Here's chapter 9, everyone.

"What's the problem? It's not like we'd be that far off, and besides, you know we're old enough to take care of ourselves, dad. We're hunters in training." Yang complained, as her father had his arms crossed.

"Purposely going to the outer edges of where the Grimm are, isn't what I'd expect you to want to do. You're smarter than that." Tai said, not letting up.

Yang rolled her eyes. "You know it's not purposely. It's something I think Weiss and Blake would like to see is all, and even if there are Grimm around, we'll deal with them there and leave. Does that sound fair?"

Tai groaned at his daughter's explanation, but he had to give her credit. She really wasn't dumb, so he sat back on the couch and sighed. "Fine, but you make sure that you keep in contact with me if anything goes wrong. And before you ask, no, you can't take Zwei with you."

"Ugh, you are so lame. Zwei would love to come out and fight with… Uh, I mean, see the sights." Yang chuckled nervously.

Her Father gave her a deadpan expression. "Instead of digging yourself deeper into the hole, you should really get ready to go." He watched his eldest daughter walking past the couch, but remembered something. "Oh, and if you need any ammo, you know where it's kept. No point in going out unprepared."

Yang grinned at that, running back over as she hugged her dad from behind the couch. "You're the best, dad."

"Yeah, yeah, just don't make me go searching for you kids. I'd rather have a lazy night with some pizza than going out to find you all hiding in a tree." Tai joked, and Yang smiled, nodding as she let him go.

"Trust me, dad. There wouldn't be any trees around if we end up fighting some Grimm. Besides, they'd be the ones trying to hide from us." Yang said with confidence, while Tai shrugged and turned the T.V on.

Yang made her way to the others, who looked over to wait on what she'd say, giving them a thumbs up. "All good. Dad was getting way too worried for nothing, but I got him to relax. Soooo, you guys ready to go?"

Nora grinned and jumped up from her sitting position. "Heck yeah we are! Do ya think we'll run into-."

The blonde brawler made a shushing sound while her finger was over her mouth. "Don't say anything about Grimm, or dad will get all uppity again. We're just going a bit further out of the safe parts of Patch is all."

Ruby had talked to Yang about their little trip out into the further parts of Patch. Weiss wasn't in the know, so she was hoping her little surprise would help her partner feel better. "Honestly, I'm not trying to sound like a prude, but don't you think we should think about what your Father said?" Weiss asked, while Yang waved her off.

"Nah, it's gonna be fine, Weiss. We're two teams from Beacon. Besides, we know when to cut and run if we gotta." Yang assured.

"And what if we can't run?" Weiss questioned her logic, remembering the Grimm that had struck her and made her a child months ago.

Ruby spoke up. "We've learned from our mistakes… My mistakes. I promise nothing bad will happen, Weiss." She said, holding her partner's shoulder and looking into her eyes, as the heiress took in her words for a moment, letting out a small smile and nodding.

Blake was silently watching them, seeing as she was trying her best to stay supportive of Weiss' mental issues she's been dealing with, while also wondering to herself why Yang was so adamant on bringing everyone out of the more safer parts of Patch.

She took a quick glance at her blonde partner, who was showing Pyrrha and Ren the map of Patch on her scroll. It was honestly nice, Blake thought to herself, seeing her partner planning something special out for them, but the intrigue of why was still there.

"So we;ll be taking a few side paths to avoid the more hostile areas." Yang said to the group. "Seeing as Dad will be pissed, and princess is a little concerned, we'll take a safer approach."

Weiss grumbled something about being called princess, while Ruby held her hand, causing her to lightly blush, but it was helping ease her nerves of any Grimm attack they may face.

"I shouldn't be so nervous. I've spent years training to fight Grimm."

In a way, Weiss telling herself that almost helped, but the voice came back to her head.

"You're not nervous. You just want to find that Grimm again, but all you're doing is trying to delay the inevitable."

Weiss bit her lip, knowing that her own thoughts were really fighting against her. She did want to experience happier times again by being a kid, but she also knew that living a life of being constantly turned into a kid wouldn't be a life at all.

Ruby felt Weiss squeezing her hand, so she glanced at her partner, seeing her uneasy expression. Still, she didn't want to make a scene, hoping to not have the others pressure Weiss into talking about it.

Making a mental note to herself, Ruby squeezed Weiss' hand in return, a silent gesture to assure the girl that their little trip would be alright, and that she'd be able to help her overcome whatever it was she was she could hear at the time.

"You still haven't told me why you wanted to bring us all out here." Blake said to her partner, as they were both in the back of the group, walking a bit slower to have a more private discussion.

Yang had her hands behind her head, smiling as she looked forward, mostly as Ruby and Weiss. "Trust me, this is gonna be something that'll help our resident Ice Queen out. And… Well, I'm thinking of bringing you to the same place too. But ya gotta keep what I just said a secret, kay?"

Blake was confused by what she meant, both keeping their voices down. "The same place?"

"It'll be better as a surprise." Yang said, winking to her with a somber smile, which Blake took note of.

Ruby on the other hand was giddy with excitement, mostly from the thought of her partner feeling better with the plan they had. "Soooo, I was gonna ask what you've thought of Patch so far."

"Huh? Patch? Well, it's… It's a bit like Vale I suppose." Weiss said, looking around at the trees they'd pass by. "Of course having more of the, uh, well, forest areas."

"Yup! That's what a lot of people say. It's nice and quiet here, and it's got that Vale breeze." Ruby said, as she felt that breeze blow past her, with her hair flowing from it.

Weiss smiled at her partner's enthusiasm, so she decided to simply enjoy the breeze as well. "Were you born here? I-I mean on the island." She felt that was a bit rude to just ask of all of a sudden for some reason.

"Mhmm! Mom and Dad wouldn't wanna just stay on an island without a hospital we could go to. It's not that far from our house. Actually, it's right near the school I went to before, Signal Academy." Ruby explained.

Jaune spoke up. "Isn't that where your Uncle was teaching too?"

"That's right. Uncle Qrow was the… Uh, well, I guess he was the most unique teacher there." Ruby said with a chuckle, since her uncle would sometimes be drunk during classes. "Anyways, there's a lot in Patch for anything you might need."

Pyrrha was honestly taking in the pleasantries of a more tame environment. People in Vale would tend to spot her and ask for autographs on the spot, so not having to worry about that was a plus in her book. "Do you think a lot of people in town would know much about other kingdom's… Entertainment?"

"Say what now?" Ruby asked as she looked over her shoulder.

The red hair champion sighed while continuing to walk. "Sorry. I just don't enjoy whenever I have a lot of people hounding me for autographs. I don't mean to sound like I'm bragging about that. I genuinely would rather have a more relaxing time going into town without the… Unnecessary attention."

"Oh there shouldn't be an issue with that. Lots of people here are more into seeing stuff in Vale than other kingdoms." Ruby assured, knowing how her old friends at Signal had certain interests that didn't pertain to Pyrrha's status.

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief, while Weiss blushed a little, since she used to be one of those people who would praise Pyrrha without actually getting to know her first. Luckily for the heiress, spending time with everyone gave her the chance to see Pyrrha as a friend more than a celebrity. Something she was grateful for, especially with her experience being taken care of in her time being a child.

"I wonder if she has ill feelings towards me for how I treated her back then…"

Weiss had thought to herself, feeling a little depressed at the possibility. Ruby hadn't noticed sadly, so she couldn't talk her out of her slump, and with the others just making conversation, Weiss wasn't ready to just stop and ask Pyrrha about it.

Yang's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Yo, Ruby, maybe we should get this moving a little faster. We can get there twice as fast if we make it a bit more fun."

The others could hear it in her voice that she was planning something, and Ruby grinned back. "Yang, my semblance is literally speed. If you think I won't beat you in a race there, you're crazy."

Hearing that, Weiss couldn't help but sigh. "Didn't you just promise your dad that you wouldn't do anything stupid? Splitting up because of some childish race isn't exactly smart, especially with the chance of Grimm showing up."

"Oh don't be such a sourpuss, Princess. It's a straightshot, so no way we'd end up being split up for long, and whoever is up front, me," She said with a cocky grin. "Would be able to wait up for you guys if they end up running into a Grimm."

Weiss rolled her eyes, while Jaune seemed a bit nervous himself. "Uh, yeah, so a race sounds, um, a bit unfair don't ya think? I mean, if Ruby mentioned semblances… I don't really have one."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Oh, wait, you seriously don't have a semblance?" The boy looked a bit defeated, so Yang walked over and slung her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, don't sweat it, Jaune. We don't all have to race ya know. Maybe someone can stay back and-."

Jaune pulled away and sent the brawler a glare. "Don't start sticking someone to me like I need a sitter. I can handle myself in a race, easy. Heck, I don't even need a semblance to win." He said, trying to match Yang's grin to show the girl he wasn't going to back down.

"What? You can't be seriously falling for this-." Weiss tried to say, but was ignored by the two blondes, who ended up going back and forth on the rules of their proposed race, earning a groan from the heiress. "Ugh, this is so stupid."

Blake chuckled a bit and walked over. "A bit, but hey, at least it's just a straight shot like Yang said. You planning to walk it? I don't mind staying behind with you if you'd like."

"H-Huh? N-No, I can partake in this…" Weiss said with a light blush, muttering the next part. "Even if it is childish."

Ruby was a bit busy trying to calm the two blondes down, but to Weiss, Blake was also someone that could get to her. "It's okay to like it too, Weiss." She said quietly, not wanting to bring attention to their conversation. "This could be how you can see yourself enjoying what your child self enjoyed. Y'know, without having to be a child."

Weiss' eyes went wide. It was a simple answer, but one that made sense. "D-Do you really think it would be that simple?"

"Maybe, maybe not, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't try." Blake said with a smile, trying to help her friend as much as she could. "Who knows, maybe you'll be able to have more fun being this age as opposed to being a kid."

The heiress thought of the advantages of that, holding her palm up as a glyph appeared and spun around. "Hmm… You know, I think you're onto something."

Blake couldn't help but chuckle a bit, knowing she was able to get the strict part of Weiss away for the time being, so she could find the time to simply enjoy the fun of messing around. "If I know those two, then I'm sure some bet will be involved. I'd say be prepared, but…"

"They're our partners. I think we both know that any preparation we'd make would be for nothing when it comes to those sisters." Weiss said with a smile of her own, watching Ruby try to pry an arguing Yang off an equally arguing Jaune, while Nora was cheering for Jaune to win, Pyrrha was looking confused on what to do, and Ren was sighing to himself. "Still, I wouldn't want them any other way."

The cat Faunus' ears twitched and she couldn't agree more.

"Hey, no fair! You can't sabotage the other racers!" Yang yelled as she had tripped on a hole in the dirt that Jaune managed to make. When he looked back and stuck his tongue out at her, the blonde girl's eyes turned red and she blasted herself out, shooting off towards the boy, who screamed in terror as he ran faster.

Weiss could hear the sounds of Yang's gauntlets going off, and Jaune's screams as she was jumping through the air with her glyphs. "My goodness, if she ends up roasting him, Pyrrha won't be happy."

A voice to her side almost startled her. "You could say that again!" Nora yelled, flying on her hammer whenever she used the moment of its shot to push her forward.

The heiress had turned in disbelief from how she could travel that way. "H-How are you even balancing on that…"

"Hmm? Oh this? It's easy." Nora grinned while waving the difficult of what she was doing off. When she landed, she spun around and jumped on the hammer again, shooting it off to send it and her flying forward. "See! It's easy!"

Weiss simply stared at her more, dumbfounded by that, but shook her head a few times. "Nevermind. What are you even doing? Could you not find a faster way to-."

She had to stop mid sentence since Nora continued to have to shoot herself forward, since she couldn't just glide like that, while Weiss was resorting to running. "Woops. Sorry, had to get back. Anyways, I just wanted to see how you're doing."

That surprised the heiress a little. "You wanted to see how I was doing?" Again, she waited for Nora to catch back up every time, but eventually the two settled on running and talking, trying not to worry about the race.

"Well, yeah! I mean, after what you guys told us, we were all worried about you. I mean, me and the others are still your knights?" Nora said with a soft grin.

Weiss gasped as she suddenly felt a headache, so she slid to a halt, with Nora gasping as well. When she moved her hands up to her head, she winced in pain. "N-Not now…"

Nora suddenly realized her mistake, moving down and wrapping her arms around Weiss' body to help her stand back up. "I-I forgot… Weiss, I didn't… I gotta bring you to Ren! He should-."

"No, just… Help me move over." Weiss requested, confusing the girl as they moved to the side, out of sight of anyone who would run over, as she took several breaths and held her head. "I-I just need a moment… Please…"

Seeing her friend in such pain brought guilt to Nora, who was mentally beating herself up over it. "You're gonna… Be okay, right? I just thought maybe… Y'know-."

"Please s-stop." Weiss pleaded, as she ignored any opportunity for the voice to speak up. "It's my f-fault for thinking too hard on that."

Nora wasn't convinced, as she was getting her scroll out. "No. I screwed up, so let me-."

"Nora," Weiss' voice was in a begging tone, as the orange haired girl stared in disbelief.

"But, why don't you want help?" Nora asked, not being in the know of everything that Weiss was dealing with. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine, so let me help."

"You are by not informing the others." Weiss said, slowly recovering from her momentary headache, as she was taking a few more breaths. "It was just another fight to deal with… I'm okay now."

"Another fight?" Nora asked, looking even more confused.

"I promise to explain another time, but we should," Weiss groaned a bit, but shook her head. "We should start catching back up. The others will notice if we end up-."

Nora pushed Weiss out of the way, swinging her hammer at an Ursa that tried to swipe at the heiress. Weiss was shocked by the sudden push, but as she fell to the side, she noticed the Ursa that was hit back. A Major to be exact, and the heiress quickly got back to her feet, pulling Myrtenaster out as she looked around, seeing more show up.

"About catching up… We might be a bit late for runner up." Nora said as both girls were being surrounded by the other Ursa.

Weiss bit her lip, as the voice couldn't be kept back that time.

"Oh, look… Grimm. Maybe one of them-."

The heiress yelled, physically trying to shut the voice up as she spun the chamber on Myrtenaster and slammed the rapier down into the dirt, as a large explosion could be heard.

There is no one to blame here but myself on why this took so damn long to be posted. I just hit a rut and it carried on for a long time, but I was able to get a bit done here, enough to feel comfortable posting it.

Other than that, this story is still alive and I'm hoping the different interactions here were fun to picture. A few I just threw in for fun, and to show these characters are still around and not just standing off to the side.

To JJ- The voice is a constant battle, but also a form of, well, I suppose the true internal struggle Weiss has to overcome. So far, she's tried handling it in certain ways. Just gonna have to wait and see if those ways are the right choices.

I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 9. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 10.