A/N: Chapter 11 of Ice Prince. Thank you Shiranai Atsune for ideas and allowing me to write this. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, there's no OCs. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it. Just wanted to make a note that there won't be any characters from V4 or V5 showing up in here, too many characters to keep track of. Blake may mention her parents at some point, but that'll be it.


Chapter 11: Complications

That night...

Taiyang was partly enraged and partly relieved when Yin and Ruby came home. He had been in the living room watching television when Qrow called him. To hear that his youngest child was involved in some kind of shootout made his heart stop for a minute, and he hyperventilated.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?" He looked at Ruby from every possible angle, his eyes furiously roaming over her body with inspection. "Did you see who attacked you? Wait till I get my hands on them, they'll soon learn to never mess with my kids again!"

"I'm okay Dad, really!" She assured him as the man pulled her against him in a hug. Squirming within his hold she breathed out, "And now you're crushing me..."

"I've never felt so terrified in my life...not after that incident." Yin and Ruby both knew what their Dad was referring to. When the siblings were 8 and 5 respectively, Taiyang was deeply in love with Summer who was alive at the time. Both parents were happy watching over their children and promised to stay together till their hairs turn gray.

Unfortunately there was a time when two of the strongest mafia groups – the Schnees led by Jacques and the White Fang led by Adam when the red-haired male was in his teens – became so extreme that civilians began to run for their lives. It became so bad that Summer took it upon herself to go and put a stop to both parties. Taiyang didn't want her to go and he begged her not to go, even falling to his knees which he had never done before. However, the love of his life shook her head, stating that there were people suffering and it needed to stop.

"Why does it have to be you?" He asked her as she adjusted her beloved white cloak around her shoulders. In his arms he held a baby Ruby who was wrapped in a blanket. "Can't it be someone else?"

"Tai, no one has done anything as of yet and people are already paying with their lives. Even the council hasn't shown any initiative in stopping both the White Fang or the Schnees." Summer whispered in response, glancing at her husband out from the corner of her eye. "How long will you wait until someone steps up to the plate? How many more innocent people must lay down their lives?"

"But...it doesn't have to be you right?" He paused to grin at Ruby, smiling as the baby let out cooing noises to get his attention.

"Tai, as much as I would love to not do this and stay by your side forever to raise the girls...it wouldn't be in good consciousness to ignore the problem at hand. I refuse to remain a bystander...and I refuse to act like everything is okay when they're not." She turned around and walked up to him, placing a hand on his cheek. "I know, deep down, just how disappointed and probably sad you feel–"

"Words can't describe how I feel at this moment." He interrupted her, placing a hand over hers.

"But understand that I chose to do this. Anything that happens I'll take full responsibility, and understand that you will not be at fault. May I hold her?" Tai handed Ruby over, watching as Summer hummed a small song and Ruby loudly warbled in response. The mother choked back tears, rocking her baby back and forth while staring into the baby's eyes. "Ruby~ Ruby~"

Please, whoever above, please keep her safe. Taiyang prayed with every fiber of his being, keeping himself from crying in front of her. Please let Summer come back, so she can see Ruby grow into a lovely woman.

After letting Ruby hold onto her finger Summer handed the baby back to Tai. She gently placed a kiss on his forehead and smiled. "I'm going now, Rae's probably waiting for me outside."

"Leave it to one of the Branwen's to be punctual." Summer laughed in response, a sound Tai never took for granted when they dated.

"If she wasn't the responsible twin then we'd be dealing with two Qrows. And I'm sure the last thing on your mind is looking after two drunks."

Accompanying her to the door, he pressed a kiss to her temple and watched as she made her way to Qrow's sister Raven Branwen. The red-eye black-haired woman gave Taiyang her word that she would deliver Summer back safe and sound before turning on her heels, leading the way with the other woman by her side. The blond haired male could only watch sadly with Ruby in his arms, Yin was in elementary school at the time. It wasn't until five weeks later that Raven came back alone, her clothes stained with blood and her eyes clouded with emotions he couldn't pick out. One look at her and Taiyang had already expected the worst. For the next few years he fell into a depression and constantly went out to drink at the bar whenever his anniversary with Summer approached. Sometimes he came home really drunk, ambling to his room and pass out in minutes without acknowledging the kids when they tried to greet him.

It wasn't until Qrow decided to intervene after Yin took it upon himself to raise Ruby to the best of his ability that Taiyang got his shit together and obtained an actual job to support his family. Raven hadn't been seen since the incident and continues to avoid everyone, which was fine by the blond. He had his assumptions and never forgave her for what she did.

"Dad, are you all right?" Yin asked, noticing that the older blond was staring off into space. "You have that faraway look in your eyes again."

"Follow me you two. I don't want something like this to happen again, but since things are getting serious I want you two to be well-armed as possible." Patting Ruby on the shoulder, Taiyang led his two children into the bedroom and made his way to the closet. Rummaging around he pulled out what seemed to be a rectangular-sized box.

"What's that?" Ruby asked curiously, trying to look past his shoulders in hopes of having a glimpse of the box.

"...I saved this weapon for the time being, afraid that you and Yin were too young to get into this type of thing. It was the only thing Raven was able to bring back..." Taiyang spoke, turning around with something in his hand. It was a Blacktail. Because Summer was quite fast and accurate on her own, she didn't feel comfortable with using a powerful weapon, so a moderately powerful weapon like a Blacktail felt comfortable to her. "Summer's prized weapon."

"For me? Really?" Ruby asked when the gun was placed in her hand, holding it with care. She usually played with Yin's toy gun when she was a child before using Taiyang's rusty revolver as a beginner. Holding onto a weapon that belonged to her mother seemed so surreal, yet deep down she felt very comfortable wielding it. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Summer would've loved you to have it and it would make me feel a bit better knowing you have that on you." He glanced over at Yin who was leaning by the doorway. "How's your weapon coming along?"

"Just need to adjust some things, but over all Ember Celica is good to go." Because Yin opted using both hands for combat, Ember Celica is the name of his two HK VP70 semi-automatic pistols. "They're currently at Qrow's shop because I'm working out some kinks."

"Perhaps it would be a good idea to take you kids back out to the shooting range and sharpen your skills." Taiyang mused, watching Ruby look over her mother's weapon from every angle, making sure the safety was in place so she didn't accidentally shoot a hole through the floor. "You never know what else could happen out there."

"Then after school tomorrow I'll head to Qrow's shop so I can get Ember Celica ready." Yin pulled out his Scroll to make a reminder for himself.

"Can I use Mom's weapon for a test run?" Ruby questioned when she heard their conversation. She had been so engrossed with what she was doing that she zoned out for a good minute or so. "I'd like to get use to it and get an idea of what I'm working with."

"Of course you can. Since Summer never gave the gun a name, would you like to name it in her honor?" Taiyang asked, watching as his youngest child tilted her head to the side to think.

"Hmmm...I'm gonna name it Crescent Rose!" She quipped and smiled brightly much like Summer did. "Yeah! I like that name!"

"You're naming the gun after that scythe from that PC game we play?" Yin's eyebrow raised up with surprise.

"Yeah, didn't you name yours the same way? You wouldn't stop talking my ears off about how great the yellow gauntlets were on your character!" Ruby stuck her tongue out playfully, knowing that she won the verbal fight. "After all, Crescent Rose is an amazing sniper-rifle scythe, so I gotta do it!"

"Yeah, yeah I got it. Now come on, you still have school to get ready for." Pushing himself off the wall, he turned around and disappeared down the hallway, yelling over his shoulder, "I'll be in your room! Don't stay too long cause you also need sleep!"

"Yin's growing into a responsible young man and you're growing into a responsible young lady before my very eyes. I can't be anymore prouder to be your dad." Taiyang nodded his head before looking at Ruby. "Better not let your brother wait long."

"Do you think Mom's happy where she is?" Ruby asked as she walked out the room, looking at Taiyang with curiosity. "I hope to live up to her expectations..."

"Yes kiddo, I believe she's really happy where she is and I'm willing to wager she's watching over you no matter what." He smiled to her and patted her shoulder with reassurance. "Don't worry too much, just being our daughter is enough to make us smile to ear to ear. If Summer was here, she'd tell you that she wouldn't trade anything in the world for you and she'd thank you for making her a mother."


Inside the apartment...

"As you are well aware, those two new recruits were great in their first mission to the outside world. Deery excelled in taking charge and giving out orders, she'll make a good leader one day. Perry is getting better at his shooting, but I feel like the boy should stick with knives. Some of his bullets barely hit anything except the walls."

"That's minor detail, he'll improve over time. Excellent, I'm glad they were able to perform well under your careful eye. Well done, Lieutenant." Adam spoke into his Scroll, clearly pleased with the report. "I think the newbies are rubbing off on you."

"Thank you very much, sir. I do my best to make sure they prove themselves loyal and useful for the Fang." There was a pause, then the voice asked, "You sound breathless, is everything alright?"

"Came back from the gym, I worked out pretty hard today."

"Is that right?" There was skepticism laced within the tone. "You normally spar against others for a work out..."

"Are you questioning me, Lieutenant?" Adam growled with irritation, holding back the urge to crush his Scroll with his bare hands. "I'll have you know that the only thing here that can relieve me of my energy is a gym."

"O-Of course not, sir. My apologies."

"Good. Word on the street is that the man himself, Jacques Schnee, is planning on making a special appearance at one of his...yearly banquets for royalty soon. Get the others up to speed and begin the planning, we have to stay ahead of him."

"Yes, sir."

"Keep me up to date." Hanging up on the call, Adam placed the Scroll on the table before turning his head to glance at Blake's room. Blake was in there and she purposely locked him out; she burst out of his room and found solitude within her own, locking the door straight away. However, she was in there much longer than he would like. Getting to his feet he walked over and raised a hand, rapping his knuckles against it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Blake."

"...go away Adam." A voice from behind the door reached his ears, sounding both irritated and hurt. The faunus was standing with her back against the door, gripping the silver knob so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. She felt violated...was violated and her body was trembling like there was no tomorrow. She knew Adam had tendency for violence when things didn't go his way, but she never knew how far he'd go. "I'm not in the mood...don't talk to me."

"You can't stay away from me, my darling. Not forever anyway, don't think for a second I couldn't do anything worse." He replied to her, oblivious to her feelings or well-being for that matter. "I hope you'll be more...aware of who you hang out with." When he didn't hear a response, he turned on his heels and walked away, disappearing into his room.

"Damn it..." Blake whispered once she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. Shuffling her way to the bathroom she took a deep breath and looked at the mirror. She could see the large welt getting comfortable on her right cheek, obviously from where he repeatedly hit her with his hand. There were also red marks along shoulders and collarbone, but the most concerning part were the ones along her neck. How the hell am I supposed to cover this up for tomorrow?

Ping!

"Hmm? Was that my Scroll going off?" Reaching over, she glanced at the message from an unknown number. Feeling skeptical she unlocked the screen and looked at it.

Yin: Yo Blake, it's Yin Xiao Long, one of the blonds from yesterday. Sorry if you find this creepy or out of the blue, but...um...I kinda asked Pyrrha for your number since you kinda left and all. A-A-Anyways, now that you have my contact info feel free to let me know how to be of service. I'll do my best to get to know you better, i-i-if you'd like.

There was a semi-embarrassed emoji at the end, but the faunus was surprised that the blond reached out to her. She didn't even ask for his name, and yet here he was making the first move. Leaving the bathroom, she collapsed on the bed and typed away, feeling the need to respond back to him just to be respectful.

Blake: No, it's okay. Sorry I didn't say goodbye properly, but I look forward to getting to know you better as well.

Yin: I feel the same way! I just know we're gonna be the best of friends.

Blake: What makes you say that?

Yin: It's just a gut feeling I have. You know, like butterflies in the stomach kind of thing.

Blake: Heh, if you say so :)

Yin: Sorry, but did I disturb you? It is 10:30pm after all.

Blake: You're alright, I'm just laying here in bed.

Yin: Well, then I gotta head out; honestly wasn't expecting a message so soon. Prepping my sister for her first day at school tomorrow and I still have homework to finish up.

He has a sister? Blake paused to mull over the thought, her ears perked on full alert. She knew who Pyrrha was, she knew who Sun was and she now knows who the other blond is. Then her mind clicked as she remembered the girl who was talking with Pyrrha.

Blake: Oh, is she the one who was with Pyrrha that time? She has such a bubbly personality.

Yin: Yeah, her name's Ruby!

Blake: That's a precious name. Out of curiosity, does she work anywhere or is she just a full-time student?

Yin: She works at the CinnaBun Cafe.

Blake's heart came to a stop when she read the name, her Scroll slipping out of her fingers and lay on on the sheets. Her eyes were wide and she felt herself having trouble breathing. Oh no, Adam planned that attack for days! Reaching for the Scroll she typed with trembling fingers.

Blake: Is she all right?!

Yin: Yeah, she's fine but one of the co-owners got shot. She's recovering so Ruby and I will probably pay her a visit soon.

Blake: I'm so sorry that it happened.

Yin: It's okay, it wasn't your fault so you don't have to apologize Blake.

You have no idea just how wrong you are. Blake shook her head, trying to dislodge the thoughts from occupying her mind.

Yin: Anyways, Ruby is yelling for me so I gotta go.

Blake: Okay. Thanks for the small talk Yin, I really appreciate it.

Yin: Any time you need me, I'll be here. Goodnight Blake!

God damn it...what do I do now? The faunus thought, looking at the message before setting an alarm on her Scroll so she could wake up on time. She burrowed deeper into her bed, curling tighter among the sheets. How do I tell him that while I may not have had a hand in the attack...I'm associated with the person who planned it all out.


The next morning...

"Hey Ruby!"

"Hi Jaune."

"What? You unhappy to see me or something?" The blond questioned as he fell into step with her. All the other first years bustled around them on their way to orientation, chattering loudly. "Or is it because of what happened at the cafe? Pyrrha told me because she had the television on and the news anchor was reporting in, but we didn't know the final verdict."

"Yeah..."

"Sorry about what happened. Is there anything I can do to help cheer you up?"

"Just being yourself gives me all the comfort I need." She spared him a small smile before adding, "I heard that Velvet's surgery was successful and they extracted the bullet from her wound. It'll be a few more days in recovery so Coco's been staying over there instead of at the cafe."

"That sounds about right, I'd be worried too if someone close to me got hurt in a shoot out." Jaune nodded his head with agreement, formulating a plan to ask Pyrrha if she wanted to lend him a hand in getting Velvet a basket of items. "How is the cafe by the way? I saw little shards of glass during one of my deliveries all over the ground, the police still had the sidewalk taped off."

"Yatsu said the walls would have to be repaired and all the light fixtures will have to be replaced." Ruby replied, taking a seat in the classroom and watched as Jaune took the seat next to hers. "The windows are also going to be replaced too, we've been careful to make sure all the pieces inside were picked up. Can't walk around with open-toed shoes."

"Is there a consideration of starting a fundraiser of sorts?" The blond asked, rummaging around for a writing utensil in his bag. "I'd love to pitch in a couple of lien if it'll make a difference."

"I haven't heard much, but I'll be sure to ask at our next staff meeting. Because of the attack, I can only guess that the rules and regulations are gonna change." Ruby's eyes then lit up with happiness and she said, "Thanks Jaune for that idea. You'll be the first to know once I receive some more information."

"Maybe I could swing my the shop as well. Mom and Dad came up over the weekend and they're crashing at my place so they can get to the shop easier."

"Is your place big enough for the three of you?" asked Ruby, raising an eyebrow at him. "Not that I've been over before..."

"While my place is big, I asked Pyrrha if I could crash with her for awhile. She does live by herself you know."

"She does?"

"Sometimes Ren goes over to keep her company, but he's rooming with his girlfriend Nora."

"Ren and Nora?"

"Settle down everyone! Please settle down!" The green-haired professor, a man known as Oobleck, zoomed into the room before Jaune could explain. His clothing wasn't in the tidiest of shapes – Ruby could practically see the differently colored socks peeking from the shoes – and he was all over the place, literally. "I am Doctor Oobleck, Doctor not Professor! You will address me as such! I shall go over the syllabus and then we'll go straight into Chapter 1! We're gonna move fast because there's history to be made! Don't fall behind!"

I'll fill you in after class. Jaune scribbled on the corner of his paper, making sure to get her attention before they got caught in Oobleck's rambling.


At the Schnee Mansion...

Eis all but read the paper with deep concentration, his eyes glued heavily on the words. He didn't realize how engross he was with the news that he didn't hear Klein enter the parlor. The servant had a tray of coffee which he placed down on the table, careful not to disrupt anything as he added the correct amount of sugar and cream into the liquid. Taking a step back and waiting for half an hour, he cleared his throat.

"Is something troubling you, Sir?" Eis finally glanced up to see Klein standing there, a concerned expression on his face. "Your brows were knitted together so tightly I was afraid they'd stay like that forever."

"Klein, do you know where the waitress that had been shot is?"

"Yes, sir. Miss Velvet Scarlatina, if I do recall her name correctly, is residing within the Vale hospital after a successful surgery. The only one who has been given special permission to stay by her side is Coco Adel, but visitors can go and see her if they call in early."

"Those mangy mongrel bastards!" The young heir threw down the paper and rose to his feet with anger. "Not only did they attack innocent people, but they had the nerve to ruin the only place that serves coffee that I enjoy drinking!"

"If it means that much to you, sir, perhaps I could go and ask for the beans Miss Scarlatina uses-"

"No Klein, that won't be necessary. That coffee, it can only be made by her hands and no one else. Should anyone try, they'd immediately fail." The white-haired male waves a hand dismissively. "How's the situation at the cafe itself?"

"Well, there's been a lot of property damage and I'm sure you may be aware of the surge of...hostility due to the event. I wouldn't be surprise if anyone related to the Schnees will be warmly welcomed anymore at the shop."

"I'm gonna head out then, to see the place for myself. Let the driver know to bring the car up to the front in ten minutes."

"Of course, sir."

"Eis." Jacques spoke as he stepped out of his office, watching as his son paused in the middle of putting on a jacket. "Before you head out, I'll have you know that there's a special guest waiting for you."

"Huh? Special guest?" Eis frowned at him, adjusting his jacket and making sure a button wasn't out of place. "Why haven't I heard of you inviting anyone? It wasn't on the schedule."

"Not everything I do has to be out in the public, I do have private matters you know."

"Yeah I know, but it's quite inconvenient when you throw something on me out of the blue."

"Don't whine, boy. Shit happens when you least expect it, it's called being an adult." Jacques narrowed his eyes threateningly. "Life isn't going to stop just because things don't go your way. This trivial thing won't last an hour or so."

"If you insist, Father." Eis sighed to himself before saying, "So, who is it this time? The last time you invited someone you almost had to call security."

"You remember Amber don't you? The noble lady that attended your 5th birthday party? I've invited her here because I believe she'd be a good match for you; she did turn out to be quite the rich gal if I do say so myself, so count yourself lucky your father has a sharp eye." Eis opened his mouth to say something when from behind his father, a dainty young woman stepped out. She had shoulder-length brown hair and there was a beauty mark below her left eye. Her outfit just screamed royalty, a woman of noble birth. There was a very expensive looking fan she had in her hands and when she saw him, she snapped it shut and smiled.

"Hello Eis baby, your future wife has come to see you." The heir took one look at her and he swore the color of his skin got deathly pale.

...son of a bitch. Why did it have to be her of all people?


A/N: The last thing I want to do is bump this story's rating to M, so I hope I wrote well enough to give off implied impressions! If not, Blake will probably explain in a further chapter. Ruby and Eis are set to meet up two chapters later, I can picture the scenario in my head!