At some point, someone had closed the curtains and turned on the light, but Blake wasn't aware when. She was far too engrossed in her own thoughts to pay attention to anything else. Her book was open in front of her, but she hadn't turned the page in a while. She was fighting a battle within herself, neither side appearing to have the advantage. On the one hand, she knew that whatever had happened that day was something severe. Her team wouldn't be in this state if it were anything other than dangerous. On the other, she was unsure if she actually wanted to remember. Something had triggered something else, somewhere in her brain, but she couldn't find what it was.
It was as though it had sealed off all memories of the mornings events, locking them away so she could never discover them. Her curiosity was at odds with her common sense, each clashing for her attention. She considered the repercussions of remembering, reasoning that she had blocked them for some reason. She didn't entirely trust herself, something that constantly lurked in the back of her mind. Blissful ignorance or potentially ruinous truth? She bit her lip absently, dimly aware of the sleeping Ruby on the other side of the room. Weiss was nowhere to be seen, nor was Yang.
Blake glanced sideways, watching the rhythmic rising and falling of Rubys deep sleep. Exhaustion had taken its toll on the young girl, her energy finally giving way to the tiredness. It was good that she wasn't inadvertently trying to wound herself even further by trying to behave normally. Largely due to Weiss's insistence, she had remained lying on the bed, surrounded by sketches and books. If Blake were to guess, she would be attempting to distract herself from her own negative emotions. The day had wore on them all, in more ways than one.
She heard a shuffling above her, accompanied by whispered mumbling. Blake could make out the words 'sting' and 'pain' between the incoherence, too quiet to hear properly. Blake guessed that she was referring to her arm injuries as she tried to get comfortable. Her book closed with a small 'whump' as she sighed under her breath to herself. She reached over and placed it on the beside table, a quiet but familiar voice sounding above her.
"Blake?" It was Yang all right, but she wasn't hanging off the edge as she normally was.
"Mhm?" Blake replied, mindful not to wake Ruby from her sleep.
"Can we talk?" Yangs voice was much more subdued than usual, something that unsettled Blake. Once again, she was trying to think logically, but there was a gut feeling that she couldn't shift.
"Of course." She kept her tone softer than usual, there would be no need for her blank routine this time.
"I'm worried, Blake." Yang whispered, barely audible.
"About Ruby?" Blake queried, unsure if her partner was referring to her sister or herself.
"Yes, but something else." She knew what Yang was going to say, but she didn't know how to respond. The silence lingered for mere seconds, but it passed as though they were minutes. Finally, Yang continued.
"About you." The way she spoke was reminiscent of the events that happened earlier that day. Blake remembered vividly the way Yang clung to her, as though she was something far beyond the measures of worth. It was as if they were entwined with one another. She had felt the tears welling in her eyes as she held her partner close, listening to her muffled sobs as she vented her bottled emotions. 'The side of Yang nobody gets to see.'
Fighting to keep her heartbeat steady, Blake took a moment to make a decision. She stood and climbed the ladder soundlessly, sitting cross-legged at the foot of Yangs bed.
"Why?" She asked, unable to avert her eyes from the scratched and torn skin that pained Blake to even look at it. She imagined Yang to be in immense pain for every movement, yet doing her best not to show it. Yang leant forwards a little, allowing Blake to glimpse the upper regions of her chest. Even there she bore injuries, and Blake imagined they went even further down than that.
"Because of what happened out there today. It wasn't right." Yang answered, her brilliant violet eyes fused with a mixture of pain, concern, and deep inside, Blake could see the tint of fear. Her own amber eyes widened slightly, her mind racing through what she recalled. Again was she battling internally with herself, though she kept her focus on her partner. To have Yang behave like this was unnerving, Blake wasn't sure if she wanted to ask.
Before her brain could process it, the growing interest forcefully pushed its way past her mind and through her mouth.
"What happened?"
As she felt the remnants of the question evaporate from her lips, Yangs brow furrowed.
"You don't remember?" She asked in mild shock, staring directly at her teammate.
Blake shook her head, slowly at first. "No. I know that we were in the forest, but after that, everything is blank. I woke in the infirmary, and you were like this-" She pointed with her eyes to Yangs arms. "-and Ruby and Weiss were injured. I don't understand why I'm not hurt." She added to herself. 'It's like you suffered my injuries for me.'
Yang began to retell the incident in as much detail as she could, her voice quivering slightly as she remembered herself. Blake could sense the sadness in her voice, even through the hushed way she was speaking. The corners of Yangs eyes welled up as the sequence progressed, she was almost crying again by the time she'd reached the end.
"You just stopped. You didn't even try to get out of the way. Why? What did it do to you? What's wrong, Blake?"
It tore at Blakes heart to see her friend like this, to hear the pain in her voice. She did her best to mask her sympathy, taking a minute to gather herself. The new information was disturbing to her, especially now that she could see what effects it had on Yang.
"I wish I knew." She said simply.
There was nothing else she could say. Yang read the guilt in her eyes, as though she was ashamed that she couldn't remember. She could feel her emotions flaring up again, threatening to overtake her senses. Despite this, she couldn't pull herself away from the mesmerizing golden orbs. They captivated her in a way she'd never experienced before, seeding unfamiliar feelings into her heart.
Blake blinked, momentarily breaking the trance Yang had put herself in. The yellow-haired girl visibly jolted back, somewhat alarmed to be back to her senses. She put a hand to her forehead and wiped the sweat off with her palm. 'That's odd...it's not unusually warm in here, and yet her temperature is clearly climbing. I wonder...'
She decided to voice her thoughts, though the wording and tone surprised her, it didn't sound characteristically emotionless or plain as she used normally.
"Yang, are you ill? You seem unnaturally hot." Yang blinked twice, once to clear the tears that she had bit back and once to register just what Blake had said. She was somewhat speechless, narrowing her eyes slightly in suspicion.
"Uh...I'm fine. Are you?" She asked, keeping her voice down and leaning closer, her hair falling off her shoulders. She watched Blakes expressions change from mild curiosity to panic, though Blake quickly subdued it in an attempt to remain unfazed.
"You could say that. I've been thinking a lot, that's all." Yang appreciated how convincing she could sound, but she knew that Blake was hiding something from her. She decided to press forwards, lying on her stomach with her elbows propping her head in her palms, ignoring the flared pain that resulted.
"I've noticed. About what?" It was almost unreal to her how the conversation between the two of them seemed nearly normal. If it weren't for the worry clawing at her heart or the bandages wrapped around her arms, she would assume nothing had ever happened. She watched with genuine interest as Blake shuffled her position slightly, showing a rarely seen restlessness.
"Well...you remember how Professor Ozpin told us that there had only been reports?" Blake asked, attempting to keep the subject in Yangs focus. The other girl nodded, giving Blake the clear to continue. "Doesn't it strike you as odd how something that caused this much unrest has only been reported? Nobody has actually seen it?" Yang pondered the question for a second, tilting her head slightly to one side.
"I guess. But it's easy to forget when you're running away in terror." She instantly regretted using that word, but by the time she caught herself it had already been said. She gave a mental sigh. Thankfully, it didn't seem to affect Blake at all, her face retained its seriousness.
"I agree, but it still seems...off. I can't quite put my finger on it." The black-haired girl was staring behind Yang at the wall, drifting into her thoughts again. Her partner waited patiently for Blake to carry on, but the silence hung in the air for minutes. Eventually, Yang gave up and instead contented herself with admiring her partner up-close. It seemed like the perfect time to do so, as Blake wasn't paying attention and nobody else was around.
Yang slowly drew her eyes across her friend, from the tips of her bow, down her luxurious jet-black hair. She noticed the paleness of her skin, the smoothness of her eyes. Their colour was incredible, a contrast to the attire she usually wore. Her lips were almost inviting, leading Yangs gaze across her sleek cheekbones and down her neck. It appeared so sleek and fragile, but it belied her abilities. Interesting thoughts drifted across Yangs mind, invoking images and ideas that she wasn't quite rejecting. It wouldn't hurt to only think about things like this, so long as she didn't act on them. Right?
Blakes mind was gradually being made up. She desired the truth too much to let this worry her any further. She had to find out for herself what had happened previously, it was the only way she would find peace with these troubling thoughts. There was only one way she could see to achieve her goal, and though she questioned the legality of it, that wouldn't stop her from obtaining the answers she wanted. It would happen tonight.