Against All Odds (ch2)

EARLY RELEASE FOR HIGHER-PLEDGING PATRONS!

Continuing directly off of ch1. Again, it's a bit difficult, since I'm trying to incorporate information we know now from volume 4, and put it into context of the characters back in volume 1. It's basically a guessing game on my part haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 2. When Dawn Breaks

Weiss and Blake stayed out most of that night together.

They whittled away the hours sitting side by side on a bench beneath the moonlight, conversing quietly.

Blake told Weiss about her family, her parents, about how the White Fang had used to be something very different from what it was now. She told her how she'd once associated herself with the group when they'd been a peaceful organization under the guidance of her father and others like him.

But eventually, she got to explaining how things had started going awry. She told her about Adam, her old partner, during which time she couldn't even bring herself to look Weiss in the eye due to how much it unsettled her.

Weiss stayed silent all the while, occasionally offering a word or two of encouragement, or the firm squeeze of her hand over Blake's. She listened attentively, and took every word Blake said to heart. She listened until Blake had pushed through describing how she'd escaped Adam and eventually came to Beacon.

"The only thing is..." she sighed. "My parents... don't really know about Adam and the things his branch of the Fang are doing. They keep well-hidden, and the news of the crimes they commit in Vale and the rest of Remnant rarely ever make it back to Menagerie.

"My goal was to stop Adam and the radicals from the inside, to bring peace back to the White Fang... But now... I'm starting to think I'm going to have to tell my father, and try to explain everything to him somehow..."

Weiss' eyes went wide, and she couldn't help but blurt out a comment after that.

"What? So instead of telling your father and other higher-ups in the White Fang, all this time you've been trying to solve this immense problem all on your own?"

Blake's ears flattened, but her voice didn't waver.

"Yes. Because I believed I could stop it before it got this bad. But... obviously I was wrong..." She leaned back against the bench and tilted her chin, gazing up at the stars. "Once I've gathered enough information and enough proof, I plan to tell things to my father. It's just that he's so... trusting. He's so set in the old, peaceful ways that I don't even know if he'd be willing to believe all of this bad news..."

Weiss couldn't really offer words of comfort for her there. After all, she knew what it was like having a father who didn't believe her.

"I'm sure he'll listen to you, Blake. You're his daughter, after all. If he needs a second opinion to convince him, then he's got it."

Blake's ears perked up, and she looked back to Weiss.

"Really? You?"

Weiss nodded.

"If you need me to, yes. I'll explain things. Though I doubt he'd want to hear it from me of all people..." This time, it was Weiss who turned away. "After all, my father's people have been mistreating your father's people for generations. And it's my father himself who's condoning that kind of behavior. Encouraging it, even. All because he's greedy and ignorant... I used to be the same way. Most people would argue I still am. And maybe I believe them..."

Blake reached out and rested her hand on Weiss' to get her attention.

"I... don't think you're any of those things, Weiss. I mean... a few hours ago, I probably sounded like I did, but-"

"But that's only because I was acting like I was," she guessed. "And I'm sorry for that, Blake. It's just that... when I get into an argument, I have to win. I have to. It's how I was raised. If I don't win, then... it embarrasses the family name, or it shows weakness, and my father won't accept either of those things."

"I... think I understand," Blake murmured. "And I can't blame you, either. Before, you were whole-heartedly believing every word you'd said. You didn't think anything you were saying was a lie, so you were speaking with total conviction."

"But unfortunately, I was horribly misinformed and... misguided."

Weiss specifically used the word Blake had shouted at her earlier in their argument. Blake's ear twitched a little guiltily, but Weiss wasn't taking offense. She was owning up to her mistakes. She made that obvious now.

"I'm sorry, Blake. I know that... I can't just apologize and every horrible thing my family has done will just go away. I know... it won't really change anything-"

"But it will!" Blake exclaimed. She reached for both of Weiss' hands and held them tightly. "If... If there's anything I've learned after all this time, it's that when someone is genuinely willing to apologize for what they've done, that means they're... willing to change their perspective on things. That they're willing to try to make things right." Her ears lifted up, and her eyes were wide and hopeful now.

Weiss knew whatever she said next would bear a major impact on the future of hers and Blake's relationship. So she said what she believed to be the right thing, what she was truly feeling she needed to say.

"Then... I'm sorry, Blake."

And right then and there, Blake started to cry. She dipped her head and clutched Weiss' hands tightly.

"Apology accepted... thank you, Weiss."

In that moment, beneath the quiet silver moonlight, something was made clear to both of them.

In light of all Blake had told her that night, Weiss was willing to change her ways to the best of her abilities. She was going to strive to make things right in every little way she could, so that some day she might work her way up to the task of confronting her father.

And Blake was elated to have Weiss on her side. Not only because she was a Schnee, but also too because...

Because she really liked that feeling.

Of having changed someone's mind. Of having helped them open their minds to see new possibilities, and a more peaceful future.

Eventually, both girls stood from the bench. As Blake wiped her eyes, Weiss retrieved the fallen ribbon and offered it to her. Blake accepted it, but she didn't put it back on tonight.

Together, Blake and Weiss headed back to their dorm room, where a very tearful and relieved pair of sisters was waiting up for them. And upon seeing that their partners had made up, Ruby and Yang pulled them into a warm group hug.

That was something both Weiss and Blake were going to have to get used to, but it wouldn't take long.

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The days following Weiss' and Blake's midnight conversation showed an obvious change in both girls.

Weiss never made another comment about Faunus that wasn't positive, and whenever Faunus history came up in their lectures, she kept her participation to a minimum. She opted to learn about the real truth of their history, instead of proclaiming what she thought she knew about them.

And Blake was acting differently too, but in a good way. While she decided to continue wearing her bow, she started to walk with her posture a little straighter, and her chin held a little higher.

Her newfound confidence was entirely thanks to Weiss.

Blake had always known Ruby and Yang were on her side, but it had been shaky with Weiss until last night.

Now, Blake knew that she had the support of every one of her teammates, and that was a wonderful feeling.

At first, the changes in Blake's and Weiss' behavior were barely noticeable to anyone not on their team or in their closest friend group.

But it soon became obvious to many more people that the once-most-tense relationship in all of Beacon Academy was beginning to change for the better.

Blake and Weiss started spending a bit more time together. They chatted more frequently, as friends do, and they trained together alongside their partners, and cooperated as teammates typically do.

Neither of them really realized when it started to turn into something more.

They started sitting next to each other rather than Ruby or Yang, and their evening walks alone together became more and more frequent.

It was clear to both sisters and a few of their closest friends that there was something more to their relationship than just trying to help one another work towards their bigger goals.

There was something fonder, softer, quieter...

Evidently, Weiss and Blake were the last ones to know about it, despite the fact that they were the ones who were directly involved.

In happened on one of their nighttime walks together. They found themselves at the very same bench they'd first sat at, and decided to reminisce on how far they'd come since they last time they'd sat here about a month earlier.

Weiss had drastically changed her views on many topics, mainly those relating to the Faunus.

And due to her support, Blake had gained a foreign kind of confidence, but one she was welcoming with open arms.

They took a moment simply to sit back and think things over. Weiss started talking first.

"It feels like... we've come such a long way. But in reality, we're still just attending classes as always."

"But we have come a long way," Blake reminded her. She reached out to take Weiss' hand and squeezed softly. "Especially you, Weiss. I hear all the things people are saying about you now, and I hear all the things you say. And it's... so wonderful to know you're on my side."

Weiss smiled.

"It's wonderful to be on your side, Blake. Before, you'd always been so nervous around me. You were probably scared I'd lash out at you, because back then, I probably would have. But now... you've changed so much. You speak up more and you smile more. It's wonderful to see."

"Because it's wonderful to be with you like this," she countered playfully. "I mean, to see someone as influential as you... actually willing to change her perspective of things. Things you'd been set on your entire life. And now you're actively seeking to change them... and I know you're not doing it for my sake, but-"

"Blake."

Weiss slipped her hands out from under and put them atop her teammate's now. Blake lifted her face to meet her eyes, ears trembling nervously.

There was something about the way Weiss had said her name that made Blake's heart start to thump more quickly. And there was something about the look in her pretty blue eyes that was making it go even faster.

Weiss' eyes seemed to say things her lips never did.

I am doing it for your sake. Of course I am...

Blake tried to chase the thoughts away. Weiss would never say something like that...

Would she?

And... why would Blake want to imagine she might?

She swallowed and gathered up some of that newfound courage, enough to bring herself to look up into Weiss' eyes again. She searched her gaze, trying to figure out what it was that was happening between them.

It felt like there was... some kind of pull, coaxing them closer together. Weiss' breath was cool on her lips, and only when she was close enough to realize she could feel it did Blake also realize what was happening.

Neither of them really leaned in more than the other, but certainly neither pulled away.

It just happened.

Their lips brushed together with the lightness of feathers, a soft, almost ticklish contact. It required a bit more force to feel complete, so they both gave a little bit of a push.

It only lasted for a few seconds, and when they parted, there was a mutual look in their eyes:

/What did we just do? And why do I feel like doing it again?/

They weren't going to get any answers unless they tried to find out.

So it happened again, and their lips came together, eyelids falling shut as they cut off the sense of sight and focused mainly on touch.

The kiss wasn't timid, nor was it confused.

It felt like... like they'd both known what they'd wanted for a while now, and the confirmation that it was mutual was all the more reason to make it last.

Blake's heart was soaring. She didn't know what this could mean for herself or for her family, but she didn't care. She was just ecstatic.

But it wasn't long before she could feel her heart begin to sink.

She heard Weiss' tiny whimpers just as she felt the heiress' lips begin to quiver against her own. Blake's ears dropped flat as she pulled away, terrified she'd done something wrong. When she looked at her next, Weiss was crying.

Blake choked out her name helplessly.

"Weiss-"

She didn't know what to do. She thought this was what they'd both wanted...

Her hands gave a gentle squeeze to Weiss', but the girl only lowered her head, as though she'd been defeated.

"I can't..." she rasped. "Blake, I-I can't... we can't..."

All of the joy Blake had been feeling just seconds ago was stripped from her and replaced with a sickening sense of dread. She'd been too caught up in the moment, in the kiss, in the feeling of Weiss' lips on hers... She hadn't thought about the repercussions of reality.

But clearly, that was all Weiss could think about. She didn't lift her face, nor did she make an effort to look back up into Blake's eyes. Blake could feel the sting of tears for herself now, too.

"But... Weiss..." she whispered. "Don't you think that... after all we've... done so far... don't you think... that just maybe... we can...?"

After all, weren't they the living, breathing proof that humans and Faunus could be together? The daughter of Schnee and the daughter of Belladonna. The daughters of two of the most influential men of their species. If they could come together, then so too could the rest of the world.

"It'll take time," Blake murmured. "But... I think it can happen, Weiss. Don't you?" She squeezed Weiss' hand again, hoping for an answer.

But Blake realized she'd been hoping for a happy answer, one she'd wanted to hear. Not the realistic one Weiss had to give.

"I don't know, Blake... I truly don't know..."

Blake's smile vanished, and it took half of her courage with it.

The weight of Weiss' words settled over her heart. That uncertainty, that fear...

Those emotions equalled the joy and elation of falling in love with Weiss.

Blake feared the day the former emotions might outweigh the latter.

She didn't want to let that happen. She wouldn't.

But tonight, there wasn't much she could do about it other than pull Weiss in to her side and keep her close.

Weiss didn't try to leave her. She simply rested her head on Blake's shoulder and wept softly until she'd cried herself to sleep.

The fact that Weiss had cried in front of her told Blake just how deeply Weiss was hurt by the prospect of losing her.

Which spoke volumes about just how much Weiss cared about her, as well.

The feelings were mutual for sure.

Blake stayed with her there on that bench all night, not knowing what to expect when dawn eventually broke.

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A/N: How will their families feel about this? Stay tuned to find out.