AN- Sadly, we're coming to the end of the story. My prediction of the length was a chapter too long, so there's one final chapter that will finish everything after this. I'm also changing the release schedule due to the holidays. The finale will release on Friday the 28th. Thanks for reading up to now, and I hope you enjoy the final chapters.
When Ruby and Weiss came by in the morning to check her out of the hospital, Blake refused to leave. She didn't see much point. Her injuries were healing, sure, but her aura was still fluctuating wildly. And, honestly, she didn't want to leave. Ruby and Weiss had demanded an explanation, and Blake had grudgingly told the tale of her latest dream. The entire explanation, both of them had stood silent, staring at her with eyes filled with pity. Even once she finished, they didn't have anything to say. Because she sounded crazy. Because she was crazy. She knew that, now more than ever.
"Oh kitty cat, you're not crazy. Don't ever think that." Ruby finally spoke, but it came out in Yang's voice. Ruby's lips kept moving, and Weiss' soon joined in, but Blake couldn't hear anything coming from them. Suddenly, Yang appeared standing behind Ruby.
"How can you say that? I'm seeing a dead woman." Blake demanded. She didn't know what she expected; she wasn't sure how any answer could possibly help her. But she needed something to change, before everything completely fell apart.
Yang didn't answer her at first. She stood idly twirling a strand of Ruby's hair together with her finger for a while before saying anything. "My poor baby sister. I would say this is her worst nightmare, but that isn't true. Honestly, this is something she never even considered. She knew being a Huntress was dangerous; it did kill our mother. She came to Beacon prepared for that possibility. She was always ready to lay down her life if that's what she needed to do to protect people." Yang dropped her hair and started circling around her. "But it killing me? It never even crossed her mind. I was her strong older sister. Nothing had ever kept me down, nothing could ever keep me down."
"None of us did, Yang. You came across as invincible. I never thought anything could kill you, at least not anything I would survive." Blake responded.
Yang ignored her and moved to circling Weiss. "Ice Queen here isn't much better. She's putting on a brave face for both of you, but underneath it all she's starting to crumble. She never really had friends, and she isn't close with most of her family. We were the loving family she never truly knew. She can't keep this up for much longer before she cracks." Yang turned, walked over to her, and cupped Blake's head in her hands.
"They need you, Blake. They need your strength. They need you to be okay. They need you to get out of this bed."
"How can I? How can I live when I can't even tell what's real?"
"Only you can answer that question. The only thing I know is that you're the strongest woman I ever met." Blake nodded her head, and Yang disappeared in front of her. Maybe she was going crazy, but that didn't mean she would let it take her without a fight.
"Okay. You guys are right, it's time for me to leave here." Both of their faces broke into hopeful smiles, and Blake couldn't stop the same expression from appearing on her face. A little hope was something she desperately needed right now.
/
"Nap time's over, kitten. School opens in ten minutes." Yang said.
"Yang? What's going on?"
"What's going on is that I'm not explaining to a bunch of seconds graders that Miss Belladonna is sleeping because she drank too much last night. So get your incredibly appealing ass up."
Something was bothering her in the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite bring it into focus. "I had the weirdest dream."
"You always have weird dreams when you drink tequila. I tell you that every time we go to a bar."
As she woke more up, her memories stopped being so blurry. "You also always buy it for me. Something about how it makes me a better kisser?" When she finally opened her eyes, Yang was smirking down at her.
"I didn't make your rules, Blakey. I just abuse them for our mutual pleasure. Now, uppity up. Five minutes until the doors open."
There was something Blake desperately needed to do, but she couldn't remember what. "Did you get the lesson plan for today finished?" She asked. That must be it. After all, what else could it be?
"Of course. Somebody had to do it, and you certainly weren't in any condition to help."
Blake laughed. "Neither were you. Does Weiss know you stole her plan?"
"Steal is a harsh word. Ruby let me borrow it. Which makes it okay, because half of it is hers. That's how marriage works."
"Pretty sure it isn't."
Yang reached over and flicked at her left hand. It made a soft clang as it hit her new diamond ring. "Guess we'll find out, Mrs. Xiao Long."
"Not happening. I'm keeping my name."
"We'll see. I can be very persuasive."
"Not that persuasive. Blake Xiao Long doesn't exactly roll off the tongue." Before Yang could answer, the bell rang. Blake heard feet clattering through the hallway as children rushed towards their classrooms.
"Saved by the bell, kitten. We'll talk about it later. For now, read over that because you're taking point on the lessons. You know how much the arachnid Grimm ick me out."
The words shook her to her core, and memories started falling loose. "The Death Stalker! We were fighting it, and it killed you!"
Yang laughed at her. "Very funny. When could a Grimm possibly kill me? I know today's show and tell, but someone I doubt any of the kids are bringing in their pet Death Stalker."
Her memories were clear now, though, and she knew this couldn't exist. "This isn't real. Just like before. Just like everything good that has happened since the mansion."
The sound of the children outside disappeared, and the two were left standing alone in a silent room. "Maybe, but what does it matter? I'm here, you're here, all of our friends are here. Blissfully happy and perfectly safe forever."
"You're not here, though. Everything in here is my imagination."
"As opposed to me out there? I'll take a figment of imagination over death any day."
"It isn't real." Blake insisted.
"But it could be real, if you wanted. We can be together forever Blake, as soon as you wake up."
She had known it was coming, but that didn't make it any less jarring when she awoke to her dark dorm room. It didn't lessen the grief or change the fact that every single dream felt like she was losing Yang over and over again.
/
It took a few more days of her teammates hovering over her like bodyguards before they relaxed enough for her to slip away at night. Her real teammates, anyway. Yang was waiting outside Beacon for her. "You're going to scare them if they wake up and you're gone." She said, her voice clearly meant to chastise Blake.
"There's something I need to do. I'll be back by morning."
"What could you possibly need to do alone in the middle of the night?" Yang questioned.
"Don't you know? You're in my head." Blake responded.
Yang laughed. "You're a complicated woman, kitten. Even being inside your head doesn't tell me everything."
"Just be patient then."
"Fine. Be that way." Yang pouted. "I'm up for an adventure with you anyway. Sitting in a hospital room was dull. We can call it "The Quest for Blakey's Sanity"! It'll be fun."
Blake sighed. "Do you have to joke about everything?"
"Have to? No. Want to? Yes."
Blake let out another exasperated sigh and kept moving. It didn't take her long to get to the airfield, and it was easy enough to steal a Bullhead. It wasn't a terribly long ride to her destination. Once she got there, she parked a respectful distance away and started walking towards the cliff.
"Um, you're not going to like, do something weird to my body, right?" Yang asked in a worried voice.
"Of course not. I just need to see your grave again. I need to prove you're dead to myself."
"Ooooookay then. If you think it will help." Yang replied. Her skeptical tone made it clear what she thought of Blake's plan. Maybe she was right, maybe it wouldn't help at all. But Blake was running out of ideas. All she knew was that she couldn't keep living like this. She kept hiking forward until she came close to the cliff. As she crested the hill, instead of the dark view she expected she saw a glowing red portal shimmering over the grave.
Yang suddenly appeared standing in front of her, and there was panic written all over her face and body language. "We need to leave, now. Turn around. Don't go anywhere near that thing."
Blake hesitated for a second, but then she kept moving. She felt drawn to the portal, somehow. She couldn't explain why, but she desperately needed to go through it. She walked straight through Yang, who disappeared into mist before reappearing walking beside her. "Please don't do this, Blake. I need you. I can't lose you. Not like this." Blake kept walking without a word. She marched up to the portal and stepped through it.
