Blake

I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. I could feel the morning breeze blowing through my hair, and the dawning sun's warmth caressing my skin. It felt good to be outside again. My days stuck in the infirmary, days spent just waiting for Yang, had affected me more than I'd thought. I felt strangely liberated, as if I'd spent the last few days imprisoned in a dark cell. I guess I was, I thought, in a way. I was in a coma. I froze suddenly. Did I just make a joke? Maybe I really did need to get out more; I'd clearly been spending too much time with Yang. She was beginning to rub off on me.

I took another breath, inhaling the scents around me. The familiar scents of my teammates, mixed with the sweeter scent of the trees in Forever Fall Forest. I opened my eyes as I exhaled. We were standing at the top of the wall that surrounded Vale, just next to Forever Fall Forest. This was where Weiss and Ruby had gone on the morning of the day I woke up. This was where Ruby had her apparent mental breakdown.

"So what happened to Ruby the last time you were here?" I asked as I turned to Weiss. I'd heard a rough summary of what had transpired while I was unconscious, but not many details.
"We were walking along the bottom of the wall," Weiss answered as she peered through the parapets at the ground below. "Then suddenly she freaked out, swinging her scythe around and screaming about some whistling she could hear. And before you ask: no. I couldn't hear it."

I pursed my lips in thought. I couldn't imagine Ruby losing her composure like that, at least not without a good reason. I glanced over at Ruby as I pondered. She was talking animatedly to Yang, a wide grin on her face. She seemed like her usual, cheerful self, but apparently she'd been much quieter and more reserved before I woke up.

"Ruby!" I called. She looked around for a second, looking lost, before she noticed me waving her over. Yang followed her as she joined Weiss and I with a smile. She covered the last steps towards with a small jump and straightened up as she landed next to me.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked.
"Do you remember anything from the last time you and Weiss were here?" I asked. I took an ever so subtle step away from Ruby as she scrunched her face up in thought. She was standing right next to me.

"No, sorry," she said as she shook her head apologetically. "I remember getting to the bottom of the wall, and then waking up in the infirmary."
"So," I said. "What do we know about this thing?"
"What thing?" Weiss asked in reply.
"Whatever it was that affected Ruby like that."
"We don't even know if there is anything."
"Okay, point taken. But, for the sake of our safety, let's assume there is. What do we know about it?"

"Well," Weiss mumbled. "We know that it doesn't affect me. I was literally holding Ruby while she was screaming about it."
"But it might simply take a while to take effect. So maybe you didn't spend long enough in its range." I added.
"Either way, it's a helpful point."
"Exactly,"
"It wipes memories!" Yang burst out. I looked at her with a small smile, she must've been feeling left out.

"Yes, it also wipes memories." I said.
"If we assume it takes a while to take effect, then it must wipe all memories the victim had leading up to and during its effect on them." Weiss was certainly good at figuring things like this out.
"Well, there's not really anything else we know about it, so we'd best just get going." I said. "But I think we should rotate who spends more time closer to the wall. We still need someone to inspect it, and if there's a delay to the effect then we can avoid it by swapping who's within its range."

"Awesome!" Ruby yelled. She stepped up onto the railing of the wall and posed heroically on one of the parapets. "Team RWBY's first solo mission begins!" As Yang rushed forward to pull Ruby away from the edge I saw two wall guards approaching, both carrying ropes. We exchanged greetings as they set up the ropes, and Yang managed to drag Ruby off the parapet and back where she couldn't kill herself quite as easily.

"Do we need ropes to get down?" Yang asked. She was holding a struggling and kicking Ruby in a headlock as she calmly asked her question, her tone suggesting that nothing was out of the ordinary. I held a hand to my face and shook my head. Those two are just as bad as each other, I thought, half amused and half frustrated. The guards were looking at Yang like she'd just suggested that the moon was made of Ursa droppings.

"How else will you get down?" One of them asked in a concerned voice. Yang laughed, letting go of Ruby and pounding her chest.
"I don't need ropes. I have a landing strategy!"
"A what?" the guard asked blankly. Yang sighed and took a step towards the edge of the wall. She stepped up onto the parapet she had just dragged Ruby off moments before and faced us. With a grin, Yang extended her arms out to her sides, toppled backwards and disappeared from view.

We all, including the guards, rushed to the edge and peered over. We looked down just in time to see Yang kick off the wall and flip through the air. She reached the trees and used one to slow her descent before leaping off and turning her landing into a forward roll. She came up from her roll, waved up at her audience and performed an exaggerated bow. I shared an eye roll with Weiss and, before anyone could comment, vaulted over the parapet after Yang.

I flipped as I cleared the wall and dove headfirst towards the ground. The wind tore at my hair, whipping it around behind my head. When I was halfway down I flipped again, kicked off the wall, and landed lithely on the branch of a tree. I brushed my clothes off, getting rid of any stray leaves, and jumped down, landing next to Yang. She grinned at me as I approached.
"Nice entrance," she said. I smiled in reply and looked up, just in time to see Ruby and Weiss land a few feet away from us.

Ruby was wearing an excited grin while Weiss wore a small scowl.
"That was fun!" Ruby squealed. Weiss reached out and flicked her on the forehead.
"Calm down," Weiss said commandingly. Ruby let out a loud squeak and rubbed her forehead, pouting all the while.

"So," Yang said as she looked around. "Where should we start?"
"Well the spot where Ruby uh… went insane… is a bit further along that way." Weiss answered, pointing to our left. "So I guess we should head that way first."
"It's as good a place to start as any." Yang said, leading the way. "I'll stay near the wall first."

We all followed Yang, making sure to stay near the edge of the forest. I watched Yang for any signs of distress while Ruby and Weiss watched the forest for any Grimm. Yang was strutting along the wall, dragging her hand along it. I caught myself eyeing the swaying of her hips and tracing her curves with my eyes. Yang caught me too. She glanced over, saw I was staring and smirked at me.

"See something you like?" She called out. I looked away hastily, feeling my cheeks growing warm. "You're allowed to look Blake! Just give me some warning before you start touching!" I rolled my eyes, trying to seem contemptuous, but I felt my cheeks grow even hotter. Yang let out a loud laugh and I shot her a glare in return. She feigned a look of terror and held up her hands to shield herself. Despite my efforts to be mad at her, I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth.

I tore my gaze away from Yang and looked at Weiss and Ruby. The two of them were watching me, amused smirks on their faces.
"Oh not you too," I groaned. Ruby's smirk broke into a grin as she giggled. "How much further do we have to go?" I asked Weiss, trying to change the subject.

Weiss looked around, inspecting the ground around us.
"I think it was here." She muttered. "Yeah, it was. She broke down just over there." She pointed to the mound of grass that Yang was standing on. Yang took a step back, inspecting the ground.
"Well I'm fine," she said. She looked up at us, putting her hands on her hips. "I can't hear anything." Weiss frowned in thought for a few seconds before walking over to Yang and standing on the spot she'd pointed out.
"I don't either."

"Well maybe it takes a while to have any effect." I said, heading over towards them. "Maybe you can't hear it until…" The world swam before my eyes, contorting and twisting. I felt myself fall to my knees but could do nothing to stop it. I couldn't feel anything below my shoulders. My head was ringing with an incessant, high-pitched whistling, more like a shriek. Through my blurred vision I could see a dark blur rushing towards me. There was Grimm here! In my addled terror, I lashed out, afraid of what was coming towards me.

My blow was knocked aside and whatever it was that was attacking me wrapped its arms around me, throwing me backwards. As I sailed through the air my mind cleared. Like a fog blown away in a gust of wind, I could see again. I hit the ground with a thud, sliding several meters before coming to a stop. I gasped for breath as I dragged myself to my feet. Yang was running towards me, looking terrified.
"Blake!" She yelled. "Are you okay?" I stood up, holding a hand out to her.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"What happened?" She asked in a worried voice as she reached me. Before I had time to answer, she wrapped me in her arms, knocking my breath out of my lungs. I beat at her shoulders as I gasped for breath, trying to make her let go. She stepped back, peering into my eyes. I breathed in deeply before trying to answer.

"Well," I began, still gasping for breath. "There's definitely some sort of whistling, and it doesn't take long to kick in."
"Could you hear it?" Weiss asked. Yang reached out and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"Yeah," I said, leaning on Yang. "I could hear it. And I pretty much lost control of my body, couldn't think or see straight. And when Yang ran towards me all I could see was a monster."
"A monster?" Yang asked, sounding somewhat hurt.
"I'd guess that's why Ruby attacked Weiss, she saw her as a Grimm while it was messing with her head."
"Oh," Yang said. "Well that makes sense."

"So what do we do know?" Ruby asked. She was standing next Weiss, but was looking towards the wall. "We need to find out what's causing this right?"
"We need to investigate how the Beowolf got into the city." Weiss said. "We can report this to Professor Ozpin, but it's not our mission right now."
"One thing I want to know," Yang said to Weiss. "Why did it affect Ruby and Blake, but not us?" Weiss paused, looking down thoughtfully.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter. We need to find out how the Beowolf got in."

"I want to look into this." Ruby said. Her voice carried an air of finality to it, one that stopped Weiss protests before they really began. Instead she just sighed, hanging her head in defeat. She knew as well as the rest of us that once Ruby set her mind to something, no one could change her mind.
"Fine," Weiss groaned. "But you and Blake will have to stay back here. Yang and I don't seem to be affected by it, so we'll look into it." Ruby hesitated for a second. I knew she'd want to be the one to look into it. But eventually she nodded. Even she could tell it was the only option.

Yang's arm was still around my shoulders and she gave me a quick, one-armed hug before letting go and following Weiss. I walked over to the tree line with Ruby, we both sat down with our backs to one of the trees. We didn't have anything to do but wait for them to find something, and keep a look out for any Grimm that could come near. So I drew Gambol Shroud and rested the blade across my knees. I watched Weiss and Yang for a few seconds as they inspected the wall before returning my attention to the forest.

"Hey Blake," Ruby said thoughtfully. I twisted around, peering around the tree to look at her. Ruby was gazing up at the sky, watching the passing clouds. "I think Yang likes you."

I nearly choked.
"What!" I yelled. When Yang and Weiss looked over at us, concerned, I waved them away, telling them everything was fine. "What?" I hissed at Ruby as they returned to inspecting the wall.
"I think Yang likes you." She said matter-of-factly. "I've seen how she acts around someone she likes, and she's definitely acting like she likes you." I just stared at her blankly. I had no idea what to say.

"Blake?" Ruby called my name and peered around the tree at me. She's clearly noticed my extended silence. She crawled around and sat against the tree directly in front of me. "Are you okay?" I shook myself out of my shock and nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I said, feigning a smile. In truth, I was in shock. Did Yang actually have feelings for me? "What makes you think that?" Ruby shrugged as she turned her gaze to her sister.
"I don't know. Just something about how she acts around you. She always seems happier, for one."

"Is that so?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could. If Yang hadn't said anything to her, then it was pure speculation. And there was no point in worrying, even thinking, about it.
"What are you going to do about it?" she asked, gazing into my eyes. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"I don't see how that's any of your business." I replied with a one-sided smile, to let her know I wasn't upset by her asking. "How about we just let Yang make up her own mind? Then we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it."

Ruby broke into a grin and nodded as she turned her gaze back to the sky.
"I guess you're right," she said. "I think you two would make a cute couple though."
I was glad Ruby was looking at the sky when she said that, because there was no way she'd ever miss the crimson the flooded my cheeks.

I sat with my back to the tree and eyed the forest intently. I hadn't seen any signs of Grimm in the half an hour that I'd been sitting there, but it never paid to lose vigilance in the field. Ruby was still sitting at the tree across from me, but she'd dozed off fifteen minutes ago. Our earlier conversation was still floating around at the back of my mind, like a fly that never left you alone.

I really didn't believe that Yang had any feelings for me, despite Ruby's words. Yang didn't seem like the type who would talk to her little sister about her feelings, instead she'd just talk to Ruby about Ruby's. But still, it made me wonder. What if she did have feelings for me? What would I do? Stop it Blake,I berated myself, it doesn't matter. Worry about that when it actually happens; if it ever happens.

I glanced over at Yang and Weiss. They'd inspected the wall all around the spot where the whistling seemed to be coming from and were now inspecting the ground around the wall. I watched them for several seconds before I realised I was staring at Yang again. I tore my eyes away, looking at the forest. The mass of red-leaved trees stretched on for as far as the eye could see. I lost myself in its beauty, the crimson colouration and the towering trunks blending hypnotically.

Yang let out a shout and I spun around to look at her. Weiss was rushing over to her as Yang jumped up and down on the spot. She was standing on a spot near the base of the wall, off to the side of where I'd heard the whistling.
"What is it?" I called out.
"I've found a trap door!" Yang yelled in reply as she reached down and dug at the ground. Lumps of grass and dirt soared through the air as she tore at the ground around her.
"Should I wake Ruby up?" I asked.
"Yes," Weiss answered, looking up from Yang's excavation. "She'd want to see this."

I walked over to Ruby and knelt at her side. She was snoring lightly, her breath gently rushing in and out of her mouth. As I knelt down beside her I rested a hand on her shoulder, shaking it gently. Her only reaction was to take a slightly heavier breath and scrunch up her nose. When I shook her again, with more force, she toppled over and continued to snore, with half of her face covered with dirt.
"Uh Yang," I called out, eyeing the still figure of the apparently comatose Ruby. "How do I wake her up?"
"Is she that far out again?"
"I guess so."

"Pick her up and sit her against the tree." Yang said with a sigh. "Here, catch this." She called out as I propped Ruby up. She tossed me a chocolate chip cookie, one that I caught with a bemused look.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes… Break it half under her nose and drop it in her lap. Once you do I'd advise you to take a step or two back." I did as she said, breaking it in half and dropping it. I saw Ruby's nose twitch as I stepped back. She inhaled deeply, as if smelling a flower. With a blur of red and a loud crunch, Ruby rocketed to her feet, shoving the cookie on her mouth. As I watched in shock, Ruby looked around like an excited puppy.

"What's going on?" she asked after she swallowed the cookie.
"We found a trap door." Yang called out to her as she turned back to her digging. "Are you going to help?" she asked, looking up at Weiss.
"No, no," Weiss replied with a small smile. "You look like you're doing just fine."
"Typical," Yang grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"There we go!" Yang shouted as she stood up. From where I was I could see a gleam of metal amongst the grass, she'd clearly uncovered a steel trap door. "Well, I guess we'd better give it a look." Ruby began to run towards them, an excited grin on her face, until I grabbed her by the arm and stopped her short.
"Have you already forgotten why we're looking into this Ruby?" I asked. She looked at me blankly, cocking her head to the side. "The whistling? The one that seems to drive the two of us insane? Ring any bells?" I asked.
"Oh yeah!" she said brightly, scratching the back of her head embarrasedly. "Ha-ha, my bad." I just rolled my eyes at her, turning back to Yang. She was opening the trap door. Its hinges creaked loudly as she lifted it and flipped it over, revealing a gaping hole.

"Will you two be okay to check it out alone?" I asked them.
"Of course,"
"Absolutely," They both seemed confident, so I nodded.
"Alright, just be careful." I called out.
"Yeah!" Ruby shouted. "We just got out of the infirmary. I don't want to have to take you two back in!"

With a laugh and a wave of her hand, Yang disappeared into the darkness.
"We'll try and be back within an hour." Weiss called out. "And if anything happens, I'll call you." She added, holding up her tablet.
"Okay!" Ruby yelled back. "Be careful Weiss."
"You too Ruby," Weiss said as she made her own way below ground.

The silence that they left behind hung in the air, surrounding us.
"What do I have to be careful for?" Ruby asked the air around us. "We're just sitting here."
"She probably thinks you'll find some way to hurt yourself regardless." I answered. I tried to hide a smile as I mentally kicked myself. I really am turning into Yang. Ruby pouted up at me for a few seconds before she saw my smile fighting its way across my cheeks. Then she broke into a grin of her own.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked.
"I guess we should go wait at the top of the wall. There's no point waiting down here for a monster to attack." I said, turning away from the trapdoor. Ruby took the lead as we made our way around the trapdoor, back towards the wall. I glanced back at the hole as we were hoisted up the wall by the two guards. I knew that Yang had Weiss to watch her back. But I couldn't help but worry.