Valence

by Cowjump

With the end of their first year at Beacon Academy having come to pass, Team RWBY must contend with the next three months of their summer break. Follow this eclectic bunch as they are thrown into a situation that utilizes neither their combined combat prowess nor their acquired knowledge on all things battle-related during their adventures in the city of Vale.

18. Chapter 18: Concord

Here we go. The first chapter of the fifth act. To avoid saying anything too spoiler-y, I'll let the story speak for itself, but what I can say is that I'm surprised this turned out as well as it did. Truth be told, these turn-of-the-act chapters tend to be a bit difficult from an organizational standpoint because of all the variables to remember and the shifts in tone which come with it, but I had fun with this one. Just seeing how everything is falling into place makes me more and more excited for the final two chapters.

That is, whenever they come out. I'm sorry for the wait on this one. It's not that I've been bogged down by work or disenchanted with Valence by any means. Rather, these delays have been coming from background stuff on my stories—organizing, planning, and stuff—and as well re-edits of earlier chapters. I'll talk about them a little more in the end author's note, but, to summarize, the first three chapters have been re-edited by this point and I plan on editing more. That's why it took so long to write this. Unfortunately, chapter nineteen might take a month after this to come out; then again, it might not. I'm excited but busy. Fun times.

Anyways, I said I'd let the story speak for itself and all I did was prattle on. I'll get out of your way now and see you on the other side. I hope you enjoy chapter eighteen of Valence.

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Chapter 18: Concord

"Oh, really?" Yang asked, a disbelieving smirk upon her lips and a genuine warmth in her eyes. "So, the Prime Minister went all the way up to Atlas, took a long boat ride to get to that big island of yours, talked to your dad about business stuff and stuff, and you think that all he wanted to do—like, his entire reason for going up there—was to tell you you're hot? And then you just brushed him off? The Prime Minister of Vale?"

"Well, I don't believe that was his primary concern, no, but he did spend quite a bit of time telling me how I'd be a match for his son." A similar smirk appeared with the heiress' mirth. Of course, outward happiness in any form was something of an oddity for her character, but here she was now, happy. She positively bounced with every step as she strolled alongside her attentive girlfriend and seemed wholly unabashed of this fact. "But yes, I did brush him off. It was quite funny, too. He kept me half an hour talking to me of my uniform and buttons, so that at last I said: 'You must ask my tailor.' After that, I simply walked away."

She chuckled a low, prideful chuckle, closing her eyes at what must have been an especially affective memory. Weiss was laughing by her own volition, and it was an impossible spectacle.

However, the rest of Team RWBY walked in silence—that is, Yang seemed strained by her suppressed snickers, but Blake and Ruby found themselves in respective states of awkward duress. For the young Faunus' part, hers could perhaps be considered more pressing than her leader's, but it is not to say that Ruby's awkwardness was by any means pressing. Rather, she gave an attempt at a laugh, but this quickly petered out as she scratched the back of her neck. Unfortunately, with this petering out, Weiss' smile fell to an offended scowl.

"What? Don't you get it? I told him to ask my tailor!"

"Yeah, I get it, princess," Yang sneered. "It's funny 'cause you're rich."

To this, Weiss glared.

"Yeah, sorry, Weiss. I don't get it, either. I mean, I guess it's kinda funny 'cause you told him off, but uh…" Ruby's nervous motions slowed as she frowned. "But who's Taylor? I thought you didn't have any friends and she's…yours? Or is Taylor a he?"

The heiress' brows rose in alarm. She seemed absolutely petrified now at the wording of her joke and how it had spurred jealousy on the young girl's part—this supposed emotion was equally as uncharacteristic as Weiss' mirth, but both had been real and thus required support. Fortunately, before either had the chance to mend the situation, Yang's laughter reached an honest crescendo, interrupting the younger partnership and catching their attention.

"Ruby," she gasped, just barely reining in her breath, "she said a tailor, not a person named Taylor! That's the person's job!" Thankfully, her sister's dismay dissipated, soothing the worries within Weiss' mind and as well the stress within Blake's. But all too quickly the young girl's expression contorted to one of confusion. Yang noticed. "Weiss was just making a joke about how rich she was. The joke is that she has a personal tailor, which means she has a person who makes her…uhh…tails. Yup! Tails! It's funny—no, hilarious—because Weiss knows a guy who'll make her tails whenever she wants! I gotta admit, though, it is kinda weird."

Just as quickly as her expression had dropped, Ruby's amusement rose to a smile. "Yeah, I guess that is kinda weird. But wait." She turned her gaze on her partner who, having been undermined by the blonde, looked appropriately annoyed. However, Ruby did not seem to notice. "Why do you need a tail?"

Weiss had moved to speak, but, once again, Yang beat her to it. "Oh, it's this whole thing. Only real snobs buy them 'cause they cost a lot. Sometimes, when a dress just doesn't cut it, you have to find a way to go big at the really fancy events, and the best way to do that is with a tail! It's kinda like a nice watch or a really awesome necklace," with her free hand, she proudly displayed her amber pendant to the young girl. "If you need to look nice at a big event and you don't know what to wear, just put on a tail, and boom! Instant fashion."

"Huh."

"Isn't that right, Blake?"

At the call of her name, the Faunus blinked, ears twitching beyond their absent bow. "What? Oh." The question had taken a moment to register. It was unlikely Yang was making another cat joke, but she instead seemed to legitimately want her partner's input. It was natural enough, Blake supposed. With a sigh, she responded, "Yeah, um, she's right, Ruby. A tailor…makes tails. It's a very niche market and…" Why was she lying? Perhaps it was to appease Yang and the pain perceived behind her smile, but lying had only started this pain. "…and only someone like Weiss could afford to pay for one."

The blonde frowned at this, her teasing expression falling quickly away for a look of concern. Unfortunately, Blake's gaze was averted and thus she did not see the look, but this did not stop Yang from pulling her close. The arm wrapped around the Faunus' shoulder tightened warmly, drawing the girl in and holding her head against the blonde's chest. Blake shivered, loving this contact but knowing all too well how much they had gone through to earn it. In this position, she could see her partner's bandage, no longer red but unfortunately there, and the violet eyes which asked her what was wrong. She sighed.

Amid the crowds and movements of hundreds upon thousands of freely willed passersby, Blake was afraid, but not of them. They were harmless, no matter what they thought. She, on the other hand, could act upon her thoughts and historically had, undermining an entire race by abetting the White Fang and burdening a girl who already had too much pain in her life. Was she a monster? No, not any more than these shadows around her were. But was Yang hurt? Absolutely. And although the exuberant blonde now smiled reassuringly and with as much comfort as she had always provided, Blake could not look past her bandage.

The sky was a bright blue and, most importantly, it was visible. Clouds gathered both on the horizon and in the occasional grey cluster, but today would be a break from a week of turmoil. Every night since that of Blake's attack, rain had been the norm with occasional interruptions scattered between. Thankfully, none of these nights had been storms, merely rain showers, but the threat did linger if the weather channels were correct.

Yet even still Blake no longer felt confident about sleeping beside her partner. Yang was not to blame for this since she had been unfathomably supportive throughout their partnership's recovery, but it is not to say that Blake was the one to blame, either, since their strife came from their collective hesitation. Likewise, the young Faunus had put effort towards smiling again and ensuring that Yang was having a good time; however, smiles did not heal a scar and enjoyment could not mend a wound. She shivered at her partner's contact not because she loved it but because she was afraid of losing it.

She did not want to break up. Despite what had happened, Yang was still the most important person in her life. Blake loved her and this love was reciprocated, and considering what else there was in the world for the Faunus after all she had done, this long-ago crush was now an existential necessity. Separation was not an option. Instead, Blake fought to rid themselves of their respective stresses, and this was the cause of her current discontent. No matter how much she loved Yang and no matter how many times she confided the sentiment, she found herself woefully incapable of breaking from her darkness to focus on levity.

However, she gratefully closed her eyes as she felt lips feather a kiss against her ears. "It's okay," Yang assured, voice lower than a whisper. "Just relax, kitten. We're gonna be okay." As if on instinct, Blake moved somehow closer, finding her way beneath her girlfriend's chin and accepting the arms wrapped around her, hugging the blonde's form tighter as they walked.

"I guess it makes sense." Ruby seemed uncertain but not in any healthy way. She was accepting her sister's teases as truth with Blake's collusion. "I mean, it still seems kinda weird to me, but you probably know better than I do about fashion, Weiss."

The heiress in reference jumped at her chance to speak, wanting to outpace the mischievous blonde but ignoring Yang's nursing efforts. "Ruby, they're lying to you," she said outright, finding the only reaction to be Ruby's confusion. "A tailor doesn't make tails. That's nowhere near the truth, and Yang should feel ashamed for telling you otherwise."

Blake could feel her feel her partner's lips curl upwards. "Yeah," said Yang, "I should…"

"Well, then what does a tailor do?"

Although it was still an unnatural sight, Weiss' smile to her partner seemed just as honest as Blake's own to Yang scant weeks ago. "I'm glad you asked. A tailor is a person who fits clothing. In my case, there is a man in Atlas who both makes alterations for the outfits I own and designs new ones to make my time at Beacon easier."

"But wait. How does that make sense? I thought Blake said a tailor makes tails. I mean, it has the word 'tail' in it, right? So that has to be it!"

Just as quickly as Weiss' smile came, it left with an annoyed sigh. As she explained to the younger girl the etymologies of the profession and even the old Mistralian root which formed the word, Blake could not focus on them. Their interchange was humorous and comparably lighter to the nonverbal discussion she held with Yang, but the past called and demanded her attention. Rather than listening to this shift in credulity on Ruby's part, Blake nuzzled against Yang's neck, reminding herself of the necklace her partner wore and the warmth which was for her alone. Like Weiss, she sighed, but unlike the heiress, she smiled weakly.

All things considered—all the pain of the storms, all the thoughts of teetering fidelity, and all the memories of Yang's diminishing confidence—today was beautiful. The sun was out, the crowds were innocuously bustling, Team RWBY had returned to downtown Vale, and Yang was happy. Perhaps this was the most beautiful fact of all, Blake thought.

To either side, shops and stores positively buzzed with excitement, rife with business on this cold front's respite and frenzied only by the back-to-school sales which so many storefronts advertised. Everything from the rain-leaden path to the storied stretches of white-stone architecture and even to the occasional street performer, whose jaunty tunes made the walk easier on the young Faunus' mind, seemed to shine beneath the sun's golden rays. But even then, Blake could not see this for she was too entranced by her partner's hug and the promise she returned.

She felt safe in Yang's arms, safer than she had been anywhere else. At Beacon, she knew there were students who would mercilessly berate her for her heritage; in Sierra, her supportive parents had even seemed tentative about who she had become; and at home, she was always wary of being too outgoing around Ruby and Weiss. But in Yang's arms, nothing could stop her. It was a confidence worth fighting for, and such is why she fought.

If there were something she could do—anything at all—to ease these growing tensions, Blake would have done it in a heartbeat. But despite the happiness they still felt, life seemed to be careening out of control. They had only argued the once, but now this bandage and that haunting look of terror in Yang's eyes could not leave Blake's mind.

But Yang taught her to let go of the past. Perhaps this young Faunus was not the quick-learning scholar she had once believed herself to be, but there was considerable progress made nevertheless. It is not to say that Blake intended to forget her past mistakes or even the causes Yang might have played a hand in; rather, she wished to atone for them by moving on and not letting the moment control them. That is, she wanted to, but it was easier said than done. Such a plan would require diligent happiness and façades to trump all others, and despite the pull of her memories and the pain of the storm, Blake knew she was strong. If she had been able to stand up to the protesting mob and part them without incident, then what was keeping her from enjoying herself and putting on a show to make Yang happy?

After all, Yang's discontent was the source of Blake's own, and if she were to quell the pain at its source, then it would be reasonable to believe their relationship might continue.

As such, Blake smiled against her partner's chest, nuzzling upwards and deciding a silent, affectionate approach would be taken. As if on cue, Yang kissed her ears again and grinned.

"So, Weiss," she began, making no attempt at subtlety in shifting the group's focus away from Blake. "I've got a personal question for you. You mind if I ask?"

The heiress turned to her, her smile falling easily away at the blonde's prying efforts. Of course, Blake did not see Yang's curiosity in this light, but she understood Weiss' disenchantment. "It all depends on the question. Though, I have a feeling you are going to ask regardless, so," she sighed, defeated before the battle even began, "why not?"

Yang smirked, not at all malevolently. "What's it like to be rich? I mean, it probably feels great to get whatever you want, but I kinda wanna know. What's it like to not have to worry about anything?"

"What makes you think I don't worry about anything?"

"Well, why would you? You have enough money to do whatever you want and everybody knows who you are, anyways. If you can't buy your way out of a situation, I bet somebody's gonna be there who wants to suck up to you. It's kinda like a superpower if you think about it."

The masses before them parted easily and without encouragement as the four moved along, walking beside one another in various states of outward calm. Truthfully, Blake was happy that all this could happen. Weiss and Yang, though characteristically combative towards one another, seemed pleasantly friendly. Ruby appeared similarly thrilled with this harmony, visibly displaying her excitement over her two most favorite people in the world now showing relative respect to one another. And even Blake, pressed against her partner's warmth and adoration, had begun to empathize with the blonde's anxiety of loss, reveling in the day's low heat and hoping this summer would never leave. The crowds were indeed large and her unbound ears indeed made her a blatant target, but amongst friends and in her partner's arms, Blake's smile grew from a sad act to an honest reaction.

However, her happiness was not the moment's focus nor was it Yang's or even Weiss'. Instead, Ruby had proven herself so enthused for today's tour that she spoke in her partner's stead. "Yang," she chided, "everybody has something to worry about! It doesn't matter if she's rich; she's still a person!"

"Oh, God," Yang recoiled, turning to Weiss. "Yeah, she's totally whipped. You must've got her good if you're able to feed her lies like that."

"I know," agreed the heiress. "It's sad, really. She agrees with everything I say. It goes to show what good parenting can do to a child—or, rather, what a lack of can do."

"And you're the expert on bad parenting?"

"Naturally."

"Hey!" Ruby interrupted, aghast at the smirks on the girls' expressions. "I heard that!"

"I would certainly hope so."

"Yeah, that was kinda the point." The girls of yellow and white chuckled in their respective ways at the indignant look Ruby gave them. Even Blake, as concerned as she was with Yang's wellbeing, found herself laughing lightly at her team's banter, earning her the young girl's temporary scorn.

"I don't believe everything! Like, I know there aren't Grimm under my bed and I know Santa doesn't exist, so…" She blew a rebuking raspberry, proud of herself from what Blake could see.

Unfortunately, her response only seemed to worry the teasing two, causing looks of concern to cross Yang and Weiss' expressions. "Uhh," stammered the blonde. "Should you be the one to tell her or…"

"I'm not sure. Do you think she's old enough to know?"

"Know what?" Ruby asked, her pride failing instantly.

"Ruby," began Yang sheepishly, looking to her seemingly desperate sister, "Santa is real. They just tell kids he isn't to make it easier on them. Like, wouldn't you freak out if you knew a huge dude in combat boots is gonna break into your house every year?"

"Really, he's running rampant." Weiss shook her head grimly. "No matter how generous he may be, the fact that he sifts through a person's mail and breaks in to their home is reason enough for conviction—and the fact that he can do this millions of times every year has put him at the top of every kingdom's red list. And worst yet, he's untraceable. He leaves less room for error than I do; and, frankly, I'm jealous."

"What?" the young girl squeaked. Her mouth hung open in disbelief, eyes staring accusingly at the older two for this secret she had never known.

To their credit, both Weiss and Yang proved competent actors in their own rights, keeping their façades better than Blake ever could. Unfortunately for them, Ruby blinked and came to a sudden realization. "Wait," she said, once again indignant, "this is just like that tailor thing, isn't it?"

At this, Yang broke her façade and laughed, loudly enough to catch the attention of the surrounding shoppers and fully enough to shake the Faunus' head against her chest. "What did I say?" she gasped. "What did I say? You're so whipped!" She howled in her mirth, unable to articulate anything else after this. And while the laughter only worsened her sister's hurt, Weiss was there to pacify the situation.

With practiced grace, the heiress quieted her partner, taking the young girl's hand in her own and turning a genuine smile on her, finding a frustrated yet hesitant look. "Ruby, we were only joking. I will admit, it was at your expense, but it was all in good fun. We didn't mean any of what we said, but if it came across as malicious, I'm sorry. Santa isn't real and you're not gullible, no matter what Yang would have you believe."

This was followed by a sight never before seen by the older couple, something which eliminated Ruby's remaining worries and caused Blake to stare in astonishment. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Weiss leaned over to her partner, squeezing her hand as she went, and kissed the young girl's cheek. This was followed by a blush on Ruby's part which gave way to a reluctant smirk and, eventually, a prideful grin.

Yang, on the other hand, was quietly mortified. Although she did display tact in not speaking against her sister's happiness, Weiss' affections and placating ability had stopped her laughter abruptly. What was worse was that the end to her noise had not seemed to faze the younger couple in the least, being that they were far too preoccupied with each other to see the thoughts racing in the blonde's mind. But Blake knew this pain and hugged her partner tighter. Unfortunately, this only caused the girl's grip to slacken.

"As for your question," Weiss began again, all but beaming towards the distracted blonde, "having wealth does indeed have its rewards. I can't deny that not having to worry about expenses or luxuries removes a sizeable amount of stress from my life, but, at the same time, I must worry about the doors that open when others close. Just because I'm able to do something doesn't mean someone else can't undermine me; and the more ambitious I become with my wealth, the more willing others will be to paint me as a target."

"It's about her reputation!" Ruby explained, earning her a surprised smile from the heiress and a false look of enthusiasm from the blonde. "Like, think about it this way. Weiss is famous, right? Well, pretty popular. So, a lot of people are gonna talk about her. That means if she does something good or messes up, then people are going to talk about it, and that's a lot of pressure!"

Yang sighed, acquiescing against her natural character. "I guess."

All at once, the team's eyes turned to her, ending their discussion immediately.

Naturally, Ruby and Blake were the most alarmed by this resignation, but even Weiss, as speculative as she now appeared, seemed concerned. The smile Yang had held slowly dissipated as her sister called her name, making the situation even direr as she returned with nothing. The team then came to a stop, causing the once willing berth to close caustically around them and send hateful, vitriolic glares for the group who now blocked traffic. But the group did not care. Moreover, Blake did not care that the masses hated her while Yang continued to hate herself.

"Yang?" she called, finding strength in her need to reach out. Timidly, the girl looked to her, violet eyes shifting from their regular hue into something faded. Blake pulled away and took her hand, bearing into those sullen eyes as her teammates watched from behind. "What's wrong?" The blonde looked down and away. "Yang," she implored, "look at me. Look at me and tell me what's wrong."

The once confident girl closed her eyes, shaking her head and straining against her own thoughts. "It's…nothing. I'm sorry." But this was a lie. Blake reached out and pulled her girlfriend's gaze upwards.

Her eyes were not violet, her eyes were not red. Her eyes showed an unadmitted pain which had already been confided—it was an issue of self-worth and supposed selfishness—and yet as Blake watched the fading light tremble and whimper, she found balancing confidence.

With a brush of her thumb against her girlfriend's tearless cheek, she promised, "We're going to be okay." She gave a sad, hopefully warming smirk before glancing at their immediate surroundings and turning to her teammates. "Weiss," she commanded, directing their attention to the nearest shop, "take Ruby inside and buy us all some smoothies."

"But, Blake, I don't want a smoothie! What about—"

Weiss cut her off. "It's all right, Ruby. Just…come on." Without any more argument, the young girl was led by the hand into their impromptu distraction, allowing her partner to send a critical look the Faunus' way. Whether it was meant to give encouragement for Ruby's sake or to simply warn of the time Blake would have, the girl in black did not care. Instead, her focus rested only on Yang as Ruby and Weiss moved away.

The hand in her own squeezed desperately, almost painfully, as Blake searched for an answer. Was this the same result as that from the protest or was it Yang's unease after Sierra? Whatever it was, the girl was doubtlessly crumbling. But this was normal, Blake reasoned. Everyone has a weakness and there would normally be no shame for the strongest among them to buckle under the compounding pressure. Unfortunately, what Yang exhibited now and what little heat she gave off told of something far more ingrained than an argument or comparison. This was fear, perhaps that of loss or solitude, but no matter what the fear's cause, Yang was crumbling. And this on its own was a natural reaction, but Blake chose to spare her partner from the eyes which surrounded them.

With a comfortingly stable look, the young Faunus pulled Yang away from the crowd. There was no concealing alley to take her into, no overlooking tree to rest against until these pains subsided, and instead of a childhood hideaway there was only a sea of falsely concerned passersby who slowed and gawked at this show of self-destruction. Had Blake the energy to do so, she would have easily shouted at the onlookers as she had the protesters, but now all her attention was turned towards Yang and her unfortunate attempts at composure.

As soon as the blonde was given the chance to lean against the smoothie shop's corner wall, her breathing turned ragged and her expression contorted to that of a frustrated scowl. She was composing herself, or at least attempting to, and struggled against her partner's grip.

"Yang," Blake called, searching for her girlfriend's averted gaze. "Yang," she called again, placing her hands on the girl's arms so to hold her in place and soothe the arrested, disappointed movements she made. "Yang." At last, contact was established; however, the frightened look in these lilac eyes was haunting in its abnormality. "Talk to me, Yang. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's n—"

The Faunus shook her head. "No more secrets."

The blonde blinked. "I…" She sighed, taking what Blake hoped was a calming breath. "I don't know, Blake. I don't know. Just seeing that—whatever that was back there—was…I don't know. I think I'm losing it."

"You're not losing it."

"Yes I am!" she snapped, causing her partner to stagger back in surprise. "I can't even keep my own sister happy anymore! Did you even see what happened back there? I was making her upset and then Weiss just swooped in and saved her day. Like, what was that? What am I supposed to do for her now? I promised mom I'd take care of Ruby, and I'm doing my freaking best, but you saw what happened back there. I was bullying her, Blake—I was bullying my own sister! If that doesn't count as losing it, I don't know what does."

This was not about Weiss. No matter what Yang was saying about her, the heiress' only involvement was in helping Ruby. Had Yang cared about this, the argument would have been against Weiss' depravity rather than her own. It was apparent the blonde was scared of her own deficiency and how it was affecting those she cared about—the same matter she had stressed over on the night of the storm.

With this in mind, Blake squeezed her arms and frowned. "Yang," she hesitantly began, "you weren't bullying your sister. I really don't know where you're getting that from. That was just…banter. That was just natural. And I'm sorry if you see that as you driving Ruby away, but just because Weiss cheered her up—"

"I was supposed to cheer her up."

Blake sighed. "Well, you can't do everything."

"Of course I can! When it comes to Ruby, I have to. She's all I got, Blake. And you, too. If I can't keep you guys happy, then what good am I? I promised my mom I'd take care of her and I promised your mom I'd take care of you, and do you know how that turned out?" She held up her bandaged arm, bringing it between them and staring into Blake's eyes with self-loathing terror. "I couldn't keep this from happening—I couldn't wake you up from a nightmare, Blake! And if I can't wake you up from a nightmare, how am I supposed to keep you safe in the real world? If I'm bullying Ruby and making fun of her, how am I supposed to take care of her? Doesn't that kinda defeat the point of taking care?"

Unfortunately, Blake's eyes were now locked on the bandage, her thoughts of façades and atoning support having been cast aside for visions of possible separation. The scar hidden beneath this gauze, the little white line which stood out against a seemingly flawless pallor, was testament to Blake's inhumanity. That she had taken reactive arms against the only person in her life to show genuine enthusiasm for her was awful; more so, her insistence to push away the supportive blonde while rationalizing it as giving her space was simply irrational. She had cut Yang and Yang had been cut, and now this bandage hanging before them proved separate facets to this painful impasse. One side kept running while the other struggled to catch up, but this had always been a theme of Blake's life. Now, however, she was the chaser rather than the runner.

She closed her eyes and lowered her partner's arm, taking hold of the hand at its end while gripping the opposite shoulder still. Blake shook her head. "You're not a bad person, Yang. I know what you're trying to say and I know where you're trying to go with this—believe me, I've been there before—but you are not a bad person. That bullying you saw…perhaps you and Weiss went a bit overboard, but there was no lasting damage to those remarks. If you're really that concerned about it, apologize, and it'll be over. And this cut on your arm? That's me. That's my doing, not yours—don't blame yourself for my shortcomings.

"You want to do everything, Yang, and I'm inclined to agree with you, but you have to understand that everyone else has things they want to do, too. What you saw happening between Ruby and Weiss was an example of them making each other happy—like we do, Yang. We make each other happy like they do, but that doesn't mean Ruby can't make you happy at the same time. I've told you how she called your name on initiation, right? How she ran through the forest looking for you to be her partner?"

Weakly, Yang nodded.

"She cares about you just as much as she cares about Weiss. She may look to her when she's feeling weak now, but whenever she feels strong, she looks to you. Every time she needs to be a leader, every time she needs to make a difficult decision, she looks to you for approval and you've always been there to support her. That's something Weiss and I have never had growing up, and the fact that you two have kept each other happy for this long has honestly held this team together when we were at our weakest. Yang, she loves you. I love you. But seeing you in this much pain is hurting us both more than banter ever will."

"But your nightmare…"

"Blame that on the White Fang. Whatever goes on in my mind while I'm asleep happens because they never supported me like you support Ruby. They hated me, Yang, they used me, but you never have. That cut on your arm is entirely my fault because I couldn't separate fact from fiction, and I'm terrified of it. I'm upset at myself for it and I'm taking steps to do better, but the only way to do that is to accept what happened. I hurt you—I yelled at you, cut you, and ran away. And what did you do? You reached out and tried to help me each time, but I kept pushing you away. And I'm tired of that. I'm tired of running."

The blonde's gaze began to drift away, but Blake pulled it back with a squeeze to her hand. "Yang," she said, receiving a more somber look than those frightened ones before, "we're not bad people. We make mistakes and we have patches of bad luck, but those don't define who we are. Those mistakes are in the past, and it's unwise to dwell on them.

"You do make Ruby happy. You also make me happy. But Weiss makes her happy, too, and that doesn't take away from the good you do. That just means…That just means your sister has the chance for greater happiness with two sources instead of just one." Yang sighed. Although it was still downtrodden, it was progress. Blake let go of her frown. "And just like she deserves to be happy, so do you. That's what I'm for. I'm tired of running from my problems, Yang, and I don't want you to run from yours, either. I want you to be happy and I want you to continue making Ruby happy, too."

"Yang! Blake!"

Ruby was calling out, looking for them perhaps in the place they had once been. By this, Blake knew her time for encouragement was almost over. She caught her partner's gaze again and softly kissed her, taking the blonde's breath and worries completely away and moving close enough to feel her warmth return. "Don't worry," she soothed, finding a calmer Yang on the other side of the embrace. "She still loves you. And I do too. But if you want to make it up to her for saying what you did, then make today about her. Focus on the fun she could be having instead of what you might have done to take it away. Just…make her happy. And don't lash out at Weiss if she tries to help—after all, you're not the only one who cares for Ruby now."

"But what about you? Don't you need someone to keep you happy, too?"

Blake shook her head. "Don't worry about me. You're my goal for today just like Ruby's yours. I'll be happy as long as you are."

There was a moment where Yang looked to object. This, quite frankly, was a good thing since it showed her fighting spirit had returned to some marked degree. Her smile was tentative yet appreciative, her breathing was relaxed and strong, and the words on her lips fell away to a mere shake of her head. Confidently, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them and quickly pulling Blake into a strong, warm hug. "Thanks, kitten. I'll do my best." Just as confidently, the Faunus smiled and basked in her partner's heat.

At last, Yang had returned to her.

A relieved gasp sounded behind the Faunus. "Yang!" Two respective sets of footsteps slowed behind the hugging couple, quieting among the city's chatter. Blake turned to look at the approaching partnership, but as she moved to pull away and therefore give Ruby and Yang a chance to make amends, she found that the hug would not relent. But this was not a problem.

"Hey, Ruby," the blonde said, voice quiet but ever the more enthused. "What'd you get me in there?" Absently, she ran a thumb through her partner's hair.

The young girl did not answer. Arguably, her response was more fitting than Yang's own, considering the state she had last seen her sister in. But this is not to say she was entirely quiet. To some degree, she was, as anyone would be after seeing a shattered façade, but her frown urged her to speak. "A-are you…all right? You're not, like, in any trouble, are you? I mean, you're not—"

"Nah," Yang chuckled. "I'm just…eh, I don't know. To be honest, it was something pretty bad, but it turned out to be nothing. Now I'm just…bleh."

"I'm worried about you." Blake blinked, as did the rest of Ruby's team. Characteristically, the young girl was candid. It was part of her leadership charm and made her come across as disarming in an odd way, but this statement seemed out of place. Just as Yang was vulnerable, Ruby seemed skeptical—perhaps this was an attempt against her label of gullible, but this was doubtful.

As she stood with two smoothies in hand, she watched her sister. "It's okay to cry, Yang. Everybody does it. Just because you don't think you should doesn't mean you don't have to; like, if things get rough, I'll cry. I mean, there's no shame in that, it's just venting, you know? And even dad cries sometimes. You can't just bottle everything up and hope it'll go away 'cause it won't. It never does, Yang, and you just keep hiding stuff whenever you're in pain."

She stepped forward, meeting her sister's uncertain frown with idealistic bravery. "It's okay for you to be sad, but just tell us if you are. If you don't…well, there's nothing we can do about it." The blonde's grip faltered with this lecture, giving Blake the opportunity to slip away. While she had enjoyed the hug while it lasted and she did want to keep Yang's spirits aloft, she had promised to let her make the day about Ruby. And just as quickly as Blake left her partner's hug, Ruby took her place. "We're family, Yang. No matter what, you and me need to take care of each other, and sometimes you have to let me take care of you, too, okay?"

Yang pulled her sister close, trying to take the initiative in pacifying the coming upset. "Ruby…"

However, the girl shook her head. "Stop it, Yang! Just let someone in for once—just let someone help you!" Again, the older partnership blinked in surprise. "You can't be strong all the time, and I know you're not, but sometimes…sometimes you just have to let someone else do something for you. I mean, you do a lot of stuff for all of us, but every time you need help, you always push us away. So, please, just let us help you if something's wrong."

There was a moment where Yang looked ready to object but ultimately chose not to.

What Ruby said was true, or, rather, her views aligned with Blake's own. For as strong as Yang was and how skilled she could be at maintaining an unflappable smile, her ability to accept others' help was comparable to that of Blake's. Indeed she had weaknesses and insecurities, but she had proved herself invulnerable in so far as she was incapable of being vulnerable. It was apparent that Yang did not know how to let her guard down even if she could devote her life to others' wellbeing. However, no matter how hard the challenge was, Blake was bound to her partner and to soothing the pain she kept locked away.

But it is not to say that Blake was without fault. In fact, she was surprised when Ruby's gaze turned to her, tears clouding her vision. "And you too, Blake," she quavered. "I know you gotta keep your secrets and stuff, but don't beat yourself up because you can't tell us about them. Sometimes, things just aren't your fault. And if they are, well, that's okay. Just…We all wanna help, Blake, but you always try to figure everything out and blame it on yourself."

She let go of her sister with one arm, extending it outwards and thereby making a gap between them. "We're like family, Blake, and that means you don't have to figure everything out on your own now. We want to help."

The young girl's arm remained outstretched in an encouraging cue, her frown wanting to goad her distant teammate into action and the perspiring drink in her hand demanding urgency. It seemed to be an invitation for a hug, but with these observations of both the Faunus and her partner, Blake was uncertain if this was truly wanted. However, all doubts fell quickly away to the look Yang gave her. She seemed amused, smiling welcomingly and rolling her eyes in a way that said "Humor her." Perhaps this was Yang's referenced selflessness or perhaps Ruby was being worrisome to an overdramatic degree, but whatever the case, Blake stepped forward and found herself taken in by the sisters.

"I don't like seeing you guys this way," the young girl said, pressing the partnership together in her troubled embrace. "You never argued before and you never fought. You were supposed to be, like, the perfect couple! And now I don't even know what's going on, but you're both acting like you're going to leave each other. I don't know…It's just…Please don't break up!" She pulled herself closer to her teammates, burying her head in their arms as she shuddered. "Please."

With a steady hand and a disarming chuckle, Yang eased her sister's tension. "Hey, it's all right. Me and Blake aren't going anywhere. Right, Blake?" The girl in question answered by resting her head atop her partner's shoulder, allowing Ruby to nestle between them and once again find her hope. "See? We're still cool—well, as cool as a public freak-out session can be, but still cool." She brushed her sister's hair, smiling down at the young girl as her distressed shivers subsided. "I'm not gonna leave you, Ruby, and I'm not gonna leave Blake, either. That's, like, way out of the question. I'd never leave my two favorite girls in the whole wide world. Not over something like this! You guys are all I have left, so if I don't take care of you, then I'm just not doing my job right."

Neither Ruby nor Blake responded to this, simply taking it as the promise it was. Of course, Ruby's observations had been readily noted as possible causes of Blake's careening love life, but Yang's assurance was enough to make the situation seem normal again. Between the warmth her hug provided and the confidence with which she had spoken, Blake was certain their day had been salvaged. As such, she allowed herself to relax, releasing the breath she had unwittingly held, cuddling closer to her partner, and helping to make sure Ruby was all right.

To this lattermost end, however, an eventual grin pulled at Yang's lips, causing Blake to frown warily. "Hey, Weiss," she called, catching the girl sipping at one of the two smoothies she held. "You want in on this group hug action? The more the merrier!"

The heiress laughed derisively. "Ha. No."

"So, no hug then?"

"I don't do hugs."

A fortunate giggle shook the young girl's form. "She's lying," whispered Ruby, a smile breaking through her distress. "She gives great hugs."

"Uh-huh. You hear that, princess? I guess somebody's not as whipped as I thought she was. And good thing, too! Wouldn't want my baby sister to end up like you." The blonde faked a shudder, causing Ruby's laugh to grow louder.

"What? You don't want her to grow up successful and fearless?"

"No, I meant stuck-up and emotionless."

"Ah. That." Surprisingly, the heiress did not seem upset by the remark. Rather, she simply sipped at her drink and smirked at the sisters. "Well, at least I'm not lachrymose. What a shame that would be if I started crying in public over my oh-so-precious character flaws."

"Hey," Yang frowned, "I wasn't crying!"

"I think that was Ruby's point."

Yang's expression hardened to an indignant look, finding herself caught between two contradicting ideologies. "There's no way I can win against you two, is there?"

"Nope!" Ruby chirped, pulling away and grinning at the thankfully humored blonde. Seeing that her sister was mollified, the girl in red completely detached from her teammates, allowing Blake and Yang to stay in their natural one-armed embrace as she, herself, moved to stand beside Weiss. That is, she had intended to do so before remembering her initial goal in approaching. She then rushed back to her sister, handing her a smoothie, before returning to the heiress with a wide smile. "I've got Weiss on my side, so I can never lose!"

The rest of her team sighed in their own respective volumes, Weiss being the loudest by far. "I take it back," Yang said, shaking her head in mirth. "You totally are whipped, but I don't think Weiss is the one doing the whipping."

"Yang, she's not whipped," Blake interjected, not wanting the conversation to turn bitter in the same way it had. However, she was met with a raised brow to which she joked, "She's just misguided."

Surprisingly, Yang was the only one who got it. She laughed quietly and placed a quick kiss against the Faunus' temple while Ruby and Weiss stood confused. Admittedly, their silence was a bit awkward, but Blake did not mind so long as Yang was happy.

"Anyways," the heiress continued, turning her back to the other partnership, "we should move on. If it's our intent to see the city one last time, then it would be beneficial to actually see the city."

With bright, hopeful eyes, Ruby nodded and, just as happily, Yang drew the Faunus beside her in closer. More than anyone else, these sisters could withstand any blow. Between Ruby's unending optimism and Yang's affinity for consolation, there seemed to be a continual loop of support found between them. And although this plaguing matter afflicting the blonde was difficult to let go of, Ruby could inspire strength in her sister where else there was naught.

Quite frankly, Blake was envious of the closeness they shared but could find no reason to distress over it. After all, she was having trouble dealing with Yang's doubts, too, and any assistance would be appreciated. In this way, she was happy her team was once again whole and moving forward, leaving this ill-fated corner and continuing on their concluding journey.

The four returned to the cobbled path, merging with the masses and finding themselves surprisingly comfortable in this early evening din. Shamelessly, Blake snuggled closer to her partner's shoulder and was met with an equally shameless peck against her ears. She smiled. Regardless of the pain they had once suffered, Yang had returned to her former self in full, grinning down upon her girlfriend and holding her close.

In this air and atmosphere, today felt much like their first date. She and Yang were out on the town, heedless to their own cautions and jovial without care. Of course, there were underlying goals and obligations which kept the Faunus bound to her partner's upheld happiness, but this was by no means a detriment to her current mirth. They drank from their given drinks, minding not the spontaneity behind their existence and actually enjoying the strawberry taste they found. Between the cold at her lips and the warmth at her side, everything felt perfect to the Faunus in this world of willful ignorance.

School was only a week away now. It was unfortunate and admittedly frightening to the usually studious girl, but what concerned her most was how little time she had left to spend with Yang—that is, she was anxious about how few full days she had to devote solely to her girlfriend. If she could have it her way, she would spend every remaining moment curled up with her partner and one of the books she had been too preoccupied to read, simply listening to the television Yang watched and warming to the gentle kisses and caresses she had to offer. But they had lives to lead and responsibilities to take care of, so daylong cuddles were unfortunately out of the question. However, where they were and what they were doing now was reason enough to be happy. Yang was joking with Ruby, Weiss was smiling at their antics, and Blake was curled up against Yang, fearless without her bow and confident with this warmth.

The crowds would pass her by without incident, smiling at their respective realities and leaving hers alone. They were many and moved as one flowing current, yet Blake felt no fear. If they turned on her for whatever reason, then she felt confident that her team could defend her, but this had been the case since Yang's assistance at their summer's onset. Where the Faunus' confidence now flourished most noticeably was in her own agency. She could part the sea if she wanted to, talk down the most radical of viewpoints and dismiss an aggressive mob. The thought of a crowd still unnerved her to a mnemonic degree, but the crowd itself was harmless in reality. With her bow foregone and a beautiful girlfriend by her side, she felt confident in herself for perhaps the first time in her life.

The city opened up to the four, branching in various ways and directions which they willfully ignored. Street performers played for them as they passed, drummers and saxophonists alike receiving tips from Weiss by proxy of Ruby while Yang sang along to the guitarists, earning her the amusement of those around her despite her occasional missed lyric. And as they passed a collection of sidewalk paintings, Blake watched the heiress actually laugh at the young girl's nervous sidestepping. Although the city was not directly pandering to the reveling four, its layout and goings-on had begun to feel like home to the point where Blake did not much mind when Yang pulled away and moved to chat with Ruby. In fact, this was welcomed since the blonde was getting the chance to make her sister happy again.

In turn, the girl in black watched as the girl in white fell back, purposefully slowing her pace to match Blake's own. Weiss did not say anything at first, simply walking beside the once antagonized Faunus, bright eyes glimmering as she watched her girlfriend laugh from afar. Blake knew this look well and thus felt happy for the young heiress who stood in Yang's stead. However, these appraising thoughts quieted so to regard Weiss' peripheral glance and smirk.

"Smoothies?" she asked, almost chidingly.

Blake allowed herself a short, quiet laugh. "Yeah," she sighed. "I guess I could have chosen a better distraction. But can you blame me? Yang was…well, not Yang, and I needed a way to keep something regrettable from happening between her and Ruby."

"Oh, I'm not blaming you," Weiss assured. "Quite honestly, as far as improvisation goes, that distraction worked well. I'm simply laughing at the fact that smoothies were your method of rectifying the situation."

"You know I didn't rectify anything. Everything that happened back there happened because of Ruby. I just calmed Yang down; there's still a ways to go."

"I'm sure. But you don't give yourself nearly enough credit. Ruby knows her sister better than either of us purely due to how long they've known each other, but the things I've seen Yang do for you…It'd be heartwarming if it wasn't so sickening." She looked over to the Faunus with a knowing smile before turning back to watch Yang, seeing her put the young leader in a playful headlock which quickly became a smothering hug. "Benignity aside," Weiss continued, "Ruby's advice for Yang wasn't just for Yang, and I hope you know that."

"You're saying I don't let others help me?"

"What first-year student at Beacon does?" Jaune came to mind, but, then again, he had appeared repulsively prideful in the early days of the first semester. "We all have our faults and unhealthy levels of narcissism, for why else would we choose a profession that romanticizes solo ventures? Last year wasn't so much about teamwork as it was tolerance, and while you succeeded in accepting others while I accepted myself, we still have work to do. Ruby has helped me with accepting others while Yang is helping you accept yourself. Or so the ideal is."

"You make it sound like I haven't found myself."

"Have you?"

The immediate answer seemed to be yes, but Weiss' insistence made Blake think otherwise. "I'm not sure," she eventually concluded.

"An admission of ignorance. My, Blake, you certainly are proving me wrong as of late." There seemed a second joke within the heiress' mind, perhaps something ever so mean-spirited or a bit too harsh, but all that came from this considering look was a shake of her head. "In all seriousness, though, you do bear a striking resemblance to Yang now. There's no denying it. Where you once wanted to see the whole world prosper, now you focus on her alone. You're still the same person, and I don't mean to offend you, but the hours you've spent with Yang and the number of times you've had to help her have changed you."

"I could say the same for you and Ruby. Between you two, I would've thought Ruby to be the kissing sort, not you."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ruby's not the romantic sort. Not whatsoever."

"Which is why you take the initiative. You're still vying for a leadership position."

"Well, neither of us can change completely."

"But you are changing," surmised the Faunus. "As you said, this year was about tolerance, and if your newest acceptance of others' existence is any proof, then you've found a way to be tolerant." She smirked at the heiress. "I guess I'm not the only one who has a partner rubbing off on her."

"What? You want me to admit that Ruby changed my life? Saved me from the pain of loneliness and melted my icy heart?" She laughed, lowly and shortly. "That would be the same as you admitting a full recovery—that you're unafraid of your future now and of your past sneaking up on it. We'd just be lying.

"I've always been afflicted by solitude, but I grew accustomed to it. Ruby simply gave me a chance to break the monotony and open up emotionally for once in my life. Now, it's commendable, sure, and I'll forever be in her debt because of it, but just because I'm happy with her doesn't mean my baggage has miraculously disappeared." She lost her happy expression, giving the Faunus an even look as she said, "Fairytale endings do exist, Blake, but for you to live happily ever after, you will never be able to stop working for it."

The Faunus frowned. "You're concerned about Yang and me."

"Of course I am! You're my friend, Blake, no matter how droll our conversations can get, and I feel obligated to reveal what you can't see."

To some degree, the potential dictation of Blake's relationship was an immediately abhorrent concept, no matter how kind the intentions were. But as she looked into the steeled wells of efficiency in Weiss' eyes, she knew the heiress was truthfully concerned. Blake sighed, fearing the answer to her question. "And what can't I see?"

"That you and Yang are losing control of your relationship because neither of you will allow the other to help." The two watched each other, one justifiably certain while the other was far from it. Weiss sighed. "Whatever that was back there—and don't bother telling me; I don't particularly care—it was uncharacteristic. Before, you seemed unstoppable together, but now you can barely find the energy to begin."

"You…" Blake could not believe it. "You think we're tired of each other?"

Fortunately, these worries were proven illogical when the Faunus was met with an appalled look. "Of course not! Where did you get that idea? If anything, you're unable to tire of each other, not—No." Weiss shook her head, looking positively exasperated.

"What you need to understand is that your problem doesn't lie in your chemistry. That's perfect," said the heiress. "Your problem lies in your enthusiasm—your…speed at which you move. You two never seem to leave each other's side, which is impressive considering how tolerant you remain, but you seldom work towards anything in doing so. Of course, you compliment and hold onto each other for dear life, but what does that get you outside of momentary comfort? Perhaps it's just the pragmatist in me, but the way I see it, you and Yang are working well in the short run; however, your long-run goal is lacking."

"You mean—"

"No. I know what you're thinking, and no. I'm not talking about marriage." A blush burned across the Faunus' cheeks at this off-hand assumption. She had meant to say something else entirely, but the sheer directness with which Weiss referenced the option completely halted all other thoughts. "At the beginning of this summer, at the beginning of your relationship, your long-run limit was the end of our break. That was the time you were given to make change. And I suppose you did, considering how familiar you two have become. But you must push further. Just because you've grown close doesn't mean you are close.

"Take Ruby and me for example. We've grown closer—she's lost her fear of me and I've lost my fear of closeness—but that does not mean we can rest. I still have to maintain my composure and keep her on her toes because she still has a lot to learn—about everything, really—but those are our next goals. Just because we've reached our first goal doesn't mean we're done. I need to teach her as much as I can about strategy and etiquette and she has quite a lot to teach me about being human. Those are our next steps, our next long-term goals."

Then what was Blake's long-run goal with Yang? Perhaps it was marriage; though, that was far-off and necessitated more time spent together—after all, these current doubts did not bode well for such a lasting commitment. Perhaps it was sociability, the mimicry of Yang's social ability to the point where Blake could speak freely and openly without fear of reprimand. Or perhaps it was simple stability—a home. However, the latter two had been accomplished to some degree and the first was not even considerable. This left the long run open to unfortunate interpretation.

"You need a long-run goal, too," Weiss stated. "That much, I'm sure."

Tentatively, not wanting to show her incompetence, Blake asked, "Well, do you have any suggestions?"

"Not immediately. I'd like to hear yours, though. Perhaps then I can figure something out."

At first, Blake was reluctant. After all, it was Weiss Schnee of all people giving her relationship advice. But then again, the heiress was in a stable relationship in which she was both confident and surprisingly competent. Ruby was happy and whatever squabbles they had were mainly over simple mistakes, not over emotions hidden behind façades. By no means was she the paradigm of romantic understanding, but the heiress had shown herself to be a great organizer. Moreover, she had spoken of Blake's veritable allergy to assistance which Lilian had also noted, so there was at least some level of corroboration to back this claim.

"I'm…not sure what my long term goals are. To tell you the truth, everything's been pretty day-by-day in terms of what I need to accomplish. Today, I wanted to let Yang have a good time, take care of her sister and such, but I suppose that doesn't solve our problem."

"No, it doesn't."

The heiress hummed, audibly mulling over what to do. Admittedly, Blake was uncertain how much her meager information had helped, leading her to almost add "And I want her to get better," but this was probably assumed. As such, she kept quiet and allowed Weiss to consider the situation, watching the sisters up ahead and the way they so easily conversed. They knew everything about each other and it showed in their rapport, allowing Yang to laugh loudly and for Ruby giggle with her. However, her attention was soon pulled back to the girl in white.

"There's a rift between you and Yang. I don't know how, I don't know why, but there is. Something similar happened with Ruby and me, and when the rift went untreated, it began to fester." Blake raised an eyebrow. There certainly did not seem to be a divide since Yang was still happy, but Weiss must have noticed this doubt. "The rift isn't on the surface—though, in your case, that bandage might be part of it. The rift exists between the differences in your characters—and not the positive parts of them but your weaknesses.

"You don't let others help you and neither does Yang. That alone should be reason to separate you, yet you keep going at it because you both want to help. Unfortunately, Yang is compelled to bear the weights and responsibilities of everyone's actions for whatever masochistic reason and you're afraid to let her. Because of this, you two are at an impasse."

They were stuck in this rut because of their fears. Yang needed to know she was pulling her weight, going so far as to burden herself needlessly with guilt and pressure, while Blake was afraid of failing her. The two were charged negatively, fundamentally repelling each other from becoming one no matter how happy they were to try. This meant substantial change was necessary in one or both of their characters, and because Weiss was telling her to do so and Yang had already borne too much this summer, Blake knew the onus was on her to do better.

"I need to do something." Weiss nodded in agreement. "I need to overcome this rift for the both of us because we're turning a blind eye on it." Again, Weiss nodded. "I need Yang to let me help her."

The heiress shook her head. "You need to prove yourself to her."

"How? Aren't we both supposed to work towards this change?"

"How long have you been trying that?" As cynical as she was, Weiss had a point. "You need to do something to show her that you want to help. And, when she offers it, you need to accept her help, too. You've changed on the outside, Blake—on the relative surface—but now you need to adapt to her."

Up ahead, the sisters had come to a stop, stepping out of the flow of traffic to grin excitedly at their partners. It almost seemed as though they had something schemed, but Blake trusted the blonde and knew this smile was meant only for reunion. In turn, the girls of black and white smiled at them, maintaining their leisurely pace. However, before they reached the two and before this newly understood plan could be leaked, Blake had to ask, "Do you have any idea how I'd prove myself?"

Weiss shook her head. "You'll know. Our situations are different, Blake, but when you get the chance, you'll know. Just make sure not to let it slip by." She smiled at the Faunus, showing nothing but genial confidence as she turned this expression on Ruby. As they approached, the young girl held out a hand which Weiss shrugged at before accepting.

The younger couple walked ahead, hand in hand and pleased with their current station. Perhaps Weiss was cynical and perhaps Ruby was naïve, but at least they were unconditionally happy with each other. Blake was with Yang, too, but what the younger couple excelled in was a lack of worry. It was rare for the girl in red to be angered and it was even rarer to see Weiss cry, which, as she had said many times before, was an impossibility. They could discuss their problems openly and reach an understanding while Blake and Yang only touched on the matters before moving to physical comfort.

An arm wrapped around the Faunus' shoulder, eliciting a missed shiver and immediate warmth. "Hey, kitten." Just as quickly as the arm had touched her, Blake was pulled into her partner's side, torn between smiling at her return and frowning at her own consideration. In the end, she smiled and hugged back, postponing these thoughts of change for a later date. This received a kiss between her uppermost ears as the blonde asked, "So? What'd you guys talk about? Nothing mean, I hope. 'Cause Ruby and I totally weren't gossiping."

Blake shrugged. "Nothing much. Just…smoothies."

There was something wrong between them. Nothing volatile, of course, but something to be remedied. The way Yang spoke and the way she chose not to speak made sense to the Faunus now. Their conversation was fun and distracting, but they never once referenced the cause of the smoothies or the divide between them, proving that Yang was affected just as much as Blake was. She did not seem afraid, per se, and did not stumble in her phrasings, but beneath this smile and youthful glimmer of hope, she knew just as well as Blake did that something was wrong.

But they would bide their time. The moment hinged on their continued happiness and Blake did have a goal to achieve, after all. She nuzzled closer to the blonde, resting her head beside Yang's own and pecking her cheek whenever she could. This was always returned in kind with a giggle, drawing the amusement of a faraway Ruby and the joking disgust of Weiss. Despite this rift and despite the fundamental flaws which caused it, today was grand. It was warm, the company was incredible, and the stress of an approaching semester meant nothing when challenged by this favored city. The four would stroll ahead, conversing whenever they could and distracting themselves with whatever they found.

That was what today was about: distraction. They were distracting themselves from who they were, who they used to be, what was to come, and the whys of it all. Today was simply fun, and as they burned away the daylight hours, these four found much-needed reprieve.

---

The sun was setting now, sending off the cheery blue of the team's final tour and welcoming a somber orange and encroaching shadows. It was saddening to be sure, this uncontrollable rapidity, but the group of four was having fun as best they could and thus did not notice time slipping from their grasp until the trail of streetlights before them lit with the fires of night. Beyond the promenades and city squares, the storefronts and smiles, was darkness; but even this were ignored for the lights and sounds ahead. Everything surrounding was warm; from the jubilant crowd to the path they followed, from the summer on the breeze to the burning hues up above, and from the characteristic aura of Yang to the prescient love she explained through her fingers against Blake's own. Everything was indeed warm. And though the storm clouds did approach in wide, titanic columns, these loftier emotions were but secondary to momentary comforts.

The two of black and yellow, outgoing and introverted, walked with hands entwined by second-nature instinct as the younger girl in red, smiling at her own relaxed partner, found passage aboard her sister's shoulders, piggybacked down the warming street with insouciant ease. It was all second nature, Blake believed. They had all been divided not a year ago with the exception of these sunny sisters, and it was by their eager spirits that their divide had been closed. Of course, while there was a new apparent divide torn between the tallest two and although its reaches were yet unexplored, they held together for each other.

This was where Blake wanted to be, and she would fight to keep her station stable. For the first time in her life, she felt safe. The White Fang, from an ideological viewpoint, was firmly in her past while her long-abandoned parents were now in her conscious present. She had friends who cared for her outright and a home somewhere between a secluded plot of land and a towering institution for global defense; she had found respite after a life of running, chasing shifting ideas. But if this stability were to be usurped by incompetence—incompetence in the form of negligence—then she would fight her hardest against this change. She was a fighter—Yang's fighter—and would grip this hand tight and never let it travel far. So, she smiled at Yang and resolved to never stop, meeting a star of golden love in turn.

"Are you sure you're all right with it?" Ruby asked, returning the Faunus to the sisters' ongoing conversation. "I mean, it was an accident, and I didn't even know it only had one save! And it's not my fault it autosaved."

Yang sighed. "Of course I'm not all right with it, Ruby! Do you know how long Blake and I spent on that game?"

"Uh…Like, an hour? You only got to chapter two."

At this, Blake cocked a brow. "Chapter two?" she asked in mild alarm. "What we played was only chapter one?"

"Yeah, it's supposed to be a hard game. Didn't you know that, Yang?"

"Wha—Yeah, I knew that. I just didn't…"

"Then it's fine! You guys can just start a new game and—"

"I'm not starting a new game."

"Ruby, I have to agree," said Blake, looking up at the girl who clung to her sister's shoulders. "I know we spent more than an hour on it, and even if it was only to get to chapter two, a lot of effort still went into it."

Weiss scoffed. "You're all getting this worked up over a video game? Honestly, I've seen some pitiful things in my life, but this, all this frustration, might just top the list."

"Nah," her partner objected, "you just don't get it."

"It's not just a game, Weiss, it's—"

"To be fair," Blake interjected, "it is just a game."

"See? At least one of you is sensible."

"Not the point," Yang argued, still holding her playful smirk which all those around her carried, too. This was no serious conversation, and although it derived from Yang's initial shock that her game save had been accidentally deleted, her lone intent was to have fun, making Ruby laugh and Blake smile in the process.

"You see, I put my life into that game, my soul, and maybe Blake's, too. I mean, it was only for like an hour and a half, but that doesn't change the fact that I almost broke the controller over it and Blake had to help me out. That was a memory, Weiss, and you can't just delete a memory. Now that the save's gone, I can't get it back, and because we have a week left, how am I supposed to finish it?

"It wasn't just a save, Weiss," she wistfully intoned, "it was a memory."

The heiress looked at her, obviously biting her tongue at the potentially myriad things she wanted to say. Ruby, meanwhile, gave up. "Eh, I'm gonna have to side with Weiss now. It's just a game."

"Wow. Okay. Rude." Blake laughed at this, earning her the smiling recognition of her partner. "Anyways, you're totally beating that level for us, Rubes. Memory or not, I'm not spending another hour on that. It was…Eugh. That was the true face of torture."

"Okay! Why didn't you just say that earlier?"

"Because I was being mad at you. Duh!"

As had likely been the desired effect, Ruby giggled, causing the girl in yellow to do the same. Between the hearty warmth of her girlfriend's fingers and the uncharacteristic smile on Weiss' lips, Blake found her mirth, too, simply by absorbing the happiness around her and silently joining in as she had in their first semester. However, as she looked over, she found that Yang's gaze lingered on her with a question of, "Hey, Blake? After Ruby does that for us, you wanna maybe marathon the game? It's probably gonna take an all-nighter or two, but I think we can do it."

Without hesitation, Blake nodded. "Yeah. I'd love to." In truth, the option seemed daunting from the standpoints of motion sickness and forgotten narrative, but Yang was giving her the chance to prove her care. Perhaps by helping her when she got stuck in the game, Blake could show that assistance was both welcomed and benign.

As the older couple smiled at each other, searching for serenity on this slippery slope, Weiss' conversational growth proved to be unfortunately interruptive. "Well, congratulations. You've solved the great video game crisis of our time. But seeing as how you haven't even begun your summer assignments, what chance will you have to play your game?"

"My summer assignme—?"

"I'll do them."

The three turned to Blake, confused. Immediately, the Faunus felt uneasy for answering for her partner. She did still stand by her statement, believing that it would be another way to prove herself to Yang and thereby mend their rift, but this look she was receiving from the surrounding three seemed disapproving.

Weiss raised a brow to her. "You do realize they are Yang's assignments? They are her responsibility, and she's taking some classes you aren't."

"If she wants to marathon the game, we'll find a way to do it," Blake insisted. "If it requires me to do her work, then I'll do what I can. I can read well and learn quickly, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem if—"

"Blake," Yang interrupted with a squeeze of her hand. "It's all right. I've got it. Really, it's not even that much! I can probably get it done in…I don't know, a day? You don't have to put yourself through all that for me."

"But I want to."

Again, this was returned with incredulous looks which nearly caused the Faunus to shrink away in shame. However, she wanted to show conviction in her assistance and saw Yang's declination as a burden worth fighting against. But as she stared down her teammates, her gaze turned to the heiress. The girl in white glared at her and shook her head warningly, immediately rescinding Blake's enthusiasm and reprimanding her plan. Perhaps it had been a bit much.

As Blake's strength faded, Yang's fingers left hers, sending an unwanted chill up her spine before the same hand found her opposite shoulder. She frowned at her own inability as she was pulled into Yang's form. Fingers danced up and down her bicep, soothing her wordlessly as another, smaller hand tentatively scratched her unbound ears. "Blake, it's okay. If you really want to, you can look over my stuff and check my answers, but this is something I've gotta do. We can have fun, too, but sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and actually do something. Is that all right?"

There was no answer. It was not all right by any means. Even though Blake truthfully did not want to do the work she had promised, the lost opportunity to mend their divide was crushing with this week's fleeting speed. If they returned to Beacon with this baggage, then it was likely they would never find room for recovery among their doubtlessly packed schedules. With the newly planned marathon and the revelation of Yang's summer assignments, this left little in the way for forward progress, and as this summer's doors began to close, Blake began to feel suffocated by her own mistakes.

Fortunately, a kiss to her forehead removed her from these thoughts, and as Yang pulled her closer, Blake resigned to bleary comfort. "Don't worry, kitten. We'll figure this out."

But it was a lie. Their achievements could be ascribed to "we," their mistakes, too, but their assisting efforts were seldom plural. It was always one helping the other, and this present situation required both to help themselves by way of each other. But this was their collective problem. They were so used to operating independently that dependency simply did not fit their characters no matter how necessary it was for the fit to occur. Blake sought her established nook beneath her girlfriend's chin and shuddered, frustrated with this week and forcing herself to find a way to fix this mess.

With this setting day, the crowd around the four had changed, paying no mind to the worried Faunus when greater joys surrounded them. They were all happy and openly so, travelling from candlelit cafés to what they expected would be a moonlit stroll. And though the team had since stopped for dinner and left, the smiles upon these many shadows seemed to taunt the Faunus, showing a sense of excitement she feared she might never feel again. They laughed with each other, talked amongst each other as though their recent acquaintanceships did not pull at their nerves and sang along with the musicians who Yang no longer acknowledged.

Blake was a coward. She knew the most practical way to deal with her partnership's divide was the most direct one, but talking to Yang about it expressly seemed faulty, as though the act of confession would somehow widen their rift and tear them apart. She wanted to do something but feared the unintended, shying from an action born of consequence. But by inaction, she was running from her problem—a proven definition of cowardice.

She was culpable to the sins of her people, only defending herself from the White Fang when they attacked first and having never denounced their actions when her word mattered most. She had burned the bridge between them and no longer fostered sympathy for the organization, but still she had participated and left thirty lives in her direct wake—and even more, she supposed, from unanticipated fallout. Such was her current state. By not staying aware of both the present and her future, she had missed a series of small, compounding mistakes she could no longer bring herself to look back on. By being willingly ignorant to her own social incompetence, she had driven Yang into believing she was not good enough. Moreover, she had allowed these sentiments to fester by not confronting them.

And although Yang did smile and hold her sister aloft, she seemed weak. The bandage on her arm, the slowness of her stride, and the smile which was so clearly a façade told of regret she could no longer run from. Her bandage was still white, having been changed a couple days ago, but was occasionally rubbed as though she were ashamed of it. Her stride had slowed not because of the younger girl on her back but because of the events she saw before her. And with her slowed pace, the rest of her team slowed, too. This was her summer more than it was anyone else's. She had made the plans, set the stage, and accepted Blake's invitation after her own. And now her summer was ruined because of a coward who was not nearly human enough for such a relationship.

Blake frowned, watching the cobbled path as it passed. Of course, she could see her partner's tank top below, fluttering in the oceanic breeze, and her powerful gait which harkened to the confidence that had once drawn the Faunus in. Indeed there was the possibility for salvation, as slim as it might have been, but the only way to achieve it was through hard work and diligence. But in order to do that, Blake needed to be confident, which she was not. She sighed.

"Hey, Blake?" Ruby called from her sister's shoulder, shaking the girl in question from her reverie. "Are you all right? You haven't been saying much lately, and I'm…" Worried. She was worried but let the sentence trail off.

With this, the Faunus pulled herself from her girlfriend's shoulder, receiving separate looks from the three and realizing an entire conversation had gone on without her. She blinked and saw the sky darken, forgoing its luminous hue for a misty indigo as a couple hidden stars came to light.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, looking to her similarly frowning leader. "I'm just thinking."

"That wasn't thinking," Weiss observed, arms crossed in an unintentional show of defiance. "That was brooding."

"What? Brooding?" The young girl seemed shaken from her previous curiosity. "Blake, is something wrong? Do you need to talk to anybody? Because if you do, we—"

The Faunus shook her head, earning a distrustful scowl from the girl in white. "Thank you, Ruby, but I'll be fine. I just need some time to think."

She knew this would never appease the younger partnership, but they had not been her intent. Yang looked down at her, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly and catching her amber gaze whenever it dared travel up. The goal had been to deceive this girl—to lie to her again—and avoid worrying her in the process, but when Blake met her partner's upturned lips and downtrodden eyes, she knew this feat was impossible. If Ruby and Weiss had seen her struggle, then Yang probably knew what was happening far better than Blake did, herself. "I'm close to figuring it out. I…I'm sorry if I was bothering you."

"You don't bother me, Blake," Yang assured. "You never do. Whatever's happening, take your time, but we'll be right here if you need help." There it was. "You should be having fun, too."

Blake saw the divide. Yang wanted to help her and had expressed a will to do so, but she was tentative to limit her partner's independence. It was in her nature to give care, but Blake had presented herself in a way that seemed to abhor it, thus causing the blonde's uncharacteristic deference. Simultaneously, Yang presented herself in a way which never seemed to require assistance, leading to Blake's shortsighted strategies.

The Faunus nodded meekly, not wanting to further burden the situation. Unfortunately, this caused Yang to sigh and pull the girl close once again. With a hug and a kiss, everything was supposed to be better, but still Blake's thoughts lingered and manifested in her expression. This seemed to irk the heiress.

"Yang?" asked Weiss, voice little more than an annoyed growl. "Would you mind if Blake and I had a moment to talk?"

"Uh, I'm not sure that's the best—"

"Give us a moment." Her word was a command, and with Yang's weakened state, there was no chance for refusal.

With a surprising lack of argument from Ruby, Yang held the Faunus to her chest for one second more before releasing her with a frown. The two watched each other for a fleeting moment, begging each other to be all right, before Yang let go altogether and walked ahead with Ruby on her back. It was a painful sight, this walking away; it felt like an omen of sorts to what could be and what she wanted to prevent. However, seeing Yang quickly change the topic of conversation with her sister and seeing the young girl smile immediately after reminded Blake why Yang was so set on giving care.

Weiss approached, deigning a scowl as she confronted this seeming personal offense. What stake she had in the matter, Blake did not know—perhaps Ruby's happiness had been jeopardized or her own patience tried—but it would soon become apparent as the heiress moved closer. "What are you doing? Didn't you hear anything I said earlier?"

"Weiss, it's nothing. I'm just trying to—"

"You're trying to help?"

The Faunus nodded.

The heiress seemed exasperated. "I know you're stubborn and I know we have a spectacular track record of listening to each other, but just for once—just this one time—try to actually listen to what I'm saying. You aren't making any progress by forcing your assistance. Whatever plans or schemes you've been making up go against what you should be doing—in fact, they're only tearing you and Yang apart."

"But Yang's hurt." She sounded betrayed, weak and shivering at her own cowardice. "And she doesn't see the rift. I-I think I do, but I don't know what I can do about it. It's just…every time I try to do something, it fails or Yang doesn't see it. I'm trying to help her, but I can't figure out how."

The heiress sighed. With this, she had lost her frustrated expression yet retained her exasperation. "Do you really want to know how to fix this mess?" Quickly, Blake nodded. "Are you willing to listen to everything that I have to say rather than cherry-pick the parts which could make your life miserable?" Again, the Faunus nodded.

"You have to get over yourself. That's step number one. You have to stop helping Yang for your sake and start helping her for hers. This isn't about you dating anymore; it's about her being broken and you hardly faring any better. If neither of you genuinely want to mend the rift, then neither of you will because the opportunities to do so are almost impossible. But if you get over yourself and stop being afraid, then perhaps you'll have the chance to reach out to her."

With brows furrowed at the task set before her, Blake admitted, "It's easier said than done. How am I supposed to get over my fear when it's been the foundation of my life for as long as I can remember?"

"Frankly?" The Faunus looked to the heiress, hesitant to what she might say. "I don't care. I'm not your therapist and I'm not here to talk about your feelings. I'm telling you that if neither of you want to be happy, then all of your attempts will mean nothing."

Once again, Blake gaze turned downwards.

"Whatever insecurities you may have, whatever fears or anxieties you might suffer from, you need to get over them. I don't care if it's hard and I certainly don't care if your fear of thunder overrides everything else. Your fears drove Yang away, and now she's rationalizing them as her inability. And the longer you let her do that, the less likely it will be that you can make the situation better."

The girl in white turned to Blake with a more considerate frown, telling of honest care. "You two started off as a fairy tale that Ruby admired—to be honest, you and Yang are the only reason she and I are together. You clicked with no questions asked and no reason why, and when you learned she was ever so insecure and she learned you had a cliché fear of bad weather, you came together. It gave Ruby hope, and I've never seen you happier than you were in June.

"But then you let your fears get the better of you. That thunderstorm which brought you together tore you apart all because you couldn't admit a need for help. You two just wanted comforts and promises and a cushiony break away from all your fears. But you never acted on your promises, did anything with your luxuries. The closest thing you've done to being proactive this summer was travelling to wherever it was you went; and even then, Yang came back to yell at me.

"I think you two are frustrated because you expected a fairytale ending but let it slip from your grasp. You're frustrated that you have all these thoughts on your mind, all these fears, and no way to express them—both of you expected the other to be salvation of some sort, a free pass to a normal life. And you got close to it last week when you told us about the factory, but because you left out information, you gave Yang cause to worry—she likely thinks you're hiding something from her. Likewise, you think of yourself as a coward because she's not being honest with you. All this is is a snake eating its own tail, and as long as both of you are unwilling to talk, then neither of you will be happy."

She directed Blake's gaze forward with an oddly uncharacteristic bump of her elbow. "Look at them," she said, watching the sisters laugh. "They're open with each other. They talk about whatever. And that's healthy, from what I've come to gather. Keeping your thoughts to yourself and letting them sour only leads down a path of depression. You can see Yang as a reprehensible liar, a flighty companion, or a misguided soul, but just know that your thoughts about her will only fester as long as they're kept to yourself."

Blue eyes met gold as the heiress frowned. "I learned something from Ruby this summer. We had a rift of our own to mend, and though I'd like to give myself credit for orchestrating its closure, our restoration—our growth—was due in full to her proactive teaching. She taught me to speak. She taught me to be open with her about even my most regretted fears and not let them have power over me. If there's anyone on this planet I can trust with that information, it's her because I know she cares about me. And Yang cares for you, too. I'm not advising you to tell her each and every one of your insecurities, but consider letting her in. Even more than that, be there for her and listen whenever she needs to speak. It's not about you or the divide between you; it's about her."

Then, in the most sincere, straightforward, plea Weiss Schnee could ever give, she asked, "Now, please, get over yourself."

Immediately, this caused Blake to smirk. By no means was the task set before her an easy one and she was not the least bit enthusiastic about admitting her faults, but it seemed so simple now. She did not see any defined path set for her nor did she see a clear endgame to her eventual efforts, but the means of their salvation seemed surprisingly manageable. Kindness begets kindness, and if Blake were to be kind to Yang and open with her like she had with no one else, then it could be reasoned that Yang would gradually reciprocate.

It was a difficult plan and would require hard work to complete, but Blake knew the strategy was sound. In fact, it sounded almost like her original reason for joining the White Fang. She had been ready to thank her teammate but unfortunately found that the heiress had walked away without another word.

Weiss was not the sort to help another, much less admit to doing so, and though her assistance was welcomed, her seclusion would be respected as well. The girl in white had meant to catch up with her undoubtedly anxious teammates, a typical frown on her countenance but a just as characteristic summer glint in her eye. Amid the passersby and street vendors of all sorts, the sisters waited for her as she caught up. Even from her distance, Blake could see the smile shared between Weiss and Ruby and knew their connection was indeed strong—stronger than she had initially suspected. Whether the heiress was truthful in the lengths she went to confide in Ruby was yet uncertain, but her happiness was genuine and so was Ruby's own.

But as the younger couple reunited in an easy show of familiarity, Yang glanced back at her own slowing partner. She smiled for a brief second before frowning again, tentatively gauging which emotion was appropriate.

In the end, the two stopped, each at their respective sides of the walk and watched each other quietly, carefully, urgently. This caused the shorter two to turn towards Blake and frown as well, but their existence mattered little in comparison to Yang's. Blake could see fear in her partner's eyes and wanted to get rid of it—she saw pain and wanted to soothe it. Between the way she held on to Ruby's legs and the uneasiness of stance she took pointed towards something terribly hidden, and this would not do. The Faunus was far from confident, but she understood what to do now, if not how to go about it.

She met Yang's frown with a smile—nothing big or sad, simply the same amused smirk she used to give back at the academy. And at the cue of a relieved, if not forced laugh from the golden girl, Blake moved forward, covering the yards between them quickly and returning to Yang's side. There were no kisses shared between them or hugs or even fingers interweaved; they simply smiled at each other, one asking if the other was all right and the other confirming it with her presence. Even still there was an instinct in the blonde to reach out and take her partner's hand, but this instinct proved nothing more than a tick as she reined her arm in.

"Hey, Blake?" Ruby called, peeking around the wild mane before her. "You all right? I mean, is everything…you know…gonna be okay?"

With a quiet chuckle, Blake shrugged. "I can't say I'm totally fine, but I've definitely felt worse." Again, she flashed a smirk Yang's way and was delighted to see a glimmer of hope behind her eyes. Admission had worked.

"Kitten?" Her voice cracked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about freaking out back there."

"I know," Blake said. Although the Faunus did not know why Yang was being apologetic or for what reason she had to be sorry, she would nevertheless accept for Yang's sake. "You don't need to apologize to me, but if you want to, I'll accept it."

Yang smiled. To her, this must have seemed like a rest to their unstated, unadmitted hostilities. By accepting the apology, Blake had given her room to recover and regain her confidence—by letting her win a nonexistent battle, it could be assumed that the blonde was slowly rebuilding her motivated fire and kindling it with the smallest of victories. As small as it was relative to the rest of Blake's plan, this smile was a victory because it was neither sad nor hesitant; it was simply grateful.

However, with Blake's victory came unwitting defeat, for as she returned Yang's emotion with zeal, the shorter two could only watch. As these seconds of silent reassurances turned to minutes and as these minutes saw the fading sky darken, the youngest among them and the heiress who had since been characterized by adherence to structured plans found themselves in an awkward state. Blake and Yang were happy to see each other happy—such was who they were—but Ruby and Weiss had better things to do than watch these fearful two cling to their dissonant safety.

Weiss, being the more patient, did not act first but instead let her partner wriggle out from Yang's clutches and ultimately fail in this endeavor. Hesitant though she could be, the unease Ruby felt at this stagnation led her to interrupt. "Yang? Can I get down now? I wanna walk with Weiss for a bit."

For a frightening half-second, the blonde's enthusiasm fell away. Perhaps this was due to the divide Blake now understood or perhaps it was simply a contemplative tell, but her smile eventually returned just as quickly as it left. She turned to look over her shoulder, conceding, "Yeah, sure," before crouching at her knees and letting her sister down. As Ruby stepped away and moved to Weiss' side, the blonde sprang right back up, hoping to draw some kind of humor from the silence and meeting Blake's care with the same nescient hope.

"Anyways," Weiss interjected, easing her team away from its inaction, "we still have a walk ahead of us, and if we want to reach your home by a reasonable time—"

"Which we don't." Yang smirked, giving Blake cause to sigh in relief.

Weiss did just the same, if in a more agitated manner. "Okay, well, we need to move at some point, and I'd much rather it be sooner than later." She shook her head. "To be honest, I want to head back soon, but at the same time I don't. If we could find one or two final things to do, then we could perhaps call it a night and mark this summer as a success. Personally, I'd prefer if we could end today on our own terms rather than letting the rains decide for us, but if you'd rather stay out late—"

"Nah. I'm fine," admitted the blonde. "I just didn't wanna end it on dinner. I don't know; seemed kinda anticlimactic. You have any ideas?"

"None whatsoever. Dinner was as far as I planned."

"Um, I have an idea if anybody wants to hear it."

The team turned to the youngest among them, attentive as always to her call. However meek she could be in social situations, Ruby was their leader, friend, sister, and, in Weiss' case, girlfriend, and such was why the three were prepared for whatever she had in store. But whereas her teammates were prepared for her leadership outside of a combat scenario, Ruby was yet surprised, eyes widening in fear and stance giving way to a step back as she accepted her social influence. Fortunately, this reaction was eased away by a slight smile from the heiress.

"I think I know where we are," she began, "and if I'm right, then we're almost at that fountain and where me and Weiss…well, where we argued." Just as how Yang's smile had ducked to Ruby's leave, Weiss' expression faltered momentarily before continuing with her silent reassurances. "And if that's where I think it is, then maybe we could all go on the merry-go-round…or something."

At first, it seemed as though the young girl expected her team to know what she was talking about, and though Blake would readily admit that she did not, it soon became apparent that Ruby was speaking to her sister. Yang perked up at this, startled by the proposition and skeptical of its execution. "You don't mean…?" Ruby nodded. "Ruby, aren't we a bit old for that now? And without mom?"

"I think we can handle it. And besides, Weiss and Blake haven't been there before. So, I mean, it'd probably be a good idea to show it to them, right?"

Had she been in her regular, flippant state of mind, there would be no doubt that Yang would support her sister's endeavor, but a guilty pang ran through the young Faunus' heart when the girl in yellow asked, "Are you sure? We were kids last time we went there."

"But Yang…" She seemed disappointed, Weiss' certainty no longer having a guiding effect. "It's the merry-go-round! We always went there after…"

Weiss interrupted the sisters, stepping in for her partner to glare at the taller girl. "We're going," she asserted simply.

There was a moment where Yang looked primed to object, finding some suitable reason to rebel against this apparent memory, but all that came of this was a sigh. "Fine," she groused. "Just…it's not going to be the same without mom, Ruby."

"Enough," Weiss growled. Her quiet, defensive fury met Yang's own. Rather, it is to say that the heiress' fury met Yang's unintended apathy. Blake did not know what was more disconcerting: Weiss' individuality winning out over Yang's protectionism or Yang's self-fulfilling prophecy of becoming her father at the first signs of loss. "We're going. You aren't giving any ideas, yourself, and can hardly stand up on your own. So, either come up with another plan or keep your mouth shut and follow the leader." Yang's gaze averted.

It was then that the heiress turned, glancing at Blake for a fraction of a second and sending an inscrutable message before taking Ruby's hand with a contradicting smile. "Are you ready?" she asked, voice soft and unfazed. Still shaken, Ruby could only look at the state of her hand. Eventually, however, she nodded slowly. "Then let's go. Don't worry about them; they'll follow soon enough. In the meantime, show me this merry-go-round; take me to it."

In an unprecedented instant, Ruby was happy again—that is, enthusiastic in a somewhat subdued state; however, the squeeze she gave her partner's hand was clearly visible and her cheery smile found its strength once more. And it was only then that Blake realized this had been an example she was expected to follow.

The younger partnership began their travels, walking away from the taller two without so much as glancing at Yang or her self-destruction and thereby giving Blake pause to consider how Weiss had done what she did. By being kind and encouragingly so, she had ended Ruby's unease in no time at all. It was out of character, manipulatively forceful, but it was all for the purpose of healing her partner. Regardless of personal virtues and scruples, the softening of Weiss' expression and her atypical use of physical affection led to Ruby's immediate recovery—she realized what her partner wanted from a relationship and metered it out in prescribed doses. Moreover, she had made it seem easy, as though it were a simple flip of a switch from characteristic to caring. Ruby's stride widened and her giggle rang out as they continued down this corridor and merged with the masses, making the heiress' success unmistakable.

Blake turned to Yang, finding her quietly upset. Her smile had faded by this point and her arms hung limply by her side without Ruby's presence. Her confidence was fundamentally broken because of her girlfriend's heedless aggression and now she mirrored her father, harmless by choice and apathetic by consequence. Because her father was unlikely to change as far as Blake knew and because Ruby was off being consoled by a necessary source of encouragement, this socially inept, historically spineless Faunus was the only family Yang had left. And because this apathy was her fault, Blake moved to remedy it.

She stepped in front of her partner, catching a tentative glimpse upwards from the once sunny girl and responding with a hopeful smile. Slowly, as not to frighten her, Blake reached out and took the blonde's shoulders, brushing aside unkempt hair and pulling the tentative gaze back into the realm of steadiness. Wordlessly, Blake ran her hands down the jacketed shoulders, across the relaxed biceps, and down to the girl's forearms, holding them between each other and sweeping a curious thumb across the bloodless bandage. However, the Faunus' eyes remained locked on unsteady lilac. She intended to fix this mess.

Choosing her words carefully and avoiding any mention of weakness, Blake began, "They're right, you know? We can't just stand here all day." A sigh was her partner's response. "Yang, you're doing a great job with Ruby. She seemed happy today and she seems happy to go on this merry-go-round. But I think she'd be even happier if you went with her. I know you have your reservations, but…I think she needs this."

"I know," the girl admitted, "but it used to be this whole thing with our mom, and we haven't gone there since…"

Her sentence's trailing off was indeed unsettling, but Blake maintained her smile nevertheless. "You sound like you have a lot to say about it. Tell you what, why don't we tail them for a bit and you tell me what's on your mind, and if I can't convince you to go with her by the time we get there, then we can just sit this one out." She brought her hands into Yang's own and squeezed, watching as the blonde's brows furrowed. "Sound all right?"

Another sigh marked Yang's compliance. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Blake."

Rather than answering her bid to turn the conversation in the Faunus' favor, Blake simply leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Yang's cheek. Though her smile did not yet shine, the girl's frown did budge, and this was progress.

Then, in a quick, practiced motion, Blake let go of her partner's bandaged arm and curled the other around her shoulder, resting her head beneath Yang's chin and hoping to turn this present cold into eventual warmth. "Come on, then," she said. "We can't let them get too far ahead. We don't want them to have all the fun today, do we?"

It was quickly made apparent that Blake lacked the ability to wink, though she did try for levity's sake. As she closed one eye, she felt her smile pull with it, making what could have been a strange expression to confuse her partner but instead eliciting a weary laugh. It was quiet and reserved, but still it was a laugh. "Yeah, okay. I'll take you there. Just…Thanks."

Blake accepted with a nod and the two walked on.

For once, Blake was grateful for the crowds around her. They were distractions at the most basic level and served to vary the directions their partnership took. Between the immutable masses below and the darkening sky above, Yang was slowly able to pull herself from her halting ennui.

Every so often, the hand on the Faunus' shoulder clenched, possibly reaffirming the fact that Blake did exist and had not yet left the blonde; and to this, Blake would smile, knowing that Yang needed positive reinforcement now more than ever. This led them to walk close together as they always did, admiring the strings of lights hung between the intervallic streetlamps and letting the final breaths of summer flutter across their skin. Amid the hearty chatter of the thankfully pleasant passersby and the moonlit labyrinth within which the two ambled, everything seemed momentarily peaceful. Behind them was a network of nothing of interest and before them was an opening into a larger avenue which soon caught Blake by surprise.

They arrived upon the town square they had once ventured nearly three months ago. It came as an initial shock that Ruby would lead them here of all places and that the bustling nightlife had not changed since. The crowds between the various stands and stalls continued to seem impenetrable while the grand pillar in the square's center still glimmered from the refracted fountain below. Fortunately, the wall of humanity no longer seemed as daunting as it had been. Ruby and Weiss could be seen parting the masses up ahead, and even then, those who moved seemed more than willing to abide by their happiness.

Perhaps it was the Faunus' intent to prove how well she had adjusted amongst a crowd and, in effect, give Yang a reason to feel good about herself, but her honest goal in pulling the blonde forwards was to take care of her and prove she was willing to do as Weiss had advised. And though Yang did remain silent with a frown pressed against her girlfriend's hair, Blake did not hesitate in leading her through the market. Beneath lanterns and a light-polluted night sky, Blake followed her leader, keeping one eye on where she and the heiress went and the other on Yang and how she felt. She was quiet as she moved, but the blonde did seem reflective, craning her head to admire one of their summer's earliest locales but never once saying anything about it.

Blake rested her head against the girl's inner shoulder, sighing contentedly at the sights before them. "So," she said, wrapping an arm around Yang's waist, "are you ready to talk?"

"Are you sure you wanna listen? I mean, it's really not a big deal."

"I don't care. I just like listening to you, and if you don't want to talk about the merry-go-round, then tell me another story. I'd be happy to listen."

To be completely honest, Blake had expected Yang to decline—it would have been just considering how she had acted as of late—but as the blonde's silent contemplation came to an end, the Faunus was relieved. "All right," Yang said. "I, uh…If you really care to listen—"

"I do. I love listening to your stories."

Some part of the golden girl was flustered, bringing on a rare blush, and this reaction only contrasted her reluctance in a fortunately telling way. "Okay, then. I guess it's all right, right?" Blake nodded. Yang sighed. "Okay, well, the uh…Uh…" She shook her head, forcing herself to go on and get over her unease. "Okay, so the merry-go-round was a thing Ruby and me used to go to. I mean, our mom took us there, but we haven't come back since she left."

"It's kind of like that place you showed me in the park, right?"

"Yeah," Yang said, an unidentifiable smile pulling weakly at her lips. "The merry-go-round was a thing she took us to whenever we went out or something—you know, when she had to go shopping or pick up ammo for her weapon. We'd always get lunch somewhere and then she'd let us go on the merry-go-round once or twice before we headed home. Ruby always loved it. Mom used to cheer her on from outside when she was on the horse, making her feel like a knight or something. Honestly, I'm kinda surprised Ruby remembers it. She was so young."

"You know, she still is young. Just because she's dating now doesn't mean she knows what she's doing. I still don't, and we've been going out for almost three months now." Blake blinked in surprise. Had it really been that long?

"I…guess. But, then again, she probably knows better than any of us. When was the last time you saw her yell at Weiss?"

"Outside of combat? Never."

Yang nodded. "She's a good girl; she's gonna do great if Weiss keeps her word." It could have been the most natural thing in the world by this point, but the pressure Yang supplied by pulling her partner closer was a quiet reassurance and one Blake warmed to immediately. "If she remembers the merry-go-round right, then I think what she's trying to do is kinda like a team building exercise, but instead of a team she's trying to build us up like a family. Which is…I don't know."

"Wasn't that your idea to begin with?" Blake smirked.

"I mean, yeah, kinda, but that was just for you and me back then." She paused. "Look, Ruby and I carry around a lot of baggage, and it'd be wrong of us to put you guys through it."

"Yang, you do know how I came to Beacon, right? I don't mean to play a game of comparisons, but we all have baggage, and you're helping me deal with mine. It'd only be right for me to help you deal with yours, too."

"But a family?"

Blake shrugged, humming into her girlfriend's side. "What's a bit of figurative language to boost someone's morale? You need it, Ruby needs it, and if Weiss is willing to play along, then I'd imagine there's at least some merit to it."

"You know that 'family' is a pretty loaded word for us, right?"

"Same with me. I didn't have a family for most of my life, and you and Ruby are the closest I've ever come to finding another since Sierra." The Faunus looked ahead, smiling at the other partnership's faraway laugh. "I mean, my mom and dad will always mean a lot to me and I do owe them my time, but you've been there for me when I had no one else. Family might be a loaded word for you, and I know you and Ruby must be scared of it after all you've lost, but seeing how much we've changed since coming together and considering how far we'd go to keep each other safe, I think the word fits."

"So, you're not gonna let it go?"

Blake shook her head. "There's nothing to let go of, Yang. I promised I'd never leave you and I said that I love you, and if that's not reason enough to feel confident, then I just have to prove it to you. We might not be related, but we're family one way or another."

A deep breath shook the taller girl and was followed soon after by a spark of her regular warmth. "Okay, I think I get it," she laughed softly, evidently working herself back up to sociability. "So, since we're a family and all, what does that make us? I hope it's not sisters, 'cause that'd be a little weird."

A joke. Because it was so foreign by this point, Blake could not help but giggle. In turn, a smirk grew slowly on the blonde's features. "No, not sisters. We're a bit…too different for that." With a subtle flex, the Faunus' ears tickled her partner's chin. "Wouldn't you say?"

"Maybe. Just a bit. So, does that make us—"

"Let's just leave it at family for now. We can figure out the specifics later." The two smiled independent of one another, hopeful for separate reasons. "But since we're a figurative family now, do you still have a reason not to take me to the merry-go-round? You acted like it was sacred land or something."

"Sorry if it sounded like that. It's just an important place to me. I kinda don't want to admit it, but going back there is gonna be tough. I'm afraid I'm gonna see mom there or remember something that'll just make me blow up. I don't know."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I'll be there for you. That is, if the spinning doesn't mess me up—I'd like to think I learned my lesson the first time."

"Hey, I'm sorry about that. Really, that was my bad. I shouldn't have—"

"Yang," the girl in reference looked down to her partner, "you don't need to apologize for that. I might have gotten sick afterwards, but in that moment, I was happy. And I was glad you were letting me take part in one of your family traditions. I was too preoccupied with having fun to remember my limits, and I don't regret a second of it." Blake smiled. "Hopefully, we can do something like that again with the merry-go-round, except, you know, without the motion sickness."

"Good thing I'm not at the helm this time, huh?"

She meant this, and it was crushing. However, Blake kept smiling. "I wouldn't say it's a good thing, per se, but at least we won't have anything to stress over. We've had a bit too much to worry about as of late, and I think we deserve a break."

"Yeah, a break sounds good—I mean, not like that kind of break, but, like, you know…" She groaned and allowed herself to slump against her girlfriend's form. Her cheek came to rest atop Blake's head and her eyes looked out at the high-rises ahead. "God, I used to be so good at this stuff. What happened to me?"

"I'm sorry, Yang, but that's a question only you have an answer for. Whatever happened is still ongoing, but I'm positive that once you figure this all out, you'll come out stronger for it." The Faunus then pulled Yang closer, reassuring her before negativity could take hold. "I hated the White Fang and couldn't figure out what I needed to do about my situation, but after I met you, I found it easier to appreciate everything I went through to get where I am. It's not going to be an easy path to take, and I promise I'll be there for you every step of the way, but I know you'll feel better when all of this is over."

"I know, kitten, it's just…tough. I don't even have a good reason to be feeling this way, but it's like a nightmare I just can't wake up from. You get that, right? I mean, I'm not actually losing it, am I?"

As they walked the Ruby-led path through the grid of stands and stores, Blake could not help but look out at the fountain they passed. How easy it must have been to be solid and have but one purpose in life. Humans and, to an equal degree, Faunus were so fragile no matter how long they spent training themselves for loss. Ruby and Weiss made it seem so easy, leaning on each other for occasional support without so much as touching one another. And yet no matter how much Blake clung to Yang, they only seemed to waver. She watched the pillar pass by, knowing that this would be the last time she would see it for a long time in the best case scenario.

"No, you're not." Despite her outward happiness, the Faunus' voice cracked, quietly as not to pull Yang's attention yet throatily enough to not forgive herself. "I think you're figuring things out, and it just so happens that all those things are a little more abstract than any of us would like. It's tough, Yang. It's tough on all of us."

She shook her head, smiling through her pain. It was what Yang would have done. "But we'll get through it. We'll figure this out as a team or a family or whatever you need, but we'll figure it out in the end. If you're losing it, then I'm losing touch, and though I do like to be alone sometimes, I don't like being alone without you anymore. And I'm not losing touch, Yang; if anything, I'm more in-touch than I've ever been. If you were losing it, then this summer never would have happened, I wouldn't be your girlfriend, and Ruby wouldn't be as happy as she is now. I know it's difficult after all the things we've done to each other and all that's been done to us, but we're going to be okay. I don't know when, and I really hope it's soon, but it'll all be okay once we figure everything out."

"But it's a question only I have an answer for."

Blake frowned. "It is. I wish I could help, but you have all the information."

"A question only I have the answer to? Huh." She shook her head and laughed. Whether the noise was bitter or rueful could not be told, but she was indeed frustrated behind her blossoming façade. "Way to go philosophical and stuff on me, Blake. You know I'm not smart about things like this. I don't even know what the question is. Not even a clue."

"Well…" Blake looked back to that final day of her affiliation. There were not many questions running through her mind, admittedly, more than there were warning flags, but she had been in a similar place as Yang was now. "Well, first ask yourself why you're upset. Start with the root and move your way up from there."

"I…I'll try. I just don't know why I'm like this."

"Yeah, you do. You just can't see it yet."

Nothing more was said on the matter. Yang simply squeezed her partner close, pulling the Faunus against her chest and burying her nose in her raven hair. But perhaps this was more telling than words could ever be. Blake squeezed back and let Yang have her fill of physical comfort, knowing that Ruby would only serve the same purpose were she in her position. However, knowing that she could still hang on to her partner and love her without restraint was cause enough to eliminate her worry and smirk gratefully into the chain of the amber pendant.

The walls closed around the couple as the next corridor pulled them in. By this point, Ruby was all but bouncing with the spring in her step which Weiss had given her while the heiress, herself, goaded her on with chiding attempts at jokes. But Blake could only glance. Almost entirely, her gaze was fixed on the far lapel of the blonde's jacket, watching the material sway with each step but the underlying armor stay put. Every once in a while, she would look to the guiding couple or the crowd-given excitement around them or even pull herself from beneath the girl's chin to see her faraway frown and the furtive glances she sent this way and that. Her pain had never been about their destination or the path they were to take. Like Blake, her pain came in the form of her past and her fear was of its repetition.

The rest of their walk would go by in utter, unyielding silence. No kisses were tried, no verbal condolences; only hugs were allowed as Blake waited on her partner's silent journey to run its course. She loved Yang like she had no other, but no matter how she felt, this was a struggle Yang had to deal with on her own. It was frustrating to be sure and Blake did want to help, but she knew that if she tried, she would only make Yang feel weaker and less independent than she once had been. This was her fight, and although Blake would be there for the golden girl, her participation would only occur at their journey's end, when Yang's side of the divide was closed and therefore safe for recuperative assistance.

Between the mirrored glass high-rises of far away and, even more closely, between the two-storied rows of downtown architecture to either side, Ruby and Weiss marched towards the opposite end of this promenade, heedless of potential dangers to their combined certitude and blissfully happy in their hard-fought peace. Meanwhile, the older couple switched between hopeful false smiles and grim looks of unintended pessimism. These expressions, however, would all come together in a sort of level pause as they beheld the end to this final path.

This was the convergence of six similar roads before them, all leading to a central point of a spinning, red-and-white spectacle of golden horses and black carriages. It spun and spun and the horses galloped up and down, and all the four could do was stare, the foremost two chatting about their now shared enthusiasm while the hindmost found fortunate distraction in the patterns. From the misty lightbulbs and carnival tent top above, down to the scuffed paint where the ride nearly met the stone below, Blake knew this place was well past its contemporary vogue yet it would outlive them all by centuries if its novelty had lasted even this long.

It was haunting in a way, seeing the full moon rise above this night's final stop and the last traces of hazy orange disappear as dark clouds crept in from the bay. This place was a memory for Yang and thus possible closure if she could recover soon, but it only hurt in its current state.

"Come on!" Ruby shouted at them, grinning widely at her downtrodden sister. "Yang, it's still here! It's gonna be so awesome!" As the older two approached, the young girl took her partner's hand again. "Come on, Weiss. Let's go get in line!"

And so they did. With surprising energy from the impersonal heiress, the two practically ran to the encompassing stanchions and entered the queue with unerring smiles. It was a youthful sight, something neither Blake nor Yang could ever have but something they could nevertheless admire and follow after. Yang was slow-moving to this, admittedly, and dragged her feet to the old-world monument, but perhaps this should have been expected.

Yang believed she was not smart, and although her reading comprehension could be spotty at times and her enthusiasm for mathematics rested only in what she could apply to her machinations, she could be too thoughtful for her own good. World history was not her interest, but personal histories and histories of the things she loved—Ruby, Blake, Vale—meant so much to her that the sight of a park bench, the mention of a surname, and her arrival upon this spinning, still living attraction had pulled her base of confidence out from beneath her. She had found her confidence by avoiding these things and keeping them as simple memories. But now that her past was coming back to haunt her, it hurt incredibly—this was guilt meeting a lack of closure and, therefore, an unwanted inability to be completely strong.

As they joined Ruby and Weiss among the crowd of demographics both young and unburdened, Blake and Yang simply held to one another, frowning by this point and remaining as close as possible so to communicate their respective vows of fidelity.

Weiss turned, looking over her shoulder to regard the arriving partnership. "Well, you two certainly look more chipper than usual. What's wrong?"

"Life," Yang sighed.

"Blake? Care to answer with something other than a one-word response?"

"Not really."

"Okay, now if we could just get past three syllables, that would be fantastic." The heiress looked to her partner, watching the younger girl's expression shift into silent solemnity, before frowning at the dour two. "I thought we went over this already. You should know better than to enable this sort of behavior, Blake. And Yang, this isn't about you anymore. You have more people to care about than just yourself, so show some backbone for once in your life."

A sudden burst of heat startled everyone in the vicinity, from the youngest children waiting with their parents to the stalwart girl in white.

"Do you ever shut up? Do you ever stop lecturing people about stuff you don't know anything about?" Scarlet hues flashed in Yang's struggling lilac as her heat steadily grew. "I know this isn't about me. That's why I'm mad. I'm mad because there's nothing I can do to help you guys and I'm just becoming more and more irrelevant because of it. This is about you and Ruby and Blake, and whenever you guys are hurt, all I can do is mess things up."

Blake had to step away. The fire burning in her partner was becoming painful to the touch, and although her mind wanted her to hang on and soothe this fury as she once had, her body was skittish of another burn. However, in her stead came Ruby, rushing forward and enveloping her sister in a desperate hug. "You're not irrelevant, Yang!" Almost entirely, the fire petered out; however, a reluctant ember yet tested the young leader's resolve. "You're a part of this team and you always will be. We love you, Yang, and you totally help us all the time. I wouldn't even be here right now if you didn't want to become a huntress. And Weiss and I wouldn't be together if you didn't let us!"

"Yeah, but now you've got her," sighed her sister. "I've run my course already."

Ruby's brows furrowed. "But you're my sister!"

"Not a very good one."

"But you are!" Between the unsubtle waves of heat Yang was giving off and the emotion pouring from Ruby's insistences, the people in the line surrounding appeared uncomfortable, nagging at their collars and looking away as though they were ignorant to the conversation they doubtlessly heard. But Blake paid them no heed, instead placing a steady hand on her girlfriend's shoulder and keeping the blonde's attention focused on Ruby. "You're, like, the best, Yang! And you've always been there for me. After mom died, you were, like, the only one there for me. And you always were there, even when you needed to be somewhere else."

"Yang, she's not lying." A heated glare was sent Weiss' way. "Anytime I can get her to open up on a topic, all she turns to is weaponry, hunting, or you. And from what she's said, you're the root cause of the former two. She's obsessed."

Yang was silent, obviously trying to find a way to fight back. However, Blake ended this fear with a squeeze to her shoulder. "You really are the best, Yang. But even the best can fall down sometimes; the great thing about you is that you always pick yourself back up and come out stronger for it. You've always helped others—all you do is for either Ruby or me—and the lengths you go to for us are simply selfless. You're the furthest thing from a bad sister, Yang, and you've always been a great person.

"Just let us help you." The line ahead had moved but the team had not. Those behind them became quickly agitated since it was all their turn to board the carousel, but Blake did not care. "You've earned the right to be selfish about something and find catharsis for all you've done. You deserve closure and for someone to take care of you for once. You deserve to be happy, Yang. I miss your smile and all your dumb jokes, and I just want to help you find them again. I want to help you find the answers you've been looking for and make you happy as best I can. But I can only do that if you let me." She tried a smile. "Will you let me help you?"

A shout from the ride's operator shook the four from their intervention, and the shout was only furthered in its urgency by the impatience of the now boisterous queue.

Yang sighed. "Come on, guys. Let's get on." Without another word, she took Blake and Ruby by their shoulders and pulled them towards the merry-go-round, pushing the leading heiress forwards in the process and avoiding the Faunus' question.

The metal platform groaned under their collective weight. They did not bother paying the man at the gate since he had angrily rushed them through, but even the city's silent scorn could not slow Yang's pace. No, it did not need assistance to be slow. However fearful or tired she might have been, her stride was resolute and steady—a pained obligation—and as she led her team to what would be their section of the ride, she dared not look at any of them.

Blake turned to her. "Yang?" she called, forcing a hopeful smile. "Look. A cute little pony." She brought the girl's gaze to the duo of lifeless, gilded horses before them. "Remember, Yang? That was—"

"Yeah, I get it, Blake."

Ruby pulled ahead, taking her sister's hand in both of her own and urging her towards the horses. "C'mon, Yang! Let's get on! It'll be just like when we were kids!" She tugged on the hand but only managed to shift her sister's glove. "Yang, please? C'mon! It'll be fun and you'll feel better after. I promise!"

"Ruby…" The young girl frowned. "I'm…tired. I think I'm just gonna sit down for this one. Why don't you get Weiss to go with you or something?"

"But mom always—"

"Mom's not here."

Ruby hesitated. It took her a moment to either say anything or even breathe, but once she registered what Yang was saying, she nodded. "O-okay. W-Weiss?" she stammered, eyes wide as she turned to her partner. "Do you…Do you wanna take the other horse?"

A reprimanding glare was sent Yang's way by the heiress; however, she spent little time in this state. As Blake cared for Yang, Weiss cared for Ruby and Ruby alone. She nodded. "Sure. It sounds like fun." Placing a hand on the young girl's back, Weiss led her leader away, saying, "Let's get you on the saddle before someone else gets impatient and starts the ride without us."

She pushed Ruby along, softly so not to force her from Yang but forcefully so not to be too soft. The blonde's attention stayed locked on her sister, torn between remorseful and externally confident, but when the young girl's gaze left her and turned to the horse ahead, she stopped them.

"Weiss," she called, sighing a heavy sigh as she began to rummage through her jacket pocket. "Here. There's something I need to give you before you find another reason to hate me." She pulled out a white card, immediately offering it to its rightful owner. "I took it before we left Beacon. I thought you wouldn't notice since you have so many, but now…It's yours. Sorry."

"Keep it." Yang seemed stunned—that is, stunned in a relative sense compared to her current inexpression. "Consider it another birthday gift or, if you want, a thank-you for letting me date Ruby."

"But there's a lot of—"

"I know. And I know there will continue to be by the time it expires." Contrary to what was expected, Weiss smiled at the blonde. "Just because my family is wealthy doesn't mean we're spendthrifts; and just because you and your sister are dreamers doesn't mean you are, either. Aside from those airship tickets, you've been frugal with that card, and so long as you continue to be, you can keep it." She smirked. "Consider it my leverage on you."

"Weiss, I don't want to steal from your family."

"You aren't. You're stealing from me." She turned back to Ruby and helped her jump up onto the horse. "Besides, that is our team's funding, and since you're a part of that team and our de facto Den Mother, you have free reign on whether those funds go to ocean-side dinner dates or experimental ammunitions. Of course, that could all go away if you abuse it, but you already know not to cross me."

"Weiss, this is a lot. I mean way too much."

"Good. It gives us a leg up on the other teams then, doesn't it?" Now that her partner was seated, Weiss stepped back to her own horse and raised herself up to ride sidesaddle. As she grabbed the metal pole beside her, she smiled upon Ruby to make sure she was all right. And after receiving a calmed nod from the young leader, she turned back to Yang. "As I said, keep it. It's a gift, it's leverage, it's…it's a bridge. I doubt we'll ever become the friends Ruby wants us to be, but that doesn't mean we need to believe the hateful things we say. This can be our fresh start, so to say. Who knows? You're resourceful; perhaps you could even find a way to buy a spine with all that money."

Suddenly, the platform lurched forward, catching Blake off guard and causing Yang to sigh dejectedly. She pocketed the card and turned away, walking towards the black carriage behind her with Blake in tow.

A subtle shake was felt as the blonde unceremoniously slumped into the plastic bench, arms crossed in unwitting defiance at the thoughts likely running through her mind. Blake simply watched her for a moment as she ignored the operator's objections, wanting to do something but not knowing what. She was in this same spot again, self-improvement or not—she was scared again and a coward for not doing anything. However, seeing Yang this upset, this close to tears, struck an overriding chord in the Faunus. This entire summer, while orchestrated from the outset, had been championed by improvisation. Neither of them had known what they were getting into, how fast they would move, or what effects their negligence would cause, but seeing Yang like this struck the same foolhardy chord Blake had felt on that fateful day in the park so long ago.

She sat next to her partner, not saying anything at first but instead simply resting. Desperately, she wanted to reach out and hold Yang, but this had proven ineffective in these most recent hours and anything reassuring she could say had been lost to uncertainty. However, Yang had allowed her to share the bench and did not recoil when she moved closer—though, this could be normal considering her natural proclivity to closeness. As such, Blake resigned to simply being there for her partner without saying anything needless.

Fortunately, she was surprised when Yang spoke first.

"I love you, Blake, and I always will. Whatever I'm doing right now, whatever I'm saying, it's…well, I guess it's just another phase. But we're not. We're not a phase." With a quiet breath, she moved in her seat, leaning towards Blake but not stopping at her shoulder. With a bit of readjustment, her head came to rest in her partner's lap, legs pulled up into their seat and arms wrapped around them. "And I'm sorry. I've done a lot of things wrong to you and I want to take them all back. I know you forgive me, but I don't.

"I guess I've never been a great girlfriend—really, I don't think I've ever been a good one. Like, that guy when I was eleven probably didn't approach me for a while 'cause I kept pushing him away. And the guy who talked me into…stuff…probably was able to do it 'cause I was spineless."

All Blake could offer was a combing hand through her chilling hair. Yang shuddered.

"I'm not good for you, Blake. You deserve someone better—someone smarter and someone who doesn't make racist jokes. All I'm good at is punching things and messing up. No wonder I'm blonde."

Perhaps it was the lattermost physical insecurity that broke Blake of her immobility or perhaps it was the rationalizations Yang made against their relationship. Whatever the case, the Faunus' hand stopped. "Yang, you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. You're not a bad influence, you're not a bad sister, and you're not perfect, either. And neither am I. But you're perfect to me, sadness and all, and whatever you're afraid of is something I'll help you get through. I love you, too, Yang, and there's no one else I can see myself with.

"So, I'll fight for you—I'll fight with you. I promised I'd never leave you and I don't plan on doing that for the rest of my life. Even if you tell me there's someone better, I'll stick with you because you are the best." She swept a thumb across the corner of Yang's eye, finding impossible moisture in small, concealed volumes. "I love you, Yang. Whatever's going on, we'll get through this together. I promise."

Yang said nothing in return. She merely shuddered again, adjusted her position on Blake's lap, and let out a whisper of a whine not even the young Faunus' ears could recognize.

With their collective silence, a shared gaze was found—not between themselves but towards the happier couple. Ruby was smiling again as her horse drifted upwards and downwards, shining brightly beneath the old yellow lights. Weiss looked similarly happy, reserving her laughs as mere shakes of the head and speaking freely with her enemy turned friend. No matter how fast the ride moved or how much their horses distanced themselves, they seemed closer than ever—they could have been miles apart and yet they smiled as though their fingers were intertwined. And they deserved this, just as much as Yang did.

Her uncharacteristic silence was haunting, but Blake saw this only as part of the recovery process. Of course, she could not bear to see it any other way, but she was troubled, too. No matter what the crowd thought of her, no matter how long she had been away from her parents, everything would be all right so long as she had Yang. And although it felt as if the world was slipping out from beneath her for the third major time in her life, this was a rift she would strive to close. This was about closure and Yang, courage and Blake, restitution and just penance, but all Blake could think about was Yang. This was not about herself or her own catharsis but instead Yang's. She deserved to be happy, and with the team—no, family—she had around her, it was but an inevitability. Unfortunately, it was only inevitable in the long run.

Far above the red and white spectacle which spun like a languid, cheery top, black clouds gathered. There was no thunder or warning of what was to come, simply rain. It fell in torrents on the faraway bay, battering the seaside shack and esplanade beside it, raising the waters of the few remaining canals, and slicking the blacktop roads set between skyscrapers and houses alike. But it moved slowly, building to a fiery head. To those affected, it was nothing more than inconveniencing on their ability to leave home, but to those still unaware, a shadowy wall of furious rains marched slowly on their position, ceaseless in its assault and indiscriminate of what it destroyed.

---

And so the third storm of this novel rolls in. Don't worry; I'm not going to spoil anything about it since information's becoming pretty sensitive at this point. All I can say is that I'm excited. To tell you the truth, I've been waiting since, like, chapter three to write nineteen, and it's been a heck of a wait. Hopefully it'll work out.

Anyways, chapter eighteen reflections.

The original concept for this chapter was a sort of return to form. I wanted to go back to earlier instalments and revisit the way Team RWBY saw Vale through fresh, eager eyes and then translate that into their current level of understanding and characterization. I don't think I captured what little magic existed in those earlier instalments and I didn't really intend to give a nostalgic feeling, but re-editing the chapters showed me how far this story has come. I mean, I had an idea, but re-immersing myself in those adventures proved how much Yang has changed Blake, how much Ruby has changed Weiss, and how the world's stresses were perceived from their earliest days of summer break to their latest. Comparing the Blakes of then and now shows some shortfalls but as well a great deal of personal growth. Yang, meanwhile, has almost been completely dismantled, showing her weaknesses and insecurities above both her façades and realities of strength. And I'm not even going to start on Ruby and Weiss; that'd take about five chapters and 130,000 words.

But in comparing their characters, I needed to give them free reign over their motives in this chapter. Of course, we still have the tensions between Blake and Yang, Yang and Weiss, Ruby and Yang, and loud noises and cat ears, but I wanted them each to have the chance to show their present versions of their characters. This meant letting them all soliloquize, interact, and react to each other's actions with more screen time than prior entries.

Moreover, I had the chance to build their relationships even further, although not in the romantic sense. First, Blake was pulled into a Rose family group hug, thereby solidifying her as an important figure in Ruby's life. Then Weiss and Blake had a couple talks wherein Weiss was surprisingly the one giving relationship advice after the events of Edelweiss. To be honest, I had a lot of fun with their payoff. Finally, on top of all the Bumblebee, White Rose, and sibling stuff, having Weiss extend an exorbitant olive branch to Yang was telling of their relationship's current status. Although it doesn't necessitate best-friendship, it does force them to be on good terms, one way or the other—seriously, with the money that card holds, Yang would need a really good reason to threaten Weiss again. Seeing how far they've come and how well it all turned out is something I'm admittedly proud of.

One of the larger challenges of this story has been to interweave the main four in a way which cements them as friends. I know they've been a team for a year prior to this novel, but just because people have to work together doesn't mean they have to like each other or even befriend each other. However, I'm not saying they weren't friends before. I just wanted to make as many links between the characters as I could, giving them romantic relationships, gifts, arguments, leverage over one another, and even distrust. In this way, I could make the characters inseparable because of everything they've gone through together, not just because "They're a team, ergo they're best friends." With this chapter, I wanted to show how much their friendships have grown. Even if it was on the bittersweet side altogether, the point was to show that they can still remain friends despite the ongoing turmoil.

But at the same time, I wanted to test them, break them down entirely and expose their innermost characters before building them back up around each other. While their friendships are strong, I needed their romantic relationships to be stronger, necessary even. Both stories, Valence and Edelweiss, start out with simple, fluffy shipping, but as the characters learn more about each other and stumble in the process, they begin to realize that having a shoulder to lean on is not too shabby. From there, they become addicted. And Blake and Yang still are, but for the sake of avoiding spoilers, I can't speak much on their instability. All I can say is that although they are in pain, their best sources of comfort are still each other and thus they need each other for that.

One more thing I want to talk about is Weiss' mention of "the divide" or "the rift" between Blake and Yang. This is actually a cross-over from Edelweiss and what she learned from her relationship with Ruby. In case you haven't read it, I'll avoid saying too much, but the things she says to Blake in this chapter come almost entirely from what she learned about bettering herself for Ruby's sake. The only difference is that she's applying her solution to Blake's situation. It might work, it might not, but the fact that Weiss can interpret Blake and Yang's strife is telling of how her character has changed.

To that end, I pretty much have to plug Edelweiss again. The reason this chapter took a month longer than it probably should have was due in large to the final chapter of Edelweiss being written and posted. Now that that novel has been completed, I can return to Valence and start on chapter nineteen very soon. However, if you're looking for something to read in the meantime and happen to fancy White Rose, then Edelweiss is the novel for you. Who knows? Maybe you can find something out about Valence's future by the time you're finished.

Now, there's just one last thing. I mentioned in the beginning author's note that I was re-editing chapters. First, before anyone jumps to conclusions, I'm not retconning Valence. Everything's the same early on, I'm just cleaning up grammar and coherency issues. The problem arose when I changed editing styles and realized everything before that point looked rushed; rather than spending an entire week on editing as I do now, I had taken two or three days. This means that chapters up to seven will be re-edited to my current standards. The story will be the same and most of the information will be there (I'm removing unnecessary and redundant sentences). The only changes will be in grammar and fluency.

Unfortunately, this is messing with the page numbering in the PDFs. For that, I apologize. Updated PDF versions should be up by the time the next chapter is released. Sorry for the inconvenience.

And thus concludes my ramblings.

Thank you for reading. I had fun writing this chapter, as dour as it turned out to be, and I hope you enjoyed it, too. I'm really sorry for not updating this story in a timely fashion, and hopefully I can make it up to you by fulfilling the promises of quality I've made. To be completely candid, there were days during the writing of this chapter where my motivation tanked and my enthusiasm gave up the ghost, but being able to look through this story's reviews and hold conversations with a few of you made my time markedly easier. I'm very fortunate to have Fanfiction as a lifeline of sorts, and I'm still surprised I'm able to say that honestly. You all are lifesavers. Really, you mean a lot.

Thank you.

Two chapters remain.

Stay safe and stay tuned.