Forlorn

by JayEmEl

Love is selfless. It is patient, faithful, and true. But it is also painful when left unrequited. And with a promise of trying involved, hope makes it all the more difficult to bear. Can Yang learn to reciprocate Blake's feelings, or will their efforts be the end of their relationship? (Vol. 1&2 compliant)

12. More Than Anything

Chapter Twelve: More Than Anything

Written by: JayEmEl

Edited by: Cowjump

Happy (or not) reading!

---

Yang's eyelids felt heavy when she awoke the next morning. Her entire body felt heavy, in fact. She didn't want to move, didn't want to think…just lying there was fine. Maybe even for the rest of the day. It was as if she had spent the night fading in and out of sleep, the rumbling of thunder accompanying tender memories about Ruby. They haunted her mind and made her want to sob all over again, depriving her of any peace or rest. Numerous times, she thought she'd crack and break under her desperation.

But she hadn't wanted to disturb Blake. Yang knew the Faunus was a light sleeper and that any unnatural sounds would cause her to wake. As it was, the stormy skies might have made slumber hard for her. The last thing Yang wanted was for Blake to have to deal with her pain in the middle of the night. She was so ashamed to have shown such weakness, such deplorable vulnerability. There was no way Blake wouldn't see her at least a bit differently now. But Yang didn't want to be pitied. She was supposed to be strong. She was supposed to hold her own. The only thing that mattered, the only thing she did want, was for Ruby to wake up.

However, time had run out. Ruby may still have been alive, but she was gone. There was nothing, and it felt like an entire chunk inside Yang's body was gone, too. She felt hollow, empty, yearning for the reassurance of Ruby's presence. She'd lost her goal in life. She'd lost her only constant, the only person who had always needed her and who had always kept her grounded. Yang had defined her entire self around caring for Ruby, her brave and adorable baby sister. She didn't know how to go on without her.

…But then there was Blake. Blake, somehow having moved down to lie on Yang's abdomen, was still there. And as much as Yang tried to convince herself the only reason she hadn't cried again was out of shame and fear of bothering her girlfriend, the blonde also realized that Blake's gentle warmth had been something Yang could try and focus on to help herself relax. And it had worked a little. Blake had stayed, despite everything.

Yang opened her eyes, squinting and blinking up at the ceiling as she adjusted to the morning light. She still didn't want to face the day, but she was also unable to find sleep anymore. She passed her hand through her hair and sighed, wondering how she would manage to even function properly. Her eyes, which still burned a little and felt puffy from last night, glanced downwards, and she saw Blake curled up against her side, arms and head resting on Yang's belly. The Faunus was probably still asleep. Her cat ears weren't twitching, anyway – although, they weren't ramrod straight, either.

Yang returned her hand to rest across Blake's shoulders. Thoughtful, she caressed her partner's back, mildly surprised that this closeness didn't make her feel awkward anymore. Rather, once more, Yang was just grateful to not be alone. It must have been because they weren't spooning. Eventually, though, Blake did stir. She seemed to want to press into Yang's abdomen at first, but then began to stretch. Yang's fingers ran up and through those silken raven locks to briefly scratch Blake's head, just at the base of her cat ears.

"Good morning," Blake mumbled, leaning into the touch a little. Her entire disposition seemed incredibly cat-like all of a sudden, and Yang immediately suppressed the fleeting idea of owning a pet. That was not okay.

"Hey." She found herself sighing and closing her eyes again, covering her face with her other palm and wishing that by doing so, all her problems would go away. Unfortunately, of course, there was no relief.

A short pause followed, tension-free, and then Blake began to move again. Yang's hand slipped down the Faunus' arm as Blake carefully raised herself up to her knees so that she could crawl back beside the blonde and get comfortable next to her. "How are you?" she murmured softly.

Yang opened one eye and saw that Blake had her head propped up on her hand, golden irises gazing at Yang with equal tenderness and concern. But Yang didn't want to talk. She didn't want to fall apart again. Instead, she turned to face her companion and pulled her closer by the waist so she could rest her forehead against Blake's shoulder. She closed her eyes once more, trying to draw strength from her best friend's – her girlfriend's – presence. "Thank you, Blake," she whispered, voice still a bit raspy.

Blake seemed to understand. Gentle fingers hugged the brawler reassuringly, and the raven-haired girl relaxed into Yang's embrace. "Anything for you, Yang. I promise I'm here."

Yang found herself mulling those words over in her mind, if only as a distraction from more painful musings, and they seemed to have an echo. It was slow and tiring to think of why, but she came to the realization that Blake had professed similar – if not identical – sentiments more than once. And it hadn't just been the previous evening. Ever since Ruby had been hospitalized, Blake had been there, reaching out, trying. Her actions had been so loving, so attentive…

It dawned on Yang that Blake hadn't been lying about her feelings. She'd taken the Faunus' word for it, of course, and she'd reaffirmed Blake's confession in her mind by being watchful for the signs…but now Yang truly felt the extent of Blake's love. It was such that Yang could have asked anything, could have done anything, and Blake would have still been there, no matter how hurt.

"I'm a terrible person, Blake," the lilac-eyed girl moaned, but she only held her partner tighter.

"Yang, no… Why would you even say that?"

"I've been –"

Without any warning, Yang was interrupted by the sound of the dorm room opening and then someone walking in with a lot of shuffling. If she hadn't been so bewildered by the abrupt intrusion, Yang might have been tempted to bury herself under the covers and forget the world existed – all the while keeping Blake tucked securely close. But she turned over, noticing how Blake looked surprised – and a little uncomfortable, too, cat ears leaning backwards – wanting to see what was going on.

Lo and behold, Weiss had returned. She pulled a single white suitcase into the room, a clear frown on her face, shut the door and proceeded to look around their dorm. Her icy blue eyes immediately froze on the couple up on the top bunk, and if it was at all possible, her scowl deepened. "I leave you two here for a week, and you –"

"Why are you so rude?" Yang mumbled, deciding she didn't want to look at Weiss and turning back to lean against Blake again. The heiress' shrill voice was one of the last things the brawler wanted to hear at the moment. Despite Weiss' absence for a week, this return from Atlas was hardly welcome, and Yang wasn't feeling inclined to all that much civility towards her after how she had just abandoned Ruby.

"Why am I so rude?" Weiss retorted in annoyed disbelief. "You just interrupted me! And this," she paused briefly and Yang supposed she was gesticulating towards the couple's bunk, "Whatever this is, must be breaking some rules!"

"Chill out, princess," Yang muttered, internally rolling her eyes. Had she been in a better mood, she may have been embarrassed, but as it was now… Why did she even put up with this? "We only slept together."

"You wh –"

The blonde was compelled to clarify, if only for Blake's sake – because if Yang might have been embarrassed in differing circumstances, then she didn't even need to see Blake's expression to know the Faunus was probably dying of it. "I mean," she drawled, unamused, "we only sleep-slept together…"

Weiss didn't respond, but Yang felt a bit of a burning sensation at the back of her head, and she knew the girl in white was throwing daggers.

But not literally, so Yang ignored her.

It was in the following silence that Blake finally spoke up, and she sounded just about as uncomfortable as Yang had assumed her to be. "Um, Weiss… Hello. I – we weren't expecting you to be back so soon…?"

It sounded like Weiss chose to walk further into room, towards her own bed, before she responded more calmly, "Yes, well… I have some news."

No sooner had those words been spoken that Yang turned over again to stare at the heiress intently while Blake sat up, equally interested. "What do you mean?"

Weiss huffed and lifted her suitcase onto her bed. "I mean that I actually made myself useful elsewhere, so you can stop treating me like I'm the devil incarnate. Your mother is being held in Atlas, by the way."

"What?" Yang sat up, too, directing a wide-eyed glower at the girl in white. Had she heard correctly?

But Weiss merely opened her suitcase, keeping her back turned as she began unpacking. "You heard me."

The gears in Yang's mind were still having trouble rotating, as if they were rusted and creaky from misuse, but eventually, a few of them caught and started the engine. The grogginess vanished – mostly – and Yang kicked herself into motion, pushing away from Blake and jumping off their shared bunk. Her landing wasn't entirely graceful, but she smoothed out her clothes and took a step towards her other teammate. If Weiss knew Raven was in Atlas… Well, Yang wasn't going to patiently wait for the details. "What did you do, Weiss?" she asked, on edge.

The heiress turned to face the brawler. Icy blue met determined lilac, and Weiss brought her hand up to wave a small piece of paper in front of Yang's eyes. "I pulled some strings. This is your ticket to Atlas. My sister, Winter, will be meeting you there and bringing you to visit your mother." She paused. "You're welcome."

Yang stared at the simple, little paper in the shorter girl's hand in disbelief. Once again, the gears in her brain seemed to jam, her mind slow to process what this revelation entailed. She reached for the ticket, hesitant, and looked it over – as if she somehow doubted its authenticity, despite knowing all too well that Weiss wouldn't lie about this – while the white-haired girl rolled her eyes and returned to her suitcase.

"I thought you had responsibilities with the Schnee Dust Company," Blake suddenly remarked from the top bunk, sounding just about as stunned as Yang felt. "That's why you left. That's what you told us."

"I did. I do. But I want answers, too, and I wasn't going to stand idly by and let Ruby's attacker rot in jail without facing at least one of us first." A bit brusque, Weiss clicked the suitcase shut after unloading its contents. "Someone as dangerous as Raven… I had my doubts about where she was being kept. But I had to make sure, and it wasn't certain I would be able to secure an unauthorized visit."

It was Blake's turn to hop off Yang's bunk, barely making a noise upon a much more successful landing. "So, you sat there, convincing me to be the team's leader," she started, sounding rather peeved, "and then proceeded to just hide your intentions and act out on your own? Why didn't you just tell me?"

"And give you some possibly false hope?" Weiss retorted, aggravated as she pivoted to face the Faunus. "I have nothing to apologize for."

"I could have worked with it," Blake retaliated in a low, almost angered tone. "Yang was furious when you left. This past week has not been easy for either of us. The least you could have done was let me know why, exactly, you were abandoning me to deal with everything."

It was in the middle of the ensuing silent confrontation that Yang refocused on the present situation. She glanced from Weiss to Blake and quickly intervened with, "Weiss, this ticket says the airship is leaving at one p.m. Are you serious right now?"

"Yes," came the curt reply, and Blake turned away with an annoyed sigh. "I couldn't choose a more convenient time. If it doesn't suit you, too bad."

Yang's eyes returned to the piece of paper between her fingers, and her gaze became a glare. "Oh, it suits me just fine," she muttered, tearing her eyes away and heading towards the bureau to get a change of clothes. "I can't wait to make her pay for what she did…"

This was her chance. Finally – finally – Yang was going to meet the woman who abandoned her and who put Ruby in a coma. There would be no such thing as a happy reunion or forgiveness. That traitor had caused too much pain, too much destruction, and she'd made it personal. No, Yang had no intention of showing mercy to Raven Branwen. The mere thought of her mother and actually seeing her set Yang's heart ablaze with pure, unadulterated rage.

The robust young woman turned and strode past her girlfriend to head for the bathroom, but Blake gently grabbed Yang's arm to stop her. "Yang, wait…please."

Impatient lilac met worried golden. "What, Blake? I have to hurry."

"I know. But…is that really your intention? You're going to travel to Atlas to hurt your mother?"

Yang was immediately defensive. "She's not my mother," she snapped and, wanting Blake to understand and agree, added in a bit of growl, "You saw what she did to Ruby. You know what she did to my dad and to me."

"So, be the better person," Blake tried, tentative and concerned and about as on edge as Yang. "I know you, Yang, and you have too kind of a heart to do something like what you're planning. You're going to regret it."

The brawler freed her arm from Blake's fingers, unable to believe that the Faunus was standing in her way again. Qrow had already done that – she didn't need her own partner to be doing that, too. "You don't get it, Blake. You have no idea –"

It seemed that this time around, though, Blake had been pushed a little too far as well. She stepped closer, a dangerous glint in her irises. "Oh, I don't get it, do I?" she asked, and when Weiss attempted to escape by way of the door, Blake briefly interrupted herself to order, merciless, "Stop. You're staying right here." She turned back towards Yang, daring her to talk. When she didn't, Blake continued, "My parents died because humans killed them. And I won't even begin to describe what they've done to me. My entire childhood has been peppered with loss and violence. Do you know what I did, Yang, in response to that? I sought vengeance for the longest time, thinking that if I returned the favor, the pain would go away and I'd be able to sleep at night. Take a guess at how well that turned out for me."

Yang was silent, gauging her girlfriend and knowing she wasn't really being asked to answer. Still, the fury continued to boil inside, and Yang couldn't stop herself from trying to justify her actions. "My family –"

"Your family is alive!" Blake cut in gratingly, a tremor in her voice that betrayed her fear. Her cat ears were flat against her head. "You still have a mother, still have a chance to build that relationship, and you want to just throw it all away?"

They stared at each other, one in disbelief, the other in rage, and Yang had enough. One way or another, Raven would know she had made a terrible mistake. The golden girl turned on her heel and went into the bathroom, shutting the door just before hearing Blake say gratingly, "Weiss, tell me you're going with her."

But Yang didn't care to hear the rest. Purposely ignoring her two teammates' voices on the other side of the door, she was fast to start the shower, get undressed and drown out all other sounds as the hot water hit her body. And she tried not to think, tried to focus on the pain and the loss and use those to channel her venom at Raven – because she needed that outlet – but her mind refused to stop there. What would she do afterwards, when everything was said and done? How much better would she feel for making her own mother taste her wrath? It was useless. Even if she beat Raven into a pulp, Ruby would still be in a coma. Nothing would be fixed, nothing would be changed.

Yang's frustration spiked, and she almost gave in to slamming her fist into the wall. She was turning in circles over and over again, flipping the same pages without finding the exit or the closure she had wasted years of her life searching for. She was that same little girl, pulling Ruby into the woods in a wagon and endangering everything she cared about just because she couldn't let go.

Except the circumstances were different now. She was at the tip of a breakthrough, on the verge of discovering the answers she'd long sought after, hours away from the key to all her hurt, and despite it all, there was still Blake.

By the time Yang got out of the shower and started putting on a fresh pair of clothes, the blonde's anger had receded to embers and was replaced with exhaustion and a feeling of emptiness. She had a headache. Blake was right. She always was. More importantly, she also understood. She knew. And as much as Yang was beginning to agree that making Raven suffer wasn't going to help, the brawler also couldn't be sure she'd be able to control herself when they met. No matter where Yang stood regarding the situation, that woman had betrayed her family – not once, but twice. The mere thought of that was enough to ignite her fury.

Yang glanced at her reflection in the mirror, took in the dark circles under her eyes, the dullness in her expression and the slump of her shoulders, and turned away in disgust. This wasn't who she wanted to be – at least, it wasn't who she wanted others to see. Not this. Not the look of a torn soul. For the first time ever, putting on a brave face felt too hard. The burden she carried had become too heavy. Yang had tried to smile, had tried to pretend she would be alright, but her façade had become worn and cracked, betraying her desperation. She hated it, hated herself for her weakness, and maybe wanting to hurt Raven so badly was just a reflection of the punishment Yang wished on herself.

She took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, gathering the strength she needed to face her teammates again. Her hand paused on the doorknob, trembling, but then she frowned at this and gripped it harder, determined. She opened the door.

Weiss was sitting at the desk, typing away at some document on her laptop, and Blake was on the edge of her bed, dressed in a fresh pair of clothes but looking just about as tired as Yang felt. She didn't acknowledge that Yang was out of the bathroom, though – instead, Blake just kept staring at a piece of paper in her hands, and the golden girl lowered her eyes in shame. "Weiss?" Yang called out, turning towards the heiress.

Weiss stopped her typing and pivoted in her chair to look at her. "What is it?"

Yang glanced at Blake again and then creased her eyebrows. Quietly, she asked, "Can Blake come with me?"

Blake's head snapped up to blink at Yang before giving Weiss a wide-eyed look of puzzlement. Weiss responded to this with, "I told you." She then regarded Yang evenly. "I already gave Blake her own ticket. You better pack for one night and then get going if you two don't want to miss the airship."

Yang thanked Weiss with a nod of her head and then sighed in relief. She didn't waste anymore time, going over to the bureau again to get another change of clothes. Blake was silent, and Yang couldn't tell what her thoughts were, but she stood and began packing for one night as well. This made the blonde aware that she had apologies to make – she had wronged Blake and had then proceeded to take for granted that the raven-haired girl would follow her anyway, and even though it seemed to be true, it didn't render Yang's behavior any more okay.

Unfortunately, there was no time to express those amends at the moment. She gazed over at Blake sadly, hoping to at least convey her regret with a look, but Blake remained focused on her task, clearly closed off.

It would have to wait. Just for now.

---

Yang and Blake hadn't spoken much on their way to Vale's airship harbor. They had eaten a brief, early lunch, said their short goodbyes to Weiss – who promised to visit Ruby and take care of any patrol duties that came up during the next two days – and then they'd set off.

The sky had cleared of the stormy clouds from the previous night and promised a smooth travel to Atlas. The harbor was definitely busier, too, bustling with activity and people, and Yang took note of how closely Blake followed her through the crowd to reach their terminal. The bow was back on her head, hiding her cat ears, and as much as it saddened Yang, both girls knew that it would be safer for Blake so close to Schnee territory.

Weiss had purchased special first class tickets for them so that they could carry their weapons onboard, and the young couple was pleasantly surprised to see that they had their own private corner all to themselves. There were a few other people up where they were on the second level of the airship – businessmen, mostly, who paid them no heed – but it was quiet and the seats looked comfortable. Having never flown first class like this before, Yang had a genuine appreciation of the opportunity.

She sat down by the window, and Blake took her place facing Yang on the opposing side. The Faunus set Gambol Shroud on the seat next to her, and Yang checked Ember Celica briefly at her own wrists. The girls were both quiet for a long while, and Blake didn't seem to have any intention of talking, either, as she looked out the window with an impassive expression on her face. Yang adjusted herself in her seat a little and then decided to take out her scroll to keep occupied while they waited for the airship to lift off. The flight was going to take eight hours or so – there would be plenty of time to clear the air. No pun intended.

Sometime after the airship had taken off, though, Yang couldn't stand the silence anymore and put her scroll away. Her partially gloved fingers drummed on her knee, and this caught Blake's attention even before Yang could say anything. Nevertheless, the raven-haired girl kept her mouth shut, observing Yang in an almost unnerving sort of way – patient but also very attentive. There was about two feet of space between them, yet somehow it seemed like they were at two different ends of the world.

Yang's shoulders slumped. She had done this. It was all her fault.

But Blake deserved an apology. It didn't matter what Yang felt. So, finally, she decided it was time for her to gather her courage and speak. "I was wrong to react that way," she offered in a murmur, ignoring the tightness in her throat. "You were trying to level with me, but I was too caught up in my own anger to hear you out. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stomp all over that bridge."

Blake crossed her arms and relaxed into her seat. Her expression didn't change, though, and Yang worried. The silence persisted, growing heavier by the second, until Blake finally asked, voice toneless, "Do you remember Adam?"

Immediately, the fiery-headed bull Faunus – the leader of the now defunct White Fang and, more importantly, Blake's crazy ex-boyfriend-slash-teacher-slash-somethingsomething – came to Yang's mind. She had no good memories of him. He was a dangerous madman who had very nearly severed her arm and who, for all intents and purposes, merited the end he met. "Yeah, I remember him," she replied, furrowing her eyebrows in concern.

"He hadn't always been violent and filled with hate," Blake revealed. Now she crossed her legs as well, and her golden eyes traveled to look out the window again. She sighed. "He was my friend for the longest time, and he was gentle, kind…loving. There was a lot of passion in his heart, and he used it to fuel his advancement in the White Fang and to encourage me, too. But…as so many other misguided Faunus, that passion consumed him, controlled him, and turned him into the man you met." Blake's eyes returned to Yang. Her voice softened. "The changes were subtle. Honest mistakes turned into vindicated reasons and excuses. The crimes became more horrific by the month, and before I knew it, the man I loved had made a monster of himself – aggressive, vengeful, and manipulative. By the time I left the White Fang, I didn't even recognize him anymore."

Yang stared at Blake for a moment. She had never really stopped to ask herself what, exactly, had happened between her girlfriend and Adam, and now that she knew the story… Well, the parallels that the bookworm must have been drawing were very, very naked to the eye. Yang lowered her gaze in shame.

"…Or maybe the signs were always there," Blake then added slowly when Yang said nothing, gaze faraway and melancholic. "And I was too blind to see."

Yang's heart seemed to clench in her own chest. No. It wasn't like that. It just wasn't. "I… I'm sorry, Blake. I didn't realize that… I mean, I'm not –" she interrupted herself, caught by just how not okay this was. As much as Yang refused to believe she was anything like Adam… Twice now, she had directed her rage at Blake – Blake, who had been nothing but supportive and helpful, and still Yang had treated her as secondary, as an obstacle in her way. Worse, the first time she had threatened to break up, and this second time she had shown a total disregard for Blake's past and learnt experience.

It was no wonder that Blake was being reminded of Adam, all because Yang was allowing Ruby's state and her own personal feelings about Raven to control her every action.

Blake leaned forward then, uncrossing her legs and her arms, and Yang looked up pitifully. The Faunus reached over and gently took hold of the golden girl's hand, irises unwaveringly intent. "I know you aren't like him, Yang," she said, her tone low, and there almost seemed to be a challenge behind her words, daring Yang to prove her right. "But I've already seen where the path you were taking leads, and I'm sorry if you think I'm trying to stop you from finding closure or happiness, but that's not the case." Blake squeezed her hand, and her voice was sincere when she continued, "I love you, more than you can possibly imagine, and I just want to spare you from more pain."

To Yang's surprise, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, drawn out from beneath her regret caused by Blake's words and presence and continued support. She blinked a few times to quickly clear the wetness – there was no way she was going to cry in public – and leaned forward, too, so she could grab her girlfriend's other hand and hold them together between her own. "I know, Blake," she murmured, her voice just slightly thick with emotion. She was going to prove Blake right. Yang wasn't Adam and any similarities were going to end here and now. "And that's why I wanted you with me. I know I haven't reacted nicely to you putting your foot down before, but you do come through to me some way or another. And you're right. Hurting my mom isn't a great idea. I just have a hard time keeping my anger under control when the feelings are so strong, and now I'm afraid of what I'll do when I see her." Lilac met amber hesitantly.

Blake was still listening, head tilted a little, patiently waiting.

Still waiting.

Yang's heart pounded in her chest. She had never admitted this next part to anyone – had never allowed herself to feel like this about anyone. And yet here she was – laying her soul bare to this one, precious girl who deserved a world of happiness, something Yang could not fathom she could give. But she would try – starting with this, no matter how much it hurt to show that kind of vulnerability. "I need you, Blake," Yang croaked, suddenly terrified. If she hadn't been holding Blake's hands so tightly, Yang's own would have been shaking. "…I can't do this on my own."

Blake seemed to know, though – just like she always did. She let herself be Yang's anchor without judgement or question, her acceptance a greater balm on Yang's nervous heart than anything else had ever been. "You won't be," Blake then assured, golden eyes fervent. "You were there for me during my own rough moments. I miss you, Yang, and I'll do whatever it takes to help you feel more like yourself. I promise I won't leave you."

And there those words were again, words that Yang wanted to believe but was still too scared to put her trust in. Nevertheless, Blake hadn't broken that promise thus far, and that counted for something. It…actually counted for a lot. Appreciative and grateful of the unadulterated affection shining in pools of molten gold, Yang leaned in closer and laid a gentle kiss on Blake's cheek. She lingered there, if only to briefly contemplate how forgiving and patient her partner was, and then slowly pulled away. Blake seemed a little flustered, first searching Yang's eyes, but then she dropped her head with a bit of a sigh.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked softly, concerned.

"It's nothing," Blake replied. She slowly shook her head, as if she were mocking her own thoughts, and then pulled away from Yang to lounge back into her seat and cross her arms again. She refused to meet Yang's gaze.

It was obviously a lie. Yang debated whether or not to respect Blake's silence or insist, and then decided that it was more important to communicate. There was still plenty of time, and it was just the two of them in their corner – now was as good of a time as ever. "It's not nothing. Please, tell me, Blake."

The reserved girl sighed deeply once more, almost at a loss. She finally looked at Yang. "It's really not that important. I just…" she hesitated, and admitted under her breath, "It's hard not to kiss you sometimes."

"…Oh." Yang lowered her eyes and creased her eyebrows. Somehow, she had completely forgotten that Blake's affection and support sprouted from more than true friendship – romantic love was involved, too. And having been in relationships before – and especially her last one – Yang knew how strong certain feelings could be.

She had an apology to finish saying.

However, just when she opened her mouth to speak, Blake beat her to it by asking, "Yang, do I…make you happy? Do you feel like…you're missing something?"

Oh, the irony. Blake wasn't the one supposed to be asking those questions.

Nevertheless, Yang's initial reaction was to want to immediately respond with an affirmative and dispel any doubts her girlfriend may have had, but Yang also understood that they were serious questions to which Blake wanted a thoughtful answer. So, she took a moment, quickly reviewing her own feelings to determine if she was unhappy with anything regarding Blake. Off the top of her head, there was nothing except being upset with herself for ignoring Blake's emotional needs. "Yes – I mean, no. No to the second part. I mean –" Yang paused, wondering where this awkwardness and stammering was coming from. She was usually smoother than this. She tried again. "Okay. I am happy with you. I probably wouldn't even be…here, really, without you. You've been…very present, and that helps. I don't feel like I'm missing anything – not from you, anyway. I miss Ruby, but that's different." She wasn't entirely certain that what she was saying made sense, but she needed to get that apology across now. It was far from fair that Blake felt any kind of doubt about all of this. "I'm sorry, Blake. This is my fault. You shouldn't have to worry about your standing between us. I haven't been paying attention to you…and I'm sorry."

Apparently, after a moment's hesitation, Yang's butchered apology motivated Blake to carefully stand and come over to sit beside her. The raven-haired girl seemed reluctant, but she leaned over a little and placed her hand on Yang's knee and waited to speak until the blonde looked her in the eyes. Her tone was gentle, albeit somewhat tired. "I know you mean well, Yang. So…we'll visit your mother together, go to the hotel and talk it out, and then get some rest. And then…I guess we can move on from there. Alright?"

Yang paused, observing the bookworm with a bit of a nagging feeling at the back of her mind, something about Blake acting distant, but Yang didn't want to push the matter. She had mistaken Blake's mood before, after all, because of her own emotions clouding her judgment. She didn't want Blake to worry even more. "Alright," Yang agreed. "We'll do that. Together."

Blake nodded, and Yang put her arm around her girlfriend's shoulders – partly to stop her from returning to her seat, partly to try reassuring her with another physical mark of affection. And maybe Yang just wanted to know that Blake really wasn't going to leave, too. It had become abundantly clear over the past few days that Blake was keeping Yang rational and grounded – and the blonde would need that more than ever when it came time to face Raven.

Blake sighed and allowed herself to lean against Yang, crossing her arms again but nevertheless appearing comfortable.

It was going to be a long eight hours. They could take it easy and try to relax just for the duration of the trip.

---

Solitus, the kingdom on which Mantle and Atlas had been built, was a land of eternal winter. Snow was not uncommon during summer, and the actual winters were harsh – almost dangerously so. The only reason the inhabitants managed to survive all year round against the freezing climates was thanks to advanced Dust technology that utilized the highly volatile fire crystals to keep buildings warm and electronics and machinery functioning.

Even most kinds of Grimm were ill-adapted to live on Solitus. Only the larger, more lethal types found ways to appear, roam around, and attack when it was particularly tempting. But the people were prepared against those, too. Atlas was home to the most efficient and well-trained military on Remnant, as well as being the most heavily protected city – imposing stone walls and impressive manpower and artillery. Even Mantle faired well, being under Atlas' guard and because it was located near the ledge of an icy, rocky precipice that dropped into the turbulent ocean below.

Whether graduating huntsmen and huntresses from Atlas Academy – previously known as Alsius – decided to join the special operations or not, they nevertheless contributed to fighting the more dangerous Grimm and upholding Atlas' best military legacy.

However, that was just about where Atlas stopped being grand and awe-inspiring. Weaponry, army, technology, and training aside, Atlas was as cold and harsh as the weather it held up against. Yang noticed this as soon as she saw the tall, rigid and grey towers cutting themselves out against the darkening sky through the airship's window. Atlas was meant to be a fort. There was a residential area, of course, but first and foremost, it was factories and a military base.

When Blake and Yang disembarked from the airship at the port, the blonde's impressions didn't get any better. They weren't outside yet, and she could already feel the chill – not physically, but…emotionally, as if the quiet, uncaring expressions of the people and the oppressive silence of the area became their own living entity somehow.

"Looks like a real fun place," she commented as she and Blake walked out of the terminal, single suitcases in tow and weapons secured on their persons.

"Yeah…real fun," Blake repeated under her breath, and Yang had to glance at her out of concern. The Faunus was somewhat stiff, bow ramrod straight on her head as she looked around warily. Yang immediately sympathized and would have taken Blake's hand, but it was the one she was using to carry her suitcase.

Atlas was not, by any means, a welcoming place. Everything was stark, colorless, and utilitarian – entirely meant for practicality and not for beauty. And as much as Yang racked her brain to find something to lighten the mood, she – much to her own frustration and disappointment – failed to come up with anything. So, the two girls didn't say another word as they found their way outside, where a chauffeur was supposed to be waiting for them, and braved any critical expressions thrown their way as they went.

They had dressed according to the expected weather – Yang with one of her heavier, armor-enforced jackets zipped up high, her regular orange scarf hiding the rest, gloves, and a warmer pair of combat boots. Blake had a charcoal peacoat, black scarf tucked securely into the high collar, gloves as well, and equally warm boots. Still, when the cool outside air hit them, there was a momentary pause while they realized what a difference the temperature was to Vale's summer.

It was snowing lightly, the flakes falling lazily in the still, chilled air. The couple's breaths created fog when they exhaled. The ground was wet, one of the bright parking lot lights reflecting patches of ice here and there on the cement. The sky was dark, no signs of stars – just Atlas' city lights shining in the night and their glow in the smoky clouds above.

"Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao Long?" came a gruff voice from their left.

Yang turned her head and saw a white sedan parked near the sidewalk. Standing by the passenger door was a man dressed in a suit, looking at them sternly – probably the chauffeur. "That's us!" she called out to him, glancing at Blake to make sure she was okay and ready to follow. Blake nodded almost imperceptibly, and then they headed over to him while he stepped forward and held out his hand to them.

"My name is Frederick. I'll be your chauffeur until you depart again tomorrow morning."

"Cool…literally. Nice to meet you!"

They shook hands, Frederick giving Yang an unimpressed look before shaking Blake's hand next. He wasted no time, moving to then open the car's rear door after informing them that he would take care of their luggage. Yang went in first and scooted over to the other side to give Blake the space she needed to get in. Once they were settled and the door was shut, Yang was compelled to comment, "Straight-to-the-point kinda dude, huh?"

The trunk opened.

"Does it look like anyone has fun here to you, Yang?"

"Nope. The parties must be all kinds of awesome."

Blake rolled her eyes and buckled her seatbelt before crossing her arms. Despite the warmer temperature in the car, she seemed chilled still. Yang had to once again remember that her semblance was keeping her own body from freezing and that Blake had to deal with the entirety of the weather like anybody else.

The trunk was shut, and Yang reclined in her seat. She was trying not to think about Raven too much, distracting her thoughts with anything that piqued her interest even just a little, but now that they were in the car, it was hard to stay oblivious. They would be heading straight for the prison from here. In less than an hour, she would be meeting her traitorous mother.

Yang's hands clenched on her lap. No sooner had she done this that another hand came to separate them and hold one tightly. The blonde glanced over at Blake, who gave her a firm look, eyes reflecting the light from outside in the darkness of the car. "Together, as promised."

A small, appreciative smile curved Yang's lips. "Together," she agreed again. But her smile didn't last long, and by the time Frederick had gotten into the driver's seat, Yang had turned her head away to stare out the window. She could already feel the tension in her own muscles, and she had to focus on her breathing to stay calm.

Twelve years. That was the amount of time Yang had searched for Raven. Five of those had been wasted on too-obsessive seeking, leads often guiding her away from her family and friends for several days at a time – away from Ruby. It had all amounted to nothing except endangering those she loved and damaging her relationships with them. But she'd been young. Far too young. Eventually, she had realized her mistake – that of almost becoming like her own mother by leaving her family behind – and she had quickly rearranged her priorities. Only Ruby mattered. Yang hadn't given up on her search for Raven, but for Ruby's sake, she had forced herself to stop focusing on the hunt.

And now it was all about to come to an end. Ruby was in a coma, but Yang would get the answers she wanted. Somehow, just maybe, she could at least find some closure and restructure the foundations she stood on to be more solid. As for the rest…

Well, Blake was still there. She hadn't left. At least…not yet.

---

Yang saw the prison long before they arrived on the premises. Or, rather, it was the mountain the prison was built into that she saw long before they got there. Its looming, gigantic, and jagged shape had been an ominous and obvious shadow as soon as they had left the main part of the city behind them. And as they approached, a bunker-like compound at the front became noticeable from afar. Everything about the prison stood out as unforgiving – stark, bleak, and imposing shapes cutting themselves out against the dark sky and the even darker mountain. Bright lights illuminated the grounds and parking lot, creating a sort of eerie vibe to the buildings. The tall, barbed electric fences certainly emphasized this impression.

Frederick drove the car up to the entrance gate and stopped at the checkpoint. He rolled the windows down as one of the security officers came out with a flashlight, immediately asking them for identification. Yang and Blake fished out their Beacon ID cards, momentarily blinded when the officer pointed the light in their faces to verify them.

"Reason for being here?" he asked sternly after checking their cards.

Blake, who was on the officer's side of the car, replied without missing a beat, "Winter Schnee is waiting for us."

The officer nodded curtly. "Very well. Carry on." He then handed them their cards back before returning to the security booth and activating the gate so it opened to let them through.

Frederick drove on, but he didn't go towards the parking lot. Instead, he continued around another long, electric fence, heading straight for the side of the mountain. There was another checkpoint they had to be double-verified at with two pieces of ID instead of just one, and Blake also had to specify at what time they were meeting Winter before the guards let them go.

The road dipped downwards as they drove into the mouth of the tunnel, and Yang stared intently out the window as blue light after blue light went by her field of vision along the wall. They were going underground, into the mountain. Her tension was reaching new heights, so much so that a small headache had begun to harass her. They were getting closer.

Yang felt Blake's hand on her knee. She looked down and realized that her leg had been jittering anxiously. The blonde gave her girlfriend a bit of sheepish smile, glad of the reminder that she wasn't alone. The moment of companionship didn't last long, though. Frederick was bringing the car to a stop.

They were in front of an iron portal, a pair of large double-doors that normally allowed vehicles to drive in. The tunnel separated to the left and right, but it seemed that wherever it was that they were going, it was even deeper into the mountain. There were several armed officers approaching the sedan.

"This is where you get out for now. I will be waiting here for your return," Frederick informed the girls, impassive.

Yang glanced at Blake, whose expression betrayed her wariness. The Faunus nodded nonetheless, and then the two huntresses in training got out of the car. The air was damp and cold, and Blake was quick to find Yang's side as the officers came up to them. They were asked to show their IDs once more and ordered to hand over their weapons.

Initially, both Yang and Blake hesitated at this, but they eventually cooperated and gave Ember Celica and Gambol Shroud to the men. It didn't please either girls to be separated from their weapons, but they understood without having to be told that Raven was being kept in a restricted area of the prison and that no outsiders were to be trusted. This point was further emphasized when the officers searched Yang and Blake's persons for any illicit items or hidden armaments.

"Don't worry, your weapons won't be meddled with and you both will have them back upon your return," came a woman's voice from behind them.

Yang and Blake spun around and were met with the sight of Winter Schnee, elegant and imperious as ever and flanked by two other guards, walking undisturbed towards the group.

"Hello, Winter," Blake greeted her cordially, if not almost…stiffly.

Yang sympathized. Neither of them were comfortable in this atmosphere, and now they were even more wary with their weapons gone. It certainly wasn't the most relaxed of circumstances. Still, despite her mood and everything else, Yang attempted to be at least a little pleasant. "It's good to see you again," she said, forcing a bit of a smile.

Winter tilted her head forward a little in response, hands locked behind her back. Her grey-blue eyes were stern. "We don't have much time. I suggest you follow me immediately."

Yang remembered Weiss telling them before they left that their visit with Winter was unauthorized. They were breaking the rules, and Weiss' sister hadn't been happy about calling this favor in. Winter most likely wanted this to be over as soon as possible, and Yang didn't doubt that they were probably maneuvering within a limited timeframe, too.

"Lead the way," Blake replied, taking a step forward.

Winter didn't waste another second. She turned on her heel, guards following suit, and headed off towards the side of the large iron portal. Yang and Blake trailed behind as two other officers fell in line after them, evidently tagging along to keep their eyes on the girls. Footsteps echoing slightly in the empty space, the group headed towards a normal-sized door in the tunnel wall, one that Yang hadn't even noticed the existence of beforehand, it was so inconspicuous. It, too, was made of iron, and Winter had to punch in a code and have her handprint scanned before it unlocked. She did so quickly, accustomed by force of habit.

The door opened to a wide but short hallway. Once again, the walls were bare and stark, not even offering signs to indicate where they were in the underground structure. Fortunately, if anything, it seemed that the temperature was at least warmer inside. Winter led them to the front desk, but they didn't stop there for long.

"I had visitor badges prepared for you in advance," she stated without emotion, grabbing the two cards from the front desk staff and handing them over to Yang and Blake. Her gaze became pointed. "Don't lose those if you want to leave on time and avoid trouble."

"Duly noted," Yang responded, feeling somewhat targeted by that suggestion. She slipped the badge over her head and made sure it was visible on her chest while Blake did much the same. Inevitably, though, Yang's eyes traveled around, heartbeat accelerating in her chest. Raven was in the same building as them. It was finally going to happen. Yang was going to meet her face to face. Nervous did not begin to describe how she felt.

"Good. Now come this way," Winter commanded, turning towards the far left wall, where four elevators were located.

They took the furthest to the right. Their group of seven – four armed officers, Winter, Yang, and Blake – had plenty of room inside, but Yang could see just how uncomfortable Blake was. The Faunus' jaw was clenched, she stood ramrod straight, and her expression was especially severe. If Yang was honest with herself, she wasn't doing much better. But enclosed spaces weren't her problem in this instance. Her mind was racing, unable to fully grasp what was to come. After twelve years of searching, and now with Ruby gone…

Yang glanced at Blake – her partner, her best friend, her girlfriend. They had been through a lot together. Despite this, Yang had rarely sought out support from Blake – or from anyone, really. The brawler was far too used to dealing with her issues on her own. She took care of herself when she got sick. She worked out and trained hard to be strong and not need anyone's help to defend herself. She never let anyone see her fears, never let anyone risk themselves for her. For the longest time, Yang Xiao Long stood her ground just fine all alone and showed the world the best of her.

But in this particular moment, after feeling so weak and vulnerable and failing her role as Ruby's big sister, after breaking down because the foundations she stood on were shattered and there was nothing left to hold on to, and now that she was about to face her greatest demon of all, Yang could not put on a brave face. She was angry, scared, and everything in-between, and Blake was the sole reason she was managing to keep a level head. So, Yang took hold of Blake's hand and squeezed tightly – this time not for her partner's sake, but because Yang needed to know she wasn't alone, that there was someone there she could draw strength and reassurance from. She needed Blake now more than ever.

And Blake seemed to understand. She squeezed back, and it was then that the elevator doors opened, revealing another front desk of sorts – smaller, though, and the security was stricter. They all had to have their identities verified twice, checked again for illicit items or unauthorized weapons – and Blake had to leave her coat behind – and it was only once they were all cleared that the desk staff opened the gate into the next section. After the gate, though, there was another door at which Winter had to punch in her code and provide a scan of both her handprint and retina.

"Almost there," she informed them curtly as the door's heavy bolts unlocked and opened.

Yang's heart was hammering, and she had to focus on breathing normally. There was another hallway here, just as colorless and empty as everything else, the usual exceptions being cameras and slots in the walls where turrets of sorts were currently inactive. Dauntless of these, Winter led them to two doors further down on the left that were side by side but separated by iron bars and yet another gate.

At this point, Winter stopped and ordered her men to stand guard. She punched in her code, and the door unlocked. "We are going in here first," she directed towards Yang and Blake before entering the dark room. The two girls followed obediently, and Winter shut the door behind them.

It was a small, almost lightless room containing lots of electronics. There were monitors on the far wall, but Yang couldn't see the screens because of their privacy guards. A panel with various keys and buttons ran along the right wall, near the monitors, with moveable chairs in front of these. As the three women moved into the empty space in the middle of the room, Yang's hip accidentally bumped something on the side, and she was fast to move away.

"Sorry!" she apologized when Winter gave her a disapproving look. It seemed that all Yang had hit was a small table with a coffee machine on it, though. She slowly shook her head, returning to look in front of herself, and then she froze.

The one thing Yang had somehow failed to take proper note of in the room was the large, rectangular window smack in the middle of the right wall. And through this window, Yang's eyes rapidly took notice of – and focused on – the person sitting at a metal table in the center of the adjacent room, wrists cuffed to the surface of it and ankles bound to the chair.

The red and black huntress attire was gone, replaced with the prison's grey inmate uniform, but the jet black hair and crimson red eyes were unmistakable. Raven sat still, staring straight ahead of herself at the door leading to the hallway. Yang could only see her from profile, but the older woman's expression was clearly blank, devoid of emotion but somehow proud and unbeaten, too.

"Is that…?" Yang approached the glass slowly, eyes wide, bottom lip and fingers trembling.

"It is," Winter confirmed, standing back.

Yang had never been this close to her biological mother before. She stopped in front of the window, jaw slack and conflicting emotions battling for dominance within her. This…this was the woman who had abandoned her at birth. It was the woman who had put Ruby in an aura-induced coma. And Yang looked like her, especially when she was furious. She should have expected this. Save for the blonde hair and tall, robust frame, Yang looked nothing like her father. But it was such an awful slap in the face. She wanted nothing to do with this traitor, much less be anything like her.

"Can she see us?" Yang asked in a murmur, her jaw beginning to clench alongside her fists.

"No. This is a mirrored glass. And I can't let you in until you're calm."

The brawler took a shaky breath in, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Raven. Ruby was no better off than dead because of her. That woman was a murderer. And the longer Yang stared, the more convinced she became that it no longer mattered if Raven had left the family – if anything, it helped Yang feel more detached. With every passing second, the face that had seemed so familiar at first was growing increasingly foreign. Raven was a stranger. She was a homicidal lunatic, and she'd hurt Yang's baby sister.

All that mattered now was getting answers for Ruby.

"Yang? Are you…okay?" came Blake's worried question. Her hand gently touched Yang's arm. "You're shaking."

Yang was sorely tempted to push her away. Of course she wasn't okay, and of course she was shaking. This was…this was… Rarely had there been a lack of words to describe her rage. "Blake," Yang articulated with difficulty, "You need to let go of me."

But Blake persisted. "I won't. We don't have much time. You want to talk to her and get answers? You need to see past your anger." Her grip tightened, but her other hand came to hold Yang's balled fist, caressing it softly and trying to get her fingers to relax.

Yang knew Blake was right – just as she pretty much always was. Except Yang's vision was almost red and her body felt dangerously warm. At this rate, she was going to damage some equipment and fail Ruby completely. But it was just so hard to control herself. That woman deserved to die. And she was just sitting there, captured and bound but looking no more remorseful or guiltier than she had back in the clearing. It was disgusting, and all Yang wanted was for Raven to feel the wrongness of her actions, to have a full drink of her own medicine and choke.

"Yang," Blake said again, more pressingly this time. She pulled on the brawler's arm, forcing Yang to tear her eyes away from Raven and look at her. Concerned golden sought out raging crimson. "Let it go, Yang," Blake urged, low and intent. "If not for your own sake, if not for mine, then do it for Ruby. Get those answers. Forget the rest – just for now. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you hurt Raven over this – and I know because I've been there. Trust me."

Yang was breathing harshly. For all intents and purposes, she should have shoved Blake out of the way. But her girlfriend's eyes were honest and concerned, determined to have Yang see reason, and the firmness of Blake's grip was grounding. She was asking for the exact same thing Yang had asked of her. Trust. And after all this time, two years in total, if there was one thing to finally be learned about Blake Belladonna, it was that she knew and understood exactly what Yang was going through and just how hard it was to put one's faith in another person so completely like that. And so, if she was asking for trust despite the impossibility of it, then it was only all the more reason to listen to her.

Yang closed her eyes and pulled the Faunus into a crushing hug, trying her best to anchor herself to Blake's presence and focus on it, if only to help chase her own anger away. She breathed in deeply, immediately reminded that Blake smelled nice – like soap and oatmeal skin cream – and slowly exhaled. There was a strange kind of relief in putting part of the burden on her partner. "Okay, Blake," she murmured halfheartedly into silken raven locks. "Okay. Alright. I will."

"Thank you," the quieter girl replied in the same tone, embracing Yang just as tightly.

The hug didn't last long, though. Winter cleared her throat, and the couple quickly remembered that she was in the room with them. They separated, Blake blushing slightly and looking at the ground while Yang glanced towards her mother again. Her fury had simmered, but she would have to be careful. It still threatened to boil over, and Yang imagined that if Raven said anything mildly provoking, she might not be able to resist taking the bait. But this had to be done.

"Let's do this," she said, quiet but determined.

Blake nodded in agreement and turned to Winter. "We're ready."

Winter acknowledged with a neutral, "Very well. Follow me." She then walked past them and opened the door. Yang and Blake followed her out, and she immediately went towards the gate, where she had to punch in her code and provide a hand print again. She pulled the sliding bars open, and the girls walked through. Winter did as well, and then shut the gate behind them by pushing it closed. They turned towards the door.

Raven was behind that door – sitting in an interrogation room located in the underground part of the prison, deep into the mountain. Yang was about to actually speak with her. The blonde had to take a deep breath in and slowly exhale once more to keep a semblance of calm. She reached for Blake's hand, and the bookworm quickly clasped their fingers together reassuringly.

Winter told them to approach. "I'm not going in with you. I'll be supervising from the other room. You have less than ten minutes, understood? Whatever it is you have to ask her, make it fast."

"Thank you, Winter," Blake replied. "And I'll make sure to keep Yang on track."

Winter put in her code again. "Good luck, for what it's worth." She grabbed the knob and opened the door.

Yang was frozen for a moment, unable to step inside, but Blake gave her lower back a gentle, encouraging push. The brawler moved forward, heart pounding. Once they were inside, the guarding officer walked out and Winter shut the door.

Raven's crimson eyes immediately locked with Yang's lilac. It was disturbing, staring into such familiar but destructive irises. The older woman showed no emotion, and all Yang could do was stare, caught between punching those lights out and falling to her knees. How long had it been since she had waited for this moment? They were face to face now, nothing between them except a metal table, and somehow Yang's mind had gone blank.

She hated that face. She hated it so much. Yang's fists shook.

The silence stretched on, but Raven eventually broke that twisted spell by stating tonelessly, "Hello, Yang."

And with that, just by hearing her voice, a part of Yang snapped. She lurched forward and slammed her hand on the table, seething, "Why did you do it?!"

Raven jumped, momentarily startled, but despite her daughter's sudden proximity, she met Yang's burning regard without flinching. "You're going to have to be a little more specific. I've done a lot of things."

There were several things Yang wanted to say and ask, and all the words were crashing into each other in her head, demanding to be addressed first. Her frustration was so extreme, the circumstances were so unreal, and now she was facing the person who had hurt her the most… Tears welled in Yang's eyes. "You killed my baby sister," she whispered hoarsely, accusing. "Ruby… She's…gone because of you."

Raven was unmoved. She didn't speak right away, though. And the more her unperturbed silence persisted, the closer Yang got to giving in to the urge of hitting that traitor so hard she'd suffer from…from…something. Definitely something.

"Yang," came Blake's tentative voice from behind. "I think you need to step away."

Irate, Yang turned away from Raven, once again breathing harshly and doing her best to keep herself calm. She massaged her brow, her other hand on her hip as she blinked away the unwanted tears. Blake caressed her shoulder gently. It was so hard to keep in control.

"You are huntresses in training," Raven finally responded, not sounding an ounce guilty. "Occupational hazards should be expected."

Yang went still. "What?" She turned back towards her mother, fury once more ignited. "I may never see my little sister's smile again, and you're telling me it's an accident?"

"Yes," Raven deadpanned. "I could have drawn my sword. But I didn't. In fact, I didn't do anything to your sister. She crashed into a concrete wall."

"Because you tripped her!" Yang vociferated, unable to believe what she was hearing. Did Raven honestly think she had done nothing wrong? That she had somehow been the good guy by not attacking Ruby or any of them directly? She was out of her freaking mind. No wonder she had abandoned Yang at birth. But that was no excuse, and Yang couldn't let her get away with it.

Unfortunately, Blake wouldn't let Yang get any closer. The Faunus' hand was once again gripping the brawler's arm firmly, and a glance in her direction revealed that Blake's expression was unrelenting, clearly telling Yang to compose herself. "This isn't why we're here, Yang," she said sternly. "I'm sorry."

The brawler held back a growl, but she knew Blake was right. Arguing over what had happened was pointless now, no matter how difficult it was to drop the subject. Eventually, Yang was calm enough to ask, still on edge, "Why were all those Grimm in cages? What were you doing at that facility?"

Raven arched an eyebrow. "I thought it was self-explanatory, considering the…scientists."

"You mean the dead ones," Blake retorted this time. "The ones you killed."

"Is it information you want, or are you just here to accuse me of murdering everyone?"

"Just answer the questions!" Yang's patience was growing very thin – no, in fact, she'd lost patience the moment Raven had opened her mouth. Had Yang's dad really been in love with this lunatic? Further, she had had enough of Qrow being a witty jerk – she didn't need his twin sister to also make the same kind of condescending remarks.

"Again, to state the obvious – experiments." There was a slight sarcastic tone to her voice now.

"What kind of experiments? You're already admitting to doing something illegal."

After a brief moment of consideration, Raven side-stepped the question and retorted, "I'm a huntress. My job is to protect people from the Grimm, no matter the cost." She glared. "Now put two and two together. I don't have to justify my actions. Especially not to you."

Yang was fuming. This made no sense to her, and Raven was talking as if she had been doing the right thing all along.

Ignoring the bait, though, Blake stepped forward and asked sharply, "Were you working with Doctor Merlot? If so, where is he?"

Raven looked unimpressed. Sardonic, she said, "Merlot was an idiot wasting his time and resources on operations that were making the Grimm even more dangerous than they already are. No, I took care of that madman and put his equipment to much better use."

Yang couldn't take it anymore. Viciously, she snarled, "I don't know in what kind of twisted reality you live in, but you are not the hero here!" She took a step forward, coming to stand next to Blake and pointing angrily at Raven. "You left me! You left everyone! You betrayed all of us! And for what? Trying to find the solution to the world's number one problem by putting the Grimm in cages?" Yang lowered her voice, glowering. "You're right. You don't have to justify your actions. In fact, you couldn't justify them even if you tried."

Raven was utterly impassive. It was as if Yang hadn't spoken at all. And more than ever before now, Yang wanted to beat her, strangle her – anything to make that uncaringness disappear. Raven wouldn't even be able to defend herself, cuffed to the table and chair like that.

With the grain of self-control she had left, though, Yang managed to restrain herself and ask, entire body strung like a tightrope as she hoped to finally make a dent in that unassuming armor, "You ordered your guards to kill us. Why?"

But Raven took the question in stride easily and replied, "I ordered them to kill the Grimm. Unless you somehow missed the horde destroying everything around you."

"Your men attacked us," Blake countered, unwaveringly astute.

"Then they evidently misunderstood. By all means, keep accusing me if it makes you feel better, but you're wasting your time."

Yang had heard enough. Raven refused to concede anything, and the brawler's fury was boiling over. All she wanted now was for her mother to pay, to regret everything she had ever done. Her jaw tightened, her nails dug into her palms.

Unfortunately, Yang never got the chance to move. The door to the interrogation room suddenly opened, revealing Winter. She looked grim. "Time's up. We need to get out of here."

Yang punched the wall. At least, she tried to, but Blake was holding her right arm and kept it still. Instead, Yang shook her off and headed for the door without a second glance at Raven. It didn't matter. She'd had more than enough. Her mother had pushed her too far as it was – they were security risks now.

"Wait," Blake unexpectedly said, making Winter scowl.

"Thirty seconds, Belladonna," she abided with a warning tone, and Yang turned at the exit to stare at Blake, wondering what she could possibly have left to say that was so urgent.

The Faunus stared at Yang's mother, as stoic as Raven was unflinching. Their expressions were almost identical. Blake finally asked, "Did you mean to do it?"

"Again, both of you – specify 'it.'"

"Did you mean to hurt Ruby and kill those scientists, Merlot included?" Blake repeated, faster now as time was quickly running out.

Raven considered Blake without a word, and then her crimson eyes locked on Yang. "No." She returned to Blake. "And I never admitted to doing anything wrong."

Yang grimaced. "But you did!"

"That's enough," Winter intervened gratingly. "We need to go now."

But Blake apparently wasn't done. Ignoring Winter's warning, she approached the table and uttered in an almost threatening tone, "I held Yang back from getting to you for her sake. And you should be really glad that I did." Another step, and the back of Blake's hand collided with Raven's cheek, the slap resounding almost deafeningly in the small room, Raven's head snapping to the side with the force of the impact.

"You're pathetic," Blake spat.

Winter immediately pushed by Yang and grabbed the offender by the arm, viciously snatching Blake away and practically throwing her back towards the door. "Are you insane?" she snarled at Blake, making sure the raven-haired girl was outside of the room while keeping the door open for Yang to follow them out.

And Yang was going to, even reaching the doorframe, but she then stopped to spare a glance at her mother. Raven had recovered, her posture straight again, but for the first time, her crimson eyes were ablaze with emotion – fiery rage pointed at their backs, humiliation kindling the ire somewhere behind it. Yang turned away, finally heading out the door, something like satisfaction dissipating some of her anger.

Blake had broken Raven's mask of calm. And it felt so good.

The door slammed behind her. Winter started coldly fuming as she punched in her code to open the gate. "When I say we're on a time limit, that doesn't mean we can afford to go over it. This isn't some appointment; this is illegal. This is my career! It's even more than that, actually, and if I have to deal with the consequences of you two running your mouths, I'm going to extend your stays in Atlas, and you're not going to like it!"

"It's like we're with Weiss all over again," Yang commented, not at all pleased with the tirade. "Relax, Schnee. We can run."

Winter grumbled unintelligibly under her breath, sliding the bars open and letting Blake and Yang through before following and sliding the bars shut again. Once again flanked by four guards in all, the group made their way back to the first front desk at a hasty pace, where they dropped off their visitors' badges.

It was only once they were back in the tunnel – where the huge iron portal was – and the damp, cold air hit them that Blake spoke up again. "Uh, I forgot my coat."

Yang's eyes widened and she turned to Winter.

Weiss' older sister beat her to it, though. "No. There's already too much time wasted. You need to leave. Take your weapons and get out of here." Winter's tone allowed no arguing against. She motioned behind them, and the girls saw the officers walking over to them with Ember Celica and Gambol Shroud.

Yang took her bracelets but she was quick to return her attention to Winter. Despite everything, the specialist had done them a huge favor, and that deserved gratitude. "Thank you, Winter. We owe you one."

Winter scoffed. "No, you don't. I owed Weiss one. We're equal now. Don't keep Frederick waiting."

Yang attempted a small smile, but she nodded and joined up with Blake, who was already waiting at the car. She was probably getting pretty cold. The couple got in the sedan, and both were glad it was warm inside. They buckled up, and once they were all settled in, Frederick drove off, back the way they had come from, Winter and her surrounding officers soon long out of sight.

---

Yang's mood didn't improve on the drive to the hotel. She was quiet the entire time it took to get there, lost in somber ruminations. That visit with Raven had been…unsatisfying, for the most part. Granted, Blake smacking her was, like, the coolest thing Yang had ever seen – and probably the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, if she was being honest – but, otherwise…

They'd gotten some answers, of course, but it just felt like even more questions had been prompted, and Yang didn't know what to think anymore.

Her biological mother was and wasn't what Yang had expected. Detached and uncaring, certainly, but that impassivity and those cryptic responses… To say that Raven got under Yang's skin was an understatement. In that woman's opinion, she had done nothing wrong. She had craftily kept her implication with the deaths and the experiments vague. In fact, it had even sounded like she felt she was working for the greater good – that she was innocent. To a certain extent, it was as if Raven hadn't even known what they were talking about. But her calmness had been the most destabilizing. She was so confident in her delirium and so clearly intelligent that it was almost impossible to not believe that her side of the story, whatever it was, was the right one.

But Yang refused to give her the benefit of the doubt. She didn't deserve it, not after all the pain and heartache she had caused. And just because someone was good at lying didn't make their lies any truer. At the end of the day, it all came down to the fact that Raven had abandoned her family and caused Ruby to fall into a coma. Nothing excused that and nothing made it okay.

She had been so close. Just a few feet away. Yang could have hurt her, could have made her pay for what she'd done. There might not have been the time to kill her, but Yang could have gotten a few good punches in – make her bleed like Ruby's head had bled. After meeting Raven face to face, it was hard to think of why Yang would have regretted making that woman suffer, herself.

But there was one reason Yang could think of, one that seemed incredibly important now. Blake, the one person who had stuck around – through the tough and the painful just as much as the fun and the easy – and had held Yang's hand, had been a constant reassuring presence ever since the accident. She had been the voice of reason, placid and rational and helping Yang keep a level head. But more than that, her logic hadn't been cold and pitiless – it had come from a place of warmth and care. Yang had needed her, and the Faunus hadn't left for a single second. Blake had made it clear that she understood what Yang was going through – it may not have been the exact same circumstances, but the feelings were practically perfect matches. And all Blake wanted was for Yang to be happy and to avoid a more destructive path.

Blake, just like Raven, had known exactly what she was doing. That slap had been calculated, not the product of inconsolable rage. Had Yang been the one to attack Raven, she might have gone so far as murder. And even if it hadn't ended in such a macabre way, Raven would have only grown smugger – Yang's violence would have only enforced the point of her confidence. Blake's violence – controlled and unexpected – had forced Raven to reevaluate the situation, forced her to care. And that was the reason why Yang would have regretted being the one to lash out.

So, with Blake's help, Yang had refrained from beating Raven into a pulp. And Yang liked to think she had finally done right by her partner in so doing – it was the only reassurance she had from that entire tense exchange. She just wanted Blake to be happy with her – and she was more than happy with Blake in return. Trusting Blake had paid off.

Yang trailed behind her girlfriend down the bright hotel hallway without a word, suitcases in tow. It was actually a rather nice-looking place – far from being run down, it wasn't super fancy, either. The carpet was taupe along the sides and light grey through the middle. The walls were white, black frame borders running along the bottoms and the doors were black, too. It was simple but somewhat spacious and welcoming – for the interior of a building in Atlas, that is.

Blake had respected Yang's silence in the car, and apart from getting their room's key from the receptionist, neither girl had uttered a word to each other since leaving the prison. The room Weiss had booked for them was on the fifth level, so they'd taken the elevator. Their silence hadn't been awkward or uncomfortable – they were merely both lost in their own thoughts. It was getting fairly late, so there was no doubt that they would be going to bed shortly after they readied themselves for the night.

This rung especially true for Yang. After today and after the entire past week…well, Yang was just…tired. Emotionally, physically – she was drained. She figured she'd be asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow – if only her mind would stop racing for a minute.

Blake unlocked the door to their room, the one at the very end of the hallway, and then opened it. She went in first and quickly found the lights. Yang stepped in next and briefly looked around, eyebrows raising in appraisal for the short moment her interest lasted. It was a large enough room with two queen-sized beds, a high-definition holoscreen placed on a six-drawer bureau, and a small table in the far corner accompanied by two comfortable looking chairs. The back wall was pretty much made out of window, but they could close the curtains before they went to bed.

It was a little cool in the room, so Yang wasn't surprised when Blake said, after taking off her boots and putting her suitcase on the bed closest to the entrance, "I'm going to have a warm shower. Do you mind turning the heat up some?"

"Yeah, no problem," Yang replied halfheartedly as she slowly removed her own combat boots. Blake didn't have her coat anymore, and she already got cold quite easily, so the energetic young woman figured the cat Faunus would be intent on warming up as soon as they got in.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" Blake wondered as she rummaged in her suitcase.

Yang glanced over at the room in particular. "Yeah. Just one sec, I'll be quick." She went in, surprised at how fancy the décor was compared to the simple niceness of everything else – there was a walk-in shower –and was out only a few short minutes later after washing her hands and brushing her teeth. "It's free," she announced quietly as she grabbed her own suitcase and headed for the other bed.

Blake, with the items she needed to shower, left Yang alone and locked the bathroom door behind her.

Yang sighed, shoulders drooping. Everything was so messed up. Part of her just wanted to sleep, another part wanted to cry, and the last part of her still felt like punching something. She rubbed her face, fleetingly wondering what she was even doing – here or anywhere, really. She went over to the corner where the window and the wall met, finding the heating system's digital thermometer and cranking it up to a good number. Her eyes were then pulled towards the window, and Yang paused.

It seemed they were high up enough to have a great view of the city. Light flurries continued to fall. Atlas Academy was the most prominent sight – it made up most of Atlas, in fact. The airship port was visible, too, out in the distance, and it looked quite busy still. Yang could even see those almost impenetrable walls from one end to the next – the intervallic blue lights were what made it distinguishable in the darkness. And in the sky just as on the ground and on the walls were sentinels, on the lookout for Grimm.

Raven had called herself a huntress. She'd said she was doing her job – protecting the people, "no matter the cost." The worst part was that she was right. But if that was what being a huntress entailed – sacrificing individual lives for the sake of the many and throwing the rules out to the wolves, then Yang wasn't so sure that being a huntress was what she wanted to do anymore. Of course, Yang knew she often broke the rules, herself – but it was all for fun. If she knew someone would get hurt (apart from herself) if she ignored the regulations, then she'd back off and obey. It was as simple as that.

No, Raven somehow assumed she was above the law and that all of her actions were justifiable. She was wrong. There was already too much chaos in Remnant – the world didn't need powerful hunters taking matters into their own hands in whatever way they pleased. A prime example of how bad of an idea it was had been the White Fang.

Blake knew what she was talking about. Blake knew a lot of things, actually. Yang had to admire her for that – her convictions, her wit, and her ability to make sense of the world around her. Sometimes, when Yang was around Blake for a while, the extravert realized she still had a lot to learn.

Yang found herself sighing again. She slowly shook her head and moved to pull the curtains closed. She was starting to feel the beginning of a headache – it had been a grueling day on her already low morale, and now it was evident she needed sleep.

She dug into her suitcase, found her pajamas and changed into them tiredly. Yang then threw her jacket over one of the nearby chairs and put her other clothes in with the rest of her luggage. Finally, Yang put her suitcase on the carpet beside the bed and padded over to shut the lights off. She knew Blake wouldn't mind, what with her night vision. The blonde proceeded to feel her way back to her bed in the darkness and got under the rather thin sheets to get comfortable.

She turned on her side, facing the curtains, and it immediately became apparent to her that she was going to have another one of those nights when her eyes didn't naturally close. Another sigh escaped her and she buried her face in the pillow. No matter how exhausted she felt, no matter how much she just wanted to sleep, her mind refused to shut down.

Her thoughts immediately wandered off towards Ruby. Weiss hadn't contacted Yang or Blake since they had left, which meant there was no news – no change – in Ruby's state. But the eldest sibling was already coming to terms with this new, awful reality – Ruby would probably never wake again. This was it, then. Yang's pillar was gone, and she still missed her baby sister like never before.

A few tears pricked at Yang's eyes, and her initial reaction was to try and blink them away, but then she failed to see the point. Most of her life had been devoted to making Ruby smile and laugh and be happy. She'd stopped her tears so often just to be strong for Ruby. But Ruby…it just…

It didn't matter. Ruby wouldn't see her cry anyway.

Yang fed her tears to the pillow silently, but even exhaling soon became difficult. She hugged the cushion tightly, trying to muffle her sobs and wondering how many more nights she would have to spend begging for sleep to take her and not being granted that one, small request. She was so tired, and the pain never seemed to end…

She'd been foolish. There had been a part of her that had hoped Raven would care, would show some kind of remorse – Yang had even been ready to break bones if that was what it took. It was senseless and brought up by an inconsolable state of mind. But in those last moments of conversation, Yang had seen someone else show how much they cared. Blake, usually so calm and collected, the one person who had been telling Yang over and over to restrain her anger, had stepped up and threatened Raven. She'd done more than that, too – apart from the slap, Blake had prompted a response from Raven that had allowed Yang to find at least a little bit of closure, a little bit of hope.

Raven hadn't meant to hurt Ruby. It really had been an accident, no matter how sordid the circumstances and intentions were. And Blake was to thank for that piece of information. In fact, Blake was to thank for being there all the way through.

Yang's sobs relented slightly, but she still had to force herself to be extremely quiet when Blake came out of the bathroom. Another scene like the night before wasn't on the list of things Yang wanted to repeat so soon. She listened, holding her breath, as Blake did something with her suitcase with an impressive lack of sound, before the Faunus slipped into her own bed.

While Blake got comfortable, Yang took the opportunity to exhale as noiselessly as she possibly could. It seemed to work, as Blake finished moving and didn't say anything.

Yang continued to breathe softly, managing to get a grip so as not to alert Blake to the fact that she wasn't feeling great. And even if Yang knew she was pretending to sleep, it was still a little awkward just lying there in the dark, both of them not peeping a word. It was so quiet in the room. Blake must have supposed Yang was asleep by now – knowing her, the bookworm surely would have said goodnight if she had known Yang was awake. And who knew how tired Blake was? Maybe she was already dipping into sleep, herself.

But Yang heard her girlfriend move again, adjusting quite a bit before going still once more. This was just like Yang, wasn't it? She could have just been honest and said something. She still could say something, really – but if Blake was trying to sleep, Yang wasn't about to disturb her. So, the blonde was trapped into waiting for signs and sounds that her partner was asleep so that she could return to fretting over her own inability to do so.

Now Yang was definitely awake.

She also almost jumped when Blake suddenly whispered into the silence, tentative, "Yang?"

The brawler's mind, out of exhaustion, went into overdrive, rapid-firing in a debate over whether or not to respond. It seemed, however, that she needn't come to a decision. Blake did that for her.

"I know you're awake, Yang," the Faunus said, this time in a murmur.

Yang actually relaxed, half glad that the awkwardness was over. The other half was drowning in embarrassment at having been caught, though. "How did you know?" she mumbled.

"You usually snore a little. And I can hear your heart."

The seconds ticked by with almost physical sounds as Yang wondered if it was sweet or creepy that Blake had taken note of those specific things. She opted for sweet. "You can't sleep either?" she asked, finally turning over to face Blake's bed in the darkness. With the curtains closed and the lights off, Yang couldn't even really see anything anyway.

Strangely, Blake took a moment to reply. She eventually admitted, "…No. I'm still cold." There was a pause, and she followed up with a half attempt at humor, "These blankets aren't designed for people like me. All that time spent training, and I'm still soft because of Vale's climate."

They were both clearly tired. The joke wasn't all that funny, but Yang still found the corners of her lips raising. She understood, though. The blankets were thin, it was cold outside, it had been cool inside, too, and it still was. Blake had just come out of the shower and her hair was probably still damp, she hadn't had her coat for the ride from the prison to the hotel, and Yang remembered that Blake particularly liked warmth. It was no wonder she was chilly.

And if Yang was honest with herself, she wanted Blake to come closer. She didn't want to be alone. Therefore, Yang pulled her blankets up as she said, "Come here, then."

There was a moment of pause in which nothing happened, but then Blake moved. A few seconds later, she was carefully slipping under the sheets next to Yang, who let them fall over the bookworm's shoulders. Blake seemed to literally bring a current of cool air with her. She was an icicle.

"Blake, kitten, you're frozen," Yang caught Blake's cold hands in her own in concern. "Why didn't you just hop in bed with me right away?"

"Because I thought you were asleep at first, and I'm not sleeping with you without your permission," came the mumbled, embarrassed response.

Yang grinned. She couldn't help it. "You're adorable. Cat ears and addiction to warmth and all."

"You know what?" Blake responded, half offended, half amused. "Here." She freed her hands. The next thing Yang knew, cold fingers were gliding up her sides, under her shirt, and stopped at her waist. She was then pulled forward, Blake cuddling closer as she intertwined their legs, too, feet and toes executing the same frozen revenge.

Initially, Yang shuddered and made a bit of a yelping noise at the cold contact, but then she laughed nervously. This was…frontal spooning. This was… Oh, boy. Yang's body quickly heated up, the blush rising to her face like a first-degree burn.

This is fine. This is fine. This is fine, she chanted to herself, trying her best to not make a big deal out of it like she had the last time. The room wasn't on fire. It was just her. And Blake was icy...and indeed soft. There was no panic.

"Yang…your heart." Blake hesitated. Her head was almost directly against Yang's chest. It was no wonder she could hear the extravert's heart thudding like a kick drum. There was a panic after all. "I-I'm sorry. Should I –"

"N-no! It's fine. Just, um, let's not talk about my heart for a little bit." Yang clenched her teeth. She was uncomfortable, yes, but she didn't want to be. It was just Blake. And Blake was cold. She needed this.

Fortunately, Blake made it a little easier for Yang to handle by slipping her hands from under Yang's shirt and instead embracing her back, on top of the shirt. "Alright," Blake responded, sounding vaguely amused. Yang was able to relax just slightly, and she moved her arms to wrap around the Faunus, gentle and hopefully inviting for closer cuddling. One of her hands found Blake's cat ears and Yang realized those were cool, too. She caressed the velvety fur softly, trying to focus on the marvel of them and not on…other things. Other things would make her bolt for the door if she thought about them for too long.

Blake seemed to melt somewhat, relaxing into Yang's arms and burying her face in the crook of the blonde's neck. Even Blake's nose was cold – all of her extremities were. Poor thing. It didn't matter if this made Yang awkward and uneasy – it was more important for Blake to be warm. She had done a lot for Yang – she deserved this.

They fell silent again, and little by little, as Blake's body temperature climbed, Yang's heartbeat calmed. They held each other, much more intimate than anything else they'd done before, but there was a strange kind of comfort that came with this unique proximity. Yang could not feel alone – because she wasn't. Blake was right there in her embrace. It was an appeasing balm on her nerves and troubled mind, and Yang found that she was slowly getting comfortable as she got used to it. Overcome with a wave of affection for her girlfriend, Yang naturally tightened her hold and curled her body a little more around Blake's.

"Blake?" she whispered, this time being the tentative one.

"Hm?"

Yang shut her eyes tight. She took a shaky breath in and slowly exhaled. Her voice came out small and quiet. "You aren't going to leave me, are you?"

It was a fear that had started to make itself known that very same morning. She wasn't sure how to express it, and she didn't want to come across as insecure…but it was beyond her. People had left her behind all her life. She was only starting to trust that Blake meant what she said, but it was hard. She was essentially giving Blake the power to crush her.

Blake's fingers caressed Yang's back tenderly. "No. I won't," she murmured, breath tickling Yang's skin. She was beginning to sound sleepy, but her words were sincere. "I love you, Yang. More than anything."

Yang didn't reply, but Blake's answer finished appeasing her. It even made her smile gratefully, and Yang finally began to feel herself drift. "'Night, Blake," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Yang. See you in the morning."

Yang felt these drifting sensations, but she also felt Blake's presence. With that promise on her mind and as her consciousness faded, she fought to indulge in both, easing off the cliff of slumber but holding on to the feeling of Blake's new warmth. She treasured both for what could have been a minute or an hour, but, eventually, sleep would overtake her and Blake would be held by the lasting strength in Yang's arms.

Yang slept peacefully that night.

---

So, this chapter underwent a couple minor - but significant - edits. On the airship, I previously had Yang state she needed Blake just like that - there was no fear or hesitation attached. Now there is, as I think it is a basic character trait of Yang's that she doesn't allow herself to need anybody and wouldn't admit to something like this so easily.

The second edit happens in our young couple's meeting with Raven. Originally, Blake did not slap Raven. But after discussing with Cowjump, I realized that I needed something more concrete for Yang to latch herself on to concerning Blake. It's a daring change, I know, but I think it works better like this.

How about you guys? What did you think?

See you in the next chapter!