Chapter 49: Warm Light
Yang
The blood was pumping like a base drum in Yang's head the flashes of those silver eyes were fueling her fight or flight response, kicking it into unwanted overdrive. The feeling lingered as she looked at Ruby and saw her eyes.
They're on me now! Yang thought, feeling Ruby's gaze upon her. Kill it kill it KILL IT!
"NO!" Yang screeched falling to the floor holding her hands over her head holding herself down on the ground, she felt her nails extended out into Grimm claws and could feel the Ursa within her growl inside.
Unleash the Dragon.
"Yang!" Ruby shouted Yang could hear her footsteps as Ruby started to move towards her. Yang lifted her hand up towards where Ruby was approaching halting her advance, the footsteps ceased.
"no Ruby, don't come closer." Yang mewled, her heart pounding like a staccato rhythm.
"Yang… your hand, your nails." Yang resisted the urge to hide her hand.
"Just get in the Alcove Ruby, I… I can't see you ok!" since this bizarre feeling had been set off by seeing Ruby, Yang hoped that breaking visual contact might give her some relief. "Please it hurts to see you"
"…ok" Ruby replied clearly dejected and worried. Yang waited what she hoped was a reasonable amount of time before rising up onto her haunches. Blake was there and Ruby… Yang took a deep breath, she could smell Ruby hiding in the alcove Oobleck had crammed himself into 2 years back. Blake was there, and her eyes were scanning Yang up and down, they were as wide as dinner plates.
Yang followed her gaze, the claws were still extended and Grimm-bone pale. It happened on occasion though Yang rarely found them spring up unintentionally.
"What did you do Yang?" Blake asked, Gambol shroud locked in her palm.
"You have Claws Yang" Ruby echoed down.
"Teeth too" Blake added.
Do I? Yang reached up and pressed her hand into her mouth, sure enough, her canines had extended a half-inch in her mouth.
"I ate a Grimm" Yang responded, looking herself over trying to spot any Grimm growths on her form.
Why isn't this freaking me out? Yang thought more interested in her developments than frightened. Although there was a pounding in her head and heart she could tell that it wasn't from panic, her breathing wasn't right for panic at her current situation.
"What?" Ruby squeaked from her hiding place. Yang sat down her back leaning against the wall nearest to her sister's hiding spot, although not facing it. Yang's tongue traced along her extended pale canines, it was like a scab, she felt an urge to fiddle with it and test it.
"Found an Alpha, an Alpha Ursa, I tore into it. It was one of the hardest fights in my entire life, aura was gone, then I just started eating it." She grew quiet, her eyes going back to her mask, the mask she loved. "The Grimm left me be and the mask came after"
Blake covered her mouth with her hand in shock at Yang's words, she didn't take a step back but Yang could see that she wanted too.
"The thing tasted so foul, I'm not sure how I was able to eat it all." Yang let out a half-hearted chuckle, and although she didn't regret and wasn't disturbed by her decision she was aware of the effect it could have on others. "… gave me abilities, made things easier to deal with…"
The silence of the room was palpable but Yang let it linger, letting the idea and images play themselves out in her former teammates' heads. Dust a hardened criminal like Roman Torchwick had to sit down after hearing that. Slowly she reached behind herself and retrieved her dust blade and whetstone. She applied the oil and slowly scraped the stone against the blade, letting the scrapping ring throughout the room. She rarely took care of her blades, since to Yang they were expendable, but this had been a gift and Raven always calmed herself down by sharpening Yureru.
"Why?" Yang slowly raised her head towards Blake. "Why did you do that Yang?"
Yang locked eyes with her former partner and confidant. "So I could get over the Vytal festival, so I could control my emotions, so I could finally kick you guys' voices out of my head… so I wouldn't be weak.
"It hurt me what happened after the festival, what you guys said, what we all did… I couldn't stop thinking about it, I had the worst headaches." She paused her eyes returning to the Grimm mask, she scooped it up and pressed her forehead against it. "The mask helped… deal with it helped make it easier to handle, helped me not be weak."
"You were never weak." a small voice answered from above Yang, Yang resisted the urge to look up at her sister, but a part of her warmed at those words. "Yang you were never weak, you're the strongest person I know."
Then why can't I look at you, Ruby? Yang thought, cursing this peculiar fury inside her.
"Yang you raised me! You pulled dad out of his funk, you were always there for me" Ruby said, her heart in her words, Yang could almost see her sister in her mind's eye, see that inspiring leader. "You kept us together after mom… after mom died!"
And that needs answering too! Yang thought, wincing.
"Ruby… I'm sorry" Yang said quietly.
"for what?"
"For not taking you with me" Yang slowly started to rise suddenly feeling very tired after all the excitement of the past few days washed over her. "but I'm offering it to you now, You and Blake, and Weiss… where is Weiss?"
Yang looked around the room and there was neither hide nor hair of the Atlessian princess.
"How would that even work, you can hardly stand to look at Ruby" Blake pointed out, dodging Yang's question. "It would make things a bit difficult."
"I'd have to deal with it then, I don't care, I just know I want this to be fixed." Yang looked down at her mask and another idea hit her. "And there's things you need to know about the world, things you need to see."
Yang stooped down and placed her mask atop her head and she could hear it faintly but as real as anything else, the faint singing the clarion call to chaos. It was beautiful, it was haunting and it would drive anyone who tried to write it down to madness.
Where is Weiss? Yang thought as her Grimm-side was touched upon with that maddening song.
"You mean like the maidens?" Blake asked skeptically, clearly, Ozpin or Qrow had already brought them up to speed on that particular subject.
"Just the tip of the iceberg." Yang said pushing the mask up her head, quieting the Grimm-noise. "speaking of Icebergs, where's Weiss?"
"Recovering from dust inhalation, after you escaped." Ruby murmured. She… she was lying, Yang could tell instantly and that fact had shocked her. Yang remained quiet rather than make a fuss of it. "Will you stop Yang?"
That was the question of the hour wasn't it, Yang bit her thumb, she was stalling her answer.
And Ruby will notice it.
Ruby
From Ruby's vantage point she was unseen by her sister but she could tell so much based on how Yang said something when she said it. Even now years later, Ruby still knew her sister.
I hope I do at least. She prayed to herself, Yang's reaction to seeing her again had not been natural, she'd been like a frightened wounded dog that had been hurt by humans once too often who had the fight or flight response on standby.
"Yang?" Ruby asked again, unhappy with the length of her sister's pause.
"Why should I let this go, Ruby?" Yang said coldly and quietly. There wasn't the Grimm noise in her voice which somehow made it more frightening. "Why should I just let him get away with this?"
"Why Ironwood?" Blake asked, her cat-like curiosity overtaking the point of their talking to Yang right now. "Why just Ironwood, why not Ozpin? Or anyone else?"
"Ozpin…" Ruby could hear the smirk in Yang's voice. "Let's just say that it would be a moot point."
"Because that's not what huntresses do," Ruby said. "We don't kill people"
Yang let out a bark of a laugh, it was mirthless.
"Ruby every bounty mission you take might end up with the target's death," Yang said, clearly annoyed at Ruby's naivete. Ruby cursed herself for not being able to put her point properly into words.
"No, Yang, I meant…" Ruby took a deep breath pressing down her emotions. "We're huntresses, we're not assassins."
Yang was Quiet Ruby peeked over, not enough to see Yang but enough to see Blake, the Faunus gazed up at her from her vantage point. Blake seemed worried but was taciturn. Yang's knuckles were no doubt bone white as she struggled to deal with her frustration with her younger sister.
"Yang?" Blake spoke up finally. "If we go with you… if team RWBY goes with you will you quit this mission?"
"What do you owe him?" Yang said quietly the frustration clear in her voice, though it began to bleed into depression. "He's occupied Vale, done things, terrible things. What do you owe him?"
"Nothing!" Ruby answered, wanting so desperately to jump down and hold her sister tight. "I'm doing this for you!"
Blake flinched and the whole room shook, Ruby's mind immediately wondered if Atlas was just shelling the place and hoping for the best. It took her a second to realize that it had been Yang punching the wall.
Yang
Yang's hand left the crater, bits and pieces of rubble coming with her as she plucked her right hand out. She looked at it for a bit, she'd aura'd up but she still expected to see cuts on her knuckles to add to her other assortment of scars. She flexed her hand back and forth.
"I'm not weak Ruby," she said quietly not looking up from her hand, trying to let the anger simmer a bit inside her.
"No, but you are stupid," Ruby answered, Yang shot a glare at Ruby's hiding place, aghast for a second before chuckling, it wasn't a real guffaw but she was laughing. She put her hand on her hips and turned back to Blake.
"My own sister, can you believe it?" Yang smiled at the Faunus gesturing up at Ruby's hiding spot. Yang understood combative far better than pitying, its why she enjoyed Raven so much, she was always direct and unflinching with her criticism.
Made things feel more… real.
"There's no way you could even do it Yang" Ruby responded. "That's a -st-st-stupid move and you know it."
The stuttering was there but less than the last time, Yang filed it away in Ruby's weakness file in her head. She couldn't stop herself she just did that on reflex now.
"Really Ruby you want to give me a Challenge." Yang laughed back. "Blake if the Fang were going to do it how would they pull it off."
"Yang I told you-"
"Blake you are the smartest person I've seen who was even tangentially connected with that outfit. You're the expert, if Adam Taurus wanted it done, could it be done?"
Blake was quiet for a while before nodding.
"Theoretically, he could pull it off," She said quietly, a far off look on her face.
What happened to you Blake? Yang thought, spoiling her own victory. She waved her hand at Blake in a pointless gesture.
"See it could be done!" Yang announced. Blake raised her hand.
"I said Adam could do it, he has more manpower than you Yang, more resources." Blake cautioned Yang reprimanding her like a rowdy student. Yang simply showed her teeth.
"Please I've seen his 'man-power'" Yang slapped her flexed bicep for emphasis. "They aren't even in my weight class."
Blake didn't smile, Yang didn't hear Ruby chuckle. Yang lowered her flexed arm and suddenly felt very tired. This wasn't something that could be laughed off.
"…but that's not the point is it?" Yang asked, not caring who answered, Blake hugged her self and she heard sniffling up in Ruby's crow's nest.
"no," Blake answered quietly. Yang ran her fingers through her hair, pulling out the knots before resting her forehead against the stone pillar.
"What happened?" Yang asked her former team. "What happened after I left?"
The Grimm inside her growled wanting to be let out to ease her doubt and pain and headaches, to make it all go away and keep it all simple inside her skull.
"I-I-I" Ruby began stuttering. "I! thought I k-kuh-kuh-killed you y-y-Yang"
"you didn't Ruby" Yang all but mumbled, she could sense, Blake's anger spike at that utterance.
"That doesn't matter Yang!" she spat. "Ruby had to live with that-"
"I know!" Yang snarled back before biting her own tongue and reigning her Grimm in, now wasn't the time. "I know, what it did to Ruby"
"No, you don't!" Blake countered stepping towards her former partner with intent. "You don't get it, Yang, she wasn't just sad, she wasn't just upset, she thought she murdered you! Ruby still has nightmares about it, still hallucinates about it! Just because you're alive doesn't change that!"
There was the force of a typhoon in Blake's words just as there had been a blizzard in Weiss'. Yang didn't have any snide remarks planned, didn't have any snarky comebacks in her head, but if she had Blake's fury would have blown them away.
"Is that true Ruby?" Yang asked, risking a glance up at her sister's hiding spot. Ruby was quiet and Yang wondered if one of these panic attack hallucinations was happening right now. That thought left a bitter feeling in her stomach.
"…yes…" Ruby all but squeaked down. "I loved you Yang, and I sh-sh-s-shot you." Ruby let out a little wail and Yang had to fight the urge to rush to her and hold her in her arms, that was a feeling she hadn't felt in years. "I'm s-suh-so-sorrryyyy Yang I'm I'm I'm so SORRRRRYY!"
Ruby was a little girl again, a small little girl, and Yang couldn't go to comfort her, couldn't reach out and hold her tight and tell her it was alright. Yang felt so helpless and distant unable to do something about her sister's plight. She felt the emotions building up inside herself as well and she wanted to stamp them down, she couldn't break, not now. Still, the feeling did build up inside her and it clawed to get out.
Yang turned around and rested her head against the pillar gazing down. It was the only comfortable place to look, and she didn't want to be seen like this. Drops of some liquid or another dripped down on the floor in front of Yang's feet. She stared at the black pools that stained the concrete.
"Muh-must be a leak in here." Yang sniffed, her voice stuttering a bit as she spoke, these damn places were breaking apart, must be raining. Had to be raining.
Yang remembered her fight with Ruby in Vacuo, felt the excitement of the battle was thrilled when Ruby stopped holding back and let loose, and they got to fight as equals.
That's the closest I've been to Ruby in 2 years. Yang realized her heart skipping a beat. The closest I've felt to my sister is when I was fighting her. I almost killed her, I almost blinded her.
A shiver ran through Yang's spine and she took in a shuddering breath not daring to turn around else she'd see Ruby's crying face and the Grimm would take over her instincts. Yang hated this feeling, it was a horrible feeling and she couldn't do anything for it, she couldn't fight she couldn't hold her sister, she was just stuck there letting her emotions ride through her.
"You didn't kill me, Ruby," Yang said, holding herself, her fingertips tracing goosebumps forming on her skin. "I'm alive Ruby! You didn't kill me" It was all she could say, all she could do and it felt like nothing.
"Ruby?" Yang muttered worried her sister had vanished.
"y-y-yeah?" Ruby answered her tears clear in her voice.
Yang closed her eyes and turned around making sure that she was facing her sister's hiding spot. It took some effort but Yang was able to force out a smile on her face and let her semblance burn free. "Look, Ruby"
This is nothing. Yang thought to herself bitterly, but she had to do something for her sister, something to help.
Ruby
The panic had taken Ruby, she was seeing the red and white snow petals, the Grimm in every shadow and blood everywhere, blood that was red like roses. She'd bitten her tongue to keep her locked in reality but even that was slipping. When Yang's real voice cut through the hallucinations.
"Ruby?"
The words were so strange distant, drowned out by the Grimm growls and the images of her sister in an Ursa's jaws. Ruby's lips flapped and she knew she answered but she couldn't tell what she said to her sister.
I wish Weiss was here, or Penny. Ruby thought her heartrate going crazy.
"Ruby look"
It took effort but eventually Ruby peered over the ledge and down at her sister. Her eyes were closed, the creepy helmet was off her head and her sister was grinning up at her with her arms spread wide. The Grimm noises started to dissipate as her sister smiled up at her like they were young again, it was the same smile that Ruby would wake up to on her birthday before a plate of chocolate chip pancakes was thrown into her lap. Yang was there, Yang was smiling and Yang was whole.
"I'm ok Ruby." Yang reiterated calmly up at her sister before her semblance sparked and her hair was set ablaze with ghostly fire. The room was filled with warm comforting light and Ruby for a second felt like things were ok. "You didn't kill me. It's going to be ok."
And for a sliced out moment in time that was true and Ruby could believe it. Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled back at her sister, so far gone, so distant but with the spark of hope inside herself that it could be fixed, that they could be a family once again.
"Thanks, y-uh-yuh-Yang!" she still stuttered wiping away her own sniffles. "I'm glad you're ok"
"Me too Ruby…" Yang said lowering her arms and snuffing out her semblance, although she kept her smile. "Would you mind moving out of my line of sight, I still have trouble looking at you"
"Sure thing" Ruby replied crawling back into her alcove. "Ok open your eyes."
"I still need to mend things, we still need to mend things, but we need to get back to the subject at hand," Yang said, punching her knuckles together. "Come with me guys, I've seen how Beacon students treat me, and Weiss made it pretty clear they haven't been treating you guys much better. Assholes like them don't deserve your skills or patience."
"It's tempting," Blake said, surprising Ruby in fact, and no doubt got a raised eyebrow from Yang as well. Ruby gazed down again, still being careful only to be seen by Blake. Blake smiled back up at her. "I'm used to living on the run and you're my pack leader now Ruby, I'll go where you go"
Ruby was quiet as she considered.
"I've always wanted to be a huntress, like mom," she said. Yang actually laughed.
"You don't need any kingdom's approval to be a huntress Ruby" Yang replied. "I've seen most of them out there, you are two times the huntress then any of Ironwood's specialists. Mom would've been one with or without the license."
Ruby smiled remembering warm arms and a lovely voice singing her to sleep. Mom.
"Come on Ruby, You, me, Blake and Weiss on the road, seeing the world and kicking Grimm ass. No playing along to someone's stupid pointless game" Yang said and that touched on the crux of it all,; whether or not they trusted Ozpin and what he had planned. Ruby put a lot of faith in that man and Yang couldn't stand him, but before Ruby could bring up the point a soft noise hit her ear. The sound was feet slowly and near silently running through halls. "Say where is Weiss anyway?"
"We have incoming" Ruby whispered chambering a round into crescent Rose. Blake took on a readied stance and although she could only see Yang's shadow she saw her sister was ready.
"I hear them too" Yang muttered. "Atlas follow you?"
"I don't think so" Ruby replied, pressing her ear to the ground. Blake sniffed the air.
"It's the fang" Blake answered. Yang took a deep inhale of her nostrils.
"They're angry and scared," Yang said with a low growl-like rumble in her voice. That noise might have frightened Ruby 2 years ago but ever since her fight with Yang she got it, there was a joy in fighting and winning.
Must come from dad then. Ruby thought, smiling. The sound of gunshots reached her ears, Atlas guns not far off. Uh oh.
Then something happened that sent Ruby's heart plummeting into her stomach; Her scroll buzzed. She flipped it out as the sound of Yang Cocking Ember Celica 2.0 hit her ears.
J: help!
That's all that was written, it was all that was needed to put Ruby on edge. She slammed her scroll down and her mind was made up in an instant.
"Yang!" Ruby shouted speeding to the other side of the room towards the hole in the wall and away from her sister's gaze. "Pyrrha's attacking JN_R"
"WHAT?!" Yang roared, not a trace of fear in her voice, that gave Ruby a modicum of confidence. "Are they injecting dust or something?"
"Nope they're just the same kind of crazy as me" Ruby replied letting her smirk grow. "I have to go help them, can you handle the Fang?"
"They don't stand a chance." Ruby could see the warm lights of Yang's fiery hair make the shadows dance on the wall opposite. She was right so long as Adam Taurus wasn't there, Yang should be fine. "Although I need to check up with Nikos about a few things."
"Blake" Ruby said and instantly Blake was by her side, ready to go to the jaws of death with her. "Stay here with Yang."
Blake raised an eyebrow and the confusion was clear on her face.
"If it gets bad I'll send you a message" then in a quieter voice. "make sure Yang doesn't kill anyone ok."
Blake nodded, before placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Please don't do anything stupid."
Ruby rested her hand against Blake's. "Don't worry I won't"
Yang
The only goodbye Ruby offered after that was the sound of her rose petals touching the floor, after a 3 count Yang felt confident enough turning around. Blake was there, her armored gear on yet her hood let down, leaving her ears exposed, Gambol shroud was held tightly in her hands and she was gazing out where Ruby had gone. The footsteps of the Fang were getting louder.
"Ole bumblebee together again" Yang mused her eyes traveling around the building in search of vantage points and structural weaknesses. Despite this place having a deep emotional resonance with Yang, she wouldn't hesitate to bring it down on her enemies' heads. Despite everything, Blake smirked before loading a set of dust rounds into Gambol shroud. Yang retrieved her own dust blade and took a deep breath focusing on the dust within the weapon, its mad energy seemed to pulse back to her.
Stooping down she retrieved her Ursa helmet, she made some small apology before placing it back on her head, immediately her senses were supercharged and she could pinpoint the Faunus inside her den.
"Any chance you can talk them down?" Yang asked pulling the helmet down over her face and letting herself dive into the mask, her nails grew her hair started to rise like hackles.
"They don't take… 'Traitors' lightly I'm afraid." Blake said dryly standing next to Yang, watching the trance take her former partner. "So the best I can expect is to have my ears cut off, so… no, they aren't quitting without a fight"
Yang chuckled, glad to be able to let herself loose again, now that Ruby wasn't in her warpath. "Good!"
Author's Notes
Now that I'm stuck in the social distancing I should be able to catch up on my writing well enough. Thank you all for sticking with me through this, I think we're getting pretty close to the 2 anniversary of this fic so if anyone has an idea of what to do in celebration I'm all ears (We're also near chapter 50 so that's neat). Also with this disease scare going down I hope Rogue can help you all relax in these trying times.
