Chapter 63: A light within the heart

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The shyness (Rowena d'Arc-Night)


It was not fair.

It was not fair, and it wasn't even fairer than fair! She saw him watch her with those wonderful eyes, the smile on his lips as warm as the sun's rays, and there was that hint of something more, the power within him blazing like a black sun, her own body lit up with rays of gold and darkness.

Her nipples were hard, even as they sat there on the couch. Her blue eyes met his crimson-hued ones, the need within her growing. She craved him, his touch, his little murmurs of 'Rowe, you can stop hugging me. Aaaanytime now, Rowe…'

"Rowe…"

'You will be amazing, Jaune.'

She shifted a little, allowing more of her cleavage to be seen by her love. She knew that she was wrong for loving him, so wrong in her own ways, but she couldn't help it, her hand holding his own with a gentle, yet direct grip. A soft twitching of her lips, a twitch of those lips of his own, and the whole world faded away. He spoke three simple words.

"I love you."

She loved him. She loved him so much it hurt. She wanted him to know, she wanted him to feel, to touch. She was his sister and his mother, but in her core, she was just Rowena, a girl in love, finding her prince with her.

He flushed, adorably. She knew that he would, because she had pushed a lot of love in those words. For him, she would fight. She was someone who was strong, who was able to kill without mercy. He would need her. She would not fall.

"I… I love you too."

She pulled close, her lips pressing against his own, her other arm wrapping around him. He smelled of shampoo and more, enough to make her feel a tingle. She loved him so much. Climbing into his lap, straddling him and gazing into his eyes, she waited for a moment.

"I shouldn't feel like this, Rowena. You're… you're my sister."

'I'm your mother. The day you were born was the day that the darkness was banished and the light started to shine.'

She loved him. She loved him so much that it hurt, but she didn't dare to shatter that fragile confidence. He was a gentle man, a gentle boy, her child.

"It's okay, Jaune. It's… it's fine. We're brother and sister, and that's all that matters. Family is the most important to me. Without you and Heather…"

The rest didn't matter. Bianca and Ashley would be given a choice to submit or die. The others… were irrelevant. They would die if they struggled. They would die if they didn't obey. There would be no interference to the life that she was to lead.

She was the best of the best and she would be the best of the best. He looked at her with concern, his hand, the flesh and blood one, the liquid of darkness and that sweet sanguine pulsing through his veins with a steady beat, brushing against her cheek.

"I love all of you. Mom and dad… Well… If… if father resists…"

She would do it. Her fingers brushed through his hair and he kissed her gently on the lips. Yang was speaking quietly with her mother, as a good girl should. She would make Jaune happy, she knew. A bright and cheerful girl when she had been younger, even if things would be a little different nowadays.

"Don't worry about him. He will do what he has to."

She remembered. It had been duty. It had been pain, tightness. She was twelve, near-thirteen. It hadn't felt good, but it had been what father had said would be for the best of the world, so she had obeyed. Had she even known better than to trust the words of her father? Maybe. She had been diligent, as it had been a task.

There had been little love in it, as she felt the liquid inside her, father cleaning her off and telling her to wear the pad. It would take. The little life that grew within her was special, and she knew that. The training wasn't as harsh as before, and she'd heard the little heart beat inside her belly, the rush of another heart pumping life through her flesh.

"But-"

She laid a finger on his lips, gazing into his eyes with a look that held love and affection, a tender one, as much as she could manage.

"I'll take care of it. I'm your big sister, aren't I?"

She wouldn't let him know. She wouldn't let him know, because she feared he would be disgusted with her. She knew that he loved her, but he loved a sister, not a mother. It was…

She sighed softly, her eyes closing and then opening once more, as she delivered a small kiss to his lips, just entranced by the way that he stared at her with his beautiful eyes. He was someone who didn't let anything slip out of his grasp once he'd gotten ahold of it, who would make sure that she was safe within his arms.

She deepened the kiss, her tongue sliding into his mouth, exploring slowly, tongue touching against his own. The darkness within him didn't feel wicked anymore, as the darkness inside her responded. She could feel the blood rushing through his body towards his loins as her body pressed against his own.

It was a sensation. A sensational sensation, as she broke the kiss, a small rope of saliva between the two of them snapping, as the spell continued. She looked into his beautiful eyes, her tongue licking over his nose and he smiled.

"Yeah, you're my big sister."

She would be his big sister. The truth might hurt him, and she couldn't have that. Her head turned to look at Yang, a hand reaching out to touch her sister, before she pulled Heather close.

"Kiss him, Heather."

Her little sister could be shy. She was such a pretty girl, if only she didn't frown so much. She looked pretty and sexy and appealing. Rowena hopped off her man's lap and she watched as Heather placed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

'On the lips, little firebug.'

Her son could be such a shy boy. She was shy too, sometimes, but Heather was shyer.

"On the lips, silly. He needs many kisses, because we love him."

It was awkward, seeing them kiss, but Heather acclimatized to it quickly. Heather always knew what was the best option when she wasn't around, and trusted her implicitly. Rowena let her mind shift a little to other occupations. She should make something nice.

She got up and straightened herself out a little, watching how Jaune stopped the kiss, Heather's expression warm, yet hesitating. The girl really needed to be more confident. There were animals out there that needed punishment.

"I'll make something nice to eat. Sandwiches for lunch, and would you like me to make your favourites, Jaune?"

She would make sure that he had good food to eat and that he was at least sated. The Mission continued, to make the world a better place, as had been done by her forebears and their forebears. She remembered the ingredients perfectly, as he responded politely with a 'Yes, please.'

Making the sandwiches didn't take much effort at all, cutting the crust from his like she'd always done, making use of the food in the pantry and some of the canned foods. Junk food, she knew, wasn't good for her boy. She should shop for something healthy for dinner.

'He's allowed some nice treats…'

She wasn't sure yet. She was aware of the missions that'd been put on the internal board. The White Fang was to be expelled from Vale for the crimes they had committed, and she would not falter with that mission. Harmony Tallow would be a rabbit who got grilled…

"Do you need help?"

Yang asked, the sweet girl standing at her side, her eyes questioningly. She'd called Jaune a motherfucker, which was… accurate, she supposed.

"That would be wonderful, dear."

The girl was only fourteen years younger than her, but Rowena thought that she'd have made a wonderful partner, if she was into women. Heather was special to her. Her sister, the one that she grew up with and made plans for the future with, who she confided in when things got too tough…

Father had tried to break that up. She should be independent if her partner were to pass away. Heather wasn't strong like she was, heather wasn't as skilled as she was, but Heather was all that she'd had until she'd been chosen.

'Ro and Heather, always together.'

She loved her little sister, a little less than her son. Just a little, but Heather knew best when to temper her with her fiery anger.

They worked in silence, making the sandwiches for her son and the others. The Branwen woman, who was sleeping with her son, if the flustering had been any indication, seemed not to bother with the smallest of details, speaking in conversational tones with Heather, who had left Jaune to his own devices.

"Here's a sandwich, Jaune."

He smiled at her, rubbing over the edges.

"I'm seventeen, Rowe…"

He was. That didn't mean that she couldn't mother him a little more.

"You're still my sweet little brother, Jaune. No crust, because you don't like it."

He laughed softly and she just watched, enjoying the shine in his eyes, twisted and warped by the fell power within him. It was something marvelous to behold, as he took a bite. He chewed three times before he swallowed. She was sure that she'd said that he should chew five times, but it was okay.

"Delicious. Yang? Are… are things okay with Ruby and the others?"

'Hardly. Ruby Rose will be trained, if my guess is correct. One must always have a Rose ready, and the losses in Mountain Glenn have rocked the Rose much.'

It wasn't something that she could keep an eye on due to belonging to the d'Arc-Night, but it was noticeable with the mission board. There were missions that usually were tackled by the Rose due to the Grimm presence in the area that was now handed to the Calavera. As the sole representatives of the d'Arc-Night, they were not very much in demand, except for the slaying missions that required people to die.

"No… not really. Nora and- Nora and Pyrrha are a mess, since Ren died."

Her son's teammate, caught in the fight between the animals and the Huntsmen, slain by someone who had suffered the final breath later on. A young man who had looked quiet, even with the madness in her mind, the bristling terror and pain that continued within her mind, before she had found clarity in him.

"I know. I was there, and… And I helped them. They weren't… they were- I gave them a gift, I- I suppose it's best to show you."

He made a gesture with the fake arm, a Beowolf materializing out of thin air in front of him, it's grown head brushing against the ceiling. Heather, the Branwen woman and Yang had tensed up, even as Rowena's eyes prickled with the silver glow, ready to unleash it.

"I'm… I'm able to gift people my power. It's… it's to create the Grimm, there's billions of designs that have been-"

She could do something similar, she guessed. The light within her balanced out the shadow, but her son would be better at it than her, using it as his primary energy. He was a good boy, a good man. He would protect them all, if he could. She was sure of it, because she had raised him well.

"He's not bad. He's not a bad man."

She tried to assure Yang that he wasn't evil, because he wasn't. He wasn't the Shadow, he was her Jaune, her little yellow boy. The girl looked like she was unsure, glancing at her, before she turned her gaze back on Jaune.

"No, I- I don't think he is, Rowena. He's just… Heh."

The girl blushed, just as she should. She was such a cute girl, and she would be a nice wife for her son. That's what Yang would love, undoubtedly. A nice husband, a lot of children and someone who loved her as much as her son did. That love would come. She knew him better than Yang did. He was her little hero, the huntsman who'd claim her befouled heart and polish it to a shine once more.

"Jaune, eh?"

A throwback to something as he said it, a smile on his lips, as Yang started to laugh, something that Rowena hadn't caught, Jaune starting to laugh as well after a moment. She watched the two of them, more at ease now with how they were.

"I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone…"

She had to bring the sandwiches to her sister, after all. Heather might like to eat something, and she herself wasn't trying to give her son an opportunity to make the girl love him more. A prince deserved a pretty princess…

'Nice breasts, good hips… Attitude is a little dark at times, but she's seventeen. She can mature more, and grow with him.'

"Sandwiches."

She put the plate in Heather's lap, her sister giving a little squeak, as she sat down next to the Branwen woman, looking the woman in the eyes and pulling out the mask that she'd put safely in the strap. She unfolded it and it stiffened with a small flick, the technology easily made.

"What are your intentions towards Jaune?"

There was a sharp tone in her voice, as the older woman's body froze up, the heart muscle clenched by her Semblance, forcing an answer. Jaune was more important, and she did not dare to make him be some manhandled young gentleman.

"Companionship. He's safe, my Sister Summer said that- She's the Summer Rose."

A nod from her, as Rowena's mind filtered the information. The Mother of the little scythe-wielder. Unsurprising, that the Summer Rose would go for the purest stock. It was not unsuitable. The Rose had always had the insanely skilled maniacs.

"Acceptable. Make sure that he's safe and I will not have to reap you."

A threat, easily delivered. For Jaune, there would be nothing but excellence. She may not know how to approach him, but all resistance must be destroyed. Even if she had to do everything in her power to avert the disasters that she had seen in his path already, it would be a worthy sacrifice.

"Yes, sure. He's… He's a good young man."

There was doubt in the woman's voice, the sliver of darkness around the heart clenching a little under her touch, the feeling spreading through the woman's body with no resistance, the blood clotting slowly and then liquidizing again, the woman's face turning paler.

"He's- He's someone I like. O-okay?"

The tension cranked up a little and the woman's face started to turn redder and redder, as Rowena moved the blood through the body with her will, the Semblance flicking the organs aside, the woman's eyes panicked, but every muscle freezing up under the power of the Semblance.

"Obey him. He's more important than your life."

He wouldn't need to have to worry. He needed to be safe, even if she could not be there with him. There was a quick nod, before she let the blood flow once more, the woman breathing heavily, as Rowena smiled.

"Good. I'm glad we are in agreement, Branwen."

Qrow had to be tracked down as well. She'd ask Azure whether she'd seen the man, she most certainly had a fixed interest in the man. There was at least a sexual craving for the man, if the body had spoken truth.

"She's not often like this, but she takes my little brother's safety really seriously."

Heather was apologizing for her again, like she usually did. The woman was only barely good enough for Jaune, Heather just didn't see that. Yang would be more than enough, without involving her mother… but there was always the skill to see. Raven Branwen was a killer, someone who had been trained to be like the Rose clan by the Summer Rose.

'It will stop at a warning. If he's not happy…'

She would need to see whether the chemistry between Jaune and Yang would work. A few helpful tips… He wouldn't want for anything.

'You'll be happy, Jaune.'

He loved her.

Her dark blue eyes shimmered bright silver, as she watched the two interact.

'Yes…'


The blonde and the beautiful (Jaune d'Arc-Night)


He felt awkward a little as she handed him a sandwich, the crust having been trimmed off. He wasn't eight anymore, he could eat bread… but it was still nice. She accepted him even if he was sick in the head for loving his own sister. She'd blossomed when she'd seen him, showing her beauty.

"Hey, you're the one sleeping with my mother. I should be calling you daddy now."

It was an awkward thought. It wasn't like he was married, but he'd like to get married. The war against Ozymandias Pinnacle and the Grand Witch would only unleash more devastation on this world, and it would need to be done efficiently. He held anonymity from the Grand Wizard. His counterpart was aware, but seemed to dedicate more resources towards the ancient nemesis than otherwise.

"Well, we're not… formal. Kali said that she'd join in."

He knew that Kali had left, as she'd flickered to the shadows. There was something with Weiss and Whitney, something that Kali wished to pay attention to, and she wanted to do that on her own.

"Hmm… Want to compare pussies, stud?"

She turned red, flustered immediately. He had an image of her and her mother, stacked on top of each other, turned towards him. It wasn't a bad thought.

"I mean, Blake and… Blake and her mom. Blake doesn't know about- About this."

Blake shouldn't. A need-to-know basis was something that should be maintained. There were only six people who he could trust implicitly, all imbued with the power that he held within him, the Vitae that he had harvested from the Grimm, collected and imbued with the negativity around him.

"You're a wonderfully kind girl, Yang. If Rowe said that you should be with me, I'm- She's my oldest sister, and she's got a good eye for people."

Yang's gaze went down as she mumbled something about that being shared with him, embarrassment undoubtedly inspiring her to praise him like that. He wasn't a kind man, nor was he someone who was wise.

"You went and died, Jaune. We've had a lot of bad luck… Weiss got attacked by the White Fang and is traumatized and hurt, Blake… well, I don't know what happened, but she's trying to imitate your sister, after she destroyed the guy who raped her and put a baby in her. Ruby is… She's lost in fairytale land and dad fucked her-"

He sighed deeply, as he went in for a hug. A hug would make things a little better, and she accepted it. Her grip was tighter and stronger than he'd felt before, but she needed it. Her blonde hair tickled his nose and he sneezed.

"Hey, no sneezing in my hair! Save that for when we're going out on our date, buddy."

He wasn't sure whether she'd even want to, given how he was sort of in a relationship with her mother, though they hadn't formalized it, or done much more than just talk.

"Do you want to?"

She looked up at him, her lilac-lavender-coloured eyes peering into his own with that expression that was questioning him.

"Considering that there's a serious lack of good guys in the world, yeah. You're… You're not bad. Weiss would give you a shot now, I reckon. She needs… She needs someone she can trust."

He was fucking the mother of Weiss frequently. The soft conversations that they had late at night when Weiss was asleep was just the contact that they could have, but Whitney was one who cared for him and her daughters and son as equally as she could.

"Want to go on a date sometime soon then? The Vytal festival will be starting."

The meeting of the four Kingdoms, to show off their talent. A perfect place to strike for the Grand Witch, as the plan had dictated. He knew that, and Yang gave a soft sigh.

"Sure thing, buddy. Better hold on to your boots, or I'll knock you on your ass."

She was confident, and she smiled at him with that confidence. It faltered then, as she looked at him with a plea in her eyes, her hand gripping his jacket, pulling him closer.

"And- And you'll be there for us, won't you? You won't abandon us if it's better to do so for your own good, will you? Team RWBY is a mess, but-"

He wouldn't. She was willing to help, and that was worth something to him that was incalculable. With her beauty and her skill, she would make for an excellent teammate, as well a set of eyes in the student body of Beacon.

"He won't."

Rowena's voice spoke, and he caught her moving behind Yang, wrapping her arms around Yang from behind and then around him.

"He's my little prince, and he'll be a good king when it is his time to rule. We don't abandon that which is ours to rule over, and especially not our vassals."

She was right, after all. Technically, he was the 'little prince', as she was the 'queen in training', the term applicable for those who were the youngest child and not directly in the line of succession, Rowena's eyes meeting his own.

"Of course not. You're my cousin, and you're one of my friends. I don't want to hurt you."

He would hurt people by virtue of existing though. He knew that the power within him was corruptive and vile, just as the burning light blinded and seared away things that mattered.

"Good, I'm… Hey!"

Rowena had pulled open Yang's jacket and he could see the breasts straining against the fabric, Rowena's hands toying with the large globes, the womanly shape of his sister contrasting, as she pulled Yang away, who meekly obeyed.

"Don't you think that she's got a better package than her mother? Look at these breasts, Jaune."

Yang struggled a little, mumbling something about this being entirely too soon, but he did look. They were larger than her mother's. Raven Branwen had a lot of things that were nice about her body, but she did not have a D cup. Lots of scars, though. The thought of the two of them stacked atop each other for him to ravish emerged once more.

"They are… nice."

He couldn't really say that he thought they were damn amazing, as his older sister just manhandled Yang, with only small protest from the girl, Yang pulling herself out of Rowena's grip and tidying herself up again. She looked good.

"So, eh…"

Rowena was still in the vicinity. He caught Raven and Heather looking at the proceedings with eyes that were giving him pitying looks, as if they knew what was happening… or whether they empathized with Yang's predicament.

"Do you want to go get stuff for dinner?"

He should be getting the stuff for dinner, it was already two in the afternoon, he'd spied on the clock that hung in the kitchen. Rowena grabbed a notepad from the counter and started to work on the shopping list, and then scribbled down something below it.

"Here are the ingredients for tonight. Have a nice date, you two. Heather and I need to talk about some stuff with Yang's mother, so we'll leave you two to go and get the groceries."

He was sure that she'd cook something great for them. She always knew the best recipes, whenever she cooked.

"I guess we'll be going on our first date, Yang. Let me get the sunglasses… my eyes are a little unnerving to most people."

Yang's soft sigh was agreeing to the term for their outing, before the smile lit up her face.

"Guess we're going out on a shopping date, 'daddy'."

He grimaced. He felt a little too young to be having children, though technically, he was the man who was having sex with her mother.

"Don't make me spank you, 'daughter'."

She smirked at him, a challenge in her eyes.

"Is that a promise?"

He tucked the list into one of his pockets and then started to walk for the front door, throwing a look back at his older sister, whose expression had been warm and friendly before, but now looked a little forlorn.

"I love you, sis. And Heather too. I'm glad you're back with me."

The smile she had on her face after that was worth it, as she blossomed like a beautiful flower with her radiant smile, sitting down next to his other sister.

Yang's hand grabbed his as they left the house, and she had a little spring in her step, being the young girl that she should be, rather than a serious person like her mother.

"So… Think we can sneak in something fun?"

She was trying, he knew. If Rowena thought they'd match together… well, there was something.

He was a monster, a sick monster who loved his sister, but it was still wonderful to see her interest, as her hand grabbed his own a little firmer.

"Sure. We need to…"

He scanned the list and noticed the circled package.

"Get a lot of condoms?"

Yang turned a little red in the cheeks.

Get condoms. No babies for you yet. I'll know.

'Yeah, that's Rowena for you… if you've done something naughty, she'll know. '


The fire that burns (Heather Arc)


The moment that Jaune and Yang had left the room, Rowena swept her presence out, or at least, how Heather could describe it. The warmth left the woman's face as she straightened and sat herself in the chair, looking straight into the eyes of the Branwen woman, the woman that Jaune was apparently in a relationship with… amongst others.

'Polygamy isn't exactly legal… but still…'

"You will tell us about your forces and how you are going to use Jaune's powers in combat. "

It was a command, from someone who was used to wielding power. The Branwen woman allied to the Rose took it as one, looking down.

"Seven hundred and twenty-nine bandits, untrained in Aura. If we absorb the other tribes in Anima, we'll have a fighting force of four to five thousand. The Summer Rose has been sent to Anima to cleanse the Xiao Long of the major players and instigate a war between them."

Heather knew her sister's expression, as she crossed her legs, shifting herself forward to lean on her knee, her finger brushing over her chin as she thought.

"Eliminating the Xiao Long would take too long. The Summer Rose doesn't know exactly how to strike at them, they've got a different command structure, the Taiyang is the one nominally in control, but the sub-heads always have more power. Inciting a war between the Bai Hu and the Xiao Long would be a good effort, if they were like the Valean branch, though."

Heather listened to her sister, outlining the tactical plans that she'd come up with on the fly, Rowena's face changing little from the thoughtful expression, the blue eyes glinting, as she let her fingers touch the Scroll, outlining a plan of sorts with a few accurate taps to the screen and then showing it.

"Beheading the beast wouldn't do much, so you will need to strike at the lesser members. Given our strength in Vale, we would have to extrapolate that in Mistral. Their shortage of men lately, according to the latest report, we will need to strike swiftly and sure of ourselves… So I would recommend that you appear personally, in order to make the most casualties. They are often at war, so a professional touch is needed."

Rowena slowly tapered off with her words as the plan became even firmer, the older woman yielding to Rowena's tactical analysis of the situation. Mistral was a different place than Vale, of course, but Rowena's experiences were different.

"Now… We will need to speak about more important things. Personal things. Qrow Branwen."

The uncomfortable look on the woman's face was something that didn't escape her eyes, Heather catching the look on her sister's face.

"You were… involved, weren't you?"

Rowena's face turned cool. There was something in her older sister's eyes that didn't really change, her sister's fingers brushing through her hair, as her eyes scanned the older woman's. There might only be eight years of an age difference, but Rowena's expression could pass for someone older than the woman.

"It was an option, yes. He would have served as an option. You never build a castle upon the foundations on a single layer of rock. If I was to be disabled, he would take Jaune and Yang and raise them in peace until Heather could come and be his wife."

'Rowena…'

Her sister had zero scruples or regret when she had decided on something, the conversations during the night on a long mission never quite forgotten.


"Would you take care of him, Heather?"

The pale skin of her sister flickered in the light of the full moon as she dipped herself into the water of the still lake, Heather's eyes following her sister as she swam to the middle of the lake with a slow and measured pace, the burn wound on her sister's back standing out, her eyes turning, blonde hair forming a halo in the water, as Rowena's body continued.

"Yes."

She would. Her partner, her sister by blood and one of the people she trusted to keep her safe, would be able to request that of her. Father would not need to know, and she'd…

"I love you, Heather."

The words were often spoken, because it was true. It was a remembrance for Rowena, whose love was now split between two people. Heather knew that her weapon was imposing and terrifying to people who feared the flame, but it was what was needed, at times.

"I love you too."

The water swirled, as Rowena was immersed within it, the power that her Semblance gave her only working in the coolness of the water. She was aware of that, and the limitations of the powers that Rowena had. They knew each other better than they should. Cool nights that she had heated with her Semblance, heating her body up to a feverish temperature and letting Rowena rest against her, or the reverse, where Rowena wrapped them in a cooling spread of water.

The greatsword that stood against the tree next to her would have need of some more dust to enhance its striking capacity in a few days, if they encountered the same amount of resistance. Her own supply of fire dust was getting lower, so she preferred to use her Semblance, at the risk of exhaustion.

Her sister emerged from the water and then stepped to her sword, looking at the metal finish and then fiddling with the hilt, shifting it into the workshop mode, bringing a small sharpening stone to the edge to sharpen it once more.

"I'll take a bath now."

The dry skin was a side-effect of her chosen weapon and her Semblance, the coolness of the water making her feel better, as it steamed around her. She swam slowly, aware that Rowena was there to guard her, not a flash of negativity in her, as her sister started to work on setting up their night's shelter.

It was in a tree, for safety was something required, and the collapsible shelter was made with efficiently tied ropes and clamps to be up in the trees. Most Grimm only looked at the ground level, and few scanned the trees. They were dumb and emotion-searching creatures, so there was only the need for one to guard during the night.

Sitting in their shelter and cuddled up against her older sister, whose weapon had been sharpened and ready to strike at whatever brought itself up to their level, Heather was aware of the look on the face of her sister, her blonde hair dried easily, as the heat of her body kept the air around her warmer than most.

"When we're back home… Do you want to go and bring him his gift? Say… Say that you bought it, okay?"

It was hesitation in her sister's voice, as Rowena looked at the moon that hid behind the trees, a semblance of disquiet on her sister's face, as her blue eyes looked at her.

"Of course, Ro. I'll have bought it at a store, and he'll never know…"

Her little brother was a sweet child, she knew. It was the drive to see him live that spurred Rowena on to do the best she could. Toys weren't… They weren't accepted. Father would not allow Rowena to be a mother to her child, having decreed that she would be the oldest sister, a guiding hand, but separate.

The vessel had required no knowledge, until the ceremony. Until he wouldn't be Jaune anymore.

"If he dies…"

The choked sound of her sister taking a deep breath and then failing to keep it in, anger growing in her sister's voice, something dark and terrible in her eyes, a rage that boiled over and a despair that grew, undoubtedly imagining the things that could happen to him.

"If the Grandmaster takes him, as Father has decreed…"

The blood within her body shuddered as the anger in Rowena shot up, before it faded away and there were tears, slowly coming from her eyes.

"If I die, Heather… Take him away. Take him away, to Mantle, to Mistral, maybe even to Vacuo. Before he's invested, before… If I die, Heather… Be his wife. Be the mother to his children, and find joy. I'll always be there for you, Heather. Even if I'm no longer alive, I'll always remain there."

Mournful, dark words. A command, a plea, more than that, a request from sister to sister. The family and the Order did not hold such sway over Heather Arc, but her sister did. Rowena looked at the heavens and she sighed.

"But until that day that I pass, I'll fight. I'll find someone, anyone, who can be the one who will wed you, someone strong, who can be the father for my little Jaune in the case I am no longer able to protect him."

She sighed a little, watching her older sister muse a little on those topics. Heather never really thought about dating. There had been a few people who had shown an interest, and it wasn't bad to be out on a date with someone, but the burden didn't stop. The mask and the cloak were only donned, never to be pulled away.

To live was to die.

"And… And if you cannot?"

A bitter laugh from her sister, as Rowena looked at her.

"Then we'll have to improvise, Heather. I will not let my child die to become some meat puppet for someone who would never be able to relate. We would all be the brides, if that came to it, in order to ensure the purity of the line. Once the gift is given and mingles with the spirit and is fermented into potency, we would bear heirs. If the vessel, my son, perishes before that time, we will bear heirs. The blood must continue."

Heather looked away. The family was wealthy, the family was strong, but she knew that father would obey the commands of the higher-ups, because it was the logical way.

"I'll do what you want, Ro."

A smile on her sister's lips, she knew, as her older sister's hand rubbed over her cheek, comforting in its way.

"I know, little flame. I know. Ro and Heather…"

She finished it, as they had done so often.

"Always together."


A date at the supermarket (Yang Xiao Long)


It wasn't a bad thing, she mused. It was a little hard to get used to, though. The stares of the people as the two of them entered the supermarket, her own body as hot as the sun and Jaune looking cool and professional with his shades.

He was a good guy, she thought. A good guy, who didn't seem to want to do things she wasn't ready for. After Blake and her… and her little episodes of being in another's bed, trying to hurt herself, she really liked the stability that he seemed to have.

"So, potatoes…"

He was better than before. He'd been dorky, a little clumsy and Pyrrha had to correct him a few times, but it was not like something that'd be unable to be fixed. He was a good guy, a guy that tried his best and was her sister's best friend, but not… not a dating prospect.

Things had changed now, as he walked with her, a small shopping basket out of red metal in his hands, getting some potatoes and weighing them. Like a boyfriend should, or at least, a close friend. He'd fucked her mom. He'd fucked her mom, slipped his man-stake in her woman-hole and did the nasty with her.

He'd done the nasty with Blake's mom too, and Weiss' mom. Summer too, if she'd got the hint as well. He'd been a literal motherfucker, and he'd… He'd fucked his mom, or probably, she'd fucked him. The woman who'd cared for them when they were young, who'd been someone to care for them when they needed it, in love with her own son, who thought she was his sister.

'I won't tell him.'

There was no telling how he'd react. He held power, or else her mother wouldn't listen to him. He'd been spoken of to her like a prince that would fit perfectly, and his flirting had been… better.

'It's… It's not bad.'

She didn't feel as bold as she had, once upon a time, as she went for the aisle where the vegetables were stalled out, her eyes catching sight of the prices that were on them. The money they had would undoubtedly be enough, because food didn't cost that much. A bit higher than before due to the attack, but it was still cheap enough, gathering several of the vegetables that they needed.

He was standing there at the butcher's aisle, looking at the finely cut meats that'd been shrink-wrapped and stalled, deliberating on whether to get something, and she watched how a young woman, maybe nineteen or twenty, came up to him and started to talk to him.

She lingered a little in the distance, priming her ears to hear the conversation.

"- hard, isn't it? So… Care to go for a cup of coffee?"

A flirty line, something that wouldn't be out of place on a normal dating level, she supposed. She'd had a few of those sent at her, but it'd always been either in class, with her father and uncle looming in the distance, or someplace where she shouldn't have been, realistically, at her age.

"I'm sorry, I'm with someone already, and we're just picking up groceries for dinner."

The girl seemed to be forward, as she made a soft little scoffing sound. A challenger, someone who liked what she saw and wasn't giving up on it so easily. The type that Yang didn't like much, because they were persistent.

"Well, she's not your mother, is she? Surely a cup of coffee wouldn't be too bad, would it? Get to know some of the locals, because that Vytalian accent of yours is just scrumptious, hot stuff."

She sauntered up to him, adding a little sway to her hips and laying a hand around his waist, Jaune's basket filled with the produce that they'd gotten, looking at him with sultry eyes.

"Hey there, daddy. Met a new friend?"

She was laying it on a little thickly, as she pushed herself against him, looking at the girl that was challenging her with the flirty lines, pushing herself against him. She was a hot babe, apparently, and not only when she flared up her Semblance.

"She was just asking whether we'd like to go for a cup of coffee, darling."

He played along, whether it was just improvisation or not, and the girl compared herself with Yang and found herself lacking. Yang puffed her chest up just a bit more to show how outmatched the girl was, and the girl drooped off with a 'Sorry, I've just realized I've got to get something for dinner as well...' like the outmatched girl that she was.

'I don't go for every good-looking blonde in sight, at least.'

He didn't look very blonde right now, with his hair white and his skin barely maintaining a tan, the veins below the skin standing out, but the sunglasses hiding them relatively well. He looked sickly, but sexy.

She had a brief thought of how he'd be in bed, making love to her, squashed immediately. Rowena might've said that they'd fit well together, but she wanted it to be real, not spurred on by other factors!

"Thanks for the save, Yang."

He sounded grateful, unused to the attention clearly, and she knew that he would be popular with that attitude of gratitude. The kind guys that were strong always were popular, or so her dad had said. It'd gotten him two wives out of the deal, so it was definitely something to heed. Aside from the whole 'having sex with her little sister' part.

"Don't worry about it, daddy."

She nudged him playfully, and he turned to her, an eyebrow raising at the term she'd used.

"That I am sleeping with your mother doesn't… It's not required, Yang."

She smiled at his expression, pulling him close and holding his arm, like a girl out on a date, even if it was only to the supermarket. Going to the cuts of meat, she checked the list. Beef. Nice.

"Rowena raised me for a few months, taught me about how a girl was supposed to act. I owe her a lot, Jaune. She's like a mother to me. Sort of."

She wasn't shy to admit it. It'd been what they needed, even with Rowena training under Uncle Qrow. A guiding figure, sitting on the bedside at night, reading the stories to them. Someone who could understand the intricacies of a child's mind and looked at least a little similar to dad to sort of imagine as being related to them…

Which she had been. She'd been a cousin, someone who had experience with a younger child, her own brother, brought in to learn under Uncle Qrow and incidentally, to help out with her father's depression.

"Yeah, sometimes I thought she was my mother as well, with how much she fussed over me. It was always 'Brush your teeth, or you'll get cavities', 'no, don't do that, you'll hurt yourself' and 'get ready for bed, little prince, I'll read you a story'. Her stories were great."

The fondness of him for the woman was real, and Yang knew that if she said a few words, she could shatter those memories into little painful shards. If Rowena didn't confess to him about her relationship to him, he'd… he'd never know. The woman was sharp and canny, but sentimental when it came to her son.

"Yeah, they were. Do we need apples?"

She hefted a large bag of them, Grandmother Carpenter, if she remembered well enough. Sour enough, but not the greatest really. He shook his head, and she smiled. It wasn't a chore to spend time with him.

"You know… I wish I could be at Beacon, just sometimes. Be your friend, fall in love, not… this."

His expression was lighter, as he looked ruefully at their surroundings. She would've liked it as well. He'd have grounded team JNPR out a little, and not have made it into a mess. Perhaps she wouldn't have ever met her real mother.

"Hey, you'll need to bring more if you want to charm me. Yang Xiao Long doesn't get charmed by the first few sweet words, buddy."

She was charmed, though. She couldn't see his eyes, but she could feel the emotions behind the words, feel how they meant something to him. He smiled at her and it was getting hotter, and she might not have opened the blouse just a little to let her cleavage breathe.

'Yeah, it's just a little hot in here.'

"Worked on your mother, though."

She chuckled. Her mother did what she did, and she'd done what she had done. She was back in her life, even if dad didn't know. Dad had…

Her father had broken her trust and faith in the man. Hiding who he really was from her wasn't even such a bad thing. Uncle Qrow had gone by 'Byrd Redhawk' a few times, said that a good cover identity was good for use in the field if one was running from someone, but…

But he'd fucked Ruby. He'd tried to knock Ruby up. He'd try to knock her up, and she'd bite her tongue if he did. She did not want to be bearing the child of her father, even if Ruby seemed not to mind it so very much. That was why the pills were being added to the smoothies that she was feeding her sister, under the guise of 'proper nutrients'. She had a few smoothies herself, of course.

Blake helped a little with that. She preferred something with mangoes, whilst Ruby and strawberries went hand in hand. She wasn't too bad with banana smoothies.

"Charmer… Hush you, or I'll join in."

It wasn't-

She imagined it for a moment. Her mother and her, with him. Probably gentle touches, kisses. She'd let him touch her. She'd feel her mother brush her hair and tell her that it'd be okay, that it'd all work out. She loved her mother, and it'd…

'It'd not be bad, with him.'

There wasn't love involved, but he was definitely a prince, and Rowena had told her about the prince that wanted to protect the world. He would be someone who would protect the world, Rowena was adamant about that, and she could see him.

"I'm not sure… You'll have to ask your mother."

She would. It was damn hard to find a man who would be able to resist her if she offered, and he'd just done that, maybe out of consideration for the woman who'd birthed her, or out of some sort of hopes that she'd be joking.

"Sure thing, daddy…"

They went for the checkout aisle, Yang scanning the shelves of medical stuff. Painkillers that worked on non-aura enhanced individuals were stacked, and there was…

'Ah, condoms.'

She grabbed the largest package that she could, holding them up for him to inspect.

"Shouldn't forget those, 'daddy'."

She winked at him, as he didn't even blush, someone mumbling to someone next to them about the boldness of teenagers these days, which made her blush a little. She dropped the package into the basket, trying to moderate her cheeks.

"Yes, we do go through those quickly… None of them really want to have a baby in times like these."

She was thinking about it now. She was thinking about how quickly they'd wear through a pack of those, with the lessons that should've been had during the Mountain Glenn mission. She might've been saved by the two sisters for her initiation into the Order, but it was still something that she'd not really prepared herself for.

He used the card to pay for the groceries, and on the trip back, they walked through a park, cutting through the busier parts of the city. With how much of a mess things were right now, the park was still pristine and in good shape, without any real combat damage that'd been suffered through the White Fang and Grimm attack.

"Want to sit down for a bit, Jaune?"

She wanted it to be a little like a date, rather than a shopping trip. Her body felt a little strange, and her heart felt like it was beating faster than before, a shiver going through her body at the thought of what was yet to come, the burden that came with the responsibilities that she had.

The shopping bag sat next to her, and she felt the rush of endorphins go through her as he sat down, looking at the people that came by. She laid her hand on his, touching him gently, as he seemed to meander in his thoughts slowly.

"If you had all the power in the world, what would you change?"

It was a typical 'date' question that she'd heard during the locker room talk at Signal, where the girls had been jealous of her being a teacher's niece and daughter, and well… her curves.

"I'd make sure that there would be no more children being sacrificed to the War. I'd fight, just for that."

He sounded melancholic, as he pulled his sunglasses off and rubbed them on his shirt, something ineffective and crude, but it seemed to fit him with that statement, his hand putting them on his nose again, and he turned to face her.

"To make sure that people don't have to be a sacrifice for the world's peace. It's tiring, Yang. I'm a monster, and yet they accept me. They accept me, and I'm just… I'm a monster."

'You're not a monster.'

She didn't think he was. Her mothers could be called monsters, Rowena might fit that definition as well, but he was just one guy who seemed to want to do good for the world, rather than bad.

"Hey, you're my friend, daddy. Don't go and give yourself up to the thoughts that're dark and spooky, just be like your mother."

She halted herself, knowing that she'd messed up. It'd just slipped out, the admiration of the woman she held spurring her on, and he looked at her for a moment before he barked a laugh at that, the sunglasses adjusted a little with his hand.

"She'd get her sword out and start chasing me before that happened. Mom is someone who is strict, yet warm. When dad is around, it's very clear that she loves him. She hangs on every word that he says, even if he's a little distant."

She leaned against him, just enjoying the sun in the late afternoon, her fingers touching over the arm that he'd lost, the pain of that undoubtedly having been great.

"Does it ever get hard? Being who you are, and what you can do? I can't imagine…"

She really couldn't. He could make Grimm. He could create them from nothingness, and he looked like he was only half-alive, but he was still someone who wanted to help people. A hero. A prince. Someone who could move the people, if he was given a platform.

"Come a little closer."

She did, her ear close to his mouth, as he leaned against her, close like a lover.

"It's so hard, Yang. I know what She does, how she does it. Every little idea that comes up inside me makes me wonder… what if I become like her? It's already so hard to restrain myself… I want to let go, to hurt and harm and kill. They're all like sheep, like mere cattle, all there to fall before me, and I am not…"

She pulled him closer, his words soft and insistent as he continued, her fingers feeling the flesh below her writhe, wriggle, as if something wanted to escape, a cool sensation spreading through his flesh, as she felt it.

"I'm afraid I'm not strong enough. Nora and Pyrrha were… They were easily corrupted, and I don't want…"

She turned herself to him, and looked at him, his face set within a moment where there was emotion, deep emotion that was fear and terror mixing together. It was a human face, someone who was afraid of the power that he controlled, that he wielded like a blunt instrument of death for the world to feel, to taste and to swallow like the vilest of drinks.

"Hey…"

She lifted his sunglasses up and looked into his eyes. Inhuman, cruel redness, with the blackness of the sclera giving him inhumanity to back it up. A monster's eyes, but the soul of a prince, a hero.

Someone who she could consider to be her hero.

Her lips found his, as she leaned against him, crawling into his lap, the kiss lasting for an instant, for longer, a passion spurred on by a man she could respect.

Yang's warm tongue invaded his lips, warmth meeting icy coolness, his body temperature lower than hers, but his eyes looking into her own. She wasn't afraid of him, she didn't think he was a monster, and she knew that he was just trying to do the best that he could.

She breathed out, her hot breath mixing with his own, as her lips pressed even tighter against his own, her arms wrapping around his lower body, just holding him, as she kissed him with that emotion overflowing from her heart.

She wasn't unsure anymore now, as her kiss lasted, and she felt that brief brush of his hands over her sides, that instinctive care that he seemed to have, those eyes looking into hers, before she parted, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself.

'You're not a monster at all, Jaune. You're kind, heroic and… and I think I can love you.'

"You're not a monster for anyone but us, okay? I accept you."

She kissed him again, this time even more passionately than before, feeling him pull her close in a flare-up of emotion, her tongue dancing with his own. He was a kisser that seemed to have some experience with the motion, her whole body lit up with that warmth and pleasant heat, as she felt him stroke over her.

Blake was somewhat of a wet blanket when she kissed, needing more action than he did, as he pushed himself tongue-first in her mouth, the warmth moving with the tongue, as she gently leaned against him. He smelled of some good shampoo, of that natural scent that was so familiar to her, and she just kissed him some more, parting with a soft gasp.

'My nipples are hard.'

That wasn't the only thing that was hard, after she'd kissed him. She could feel it, and she blushed red, her eyes looking down. She had been more affectionate than before, and it had not felt bad. It'd felt good. He looked at her with those eyes of his, caring and yet questioning.

"And… And I guess that I should be being the good daughter for daddy and mom, right?"

It wasn't bad, but it got better when he smiled and laughed, and she placed the sunglasses back on her nose.

"Rowena's going to be giving you tips, if I know her well enough. She's… She's…"

He looked at her with the sunglasses hiding the emotions in his eyes.

"She's the big sister that'll protect you from the scary Grimm, Jaune. She loves you, and if she joins us… We'll be a happy family."

For a moment, she saw herself, standing next to him. Rowena was playing with her grandchildren, Ruby was looking cool and mysterious with her cloak and mask, and she could feel a sense of homeliness come from the place where they'd settled, nice and far away from civilization, where nobody would trouble them. Blake and Weiss were doing something with their mother in the distance, and she could just about pick out Heather Arc lighting up a furnace of sorts with her Semblance.

'A family…'

She guessed that this might be the flame of love, lit within her furnace.

She kissed him again, letting it last until she came up for air. Her prince hadn't come in riding on a horse, but she was pretty sure that there'd be some Horse-Grimm or something that he could ride in on.

'How do you even ride a horse grimm?'

They'd have to have dinner first, but right now… it was time for kisses. They felt rather good, after all.


Domestic life, and Yang decides that she's found someone worth dating. A shout-out to people suffering under the Corona Quarantine: Good luck and good health!

I hope everyone will survive well, and that anyone who's sick will be enjoying the stuff I put out.

Leave a review if you'd like! Thank you for your support, people!