Big Issues

AN: After the last chapter was posted I got a surge of reviews! It's just a handful but as I'm not a big time author (yet) this is a big deal for me and I enjoy the feed back. So lets address some of them here.

The guest who couldn't bother getting past chapter one or even putting anything for their name- F*** and die you piece of worthless garbage. It's so nice to have such kindness around here (sarcasm). Clearly a troll.

merendinomiliano- I know I've addressed you personally in return of your question about how size acceptance has to do with this story. But I'll answer here for others to see as well if they have the same question. The size acceptance comes from the normal bigotry to those who carry a little more weight on themselves than others. It's not that hard to find the ridicule that those people go through, from cheerleaders who put on a bit of weight so they are slightly soft around the middle being the reason they are fired from the team to those who can't access certain venues or participate due to their size. I've had the 'pleasure' of not being able to get on a ride at a park because the shoulder harness couldn't get over my shoulders correctly and I'm not exactly a big guy. I've known people that are bigger than me in every dimension who are lighter than me.

But yeah, I'm sure that some of us who read this could be on the fluffier side and have experienced some form of taunts and comments about their weight. Kinda part of the reason that this story exists, it's not really your weight that matters but how you handle it despite what society says. Be proud of who and how you are. If you feel the need to lose weight, that's up to you. If you like to gain weight, still up to you. If you appreciate the extra curves of others who pack more on themselves than others, this is the kind of story for you.

The guest who put their name as Hah, No it's not everyone dies because they can't do their jobs properly. Great job at never getting past the first chapter

DesiCat- Thanks for the compliment on how the chapter ended and I like how you've read through twelve chapters and your biggest complaint is that 5 to 10 minutes for a shower is considered inhumane.

Now, that's it for the reviews! Let's get on with the show!

Emotions Run Rampant Part 3

Blake checked to monkey boy over for injuries, the fact that he wore a shirt that exposed his body underneath made this much easier to do. Finding nothing beyond that he was asleep, she was relieved for the most part. The fact that the White Fang member had vanished was something that worried her. They must have a semblance that allows them to pass through walls but obviously it's limited to just themselves or they would have taken Sun with them.

After Itazura left, she closed her eyes tightly as she bowed her head over his chest, silently thanking anyone and anything that she hadn't lost someone else. With her eyes closed, she missed the blue wisps of flame fading away from her body. With the flames gone, details of the room came into focus, not that the girl was noticing yet.

She repositioned the boy so he was lying normally as if in bed, even finding a folded blanket to rest his head on while he slept and she sat nearby. The floor was cold and hard, actually making her grateful that so much of the padding added to her frame had settled in her butt. She watched the blonde in front of her, there wasn't much else to do while she waited for him to wake. But doing so she noticed little things about him that she missed when she was around him normally.

Little things like how relaxed he was now, so still. Normally the boy could hardly hold still, even if using his semblance required him to stay still, he was still moving. His usual teasing grin was gone, replaced by his slightly open mouth as he slept quietly. She stifled a small laugh, a certain blonde she knows snores in her sleep. It was a good thing that Yang wasn't too loud or did so all the time.

Her eyes trailed over his body, she couldn't help herself after reading the Ninja's of Love series so many times and similar books. His muscles weren't as defined as they used to be, his pecs and abs having a slight softness to them but still showing the strength he has. Of course, she knew that he'd put on weight while he was here at Beacon, everyone here did.

She looked down at herself in comparison, her arms had grown thicker and softer, the ribbons that she normally wrapped around the limbs squished some of the fat above and between the cloth. Her chest had grown, something that she had grown accustomed to by now as it wasn't too much and didn't hinder her movements… yet. Even her stomach, as soft as it was, was little more than a slightly layered potbelly that sat on her lap when she sat. The real source of growth is her ass, the twin globes had probably taken nearly half of the weight she'd gained. Maybe that was an exaggeration but only slightly, looking more like she had a pair of water balloons filled larger than her head and stuffed into her pants. They certainly jiggled enough to feel accurate.

Sure, her thighs had taken plenty of her weight as well but only seemed to be enough to create a smooth curve to her widening waist and to carry the junk in the trunk. Her calves had only softened a bit, making it so that her boots fit normally. Her face had gotten softer and rounder a bit, even developing a slight double chin… reminding her of her childhood photos. Though she didn't mind looking a bit younger, even if she was only a teenager. The touch of vanity that influenced her use of eye shadow.

Her gaze turned back to the boy as she saw his tail move in his sleep. Her eyes tracking the tip as it wiggled, she could feel her ears perk up under her bow as they focused on the wriggling target. Her hands rose up to her chest and curled like claws as her focus was devoted to the twitching tail. She leaned forward, ready to pounce…

"Blake?" A tired voice broke her concentration and her amber eyes snapped to his blue ones. "What are you doing?"

The cat girl was caught giving into her childish instincts, things that she thought she'd broken years ago. But between what Yang had done with a simple laser pointer and just now, obviously she had only repressed them. Maybe it was only because she was so tired that she couldn't control herself.

Yet when she looked at Sun again, he was looking at her with a small smile, a teasing glint in his eyes. Then his tail twitched again and her eyes locked onto it again for a moment before she caught herself. He let out a chuckle as he slowly sat up, he knew exactly what was going on by the pose he found her in and couldn't help himself from the slight tease.

"Um… How are you feeling? Did that White Fang infiltrator hurt you?" She asks to try covering her embarrassment and shifted so that she was sitting normally.

"White Fang? What are you talking about?" His head tilted in confusion.

"They got the drop on you without anyone noticing?"

"I dunno, last thing I remember… I was talking to Itazura about home in Vacuo and… stuff." He suddenly got quiet for the last part with a small blush of his own.

"Really? But she was running through the halls tracking the guy carrying you. I even saw them a few times going around a corner." Blake was getting confused, her already sleep deprived mind was working harder than ever to try to make sense of the conflicting stories.

"Huh? Well… whatever." He dismisses the situation as he stands up and offers her a hand up, she took the help and noted that he barely moved due to her weight. They walked to the door and tried to open it

Tried being the key word.

The heavy steel door was locked with them inside. They began to look around the room to look for any possible way out and what they found wasn't good.

"This is a shelter room." Sun notes as he taps the wall and hears how solid it was. Blake had managed to jump onto a sturdy shelf to check the ceiling only to find that it was solid as well before jumping to the floor. Sun had seen her land in front of him, but she was facing away and he swallowed to keep his reactionary words down and turned around to avoid staring.

But that turned out to be a good distraction as sitting in one corner sat a steel bucket with a locking lid and a small plastic cooler. Curiosity got to him as he approached the items.

"I don't have my scroll." Blake complains as she pats herself down for any possibility that she had put the device in some other pocket by accident. It was bad enough that she didn't have her weapon to help her cut through the door.

Sun checks his own pants quickly, "Same here."

"Itazura had your weapons when she went out to search for your kidnapper." Blake says, causing Sun to check his back for his gun-chucks that he normally kept out of sight under his shirt and found nothing.

"How'd she get them?"

"She said they fell when you were grabbed."

"Huh? Never done that before." He shrugs before looking in the bucket by pulling back the black plastic lid only to find a roll of toilet paper inside. Blake saw by looking over his shoulder. Both were somewhat confused by the find but given that this was a shelter for civilians in case of Grimm attack, it was almost expected that some kind of waste disposal would be around. Things got even more confusing when he opened the cooler and found several sandwiches and bottles inside and kept cool.

Slowly he pulled the wrapped food out and handed them to Blake who inspected them while Sun checked the bottle.

"Huh, that's weird."

"What do you mean?"

"These drinks aren't even past the sell by date yet." He held up a bottle of green tea so she could see for herself.

"You're right. And the tuna in the sandwiches is fresh."

Sun raises a brow at her, she didn't even unwrap the plastic to check. Then again, he'd seen how she loves her fish and wasn't about to second guess her favorite food. Turning back to the cooler, he pulled out some bags of snacks; chips, popcorn, crackers, dried fruit, a note. A note? With Blake still leaning over his shoulder to see what was withdrawn, he opened the folded paper.

Sun Wukong and Blake Belladonna

Sorry about how this had to go but you two need some alone time. One of you needs rest and the other needs to talk, so you're stuck together for now to do just that. Maybe you've heard of the game 'Seven Minutes of Heaven'? Well, you've got seven HOURS. You both need to relax and now you don't have any distractions. The food is fresh from today and I'm sure you can figure out the bucket, you're big kids.

Itazura Vulpes

Sun went stiff when he read the note, a far difference from what his cell mate was doing as she began pacing and mumbling obscenities under her breath, some of which were completely new to him and he was surprised how long she could go without repeating. Either her time with the White Fang had taught the normally reserved girl things that are normally not said even in unpleasant company or she had picked it up from the books she was always reading.

Bang! While her mouth had stopped swearing, she had ended her tirade by kicking the door. While he had no doubt that the kick worked as excellent stress relief for her, it also helped to highlight how tired she was as Blake fell onto her well-padded rear and caught herself on her arms.

Sun quickly tossed the food back into the cooler and scooted over to where Blake had dropped herself flat on the floor with her chest and stomach heaving. He didn't face her when he spoke. "So… did you get it out of your system or are you too tired to do more?"

Blake initially glared at him but it softened as she found that she really was too tired to stay angry right now. The fact that she'd fallen over so easily was proof of that. "Maybe." Was her simple response.

"Think when we get out of here, we go on a fox hunt?" He suggests, though from his tone it was hard to tell if he was being serious or joking.

She went with how she was feeling and decided on both. "Yes."

"Okay." He finally turned to her and offered a hand up. "I don't think the floor is that comfortable." He manages a small smile as he said it. While Blake did roll her eyes, she couldn't deny the truth of his words and tried to sit up. Tried and failed due to her own exhaustion catching up to her. His fingers wiggled and she found herself barely having the strength to reach for his hand, something that he noticed and helped her sit up and move to lean against the wall. He even tossed the blanket on her lap.

Sun fished out a sandwich and held it out to her. "C'mon, I know you're hungry." Her stomach roared in response to the fresh seafood being so close, causing him to smirk and her to blush as she took it. A second sandwich was dropped onto her lap along with a bag of chips before he dropped nearby with his own sandwich and the bag of fruit. His tail held out a bottle of tea for her.

"Thanks." She says in a low voice as she takes the bottle and bites into her tuna… and soon has it down her throat and followed it with some tea.

Sun sat and stared at her, barely two bites into his own sandwich. "You must be hungrier than I thought." She blushed a bit but still tore into her second sandwich, slower this time to savor the flavor.

Once her fish was gone, she picked up the note and read it again. "Okay, it's obvious that I'm the one who needs to rest. But what did you have to talk about?" Her confusion and curiosity were peaked when he flinched. "What's wrong?"

He hesitated. "I…It's…" He let out a sigh, clearly frustrated with himself for being tongue-tied. "Can I have a few minutes to think?"

"Um, sure." Blake concedes and goes back to her simple meal in silence. It was odd to see the normally cheerful boy looking so nervous and pensive. Even the occasions when he was serious didn't make him look so… she didn't have the words but she found that she actually missed his upbeat nature. It was a stark contrast to her own quiet and brooding one.

Minutes must have passed by, the only sort of clock they had was judging by how fast they ate their food. Awkward glances were shared and Sun grew increasingly nervous, that tension was probably the only thing keeping Blake awake yet as she kept her legs warm with the blanket.

"I'm an idiot." He mutters as he scratches his head vigorously, as if trying to scrub caked-in dirt from his hair. But the words garnered her attention. "I'm really an idiot if I can't talk to her when she's in the same room as me."

Blake was confused with what she was hearing. Did he not realize that she was sitting next to him? Was he so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice that he'd started speaking them aloud? Maybe it was her curiosity that was keeping her from drawing attention, if only to hear what was apparently going through his head.

"Ugh… maybe I should have said something before… don't be a doofus…" He really was in his own world, consumed by his own thoughts so much that he'd shut everything out.

'How often does this happen to him?' Blake questions in her mind as she listened to her fellow inmate.

"She's pretty, she's smart… why would she want to be with some idiot like me?" Was that really the thoughts of someone usually so laid-back and cheery? Were his actions genuine or just a mask he wore to hide the darker, degrading thoughts going through his mind?

"I know that I always liked tough girls…" He trailed off, his thoughts becoming internal for the moment. That didn't do anything but increase his companions' curiosity. "Do I really like bigger girls or is it just her?" He mutters.

Even as tired as she was, some of the puzzle pieces seemed to falling into place. Not enough to see what is supposed to be the image but enough to form connections, as scattered as they may be.

"How can I say anything about that night without sounding like a creep?" He rapped his knuckles on his skull a few times before going back to holding his head and blocking out the world around him.

That night? Her? The only thing that Blake could think about that might line up with what she's hearing was the night that the two of them had infiltrated the White Fang recruitment rally. After being discovered, she'd shot the fuse box to kill the lights and they jumped for the windows to escape… and she'd gotten stuck as she didn't remember just how big she'd grown yet… She was much smaller then compared to how she is now and she wasn't getting any smaller.

But right after she'd gotten wedged in the window after misjudging its height, her own weight, and her size compared to her chosen target… Sun was right behind her. Quite literally. She faintly recalled him starting to curse just before feeling his face and hands found her backside… The memory bringing a red glow to her face.

She looked at him, her expression becoming one of pity as the normally confident Sun Wukong was reduced to a near hysterical mess just thinking about her. HER! Not wanting to be possessive or intrusive on her life more than he already was, he was a far cry from the last man she was close to. Yet everything he had done for her was to help her, never asking for anything in return… almost like the stories of heroes she read when she was younger.

"Why would she bother with someone like me? I'm nothing special…" He continued muttering to himself. Just how long were thoughts like this going through his head? "I suck as a team leader…" She barely even noticed that the rest of his team had arrived from Haven a few weeks ago, Neptune being the most prominent, if only because Weiss had taken a fancy to him and her to him.

"I couldn't do anything to that stupid robot… barely touch Torchwick…" Was he really beating himself up about that yet? Or was it other thoughts that were bringing doubt to invade other memories? She thought that he did rather well until Torchwick shot down that shipping container. Sun had taken down about a dozen of the Fang members before helping her engage in combat with the 'gentleman' criminal.

She couldn't help but compare how different Sun is to Adam. Sun was willing to sit and wait for her to open up when she ran from her team… for two days. If Adam had been in his place when Sun had found her at the statue… he likely would have cut off the heads of the statues before marching to her dorm and doing his absolute best to do the same to Weiss and anyone who got in his way.

In fact, he would have gotten pleasure just from knowing that a Schnee was so close and would have stopped at nothing if he knew exactly where she was. It brough shame to Blake knowing that roughly a year ago, she would have been among the first to volunteer to kidnap and hold the heiress hostage, not afraid to get rough with the girl in the process but not likely to kill her. Yet, she could see Adam killing her as soon as his demands were met, just for spite.

Spite. The word that seemed to define the man she believed she had loved. The man who had once been a protector for her family. Who had turned to be a mentor when she began to learn to fight. They grew much closer, soon after as she grew to become a woman… 'My Love' he had begun to call her. It was flattering for her young heart then, even blinding her as the man and his actions grew darker. Little accidents becoming heat of the moment actions, to they left him little choice, to they deserved it. That last mission together to steal the dust from a cargo train and his complete lack of concern for the innocent passengers' lives… that had been the final straw.

But Sun had none of that darkness, helping others simply because he could. He was a Huntsman-in-training, dedicated to keeping the kingdoms safe from Grimm and other threats. Threats like Adam. Like how she had been.

He'd volunteered himself to assist her in fighting back against the White Fang twice now. In fact, his views of how the organization is had opened her eyes to how far they had fallen more than what she had seen. He was an outside observer and despite the Fang's protests that they would be fighting for his rights, they had no qualms about raising blade and firearm against him for objecting to their methods.

She let out a sigh at how far the path of darkness she had traveled before noticing it was the wrong way, blinded by her allegiance to Adam, her idealized views of the White Fang, how she ignored the pain and suffering that they created wherever they traveled claiming that they were necessary sacrifices for the Faunus as a whole to prosper.

She may have gotten off of the dark path but it didn't take her long to find another path through life, much brighter but full of rocks and thorns that made it difficult to travel. Yet she was content to settle for the brighter path. Then Sun showed her the possibility of yet another path, the one to help her redeem herself for her past actions, at least within her mind. The path may still be rough but clear, and she had others to help her.

Yet she realized that lately she may have pushed herself to return to the thorny path once more, claiming that she was willing to take the pain if it made things better, and ignoring the people who wanted to help her.

Yang's story about her past, something that she had tried so hard to dismiss when it was told to her, was acting as a bright signpost to guide her back to the other bright path.

Yet she couldn't help herself from looking at how Sun was now, thinking that he was wandering from the path that he had shown her and had begun moving to the rougher path. That was unacceptable! She turned off of the rough path once more to guide him to the clearer one as he had done for her.

Slowly, Blake moved to kneel in front of the boy who didn't seem to register that she was there. Even when his eyes were open, they were unseeing, too focused on whatever was going through his head that he kept his hands wrapped around. It was like seeing some of the Fang's new recruits who had their first taste of combat again, especially those who participated in major attacks and the shock of those that survived…

He didn't seem to notice as she took his hands in hers and pulled them from his head to push them down to his lap, holding them there. "Sun?" She tries to get his attention. There was a flicker of recognition and the incomprehensible gibberish he was muttering came to an end but little else.

"Sun?" She says louder, and watches as he lifts his head and looks at her with unseeing eyes. Just how bad was he tearing himself apart from the inside? She had a pretty good idea now of what he was worried about but she needed to hear him clarify with a clear mind.

Her hands squeezed his, the larger extremities wrapping around her own in response as his eyes began to focus. "Sun? You're fine, its just me here." His eyes locked onto her face, unfocused but clearing by the second.

"Blake?"

"Sun… don't do that again." She tries to smile but only manages to not frown anymore in worry.

He blinked a few times as his mind began to function normally once more and began to take in his situation. "Wha- what did I do?"

She let out a small laugh, maybe it was due to being so tired and that was making her mind act oddly. "You were lost in your own head, silly." A look of realization came to his face, followed by a touch of shame as if this wasn't the first time. "And you may have been talking a bit." His eyes went wide and focused on hers as some of what he'd thought replayed rapidly in his mind.

"Um… how much did you hear?" He sounded so afraid to even know her answer.

Blake let go of his hands to undo her bow and release her cat ears into the open air, the sudden drop of temperature around them making them twitch a bit. She offers a small smile, "I think I heard enough to guess a lot… but I'd like to hear you say it now that you're back on Remnant."

Sun hadn't met too many Faunus who concealed their traits but what he did know about them is that they only revealed them to those they trusted. She was showing how much she was willing to trust his words, the fact that her trait was her extra pair of ears was nothing but a demonstration that she wanted to hear him as clearly as possible. He hung his head and only realized then that she was holding his hands again, the black ribbon still in her fingers. He let out a long breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"I-I like you, Blake." He begins, yet as his words continued, they went faster. "I dunno how much really but it's not just wanting you for your body. It's great, don't get me wrong but I got to know you before this whole fat thing started. I started to like you then, still do." He had gotten to Ruby's level of fast speech when she was highly excited by the end, thankfully having four ears was a great way to catch everything he was saying.

"I'm just really confused…" He trailed off as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I never felt like this before. Yeah, there were a few girls that caught my interest, but they never went any further than that." His hands squeezed her hands tightly but not painfully. "I dunno if I like bigger girls or if its just because its you… I've always known that I like tough girls, heh, you got that part nailed down."

"And I'm a growing girl." She adds, trying to interject some humor, finding some amusement and wonder at how their roles have reversed since they had first met. She really had changed, or maybe it was just for him? She knew that things were better with her team now that they knew that she's a Faunus and Weiss had largely let go of her bigotry.

His eyes met hers again, confused at her attempt to dispel the tension with humor, a far cry from her usual dry sarcasm. Slowly his lips curled upward as he watched the girl shift from kneeling in front of him to sitting beside him, closer than before. Did she always sit that tall or was it…? He glanced down briefly and saw that she was indeed boosted up by her own cushions and that same glance had revealed that she hadn't let go of his left hand either.

"Sun, you don't have to worry. I can see how much you've been beating yourself up trying to be respectful to me. That actually means a lot, it shows how much you care." Another squeeze as she looks him in the eyes. He truly was a far cry from Adam. He was always so forceful in everything from how he fought, to leading the Vale branch, to… how he expressed his feelings to her. For her.

"So, you don't think I'm being weird or going crazy?"

"Hmm… maybe a bit of a dork." She couldn't stop the laugh when his face twisted into shocked amusement with a touch of embarrassment. The mood was ruined by the sudden yawn that hit her. Something that Sun saw immediately.

"You really need some sleep." He states.

"So, I've been told." She could suppress another yawn.

Sun looked around the room, it wasn't all that big. Large enough to hold about thirty people if they had no room to move. But there was very little in here besides the empty shelves that would be over the heads of most people, the bucket and cooler, and themselves with the blanket. Nothing for them to use as a pillow besides the blanket and that was being used to ward off the slight chill of the room.

Blake drew his attention when she slumped down the wall until she was laying on the floor and curled in on herself to take advantage of the lingering heat as much as possible from where she had been sitting, the blanket wrapped around her tightly.

"Hey Sun?"

"Hmm?"

"I've changed my mind."

"About what?"

"Going to the dance."

"You mean?"

"I'll- yawn- go with you."

"That's great! I won't let you down." His smile had finally come back full force, backed with determination. It was the last thing she saw before her eyes shut.

With nothing better to do, Sun slid down next to her and found that she was already fast asleep with a small smile. He wasn't close enough to touch her or her blanket but he could still feel her body heat. The dim lighting from the old bulbs had meant little to the Faunus inside but it worked wonders to help them sleep.

"So… have you been on dates before?" Yang asks around her bite of pizza. Her father would have scolded her for doing so, Weiss would have lectured her, but Denko didn't mind as he was able to talk with his mouth full too.

"Not officially." He sucked up a string of cheese with a pepperoni on it.

Yang swallows and pauses her next bite. "What's with the qualifier?" And the pause in her consumption of her meal was ended as the flavors of the cooked meat, cheese, sauce, and dough met her tongue.

Denko hung his head as he held up one hand, the other was still holding his partially eaten slice. He raised one finger. "Does it count as a date if you don't know it's supposed to be one?" He looked her in the eyes.

That wasn't what she expected to hear, but she finished chewing and swallowed, her slice lowered to her plate to give her full attention. "Okay, now I want to know how you went on a date but didn't know about it."

He couldn't stop the weary sigh from escaping his lips. "Itazura."

"Your sister?"

"Idle hands are quick to find mischief."

While that didn't sound like much, Yang knew the Faunus as long as she had known Denko and the girl had a knack for causing trouble. The biggest problem was that nobody could predict what kind of trouble it would be or when. Just the fact that nobody was off limits and the trouble would be lessened if she liked you.

He took her silent stare as a signal to explain. "Apparently there was a couple students back at Shade that took a liking to me. But I had no idea about it." Yang waved her slice to tell him to go on before eating again. "Sis found out and found a few who were willing to do what she said to get close to me."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Her half of the pizza was finished and she moved to her salad.

"Try that she only told me that those girls were coming to me for advice and training. Talk about training tips and combat strategies over lunch, do some sparring together before or after, sometimes both." He quickly finishes his pizza and grabbed a breadstick and dipping it in marinara sauce. "Some of them showed improvement, others were a waste of time."

"Any repeat customers?" She teases.

"One girl came back another time." He took a few sips of his soda to clear his throat. "I still barely know her but she's friendly enough when we meet."

"Anyone I should be worried about?"

His eyebrow quirked upwards at her tone and question. "I don't think her team passed the test to even come here for the tournament."

"What did you do when you found out about being set up?" She had to know as she popped a crouton in her mouth.

"Went on a fox hunt, what else?" The wide grin he had at the memory made her laugh.

"C'mon, don't leave me hanging. What'cha do?"

"Hehe, found a coat hook mounted on the wall and hung her up by her pants."

"Please tell me you have pictures!" She leans over the table, her chest pushing her plate out of her path rather than dipping into the mess left on the plate. He was happy to oblige after going through a small series of seemingly unrelated folders that kept the pictures safe. The ample girl fell back into her seat laughing her head off at the sight of the little fox Faunus getting a wedgie that she couldn't escape from. While her pants were on the hook and holding her there, her underwear had been wrapped around the hook to ensure she wasn't going anywhere.

"The best part was when Professor Theodore came by and simply said hello to her and kept walking by." He was wracked by laughter as the memory ran through his head on repeat.

"How- haha! How long was she up there?" She really needed this laugh after what she'd been through today. It really was a big belly laugh and she had plenty of belly to shake as her chest heaved and shook from her labored breathing from laughing too hard.

"We took her down after the next class was over." She heard the inflection that there was more to it. "Too bad that we had done that right before lunch and she missed history." His grin was almost predatory and that set Yang off once more. It was good to see her laughing and he had nothing against watching her jiggle as she did.

"What about you? You grilled me so now it's your turn." He moved onto his own loaded salad.

She looked embarrassed at pressing him without the intent to tell her side, but she relented. "There were a few guys back at Signal that I dated. Most of them never got past one or two. The breakups were easy enough on all of us at the time, mostly remained friends after that." He didn't miss the qualifier but didn't say anything so she could finish.

"I really didn't even try dating until you graduated, found out a lot of the guys thought we were back then. Heh, looking back… maybe I just wanted to be with them so I'd have a replacement for you." She certainly didn't sound proud of herself or look it. Denko didn't know how to take it so he remained silent for more information.

"I really missed my best friend, Denko Mori." She looked him in the eyes for that and he could see the conviction behind them. "You taking your sister with you, my second-best friend, didn't help when you moved to Vacuo and never visited."

Now he really felt bad about that. Sure, they did talk over their scrolls on occasion but it wasn't the same as being in person. Granted, Shade kept his team busy and when they did have breaks, he rarely had the lien to afford the trip between kingdoms, and there was the harsh weather of the desert to consider as it was well known to stop almost all travel in the region. Not exactly the best excuses but they were honest. His travels to the other kingdoms were all mission related and he had no power to divert the plans. The closest he ever came to returning to Patch were fly-overs when traveling to Vale. He'd made sure to look for Signal- not that it was hard to find as the tallest tower was a lighthouse near the port. And he'd try to find her house in the woods… never could confirm that he had found it or if it was someone else's home as there were more than a few residents who lived outside of the main civilization.

"Like I said, there were a few guys who never lasted long. Then there was one guy, Brock Clay, who was the only one to last. He was pretty good in school, one of the few who could push me in a spar, not bad looking, treated me nice…" She trailed off and her tone became bitter, hand accidently bending her fork.

"One day I was wandering the campus because the teacher ended class early for some family trouble, and I heard him talking with some other boys in a little alleyway between buildings. I snuck a peek and found that a few of them were guys I had gone out with before, including Brock. They were all laughing about the girls they were dating and I started recording everything on my scroll, just in case."

"Sounds like you learned a few things from Itazura." He manages to lighten the mood a bit.

"Good thing I did because what came next really pissed me off." Her fork snapped and she dropped it to the table and covered it with a napkin quickly before any of the staff could see.

"What happened?"

"I found out that they had a betting pool going on with how many of the girls in school they could go out with, how long they could date, how many any of them could try dating at the same time… I was getting so angry that my semblance almost kicked in there. Then they brought up another bet, one they called 'To Ride the Dragon'." Her eyes turned red from the memory alone. "They had all thrown lien into a pool with the winner being whoever could have sex with me by graduation, half of it if they dated me the longest or still was by the goal." Her hair began to glow faintly, small whisps of golden fire dancing across her mane. Even the lights near them began to flicker.

Denko took a deep measured breath to try to calm himself. "Please tell me you beat the crap out of them for that." The flickering lights steadied.

"Oh, I did one better. Something your sister would have loved to see." Her eyes faded back to lilac and the flames extinguished themselves, but she had a wicked grin on her face that was enough to give him shivers. "Since I recorded almost everything and had them on camera, I took it with me to our next class with Dad."

Denko's eyes went wide as his mind raced at the possibilities of what happened that day. Most of them were not pleasant for the boys of that betting pool. But if he had been there with her, how much of that could have been avoided? At the same time, Taiyang Xiao-Long was the man who taught him and Yang almost everything they knew about hand-to-hand combat, even before either of them had attended Signal's combat curriculum and it showed.

"Just as class was about to begin, I sent the video to all the girls I knew with the message to pass it on to others. I dunno how many of them saw it by the time the class started but I could tell that a few of them did. Dad asked for volunteers and I jumped up and chose Brock as my opponent. Brock teased me about going easy on him right before Dad hit the bell." She had to pause to drink and wet her throat.

"Less than thirty seconds later, I broke his aura and his wrist and he was crumbled on the ground. Dad called the match then and there and started going off on me about going overboard so I played the video at max volume."

"I think I see where things are going." Denko's smirk was sinister.

"I don't think I ever saw Dad so pissed off before and Brock was trying to drag himself away. The girls turned on the boys, especially the ones who were on the video and beat the crap out of them." She sighs in satisfaction." A few of the boys were spared from the fury of women scorned, mostly if they weren't in the video or everyone knew they never dated anyone anyway. But it was a small riot in class and it kinda spread through the school."

"Did you get in trouble for that?"

"Technically, no. Got called into the Headmasters office with dad for a little talk but I wasn't punished since I was one of the victims of the boys' scheme. I was just told to bring the evidence to her if there ever was a next time something like this was found." They shared a laugh at that.

"There were plenty of other parents who were pissed off, those boys were beaten by their ex's, grounded by their parents, the school gave them detention and gave them missions to inspect the sewers for Grimm. The rest of the island heard about what happened and those guys really had it bad, they weren't kicked out of restaurants or anything like that but they weren't exactly welcome for a long time."

"Sounds like they got what they deserved." Denko says as he eats his dessert pizza.

"Yeah, me and a lot of the other girls stopped seeing guys after that. Didn't want to risk a repeat. The guys in school were okay with that, sorta."

"Sorta?"

"They made sure that the boys in that ring got their lumps in sparring classes for ruining their chances of possible love lives at Signal. Or even worse if the girls had brothers and sisters there too."

"Did Ruby…?"

"There was a guy who got held back a year for bad grades who was part of that group. Ruby took out her anger on him with her training weapon then."

They laughed at the thought of an angry Ruby beating the crap out of an older boy before she had even built Crescent Rose. The rest of their meal was spent in a comfortable silence.

Yang threw her leg over Bumblebee and sat down. "Oof, I really think I ate too much."

Denko scooted in behind her and held her waist, almost feeling her full stomach through the padding. "You ate as much as I did."

"Maybe but it's been a long time since I really ate my fill."

"Nothing wrong with eating what you want."

"You're not the one blowing up like a balloon full of lard." A squeeze from his hands cut her off.

"Like I said before, do you think that matters to me? You're you, even if there's a lot more of you now and maybe more in the future, but that's all that really matters."

Her hands find his on her stomach and holds them tightly. "Thanks." She thinks back to their conversation in the park. "You really don't mind if I grow into some immobile blob who's only a threat to a buffet and chairs?"

He shakes her belly a bit. "If you get that big, I'll know where to keep coming back to whenever I can."

A few tears ran down her chubby cheeks from his words and fell to her large buxom. "Thank you, Denko. I needed that." With that said, she fired up the engine and drove back to Beacon and glad to have him back in her life.

Blake woke up feeling more rested than she had in days, even if her bed now was a hard floor. Maybe it was because she actually fell asleep being relaxed for the first time in days. Her eyes shifted to the lump next to her, Sun was huddled up in a fetal position and looked cold but the thing she noticed was that there was no attempt to snuggle with her for warmth or even trying to share the blanket. Just that he was close enough to be well within reach.

That display of self-sacrificing kindness brought a small smile to her face as she recalled some of the heroes from her books. But she had to address the reason she had woken.

The bucket had been moved to the far corner and the roll of paper now sat on top of the lid. Apparently, someone had to use it already and had been kind enough to not wake her. At the same time, it wasn't the first time she had to make use of buckets before, a hole in the ground was preferable as there was less cleanup involved in the end. She groaned at the pun in her head, reminding her of Yang when the blonde was in a good mood. Yesterday was a far cry from how the girl normally was, hopefully she was back to her perky self in time for the dance. Yet as she recalled what she had told her of her past, she wondered how much of that happy confidence was just a mask she wore to hide the pain from others, and how much pain the girl really did go through that she barely hinted at.

She finished her business in the corner and sealed the lid again, the boy hadn't moved aside from breathing and the occasional shiver the entire time. A quick drink of tea soothed her dry throat and helped her relax for what she was about to do.

Thankfully, the blanket hadn't lost too much heat since she left it. Now she knew it wasn't the largest piece of cloth but it was all they had. Sun was still facing away from her chosen sleeping spot and that had already grown cold without her constant supply of heat. She blushed, glad that he couldn't see right now as she shifted herself close enough to hold him and pulled the blanket over both of them.

Their combined warmth was enough to counter the fact that it was too small to cover them both adequately, she couldn't tell how much of him was exposed but she knew that one of her massive cheeks was getting fresh air. But she could feel his shivering stop soon after they were covered and he relaxed, his breathing becoming deeper and slower in response. The thought of finally doing something for the one person she knew who truly went out of their way to help her, no matter how small it was in comparison brought her relief that assisted in her return to slumber.

Weiss looked over at the other side of the room and found that the beds were still empty. It was the worry for her teammates that had woken her and the fact they hadn't returned made her mind churn with what might have happened. A glance at her scroll showed that it was technically morning but long before the sun would rise. She had so much to do to get ready for the dance she had no idea if she could do it without Yang's help. Ruby could be of some use but the younger girl was even more openly worried than she was internally about the black and yellow team members.

Weiss rolled over in her bed to face the wall and instantly cursed her much wider hips as they dragged her sheets with them and exposed her rear to the much cooler air in the rest of the room.

Denko was tired. It had been a long day even before he had done his solo training to ensure no one could be hurt by him. Then Yang had dragged him down to Vale and they had a very emotional time down there. Bringing up their past hardships was never easy for either of them but they knew the others well, they'd known for years how bad the other had it almost since they met almost ten years ago.

But now he was carrying Yang back to the dorms, the girl was only kept awake by the cool wind in her face as they rode back to the garage but nearly couldn't get off her bike without help with how tired she was. So, he wound up carrying her piggyback.

"I'm such a porker that you gotta carry me." She had joked as she sat on his weapons shaft which he was using to support her weight behind him. Not that she was too heavy to carry but he wasn't about to risk having her prized hair next to a very large and sharp blade and he wasn't about to risk being accused of groping her bottom as he carried her. Something that she had teased him about, "You're such a gentleman." She'd slurred sleepily.

"I'm no gentleman, just a guy with respect towards women." He'd responded but she was already asleep on his shoulder. She was very warm and soft against his back, even his padded vest couldn't protect him from feeling the three large orbs pressing into him from behind. Yet he found that he didn't mind.

"Out for a late-night stroll with Miss Xiao-Long, Mr. Mori?" A clear voice called out to him as he walked across the campus, the tone mixed with amusement but carried a serious undercurrent that promised trouble if he wasn't truthful.

"Hey Ozpin." He greets the Headmaster and turns to face him to talk. "It's been a long day for both of us." A small shift to lift the girl a little higher on his back led to her letting out a small snort in his ear before she settled back to quiet sleeping.

"I can see that. Is that why the two of you are well past curfew?" He leaned on his cane, looking relaxed but his tone had yet to change.

"Yeah, Yang had to get some stuff off her chest and we lost track of time. Had to get something to eat while we were down in Vale." It was a comparatively vague description of what happened since they left Beacon around sunset.

"Very well, are things better? Nothing broken? Any trouble I should be aware about?"

"No, we're good. She actually had me there to help make sure she didn't do anything rash."

"Hmm… that's good to hear. I suppose everything is well between the two of you? I understand you have quite the history."

"I think we're pretty good now, better even." His mind returned to the kiss she'd given him at the park. He was glad that it was dark and Ozpin wasn't a Faunus.

"Very well. I just have one more question for you before you take Miss Xiao-Long to bed." He paused as the younger man twitched at the choice of words used. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about a pair of large blue fire balls that were seen racing across the campus and through buildings last evening, would you?"

There was only one person he knew who could and would do something like that but he had no idea what was going on. "Um, no. We've been gone for a while. You can check the cameras if you want."

"I already have, Mr. Mori. That's why I'm here now. But I'm sure the answers will come to us sooner or later." The Headmaster turned on his heels and began walking away. "Have a good morning."

"It is morning now, isn't it?" Denko grumbles to himself as he resumes his trek across the campus, awkwardly using his scroll to unlock doors into the dorms until he reached his room and sat Yang on his bed. The sudden change and loss of heat from him woke her up from her nap.

"Wha-?" She yawns.

"C'mon, let's get your boots off for bed." He helps the tired girl get her footwear off along with her socks and the bandanna around her leg. Then she grabbed him to help herself up. "Yang?" He asks as he steadies her by the shoulders but watches as he undoes the clasps for her coveralls and pulls them down. It took a little shimmying to get them off her hips before they dropped to the floor and leaving her in her short tank and shorts.

"Bed time…" She mutters as she collapses onto the mattress with a smile. Denko brushes some of her hair from her face and covers her with a sheet, taking the heavier blanket on top for himself as he drops that on the floor next to the bed. He shed his own gear, arm and leg guards, vest, socks and shoes, Raijin, and his shorts into a simple pile by the closet next to Yang's pile before wrapping himself in the blanket to sleep.

"Sweet dreams Yang." He says quietly as he fades off into dreamland himself.

AN: Just so you all know, I have only one more chapter planned before the big dance! Hopefully I'll have the picture of Yang and Denko finished and posted to my DA account just in time for that, the preview I've seen is looking great along with other pictures that are in the works to illustrate things that are added to the chapters I post in DeviantArt.

There might be a slight delay in my posting of the next chapter, I have two requests for short stories that I'll be splitting my time on for people on DA. Most of those works are planned like the next chapter is for here and my other RWBY fanfic, Empire Rising. But that will be FOUR stories to work on at once so I hope you'll understand the possible delays. They'll only be posted on DA unless they encourage me to post them here, even then I don't think they'll make a big splash (Pun intended for the contents of those stories).

As always, reviews are encouraged! I have a lot of things planned for this fic that will take us right through Volume Five with snippets of ideas for things after that. But there will be major divergences from canon starting near the end of V3, and not just what you've read about here so far.