Hey guys, after this chapter, there'll be two more chapters, and then... it'll be over.

Just a heads up, you know. And, like I said before, that doesn't mean I'll stop writing entirely. In fact, I've been working on this Bumblebee story for quite a while now. I'm sure you'll love it! I plan to finish the whole story so I can really polish each chapter and consistently upload it. It's going to be filled with lots of action, as well as romance.

So, umm... enjoy!

... 'Join us'?

What the heck did that mean? It sounded like Weiss was talking about a cult or something. Wait- maybe she was! Maybe Weiss had been in a cult this whole time! Maybe that was why she was insanely gorgeous! It was because she used spells and stuff to make herself look so perfect!

"Ruby?"

The girl in mention blinked. She'd spaced out, it seemed. "Huh? What?"

Ruby felt guilty when Weiss looked hurt, but then that look was replaced by hesitation, fear, but also... belief. A great sense of belief. "Join my band."

Oh, she means join her BAND, not her cult. Ow, wow, for a second there I was-

"Wait, WHAT?!"

Ruby almost dropped her guitar, and it was only because of her love for her precious baby that she didn't do so. But she came close, and that was worth noting.

"You don't have to scream, you know," Weiss said, trying to be chastising. It would've worked if not for the red blush spreading all over her cheeks, making her look younger and vulnerable.

Ruby gulped. She was sure her own cheeks were as red as her name. "I... What?" she was only able to say.

Truthfully, she still wasn't sure if she heard those words correctly.

In fact, she was convinced this was all a dream because why else would my girlfriend suddenly ask me this out of the blue!?

"Join my band, Ruby."

Yeah.

That.

Ruby's eyes shifted to the side as a thought made its way into her head, a less-than-happy thought.

Why me? I'm just your average teenage girl who happens to be good at what I do.

"Why, Weiss?" was all she managed to ask, forcing herself to look at her girlfriend.

Weiss bit her lip and timidly looked away, rubbing her arm tenderly.

"I didn't mean we should do it right now, that would be insane, especially after we've told everyone how you weren't one of us. I..." Her jaw tightened, and she snapped her head towards Ruby. The strength in those bright blue eyes startled the brunette. "You felt it too, right? When we were up in that stage, when people cheered your name; the rush of it all. You loved it and you miss it."

Ruby didn't say anything. She didn't deny her words. How could she deny the truth, after all?

"I do too, Ruby. Up there, we were invincible," Weiss said with a rather large smile. Seeing it made her smile as well, although her own smile was a softer one. "I want to be able to experience that kind of rush every time I'm on a stage. I know the others would want to as well." Weiss took one step towards her. "I know you do too."

"... I do."

Weiss grasped her forearms, clinging to it, yet not putting enough pressure for them to hurt. "Then be with us. Be with me." At that last part, it was like someone punched her in the chest with a shotgun-gauntlet. There was no other way to describe it.

"Weiss... you know I can't."

Despite her strong words earlier, Blake knew Yang was unhappy.

The faunus couldn't blame her. She herself wasn't thrilled as well.

The very idea of separating from each other when they had just reunited didn't bode well with her. Especially after all the longing and pain she'd felt in those six months they were apart, to know that she would feel those things in the near future was a thought she didn't dare entertain.

And yet Blake knew it would be a better choice for both of them if they were to do so. After all, to continue to stay together… it would have consequences. Consequences that they should not take, no matter how much they wanted to.

Suddenly, Blake spotted it.

Hidden beneath the curtains - a shape she was all but familiar with.

Blake stood up. Yang looked at her quizzically but didn't say anything. She gave the blonde a smile to reassure her that she wasn't going anywhere.

She walked towards it and drew open the curtains, revealing what she'd suspected; a bass. Her bass.

"How did-?" It appeared even Yang knew this was her bass as well and was wondering the same question she was.

Blake rolled her eyes. This must be Coco and, perhaps, Velvet.

Who else would want to go so far as to somehow get Blake's instrument and took it here without she herself noticing.

How she was able to pull this off was beyond the noirette, but she found herself not caring about it much when an idea struck her.

Without a word, Blake grabbed her instrument with ease, taking a moment to look at it closely and confirm that it was, indeed, her bass and not just an accurate replica of it. She strode towards Yang, whose confusion increased tenfold.

Blake made herself comfortable, sitting in a nearby small couch, which was, admittedly, a little hard to do. She then patted towards the empty spot and looked at Yang expectantly.

Yang rose an eyebrow but complied to her wishes, trusting that her girlfriend wouldn't do anything weird.

Blake held her instrument and sat face-to-face with her girlfriend.

"What are you doing?" came the expected question.

Blake flashed her a smirk. "I thought it'd be obvious by now," she muttered, surprising her girlfriend with a quick peck on the lips, electing an adorable blush in return. Her fingers danced across the metal strings as she placed them in specific spots.

"I'm giving you a personal concert."

And then she played.

Rich blue stared into shimmering silver, each of them holding their own intensity, both of them showing a conflicting mess of emotions.

It was she who spoke first.

"Why, Ruby? Why can't you?"

The brunette's gaze hardened. "Because-" Her eyes suddenly widened. She then took a deep breath, her shoulders slackening and the gaze in her eyes softening. "Weiss..."

The way she'd spoken her name... It made her heart skip a beat.

Weiss took a step forward.

"Because of what?" she asked - no, demanded.

She'd seen what Blake had to go through when apart from Yang.

Being able to see her partner's voice, being able to hear her words... But not being able to touch them? Not being able to feel their warmth?

It saddened Weiss to no end and the fact that she'd be going through the same ordeal as them. She... didn't think she'd be able to handle it - not seeing Ruby face-to-face. Only equipped to see her through the small screen of her phone.

Weiss didn't want that.

And she knew Ruby would never want that as well.

So why...?

Why did Ruby not accept her offer? The offer that would guarantee many things for the brunette - being together was just one of the many. The offer that many, if not, all aspiring musicians dreamt of.

... Why was Ruby denying the golden opportunity?

And suddenly Weiss was tasting something she liked.

She soon found it was Ruby's lips.

Weiss realized, with red cheeks, that the most reasonable thing to do when someone she had feelings for was kissing you was, of course, to kiss that someone back.

And so she reciprocated.

The kiss was sweet. Very sweet.

Weiss wrapped her arms around the younger girl's waist, while Ruby's hands gently held her cheeks in an attempt to deepen the kiss.

Her worries melted, alongside many other things that burdened her.

When they broke off, Weiss only half-remembered what they'd been arguing about.

Ruby caressed her white locks, her touch softer than feathers. Weiss leaned into her, a smile of content gracing her lips. Looking up, she found the brunette giving her a tender smile as well.

"I'm not ready to be like you, Weiss," the brunette said. Weiss' smile faltered a little, but hers stayed as strong and as gentle. "Don't get me wrong, Weiss, I really did love it when I'm up there. Especially with you." There was a small pause. Ruby's soothing fingers stopped in their tracks. She looked down. "I have this life. And I want to live it first." Distressed silver met shocked blue. "Please understand, Weiss."

Ruby looked so small. And so fragile.

Weiss only realize it now; she was hurting the poor girl.

Of course Ruby wasn't ready- the heiress had known all along. She was never comfortable with the fame and had asked her so many times to make people understand that she was "just her" before she finally relented.

Ruby wasn't ready for this, as much as she wanted to be.

The least Weiss could do was respect her wishes.

After a shaky sigh, she spoke. "I do, Ruby. Of course, I do." She shook her head and looked down, feeling more than a little guilty. "I'm sorry for forcing you."

"Eh," Ruby gave her a shrug, "it's no biggie." Weiss raised an eyebrow, knowing how false the statement was. The brunette blinked then smiled sheepishly. "Okay, fine, I know you didn't mean it, Weiss." The sheepish smile turned into one of confidence. "You'd never hurt me on purpose."

Well... it was safe to say Weiss' heart soared.

Goodness, sometimes she'd forgotten how easily the girl could fluster her. And what was worse was that Ruby didn't even seem to realize what she was doing - she, unlike her sister, never intentionally flirted towards her. She just said things the way they were.

"Plus, who knows, maybe one day I will actually join your band."

The very thought of it pulled her lips into a genuine smile.

She knew that wouldn't happen now. It might not even happen soon, but... "One day..." It might just happen.

"Yeah. That'd be nice." That was an understatement, but Weiss felt it was unimportant to point it out.

"Indeed." That would be very nice. The future couldn't be that far away, now, could it?

Yang was frozen. Not in fear. Not in shock. But in... something beyond those. Something more.

She'd seen Blake played more times than she could ever hope to count. She'd seen her play through the screen of her phone. She'd seen her play one or two times in-person.

But never up close.

Not until now.

It wasn't something that could easily be described. In fact, Yang doubted it could even be described perfectly at all.

The sound brought... a mix of emotions in Yang she hadn't felt before.

There was a kind of calmness that wrapped everything around them as the beautiful noirette played. One of a kind atmosphere that had 'Blake Belladonna' written all around them.

And then Blake started playing in higher notes and at a faster pace.

Yang's jaw dropped.

This was... music at its rawest form.

This was better than any concert she'd been in. Far better.

It was hard for Yang to try and describe it all... so she didn't and chose the wisest decision, which was to simply listen.

She listened as Blake plucked each string with different strength; different length; different meaning.

The music almost seemed to be... speaking. Saying something.

Yang let her eyes close in order to fully immerse herself into these beautiful notes.

The sound carried her to a beautiful place.

A place she'd always dreamed of.

A dream she wished would one day be a reality.

"Do you ever imagine the future?" a voice asked. A voice that was Blake's. A voice that did not come from the woman in front of her.

She answered: Yes. Yes, she had.

"What future do you imagine?" the voice asked again.

She... didn't know...

'Good' didn't do it justice.

Neither did 'Great', or even 'Perfect'. It was... much more...

Yang was inside a house.

"Is it a big house?"

It didn't matter.

"Then, what does?"

"Who's in that house," she heard herself saying.

... It was Blake.

She was in the house.

They both were.

And... it wasn't really a house...

It was more of a home.

And suddenly, the music ended.

Yang opened her eyes as she was brought back to reality.

Amber eyes were inches away from her own eyes, showing nothing but concern and care.

A pale hand dusted off something wet trailing down her cheek.

"Why are you crying?"

It wasn't often that Blake played like this.

Being in a band and having to adjust her way of playing with others, and generally busy with many other things, she didn't have much time to simply...

Play. Alone. In a way that she wanted - not the way that would be best for everyone. Hitting notes that she felt was appropriate - not what Glynda wanted her to hit.

She... missed this.

She missed the simpler, older days where she wasn't filled with such responsibilities. Where she wasn't Blake Belladonna, bass player of Hunters and Huntresses. Where she was just... Blake, a girl who happened to be able to play an instrument.

Blake generally wasn't good at speaking.

Despite wanting to say so many things, words just wouldn't come out of her mouth the way she wanted to. It was ironic because of

Try as she might, but words just weren't something she wasn't good at.

Which was why she loved music.

With music, she didn't need to speak each word - she just had to play and let the music speak for her. The notes she played spoke in a way words never could.

Sometimes her music even spoke about things she herself would never think to speak.

Thoughts and emotions that were always so hard to convey easily shone through the melody.

Things that were always so hard for her to understand easily flowed through the strings.

Feelings she didn't know she had were expressed through music.

And suddenly...

It came to her like the morning sun, peeking out from the horizon, chasing away all darkness.

I love her.

She opened her eyes, letting out a soft gasp.

"Why are you crying?" she asked in a murmur to the girl in front of her, her hand instinctively brushing the trails of tears on her cheek, her brows creasing in worry.

Yang blinked, then touched her own cheek, as if she didn't know she'd been shedding tears. "Oh... it's... it's just..." Blake's ears perked down at the waver in her voice. Yang gave her a smile. It was similar to her normal ones - the difference was... those smiles were genuine. This was not. "Your music is so great, Blake!" she cheered, despite her lips trembling a bit. "Sometimes I wonder why you don't just go solo."

It was obvious as day; Yang was trying not to cry, trying to keep strong for both of their sake, trying to make her happy like always.

Blake felt a pang of pain shot through her, like an arrow to her chest.

Yang... had always been there for her. In more ways than anyone could imagine.

She was the one who brought something special to Blake's mundane evening when she first showed up - she showed Blake a kindness unlike any other, treated her like royalty, like someone who deserved to be treated the way she did.

She even went as far as to bring Blake her favorite drink; tea.

Meanwhile, other fans wouldn't have brought her anything. Some even demanded she gave them something.

As if that wasn't enough, Yang showed her even more of what she thought she didn't need as they spend more time together.

And before she knew it, Blake was falling for the girl.

More tears fell from Yang's face.

Blake's eyes slightly narrowed in an unbreakable determination; she pulled the girl into an embrace right after she gently put down her bass on the floor.

Yang's muscles stiffen, but Blake could still feel her trembles as she rested her chin on the blonde's shoulder.

"B-Blake, it's fine, I'm fine."

Clearly, Yang was anything but.

Even a fool would know those were words of lies.

"Talk to me."

Yang trembled even more. Blake didn't say anything - she trusted Yang would talk when she was ready. After a few long seconds, she took a deep breath and the shaking stopped, the girl's muscles loosening. Her arms hung limply at her side, swaying slightly.

Blake didn't need to look at her to know the tiny trickles of water dripping down onto her arm were her girlfriend's tears.

"Blake... I... I don't think I want to do this..." Blake wanted to ask Yang what she meant by that. A part of her feared that by 'this', Yang was referring to their relationship; to them. But she did nothing but hold the girl even tighter.

Yang had done so much for Blake. It was time Blake did something in return.

Yang had been strong all this time. It was time to let Blake be strong for her - for a change.

It was time for Yang to be weak. It was time for Yang to let Blake hold her the way she held Blake.

It was time for Yang to... just... cry.

And Blake would hold her. She would continue to hold her until Yang could stand on her own again. However long it took, she'd wait.

Just as Yang had waited for her.

Yang didn't make a sound as she cried. No wails, no sniffles. The only indication that she even was crying was the wetness that kept dripping down onto Blake's shoulder, not that she minded.

"Blake, I..." a voice came, softer and shakier than it usually was due to all the tears. "I'm okay... I'm okay now..." Yang clearly wasn't, but there was an unspoken request for Blake to let her go. So, very reluctantly, she pulled away, slowly.

Yang still looked worse for wear. What made it all the more heartbreaking was how hard she was trying to smile and act happy, all for Blake.

Blake wanted her to feel a little better, so she gave the girl a quick peck on the lips. Yang must not have been expecting it, because she became rather flustered - trailing her gaze away and biting her cheek. It was a cute sight to see, despite the puffy eyes and wet cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Blake," she began. "I didn't mean-"

Her words were cut off because of the finger silencing her lips.

"I don't need to know why," Blake said.

Yang's head backed away from the offending hand, frowning. "But I-"

And the finger returned.

Blake adorned an exasperated scowl. "Can't I just comfort my own girlfriend for a change?"

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise before she smirked a little. "Jeez, Blake. Who knew you could be so overprotective."

In return, the faunus rolled her eyes.

"Well, I tend to do that to the people I love."

Both of their eyes widened.

Weiss rose an eyebrow when the dolt's phone buzzed. Who could be messaging her at a time like this?

Seeing as how Ruby was busy working with the strings of her guitar - something about them becoming rusty - Weiss moved to answer it.

"Eh, leave it."

Weiss' eyes narrowed in a disagreement. Then, her eyebrow rose even higher when she heard it buzz again. Two messages. They could probably be important.

"No, they aren't."

Her head snapped back to her girlfriend as she dropped her jaw. "How did you-?" She couldn't even form proper words.

Ruby just laughed - and, wow, was it an adorable laugh - and shook her head. "I'm your girlfriend, silly. Of course I know what you're thinking." She gently put away her guitar as Weiss contemplated with her statement. When the heiress saw the girl's phone buzzing again, she couldn't help but try to reach out, only to squeak when the brunette caught her wrist.

Before the younger girl could say anything, Weiss spoke. "What if it's important?" She was always taught never to ignore calls in the off-chance of it being some kind of emergency.

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "But it's not, though."

One blue eye twitched. "How do you know that?"

Her girlfriend gave a shrug. "I just do." Weiss opened her mouth, but her girlfriend beat her to it. "Don't be such a worry-wart." The heiress frowned at the nickname and opened her mouth again... only for her girlfriend to beat her to it... again. "Just relax for a change, will ya?"

Weiss eyed her girlfriend, saw the pleading silver eyes, and nodded, even if she was maybe a little reluctant to the idea. Still, she had to ask. "Why are you like this?"

A chuckle was Ruby's first answer. "Like what? Awesome?" Weiss rolled her eyes, but not without a smaller, more hidden smile of her own. "It's just..." the girl's tone softened. She sounded more fragile. "After you leave, I won't really get to be as close to you as I am now..."

And suddenly, it all clicked for Weiss.

Oh.

Ruby...

Without much thinking, Weiss pulled the girl in for a kiss, hoping the actions would convey what words could never.

How could she have been so blind?

Ruby was... Ruby had been worried. All this time. Worried because she wouldn't be able to see much of her again. And... she was trying to mask it- to keep it all under wraps. All for her. Even when it was hurting Ruby herself.

The kiss ended, and Ruby was, for once, more flushed than she was due to the surprise.

Weiss spoke first.

"Dolt."

It... wasn't what she meant to say, but it happened to be what came out of her mouth.

For a brief second, she was terrified Ruby would be hurt, but instead, the exact opposite happened.

There was the surprise first, as those silver eyes widened. The surprise turned into confusion as brown eyebrows furrowed before finally turning into joy as snickers broke from her lips.

"Really, Weiss?" she asked. "Can't you come up with something more original?"

Weiss' face went redder than her girlfriend's name. Both the first and the last.

"W-well, it is the truth!" she tried to rebut, which resulted in a louder round of giggles, much to her displeasure. She poked her girlfriend in the shoulder, though not hard enough for it to cause any real pain. "Quit it!" she ordered.

Ruby kept on laughing. So she brooded. No. She was not pouting. She was brooding. There was a difference. A big difference.

When Ruby's eyes met hers again, Weiss found herself speechless to see such warmth, adoration and many more she simply couldn't place.

And as she regained her composure, Weiss became speechless again, though this time, it was not because she was caught off guard by how much feelings Ruby was displaying towards her by looking at her...

It was because she was caught off guard by how much feelings Ruby was displaying towards her by kissing her.

And, again, she regained her composure, and did the most logical and rational thing anyone would do; kiss back, even as the phone buzzed one last time, indicating that Ruby had three unread messages.

It took a while before Yang was finally able to speak.

"Blake?"

The woman in front of her started a little but otherwise remained motionless. Wordless.

Yang was terrified.

She was terrified for many reasons. But the most prominent one was… she was afraid this was all just some kind of joke. A prank Blake was trying to pull. Every part of her told her Blake would never do such a thing, but she couldn't help but wonder.

Seconds ticked by, each of them felt like a century.

"Please, say something..." she croaked. She'd never felt so vulnerable. So helpless. So… fragile.

She saw thousands of different emotions flickering in those gorgeous eyes that reminded her of the golden sunrise. Yang was too afraid to try to find out what they were.

She feared she would find humor in those eyes.

She feared she would find regret.

But mostly…

She feared she would find love in the eyes of her girlfriend.

A love that was directed towards her.

So Yang shut her eyes, biting her lip. It was cowardly of her, but she couldn't find herself caring at this point.

The silence taunted her. It slowly crept towards her, making her feel so cold and so numb.

"Please…" she begged, one last time.

The wind whispered harshly, making her hair flow to the side, partly covering her face.

The sky was dark despite the moon and star's efforts to brighten it.

"I... It's true, Yang."

Lilac eyes opened as a glimmer of hope began to shine upon her. Yet she couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Blake kept talking. Her head was tilted down, and her bangs covered her face. That comforted Yang a little - not knowing how Blake looked, not knowing how she felt. Yet at the same time, it petrified her.

"I think I- No. I know that…" Time slowed down as Blake's eyes found hers. The eyes that used to hold so many mysteries were now open and vulnerable. "I love you."

Yang's heartbeat was all she could hear for a long while, partly because of how loud it was, though also because of the silence that followed.

Her eyes were wide. So were Blake's.

Her lips were parted. Blake's were tightened together.

Yang was a lot of things. Ecstatic. Afraid. Glad. Shocked.

Blake was all of those things too.

Yang stayed silent. Blake didn't.

"I've never felt this way towards anyone. Except you." Dark brows creased. "I think I have loved you for a long time, but…" amber eyes coyly looked up. "I just didn't realize that what I was feeling towards you was love." There was a short pause. "Not until now."

Yang kept looking at her as her mind continued to do nothing but think. Her thoughts were too many for her to comprehend, like a static. She didn't know what to do. What to say.

"Yang?"

Blake's voice. It was so small… so delicate…

Like a kitten's whimper.

"Do… do you have the same feelings towards me too?" Yang's eyes widened. "Do you lo-"

"Of course I do, Blakey!" There was a newfound determination. A fire of passion that had been flickered into life. "Of course I love you. How can I not? Man, Blake, thought you were the smart one here. Really, Blake. I love you. I have loved you for a damn long time."

Yang was surprised at how easily it was for her to say it.

She'd imagined countless scenarios where she confessed her words. And within those scenarios came all kinds of results. One where Blake told her the feelings weren't mutual. Another where Blake laughed, thinking it was all a joke.

The worst was always where Blake told her the feelings weren't mutual, and that Yang wasn't right for her.

These scenarios had always haunted Yang to no end.

She'd always wondered how she would do it - if she would even do it at all.

Yang had imagined countless amounts of scenarios.

Not one of them involved Blake being the one to confess to her first.

"Wow…" muttered Blake.

It… it felt good. Like there was this weight that was thrown away from her shoulders, and now she felt lighter. Better. Freer. More herself.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either," the blonde laughed.

Oh, and she was also more tired. Like she'd run a marathon.

She flopped down to the couch with a thud, eyes wide and cheeks ablaze. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Blake leaning back a little, putting a hand on her head while the other supported her weight.

"This feels unreal," her girlfriend said.

The silence that followed was one of relief.

The sky was bright once more, despite the sun nowhere to be seen. And the wind didn't whisper, it sang a soft melody. Her heart was still beating vastly, but it didn't hammer against her ribcage, nor did it hurt her. It was beating strongly, happily. Much like herself.

Soon, Blake lied down on the couch, face-to-face with herself.

Yang looked at Blake, who, in return, looked at her.

"... This is kinda overwhelming, to be honest," she found herself saying.

With their face so close to each other, Yang could see the faint smile curling in her girlfriend's lips, admiring how beautiful it was. "How so?"

Yang bit her cheek, eyes trailing downwards. "I dunno," she admitted. "Thought there would be more… explosions."

Blake, in response, snorted. "Really? Your idea on confessing your love for me includes explosions."

Yang blushed at Blake's grin. "Hey, it was supposed to be really cool!" She then blinked, realizing what she'd just said, and broke into a fit of chuckles. Blake did the same, seconds later.

It was like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. A heavy, irritating weight that had been bugging and poking and prodding her since… well… as long as she could remember.

But now that the weight was gone… she was… admittedly, a little lost.

"Hoo, boy. Wow. What do we do now?" she asked.

"Spend more time together?"

Yang rolled her eyes at that. "Of course we'll be spending more time together, sheesh." She pressed her finger to her chin, thinking, before her eyes brightened and she let out an "Aha!" sound.

As she pulled out her phone, her clueless girlfriend asked, "What is it?"

Yang pressed send before answering, "Texting Ruby, of course."

As the blonde texted again, Blake asked, "Why?"

"Because we'll be checking out what those two lovebirds are doing." She pressed the button again.

"... To ruin their night?" Blake offered. Without having to look, Yang knew she was raising her eyebrow.

A wicked grin flashed across her face.

"... Maybe."

She pressed the send button one last time.

Her smile widened and she nodded approvingly at herself as she read her messages.

There were three messages in total. All of them were currently unread.

Guess who's gunna come and ruin ur night

. . .

YOURS TRULY OF COURSE!

Heh, Yang is being Yang and Blake is being Blake.

What a chapter.