Chapter Text
Blake awoke with a start, almost falling from the thick branch she had taken refuge on in the night. Balance regained, she leaned back against the trunk giving her pounding heart a moment to recover after the shock of an almost 60ft drop. As her heart slowed Blake sighed, tilting her head to feel the warmth of the sun gleaming through the upper branches. The sun which was already high in the sky.
Fuck. She’d overslept. Blake’s shifted, eyes darting to the vacant campsite below, several feet in the distance, the cold remains of ashes a sign the occupants had long since left. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Using years of practice, Blake scrambled down the tree, hurried enough she wasn’t worrying about noise but careful enough to not injure herself in the process. Reaching the bottom branch, Blake swung off, her feet hitting the forest floor with an assured but gentle thud. Silently she jogged over to the clearing, reaffirming what she already knew. Aside from the burnt out remains of the fire, no trace anyone had ever been there. They were gone.
Blake berated herself, annoyed she had fallen asleep. That was not part of the plan, keeping watch was the plan, and she had failed. Again.
Peering through the thick forest around her, she tried to glimpse any sign of which direction they might have gone. Several make-shift paths lead away from the clearing, and although she knew the final destination, she had no idea which direction that lay in. Her eyes were really not helping and her woodland tracking skills were definitely not up to the task, so instead she closed her eyes, and just listened, her faunus ears twitching periodically.
In the past, Blake had wondered if humans ever really realised how much life around them they couldn’t see. Sure she had the advantage of cat hearing - far superior to her human ears - but even so, in Blake’s experience most people seemed to like talking more than listening. Right now, she could hear birds flying to and from the nests; insects eating, drinking, building homes; mammals chattering, foraging, scurrying back and forth. It was deafening. But none of these sounds interested her. Blake wanted to hear heavy boots hitting the ground, the flutter of a cloak, light-hearted chatter. Taking a deep breath, Blake stilled her thoughts, blocking out the sounds of life around her, focusing solely on her targets. Her hearing was actually superior for hearing higher pitched sounds, but still if she could just hear something, anything. Boots, a cloak, chatter, boots, a cloak -
An ear-piercing scream split the forest. Blake’s eyes sprung open. Weiss. Her feet were moving in the direction of the scream before she had time to process what that noise could mean. Instinctively, she pulled Gambol Shroud from it’s resting place on her back, taking comfort in the familiar weight of the weapon. Blake ran with every fiber of her being, no longer hearing the sounds of the forest over the pounding of her own heart. Weiss had screamed. Weiss was in trouble which meant Ruby and Yang were in trouble too.
As if on cue she heard Weiss yell, “Yang!”
Yang.
Blake’s heart clenched at the sound of her partners name. The cry had been closer this time, confirming Blake was at least running in the right direction, even if she couldn’t see anyone yet. Putting on an extra burst of speed, Blake darted through the dense woodland, jumping over fallen trees, swiping branches out of her way, planting her footing carefully. She would be of no use if she sprained her ankle in her haste.
But her team were in trouble, and she wasn’t there. She knew this would happen. The second she lost sight of them, something like this was bound to happen.
Trying to keep a level head Blake picked up the pace even more. To her left, she heard the distinct click of Ember Celica locking into place. Adjusting her trajectory, Blake knew she was close. So close.
A lighter patch of forest up ahead caught her eye. A clearing. Was this where they were? But it was too quiet. She hadn’t heard Yang even fire off one shot. Was it over? Were they - Shaking her head, Blake focused on her destination. A flash of red caught her eye. Ruby. Ruby was ahead. Blake pushed herself harder than she thought possible, breaking the tree line to the small clearing, only to come skidding to a halt at what she saw before her.
Her team, weapons raised and pointing at her.
“Blake!” screamed Weiss, surprise tugging the name from her lips.
Heart still pounding, Blake blinked the three women in front of her, scanning each of them for signs of injury. Finding none, Blake had trouble convincing herself they were okay. Weiss was looking rather disheveled, almost covered from head to toe in mud, but otherwise looked unhurt. Ruby and Yang looked, well…fine. Shocked, but fine. Still, Blake had to make sure.
“Are you all okay?” she asked, her voice coming out shakier than she would have liked. No-one responded, all still staring at her in shock. Blake felt compelled to continue with an explanation. “I heard a scream and I - I thought…” she trailed off, suddenly feeling uncertain, foolish, and hyper aware she was still holding Gambol Shroud in front of her in an attack position. Changing tack, Blake looked at Weiss, the one she had heard scream. “Weiss, are you okay?” she asked sincerely concerned.
Somehow the question broke the spell. Weiss lowered her weapon blinking with wide eyes, before patting down her skirt which was far from white anymore, before flicking her ponytail out of her face and over her shoulder. At another time, Blake would have laughed at the ridiculousness of this usually perfectly dressed girl, attempting to be presentable whilst covered in thick sludge. “Oh, I’m fine. I’d be better if Ruby wasn’t such a dolt.”
“Hey!” came the high pitched protest from Ruby, as she retracted her weapon Scarlet Rose and locked her on her belt. “It’s not MY fault you came on this trip in a white dress and inappropriate footwear! Besides, I was trying to lead us around the big boggy mess, not through it.”
“Well, it’s not like I wanted to get covered head to toe in horrible, smelly, mud! Getting dirty in a fight is one thing, but this? This is just - Grrr!” Weiss stamped her foot in frustration, fists clenching at her sides.
Blake quietly watched the exchange, still too shocked to do anything other than observe the familiar bickering. Somehow it was strangely comforting to see Ruby and Weiss squabbling just as they always had. Blake had seen a little of it whilst she’d been following them over the past few days, but watching from a distance wasn’t the same.
Slowly, she became acutely aware of Yang’s eyes on her, and Blake suddenly found herself afraid. She’d thought about this moment so often, dreaming up how it would play out, what she would say. Wondering how angry Yang would be with her, because she would be angry, of that Blake had no doubt. She didn’t want to look at Yang and see red where there used to be lilac. She didn’t want proof she provoked those kinds of feelings in Yang, feelings usually reserved for injustice, Grimm, or her mother. She didn’t want to know, and yet, as always, she felt her eyes drawn to Yang’s.
Lilac.
Blake released a breathe she didn’t know she had been holding. Yang’s eyes were lilac, and gods, they were as beautiful as ever. Maybe a little harder than she remembered, but still beautiful. She’d forgotten how breath-taking Yang was, even with her mouth set in a hard line, Blake was drawn to her in an inexplicable way. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around Yang, to feel the blonde enclose her in an embrace that would make the world fall away, but it wasn’t her move to make. It was Yangs.
But she could at least break the ice by saying hello. Couldn’t she? Apparently not. Blake’s throat was suddenly drier than it had ever been in her life. She wanted to say Yang’s name, and hear Yang say hers. Gods how she’d missed Yang saying her name. She wanted to say I’ve missed you, and I’m sorry, and so much more, but as hard as she try, nothing would come out.
It was only when Ruby asked her a question that Blake noticed the quiet that had settled over the glade - Ruby and Weiss argument had long since trailed off into them juts watching.
“So! Blake!” cut Ruby’s voice brightly into the silence. “What are you, er, doing here?”
Blake was reluctant to break eye-contact with Yang, but Ruby’s question demanded an answer. Not that she really had one. Well she did, but not one she wanted to give. Admitting she’d been stalking them through the woods for days was hardly going to throw her in the best light, even if it was with good intentions. She’d never intended to actually make contact with them, just watch them for a while, make sure they were okay, and then she planned to be on her way once she’d reassured herself they were doing fine without her. Which they were - apparently. Nothing she’d seen had suggested otherwise. They were capable of course and had adapted their fighting styles to just the three of them. All in all, they seemed… happy.
Shifting her weight nervously, Blake slowly sheathed Gambol Shroud, trying to buy a precious few seconds to think up an explanation.
“Well, I er, I thought you guys were in trouble,” she began hesitantly, eyes flicking to where Yang was still staring at her.
“We’ve established that much already, but what are you doing here?” asked Weiss. Blake must have looked blankly at her because Weiss felt the need to elaborate, slowly. “In the forest. What are you doing here, in the forest?”
Blake’s gaze dropped to the floor, hugging her elbows, as she searched for an answer that could explain exactly what she was doing without completely lying to her teammates. This had never been the plan. “I…um…”
Out of the corner of her eye, Blake saw Yang shift her weight, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed. She could feel them all looking at her, waiting for an answer, and the pressure was almost unbearable.
“Were you looking for us?” Ruby offered tentatively as an explanation.
Blake hated this. She didn’t want to lie, and even if she did she couldn’t think of anything convincing enough to say. “Not exactly,” she reluctantly admitted.
Weiss’ eyes narrowed next. “Spying on us?” she hesitantly asked.
Blake’s head jerked up. “No, no not spying…” she trailed off.
“But you have been following us?” asked Weiss, reading into Blake’s guilty body language.
This time Blake didn’t look down, although she couldn’t bring her voice to actually say it. Yang gave a small huff, shifting her weight again uncomfortably, arms dropping to her sides.
Ruby ignored her sister as she continued to probe Blake. “But I don’t understand. Why didn’t you come and say hi?”
She couldn’t help herself, Blake’s eyes flickered to Yang, whose shoulders slumped, body shrinking under the implication of that look.
“Oh,” came Ruby’s small response as she followed Blake’s eyes to her sister.
Startled, Blake’s eyes widened. “No! That’s not what - “ She cut herself off trying again. “Yang, I didn’t mean - “ Blake stopped again, trying to arrange her thoughts whilst squashing the rising panic within. Dammit. Why couldn’t she just use her words? Just say it. Just say it was an accident, that you hadn’t been looking for them - no that sounded worse. Admit it. Tell them you were afraid they’d not want to see you. “I’m just…” Blake trailed off, unable to finish.
After a moment’s silence, Yang’s tired voice said, “C’mon Weiss, let’s find somewhere to clean up.”
Weiss looked at Yang with surprise with the sudden instruction. “Oh! Okay.” She looked momentarily uncomfortable at having to choose between following Yang or staying and talking to Blake, but in the end loyalty to Yang won over. She glanced sympathetically towards Blake before following where Yang had already left.
Blake watched the two women walk away, her heart heavy with disappointment. She knew she deserved it, her team walking away from her, just as she had from them, but it didn’t make it any less painful.
Ruby too, stepped in the same direction, and Blake thought she might cry before the younger woman turned to face Blake. “You coming?” she asked, blinking wide-eyed and innocent at her.
She would never be able to convey just how grateful she was to Ruby for that kind gesture of inclusion. Still, she hesitated. A million thoughts ran through her head. Blake knew this was a bad idea, Adam was still out there, hunting her, just as he always would be, and being with her team put them in danger. It put Yang in danger. Leaving Yang in Beacon was both the hardest and easiest decision of her life. It didn’t matter what Blake wanted. Her feelings didn’t come into it. She had put a target on her teams back and she had to protect them no matter what. Even if that meant never seeing them again. She always swore to herself that given the choice again, she’d make the same one, she’d leave them all behind. She’d run away.
Her head always telling her she really should run, but her heart? Her heart told her to stay.
So here she was, presented with the same choice, but despite herself, Blake nodded at her team leader. She would stay. For a little while at least.