"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? "
Smiling, Coco looked at Yang for a moment, before her smile quickly faded. Yang was not looking happy. Yang looked angry, her gaze locked on Blake. Everybody stood still, not a word was ushered, before Yang turned around, heading back towards her house, her fist clenched. Coco began to run towards the blond woman, before Yatsuhashi's hand grabbed her by the elbow, shaking his head softly.
"She wants to be left alone. She's angry, there's probably a ton of emotions that are going through her head. Leave her some time. "
Groaning, Coco turned around towards Blake, but yelled in anger when she saw that the cat woman had disappeared once more. Going back towards the forest, the diva punched right through a tree, splinter raining down on the area, as she slowly regained her cool. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, Coco rubbed the bridge of her nose, before turning back to her team.
"Alright. Search the area for Blake. Like hell I'm letting her get away so close to her team. This is bullshit! Spread out and warn the others if you find a clue, I - "
"Hum… Coco… I'm right here… "
Turning around, ready to strangle the black cat, Coco stopped in her tracks when she saw the greenish look on Blake. Gasping, Coco hurriedly took out her water bottle, before handing it to Blake, who happily rinsed her mouth with some water.
"What were you doing? " asked the rabbit faunus, worry filled in her voice as she looked closely at the raven-haired woman.
"Seeing Yang like this made me so guilty, I… I felt sick, so… yeah. " Nodding slowly, Velvet sat down beside Blake, both faunus kept the silence but slowly Blake smiled, not a happy smile however, a resigned smile that worried the members of team CFVY. "Well, at least, I know she hates me and doesn't want to see me. That solves my problems. " she sighed and began to stand up, straightening her clothes. "I better get away from her, that's what she wants. Maybe I'll head back home, see if there's anything that I can do in Menagerie. "
"Or maybe you could wait and see. That's the best idea Blake. You don't know how she feels. " answered the giant, sitting down in front of the cat woman, with a small smile. "Yes, she was angry, but don't forget that she might have been angry at you for a long time, for leaving her. Wait and see. That's the best thing that you could do. "
"He's right. Leave her some time. You never know what could happen. " said the bunny girl, smiling softly at the other faunus, who sighed and sat back down, hugging her knees to her chest.
"God. " thud "Damn. " thud "It. " thud "Fucking. " thud "Bitch. " thud "Why. " thud "Does. " thud "She. " thud "Come. " thud "Back. " thud "After. " thud"All. " thud "This. " thud "Fucking. " thud "Time. " CRASH "FUCK! "
Walking in the house at a quick pace, Weiss almost tore the garage door off its hinges when she heard the repeated sound of punches on something, as well as Yang's voice. When she opened the door, she stood still, amazed at the sight. Waves of energy were traveling through Yang's hair, her eyes crimson and, most importantly, the punching bag was embedded in the garage door, part of it going through. Turning around to look at the person inside, Yang kept her eyes locked on Weiss' before she got to her knees, crying, the waves of energy slowly lessening in intensity as she kept still on the ground. Weiss dashed to her friend, taking her in her arms. Keeping the brawler close to her, the white-haired woman slowly began to sing a soothing lullaby that Klein used to sing to her in her child years. After a few minutes, Yang took a few deep breaths, calming down her sobs to a minimum.
"She… she's here. "muttered Yang, hand shaking on Weiss' shoulder, pleading lilac eyes locked on icy blue ones filled with questions. "Blake is… outside with team CFVY"
Weiss gasped as tears appeared in the corner of her eyes, a soft smile making its way as well to her lips. She rubbed her friend's back, before frowning as she looked at the other woman. Yang was looking at something in the distance, her mind lost in the past, in events that had changed her life forever, as the sight of Blake made ravages to her psyche. When she began to shudder as her mind kept on its torture, Weiss slowly rubbed her friend's back.
"Yang, snap out of it" she said softly, worry filled in her voice "It's okay, everything will be alright. I promise you. You're safe Yang"
Weiss stood still for a moment, trying to sooth Yang and make her get out of the place her mind had sent her, hunted by her demons. Taking a deep breath before kissing the brawler's forehead she whispered "I'm sorry", gulped and, mustering every ounce of courage she had, slapped Yang with all her might, waking her from her trauma filled mind with deep crimson eyes. As their eyes locked in each other, fire meeting ice, Yang growled in anger, her hand clenching in a fist.
"Why did you hit me? Do you want to be hurt? "
"If I must be hurt for taking care of one of my best friends, I'll let myself be pummeled to the ground by you, if it means that it makes you wake up! "
They kept their eyes locked, defiant against the other one, before Yang slumped back on Weiss' legs. They stood still for a few minutes, before Weiss tugged the brawler's shoulder, making her open her eyes to look at her friend with a soft smile.
"Sorry that I threatened you Weiss"
"It's okay, you've always been the fiery one anyway. "
"Did… Did you make a good joke? "
"What can I say? You are a bad influence to my behavior"
They both dissolved in a laughing fit, tension lifted off their shoulders. When they finally regained their cool, Weiss smiled softly at her friend who slowly sat up, next to her.
"Yang… I'm going to go see Blake and CFVY. And… I reckon that you should talk with her to understand why she did such a thing. Maybe you'll be able to be friends once more. "
The brawler sighed and nodded, resting her head against Weiss' shoulder, making the heiress blush. They both smiled, before they separated from each other, Weiss standing up before looking at the other woman.
"And… maybe put on something better suited than… What you are wearing. You reek of sweat. "
Rolling her eyes, Yang stood up, understanding the message, before grabbing the heiress' hand, dragging her in for a quick hug, which was quickly answered by the white-haired woman.
"Thank you, Weiss… Thank you for everything. "
"Heh, seriously, I've done nothing, your father and uncle were the ones who helped you the most"
"Maybe, but thank you. "
"You… You're welcome Yang"
"So… Are we really going to camp here? Like… Couldn't we go to the hotel or anything? "
Coco was groaning as she looked at her team setting up three tents as well as every other camping material they had, at the edge of the clearing around the house. After three weeks of sleeping in the sand she was at least hoping to lay in the comfiest, fluffiest, softest bed in Vale, but NO, she had to sleep in a god damn sleeping bag for who knows how long. At least it was comfortable to snuggle with her girlfriend.
"Or… Oh, I don't know, you could ask to have a bed inside. "
Everybody stopped what they were doing as they heard the familiar voice of the heiress. Her hands on her hips, wearing a blue dress with a white radiant from the waist to the extremity of the dress, a white pair of leggings, white high heels and a grey light jacket, she was smiling at the other ex-students, but her gaze was locked on Blake, both teens with tears in their eyes. When Blake finally smiled, Weiss ran towards her friend, who did the same. They reached each other, Blake hugging the shorter woman with all her strength, tears rolling on both their cheeks as they held at each other, happy to be reunited with someone they cared so much about.
"Hey…" said Blake softly, looking down at Weiss with a little smile
"Hey Blake" answered Weiss, happiness irradiating from her voice and body expression as she looked up at her friend.
Coughing loudly, Coco looked at them with a grin, her arms crossed at the monochrome duo, with the rest of her team smiling. Making a round of greetings, Weiss hugged her fellow students before joining the group, sitting next to Blake, a smile on her face as team CFVY explained their last mission, how they were sent to Vacuo to track the White Fang. But after a few days of hunting it quickly devolved in a rebuild and protect effort with the help of Shade academy. Nodding slowly, Weiss turned her head towards her friend, a frown on her face.
"But that doesn't explain what you're doing with them. Why did you follow them? "
Blushing, Blake looked down, fidgeting slowly, trying to control her breathing as she felt panic rise in her mind.
"Yeah kitty cat" said another voice making everybody jump in surprise to look at the newcomer. Her left hand on her hip, black pants, brown boots, orange t-shirt and a large duster coat with the right sleeve tied in a knot, completely empty, her usually unruly mane set in a high ponytail, everything about her was showcasing her beauty. Yang, even in her fragile state of mind was still beautiful, except for Blake who was afraid of what the red eyes really meant. "Tell us where you were during all those months. "
"Yang… I…" the faunus tried to speak, emotion getting the best of her, making her voice tremble as she tried to stand up to get the other woman in her arms.
"Shut it! Where. Were. You? Why are you, my partner, with another team? Why did you abandon your friends! Why did you abandon me? " her voice was cold, angry, but Weiss and Coco could hear the telltale sounds and intonations of someone who was doing everything they could to keep their emotion in check, to keep her rage at the most controllable level she could.
As Blake took a deep breath, she gazed down and she slowly told her tale, how she treated her injuries by herself before beginning her hunt of the White Fang across Remnant, from the icy peaks of Atlas, to the deadly jungles and desert of Menagerie. She smiled slightly when she retold the story of saving a young homeless boy who followed her for a few days, keeping her company. Her eyes grew darker when she described the ruined villages she kept finding along her hunt. She looked up and locked eyes with Yang, gulping hard.
"I… I tried to find Adam, to avenge you Yang, to- "
"Good grief you're dumb! "
"Yang! " shrieked the heiress as she stood up to look at the blond in the eyes. "Insulting her will not resolve anything! "
"I'm not insulting her, just telling the truth, even if it hurts" shot back Yang, her crimson eyes never leaving the ravenette "You could do nothing against him back then, what makes you believe that thing would have been different now? What would you have achieved if he killed you? "
"I would have at least atoned from my sins, atoned for everything I caused you! " said Blake as she stood up herself, her fists clenching in anger.
In a blur, Yang was in front of Blake, grabbing her by the collar of her coat, their eyes locked in each other. Weiss tried to separate them, but Coco swiftly grabbed her hand, slowly shaking her head side to side. They had issues to deal with, both of them. If they prevented them to do such, they would only keep the problems in their relationship.
"Now listen up Belladonna. There's a difference between avenging someone and getting killed trying to avenge someone. Do you even have a fucking clue why I'm angry at you? Take a guess! "
"Because you lost you arm because of me. " answered Blake in a low breath, trembling.
As soon as she finished her sentence however, a blast of energy and flames engulphed the area making everybody flinch in surprise. Yang tightened her grip around Blake's coat, anger oozing from her body.
"And here I thought that you were the smart one after Weiss! I had a big reveal planned, something great for you because I hoped that you understood! " Throwing her coat away, she ignored the gasps of surprise of everybody and the tears rolling on Blake's cheeks as her metallic arm was revealed, having been concealed inside the coat since the beginning. "A limb can be repaired. And even when it's damaged beyond repair, it can be replaced. Everybody who becomes a huntsmen or huntress makes sacrifices all the time. I sacrificed my arm for you, Weiss sacrificed everything she had to be here right now, fucking hell, Pyrrha made the biggest sacrifice of all by giving her life to try and stop this madness! I would do what I did again in a heart beat, knowing that you would be safe. "
Yang sighed and closed her eyes, before pressing her forehead against Blake's, who closed her eyes in turn, sobs shaking her body as she tried to supress the sounds that she made.
"But what I'm angry about, is that you left me. When I was knocked out, you disappeared from my life without a word. A body can be repaired, a mind as well, even if it takes time. But do you know how hard it is to repair the lost feelings that you had towards someone? " said Yang in a low voice, whispering those words against Blake who, finally, let her damn break and dissolved in a crying mess, holding Yang with all her might, nuzzling her head in the nook of the brawler's neck, who simply hold her hand.
She heard the faunus women say something, but she could only understand a few words through the sobs. Yang turned her head to look at Weiss and, with a sigh, grabbed the heiress by the hand and pulled her in the hug. In an instant all three girls were holding tight, Blake still crying, Weiss with tears in her eyes and Yang with a stoic face as she looked towards the sky, holding down her tears, trying to appear as a rock for her friends to lean on for support. Maybe she was a mess, maybe she was missing some parts of her body, but she couldn't prevent herself from going back into "mom mode", not after al those years with Ruby. After all, Blake had run away from her home, Weiss never really had a family at home and Ruby… well Ruby was Ruby. And this team of broken women, of broken teens, needed something to rest on, someone to help them through their ordeals. And Yang had decided, long ago, that she would be this person for the team, she would be their beacon in the dark, for the wellbeing of the four people she cared the most about. After a few minutes, she loosened her grip around her friends and they all disengaged themselves from each other, but they still remained close to each other. Grinning, Coco winked at Blake who blushed as she sat down next to Yang, her hand right next to the metal one of the brawler. They all talked for a while, all 7 of the young adults exchanging stories of their past, be it of Beacon of before. Team CFVY told how their initiation went, how they had to fight twenty-seven beowolves and five alpha as they fled from the temple. Weiss made everybody laugh when she recalled a story about Winter, a homemade zip line and a broken window. Blake for her part explained life on Menagerie, how was life down under. They kept at it for a few hours, simply relaxing after a few hard days, week, months. When the sun finally reached its Zenith, Yang stood up, stretching her arms and back.
"Alright. There's meat in the fridge, feel free to cook what you want. There's also a barbecue in the shed, just cook outside and everything'll be okay."
Everybody looked up at the brawler, with raised eyebrows, Weiss sighing at the blond antics.
"And where do you think you're going, leaving your friends in your own house?" asked the fashionista, with a smile, before the heiress could say anything.
"I'm going to go fetch a friend. I made a promise a few months back. I have to live up to it. I'll be back in an hour. Make sure to make food for eight. Thanks a bunch Coco. Oh, and Weiss, you're in charge of making sure that the house doesn't explode thanks!" the brawler before kissing Weiss' forehead before running off to the shed, to take her bike towards a small little village in the east of the island.
What she never saw was the pain in Blake's expression or the blush and smile from Weiss. She never saw Coco facepalm when she saw the two girl's reaction, before heading inside to begin to cook. She never saw Fox hand Yatsuhashi a stack of lien while Velvet glared at the two men of the group. With a smile, Yang took off, weaving on the small dirt paths of the island as she made way towards the village of Lili, where someone was awaiting her weekly meeting with the brawler.
Forty-five minutes later, the small group perked up when they heard a motorcycle getting nearer. The monochrome pair looked back towards the road while Coco was taking out the meat and fish from the grill. They saw the motorcycle drive behind the house to go park and, as everybody was finishing up to put on the finishing touches to the picnic area, they heard Yang speak to someone else as she got near them.
"I promise you, they are super nice. And I'm sure they'll like you as much as I do." Said the brawler as she turned the corner of the house.
A million of things were going on inside Blake's head, as panic overtook her brain. Of course Yang would have someone else, she was so pretty, so kind, so strong, how could anybody like her stay single for a long time, even in her state? How could anybody like Yang have feel any love towards someone like Blake? They were so different of course, Yang couldn't like her like she did. Of course, her love wouldn't be returned in kind.
In Weiss' brain things were similar, but rather than panic it was anger. In the past week they had spent together, never had Yang spoke of someone she liked! Never had Yang told something about a relationship! Weiss was angry and was about to tell to Yang how she felt about that treason, but she was prevented from doing such by a giggling Velvet.
"So, who's that friend that we'll like Yang? Did you forget to say anything to us ab…" the bunny girl never finished her sentence, shock overcoming every brain power she had, as it did to everybody else.
In front of her stood a blushing seven-year-old girl with a small red helmet with a rose decal on the side. Wearing a pink t-shirt with black shorts, the small girl had long purple hairs with white highlights that flowed up to the middle of her back, the bangs of her hair making her bright blue eyes almost flash on her pale face. She was standing at around 4 feet tall. She slowly waved at the group of young adults who kept staring at her, until Yang cleared her throat, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised at her friends, wondering what was going on.
"So… Hum Yang…" began Coco when she regained her composure, putting down the grilled chicken on the table. "Care to explain to us who's the squirt?"
"Hey! I'm not that small!" puffed the young girl, crossing her arms in a pout, which made the fashionista grin as she swept the young girl in her arms.
"I already like you girl!"
Slowly everybody regained their cool and they all introduced themselves. She shook hands with the members of team CFVY, before stopping in front of Weiss and Blake, with little glints in her eyes as she stared at them in amazement.
"You are Weiss and Blake! You're Yang's teammate and partner! You're even more beautiful than she said!"
Yang, Weiss, and Blake all chocked as they heard what the young girl said, making Coco burst out laughing while hitting the table repeatedly, snorting and struggling to breathe normally while the other members of her team were doing barely better with Velvet hiding her laughter behind her hand.
Blushing, Weiss looked away from the girl, while Blake simply fidgeted in place, unsure of what to say. After a little awkward moment, Blake smiled softly at the young girl as she shook her hand as well.
"I am Blake yes, but… Who are you? Yang didn't tell us about you."
"Oh, my god… She's the friend you went to see when you stormed off the other day…" said Weiss as the realization finally struck her. She facepalmed and groaned, having forgotten that the friend that she went to see that day was a little 6 or 7-year-old girl. When she removed her hand, she smiled as the girl was still staring at her with a big smile. Sighing while still smiling, Weiss shook the small girl's hand while still looking at Yang and Blake who were talking, sitting down at the table to eat lunch. The heiress quickly looked back at the young girl before winking at her with a smile.
"After we have eaten, I'm counting on you to tell me what Yang has told you about us. Deal?"
"Deal!" answered the young girl with a wink of her own, dashing quickly to sit next to Yang.
Looking at the table of friends, Weiss couldn't hold her smile and took out her scroll to send a message to Flynt and Neon, telling them that they could come back, after a week of surveillance they had done enough.
"Weiss, hurry up or you won't have anything to eat!"
"I would if Blake didn't eat all the fish!"
"It's mine!" said the cat faunus, exaggerating her reaction to make their new friend laugh.
Maybe, after all this time thought the ravenette as she looked at the blond brawler next to her, they could still become close like they used to. Maybe she still had a chance for another family. One that she stopped running from.
And looking at Yang having fun with the young 7-year-old only managed to send the faunus' brain in overdrive, imagining a small child with blond hair, amber eyes and a pair of cat ears on her head. In a second Blake turned her head away, blushing as she avoided Coco's grin. She didn't need this right now.
They were happy and having fun. It was a first in 8 months for the cat faunus. She wanted to make the most of it. Who knows how long it would take before the situation became Grimm once more.