Hi, so...it's been a while lol. I don't really have an excuse for it - I just needed to step away for a bit after the entirety of Run and then this. It was daunting. Foxtrot has been a great reprieve and I promise that I am still writing it and will finish it. I just wanted to get back into this too because it deserves a proper ending as well.
So we start back up with Search. There will be more coming very soon (I'll probably alternate updates per week. Next week Foxtrot, then this the following. Though Foxtrot will finish well before this series does)
Anyway, thank you for reading and for your patience and continued support. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
"So how long has it been?" Yang leaned against the frame of the door as she watched Nora dig through her closet and pull out Magnhild. She studied the way Nora moved, the delicacy with which she lifted her hammer and knew it had been a while.
Nora laughed softly. "Way too long!" She cried before running her hand over the weapon. "Three years probably?" Her voice was much more reserved than usual with that sentence and she smiled sadly. "I put her in here to get her out of the way, I told myself over and over and over again that I'd take her out at least once a week to go train and run through the woods. Even if I was just smashing it into the ground I was going to give my girl a good workout."
"Then life got in the way?" Yang asked the question she already knew the answer too and Nora nodded. "Don't feel bad – after Beacon fell I think most of us were hesitant to get back out there. I know I was."
"But you're here now!" Nora boasted as her energy seemed to come back. "You look strong and have that cool, fancy, high tech arm and you even managed to snag yourself a little pu—"
"Ah!" Yang cut her off hastily. "Nora, I've missed you, but if you finish that sentence I might have to throw you out the window."
"Or I will!" Blake's voice rang from downstairs where she was helping Ren with his packing. Probably helping Ren more than Yang was helping Nora.
Yang took in the look of horror on Nora's face. "Well, she does have four ears."
"Yeah what is that like? I mean…do they all work? Are the human ears just for show? Oh! Are they fake?! Did she glue them on to blend in and now they're just stuck there and she can't get them off?"
"They're very real and they can hear you, Nora!" Blake hollered again and Yang smiled. Blake was still Blake in so many ways. She was reserved and quiet – sometimes she could be distant. She still tried to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders and every problem in the world seemed to be her own.
Yet, for as much as Blake was the same, she'd changed as well. She found more humor in the world and the main thing Yang noticed, Blake smiled more. While she doubted Blake was smiling now, seeing it more often was everything for Yang. It was comforting and welcoming – it was beautiful. More so than anything else, it was reassuring.
Reassuring to Yang that she was doing okay – that Blake was happy and had no intention of running away.
A dangerous thought that still lingered in the back of Yang's mind every day.
"Okay, found my hammer – I assume Rennie has all he needs. You ready to go?"
"You two are the ones leaving your home behind – when you're ready, we'll be ready."
Nora sighed and looked around their bedroom once more. It was definitely a space that had a very temporary feel to it. Nothing in this room spoke of Ren and Nora. There were no pictures on the walls, no unique decorations or even furniture that looked like it wasn't already here when they moved in.
When Nora moved to stand next to her, Yang understood that Nora didn't have any real attachment to this home. "We're ready – we should go see our kids at the school though."
"Yeah what's the story with that? Who's going to run it now?"
Nora frowned and Yang finally saw what was keeping them here. "We have other teachers that help us so they'll be taking over. They've assured us that they're going to keep doing what Ren wants and letting kids who need a place to go have one. They better or I'll come back here with my hammer and…well…you remember."
"Break their legs?" Yang smirked and Nora nodded furiously.
"I will destroy those legs, Yang! Turn them into mush!"
Throwing her arm over Nora's shoulder, Yang guided her out of the room. "Come on then, let's go see your kiddos."
"You were a huntress?!" One of the boys at the school had said this at least four times as he took in the sight of Nora's weapon as she showed it off for everyone and continued to try and coax Ren into doing the same.
Ren refused, again, because his was too sharp and too dangerous. Instead he told them stories of some of the Grimm he'd seen and how he was going to get back to helping people.
Yang and Blake hung back, standing in the doorway as Ren and Nora worked their magic with these kids. Kids had always come easy to Yang – probably because she raised her own when she was five years old. Ruby was her responsibility after Summer died and her father shut down. So for Yang it was do or die and she wasn't about to let Ruby not make it through. Perhaps it was wrong of her to take on so much at such a young age. Maybe it did mess her up as she got older, but she wouldn't go back and not do everything she'd done then. If anything, she'd do it better and push her father even more to drag himself out of bed and help her.
Yang never had a Ren or a Nora to go to and find support – so seeing them with these kids made her want to grab Blake and run so they didn't take away these kids' support system.
"Just remember that we need them," Blake whispered to Yang and drew her attention. "I see the look on your face and I know what you're thinking."
Rolling her eyes, Yang bumped Blake's hip with her own. "Stay out of my head."
"It's kind of hard to, you project a lot through those big eyes of yours."
Yang sighed. "They're so good with them and these kids seem to really love them."
"They do," Blake observed and crossed her arms a little tighter. "And they can come back if they wish after we're done but for now we need them to help deal with all of this and make sure there's a safe world for these kids to grow up in."
There was more to Yang's argument that she decided to keep to herself. In the end, she knew Blake was right – they needed help. Still, safety was so narrow for kids and it really only mattered by what was around them. The world was safe when Yang grew up. There was no impending threat and the Grimm were controlled. But because she grew up without a mother and with a father who'd lost hope – Yang's childhood was scary and uncertain. At times it didn't feel safe at all and she didn't want to see any of these kids growing up like that. Especially not if she was the one taking their safety away from them.
Her fingers suddenly danced across the cool metal of her right arm and she was hit with a wave of uncertainty that nearly overwhelmed her. Her legs were shaky as she thought about how dangerous this life was – of all the thing she'd lost or had never come back to her. Was it really right to ask these two to return to that?
"I uh – I have to use the bathroom." Yang backed up to the door and ignored Blake's worried look.
"Okay? Do you know where it—"
"I do," Yang interrupted and quickly left to find a bit of reprieve from the scene of Ren and Nora talking to their kids. She jogged quickly through the hallway and slipped into the tiny bathroom stall. She was pretty sure she'd stumbled into the kid's bathroom but she just needed some quiet.
These were the moments when she wished she was back home with her garden. As much as Yang didn't want to admit it, she was scared – terrified. It wasn't even for herself – after all she'd had moments after Beacon where she thought death might take away her misery. She never wanted to die, but she certainly wasn't afraid of it.
No, Yang was afraid of living. Living in a world where Ruby had died, or Blake, or Weiss. Where the blood in the streets was blood on her hands for dragging more people into this fight.
Her stomach twisted with guilt as she closed her eyes and took a few breaths to try and calm down. As she turned on the sink, Yang pooled a bit of water in her hand and pushed it into her face.
When she was younger and the idea of being a huntress was nothing more than the fantasy of fighting with monsters and living a life of adventure, Yang never wanted anything else. It seemed so cool. With all the stories her uncle would tell her and the things she would read about in the texts. She never really wondered about the other side of it – never questioned why her uncle drank so much or why her father was always quieter when he'd come back from a hunt.
This life was filled with adventure and excitement but that all came with an incredibly steep price – one that they had all paid in some way.
Only when her own price had been paid and nearly drown her, did she realize that it wasn't a fantasy at all – it was a sacrifice.
Shaking her head to try and rid herself of the negative thoughts, Yang turned the faucet off and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked and felt so much better than she had just months earlier and with her new arm, she actually was a useful part of the team again.
That didn't mean her fears were gone. It didn't remove the doubt in her mind that something might happen to her or to Blake or Weiss and Ruby. They'd suffered so much when Beacon fell – Yang wasn't sure she could handle another five-year recovery if they lost another battle.
"We have a three-minute bathroom rule," Ren spoke through the door and Yang grinned. "If you take longer then three minutes we check to make sure you're okay."
"What if a kid is taking a massive poop?" She couldn't help herself and enjoyed the sound of Ren laughing.
"Well then they let us know and we leave them alone." Yang really had missed Ren and Nora both – even if they didn't spend as much time together as they did with their own teams, Yang always considered Ren an important part of her life. They trained together a lot and he helped her work on her flexibility and channeling her aura to release it at more opportune times. Lie Ren was a good person, plain and simple and Yang was glad to have him back in her life. "Are you currently…doing that?"
Yang laughed and opened the door. "Nope!" She put her hands behind her back and tilted her head as he rolled his eyes. "Just doing some thinking. Trying to keep a clear head before we go."
"Something on your mind?"
She shrugged. "Always, but it's nothing important. Just…stresses of the job, I suppose."
Ren crossed his arms and Yang could tell that he wasn't about to let that go. She was mad at herself for not hiding it better. "It's not good to keep those stresses inside. If you like, I'd be welcome to listening to whatever is on your mind."
"You mean as you come along with us back to places you don't even know about for missions you have no knowledge of?"
This made him shrug. "I trust you, and Blake."
"It's dangerous, Ren. You and Nora seem to have something really great here."
He nodded and she watched him take in the surroundings. This building was seemingly built on the memories he and Nora had put together. There were pictures of them with so many kids, doing so many things. The ceilings had makings and art literally drawn onto the walls. It was warm and safe, it felt like a home and Yang hated that she was dragging them away from it.
"We do and we have for many years. Nora and I have built a life, but we also understand how fragile that life is. We were there when Beacon fell – we lost a teammate."
Yang grimaced, they had not told Ren and Nora about Pyrrha yet because it was something you really had to see to believe. She wasn't sure how they would react because Pyrrha wasn't exactly Pyrrha anymore. Even though she was back they had still lost her and still spent the last five years grieving her and that wasn't anything that could magically be erased.
The pain of losing something doesn't go away, even if that something is given back to you.
"It always comes back to Beacon, doesn't it?"
Ren nodded. "It always will – that day defined our futures."
"This could be your future."
"It would be too hard for us to sit back and refuse your offer knowing that there is something coming. If it is as you say, enough to track us down and ask for help, we both agreed we couldn't stay behind. We want to help, Yang. That's nothing for you to feel guilt over."
Yang frowned. "We could have not told you at all. Let you continue this blissful life."
"To read in the news one day that more of our friends had been taken in a war we didn't contribute to? I prefer this alternative."
"What makes you think we would die?" She wasn't sure why she asked – she knew exactly why they could die. Perhaps she needed more reassurance.
Ren shrugged. "I'm not one to be arrogant, but I do believe your chances of survival will increase with our added presence."
"Gonna save my life, Ren?" Yang smirked and crossed her arms with a hint of defiance.
He simply put his hands behind his back and bowed. "It would be my honor, Yang Xiao Long."
Yang never had trouble sleeping on airships or in cars – basically any form of travel could put her to sleep. The airship that Winter had booked them on was pretty fancy compared to what Yang was used to. First class on these things always seemed so silly to her – as if you needed a warm towel or a slightly bigger bag of peanuts to eat. That's what she assumed it was from the vids but the truth was so much better and all about the leg room.
There was so much leg room.
Peeking one eye open, she looked over at Blake beside her and saw that her partner was intently reading one of the biggest books Yang had ever seen and doing that adorable thing she did where her tongue stuck out through her lips as she concentrated.
With a turn of her head, she saw that Ren was doing the same, reading, but with Nora laying across the chair with her head on his shoulder fast asleep. Yang wondered how he put up with her – not that she was a problem, she was just so in the moment and wild and Ren seemed so reserved. It was…
A bit like looking in a mirror, Yang thought before refocusing back on Blake.
Blake had put up with a lot from Yang – the jokes and the teasing. Once Yang opened back up to Blake completely and let her guard down, it was easy to fall into the old habits.
Still, Blake didn't seem to mind, if anything her face would light up when Yang would tickle her or tease her. Being with Blake now was more than Yang ever could have hoped for. Even the days when she was alone in Patch and actually let herself wonder what it might be like to actually have Blake in her life again, it was never like this.
Reaching up, Yang brushed her thumb gently across the back of Blake's left ear and stroked the soft…
"Is this fur or hair?" She asked in a quiet voice while continuing her ministrations.
She watched as Blake placed a finger on the page of her book to hold her place and a pair of yellow eyes turned to her. "The ears are fur; the hair is…hair."
"Huh," Yang couldn't help but notice how Blake moved into her touch. "Well they're the softest things I've ever felt and I kind of love them."
"Huh, so you have an ear fetish – noted."
Yang rolled her eyes. "Don't make it weird."
"You're the one petting me."
"Don't make it creepy."
Blake shrugged. "I must enjoy it; I keep coming back."
Yang couldn't stop herself, she leaned across the chair and kissed Blake's temple. "And I appreciate that." She then pulled away and stood up. "I'm going to use the restroom but when I get back we're gonna curl up and nap until we get back to the others."
"Guess I better finish my book then." Blake said before returning to her gigantic book and making Yang chuckle.
Slipping through the aisle, Yang made her way to the bathroom and stopped as she was met with someone waiting in front of the door. Throwing her head back, she sighed. "Looks like first class has to deal with bathroom lines just like everyone else, huh?" She said to the woman in front of her.
The woman's shoulders tightened. "Guess so," she said in a raspy and forced voice without turning around. Not everyone was up for random conversations with strangers – Yang just found it easier to get through the day when she tried.
Instead of forcing the conversation, Yang decided to examine this person in front of her. She was extremely well built and stood with a presence of someone who knew how to fight. Yang took in the mass of her arms and shoulders and how thick her back was. This was a fighter – Yang wasn't sure what kind, but this woman had seen battle before.
As the wait seemed to carry on, Yang felt someone move in behind her and glanced back as another woman came up to the line. This one was about four inches taller than her and Yang immediately caught sight of the fact that she had her hand tucked into her jacket pocket and was doing her best not to look anywhere near Yang.
The alarm bells went off immediately. From the woman in front who wouldn't turn around to this one who wouldn't look down at her – Yang felt a sense of dread and slowly reached for her scroll. She didn't pull it out of her pocket because she didn't want to draw any attention to it, but she knew how to get to her recent calls without looking and only hoped the last person she called was Blake.
"So," she could hear the outgoing ring in her pocket. "Person in there must be taking a pretty big dump." She turned around to face the woman behind her and was about to make a move when something wrapped around her neck from behind.
Yang felt her throat seize and was jerked backwards towards the door. The second woman came up and quickly shoved the three of them into the bathroom and that's when Yang realized there was no one actually in here – this was all a set up.
She felt a barrage of fists land on her stomach and ribs, knocking the breath out of her. With the tension around her neck, she couldn't make any audible noises but only hoped Blake had answered and could hear the struggle.
Fights never really scared Yang but this one was different because she couldn't breathe and with that she was unable to use her semblance to draw power from the blows being struck on her. Instead, her vision started to blur and she could feel her feet starting to numb as she faded.
Blake might not be coming. She might not have called Blake at all – she had to do something.
With all she had, Yang threw her elbow back and felt it crash against something soft. The tension around her neck loosened and she used that moment of reprieve to throw all of her body weight back and sent the woman behind her crashing into the wall.
That still left the giant in front of her and Yang was suddenly grabbed by the hair and slammed, face first, into the sink that shattered on the contact. Her aura took most of the hit, but the impact still made her dizzy.
She sent a kick up and caught the giant in the stomach before pushing to her feet and throwing her prosthetic fist directly into her jaw. It shattered through any aura on impact and sent her assailant to the ground.
Movement behind her grabbed Yang's attention and suddenly she felt something move over her head. Raising her hand up, she caught the tie around her neck just before it locked in again and held it away from her throat. A pair of knee strikes hit her lower back but Yang reacted and caught the leg when the third attempt came. She pulled her attackers legs right out from under her and sent her crashing to the ground. With the leg still in hand, Yang twisted it just right and heard the ankle snap and a scream bellow out.
One down
The other was slowly starting to stand again, blood pouring from her mouth and fury in her eyes. If it was possible, this made her even more intimidating.
Yang was still a little loopy and had a mouthful of blood, but she raised her hands, ready to fight when suddenly a hammer smacked the woman on the side of the head and knocked her out completely.
There stood Nora, hammer out and look of annoyance on her face.
"Nora," Yang panted and lowered her fists. "Did – did I call you?"
"What?" Nora waved her off. "No, I just really had to pee."
Exhaling, Yang fell to a knee and spit the blood from her mouth.
"Yang!" There she was. "What happened? Oh no, who…what?"
Yang shrugged. "These bathroom lines are a real bitch." Blake was staring at her neck and Yang was sure it was bruised. She felt a cool hand touch a sensitive spot and hissed. "Ah, yeah…careful."
"I'm sorry." Blake pulled her hand away as if she'd been burned. "Who are they?" Blake asked as she looked over at the tall girl who was lying flat on her back. Blake stood up and stomped towards her before she started digging through the woman's pockets. Yang watched as she pulled out a wallet and flipped through in search of identification – having no qualms about privacy.
Blake was pissed and Yang loved it.
"Atlesian Specialists." Blake said as she displayed a military license of some kind. "How do you think they tracked us?"
Yang shrugged as Ren arrived with a wet rag and a few members of the airship staff who were freaking out about the damages and the bodies on the ground. Yang ignored them, instead opting to wipe the blood from her mouth. "I don't know, but if they knew where we were going then they know where we came from and that means it's not safe. Call Winter and figure out our next step. We can't stay there."
As Yang tried to clean her face, Blake nodded before putting down the woman's wallet and trotting over to her. She knelt down and took the cloth from Yang's hand. "Let me," she said before dabbing it softly along Yang's lips. "You bruised up really bad, why didn't you use your aura?"
"Kinda hard when you can't breathe. I was too slow – guess I'm not as combat ready as I hoped."
Blake sighed. "I don't think any of us are."
"Suppose we better turn up the training when we get to our next spot, huh?"
"Wouldn't hurt," Blake finished her cleaning and stared into Yang's eyes. "Are you okay?"
Yang noted the tone of genuine worry in Blake's voice and dropped any perceived smirk from her face and gave a truthful nod. "I'm okay."
With that, Blake stood and pulled Yang up with her. "Come on, let's go take that nap."
"After all this? What if they get up?"
"Oh, I've got something for em if they do." Nora said with a deranged laugh as she spun her hammer.
"Ma'am, could you please not wield that on the airship?" One of the staff said and Blake winced when Nora dropped the hammer and the entire ship swayed.
Yang always getting into trouble. Thoughts?