Voices - Chapter 5: I Burn

Weiss and Ruby crouched in the shadows across the street from the warehouse Blake had indicated. They were armed with their respective weaponry and prepared to back their teammate up, as soon as they got the signal.

Whatever that might be.

"Does it not bother you that we don't even know what we're supposed to be listening for?" the heiress whispered irritably.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders under her ever-present red cloak. "Not necessarily. I trust Blake, and I trust Yang. They won't lead us wrong."

Weiss let out a soft sigh, resting a small hand on the brunette's arm. "And how are you doing with that part of it?"

In response, Ruby shot her a small grin over her shoulder. "I'm dealing with it, honest. It's getting easier, even when she calls me… you know."

"I don't think she really knows when she does that."

"No, I don't either, might just be that they're, um… merging? Or something?" Ruby shook her head marginally, her gaze once more riveted on the structure that supposedly held numerous White Fang soldiers. "I don't really get it all. It's enough for me that Yang's still… in there, in Blakey's head. So she's not completely gone. And that helps, a lot."

The white-haired girl leaned forward to wrap her arms around the other girl in a quick hug from behind. "You know I'm here for you to talk to if you need me, correct?"

Ruby blushed lightly, but gripped her hand before she withdrew. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Weiss."

The pair of huntresses-in-training perked up as movement at the back of the warehouse caught their attention. "What was that?" Weiss murmured.

"Looked like… I dunno, a figure? Think it was Blake?"

"Well, I suppose we could give it a few more-"

Weiss snapped her mouth shut with an audible click as a loud explosion tore through the rear wall of the structure, illuminating the dark street with flickering flames.

"I think that blonde oaf has become a bad influence on Blake," the heiress grumbled.

Ruby snickered softly, rising up from her crouch. "Well, if nothing else, I think we can safely say that was our signal to move in."

The pair sped off across the street, approaching the front doors which should have been lightly guarded by that point, if at all. Ruby levelled Crescent Rose at the portal and cut loose with several shots, breaking down the lock enough that they could kick it open.

Just inside, three white-uniformed and masked grunts spun around in surprise, only to be hurled into the far wall by a white glyph.

"Nice toss, sweetie!" Ruby grinned.

"Why thank you, dear," Weiss replied calmly, striding through with Myrtenaster held at the ready.

They cautiously moved through the front of the warehouse, taking out what White Fang troops they came across, though their opposition was scattered and disorganized.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Weiss asked curiously. "I mean, it doesn't seem like a main headquarters…"

"Oh, it is," a low and deadly voice intoned from the darkness. "Or at least, it was. And I think you both will have to pay for the damages."

Ruby sucked in a quick breath as she stepped back alongside Weiss, weapon held at the ready. A tall, angular figure stepped into the light, black-suited and auburn-haired but with a fancier Grimm mask than most of the regular White Fang grunts. He held a crimson-bladed sword in one hand, while the other clutched the sheath.

"Ruby," her white-haired partner murmured. "This is bad, we aren't supposed to be taking him on alone…"

The brunette, however, was staring hard at the man, a fierce scowl on her normally pleasant face. "You killed my sister," she growled quietly.

The man gave a low chuckle. "I've killed many humans, little girl. But it would seem I get to kill another pair tonight, and one of them a Schnee. How… marvelous. This just might make the disruption of my activities here worthwhile." He grinned widely, teeth glinting dully in the dim lighting. "Please tell me you're going to try and fight. It will make this all the more pleasurable."

"Oh, I'm going to fight you, alright," Ruby snarled, whipping her scythe behind her and firing off a shot to assist in her speed semblance. She flew in like a red tornado, but managed to alter her course at the last millisecond to avoid the dextrous swing of his sword. As it was, it passed so close to her hair that she could see several strands severed from her bangs float past.

Unfortunately, in altering her course it left her exposed as she came to a halt, whirling around with her scythe extended. She was unprepared for the gunshot that caught her in the stomach from the man's sheath, her aura barely blocking it but still sending her crashing backwards and into a shelf full of boxes.

"Ruby!"

The brunette looked up just in time to see the masked man charging in at her, sword already swinging down to strike…

Only to be intercepted by a slim rapier.

"Move!" Weiss barked, straining to hold the red blade back.

Ruby leapt back to her feet, but as soon as she did Weiss slammed into her, having received a brutal kick into her side. The pair of them went tumbling down together in a heap.

"Is that the best you can do?" the man laughed cruelly, stalking forward as the partners scrambled back to their feet. Weiss was now holding her side tenderly, while Ruby had an arm wrapped around her stomach which was aching something fierce.

Ruby flipped her weapon around, turning it into a gun to send several shots out that he easily intercepted with a twirl of his blade. Weiss plunged her sword into the ground, sending ice spikes hurling at him, but they proved to be just as ineffectual as the rest of their attacks. He simply sidestepped the worst of the onslaught and swiped his weapon across to dissipate the rest.

"I tire of this already," he sighed, almost sounding disappointed. "Time to deal with you for good."

Ruby and Weiss shared a worried glance. They were so very far below his skillset it was almost laughable, and their position looked to be dubious at best.

But then a low growl came from behind the man, a single word spoken with such hatred that it sent chills through the girls' spines.

"Adam."

The man spun around, his sword at the ready as he stepped back.

"Darling," he chuckled darkly. "So good of you to… join… us…"

Adam's initial joviality trailed off into a murmur as he watched Blake approach. Ruby and Weiss, now able to see their teammate as well, let out soft gasps of surprise.

The Cat Faunus was wreathed in ebony flames that danced around her shoulders and arms, illuminating her from behind in a dark glow that made her hair drift about on unseen currents. Her hair itself seemed to be on fire, a burning darkness that licked about like a thing alive.

But most remarkable of all were her eyes, no longer their customary amber.

They were glowing a bright crimson.

"Yang," the brunette whispered softly in awe.

Blake grinned ferally as she stalked towards the masked man, Gambol Shroud held to the side in its katana form. "This ends now," she murmured, the sound a promise of violence to come.

"Oh, it certainly will," Adam smirked, his confidence returned. With a lightning flash of red, his sword whipped across to catch her unaware.

Only she'd already moved to intercept, and blocked the strike effortlessly.

Adam backed up, his sword extended in front of him. "How…?" he breathed, shocked at the strength of the girl who'd been so clearly his inferior.

"I got a little help," Blake chuckled. "Someone who dearly wants to give you a message from the grave… and I'm inclined to let her."

Reflexively, Weiss flicked a black glyph into existence under Blake's feet, speeding up her reflexes and attack speed. The Cat Faunus didn't even glance down, but her grin widened anticipatorily.

With that, the raven-haired girl launched herself onto the offensive. Her strikes were a blur as she twirled in, a blend of her customary lithe maneuvers with the power of Yang's blunt offense and Weiss' speed boost. She flipped about, leaving numerous shadow clones in her wake as she drifted from attack to attack. Adam desperately went onto the defensive, using both sword and sheath to deflect what he could, but the sheer power behind the strikes staggered him across the room.

With another spin, her hair trailing behind her in black flames, Blake slashed her weapon across in an overwhelming attack that shattered Adam's weapon. She completed the spin and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying through the concrete wall and into the next room.

Her visage relentless, Blake sheathed her weapon on her back and strode forward, disappearing through the hole. Soon thereafter, Adam came sailing back out again, clutching at his chest painfully as if cradling several broken ribs as he rolled across the floor.

Weiss and Ruby were agape at the unprecedented power Blake was displaying, but once she reappeared to push Adam up against the wall, drawing her sword back out again, the team leader managed to shake off her lethargy.

"Blake, no!" the diminutive brunette shouted anxiously. She stepped forward as Blake paused, her blade to the man's throat.

"You can't kill him, Blake," Ruby insisted quietly now that she'd gotten her friend's attention. "You know that's not what we're about, what we stand for."

Blake glanced over her shoulder with a smirk that was more reflective of a certain blonde brawler than anything. "You're right, Rubes. As is Yang, his life isn't mine to take." She turned her gaze back to her former mentor, the smirk widening. With a quick thrust, she drove her blade into his shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

"Stay there," she barked over his anguished howl.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief as Blake walked over, the black flames beginning to die down as her eyes once again took on the familiar amber hue. "Are you alright?" the Cat Faunus murmured.

"Are we alright?" Weiss exclaimed, stepping up next to Ruby. "What was that? What was… that?"

Blake chuckled somewhat self-consciously. "Er, yes… well, as it turns out… Yang's semblance managed to merge with mine as well."

The brunette team leader just shook her head and gathered Blake into a tight hug. "Thanks, Blakey."

"Anytime, Rubes," the raven-haired girl murmured. She snaked out an arm to pull Weiss in as well. "You too, Princess."

"I do not miss this at all," the heiress huffed at the smothering embrace, but still wrapped her arms around her teammates gratefully.

Sirens sounded in the distance as the authorities approached, but the three girls ignored them as they maintained their clinging stance, feeling like a whole team once more.

o o o

Blake entered the restaurant, smoothing down her slinky black dress as she patiently waited in line for seating. Once it was her turn, she politely requested a table for one, but that they leave the second place setting alone.

It was a Faunus-friendly establishment, and one she'd been to before, the wait staff both friendly and accommodating, so she felt very much at ease as she slid into her chair and waited for a server to arrive.

This has got to be the oddest date I've ever been on.

*You and me both, kitten. Pity I can't really taste anything.*

Give it time, Yang. You can feel what I do, physically, is it too much to hope for that you might one day gain my other senses?

*Huh, didn't think of it that way… I mean, it's already really cool getting to see through your eyes, wonder what it would be like to smell… Hey, do you taste stuff differently too? I mean, like, more intensely?*

I do, yes. Depends on the food.

*Nice.*

A pleasant Deer Faunus walked up to take her order then. She passed along her request for her favorite seafood dish, along with a glass of wine, and the waitress promised to be back soon with some bread rolls.

So once you can taste what I do, we can actually split a meal. You know, fish and fries, that sort of thing.

*Don't suppose I could convince you to try a burger or steak?*

Ugh… fine, for you, yes.

*You're such a sweetie.*

Blake smiled to herself, and then directed it at her waitress as she brought her rolls and her wine.

Well, Yang, here's to us, she thought as she lifted the glass to her lips. Hope you don't get tired of me anytime soon.

*You kidding me? How could I ever?*

You say that now. Just wait until I hit my time of the month.

*Ha, you don't scare me.*

Is that a challenge? she smirked as she tore a piece of bread off and popped it into her mouth.

Yang's merry laughter rang through her head, widening the grin on her face. She no longer cared anymore what people thought of her as she carried on internal conversations with the woman inside her head. It was becoming more and more natural to do so, and she wondered when the time would come that she'd hardly remember a time when Yang wasn't in her head.

*Already planning on taking me for granted, hmm?*

Never.

*Goodie. So, after dinner, you wanna maybe… curl up and read a nice book?*

That sounds lovely.

*Maybe one of those Ninja of Love ones?*

...Perhaps.

*And then, maybe you, me, and your fingers can have a little fun together?*

Yang… Blake buried her face in her wine glass, blushing brightly as Yang's giggling filled her head. You are a very bad girl.

*Never suggested otherwise. And that wasn't a 'no', either.*

...We'll see.

*Oh, yeah!* the blonde in her head exclaimed merrily. *Even dead, I still got it!*

Blake couldn't help but snicker softly to herself as she put her head down on the table.

I love you Yang, even if you're the strangest girlfriend a girl could ask for.

*I love you too, kitten.*

A/N: Badass Blake is badass and feisty Yang is feisty. So that wraps up this little tale, hope if nothing else it was a different experience for you. It certainly was one for me to write.

Many thanks for reading this, as well as the favorites, follows, and reviews! Please do check out my other offerings if you haven't had the chance, most of my RWBY materiel is considerably fluffier (most, but not all).

FelipeCH98: I figure between Blake's natural agility, Yang's semblance-assisted strength, and Weiss' glyph, it gave her the edge to overwhelm Adam. Might seem a little OOC, but he's not immortal. Just edgy.

AndyH: Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed the run!

406671354: I don't think there'd be a danger of Yang being absorbed, yes their traits have begun to rub off on each other but they remain distinct personalities. But I'm glad you liked the story!

growlscout: Indeed, I had fun with the more mature leader Ruby, though it was a sucky way to gain such maturity. So very happy you considered my little experiment to be a success! Hope you still feel the same way after this last chapter!

Wolfenheart: Nah, I threw in enough Yangst at the start, I think they deserve a happy ending.

Stay shiny!