Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Co-Authored with ToxicExotic

Gratitude Ruins

The forest smelled stronger than usual, though Blake suspected that because she was incredibly happy. The day had started off incredibly as she woke to sun beaming through her window, the weather itself actually rather warm compared to the last week. It may have still been chilly, but at least she was able to opt out of wearing a jacket. The second thing that happened to make her happy was that Ruby was completely healed. The energetic brunette had already recovered enough the night before to jog into the kitchen for more cookies, but that morning she had chosen to show she was all better by using her semblance to dash into the kitchen and do laps around the table, finally concluding with a loud TA-DAA! as she posed before them.

The last thing that made her happy was a discussion that had happened the day before, and she had barely stopped smiling since. As much as she hated to admit it, Yang was right. Coming clean to Ruby about her feelings had been the right choice, and as soon as she did she felt a weight lift off her shoulder. Ruby had said that she didn't mind Blake advancing their relationship little by little, and though she was still adamant that Ruby would be the one to final say when those steps happened, Blake felt a little freer knowing the girl wanted her to help her slowly get to that point. She just wished it didn't take a near death experience for those feelings to be put into the open.

It was that freedom that made it so easy to smile as she walked through the forest, hand in hand with her girlfriend. She had no idea where Ruby was taking her, all she knew was that Ruby had decided to pull her away while Yang and Velvet trained; though to be fair, she didn't really care. Ruby could have simply pulled her away for a walk and it would be just fine, but the fact that their direction hadn't changed at all meant the girl clearly had a destination in mind.

The only thing Blake could tell was that they were heading west into a more densely packed forest. It was so dense in fact, that the trees they were walking under were still full of leaves, and the ground felt much softer than in other parts of the island as the heat was more insulated.

The densely packed trees also worked wonders for keeping the Grimm at bay as there was no real path to walk on, instead they were weaving their way through the small spaces between the trees, Blake holding onto Ruby hand; both because it made her happy to do so, and because it stopped her from getting lost.

However, ten minutes later, after her brain ran out of things to think about, she asked a question that she knew probably wasn't going to get an answer to, but asked anyway with a small grin on her lips,"Where are we going, Ruby?"

"Nope," The girl replied simply and continued forward into the trees. "We are almost there anyway."

"You said that twenty minutes ago?" she countered with a raised eyebrow. Is she actually lost? She wondered to herself as she knew it was a definite possibility with Ruby.

"Yeah… I got uhh… turned around," Ruby chuckled nervously, though quickly turned back to flash her a look of confidence. "But we just passed a log I know is on the way to the ru… Where we're going."

Shaking her head in slight sympathy, Blake found that she couldn't exactly be mad; because the more Ruby got lost, the longer they got to spend together away from everyone else, which was something she had missed in recent days. Plenty of memories had passed through her mind when she thought she was about to die. Her childhood, dancing with her father, listening to her mother talk about what she'd recently overheard from the neighbors, days out with Yang, studying with Weiss who would always break after a while and engage in small talk, the days that Team RWBY had spent either lounging around or getting up to no good with Team JNPR; but at the very end was Ruby.

It wasn't the training, or the loud happy giggling of them dancing either, but those quiet moments they spent tucked away talking. When Ruby would tell her of how she wanted nothing more than to simply save anyone she could, or to develop the world's most powerful superweapon. It was those small conversations that made Blake feel normal the most. In what she believed to be her final moments, her brain had decided to show her at her happiest. So when she lived and the fight was over, she'd decided she wanted more of those moments, and the only way to have them with awkwardness would be to come clean about what had been holding her back. Thankfully, she had found her worries were for naught, and just like always, Ruby quickly assuaged them.

"Almost there," She heard Ruby breath as the tree's began to get further and further apart.

"Still not sure where there is?"

"You'll see," Ruby laughed and started to jog backwards towards the treeline that was just ahead. "This is the oldest thing on Patch. Apart from the island itself, obviously."

"I would assume that the island is older than everything on it," Blake replied with a smirk, earning a stuck out tongue from her girlfriend.

However, the smirk was quickly wiped from her face as they stepped out of the woods, and Blake found herself questioning just how long they had been there. If it weren't for the odd rays of light that managed to break through the canopy overhead, she would have been convinced that night had fallen already. Thankfully though, her night vision quickly took effect and she saw that they were actually standing in a relatively small, circular clearing. The grass grew dark and green, and down the centre of the clearing ran a thin, inclined path of cracked, yellow bricks. Six stone braziers with a rail between them lined each side of the pathway, three per side, and looked like they could once be lit to guide the way to the house that stood at the end.

Is house really the right word? Blake thought to herself as she inspected it from afar. There were certainly elements of a house to it, the basic shape that looked like someone had once lived there, but it appeared to have been built long ago. Cracked and crumbled rock composed a large majority of the structure, each one purposely placed and speaking of such reverence for the original that it demanded the same from whoever looked upon it. It was very clearly a shrine to something, most likely whoever once lived there.

"What is this?" she breathed. Not because she was breathless, but because she felt it would be rude to speak at any other volume than a whisper.

"This is Gratitude Ruins," Ruby smiled, her voice not quite as quiet as Blake's, but low enough that Blake knew she was right in that she should show respect for the place. "One of the oldest ruins in all of Vale."

"Really?" Blake asked, a little confused. "I've never heard of it."

"It's not in most books because it's small," Ruby smiled, taking a small step forward. "But it's rather important to Patch."

"Well then…" She grinned and made to take a step forward, only for Ruby to tighten her grip and keep her in place. "... If there are no books on it, then you will have to tell me the story."

"With pleasure," Ruby replied and fiddled with one of her belt pouches to pull out a bunch of small, red Dust crystals. "Should probably make sure I can see first. You wanna do the other side for me?"

"Uhh sure. How do I do that?"

Watching Ruby hold out her hand, she saw the crystals were actually roughly the size of a ping pong ball. Knowing she should take them, she reached out to take the four that were offered to her and moved over to the other side. Up close, she could see the rod that connected the braziers was actually a little slanted with an opening at the end, and suddenly the spherical shape of the crystals she'd taken made sense. Glancing to her side, she saw Ruby holding one of her own pieces against the pipe and followed suit.

"One at a time," the girl smiled, holding up her other hand and extending a finger. "One."

Blake let the crystal roll into the pipe and her enhanced hearing heard it stop a short distance away.

"Two."

Another ball was rolled into the tube and this time she heard it stop a little further away from her, though she also heard a small clink as it hit the edge of the other dust fragment.

"Three."

Two clicks were heard as the third ball rolled and eventually came to a stop further away than the other two. However, there were only three braziers, so a little confused as to why she had a fourth ball, she looked to her girlfriend and saw the reaper hold her own piece between her fingers and flow some aura into it. Coming to the realisation that it was a chain reaction thing, she did the same and rolled the fourth, glowing ball into the tube at the same time Ruby did.

The reaction didn't happen straight away, in fact she had enough time to meet Ruby back in their original spot before anything happened, but she certainly didn't miss it when it did.

She heard six clunks before she saw anything, but the moment she heard them, light blazed from the six braziers. With the new light, Blake could see glass in the sides of them, and from just how much they illuminated the area, she guessed the glass was specifically designed to amplify the light of the dust. And dear Oum was the area beautiful.

The dark green grass was very overgrown, even poking through the chipped stone path, but sticking out of it were flowers of varying colours. The blades moved occasionally, but the ears that poked out told her that the cause was simply rabbits running around the area. However, the two-story house itself was far more intact that Blake had originally thought. Among the stone construction were wooden slabs, old and broken, but still there. From what she could tell, the house used to be made mostly of wood, but a large majority of it had been replaced with stone.

Windows lined the side, the thin glass that had once been held in the frames long since broken and lost to time, overlooking a porch. She could imagine how beautiful it would have been to sit out there when the building was in its prime. Isolated from the world, enjoying the peace with a cup of tea and gentle conversation. The second story looked small compared to the first, the house itself only spacious enough for two people to live in, but another window was positioned there overlooking the area. Again the glass was missing and the frame was bent, but the shape was still discernible as a sideways eye.

"It's beautiful," she said quietly, making sure her voice was just loud enough for Ruby to hear. "I can't wait to hear the story behind it."

"It's… not the happiest," Ruby said solemnly and looked at the dilapidated house. "But I like it."

Blake heard the reaper take a deep breath and release it, and as the girl's hand slipped into her own, Blake held onto it and followed the small step forward that Ruby took onto the inclined path.

"Thousands of years ago," Ruby began as she took her step towards the house. "The people of Patch used to worship a god. They would offer sacrifices, bring food and other offerings to appease him as they prayed for his protection from the Grimm. For years they worshiped him and nothing happened, but they never lost faith. Then one day, a large Grimm made its way into the settlement; but before it could do any damage, a bright green light filled the area and the Grimm turned to smoke."

"Nobody knew what happened, and no-one came forth, but they believe it was an act of god. They thought their god had finally graced them with his protection, rewarded them for their dedication. So they continued to give offerings, and every time a Grimm would show up, the same green light would turn them to smoke. After decades passed, and new generations were born, they stopped fearing the Grimm, feeling safe in the protection of their god."

I bet that was a mistake, Blake thought to herself. She could already tell that there was no god, but she didn't want to interrupt Ruby's story.

"Then one day, a man went missing. People were confused, it had never happened before, the Grimm hadn't taken anyone since the first light. And things continued to get worse after that. While the light would still strike down the creatures of darkness, it was rarely before it damaged something or killed someone. People grew scared again. But then something even weirder happened."

"The first man to go missing, who everyone believed to be dead, returned. And with him he brought a story. A story of an old man who lived alone in a house on the west of the island. He said that the man had saved him from the clutches of a beast, tended to his wounds and nursed him back to health. When the people asked how the man was able to survive out there alone, he told them how he had witnessed the man fight with a green light produced from his staff."

Ruby's fell face a little as they approached the middle of the path.

"But the people were scared. They had lost family members, felt their god had abandoned them. So they didn't believe him. Though the man tried to stop them, they gathered their pitchforks and sought out the house. It didn't take long to find the solitary home, and when they did, a wizened, old man stepped outside to greet them. But instead of returning his friendly gesture, they accused him of being a charlatan, a trickster who was trying to be a false god. They blamed his actions for their god abandoning them."

"He tried to calm them down, to explain himself; but with all that negativity, it didn't take long for the Grimm to arrive. People immediately panicked, but the old man remained calm and produced a staff from nowhere. The clearing was filled with green light as he urged people into his home, to get to safety. Once they were all safe, he fought off the Grimm alone. But he was no longer a young man, he was old and frail; though he managed to kill all the Grimm, he was mortally wounded and died on the patio before any of them could even leave the house to help him."

"None of them knew what to make of it. They had seen him fight with green light as their friend said, but they still had some faith in their god's existence. Nonetheless, he had died to save them, so they buried him at his home and gave their thanks. However, the green light never appeared again, Grimm attacks returned to normal and they eventually realised they had to fight for their own lives. After another decade, they finally accepted that there was no god protecting them. They finally accepted that it was the old man that had protected them, that he had looked over them his whole life, and even died for them, without ever asking for thanks. So they returned to his house once more to see that it was already falling apart, and so they worked to preserve it. It was their way of finally showing their gratitude to him for all he had done for them."

As the story ended, they finally reached the last steps of the path. There was nothing left in front of them but the house, and where the door had likely once stood was a plinth with a small statue resting atop it. It was barely the size of her forearm, and terribly worn, but Blake could see it was a statue of the man in Ruby's tale from the staff in his hand. A staff that the man was using to keep himself upright and was topped with a small, green chunck of glass jammed so tightly between the hands that the only way it would ever move would be to break the statue itself.

"They say the man he tended back to health carved that in his honor," the girl said with a finality that said the story was over.

Blake liked the story. She had read others of its kind before, but most ended with the hero living so she had always taken them with a grain of salt. Though while there were certainly parts that had to be exaggerated for effect, like the borderline magic that the story said the man used, she found it an easy one to believe. And from the loving way in which it had been told, it was clear the story meant a lot to Ruby too.

"He sounds like a huntsman born out of time," Blake chuckled, resisting the temptation to reach out and touch the staff. "He sounds like you."

"He is part of the reason I became a huntress," Ruby said with a nod. "It was one of the stories I remember Mom would tell me as a kid. When she died, Yang continued and it was the one she would replace the hero with Mom the most. The story always resonated with me. The man had nothing, no family, no friends, no-one to care for, so he cared for everyone. He spent his life making sure others could live theirs, and when the time came, he willingly sacrificed himself. He wasn't seeking praise, or thanks; he just wanted people to be happy."

"Like I said, he sounds like you," Blake grinned, though her grin faltered a little as she remembered what Ruby had once told her. "Even down to the part where he sacrificed himself."

"Everyone has something they are willing to die for, Blake," Ruby smiled, not a hint of remorse or fear in her voice at what she was saying. "For Yang, it's me. For Weiss, it's the true honor of her name. For you, I'm guessing it's justice. But for me, it's just making sure people can go a little longer without feeling what it's like to lose someone. Whether that's the rest of their life, or just one more day, I will be happy knowing I gave them that."

"But you also need to have something to live for," Blake replied, feeling it important to remind the selfless girl of that.

"I do," Ruby said and shuffled closer, her head coming to a rest on Blake's shoulder. "I have you. And Yang. And Weiss. And all the other people I love. You all make every day incredible."

"Good," Blake breathed, letting her head fall against her girlfriend's. "Because I'm going to make sure you never have to sacrifice yourself to give people that happiness."

"Okay," Ruby said with a happy nod, Blake feeling the hand leave hers and snake around her back.

The two of them stood in silence for a minute, the sounds of birds and crickets echoing around them. Blake enjoyed the tranquility of the moment, the feel of Ruby close and the smell of her strawberry shampoo drifting up to nose. However, after a moment of them both enjoyed the peace, she felt Ruby wriggling next to her. As she turned to see what she was doing, Blake saw a wrapped tuna sandwich being offered to her.

"Lunch?"

"Sure," Blake replied with a roll of her eyes as she took the sandwich.

Parting from each other, Blake watched Ruby sit down on the chipped stone steps that led to the front door. Though she hesitated for fear of being rude, she quickly put that feeling aside and sat down next to her as the girl rummaged through her the largest pouch on her belt, pulling out another sandwich that looked to be chocolate spread. With a cute hum to herself, the reaper unwrapped it and took a large bite.

"You really hate proper food, don't you?" Blake chuckled, taking a bite of her own delicious tuna salad sandwich.

"Whaaat?" Ruby said, her mouth full of copious amounts of chocolate. "This is proper food."

"This is proper food," Blake replied with a smile as she pulled out a piece of lettuce and held it up. "That is junk that will make you sick."

"Nuh uh," Ruby shook her head and stuck out her chocolate-covered tongue. "Besides, I used to eat that all the time, but when I activated my semblance I started getting really, really tired."

"Your semblance burns energy?" Blake asked, curious as to why she had never heard that mentioned before. "Is that why you eat so much?"

"Mhm," the girl replied with a nod. "I lost so much weight and was sooooo tired, then one day I had a brownie and I was like POW!" Her arms did a karate chop to an invisible enemy. "I was so happy that I ran to town and back."

"Then you ate more brownies?"

"The whole tray!"

A laugh was pulled from Blake at just how happy the memory seemed to make Ruby. She had always known the girl loved sweets, and Weiss always told her off for not eating healthier, so to know that she was eating so much to keep her energy up actually made Blake feel better about sneaking so many packs of cookies into the secret bag she kept attached to her bed. Looking to her side, she saw Ruby happy enjoying the meal and felt a little mischievousness overtake her.

"Can I… have a taste?" she asked slowly when she saw Ruby finish her mouthful out of the corner of her eye.

"Huh? Oh sure."

Ruby held out the sandwich to her and Blake reached out to taste it. However, that wasn't the source she wanted it from, so as her fingers slid around Ruby's wrist, she gently pulled her arm aside and swooped in. A small squeak escaped the girl at first as the taste of the chocolate that was on her lips exploded into Blake's mouth, but the squeak turned to a hum. Taking it as a sign that what she had done was okay, Blake pressed in a little further and breathed out softly through her nose.

Feeling braver as Ruby pressed in closer too, Blake slipped a hand to the girl's waist and carefully pressed her tongue against her lips to ask for entry. She wasn't sure if it was too much, but she knew Ruby would tell her if it was. A rush of excitement ran through her though when she felt the lips part and Ruby's tongue pressed against hers.

It was a cautious touch that made Blake smile a little. While Ruby was a decent kisser, it was obvious that she had no experience with any other action. She didn't want to tell Ruby she was using too much movement, so she pulled back a little and opened her eyes, after a second Ruby's opened too and Blake silently asked to take the lead. Thankfully, the girl seemed to understand and Blake moved her hand from the reapers wrist to her cheek and pressed back in.

With her in control, things were much better, and after a few kisses she tried to go further again. When she was granted entry, she let her tongue dance lightly over Ruby's and the girl quickly got the hang of it.

The sensation was amazing, even though the girl's inexperience was still obvious. Blake could feel the trust Ruby was putting in her, the gentle care the girl was taking to not mess up. She could feel the soft hums that she let out, the way her hand grabbed at her waist. She could taste and smell the chocolate that the girl loved so much as the sounds of the forest surrounded them. She actually feared she would get lost in the moment, but she didn't care.

Sat in a serene forest clearing kissing Ruby? Could there be anything better to get lost in? She thought to herself, her hand slipping from the girl's cheek to push into her hair.

However, it appeared she had finally hit that barrier that Ruby wasn't ready for as the redheaded reaper let out a happy sigh and slowly pulled away. Though she didn't move too far, staying close enough that Blake could still hear her deep breathing.

"Too much?"

"N-No," Ruby breathed, a smile pulling at her lips as their forehead pressed together and Blake drank in the silver wells before her. "I think that just… where I am, right now."

"Then that's where I am too," Blake replied happily.

"W-Was it… Was it good?" The girl asked with the same sheepish smile Blake had seen her give last night when she admitted to having no idea what she was doing. "Be honest."

Blake bit her lip, but quickly gave a nod.

"Not the worst I've had," Blake chuckled honestly, stroking her thumb down the cheek she was still holding. "But that was your first time doing that, and it's nothing that won't work itself out."

"S-sor…"

"I still enjoyed it," Blake said with a small nod, her voice suddenly firm to cut off the unnecessary apology.

"Me too," Ruby said and bit her bottom lip.

The moment it escaped the grip, Blake couldn't help herself but claim it with her own again. It wasn't a passionate kiss this time, just a regular one that she pulled away from quickly before temptation took her again, but a grin pulled at her face nonetheless.

"I enjoyed the chocolate taste too," She smirked, causing Ruby to laugh and pull away.

"Well the rest is mine," She laughed and took another bite from the sandwich that looked a lot more squashed than when they had first started eating. "You have your… Stinky fish."

"Did you just…" Blake gasped with false insult and pulled her sandwich to her chest.

Seeing Ruby stick out her tongue, Blake plucked a piece of tuna from her sandwich and flicked it at her, only for the girl in front of her to turn into roses and disappear in the blink of an eye. She knew where she would go though, as the countless hours training together had made the girl's movement second nature to her, so pulling another chunk out, she turned to her left flick it, only to feel something chocolatey hit her lip.

"You little…" Blake began, wiping the spread away with her arm.

"You said you liked it," Ruby said smugly with another taunting poke of her tongue.

Glaring playfully at the girl, Blake subtly adjusted the position of her legs. When they were in the position she needed, she flicked the tuna that was still on her finger at Ruby and, as the girl dodged, launched herself up to avoid the chocolate that came her way. She landed a short distance away on the path and threw another chunk at the laughing blur of red, but missed. As Ruby reformed on the path, Blake saw that this time she had a much bigger glob in hand and a wicked grin on her face, so used her semblance to dash back into the cover of the trees, where she could fade into the shadows.

It worked and Ruby quickly began to look around for her, the laughter fading as a determination set upon her face. It was cute seeing her like that. Even in something as silly as a food fight, Ruby wanted to win; but so did Blake. So she circled the area for a minute, waiting for her moment to strike, which inevitably came. A rabbit ruffled a patch of grass causing the waiting reaper to turn towards it, and, being in the girl's blind spot, that was the moment Blake chose to emerge from the woods.

She was on the girl in seconds. As Ruby sensed the approach and turned to face her, Blake slipped one arm around her waist while the other grabbed her wrist to stop any chocolaty retaliation. The two stumbled a little, Blake still holding Ruby, until they came to a stop against a tree; and before Blake even had time to think, her lips were back on Ruby's.

All pretense was gone that time and Blake kissed her with her true passion. An arm hooked around her neck to pull her closer and she happily obliged, deepening the kiss as her body pressed against Ruby. The way she tasted, the way the kiss made her feel, it was almost enough to be addicted. All thought of control was lost and her tongue came out to meet her girlfriend's in seconds.

Though she made sure not to push the boundary they had just discovered, Blake wrestled with Ruby's tongue as pleasure shot through her. It felt good to not be restrained for once, to show Ruby just how wild she drove her. And Ruby clearly enjoyed it too as she let out a groan of pleasure too. It was the groan that brought Blake to her senses though, as well as the teeth that bit down on her lip. She wasn't sure where Ruby had learned to apply the perfect pressure, but she looked forward to experiencing it again in a future make-out session. For now however, she slowed her kiss down and pulled away, both hers and Ruby's breathing labored.

"Sorry," Blake breathed shakily, not wanting to make excuses for what she had just done. "I couldn't resist."

Silver eyes open and she once again drank them in, vaguely aware that Ruby was smiling.

"Good, I'm glad you didn't," Ruby said softly after she gathered her own breath. "But Blake, you…"

"W-What?"

"You… have something on your face."

"Huh?"

It was Blake's mistake. The kiss had made her completely forget what had preluded it, so as her hand came up to check what Ruby was on about, she sense Ruby's hand swing up and collide with her face, sending chocolate spread everywhere. She was stunned for half a second, but as Ruby burst into fits of laughter, Blake felt a wide grin take over her face that quickly turned into laughter of her own. Wanting to share the cause, she rubbed her face against Ruby's and smeared the chocolate over her cheek as Ruby let out a humorous groan.

It took a minute or two for the laughter to die down, but once it did, Blake let the hand that was still holding Ruby's waist relax so that the hold she had on the girl was much more gentle than previously. They were both a mess, covered in chocolate and dirt; but Blake couldn't remember ever being happier. However, she knew it had to come to an end as it was still winter and it would begin to get dark soon. So with a reluctant sigh, she put some distance between their bodies and stepped back.

"We should get back before the sun goes down," She said, unable to keep the sadness about the date being over out of her voice.

"Yeah," Ruby breathed, maintaining her smile. "Yang is gunna make fun of us enough as it is."

"On second thought, can we just stay here tonight?" She asked jokingly, not looking forward to the teasing that would be waiting for them at home.

"I think that will just make her mock us more," Ruby laughed, taking a step forward. "Besides, our mission is tomorrow."

"Right," Blake said with a nod, remembering that they were going to be protecting the funeral. "I guess it's an early night for us then."

"Yup."

"Then I suggest you lead the way home, Leader."

Beaming down at her, Blake watched Ruby lean in a place a kiss on her. Just like last time, it was a restrained one, seconds long and to simply say she was happy, but it made Blake's stomach fill with butterflies nonetheless. This time however, there was no sadness when Ruby pulled away and began to pull her back into the woods so they could head home, and she knew why. Because it would not be the last time they shared a day like this, and she was more than happy to wait for the next one.

Raalm's Notes

Hello everyone. I hope this happier chapter was enjoyable for you. Now that the two have talked about their things, expect to see them getting a little more comfortable with each other. We mainly wanted to give some fluffiness before the next chapter to follow up the last on, and touch on a few topics that have come up in the past. But yeah, for the most part, this was a little fun chapter that as very fun to write :) Hopefully you recognise the area though, kinda my own little headcanon there.

But I guess that's it for me. Sorry if these notes are kinda short, its my birthdays and this is mainly just a fluff chapter xD But I do want to thank every single one of you that reads this story, and any of my others. I never believed I would find and audience and only ever uploaded to get these stories out of my head, so thank you so much.

Next chapter should be up on the 19th of January.