The Princess' Rogue
A/N: And another chapter is up! We've been hearing a lot from Weiss lately, so here's Yang! Due to the content of this chapter, expect a bit of OoCness from our favorite characters.
On another note, I still had some writer's block with this chapter. Hopefully nothing seems too off putting because of it.
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Guest – Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you liked it. :)
Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.
*** ~ Chapter 11: Intertwined ~ ***
Yang was alive.
"Phoenix?"
For the first time in years, Yang felt truly alive.
"Hmm?" Yang hummed, turning to look at Weiss. "What's up?"
Yang couldn't remember the last time she felt this way. That she was actually living in the world and not just surviving it. Had she ever achieved this sense of peace before? She couldn't remember. For so long, it had just been her, alone, with all of the mistakes she had ever made since… well… then.
Weiss opened her mouth to speak but looked away at the last minute, as if suddenly losing her nerve.
But Yang wasn't alone anymore, was she? There was someone else here now too, someone who was undoubtedly and directly responsible for this new view on life.
"Weiss?" Yang queried after a few seconds, Weiss uneasily silent. "What is it?"
Weiss pursed her lips tightly, taking a deep breath before her head turned back in Yang's direction.
"I'm sorry, Phoenix," Weiss said, her gaze directed at her feet. The ex-princess fidgeted with the hem of her jacket's sleeves, the white haired girl dragging her feet next to Yang.
Yang stopped walking. "Huh?" she said, a golden eyebrow raised in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Weiss stopped three steps past Yang but didn't look at her. The former heiress swallowed, her left hand clutching at the right sleeve of Weiss' jacket above the wrist.
"For-"
A shaky breath.
"For everything that has happened," Weiss said. Weiss reluctantly glanced in Yang's direction.
Yang frowned when she took in Weiss' smaller stature. It was so much smaller than her usual stance, the former princess seemingly shrinking in on herself due to her nervousness. Weiss' form trembled, as if expecting Yang to physically lash out at her because she had said something she wasn't supposed to. It felt so wrong. Yet for the life of her, Yang didn't know what she had done to make Weiss behave this way.
"I'm sorry," Weiss repeated, making Yang frown even more. "I'm sorry that… that that had to happen to you," the Schnee explained, Weiss giving Yang's battered body a once over before looking away again.
Ah. So that's what this was all about.
"Weiss," Yang began, looking at her companion sympathetically. "Look, you-"
A new day was upon them. Exhausted, both mentally and physically from the previous day's events, Weiss and Yang agreed to take a small break from traveling, staying put to recover for the rest of the day. While there was still so much to be said, from the both of them to each other, they were content in letting things happen as they would. Most of the big things between them had been worked out yesterday, as far as Yang was concerned, so why force the rest out and cause unnecessary stress?
"This is all my fault," Weiss said, gripping at her arm harder, the knuckles on her hand going white.
Weiss it seemed, didn't think the same way that Yang did and had something she needed to get off of her chest.
"All of this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me."
Yang's jaw clenched at the sight of tears in Weiss' eyes. Despite knowing the white haired girl for only a few weeks, Yang hated seeing Weiss so upset. Especially over something that the other girl had no control over. It wasn't as if Weiss had been the one to send those bounty hunters after them. It wasn't as if Weiss had been the one to physically give Yang these bruises and welts. Though, thinking about it from the ex-princess' point of view, Yang probably would have felt the same way, if not worse than Weiss was right now. Truth be told, it had been a long while since Yang had taken a beating like that.
"Weiss-" Yang started, hoping to ease Weiss' burden of guilt. Weiss wouldn't let her finish however, continuing on as if Yang hadn't said anything in the first place.
"I p-promise you, Phoenix," Weiss said, her voice shaking. She still refused to look at Yang, Weiss biting her bottom lip. "When we finally make it out of here-"
Yang was stubborn though and tried to interject again. "Weiss, really, you don't have to-"
"-I'll find you the best sorcerer around and have them turn you back into a man."
"Weiss-"
Yang's thoughts and tongue screeched to a halt.
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. WHAT?
"It's my fault this happened to you," Weiss carried on, oblivious to Yang's bafflement. Weiss gritted her teeth, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. "I c-can't-"
A sob escaped the former heiress' throat, one which quickly snapped Yang out of her shock.
"I c-can't even imagine w-w-what you're going through r-right now-"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa now!" Yang exclaimed, grabbing her companion by the shoulders. That action had Weiss finally looking up to meet her gaze.
"Slow down there, girly," Yang said, clearly confounded and well, confused. "What's this about me being stuck as a woman?"
Blue eyes looked at Yang filled with shame.
"It was b-because of me this h-happened to you. If I had known-"
"Weiss. Weiss!" Yang said, giving the smaller girl a bit of a shake. "It's okay. Really."
"But-"
"Weiss, you've got it all wrong!"
Yang didn't know if she wanted to laugh, cry or face palm. Maybe all three at the same time if she could manage it. Of all the things that could have been bothering the former heiress, never once did Yang think it would be this.
Yang gave Weiss a soft smile, hoping it would be enough to soothe her silly companion.
"Nothing is wrong with me, Weiss," Yang said, her tone warm and comforting. She smiled. "I've always been a woman. From the very day I was born."
"B-But..." Weiss shook her head, distraught. "T-That's not possible…" she said, covering her face with her hands.
"Why not?" Yang asked, truly curious about what was going through the white haired girl's mind.
Weiss raised her head, her hands pulling back from her face just enough for Yang to see her eyes.
"Y-Your voice-" Weiss started, her voice sounding extremely frail.
"A Shadow Kat potion," Yang calmly explained. "It lowered my voice to sound like a man's."
Blue eyes widened slightly.
"But your chest-"
"The cloth binding it ripped in the fight with the bounty hunters."
Weiss' gaze darted down to Yang's chest for a moment before zipping up again to her face.
"And your..."
"My...?" Yang looked at Weiss expectantly.
Weiss pursed her lips and sniffled. "Never mind," she said, wiping away her tears with her sleeve.
Yang rubbed Weiss' shoulders, her smile widening as Weiss gradually loosened up.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Weiss sniffled one last time before she ran a hand through her dishevelled hair. Locking gazes with Yang again, Weiss' shoulders went erect, the former heiress regaining the poise and demeanour she usually carried.
"So you're telling me…" Weiss began, the former royalty quick to clear her throat before crossing her arms over her chest. "… that all this time, you were really a woman who has been posing as a man?"
Yang's smile was brilliant. "Bingo," she piped, happy that Weiss and her had finally come to an understanding.
"Oh."
Weiss stared.
Silence.
SLAP!
Yang's head whipped to the left, a hand sized red mark quickly blossoming across her right cheek. Out of sight, Weiss hissed in pain, but that was nothing compared to how the rogue's cheek felt right now.
"Wha..." Wide lavender eyes turned back to Weiss in shock. "What the hell was that for!?" Yang roared, Yang now clutching her stinging cheek.
"That was for deceiving me all this time you Conniver!" Weiss exclaimed, her lips pursed together tightly. She cradled her reddening palm in her other hand.
"And because of that you're allowed to hit me?!" Yang shot back, still disbelieving of what had just happened.
Weiss rounded on Yang with a snarl. "Do you know how foolish I felt thinking you'd been turned into a woman all this time?" the white haired Schnee snapped. "Do you know how scary that idea was, that there were people out there who had that kind of ability!?"
"And how was that my fault!?" Yang exclaimed, with just as much volume to her voice. "You were the one who came up with that crazy idea in the first place! Not me!"
"How could I not?!" Weiss argued. "All this time I've known you as a man! And then after a life and death battle with some bounty hunters, you're suddenly a woman? What am I supposed to think?!"
"Uhh... I don't know," Yang said flatly. "That maybe it was all an act?" The urge to roll her eyes was strong.
But Yang didn't.
Weiss glared at her.
Yang glared back.
"When you started apologizing, I thought you were feeling guilty about me getting all beat up."
Weiss opened her mouth to retort, only to frown and look away. "There is that," she said in a heavy tone, guilt laced into her reluctant words.
Yang immediately felt bad for pointing that out. Before she could apologize however, Weiss was yelling at her again.
"But an act? Seriously!?" Weiss' gaze whipped back to meet Yang's own. "How was I to fathom this was all an act?! How do I know you're not really a woman who loves pretending to be a man!?"
"Because that is not true!" Yang shouted, Yang taking one angry step closer to her opponent. Yang wasn't sure, but her Aura may have been acting up too in response to her current emotions.
"You may not realize this Princess, but I have a very good reason for hiding all of this!" Yang sneered, waving her hand up and down in front of her body.
"Oh yeah?" Weiss mocked. The white haired girl crossed her arms over her chest again and leaned forward towards Yang, narrowing the space between them.
"Why is that?"
"Because of these!" Yang exclaimed. Without thinking, Yang cupped the underside of her breasts and pulled them up an inch. A second later, she released them, causing them to jiggle.
Weiss immediately went red from the neck up.
"Do you know how hard it is to be taken seriously with these?!" Yang growled. She looked to the side scowling, Yang remembering all of the incidents before now, before she chose to hide her true gender.
"It's a little hard to do much of anything when most people only stare at my boobs!"
"Of course people are going to stare at you! You're gorgeous!" Weiss screeched.
And for the second time of the day, Yang found her thoughts stopping dead.
Weiss' eyes opened wide like saucers when she realized what she said.
"I... What I meant to say was..."
Yang gawked at Weiss, her mouth opening and closing a few times, no sound coming out. It would take all of five seconds for Yang to find her voice again, yet even then, she wasn't sure if she was making any sense or talking gibberish.
"Did you..." A swallow. "Did you just call me gorgeous?"
Weiss quickly turned her back on Yang, hugging herself.
"Y-You're mistaken, Oaf," the white haired girl said, though there was no anger or snap to her voice like normal. "What I said was… was… n-nothing! Nothing at all!"
Yang continued to stare at Weiss' back, at the giant snowflake emblem stitched into the girl's jacket, her mind a flurry of thoughts.
This was not the first time someone complimented Yang's looks. Pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. She had heard them all before, most from lecherous men of various ages, all of whom tried to bed Yang at some point or another. That's why she finally disguised herself as a man. The others before only looked at Yang like a piece of meat to be consumed, or like a prize to be acquired and flaunted. She was not a person to them, far-a-less herself. She was just a trophy. A thing. And it disgusted her.
"I… uhh…"
But, not this time.
Again Yang's mouth opened and closed, the rogue having much difficulty forming words.
This time was different.
"Erm..."
Was it because Weiss was a woman? Was it because Yang could tell Weiss' words were genuine? Or was it because Yang knew Weiss didn't look at her like the others did, that Weiss looked at Yang for Yang and not another conquest in bed? Whatever it was, Yang found herself stuttering and blushing like the farmer's girl asked on a date by a prince.
G-Get a hold of yourself, Yang! she silently chided herself. It's nothing you haven't heard before!
Lavender coloured eyes drifted upwards to Weiss' face, only to spy pearl white hair, the former heiress' back still facing her. The soft morning light glinted off of the small, silver tiara sitting at the base of Weiss' off centre and messy ponytail, drawing Yang's eyes to it momentarily.
But… But…
But unlike previous times, the compliment giver this time was none other than Princess Weiss Schnee. Well, the former princess that is.
"Of course people are going to stare!" Weiss exclaimed. "You're gorgeous!"
Yang was so screwed.
"What? No snarky remark? No awful pun?"
Yang's gaze immediately shifted from her companion's accessory to meet an icy blue gaze. While she hadn't turn around, not yet at least, Weiss was now looking over her shoulder at Yang, albeit very shyly. It was very cute if Yang could say so herself. The blush on Weiss' cheeks was just adorable.
Yang struggled for words when she realized Weiss was still waiting for a response.
"W-Well… I uhh-"
Weiss turned around to face Yang fully, a frown marring her brow. She put a hand on her hip.
"Does it really bother you that much? That I know you're a woman and not a man?"
Yang quickly opened her mouth to disagree, only to falter at the last moment. She looked away from Weiss, pursing her lips tightly.
"I…"
Yang wasn't going to lie. That had been one of the many questions on her mind since her true identity came to light yesterday. Yang had thought Weiss' original lack of reaction before was due to the discovery of Weiss' Aura, and the near fatal incident which followed shortly after it. But now that that was over, and things had time to settle, Yang couldn't but feel vulnerable and uncertain when it came to her white haired companion.
"It-"
Gods! Why was her throat was so dry!?
Yang swallowed thickly before trying her words again.
"It... doesn't bother you that I'm a woman?" Yang asked quietly, almost pitifully so.
Weiss' gaze was unrelenting.
Fists balled at her sides, Yang shook slightly under the scrutiny. She didn't know why, but for some reason, Weiss' answer meant a great deal to her.
Seconds passed, silence enveloping the pair completely. Doing her damnedest not to fidget under Weiss' piercing look, Yang tried focusing on something else aside from the icy blues boring into her soul.
Like Weiss' porcelain skin.
Like the smell of grass with a hint of clover.
Like the frantic beating of her heart, the organ feeling as if it had jumped up into her throat and gotten stuck there.
Just when the silence became too much, Weiss snorted very unlady-like, making Yang blink rapidly in surprise.
"Should it?" the ex-heiress questioned.
Yang was speechless. Seriously? The Grimm freaks her out, but not me being a woman?
If Weiss had suddenly admitted that she was a man all this time, Yang was almost certain she'd have a more… reactionary response than this.
"W-Well, no…" Yang mumbled, fumbling for words. Fists clenched and then unclenched, only to clench at her sides again, Yang not quite sure what to do in a situation like this.
"I mean, I hope it doesn't, but-"
Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, a surprisingly intimidating gesture Yang thought, despite Weiss being the smaller one between them. Yang swallowed nervously.
"Are you saying that you pretending to be a man makes you a completely different person than when you're actually a woman?" Weiss questioned.
"Yes!" was Yang's immediate reaction.
Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"I mean no!" Yang quickly amended.
Weiss' other eyebrow went up.
"What I mean to say is-"
The white haired girl blinked once.
Yang sighed, her shoulders slumping forward as she rubbed her face. "I don't know," she said. "I don't think so... I mean, I'm the same person I was from the start..."
Yang raised an open palm up to her face and gazed at it. "At least I think I am."
At the edge of Yang's vision, Weiss shifted a step closer to her.
"So what is the problem then?" Weiss asked.
Yang blinked at Weiss a couple times before she redirected her gaze back to her hand. A small smile stretched across her lips as she did so, her shoulders straightening a bit.
"I guess…" Yang began. "... there isn't one."
"Good," Weiss said, a small on her lips.
Relief.
That's what Yang felt right now. Never before had she felt so relieved. It was like the heavy weight that had been pressing down on her shoulders since forever had finally lifted, leaving Yang to float and flutter.
It was amazing.
Reaching towards Yang, Weiss intertwined her fingers with the fingers of Yang's raised hand, a faint pink tinting her cheeks.
"N-Now that that's settled," Weiss said, a slight stutter in her voice. "I do believe we have a haunted forest to escape from."
Yang watched awestruck as their connected hands slowly lowered to their sides. Before Weiss could even take a step forward, Yang gently tugged backwards on their joined limbs, making the former heiress freeze next to her. Weiss' gaze darted back and forth between their held hands and Yang's face.
Yang could almost hear her companion's thoughts as the seconds ticked on. Standing next to her, her hand trembling in Yang's own, Weiss was wondering if she had somehow overstepped the fragile boundary between them and ruined their... whatever it is they had together. That was absolutely ludicrous of course, Yang soon lifting her head to meet Weiss' wavering gaze with a half smirk, half smile, splitting the bottom part of her face.
"W-What?" Weiss asked stiffly, the new Aura user swallowing anxiously.
Weiss may have been nervous about it all, but Yang was not.
With a glint of mischief in her eyes, Yang's grin widened substantially. "Looks like the Phoenix has melted the Ice Princess," she said.
This was right. This felt right.
Yang watched with great amusement as Weiss' nervous expression quickly morphed into one of confusion, then to one of horror, and finally, to one of defeated acceptance. Yang guffawed as Weiss hung her head groaning, Yang completely beside herself with glee for squeezing that pun in.
"Really Yaya, really?" Weiss sighed in exasperation, face palming with her free hand. "Can you not go one day without-"
Delight and amusement vanished instantly leaving only despair.
All because of a word.
All because of a name.
Without warning, Yang yanked her hand out of Weiss' grip, Yang quickly spinning the white haired girl around by the shoulders. Weiss squeaked in surprise at that action, only Yang's near iron grip on her shoulders saving her from tumbling to the ground on her behind. Clearly startled by this sudden turn, literally, Weiss opened her mouth to say something, only to go as still as a statue when wide blues met scared violets.
"W-Weiss," Yang nearly whimpered, her voice shaking. Yang's hands shook as they gripped at Weiss' shoulders. "W-Where did you hear t-that name from?"
"N-Name?" Weiss echoed, flustered and confused.
"Ya-" Yang swallowed dryly, her throat constricting painfully. "Yaya," she croaked, her fingers unconsciously digging firmer into Weiss' shoulders. Weiss flinched.
"Where did you hear that name?!"
Weiss' jaw clenched, her body trembling as a cool mist started to leak off of her form. The white fog went unnoticed by both women.
"I-"
"THE NAME!" Yang screamed again, her chest tight, Yang barely able to breathe.
"I heard it in my dreams!" Weiss shouted back. The forest floor beneath their feet within a ten foot radius iced over in a second. Weiss panted heavily, shivering.
"W-What?"
Yang stared at Weiss in shock, her hands slipping away from the white haired girl's shoulders. She stumbled backwards a few steps, dazed. Almost slipping on the newly formed ice under their feet, Yang somehow managed to make her way over to a nearby tree, turning her back on Weiss.
"Before I woke up here," Weiss said, hugging herself as she turned her gaze away from Yang. "I was dreaming I was somewhere else. But..."
A breath.
"But somehow I knew it wasn't a dream. It was almost like it was a memory. But it wasn't mine."
Breathing heavily, Yang clung to the tree next to her as if her very life depended on it.
"What..." Yang shuddered. "What… happened in your dream?" she asked in a breathless whisper.
There was some shuffling behind Yang before Weiss replied.
"I-It was night time," the white haired girl said. "I awoke to someone calling my n-name."
Yang closed her eyes, her jaw clenching, her forehead pressing against the rough tree bark.
"Ruru was standing next to my bed. She had had a bad dream," Weiss continued, her voice shaking but the stutters gone. "I let her sleep next to me after that."
Yang's eyes burned, the rogue barely registering the sound of scratching as her nails left vertical lines in the tree she held onto.
"But it…" Weiss paused a moment. "It wasn't I who Ruru woke up. That person… was you… wasn't it?"
A shuddering breath escaped Yang's throat, Yang biting her lip to stifle another one from coming out right after it.
"Your name is not really Phoenix, is it?" Weiss asked quietly.
The forest grew silent around the pair, the only things heard being Weiss' restless shifting and Yang's near choking breaths. It was as if nature itself was holding its breath, also waiting on Yang's answer. Silent seconds turned into a minute. Then another. And another. Just when it seemed Weiss would call her on her muteness, Yang spoke up.
"No," came the white haired girl's answer. "My name is not Phoenix."
Standing up straighter for the first time since this topic came up, Yang released her support tree, balling her fists at her side. Turning her head slightly to the left, but not enough for Weiss to see her face, Yang's jaw clenched as she blinked back the tears which threatened to fall.
"My true name is Yang Xiao Long," Yang said, her voice devoid yet sounding strangled from pain. "And that little girl you saw in your dream, Ruru-"
A smothered, shaking breath.
"Ruby," Yang amended. "Was my sister."
A/N: And there you have it, part of it at least. The importance of the memory chapters ago involving young Ruby and Yang, that is. More will be revealed in the next chapter, including what happened in the past to lead Yang to where she is now. Stay tuned!
I know, I'm horrible for leaving you hanging now. :P
I've seen this come up in some of the new stories on this site, so I'll address it now. This story and premise was created long before Volume 2 of RWBY. As such, there will be no mention or cameo of any new characters revealed in Volume 2.
