Yang suppressed the soft gurgle of a tired groan. She tossed and turned, trying to find a more comfortable position, and settled with burying half her face in the pillow with her arms folded underneath it. Her situation improved marginally.
Her eyes were locked shut by the irritating sand from her long, restless night. The taste in the back of her throat was particularly putrid.
The groan she was suppressing eventually came out as whine as she pulled the comforter over her messy, blonde mane. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the light peering inside her bedroom from the window. She must have forgotten to draw the curtains closed last night.
The brief comfort Yang's new position provided was gradually replaced with a dull ache in her shoulders and chest. She turned to her side, making sure to face away from the window.
Despite sleeping for most of the night, she felt fatigued and groggy— which, much to her chagrin, had been the new norm for the last week. Although, it felt like much longer than that.
Yang moved her hand and pressed it into the mattress under herself. She felt how warm it was from her body heat. As her hand moved farther out, the warmth gradually faded away until she felt like her hand was lying atop an icepack.
She frowned and sighed despondently as she slowly tore her eyes open. Her hand was slowly drawn back as the cold became unbearable.
The empty space beside her was neat and untouched aside from the few wrinkles Yang had just made in the sheets. So clean and easy on the eyes. It was almost relaxing to look at it.
Yang was bored of seeing it that way. She woke up like this every morning since her fight with her wife. She had stormed out in the middle of the day and went straight to the bar. By the time she returned, it was already morning. She did not even know Weiss had left for Atlas until she saw the sealed envelope waiting for her on the dining table that afternoon. All it told her was that the kids were at Taiyang's house.
With a dissatisfying stretch of her arms, Yang dragged herself up and rubbed at her eyes. When her vision cleared, she looked out the window with a slight squint.
The sky was covered by clouds. There was no blue in sight and Yang could only tell the sun was there because of a single bright spot in a sea of grey.
She slouched in her place as another sigh escaped her chapped lips. Her legs sluggishly swung over the side of the bed, and she looked back over the displaced bedsheets. She stood up, made the bed as best as she could, plucked her scroll from its charger, and went straight for the bathroom.
The first thing that caught her eye was the tired woman that stared at her in the mirror. The lilac in her eyes seemed duller than usual, and her hair was far less vibrant.
Yang blinked, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. She already knew it was passed noon which meant she had missed the live broadcast where Jacques Schnee would publicly hand over the reins of the Schnee Dust Company to Weiss. She also missed the announcement of Weiss' first mission as the new CEO in Mistral.
She figured there was nothing she could do about that now, so she opted to finally leave her bedroom and go downstairs. Maybe there was something on the television that would captivate her interest.
After stepping down the creaking stairs, Yang glanced into the kitchen and found Wendy and Wilma sitting at the dining table. They were doodling away with crayons without a care in the world.
She sighed and agonizingly sat down on the couch, biting her cheek at a knot in her lower back. Reaching for the remote, she realized it was resting on the television stand. The mere thought of standing again to get it almost made her cringe, so she settled with staring at the empty wall.
"Mommy, I'm hungry!" called the whiny voice of Wendy from the kitchen.
Yang rubbed her tired face and pushed through the discomfort of standing up. She made her way into the kitchen and went straight for the pantry. She grabbed two bowls and a box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Crunch before pouring some of the sugary cereal out and offering it to the two little girls.
Yang tried to return to her seat on the couch as Wendy and Wilma pouted at their bowls.
"I don't want cereal," said Wendy, "Can I have eggs, Mommy?"
"Huh?" Yang snapped out of a brief stupor, "No, Sweetie. Not this time," she said, with a rasp in her voice.
Wendy frowned and picked up her spoon.
Yang looked away and stared at the remote. She really should not have missed Weiss' announcement. She scoffed and walked to the kitchen sink with a shake of her head. This was not how she wanted to feel right now. She was tired of feeling like she was wrong about everything.
Her hand found a filthy dish on top of a tall stack, and she began to wash it. The mindless task of washing the dishes did little to hinder her pestering thoughts.
Yang could not help but be frustrated with Weiss. All she wanted was support and someone to be there for her. She never thought Weiss would try to keep anything from her, let alone something so important as Raven's motives for returning to Patch. Though, she had to admit: she would never have given Raven a chance if she had known she was only there for Cinder.
But was there anything wrong with that? Raven did not care then, so why would she care now? What could have changed in one season?
It did not matter. Raven was probably back with her precious tribe by now anyway.
Meanwhile, Weiss has been in Atlas for a week. She probably left early because of their argument.
Of course that's why she left…
Yang shook her head and scrubbed harder. She had every right to be frustrated with Weiss… But she knew she should not have yelled at her. She said some things that she did not mean and others that she knew were not true… All in the heat of the moment. She also knew there was no excuse for herself.
At the end of the day, Weiss would never intentionally hurt Yang, and that was a fact. Perhaps she truly did think withholding a little bit of important information would help, even if Yang would disagree.
Yang had already decided she would apologize for what she said when Weiss returned, but she was terrified about the potential damage that she might have done. There was nothing she could do about it now, though, so she tried her best to push it outside of her mind.
She sighed deeply as her gaze drifted off to the side and out the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. It looked like it had gotten even darker. She would not be surprised if it started to rain soon. The irony of how closely the weather matched her mood almost made her want to chuckle.
"Mommy?" Wendy asked softly.
"Yeah, Hun?" said Yang as she turned her attention back to the dishes.
"When is Mother coming home?"
Yang's hand halted, and her grip tightened slightly, "I—um… I still don't know, Sweetie. Hopefully soon."
"Are you still mad at Mother?" Wendy asked shyly.
"I'm not mad… Just a little surprised," Yang lied and set the dish down in the sink.
She suddenly heard whisper-quiet sniffling behind herself. She turned before Wendy could speak again.
"A-are you and M-mother breaking up?"
Wilma seemed to take the hint and teared up by her big sister's example.
Yang rushed over to the table and gently pulled the two children into her embrace.
"No! No… That is never going to happen," she cooed, "Your mother and I love each other too much. We wouldn't be able to breathe without each other. That would hurt a lot, right?"
Wendy only nodded into Yang's neck and held onto her shirt tightly.
I just need Weiss to understand why she should never do something like this again…
Yang waited for Wendy and Wilma to stop crying before taking their bowls to the sink. By the time she was finished, the two girls were sprinting out of the kitchen and up the stairs to their room.
Maybe this little break is for the best…
With how busy Weiss was over the summer with putting together her grandiose take-over of the SDC, Yang was surprised she had not seen this whole situation coming sooner. It always felt like Weiss wanted to find the quickest way to solve her issues with Raven instead of being the pillar of support she really needed.
It has become obvious Weiss needed some time to focus on herself, so Yang reasoned now would be the perfect time to do the same.
I just hope it was all worth it.
Yang sighed and shuffled to the refrigerator. She had some leftover coffee from yesterday that was begging her to reheat it. As soon as she placed it into the microwave, she felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket.
Absent-mindedly pulling her scroll out of her shorts, Yang glanced as the screen and answered the call. She clamped the scroll between her ear and shoulder so she could grab a snack from the pantry while her coffee was re-heating.
"Hey, Blake. What's up?" Yang asked.
"Yang, are you alright?" Blake asked in return with a concerned and almost panicked voice.
"Um… What?" Yang stopped in her place and took the scroll into her hand. She could hear something in the background on Blake's end. It sounded like Ruby… Was she crying?
Yang forgot about her coffee and felt a wave of dread flood over her. Something was wrong, and she did not like it.
"Blake, what… What's going on?" Yang asked cautiously.
There was a pause on Blake's end until her shaky voice spoke up again, "Yang… The Vale News Network…" she barely choked out.
Yang felt her breath escape her. She dashed out of the kitchen and snatched the remote from the television stand. Her heart pumped relentlessly as she waited for the television to turn on. Her scroll was now lying face-down on the coffee table while she flicked through the channels until…
"This just in, live in the kingdom of Mistral: we have reports from the site of the Schnee Dust Company's largest dust mine to date that a large portion of the cavern has indeed collapsed. Earlier this morning, a team of highly trained operatives including the famed huntsman, Qrow Branwen, and the newly appointed CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee, entered the cavern with intentions to exterminate the creatures of Grimm infesting it. A number of eyewitnesses report seeing several large explosions in and around the cavern, presumably from agitated dust crystals, which caused the collapse and has effectively sealed the extermination teams inside. We have lost contact with the teams, but Mistralian officials are working tirelessly to get them out safe and sound. I'm Lisa Lavender, stay tuned for the latest developments of this heartbreaking disaster."
Yang's grip on the remote grew weak as a bird's eye view panned over the entrance of the cavern. She felt her breath grow short as the remote slipped out of her hand and her irises darted across the screen. The entrance was filled with massive boulders and large clouds of debris that made it nearly impossible to see the dozens of people working to try and clear it out.
"No… No, no," Yang whispered as her legs crumpled underneath her, "This can't be happening… She prepared so much. Nothing was supposed to happen…"
Yang clutched at her chest as a dull ache pulsed inside it. She could feel herself panicking and was helpless to stop it.
"I should've never let her go alone!" Yang growled as her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth clenched painfully, "What was I thinking!?"
She should never have taken no for an answer. She always said she and Weiss would both be safe if they went to Mistral together, yet she was the one who drove Weiss away in the first place.
"Damn it!" Yang cried with angry tears in her eyes. She hated herself for letting Weiss leave with how things were between them. The last thing she said to her wife was an insult, for Oum's sake!
Angry tears quickly turned to sorrowful sniffles as Yang sat on the carpet with her hand cupped over her mouth. Thanks to her she would lose everything… Her wife, her mother… Even Uncle Qrow…
Uncle Qrow…
Yang sat up straight as a thought rampaged through her mind like a hurricane. She shot up and was on her feet in an instant. Running up the stairs, she barged into Wendy and Wilma's room, slightly out of breath from the combination of crying and sprinting.
"Girls, get your things together! We're leaving!" Yang commanded as she turned to run to her bedroom.
"But I want to—"
"Could you just!—" Yang quickly realized how loud she was and took a moment to recollect herself, "Please go put your shoes on and sit in the car. Quickly."
With a cringe at how harshly she had just shouted at her daughters, Yang rushed into her bedroom and threw on her hunting gear as quickly as she could. She slipped Ember Celica onto her wrists and was glad to see Wendy and Wilma waiting by the front door.
"Come on. Hurry," Yang impatiently nudged the two girls out the door, "Get in the car."
Yang snatched her scroll from the coffee table, did not even lock the house, and was in her car with her two children in record time. She sped down the dirt roads of Patch faster than she had ever done before. It was dangerous, but there was no time to lose.
Keeping one hand on the wheel, she hastily tapped at her scroll and put it to her ear.
Come on… Pick up… Please…
The scroll rang in Yang's ear for a few agonizing moments and dropped. A quick glance at it showed a message on-screen.
CALL FAILED. USER: WEISS SCHNEE NOT IN RANGE OF CCT.
"Damn it!" Yang miserably growled under her breath.
"Mommy, what's happening?" Wendy whimpered.
Yang glanced into the rearview mirror and noticed Wendy holding onto Wilma's hand. They were both scared.
Yang frowned and turned her attention back to the road, "Nothing, Sweetheart. Mother's just in a little bit of trouble, and I'm going to help her."
Wendy and Wilma looked at each other, "Where are we going?" Wilma asked.
Yang puffed through her nostrils and narrowed her eyes at the road stoically, "To Miss Cindy's house."
She doubted her plan would work, but she could not sit around and do nothing. She needed to help Weiss, no matter the cost. It just so happened she knew someone who could get her to Mistral in seconds.
Raven Branwen.
The night of Yang's argument with Weiss, Raven revealed her semblance to her. The perfect ability if the former tribe leader ever wanted to stay close to those she cared about. She could make a portal to someone as long as she has created a certain bond with them. One such bond was with Uncle Qrow, who went with Weiss to help out with the mission.
Considering the last thing Yang said to Raven was that she never wanted to see her again, it was immensely difficult to hold onto hope that she would even still be at Cinder's house. Her mind raced as she considered the probability of Raven leaving Patch. It's what she expected her to do after everything she said.
Yang could only hope Raven cared enough about Cinder to stay, because if she was not there… Getting to Mistral in time would be impossible.
The car all but screeched to a stop in front of Cinder's house, and the car door flew open.
"Stay here," Yang commanded over her shoulder as she slammed the door shut and ran for the front door. She knocked on it incessantly and with increasing force, "Come on! Come on! Open up!"
A few short seconds later, the door was open and Cinder, her mouth agape, was standing in the frame, "Yang? What are you—"
"Is Raven here?" Yang interrupted, hastily. She did not have time to waste.
The surprised look on Cinder's face turned puzzled as she looked over her shoulder and stepped to the side. Raven stepped into the frame with shocked yet curious eyes. She was dressed in her hunting gear with Omen at her hip.
Thank the gods!
"I need your help," Yang pleaded, desperately, "Please! It's Weiss! She's—"
"I know. We don't have much time," said Raven as she stepped outside and walked past Yang. She drew her blade and sliced the air, tearing a blood-red rift through it, "This portal will get us to Qrow, and since he is still alive, there's a good chance Weiss is too."
Yang nearly pounced through the portal but caught sight of her children in her car. She turned back to the house and was happy to see that Cinder had come out with them.
"Here," said Yang as she handed Cinder her keys, "I need you to take Wendy and Wilma home and watch them until we get back."
"Of course," Cinder said with a nod as she started for Yang's car.
Yang watched as her children gazed in awe at the fickle portal and waved to her. She waved back as Cinder drove off.
"Are you ready?" Raven asked.
Yang nodded and gazed into the portal, "I'm coming, Weiss," she said and stepped through.
A/N: Oh boy... I really didn't mean to make you guys wait a whole month for this one. With how the world currently is, I thought I would have more time to work on this story, but boy was I wrong. Classes were moved online, and suddenly I had so much more to do... Anyway, I have finals this week, so there probably won't be another chapter for two weeks. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this suspenseful chapter! Please leave a review! PS: Sorry for the cliffhanger!