Beacon had fallen.

Ruby knew it in her heart even if she didn't want to accept it. The horde had come and it had won. There had simply been too many; even now the blood-covered forms shuffled forwards, one laborious step after another, so slow and yet so inevitable.

It had started in one of Port's classes. A demonstration with a live specimen and Dust gone wrong. The spores hadn't been properly contained and one had gotten loose. That was all it took. A single infectious Grimm spore and the world's premier academy for hunters had been lost.

The teachers had been no help; there were some amongst the horde steadily shuffling forward. All the experience in the world was of no benefit against an enemy you couldn't fight. Ruby could see some of her friends—former friends she admitted with a swallow—lumbering towards team RWBY. They wouldn't hesitate because of old bonds. They weren't people any more. Ruby had to keep reminding herself that. They would see only delicate warm flesh to rend.

"Come on, we can't just stand here!" Weiss tugged at Ruby's sleeve.

Oh, how Weiss had scoffed at the concept at first. She had called it ridiculous and laughed. She wasn't laughing now. The lines of her brow were tight and her cheeks even paler than normal. She could have been a porcelain doll.

"But where are we going to go?" Blake asked, and three sets of eyes fell upon Ruby. She hated that. It was technically her responsibility as a leader, but right now she could only cast around wildly looking for an answer, a solution that would save them all.

They couldn't leave Beacon. For all they knew they might be carrying some of the spores. There was a chance that the city below was unaffected. They couldn't risk that. The walls of the school had to be their prison, even if it cost them everything.

The Bullheads sitting by the air dock were out of bounds for the same reason. Not that any of them could fly one. Still, a fiery crash into a cliff would be a better way to go than what she'd already seen countless times today.

"Ruby?" Yang asked, her voice high. She had set herself in front of the rest of them, but it wouldn't do any good. Weight of numbers would carry the day.

"I know, I'm thinking!" Ruby snapped. "Maybe we should head back to the dormitories, perhaps team CFVY is holding out. I haven't seen them yet. Or maybe we could barricade ourselves in the library."

"Ruby, choose!" Yang shot over her shoulder before turning back to the horde. There were just so many of them, their faces drawn into rictus and terrible expressions.

"The library," Ruby blurted out before nodding. It was the right call. She hoped. There were more ways to get out if things got bad. Though, of course, that meant that there were more ways for the zombies to get in.

"Let's go then!" Yang grabbed Ruby's arm and they all started running. Their brief moment of indecision had cost them. Another part of the horde had emerged from the gardens.

Ruby could only wish she had Crescent Rose with her. Her beloved weapon would have made short work of the zombies, but that would have meant turning it on her old classmates. She didn't know if she would have been able, but to save Weiss and the rest of her team? Probably.

Yang led the way, angling for the steadily narrowing corridor between the groups. Ruby let out a shout, a roar of defiance as red-stained arms reached for her from every direction. Fingers caught on her flapping cloak, pulling it tight against her neck. Blake managed to stop her falling, and Ruby wrenched it free.

Only the smallest gap remained between the gnashing teeth and sharp fingernails. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her terror gave her the strength to put on a burst of speed, pulling Blake behind her. They had to make it.

A hand lunged for her. She ducked under it, knocking the owner off-balance. In a rush she was free, her boots pounding across open grass, Blake matching her stride for stride. Ruby whooped. They had made it. That was worth a celebration, even if they were no closer to figuring out how to win in this scenario.

The horde behind continued to shuffle, but that was all they could do. With running steps team RWBY soon left them behind. Weiss' cheeks were flushed, the thrill of escape almost overwhelming her. Ruby could feel it too. That had been so much worse than Grimm. At least Grimm were never people she knew.

Yang laughed. "That was too damn close. But at least we got out unsca—"

Blake stumbled on the flat ground before falling and rolling over and over on the grass.

"Blake!" Yang's cry echoed from the vaults of heavens. She skidded to a stop, reversing her course and throwing herself down by her partner. "No, no, no, no, no." Yang shook her shoulder roughly. "Get up. Get up this instant."

Ruby fell to her knees as well, her mouth hanging open. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. A red line marred Blake's exposed midriff. They all knew what it meant, but none of them wanted to accept it. Blake looked up at the brilliant blue sky with hooded eyes.

"No. No." Yang roughly rubbed the red as if she could massage the infection away. "You can't be. You can't be."

"I'm sorry Yang. Everyone." Blake's voice was quiet, cracked. The infection took hold fast. "I got tagged. I just wasn't quick enough."

"No." Ruby took Blake's warm and sweaty hand in her own. She held it to her breast. "This was my fault." It had been. If her cloak hadn't been caught, Blake wouldn't have had to help her. The extra second or two had cost them everything. "I'm sorry."

"No," Blake shook her head weakly. "Don't blame yourself. I've had a good run. And you were the best leader I've ever had. And the rest of you, you were the best friends. It was an honour knowing you all."

Yang sniffed. What could have been drops of sweat but weren't rolled down her cheeks. "No… Please Blake, don't go."

"I'm sorry Yang. It's inevitable. I love you." Ruby looked away; such a private moment shouldn't have witnesses.

"I… love you too," Yang's voice caught as she caressed Blake's fever-warm skin and she took a deep breath. "Goodbye Blake."

Blake's neck went limp. Ruby swallowed. That was it. Goodbye. Team RWBY was no more. She had failed. Despite the urgency of the situation all three of them took a moment to pay their respects to such a special friend. After an age Yang looked up from her fallen girlfriend and clapped her hands together, her voice losing its tearful edge. "Now can anyone find me a rock?"

Blake's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"Hey, you're not supposed to talk."

"And you're not supposed to cave my head in with a rock," Blake glared up at her.

"You said it yourself, it's inevitable."

"Of course I'm going to say that! You're meant to be the one who says 'I couldn't bear to live without you. We'll find a way. I'll get you a cure if it's the last thing I do'. Not break my skull open like a barbarian!"

Yang laughed. "Haven't you seen any zombie movies? They never find a cure in time. The person always turns and infects another person in the group. The rock is much better option. So who has one?"

Blake's nostrils flared. "I can't believe you sometimes. Guess who's sleeping alone tonight…"

"Good. I wouldn't want to share a bed with a dirty infected anyway. I might catch something."

"It wouldn't be the first time now would it."

Ruby snorted out a breath as Yang's mouth moved up and down without any trace of sound coming out. She hoped Blake was joking. She really hoped. There were just some things about her sister she did not need to know. "Damn Blake."

Blake shrugged, still lying on the ground. "What can I say? I can feel my empathy slipping away from me every moment."

"And any hopes of sleeping with me for the next year." Yang muttered, finally finding her voice, but her cheeks glowed the brightest incarnadine. Ruby resisted the urge to hold her cloak up just to check which was the deeper red.

"Worth it." Blake grinned.

"Shouldn't you be dying?" Yang said, looking like she really did want a rock this time, albeit for a less humane reason. "And the dead aren't allowed to speak."

"Fine." Blake flopped backwards, taking on her mask of near-death once more. "Go," she breathed, returning to her dramatic tone. "Leave me."

"Oh we'll have no problem doing that," Yang said, making to get up.

"Yang." Weiss glared at her.

"She started it."

"She's dying."

"So."

"Yang." Blake's voice came out as the slightest breath. She caught Yang wrist. "I need to tell you something. It's important."

"No." Yang pried at Blake's fingers.

"Please," Blake said, a single tear leaving a streak in her makeup.

"Fine," Yang spat, her jaw jutting out. "What?"

Blake tried to speak, but nothing came out apart from a rush of air. She tried again. "Come closer." Yang leant in, but Blake's words were still too soft to hear. She put her ear right up against Blake's lips.

"What is it?"

"Brains!"

Yang shrieked as she leapt up, only narrowly avoiding Blake's gnashing teeth. Ruby burst out laughing at the look of shock and betrayal on her face, and even Weiss giggled.

"That was out of order!"

Blake didn't react. Her arms rose in front of her as she sat up. "Brains!" She repeated, her voice grating on the word. Her fingers lunged for her former teammates' shins.

"Fuck you Blake. I hope you enjoy being cold tonight." Yang gave Blake a one-fingered salute and almost lost it to her teeth. "Ahh!"

Ruby pulled Yang away. She wasn't really mad. Well, she was, but it would blow over soon enough. Blake was only playing the game. Team RWBY had been one of the only surviving teams left judging by the vastness of the horde, and now they were one less. Team RWY just didn't sound as good.

Blake shambled after them at the same pace as the rest of the zombies. Ruby gave her one last wave, one last farewell, before she turned and ran. As she looked back, Blake was absorbed into the rest of the horde and given a red felt-pen to mark her victims. Just like that, she became one of the enemy.

"Come on. Let's go."

"Where?" Weiss asked, her eyes tracking all of those around.

"The library." She realised why Weiss had asked, Blake had known their plan. But zombies couldn't share intelligence. Or at least she hoped they couldn't. That had to be against the rules.

"Right." Yang nodded. "I'll lead the way." They set off at a sprint.

The day had been full of running. Being able to move fast was the only advantage they had against the horde. Ruby hadn't quite realised how physical it would be. She thought it would just be a fun half an hour, but where Professor Ozpin was involved things were never simple. Of course his Grimmpocalypse had turned Beacon into a zombie-infested wasteland. Knowing him, this was all some kind of big test and they were being graded.

The library had been a good call. The doors were open, and if any zombies had been here, they had left in search of brains. A smile forced its way onto Ruby's cheeks. Despite the stress and how real all this felt, she was having an awful lot of fun.

"What's so amusing?" Yang asked, as she put her shoulder up against one of the great wooden doors, trying to heave it closed.

Ruby joined her, struggling to gain traction on the polished floor. "Just, you know, zombies. I'm not sure why they want brains so much?"

"Because that's what zombies do Ruby." Weiss hadn't added her strength. She peered out of the entrance, her eyes scanning for the slightest hint of a threat. She had originally called this a 'ridiculous waste of time', but you wouldn't have known that by looking at her. She was taking the game as seriously as if it were real.

"Yeah." Yang nodded her head as they finally got the door moving. "Zombies love brains. And guess who's brain they're going to want to eat first Weiss? Probably the one who got ninety-nine percent on Oobleck's last test."

"Yang Xiao Long." Weiss forgot the peril they were all in to take part in her favourite pastime: scolding people. She set her hands on her hips and leant forwards. "You are not going to use me as bait."

Yang stroked her chin. "I wasn't planning to, though now that you mention it…"

"No one's getting used as bait," Ruby interjected before they could start arguing properly. The pair of them did that a lot while she and Blake took refuge and waited it out. "Weiss help us with this."

The three of them managed to get the other door closed. It boomed around the cavernous space with a comforting solidity. The library was dim, quiet. Actually too quiet. Despite the insistence of staff, there were always whispered conversations going on in here. Ruby preferred it that way; it helped her study. Now there was nothing. Behind any of those countless rows of bookcases, a zombie could be waiting, and she had just locked them all in with it. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

"Umm…" Ruby bit her lower lip.

"Yeah," Yang said.

It was little comfort to Ruby that her unease was affecting all of them. Nowhere in Beacon should be this empty. A toppled bookcase told of some past struggle here, not that there were any bodies. There would be though. Zombie outbreak or not, the librarians would eviscerate whoever had treated the books in that way.

"Do you…" For some reason Weiss felt the urge to whisper as if she were in church. "Do you think the cure could be in here?"

"Maybe?" Ruby shrugged. That hadn't actually been in her thought process when choosing their next hideout, but what better place would they have a chance of discovering a solution. Ozpin had promised there was one, but so far neither she nor her team had seen a single hint of it. They didn't even know what they were looking for.

"I mean, it is a library right?" Yang chimed in. "If the cure is anywhere, you'd imagine it would be here. So should we look around?"

"I guess, but we should probably stick together though." Weiss tried to play it off as being the logical course of action, but she didn't quite manage to hide the tremble in her voice.

Ruby reached out and caught her hand. It was as soft and ever so slightly cold as always. Her thumb traced the subtle topography and Weiss' nerves didn't let her automatically pull away from the public display of affection.

"Uggh!" Yang mimed vomiting. "Get a room you two."

"We don't complain when you and Blake are being inappropriate," Weiss tried to confront her despite Ruby keeping hold of her hand. She didn't want to let go quite yet.

Yang scoffed. "Really? Can I get that in writing? Because I seem to remem—"

"Guys, guys," Ruby interjected in her best leader's voice—it still wasn't one she was very good at. "Zombies remember? Probably not the best time to start shouting."

The pair of them blushed, though Weiss significantly more than Yang.

"Right." Weiss seemed to make a physical effort to cast Yang from her mind. "Shall we?"

Ruby led the way, peering around each bookcase before moving on. At least Weiss and Yang's argument had pretty much confirmed the library was empty. Even the dead would have heard them.

"Hang on." Weiss pulled her to a stop. "You're going to Z for Zombies aren't you?"

"No," Ruby answered quickly. She definitely hadn't been doing that. Weiss just looked at her with a scowl. As usual it worked. "Yes. I mean, that would make sense right?"

"Of course." Weiss sighed. "Do you really think it's going to be that easy?"

"Well what's your idea?"

"I… I…" Weiss floundered like she always did when a teacher found one of the rare gaps in her knowledge.

"Exactly." Ruby carried on, tugging Weiss after her. Half of her wanted to let go of the cold hand in her own, the other half absolutely didn't. The soppy half won.

"I'm sorry," Weiss said after a few moments of silence.

Ruby squeezed her hand and gave her the special smile that only they shared. In the early days Weiss would never have for one moment considered apologising to her. She had changed so much, and for the absolute better.

"It's ok. You're stressed. We all are."

"I still shouldn't have said that."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. If it makes you feel better you can buy me an ice cream later." Weiss glared at her, but it was only a playful one. "With sprinkles."

"Fine."

"Are you two done?" Yang asked. They nodded. "Great, then maybe we can get searching. Z for Zombies right? Well here we are."

The scale of the task dawned on Ruby. It should have come as no surprise that Beacon's library was extensive, but why were there several shelves dedicated to fictitious monsters?

"Arms out," Weiss said, and after Ruby complied she began to stack book in them. If Weiss suited any place as much as a battlefield or ballroom, the library was it. She was in her element. "You too Yang."

Weiss was only content when they were both straining under the weight of half the library. She led them over to a table. "Ok, look for a note or something in them. We might get lucky." She picked up the first book and began to flick through the pages.

The work was hard going, and not fun in the slightest. In all honesty Ruby would have preferred to be out there in the midst of the zombie apocalypse. The world was ending, and she had somehow still managed to end up in the library studying.

She jumped about a foot in the air as a resounding boom echoed through the room. But at least she hadn't squeaked. That honour was reserved for Weiss. It was absolutely adorable, but then with Weiss that was always the case. Apart from when she was being insufferable after acing a test of course.

"That bitch!" Yang spat and Ruby didn't need any clarification as to who she was referring to. "She betrayed us."

"They're not actually going to…" Weiss said staring towards the entrance. The great doors rattled on their hinges as a boom came again. "Professor Goodwitch is going to kill them."

"I don't think zombies are that worried about detention Weiss," Yang said. "We need to get out of here."

"But…" Ruby looked at the table sagging under the weight of books. They hadn't even made the smallest dent in their search for the cure.

"Do you really want to be around when they get through?"

"No. Damn it. Now where?" They were really running out of safe havens to hide in.

"Not here," Yang said. "We can work that out on the move. We'll have to leave through the staff rooms."

"But that's off—" Weiss started.

"No one cares about the rules. Does it look like they care?" Yang gestured towards the doors which the zombies were doing their best to tear down. "At the end of this, either everyone is going to get detention for a year, or no one will. Do you want to be eaten?"

"Of course not."

"Then run."

They did just that. The bookcases passed by in a blur as the horde continued to pound on the main entrance. Yang shouldered the staff doors open, sending them crashing against the walls. Ruby caught a glimpse of the dent on the way past. They were definitely all getting detention. There was no doubt about it.

None of them had been back here before. It was a maze of dusty rooms stacked haphazardly with old books that needed shelving, repairing, or recycling. There had to be an exit though. It couldn't be a dead end. None of the lights were on, surprise, surprise, and the sunlight filtering through the murky windows was only getting weaker by the minute. Had they really been at this all day?

"Which way?" Yang skidded to a halt at a junction of seemingly endless corridors.

"Umm…" Ruby spun around. All the corridors looked the same and she'd left her sense of direction back with the books.

"That way." Weiss pointed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Weiss said, entirely certain. They had taken one step when shuffling footsteps came from that direction.

"I knew it," Yang exclaimed as they spotted a familiar black-haired figure near the front of the horde. Zombies probably shouldn't be able to wink or wave, but Blake did anyway.

"She's sort of a zombie now Yang." Blake was only playing the game, but Ruby would have been lying if she said it didn't sting just a tiny bit to see her former teammate seemingly enjoying the thought of eating her roommates.

"We need to move!" Weiss had spun around at the sound of zombies coming from behind.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." Yang fled and Ruby fully agreed with her sentiment. The horde had been bad enough on open ground where they had space to roam. In these claustrophobic and entirely too dingy corridors it was about a thousand times worse.

The zombies had planned this. Ruby felt very much like a rat in a trap. Every time she thought they were making progress they ran into the horde coming from another direction. There were just too many of them.

"Fuck!" Yang swore as their latest escape at an attempt was blocked off too. Zombies were coming from ahead and behind, Nora among them. She had gotten a little too into the game, or maybe she had actually bitten someone. Crimson stained her lips and chin. At the crazed look in her eye, Ruby wasn't entirely certain it was makeup.

"In here." Weiss pushed open a door to the side and Yang slammed it behind them. The room was entirely bare apart from the dust partially lit through the narrow window high up on the wall.

Ruby cast around. "We're trapped."

"Shit!" Yang threw her weight up against the door as it rattled.

"What are we going to do?" Weiss asked, her voice high-pitched. She was scared. Actually scared. Weiss never feared the Grimm but, as fingernails raked the wood of the door, this was like something from a horror film.

"I… I…" Ruby didn't know. All she could do was help Yang hold the door shut.

Yang closed her eyes for a few moments, nodding ever so slightly. She took a deep breath. "Get out the window. You should be able to boost each other up."

"Right," Ruby said. That made sense. It would be difficult, and a tight squeeze, but they should be able to make it through. It was only then that Yang's wording hit her. She rounded on her sister angrily. "What do you mean 'you'?"

"Ruby." Yang grimaced as the door shook. "Someone has to stay here."

"No!" Ruby shook her head, her stomach quivering. She couldn't even entertain the thought. "Just no. I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself."

"It's not your choice to make."

"It is. I'll hold the door. You two escape."

"You can't Ruby, you haven't hit the gym enough." Yang laughed at her own poor joke. "Anyway," her voice went up an octave, becoming hysterical, "I have nothing else to live for. You two have each other. Blake… Blake's out there waiting for me." A single tear welled in the corner of her eye.

"This isn't funny Yang." It might have been a game, but it was hitting far too close to home.

"I'm sorry Ruby; it has to be this way. There's no other option." She smiled for her sister. Such a warm loving smile. "I'm doing this for you. I know you'd do the same, but I'm the big sister." She choked up. "Now get out of here. Live long you two, and remember me."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

Yang's act broke. "What the hell Weiss? I'm heroically sacrificing myself for the pair of you. You should be praising me."

"Don't you think you're being a touch overdramatic?"

"Of course not. I'm about to die. I'm allowed to be as dramatic as I like. As I was saying." She cleared her throat, returning to her award winning performance. "Weiss, you look after her, you hear me? Otherwise I'll haunt your bony ass."

Weiss arched her eyebrow. "I'm not sure you can be a zombie as well as a ghost, Yang."

"I'll find a way if you hurt her!" It wasn't the first time she had warned Weiss what would happen if she broke her sister's heart. Something crashed into the door. Yang was knocked off balance before slamming her shoulder back against the wood. "Go! And win for us!"

Ruby looked around, she hated to do this, but Yang was right. One of them had to stay behind or the whole team would lose, and Yang had chosen it to be her. It was her choice. She had made it first. Ruby would have taken her place in a heartbeat, but Yang would have never let her. This was her gift.

"Go," Yang roared over the moans on the other side of the door, startling Ruby and Weiss into action.

"Come on. Come on." Weiss made a stirrup with her hands and boosted Ruby up. A glyph would have been so much easier, but just like their weapons they weren't allowed to use their Semblances. For the duration of the day, they were normal people.

Ruby pried at the handle. In a renovation long past it had been painted over, and she had to crack layers of alabaster to get it moving. Weiss grunted under her, struggling to support her weight.

"Just a bit longer."

"Hurry Ruby!" Yang shouted, her feet slipping on the dusty floor.

"Got it." The window burst open and a billow of fresh evening air rushed in. None of them had time to revel in the reprise from the mouldy air. The back of the library was flanked by a narrow grass band and Ruby dug her fingers into the dirt as she scrambled through. The ledge of the window dug into her stomach.

"Ruby?" Weiss called from below.

"Push!" Ruby cried, sucking in gut. The solid platform of hands on her boots gave her enough leverage to wriggle through. The moment she was free Ruby spun around. Yang still held the door, just, the smallest glimmers of sparks glistening in her hair. Her eyes were wild with the effort and the strain, but nothing would make her fail before she had allowed her friends to get to safety.

"Take my hand." Ruby leant back through the window.

Weiss didn't grasp her hand, instead they grabbed each other's wrists. Inch by inch she worked her way backwards as Weiss scrabbled up the wall. It was hard going. Weiss barely weighed more than Zwei, but it was still a lot to support with a single hand at a weird angle.

Fire erupted in her arm as she dragged it over the corner. Still, she didn't stop. Didn't even give in to the urge to cry out and perhaps alert the horde of their escape. Instead she gritted her teeth, and concentrated on her task.

Weiss' other hand reached the top and the pull on Ruby lessened. Weiss scrambled through, rolling onto her back and staring up at the sky with a red face. Ruby grimaced as she clutched her arm. The window had claimed a layer of her skin and blood surged into the graze. It wasn't bad—her Aura would heal it in no time—but it stung ferociously.

Yang's stubbornness finally gave way. Seeing her sister was safe, she retreated from the door. It burst open, slamming against the wall, and a pile of zombies fell into the room. Ruby was forced to watch as her sister was swamped by a moaning tangle of limbs. Watch as she was ripped apart and eaten. She turned away. Maybe she was letting her imagination run away with her a little bit, but it all seemed far too real.

"We need to get out of here." Weiss tugged at her hand.

"Where?" Ruby asked. Yang had sacrificed herself for the pair of them. They needed to make the best of it.

"I don't know. But not here."

Ruby followed Weiss' gaze. She couldn't see Yang, but the zombies saw them. They started making for the door. She and Weiss didn't need to say more. They ran off together. Ruby swore to find the cure if it was the last thing she did.

"I still think this is cheating," Blake said.

"Nonsense." Yang waved her accusation off. "Dogs can get infected too." She leant down. "Can't they Zwei? Who's a good zombie doggy?" Zwei barked. "See?"

"It still doesn't feel like it's in the spirit of the game."

"Oh…" Yang pulled Zwei to a halt by his lead so she could put both her hands on her hips. "So now you're worried about the spirit of the game. Not when you were betraying me."

"You're not still mad about that are you?" Blake reached out and Yang danced away. She wasn't really, but guilt tripping Blake would only work in her favour. Maybe she could get a massage out of it, and who knew what would follow that?

"You betrayed me, and team RWBY, and… and… humanity."

Blake's eye glinted, catching on to Yang's true intent. She shrugged. "Sometimes I don't think humanity is worth saving."

"I knew it. You dirty zombie traitor."

Blake stepped closer, her gaze locking with Yang's, and her voice dropped an octave, becoming sensuous. "But I'm your dirty zombie traitor aren't I?" She rested her forearms on Yang's shoulders.

Close enough to see every pale hair on the Blake's upper lip and with Blake's slightly musky scent washing over her, Yang's resolve melted. She leant in until their mouths were scant millimetres apart. "My dirty zombie traitor," she confirmed before crossing the final gap.

Blake's lips were as soft as they always were. Yang had explored them more times than she could count, but she couldn't actually remember that much detail. Kissing Blake always left her breathless and overwhelmed. All she knew was that she liked kissing Blake. She liked kissing Blake more than anyone else she had ever kissed in that way. If it were up to her, she could have stayed locked in Blake's embrace forever.

Zwei barked, worrying his lead. They tried to ignore him, but his barks only became more insistent.

"What?" Blake snapped.

Zwei jumped backwards, sinking down onto his haunches and resting his head on his paws. The pathetic sound of mewling filled the corridor. He looked upwards with wide and scared eyes.

At the sight, Blake only had one option. She broke away from Yang and knelt down, holding her hand out towards him. "I'm sorry Zwei. I didn't mean it. Do you forgive me?"

Zwei barked, rolling onto his back and presenting his belly for Blake's nimble fingers. She might not have been fond of him at first, but he had grown on her. Yang bit her lip. Zwei was even better at manipulating Blake than she was. It had only taken him a moment to steal her girlfriend away from her.

He had played it well, and he deserved his reward. Yang let him have it for a few more seconds before gently tugging his collar. "Up boy. We need to find them. They're going to miss the party."

The zombie party. The horde had won. Ozpin had declared it after all the students had succumbed to the virus. Well, almost all. No one had seen the other half of their team in an age. At the moment Yang wasn't concerned. If they didn't turn for a couple more hours, then she was going to panic. Still, that was why they had reinforcements.

"Do you have their trail?" Zwei yipped, nodding. "Good. Lead the way then."

"Where do you think they are?" Blake asked as they followed him, their bare shoulders rubbing against each other with every step.

"No idea. But Ruby wouldn't have just given up. There's not a chance. She's probably pulled Weiss into a dirty attic somewhere searching for the cure. You know, I still don't think there was actually one. Surely someone would have found it."

Blake shrugged. "Maybe. You know Ozpin. No one can guess just what we were meant to learn from this. Apart from undying declarations of love that is."

Yang was very glad that her hair covered her ears. She suddenly found every direction apart from the one Blake was in very interesting. "Oh… you heard that."

"I did." Blake leant in and pecked Yang on the cheek. "And it was very cute."

"Well… you know… I aim to please."

"I might just have to give you a reward later," Blake whispered it so softly Yang wasn't sure if she'd spoken at all. Blake always did that. Everyone else thought she was the reserved one, but she had a devious streak a mile wide hidden just beneath the surface.

Zwei's barks saved Yang's blushes. He looked at a door to a closet, then to them, then back again. She and Blake exchanged a look before pulling it open. Light spilled onto the interior. The hot, sweaty interior.

Ruby and Weiss sat on the floor, their legs entwined, their lips locked together, their arms wrapped around each other, and neither wearing anything resembling a top. At seeing their state of undress, anyone else would have shrieked and slammed the door shut, shouting numerous apologies through it, especially when one of the figures within was their sister.

Unfortunately for Ruby and Weiss, Yang was the one with her hand on the door, and she held it open. A grin stretched her mouth from ear to ear. "Well, well, well."

Weiss opened her eyes, noticed the light and the figures silhouetted, and remembered just what she was wearing. She let out a sound halfway between a scream and squeak, and tried desperately to uncoil herself from Ruby while getting her arms across her chest. Unfortunately for Ruby that meant she no longer had Weiss' glistening back covering her own. It didn't matter. It wasn't like Yang hadn't seen them before anyway.

"Shut that door this instant!" Weiss screeched at them, both her arms tightly pressed to her breasts.

Yang didn't budge an inch. If only she had thought to bring her camera she would have had enough blackmail evidence to last a lifetime. A shutter clicked behind her. Trust Blake to have her back. "Hmm… I could do that, but you see I'm an emotionless zombie."

"This isn't funny!"

Judging by the temperature of her face, Yang guessed Weiss was thinking of the best way to skin the pair of them, but to do that she would have to take her hands from her chest. They had complete immunity.

"You know what isn't funny? Me sacrificing myself to give you two the best shot, and then you ending up here. I guess the cure must be under that towel."

"We couldn't find it." Ruby tried to put her arm back into the sleeve of her dress while keeping her breasts covered. She really wasn't helped by the fact Zwei wanted to join in whatever game the two of them had been playing. He clambered up onto her lap, licking at any bit of flesh he could.

"So you two decided to hide and try to repopulate the human race." Blake snorted as Yang continued, "I appreciate the attempt, but I think you both need to have the Talk again. When a mummy bear and a daddy bear love each other very much. You notice how I said mummy and daddy?"

A shining white glyph erupted into life in front of her, Weiss' brain finally reminding her that she was a huntress not just a horny teenager. "You're dead Yang." The cry came from behind the barrier.

It was too much for Yang; laughter that had lain in wait erupted out of her in a torrent. She folded in the middle, her abs and lungs burning as she just couldn't stop. It didn't help that Blake was in a similar state. And it really didn't help when Weiss emerged, utterly furious, entirely red, and looking completely ridiculous with her hair and dress dishevelled.

Yang broke down again until tears streamed down her face. Weiss could do nothing but bear the brunt of her humiliation. It was the least she deserved. Finally Yang managed to get herself under control. She scooped Weiss into a hug before she could start a tirade which would last into the middle of next week.

"I told you to look after Ruby," Yang said. "And you did just that. So… what I'm trying to say is, I'm not mad."

"You're not mad?" Weiss' pure indignation almost set Yang off again. She really was too fun and easy to tease. Not enough practice at home most likely. The next time Winter visited, she really needed some lessons of how a big sister should behave.

"No I'm not. And I accept your apology." Yang's overly gracious response caused Weiss to splutter; it was the only response she could muster. "Now, I guess you two are the last survivors in the school. That deserves some cake and candy, so what do you say? You've almost missed the party."

Ruby put her hand over Weiss' mouth before she could speak. "That sounds great."

Yang smiled. She hadn't failed in her duty as a big sister. Ruby knew better than to put up a fight when she had already lost. "Fantastic." Yang put one of her arms around Ruby's shoulders, kept the other around Weiss, and started them moving. They walked in silence. Heat radiated from both of them. Blake trailed behind with Zwei, occasionally failing to catch one of her giggles.

After a minute of two, Yang leant towards Weiss. "Oh… I almost forgot. I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Weiss growled through gritted teeth. Yang doubted she would ever be able to live down her mortification—especially not with the photos—but Yang wasn't about to let her get off that easily.

"Nice tits."

She took off running before Weiss found something to stab her with.

A/N: Well this was a bit of fun for Halloween. I hope you enjoyed. The idea was actually given to me by Numbnut10 and he has written his own take on it.

A follow/favourite is always appreciated. If you haven't check out the first chapter of my new story "Once Upon A December" featuring Jaune as a Private Eye in the middle of New York. And finally please leave a review if you can. I love reading them.

Happy Holidays.