Author's Note: So it turns out that Raven's semblance doesn't quite work the way I thought it did. She can't just make portals to wherever she pleases. Oh well. Add that onto the list of ways this story differs from canon.

Chapter 4: The Waning Days of Summer

PART I

Kuroyuri had been a thriving town once, but no more. Years of neglect hung heavily on its decaying structures, and its former residents were long gone. Only two souls were left alive in the abandoned settlement, standing among the ruins of the town square.

Cinder was silently gloating over Lily's lifeless body. Ruby was absolutely aghast. The specters of Pyrrha and Winter flitted into her mind. She could almost feel the wind at the top of Beacon's tower that had carried away Pyrrha's ashes and almost see the flames that had swallowed up Winter. Ruby truly understood now. Cinder was a monster, worse than any grimm. It was time for Ruby to prove that she really was a huntress and save the world from Cinder once and for all.

Determination filled Ruby. She felt the Summer Maiden's power flowing through her, fueled by her horror over what Cinder had done. But this time, Ruby didn't let it just explode outward. She drew Crescent Rose and very deliberately channeled her power into it. A thin sheen of silver light formed along the blade, and the gun barrel began to glow. This time, Ruby was in control.

Cinder gave Ruby a sinister smile. "You really think you're strong enough to fight destiny?" she asked.

Ruby didn't answer, and an instant later, she simply wasn't there anymore. Rose petals scattered across the aged paving stones of the square where she'd been standing as she ran for Cinder at top speed.

Ruby was keenly aware of what had happened the last time she'd tried to use her semblance against Cinder. So she circled around and sprinted at Cinder from behind, hoping to catch her off guard. Unfortunately, just as Ruby lifted Crescent Rose, something collided with her stomach. Her body jerked to a jarring halt, and her head snapped forward. Her feet left the ground, and she went flying backward through the air.

Ruby tumbled helplessly across the square. She came to a stop, wheezing in pain. She hadn't even seen what had hit her, and given how fast she'd been moving, that was more than a little worrying.

Ruby jumped back to her feet. Cinder wasn't even facing Ruby, but her leg was hanging in the air, still extended in a kick. She wanted Ruby to know without any doubt exactly what had just happened.

Cinder gently lowered her foot back to the ground. Then she turned to face Ruby with a smug grin, mocking her.

Ruby tightened her grip on Crescent Rose. Cinder's unnerving ability to hit her when she was running super-fast wasn't a fluke like she'd hoped. That was going to make things difficult, Ruby Knew, but she wouldn't give up. She took off running again. A new plan was already forming in her head. Even if Cinder could keep track of her, she still couldn't move as fast as her. She only needed to fake Cinder out once to land a good hit on her.

Unfortunately for Ruby, she never got a chance to put her plan into action. Before she'd even gotten halfway to Cinder, a column of fire sprung to life directly in her path. Ruby desperately swerved away from the towering inferno, just barely avoiding it. The heat from the flames licked at her back as she zoomed past.

Two more flaming pillars immediately erupted along Ruby's path. She slid to a halt just in time, but an ominous red glow began building at her feet. She sped off in the other direction as more and more fires sprung to life all around her. She weaved and dodged, dancing through the flames, escaping them by mere inches.

Ruby did her best to avoid the ever-growing inferno, and her best was very good, but eventually, she found herself completely boxed in. There simply wasn't anywhere safe left to run.

One last geyser of searing-hot flame exploded at Ruby's feet. It completely enveloped her and propelled her high into the air. Her aura pushed back against the boiling heat as best it could, but there was only so much it could do. Ruby tried to find some way to gain control of her trajectory, but there was nothing to grab on to and nothing to push off of.

Before Ruby even reached the apex of her flight, a fist made of stone formed in the air above her. It smashed into her with a colossal punch, sending her spiraling downward. She hit the ground with enough force to crack the paving stones.

Any doubts Ruby had regarding the extent of Cinder's power were long gone. A great pain throbbed in her head, and her ears rang. She blindly reached out until her hand found solid ground. She pushed herself to her feet, shaking out her head. Miraculously, she still had a hold of Crescent Rose, but that seemed like cold comfort considering what she was up against.

The sound of footsteps drew Ruby's attention. She looked and saw Cinder slowly walking up. The expression on Cinder's face made it clear that she was convinced she'd already won. She said, "Poor little girl. If only you'd gotten here a minute sooner. You might have been able to stop me. But now it's too late."

Frustration welled up in Ruby. Cinder was right. Ever since the fall of Beacon it seemed that no matter how fast she ran, she was always just a little bit too slow. She'd been too late to save Penny and Pyrrha and Winter and now Lily. Cinder was always one step ahead of her. What good was it being the Summer Maiden if she could never get to where she was needed in time?

All of a sudden, Ruby felt something stirring inside of her. Her emotions touched her power yet again, rousing it to new heights. She fixed Cinder with a look and said, "It's not too late yet. Just you wait and see."

The air seemed to shimmer around Ruby for a brief moment as her power fed into her semblance. Then she took off running, faster than a bullet from a gun.

Ruby had run fast before, but something was different this time. The world around her wasn't a blur but crystal clear. She could see Cinder's leg lifting up to kick her, but it looked like it was moving in slow motion.

Ruby understood what was happening. She wasn't just running faster; she was thinking faster too. Her mind had finally caught up with her semblance. She didn't know how or why, but it must have had something to do with her power as a Maiden.

Ruby easily avoided Cinder's kick. She slashed at her with Crescent Rose as she zoomed past. Then she watched the reaction unfold at a snail's pace. Cinder's aura lit up where she'd been struck. The glow slowly spread out across her body. Cinder's expression gradually contorted into a look of shock. And her leg, caught mid kick, went careening off-target.

Ruby didn't wait to see what happened next. She ran back around toward Cinder and struck her from behind. Again, Cinder's aura lit up. Her body started lurching forward as the high-speed attack imparted its momentum. Then Ruby zoomed around and hit Cinder again. Cinder looked completely enraged now, but Ruby was finally too fast for her to fight back.

Ruby kept attacking, but Cinder's aura, reinforced by the power of two Maidens, held strong. Ruby began to feel a strain. It was like something was tugging on the back of her head, and the longer she kept running, the worse it got.

At first Ruby thought her power was weakening, but she quickly realized that wasn't the case. Her power and her semblance were holding up just fine. It was her body that was reaching its limit. Simply put, she wasn't designed to perceive the world at super speeds. Maybe someday, with training and practice, she could sustain this longer, but she knew that for today, time was running out.

Ruby ran right up to Cinder and planted her feet, but she didn't release her semblance just yet. Maybe if she wasn't actually running it would buy her precious time. She slashed at Cinder again and again and again. A veritable light show danced over Cinder's aura, but still it held. Cinder's arm started slowly moving toward Ruby, but Ruby held her ground. She could sense Cinder's aura gradually weakening. She just needed to keep up her attack a little longer.

All of a sudden, the world snapped back to normal. Cinder's hand shot out and clamped onto Ruby's neck. Ruby gurgled in alarm as she was lifted into the air.

A wall made of rock shot up from the ground behind Ruby, and Cinder threw her against it. Ruby let out a yelp as she collided with the rock. The impact knocked Crescent Rose from her hands. Before she could even try and collect herself, Cinder lunged at her. Cinder's fist slammed into Ruby, and she began punching Ruby with monstrous strength.

Absolutely seething rage boiled in Cinder's eyes as she relentlessly pummeled Ruby over and over again. Ruby threw her hands up, trying to defend herself, but it was no use. Her aura began to falter, and her body screamed in pain as Cinder laid into her.

Just when Ruby thought she couldn't take anymore, the rocks holding her in place began to fracture. They couldn't stand up to the beating that Cinder was giving her, and one last punch sent Ruby crashing through them.

Ruby felt her aura break. She felt her body hit the ground, hard. Dizzy and disoriented, she tried to stand, but all she managed to do was lift her head. Her vision was blurry, but she saw Cinder walking toward her with another glove clenched in her hand.

There was no question in Ruby's mind what was about to happen. She wondered if she should feel afraid, but the inevitability of the situation made fear seem pointless. Her thoughts turned to Weiss. She didn't even want to think about how distraught Weiss would be, but she took comfort in the fact that she knew Weiss was strong enough to survive. She briefly wondered who would take her place in Weiss's life. She hoped someone would. She didn't even want to imagine Weiss without a best friend to stand by her side.

Cinder stopped in front of Ruby. Her hand was angrily clutching her glove. "Any last words?" she asked with complete contempt.

Suddenly, Ruby felt something, a familiar sensation tingling in the back of her head. A weary but triumphant smile crossed her lips. "Yeah. I got some words. Actually, I've got just one. Duck."

Cinder's eyes narrowed, but then a roaring sound overhead made her look up. Utter shock filled her face. "WHAT!?" she exclaimed.

PART II

Weiss would have been pacing back and forth had she had more space to move about. But as it was, she and her companions were crammed into the small cargo bay in General Ironwood's transport as it flew swiftly through the skies over Mistral. Ironwood, along with Taiyang, had arrived in it at Oniyuri not long after Ruby had left. They'd found enough clues to Lily's whereabouts in Kuchinashi to lead them there. Fortunately, Weiss had been able to impress upon them the urgency of getting to Kuroyuri as quickly as possible.

Blake was standing to one side of Weiss in the cramped cargo bay. She was keeping an eye on Mercury, although Mercury seemed to have lost his will to do much of anything. He was sitting slumped up against a wall. Weiss wasn't sure if it was the death of Emerald or the loss of his artificial legs that had put him in such an unresponsive state. Had he not been working for Cinder, she might have even felt sorry for him.

Over on Weiss's other side, Yang was attempting to comfort her frantic father. Taiyang had not taken well to the news of Ruby running off to face Cinder alone, and he wasn't the only one who was worried. Qrow had hardly said a word since Ruby had left. Right now he was standing by himself in the back corner of the cargo bay, looking sullen even for him.

Weiss didn't blame Taiyang or Qrow for their emotional states. She was consumed with worry herself. She could still feel Ruby's aura far off in the distance, but that didn't mean that Ruby was safe.

Taiyang's hands nervously wrung together, and his foot tapped with an impatient rhythm. He called up to the cockpit, "Are we there yet, Ironwood?!"

"Not yet," Ironwood said.

Yang said, "Don't worry, Dad. The Spring Maiden's in Kuroyuri too! Between her and Ruby, Cinder's as good as beat!"

"I guess that's true," Taiyang said. "It's got to be, right? Qrow! You know all about Maidens! Two are better than one, right?"

Qrow said, "That depends on if Lily's been keeping up with her training. But yeah, she and Ruby should have a chance."

Weiss's expression darkened. Unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury of desperate optimism like everyone else. She didn't want to take away their fragile hope, but she felt they deserved to know the truth. She said, "The Spring Maiden is dead."

All eyes turned to Weiss. The effect of her statement was immediate. Dread seeped into the cargo bay until the air was thick with it. Up in the cockpit, Ironwood turned in his seat so he could look down toward Weiss. "Are you certain about that?" he asked.

Weiss nodded. "I'm certain. Her aura's gone."

Ironwood looked like someone had just read him his death sentence. He turned back to the controls and refocused on piloting the airship.

Yang asked, "How do you know that!? Never mind! What about Ruby?!"

"She's still alive," Weiss said.

Yang was obviously expecting more, but there wasn't anything else Weiss could tell her.

Qrow asked, "Do you know if Cinder got Lily's power?"

"I can't be certain," Weiss said. "But I believe she did."

Yang looked up to the cockpit. "Ironwood! You got anything here that will help us fight Cinder?"

"There's a munitions locker by your feet," Ironwood said. "Take whatever you need."

Yang glanced down. Like Ironwood had said, there was a small storage chest on the floor next to her. She opened it up and started sifting through its contents. "Dust rounds," she said. "Come here, Blake. We can use these."

Blake glanced at Mercury, but it was obvious that he wasn't about to try anything. She pulled out her sword and walked over next to Yang. The two of them started loading up on the specialized ammunition.

Taiyang was looking more and more agitated by the second. He called up to Ironwood, "Can't you make this thing go any faster?"

"If I could, I would be," Ironwood said.

Taiyang slammed his fist against the side of the cargo bay. "Well do something!" he said. "My little girl's life is at stake!"

"I'm already pushing the engines as hard as they'll go," Ironwood said. "I'm sorry."

An idea suddenly came to Weiss. She berated herself for not thinking of it earlier. "I can make us go faster," she said.

"You can?" Taiyang asked.

Weiss nodded. She lowered herself into a sitting position, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. A yellow glow surrounded her, and it rapidly spread across the cargo bay and up into the cockpit. Outside, a giant glyph appeared underneath the airship.

Taiyang looked confused. "What's she doing?" he asked.

"Oooh boy…" Yang said. "Everybody hold on tight!"

Weiss's eyes flew open, radiating a golden light. Her time dilation effect suddenly took hold. The transport lurched in the air as Ironwood struggled to maintain control. It pitched and banked, jostling its occupants about, but eventually, it leveled out.

Weiss felt energy rushing out of her in torrents. Within a few seconds, she felt like she'd run a marathon, but she forced herself to hold on. She focused on Ruby's distant aura and did her best to push her ever mounting exhaustion out of her mind. The Strain pressed down on her like a crushing weight, but she didn't succumb to it.

The passage of time quickly became meaningless to Weiss. All that mattered was that Ruby's aura was drawing closer and closer. Weiss didn't let go of her semblance until the transport was practically on top of it.

The time dilation effect faded, making the airship shutter violently. Ironwood shouted, "We're in Kuroyuri!"

Yang slid one last Dust round into one of her gauntlets and said, "Then let's go!"

Yang ran to join Qrow, who was already by the cargo bay's door. Blake followed after her, but she stopped in front of Weiss. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'll manage," Weiss said. Blake offered her a hand. Weiss thought about declining the help, but she decided to let Blake assist her to her feet.

Taiyang, who had walked up behind Weiss, put his hand on her shoulder. Weiss turned and found him looking directly at her. "Thank you," he said solemnly. Weiss could only nod in response.

Blake, Weiss, and Taiyang joined Yang and Qrow by the cargo bay door. Qrow hit the button to open it up. Kuroyuri lay before them. It looked just as desolate as Oniyuri had been.

Weiss could feel Cinder's aura below them. It was stronger than ever, so strong that it was all but overpowering Ruby's. Weiss strained her eyes, trying to spot Ruby and Cinder's exact location.

"There!" Weiss said, pointing at the town square. She could make out two swatches of red among Kuroyuri's somber pallet of gray.

Yang didn't say a word. She just leaped out of the transport. Weiss followed right behind her. The wind hollowed as it whipped past her ears. Ordinarily, she would've started using her glyphs to slow her fall, but not this time. This time she had another idea.

Weiss and Yang were plummeting straight for Cinder. Weiss squeezed Myrtenaster's trigger, letting Dust from all six of its chambers charge the blade. It wasn't something she did very often as it wasn't an efficient use of Dust, but the situation more than warranted it. Myrtenaster began to glow a pure white, and the glow only got brighter as Weiss added her own power to the mix.

Weiss was close enough to the ground now to clearly make out Ruby and Cinder. Ruby was lying flat on her back, and Cinder was standing over her. Suddenly, Cinder looked up. Weiss even thought she heard Cinder shout something just an instant before Yang planted her fist in Cinder's face.

There was a boom as Ember Celica fired. Yang's momentum carried her past Cinder, but Weiss was hot on her heels. She slashed at the reeling Cinder, unleashing every last bit of energy that had been stored up in her sword. There was an instant's delay, but then a blindingly bright flash of light erupted over Cinder.

Weiss hit the ground hard. She'd intended to land on her feet, but boosting an entire airship, not to mention empowering her blade, had taken far more out of her than she'd anticipated. She rolled across the square, but her aura spared her from any real harm.

When Weiss got back to her feet, she didn't bother looking back to see what her and Yang's attacks had done to Cinder. She just ran straight for Ruby. Panic filled Weiss as she drew close. Ruby was still on the ground. Crescent Rose was lying right beside her, but she wasn't reaching for it. "Ruby! Ruby, say something!" Weiss shouted.

"Weiss…" Ruby mumbled.

Weiss fell to her knees beside Ruby. Ruby had obviously taken a beating, but to Weiss's relief, it didn't look like she had any injuries that her aura couldn't heal.

"Ruby!" Weiss said.

"Weiss. You're okay," Ruby said weakly.

"I'm okay!?" Weiss exclaimed. "Why did you run off like that, you dolt!?"

"I was the only one who could get to Lily in time," Ruby said.

Weiss knew Ruby technically wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean she'd made the right decision. However, there would be time to argue about that later.

"Ruby!" Taiyang's voice shouted. He came sprinting up, followed closely by Qrow. Weiss hadn't even seen them land. Taiyang kneeled down and cradled Ruby in his arms. "Oh my precious girl!"

"Hey, Dad," Ruby said. "And hey, Uncle Qrow. How'd you get here so fast?"

"The hard way," Qrow said. "Don't worry about it, Kiddo." He was obviously trying to play it cool, but Weiss could sense from his aura just how concerned he was.

Yang and Blake came running up too. Anger spilled into Yang's eyes when she saw Ruby, and an alarmed look crossed Blake's face.

Taiyang said, "We've got to get Ruby out of here!"

"No, Dad!" Ruby said. "I have to stay and fight!"

Yang said, "Ruby! You can't even stand!"

Before Ruby could argue, the clicking of heels drew everyone's attention. They all turned and saw Cinder approaching them. Despite the hits she'd taken from Yang and Weiss, she looked unharmed. From her demeanor, she appeared to be calm, but Weiss could feel rage rolling off of her like an out of control fire.

Weiss leaped up and put herself between Ruby and Cinder, sword at the ready.

Cinder, undeterred, continued walking forward. She said, "Don't think for a second you can stop me. That girl's power belongs to me! As does yours!"

To Weiss's surprise, Yang grinned. "Not without this it doesn't," she said as she held up something in her hand. It was a white glove. "You dropped it when I punched you."

Cinder looked utterly shocked. She patted her pockets like she didn't believe what she was seeing, but she came up empty. She gritted her teeth and said, "Give. That. Back."

Yang grabbed the glove firmly in both hands. With a mighty pull, she ripped it in half. "Oops," she said as the glove dissolved. "Looks like I can't."

Cinder's response wasn't so much one of words as it was a guttural growl. Flames roared to life around her as her rage was made manifest.

Taiyang stood, and Qrow and Blake raised their weapons, but Yang beat them all to the literal punch. She fired off a shot from Ember Celica. It whizzed toward Cinder, glowing a cyan color, and when it collided with her, a clump of ice sprung into existence.

The ice began to melt immediately, but Yang fired more and more Dust rounds at Cinder until she was trapped completely in a thick block of ice.

Blake said, "That won't hold Cinder for long."

Taiyang said, "It'll hold her long enough." He turned to Weiss. "Get Ruby out of here!"

"But—!" Weiss said.

Qrow said, "It's you and Ruby Cinder wants. If she gets either one of you, she'll really be unstoppable."

The ice block holding Cinder began to tremble. Cracks formed on its surface, and rivulets of meltwater began pouring off of it.

"Weiss!" Yang shouted. "Get Ruby clear! We'll hold Cinder off!"

The ice block exploded in a spray of frozen shards. Cinder was a shadow, silhouetted by the lingering mist of water vapor, but Weiss didn't need to see Cinder clearly to imagine the expression that must have been on her face. She could feel the absolute hatred resonating in Cinder's aura.

Weiss thrust her finger downward. An oversized white glyph appeared at her feet. It was big enough to hold Weiss, Ruby, and even Crescent Rose. With a flick of Weiss's wrist, the glyph dragged them away.

The glyph pulled Weiss and Ruby all the way to the edge of the square. Then it vanished. Weiss reached down and tried to help Ruby up. "Come on, Ruby," she said. "Your father's right. We have to get you away from Cinder."

Ruby resisted Weiss. "No!" she said. "You and me have to get back there!"

"You're in no shape to be doing anything of the sort," Weiss said.

"You don't understand!" Ruby said. "Cinder's too strong! We're the only ones who can stop her now!"

"I know," Weiss said.

"Then why aren't you helping everyone?!" Ruby asked. "Cinder's going to kill them!"

"I am going to help them," Weiss said. "But not before I know that you're safe! You're more important to me!"

"Weiss…" Ruby said. She glanced down at Crescent Rose. "Alright. I'll keep myself safe. But you keep yourself safe too! You heard Uncle Qrow. Cinder can't get either one of us."

"She won't," Weiss said. "I promise."

Ruby picked up her scythe and used it as a makeshift crutch to haul herself to her feet. "Then go kick Cinder's butt!" she said.

Weiss nodded. She turned back to the center of the square. Everyone else was fighting Cinder like she knew they would be. She was mildly surprised to see that no one was dead yet. Yang, Blake, Taiyang, and Qrow had improvised a strategy of sorts. Yang was hampering Cinder's movements by constantly firing cyan Dust rounds at her. Blake was using the red Dust she'd loaded into Gambol Shroud to send a stream of fiery, explosive clones running at Cinder. And Taiyang and Qrow were using the chaos and confusion of the fight to take deadly-accurate potshots at Cinder.

Weiss started sprinting back toward the fight, but before she could get there, Cinder's patience ran out. Cinder stomped her foot down. A ring of jagged rocks erupted from the ground and rippled outward across the square like a wave in a pond. The razor-sharp rocks crashed into Yang, Blake, Qrow, and Taiyang. They were all bowled off their feet, and the rocks began carrying them away and chewing up their auras.

Weiss flung her hand forward as the wave of rocks raced toward her as well. A white glyph appeared in front of her. The rocks smashed against it, breaking apart and leaving her unscathed.

Weiss twirled her fingers, and her glyph's pattern shifted until it became a summoning glyph. It passed over her, encasing her in glowing, ethereal armor.

Unfortunately, Weiss could already feel the strain her summon was placing on her. She was still drained from creating a time dilation glyph powerful enough to encompass a whole airship. But she refused to give up, and she refused to show weakness. She lifted Myrtenaster, and light once again sheathed it.

Weiss pointed her sword at Cinder, but Cinder didn't look impressed or even amused. Her usual air of arrogance was gone. In fact, Weiss had never seen Cinder look so deadly serious, but Weiss didn't let herself be intimidated. She used her power to float up an inch off the ground. Then she flew at Cinder sword first.

Myrtenaster slashed at Cinder, leaving a trail of white light in the air behind it, but the blow didn't faze Cinder at all. Weiss wheeled around to attack again. Cinder barely made a move to defend herself, and Weiss took full advantage. She literally flew circles around Cinder. Yet even with free rein to strike blow after blow, Weiss couldn't seem to hack through Cinder's aura.

As Weiss came about to attack yet again, Cinder's hand shot out. She seized Weiss's sword arm and held it in an iron grip. Weiss jerked in the air as Cinder forcefully pulled her back down to Remnant. Weiss's armored feet hit the ground. She struggled to free herself, but Cinder's grasp was unyielding.

Cinder said, "I am DONE with this foolishness! Your power will be mine!"

Cinder brought up her free hand. It began to glow an evil shade of red, so dark that it was almost black. Then it thrust forward and lodged itself in Weiss's armor.

Weiss yelped in alarm, but fortunately, Cinder hadn't penetrated her armor completely. Weiss was unharmed, but she could still feel the incredible heat rolling off of Cinder's hand. She knew that unless she did something, she wouldn't remain unharmed for long.

Weiss grabbed Cinder by the wrist. She pulled with all her might, but Cinder didn't budge. The heat coming off of Cinder's hand intensified, and ever so slowly, she began to pry Weiss's armor apart.

"Your friend is going to regret destroying that glove," Cinder said. "But not as much as you are. I promise you, by the time I'm done, I will be the last thing you think of."

With one last pull, Cinder wrenched Weiss's armor open. Weiss tried to hold on to the summon, but she had no chance. Her armor vanished in a flash of light. The backlash from its violent destruction hit Weiss like a falling boulder.

Cinder lifted her still glowing hand. Weiss didn't even want to contemplate what Cinder was about to do to her, but suddenly, a thin, silver light streaked through the air and lashed Cinder across her face.

Cinder's head whipped to the side from the force of the sniper shot. She paused for a second, although she didn't let go of Weiss.

"Ruby!" Weiss said. She frantically looked around, fearful that Ruby had come back to help. Fortunately, Ruby was nowhere to be seen. She must have taken the shot from afar.

Cinder's head slowly turned in the direction the shot had come from. She started to shout, "That impudent little—!"

Weiss didn't give Cinder a chance to finish. She conjured up a red glyph right in between the two of them, as powerful of one as she could manage. She detonated it without a second thought.

The massive blast sent Weiss and Cinder flying apart in opposite directions. Weiss's aura struggled to protect her from her own attack. When she hit the ground, she hit it hard, and she felt it.

Weiss's head was spinning, but before she could even try to get back to her feet, a strong pair of hands pulled her up. Weiss thought it was Cinder for a panicked moment, but then she looked and saw Yang standing there. Blake, Qrow, and Taiyang were all there too. All of their auras felt weak to Weiss. Cinder's ring of rocks had done a number on them.

Qrow said to Weiss, "I thought Tai told you to get out of here."

Weiss asked, "Did you really expect me to listen?"

"No," Qrow said. "Schnees are always too stubborn for their own good."

"Uh, guys…" Yang said.

Across the town square, Cinder was already back on her feet and marching toward the group. Weiss didn't need to be able to feel Cinder's aura to sense her murderous intentions. It was plain to see on her face.

Taiyang raised his rifle. He asked, "So does anyone have any brilliant ideas?"

"We fight," Weiss said. It wasn't like her to not have more of a plan than that, but it was the only thing they could do. She doubted running would work at this point, and mercy wasn't in Cinder's nature.

Suddenly, a roaring of engines sounded overhead. Ironwood's transport swooped in out of nowhere and opened fire on Cinder with its cannons. Cinder reflexively shielded herself with her arms as explosive shots rained down around her.

The transport zoomed away, but it immediately circled around in the air for another pass.

Cinder lifted her hand. She extended a single finger, and energy began gathering on its tip.

Ironwood's transport came in low and fast, but before it could fire again, twin beams of energy leaped off of Cinder's finger. They whizzed forward and plowed through both of the transport's engines with flawless accuracy.

Thick, black smoke belched out of the transport's engines. The ship shuddered in the air as it lost thrust. Its nose came up in a vain effort to stay airborne, but then it belly flopped onto the ground with a colossal crashing sound. It continued moving forward across the ground, tearing up the square as it went and sending flaming debris flying every which way.

"Jimmy!" Qrow shouted.

Qrow looked like he was about to run toward the crashing transport, but Taiyang threw his arm around him, holding him back. "No! It's too dangerous!" he said.

The transport was heading directly for Cinder, but Cinder stood her ground. Her eyes seemed to be daring the airship to hit her.

The transport slowed as it continued to break apart. It came to a lurching halt just a few feet short of where Cinder was standing and threw up one last cloud of dust and smoke.

A stillness fell over the square. For a moment, the only sound was the burning of the fires left in the transport's wake. But as the dust settled and the smoke cleared, a banging came from inside the crashed airship. A section of its hull shuttered; then it came loose and fell to the ground.

A singed and bruised Mercury crawled his way out of the transport. He managed to pull himself free of the wreck before collapsing in a fit of coughing.

Surprised registered on Cinder's face. She started walking toward the injured Mercury.

Taiyang whispered to Qrow, "Now's our chance to get Ironwood, while Cinder's distracted."

"Right. Let's hurry," Qrow whispered back. He looked sharply at Weiss, Yang, and Blake. "You three. Stay here."

Yang gave Qrow an incensed look, but she whispered, "Alright. Fine."

Weiss hissed, "Be careful!"

Qrow whispered, "It's way too late for that." He motioned at Taiyang.

Qrow and Taiyang started quietly making their way toward the transport. Weiss quickly lost sight of them in all the smoke still rising from the fires.

Up ahead, Cinder knelt down beside Mercury. She lifted his head up with her hand and said something to him. Weiss couldn't quite make out Cinder's words, but it sounded like she was asking Mercury about Emerald.

Weiss was about to ask Blake if she could hear what was being said, but the answer quickly became moot. Whatever Mercury's response to Cinder was, it had a profound effect on her. Her mouth opened in shock for a minute, but then it clenched shut. She let Mercury's head slip from her hand and stood. Her fists clenched. It was hard to see from where Weiss was standing, but it almost looked like Cinder was quaking with rage.

An energy ignited over Cinder's aura, intense enough that it burned far brighter than any of the fires. The sky above her darkened as storm clouds spontaneously formed. A bolt of lightning streaked down from the heavens and crashed into the ground. It struck so close that Weiss felt the trailing clap of thunder in her chest.

Cinder slowly turned, her eyes blazing with power. She brought her hands up, and wind began circling around her until a whirling tornado shot up around her.

Weiss and Yang stood in mute horror, paralyzed by what they saw, but Blake managed to say, "We need to get out of here."

Weiss responded, "Yes. That would be a good idea."

Weiss couldn't see Cinder anymore, but the tornado was creeping toward her, Yang, and Blake. Suddenly, the skies opened up, and a rain of smoldering rocks the size of fists began pelting the three of them. Yang and Blake covered their heads, trying to find some protection from the hail of rocks.

Weiss lifted her hand. A large, white glyph formed above her, shielding her and her teammates, but she knew the refuge was only a temporary one. Cinder wasn't just a Maiden anymore. She was a force of Nature, and she was coming right for them. Weiss had never put much credence in ancient myths regarding the end of the world, but she could only describe what was happening right now as apocalyptic.

Yang shouted, "What do we do!?"

Weiss shouted back, "We have to get somewhere safe!"

"Like where!?" Yang asked.

As if to answer Yang's question, a font of energy burst into existence right behind her. Raven stepped through it, sword in hand.

"Mom!?" Yang exclaimed, turning around.

Raven said, "If you want to live, this is your chance."

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted. Her head turned to the edge of the square. "We can't leave Ruby behind!"

Yang added, "Or Dad and Uncle Qrow!"

"Then hurry!" Raven shouted. "I'm not going to stay here long enough for Cinder to kill me!"

Weiss said, "I'll get Ruby! You two get the others!"

Yang said, "Right! Come on, Blake!"

Weiss's glyph vanished as she took off running toward where she'd left Ruby. The unnatural rain was intensifying, but she didn't care. Her eyes frantically scanned the deserted buildings ahead of her. "Ruby! Ruby where are you?!"

"I'm here, Weiss!" Ruby's voice called out. She hobbled out of a building, still leaning against Crescent Rose.

"You said you were going to keep yourself safe!" Weiss scolded. "Why did you shoot at Cinder?!"

"She was going to hurt you," Ruby said.

Weiss knew she didn't have time to debate with Ruby. She said, "Come on! Raven's here. We're leaving."

Ruby folded up Crescent Rose and stowed it on her back. "I'm ready," she said.

Weiss put an arm around Ruby and helped her jog back into the town square. She shielded Ruby from the falling rocks with her own body. They made their way back toward Raven. Fortunately, Raven hadn't abandoned them just yet. She was hiding from the pelting rain behind her portal, letting the rocks fall into it instead of hitting her.

"Get in!" Weiss said to Ruby as she pulled her up to the portal.

Ruby asked, "What about Yang and Dad and—?"

"I'll see to them!" Weiss interrupted. Then she practically threw Ruby into the portal before she could disagree further.

Raven said, "They'd better hurry."

Weiss said, "Yang's still out there! Would you really leave your own daughter behind?"

"I've done it before," Raven said.

Sadly, Weiss knew Raven wasn't lying. She stepped out from behind the cover of the portal, determined to make sure that everyone escaped. Between the wind and smoke and rocks, it was almost impossible to see anything. And the tornado was drawing very close.

Suddenly, Weiss spotted five figures running out of the haze. At the front of the group, Qrow was assisting Ironwood. Behind him was Blake, and behind her were Yang and Taiyang.

"Hurry!" Weiss shouted, frantically gesturing at them.

Qrow got to the portal first. He pulled Ironwood through it with him. But before anyone else could get to safety, a long chain made of ash whipped out from the storm. It was heading straight for Yang. Taiyang saw it coming. He shoved his daughter out of the way, but the chain coiled around him instead. It pulled him off his feet and dragged him away.

"Dad!" Yang shouted, immediately turning around.

"Yang!" Weiss shouted. "We have to go!"

"I'm not going to leave him behind!" Yang shouted.

Before Yang could run off, Weiss lunged for her. She grabbed her and started dragging her toward the portal.

Yang resisted Weiss with all of her considerable strength. "No! Let me go!" she desperately shouted.

A moment later, Blake was there and had grabbed onto Yang as well. Then Raven joined in too.

"No! No!" Yang shouted, frantically struggling. But Weiss, Blake, and Raven overpowered her and hauled her back.

"Dad! Daaad!" Yang shouted as she and everyone else vanished through the portal.

PART III

Yang had no idea where Raven's portal had taken her and her companions. Judging by the terrain, they were still in Mistral, but they certainly weren't in Kuroyuri anymore, or any other settlement for that matter. Qrow was busy making sure that Ironwood was okay, and Weiss was doing the same for Ruby. Blake, however, was looking right at Yang with an expression that would have had Yang concerned if she'd been looking in Blake's direction. But Yang was not looking in Blake's direction. Right now Raven had her full and undivided attention.

"How could you do that!?" Yang shouted at Raven.

Raven said, "I see your father never taught you gratitude."

"Gratitude!?" Yang exclaimed. "You just left Dad behind to die! What!? Abandoning him once wasn't enough!?"

"I saved your life, Yang!" Raven said. "You and your friends should all be dead!"

"I thought I only got one free save from you," Yang said. "So much for your stupid rule."

Anger flashed across Raven's face. She drew her sword lightning-quick. Yang took a step back in alarm, but Raven didn't attack her. Instead, she turned and slashed the air. A portal opened. "There!" she said. "That will take you back to Kuroyuri! If you really want to die that badly, there's your opportunity!"

Yang's eyes flicked back and forth between the portal and Raven. Her rational side knew that it would be suicide to go back and try to save Dad. She knew that in all likelihood he was already dead. But her emotional side was screaming at her to go and try anyway.

Suddenly, Blake stepped in between Yang and Raven. "Stop it, both of you!" she said. "This isn't helping!"

Yang and Raven both glared at Blake, but Blake wasn't intimidated. She said, "You two can bicker like children if you want, but not right now! We have more important things to worry about! Like Cinder!"

Yang started to say, "Blake, I—"

"No!" Blake interrupted. "I don't want to hear it!"

Yang was taken aback. Blake never raised her voice unless she was truly upset about something. And it sounded to Yang like Blake was mad at her more than anything else. Yang couldn't for the life of her figure out why. She could usually read Blake like an open book, but right now she had no idea what Blake might be thinking. And that bothered her so much more than just Blake snapping at her.

Raven sheathed her sword, and her portal vanished. She said, "Despite what you believe, Cinder isn't the real problem."

"You've said that before," Yang said absently. She was still looking at Blake, trying to figure out why Blake was angry with her. But then she turned back to Raven. "You're talking about Salem. Aren't you?"

"Yes," Raven said. "I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to know about her."

"I don't, really," Yang said. "I've just heard her name."

"Brother?" Raven said, glancing at Qrow. "You're undoubtedly the one who told Yang about Salem. I'm sure you'd be happy to share the rest of the story with her."

All eyes turned to Qrow, including Weiss's and Ruby's, but Qrow didn't look like he was in the mood for stories. He looked over at Ironwood. When Ironwood nodded his approval, Qrow sighed wearily. He said, "Salem might as well be the bogeyman for all it matters. Are you really thinking about going up against her, Sister?"

Raven said, "Perhaps you'd know. If you hadn't turned your back on the Tribe."

Qrow rolled his eyes. He turned to Team RWBY and said, "Salem's not so much a person as she is a force. She's very old, older than anyone can remember. And she's the one who controls the grimm."

"She's what?" Yang asked. Surely she couldn't have heard that right.

Weiss said, "That certainly explains a few things. I think this Salem has taken a more active hand in destroying humanity as of late. At least here in Mistral."

Qrow said, "With Cinder working for her, it would make sense."

Yang asked, "Is Raven right, Uncle Qrow? Is Salem the one we should be going after?"

"Maybe," Qrow said. "But no one knows where she is or how to find her. Even Ozpin doesn't…didn't know."

Weiss asked Raven, "If all that's true, how do you plan on fighting her?"

Raven said, "That's not something I'm going to share with an outsider."

Qrow chuckled humorlessly. "In other words, she doesn't know," he said.

Raven glared at Qrow.

Yang said, "Sounds like nothing's changed then. We still have to beat Cinder."

"Yeah…" Ruby said, finally speaking up. But her voice sounded small. "Nothing's changed. Except…."

The despondent look on Ruby's face cut Yang right to the bone. She knew Ruby was talking about Dad. She asked, "Uncle Qrow? Do you think there's any chance Dad's still alive?"

"I don't know," Qrow said.

Ironwood suddenly chimed in. "That depends on how clearly Cinder is thinking."

Yang asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mr. Xiao Long would make excellent bate to lure out Miss Rose, and by extension, the rest of us," Ironwood said. "If Cinder has realized that, she has every reason to keep him alive."

"Yeah. Maybe," Yang said somberly. Ironwood had a point, but Yang didn't feel all that hopeful. Everything had gone all wrong since they'd set foot in Mistral. They'd come here to be heroes like out of one of Ruby's stories, but so far all they'd been were victims.

"Yang," Raven said. "Whatever else your father might be, he's a strong man. If there's a way to survive, he'll find it."

"I'm surprised you'd say that," Yang said.

"Why?" Raven asked. "I respected Tai enough to trust him with raising you. Don't think that's a decision I made lightly."

Raven was clearly expecting Yang to respond. When Yang didn't, she frowned. For a moment it looked like she was going to say something more, but then she simply put her mask back on.

Qrow asked, "Leaving already?"

In answer to Qrow's question, Raven drew her sword again. With a flick of her wrist, another portal appeared.

"Wait," Yang said.

Raven paused and glanced at her daughter.

"You've already broken your rule," Yang said. "What could it hurt to help us out some more?"

"I have my own battles ahead of me," Raven said.

Yang didn't know why she was disappointed. Raven had already made it abundantly clear where they stood. Maybe Yang was still clinging to the hope that Raven could be a mother to her. It was foolish, she knew, but knowing it was foolish didn't change the way she felt.

"Yang," Raven said. "I believe in you. I know you and your friends will persevere against Cinder."

Yang wasn't so sure, but she nodded in agreement anyway.

"Good luck," Raven said. She stepped through her portal. It closed behind her, and like that, she was gone.

"You too," Yang whispered. She turned and looked at everyone else. "So…now what?"

Blake wasn't making eye contact with Yang anymore. She wasn't making eye contact with anyone. Without a word, she turned and started walking away from the group.

"Blake?" Yang asked, but Blake didn't respond.

Weiss called after Blake, "Where are you going? It could be dangerous out there!"

Blake picked up her pace, and she kept walking away.

Yang glanced at Weiss and Ruby and said, "Let me handle this." She started jogging after Blake.

Blake had a head start, so it took Yang a moment to catch up, but when she did, she grabbed Blake by the arm. "What are you doing, Blake? What's wrong?" she asked.

"What's wrong…" Blake muttered. She slowly turned around, keeping her head bowed. "Back there in Kuroyuri I had to stop you from rushing to your death."

"Blake, I had to save—" Yang started.

Blake's hand suddenly clamped onto Yang's prosthetic, causing a pang of dread to reflexively shoot through Yang. Blake looked up into Yang's eyes with tears in her own. "You had to save your father? Just like you had to save me from Adam?"

"Yeah! Exactly like that!" Yang said, but for all her bravado, a queasiness was building in her gut. Still, she didn't let it show on her face. She said, "I'm not going to apologize for that, and I sure don't regret it either!"

"Well maybe I do!" Blake blurted out.

"Blake! I…" Yang stammered.

"I'm sorry," Blake said, letting go of Yang's arm.

Blake tried to turn away, but Yang cupped her cheek. "No. Don't be sorry," Yang said.

Blake didn't meet Yang's eyes, but she didn't try to pull away either.

"Blake, I thought we were past all this," Yang said.

"So did I," Blake said. "Until I saw you ready to charge into that storm like you still thought you were invincible."

"That's not what I thought at all," Yang said.

Blake's gaze reluctantly met Yang's again. She asked, "Then what did you think?"

Yang let go of Blake's cheek. She wrapped her arms around Blake and pulled her into a hug.

"Yang?" Blake asked.

"I thought…" Yang started. "I thought that I wasn't going to let anything else be taken from me. I lost my arm. My school. My friends. You for a while. And now Dad too? I'm just so sick of feeling powerless. I had to do something."

Blake started hugging Yang back. She buried her head in the crook of Yang's neck. "I know what you mean."

At first Yang thought that Blake was talking about their fight against Cinder, but then a horrible, horrible thought occurred to her. "This is what it was like for you when you were in the White Fang, trying to fight for faunus equality, isn't it," she said. "You've felt like this your whole life, haven't you."

"Yes," Blake said, so softly that Yang almost couldn't hear her.

For the first time ever, Yang finally, truly understood Blake and her struggles as a faunus. Her hand slid down Blake's back. She thought about the burn that was undoubtedly still on Blake's stomach. Now she knew how Blake had borne it so well. She'd endured worse. It amazed Yang, but Blake was stronger than she'd ever suspected.

Yang asked, "Blake, how did…how do you deal with it?"

"One day at a time," Blake said.

Yang kissed the top of Blake's head. She hadn't known she'd needed another reminder of how precious Blake was to her, but here she was, taking things for granted again.

"I'm sorry, Blake," Yang whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," Blake said.

Neither Yang nor Blake let go of each other. Yang suspected they were both too scared to even think about it, but unfortunately, the world wouldn't stop turning just because they wanted it to. Yang looked off into the distance. Everyone else was waiting for them. Yang was glad they were out of earshot. This hadn't been a conversation she would've wanted to have in front of other people.

Yang said, "We should probably go back."

"Yes. We should," Blake said. She pulled out of Yang's arms. "Ruby and Weiss have more than enough to worry about right now without us adding to the list."

Yang let out a long sigh.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"Ruby and Weiss," Yang said. "I am really jealous of those two." It was something she'd been trying not to think about for a while now.

"You are?" Blake asked. "Why is that?"

"Ruby's my little sister. I'm supposed to protect her. But now she and Weiss are stronger than I'll ever be. I guess…" Yang trailed off.

"You guess what?" Blake asked.

Yang wished she hadn't said anything. She hated herself for even thinking what she was about to say next. "Mom must have loved Ruby more than me if Ruby was her final thought."

"Yang!" Blake said. "You can't believe that!"

"You're right. I don't really," Yang said. "I guess I still just want to be the strong one."

"You are strong," Blake said. "Don't ever think you're not. And Ruby will always need you to be her sister."

"Yeah, I guess she will," Yang said. "Thanks, Blake."

"Come on," Blake said. "Let's not keep everyone standing around worrying."

Yang nodded. She and Blake walked back over to the group. Ruby was firmly holding on to Weiss's hand, and she did indeed look worried. Weiss, however, looked more relieved than concerned. She said, "Glad you two worked things out."

"Wait," Yang said. "You could hear us over there?"

"No," Weiss said. "But your auras appear much more emotionally calm now."

"Uh…what?" Yang asked, very confused. "You can…see our auras?"

"I'm not sure if 'see' is the right word for it," Weiss said. "But yes. Ever since I became a Maiden."

Yang and Blake glanced at each other. Blake was obviously just as befuddled as Yang. She said, "That's…useful."

Ruby said, "Wait, wait, wait! You mean seeing auras isn't normal?"

Yang asked, "You can see them too, Rubes? Since when?"

"Since forever!" Ruby said. "I thought everyone could!"

Weiss said, "You have technically been a Maiden for most of your life. It would make sense that you've had that ability, and that you'd assume everyone else had it as well."

Ruby looked at Yang and Blake. Her mouth opened and closed several times. Finally, she asked, "You two really can't see auras?"

"Nope," Yang said.

"But, but…" Ruby said, visibly upset. "Auras make everyone so beautiful!"

Yang smiled fondly at Ruby. This certainly explained a few things. She'd always known her sister was special, and oh boy had she been right.

It was then that Qrow said, "If we're all done gabbing about the beauty of life and all that garbage, we've got Cinder to worry about." He was just putting his flask back into his pocket. He looked a bit unsteady on his feet. Yang didn't know if it was even possible to get drunk so quickly, but Qrow certainly looked like he'd given it his best try. She supposed she couldn't blame him right now. He had been friends with her dad longer than she'd been alive.

Ironwood said, "Qrow is right. We've all seen firsthand how great a threat Cinder has become, but we haven't lost this war just yet."

Ruby's expression hardened. She asked, "We are going to get her, right? She's got…she's got Dad and…and…!"

Weiss took Ruby into her arms before Ruby could break down crying. "We're going to get her, Ruby," she said. She looked at Ironwood. "Isn't that correct."

Ironwood cast his eyes to the ground, but then he looked up again and said, "You've all fought admirably thus far. I know we can still succeed. But Cinder has grown too powerful for us to make any further mistakes. Whatever our next move is, it must be effective and decisive."

Ruby patted Weiss, and then she pulled herself out of Weiss's hug. "I've been thinking about that," she said, wiping a few tears from the corners of her eyes. "We've never really fought Cinder at our best. Now that Weiss and me really know how to use our powers, maybe we can take her on. Both of us together!"

Weiss said, "You do have a point. But it can't possibly be that simple."

Yang said, "Maybe it can. We only have to win one fight with her. What if we just hit her with everything we've got?"

"There's a problem with that," Blake said. "Cinder hasn't really gone all out yet either. She has the grimm on her side. She could potentially have an army to back her up anytime she wanted to."

Ironwood said, "Then we need an army too. I don't have one at my disposal anymore, but I do have a complement of my finest men and women, and a ship. Neither of those can stand against Cinder, but they could keep the grimm at bay."

Weiss said, "If we are going to go all out. We should ensure that it really is all out. There must be more resources we can use. We're not the only ones who want to see Cinder defeated."

Qrow muttered, "It's too bad my sister is too stubborn to give us a hand."

Ironwood added, "And the Mistralian military won't assist us either, but I may still be able to make further contributions. I've brought some experimental equipment with me that Atlas's research and development teams have been working on. It's all on my ship."

Ruby said, "I know some people who will help too!"

Weiss asked, "You do?"

"Yup!" Ruby said proudly. "Team RWBY isn't the only team I've been on you know."

"It isn't?" Weiss asked.

"It sure isn't!" Ruby said, but she offered no further explanation.

Blake said, "Then it sounds like we know what we need to do. Unless there's anyone else we know who could help."

Yang's hand absently slid over her pocket where her scroll was. "Yeah," she said. "I know one more person."

"Really?" Ruby asked. "Who?"

"I'll tell you," Yang said. "But you're not going to like it."

PART IV

According to the maps, the dreary backwater that Team RWBY had ended up in was called Hokori. It had taken them a day and a half to travel there from where Raven had left them, and Yang wasn't sure the journey had been worth it. Hokori was one of the most distinctly unpleasant towns that she'd ever seen. As Yang understood it, the town had grown up alongside a neighboring Dust mine. But the mine had run dry years ago, and the local economy had never recovered. Yang was surprised that the grimm hadn't destroyed the place by now. Mistral was too large of a kingdom for its military and huntsmen to protect all of it, even when there wasn't a fairy-tale monster on a rampage. They had to pick and choose their battles, and this town just wasn't important anymore.

Yang and Blake were standing side by side in a vacant, trash-strewn lot that was surrounded by neglected buildings. Qrow and Ironwood had gone to rally the soldiers that Ironwood had brought with him from Atlas, and Ruby and Weiss were absent, but Yang and Blake weren't alone per se. The lot seemed to be a gathering place of sorts for the lowly. Scavengers, transients, and other easily forgotten people were all milling about the area. Yang, however, wasn't paying them any mind. The only person who concerned her at the moment, besides Blake, was the person she'd come here to meet.

Blake let out a strained breath. Sweat was starting to bead on her forehead. Yang glanced at her. "Are you sure you can handle this?" she asked.

Blake nodded her head yes, not wasting any energy speaking.

A worried look crossed Yang's face. She wasn't sure if the plan they'd come up with was brilliant or crazy, but either way, she didn't like the stress it was putting on Blake. If something didn't happen soon, Yang was ready to call the whole thing off.

Fortunately, Yang didn't have to wait much longer. She spotted a woman walking up. The woman's clothes were Mistralian in style, but she was obviously an outsider. She exuded a confidence that didn't belong in this place. Her hair color was different from the last time Yang had seen her, and her eyes were green now, but Yang would recognize Neo anywhere.

Neo had her parasol in hand. She was resting it on her shoulder as she swaggered up to Yang and Blake. When she drew close, she stopped and stood there, staring at Yang with a smirk on her face.

Yang's fists clenched together. She didn't know what it was about Neo, but just being in her presence made Yang feel like she was being mocked. She had an intense desire to punch Neo in the face, but that would be counterproductive, and if the past was anything to go by, difficult.

Yang said, "I didn't think you'd show."

Neo put her hand into her pocket. Yang dropped back on one foot and brought her arms up defensively, but all Neo did was pull out a scroll. She opened it up and typed something into it.

The scroll in Yang's pocket buzzed, indicating that it'd received a message. Yang lowered her arms. She scowled and said, "I'm not playing that game with you."

Neo rolled her eyes. She typed something else into her scroll. Yang's pocket buzzed again.

Yang gritted her teeth, but she pulled out her scroll and opened it up. There were two messages on it.

Maybe I'm just flattered you still have my number, hot stuff.

Then this is going to be a really one-sided conversation.

While Yang was reading the messages, a third one popped up.

See? Isn't that better? Can you hear me alright, or do I need to speak up?

Yang felt her temper rising, but she managed to restrain it. She asked, "Do you want to know why I messaged you or not?"

Do tell.

"We're going to fight Cinder," Yang said.

Don't you mean you've fought Cinder? And from what I hear, all you did was make her stronger. How's the Ice Queen's sister doing, by the way?

"Don't talk like you know anything about that, you little—!" Yang started shouting, but she was interrupted by a muffled whimper from Blake.

Neo looked quizzically at Blake.

Your friend there looks like she's going to throw up. I hope she's not contagious.

Yang realized that she needed to come to the point, and quickly for Blake's sake. She said to Neo, "Don't worry about Blake. All you need to know is that we're going after Cinder again, and you're going to help us."

Neo actually looked surprised. Her smug grin faded for a second or two before returning.

Seriously!? Did Cinder beat what little brains you had out of you? Why would I work with a bunch of screwups like you?

"Because I'm not giving you a choice," Yang said.

Neo laughed, or rather, she pantomimed a laugh. But no sound came out of her.

And how are you going to make me do anything?

Yang grinned. She'd known that Neo was going to make this hard. In fact, she'd been counting on it. She said, "For starters, I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine."

Suddenly, Yang and Blake vanished into thin air.

Over on a rooftop overlooking the vacant lot, Yang watched with great satisfaction as alarm registered on Neo's face. Blake, who was standing next to Yang, doubled-over and sucked in a few heavy breaths.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Yang asked.

"Y…yes," Blake said. "Did…did it work?"

"It worked," Yang said. She put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "You did awesome. Don't worry, we got the rest."

Yang hadn't known that Blake was capable of sustaining two clones, one of which didn't even look like her, for so long from so far a distance. However, Blake had insisted that she'd done it before. It had clearly taken everything she had, but she'd delivered.

Down in the vacant lot, Neo had shoved her scroll back into her pocket. She was holding up her parasol, and her eyes were darting every which way, trying to spot any danger that might be lurking nearby.

Right on cue, a red blur streaked across the lot, scattering rose peddles as it sped by. Neo's head snapped around, but Ruby was already long gone. Ruby's dramatic entrance and exit weren't lost on the other people milling about either. Even if they were slow to react, they clearly recognized trouble when they saw it. Some of them started clearing out of the area.

Neo backed away slowly from where she'd last seen Ruby. Yang continued to watch her. Neo wasn't quite heading in the direction Yang wanted her to go, but that was okay. Yang was prepared to give Neo a little nudge. She took a few steps back. Then she sprinted toward the edge of the roof. She pushed off with her feet, leaping high into the air, and landed in a three-point position behind Neo.

Neo jumped in surprise. She spun around in time to see Yang rising to her feet. All of the other people in the lot, save for a few stragglers, scattered to safety. Neo, however, stood her ground.

Yang projected as much menace as she could. Neo had definitely been unnerved, but she wasn't backing down. It looked for a moment like she might even attack Yang, but all of a sudden, the wind picked up. Weiss came descending from the sky, held aloft by the winds she was generating with her power. She touched down as light as a feather and drew her sword.

"Go ahead," Yang said to Neo. "Try it. I like my odds."

For good measure, Weiss let her power dance over her aura until she was shimmering with energy. Neo took a step back. Then she turned and ran.

Yang and Weiss didn't pursue Neo. They didn't need to.

Neo ran for the nearest escape route, which just so happened to send her heading toward the last three forgettable nobodies who were loitering around. Neo wasn't paying any attention to them, but then Ren dropped his semblance. Suddenly, he, Jaune, and Nora weren't so effortlessly easy to ignore. And they were all blocking Neo's path with weapons at the ready.

Neo scrambled to a halt. Jaune pointed at her with his sword. He said, "Nora! Ren! Flower Power!"

Ren lunged forward, and Nora leaped into the air. Ren struck at Neo with his pistols' blades. Neo easily parried the attacks, but then Nora came plunging for her, hammer first.

Ren, perfectly in tune with Nora, jumped aside at the last second. Neo didn't have any such luck. Still, her instincts and reflexes were so finely honed that she managed to avoid a direct blow from Nora's hammer by a hair's breadth. The giant mallet crashed into the ground. As agile as Neo was, however, she couldn't dodge out of the way of the resultant shock waves, and they knocked her off her feet.

Neo sprung back up immediately, but not before Jaune came charging in. He attempted to slam his shield into Neo, but she jumped into the air and kicked off of him, putting some distance between herself and her attackers. Jaune wasn't so easily dissuaded, however. He ran for Neo again and swung at her with his sword.

Jaune's swordsmanship had improved by leaps and bounds since he'd left Beacon Academy to travel with Ruby, but he was still no match for the likes of Neo. She easily slapped his sword out of the way with her parasol. Then in the same deft motion, she drew the hidden blade from its handle.

To Jaune's credit, he recognized the deadly threat that Neo represented. He tried in vain to use his shield to protect himself, but Neo literally danced around him and sent her blade slicing for his neck.

Jaune shut his eyes, but then his semblance manifested itself. A bright flash of light shone out from him. It repulsed Neo's blade, knocking her off balance. Suddenly, Ruby zipped up. Jaune hadn't even opened his eyes yet, but Ruby grabbed onto him and said, "Come on, Jaune!"

"Wha…?" Jaune managed to get out before Ruby pulled him away at super speeds.

A few feet away, Weiss was pointing her sword directly at Neo. Bolts of electricity were dancing over its blade, making the air around Myrtenaster hum with power. The moment Jaune and Ruby were clear, Weiss let loose the massive charge of electricity. Neo's eyes turned white, but it was too late for her to do anything. The electric torrent surged forward and struck her squarely in the chest.

Neo let out a silent scream. She was flung backward and landed hard on the ground. The illusion she'd been projecting over herself shattered, revealing her multicolored hair, and a brown and white winter coat with pink trim.

Yang started walking toward Neo. But before she closed the distance, Neo pulled herself to her feet, albeit much more slowly this time. Yang was surprised that Neo could even stand after taking a hit like that, but it seemed she wasn't down for the count just yet.

Yang said, "So are you ready to help us? Or do we still have to do this the hard way?"

Neo smirked at Yang. She took an exaggerated step backward, and simultaneously, she vanished from sight as she used her semblance to turn invisible.

Yang shouted, "Ruby! Weiss! Now!"

Ruby came speeding up in front of Weiss. She ran in a tight circle, kicking up a cyclone of loose dirt. Weiss thrust her hand forward. A gale of wind sprung forth and scattered the dirt across the lot in a billow, revealing a Neo-shaped outline.

Jaune called out, "Nora!"

"Right!" Nora said. She folded back her hammer into its grenade launcher mode and gleefully saturated the area with explosions, cackling with mad laughter all the while.

The hollow silhouette of Neo ducked and dodged, but there was nowhere for her to run. She was pelted by concussive blasts from Nora's grenades, quickly becoming visible again as her semblance failed.

Nora's magazine ran dry. Neo was wobbling back and forth, disoriented but still on her feet. Weiss thrust a pair of fingers at Neo, and a black glyph formed around her. It clamped down on Neo's waist and pinned her arms at her sides.

Neo struggled, but she couldn't free herself. Yang marched right up to her. All of the pain and frustration that Neo had delighted in inflicting on her came bubbling up to the surface. Yang's eyes turned red as her semblance ignited. She cocked back her fist and let loose all of her rage in the form of a punch right to Neo's head. Yang's fist plowed through what little was left of Neo's aura and soundly knocked her unconscious.

Yang let out a breath. She was not ashamed to admit how incredibly satisfying that punch had felt.

"Time to wake up, small-fry," Yang said.

Neo was lying on the ground, slowly coming to. Teams RWBY and JNPR, including Blake, were all surrounding her. Her hands were tied behind her back with Gambol Shroud's ribbon, something much sturdier than any rope, and Blake had a firm hold on the sword the ribbon was attached to.

Yang was holding Neo's parasol in her hand. She poked Neo with it a few times. "Come on. Wake up," she said.

Neo twitched, and her eyes pried themselves open. She looked around, taking stock of the situation. Then she managed to shove herself up into a sitting position with her elbows.

Yang pointed Neo's parasol at her. "It's time for you and me to have a talk. For real this time."

To Yang's utter disbelief, Neo's smug grin returned. It seemed that not even being beaten unconscious could repress her.

Neo lifted her head, exposing her neck. Her eyes flicked downward a few times in an effort to point something out to Yang.

Yang frowned. She cautiously stepped forward. Then she ran her flesh-and-blood hand along Neo's neck and felt something. Upon closer inspection, she found some old and faded scars right where Neo's larynx was.

Yang took a step back. "You have got to be kidding me. You really can't talk?" she asked. She had no idea if she should feel infuriated or horrified. Neo was not a good person, but Yang understood all too well what it felt like to be injured in a way you could never completely recover from.

Neo shrugged at Yang. Her eyes flicked down to her pocket where Yang knew her scroll was. She cocked her head to the side, as if asking Yang a question, and smiled at Yang with a very self-satisfied look.

Yang's frown deepened. She glanced around at her companions. Ruby nodded her approval.

Yang didn't like the idea of untying Neo, but they weren't going to get anywhere otherwise. She was fairly certain that Neo wasn't going to try anything. She was disarmed and outnumbered seven-to-one.

"Blake?" Yang asked.

Blake reached down and untied Neo's hands, then she quickly took a step back. She kept Gambol Shroud ready, just in case.

Neo rubbed her wrists. Then she stood up and pulled her scroll out of her pocket.

Yang took out her own scroll as well. It buzzed just as soon as Neo had finished typing.

Isn't learning about other people so much fun? Are we best friends now?

"Look," Yang said. "All I care about is beating Cinder."

And you still think I'm going to help you?

"You still think you have a choice!?" Yang asked.

I sure do! Watch this. No, I'm not going to help you. Now what are you going to do?

"Ironwood's here from Atlas," Yang threatened. "After what you did in Vale, I'm sure he'd be happy to lock you up forever."

Boring. What else you got?

Yang's frustration began to boil over. Even after finally beating Neo, it still felt like she was losing to her.

Ruby looked at Yang. She said, "Let me try."

Oh yes. Please let her try. I could use a laugh.

Strangely, Neo's taunt actually soothed Yang's frustration. Neo was making the same mistake that so many had foolishly made before her; she was underestimating Ruby. Yang handed her scroll to Ruby and said, "She's all yours."

Ruby looked at the scroll and then at Neo and then back to the scroll.

What's the matter? Scared of little old me?

"No," Ruby said. "But I am scared for you."

What is that supposed to mean?

"I was there," Ruby said solemnly. "I saw Roman die with my own eyes. And I know what it feels like to lose someone you care about."

Neo's smile vanished from her face. She began angrily tapping at her scroll's screen.

Don't pretend like you understand me.

"But I do understand," Ruby said with all sincerity. "You're here to get justice for his death. We're here to get justice for our friends at Beacon who didn't make it. We all want the same thing. And we're going to have to work together to get it."

You're even more insufferably naïve than I thought.

"But…we are!" Ruby said. "It's the only way to beat Cinder!"

Weiss spoke up. "This is a waste of our time. Let's just forget about her. If she had a plan to defeat Cinder she would have done it already."

Tell the princess she couldn't be more wrong.

Ruby tilted Yang's scroll so that Weiss could see. Weiss said. "So you do have a plan. I thought so. What a shame it would be if we had to stop you."

Neo frowned.

You wouldn't dare stop me from taking down Cinder.

"Wouldn't we?" Weiss asked. "Surely your plan would have a better chance for success if we worked with you, rather than against you."

Neo stood there for a moment. She looked like she was thinking something over. Then her grin slowly returned. She typed something into her scroll.

Tell me, Schnee. What are you willing to do to stop Cinder?

"Anything I have to," Weiss said. "I've already sacrificed everything to get this far."

Not yet you haven't. Rich brats like you don't know what sacrifice is. If you're going to "help" me, I want to know you're not going to flake out at the last minute.

"Then let me make myself perfectly clear," Weiss said. "I will do whatever it takes to stop Cinder."

Neo's smile grew downright sinister.

I was hoping you'd say that. Alright, you're in. I'll tell you how I'm going to stop Cinder. Even better, I'll show you. And if you're really, really lucky, you'll still be alive when it comes time to take the bitch down.

Ruby passed Yang's scroll around so that everyone could read what Neo had typed. She asked, "What does everyone think?"

Yang flipped Neo's parasol around in her hand and held it out to its rightful owner. "It's like Weiss said. Whatever it takes."

Author's Note: So I'm pretty sure I'm stretching what Ren's semblance is capable of, but frankly, I don't think it's all that impressive otherwise. I guess it's situationally effective against the grimm? I suppose there's nothing that says everyone's semblance has to be useful. Hmmm. Now I kind of want to see a RWBY character with a totally pointless semblance. And then, of course, I want to see them find a way to make use of it. Now unlike Ren, Blake's extra ordinary use of her semblance here does have some precedent in canon, i.e. the end of Volume 3.

It's probably really obvious now, but I like the idea that Neo is actually mute. It was hard to come up with an easy way for Yang to figure that out. Psychological issues like, for example, selective mutism don't exactly leave a lot of physical clues, and I didn't want it to be something gross like Neo having her tongue cut out. So tiny scars hinting at an ugly past trauma it is!

Now that we've gotten to know canon Raven a little bit better, I'm amused that she's basically doing the exact opposite of what my version of Raven is doing. Hey, that's what fanfiction exists for, right? To explore new possibilities? Well that and to pair up your favorite characters.

And speaking of canon Raven, I'm still live blogging Volume 5 over on my tumblr (electronicyarn). Come check it out before the volume is over.

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.