Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.
"The hell do you mean you don't know where she is?!"
Ironwood rubbed his fingertips against his temple. Even with the cybernetic implants designed to dull pain, the growing migraine in his skull continued to throb, aggravated even further by the irate man standing before him. Jacques Schnee, while known to be shrewd and calculating at a business table, was hardly considered a patient man. Standing tall in a pristine white suit with a red handkerchief tucked into the front pocket, slicked back white hair and a prominent mustache, the patriarch of the Schnee family could intimidate most people. Unfortunately for him, the ranking General of the Atlesian Military was hardly like most people.
"How many times do you need me to say it? I don't know where your daughter has gone," Ironwood repeated for what seemed to be the umpteenth time within five minutes. "Weiss is a grown woman and a Huntress; she can go where she pleases. I'm not her babysitter."
Naturally, this answer didn't satisfy Jacques.
"I refuse to believe that. She's been in your care since the attack. You expect me to buy the suggestion that with all of your eyes and ears scattered throughout these mismatched tents of a refugee camp that you haven't a single clue where she's gone?"
"She's been in the care of her sister," Ironwood replied levelly. "In case you haven't noticed, I've had my hands full trying to keep a fractured Kingdom together while simultaneously getting the rest of my fleet airworthy again."
"Then quit wasting my time and call Winter here!"
"I sent Specialist Schnee on a mission to Mistral yesterday. You won't find her here either."
"For what?!"
Ironwood gave Jacques an unflinching glare.
"That's classified."
The atmosphere of the command tent had noticeably dropped several degrees. Despite not being a trained Huntsman, Jacques' mere presence would still have a minute effect on his surroundings depending on his mood. Visiting business partners would often complain of the frigid temperatures of his personal office, but the Schnee patriarch simply gave them a knowing smile and invited their leave. After all, when you climb to the top of the Atlesian hierarchy, people would come to him to make a deal, not the other way around. Given this, it was understandable how the man would lose his temper when his demands weren't met.
"Damn it James. You will find my daughter, or so help me I will make sure you never command so much as a platoon for the rest of your life!"
The seasoned General gave the man a piercing glare.
"Then you'd better hurry up. My men will see you out of the compound."
"I know where to find the exit, thank you very much."
With a swift turn on his heel, Jacques stormed out of the tent, all but shoving his way past Glynda Goodwitch as he passed. The newly appointed Headmistress of Beacon, or at least what remained of it, suppressed the sour look on her face.
"Are you sure that was a wise decision?" she asked James with a raised brow. "Jacques will stop at nothing to get what he wants, so perhaps antagonizing him in such a manner was unnecessary."
James shook his head tiredly.
"I assume you heard the entire exchange?"
"I assume half the camp heard most of it," Glynda replied as she took a seat at the exhausted General's map and report-strewn table. "Is it true that you don't know what happened to Miss Schnee?"
James shook his head.
"If I did I would've told him. If I had to guess, I would say she tagged along with her sister to Mistral."
Glynda sighed and pressed her fingers to her temple.
"If that's the case then I suppose she would be in good hands," she said with acceptance. "It would've been helpful if she had said something to me first though."
Her comment took James by surprise.
"That's... surprising. As I understand it she was the best of her class as well as the most responsible member of her team."
"Was being the key term here," Glynda emphasized. "I can't exactly graduate her if she's absent from the school."
"Speaking of which, how is the situation at Beacon?"
"A mess," came the interjecting voice of Qrow as he strode into the tent.
"I was wondering if you would show up," Glynda commented as the reaper grabbed a chair and dropped it next to hers.
"Had to make sure my nieces were still alive and kicking," Qrow grumbled his answer as he took out his flask.
A couple shakes indicated his favorite liquor was running dry. With a grimace, he finished off what remained and looked towards James as he continued his update.
"Grimm have completely overrun the campus. We'd need an army to make even a dent in their numbers. I've never seen so many congregating in one place before. It's unsettling to say the least."
"Do you think they found it...?" Glynda asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
"I doubt it," Qrow replied. "Ozpin was especially careful when he hid it away, and he made sure to scatter the keys once he locked the door. I doubt even Salem herself will be able to get inside without them."
James sighed and leaned forward on his maps.
"Unfortunately I won't be able to commit my troops to clearing out the school. There's only so many bodies I can spare for a garrison just to keep the Grimm from spreading throughout the rest of Vale."
Qrow snorted.
"I figured as much. What did you do with Winter? Shouldn't she be here as well if she's supposed to be part of our little group now?"
"I sent Winter to Mistral on an important mission. Lionheart has been too quiet for the past couple months and I need to know if he still stands with us."
Qrow raised a brow at the suggestion.
"You think he would switch sides?"
"He's a coward, Qrow. We don't know how far Salem's influence has spread and his lack of communication isn't leaving much to my imagination."
"Are you certain Winter will be able to handle an assignment like this?" questioned Glynda.
"I have full faith and confidence in her ability the same as Ozpin had for the both of you," James declared. "At any rate, there is another matter of greater importance that we need to discuss."
Ignoring the questioning looks of his colleagues, James reached into a courier satchel he had sitting at his feet and retrieved a manila folder from within, its face branded with a large, red label that read "Top Secret". He slid the hidden documents across the desk into Qrow's waiting hand. Without a word, the veteran reaper picked up the folder and flipped it open, his eyes growing wide at the contents. Glynda shared his shock as she looked over his shoulder.
"This is..." he began.
"That's correct," James confirmed. "Shortly before the attack, I received this information via encrypted channels from one of my Specialists scouring the Northern Wastes of Solitas. We've found her Qrow; we've found the Winter Maiden."
It began with a crushing weight on the chest. Rough and jagged edges of rubble cut deeply into ashen skin, and a twisted piece of rebar was digging uncomfortably into a floating rib. Choked gasps followed, every breath filled with dirt and dust that brought about rasping coughs. Weak fingers pushed vainly at the slab pinning down its captive, yet it hardly budged. Being buried alive had become a very real possibility that brought powerful feelings of terror upon the destruction's victim. Despite this, the will to live remained far stronger and with practiced effort, the body was enveloped by the roiling fire of released aura. Muscles surged with power with a second almighty heave, and the massive slab of steel and concrete was thrown clear, exposing the battered form of Pyrrha Nikos to the night air.
Pyrrha gasped for breath as cool wind filled her lungs, the gladiator falling limp once more as her aura faded away from view. She was in pain, terrible pain, as if every tendon in her body was set alight with fire. Burns and abrasions riddle her skin and her armor was torn, her hair a cascading mess that had been rent from its ponytail. Her bones creaked with every twitch, and a spike of searing agony in her ribs readily informed her that several had been broken. Gulping down a whimper, a hand dropped down to the ripped section of her armor where the pain seemed strongest. Her fingers came back a shining ruby red with blood. Grimacing, she returned her hand to the wound and began the arduous task of self-aid.
Her aura, what little remained anyway, flowed from her finger tips and into the nasty laceration, it's warmth spreading throughout the wound as she meticulously stitched her skin together. It was all she could manage at the moment, but as long as she didn't end up bleeding out, she didn't care. The session hardly lasted as the healing stream faded away to nothing, her aura unable to sustain anything further without putting her into a coma. Angry, weakened, inflamed flesh remained, constantly at risk of being torn open once again by an odd twitch in the wrong direction.
As her eyes adjusted, Pyrrha felt a growing pit in her stomach as her gaze fell upon an absolutely ruined city block of Vale. Buildings had collapsed, rubble littered the war torn streets, and the distant snarling of Grimm filled her ears.
"Is it finally over...?" she whispered to herself as she began to trudge along.
Every step came with a limp, her body screaming in protest against her movements, yet she couldn't stay here. She needed to leave. She was heavily wounded, unarmed, and completely alone... alone... did that mean Jaune was dead? Fear then gripped her heart as her memories rushed back to her. Quickening her pace as much as her muscles would allow, she frantically made her way back to the massive crater that the suicidal Bear had left behind.
Ground zero for his attack effortlessly consumed two city blocks and likely more, though Pyrrha couldn't tell otherwise as the blast had completely leveled the immediate surroundings, leaving behind scorched earth and ash that pulsed with spider webs of an eerie, violet glow. It was a miracle she had survived at all. This only caused her worry to double as she feared the worst had happened to her partner.
"Jaune... Jaune!" she cried out desperately as she hobbled around through the ruins. "Where are you?!"
Coughs suddenly wracked her body, her vision swam, and she collapsed against what remained of a concrete wall, her lungs wheezing desperately for air. A lance of pain followed as it surged through her side, her hand falling to clutch at the ruined flesh. Her fingers came back wet with blood; the wound had torn back open, and she hadn't the strength to stem the bleeding.
"Jaune please..." she whimpered as she slid to the ground, her head leaning back against a slab of rubble. "Please come back... don't... don't let me die here."
The deafening silence of night answered her as she realized that nobody was coming to save her. Stray bangs fell across her weary face as the once great champion curled in on herself. She was alone in this nightmare. Her hope was fading as quickly as her own life. She lifted a trembling, blood-soaked hand as her vision blurred with tears. A deep bitterness crept into her heart.
"Is this to be my destiny...? Just another casualty?" she asked herself as she clenched her fingers shut.
Hot streams of sorrow ran down her face as visions flashed across her eyes. Her mother's warm smile, her father's steady hand; would she ever experience such simple pleasures again? The cool sensation of an iron blade in her fingers, sunlight, sand, dust, exhilaration, loneliness... each of these sensations and emotions were separate and yet they melded together seamlessly in an endless, timeless dream; her life.
She remembered Mistral before her fame, swinging tirelessly at a training dummy with the blunted, splintered wooden sword she carried since she was five. She remembered the roars of the crowds as she won her first championship, then her second, and third, and fourth. She could hear the surreal clicking of camera shutters as she hefted that trophy, the chaos that followed as she was carted around the kingdom through hordes of fans to the next promo shoot. Such shallow, empty things held little value to her, and the suffocating isolation that followed had become maddening.
Beacon... things began to change when she set foot upon that magnificent campus. Her fame had undoubtedly followed her as did her reputation, and she had taken this with annoyed acceptance, until she was blatantly chatted up by a goofy, blonde boy who could barely hold his sword; he didn't even know her name. He both perplexed and intrigued her, and before she knew it, she was assigned as his partner.
Jaune became more than just a teammate and friend. He became her anchor, her stability in a dizzying and chaotic world. She admired his tenacity, his drive, his deep-set desire to make his dreams a reality, and in time, she came to love him for it. With him came dear friends she could never find in Mistral; her teammates Ren and Nora. JNPR was more than just a team to her, but it was family, and as her body steadily grew cold, she realized that she would never see her family again.
A rumbling growl brought her attention back to the world of the living, her eyes lifting to meet the menacing red orbs of a Beowulf as it hungrily padded up to her. Out of reflex, her sword arm fell to her waist despite the clear lack of weapon on her person. She chuckled humorlessly as her fingers groped at empty space.
"This is it then, isn't it?" she said softly.
The Grimm was closer now, she could nearly feel its hot, horrid breath upon her cheek and yet she felt no fear. Accepting her fate, Pyrrha Nikos closed her eyes and awaited death with dignity.
It never came as the crackling of electricity shattered the night sky. A massive hammer wreathed in pink lightning bolts came crashing broadside into the Beowolf's body, sending the hellish hound spinning into the ruins.
"Pyrrha!" came a loud voice.
The fading gladiator caught sight of pink clothes, bright red hair and turquoise eyes.
"Ren! Come quick, I found her!"
"Nora...?" Pyrrha whispered weakly.
She lost too much blood and her consciousness was fading fast.
Dropping Magnhild to the side, Nora kneeled down and took Pyrrha's face into her hands; she was almost frigid cold to the touch.
"Cmon Pyr, stay awake!" the Hammer Maiden pleaded. "Help is coming, just hang on a little longer!"
"It's... it's too... late.. it..." Pyrrha barely managed to say, her breaths coming labored and shallow.
"Ren hurry!" Nora yelled out as she pressed her hands against Pyrrha's torn side, trying desperately to stem the bleeding.
Pyrrha could hear footsteps, several footsteps even along with Ren's voice, but did it even matter at this point?
"Jaune... where... where is... Jaune?"
She could see tears in Nora's eyes, her mouth moving and yet she heard no sound. Was Jaune alive? Was he dead? She couldn't tell. Darkness swam up along the edge of her vision, and she welcomed it. If he was gone, then she felt she would be joining him in kind. In that, she took a small measure of peace. She wasn't alone, not anymore.
It was late into the night when Raine rose from his sleep. He was still in his bed where his mother had left him, but he was accompanied by a familiar weight upon his side. He glanced down to find Ruby breathing softly in her own slumber, her arm draped over his chest as she nuzzled into his warmth, her head propped upon his shoulder as if it was a pillow. He smiled a soft, sad smile and leaned down to plant a kiss on her temple. She hummed contently under his touch, and as comfortable this position was, he needed to get up and stretch his muscles after several days of sleep.
Slowly and oh so carefully, he pried himself from her grasp, mindful not to jolt her too strongly. She whined lightly in her sleep yet did little to stop him, the girl still lost in dream land. Tucking a pillow beneath her head, Raine stepped onto the cold wooden floor, a board creaking slightly under his weight. He turned his attention to his current state of undress; shirtless with his chest wrapped in bandages, and loose sweat pants. A quick search of the room found a small pile of clothes left on a chair, likely from his mother. Wounds still tender, he winced as he pulled a t shirt over his head and made for the door. Taking one last glance at the slumbering rose, he stepped out into the dark hallway.
He had no idea what time it was only that it felt like the early morning, though he could still hear several voices downstairs as well as see a light shining around the corner. Making his way down to ground level, he found that the light was coming from the kitchen area. Taking a deep breath for the inevitable talk, he strode forward.
The room fell silent as Raine made his appearance. He found his mother, Qrow, and a blonde man whom he could only assume was Taiyang seated at the dinner table, and from the sounds of things it seemed like they were having a serious discussion.
"Uh... am I interrupting anything?" he asked uncertainly as he hovered in the archway.
"No no, not at all," Amber reassured him as she stood from her seat. "Come, I'll heat you something."
"How're you feeling kid?" Qrow chimed in, flask in hand. "Hell you look strong enough already to pull the legs off a Creep."
"I've had better days but at least I'm alive," Raine answered as his mother sat him down in a chair.
He nervously glanced towards Taiyang, the man fixing him with a level stare. This certainly wasn't the way he envisioned meeting Ruby and Yang's father; far too silent and awkward, as well as a lot less punching. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Raine faced him fully to break the silence and held out a hand.
"I'm sorry but I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Raine, and thank you for allowing my mother and I to stay here in your home."
The man raised a brow, pleasantly surprised at his manners and took the offered hand, giving it a firm shake.
"No worries, I've known Amber for years and with all that's happened, it was the least I could do," Tai replied. "So you're the infamous Raine Zaffre? I've heard a lot about you, though you're smaller than I expected."
"I get that sometimes, and hopefully those things you've heard are good," Raine said uncertainly.
"Should I have heard something to be concerned about?" Tai questioned as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.
"My friends like to play jokes on me sometimes, Yang especially. I doubt they said anything too malicious but I can never be sure."
"What I know is this; that you're part of a five member team with four other girls, two of which are my daughters. What I know is that you have a habit of destroying school grounds and causing general grief for Professor Goodwitch, and what I know is that you were quite popular at Shade Academy in Vacuo. So my questions for you are simple; what are your plans for my daughter and why should I give my approval?"
Qrow snorted as Tai went straight for the boy's throat. The aura his old partner was exuding wasn't terrifying by any stretch, but the pressure was there and he knew all too well what Tai was capable of when angered. Had Raine been a weaker kid, he had no doubt he would've passed out just from proximity. Masking his smile with a drink from his flask, Qrow watched and waited for Raine's answer. This could go really well or really poorly depending on his next words.
"Erm... which daughter, sir?"
The silence that followed was so utterly deafening you could hear a pin drop. Qrow struggled to keep from busting a gut, impressed by the balls on his possible future nephew in law... or was it supposed to be cousin...? He wasn't drunk enough to figure it out; he only knew that the kid was about to get punched. Amber's mouth hung open in mild shock, unsure whether or not her son was asking a genuine question or if he was being cheeky. All she knew was that neither were the right thing to say to his girlfriend's father. As for Tai, it was painfully clear that a vein was threatening to pop in his forehead.
"Boy... you know exactly which daughter I'm talking about," he said dangerously. "Now I don't know if you're just stupid or trying to be funny, but if you get any ideas... any at all about hugging or kissing, you just remember one thing; I've got no problem going back to prison."
Qrow couldn't hold it any longer and let loose laughing, instantly shattering the mood in the kitchen.
"Easy there Dirty Sanchez. Spending the night in the drunk tank at the Vale PD isn't even close to prison," he corrected with glee.
"It still counts!" Tai rounded back on him flustered, his earlier intimidating demeanor now hopelessly lost. "Will you just butt out and let me do the dad thing? Yang never stayed with any boy long enough for me to even try with her!"
"Whatever you say, pops."
Raine breathed a sigh of relief as the two men bickered back and forth. Considering what he and Ruby have already done in their relationship, he was thankful that the tension was diffused before those details got dragged to light and Tai had the opportunity to put him through a wall, though in retrospect he really shouldn't have asked for that asinine clarification. Maybe Ruby was right after all; maybe he was too careless with his life.
"And you still didn't answer my question!" came Tai's sudden rounding back on the boy sitting at his dinner table.
"Oh come on Tai, give him a break," Amber tried intervening. "He almost died this week, the least you could do is give him the benefit of the doubt."
"Mom, it's alright," Raine told her with certainty and ease in his voice. "Mr. Xiao Long, Ruby and Yang always spoke very highly of you and now I can see why. They're both very fortunate to have a strong and devoted father."
Tai masked his surprise at the praise, though he did let his chest swell just enough to be noticeable.
"Well good. I'm glad that's clear."
"To answer your question, Ruby means the world to me and I would give my life for her, this I swear to you."
"And how can I be sure you're not lying?"
Raine took a deep breath.
"Because I've already done it once," he answered, pausing for a moment to let the words sink in. "Now obviously it didn't turn out that way since I'm still here, but I would do it again in a heartbeat, and that last time we weren't even together."
Tai didn't make to rebut the claim right away as Amber had already done enough talking about her son. He did seem to take a lot after his father from what the Maiden had told him, though the seasoned Huntsman needed to hear the sincerity in the boy's voice. They locked eyes for several moments, Tai searching for any inkling of deception in those silver orbs; he found none.
Silver eyes... now that was a trait he never expected to see again. Summer told him enough about those irises during their time together, enough to know that any warrior who possessed them was capable of greatness and that Ruby would eventually be thrust onto that same path. It was one of many traits that he had admired about her, and partially the reason why he went to such great lengths to shelter Ruby as much as possible, fearful of what might happen to her if she set out into the world as a Huntress, that she would befall the same fate as her mother. Despite his best efforts, the very same fear that haunted his dreams was coming to pass and the living proof was sitting right in front of him.
His little girl had taken a liking to a boy as unique as her. He needed to set the record straight... for her sake.
"There's only one reason why I'm willing to even entertain this. Care to guess what it is? And no smart ass remarks this time."
Raine held his tongue and shook his head no, allowing Tai to continue.
"It's because she's happy," he explained. "She's happier than I've ever seen her since her mother disappeared. She's happier than when she enrolled in Signal, happier than when she built Crescent Rose. I can't explain it other than this didn't happen until after you came into her life. You don't understand how agonizing it is for a father to be unable to help his baby girl, and yet you have done what I couldn't. Getting between the two of you would break her heart. She is utterly devoted to you, so believe me when I say this; if you ever do anything to hurt her, I will personally hunt you down and break every last bone in your body. Am I clear?"
Raine suppressed a shudder as the oppressive aura settled over him once more.
"Yes sir," he answered with a nod.
In an instant the force was gone and Tai had reverted back to his usual sunny disposition.
"Good! I'm glad we're on the same page," he said happily.
"Laying it on a little thick aren't you?" Qrow quipped with a raised brow.
"Hey, I did an okay job! No thanks to you."
"Eh, 7/10. I've seen better."
"Alright that's enough amusement at my son's expense," Amber stepped in as she set a small bowl of stew down in front of Raine. "Eat up, you must be starving."
"Thanks mom..."
She was right. He had barely noticed how empty his stomach was until he took that first bite. Hungry as he was, he still remained mindful to take his time and pay attention to what the adults in the room were discussing, Qrow especially as the man began filling Tai and Amber in on his meeting with Ironwood. After all, it wasn't everyday that the location of a missing Maiden was revealed.
"So the Winter Maiden has come out of hiding?" Amber asked.
"If what Jimmy claims is true, then yes. He's asked me to go look for her since Winter Schnee is off in Mistral. Just my luck too... I hate snow..." Qrow grumbled.
"When are you supposed to be leaving?" Tai questioned.
"By the end of the week. James is still working to get his fleet sky-worthy again, but he was able to set aside a bullhead for the trip. At least I won't have to hoof it until I get to Atlas."
"You're going alone?"
Qrow chuckled and reached into his trouser pocket and gave Amber a sideways glance which didn't go unnoticed by her son.
"That depends on a certain someone."
He stepped up to Raine and placed an object down on the table in front of him; the Caelesti Codex. Raine's brows rose in surprise to see the sapphire sphere still in one piece. He reached out and grasped this small portion of history, a portion his father had sworn and seemingly failed to protect, something Raine recklessly brought into battle with him.
"We found that on your person when we pulled you out of Beacon," Qrow explained. "It's no Dust crystal, that's for sure, but tech. Very old and advanced tech. There a reason why you were carrying around something like that onto a battlefield with you?"
Amber gave her son a questioning stare, the woman fully aware of the object Raine was holding.
"Slipped my mind I guess," Raine weakly offered as he slipped the Codex back into his own pocket. "I got grabbed by Adam before the battle began so I didn't have much of a chance to put my belongings away, though honestly the safest option probably was to keep it."
"Something I should know about it?"
"Only that it's a legacy of my people," Raine admitted. "My father called it a codex of the Caelesti, so I assume it's an archive of some sort, but I haven't figured out a way to activate it or open it, and all my old man explained to me was how important it was. Nothing else."
Qrow scoffed at the notion.
"Of course he would."
"Do you know him?"
"Yeah I know him a bit. Met him through your mom. We didn't really see eye to eye all that much but we stayed civil with each other. Man likes his secrets."
"I gathered that," Raine agreed as he pushed aside his empty bowl. "Now that I'm awake though, I was hoping you'd let me in on a specific secret."
Qrow raised a brow.
"Yeah? And which one would that be?"
"Who is Salem?"
The silence that followed was thick enough to be cut by a knife. Both Amber and Tai looked towards Raine with confusion, their shared question voiced by Qrow who's usual nonchalant demeanor was nowhere to be found.
"How do you know that name?" he asked seriously.
"From the horse's mouth," Raine replied evenly.
Qrow frowned and set aside his flask, the man leaning forward onto the table with his hands to fix Raine with a level gaze.
"I want to make something absolutely clear before we have this talk. Not a single word of this conversation leaves this house. Do you understand me?"
Raine gave him a firm nod.
"Alright then. Salem... we don't know much about her beyond what little I've been able to dig up over the past few years, but what I do know is that she likes to work from the shadows and through proxies, two of whom were responsible for attacking Vale. She's like a puppet master who likes to pull all of the strings, and when things go wrong like they have here, we end up with nobody but each other to cast the blame on. She's the one who created the spell to allow people to steal a Maiden's powers."
Qrow sighed and leaned against the counter once more, his arms crossed.
"It's already a bad sign when the Maidens are being hunted, and without the Caelesti around to guard them, it's only a matter of time before someone succeeds. The powers themselves however are only a secondary goal of Salem's. Her end game prizes are what we call the Relics."
"Relics...?" Raine asked, prompting his mother to step in.
"Yes... the Four Relics representing four gifts the Deity Brothers had given humanity before they departed Remnant; Creation, Destruction, Knowledge and Choice. These each represented a facet of Human will, and if brought together, the one wielding such artifacts would be capable of such immense feats far beyond the capabilities of aura or technology alone, they could elevate themselves to a level of a God."
Raine let slip a snort at the thought, earning him more than just a couple disdainful looks.
"Sorry, I've been hearing that phrase get thrown about more times than I can count," he admitted bitterly. "If you ask me these things are too dangerous to just be left lying around. If they're capable of granting a single person that much power, why weren't they destroyed?"
"Humanity tried to do exactly that over the years," Qrow explained. "Numerous wars had been fought over possession of these relics, including the Great War that drove the Caelesti to extinction. Weapons of unimaginable destruction were used in these battles, completely vaporizing everything in the blast radius, yet the Relic at the center remained completely unscathed. Ozpin knew the violence would never stop so long as these weapons were accessible, so he took measures to seal away their powers and with the help of the Maidens, he was able to scatter and bury the Relics beneath each of the Four Huntsman Academies far beyond the reach of anyone with ill intent."
"Each Vault is further protected by a seal that can only be lifted by a specific Maiden," Amber added. "Fall for Choice, Spring for Knowledge, Summer for Destruction, and Winter for Creation. Finally, before sealing away the Relic of Knowledge, Ozpin used that Relic to erase all memory of their existence from Humanity save for the other Headmasters who guarded them. With these safeguards in mind, it was hoped the Relics would be sealed away forever."
"Which is why Salem wants to take the Maiden powers for her own," Raine concluded with a frown. "So that she can get into the Vaults and take the Relics."
He looked towards his mother.
"The Vault Ozpin took us to see you... was that the same Vault that kept a Relic?"
"Yes, and it runs far deeper than what you were shown. The seal itself wasn't anywhere near the chamber I was kept in," Amber answered with a nod.
"So why does Salem still know about it if the memories were erased?" Raine asked.
"Salem is vastly ancient and has archived countless centuries worth of knowledge over the years," Qrow explained. "Regaining knowledge of the Relics would be as simple for her to walk into a library and pick up a book. Which brings us to my own question; when did you meet Salem?"
Raine took a deep breath, the memories still a painful trial to recollect.
"She came to us that night... in the middle of Beacon. She said that... we interested her."
"We?" Tai asked.
Raine gave him a somber look.
"Ruby and I."
Tai felt his blood run cold. Ruby had drawn Salem's attention? Just what had his little girl gotten into this time?
"Explain," he all but demanded.
"It's because we beat Adam," came Ruby's sudden voice at the kitchen's entryway, startling everyone present.
Tai was the first to move, rushing up to his daughter and snatching her up in a tight hug much to her annoyance.
"Dad... too tight..." she gasped out in his grasp, prompting him to loosen his grip.
"I'm just glad you're okay... I've been so worried about you. Don't you ever do anything that dangerous ever again," he lectured her to which she laughed sheepishly.
"No promises," she answered.
"This isn't a joke young lady. And how long have you been standing here?"
"Awhile now."
Qrow shook his head. She was getting good at masking her presence. Maybe he had a bit too much to drink tonight, but even he didn't notice her eavesdropping.
"I'm afraid she's right, Tai," Qrow interjected. "If she and boy scout caught Salem's attention as he's claimed, then trouble is going to follow her no matter where she goes."
Before he could stop her, Ruby wiggled out of Tai's hands and rushed over to Raine, all but jumping on him and nearly knocking him out of his seat.
"Are you okay...?" she whispered worriedly.
"I'll be fine..." he answered her, to which she sighed happily and pecked him on the cheek. "Though are you sure you want to be doing that in front of your dad?"
She answered him by kissing him full on the lips, much to Raine's shock. Before he could react to her blatant actions, she broke the kiss and turned to her dad.
"Dad, this is Raine, my boyfriend and the man I love," she declared without hesitance. "Please accept him because I won't pick anyone else."
Tai stood there utterly dumbstruck, mouth flapping like a fish out of water as the color drained from his face. Stiff as a board, he fell over onto his back in shock. He didn't even notice Zwei trotting over to lick his face.
"I've lost her... I... I can't even... she... a boyfriend... I'd hoped... wait... already... why..." he rambled on deliriously.
"Jeez kiddo, way to show no mercy," said an exasperated Qrow as he strode over to his partner. "Amber, give me a hand with this?"
Amber shook her head, smiled, and stepped forward, the both of them hooking Tai beneath the arms.
"I'm having an odd sense of deja vu," she commented as they proceeded to drag the blonde out of the kitchen.
"New Years Eve eighteen years ago, Tai proposed, Raven said yes," Qrow quickly summarized.
"That's right. That was adorable."
Ruby giggled as they left and promptly sat in Raine's lap, embracing him. Her dad may not have said yes, but that wasn't a no either. She'd take it as a yes regardless.
"You're evil, you know that?" he told her softly, to which she just gave a cheeky grin.
"You love me."
"Yes... I do..."
They shared a second, slower kiss as they basked in each others warmth. This time, Raine could return her feelings properly as his hand lifted to cup her cheek. She leaned into his embrace with a content sigh.
"What do you plan to do now?" she asked him as she broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his, silver eyes meeting silver.
"I can probably guess what it is my mom and your uncle are planning to ask me, to go with them to find the Winter Maiden, but I'll be saying no," he answered.
Ruby looked at him questioningly.
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm headed back to Vacuo. I'll be paying my final respects to Urdin, and then I'm headed North... to Sanctus."
Raine pulled the codex from his pocket, its multifaceted form gleaming in the kitchen light.
"This thing is supposed to be the key to our futures, so I'm going to find my old man, get some answers out of him, and master this power. It's the only way we can win this fight."
Ruby closed her eyes and nodded.
"Okay, except there's one problem. You aren't going anywhere. We are going to find your dad. Together."
Raine immediately made to protest.
"Ruby I can't ask you to leave your team and family behind for me."
"You're not," she assured him. "I'm going with you because I need to, because I love you too much to let you do this on your own. You're part of my team too."
"It's going to be too dangerous Rubes... we'll be hunted by Salem."
"Which means the safest place for both of us is with each other. If I stay here I'll just be putting dad and Yang in danger, but if I come with you, Salem will chase after me... away from my family. It's the only way I'll know they'll be safe."
Raine pressed his lips together and bowed his head.
"Are you absolutely sure about this...?" he asked one last time.
She kissed him once more, conviction in her eyes.
"I'll go pack my bags."
A/N: Oh man. It's been awhile hasn't it? Can't say I planned a hiatus that long, but starting a new career eats up a lot of time leaving little room for fic writing as this is simply a hobby of mine. The good news is that the next, and final, chapter is already in the initial draft along with notes on the sequel. I'm planning on releasing the next story in conjunction with Vol 6 as at this point I think it's safe to say this AU has taken its own turn entirely. The gang is splitting up though for some, this will be in different ways than in Canon. Keep in mind that this is how I've wanted it to go since around chapter 30. The only difficulty was piecing it all together. Expect the final chapter in a much shorter time frame.
For those of you who mentioned Rosario Vampire, I can't say I'm familiar with that anime, or at least I assume it's an anime, so I wouldn't really be able to write a story related to that. I may check it out when I have some free time.
As always, fave and follow if you haven't already and want to show your support, and drop me a review or PM if you want to talk about the latest update. You're all awesome and incredibly patient for waiting this long. See you at the end of the line!
