As with every couple in the world, there came times when they couldn't be together. It was an unavoidable fact. The same went for Yang and Ruby as well. The two of them couldn't be together all the time, as both girls would sometimes have things in their lives that prevented this.

However, while one of the girls was able to handle the time apart, the other one couldn't. Yang had developed a problem with people leaving her due to her childhood. The blonde first lost her own mother, who left her. Then she lost Summer, who died on a mission. And after losing both of her mothers, both her father and uncle practically disappeared from her life by burying themselves in their work. Because of these types of traumatic events, Yang couldn't stand the thought of people close to her leaving her, whether they were friends or family.

One could only imagine how bad it was when Ruby would leave.

The young team leader had gotten a special mission from Ozpin that was meant only for her. She would join an older team and go exterminate a nest of Grimm that had been causing trouble for a nearby village. The reason only Ruby was going on this mission was that she could inspect how a more experienced team would function, thus allowing her to grow as a leader. This was a special mission that Ozpin gave only to those that he saw as worthy and those were very few.

Unfortunately for Ruby, her biggest problem wouldn't be any type of Grimm. Instead, it would be her very protective and clingy girlfriend, Yang Xiao Long. Ever since the blonde had heard that her beloved rose would be going on a mission on her own, she had been trying her best to stop the younger girl from leaving.

''Rubes, please don't go!'' Yang pleaded as the redhead was going around their dorm, preparing herself for the mission. ''There's no benefit from you going with this! Why do you have to go?''

''Actually, Yang, there is the benefit of me learning from much more experienced students, thus allowing me to become a better Huntress,'' Ruby explained while packing some ammo for Crescent Rose. ''Besides, this came from Ozpin himself and I want to make a good impression by completing this mission.''

''But it's dangerous! You won't be safe without your trusted teammates there to look after you!'' the blonde argued before turning to look at her other two teammates. ''Isn't that right, guys!?''

''I think she'll be fine,'' Blake said in her usual monotone, not worried over her team leader's safety at all. ''I mean, she is going to be traveling with a more skilled and more experienced team after all. I see no reason for us to be there, when she is completely safe with them.''

''And I personally think that this is a great opportunity for her,'' Weiss added. ''Every Huntress should always aim to better themselves in any way possible. This will be a great experience for her that will allow her to grow as a leader.''

''Gee. Thanks for the support,'' Yang grumbled before turning her attention back to Ruby. ''Rubes, seriously, think about this just a bit more, okay?''

''I've already thought about this long enough, Yang,'' Ruby said with a sigh. ''I'm leaving tomorrow and that's final. You have nothing to worry about. I can take care of myself and I'll be completely fine.''

''...That's what Summer said to us,'' the blonde said sadly, her voice barely loud enough to be heard. However, the sniper did hear her and stopped on her tracks immediately with her eyes going wide. Weiss and Blake could only stare, wondering what was going on with their two teammates.

''That was below the belt, Yang...'' the young team leader said sadly.

''I know, Ruby. And I'm sorry,'' Yang said as she walked up to the younger girl and pulled her into a comforting hug. ''I just... I just can't lose you, okay? I've already lost so much that I wouldn't be able to take it anymore. You're also everything to me. Without you, I don't know how I could go on anymore.''

''I know, Yang. I feel the same way about you,'' Ruby said as she hugged the older girl in return. ''But we are still Huntresses. Our job is something that is going to put both of us in danger, no matter how much we wish it didn't. We will have to take risks in order to fulfill our duties as the protectors of this world and nothing can change that.''

''I just want to be there. To make sure that you're safe.''

''I know. If our roles were reversed, I would probably doing the same you're doing. But the fact is that only I'm going. Not only am I the only one of us that Ozpin appointed into this mission, the Bullhead will only have enough room for five people. The rest is going to be used for special equipment that we'll need.''

''Please promise that you'll stay safe. That you'll avoid danger, okay?''

''I will, Yang. I promise.''

The two girls kept hugging each other for a while, bringing comfort to one another. Their two teammates kept watching them as they found the sight very touching and heartwarming. Eventually, Ruby felt the need to break the hug, but Yang kept holding her.

''Okay, Yang, you can let me go now,'' the redhead said as she tried to get free from the blonde's hold. ''Seriously, I still have some preparations to do.''

''Just a bit longer, okay?'' Yang asked and even gave her girlfriend the sad puppy eyes.

''Fine. Three more minutes, but that's it,'' Ruby said with a frustrated sigh.

The next day, Ruby had to leave for her special mission. Her teammates came with her to say goodbye to her at the Bullheads and to wish her luck. Yang got to give her beloved rose one last hug, but was very hesitant to let go. In fact, had it not been for Weiss and Blake, the blonde would have probably stayed there while holding the younger girl in her arms.

Once Ruby had left, the WBY headed back to their dorm. Weiss and Blake noticed how Yang had an aura of depression around her. The blonde already missed her girlfriend, even if she had only just left.

''Cheer up, Yang. Ruby will be gone only for a couple of days and then she'll be right back here with you,'' Weiss said, attempting to cheer up her sad teammate.

''Yeah. You just need to do something to get your mind off her and you'll see that the time will go quicker than you think it will,'' Blake added, hoping that her partner would feel better. ''How about we go to the arcade and have some fun? We could also go to the movies, if you want.''

''Thanks guys, but I think I'll pass for now,'' Yang replied with a small, sad smile on her face. ''Right now, I just want to go to the dorm and lay on my bed.''

The monochrome duo watched as their teammate walked away, her usual energy gone from her steps. It saddened the two girls to see their energetic teammate in such a state, but they knew that there wasn't much that they could do. Truth be told, even they were worried about Ruby, but knew that there was nothing they could do. They could only hope that their team leader would return soon and completely unharmed.

''I hate to see Yang like that,'' Blake said. ''I hope everything will be fine.''

''We shouldn't worry too much,'' Weiss said. ''Ruby's in safe hands and we should trust Ozpin's decision. How about we go to the cafeteria to get something to eat?''

The cat faunus nodded and the two girls went to get their food. After some time, they headed back to their dorm, hoping that Yang would be willing to hang out with them. However, they were in for a bit of a shock as they opened the door.

''Ruby!?'' Yang yelled with excitement as soon as the door opened, surprising her two teammates. The blonde had a bright smile on her face, as she sat up on her bed, like a little child waiting for candy.

''Ummm... No, Yang. Ruby's been gone only for an hour,'' Blake said awkwardly as she looked at her partner with wide eyes.

Seeing that it wasn't her girlfriend at the door, Yang let out a disappointed groan and laid down on her bed again.

''...Why do I have this horrible feeling that things are about to get worse?'' Weiss asked her faunus teammate while still staring at Yang.

Just like the heiress had predicted, things got worse with time. The longer Ruby was away, the worse Yang was getting. At first, the blonde mistook all sorts of things as the redhead's return. Knocks on the door, a kid wearing bright red clothes, all sorts of things caused Yang to make the mistake that Ruby had returned, which led to some very awkward situations.

However, things would only get worse. As time went by, the brawler started to get paranoid. She started to worry if something had happened to Ruby on her mission, like an accident of some kind. Weiss and Blake tried to get their teammate to calm down by telling her that their precious leader would be able to handle herself in any situation Yang could think of. Unfortunately, the monochrome duo couldn't really find solutions to all the things their panicking teammate's mind thought up, as she started to have even crazier ideas. What were first believable accidents soon turned into nightmares about alien kidnappings and horror movie monsters appearing out of nowhere. At that point, Weiss and Blake were at a loss of words.

It wasn't also bad enough that Yang's own teammates had to suffer her paranoia. If someone even mentioned Ruby's name, the blonde would run up to them and demand them tell her ''everything they knew about Ruby's current condition.'' Not even the teachers were safe from Yang's mood. Especially Ozpin faced great danger from his student, as Yang had come to his office to demand information on Ruby. The headmaster might have faced many horrifying threats in his life, but somehow the blonde girl was so far the most terrifying of them all. Ozpin had looked at Glynda for assistance, but the woman only gave him a look that said, ''You're on your own.''

To make matters worse, Ruby had left her Scroll in the dorm, thus making it impossible for anyone to contact her. Thanks to this, Weiss swore that once her partner got back, she would find a way to attach the machine to the redhead, so her blonde teammate would have at least some way of calming herself, if this happened again.

One day, Yang laying on her bed in a fetal position while rocking herself back and forth. The girl had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, as she had nightmares about Ruby disappearing completely.

''Ruby come back, Ruby come back, Ruby come back, Ruby come back, Ruby come back, Ruby come back,'' Yang kept mumbling to herself while holding a small Ruby plushie close to her chest.

''God... dammit... Could she freaking STOP!?'' Blake asked, her voice filled with frustration. ''She's been like this for five. Damn. DAYS! How can one person be so downright addicted to someone!?''

''We can only hope that Ruby comes back soon,'' Weiss said. The heiress was sitting at a desk with her hand supporting her head. Both the heiress and the faunus were exhausted from the way Yang had been acting. ''If she doesn't return quickly, I fear what might happen to us.''

There was a sudden knock on the door and Yang immediately rushed to open it. Much to her disappointment, it was Jaune that was standing there and not Ruby. The blonde knight was quite surprised by the speed the door had been opened, and the way Yang looked.

''Uhhh... Hi, Yang. I came to-'' Jaune began, but was cut off by Yang grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pulling him close to glare him in the eyes.

''What the hell are you doing here!?'' the brawler asked angrily. ''Don't you know that I'm waiting for Ruby to return!? She could come here at any moment, yet you're wasting my time by making me think she might have returned!''

''B-B-B-But that's what I came to tell you!'' Jaune managed to fearfully say. ''Ruby's returned! Her Bullhead just landed outside!''

Once the knight's words registered in Yang's head, she threw the boy away and sped towards the front yard. She was dying to see Ruby again.

Meanwhile, Ruby was walking through Beacon's front yard, heading towards her team's dorm. The mission had gone without any problems and she had learned a good amount about teamwork and leadership. She could hardly wait to get to tell her teammates about the things she had experienced. Especially a certain blonde.

However, the scythe-wielder had barely made it halfway through the yard, when that certain blonde ran through the front doors and towards her. Ruby barely managed to realize what was going on, before she was grabbed, lifted up and carried inside. The redhead was soon back in her dorm, where she crashed on a bed with Yang still holding onto her like her life depended on it.

''Never ever leave again! I missed you so much!'' Yang said with happiness and relief in her voice as she hugged her beloved rose and buried her face in her chest.

While the blonde was busy being overjoyed about Ruby's return, the young team leader was in a bit of a shock over her girlfriend's reaction to her return. She tried to comfort Yang by patting on her back, while looking at her other two teammates, silently asking them about what was going on.

''You don't want to know,'' both Weiss and Blake said at the same time, happy that their nightmare was finally over.