The club had closed, but there was one late visitor
The men at the door didn't try to close it, choosing instead to flee as the security man radioed who he'd seen destroy his outside cameras
The doors slammed open, and Junior sighed behind the bar
"Do you mind, blondie?"
Yang glared from the top of the steps and walked towards the bar.
"Whiskey." She said, sitting on one of the bar stools.
Militia and Miltiades both took a step forward, but Junior waved them away. Yang watched them go as glass clinked and liquid was poured.
Yang stared at the two fingers of whiskey that Junior set down opposite her, then back at the man who she wanted to meet.
"You can finish the bottle" He said, noting Yang's stare and leaving the nearly-empty bottle on the table. "So. What exactly do you think I can help you with? Given that I was unable to help you the last two times?"
"I don't have to tell you anything. I need some sort of contact who knows what's what in the criminal underworld. Anything can help me."
"Hel you with what?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"Blondie, this is going to be three for three. Unless you're looking for…"
The glass shattered in Yang's grip. "I am." She said, inspecting her hand and wiping the alcohol from her hand with a cloth left on the bar.
"I see. I'll get in touch with my remaining contacts." Junior turned away from the bar. "But I can't promise anything."
Yang nodded, scribbled down her contact details and picked up the bottle, ready to leave.
"Oh… and I'm sorry. For your loss." Junior said.
Yang didn't look back.
"Get away from her!"
Yang rode Bumblebee back to their run-down apartment. No swanky Academy apartments for her, not anymore.
She parked her bike outside, covering it with a groundsheet and looked around the street, seeing if there were any enterprising bike thieves around.
It was quiet. People knew better than to try and steal from an ex-huntress.
She unlocked the door and steed into the kitchen. The bathroom was through a door on the left, the bedroom ahead of her. Blake was in the doorway, Gambol Shroud aimed at Yang. She lowered the pistol one she was sure Yang was alone.
"Anything?" Blake asked.
"No." Yang lied, pulling the bottle of whiskey from her riding bag. She opened one of the cupboards and took a tumbler from a shelf.
"Yang, I think we should talk. About going to Oz…"
"NO!" Yang snapped, slamming a fist down onto the counter. Blake flinched, and Yang felt her heart break all over again. Blake had given everything up to stay with her, sacrificing her education and chance at a better life to go off the grid.
"No." She repeated, shaking hands pouring the whiskey. "I can't look him in the eyes. Not after his so-called plans that are too complex and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. We didn't win. I'm getting justice my own way."
Blake steed in close, lacing her hand on Yang's as she raised the glass.
"It's not justice, it's revenge, it's illegal." Blake said. "If you're not going to Ozpin, at least stop the drinking. Please. It kills me to see you this way."
"It's the only way I can stop the nightmares." Yang whispered.
"No, it's not. Come to bed. Don't pressure yourself any harder than you need to."
"I have to make things right."
"You told me not to give up, but to slow down. Why can't you?"
Yang remained silent. Blake sighed.
"I'll wait for you." Blake said, kissing Yang's cheek and walking to the bedroom.
Yang took the glass and bottle outside and sat on the kerb. The streetlight was acting up again. She considered telling her landlord, but he still hadn't sent anyone to fix the shelf in the cupboard, or the leaky tap.
She drank. The liquor burned down her throat.
She drank again, from the bottle. If she could drink enough, she'd slip into a stupor and sleep until the morning. No nightmares. No accusing voices.
Was it right for her to drag Blake along? Was it right for her to see her decline?
She had to get the justice she needed before she reached the point of no return. She drank again, feeling dregs slip out the neck of the bottle.
The alcohol wasn't enough, and she was left alone with her thoughts.
Why, Yang? How could you?
"Please, no. I didn't… How could I…"
It's all your fault. I'm dead because of you.
"No, no it's not. You can't blame me, I didn't know. I didn't KNOW!" Yang cried, shouting to the cold stars in the sky.
Shouting wouldn't help, so Yang staggered to her feet and started running. She ran through the empty streets, trying to escape from an opponent she couldn't outrun. The irony didn't escape her.
She ran until her breath wouldn't come and her legs wouldn't sustain her.
"No…" She breathed, realising that she was in a flower garden.
Red and white roses danced together.
"Please, no. I don't want to be reminded."
"You're not going to hurt her!"
She returned to Blake a shivering wreck, sliding next to her partner in bed. Blake held Yang close, giving Yang the affection she needed before the tortured blonde could finally rest.
Blake tried to sleep herself, but couldn't. She stared up at the cracked ceiling, one arm around Yang, the other scratching at the flaky patch of the wall.
She saw her own struggle paralleled with Yang's, magnified by the circumstances.
She had to stop Yang from drowning in her grief. She'd been so caught up in Yang's vendetta that she didn't stop to think about the path they'd found themselves on until they were living in the dilapidated apartment.
She'd tried to get Yang to see sense, but Yang was too distraught to listen. Blake was reared to wait until Yang would listen to reason.
And in the meantime, she could track her using the bug she'd implanted in Yang's scroll.
"The things we do for love." She whispered.
There was a crack, a scream, a cry.
Then another scream.
Yang wasn't expecting a message from Junior, but she hid it from Blake. It had the information she needed, she didn't want to expose Blake to any more risk.
She waited until Blake went out to follow the lead.
For once, Junior came through.
The tragedy had occurred when Ozpin had 'overseen' Teams RWBY, JNPR and CFVY's attack on Cinder's headquarters. Raven had appeared as well, stepping out of a portal as they reared to fight.
Whilst CFVY kept the White Fang busy, the first-years went after Cinder, Pyrrha ready to duel the woman who'd stolen half of Amber's powers as the Fall Maiden herself. Eight against three were good odds, until Adam dropped in. Ruby and Yang had found themselves slit from the others, fighting Emerald, who had used her semblance to confuse both huntresses, but it ended when Yang saw Emerald knock Ruby's legs out from under her. Emerald stood over an unarmed Ruby, her twin blades raised high over one shoulder.
"Get away from her!" Yang roared. "You're not going to hurt her!"
Emerald turned, confusion turning to horror, her mouth opening in shock, a scream rising in her throat.
Yang let fly a punch.
Yang had been aiming for Emerald's neck, a sure-fire way to take her out, kill her if need be.
But it wasn't Emerald who she'd hit.
It was another of the hallucination-induced misdirections.
And as Crescent Rose fell to the ground and Ruby collapsed into Yang's arms, lifeless, Emerald stumbled to her feet and ran.
After a moment of horrified realization, Yang's jaw dropped and she let out a wordless cry as she traced the mark on Ruby's face where she'd hit her. Right between her sister's eyes.
"Ruby?"
Her hand fumbled for a pulse, fingers u against her sister's neck.
"Ruby? It's Yang. Please wake u."
Nothing.
She held Ruby's body in one arm, trying to find the sot on her wrist.
"Come on, sis. Please?"
Ruby did not respond.
Yang laid Ruby's body on the cold, hard floor and began CPR. She could dimly hear shouts and gunfire.
Nothing.
She took her sister back into her arms and cradled her body.
"Ruby…" She whispered, choking on her grief. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please come back to me. To Dad. To Zwei~"
She let out a long, shuddering breath.
"You're too young. Please, wake up."
Yang felt hot tears run down her cheeks. She heard footsteps.
"Yang? Ruby?"
Yang didn't turn around.
"Weiss, I…"
"Yang? What's happened?"
"It's Ruby. She was… Emerald... I…"
Weiss was at her side in an instant, shock growing on her face as she saw Ruby's unresponsive face.
"No. No, no. Ruby? Ruby!"
The last time Yang saw Weiss was when her accusing eyes stared at her from the back of the ambulance. She'd retreated to Atlas and hadn't been in contact since.
And now Yang had the chance to settle the score.
The victory had been a hollow one, given the tragedy of Ruby's and Raven's deaths, and how Cinder and her two lieutenants had escaped.
But it meant that they were scrambling to recover- and Emerald was overseeing a current operation.
Yang readied Ember Celica and vaulted over the rooftop she'd been watching from, putting one of Emerald's men in a chokehold, dragging him deeper into the alley and waiting until he stopped kicking.
The second and third White Fang members each took a shell to the back of the head. Emerald turned at the sound and stared at Yang.
"Hi, Emerald." Yang said, calmer than she thought she was. "How are you?"
Emerald turned to run, but Yang put a shell into the wall next to her.
"It's only you and me. Nobody who can you can use to manipulate me. Nobody you can trick me into killing."
"This is about your sister, isn't it?" Emerald said, drawing her weapons. "Ruby."
"Don't say her name! You monster!" Yang roared, charging at Emerald. She blocked Emerald's strikes with her gauntlets, then kicked out at Emerald's left leg. Emerald stumbled back, Yang choosing to stay her ground and let fly a barrage, each one slamming into her opponent. Yang charged in close again, not giving her any time to use her semblance.
"You killed my sister!" Yang cried, missing a punch and hitting the wall instead. Emerald rolled to one side.
"No, Yang. You killed her. It was your punch that took her life. I've never killed anyone that didn't deserve it. But what about you? Have you ever stopped to think about the lives you've taken? They may be White Fang, but how many people have died at your hands?" Emerald hissed, dropping into a low stance.
"Stop screwing with my mind you liar!" Yang howled, her punch hitting Emerald's stomach. Yang felt a surge of maniacal glee as she felt the connection, throwing her opponent back at the wall. Her hand closed around Emerald's throat.
"Yang, stop!"
Yang turned and saw Blake standing in the alleyway. She was unarmed.
"Is this one of your tricks? Yang hissed, tightening her grip. Emerald dropped her weapons and tried to grab Yang's arm, but the gauntlet made it nigh impossible for her to grip onto anything.
"Yang, this isn't right! We need to call the police, bring her in. Then she can pay for her crimes. She can face justice."
"She'll only escae! I'm ending it here! She forfeited that right the moment she made me kill my sister!" Yang snapped, letting go of Emerald's throat. Emerald fell to her knees, coughing.
"Yang, this is eating away at you. I'm so worried for you. This isn't right, it isn't just." Blake said, stepping closer.
"No. This is right. This is just. An eye for an eye, a life for a life."
"How will this help you sleep better? How will killing her solve anything?"
"It won't. But I have to do this."
"It won't bring Ruby back. You have to leave this behind, move on, start anew. With me."
"How can I when you're a goddam hallucination?" Yang shouted, lashing out.
Her open palm cracked against skin, leaving a vivid red mark.
The woman standing before her did not disappear. Amber eyes filled with tears and Blake Belladonna took a step back from the burning red eyes. Her hand went to mark, mouth quivering.
"Who are you?" Blake whispered. "I don't know you anymore."
She started to back out of the alley.
"Blake!" Yang called. "Blake, wait!"
Yang fell to her knees as Blake shook her head.
There was a noise. An indescribable noise and Blake shrieked, turned and ran.
Emerald started laughing.
"How ironic that you can't even trust yourself, nor the words of the woman who you heled me drive away." She said, rubbing her neck. "The key to defeating you was not in physical combat, but making you lose your friends, leaving you alone and vulnerable."
"Come back." Yang whispered. "Blake. Please."
"She won't. Not after what I made her see. But I'll make this easy on you." Emerald relied.
Yang heard the noise again, and a figure appeared at the end of the alley.
Blake walked back down the alley. She sat opposite Yang, her unmarred face hay and smiling.
Then Weiss walked towards her, brushing down her combat skirt as she lowered herself to Yang's level.
And then it was Ruby's turn. Her sister seemed at ease, giving Yang a wave as she sat between her teammates. Yang smiled through the tears as she saw her sister's hay expression.
Yang felt the anger and confliction drain out of her as she came to terms with her situation.
"I'll see you soon, Ruby."
There was a whisper of air on steel, then