Chapter: Fight of the Bumblebee

Nobody can tell why Blake looks so resign, walking into the fighter's pit.

Well, only a few people even notice the woman looks resigned. Yang picks up on it easily. Shoulders are too tense. Eyes won't look at her. Arms are folded across chest.

Blake looks down-right uncomfortable.

Professor Goodwitch frowns, eyes narrowed, but counts down to the start.

Yang is excited for this. Pair battles usually take up the first weeks of fight classes in Beacon. It's exciting having someone like Blake as her partner. An equal. Someone who fights with quiet integrity, contrasting Yang's own large-and-loud movements. Surely this will be a fun fight.

…No one is looking forward to the Pyrrha/Jaune fight.

"Begin!" Professor Goodwitch says loudly.

Yang leaps forward.

Blake leans out of the way, sidestepping and reaching for a weapon that isn't there.

Only fists and feet for the first weeks.

It's the only stumble Blake is allowed. Yang swings her legs in an upward kick.

Blake leans back, catching the foot and throwing it for more momentum.

"Whoa!" Yang yelps, ending up in a front roll. She springs up, posing and twirling on her foot. "Gotta try harder if you want me to fall for you."

Ruby groans loudly from the audience.

Weiss actually face-palms.

Blake raises one eyebrow. "And I haven't even tried to sweep you off your feet."

Yang smiles with unfiltered glee, and springs forward for another punch. "Guess you'll-" miss, she steps to the side and punches again, "just have to-" miss, kick, "step up your game" miss.

Blake finally throws a punch, and Yang can feel herself move out of the way without knowledge of doing so. The brief confusion is enough for Blake to start a kick.

Which Yang also dodges.

"Huh," Yang's smile turns brighter. "Come on, Blake! Show me what'ca got!"

Blake's eyes are alight with relief. She stops holding back.

Kick. Miss. Punch. Miss. Sidestep, elbow. Miss. Leg up. Redirect. Push. Roll.

"Enough!" Professor Goodwitch yells, halting the two. Blake lowers her leg, while Yang peeks her head around her held-up arms. "Time's up. Ms. Belladonna, your basic forms need work. You won't always have a weapon, so you need to train yourself to follow the stances for when you don't have one. Ms. Xiao Long, when using your legs, don't overly shift your center of balance. Keep your core muscles strong, and it will go a long way to stopping your foe from tipping you."

The women nod.

"And both of you, don't flirt in the middle of a fight!"

"You got it, Professor," Yang says with a cheeky wink.

The younger blonde gets unimpressed looks from the both of them.

"Hey," Yang says, bumping her partner's shoulder as they exit the fighting pit, "that was awesome! And so cool that we went overtime!"

Blake smiles, looking a lot happier than before the fight. "We're the second group to do it."

"But do you know how rare that is?" Yang bounces on her toes in excitement. She throws a few punches in the air. "I wonder if Ruby and Weiss can do it. Maybe we're just that awesome, though."

Yang holds her hand up for a high-five, and she sees something in Blake soften. Their high-five echoes with a loud clap, and then Blake holds the blonde's hand and leans in. "We're most likely just that awesome."

Yang smiles and bites her tongue. Don't you mean paw-some? There's a feeling Blake wouldn't appreciate that pun. So, she wimps out with a, "Great minds think alike!"

Blake gives her hand a squeeze before walking ahead. "Then it's no wonder we're so evenly matched."

Yang takes the compliment and doesn't even question why they might have tied.

Glynda Goodwitch is the only one to come to the correct conclusion on why two combat fighters couldn't land a solid hit on one another.

Though, Blake lightly squeezes her soulmate's hand again and has a pretty close idea.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Anyone else excited for the newest season of RWBY?

Thank you, Littlest1, for your review! Yah, not her no matter how much Neptune wishes. Ruby and Scarlet would be a fun pair to read about. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Thank you, LunaTheBlackWolf, for your review! Maybe, maybe not… seven soul marks, who knows if Winter's quote came up? Thank you for reviewing, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!