21

Arresting Momentum

They were winning, for the most part. YUang glanced back over at here sister and could see them struggling with the mountain of a man who had taken a particular interest in Oscar, or rather Ozpin. Her uncle was looking rather winded himself, taking a breather just off to the side so he could go back in. The others were faring worse with Ren having been rendered unconscious and Nora flying into a rage.

But despite all that and even getting pierced by Weiss' Queen Lancer the man was still going strong and throwing the group around and tanking hits. He was a monster.

It was also obvious to her that Mercury had been faking in the Vytal Festival against her. He was head and shoulders above where he had been in the tournament. As her fist met his boot once more the two were forced apart by the impact. Another sidelong glance saw Jaune cornering the Headmaster on the stairs and Weiss fencing with Emerald.

A boot came sailing towards Yang's face and she deflected it with her left gauntlet and struck out simultaneously towards his knee joint which forced him to twist it out of the way. As he did his hands planted on the ground and his other leg spun up towards her. The blast from his boots caught only air as it rushed over her head when she ducked. A low sweep from her tried to catch his hands but he dance from hands back to feet before striking back at her.

They had been trading equally for a while now, neither being able to get a solid hit in, though that only made her more dangerous. Every strike she took could just be redirected at him and as the fight dragged on she held onto the growing energy, biding her time for the perfect chance to hit him with the full force of her semblance. She was angry, beyond angry even, but ever since that fight with that Tyrian guy she had felt focus in her anger. Something had changed in her. Something had just clicked into place after her training with her father.

A figure came running from the hole in the atrium, a figure dressed in black and white with her black hair trailing after her. She leapt into the air with a yell and planted both feet onto the large man before vaulting away and landing next to Ruby. Both Emerald and MErcury broke off from their fights to join the man, flanking him on both sides.

Blake took up a position on her right side, Gambol Shroud at the ready and a quick glance at her partner. Weiss came in on her left and Ruby on the other side of her. Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Qrow lined up with them. Yang suddenly felt her heart calm down, her partner was back, right where she should be.

Crack!

Everyone's attention was inevitably drawn to the source of the sound that bounced around the interior of the atrium they were battling in. It came from the ice in the center of the room that covered the hole through with Cinder, Raven, and that other woman had disappeared into earlier. Something had happened, they had all felt the tremors, but no one could go after them after Weiss had close it off with her ice. And wasn't that something Yang was going to interrogate the white haired girl over when they were done.

And they would win, too. No matter who came out of the hole, they would be subdued. The spotlights outside and the appearance of Blake, that had been surprising, had confirmed that more allies were outside. Though from the glimpses she had taken out the enormous hole in the wall it looked like White Fang were outside. Maybe Blake being here wasn't as surprising then, considering her obsession with the terrorist organization. She shook her head at the bitter thought that the girl wasn't there for her partner.

A confident smirk crossed Mercury's face as the cracking sound continued until with a horrendous shriek the ice done shattered, shards exploding out and pelting the entire rooms as a gout of fire shot up and scorched the ceiling. Everyone waited with baited breath as the figures on the platform rose into sight. In the center was Raven holding a large object in one had and the short haired woman clutching her stomach was hanging off the bandit leader's other side.

The last figure surprised everyone, Neo with the smile of the cat that ate the canary and Cinder was nowhere in sight. Everything in the room froze. The realization slowly dawned across the room and it was Emerald who was the first it react.

The green haired girl sank to her knees eyes wide. Her mouth opened and a ear piercing wail erupted from her throat and then morphed into something else, something not quite human. The room darkened, the lights dimming to near dark and the shadows coalesced in the center of the room. A figure appeared and grew from those shadows. It reared back, it's pale head nearly scraping the roof.

Yang's pulse quickened as her eyes changed back to lilac and laid transfixed on the dark sclera and blood red eyes of the figure towering above her. It's arms waved around like living things, twisting and turned in impossible ways. The face, so human and yet inhuman at the same time, scrunched up and let out a mighty bellow. The blond felt her knees weaken and it was through pure willpower that she didn't sink to her knees. It arched down and swept through the room, it's pale white face with black veins etching itself on the back of her eyelids as she closed them shut against the creature.

A moment passed and nothing happened, tentatively opening her eyes she noticed color and light had returned to the room. Spying Ruby on her knees she sprung into a sprint to reach her little sister's side as fast as she could. Sliding on the floor she impacted the young woman and clung to her.

"Ruby! Are you okay? Are you hurt!"

"Yang? Yang! I'm fine."

"What the hell was that?!" Blake drew her arms close together and shivered.

"An illusion of our enemy. That. That was Salem." Oscar limped over.

The older sister started checking the little one over and aside from some bruised and scratches, the brunette seemed fine. Finally assured she was alright, Yang looked at the other Goliath in the room, Raven. She was stiff as a board and her knuckles were white from gripping the object in her hand. Qrow reached the top of the steps, weapon in one hand and held forward.

"Give it up Raven. The rest of your allies have fled. If you surrender we can get treatment for your….protege."

Being addressed seemed to snap Raven out of whatever stupor she was in, "Shut up Qrow!" She tossed the object to him, "I don't give a shit about the relics! I need to get Vernal back to the tribe or she'll die."

She seemed almost flustered as a black and red portal opened up next to her.

"Wait!" The voice, surprisingly, belonged to Jaune, "I, uh, I can heal her."

The black haired woman's eyes narrowed, "Explain."

"My semblance. I can transfer my aura into other people and help them heal themselves."

No response came from the bandit leader but her hair jostled as she nodded her head and carefully laid Vernal on the ground and Jaune walked up, holding his hands above the grizzly wound in the woman's abdomen. Light started to suffuse the woman and the pained look on her face lessened. Even Raven seemed like she was in awe of the ability.

Everyone gathered at the top of the stairs, Nora supported Ren and Oscar sitting with his head in his hands on the steps. Everyone was worn out, the aftermath of the fight having taken the strength from them.

"Raven, mind explaining yourself? Now?" Qrow, exhausted as he was, wasn't going to give up. Raven could tell and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Salem's lackeys came to us, they found out we had the Spring Maiden."

"So you just decided to cave in?"

"No! I did what I had to do to survive." She whirled on her brother, "I had to do something to ensure the tribe's survival. I told that woman what she wanted to hear. I knew she would want the maiden alone to get the relic but there was no way they would let that maiden, me, go."

"No way… Ray, you're the Spring Maiden?"

Raven spread her arms wide , "Surprise brother."

"No.. but.. That means you…" Qrow gripped his hands tightly.

"Yes." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"How could you…."

"She came to me, Qrow, scared and helpless. She kept saying how it wasn't like what she'd been told but so much worse. I tried. I tried to make her strong but she just wanted someone to shelter her, to release her from her responsibilities. She had an idea, a dangerous idea. I had no choice, brother."

"What do you mean…. No. Salem?"

"Yes."

"Fuck!" He turned and punched the railing, the wood cracking under his fist, "So what now Raven. I'm assuming Cinder's dead?"

"I'm fairly sure of it. I froze her and dropped her down an extremely deep cavern. As for what now. The tribe needs to move. I'll send Vernal back and have them prepare to move."

"And you?"

"I'll be going with you." She said it so matter of factly that it took a few seconds to register.

"What?" Qrow mustered dumbly.

"I said I would be going with you. They showed up at my home. They will simply do so again. Salem will not let this rest. A regrettable as it may be, survival for the tribe takes precedence, I must end the threat to us."

"So just like that, you're back on board?"

"Hardly, but for now our goals align."

"That's just like you Ray." Qrow let out a defeated sigh and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oi, fuckface, where do you think you're touching!" A short yelp sounded from Jaune as Vernal suddenly woke up and pushed him away.

"You're welcome." He grumbled as he got to his feet. Raven walked up and cuffed the younger woman around the back of the head.

"Vernal that man just healed your wounds."

Vernal eyed Jaune up and down, "This guy did?"

"Vernal…"

"Thanks I guess." She grudgingly let out through grit teeth.

"Eh, you're welcome?" Jaune looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Blake shakily made her way towards where her parents were coming through into the atrium, it looked like nobody was going to bother using the doors. They swept her up in a hug and she relished the warmth after what she had just seen. She was still a little shaken from Emerald's illusion.

"You did it honey. We did it. The police are arresting the last of the White Fang." Ghira beamed at his daughter, his pride coming through in waves. Kali herself looked pleased as punch.

"Adam got away though." Blake said, a small damper on the otherwise good news.

"And he's the only one." Illia spoke up as she walked up with Sun by her side. She looked relieved, like a weight had been taken off her shoulders and Blake supposed that was probably the case.

"Hey." Sun whispered, "Your team's over there. You said anything to them?"

"I… I haven't. Not yet." Her ears flattened as she looked down at her feet.

"Go on then, I'll wrap things up here."

"But-" Before she could offer up any objections Sun wrapped his tail around her waist and spun her around sending her stumbling towards her team. She could see them standing in a group discussing things among themselves though it looked like there were two people she didn't know among them, a young boy and a woman who looked suspiciously like her partner.

"Hey guys." She mustered meekly as she walked up to them. They turned as one and Ruby squealed, jumping forward to hug her final teammate. To Blakes surprise it was Weiss who stepped forward next to join the hug and the two of them looked expectantly at Yang. Blakes heart was in her throat at the sight of her partner. The last she had seen the woman she was lying in a pool of blood, a vicious gash across her chest.

Amber met lilac as Blake waited to see what her partner felt. She waited for the reprisals, the recrimination. The blame. She waited for anything. She didn't expect Yang to step up and join the group hug.

"I'm glad you're alright. And I'm glad your back." Her eyes watered and she felt something else catch in her throat. She clutched at her partner like a lifeline and hid her face in the blonde's shoulder. After several heaving breaths she managed to bring herself back under control. Who would have thought that after going to Beacon in an attempt to run away from herself she would find people she would hold so dearly like this.

"Blake, why are you here?" It was Ruby, their leader, who asked this question and Blake felt a hysterical laugh almost bubble out of her throat but held it in.

"I should be asking you the same question."

Everyone looked at each other before Ruby shrugged, "It's a long story."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not planning on going anywhere." Unbidden the smile came to her face.

Jaune sank into the couch with a groan and closed his eyes. Healing that Vernal woman had really drained him, though it wouldn't have been a problem if he hadn't been fighting on top of that. He had barely been thanked.

Also, he had met Yang's mom.

That brought back some thoughts and his pulse quickened as he remember the kiss. It was something that had been plaguing his thoughts since it happened. He still didn't know what he should do about it. Yang liked him, and wow was that unexpected, and he had no idea what to do. Should he do anything? Could he? They had a mission, a dangerous one, and that came first, didn't it?

It was all so confusing for him.

Everyone moved around him, most going to bed. Qrow had perched himself in the kitchen, drinking from a large bottle. Ren was resting and Nora was by his side in one of the rooms. Neo had vanished into the house and never came back out. Who knew what that crazy girl was thinking. Team RWBY had gone off into Ruby's cramped room so it was just Jaune.

He felt himself drifting off to sleep when someone sat besides him, he hadn't even noticed the person approach. Jaune's eyes opened as a weight settled against his shoulder and he got an eyeful of golden hair. Yang leaned against him, her head on his shoulder.

"Wh- Yang? Weren't you with your team?"

"I was." Her voice was low. Tired.

"What's wrong?"

"I… things got heated." She linked her arm around Jaune's, "At first we were just catching up and then it came to Weiss. She explained what really happened to her when she was held by my mom. I got angry. I wanted to know why she'd never just told us that my mom planned on ending Cinder since the beginning. And then Blake stepped in to defend her. I… was angry and I said some things. Things that hurt and I regret. So I left. I needed some air."

"Oh. I'm sorry Yang."

"Heh. Idiot. Why are you sorry."

"I, uh, I don't know." Yang let out a tired chuckle at his response and Jaune sat there kicking himself for not being able to say more to make her feel better.

"You're making me feel better already." She said as if reading his mind. She shift around to look at him and then planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Good. I meant to do that." Another tired chuckle and they fell into silence for a few minutes. Jaune finally puzzled together what he wanted to say, "So. You kissed me and said you 'wanted' me."

He felt her go still, "Yeah."

"As in you like me? In more than a friend kind of way?"

"Yeah."

"So, what I want to ask is… what do we do now?" His heart was thundering so heard in his chest he really hoped she couldn't hear it. Jaune didn't know why he was so nervous about this, she had said she liked him.

"How do you feel about me?"

"I like you Yang."

"What… do you want to do?"

Crap. Crap. Crap. "Well, I'd to get to know you better?"

Yang's low chuckles shook the both of them, "Is that a question?"

"I mean I would like to!" He hurriedly corrected himself, now he felt like an idiot.

She chuckled and it turned into a giggling laughter, echoing throughout the living room, "Well then would you like to officially be my boyfriend then?" She turned to him, fluttering her eyelashes prettily.

"I'd be honored to be your boyfriend, Miss Xiao-Long." He replied with heavy sarcasm. They stared at each other until they both started giggling, "But, seriously, are we…?" He let the question hang in the air.

She rolled her eyes before leaning in and placing a long, slow kiss on his lips.

A/N: AAAAAND just barely made it. Been busy but I found time to post this.

Well there you go. I hope you guys like this chapter though it seems someone wasn't a fan of Jaune. Oh well, he's a part of the tags so he's a major character. There's a reason I focus MAINLY on Jaune, Ruby, and Yang. I know Ruby's been taking a backseat and all but this latest stuff featured heavily on Yang and her issues with Raven which will continue to show up.

Were all of you sruprised by Raven? I honestly never really got all of her motivations in cannon.