I'm out of town with no internet...but I still managed to get this up for everyone! Because you guys mean so much to me! Ok, no joke though, I've been sitting in the most uncomfortable Barnes and Noble chair for hours now...drinking crappy hot chocolate...
But, here it is! The end game is near! As always, read, review, and enjoy!
The next morning as Blake woke up, she found that she had hardly moved an inch during the night. She was still snuggled up against her partner, whose hand had finally come to a rest laying against her back. With her face tucked into Yang's neck, she could hear Yang's steady breathing accompanied by the rise and fall of her chest - the blonde was still fast asleep.
Blake remained as motionless as possible so as not to wake Yang, who had apparently been even more exhausted than Blake had been. She closed her eyes, trying to absorb as much of this moment as possible. The pleasant warmth enveloping her, the gentle thumping of Yang's pulse beating through her neck, the rise and fall of the girl's chest as air moved in and out of her lungs.
This was a moment that Blake could enjoy for a very long time.
Unfortunately, a bird singing outside in the early morning sun seemed to have other ideas today. The noise caused Yang to stir, ending Blake's moment only to replace it with another.
Once Yang had semi regained consciousness, she pulled away slightly and glanced down towards her. Blake craned her neck up to find those lilac eyes she adored so much.
"Oh thank god you're not Weiss," Yang mumbled nearly incoherently as she opened her mouth to let out a large yawn.
"How did you sleep? And, more importantly, how do you feel?" the blonde asked, suddenly more alert when she remembered Blake's condition.
"I slept great, and feel better. Still pretty drained and sore though," Blake answered honestly, hand absentmindedly rubbing the bandage on her chest.
"You'll be good as new in no time," Yang replied confidently with a smile, but Blake couldn't help but notice that it seemed to be a little more strained than usual.
"Yang," she began slowly in her best 'you'd better tell me the truth' tone. "What's wrong?"
She received a long sigh in response before Yang finally began speaking.
"I have to leave you today, Blake," the girl answered remorsefully.
Panic and pain surged through her system as the words started to sink in.
"Just for today!" Yang added hastily when she noticed Blake's crestfallen expression.
"Aww…you thought that I was actually going to leave leave you?" the brawler said as she pulled Blake forward into a hug.
"No way I'm leaving you, ever," Yang whispered into Blake's ear before placing a kiss on her temple. The panic that had held Blake's heart in a vice grip slowly loosened once she realized that she had misunderstood what Yang had been saying.
Yang drew back from her once more, looking down into her eyes to make sure that Blake's fears had been alleviated. Blake managed a smile to assure her partner that they had been and Yang could continue.
Yang closed her eyes as she began to explain, as if retelling the story was an exceptionally difficult thing for her to do.
"Adam and Cinder haven't just disappeared…they've only increased the amount of Grimm attacks on the city, but this time with White Fang members joining in the destruction. All available huntsmen have been fighting around the clock to try to keep the city safe, but we're the targets now. They're using the attacks to draw us out, then trying to capture us using that drug. They're trying to create an army of Vale's own huntsmen, Blake."
She felt her heartbeat speed up during Yang's explanation. That explained why everyone had looked so exhausted when they had visited her in the hospital. They had been fighting daily for the citizens of Vale, as well as for their own lives.
"I've been out of the fighting up to this point..." Yang continued, seeming almost embarrassed by the admission. "Because I didn't want to leave your side and…I just couldn't use my semblance. I don't want to leave your side. But now that you're awake and going to get better…they need my help. Ruby and Weiss explained to me last night just how bad things have gotten. I'm sure they've had a lot of close calls that they haven't even told me about…I know they would never ask, but I can feel that they need my help. I need to make sure that they're safe now, too…"
Blake reached one hand up and gently touched Yang's cheek, causing the girl's eyes to open in surprise.
"I understand, Yang," she said remorsefully. "I only wish that I could go with you…"
She pressed her face back against Yang's chest, feeling powerless to help her teammates when they needed her the most.
A warm hand began running up and down her back once more, working acceptance into her body with each passing second.
"You'll be safe here in the house during the day," Yang continued softly. "Especially with all of the new security systems Weiss had installed. Plus, I've been told that there is an entire library somewhere in this building at your disposal…assuming, of course, you're actually able to get downstairs to find it?"
Blake pushed out of Yang's grasp and playfully swatted the girl's shoulder at the comment.
"I can make it down there just fine, thank you," she replied emphatically. "It might just take me a long time…"
Yang laughed at her honesty as she propped herself up and swung her feet out of the bed.
"I'll go get ready and then come see you before I leave, ok?" the blonde said as she stood, stretching her hands high above her head, her back cracking several times.
"Ok…" Blake responded as she slowly lifted herself into a sitting position, feeling some pain run through her chest from the movement. With the covers halfway off of her, the chilled morning air nipped at the sections of skin not covered by clothing, raising goose bumps along her arms.
"Put on some warm clothing," Yang ordered, pressing her hands down on Blake's arms, sending a wave of heat through Blake's body from her aura. The blonde nearly skipped out of the room the next instant, pausing in the doorway to look back and send Blake a wink.
Even after her partner had left her side, Blake could feel the warmth Yang had just provided resonating through her system. The effect was wearing off quickly though, so she decided to take Yang's suggestion and put on some warmer clothing as fast as possible.
One sweatshirt and heavy pair of pants later, Blake found herself sitting back down on the edge of her bed. She wasn't exhausted, per se, but she certainly didn't possess her usual allotment of energy. She had decided to just wait here until Yang came to see her again, rather than to attempt making it downstairs at that moment and risk receiving some more ridicule from her partner.
This plan worked out rather well when Yang came bursting back into her room several minutes later. Dressed in her normal combat attire, the brawler wasted no time in rushing across the room to Blake. Before Blake even had the opportunity to make a cheeky comment about 'where's the fire?' Yang had planted her knees on either side of Blake's legs, pushing Blake down onto the bed.
Her back met the mattress just as Yang's lips collided with her own. There was no time for her to think as she merely reacted to the sensation, instantly fueled by Yang's own fire. She felt her hands grasping at feathery locks of blonde hair while Yang nipped lightly at her bottom lip, reminding her to be careful with how hard she pulled. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest as she fought to keep up with Yang's fervent lips.
Yang kissed her passionately, feverishly, greedily…
She kissed her as if this were going to be their last.
The blonde finally drew away when they were both breathless and panting for air. Leaning down, she gave Blake one last peck on the lips before she hopped off of the bed and extended a hand to pull Blake back into a seated position.
Blake could feel her cheeks burning as Yang grinned, her own face flushed.
"I'll see you soon, ok?" she said quietly, giving Blake's hand a squeeze before lightly setting it down on Blake's knee.
"Ok…be safe."
"Aren't I always?" Yang responded with a wink.
Blake smiled, shaking her head as Yang pranced cheerfully out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind the girl, her smile faded.
She was worried and afraid…terrified that something would happen to Yang. Yang was her rock, her harbor, her shelter from the storm. She didn't know what she would do without her partner now that they had finally come together…
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she waited a minute for her breath to return to normal and her heartbeat to resume a slower pace before she heaved a heavy sigh. If she was going to have to wait here all day for her teammates to come home, she might as well try to find something to fill her time so she didn't spend all day worrying about them.
Slowly rising to her feet, she took delicate steps towards the door, testing how far her recovery had progressed overnight. Her balance seemed to have made great strides in returning to her, and her legs felt much more solid than they had yesterday. She was at least able to cross the few steps outside and to the staircase without so much as a wobble.
Going down the stairs was a little bit rougher, but she managed to succeed just fine if she held onto the banister for dear life. Still, her pace was much slower than she would like to admit.
Several plates arranged neatly on the kitchen table instantly caught her attention. One plate was filled with an assortment of fresh fruit, another held two pieces of toast. The third was covered in foil, so Blake couldn't immediately tell what its contents were. A still perspiring glass of cold juice rounded out the collection of items. In front of the meal was a small slip of paper, which she walked over and picked up to read.
Blake,
Thought you might be a little hungry.
-Y
She smiled down at the paper in her hands, feeling moisture building in her eyes as she looked back up at the breakfast Yang had prepared for her. Right on cue, her stomach let out a loud grumble.
Deciding that breakfast was first on her list of tasks to accomplish today, she pulled out a chair and sat down in front of the feast. She lifted the foil off of the mystery plate, feeling her eyes go wide when she discovered what had been hidden there.
A bagel…topped with a very, very generous helping of lox, her absolute favorite breakfast food.
She briefly wondered what she had done right in this world to deserve such a magnificent person, before she happily bit into the delectable treat.
She certainly was not able to finish all of the food Yang had put out for her, feeling stuffed to the brim after only eating the bagel. The rest she would save for later in the day.
Now that she was no longer hungry, she set off for the situation room. She knew that she would need to do some serious rehabilitation in order to regain her stamina, and figured that today was as good a day as any to begin. While she still hadn't been officially cleared for physical activity, she decided that since walking around the house hadn't been made off limits to her, she would walk until she felt she had pushed herself to her physical limit for the morning.
She walked up to the control panel in the room and scrolled through her options. No Grimm were necessary this time, just some nice scenery for her to walk amongst. She picked one of the park options and watched as trees, grass, benches, and walkways began materializing before her eyes.
She didn't think that she would ever get used to how amazing this technology was, no matter how many times she saw it in motion.
Once the simulation was finished, complete with the sounds of birds chirping in the trees and a light breeze rustling through the leaves, Blake started walking along the concrete pathway through the park.
She walked slowly, ambling along as she hummed softly to herself. Since the park was somewhat small, she mapped out the best circuit that would allow her to continuously loop around the area without interruption. Once she had settled into her course, she spent a good part of the next hour walking through the calming atmosphere, sitting down on a park bench every so often when she felt like she needed a small breather.
The process was relaxing, rejuvenating, but also wore down at her endurance after some time. Blake could feel her lungs stinging slightly as they worked harder than usual. The muscles in her legs also regained some of their more wobbly characteristics the longer and farther she pressed them to go.
Finally, she decided that she had done enough for right now. Once she stopped walking, she could hear herself wheezing gently as she sat down on a bench to catch her breath.
She looked around at the tranquil scene in front of her. It was so peaceful and calm…unlike anything that was likely to be found out in Vale at this moment. Her heart clenched tightly when she realized that Yang could also be in a beautiful setting like this right now, only fighting for her life and the lives of others – not sitting around admiring the scenery.
Once she had recouped some strength, she stood up, this time heading for the exit on weak legs.
Now seemed like an appropriate time to lose herself in a nice book until her teammates made it home…
Blake had always been able to spend hours reading without so much as a second thought. Getting lost in the world written on those pages helped her escape from the harsh realities of the world surrounding her.
Today, she was trying to avoid thinking about the perils her teammates were facing without her.
She had selected a happy romance novel, hoping that its light contents would adequately distract her from her more serious thoughts. Thankfully, the strategy seemed to be working moderately well, as the hours began flying by (interrupted by short cat naps taken in the comfortable library chair).
It wasn't until evening emerged and the light began to fade that Blake grew worried.
Shouldn't they be back by now? They wouldn't be gone into the night, would they?
Her book no longer served as a distraction, even as she attempted to continue reading. Her mind refused to focus on the words now that her internal alarms had begun ringing and her ears focused on any noise that might signify the girls returning home. How long should she wait before she started calling people to see if they knew what was going on?
Thankfully, the sound of voices drifted into the library before Blake did anything too crazy. Moments later, the library door cracked open, allowing a smiling blonde to poke her head inside.
"I knew I would find you in here!" Yang said cheerily, swinging the door all the way open and stepping inside.
Blake smiled when she saw the girl, all of her worries washing away as if they had never existed at all.
Yang walked over to where Blake was sitting and scooped Blake out of the chair before she could even react. She squeaked lightly in surprise as Yang spun around and plopped herself down in the chair, now holding Blake gently in her lap.
Blake thought that she had been comfortable all day, but feeling Yang's warmth only made her realize how cold it actually was without her fiery partner nearby. The snow around her heart melted instantly.
"Good evening, beautiful," Yang whispered, happy as could be. It was as if the blonde had already forgotten that she had just spent all day fighting against enemies determined to capture and brainwash her.
"Good evening," Blake murmured in response. "I'm glad you made it back ok."
"Of course!" Yang responded with a laugh. "We taught a lot of folks a thing or two about messing with Team RWBY, that's for sure."
Blake smiled as Yang's lilac eyes latched onto her own.
"Of course, I would rather have been here with you."
Yang leaned in and gave Blake a short kiss. Soft, gentle, and loving, it only made Blake yearn for more when her partner pulled away. But she sighed happily and snuggled more comfortably into Yang's arms, breathing in the familiar scent of gunpowder, campfires, and a tiny bit of citrus from the girl's shampoo.
"So, what'd you do today?" Yang asked, one of her fingers continuously creating loops in a lock of Blake's hair.
They spent the next few minutes discussing what Blake had done that day, how she was feeling, what the book she was reading was about…everything but what Yang had done out in the city. Even though Blake really wanted to know what was going on in the rest of Vale, she didn't want to pry, and Yang didn't offer the information.
They stayed there until Ruby came to tell them that dinner was ready. The brunette was shocked to see that Yang still hadn't showered or changed, and laughed as she dutifully informed Yang that Weiss was going to kill her.
Dinner passed quickly and mostly in silence as the three huntresses who had spent the day fighting devoured their food. Blake picked at her own plate slowly, carefully analyzing the moods of the girls sitting at the table with her.
Weiss seemed more resigned than usual, and beyond tired. However, the heiress still had the energy to scold Ruby when she knocked the salt shaker over on the table. But Weiss also smiled at all of Ruby's jokes, and snuck loving peeks at the brunette when she thought that no one else was watching.
Ruby was her usual happy-go-lucky self, but her jokes appeared to be flowing much less naturally this evening. The brunette subconsciously scooted closer to Weiss as the meal progressed, appearing to need to be within the heiress' personal space.
And Yang…well Blake caught Yang staring at her more than a few times as they ate. Each time Blake flushed, quickly turning away from the lilac gaze. Her partner joked with her little sister, as usual, but, as with the rest of the team, the interactions were more strained than usual.
Whatever was going on, they were deathly worried about it.
When their meal had ended, everyone was ready to turn in to bed, including Blake. Even though she had taken several naps throughout the day, she still felt tired enough to fall asleep for the night.
They all helped clear away the dishes, with Blake and Yang in charge of putting the clean, dry ones back into their respective cabinets. When Weiss and Ruby had finished their part of the process, the two girls trudged out of the room towards the stairs, murmuring their goodnights as they left.
"Sooo…" Yang said as she wiped off her hands on a clean towel. "Think you can make it up the stairs today?"
From the slightly eager expression on Yang's face, Blake couldn't tell if the blonde wanted her to answer 'yes' or 'no' to that question.
"Actually…I am kind of tired…" she replied with a small smirk, deciding to throw her partner a bone. "But…"
She didn't have the opportunity to finish her thought as Yang had already lifted her off the ground and was carrying her towards her bedroom. Blake sighed happily and wrapped her arms lazily around Yang's neck. Seconds later, Yang was setting her down on her feet in front of her bed.
"My lady…" Yang said courteously with a deep bow. Blake giggled at the sight while Yang straightened up with a smile and began backing back towards the door.
"Sleep well, ok?" her partner ended seriously.
For reasons Blake couldn't fully comprehend at this time, she started to panic when she watched Yang moving further away from her, recalling the cold she had suffered through last night.
"Y-Yang?"
The blonde immediately halted her movement with one foot still hovering an inch off the ground behind her. She tilted her head quizzically to the side, waiting for Blake to continue.
"Could you…stay with me again tonight?"
A smile…more radiant than any Blake had seen over dinner, emerged on Yang's face.
"Of course," the girl replied, nodding her head vigorously. "Let me change and I'll be right back."
With that, the blonde ducked quickly out of her room, just as Blake heard a long sigh of relief escape her own lips.
The next several days passed in much the same manner as the first. Every day, Blake would wake up warm and secure in Yang's arms. The blonde would then have to set out for her day of fighting against who knew what, but only after drawing Blake into a long passionate kiss that would take her breath away.
Blake would eat breakfast before continuing her rehab, which was progressing very rapidly thanks to her body's exceptional recovery skills. She had already graduated from walking to running fast paced laps around the park. She was even able to throw in some light weights and fight some 'very easy' Beowolves with Gambol Shroud.
Afterwards she would be tired, but not overexerted. She would then head for the library, where she was blowing through books at an incredible pace.
The stories and training helped keep her mind off of the fact that her teammates were risking their lives while all she could do was sit around the house and do moderate amounts of training. It was frustrating, to say the least.
More and more, she found herself counting down the minutes until her teammates would come home, although the exact time tended to be nearly impossible to calculate. As soon as the clock passed into early afternoon, she became increasingly fearful for her teammates' lives.
When Yang did make it home though, she would race to the library straightaway. Blake would always set down her book when she saw the blonde coming through the door, no matter how good of a part she was at. Yang would scoop her up and drop down into the chair herself as she gave Blake a tender kiss, as if they were kissing for the very first time.
Now that Blake had more energy, she would go through some more exercises after they had another subdued team dinner. No matter how exhausted her partner must have been, Yang always partook in the exercises with her. And, in a very un-Yang-like manner, the blonde never showed off or did what would actually constitute a workout for the brawler. She did the exact same exercises that Blake would do, and at the same speed.
The message to Blake rang clear: Yang only wanted to spend time with her, and Blake was eternally grateful for her company.
But, every night, Yang still made Blake ask her to stay with her. Blake couldn't figure out if her partner was just being respectful by not making the assumption that Blake always wanted Yang to be with her, or if the blonde just really, really liked hearing Blake ask. Either way, Blake always found the courage to ask just as Yang was preparing to leave.
She still didn't really know what was going on outside of the house, other than a few snippets of information she had gathered from Ruby. But on this day, when she had woken up feeling more energized than any of the days prior, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
After breakfast and her morning workout, she went to the living room instead of the library, powering on the computer located there. She knew that the media outlets would never have complete information, but they would at least have several of the most important facts by this point, if they were reporting it at all.
Diving into the information for several minutes, she quickly realized why her teammates were so downcast and somber.
If what the articles she was reading were to be believed, the huntsmen fighting under Professor Ozpin's direction were losing.
Entire sections of Vale had been devastated in battles. Countless innocent lives lost. Several prominent huntsmen had defected to Cinder's side. Others were missing in action – presumed dead or captured.
She saw familiar names on several websites, either of defectors or missing huntsmen. Now she understood why her teammates refused to speak of these matters when they finally came home. They were fighting a losing battle, and morale must be sinking incredibly low.
Powering off the device, Blake felt sick to her stomach, wishing she had never had the courage to look at all. What was the saying, after all?
Ignorance is bliss.
She sighed as she got up and headed to the library to finish her day of waiting, even more determined to support her teammates as best as she could. Plus, at the pace she was recovering, she should be able to join them in battle sooner rather than later. Of course, that was assuming that the war hadn't already been lost.
Sitting in her usual chair, she found it extremely difficult to focus on anything other than the news articles she had just read. She slowly flipped through the pages, many times having to read and reread sentences before she could move on.
Several hours later, she was surprised when she heard the sounds of her teammates returning home, earlier than usual.
Her heart began to beat faster, waiting for Yang to come find her.
Seconds later, the door burst open as the blonde strode in with a big smile.
"You're home early," Blake commented as her partner plucked her up out of the chair and plopped back down in her place. Blake could already feel warmth invading her body as Yang's fire enveloped her.
"Yeah well…I just missed you a little too much today," Yang replied with a grin.
Blake returned the grin with a smile, relieved that she didn't have to worry about Yang's safety any longer today, realizing incredibly how fortunate she was for Yang to be returning at all.
"Oh, I forgot. Hello, gorgeous," Yang cooed at her. Blake felt her eyes flutter shut as Yang leaned towards her for a kiss.
"Hey, Blake? Oh, god, sorry!"
Blake turned bright red at the sound of Ruby's voice, turning away from Yang to find the brunette now hiding politely behind the library door. She heard Yang let out a subtle growl of frustration at the interruption.
"Y-yeah Ruby?" Blake called out before clearing her throat. She tried to wiggle out of Yang's arms in order to sit up properly, but the brawler had already been snubbed out of a kiss and refused to give another inch. She gave up with a sigh, sending a pleading look towards Yang, who merely replied with a shrug and a smile.
"What do you need?" she asked, settling back into Yang's arms since the girl refused to let her go.
"Oh, uh…I just wanted to see if we could check and see if the last of your stitches can come out," Ruby answered hastily, still not peering into the room.
"Oh yeah that's a good idea," Blake replied, shooting Yang a look that instantly granted her release from the vice grip arms.
She pulled herself to her feet as Yang popped up behind her.
"I'll come too!" Yang commented, both joining Ruby and heading to the med room through the kitchen.
As soon as they entered the sterile room, Blake watched in amazement as Ruby morphed into a completely different person. The brunette walked around the room with a purpose and confidence that Blake was completely unfamiliar with. Ruby gathered two small instruments and handed them to Yang for the blonde to hold, while Blake jumped up and seated herself on the table with her legs swinging off the edge above the ground.
"Ok, let's see how you've been healing up," Ruby said dutifully, motioning to Blake's chest.
Blake immediately complied with the girl's unspoken request and began tugging at the bottom of her shirt to remove the garment.
She paused at the sound of metal tools clattering onto a nearby table.
"Uh…I just forgot that I have to…to do something," Yang said hastily before rushing out of the room, face bright red.
Blake still had her shirt lifted partially off as she and Ruby both stared after the girl in shock.
After several seconds of stunned silence, Ruby turned to her, eyes wide.
"Was my sister just embarrassed?"
Blake nodded her head slowly as Ruby started laughing.
"I have never, ever seen Yang embarrassed before!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Weiss…"
Blake finally finished pulling off her shirt, saying, "I don't know why she would be embarrassed…we've seen each other change thousands of times before."
But the more Blake thought about it, she realized that Yang had never actually watched Blake change, at least not that she had noticed. Her partner had always very noticeably averted her eyes. It had been something Blake had found rather curious at first, but she had then decided that Yang was just being respectful of her privacy. Not that Blake would have had a problem with Yang looking. It actually would have made her feel a little better since she had stared at the blonde changing (not overtly, of course) more than a few times.
"You've healed really well," Ruby commented, prodding lightly at the jagged red line prominently placed on Blake's chest. "The stitches can come out now, at least."
The brunette retrieved the dropped tools from the table and began calmly snipping out the thin pieces of thread one by one.
"How have you been feeling, otherwise?" Ruby asked as she continued her work.
"I feel tons better every day," Blake responded honestly. "My strength is steadily getting back to where it once was, and I don't feel as tired all the time anymore."
Ruby nodded her head as she listened to Blake's self-assessment, removing the last stitch and setting down the tools in approval.
"I don't think there will be a problem with you doing a little more physical rehabilitation now that your stitches aren't needed. Make sure not to push yourself harder than you should though; it will only make things more difficult in the future. You might be progressing quickly, but you still have a long way to go."
Internally, Blake sighed at the prognosis as she hopped off of the table, even though she knew that Ruby was correct. She shouldn't push herself in order to force herself back into action, but it was becoming extremely difficult to sit on the sidelines while her teammates were out risking their lives.
"Don't worry, Blake…" Ruby said as they walked towards the door. "We all just want you to get better." The brunette ended her comment with a sincere smile that melted some of Blake's frustration away.
"Thank you, Ruby," she replied, giving her team leader a brief hug before they stepped out into the kitchen.
There they found Yang calmly sitting at the table, eating an apple while she nonchalantly flipped through the pages of some magazine. Seeing them exit the med room, she jumped up with a big smile, acting as if nothing had happened.
"So, what's the verdict?" she asked eagerly.
Ruby merely snickered at her sister and walked away, no doubt to find Weiss as quickly as possible.
"I don't have stitches anymore, if that's what you're wondering about," Blake answered in Ruby's place.
"No, I mean…" Yang leaned closer to her as if about to tell her a secret. "Are you cleared for some physical activity?"
Blake felt her cheeks burn at the question.
"I think that depends on…what type…of activity…" she answered carefully.
"Come on," Yang said as she grabbed ahold of Blake's hand and began dragging her out of the room.
Blake protested at first, until she realized that Yang was pulling her towards the situation room. Yang directed her to the center of the room before she released Blake's hand and strode several paces away from her.
She raised an eyebrow when she realized what it was that Yang wanted to do.
"Yang…I really don't think that…"
"I'll go easy on you, I promise!" Yang cut her off, removing Ember Cecilia from her wrists and tossing her beloved weapon off to the side to prove her point.
"Come on, just a little spar, pleaseee?"
She sighed in defeat, causing Yang to beam in excitement as she raised her fists in front of her face and bounced lightly back and forth on the balls of her feet.
"Come and get me!" the blonde encouraged her, waving Blake forward with the fingers on her right hand.
Blake analyzed Yang carefully as she began stalking in a circle around the girl, looking for the best opening through which to attack. On a good day, the window of opportunity would be very small, but it did look like Yang was focused more on having fun than trying hard.
After completing several laps around the blonde, Blake shot forward unexpectantly, attempting to catch her partner off guard. Yang's right hand lowered a fraction of an inch to deflect the kick Blake had feinted towards her, before Blake threw her intended attack: a vicious right hook aimed straight for Yang's nose.
At the last millisecond, Yang's left hand came up and caught Blake's attack. Before her brain could even comprehend what was happening, Blake was sailing through the air over Yang's back as the blonde swung her over by her own momentum.
But instead of hitting the ground with the jarring crash she had been expecting, her torso came to an abrupt halt inches from the ground before gently falling the rest of the way with a soft thud.
Yang had pulled up on her arm at the last second in order to protect Blake from landing too harshly on her back.
She felt Yang's weight press down on her rib cage as her arms were firmly pinned to the ground right above her head. Looking up, Blake found herself gazing into lilac eyes accompanied by a huge grin. A veil of blonde hair hung around her on both sides as Yang's mane of gold locks cascaded over the girl's shoulders.
"One move, Belladonna?" Yang teased. "I thought it would take more than just one move to get you on the floor."
The wink Yang added at the end caused Blake to blush.
"Congratulations on beating the cripple," Blake muttered in slight annoyance.
"Thank you!" Yang responded proudly, not affected in the least by Blake's comment. "So…what's my prize?"
Blake stiffened for a half second at the question before feeling her blush deepen.
"I think…a kiss…might be appropriate…"
Yang looked at her in dismay before her eyes became eager and excited as she leaned down closer to Blake.
"Yan-! Oh, sorry!"
"God dammit Ruby. I'm going to disown you," Yang cursed under her breath as she lifted her face to look at the girl.
"I'm sorry," Ruby repeated, this time more sternly than was normal for the younger girl. "But you both need to come see this, now."
Yang looked down at Blake, the two sharing the same perplexed look at Ruby's demeanor. Yang released Blake's arms and pulled her to her feet as they followed at a run behind a briskly walking Ruby.
They stumbled into the living room clouded in confusion, hearing the projector blaring a television program as multiple voices spoke over top of each other. Weiss was already standing there, staring at the images in front of her with a mix of anger and dismay written all over her face.
"What's…" Blake began asking, only for Weiss to point forcefully towards the screen.
She turned, finding the screen was turned to Vale News, with the current image seeming to be filmed from a news airship. A massive, regal building was the focal point of the shot, standing as if on an island, with the nearest buildings several blocks away. Billowing columns of silver smoke were emitting from heaps of rubble nearest to the building in focus. An army of Paladins and Knights were setting up posts on every corner of the building, daring anyone to try to approach.
"Is that…?" Yang whispered from beside her.
"The Capitol? Yup…" Weiss responded distantly as she reached out and gently took one of Ruby's hands in her own.
"How did they get so many Atlesians…?" Blake asked to no one in particular.
The headline running across the bottom of the screen in huge block letters caught Blake's eye.
Breaking News…Terrorists Overtake Capitol.
None of those present in the room needed to guess who those 'terrorists' might be.
"Isn't the Capitol building downtown?" Blake asked, realizing that the building on the screen appeared to be far removed from any other structures.
"It was…" Weiss responded, voice hardly above a whisper.
Blake raised a hand to cover her mouth as the implication of Weiss' words hit her, horror and anguish spreading through her system like wildfire.
Entire city blocks of downtown Vale…leveled.
But why?
As they watched, the news airships continued to circle around the Capitol building while also purveying the destruction of what had once been downtown. After watching for several minutes in stunned silence, the news feed suddenly began flickering. A few more flickers, and Cinder's smirking face appeared on the screen.
Blake felt Yang's temperature spike as Cinder hijacked the newsfeed and began speaking.
"Good afternoon, citizens of Vale…" Cinder began politely, with a smile that oozed self-confidence.
"By now, you may have noticed that your Capitol has been captured, along with all of the people who were inside."
"I will tell you our demands, which are really quite simple. We want the last remaining huntsmen of Vale to turn themselves in. If they refuse…well…then I would suggest sending some coffins, instead."
Cinder smirked, seeming to prefer either result equally.
"Oh…and I feel like I'm forgetting something…wasn't there some important event being held here today?"
The brunette gave an evil chuckle at the question.
"You have until noon tomorrow."
Cinder's image flickered and disappeared, returning the screen to the image of the lonely building streaming from the airships.
The four girls stood in silence as Weiss muted the sound of the newscasters speaking over each other in hysteria.
"What was being held at the Capitol today, Weiss?" Blake asked hesitantly, not really wanting to know the answer.
The heiress stood frozen in her place, eyes still fixed determinedly to the screen.
"A meeting of some of Remnant's most powerful leaders - all called here to discuss the attacks that had been happening…"
They fell back into silence as the understanding of what this meant dawned on all of them. The most powerful leaders in all of Remnant…sent here from Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas…only to be held hostage by Cinder and her followers. If they didn't give themselves up, Cinder would not hesitate to execute these people…what would Remnant dissolve into then?
Ruby was the first one with the courage to speak.
"Did we just…lose?"
Weiss instantly scoffed at her fiancée's comment.
"Of course not, Ruby, we didn't lose. We'll figure out some way to stop her."
But Weiss' words fell unusually flat, the heiress clearly not holding much faith in what she was saying.
Blake felt a warm hand wrap around her own, looking down to find Yang's fingers now intertwined in hers. She looked up to find Yang giving her a small smile, eyes still lilac.
"Don't worry, we will figure something out," Yang stated calmly.
Whether her partner was speaking just to her or to the whole team, Blake didn't know. But she couldn't help a little smile forming in return.
As long as they were together…anything was possible.