Forever Home (ch10)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL PATRONS! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

All the time and effort that has gone into rebuilding this delicate, decade-long relationship has now caused it to shatter to pieces. Can it be repaired?

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 10. Having Faith

Weiss ran.

Not once did she pause to apologize to the people she bumped into, nor to look back over her shoulder as she raced towards the dormitory.

She couldn't believe this.

She didn't know who that girl was, but she was through with her.

/I thought she was actually trying to be nice to me... I thought she really wanted to be my friend.../

She slammed her palms against the doors and pushed through, then dashed down the hallway.

By the time she reached her door, she could barely stand due to the pain in her ankle. She pressed herself heavily against the door frame, swallowing whimpers and wiping her arm over her face repeatedly as she attempted to find her key. When she did, she could hardly fit it and turn the knob due to how badly her hands were shaking.

But eventually, she managed to get in, where she fell to her knees and curled up on the floor.

/I should have known better. I should've known better than to have believed someone was actually trying to be nice to me. Father thinks this is a good opportunity for me, a good way to start over.

/But I know how it is. I've always known. People don't want to be your friend. They just want to use you and then throw you away. They just want to make horrible comments and jokes. They just want to feel better about themselves by hurting you.../

Ever since that girl had said her precious cat's name, Weiss' mind had flooded with memories of Blake.

How she'd loyally wait for Weiss to come home every day so they could play together.

How she'd always be there to listen to Weiss' problems.

How she'd always curl up beside her and bring her incomparable comfort.

All of them were good memories.

Except for the final one - losing her.

Weiss imagined Blake slipping out the mansion doors at night, running off into the deadly, busy street, or into the dark woods only to encounter some vicious wild creature or cruel human like her previous owner.

She imagined her beloved old cat bleeding, wailing, dying...

Without Weiss.

She'd promised that she would always take care of Blake.

And she had, for nearly ten full years of her life.

But what good was that promise if Weiss couldn't even see it through until the very end?

She'd done a lot of crying in her lifetime, but for most of it, Blake had been there beside her, to ultimately make her feel better.

But she wasn't here anymore.

At the very least, here in her room, Weiss could cry as much as she wanted to, as loudly as she wanted to, and for as long as she wanted to.

Her heart was consumed by grief, anguish, and a sense of betrayal from losing the one friendship she'd been starting to put faith into.

She just cried. Hard, forceful, painful sobs that hitched her breath and choked her.

Not even Penny, who had flitted off after her and hovered invisibly beside her now, could do anything to help her.

"Weiss... Oh, what have we done? This is all my fault... I should never have offered my spell to Blake... I'm so sorry..."

Guilt swept over her so strongly that her wings ceased to function, and she fluttered to the floor beside her favorite human.

"If only you could see me again," she whispered. "Like you did when you were younger. Then you'd know I was here... that I'm you're friend, and that you're never alone..."

But the sight of Weiss so distraught, and the sounds of her strained caterwauls, were more than enough to have the little fairy weeping as well. She knew there was only one thing that could fix this, and it wasn't any magic she could cast. All she could do was offer one last plea to the girl who couldn't even hear it.

"Please, Weiss... Just have faith. Don't give up..."

But Weiss couldn't hear the request or see the one who had made it.

She could only bury her face into her dress and let the tears consume her.

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Blake was drawing a crowd.

People were asking her what was the matter and whether or not she was all right.

But she didn't listen to any of them. Her sobs drowned them out, anyway.

/I did this... I let this happen... I should just go... I should disappear from her life... She'll just believe I'm dead. She'll be sad for a while, but she'll get over it. She'll find another cat. Another friend... Someone better than me.../

She was no longer aware of Ruby and Yang fluttering frantically at her side, begging her not to give up.

But Blake couldn't see any reason to keep going. She'd already come this far, gotten this close to Weiss again, and then ruined her only chance. There was no way Weiss was ever going to want to see her again. Blake was better off leaving this campus until her final days of being human were up.

/Then I'll turn back into a cat and live out the rest of my short life... without her. And it'll be my own fault. If I'd just-! If I'd just stayed as I was and waited for her, she would've come back home! It might not have been every single day, but she would have come back eventually!

Wouldn't it have been better to have stayed that way? To have died as her favorite old friend? Now instead, she thinks that friend has run away and died a horrible death without her knowledge. That's how she'll always remember the Blake she loves meeting her end.

But I'll always know the truth. I'll always know what I've done to her; come to her in this form, gotten close enough to earn her friendship, only to hurt her so badly. I don't deserve to see her again.../

As she continued to weep amongst the crowd of concerned spectators, Blake just couldn't help but imagine what could have been.

Weiss could have recognized her.

Blake could have helped her understand how it had all happened. She could have proven to Weiss who she was.

And they could have lived together happily from then on.

Side by side.

As humans, and the best of friends.

/That could've been our life together... If I'd done this right. If I hadn't given up.../

But she'd given up.

There was no point anymore.

There was no point...

But...

But there was still a point.

Wasn't there?

The whole point of this endeavor was to make Weiss see who she was, to make her understand.

And even though Blake had hurt her, she still had a chance.

/I... I can't just give up now. Not when I've... when I've come so far... Not when I've gotten so close to telling her the truth. She deserves to know. Even if she doesn't believe the truth, she at least deserves to know it./

Furiously, Blake rubbed her sleeve over her burning eyes and pushed herself to her feet.

/I've got to do this. Even if it only makes her hate me more. She'll only hate the girl who took her cat's name. But she'll never hate Blake. No matter what happens, that will never change./

One more time. She was going to see Weiss just one more time.

So she took advantage of this body that she would only have for a short while longer.

The trembling in her legs was replaced by a fueling sense of adrenaline, and a desire to see the person she loved the most, just one more time.

/I have to tell her. I have to, I have to-/

She pelted through the oncoming people and tore across the campus, bound for the building she knew Weiss to have taken refuge in.

/I've got to see her.../

She rushed through the doors-

/I've got to tell her.../

-and down the hallways-

/I've got to.../

The door she sought was before her now, slightly ajar; the last person who'd used it had clearly been too upset to close it.

She all but stumbled into it, causing a noise that startled the girl inside. Blake gripped the doorframe and leaned against it heavily, panting, crying.

"Weiss..."

Blake looked in on her, hunched over in the darkness, small, scared, and in pain.

Blake didn't budge another step. She just stared at her, waiting.

Until the blue eyes she'd come to know and love finally glanced up at her. They were now full of distress and disgust.

Weiss deliberately glared daggers at the dark-haired girl who had appeared at her doorway now. It was clear that she'd ran all the way here, and that she'd been crying, too.

/For what reason?/ Weiss wondered bitterly. /Why should she be crying...?/

Weiss straightened herself up. Despite her posture and position radiating a sense of vulnerability and anything but confidence, her voice was cold and offered no room for argument.

"Get out."

Blake flinched and took a step back.

But she wasn't going to leave. Not until she'd done what she'd come all the way here to do.

So she advanced the step she'd just taken back and shook her head.

"Weiss... p-please... I need to-"

"You need to leave!" she barked. "I told you I've had enough of your jokes! I never want to see you again!"

"Weiss, please!" Blake was all but screaming now in her desperation. "You don't have to believe me but please... just listen... please..."

Weiss' stomach flipped over. She felt as though she were going to be sick.

She hated this. She hated having someone she didn't even know seeing her cry and break down. She just wanted to be alone...

But something inside of her relented, and it happened as soon as her eyes met with that striking golden gaze once again.

The girl was still crying, shaking as badly as Weiss herself was, equally as upset and desperate - that much was clear.

Weiss couldn't describe it, but there was something inside her that almost... wished she would stay.

After eighteen years of doing everything within her power to push people away, why was it that now she wanted some total stranger not to?

She couldn't understand it. All she could do was cough up another sob and hold her gaze.

"Fine..." Voice thin and cracked, Weiss consented. "Then tell me. Tell me whatever it is you must. Tell me before I change my mind..."

She didn't move, didn't even let another tear fall just yet.

Blake inhaled a few unsteady breaths, having calmed down just a little now that she'd stopped running, though her heart never stopped racing.

Weiss was going to hear her out. She could tell her-

But suddenly, Blake didn't know what she wanted to say. She couldn't think of how to do it, where to start.

Blankly, she shook her head, her mouth hanging open in shock. She couldn't pull her gaze away from Weiss'. It was almost as though looking at her was causing Blake to forget.

"I-I..."

Blake took another step forward, her boot pressing softly onto the plush of the carpet.

Weiss didn't budge. It almost felt like Blake was being drawn in somehow.

She advanced another step, then another, until she was just a few feet away from Weiss.

At that point, Blake couldn't go any further, and she dropped to her knees, a fresh wave of tears rising up and spilling over.

"Weiss... I... I don't know..."

/How to say it... Where to begin... How to tell you.../

She never managed to say the rest of her sentence, because her throat was closing up. She felt lightheaded, nauseous, almost like she was losing herself.

Weiss refused to show any more tears, any more weakness, in front of this girl. Sniffling, she cleared her throat and dragged her voice up from it.

"How... did you know that name...?"

Her tone was different now. The angry, accusatory note had vanished from it. And it was less from fatigue, and more from a strange, unexplainable sense of calmness.

Now that she was thinking a little more clearly, she realized that no one outside of her family should have known her cat's name. Weiss didn't have any friends, after all...

She couldn't explain it, but her hostility towards this girl seemed to be gradually ebbing away. Again, she wiped her eyes as she waited for a response.

Blake struggled to give her one.

She didn't know how to do this. She feared everything she might do could end up hurting Weiss more than it already had. If the truth was going to hurt her more, wasn't she better off not knowing?

But... didn't she deserve to know?

Weiss had handled plenty of hurtful things in her life, far more than her fair share. Blake just feared this one might be too great a burden for her.

/But I've come this far... I have to... before it's too late.../

"Weiss... I... I'm..."

But she... she couldn't say it.

She just couldn't.

Was this some part of the fairies' spell? Was she only allowed to use her name once in front of Weiss, and she'd already done it?

Or was it simply the fear that the reaction she'd received from Weiss the last time Blake had said that name to her would be the same reaction this time?

Suddenly, Blake couldn't remember how to say her own name in the human language anymore. She couldn't think of the sounds to put together to form the correct word.

Panic flared up inside of her, thick, fearful shockwaves coursing through her veins as she fought to remember.

"I... I-I... I'm..."

"Blake..."

But the word didn't come from her own lips.

That name - the name that held an entire lifetime's worth of memories - had come from Weiss' mouth.

Blake's jaw hung slack, tears falling down her cheeks, some to drip off her chin and others to slip onto her lips. She stared, her eyes never once having left those pools of perfect blue.

Weiss was crying again. She wasn't afraid to anymore.

She didn't understand how, but she knew.

She just knew.

"Blake..."

Again, she said her name, and it was nothing short of a blessing.

Blake could barely breathe. She couldn't be sure whether or not this was really happening.

Was it just... a trick of her cat ears, which had been longing to hear that name from those lips for so long that they were just fooling her now? Was it just the fairies trying to make her feel better by telling her what she wanted to hear?

So many thoughts whirled through her mind in that moment. But ultimately, of all the deceit and doubt that could have been toying with her, one thing held true.

That voice.

Weiss didn't even bother to wipe her tears away anymore. Her heart was beating erratically, and she couldn't seem to get her vision cleared of the stinging warm blur that was constantly rising up.

She couldn't keep her gaze away from that beautiful golden color, the very same color that had drawn Weiss to her so many, many years ago, behind the bars of that shelter cage...

"Blake..." she whispered. "It's... it's you, isn't it? It's... it's really you..."

Blake could do nothing more than nod, more droplets spilling down off her chin.

"Y...Yes..."

Weiss couldn't keep her eyes open. There were too many tears behind them, forcing her to close them. She gasped, pressing both hands to her mouth, wailing a thin, fractured cry into them.

"Blake... my Blake..."

The sound of her name coaxed Blake forward. She dragged herself a few inches closer to Weiss, coughing up a thick breath. With it, she expelled all of her doubts, all of her fears, leaving room for only hope.

"Weiss... Weiss, I-I- you know... w-who I-?"

Weiss fought to speak past the surges of sobs that were spilling out, her lips and voice trembling so severely, she could hardly make sense of what she was saying.

"O-Of c-course I... I know... who you are... now I know..." she croaked. Weiss lifted her face from her hands, and her eyes bore directly into gold once again, just like always. "Y-You're... you're Blake... you're my Blake..."

And Blake could only cry harder, her high-pitched wail of a voice forming no coherent words as she cried. Just cried.

And Weiss smiled.

Despite how frequently her expression was made to contort and crumple due to her own sobbing, she managed to curl her lips up at the edges into an unmistakable smile. She'd almost forgotten what it had felt like.

Slowly, she lifted her shivering arms up, opening them invitingly.

"Come here..." she whispered. "Come here..."

Blake all but threw herself into those waiting arms, arms that had been so empty for so long. At long last, she finally fulfilled that ache, that desire to touch her as a human could. She clung to Weiss' back, her fingers all but spasming from how badly she was shaking, nails curling tightly into the fabrics of her dress.

She didn't want to let go. Not ever.

She couldn't even keep her eyes open anymore, and the only thing keeping her up at all was Weiss. Her shoulder supported Blake's chin, and her arms supported her back.

Blake hadn't been human for even a month, and yet she felt as though she was now crying for all the eighteen years when she couldn't, and then some.

It was more than she'd cried when she'd first been transformed.

It was more than she probably ever could cry for every day for the rest of her life.

Her cries split the air, somehow heart-wrenching and heartwarming at the very same time.

She cried for the grief, the fear, the pain.

And for the relief, the disbelief, and the joy.

Her body shook and shuddered, battered by all of the emotions she'd never been able to express before. She pressed herself close to Weiss and just didn't let go.

And Weiss held her close, more tightly than she'd ever been able to before. The cat she'd once known and loved had been so much smaller than herself, her form more fragile by nature. Weiss had always been afraid to hug her too tightly, afraid she might've hurt her.

But now she could hold her, free of the burden of such fears. Weiss was more terrified that she'd almost hurt Blake in a much, much worse way.

Time meant nothing to them anymore. But it was a while before they'd both stopped crying enough to get control of their voices once more.

Blake was still quivering as she clung to Weiss with a desperation that spoke of every shred of love she harbored for her. That love was equaled only by the fear she felt at the thought of losing her.

She could feel Weiss shaking too, her breath coming in short, shallow little gasps. Weiss had always cried softly if she could help it, and the same held true for now. She didn't let her voice out too much. It only tumbled out in small whimpers as her chest jolted from the barrage of relentless hiccups.

Blake felt the puddle of warm tears seeping into her own shirt as Weiss' hands pressed their shape through her clothes and tattooed themselves onto her skin. Blake burrowed her face into the side of the girl's neck, struggling to compose herself after all of this.

She could feel Weiss' hands start to move, one pushing in gently at the center of her back, causing Blake's form to arch into Weiss'. Their chests pressed together, until she could feel the thick thrumming of their hearts overlapping.

Blake wailed again.

She never thought she'd get to feel this sensation again. The familiar, rhythmic beat of Weiss' heart.

Even though Blake didn't have the same form as she'd used to, her body still reacted as it always had. Whenever she felt Weiss' troubled heart racing like this, there was only one response she had.

A bumbling, sloppy, gravelly purr began to bubble in her chest. It crept its way up until it spread through her chest and throat, then transferred over to Weiss.

Weiss recognized that soothing little vibration instantly, that peculiar song that was music to her ears. As soon as she felt that, she let out a small laugh, threaded with tiny hiccups.

"It's you... it's really you..."

There was no doubt in her mind anymore, nor in her heart.

Blake nodded, purring a little harder.

"Yes... it's me, Weiss..."

She felt another strange sensation fill her body then. It wasn't from the crying, she could tell. It felt as though she were being pricked by tiny claws, but only at the top of her head.

Blake let out a sudden gasp, and her grip on the white-haired girl tightened. She all but crushed Weiss to her, fearful that she might lose her human form, that she might no longer be able to hold her like this.

Weiss felt the immediate change in Blake, and a beat of fear shocked her heart.

"B-Blake?" She, too, tightened her hold on her, defiantly. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

But Blake couldn't respond. The pain in her skull was too discombobulating for her to be able to speak. She squeezed her eyes shut and dug her nails into Weiss' back, clinging, begging.

/No, no, please no-!/

But her form didn't shrink or revert back to that of a cat as she'd been fearing.

Instead, she felt the bow in her hair begin to wiggle. Then, the soft, furry ears beneath them vanished, dissipating into thin air, without Weiss ever having to see them.

Of course, if Blake had revealed those to her, it would have unmistakably proven who she truly was.

But Weiss had recognized her all on her own, without Blake having to say a word or do anything at all.

Blake let out a long, heavy sigh, and with it went the last of her pain. She went all but limp in Weiss' arms now, and she knew it was over.

But Weiss was still nervous. Blake could feel her breathing quickly, and there was distress in her voice now.

"Blake? B-Blake?"

"It's okay..." Blake rekindled her purr and passed it through her chest to Weiss'. "I'm sorry for scaring you... It's okay now..."

She waited for a long moment, sharing her purr as much as she could, until she could feel Weiss' panicked breathing begin to slow down. The pounding pulse of her heartbeat lessened into something much less painful, and her voice lost its note of terror.

"Oh... thank goodness..."

Blake made sure to remove her nails from Weiss' clothes now. Instead, she used her fingertips to rub gentle little circles over her shaking back.

In turn, Weiss was calmer now that Blake's pain had passed. She trailed her left hand up through the thick, messy black hair that was covering her back. She traced her fingers up along Blake's arm to her shoulder, then higher along the side of her neck.

Weiss paused at her ear, where she carefully moved the many strands of hair aside. When she looked there, she could see a small chink in the skin of her ear, a telltale scar that had remained.

"It's really you..." she murmured again. "It's really you..."

Blake sighed into her shoulder, holding onto her with a firm gentleness, how one could only ever hold the most precious thing in the world to them.

"I found you... I'm so glad I found you again..."

She wanted to stay like this. She just wanted to relish this forever, for the rest of her new human lifespan.

But there were still many questions that needed answering, especially one in particular for Weiss.

"How...?" The white-haired girl pulled away at last, coaxing Blake back a little so she may see her eyes. "How... did this happen? It... It isn't a dream, is it?"

Blake shook her head.

"It's... I don't really know how to explain it. I don't know if I can..." She paused, then glanced around the room briefly. She knew the fairies were there, and she wanted to see if they would give her some kind of sign. But Blake could discern nothing from them.

"I guess... the best way to put it is... having faith. Believing." She turned her golden eyes back to find blue. "Haven't you ever... believed in magic, Weiss?"

Blake's words were almost sobering to her somehow. Weiss sucked in a small breath, her eyes wide.

All her life, she'd been raised to believe only in logic and reason. There was no place for magic in her life – or so her father had made clear to her.

But now, a small smile once again found its way onto her lips.

"I... when I was younger, I swore that... that I could see fairies..."

With Weiss' confession, something seemed to change within the room.

Blake felt it as well as Weiss.

It was a strange shift, one they couldn't really explain. But it was made clear to them both that nothing more needed to be said on that matter. They both understood somehow.

Weiss wiped her eyes quickly, then returned one of her hands to Blake's hip, and the other to her chinked ear. Gingerly, Weiss massaged her there, just as she'd always done.

It elicited a harder, fuller purr from her. Blake discovered that her cat ears had been taken, but the purr remained.

Both she and Weiss were clearly glad for that little gift.

Weiss found she was longing for Blake's warmth again, so she pulled her back in to her chest, wrapping her in a soft embrace.

"I know you just told me to believe, but... I can't believe it..." Her lip started to tremble all over again, and her voice along with it. "And I... I was so horrible to you..."

Blake's purr rumbled to a stop, dismay quickly festering in her stomach.

"No! It's all right, Weiss. I know you didn't mean to."

"B-But, I-"

"Were only trying to protect yourself," Blake finished for her. "I know. You've always been that way. People always... they always end up hurting you. So you just don't give them the chance to anymore. You shut them out and keep your distance. You don't want to get hurt..."

Sniffling, Blake recounted the old memories playing through her mind. "Like all those birthday parties. Even though it was your birthday, no one ever wanted to play with you. They never gave you a chance. Just because you were such a good student and always focused on your work instead of making relationships with other people.

"So they never even tried to understand you. They never tried to get close to you. It's only natural you started shutting people out... In fact, I'm almost glad that you did. Because I didn't know what I would've done if anyone ever hurt you so badly..."

Weiss was crying again, the little sobs spilling past her lips and onto Blake's shoulder, getting lost in her hair. Blake pet her hands over Weiss' back, just as Weiss had done for her so many times. A slightly musing smile appeared on her lips.

"And... since you didn't bother with other people, that meant I got you all to myself. I know it's selfish of me, but... but you're all I ever wanted, Weiss. And you're all I always will want. And need."

Weiss could only curl her fingers in tighter, ducking her face into Blake's collar.

"You... You noticed... all of that...? All those years..."

Blake dipped her head.

"I noticed a lot of things. Especially about you. But until now, I... I could never say anything in a way you'd understand..." Blake closed her eyes, and let the memories return again. "But you did understand me a lot. Whenever I asked for tuna for dinner, you always knew, and you'd give it to me."

Weiss' sobs morphed into a small laugh.

"That's right..." she whispered. "You had this... distinctive meow that told me you wanted tuna for supper. I could always recognize it. And you always did like doing that."

"Doing what?" Blake purred.

"That!" Weiss wiggled in her arms, making Blake realize that she'd started to knead her fingers ticklishly against the girl's back. She'd just been so happy that she'd started to do it subconsciously.

"Oh, right. That."

Weiss giggled past the little sniffles she was still dealing with.

"Hmm. I already know you still have this sweet spot..." As she said as much, she began to massage Blake's chinked ear once again, causing her purr to increase in volume. "But I have to wonder if this still works on you...?"

Weiss ran her free hand down Blake's spine, lightly pressing her nails in. As soon as she reached the small of Blake's back, the dark-haired girl mewed softly and arched her into her touch. Weiss laughed again.

"Works like a charm."

"Mm, you always treated me so well," Blake sighed. "You gave me my own room. You gave me so many toys and food and shelter. And you loved me so much... I know you did. Even when you didn't say it, you showed it. And I understood. I always understood that you loved me."

"...You... You did? Oh..." Weiss hid her face once again, reenforcing the embrace. "Oh, I'm so... so relieved... I'm so glad you knew..."

"Of course I did. Why else do you think I slept beside you every night? And sat next to your chair at mealtimes? And waited for you at the door when you came home? I loved you too, Weiss. I still do. And I always will. I got to live a perfect life with you, Weiss. And I never got to thank you for that."

She wiped her eyes again, fighting to keep her voice steady. "S-So... th-thank you for... for giving me a second chance... f-for rescuing me, a-and for making me a p-part of your life... Thank you... for loving me... and for letting me remember how to love again..."

"Oh, Blake... my precious little Blake..."

The embrace grew ever tighter, and the tears seemed to be never-ending.

But it was so much better than all those times they'd cried alone. Neither minded crying if they could do it together.

Weiss tried as often as she could to look up into Blake's eyes. When she next did it, Blake leaned in to brush their noses together.

"There's so much I want to tell you," she said. "Like how I've always loved your eyes. Ever since the first day you walked into the shelter. They're the color of the sky. The color of freedom."

Weiss nuzzled her cheek affectionately in return.

"It's funny you say that... or perhaps, it's fate. Because your eyes were what drew me to you, as well. I've never seen a color quite like them before. The rarest, most precious gold...

"Back when I first saw you in the classroom, I know I stared at you. I just... I couldn't stop looking at your eyes. I knew they were familiar. In my heart, I knew it. But my mind couldn't accept it. There was just no way..." Once more, she fell forward into Blake's arms. "And yet... now... here you are..."

Blake pressed close to her again, affectionately brushing her cheek against Weiss'.

"Yeah. I'm here now... I'm here..."

More silence. More tears.

But there was still so much more to be said.

Weiss let whatever words she could form slip out.

"And it's... it's strange... how I didn't think to ask for your name for so long... But I think it's because... deep down... I already knew..."

Blake nodded vigorously.

"Yeah... Thank you, Weiss..."

Time continued to pass, signified only by the beating of their hearts.

All those nights apart had been cold and miserable. Only when they were together could there be meaning and warmth in every breath.

Blake found her purr once again and offered it to Weiss, sharing the feeling she couldn't put into words.

Eventually, she started to explain the things she felt she could explain.

She told Weiss how she'd gotten away from the mansion in hopes of finding her again.

She told her of how she'd gotten here, how she'd tried to choose classes Weiss would have selected, how she'd tried so hard to talk to her without putting her off.

She also told her about Pyrrha's helping her on her first night here, about how Blake had needed to learn how to drink from a water bottle instead of a bowl, and how she thought the tuna that humans ate on sandwiches tasted different from the tuna they put in cat food.

Weiss listened to the tale of her incredible journey, all of Blake's selfless acts as she'd desperately tried to find Weiss against all odds before her time was up.

And Weiss couldn't help but apologize, again and again, for how cruelly she'd treated her. She felt so wretched, horrified to think of what might've happened if she'd refused to give Blake a chance, failed to recognize who she was.

"I never... would have known..." she rasped. "I would've let you die alone..."

Blake pulled her close, having Weiss rest the majority of her weight against her.

"I know you never would have," she murmured. "You kept your promise to me, Weiss. You kept that promise a thousand times over. It was my turn to keep the one I'd made to you."

Weiss allowed the steady purr to ease her guilt away.

"You... You made a promise to me, too?" She straightened herself up and stared curiously into her eyes. "What was it?"

Blake shifted a little bit, wanting to sit back so she could look Weiss in the eyes properly as she recounted it.

"I'd promised... that I would stay by your side for the rest of my life... And when I was a cat... I knew I didn't have much more time left. I was happy with just living out the rest of my time at your side... But then..."

"But then my father sent me here."

"...Yeah... A-And I just... I knew I couldn't keep my promise a-anymore... I knew we'd be apart a-and I wouldn't be able to be with you. I c-couldn't help but wonder... if... I'd died when you were away... how sad you would be...

"B-But then I became human and I came all this way to find you, a-and you still thought that I might've ran away and died, and it still made you sad, a-and-"

"Blake... Blake... shhh..." Weiss hushed her, stroking her hands gently up and down her back. She was still getting used to being able to see Blake cry like this, but Weiss swore she would do everything within her power to help the hurt go away.

"It's all right now," she whispered. "We don't have to think about... what could have happened, or what almost happened. Because those things didn't happen. Do you know what did happen?"

Sobbing, Blake nodded.

"We... We found each other..."

"That's right," Weiss affirmed. "We did. We're together now." But a prickle of worry was gnawing at Weiss' chest. She recalled something Blake had mentioned before, and had to address it now.

"Blake... you said that... you only had a month to be this way... And it's already been three weeks... Then... if you're like this now... how long can you stay this way? Is it..."

A twisting feeling of dread and despair gripped at her heart. Weiss couldn't bear the thought of only having this for one more week. She couldn't bear the thought of having gotten Blake back by a miracle, only to lose her again.

But Blake's purr only grew heartier when she replied.

"I'm... the same age now as I was before. Eighteen years old. Just like you." Blake moved back again to meet her gaze. She smiled, and a fresh wave of tears began pouring down. "I... I can stay like this now, Weiss. I can stay with you. For the rest of my life..."

And with those words, Weiss' fears were dashed, as if by magic.

"So then... you mean...?"

"For the rest of my life," Blake said again.

Weiss threw her arms around her once again.

"You mean... for the rest of our life. I'm never going to leave you again, Blake. That is my new promise to you."

Blake whimpered in agreement.

"Me, too. I promise I'm never going to leave you again, Weiss."

"I know you won't. We'll always be together from now on."

"Y-Yeah... Weiss... I-I love you so much..."

"I love you too, Blake... I love you so much..."

Night had fallen long ago, and only after they'd cried every last tear they could shed did they decide to stand. They helped one another, leaning on shoulders and holding onto wrists as they limped over to Weiss' bed. Weiss laid herself down onto her back, then coaxed Blake to join her.

"Just like old times," she said invitingly.

Blake knelt beside her, though she didn't lie down just yet. First, she reached out to brush her thumb over Weiss' cheeks, clearing away the last of her tears.

"Weiss?"

Even in the darkness, Blake could still see that brilliant blue of her eyes so clearly.

"Yes, Blake?"

"...Is it okay... for me to sleep like I used to? A-Am I too big now?" she fretted.

Weiss couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Oh, Blake... you silly girl. Come here, come here." She looped her arms around Blake's shoulders and pulled her down.

Blake carefully laid herself over Weiss, feeling how her new body pressed against her. It was very different from how she'd used to lie on top of Weiss.

But Blake found that even in this form, they fit together perfectly.

She could feel Weiss' soft, warm skin radiating all over her own body, and the same pair of familiar arms draped on top of her back.

Gently, Blake rested her head sideways onto Weiss' chest. Immediately, she could hear the sound of her heartbeat. It was the same, beautiful rhythm she remembered, only now it was fuller, more complete.

Blake got lost in the sound of it, closing her eyes to commit it to memory with her new pair of ears.

Weiss was also getting used to Blake's weight on top of her. It didn't hurt, though. Rather, it was a comfortable kind of pressure, one that made her feel safe, protected, loved.

And it was so warm. She'd never felt this warm before...

It wasn't long before she felt the rumble of a familiar purr, spreading on top of her stomach up to her chest, causing her to giggle softly at the ticklish sensation. Weiss began moving her hands up and down Blake's back, threading through her long, soft hair, which had almost the same texture as her fur had used to have.

She rubbed her back, lightly pressing her nails in from time to time, one hand making its way to her chinked ear. Weiss shifted a little bit to kiss the top of her head as she'd always done.

Blake purred harder, listening as Weiss' heart as it beat a little more quickly, a little more happily. When she spoke, Blake could feel the vibration of her voice in her chest.

"I missed you so much, Blake..."

"I missed you, too, Weiss..."

"You must've been scared, to come all the way here on your own. To leave home..."

It was difficult for Blake to pull herself away from the sound of Weiss' heart, but she pushed herself up, bracing her weight on the bed on either side of Weiss. Her eyes flicked down to those lovely pools of blue.

"Weiss... the second you left that mansion, it wasn't home anymore. Just like I never considered the old house I lived in to be my home. The shelter wasn't really home, either. If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that home isn't a place. It's a feeling."

For the first time, Blake did what Weiss had done for her so many times before. She leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I've only ever felt at home when I'm with you. You're my home, Weiss."

Emotion rolled through her in waves, and she could tell that Weiss was about to cry again. The girl sobbed, but smiled, pulling Blake down onto her once again, bumping their noses together.

"Then it's decided..." she whispered. "I'll be your forever home, Blake. You'll always be home here. With me... I love you, Blake. I love you with all my heart."

Blake whimpered into her shoulder, the sobs coming out amongst little bits of her purrs.

"I... I can hear it in your heart, Weiss. I can feel it in your arms. I can see it in your eyes. I'm with you and... and I know I'm finally home... I'm home... Thank you, Weiss..."

At long last, the two souls who had bound themselves to one another through many years of love and promises had been reunited.

The three fairies who had guided them along the way soared into the air together, laughing and crying gleefully as the journey of a lifetime came to an end.

But that ending was actually a brand new beginning.

After all, they had the rest of their lives to spend together, now that they were home.

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A/N: At long last, their long, arduous journey is over. But at the same time, it's only just beginning! There will be a small epilogue, don't worry!