A Piece for the Seasons

by ElectronicYarn

Cinder has resurfaced, and her mad quest for power has begun again. Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Ruby are ready to fight. Enemies new and old, friends familiar and forgotten, and even fragments of the past will all converge on the Kingdom of Mistral where the fate of Remnant will be decided. Part 3 of the Missing Pieces series.

3. The Passing of Spring

Author's Note: So Volume 5 comes out and finally mentions the Spring Maiden in episode 1. I'm happy it did, but the timing could have been better. =P

Please keep in mind as you read this chapter that my Spring Maiden is definitely not the canon Spring Maiden.

---

Chapter 3: The Passing of Spring

PART I

Firelight danced across Yang's face, but the roaring flames didn't seem to offer any warmth against the chilly night. Yang had a certain kinship with fire, thanks to her semblance. She understood fire's beauty and power, but the one burning in front of her, Winter's funeral pyre, was neither a thing of beauty nor awe.

Yang had never been to an Atlesian funeral before. Apparently, their custom of burning the dead had come from an ancient Mantlian tradition. Yang knew she should have told Weiss to just bury her sister. The fire was a clear signal to any grimm in the area, but Yang hadn't found it in herself to argue the point. Between Winter's death, what had happened to Blake, and the threat of Cinder looming over everything, Yang's ability to cope was rapidly being overwhelmed. A numbness had taken hold of her, and it didn't have anything to do with the cold.

To make matters even worse, there was also the fresh horror to consider that Cinder could apparently control the grimm. Yang had already known that Cinder was somehow working with the grimm, but seeing how she'd treated that nevermore, and seeing how it had come when she'd called for it, had really driven home just how deep the alliance ran. It was all too much for Yang.

Up ahead, Weiss was standing at the edge of the fire. She'd hardly said a word since the horrible events of that morning. Yang knew what Weiss was going through, and she knew what Weiss needed was time. Unfortunately, time was not something they had in abundance.

Ruby was standing beside Weiss. She'd been stealing glances at her here and there since the fire had been lit. Ruby had been too young to truly experience Summer's death, and Pyrrha's demise and even Penny's woeful fate had been muddled up among the countless other tragedies of Beacon's fall. But this, Winter's death and its effect on Weiss, was hitting Ruby hard in ways she didn't know how to handle. Yang wondered if she should say something to comfort her sister, but she was feeling so lost herself that she didn't know if she would be of any help.

The sound of snow crunching behind Yang drew her out of her morose thoughts. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Uncle Qrow hobbling up. He looked worse for wear, but after several hours' rest he was back on his feet. They had all taken a beating, but it wouldn't be long before everyone's auras would see to their recovery, physically at least.

Qrow said, "Hey, Kid. How're you doing?"

Yang didn't answer him.

"Yeah," Qrow said. "Me too."

Yang expected Qrow to go for his flask, but he didn't. His eyes had fallen onto Winter's pyre, and his expression was dangerously close to one of despair.

Yang asked, "How well did you know her?"

Qrow chuckled humorlessly. "She would say I knew her too well. But it doesn't really matter now."

Yang's instinct was to disagree with Qrow. She felt that who was left behind to remember Winter was more important now than ever, but she stayed silent.

Qrow said, "Winter's not the first…friend I've lost. I don't think she's going to be the last either."

"Does it ever get any easier?" Yang asked.

"No," Qrow said. He finally pulled out his flask.

"I'm sorry," Yang said.

"Don't feel sorry for me," Qrow said, taking a drink. He nodded his head in Weiss's direction. "Feel sorry for her. Oz always seemed to think that being a Maiden was some kind of blessing. But from what I've seen, it's nothing but a curse."

Yang subconsciously touched her prosthetic arm where that nightmarish creature from Cinder's glove had latched on. Beyond the unbelievable pain the thing had inflicted on her, there had been something far more deeply unsettling about it. Yang had felt herself dying. The thing had literally been sucking the life out of her, and she knew that was the fate Cinder had in mind for Ruby.

Minutes passed with only the crackling of the fire to keep the silence at bay. But then, Qrow asked, "Shouldn't you be checking up on someone?"

"Yeah. I just…" Yang trailed off.

"Don't bother explaining yourself to me," Qrow said. "I'm not the one who cares."

"If you don't care then why are you even out here?" Yang asked.

Qrow took another drink. Then he looked at his flask like he was contemplating something. Eventually, he said, "I don't know. Maybe it's just…bad luck."

Yang turned away from Qrow. She'd never seen him be so introspective before, and she didn't like it. But he was right about one thing. There was someone she needed to check on.

Yang walked away from the fire, toward the spot where all the supplies and equipment had been gathered. Blake was sitting there, exactly where Yang had left her. She was leaning up against the pile of backpacks. A blanket was draped over her for extra warmth.

Yang sat down on Blake's left and leaned back as well. She gazed up into the night sky. There was a break in the clouds, and she could see the stars twinkling overhead. Away from the city lights, the stars were unbelievably brilliant and incomprehensibly numerous. It was a breathtaking sight, but the wonder of it was lost on Yang. All she felt was her own insignificance.

Time dragged by. Yang wanted to say something, anything, to Blake, but no words came. It was like they were all jammed up inside of her, not unlike her feelings. As Yang sat there she tried to summon up some emotion, be it sorrow, anger, relief, or even rage, but to no avail. The best she could manage at the moment was to simply exist.

Eventually, out of desperation, Yang forced out, "It's a lot warmer over by the fire."

"I'm okay right here," Blake said. Her voice was quiet, like she didn't have the energy to speak.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked.

"Yes. I…" Blake hesitated. "I don't like funerals. They remind me too much of old friends who aren't around anymore."

Yang had never heard Blake mention anything like that before, although the subject of funerals hadn't come up before either. Yang wasn't sure who Blake was talking about. If she had to guess, they were probably former comrades from the White Fang, those who hadn't been so lucky. It was a stark reminder to Yang of how much she still didn't know about Blake's past. She might have been worried or upset about that, but right now she didn't have the capacity for such things.

For a moment today, Yang had thought Blake had died. It had been more horrible than anything Adam had ever done to her. The specter of seeing Blake lying facedown on this morning's battlefield haunted the back of Yang's mind, and she was powerless to fight against it. To make herself actually think about it, to relive that moment of utter despair, wasn't something she could handle.

Yang almost didn't notice when a muted sensation came from her prosthetic. She glanced down and saw Blake's hand peeking out from under the blanket. Blake's fingers were brushing up against her own.

Yang understood what Blake was asking her. She gently took ahold of Blake's hand.

Blake asked, "Do you think Weiss will be alright?"

"I don't know," Yang said. "I don't want to worry about Weiss right now. I want to worry about you."

"Don't. I'm fine," Blake said.

"Blake. I…" Yang said.

"I'm fine," Blake repeated.

"But…what if someday you're not?" Yang asked. It was, in all truthfulness, a possibility she'd never considered. It was just like how she'd always used to assume that she was going to win every fight, an assumption that had been thoroughly disproved.

Blake said, "We're huntresses, Yang."

"Yeah. I guess we are," Yang said, catching Blake's meaning. They'd both chosen a dangerous occupation for themselves.

Yang felt more lost now than ever, but just then, Ruby walked up, looking absolutely despondent. Yang did her best to pull herself out of her stupor. Ruby obviously needed her help, and she would try her best to be there for her sister.

Ruby plopped down in front of Yang and Blake and rested her head in her hands. She said, "Weiss won't speak to me."

Yang said, "She might not for a while."

"I keep trying to think of some way to, I don't know, make her feel better," Ruby said.

Yang cast her eyes down. She remembered what Dad had been like after Mom had died. She remembered her own inner turmoil as well. She said, "I don't think there is anything you can do to make Weiss feel better right now, Ruby."

"But I can't just do nothing!" Ruby said, sounding upset. "This is…if I'd just…if I'd done better, maybe Winter would still be alive."

"Stop," Blake said suddenly. "This is not your fault."

"I know that," Ruby said. "But—"

"No. No buts," Blake said. "This was Cinder's doing. And if you get caught up trying to imagine how things might have gone differently, all you'll do is drive yourself crazy."

"Okay," Ruby said with a sigh.

Yang said, "Listen, Rubes. Right now you just need to be there for Weiss. It might not seem like you're helping, but you are."

"Do you really think that's enough?" Ruby asked.

"It'll have to be," Yang said.

"Then I'll do it," Ruby said. She stood up.

Yang's eyes followed Ruby as she headed back toward the fire. She watched Ruby walk over to Weiss. After some hesitation, Ruby scooted in close and put her arm around Weiss. It took a second or two, but Weiss's head tilted to the side until it came to a rest on Ruby's shoulder. The two of them stood there, silhouetted against the all-consuming flames of the funeral pyre, casting long shadows into the night.

Blake said, "It's late. We'll need to make camp soon."

"Yeah," Yang said. "I guess we will."

---

Hours later, three tents were standing in a semicircle. A snowstorm had rolled in, and Yang was sitting in the middle of it, enduring the elements alone. Before the weather had turned ugly, everyone had been worried about Cinder or the grimm attacking during the night. Yang had volunteered to keep watch.

A bitterly cold wind was blowing, whipping up the falling snow into a flurry. Yang had borrowed Blake's coat for the night. She didn't want to rely too much on her semblance right now since she was still recovering from the fight with Cinder. Taiyang might have been on to something when he'd suggested she wouldn't be so tough without her semblance to ward off the cold, because right now she was miserable. She wasn't even sure what good she was doing out here. The weather made it impossible to see more than a few dozen feet in any direction. But Yang stayed put. At least out here she could actually feel something, even if it was only the aching of her bones.

Suddenly, one of the tents' flaps opened. Qrow crawled out of it. He regarded the weather with a sour expression before he trudged over to Yang and sat down next to her. "Still hiding out here, Kid?" he asked.

"I'm not hiding," Yang said.

"Uh-huh," Qrow said. It was clear he didn't believe her.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Yang asked.

"I'm not used to having a tent," Qrow said. "It's too cozy in there for me."

"Sure," Yang said. Truthfully, she didn't really care where or how Qrow spent the night.

Yang brought her knees up and hugged her arms around them. The cold was really starting to get to her. No wonder everyone looked at her enviously during the winter months. But she'd promised to keep watch. She wasn't about to back down, not to something as paltry as the cold.

Qrow glanced around. Then he said, "Why don't you go inside."

"I told you, I'm not hiding," Yang said.

"I didn't say you were that time." Qrow sighed. "Look, Kid. Unless you want to end up like me, now's not the time to be thinking of yourself."

"I'm not thinking of myself," Yang insisted.

"Then why are you out here and not in that tent with your girlfriend?" Qrow asked.

"You know why," Yang said. "I'm on watch."

"What I know is a lousy excuse when I hear one," Qrow said.

"It's not an excuse!" Yang said.

"Sure, Kid," Qrow said. "But while you're out here hiding from your feelings, how do you think your girl's doing in that tent all by herself?"

Yang opened her mouth, but then she closed it again. It dawned on her that she'd been so worried about Blake's physical injuries that she hadn't stopped to consider Blake's emotional ones. It wasn't like Blake had been absent for the day's tragedies. They had to have affected her as well.

Yang's head turned toward the tent Blake was sleeping in. She knew she should go to Blake. She wanted to go to Blake. But something was keeping her from moving.

"What are you waiting for, Kid? Get in there," Qrow said.

"Alright," Yang said, allowing herself to give in. "Uncle Qrow? Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," Qrow muttered. "Do me a favor and don't mention it."

Yang lifted up the flap to the tent and quickly crawled inside. It was such a relief to be out of the wind and snow. She looked over to where Blake was sleeping. Blake must have been having a dream. Her eyes were twitching underneath their lids, and one of her hands had worked its way out from under the covers and was grasping at the air.

Yang pulled off her coat, duster, and boots; and then she crawled over next to Blake. She reached out with her left hand and gently brushed her fingers across Blake's cheek.

Blake stirred in her sleep, but she didn't wake. She muttered something that sounded like Yang's name.

A longing welled up in Yang's chest and began to seep through the emotional numbness. She loved Blake so much. She didn't know how to live without her anymore. Maybe that was why she'd withdrawn from her feelings. Today she'd seen how vulnerable they made her. Yang hated being vulnerable, but she hated the idea of not loving Blake even more.

Yang pulled her fingers away. She felt the numbness try to reassert itself, but she forced it away. She'd spent months on Patch Island trapped in her bed by the crushing grip of depression. She wouldn't succumb to it again. She knew that no matter what, her time with Blake wasn't forever. She didn't want to waste any of it despairing of that ugly truth.

Yang pulled back the covers just a little and slipped underneath them. She snuggled up next to Blake and put her arm around her.

Yang felt the tension locked inside of her slowly begin to release itself. She pulled Blake in closer, but suddenly, Blake yelped in pain. Her eyes flew open, and she shot up into a sitting position.

"Blake?!" Yang said. She sat up as well. "What's wrong?!"

"Yang? It's…it's nothing," Blake said. But she was gingerly clutching her stomach.

Yang scowled. "Blake. Show me."

Blake looked worried. She didn't move.

"Please," Yang said.

Blake reluctantly let her hands drop. On her torso, just below her crop top, was a nasty burn.

"Blake!" Yang said in alarm. Her hands cupped Blake just around the burn mark. It had to have been an exceptionally bad one for it to look so ugly after most of a day's recovery.

"It's healing! I didn't want you to worry," Blake said. But Yang had hardly heard a word of it. The floodgates inside of her had been flung open. All of the fear and anguish that had been bottled up inside of her came rushing out. Tears started flowing down her cheeks, and her hands began to tremble.

"Yang," Blake said. She was starting to cry too. "I'm alright."

Yang's arms wrapped around Blake, and her head fell to Blake's chest. Blake started rocking Yang back and forth. "I'm alright," she repeated to reassure the both of them. "I'm alright."

---

When morning inevitably came, Yang found herself waking up in Blake's arms. Sunlight was leaking its way into the tent, and there was a distinct lack of wind. It was, in all probability, a clear and beautiful day outside. Yang wasn't sure she was ready for a beautiful day. Her emotions were still raw from last night, but she was at least feeling a little better.

Yang slowly extracted herself from Blake's arms. She took a moment to glance at Blake's burn. It had healed a bit more, but Yang was certain it would leave a permanent mark. So long as Blake herself was intact, Yang was okay with that.

Yang stretched out as best she could in the confined space. She only felt a little sore. Her aura had done its job getting her back into fighting shape. She slipped on her boots and duster, but she left Blake's coat behind. Blake would need it, and Yang was feeling more than recovered enough to rely on her semblance again. She opened the tent's flap and crawled out.

The campsite outside was covered in a fresh layer of snow, making everything look clean and pure. It was like the storm last night had swept away the old world and replaced it with a new one. Unfortunately, Yang knew that the old world was still there, lurking just below the façade of white.

Yang turned around and closed the flap to her tent. She looked over at the other tents. Ruby and Weiss weren't up yet. There was no sign of Qrow either, but Yang wasn't worried about him. Despite his claims to the contrary, she knew he did care. Wherever he was, he'd be back soon.

Yang turned back to where the backpacks and supplies were stacked up. She'd intended to get some breakfast started, but what she saw made her stop dead.

Seconds ago there had been nothing but an empty, snow-covered field in the middle of the campsite, but now a tall woman was standing there. She was dressed in black and red animal furs that contrasted sharply with the endless white. The snow around her was completely undisturbed, like she'd somehow materialized out of thin air. A nodachi hung on her waist in a bulky scabbard, and most alarmingly of all, she had on a grimm mask that covered her entire face.

Yang stood still, not moving a muscle. She could tell at a glance that this mysterious stranger was exceptionally dangerous. There was a subtle edge to her stance and posture that spoke volumes about what she was capable of. Yet Yang didn't feel threatened. Even though the stranger's mask was similar to the ones the White Fang wore, Yang was far more surprised than alarmed.

Without a word, the mysterious woman reached up and removed her mask. It revealed a face that could have been Yang's own and intense, red eyes.

Yang knew who was standing in front of her. It was plain to see, but she still couldn't believe it. She felt like she'd slipped out of reality and into some kind of surreal dream. A whisper escaped her lips, "Raven?"

"Hello, Yang," Raven said. "We need to talk."

---

PART II

A stifling quiet hung heavy in the air over Team RWBY's campsite. Yang stood stock-still, staring at the stranger in front of her. She was caught between the reality of finally being face-to-face with her birth mother and her inability to believe what was happening. She'd searched for Raven for so long, but she was still completely unprepared for this moment to come, especially so unexpectedly.

Raven hadn't made a move or said another word. If she was expecting some kind of response from Yang, it wasn't coming. A full two minutes ticked by, until Raven finally asked, "Where's Qrow?"

Yang blinked. The question snapped her out of her daze as over a decade's worth of expectations wilted in the face of reality. "That's it?" she asked. "That's all you have to say to me?"

Raven had the decency to look uncomfortable. She shifted on her feet, and awkwardly asked, "How…have you been?"

"How have I been!?" Yang exclaimed. "You left me before I was even old enough to remember you! I've spent years trying to find you! Do you know how many questions I have for you?"

"Well here I am," Raven said. "Ask."

Yang opened her mouth, but no words came out. There were so many things that she'd wanted to know, but recent events made them all seem trite. When it came down to it, there was really only one question that mattered. Yang asked, "Why did you leave?"

"There were important things that had to be dealt with," Raven said.

Yang felt like she'd been slapped in the face. "More important than your family!?" she asked.

"They were important because of my family," Raven said. Then she muttered, "As if anyone I've met outside the Tribe knows the meaning of the word."

Yang didn't know what "tribe" Raven was talking about, and right now she didn't care. She said, "I'm pretty sure it means you talk to each other once in a while. Dad waited two years for you to come back or send a message or something! Do you know what you put him through?"

"I'm not responsible for your father's well-being," Raven said, gritting her teeth. The conversation was obviously straining her ability to remain calm.

"Then what about my well-being!?" Yang asked.

"Even when you were a baby, I knew you were going to be a great warrior," Raven said. "You already had what it took to be strong, I could see it. You didn't need me."

"I needed my mother!" Yang shouted.

"You've done well enough for yourself," Raven said.

"Well enough!?" Yang exclaimed. She held up her prosthetic. "I lost an arm!"

"And you should have lost your life!" Raven snapped, impatience finally getting the better of her. "I was there on that underground train! I gave you a chance to learn from your mistakes!"

"So that was you," Yang muttered. Then she said, "I guess you couldn't have been bothered to do it again."

"One chance. That's my rule. And it's more than anyone in this world has a right to expect," Raven said. "Qrow passed on my warning."

"Yeah, I remember," Yang said bitterly. "You want to know how that made me feel? Knowing you could have sent me a message anytime you'd wanted? And after all those years, all you had to say to me was, 'Don't screw up again.'"

"If you're so concerned about your feelings, maybe you've lived with your father for too long," Raven said.

"Well whose fault is that!?" Yang spat out.

Suddenly, Raven's hand flew to the hilt of her sword. Yang dropped into a fighting stance out of reflex. Her arms came up, but she didn't activate her gauntlets. She wasn't sure what was happening. She didn't really want to believe that Raven would attack her, but it was painfully clear to her that she didn't really know Raven at all.

"Tell your friend to get down here," Raven said. Her eyes flicked up at something behind Yang. "The one in the tree."

Yang was confused. She turned around and looked up. There was a tall evergreen tree just behind the tents, and Yang spotted a black shape perched high up in its branches. Whoever was up there must have heard Raven, because they stood and jumped down.

Blake landed gracefully on her feet next to Yang. Yang hadn't even realized that Blake had woken up yet, much less snuck out the back of their tent. One of Blake's hands was poised over Gambol Shroud, but she hadn't drawn it yet. She looked firmly at Raven and asked, "Who are you?"

Yang said, "Blake, this is Raven."

"Raven? Your mother?" Blake asked in disbelief.

"Something like that," Yang muttered.

Blake and Raven sized each other up. Both of their hands were still hovering near their weapons. Blake glanced at the grimm mask tucked under Raven's left arm. She asked, "Where did you get that?"

Raven smirked knowingly. "You think the White Fang were the first to prey on the fears of the ignorant, Kitty Cat?"

Shock registered on Blake's face. Underneath her bow, her ears twitched. She slowly lowered her hand away from her sword. In return, Raven did the same.

Yang was just as surprised as Blake. She asked Raven, "How did you know?"

Raven said, "Contrary to what you might think, I have been keeping an eye on you. It wasn't hard to put the clues together."

Yang frowned. If Raven really had been checking up on her with enough regularity to decipher Blake's secret, it meant that she could have done a lot more than use Qrow to send a message. Yang was more confused now than ever. If Raven didn't care, why was she keeping tabs on her? And if she did care, why hadn't she bothered to be a part of her life at all?

While Yang tried to puzzle out the mystery, Raven took a moment to look her over. She said, "You've changed, Yang, since I last saw you."

Yang's frown deepened. "Yeah," she said, holding up her arm again. "We talked about that."

"That's not what I meant. That little girl I saved on the train had been living under the illusion of peace for too long. It had made her weak," Raven said. "But you. You've finally seen what the world's really like. Power hungry fools on the loose. The kingdoms at each other's throats. This is the natural state of things."

"You almost sound happy about it," Yang said.

"The weak die, and the strong survive. It's a truth as old as time itself," Raven said. "You've finally become strong, Yang. You've overcome the lies that were holding you back. I'm proud of you."

A dark expression crossed Yang's face. "You're wrong," she said.

"Excuse me?" Raven asked.

"This isn't what the world's supposed to be like."

"It's disappointing that you'd think that, after all you've experienced."

"Why should I care if you're disappointed in me?"

"I'm your mother, Yang."

"No, you're not. You stopped being my mother the day you left home," Yang said. The words tasted bitter in her mount, but she couldn't hold them back. "I'm glad you left too! If you hadn't, Dad would've never married Summer, and Ruby never would've been born. She's worth more to me than you ever will be!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic," she said.

Angry tears were welling up in Yang's eyes. This wasn't what she'd wanted at all. She'd wanted to have a mother again. Maybe that was why she'd searched so long and hard for Raven. She'd been hoping to reclaim at least a fraction of the love that Summer had given her. Even now a part of her believed that Raven was capable of that, but it was obvious that Raven was not Summer. Yang had wasted her time looking. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Blake's hand suddenly found its way into Yang's, and Yang held on tight, desperate for the silent emotional support that Blake was giving her.

Raven asked, "Where's Qrow?"

"I don't know," Yang said.

"You don't know, or you won't tell me?" Raven asked.

"I don't know!" Yang repeated.

A voice called out, "I'm right here."

Raven turned. Qrow was standing a few feet behind her. Raven said, "There you are, Brother. It seems you were going to be late to our rendezvous."

"From the looks of it, so were you," Qrow said as he walked up.

Something clicked in Yang's head. She said, "Raven was the contact we were heading to meet."

"Yeah," Qrow said. "I told you you wouldn't like what you found out here."

"You knew I was looking for her, Uncle Qrow!" Yang said. "You've known for years! And all this time you've known how to find her?!"

"More or less, yeah," Qrow said.

"Then why didn't you tell me!?" Yang asked.

"Sometimes a vain hope is better than the truth, Kid," Qrow said. "Are you really happier now that you've met your mom?"

Yang didn't respond.

"Sorry it had to be like this, Kid," Qrow said. "But your mom's right. The real world doesn't play nice."

Raven said, "It's a lesson she should have learned years ago. No thanks to you or her father."

Qrow shook his head exasperatedly. "Well, if we're done crushing your daughter's spirit, what are you doing out here? I doubt you were looking for us."

Raven glared at Qrow, but she otherwise ignored his snide comment. She said, "I was tracking a lead. It was a coincidence that I found you."

"Coincidence. Sure," Qrow said.

"Do you want to know what I've discovered about the Spring Maiden for you or not?" Raven asked.

"Alright. What did you find out?" Qrow asked.

"She's gotten it into her head that she can stop Cinder Fall all by herself," Raven said.

Yang muttered, "Bad call."

Qrow said, "Sounds like Lily. Did you find out where she is?"

"Oniyuri, as of yesterday," Raven said.

"What's she doing there?" Qrow asked.

"Investigating, I imagine," Raven said. "The village was destroyed two days ago."

Qrow eyed Raven. Yang wasn't sure why.

"It was destroyed by the grimm," Raven elaborated.

"Right," Qrow said sarcastically. "What else could it have been."

Raven glared at Qrow again. Yang was getting the impression that it was her preferred method of communicating with her brother.

Qrow said, "We need to get to Oniyuri, and you're going to help us."

"I'm not your personal airship," Raven said.

"Then it's a good thing you're not doing this out of the kindness of your heart," Qrow said.

"Well since you've brought it up, we should talk about payment," Raven said.

"It's already been agreed to," Qrow said. "One favor for the Tribe from Oz."

"How can I be sure Ozpin will keep his word?" Raven asked.

"Unlike you or me, Oz honors his promises," Qrow said.

Raven scrutinized Qrow closely like she didn't trust him, but then she said, "Hurry up and get ready to leave. I'm not going to wait around for you all day."

Yang was very confused. She still had no idea what tribe Raven was talking about, and Ozpin, being dead, wasn't in a position to grant favors.

Qrow turned from Raven. When he saw the puzzled expression on Yang's face, he winked at her.

All of a sudden, Yang understood. Qrow was conning Raven into helping him for free. It was probably petty and vindictive of her, but she couldn't help but feel satisfaction at the thought.

Qrow said to Yang, "Better get Ruby up, if she isn't already. We need to get packed."

"Right," Yang said.

---

"Are you sure she's really your mom?" Ruby asked.

"She's…" Yang said. Then she sighed. "She's the one who gave birth to me, yeah."

Ruby's eyes slid toward Raven. Raven had put her mask back on. She'd been standing there, silently observing Team RWBY as they'd broken down their campsite. Yang knew that not so long ago, she would've been taken in by the mystique Raven was deliberately cultivating. But now she was far less impressed by it. She wondered how much of Raven's aloof demeanor was genuine and how much of it was just an act.

Ruby said, "I don't like her. If she was really your mom, you'd be happier."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm okay, Rubes," she said.

"Everyone's sure been saying that a lot since we got to Mistral," Ruby said. "And nothing's been okay at all!"

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not okay," Yang admitted. "But I'll get over it. I promise."

"You better," Ruby said. "I want my sunny sister back."

"Yeah. Me too," Yang said quietly. Then she asked, "How's Weiss doing?"

Ruby frowned. "Not good," she said as she glanced over to where Weiss was listlessly packing up her backpack.

Weiss had been just as unresponsive this morning as she'd been last night. She'd hardly even noticed the stranger in Team RWBY's midst, and right now she was moving like some sort of lifeless automaton.

Yang said, "Go take care of her, Ruby. She needs you a lot more than I do right now."

"Alright," Ruby said. "Yang? You know I love you, right?"

Yang smiled a genuine smile. She pulled Ruby into a quick hug and said, "You bet I do. And nothing's ever going to change that."

"Yeah. Nothing," Ruby said.

Yang watched as Ruby walked over to Weiss.

Blake was standing just behind Yang. As soon as Ruby was out of earshot, she asked, "You know I love you too, right?"

Yang turned around. "Do you even have to ask?"

"No," Blake said. "And I hope that means you'll tell me if you're actually going to be okay."

"I don't know," Yang said, shaking her head. "I think I have too many feelings right now to figure any of them out."

Blake stepped up and wrapped her arms around Yang. "Believe me. I understand," she said.

Yang let out a long breath. Her eyes closed, and she let Blake's presence sooth her. She mentally repeated her promise to herself to focus on the good things in her life, and Blake was definitely a very good thing.

"I wonder…" Blake said before trailing off.

"You wonder what?" Yang asked, opening her eyes.

"No. Don't worry about me right now," Blake said.

"Blake…" Yang said.

Blake sighed. Yang could tell by Blake's expression that there was something bothering her. Yang was suddenly very aware of the burn hidden underneath Blake's coat. It made Blake feel vulnerable in her arms. Yang hated it, but despite her desire to do more, she just kept quietly hugging Blake. She knew from experience that the only way to get Blake to talk about her worries was to let them come to the surface on their own.

Eventually, Blake said, "I wonder how my parents are doing."

"Your parents are alive?" Yang asked, surprised.

"Yes. Why did you think they weren't?" Blake asked.

"I don't really know," Yang admitted. "I guess I just assumed."

"They live on Menagerie," Blake explained. "It's been…years since we've spoken."

There were a lot of reassuring things Yang wanted to say to Blake, but at the moment, she couldn't find it in herself to genuinely believe that everything would work out for the best. Instead, she asked, "Do you want to talk to them again?"

"I don't know if they'd want to talk to me," Blake said. "But after all this…. I think I owe it to myself to try."

"Then the first thing we'll do once we're done here is find a way to give them a call," Yang said. "Maybe Atlas will have the CCT Network back up by then."

"Yang, Menagerie doesn't have a tower," Blake said. "You can't call there."

"Then we'll have to write them a letter," Yang said. "Or even better, we'll go there ourselves."

"You'd do that with me?" Blake asked.

Yang smiled. "You bet I would. After yesterday, I think I owe you at least that much."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, looking genuinely confused.

Yang instantly regretted saying anything, but she knew she was going to have to explain herself now. She sighed and said, "I shouldn't have been hiding from you yesterday. I should have—"

Blake pulled Yang into a kiss, silencing her. Yang was surprised at first, but then her eyes fluttered closed. She took her time, making the kiss as slow and tender as she could. Leave it to Blake to know what to do. When the two of them were together like this, all the tragedies and disappointments in the world couldn't touch them.

Yang's and Blake's lips gently parted, and Blake's head came to a rest in the crook of Yang's neck.

"Yesterday was hard on all of us," Blake said. "You don't need to apologize for anything, and you don't need to make up for anything either."

"Alright," Yang said. "But we're still going to Menagerie together. I want to meet your parents."

A tiny smile crossed Blake's lips. "Thank you for loving me, Yang," she said. "You don't know what it means to me."

"You're too awesome not to love," Yang said.

Blake chuckled softly. It was music to Yang's ears.

Yang and Blake stood there like that for a while longer. But eventually, Qrow came walking up. "Come on," he said. "We need to go."

Yang nodded. She let go of Blake and turned toward Raven. Despite Raven's face being hidden behind her mask, Yang could feel Raven's eyes on her. She'd been watching. Yang wondered for how long.

Everyone in Team RWBY donned a backpack. At Qrow's insistence, they all gathered around Raven. Yang wasn't sure how Raven was going to help them get to Oniyuri, but she bet she was about to find out.

Qrow said, "Oniyuri might still be crawling with grimm. Or worse. So everyone keep an eye out."

Ruby asked, "Is it going to take long to get there?"

"Nope," Qrow said.

On cue, Raven drew her sword with a slow and deliberate motion. She slashed at the open air, and suddenly, a font of energy burst forth like she'd cut open reality itself.

"Wow!" Ruby said. "What's that?"

Qrow said, "It's a portal. It'll take us where we need to go."

"Wow!" Ruby repeated.

Yang had to agree. Raven's semblance was an impressive one, if the swirling portal even was a product of her semblance. After meeting real, live Maidens, Yang wasn't counting out the possibility that it might just be magic.

"Come on," Qrow said. He walked into the portal Raven had created and vanished.

"Let's go, Weiss!" Ruby said. She took Weiss by the hand. Weiss didn't acknowledge that anything amazing was happening, but she did let Ruby pull her into the portal.

Blake glanced at Yang. Then she stepped forward. Yang was right behind her.

Just as Blake entered the portal ahead of Yang, Raven said, "You don't have to follow my brother, Yang. There's a family, a real family, ready to welcome you."

Yang turned. Raven's sword was back in its sheath. She'd taken off her mask again, and she was actually smiling. There was something about her now that made Yang feel that she was finally seeing the real Raven and not some persona.

Yang asked, "You mean 'the Tribe'?"

"Yes," Raven said. "Our Tribe."

"If the Tribe is so welcoming, why didn't you take me and Dad with you when you left?" Yang asked.

"I left your father behind to raise you," Raven said. "We have a rule. No one can be born into the Tribe. You have to be worthy of it, and you have to want to join."

"And you really think I want to?" Yang asked. "You really think I'll go with you just like that?"

"Not alone," Raven said. "Your lover, Blake was it? She'd be welcome too."

Yang was taken aback. She supposed it wasn't a great leap of logic for Raven to figure out that she and Blake were lovers—especially not after seeing them kiss—but it was still surprising to hear her say it.

"Think about it, Yang," Raven said. "Blake would find acceptance in the Tribe in a way she never will in the kingdoms. We wouldn't care about her heritage, just what she's capable of. And you and I both know that she's very capable."

For just a moment, Raven's offer was a tempting one. Assuming she wasn't lying, it would be a dream come true for Yang to live with Blake somewhere that Blake didn't have to hide anything about herself. But then Yang looked at the portal in front of her, and the temptation faded. If Raven really could make these at will, it told Yang everything she needed to know.

Yang looked back at Raven and said, "You could have come to Beacon or Patch or anywhere I was any time you wanted. If you really cared about me…."

"Yang, you're my daughter," Raven said. "Don't ever think that means nothing to me. That's why I saved you when I shouldn't have. I've been waiting for the day that you could finally come and be part of your real family. I love you."

Raven's words hit Yang hard. As much as she didn't want to, she believed her. But she said, "I've already got a family. And I don't think you know what that word really means." She turned back to the portal.

"Yang!" Raven said, reaching out with her hand. "I won't be there to save you again! Fighting Cinder Fall is a fool's errand!"

"Cinder wants to hurt Ruby," Yang said. "She did hurt Ruby. And she hurt Blake. I'm not going to stop until she gets what's coming to her."

Raven let her hand drop. A look of resignation crossed her face, but then she smiled. "You're more like me than I thought. Yang…good luck. I am proud of you. Never forget that."

"I won't. Mom," Yang said. Then she stepped through the portal, leaving behind the person she'd searched for most of her life.

---

PART III

The town of Oniyuri was a tragedy written in destroyed homes and absent people. The devastation was so fresh that the wind still reeked with the scent of death. Some of the demolished buildings were even still smoldering from fires that had burned. But Weiss didn't care. The deaths of so many and the suffering of countless more were difficult to comprehend in the best of circumstances, and right now, any sorrow Weiss might have held for the missing and displaced people of Oniyuri was drowned out by her horrendous grief over the death of just one. Winter, her sister, was dead.

In many ways Winter had been more of a mother to Weiss than her actual mother. Winter had certainly been a part of her life for longer than Mother. When Weiss had been small, Winter had been this majestic, regal person that she'd admired like no other. Even as Weiss had grown, Winter had never lost her air of infallibility in Weiss's eyes. And now she was dead.

Weiss wondered if she would've felt better if she'd been able to kill Cinder. She suspected not. But maybe she would have at least felt like less of a failure. Either way, she knew she hadn't seen the last of Cinder. She would get another chance to end Cinder's life.

Something warm bush up against Weiss, pulling her out of her troubling thoughts. She looked down and saw Ruby's hand tentatively touching hers. Weiss tried to ignore it at first, although she didn't know why. It was stupid, but she felt like she didn't deserve the comfort Ruby was offering her. But Ruby's quiet presence wore down Weiss's resolve.

Weiss eventually relented. She took Ruby's hand in hers and held on tight. A tingling feeling danced over her arm. Despite what it seemed like, Weiss knew the sensation wasn't coming from the physical contact. It was coming from Ruby's aura. With everything that had happened, it was an afterthought to Weiss that she'd become the new Winter Maiden. She imagined it would have been an awe-inspiring experience had things been different. The world around her, when she cared to acknowledge its existence, was clearer and brighter. It wasn't that her vision was necessarily sharper or that her hearing was crisper, but all her senses seemed more effective somehow. And there was more to it than that. Yang and Blake were walking up ahead of Weiss, and Qrow was walking several feet in front of them. But if Weiss made an effort, she could literally feel all their auras.

Ruby, however, was different. Even without concentrating, Weiss could feel Ruby's aura clearly, like a beacon in the night. Weiss would've like to believe that it was because of her feelings for Ruby, but she knew that wasn't the case. Cinder's aura had been no less clear to her. Weiss wasn't sure if it was specifically because Cinder and Ruby were Maidens or if it was just because their auras were so much stronger than everyone else's now. She supposed the reason why didn't really matter, but it would have been nice to know.

Now that Weiss's attention had been brought to Ruby's aura, it was impossible for Weiss to ignore it brushing up against her. It was like a gust of warm air on a chilly day, and it was filling her with new life, whether she wanted it to or not.

Weiss found herself caught. She didn't want to feel better right now—not with Winter only dead a day—but she could only resist the temptation of Ruby's aura for so long. After some token resistance, she began greedily drinking in the sensation.

Suddenly, a rush of anxiety flooded into Weiss. It caught her so completely off guard that it took her a moment to realize the emotion wasn't coming from her; it was coming from Ruby. With their auras connected like this, Weiss was able to feel what Ruby was feeling. She wanted it to stop, but guilt, her own guilt, kept the connection open. Weiss knew she was the source of Ruby's anxiety. Ruby was worried sick about her, and she'd been too self-absorbed to notice.

Weiss just knew that if she apologized to Ruby for being so selfish, Ruby would tell her that it was okay for her to be selfish right now. Maybe it was okay, but Weiss wanted to be better than that for Ruby. She wanted to be perfect for her. If only that were possible.

Weiss's eyes fell down to where Ruby's hand was still clasped in hers. It took her a minute or two, but she finally said, "Ruby…."

Ruby's head shot up in surprise. "Weiss!" she said. Weiss felt an instant change in Ruby's aura. Joy and hope started coming to the fore.

"Ruby, I…." Weiss tried to find the right words. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Ruby asked. "What for?"

"I've made you worry about me and—"

"Nope! Stop!" Ruby said. "None of that!"

"But, Ruby," Weiss said. "We have a mission we need to focus on. It's more important than—"

"Nope!" Ruby said again. "Weiss, you can't just turn off your feelings. And you can't pretend that bad things don't happen!"

"But I can't afford to be distracted right now," Weiss said. "We all need to be able to depend on each other if we're going to get through this."

"Weiss, I know we can depend on you," Ruby said. "But you can depend on me too. Especially right now. It's part of my job as your friend. And as your girlfriend!"

Weiss felt the anxiety in Ruby's aura bleeding away, revealing an innocent and pure love. It took Weiss's breath away. To know for certain that someone cared about her that much was overwhelming yet soothing. All Weiss could manage to say was, "Thank you, Ruby."

Up at the head of the group, Qrow held up his hand. Blake and Yang immediately came to a stop. Once Weiss and Ruby caught up with them, they stopped too.

It wasn't easy for Weiss, but she managed to refocus on what was happening around her. They were all standing at a crossroads in the middle of town. The buildings surrounding them were mostly in one piece, and that meant there were a lot of places that danger could be lurking.

Yang asked, "What is it, Uncle Qrow?"

"I thought I saw something," Qrow said. His eyes shifted around.

"Was it Lily?" Yang asked.

"I don't know. It kind of looked like her," Qrow said.

Suddenly, Yang's head snapped to the right. "Hey! Who's there?!"

Weiss followed Yang's gaze. She didn't see anything, but just then the sound of boots clomping across paving stones came from her left. She looked in time to see a figure dash around a corner.

Ruby must have seen the mysterious figure too, because she pointed and said, "Over there!"

Everyone stood there, watching. But nothing else happened. An eerie silence settled over them.

Qrow said, "Guess we're not alone here after all."

Blake said, "I don't like this."

"Yeah," Yang agreed. "This reminds me of that warehouse in Atlas."

Weiss knew all too well what Yang meant. They'd all found Yang unconscious and bleeding that day, thanks to Neo as they'd later learned. Weiss didn't want a repeat of that incident, especially not with the stakes so much higher than before.

Qrow said, "We're going to need to split up."

A frown crossed Yang's face. "That didn't work out so well for us the last time we tried it."

"No choice," Qrow said. "If we want to find whoever's out there we're not going to do it in a group. Oniyuri's too big."

Team RWBY exchanged nervous glances with each other. But then Weiss said, "He's right."

Everyone looked at Weiss. Yang and Blake seemed especially surprised to hear her speak again. Weiss said, "If we want to fulfill our mission, we have to accept that we can't do things the safe way. There isn't a safe way anymore. But that doesn't mean we can't still be smart about it."

"Right," Ruby said. "Then I've got an idea. We'll go in pairs, one left and one right. And Uncle Qrow? Can you search from the sky? That way if you see any of us in trouble, you can come help?"

Qrow looked at Ruby with a wistful expression.

"What?" Ruby asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Qrow said. "You just reminded me of your mom. Summer always came up with the plans too."

"That's…a good thing, right? Me being like her?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, Kiddo. It's a good thing," Qrow said. He turned from the group, and a moment later, he'd taken the form of a bird. He quickly flew off into the sky.

"Alright, Team," Ruby said. "Weiss and I will go left, and Yang and Blake will go right."

Weiss immediately saw a problem with Ruby's proposal. Apparently she wasn't the only one, because Yang said, "Uh…Rubes?"

"Yeah?" Ruby asked.

Blake said, "We should probably split you and Weiss up. You're both Maidens, and we're not."

"Oh. Yeah," Ruby said, sounding disappointed. "Weiss, are you going to be okay with that?"

"Yes," Weiss said. "You can depend on me. Just like you said."

Ruby smiled. "Okay," she said with a nod. "Blake and Weiss, you go left."

Blake said, "Got it."

Weiss and Blake, and Yang and Ruby each went their separate ways. Weiss didn't like what was happening, but she'd meant what she'd said earlier. They had to take whatever risks were necessary to stop Cinder.

It didn't take long for the two pairs of teammates to lose sight of each other, but Weiss could still feel Ruby's aura. It was getting less distinct as the distance between them grew, but Weiss held on to the sensation like her life depended on it.

The first few minutes of searching didn't produce any results. Oniyuri was a ghost town, and there was no sign of whoever Weiss had spotted earlier. If Ruby hadn't seen them too, Weiss would have been doubting herself.

Out of the blue, Blake said, "I'm glad to see you're holding up so well, Weiss."

Weiss glanced at Blake. Blake wasn't looking at her—she was too busy keeping an eye out for danger, and her ears were swiveling around underneath her bow—but nevertheless, Weiss knew she had Blake's attention. She said, "I'm not going to let the Team down."

"I know," Blake said. "And I also know what you're going through. I never had a sister, but I have lost friends before that were as good as family."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Weiss said. Then a horrible thought entered her head. "You didn't lose them because of…my family, did you?"

Blake's eyes flicked over to Weiss for an instant. "No. Of course not," she said.

Weiss wasn't sure if Blake was telling the truth or lying to make her feel better, but she supposed now wasn't the time to press the issue. She should just accept Blake's sympathy for what it was.

Weiss said, "I don't imagine there's any easy way for me to get over what happened."

"No, there isn't," Blake said. "But we're all here to help you. Especially Ruby."

"Thank you," Weiss said. Ruby had been instrumental in keeping her from completely succumbing to despair yesterday, even if she hadn't realized it at the time. She suspected Ruby's emotional support would be equally important in the days to come. Even though it had only been a few minutes, Weiss was already keenly feeling Ruby's absence. She reached out to touch Ruby's distant aura once more.

Suddenly, Weiss stopped in her tracks.

Blake stopped too. "What is it?" she asked.

"I have an idea," Weiss said. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. If she could feel Ruby's aura so distinctly, maybe she could do the same with the other Maiden's auras as well.

The world seemed to fade away as Weiss tried to locate the Spring Maiden. Her consciousness felt like it was growing, expanding outward from the shell of her body. She could feel Ruby as clear as day, but everything else was an empty void.

Weiss double her effort, pushing herself outward in all directions. Then she felt them. Two far-off points of existence in a sea of nothingness, like lonely stars in the night sky. Weiss knew, she somehow knew, that they were the Spring and Fall Maidens. In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was how Cinder had found them out on the road.

Weiss began to sweat as she pushed herself. She focused intensely on the point that was the Spring Maiden, but it was too far away to tell her anything about where Lily might be.

Weiss let go. She came rushing back into herself. The sudden contraction of her senses made her dizzy, but the sensation quickly passed. She opened her eyes.

"Anything?" Blake asked.

"No," Weiss said. "I'm not sure if—"

Weiss was cut off by Blake's head spinning to the left. Weiss looked just in time to see a black blur vanish around a street corner.

Without a word between them, Weiss and Blake drew their weapons. They moved quickly and quietly down the street, and when they got to the corner, they glanced around it.

Weiss and Blake both saw a beowolf stalking down the deserted road. It had its back to them, and it was alone, which was unusual. Weiss assumed a whole pack of its kind must be lurking somewhere nearby. There had obviously been heavy fighting here. The road was completely torn up, exposing bare dirt, although strangely, most of the buildings were still intact.

Blake whispered, "Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Weiss whispered back.

"I don't know," Blake whispered. "Something just doesn't sound quite right."

Suddenly, the beowolf stopped. It began to sniff the air. Weiss readied herself in case they'd been discovered, but the grimm dropped to all fours and started galloping away from Weiss and Blake. It reached an alleyway and ran into it.

Weiss and Blake glanced at each other. Then they came out from around the corner and silently jogged toward the alley. Fortunately, the large gaps of missing paving stones made it easier to move quietly.

Loud noises arose from the alley. It sounded like someone was fighting the beowolf. Weiss and Blake picked up their pace. They got to the alley just as the noises stopped.

Weiss and Blake peeked into the alley. It was narrow, walled in by the two neighboring buildings. A dead beowolf lay on the ground in the middle of it. A figure was standing behind the creature, obscured by the haze wafting up from its dissolving body.

The figure stepped forward. It was a young woman who Weiss didn't recognize. She was clearly a Mistralian by the look of her, and she had the most remarkable green eyes. The woman looked right where Weiss and Blake were hiding and said, "You can come out now. Don't be afraid. Everything's alright."

Seeing as they'd been found out, Weiss stepped out from around the corner and walked into the alley proper. Blake followed behind her. Myrtenaster was still in Weiss's hand. Despite the woman's friendly demeanor, something was off about her, although Weiss couldn't put her finger on what. She asked, "Who are you?"

The woman smiled and said, "I'm Lily. Lily Vesna."

Meanwhile, several blocks away, Yang and Ruby were walking down the middle of an empty street. Yang was growing increasingly frustrated. They hadn't found anything, human, faunus, grimm, or otherwise. But Yang reined in her impatience. She knew all too well where that could lead. Sometimes she really resented the fact that she was trying to do things the smart way these days.

Ruby and Yang stopped at yet another intersection and looked around. Yang could see for miles in all four directions, and there was simply nothing there.

Ruby said, "I don't get it. You did see someone go down this street, right?"

"Yeah," Yang said. "They couldn't have gotten this far. Either we missed something, or…or maybe they're hiding from us."

Suddenly, a slow, sarcastic clapping echoed from nearby. Yang's arms shot up, her gauntlets already activated. Ruby whipped out Crescent Rose.

Out from the doorway of a building, Mercury, the very same Mercury who had help Cinder bring about the fall of Beacon, walked into the street. He said, "Finally using your head, eh Blondie?"

Yang said, "You! What are you doing here?"

Mercury said, "I just thought I'd visit this quaint little town. Take in the sights. Maybe get some coffee."

Ruby pulled back the hammer on Crescent Rose. "Where's Cinder?" she demanded.

Mercury crossed his arms. "How would I know that?"

"Because you work for her!" Ruby said.

"Well, you got me there," Mercury said with a shrug. "Yeah. I know where she is. But why should I tell you?"

Yang said, "There's no way you can beat us in a fight. Don't make this hard on yourself."

"Somebody sure thinks they're all that," Mercury said. "Maybe I'm not here to fight you. Maybe I'm just here to lure you into a trap."

Yang reflexively dropped back into a defensive stance. She honestly expected some horrible monster to suddenly appear, but nothing happened. She said, "If this is a trap, it's a pretty lame one."

"Oh, did I say trap?" Mercury asked. "Sorry. I meant distraction. It's your friends that are walking into the trap."

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Bingo!" Mercury said. "Congratulations on figuring it out just a little too late."

As if on cue, a brilliant flash of light lit up the sky in the distance. It had come from the other side of town, in the direction that Weiss and Blake had gone.

Mercury grinned. He said, "Looks like the fun's already begun."

---

PART IV

Weiss and Blake hadn't moved from their spot in the alley. Lily was walking up to them. Weiss kept a firm grip on Myrtenaster. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Lily said, "The grimm will be back any minute. We shouldn't stay here."

Weiss glanced at Blake. There was an uneasy expression on Blake's face. It seemed that she sensed trouble too.

Lily looked confused. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

It suddenly dawned on Weiss what was bothering her. Unlike Ruby or Cinder, she couldn't sense Lily's aura at all. It was like Lily wasn't even there. Weiss extended her senses like she'd done earlier, trying to figure out what was going on. She could feel Blake's aura clearly, but she still couldn't feel anything coming from Lily.

Weiss concentrated harder. Suddenly, her eyebrows shot up in alarm when she realized there was indeed another aura nearby besides Blake's. It was coming from directly behind them, and the malice rolling off of it was palpable enough to make Weiss feel nauseous. Weiss spun around, but to her surprise, she didn't see anyone there. The aura hadn't gone away, however. In fact, it was drawing closer.

"Blake! Eyes!" Weiss shouted. She thrust her open palm forward, and a blinding light burst forth from it.

Blake managed to shield her eyes in time. Lily, however, wasn't so fortunate. She yelped in pain. Her cry was echoed by a second voice coming from the exact spot where Weiss sensed the other aura. Lily vanished into thin air, and another person appeared in front of Weiss. Weiss recognized the intruder. It was Emerald, one of Cinder's associates.

Emerald, temporarily blinded by Weiss's light, was clutching her eyes with her hands. Weiss dashed forward and thrust the tip of her sword just underneath Emerald's chin. Emerald stiffened when she felt the edge of Weiss's blade graze her skin. She raised her hands in surrender.

Weiss asked, "What are you doing here?!"

"What do you think?" Emerald responded sarcastically. She slowly pried open her watering eyes.

"Is Cinder here?!" Weiss asked.

"If she was, you'd know," Emerald said. "After your last fight, she's really looking forward to killing you all."

A sneer pressed itself onto Weiss's face. She seriously considered stabbing Emerald right then and there, but Blake's hand fell on her shoulder. Weiss didn't take her eyes off of Emerald, but she made a conscious effort to keep her murderous desires in check.

Blake asked, "Where's Lily?"

A sinister smile crossed Emerald's face. She said, "Now that's a good question. Too bad you're not going to find out."

The ground behind Emerald suddenly erupted in an explosion of dirt and broken paving stones. Weiss leaped back in alarm as a death stalker clawed its way to the surface. It let out a menacing hiss, and its claws snapped with enough force to cleave a person in half. Weiss was utterly shocked. She didn't think the grimm understood things like patience or tactics, but this death stalker had clearly been hiding underground the whole time, waiting for a signal to attack.

Emerald took advantage of Weiss's distraction and jump back behind the grimm. She gave Weiss and Blake a wave goodbye.

Weiss held Myrtenaster at the ready. She was just about to attack the giant creature in front of her when a massive rumbling made the ground beneath her feet tremble. Huge cracks shot up the walls surrounding the alley where she and Blake were standing. The buildings began to break apart, and tons of rubble came crashing down toward them.

Weiss only had an instant to react. She grabbed Blake, pulled her in close, and summoned up her power as the Winter Maiden. A bubble of energy surrounded her and Blake just as the rubble collapsed around them completely.

"Blake! Are you alright?" Weiss asked. Her voice echoed in the claustrophobically tiny space. Fortunately, the bubble protecting her and Blake was also providing them light to see by.

"I'm alive," Blake said. She coughed in the dusty air. Then she asked, "Can you get us out of here?"

Weiss had to think for a moment. She certainly had the ability to clear the debris pressing down on them, but there wasn't a lot of space to work with. Any raw release of her power might have unpleasant consequences for Blake.

"Weiss?" Blake asked.

"Yes. I've got this," Weiss said. She closed her eyes and focused. The top of her protective bubble began to shift until it looked like one of her glyphs was etched on its surface.

Outside of Weiss's and Blake's makeshift tomb, the rubble had finished settling. A silence had fallen over the destroyed alleyway, contrasting sharply with the deafening noise of moments earlier. But then a bright light began to spill out from the gaps in the rubble. A massive, armored fist shot upward from the pile of debris, punching skyward. Bits of the collapsed walls went flying in every direction.

The fist vanished, and Weiss and Blake pulled themselves out of the divot left behind by Weiss's bubble.

Weiss said, "Come on, we've got to—"

An evil-sounding hiss cut Weiss off. Emerald was nowhere to be seen, but her death stalker companion was still there. It loomed menacingly.

Weiss and Blake raised their weapons. Weiss was confident in their ability to dispatch a single death stalker, especially given her new power, but no sooner had she thought that then the ground around them began to tremble again. Two more death stalkers burst out of the dirt. They scurried up the piles of rubble surrounding Weiss and Blake, boxing them in.

Weiss suddenly wasn't so confident. She shouted to Blake, "Quick! Let's—"

Weiss never got to finish. One of the death stalkers' tails came whipping out of nowhere. The barbed end crashed into Weiss. Her aura protected her from the stinger, but the raw force of the blow still sent her arcing high into the air.

"Weiss!" Blake called out as Weiss's trajectory sent her flying out of sight behind some of Oniyuri's intact architecture.

Unfortunately, Blake didn't have time to worry about Weiss for long. None of the death stalkers seemed interested in giving chase when there was prey right there in front of them. Blake found herself alone and surrounded by three alarmingly dangerous grimm. She drew Gambol Shroud's sharpened sheath from her back as the death stalkers closed in.

A few minutes earlier and several blocks away, Yang and Ruby were caught in an intense standoff with Mercury. Yang's unwavering gaze was locked onto her opponent, but Ruby's head kept swinging back and forth between Mercury and where that flash of light had come from. Mercury, for his part, seemed nonchalant about the whole situation to the point of boredom.

"Well?" Mercury asked Ruby, crossing his arms. "Aren't you going to go save her?"

Yang said, "Nice try. But Weiss is strong. She doesn't need our help."

"Oh yeah?" Mercury asked. "I bet that's what you thought about her sister too."

A frown crossed Yang's face. At the same time a rumbling sounded in the distance. It was followed by a cloud of dust rising up into the air from the exact same spot that the light had come from.

"Yang?" Ruby said, shifting uneasily on her feet. "Weiss is really in danger. I don't know how, but I can feel it."

Yang's eyes narrowed, although they never left Mercury. Lately, she'd grown to mistrust her gut reaction, but this time, she decided it wasn't leading her astray. "Go," she said to Ruby. "I got this."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," Yang said. "I can handle this loser."

"Just be careful," Ruby said.

"I will. Trust me," Yang said.

Yang felt a gust of air ruffle her hair as Ruby sped away. A cloud of rose peddles scattered across the street.

"Alone at last," Mercury said sarcastically. He uncrossed his arms, and his hands came up in his typical, lazy combat stance. It gave the impression that he wasn't all that great of a fighter, but Yang knew better.

"So where are your friends?" Yang asked. She started taking cautious steps toward Mercury, never letting her guard down.

"What friends?" Mercury asked. He started walking toward Yang as well.

"That green-haired girl. Cinder. The grimm," Yang listed off.

"I wouldn't really call any of them friends," Mercury said with a chuckle. "I guess we did have this big, complicated ambush planned, but it just seemed like so much work."

"You should've stuck with it," Yang said, only a dozen feet from Mercury now. "I beat you last time, remember?"

"You were supposed to, Blondie," Mercury said. "That's what Cinder wanted. Or did you think I was really trying? Trust me, you've never seen me fight seriously."

"Neither have you," Yang said.

Yang and mercury stopped. They were scant inches from each other now. The wind picked up, and a few of Ruby's rose petals tumbled across the ground between them.

An instant later, Yang and Mercury exploded into a flurry of punches and kicks. A cacophony of blasts from Ember Celica and Mercury's boots split the air. Fists and feet flew as the two combatants did their best to beat the other into a bloody pulp. But despite the frenzied speed of their battle, neither one of them moved an inch. They had both claimed their turf, and they weren't about to give up a scrap of it.

Yang kept piling the punches onto Mercury, but no matter how hard she tried, the two of them seemed to be locked into a stalemate. Mercury hadn't been lying about not trying his best at the Vytal Festival, but neither had she. Back then she'd been a kid just having fun. This fight was for real, and Yang fully understood now what that meant.

Suddenly, Mercury's foot managed to slip past Yang's arm. It came up and connected hard with her jaw. She wobbled off-balance. Then Mercury spun around and launched another kick into her chest.

Yang went skidding backward a good few yards, but she managed to stay on her feet. Her hand came up and rubbed her jaw where she'd been kicked.

"Hmph," Mercury said. "I thought you'd be a little better than that. But hey, I guess you're a bit shorthanded this time."

If Mercury had meant to arouse Yang's wrath, he'd succeeded, but he'd also failed to provoke a reaction. Yang stood their calmly. She let her anger feed into her semblance where it would do the most good. Mercury's powerful kick had already built up her semblance's energy to the point that it was clamoring to be released, but Yang held it back. She wanted to experience the satisfaction of hitting Mercury in a way he'd never see coming.

With lilac eyes, Yang cracked her knuckles. "Oh, don't worry," she said. "I'm just getting started."

"We'll see," Mercury said. He suddenly lifted his left leg and began firing Dust-enhanced ammunition from his boots.

Yang charged forward as Mercury's shots whizzed past her, leaving white-hot trails of flame in the air. A plan formed in Yang's head as she weaved and dodged. Just as she closed the distance, Mercury cocked his leg back and got ready to fire off a shot at point-blank range. It was exactly the opportunity Yang was looking for.

Just as Mercury kicked, Yang threw her fist forward. It collided with the gun barrel in Mercury's boot. The power of Yang's punch, coupled with a blast from Ember Celica, made Mercury's shot explode backward toward him. Yang took great pleasure in seeing the shocked expression on his face just seconds before he was blown back by a fireball of his own making.

When the smoke cleared, Mercury was lying sprawled out on the ground several feet away, but he quickly sprung back up. He laughed and said, "Not bad, Blondie."

Yang raised her fists again, but then something caught her eye. Mercury's left pants leg had been partially burned away, and underneath the singed fabric was a prosthetic leg. Yang froze as she gawked in horror.

Mercury looked confused. He glanced down for just a moment, and then a positively evil smile crossed his face. "Yeah, take a good look at your handiwork," he said. "You busted my leg so bad that the doc had to saw it off."

Mercury dropped his guard and started casually strolling toward Yang. Yang wanted to back away, but she was rooted to the spot. Mercury said, "I guess we're not so different after all, eh? Oh wait. Yes we are. I'm not the one who goes around punching off people's limbs. And they call me evil."

Mercury was getting dangerously close to Yang now, but she still didn't make a move to defend herself. As he continued to close in, Mercury said, "Kind of makes me think you deserved what happened to you."

Suddenly, Mercury lashed out with a lightning-fast kick. However, despite her outward appearance, Yang was ready for him. She spun out of the way and caught Mercury's leg in her hand. Her other hand flowed with her momentum and formed into a fist. Yang gathered up all of her semblance's pent-up energy and threw every last drop of it into a single punch.

Yang's fist smashed into Mercury's artificial shin with unimaginable force. It pierced Mercury's aura and plowed through his prosthetic. Shards of metal, ceramic, and plastic went spraying into the air as the leg snapped in two. Mercury fell to the ground with a shriek.

"Argh!" Mercury cried out as he clutched his shattered leg. "You—! How could you!"

"Easy," Yang said. "One, you work for Cinder. And two, that's the wrong leg."

"What?!" Mercury asked.

"I broke your right leg," Yang said. "That's your left."

Realization flashed across Mercury's face, but it was quickly replaced by abject rage. Any hint of his aloof attitude was gone. He scrambled up onto his good leg and started hopping toward Yang. "I'm going to kill you, Blondie! I'm—!"

Mercury was silenced by Yang's fist colliding with his face. He spun around once and then collapsed.

"Don't call me 'Blondie'," Yang said, "Call me 'Sir'."

Suddenly, a distant noise drew Yang's attention. She looked and saw another flash of light blooming on the far side of town.

Yang turned back to the stunned Mercury. She knelt next to him and slid up his right pants leg. Like she'd suspected, his other leg was artificial as well. Yang fumbled around with the prosthetic until she found what she was looking for. She gave it a twist and pulled it out of its socket.

"Urgh…" Mercury groaned. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you with me," Yang said. She hauled Mercury up and threw him over her shoulder. Then she began marching in the direction the light had come from.

Unbeknownst to Yang, not far away from her intended destination, Weiss was surrounded by a whole clutter of death stalkers. The scorpion-like grimm weren't known for traveling in groups, but apparently no one had told them that. It was just one more piece of evidence to suggest that someone was controlling them.

A claw snapped at Weiss from behind, but she sensed it coming. She twisted to the side and struck back with her sword, activating the red Dust loaded in its chamber. A veritable inferno leaped off of Myrtenaster as Weiss used her power to enhance the Dust's effect, and the death stalker was blown away in a fiery blast.

More grimm closed in, but the pattern continued. As they tried to attack, glaciers of ice, hurricanes of wind, and torrents of lightning struck them dead. Weiss would never wonder why someone would covet the power of a Maiden ever again. A single one of these creatures was the equal of two or three huntresses, but here she was, dispatching them with relative ease.

However, despite her power, Weiss knew she was still in danger. For every death stalker she struck down, another took its place. Their numbers seemed endless. If this kept up, she would quickly burn through Myrtenaster's entire reserve of Dust.

Yet another death stalker lunged for Weiss. She lifted her sword, but suddenly, there was a streak of silver light. The death stalker let out a roar as its tail was cleanly severed from its body. There was another streak, and Ruby appeared out of thin air. She buried Crescent Rose deep into the grimm's skull.

Ruby pulled her scythe free. As the death stalker fell dead to the ground, she exclaimed, "Weiss! Are you alright!?"

"Ruby!" Weiss said. But before she could say more, she and Ruby were forced to leap out of the way as another death stalker's tail crashed down where they'd been standing.

"We need to defeat these creatures quickly!" Weiss said.

"Then follow my lead!" Ruby said. She sped off in a blur.

Weiss understood what Ruby was telling her to do. She thrust her finger downward, and a yellow glyph appeared underneath her feet. She gasped as the time dilation effect took hold of her. It was stronger than she'd been expecting. She hadn't anticipated how her new power might affect this particular glyph.

Weiss disappeared in the blink of an eye. For just a moment, the death stalkers were alone. But then two streaks, one white and one red, weaved their way through the grimm. The creatures were suddenly being violently cut down with amazing speed.

The world around Weiss had faded into a haze as she continued to slash at any death stalker-shaped blobs that she came across. She was moving faster than she ever had before. The only thing she could see clearly was Ruby, but despite the surreality of the experience, she kept her focus. It was remarkably easy to do with Ruby there by her side. This frozen piece of time was a refuge for Weiss. For just a literal moment, she and Ruby were alone together in beautiful solitude.

Within seconds, all the death stalkers were dead. Ruby and Weiss reappeared in the center of the vanishing corpses. Seeing the powerful grimm defeated so easily gave Weiss hope. She dared to believe again that they really could stop Cinder.

Suddenly, Weiss remembered why she'd been in such a hurry to dispatch the death stalkers. "Blake!" she shouted.

"What about Blake?" Ruby asked. "Is she okay?!"

"I don't know!" Weiss said. "She and I got separated! We have to find her!"

"Right!" Ruby said. "Let's hurry then!"

Not so far way, Blake was skulking through the interior of an abandoned building. Escaping all the death stalkers that had cornered her had been difficult, but she'd managed, thanks mostly to her semblance. However, she wasn't in the clear yet. Something else was hunting her now, and this predator couldn't be evaded so easily.

The building Blake was in had been some sort of fashion boutique before its proprietors had been forced to leave. The space wasn't large, but between all the shelving and the racks loaded with trendy clothing, there were plenty of places to hide. The lights were off as there was no power anywhere in town, but that didn't bother Blake's faunus eyes.

Blake cautiously took a few steps forward, Gamble Shroud in hand, when suddenly a hooked blade on the end of a chain shot out from behind a display of mannequins. It wrapped around Blake, but Blake simply vanished. The chain clattered noisily to the floor.

The real Blake, concealed by a rack of dresses, fired off three quick shots in the direction that the chain had come from. She heard some muffled swearing. The chain and blade quickly retracted, and then Blake heard hasty footsteps as the unseen Emerald relocated.

Blake slipped out from her hiding place. It wouldn't be too hard for Emerald to figure out the general direction she'd been shooting from. She needed to find a new hiding spot as well.

Blake and Emerald had been stalking each other like this ever since Blake had set foot inside the boutique. As much as Blake resented using the phrase, it was apt to say that they were playing a game of cat and mouse. Although who was the cat and who was the mouse changed by the minute.

Blake strained her ears, but she'd lost track of Emerald. She couldn't hear any footsteps or sounds of weapons being handled or anything. Blake thought about taking off her bow so she could listen better, but she knew she couldn't afford to let her guard down for even a second.

A troubling realization came to Blake as she slunk forward. It wasn't just quiet, it was perfectly quiet. She should have been able to hear at least something. The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end, but their warning came too late. Out of nowhere, a heeled shoe collided with Blake's head. She went tumbling sideways, but she rolled with the blow and popped back up onto her feet.

Blake turned to face her attacker. Unfortunately, she saw not one but three Emeralds closing in on her, all of them with twin sickles at the ready. Blake raised Gambol Shroud's pistol. She only had seconds to act, so she picked a target and pulled the trigger.

Blake's shot went wide and missed all three of the Emeralds, but it struck something else, something that had been invisible.

"Ow!" a voice called out. The Emeralds charging for Blake disappeared, and a fourth, very surprised looking Emerald appeared exactly where Blake had been aiming. She glared at Blake. "How!?"

The only answer Blake gave Emerald was more shots from her pistol. She wasn't inclined to explain to Emerald that her illusions had been too quiet. They'd all sounded like how Blake imagined a human would hear them. And Blake's sensitive cat ears had picked up a far louder sound, the real Emerald breathing.

Emerald deflected Blake's bullets with her sickles. Then she rushed forward. She was obviously done being subtle. Blake hastily unfolded Gambol Shroud's blade and drew its sheath from her back. She raised them to block just in time as Emerald slashed at her.

Even without the advantage of her illusions, Emerald was a phenomenal fighter. Sparks lit up the darkened space as metal clashed on metal. Blake quickly found herself on the defensive. She wasn't sure if she could beat Emerald in a fair fight. It was a good thing that she had no intention of fighting fairly.

Emerald's foot came rushing toward Blake's gut. Thinking strategically, Blake deliberately took the hit. She when flying backward, letting out a gasp. Even having been prepared for it, the kick had been harder than she'd anticipated.

Blake slammed into a wall and fell to her hands and knees. She shook her head clear and jumped back to her feet. Emerald was already running for her, but it didn't matter. The kick had put Blake right next to the back stairwell, just like she'd wanted. Rather than standing her ground, she turned and ran up toward the second floor.

Blake's boots thudded on the steps as she sprinted past the landing and continued on up. She could hear Emerald hot on her heels. The door to the roof loomed before Blake. She didn't know if it was locked or not, so she slammed her shoulder into it with all of her might.

The door was blown off its hinges, and splintered bits of wood went flying into the air. Blake tore through the empty doorframe and out onto the flat rooftop. She ran to the edge of the building, but then she skidded to a halt. She'd been planning on jumping to the next rooftop, but the neighboring building was nothing more than a collapsed pile of jagged brick and broken timber. There was nothing to jump to.

The sounds of hammers cocking made Blake spin around. Emerald was standing there. Her sickles were both folded back into their pistol configuration, and they were both pointed straight at Blake. "Got you," Emerald said.

Underneath her bow, Blake's ears twitched. A smile crossed her face.

Emerald's eyes narrowed. "What?" she asked. "You really think you can beat me?"

"Maybe," Blake said. "But we're not going to find out."

Suddenly, a bird dove out of the sky toward Emerald. Just before it collided with her, it transformed into Qrow. His fist, backed up by the speed he'd built up in free fall, smashed directly into Emerald's jaw.

Blake saw Emerald's aura flare up against the impact seconds before her head was slammed into the rooftop hard enough to leave a shallow crater in the cement.

Qrow rolled as his momentum carried him forward. He came to a stop on his feet. He shook out his hand. Punching Emerald like that had no doubt hurt. "Hope you don't mind the help," he said. "It looked like you needed it."

"I was counting on it," Blake said. She walked up to where Emerald was crumpled up on the ground. One of Emerald's hands was blindly fumbling for her pistol, but Blake kicked it and its twin away.

Blake asked Qrow, "Where's everyone else?"

"All over the place," Qrow said.

"Then let's go find them," Blake said.

Weiss was running down the street near where she'd last seen Blake. The piles of paving stones and mounds of dirt left behind from where all the death stalkers had burrowed out of the ground were hampering her progress, but she persisted.

She stopped on the one flat bit of ground that apparently hadn't concealed a waiting death stalker and looked around. "Blake?!" she shouted. "Blake, where are you?!"

Ruby zipped up. "I can find her anywhere!" she said.

"She couldn't have gotten too far," Weiss said.

Blake's voice suddenly sounded from above. "I'm up here."

Weiss looked up in time to see Blake jump down from a rooftop overhead. She landed in front of Weiss holding an unconscious person in her arms. Qrow landed right behind her.

Ruby said, "Blake! Uncle Qrow! You're alright!"

Qrow said, "Of course we are. Nice job with those death stalkers, by the way."

"You were watching?" Ruby asked.

"I had to make sure you weren't in trouble, didn't I?" Qrow asked.

"Thanks, Uncle Qrow," Ruby said.

Blake dropped whoever she was holding in her arms and let them fall to the ground.

"Emerald…" Ruby said, identifying the woman lying at her feet.

Weiss said, "You don't sound surprised."

"Me and Yang ran into Mercury earlier," Ruby said.

"Then we should find Yang as well," Weiss said. "We need to make sure she's okay."

"I'm fine," Yang's voice called out.

Weiss turned and saw Yang walking up with Mercury slung over her shoulder. Weiss was horrified at first when she saw that both of Mercury's legs ended at the knee, but then she noticed metal ports, like the ones Yang's prosthetic plugged into, sticking out from his torn pants. That certainly answered a few questions Weiss had about him.

When Yang reached the group, she flung Mercury to the ground. He hit the dirt hard and let out a pained groan.

"Well, well, well," Qrow said. "Look at this. Both of Cinder's favorite lackeys."

Ruby asked, "What do we do with them?"

Qrow said, "We get them to tell us what they know about Cinder's plans."

A quiet chuckling came from the ground. Everyone looked down. Emerald was awake and had propped herself up on her hands. "You really can't figure it out? It's not that complicated. She's going to kill all the Maidens. Including you," she said, pointing to Weiss. Then she pointed at Ruby. "And especially you."

Weiss's fist clenched together. It was one thing for Emerald to threaten her, but it was quite another for her to threaten Ruby. A black glyph appeared, encircling Emerald's waist, and it lifted her up into the air.

Emerald let out a cry of alarm. She tried to free herself, but the glyph was pinning her arms to her sides and her legs were dangling uselessly in the air.

"Neat trick," Qrow said to Weiss. Then he turned to Emerald. "Let's keep this simple. Where's the Spring Maiden?"

"You think I know?" Emerald asked.

"Oh you know," Qrow said. "Cause Cinder knows."

"Even if I did, I'm not going to tell you anything!" Emerald said.

Weiss's fist tightened, and her glyph likewise squeezed harder against Emerald. "I suggest you answer the question," she said.

Emerald grimaced in pain, but she said, "Forget it!"

Weiss scowled. Deep inside of her a seething rage began rising up. She clenched her fist even tighter. Emerald's face contorted as the unyielding glyph pressed in on her. She let out a gurgling sound as the air was forced from her lungs.

Weiss watched with perverse satisfaction as Emerald thrashed helplessly. She very calmly said, "Where. Is. The Spring. Maiden?"

"It's…it's…too…late…" Emerald struggled to say.

That was not the answer Weiss wanted to hear. She felt her control slipping away. She knew it would only take a little more pressure to snap Emerald in half like a twig.

"Weiss! Stop!" Ruby called out. She put her hand over Weiss's fist.

Weiss glanced at Ruby. The fear in Ruby's eyes made her realize what she was about to do. She reluctantly loosened the glyph holding Emerald in place, just a little.

Emerald sucked in a gasping breath of air, and she slumped over as much as Weiss's glyph would allow. Ruby walked up to her and asked, "Where's Lily? Please tell us."

"I already told you. It's too late," Emerald said. "Like the drunk said, Cinder knows where she is."

Qrow let out a growling sound. "Then tell us where Cinder is!" he demanded.

"Why do you even care?" Emerald asked. "You can't stop her! No one can."

"If that's the case, what does it matter if you tell us where she is or not?" Qrow asked. "Or maybe you're worried that we can stop her."

Mercury's laughter drew everyone's attention to where he was lying on the ground. He said, "He's got a point, Emerald. If they want to go get themselves kill, why shouldn't we let them?"

Emerald frowned, but she said, "Fine! You want to die that badly? Cinder's—"

Before Emerald could get another word out, a fissure opened up in the ground behind her, and a death stalker's tail flew out of it. It lodged itself deep into her chest, punching clean through. Weiss's concentration broke from shock, and her glyph vanished. Everyone watched in horror as Emerald's lifeless body collapsed into a heap on the ground.

Mercury shouted, "Emerald? Emerald!"

The death stalker pulled the rest of its body out from its hiding place, sending up a plume of loose dirt. The grimm immediately skittered straight for the helpless Mercury, and its stinger plunged for his chest.

Yang threw herself in the way of the death stalker. She caught the tip of the creature's tail and held on tight. "Weiss! Ruby!" she shouted.

Weiss and Ruby reacted instantly. Their weapons came out, and they flew past the death stalker, cutting huge gashes in its sides. The beast tried to rear back in pain, but Yang held it in place. With no way for it to escape, one more pass by Weiss and Ruby finished it off for good.

Yang flung the now limp tail aside. She turned to Mercury with the intention of saying something, but she stopped when she saw him laughing like a madman. "I can't believe it!" he said. "She really did it! Just like she said she would!"

Weiss walked up and stood over Mercury. "Cinder obviously doesn't care about you! Tell us where she is! Now!"

"You think that was Cinder's doing?" Mercury asked.

Weiss was taken aback. "Isn't she controlling the grimm?" she asked.

"She wishes," Mercury said. "And even if she was, do you really think she's the one in charge here?"

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. The idea that Cinder was taking orders from someone was unsettling to say the least.

Qrow muttered, "Salem."

Blake asked, "Who's Salem?"

"Someone we can't deal with right now," Qrow said. "Trust me. Cinder comes first."

Mercury said, "Go ahead then. Give it a try. Cinder's in Kuroyuri. But it's really too late."

Ruby asked, "Why's that?"

"Because the Spring Maiden's in Kuroyuri too. That's why me and Emerald were here, to distract would-be heroes like you."

"Oh-no!" Ruby exclaimed. "Uncle Qrow! How do we get to Kuroyuri?!"

"You just take the road east out of town," Qrow said. "But it's a day's journey at the least."

Mercury laughed again. "The Spring Maiden's going to die," he said. "And you know what that means."

A deadly serious look crossed Ruby's face. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Weiss could already see in Ruby's eyes what she was planning on doing. "Ruby! No! Don't—!"

It was too late. A silver glow enveloped Ruby, and she simply vanished.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted. "Ruby!"

---

Ruby ran. She ran faster than she ever had and farther than she ever had. Energy poured into her semblance, pushing the boundaries of what was possible. Her power as a Maiden resonated inside of her. She could feel it clearly now, like it was something she could literally touch.

Ruby had no idea where she was or how long she'd been running. It could've been minutes or it could've been hours. The terrain around her was an indistinct smear of colors. She may have been able to move at incredible speeds, but she couldn't make herself think any faster. It had always been a limitation of her semblance, but she'd learned to deal with it. Right now she didn't need her eyes to figure out where she was going anyway. She knew all too well what Cinder's aura felt like, and now that her power was fully awakened, homing in on it was easy.

Something slapped Ruby hard across her face. It might have been a leaf or a low-hanging tree branch or something equally flimsy, but moving as fast as she was, it felt like a boulder had hit her. She stumbled and almost lost her balance, but she quickly recovered. She kept pushing herself forward. The Spring Maiden was still alive. Ruby could feel it. She had to reach her.

Visions of flames from Winter's funeral pyre flitting across Weiss's face seeped into Ruby's mind. She wouldn't let something like that happen to anyone else. She wouldn't let Lily's loved ones, whoever they might be, go through what Weiss was going through. She'd failed to save Penny and Pyrrha and Winter. She wasn't about to fail again.

The color of the world around Ruby shifted. There were more grays and blacks now. Ruby wondered if she'd made it to Kuroyuri. She had no idea, and she wasn't about to stop and check. All she knew was that she was rapidly closing in on Cinder.

Cinder's aura drew dangerously close, and Ruby slid to a halt. The world snapped back into focus. Cinder was standing there, not ten feet away, but a tortured scream made Ruby's heart stop.

A young woman was down on her knees in front of Cinder. There was a grimm-like creature latched onto her face, trailing a thin fiber that was attached to a glove on Cinder's hand. Ruby saw the abject fear in the woman's green eyes just before they closed for good.

Cinder clenched her fist as the woman slumped to the ground. Her glove disintegrated in a manner not unlike a grimm's body did when it died. A glow surrounded Cinder as her aura ignited. She turned toward Ruby and smiled in a way that caused Ruby's blood to run cold.

"Hello, Ruby Rose," Cinder said. "You're just in time."

---

Author's Note: Hey, what do you know! I got this chapter out before Yang had her reunion with Raven in canon. I was really, really hoping to. It'll be interesting to see how my version compares to Volume 5's version. I assume they'll be nothing alike.

For the sake of posterity, I should note that I'm completely making up my own ideas about how Raven's Tribe operates. I barely know anything about it from the actual show yet, but that does leave me free to tailor it to my needs.

I initially envisioned the Spring Maiden having a bigger role in this story, but that was back when I thought she was going to be introduced in Volume 4. She was always going to die though. So in a way, I'm glad I didn't have to use the canon version.

I suspect those of you who've read my story A Summer Vacation in Menagerie are wondering if it takes place in the same continuity as this story. The short answer is no. I guess if you squint a bit, the two stories aren't necessarily incompatible, but I never intended for them to fit together.

And now for a bit of English trivia. According to the Internet, the proper collective noun for a group of scorpions (i.e. death stalkers) is "bed" or "nest". I didn't really like how that read, so I used "clutter", the collective noun for spiders. Another fun fact. The collective noun for ravens is "unkindness". Hmm. Appropriate. =D

Well that's all for me until I get the next chapter done. Just as a reminder, I'm live blogging Volume 5 over on tumblr (electronicyarn). If you're interested in my biased opinions, that's where you can find them.

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.