Volume Four, Chapter Seven: Qualia

re:Bound

Allison Illuminated

Chapter Publish Date: 4/17/19

Beta: Vixie

Master yourself.

All her life, Weiss had always strived for greatness. She had big dreams, aspirations no ordinary heiress would be able to accomplish. Ambition was part of her way of life. Every day, she would practice combat in her training room or study leadership from her father's book, ensuring every part of her ability was perfect. Her drive gave her strength, enough so for her to convince Father to let her go to Beacon instead of staying close to home; Beacon, of course, being where that drive was unmasked and fell to pieces.

WBYR had taught her that she could make mistakes and deviate from the script. Her team became more important than her. The treasured leadership book, which Weiss had spent far more time with than she cared to admit, found a second life as a doorstop and Zwei's chew toy. Along the line, she had lost her incessant need to train, her perfectionist streak, and the loss began to show in her everyday life.

I've made too many mistakes, Weiss mused as she took Myrtenaster and slipped out the back door onto the porch. Something has to change.

Master yourself. What simple, deceptive advice. How typical of Winter to give her advice so cliché it circled right back around to being profound. Weiss had mastered herself before Beacon – her work ethic, her technique – except she hadn't at all. She had been bratty, arrogant, stuck-up, and all-around unpleasant to be around. Worst of all, Ruby Rose had been the one to show her that. No, Weiss didn't know what mastery looked like, but after a year as team leader, she was starting to see the glimmers of an idea.

When Pyrrha had lost control of her maiden powers, the night of the funeral, that was the most terrifying moment of Weiss' life. It wasn't watching the battleships of her military crash into Vale, or the fear when they had escaped from Harkan's ambush by air. The scariest moment was when her teammate was losing control, and her glyphs were the only thing in between everybody she loved and death. The memory of her aura draining and her control slipping had haunted her dreams all summer. Weiss couldn't – wouldn't – lose another friend. If another teammate died because of her, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to forgive herself.

Grass crunched underfoot beneath the heel of her shoes. Myrtenaster slipped through the blades, dust rounds glowing under the night sky. Weiss stopped in the center of the backyard, right where scorch marks left the earth black, and took a deep breath.

Master yourself.

Weiss's dreams and ambitions had done nothing but grow since she had left for Beacon. Only her standard had slipped, and that was unacceptable, even more so than before. Back then, Weiss had to be perfect for herself, and nobody else. Now the stakes were higher than ever, because she had to be perfect for her team, and somewhere, somehow, she had missed the mark. No more.

"Center yourself," Weiss whispered to herself. Bringing her feet together, she held her sword with both hands, tip down. "Call on your aura. Channel your focus. Visualize your summon." A spectral white knight, an automaton with a glowing helm, the last obstacle between her and freedom. "And go!" Her icy eyes snapped open, and she plunged the sword into the dirt. Aura flowed into the ground, forming a glyph, and Weiss smiled in determination.

You'll see, Winter. I'll be the leader my team needs. And the next time I'm the last person between us and failure, I won't lose.

A hand emerged from the glyph, pulling into the light.

Unease had crept into the dark interior of the barn like water, dripping through the hole-littered roof and into the dank hay. An ancient weathervane creaked atop the structure, swinging back and forth in the wind. The last Grimm attack had been six days ago when a lone Beowulf made it over the property line, and a Mistrali patrol hadn't made it to the farm for twice the time. Summer felt overlong, almost eerie. The cornfields were ready for harvest, and yet…

Oscar Pine kept a tight grip on his pitchfork, pulling the door shut behind him. Thin light came from slotted windows high in the rafters, but it did little to chase the shadows away. When he reached the entrance to his aunt's house, he let go of the pitchfork and leaned it against the wall. Aunt Celia will get angry if I leave it lying around again.

And, if Oscar was being honest, holding the old farm tool did nothing to alter the sense of being watched.

Closing his eyes, he sighed and turned to put his gloves away. To his right, an old sink clung to the dark wall, the cracked mirror reflecting distant light – and where on earth is the green light coming from?

Tensing, Oscar walked toward the sink. The porcelain was cool enough to feel through his gloves. His reflection was the same as always – messy brown hair, scattered freckles, and bright green eyes – but the green dancing at the edges of his figure disobeyed the rules of a proper mirror. The light seemed to flare in amusement, almost as if somebody was there, trying to communicate. Only that was impossible, right?

"Hello?" Oscar asked the empty barn.

No response. I must be going crazy. Oscar pulled away from the mirror, waiting for the green echoes to fade.

Hello, there! My name is Ozpin!

Aunt Celia later would scold her young nephew for mishandling the farm equipment, but she never thought twice about the scream she had heard from the barn. Oscar knew better.

Normal people didn't hear voices in their head, voices that told wild stories about academies and huntsmen and maidens. So, Oscar willed himself to block the voice out of his head, but the feeling of being watched never went away, and neither did the eerie green light.

"Hey, kiddo."

In the garage, Ruby hunched over her gauntlets, welding mask pulled over her face to protect her from the sparks. At the sound of Qrow's voice, she yelped in surprise. What's he doing here? She fumbled with her blowtorch for a second before getting it back under control and pulling her mask off her face. "Uncle Qrow?"

"Do you have a second?" Qrow asked, pushing off of the wall he had been leaning on and gesturing toward the bench across her work table.

"Uhhhh…" Ruby glanced at the half-welded component she was working on. "I guess?"

"Good."

Qrow slumped on the other bench. When he reached into his inner coat pocket, Ruby's confusion morphed into a scowl. "Look, if you're here to drink, Uncle Qrow, then-"

"Nah, just water." Sure enough, he pulled out a plastic water bottle and shook it lightly. "Tai thinks it'll help me stay sober, or something."

"Or something."

"That's what I said." Qrow took a long drink from his water bottle, recapping and slipping it back into his coat. "Look-"

What's he up to this time?

For the life of her, Ruby couldn't think of a single good reason for Qrow to stop drinking now, of all times. Qrow had been her cool, drunk uncle for as long as she could remember, even before she understood that he was an alcoholic and what that meant. That was the way he was. Occasionally Dad would try to stage an intervention, but it never lasted. So why now? Why does he have to go and change everything now? Qrow saved us from Harkan, but he was the same as ever afterward. Had something happened? Did this have to do with what Bella was hiding from her?

"Rubes, you're staring."

Ruby blinked and met Qrow's dry expression. "You've been weird lately," she accused.

"Well, I haven't had a drink for three weeks, so there's that."

"Really?"

"Why else would I agree to carry a bottle of water around?"

"No, I- You're sober? Like, it's not- This isn't-"

"Relax, kiddo." Qrow reached out across the table to put a hand on Ruby's arm. Ruby flinched, which made him flinch, and he quickly retracted it. "I-"

Ruby dropped her gaze, suddenly unable to look at him. "What the hell happened?" she asked. "I know Bella knows because she's been upset about it, but she won't tell me, and now you're doing this, and I- I don't know what I'm supposed to think."

"Rubes..."

Ruby stopped talking and let her gaze fall to the gauntlets on the table. What am I supposed to say? The sound of crinkling plastic filled the garage, too loud; Qrow chucked the crushed plastic bottle at the trash can and pumped a fist when bounced in. When did talking to Qrow get so hard?

"I thought you were done with those gauntlets."

"I was."

"So why are you working on them?"

Ruby shrugged, turning the metal bracer over in her hands. "They're useful, and I wish I had had them at the protest. Besides, at this point, I've modded them enough that they aren't the same as Ember Celica anymore. I figured if I give them a few touch-ups and a fresh coat of paint, they might be useful in a fight if I get disarmed again."

"Can I see?" Qrow winced when her head snapped up to stare at him, but he didn't back down. Ruby hesitated before sliding a gauntlet over. Qrow gave it an appraising twice-over, rapping a knuckle against the dusteel. "You do good work, kid. This is better craftsmanship than Yang's. Are you going to name them?"

"Maybe? I haven't decided yet."

It struck Ruby that she was having a perfectly normal conversation Qrow – Qrow who she was supposed to be hating, who had been nothing but awful to her and Bella for months. Yet here they were, chatting about weapons like she was still at Signal and he was still her cool uncle who could do no wrong. Flushing, she reached over and grabbed her gauntlet back. "Why are you here, Uncle Qrow?"

Qrow sighed. "Well, there's something important we need to talk about-"

Important. Important meant hunter business. Important meant Bella. Some of the hope Ruby hadn't realized she had been holding onto slipped away, and she slumped a bit.

"Oh."

"-but I…" Qrow caught her fallen expression and groaned, massaging his temples. "Gods. Look, I wanted to say I'm sorry, okay?"

It took Ruby a moment to get from his antagonistic tone to what he had said. "You're sorry?"

"Sorry about blowing up at Bella, when you woke up."

"...Why?"

"I thought you weren't going to wake up," Qrow said, leaning forward. "I thought I was too late. It would be my luck for your powers to kill you while I was there. And I was drunk-"

"Big surprise."

"More drunk than usual," Qrow amended. "And you woke up and tried to claw your own eye out, and I-"

"I know what you did," Ruby snapped. "How is that supposed to explain anything? How was Bella having a seizure her fault? I know you hate her, but- You saved us, Uncle Qrow! For half a second, I thought you actually cared about us again, but then you turn around and-"

"Do you know how Summer died?"

Ruby's breath caught in her throat. The garage felt a lot smaller than it did before. "What?"

Qrow leaned forward with his jaw set, lips pressed together. "Do you?" he asked.

"Of- Of course, I do, I-" Ruby stammered. "How could I not? She sacrificed herself to stop a massive Grimm attack. She was a hero."

"Not why she died, Ruby. How."

"How? I don't understand."

Qrow pushed himself to his feet and away from the table. Ruby watched him as he stared at the ground, fists clenched, his cape fluttering in the faint breeze behind him. "We were the last stand before the army – me and Summer. Ozpin had been driven back, and everyone else was too busy trying to protect the Spring Maiden at the time. Salem didn't even care about the invasion. All she wanted was the maiden, but we still had to stop the Grimm horde she had created before it destroyed half of Upper Atlas. Our last resort was to destroy the mountain pass, but it failed. There was only one other way we could save the people in the villages below the mountains."

"Mom," Ruby whispered.

"Summer."

"But why? Why was the last possible option? Why did you try to stop me from using my silver eyes after we beat Harkan? Why didn't you tell me about them?!" Ruby rested a hand against the metallic patch on her face. "Is it because of this?"

"Those eyes are a curse!"

Ruby gaped at the sudden outburst from Qrow, dropping the gauntlet in her other hand. "Uncle Qrow?"

Qrow took a long unsteady breath, shaking his head. "We tried, kid. We tried to figure out how they work, why Salem was after them. All we could figure out was that they don't run off of aura, or anything else we understand. Ozpin knew, but he refused to tell us-"

"What?!"

"Did you think you and Bella were the first people Ozpin kept secrets from?"

Ruby stared at Qrow in horror. "I- I didn't think about it at all."

"Whatever energy source those eyes run off of, it's finite. But once it runs out, they don't stop working, no. They start converting parts of the body into pure energy." Qrow narrowed his eyes at his clenched fist. "Summer didn't tell us that when she started using her powers on missions. Most of the time, she was fine afterward, when it was a Grimm or two. But when it was a whole pack, or something massive, she would be faint, collapse. We assumed it was only a side effect until Rae walked in on her and realized she had metallic silver patches covering her arms and torso."

No…

"She was killing herself, and she thought she could hide it and still do her job." Ruby rose to her feet, horrified, but Qrow wasn't done. "So we told her she could only use them in an emergency, but she didn't listen. Your mother was headstrong, Rubes, even more than you are. Summer didn't stop taking missions, using her eyes, until before she had you. She was always adamant that she would do anything in her power to save people, even if it hurt her."

"So she did," Ruby whispered.

Qrow bowed his head. "She vaporized Salem's entire army, and it turned her to ash."

A tear trickled down Ruby's face, and she wiped it away with the back of her fist. "How close was I?"

"You were comatose for a week and a half, Ruby. Any longer, and Tai and I, we-" Qrow choked over his own words. "We weren't sure you were going to survive. We thought we had lost you like we lost Summer."

"So if Bella hadn't pulled me back from the edge, I would have died?" Ruby whispered.

"I'm sorry, kid."

At some point while Ruby was crying, Qrow walked around the table and hugged her, the faint scent of liquor still clinging to his jacket. Ruby wanted to push him away, to call for Bella, but she couldn't – Bella was in the city, anyways, out of range. Instead, she hugged Qrow back and buried her face in his chest. "Un- Uncle Qrow..."

"Hey, hey, I got you," Qrow murmured, rubbing circles on her back.

"Hey, Rub- Qrow? What's wrong?" Tai's voice came from the door of the garage. He rushed to Ruby's side and put a hand on her shoulder, but she held fast to Qrow.

Qrow sighed and met Tai's eyes. "We were talking about Summer."

"Qrow-"

"'s not his fault," Ruby mumbled into Qrow's chest, shaking her head. "He was- he apologized, for when we woke up. 's my fault for-"

"Ruby. Ruby, look at me." Ruby lifted her head towards Tai, meeting his concerned gaze. "Nothing about your mother's death is your fault, at all. Do you understand? Summer, she- she knew what it meant to be a huntress, to take risks. If she knew you were blaming yourself right now for anything you've done, then-"

"She would hang you from the roof by your cloak and not let you down until bedtime," Qrow said, and Tai snorted.

"Exactly."

Ruby gave a wet laugh, wiping at her face with her cloak. "I miss her, Dad," she said in her smallest voice, doing her best to smile for Tai.

Tai wrapped Ruby and Qrow into a tight group hug. "So do I," he murmured. "We all do."

I missed this too. Ruby had almost forgotten how good Qrow and her dad were at giving hugs. Relaxing into the embrace was easy, and she let her tears dry on Tai's sleeve. They stayed there for a while.

"I forgive you."

"You do?" Qrow asked, uncertain.

Ruby closed her eyes when she felt Bella's presence return to the edge of their range and flare in alarm. It's alright, she murmured through their bond. We're alright.

I'll give you space.

Right before Bella moved back out of range, Ruby smiled. Thank you. I don't know what you did, but thank you.

Longing. Mourning. Regret. Sorrow. Hope. I'm glad, then, Bella said. Don't mess it up, Rose. And before Ruby could respond, she went out of range again.

"I forgive you," she repeated.

Qrow exhaled and pulled away from Ruby enough so he could see her. "Why, kiddo?"

Why? Qrow was at the heart of so many of her troubles from the past few months. He had ratted her and Bella out to Ozpin, made her feel worse than worthless, hurt Bella deeper than she could ever hope to make him understand. Even now Ruby still clung to the burning ache Bella had felt when she had thanked her. And yet, Qrow and Bella were so alike in so many ways. Ruby hated how they tore each other apart, because in her mind they were family. It didn't make sense, but-

If she could forgive Bella, then she had already forgiven Qrow.

Ruby looked from Tai to Qrow and smiled. "Because I love you."

Qrow's eyes widened and a genuine grin spread across his face, a smile Ruby hadn't seen in years. A decade seemed to melt away in a moment. "You mean it, kid."

Ruby wiped away her tears and nodded. "Of course I do. You're my Uncle Qrow"

"Rubes..."

When Tai pulled them back into the group hug and Ruby and Qrow leaned into each other, everything was back as it should be.

"..."

"What did you come to talk to me about, Uncle Qrow?"

"Oh, that? Nah, it's not important. We can talk about it another day."

"Almost there..."

Pulling the tent flap back, Blake and Yang stepped out of the darkened tent and into the light, Yang's arm slung over Blake's shoulder. Yang was unsteady on her feet, but she was out of bed and moving. Before they could step out into the Branwen camp, Yang stopped short and gave Blake a look. "Blake?"

Blake met her eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll manage." Yang nodded, uncertain but determined. Her hair was wild and matted after weeks without proper care and her arm was still bandaged, but for the first time since the attack, she didn't look defeated. It gave Blake hope. "I… Can I try walking alone?"

"Are you sure?" Blake asked, biting her lip as her ears flattened against her head.

Yang took a deep breath and straightened her back, rolling her shoulders back. Ember Celica's single remaining gauntlet sat heavy around her wrist, cocked and loaded for combat. "Yeah. I want to walk on my own if we're going out."

"Alright..."

Letting go of Yang's wrist, Blake slid her arm off her shoulders. Yang swayed in place for a moment, stumbling forward, but she caught herself and held her arm out for balance. When Blake tried to rush to her side, Yang shook her head and growled, "Don't." Red flashed in her eyes for a moment, and Blake could see the pain in her expression before she caught her watching and wiped it away.

It was bittersweet. Yang was so strong, but Blake knew things would never return to the way they were before the attack.

Blake had returned from Raven's mission to Shiroyama two days ago when the raiding party had been treated to a hero's welcome home. Since then, she had spent her time with Yang, trying to make amends for leaving her behind without telling her. Yang had been cold for half a day before the tension snapped, and everything Blake had discovered from Vernal had spilled out in one long jumbled confession. Now, tension still simmered below the surface, but Yang was driven. She was the one who had demanded to train today. It gave Blake hope that this was where her recovery would start.

If we could have told Yang about the attack, would she have been like this, too?

That didn't matter. Now, the only way was forwards.

"Ready?" Blake asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Yang took a deep breath and led Blake out of the tent into the camp.

The tribe had moved camp while Blake had been away on the raid from the sweltering forests of central Anima to the cooler rocky lowlands that sloped down to Anima's big central lake. The temperature was more bearable, for late July at least. They had joined with a larger splinter tribe who had sworn fealty to Raven, where there were civilians than Raven's elite main camp. The result felt more like a small city than a group of bandits, snaking through a series of valleys. Armed guards patrolled the sparse hills above. Everyone was armed, from young mothers walking with infants in arm to kids sparring with sharp short-blades. More people had their auras unlocked than usual – rare in any group, but Blake supposed it made sense for the bandits. Can I even call them bandits anymore?

Yang found her legs as they walked, ignoring the obvious attention she drew. All around, people stopped what they were doing and stared, lining the hills and cracks in the tents. The silence was eerie; respect, almost, but not without a hint of a question. They're watching her, Blake realized. It was the same silence Raven commanded, the same question. Did these people believe Raven would be able to create an empire? Did they think Yang would be their princess?

Blake and Yang exchanged a glance, wary. "They're staring at me," Yang murmured, eyes guarded.

"Vernal was telling the truth," Blake whispered back. "I think all these people, they believe that somehow, you and Raven are going to..."

They shared a nervous laugh, and Yang leaned in towards her. "They don't feel like bandits, do they? It's almost like..." Yang trailed off, her voice catching in her throat

The passage between two close hills ended, and Blake's eyes widened when she took in the valley below. "Almost like Raven is training an army?" she breathed, stepping closer to Yang and taking her hand.

Below them, a broad valley overflowed with bullheads and weapons. Big groups of bandits trained together in lines and regiments, going through sword drills and working a gun range. On the far side, a big empty space was cleared away. In it, a woman spun through the air, shooting bursts of ice dust at automated moving targets, and an armored man was blasting a boulder to pieces with sonic blasts from his armored fists. The sight reminded Blake of basic training at the White Fang's main camp, only there were far more people and they all were stronger than the average Fang grunt.

Yang nodded. "I thought you said she didn't want to take on Mistral."

"She doesn't."

The two girls jumped and spun around. Behind them, Astral Skulla, leader of the Mistral Underground, stood with one hand on her hip, lilac hair streaming down her back over a gravity-dust infused black cape. Blake couldn't read her expression behind her skull bandana tied over her mouth, but she didn't like the narrow glint in her eyes. Shit.

Yang glowered at Skulla. "You.

"So, you finally decided to get your sorry ass out of bed, Blondie."

Blake put a warning hand on Yang's shoulder to stop her from punching Skulla only for her girlfriend to shrug her off. When Yang whipped her furious glare at her, Blake met it with a pointed look. Don't lose your cool in front of Skulla, she mouthed.

Yang hesitated, took a violent breath, and turned back to Skulla. "Raven said you were supposed to be in Mistral."

"Why would you know where the fuck I'm supposed to be? Last time I checked, you were-"

"Skulla," Blake interrupted. "What do you want?"

Astral glared at her for a long moment, weighing her up, but Blake held her gaze and waited. She knew how to deal with violent commanders; years in the White Fang had taught her to stand her ground, and Blake refused to let Skulla intimidate Yang while she was vulnerable. Finally, the predatory glint in her eyes lessened to a measured interest. "Vernal told you."

"Yes."

"And you told Yang."

"Everything."

Yang tried to take an aggressive step forwards, but Blake pulled her back, a bit rougher than she meant to. "I thought Raven didn't want to go to war. What the hell is this?

"War?" Astral barked out a laugh. "No, this is survival."

A cold chill ran down Blake's spine. "What does that mean?"

Astral waved a hand over all the training bandits, her cape blowing in the wind. "When Mistral falls, the Grimm population is going to explode. There won't be any patrols anymore, forget the pathetic ones they have right now. If we don't fill the power vacuum, Salem will. She might as well have already won."

"What about the hunters?" Yang asked.

"The hunters she's been murdering one by one for years? Don't make me laugh." Astral shook her head, turning away to the training grounds. "Even if the hunters could do jackshit about this, do you think they'd save a bunch of bandits?"

Bandits. Blake's stomach curdled at the thought of all the defenseless civilians living in the camp getting overrun by Grimm. More than half of the people here can't even fight. Aren't those the people the hunters should protect? She clenched her fists, trying to fight off a looming sense of hopelessness. "So, what's the point, then? What does it matter if Raven conquers Mistral or hides out in the wilderness like she does now if everybody's going to die anyway?"

"That's what Raven thinks too," Astral said, "but she's wrong."

"Why?"

"These people, down there, they've been fighting all their lives. All they've got is hope, and Raven's the one who gave it to them." Astral gestured for Yang and Blake to come to her side. "If Raven goes through with her plan, that hope dies. Even if she doesn't, what we have right now isn't enough to win. But, if we can take Mistral before the kingdom collapses, build the empire our people dream of, they've got more than hope. They'll have something to fight for, and if they get that, we stand a chance."

There was a terse silence, punctuated by the sounds of steel striking wood training posts coming from below. Yang sighed, running her fingers through the tangles in her hair. "We're in. I don't like it, but what other choice do we have?"

"And taking it to Vale will make a difference, right? That's why you think you'll be able to win?" Blake asked.

Astral nodded. "They know about Vernal; we keep her an open secret on purpose. So long as it stays in the vault, killing Vernal will be their top priority – the only reason they haven't managed to yet is because Raven keeps her surrounded by our people at all times. If we can get it off of Anima, their focus will be off us, and we have a chance."

"Okay. Okay." Blake met Yang's eyes, and her girlfriend nodded. "So we go along with this. What do we do?"

"Do? You think you can do anything like that?" Skulla shot a vicious look at Yang's arm, and they both flinched. "None of this matters if you're too weak to take out a fucking Beowulf. What do want we say, congratu-fucking-lations for getting out of bed for the first time in over a month?"

Yang's expression fell. "And what if I'm not strong enough anymore?"

Astral sneered and opened her mouth to respond, but Blake beat her to the punch. "Don't say that. Yang, you're the strongest person I know. You'll be ready." Blake squeezed her hand, determined. "Trust me."

For a moment, Yang's eyes had a spark of hope, then her face darkened. "But how?"

"You're pathetic, you know that, right?" Skulla snapped before Blake could stop her. "An arm is an arm. If you were anything like Raven, you wouldn't need Kitty Cat here to-"

Blake hissed and strode into Astral's personal space, drawing Gambol Shroud. "Don't you dare say that to her!"

Without missing a beat, Astral drew her arm back and slammed a fist into Blake's stomach with her strength semblance. She slammed against the ground, her aura flashing around her, and her vision went spotty. Yang screamed in rage, her own semblance blazing to life. Before she could so much as move, Skulla had pinned her arm to her back and kicked her to her knees.

"Yang!"

"LET GO OF ME!" Yang screamed, writhing in Skulla's grasp. She tried to punch Skulla with Ember Celica, to no avail. The people passing around them stopped to watch, nobody daring to make a move to stop the violence.

Blake tried to force herself to her feet as Skulla leaned in toward Yang, her own aura flaring around her dark clothes. "Let's get something straight, Princess." Astral twisted Yang's arm further back, making Yang gasp in pain. "Just because you and your pet cat are related to Branwen doesn't mean shit if you don't have the strength to back it up. If you think you can talk down to me, I'll teach you a thing or two about pain-"

"ASTRAL!" Blake's eyes widened when Silo stormed towards them, fury written on his face. Astral noticed him too because she let Yang go and kicked her into the dirt. Yang landed hard on her bad arm and didn't stir. Blake scrambled to Yang's side and held out Gambol Shroud, putting herself between the leader of the Underground and her girlfriend.

"Ow..." Yang groaned, shifting onto her side, squeezing her red eyes shut. "That fucking bitch..."

Astral whirled back around. "What was that?"

Before she had a chance to retaliate again, Silo was on top of Astral. "What do you think you're doing?" he growled, forcing her a pace back.

"She needs to learn her place-"

"-which is above you," Silo snapped. "You caused a scene. Are you trying to fuck everything up?" He gestured to their surroundings and the people gathering around them.

Astral's hand shot back to her sniper rifle. She and Silo had an intense staring contest for fifteen seconds, which Silo won. She relaxed her grip and tossed her hair with a sneer. "Fine. I always said Raven was too soft on her kids. If she wants to go and get herself killed because she couldn't pull her head out her own ass, then I guess we'll all die with her." And before Silo could retort, Skulla stalked away into the camp, her cape billowing out behind her.

Blake watched her go with a furious hiss. How dare she?!

"Bitch," Yang whispered. Her good hand was shaking, and her stump kept moving back and forth like she was trying to hold it with the hand she had lost. "She- she-"

"Yang." Blake grabbed Yang's hand to stop it from shaking, but her entire body began to tremble, her chest rising and falling too fast with each breath. "Yang!"

Silo rushed to Yang's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's having a panic attack," he said. "Help me get her into a tent, Belladonna." Blake helped pulled Yang to her feet and lead her into a nearby tent as Yang struggled against them. When Silo managed to sit Yang on a table, he knelt in front of her and forced her to meet his eyes. "Yang. I need you to take deep breaths."

Yang shook her head, looking from them to the exit. "Can't... breathe…"

Biting her lip, Blake squeezed her hand tighter. "It's okay, it's okay, we're here, it's okay..."

"Blake?"

"Breathe."

Yang exhaled a long breath, nodding shakily. The red of her semblance had melted away, leaving only fear and pain behind. Dust and dirt had gotten smeared across her face, in her hair. "Blake," she whispered.

"I'm here," Blake said.

"What are we doing?" Yang squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her hand lose of Blake's grasp to rake her fingers through her hair and down her face. "What's the point?"

"Don't-" Yang jerked away when Blake tried to touch her again. "You can't listen to her," Blake said. "Yang, this isn't your fault, nothing has bee-"

"Shut up."

Blake flinched back, unable to keep the hurt off her face. "Yang-"

"She hasn't come to see me once since the funeral." Yang pulled her legs up onto the table and curled in on herself. "Greaser was the one who told me I could go and find her once I got out of bed. I know her stupid philosophy. 'The strong live, the weak die?' I'm not- not fucking stupid, Blake. I'm weak."

"Don't say-"

"Don't say what?" Yang's fist balled in her hair. "Maybe Skulla was right. Raven should have let me die during the attack. At least then she wouldn't be such a fucking hypocrite about it."

For the first time since Yang had started talking, Silo interrupted her. "Maybe. But do you want to prove Raven or Skulla right?" Without waiting for a response, he rose to his feet and strode out of the tent, leaving Blake and Yang alone.

There was a long silence.

"Blake?" Yang finally asked. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"...Take it back."

"What?"

Blake lifted her head, her expression full of anger. "I said, take it back."

Yang's eyes widened before her anger returned to match. "Take what back? That I'm weak? That I deserve to be dead right now?"

"Take it back!" Jumping to her feet, Blake drew back and slugged Yang in her good shoulder as hard as she could.

"What the-"

"That's it. I can't do this anymore."

"Blake?"

Blake punched Yang again, sending her back against the table with a sharp thud. As Yang howled in pain, she started pacing back and forth, her conviction growing with every step. "I've done everything, Yang. I've waited for you to be ready to talk. I've tried to get you help with Silo. I even tried leaving, and it didn't change a thing. For a month, I've watched you destroy yourself, and I won't take it anymore! So either you can take what you said back and get up and go to the training field, or I'll attack you until you defend yourself, because I WON'T WATCH YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF!"

Blake's scream echoed through the tent, and Yang stared at her as if she had never seen her before. "Blake? I don't-"

"Stand up!" When Yang didn't respond, Blake roughly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her off the table. "I said, STAND UP!"

"Hey!" Yang protested, stumbling into the center of the room only to receive another punch to the shoulder. "Blake, stop-"

At that point, Blake was so far past the point of stopping that she barely registered what Yang said. The last semblance of her patience had snapped, completely. "Attack me!"

"No, I'm not going to att- Ow!"

"Do it!" Another punch collided with Yang's chest, and she winced and staggered back.

"What the hell is wrong with yo- OW! WHAT THE FUCK!"

"You aren't LISTENING!" Blake slapped Yang hard enough to snap her head back and leave an angry red handprint on her jaw.

Yang glared at Blake, sliding into her fighting stance. "I can't!" she yelled back. "I'm never going to be strong again, okay! WHY WON'T YOU ACCEPT THAT AND STOP PITYING ME, OKAY?"

Shrieking in wordless anger, Blake kicked Yang straight in the face, sending her to the ground again. When she didn't immediately rise back to her feet, she froze. What was she doing? Yang just had a panic attack, and she was attacking her? Realization washed over like a cool wave, and she started to panic. "Yang, I-"

The click of Ember Celica cocking silenced her. Hazy red aura enveloped Yang, and she looked up with violent crimson eyes. "SHUT UP!" Blake howled in pain when the gauntlet rammed into her chest at full force and sent her flying backward through the thin tent flap. She collided hard with the sheer cliff face behind, bouncing off the stone and landing hard on her side.

In the center of the tent, Yang's breathing came in heavy gasps, her burning gauntlet hanging at her side. Blake rose from the torn ruins of the tent and drew Gambol Shroud, eyes wild as she tried to block out the sharp pain coming from her side. They stared at each other for a long moment, then, as if by silent agreement, jumped at each other.

It was one of the dirtiest fights Blake had ever had. Yang fought with drunken roundhouse swings and overpowered kicks, and she hacked at her girlfriend's aura with the blunt side of Gambol's gun, not even bothering to draw her sword. They traded blows back and forth around the room – a fist to Blake's head, a dirty swing to Yang's bad arm, a knee to Blake's gut, again. Yang lost her balance and fell forwards, taking Blake down with her. Blake shrieked in rage as they rolled around on the floor, her weapon tossed aside. Yang was stronger than her, but she had both arms – the end result was neither of them gaining the upper hand.

Finally, Blake managed to pin Yang to the ground, her better physical condition winning out. They stayed there for a long moment, breathing heavily, staring at each other. Then, like a dam breaking, Blake cracked a smile and part of the anger and pressure she had been stewing in fell away. "Your hair is covered in dirt."

Yang shuddered. Nobody commented when her eyes turned back to lilac. "Gross."

"I know, I can feel it too," Blake groaned.

"I don't know," Yang smirked. "I kinda dig it."

Blake tried to fight it. She really did. Of course, she lost and broke out into a helpless fit of giggles, and Yang joined in with her a few seconds later. Blake rolled off of Yang and onto her back so they were side-by-side on the floor of the destroyed tent, lost in the absurdity of their situation. Their weapons were forgotten, and neither of them spoke for a long while.

In the shadows by the entrance, Raven nodded in satisfaction and gestured for Silo and Greaser to leave the couple to themselves.

In the lowlight of the garage, Ruby grinned as she finished sharpening Rising Thorn's blade. Turning the whetstone off, she turned the blade back into its gun form and slung it under her cloak. Her gauntlets covered her hands for the first time since the attack – a fresh coat of red spray paint, plus some tinkering with the mods she had made in the spring, made them feel less like Ember Celica and more like a new weapon. Add that to her brand new outfit, a black corset over a loose beige shirt, and Ruby felt ready to fight.

Rose, you coming?

Yeah, I'm getting ready to kick your butt!

Ruby could almost hear Bella snort over their bond. Sure.

Instead of answering, Ruby huffed and held her head high. Outside of the garage, the sun blazed over her backyard. Bella paced back and forth across the grass with her umbrella. Nora and Pyrrha sat on the steps, drinking homemade lemonade and talking. When Ruby came out, Nora called, "Hey, looking good, Ruby!"

Before Ruby could react, Bella had already flipped Nora the bird and pointed her sword at Ruby. Come on, you were working on your weapons forever!

And you're impatient! Ruby held the backs of her fists up to show off her gauntlets and smirked. Like them? I got them a new coat of paint and redesigned the shell.

They're great, Rose. When Ruby beamed at the compliment, Bella shook her head fondly. Are you still stuck on the name?

Uhh… Ruby glanced at Pyrrha, who blinked back at her. Erm, uh… Ashes Celica?

Bella sighed. That's the least creative name you could possibly come up with.

Whatever. When I kick your ass, it won't even matter!

"Are you two going to fight, or are you going to stand there and stare at each other all day?" Nora called, grinning at Tai and Qrow when they brought a bowl of popcorn out of the house. "I was promised action."

Bella glowered at their friends and the adults, including Raven, who had come over for the day. {You know, when we told you all we were going to spar today, we didn't mean to treat it like a fucking festival!}

Raven smirked at the message and looked at Tai. "Told you so."

You're nervous cause we're fighting in front of your mom, Ruby muttered.

Bella sighed mentally. Doesn't mean I have to show it.

Of course not.

"HEY!" Nora yelled, popping a handful of popcorn into her mouth and chewing as she talked. "You're nervous because you're fighting in front of your mom, aren't you?"

An instant later, Nora had a very pointy sword in her face. {Nora Valkyrie, I will gut you like a fish.}

No you won't. Ruby crossed her arms.

"No you won't," Nora said, looking smug.

I hate both of you, Bella muttered. Raven's smirk deepened.

"Alright, alright, just fight already, will ya? The heat is making me thirsty!" Qrow leaned further over the railing, drooping under the intense sun.

Ruby grinned and waved at her uncle, who rolled his eyes and downed his third plastic water bottle of the day. Ever since they had reconciled, Ruby had gone on a mission to remove every last bit of alcohol from the house on her mission to keep Qrow sober, much to her dad's chagrin.

Ruby? Ruby!

What?

You spaced out, everybody's waiting.

Ruby blinked – sure enough, everybody on the porch was staring at them with varying degrees of annoyance. Nora was about ready to grab Manghild and start smashing things. Tai seemed to be worried, though, so Ruby rolled her shoulders and refocused. Well, no time like the present.

Drawing Rising Thorn, Ruby cocked the gun and turned the safety off. Bella gave her an off-kilter smirk. Just like old times?

Yep. I'm going to beat you, for sure. Ruby glanced back at the porch. "You guys are going to want your auras activated-"

"No need." Pyrrha snapped her right hand, and a faint barrier flickered between Ruby and Bella and the porch. "I can stop anything you do. Try not to kill each other, okay?"

{No promises.} Bella pointed her umbrella at Ruby. Ready?

Ruby primed Ashes Celica and nodded. Ready.

There was a brief pause before Ruby disappeared into a cloud of petals.

Bullet sprays collided with an unfurled umbrella, which Bella cartwheeled over and jabbed to parry a dust-fueled punch from Ruby, who used the halt in momentum to flip and kick where Bella had been a second earlier. Glass shattered, filling the air around them. A double kick went to either side of Ruby's head as she fired past Bella with a dust round that sent them both flying backward. Bella grabbed Ruby's ankle and attacked with her umbrella, steel meeting steel. Ruby twisted and punched twice, but Bella took both hits and used her momentum to bash Ruby into the ground with her umbrella and dance away, only Ruby never hit the ground.

When the petals fell, Ruby stood behind Bella, naginata in hand. We're both rusty, huh?

Yup. We should have trained harder the second we woke up. Bella dragged her hand across her forehead, her palm coming away glistening with sweat. Come on. We'll start endurance training again tomorrow. For now…

Ruby disappeared. Bella blocked her downward strike with her umbrella. When Ruby tried to get her close, she started ducking and weaving through the crescent cleaves of Ruby's style, using illusions to distract Ruby. This is no fun, Ruby whined as she did her best to catch Bella off guard, which was the only way she ever managed to actually win a fight. I don't want to hit you, not with Dad and Pyrrha watching.

Mom would laugh if I said that out loud, Bella grumbled, ducking a punch and stabbing past Ruby's side. I already know everything you're going to do, anyway. If we're only working on technique, sparring like this is pointless. All this does is give us a workout.

We have been sitting around the house doing nothing. Ruby took a light feint kick to bash the other end of Rising Thorn into Bella's thigh.

Rose…

I have an idea.

Bella almost stopped fighting in surprise but caught herself before she did. Backflipping into a triple jab, she said, We didn't try that on purpose, last time. Do you even think-

Yeah, I do. Should we?

Let's do it.

Closing her eyes, Ruby stopped short mid-swing and focused on the black and white of Bella's aura. When she found it, she took a deep breath. Alright, here goes nothing. Concentrating on the aura, Ruby collected herself and pushed into their mindscape.

Now!~

When Ruby opened Bella's eyes, she grinned at the sight of her own body before her and the feeling of having an unblemished face again. Hell yeah, it works. We can switch bodies!

Bella nodded in excitement. "I can't believe that worked again," she said aloud, and Ruby grinned at the pure joy Bella got from talking, even if it was through her body. My new outfit is hot, she added on.

Yup!

How did Ozpin not mention this to us?

Who knows? It's not like he needed a reason to hide things from us. Ruby shrugged, tilting Bella's sword in her hand.

"Hey! If nobody's gonna fight, I'm going back inside!" Nora exclaimed from the porch, her mouth full of popcorn. "I was promised blood!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "They said they were going to have a training fight. You're the one who dragged the rest of us out here to watch."

Everybody stared at Nora, who leaned back on the steps and clasped her hands behind her head. "So?"

"Is something wrong?" Tai called to Ruby and Bella, who shook their heads in unison.

So, what now?

Bella tapped a thoughtful finger against Ruby's jaw. Well, I can think of half a dozen ways we could use this in a fight. Wanna try it out?

Like fighting with each other's weapons? Ruby shot Bella's umbrella a doubtful look. I don't know, it's a lot shorter than what I'm used to. What about semblances?

Try it.

Ruby scrunched up her face in concentration, tapping into her aura reserves like when she was in her own body. Alright, here goes nothing.

Everybody on the porch cried out in surprise when 'Bella' disappeared in a cloud of petals, zipping around the clearing four times and splitting into three separate clouds before reforming by Bella. Raven leaned forward on the railing in shock. "Bella, did you use Ruby's semblance?"

Bella shot her mother a cheeky smile. "Don't worry, Mom, we're just practicing switching bodies!"

Raven blinked and shook her head. "I need to sit down."

"You guys switched bodies again?!" Nora shouted.

Everybody on the porch broke out in excited conversation, most of it directed at Bella and Ruby, but they had already gone back to their own discussion. So, do you want to give a spar a chance? Ruby asked.

Hoisting Rising Thorn up, Bella turned it back to its machine gun mode and smirked. Well, I have always wanted to try your gun mode. This weapon is wasted on you, all you ever want to do is swing it around like an oversized knife.

Hey!

I mean, I get it, that's how you fought with Crescent, but it's limiting. Bella shrugged, running a hand down the length of the barrel. You'd be deadly if you could use the two modes equally. I wish I could help you more with it, but…

Ruby wrestled with her loss and immediate 'absolutely not' reaction and tried to think it through. But what?

Mom says I used to watch her spar with Summer a lot, Bella admitted. I used to be around Summer all the time, but…

Augustus took those memories away.

Yeah.

The happy moments Bella had lost with Team STRQ… Ruby wanted nothing more than to see them, to see her mom, and she felt the void where those memories should have been as much as Bella. I'm sorry.

It's nothing. I know you didn't like it when Tai tried to teach you how Summer fought in the spring-

He kept calling me Summer, Ruby admitted with a shiver. It was like the time he let me try on her white cloak, but worse, because now I'm old enough to care. I don't want to fight like Mom did. I like my fighting style.

I know. Bella spaced out into the surrounding woods for a long moment, then shook her thoughts off and refocused. Whatever, it doesn't matter. The point is, I have a machine gun and you're about to go down!

So we're doing this?

Yup! Duck!

Ruby yelped when Bella unleashed a spray of bullets at her and used her semblance to reappear on the other side of the clearing. Bella!

No semblances, Rose! Bella called. If we're trying to trick an enemy, that's our trump card, right? You have to fight like me! In her best facsimile of Bella's fighting style, she slid under the spray, popping into a backflip and landing in a cartwheel that brought her around to Bella's – her – blind side. Her swing with the umbrella was blocked by Rising Thorn, which Bella shifted into naginata mode. She forced Ruby into a locked stance, leaning in with a smirk. Oh, come on!

Ruby didn't have time to pause, though, because Bella launched into an eerie series of spins and maneuvers Ruby recognized. Side slash, right cross, left cross- Hey, you're copying my favorite kata! Narrowing her eyes, Ruby ducked and weaved through the predictable strikes; there was no way Bella was going to beat her with her own move. She had to wait for an opening- Now!

A forward thrust with the umbrella connected with thin air and Ruby fell flat on her face.

Damn it…

Bella burst out laughing, dropping Rising Thorn in favor of wiping tears from her eyes. On the porch, Nora and Qrow joined her, while Weiss and Pyrrha shared an amused look and Tai sighed. Oh, wow, that was great. Make sure you pull that one the next time we're fighting, I'm sure it'll catch the enemy off guard.

Shut up, Ruby grumbled. How come you have all of my combos memorized and I can't even do a good cartwheel?

Well, I guess- Bella froze, then smacked her forehead. Oh, shit, I'm dumb.

What?

Well, Bella said slowly, you know how I don't have a filter when it comes to, y'know, your memories and stuff unless you keep me out?

Yeah?

Well, that means I have all your memories of fighting, pretty much from the moment you started training. Combine that with your body, and I guess the muscle memory kicks in. My guess is, unless you get all my memories, I'm not sure you'll be able to fight like I do.

Oh, yeah. I mean, I sort of assume you know everything about me these days, so I didn't even think of that. Ruby pulled herself into a sitting position, frowning thoughtfully. Maybe if you showed me-

Bella's face darkened, and she looked away.

Bella?

No. Or not now, at least.

Why?

Illusions flickered around the edges of Ruby's body, but Bella fought to control them. You know I've done things I'm not proud of. My memories of fighting, they aren't nice and contained in a Signal training arena. They're… not pleasant. Even if I thought you could handle them, I wouldn't want to show you in front of other people.

You don't think I could handle it?

Honestly? No.

That hurt Ruby more than she cared to admit, but Bella made no move to apologize, so she didn't push it. Instead, she grabbed the umbrella. I think I'm done sparring for today.

Bella sighed, and the tension eased. Yeah, maybe that's for the best.

We could use this as a last resort, try and use the switched semblances or something. We can keep practicing another time.

Wanna switch back?

Nah, I like seeing.

I like talking too. Walking over, Bella offered Ruby a hand. She took it and let her bondmate pull her to her feet and into a hug. Rose, you know I don't want to keep secrets from you. I… I don't want to hurt you. There's a reason I never showed you most of my time with anyone but the Branwens.

Ruby hummed in wordless acknowledgment and hugged her back. I know, I know… But, if it's hurting you, maybe you should share it. Beacon does have a registered psychologist on staff, even if Ozpin never let me see them. Maybe-

Ruby-

Think about it, okay? She pressed her face into Bella's shoulder. I'll be here no matter what.

On the porch, the three members of Team STRQ watched as Bella and Ruby swayed back and forth in each other's embrace. Tai groaned and leaned back in his chair. "So, as a father, am I supposed to kick back and watch this?"

Raven leaned over and smacked the side of her ex-husband's head. "Oh, shut up."

"Think they'll notice we're talking about them?" Qrow asked.

A gentle smile crossed Raven's face, and she shook her head. "Not a chance."

[A/N] Well, that one was a pain in the ass. It took a ton of work, but I finally got it to the point where I'm happy with it. The Yang and Blake scene in particular took ages to get right. Anyways, Weiss practices, Oscar's feeling a lil spooked, Ruby and Qrow finally made up, and Bella and Ruby do some unorthodox training. Vixie was particularly awesome in getting this monster through all the edits, so make sure to give her lots of love!

To everyone who waited and all the people who've gotten this fic to 700 followers, you're awesome and I love you all! We're making it through this volume, and I'm super excited for next chapter. It's gonna be a big one~

Signing out, Allie

Estimated Update Day: 4/27/19