68

Chapter 68: Fire Within

Atlassian Warehouse, Monday evening

"All right, girls. Time to tackle the last bit of this Affinity thing."

Blake and Weiss shared a look as Yang took her place in front of them. Next to them, Ruby was bouncing foot-to-foot, her excitement so obvious the Link was completely unnecessary. The Checkmate duo shared her enthusiasm, no doubt…

But they hadn't really been expecting an audience.

Weiss spared a quick glance at Winter, Blake doing the same with Kali. The elder women sat at a small folding table against the far wall, chatting quietly amongst themselves as they watched the proceedings. Penny sat cross-legged on the ground near them, her head tilted to the side slightly as she watched the RWBYs, her eyes glowing slightly. Taiyang stood just a few paces behind Yang, arms crossed and smiling.

Blake couldn't help but feel a little nervous, suddenly feeling retroactive sympathy for Weiss during their past glyph training. Up until this point, she and her Mates had been stumbling through discovering their Affinity alone, with no one to judge them but themselves, save Winter. Now, with her mother there to observe, Blake couldn't stop the self-conscious feelings from bubbling up. Her earlier panicked realization that neither of her parents had ever actually seen her fight before didn't help matters.

To her shame, she was a little glad that her father wasn't there, just in case she made a fool of herself. He, along with Qrow, were back at Beacon with Ozpin and Ironwood, trying to fine-tune their plan to take down Taurus. Raven, Yang had told them, was apparently off somewhere gathering the 'hired muscle' that Roman had promised Adam.

As for said conman… Blake didn't know where he was, and frankly didn't really care to. The fact that he was part of Ruby and Yang's family, and therefore, through them, part of her family, left her feeling rather queasy if she thought about it too hard.

Thus, as the 'bigwigs' (as Yang had called them) worked towards defeating Adam, the blonde bruiser decided that it was the perfect opportunity for them to work on her aspect of their Affinity. Something Blake took no issue with, and was in fact rather excited about.

She just hadn't planned on doing it while her mother watched.

Judging from the hints of Nervousness Weiss kept giving off, she seemed to have similar reservations about Winter being there. Ruby and Yang kept sending waves of Sympathy and Confidence their way, but there was unfortunately only so much even the Link could do.

"So," Weiss started. "What do we do?"

Yang shot her a grin. "Well, first off, I need you guys to realize something about my Semblance." Despite the smile on her face, there was an undercurrent of Reservation to her feelings. "It's not like you and Blake's. There's honestly not much thinking to it - yes, Weiss, insert 'dumb blonde' joke here."

"I wasn't going to!"Weiss squawked indignantly.

Yang's grin shifted to a smirk, continuing on. "Instead, it's more of a feeling. I'd say it's a lot like Ruby's, but… unlike hers, you can't just focus on one part of your body to turn it on, like we do with our hearts for Ruby's speed." With a blink, Yang's eyes turned red, her blonde mane glowing and writhing like flames. "My Semblance goes through my entire body, so it's always either all on or all off."

Blake looked Yang's glowing form up and down. "Then, how do we… turn it on?"

With another blink, Yang's eyes went back to lavender. "It's easier than you might think. But first," Her grin slipped for the first time, hesitance clear on her face. "Rubes already knows this, but… my Semblance is dangerous. And I don't just mean during a fight. It is…" She let out a small self-deprecating scoff. "Stupidly easy for me to hurt myself with it if I'm not careful."

Weiss frowned lightly. "You told us how you used to break your arms…"

Yang nodded to her, her lips quirking upward. "Yeah, to put it mildly. Which is why I want you guys to understand what my Semblance feels like before you try and put it to use. I really don't want my powers to hurt you, especially with this whole… thing going on." She gave Blake a meaningful look, radiating Remorse. Blake responded with a slow, grim nod.

Ruby stayed smiling, shifting her weight excitedly. "Well? What's it feel like, then, Professor Yang?"

Yang gave her sister an exasperated grin. "Well, my sugar-happy student," Her eyes and hair started glowing again. She clenched her fists. "With it just being on, without being hit, it just feels like this… warmth, deep in your bones. It's kind of a weird feeling, like… an ache with no pain, if that makes even a little sense."

It didn't, if Blake and Weiss were perfectly honest, but they got the gist of what Yang was trying to explain. Ruby, to their surprise, merely nodded to her sister, listening with more attention and patience then she'd ever shown during classes.

Yang took their silence in stride. "Now, the tricky part comes when you get hit." She glanced behind over her shoulder. "Dad?"

Taiyang walked over, nodding to her. Blake took the chance to look towards her mother, finding that she and Winter had fallen silent, both watching the proceedings with rapt attention.

Once her father had stepped beside her, Yang stretched her arm out to the side, pulling her sleeve up to her shoulder. "Keep your eyes on the spot where he hits me."

"How hard do you need, sweetheart?" Taiyang asked as he set himself into a boxing stance.

Yang gave a shrug. "Hard enough. Like, semi-serious, I guess?"

It sounded less than helpful to Blake, but Taiyang nodded like he understood what she meant. With little warning, his arm shot out in a sharp rabbit-punch, hitting the underside of her forearm and pulling back instantly. Yang grimaced a little at the blow, but barely moved.

The girls did as Yang asked and watched her arm pointedly. Immediately after Taiyang pulled his fist back, they could see a web of faint yellow light shine under Yang's skin, as if her veins had lit up. The glow spread out from the impact, fading away like ripples on water in less than a second.

Weiss and Blake blinked in surprise, the heiress commenting, "I didn't notice that before."

Yang grinned, pulling her sleeve back down. "Don't feel too bad. Like you saw, it's super quick. The glow is a little stronger the harder the hit is, but not by much. Now," She gave her arm a good shake, Taiyang taking a few steps back. "This is where things get a bit confusing. Once you take a hit, that warmth in you starts to heat up. It's slight at first, but it'll get hotter and hotter the longer you have it. And the more hits you take and how hard they are will affect how quickly that heat grows."

"And… that heat is your strength?" Blake hazarded a guess.

"More or less," Yang said. "Best I can figure, that 'heat' is the energy I absorb when I get hit. Over time, the energy starts to multiply while it's inside me, meaning I have more energy to release into my punches. More energy equals more heat. Which is awesome… until I start hitting my limit."

Weiss swallowed nervously. "And at that limit… your bones start to break."

Yang nodded, her smile dimmed. "Pretty much. It's pretty easy for me to know when I've hit my limit. That's when the shaking starts." At their curious looks, she clarified. "Once I hit my limit, my body can't hold any more energy. But, my Semblance keeps multiplying the energy I have anyway, which leads to my bones vibrating. I let the energy out, no harm no foul. At worst, I get a few microfractures that my aura heals in no time. But, if I stay like that too long… " She trailed off, as if mulling over her words.

"Boom," Ruby supplied helpfully.

Blake and Weiss paled a bit when Yang merely nodded in agreement. "Yeah, pretty much. If my bones have too much energy inside them, the energy tries to force its way out. First by cracking my bones, but eventually…" She put a hand over her arm, quickly pulling her fingers apart to mime rapid expansion. "Boom."

…

"So…" Weiss said after a beat of awkward silence. "How do we avoid our bones going… boom?"

"Oh, that's easy," Yang reassured her. "You just have to let that power out before it reaches that point. All that energy doesn't like being contained. It'll force it's way out at the first opportunity. Holding it in until you need it is actually the hard part." She gave her head a small shake, punching her fist into her palm before letting her hair and eyes turn back to normal. "Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. You three need to be able to turn my Semblance on first before we do anything else."

Blake and Weiss stood up a little straighter, Feeling Yang grow more serious. "Okay, Yang," Blake said confidently. "What do we do?"

Yang huffed a deep breath, crossing her arms. "Alright. Just… stop me if I'm not making sense, okay?" She waited until they both gave her a nod. Yang's eyes then drifted to Ruby, her brow raising when her sister merely stood there.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yang, I already know how your Semblance works."

Yang's brow just hitched higher. "Yeah, just like I knew about yours. And didn't that turn out just peachy the first time I used it?"

Ruby blinked at her, before letting out a small sigh, her cheeks tinting slightly. "Point taken," she muttered as she straightened up.

Yang gave her a half-grin, before launching into her explanation. "Okay, so… turning my Semblance on. Once you know what my Semblance feels like, turning it on and off is like flipping a switch. It's getting to that point that's tricky. First off, there's two parts of it." That gained her some curious looks, so she went on. "It's kind of like Ruby's, at least at first. When I was little, I had to focus on my heartbeat, listening to it and getting a feel for its rhythm. Once you have that down, you have to pulse your aura in time with it."

Blake tilted her head a little. "In time?" she voiced, her confusion evident.

"Yeah. Uh…" Yang rubbed the back of her head, thinking hard. "Like… when we focus aura into our hearts to turn on Ruby's Semblance. Except, you have to back out immediately after putting it in, matching the rate that your heart is beating." She bit back a growl as she Felt their confusion merely shift instead of fade. "Look, uh… you know how when you listen to a heartbeat, there's actually two thump sounds per beat? That's what you focus on. On the first thump, you put aura into your heart. On the second, you push it back out. And you just keep doing that. In, out, in, out."

Weiss nodded slowly. "I think I understand. But… is that it? Just focus our aura like that?"

Yang let out a sigh through her nose. "That's the first part, the easy part. The next bit is when it gets complicated." She uncrossed her arms, clenching her fists. "Once you've got your aura pulsing with your heartbeat, it's like you're… primed to turn my Semblance on." She blinked, an excited smile spreading over her lips. "Actually, that's exactly how it is! You get that pulse down, and it's like building a bonfire; the wood's set up, the fuel is out. All you need is the flame, a spark to ignite it. That's the second part."

"Which is?" Weiss asked.

Yang took a moment to release a slow breath. "That's... the complicated bit." She sighed, flashing her girlfriends a self-deprecating smirk. "Y'know how when I get angry, my eyes turn red?" She chuckled when the two merely raised a brow at her. "Yeah, stupid question. Well, that happens because, in that moment, my Semblance is trying to turn itself on and I have to make an effort to stop it. I'm so used to the first part of it, that pulsing feeling, that it just happens without me thinking. All it takes then is the trigger. That's where the anger comes in."

Blake's ears perked up in surprise. "So, you need to be angry to turn your Semblance on?"

Yang bobbed her head side-to-side, humming to herself. "Not… entirely," she eventually said. At their confused looks, she went on. "Anger is the easiest way to bring my Semblance out, but… it's not the only way. Over time, I figured out that my Semblance works more on determination than straight anger. When I'm mad, my Semblance starts to kick in without me meaning to. But if I want to turn it on, like this-" With merely a blink, the red eyes and glowing hair returned. "-I have to focus on why I need it to turn on."

Weiss gave Yang a thoughtful look. Even Ruby was staring at her sister quizzically. "Could you explain that a bit, Yang?" Weiss asked.

Yang hummed again, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess…" Without thinking, she started to pace slowly back and forth in front of her team, not noticing Taiyang track her movements with a fond smile.

"My Semblance is… finicky," Yang eventually settled on. "I can't just go 'I need super-strength!', and make everything work. It needs… it needs a reason, a good reason for it to turn on. Otherwise, nothing will happen until I get so pissed that it kicks in on its own, but then… I don't know, those times I feel… off. It's easier for me to think if I choose to turn my Semblance on, rather then just let it do its own thing."

Blake frowned a little. "You make it sound like your Semblance is alive."

Yang barked a laugh. "It feels like it sometimes. I mean, I get mad, I have all the strength in the world and just start swinging. But, if I'm not, then it's like my Semblance is saying, 'you're not ticked, why do you need me?'" Yang snorted a laugh. "So, those times, I need to constantly think about what I need my Semblance for. Y'know, keep my goal in mind."

Weiss nodded slowly, her gaze questioning. "What kind of things do you think of?"

At that, Yang's cheeks tinted slightly. "Well…" She let her shoulders slump, admitting, "For a long time… I thought of Ruby?"

Her words earned startled stares from her team, Ruby herself jerking her head back slightly in surprise. "What?"

A small sigh passed Yang's lips, her tone a bit reluctant. "When I was first learning about it, my Semblance would kick in just from me being angry and frustrated with my training. But anymore…" Yang's cheeks tinted a little darker as she let out a sharp huff, crossing her arms. "The easiest way for me to turn on my Semblance is to just think, 'If I lose this fight, how am I going to protect Ruby?' And, like clockwork," She snapped her fingers. "It fires right up."

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise, her lips parting. "You never told me that," she said softly.

Yang groaned slightly, keeping her eyes to the ground. "Well, no duh, sis. Do you know how cheesy that makes my powers sound? 'Thinking about keeping my little sister safe gives me super-strength!'" She scoffed under her breath, giving them an amused grin. "Makes me sound less like a Huntress and more like someone off a Saturday morning cartoon."

Ruby stared at Yang for a moment, her eyes sparkling. Then she surprised her sister by blurring forward, hitting Yang with a hug that nearly sent her stumbling.

Yang grunted in surprise as Ruby wrapped her arms around her, then just chuckled, returning the hug with an exasperated sigh. "Rubes, c'mon…"

Weiss and Blake giggled a bit at the sisters. Behind them, Kali hid a laugh behind her hand, Winter raising a brow at the interaction. Taiyang just watched his daughters, chuckling lightly as he crossed his arms.

Once Blake had fought back her giggles, she asked, "So, we pulse our Aura, then we need to focus on… some kind of goal?"

Yang nodded, gently pushing Ruby back to where she'd been. "Pretty much. The pulsing part'll probably be the hardest at first, but once you know what it feels like, it gets easier. As for the emotion bit…" She hummed under her breath, crossing her arms again. "Well, that might get tricky. If it works just like with me, you could just think of something that makes you mad for the first time, and we can work on focusing later.

"But, that could just be with me," she continued thoughtfully, earning surprised looks from the three. "You guys know that I got a short fuse, so getting angry isn't that hard for me. But you three have different mindsets than me, so… maybe you'll have an easier time focusing than me." She kept up her thinking pose for a few moments, before suddenly clapping her hands together, smiling brightly. "Well, we won't really know until we give it a shot. So… you ready?"

Blake shared a quick look with Weiss. The heiress bit her lip, her hesitance clear, but she nodded nonetheless. Their look to Ruby was unneeded, the speedster's Excitement coming off her in waves.

Yang's grin widened as she fist-pumped. "Great! Okay, so here's what I want you to do: close your eyes," Yang said as she did so. "Focus on your heartbeat. Once you think you've got the rhythm down, start pulsing your aura in time with it. I think I can show you through the Link and watch to see if you're doing it right."

After another quick glance at her Mates, Blake closed her eyes. She took a moment to appreciate the view through their Link, Weiss's wispy white aura on her left, Ruby's sparkling red on her right. She watched as Yang's aura seemed to change in front of her, never losing its shape, but… shifting. Growing thinner around the edges and denser at her center, before immediately evening out again. Rushing in, rushing out. In. Out. In. Out.

Having a general idea of what to aim for, Blake listened for her heartbeat, feeling her cat ears twitch instinctively.

...ump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump...

Remembering Yang's words, she tried pulsing her aura in time with it. It was an odd feeling. Unlike when they used Ruby's Semblance, she couldn't just focus her aura towards one place. She had to keep it where it was, only moving it slightly, back and forth, in and out.

Thu-Thump. Thu-thump.

In. Out. In. Out.

"Rubes," Yang's suddenly said, her soft voice thundering compared to the focused silence Blake had put herself in. "You're pulsing too slow. Either calm down or pulse faster.

"Sorry!" Ruby answered back. "I'm not used to pushing the aura out."

Yang chuckled. "I know, sis."

Thu-Thump.

In. Out.

Thu-Thump.

In. Out.

Blake could feel… something. It was slow, but… her eyes were tingling, like they were watering, but… different. Still… it felt weak. Like the tingling should be stronger. She kept going.

Thu-Thump.

In. Out.

"Stronger, Weiss. You gotta push your aura a little harder than that."

Thu-

In.

"Okay… like this?"

Thump.

Out.

"Perfect. Just keep that up."

Blake felt the sweat start to drip down her forehead, the pulsing of her aura straining her both mentally and physically. The tingling feeling grew. Her eyes were nearly vibrating.

"Okay… I think you guys are close," Yang said after a few minutes. "Rubes, could you open your eyes for just a sec… oh… wow, yeah, you guys…" Yang's voice gained a peculiar tone, like happiness buried by pure awe. "Okay, uh… sis, close your eyes again. No, they're fine! Just… you three are definitely ready, you just need to trigger my Semblance. Alright…"

Blake was only half listening to her, most of her mental power going towards keeping up the steady, stressful rhythm she'd set her aura to. So it took a moment for her to process Yang's next words.

"Girls, just keep pulsing your aura, and then I need you to think real hard about one specific thought. Like I said, anger is the easiest thing, but you're free to try something else if you think it'll work better. Just picture in your mind what you'd need my Semblance for. Believe me, you'll know when it starts working."

Anger? Blake didn't have to think for long to come up with something. She was angry at herself for following Adam for so long. Angry with the White Fang for what it had become, for the sheer fact that not a single member outside herself seemed to take issue with being the blatant criminals they had become. She was angry with Adam for…

A burst of heat flowed through her veins the next time her aura pulsed.

Adam… Oh, there weren't even words for the emotions her once-friend, near-Mate brought about inside her. A swirling myriad of anger and fear, the sheer loss at how much time and energy she wasted following him and his lies. How many crimes had she committed, how many of her morals broken, solely on the fact that it was he who asked it of her?

The heat burst again, the pulsing of her heart and aura increasing.

And how far would I have gone? If I hadn't Felt him that day, would I have still left? Or would I have gone along and helped kill those humans, just because 'Adam knows best'? How blind was I?

And even now, he still has a hold on me. For the sheer fact that I left him, that I found someone else to love, he wants to kill us. Worse, he's throwing away all the twisted work he's done, everything he's made the Fang do, just for the chance to kill us...

A cold pit formed in Blake's stomach…

To kill them.

...only to be engulfed by raging fire.

Adam… he wants to kill my Mates.

Blake's hands curled into fists, her cat's claws digging into her palms.

He wants to kill Yang.

"Yes!" She dimly heard Yang's voice in front of her, just to the right. "Ruby, that's… wait… is your hair-gah! Yep! Yep, yes it is! Ow, oww…"

"Sorry!"

"No, it's okay, sis. I'm the one who just had to touch it."

Blake didn't react, too lost in her thoughts.

He wants to kill Ruby.

"Okay, now, Weiss… wow, that's different."

"What? Did I do something… oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'. It looks good, though."

He wants to kill Weiss.

A deep growl formed in the back of Blake's throat, the tingling in her eyes growing painful.

"Man, this is nuts. Blake, do you… Blake?" Yang's voice filled with concern.

He wants to hurt my Mates.

"Blake? Hey, Blakey! You're getting too worked up. Take a breath."

He will not hurt my Mates.

"Blake?"

I will not let him.

"Blake!"

Her eyes snapped open, her growl turning into a roar. "What!?"

She watched Yang leap back, throwing her arms up to show her palms. "Whoa, easy there, Kitty Cat!" Her expression shifted from startled to concerned in seconds. "I think you lost yourself for a minute there. Are you okay?"

Blake blinked rapidly, only then aware of her situation. She stood slightly hunched over, her fingers curled into claws. She was breathing heavily, her heart hammering away, each beat pounding against her chest. Her cat-ears were splayed out, her teeth bared.

As soon as she realized what she was doing, Blake felt heat rush to her cheeks as she tried to relax out of her aggressive stance. She relaxed her shoulders, standing up straighter, but found she could only partially calm herself. There was a stiffness in her muscles, a constant warmth that kept her on edge. Swallowing down her sudden feelings of uncertainty, Blake looked back guiltily at Yang. "I… I think so. Sorry. I'm not sure what just happened."

Ying lowered her hands, giving Blake a sympathetic smile. "My bet is that whatever you chose to think about made ya a bit anger than you thought it would." She then looked Blake up and down, shaking her head in bemusement. "This is amazing," she murmured to herself.

Blake tilted her head in confusion at Yang's awed tone, causing part of her bangs to drift in front of her eye. She instinctively reached up to brush it back into place, only to do a double-take at the strand of hair, her eyes widening.

"What…?" she breathed.

The hair was… glowing violet?

Reaching back, she pulled a loose handful of her long hair around, her mouth parting at the sight of it. Her once black hair was now glowing with a deep, dark violet light, just a shade darker than that of her Mark. The strands seemed to writhe slowly in place, moving like waves as thin trails of steam-like violet vapor wafted off it.

After staring mesmerized at her glowing hair for a moment, Blake's eyes snapped back up to Yang. The blonde met her baffled gaze with a wide grin, looking like she was holding back laughter. "I know, right?" she said, a slightly manic giggle passing her lips. "And it gets better." Her eyes darted to each of Blake's sides.

When Blake followed her gaze, she couldn't help but inhale sharply. Ruby and Weiss were sporting similar effects to their hair as she was. Weiss's hair was glowing brightly, the light tinting it a faint, almost blue color, while Ruby's whole head of hair shined the same shade of red as her bangs. As she looked closer, she could see a faint shimmering in Weiss's hair, twinkling like frost, and with Ruby's…

"...Ruby…" Blake started hesitantly. "Is your hair… sparking?"

The speedster's cheeks tinted as she watched the trails of red static leap between her bangs. "I think so…"

Yang snorted. "Yeah, and I know so." She wiggled the fingers of one hand in front of her face, smirking. "I found that out the hard way."

Blake nodded dimly. While the changes to their hair had drawn her attention, what distracted her now was something more glaring:

Their eyes.

Both Ruby and Weiss eyes burned that same shade of fearsome red that Yang's turned. Weiss was even admiring her change of eye color with her compact.

Swallowing slightly, she couldn't help but ask. "Are… are my eyes…?"

Weiss looked over as she trailed off. The heiress seemed to take a moment to look over Blake's changes, before handing the compact over with a gentle smile. "It seems we match."

Blake quickly turned the compact around, looking at her reflection in the tiny mirror. Sure enough, her amber eyes were now blazing red, which contrasted strikingly with her glowing hair.

"Wow," she said softly, tensing her eyes to turn them slitted and back.

Movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention. She turned to see that her mother had stood up, holding her scroll up as she took pictures of the four of them. When Kali noticed her looking, the elder Faunus gave her daughter a wide smile, pride and awe shining in her golden eyes. She flashed her a thumbs up, making Blake flush.

Beside her, Winter had also stood, her brow raised as she stared at Weiss. She kept her expression carefully schooled, but she couldn't keep all of the surprise off her face.

"Okay, this… this is awesome." Yang was nearly giddy as she looked around at her Mates and sister. She fired up her Semblance to match them, pulling a handful of her hair in front of her. "I just thought your eyes would turn red and your hair would burn like mine. But," She let her hair fall down her back, eyes darting between each of them. "I'm not even sure what's going on with you guys. Do you… feel okay?"

Blake pursed her lips, concentrating on how she felt. "I… think so," she said hesitantly. "Nothing hurts, but… I feel a little tense. There's this warmth inside me, but on the outside, I feel… cool."

"I feel… similar," Weiss agreed, running a hand through her hair. "Except, I'm not just cool, I'm… cold. But I don't feel uncomfortable. It's like, I know I'm cold, but it just… is. Odd."

Ruby nodded slowly looking between the too. "Yeah, it's a little different for me too. Warm inside, but outside… I feel like my skin's buzzing." She giggled as she ruffled her bangs, sending out a few sparks. "Tingly."

Yang crossed her arms, frowning in thought. "Weird. I just feel hot inside and out." She hummed to herself, then blinked. "Wait a second. Cool, cold, tingly… that's how you three's aura's all feel."

Weiss inclined her head, putting a hand to her chin. "And your's always feels warm…"

Yang blinked again. "It does?"

Blake sent her a confused look. "You didn't know?"

"I never really thought about it." Yang just shrugged, looking defensive. "Well, did you guys know how your auras felt?"

Ruby gained a thoughtful look, while Weiss merely cleared her throat. "Regardless, this is… intriguing." She ran a hand through her ponytail, watching in fascination as she shook loose a shower of frost. "I've never heard of a Semblance that made aura visible, not to this extreme, at least." Looking back up, she gave Yang a curious look. "Though… I'm a little confused. I thought your Semblance would be draining while it's on, like Ruby's. But, right now, I feel almost normal."

Yang rubbed the back of her head, frowning slightly. "Yeah, that's about right. Not sure why, but once my Semblance is on, it just kind of stays that way. I don't really feel a drain from it until I start throwing punches."

"I always compared it to a car engine." The girls turned towards Taiyang, surprised by his interjection. He just gave them a shrug and a grin. "It takes a bit of effort to turn it on, but once you do, it'll keep going until you either turn it off or run out of gas."

Yang huffed, giving her father a pointed look. "Not quite how I'd describe it… but, he ain't wrong." Yang then looked between the three of them, and Blake had to hold in a giggle. The blazing blonde had a look of wonder on her face that wouldn't have looked out of place on Ruby's, her usual fearsome red eyes now gleaming with boundless excitement. "Well… it's beyond different, but you three definitely have the look down. You ready to try absorbing energy?"

At her words, Blake felt a little of her enthusiasm fade. As interesting as it was having Yang's Semblance activated, the thought of actually using it made her more than a little apprehensive. Yang's stories about tearing muscles and breaking bones from misusing her Semblance had painted a rather grisly picture, and given the fight they had coming in the near future…

Then again, having Yang's Semblance as an option might be the deciding factor between life and death in said fight, for both herself and those around her. A quick glance to her left showed that Weiss was having a similar train of thought, given the determined glint in her crimson eyes.

Ruby apparently had no such worries, already putting her arms up in an imitation of her sister's boxing stance. "We're ready, Yang! Let's go!"

Yang chuckled, ruffling Ruby's hair, though careful to only let her gloved palm ghost over the sparking ends. "Easy there, sis. First thing's first; Weiss, Blake," She gave the two an expectant look. "Me and dad have trained Ruby with some hand to hand, so I know where she stands. But what about you two? Either of you know how to fight without a weapon?"

Blake thought back. "I learned some martial arts from… the White Fang." She refrained from saying who from in the White Fang, but the unconscious Sympathy her Mates sent her way made it clear she didn't have to. "I'm not a master at anything, but I can get by."

They all then looked towards Weiss. After a stubborn moment, the heiress looked away, her cheeks tinting. "I've only ever used my glyphs and Myrtenaster," she reluctantly admitted.

Yang let out a small hum, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Hey, no shame, Snowflake. That's why I'm asking. Now," Yang stood up a little straighter, lifting her arms in front of herself. "I want all three of you to cross your arms, like this."

Pushing away her last bits of worry, Blake mirrored her defensive posture, Weiss and Ruby doing the same. Yang then moved in front of Weiss, shifting the heiress's arms a little higher and tighter. "Perfect. Okay. Now, there's no real trick to this. With my Semblance turned on, you'll absorb whatever energy hits you automatically, and let it out whenever you hit something. We can work on how much you let out later." She brought her arms up into a boxing stance. "All I'm going to give you is one light hit. Ready, Weiss?"

Weiss hesitated only a moment, before giving a resolute nod, squaring her feet. "Ready."

Yang flashed her a grin, then threw her arm out.

Weiss grunted as the blow hit, wincing slightly. As Yang pulled her arm back, a web of light blue flashed under Weiss's skin, spreading out across her arm before quickly fading.

"How's it feel?" Yang asked, watching her intently.

Letting her arms down, Weiss flexed her hand experimentally, looking at it curiously. "Odd. It feels like the warmth grew… warmer." She gave a small shrug, unable to expand on her words any further.

Yang just chuckled. "Sounds about right. It won't take too long before 'warm' becomes 'hot', so let's keep moving. Blake?"

With a quick nod, Blake braced herself.

Just like with Weiss, Yang hit her arms with a quick jab. Blake watched the violet web spread out under her skin, feeling the heat in her bones increase ever-so-slightly. After doing the same with Ruby, Yang stepped back in front of them all.

"Not much we can do now except get you all used to the feel of absorbing and releasing energy, so…" She looked over towards their small audience. "Penny! You ready?"

With a wide grin, Penny leapt up from her place on the floor. She gave Yang a sharp salute as she marched over. "Combat ready and waiting!" she chirped happily.

Yang returned her grin, before looking behind her. "Dad?"

Taiyang grinned as he stepped next to them. "As ever."

"Great." She turned back to her team, putting her hands on her hips. "What we're going to do is have a little spar while you three have my Semblance on. Between me, Dad, and Penny, we can take whatever hits you throw at us, no matter how strong you get. Ruby, you'll be fighting Dad."

Ruby looked up at her father, and Blake couldn't help the bemused smile she got at seeing the size difference between them. Ruby just gave Taiyang a small smile, shuffling her feet. "Just like training back home?" she asked quietly.

Taiyang gave her a gentle, understanding smile. "Exactly, sweetheart. Show me what you can do."

Ruby nodded to him, her smile growing a little.

Yang let out a small breath as she looked away from them, turning towards Weiss. "Snowflake, you'll be with Penny."

Seeing the heiress's uncertain look, Penny gave her a bright smile. "I have several beginner level fighting styles I use to help train new recruits in hand-to-hand. I promise not to do anything too powerful or complex until you feel comfortable with advancing, Friend Weiss."

Weiss blinked in surprise, before letting out a subtle sigh of relief. "Alright, Penny. I trust you."

"That leaves you with me, Blake," Yang said, bringing up her arms to her fighting stance. "Don't hold back. I want to see just how strong you are."

Blake met the blonde's boasting with a sly grin, shifting her eyes into slits. "Okay, Yang. If that's what you really want."

Yang just grinned back, and for a moment, it looked like her hair flickered brighter.

"Okay, girls," she shouted, her crimson eyes burning with excitement. At her sides, Penny and Taiyang each lowered into similar stances.

Blake, Weiss, and Ruby quickly mirrored them, hair shining and eyes blazing.

Yang's grin grew, clenching her fists. "Let's have some fun!"

Betaed by Covert Weapon

A/n: And I'll end it there because I'm evil. :)

Next chapter will pick up right from where this one left off, though from a rather different P.o.V. After that, things'll start kicking off fast.

Sorry this one took so long. I went back and forth forever trying to figure out exactly how Yang's Semblance worked and how it would translate to the other girls. Then KH3 came out, and… yeah, time kind of got away from me last month.