Blake sat on the steps outside the Science Wing, reading. Two years had passed, relatively uneventfully. She'd tried hard to forget Yang, but found she couldn't. So much could change in two years, but Yang never did. She couldn't forget those dancing violet eyes, that bold yellow hair which seemed to gleam brighter than the sun itself...

She bit her tongue and slapped herself. She was being ridiculous. There was no way she'd see Yang again, hence there was no point remembering.

Spring was just starting to arrive - blossoms were starting to come out on some of the trees around the campus, the weather was becoming warmer, (Blake had discarded her scarf the previous week,) and butterflies and the like seemed more abundant. Blake loved the fall, and the colours that came with it, but Spring was definitely next best, with little rain and perfect temperatures.

"Hey."

Blake froze. Her eyes widened, and her breath quickened. No. No, that can't be right. That can't be...

She dared to glance upwards, to see her.

Yang.

She blinked a couple of times, processing this. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Yang shrugged, and sat down next to her. Blake's heart thudded a little harder. Why am I so affected by this?!

"How have you been?"

Blake shrugged. "Good. But seriously, how are you- I mean, why..." she waved her arms aimlessly to try and get across her point. Yang laughed.

"Magic."

Blake nudged her playfully, shaking her head in mock wonder. "You must have pulled off a pretty magnificent trick to get into Beacon." Beacon was one of the most prestigious schools in the country, and Yang had never struck her as a great academic.

Yang just laughed again. "I don't know whether to feel insulted, or pleased that I proved you wrong."

"Go with the latter. It's good to see you," the other freshman replied warmly. "What degree are you doing then?"

"A double whatsit. Double degree. IT and Graphic Design. You?"

"Arts and Psychology."

Yang whistled. "You took on a science. Impressive. What are you doing for the arts part?"

"Literature Major, then Human Rights and Gender Studies."

"Human Rights? But-"

Blake's eyes widened, starting to panic. "Keep your voice down!"

"Right. Sorry."

For a long time, Faunus hadn't been accepted at Beacon. Not since an organization called the White Fang had stormed the campus years ago and seriously injured a pair of Human Rights professors. They would have held them hostage until the university promised to change the course to cover the rights of Faunus as well, but the police intervened, and the Faunus involved were arrested. Blake wasn't convinced this was the best outcome - she believed in what the White Fang was fighting for. But not in the way they were fighting for it.

"So..." Yang broke the silence, standing up and stretching. "Shall we walk around for a bit? It's too cold to just sit here. You don't have to do any urgent study or anything, do you?"

"No. I'm free for the rest of the day."

Blake slipped a bookmark into the book, and the pair wandered down the path, being careful to stay out of the way of academics and older students rushing back and forth.

"Are you living on campus?" Yang asked, pulling a mint of some description out of her pocket, and tossing it into her mouth. She silently offered one to Blake, but the Faunus declined.

"Yes. In the Sanctum-Signal building." All of the buildings had pretty unusual names. Sanctum-Signal was named after a pair of top-notch high schools which had played a large part in founding Beacon. Many students who went to those schools came to Beacon afterwards. "You?"

Yang nodded. "Can't remember the name of it. Near the Law School. Heaps of Canadian students."

"The Williams' Building?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"How's your sister?"

"Hm? Ruby?"

"Yeah."

"She's good. Fifteen now. Trying to work out her sexuality."

"Ah, poor thing."

"What about you? What have you been doing?" Yang asked.

Blake shrugged. "Not much. Studying. Reading. Procrastinating. I take it you didn't go on a gap year either?"

"No, I did. I skipped a grade, since we move around a fair bit because of Dad's job. My education was fragmented in places, but if I'd stayed with my age group when I moved schools the...sixth time? I think it was the sixth. Anyway, I would have repeated a heap of stuff. I finished a year younger than most people."

"Where did you go? On your gap year?"

"I went to do work with the military, actually," she said casually. Blake's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Yang paused, wondering how to explain. "Our mother...well, Ruby's mother. She was in the military. She died when I was seven."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No, no, don't be, it was ages ago, but..." she trailed off, a soft smile lighting up her face, her eyes clouded with memories. "I always wanted to be just like her. So strong, and passionate, and an amazing baker of cookies. But I couldn't stand the order - the rigid rules, the regulations, the 'yes sir's and obedience. I only lasted three months."

"Did you go anywhere after that?"

"Yeah, I went to Australia briefly. Strangest place sometimes. Nice people. Nice beaches. Nice abs. Weird ass animals. Oh, and the 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi' thing really works. I tried it at a cricket match. It was brilliant. Have you ever played cricket?"

"No."

"Makes no sense. There are two batters, the pitcher's a bowler, and they have fielding positions called things like 'silly mid-on'. Who even calls something 'silly mid-on'?"

Blake laughed. "What, as opposed to silly mid-off?"

"Yes! They actually have that too!"

Blake nodded, letting Yang carry the conversation. If it had been any other way, it probably would have descended into a series of awkward pauses with comments on the weather now and then. And she liked listening to Yang.

"Y'know..." Yang trailed off, pausing for a moment. "I should tell you. I haven't stopped thinking about you since that night."

Blake swallowed. "Really."

"Mm-hm."

"I, er...that feeling is mutual."

Yang looked down at her feet. Blake wasn't sure if it was just her, but she might have been blushing. "That's good to hear," she said quietly. "I've really missed you."

Blake nodded. "Isn't it lucky that we both went to Beacon?"

"Yep." She grinned, still looking down. "Like magic."

"Tale as old as time,"

"Yang."

"True as it can be,"

"Yang, stop."

"Barley even friends,"

"Seriously."

"Then somebody bends,"

"Yang, I will hit you with my laptop cord."

"Unexpectedly."

The pair sat on Blake's bed, leaning against each other, back to back, while Blake tried in vain to type up her psychology essay.

"Just a little change," Yand leant further into Blake, dramatically pulling her fist towards her chest. Blake rolled her eyes. She had to admit, Yang was a relatively decent singer. But it was also nearing midnight, and Blake could feel her patience slowly running out.

"Small to say the least," She threw her arms out either side of her, grinning like an idiot. Blake felt her ears twitch involuntarily, rubbing against the bow.

"Stop!"

"Both a little scared!" She spun around, wrapping one arm around Blake's waist and resting her head on her shoulder, which was really distracting for the Faunus. "Neither one prepared!"

"Yang, honestly!"

"Beauty and the Beast!"

Yang fell silent, resting her head on Blake, watching her type. Blake sighed. "I don't think it's meant to be sung like a power ballad."

Yang scoffed. "That wasn't a power ballad. This is a po-"

"Yang?"

"Hm?"

"Please don't sing. I love your singing, I do. But not at one in the morning."

"Oh, okay."

Blake rolled her eyes and kept typing. She was lucky she had such a tolerant roommate - Pyrrha Nikos. The relatively well-known student was dux of her old school, she was studying Ancient and European History. After spending a couple of days with her, Blake had come up with the phrase "cheerfully nonchalant" to describe her outlook. Currently, she was in Jaune Arc's room, at the other end of the corridor.

"Blake?"

"Hm?"

"Isn't it weird, that we're hanging out like this like old friends already?"

Blake paused. "We are old friends."

Yang rolled her eyes. "We've literally spent..." trailed off, checking her watch. " Four days and twelve hours together."

Blake glanced at the time too. It was 12:50. "Thirteen."

"Yeah, well, I'm bad at maths. Who knows, maybe that's some kind of record for you. Hey, is that psychology thing due tomorrow?"

"No. I just want to get ahead."

"You should stop. You'll be too tired to do anything tomorrow."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What am I planning to do tomorrow?"

Yang winked, and Blake felt heat rush to her cheeks. "Surprise."

"What if tomorrow was filled up with lectures?"

"Your schedule's on your wall."

"What if I had other plans?"

"I'm working on the assumption that you still don't have any friends."

"What if I just didn't want to?"

Yang grinned. "Then I'd have to force you." Blake wondered briefly if Yang meant to sound so seductive. Like, all the time.

She closed her laptop. "Fine. What time do you want me?"

Yang's eyes seemed to burn with intensity. "Eight? Outside the arts school?"

"Sure."

Yang sprung off the bed, stretched, and yawned. "I should go back to my room. Sleep."

Blake nodded. "Yes. Sleep is good."

"G'night."

"Night."

Yang went out quietly, closing the door. Blake slid her laptop under her bed and pulled the covers over herself. Her face quickly split into a grin, as she flicked the switch on the lap beside her, making the room instantly dark, and slipped into unconsciousness.