Blake had learned, over the few days that they had been rehearsing, that Ruby was the most energetic when they were playing. The younger woman would throw her head back and forth (her hair was a mess when they left), Walk around the room (as far as her long amp cord would let her), and stray around the group to play with everyone in turn.

She would be near Yang one second, leaning against the blonde's back playing her heart out. The next she would be by Weiss' side, playing with the melody of the song and occasionally using the heiress' piano instead of her guitar. Blake had no idea how she made the piano fit the rough energy of the song, but Weiss hadn't complained about it. Although Ruby had tried to play Weiss' violin once.

Only once.

She was still a little deaf in one ear from the Schnee wrath that ensued.

Blake always smiled at the girl when she saw her striding towards her, her fingers never leaving the strings of her bright red guitar. The girl would lean closer and closer until the necks of their guitars almost touched and she could feel her breath against her cheek and their hands would move inches from each other, both leaning in to sing softly into the mic. No matter how weary she was or how much her fingers ached, the puffs of air against her cheek would always breath more life into her, keeping her steady and focused.

When the song was over, she was always in her original place, smiling and laughing breathlessly.

Yang nearly matched the younger girl in pure energy. She couldn't travel much, but she made up for it with the force she would pound on her drums. The drums that came with the room were wrecked beyond saving after the second day when she dropped one of her drum sticks and decided that punching the drum would be a perfect replacement. It wasn't. And now her personal drum set had been set up in it's place, the bright yellow and orange made of hard steel. According to Yang, Ruby had made it for her when they ran out of money to keep buying new ones.

When Yang was done drumming, her energy wasn't. She'd often pop up immediately after the song, chattering excitedly or letting out a loud cheer. Sometimes she'd pick up Weiss and hold her in the air like the white haired girl was the prize from a wrestling match. Blake thought that Weiss would eventually get used to it, but the girl gave an annoyed or incredulous screech every time and scolded the blonde when her feet were safely on the ground.

After rehearsal, Yang would make her way to the gym or outside. It always took a while for her to burn off the extra fire the music gave her.

Weiss had thrown everyone off when she sang. She transformed from the angry and annoyed heiress, to their passionate lead singer the second the song began. It didn't matter what mood she was in before, she always gave her all when it came to singing. Like Ruby, she had to move when they played. She never traveled as far, mostly backwards and forwards with her microphone held in an iron grip.

When the song was over, she would stay quiet for a few moments, eyes focused forward and her breath coming out in harsh pants. At least, she did when Yang didn't run over to hold her over her head. When a small smile appeared, Blake knew they were doing well.

Weiss was always tired after rehearsals. She held her head high and her shoulders back until they got to the apartment, where she turned into a lethargic sloth. Dragging herself to her room, no one would hear from her until she had taken a nap. Even then, before she had a cup of coffee ("At six p.m. Weiss? How do you sleep at night?") her brain was practically off. Anything more complicated than a yes or no question was met with a blank stare, hand wave, or an empty "okay".

Blake was a bit more reserved. She didn't travel or move more than she felt necessary. Her stance was steady and grounded. She liked to keep her eyes closed, knowing the frets and strings of her Bass by heart and letting the others thrive in the spotlight while she gave them support from the shadows.

Every song ended with a happy sigh and a chat with the breathless Ruby. It never ceased to amuse her how they could be perfectly understanding and focused when they were playing, then descend back into chaos the moment the music stopped.

When rehearsal was over and the instruments were put away, Blake would retreat to her room or the couch in the living room with a good book and a cup of tea. Playing left her feeling empty. Not the anxious or depressed kind. It was the kind of emptiness that followed hard work and dedication. Where you could finally take a breath and relax.

Today was not their usual rehearsal, however.

They were in a different room with a different goal. Nervous energy filled the room, causing them to twitch and fidget as they checked and double checked their instruments. The sterile smell of disinfectant and cleaner did nothing to calm them.

Blake watched as Ruby worked herself into a frenzy, going through multiple stages of panic. She found it a little hard to believe that the girl had performed on a stage when she got this worked up just recording. She started towards the girl, hoping to calm her down a little, but Yang beat her to the punch. The blonde pulled her little sister into a one armed hug, speaking to the girl in a soft voice.

She trusted Yang to take care of the woman. Not only had they known each other for their entire lives, but Blake had been on the other side of that soft voice. The faunus didn't doubt that it could calm a rabid bear.

Seeing that they were taken care of, her eyes strayed to their singer. She was looking down at her microphone, eyes unfocused and face expressionless. Blake sighed, making her way over. She was never great with feelings, but she couldn't just let the woman sit there like she was contemplating her entire life.

"Nervous?" Blake asked, bumping her shoulder against Weiss'.

The girl's head snapped up and she looked at Blake, blinking a few times. "This is my first time recording." She murmured.

"It's mine too." The heiress' eyes widened slightly and Blake gave her a small smile. "I've only ever performed live."

Weiss sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Me too. Even then, it was never anything like this. I've never had to sing with anyone else, let alone a whole band. And it was all classical and opera."

"You're working yourself up Weiss. You sound good. We all do, we rehearsed."

"I know. I guess I'm just worried that following through will be harder."

Blake shook her head. "It's not. All you have to do is hit the button, sing, hit the button again. If we screw it up, we try again."

Weiss looked down at her high heels, eyebrows knit together. When she looked up, Blake smiled at the determination set on her face. "You're right. Let's do this."

Blake held out her fist. Weiss' face scrunched up in confusion as she looked from it to Blake and back again. Was she serious?

"Weiss, make a fist." She carefully kept her face neutral, not letting on how amused she was.

The white haired woman copied Blake's held out fist. The faunus smirked and tapped them together. This seemed to make her even more confused.

"What was that for?"

At this, Blake allowed herself a small chuckle. "Well, it can be for a lot of things, I guess. Good luck, greetings, affection. It's kind of like a hug for people that value personal space." With another smirk, Blake retreated to her place.

Yang was already behind her drum set and Ruby looked positively ecstatic. Whatever they did, it seemed to have worked.

Finally, after checking that everyone was ready, Weiss clicked on the recorder with her eyes closed tightly and gestured towards Ruby.

The girl's response was immediate, the unnerving quiet replaced with heavily distorted guitar in an instant and breathing life back into the nervous band. As Blake added the bass and Yang picked up the beat, Weiss finally opened her eyes, looking less on edge, if only a little.

"They see you as small and helpless.

They see you as just a child.

Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild!"

A slight pause filled the air before they descended on it again, raising goose bumps all along the faunus' skin. Blake could already see Ruby heading over to Weiss.

"Prepare!"

"For your greatest moments."

"Prepare!"

"For your finest hour.

The dream that you've always dreamed is suddenly about to flower!"

Ruby pressed her shoulder to Weiss'. Not leaning, but a faint presence of weight that made the woman's shoulders relax a fraction.

"We are lightning,

Straying from the thunder!

Miracles of ancient wonder!"

Blake closed her eyes, leaning towards her mic to join them in the chorus.

"This will be the day we've waited for!

This will be the day we open up the doors!"

"I don't wanna hear your absolution!

Hope you're ready for a revolution!"

"Welcome to a world of new solutions!

Welcome to a world of bloody evolution.

In time,

Your heart will open minds!

A story will be told!

And victory is in a simple soul!"

When Blake opened her eyes, she didn't see a screaming crowd or a bloodthirsty friend. She saw her team, smiling and playing their hearts out together. The black beast she had felt clawing it's way through her with the White Fang was wonderfully absent.

"Your world needs a great defender.

Your world's in the way of harm.

You want a romantic life, a fairy tale that's full of charm."

Ruby made her way over to her sister. The blondes hair was sticking to her face, but she smiled at the girl none the less. She leaned over the drumset to use Yang's mic.

"Beware!"

"For the light is fading!"

"Beware!"

"If the dark returns!

This world's unforgiving, even brilliant lights will cease to burn!"

All four of them chorused together, and Blake let a small smile slip onto her face.

"Legends scatter."

"Day and night will sever!

Hope and peace will last forever!"

Ruby snapped upright and away from the drum set with startling speed, fingers winding up and down the frets and her face set with concentration. Blake's smile grew at the energetic solo. She had to hold back a laugh at how much the woman in red was enjoying herself.

As they lowered the volume the volume on both guitars, Ruby made her way over to Blake. Yang's drum beat her heart into a rhythm as that familiar breath brushed across her cheek. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine it was her own heart filling the room and guiding the melody.

"This will be we've waited for!

This will be the day we open up the door!"

"I don't wanna hear your absolution!

Hope you're ready for a revolution!"

"This will be the day of new solutions!

This will be the day of bloody evolution!

In time,

Your heart will open minds!

A story will be told!

And victory is in a simple soul!"

With that, the room was quiet with only the sound of their breathing. Blake sighed quietly as the feeling of relief washed over her. No riots. No screaming. No destruction. No hate. Everything was alright.

At least until they snapped out of their peaceful afterglow. Yang cheered merrily, skipping her way over to Weiss.

Weiss' eyes snapped open as she glared at the advancing blonde. "Yang! Don't you even da- AH!" Her own screeching cut her off as she suddenly rose. "I didn't turn off the recording!"

"We'll edit out your pterodactyl noises, Ice Queen."

Weiss huffed and folded her arms with a scowl as she was paraded around the room. Blake couldn't contain the giggle that escaped her lips, though she tried to hide it behind her hand. Ruby, after finally catching her breath, wandered over to give Blake a hug. Well, as close to a hug as she could get when they were both straining to keep their guitars from touching and untuning the other.

"We sounded awesome!" Ruby giggled, silver eyes sparkling.

Blake smiled back, "We were pretty good. Think Ozpin will like it?"

"How could he not!"

Ruby's confidence, like her sister's, had a habit of overriding any doubts set before her. Though Ruby and Yang had confidence in different things.

"Let's do the next one!" Yang said as Weiss managed to scramble out of her grasp and take a long drink from her water bottle. She got agreements of mixed enthusiasm all around.

Blake did a quick tuning check and looked around at her team -her friends. They spoke softly to her and to each other. They never minded that she prefered not to speak and always included her in a way that she didn't have to answer too many questions.

Maybe she would stay after the month she promised. She wouldn't mind spending time with them for a while longer.

Blake looked up from her guitar as Weiss came over and held out her fist. She smiled and tapped her's against it, drawing surprised looks from Ruby and Yang.

When they began their other song, Blake made up her mind.

This was going to be her home.

Sweat dripped off Yang's brow as she opened the door to the apartment. Having a gym just downstairs was definitely one of the greater blessings of living here. Especially since drumming always fired her up.

Inside, it was eerily quiet. Not even the air conditioner made a noise, which was a shame really. She was burning up after that workout. The only one she could see was Weiss, looking half dead and nursing a cup of coffee at the counter that separated the kitchen and the living room. Yang didn't know how she ever slept with that much caffeine in her system. She had tried Weiss' coffee once. It was like drinking sludge and bitter enough for her face to scrunch up for nearly a minute.

"Hey Weiss."

The woman grumbled. Her eyes were closed and it didn't look like they were going to open anytime soon.

"Where's Speedy and Stabby?"

Weiss waved slowly towards the door, "Food."

Yang sat down next to her, clasping her hands together on the counter. Her teeth worried at her lower lip for a few moments before she straightened her posture, looking at the heiress. "Weiss, I have to ask you something really important."

Weiss cracked one eye open slightly, "Hm?"

She took a deep breath, her next words coming out in a nervous rush, "I need to learn how to sing!"

"What does that have to do with me?" She asked slowly, opening her other eye. Though she still had them half closed, she still looked a little more awake.

"I'd really, really like it if you could teach me."

She sighed, swallowing the rest of her coffee and setting the mug down. "What about me trying to kill you makes you think that I would have enough patience to teach you anything."

The blonde drew a blank. She knew that the pale woman did not like her. Weiss was not a bad person, that much was certain, but the fact that she was even listening to Yang was somewhat surprising.

Weiss was staring at her, an eyebrow raised. The most Yang could gather from her expression was a cautious curiosity and annoyance.

"Listen, this is something really important to me and I really don't want to mess it up. You're the best singer I know. I figured, 'Who better to learn from than the best?'."

Weiss looked down at her mug thoughtfully, her cheeks stained a light pink.

"Please Weiss, I'll do anything." Her fists clenched tightly. She really didn't want to resort to begging, but somethings were more important than her stubborn pride.

"Yang, what could you possibly offer me that I want." She said, arms folding.

Yang winced. Weiss was rich. 'Filthy fucking rich' in fact. Whatever she didn't have, she could buy. "I-I don't know. I'll do your laundry, or make your coffee, or… or cook you dinner every day-"

Weiss put a hand on her shoulder, shutting the woman up. "If it's that important to you… I guess I can help." Yang smiled widely at her, opening her mouth to thank her but the heiress cut her off once again, scowling. "But I swear to god Yang, if you test my patience, I will end you."

"You got it Weiss. Thank you so much, you're the best!" Not testing the heiress' patience was like sprinting on an icy lake and not slipping. Yang would try her best, none the less. It still took every ounce of restraint she had to not pull the woman into a hug right then and there.

Weiss simply shrugged, turning in her seat to lean back against the counter. "Sing."

Yang's eyes widened, "Like, right now?"

Weiss scowled.

"Right, okay. Um, what do you want me to sing?"

"Anything is fine."

The blonde nodded and got up, thinking for a moment. When she figured out what song she wanted to sing (It was a slower song with a really nice beat, they played it on the radio all the time) she took a deep breath and opened her mou-

"Wrong."

Her mouth snapped shut, her eyebrows knitting together. "You haven't even heard me yet!"

"Didn't need to. Your breathing and posture are atrocious."

Before Yang could protest, Weiss was out of her seat and standing in front of her. "It's fine for drumming, but not for singing." She explained, looking at the blonde's shoulders.

Yang tried her best not to twitch as the long, slender fingers grasped her shoulders. They were cold and goosebumps rose where they touched.

"Raise your shoulders up to your ears, then back. Then relax them, but don't let them fall forward." She murmured, guiding the blonde through the motions. "Good. Now place one foot a bit further forward and make sure your knees are slightly bent."

When Yang followed through, she realized that this was the posture Weiss always stood in. She didn't understand how she could do it for so long, it was so uncomfortable. No wonder she was the emotional equivalent of a rabid porcupine.

"There's lesson number one. We'll go over more next time." She said shortly.

A sunny smile split Yang's face as she relaxed her shoulders. "Thanks Weiss! But... Can you keep this a secret from Ruby? It's kind of a surprise."

The pale woman opened her mouth to ask a question but thought better of it, sighing instead. "If you wish. I expect my dinners anytime after six. You are excused for today, but we will go grocery shopping tomorrow."

This time Yang's restraint failed her and she pulled the smaller woman into a warm hug. It was a shame that Weiss didn't like hugs more. She was so small and soft and the faces she made were just adorable. Yang found it difficult not to cuddle the poor girl to death. It still shocked the woman how cold Weiss was physically. Added with the scent of vanilla that clung to her, it reminded Yang of ice cream.

"I know you're the Ice Queen and everything, but why are you so cold?" She asked, vaguely surprised the heiress hadn't squirmed out of her arms yet.

"Circulation issues."

Yang smirked, holding back a giggle, "Okay, Weiss Cream."

The shorter girl groaned, finally trying to escape. "Go take a shower, you brute. You smell like you just ran a marathon for goodness' sake."

She released her with a laugh, watching as she grumbled and straightened her shirt with a light blush warming her cheeks.

Yang turned and retreated to the shower. In her rush to talk to the heiress before the others came back, she had forgotten that she had run a short marathon down in the gym.

As she stepped under the nearly scalding water, she thought for a moment on what she wanted to sing today. Showers were practically made for singing. Maybe today should be a love song?

She didn't get halfway through the first verse before furious knocking sounded at the door of the bathroom.

"What?" She called out, eyebrows knit together.

"Posture!"

Yang couldn't help the loud laugh that escaped her. The fact that she'd felt the need to correct her in the shower spoke volumes about what Yang had gotten herself into.

Although she definitely didn't regret it.

The four girls sat in Ozpin's office, still as statues as their songs filled the air. Glynda listened from her chair next to the man, head in her hand.

She was surprised when they had shown up with not one, but two songs. Songs that not only had well thought out lyrics, but a catchy beat and no small amount of passion involved. She knew it could be a bit more emotional with the lyrics and a bit more refined with the instrumental, but she had the unfamiliar and infuriating urge to tap her foot or bob her head.

She definitely wasn't expecting Punk Rock. With the Schnee girl on their team, she figured that the furthest they would get would be Pop.

She did looked a little less rigid. Perhaps placing her in a more diverse group was good for her after all. In fact, it seemed good for all of them. The blonde was definitely not smoking in the office or starting fires. The red one didn't look like she was about to pass out or running her mouth a mile a minute (Glynda didn't even know there was an in between for her.) And the faunus looked well rested and a bit less likely to get up and throw herself out the window to escape.

Of course, she would never tell Ozpin that his idea had worked. That bastard was smug enough already.

As the second song played it's final note, she looked to him. Although his face remained stoic, she recognized the glimmer in his eyes as he looked at the odd group and sipped from his ever present coffee mug.

"Alright. I'll have it on the site and send it to the radio station to have it added to the playlist."

There was a collective sigh of relief from the girls from the girls.

"However," He said, cutting their celebration short, "In this industry, your success is not solely based on my opinion. It is up for the listeners to decide."

"We understand that, sir." Weiss spoke up. Her face was nearly as neutral as his, though a slight scowl still rested there. Despite this, there was a glow of pride in her eyes.

"Alright, your band will be named RWBY, Pronounced 'Ruby'." Ozpin told them, typing a few lines of text into his computer.

Ruby looked about ready to jump out of her seat, "Oh man, that's awesome!"

Her sister clapped her on the back and smiled widely as Blake let out a quiet chuckle.

Weiss was the only one with an objection. A loud one at that. "But she's not even the lead singer!"

To Glynda's surprise, it was Blake that argued. "Weiss, what word starts with a 'W' that includes all of us." She said, voice soft.

The heiress' scowl intensified.

"Besides, she's the lead guitar and probably the best lyricist out of all of us."

"Oh gosh, you really think so Blake?" The youngest squeaked, her cheeks turning a bright red. The faunus simply shrugged.

Weiss maintained her scowl for a few more moments before her face softened slightly. "I guess you have a point…"

"Guys, we're, like, a real band now!" Yang gushed, arms outstretching in an attempt to pull all of the women into a hug. When it looked like they might all topple to the floor in an attempt to avoid the blonde's affection, Glynda cleared her throat.

"I hate to interrupt your merriment," She lied. "But there is one other issue we must attend to." At their confused and curious looks, she folded her arms across her chest and fixed them with a hard look.

"It has come to my attention that most of the equipment in your rehearsal room has had to be replaced due to extensive damage." She snapped her riding crop against her hand, narrowing her eyes.

Every girl in RWBY paled.

AN: Hoped you like it guys!

42 favorites? 87 follows!? 43 REVIEWS!? *Screams*
Thank you guys SO much! I can't even begin to express how grateful I am that all of you guys are reading this story!

Are you guys as hyped about Volume 3 as I am!?

Until next time friends
-Vox