The more I sleep now, the less I sleep later. To dreamland!
Ruby's footfalls were slow and even. She knew it was a dream, and yet it felt real. The garden she walked through was beautiful and detailed, and yet she'd never seen it before in her life. The scent was unbelievable, strong and sweet. As she followed the ordered beds, she caught a flash of red fabric moving away. Surprised, the girl dashed over to find a woman in a red cloak, staring off into the nearby forest. Ruby heard footsteps from her right, and looked in that direction, curious.
What she saw stunned her. He looked like an older, taller Jaune. A number of scars followed his jaw line from below his left ear to just short of his mouth. His armor was shiny and well-maintained, with chain-mail in place of Jaune's jacket. He had a rough, stubbly beard around his chin, and his blonde hair was thicker than Ruby could ever recall seeing Jaune's.
"You know why I'm here, General Rose." Ruby froze. The woman in question kept the hood on her cloak raised, but as she turned to face him the girl could see the gentle flow of her figure.
"I told you not to call me either of those things. I stood down as a general, Helios, and I'm not worthy of the name Rose. Not with the blood I've shed." Ruby gasped. As the woman lowered her hood, the resemblance was obvious to the girl. This woman looked like an older version of herself. Her hair was longer, and it was a rich chocolate brown, not black and red, but there was the same soft curve to her jaw and silver light in her eyes. The woman continued her turn, and Ruby could see red-painted armor over the top of chainmail once again, although she wore a red-dyed skirt in place of the lower body armor that not-Jaune wore. She seemed ill-at-ease, although Ruby could see a folded scythe attached to her back. Helios looked uncomfortable.
"Juliet, can I speak to you as a friend? As we did before this war started?" She nodded, although her eyes were distant. Helios took a deep breath, and Ruby noticed the pain in his eyes. She wondered if he already regretted what he was going to say.
"Both of the wars have been hard on you. The external war, where our neighbours want us to join them in forcing the Faunus to Menagerie, and the internal War of the Rose, centred on your family. But the king sent me to bring you back." Juliet raised an eyebrow, but the surprise only sank in when her comrade-in-arms plunged his sword into the dirt at her feet and knelt, head bowed to her. "As such, I plead with you, backed by the full authority of the king. We need your skills, Juliet. Your unique tactics, your combat skill, and above all, your soldiers need you to lead. I do my best, but our armies were designed for command by two." Juliet remained silent as she looked down on Jaune's ancestor, and a look of frustration crossed her face as Ruby watched.
"Helios, I was forced to defend my home." The woman gestured at the magnificent manor house behind Ruby, and at the gardens around them. "I was forced to kill friends and family who swore to follow the White Rose, to follow Fintan in his path." Ruby wasn't sure who Fintan was, but it was clear that Juliet still cared about her enemy from her voice. "Do you know what it feels like to bloody your hands in fighting your own family? My daughter, Maria, was lucky to survive the more vicious attacks, all over how we commit our servants and vassals in this war." Juliet spat into the ground beside her. She waited and watched the General for a moment, then sighed. "Get up, General Arc. You want to talk as we did before the war? Then let us spar, as we used to."
Helios grimaced at the remark, but he took his time to stand. At the same moment, Juliet unclasped her red robe and let it fall to her feet. She was lightly built, especially compared to the muscular swordsman, and womanly despite her small chest and narrow waist. But her weapon caught Ruby's eye. Sunlight shone the head of the short scythe she held in her right hand connected to a chain, with a weight held in her left. The young Rose guessed that the scythe was half the length of Crescent Rose. Juliet stepped backwards, and started to spin the weight by the chain in simple circles, and the girl clicked. It was a kusarigama, a scythe and weight combination she'd read about. Helios stood across from the woman, and nodded once as he drew his plain steel sword from the ground. Just like Jaune, his shield was strapped to his left arm, although Ruby questioned how he planned to fight a woman with the advantage of both range and mobility. In all the training matches she'd had against Jaune, he'd always struggled to overcome her agility, and Crescent Rose was far bulkier than the plain kusarigama in her ancestor's hands. The armoured man straightened, and nodded to the woman as he shifted into a combat stance. As Ruby watched, the fight began.
Juliet swung the weight, and Helios found his sword knocked backwards as the woman charged. His shield glowed with Aura. She stopped short of the man and launched a snap-kick. He blocked it with the glowing shield. She yanked the chain to return the weight to her side, but he moved with the metallic object to slam her with the shield. She stumbled backwards a few paces as he freed his sword hand from the chain. With a muted curse, she swung her flail at his shield. Helios smirked as he deflected it into the air. Juliet grinned, and he realized he'd walked into her plan. She flicked her wrist, and the weight dropped back onto his head. His Aura flared, and it bounced back towards her. Helios nodded to her and smiled.
"Like old times, you attack, I defend. Nothing's changed, Jules." The brunette slumped.
"Everything's changed, Helios! Fintan's gone rogue, and took most of our soldiers with him, just because we haven't been performing pre-emptive attacks on our enemies to protect Faunus lives. My brother, the White Rose, is turning what was once a group of his friends and soldiers into a liberation movement." Juliet began to fold the chain back up, but her eyes seemed to draw on Ruby. The girl gasped, but the woman simply smiled. As the weight reached her hands, she returned her gaze to Helios. Her back straightened, and she seemed to redeem some of her lost dignity. Behind the woman, everything seemed to get brighter, glowing with a blinding white light. Helios faded into the shine, leaving only Juliet to speak.
"I guess you've left me no choice. I'll see the king. But I promise you nothing." As the girl watched, her ancestor vanished into the blinding chasm, and all that was left was white.
Ruby's eyelids flickered as the sunbeam fell across her face. She groaned. The dream had been incredible, and she felt sure it was real. The name Juliet Rose was familiar to her, but she couldn't remember from where. Slowly, the girl shifted in bed, ignoring the weight of the cast on her left arm.
"Phew, looks I won't have to wake you after all, dolt." Ruby's eyes widened as Weiss smiled at her from beside the bed. She instantly sat up, panicked.
"W-what time is it?" Ruby couldn't help but wonder why Weiss was there. She could still hear the heiress's furious scolding from the night before, so having her show up to the hospital in the morning with a gentle smile made no sense.
"Time to get up, Ruby. Yang planned a big day for us." Inwardly, the redhead groaned. If Weiss was waking her, it had to be early. The heiress placed a large bag onto the bed, and smiled. "Your clothes are still being mended, so I took the liberty of choosing something for you." She reached into the bag and pulled out a pink sleeveless dress. Ruby blushed, embarrassed by the reminder of her old laundry failures. She remembered making the mistake the year before. She'd put her cloak into the washing machine and cleaned it, only to find one of Weiss's dresses beneath. Why the girl would bring that mistake up now was beyond her comprehension. She realised that the snow-haired woman was talking.
"I know it's nothing special, but it's all I have that will fit you. It'll be a little tight around your...chest, I guess, but this is what happens when you don't own any clothes that can hold a cast." Ruby offered a half-smile and blushed.
"T-thanks," she stammered, and took the dress in her free hand. She slid her legs out of bed, and turned her back to the girl as she headed into the bathroom to change into the set of clean underwear Yang had brought the night before. The dress was the harder part. It was tighter than she expected, and no matter what the girl tried, she couldn't reach the zipper at the back with her right hand. Her left hand was no use, since it could barely go over her head with the cast on. She felt like screaming in frustration. Nothing was going right at the moment. Ever since Jaune was shot, everything was stacked against her. Now she could barely dress herself, although this wasn't her normal clothing choice. To her surprise, a slender hand grasped her shoulder, and she felt the pressure on her chest tighten somewhat as the dress was properly fastened.
"Why didn't you ask me for help with the zipper, you dolt? Or you could have just changed in front of me, like we did as trainees. Why did you make it harder for yourself?" Weiss's tone of voice was concerned, even if her words were scolding. Ruby blushed; glad that Weiss couldn't see the tears in her eyes.
"I wanted to feel like I could take care of myself. I've been dressing myself since I was a little kid, Weiss. The past week has been people taking care of me, trying to make sure I've got everything. I snuck out to relieve stress and talk through my issues, and someone kept an eye on me to keep me safe!" Ruby's voice rose. She couldn't help it. As it did, she could have sworn Weiss's hand had slid down her arm, but she was too invested in the moment to care. "Everyone's treating me like a baby. Like I can't do anything for myself. And when I try to do something simple, like drink water or get dressed, somebody is there to help." The younger girl felt her cheeks burn with her annoyance. To her surprise, Weiss didn't start scolding her for being foolish. Instead, she pulled the girl backwards a step into a hug from behind. The blush on Ruby's face darkened. She wasn't used to this side of Weiss, and that was after two years alongside the heiress.
"Ruby, we all know you can take care of yourself. But you're the youngest and cutest huntress of all the teams assigned here." Ruby pouted at her friend calling her cute, taking it at a derogatory jibe at her youthful face, but the heiress couldn't see it. "You've had a tough week, and I think everyone just wants to give you help while you get better. You'd do the same if I was injured." Ruby sighed, although her blush expanded when Weiss pulled the hug in a little tighter. It was comforting, and that was the problem. She didn't want to be comforted, especially not by the girl who normally layered her emotions with ice. There was a cough from behind the two girls. Stunned, Weiss let the girl go as Tira spoke up.
"If you two are done having a moment in the bathroom, I've brought Ruby's cloak." Ruby snuck a glance at her teammate as she walked to Tira. She was surprised to see Weiss blushing just as bright as she had been, but she passed it off to being caught acting out of character. Weiss seemed to hate anyone outside their team seeing her acting gentle or kind.
Within a flash, Ruby felt more comfortable. The dress wasn't her style, and she was unarmed for the first time that she could remember, but her cloak made her feel right. It made her feel like herself again. With a smile across her face, she followed Tira to the admissions desk of the medical ward while Weiss walked straight out. The copper-haired medic didn't wait for a doctor's permission. Instead, she simply signed a few forms and started to walk out. Surprised, Ruby followed her.
"I just got you signed off for the day, Ruby. Sorry, but the doctors were adamant that you needed more overnight observation, so I couldn't get you released completely. It'll only be for a few more days, I promise. I also had to promise to keep an eye on you, in order to keep the doctors happy." Tira explained to the perplexed teenager. The girl nodded, although she still seemed confused.
"I guess its ok…" she murmured. Weiss waved the other two over to her car, a sleek white coupe she'd been given for her eighteenth by her father. She'd folded the front passenger's seat forward, and Ruby darted into the back to let Tira take her seat. She'd always been the most comfortable in the back seat of Weiss's car, mostly because of its cramped nature. Being the smallest of the team, she would always get the back seat, so it didn't bother her.
Ruby tuned out the conversation in the front seats pretty quickly as Weiss began the task of navigating through Vale's winding streets. Instead, the girl focused on the music Weiss had playing. To her surprise, the girl was listening to Dynamo, a punk band that Ruby had introduced the heiress too the year before. She had never thought Weiss had taken to it. With a smile across her face, the young Huntress shut her eyes and lost herself in the soundscape. Before she knew it, Weiss was shouting at her that they had arrived. She opened her eyes, and outside the pale interior of the coupe was a sea of red leaves. They stood in Forever Fall. To say she was surprised was an understatement, but as she clambered out the door, Ruby noticed the others, and she couldn't help but smile.
Nora hung upside-down from a tree, with purple sap covering the majority of her face. Langford sat at the base of the same tree with a glass in hand, although Ruby had trouble following the path of his eyes thanks to the bandages wrapped around his face. Jaune wore a novelty apron as he tended a portable barbeque, with the words 'kiss the chef' written across his chest in bold print. Pyrrha stood nearby, preparing a salad, and the smell of the meat prompted a hungry growl to escape Ruby's stomach. She blushed, but Weiss said nothing to respond. Instead, the girl just smiled and gestured over to a picnic table filled with snacks. Blake sat on one of the bench-sides, a book firmly grasped in her hands. Even so, she still gave Ruby a smile as the girl set into an open packet of cookies with her free hand.
"Good to see you back to normal, Ruby," she remarked. The younger teen replied with a crumb-filled smile. The Faunus rolled her eyes and set the book down.
"So… where are Yang and the others?" Ruby asked between cookies. Blake gestured towards the forest.
"Ren and Noir wanted to clear out some Grimm, while Sun and Yang are getting wood to set up a fire. Something about "atmosphere", she said."
"She probably just wanted to set fire to something again." Ruby noted, another biscuit half-way to her mouth.
The catgirl snorted. "Probably." A flicker of yellow meant no more comment was needed as Yang and Sun strode in, the faunus carrying a rather large armful of wood, while the young woman held a slightly smaller bundle of kindling. For a moment, Ruby thought that her sister hadn't noticed her as the busty lady walked towards a circle made of rocks. Suddenly, Yang dropped the pile of sticks onto the ground and raced back to almost tackle her sister.
"It's great to have you up and about, Ruby!" she cheered. The young Rose grimaced, more because her sister had managed to squish the cast up into her ribcage than any embarrassment. Yang wasn't exactly a stranger to these kinds of public displays.
"Yang… you're hurting me…" she wheezed. Instantly, the older girl parted her arms to let Ruby free. She stepped backwards, and cast an evaluative eye over her sister's attire.
"I like the dress. It looks good on you," Ruby blushed.
"It's a little tight, to be honest," she murmured. Yang just grinned.
"How else do you expect to get the boys to pay attention? Hey, Jaune, don't you think Ruby looks good in this dress?" If there was ever a moment that the redhead wished to die of shame, it was right then. Jaune raised his head, and opened his mouth to respond. But, to Ruby's relief, Blake chose to intercede.
"Yang, shouldn't you be helping Sun with the fire? You are just a bit better suited to it." The blonde's eyes widened.
"How did I forget that? We'll go back to this later, Ruby." With that, the elder girl ran back to the fire pit. Ruby nodded her thanks to Blake, but the girl was once again absorbed in her book. Ren and Noir appeared from beneath the trees. Ren instantly darted towards Nora in the tree, clearly startled. That left Noir in the watchful gazes of the other hunters. He stood there, silent for a moment. Finally, he spoke.
"No sign of any Grimm, at least not in the general area," he stated.
"Then let's get this party started!" Yang burst. She swung a punch, and the fire crackled to life.
"Meat's cooked!" Jaune replied, matching the other blonde for volume. Two words were all it took to bring the entire group together. The next few moments were filled with nothing but the sound of food being decimated. Nobody could speak. Nobody wanted to. Finally, Ruby had to break the silence.
"Jaune, this is amazing!" The cook blushed. The tone darkened as Pyrrha followed the instructions on his apron and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks. Haven't cooked like this since before I came to Beacon, but I followed my dad's old instructions, and it always comes out right. Glad to hear you like it."
"Looks like Ren's got himself some competition!" Yang teased. The boy shrugged.
"Ren and I cook different things. He's the fancy chef; I'm just good with a grill."
"Ooh! We should have a pancake cook-off!" Nora burst. Her eyes shone with a manic light. "You have judges here, and it would be awesome!" Ren sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off as Tira jumped in.
"Nora, I don't know about you, but I couldn't eat any more. I swear, if I tried, I'd explode."
"Well, we are out here for a while, so it could work. How about it, boys? A cook-off to settle who is the better chef. We can have the tasting in an hour or two, when people have worked off their lunch." Weiss chose the mediating role, intrigued as to the results.
"I'm up for it, I guess. How about it, Ren?" Jaune asked. The dark-haired man smiled.
"May the best cook win," he replied. In moments, both tables were cleared, and the smuggled pancake mix emerged from Nora's hiding places. The ginger girl darted from place to place, with a notion to tap each and every tree to find the best source of fresh sap. The others sat around the fireplace, content with digesting and gossiping.
"So, did you hear about Velvet? Apparently her team's being transferred back to Beacon, so that some of the foreign students could go back home." Tira mentioned.
"Really? Aww, I hope it's not Harper and his friends. Those guys are hot!" It took a moment for Yang to notice the gazes. "What?"
"I heard Penny's been given Beacon as a placement as well. Don't get too excited." Sun pointed out. A few uncomfortable looks followed the comment, and the conversation stalled. A howl from afar rang through the forest.
"Beowulf." Noir stated. "He's still a decent distance away." Of course, a rustling in the trees and a growl hinted at otherwise.
"I thought you said there was no Grimm nearby!" Ruby shouted. Ren's head flew up towards the movement, and Noir stood.
"We did."
"Then, what was…" The statement in the girl's throat died back as the growl faded away to be replaced by a deep chuckle.
"You forget your enemies so quickly, Red." A brief burst of motion carried the dark shape from the trees. His tailored black clothes were stained with blotchy red marks. The vicious broadsword was slung over his shoulder once again. His face remained unmasked, and Ruby cowered at the sight of the molten orange eye.
"Cain…" she whispered. The cooking competition was forgotten as all eyes shifted to the newcomer. From behind the brutally sized wolf came voices.
"We're here for the girl, and this time, I'm feeling a little… hungry." Cain's eye was fixed onto Ruby. "Since you won't make it easy, I brought help. Now, shall you prove to be a bigger challenge than the runt of this litter?" His words were a slap to the face. Before anyone could stop her, Yang was half-way to the wolf, Ember Celica cocked and ready over her fists.
"I'll show you who the runt is!" she growled, but the wolf backed a few paces towards the forest. The bloodthirsty grin ran across his face, but he continued to retreat.
"Then come at me, girl. Let us see if you are any more worthy of Death's hand than your sister." With that, he pulled back even further and vanished into the trees. Without waiting for approval, Yang followed. Sun grimaced.
"Noir, go after them." The cat nodded once to the monkey's order and vanished after the rapidly-shrinking mop of blonde hair, leaving his jacket behind in the process.
"Ren, Nora, I want you two to split off and try to ambush the enemy, keep them on their toes." Nora was already gone as Jaune switched into tactical mode. Ren didn't hesitate to follow. "Tira, Weiss, stay here with me. We'll keep Ruby safe from ambush."
"Which leaves the main group of opponents to Blake, Langford and me. Sounds fun." Sun separated his staff into its nunchuck components. "Let's move." In a moment, the final trio left. Ruby slumped.
"Great… I'm getting babied again," she groaned. Tira just raised an eyebrow, and wrapped her hands around the staff slung across her back. Two quick gestures slid back panels, revealing hidden Dust supplies. She slid a crystal of red dust into the curved stinger-like tip. It took a moment, but the dust filtered into the weapon, creating red pathways through the stained oak.
"Sorry, Ruby, but that's just what happens." The younger girl sighed and shifted her attention to the others, but neither of them gave her any real attention. Weiss had Myrtlemaster drawn and held in her common ready stance, while Jaune simply stood with his hand on the hilt of his sword, shield extended and ready for whatever came. Ruby gulped, and slowly tried to recall how Yang taught her to fight with her bare hands, and hoped her sister would come back soon with Cain imprisoned. After all, she needed more lessons.
Yang ran hard, following the sound of Cain's rapid footfalls through the darker forest. Something wasn't adding up. Ruby had described her assailant as brutal and talented, but not a coward. Why he was running deeper into the forest was beyond the girl, but that was beside the point. He hurt her sister, left Ruby unconscious for a couple of days. She didn't plan on leaving that unpunished. She saw a flicker of silver vanish around a corner, so she followed it into a clearing. The air was still, and there was no sign of Cain. She growled, and hurled a punch into a nearby tree. She'd lost him. Silently, she turned her back and started to walk the way she came.
"Going somewhere?" She froze. Her opponent stood to her left, his sword gripped in one hand, a bloodthirsty smile across his face. "I thought you wanted a fight."
"You better damn believe it," she spat. He grinned.
"Now, now. While a fight would be nice, what I'm after is a little more exciting. A fresh kill." Yang's eyes widened as she dived backwards, but it was too late. In a manner similar to Weiss, the wolf flickered through three rapid gestures with his free hand. A blinding flash filled the girl's eyes. When it cleared, she was snared in two giant rings of silver dust. Instantly, her anger flared, and flames burst around her body, but the dust held solid.
"Our spies reported this gathering to us. You were safe in Vale, but you chose to hold your gathering where I could easily reach it. And now you're stuck." Cain snorted. "Your anger is impressive, but you lack control. Which is how I got you, and how I'll get your sister." He shifted his free hand back onto the sword, and pulled it up over his head for a bisecting cut. Yang shut her eyes and put as much energy as she could into her Aura and semblance as she held the hope she could block the swing. For barely a moment, there was no sound. Then she heard the sword swing. Silently, she apologized for failing to protect Ruby again. There was a crash of metal on metal, and the pain she expected never started. Her eyes flew open, and Noir stood before her. Blood dripped from his cheek, where the sword had grazed him. Cain's eyes bulged in surprise, but the cat easily held the wolf's sword at bay by locking it between his blades. The rings of dust faded, and Yang quickly shifted back into a combat stance to her ally's left.
"Looks like I got here just in time." Noir remarked, although he kept his attention on the wolf. Cain pulled his sword free from the grapple, although he didn't seem too bothered by the new opponent.
"Ah, the guardian cat. You killed the Beowolves in the Snowy Forest, I believe. Used to the sensation of blood on your hands yet?" he taunted. Noir's hands tightened around the hilts of his swords.
"I don't think Grimm count." Yang remarked. Cain's smirk slid back over his face.
"You mean they don't know? You've lived amongst them for years, and yet you never told them about Amelia? About your revenge?" Noir reversed his grip on the swords.
"My past is my burden, not theirs. I saw him fall. I take the blame onto myself. Just as I take this one."
"What the hell are you two guys talking about?" Yang interceded. She tensed the muscles in her back, and shifted through a few basic stances as a warm-up. Cain chuckled, a sound not far removed from his growl.
"It's nothing important, Yang. Just history." Noir's attention stayed on the wolf as he brought his swords up a touch further. The back of the blades clinked into his bracers. He grunted as the gauntlets split open and accepted the weapons inside, a hybrid weapon trait. Yang just stared as he twitched a few times. The hilts of his falchion formed into proper armoured hands. The sharp blade reached his shoulder, and was joined to his forearm by a thick black metal gauntlet, with a large-chambered ballistics port on each wrist. Each bracer had the unique pattern of the sword sealed within, a red wave on his left-hand side, and a blue lightning pattern on his right. He shifted into a close combat stance, similar to Yang's.
"What…. Noir, how did you…" Her eyes were locked onto the cat. She'd never seen this change. Aside for the obvious difference brought by the weapons, a few black sparks danced along his gauntleted fingers. His face was controlled, but he seemed tenser.
"Can't let you guys have all the fun with cool weapons, can I?" he quipped. Cain simply snorted.
"Ah, a hybrid weapon design, not a common one at all. The boss warned me that taking Ruby from her friends would be a challenge. Let's see if they were correct." The wolf widened his stance. The sword danced through a small handful of spirals.
"Yang, attack him when you see an opening. I'll deal with this." Noir stepped forwards. He checked Yang was clear. With a deft flick of his neck, his sunglasses flew into the air and landed nearby. He gestured once to the wolf, a slight shrug in movement.
Cain lunged. In an instant, Noir was gone. He reappeared behind the wolf.
"Too slow," he taunted. The wolf smirked.
"I'm just warming up." He followed the comment with a two-handed slash, but Noir deflected it with an arm-blade. Cain followed up with a second slash. Noir dived to the side and rolled to a shooting position, unleashing a burst of Dust from his right wrist. Cain knocked it aside, and the ice formed across the trunk of a tree. Noir moved with the distraction, charging at the wolf. At the last second, he spun to face his right elbow-blade towards Cain, and fired the left-hand gun for momentum. Cain's aura flared around his sword, and he slammed the attack to the side. Blood burst from Noir's arm, but he stood back up in an instant. The black sparks doubled in intensity, while the teen's face remained steady. Suddenly, Cain flinched forwards as a fist slammed into his spine. Behind him, Yang's body was on autopilot, slamming impact after impact into his back. Each punch was joined by a burst from Ember Celica, but still the killer's Aura held out. He spun, sword horizontal in a bisecting arc, but Noir suddenly appeared between the girl and the killing edge. His gauntlets crossed over each other, and he took the force of the impact across his arms. A torrent of blood gushed from each arm, but the Faunus stayed on his feet, no sign of pain across his face. Yang stumbled backwards. The blood surprised her.
"Last chance, wolf. Surrender, or I bring you down." Mercy stayed out of Noir's voice, even as the blood dripped from beneath the black steel gauntlets. Cain just snorted as he hauled himself to his feet.
"Why should I do that? If you want the truth about Amelia's killer, then go back. The Cage of the Kings holds the answers you need, not me. Nothing either of you have done has stopped me so far. Why should I be afraid that you'll defeat me?" The wolf's molten gaze seemed almost amused at the concept. Noir simply took a step backwards, and lowered his arms from his chest.
"Yang, if this doesn't work, it's up to you." She blinked, confused. Black sparks leapt from Noir's arms like raindrops from a stormcloud. He was sheathed in dark lightning. He took two steps towards in a sudden dash, the same speed he'd shown in intercepting the attacks for her. Then he threw a punch. A thunderclap and explosion of darkness followed. Yang's aura shielded her from the burst, but the tingling sparks stung her bare skin. As the light returned, she saw Noir's form lying flat on the ground at the foot of a tree. Blood seeped from his metal-clad arms, a steady flow that seemed greater than before. Across the clearing, Cain was slumped against a tree, and for a moment, Yang was still. Noir's breath was choppy and short. He was clearly unconscious. Then a groan emerged. For a second, Yang thought she saw Noir move, but far from it. Instead, Cain started to stand again.
"That runt… He's dead." His movements were slower, more deliberate. He was hunched in, and one arm was wrapped around his torso. It had taken all of Noir's strength to wound the man, and even that wasn't enough. She stood, and stood in front of the unconscious form of her friend. Cain didn't even bother with his sword, he just charged. Suddenly, bullets began to slam into the wolf, and Ren leapt down from a branch nearby, raining small-calibre bullets into the wolf. An explosion knocked the wolf from his feet, and Nora slammed down beside Yang, Magnhild in hand.
"We heard something explode. Nora, help Yang. I'll double-check Noir." Ren shouted. Nora giggled and shifted her hammer back into grenade launcher form.
"Let's do it!" she cheered. Yang was silent. Cain had tried to kidnap her sister. Tried to kill her. She looked down, and a few locks of her hair lay near Noir's left arm. She saw red. Flames rippled into life around her hands, and she just walked towards Cain as he rolled himself backwards onto his feet. She cracked her knuckles. Nora just looked confused. She started to run. Cain smirked, obviously feeling this was no threat. Then she hit. Her explosive punch slammed into Cain's collarbone with the force of a semi-trailer. He flew backwards, out of sight in moments. The flames died away, but Yang couldn't feel satisfied. Something told her Cain would be back. He'd taken two hunters pushing their limits to defeat. She heard footsteps, and within a moment both Ruby and Blake had her wrapped in a hug, asking questions and such with she couldn't quite process. Exhaustion slammed into her, wave after wave. Then she saw the burns. Her hand, even with her semblance and aura faded away, was red and tender to touch. The others were staring at Noir's unconscious form. Tira's staff was in hand, and moment by moment she pulled canisters and crystals of dust from within, stabilizing the young man. Finally, Yang's mind caught up. The pain in her slammed into her mind, but she didn't scream, just accepted a water-soaked strip of a picnic blanket and wrapped it around her hand.
"We were sold out," she murmured, but she knew it wasn't the time to talk about it. It could wait.
A/N: Well, that took it's sweet time to write. Over a month to get all this. I'm sorry about that, by the way. I've had work, issues with writers block, and I started building a Jaune costume. Especially since I don't normally get up early enough to get on my PC for long enough to write before work, it's added up. Still, hopefully the total workload I have dies back, and I can get the next few chapters knocked over pretty quickly. Or, at least, quickly in comparison. Anywho, that ends the first story arc. From here, I've got the next arc planned out. I'll be introducing a few new characters, bringing in a few more villains and trailer characters, and if all goes to plan, there'll be a surprise with chapter fifteen. Let's just say you'll believe it when you hear it, but more on that when I'm closer to it. As always, reviews and suggestions are welcome. Follow, fav, and all-around enjoy. I can say that the next chapter won't take a month for me to write. I just hope I'm not lying.