Welcome back everyone! True to my word, another longer than average chapter. Have fun!

Ruby

Weiss was sleeping in front of me. Thankfully she didn't seem to be afflicted by whatever was on her mind like yesterday. No twitches, no clinched hands, just a peaceful girl resting her body. The only flaw with her was the bandages on her arm. It was better than how we had found her though. Just thinking about what happened last night made me want to slap myself. There was obviously something wrong but instead I let it slide without worry just because she said so.

I had woken up to heavy breathing and a slight chill where Weiss normally was. My eyes had opened slowly and I noticed that our room door was open and Weiss was nowhere to be seen. I got out of bed to investigate when I finally heard sobs mixing in with the breaths coming from the bathroom. I quickly closed the room's entrance and headed to investigate the bathroom. What I saw was something I never wanted to see again. Weiss had been up against the wall and bathtub. Her eyes blood-shot with tear stains on her dress. Blood covered her arms and hands. I thought she had been attacked but I quickly saw her ruined nails with small pieces of her skin underneath. I was shocked. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. All I managed was a scream. Yang had rushed in ready to fight but the scene in front of her quickly changed her mindset.

"Blake! Get a doctor or a nurse and bring them here as soon as possible!" Yang had taken charge and I was left uselessly in the corner.

The doctor had gotten her moved into a very small room set aside in the medical wing for rare cases. He told me that he wouldn't be able to tell me what was wrong with her until she had woken up and told him her story of what had happened. It was lunch before her eyes fluttered open.

"My head is killing me. This isn't my room. Where am I? Weiss tried and failed to sit up.
"Please take it easy, Weiss. I found you passed out in the bathroom covered in blood. A doctor brought you here. Do you remember anything?" I was concerned about her health.
Weiss looked at me and depression shaped her eyes. "I remember everything now. Every little detail."

The doctor entered and noticed Weiss was awake. He wasted no time shooing me out to talk to her, even when she protested for me to stay.

I gave in to the doctor's demands. "I'll be right out here, Weiss. Just yell if you need me." The door was too thick to hear anything they said inside. Whatever Weiss was saying to the doctor, he made sure her privacy was protected. Instead of sitting and waiting like a normal person, I strafed in front of the door like a guard protecting her queen.

Weiss

"... and then I guess I passed out on the floor." I was tired of reliving those moments but the doctor needed to hear what happened.
"Well, if I'm interpreting this all correctly, it seems like a severe form of a panic attack caused by the stress all of those people put on you." He seemed sure of himself. "You seem fine now but I would be careful and avoid being alone."
"Okay. Am I able to go back to my dorm now." I asked as I glanced at the door.
"I suppose so. Let me go get your friend so she can escort you." He headed towards the door.
"Girlfriend." I corrected.

He simply just opened the door and before he could get a word out, Ruby was already at my bedside. It warmed my heart to know that she was there the entire time.

The doctor cleared his throat. "She's free to go but I told her to have someone there at all times. Can you do that?"
Ruby's face turned completely serious. "I wouldn't dream of leaving her, Sir."

I nearly choked up right then and there. The doctor let me leave but not before he gave me new bandages for my arms. Ruby stayed with me every step of the way back towards the dorm with a hand around my waist. I couldn't help but lean against her for extra comfort.

I finally asked her. "Did you really mean what you said back there?"
Turning her head to look at me. "I was dead serious. I love you, Weiss. Whatever your problem is, I'll be there to help you though it, no doubt."
As if she would disappear, I pulled her closer. "Thank you, Ruby. I'm happy that you're still here, even with me being such a pain for you."
Ruby smiled. "Everyone has a problem to deal with. It's just that this time, we have each other and the rest of the team to help us."
"I love you, Ruby." I really meant it. I wanted to be with her all my life.

Blake

Yang and I sat silently sat together on my bed. This morning had brought up a lot of uncomfortable thoughts. Ruby had looked absolutely devastated seeing Weiss like that. She didn't budge an inch and it forced Yang to take control. It wasn't like Ruby to freeze up like that. And her look was something of pure terror. I don't blame Ruby though. The scare of losing a loved one is definitely something I know the most. After what Yang unknowingly pulled on me during our camping trip, it was a feeling no one should experience.

I shifted a little. "Are you worried about Weiss?"
Yang kept on looking up towards the ceiling. "Not as much as I am for Ruby. She's still younger than us and she has never dealt with this kind of thing I think. She's being forced to grow up faster than normal."
"You're right. She hasn't left Weiss's bed all day. Do you think we could help in some way?" I ask.
"Maybe, we are a family after all." A smile lit up her face.
"A family?" I question.
"Yep. Me, Ruby, Weiss, and just as importantly, you." She finished her sentence with a kiss.
I laughed. "You make it sound like me and you will always be together."
"That's the plan, Blake." She looked in my eyes, completely serious.
I was shocked at the statement. "You really mean it, don't you?"
"I wouldn't lie to you. I want to be with you all my life. I was thinking about it before but this morning has sealed it. I want to be the one that is there to help you, and you for me."
"It almost sounds like you're proposing to me."
Yang laughs and winks at me. "Maybe after we leave beacon I will."
I stop laughing with her and realize what she had just said. "Oh my God, Yang!" I flung myself at her and hugged her. "Yes, yes!"
"Relax, Kitten!" I could tell she was happy with my reaction. "You have to wait until I actually ask first!"

I had never felt like this before. I have had plenty of relationships before but they never lasted. I always chalked it up to how young love never lasts, as demonstrated multiple times in my novels. But this, this felt final. Now that she was no longer afraid to show her true feelings, Yang had become solid anchor in our relationship. I don't know where she got it from but she hasn't let me down once. She tried hard to realize her true self alongside me and she stayed by me after I had thought she was fatally wounded, plus she knew how to handle my body with expert skills. What more could a girl ask for? Speaking of which, I think Yang needed to wind down and I know just how to do that. I pulled her close and planted a kiss on her collarbone.

She almost seemed surprised. "Oh, we're going to start that now?" I moved my hand along her thigh. "Well I guess that answers that."

Ruby

The whole way back to our dorm I had been thinking about what happened. Weiss was okay and even told me what had happened to cause all this. I didn't know what to think of it all. Right under my own nose she was struggling under the weight of anxiety and I had let her brush it off as nothing. Granted, she had repressed it all initially but now I knew. It felt like the bandages on her arm were my fault. A sign that I had failed to help her. And this morning. I don't know what happened with me there. I wanted to run next to her and try to help her but instead I froze and stood there gaping. At one point while everything was happening Yang had tried to speak to me. She couldn't get me to respond. I wanted to run and wished that it was all just a bad dream.

Weiss broke through my thoughts. "Ruby, you nearly walked right past our door."
"Oh sorry. I hope Yang and Blake are doing okay. They were the ones who did the work this morning." Bitterness spiking my tongue.
"Don't be hard on yourself. I was the one that caused all this. You did all you could. You even stayed by me while I slept. That's more than what even my parents had done for me." I could tell she was being honest.
"Maybe, but I froze up when I found you. Either way, I didn't do everything I could."

Before she could argue with me, I opened the door to our room. Blake and Yang had made themselves comfortable it seems. Blake had, unsurprisingly, heard the door open and turned to look at us. Yang scrambled to sit up and made Blake slide off her.

"I can't leave you two alone for long can I?" I ask.
Blake smiled. "Well you could but that's not important now. Welcome back, Weiss!" Blake came over and hugged Weiss.
"I was only gone for the morning. It's not like I left for a month." Weiss obviously didn't mind though.
Yang spoke up. "Well it's not everyday one of us is thrown into the infirmary."
Weiss laughed at Yang's joke. "Well I'll make sure not to make it a habit."
"Well what's the plan for the rest of today?" Blake asked.
Weiss was the first to respond. "Well I wanted to stay and rest some more. I still have a bit of a headache. Maybe you guys can go do something in town."
Yang liked the idea. "Yea that sounds good. You in, Blake?" She nodded. "Ruby?"
I was hesitant at the thought of leaving Weiss alone. "I'm not sure."
Weiss didn't want to hear it. "You don't need to watch over me twenty-four seven. Go have some fun. I'm going to be fine in here."

I didn't want to start an argument so I agreed to go into town with Yang and Blake. They were all ready to go and at the door by the time I had given in. The exited and I turned back to give Weiss one last kiss before leaving. Hopefully this can distract me enough from today's events enough to where I can actually relax. Maybe some hot chocolate at that cafe would help.

The town was very active today. People were walking up and down the streets, shop doors were seemingly never closed, and restaurants were filled to capacity. Yang, Blake, and I had decided to stick to walking around the streets to avoid the busy crowds as much as we could. The only store we've gone in so far was the cafe because I insisted on getting some drinks to calm our nerves. I could tell Blake and Yang needed something to relax and I needed to clear my head. Other than that stop we kinda of just ended up walking around seeing the sights.

"So are we going to shop or what?" Yang asked out of boredom.
"I don't know. Do you have the courage to face down the other customers?" Blake had a point.
Yang put on a determined face. "I can try! Store room brawls sound like fun." And then she ran off.
"Ruby?" Blake looked at me.
Without even looking at her. "Oh go on. I'll be fine by myself. Maybe I can find something interesting."
"Okay, Ruby. If you say so." Blake began jogging ahead to catch up to Yang.

With the two gone I was left alone to wonder around aimlessly. I wasn't exactly looking for anything to buy or do but I looked into shops just to look busy. It was odd walking alone in the city. People walked right on by me and I didn't give it a second thought. No doubt they were having fun with friends or family and they didn't want it interrupted by a stranger such as me. Besides, I was busy thinking about Weiss and how I could help her. It was bad enough I had ignored the doctor and left her alone but I know Weiss would have argued her point with me. Plus, I can't always be there next to her. I walked past a clothing store and stopped. I looked inside and saw a red scarf hanging off a manikin. A smile appeared on my face as I hatched an idea.

Weiss

The sun was beginning to set and after my nap I was regretting not going with Ruby and the others to the city. Shopping could have cleared my head better than sitting in an empty room with only my own head to keep me company. Although I wish I didn't even have my own head, because right now it was being relentless with memories and thoughts. I worrying over how Ruby thought of me now and how this could affect us. She seemed immovable during our last conversation but she didn't the stress of me on top of being the leader of our team. I just needed to take it one day at a time and try to figure out a way to fix the cracks I may have made.

The door crashed open with Yang leading the charge. "We're back! Ow! What was that for Blake?"
"Weiss could have been sleeping you idiot." I turned and saw Yang rubbing her arm.
Ruby came in last wearing a new scarf with her crest emblazoned on both ends. "Yea, Yang. Not every door needs to be treated like a police raid."

I just smiled, glad that I wasn't asleep when they arrived. Yang and Blake had some small bags with them, no doubt they brought home some new clothes to wear. They went over and dropped them at the edge of their shared bed and sat down, obviously they were tired of the walking. Even huntresses fall to the mighty shopping spree it seems. I watched Ruby walk over to our bed and unwind. With nothing better to do, I walked over and joined her.

"Did you have fun in the city?" I asked, nodding toward her new scarf.
She nodded a bit. "Yea. I got to walk and enjoy the sights. I even stopped in a shop as you could probably see."
"Yea. It's a nice scarf though, it looks good on you." I neglected to mention that it was an odd choice since Ruby already had a cloak.
She pulled off the scarf. "Actually, I got this for you. The store I bought it at let me put my emblem on it before I left. I only wore it so it could pick up my scent. It sounds creepy I know but since I can't always be by your side, this scarf could be the next best thing."
She wrapped it around my neck, still warm from Ruby's body. "Oh! Thank you, Ruby. I didn't expect something like this."
"It looks great on you, Weiss. This way, whenever you're alone and need someone, it can keep you grounded until you can get comfortable again."
I pulled an end up to my cheek. It was so soft and it even smelled exactly like Ruby. "It's perfect, Ruby. Thank you." I hugged her.
She leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I hoped so."

I didn't know what to think. I'm pretty sure any doubts I've had today had disappeared. My arms refused to let go of Ruby, afraid that she would leave me. She didn't seem ready to let go either so we just kind of stood together.

"Awwww! You guys are so adorable together." Yang just had to break the moment.
Blake leaned onto Yang's shoulder. "How come you haven't got me something romantic like that?"
Yang just looked at her. "What do you mean? Didn't I just get you that outfi..OW! Why do you keep hitting me!?"
Blake cracked her knuckles. "Because you have a big mouth."

Ruby began laughing like a maniac. The moment was ruined but at least everyone was having fun again. Before I put away the scarf for the night I pressed the material to my cheek one more time, finally and truly thankful for what was giving to me. Not the scarf, but instead, a family I could count on.

I honestly had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I don't if it's my best chapter but I doubt I should judge my own stuff. I hope you guys had fun reading this though. And as always, reviews are welcome.