Hey, guys! Here's something new that I have never explored before: the wonderful world of RWBY. Here's a short little one-shot I wrote about Blake dealing with the guilt that she feels about her past. I don't own the characters, they belong to Rooster Teeth.

Enjoy!

Blake Belladonna had never been one for talking about her emotions with others.

Whenever her friends would question why her moods rose and fell like the sun over Remnant's horizon, she tended to just brush them off, never willing to fully let herself open up, speak her truth, or accept help from those she trusted, even though she subconsciously knew that it was a very detrimental thing to do. Blake's habits had changed drastically in the last couple of weeks at Beacon, and as much as she hated what it was doing to her, she never did a damn thing about it. All Blake would do when she became trapped in her own thoughts was isolate herself from her friends, her teammates, and anyone else who could possibly be nearby, and that was that.

She never opened up anymore. Not since Adam. Not since she left Menagerie and her parents behind. And especially not since the White Fang.

Blake had practically made herself a nest of books in her room over the last few days. She would rarely leave her room, save for class, and it wasn't long before her close-knit group of friends began to take notice.

Ruby was the first to say something. It was clear that she had noticed Blake's downward spiral, and it had become a cause for concern. The bubbly Huntress-in-training had been worrying about her friend for days, and she had finally gotten the courage to speak up about it. "Uh, Blake?" Ruby asked timidly, peeking into the girls' room.

"What is it?" asked Blake, never once looking up from her book about the mystical arts.

Ruby stepped inside. "Professor Ozpin is worried about you," she said, nervously wringing her hands together. "He says you've seemed kind of...off...lately. I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, you can talk to us. You know that, right?"

Blake shrugged, continuing to read. "I'm fine, Ruby," she said montonously. "Just tired."

Ruby frowned; it was clear that she didn't believe Blake one bit. But, as she was not generally one to push, Ruby sighed in defeat and disappeared back down the hall without another word.

Nora arrived next, along with a protesting Ren. It was clear that hecompletely understood Blake's need for isolation, and Nora didn't seem to get it at all. Still, he tried his best to stop her from intruding.

It didn't work.

"Oh, Blake!" Nora exclaimed in a singsong voice. "Ren and I are going to make a delicious pie and some goodies! You want to join us? Oh, who am I kidding? I know you do! Who doesn't love a good snack now and again?"

Blake looked up. "I'm not in the mood for baking, Nora."

Ren peeked his head in. "Perfectly understandable, Blake. Now come on, Nora, let's get go-"

"Oh, come on!" Nora groaned. "You'll eventually have to come out and eat anyway!"

"Eventually. But not now," Blake deadpanned, looking back down at her book.

Nora opened her mouth to speak again, but a quick warning look from Ren made her decide against it. Instead, she turned on her heel and took off down the hall, and Blake could swear she heard Ren mumbling, "I told you so." Blake shook her head and smirked, immersing herself in her book once again.

Eventually, Weiss returned to the dorm room as well, and unlike her friends, she didn't take much notice of Blake's new hideout at all. Instead, she sat down on her bed and began to work on her homework, seeming quite irritated about something. And that 'something' was made crystal clear when Pyrrha, Jaune, Yang, and Ruby all loudly burst in only a few moments later.

"There you are!" Weiss exclaimed. "I told you, six o'clock, guys. And you're late."

"We're sorry, Weiss," Pyrrah said apologetically.

"We really are," Ruby echoed.

"It wasn't my fault!" protested Jaune.

"Way to go for subtlety, Jaune," Yang snickered.

Blake cleared her throat. "Do you guys mind?" she muttered, motioning to her book.

Weiss crossed her arms, glancing at her teammate. "We're going to be studying in here, Blake," she replied. "Big test tomorrow, you know?"

"What are you talking about? It'll be a breeze," said Yang.

"Yeah. For those of us who actually pay attention," groaned Weiss, glancing pointedly at Jaune.

Ruby giggled, and Jaune held up his hands. "In my defense, I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until Oobleck was right next to my face and poking me with his pointer!" he exclaimed, prompting Yang and Pyrrha to burst out laughing.

Weiss, however, was not amused. "Come on, you guys. Are we gonna study or not?"

"Of course," said Pyrrha, suppressing her smile. "You don't mind if we study in here, do you Blake?"

In response to her friend's question, Blake slipped her book under her arm and stood up. "Whatever. I'll be in the library. If you need me, don't holler," she said quietly.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Blake, what is with you lately?" she asked. "You've been way more quiet than usual, we never see you except for class, you're always in here by yourself, and you've barely been talking to anyone. What gives? You seem like you've been in your own head a lot."

"Just leave it alone," Blake muttered.

"Come on, Blake," said Weiss. "You can talk to us."

"I don't want to talk to you guys about it," replied Blake, refusing to make eye contact with any of her friends.

Jaune sighed in exasperation. "Why not? We're your friends! Why are you shutting us out like this?" he exclaimed.

Pyrrha had just placed her hand on his shoulder in order to make him stop, but it was too late. Blake snapped. "Because!" she shouted. "It's my issue, it's my head, and it's my life! What exactly don't you guys understand about privacy?!"

Her outburst was met with a hollow silence. Yang and Weiss exchanged worried glances with one another, Jaune hung his head, and Ruby looped her arm through Pyrrha's in an attempt to comfort her. Blake stared at the group with an angry glare for a few painfully silent moments, before turning back to her bed and retreating into her nest of books again.

Pyrrha frowned. "I think it would be best for us to go," she said softly. "Come on."

She tugged gently on Jaune's hand, given that he was still in shock that he was part of the reason that Blake had yelled. Ruby followed them and motioned for Weiss, who quietly gathered up her materials and went along. As the group filed out, Yang looked back at Blake. "I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," she said softly. Her friends gave her several concerned looks, but nonetheless continued on without her.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Yang approached the bunk that she and Blake shared. "Blake, please."

"Go away," came the Faunus's reply.

Yang sighed. "Look, you don't have to tell me what's going on," she said carefully. "But please don't shut us out. We all care about you."

Blake's face emerged from the shadows underneath Yang's bed. "Shutting people out is the only way I can deal with things," she murmured.

Taking a few slow, cautious steps, as if not to startle her friend, Yang approached and sat down on the edge of Blake's bed. "But it's not healthy. At all."

"I don't care," muttered Blake.

Yang sighed. "Does this have something to do with the White Fang? Are you still on that?"

Though it happened quickly, Yang noticed Blake's whole body stiffen. "You could say that," she said in practically a whisper.

"You know we don't judge you for that," said Yang. "That was the past. And the White Fang is different now than when you were still involved with them. You left because you didn't want a part of what they had become. And I, for one, think that was really brave of you."

Blake sat up. "You do?"

"Of course," replied Yang. "Not everyone could do what you did, you know."

Blake slid herself over to the edge of the bed, and glanced up at Yang. "Am I a monster?" she asked slowly.

The words made Yang squeeze her eyes shut, and she placed her arm around Blakes shoulders. "No, Blake. I never want you to think that, do you hear me? Never," she said sternly. "Everyone here at Beacon loves you. Your friends, your teachers, your teammates...we all love you for who you are, not who you used to be or what you did in the past. You're here now, and you have people who care about you to the ends of the earth. And I swear by that."

The silent tears began to fall, and Blake exhaustedly leaned over onto Yang's shoulder, crying softly and sniffling. Yang felt a lone tear slide down her own cheek, and she place her firm hand over Blake's trembling one to reassure her that everything she said was a truth that would never change for the rest of their lives.

A/N: I hope you guys liked this one. I've never written a RWBY fic before, so I decided to try my hand at it! Feel free to review or PM me to let me know what you think! Happy reading, lovelies!

-BlackthornUnicorn98