AN: Nothing really to say except here you go!
Eight Months Ago…
*Signal held Blake in her hands, staring down at her cat-like eyes. Signal's own eyes were choked with tears, knowing that she would have to give Blake up.
I can't, her mind screamed. Don't make me do this!
"Ms. Belladonna?" One of the nurses stepped forward her face soft and kind. "I'm sorry," the nurse said simply, her red eyes pained.
"Give Blake to the nurse, okay?" Auburn prodded. He was standing by Signal's bed, keeping close to her.
Signal took one last look at Blake and slowly handed her, wrapped in her blanket, over to the nurse. Through her blurry vision, Signal couldn't tell for sure, but she thought that she could see tears in the nurse's eyes.
"Thank you. She'll be in good hands, I promise. Just rest now, and don't worry about a thing," the nurse said.
Though Signal didn't want to fall asleep, she could feel herself drifting away. Her eyes slowly closed and her arms fell to her sides.
The nurse watched Signal fall asleep, then left the room in a hurry to meet the man waiting in the hallway.
"She going to be alright?" Qrow asked.
"I hope so," the nurse replied.
"This is the least I can do for one of them. Hopefully the other girl will understand," Qrow said, taking Blake in his arms.
"Also, this way we're both even now," the nurse said, feeling her belly where her own child was growing.
"I take it I won't see you again for a long time," Qrow said.
The 'nurse' Raven, Qrow's sister, didn't answer. Removing the sword she had hidden under her long nurse's uniform, she flicked the blade in the air and a large scarlet portal opened up in the hallway, allowing her to step in and vanish. The portal vanished immediately after absorbing her, leaving Qrow with Blake.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Qrow remarked.
On the way out, a skinny man from the Schnee Dust company passed by him, accompanied by two guards. They made their way to Onyx's room. With a dismissing wave, he motioned the nurses to leave. Once the nurses were gone, the man approached Onyx in her bed. She stared up at him through her one eye.
The man reached down and grabbed the eyepatch to flip it over. Onyx grabbed the man's wrist and bit down hard on it.
"Ow!" The man hollered, pulling back and shaking his arm. The two guards behind him trained their guns on her, and terror flashed bright in her one visible eye.
"Don't," the man snapped. He brushed several invisible pieces of dust off his jacket and sighed.
"Onyx, is it?"
Onyx didn't reply, her teeth slightly bared as her lips curled back in a snarl.
"You will be happy to know that Collus Torchwick has made arrangements for you to be relieved of his ownership and handed over to work for the Schnee Dust company, effective immediately," the man continued, his words sounding flat, as if he had rehearsed the words many times.
Onyx blinked twice, but still didn't speak.
"However, what you may feel about this new turn of events doesn't matter. Once the hospital gives you leave, you will start your work with the company by taking part in the mines west of the city of Vale, where we are finding and collecting crystals to power the energy repellants that the company is currently mass-producing."
The man leaned down far enough that it was almost impossible for Onyx to look away from his eyes. "I can assure you that you will receive benefits from this. It'll be a better life than what Torchwick had for you."
Several minutes later, Onyx left with the man. A guest with small, bear-like ears entered Signal's room.
Signal was asleep, Auburn still by her side.
"Who are you?" Auburn demanded.
"How is she?" the guest asked.
"Wasn't the response I was wanted," Auburn said, crossing his arms as he frowned.
"She knows me. Just let me talk to her, okay?" the Faunus guest insisted.
Auburn shook Signal awake, albeit gently. "You know this guy?"
Signal blinked several times, waiting for her vision to fully clear. As she focused, she realized exactly who it was and snarled, ripping the blankets off her legs.
"Get. Out," she growled.
"Whoa whoa whoa, hold it. You just gave birth, you can't move yet," Auburn said, clutching Signal's shoulders in an attempt to make her lie back down.
Signal refused to move, shaking of his hands as she continued to glare at the stranger. "What are you doing here, Jasper?"
"I can't come to see how you're doing, Si—"
"It's the Lioness," she snarled. "That's what you're supposed to call me now."
"What happened? Am I - correct - in saying you had a child?" Jasper asked.
"She's gone now, okay?" Signal spat, fury igniting behind her eyes even as tears began to sting them. She pressed her face to her drawn-up knees, trying to quell the sobs that threatened to rip from her throat.
"Now is not the right time to come here," Auburn said, standing. "Please leave immediately."
Anger flared in Jasper's eyes. "It's not your call," he said harshly. "Who do you think you are?"
"A friend of Signal's, and someone who knows a thing or two about what's right for her," Auburn said evenly. "What's right for her now is that you leave." He pointed at the door.
Jasper clenched his fists until the knuckles went white. Slowly, he forced himself to loosen his grip on his palm, deciding to not pick a fight.
"I hope you feel better," he said to Signal, and then walked away.**
Six Months Ago…
*Onyx stood at attention along with the rest of Jasper's followers as they waited for Jasper to enter the room after his surgery for new prosthetic legs.
Jasper came in, his silver prosthetic legs sending chills as sharp as needles down Onyx's spine. The crowd clapped in response to his arrival, voicing their support for him. Onyx was there during the Faunus attack on Vale, having been saved from the mines thanks to Jasper's leadership.
While working for the Schnee family, the best thing they had done for her was teach her sign language to help her communicate because of the damage done to her brain.
During the attack, Onyx realized that it got easier after every kill, and, with a knife, she was able to relish it. All she had to do was imagine that every person she killed was Qrow.
Jasper gave his followers a speech, assuring them that he was alright and could still fight and still lead, and that he has a plan to secure their grip on the human race.
When he was done, Onyx followed him into the same operation room he was in.
"E-excuse me—sir?" she asked.
Jasper turned to face her. One of the Faunus guards accompanying him stepped in between them.
"Hey, beat it kid. Jasper doesn't have time for—"
"No, let her be. What is it?" Jasper asked.
"If—if I'm going t-to be a part of this—I ask that I g-get to do one th-thing," Onyx said, fighting to enunciate clearly.
"And what's that?"
"I want th-the opportunity to k-kill a human named Qrow."
Jasper eyed Onyx sharply, analyzing her. She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes.
"I can see that your anger for the human race runs deep. That's good. And this Qrow person, I've heard of him."
"He abandoned m-me and my b-best friend, Signal."
Jasper started at the mention of Signal's name. Does he know her? she wondered.
"You knew Signal?"
"Yes."
"I did too," Jasper said, his voice slightly softer.
"I loved her."
"My goal is to take care of something personal first, but once that's done, I can assure you that you will have your opportunity to kill Qrow," Jasper said after a moment of silence.
"Th-thank you, sir," Onyx replied, bowing slightly.
Jasper hesitated, then said, "However, please keep in mind that, should I die before then, you'll have to find a way to get to him yourself."
"I—understand," Onyx said, and grinned.
"Good. Now, one more thing. Do you believe you are truly loyal to the new White Fang?" Jasper asked.
Onyx knew she was, and yet was not. Jasper was promising her an opportunity to have revenge against the man who threatened her and Signal, then left them behind to get taken. She would do anything for Jasper in order to reach her own goal.
"Yes. My life is yours," she said.
Jasper smiled, showing crooked teeth. He gestured to the Faunus guard standing next to him. "Give this girl a mark wherever she wants it as a sign of her loyalty. Taurus, you will come with me. I have another important surgery."**
*Two weeks later, Onyx heard about Jasper's death at the hands of a Huntsman. She was standing amidst a group of Jasper's followers watching the news segment about the death of Jasper.
One of Jasper's disciples watching the news leaped up from his seat, shaking his fist at the screen.
"Damn them! Damn them all!" he shrieked wildly, his voice cracking slightly.
The woman on the screen continued, her voice emotionless.
"The cause of Jasper's death is even more intriguing. Using a machine created by Collus Torchwick, Jasper's Aura was transferred into the body of one of James Ironwood's robots. Scientists from Atlas say that this is impossible and further investigation will be made to study this procedure…"
"It's all a lot of crap," the female Faunus standing next to Onyx said.
Any hope Onyx had of tracking down Qrow was withering away fast, and she didn't know what to do.
On-screen, the woman droned on.
"... we've just received a report from Ironwood himself that his robot, known as Project Penny, exploded as a result of the Aura and the robot's wiring interfering with each other. Will the Aura be recoverable? We'll be sure to give more information as it comes in."
The next news segment piqued Onyx's interest.
"Other news includes, local Huntsman Ozpin announcing that his own school for Huntsmen and Huntresses—Beacon Academy—will be opening up for its first semester in four months -"
The video screen changed to show Ozpin standing in front of the temple that would become the academy.
"It has long been a dream to help revive and restore the tradition of Huntsmen and Huntresses to ensure a safer world from the creatures of Grimm," he said. "Students from all walks of life are welcome, and I can prove that through the words of a Faunus herself."
Someone walked into the view to stand next to Ozpin. Onyx's jaw dropped as she recognized the student.
Signal.
"It's an honor to be the first student at Beacon…"
Onyx couldn't stand. She stumbled backwards to sit on the seat behind her.
So Ozpin and Signal are starting a new school. If Onyx could enroll in the school herself, she could find out where Qrow is. Ozpin would know where he is. All that was needed was a slip of the tongue.
But it meant leaving Jasper's division of the White Fang behind. It had to be done, though. This was personal, and Onyx believed that she could get the job done herself. Unless—
Unless she could get Signal to join her. It shouldn't be hard, Qrow had betrayed both of them. Signal would want the same thing that Onyx wanted.
Hang on Signal, I'm coming back.**
Present Day…
*Signal's eyes burst open. She could hear gunfire, swords, screams, and tearing metal.
Where was she?
A closet. Someone put her in the closet.
Oobleck, she remembered.
Onyx fading away in front of her eyes…
Signal's eyes welled up and she stood, the world spinning around her as she tried to clear the dizziness from her head. Placing her palm hard against the door, she pushed it open and stumbled into the frenzy. Silver androids, everywhere - attacking Ozpin and his team (which now included Qrow,) along with Olive and Mayzie.
That's a sight you don't see every day. Maybe this is all just some crazy, messed-up dream. I'll wake up back at Beacon Academy, probably outside in the courtyard because I sleep-walked again.
Signal started making her way towards the front doors of Qrow's mansion. She had to get out, and Ozpin couldn't spot her. She didn't want him to know that she's leaving, and leaving for good. She's not going back to Beacon.
Blake.
No, going back for Blake would mean having to fight through the robots. You're weak, you can't fight. They'll see you and hold you back.
But what if they found Blake? What if Ozpin and his companions failed?
She's my daughter.
Signal fought her way upstairs back into the room,finding Blake in almost exactly the same spot.
There she is.
"You're coming with me," Signal said, picking Blake up and carrying her along. With a violent push, she flung one of the windows in the room open, welcoming the blowing wind from outside.
"Goodbye," Signal said. She shut her eyes, feeling the breeze and gathering up what little strength she had left. She lept from the window, stumbling slightly as she landed on her feet. The ground was hard, the impact jolting its way up her spine and making her entire lower body throb.
Blake started crying in Signal's grasp.
"Shh, shh, it's okay," Signal whispered, her voice raspy. Without looking back, she ran for the ship that she and Onyx came in, got in, and fired up the engines to leave.
She allowed herself one last look behind as she took off. The mansion had large broken chunks of stone scattered on the ground before the front doors and the roof looked like it was about to cave in on itself.
I'm done.
And then a tiny piece of her mind opened, unfolding like the petals of a flower.
I know what I'm meant to do now.
Signal left, knowing exactly where to go.**
*Fester was tossed through the wall. He dug his metal fingers into the ground, slowing himself down and stopping.
Ozpin and Glynda stepped out through the hole, heading straight towards Fester.
Whatever ill feelings Fester had towards Ozpin meant almost nothing to him anymore. Qrow had told him that Onyx was dead because of him.
"Your army is spent Fester, and your master is dead," Oz said.
"You're naive, Ozpin. I love listening to you—"
"Enough!" Ozpin snapped. He had indeed heard enough.
Fester got back up onto his feet and launched himself at Oz and Glynda, wrapping his fingers into a fist to deliver a deadly strike.
Ozpin leaped back, twirling his two-bladed staff and swinging it across Fester's chest, but it only dazed him for a second.
Fester fired a repulser shot from his wrist, which Ozpin easily batted away and struck the staff down on Fester's head, forcing him to his knees. He tossed the staff over to Glynda, who took it and stuck it up through Fester's neck, raising him up off his feet.
Fester grabbed the staff with both hands and unleashed a lethal heat through the staff, forcing Glynda to drop it.
Ozpin picked it up and was about to advance when Glynda raised a hand.
"Wait," she said. Ozpin watched as she pulled something out from her back pocket.
It was a riding crop. There were only a few left in Remnant, but somehow, Glynda was able to find one of them.
"I've been anxious to use this," she said with a smile. She directed the crop at a pile of rubble as a result of the battle that tore Qrow's home apart, then summoned all of it at Fester. With a metallic scream, Fester was bombarded with the debris and buried underneath it. Ozpin and Glynda waited for a minute.
"There's always a catch," Oz said.
Glynda didn't say anything, but instead kept her attention on the rubble. Finally, Fester's fist shot up through the rubble and he started to make his way through it. He aimed his arm at Oz and Glynda, ready to fire another repulser shot, this time stronger than the last.
Suddenly, much to Fester's surprise just as well as Ozpin's, his arm exploded, leaving a mess of charred wires dangling from the stump.
Oz looked to see that Glynda had the crop aimed at Fester. Fester tried to move but couldn't, he was stuck in the position he was in. He couldn't even speak. With one swift motion with the crop, Fester blew apart, metal chunks scattering everywhere. For a minute Ozpin thought that it was over, then he started to see the metal chunks start to drag themselves over to each other to put themselves back together.
With a growl, Glynda sprinted over and started stomping on the pieces, making sure they were ground into hopelessly tiny bits. For a while, Ozpin watched Glynda kick metal, throw it further away with her crop, and even pick up Fester's head and rip it apart with her own bare hands, spilling its insides all over the place.
"Gee, she is as crazy as you say she is," Qrow commented next to Oz.
"I told you," Ozpin replied.
When it was done, Ozpin turned around to see Port, Oobleck, Olive, and Mayzie standing by watching him.
So what now?
"Where's Signal?" Ozpin asked.
"I checked the closet where I left her, but she was gone," Oobleck said.
"What about the girl upstairs? Is she still there? There's a young girl in one of the rooms," Qrow said.
"On it!" Oobleck zipped back into the mansion to check. As he halted by their sides once again, his face did not seem quite as cheerful as before. "There is no girl in any of the rooms," he said. "Who was she?"
"Onyx's daughter," Glynda said as she walked by Ozpin before Qrow could reply. She shot Oz and Qrow a look.
"Sorry, I just wanted to beat you to your lie," she said.
Ozpin felt his insides sink. He didn't know how he was going to be able to explain himself out of this. There wasn't a single hint of affection in Glynda's eyes like there normally was when she looked at him. She kept walking, moving around the others to get back inside.
"I think you're in trouble," Qrow said.
Ozpin went after Glynda without replying. A sweat had broken out on his face, and his hands were trembling. He found her in the training room with her arms folded and her head down.
"Glynda?" he asked. He looked down to see that Glynda was looking at the riding crop, which she held in both hands.
"Is that what your mother was looking for?" he asked.
"Yes. Fester and Gray were apparently looking for it too," she replied without looking at him.
"Glynda, I'm sorry. I really am," Ozpin said.
Glynda shook her head. "Not only did you hide it from Signal, but you kept the truth from me too. You could've told me. If you had told me, I could've understood a little bit, but no. You didn't tell me either."
Oz reached out to touch Glynda's shoulder, but she wrenched it away from him.
"No, don't."
Ozpin didn't know what to say. He felt helpless, not knowing what to say or do. His tongue was seemingly tied, every word he almost spoke falling to ashes.
After a few minutes, Glynda sighed.
"I'm leaving Beacon," she said flatly.
What?
"What?"
Glynda turned to face Oz and lowered the crop to her side. "I resign from my position as assistant Headmaster."
"Glynda, you don't have to do that."
"Yes. I. Do. And you can't stop me."
It was true. Ozpin couldn't stop her.
"So this is—" He stopped, faltering slightly.
"This is goodbye. I need time on my own, and I don't know if I'm coming back," Glynda said. She was perfectly calm, her face emotionless. She did not touch him, barely even acknowledged his presence as she walked away.
Ozpin stood in silence, not bothering to wipe away the tears streaming down his face.
Glynda was gone.**
