New episode today...new chapter today! We're going to be traveling through some rough waters the next few chapters, but don't worry, we'll get through them in no time at all! (I think)
Thank you to everyone who is following and keeps reviewing! You guys are the best and I love hearing from you!
Yang tore her eyes away from Blake for what must have been the seven hundredth time that evening. She just couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of the Faunus girl. It certainly didn't help that Blake looked absolutely exquisite tonight; her partner was, hands down, the most beautiful person in the room. And most likely the most beautiful person Yang had ever seen in her life.
She had thought that kissing Blake would help her finally get over her feelings, providing some sense of closure. She would be able to say to herself 'well, we at least kissed once and it didn't work out.' Oh, how wrong she had been.
If simply being in the same bed with the girl made Yang feel like her heart was on fire, kissing Blake was actually stepping into a wildfire. Every inch of her skin had been aflame with sensitivity, every little movement Blake had made against her was amplified tenfold. She could swear that she could feel the air burning against her. The softness of Blake's skin, the smell of her hair, the tiny noises she was making in the back of her throat…Yang had been ablaze during that moment. And while she had never wanted the kiss to end, at the same time, she needed it to end before the fire consumed her and she burned into nothing.
But now instead of feeling like she could move on, she found herself wanting to kiss her partner more than ever before. Instead of feeling a sense of freedom, a longing she didn't even know she possessed had been unchained within her. It had been taking all of her willpower this evening to resist dragging Blake into a closet somewhere and locking them both inside.
Topping it all off, Blake had been acting…odd…all night. The normally composed girl had seemed nervous and on edge. She had even been the one to initiate a dance with Yang, thankfully dragging her away from all of those clingy boys. And Yang was pretty sure that Blake had been flirting with her, maybe just a little bit. It was subtle, definitely, but Yang thought she had seen a twinkle in the girl's eyes that suggested a bit of playfulness.
It was completely anti-Blake behavior. Yang couldn't help thinking that maybe…just maybe…
No, she couldn't think like that anymore. She was determined to shut those feelings out, once and for all. This time, she wouldn't fail. She would move on; they would just be friends, totally…platonic…friends. That kiss last night had just been a simple kiss. Blake had probably returned it out of obligation, not desire.
That's what Blake wanted, anyway. She wanted Yang to find someone else to date, undoubtedly so that Yang would stop bothering her with these mushy feelings all the time. Or so that Blake wouldn't have to feel guilty for not feeling the same way in return. Yang couldn't blame her partner for that…she was sure that her constant flirtatious behavior could be quite a drag for someone who didn't feel the same.
So, while they had pretty much been inseparable all evening, Yang was doing her best to keep her flirting to a minimum and her feelings at bay. It was an extremely difficult thing to do, but she would like to think that she was mostly successful in her endeavor as the party had begun to wind down.
Mr. and Mrs. Schnee had done a tremendous job stepping in as hosts after Weiss had unexpectedly run out, dragging Ruby behind her. Now standing near the front door, they were bidding goodnight to those who were calling it a night early. Yang sat with Blake at the bar, watching as some guests shuffled out the door, while some were still on the dance floor, determined to make this party last as far into the night as possible.
Yang briefly wondered what Weiss and Ruby were up to, but quickly decided that she didn't want to think about that too hard. They probably just wanted some privacy to celebrate their engagement…platonically. There was nothing wrong with that.
She glanced towards Blake, who was lost in thought while fiddling with the straw in her drink, and smiled. I wonder how we would celebrate our engagement…she thought as she absentmindedly twirled the straw in her own drink, becoming lost in thought.
Feeling eyes upon her, Blake looked up suddenly and smiled, causing Yang to flush and curse herself for the thoughts which had just been running rampant through her head. Fortunately, Blake couldn't read her mind, or Yang was sure that her partner would be sporting a blush that would rival her own.
"I can't believe that Weiss asked Ruby to marry her," Blake said, voicing what she must have been lost in thought over.
"I know, right?" Yang replied with a laugh, relieved that the girl hadn't commented on her blush. "I mean, I know she said she was going to, but I never thought she would go through with it in front of so many people. This is Weiss Schnee, after all, queen of 'stay out of my business.'"
Blake looked at her, eyes wide with shock.
"You knew she was going to ask?"
"Yup," Yang nodded proudly as she smiled. "She actually asked me for permission."
"No way," Blake responded, looking very doubtful.
"Yes way!" Yang confirmed. "And I even got her to agree to do one favor for me, anything I want, once every five years." She smiled smugly, quite proud of the agreement she had extracted from the heiress in exchange for her little sister's hand in marriage. These favors could turn out to be quite handy indeed; Yang only needed to make sure she didn't squander them.
Blake's only response was to shake her head slowly.
"Oh Yang…"
"What? I won't make her do anything too crazy. Maybe she can just dress up as a clown for my birthday or something…"
Blake shook her head again, smiling this time.
At that moment, one of the waiters collecting a glass from an older lady on her way out the door caught Yang's attention.
"Hey, doesn't that look like…"
The next second, the waiter turned around and she realized who it was.
"Sun?" She and Blake exclaimed in unison as they saw the blonde Faunus headed towards them with a huge smile on his face, dressed from head to toe in one of the waiter's outfits (complete with tie). Yang had to admit that he looked quite dashing in a suit and tie; it was completely unlike the ripped clothing he normally sported. Although, his swinging tail was very much out of character compared to the real waiters.
"Yang! Blake!" he called with a wave as he approached them, setting his tray down on a random table as he passed by. When he was close enough, he bounded the last few feet and wrapped Blake in a big hug, much to their surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Yang asked as she watched the two of them separate, feeling a slight twinge of jealousy flicker within her towards the Faunus boy.
"I heard from Neptune, who heard from Jaune, who heard from Nora…that Blake had come back. I had to come check it out for myself!" he responded with a goofy smile. "And they were all right!"
"How did you know that I would be here tonight?" Blake asked curiously as she smiled widely at her old friend, clearly quite happy to see him.
"Well, that was easy," he replied with a grin. "This event is kind of well-known to the rest of Vale: a huge party that only the richest and most famous people are invited to…I knew Weiss had to be here, so Ruby would have to come, so Yang would as well…which meant that you would be here too!"
"Quite the detective…I take it from your attire that Weiss didn't actually invite you?" Yang asked with a smirk.
"Of course not!" he responded, pretty happily for someone who had been snubbed an invitation. "But I managed to swipe this outfit and sneak in through the back entrance. Pretty soft security they have around here. You'd think the Schnee family could afford some better muscle, right?"
Yang looked at Blake, finding her partner positively beaming at the boy. She didn't know why this made her feel knots twist in her stomach, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.
"So, may I please steal a dance with this fine lady whilst we catch up?" Sun asked in mock gentility, looking to Yang for her permission.
"That's her choice, not mine," Yang replied, a little more harshly than she had intended as agitation continued to gnaw at her. She turned back to the bar and motioned for the bartender to prepare her another drink, trying not to notice Sun pulling Blake towards the dance floor.
It seemed like this would be a good part of the evening to start getting hammered.
She glowered at the fresh drink as it was placed in front of her, picking it up and finally turning back towards the rest of the room. She immediately found the couple she was looking for; it wasn't entirely difficult since Sun clearly did not know how to formally dance and was bounding around like an idiot. Regardless, Blake seemed to be enjoying herself as the two chatted happily with each other.
Yang couldn't figure out what bothered her so much about the Faunus boy. Sun had always been quite nice to her, to all of them. He had helped them in battles when he didn't need to. He was funny, attractive, and kind. And yet…Yang still felt annoyed by his presence whenever Blake was around.
It probably had something to do with him being a Faunus and the first person who Blake had confided in about her own background. She had gone to him before her own partner or teammates. Plus, Blake could never argue that the two of them weren't perfect for each other…and Yang had always been envious of that. And jealous that the two of them had always shared a bond Yang felt she could never replicate, not without sprouting a tail or some ears that is. Since she would "never understand" what it was like to be a Faunus…
"Good evening, Miss Xiao Long."
She turned away from the dance floor in surprise, finding Professor Ozpin and Glynda standing beside her. Flushing, she realized that she had been staring rather intently at Blake and Sun and hoped that the two of them hadn't noticed.
"Good evening Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch," she responded politely with a nod and forced smile. "I didn't expect to see you two here tonight!"
Professor Ozpin chuckled as Glynda sighed at the exact same time.
"Miss Schnee convinced us to attend. She said that as 'leaders in the community,' it was vital for us to be 'present at the beginning.' The beginning of what, she would not tell us until tonight…"
The Professor smiled, recollecting the speech Weiss had given just hours earlier.
"And I am extremely grateful that we were here. It would have been a shame to have missed such a monumental part of Vale's history," he concluded. "Wouldn't you agree, Glynda?"
Yang was stunned to see some semblance of a smile break the normally stern look upon Glynda's face.
"Yes, you girls are certainly going to change Vale for the better. If we can be of any help…"
Glynda cut off her words as a disturbance was heard near the front door of the mansion. Turning towards the commotion, Yang's eyes widened as she saw a visibly shaken and disheveled heiress sprinting into the room.
"Yang!" the girl bellowed as soon as she was inside, eyes searching the room frantically.
Yang felt her blood run cold at the sight of the girl.
Something was very, very wrong.
"Weiss?" she called out, feeling fear seize her when manic blue eyes locked onto hers instantaneously. Weiss flew over to her, not heeding anyone else in her path.
The closer the heiress came, the more terrified Yang became. The girl's hair was no longer perfectly drawn up, as some strands had been knocked loose and were flowing freely down her back. Her dress was wrinkled and appeared to have been stained by grass on the bottom. She was panting from exertion, as if she had been running for hours. And her eyes were red from tears. The only way to sum it up was that the normally perfect girl was…a complete mess. There was nothing in this world more terrifying to Yang than seeing Weiss Schnee in disarray, because there was only one thing she cared about enough to cause this type of reaction.
"Weiss, what's wrong?" Yang demanded, trying to keep her voice steady as the girl stopped in front of her, breathless. Her eyes quickly flitted behind the girl, looking for the shadow that should have been right on Weiss' heels.
"Weiss…where's Ruby?"
The second the words left her mouth, her worst nightmare was confirmed. Tears instantly began streaming down the heiress' cheeks, and she made no attempt to hide them. She tried to speak, but was crying so heavily that her words were nearly unintelligible.
"We…Ruby…airship…k-kidnapped!"
Yang stared at her, feeling her heart pound as the girl's words sunk in. Ruby…gone...no, no, this couldn't be happening…
Yang had promised…she had promised that she would always look out for her little sister…that she would take care of her, keep her safe…it was the last thing their mother had asked of Yang before she disappeared…
'Yang, watch over your sister, ok?'
'Ok, mom! I promise I'll take real good care of little Rubles!' Yang had said with a slight pat on the top of Ruby's head as they stood together on the front porch.
'And I'll make sure she takes good care of me!' Ruby had called cheerfully as she latched herself onto Yang's left leg.
'Good girls. I'll be back before you know it.'
Days had turned into weeks, weeks to months, months to years…for the longest time, Yang had thought that maybe she wasn't doing a good enough job taking care of Ruby and that's why their mother hadn't come home. She felt a tremendous amount of guilt…that her own failures had cost Ruby her own mother. Yang's own had already abandoned her, for whatever reason, and now she had driven away Ruby's, as well.
Her little sister became her life…and even as Yang had grown older and realized that maybe it wasn't entirely her fault that Summer Rose had never returned, she had never completely absolved herself of that guilt. Deep down, she still held the hope that one day Summer would return for them…and when she did, Yang wanted to be able to bring Ruby up to her and say, "See how amazing she is? Look how incredible she turned out. I took care of her, just like I promised."
Yang felt tears burn at her eyes, blurring her newly red tinted vision as her pain called out her semblance in a meager attempt at self-defense.
And now Ruby was gone…now their mother was absolutely never going to return…Yang was a freaking huntress…and couldn't even keep her own sister safe.
Blake and Sun walked over at that moment, followed closely by Weiss' parents, all of them having noticed Weiss' uncharacteristic entrance and appearance.
"Weiss, what's wrong?" Blake asked in concern as she saw the state the girl was in, rushing forward to comfort her.
"They took her!" Weiss' sorrow disappeared in an instant, replaced by pure, unaltered rage as she shouted into Blake's face. Yang winced as a blast of icy air passed through them, causing the Faunus girl to shrink away from the unadulterated fury pouring out of the heiress, confusion on her face.
"Who took her?" Blake asked, quietly, testing fate in an effort to get more information out of the enraged heiress.
Yang instinctually grabbed ahold of Weiss' arm to hold the girl back as she took several menacing steps towards Blake.
"Don't pretend that you don't know anything about this," she snarled as she jabbed a finger pointedly towards Blake. Yang pulled her backwards before she got too close to the bewildered Faunus, but immediately dropped the heiress' arm when Weiss turned around and gave her a withering glare.
"Weiss, come on, she doesn't…" Sun began to say in defense of his friend before Weiss turned her anger in his direction, instantly silencing him.
"Don't you find it just a little suspicious that she shows up and then Ruby is kidnapped?" Weiss spat out, venom seeping from her words.
Yang wiped her eyes at Weiss' words, looking at Blake to find her partner gazing at her with worry creasing her brow. How could Blake have had anything to do with this?
Blake's ears drooped as she looked at Yang, eyes pleading. Yang felt her heart go out to the girl. Blake would never hurt Ruby…Blake was Ruby's friend. Plus, Blake knew how much Ruby meant to her…she wouldn't try to take her little sister from her…would she?
Her heart screamed that Blake was innocent, but her brain was beginning to think differently. It was awfully coincidental that Blake returned and then this happened, on the one night when they were most vulnerable. Yang would love to say that Blake would never hurt them, but past experiences had proven otherwise…
She turned away from Blake, trying not to see the hurt that flashed through her partner's eyes. That didn't matter right now. Ruby mattered. And Ruby needed her. Needed them.
"We can point fingers later," she stated flatly, capturing Weiss' attention. "Right now, all that matters is getting Ruby back. We have to go look for her right now."
Professor Ozpin finally stepped in, turning to speak directly to Weiss.
"Did they leave anything behind? Any sort of clue about where they were going or where they had been?"
Hardened eyes softened considerably as Weiss turned to her mentor, her icy shell shattering as she shakily replied, "N-no…at least…I don't think so…"
Professor Ozpin nodded, a plan already formulating in his eyes.
"Ok, we should look again, just to make completely sure."
Yang and Weiss nodded in unison, chomping at the bit to do something, anything, other than just stand here talking. Yang needed to see where they had taken her from. She needed to see that nothing was there…
"I'll go with them," Glynda spoke up from beside them, receiving a nod of approval from Professor Ozpin before he began speaking again.
"I'll stay here with Blake and Sun. We'll make some calls and see if maybe we can get some satellite images from the area."
Blake nodded dejectedly, but said nothing. Yang could see the unshed tears in her partner's eyes, the sight ripping at her heart. But, if Blake did have something to do with this…Yang didn't even know what she would begin to do…but for now, she could focus on nothing but finding Ruby.
"We have a room you can use," Weiss' mother finally spoke up, nudging her husband as he stepped forward and gestured for Professor Ozpin to follow him. "I'll see the rest of the guests out."
The three huntresses in charge of searching headed quickly for the front door, as a troubled, tense Weiss led the way.
"Tell us exactly what happened," Glynda instructed calmly as they followed Weiss at a sprint towards the last place Ruby had been.
"We were sitting on the terrace…Ruby said she saw ripples in the air and chased it to a clearing…I never saw anything. She shoved me away as an airship appeared. They captured her in a cage and then disappeared."
Yang felt her blood begin to boil as she heard Weiss' recollection of what had happened. Her sister? In a cage?
First, she was going to find her sister; she would burn the entire city down if she had to. Then, she was going to put whoever was behind this through so much physical agony, they would never be able to think Ruby's name again without being in pain.
Weiss slowed as they approached an opening in the trees up ahead. Yang could feel the girl's resolve beginning to waver as they entered the area, taking hers right along with it.
"H-here…" Weiss whispered, as if afraid of disturbing the last remaining essence of Ruby's presence in the air. "S-she was standing right here…" Weiss looked at the ground at her feet as tears began to fall once more.
"Let's look around and see if we can find any hint of the ship," Glynda ordered steadily.
Yang began scouring the area with Glynda, searching for any type of clue they could find. Broken branches, jet fuel, any hint of the bubbly girl or the direction the ship had headed in. She could feel herself becoming more and more desperate as they came up empty at each turn. The forest did not look like it had been disturbed in decades.
The entire time, Weiss just stood rooted in the clearing, staring at her hands.
"You don't think Blake had anything to do with this, do you?" Yang finally asked Glynda anxiously.
Glynda sighed as they rapidly climbed to the top of a nearby tree, searching the canopy for any sort of sign.
"Miss Belladonna has always had quite high moral standards."
"Yeah, but don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? She's back for a week and then Ruby is kidnapped?" Yang pressed as she looked around them carefully, finding nothing but perfect leaves and branches once again.
"If she did do something, she would have to believe that it was morally correct to do so."
Yang felt her heart sink at the lukewarm endorsement. She could think of one person who seemed to be able to convince Blake that anything was the right thing to do…
"That being said, it was plain to see for everyone tonight how much she cares for you. I can't imagine she would do something that might hurt you in any way. And we all know how important Ruby is to you."
Yang looked away as the two returned to the ground. Glynda didn't know that this wouldn't have been the first time Blake had hurt her. She sighed, realizing how much distrust she still held in her partner. Weiss' accusation had completely shaken what little trust they had just begun to rebuild.
Finally giving up, Glynda and Yang returned to Weiss. Yang was extremely grateful to have Glynda's presence, as she wasn't sure what she and Weiss would do without the calm huntress by their side at this moment. She could feel despair settling over her. She wanted to wrap Weiss in a hug and cry together. Either that or burn down the entire forest located on the Schnee estate.
They returned to the mansion after their fruitless searching in the woods, becoming more and more distraught with every passing second. As much as Yang was trying to fight it, the heiress' fear was beginning to rub off onto her. She was trying to remain calm and strong for her friend, but she could feel panic seeping through every fiber in her body. It didn't help that the red hue that had fallen over the world was a constant reminder of just how stressed she was.
Her sister…her only family…was out there alone somewhere…with God-knows-who doing God-knows-what to her. And what had Yang been doing when her sister had needed her help? Sitting at a bar enjoying some cocktails with Blake.
As soon as they stepped through the door, Sun stepped out of a nearby room and motioned them his way. Following the boy, they found themselves in a side room that had a large monitor placed on one wall along with several tables and chairs. Clearly, some sort of office space.
Professor Ozpin took one look at their defeated faces and knew better than to ask how their search had gone.
"We just received the video we were able to pull from a nearby satellite," he explained instead as he hit some buttons on a remote to make the video begin playing.
Everyone watched in rapt attention as the screen came alive with a picture of the forest clearing they had just been standing in. It was empty for several seconds, until Ruby came rushing into view. They watched intently as Ruby looked around, clearly searching for something. Weiss walked onto the screen moments later.
The couple exchanged some words, but then Ruby looked up quickly in surprise. Yang felt her heart clench tightly as she watched Ruby suddenly shove Weiss out of the way, throwing the girl completely out of the picture. A ship was unexpectedly hovering over the clearing, blocking Ruby from view. The next instant, it disappeared, just as Weiss ran back into sight. There was no sign of Ruby anywhere to be seen.
Silence.
"Wait," Blake broke the quiet uncertainly, "rewind and pause it on the ship."
Professor Ozpin rewound the video and stopped it with the airship frozen on the screen. Blake tentatively stepped forward and wordlessly pointed to the screen.
A small symbol was painted on the wing of the ship, barely discernable in the darkness. But as Blake pointed towards it, it became clear as day to all present. The red wolf's head with claw marks running through it could mean only one thing. White Fang.
Yang gripped the table in front of her tightly as she stared at the symbol on the screen. As far as she was concerned, anyone in the White Fang now had a bounty upon their head. She would track down every last one of them if she had to in order to find where they were keeping Ruby.
A sudden hissing noise made Yang jump in surprise. Looking around in shock, she noticed steam rising from her hands, which had been gripping the table in front of her a bit too tightly. The scorch marks on the wood made it pretty clear that she had inadvertently allowed her fury to escape through her hands.
Glancing around in embarrassment, she nodded appreciatively at Sun, seeing the empty water vase still clutched in his hands. She focused on her breathing as she tried to calm the wildfire that was blazing inside of her, threatening to take control.
"White Fang…"
Mr. Schnee's growl drew the attention of everyone in the room. Yang had never seen the man so angry; he was practically steaming in rage. She suddenly felt very sympathetic for Weiss.
"I knew that we couldn't trust those atrocious Faunus," he said, spitting out the word as if it tasted sour in his mouth.
"Christophe…" Mrs. Schnee replied softly, directing her eyes towards Weiss, who was standing behind them with her eyes trained to her hands as she fiddled with a small ring around her finger.
He merely huffed in annoyance.
"Maybe now that they've hurt someone she cares for, she'll realize what a hopeless crusade this is," he stated in a low voice before he stalked towards the exit. Pausing for a second in front of his daughter, he whispered a few words that Yang couldn't make out before storming from the room. Weiss' eyes followed her father out before turning back towards her hands, deep in thought.
Still shocked from Mr. Schnee's outburst, Yang turned and locked eyes with her partner for an instant. Try as she might, she couldn't see through the girl. Did Blake know anything? Something that she wasn't saying? What was she thinking right now? All Yang could see was that Blake was hurting…badly. If Yang's own heart hadn't already been aching for her sister, it would have been after seeing the look on her partner's face.
Her attention drifted from Blake when she realized that Professor Ozpin was speaking again.
"…keep looking for any signs via video. We'll contact you as soon as we have any leads. In the meantime, you girls should get some rest." He looked pointedly towards Weiss and Yang, suggesting that the words he spoke were an order, not a suggestion.
Yang nodded in resignation, seeing Weiss mirror her acceptance with a curt nod. Sensing that the conversation was over, Professor Ozpin and Glynda quickly bid their goodnights and headed off to continue their search.
As soon as the front door had shut behind their two mentors, Weiss spun to Yang, fire reemerging in her blue eyes.
"We aren't actually going to sit around and wait, are we?" she asked defiantly, looking pointedly at Yang.
"Hell no…" Yang replied in a low grumble, as Blake shook her head 'no' in unison.
Weiss nodded in agreement.
"Good. Because I know what we do next," she said as she turned to Blake menacingly, causing the Faunus girl to take a couple of steps backwards.
"We go talk to your boyfriend."
Yang felt her heart stop as Blake's eyes widened in surprise.
"Adam?"
Yang flinched at the sound of his name coming from Blake's lips.
"But why?" Blake asked incredulously.
"Because he's a member of the White Fang, so he will probably know where they took her," Weiss answered through gritted teeth.
Blake looked to her for help, but Yang couldn't even bare to look at her partner right now. She had thought that she would never have to see that man again. She had thought that he was gone, gone for good. That she had finally plied Blake away from him…permanently.
But Weiss had a point. He had once been a prominent member of the White Fang, if he wasn't still a member. It was possible that he knew something helpful.
"It's a good place to start," Yang agreed, voice barely above a whisper.
Blake's ears drooped in submission at Yang's words, realizing that she had already been outvoted.
"Ok," she whispered. "We can go tomorrow morning…"
"No," Weiss replied flatly, cutting the girl off. "We go right now."
"They have her; they have Ruby," she continued, voice breaking as emotions bubbled back up at the mention of her missing partner's name. "We can't stop looking until we've found her."
Yang reached out a hand in an attempt to comfort the girl, squeezing Weiss' shoulder softly, as she was in absolute agreement. Nodding, Blake looked resigned to what she needed to do next.
Turning to Sun, Yang asked, "Can you see if you have any contacts that would be helpful?"
The Faunus boy bobbed his head. Yang found herself slightly impressed with how serious he could be when the situation called for it.
"Of course, I'll let you know what I can find out," he replied as he nodded to each of them and bounced out of the room.
She didn't want to speak to the man who had stolen her partner away all those years ago. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to be near him. She didn't want Blake to be anywhere near him.
But she would do anything to bring Ruby back. Anything.
On the plus side, if he did have anything to do with Ruby's disappearance, she would finally have a good excuse to break his jaw.