Holy DAMN was this tricky to write. Now, to be warned, there's a lot of information in this chapter! I hope it's not too much of an overload for all you lovely people reading this! Sorry that it takes so long with these AFBIS chapters, but I put so much thought into how long they have to be and what exactly I want to do that it takes me so much longer when I decide to write these. x) This universe is pretty much my baby.

Okay, so that was weird. Anyway! Without further ado, here is the next (very long) chapter of AFBIS! The moment you've been waiting for!

The crunching in the snow picks up in frequency, the fullness of her cloak billowing behind Ruby as her eye scans the forest. She heard that howl only a few minutes ago, but is now completely focused on finding out exactly where it had come from. If it was connected to those, frankly disturbing, kills on the beowolves, she needed to confront them. There was a way to kill the Grimm. An organized way. Grimm bodies were not generally carved into in such a brutal fashion, especially not by huntsman or huntresses. There was no need to do that. You killed them and that was it. Whoever had done this… was a person that Ruby didn't want to see wandering around.

And, to be honest, that howl had sent chills down her spine.

Something had made her need to find the source of the sound, despite how vain her search was seeming. She hadn't heard the sound since it had rung out. She has to wonder if the faunus had moved off somewhere, or if she had heard the sound right at all. No, she was SURE. It had to have been a faunus. No Grimm made a sound like that.

"Where did you go?" She murmurs to herself, puffs of mist moving from her lips as she looks quickly around. It was beginning to get dark and her window of opportunity was fading quickly. "People don't just disappear… Heh, well… Unless you're Nora trying to avoid vacuuming the floor, according to Ren."

Man, she wishes Weiss were here. She would have laughed at that. You always think of the funniest things when no one is around to share the laugh.

As she moves through the snow, she starts to breathe a little heavier and slows to a jog before needing to stop and lean on a nearby tree. She gives a few pants of breath, cold air swooping in and making her wheeze a tiny bit. "Whoo… Need to remember to calm down in the snowy areas… Must be colder than usual, here. Sheesh, you'd think I'd be used to this, by now."

"One would think." A low, raspy voice states from high in the tree she had been leaning on, causing her to quickly look upward at the sound. Though, in the darkening woods, all she can see is the Grimm's boney mask and a pair of shining green eyes looking at her from the eye sockets. "A huntress is supposed to be accustomed to the elements, right? How many times have there been images of huntress' walking in the snow, on their way to send some Grimm to oblivion? "

"You… You're the one who carved up those beowolves!"

"Good observation. It would have taken me a few tries to get to that point. You really are a smart one, aren't you?" The voice says, slowly looking Ruby up and down in almost a… studying light. Whatever light it was, it made the huntress uncomfortable. Ruby's eyes narrow at the figure, trying to will herself to see what was there or who it could possibly be.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you carve up those beowolves like that? Why… Why are you wearing it's mask?" Ruby demands quickly, eyes narrowing further. She doesn't know who this person thinks they are, but she can guarantee they don't want to play games with her when she was serious. She may be a goofy, childish woman in her home life, but she is all business the moment she steps off the transport.

"I'm afraid the answers you seek are just out of your grasp, little rose. Nobody knows all the answers… Not me, not you, certainly not anyone else… We all just make due with the little amount of information we have, playing the hand we're dealt in the end and feeding ourselves lies to make us feel better about it all… Like the one you're telling yourself."

"Which would be..."

"We're making change."

Ruby pulls out Crescent Rose with immense speed, growling as she swings it to connect with the tree the figure is standing on. But, before it does, her eye casts a look upward to find that the figure is… gone? She stops her attempted massacre of the tree and narrows her eye further. How did that happen? She was just there. People DON'T just vanish. There is always a reason behind any one occurrence, as Weiss would say. Nothing happens for no reason. And, as petals spill into the wind and whip around like beacons of red… she can't help but wonder...

"What was the goal, here?"

"I'm tellin' you, Weiss, something's wrong about this. I can feel it!"

Weiss looks at her wife's face projected in holographic form from her desk at Rose Dust Headquarters, tapping her fingers slowly on the polished wood. The large, static image of Ruby's face has slight creases of worry in it, though her words are slightly crackly from her position. She was working on a way to make these holographic generators be able to pick up a better signal, but the prototypes hadn't gained any ground quite yet..

"So you saw a maniac cutting up beowolves. That doesn't mean there has to be an insidious plot attached to it, Ruby. How do you know this wasn't your every day, run-of-the-mill psychopath?" Weiss replies, slowly taking her reading glasses of the bridge of her nose. "As far as we know, it was just this person's twisted hobby."

"Okay, well, the person was WEARING the mask, so… Yeah… Weiss, you know what I'm going to say. We've been talking about it for a while, now. Whispers of faunus superiority and, now, this? It has to be..."

"Ruby, the White Fang had nothing to do with this. They're a pacifist organization, only striving for the rights and equality of faunus. Besides, I already checked. I did a full background sweep on every member that is currently a part of the organization… We met the president and he assured us that he was trying to wipe the White Fang clean of it's more violent past. If anything, he was more than willing to search through every record right with us. We couldn't find anything there. No leads in the slightest."

"Then, why the masks? That was the White Fang's calling card, wasn't it? Well, that and that freaky-ass symbol the put on their stuff… What's the goal, here? Frame the White Fang? Even if it has nothing to do with the White Fang, this is creepy stuff."

"I don't know, Ruby." Weiss says with a sigh, tapping her fingers at the desk once more. "If you're really so worried about it, we can request an investigation into the area. I'm sure that many would be willing to comb the area, if your worries are well-founded. If it was true that this person is just a psychopath, then, we'll just have one less crazy person running around."

"It was just… I wouldn't be as freaked out, if that person hadn't… said the stuff they said. The person said that we were lying to ourselves, in making change… That answers we wanted were out of our reach. Not only that, but their eyes were just… studying me… Looking me up and down..."

"Well, they should be afraid. That's my job, and there are never going to be openings to fill that position. Mrs. Rose might have to kick someone's behind, if they keep looking at her wife..." Weiss says, managing to get Ruby to snicker a bit.

"Sheesh, still can't say 'ass', Weiss? You can't miss me that much, already, can you? I've only been gone, like, a day."

"I always miss you, Ruby. Even a day away feels like too long." Weiss says slowly, slipping her glasses back onto her nose to continue glancing at the papers that are stacked in neat piles on her desk. "I'll make the request to scan the forest, as well as make your concerns known. If that person is still occupying the forest, we'll find them."

"Thanks, Weiss. Maybe it IS just some creep rambling about gibberish, but I'd feel LOADS better knowing that was all there was to the encounter." Ruby replies cheerfully, nodding a bit at her wife as the holographic representation of her head crackles once more. "I should be heading for the transport in a few hours, but I'm gonna go check on the villagers to make sure everything's all good. I'll be home in time for dinner, hopefully!"

"Mm. Good. So..."

"Hm?"

"What are you wearing?" Weiss asks without looking up, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She can hear her wife laughing on the other side of the world, making this day just that little bit better.

"Okay, I'm totally wearing the jacket, I think."

"You can wear whatever you want, Yang. We're just going for a walk. That's all."

"Well, it's a kinda cool spring, recently, don't ya think? I don't wanna get cold."

"Yang, you body is the hottest thing in the world. I doubt that you're going to be too cold, from a light breeze."

"Well, keep talkin' like THAT, and ya might just flatter me, Blakey-kins~"

Blake glances back at her girlfriend, who is currently tugging a jacket over her body, and smiles a little. It's amazing to think that nearly a month and a half separate the couple from their child being born, a day that they both eagerly look forward to. Yang had pretty much insisted that the girl was going to have beautiful amber eyes, 'like her mama'. She had made a few passing observations about their child's appearance like that, one's that Blake wondered if were going to be proven to be true. The confidence in Yang's voice when she made guesses certainly seemed to suggest she knew exactly what was going to happen.

Blake honestly hoped that their daughter's eyes were like Yang's, that calming lilac being such a beautiful color to become lost in.

"Have you thought anymore about a name? We're getting down to the wire, with that." The faunus says as she begins to button up her blouse, causing Yang to smile a little and lower her voice to a teasing tone.

"Well, I'm assuming that naming her 'Blake Jr' would be off the table?"

"It would."

"Heh, just had to ask~ Hm… Well… I've been thinking of a few I liked, recently, I guess, but I haven't really thought of anything really definitive. What about you, Blake? Thought of anything you'd like?"

"Anna."

"Hm?"

"Th-That's the name I've been thinking about… It's pretty and I liked the way it sounded with your name... I don't know, it just came to me one night while I was-"

"Lying in bed, reading a book?"

"What? How… How did you…?"

"Babe, believe it or not, I HAVE picked up on things over the years… I even watch you read, sometimes, y'know. You make all these cute noises, so I can pretty much guess how a story is going by the look on your face. Hehehe~, you scrunch your nose up and get this adorable pout on your face. Coulda sworn I heard you mutterin' something like 'why, that dirty…', while you were readin' a particularly bad plot twist."

Blake can't help the flush that comes to her cheeks in realization that Yang was watching her as she read each night. She probably should have seen this coming, to be honest. Yang was unbelievably observant, when it came to Blake and things Blake-related. It still made it a little embarrassing for her to know that Yang had been watching her, when Blake had thought she had gone to sleep.

"Says the woman who watches herself flex in the mirror."

"Guilty as charged. But, the only thing is… I purposely did that, when I knew you were watching."

"Don't you mean, still do? I saw you do it, just yesterday."

Yang's own cheeks take a small flush and she averts her eyes, letting out an awkward cough. "Heh, um… Pssh, yeah… Totally knew you were there. That's why I did it."

"Really? Or does Yang Xiao Long just like to show off to everyone, including herself? Perhaps, admiring the body of the goddess that IS Yang Xiao Long?"

"Man, you've gotten real good at flattery, haven't ya, kitty?" Yang says with a chuckle, deciding to leave her jacket unbuttoned a little as she moves toward the faunus. "You keep sayin' all these things about ME, when you should be sayin' how beautiful and gorgeous YOU are… I could probably just stare at ya forever… Heh… Aw, man. We're SO gonna be THOSE parents, aren't we?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know… THOSE parents. The ones who embarrass their kids by being super mushy-gushy all the time… 'Omigod, stop doing the kissy thing!' Y'know? She'll cover her eyes and be all grossed out and stuff, haha~"

"I don't doubt it. Well, I'll be happy to be THAT kind of parent with you, then. I know that kissing you isn't something that I'm ready to ever give up. Or, will. I don't care if she's a teenager and it's in front of her friends." Blake replies, drawing a laugh from the blonde.

"Big, smoochy, wet ones, too!" Yang adds, giving a small pat to her belly. "Hear that, girl? You're not even out, yet, an' we're already thinkin' of ways to embarrass ya. Hm. I mean… Hear that… Anna?"

A slow red comes to Blake's cheeks, her faunus ears perking up slightly. She wasn't quite sure if she heard that quite right. Had Yang just said…? "I-I… What? You… You really don't have to use that, if you… It was just a suggestion..."

"Well, my dear Blake-y, I happen to like the name 'Anna'. Anna Xiao Long… Yeah, that sounds good to me. I'm not doin' it 'cus you suggested it, Blake. I really think that's a good name for her. What do ya think, kiddo?" The blonde asks, tilting her head and humming when she feels a light kicking at her rounded belly. "Guess it's settled, then. Lil' Anna agrees~"

Blake is now smiling, shaking her head in amusement. "In the words of your short, temperamental, billionaire sister-in-law… 'You're such a dolt'."

"That's me! Now, how 'bout that walk? I've only got limited fuel in the tank before I start getting all pant-y and sweaty."

"That's a bad thing? Usually having you pant and sweat is quite a good thing..."

"Oh, you're just SO clever, Blake. C'mon, let's just get to walkin'! I'm ready for some fresh air! Feel that cool breeze on my hair, hold your hand… Hm. Wanna go for ice cream, too? I could really use some, actually. Vanilla would be nice… Oh, or maybe some lemon sherbet! Hell, yeah. That sounds like a nice time, doesn't it?" The blonde asks, gently throwing her arms around Blake's neck and giving her a quick smooch. "We can get some chocolate, too, if ya want. I know you like that chocolate stuff… Ohhh, we could probably put chocolate syrup on it, too… Wait, do they sell peppers at the ice cream shop, downtown?"

"I… doubt they sell peppers at an ice cream shop, Yang. Anna, kindly talk your mother out of ruining her appetite."

Yang laughs as she pulls back a little, slipping one hand out from around Blake's neck to hold the faunus' hand. "Oh, so, now you're tryin' to turn her against me, huh? Naughty."

"I try. Now… Let's go before it starts to get dark."

It was a very peaceful walk down to the newly opened ice cream stand near the park, a gentle breeze drifting through the air and brushing through Yang's long hair. She sighs in contentment, one hand resting on the bump of her belly and the other clasping Blake's tightly. "Ahh… Feel that breeze, babe..."

Blake's ears flick a few times as the wind blows through them, a smile coming to her face as she leans her body slightly into her lover. Her tail even curls slightly around Yang's leg to draw a pleased sound from the blonde. "It's a nice day, I'll admit. I'm just glad that it's going to stay that way. There's no rain in the forecast… It may be a little on the cool side, but there is going to be plenty of sun coming a little later. We could probably even go to the beach, sometime."

"Yeah, I DO need to work on my tan, don't I?"

"You could. It would certainly make you all the tastier to eat."

"Me-yow~ Flirts comin' in from left and right..."

"I can't help it, when you're so beautiful."

A little jolt to her belly makes Yang laugh, slipping out heartily with a tilt of her head. "Haha! She's tellin' us to 'cool it with the flirting', mama! That's gross!"

Blake lets a soft laugh of her own slip out of her mouth, shaking her head a bit before leaning up to peck at Yang's smiling lips. "You're too much, sometimes..."

"The best kind of 'too much', hopefully..."

"The very best."

They finally come up to the ice cream stand after a few minutes of walking and kissing, Yang leaning over onto the counter and smiling at the young, brunette woman behind it. They were lucky that no one else appeared to be around, at this time, so there was no need to wait in the line. Though, Blake had to guess that the blonde would likely push her way through a line, with how much she had previously been talking about ice cream as they were walking. And, she really wanted peppers on it, for some reason. Maybe they would have to stop at the store to satiate Yang's desire for spicy things in cream.

"Hey, there!" Yang says cheerfully, breaking Blake out of peppery thoughts as she speaks to the girl behind the counter.

The woman regards Yang for a few moments, as if trying to figure out where she'd seen her from. It takes her only a moment, her recognition seeming to speed up as she glances over to Blake. "Oh… Oh my god! You're Yang Xiao Long!" The girl gasps loudly, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

Yang quickly shushes the girl, leaning in close and looking from side to side in a playful manner. Though, the girl seems completely convinced by the gesture. "Shush-shush… I am… But, ya can't let anyone know, see? Got important work to do…"

"Wow… R-Really? Like what?"

"Namely, gettin' some ice cream."

The brunette laughs a little as Yang laughs, then smiling at her widely. "I'm sorry. I-I just got really excited. My name's Amy! I… I'm a really big fan of yours! You're my favorite huntress, like, completely! I always thought you were so badass, just punching everything in sight and shooting blasts out of your gauntlets like- bam, bang!" She throws a few shadow boxing punches to illustrate her point.

"Well, AM pretty badass, I have to say..."

"Oh, now you've done it." Blake says in amusement, glancing at Amy with a raised eyebrow. "The head swelling that you've started is going to take hours to go down.

"Sorry."

"Oh, don't apologize. She's cute, when she thinks she's all that."

"Oh, hush, you." Yang replies, leaning over to give Blake a small punch to the shoulder. Blake chuckles and whips her tail against the blonde's backside, making her squeak. "Gaa! Blake! Why, you…"

"Careful, your adoring fan is standing right here."

Yang turns her head back around to see Amy smiling at them both, looking between the two women (who are probably behaving inappropriately for being in a public space like this). Yang gives a sheepish 'sorry' to the girl, who shakes her head. "No, that's… it's really nice to see you guys together. You guys are actually really inspiring to a lot of people."

Blake blinks a few times, then inquiring with a soft 'what do you mean?'.

"Well, me and my boyfriend, for instance… He's a puma faunus. We'd liked each other for a long time, but were kinda scared of what would be said to us if we got together. You know, since people either don't like faunus or don't like humans, these days… We just kind of… avoided how we felt. But, then we heard the news that you guys were having a kid… and not caring at all what people said? It was such a relief to see that we weren't the only ones who felt like that, you know? That was the kick we needed to tell each other how we felt. There are some friends of mine who have had similar revelations, too!"

Blake's eyes certainly widen at that. While Yang had certainly voiced her hopes that more people would see them and be more confident in themselves and in their relationships, Blake had to admit she didn't expect it to happen on a very high level. To actually meet someone who was affected by her relationship with Yang was more than a little surprising for her. Yang, however, looks very happy (maybe even about to cry), nodding her head quickly.

"Wow, that's awesome! Totally cool!" The blonde says enthusiastically, nodding her head quickly. "Yeah, don't ever let somebody tell you not to be with someone you love just because of race or any a' that bullshit. 'Cus, that's just what it is. Bullshit. How is your relationship, if I can ask?"

"Oh, no problem! He's totally dreamy and cuuute~ He's super tall and he's got these glasses that he always lowers when he's feeling… *ahem * Oh, and, his tail always sways when he's happy and it's the most attractive thing ever!"

"Oh, I know, tails are the best! The way they wrap around your leg while you're cuddling, too!"

"Oh, I KNOW!"

Blake sighs a little as a blush settles on her cheeks, leaning against the stand a little bit as her pregnant girlfriend goes into 'I'm going to talk to you about everything' mode with a fellow inter-species relationship human. Though, it's certainly nice to hear two people so firmly in love with faunus. When she was growing up, her kind were only treated with scorn or hatred. Those that did treat faunus kindly were either doing it for their own gain or (in rarer circumstances) saw them as some sort of fetish.

This was two women talking lovingly about their respective lovers, adding in that they just loved what made them who they were. It was impossible to not smile at that. She was happy that, despite the slight heating up of things between the two species, there were some who could find love in each other. She hopes there can be a time when everyone can get along. If not like this, then with tolerance toward the other species. Humans were still un-trusting of faunus, seeing them as beasts that deserved no more than being killed or left to the wilds. Either that, or they were still scared of faunus backlash, like the early years of violent terrorism by the White Fang. Faunus were still bitter about humans, wanting to be recognized as people and lashing out violently when they were turned down. That, and fear… Fear kept many faunus from being completely trusting of humans, as well. After all, there had been many a massacre of their species from humans. Neither side was right. Neither viewpoint was ever going to lead to anything good.

But, with the newly formed White Fang moving to pacifist goals, there had also been a popping up of pro-peace organizations. The H.F.R. (Humans for Faunus Rights) organization had been working hand in hand with the White Fang to bring peaceful representation of both species, showing that there could be no reason to fear the other.

"Oh! Is it okay if I get a quick picture with you two? We're both big fans of you guys. And, he's actually a really big fan of Blake! He liked your shadow clone ability! He's going to be trying out to become a huntsman, too..." Amy asks, snapping Blake out of her thoughts. "Heh, plus I totally want to show him how cool it is to work at an ice cream stand~ He always teases me about it."

"Oh, of course." Blake murmurs, Yang laughing when she sees that Blake had been shifted from what appeared to be deep thought. The two women lean on the counter as Amy puts her scroll out, snapping a picture of the three of them together before giggling happily.

"Thank you so much, he's going to love this!" Amy says, nodding a few times before her eyes widen again. "Oh my god, I totally forgot! What would you like?"

"I can't believe she actually got you peppers for your ice cream."

"All ya gotta do is know how to ask, Blake-y~ She was a nice girl, though, wasn't she?" Yang asks, stretching a little and getting ready for bed. Her maternity wear hugs her body comfortably, providing support to all the areas that had been feeling a little uncomfortable. "A lil' ditzy, but she was a cutey."

"Indeed. She looked quite happy with her life. I was… surprised that she was so inspired by our relationship."

"Well, we're people of a more famous type, right? We're havin' a faunus an' human baby and pretty vocal about how much we love each other, y'know? It inspires people not to be afraid of pursuin' relationships like ours. I'm glad to hear things like that. If I can have the love of my life next to me and manage to tell people that it's okay to feel this way, then I'll be happy. Let other people have the opportunity to be as happy as I am, right?"

Blake can't help but smile warmly at the complete selflessness that her girlfriend so often showed, laying back onto the bed after changing into her kimono. "Have I ever told you how amazing you are? If only more people had ideologies like you did… The world would be a better place."

"If everyone in the world was exactly like me, then you'd be in quite a bit of trouble, wouldn't you? How would ya choose between all the Yangs out there, if that happened?"

"Simple. I'd go after the most gorgeous and real one..."

"You seriously need to stop with the flirting. I might just swoon. And, knowin' how long it takes me to get up, you might not see me for a while."

"Well, why don't you come over and swoon on the bed? Maybe I don't want you to get up for a while..."

"Oh, I'm totally-" Yang's eyes suddenly widen and she groans, putting a hand to her crotch. Yup. Totally getting wet, and not in the good way. "Well, shit, ya made me piss myself. Fuck. I'm sorry, babe… Completely ruined the-"

"It's fine, Yang. You didn't ruin anything." Blake says, giving a reassuring smile to the disappointed blonde. "Do you need any help cleaning up?"

"I think I can clean up piss on my own, just fine, thanks. Just need a new pair of undies an'… an' for cryin' out loud!" She grumbles as she waddles her way to the bathroom door and slips inside. Blake relaxes against the bed, closing her eyes as her sensitive ears listen out for any sign that her girlfriend might need her assistance. She's sure that Yang can handle herself fine, but still… Never can be too coddling, after all.

In the bathroom, Yang is grumbling even more to herself. "Stupid body, peein' and leakin' when I'm tryin' to get some. Ngh. Shit, are you serious? Still?"

The slow trickle of fluid is coming out, creating a constant wetness against her underwear. She mutters a few more times as she sits down on the toilet, a sigh escaping her as she waits… and, waits… and waits. After about five minutes, she looks down at her lower body to find that the fluid is still coming. Her eyebrow raises slightly, the gears in her mind starting to get the idea that this isn't just a little leakage…

Blake's ears flick slowly as she hears Yang become quiet, one eye slowly cracking open to glance at the bathroom. The blonde wasn't usually this quiet unless she was either being serious or up to something. And, she highly doubts that Yang would be up to anything in the bathroom. After all, Blake herself wasn't in there. The only time Yang was up to anything in the bathroom usually involved Blake in the shower and a not-so-surprising sneak attack. "Yang? Are you doing alright in there, babe?"

"Uhhh… Blake? I don't think this is-" Yang says, her voice coming out in a slightly nervous fashion. Blake is instantly to her feet, in the bathroom before Yang can even finish her sentence. Yang blinks a few times at the faunus' sudden arrival, as well as the serious look that comes to her girlfriend's face. Amber eyes meet lilac, a silent agreement coming to the both of them as the realization comes out in Yang's voice. "I-I… think my water just broke… We should probably..."

Blake was off almost immediately, helping Yang slowly to her feet (making sure she has something to cover Yang up, as the fluid was still not letting up, however slowly the trickle was) and going for her scroll as the blonde moves out to the living room. "I'm calling the hospital to be ready. With your water breaking… contractions won't be far behind."

"Blake, I wasn't supposed to… It's a month early..."

"I know. Let's… Let's just go down. The doctor will know."

The previously calm and laid-back tone of the night had just shifted, the future that they thought they were prepared for was here and had caught them by surprise. But… everything had gone smoothly, so far. 'It will still do so.' Blake assures herself, focusing on getting Blake to the hospital as soon as possible, the one that Ruby and Weiss had insisted they go to.

This was going to be… trying, that's for sure.

"It's all right, Yang… Everything's going to be all right, okay? Just breathe like the doctor told you and you'll be fine…" Blake murmured gently, soft in comparison to her girlfriend's moans of pain. She couldn't hold her hand, as the blonde's was currently crumpling the metal siding to the hospital bed with how hard she was gripping it. So, she had to settle with running her fingers through the woman's sweaty locks of blonde. Her chest was heaving, struggling to keep her breaths even.

Though they had had a few hours before the contractions and labor truly started, it didn't seem to be enough time to prepare. Hell, they had all Yang's pregnancy to prepare for what was coming. But, all the careful planning and practice proved to be fruitless when it came down to it. Nothing really prepared you for the first time.

"Haa… Haa… Th-That's easy for you to SAYYY-Agh!" Yang hisses, her head arching back as tears came to her reddening eyes. This constant pain was kicking her semblance into overdrive, compensating by making her stronger to fight whatever was causing it.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any kind of enemy attacking her, this time. The pain was just part of the process, something she had to get through in order to bring their child's life into the world. Leave it to childbirth to bring the world's strongest huntress to her knees.

They were currently in a Rose Dust financed hospital, under the watchful eye of one Weiss Rose (who had arrived with her wife soon after the news was given). She had been as jittery as Blake, despite not being the mate of the woman giving birth. She had made arrangements to make sure Yang was as comfortable as could be as she delivered, ensuring both Blake AND Ruby that she would be getting the finest care under the best doctors she could get. All in a completely faunus-friendly zone (upon Ruby's insistence).

Now, here they were. Yang was in labor and the mixed nature of faunus and human was becoming quite the issue with the blonde. They were warned by the doctor that the birth might be a bit strenuous on Yang's body. As, though faunus were similar enough to humans in physiology, they had slight differences to complicate things. Tails, for one, could be an obstruction to the birth canal if they happened to untangle and become rigid. Claws were also a worry, as many cat faunus were born with longer nails. Faunus women's physiology, especially cat women and other faunus with claws, were built to compensate for this fact with a protective lining that would be able to handle such matters as a claw moving out. Humans, obviously, did not. A human woman would have serious trouble if even one became un-sheathed, as it could slice the delicate tissue as the baby was pushed out.

This had been what Blake feared, when Yang suggested the idea of carrying their child.

Add the fact that their baby was being born a month earlier than she should be, and you have a barely held together Blake who isn't NEARLY as calm inside as she looks outside.

But, there was a careful monitoring of the woman to make sure everything was going alright. Yes, it WAS a bit early, but... So far, everything seemed to be progressing pretty normally despite the slightly more strenuous birthing process. She just hoped it stayed that way.

"How is she doing? Is she doing okay? Oh, isn't it too early? The baby wasn't supposed to come for another month or so, Weiss! The doctor said-"

"I know what she said, but these things happen, sometimes. She's not… THAT early. And, to be honest... There's nothing we can do about that, now, if it is. The best thing we can do, now, is to support her. We have the best doctor treating her that money can buy and bright nurses on hand to assist. We just have to have faith that everything will turn out alright. If you really want to help out, try to stay calm. Like, Blake. She's the PARENT, for heaven's sake, and she's being calmer!" Weiss says to her wife quickly, though her nervous tics are all on display for Ruby to see.

The tapping of her fingers on nearly every surface that her hand rests on, the biting of her lip, the brushing back of insignificantly hanging strands of hair, the pacing… You get the idea. Needless to say, no matter how calm her wife's voice sounded, she said everything Ruby needed to know with just her body language. Weiss was nervous for Yang, nervous for what may potentially happen to her or the baby. Both are standing in the waiting room with slightly indecent clothing, having been getting around for bed when the news of Yang's water breaking had reached them from Blake. They had rushed out the door, taking only enough time to get sweatpants or jackets on. So, yeah… It was pretty awkward for Ruby to be in nothing but her jam-jams and her cloak. Weiss had it worse. Her nightgown was hanging over a pair of hastily thrown on sweatpants, her white jacket loose on her body. She didn't look like the CEO of ANY company, much less Rose Dust.

But, neither were overly concerned about what they looked like.

Contractions had begun a few hours later, the resounding reaction by Yang ensuring that Ruby couldn't be in the room. The redhead had grown completely stiff upon hearing it and stared with wide eyes until Weiss had forcefully dragged her away. Ruby was STILL freaked out from the sound she had heard come from her sister.

"You, um… You think this is how Blake and Yang felt, when we were in the hospital?" Ruby asks in a small voice, wringing her hands on the end of her cloak.

Weiss winces a little, not liking to remember that day in the slightest. It had been a horrible time for everyone. Both her and Ruby had been in critical condition, with the redhead being closer to death than Weiss had ever seen her. She had nearly lost her wife that day. She could only imagine what Yang was feeling, seeing her sister in such a state. She, herself, is feeling a pit in her stomach that refuses to go down, only serving to bring her nervousness even higher. "It's… It's plausible."

Ruby bites at her lip slowly, staying quiet for a moment and continuing to fiddle with her cloak. "She's gonna be okay, right, Weiss? And, the baby, too?"

"I know they will be. They WILL." The pale woman states simply, crossing her arms across her chest. "Until then, we'll just have to just settle down and wait for the doctor to give us news."

"I dunno if I can wait that long..."

Ruby feels a cool hand slowly clasp around her own and intertwine her fingers, eye glancing over to find Weiss gently smiling at her. That smile… She swears that smile could calm anyone down, make anyone feel reassured… She blushes a little and looks down, a small smile forming on her own face.

"How about now?"

"A little better..."

"Good, now… Let's go sit down, alright? Maybe it will help to quell our… pacing." Weiss murmurs, then leading Ruby over to sit down in a few chairs that lie in the waiting room. They're both still jittery, wavering on nerves that threaten to be torn apart at any moment. Ruby's knee, Weiss notices, is bouncing rapidly as she bites her lip, her eye staring up at the clock as if it would make a difference.

And, for some reason, she can't shake the feeling that she's being… watched?

Her head whorls around just in time to catch a pair of big brown eyes looking right at hers, making her jump slightly. She immediately calms down when she realizes that it's just a kid, albeit, one that really likes to stare. Wait, all kids do that, don't they? Weiss can recall several instances in which she would walk into a place with several children inside and all eyes would immediately go onto her. It creeped her out for a good amount of time before her wife (at the time, her girlfriend) pointed out that it was because she had such distinctive hair.

Weiss, your hair's, like… Boom! Lookit me, my name's Weiss Schnee and I'm awesome! I mean, how many people do you see with hair like yours? Pure white? That's what I thought. And, that's why kids look at you. You're pretty and your hair stands out like a sore thumb!

"Hi..." She is broken out of her thoughts by the voice of the small child reaching her ears, her eyes looking to take a closer look. Upon more than just a mere glance, she realizes that the child is a small, faunus girl with black rabbit ears. She hadn't noticed them initially because they were tucked closely to her chest. She also notices that she appears to be wearing a pair of footsie duck pajamas, with a small jacket over them (presumably for warmth).

"Hello..." Weiss replies quietly, causing a small smile to appear on the girl's face. She wishes that Ruby would look over here and talk to the child instead of her. She wasn't really good with kids, in her own opinion. Maybe it was the fact that they always just stared at her... Maybe it was some irrational part of her brain that feared they would start crying or something, that sound being one that made her unnaturally stressed. But, she supposes that she should just go ahead and stop being awkward about it.

"Is your mama having a baby, too?" The faunus asks sweetly, playing with the end of one of her floppy ears.

Weiss winces a bit at the reminder of her mother, which was still a pretty tender subject to her. Especially now that she had been reminded of the hospital visit that occurred because of what she had done. It's not like the child knew that, though. She wasn't a mind-reader. She pushes the thoughts that bubble back up down into the pit of her stomach, managing to slowly shake her head. "N-No. My 'mama' hasn't needed to have kids for a long time..."

"Oh. What are you here for, then?" She asks, her head tilting to the side just a little bit.

"My sister-in-law is having a baby. We're here to wait for her. I'm guessing you're here for a similar purpose?"

The little girl laughs, shifting herself on her seat to give her full attention to Weiss. "Yeah… Daddy said that the baby was coming in the middle of the night and that we had to go. He didn't have anyone to watch me, so here I am… He told me to be a good girl and wait right here where the nurses can see me. They're nice. They gave me apple juice, a little bit ago."

"Well, they certainly are..." Weiss says with a small smile, nodding her head politely as she lightly elbows Ruby in the side. No response.

"Maybe, if you ask, they could give you some apple juice, too?"

"Thank you, but I believe I will be fine." She elbows Ruby a little harder, this time, trying to get the huntress to notice how uncomfortable she is with speaking to this (admittedly, adorable and very sweet) child. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk… It's just that she was still slightly unnerved by children (and their big, inquisitive eyes that promise a million questions at once) of other people, slightly afraid she might do something to upset someone. "*Ahem* Ruby~ Aren't you going to say 'hello' to the nice gir-"

She blinks a few times as she sees that Ruby is staring toward a nearby door with narrowed eyes. More specifically, the window in the door. Weiss directs her eyes to where the huntress' eyes fall, her own eyes widening slightly. A pair of green eyes shimmer from just beyond the door, darkness obscuring all other features.

"Those eyes..." Ruby growls lowly, her mind flashing back to the psychopath with the Grimm mask on it's face. "Weiss, it's the person I met in the forest."

"Are you sure?"

Ruby can feel the eyes still studying her, still trying to figure out god knows what. "Positive." She grunts back, her hands clasping into fists. "What are they doing here? How did they even get here? What's the goal, coming into a hospital? C'mon, let's go get 'em. Be careful, though… Tendency to disappear, this one… I may not know HOW they got here, but they're coming out."

The redhead is up and toward the door in an instant, petals pouring off her skin as she disappears behind it. Weiss narrows her eyes and prepares for a fight, tussling the little rabbit's hair before standing to her feet. "Nice talking with you, Miss." She says quickly, bolting toward the door after her wife.

The first thing she realizes about this hallway she steps into is that it is darker than it should be. The normally bright and stark floodlights are completely inactive, leaving only a few assorted lights to cast eerie beams into the shadowy hallway. Why would the hospital have this hallway darkened? She walks a little further as she looks around, letting out a squeak of surprise when she bumps into a taller form. "Owch! Why, you..!"

"Relax, Weiss, it's just me."

"Oh. Very well." Weiss replies, putting down the hand that had been ready to blast ice upon the figure. "Do you see anything? Green eyes or otherwise?"

"No..." Ruby says quietly back, a small sound of irritation coming from her when she doesn't see anything. "Not a goddamn thing… Disappeared again."

Something, however, catches Ruby's eye and directs her attention completely. In the line of one of the stray lights, she catches faint bits of red touching the ground. Weiss slowly walks up to Ruby's side, her arms gently wrapping around the huntress' arm as she gasps quietly. "Ruby… What is…?"

Ruby is silent for a few moments as she looks down at the scatterings of red on the floor, confusion and a lack of information adding to her frustration. She didn't know why this person was here or what they even wanted, but one thing was completely certain to her… serving to make her more confused than she already had been.

Red petals littered the floor just in front of them, clear as day.

Ruby's eyes narrow as her good one glances around, as if trying to figure out where the source of the petals came from. She hadn't been using her semblance anywhere near that area and the concentration of them meant that it wasn't stray petals from where she HAD been. These had come from someone else. "How… How is that…?"

"...possible…?" Weiss finishes, slowly shaking her head as she walks up to the petals. She takes them slowly in her hand and shifts through them, glancing back at Ruby. "These look like yours, Ruby..."

"And, you call ME Mrs. Obvious…"

"Behave. And, I call Yang that, not you. YOU are Mrs. Rose." The snowy woman replies, taking a closer look at the petals. "Well, this person you saw is gone. But, they left rose petals behind. I'm going to have my scientists run a few tests on these petals. There are very rare instances of semblances ever being repeated while the same exists elsewhere… If there is, maybe I can narrow down a name by studying the energies in it..."

"Energies?"

"Your petals contain traces of your power, Ruby. A sort of manifestation of your powers being released… Like fire for Yang and ice for me. By studying these petals, I can determine the unique power signature of the person who used this semblance. Maybe it can help us track them down. That would certainly be preferable to be stalked, correct?"

"I think the 'duh' is implied, Weiss. But… why is this creep following us? Me, in particular? I mean… I ran into this person in the forest not even a day or two ago. Now, they show up at the hospital when I'm there? What do they want with me?"

"We'll have to figure it out a little later, Ruby. There's nothing we can do, at the moment. I can alert security to the fact that someone was here, for all the good it will do for a person with a semblance like yours. And… And, we need to go check up on Yang. She's in labor, remember?"

"Of course I remember! Um… You're right, we have to wait and… see what we have, here. Wait for results. I'll just have to be a lil' more careful until we find out what's goin' on. Do you… think they'll let us check in on how she's doing?"

"You do realize that I own this hospital, don't you? Even if I didn't, they aren't going to keep us away from her. Erm… Well, unless there's a medically sound reason. Come on, let's go!"

Blake was entirely on edge as those in the delivery room move swiftly to assist and watch for the baby's crowning. The doctors and nurses had informed both of them that the baby would need to be immediately checked for respiratory issues or any other problems before she could be approved for health, to which Blake desperately hoped she would be. Yang was doing a bit better, but not by much. The moment that the painful contractions had begun striking her body, the kicking in of her semblance being what produced the initial reaction. She had felt bad that Weiss had to drag Ruby out of the room when that happened, but it was really for the best. Both of the sisters freaking out in addition to Blake and Weiss freaking out would likely have led to an even worse situation.

Right now, Yang seemed intently focused on pushing with the doctor's instruction. Her eyes were still a deep crimson, little puffs of smoke leaving her lips as she grunts and moans in discomfort. The railing of the bed will no doubt have to be replaced, being crumpled and twisted beyond repair. Yang's power truly was something to behold.

A sudden clamor comes over the nurses, Blake's excellent hearing picking up the words 'I can see the head' and causing her heart to slam against her chest with reckless abandon. Yang definitely seemed to know what was coming, her wheezes shaking painfully from her breaths. Her head falls back as her body tenses, another push causing the doctor to get a little closer.

Blake can actually see a bit of the head, though can't see quite enough to tell yet. All she can see is the very top of the head from this angle, coated in a thin layer of blood and fluids. They're so close. It's been strenuous and more than a little bloody, but there are no obstructions. No nails slicing, no tail getting caught or stiffening in any way... She moves over to Yang and gives her sweaty face a small kiss. "Almost there, babe, she's almost out..."

The next minutes pass by in a seemingly (and excruciatingly) slow amount of time, loud groans and grunts spilling from Yang in quicker and quicker succession. More than a few (slightly embarrassing) curses join in the sounds, all the way up to the point where little Anna's shoulders slip out. It all comes easier, after that, the rest of her body being quick to follow. As she slides out, the first thing that pops into Blake's mind is how small her daughter is. Not TOO small, but certainly not the size that a typical child might be born with. Also unlike a human baby, Anna is covered in with tufts of a light, slick fur.

Faunus children were often born with fur that would fall off in the first few months of their life, a sign of the faunus' animal nature. If Yang weren't desperately exhausted and full of aches and sharp pains in the worst places imaginable, Blake imagines she would be cooing about how adorable and fuzzy her baby was... THEIR baby was. Definitely. But, she's still quite occupied with getting the very last of this done with.

The thing that makes her smile the most is that her fur is so obviously blonde, the same kind of sunshine blonde that Yang wore so well… The baby whines a little before letting out a loud shriek (a blonde tail with a lovely black tip swishing around in discontent), the umbilical being quickly snipped so that the small baby can be taken a short distance to be cleaned and inspected for anything wrong. Yang lets out a few wheezy gasps, groaning in slight relief after passing the placenta a few minutes later. The nurses clean her up, taking away the blood and mess so that they can cover her up a little. It was heard that the owner had requested to come in with her wife to check in on Yang, after all.

She looks like a mess, her hair clinging to her face and her skin having an overall clammy feel to it. Her crimson eyes are slowly shifting down to lilac, albeit at a very slow pace. Her gaze shifts slowly to Blake as her head lays back against the pillow. "W-Where… Where is she?"

"They're cleaning her off and checking her out, Yang… She looks… She looks small, but healthy." Blake murmurs as tears fill her eyes, her hands moving to squeeze one of Yang's tanned ones. "You did it, Yang… You did it..."

"Ohhh… Good..." An exhausted, weak smile comes to the blonde's face, a raspy and hoarse laugh rattling it's way from her chest. "Haa… Haa… I real.. I really fucked up that railing, didn't I?"

"You sure did..." Blake says with a tearful smile, placing a gentle kiss to the blonde's hand. "You sure did, you big, beautiful brute..."

"Ngh… Don't say things like that, you'll get me all excited. Don't want to come down on this, right now, wouldja? Oh, BABY."

"God, Yang..."

"Hey, I just gave birth, kitty… I get to make puns. I think that's the only thing keepin' me from passin' out, right now..." Yang says with another hoarse laugh, glancing over as the doctor comes back over to the bed. He looks serious, though Yang forces herself to chalk that up to being professional. The alternative that something could be wrong is something that Yang doesn't want to think about. What if she couldn't breath? No, no… Stop. She couldn't think like that. "H-Hey, what's up, doc? Everything… Everything alright with her? I-I heard her crying..."

"She certainly has a pair of lungs on her, that's for sure." The doctor says quietly, adjusting her coat a little and sighing softly. "She's a perfectly healthy child, despite being so small. She will most definitely live with no respiratory problems that we can see, but..."

Yang's hands dig into the railing again, her eyes widening as the doctor trails of on the word 'but'. Her breath hitches in her chest, wanting to ask… but, not being able to find the words for it. Blake finally answers with a soft 'what is it, doctor?'.

The doctor sighs softly, her face looking saddened to deliver the news after everything seeming to go so right. She had been working with Yang and Blake through this whole pregnancy with everything going splendidly for the mixture of species. They were happy, optimistic about the future… While the birth had been strenuous, nothing else had even appeared to be wrong. Until she had performed a few tests… The doctor looks down slowly, uttering the word that make Yang's eyes fill with tears.

"Anna is blind."