"Yang-"

The blonde shook her head for what felt like the millionth time that night. It seemed that every couple of minutes, her little sister calling her name would sound off in her head, making Yang relive her leaving Ruby behind all over again. Yang shrugged, annoyed at the situation she was in. Yang had lived her entire life being both the big sister and mother to Ruby. She understood that it would be them against the world but it wasn't always like that. Correction, it didn't always need to be like that. Sometimes, Yang wanted to pick herself, sometimes she wanted to party. Sometimes she wanted to see what the world had to offer. Could you blame her? She took a look around, noticing the intoxicated smiles, the knowing smirks, and the belligerent laughs. She leaned back into the couch she was sitting on, a ghost of a smile playing at her lips.

It wasn't Ruby's scene and Yang couldn't blame her for that, of course she didn't pressure Ruby into drinks and people. She knew how her sister could be, she knew that Ruby wouldn't ever want to put herself out there for Yang. Yang didn't want to change her sister, she only wanted to be sure she was living the life she actually wanted. But, that wasn't why Yang was upset. Ruby was coddled, afraid to venture out on her own unless family was there, and even then that was a nightmare in terms of difficulty. Yang was twenty! She couldn't have her little sister still following her around everywhere. Still, even though she liked to party, Yang hadn't even had a sip of her drink tonight. This was messing with her head too much.

"Yang-"

Yang sighed slowly, her eyebrows crinkling in wards, causing an intense wrinkle to show. She loved Ruby, more than anything and anyone in the world. But she wanted to be selfish too. She deserved that much. These were her selfish years! She would only be twenty once. From here on out, it was school and studying, graduating and career time. When was she expected to have time for herself? Make mistakes for herself? Just to learn who she was for herself? Yang closed her lilac eyes, already sensing it coming.

"Yang-"

So… with all of that, why did she feel so guilty? Why did she have such a nagging urge to go to her sister right now? It was so simple and it was so easy. Just get up, leave, and be with her sister for this night. Ruby loved Yang and Yang loved Ruby, a simple set of apologies, a classic comedy, and a tub of ice cream could make both of the sisters happy for tonight. It wasn't as if this party was one of a kind, she could find the same crowd again here next week.

"Yang-"

Yang opened her eyes, set on her plan now. She would just go be with her baby sister. If she were honest, it was one of the only places she could just be. She knew Ruby loved and adored her, willing to do anything for her. And yet, Yang took it for granted. Not anymore.

Yang stood up from the worn in couch, grabbing her jacket that she had been sitting on. She looked around seeing mobs of people dancing, drinking, and taking questionable substances. The volume was so high, that the music playing was shaking the walls in rhythmic vibrations instead of the music it was supposed to be. She took a couple of steps, maneuvering her way past people that were clearly already wasted.

"Yang!"

The voice made Yang stop, because this one wasn't in her head, it was in person. She turned around, looking to see where the possible voice could've came from. Next to her was a couple making out, a little ways down was a group dancing, and then she just saw the shifting of bodies moving around trying to navigate the crowd. Yang squinted into the line, not seeing anyone distinguishable in the crowd that could've called out her name. She was about to turn back around until she heard the-

"Up here!"

It took Yang all of a second to realize where the voice came from this time, with a smirk, she looked up at the guy she knew would be there. It turned out, he was smirking back and hanging upside down from one of the many horizontal poles he specifically set up in the house for himself. His strong tail made it easy for him to hang and, with him being the host, even easier to get around when throwing banging parties with tons of guests that constantly needed supervision.

Sun Wukong was every girl's dream guy. A winning smile, an upbeat attitude, abs, charisma, blue eyes, abs, a gaggle of hot friends, and, well, abs. He did a quick flip with his tail that propelled him on his feet, landing carefully in front of Yang. His blond hair bounced with him as he caught his balance and his smirk never left his face. Yang noticed that, as usual, he wore a buttoned shirt that was oh so conveniently left unbuttoned so everyone could see his toned abs on display. Yang had to admit, Sun knew how to play his features.

Not to mention, Yang had met Sun at one of his parties when they were both freshmen in college. Yang recalled the memory fondly, remembering how nervous she was getting dressed, how nervous she was walking in, and how nervous she was when Sun first introduced himself. By no means was Yang shy, but he was what brought her into the world of being social, of being daring. She also remembered how Sun got completely wasted and tried to make out with her that night.

Of course, nothing ever came out of it. All Yang did was politely tell him to back off or he'd be missing a very important part of him when he woke up the next morning. That statement being given with a pure smile was enough to sober Sun up a little to not try again with that. Instead, he struck up a conversation. Funny enough, when the night ended, he invited her back the next weekend for a party. He ended up being Yang's first really good friend in college, even when he did drop out to pursue his own dreams. Oh how the times did change.

"Yang Xiao Long," he smirked, "Leaving without saying bye? Isn't that, like, punishable by three shots or something?"

Yang smiled, knowing him, but quickly lost her humor by remembering her poor sister," I'm sorry, Sun, I just-"

"Ah ah ah!" He pushed a finger to her lips, effectively silencing her, "No down feelings at my party. We forget about problems here. What do I always say?"

Yang leaned her head back to get away from his finger and mockingly took up Sun's tone, "That's future us's problem."

His smirk somehow got bigger, "Oh how right you are." From literally nowhere, Sun placed a drink in Yang's hand before she could even fight it.

"Sun, I can't-"

"Op op op," Sun cut her off again, it was a wonder how Yang hadn't punched him yet, "Let me talk first and then you second. Because I can guarantee what is bringing you down can be fixed by what I'm about to say."

Yang raised a single eyebrow, granting Sun to speak. She had known him for a couple of years now and if he said drinks or anything of the like, she'd respectfully decline and continue on her way out. For now though, she humored him.

He placed his arm around Yang's shoulders, turning her to see the room before them. He pointed her in a direction that Yang followed, her eyes widening at the sight. What she saw was enough to get her heart thumping. She saw two girls, rather close to one another with each one taking leisurely sips of their drinks in their hands. One had long black hair, topped with a black bow on her head. Her body was lean and pale, some of her muscles clenched as she held the drink in her hand. Yang's eyes drifted down her body, noticing how her white shirt cut off to reveal her flat stomach. Before Yang's eyes would descend any further, she shook her head and forced herself to look up to the girl's face. She had bright eyes that seemed to be alert to every little thing, since Yang saw her scan the room every couple of seconds, almost as if she was expecting somebody to show up at any time now. Yang turned her head to the other girl she was standing next to. A girl of slightly smaller height with equally as long brown hair and her eyes fully on the black haired girl, her mouth moving as she spoke to her. Even from here, Yang could tell her eyes were sloshed over and her words were rushed, still it seemed the black haired beauty understood her. Yang had been to plenty of parties, had met plenty of people but this duo had her nearly drooling from the sheer amount of gorgeous coming off of them.

"Pretty, beautiful girls," Sun laughed in her ears, bringing Yang back to reality, "Ripe for the taking. And I can be your wingman/"

Yang gulped… did she mention that she was a lesbian?

"Blake, don't worry. He won't show up, I promise," the brown haired girl calmly said, putting a careful hand on the raven-haired girl's arm. She relished how soft Blake felt under her fingers, but quickly drew her hand back to avoid any suspicion. She turned around and picked up two cups of punch from the table before walking with Blake to a spot where they could relax and drink.

"I know," the girl named Blake sighed, taking the cup Ilia offered, "He'd never risk his image by coming here."

"Then what do you have to worry about?" Her companion questioned through confused eyes. Blake looked at her friend, Ilia, and wondered the same thing. To put it simply, she had a lot to worry about but right in this moment? Nothing. She had nothing to worry about while they were in this house.

Blake gave her friend a small smile, "Ilia, thank you."

Ilia positively beamed at the praise given to her by her friend. For as long as she had known Blake, she had always looked up to her. She learned her likes and dislikes, learned her as a person, she was there whenever Blake needed her. It was perfect, it was like they were sisters.

Ilia couldn't help the awkward dip her face made at the thought, though she was thankful that Blake was too busy downing some of her drink to notice the sudden change. Still, it was ever present in her mind. Ilia took several big mouthfuls of the trashcan punch in her cup, almost chugging the cup entirely. She felt her face contort as she swallowed it down, the alcohol burning her throat on its way down. Still, she knew it would be worth it eventually. She was waiting for the explosion of warmth in her stomach to begin her night. Maybe if she could get Blake drunk too…

"Something on your mind?" Blake asked attentively, completely focused on Ilia as her face flushed. Blake and Ilia were never ones to be sloppy so why was she all of a sudden was she ready for a refill within two minutes of getting their drinks?

Ilia shook her head, a small smile, "Nope, just want you to have a good time. Want anything else to drink?"

Normally, Blake would say no and continue sipping on her drink until she was ready. But she was already here at a big party, surrounded by music, with her best girl friend. Did she want anything drink?

"Hell yeah," Blake said, her current drink going into her mouth in seconds so that way she could have her hands free for whatever else Ilia concocted with her. For this one night, she wouldn't worry about her current problems. For this one night, she wouldn't worry about the repercussions. For this one night, she was going to party with these people and have a good night with her friend Ilia. She deserved that much, especially after what she endured today.

…

"Didn't I say not to speak to him?!" The bull screamed at Blake, his red hair nearly glowing from the amount of anger he was emitting. Normally, Blake was never on the end of Adam's verbal abuse, but it wasn't like it happened all the time. Especially something so trivial like…

"Speaking to a HUMAN?" He bellowed, an angry snarl planted firm on his face. He was mere inches away from Blake, screaming at her. Blake looked at him with wide eyes, wondering if it was truly that serious. What line did she cross by talking to the politician?

"Adam, when someone introduces themselves to me and offers to shake my hand, I return the favor," Blake defended, "I don't understand why you're so upset."

"Blake," Adam huffed, regaining his composure and taking a small step back, "He is my competition. He is anti-Faunus. I'm trying to pave the way for our kind so that way…" He trailed off, giving himself dramatic effect that Blake fell for every. Single. Time.

"… so that way our kids, and their kids, and the kids after that never have to grow up the way that we do." He tested the waters by carefully putting his arm out to Blake, who eyed him carefully but granted his request. He put his hand on her cheek, caressing it carefully with his thumb, "I'm not mad at you."

"I know you aren't," Blake melted against his touch, "But you need to calm down about these things. What would happen if someone saw you like this? Your supporters could leave."

Adam grew a cocky grin, "They would never leave, just like you won't. You're too important to me to lose, Blake, do you realize that?"

Blake grew a smile, completely smitten by the words the bull was feeding her, "Adam, I lo-"

"The Belladonna name supporting me? That means the world! Everyone who followed your father will be bound by loyalty to follow me." Adam sneered at nobody, drawing his hand away from Blake's face. He clasped his hands together, "All I need to win is to keep up the tide of revolution. Promote equality by any means necessary."

"Adam, -"

"Not now, Blake," Adam sprouted off, continuing to mumble to himself about his future plans. Blake felt her fists balling up, shaking in anger that was quickly building. She could forgive him for a lot of things. She had forgiven him for a lot of things. But this? This confession could not be excused.

"Is that all that I'm worth to you? My name?" Blake yelled, interrupting the bull from his thoughts as his arms fell to his sides. She felt her anger course through her body and mesh with her soul. There were few things in this world she was passionate about. Her name was one of them. Her father had fought hard to earn the respect of others. Spent years grueling from the laughs and mockeries humans made of him. Yet her father stood to be somebody different than the animal people believed Faunus to be. She was not going to give his hard work over to Adam, not now not ever. She met his eyes viciously, her anger radiating from nearly dilated pupils. He looked at her, his eyes firm on her with no sense of remorse in them.

"Blake, you mean everything to me," Adam corrected smoothly, his face softening and his arms opening as he stepped in her direction. Blake took a step back, her eyes pressed in anger.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me." She threatened, retreating in the direction out of the room, "In fact, don't follow me. Don't contact me. I don't want to see you anymore."

"Blake, you're being unreasonable-"

"DON'T say that. This hasn't been the first time you've used my name to leap forward. Don't forget where you started, Adam, an orphan with no place to go. But I'm sick of holding your pedestal up any longer and you can't stop me from leaving." Blake turned her back to him, she was standing directly in front of the door. If she walked out now…

"Blake!" He roared, taking a strong step forward.

Blake stopped, her hand on the doorknob as she looked back at the man who she had grown up with. He helped her for so long, or so she thought, but it dawned on her that they were never in love. She was his pawn in the grand scheme of things.

"Adam, when was the last time you took me out when it wasn't a rally? When was the last time you made love to me? When was the last time you truly checked up on me? Because I'm truly lost on those answers. But," she paused, looking him right in the eyes, "I can tell you when we last fought, when we cheered for you at rallies, when I did things for you. I'm done with being used by you."

With that, Blake opened the door and slammed the door behind her and ran to her car, ignoring the calls that Adam was making to her from the door and eventually her scroll. She quickly blocked his number and scrolled until she found the one person who could take her in tonight. It rang for a few seconds before the voice answered.

"Hey, Blake, what's up?"

"Ilia," Blake said as kindly as she could through her clenched teeth, her eyes threatening to pour over from the tears that accumulated, "Happen to know of any good times tonight?"

…

By the time that Blake had thought of what led her to tonight, she had had about two more full cups of the punch as well as whatever shots were being poured. Though she was starting to feel flushed and she felt herself becoming more open to dancing in front of all these strangers, she knew that Ilia was going through cups like nobody's business. She had easily had what Blake had in these past couple of minutes and then some. Blake smiled awkwardly, wanting her friend to have a good time but also wanting her to be safe.

"Ilia, how are you feeling?" Blake said, noticing the confusion in her friend's face as she was trying to decipher what Blake was saying. Blake frowned, noticing that it did seem like it got louder in here. She leaned in closer to Ilia's ears, raising her voice so that way her friend could understand her and repeated.

"Freaking awesome," she smiled, her eyes bouncing around in her head as she focused on Blake, "This is some good stuff."

"Well, try not to overdo it," Blake chuckled, before briefly looking through her peripheral to see two figures walking towards her. Her curiosity killed her and she turned her head, seeing a rather confident blond man and a blonde girl headed straight for them. She risked a look back at Ilia who was still drinking and sighed, knowing she would be the main person to respond.

She watched the yellow haired duo approach, with the man keeping his ever-persistent smile firm on his face, Blake had to admit, it did ease her mood a little and she even returned it in a much smaller form.

Sun flung his hand out eagerly once he was close enough, "Hey there, newcomers, how are you tonight?"

Blake accepted his hand, "Amazing. How'd you know we were new?"

Sun looked over at Yang, who gave him a playful eye roll, "Well, two reasons. One, I'm the host of the grand outing so I know the list I sent out and two… I'd remember pretty girls like yourselves."

Blake felt a chill rush down her spine, like she was doing something wrong, but she pushed through. She knew that she had to push Adam away, but shouldn't she have some respect? It's not even as bad as you're making it, you're at a party full of young adults, what did you expect? She mentally scolded herself. She looked the man up and down, not failing to notice his open shirt before glancing at the girl next to him. She willed confidence to course through her veins before smiling warmly at the strangers, "My name is Blake, and my friend over here," nodding over to Ilia, who was still drinking, "is Ilia. You guys have names?" Blake played around, letting her liquid confidence show.

"Sun," he smiled brilliantly and then jerked his thumb over to the girl next to him, "and this is Yang."

"Siblings?" Blake questioned, trying to figure out their relation.

The blond pair looked at each other watching each other's cheeks fill up with air before bursting out into hysterics, with Sun nearly bent over from his loud laughter. Blake watched as the two laughed loud, slapping each other on the back as if it were the funniest statement to ever exist. Blake guessed they weren't siblings. She smiled as the pair continued their mirth, but she noticed how the girl, Yang, kept making solid eye contact with her. Blake brushed it off.

After a full minute later, their hysterics began to quell, with Sun wiping a small tear from his eye. "Hoo, you sure got us there. Keep forgetting you guys are new," he smiled, "Yang's one of my best friends, she's typically here when I DJ."

Blake raised an eyebrow, "You DJ?"

Sun felt Yang's fingers on his back, pinching him before he went on a stream of gushing over his love of music. Yang admired the guy's passion and all, but didn't he promise to be her wingman?

Sun laughed, feeling his reminder to not overdo it through his shirt, "Sure do, but a story for another time. Let me make my rounds real quick and I'll come back with some more drinks. Yang will take good care of you while I'm gone."

With that, he left, giving Yang a thumbs up before he went missing in the crowd, some already calling his name.

"So, uh," Yang began, combatting the silence that Sun left in his wake, trying to be as smooth as he is was challenging, "What brings you and Ilia here tonight?"

Stupid fights.

"Oh," Blake smiled, checking up on Ilia, who was listening in to the conversation, "Just needed a good night out."

"Well, you came to the right place. Wanna have a seat while we wait for the drinks?"

"Sure-"

"I'm gonna go to the hic-bathroom, Blake, I'll see you in a hic-bit," Ilia sludged, turning her back on the pair left behind. Blake turned her head away from Yang, concern decorating her features.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Blake asked, Yang already feeling her good time fading as her face fell.

"Nuh uh, I won't be long."

Annnnnnnnd good time is back.

Yang picked her smile back up and led Blake to the couch she had left earlier, surprised at the fact that it was still open. Hey, everything was going good so far. She figured it was a gift from the cosmos for all that crappy things that had happened tonight.

"So what brings you here?" Blake started the conversation again, intent on watching her new friend. The girl was mid-sip, which made Blake feel momentarily bad for speaking in that second. She didn't really have a lot to offer to the stranger, but she seemed nice enough, so why not act on it? It also helped that Blake had a lot to drink.

Yang, on the other hand, was just hit in the face with crippling guilt as she remembered why she was here. She had fallen for Sun's plan and was now in the presence of a beautiful girl that she had no intention of leaving. It did well in distracting her for past few minutes but she was now hit with the memory of her darling sister left behind. She was truly the worst.

Yang shrugged it off, "Like Sun says, I like to support him when he plays his music since he's the one that got me into this scene to begin with. It's a great to meet new people and unwind from the week." And leaned back into the couch, her hands resting behind her head as she took a small sigh to emphasize her relaxation.

Blake smiled warmly, her own body following suit after Yang's as she rested into the couch.

"You gotta boyfriend?"

Blake opened her eyes, which she didn't know were shut, as she was taken back by the question. She looked to Yang who looked back at her expectantly.

"Excuse me?" Blake rattled off.

Yang seemed to not notice the higher shrillness in Blake's voice as she repeated her question, "Boyfriend? Also can be known as boy toy, your man, your partner. Maybe even a girlfriend?"

Blake mulled it over quickly, knowing that Yang was just making conversation. She just hadn't known that it was going to take this turn so quickly.

"N-no," Blake carefully confessed, "I'm… recently out of a relationship."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Blake," Yang said, her hand moving to rest on Blake's shoulders. Blake averted her eyes carefully as she felt the hand on her shoulder tighten in strength. Yang meant no ill will, Blake knew that, but with the recent events, it stung nonetheless. Blake felt Yang's hand move from her shoulder and instead it came to a careful rest under her chin. Yang moved Blake's chin to meet her face, giving Blake such a genuine smile.

"You're going to be okay," Yang said, her eyes shining as they stared into Blake's eyes, "I promise."

Blake didn't know why a stranger was promising her things. She didn't know what good it would do for her situation in reality. Blake bit her lip, if these things were true then why did it feel so good to hear? She looked at Yang, who was still giving her that gentle smile, and felt herself be daring for once in her life.

Blake's body moved forward on its own will, wanting to be closer to the current comfort of her life. She had to admit, she was a sucker for the smiles. Adam had rarely ever smiled anymore and to still see such happiness in the world? To see it grace the face of someone? It was the most rare treat of all. Blake carefully licked her lips, she didn't care if Yang was a girl, she wanted to savor the taste.

Yang saw Blake carefully closing the gap between them and smirked in her mind as she began her own journey forward. As much as Blake was visually appealing, she did know that breakups sucked and sometimes a stranger was all that you needed. Yang knew she didn't want anything serious, so she was down for being the rebound. She was used to that.

Suddenly, Blake froze, feeling a sudden bugging vibration against her. It brought her back to reality, realizing that she was mere inches from Yang, who stopped advancing when she had. Blake offered her a quick smile before pulling out her scroll. Her heart pounded for one second, realizing that it wasn't Adam but Ilia who had messaged her.

Meet me in the bathrom pls

Blake straightened up, quickly responding, Be right there.

She gave the concerned blonde a sad smile, already moving her legs to stand up.

"Everything okay?" Yang asked, her face scrunching together as if something important had happened. Blake smiled to the girl once more, it was so easy when she let loose a little, and nodded.

"Ilia needs me in the bathroom, she has had a bit more to drink than she should've," Blake chuckled one she rose to her full height, "I'll bring her back."

"Want me to come with you?" Yang offered, already straightening her body out to rise with Blake.

"No, don't worry about it, save those seats."

With that, Blake turned her back on the girl and walked, giving Yang a view that made her wish that Blake would turn around sooner. Knowing that Yang was looking, Blake swung herself a little more loosely. Blake chuckled to herself, already feeling the heat of Yang's embarrassment from looking warm her. Yang watched until Blake was completely out of sight and then she leaned back, her arms going behind her head again and a small smile decorating her face.

Why was she upset again?

Soon, Blake made it to the front of the closed wooden door that was engraved 'bathroom' on it. Other doors engraved other things such as 'bedroom' and 'closet' and Blake raised a curious eyebrow. How many parties did Sun have to warrant such labels?

She shook her head, remembering her task at hand and knocked on the door in front of her. "Ilia?" Blake spoke loudly, her rattling of the door becoming quicker and louder the more time had passed without answer, "Ilia!" she called louder.

Before she could open her mouth again, the door opened and pulled Blake in, shutting again without a moment's notice. Blake blinked and suddenly found herself pressed against the door, Ilia's hungry dull eyes staring into her, her tongue licking her lips.

"I-Ilia," Blake stuttered as Ilia found herself leaning closer to her. Blake heard a sniff as Ilia brought her nose closer to Blake's body, as if relishing the smell Blake was radiating.

"Blake," Ilia returned, a sly smile on her face as she spoke the black haired girl's name. She pushed herself again Blake, her body firmly on top of hers.

Blake tried her best to push herself back against the wooden door, trying to find space between her and her friend. Blake knew that Ilia played for the other team but… since when did she have a thing for Blake?

"Ilia, I don't-"

"Shhhhh sh sh," Ilia refuted, placing a heavy finger on Blake's lips, her surly smile growing, "You've got nothing to worry about anymore. He's gone."

Blake's eyes widened, her lips still being pressed on by Ilia. She knew she meant that she was free from Adam but that was not what Blake meant. She didn't want this. She didn't want Ilia near her like this, she never saw Ilia as this person and she never saw her in a romantic way. But, Blake realized, that Ilia had seen her this way. For all their time spent as friends, Blake replayed every close moment, every eye caught, and came to the conclusion the Ilia… wanted to be with her. With Adam being gone, this was the time to strike.

Or, at least, that's how Ilia's drunken mind thought.

Blake made eye contact with Ilia, who seemed to appreciate the notion and took it as acceptance, maybe even figuring it to be welcoming. Ilia removed her finger from Blake's lips, eagerly wanting to replace her finger for something much more passionate. Ilia leaned in, a mere small space separating her and-

"Ilia, NO."

With that Ilia stopped like a deer in the headlights, her body freezing from the sudden roar that escaped Blake's mouth. She remained still, her mind racing from the quick reality check bestowed upon her. She had waited so long for a moment with Blake, yearned for some sort of intimacy with her. With Adam out of the picture, this seemed like a good of a chance as any. But, if this was such a good chance, why was Blake looking at her like that? Why were there tears threatening to escape her eyes as she stared hard into Ilia? What had she done to Blake? Her friend?

She relinquished her hold on Blake, releasing her body and taking a step back. She turned, hoping that Blake would just leave her alone and in her thoughts. She wanted to be punished for this. She was to take Blake out for a good time, to comfort her in a time when she needed a friend the most. Not this. Anything but this.

Ilia felt a soft hand on her shoulder and she closed her eyes, pressing them together tightly in hopes that she didn't have to see Blake.

"Ilia, are you okay?" Blake asked tenderly, a careful squeeze given to her shoulder. Ilia couldn't believe the words that Ilia had uttered from her mouth. That after Ilia tried to forcefully kiss Blake, Blake was instead asking if Ilia was okay? Where did her selflessness end?

"You've had a lot to drink tonight, lets go home," Blake offered warmly, making Ilia feel even guiltier through her shut eyes. She didn't even have to open them to know that Blake was smiling her angelic smile. It was one of her most fine features and Ilia was undeserving of such treasures.

"I… leave me alone," Ilia whispered, shaking off Blake's hand, "Just leave me alone tonight." She turned quickly, running past Blake and opening the door she had just forced her friend against. Ilia sickened herself, which she used as fuel to push her body past the crowds of people blocking her from the exit.

"Ilia!" Blake yelled as she tried to keep up with her friend, who was gaining distance between Blake which each passing second. It wasn't until Blake felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist that she realized the chase occurring.

"Woah woah woah, what's going on?" A certain voice pierced into Blake's thoughts as she struggled through the arms. She looked back with a crazed look in her eyes, recognizing the person as Yang.

"Let me go! I need to get to Ilia!" Blake yelled ravenously, still pushing against Yang's arms, which tightened against Blake.

"Blake, you're not the most sober person here right now," Yang chided, but a concerned look graced her features, "Ilia isn't either. How about I help you go look?"

Blake relaxed herself against Yang, still looking at the door which Ilia had exited. Yang had a point, Blake was in no condition to be driving, she was in no condition to console Ilia. It seemed that Blake had to trust this stranger.

"Fine, but we need to go now," Blake said with a frown, finally feeling herself be released from Yang's strong arms. She turned back to see Yang waving around some keys off her finger with her every bright smile firm on her pure face.

"No problem," she said, grabbing Blake's hand to lead her out, "Sure hope you don't have problems with motorcycles."

Blake, though brimming with fear and worry for her friend, still found herself smiling at the blonde with energy that could make a child envious. She knew everything would be okay.

...

Everything was NOT okay. Blake's hopefulness had fallen considerably from the hours and hours of looking for Ilia. Even Yang was having a hard time keeping the atmosphere light hearted and upbeat, her own worries and fears becoming more apparent as she sped through the city on her bike.

Blake bit at her lip, her frustrations becoming more apparent as she replayed the night's events over and over again. Looking for any sort of fragment of information that could uncover where exactly Ilia was. Whether it was true or not, Blake found that she was responsible for her friend. By letting her run away drunk and repulsed by herself, she had pushed Ilia to an edge that she didn't know was there. Blake pushed herself tighter against Yang, cursing herself for her shortcomings.

"Hey, Blake," Yang's voice sounded, her bike's roaring engine quieting as she parked, "I… I don't know what else to do. We've looked everywhere and it's been hours."

Blake pushed herself up off of Yang, a dead look in her eye, "We keep looking."

Yang sighed, knowing this was coming, "Her scroll is off and we've been searching for hours. We need rest before we can find her. Odds are that she doesn't want to be found right now."

Blake cursed her Faunus friend's ability to camouflage herself to her environment. She could only be seen when she wanted to and it bugged Blake to no end that she probably knew where Blake was but chose to keep herself hidden out of pure shame of the night. Blake didn't care anymore, she just wanted her friend safe.

"Yang, please, just one more lap around-"

"You said that three laps ago," Yang fizzled, her tone frustrated at the situation, "Blake, let her figure herself out."

"What if she's alone?" Blake argued back, "She would never leave me alone, I can't just stop looking for her."

"She's drunk and she made a move on her best friend, you really think she wants to see you right now?" Yang reasoned, sliding her leg over and off from her bike and stretching from riding for so long.

Blake narrowed her eyes at the blonde still stretching, "I don't care-"

"I'm going to give you an offer," Yang smiled as she interrupted, her arms out front of her crossed as they gave an audible pop noise. She waited as the black haired girl looked her up and down, her eyes still squinting. Yang saw a small nod for her to continue, so she did.

"This is my place," Yang said, referring to the apartment complex behind her, "We just up here for a bit, sleep off some of the alcohol, and we hit the road again once we're up."

Blake huffed, "Yang, if you think I can rest-"

"Oh, I know you could, you just won't let yourself. But you have to realize that you'll be better at searching when you aren't rubbing your eyes constantly from exhaustion."

As if on queue, Blake raised her arm to rub her eye but fought the urge as she brought her arm back down, noticing Yang's winning grin on her face. Along with her grin though, she wore fatigue. Her eyes were bloodshot from riding her bike all night, the wind drying out her eyes heavily. Blake thought about how Yang had literally drove her around the entire city multiple times for her friend, how she didn't complain once. They made simple talk while they rode, but Yang didn't mention the close moment they had together earlier in the night. All she was asking for now was some rest.

Blake sighed, "You realize I've known this girl for years, right? She's my best friend?"

Yang nodded, "Which is why you should be in the best possible condition possible when you find her and not, well, this," she finished, referring to the mess that Blake looked. Blake raised an eyebrow and looked down to herself, being a passenger to Yang's driving was no joke but she withstood it. Still, the repercussions from the high speeds shown with her hair a tangled mess and her clothes wrinkled horribly. She was also sure that her own tiredness was seeping into her features, as her every movement now seemed slowed.

"Not that you don't look great," Yang inserted awkwardly after the few seconds of silence, "You just... y'know?"

Blake smiled softly, "I know."

Yang walked up to the girl, still sitting on the bike, and offered her arm, "I don't want you to stop, I want you to slow down."

The words resonated with Blake, like she had heard it before, in another life. She shook it off, still offering Yang her tight smile as she grabbed ahold of Yang's arm. Two different sides of her were fighting in Blake's mind, on one side was reason and on the other side was beliefs. She needed to find the balance if she were to be any good at all.

"Okay."

That was all it took. Blake held the girl's arm and followed as Yang led the way. Blake thought that, by now, she would be sick of following others around. But this seemed different. Yang gave her a whole new sense of comfort and it had only been a singular night. She didn't place her faith in the stranger, not yet, but she came pretty damn close to.

Blake yawned as she followed the pretty girl throughout her complex, her movements dragging on as she body fought the urge to knockout then and there. She swore she could feel Yang's smug smirk from behind her, which Blake mentally stuck her tongue out to.

Eventually, Blake found herself standing to the side of Yang who was placing the keys in until a click emitted. Blake swore there was no sweeter sound. Yang smiled and moved to the side, letting Blake in first.

"I live with my sister," Yang supplied, "You can take my room."

Blake blushed.

"I-I'll take the couch, I didn't mean like-"

Blake chuckled, following the girl's lead into the place. She took in the sights as various pieces of artwork on the wall. The cleanliness of the place was also great and it seemed there was a warm theme to the room. Blake appreciated it, having come from bare bones when it came to having a home.

She noticed how Yang grabbed the doorknob to one door, silently opening the door and ushering her in. Blake followed and, once again, took in the room. Warm colors once again decorated the room, several shades of yellows and oranges were in her bed sheets and curtains. It made her feel like she was living on the sun, just without the heat. She could clearly see where Yang gathered her energy.

Within the minute, Yang approached her with clothes in hand and nudging Blake, "These will be a bit more comfortable than that. Bathroom is right through that door." Yang pointed before moving her hand to her mouth, fighting a yawn, "I'm gonna head to the couch." She had gotten to the door before she heard Blake mumble. Yang turned around, a confused look on her face as she saw the dark haired girl shuffling in the middle of her room. She nearly melted when she saw Blake clearly fighting herself in a pouty expression.

"Yang, thank you."

With a strong smile and nod, Yang was out the door and within seconds she was plopped onto her living room couch, a warm proud feeling surging in her chest. She gave one heavy sigh before she rested her head on a pillow, recollecting the night's events before finally finding peace and being allowed to drift to sleep.

She was completely unaware of Blake smiling as she changed and Ruby's tear streaked face just beyond those bedroom doors.

She had no idea at all.