A/N: This is something I've had lying around in my hard drive for a while. It's my first RWBY fic, and I'll admit- as cute as White Rose can be, Bumbleby is a lot more fun to write for me. It's a oneshot, but I do have ideas floating around for the White Rose side of things. This is pretty much implied Bumbleby though so...if anyone wants it to go on, I'm open to suggestions!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth know how to write girl relationships really well, and for that I salute them.

Blake shook her head, sitting up in her bed. She blinked once. Twice. Shook her head once more.

"Hey, you're awake." Yang said, barely shocking Blake, because she'd heard her shifting above her. Blake turned her head, just watching as Yang hung upside down to talk to her. "Thought I was gonna hafta wake you up myself."

Blake shrugged, pulling her covers off and getting out of bed, stretching her back. She offered her partner a smile- she couldn't resist it. The sight of Yang's own always made her lips twitch in return.

Taking it as the open invitation to start talking, Yang began a long speech about how much she was looking forward to heading into the forest that day- as part of Professor Port's class, they were being let loose in their teams to take care of a disturbing number of King Taijitu. Even Blake was slightly excited- she loved fighting alongside her partner. It added a flavour to her fights that never existed before, not even in her time with the Whitefang. Not even with Adam.

She supposes, she reflects inwardly, brushing her teeth in the bathroom with Yang next to her, it had everything to do with Yang's personality. The girl was just so passionate about everything she did, it leaked out and infected even Blake's own calm self.

She wasn't complaining. She was beginning to see the benefits of letting go.

Yang kept going even as Blake turned around to change- she was so used to having her partner around, she didn't even bat an eye anymore when doing small things like these. In the beginning, she had been uncomfortable, unsure how to phrase her request for Yang to leave, but now it felt weird to ask her to go away.

Besides, it wasn't like she hadn't seen Yang's body before either. Yang had a pretty disturbing tendency to just forget about the concept of 'personal space', and more than once had just stripped down in front of her teammates when one of them- usually Weiss- took too long in the bathroom.

"I've actually read that it's easier to just go for the eye- the tail isn't actually a problem when you have someone keeping an eye on it." Blake was just telling Yang as they reentered the bedroom, only to stop when a very unfamiliar sight greeted them.

Ruby was yelling at Weiss.

And Weiss was actually taking it.

Yang frowned, and was about to open her mouth to speak, but Blake could see the way Weiss's mouth was twitching downwards, quivering and unstable. She also noted the impassioned fire in Ruby's eyes, and noted that it wasn't one of malice- that was enough for her to hold a hand out to stop Yang.

Silently, she tilted her head at the door, and both of them quietly slunk out.

"What was that about?" Yang asked worriedly, the minute the door had shut behind them. Judging by the conversation, Weiss had said something that had upset their leader, and even Blake was having a hard time trying to figure out what exactly might have caused the normally easy-going girl to get so bothered. Shrugging, she checked her watch. "I'm sure we'll find out later. Should we head to breakfast?" Yang, who had already dressed before Blake herself had awoken, shot one last look at their door, and Blake sighed. "Sometimes you have to let your sister fight her battles on her own, Yang."

"I know."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate the sentiment. And the help. When she asks for it." Blake reached out a hand, gently brushing against her friend's elbow. "Come on. Let's go see if they have those French toasts you like."

That seemed to brighten her friend up again, and she smiled. "Thanks, Blakey."

Blake just rolled her eyes, ignoring the flutters in her stomach.

(She hoped Yang wouldn't notice her ears twitching.)

Blake never had a problem with silence. For her, the notion never really existed, considering her heightened senses took in just about everything. Over the years, she'd learned how to keep the worst of it out- like, say, the breathing of her partner just above her sounding like she was pressed up against her back- but Blake had actually gotten used to the constant talking she was surrounded by in team RWBY.

It wasn't like they weren't comfortable enough to be around each other in silence. They actually could go hours in their room, just going about their homework or lounging about, all without a single word spoken.

It was just that the reason they worked so well together was that they were always telling each other things. After that one time Blake had hidden from them her Faunus heritage, they'd all come to the unspoken decision that open communication was a must. And while that did extend to an equally unspoken possibility of something else upsetting or ending up becoming a major problem in their dynamics later on, so far, Blake was enjoying the jaunty little rhythm they had fallen into, their banters and their fights- well, that was mostly between Weiss and everyone else, but Blake couldn't deny that she had taken part in her fair share of prank playing and teasing.

On the outside, while she may have looked calm, she certainly wasn't on the inside. Blake glanced between Weiss and Ruby respectively, wondering how it was that even when they were still obviously upset with each other, they had still managed to enter the dining room and taken their seats in perfect synch. Licking her lips, Blake rested her head on a propped hand, the other idly bringing a piece of breakfast to her mouth. Next to her, Yang tried not to look like she was inching closer to Blake in an effort to get away from the icier than normal air that Weiss was emanating.

Opposite from them, team JNPR had picked up on the atmosphere as well, and while they were doing a good job of not bringing it up, it didn't stop their curious glances and stares.

The pairing in question didn't seem to notice them, though. If anything, they seemed determined to wallow in whatever emotion it was they were feeling that moment- and for Ruby, it seemed to be the exact same emotion she'd been running on the last time Blake had seen her.

Blake swallowed her mouthful, shifting her attention to Weiss, who was currently digging into her own tray of breakfast, eyes surprisingly blank. Blake's own narrowed- between the two, she usually considered Weiss the harder, but more honest one to read. If she was shouting because she was concerned, even if there was anger in her words, Blake could usually see the contradiction in her body. Weiss may have the rest of the world fooled, but Blake had spent enough time around the Ice Princess to learn how to read the story she wasn't saying.

(And while many would consider Ruby the more open of the two, Blake never could be sure which emotion she was currently displaying in her movements- the leader had a tendency to rush through them, and it was very hard to find a moment when she wasn't aware that people were watching her- a product of her introversion, Blake guessed- to get an honest read on her.)

For Weiss to completely retreat into her shell- the worry Blake was feeling certainly wasn't abating.

"Do you think now would be a good time to ask Ruby what was going on?"

Blake shrugged, glancing at Yang. "You could try."

"My sister doesn't look very approachable." Yang winced. "Just what could they have been arguing about?"

Blake mulled it over, licking her fingers clean before wiping them on her napkin. "Must have been something that really hurt Ruby's feelings. Weiss has never felt this bad before." She discreetly nodded, her voice low. "They both haven't even looked at each other once."

Yang sighed, her grimace growing with every uncomfortable second. By now, she'd shuffled close enough that her outer thigh was pressing against Blake's own, her side brushing up against Blake's just enough to set her Faunus ears twitching.

Ignoring it, Blake sighed, turning back to her own food. Seeing this, Yang seems to have an internal battle inside her, before finally leaning in close enough to whisper into her ears, "What are you doing?"

Rolling her eyes, Blake barely even glances over, trying to suppress a shiver at the warm breath on her skin, hoping that no one noticed the way her Faunus ears were twitching ever so slightly, straining against the urge to flatten.

Subtly, she moved just enough away that her blush would recede, trying not to focus on Yang's scent and her steady heart rate. "I'm leaving them alone, as should you." She shakes her head. "This is something they have to sort out, not you and I."

"Fine." Yang deflates, accepting her logic. It didn't stop her nervous glance over to the pair next to her. "But if we're going to be heading into the Forest today…"

"They'll sort it out before then." Blake shrugged, keeping a calm head for her partner's sake. Honestly, it didn't look like they would, but if Yang freaked out- well, it wouldn't do anyone any good, now would it?

Wishing she had a book in her hands, Blake got up from the table with her empty tray, intent on making a quick trip to the library before class started. The tug on her coattails had her pausing though, and frowning, she looked down to see Yang staring up at her with wide eyes, mouthing out the words, 'Don't leave me' with a rather piteous expression.

Sighing, Blake wondered if there would ever come a day when she would be able to read in peace.

"I'm heading to the library. Yang, do you want to come with me?"

As it turns out, Ruby and Weiss had not sorted out their problems before the mission. It was obvious even in the way the group had been making their way through the Forest; it felt odd to not have Weiss next to Ruby, leading the group.

Instead, Yang was walking alongside her sister, her fingers brushing against Ember Celica every so often.

Blake didn't mind Weiss so much. Ever since the Faunus incident, Weiss and her had actually been getting along a lot better. It wasn't out of place for them to gravitate towards each other- both of them were a lot less prone to talking if there wasn't anything to talk about.

Still, the tension was setting Blake on edge, her irritation boiling inside herself despite her constant reminders that it didn't involve her.

They had been walking through the Forest for quite a while before they noticed the first odd thing.

It was Yang, surprisingly, that had noticed the broken branch. It had a deep gash through it, leaving it dangling on just the fewest slivers of wood, high above their heads. That in itself wasn't odd- this was the Forest after all, and Grimm creatures were rife. Yang pointed out the lack of prints or generally anything else disturbed around it.

"That definitely looks like it'd been pushed by a great force." Her partner points out, honing in on the pattern. "See, here? The wood's splintered at this point. Something came in here, but it didn't leave anything behind." Yang's brow furrowed, and Blake caught herself lingering just a little longer than necessary on the crinkle it caused on her forehead.

"Could it be a Nevermore?" Ruby finally spoke aloud since the morning, and Blake had to admit that an eyebrow raised at the way her voice sounded. "They wouldn't leave any marks on the ground, would they?"

"The branch is too close to the next for a Nevermore." Weiss intoned then, her voice clear. And while Blake itched to turn to look, she schooled her face to stay facing ahead. This was none of her business, and she didn't want to get involved.

Focusing on the scents of the forest, Blake stepped forward, getting a closer look. It was a smell she hadn't caught before, and the feeling it gave her made her uneasy.

"Let's just keep going." She said, checking in with Ruby to make sure.

Their leader nodded, glancing at the spot curiously, some light warming her eyes as they set off again, more wary now.

It wasn't long before they came to the waterfall that marked the end of the boundary of the Forest. It nestled against the cliffs, the water pouring out into the river that wound far into the horizon. It was quite deep, needing to be swam across, and the currents looked pretty strong today.

"Are all the King Taijitu asleep or something?" Yang complained, pouting as she scanned the boundary. "Because we haven't seen one yet!"

Weiss's suspicious blue eyes eyed their surroundings. "The professor must have sent us along the way with the least of them."

"Does he think we can't handle it too?" Ruby says, and if Blake hadn't been watching, she would have missed the way Weiss flinched slightly, just for a moment. But the heiress was as composed as ever just a second later, and Blake had to be impressed with the speed.

Feeling eyes on her head, Blake looks up to see Yang worriedly glancing between her and the two of them, frowning. Blake knew that this wasn't Yang's way of dealing with things, that she was a problem solver of the most impulsive and tactless degree. She looked the problem dead in the eye, even as she grabbed its horns and ran it back into the ground, unraveling its knots and tangles with her clear cut honesty and will to set things right again.

Blake much rather liked staying out of things, thank you very much. Ever since leaving the Whitefang, she'd decided that the best course of action was always inaction, unless prompted otherwise. It had served her well till she had gotten here.

But it didn't seem to be working now. Sighing, she wandered up to the mouth of the river, where the water fell into a pool that flowed over the rocks. She settled on the flattest rock she could find, pulling out Gambol Shroud and settling it in her lap. When Yang glances her way, she merely rolls her eyes and nods, a small smirk on her lips.

Yang scrunches her face up slightly, trying to figure out what was happening, before recognition flashed in her features. Her mouth dropping into an 'o', she nodded once, slowly and exaggeratedly.

Marching up to the pair that had already dissolved back into their usual bickering, she proceeded to set them straight, talking the both of them down, and then continuing on to give them a sassy lecture about their childish behaviour that made even Blake snigger a few times.

Meanwhile, Blake was keeping an eye and both ears on her surroundings. She hadn't forgotten the broken branch and unfamiliar scent. The lack of King Taijitu were beginning to grind at her too, and Blake was annoyed at how much was getting to her today.

It wasn't long till Yang made her way up to her too, the breeze bringing her smell up to Blake, who relaxed slightly to shift and offer her space on the rock.

"I swear, for someone who seems to hate childishness, she sure does show a whole lot of it herself." Blake had to raise an eyebrow distractedly as she kept an eye on the pair still below, now talking somewhat civilly to each other. Yang sighed, dropping her head onto Blake's shoulder.

"You're going to have to be clearer," Blake began, a small smile curling the corner of her lips. "I can't tell if you're talking about your sister or Weiss."

"Oh har har." Yang's drawl had Blake chuckling. It wasn't often that she beat the other girl in sarcasm, but she treasured every moment. "You're just lucky that you weren't there. I swear, Ruby needs to calm down and stop taking every single thing Weiss says as harsh criticism. And before you say anything, Weiss needs to take things down a notch and stop holding everyone up to her high horse."

"Maybe that's the only height she can see things from." Blake shrugs, almost fully relaxing with Yang's head on her shoulder. "I think they're both going to need to see each other on level ground first."

"But they work so well in battle. You'd think that would clue them in to the fact that they're more similar than they think."

"Your sister is hardly the shining beacon for 'safe fighting'." Blake chuckles. "Not that I'm complaining. We'd never have won against the Nevermore if she hadn't been creative."

"I know." Yang rolled her eyes. "One day, she's going to get really hurt, and Weiss is totally going to take out her concern on her in the completely wrong way."

"At least it'll be entertaining to watch."

"You betcha." Yang gently sighed, Blake's Faunus ears flicking towards the sound for just a moment. "What do you think we should do now? We obviously aren't in the path of any King Taijitu- we might as well head back."

Blake was inclined to agree, but something stopped her from actually voicing her support.

"I'm not too sure." She tries to ignore the feel of soft hair against her neck. "Something doesn't feel right. If Professor Port sent us down here, he would have expected there to be some nests here. It doesn't make sense to send one of the better teams down a less dangerous path than the others."

"So we're 'one of the better teams', eh?" Yang teased, her voice instantly colouring. "My, my, let's add modest to that description, why don't we?"

"All I'm saying is," Blake continued on, unimpressed that the first thing she'd chosen to tease her on was an observation. "-if he'd thought there were numerous King Taijitu here, then something must have scared them away."

She stiffened, a terrible thought coming to mind, and Yang senses the stillness and lifts her head, her senses alert too.

"What? What is it?" Already, she was scanning for something, anything that might have caused her friend's reaction. "Blake?"

"The only thing a King Taijitu is afraid of is-"

"Their Nestmother."

Immediately, they were both on their feet, scrabbling down the rocks towards their teammates, who seemed to have settled their differences, and were currently hugging.

(Well, Ruby was practically clinging onto Weiss, a large smile on her face. Weiss was merely patting her back, the way one would a large bear.)

"Guys, we gotta get outta here." Yang declared, her eyes roaming, more alert than ever. "Blake has a theory about why there aren't any King Taijitu here, and if she's right- well, it's not gonna be pretty."

Extricating herself from the chokehold Ruby has on her, Weiss frowned and dusted herself off. "What?"

"Something must have scared the King Taijitu away- Professor Port may be old and crazy, but he wouldn't send a team out this way for nothing." Yang began, fiddling with Ember Celica with every word. "Blake thinks there could be a Nestmother."

Both Ruby and Weiss's eyes widen, and their mouths fall open, both fully aware of what that meant.

"Well if that's true, then we have to get backup." Ruby swallowed, looking over at Weiss for just a second, and then flickered back to the rest of them, resolute. "We can't handle a Nestmother."

"Let's go." Weiss turned on her heel, ready to lead the way, when Blake reached for her wrist, holding her back. "What- Blake?"

Blake's heart was pounding in her ears, her mouth set into a grim line.

"She's here."

Ruby was the first to react, pulling out Crescent Rose. Myrtenaster was out of his sheath too, and Weiss immediately aligned herself with her partner, eyes darting every which way.

"Where is she, Blake?" Ruby called, her voice low. Blake herself was ready for battle, next to Yang.

"Close. She's picked up our scent. She'll be here very soon." Blake sniffed the air, hearing the uncomfortable scrape of scales against the grass. "She's speeding up. She's guessed where we are."

"We have to run." Weiss says, gripping her rapier tightly, her mouth soured. "We can take this, but I'm not sure we should."

"For once, I agree with the princess." Yang unclenched, and clenched her fingers, the motions making clacking noises. "We can't win unless there's a strategy."

"We're trapped." Ruby reminded them all, and Blake nods, agreeing even as she keeps her senses honed on the rapid approach of the only monster capable of scaring the huge snakes. "We can't get to the others."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Yang groaned, her eyes flickering between their lilac and red shades. She'd picked up on the noises too, a loud, clattering hiss in the air that hurt Blake to listen to.

"Well, if you're going to make a plan, do it now. She's coming in twenty… nineteen…" Blake continued to count down, watching the gears turn in everyone's head.

"The cliffs. We need to get up the cliffs across the river." Ruby says, and then they're all moving, following in her lead in unison, each making their way up with their own methods.

Blake was still counting.

"Ten!" She made her way up the cliff face, slippery due to the spray from the waterfalls. "Nine! Ruby, you better have a plan! Eight!"

"I hope!" She yells back, a lot lower than the rest, stance ready, Weiss just above her. Yang was in between them and Blake herself.

"Care to share with the class?" Yang calls back, her aura sparking.

"Ruby, it better not be another one of your crazy 'throw you at the enemy' things! I don't think it'll work so well with a Nestmother!" Weiss's voice floated up to Blake, and she was glad that they had made up. They needed all hands on deck for this one.

"Five, guys! Get ready!" Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud, the ribbon tight against her forearm. "Four!"

They could hear the Nestmother now, her tail flicking against the trees, the rattling constant and ominous.

"Just follow my lead, guys! I'll pick a head and Weiss, you're gonna need to distract it long enough for me to get to the right spot! Blake, you're gonna keep it's other heads away from Yang, and Yang!"

"Two!"

"You're going to help me bury it!"

And then the Nestmother was upon them.

It slithered out of the forest, relatively quiet for a creature so large- its multiple heads poked out from the main torso of the beast, and Blake counted five.

Five hungry, dangerous heads that were currently trained on the four of them, its individual mouths hissing. The ones that could spit venom so acidic, it could burn through armor like nothing.

The only thing that could scare a King Taijitu was a Nestmother, and with good reason, for the Nestmother devoured the creatures and absorbed their powers somehow, being able to regrow heads and limbs. Blake had heard Professor Port lecturing them about it once, about how a King Taijitu had formed from an egg that had been covered for a bit too long by their own mother, and the warmth giving it an extra edge when it finally broke free of its shell. It would proceed to eat its brothers and sisters, paralyzing them with their venom. When truly powerful, a Nestmother would grow an extra head from its neck, its tail morphing into a rattle.

It is said that the Nestmother's rattle was the call of death, beckoning to you.

For a moment, both sides stood in standstill, team RWBY staring at a suddenly confused creature, having lost their scent when they crossed the rapidly moving water.

It gave them the advantage they needed.

With a loud gunshot, Ruby was off, flinging herself at the biggest head.

Of course.

But Blake didn't have time to roll her eyes, shifting into fight mode, going all out, leaping off her perch nimbly, tossing her weapon at the nearest head, the blade embedding perfectly into its eye, pulling herself along with the ribbon in a swing towards its body. Yelling out for Weiss, she hears the satisfying screech as they killed one head, Yang whooping as she drags the head Ruby's chosen towards her.

Landing on the King Taijitu's back, Blake lets herself slide along its scales, gritting her teeth as she tugs on her hook, pulling it out from the now dying head, hoping that by not chopping its head off to kill it, they had avoided the regeneration process.

But the skin beneath her bubbles, and Blake loses her balance, falling in the air towards the ground, the head above her hissing one last time before beating her to it. She doesn't celebrate- the next heads were already forming, and she berates herself for her mistake.

Gripping her gun in her hand, she shot herself up, back towards the two emerging heads, slimy with their new forming, and wasted no time getting their attention too.

She forgets to pay attention to the tail though, and it costs her, swatting her out of the way just as she wraps her ribbon around its necks, binding them together. Losing her grip on her weapon, and her breath, this time as she falls, she has a genuine fear of meeting the ground. All she has is her sheath, but it wasn't going to help her unless the she had something to dig it into to slow her fall.

But then a glyph appears under her, and Blake doesn't even waste time turning to land on her feet, jumping off again, hoping to get her weapon back.

She has just enough time to see her friends all working on their own fights, and everyone seemed to be doing alright- she notices the way Weiss was handling the ones she had bound together, irritating them by jumping all around them, burning their heads.

"Distract, don't kill!" Ruby yells from somewhere, and Blake shakes her head, because now she knew better, and everyone else did too. Her gaze searches for Yang even as she pushes off the head closest to her, nodding a thank you to Weiss as she passes her, leaving half of her weapon behind to aid the heiress.

The remaining four heads were all attempting to spit their venom around a darting Ruby, who was moving faster than even Blake had ever seen her, her heightened senses the only reason she was able to see Ruby actually move, instead of just the flashes her gunfire left behind.

Rushing over to help her, she deftly jumped over the tail again, determined not to repeat the experience. Three heads turned towards her- Blake cursed in her head. Where was Yang?

She still hadn't spotted her partner, as she engaged in battle, using her semblance to confuse the heads as she danced around them, making sure to strike but not enough to kill.

"Yang!" She briefly registers Ruby call, and Blake wavers for just long enough to finally spot her partner at the top of the cliffs, shooting off bullets while she aided Weiss and Ruby. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" The other girl definitely sounded pumped, but Blake couldn't really focus on her partner as she very nearly got spat on with their acidic venom. She couldn't keep this up forever- she'd taken hits, and she had a feeling her aura wouldn't keep up with her constant use of Shadow Image. Every time her copies were struck, she would feel it inside, her aura taking its toll.

"Everyone, get to the cliffs! Make it follow you across the river!"

Her leader's commands were a blessing, and Blake jumps away, trying to make her way back to her gun, because she'd never make it across without it. Weiss saw her coming, and sent up a wall of ice behind her, no doubt protecting her from the three heads still behind her. The one that had been intent on Ruby was beginning to turn on her too, and Blake was seriously beginning to hope her stamina held out.

"Blake! Watch out!" Yang's call came too late, and once again, the tail caught her, the rattle filling her head, and Blake couldn't focus. Her back smashed into the ice that had been so protective just moments before, and Blake arched in pain, feeling some crystals embed themselves in her, her head crashing through the wall.

"Blake!" Weiss was trying to make her way to her, but her own two heads were turning on her too, and through blurry eyes Blake barely sees the next head coming curling around the ice, coming to stare her right in the eyes.

Blake tightened her hold on her sheath. She'd be damned if she was going to die here.

She thinks of Yang, and her passion. Thinks of her lilac eyes and tries to find it in her to get up, but time has slowed for her. The air was still gone from her lungs, and all she can hear is the rattle and the hiss of the Nestmother.

She can't help but pessimistically think of it as the trumpets of celebration.

Blake lifts her sheath in front of her, pooling all her aura into it, as she sees the head open its mouth.

And then there is fire, and heat, and she is shocked as she finally breathes as the head falls away, the smell of burning flesh clogging her nose. Yang is there, her partner, breathing hard and eyes wild and red, and she feels herself being picked up, her head clearing as the skin beneath them bubbles. But Yang is already off, running across the scales, Ruby distracting all the other heads and Weiss taking care of the tail once and for all with a decisive slash of her fiery blade, landing next to them and running, casting glyphs for all of them to make the jump to the cliffs in one leap.

Blake manages to grab the end of her ribbon, pulling her weapon free and back towards her, a part of her sighing in relief as she feels the familiar weight and metal in her grip, her other slinging the sheath behind her back.

"Blake, you alright?" Ruby's voice was strained, betraying her own battle, as she did everything she could to keep the heads away from the trio.

"I'm good!" Blake called, adrenaline rushing through her veins. "Let me down, Yang!"

"But your back-"

"Yang." Blake stared up at her partner, and an entire conversation passed between them. It had felt odd being away from the yellow-haired girl, and Blake realised she had felt unsafe without someone guarding her back. She would never have gotten hit by the tail so many times had Yang been with her.

But she had no time to dwell on that as Yang set her down on the cliff face, Ruby racing towards them on the blue glyphs Weiss was currently casting, her pale face twisted, and Blake wondered how much longer any of them could hold up.

But it seemed her plan was working, and Ruby was bringing all seven angry heads towards her now, the huge beast screeching terribly, shaking the leaves of the Forest and sending wildlife flying.

"Guys, blind it!" Ruby says, crouching on a ledge barely wider than her feet placed together, and begins shooting bullets at their eyes, the others following suit, the gunfire creating a smoke around the creature.

"Weiss, bring it closer!"

The white-haired girl twisted the barrel on Myrtenaster, stopping on the light blue chamber, her missiles flying around to the back of the creature, exploding on its skin and causing it to flail closer to the cliff face, a head bashing into it strong enough to send stones scattering and vibrations along the rock.

"We're gonna hafta jump!" Yang calls, and Blake scowls, gritting her teeth.

"Aim for the pool!" Ruby adds, holding off a head that had peeked out of the cloud.

"As if we want to die!" Weiss calls, her voice tinged with exhaustion, her words lacking their usual bite.

Blake just wants to get it over with. "One!"

"Two!" Yang joins in, glancing over her one last time, locking eyes with her.

"Three!" Blake ends, tearing her gaze away, jumping off the slippery face, aiming for the water. But even as she pushes off, she knows she won't make it. Her injuries made it hard to get enough strength behind her jump, and her entire body burned in agony as the screeching became all she heard, along with Yang's gunfire as she turned and burned a line into the rock face, breaking the rock enough for it to fall and crumble all around them, falling onto the Nestmother in great, huge chunks.

Blake tried shooting Gambol Shroud, trying to gain some distance, but even as she neared the water, the shooting pain lancing through her body with the recoil told her she wasn't going to make it into the deeper water in the pool.

So she curled into a ball, hopelessly shooting beneath her, not daring to call out to Weiss for help, because the girl didn't look able to cast yet another spell without passing out herself.

And when she falls into the mouth of the river, narrowly missing the edge of the pool by just a few inches, her breath leaves her for the third time that day, and as her head goes under, she desperately tries to claw her way back to the surface, despite the torn muscles and skin in her back screaming at her otherwise. Her head is pounding, but at least she can still hear the rushing water around her, the currents pulling at her.

She had never been a very good swimmer.

Blake gasped for air as she broke the surface for just a few seconds, long enough to see a huge pile of rocks where the Nestmother last was, and then she searches for lilac eyes, her body rebelling against her, failing her as she chokes on nothing, her lungs still too cramped to take it into her.

For the third time in her entire life, Blake feels like this was it. This was where Blake Belladonna was going to die.

But she finds her partner's yellow hair just before she goes under again, and she's glad that at least Yang was safe, the girl coming up for air along with Weiss and Ruby in the pool, and Blake decides that it is enough.

And then her head hits something in the darkness, and she is gone.

She registers voices. Sometimes they are loud and clear, and others they are blurry and indistinct. Blake doesn't quite like the latter moments. She was unused to not being able to hear things- her heightened senses were one of the things that made her such a reliable fighter in battle.

Blake maybe sometimes wonders who they are. But she's fighting a battle within herself, tying to awake and focus against a crushing force around her.

She thinks of Yang, and sometimes the force recedes slightly, as if the mere thought of such energy scares it. As it should, she thinks sometimes.

(In her head, time was liquid and didn't exist.)

Blake sighs the others, squirming against the hold and knowing, at the back of her mind, that she should wake.

It was a battle.

Blake isn't sure how long she's been wandering the blackness. Idly, she knows that she probably is dead, and that all of this could just be what lies after, but something tells her that this wasn't it. The afterlife wasn't just an emptiness.

No, she mused, as she struggled forward another step. There was a reason.

Blake thinks of her life, of what has happened up till now. She thinks of the Whitefang, of her parents, of watching them die in a protest, stoned by the humans and their laughter while they did it. She thinks of making her first weapon, leagues away from Gambol Shroud, but being proud of it anyway, of continuing to better herself to forget how lonely she was, of finally holding Gambol Shroud in her hands and thinking that this was it, this was the one that was perfect. She thinks of Adam, of his smile and his warm hugs as he watched her grow up, of the moments where she'd let her guard down and merely existed, of the realization at the end that he wasn't the same boy that had held her hand and guided her through a stampede at yet another failed rally.

But then she thinks of Ruby and Weiss, of Jaune and Phyrra and Nora and Ren, of long nights hearing the girls whisper around her, giggling and talking and dragging Weiss into it even despite her façade of disinterest, of being around her friends and getting dragged into their antics.

She thinks of Yang, of her friend, her partner, and the girl she was sure she'd somehow or other, fallen for. Her energy and voice, her attitude and protectiveness, her strength and skill.

Blake thinks of all of it, and has to chuckle at herself when she remembers the rage Yang went into at losing that curl of hair in the Forest, back when they became partners. Blake had been wandering,

(much like now)

and heard a somewhat familiar voice, and curious despite herself, had followed it like a Rapier Wasp to red sap. And there she had witnessed the raw power that Yang kept so well under control sometimes. Power so great that it had almost no direction, fast and uncontrollable.

And Blake had just known she was the one.

She supposed it had been the grin- she had always been a sucker for smiles. The way Yang had so fearlessly grinned at her, accepting her wordlessly as her partner. Blake was pretty sure she could still remember how quickly the red had faded from her eyes, their usual lilac standing out against the yellow of her hair.

Blake closed her eyes, breathing in deeper as the crushing force let up, pretending she could somehow smell the scent of gunpowder and spice that Yang always seemed to carry about her.

When she opens her eyes again, she is staring up at a white ceiling, and for a moment, her world spins. It rights itself quickly enough, and Blake felt herself take in a deep breath, a searing pain shooting from her spine.

Unable to stop the gasp, she tries to curl into herself, but finds she can't, because someone is pressed against her side, and turning her head, she isn't quite surprised to find Yang next to her, fast asleep.

A quick glance outside confirmed that it was past noon, but still, her friend slumbered, and Blake took the opportunity to wonder at her face.

There were new scratches, but nothing too serious, and Blake let out a sigh of relief, careful of the larger motions. She notes the way her eyes shifted underneath closed eyelids, and the eyebags underneath them. She also takes in how close her partner looked to falling right off the cramped bed, and she realises that they're in the infirmary section of the school.

She wonders, her eyebrows furrowing, how she had gotten here. She was sure she had died, drowned, and if the waters hadn't killed her, then the infection would've.

But she can feel Yang's warmth next to her, feel it pressing against her exposed skin, and she knows she is not dead.

Yang was life itself.

She supposes it was a tad dramatic, especially for someone as independent as her, and skeptical. But she had a feeling that the only reason why she was still able to think these things had something to do with the girl next to her, slumbering like she would never wake up.

Blake didn't particularly want to do it, but she knew she had to- she had to know what happened in between her losing consciousness and waking up here.

Gently, she reached a hand up, wincing against how it tingled uncomfortably, like she'd been out for a while. That was another thing- she needed an idea of time, now that she was back. Needed to understand if the burning in her throat had persisted for a long time, or had only yearned for water for two days.

But mostly, to make sure.

Contrary to many assumptions, Yang was actually a pretty light sleeper. She was always one of the first to be awake, and sometimes it seemed like she and Ruby were in a competition to see who could be up the earliest most times in a week.

Blake had found herself pleasantly surprised by that knowledge, but had seen the reasoning behind it in her friend's early morning workout sessions in the gym and her runs on the track. Sometimes, Blake would join her, if she awoke early enough, but more often than not, Blake would defer to her usual meditation, ending only when Yang was back in the room, sweaty and grinning and threatening to engulf everyone in the room in a hug.

So she merely settled for shaking the girl gently, being careful not to shock her. And when lilac eyes fluttered open, she dropped her arm, a smile forming on her face.

"Nice nap?" She asked nonchalantly, her amusement showing even though she was sure that Yang had been here the whole time, waiting for her to wake up.

(She would have done the same.)

It took only another blink for Yang to register everything, but when she did, her eyes widened in delight, and her entire face threatened to split in half with her smile.

"Blake!" She all but yelled, but Blake couldn't bring it in herself to roll her eyes- she was just as glad to see Yang. Her partner lifted an arm, as though to hug her with her normal exuberance, but she dropped it again almost immediately, her eyes flashing guiltily, but no less excited. "You're awake!"

"And you're going to fall off." Blake pointed out, trying to sit up to see how much she had to move, but as soon as she lifted her head, a wave of nausea and stings of pain traveled up her spine, and she clutched her head as Yang slowly pushed her back down.

"Easy there, Belladonna. You have a concussion, and a pretty nasty one too. Those ice shards really did a nasty number on your back as well. Ahh, the nurse says you'll have…scars."

"You sound almost disappointed." Blake joked, closing her eyes against the nausea. "Is this where you leave me behind because I'm a broken individual?"

"Where do you come up with these things?" Blake could almost physically feel Yang roll her eyes. "I just couldn't hug you because I'm afraid I'm gonna hurt you."

"That never seemed to bother you before." Blake kept going, a small smirk on her lips. "Yang, you're off your game."

"What?"

"You'd usually have me shut up by now." Blake finally felt good enough to turn her head again, opening her eyes to lilac and a twisted lip. "Miss me?"

"…you have no idea." And there was a relief in her words, and Blake wasn't just imagining it.

"Very good, because me too." Blake could feel herself slipping back into unconsciousness.

It took Blake another day before she could stay awake longer than a few minutes, and at the end of the week in hospital, she was up and walking again. The matron was quite impressed with her healing rate- even for someone with aura, it was no mean feat to heal the wounds she had.

Blake was just ready to return to her dorm, away from the constant chattering and fussing of the staff and her friends.

While Blake appreciated all the visits and the gifts, being trapped in one place for too long never settled well with her. Sure, she was fine with a good book for a few hours, but she couldn't get much reading done when every few seconds someone barged in and set about checking her health or bringing her homework.

(She really did appreciate that they continued on despite her very apparent lack in interest in them.)

Ruby came in every day, sometimes more than once, just to check up on Blake, always catching her up on the day, sometimes hand in hand with Weiss. Blake amused herself during those sessions by exchanging exasperated glances with the heiress till they left, always with a smile and a promise to come visit again- yes, even from Weiss.

The longest visits came from Yang. Blake liked those the most, because she liked the other girl's presence, even if all they did was fall into silence and drift off into their own worlds. At first, Yang had been exceedingly hesitant, not up to her usual exuberance around Blake, but that stopped quickly when she threatened to kick Yang out for not being herself.

(Another thing not many people knew about Yang: she was a pretty good listener.)

More often than not, Yang would be doing her homework on the small table next to Blake's hospital bed, as she herself read one of the many books people had been bringing her. They had fallen into their usual routine back in the dorm- Yang's constant fidgeting made for oddly soothing background noise as Blake thumbed through a protagonist's journey. Sometimes the tapping of a pen, or a shaking of a knee, or when she was properly frustrated, the hard breaths through flared nostrils.

When that happened, Blake had taken to raising her free hand- both had healed pretty quickly, and were back to full mobility in almost no time- and playing with the ends of the yellow curls. She could see why Yang treasured her hair so much- it was soft and smooth to the touch. Each time, Yang would take a deep breath, and relax, giving Blake a soft smile that she returned.

In the moments when they both weren't preoccupied with things, Yang was regaling her with funny stories of her own misadventures, and by the end of her stay at the hospital, Blake was sure that she would have liked to have known Yang as a young child.

(She must've been a handful.)

Still, the day she moved back into the dorms granted her a peace that had been eluding her since the day she had woken up. Yang had refused to tell her exactly what had happened in between her knock out in the river and how she had ended up back at school, and Blake supposed that it couldn't have been a very happy memory for her. From what she had pieced together with teasing questions from Weiss and Ruby though, was that they had all waited for Blake to surface as well, but when she didn't, Yang had been the first to jump out to look for her, eventually finding her limp body pushed up against some rocks by the bank. According to Ruby, it seemed that if Yang hadn't gotten to her when she did, she would have washed down the river, carried by the strong currents. She hadn't been breathing, apparently, and Yang had been in a panic, trying to get her to cough up the water in her lungs by compressing her ribs, fracturing two of them in the process. When Blake had finally spluttered the water out, she was still unconscious, and Ruby had carried her and used her speed to get them back to the school, where the teachers had just assembled a search party, having heard the Nestmother's screech as it died, and seen the dust from the falling rocks.

Yang had stayed with Blake as soon as she was able, the matron having tried to help her as best as she could, but even she had said there was a slim chance of Blake ever coming back to consciousness, due to the blows to her head, and the trauma of drowning. Yang had refused to back down, and even burned up a little at the matron, as she insisted that Blake was going to wake up.

(Blake wished she had seen that.)

Three days later, when Blake finally did wake up, Yang had only left the hospital once to change her clothes, having skipped all her classes and stubbornly refusing to leave her partner's side.

Blake sighed as she maneuvered onto her bed, grunting slightly as the ghosts of pain flared up her back. She reached a hand up to remove her bow that bound her ears, letting them free after so long in hiding- obviously her schoolteachers and staff knew about her heritage, but she was still unwilling to show it off to her schoolmates.

She ran her hands over the sore flaps, lying down with a slight wince at the ache in her Faunus ears. She wished she had some sort of ointment to put on it, but she knew the best cure was to stop hiding them.

As if that would ever happen.

The dorm was quiet, because Blake had discreetly asked that she be allowed to return during school hours- she could just imagine the 'help' that her teammates would offer her if they found out she was being discharged. She couldn't resist the amused huff at the thought.

Closing her eyes, she yawned. The walk back had her more tired out than she thought. She was off combat for at least another week, but could return to classes anytime she wished in the next, and she was not looking forward to the amount of catching up she'd have to do.

For now, she figured, she'd sleep.

She'd rest.

Blake knew she was dreaming. The way the wind whistled just too sharp past her ears, the way she didn't shiver in the cold that didn't touch her. The colours were all wrong too.

Blake would have known the scene anywhere.

She kept her balance easily on the moving train, the rumbling like the Nestmother's scales moving across pebbles, each individual piece clicking and clacking. This was the Schnee Dust train that she'd given to the Whitefang as her compensation for quitting.

She knew it was an unequal trade-off.

(Now that she knew what it had cost Weiss.)

Adam stood on the other side, the one getting further and further away as the car she was on continued to chuff along, the crewmembers safe from harm. She watches, knowing this dream better than she knew her own breathing. Adam would jump, would call her a traitor, yell at her betrayal, pull out his sword and cleave her in two.

But this time, he merely stood, watching as Blake disappeared around the corner of the mountain. And Blake held her head high, unflinching, ready to attack.

This time, when she opened her eyes, it wasn't because she had seen her own head screaming as it rolled off the train onto the tracks below.

She awoke to lilac eyes, staring straight down at her. While anyone else would have jumped, Blake was merely mildly surprised by the closeness of the gaze. A lazy smile snaked across her face, and she raised a hand to wave slightly.

"Morning."

Her partner was still, but Blake noted her tense muscles, almost vibrating. At her words, Yang finally let go, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Do you know how worried I was? You don't just leave your friend perfectly healthy before classes, and then come back to find an empty bed! I thought a Grimm had caught you, or something else really bad had happened, but no! You had just decided to leave without telling any of us and made your way back here yourself!"

"A Grimm?" Blake could see how upset her friend was, so she sat up slowly, keeping her voice even to try to diffuse the situation. "I don't think the Grimm could have gotten this far-"

"I panicked, alright?" Yang interjected, flipping her blonde hair. "And don't try to change the subject, Blakey."

Blake went cross-eyed trying to keep the finger pointed at her in sight. "Alright. But only if you calm down."

"Calm down. Yes, yes, a fine notion. Maybe I'll just go ask Weiss to make another ice wall, slam into that and then jump into the next river I see and knock myself out and see how you like it!" She was pacing, but stopped with the end of her sentence, and Blake felt hurt lance through her. On the outside though, the only indication of it was the downturn of her mouth, but it seemed enough to make Yang realise her mistake.

Sighing, her partner seems to deflate right in front of her eyes, and Yang offers her an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Blake eyes her carefully, wondering how to word her next sentence. "No, I am. I honestly didn't expect you to worry so much."

"'Not worry'?" Yang stilled, repeating the words slowly. "Blake, how can I not worry when my partner goes missing so soon after getting that injured?" This was a very different side to Yang Xiao Long. She supposes Ruby must be witness to this particular aspect quite often, considering how much trouble she got into on a daily basis.

Still, it is enough to make Blake blush, the heat rising in her cheeks as she begins to understand that Yang was just worried about her. On one hand, her independence flared, telling her that she was still a strong person and didn't need to take this, but another was telling her that she probably should have seen this coming.

Yang took care of those she cared about.

"I'm sorry, Yang. Really." She looked up, meeting relieved eyes. "I just didn't want to bother you guys."

"Blake…!" The way Yang dragged her name made her raise an eyebrow. Her partner, upon seeing her look, offered her a small smile as she plopped down next to her. "You don't have to worry about things like that." An arm snaked across her shoulders, pulling Blake into her comforting warmth. "We're your teammates. Your friends. You're never gonna be bothering us."

Blake breathed out as she allowed herself to relax.

(No one had ever just touched Blake so much just because before.)

A giggle made her look up wonderingly, only to see Yang focused on something just on top of her head.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just." Yang said simply, dissolving into another giggle. Pulling away, Blake ignored the pout that immediately formed on the other girl's face, and raised an eyebrow. Yang rolled her eyes good naturedly, her focus still transfixed on something above her.

It then dawned on Blake that her Faunus ears were probably doing something strange. They were a part of her, yes, but Blake was never as aware of them sometimes- moments like these, when she was relaxing with her guard down, her ears pretty much did as they pleased.

Blushing, Blake immediately squashed her ears down, her mouth thinning. She felt horribly exposed, and while she didn't try to hide them from her teammates, Yang's open fascination with them sometimes reminded her of some less innocent fascination others had with them before.

Catching herself, Yang blushed, holding her hands up. "Whoa now, don't freak out. I just think it's really cute that they kinda just do their little thing up there."

Blake's other eyebrow went up this time, and her blush wasn't receding. "You make me sound like a pet."

"Oh, no." Yang shook her head, her arms complimenting the motion. "I have done no such thing. It's a fact that you remind me of a kitty!"

"No."

"But-"

"I said no, Yang."

"Aww." Yang pouted, and gave her her version of the puppy eyes. Blake watched her warily, knowing that she only ever did that when she wanted something. Sure enough, barely a second later, she began with, "Can I touch them?"

"Uh." Blake breathed, not too sure how to respond. She didn't really like people touching them- it made her feel like, well, a cat. But more importantly, when she just a kid, people used to tug on them as they made fun of her, sometimes to the point where they would bleed. But this was Yang, and despite the fact that she had seen her partner take down an opponent with nothing more than a lazy punch, she knew that Yang wouldn't hurt her.

(It wasn't like Blake was completely defenseless either.)

Sensing her hesitation, Yang merely continued to stare at her with that openly pleading look, slowly wearing her down with how adorable she looked. Finally, with a small grumble and an eye roll, Blake lowered her head, offering them to her.

"Be careful. They, uh. They're kind of sore."

"From being bound all week?" Yang asked, gently brushing her fingers against her flaps. Blake focused on what her ears were doing, but otherwise didn't try to control their movements. "Wow, they're really soft."

"I'm actually quite impressed you didn't ask before." Blake teased, closing her eyes with a sigh as Yang felt brave enough to gently rub her ears with her fingers. It felt really good, soothing away the soreness.

"Hey, I have self-control!" Yang retorted, her fingers moving to the base of her ears, where they met her scalp. They also moved to where they ached the most.

She wasn't aware of her purring till Yang laughed. "Are you purring?"

"No." Blake replied, her face colouring. "Keep quiet."

"Right…" Yang grinned, and Blake flinched back with the gentle flick against her Faunus ears.

"Alright. That's it." She scowled, shuffling away, ignoring the tiny aches in her back. "No more for you."

"But Blakey!" Yang whined, not one to be deterred. "Come on, please? I promise I won't do it again."

"No." Blake shook her head, inwardly smiling. Her hand reached out for the book she normally kept on her bookcase, closest to her, but when she patted the surface, she frowned. "Where's my book?"

"The one you were just reading?" Yang pulled back, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly. "I may have borrowed it."

Blake merely let her scrunched face ask her question for her, and Yang waved her arms wildly, a nervous laugh floating from her lips. "I know, I know. You don't like people messing with your books, but I was kinda interested." She grinned. "You smile more while reading this book than you have with that 'Ninjas of Love'-" She was shut up with a pillow to the face, Blake blushing furiously.

"That book doesn't exist." Blake stated firmly, getting up to fish around on her partner's bed- it was the only logical conclusion as to its whereabouts, considering the amount of time Yang spent on it.

But as she got up, a spiking pain jolted up her spine, making her wince as she fell back heavily, her ears flattening. In a heartbeat, Yang was there, placing her hand gently on the small of her back.

"Where does it hurt?" Her breath grazed the shell of Blake's ears, her Faunus ones twitching slightly at the feel of yellow hair tickling them.

"Nowhere." Blake said through gritted teeth, wishing Yang would pull away so that she could massage the spot herself.

"Don't lie to me." Her voice is stern, but gentle. "Tell me. Here?" Her palm pressed slightly where it was.

"A bit to the left."

"Here?" Blake arched, her eyes squeezing shut as she nodded. The matron had warned her of the aches- unfortunately, the scars would continue to do so sometimes, in times of humidity and cold. But Blake refused to allow them to become a problem, she told herself. After a week or so of her aura continuing to work its miracle, they wouldn't hurt at all.

Suddenly, a warmth was where Yang's hand was, soothing the ache like a hot water bottle, and Blake gasped, relaxing as the pain radiated away.

They fell into silence as Yang hummed lightly, her hand lingering where it was for a bit longer, before moving across her back, warming every scar. Blake's heart was thudding in her ears, but the sensation was so good, she didn't move away.

"I can feel you smirking." She finally said, amusement slipping into her tone even despite herself.

Yang just giggles, her humming increasing as she adds a second hand, her fingers gently kneading, moving behind Blake. She doesn't even notice the thighs straddling her- she's too busy trying not to moan.

It takes her a while, but she finally asks, the question nagging her despite her protests that it was probably strange. "What are you humming?"

"It's just a lullaby." Yang's hands still for just a moment. "When Ruby couldn't sleep, I'd hum it for her. I think my mom used to sing it for us, but I could never remember the lyrics."

"Oh." Blake breathed, herself on the precipice of sleep once more. She was beginning to hate her body's constant need for sleep- she was used to being busy during the day. This constant inactivity was going to throw her to being out of shape.

Still, she was too content under Yang's ministrations, so much so that she didn't realise she'd drifted off in her partner's embrace.

For her part, Yang let her sleep, gently moving so that the Faunus could at least lie down properly, her head in her lap. She never let up on the lullaby, keeping her hands warmed just slightly with her aura as she continued to massage one over Blake's back, the other scratching the sleeping girl around her cat ears.

(She pressed a kiss at the top of her head, just at the hairline.)

(Murmured a little, soon.)

And when Ruby burst into the room, in an absolute panic because Blake was missing, dragging a much more composed Weiss behind her, Yang shushed them both and shooed them away, her back against the wall, dozing off herself the minute the door shut.

Neither dreamed.