12

Chapter 12: Overcoming

Blake sat in the dorm room, staring at nothing. Weiss' reaction to her last feelings were… worrying. Confusion; of course. A sense of Wonder, positive, and a little flattering. But then… Panic. So much so that Weiss forcibly broke off the connection.

Blake let out a sad, frustrated huff. In trying to show what she felt for Weiss, she'd overwhelmed the heiress, probably scaring her off.

Great, just great, Blake, she thought dejectedly. Weiss' first time using a Mate's Link, and you scared her so much she ran from it. Just perfect.

She leaned back against the wall, banging her head softly against it in the process. She glared up at Yang's bunk, cursing her own stupidity.

Blake's wallowing in self-pity was interrupted by the doorknob turning, her cat ears perking up at the sound. Her eyes went to the door, and she nearly jumped when the focus of her thoughts walked hesitantly into the room.

"W-Weiss," Blake stuttered out in surprise.

Weiss ignored her, opting instead to softly close the door. Only then did she meet Blake's eyes. "Blake," she greeted, her voice sounding restrained.

She walked with a purpose, and sat on the edge of Blake's bed.

Blake opened her mouth to speak, but froze when Weiss fixed her with piercing blue eyes. Her voice was hard. "What was that?"

Blake flinched at her cold tone, confused by the question. "What was…?"

Weiss huffed in frustration. She brought a hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. "A few minutes ago, I was sitting out in the courtyard. I was scanning my aura to check it for any foreign aura… your aura… and while I was doing that, I felt this… pull." She met Blake's gaze again. "I 'saw', for lack of a better term, a mass of black and violet aura within the school, right where our dorm is. Blake…" Her eyes flicked away for a moment as she swallowed nervously. "Blake, was that…?"

Blake, pulling herself to sit on the edge of her bed as well, nodded. "Yes, Weiss. That was my aura."

Weiss nodded stiffly back, accepting the answer. "So then, the… emotions I felt from that aura? What were they?"

Blake nodded again. "Those were mine, too."

Confusingly, Weiss shook her head. "No, I-I mean…" She stuttered a little, nerves working their way into her voice. She cleared her throat, and tried again. "I already assumed that the emotions were yours. I meant, how was I able to feel them? How could I 'see' your aura like that?"

Amber eyes widened in understanding. It was her turn to gulp as she tried to work out how she would explain this very Faunus concept to Weiss of all people. She soon gave up and decided to take a page out of Ruby and Yang's books: be truthful and blunt.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "It's called a Mate's Link. It's how Mated Faunus are able to feel each other's emotions. As for how, the way it works is that one Faunus gives a small portion of their aura to their would-be Mate. Once that has been done, that Faunus can then use that piece of aura as a… a beacon, I suppose, allowing them to seek out their Mate's aura. Likewise, the Mated Faunus can do the same, using that small portion of aura inside them to seek out it's source, the aura it came from."

The entire time she spoke, Blake watched Weiss' expression, gauging her reaction to her explanation. Weiss kept her face blank the whole time, except for the slight tightening of her lips near the end.

Weiss was silent for a moment, before looking off to the side, mumbling. "So that's how…" She looked back at Blake, her eyes hesitant. "Can I ask you something?"

Blake's ears perked up slightly. "Yes, of course!" A curious Weiss was much better than an angry one. Though the nervous way Weiss wouldn't meet her eyes…

"Is it… with this… Mate's Link… is it possible to… fake emotions?"

Blake could actually feel her heart skip a beat. Her ears shot straight up, her eyes widening. "Fake… no!" Weiss visibly flinched at how loud Blake's answer had been. Blake's ears pinned back as she winced. "Sorry, but… Weiss, you can't fake anything across… that would defeat the entire purpose of… oh, I don't know how to explain…"

Weiss watched worriedly as Blake struggled to find her words. Without a thought, she reached out and gently grabbed Blake's shoulder. The Faunus girl stiffened, shocked out of her confused panic. Weiss, surprised by her own actions, took a moment to collect her thought, before speaking softly. "Just… calm down and answer as best you can."

Blake stare blankly, before swallowing slightly, nodding. Weiss removed her hand as Blake's eyes fell to the carpet After a few moments, she spoke. "You know the myths behind auras? About how they're actually our souls?"

Weiss nodded, a bit perplexed by Blake's turn in the conversation.

"Well… I believe them." Weiss' eyes widened a bit at the blunt admission, but Blake carried on. "Most Faunus do, actually. I've never met a Faunus who didn't, or at least, one who told me they didn't. It's something we're taught from a young age, that we're meant to hold onto throughout our lives."

Weiss nodded, fascinated. Her research hadn't mentioned anything like this yet. "Okay… so…?"

"So…" Blake continued, "That's what makes sharing our aura with our Mates so important. We're not just sharing our energy or strength. We… I… gave you a piece of my soul."

A chill went down Weiss' spine at Blake's words. The small feeling of scarred teeth marks brushing against the fabric of her shirt suddenly felt a lot more pronounced.

Blake went on. "That piece of my soul will always be connected to the rest of me; it's a direct link to my soul." She turned to face Weiss, a tentative, nervous smile on her lips. "That's why I know you can't fake emotions across a Mate's Link. I couldn't hide how I feel from you if I wanted to."

Weiss gazed at her, letting the new information sink in. Blake's words… the implications…

"Wait." She frowned as a thought struck her. "Earlier, you said that you could only feel my emotions if I gave you permission. How is that possible if you have a direct link to my soul?"

Blake grimaced slightly. "It's… complicated."

Weiss blinked, then raised an eyebrow. "Most things are, until you explain them out loud. Can you try?"

Blake huffed slightly. "Well… it's not complicated so much as it's… awkward. You're right, usually with a Mate's Link, it works both ways. Both Faunus give each other a Mate's Mark, and then they're pretty much an open book to their partner."

Weiss grimaced. "That sounds a tad… invasive, isn't it?"

Blake bobbed her head in a not-quite-nod. "I know it seems that way, but it's meant to bring the Mates closer together, help them complete each other." At Weiss' confused look, she tried to clarify. "Okay, um… have you ever seen a couple where one of them is upset, and the other has to guess what's wrong to try and help?"

Weiss swallowed suddenly, her gaze dipping. "Yes…"

Blake hesitated at her response, but pushed it aside for the moment. "A Mate's Link is meant to help in situations like that. If a Faunus was distressed, all it would take is a quick 'glance' through the Link, and their Mate would know what they're feeling. If they're upset, angry, sad, frustrated, whether they want someone to talk to or need some space. It's supposed to help Mates resolve issues, help support each other."

Weiss wasn't convinced. "I don't know, Blake. That just seems like a massive invasion of privacy."

Blake scratched at her ear absently, thinking of a response. "Maybe it just makes more sense to Faunus." She sighed. "We are, quite simply, part animal. Because of that, most everything we do is fueled by our emotions. How we act, how we react… it's all based off of our emotions, which can sometimes lead us to overreact or be impulsive. So having someone who knows exactly how you're feeling… someone who will support you or rein you back… be your safety net…" she said with a small chuckle. "It's… comforting."

Weiss nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Okay… I kind of understand. I can see how having someone that… close could be a comfort, but… all the time?"

Blake swallowed, forcing a small smile. "Well, if it helps… you don't have to worry about that."

Weiss frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Um…" Blake grasped her arm as she searched for an explanation. "The way this is supposed to work is that two Faunus give a portion of their aura to each other, so they will always be connected and can always feel one another. But…" She sighed, giving Weiss a sidelong look. "...you're human, which… complicates things."

Weiss felt even more confused. "How so?"

"... a human can't create a Mate's Mark." She stared into Weiss' eyes, gauging her reaction. "It's something to do with a difference in biology. I don't really understand everything myself, but from what I can gather, me not having a Mate's Mark of my own… limits me a bit."

At Weiss' slight head tilt, she elaborated. "Okay, basically, you can use that little bit of my aura inside you, and have a direct Link to the rest of me whenever you want; you'll always be able to know how I'm feeling. However, since I don't have any of your aura inside me, I can't access your emotions the same way. All I can do is reach out to the piece of my own aura inside you, and then all I could get is a vague sense of what you're feeling. The only way I can truly feel what you do is… if you let me."

Wide blue eyes stared back at her. Blake watched as Weiss processed what she'd been told. After a moment, the heiress broke eye contact, staring down at her hands in thought. Suddenly, she shook her head, frowning. "Blake…" she murmured softly, her brows brought together, "It sounds like… you don't have much control over… Mating me." Her cheeks tinted at the end.

Blake gave a small shrug in response. "Its… limiting, yes."

Weiss shook her head again, harder. "But… then why?"

Now Blake tilted her head. "Why what?"

"Wh- why?!" Weiss suddenly leapt to her feet, whirling around to stare down at the Faunus. "Why are you… Blake, this… this sounds massive! Enormous! This Mating business sounds like it's one of the most important things you could do! So why… why…" She trailed off, her head tilting down, hair covering her eyes.

Blake's ears dropped in worry. "Why what, Weiss?"

She flinched back as Weiss' head snapped up, her eyes wild and wide. "Why me?!"

Amber eyes widened in turn at Weiss' loud, almost desperate yell. Her ears pinned back as Weiss went on, voice quieter, if only slightly. "Why me? For that matter, why Ruby, why Yang? If Mating is so important and… intimate, why choose people you can't fully experience it with? If it works best with another Faunus, then why…" She took a shuddering breath, her eyes misting. "Why me?" she whispered softly, eyes lowering again.

Only to raise in surprise as her arms were gripped softly by soft, strong hands.

"You're right."

Weiss stared up incredulously at the girl holding her.

Blake swallowed nervously, nodding a bit. "You're right. It would make more sense for me to Mate another Faunus."

Weiss just shook her head. "But then…"

"Weiss… out in the courtyard… do you remember the last thing I felt?"

Red entered Weiss' cheeks as she mumbled a response. "Yes…"

"Do you know what it was?" Blake asked hopefully.

"...I… I think so, but…" Weiss shook her head in denial. "There… there's no way…"

"Yes, it was, Weiss," Blake responded, almost desperately. "That's really how I feel, I… I lo-"

"No!" Weiss pulled out of Blake's grip, holding up a finger at her. "No, no, y-you don't, you can't, I…" She took a step back, looking away from the hurt on Blake's face. "I-I'm a Schnee a-and you're a Faunus, how… how could you even…" She turned around, holding her arms around herself as she tried to control her quickening breath.

It was silent for a moment, Weiss not daring to turn around and face the hurt Blake must have been feeling.

"I respect you."

Blake's calm voice broke the silence, causing Weiss to tense up. The heiress kept her head down and her body away, even as Blake went on, her voice soft and calm. "Weiss, do you remember when we first met? When I first saw you, I was so sure you were just like the stories: a pretty little heiress hiding behind her father's name."

Weiss flinched at her words, but the lack of malice in her tone kept Weiss quiet.

"But as the days went on? As you slowly opened up to Ruby, smiled a little at Yang's jokes? I started to see that I was wrong, I started to see less Schnee and more Weiss. And then, after you found out about… what I am…" Blake took a shuddering breath. "After everything came out and you knew about me and… the White Fang… you didn't turn me away… you gave me a chance. More than that, you… you're trying to learn." Weiss tilted her head ever-so-slightly in confusion. "I know about the book, Weiss."

Weiss whipped around, eyes wide with shock. Blake offered a small smirk of a smile, tapping the side of her head. "Night vision, remember?"

Weiss' cheeks tinted horribly as her head dipped in embarrassment. "Drat. I should have remembered that…"

Blake giggled lightly, before breaking her gaze, smiling softly. "When I saw that… Weiss, you have no idea how… huge that is to me."

Weiss huffed, her blush dying down slightly. "Okay, I suppose I understand how you respect me, but… how does that translate to… more?" she finished lamely.

Blake nodded. "I'm getting there… you see, for me to Mate someone, I would need three things: trust, respect, and affection. Having those three things so strongly towards a single person is what allows me to give them a Mate's Mark."

"But then…" Weiss asked, apprehensive. "How could I…"

"You're willing to learn." Weiss's mouth snapped shut as Blake powered into her explanation. The Faunus swallowed down her nerves as she elaborated. "I know… at least I think I know, that you were raised to think of Faunus a certain way, if how you acted the first few months were any indication."

Weiss frowned at her words, head dipping in silent shame.

"But, you changed."

Weiss' head snapped back up at Blake's amazed tone.

"You listened to me. You listened, and then, did your own research. You're actually willing to question what you know. That's not something most people are able to do. I respect you for that. And…"

"And…?" Weiss asked after Blake trailed off in hesitation.

"Well… you didn't do anything." Weiss blinked in confusion. 'You found out I was a Faunus, that I had lied to you for months. You could have turned me into the Headmaster, or to the police, or plastered my name and history all over the web-"

"W-what?!" Weiss spluttered indignantly. "Blake, I would never-!"

"I know! I know that Weiss, I know that Weiss…" Blake repeated her quick denial softly, grabbing Weiss' hands and holding them in her own. "I know you would never do that to me. You're too kind-hearted, too loyal to do something so… cold." Blake's eyes lowered to their connected hands. "But I didn't know that then… I kept you, all of you, at a distance. I was so afraid, so sure, that you would all reject me, so I tried to keep you all away. But then you found out and, in the end… nothing. You just… accepted me, and…" Her voice choked up, her eyes starting to glisten. "And, I realized… I could trust you."

The seconds ticked by in silence as Weiss absorbed Blake's words. Her eyes drifted from Blake's face to their clasped hands, a cold feeling wormed its way into her stomach, causing her to give Blake's hands a slight squeeze.

"You shouldn't."

Blake's head dipped up, confused at Weiss' soft statement. "Why?"

Weiss kept her head down, refusing to meet Blake's eyes. "After you ran… I almost did." She shook her head slightly, ashamed. "I really considered calling the Headmaster… or the police."

Blake's eyes widened, her heart giving a hollow beat as it dropped. She bit her lip, before hesitantly asking, "Really?"

Weiss nodded faintly, head still down. "You admitted you were in the White Fang, and, then you ran, and… It was like the last few months never happened. All I could think was, 'She's a Faunus, she's in the White Fang… she's a criminal.' It was like a switch had been flipped inside me and suddenly...our friendship didn't matter anymore."

Blake's lips formed a grim line as she tried not to frown. What Weiss was saying hurt… a lot… but yet… "But you didn't turn me in. Why not?"

Weiss shrugged, though her lips quirked a bit. "Ruby and Yang… and Penny, too, I suppose. We went out looking for you every day… or rather, Ruby and Yang dragged me out to look for you. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts… the whole time we kept looking, I... " She shook her head in anger. "I kept making those stupid remarks and… well, eventually made one too many."

Now Blake looked concerned. "What happened?"

To her surprise, Weiss let out a small huff of a laugh. "Nothing bad. Yang… made her frustrations known. And Ruby… honestly, I don't even think she knew what I was doing. When she looked at me and spoke, she just seemed confused and… disappointed. They woke me up a bit, made me look at things from a different angle. You know what happened after that."

Blake smiled. "And that's when you started learning about Faunus."

The smile disappeared when Weiss shut her eyes, her hands going limp in Blake's. "No… no, that happened a few days later."

"Weiss?" Blake asked hesitantly. When she got no response, Blake raised one of her hands to Weiss' face, gently cupping her cheek as she lifted her head. Blue eyes snapped open in surprise. "Weiss, what is it? What happened a few days later?"

Blue orbs held onto amber for a few seconds, before Weiss looked away as best she could, unconsciously leaning into Blake's touch. "After you came back… I had trouble falling asleep the next few nights. I kept replaying what we said and what I was thinking and… I was so confused and frustrated… I couldn't figure out why I acted that way… until one night, it hit me."

"What?" Blake asked when Weiss remained silent.

Weiss' eyes flicked to Blakes' face, before closing as Weiss leaned into the touch, purposefully this time. "That's what it was… an act. The moment I knew you were a Faunus and part of the White Fang, I just… shut down. I wasn't thinking the way I normally would have. I… I was acting the way I… I knew I was supposed to. I said those things because, that was what I was supposed to do, I felt that way because, that's how I was supposed to feel."

Blake took a step forward, fully worried now, only a single step separated them. "Weiss, what do you mean you were supposed to?"

Weiss took a shaky breath. Her eyes opened, but Blake had the feeling that Weiss wasn't actually seeing anything. "That's how it is. That's how it's always been. Any time that Faunus are involved, you have to act that way, to feel that way towards them. It's the only way you can be around him…"

Blake blinked, feeling her stomach drop. "Him…?"

Weiss continued, off in her own world now. "To be around him, you have to think like him. To talk to him, you have to say what he expects you to say. To spend time with him… you have to be like him." Tears started to roll down Weiss' cheeks.

"Oh, Weiss," Blake whispered, pulling the smaller girl into a tight hug, her cheek resting on her shoulder.

Weiss' soft, muffled voice murmured brokenly into her shoulder.

"I don't want to be like him."

Blake held her tightly, carefully bringing them to the ground when she felt Weiss' legs wobble. She could feel the sadness and pain leaking through the Link, and her every instinct told her to do something, anything, to stop the distress of her potential Mate. She closed her eyes, and thought of calm and peaceful things as she spoke gently into Weiss' ear.

"It's okay, Weiss, I've got you. You're alright."

Weiss made no sound, no cries or sobs, but at Blake's words, she closed her eyes, leaning into the embrace as feelings of comfort washed over her.

Moments passed, Blake keeping up her soft words and sense of calm until she felt Weiss' despair, while by no means gone, dull and fade into the background.

Once she could feel that Weiss was calm, Blake spoke softly. "Weiss, you're nothing like him. I know it."

"Then why do I feel this way?" Weiss' muffled voice answered from her shoulder.

Blake contemplated her answer. "You've had to be this way for a long time? Years?"

Her only answer was a nod into her shoulder.

Blake let out a slow breath. "It won't just go away in a month, Weiss. When you've spent your whole life thinking and acting one way… It takes time to change. You're going to mess up now and then… you just have to keep trying."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, kitty-cat."

Blake's head snapped up and she felt Weiss stiffen in her arms as the familiar, if unusually soft voice suddenly spoke.

The door clicked shut as Ruby and Yang stepped into the room, concerned frowns on their lips as they looked down at the embracing girls.

"How long…?" Blake started as Weiss stayed still.

"Not long," Yang answered, keeping her voice low. "Just caught the tail end of what Weiss said." She knelt down beside the two, trying to look at Weiss' face. "You okay, Snowflake?"

It took a few seconds, but Weiss' head eventually dipped up, her blue eyes slightly bloodshot as they made contact with Yang's lavender. "I'm… okay, " she murmured, her tone of voice making it clear that even she knew how lame her answer sounded.

Yang nodded anyway, seeing how spent the young heiress was. She glanced at Ruby, who had knelt down with her, having her concern reflected back in her sister's eyes. She turned her attention to Blake. "So what do we do now, kitty cat?"

Blake looked around, surrounded by her prospective Mates, and let out a defeated sigh. "I don't know. I have so much I need to tell you… this went nothing like I planned."

"Um… I have an idea," Ruby said hesitantly. Once everyone's eyes had turned to her, she went on. "It's kinda late. Why don't we sleep on it tonight, and, in the morning, Blake can tell us everything she wants to… together."

Blake was confused at her words, until she looked to the wall clock.

Ten P.M. … is it really that late already?

She felt Weiss nod into her shoulder. "I'm okay with that," she said tiredly.

Yang gave a small hum. "Actually… not a bad idea, Sis. Today's been… yeah. Blake?"

The Faunus took a moment. She wanted to tell them all how she felt and how the Mating process worked, but… maybe Ruby had a point.

"That'll work," she answered.

Ruby nodded, a smile finally gracing her lips. "Okay then. Team RWBY, to bed!" she called, even giving a sharp point upwards to make it an official command.

Yang rolled her eyes as she got to her feet, an amused smile of her own forming. Blake made to rise as well, her arms releasing Weiss as she did. But while Weiss let go of Blake, she made no move to get up.

"Weiss?" Blake asked.

"Hm? Oh, right. Sorry, I just- wah!"

Weiss' distracted words were cut short when Yang suddenly bent down and picked her up bridal style, as if she weighed nothing.

"Yang, what-?"

"You were taking too long! This was faster," the blonde answered with a cheeky grin.

Weiss looked up at her for a moment, before huffing indignantly, looking pointedly away. "I can walk…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Yang drawled as she deposited the now-brooding heiress onto her bed, before walking to her own dresser.

Weiss grumbled as she sat up, quickly getting off the bed. "I have to change my clothes too, you brute."

Blake smiled at the banter as she changed into her own sleepwear.

Soon, clothes were changed, weapons stored, and Team RWBY had all found their way to their respective beds.

"Goodnight, everyone!" Ruby called as she turned off the lights.

"Goodnight, Ruby," three voices answered back.

After half an hour, Ruby and Weiss had each drifted off to sleep. Blake wasn't too far behind them, but her mind just couldn't stop going over what she would say the next day. There was so much to cover… and she had no idea where to start. It didn't help that she'd given bits and pieces of the information to Ruby and Weiss, but neither had been given the same information the other had. And Yang hadn't been told anything yet…

"Psst. Blake."

Blake's eyes opened fully, drifting up to where she knew the blonde was lying. "Yes, Yang?"

"Um… okay, sorry if this sounds weird, but… Ruby showed me how to do the emotion… sensing… thing."

Blake blinked, surprised. "She did?"

The bed above her squeaked as Yang shifted her weight. "Yeah… so, uh… do you think we could… real quick…" There was a hiss of air as Yang let out a frustrated huff. "Could you show me your emotions… please?"

Blake gasped lightly, but then grinned. "Sure, Yang. Go ahead."

She heard Yang gulp. "Yeah… okay."

Blake closed her eyes, blocking out the rest of the world. Right above her, she could see the wispy mass of yellow right above her, a small tendril of aura reaching down to her. Right before it reached her, Blake focused on Yang, bringing everything she thought about the blonde to the forefront of her mind. She felt the slight nudge as Yang's aura touched hers, and waited for Yang to say something.

She heard a gasp. The seconds ticked by, agonizingly slow for Blake's tastes. Yang suddenly took a long, shaky breath.

"That, um… wow! I mean…" Yang descended into nervous, yet strangely happy sounding laughter.

"Yang?"

"O-oh, n-nothing, Blakey. Just… that was really something. We, uh… yeah, we are definitely talking tomorrow."

Blake looked at the underside of Yang's bed. The blonde sounded okay. She let out a bit of her aura, brushing up against the mass of yellow.

Nervousness. Disbelief. Bafflement. Happiness. Hope. Relief.

Blake smiled. She considered asking Yang about what she was feeling, but thought better of it. "Goodnight, Yang," she said instead, getting comfortable for the night.

"Goodnight, kitty-cat."

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Like last time, not real thrilled with how this turned out, but… a month-and-a-freaking-half! I hate sitting on stories like that. Weiss, Y U So hard to write? And don't worry, we'll get to Ruby and Yang next chapter.

Hope you all enjoyed. I'm trying to rework my schedule so that I can have more writing time, because apparently you guys really like it. Seriously, over 200 alerts and over 400 favorites in under six months? That's nuts! Thank you, all of you!

Drop a review, if you'd be so kind, and I'll see you next time!