Author Notes: Apologies for the late upload, ran into an issue with an editor need some more time. Thought it best to wait and let him get a read before continuing with upload. Shouldn't be a trend.

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She couldn't say how long they had sat there. They had sat there talking for hours, mostly about his sisters and what they were like, and even then it felt like it wasn't long enough. How he couldn't wait for her to meet them and how much they would love her… after their initial grilling of her. It gave her something to look forward to.

Meeting his sisters, just thinking about it brought her mind back to Ozpin's offer. She wanted to meet the rest of Jaune's family, she wanted to see Ansel where he grew up. She wanted to go on dates and adventures with him and her team. She wanted to live a life after Beacon.

She felt the tears well up in her eyes.

Above everything else, she wanted to protect her friends. Somebody was coming for the Maiden powers. She didn't know who or when but they would come. If she refused, Ozpin would go to somebody else.

Somebody who was apparently less qualified. It wasn't difficult to guess who that somebody was, Pyrrha being the obvious choice, but then… she was the obvious first choice, wasn't she? As much as she hated it, she would be willing to let Pyrrha take the chance. She was strong and had a capable team, and team RWBY would be there to help.

What if it wasn't her though? What if the next choice was Weiss? Or Blake?

What if it was Ruby?

If she took his offer however… at least she would be able to protect them. Her hand shook slightly. Jaune noticed and grabbed hers in his. She couldn't bear to look up at him, instead she kept her face resting against his side. He didn't say anything but pulled her closer.

Yang took a deep breath to try and steady her nerves. Ozpin had stressed the importance of keeping it a secret but… she needed somebody to talk to. It felt like it should have been an easy choice, the selfless thing to do was to accept but… she didn't want to do the right thing. She wanted things to stay as they were.

"Jaune I… I need to tell you something." Yang sat up, after a few seconds he did the same.

"You don't have t-" She pulled him towards her, placing her lips on his. The sensation was different than what she had expected. It felt… sad in a way their other kisses hadn't been. She pulled away in disappointment.

"You mean a lot to me Jaune." He was dazed and unable to speak. "I want you to know that."

After a moment he seemed to regain his bearings. "What brought that on?"

Yang stood and offered him a hand, pulling him to his feet and drawing him in for another kiss. One that felt just as bitter. She lowered her head to hide the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes.

"I just need you to know that."

She wanted to explain everything to him, Salem, the secret war, the Maiden powers. She wanted to rant and rave about how it wasn't fair she had been chosen for such a thing, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Not because Ozpin had asked her to keep it a secret but because she hadn't even told her own team yet. She knew what she had to do.

She turned away from him a second later, pretending she couldn't see the concern on his face. Stepping towards the stairwell and back into the building. Once she was out of sight she pulled up her scroll, pulling up the number the headmaster had given her to contact.

When can we meet?

She didn't have to wait long for his response and she found herself walking towards the tower. A short walk led her to the base of the tower where Miss Goodwitch was waiting for her. The two didn't speak on the elevator ride up and before she knew it she was standing back in the Headmasters office.

"I have to say, I hadn't expected to hear back from you so soon."

Yang swallowed. "I-I haven't decided… yet." The headmaster leaned back in his chair but said nothing else. "I had something to ask."

"What is it you wish to know?"

"If I say no, who will you go to next?"

Ozpin stared at her, remaining silent for a moment.

"I can't tell you that." It was the answer she had expected, but it disappointed her all the same.

"Why not?" Yang whispered. "Because you're afraid I'll tell whoever is after the powers?"

"Of course not, discretion is key but your motivations are not in question. They never have been, if they were you would not be sitting before me now." Ozpin leaned forward, hiding his lower face behind his hands as he leaned on them. "It wouldn't be fair to you."

It took Yang a moment to process that, her confusion was clearly evident on her face.

"I wish this were not necessary, in a better world it wouldn't be, but it is." He explained. "One thing I refuse to do, however, is force somebody to choose something they don't want."

"You're trying to be kind…" Yang's shoulders sagged slightly. "You don't want me to make a choice I might regret, only because I want to save somebody else."

"I would rather not guilt you into it." Ozpin smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "I am not trying to manipulate you."

"You already have," She said, surprising both the Headmaster and herself. "By asking me at all you've guilted me into it. Intentional or not." The headmaster shut his eyes as she continued. "The next choice is somebody on my team, isn't it?"

The headmaster didn't speak, he didn't have to.

She felt tears sting at her eyes. "Why not Pyrrha? Or one of the older years? Why us?!" She tried to pull in her emotion but was unable.

"Miss Nikos lost to Roman Torchwick." The headmaster looked up to her, his face the picture of neutrality. His eyes betrayed his thoughts however. "Roman was once a talented huntsman, with a promising future ahead of him… but he is nothing compared to what came for Amber, what will come for anyone who accepts the Maiden power."

"Miss Nikos was unable to beat somebody who is a known quantity, while her biggest asset, her semblance, has been revealed. I assure you our enemy now knows."

Yang's heart ached. She knew she should say no, she wanted to, but if she did. She knew whoever was next would say yes.

Ruby would jump at the chance to save people, the risk be damned. So long as she could help a single innocent person, she would consider the sacrifice not in vain, never stopping to think about those she would hurt in the process. There was too much of Summer in her.

Yang couldn't bare the thought of burying her little sister

Weiss would likely say yes as well. Despite how she often acted, she truly cared for her team. She had spent years without friends or family and now she had both in the form of them. Yang knew she would do anything to try and keep it. She always acted like the world sat on her shoulders, like burden and responsibility was something only she could deal with.

Blake might say no, so long as she didn't think the White Fang were involved. In fact, she was probably a guaranteed no, if only because of how paranoid she could be… but she was also extremely unlikely to be chosen. Her past was already bad enough, having worked for terrorists, but if said terrorists turned out to have ties to Salem?

No matter how much the Headmaster trusted her now, he couldn't afford that risk when he knew her loyalties could be changed so easily.

Yang felt the tears well up as her hand began to shake. She truly believed the headmaster was trying to do what he thought was right, and maybe it was, but she found herself stuck in the middle.

"What… what will happen to me? When I say yes?"

"If you say yes we will begin the transfer immediately." Ozpin sighed. "If all goes well you would be perfectly fine come tomorrow morning or late afternoon."

"If?"

"This technology is untested. The side effects could be…" Ozpin struggled to find the word, before giving up with a sigh. "We don't know if you would be yourself after."

Yang felt the air be knocked from her chest. She tried to speak but choked on the words.

"The hope is you would gain the powers and nothing else, but…" Ozpin took a deep breath. "Aura is the manifestation of the soul… we have no idea what kind of effect that could have. You may be perfectly fine, or you may gain some memories of Amber's, or… she might take your place."

She tried to form a response but was unable. She wanted to say no, gods how she wanted to say no, but… she thought of her team having to make the same choice. She couldn't bear to imagine any member of team RWBY not being themselves anymore.

Yang balled up her fists in an attempt to stop them from shaking.

She had only just started dating Jaune. Not twenty four hours ago her biggest concern had been the tournament. She tried to laugh but it came out bitter. Now she wouldn't even be able to compete in it.

"Miss Xiao Long," To her surprise, it was Miss Goodwitch who spoke. "You don't have to say yes and you certainly don't have to decide now." She glanced at the headmaster, some unspoken words going between them before she turned back. To her surprise the women's normally strict glare was a soft look, one that made Yang want to break down then and there. "Talk with your team see wh-"

"No," Yang refused to meet the teachers eyes as she cut her off. "I know what they'd say." They'd want her to say no, to be safe and not take a risk like this… and then each of them would take it when offered.

She wanted to scream about how unfair it was. In the end, she tried to take comfort in the idea that she would be helping to keep them safe.

Qrow knocked back his drink, taking one last long drink before his ride was here. It had been a bitch to contact her and she just had to wait for him to be in the middle of a drink, didn't she?

The red portal flicked to life in front of him but no one stepped through. Qrow sighed, setting his empty glass down and leaving some lien as a tip for the waitress with the short skirt. Stepping through the portal the first thing he noticed was the lack of feeling. One moment he was in a bar in Vale, the next he was somewhere in Mistral. The cleaner air assualting his nose, along with a slight smell of ash.

The tribe had been busy latley.

Raven glared at him but said nothing, turning her back and making for the main tent. The crowd that formed around them would have had him concerned, had they not all stayed a good fifteen feet away from the Branwen twins.

By the time they reached the center, the entire tribe must have been folowing them. Qrow took a swig from his flask.

Raven sent a glare at the bandit who acted as a guard to her tent, causing him to scurry away in fear, most of the crowd following him lest they anger their leader.

Qrow scoffed at the title his sister claimed.

She turned back around and gestured for him to follow her inside. Qrow did so in silence.

The inside of her tent was a mess, lacking any theme or design. Carpets and tapestries of varying colours and designs adorned the floor and edges. Raven stood by her bed, eyes fixed on him as he stepped though.

"This had better be good." Her words were cold. "I won't stand for you disru-"

"Yang is going to be the next Fall Maiden."

Raven's jaw snapped shut, her eyes going wide in the only look of surprise Qrow could recall seeing on her face since Tai had proposed to her. She looked utterly lost for words.

"Ozpin told her about Salem and the Maidens, about the war, and about what happened to Amber." He spared a second to gauge his sister's facial expression, which, while still in shock, held no signs of confusion. How she had found out about Amber he didn't know, but he appreciated that he wouldn't have to explain it.

"And you let him?" Raven reigned in her emotions, adopting a neutral expression.

"He didn't exactly ask for my opinion!"

"If you had listened to me-" She snapped her mouth closed, cutting the argument off before it could form. Funny that, since she would have no better opportunity to mock him than right now. She had been proven right. He had expected ehr to rub his nose in it.

"Did you try to stop her?" Qrow said nothing. "Of course you didn't, you just ran here as fast as you could. Why then? Why come here?"

"Because I need to ask you a favour."

"Why would I ever do a favour for you?"

"Not for me, for Yang." Again, he tried to get a read on his sister's facial expression. This time it was neutral, unnaturally so. "She still has her one." Raven nodded once but gave no other response. "Then I'm calling it in for her."

Raven seemed to consider his words for a moment, a moment in which he wasn't sure whether she was going to draw her weapon and attack or simply shut him down.

"What did you have in mind?"

Her words surprised him somewhat, but he dared to hope.

Yang's eyes focused on the second pod, or more appropriately, the girl inside. She looked asleep, peaceful even. Like she might wake up any second.

Yang prayed to whatever deity might exist that she would, to make this whole plan unnecessary. It was a hopeless line of thought of course, but it didn't stop her from trying.

"-las built this technology from scratch specifically for this. Ironwood had his brightest minds working on it." Ospin explained as best he could, hoping it would distract her from what they would be doing. Sadly, that could only last so long and Yang had tuned most of it out anyways.

"If you would step over there." He pressed a button and there was a soft hissing sound as the empty chamber's door unlatched. "We can begin shortly."

Yang complied, stepping over to the chamber, she made to step in but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. The headmaster's face was a mix of neutral with a hint of sadness. She didn't think for a second this was what he wanted.

"If you wish to change your mind, I'm afraid this is the last time I can offer. Once the transfer has begun it can not be stopped."

Yang looked back to him and tried for her best smile, she knew it must have looked weak. It certainly felt like it.

"I'm sure," If the headmaster noticed her tears, he did her the favour of not mentioning them. "Let's just get this over with."

She stepped into the chamber and a second later the glass door closed. The headmaster looked at her for a moment before stepping off to the side where a control panel sat.

Yang tried to take a deep breath but it came out more as a whimper. This was it. The moment that she had been dreading. She focused on the thoughts of her team and family, two things Amber would have no connections with. She thought of her life at Beacon and years training at Signal.

The machine whirled to life around her.

She thought of Jaune as the tears ran down her cheeks. She started screaming a second later.

Authors Note: I know what you must be thinking… Raven has no taste in interior decoration. What? Something else on your mind? Nonsense, surely that was the most important thing to happen this chapter.

Hope y'all enjoyed and as always I encourage you to review and let me know what you think. Approve or disapprove I always love to hear peoples thoughts.

Sincerely SE