "I do not care what you say! No matter what, we are going with you! You both need someone in your lives to love and support you, and you have that! You have us! Who better to turn to in your time of mourning!?"
Yang looked up at the heiress. She was taking in short breaths, and despite her watery eyes, no tears had fallen yet. Yang didn't say anything, she just stood up and ran away, fast. Blake sighed. She stood up as well and joined Weiss in walking back to their dorm.
When they got back to the room, the door was slightly ajar and Weiss could hear light snoring. She peeked in and saw that Yang had already arrived, and was already asleep. She had managed to change and pass out before her teammates returned. Weiss eased the door open all the way and she and Blake walked in. Ruby was still sound asleep. She looked so cute while she slept, her small breaths and innocent look were adorable.
Weiss and Blake walked to their respective beds and sat down. The siblings had gone to bed relatively early, so their partners still had ample time to do anything before they slept. Blake, of course popped open a book and began reading. Weiss could tell that she wasn't really reading it though. The girl was too lost in her thoughts to enjoy the book.
Weiss was worried herself. She hoped that their presence there tomorrow would help to ease the pain. Hopefully, if Weiss played her cards right, she would be able to fully gain Ruby's trust and become that person she had vowed to become in Ruby's life.
Weiss decided that should would turn in early, just to make sure she could wake up before anyone. She wasn't sure, but Weiss felt like if Yang could wake up before them she would take Ruby and sneak out. Weiss wouldn't let that happen. She closed her eyes and sleep quickly took her.
When she woke up, Weiss checked the clock. It was 6:30, and it seemed like none of her teammates were up. That was good. She jumped down and starting going through her morning routine. She got showered and changed, and still no one was awake. However before she went to get food, she roused Blake and told her to get ready. Weiss really woke her to watch the other two, though.
When she got back, Blake was sitting there watching the other two. Ruby seemed to be just waking and was about to wake Yang. Blake was already fully dressed and ready to go. She simply leaned back against the wall and observed the sisters mood. They both looked lost, as if they weren't ready.
However, thirty minutes later all four were ready to board the airship to take them to the forest where the memorial was located. The traveled in silence, Ruby cradled in Yang's arm, and Blake and Weiss next to their partners. The girls looked as if they wanted to help, but they weren't sure how.
The ship landed and the girls disembarked. Team RWBY stood there and stared at the forest. There was snow all over the ground, and the trees were devoid of leaves. The clouds were low in the sky, completely blocking the sun. The scene before them was not helping the mood. Without a word, Ruby pulled her hood up and began walking, leading the way. Her team looked at each other and then followed.
The walked slowly through the forest, the cold settling in. Weiss pulled her jacket tighter to her body. She was already cold often, and the weather wasn't helping. Ruby didn't seem affected as she slowly trudged ahead of them, the hood low over her face. Blake snuggled closer to Yang, whose natural body heat warmed her up. The blonde, however, didn't seem to notice the girl embracing her.
She was focused on her sister, worry evident in her eyes.
After a while, they came to a clearing in the forest. Ruby paused, and although they couldn't tell. It seemed like was observing the field before her. Her hand instinctively went to Crescent Rose, but seeing no threat, it lowered back down to her side. She continued across the field.
After passing through the field and going through a little more forest, they reached another clearing. This one was different, though. On the other side was a cliff that looked very high up. On the edge of that cliff, there was a stone in the ground. Looking more closely, it appeared to be a monument. Looking at Yang's face, Blake could tell they had arrived.
They all stopped and waited for someone to do something. The first person to act was Ruby. She slowly walked forward towards the memorial. When she reached it, the girl fell to her knees. And she just stayed there. Not moving or saying anything. Just watching the piece of stone.
After what seemed like hours, Yang approached her sister. She put her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. Blake and Weiss started to approach the two. When they were about to reach them, they heard a growl behind them. The girls, save Ruby, whirled around and saw a good number of Beowolves watching them. Yang cried out in frustration, the wolves ruining this special occasion. However she made no move to activate her weapons.
Blake looked at Weiss, and they realized something quickly. Ruby was out of commission for some reason, and Yang looked like she wasn't going to fight either. It was up to the two girls to fight all those Beowolves. That was fine with them. Weiss drew Myrtenaster and Blake pulled out Gambol Shroud. They leapt forward and began to go to work.
Yang sat down next to Ruby. The ground might have been covered with snow, but that really didn't bother her. She simply held her sister close and began to sing again. She noticed Ruby wasn't watching their partners fight for them, so she turned her sister around. She started singing again.
"Don't you worry about the dark, I will light up the night with the love in my heart."
Weiss stabbed a Beowolf in the eye and shot another with a blast of dust.
"I will burn like the sun that will keep you safe and warm."
Blake jumped and spun Gambol Shroud around, slicing several Beowolves up.
"Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day I will be there to take all your fears away."
Weiss got hit from behind, flying backward. Blake ran up and stabbed the wolf that hit her.
"With the touch of my hand I will turn you life to gold."
Blake and Weiss began to furiously cut down many of the Grimm, blowing through the ranks.
"With the touch of my hand I will turn your life to gold."
The girls managed to fell the last beast. They were panting and some of their clothes were cut. Weiss had been hit pretty bad, but she seemed to be recovering. The black and white themed girls walked up to their partners. They all looked to Ruby, who was still looking down. Weiss had had enough of this. She pulled her leader to her feet and made Ruby look at her.
"Ruby, listen to me please. It was bad. I understand that. You're still upset. Summer was your life, she drove you forward and gave you strength. She was your guiding light and she is gone. But things aren't all bad. You have Yang, who has taken responsibility for you and has taken great care of you. She has been there for you when you needed it, and she will love you forever."
Ruby's eyes began to water. "You have Blake, who will always support you as a leader and as a huntress. She is a great friend and very reliable. She is smart and you can always go to her for advice. She will protect you because it would destroy Yang if you got hurt."
The tears began slowly streaming down Ruby's face. Weiss took a breath before continuing.
"Ruby, and then you have me. I love you. I always will love you. I will be there for you when you need it. If you are ever sad or need help with something, you can always come to me. Yang has taken good care of you, but now I'm here to help ease that burden. You need someone to love, and that person is me."
Ruby finally looked into Weiss's eyes. They were watering as well, the tears streaming down her face. She pulled Weiss into a big hug and began sobbing. The two held each other and released all the sadness that was stored within. However, Ruby's tears were mixed with joy as she had found someone she could rely on. Someone to love with all her heart.
Yang walked up and joined their hug, glad to see her sister letting go of Summer. Their grandmother would always hold a special place in the sibling's hearts, but now they had others to help ease the burden. She looked behind her and saw Blake standing there alone. She waved for her girlfriend to join in her hug. The faunus hesitated and then joined in the warm embrace. If felt good to be so close to multiple people, something mostly foreign to her.
They stayed like that for several minutes, washing away the sadness and putting comfort into their hearts. The girls knew they were a team and they would always have each other's backs. Finally, Ruby backed off and looked at her friends. She smiled, glad to have such good people around her. Then she spoke.
"Well girls, it's definitely been an… enlightening journey. However it is getting late in the day and we should probably get back."
Her teammates nodded. The started walking back through the forest to the airship. They were heading back home.
Note: So… that was a thing. That chapter took a lot out of me. I may have laid to many of the feels into the story, but… oh well. Like I said before, I listen to music while writing and I May Fall and Wings are kind of depressing. That being said, the music is amazing, and Casey Williams' voice is amazing. I love all the songs on that album. But uh, back to the story.
Like I said, sorry about the last chapter if you didn't like it. I just wanted to write it because the idea seemed funny to me. I don't plan on doing anything like that again, just to let you know.
Also, depending on how I feel, I'll either have the Holiday themed chapter up next, or I may begin what could possibly be a two part story. Hopefully the Holiday one considering that it almost is, but I'll work on that. For now, I hope you enjoyed this one!