A/N: I fully and completely blame skype conversations, and obsessiveness over Yang for this. Chapter 2 will be whenever I get around to it...

The Lines We Draw
Chapter 1

A moonlit night, so perfect that the large hunk in the sky seemed like a jewel in the darkness. Sweat beaded across her brow as another dream tore her from slumber. In the room, three others slept peacefully. Her sister, her friends…her team. This should have been a comfort, and usually it was, but not when Yang woke up restless and bored. It was hours before daylight, and most logical people would be nestled in their beds sleepily.

Not cocooned around their blankets, bleary-eyed and agitated.

Yang took a moment to consider her situation. They were so sound asleep that she doubted they would wake. Not even if the pup in the room started to howl at his food bowl. Even then, she was sure her younger sister would invite him onto her bed, and force him to lay down until morning came. She watched the darkness before deciding she could sneak away, her roommates would be left undisturbed.

Sunlight was at least five hours away.

Doing what she always did, she crept to the top of the school roof, a cold glass of water in hand as she sipped on it, sighing in wistfulness. It wasn't a bad dream that kept her up. It wasn't good, exactly, but it wasn't nightmare either. It was something else. A dream she had ever since she was a small child. It had something to do with family, but it was very vague, and she didn't remember the entire dream. Mostly, she assumed it was because she didn't try to think too hard about it.

It was just a dream, and it would never be reality. Simple as that.

The cool spring water upon her lips left a chill that drizzled down her throat. It was the most refreshing that way. She decided it was as good a time as any to run through her usual late night routine. Stretching, she dove into a nearly meditative state. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and that was just the warm-up. Actions she knew like the back of her hand. That she didn't even need to consider or even think about.

It was her perseverance that made her stronger. Her gull that made her stand just a fraction above most of her peers. Her willingness to lose herself in her endeavors, that made her a force of nature in and of itself.

It was also profoundly unreasonable, even to her logic.

Unfortunately, she wasn't left to her own devices for long. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the perfectly white shawl that warded away the nighttime chill. It also kept a satin nightgown duly covered from roaming eyes. It was that latter reason Weiss kept the stupid thing. Since the dorms were co-ed, there could be peeping toms around the corner at every moment. She came to stand out of the way, the question in her eyes finding purchase in the air after a few long moments.

"Can't sleep again?"

"Nope."

"Another dream?"

"Yep."

"You're going to be difficult, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

Weiss could only sigh, pulling at her shawl. It was rather cool out, and the nightgown underneath afforded her no warmth among the breeze. She watched with distant fascination. She didn't understand where the twin-fisted terror got her boundless energy from. Yang wasn't particularly a hyper girl, but being calm never completely suited her either.

"If you don't get enough sleep, you'll turn into a robot or something."

"Uh-huh."

"Not to mention, bags under your eyes, wrinkles, and all sorts of other things that'll make you look old."

"Eh, you're only as old as you feel."

"You'll feel old, Yang. Trust me."

"Well, they say with age comes wisdom, so maybe I'll feel smarter too."

"Suit yourself then." Weiss chided, though she could hardly grasp at her friend's logic. "Far be it from me to complain about your sleeping habits, but you know Ruby worries."

"Needlessly." Yang huffed with a playfulness in her voice. "Besides, you are complaining, you're just not being a pain about it."

"Yet." Weiss admitted, fighting back a yawn. "We'll see what I do if you pass out from exhaustion."

This statement aptly offered as a threat gave Yang pause. She ceased beating on the straw dummy in front of her, turning to rest her hand on her pajama clad hip. "I wouldn't do that." Then she laughed. "At least, I don't think I will."

"A first time for everything." Weiss shrugged.

"You're bored." Yang had deduced that by the way that the aristocrat hung around, loitering on the roof of the dorm. Weiss fancied herself an intellectual, and had her nose buried into studies that would further her own future. Combat and workouts, though important, took a back seat when it came down to raw skill. "You normally wouldn't be caught dead up here, so what gives?"

"I couldn't sleep either." Weiss admitted.

"Ruby's snoring like a truck, isn't she?"

Rolling her eyes only a little, Weiss didn't bother to validate Yang with an answer. Yes, the youngest among them was a loud sleeper, and yes, it was annoying. "I'm headed to the library for some late night reading. I thought you might like to join me."

"Maybe later." Yang said, brushing off the invitation. "I kind of reek, actually. I think I'll take a shower."

That was exactly what she did as the teammates parted ways. Yang headed for the women's showers that were open any time, day or night. She couldn't be bothered to follow Weiss right then. Studying more books about politics only made her head swim. She didn't care about stock exchange, or who the philanthropists of the earlier centuries were. She cared about the next day and what it would bring….at that current moment though, all she wanted was her shower gel and shampoo.

Then maybe if she was lucky, she could go back to bed…but even that she doubted.

…

A new day dragged with it a new set of challenges.

Long and boring classes ended with the usual sparring class. Truth be told, it left the student body completely exhausted. Mission assignments were doled out to teams looking for some extra credit, but several of the students couldn't be bothered. Team RWBY had been among them. The girls had other plans such as tending to their abused weapons. As Yang spent her time loading bullets into her gauntlets, Ruby and Weiss took whetstones to their blades. Blake who meticulously tended her own gear almost every night out of habit instead found herself mending old clothing instead.

"Man, I'm beat." Yang complained with a half yawn. "Nora's no slouch."

"Pound for pound, she's probably stronger than you are." Ruby noted, having long ago come to that conclusion.

"Strictly speaking, yeah, but she's not faster." Yang retaliated, examining her handiwork. "Either way, I feel bad for anyone dumb enough to get on her bad side. We were just playing around in the ring to day. We'd break the arena if either one of us actually got serious."

"If you feel that way, then we really don't spar enough." Blake said offhandedly, sewing needle in hand. "This school may not be too lax about it, but still."

"But what?" Ruby chirped.

"I can't help but feel like we aren't being pushed hard enough sometimes." Blake could have just bought a new clothes, she wasn't particularly poor, but this one skirt meant the world to her. She would repair the hem over and over again, no matter what. "Running drills and mock battles are just common sense."

A small jar of powder ceased tapping into the barrel chamber. The soothing sound welcoming only silence as the bottle was then sat down onto the desk with a muted clank. "I think you're missing the point. It's not about pushing us too hard. That's not the kind of school this is." Weiss said with a sigh. "Besides, that's the job of our families, at least as far as the school is concerned."

Yang took those words to heart. She lifted her gaze to the youngest among them. Ruby was a gifted girl, but with more assurance, she would become even stronger. They all would, and that kind of thing bothered the least militant among them. "Training regime or not, I'm glad this school isn't very strict. It means that I don't have much to worry about. I have enough on my plate as it is."

"It's not just you." Blake was the only one to detect that small note of concern, and the one to realize just who Yang was too busy keeping an eye on. Blake shrugged it off, it wasn't any of her business. "We all do."

"You do realize that the school is only making it into a test, right?" Weiss asked them both harshly. "The school keeps track of who applies themselves and who slacks off. It's all being kept on record. I'd put in a little more effort to be noticed by the top brass of every military in the world. Having that kind of clout goes a long way, no matter what you want to do."

Yang thought about that distantly. "I don't need clout. I just need skill. My goals are that simple I guess."

"Or that convoluted." Blake muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"That too." Yang waved them off, sauntering in the direction of one of the many hallways, turning left and disappearing.

"Slacker." Weiss could only sigh.

"Yeah, but she's our slacker." Ruby murmured softly, still eyeing the door.

Weiss gave Ruby a scathing glance. "I can't believe you just said that…"

"What?" The young girl asked, clueless. "What did I say?"

…

As much as Blake didn't want to admit it, there was some truth to Ruby's words. Yang was the group slacker, and it wasn't because Yang was lazy. She just had other goals. Going to school was just a formality, and at the end of the day, it was a game. Grades didn't matter, something else did. It was a concept of pride, and Blake understood that. She could even accept that, but, it didn't stop her from tormenting her partner.

"Hey!" Yang bellowed in the now empty gym as two bullets bypassed her entirely. With quick reflexes she launched herself into the rafters of the tall ceiling, clinging there before her friend came into view. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"It would take more than a few practice bullets to do that." Blake explained with her usual bored expression. Her footfalls echoed in the large space until she brought herself to a stop. A few feet from her companion, she smiled a little. "I thought you could use a target that fought back for once."

"As if Nora wasn't enough." Yang let herself drop, falling gracefully like a cat, her fingertips barely caressing the floor. Then she stood to her full height. "You have another chip on your shoulder or something?" She was already more than a little sore from their friend's antics. "You don't normally look for fights just to pass the time."

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Blake was no pushover either, and she could hold her own when it came to Yang. "You bailed out on everyone pretty quickly."

"I was just done reloading, that's all." Yang shrugged, her eyes falling to the weapons on her wrists. She checked the clasps that fastened them idly. "It was too early to hit up the mess-hall for dinner, and you know I get bored whenever I'm just sitting around."

Blake raised a brow, slender and full of concern as she kept her gaze focused on her friend. No matter what she thought about the situation, it really wasn't her place to say. Instead, she sucked in a breath, and let it out slowly. "Okay, so you were bored out of your mind, and you still are?"

"Basically." Yang spoke, her ultimate defense of brushing the world away seemed as strong as could be.

Blake pulled out her guns once more with blinding speed. Her quick draw was some of the best that training had to offer. Yang dodged expertly once more, flipping through the air before firing a few of her own training rounds in return.

"The hell is wrong with you?" Yang hollered, shaking her head widely, fists clenched and in a fighting stance before she knew it.

"Me? Yang, I'm not the one blowing off my friends because I can't handle even looking at them." A dark laugh entered the air, and then she sighed. "I really pity you sometimes, you know that? You're totally hopeless when it comes to committing to anything."

"This from the one who runs fleeing from the room as soon as she can't take what's coming." Yang fired back, another two rounds accompanying the verbal retaliation.

Blake sidestepped. "You're the one who ran today."

"Yeah, so what?" four rounds this time, two from each fist. "Everyone needs a little space now and then."

A backwards cartwheel, and Blake was back in the game. "But you don't want space, do you? Not really…" Six more shots, keeping Yang on her toes.

"Blake, shut up and fight me for real." Yang smirked.

Blake nodded, but she issued one warning that she wasn't taking lightly. "Sparring match or not, if you touch my butt, you're going to regret it."

"Oh," Yang frowned, but it was playful. "And it's such a cute butt, too."

Blake's eyes narrowed, and she began the charge. "Eat dust."

They were fast, darting around the gym, blocking and delivering moves that would have been fatal for the inexperienced. Crashing into walls, the floors, the ceiling, flinging bullets and harsh blows as if it were second nature. Any lesser person would have been reduced to a bloodied mass, but not these two. They were focused on the heat of the battle. The dance was as dangerous as it was stimulating to the senses. Yang was as predatory as they came when a real fight came around.

That's why Blake knew that Yang would be the victor once things between them turned playful, yet still violent. Yang was predisposed to taking hits and doling them out. As soon as a body slam landed her face first on the floor, Yang was flinging herself back up, trapping Blake, forcing her back to the ceiling and then crashing back to the wooden gym floor below. If it hadn't been for their training, and aura, they both would have been killed by Yang's raw power and force.

As it was, Blake only felt a small twinge of pain, though they'd both be sore later.

"Get off me you big oaf." Blake murmured, shoving her friend off of her.

Breathless and panting from finally being worn out, Yang looked down into the eyes of the only woman who really understood her. Resting her forehead on Blake's shoulder was as close to a 'thank you' as the black haired woman would ever get. Blake knew though, and returned the silence in kind. It wasn't really any of her concern anyway, and that's what made it so easy.

…

Another day, another dinner that had gone cold because of the team's tardiness.

The room was almost empty, save for a few other scattered teams that also had an equally bad habit about punctuality. Leading the charge was a bashful team JNPR, who was busy picking up the trashcan that Nora had ran into by mistake. Team RWBY helped clean up the mess, of course, but then they all split off into their respective groups. Like a moth to a flame though, Ruby didn't sit with her team for very long. She decided to go join the antics of team JNPR.

A particularly exhausted and grateful Pyrrha gave up her seat, just so Ruby could sit next to Nora.

Yang watched the display with a tiny frown. She always had way more going on in her head than she should have, and she knew that. Most of it was pointless and nonsensical, but some of it was deeper too. Like her sideways glances at her little sister from across the room. Ruby was sitting with Nora, the two of them bantering about something that had the boys hiding their faces, and the girls around them snickering.

Yang couldn't tell what was so obviously amusing, but she didn't care either. No, her concern was Ruby's nearness to Nora.

"The baby isn't a baby anymore." Yang said more to herself than her companions. "I wonder when Ruby will notice it."

"Will notice what, exactly?" Weiss asked, as she watched the going's on. She didn't notice anything strange or out of the ordinary.

"That she's got a crush." Yang proposed, popping a morsel of food into her mouth. The potato wedge wasn't as good as it could have been since they'd arrived to the mess hall late once again, even so, Yang wasn't exactly picky. "You going to eat that?" she asked Weiss, as she gestured to the woman's uneaten portion of food.

The silver haired teen pushed the tray to the side before examining Ruby more closely. "She does seem to be rather affectionate towards Nora lately." Then again, Ruby was clingy by nature. "Oh, this is ridiculous. She's a little young for that, don't you think?"

"Eh, I had a crush around her age." Yang shrugged.

"So did I, actually." Blake concurred only to have Weiss sigh at the both of them.

"You two were early bloomers." The retort came, and so with it, another despondent glance towards their team leader. "And with Nora of all people…" It was a hard thing to think about. "Ruby's going to get her feelings hurt if that's true."

"What?" Blake asked, confused, and almost outraged. "But why?"

"Because Nora doesn't bat for the same team." Weiss pointed out. "Even though she plays around with Yang, they both know neither one of them mean anything by it. It's harmless fun. Crushes are...well...different."

"Well, good theory, but wrong reason." Yang said then as she picked at the cold food in front of her. "It's not because Ruby's a girl. Though, that might have some small part to play too. I'm not sure."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Then what is the reason smartass?"

"Like I said, I'm not entirely sure, Blake." Yang surmised as she became gentle for a moment. Her voice turned low so no one would hear. "The thing about Nora is, she's deeper than people give her credit for. On the outside, she's fun to be with, perky, easy to befriend. Inwardly though, she's not as wild as she looks. Nora's ready to settle down a little, and when she finds the right person, she will."

"Makes sense, I suppose." Weiss agreed slowly, seeing the angle Yang was coming from.

"Ruby's just too young for her, too excitable than what Nora really wants in someone else." Yang concluded, popping another potato wedge into her mouth with a sad little smile. "Do me a favor and don't interfere. This is something Ruby needs to learn on her own. We can't help her this time."

"Are you really okay with that?" Blake asked, now just a tiny bit worried.

"Well, no, not really." Yang admitted, though she had already made up her mind. "She's too young to be in this school, but here she is. I just can't baby her anymore, even if I might want to."

"She's still just a kid, though." Blake said. "She may be a good fighter, but this?"

The elder sibling had considered that too. Long and hard, she thought about the best way to help Ruby. By not acting at all, life would turn out to be the best teacher. "Listen, she's going to be exposed to all sorts of things here. Ruby's going to need to figure that out on her own. If she gets hurt, we'll pick up the pieces later. For now, we need to let the chips fall where they may."

Though the other two understood what Yang was saying, they didn't like it. Not one bit. Still, they agreed, because Yang asked them personally, and that was simply that.