Author's Note: Still alive, Baby! Sorry this took so long. Thanks again to my beta, Mr. Stark357. Enjoy.

P.S. I encourage anyone looking for inspiration or a short read to check out my newest bit of weirdness: "Story Ideas: To a Good Home." Basically, it's where I put short opening chapters to ideas I have that I either don't have time to flesh out into full stories or can't think of what to do with the ideas.

Also, check out the other version of "RWBY: Stars in the Night" published by Donnchadh Bracken. It's a prequel giving his idea of how Yang got drafted into joining the Legion of the Undead. Is it canon: don't know, but it's kind of fun. Give it a read!

P.P.S. I realized that in the Omake that "Captain America" probably doesn't make a lot of sense on Remnant. Oops.


Act I: Shadows Within Shadows

Chapter 6: Secrets shared

"C'mon Blake. You're gonna want to see this, trust me." Yang led the Werecat up the stairs, past the disapproving guards. The blond tried to ignore the warm feelings she got holding Blake's hand. Too bad the bond was probably broadcasting it loud and clear.

"Mind telling me where we're going?" The raven-haired girl asked.

Blake looked around the walkway. They were pressed up against a mountain. Off to the West, she could make out something that looked like a castle on the peak of a cliff. "Wait a minute . . . Is that Beacon Academy?" she asked.

Yang smiled her self-effacing smile. "Yep. I went there for almost a year, and I never realized I could see a Vampire fortress from my dorm room. I think. I can't actually remember what the angles were . . ."

"Yang," Blake said, trying to get the Vampire back on topic, "where are we? If that's Beacon, then isn't that wall behind us the KINGDOM Wall?"

"Yep," Yang said. "I asked about that too when I first arrived. Apparently this whole place used to be a military prison. They thought putting against the Kingdom Wall would make people happier about staying in their cells. Supposedly it ended pretty badly though."

"Fort Leaven-Worth," Blake whispered. "I've heard of it. The negative emotions of the prisoners and their guards (who weren't fond of fellow soldiers and Hunters who broke the rules) attracted large numbers of Grimm. They began laying siege to the Kingdom, until the Council discerned the root of the problem and moved the prison."

"Moved the inmates is more like it," Yang shrugged. "Couldn't exactly move the fort, could they? The Coven moved in after that. Changed the cells into rooms, rebuilt the mess hall and the infirmary, and had their slaves buy some pillows and lamps and things. That was before the Ice Queen was Master, so I don't think there's anyone still alive who knows all the details. Still, it's better than living in the sewers or a cave. Well, it's kind of like a cave, but with indoor plumbing, you know?"

Blake nodded. Now she understood how so many Vrykolakae could be hiding in one place unnoticed. This area of Vale was something of a ghetto; it still hadn't totally recovered from the siege. In fact, she thought as she gazed at the surrounding buildings, the Fort might be the best place to stay for miles. "Where does power come from then?" she asked.

"They got a couple of the old generators to run," Yang said. "That only powers the lights and some of the stuff in the Mess Hall and the Infirmary. We use batteries for everything else."

"And water?" Blake asked.

Yang shifted, "Well, uh . . .that's a bit more complicated."

"Let me guess; you tapped into the kingdom's water and sewer systems?"

"Well, yeah. A little, just the sewers, I think. We have our own source of water on site." At Blake's look she clarified. "There's an underground stream; it runs under the Fort and connects to the Kingdom's main pipes."

Blake nodded. Again, she was reluctantly impressed with the Vampires. The White Fang hadn't had nearly this nice a setup. "I'm surprised the Council hasn't moved to have this place secured, if there's a water source running under it."

Yang shrugged. "I hear that some slaves work in the Utilities Department. Maybe that has something to do with it."

Blake frowned at the reminder of her situation. Another thought occurred to her, though. "Yang, how is there enough food to feed all the slaves? Do all of them still work jobs? Wouldn't that draw attention? I mean, there must be missing persons reports for most of them."

"Actually, a bunch of slaves were homeless before they were enslaved," Yang said. "Or they were travelers, or the survivors of some nasty occurrence or another." She shrugged. "Not many people to miss them. Besides, only a few actually work, I think. Some of them are let out to shop occasionally, but not the ones people would notice. As for money, a few people had money of their own, and a few Vamps had cash hordes. They say the Ice Queen is loaded, but I don't know." Yang looked off to the horizon again. "Oh, look, here it comes."

"Here what—" Blake's thoughts were cut off as she felt Yang's excitement through the bond. It was powerful, nostalgic and triumphant, hopeful and longing. Blake turned to see what had her so worked up.

The Sun was peaking over the edge of the horizon.

Blake panicked. "What are you doing? The Sun's rising! Are you crazy?" Yang was just grinning at her like a loon. Blake pushed against the Vampire, trying to shove her back into the shadows. Was this Vampire suicidal? Blake was fairly certain she couldn't feel depression over the bond, if anything the Vampire was eager and a little confused. So, was the blond just insane?

The light struck Yang's face, and Blake felt the burning sensation as it danced across the blonde's exposed skin. Blake shoved harder, actually forcing Yang back a few steps. Blake felt a pair of strong arms on her shoulders.

"Blake, calm down."

Blake looked up at the voice to see Yang looking down at her. Calm, smiling Yang looking down at her with concern despite the fact that Blake wasn't the one who burst into flames in sunlight.

Except Yang wasn't burning at all. In fact she was . . . glowing?

Blake blinked once. Twice. She stopped shoving Yang to rub her eyes. Yang was not on fire. Yang was glowing. Yang was casually violating one of the most basic tenants of Vampire lore. "Yang . . . What?"

Yang tilted her head to the side. "It's my Aura," she said. "I have a heat-based one—goes with the hot bod, you know?" Here she struck a sexy pose. "I can handle sunlight for a little while."

Blake frowned. "Yang, I can feel you burning—wait, you're healing yourself as you're burned?"

Yang frowned. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." She stepped back into the shadows. "Is this better?"

"It's . . ." The Werecat was conflicted. On the one hand, she was no longer in pain, on the other, this obviously meant a lot to Yang, being able to experience the sunlight. "You like it, don't you? The sunlight."

"Well, yeah," Yang said. "It makes me feel human again."

"What about the burning?"

Yang shrugged. "I'm a tough girl. If being able to walk around during the day is painful, fair trade; it's not like I stay up here all day. Besides, I know every other bloodsucker in the coven would kill to be able to do it." Grinning, she pointed a thumb at herself. "I'm the only Daywalker around; I think that's why the Ice Bitch is so keen on hooking up with me?"

Blake looked back out on the vista of the city. Her eyes honed in on Beacon. The home of Hunters in training and some of the deadliest full-fledged Hunters in the world. A Bullhead flew from Beacon into the mountains, right over the pair's heads. Blake swallowed. This felt a little like tempting fate.


The two Vampires escorted Ocher by his chains. They wore gloves to protect themselves, but it didn't look like it was necessary. Perhaps because his near execution was still so fresh in his mind, the convicted Vampire was coming peacefully. He made no sound nor offered any resistance as he approached The Prison of Water.

During the siege of the Grimm, the subterranean walls of Fort Leaven-Worth had been damaged, and one of the underground storage areas had been flooded. This was quite the boon to the Vampires. Not only did it limit their dependence on water stolen from the Kingdom's water system, it provided a handy place to keep trouble-makers they weren't ready to kill.

The trio stopped at the edge of the pool. The guards removed the chains from their prisoner, then pushed him in. The duo watched as Ocher descended, just to make sure he didn't merge with the stone floor or shadows to escape.

He didn't. Ocher knew that even if he wasn't so weakened by the silver, he couldn't have escaped. It would have meant signing his own death warrant with the kind-hearted Master. His undead body sank like a stone, so much less buoyant in water than a human's. One of the reasons this prison was so effective at containing his kind. The other: although Vampires didn't need oxygen to survive, they did need it to function. As Ocher sank, blackness ate away at his vision, his body going into torpor to maintain energy and spare him the insanity of being conscious but immobile. He reconsidered his plans; he would have his revenge on the white-haired bitch and all she cared about. Her insult to the Vampire race would be swept aside like trash in the streets. He would be Master, and all of Vale would know it.

His guards walked out of the room, unaware that his dreams were filled with blood and terror.


Author's Notes: Sorry that was a little short, and that there was no Lexicon. Sometimes, things just sort of explain themselves.

Well, now we know what the Prison of Water is all about! More stuff I stole from Shadowrun!

And, the coven's address is finally revealed. I should probably explain how Vampires work in this universe. To use comparisons to popular culture, the Vampires here operate more like those of Penny Dreadful or Buffy the Vampire Slayer than the ones in Twilight, Being Human, or whatever your preferred Vampire story is. Or the Immortals in Highlander, come to think of it. They're reclusive creatures, hiding out underground (literally), making do with whatever creature comforts they can steal or scavenge, and only emerging from their shelters to feed and recruit. They don't live double lives, working normal jobs, dealing with bills, having human friends who don't know their secrets, and otherwise pretending to be human. In those universes, Vampires' (and Immortals') existence is kept secret. In this world, however, the public is aware that Vampires exist and view them as threat to be dealt with . . . with extreme prejudice. Most businesses and public places likely have systems to warn them when a Vampire tries to enter and will alert the authorities the instant it happens. Granted, the existence of mortal slaves gives the vamps a little extra leeway, but the slaves have to be careful they aren't found out or everyone will be in trouble.

So, an abandoned prison in a rough neighborhood is one of the best places for Vamps to make their home. It has lots of rooms (read: cells) for people to live in, a built-in mess hall and kitchen, rooms for socialization, and a place to keep the guns. Yes, the Fort's name is inspired by Fort Leavenworth.