The sun was setting on their private, desolate island. As a result, it was a little difficult for Ruby to locate the beached collections of seaweed on the shoreline that she needed for Weiss.
Luckily, Blake was by her side and collected more than enough for their sick friend, thanks to her keen vision.
Ruby took a few pieces of the algae from Blake's hand. "First thing's first, I know you're also suffering."
Blake gripped the remaining seaweed. "Huh?"
"Don't pretend," Ruby gently tied the seaweed around the back of Blake's head. "You were hurt, too."
The dull throbbing of her skull slowly turned to an annoying ache. Nonetheless, it was great improvement.
"Thank you, Ruby," the faunus said.
Ruby was happy to finally see a smile on Blake's face. "N-no problem. You know you can always come to me."
"Of course. The next time I have an issue I'll come to you," Blake assured.
"Good, because I can tell if you're hiding something anyways," the brunette stated.
Blake sighed in relief as she gently pressed another piece of algae on the sore spot and tied it firmly. The makeshift bandage clung tightly to the irritated cut, already dulling the pain.
"Come on," Ruby reached out her hand. "The rest is for Weiss."
The faunus once again smiled from the gesture and grasped Ruby's hand with a faint blush. Despite Ruby wanting to get back, Blake took the lead since she could see better than her.
The sun barely peaked over the horizon, painting the sky orange. No clouds were in sight, meaning no storms were brewing. The ocean easily reflected the oncoming darkness as the two headed to the remaining pair.
Yang leaned over Weiss, who was lying limply on the sand.
"You really scared me there, princess," the blonde ran her fingers through her damp bangs, her forehead beaded with sweat.
Why was I so scared when she fainted? Yang thought. I just met her last night and she tried to attack me! Well… I guess I can't blame her for doing that...
"Yang!" Ruby called as her and Blake ran up to Yang. "How is she?"
"Still unconscious…" Yang muttered. "But what about you?" she asked when she saw the new bandage around Blake's head.
"Much better thanks to Ruby," Blake replied in a pleased tone.
"I'm glad," the blonde smiled. "When do you think she'll wake up?"
Blake placed a piece of cold seaweed on Weiss' forehead.
"Soon," the faunus affirmed. "We should check on her gash for now."
Yang nodded. "Good thinking."
Ruby and Blake took a seat next to Yang to watch the process.
The blonde was hesitant to lift the handmade eye patch, fearing that she would hurt the girl.
"Here," Ruby cautiously removed the leave-patch.
Blake grimaced. "It looks pretty bad."
The deep cut still had blood surrounding Weiss' left eye. Wet blood was present and dripping, but the dried blood smeared all over because the leaves were constantly pressing against her skin. This made it a particularly painful sight.
Yang cringed and picked up a piece of seaweed. "Good thing she's out, this'll hurt."
The blonde gently wiped off the remaining dry blood with the algae and tossed it to the side with a smile.
"Much better."
Dry blood was no longer present, but the single red line remained with the occasional seeping of blood.
"It does look better but she's still bleeding," Blake observed. "Let's not put the eye patch back on until it completely stops."
"Good idea!" Ruby chirped and got another piece of seaweed.
Gently placing it over Weiss' eye, Ruby sighed in relief when she succeeded without causing her any pain.
"That should heal her up in no time!" Yang beamed. "We're such great doctors."
Blake almost snickered, her laugh getting caught in her throat. "Dr. Xiao Long at your service."
"I like the sound of that," Yang replied.
"The first known doctor to crash a party," Ruby said.
"Literally," Yang sighed. "Oh man, this whole thing's a mess and it's all my fault…"
Blake put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It was my idea. If anyone should take the blame, it's me."
"Woah, woah," Ruby interjected. "I went along with you guys. I didn't stop you, so it's my fault."
Yang sighed heavily. "Look at us… Each taking the blame... I couldn't ask for better friends."
"We each had a part," the faunus admitted. "And the burden mostly fell on her…" her gaze lingered on Weiss.
Ruby was downcast. "Before she fainted… she said something about her dad being dead?"
"Yeah," Yang confirmed. "He was on the ship when it wrecked."
Blake's eyes widened. "Does that make us murderers?"
The three were dead silent from the possibility, only the tide reaching their ears.
"We have to hold onto hope," Ruby suggested. "Captain Schnee is a smart man."
Ruby made sure to say 'is' instead of 'was' in an effort to provide as much comfort to the group as possible. The last thing she wanted was her friends to feel like murderers, especially when they don't know for sure if the man was dead.
She continued. "He's proven himself. This time is no different."
Captain Schnee was known for owning various weapons shops across the world. The trademark stores were known as 'Schnee's Weaponry,' where people bought things from pocket knives to guns, to medieval things like the halberd and mace.
However, many stores went out of business due to his superior negotiation skills and cunning financial tactics. Many people were understandably upset with the man, but were powerless to take back their companies.
"Let's not think about the negatives," Yang stated. "We don't know for sure if her dad's dead, but she's worried sick about him."
"Who wouldn't be?" Blake asked. "In a way, I understand…"
Yang and Ruby realized what she was referring to.
"Hey, come on now," Ruby comforted. "You have us. Don't think about it too much."
"She's right," Yang beamed a smile at her faunus friend. "We'll never leave your side."
Blake's eyes started to water from the memories. "Thanks guys. You're like family to me."
"Like?" Yang scoffed. "We are family, Blake. Bound by blood or not."
Ruby hugged the faunus. "You're not alone anymore."
"I know," Blake sniffled a bit and returned the hug. "Thank you."
Ruby and Blake savored the warmth, glad that they had each other on the island and weren't alone. They had been best friends almost their whole lives. Both of them wanted something more, but they were afraid it would ruin their priceless relationship.
Yang smiled at the two's embrace, but reality set in as she looked back to Weiss. "We'll never be able to make it up to her, will we?"
Blake dropped her head guiltily. "Who knows…"
"The fact of the matter is that we don't know for sure if he's dead, right?" Ruby asked.
Yang and Blake nodded slowly.
"And we won't know for sure until we get back home," Ruby continued. "What matters is the present!" she couldn't stand the depressing atmosphere. "I bet you guys are hungry. And I know Weiss will want something to eat when she wakes up."
"What do you want to do?" Yang asked curiously. "It's almost dark, and it's too dangerous to go in the jungle."
Ruby looked at Blake knowingly. "You can see perfectly now, right?"
"Yes," Blake confirmed. "Night vision comes in handy in times like this."
"Then the answer is simple. I'll collect some sticks to spear the fish with. Since I'm awesome with a spear, Blake can just tell me where they are in the water."
Yang internally chuckled when she remembered Ruby fumbling around in the water with Taiyang when they were younger. He was the person who taught them about the wilderness. When they first went fishing, he insisted they learned how to fish the old fashioned way, with spears.
The blonde silently thanked her father for teaching her sister the life-saving skill.
Yang realized that she never received a job. "What about me?"
Ruby groaned. "Yang, think about it. Would you want to wake up on a foreign island all alone?"
Yang glanced from her sister to Weiss. "No."
The brunette smiled. "Then it's settled. You're staying here and we'll come back with food. Sound good?"
"Don't take too long," Yang said. "If you do, I'm comin' after the both of you."
Ruby playfully rolled her eyes from the comment. They were on a dangerous, desolate island, filled with the unknown and it was getting dark. Leave it to her sister to drop everything and run to them in their time of need.
"No complaints here," she said to satisfy Yang's urge to protect them. "But you should start a fire to prepare for the fish we'll catch."
"Got it," Yang wasn't going to waste any time and got to work.
Ruby and Blake took their leave and set out on their mission.
All the supplies the group had gathered were conveniently next to the sleeping girl so Yang didn't have to travel far.
The blonde grabbed some wood that the group had collected earlier. After several minutes of twisting the sticks together, a small spark of light emitted. This easily set the wood on fire, causing smoke to fill the air.
"Perfect," the blonde smiled at her handiwork.
She also grabbed some rocks the group collected earlier and placed them around the fire's perimeter to prevent it from spreading.
I wonder how Blake and Rubes are doing, Yang thought.
Ruby and Blake easily found a thick branch lying on the edge of the forest floor. It wasn't sharp enough to stab a fish with, so Blake took it and forced out her nails to act as claws.
"You know, sometimes I forget you're a cat faunus," Ruby giggled as she watched Blake sharpen the end of the branch.
"Being one is coming in handy," Blake couldn't help and smile.
She handed the weapon back to Ruby. "Ready to catch some dinner, partner?"
Ruby blushed at the thought of being her actual partner. "You know it!"
No matter how hard she tried, Yang couldn't pry her eyes off the white-haired girl.
Her breathing had been gentle for about an hour as she slept peacefully.
"I'm sorry," Yang apologized, knowing full well she was still asleep. "This is my fault…"
Despite the situation, they were also lucky. It tended to rain a lot in their country. However, no clouds loomed in the dark blue sky. The blonde knew they had to make some sort of shelter soon in case of a downpour, but right now she decided to focus her full attention on Weiss.
Yang was tired of and waiting for Blake and Ruby to get back, so she took the liberty of making the sleeping girl a sand pillow. The sand on this particular island was more soft and white than normal, most likely due to the island being uninhabited.
After wiping her hands on her disheveled yellow dress, Yang gently set Weiss' head on the well-made craft.
"That's the least I can do..." she murmured.
As she gazed at the girl's red face, Yang was struck with a sudden urge.
The urge to protect Weiss from harm.
It was odd since she hadn't felt this way since she met Ruby and Blake.
But this feeling was slightly different.
Why do I… feel this way?
She didn't ponder for too long when Weiss stirred with a groan. Before she opened her eyes, her brain registered the pain throbbing over her left eye.
This caused Weiss to gasp and quickly sit up, allowing both pieces of cool seaweed to fall off her face.
Yang was there to catch her as she fell back from dizziness.
"H-hey, take it easy," the blonde wrapped her arms around her. "I know it's painful, but salt water prevents infection and lessens scarring."
Weiss writhed in pain in Yang's arms. "I-I don't care. The seaweed stays off."
Yang noticed the injury had stopped bleeding. "Okay, okay, but the eye patch goes back on later. The blood recently stopped dripping so we want to be sure."
"Fine."
"You know," Yang set her head on the sand pillow. "You gave us a real scare there, princess. Especially me."
Why's she so worried? Weiss pondered.
Weiss sighed. "That wasn't my intention. And don't call me that."
"No promises," the blonde said evenly. "I'm glad you're up. Ruby and Blake are catching fish."
"When it's this dark?"
Yang pointed to her eyes. "Blake has night vision."
"That's right..." Weiss trailed off.
"Yep!" Yang beamed.
"It seems helpful," the white-haired girl's gaze lingered to the dark sky. "Being a faunus, I mean."
An image of Blake popped in the white-haired girl's head.
I don't get it. Why's she SO familiar?
Yang leaned back and joined the stargazing. "Yeah, she used to be picked on for it. But Rubes and I were always there to cheer her up and beat up anyone that picked on her."
"People are such idiots," Weiss said. "Blake can't help what she is."
"Woah," Yang feigned shock. "You actually care for another being?"
Weiss flicked some sand on the blonde. "I'm not that heartless, you brute."
Yang let out a chuckle from the pitiful assault. "I'm just messin' with ya."
A few moments of silence passed before Weiss began again.
"A lot of things have happened in the last few hours," Weiss sighed as she stared at the dark sky. "But at least one thing hasn't changed. The moon."
Beams of light emitted from the darkness, allowing the shore to be in plain view, also thanks to the ocean reflecting it.
"It's especially beautiful tonight," Yang observed.
Weiss thought back to the memories of her childhood. Her dad and her would sometimes talk to the moon as a joke, but for now, this was her only connection with him.
Hey dad, she thought as she stared at the moon. I'm alive… I hope you are too. I hope you're someplace safe.
The two enjoyed the scenery until Yang tilted her head to face the girl, only to notice her face was still flushed. She picked up the seaweed and gently laid it on Weiss' forehead, careful to avoid the injured left eye.
The blonde smiled. "Better?"
"Much," came the soft reply.
Yang could tell even her voice was laden with enervation.
Weiss closed her eye to enjoy the constant tides rocking the shoreline and fire's crackling, relieved that the cool seaweed battled the heat that had been assaulting her.
The two laid in relative silence until Yang noticed her shiver.
"You cold?"
"J-just a little," Weiss hugged herself to provide warmth.
The blonde knew that she shouldn't have been cold since it was very warm outside, especially with the fire next to them. She gathered it was because her fever was giving her the chills.
"I got just the thing for ya," Yang beamed a smile and walked off.
What could she possibly have? Weiss asked herself. A leaf blanket?
Yang walked back over with a towel in hand. "I still can't believe this made it."
"The towel that was around my neck before we crashed," Weiss replied, obviously surprised. "Wow."
"Yep," the blonde laid it over Weiss. "This baby had all day to soak up the sun's rays, so it should be warm!"
The blanket engulfed Weiss in warmth. The shudders no longer racked her body and she drifted off to sleep.
As she nodded off, Yang took great care in making sure none of her skin was exposed to the outside world by tucking her in.
"To your left!" Blake pointed down at the river.
Ruby shut her eyes as she impaled another fish with ease. "Yes! We got it!"
She knew using her sight would be for naught when it was this dark out, so she trusted Blake's judgement without thought.
"That makes four," the faunus smirked. "Do you think that's enough?"
"They're pretty big fish," Ruby observed. "I don't think we'll need another one."
She tossed the fish in the pile of food.
Blake nodded. "Sounds good. While we're here we should also get water. Especially for Weiss."
"Right!" Ruby agreed. "How will we bring it back?"
"I'm glad you asked," Blake sauntered over to a plant with various leaves and pulled a few out. "We'll make some cups. Get me a few thin vines please."
They weren't hard to find since trees scoured the forest. Ruby yanked several off the nearest tree and watched Blake work her magic.
"There," Blake said proudly. "Four cups. And now I'll make a bigger pack to bring for extra water."
"Wow Blake," Ruby was in awe. "I thought Yang and I were only good at this kinda stuff."
Blake finished tying the extra water pouch with the vine. "We need as much water as possible. We have to be extra careful, Ruby."
Ruby gazed in Blake's amber orbs she could see thanks to the bright moonlight. "Of course."
"Now come on, we have to fill these up and carry the fish back."
After filling up the four cups and extra pouch, the two headed out. Blake didn't trust herself to hold all the fish, so Ruby did while Blake handled the leaf cups full of water.
The two enjoyed each other's company as they trudged through the jungle. They made sure to be as quiet as possible since they didn't want to disturb or wake any predators. However, it was hard for Ruby to see, so when she was about to trip over something, Blake yelped and grabbed her arm.
"Ruby!"
"Huh?!" Ruby was yanked back, stopping her tracks.
"Tree root," Blake warned. "Be careful."
It was like this at night. Blake was Ruby's eyes. It wasn't a bad combination, but it made the brunette feel slightly uneasy, even though she trusted Blake's judgement without thought.
"Thanks Blake!" Ruby chirped and blushed when she realized Blake still hadn't let go. "Oh wow, I would've wiped out."
"Let's get going," the faunus was eager to escape the dangers of the jungle.
Blake continued to hold Ruby's hand in order to guide her through the unknown jungle. She justified in her mind that the contact was necessary, but deep down, she knew it was much more than that. They wasted no time and headed straight for the smoke that lingered in the air that was drifting in the sky.
Yang saw two silhouettes jump out of the edge of the forest.
"Over here," she waved.
Ruby and Blake joined Yang and the sleeping Weiss next to the crackling fire.
"Nice job, sis," Ruby praised. "Has she woken up?"
"Yeah," Yang confirmed. "She fell back asleep is all."
"Wake her up," Blake said. "She needs food and water."
"Right," Yang gently shook the girl's shoulder. "Hey, I know you're tired but you gotta get up."
Weiss woke up slowly, careful not to open her injured eye. "What is it?"
Blake could hear the exhaustion in her voice, so she went over and coaxed the girl up, gently tilting the leaf-cup to her lips.
Weiss eagerly downed the treat and was thankful the water was cold, soothing her parched throat.
"Thanks," Weiss sighed as she was gently laid back down.
"No problem," the faunus smiled and looked back to the fire. "Ruby, are the fish ready?"
Ruby hovered the last fish over the fire to cook it. "All but one. This'll be mine. Dig in!"
Yang smiled and grabbed a fish. "Thanks, Rubes!"
Blake looked back to Weiss. "Can you sit up?"
"Of course I can," she replied with a hint of annoyance.
After taking a deep breath, Weiss pressed her hands firmly against the sand to get leverage.
Once she was halfway up, her arms lost their strength. Just as she was about to crash on the sand, Blake caught her.
"You don't have to be so stubborn, you know," the faunus casted a concerned gaze.
"Whatever," Weiss feebly replied.
Yang didn't know why, but she wanted to care for the white-haired girl. Her stomach twisted in a knot when she watched the faunus hold her.
Once Blake was sure Weiss could sit up on her own, she handed her a well-cooked fish.
The four sat in a circle of warmth next to the comforting fire.
"I gotta admit, these fish aren't bad!" Ruby beamed and took a bite.
"Good job, you two," Yang praised. "If I didn't know any better I'd say this was cooked by a gourmet chef!"
Ruby and Blake blushed from the praise.
"Pshhh," the brunette waved off. "It was nothing."
Weiss couldn't understand why they were talking about something so trivial. The more she thought about their situation, the worse it seemed. But they have proven to hold their own, and didn't abandon her in her time of need, so she was thankful. However, a certain question had been ravaging her mind since they got on the island and she dared asked the one thing they seemed to avoid.
"How long do you think we'll be here?"
That caught the trio off guard, but they knew it was something they needed to talk about.
"Let's place some bets," Yang smirked. "I bet we'll be here for a month max."
Blake pondered for a bit. "Six months."
"Woah," Weiss said. "That's quite a while."
"You're such downers," Ruby held her chin in thought. "I'll be the optimistic one and bet a couple of days!"
"That sounds nice, but not likely," Weiss added after she nibbled on the fish. "Does anyone know we're gone?"
"Our friends at school knew what we were planning," Yang confirmed. "They'll notice soon enough, especially Dad."
"At least people know…" Weiss trailed off. "Wait, you told people?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head anxiously. "About that…"
"What?" Weiss asked suspiciously.
"Never More was the talk of our school," Blake said. "When we heard the world famous yacht was in town, we knew we had to explore."
Weiss listened intently as Ruby continued for Blake. "We tried to get our other friends to sneak on the ship, but…"
"They had common sense?" Weiss asked irritably.
"They were too chicken," Yang finished. "We wanted to go have a new experience since we'd never be invited."
"How'd you three sneak on anyways?" Weiss asked. "I thought security was on top of things."
"A rope and a window," Blake informed.
Typical, but a smart way in, Weiss indignantly thought. Such ruffians.
"Which window?" Weiss was genuinely curious now.
"Dunno," Ruby shrugged. "It was already opened."
"Yeah," Yang chimed. "We landed in a room and I swear, it was bigger than a football field."
Weiss perked an eyebrow. "What'd it look like?"
Blake listed off the things she remembered. "Snowflake patterned bed, pale blue walls, white carpet… oh and there was a picture frame on the nightstand with a picture of…"
"My dad and I," Weiss took a deep breath. "I hope the party was worth it."
Looks like it was my room.
"Not really," the blonde admitted. "It was too fancy for my tastes. I was looking forward to getting wasted."
"Only a bumbling buffoon would say that," Weiss scowled.
"Aw," Yang feigned hurt. "I thought I was a brute!"
Blake and Ruby let out a genuine laugh.
"What?" Yang asked the chuckling pair. "Those nobles can't handle their liquor or the heat."
Weiss simply rolled her eyes. "Dad was in charge of the guest lists," she started to tear up again when she thought about him.
"Hey, don't be upset. You gotta hold onto hope," Yang encouraged. "You never know."
"Yeah!" Ruby chirped. "Captain Schnee is a smart man. He definitely made it."
Weiss didn't want to linger on the subject too long. "Enough about that," she looked at the three. "I have to admit, even though you have basically ruined my life, I must say I'm impressed."
Ruby tilted her head. "How so?"
"You three are competent and know how to handle this kind of thing, so it's less of a burden knowing we most likely won't die."
The three she had been stuck with could have easily abandoned her in her time of need. Instead, they chose to help, so she was grateful, but making friends with them certainly wouldn't be the top priority.
"Don't say that, princess," Yang replied. "I promise no one's dying here, but thanks for the compliment."
"Don't call me that," Weiss almost inaudibly murmured. "I'll believe that, but how do you know so much about how to survive?"
"We've lived in this country since we were babies," Blake informed. "We're stuck here. It must've been nice traveling the world."
Weiss gave the faunus a blank expression that matched her tone. "Believe me, it wasn't how it seemed to be."
"Trouble in paradise?" Yang asked.
Weiss didn't hear the question as her eyes never left Blake.
Why does she… look so familiar?
Darkness started to tug the corners of her vision. She fell back on the sand in a heap as she heard her name being called, from whom, she couldn't tell, everything was muffled.
Her bleary vision saw Blake leaning worriedly over her. Weiss could tell she was saying something, but didn't know what.
She focused more on the faunus' face. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen Blake somewhere before.
Her cat ears, her eyes, her hair… they all seemed familiar.
I've seen her before, I just know it…
Weiss tried to gather the energy to speak to Blake with her lips slightly parted, but the beckoning call of sleep claimed her exhausted body and succumbed to darkness.
I'm giving subtle hints. VERY subtle hints, kind of like easter eggs. If you find them, the more the revelation will make sense and not completely blindside you. If you're not paying attention, it will be a bitch slap to the face. I can promise you that.
HOPE YOU LIKED IT!