Blake was leant forward so her arms were resting on the railing around the ship she was on. She was just staring out over the water as she was lost in her own thoughts about the events of a few days ago. She was completely shell shocked that Jaune was going to Menagerie and even more so when he told them that Ozpin wanted to send her as well. She was surprise that she didn't have a panic attack. Luckily, Jaune and Yang were able to calm her down before something could happen. After a long discussion and them trying their best to keep her calm, Blake reluctantly agreed to this mission.
It was two days later that the ship that would take Jaune and Blake to Menagerie showed up at the docks. Ruby and Weiss had pointed out multiple times that they could just take the Quicksilver to cut down the time they would be gone significantly. Both decided against it since both wanted to keep a low profile, especially since Jaune was human. Plus, if there was a Drake or Draco there, the rest of the two teams having the airship would be more sensible. If they found any signs of the twisted Grimm out there, they could get back up from there rather quickly.
The teams reluctantly agreed with them and they all said their goodbyes to the pair before they left. Jaune receiving kisses from his other four girlfriends and two crushing hugs from his adopted/surrogate sisters. Blake received her own hugs from her team and blushed deeply when Yang hugged her. The blonde brawler couldn't help but whisper, "Be sure to enjoy your alone time with Jauney," teasingly into her ear. With that, the two stepped onto the ship and prepared themselves for the long journey to Menagerie.
She sighed to herself after her brief trek down memory lane as she lowered her head slightly. She stiffened when she felt a hand land on her back but relaxed as a voice spoke up, "You feeling alright, Blake?" Jaune said from behind her.
She nodded slightly as she looked up and over her shoulder at her boyfriend. He was dressed in his normal attire but lacking his mask since it was unlikely that anyone would recognize him out here or on Menagerie. He wasn't even using Void to disguise his hair and eye color. He had one of the two APSs he had brought on his belt but the cloak he usually wore was back in their shared room, "Yeah. I'm fine."
He nodded as she gently rubbed her back, "Just wanted to be sure. When you see someone leaning over the railing of a ship, you automatically jump to a certain conclusion." He said with a tiny smile that held a bit of concern.
She rolled her eyes a bit with her own smirk, "Weren't you the one that had problems with motion sickness when we started Beacon? That would make you the most likely suspect to be seasick."
"That was for flying only. Gin didn't do much of that when we traveled around, it was all ground and sea travel." He looked over the sea for a bit before he turned back to her, "So, if it isn't seasickness than I'm guessing your still nervous about meeting your parents again."
Blake's ears wilted slightly as she looked down, "Yeah… What am I even going to say to them?"
"How about, 'Hi'?" Jaune supplied helpfully.
She just gave him a glare, "You're not helping."
Jaune shrugged, "Maybe. Blake, they're your parents and it will take a lot for them to hate you. Just talk to them. Reconnect. Then go from there. And if things go as terribly if you think they will, I'm here for you. You aren't alone in this." He then gave her a reassuring smile. He then thought to himself, "Although, I'm still not sure how they'll react to you bringing me home with you."
She just looked at him for a bit before she gave him her own grateful smile, "Thank you, Jaune. But I'm surprised you're not more worried about meeting my parents."
He tilted his head back and forth, "I am. But I've accepted the fact that they'll either like me or hate me. So, I'd rather just worry about you making up with them for now. Then I can deal with their love/hate afterwards."
She giggled before she stood up from the railing and gave him a chaste but loving kiss to his lips. She then turned around to lean her back against his chest and the back of her head against his shoulder, "I love you." She said simply.
He just smiled and wrapped his arms around her, linking his hands around her stomach, and rested his cheek against the side of her head. "I love you too." He said honestly. Blake's smile stretched a bit more as she rested her own hands over his own. The two just stood like that for a while, just lost in their own world as the gazed out over the ocean.
They then heard someone laugh to their right. Both turned to see the Captain, with his white beard and sailor uniform, looking at them with a smile on his face. "Now that is a beautiful sight to see." He said as he walked closer. "It's always nice to see younger people so in love. Don't see it as often as we should."
That made Blake blush slightly and her ears lowered a bit. She looked to the side and Jaune chuckled slightly. He kissed the side of her head before he turned back to the Captain, "Thank you for the compliment, sir. But, not to be rude, what are you doing here? Trouble ahead?"
He shook his head, "Not at all. Should be smooth sailings to Menagerie." He turned to the water a rested one of his hands on the railing, "No. I've just been cooped up there too long, so I decided to stretch my legs. See how my passengers are doing." He turned back to the young couple, "So, would you mind me asking, why are you two going to Menagerie for?"
Jaune shrugged, "We have some Huntsmen business there. Plus, I'm finally going to see my sweetheart's parents." He motioned to with his chin to the Faunus in his arms, even though it was unnecessary.
"Finally, meeting the in-laws?" he asked.
Blake's face blushed hard at that, "We aren't married yet!"
"Yet?" Jaune asked her and she quickly looked to the ground as her blush deepened. He just held her a bit closer and kissed her head again with a content smile on his lips.
The Captain laughed again, "I would say a bit of business and pleasure but it sounds more like just business. Well, I wish you the best, lad." He then looked Blake in the eyes, now that she was looking back again, "I hope you both enjoy the peace on board."
Blake nodded with her own smile, "Thank you. We hope so as well."
With that, the Captain tipped his hat to them and left them alone. They sat in silence for a bit before Jaune couldn't help himself, "Were you serious about that 'yet'?"
She reached back and smacked him on his shoulder, "Don't you start." She told him sternly.
"Yes, dear." He said with a hint of amusement in his voice. That earned him the second smack. But that didn't stop either of them from continuing to smile. "So, what do you wanna do now? Stay here and just watch the sea?"
Blake just thought to herself for a bit, "We could. Or we could find somewhere to relax and read. The sunshine and sea breeze is very relaxing and perfect for it."
"Well, I want my Kitten to be happy. Let's go find a lounge chair on the deck." He said with a smile. With that, he let go of her and the two started to walk to the front deck, arm and arm. They found an open chair and the two quickly went over to it. Jaune sat down in it and Blake set her weapon down against the side of the chair before sitting down on his lap. She then leant back against him before she pulled out a book for them to enjoy. As they began to read, Jaune wrapped his right arm around her stomach while he left his other arm on the arm of the chair.
The two began to read but Jaune started to pay less and less attention to it from all the looks the two were getting. Every so often, Jaune would just get the feeling that someone was watching them. When he would look up, he would see either a person or couple staring at them. Both human and Faunus. He guessed a lot of people just didn't expect a human and Faunus to be in a relationship and to show it in public so openly.
They would usually stop staring once they made eye contact with Jaune and that would earn him one of three different reactions. Most often, he'd get an awkward nod and the person or persons would walk off in embarrassment for being caught gawking. The next ones were the people who would give him a smile and nod before walking away, he guessed those people were the more open minded of folks. The ones he got least but still saw were the glares or negative looks before they stormed off. That was usually after Jaune flipped them the bird though.
He knew that Blake was aware of all of this but she was choosing to ignore it. Whether it was because she didn't care or because she was just enjoying her time with him, he didn't know. He didn't want to disturb her by asking and he kind of liked to assume that it was the latter anyways.
They sat like that for a few hours and were mostly uninterrupted, aside from the random glances they got or the number of kids running around and playing. Although, those weren't much of an interruption. That usually brought a smile to his face and he would remember the times he did the same with his sisters when he was younger. The nostalgia mixed with the feelings of missing his family for a bittersweet combination. Luckily, he would soon get a distraction to take his mind off that dour mood he was going through.
That was how the two enjoyed their time together until about dusk. That was when Jaune could feel Blake's stomach growl underneath his hand. That also had her become a bit more rigid and Jaune smirked a bit, "Well, it is getting close to dinner. Let's go grab a bite."
Blake nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that. Plus, the breeze is starting to get a bit chilly." With that, she shut her book and slowly got off of Jaune. She stretched her arms above her head as she bent her back a bit. Jaune stood beside her and did something similar by placing his hands on his lower back and bending back, unkinking his spine. He let out a sigh of relief before they began to make their way to the dinner hall after Blake retrieved Gambol Shroud from beside the chair.
As they were doing that, the entire ship rocked hard to one side. That caused many of the passengers, Jaune and Blake included, to almost lose their balance and fall. Luckily, Jaune and Blake were able to keep their balance. Blake looked around in alarm, "What was that?"
Jaune looked around as well, "I'm guessing, not anything good." As if those words were a signal, a massive form started to rise from the water, revealing a Sea Feilong to all of the ship. The two of them stared up at it in shock as they heard a crew member shouting 'Red Alert' and alarms started to go off around the ship. Jaune quickly pulled his sword free as Blake drew the katana half of Gambol Shroud as the Grimm roared.
They could hear the Captain shouting to the crew to get to their battle stations. That seemed to be the couple's cue because the two took off in a sprint. Jaune quickly tapped into his wind Semblance, being the less flashy of his five elements, with his eyes shifting to the usual green. That brief second allowed Blake to get ahead of him: she jumped off the railing towards the Feilong. Using her Shadow to throw herself even closer before she threw her kusarigama into the armor on its chest. That allowed her to swing around to its back and distracting it.
While behind it, she pulled her weapon back to her hand and started to fire into its back and face. Jaune used that opportunity to launch himself from the deck with an air blast behind him. He went directly for the neck and shoved two-thirds of its blade into it. The Grimm looked up to shout in pain and Jaune quickly threw his fist forward, releasing another air blast into his jaw, knocking the serpent backwards.
The Grimm didn't fight it and used the momentum to help it dive into the water behind it. Luckily, Blake had managed to finish her rotation around it and had landed back on the dock. Jaune saw the ocean nearing his self and jump off the Grimm. The last thing he wanted was to be in the water with it. Halfway through the air, he fired another air blast from his feet, a move he begrudging stole from Mercury, to get closer to the ship. His hand gripped the railing before he flipped himself back onto the deck.
By that point, the Sea Feilong started to rise back out of the water before jumping over the ship to dive once again. Blake kept firing at the Grimm as it did so but it was doing the very little. Jaune tried to add his own assistance by firing more air blasts by punching the air repeatedly. But only one or two managed to connect, the others flew harmlessly into the distance or slammed into the seawater. During that time, the ship started to unfurl all of its side cannons.
Blake ran and jumped from the ship, getting close enough to deal two slashes across the snout of the Grimm before she started to fall. She used her kusarigama to pull herself back to deal more slashes. Jaune was running up the deck of the ship to get closer to the Grimm but not willing to send any more air blasts with Blake so close.
As Jaune was still closing in on them when the Captain gave the order to fire. The cannons began to release its volley but it did fairly little damage and only seemed to infuriate it further. Blake was on the receiving end of that fury when the Feilong slammed its head against her, sending her flying back to the ship. On reflex, Jaune launched himself towards his girlfriend, catching her in his arms before flying backwards as well. He landed on the deck, back first, before he bounced off it and into the railing of the ship, damaging his back further. He let out a groan of pain before he looked down to Blake, "You alright?"
She pulled away and looked up to him. She nodded quickly, "I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm good." He let her go and the two both moved to kneel by the railing. "I just need a second for my aura to dull the pain and I'll be back in the fight."
With that they saw the front deck they were on open up and reveal a much larger cannon. The Grimm wouldn't be outdone though. It leant forward and the dorsal fin on its back split in half before two wings erupted from its back. It quickly took to the sky and sent another gust of wind that made the ship rock again. The cannon moved and aimed at the large Grimm before firing. The Grimm moved away with little effort before it looked down upon the ship and started to charge electricity in its maw.
"Damn it!" Jaune shouted as he ran towards the front of the deck as the Grimm fired a massive electrical blast towards them. Jaune threw his APS to the side as he pulled both his arms back. He slid across the deck and before he came to a stop, he threw both his hands forward, his right hand above his left, and released a large gust of air towards the blast. The force of the displaced air managed to rock the entire ship before Jaune twisted his hands to be in the other's position, turning the gust of wind into a cyclone.
The cyclone slammed into the beam of electricity and fell into a standstill. Electricity split off into the water or the rocks around but never so much as touching the ship. Meanwhile, air was still being pulled into the cyclone as Jaune kept it going. The Grimm eventually stopped it's attack and Jaune let the cyclone dissipated as he dropped his arms. He was panting as he spoke up, "Didn't think that thing was that long winded. Damn."
Blake ran up beside him, "You did great, Jaune." She said as she laid her hand on his back.
Jaune wiped the bead of sweat rolling down his cheek, "I'm not sure how many more times I'll be able to do that though. Moving that much air for an extended period of time is a strain on my aura."
"Huntsmen!" they heard the Captain shout from behind them. They turned to him, "If you can clip its wings and draw it out to the bow, we can take it!"
Blake turned to Jaune, who just nodded, "Best plan we have right now with me not able to use my other Elements or Void." He slid his foot backwards and a gust of wind went over the deck. It hit his sword just right so that it flew towards him and managed to catch it reverse grip when he turned to it. "We each take one; that way if one misses, we still have a chance."
They nodded to each other and ran towards the front of the ship again. When they got there, Jaune wrapped his left arm around her before he launched them both into the air with another air blast. He released a second one shortly after to get them higher and as they were slowing down, their plan went into action. Blake took ahold of his hand and he spun before letting her go, throwing her higher into the air and above the Grimm. Jaune reangled himself before firing another air blast from his feet, flying towards the other wing.
At the apex of her jump, Blake spun around and threw her arms and legs out to catch a drag of air. Once she was ready, she dove towards her target. The Grimm was not taking that lying down and started to charge another blast of electricity. Seeing that, Jaune pulled his hand back and fired off another air blast that connected against the side of its head. That caused it to completely miss Blake with its energy attack but threw Jaune off course. He quickly angled himself again and kicked his legs out again but this time releasing a continuous stream of air from his legs. It was burning more aura but he wasn't taking any more chances right now.
As they were both nearing their own respective wings, both Hunters pulled their blades back. Both ready to carve into their target. That's when something unexpected happened. Something only Jaune had ever felt before but not with Blake though. Their auras connected.
It was for only a few seconds but both felt it. Blake's eyes even shifted to the same green as Jaune's for those few seconds. Not letting their shock stop them, both swung their swords forward. Air quickly compressed around their blades as they did and on impact, the air blades were released. The two blades sliced through both wings like paper. The Grimm shouted in pain before gravity took hold of it and pulled it back to Remnant. The large beast crashed into the ocean and created a decent sized waterspout that also pushed the ship backwards a few dozen feet.
The link between Jaune and Blake came undone at that moment and Jaune looked down to see her falling towards the rocks below. He sheathed his sword and dove towards Blake as he released more air from his feet. He closed the space between them quickly before he wrapped his arms around her again. By then, they were too close to the ground and he sloppily kick his leg to the side with another air blast. It disrupted their momentum but not as much as he would've liked. Blake managed to sink her kusarigama into another rock formation and they were able to swing further out of the dive. But they still tumbled across the rocks and both holding the other as close as they can to try to minimize any damage.
They came to a rest with Jaune on top of Blake. Both didn't move for thirty seconds or so, just taking the chance to reclaim their breath from the freefall. He then used his arms to rise off her. His green eyes staring into her usual amber ones, "You okay?"
Before she could say anything, her eyes snapped over his shoulder and they widened. "Watch out!"
Jaune quickly turned to see that the Feilong was rising out of the water behind them and was already charging its electrical attack. He quickly stood up and off Blake as he spun towards it. His hands were behind him before he swung them upwards, his fingers open and apart, like he was raking the air. When the motioned was completed, his arm were above his head and a rising wall of air erupted in front of him.
The electrical beam slammed into it and that gave him enough time to pull his arms back before throwing his palms forward, releasing another large gust of wind in front of him. This was reinforcing the initial wall of wind and keeping the beam at bay. He started to slowly slide back from the force of the wind he was directing. That was until another weight settled against his back and he looked over his shoulder to see that it was indeed Blake supporting him with her arms around his stomach.
The beast was so focused on the two Hunters in front of it, it didn't even notice the ship coming at it at full speed. It did though when it was completely run through by the bowsprit and that got it to stop its attack. It turned to the ship just in time to see the cannon aimed directly at it. It fired and destroyed the neck and head of the Sea Feilong and killing it.
With it finally dead, Jaune let his body relax and Blake was able to support him when his body leant against her just a bit. The couple smiled at one another before Jaune turned back to the Captain. He gave the man a salute, "Nice shooting, Captain."
They both heard him laugh, "I wouldn't have got the shot if not for you two! Let's get you back on board so you can get a hot meal and some rest."
He nodded as his eyes shifted back to their usual blue. "That sounds amazing right now." He then turned to Blake, "Remind me next time when I'm fighting something that uses electricity, to use Lightning to redirect it. So much easier than trying to counter it."
That just earned him a giggle and a kiss to the cheek from her. "Noted."
A couple hours later, Jaune and Blake had retired to their room. Blake had grabbed her sleepwear before going into their en suite bathroom for a shower before bed. Jaune was still kinda tired from the fight so he elected to just taking one in the morning. He quickly changed into his usual sleepwear before slipping under the covers of their shared bed.
He closed his eyes to rest them as he listened to the sound of the water running in the bathroom. He wished he would've had a chance to relax before now but as soon as the two of them got back on board, the other passengers kept thanking them for what they did. Even the close minded ones from before, although more reluctantly. Even their dinner was filled with people coming over to thank them. It took them twice as long to even finish because of that.
He felt someone move the blankets and a weight settle on top of him. He woke up instantly and opened his eyes to see that Blake was now laying on top of him. In her usual yukata and her hair still slightly damp. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."
She shook his head slightly, "No problem. I honestly didn't mean to drift off there."
"That was a tough fight and you were holding back quite a bit." He opened his mouth to speak but she put her hand over it to stop him. "I'm not reprimanding you. I get why you did it. I'm just putting it in perspective." Her head titled slightly, "Although, what was that earlier? Our auras…"
He nodded slightly as she took her hand away, "Yeah, I'm not sure. It was similar to the link I have with Yang. But… It felt different. It was also weaker and shorter."
"Does this make me a Pseudo-Maiden now?" she asked with a smirk.
He grinned back, "Don't know. We can test that out once we're on Menagerie. Testing that out on the ship wouldn't be smart. Or discreet."
She nodded, "Good point." She smiled at him for a bit. Before she gently held his face between her hands and gave him a loving kiss. He easily returned it and his arms wrapped around her lower back. She pulled away only to get more air before coming back. She kept doing that. But the kisses became heavier and hotter every time they pulled apart and the time between the kisses was becoming less and less.
After one last breath, she came back down and their tongues began their usual dance. Her hands moved from his cheeks to his hair. She ran he fingers through it as she subconsciously started to grind against him. Jaune groaned out and he couldn't help his hands going lower to massage her panty clad rear. The constant grinding had pulled her yukata up more than she anticipated.
That was when Blake pulled away with a gasp. She hovered over him as she panted slightly to reclaim her breathe. Jaune opened his eyes to see that her yukata had fallen down her arms. Not enough to expose her chest too much but it did give her a view similar to what her partner usually displayed. "Did I go too far?" he asked in concern for her sudden break.
She slowly shook her head before she opened her eyes to look at him, "No. You didn't do anything wrong. I just know what would happen next if I didn't stop." She smiled down at him, it holding nothing but love. "As much as I want this... As I want you, I don't know how soundproof the walls are."
That caused Jaune to chuckle and Blake giggled at her obvious joke. When they were done, Jaune pulled his hands from her behind and Blake fixed her attire. She then laid herself down on his left side and rested her head on that side of his chest. With them now in their usual sleeping arrangement, they shared one last chaste kiss. "I love you, Blake. Good night." He said.
Blake smiled as she closed her eyes, "Good night, Jaune. I love you too." The two fell asleep not long after that with the revelation that their trip to Menagerie would be different from what either had expected even a few hours earlier.