A/N: Yosh a new chapter has arrived! I've been getting so many ideas lately I don't know how I'm going to fit them all into the story and make it flow naturally but I'm going to try my best! Hope it won't turn out too badly and please, don't be shy and let me know if there's areas for improvement! Lovely review from XAnonymous, really appreciate an opinion from someone other than myself eheh. With regards to WhiteRose, unfortunately, how it started won't really be explained in too much detail since this is a BumbleBee-centric story but their connection to each other will definitely be shown in the story so please bear with the sloppy WhiteRose Thank you readers, new and old, you guys keep me going! Here we go, Chapter 4!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY and its characters, story is purely fan made!
Chappie 4: Somewhere to Belong
The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for..
On this fine Tuesday morning, an unhappy girl was seated at the dining table. "Moom, why didn't you tell me beforehand that you knew the Headmaster.. I wouldn't have been so nervous in the first place then.." whined Blake as they sat together at the table enjoying breakfast.
"Oh. I didn't tell you about Qrow? Hm.. I must be getting old.." replied her mom with a deep sigh.
"Anyway! You know, yesterday I bumped into this-" Blake began excitedly but was cut off.
"That's great honey, but shouldn't you be leaving soon? You'll be late and that's no good right?" waving off Blakes story, she picked up the dirty dishes and moved to the sink.
Right.. Why did I bother in the first place.. She's never interested.. With her mood dampened, Blake grabbed her bag and managed a weak "Okay, I'm going.." as she left the house.
"Have a good day!" her moms voice trailed off as Blake strayed further from the house.
The school was built such that 1st year classes were on the 3rd floor, 2nd on the 2nd and 3rd years on the 1st. It was midsummer in August which explained the short sleeved shirts everyone wore under their sleeveless cardigans. Blake loitered about the 2nd floor searching for her classroom as the students filed into their respective classes when the bell rang.
"Hey.. isn't that the girl with the black bow Yang was with yesterday?" Blakes sensitive cat ears twitched at the whispering group of girls.
"It's her alright, what does Yang see in HER I wonder.. she deserves someone more outstanding, like, I don't know? ME?" came a voice that was louder than expected. The voice belonged to a heavily tanned girl with mint-green bobbed hair who was putting on a haughty air.
Picking up her pace, Blake avoided the stares of curious students who had heard of the famed 'Black Bow'. There goes my low profile.. Just that one incident with Yang and I've become the talk of the town.. What's up with her crazy reputation! Slowly, the numbers in the hallway dwindled and Blake was left alone still wandering about.
2-D.. 2-D… Ughh where is it.. Most of the students were already in their classrooms and the teachers had started homeroom. As she was contemplating going into a random classroom to ask for directions, she saw a fairly tanned guy with short, spiky light-blond hair sneaking about.
Lifting her eyebrows in surprise, she noticed he had a long monkey tail the same color as his hair. So there are Faunas who walk about without disguise.. Wish I could be strong-willed like them.. Though he probably doesn't get picked on much with his tough look. But people are sure to look with different eyes even if they don't show it..
Spotting Blake, he ran over and asked cheerily, "Hey! You late for lessons too? Though I haven't seen you around before..?"
Oh. So he's late.. "I'm new here, class 2-D." replied Blake with a bored look. If he's a nice guy maybe he'll give me some directions..?
"Oh. My. God. It's perfect! Hey hey if you want to get to class follow me!" he whispered excitedly as he continued sneaking about the classrooms to the other end of the corridor. Since there was no harm, Blake trailed after him, though not in the same weird sneaky manner.
Stopping in front of one of the classrooms, he indicated that this is it. Blake shot him a weird look as he motioned for her to go in first.
Giving the opened door a slight knock, she walked in tentatively. "Excuse me, I'm new here.." Blake informed the teacher as the whole class turned their attention towards her.
Little did she know, waiting for his chance to bolt to his seat once the teacher got distracted was the monkey guy from before as he crouched behind her, trying to stay out of the teachers vision. Unfortunately, Blake wasn't exactly horizontally wide enough to provide him full camouflage.
Turning to face her, the teacher exclaimed, "Ah yes! Transfer student! Good to have you here! Since it's your first day I shall excuse your lateness but please be punctual in future. Now.." trailing off as he had noticed a monkey tail swishing about behind her, he narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"Nice of you to join us this late, Mr Sun. I'm sure you're looking forward to detention after school." stated the teacher matter-of-factly as Sun emerged sheepishly from behind Blake. Realizing Suns true motive for taking her here, Blake rolled her eyes as he took his seat grumpily at having been busted.
"Now. As I was saying. A new student will be joining us today." he announced to the class as murmuring erupted.
"I'm Dr Oobleck, your homeroom teacher. Please go ahead and introduce yourself to the class." he turned to Blake and gestured for her to do so.
Hushed whispers of "That's the Black Bow!" and "She's so lucky, running around with Yang!" came from mostly girls while "Geh, so Yang and her are together?" and "What a waste!" came from the boys. Just grit through it, ignore them…
Turning to face the class fully, Blake surveyed the room with disinterest. However, one dark haired girl with red highlights caught her attention as Ruby was frantically waving her hands at her but trying to be discreet at the same time. Oh it's that girl who helped me from before..
Sending her a small smile, Blake continued her survey. If she's here.. could her sister also..? Wondered Blake as memories of tussled gold hair flitted through her mind. The only hair that resembled Yangs blonde hair was that of Sun, who gave her a wink when their eyes met as she ignored him. No.. It's different. Hers are more.. Fluffy? Blake suppressed a smile at having associated that word with Yang while feeling a tad disappointed that she didn't find the lilac eyes she was looking for as she concluded her survey.
Shaking off her thoughts, Blake gave a simple introduction. "I'm Blake, Blake Belladonna. Thanks for having me." she finished with a bow.
Clapping echoed as the class welcomed her. "Wonderful, Blake please take the empty seat by the window beside Nora." Oobleck indicated towards the seat which was beside a girl with short orange hair and directly behind Ruby.
Blake went over to her seat as murmuring started up once again while Dr Oobleck continued with attendance-taking.
"I knew it was you! I'm Ruby, the class rep! Hope your butt is okay?" greeted an enthusiastic Ruby who had turned in her seat to face Blake.
"Hi Ruby, thanks for your help the other time. Yes my butt is quite alright." replied Blake with an appreciative smile.
"By the way, I heard you've gotten closer to Yang eh?" Ruby whispered with exaggerated eyebrow wagging.
"H-huuuuh?! Absolutely not! We're not on bad terms anymore but we're not exactly close either!" countered Blake in mortification, though unable to stop a slight blush from coming on.
"Alright~ If you say so~" twittered Ruby in an unconvinced tone.
Haa.. Why do both sisters like to tease so much.. Heaving an aggravated sigh, Blake slumped on her desk.
Joining in the conversation, the girl beside Blake spoke up, "Hey hey! I'm Nora! Welcome to the most awesome class EVAR!" she finished with a very dramatic imaginary rainbow created from her hands.
Another boy who was seated diagonally from Blake whirled around to fistbump Nora, "You got that right Nora! Hey, I'm Jaune but you can call me.. Bravo. Jauney Bravo. Geddit?" he introduced himself with a wink while referencing his favorite cartoon character.
Auuugh major weirdo.. "Yeah, uhm.. Nice to meet you two as well.." acknowledged Blake uncertainly as she looked to Ruby for help.
Giving him a hard whack on the head, Ruby replied on Blakes behalf. "The only thing she'll be calling is the cops on you, Vomit Boy! Hahahaha! Can you believe it? This guy here actually vomited on his first day at school!" she broke out into laughter from recalling the epic scene.
"Oww.. Well at least I don't explode labs, Crater Face!" reddening from being exposed, Jaune fought back with one of Rubys embarrassing nicknames as well. At some point Nora had joined in the bickering as well while Blake watched on with amusement. This feels nice.. I wonder when was the last time I was part of a group like this..
Deciding to leave them to their shenanigans, Blake focused on what was being announced by Oobleck. "As you all probably already know, the Cultural Festival is coming up soon, is there anyone who wants to be the representative for our class?"
Not a single hand was in sight. Sighing heavily, Oobleck continued, "Alright.. Since there are no volunteers, we'll go with the usual method. LAST ONE UP IS THE CHOSEN ONE!"
Chairs screeched as everyone got up on their feet immediately, even the three musketeers who were bickering so intensely before had shot out of their seat instantly. Still in shock, Blake looked around to find out.. She was the only one left seated. This doesn't look good.. gulped Blake as all eyes were on her.
"Oh right! Blake doesn't know about this system. Put simply, when we are appointing roles and no one volunteers, the last one to stand up after I give the signal, is picked for the role. Do keep this in mind in future!" Oobleck explained with a smile as if it were the most ingenious idea in the world.
He added on, "This might have been a little unfair for you, but! It's the perfect opportunity for you to fit into the school! It's decided then, Blake will be the representative for class 2-D at the Cultural Festival meetings!" the class erupted with cheering as Blake was crowned the heroic victim that saved them from the troublesome duties of cultural festival rep.
Passing Blake a form, he informed her that the details of their chosen class activity at the Cultural Festival was to be filled in and submitted to the Student Council by the end of next week. The form fluttered onto her desk as he bade her a swift "Good luck!" and ended homeroom, dashing out the class at lightning speed.
Staring blankly in disbelief, Blake was having trouble processing the situation she had been thrown into as steam threatened to emerge from her head.
"It's okay Blake! We'll help you, so do your best! That's what friends are for!" piped Ruby as the the other two nodded in tandem and held up their arms in a flexing pose. Though still a little unsure, Blake nodded shyly, feeling a lot better with friends on her side. Friends.. Is it really okay to have friends..?
As the next teacher entered, Blake introduced herself again and lessons went on quite smoothly while she tried to catch up with the syllabus taught so far. However, she couldn't shake off the uneasy thoughts that played with her mind..
After the gruelling classes, it was finally time for a break and the trio invited Blake along for lunch. The canteen was bustling with chattering students and a handful of exhausted teachers.
Turning heads as she passed, Blake wished for a blackhole to swallow her up from all the unwanted attention. Furthermore, walking with 3 of Yangs usual gang was cause for more head-turning. She caught sight of the same group of girls from this morning, all shooting her jealous glares including the mint-green haired girl.
Tuning out the prying eyes, Blake observed that she was being led towards a table in the corner and saw familiar red hair and green highlights seated opposite each other. "Pyrrha! Ren! What're you doing here?" asked a surprised Blake. Looking to each other then towards Blake, they replied amusedly, "To eat of course?"
"Ahaha I forgot to tell you. Ren and Nora are childhood friends while Pyrrha and Jaune have been together since they met last year when Pyrrha brought Vomit Boy to the infirmary." Ruby cleared up the confusion sheepishly. Nora bantered excitedly to Ren and Jaune sat next to Pyrrha as they exchanged affectionate looks. Blake hadn't notice yesterday but now she realized that Pyrrha and Ren were donning black cardigans which meant they were 3rd years.
Ruby added on, "By the way, I was in the same class as W-Weiss last year but this year she's in Yangs class."
Hoping no one noticed her stutter at Weiss' name, she ended hurriedly, "S-so, somehow we all naturally came together at the beginning of the year and voila! Welcome to the gang!"
Blake nodded slowly, taking in the information that bombarded her.
It did not last long however as a painful yelp brought her out of her trance. As she searched for the source, what Blake saw made her boil with rage and disgust.
Surrounding a long brown-haired Faunus girl was a group of rowdy boys and one of them, a huge guy with dark orange hair combed backwards, was yanking on her bunny ears. The other three were preventing her friends from coming to her help.
The nerve of him, laying hands on a girl! Just because of a few bad apples, they assume all Faunus are the same and justify violence against us! Hands trembling with anger, Blake got ready to head over and give them a piece of her mind. She may be hiding as a Faunus but she was not weak and would not stand by when someone, regardless Faunus or human, was getting bullied in her face.
However, a yellow blur beat her to it and gripped the obnoxious guys arm. Giving it a powerful squeeze, the guy grimaced in pain and released his hold on the bunny girl.
"Oh Cardin, when will you ever grow some balls and pick on someone your own size instead?" came a boisterous voice that could have belonged to only one person. Yang.. Giving the bunny girl a charming smile, Yang nodded for the girl to get behind her, which was returned with a light blush and deep bow from her.
Cardin sneered unpleasantly, "Heh how about when you go out with me instead of Black Bows over there? I could show you a much better time." Blake narrowed her eyes in repulse.
"Besides, these Faunus scum deserve so much more, I'm already being kind here y'know?" he spread his arms out as though he was a saint. A crowd gathered quickly at the commotion.
Eyes connecting with Blakes, Yang gave her a reassuring smile.
Using this opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding about Blake and her, Yang spoke up, "Firstly, Blakey and I aren't together like that and also, I doubt you could show anyone a good time apart from your donkeys over there." she gestured behind him to refer to his 3 henchmen as Cardins face slowly turned sour. Blake silently sent her gratitude to Yang for clearing up the rumours, though a part of her, unknown even to herself, pricked slightly..
Yang continued with her speech with a smile, "Secondly, I am also being kind. BY DOING THIS!" grabbing a random tray on a nearby table, Yang held it up in front of his face. Taking advantage of his confusion, she drew back her fist and let it go with a burst of power. The punch connected forcefully with the tray which in turn connected with.. Cardins face.
Cardin was sent flying back into the arms of his henchmen as he clutched his bleeding nose in agony. Dizzy with pain, he managed to shriek out, "Y-you bitch! I'm gonna- .." before fainting mid-sentence.
The comical sight of his 3 henchmen scurrying away in fright with their boss in tow brought tears to Blakes eyes. Wow she's strong.. totally sent him flying even with the tray that acted as a shock-absorber! Blake saw Yang in a different light.
Grinning with satisfaction, Yang was met with wild cheering from the crowd, Faunus and human alike. Pyrrha and Ren had gone over to disperse the audience using their authority as figureheads of the Student Council while Ruby, Jaune and Nora went to calm the traumatised bunny girl who introduced herself as Velvet. Her friends ran over and engulfed her in a group hug, crying tears of joy.
As she basked in the cheers, Yang felt icy blue eyes glaring at her. Weiss stalked towards Yang ready to give her a good nagging when she was intercepted by Yangs hands held up in front of herself defensively.
"Woah woah ice princess! Before you chill me to death with your death glare, I am going to put in my defence that.. I didn't exactly punch him directly? You should know that considering it's me we're talking about, walking away with JUST a broken nose is a big deal yeah? S-so it counts for something?" pleaded Yang with expectant eyes.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Weiss replied admittedly, "Well I do suppose that counts for something since the fool was asking for it.. Just be careful with your strength alright? God knows how many bones you've crushed from the guys that had hit on you persistently. Anyway, I'll make sure Cardin doesn't get his way if he reports this incident to the school."
Though Weiss might not show it, she definitely cared not only for Ruby but Yang as well. Popping out of nowhere, Ruby embraced Weiss in appreciation. "Thanks Weiss.. What would we do without you.."
Overcome with surprise and joy, Weiss returned the embrace with all her heart, hoping Ruby would be able to feel it. "I'll always be here for you.." Looking up for Rubys reaction, she found tender grey eyes gazing back at her.
Realizing her mistake, Weiss corrected hastily while breaking out of the embrace, "B-both of you!" as she felt all the blood rush to her face.
Shaking her head with amusement, Yang thought to herself. Just get together already! Deciding to leave the two sweethearts to themselves, Yang strolled to the table where Blake was seated with the rest who had returned to their seats after getting the situation under control.
As she greeted the crew, Yang noticed a tray of untouched food beside Blakes own tray, and took the seat to her right.
"With that amount of food, you must either be on the verge of starvation or.. pregnant." came the less than witty comment as Yang smirked playfully.
Already getting used to her crude but nonetheless harmless remarks, Blake quipped back with mock frustration, "Well.. It was originally meant for you but I guess I am feeling a little hungrier than usual.." as she reached out for the tray.
However, Yang stopped her by grabbing the offending hand that was reaching for the tray and quickly dragged the tray to herself before Blake could snatch it back. Blake stiffened at the sudden contact as the area tingled pleasantly where Yang had grabbed her. What was that.. Must have been static..
Beaming gratefully, Yang thanked her, "Gee thanks Blakey! You have no idea how hungry I am after wasting my energy on that bastard."
Recalling the incident from earlier, her tone became more agitated, "Though he deserved ten times more. I mean, we're all sharing the same space, breathing the same air, why discriminate y'know? And I absolutely hate when they pick on the weaker ones." she dug into her food with gusto.
Her hot-temper aside, Yang really is a good person.. Blake couldn't help but smile at the childish, brash, yet soft-hearted Yang.
"If only there were more people like you, I'm sure the world would be a happier place." Yang snorted and punched her lightly at the embarrassing statement, though one could tell she was elated.
Chatting about less serious topics, the two were soon joined by Ruby and Weiss and they all finished their food with time to spare. The whole group walked together to the classrooms as Ren and Pyrrha bade their departure on the 1st floor while the rest headed for the 2nd floor where they split up into their respective classes.
Feeling light-hearted, Blake went through class in a dream-like state. Today was eventful as well.. and I feel like I finally have somewhere I belong.. I'm going to protect the friendships I've made today, I don't want to be alone anymore..