I feel like it's wise for me to say (well, write) that the story is ending on Chapter 40. So... we're pretty close on ending this story.

On a side note, can't believe how much White Rose is teased in just two episodes of Volume 6. Like, whoah, I don't think it's about to sail or anything, but... well... wow.

"This is nice."

Amber eyes traveled from the mesmerizing view of the setting sun to the rich dinner placed upon her, before finally, settling in on the beautiful face of Yang Xiao Long, who had a serene, transfixed gaze as she stared into the darkening sky.

Blake, unaware, sighed in blissfulness as she continued ogling her beauty of her girlfriend. "This really is nice."

Lilac eyes shifted to stare into amber. Blake's cheeks heating when she realized what she'd done. Yang said with a grin as smooth as her words, "Why, thank you, Blake. Didn't realize you think I'm, quote-on-quote, nice."

Not like it's not true, thought Blake, keeping her lips tight, which served to amuse Yang even more as she broke down into laughter.

"We're supposed to be having dinner, you know." She didn't go through the trouble of calling Coco so suddenly and asked - maybe even pleaded - her to let Blake have her restaurant all to herself only for Yang to laugh at her.

Even now, Blake had to admit she outdid herself. They were sitting on the top floor, which meant they had the best view of both the sunset and Vale. The food was tremendous; there were lots of fishes. And each and every one of them tasted better than the last. Blake might've eaten more than Yang, which was an impressive feat, judging by how hungry the blonde could be.

"Yeah, I know," Yang said, waving her spoon which, luckily, didn't sport any food. "But the number one rule for dinner that you gotta bring something explosive to the table." At Blake's bewildered expression, she added, "At least, in my house."

"... Sometimes I wonder how you've survived for this long," Blake muttered loudly enough for her girlfriend to hear.

Yang reacted accordingly. By pouting.

"You don't give me enough credit," she said.

"I give you more credit than necessary," Blake responded.

Yang hummed before nodding in agreement. "True." The nonchalance of her act causing Blake to smile.

But then a thought lingered in her mind. Not a particularly bad one, yet also not what she would call thrilling.

The sun was nowhere to be seen. The sky had been painted blue. Stars began to appear, as was the calming moon.

The lightness of the situation disappeared as slowly as the sun did.

Yang was watching her. With her cheerful attitude, sometimes Blake forgot how eerily observant the blonde could be. Sure, she wasn't academically gifted, but she did have the gift of easily reading people. Lying to her was impossible. Keeping things from her moreso.

Earlier this day, Yang hadn't pried too much. Sure, she kept making guesses of where they were going, but she only asked Blake once and that was it. The blonde sensed either Blake would tell her or she'd find out herself. And, above all, Yang had trusted Blake. She trusted her enough to wait for her to speak all those hours ago.

And right now, Yang was doing the exact same thing.

Not for the first time, Blake wondered how she'd come across such a kind soul.

A part of her, a part that was undeniably selfish, wished for her not to bring it up. It wanted her to enjoy the peaceful, quiet night, and pretend as if nothing was bothering her.

But another part, the part that she sometimes hated, knew how foolish, reckless, not to mention wrong that would be.

Yang trusted her. By not speaking, Blake would be breaking that trust.

And Blake trusted her enough to want to speak to her about it.

But most importantly, she wanted to get it off her chest. It had to be now, or else Blake would never want to talk to her about it.

"Hey... Yang?"

The blonde didn't answer her, not verbally. She gave a slight nod, and her mouth thinned. She knew she didn't have to say anything else. Blake knew too.

When Blake's eyes found hers, she was momentarily taken aback by the sheer rawness of those lilac gems. In broad daylight, they seemed to shed a light that rivaled the sun. But here and now, in the calm presence of the moon, those eyes were filled with such depth. Blake could easily get lost in those eyes, wondering what secrets they held beneath it.

Blake bit her lip. She was hesitant to tell her girlfriend. But this was something she knew she had to do, whether she wanted to do it or not. "I've been... wanting to do this thing for... a while." Truthfully, not even she knew the exact time she'd had this growing feeling. For all she knew, it could've been days. For all she knew, it could've been months. "I didn't really think of it much. But, it... grew on me. It's-" she paused for a moment, before sighing out, "It's a decision that'll impact everyone's lives."

She wished she could say that was an over-exaggeration.

"Blake?"

Blake did not answer her lover's call. Instead, she closed her eyes and braced herself, for both her own words and whatever would come next.

"I want to quit the band."

"This is anything but nice."

Ruby blinked at Weiss' words, then frowned, feeling more than a little insulted. "Hey! I'll have you know this is the perfect dinner!"

Weiss was unbothered by her reaction. She briefly looked down at the amazing and delicious meal Ruby had prepared for her before stating, "Unless Remnant's gone mad, I assure you, Ruby, cookies are not nice for dinner."

"Cookies are nice for dinner!" After a small pause, she added, "Cookies are nice, period!" It didn't matter if she had it for dinner, lunch, or even breakfast! "Plus, Yang's brought it for me, do you want it to go to waste?" She unleashed her greatest weapon which worked every time! Her puppy eyes!

Weiss' eye twitched when she saw it. "No."

What?! How could her puppy eyes not work?! Fine. Weiss forced her to unleash her secret weapon which was even better than the greatest weapon! Puppy eyes and the occasional sniff!

Weiss gritted her teeth and took a sharp intake of breath. "No."

Ruby's resolve broke. "But- but- how?!" she wondered. "Everyone always falls for it! Everyone!" she emphasized.

Weiss looked proud of herself. She should be. What she'd done was an impossible mission. "I guess I'm immune to your cuteness."

Ruby gaped at the mere prospect of it.

She and Weiss had a stare-off before the heiress suddenly rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, we can have cookies." Ruby perked up. "But we'll have them as dessert. Not the main course." Ruby perked back down.

"... Fine," she eventually said. It was a fair deal. So long as she would end up eating her precious cookies, Ruby wouldn't complain.

In the end, they settled for spaghetti - since Ruby's fridge was mostly empty, and she had to convince Weiss that it wasn't poisoned for four whole minutes before the singer reluctantly took a bite... and immediately loved it.

Huh. Who knew Weiss would love spaghetti?

Even now, Weiss was almost finished with her meal while Ruby was still half-way. Ruby was beginning to worry that her girlfriend would somehow choke on her noodly food.

Another aspect that intrigued Ruby was how Weiss behaved as she ate. Her posture was perfect. The way she held her fork and spoon was perfect. Everything about the way she ate was so... perfectly formal. Which was silly considering the fact that she was eating spaghetti.

Oh, Weiss. What am I gonna do with you?

It took Blake all of her restraints not to do what she'd always wanted to do in these kinds of situations; run.

She couldn't run. She shouldn't.

It would be wrong on too many levels to do so.

Blake had brought the topic up, she should be here to stick with it and not leave Yang alone in the dark.

The silence was suffocating.

Blake normally enjoyed the silence. Silence normally meant peace. But this time... it didn't mean that. This time, the silence spoke of the unknown. And it scared Blake.

Eventually, Yang spoke. And when she did so, Blake was appalled at the weight that carried on with her words.

"Why would you do that, Blake?"

Blake studied her girlfriend.

The girl in front of her was not the same one she usually saw. She wasn't a carefree girl who went through life with a cocky smile and some jokes.

The girl in front of her wasn't the Yang Xiao Long Blake was familiar with, but she was still Yang Xiao Long.

The girl in front of her was the side of Yang Xiao Long that the blonde herself wouldn't let many people see.

This was the side of Yang Xiao Long that Yang Xiao Long tried to hide.

Blake's gaze traveled down. It would be unwise to speak anything other than the truth.

Surprisingly, words came to her very easily. Maybe it was that that they were alone. Maybe it was that she knew Yang wouldn't try to hurt her in any way.

"Because, well... I'm tired of this." She frowned before saying, "Well, tired isn't exactly the right word. More like... finished." Yes. That sounded better. "I want to try new things, Yang. I... don't want to keep doing this forever. As much as I want to."

She found herself unable to speak more. Unwilling to. She'd said all she thought was needed to be said, and that was it. All she could do now was wait for a response.

And a response did come, after a time that felt far too long for her.

"Won't you miss them?"

Blake's answer was practically a reflex. "Wha-? Of course!" Her eyes widened when she realized how loud she'd yelled. Yang didn't seem too bothered by her outburst, if anything, she looked like she'd been expecting it. Blake cleared her throat before speaking in a calmer, quieter tone. "Of course, I'll miss them, Yang. They're my family."

There was no hesitation. No doubt. There might've been once, back before Blake cowered at the idea of trusting someone and letting someone trust her. But now... now she was sure of one thing; she loved Hunters and Huntresses, and breaking apart from them would be one of the most painful things she would do.

"Blake... are you sure about this?"

Her mouth moved on its own.

"No… I'm not. But that doesn't mean I want to be like this forever."

Being out there, in front of all those people and cameras, doing what she'd always loved doing... It sent a warm feeling in her chest and made her smile. But she also knew it wasn't something she envisioned doing for a long while. It wasn't how she wanted her future to be.

She already had an ideal future, after all. A calmer one. A more peaceful one. One where she spent her days with a certain someone special to her.

And that someone was Yang.

Blake didn't say it, she had a suspicion she didn't need to for Yang to understand her; she wanted to be with Yang. And she knew that to do that, she must give up the life she was currently living in. The life of fame.

Blake knew Yang understood it as well. It was written all over her face. It was shown in those lilac eyes.

For the first time in a while, she truly was lost.

The moon shone brighter. There was a breeze, and Yang ran a hand through her waving, glowing hair.

"Blake..." Her voice was raw. So very raw. With Blake's feline ears, she was able to hear her taking an intake of breath. "I know you want to do this, it's pretty obvious you've thought this through." She managed a small nod. "But... I don't think you want to quit... not right now." The last part was spoken slowly.

Blake's eyes widened.

The breeze stopped, and all stilled. The wisps of breath and the rustles of grass were what filled the silence for a time.

"I think you still want to hang out and play music with the rest of them. You still want to be up on the stage, you still want to show the world what you can do..."

Yang ducked her head ever so slightly, and her eyes seemed to gleam this warmth as she looked up to Blake. She had this small, gentle smile painting her lips.

"Am I wrong?"

Weiss watched as Ruby strummed and plucked her strings with such delicacy - handling her instrument with the precision of a master.

She, too, wielded her voice, not unlike a knight who hit the many beasts blocking its way. Only, they were notes which she hit, and she hit each of them graciously.

They were playing a song that was originally supposed to fit the jazz genre, but the brunette made a brilliant idea to add a more orchestral theme to it. At first, Weiss wondered how they were going to manage to combine something as bizarre as jazz with orchestra - of all things, but somehow, they were able to do so. And quite amazingly, she might add.

Weiss' eyes narrowed when she saw bits of cookie crumbs scattered in Ruby's lips. And, without pausing from her singing, she slowly paced towards the brunette, leaned in, and wiped the crumb off of her cute face.

Weiss was suddenly aware of how close she was with Ruby. She was also aware of the gaze Ruby was sending her - one that was filled with a strong desire. Weiss' cheeks heated when she realized that desire was aimed towards her.

Ruby didn't stop playing as she leaned into her, but she had to stop singing when their lips met. The angle was a bit awkward since Ruby's guitar was blocking them apart, but somehow... they made it work.

Weiss smirked a little when the guitar let out a wilder, less clean melody. It was by no means bad.

The music increased its intensity even more when Weiss put her hands on Ruby's collar to deepen the kiss. As it went on, Ruby played in a more and more abrasive yet the tune was still endearing to listen to.

Ruby strummed in a low note when they broke apart. She was panting moreso than Weiss. The heiress smirked. All of those breathing exercises from her singing lessons finally paid off.

Weiss looked at Ruby.

Her girlfriend had talent like no other. While others played music, she created them. Others followed the guidelines and rules of the song, Ruby was able to break and perfected them all at once.

There was no other way than to describe Ruby as a musical genius.

And... Weiss had never seen one before. The musicians that trained her back when she lived in that sad excuse of a house were those who relied on structures and theories. They never seemed truly passionate about the music itself and was adamant in teaching her about anything but.

Ruby was... great at what she did, and that was putting it mildly...

Weiss would leave in more or less a week, and wouldn't be able to see her again in who knew how long...

"Join us."

It took her a few long seconds for Weiss to realize what she'd just offered.

Yang smiled when Blake didn't answer her. She had a feeling the faunus didn't have an answer.

Knowing her girlfriend wouldn't speak any time soon, Yang took the chance to do so herself. "I've seen your face whenever you're on a concert." What kind of fan would she be if she hadn't done so? "It never changes. You look so happy up there, Blake. Happier than you were with me." She shrugged when Blake gave her a perplexed look. She wasn't lying. The fact didn't hurt her as well, it actually helped her argument.

Yang began to worry when Blake remained quiet, sporting this odd stare, so the blonde tried to reassure her. "Hey, it's okay, Blake..." That was all she had to offer, because really, what else was there to say? Yang herself was still processing this new information. She'd suspected something was bothering Blake for a while now, even when the girl tried to hide it, but she didn't think it would be this kind of issue.

Suddenly, Blake smiled and shook her head. There was still doubt and fear and many more similar plaguing emotions sticking in her eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in them too.

"I thought you, of all people, would agree with me." The ghost of a smile gracing Yang's lips was swept away. "With how hard it is for us to see each other. With how much we want 'us' to keep going."

"It's not like I won't be bummed out when you leave," Yang said, consciously rubbing her neck. She locked her eyes with Blake as she said, "I'm not gonna lie to you, a part of me wants you to just... abandon your music gig and..." her cheeks blushed, "come... be with me... somehow." Her voice quietened more and more before they finally trailed off in uncertainty.

"Then why?" Blake asked after another tense silence.

It pained Yang to see how succumbed the girl looked, so she bit her lip before answering, gathering her loose, lost thoughts and hoping her answer would ease her lost girlfriend, even when she herself was lost.

"Because you don't really want to do it," Yang offered. "Not right now," she added. "And it would've been selfish for me to encourage you to stop doing what you enjoy just so we can be together. Plus, Ice Queen, Neptune, Sun; how do you think they're gonna feel?" At Blake's crestfallen expression, Yang hastily said, "It's not that they'll hate you for it- they'll support you, I know they will. But this isn't what you want, Blake. We both know it."

Blake grinned fondly at her. "Every member hates you-" Yang begged to differ. If she wasn't mistaken, Neptune at least didn't think of her as a threat, "-and yet you worry for them."

"Eh," she gave her signature careless shrug. "I mean, I did lock the princess up, so it's no wonder she wants to mutilate me."

Blake's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "And Sun?"

Yang shrugged again, not out of carelessness, rather, out of actual cluelessness. "I seem to be growing on him, I think." At Blake's incredulous stare, she raised both hands. "Hey, you really can't expect him to suddenly like me, do you?"

"But he's just so..." Blake's brows furrowed. "Mean to you... It's so out-of-place for him- he's usually such a-"

"Sunny guy?" Yang couldn't help but offer. She was rewarded by a deadpan stare.

The grumpy stare didn't last long, however. "... Either way, I can't understand why he's like that."

Yang could.

Sun acted towards her how she used to act to a lot of boys who would try to woo her sister away from her. Boys she didn't know. Boys she feared would break her little sister's heart.

Yang understood him perfectly well.

"Leave him be. I'm sure he'll come around," Yang assured her, placing her hand atop of Blake's, squeezing slightly.

Blake briefly looked up at Yang before turning away again. She squeezed back. "I hope so," she muttered.

The difference between how the scenes with Bumblebee start in contrast with White Rose is supposed to emphasise how different their relationship are. I've always considered Yang and Blake to be one of those chill couples who are past arguing and are automatically in-synch with one another. Meanwhile, White Rose is the kind of couple who always want to do things differently, and so one of them would eventually give in and do what the other wants. I thought it'd be clever to show their difference with how each couple interacted with one another.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. See you all next week~