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)

15. Carved Stake

Chapter Fifteen: Carved Stake

Written by: JayEmEl

Edited by: Cowjump

NOTE: I think you guys are gonna like this one. Or, you know, maybe not...

Enjoy!

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Blake took a deep breath in before slowly exhaling. This, the Faunus repeated a few times as she centered herself, focusing on the beat of her heart and keeping her mind clear of all distractions. She had stretched her muscles and warmed up only a few moments ago, so now it was only a matter of preparing herself mentally. One single goal. She had gone through this multiple times, and she could do it again. In fact, this was one of the rare things Blake knew she could ace without a problem.

"Are you ready, Blake?" Nora called from the control panel, somewhere a few meters behind and to the right of the raven-haired girl.

Blake's eyebrows creased. No distractions. She inhaled deeply again and then breathed out. "Ready," she finally replied.

"…Are you sure?" Yang wondered, probably standing near Nora.

"Yes." Blake squared her shoulders and bent her knees a little, preparing herself to dash the moment she was given her cue. Still, she concentrated on her breathing and heartbeat, keeping her senses sharp.

"But what if you're not?"

That was Sun this time. Their concern was appreciated, but Blake was absolutely ready for this. "I am," she assured, wishing they would just press the start button. At this rate, she would lose her focus.

"I don't think you are, Blake," Nora chastised, but she was immediately struck with a snicker, which caused Yang, Sun, and Neptune to join in.

They were trying to tease Blake and get her to become impatient. But she was determined. "I'm ready," she insisted, cat ears twitching. Deep breath in. Slow breath out.

"Blake, we understand if you're nervous," Yang said gently, but there was clear amusement in her voice. "It's okay to be afraid."

"I'm not." Blake kept her eyes locked on the sliding metal doors in front of her. Any moment now, they would try to catch her off-guard.

"You know we're here for you!" Nora sing-songed.

Okay, that's it. Blake straightened her stance and turned to face her trouble-making friends. "Press. the. button."

This time, the four guffawed, bunch of pranksters that they were. Blake watched them laugh for a few seconds, unable to believe any of them were her friends. Only Ren and Weiss had stayed back, closer to the wall where the monitors were, observing the scene in quiet entertainment and dimly concealed suspicion, respectively.

Blake wasn't actually annoyed, but she put a special effort into looking the part as she crossed her arms and waited for Yang, Sun, Nora, and Neptune to get a grip. Unfortunately, it only seemed to make them laugh more, until Yang started trying to get them to calm down through her own giggling.

"Okay, okay, Blake," she managed, wiping her eyes and apparently trying really hard to keep a straight face. "We'll press the button. We were just pressing a couple of yours, first."

Behind her, Nora, Sun, and Neptune erupted into more sniggering, and a radiant grin crossed Yang's face, too.

"You are all incorrigible and I don't even know why I agreed to this," Blake retorted, slowly shaking her head. "We were supposed to be training."

Indeed, they had all woken up about an hour ago and regrouped in the academy's main gymnasium for their early morning workout. With Ruby out of commission and Jaune gone off to Mistral with Pyrrha, that left Sun and Blake as the only two team leaders present within their current group of friends. And since Sun was only visiting and acting like more of a friend than a leader, that put the entirety of those responsibilities on Blake's shoulders. She was the one who decided that continuing their workout regimen through the summer would benefit them, especially since they were members of the border patrol units. They would need to keep in shape. And, initially, this plan had worked without much issue, but the fact of the matter was that they were still on break for the summer, and today was the day everyone had chosen to goof off. Not to mention that Sun and Neptune didn't follow this regimen to begin with.

For example, they had all convinced Blake to try and break her own record on the simulated obstacle track "just for the fun of it." And Blake, not having the heart to force her teammates and friends to be more serious about this, had caved and decided to give it a shot for their amusement.

What a fantastic leader she made.

And so, here she was, waiting for them to press a stupid button so she could humor their curiosity. She should have known they would give her a hard time. Blake actually ranked within the top ten fastest students to go through the track, right above Ren in sixth position, and it was mostly thanks to her semblance, quick reflexes, and agility. She didn't really care to boast about it or even take pride in it – it was just the way things were, and she would improve if she could, but her friends tended to make a bigger deal out of it than she did. Blake was honestly just glad to be confident in her "ninja" skills concerning the track.

"You don't look ready yet to me, Blake," Sun called out, grinning just as broadly as Yang.

Blake looked up at the heavens before turning around to face the sliding metal doors once more. She grabbed Gambol Shroud from her back, unsheathing the sword before collapsing it into its pistol form. The cleaver part remained on her back. She didn't need bullets for this – the obstacle course had sensors everywhere, and just pointing her gun at the holographic enemies resulted in their destruction.

Blake then closed her eyes as she centered herself again. While she was confident she could beat the track in about the same time she had before – having done so more than once in the past already – she doubted she could significantly surpass her record. Not with her friends purposely trying to keep her distracted. Plus, she didn't really see the importance of it right now. She would try, and she'd definitely give them a good show, but that was just about all she knew she would achieve.

"I'm ready now," she said, loud enough so they could hear. Blake bent her knees again, one foot slightly in front of the other, pistol pointed at the ground for now.

"Good! Starting the countdown!" Nora exclaimed.

Blake braced herself, knowing she would have to immediately break into sprint the moment those doors slid open. The obstacles were hardly ever the same in there, and they never followed the same pattern. The track was intelligent, too, able to monitor progression and adapt accordingly.

"Three, two…one… Go!" With that, Blake heard Nora slam her hand down on the button.

The metal doors came open abruptly, but the Faunus was ready. She leapt into motion, clearing the doors and hurdling over the first low wall before sliding underneath the next and pointing her weapon at both holographic Grimm creatures that charged her from the front. They disintegrated without coming close to touching her. Blake continued without hesitation, running down the short hallway before the course could turn into a slippery slope, and flying through the second set of doors safely.

But she wasn't done yet. Blake was forced to zigzag now, dodging columns that rose out of the floor, often blocking her way. She put her semblance to use, a shadow clone rushing away from her to confuse the course long enough for her path to be less arduous. Dozens of Beowolves materialized ahead of her, and she managed to destroy a few before being upon them. She tacked by one lunge and evaded another, grabbing the cleaver on her back to decimate the rest of the hologrimm that stood in her way.

Blake could hear her friends cheering on from afar, but she tried to tune them out, keeping that one goal in mind – reaching the end. The third set of doors was raised several feet above the floor, and Blake took a running start to pounce and grab the ledge to haul herself up and over, all in one fluid motion. It took her only a second to see that she was on a platform and would need to make a rapid descent. Although her heart was beating faster now, she didn't hesitate, hurling herself into a brief freefall to hit the next platform, feet first. Turrets came out of the walls, but Blake ignored them and plunged down to another landing, barely registering that she had made it before she was airborne again.

The turrets fired lasers at her just as she collided with the ground, rolling over herself to redirect the impact, but she never stopped moving, breaking into another wild sprint to avoid being hit. Holographic Boarbatusks appeared out of nowhere, charging at her, but Blake didn't let that slow her down. She jumped to grab one of the metal support beams above, using her momentum to swing herself upside down on her hands, and in the fleeting instant where she was weightless, she aimed her pistol down at the monsters stampeding by below, balancing on one hand as she effectively destroyed them.

And then Blake was swinging back around to launch herself into the air once more, throwing Gambol Shroud at a higher support beam and holding on tight to the attached ribbon. She cleared several meters like this before her weapon lost grip on the beam, but it was enough to get through the fourth set of doors that had just begun to close.

Stumbling a bit on the fast and brutal landing, Blake quickly caught herself and came to a very momentary halt, breathing hard through her nose now. Her next challenge was a wall of several tall, rotating doors. Eyes locked on the speed of the rotations, and calculating the smoothest way to get through, Blake began running again. The first two were easy – she went in between them and got into the third without too much difficulty. She swayed, nearly smacking into one of the doors in the fourth and was pushed out on the other side by the fifth with about as much grace as a waddling penguin.

I hate those things. Blake shook herself, recovering, and sped back up, diving through one of the rings in a wall of hoops and rolling again when she hit the floor. She got back to her feet, still dashing, and her eyes widened a little at what she saw up ahead. It was a large gap in the track, far too wide to jump, and there were no support beams above. The precipice was along a slight curve in the path, though, and that was enough to urge her forward. She didn't know how deep it was, but that didn't matter – Blake wasn't going down. She leapt onto the wall as fast as she could and darted, clearing the gap in five rapid steps and pushing off once she was safe.

She was immediately assaulted by several holographic Beowolves, forcing her to use her cleaver again to get rid of the fray as she danced around swiping claws and lunging bodies. When she was finally done with them, she realized the fifth and final set of doors at the end of the track was beginning to close. She definitely wasn't beating her record this time.

Nevertheless, the world seemed to slow as Blake fell into a sprint. Each step brought her nearer, each second brought the metal doors closer together. Panting, heart beating in her ears, Blake formed a shadow clone which she used to propel herself forward with even greater speed. At first, it seemed like a terrible mistake because she tripped over her feet, the momentum too great to manage, but then she actually fell through the closing doors right on time in a most spectacular fashion.

Unfortunately, this ended with a painful, frontal collision with the floor, first heavily landing on the cleaver part of Gambol Shroud before rolling over herself several times in an uncontrolled manner. She finally came to a stop a few feet further, lying flat on her back and staring up at the high ceiling with the unpleasant, metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She had bit her tongue. Funny that her aura had protected her from her weapon but hadn't protected her from something mundane like that.

"Blake!" she heard her friends shouting, "Oh, my God, Blake! Are you okay?"

She didn't respond, only dazed and breathing hard as she tried to recover from the adrenaline rush. Again, why had she agreed to this? What a terrible, powerful influence Nora was.

Yang was the first to reach her partner. The blonde knelt by her side, obvious worry in her expression. Actually, it was a bit more than that. It looked like near-panic. "Talk to me, Blake. God, you're bleeding!" Her fingers gently brushed the corner of Blake's lips. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," the Faunus assured, although her tongue was awfully sore. She swallowed some blood and winced. "Help me up."

She attempted to sit, but Yang kept her down by pressing her hand on the bookworm's shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't," she said with concern, and lilac irises darted over her body, checking for more wounds. "That fall looked really painful, and your aura didn't take the impact. You might be hurt elsewhere."

That wasn't true. It seemed Yang had forgotten all about the things she had learned in their Aura Theory class. Blake wasn't injured anywhere else.

The others had all reached the couple by now. They gathered nearby, and Sun asked, "Should I go get a nurse?"

"I'm fine," Blake insisted, putting her hand over Yang's to reassure her more. "I just bit my tongue. Nothing major." She tried to sit up again, and this time Yang helped her, one supporting hand on her back and the other holding her arm.

"She's fine, everyone!" Nora exclaimed, waving her arms. "Clear the area! She's fine! Nothing to see here! Everything is good!"

"Well, she did trip and fall on her weapon…" Ren reflected, trying to make a point that was, unfortunately, lost on his rambunctious partner.

"Let's give them some space, at least," Sun intervened, and he pulled Nora a few steps back. The others went along with the suggestion.

Blake was beginning to catch her breath, although her heart was still pounding. All in all, it had been a good run and she got most of her workout done for the day, despite failing so impressively at the end. She passed her tongue over her teeth, trying to get the taste of blood out of her mouth.

"Hey, can one of you guys get some water?" Yang asked, looking back at their friends. Sun immediately jogged off towards the benches. Satisfied that what she asked was being taken care of, the sociable girl returned to Blake. Gold met worried lilac, surprised that Yang was so close – close enough that they probably breathed the same air – but the blonde merely cupped Blake's jaw and used her thumb to wipe away the leftover blood on her girlfriend's lips. Her touch was as solicitous and tender as ever. "We shouldn't've gotten you to do that," she murmured, regretful. "I'm sorry. It was dumb."

Blake appreciated the concern, she liked Yang being so close even more, and although she figured this initial panic sprang from the anxiety about what happened to Ruby, that didn't mean Blake would accept any excessive guilt on the brawler's part. "I agreed to do it, didn't I? Don't blame yourself. It was fun, all things considered."

Yang searched Blake's gaze, probably attempting to determine if the raven-haired girl was lying, and Blake quirked her lips, trying to smile reassuringly. This finally got Yang to smile a little, too. "Okay. Yeah, you were pretty cool. I'm glad you're on our side."

"So am I," Blake replied. She couldn't really find much else to say, her mind too preoccupied with admiring the lighter specks of lilac in Yang's irises, framed by rich, golden eyelashes. It truly was unreal how beautiful this kind and caring girl was.

Much to Blake's chagrin, though, the spell was broken soon after. Sun crouched on her other side and handed her a bottle of water, Yang moving away just a bit. "Here you go," he said pleasantly.

Blake thanked him as she took it. She uncapped the lid and then took a full swig, washing out her mouth. The cold water felt good and refreshing, and once she was done drinking, she felt alert and much calmer.

"Ready to get up?" Yang wondered, eyebrows creased.

The cat Faunus nodded, and both Sun and Yang helped her stand. Sun then stepped away as he said, "Well, no matter what, you were awesome, Blake." He grinned. "But I bet I could beat you."

"I'd like to see you try, monkey boy," Yang retorted dryly in Blake's stead. "That thing learns and adapts and helps students outperform themselves. Most of them don't even make it to the end. I know I didn't."

"Ren did!" Nora called out, and Blake slowly shook her head.

"Even Ruby doesn't rank first on it," she offered helpfully and took another sip of her water. "You need more than speed to get through." Blake paused, suddenly assessing Sun. He had a good handle on martial arts and he was quick on his feet. She had seen him in action, too, and could vouch for his ability to strategize in combat. Plus, his semblance, which was somewhat similar to her own, would be a valuable asset in getting him through faster, if he ever attempted the feat. "I think, though, that you could probably make it within the top ten, too." She stopped talking when her tongue suddenly reminded her with a sharp pang that it was wounded.

Sun beamed and looked over at the obstacle course for a moment. Then his dark grey eyes returned to the young couple. "Next time I visit, I'll give it a shot," he said confidently, nodding. "But Neptune and I have a flight to catch in… Uh…" He creased his eyebrows, stumped. But then his expression brightened and he turned towards the others, who were talking further off. "Hey, Nep!"

"Yeah?"

"When do we leave for our flight?"

"One hour, dude."

Sun's eyes widened. "One hour?! Shouldn't we be, like, on our way to the harbor now?"

Blake and Yang glanced at each other, both unsure what to do. It seemed, though, that they didn't need to do much at all.

Neptune walked over, shaking his head. "Sorry, man, I meant we gotta leave in an hour. No rush yet."

"Have you guys even packed?" Yang inquired curiously. Blake felt her partner shift around and realized Yang had not moved away since helping her stand. In fact, the lilac-eyed girl's hand was on Blake's waist still, allowing the bookworm to lean on the warmer, sturdier form. She wondered if Yang was doing this on purpose or if she was even conscious of her protective gesture at all. Maybe she was just offering her body as support out of worry for her companion, though. Whatever the case, Blake enjoyed the proximity.

Sun scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, no."

"We should probably do that, right?" Neptune chuckled.

"You should," Blake agreed. To be honest, the whole departure was a bit unexpected – she hadn't known they were leaving so soon. They hadn't said anything about how long they were staying when they arrived or at any point onwards, but Blake had assumed they might have stuck around for about a week. Two nights were markedly less than that. That said, it was possible they had other things to do or other places to be – just because students were on vacation for the summer didn't mean they were free from obligations.

Actually, if Blake's memory was correct, Sun had mentioned last year that he had a seasonal job to take care of during summer, something about loading heavy crates into trucks. She did feel a little bad for not asking him about it this time around. In her defense, there were a lot of things on her mind, but still. It wasn't really an excuse.

The group eventually dispersed. Ren went back to JNPR's dorm room with Sun and Neptune to help them pack while the girls went to the cafeteria for breakfast. There were a few other Beacon students already down there, other huntsmen and huntresses in training who were staying to take part in the border patrol program. The girls made sure to choose an empty table large enough to fit the guys as well, whenever they returned.

Breakfast went by without too much incident – except Blake found it a little painful to eat, and Nora's mere presence was a hazard to people's safety sometimes – and by the time they were done and putting any of their garbage in the trash, it was time for Neptune and Sun to catch the next airship to Vale.

Nora and Ren said their goodbyes at the academy, as they had to leave for patrol duty soon, and strangely enough…Yang stayed behind, too, instead of seeing Sun and Neptune off from Vale with Blake and Weiss. Blake was confused by her partner's decision, but Yang assured her that everything was fine and that they'd see each other later.

Nevertheless, the extravert still caught Blake just before she boarded the airship with her friends. "How's your tongue, by the way?" she had asked, concern etched in her regard.

Blake unexpectedly found herself blushing a little at the question. "Uh, I'll be fine. Just hurts a bit, is all." She wasn't entirely sure why Yang would still be worried about it. And she became even more flustered when Yang raised her hand and…hesitated. Blake thought the blonde had been about to lay it on her cheek, and the bookworm didn't know how she would have reacted if it had been the case, but then Yang only patted Blake's shoulder, seemingly trying to reassure the Faunus. Honestly, the wound to Blake's tongue was just embarrassing, if anything – it really wasn't deserving of this kind of attention. If, of course, it was the cause of Yang's behavior in the first place. Blake didn't know what that had been about.

However, Yang only smiled, warm and genuine like she always was, and said, "Okay. See you later then, kitten."

Cheeks still a bit heated from uneasiness, Blake was fast to turn away as she mumbled in response, "See you." She left Yang standing there, not meaning to be so awkward in her confusion but nevertheless walked up the ramp into the airship and hoped Yang would understand. Maybe the prankster was purposely flustering her – Yang seemed to take a mighty pleasure out of doing that, after all.

Blake's mind didn't linger on it for too long, though, as she sat down next to Weiss in the seating area of the airship. Sun and Neptune sat in front of them, bickering amicably and involving Blake and her teammate in the conversation regularly. They still had things to say about the aquarium, sharing their thoughts and their favorite – as well as the not so favorite – parts of the visit, and the discussion eventually shifted to Blake's performance in the obstacle course. She didn't like the attention any more than she had earlier, but it passed the time, and before the four knew it, they had arrived in Vale about a half hour later.

---

At the harbor, the small group stopped before the terminal for Mistral to say their goodbyes. The area was actually pretty busy at this time of the morning, people walking around to get to their different destinations, and the general hubbub of chatter and flight announcements faded to a constant background drone. There was a kind of warmth and liveliness to the ambiance, though, especially knowing that the sun was out and that becoming an icicle wasn't on anybody's mind – quite the stark contrast to Atlas' airship port.

Sun and Neptune turned towards Blake and Weiss, and the heiress was the first to speak, reverting to a detached and diplomatic tone, "Well, it was nice for the both of you to visit. I think we all enjoyed ourselves. Come back another time."

Sun smirked. "Weren't you, like, annoyed about us being here?"

Weiss sighed. "Only the two of you together. Separated, you're tolerable."

"More than tolerable, apparently, if you ask Neptune," Blake muttered under her breath. The frankness was admirable, though. She realized she sounded a bit immature, but maybe Yang was rubbing off on her. Whether or not that was a good thing…

Weiss huffed. "Let's speak more privately," she told Neptune, and grabbed his arm before pulling him a few steps away.

Blake would still be able to hear what they were saying, of course, but she chose not to focus on their conversation. In fact, she was left to stand there in front of Sun, awkward in the ensuing non-silence and not knowing what to talk about.

Sun put his hands in his pockets and looked around. Blake kept her eyes on the floor, in the space between them. And then she remembered there was one thing she had wanted to ask him. Her gaze met his. "Are you leaving because of your seasonal job?"

Sun appeared momentarily surprised, eyebrows quirked like that. "Uh, yeah. You remembered?" his gaze lit up, enthusiastic but for a second. "They do still want me this summer. Because I work well and stuff." He paused, and then a bit of a cocky smile crossed his lips. "Disappointed to see me go?"

Blake stared at him. They both knew that wasn't why she had asked, but she could see Sun was still grasping for every straw he could find. So, Blake was careful to say, "I thought you and Neptune would be staying longer. The way you made it sound, and with Ruby's condition…" Her voice trailed off, realizing she wasn't ready to share her feelings about Ruby's state without getting choked up, and quickly concluded with the point she meant to make, "Your departure is just unexpected, that's all."

Sun's reaction to this, though, was telling. He uncomfortably massaged his nape, looked at the floor, kicked it idly, and finally admitted, "Yeah, um… I've been meaning to tell you… I'm sorry for, you know, getting between you and Yang."

"Apology accepted," Blake replied, suspecting that this was the topic he and Yang had broached the night before. Nevertheless, his answer to Blake's previous statement was unrelated, and the raven-haired girl had a feeling she knew where this was going.

And indeed, she was proven correct when Sun added, trying hard to conceal his apparent glumness, "You're a really cool girl, Blake, and I thought I had a chance…well, with you. I like you. I like you a lot. And, um, I hope…" His monkey tail twitched nervously behind him. "Well, does Yang make you happy?"

Blake softened her gaze. Sun might have been expressing some mild jealousy, but it was clear his feelings were sincere and that he was trying to look out for her wellbeing. She wouldn't be brutal with him. "She does, Sun. I promise."

He chuckled a bit, not meeting the cat Faunus' regard. "Okay. I'm glad to hear it. Either way, Blake…" he hesitated, and then finished, "I just need some time. Seeing you and Yang together… I just don't have my place here right now, you know? Not with the way I feel about you."

Blake understood what he meant. Not only had he been rejected, but he had to deal with the fact that the person he liked was in a relationship with someone else – and that couldn't be pleasant. If she had been in his position, denied Yang to such an extent…it might have been hard to stick around. Once again, Blake couldn't believe how fortunate she had been that Yang had agreed to date her. It had always been beyond her realm of possibility.

And yet, here they were. Here she was. Saying no to Sun, feeling for him but not regretting her decision. She didn't like hurting him, of course, probably not any more than Yang did, but it was inevitable. Her heart belonged to someone else. "It's okay, Sun," she murmured, compassionate. "Take the time you need."

He was quiet, staring down at his shoes for a second, but then he looked up at Blake from under his feathered light blond bangs, and attempted a small smile. He did have his charms. "I'll visit again sometime. I still want to be there for you, if you ever need another friend."

"Thank you." Blake paused, trying not to linger on the offer. She appreciated it, but she also didn't want to give him any false hope. Further, Neptune and Weiss were coming back over. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"I will. And you do, too." His gaze went over to Weiss, his smile becoming another smirk. "See ya, Ice Queen."

Weiss narrowed her eyes but managed to say nicely enough, "Goodbye."

"We'll see you around, Blake," Neptune said with a friendly grin.

She nodded in response, and then that marked the end of their exchanges. The two guys grabbed their luggage and went through the terminal for Mistral, disappearing into the crowd. Weiss and Blake stood there for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts, until an unspoken cue passed between them and they turned to leave to find the smaller part of the airship harbor and return to Beacon Academy.

---

Upon coming back to their dorm room, Blake and Weiss found Yang sitting at the desk, very busy with…well, a pencil and a piece of paper. Tongue peeking out in her concentration, the blonde appeared to find her task quite important for some reason or another. This was a little surprising, as Yang rarely sat at the desk to do any of her work – further, she didn't actually seem to be doing work to begin with. She was just drawing.

To say the least, Blake was befuddled. For one thing, art was not her partner's forte. For another, after Yang had skipped saying goodbye to Sun and Neptune in Vale, drawing was not one of the things Blake had been expecting to find her doing instead. It was kind of strange.

Nevertheless, Blake didn't comment. She merely raised her eyebrows and then went over to her bed to sit down while Weiss rummaged for her laptop. However, Blake's gaze drifted out the window for a moment, her attention captured by the birds outside and appreciating how empty Beacon seemed without the full house of students present. The soft breeze rustled the leaves on the branches of the tree next to the window, but Blake didn't focus too much on that. It was another one of those lovely summer days, the sun bright and warm without a cloud in the sky.

Blake didn't want to admit it, but with Sun gone, she felt a little lighter. Despite all his good will, he had been putting a bit of a strain on her, and she suspected the same could be applied to Yang. It was nice to just sit there, basking in the warmth and not having to think about ways to deal with someone who, ultimately, hadn't made her feel any better about Ruby – even if this had been his original intent.

He had tried. She couldn't fault him for that.

The raven-haired girl's attention was redirected at Weiss when she headed for the door again, laptop bag in hand. "I'm going to the library. I still have work to do. Is there anything you had planned for today, Blake?" She stopped by the door, sending the Faunus an inquisitive look.

Golden irises flicked from the window to the Schnee heiress. "No, nothing more. But… Weiss?"

"Yes?"

Blake's cat ears leaned back a bit. She wasn't sure why, but this made her feel slightly awkward. Maybe nervous was the right word. This was important, after all. Weiss waited, fine eyebrows beginning to crease expectantly as the silence persisted, and Blake finally gathered her courage to say, "I didn't get the chance to thank you properly for what you did. We've been on the go ever since you gave us those tickets, and then with Sun and Neptune visiting… There just wasn't the opportunity to thank you for arranging the meet up with Raven. It means a lot to me, and I know it means even more to Yang."

Yang stopped what she was doing to look at Weiss as well. She tapped the desk with her pencil, looking almost grave. "Yeah. Thanks, Weiss. I…wasn't expecting you to help us when you left…" She cleared her throat and passed her hand through her hair. "And I guess that means I also owe you an apology. Sorta. I mean, you still left Ruby. But I'm sorry for shouting at you and stuff."

Weiss stared at them for a moment, impassive as she considered their words. Her expression remained guarded, but she eventually let out, "You don't have to thank me. I take care of my friends, and that's all there is to it." She paused, and added a little more quietly, "I appreciate the gratitude, though." Weiss didn't linger, though, as per her character. She was quick to compose herself, nod at them, and then leave the room as if the conversation had never happened.

Blake and Yang were silent. The birds outside continued to chirp. For no apparent reason, Yang chose this moment to move away from the desk, the chair making a bit of a scraping sound on the carpet as she did so, and, pencil and paper in hand, came over to sit next to Blake on the bed.

Initially, Blake didn't think much of it. She glanced at what the blonde was attempting to draw – it looked vaguely like some sort of large bicycle – maybe it was a motorcycle – but not really understanding why Yang had moved to continue the image, Blake was left a bit perplexed. "You know the desk was the best place for that, right?" She crossed one leg over the other and leaned her chin on the palm of her hand, feigning mild disinterest. This seemed like another one of those times where Yang's spontaneous thought processes escaped her.

Much to Blake's bemusement, Yang only scooted closer while the shadow of a smirk formed on those mischievous lips. She kept her eyes on her picture, though, and the introvert began to suspect something else was going on. "Yang, what are you doing?"

The prankster seemed to hold back an amused snort, and said as seriously as she could, "Just drawing a bit closer to you – nothing to worry about."

Blake blinked. "Yeah, but the desk…"

And then she realized.

Yang must have seen Blake clue in because she broke her act and started snickering. "Eh? Eh?"

There was this bizarre feeling of affectionate betrayal harassing the Faunus suddenly. "You planned a pun," Blake half accused, half deadpanned. She didn't know whether to be in utter disbelief or…or in utter disbelief. She was so sure nothing Yang did could surprise her anymore – but it seemed Blake had been wrong. She covered her face with her hand and groaned, causing Yang to laugh more. "Drawing a bit closer to me? Really? Is that why you didn't say goodbye to Sun and Neptune in Vale? Because you wanted to do this?"

Blake wasn't truly exasperated. If anything, that was one of the sweetest puns Yang had ever made – in that completely painful, unromantic, anticlimactic way of hers, of course, but sweet nonetheless. It was also reassuring for Blake – this meant Yang was on the road to recovery. And, just maybe, it meant Yang really was drawing closer to her, too.

The golden girl giggled and crumpled the paper into a ball before tossing it into the nearby garbage can. Apparently, it hadn't held any sentimental value, and Blake's tiny spark of hope flew away with it. "I'm not that punny, Blake." Yang snickered again. "I actually had an idea. Wanna go on a date?"

Once again caught by surprise, Blake raised her eyebrows, cat ears twitching towards her girlfriend. "A date? Where?" She found her hope immediately reanimated – although she tried very hard to tone it down, just in case Yang played her feelings like a yo-yo again – and she figured it was because this meant they would be going out for the specific purpose of being a couple. It was true that ever since the accident they had been spending a lot of time together and in close proximity to each other, but the circumstances had not been appropriate for attempts at romance. Blake had tried her best to be careful about the kind of attention she gave Yang, fully aware that the blonde was not in any emotional shape to reciprocate that type of focus.

But now Yang was suggesting an actual date. And Blake, having grown thoroughly wistful for her partner's undivided attention over these past two weeks, felt the butterflies return to her stomach alongside a resurfacing yearning she was quick to hold under again.

"You know better than that, Blakey. If you wanna find out where, you're just gonna have to come with and see where I take you." Yang beamed. "But I think you're gonna love it. First, though, we need to go to the cafeteria and steal some food again."

Toning down Blake's relative excitement was actually pretty easy after that statement. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Of course not," Yang agreed mildly and winked. "It's a figure of speech. But we do need to grab some sandwiches – at the very least." She hopped to her feet, but Blake didn't get up right away. Lilac irises searched for golden, and Yang creased her eyebrows. "Are you coming?"

Blake hesitated. She was struggling with herself, caught between wanting to just enjoy herself with Yang and thinking past that to make sure Yang was okay with this. It had only been two weeks. Ruby's state was still a sore spot, and Blake, herself, was beginning to find it hard even to let it cross her mind after all that time trying to be the strong one. She knew part of Yang's current pep was forced. "Yang…you don't have to do this for me, you know."

Some of the amusement left Yang's eyes. Her gaze softened. "I want to do this for you." She stretched out her hand towards Blake. "Come. Let's go spend some time together, just the two of us."

It was right about then that Blake realized they would have a problem. And it wasn't even really a problem they would both have. It was just that Blake was completely, hopelessly in love and couldn't possibly resist Yang when she phrased the offer like that, looking as beautiful and genuine as ever. Bye-bye, precious backbone; hello, disgusting positivity.

Nevertheless, Blake intended to continue being careful. This did not mean she should – or was even permitted to – push herself on Yang. It wasn't like Blake to make those kinds of advances, in any case, but she still felt the need to make that clear with herself. She would enjoy her time with Yang while keeping in mind that the lively girl was only beginning to feel better. It didn't matter what Yang said or even how enthusiastic she acted – that social butterfly had a bad habit of masking her sadness with smiles and disingenuous flirting. In fact…

Blake ignored the hand Yang presented and said, "You really need to stop distracting me like that."

It was Yang's turn to blink. Uncertainty made her retract her hand a bit. "Uh…what?"

Blake stood up on her own. "You asked me about my tongue before I left for Vale because you knew I'd be too flustered to think about why you didn't come with us after that." Yang might have been a master at both deflecting and attracting attention on herself – probably an annoying skill gained from being sociable and charismatic – but Blake at least had enough wit and perception to see through the ploy. "If you wanted to plan a date with me, why didn't you just say so?"

Yang let her hand fall as she chuckled a bit sheepishly. "You caught me. Man, I can't get anything past you, can I?"

"You're doing it again. Except, you know, not as well as before. What's going on?"

"…Are you sure your tongue is okay?"

"Yang."

The brawler laughed. "Alright, alright. You win." She paused, expression still mirthful, and admitted, "Nothing's really wrong. I just wanted this to be a nice surprise for you." She looked down and passed her hand through her hair again, confirming that something was causing her some stress. She finally confided, "And, um…I was scared. It's stupid, I know. But you've been there for me and...and I haven't been there for you, and then Sun came along and he's a cool guy and he likes you, and he wouldn't have all this baggage you'd have to worry about, and –"

"Yang, you're rambling." Blake put a comforting hand on her girlfriend's bicep. Her heart was beating a little faster than normal, but that was because she found herself fighting to keep her hopeful emotions from soaring. Yang had been scared of losing her. Actually, it was more than that – she'd been afraid of losing her to Sun. Blake could not, under any circumstance, encourage or reward jealous behavior on Yang's part, but this definitely meant something. "What were you scared of losing? My friendship?"

Yang looked back up, uncharacteristically alarmed. "No, not… Well, I mean, yes, kinda, but…"

The temptation to press Yang into continuing that sentence was monumental. But what? What else had she been afraid of losing, if not just Blake's friendship? The silence persisted, both of them evidently struggling with themselves, and Blake was the first to get a grip. She would not push Yang. Hesitantly, daringly, she put the side of her curled index under Yang's chin and said softly, "I love you, Yang. Not Sun. I don't care what he has to offer. I'm with you, I've chosen you, and I want to stay with you, for better or for worse – if you'll have me. If I'm enough for you. I'm trying to be." She paused, waiting to see if Yang would say anything, but the golden girl seemed at a loss. To help her out, Blake added with a small smile, "And I'd be really happy to go on that date with you."

And a smile did form on Yang's lips again, relief overpowering the worry in her regard. Blake dropped her hand, but Yang stopped it midway to intertwine their fingers. "Thank you, Blake. You're the best."

Blake didn't say anything to that, but she felt like she didn't have to. She was content to give Yang an affectionate look with an equally affectionate hand-squeeze, and her companion seemed entirely reassured. With both girls feeling more confident about each other and ready to go on the date, they finally left the room, cafeteria in mind first.

---

Blake was pretty sure the date entailed a picnic, at the very least. Yang wouldn't acknowledge this supposition, but the sandwiches, blanket, and fruits tucked into a backpack kind of made it obvious. That said, Yang brought Ember Celica and insisted that Blake bring Gambol Shroud, too, so the Faunus wasn't willing to argue the picnic idea from her girlfriend, in case Yang's imaginative mind had other plans for the food – ideas that may or may not have involved trying to feed the Grimm.

Honestly, Blake wouldn't have been surprised. Yang had done crazier things.

But then the brawler wanted to leave Beacon to go to Vale instead of heading for the woods at the perimeter of the academy, and Blake was once again perplexed. She knew there was a pretty park in Vale where they could sit on the grass to enjoy their lunch, but that didn't explain the weapons. And Yang refused to explain them as well.

Things got even more puzzling for Blake when the golden girl brought her from the harbor to the port, on the other side of the docks, and displayed no intention of actually getting on a boat. They stood around near one of the benches on the boardwalk, but Yang didn't want to sit down there, either. The air smelled strongly of salt and rusted iron – with a vague whiff of rotting algae, too, which wasn't entirely pleasant for Blake. There were seagulls everywhere, filling the sky and peppering the ground with white and grey. People were up and about here as well, either waiting for their ferries, discussing with captains, or buying food at the nearby street sellers.

Blake kept a watchful eye on a pelican roosting on a rafter ahead. She could swear it was staring at them.

"So…what are we doing?" she eventually asked – for the third time in the last forty minutes or so.

Yang's eyes finally betrayed her current intent by quickly darting around, as if searching for something. "Hanging out. You'll see."

Blake rolled her own eyes and kept quiet. They were waiting for something to happen…or for someone to arrive. Either way, Blake's curiosity was appeased for the moment. Mostly. She still couldn't figure out what Yang actually wanted to do for this date, though. It seemed that working and being friends with her for two years hadn't given Blake enough insight about the blonde to guess these things yet. She supposed she would learn with more time… If Yang wanted to stay with her for that long, that was.

"Is it just me, or is that bird staring at us?"

Blake narrowed her eyes. "You mean the pelican, right? The one on that rafter?"

"Yeah. Like, it's creepy. I usually like birds, but this one's just…stalker-ish."

The Faunus shifted her weight, and the pelican ruffled its feathers. The staring contest continued. "I think it's afraid of me."

Yang turned her head to look at Blake, half befuddled, half amused. "Why?"

Blake wasn't actually certain of her statement. She frowned at the rather large bird and took an experimental step towards it. The pelican moved as if to spread its wings before settling again. There was a pause. "Because, maybe, I'm part cat?"

Yang scoffed, which rapidly devolved into laughing.

A small smile graced Blake's lips, glad to hear the joyful sound, but she nevertheless creased her eyebrows. "What's so funny?"

The extravert attempted to muffle her giggles by putting her hand over her mouth. She was highly unsuccessful in her endeavor. "I'm sorry, Blake, it's just – oh, my God – because your lil' tiny cat ears are terrifying…" She interrupted herself, caught with another fit of snickers, and managed, "And that bird is huuuge…"

Blake didn't know how to react. She figured Yang wasn't being serious about her comment and didn't mean any harm by it, but years of prejudice and abusive behavior on Blake's kin did make her wonder if there was some truth in the remark. "Well, it seems to think so, anyway…"

Yang slowly shook her head. She reached for Blake and pulled the young woman into a brief but tight hug, still chuckling. "They're the softest, cutest things ever, and I think that pelican is confused. We have food in a backpack, remember?"

"Right." Blake returned the hug for the short moment it lasted and forced the negative thoughts away. Yang was right, and the situation absolutely was a lot funnier than it was offensive. Also, getting riled up over a bird was all kinds of ridiculous.

She really needed to stop acting like a cat sometimes.

To Blake's pleasant surprise, though, she did find that she wasn't particularly upset with this thought anymore. Being compared to a cat, or acting like one – it did still bother her just a little bit, maybe out of embarrassment for seemingly uncharacteristic behavior, but there was no overwhelming shame or disgust about her Faunus heritage like there used to be. She didn't feel the need to apologize or retract into herself for what had happened – being so focused on some dumb bird. In fact, she had just leveled the whole scenario with lighthearted sarcasm in her own head. She felt okay. Yang liked her cat ears and her feline instincts – found them cute, even – and Blake could accept that. She could accept herself as a whole.

The marvel of this realization made Blake grin along with Yang. It was liberating, being able to share in Yang's mirth without having to deal with mental self-flagellations, without ruining the mood or making her girlfriend feel guilty for mere harmless jokes. Blake could find them amusing, too, and not take herself so seriously. It was altogether amazing, and she knew she could have never reached this freedom without Yang. Blake owed that gorgeous blonde everything – and she couldn't have been happier for it.

"If it steals my tuna sandwich, we're going to have problems."

Yang blinked and stared at her, uncertain – because, for one thing, Blake made sure to sound unforgiving, and for another thing, they both knew Blake thought tuna wasn't a matter to be trifled with. But then the bookworm smirked and gave her partner a quick, teasing quirk of her eyebrows, and Yang started laughing again upon cluing in on the fact that Blake was actually kidding. "Oh, my God, Blake. You're so amazing."

"Thanks. You're pretty great, too."

Yang seemed like she was about to reply to that, but she was never given the chance. Somewhere behind her, someone called out, "Yang! Blake!"

Both girls pivoted towards the direction of the voice, still smiling gaily but now having their attentions turned elsewhere, and searched the mass of people. It didn't take them that long to spot who was calling their names. Yang's father, Taiyang, was one of those men who stood out in a crowd with his tall, muscled build. Even the blond hair was unusual to see in Vale. But those weren't what caught Blake's eye at first – no, it was the thing beside him that was the most noticeable.

And it wasn't a stubby little dog.

Blake recognized Yang's deathtrap of a motorcycle. In all its yellow, orange, and black glory, the monster on wheels that the brawler so affectionately and ironically dubbed Bumblebee was quite a sight to see out here at the port. It seemed like forever since the last time Blake saw it. After the stunt Yang had pulled back in their first year at Beacon while their team – plus Sun and Neptune – investigated the White Fang and Roman Torchwick, Taiyang had confiscated Bumblebee on the basis that Yang had no business driving it for dangerous extracurricular activities. From then on, Yang had only been able to drive it when she visited her home on Patch. To say the least, Blake hadn't been expecting to see it again anytime soon.

However, that being all said…

"Yang, you absolute troll – is that why you were drawing a motorcycle earlier?" Blake could have committed murder with how outrageous the situation was. Yang had been dropping hints the size of Leviathans all over the place, and the introvert had failed to notice them all. This feeling of affectionate betrayal was growing – Yang played her games masterfully, showing just how smart she could be when she set her mind to something. Much to other people's dismay and misfortune, of course – Blake's included.

Yang finger-gunned her partner and sniggered. "You got it, babe. Are you feeling okay? I thought for sure you'd figure it out."

Clearly, someone was proud of their wit. Actually, as hurt as Blake's pride was, she was pretty sure Yang had just become about a hundred percent more attractive for outsmarting her. How peachy. "I am not getting on that thing."

"Yeah, you are," Yang laughed just as Taiyang reached them with Bumblebee. Her grin faded a little. "Hey, Dad."

Taiyang smiled, looking a bit tired but genuinely glad to see them both. "Hey, Yang. And hi, Blake."

"Hello," Blake greeted him with a nod. She thought about asking him how the boat trip went, but there was this strange awkward energy she was starting to sense between father and daughter, which kept Blake from saying anything else.

Taiyang held her gaze for a moment, but then he returned to Yang, looking slightly more concerned. "I brought your motorcycle, like you asked me. This date you're going on, though – you'll be safe, right? Where are you taking her?"

There was a bit of a tightness in Yang's voice when she spoke next, and she wasn't smiling anymore. "Dad, we'll be fine. We aren't going far, and I won't do anything stupid with Bumblebee. We're even bringing our weapons. You have nothing to worry about."

Blake glanced at Yang. But doesn't he? Ruby was in the hospital. Yang was all he had left, and Blake hardly believed she wasn't aware of that. Why was Yang being cold, then? It wasn't like Blake hadn't noticed this tension between them before, back when they had been at the hospital together, but…

Taiyang shifted and passed his hand through his hair – and Blake suddenly knew where Yang got the nervous habit from – before saying, "I know, Yang. But…promise me you'll be careful. After what happened to Ruby…"

Blake saw the look in Yang's eyes harden. The Faunus knew her girlfriend was about to reply harshly, so Blake gently took hold of her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Yang…" She didn't want to get between them or involve herself in their family problems, whatever they were, but she also knew that getting Yang to diffuse the situation would be in everyone's best interest. If anything, Yang seemed almost bitter right now.

The robust young woman paused, conflicted, and then let out a bit of a sigh. It sounded a little frustrated, but her shoulders did relax slightly with this exhale. "I promise I'll be careful. Blake and I will look out for each other…just like we've always done."

"We will," Blake affirmed, but she cast an affectionate, sidelong glance at her partner before taking notice of Taiyang, who regarded them thoughtfully.

"Thank you," he finally said, relief evident in his voice. Cobalt then met golden. "And Blake? I wanted to tell you…well, I'm glad you're there for Yang. I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to talk, but I wanted you to know that."

Blake knew what this was. Taiyang was expressing his acceptance of her by Yang's side. It wasn't his blessing – they were far from being there yet, or from even considering it – but Blake felt happy. Yang's father accepted Blake as his daughter's girlfriend for now, and although the raven-haired girl hadn't realized she'd been searching for this approval, it did make her feel more at ease. It felt like a step forward.

She smiled appreciatively at him, and even Yang seemed to have recovered a bit of her previous enthusiastic mood, too, if only to say, "Thanks for bringing Bumblebee here, Dad. It's cool of you."

"Yeah, no trouble." He pulled the bike towards Yang so she could take charge of it. "I'm going to visit the hospital and keep an eye on Ruby while you two are gone. I'll take your motorcycle home with me again when you get back." He paused. "Take care, Yang. I love you."

"…I love you, too. See you later."

He smiled, still looking as tired as before. "Well, enjoy yourselves. Bye, Blake."

Those words, followed by a brief, casual wave, had Taiyang walking away, headed in the direction of the road further off where a few taxis were parked.

Blake and Yang watched him go for a moment, and then Yang suddenly sighed again and shook her head, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry, Blake. I know that was kinda awkward."

The bookworm hesitated, only because she wasn't sure how to handle the issue, until at last she tried, "I'm just not really sure what you're holding against him? Is it still because of…well, shutting down after Summer's death?"

"Yeah…" Yang's shoulders drooped. "I know it's been a long time. And I thought I'd gotten over it and stuff, but with what happened to Ruby… I dunno. Everything just seemed to resurface – for both him and me." She stopped talking for a few seconds, and Blake thought she would continue on the same topic, but then Yang unexpectedly attempted an amused smile and added, "I'm totally glad he supports us, though, 'cause I don't think he would've brought my baby here if he didn't like you."

Blake glanced at said 'baby' and raised her eyebrows skeptically. It was nice that Yang appeared to be confiding in Blake about her past and personal feelings more easily, but it seemed that no matter what, some things never really changed – at least, not right away. The blonde remained somewhat flighty, jumping from one subject to the next without much of a warning. Maybe she didn't even realize she'd made a habit of it. Nonetheless, it was a drastic improvement from pretending that everything was alright and keeping all her thoughts to herself. If Yang was willing to talk about her feelings in bits and pieces like this without any major prompting from Blake, then that was progress, and the Faunus would go along with it.

"Well, if that's the case, now I wish he liked me a little less."

Yang's smirk reached her eyes, that entertained twinkle reappearing in those beautiful lilac irises. She swung a long, toned leg over the motorcycle and patted the space of black leather behind her. "Blake Belladonna, you sit your tight butt right here or I'm leaving without you."

Blake rolled her eyes. Despite all her good looks and tempting flirts, Yang somehow made it so easy to say no sometimes. Sarcastically, Blake muttered, "When you put it like that…"

The prankster, unfazed, chuckled and motioned her partner closer. "Wait, for real, come here. Put this on, first." She handed Blake a shiny, black helmet without waiting to see if the Faunus would actually step forward. Apparently, Blake had no choice in the matter. Not that she minded that much. She just wasn't fond of that deathtrap. Or wearing a helmet over her cat ears.

…But she trusted Yang, and Yang had promised that Blake was going to "love" the date. So, wherever it was they were going, she was sure it would make up for the uncomfortable ride to get there. Unless, of course, they were attacked by Grimm. Because, apparently, that was an actual possibility at the place Yang was taking her. But Blake would try not to focus on the negative outcomes, or else she increased their chances of running into trouble. Grimm were all kinds of fun like that.

Blake carefully lowered the helmet onto her head, flattening her cat ears so as not to hurt them. In front of her, Yang reached for the clasps, and Blake let her loosen them a bit, briefly tempted to kiss those solicitous fingers moving so closely to her lips, but she restrained herself. Yang buckled the clip under Blake's jaw and then smiled reassuringly before putting on her own yellow helmet. She then patted the seat behind her again, inviting Blake to get on.

"C'mon, Blakey. You get to hold on to me as tightly as you want. Resistance is futile."

Blake narrowed her eyes. Yang was showing her love of holovision again – one of the many things she found enjoyment in. Nevertheless, she was also right – resistance was futile. If riding Bumblebee was a frightening prospect, getting to hold on to Yang in the process made the whole idea a lot less nerve-racking. So, with a resigned sigh, Blake mounted the back of the motorcycle, movements a bit timid because of this being her first experience with the machine. The shocks lowered the chassis some as she sat her weight on the seat, and she leaned back for a moment, initially surprised to have Yang's hips between her thighs. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it definitely hadn't been this.

Heartbeat accelerating a little, Blake told herself to stop thinking like a pubescent boy and get a grip. Er... It was also then that Yang ignited Bumblebee's engine, and the sudden roar immediately banished the remaining inappropriate thoughts from the Faunus' mind. She was fast to take a quiet, calming breath in before slowly exhaling and leaning towards Yang's back. Nervously, she raised her arms and slid her hands around Yang's slim but firm waist, fingers feeling taught muscles and warm skin along the brawler's bared lower midriff.

Despite being distracted by and wary of the monster she was sitting on, Blake nevertheless had to clench her teeth and focus very hard on not focusing on Yang's body. She could barely believe she was allowed to do this, had more respect for the blonde than that to begin with, and such desires were completely not okay at this point in their relationship. Plus, she wasn't really being fair to herself, either. She would not entertain those kinds of thoughts, period.

"You're gonna have to hang on tighter than that, Blake," Yang called out to her, and Blake realized how ridiculous she was being. Like, honestly.

She was still hesitant, but she moved closer to the warmer form and tightened her grip around Yang's waist. Blonde hair tickled Blake's face a little, assaulting her nose with the scent of vanilla, and, coupled with Yang's natural smell of gunpowder and something sweeter, Blake felt right at home. She was a lot more comfortable than she thought she would have been, and she did feel safer like this.

"So, during turns, you're gonna have to lean with me, okay? But, otherwise, don't let go until we've arrived."

"Alright." Blake wasn't sure she had been heard, though, so she nodded against her girlfriend's back to let her know she got the message.

Shortly after, Yang pushed Bumblebee forward, carefully weaving through a few passersby until she reached the side of the road, where she pulled on the throttle and got her feet off the ground. At first, Blake didn't even want to look, shutting her eyes and clutching Yang out of a fear of falling off. She felt the bike accelerate, heard the purr of the motor, and could sense Yang's confidence through the ease of her control, but it still took Blake a while before she was calm enough to relax her grip so it wasn't uncomfortably tight. And it took even longer before she was ready to open her eyes and watch the buildings and streets and landmarks whiz by.

Blake was a huntress in training. She fought creatures of Grimm for a living and was proficient in doing so. Heck, Blake had hurled herself onto moving trains and had even battled against giant machines. To top that off, she could have died more times than she was comfortable counting if it hadn't been for her aura shielding her from a lot of initial damage. And in this particular circumstance, Blake knew very well that her chances of getting hurt while Yang drove were next to null. This fear the bookworm was feeling was completely irrational, and yet she couldn't do much else about it except put her trust in Yang – because that seemed to be the only solace her mind accepted to be calmed by. Had it been anyone else driving, Blake would not have gotten on this monster.

By the time Vale's rural houses and farms were replaced by dense forest, though, Blake's huntressing instincts had begun to kick in and she was able to keep her nervousness at manageable levels. In fact, feeling the wind on her face and arms was even kind of pleasant, and she had a better appreciation of the sturdiness of Yang's presence against her front. The blonde hadn't pulled any crazy stunts so far, and her driving was steady. It was reassuring.

At some point, Yang steered off the main road and onto a smaller dirt path, wooden fencing along the tree line on both sides. It was curious, only hearing the muffled sound of Bumblebee's engine in this natural quiet. Blake thought she might have actually been able to get used to this.

The path started ascending pretty soon, the slope not too steep but noticeable enough for the girls to shift their balance. Blake realized they were heading onto the side of one of the mountains that acted as Vale's barrier against the bigger kinds of Grimm. Why Yang knew of a place to picnic out here was beyond Blake – although, it wasn't entirely surprising – but the Faunus found herself looking forward to it, anyway.

About ten minutes of driving later, the ground leveled out again and the path opened up to a pale dirt clearing, sort of like a small area to park vehicles in front of the simple wooden fences. This was where Yang brought her motorcycle to a stop, right beneath the shade of a large, leafy tree. She put her foot on the ground, and Blake loosened her hold on her girlfriend's waist, already looking around with interest. The path did continue up the side of the mountain, but it seemed designed for hikers from this point on, due to its narrow size and apparent rockiness. The breeze was also just a bit cooler up here, and it felt nice.

Yang turned Bumblebee's motor off, and Blake was left with a slight ringing in her ears at the sudden silence. Fortunately, that quickly faded, too. The brawler was the first to get onto her feet, and she helped Blake move off the bike immediately after, a pleased grin somewhere behind those twinkling lilac irises – emphasized by the slight laugh lines at the edge of her eyes, no doubt.

"So, how was it?" she asked, barely concealed enthusiasm apparent in her voice. She hadn't stepped away from Blake yet, and now she once again reached for the clasps under her companion's jaw.

"Tolerable," Blake replied, hesitant. Yang unclipped the buckle as she explained further, "Scary at the beginning, but I'm okay now."

The golden girl didn't reply, but her beam was answer enough. She carefully removed Blake's helmet, and the Faunus twitched her cat ears around in relief as soon as they were granted their freedom of movement. Yang watched this, clearly still enjoying the sight of the furry appendages, and Blake watched her in return, finding the child-like marvel in her regard somewhat amusing.

Nevertheless, Blake passed her hand through her hair to get rid of any tangles, and this snapped Yang back into motion. She took off her own helmet, shook out her hair, too, and hung both helmets on one of Bumblebee's steering bars.

Meanwhile, Blake observed her surroundings some more. They were at the top of a hill, and her gaze was drawn to the view beyond the wooden fence. Her eyes widened a little. She could see almost all of Vale from here, and her sharp eyesight even spotted Beacon Academy's tallest spire way out in the distance, higher up than any other building and partially hidden by wisps of clouds. And directly below – way below – there was a glimpse of the port and the lake, water as blue and tranquil as ever. Blake had never thought of Vale as pretty or serene, but it suddenly looked the part from where she was standing. It was amazing.

"Wanna give me the backpack?" Yang offered lightly, interrupting Blake's admiration of the scenery as she came to stand beside her.

Blake could hardly tear her eyes away. "Yang, how do you know this place?" she asked instead, knowing she sounded awestricken.

Yang leaned her arms on the fence, thoughtful as she looked out towards Vale as well. "A few years ago, I was following some intel about a possible hideout my mother could have been using, higher up in the mountain." She shrugged. "I didn't really believe it, but you know how I was back then. And as you can guess, I found nothing. This is just some place for dumb couples to hang out, if they're feeling kinda daring. Almost nobody ever comes here."

Blake considered this, and then she quirked her lips, amused as she raised her eyebrows. "So…we're a dumb couple feeling kinda daring, are we?"

Yang's eyes widened, realizing her mistake. But then she saw Blake's expression, and she started chortling. "No, we are huntresses in training on a date. Big difference."

Blake smiled. She found that she was absolutely happy right now. Between the fantastic view and the even more fantastic company – and finally experiencing a true, stress-free moment they could spend together after what seemed like forever – the bookworm knew without a doubt that Yang had been right. Blake was going to love this.

And, somehow, Yang, in this romantically-focused setting, despite being dressed in her usual biker-esque fashion, looked more gorgeous than ever in the swaying shade of that large tree. Her eyes were the windows to her soul, and they were bright and open and breathtaking in their colorful violets and lilacs. Golden locks framed a soft, mischievous face before tumbling down her back and accentuating a figure to die for, femininity and muscle finding a perfect balance. Blake knew she was staring, and she knew Yang could see this, but her throat suddenly felt dry and she had no idea what to say. Her mind had gone blank.

Fortunately, Yang didn't seem to care nor did she tease Blake about it. She merely reached over and gently took the backpack from Blake's shoulder. This movement did break the spell, but Blake was grateful for it this time. It was all very nice to admire her girlfriend for the rest of eternity, but she was also pretty sure they were supposed to be having a picnic. And knowing Yang, she was probably hungry.

"We can set up down here," the sociable girl said pleasantly, as if there hadn't just been any awkward ogling going on, and slung the backpack over her own shoulder before jumping over the fence with the help of one hand.

Blake shook herself and followed, vaulting over and landing on the soft grass on the other side. The young couple descended the shallow slope together, but they didn't need to go very far. Yang stopped where the ground seemed to be just a little more level and then grabbed the blanket from the backpack to spread it over the grass. Blake helped straighten it out and folded it neatly into a square, and then both girls sat down cross-legged on it, knees touching.

"So, what do you wanna eat first?" Yang wondered, still rummaging in the backpack.

"Apple?"

"Can do." Yang immediately found one in the bag and lightly tossed it to Blake, who caught it with both hands. For herself, Yang took out her turkey sandwich right away, confirming Blake's earlier suspicion about her partner's appetite.

They didn't say much at first, eating in a comfortable quiet and gazing at the spectacular scenery before them. Blake listened to the birds, allowing herself to relax, as the melodies meant there were no Grimm nearby. The sun warmed her face, Yang warmed her side, and Blake continued to bask in a contentment she was not used to feeling – but she welcomed it wholeheartedly.

"Thank you for this, Yang," she eventually said. "I mean, I know we aren't leaving just yet, but this is…wonderful."

The golden girl smiled. "I think we needed this. I finally feel…more like myself. And it's mostly because of you."

Blake was glad to hear that. Perhaps the efforts she had been putting into being there for Yang might have actually been useful – that Blake, herself, had been worth something important to Yang. Because, really, the only thing Blake wanted was for Yang to be happy. If the bookworm had a hand in it, then that was a rewarding bonus. She would keep trying her best.

They continued eating – Blake finished her apple and started on her tuna sandwich while Yang took a bite out of the second half of her turkey one. They spoke intermittently, the subjects of no real consequence as they were simply enjoying both the fresh air and each other's company. Soon, Yang was rummaging in the backpack again to fish out their small desserts. Blake put Gambol Shroud beside herself to sit more comfortably on the blanket, and when Yang handed her the blueberry muffin, she decided to inquire, "Remember when you asked me what I would have done if you hadn't agreed to date me?"

Yang sat back with her own muffin in hand, raising her eyebrows. "Uh, yeah? What, you gave it another think-through?"

Blake smirked, mildly amused. "No. But I did think about how you were the one to suggest dating in the first place. Remember that, too?"

Yang laughed, strangely sounding a bit nervous. "Heh, whoops. I must've been in a bad place to not recall that properly. I'm sorry." She paused, her chuckling dying down, and now she looked thoughtful. She took a bite of her muffin, chewing slowly for a moment. "But, you're right… You never actually even mentioned wanting to date me." The implications seemed to dawn on her just then. Her eyes widened and she swallowed. "Oh, dust, Blake – I just assumed, and then I threw all of that relationship stuff on you…" She blinked up at her companion in disbelief. "Did you, Blake? Did you want to date me before I brought it up?"

The Faunus bit into her own muffin and took the time to chew and swallow before she answered. She made sure to sound reassuring and gentle when she spoke. "I knew you were straight, and, back then, I was convinced I could never make you happy. It's the reason I never told you about my feelings until that moment on the beach." Blake regarded her partner compassionately. "The truth, though, Yang, is that no, I didn't want to date you before you brought it up. I could barely accept being your friend. I was so sure I was ruining your happiness somehow. It utterly escaped me why you would even want to try dating me. But I don't regret accepting, nor do I hold your assumption against you. It's okay. How could you have known?"

Yang was still staring, apparently flabbergasted enough to not know how to fill the ensuing silence.

Blake furrowed her eyebrows. She put her muffin down, and gold met lilac a bit sadly. If she was being honest, the answer to this next question frightened her. But she needed to know, if only to get a sense of where their relationship was at – and that might have been why it was so daunting to begin with. "What about you? Do you ever think about what you would have done if we hadn't agreed to date?"

Yang seemed to recover a little, but she didn't reply right away. She took a page out of Blake's own book – that is to say, another bite from her muffin, and only answered once she was done chewing. Blake's trepidation grew with every second her girlfriend didn't speak, until Yang finally put an end to her misery and said, "I do. Often. And, at first, I did wonder what the heck I was doing." She chuckled briefly. "Because I'm straight, right? Why am I dating a girl? Mostly, though, I was actually just thinking about you. I felt sad for you." She paused and came to the part Blake almost desperately needed to hear. "Recently, though, even if I've still been thinking about the what-ifs, I can't seem to come up with a clear answer. The only thing I know for sure, Blake…" and Yang looked at her, "is that right now, without the kind of support and presence you've had in my life, I'd still be a mess. And, maybe, my want for revenge would have led me to become a criminal. So, for that, I can't even explain how much I owe you." Yang's bottom lip quivered a bit, betraying just how much this meant to her.

Blake wasn't entirely sure what she'd been thinking. This conversation had started as an innocent enough question, and yet here they were, unexpectedly laying their hearts bare to each other in the middle of a moment where they were supposed to be relaxing and enjoying themselves. But Blake couldn't say she regretted that, either, because now she knew Yang's feelings. Now she knew where she stood in regards to her girlfriend. Yang felt a tremendous amount of gratitude, and her actions had always shown just how much she cared. Because if she didn't have any sort of affection for Blake, how could she have done even half of the things she had without batting an eye? There was love to be found somewhere in there – maybe not the romantic kind, but love nonetheless.

It was a lot to assimilate. Blake was silent, trying to determine if she was happy or hopeful or disappointed or afraid. Maybe she was all four. But to be hopeful or disappointed implied she had expectations, and Blake had been very careful to not entertain those…until, of course, Yang had encouraged her to. And maybe Blake had hoped for love, was happy to receive it, but was equally disappointed and afraid that it wasn't the romantic kind – and that it may never be, either. She didn't know what that meant, what it entailed.

But Yang had admitted not knowing certain things, too. And, necessarily, that much meant Blake didn't have all the details. She couldn't put an accurate label on Yang's feelings – all she could do was recognize their sincerity and depth.

And, maybe, that was enough for now.

"Blake?" Yang asked, bringing the raven-haired girl back to the present moment. The blonde wouldn't meet Blake's gaze, acting somewhat evasive all of a sudden. She had finished her muffin partially, but now she put it down, too.

Heart beating faster than before in her chest, Blake tried to keep her emotions in check as she prompted, focusing the whole of her attention on her girlfriend, "Yes?"

Yang took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Whatever she was about to say next, it seemed like it wasn't easy for her. She waited a few seconds, as if trying to maintain her calm, and, refusing to look at Blake, she asked quietly, "Do you still want to kiss me?"

"Do I… What?" Blake stared, unable to process. She wished she could use the excuse of not being certain if she had heard correctly, but the problem was that she knew exactly what Yang had just said. But…was she asking what Blake thought she was asking? Or…was Yang asking just for the sake of asking? It was ridiculous, Blake knew – because why in the world would Yang ask that question just for the fun of it? – but Blake really didn't know how to handle this new development. She quashed her growing anticipation, just in case her imagination had broken free, while the butterflies went wild in her stomach. She really needed to keep those under control, too.

Yang laughed nervously once more, and now Blake knew why. "Well, I didn't want to just assume things again. I don't know. Do you?" She paused, apparently waiting for an answer, and when Blake remained in dumbfound silence, Yang added awkwardly, "Because, like, I thought we could give it a try. Or something."

The answer, of course, was an excited and resounding yes. Except Blake didn't express it like that because Blake didn't do excited. Actually, she found that she was probably just about as nervous as Yang was, since it seemed that Yang was indeed asking what Blake thought she had been asking to begin with, and the Faunus hadn't been prepared at all. Yang was ready to try kissing? Blake's lips curved into a small, hesitant smile, though, and she murmured, "...I'd like that."

Yang creased her eyebrows, and she turned her body towards Blake a bit more. Their eyes met, both girls considering what they were about to do. Blake's heart was pounding in her chest. She hadn't expected Yang to offer this – not now, perhaps not even anytime soon. But, then again, Blake didn't always follow Yang's line of reasoning. Hindsight also revealed that kissing had been part of the extravert's plan from the very beginning. No wonder Yang had been so confident about Blake "loving" this outing. Because how many times had the raven-haired girl caught herself longing for this, only to be turned down, however kindly?

But this was finally happening. Their first kiss. And Yang had chosen a beautiful setting for it. The wind played with strands of her blonde hair, sunlight reflecting gold in the messy curls, and pools of sparkling lilac held eternity in their dazzling irises. The birds continued to chirp, undisturbed in their leafy emerald and topaz homes, and although the surroundings were spectacular in their serenity, the girl sitting before Blake captured the brightest colors and the most exquisite details.

Yang began to lean forward a little, and Blake trembled. "Don't move, okay?" whispered Yang while the Faunus zeroed in on the gentle, husked sound of her partner's voice.

Blake couldn't respond. There was a tingling energy at her fingertips, and while her heart wouldn't be soothed, there was nothing she could say that would justify how much this meant to her. Yang rendered her speechless, and if she didn't want Blake to move, then Blake would remain as still as a statue if it meant tasting her girlfriend's lips. This was just a glimpse of paradise.

Without any sudden motions, Yang raised her hand and touched one side of Blake's face, skin warm and reassuring. She held Blake's gaze tenderly and came a little closer, enough for the reserved girl to smell the vanilla and gunpowder in the brawler's scent again, and Blake welcomed that even more than the contentment she had been feeling earlier. She wanted to be enveloped with Yang and hold on to her forever.

Yang approached her face, near enough that Blake could do more than smell her enticing scent, but also feel the golden girl's patent body heat, and the Faunus' insides melted. Part of her wanted to grab Yang and eliminate the space between them immediately, and Blake suspected it had to do with undesired instincts beginning to show themselves, but the greater part her was putty in Yang's hands and was more than willing to go through the waiting game for this. For her. Yang was worth it a hundred times over.

Blake was lost to love, head over heels, without doubt or question, and she liked the slowness if only because it meant the moment was lasting. She held her breath and began to close her eyes as Yang's nose brushed against hers, heart racing and fingers tightening around the blonde's knee – when she had placed it there, exactly, Blake didn't know, but Yang didn't seem to mind. She could feel her girlfriend hesitate, those plump, curvy lips mere millimeters away, and Blake wanted to tell her it was alright, wanted to show her how alright it was with a soft, delicate kiss, but Blake would not be the one to close the gap between them, no matter how much she wanted to. This was Yang's decision, and Blake wouldn't push her.

And Yang tilted her head just a little, and that was the specific moment when both hers and Blake's scrolls let out a few urgent beeps before going silent.

There were a couple seconds of pause as both girls processed the interruption in confusion. Yang was the first to react, moving away from Blake to grab her scroll from her jacket's pocket, but Blake, herself, was still too dazed to figure out what was actually happening. All she knew for certain was that Yang had been this close to kissing her, and now she was that far from going through with it. Crestfallen didn't begin to explain Blake's new dilemma.

"Blake, it's the hospital!" Yang exclaimed, worry evident in her tone. She fumbled with her scroll, putting it back in her pocket, and when she saw that Blake was just staring at her, Yang gripped her shoulder insistently. "Blake, I'm sorry, but we gotta go. Right now."

The Faunus blinked, finally beginning to realize that something a lot more pressing than a kiss was going on. Yang's scroll wasn't the only one that had beeped. Blake's scroll had, too. They had arranged for the hospital to send them an automatic notification when there was a significant change in Ruby's state – whether it was good...or bad.

And after this much time…

It did not bode anything good.

Yang jumped to her feet, not even bothering to pack anything up. She started running back up the hill, calling out, "Blake, move! Forget the stuff, just hurry!"

Blake's heart was still pounding, but it was for an entirely different reason now. Yang was expressing near-panic, and the raven-haired girl didn't like the odds. She was still lightheaded from not breathing and having Yang so close, but Blake nevertheless did her best to kick her brain into a different mindset and get to her feet as well, grabbing Gambol Shroud as she did so. This was urgent. Whatever had happened to Ruby had direct repercussions on them, and it was imperative for Yang and Blake to find out if their leader had gotten better or…worse.

And, right now, Blake was beginning to experience some panic, too.

She was fast to join up with Yang on Bumblebee, put on the helmet, and hang on tight.

---

SCENE SPOOF

"Well, if that's the case, now I wish he liked me a little less."

Yang's smirk reached her eyes, that entertained twinkle reappearing in those beautiful lilac irises. She swung one long, toned leg over the motorcycle and patted the space of black leather behind her. "Blake Belladonna, you are putting your tight butt on this seat or staying here by yourself, and I'm going to eat your tuna sandwich."

There was a pause, and then it dawned on both girls what the extravert had just uttered. They both simultaneously blushed a dark red and they both looked everywhere else but at each other. Those seagulls flying in the sky were incredibly interesting, suddenly.

"Oh, my God – I mean! Uh – I'll just let you eat your own sandwich – no! Ew, that's worse." Yang hid her face in her hands, balancing on the bike with her legs.

"This is a prime example of verbal diarrhea."

"Gross!"

"Thanks. You, too."

Yang blubbered unintelligibly into her hands. Unintelligently, too, probably.

Blake was a lot more amused than she wanted to admit she was.

---

I dare you to go back and replace every instance of "date" with the word "bidet." I promise it changes everything about that scene in the absolute best, perverted way. XD

Otherwise...uh, sorry, not sorry?

See you in the next chapter!