45

Chapter 45: Crash

Deep in the Emerald Forest, the serene calm of the silent woods was broken by a flock of crows taking off as one, cawing in panic as they fled from their roost. The source of their fear was a single Beowolf, sniffing around the base of the abandoned tree. It grunted in annoyance, finding nothing of interest. It lumbered away in its constant search for food, growling at nothing. Suddenly, it inhaled deeply. A familiar scent.

Human.

It growled deeply, sniffing the air as it followed the scent. It grew stronger and stronger, the beast now running through the underbrush, trails of black dripping from its mouth. Suddenly, it came across a disturbed bit of forest. Small trees and brush had been cleared away, leaving kindling scattered around. The human's scent was strongest here. The Beowolf looked around, searching for its new meal. It's molten eyes focused on a nearby tree, a long gash slashed into its side.

Just then, the beast heard the squawking of more birds. Turning its skull-like head towards the noise, it saw the black dots in the sky, as the disturbed birds rose into the air. Something felt off. It could feel it, something approaching. With a roar, it started running towards the birds, sure that it would find-

A bolt of red shot underneath the Beowolf. Black and white zipped around it on either side as a line appeared on its head, running perfectly up its snout and down its back. Black ichor flowed for just a moment when a yellow streak slammed into its nose. The Beowolf flew into the air, splitting perfectly down the middle as it gave a last startled roar. The two halves crashed into the nearby trees, dissolving away on contact.

Blake heard Yang let out a frenzied laugh behind her as they sped back up, the blonde no doubt sporting a grin fueled by thrill and adrenaline. Blake couldn't even begin to blame her, because she had the same crazy smile plastered on her face.

This… is… amazing! That was the only thought Blake could have because it was the only one that mattered.

It was unlike anything she'd experienced before. The whole world seemed to slow down, everything tinted violet around her as she ran. Yet, she still knew she was moving at ludicrous speeds. Everything around her was slow and accelerated, stable yet manic. It was indescribable.

The feelings from before were still there. In fact, Blake felt they'd actually gotten worse. Her entire chest felt like someone was inflating a balloon within it, her heart moving at a speed she could only describe as 'hummingbird'. But, it didn't matter. Because, as Ruby lead them through the forest, speed picking up by the second, it started to feel like nothing mattered. Her worries, her fears, all the questions she'd had bouncing through her head for weeks; all gone. Just the ground beneath her feet, the torrent of blood rushing through her ears, and the whole world laid out before her.

She spared the quickest of glances towards Weiss, seeing that manic grin mirrored back at her. The heiress was blasting alongside her, white hair trailing behind her like a silver tail. The band that was always around her ponytail had disappeared, blown away forever ago by the sheer speed. Weiss either didn't notice or didn't care, just rushing along, an almost delirious laugh escaping her lips from time to time. On her Mark, Ruby's rose shone brightly against her pale skin.

Blake's few seconds of musing stopped dead as Ruby called out a warning. Blake didn't quite catch what she said but saw Ruby suddenly jump. Blake and Weiss did the same instantly, Blake just barely catching sight of a small stream below them. She sailed through the air, feeling weightless, before coming down far, far from where she'd leapt, her legs already moving when she hit the ground.

The slight loss of speed was quickly regained, Blake catching back up to Ruby in seconds. But… then she noticed something. When she reached Ruby… she had to slow down. Not much, since they were still screaming through the forest, but it was noticeable. She was holding back.

Blake shot Weiss a look, seeing that the heiress had noticed the same thing. Ruby was going slower than she was capable of. She could be going so much faster.

They could be going so much faster.

If possible, their grins grew even larger, both turning their attention forward as they eyed Ruby's back.

And the forest stretching on in front of them.

Ruby was having the time of her life. Between the rush of her speed and glee of having her girlfriends and sister at her side, she was in pure heaven. Every second, her feelings of Excitement, Delight and Contentment were reflected back at her four times over. Feeling their exhilaration, their sheer joy of seeing the world through her eyes, made her heart want to leap out of her chest for reasons beyond the usual.

From behind her, she felt something change in the air. The twin slipstreams at her sides drew closer, Mischievousness and Eagerness tickling the back of her mind. A flash of Worry hit her from even further back, and Ruby's head dipped up in realization. The pieces came together quickly, her stomach dropping in the process.

Oh, you two better not be-

Whessssewwwww!

Sure enough, streaks of black and white zoomed past her on either side. She caught a split-second glimpse of Weiss' smug grin before she and Blake were blasting on ahead.

Ruby bit back a groan as she picked up speed. She'd been hoping they could avoid this…

A yellow flash to her right and Yang appeared right beside her, keeping pace as they ran. She and Ruby shared a quick look. Luckily, they'd planned for this.

Earlier, RWBY Dorm

"You really think they'll lose themselves?"

Yang shrugged as she handed Ruby another carton of eggs from a pile on the counter. "I don't know, Rubes. But, I lost myself pretty quickly, and I had a pretty good idea of what I was in for. Not that much of a stretch to think the same could happen to them."

The younger sister shuffled around the quickly filling refrigerator, trying to find a place for all their newly acquired foodstuffs. "Yeah, but," she questioned, her head still in the fridge as she eyed the organized chaos. "Weiss already used my Semblance once with no problem. And Blake is a lot more level-headed than you. She can probably handle it."

Yang gave her a flat stare. "Okay, one: Thanks a lot, Sis." She rolled her eyes with a smirk as Ruby stuck her tongue out at her. It was all in good fun, Ruby didn't mean it. Yang continued, "Two, Weiss used your speed for all of a second, by accident. She didn't get the chance to feel it like I have. And let me tell you, Sis, I don't care how level-headed anyone is, moving at your speed is addicting as hell."

Ruby pouted at her, but couldn't deny the truth of it. When she started running, it did take a lot of concentration to bring herself to stop. Walking back to the bedroom together, Ruby asked, "Okay, but… do we have to just let them… crash?"

Yang hummed in thought as she looked around the room, trying to find the duffle bag Ruby had borrowed from Weiss the other day. When she found it under one of their shared desks, she responded, "It's how you learned. And it helped me out loads after it happened to me. They crash, they know what it feels like, and they learn what to watch out for next time."

Ruby still grimaced, not liking this one bit. It had been hard enough watching Yang suffer through a speed crash. The thought of both Blake and Weiss ending up the same way…?

Yang quickly felt Ruby's unease, clapping her hands over her sister's shoulders. "Hey," she said, drawing Ruby's attention to her soft smile. "It ain't like we're throwing them to the Grimm. We'll be right there with them the whole time. They go down, we'll be there to catch them."

Ruby sighed, making a small sound between a groan and a whimper. "Okay," she conceded. Before Yang could pull away, however, Ruby bit her lip. "Yang?"

Yang frowned at Ruby's small voice. "What?"

"...do you think they'll like my Semblance?"

Yang blinked. Then she snorted, laughing lightly. She ruffled Ruby's hair while pulling her in for a hug. "You're kidding, right? Sis, trust me. Crash or no, they're gonna have a blast."

Ruby and Yang nodded to each other, then shot forward. They easily caught up to their girlfriends, even as the two continued to pick up speed. Weiss and Blake noticed this, both of them moving even faster so that each sister was behind their respective partner, they hurried to keep the pace.

Yeah, that's it, Ruby thought as the group blasted past one of her marked trees. Despite the situation, she couldn't stop the excited grin forming on her face. Not only was she running with someone else at high speeds, but she actually had to try to keep up with them. Go as fast as you guys want. We're right behind you.

Yang was having similar thoughts, though she couldn't help but fall prey to the rush herself. Just a little bit more and I could probably overtake all of them… wait, no, stop! She shook her head hard, fixing a hard stare on Blake's back. Remember, listen, look, breathe! I have to stay behind Blake, not outrun her. Her muscles screamed in protest, a feeling not unlike that of her own Semblance as she held herself back. She was capable of doing so much faster, using so much more energy.

Energy that really, really wanted to be let loose.

Gah! Yang grit her teeth in frustration. Holding back like this sucks! I need to challenge Ruby to a straight-up race later.

For a minute, the sisters just chased the monochrome pair through the forest, listening to their laughs and shrieks as they went. A pattern soon developed, where Weiss would pull just barely ahead, making Blake speed up, and the two continuing like that as they ratcheted up the speed.

They had just passed what Ruby recognized as the halfway point of her self-made racetrack when Ruby saw the first signs of trouble. For just a moment, the aura around Weiss shrank and flickered as she leapt over a fallen log. She landed shakily, losing ground, before blasting onwards again to regain speed. Now at the front of the pack, Blake let out a triumphant laugh.

"Bye, Weiss!"

Weiss growled under her breath, then cackled. "Don't get too comfortable up there!" she shouted, quickly catching up.

Ruby and Yang shot the same bemused smile to each other. Seeing Blake and Weiss, both usually so quiet and reserved, laughing and screaming as they chased each other through the forest, was new.

Ruby raised a brow at her sister, bobbing her head towards the two. Is this really what I act like?

Catching her Curiosity and look of disbelief, Yang guessed what Ruby meant. Yeah, pretty much, she thought back with a smirk.

Ruby blinked at that, staring at the racing pair. Then she shrugged to herself, grinning. Well, at least I'm in good company now!

Yang barked out a laugh

Again, they saw Weiss' aura flicker. The heiress gritted her teeth, sweat forming on her brow. Her legs were starting to hurt, as were her lungs. She didn't think much of it at first, thinking it was just tied to the ever-present pain in her chest. But, as they ran, she noticed something odd. The pain felt familiar like she'd felt it long before they'd started using Ruby's Semblance. Her lungs were burning, aching. Her head throbbed, growing worse by the second. It was almost like-

Weiss inhaled sharply.

Everything stopped. In an instant, the white haze around her vision vanished, the pain in her chest lifted, and the ground was suddenly rushing at her much, much too fast.

To the others, it was like Weiss had hit a brick wall. The moment the white aura around her vanished, all of Weiss' momentum stopped dead. If Ruby hadn't been right behind her, they all would have shot right by her.

As it was, Ruby dug her heels in just a second after Weiss stopped. She skidded forward, bending to the side as she threw her arms out. She grabbed Weiss, one arm around her shoulders with the other at her hip, catching her with her nose inches from the ground.

Blake looked back with wild eyes, giggling as she saw what happened. "Sorry, Weiss! Guess I win this-"

Blake felt a sharp pain in her toes. She gasped as the world dipped forward, and suddenly found herself tumbling across the ground, the impact softened by the body behind her.

She felt them skid across the ground, only to stop hard.

"Gah! Damn, that hurts…" Yang winced as she tried to sit up. The tree she had collided with gave an ominous creak, a split in the bark running halfway up its trunk from the impact. Ignoring the pain, she looked down at the precious cargo she held tightly against her chest. "Blake? You okay?"

Amber eyes blinked blearily up at her, cat ears pinned down hard. Blake didn't know what was happening. The moment they stopped moving, it was as if all her energy ceased to be. Her arms didn't want to move, she could barely move her head, and everything, everything, hurt. "Ya… Y-Yang…?" Her voice came out in a shaky rasp.

"Hey… hey there, Kitty Cat." Yang pulled herself up, speaking in soft, soothing tones as she leaned heavily against the tree. "Feel a little tired?"

"I-I…" Blake tried to respond, to tell Yang just how much of a monumental understatement that was, but it was like her head was filled with cotton balls. Everything was fuzzy, her vision was blurry, and she was so tired.

"Shh…" Yang shifted Blake in her arms, resting her partner's head on her shoulder. "It's okay. You're okay. Take a little nap if you need to. I'll be right here when you wake up." She gave Blake a small peck on the cheek. "I promise."

Blake tried to keep her eyes open, but she could feel how much of a losing battle it was. Yang's heartbeat was right next to her ears, beating fast and strong. The slowing rhythm was soothing, and Blake's eyes quickly slipped shut. Maybe sleep was a good idea…

After a few moments, Yang felt Blake relax fully. A soft purr built in the back of Blake's throat, something they'd all come to recognize as her snoring.

Yang allowed herself a brief moment of relief, only to bite back a sharp groan. Without Blake to distract her, all she could think about was her own exhaustion from the run, coupled with the sharp pain in her spine courtesy of an unusually sturdy oak. Leaning her head back against the bark, she reached behind her for the duffle bag, careful not to jostle Blake. She fumbled with the zipper, then rummaged blindly through it until her fingers grasped around the correct shape. She pulled out a chocolate bar, ripping the wrapper off with her teeth as she took a large bite out of it.

"Yang!" Yang looked up at the whisper-yell, finding Ruby rushing towards her with Weiss bridal carried in her arms. "Are you two okay?"

Yang managed a smirk, swallowing her mouthful of chocolate. "We're good. Blake just passed out, and I'm trying not to follow her." She bobbed her head towards the heiress. "Weiss?"

Ruby frowned in discomfort, kneeling to set Weiss next to Yang. "Out like a light. Do you think you can stand?"

Raising a brow, Yang looked down at her legs. At this point, they didn't even hurt; everything just felt numb. She managed to lift her right leg a few inches off the ground, only to let it fall back down with a groan. "Doubt it. Everything's all pins and needles."

Ruby whimpered but nodded all the same. "Okay. I'll call Port and have him help us back to the school." Cracking her scroll open, Ruby started doing just that.

As she took another bite from her chocolate bar, she looked between their sleeping girlfriends. She held back a sigh.

Well… it could have gone worse.

? ? ?

The forest was vast, endless. A world of nothing but the largest trees, the trunks so tall that the branches stretched up into pure darkness. She ran, scrambling over gnarled roots and cracked stones, towards the weak cries. She could hear something in the darkness, angry and roaring as it tore through the woods, searching for the same thing she was. To her left, a flash. In the hollow trunk of a dead tree, fearful amber eyes stared at her, their owner hidden from view in the shadows. She hunched low, keening in worry. She took a hesitant step forward, before whirling around as the trees behind her exploded.

It was huge, snarling and snorting as it pawed the ground. Raging, molten red eyes glared down at her from behind its bleached-white skull of a head, long horns sharp and deadly. It roared in challenge, its eyes flicking towards the tree behind her. She growled in response, baring her teeth as her hackles rose. She knew she stood no chance; the beast was five times her size, its dark body rippling with muscle. It didn't matter, she would fight regardless. Because she was the only thing between it and-

Clang!

Weiss jumped slightly, a metallic bang jolting her from her sleep. She blinked up at the familiar brown bottom of a bed, her vision fuzzy. She could hear someone's voice far off, complaining about a lack of space. Someone else, much closer, chuckled in response.

That dream again, she thought to herself as the world came into focus. That's the third time this… Oh, Dust…!

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth in discomfort. It hit her all at once, a deep, endless pain that seemed to come from everywhere, but mostly her chest. She curled in on herself, dimly aware of the soft bed under her. She groaned as she buried her head into the pillow.

Wait… Weiss paused as she laid her head against something warm and soft. Whatever it was, it was trembling. That's not a pillow.

Fighting her pounding head, Weiss pulled back, cracking open an eye. Her vision was still blurry, but she could make out a head of long black hair, pointed cat ears poking out of the hairline. The trembling now made sense, soft purrs emanating from the person's throat.

Weiss smiled briefly, only to grimace as a jolt of pain ran through her, from her brain right down to her tailbone. With a small whine, she ducked her head into Blake's neck, in a vain attempt to ignore the pain. She felt so tired.

"Hmm…" Blake's purrs were interrupted by her sudden groaning. Her amber eyes blinked open, only to immediately slam shut. She whimpered, one hand flying to her forehead, only to fall limply to her side as she hissed in pain. "D-damn…" she cursed. Her voice was barely more than a breath.

"Blake?" Weiss whispered against Blake's neck, unwilling to move. Her cheeks pinked a bit, but she ignored it. Her sense of embarrassment was completely overshadowed by her desire for the pain to just go away.

Blake blinked weakly. She caught a glimpse of white hair, which was all she needed to know about the person she had accidentally draped her arm over. She gave a shaky smile. "Hey."

Weiss managed a small grin in return. "Hi." She groaned as she felt a sharp twinge in her leg. "You okay?"

Blake hummed lightly, trying to keep her eyes open. "No…" she admitted, using her limited strength to hug Weiss against her. "Everything hurts and my head is killing me."

Weiss nodded against Blake's skin. "Same," she murmured, wrapping her arms around Blake's middle. Her narrowed gaze looked back up at the bed above, Yang's, she guessed, given the lack of haphazardly tied ropes. "How did we get back to our dorm? The last thing I remember was…" She had to pause to think because her head was a complete mess at the moment. She latched onto the first thing that felt right. "...running."

"Honestly," Blake murmured. "I think a better question is… what is that sweet smell?"

Weiss frowned in confusion, then took a sniff of the air. Sure enough, now that she was paying attention, there was a faint, familiar smell in the air. Weiss knew it from somewhere, but couldn't quite place it…

"Weiss?" Blue eyes cracked back open (had she fallen asleep again?) when a light whisper sounded above them. "Blake? I thought I heard you talking. Are you awake yet?"

With what little strength she had, Weiss managed to turn her head towards the foot of the bed. Yang was looking down at them, changed into her sleep clothes. She was leaning heavily against the banister of their makeshift bunk beds, as her legs dangled limply over the bed's edge. She was blinking rapidly, her eyes slightly unfocused. "Yang?"

"Oh, good," Yang breathed a laugh. "I thought I dozed off again."

Weiss tried to sit up but was stopped when Yang put a hand on her thigh. "Hey, don't even try it, Snowflake. All you're gonna do is fall out of bed." She smirked slightly. "Trust me, I know."

Weiss pouted, but let herself fall back down. She felt Blake cling tighter to her and offered a quick ear scratch in return. "What happened?" she asked Yang.

Yang chuckled. "You crashed."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I assumed as much. How, though?"

"Well, first you both decided to try and leave Ruby and me in the dust." Yang shifted her weight from the banister, laying down the width of the bed so she could stare up at the ceiling. "Then, things went wrong. Weiss, you did the same thing I did on my first run. You got so caught up in the speed and rush that you forgot to keep breathing. Semblance cut off as soon as you ran out of air."

Weiss winced. Now it was coming back to her.

"Blake, well…" She offered a shrug to the Faunus, smiling in sympathy. "Nothing too spectacular. You tripped on a tree root. Took a high-speed tumble."

Blake groaned. "So that's why my side aches."

Yang chuckled, giving them each a small pat on the leg. "Hey, all in all, you two did great today. We keep practicing, and we'll all be keeping up with Ruby in no time."

A small smile played on Weiss' lips at the thought. The memories were a bit murky, but she remembered enough to know she liked it. Even if it was only for a few minutes, she'd seen the world through Ruby's eyes, felt that rush she was always going on about. Even now, with her whole body feeling like a numb lump of gelatin, she still felt a desire to get back up and run.

She was pulled from her musings when Blake asked, "Where is Ruby?"

Weiss blinked. Looking around the room, she realized Blake was right. Their resident speedster was nowhere to be found. And, oddly, that sweet smell had grown stronger in the last couple minutes.

Yang grinned at her. "Rubes is working on getting us back on our feet."

Blake tilted her head in confusion, one of her cat ears being smooshed against her pillow in the process.

Rather than respond, Yang instead turned her head forward and shouted to the room at large. "Ruby! Blake and Weiss are awake!"

"Good!" Weiss tried to follow the voice that seemed to come from nowhere. Her eyes landed at her and Ruby's side of the room, noticing that the door to their sitting room was open. "I'll be there in a second! The last batch is almost done!"

Weiss tilted her head in confusion. Last batch? Then it clicked, the sweet smell wafting through the room making a bit more sense. Ruby's cooking something?

Yang smirked as she shouted, "Just try not to drop another tray!"

They all heard Ruby huff. "It's not my fault they made this kitchen so small!"

Yang chuckled in response. She tried to pull herself back up to sit but stopped when she arched her back, hissing lightly.

"Yang?" Blake asked in worry. Despite Yang's earlier protest, she managed to pull herself up a bit, letting her shoulders lean against the headboard.

Yang waved her off, even as she forced herself up to sit cross-legged. "It's nothing. Just… ugh, you two ain't the only ones who're exhausted."

Blake frowned, about to say something, when her cat ears perked up a bit. She turned towards the other room just as Ruby stepped through. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Ruby, what is… where did you get that many cookies?"

Weiss blinked along with her. In Ruby's arms was a positively giant glass jar, filled to the brim with chocolate chip cookies. Balanced precariously on top of the jar was a tray of four empty glasses, along with a full jug of milk.

Ruby grinned towards them, even as she shifted the weight in her arms. "I made them! Fresh from the oven."

Despite every part of her protesting, Weiss pushed herself up on her elbows, eyeing Ruby's oversized load warily. "Do you need help with that, Ruby?"

"I got it!" Ruby assured as she walked across the room. "I'm good!" She set the jar on the bedside table very carefully, her arm blurring as one of the glasses fumbled from its precarious perch. With a satisfied nod, she went about filling the glass. "Anyone hungry?"

Weiss was confused for all of a moment before the smell of fresh-baked cookies hit her up close. A loud growl came from her stomach, much to her pink-faced embarrassment.

Yang snickered. "I'll second that, Weiss." She reached across the bed, towards the jar… only to yelp when Ruby swatted her hand away.

"You already ate half a bowl of cookie dough." Ruby glared, poking a stern finger at Yang's nose.

The blonde merely huffed, crossing her arms. "Like you wouldn't do the same thing…" she muttered under her breath.

Blake giggled as Yang pouted, taking a few cookies when Ruby offered her the jar. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's the occasion, Ruby?"

Ruby just smiled and shrugged as she offered the jar to Weiss. "After you two crashed, me and Yang figured you guys could use a pick-me-up." Her brows pinched together as her smile faded. "How are you two feeling?"

Weiss took a bite of her cookie (marveling at the taste. She knew from the girl herself that Ruby could bake, but she didn't think she could bake this good), then groaned at the reminder, fighting the urge to flop back down on the bed. "Completely spent." Blake nodded in agreement, mouth full.

Ruby giggled lightly, handing Blake a full glass of milk. "Yeah… sorry about that. Using my Semblance for as long as you two did burns a lot of energy. Have another cookie. The sugar will help."

Weiss pondered that for a moment. True, she did feel a little less tired after eating a few of the sweet treats. Her eyes suddenly widened, having realized what Ruby's words implied. "Wait… is that why you're always eating sweets? To… recharge your Semblance?"

Ruby bobbed her head side to side, making a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. "Kinda-sorta. The extra sugar does give my Semblance something to burn off before it starts tiring me. But… I also just really like sweets," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. Of course, that would be Ruby's answer. She munched on another cookie as she watched Ruby finally hand the jar over to an overly-sullen Yang, smiling expectantly. The blonde gave her a mock glare, which quickly morphed into her usual half-smile, reaching up to ruffle her sister's hair. Weiss smiled at the sister's actions, but her mirth lessened when she noticed something odd. While her team happily enjoyed the fruits of her labor, splayed out on the bed, Ruby remained standing. It took her a second to realize why: with the way she and Blake were laying, along with Yang taking up the foot of the bed, there wasn't a lot of room left.

Weiss frowned. That wasn't right.

With a grunt, the heiress pulled her legs in and up, leaving a spot just big enough for a person to sit down. Looking a little surprised, Ruby gave Weiss a tender smile, taking her new spot, Yang and Blake scooting over as much as they could to give her more room. With Weiss' legs now draped over her lap, Ruby took the jar when Yang handed it to her.

"We need to figure something out about this pretty soon," the blonde said with a full mouth, voicing what they were all thinking. "These beds are too small for all four of us. One of us is going to fall out of bed pretty soon."

Solemn nods were her answer. If all of them lay on their sides, the bed was just big enough to fit all four of them, but it left little room to move around. As nice as it was being all together, it just wasn't that comfortable. For the last few days, they'd each either slept in their own beds or paired up with their partners. It made sense, but every morning they each woke up feeling that something was missing.

Weiss bit her lip. Now that Yang had brought it up, now would be the best time to mention her bit of window shopping earlier in the day… No, no… I want it to be a surprise. I just have to clear it with Professor Goodwitch first… and maybe let Ruby know.

Instead, Weiss took a look around the room. Her eyes landed on the wall clock, and she blinked in surprise. "Is it really nine o'clock?"

Yang let out a chuckle. "Yeah. You two were out for a while. Anyone have some ideas, or should we just turn in for the night?"

Ruby pouted, taking a sharp bite of her cookie. "I'm not tired."

Blake nodded in agreement. "Same. Just… kind of sore now." She rubbed at her leg, trying to remove the dull numbness she felt.

Weiss thought for a moment. "We could watch a movie," she suggested. Hesitantly, she added. "We haven't done that since…" She gestured awkwardly to her neck.

They all perked up at that. Yang and Ruby shared a look, then smiled towards Blake. After a moment's thought, Blake nodded back. "That actually sounds really nice."

Ruby gave a cheer. "Great! Oh, we need more pillows!" She instantly jumped off the bed, grabbing every pillow she could get her hands on.

"I'll help, Sis." Yang reached up to her bunk, grabbing her pillows and pulling down her blankets for good measure. "Blake, isn't it your turn to pick a movie this time? Go ahead."

"Just no romances again. Please?" Ruby whined.

As Blake pulled out her scroll to search, Weiss leaned over, whispering loudly. "And no cheesy action flicks this time?" Blake stifled a laugh, which only grew stronger when Ruby blew a raspberry at them.

As Yang and Ruby shuffled around the room, grabbing pillows and blankets, Weiss lay back down for the moment, staring up at the ceiling. She was once again hit by the insanity of her life, loving and being loved by three very different but wonderful girls. She resigned herself to knowing that their relationship would never stop feeling weird, that normalcy was forever going to be a foreign concept to her. But, as she felt Blake curl up next to her, listening to her purr and Yang and Ruby bicker over which movie they thought they should watch, she couldn't bring herself to care. It felt weird, but it also felt… right.

That wasn't even factoring in their new abilities. She was quickly becoming like Ruby and Yang, her mind racing at all the possibilities that their Affinity could give them. Like Yang said, they just had to keep practicing, not just with speed, but with her glyphs and Yang's strength and… whatever Blake could do (I'm asking her about that tomorrow, she thought). She just hoped that the next time they crashed wouldn't feel so…

Weiss blinked. Then she groaned loudly.

Blake's purrs lessened as she lifted her head, looking up from her scroll. "What?"

Weiss turned to Blake, her blue eyes full of disbelief and annoyance. "Yang said we 'crashed', right?"

Blake frowned in confusion. "Yes. Why?"

Weiss banged her head against the soft bed, reluctant to respond. I can't believe it took me this long… With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes, glaring at the ceiling. "Remember what she said in the forest? She was going to give us a 'crash course'?"

Blake blinked. Then she rolled her eyes, groaning as she let herself fall, pulling the pillow over her head to muffle her reluctant giggles.

Across the room, Yang couldn't stop laughing.

As Team RWBY settled in for the night, the rest of the school did the same. All across the campus, windows went dark, and the numerous lampposts throughout the grounds flickered off, only a sparse few remaining to light the main paths. Within the hour, everyone, students and faculty alike, were inside the school, leaving the grounds empty.

Almost.

On the building directly across from Team RWBY's dorm, a lone figure knelt at the edge of the roof. Clad in black and white, the moonlight glinted off the porcelain mask set beside him, replaced in favor of a pair of binoculars. A pair of large, wrinkled bat ears poked through his hood.

The bat Faunus scanned the darkened windows, searching for the proper one. This was the third building he'd looked at that night, and he was growing frustrated. His eyes caught a slight flicker in one of the windows, and he zeroed in on it. The blue tinge of a scroll projection lit the room, making it easier to see…

His shoulders tensed instantly. He grit his teeth, growling. "There you are, you little traitor." He pressed his finger to a small device hanging from his human ear, hearing the slight crackle as it came to life. "I found her, sir."

A deep, low voice answered instantly. "Is she alone?"

"No, sir. She's… she's in bed with the Schnee, along with two other girls."

The bat Faunus flinched as an enraged growl came from his earpiece. The growl cut off abruptly, Taurus taking a calming breath. "Can you confirm if she's Mated?"

"Yes, sir. I can feel it from here." He waited, making sure there wouldn't be another outburst, before asking, "What do you want me to do, sir?"

"...nothing, for now. Return to base. I already have someone coming in from Menagerie who will deal with her. In fact…" Taurus chuckled darkly. "This information might motivate her towards acting… swiftly."

"Understood, sir. I'm heading back n-"

CAW!

The bat Faunus flinched as the night's silence was broken by a deep, echoing cry. Looking towards the noise, he found a large black bird peering at him from the lip of the building, just a few feet away. The Faunus rolled his eyes at his jumpiness.

"Something wrong?"

"No, sir. Just some stupid bird. I'll be back at base within the hour." Hearing the connection click off, he reached for his mask-

CAW!

With a groan, the Faunus went to shoo the bird away… only to jump when he found it inches from his face, perched atop his mask.

"Hey!" he whisper-shouted. "Get off of-"

CAW!

The Faunus' words caught in his throat. Somehow… that last one sounded louder than the others. Angrier. He looked warily at the bird as it glared up at him with beady black…

No...beady red eyes.

A chill ran up the bat Faunus' spine. Something was very, very wrong with this bird.

"You know what?" He jumped to his feet, backing away with his hands up. "Keep it. I'll get a new one." The bird's burning red eyes never left him as he stepped back once, twice, then sprinted towards the opposite side of the roof. With a quick leap over the side, he was gone.

The bird stared after him for a moment, as if making sure he was truly gone. When there was no sign of him coming back, the bird flapped its wings and took flight. It glided the short distance from building to building, perching itself on a tree right in front of Team RWBY's window, hidden from view behind the trunk. There was an odd reverberating sound, and the bird's form blurred, shifted, and grew.

Where the bird once sat, a woman now stood, balancing on the narrow tree branches. She was clad in a loose black jacket and skirt, over which she wore red armor, an oversized scabbard on her hip. Her long black hair was pulled back by the hard curves of an intricate white and red mask, carved in the visage of a Nevermore.

Placing a hand to steady herself, the woman leaned around the tree trunk, red eyes peering through the narrow slits of her mask. She squinted to make out the people in the dark room.

The four girls lay curled up against the headboard of Blakes' bed, which had been padded up with several pillows. Yang sat sandwiched between Blake and Weiss, her arms up over their shoulders as they leaned into her. Ruby lay between her legs, content to use Yang's chest as a pillow. Every now and then, one of the girls would reach for the cookie jar in Ruby's lap, the younger girl offering it to them without taking her eyes from the movie playing on the wall.

The woman watched them, taking in the peaceful scene. Yang suddenly looked at Blake out of the corner of her eye, getting a mischievous look on her face. While the Faunus was distracted by something on-screen, Yang leaned over and nibbled on her human ear. Blake let out a startled yelp, making Yang laugh. Blake swatted her on the arm in reprimand, turning back to the film with pink cheeks and a small smile.

The woman blinked at the interaction. She noted how close Yang held both girls, the subtle way that Weiss' leg was draped over both Yang's and Ruby's. Weiss leaned her head on Yang's shoulder, even as her hand found Ruby's, the young leader holding it firmly.

For a moment, the woman just watched them. Beneath the faceplate of her mask, her lips curved slightly, forming a fond, almost proud smile.

A sudden buzzing against her leg shattered all sense of peace she had. She scowled down at her leg, at the scroll in her pocket. She gave the content teens one last look, before leaping down from the tree, leaving them none the wiser.

Scanning the grounds to make sure she was alone, the woman pulled out her scroll. It was an older model, scratched and dented from years of use. She pulled it open, scowling at the unfamiliar number. With a slight growl, she answered the call.

"How did…" Her words trailed off the instant she saw who was on screen, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Roman?"

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Next chapter: An unexpected Reunion, along with a bit more of the history in this world that I make up by the day.

Also, thank you RT once again for taking my carefully laid plans, and making me throw them right out the window.

…*sigh*

Word of advice, friends; if you want a really good way to test your quick thinking, try writing an ongoing fanfiction for a series that's still being made. Believe me, it keeps you on your toes.