Chapter 5: Suspicion

Ilia braced herself. She took a deep breath, her hand on the door knob. She pulled the door open, revealing Blake waiting on her doorstep. No matter what Ilia did, she could never truly prepare herself for the sight of Blake's beauty. Especially after a while without seeing her.

She'd need to get in touch with Emerald after she'd handled this… situation. It always helped after seeing Blake if Ilia reminded herself that there were other beauties on Remnant, and some of them were even available.

"Blake, come on in." Ilia stood back, holding the door open.

Blake smiled and stepped inside, pausing to hug Ilia. She returned the hug, but couldn't entirely enjoy it; Ilia had to concentrate on holding her breath. Breathing in Blake's scent would only make things harder. It always did, any reminder of it haunting her dreams for days afterwards. If she didn't smell it she might dream about something else. Like Emerald, if she was lucky. Chances were it'd be Yang, because of course Ilia's subconscious would taunt her with someone else she couldn't have. And someone she couldn't—

"Ilia, it's been too long." As always, Blake's voice stole Ilia's attention. She'd have to be careful not to get too distracted by the mere sound of that smooth timbre.

Blake drew away and moved further inside Ilia's home. Ilia closed the door after her, taking another deep breath. Mercifully, Blake wasn't wearing perfume, so her scent didn't linger where she'd been. At least it didn't for a faunus like Ilia. She'd be screwed if her trait was something like a dog's nose.

Blake shrugged her coat off, and Ilia hastily took it and hung it up beside the door. She turned back to Blake and gestured for her to go into the sitting room.

"Sit down, make yourself at home," Ilia said.

Blake took a seat on Ilia's comfy sofa, patting the seat next to her invitingly.

Ilia sat next to her. She eyed Blake closely. Her friend looked happy, her cat ears perked up. Perhaps because she was pleased to see Ilia, but Ilia was used to seeing Blake look happy because of Yang. It was always a little bittersweet to know Yang caused Blake's happiness, but Ilia was usually happy for them.

It wasn't like she wanted what they had, anyway. Ilia liked her freedom, she didn't want to be tied down by commitment. But beyond that, Ilia needed her friends to be happy, and Blake was her best friend. That made Blake's happiness a top priority.

Blake was happy with Yang, that much was obvious. But would she stay that way? Ilia couldn't help having doubts about that after Blake's message yesterday. The initial secondhand happiness she'd felt on reading the pregnancy announcement faded away after sending her initial congratulations, leaving a leaden weight in Ilia's stomach.

As her doubts overwhelmed her, Ilia's skin flickered green, and her chameleon spots blue. She could see the change in the hand she kept in her peripheral vision, a habit formed long ago when she'd needed to blend in at school in Atlas.

Ilia took another steadying breath, forcing her skin back to normal. She couldn't let her skin change colour, at least not yet. Not until she'd said what she had to. It was hard to get the words out; Ilia didn't want to say anything that could upset Blake, and it would. But it had to be done. Who else would raise doubts about Yang? Every other friend of Blake's was just as much Yang's friend, while Ilia was first and foremost Blake's friend. Her oldest friend. Well, maybe Sun was also Blake's friend more than Yang's, but it'd never occur to him to suspect Yang. He was far too trusting.

Ilia hated to do it. Yang had always seemed like a good person, and had made Blake happy. And if Ilia was wrong… But what if she was right? What if Blake's happiness wasn't real, what if it was a mask? Blake might need Ilia's help. Even if Blake really was happy, she could need help to see the potential problem. Blake might well be blinded by her feelings for Yang.

Ilia fidgeted, the spots on her skin flickering blue in her agitation. She took a few more deep breaths, getting herself back under control.

"Is everything all right?" Blake asked, golden eyes concerned. She was too observant to have missed Ilia's telltale skin change.

"I mean, we do need to talk…" Ilia admitted.

"I'm listening." Blake's cat ears flicked, and she smiled encouragingly.

Ilia opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She swallowed, her mouth dry. Maybe she should work up to it. More casual talk first, drinking tea together. "Um. Tea! Let's have tea first. Got to be a good hostess! Kali would have my head for not offering it already. She's spent years trying to hone my manners."

"Mom adores you," Blake said. "I'm sure she'd gently slap the back of your head at most."

Ilia nodded. "True. Uh, be right back, just relax!"

She hurried off to make the tea. She didn't need to ask what Blake wanted, she kept a pack of Blake's favourite tea specially for visits like this. While the kettle boiled the water, Ilia considered yet again the best way to raise her concerns. It was no good. No matter what words she used, Blake wasn't going to like it.

Ilia poured the water into the teapot and carried it on a tray with cups over to the low table in front of the sofa. Technically it was called a coffee table, but Ilia refused to call it that when it had no coffee on it. She tapped her fingers together while she waited for the tea to brew, delaying Blake's inevitable displeasure when Ilia raised her concerns.

After the tea was poured and the cups placed in front of Ilia and her guest, she ran out of excuses. Duty called. She couldn't call herself a good friend if she didn't speak up.

Ilia took another deep breath and let it out slowly. She turned to Blake, fingers twitching. Should she take Blake's hand? If she did, Blake would most likely end up wrenching hers away, so… No. Ilia didn't want that. She gripped her own hands tightly together.

"Hey, congratulations again, Blake." Ilia saw her own skin flicker again, but the change in colour was brief enough that Blake might have missed it if she'd blinked. It was a moot point anyway, Blake had already noticed something was wrong.

"Thanks," Blake said. "What's troubling you? I haven't seen your skin do that for a while."

"I just wanted to check in with you. It's been a while since we last talked in person, and…" Ilia's breath rushed out of her in a heavy sigh. "Are you sure about this? It seems kind of rushed, with how the birth will clash with when you originally planned to marry Yang. She isn't pushing you into anything, is she?"

"No, never." Blake frowned. "You should know Yang better than that by now."

"I didn't think she would, I just needed to be sure. Even when there's nothing to worry about, I worry about you." Ilia resisted the urge to look away. "I always got the impression Yang can take care of herself."

"She can, but so can I." Blake's cat ears flicked back, betraying her irritation. "We take care of each other."

"Well, good." Ilia fumbled for what else to say. She busied herself with picking up her cup and sipping it to test the temperature. If not for Aura she'd have burnt her tongue. She set the cup back down.

"I did want to talk to you about Yang's pregnancy, and some things connected to it," Blake said, her words coming a bit hesitantly. Probably because of the doubt Ilia just expressed.

"I'm here for you," Ilia blurted.

"I know," Blake said, voice as troubled as her eyes. "I'm just not so sure about telling you, after thinking Yang would pressure me."

Ilia winced. That wasn't something she wanted to be right about. She needed Blake to trust her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted her."

"No, you shouldn't have," Blake stated. For a long moment she looked at Ilia, eyes piercing. Ilia tried not to squirm, and held Blake's gaze.

"I'm sorry," Ilia said again. "I know Yang makes you happy, I was just… worried."

"You said," Blake said. Her eyes softened despite her exasperated words. "She does make me happy. Even when I'm worried about her."

Ilia frowned. "You're worried about her? Is she all right?"

"She's fine, thanks to a remedy for morning sickness provided by her mother." Blake's lips twitched, almost smiling. "Yang's having some issues with moodiness. Hormones, you see. She hates being at the mercy of them."

"Is she moody with you?" Ilia kept her voice as free from judgement as she could.

"Mostly with herself. Anything with me, she apologises for and feels terrible about." Blake gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine. That's not what I consider a problem, and not what I want to talk about."

"Then what is it?" Ilia prompted.

Blake picked up her tea and blew across the top of it. She took a sip. "Before I tell you, you need to know just how secret this is. Only our team knows." She gave Ilia a stern glance over the top of her mug.

Ilia processed Blake's words. In other words: 'if anyone else finds out, I'll know who to smother in their sleep.' Okay, so Blake was unlikely to kill the one with loose lips, but there would be consequences. Not that Ilia would tell anyone.

"You can trust me," Ilia said. She put a hand on Blake's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I promise."

"I know." Blake took another sip. "That's why I'm here." She stared down into her tea, brows knitted. "My parents don't know."

"I figured," Ilia murmured. "You'd have said if they knew. And they won't hear anything from me. I won't tell anyone about whatever it is."

Blake nodded slowly. "Yang's pregnancy came as a surprise for us."

Ilia blinked. "That explains the way it clashed with and delayed your wedding." She frowned. "But if you didn't plan it, how did it happen?"

Blake shook her head. "We don't know." Her eyes were haunted.

Ilia stared. She kept her mouth shut, trying to think of what to say. Something besides the burning question guaranteed to offend Blake. She glanced at her cup of tea, wishing it was something stronger. She wasn't an alcoholic, but sometimes situations called for a shot of something to burn on the way down.

Ilia mentally shrugged. It had to be asked. "You're sure she didn't… y'know, cheat?" She kept her voice as mild as possible.

Blake's cat ears pinned back. She shrugged off Ilia's hand. "Don't. You'd never question that if you really knew her. If you'd seen her face when she found out. No, she didn't cheat."

Ilia looked away. That was what Blake wanted to believe. Ilia wasn't so sure. But Blake wouldn't want to hear it, and repeating her doubts would only drive Blake away. She'd get the truth later. For now she just needed to be there for Blake. If Blake wanted to talk, she'd listen.

"We think she was raped somehow, without either of us knowing. Maybe both of us were drugged in our sleep."

Ilia shuddered at Blake's disturbing words. She didn't want Yang to have cheated, but she'd rather Blake have been cheated on than… that.

"We don't know who to trust, outside of our nearest and dearest. It's not necessarily a man behind it, a woman could have orchestrated it." Blake drained her tea. She put her cup down and dropped her head into her hands. "I hate suspecting friends. I'd rather it be a stranger."

Ilia shuffled closer and put an arm around her. "That's… I can't imagine what that's like." She'd once felt like Blake betrayed her and the White Fang. That paled in comparison to this. If it was true—Ilia shook off that thought. It could wait. For now she had to support Blake.

Blake reached to pour herself more tea. Ilia gently swatted her hand away and did it for her, like a good hostess. She returned to Blake's side to be a supportive presence while her friend drained another cup.

"I think…" Blake said, setting the empty cup down.

Ilia waited for Blake to continue. Sometimes silence was the best encouragement.

Blake's cat ears twitched. "I haven't mentioned this to Yang. Not yet. We don't keep secrets, but we respect when we need time before talking about something."

"She won't hear it from me," Ilia promised. She couldn't help but wonder if that meant Yang wasn't ready to confess she'd cheated. 'Not. Now. Listen to Blake!'

Blake's fingers curled into fists. "I think this was a plot by someone who wants Yang. He or she thought I'd believe Yang cheated, and we'd break up. Then the culprit would have swooped in and tried to seduce Yang while she was devastated and vulnerable." She bared her teeth, eyes narrowing. "Treating her like a prize to be won."

"Maybe he or she wanted you," Ilia suggested.

Blake gave Ilia a sidelong look. "There's still the pregnancy. Yang's the target."

"That doesn't mean this hyp—" 'No, don't say hypothetical! Support Blake, remember.' "Uh, this culprit actually wants the baby. Yang's a catch, but so are you."

Blake shook her head. "I'm nowhere near as much of a catch as she is."

"You are," Ilia insisted.

"I don't think anyone except Yang would agree with you. I suppose Sun might, but I think it'd be for old time's sake. He's moved on."

"So have I," Ilia said. She tried to hold Blake's knowing gaze, but had to look away. She cleared her throat and dragged her eyes back. "You don't suspect me of plotting to split you up and snag you like a prize?"

"You wouldn't," Blake stated, nudging her with an elbow.

"No, I wouldn't." Ilia lifted her chin. "Even if I hadn't moved on, I wouldn't do that to anyone, least of all to my best friend."

That earned her a small smile. "I know." Blake's smile faded. "I think you're probably wrong about the culprit not wanting the baby."

Ilia hummed thoughtfully. "I guess it would be their baby too."

Blake shook her head. "Not necessarily. The biological father could be blissfully ignorant and have nothing to do with this, other than his sperm being stolen."

Ilia scratched her head. She gave Blake a confused look. "Then why?"

"They might want to kidnap the baby to get a minion with a powerful Semblance."

"I guess Yang's Semblance is pretty strong, and a good chunk of Remnant saw it in action during that Vytal tournament." Ilia tapped her chin. "But there's no guarantee her baby will have anything like it."

"No, but there's a family history of powerful Semblances. There's a good chance this baby will end up with one too."

Ilia raised an eyebrow. "I know Yang's is strong, but… I don't know, Blake. There are stronger Semblances."

"They could be hoping for something like Yang's mother's Semblance: teleportation. As for Yang's, don't underestimate it. Her Semblance is the reason we defeated Adam. She shattered his Aura with it."

Ilia whistled. "Impressive." She'd sparred with Adam, back before he really went off the rails, and she'd never won. Ilia had never witnessed his Aura break, he'd had a ridiculously large spiritual reservoir, intimidatingly so. Yet Yang's Semblance had managed what Ilia had thought impossible.

Blake sighed. "I just wish it didn't mean our baby might be kidnapped."

"If you need my help for anything, helping to guard the baby, whatever you need… I'll be there."

"Thanks. I know I can count on you." Blake touched her head briefly to Ilia's. "Maybe you could help us find out who did this."

Ilia's current prime suspect was Yang herself, but she could hardly say that. 'Be. Supportive.'

"Of course. I might be able to get the Fang involved too. Even if the baby isn't a faunus, you're still going to be the other mother. And Yang's a friend to us." Ilia rubbed at the back of her head, under her ponytail. She shouldn't suspect a friend like she did Yang, but she couldn't help it. And there she went again. She had to put it aside for now, and focus on Blake. She'd better change the subject…

"Uh. That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask: could we use you both as an example of faunus and human unity? For publicity." Ilia mentally slapped herself. Why had she asked that? If Yang really had cheated, and Ilia ended up exposing that…

"I'll ask Yang, but I'm sure she'd be happy to help."

"Great," Ilia said. She picked up her cup and took a sip of her tea. She grimaced. Ugh. Lukewarm tea. Oh well. Blake had needed her. "More tea? I'll brew a fresh pot."

"When do I say no to tea?" Blake asked.

Ilia smiled, her spots glowing with mischief. "According to Kali, once upon a time you didn't like tea. You fled up a tree the first time she tried to get you to try it."

Blake's cheeks burned crimson. She pointed accusingly at Ilia. "You spend far too much time with my mother."

Ilia grinned. "We work together, can't be helped."

"You don't need to talk about me!"

Ilia shrugged. "Take it up with Kali. I don't ask her to share embarrassing stories about you. I don't need to, she comes out with them all by herself."

Blake glowered. "I would, but there's an old saying about stable doors and horses bolting. It's too late to tell my mother to keep her stories about me to herself." She folded her arms, cat ears folded back. "The only thing I can hope for is to ask Yang to cover her ears and sing 'I'm-not-listening' if my dear mother tries to tell her the same things."

Ilia smirked. She got out her scroll.

Blake's eyes narrowed to golden slits. "I'll murder you if you pass on those stories to Yang over scroll messages."

Ilia's smirk widened into a grin. "Gotta catch me first." She tapped into her faunus trait and blended into the background. "If you can find me!" She vaulted over the sofa and fled.

"Ilia!"

She wasn't really going to message Yang anything. Ilia sobered where she lurked under her bed. When she did talk to Yang, it wouldn't be about the times Blake got stuck up a tree.

"Ilia, do you want me to flush you out like I did at my parents' home?"

That gave Ilia pause. Blake wouldn't really, would she? Figuring out what to do about Yang would have to wait. It'd have to be when Blake wasn't around anyway.

She heard the distinctive sound of a Dust magazine being loaded into a gun. Fire Dust, knowing Blake, the pyromaniac. No wonder she intended to marry a huntress whose Semblance involved her hair transforming into fire.

Ilia crawled out from under her bed. She found Blake in the corridor, Gambol Shroud in gun mode in her hands. Ilia dropped her chameleon facade, holding her hands up, trying to placate her. "Blake, I'm renting this place! I'll lose my deposit!"

"Then promise you won't spread mortifying stories about kid Blake, and I might not set your home on fire."

Ilia held up a finger. "Referring to yourself in third person is weird. And good guests don't burn down their friend's home."

"Good hostesses don't threaten their guests."

"You're the one holding the gun," Ilia pointed out.

"Not at you," Blake said, her voice deceptively mild.

"You're pointing it at a flammable part of my home! That's wood, Blake!"

Blake smirked. She gestured at Ilia, silently saying 'up to you.'

"Fine! Yang won't hear anything from me about Kali's stories."

Blake's aim didn't waver. "And your own tales? You've witnessed a fair few embarrassing things."

Ilia pouted. "Come on, I've got to have some stories for the wedding. I'll have a speech to make, won't I?" If there was a wedding after she confronted Yang…

Blake relented, returning Gambol Shroud to sword mode and sheathing it. "I guess it's traditional," she grumbled.

"It is." Ilia breathed a sigh of relief. She might yet get her deposit back whenever she next moved house. "More tea?"

"Please. And maybe a board game."

Ilia waved towards her shelf full of board games. "Pick one out, I'll make tea."

Blake stepped into Yang's arms as soon as she got home. She'd taken Ilia up on her invitation for bed and breakfast before she caught her flight back. It had been good to see Ilia, and mostly good to talk to her. But seeing the shadows under Yang's eyes made her regret being away overnight.

"Bad dreams again?" Blake asked, resting her forehead against Yang's.

Yang nuzzled their noses together. "Could've been worse." She drew away and smiled. She looked happy to see Blake, but there was some strain behind that smile. Blake had to wonder if she'd slept at all.

Blake opened her mouth to ask.

Yang spoke first. "How'd it go with Ilia?"

"Good." Blake attempted a grin. It faded, and she admitted, "She was playing Grimm's advocate more than I'd like."

Yang's face fell. "Let me guess, she asked if I cheated."

Blake nodded. Her shoulders slumped. It still felt like a personal failure on Blake's part that Ilia could even think it, let alone say it. "She should've known better than that. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Yang said. "She doesn't know me like you do. I don't think I can blame Ilia for thinking the worst, especially when her instinct will be to protect you."

Blake's eyes widened, aghast. "I don't need protecting from you!"

"Maybe she thinks she should've been able to protect you from Adam."

Blake scoffed. "Considering she would've helped kill my parents and deliver me to Adam if I hadn't escaped from a White Fang ambush with Sun's help, I don't think it's her place."

Yang stared. "She what?"

For a moment Blake regretted mentioning it. She didn't want Yang to hate Ilia. Perhaps she should remind Yang about the good Ilia had done. "I managed to bring her around, during the fight against the White Fang in my parents' house. She did her best to make amends, disarming the bombs, helping my parents reform the Fang, coming to help against Salem…"

"I know all that, but I'm still struggling to get past the whole…" Yang drew a finger across her throat and spluttered, "Kali and Ghira!" She flailed her arms. "You to Adam!"

Blake met Yang's troubled gaze with calm reassurance. "Ilia's come a long way since then. And with how quickly she turned against the Fang under Adam's leadership, she had to hate what they wanted her to do."

"I know, I know," Yang muttered. "And it's not my place to forgive it. Just as well…"

Blake held Yang's gaze, eyes unblinking. "You won't hold it against her, will you? It happened years ago, it's water under the bridge."

Yang sighed heavily. "How can I say no to those eyes?" She shrugged. "Like you said, it was years ago. Your parents work closely with Ilia, and speak highly of her. They adore her. And they presumably know everything. Like I said, it's not my place to be the one to forgive what she might've done."

Blake grimaced. "They don't know she helped the White Fang capture me, or that I would've been sent back to Adam if Sun hadn't intervened. Unless Ilia told them herself, which I suppose she might have. I know she's ashamed about it, and might've felt the need to confess to them."

"Yeah, well, she should be ashamed. What did she think Adam would do to you?" Yang grumbled. "I guess that guilt explains why she's so protective of you."

Blake scowled and crossed her arms. "I still don't need protecting from you, and she should know that."

"Did you tell her that?" Yang asked.

"I—No." Blake glanced away. "I should've, but the thing about protecting me didn't come up. She knows the truth now, that you'd never cheat."

"Like you'd ever let her believe otherwise. Anyway, like I said, she'd need to know me better to be sure about me. Ilia spends most time with you whenever she can, and I get that. I want to spend every moment I can with you too." Yang gave Blake a knowing look; Ilia's feelings for Blake were blindingly obvious. "It just doesn't help her actually know me."

Blake sighed. "If she's still in love with me, maybe that's why she avoids you."

"She definitely loves you, but I don't know if she's in love with you. Ilia's certainly not sworn off all other women, and isn't pining, from what I've heard about her and Emerald, among others." Yang shook her head. "No, I think she avoids me because she fancies me, physically at least. She struggles to meet my eyes." She gestured at her cleavage.

Blake stifled a laugh. "Poor Ilia. She must struggle to avoid doing it in front of me."

"Yeah. It's hard to miss."

Yet Ilia had somehow kept Blake from noticing. Sneaky chameleon faunus. "I missed it."

"She'd hardly want you to notice. I'm just very used to catching people ogling me, ever since my boobs got big enough for me to have a cleavage." Yang sounded rather more exasperated than Blake expected.

"You don't like the attention?"

"I love it from you." Yang winked. "But I know you're probably wondering why I flaunt it if I don't actually like most people doing it. Go ahead, guess."

Blake eyed Yang's breasts, before dragging her eyes back up to meet Yang's. "I think you show them off so you can enjoy my reactions, and because you've always weaponised them as a distraction."

Yang clicked her tongue, making finger guns at her. "Spot on. It's like you know me or something."

"Or something," Blake agreed. She leaned in and kissed the one person she knew better than she knew herself. For all that she didn't know every last thing about Yang yet, and vice versa, she still knew her. They shared an understanding far deeper than any embarrassing childhood story could reveal.

They parted to catch their breath, a dazed look on Yang's face. She gave Blake a rather goofy grin. "I missed you too."

"I didn't miss your snoring."

Yang stuck her tongue out. "You're the one marrying me and my snoring."

"The snoring is the price I pay to have the rest of you."

"Worth it. Right?"

Blake couldn't bear the slightly worried look in Yang's eyes. Maybe she'd gone too far with her teasing; Yang was more sensitive than usual, no thanks to hormonal changes. She cupped Yang's face. "I love every part of you. Even the snoring. It lets me know you're still breathing."

Yang turned her head to kiss Blake's palm. "Right back at you." Her scroll buzzed, and she heaved a sigh after checking it. She typed out a reply. "A reminder from Ruby. There's a mission."

Blake double-checked her scroll. Nothing from Ruby. "Why didn't she send a message to me?"

"She did, through me. Ruby knew you were visiting Ilia, and didn't want to cut it short. But this mission can't be delayed any more than it already has been." Yang bit her lip. "You've got to get ready to go. Again."

"I just got back…" Dismay gripped Blake, a sinking sensation. She regretted being away as long as she had. If she'd known about the mission she'd have got back to Yang sooner. She felt even worse, looking again at how tired Yang was. She knew Yang never slept well without her, and she'd still left her overnight.

"Hey." Yang took Blake's hands and intertwined their fingers. "I know that look. You're beating yourself up. If you got back here in time for bed last night, you'd have had almost no time with Ilia. It was months since you last saw her."

"Yes, but I'm going to be away again now. That's not fair on you."

"It's not fair on you either. I wanted you to enjoy yourself with Ilia, so don't worry about it." Yang lifted Blake's hand up to kiss the back of it. "Come on, let's get you ready to go. I'll walk you through the mission objectives. You shouldn't be away more than a day or so. Then you can show me how much you missed me." She freed a hand and rested it on her belly. "Us."

"I will," Blake promised, putting a hand over Yang's. "Can I…?" She flared her Aura on her hand to make it visible, asking wordlessly: she wanted to feel their baby's heart beating.

Yang winced. She squeezed Blake's other hand. "When you get back. I can't deal with how it makes me feel to have your Aura inside me, not when you can't stay."

Blake glimpsed the pain Yang was trying to hide in her eyes, that she must've been hiding ever since Blake got back. She didn't want Blake to go, and it probably hurt even more to refuse Blake's request.

"Maybe Ruby and Weiss can manage without me," Blake suggested.

"Considering they're calling in Qrow, Jaune, Ren and Nora as well, you'd think so. But they need everyone they can get. It's some sort of ancient Grimm, and it has minions." Yang's worry was completely unmasked.

"Oh." Definitely not a mission Blake could sit out.

"I wish I could go with you," Yang said, her voice rough. "It sounds dangerous."

"I'll miss you. It's not the same, fighting without you. All the same, if it's that dangerous I don't want our Bumblebaby anywhere near it." Blake shifted her hand to stroke Yang's slight bump directly.

"I know, I know," Yang grumbled. "I'm not useless, I'm protecting our baby."

Blake frowned. "Do me a favour?"

"Anything," Yang said.

"Repeat that enough so you actually believe it. You're never useless."

"How about this: I will if you come back to us without a scratch."

Blake laughed. "Easy enough. When's the last time my Aura broke? I can't even remember." She sealed their bargain with a quick kiss.

Yang rolled her eyes. She walked Blake through to their Dust supplies. "You'd better not have jinxed yourself."

Blake intentionally flicked one of her upper ears. "Black cats are lucky. I don't jinx anyone."

"Aren't they considered bad luck by Atlesians?"

Blake shrugged. "I don't care. I'll be fine."

"You'd better be."

Blake paused in packing Dust for the mission to kiss Yang. "Promise. Now, run it by me. An ancient Grimm and lesser ones serving it, anything else? And where?"

Yang unrolled her scroll and read out the mission briefing. She sent Blake a copy of it for reference on her way too.

Blake did her best to conceal her nerves; Yang was worried enough already. Even with the power of Ruby's eyes, Blake wasn't sure they'd be able to deal with an ancient Grimm. Especially if it turned out to be a Leviathan. Not without a giant Atlesian mech to smash it after Ruby's eyes temporarily turned it to stone. Maybe Nora could manage it, if she could charge up her Semblance enough without endangering herself.

Blake grabbed a pack of rations and shoved them in her backpack, and refilled her water bottle. "All right, I'm ready. I… guess I'd better be going."

"Not a scratch," Yang said, voice like iron. She softened, adding: "I love you."

"I love you too. Don't worry, I promised."

They kissed one last lingering time, and Blake headed out. She didn't look back. If she did she might not be able to leave. It was always hard to leave Yang behind, and this time Blake was all too aware that team RWBY (or was it team RWB?) were heading into danger with their usual reinforcements already there. What if they needed more help? They had other friends, but they were all too far away. What if—

'No. I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it.'

AN: I actually like Ilia and hope that's clear. She's just trying to be a good friend to Blake. Speaking of Blake… any bad feelings about this mission she's going on?

Coming up next: Ilia confronts Yang.

On a more serious note: I'm not about to hold the rest of the story hostage, so the remaining chapters will be posted here regardless, as and when I finish them.

However, I share my fics here and on AO3 for others to hopefully enjoy. The only way I can know for sure that you're enjoying them is if you leave a comment. I've had none here on FFN since posting the first chapter of this fic. That doesn't exactly encourage me to post future fics here, especially when it's far more fiddly than posting on AO3. FFN isn't exactly user friendly.

I'm not entitled to comments, but there's also no obligation for me to post fics here. Even just a keysmash lets me know the chapter touched you, and also left you incoherent. That's good to know.