"Hello, Team RWBY!"
Ruby burst into her room, almost knocking the door off its hinges. She had the widest of smiles on her face, and she couldn't keep herself still for even a single second.
She looked around the room, still happy, but slowly becoming unsettled by its mood. Yang was lying down on her bed, listening to music with a closed expression, while Blake had her eyes glued on a book and Weiss just sat on her own bed, looking blankly at nowhere in particular.
"Team RWBY?" The redhead repeated quietly.
Yang sat up suddenly and gave her a big smile. Ruby sighed in relief, thinking she had overreacted to the silence in the room.
"Hey, sis! How did your ninth date go?" The blonde asked curiously. "Did you share lots of smooches?"
"Yang!" Ruby protested, her cheeks becoming as red as her cloak.
"Come on, you can tell me anything." Yang winked at her. "Why are you embarrassed? You and Cinder kissing isn't a secret to anyone! Maybe…" He eyes widened. "Ruby, did you give more than smooches?"
Ruby's face reddened even more, and she flailed her arms helplessly.
"Y-you're a pervert! We haven't done anything more than smooches, and even then, we don't even do it that much." She said. "I preferred it way more when you didn't get along with Cinder."
"Oh, well. My overprotective older sister instincts died down, I guess. Now you're gonna have to deal with the not-sister Yang instincts."
While the two were having that discussion, Blake stopped paying attention to her book. She had a horrible feeling on her stomach, hearing Ruby and Yang talk about Cinder as if nothing was wrong. She wanted to get out of her bed and tell them the truth, right then and there, but she found herself frozen on her spot.
A great part of the reason for that was that she had already lied to Yang about Cinder. Telling her the truth now could ruin their friendship… And then there was the issue of Ruby. She was like the little sister Blake never had, and to tear her world apart when she was so happy would be just cruel.
Also, a smaller, but perhaps even more vocal part of her head sympathized with Cinder. Blake knew how it was to keep secrets about one's own identity, especially when it was done to hide a violent past. She had been forgiven by her friends, but Cinder's secret was much more terrifying than hers, so she certainly wouldn't be so lucky.
"Blake?" Yang called. "Remnant calling to Blake. Pick up the phone."
"Huh?" The faunus looked up at her partner, who had stuck her head upside down to talk to her.
"You really ought to find something else to do other than reading books." The blonde noted jokingly. "Anyway. Ruby's in denial about her perverted side."
"So…?" Blake said, feeling very uncomfortable about the situation.
"Well, obviously she isn't dating Cinder only for her personality. Don't get me wrong, she's cool, but I think we can all agree Cinder's hotness is far more important."
Weiss snapped out of her quiet state to glare at Yang.
"Excuse me, Xiao Long, but not everybody here is a depraved delinquent like you. I, for one, think it's very sweet how Ruby and Cinder keep a healthy relationship with no hormone-driven advances." She said pointedly. "As far as we know, of course."
"Gee, thanks, Weiss." Ruby deadpanned. "I love you too."
"Yeah, uhm… I like you." Weiss looked away awkwardly.
"Do you wanna spar?!" The redhead asked, ecstatic about her partner's unusual sweetness.
Weiss gave Blake a discreet glance then shook her head, muttering a faint denial. Ruby looked at Yang in a silent question, but her sister didn't seem to notice her, shaking her head to her music.
"I'll spar with you." Blake said, putting her book aside. "This room's a little too crowded right now, anyway."
Ruby squealed loudly, then gripped the faunus by her wrist and ran away with her, much to the brunette's displeasure.
A few minutes passed as Weiss sat in silence and Yang listened to her music. Eventually, the heiress sighed, got out of her bed and walked next to Yang's. The blonde looked down curiously, then removed her headphone.
"Something you wanna say, Weiss?" She asked, purposefully avoiding using any nicknames. It was easy to see that Weiss was being very serious, and as much as the two had their conflicts, Yang still saw her as a friend.
"You… You know about romance, right?" The heiress asked, hanging her head down in shame.
"I guess. I'm not an expert, I just… make sex jokes and stuff." Yang said awkwardly. "Why do you ask?"
"Well…" Weiss paused, then shook her head, as if she wanted to get the matter over as quickly as possible. "Do you think Blake's in love with me?"
Oh, crap. Yang thought, red alarms flaring inside her head. She was definitely not prepared to have this talk. Should she be honest, or should she do as Blake asked and lie? But Blake would be so happy if Weiss shared her feelings… Or wouldn't she? Gah! I should have just ignored her!
"Y-yeah?" Yang said, immediately cringing when Weiss' eyes widened.
"Are you serious?" The heiress asked, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I swear, if you are making a big joke out of this…"
"No, no! Blake told me she liked you." The blonde frowned. "Well, actually I figured out she did and she didn't deny it when we talked about it."
"She t-talks about me?"
Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap.
"No! I mean, yes!" Yang covered her face with her hands. "Look, Weiss, she likes you a lot. Just don't push her, okay? And don't you dare mention a word of this to her!"
Weiss nodded, then sat back down on the edge of her bed, looking ahead blankly. All her thoughts were filled by images of Blake, and soon her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.
"Weiss…?" Yang said quietly. "Do you like…?"
"I… I don't know." Weiss got up. "I… I need to take a walk."
Without another word, the heiress walked out of the room, leaving Yang alone feeling a mixture of guilt and expectancy.
Well, either I just created a lovely couple… Or I screwed everything up.
Blake dashed to the side just in time to dodge the blunt side of Ruby's scythe. The redhead skidded to a halt and started to turn, but she had too much momentum and her maneuver was too slow, leaving her wide open to a counter attack.
Blake took full advantage of the opening and leaped to her, bringing her sword and sheath over her head and towards her leader. Ruby steeled her stance and brought her scythe up, deflecting the attack.
The faunus allowed the clash to send her flying back and landed gracefully. Without losing a beat, she resumed her offensive, this time not taking her feet off the ground as she brought her sword in a low arc towards Ruby's legs.
The redhead slammed her scythe to the ground and jumped over the attack, using her weapon as a means to stay in the air. Blake slid forward, her balance lost as she didn't meet the resistance she had expected. Ruby smiled and spun her whole body, kicking the back of the faunus' head with both of her legs.
Blake's world swirled around her as she started to fall. Thankfully, Ruby was sensible enough to grab her before she hit the ground.
"Four points for Ruby, two for Blake!" She squealed victoriously. "Come on, best of five! You can still make a comeback!"
"I'm not opposed to the idea, but I think I'm too tired to compete anymore. You win." Blake conceded.
"Okay." Ruby said, still shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "That's completely understandable, and I will not push my teammates any more than they're able…" She paused. "…One more?"
Blake laughed lightly and nodded her agreement, raising her sword and sheath again. She didn't expect to win, but it wouldn't hurt too much to give Ruby another victory. Maybe it was the guilt driving her actions, but Blake felt like she owed her leader that satisfaction.
Before they could get their fight started, the sound of footsteps drew their attention away from each other and to Cinder, who entered the gym silently. She seemed lost in thought, but when she saw Ruby, a smile immediately formed on her face.
"I didn't expect to see you here." She said.
"Really?" Ruby folded her scythe and put her hands on her hips. "It's the gym. You know, where people fight and stuff? I thought you knew me better than that."
"You have a point." Cinder noted.
"I didn't expect to see you here." The redhead said. "You don't give fighting much thought, right?"
Cinder didn't answer. Instead, she walked to her girlfriend and leaned down to give her a kiss, to which Ruby didn't protest at all. After that, Cinder took a step back and nodded to Blake, who had a guarded expression.
"Hey, Blake." She greeted casually. "Did Ruby give you a hard time?"
"Yeah. I can endure it, though." Blake answered, knowing Cinder would understand the underlying message. Everything's fine, still. "I'm tired, though. I'll leave you two alone. Cinder's in way better shape to spar than me."
"But Blaaake…" Ruby pouted. "It's fun to have you around. And it's not like you enjoy spending time around Weiss these days!"
Blake was surprised by how perceptive her leader was. It was easy to see and treat Ruby as little girl, but she was deceptively clever when she wanted to be.
Still, she hasn't discovered who Cinder is. I guess that's for the best…
"Okay…" Blake sighed. "You convinced me. I'll watch you two pummel each other."
"It'll be a loving pummeling, though." Ruby said, then she seemed to notice how weird that sounded. "W-well, you know… I didn't mean…"
"I got it." Blake smiled knowingly.
The faunus walked to a wall and leaned against it, giving the combatants proper space for movement. Ruby and Cinder distanced themselves from each other, then locked eyes.
Ruby's stare was filled with joy and excitement, while Cinder's was cold and calculative. For a moment, they forgot they were supposed to fight and lost themselves in each other's eyes. It was a brief few seconds, just long enough for Blake to notice and flinch, feeling even more conflicted than before.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Ruby had closed the distance, bringing her scythe in a horizontal arc. Two swords appeared in Cinder's hands, and she raised them to her side, blocking the strike fiercely. Ruby pushed, trying to break through her girlfriend's defense, but her efforts held no success.
Ruby took a step back, finding herself in a difficult position. She was a formidable fighter, but in close range, it was difficult for her to swing her weapon without missing and getting attacked in return.
Cinder recognized that flaw and took full advantage of it, never letting the redhead get too far from her as she stabbed and slashed with her swords. Ruby stepped back continuously, blocking as best as she could, until she hit a wall.
They were too close now for Ruby to even attempt attacking with Crescent Rose, so she let go of it and threw a desperate punch which carried her whole body forward. Cinder sidestepped casually and let her swords disintegrate, then grabbed her collar.
"Your unarmed combat sucks, love." She noted humorously.
Without putting too much force into the movement, Cinder slammed Ruby back to the wall. The raven-haired girl smiled and leaned forward, planting a kiss on the redhead's lips.
"You might be a prodigy, but I'm still way ahead of you." Cinder chuckled. "Keep trying, and maybe one day you'll get me."
Ruby stared at her blankly, remembering the familiar scene from the night of the dance, when that criminal had kissed her just like Cinder had just now.
"Ruby?" Cinder called worriedly. "Did I use too much force?"
"Huh?" Ruby shook her head and smiled. "No, no! I was just thinking how amazing you were!"
"Oh." Cinder tried to hide her blush. She might be hopelessly in love, but she would still like to maintain some semblance of toughness. "Thank you."
Blake watched as the two made their way back to the center of the gym, keeping her face emotionless. The way Cinder had defeated Ruby so easily left her worried. She doubted she could stand a chance to the raven-haired girl… Or even if her entire team could defeat her. That worry only made her more determined to settle everything as peacefully as possible.
Ruby's Scroll beeped, and she took a look at it curiously. She giggled and gave Cinder a mischievous look, much to her girlfriend's and Blake's confusion.
"I'll be leaving now. I have… lovely matters to attend to." She said. "Bye, bye."
She blurred away, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. Cinder blinked, then looked at Blake with amusement. The faunus replied in kind for a few seconds, but her expression grew more serious.
"You should tell her who you are." Blake said.
"We've gone over this." Cinder replied. There was an edge to her voice, but Blake couldn't pinpoint if she was being threatening or if she was just tired. "I won't tell Ruby anything. We will ruin the White Fang's prison break, and end their whole operation in Vale. She will never know a word about it."
"You're being a fool. It doesn't work that way, Cinder. You can hope and do your utmost best to keep this a secret, but it will blow up in your face." Blake warned bitterly. "Trust me, I'm talking from experience."
"Our plan remains the same." Cinder said, this time being clearly threatening.
Blake sighed and raised her arms in defeat. If Cinder wanted to dig herself into an even deeper hole, then she wouldn't be the one to stop her.
"Our plan remains the same." Blake repeated.
"Good." Cinder said "I don't suppose you want to spar."
Blake made her answer very clear by glaring at her.
"Of course." Cinder nodded. "And what was that I heard about you and Weiss? Do I sense some drama…?"
"There is nothing going on between us." Blake said coldly. Her glare grew even fiercer. "Even if there was something, I wouldn't be telling you. I'm not your friend, Cinder. I don't know if you're good or evil, so I'm not letting my guard down around you."
"I understand." Cinder gave her a perfect little smirk. "I didn't expect anything less of Adam Taurus's protégé."
Her smile grew when Blake's eyes widened, then she turned and walked away without another word. Blake slid down the wall, her heart beating fast inside her chest. Suddenly, the pressure of the bow around her ears felt too great to ignore.
Yang's eyes rose above the pages of her magazine when her sister strode inside their room. The blonde rolled her eyes, not missing the obvious flutter in Ruby's steps and the goofy grin on her lips. Interestingly enough, the redhead was also carrying a bouquet of junipers on her hands.
Blah blah blah, Cinder. Blah blah blah, smooches. Blah blah blah, overprotective.
Yang resolved to not even ask what her sister was doing and just returned to reading her magazine.
Her interest was drawn away from the pages when Weiss walked in with a face that expressed both wonder and fear. Yang chuckled, assuming the heiress had come to a few major realizations.
"Hey, Weiss!" Ruby greeted. "What do you think of these flowers?!"
"They're great, Ruby. They're great." Weiss answered morosely. "Did Cinder give them to you?"
"No, I'm giving them to her." The redhead giggled. "Sort of."
The heiress nodded and sat down on her bed, not paying any attention to whatever Ruby was planning to do.
Then, Blake appeared, her fists closed and visibly shaking. Yang wondered what was wrong, but then her slight worry grew to a much larger level when Weiss got up and looked at the faunus expectantly.
Blake stared back silently, not sure what to make of the heiress' actions. Then she shook her head and looked away, still shaking, as if something was truly disturbing her.
Weiss opened her mouth to speak-
"Do we have a blender?" Ruby asked.
Everyone looked at her with different degrees of disbelief, then they pointed at a drawer. Ruby hummed with satisfaction and retrieved the object. She looked between the flowers and the blender in quiet contemplation.
"So, B-Blake." Weiss said.
"Oh, shit." Yang muttered, pinching her forehead.
"I-I was thinking, and w-well, I kinda c-came to the conclusion that…." The heiress was looking at anything but Blake, who in turn glowered at her. "I… I don't k-know how to say this."
Weiss felt the urge to jump to her bed and hide beneath its covers, but she resisted it. She prided herself in the fact that she never retreated from any situation, no matter how difficult or embarrassing it was.
"I really like you. I mean, I love you. No, I mean, I'm in love with you." Weiss blushed. "I've ruined everything, right?"
Yang watched in anticipation as Blake stared at the heiress. A bunch of emotions flashed on her face, so many that it was impossible to tell how she truly felt by Weiss' revelation. Then, she went to her bed and lied down, reaching for a book with shaky hands.
"You're…" Weiss spoke, her voice filling with rage. "You're just going to ignore what I just said?" She reached forward and tore the book from the faunus' grasp. "Speak."
"Would you please give me that back?" Blake requested coldly.
"No, I won't! You don't get to pretend you don't care!"
"Weiss…" The brunette said in a low tone of voice. "This is not a good time."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss scoffed. "I didn't realize that, after months of you pining for me, when I finally reciprocated, it wouldn't be a good time." She took a step back and glared at her teammate. "Do you have any consideration for what I've just done?"
In the blink of an eye, Blake's demeanor shifted from calm to outrage. She got up from her bed and faced Weiss, standing on the tip of her toes while pointing a finger at her face.
"Get over yourself!" She exclaimed. "I am not some confused little girl who's going to fall in your lap the first moment you say you like me! Pining for you?! I don't pine for anyone! The reason I never spoke up is because you're a horrible person!"
Yang looked between the monochrome pair, realizing she had to intervene before the situation escalated even further.
"Blake, maybe you should-"
"You're a spoiled, arrogant brat! You think you're on top of the world, and everyone else should bow to you!" Blake's tirade continued, her voice growing louder by the second. "Guess what, princess? You're not! You're a joke, and if you spent one minute in the outside world, you'd know that too!"
"How dare you?!" Weiss seethed. "You're just a-"
"No, you are a filthy, little, SCHNEE!"
After that last shout, a whirling sound echoed across the room, then another, this time of a bunch of gears colliding and breaking apart. Everyone turned to look at Ruby, who had been watching the argument with a pale face. Beside her, on a counter, was the blender with a strange green and purple liquid inside it.
"G-guys?" She stammered. "H-how about we all just d-drink some calming juniper tea and-"
Blake strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Weiss sat on the edge of her bed and buried her face on her hands.
"Ruby…" Yang sighed. "That's not how you make tea."
Blake ran to the front of the school, brushing the tears off her eyes with shaking fists. Somehow, this felt even worse than when her faunus heritage had been discovered; somehow, this felt even more personal.
She felt like the whole world was collapsing on her. Cinder's plan; whatever she felt for Weiss; Yang's mysterious savior… There was too much for her to shoulder, and, like always, she found herself alone, in the end.
She toyed with the idea of running away for good, joining back with the White Fang, and doing whatever she pleased. She had done enough good already, or tried to, right? Surely no one would miss her.
But that thought was too perverse, even in her frenzied state. She would never be able to raise her sword for that organization. Hard as it was, she was too good of a person.
So, her next idea was to just end. It shouldn't be too hard. She had her sword with her, and even better, she could change it to its pistol form. Or perhaps she could go to the Emerald Forest; the Grimm were especially vicious at night…
Her Scroll beeped, and despite her best intentions, she took a look at its screen.
Tomorrow. Meet me at seven in the morning in front of the school. Don't bail. I need your help, Blake.
Blake took a deep breath, then exhaled. She reached for her bow and untied it, then headed for the city to find a place to sleep.
Goddamnit, Blake, stop being the protagonist.
I'm interested in what you guys thought of the Monochrome fight. I feel like I kept both reasonably in character, with the obvious exceptions made for Blake's whole situation and Weiss' extreme confusion. GIMME YOUR THOUGHTS.
Also, can I just say Ruby is the most adorable person ever? I love writing her. More blender tea!
Monochrome-sinking-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Falling Roses Burn Brighter!
-Zeroan