Chapter 3

~2 years ago~

"Blake, trust me a little. You can do that, right?"

.

..

...

Yang watched Blake and Ruby leave as Weiss closed in on her. In sight, Yang shot at her.

Of course, Weiss dodged and rolled off to the wall. Yang went up to her and lifted her by the collar of her shirt. "What are you doing hunting my sister?!"

"Yang, I don't have time for this! I need to go after her!" Weiss grunted, pulling on Yang's arms.

"No way, Weiss. I'm stopping you here." Yang tossed Weiss back against the wall and pointed her shotgun at her.

"Fine. Go ahead and kill me. She's just going to have another assassin on her. They won't stop till Ruby's dead. And how you just entrusted Ruby to Blake, I'm afraid your girls are dead if you pull that trigger" Weiss explained.

Yang rose her arms up, almost prepared to shoot "But if I let you go, you're going to kill Ruby. Your best friend!"

Weiss clutched a fist "That's the last thing I want! I'm going to save her!"

"By becoming her killer?"

"By becoming the only assassin after her!"

Yang went silent. She stared at her as Weiss glared. Weiss took a deep breath, never removing eye contact.

"You don't have to believe me, Yang. But I'm your best bet at protecting those two." Weiss spoke as Yang only looked on "And if you're smart, you'd know it's true."

Yang's eyes widened and a shotgun shot was heard throughout the manor, resonating to the sky.

.

..

...

Sapphire blue eyes opened slowly. Over Weiss was Yang, her gun pointed away from her. A new bullet hole was made on the wall, located on the right of Weiss' head. Yang finally lowered her shotgun.

"Weiss…" Weiss looked at Yang "Don't you dare insult me again."

Yang put the shot gun over her shoulder and helped Weiss up.

"Sorry."

"Miss Weiss!" Weiss and Yang heard the voices of other Schnee Goons. "Are you alright, Miss Weiss!"

"Yang, go…" Weiss ordered.

"But Weiss-"

"No buts! Meet me at the Lotus Café tomorrow morning! Go!" Weiss looked towards the group of goons heading her way. "I'm going to join in the shooting since they saw you. I can't have them knowing about me, Yang."

"You better not aim for my head, Weiss" Yang said as she ran off. Just as Weiss predicted, the goons started shooting at Yang. Weiss started shooting, but not at Yang. She shot down bullets that would wound or kill Yang. She wasn't a top-notch assassin for nothing. Because of it, Yang was able to get away with a few scrapes.

.

..

...

The next morning, Weiss waited for Yang at the Lotus Café in disguise. It was a couple hours before noon. Weiss sighed as someone sat in the chair across from her.

"You're late, Yang."

"Sorry, Princess. Had a few things to take care off." Yang responded. Nora Valkyrie, age seventeen at the time, came to the table with a menu for Yang. "Oh Dragon Snapper Tea and Poached Egg, please, Nora."

"You aren't with Blake today? You two always come here together. Did something happen?" Nora asked.

Yang rested her head on her palm "Something came up. I'm here on official business."

"Alright, just introduce me to your friend later, kay?" Nora left to drop off Yang's order to the chef, Lie Ren who was also seventeen.

"Those two haven't changed. Are they still together?" Weiss asked as Nora and Ren talked to each other.

"Ever since elementary school. You had just transferred out when they started going out." Yang informed. Weiss took a drink from her tea. "I'm not surprised Nora didn't recognize you though."

"I'm not. I just met them through Ruby. I transferred out before I got to know them" Weiss set her tea down and leaned towards Yang. "But enough of that. Yang, I need your help."

"What is it?"

"The Schnees are taking over your estate and planning to hunt Ruby. I'm going to be the new princess of this country…"

"Weiss…" Yang groaned

"…after Ruby's dead" Weiss finished "and I'm leading the hunt."

Yang laid her head on her palm. "Is there a reason I'm not shooting you right now instead of having brunch? My girls are waiting for me, you know."

"Yang, I'm trying to explain to you that I don't want Ruby dead."

"You have some way of doing it."

Weiss sighed and sat back "I want you to help me take down my father and get rid of the Schnee Clan for good. They're power hungry."

"You want to kill off your family?"

"If it's unavoidable. But I care more about Ruby's safety rather than my power hungry father."

Nora came back to deliver Yang's food "Thanks Nora." Nora nodded and left again to take other customer's orders. Weiss looked around the restaurant. The happy faces everyone has, the peaceful setting and aura of the environment. Little did she know that Yang was watching and thinking a similar thing "Weiss, we should protect this place."

"The restaurant?"

"Not just the restaurant. The whole country. If your father is going to do like you say he will, then this place is going to need to be protected. What better people to protect it than you and me." Yang finished her poached egg. She took a sip from her tea.

"If you haven't noticed Yang, but I'm their daughter. How am I going to protect them while keeping my father's trust?"

"I'll lead everything. You just have to check in with me every so often, and I'll intercept the Schnees. It can work, Weiss. Trust me." Yang crossed her arms. She then glared at Weiss "I only hope you are telling the truth and you really do want to protect Ruby."

Weiss looked at Yang's angry-yet-attractive lilac eyes. She sighed "Fine. I'll go with your plan. I'm sure I can lead the Schnees off my trail." Weiss turned away and headed towards the door.

"Hey! Aren't you going to pay for your meal?" Nora called out to Weiss.

"Yang'll cover me." Weiss left the café.

"What?!" Yang jumped out of her seat. She sighed and smiled. She hasn't changed. The little thief.

.

..

...

~Present day~

"I used to do everything on my own. After people found hope in this fallen country, they joined me and we called ourselves ReBEElion. No other member besides Weiss knows how I look like. I wear that lion mask to hide from Blake. Weiss made it with the voice modulator in it." Yang explained, sitting next to Ruby in the abandoned factory. Weiss had the front slightly cracked as a lookout.

"So, in other words, you didn't even think of looking for us. When Weiss came to the front door of the safe house, Blake and I booked out of there and we've been on the move for years." Ruby was depressed. Yang and Weiss looked at Ruby, worried.

"I was looking for you with Weiss, Ruby. But after ReBEElion grew to what it is today, I got too busy for to search for you. I've sent worker bees out to find you constantly. I'm rarely able to get out of base now." Yang told her the truth. The lion mask started to beep and Yang sighed. "I'm sorry Ruby. I have to take that." Yang wore the mask and walked away. "Talk to me."

Ruby looked at Yang, who was busy talking to someone with the voice modulator.

"She's really trying to protect you and Blake." Weiss said, not looking away from outside the door. Ruby turned her attention to Weiss. "She never stopped looking for you after I told her you two weren't at the safe house."

Ruby looked back at Yang, who finished up her call. Yang walked over to Ruby and Weiss. She spoke in the voice modulator "Weiss, you need to return to your father tonight. Tax collections are tomorrow for this area. I need to organize the attack. Ruby, you and Blake need to leave town as soon as possible. Return to Rose City with her." Yang got ready to leave.

"But Yang-" Ruby stood up.

"I'll take you back to Blake and give her these orders. You can't tell her who I am Ruby. I don't want her involved. Not then, not now."

"Yang, Blake's a lot stronger now. She's doing well protecting me."

"Ruby. Blake's not getting involved. End of discussion." Yang walked to the door. "Weiss, I'm calling Sun to lead me to Blake. When we're out of sight, head back to your father."

Weiss nodded and went to go hide.

"Yang, Blake really misses you. She worries about you, having nightmares of you being dead. You need to talk to her, as you. Not as the Queen." Ruby said. Yang didn't say anything. She waited for Sun, as planned. "Yang! Listen to me!"

"She's going to die if she's involved with us any further." Yang growled. She clutched a fist "I don't care if I lose a couple guys in this war… but if I lose Blake, I'm not even sure I'll handle it. I can't lose her. Not to the Schnees. Not even to the Roses." Ruby was worried about Yang. Yang saw Sun running towards the building. Blake was with him, angry. Yang lost her composer. "Bla-" Yang froze in sight of her.

Ruby looked outside and smiled happily "Blake!"

"Ruby?" Blake smiled as she ran faster. Ruby ran towards her, alone. When she got there, Blake hit Ruby. "Ruby, you are in big trouble! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"

"Sorry…" Ruby apologized. She looked back in the building, where Yang didn't move at all.

"Ruby, is the Queen still in there?" Sun asked

Ruby looked at Sun and nodded "She's in there." Sun headed for the building.

"Queen? You mean the leader of ReBEElion?" Blake asked "You met her?"

"Um, yeah. She told me to come here alone. Sorry, Blake" Ruby kept up her lies to protect Blake.

"I'll go talk to her." Blake went towards the building till Ruby grabbed onto her. "Ruby?"

"Blake, let's head back to Rose City. I really miss home."

"Ruby, you know why we can't-"

"For a couple nights. Tax collection in this area starts tomorrow, so the Schnees are going to be here. We should stay in Rose City, at least till he goes back to Rose Manor."

Blake looked at the building and sighed "I guess we could stay there a couple days." Blake agreed. Ruby and Blake left the scene as Yang ran out. She stopped and let the two leave.

"Queen?" Sun asked.

Yang didn't respond quickly. She didn't turn to Sun "Sun, get the troops ready, we're hitting the tax collectors soon."

"Sir!" Sun left in a direction opposite of Blake and Ruby. As soon as Sun was out of sight, Yang dropped to her knees. Weiss walked out to her and rubbed her back.

"Yang?"

"I'm fine Weiss." Yang shouted.

Weiss kept quiet. She walked forward, not looking at Yang "I'll head back to my father Yang. You take your time."

Weiss knew what Yang was feeling. When Weiss found Ruby, there was no doubt Weiss was just as composed as she was. Weiss remembered finding a tree after leaving Ruby. She sat there and cried.

Yang did the same thing in front of the building. She was so close, within arms reach. Yang had her mask off and had her head in her arms. She was balled up against the building. "I'm here, Blake. I'm here…"