Chapter 4: Nightmares
A strangled sound escaped Blake. Everyone knew how she felt about Yang? She thought she'd been her usual inscrutable self! Apart from when she'd said Yang's name in the hospital room. But apparently not. She collapsed onto the bed and snatched up a pillow, burying her burning face in it.
Blake heard Weiss coming closer, and twitched when her knee was patted.
"What's wrong?" Weiss asked.
Blake reluctantly lowered the pillow. "Just… Everyone knowing. It's embarrassing."
"What's embarrassing about it? Lots of people at Beacon have crushes on Yang. Almost as many as on Pyrrha. Plenty have crushes on you. I haven't heard about any on Ruby, but that's probably because Yang made it very clear what she'd do to anyone interested in her underage sister. I expect a fair few have crushes on me, but I don't hear about those." Weiss sighed. "I get repeated attempts at courting me instead. At least Jaune eventually got it through his thick skull that I wasn't interested. Anyway, there's no shame in desiring Yang. It's a natural response to her physicality that many share."
Blake scowled. She didn't want to hear about her competition for Yang. And what she felt for Yang was far more than just a mere crush. She sat up. "I don't want to talk about it."
Weiss folded her arms. "You don't want to, but perhaps you need to."
Blake grasped the opportunity Weiss had inadvertently offered her and changed the subject. "I don't remember Yang doing that. When did she make sure people knew Ruby was out of bounds?"
Weiss gave her a look that all but said: 'Blake Belladonna, I know what you're doing, but I'll play along. For now.'
"You weren't there. Yang had you take Ruby elsewhere, not long after initiation. You were buried in a book, which might explain why you don't remember, but you still managed to get Ruby out of the cafeteria."
Blake blinked. She'd been rereading Ninjas of Love at the time, and apparently even just rereading that book was enough distraction that she remembered nothing else. "Why me? Why not get you to divert Ruby?"
"Because Yang told me we had a duty to perform as Ruby's nearest and dearest at school."
Blake gave Weiss a sceptical look. She hadn't exactly been the best partner around the time of initiation, so how did she count as that close to Ruby back then?
"Hey, this was after I gave Ruby's leadership a chance and said I'd be the best teammate ever for her." Weiss tossed her head, flicking her ponytail. "Anyway, Yang had us play 'rock paper scissors' to decide who was just backup. I made the mistake of thinking she'd pick rock, because, well… She came across as a brute, and rocks are brutish, right? Wrong. Scissors! Ugh." She threw her arms in the air.
Blake snorted. Yang almost always chose scissors in that game, a fact that should've been obvious to Weiss even by then. But then Weiss probably hadn't been paying much attention to the 'brute' of the team. It was only after the first academic results came back that Weiss had evidence that Yang was more than she seemed to be, and Weiss was the type who needed proof.
"I got over it. If I was to be backup, I'd be the best backup ever, so I acted accordingly." Weiss got her scroll out and flicked through it. "I actually recorded it, at first so there would be evidence and not just the word of people with fallible memories, and afterwards for posterity. And possible blackmail material, considering Yang didn't want Ruby to know about it." She found the file and played it, volume set low so that Ruby shouldn't be able to hear it in the bathroom.
A piercing whistle almost overwhelmed the recording scroll's microphone. Blake winced, her cat ears pinning as best they could under her bow. That was definitely Yang attracting attention. At least it wasn't as bad as when Yang was right next to her.
"Ruby Rose is cute as a button, right?" Yang's voice was a bit tinny through the scroll's speakers, and distorted not just from the recording but also from the location, clearly indoors in a big room with background chatter. But then Weiss had mentioned the cafeteria.
The background chatter died away, save for general murmurs of agreement. Yes, the consensus was that Ruby was cute.
"Wrong," Yang snapped. Now that Blake had heard Raven's voice, Yang's recorded voice temporarily matched her biological mother's harsh tone. "She's here at Beacon two years early. Meaning she's underage, and more so than the rest of us who aren't yet eighteen. Anyone who so much looks at her wrong answers to me. That could mean bullying her, or flirting with her, or anything I don't like."
Someone scoffed. An unfamiliar boy spoke up, "And who are you to tell anyone what to do? You're just a first year. A nobody. A dumb—"
Blake's eyes narrowed. Had he been about to call Yang a dumb blonde? He'd been lucky Blake hadn't been there. Even back then, barely knowing Yang, she'd still objected to hearing her partner disparaged. It would have drawn her attention even from Ninjas of Love.
Yang cut him off. "I'm glad you asked. I'd have a problem with anyone being a creep towards my teammates. Ruby, though? I know we don't look much alike, but we're sisters. As for who I am, I'm Yang Xiao Long, and my parents are huntsmen. Sure, I'm only a first year, but I've been training to fight since I learned how to walk."
The boy huffed. "You don't scare me. I come from a long line of huntsmen. I do what I want, and if that includes ogling your sister you'll just have to deal with it. She's old enough for me."
Blake winced. She knew what was about to happen, even without having been there. Sure enough there was the sound of a creep being punched across the cafeteria, and his Aura shattering on impact with the wall. No one would be stupid enough to try that now, everyone at Beacon knew what Yang was capable of. And it sounded like most people got a fairly good idea of what she could do back at the start of the academic year, when she warned a packed cafeteria of students off pursuing Ruby.
"You'll get in trouble for this!" The creep wheezed, his voice rather more distant than before.
Yang snorted. "You're the one who was perving over a fifteen year old. That's what you get." Something slammed together, Blake was pretty sure it was Yang's fists. "Anyone else fancy my sister? No? Good. Keep it that way if you don't want to end up embedded in a wall like that creep."
Weiss stopped the recording. "And there you have it. Now, Blake Belladonna. Ruby's going to be out any moment, but don't think that will distract me from getting you to talk about what you need to!" She pointed at Blake, needlessly dramatically considering no one else was present.
Blake glared at Weiss. "There is no need—"
The bathroom door opened, steam spilling out with Ruby, clad in her pyjamas and towelling off her hair. "All sand gone, I—" She caught sight of Weiss and Blake and froze, her eyes darting between them. "Um. What's up?"
Weiss ignored Blake's desperate attempts to shush her. "Blake's embarrassed to learn that everyone knows about her crush on your sister, and doesn't want to talk about it. But I disagree. She needs to talk to at least Yang about it."
Blake seriously considered smothering Weiss with a pillow.
"Oh, that." Clearly Ruby was included in 'everyone.' "Weiss is right. You should talk to her."
Blake groaned. She couldn't smother them both at once. "Why?" Now she was just being stubborn. She had every intention of telling Yang. Eventually.
"Why not?" Weiss demanded. "I think we all know the life of a huntress is dangerous. Do you really want to have regrets over things left unsaid if something happens to Yang, and this time Raven doesn't save her? That miserable excuse for a mother said it was a one time thing."
Blake swallowed hard. Of course that thought haunted her, linked so closely to what had kept her awake and unable to focus on anything else when she'd feared Yang was dead.
"So tell her," Weiss said.
Blake shook her head. "It's not fair to tell Yang just now. She doesn't need a confession from me when she's already dealing with too much already. That bastard's attack, the disappointment of finally meeting Raven, recovering in hospital…"
Ruby resumed scrubbing her hair with the towel. "That's why you should tell her. It'd give her something good after what happened, a reason to smile."
"Maybe," Blake mumbled. "But what if she doesn't feel the same way? That would make her feel bad, not smile, and it'd make me… I can't do it."
Weiss gripped her by the shoulders. "Blake. You don't need to worry about that. It's equally obvious how she feels about you."
Ruby nodded. "Her flirting's real with you."
"How do you know? Yang's claimed to me that she only flirts as a means to an end, and that's to distract people." Blake asked, eyes on Ruby's face. Could she believe Ruby's words?
"Easy. She gets flustered whenever you flirt back. That doesn't happen with anyone else. Possibly because she's telling the truth and doesn't really flirt with anyone else." Ruby smiled, but there was something strained about it. As if she was trying to hide something. A lie? No, Ruby looked different whenever she was trying to convince Weiss she had no idea why there were crumbs in her bed. This was a Ruby who knew more than what she was saying.
Blake narrowed her eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"
Ruby squirmed. "I'm not supposed to say."
"Let me guess, Yang talked to you about Blake," Weiss stated.
Ruby avoided their eyes. "I can neither confirm nor deny—"
"So she did…" Blake murmured. Oh to have overheard that conversation between the sisters. Her cat ears twitched at the thought under her bow.
Ruby squeaked. "I didn't break my word to Yang! I didn't tell you anything!"
"You didn't need to. So there you have it, Blake. Is that proof enough for you that your feelings are reciprocated?" Weiss's fingers tightened on Blake's shoulders.
Doubt held Blake tighter than Weiss's grip. "If they are, why hasn't she said anything?"
Weiss faltered. She turned to Ruby.
"Simple: Yang couldn't believe me when I told her you had a crush on her. 'I know what it looks like when Blake has a crush, and she doesn't look at me like she looked at Sun.'" Ruby did a fair impression of Yang's voice, despite hers normally being higher pitched.
Oh no. Oh no. Blake felt a sinking sensation as she realised Yang could access her message history with Sun. Where she'd denied feeling anything but friendship for Yang. Too bad it didn't include a transcript of the call where Sun talked her through her bullshit—through Adam's twisted influence and helped her accept her true feelings for Yang. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that even a bored Yang in desperate need of distraction could be trusted to respect Blake's boundaries. Briefly changing her contact name was different.
"That's because it's not just a crush," Blake admitted.
"You really, really, really need to tell her," Ruby said. "Seriously. Yang needs to know. She can't make the first move, she's too nervous. Believe it or not, she's never had a relationship before."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Yang, nervous? She's always so confident."
Ruby nodded. "She tries to hide it, but she's nervous around a certain member of our team who will remain nameless because…" She made a zipping motion in front of her lips. "Yang's already going to be mad if she finds out about this."
Weiss and Ruby levelled equally penetrating gazes at Blake. She resisted the urge to fidget.
"So will you tell her?" Weiss asked.
Blake sighed. "I should, shouldn't I?" Sooner rather than later.
Ruby offered her palm to Weiss for a high five. Weiss didn't hesitate and slapped her hand against it.
"Is anyone else hungry?" Ruby asked.
"I ordered some food to be sent to our rooms rather than venturing out before decent clothing is delivered. Before you ask, yes, Ruby, there are cookies," Weiss said.
"Best partner ever!" Ruby beamed. It faltered as things other than 'cookies' filtered through. "You already ordered clothes? How did you know our sizes?"
Weiss smiled and tapped the side of her nose. "Now that would be telling."
Blake decided she'd rather not know. Instead she wondered what garish colour clothing she was in for. Weiss wouldn't have missed the fact that Blake had inflicted Yang's scantily clad selfie on her.
Blake was eating fish ordered by Weiss when the package of clothes arrived. The fish wasn't the freshest, but then they weren't on the coast. Not that she should complain about free food.
Weiss opened the package. Inside were labelled bundles of clothing. She tossed one at Ruby, hitting her head, and another at Blake, which she managed to catch. While Ruby grumbled, rubbing her head, Blake investigated her new clothes. They were fairly close to her combat outfit back at Beacon, with no colours to make Blake flinch. It made her wonder if Weiss was being merciful, or if she'd get her own back when Blake least expected it.
"Thanks, Weiss." Blake gave her a grateful smile.
"There's two sets for each of us, so one can be washed while wearing the other. Except Yang. She only needs clothing for when we leave. There's proper footwear too. Count your blessings, Ruby, at least I didn't throw your boots at you."
Ruby glowered and mumbled, "Thanks." She stopped rubbing her head and retrieved the bundle of clothes.
Blake tried on her new clothes. They fit perfectly. She resisted the urge to let her mind wander down the treacherous path of how Weiss got her measurements. Some mysteries were best left unsolved. She found the boots equally well fitting, although they lacked the heel of the ones she had back at Beacon. Was Weiss trying to appear taller? A quick check of Weiss's shoes revealed they had at least her usual heel, if not more. Blake wasn't about to ask if it was deliberate. She'd already messed with Weiss enough with Yang's selfie, and Weiss's height or lack thereof was always a touchy subject, unless whoever brought it up wasn't any taller. Blake was, even without heels.
Weiss sighed heavily when her scroll vibrated for the third time within a minute. "Ruby, you need to keep your sister under control. She's decided pestering me is how she wants to stave off boredom."
"Me? Control Yang?" Ruby laughed. "Yeah, no. If she's bothering you that much, give your scroll to Blake." She smoothed down her new clothes. Blake hadn't noticed her putting them on. They fit her just as well as Blake's did her.
Weiss looked at Blake as if seriously considering it. "I'm getting you a replacement scroll. Even if you only use it for a week, it'll be worth it if it means Yang's your problem."
Blake huffed. "Yang's not a problem."
"You're hopelessly biased. She's a problem for me, especially when she's bored, and it's even worse when you don't have a scroll of your own." Weiss tapped away at her scroll. "There. It should be here within the hour. Until then, keep your partner occupied." She passed her scroll to Blake. "Do whatever it takes. Just delete anything not safe for Ruby's eyes before you give it back to me. I won't want to see it either." She pointed at Blake and narrowed her eyes. "Change my contact name at your peril."
Blake smiled. She'd have to ask Yang for suggestions. She wouldn't actually do anything with them, but it'd amuse Yang for a while. If not for Weiss's father, Blake would risk it, but she knew he sometimes called his daughter, and it wouldn't do for him to see her called 'Ice Queen' or 'Weiss Cream' or whatever tickled Yang's fancy.
She happily messaged Yang about how they'd change all of their contacts' names given the chance, mostly on the new scroll after it arrived, until a nurse insisted that Yang sleep. By then Blake was the only one still awake in the hotel room, so she crawled into bed and gave in to the siren call of sleep.
Blake was back in the forest, surrounded by burnt trees, trunks still smouldering. Beowolves howled in the distance. Something creaked. Not a branch in the wind. Then Blake saw it: a drawn bow with an arrow nocked, in the hands of a man with a grim smile.
In front of him knelt Yang, shoulders slumped, arrows piercing her all over. The archer held the last arrow, his quiver empty.
"Last chance, Branwen. Beg me, and I might spare you."
Yang coughed, biting back a scream when it jolted the arrows in her. "No. You won't. And I'm not a Branwen. I'm Yang Xiao Long, and I won't die begging for my life," She choked the words out, voice raspy. She glared defiantly up at him. Her breath caught, and her eyes unfocused. They rolled back even as they shut. She collapsed, falling sideways.
Blake wanted to run to Yang. She wanted to block that last arrow. She wanted to cut his bowstring with Gambol Shroud. She wanted to make him stop, any way she could. But she couldn't move. She couldn't feel the smoky touch of her Semblance, she couldn't leave a clone in her place and teleport to Yang. All she could do was watch.
The huntsman stepped closer. He kicked Yang, knocking her onto her back. Her eyes didn't open. She didn't cry out. The only sign she still lived was her chest rising and falling slightly with shallow breaths.
He sighed. "I wanted you to see death coming."
Grimm howled, closer.
"But there's a lot of them, drawn by your pain. Time for you to die, Branwen."
No portal appeared. No vengeful mother to save Yang. Raven didn't come in the nick of time.
The archer aimed for Yang's throat and released the arrow.
"YANG!" Blake sat bolt upright, her scream tearing at her throat. She shuddered, breathing raggedly, reaching for her Aura. She focused it on her throat, soothing the ache.
An upper ear and her bow twitched. She reached up and found the bow had been knocked loose, only covering one ear. Soft music played, but didn't muffle sobbing. Blake looked over to find Weiss holding a crying Ruby, her scroll playing soft music, perhaps as an attempt at a comforting lullaby. In theory Weiss herself could have sung one, which made it a little strange considering the music was one of Weiss's own songs.
Weiss met her eyes in the dim light from her scroll. "You too?" Her voice was a little hoarse, which might explain why she'd resorted to recorded music rather than singing. It didn't explain why she hadn't used her Aura to heal her throat. Weiss sighed. "I woke up from my own nightmare about Yang to find Ruby like this. I think you can guess why. Come on, get over here. I think we all need a hug."
Blake fought her way free of her blanket, and joined the team hug. She stroked Ruby's hair, trying to replicate what she'd seen Yang do whenever Ruby had a nightmare at Beacon. She didn't seem to have Yang's magic touch. By now Ruby's sobs would usually have subsided.
"We need Yang," Weiss stated. "She's the expert at helping Ruby with nightmares. But I don't want to disturb her while she's recovering."
"The last thing I heard from Yang was that the nurse was threatening to confiscate my scroll from her overnight. I was a little too distracting," Blake said. "Why not call Tai? I know he probably doesn't have Yang's experience, with the whole she raised Ruby thing, but he did okay with comforting Ruby when he came to our dorm."
"I don't have his number," Weiss said.
"No, but Ruby does," Blake pointed out. She looked around and spotted Ruby's scroll next to her pillow. She reached over and grabbed it, unrolled it and typed out a message to Tai. It might disturb his sleep, but this should be his duty. Not that Blake minded trying to comfort Ruby, it just wasn't working terribly well.
"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" Weiss frowned.
"Did you go to your parents when you had nightmares as a child?" Blake asked, as gently as she could. From what she knew about Weiss's parents, she figured it was highly unlikely.
Weiss made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Blake tightened her arms around Weiss and Ruby.
"No. I went to Winter. She did her best, she's just... not as warm as Yang is with Ruby." Weiss hurriedly added, "That doesn't mean Winter's not a good sister, just that she's not a warm person. No Schnee is. We're cold as ice."
"I beg to differ. Would a cold person do team hugs or try to comfort anyone?" Blake asked.
"Winter tries. She's just not very good at it. She's much better when it comes to training me, it helps sharing the same Semblance."
Ruby's scroll vibrated. Tai's contact picture appeared. He was calling. Blake accepted it.
"Tai, Ruby can't really talk right now. Can you come?" Blake asked.
"My poor little rose petal," Tai murmured. "I'm on my way." He ended the call.
Weiss untangled herself from Ruby for long enough to put her dressing gown on. Blake wrapped a sheet around herself to cover more than her nightwear could, and let Tai in when he knocked.
Tai picked Ruby up and held her close until she finally calmed down. Blake couldn't help but note that it took him longer than Yang. It wasn't really a fair comparison. Tai had been lost to grief for a good chunk of Ruby's formative years, while Yang had stepped up for Ruby much like Summer had for her. It occurred to Blake that meant Yang was effectively Ruby's mother, for all that she always referred to herself as Ruby's sister.
"Dad, I need to see Yang," Ruby said, her voice rough.
"We'll see her tomorrow—"
Ruby cut her father off. "I can't sleep if I don't see her! I know it was just a nightmare, but I saw her die. I'll just go back to that or worse if I try to sleep without seeing she's alive."
Blake winced. At least she'd woken up before the last arrow hit Yang in her own dream.
"All right," Tai murmured. "I could do with seeing her still breathing too. But we stick together unless I tell you to run. Even then, don't get separated. Vacuo isn't as safe as Vale, and none of you have weapons. I don't need them, but I think all of you do. Unless Yang had more success teaching you both hand to hand than she did with Ruby?" He looked from Weiss to Blake.
"I can get by with unarmed, but I'm not as good as Yang," Blake said.
"Our focus has been training with weapons, Dust, Aura and Semblances," Weiss said. "We haven't really had time for unarmed yet. That said, I do know some weaponless self defence. And I don't need my sword to use my Semblance. It's just harder to focus without it."
"Then I need you to promise me that you'll stay with your team." Tai looked sternly at Ruby. "No using your Semblance to get away, you'd leave us all behind."
"Didn't I tell you Petal Burst evolved? I can take others with me!" Ruby managed a grin. It was a bit trembly, but still a grin.
Blake winced. "Please don't take me with you. It made me want to be sick."
Ruby waved a dismissive hand. "But you managed not to be! Splitting apart into petals and back again just takes some getting used to. Wanna try it, Dad? It'd get us to the hospital faster."
'Please no,' Blake mouthed at Tai.
He mercifully noticed. "Uh… No. A Semblance should be saved for when it's needed, not to make things more convenient."
Ruby groaned. "But it'd be good training! I'm supposed to practice with my Semblance."
Tai rubbed at the back of his head and avoided looking at Ruby and Blake. "Why don't we vote on it?"
Blake frowned. She'd expected better from Yang's father. Then again Yang wasn't always comfortable with conflict between people she liked. Nor was Ruby. When Blake and Weiss had been arguing about faunus just before Blake accidentally outed herself as one, neither sister had managed to intervene.
Ruby raised a hand. "All who want to get to Yang as soon as possible, say aye!"
"I would like to get back to sleep as soon as possible." Weiss raised her hand too.
Blake felt her freed cat ear pin. She wrestled it back under her bow while she remembered. Yes, this was Vacuo, and relations between faunus and humans were as lax as everything else, but she wasn't ready to risk forgetting to put her bow back on when returning to Beacon. Weiss had already reminded her once, Blake couldn't expect her friends to do that again.
Tai didn't raise his hand. "I'd rather enjoy a walk in the cool night air. It's so different to the heat of the day."
Blake sighed. "Don't get me wrong, Ruby, I want to see Yang too, but I don't want to get there using the nightmare that is being swept into your Semblance." She crossed her arms.
"That's two for, two against. How do we decide this?" Weiss asked.
"And no one said 'aye' again." Ruby pouted. "Why does no one ever say it?"
Tai yawned. "We walk there at a brisk pace. We meet at the reception in five minutes, clothes and shoes on. No pyjamas this time, petal." He ruffled Ruby's hair.
Ruby ducked away, smoothing her hair back into place. "Da-ad… You're gonna get banned from touching Yang's hair if you do that to her."
Tai shrugged. "Nope, I have dad immunity. See you soon. Don't be late."
It didn't take long to get to the hospital. They knew where they were going, and the streets were quieter in the dead of night. Ruby kept sighing dramatically and checking the time on her scroll every few seconds; she must have thought it was taking ages. Blake supposed it was compared to Ruby's speedy Semblance.
"Let's hope we don't get caught, we're not supposed to be here outside visiting hours," Tai muttered as they neared Yang's room. The corridors had been empty so far. They reached her room. He double-checked they were really in the right place, glancing at the name on the door and peering in through the window. "The coast is clear," he whispered, and opened the door. It creaked. They all winced.
They tiptoed inside and closed the door behind them. It creaked again. Blake cringed. Both at Ruby, Weiss and Tai's painful attempts at being stealthy, and at the door making stealth impossible even for Blake herself.
Yang groaned. "Again? Already? Do you really have to poke and prod me every half hour all night…" She trailed off, squinting in the dim light shed by the various monitoring equipment. "Uh. Did you bring student nurses this time?"
"Yang!" Ruby darted across to her. At the last moment she slowed down and didn't pounce on her sister, instead leaning down to hug her gently.
Yang reached up to stroke Ruby's hair, quite possibly automatically. "Ruby? Is it visiting time already? It can't be, it's still dark."
Blake, Weiss and Tai walked over to join Ruby at the bedside. Blake took Yang's hand where it rested on Ruby's back. She squeezed it once and let go, freeing it for Tai and Weiss to take their turn. Clearly hugging Yang was going to be monopolised by Ruby, but Blake didn't mind considering how upset Ruby had been after her nightmare.
"It's still night. We just needed to see you sooner," Blake murmured.
"Needed to…? Oh. Right." Yang grimaced. "You all heard enough of that recorded call with Cyan Ara to give you nightmares. Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, that's not your fault." Tai squeezed her hand. "I think I'd have been in for nightmares no matter what. You're my sunny little dragon and I almost lost you."
"I'm fine. Really. You don't need to worry about me." Yang smiled, clearly trying to make her expression as reassuring as her words. It might have worked better if the light had been fit for human eyesight. Blake was pretty sure she was the only one actually getting to see Yang properly.
"I know," Ruby said, her voice muffled against Yang. "Nightmares are the worst."
Yang's stroking of Ruby's hair became rather more determined. "I wish you could stay as long as you need to, but you're going to get caught. You're not here with permission, are you?"
"Ruby is a terrible influence," Weiss said. "This was her idea."
Yang chuckled. "I'm sure it was, it's just funny how you came with her rather than staying snug in your hotel bed."
Weiss sniffed. "Someone had to keep her out of trouble. You'll find that having a Schnee here will work wonders."
"You said we're in Vacuo when I asked over scroll messages," Yang said.
Weiss poked Yang. "You mean when you were bombarding me with messages because you were bored."
"You missed me, Ruby said so. Ow!" Yang yelped. Weiss had poked her harder.
"I can still get you an outfit in fluorescent pink." Weiss poked her again, this time not hard enough to make Yang cry out.
Yang pouted. "You wouldn't. You'd have to look at me in it."
Blake winced. Much as she'd thought Yang would look good in anything and nothing—her cheeks burned at that mental imagery—maybe Weiss was right that there were exceptions. She was glad to see Weiss grimacing too.
"That… is a good point," Weiss admitted. "Maybe I'll make you wear my colours, together with the Schnee emblem. Schnee money will sponsor our return to Beacon, so why not make you display it? I could have all of us in matching outfits." To Blake's horror, Weiss seemed to be seriously considering it. She actually cackled in much the same way as she did whenever she got a little carried away and drunk on power when playing board games.
Yang groaned. "Someone stop her. Please."
Blake glared at Weiss and hoped she could feel it. "I'd rather take my chances with the unfamiliar Grimm of Vacuo and walk back to Vale than wear the Schnee emblem."
Weiss reached out and fumbled in the dim light until she found and patted Blake's arm. "Oh, I wouldn't make you wear the Schnee emblem, Blake. That would be so insensitive, and I'm trying to do better. It'd just be a white outfit for you, and you look just fine in that."
"In that case I have no further objections. Feel free to dress us in white." Blake mentally started a countdown. Sure enough, Yang reacted within five seconds.
"Blake!" Yang protested.
Blake smirked. She loved the way Yang said her name, even as a plaintive cry. Maybe especially like that. It made her imagine how Yang might sound in more intimate circumstances.
Yang glared in her general direction, the dim light working against her. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I'll be right there with you, wearing white." Blake couldn't help but remember how beautiful Yang had looked in her white dress at the dance. This might actually be one of Weiss's better ideas.
"Ruby, you have to stop Weiss. Team leader duty calls." Yang gripped Ruby's shoulders and shook her gently.
Ruby lifted her head and looked back in the general direction of her partner. "Weiss, I'm not wearing that much white. The most I'll do is wear a white armband with your emblem."
"I suppose that will be sufficient. But Yang's wearing a white version of her outfit, and if she complains again it'll be a duplicate of my outfit in her size." Weiss gestured at her combat skirt.
Yang strangled whatever she was about to say into an incoherent whimper, lips pressed tightly together, taking Weiss at her word.
"Then it's settled." Ruby nuzzled back against Yang.
Tai coughed, stifling a laugh. "You're so much like team STRQ it almost hurts. Summer had to wrangle us just like you do with your team, Ruby."
Ruby sighed. "Being team leader sucks sometimes."
Yang patted her head. "There, there, sis. At least it means you have some authority over us, and that comes in handy sometimes. Like just now." She eyed the door. "Speaking of authority… A nurse comes by regularly to take readings, and I can't tell you how long it's been since the last. I dozed a bit."
"Relax, I'm here, I'll make sure they let us off lightly if they object to us being here," Weiss said.
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Because you're a Schnee? Vacuo's a faunus friendly kingdom, isn't it? Schnees might not be popular around here."
Weiss pulled out her lien card. "Money talks even if the Schnee name doesn't."
"We're a terrible influence on you, aren't we? Swearing when you hurt your foot, bribing a nurse if you can, what'll it be next?" Yang grinned. "Will you be the first member of team RWBY to get arrested?"
Weiss sighed, but otherwise didn't respond to Yang's attempted baiting. "I'm glad you survived," She muttered, as if reminding herself.
The door creaked open, and there was a startled exclamation from behind them, in a language Blake didn't know. Presumably Vacuan.
Blake spun on her heel. She stifled a hiss as the light clicked on. She blinked her eyes until they adjusted. It was always unpleasant going from dim light to bright light, although not as painful as from complete darkness.
"Uh, hi, we're Valean, none of us speak Vacuan," Tai said. "We're Yang's family."
A stifled groan escaped Weiss. Being called Valean had to be painful for a proud Atlesian.
"You all need to leave, I'll call security…" The nurse threatened. It was a different one to earlier, a man this time, presumably on night shift.
"Wait!" Yang called. "They wanted to make sure I was all right. You know what happened to me, right? Well, so do they, and it was nightmare material for them."
The nurse frowned. "This is highly irregular. They could get banned from visiting, this breaks the hospital's rules."
Weiss cleared her throat. "May I express my appreciation of the care you're taking of Yang?" She flashed her lien card at the nurse.
The nurse relaxed slightly. He smiled. "Donations are always welcome." He set up something on his scroll and accepted a transfer from Weiss. "You still need to leave, and don't come back until visiting hours."
"Understood," Weiss said. A bribe was apparently enough to get them out of trouble, but not enough to let them stay.
"At least let me keep my scroll at night while I'm here," Yang said.
The nurse tutted. "You should be resting, not on your scroll all night. I know how teenagers are, I have some at home."
"I won't be on it all night. I just want to help my tea—my family if they need me."
Blake hoped the nurse hadn't noticed Yang slip up, presuming there was a rule restricting visits to family. Maybe they'd jumped to conclusions.
"I can let them know I'm fine after their nightmares, even just by hearing my voice. Besides, you keep waking me up anyway." Yang scowled.
"Regular observations are required. Hospital rules again. But all right. Here." The nurse unlocked a drawer and retrieved what was really Blake's scroll. He handed it over to Yang. "Say your farewells. Those observations need doing, and being watched is too distracting for me."
Yang stroked Ruby's hair one last time. "Call me if you need to, okay? I don't care what time it is."
Ruby nodded against her. She pulled back. "See you tomorrow, sis."
Yang checked the time on her scroll. "More like later today." She looked up at each of her visitors. Blake tried not to wince at how tired she looked, the shadows under her eyes standing out starkly under the bright lights. Her skin was still too pale for Blake's comfort. "The same goes for all of you. Call if you need to hear my voice."
The nurse shooed them away before Blake could try for a better goodbye than fleeting eye contact. But at least Yang had her hands on her borrowed scroll again, so their visit had achieved more than its purpose of letting Ruby get the reassuring big sister hug she needed. Blake just wished she could've had one too, although not a sisterly hug in her case. She hadn't been close enough for her muffled upper ears to hear Yang's heartbeat.
They retraced their steps out of the hospital. Weiss had to make a 'donation' to another nurse to keep her from calling security, but other than that they didn't run into any trouble. They had another brisk walk back to their hotel in the cool night air. Tai wished them goodnight at the door to their room, Ruby waving him away when he offered to tuck her in.
"So embarrassing," Ruby muttered. "I'm too old to be tucked in."
Blake collapsed back into bed after changing into her yukata. She yawned. Before she let her eyes slide shut, she sent a message to Yang to let her know they'd got back safely. She fell asleep with her scroll dangling from her hands, coming awake with a jolt when slack fingers dropped it on her face. She rolled it up and put the compact form beside her pillow. Finally she let sleep take her again.
She slept restlessly. Yang haunted Blake's dreams, but none of the nightmarish glimpses of her were bad enough to make Blake wake up screaming again. The one that lingered as she woke up was of Yang leaving her scroll under a familiar boulder, fingers dripping with her own blood. Blake remembered all too clearly hesitating to pick up that bloodstained scroll.
Blake reached for her new scroll, fingers trembling a bit. She breathed slow and deep until her racing heart calmed down. Her fingers steadier, she unrolled her scroll, grimaced at the displayed time—earlier than she'd like after a disturbed night—and sent Yang a message.
Blake in Vacuo: I don't think I mentioned I found your scroll under a boulder. Bloodstained. I dreamt about you putting it there. This is probably a strange request, but could you send me a photo of your hands?
A minute later her scroll vibrated twice in short succession. Blake checked her scroll. Two photos from Yang, displaying the fronts and backs of her hands held up either side of her face. She must've persuaded a nurse to take the photos, as she wasn't holding the scroll and Blake knew the camera had no timer function.
Blake felt rather ridiculous about how relieved she was to see no blood. Of course there wasn't any by now. She felt even sillier when she caught herself admiring Yang's hands. Whatever next, her knees? That said they were part of her long and shapely legs, so enticingly revealed whenever she was in her combat outfit…
Yang's fingers were also long on a smaller scale. Longer than Blake's, but then Yang's hands were larger. With closely trimmed nails. Perfect for—Blake blushed and refused to finish that thought. She'd been reading far too much erotic fiction starring just women, and it showed.
Wait, not quite perfect. Blake frowned, looking closer at the photo of the backs of her hands. Some of Yang's nails were torn, and there were new scars on her knuckles despite the healing powers of her Aura. She must've got them fighting for her life after her Aura shattered.
Temporarily Yang: That dream might've been true. I put my scroll under a rock, hoping it'd be found. Ruby once told me to be careful what I said on scroll calls, that they were secretly recorded automatically. The thought always creeped me out, up until I had too many arrows in me. Then I hoped it was true about the recording so there'd be evidence explaining what happened if I didn't make it.
Blake shuddered at the thought.
Temporarily Yang: Speaking of the recording, how did Raven hear some of it? I thought Goodwitch confiscated my scroll. Do you know if there was an incredibly awkward parent-teacher conference at Beacon?
Blake in Vacuo: Only between your father and Ozpin. I need you to delete your previous message as soon as you've read this one, so I know you've seen this and I can delete it. What I'm about to say would get me in trouble if Goodwitch somehow found out. I 'borrowed' your scroll without Goodwitch noticing and copied the recording, returning the scroll with her still unawares. I played it for Raven and Qrow.
The previous message from Yang soon disappeared. Blake deleted her explanation.
Temporarily Yang: Sorry you heard that recording at all. And that you were the one to find my scroll. Clearly more nightmare material seeing it bloodstained. Did you need me to call?
Blake in Vacuo: Not your fault. The others are still asleep, so the photos and these messages will have to be enough. I'll see you soon anyway, can't be that long before visiting hours.
Temporarily Yang: Blake. Stop thinking about others, and tell me what you need. Or if you insist on putting Ruby and Weiss before yourself, you could put earphones in or go somewhere they won't be disturbed.
Blake in Vacuo: I can wait.
Yang sent a selfie of herself looking extremely unimpressed. If she'd been wearing glasses that expression would have made her look rather like Goodwitch with her hair down.
Temporarily Yang: Unless you tell me you don't want me to call, you have five minutes and counting to get somewhere.
Blake's fingers hovered above the keyboard on her scroll. She could tell Yang she didn't want her to call. She'd be lying. And she didn't want to lie to Yang. But… Yang looked just as tired as before they'd left the hospital, if not more so. Clearly she hadn't got much in the way of sleep.
Blake in Vacuo: I want you to get some rest. For the people you care about.
Temporarily Yang: Turning my own words against me is low, Belladonna. But fine. I'll do my best to sleep until the next time a nurse decides to poke me 'for my own good.' What use is all this monitoring equipment if they need to take readings with portable gadgets?
Blake in Vacuo: Sleep well. Maybe ask next time a nurse comes by why it's necessary? And if they can leave longer intervals between these observations.
Blake rolled up her scroll. She yawned. Maybe she should get a little more rest herself…
Tai knocked on their door a few hours later, waking them up. He gave them time to get washed and dressed, then took them to find some food before visiting Yang again. She looked a bit better, still too pale and tired, but closer to her usual sunny self. Maybe the nurses had left her undisturbed for long enough that she was deeply enough asleep not to feel it when they did whatever was involved with observations. Sometimes Yang slept like a log, but only if she was in the right part of her sleep cycle.
"Yang? Want more Sunflower Pop?" Ruby asked.
Yang's eyes gleamed. She nodded. "Just one won't hurt… Please, sis."
"Typical Ruby, offering to buy things with other people's lien." Weiss's grumbling was quiet, Blake doubted anyone else heard.
Blake bit her tongue, shielding it with her Aura as she resisted the urge to remind Weiss where Schnee money came from: exploitation of faunus labour. It would just provoke Weiss into pointing out that Schnee money was paying for their stay in Vacuo. But she could safely say something else…
Blake leaned close to Weiss, speaking for her ears only. "Yang's the one who usually ends up supplementing Ruby after she inevitably blows through her allowance. At least you can afford it, I'm not convinced Yang can."
"You weren't meant to hear that," Weiss muttered. "But yes. Better me than Yang when I suspect she turns to dubious income generation when short on lien." She sighed and raised her voice. "Come on, I'll pay, you two can help carry, like last time." Weiss pointed at the door.
Ruby grabbed Tai by the wrist and tugged him towards the door.
"We're going to get into trouble if we're caught giving Yang soda unless a doctor clears it…" Tai protested, but didn't struggle as Ruby dragged him away.
Weiss gave Blake a pointed look. She mouthed 'tell her' and closed the door. Clearly Ruby and Weiss had come up with a plot to leave Blake alone with Yang. Blake must have missed it while in the bathroom at the hotel.
Blake turned back to Yang, and found her mercifully not looking where Weiss had been, checking something on her borrowed scroll.
'I should tell her.'
Yang shrugged. "I can't find anything about why the doctor said to only drink water."
Blake moved closer and took Yang's hand. "Best to follow the doctor's orders, besides sneaking one soda. We want you out of here as soon as possible. Some professors are sending us schoolwork to do while we're away, but we're still going to have some catching up to do."
"Some?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "Goodwitch got in touch to tell me not to bother asking professors for schoolwork, that I'm to focus on recovery and they'd make sure I had time to catch up when I get back to Beacon. And that she was glad that I survived."
"We all are. I…" Blake hesitated, biting her lip.
'Just say it.'
Blake opened her mouth.
AN: Guess who had to split the last chapter again because team RWBY insisted on dragging things out? The next chapter is definitely the last, it's close to finished.
Edit: famous last words. Chapter five is definitely not the last chapter.