Beta/Creative Assistant: Jefardi (Who started another story which I beta for, Wrath. If you wanna read about Pyrrha get pissed and wreck shit, that story is for you.)

Cover Art: Natzo

Spectrum

War Council

"Can we just get this started already?" Yang interrupted the tense silence that had settled over RWBY's room as they waited for the last group to arrive. Cardin and his teammates were the only ones needed so they could begin planning their next move.

Jaune wasn't entirely surprised by her impatience. Cardin didn't exactly seem like the most strategic mind in their group, and whatever they decided they could just fill him in on later. It wasn't like he was the only missing face either. Coco and Nora were also noticeably absent, although the first one they could only assume was by personal choice.

"Just be patient." Those words came surprisingly from him of all people. If anything, he probably should've been the most high-strung in the group. Contrary to her though, he appeared tied for most relaxed of the group, simply sitting cross-legged on the floor looking over a map of Vale and its expansions they had placed out on the floor.

Yatsuhashi sat closest to him, sitting in a manner practically identical but with his eyes closed in mediation. Jaune couldn't explain it, but the man's presence next to him was comforting. Meanwhile, the rest of them were scattered through-out their little room, some of them like Ruby pacing nervously, others like Pyrrha unconsciously finicking with the tip of Milo.

Ren and Weiss were at least attempting to look calm but it was superficial at best, as they both kept glancing towards the open door. Velvet's rabbit ears twitched occasionally and every time he was hopeful that it was because she heard someone finally coming. Blake sat quietly on her bed next to Yang, nose in a book, but it was pretty much obvious to anyone that actually looked at her that she wasn't really reading it. Rouge and Autumn sat on the opposite end of the map from him, going over it together.

Finally, he could hear the small thumping of footfalls as someone rather large sprinted full-force down the otherwise quiet hallway. Cardin whirled around the doorway just a couple seconds later only to immediately be assaulted by several loud yells. "You're late!" Yang, Weiss, and Autumn all shouted in sync.

Instead of looking even the least bit apologetic, Cardin merely scowled. "Oobleck wouldn't let me leave. Thought I was just trying to get outta class early." He could only assume that this probably wasn't the first time Cardin had tried some lame-sounding excuse to get out of class early. Although now that he thought about it, Yang was probably about equally as guilty in that regard.

"Dove and Lark?" Velvet inquired in a merely curious voice and his scowl disappeared on the spot as he gave a quick shake of the head.

"I… told them to sit this one out." He didn't elaborate further, but Jaune could only guess why. They had been injured pretty badly turning the last skirmish. Speaking of… Jaune unconsciously shot Blake a brief glance, which didn't go unnoticed by her partner. Neither of them commented on his look, but they both knew it was something that was going to have to be brought up before they finished this meeting.

"That means everyone is here that is going to be, right?" Jaune asked as he glanced at Yatsuhashi, his point clear.

"Coco will not be joining us." The samurai stated bluntly. "Please forgive her, she is just not feeling up to it yet." He directed those words more at everyone else in the room. Jaune and him had discussed earlier about Coco's still rather fragile mental state. It sucked, as he could really use her strength, but he couldn't blame her either.

Velvet cleared her throat. "I regret to say, but I will not be joining you all either, in case you do go out. My stomach injury-" Autumn noticeably flinched. "has yet to fully heal and I don't want to leave Coco right now." He had been afraid that might be the case as well. The only upperclassman they had left was Yatsuhashi.

Not exactly good for moral, although he wasn't convinced chasing his sisters was the best course of action yet either. If he did, he wouldn't be having this meeting and would've just told them to gather at the docks. Of course, that was what he wanted to do, but last time they got caught by his sisters without a plan it hadn't exactly ended well for most of them and got hundreds killed. He wasn't willing to make that same mistake.

"Let's decide on what we're actually going to do first before we start volunteering people to stay behind." Jaune tapped the map in front of him and all eyes drew towards his commanding voice. It was unnerving being the center of attention of this many.

The gentle hand of Yatsuhashi rested on his shoulder and he didn't even have to turn his head to know the samurai had given him an encouraging nod. There was nothing to this but to allow all those years of training do their job. "Autumn-" He continued and his younger sister perked up at her name. "Tell the others what you told me."

She gave a quick nod as she broke away from Rouge and leaned over the map. "It took some time, but I was able to locate Joan, Olivia, and Ciel's Auras."

"What about the eldest two?" Cardin interrupted as he crouched down next to her.

She gave a short glare at the interruption before sighing. "Amy's sword has a spirit that can cancel out my Semblance. So long as Violet is near her, I won't be able to find either of them. Can I go on now?"

Cardin shrugged unrepentantly. "I was just asking, sheesh."

Autumn's green eye twitched as she turned once more back to the map. "The three of them were roughly five clicks outside of the mining town of Kessel." She pointed to the very edge of Vale's borders. Located just beyond it was nothing but wilderness and Grimm. It wasn't wrong to say the town she just indicated was Vale's furthest successful colony.

"Why would they go there?" There was an underlying layer of venom to Blake's voice as she asked that question.

"What's wrong with Kessel?" Ruby tilted her head innocently at the question.

"...It is rather infamous for the way it treated its miners, most of them Faunus." In contrast to Blake's anger, Velvet just sounded disappointed. "The working conditions were horrible, and despite being one of our furthest colonies, the number of Hunters assigned for protection was severely lacking."

"It's also one of the first places my sisters and I liberated from the White Fang's control." Rouge barely said this loud enough for them all to hear.

"The conditions there have improved drastically." Weiss of course had her own piece to add. "The reformed White Fang has made several beneficial agreements towards the protection and treatment of its miners."

"This is all well and great, but like my partner asked, why are they hanging out around there?" Yang tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"...I don't think they're hanging around at all." Jaune tapped the map, right over where Vale City was located. "About how long would it take to get from here to Kessel for a trained Huntress?"

"If we hopped on the next train, we could probably be there by nightfall." Weiss answered his question without even having to think about it.

"Okay. But my sisters can't use the train. Their motion sickness would cause too much of a scene."

Yang snapped her fingers as she finally got it. "So they're not hiding out at Kessel. It's taken them this long to get there."

"Exactly." At least now he knew for sure that their motion sickness had to still be a factor. Which was another thing to consider when fighting them. Already his brain was whirling with scenarios as he considered the strengths of those he would be going into battle with.

"That still doesn't answer the why." Ruby pouted as she wracked her brain for an answer.

"We must consider the possibilities. And eliminate what doesn't add up." Yatsuhashi lifted that hand that had been on Jaune's shoulder. "For starters, what do we know of their goals?"

"They want to kill Jaune, that much they made obvious." In fact, that was the only thing about their goals they knew. If there was something else they were after, it was still unclear.

"It makes sense that they would want to lay low after their latest attempt. But retreating that far away from Beacon just doesn't make sense, especially if they know Jaune is here now." Ren rubbed his chin and talked slowly, considering each and every word before he spoke them. "Unless…"

"They're getting reinforcements?" Pyrrha finished that train of thought for him.

"Violet and Amethyst." Jaune agreed.

"But I thought those two didn't want to kill you?" Ruby asked.

"They would likely be desperate after our last battle." Yatsuhashi was more vocal in a group this large then Jaune had ever heard him. "They lost their seeker whereas we gained one. And attacking Beacon is a much weightier gamble than even their last."

"You think the elder two could be persuaded to help them?" At Blake's question Jaune could only shake his head.

"The truth is, I don't know enough about the personality quirks of the swords. Anything is possible though."

Yang cracked her knuckles loudly and all eyes turned towards her. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go get them before they meet up with the others. Better to attack now and stop them from grouping up if you ask me."

"It's safe to say this may be our best chance to go after them." Pyrrha seemed to agree with Yang's sentiments. "My concern is if the other two are also currently hiding out in this town. We could be walking into a battle with all five of them." That was the thing that made him the most nervous. He could feasibly see them beating Joan, Olivia, and Ciel. It wouldn't be anything short of a miracle, but it was still feasible. If he had to calculate Amethyst and Violet into the equation though, there wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell they walked out of that situation alive.

"We can't sit on the defensive and just wait for them to come to us though." Weiss stomped her foot to accentuate her point. "And we'll lose them if they get to that scythe."

"I think it's a safe bet that Violet and Amethyst aren't actually at Kessel, but rather beyond it." He had to believe that for now. Otherwise they had no basis to stand on that they could win. "They're both quite adept at wilderness survival, not to mention the protection offered by their swords. And it actually makes sense to think that's why no one in all of Vale has been able to locate my two most reputable sisters."

"The other three will probably have to stop there for the night. If for nothing else than to eat and rest." Blake continued speaking in his place. "Meeting them at Kessel may actually be our last and best chance to stop them."

"But we'll also expose all those living there to danger." Jaune shot back quickly. "If we cause the same level of destruction there that we did in Vale… there won't be anything left." That was his biggest fear, creating another Domremy. "...And all of you aren't fully healed yet either."

"If you decide we should go, I don't want Blake coming." Ruby suddenly said, her voice leaving no room for argument.

"Excuse me!?" Not that it didn't mean Blake wasn't going to try.

"You just got discharged… half an hour ago." Ruby gestured in the general direction of the infirmary as her silver eyes locked with Blake's yellow ones.

"She brings up a good point." Weiss stood by her leader, bringing Blake's irritated glare on her. "What? I'm just being pragmatic. You're more likely to hinder us than help."

"Rubes is the leader, partner. Gotta listen to her." And then the biggest blow of all came as Blake shot Yang a look of pure betrayal.

"You too?" She exclaimed in a voice louder than he had ever heard her make.

Yang's own eyes flickered red for a moment as they narrowed. "Maybe you forgot, but you almost died out there last time."

"We've all had close calls before. This isn't different than any other time." Blake jumped to her feet, whirling around to see if she could find anyone that would agree with her.

"But before we always had a chance to recover. You haven't had that yet, Blake." Ruby refused to relent though and Blake finally settled on him.

He gave a guilty sigh and her body tensed as it prepared for the words they both knew he was going to say. "You know I want as many of you to come with me that I can. But your team is right." He didn't elaborate further, as they had already made every point he could.

With a reluctant breath, Blake practically collapsed back down to the bed. Yang made to rest a hand on her head but she inched away from the touch. "It's not like I was the only one that just got out." She may have muttered this under her breath, but they all heard and several eyes turned to Ren.

His own eyes widened slightly as he seemed to realize what was coming. "No… no."

"Ren… think about Nora." Pyrrha started quietly.

"I am thinking about Nora. But I'm also thinking about Joan." Ren whirled on his teammate. "You can't tell me not to go on this. She means just as much to me as she does to you."

"I know that, Ren. I know." Pyrrha held up a hand defensively while the other gripped in a tight fist. "But you're still not fully recovered either. And we still don't know when Nora is going to wake up. Imagine how confused and hurt she'll be once she does and we're both gone, out there fighting to bring Joan back without her."

Ren's lips tightened into a thin line and Jaune could practically hear the gears whirling in his head as he wrestled with Pyrrha's words. Jaune understood how hard this must have been for him. He may have feelings for Joan… but Nora was also his childhood friend. His feelings for neither of them were light, and that just made the choice all the more agonizing.

"...Leave Joan to me." Pyrrha spoke gently, not in a command, but as a request. "You look after Nora. That way when I come back with my partner, your partner can greet her with a smile."

In the same manner Blake just had, Ren gave a reluctant sigh of his own. "Very well. Just please… come back."

"Not to burst anyone's bubble, but Lady Killer hasn't actually said if we're going after them or not." Yang reminded them all, and Jaune was once more brought back to his dilemma.

"Well… it would be rather awkward if I decided we shouldn't after that." He tried to give a small chortle, but it came out forced at best and no one else even attempted to respond to his poor shot at humor.

"So is that a let's go get them or… no?" Yang's voice went up an octave as she tilted her head in confusion. He knew he was sending mixed signals to them, but at this point he really didn't know what the best course of action was.

Their group was smaller than ever. They were down to seven able bodied students. He doubted Glynda could go as far as to Kessel with them, especially considering the actual location of his two eldest remained unknown. There was a chance though, that with the abilities he had available to him, that they could counter his sisters. It wasn't that he didn't have a plan, but the question was would things even really go that smoothly? Not likely, and it was their lives and the lives of that town he was gambling with if it didn't pan out.

"Whatever you think is the best choice, Jaune." Pyrrha's words startled him out of his deep trance and he looked up to her in a mix of shock and disbelief. "I'll follow you no matter your decision." After saying those words, she gave him a smile so sincere that he felt all the indecision slowly began to wash away.

If Pyrrha, who had once doubted him the most, could look at him and say those words, then there was no reason he should have do think they couldn't pull this off. He cast his eyes around the room, and found every single gaze on him, all waiting for his decision. If he said they would go, then they would jump into battle with him. If he chose not to, it was likely they would stay put until he came up with something else.

If they believed in him, then he would just believe in them. "You said if we catch the next train, we could be there tonight?"

He turned to Weiss who nodded without hesitation. "I'm sure of it."

"Alright." He inhaled deeply before puffing his chest out with confidence and holding his head high. "Then let's go save my sisters."

Chapter End

Omake 21

Bored and Confused

Ciel was bored.

And she loathed being bored. She had always assumed that upon graduating Beacon and getting her Huntress License that all her time would be spent in constant non-stop excitement. Turns out that wasn't the case at all. Huntresses had surprising quite a bit of down time.

She needed someone to relieve herself of this boredom and soon, or she might really go mad. And if she went mad, the rest of them had better rest assured that she was going to prank the crap out of them. She may be considered a full-fledged adult and productive member of society now, but that didn't mean she always had to act like one.

Who to bother though? Violet wasn't an option. In a rare occurence, her old team had reached out to her for help. Apparently they were in over their heads with something or another. Whatever it was, Violet didn't hesitate to head out immediately.

Amethyst was around, but she was locked into her room, listening to music. Naturally, if Violet wasn't there to yank her off onto missions, she pretty much couldn't be bothered to do anything. Ciel could probably bribe her with some tickets to a band she liked. Heck, they could try and pick up some dates while there. The nice thing about doing that with Amy was there wasn't exactly a possibility of them having to compete for the same person.

Still, that sounded like a lot of effort and she wasn't quite that bored yet. However, she was certainly bored enough to pick on Olivia. That sounded fun and it wouldn't even take much effort. For old time's sake, she could probably recruit Jaune too. He was always reluctant at first, but she knew he had fun.

Well, that was decided. Ciel grinned happily as she skipped out of her room and down the hallway. "Jaune! Lend me a hand!" She threw his door open without a single knock… and stopped hard before she even could even set a single foot past the threshold.

The huge grin remained plastered on her face, although she was pretty sure it had only frozen that way. In fact, her whole brain ground to a halt as she tried and failed to comprehend exactly what she was looking at.

Jaune was in his room. That much made sense. She wouldn't have come over here if she didn't think he had been. Reese though, well… that part she hadn't expected.

Especially considering the rather… compromising position she had just barged in on them in. She couldn't exactly see the girl in the purple hoodies expression right now. What with her hood pulled up and mint-green hair obscuring the angle of her face.

Jaune sat on the edge of his bed, legs dangling over the edges. Meanwhile, Reese sat facing him, legs wrapped around his back as she practically sat forwards on his lap. It didn't take a genius to figure out that her lips had just been locked with his, in what must have been a pretty passionate kiss, if their panting breath wasn't any indication.

There was also his incredibly flushed face, but that was probably from a combination of things at this point, her barging in on them being one of the contributing factors. "Oooooh…" Ciel's face cringed as her huge grin cringed into an apologetic one. "...My bad?"

Jaune's flapping mouth finally seemed to work as it began to sputter out something. "C-Ciel!" Ah, his voice just cracked. In any other situation that may have been funny.

"In my defense, you totally did not lock the door." Of course, not that him locking it would've stopped her from getting in one way or the other, but she was taking little victories right now.

"You're going to blame me!?" In his disbelief he jumped to his feet, and the girl on his lap gave a shriek as she clung to him even more tightly to keep from falling off. Too bad he wasn't prepared for the unexpected shift in weight and the two of them were sent crashing to the floor, him on top.

There were so many jokes she could crack right now, but considering this really did all come back to her, it was probably better if she just let it slide. "Really bro? At least try to keep it in your pants while I'm watching." Okay, so she had to get off at least one.

"Ciel!" He looked torn between getting up to yell at her or making sure his girlfriend was okay.

"...I don't mind if she wants to watch." If Reese was embarrassed, she certainly hid it well. "But if we're going to continue this on the floor, can we switch sides? My back is sore after that drop." Oh damn. Even Ciel felt her face heat up at the totally nonchalant way she just said those words.

"With that… I'll take my leave." Better to just take a tactical retreat for now then make this any more awkward than it already was. So before anything more could be said she slammed the door shut and quickly fled towards the living room.

That was completely unexpected. She knew he and Reese had been dating for over half a year now but had no any idea they progressed anywhere near… that. It was almost preposterous, picturing her younger brother getting to that stage in a relationship with anyone. If she hadn't seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it.

A small part of this was actually depressing. Jaune… he had always been the one Ciel could count on. Whenever she was bored, or needed someone to hang out with, he was usually the most readily available. Now though… for perhaps the first time ever, he had something better to do than hang out with her. She couldn't help but wonder how Joan was coping with this.

"Oh… Ciel?" She slowed to stop as she walked past the living room. Oliva was leaning over the couch, looking back at her. The TV was playing behind her and Ciel caught a quick glimpse of Joan watching it. Whether she was oblivious to what was happening up in her room or not, Ciel wasn't sure, but her money would be on Joan knowing. She always seemed to know with her twin.

"Is everything okay?" Olivia continued with a concerned tone. "I thought I heard a yell up there."

"Ah, it's nothing. I just pulled a prank on Jaune and Reese." That was kind of true? At the very least it was a half-truth.

Olivia's eyes narrowed and Ciel felt her back shiver as her younger sister's Semblance activated. "Don't you dare pick on Jaune while he is with his girlfriend. You'll eventually scare her away. Why such a sweet girl has put up with all the stuff you all put her though for so long I'll never know." Sweet… yeah.

If only Olivia really knew.