RWBY Listens to The Soundtrack

Vol. 4 End, BMBLB

     "'The interesting thing about BMBLB is that it's...kinda early.'" The note explained. "'It was meant for one of the later soundtracks, but...well, here it is. Starting a pointless debate that's still going on after the thing's been resolved because some people are just masters of shifting the goalposts. Anyways, you can probably guess that it's from the perspective of Blake Belladonna or Yang Xiao Long. Both? I dunno. It is NOT about the motorcycle, as some "fans" actually suggested. As for what it IS about...I'll let that speak for itself.'"

"...So, it's about the two of us? And our team attack?" Yang was a touch confused.

"I...don't really see how that's relevant." Blake agreed. "Though I...suppose my running away would hurt you the most, what with..."

"...Yeah, it kinda would." Yang finally said out loud. "I mean, I don't want to..."

"Maybe it's when Team RWBY reunites and they work all that out." Ruby proposed.

"I WOULD say that could count as "spoilers" for future Volumes but I think that's somewhat inevitable." Weiss snarked.

"...Yeah, that's gotta be it." Nora was on Cloud 9 right now. Okay. Yeah. This. Was. Happening! ...Eventually, but still!

[Song Start]

[There's a garden
Where I go]

"So, uh, we gonna take that literally." Yang spoke up. "Cause dad's the one with the garden."

"If it's from my perspective...I guess I had something like that in Menagerie, but..." Blake trailed off.

"Hehehe..." Nora chuckled.

"What are you-" Weiss was also somewhat confused, given the beat, & Nora was not helping.

[If you meet me there
No one will know]

"...oh." Weiss realized. THAT'S what this was. She turned to Nora. "Behave yourself."

"Yeah don't worry, I learned from last time, I'm just happy for them." Nora whispered back.

"Uh, why would we not want anyone else to know?" Local demiromantic Ruby Rose asked.

"I..." Blake HAD picked up on Weiss & Nora's conversation. That wasn't...no, right? They were just assuming.

[In the springtime
In the sun]

"Well, I guess that part's about me." Yang noted. "I mean, it's in my name and all."

"'Sunny Little Dragon' in one of Mistral's older dialects." Blake continued.

"Huh, was wondering what that meant." Jaune was much easier. It was old Valean.

"Hold on a moment..." Pyrrha was beginning to put the pieces together.

[We can be alone
Without anyone]

"Okay, great, but...still not getting the point." Yang complained.

"Well, personal stuff like...that, we'd probably have to talk about on our own." Blake reasoned. She didn't, did she?

"Especially considering the nature of this, given both of your...issues." Ren wasn't the best at talking to people. "I...apologize if that came off wrong."

"It's fine, we DO both got a lot problems." Yang waved off. Neither of them were an Alyx, granted, but nonetheless.

[*Short Interlude*]

"Right, so. What exactly is this about?" Yang questioned, though got a knot in her chest.

"Are...you not aware?" Glynda asked. Granted, she wouldn't have thought of it without Ms. Valkyrie, but even so.

"No, I...it's still very vague." Blake reasoned.

"Well, I believe-" Ozpin just couldn't finish his sentences today, huh?

[All the butterflies
And the birds]

"Huh, so is THAT literal, or...?" Jaune asked.

"I hope not. Birds can be jerks." Ruby grumbled, remembering an incident with a raven in her childhood. ...Wait a minute. "That jerk..." she mumbled.

"Well, if it's a garden, then..." Pyrrha reasoned, looking at Blake & Yang from a new perspective.

[Keep our secret, no
They won't say a word]

"Well I sure hope they do." Nora said. "It's a personal moment, Qrow!"

Ozpin actually chuckled at that.

"What kind of..." Yang trailed off, considering who was talking. "Wait, is-"

[But they watch us
And they know]

"That's not disturbing or anything." Weiss deadpanned.

"You may be taking it a bit too literally." Ren countered.

"Except we KNOW that there are two people who can turn into birds thanks to Professor Ozpin's magic & that it's likely they HAVE been watching and how did this become my life?" Weiss rambled.

"K. So when do WE know?" Yang questioned, though a small part of her said she already did.

"I think we're...about to, given how it's going so far" Blake was fully aware of the part of her that felt the same, so...

[And they're happy as
They see our love grow]

"..." Blake & Yang just looked at the screen, then to each other, then to their laps. And the others just looked at them.

"...Huh." Ruby broke the silence. "Well, congrats!"

"I suppose, then, that this is-" Ren began.

"-it's another love song!" Nora shouted. "Now go & be happy, dammit!"

"That...was my thought as well." Weiss was the most musically inclined of the group, of course.

"Though we still do have the rest of the song to get through, Ms. Valkyrie." Ozpin reminded her.

"...Wait, but, no-I..." Yang started.

"I didn't, I never...or did-" Blake continued.

[We'll sit for a while
As I drink in your smile]

"...OKAY, great!" Yang shouted. "Can you just give us a minute?"

"I...that's...after what I..." Blake couldn't even manage that much.

"...Oh, did you...not know?" Ruby asked.

"The note DID say this was meant for a later Volume." Pyrrha reminded her.

"...It is a nice smile..." Blake muttered.

"I..." Yang started blushing.

[It feels like a
Dream That's Come True]

"See, they're even calling back to the old ones!" Nora pointed out. "If there's a Boop reference imma have to sue, though..."

"Didn't Weiss tell you to not do that?" Jaune was able to put that together.

"She said to behave. All Ms. Valkyrie did was comment on what was in the song." Ozpin defended.

"Please don't encourage her..." Glynda muttered.

[My head starts to buzz
And my heart fills with love
Over you...]

"...Is it?" Yang asked after a moment.

"...I don't know, I-" Blake replied. The two just...tried to avoid eye contact

"...Okay this is even more awkward than the last couple of times, I never would have guessed..." Weiss muttered.

"Also, don't think I didn't notice that!" Ruby called out. "If there are any more-"

[Baby can't you see?
You could Bee with me]

"-yeah, like that. You're better than this, Yang!" Ruby finished.

"I-sure, but...not really the time, Rubles." Yang replied.

"This is...far more forward than I could ever be." Blake muttered. At least that she could say.

[We could live inside
A garden of ecstasy]

"Oh, so it's a metaphorical garden, gotcha." Nora replied.

"That's certainly an...evocative verse." Pyrrha noted.

"Nothing wrong with being happy." Ozpin responded. "So long as you don't lose sight of..." yeah okay, weirdly open as he was being, he couldn't do that.

Blake & Yang just looked each other in the eye. Aaaaaand there's the blushing.

[You could be my queen
I could be your dream]

"Well, the song says you can, so..." Nora pointed out. "...you wanna do it?"

"I-Nora, we're trying to process something here." Blake reminded her. "How can we even, how can I-"

"I didn't know about this, okay? I didn't think..." But then, Yang thought maybe that was her problem. Always so goddamn punch happy...

"Right, yeah, just...you're gonna HAVE to talk about it, y'know." Nora was right of course.

[Our lives like a fantasy]

"Heh. Never thought I'd have something like THAT ever." Blake lightly chuckled. "Learned the hard way that that's not a thing, after all."

"Yeah..." Yang mumbled. Part of her would want to be indignant at any unintentional slight, but...well, she was a little distracted, & she'd not even an hour ago SEEN the effects that monster had on her partner.

[Maybe set me free?
(Set me free)
Let me be your Bumbleby]

"...Okay, why is it spelled like that?" Weiss questioned. "Are we missing something?"

Ruby's Scroll buzzed. "'Yeah, did I forget to mention that that's Blake & Yang's ship name? Spelled like that, their initials instead of "bee", probably to avoid confusion with a certain giant robot, or just to be more distinct.'"

"Oh goddamn it, this whole thing is going to have a bunch of puns, isn't it? I blame you, Yang!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Hey, this isn't on me!" Yang replied, somewhat more forcefully than normal.

"It's more dad, really." Ruby backed her up.

"You should have seen their father when he was their age." Ozpin agreed.

"...Why's it called that?" Jaune asked. A moment passed. "What, no note?"

"Normally, at least from what I've had to see regarding old rivals, it's a portmanteau involving both names combined into one." Pyrrha unfortunately had experience with RPS's.

"...I think it's because of that alternative being...untenable." Ren theorized, running it over in his head & realizing what it sounded like.

"Yeah, "Yake" or "Blang" just sounds terrible." Nora agreed. "...Hell, so does "Reiss" or "Wuby", really."

"I suppose the fans would have to get creative." Blake mumbled, barely. "And the creatORS noticed, hence...this."

"Can't fault them for that." Glynda admitted, idly wondering at what others would be called. Before anything else could be said...

[Now the flowers
Are in bloom]

"Isn't that your last name, Blake?" Nora asked.

"It's a symbol of...reclamation, I suppose, in an old Faunus religion, hence why it's not an uncommon last name." Blake explained while still looking off.

"I HAD wondered..." Pyrrha may have been knowledgeable but she was still human. Still gonna miss a few of the finer details.

"...Oh, flowers, right." Ruby slapped herself. She should KNOW this, her last name was also a flower!

[And you've chased away
My darkness and gloom]

"And THAT'S definitely from my perspective, and..." Blake couldn't finish. Yang looked with apprehension. To quote Weiss...

"...does she?" Ruby asked.

"Not enough that I didn't RUN, clearly." Blake bitterly noted. "Even after hearing about Raven. I...I wouldn't be..."

"Who said you were the only one who can make that decision?" Yang found her voice again.

"I just...do you know what a belladonna is? It's a TOXIC nightshade. And if that doesn't sum it up..." Blake remembered her word for herself.

"How many times do we have to tell you to stop doing that?" Weiss asked. "I know...HE likely made you feel that way, but he's wrong. You've hammered that point in for me enough over the course of this."

[When the wind blows
Through the trees]

"Do, uh...seriously, do you need a minute?" Jaune asked. This was a bombshell for everyone.

"This wasn't even supposed to be a thing yet..." Pyrrha reminded them.

"...No, I want to keep going." Yang replied, looking to her partner with concern. "I want to...see what THEY have." Unstated was that she would only go through with it if her partner did.

"...okay." Blake nodded. "Let's just...see what they have, despite me."

[And your voice is like
A song in the breeze]

"It...is pretty." Yang admitted.

"So I've been told..." Blake muttered. "I, no, that's not, why am I...?"

"Because it's still a "sore spot" for you." Ren answered.

"And, look, your voice, it really is!" Nora assured her. "All of us can tell! I...you know what they say about stopped clocks, right?" Honestly, Blake was surprised that Nora did...but the enthusiastic girl, it seemed ,was emotionally mature if nothing else.

[My doubts disappear
Every time that you're near]

"Not seeing much of THAT from me right now." Blake deadpanned.

"Doubts never...fully disappear, Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin told her.

"Yeah, I guess you'd know, huh?" Yang remarked. Still, her growing sense of distrust for the old man was tempered by... "But...yeah, of course we'd be doubting right now. Look how today's been to far. But I think...I think it's fine." Yang hoped that Blake would listen...& she DID look up.

[The clouds seem to
Run from the sky]

"I guess everything we've seen & heard today kinda threw us off." Blake lampshaded.

"Yeah, like...this after that whole thing with the Intro..." Yang added. "...probably not how the fans took it, but..."

"That is only natural, children." Glynda assured them.

[The thought of your kiss
Sends my soul into bliss
I get high]

"Hehe, better not say that in front of the teachers..." Nora jokingly muttered.

"We wouldn't mind." Ozpin reassured. "So long as it's not DURING class."

"This isn't Atlas." Glynda agreed.

"...huh." Weiss still had things to get used to, it seemed.

"So, what are you going to do about this?" Ren asked "Bumbleby", as it would seem was their official ship name.

"I...think we should just let the rest of this play out before we decide that." Yang admitted. "Does...that sound good?"

"It...might help us to just...take it as it is for now." Blake agreed. "Give us both time to process this. Worked out for JNPR, even if...."

"...Don't worry, you got this." Ruby reassured.

[Baby can't you see?
You could Bee with me]

And indeed they started doing just that, letting the song play out...well, for the parts they'd already heard, that is.

[We could live inside
A garden of ecstasy]

It was...easier, as Blake suggested, to try to process it when they weren't keeping an eye out imfor new lyrics.

[You could be my queen
I could be your dream]

The others refrained from singing along of course. This was kinda serious, ESPECIALLY with what would have happened between the two, if their reactions to the into were any indication.

[Our lives like a fantasy]

And as the note had said...this wasn't MEANT for Volume 4. Much like the fans, they were getting a taste of what hadn't happened yet...though of course for them doubly so.

[Maybe set me free?
(Set me free)
Let me be your-]

And it didn't help their concentration that THAT was a little different.

"Okay, what happened to the-" Nora was cut off.

[Like a serenade
Every word you say]

"Right, okay, the this part." Nora stated.

"It's called the bridge." Weiss explained.

"What are the odds you've already explained that?" Blake wondered.

[Has me fallin'
More and more
In love with you]

"I mean I...guess I do like hearing you talk." Yang admitted. "It's just...wow, I guess I..."

"Never thought of it in that way?" Ren reasoned.

"Yeah, we'd kinda know, huh?" Jaune lampshaded.

[Like a purdy beat
You are oh so sweet]

"And you...I think you are. In your way. In your..."Yang" way." Blake added. When in Vacuo...

"Can confirm!" Ruby cheerfully added. She then noticed Yang looking away, as if in disagreement. "Hey, no, none of that!"

"You may have certain...attachment issues, I've noticed," Glynda bluntly stated, "but then given what Raven did to you..." Yeah, there was that. Whatever "that" was.

[Every day is sunny
Tastes like honey]

"Puns galore, it looks like." Blake dryly noted.

"I'm not THAT bad." Yang protested.

"You...do have your moments." Pyrrha has to admit. Damn, Nikos.

[Feel so alive take
Me back to the hive]

"...Okay, look, how do we know it's not YOU saying this part?" Yang pointed out.

"Well, maybe you rubbed off on me." Blake smirked back. Okay, this was...okay.

"It's...good to see you two handling this well." Ozpin complimented. Gods knew he didn't always. Reincarnating into a married man was...always awkward. ESPECIALLY if there were already kids, which regardless of what his host had been assigned as...well, it happened often.

[*Slightly Longer Interlude*]

"Heh, I guess. Kinda feels like we're just...going through it right now." Yang admitted.

"...Yeah we still need to talk about this." Blake admitted. "Once this is done we'll-"

"-do what we did & talk about it separately." Nora summed up.

"It worked out decently for us." Ren admitted.

"Take all the time you need of course." Weiss assured them.

"And...you don't HAVE to come up with something right away, yeah?" Ruby pointed out. "The Volume 4 Yous didn't, if the note's right."

Huh, indeed not. It was a good suggestion, & the two nodded.

[Baby can't you see?
You could Bee with me]

With that in mind, they just sat back as the chorus repeated. It WAS kinda catchy, wasn't it?

[We could live inside
A garden of ecstasy]

Blake still wasn't certain of herself...& to tell the truth neither was Yang. But their friend's & family
(& Professors) seemed to think that they could.

[You could be my queen
(Be my Queen)
I could be your dream]

So...as Blake & Yang looked at other, they vowed to...try to work this out. Hopefully in fine for the Volume-or rather VolumeS-where this became relevant.

[Our lives like a fantasy]

Maybe not THAT literally idyllic...but if their original selves were getting there eventually...they kinda had to look inside themselves, as it were.

[Maybe set me free?
Let me be your Bumbleby]

And with that, Volume 4 had ended.

"Well, students, that was Volume 4. What do we think?" Ozpin prompted.

"That was...surprisingly nice overall, despite everything." Pyrrha admitted.

"A lot more...triumphant than the last one, to be certain." Ren agreed.

"They got there by end, even with...all that." And Jaune hoped he could do the same.

"So eat THAT, Salem! And Jacques. And probably Adam. And, uh, y'know, the rest..." Nora concluded.

"It was informative, as we knew it would be." Glynda stated. "Hopefully the S.I doesn't decide to get vague where it matters..." because that would not be unexpected in her view, honestly.

"Oh, by the way, all of Volume 9's been "unlocked", or whatever we're calling it." Ruby informed them. "Just, uh, finally noticed."

"Alright then. And with that, we'll be...over there." Yang told the others as she moved to the elevator.

"Try not to start Volume 5 without us." Blake lightly smiled.

"You know we won't." Weiss smiled back. "...hopefully with better entertainment than last time."

"Yeah, I think I'm done with mobile card games." Ruby admitted. "INSTEAD, I'm thinking..." but whatever it was she was thinking about was lost as the elevator doors closed.

~

Indeed, this was rather awkward as is to be expected. As evidenced by the fact that, unlike Ren & Nora, they hadn't even made it to the hallway. The elevator remained at Ozpin's office, just closed. The partners looked at each other with a mix of nervousness, a hint of romantic tension...& of course fear for what would happen.

Yang spoke up first. "So, uh, they won't be able to hear us, right?"

"They don't have my hearing, no, so all they'll get is some mumbling." Blake confirmed.

"Right, so..." Yang trailed off.

"...so..." Blake added. They were quiet for a few more moments after that.

"Argh, how did JNPR handle this?" Yang finally asked.

"It...probably helps that one of them was already aware of...that, but neither of us..." Blake theorized.

"Right, yeah, that's..." Yang still couldn't finish. They were messes around each other, huh?

"...Do you already feel this way?" Blake asked the most important question straight away.

"I...I guess I liked taking you to the Dance, &...idunno, when you were with Sun I felt a little weird." Yang admitted. "I mean, it wasn't MUCH, but I don't think I'd have been like that if it were Ruby or Weiss or whoever. Y'know, looking back on it. If, idunno, Weiss was the one I needed to talk to back then. ...What about you?"

"I...liked our dance too." Blake added. "Just as much as I did with Sun. And you're...during the intro, when I...wanted to run, it-it hurt the most coming from you. You were right, & I can't believe I was that stupid, but...I guess it hit me more than Ruby or Weiss or...whoever."

A few more moments passed. "...So, I guess there's something here." Yang stated.

"And neither of us noticed." Blake almost laughed at that. "But then, I guess it hasn't really gone anywhere yet. And with what I did..."

"YOU didn't do anything." Yang reminded her.

"But I WOULD have, and...it still hurt, didn't it?" Blake pointed out. "Things have been a little...awkward ever since the intro, even before this one."

"I...yeah. It hurt. More than if it was Ruby or Weiss." Yang admitted. "And...well, COURSE it does. I told you about Raven."

"And my first instinct was still to run, to keep Adam from hurting any of you." Blake scowled at herself. Not her original self, THIS self. "But that..."

"...That just hurts more. Like Sun said." Yang confirmed. "Heh, who knew he had it in him?"

"I did." Blake smirked. "I...it's not going to work out like THAT with us, but he's a freind. A good one."

"...Yeah, I get that." Yang agreed. "And now I ALSO get why I felt weird during his love songs."

"The benefit of hindsight." Blake replied. "Heh, I can only imagine how the fans took all of that."

"Gods, don't tell me they're going to do a love triangle thing." Yang scoffed. "That would just..."

"...No, she'll figure it out. If I could, so could she. I just hope that..." Blake trailed off.

"...What?" Yang asked with concern.

"...My last "breakup" didn't exactly go well. I cut a train in half." Blake reminisced. "And...I didn't realize just HOW awful he is, not until I had to think about it, not until you all gave your input & he took your arm, but...if THAT'S how he's going to react..."

"...You do know that Sun's not a giant creep like that, right?" Yang replied. "Like, he's pretty cool. Kinda dumb...or not, but..."

"I know, but I can't shake it." Blake ruefully stated. "I can't shake it, just like I know you can't shake the idea that I'd be like Raven."

"I...yeah." Yang admitted. "Seeing that...and then seeing YOU, it just...Gods, we have issues."

"I think all of us do." Blake lampshaded. "Not just Weiss, but if Red Like Roses Part II is any indication, then..."

"...Yeah, once Uncle Qrow gets here & we talk about...Raven...I'm gonna make sure we also talk about Summer." Yang declared.

"Or maybe it'll come up sooner. We're not even halfway through the soundtracks, & that's not even counting the "AMVs" or whatever they're called." Blake pointed out.

"...Yeah, but at least we'll be together." Yang replied.

"Unlike on Remnant Prime?" Blake picked up on the unintended subtext.

"I...yeah, just...when do you think she'll go back?" Yang almost pleaded.

"Well, we're the "title characters", so we can't stay separated forever." Blske reasoned. "Maybe Sun gets through to me like you did, maybe Salem's worldwide schemes force us together..."

"...or maybe you realize it yourself." Yang proposed. "Your stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"...Maybe." Blake grudgingly granted. "But that doesn't really address what happens AFTER. With you or for Sun."

"...Look, regardless of how this turns out, I'm not going to be like HIM." Yang promised. "Even if-if we do this, & it ends badly, I'm not going to do that to you. No one should EVER. And, y'know, if you didn't work out that stuff about Sun, he'd say the same."

"...it's just hard to trust that anymore, ESPECIALLY since I hurt you like that." Blake closed in on herself. "How could YOU trust ME after that?"

"...It'll be hard, probably, but you're not Raven." Yang answered. "I...don't really know about Yang Prime, but THIS Yang...I've seen how you've been acting since then. I know you won't make her mistakes. And I won't make OG me's either."

"You lost an arm, it's understandable." Blake reminded her.

"Yeah, & going by that, so's you leaving. It's not OKAY, but..." Yang shot back.

"...But we can manage." Blake finished. "Speaking of...what are we going to DO here?"

"I, um..." Yang was NEVER this flustered. First time for everything, huh? "I mean, what did JNPR do?"

"Jaune & Pyrrha agreed to try it out, Ren & Nora agreed to wait & see." Blake reminded her. "But we're...not JNPR. Half of them already knew about these feelings, but us..."

"Yeah I...guess we're not there yet, huh?" Yang admitted.

"It'll probably take a while, even after I come back." Blake reasoned. "You'd have every reason to hate me at first. You especially."

"Yeah, but...no, not like THAT." Yang protested. "Just cause I'm angry, that wouldn't be okay."

"...I know, I'm just...anticipating future songs." Blake admitted. "If this is happening...then they're going to have to address that. Me leaving, you having to deal with that..."

"...Yeah, that's gonna suck." Yang granted. "But...for us, YOU never did. It-yeah it hurts that you were gonna, but you know what? I forgive you. IF. You forgive me, for that."

"...I'm not used to it working out like that." Blake admitted. "But..." and that was all she managed before breaking down crying again. Yang quickly grabbed her & started crying as well.

The two stood there in the elevator for a few more minutes. Blake could pick up that Ruby & Weiss were frustrated at whatever it was they were doing, but none of that mattered right now, even if microtransactions WERE Grimmspawn. What mattered right now was each other.

And after just a little bit of that, they separated, & Yang asked an important question. "So, what are WE going to do now?"

"I...I guess I'm not against trying it out, but it seems early." Blake admitted. "Maybe..."

"...Maybe we do both." Yang proposed. "We see how they handle it, but we...see where this goes besides that."

"I'm...not sure how feasible that is." Blake admitted.

"Eh, we'll work it out." Yang confidently declared.

"...I guess we will." Blake admitted to herself. "I think we can...at least acknowledge how we feel about each other. The good and the bad."

"Took us long enough, right?" Yang joked. "I can HEAR Nora laughing."

And Blake chuckled at that. Maybe they could. Still... "Now then, we should...probably get started on that."

"Right right, back to the show." Yang smiled. Okay, there was a LOT still unsaid & the future was, ironically, uncertain...but they would face it, along with their Team and other friends & family, together...

~~~~~~

And like that Vol. 4 is done.
on to Volume 5.

After that... well, The Original Author got banned after the he posted the 5th volume
(lets say he said some "Choice Words" regarding some irl people, and leave it at that)
So for Volume 6, I'm gonna have to hype myself to write it, and finish the Mistral Arc.

-Nervous

We'll see if I have the nerves to do the Atlas Arc. 

-Fearful even

I'm thinking something along the lines of:
S.I.D. (The OG author's AI)"shutdown" in-between chapters
New AI powers up, and announces that it will take over due to SID "Blue Screening"
How? Don't think about it.
A back up AI that takes over till the primary is repaired
No one can repair him in this universe, so he cant be fixed till its all over
New AI stays

I'm not the most... Emotional Person IRL, so being a backup should work
Backups have less power, and I'm apathetic.
And despite being overloaded with caffeine, less energetic.
It works! (not really, but we'll figure it out)

The AI is named B.U.D. for "Back Up Device"
Aren't I smart?

- and maybe perhaps, Dreading