Thank you all for reading this far! Time to see how or if Weiss can get to Blake.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Chapter 3. Reunion
"Blake! Blake, no!"
Weiss could only continue to scream helplessly as she was forced to watch her lover tear off through the water after her beloved necklace.
Up until just a few weeks ago, that necklace had been her most precious treasure.
But since she'd met Blake, it had dropped to second place.
Weiss would admittedly give up the heirloom pearls if it meant Blake would come back to her.
But as the thrashing waves continued to heave and smash above her in a violent rage, that possibility was seeming less and less likely with every terrified heartbeat.
She did her best to swim toward Blake, twisting her body every which way to try and cut through the devastating currents, but to no avail. Blake was being carried farther and farther away by the second.
Weiss shrieked out her name again, just as the underwater storm swallowed Blake whole. There was one last wave of her tail fins-
-and then nothing.
Weiss couldn't see her anymore in the dark waters.
Her voice rose up in a flurry of bubbles only to be shredded by the angry waters surrounding her, and her lungs were burning painfully with her screams.
But she couldn't stop trying.
She could feel the stinging tears trickling down her cheeks, lasting only for a second before the powerful waters washed them away.
Again, Weiss tried to swim after her lover, tried to follow the same current that had taken her away, but she wasn't even that lucky.
Weiss was met head-on by another push of water, one that sent her spiraling backward, head over tail. She could barely make sense of things anymore; her muscles were aching badly, and her bones felt too heavy to swim with.
But still, she needed to try.
She forced her tail to move, gasping as another tsunami-like swirl of water stole the contents of her lungs.
There was only so much more she could take...
After a few more hits like that, Weiss felt the ocean slip away from her, the waters turning black. Bubbles tumbled helplessly from her mouth, mangled by cruel waters before they could ever have hopes of reaching the surface.
Blake's name slipped through her lips one last time before Weiss was forced to relinquish her grasp on her conscious.
When she next woke, Weiss couldn't make much sense of anything.
She'd been drifting limply through the waters, which were a bit clearer now, but undoubtedly foreign. It smelled like fish and salt, nothing like the clean scents of shells and sea grass that was present around the Great Coral Reef.
Her stomach was throbbing painfully after being mercilessly pounded by the waves, but the storm had stopped raging. It made her wonder how long she'd been unconscious, how long she'd been floating...
...how far she was from home and from Blake.
But the Reef was something she'd be able to find if she was calm enough to focus and rely on her instincts; and she knew that wouldn't happen until she had Blake back at her side.
The possibilities of attaining that reality seemed terribly low.
Blake could be anywhere.
The ocean was wide and more or less endless, and Weiss wasn't even sure how far she was from the location where they'd originally been dragged in by the storm and separated.
A glance up to the surface informed her it was still nighttime, but she couldn't discern for how long she'd been unconscious; possibly a few minutes, possibly a few hours. She couldn't be certain.
She felt horrible, terrified, and awful thoughts plagued her mind. Images of Blake being beaten by the vicious waters resurfaced in her mind, how she'd been tossed around like a floundering newborn seahorse with no strands of sea grass to hold onto.
After all of that... finding Blake was going to be next to impossible.
But... she had to try.
Weiss knew she wouldn't be returning to the Reef without her, so if she was unsuccessful in her search, she was as good as dead.
She needed to see Blake again.
It wasn't an option.
A few swishes of her tail got her moving again, slowly, but it was better than simply drifting.
But she soon encountered her first dilemma; she hadn't the slightest clue of which way to go.
Weiss looked around herself in all directions, finding that she was in open water with no distinct landmarks around her.
A quick swim downward didn't find her meeting beds of sand and soft sea grass like it would've back home, but instead she now faced a deep, bottomless chasm. There were stories of terrifying creatures that dwelled in such depths, and it was impossible to see through those shadows. An eerily frigid water rose up to meet her, and Weiss froze in place as a shudder ran up her spine.
She quickly made for warmer currents, swimming higher until she could see better once again. Unfortunately, her ability to make a decision of which direction to head in hadn't improved at all.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the shaking that ran through her entire body. Every beat of her heart was fearful, and she knew that would only attract unwanted attention in this unknown territory.
She tried to focus on thoughts of Blake, letting her instinct guide her to where it thought best.
There was an intangible tug trying to pull her in a certain direction, but Weiss could distinguish that it was the path that would take her home, and she didn't want that – not yet. If she ventured home, she'd be too exhausted to return to searching for Blake, and she knew other mer-folk who tried to look for her would need Weiss' guidance to do it.
All in all, going home now would prove to be a fruitless endeavor.
So she ignored that pull, waiting for a different one...
It took a few minutes, and during that time, Weiss only allowed herself to think of Blake, her heart and mind focused solely on her missing girlfriend.
When she reopened her eyes, she chose a direction and began swimming with a renewed conviction.
The moon cast silver beams cutting through the waters, stretching down as deep as she swam. The waters shimmered like the scaled bellies of thousands of shining fish, only the mermaid was completely alone here. Weiss had never swam alone and night before, let alone in unknown waters and so terribly far from home.
And yet, the fear that clutched at her heart wasn't enough to hinder her in her search; her love for Blake overpowered all else.
She needed to find her or die trying, and the latter possibility didn't seem so unlikely.
For a long while, all she could see was endless grey water stretching out on all sides, the visibility only lasting for several dolphin-lengths or so before fading into shadows. Every strange, swaying shadow made her jolt and swim a bit faster.
There was a bit of relief when she made out the first school of fish she'd seen since the storm, but smaller prey usually meant bigger predators. She continued on her way hastily.
She must have swam for an hour, every hypnotic swish of her tail sending little shockwaves of pain up her spine.
The previously almost undetectable weight of her necklace felt all too heavy now that it was gone, but nothing weighed heavier on her heart more than the awful loneliness.
She was all alone out here, and by no means safe. But for all she knew, Blake could be much worse off.
That was when the worser thoughts started sinking in.
What if her lover had been carried across the sea? Or what if Blake had returned to the Reef thinking that Weiss had gone there, and Weiss was just getting herself lost? What if whatever was leading Weiss onward now was just a figment of her discombobulated imagination?
The mermaid shook her head, realizing she was becoming unfocused on the present task. She wanted to believe whatever was making her swim now had some form of credibility behind it.
Hunger was clawing at her stomach, but she refused to stop until she absolutely had to.
Soon, she could make out a ragged shape in the distance, a large shadowed structure of sorts. As she drew nearer, she recognized it as a coral reef. It was fairly small, but could still provide a resting place for her, just for a moment.
And yet, as she swam closer, Weiss could see the telltale black-and-white striped patterns on serpentine bodies. Sea snakes – one of the most poisonous things in the ocean.
Immediately, she turned tail and was forced to continue her unforgiving journey without rest.
She swam until the moonlight had turned to dim sunlight. Another glance upward told her that the skies were grey, allowing minimal light to guide her, but it was enough. There seemed to be a light drizzle tapping on the surface as well, but not anything like last night's downpour.
Even so, her vision was shifting in and out of focus, and Weiss wasn't sure how much longer she could go on for. She'd already pushed over her limit hours ago, and was now moving almost mechanically. Her senses were becoming increasingly less perceptive, her vision duller, and a collective numbness was beginning to settle in.
She hadn't eaten since the whale-watching so many hours ago, and her stomach was hollow and growling. But when she reminded herself of what kind of peril Blake could be in right now, Weiss simply couldn't allow herself to stop, not for a second. She'd never be able to eat anyway in knowing Blake was lost and alone somewhere, and probably just as scared as Weiss herself was, if not more so.
A sudden nudge against her tail had her gasping loudly, snapping back into focus as she twisted and jerked around.
She almost wished she hadn't.
Just a few feet away from her swam a large shark.
Its lazy black eyes stared straight at her, jagged teeth jutting out of its mouth.
Weiss knew instantly by the black stripes on its hide that it was a tiger shark, less aggressive than a bull shark, but more than a great white. A single bite would kill her, be it instantly or several agonizing moments of bleeding out.
She was frozen where she swam - petrified. She'd never encountered a shark so closely before where there was no place for herself to seek protection or shelter.
This was entirely different from watching them swim by from the safety of her room.
She needed to be smart about this.
Weiss wasn't like Yang – she didn't go around punching the beasts in the snouts for sport. Yang was probably almost as big as a tiger shark, but Weiss wasn't.
She hovered in the water, knowing it would be suicide to make a break and try to swim away. Had she been in a better condition, she probably could have managed it. But given her severe fatigue and aching body now...
She might be able to get in a few smacks of her tail, but that was all.
The shark started to circle her a bit, and Weiss moved to keep her eyes on it. If it made a move to strike, she'd at least have to try to escape, but until then she wouldn't budge.
She tried to push down the fear and draw up the level-headedness her father often praised her for. She'd read plenty about sharks in the scrolls of the library, which was why she could put such knowledge to use now.
If it had wanted to bite her, it would've done so with her tail earlier, but it had only nudged her. She could tell by the remoras clinging to the shark's underbelly that it had recently fed, else those fish wouldn't be picking off remnants of the kill.
This shark didn't intend to eat her, and so long as she didn't make a wrong move and aggravate it, it wouldn't strike.
She felt its nose bump against her back this time, sending her forward a little bit, but again there were no teeth. It was simply curious about her.
Mer-folk were skilled in avoiding sharks near the Reef, so it was safe to assume that this one had likely never seen a mermaid before.
Weiss watched as it swam a little lower, inching closer toward her tail. Experimentally, it nipped at her scales.
Weiss held back a yelp as the teeth pierced a few of them, but the beast didn't tear. It withdrew quickly, clearly dissatisfied by the taste.
It circled her a few more times, and Weiss held her breath.
A moment later, it swam off as quietly as it had come.
Weiss told herself that she'd single-handedly dissuaded this particular shark from ever trying to eat a mer-person ever again.
But it had left behind an excruciating pain halfway up her tail. When she inspected it, Weiss discovered that some of her pristine scales had been chipped. At the very least, there was no blood.
She'd have to count her blessings and move forward.
Another hour passed her by.
Weiss found herself in clearer waters with more fish swimming about, but there was still no sign of Blake.
Weiss had encountered several more sharks since the first, but thankfully they'd all been far enough away for her to avoid.
She'd grown more or less used to the aches and pains in her body by now. But she was terribly hungry, her thoughts taking her back to her last meal yesterday, curled up happily at Blake's side as they'd watched the whales...
After all she'd been through since then, a single day ago felt like eons.
Aside from the period of time when she'd been unconscious from the storm, Weiss hadn't rested for a second in her laborious search for Blake.
A thought tugged at the back of her mind like the net that had snared her weeks ago. It was a reminder of reality, of the fact that she was wearing herself thin, even though the chances of finding Blake were so slim they were just about non-existent.
Weiss was slowly killing herself, but she swore she'd meet that fate before she gave up on her lover.
Several hours of the morning had passed by, but still the sunlight was dim, stifled by grey clouds. The lack of sufficient lighting only served to make her drearier by the second.
She'd thanked the tiger shark in her mind several times, simply because its presence had shocked her into wakefulness. But now she could hardly keep her eyes open.
A distant splashing rang faintly in her ears, and Weiss paused again, trying to pinpoint the source. Upon reopening her eyes, she could see a mass of multiple shapes coming toward her from afar.
She was about to dive down in hopes of avoiding whatever it was, but a familiar clicking sound caused her to stay put.
It was only a pod of dolphins.
Weiss continued swimming, drawing closer to the mammals with every wave of her tail.
But there was something odd about their calls. It wasn't the usual playful chattering she'd always heard dolphins communicate through before.
There seemed to be a hint of distress to their clicks, but it wasn't something to warrant fear in Weiss. They weren't being pursued by anything, but they didn't seem to be enjoying themselves either.
She couldn't make sense of what might be amiss, but she didn't have the time or energy to spare on them.
However, it soon became apparent that the dolphins had a set destination in mind: Weiss.
Within minutes, the pod had reached her, slick grey bodies circling around her, above her, below her – everywhere. Weiss' eyes went wide with confusion; she couldn't understand what was happening.
But she could feel them nudging her gently, as though by means of support.
Weiss soon understood.
They were guiding her somewhere.
Perhaps they intended to take her back to her own kind, but they were still clicking fretfully.
No, Weiss thought. They haven't just found me and are taking me home. They've found something else...
Hope flared in her belly as she reached out to take hold of a fin. A smaller dolphin swam beside her, letting Weiss rest her tail on his back as the pod swam with her. They were bringing her in the same direction she'd been going in, only their assistance allowed her to travel much quicker than Weiss ever could have managed on her own.
She could feel the shift in water pressure, realizing they were leading her to a shallow area.
Their chattering grew more frequent, and Weiss felt them swimming toward the surface. She recoiled, but one of them pushed her arm with its nose, encouraging her upward.
Hesitantly, Weiss broke away from the dolphins supporting her and swam up to the surface on her own. She breached for the first time in months – she'd only ever done so in the past for fun in places there was certain to be no ships or other forms of danger.
The air was cold and the sky dark, reminders of the horrible storm that had passed over last night. The waves were rather large here, and Weiss needed to look around quickly as she hoped to avoid them.
She wasn't sure what she should be looking for, but it soon became quite apparent.
Land stretched out only about a mile away, tall trees with a human civilization undoubtedly not far off. There was a long strip of rocks cutting out into the water, and the ocean ended at a pale beach, littered with debris and wreckage from the storm.
Weiss couldn't understand why she'd been taken here. She scoured her surroundings for a moment before an oncoming wave approached. She dove back beneath the surface to avoid it before going back up, her eyes scanning the beach.
For a moment, she could only spot driftwood and other smaller shapes.
But then, something bigger caught her eye.
She could just barely make out a shape in the sand, discerning even from here it was much larger than any fish. She hoped a dolphin hadn't been stranded there.
But as Weiss squinted harder, her heart instantly slammed to a halt.
Grey-and-purple hues made themselves apparent in the dull sunlight.
Her voice came out for the first time in hours, choked and thin.
"Blake..."
Another wave rushed at her, and Weiss ducked back underneath, feeling the pull of the waves drag her closer toward the beach. She looked to the dolphins that surrounded her, watching her anxiously.
"Thank you..." she murmured.
She wasn't sure if they would understand, but she liked to believe they had. With nothing more they could do, the animals swam off together.
A new power fueled Weiss as she powered through the water toward the beach.
From what she'd seen, Blake had been beached far up the shore, likely deposited by a wave in last night's horrible storm.
It was Weiss' intent to ride a wave that would take her just as far.
She broke the surface again, finding herself much closer to the beach now. But she needed to be careful; if she chose a weak wave, it would only carry her a short distance to the shore.
It was tiring to dodge the rolling waves she didn't want, each undertow dragging her back out a little farther.
She was close enough to see Blake's ears now, though Weiss' stomach twisted sickeningly when she realized her lover hadn't moved at all since she'd found her.
But Weiss soon realized there was something else just as devastating.
Blake was much higher up on the beach than Weiss had initially thought. The night tide must have carried her, but the tide now would only take Weiss half that distance if she was lucky.
But even so, she wasn't about to be deterred. Not by anything.
Weiss kept her head above-water, aligning herself with Blake's position on the shore to the best of her abilities. She filled her lungs before screaming out her name.
"Blake!"
The mer-Faunus didn't stir, and Weiss bit her trembling lip. But the water was moving beneath her, and it wouldn't wait. When she looked over her shoulder, she could see a massive wave forming.
It was now or never.
. . .
. .
. . .
Blake knew she must've been dreaming.
The rain had stopped hours ago, leaving her skin dry and shriveling, peeling flakes into the sand around her. She could feel her scales starting to crumple, shredding the dry layers in a vain effort to preserve what little moisture remained underneath.
The pearls were clutched close to her heart, which had slowed significantly since she'd been stranded. Every breath was one she could feel that brought her closer to an acrid, premature death.
The life was being sucked out of her along with the water, and she'd almost wished for a day of beating, sweltering sun just to get it over with faster.
But this... this was sheer torment.
At least the weather was poor enough to stave off the humans.
But now she was hallucinating. She could hear Weiss' voice, and it was awfully convincing.
Blake moaned weakly, refusing to open her eyes; every time she'd done so until now had only found her waking to reality.
She'd much rather die living in a dream...
The crashing of the waves had become an insistent sound ringing in her drooping ears. She'd grown so subconsciously used to it that she hardly even recognized it anymore.
Another one crashed.
Then another.
And another...
"Blake...!"
It sounded so real.
Blake couldn't afford to keep crying like she was; sand already lined her lungs, and every tear was precious water lost.
But the voice sounded again.
"Blake-"
This time it was cut short by a bout of heaving coughs.
Blake found it too strange to be a dream that time.
It was all she could do to force herself onto her elbows, blinking her eyes open past the crusty sand that had previously sealed them closed. She looked over her shoulder, down the stretch of sand leading to the waterline.
For a split second, she felt she could breathe again.
It was unimaginable relief.
And then horror.
"W-Weiss...?" Her voice tumbled out, broken and rasping.
Weiss was there – undoubtedly there on that beach with her now.
Stranded.
She didn't know whether to cry out in joy or scream in dismay.
The waves were still lapping at her lover's tail, but Weiss wasn't going back into the water – not until she had Blake with her.
The white-haired mermaid was winded from the fall of the wave letting her down onto the shore, but the instant she heard Blake's voice, she looked up ahead.
She was still alive.
A rush of emotion flowed over Weiss, more powerful than any wave.
But even from here, she could see that Blake had wedged herself in a pile of sand, her tail unable to move. She was battered and bruised, faint trails of blood lining her spine and shoulders.
Weiss could see her golden eyes, weary and dull. Blake had clearly given up hope of survival until just now.
Weiss slapped her tail against the wet sand, pushing herself forward, using her hands to drag herself over the uneven ground.
"Blake!" she gasped. "B-Blake... I'm here..." The dry air stung her throat, instantly making her chest ache, but she continued to cry out to her. "I'm-! I'm going to... to get you home!"
Blake whimpered, feeling more tears drip down her cheeks. Weiss had come all this way to her, even when she was clearly so enervated.
Initially, part of Blake had wanted to shout at her girlfriend to go back into the water, but she knew Weiss wouldn't leave her - not now.
And Blake didn't want her to, either.
She was so sacred.
Her voice cracked, rising up in a wail of distress:
"I don't... want to die..."
Weiss' heart shattered to pieces. But her voice was determined as she shouted back to Blake:
"You won't! I won't... let you-!"
Again, she pushed at the sand with her tail, dragging herself forward inch by inch. Her body screeched in pain, but Weiss swallowed the screams; she couldn't afford to lose to the aching now.
Not when she'd come this far.
Not when she'd found Blake against all odds...
She was still so far away, but Weiss wouldn't stop.
She pushed forward again, and she could see Blake was trying to wiggle free as well, hissing in pain as she did so. Weiss yelped and called out to her again.
"No! Blake, d-don't move! I-I'll need you to... conserve your energy... for when I reach you..." She had a plan, but she'd need Blake's help if it was going to work.
The mer-Faunus nodded, dropping her head back into the sand. It was bad enough that she had to listen to Weiss' struggle as she moved up the beach – she didn't want to have to see it, too.
But she needed to see Weiss; Blake was aware this very well might be the last time she ever did.
So she re-opened her eyes as she looked toward her lover.
Weiss dug her nails into the sand, until her fingers sunk in up to her knuckles. She continued her desperate endeavor, utilizing the muscles in her tail to propel her another inch forward every time.
Painstaking moments passed, and Blake could only watch her. She was hopeless to stop her own tears, a mixture of distraught and relief and fear.
She could tell Weiss was crying too, for similar reasons.
Blake had been dropped onto the beach by a wave, but Weiss had to crawl all the way up and then back down, and she'd already journeyed for so many miles on the open ocean on an empty stomach to get here.
They were both past their limits, and yet refused to give in until their dying breaths.
And it was clear now – if they were to breathe those, they'd at least do so together.
Weiss persevered, minutes upon minutes passing as she felt the last of the sea water evaporate from her skin and hair. She could only imagine how damaged Blake's skin must have been by now, after hours without water.
Weiss was halfway to her now, and after every push, she needed to stop to catch her breath before trying again.
Blake watched her dizzily, needing to close her eyes often to prevent headache.
It felt like a lifetime before Weiss' fingers finally brushed the tips of Blake's fins.
The white-haired mermaid pushed herself up, feeling her shoulders screech with pain as she did so. Using her hands, she dug Blake's tail out of the pile of sand that had wedged her in, scooping away as many handfuls as she could.
Blake felt her tail come loose and pushed her palms into the sand. Her body slid down accordingly. She struggled until she was right beside her lover.
"Weiss..." Blake rasped.
She reached up, the pearl necklace looping around her wrist and sliding down her arm as she pulled the girl in to her. Weiss collapsed softly onto Blake's chest, her arms finding their way around her dry shoulders and squeezing gently.
"Blake..."
Blake kept whispering into her ear, kissing her neck, her cheek, her scar, her hair – anywhere and everywhere she could. Her body was still numb save from the faint flicker of warmth in her chest that Weiss had relit.
Weiss kissed the mer-Faunus' chest, then up her chin to pause at her lips. They were both already worryingly short on breath, and a kiss could steal essential energy. She settled for kissing the bridge of Blake's nose before hugging her once more, tucking her face into the dark-haired girl's shoulder.
Blake clung to her, weak with relief. Weiss' weight was next to nothing on top of her, and she felt it even easier to breathe now.
Weiss' skin was still cool from the water, a pleasant contrast to the cracking dryness of her own skin.
But Weiss knew they couldn't waste any more time.
She pulled away from Blake, murmuring again that she loved her and kissing her nose.
"We're going home now," she huffed matter-of-factly.
Blake let out a withering breath, eyes tired as they met Weiss'.
"How...?"
Weiss had already had plenty of time to think through that. She could either hold onto Blake's tail and drag her back toward the sea, or hold onto Blake's shoulders and push her. Weiss decided on the latter option, simply because it would result in Blake reaching the water first.
"I'll push you," she said. "You can use your tail... to pull yourself toward the water."
Weiss had already made a trail in the sand on her way up, providing a path for Blake to follow; it'd be much easier than having to make a new path altogether, that was for certain.
Blake met her eyes and nodded despite the all-encompassing fatigue.
Weiss leaned down to press another kiss to her forehead.
"We're going to make it," she whispered. "I promise."
Blake nodded, managing to kiss Weiss' cheek in return before she pulled away.
Resolved, the white-haired mermaid shifted herself, helping Blake roll over onto her stomach. Blake winced as she swished her tail from side to side slowly, clearing away excess sand in her path.
Weiss held onto her shoulders, using her own tail to surge forward, pushing Blake toward the water.
It was still so far...
They got into a routine of sorts.
Weiss would rasp a count to three, and then the two of them would pour their strength into moving as much as possible, and then they would pause for breath.
Weiss' nails curled into Blake's shoulders as she pushed, and she wheezed countless apologies as she felt her lover's dried skin cracking beneath. Her nails left behind little crescents of blood, and Weiss bowed her head to the other girl's, kissing her between the ears in apology.
They moved inch by inch, but it took almost a full hour to cover half the distance to the water.
They were both simply too exhausted to move any faster.
Before much longer, the clouds started to break, and hot sunlight streamed through.
Weiss tilted her chin up to the sky in dismay.
"No..." she wheezed.
Her eyes went back down to Blake.
Her lover was clearly far past her limit now. Very far. If the sun was coming out now, there was no way Blake would survive until the tides came tonight.
Weiss counted again, giving the mer-Faunus another shove and pushing her a few more inches toward the water's edge.
But Blake couldn't move her tail any longer.
Weiss pushed her shoulders again, but Blake didn't budge.
Weiss whimpered, lying down to brush their cheeks together.
"Blake...?"
Two golden orbs flashed back at her, but they were dull, almost lifeless.
"Weiss..." she rasped. "I'm sorry. I can't... I can't..."
And suddenly, the white-haired girl knew Blake's pain when Weiss had given up fighting back when she'd been trapped by the net.
Weiss herself had given up as she'd been dragged toward the boat, just as Blake had given up now.
Weiss choked on her next arid breath, and she hugged Blake weakly.
"Okay..." she whispered. "Okay, Blake... You just- just rest. I'll get us there. I'll... get you home..."
Blake shook her head.
"Weiss... you should go back... you can't move me, too..."
"No!" Weiss snapped, dipping her head to kiss Blake's cheek. "I won't leave you."
Both of their lives were in Weiss' hands now.
She held onto Blake's shoulders and continued her debilitating struggle against the sand, swiping her tail behind her. It was much more difficult to move them now that Blake couldn't spare the energy to help herself, but Weiss managed to move them forward, bit by bit.
She could hear the seagulls crying out overhead and cursed them. Weiss didn't doubt they would be willing to peck at a mermaid's tail.
"Scram, you... filthy scavengers," she growled.
A few of them landed, darting over to peck at her tail as she'd feared. She swatted them away and pushed once more through the sand, shifting Blake ever closer to the tantalizing water.
It wasn't much farther now, but Weiss could barely lift her arms anymore. She was moving them less and less each time, needing longer breaks in between bursts of strength.
The birds had gone to Blake's tail now, but the mer-Faunus was too weak to fend them off. Weiss shouted at them, but promptly doubled over in another bout of hacking coughs shortly afterward.
She pushed Blake again, and the gulls hopped away, keeping a few feet of distance as they waited. Weiss refused to be bird food and die like this, nor would she let Blake.
Her lover had been quiet and still for some time now.
Worriedly, Weiss turned Blake over a bit to glimpse her face, dry white hair spilling over her own shoulders and pooling in the sand.
"B-Blake..." she panted meekly. "Blake...?"
But the mer-Faunus didn't open her eyes or even make a sound.
Weiss reached out, pressing fingers to the side of her neck. She couldn't find a pulse.
"Blake?!" she shrieked. "Blake, Blake?!" Weiss nuzzled into the side of her lover's neck, hugging her softly, feeling the tears already slipping down her cheeks. "No, no, please..."
Weiss gave another almighty shove, and Blake's tail slid through the sand. Her fins were just brushing the wet grains now, where the waves were just barely touching.
Weiss pushed again and again, with all of her might.
Her arms gave out on her several times, but she didn't stop – she wouldn't, even if she ended up breaking her bones.
Weiss was sobbing breathlessly as she heaved Blake's weight again and again toward the water.
"Stay with me..." she begged. "Blake, please... we're almost there..."
The mer-Faunus was deadweight, and Weiss' smaller body was at its final breaking point.
But when she checked Blake's tail, she found it had reached the water. Weiss grit her teeth and pushed again.
"Hang on, Blake. Just... a few more minutes. Please..."
The feeling of cool water on her shriveling tail combined with Weiss' voice had done the trick. A small sound escaped Blake's lips, so small Weiss almost missed it past the rushing of the water.
"Blake?" She cupped the girl's face gently in her hands, rubbing her thumbs over the girl's cheeks.
Another moan, and Blake's brow furrowed. The breath that left her lips was painful to listen to, and Weiss dipped her head to cover the girl's lips with her own, pushing air into her aching lungs.
Blake gasped, whimpering as her lover pulled away. Weiss' skin was also flaking now, her breath coming short and feeble.
But there was a fierce determination in her eyes – the determination to live.
Blake wanted nothing more.
"Sorry..." she moaned. "I just-"
"Shh..." Weiss hushed her. "I know. You... you've been through so much. I'm glad you rested for a bit." She blinked away more tears that had swelled up for fear her lover had been dead. Weiss crumpled, nuzzling into Blake's shoulder again. "I'm... just so glad you're alive..." she gasped.
Blake wrapped her arms around the mermaid's neck loosely.
"Me, too."
Weiss kissed her cheek again before pulling away, her eyes now set behind Blake.
"You're... almost there."
Her words caused Blake to look over her shoulder. She hadn't even realized her tail had touched the water. She looked back to the beach, up the long stretch of sand where they'd traveled from.
"Weiss..." she mumbled. "You got us... all this way?"
Weiss let out a sigh.
"Somehow..." She offered a tiny smile. "Now then... let's go home."
Blake slid her hands down to find her lover's.
"Yeah."
Weiss waited for a wave to come to them, so it could loosen some of the sand beneath Blake. She counted down again before pushing Blake's shoulders. The mer-Faunus thrashed her tail, sending a spray of water up over the both of them.
It gave them the last bit of strength they needed.
Blake slipped a little further into the water as more waves rushed up to meet her. Cool water soon submerged her fins and graced her broken scales, soothing the pain just a bit. Her ears lifted in anticipation, forcing her muscles to move once more as she felt her girlfriend push her again.
Weiss' labored breathing filled her ears even louder than the tide, and the mermaid was almost hyperventilating as she shoved Blake further into the water. It was shallow, but Blake could feel liquid reaching as far up as her stomach now.
Weiss was still crying, and Blake could only imagine her pain. She spoke up softly by means of encouragement.
"It's... okay, Weiss..." she murmured. "You're doing so great. Almost there..."
Weiss bent down to kiss her head appreciatively.
Another wave, another shove.
Then, Blake felt her lower half being pulled into the water.
With a push of her palms against the sand, the next wave broke over her head, showering her in vital water. Blake gulped in a mouthful of the sacred elixir, feeling it rush down her parched throat and fill her dried lungs.
Weiss felt a light spray of it as well, but it would likely be a few more moments of torment before she'd reach the water fully herself.
With one final push to Blake's shoulders, the mer-Faunus was up to her neck in water.
"Go..." Weiss rasped. "I'll be... right behind you..."
"Weiss-"
Blake tried to grab for her hands, unwilling to leave her even for a second.
But the next wave crashed over her and dragged her out until she felt the sand fall away from her stomach. When she next opened her eyes, she was underwater once more.
She gasped in mouthfuls of water, the coolness of it making her wounds sting, but she'd welcome that over the stifling numbness of sunlight any day. A few coughs expelled sand from her system, until only the welcomed seawater remained.
She made an effort to swim back to the surface, but it was heaving with powerful waves that she had no hopes of besting in her current condition.
She lingered as close to the shore as possible without risking being tossed back up by the waves, waiting for Weiss.
On shore, the white-haired mermaid felt relief like never before once she saw Blake finally dive under the surface. Weiss collapsed shortly afterward, her cheek colliding with wet sand as she heaved for breath that refused to come.
She'd just rest for a moment...
...
No.
She'd been away from Blake long enough.
Weiss reopened her eyes, swishing her tail in the sand once more as she reached out for a grip, hauling herself forward. A thin layer of water tickled her fingers, and she wailed in desperation.
Blake was waiting for her.
Again and again she dragged herself forward, until the water splashed into her face. She swallowed a needy mouthful before slipping in.
At long last, the waves lifted her body out of the sand and pulled her out into the ocean. Her eyes fell shut as she let the currents take her below, a meek voice slipping past pale, trembling lips.
"Blake..."
The mer-Faunus heard her voice just as she saw Weiss drifting in the water at long last. She'd been getting excessively concerned, but now swam over to her lover as quickly as she could.
"Weiss-!"
Blake reached out, catching the other mermaid in her arms. She swam into deeper waters with her, until she could no longer feel the waves surging above them.
Blake's eyes scanned her girlfriend, finding little bubbles leaving her lips. Blake rubbed a hand over Weiss' collar to help her breathe, holding a long kiss to her mouth and sharing water with her.
"Weiss... we made it," she whispered. "Open your eyes."
She dropped her head to Weiss' chest, pressing an ear to her fluttering heartbeat.
Blake kissed her a few more times until Weiss heaved a gasp, convulsing in her arms. Blake hugged her tightly, hands roaming through her hair and down to the small of her back.
The crushing hug was the first thing they welcomed in a long while, and Weiss returned it full-force.
For a long moment, they clung to one another and trembled, whimpering words of love and gratitude. Blake didn't release Weiss for a long while as she sobbed her confessions.
"I... I thought I was going to die..." she whispered. "It was so awful. I never thought I'd see you again..."
Weiss pulled back slightly to pepper soft kisses all over her face, hushing her.
"I thought the same..." she whispered. "But if we hadn't been meant to find one another, we wouldn't have. And here we are, so..."
She trailed off as the mer-Faunus kissed her shoulder.
Eventually, their lips found their way to the other's, and they held one another a moment longer.
When they parted, Blake recalled the tiny weight around her elbow where she carried Weiss' pearls.
She coaxed Weiss back a bit as she slid the necklace off of herself and back around Weiss' neck.
She heard Weiss gasp; it was clear that her love and concern for Blake had been great enough to make Weiss forget all about even something as precious as the necklace.
Blake brushed alabaster locks aside and secured the fishing wire at the nape of the girl's neck, tying the knot as many times as she could to ensure its sturdiness. When she'd finished, she dipped her head to kiss the pearls, just above Weiss' heart.
Weiss couldn't help but embrace her again and kiss her with a surprising passion.
Then, at long last, they began the journey home, guided by instinct and never for a second letting go of the other's hand.
They swam slowly due to their injuries, each telling her own side of the story in turn.
Alone, an injured mermaid might have been at risk of danger, but with two of them together it was much less likely.
They didn't rush, but they didn't exactly take their time either. The two swam at a pace somewhere in between, frequently pausing for rest, one supporting the other until she could catch her breath.
After all they had been through, it seemed the fates believed it only fair to give them a safe journey home.
Before long, they found a small coral reef, and after inspecting it for several minutes, found that none of the inhabitants were dangerous. Weiss curled her aching tail onto the hard surface and pulled Blake down beside her to rest.
There was a patch of seaweed nearby, and Weiss reached for a few blades of green, pulling them free. Blake took one from her, and together they started wrapping the plants around their hands, squeezing out the nutritious paste and rubbing it over their partner's wounds.
Blake located the shark bite Weiss had sustained, noticing where a few of her scales had been sticking out awkwardly, and massaged them for her gently.
Weiss had much more to tend to.
Blake's back was covered in cuts, and though most had started to heal up, they could easily be reopened if Blake were to move the wrong way. Weiss took great care as she rubbed the healing plant over the gashes along her shoulder blades.
She then went to the tops of Blake's shoulders, where Weiss had dug her own nails into her girlfriend's flesh in the process of pushing her through the sand. She kissed the marks she herself had left behind, murmuring apologies.
Blake simply wrapped an arm around her and kissed her hair.
Finally, Weiss rubbed over Blake's missing scales, soothing the aching emptiness left in their places; it would take several weeks for them to regrow, and until then Blake would feel tiny, sharp pains in those places.
The two mermaids went through almost the entire batch of seaweed before they were satisfied with their partner's wounds being coated in the clear, creamy substance.
Their first meal in so many hours was the remaining seaweed, which was about as satisfying as it sounded, but they didn't have any other options. The limp blades of the plant were hard to chew and even harder to swallow, and the aftertaste horrid, but it was better than nothing.
They kissed afterward to displace the awful taste, mumbling about how much fruit they planned to eat when they got home.
A moment of quiet discussion brought them to an agreement of staying on the coral for a while to regain their strength. They didn't know how long it would be before they found another resting spot, if they found one at all.
So they did their best to curl up on the uneven surface, lying on their sides, arms wrapped gently around one another, their entwined tails keeping them anchored down even amidst the swaying water.
Blake had napped with Weiss in her arms many times before, but none had ever brought her as much satisfaction as this time. All of the soreness, all of the aching, and most of the fear dissipated in Weiss' presence, her familiar scent filling Blake's lungs along with the cool water. She brushed her fingers through Weiss' flowing tresses, caressing her cheeks, through her hair, and all the way down to the small of her back.
Weiss clung to Blake's back, careful not to dig her nails in for fear of accidentally reopening the wounds. She rubbed her palms in little circles over Blake's skin, thankful to find it was now smooth and fully rehydrated. She rested her head on Blake's chest, listening to every wonderful breath she took, the slow thump of her heart filling Weiss' ears in a pleasant, steady rhythm.
And Blake could feel Weiss' too, a very soft pulse resonating just below her ribcage as they pressed together, breathing in unison.
They slept for the remainder of the day, for several hours. When they did wake, it was with a new vigor, their muscles somewhat rejuvenated by the healing oils of the plants.
Swimming at night could be dangerous, but so could resting in foreign waters when it was dark. Blake's eyesight was sharper than Weiss', and she led them through the darkness, never once letting go of her lover's hand.
They were both following the same little tug of instinct that was urging them home, back to the Reef.
During the night, they swam a little closer to the surface, simply to keep close to the moonlight. They spoke quietly to pass the time, all the while keeping hold of the other's hands.
It was a long night of swallowing down fear and uncertainty. When the anxieties grew too much for them, they would pause briefly to share an embrace and a kiss, murmuring words of encouragement before continuing on.
It wasn't until the sun had risen again when they finally caught sight of the Great Coral Reef.
They were at the West End District, and even from afar they could hear the distant voices of other mer-folk. Word of Blake's and Weiss' disappearance had spread along the Reef by now, and even a day later they were still being searched for.
The first mer-Faunus that noticed their approach called for assistance, and within seconds a group had swam out to them, supporting the injured girls as they swam them back to the Reef.
From there, the pair were carried back through the Districts to the Middle one, where their worried families rushed to embrace them.
Ruby started crying first, and though she did her best not to, Yang followed shortly afterward. Their emotions brought on Blake's and Weiss' feelings too, as well as their parents'.
Weiss felt herself being turned around at one point as Winter hugged her, a contact they hadn't shared in so many years.
Their respective parents took turns hugging them as well, thanking the sea gods to finally have their daughters back safely.
The tearful reunion was brought inside the coral as Weiss' father invited everyone to their main room. They all settled there to listen to the two girls' stories.
As they spoke, they didn't leave one another's side, keeping close and leaving nothing of their relationship to the imagination.
Yang sat on Blake's other side, helping Summer rub more cream onto her battered back. Ruby clung to Weiss like a remora, and Winter sat just beside her.
They fetched fruit for Weiss and Blake to eat, and eventually both families shared a large meal in celebration for their return.
Somewhere along the lines, the glances and kisses Weiss and Blake kept sharing were becoming apparent to their parents.
Weiss' father told Ruby and Yang's parents about extra rooms carved out in the surrounding coral and invited them all to stay the night.
Humbly, they accepted the offer.
Summer and Tai each kissed Blake lovingly on the head before swimming off through the tunnel of their makeshift room. Weiss' father did the same for her, and their sisters followed shortly afterward.
Winter retreated to her own room, and Ruby and Yang took a spare one together.
Blake followed Weiss back to hers, settling on the floor with her for a while. She reached for the comb-shell and removed Weiss' tiara before beginning to brush her hair that had become knotted throughout their endeavor.
Weiss let out a bubbling sigh, leaning back against her girlfriend's chest.
Once Blake had finished with her hair, she wrapped her arms around her lover's stomach, holding her close. She leaned forward to press kisses atop Weiss' shoulders, nuzzling her nose into the girl's hair and the side of her neck.
Weiss turned her face and tilted her chin to kiss her cheek in return.
There were several moments of comfortable silence between them until Weiss felt compelled to speak softly.
"You know..." she murmured. "At first I thought... maybe this wouldn't work out. Because we met the way we did, and fell in love so suddenly. I thought maybe... we were just fooling ourselves," she admitted.
Guilt swirled in her stomach, but Blake's gentle hands caressed her skin with care, urging Weiss to go on. "But after all of this... after everything we've been through... I know it's not just a mistake. This is real, Blake." She turned around in her lover's arms, boring her crystal-blue gaze directly into gold. "I love you."
For a moment, Blake could only respond by squeezing her tightly, her hands shaking a bit, trying to find her voice and speak around the lump that had formed in her throat.
"I love you, too," she whispered at last. "I love you, Weiss..."
They may have known it all along, but it was still nice to say aloud, and even nicer to hear.
Weiss cupped the girl's cheeks before kissing her softly.
"You know..." she murmured. "I think it could be nice to have you and your family stay with us."
Blake felt a tingle of excitement go through her chest.
"A-Actually, these past few weeks, my parents had been talking about maybe moving..."
"Then this is perfect," Weiss said, kissing her again. "I'll speak to Daddy and we can officially have you as our new neighbors."
"I'd like that," Blake sighed. "I'd like that a lot. I think we all would."
"As do I."
They kissed again before Weiss slipped out of her arms, moving behind Blake instead to brush her hair for her.
Once she'd finished, a little yawn from the mer-Faunus made Weiss remember her own exhaustion.
Taking Blake's hand, she swam over to the sea grass bed with her, where there was just room enough for them both.
Blake laid down beside her and kissed her again.
Familiar scents reached their noses – sunshine and pearls, fresh seaweed and shells.
Weiss massaged the girl's shoulders lightly as Blake traced her palm over her lover's stomach. She then dipped her head to kiss Weiss' pearls before nuzzling into her neck. Her Faunus ear pressed to Weiss' collar, seeking the familiar heartbeat Blake had been missing for so long now.
Soft as it was, it filled her ears. Even when the rushing of the waters outside subsided for a moment, that pulse remained – persistent and steady – and she couldn't help pressing closer.
Weiss slipped her arms around Blake and kissed her temple.
"I love you, Blake," she breathed.
Weiss felt a small kiss being placed on her chest.
"I love you, Weiss."
The perilous trials they had faced in their short amount of time together had tested their affections beyond limits that should have torn them apart.
And yet here they were, wrapped happily in one another's arms, warm and with more reason to live than ever before.
If that wasn't love, then no such thing ever existed.
A/N: Thank you for reading until the end! I'll set this story as complete for now, but I might add another chapter later on, so keep your eyes open!
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