AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten here and on Tv Tropes. This chapter is a little short, but very important one none the less. It starts with the aftermath of the last battle before we get a few characters learning about what has happened with other sides of the story. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.

Chapter 35 – Recovery

Yang.

"…Uh?" Yang said as her eyes slowly started to open, "Yikes, my neck is killing me." She said before realizing she was in a clinic's office, laying on a bed. The blond brawler looked over to see Gilgamesh sitting in a nearby chair, causing her to smile, "Hey."

"Hey," Gilgamesh responded, "You finally woke up."

"How long has been?" Yang asked.

"Few days." Gilgamesh responded, "Considering your injuring, it is a miracle you lived. Even with Avalon."

"Yeah," Yang tried to push herself up, getting to sitting position, "What about my Mom?"

The two then heard a door open. Yang turned to see Asclepius pushing a wheelchair-bound Raven, "She is still alive," The dark surgeon answered, "However, my medicine can only heal so much."

A silence then fell over to the room, but Yang then spoke up, "What about Avalon?" she offered, "I mean, healing that should be child's play compared to what I went through, right? I just need to learn to spawn it again like before and-"

"Yang, it's okay." Raven interrupted, causing Yang to have a look of confusion, "I have done a lot of horrible things in my life, this is the punishment for all of my sins." She spoke with her hands on her lap, her right hand grasping her left, "I am just glad we both survived this."

"Still…" Yang responded with worry in her eyes, but then sighed, "Yeah, I'm glad both of us made it out of that fight in one piece." She then had a slight grin, "I bet the same can't be said about that bounty hunter."

However, a different voice spoke up, "Oh, are you sure?" Yang's face went white as she turned to the curtains to her right. As they were pulled away, the Great Firebird of the Sun was seen, "I'm a lot tougher than you think."

"WHAT!?" Yang shouted, "You're alive?" She said before seeing only a few bandages on Quetzalcoatl's body, "How are not even a little more damaged?"

"I'll admit, your Noble Phantasm did surprise me." Quetzalcoatl responded, "But like you, I'm one tough customer."

"Yang, she is actually the one who keep you can Raven from dying in that wasteland after the battle." Gilgamesh spoke before looking to Quetzalcoatl, "The two of us then came to a civil understanding of the situation."

"Yeah," Quetzalcoatl said with a grin, "I have a habit of fighting first, ask questions after the result."

"But-" Yang said as she felt a sudden pain in her neck.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking for a rematch…yet." Quetzalcoatl responded, winking at the end, "You need a few more years of training before that." She then got up from her bed, "You have the potential to give me a real run for my money. So, I'm investing in you."

"What?" Yang responded, "You're not going to kill us?"

"Nope, but I'll tell my associates that I did. That should keep them out of your hair," Quetzalcoatl said before looking to Raven, "She isn't the Fall Maidan, that power did go to someone else."

"I told you, I don't know who it went to." Raven responded, "I saw the power leave the last holder, but who it went to is a mystery to me."

"Oh well, nothing else can be done about it." Quetzalcoatl said with a shrug, "If my associates get mad and try to kill me, I still get my Maiden battles." She crossed her arms, "You should stay low for a while, find somewhere outside Apocrypha to keep out of sight."

"I would agree," Raven added on, "However, I don't know anywhere go that would welcome me."

Suddenly, Gilgamesh smirked as he spoke up, looking to Yang, "I think you know a place." He said with the blond brawler have a look of confusion, then her eyes widened in shock.

A few moments later.

In the middle of Patch, a small cabin in the woods laid. A hunter with short blond hair was inside, cleaning the dishes. Suddenly, in the corner of his eyes, he was a red flash that made him remember someone. In dropping the plate, he ran outside to the vortex close after a group had exited. There stood Yang, "Hey Dad," She said while wheeling Raven towards him, "Surprise."

"R-raven!?" the blond hunter said as he fell to his knees, "Is it really you?"

"Taiyang…" Raven spoke but struggled to maintain eye contact as she looked down at her hands shaking, "I…I have nothing left. Nowhere else to go. I-" She was saying until she saw his hands come over hers.

"That's a lie," Taiyang said Raven to look back at him, "You have always had a home here."

"But I abandoned you!" Raven responded, but Taiyang was smiling, "How can you be so forgiving this quickly?"

"That's how I've always been. You know that." Taiyang responded, his grip tightening, "And I always said I would be there when you needed me most."

"I…I…" Raven tried to speak, but tears start to form in her eyes. Taiyang did not say a word but moved his right hand to the back of Raven's head, gently pulling her in for a hug as she cried on his shoulder, "Taiyang, thank you." Raven said through her tears, her arms tightly hugging his body.

Yang, Gilgamesh, and Quetzalcoatl watched on from a distance, "Aw, that's sweet." The Great Firebird of the Sun commented, then sighed, "It looks like I should get going as well."

"You get that I'm still not forgiving you, right?" Yang responded, her eyes red.

"I know, so hold onto that anger for our next fight." She said before looking to Gilgamesh, "And you keep them safe."

"I intend to," The King of Heroes responded, "Where are you going?"

"Me? Well, now I know my associates also lied about who they were working for." Quetzalcoatl said as Yang noticed that this was the first time The Great Firebird of the Sun had a serious expression, "With what you and Raven told me, they worked for the Woman in Black."

"Yeah, Raven did mention that person?" Yang commented while looking to Gilgamesh, then back to Quetzalcoatl, "Who is she?"

"Nobody you need to worry about," Quetzalcoatl responded before whistling. Suddenly, a massive prehistoric-like avian creature with multicolored tattoos on its body and wings appeared. Quetzalcoatl then jumped on the bird's back, "Just leave this one to your Big Sis, okay?" she said before the wings of the creature flapped.

"I'm still not calling you that!" Yang shouted back, but Quetzalcoatl giggled.

"Oh, before I forget," Quetzalcoatl responded as she gained altitude, "If you see Martha again, let her I'm still up for another match in the ring. Bye!" The Great Firebird of the Sun declared before she and the creature soared off into the distance.

"Martha, she knows Professor Martha?" Yang inquired.

"Her name came up while you were recovering." Gilgamesh responded, "Those two seemed to have had a history."

Yang crossed her arms, "Martha did say she used to have an odd wrestling buddy. Could that be?" She said before having a look of shock, "Wait! How did she know that I knew Martha!?"

"She told me some of your fighting moves reminded her of the professor's. Possibly the ones you picked up during the Transfer Program. Another reason she wanted to fight you again." Gilgamesh said with Yang sighing, then she flinched in pain. The King of Heroes then reached in his left pocket, "Here, Asclepius said these will help the pain go away." He said before handing Yang a vile of white pills, "He was also glad the injection worked. Your mother described the Noble Phantasm you manifested. Very impressive."

"You jealous?" Yang said with a smirk before taking one of the pills, "Still, I think I had a little more help than just that injection in the end." She said before gripping the vile, her hand trembling, "I thought I messed up and died for good. But then, someone gave me a boost. I don't know who it was exactly…but I think she understood my cry for help." Suddenly, Gilgamesh grabbed her hand, easing her shake, causing her to smile, "Now, I'm not going to mess up like that again." She said as she looked back to the King of Heroes, "I'm going to make sure to live as long as possible, helping others and kicking ass for the rest of my days."

"That's what makes you so interesting, life is never dull around you," Gilgamesh commented, causing him to smile back. The two then leaned in for a kiss, their eyes closing as they locked lips for a few seconds of passion. After the moment, the two then looked to the cabin, seeing Taiyang carrying Raven and the wheelchair past a few steps, "We should stay with them for a while, keep an eye out in case trouble does come around." He said before looking back to Yang, "After all, it is your family."

"Yeah," Yang said as she realized it, "Raven said it wouldn't happen, but it did." The blond brawler said as tears formed in her eyes, "I finally got my family back together." she said before tears start to flow more rapidly, causing Gilgamesh to hold her closer. Yang's eyes closed as she smiled, thinking this was the happiest moment of her life.

Cinder.

In the infirmary of Clockwork Academy, Cinder slowly started to open her eyes. She quickly scanned the area before moving to a sitting position, but flinched as she held her stomach in pain, "This will have to be good enough." She said before trying to get out of bed but immediately collapsed. She laid on the floor, clenching her fists in frustration, "I hate being so weak." The black-haired woman said before pushing herself up, propping herself against the wall as she walked out the room and down the hall.

Peeking before going down every corner, Cinder scanned for anyone, "I need to stay out of sight." She said to herself, "An airship should be at the docking platform, it can't be too far away." The black-haired woman said before falling to one knee, "…Chloe…" Cinder said as tears trembled, "I'm so sorry to have gotten you involved in all of this." She then stood up and started walking again, "I promise to avenge you."

Suddenly, Cinder heard a set of footsteps from the other end of the hall. Cinder searched for somewhere to hid, seeing a partly broken door to a room. She ran inside and hid under one of the beds. She waited for the footsteps to pass, but the individuals entered the room as well.

They were Archer and Penny, "I think I am getting the hang of this Trace technique." The Atlas Android said before looking at the door, "Soon, I can fix that. After all, I was the one who kicked it off its hinges." She said before looking go the big hole in the wall, "And that."

"Well, practice does make perfect." Archer responded, letting out a tired sigh, "You've already gotten the basics down. This ability is very useful for those in the archer class."

"I agree," Penny said before tilting her head, "However, do you find it odd that I was classed as an archer while I do not possess a bow and arrow."

"…Nope," Archer responded, "That is more common than you think."

"I see," Penny said before smiling, "I'm going to see if my friends have finished their training yet as well."

"You go do that," Archer said with a smile as well, "I need to take a break for a second." He said with Penny nodding, followed by the atlas android leaving the room. Archer signed again, "Man, she has way too much energy for me to keep up with." He said before sitting on a bed. However, he heard a slight groan of pain from under the bed. Rapidly, the red mantled hero stood up, lifting the bed with his right arm, while spawning Bakuya in his left. However, he gasped at who was underneath, "Cinder!?"

"Shirou…" Cinder responded, holding her side in pain, "That bed has a spring sticking out." She then moved out of the way before he lowered the bed, now sitting against a wall, "…Chloe is dead." The black-haired woman said as Archer gasped. His eyes filled with hatred, but then to confusion, as her eyes started to form tears.

"Cinder," Archer said as he knelt in front of her, "What happened?"

"We were on a mission that ended in a double-cross," Cinder responded, looking down at her hands shaking as she remembered the moment, "I watched her die; she was just a little girl."

"You-" Archer knew what he wanted to say. That is was Cinder's fault for what she got Chloe involved in. That she is the reason Chloe is dead. However, he knew he was not that heartless, "…You need to rest. Your wounds have not fully healed."

"I'm fine, I need to-" Cinder said as tried to get up but fell forward in agony. However, Archer caught her before she could hit the ground. As the black-haired woman git her teeth in frustration, tears started to pour down her face again, "I promised myself I would avenge her. But how can someone this weak do anything but fall?" As she cried, Archer closed his eyes as he held her close.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened with Irisviel on the other side, "Shirou, Cinder is gone and-" she said until seeing the two, the red mantle hero opening his eyes with a look of shock, "…Oh…I'll just." She said before slowly closing the door.

"Iri?" Cinder said as she turned around, recognizing the voice, "I need to tell-" Suddenly, Cinder collapsed as she fell onto the floor.

"Cinder!" Archer and Iri said at the same time, but the pale-skinned woman knelt, "She's still breathing, but she should not be walking around yet." Irisviel said before letting out a sigh of relief, then looked up to Archer in slight irritation, "And Shirou, the two of you, in the students' room, really?"

"Mother, this is not the time for that." Archer responded with a groan before having a serious expression, "Cinder told me that Chloe is dead." He said with Irisviel gasping, "I'm sorry, but that was what she told me-"

"No, she's wrong." Irisviel cut her son off, "Chloe is not dead."

"Mother…" Archer responded in worry, "I know you want to believe that, but-"

"Listen," Irisviel cut him off again, looking down at Cinder, "Even if she thinks Chloe is dead. I know Chloe is alive."

"How?" Archer asked, a hint of resentment in his voice. However, that anger was changed to confusion as the pale-skinned woman looked up to him with a sweet smile.

"Motherly intuition," Irisviel responded, "And it has not failed me yet." She said with Archer gritting his teeth as she stood up, "Now, let's take Cinder back to the infirmary." She asked with the red mantle hero sighing, kneeling to pick up Cinder in his arms.

As they exited the room, Penny walked by, "Did you find him?" The Atlas Android said to Irisviel, who gave her a slight smile and nod. Penny then looked over to Archer, but was focused on the one in his arms, "Who is she?"

"This is Cinder," Archer responded, slight worry in his voice, "Penny, she is-"

However, Penny cut him off as well, as she realized it first, "Oh…Is she…that person?" Penny asked, causing Archer to give a single nod, "I see…" For a second, her eyes flared with rage as Archer feared events were about to repeat themselves. However, the second past as Penny looked back to him, "She looks like she is in a lot of pain." She said with him having a look of shock, "When she wakes up, tell her that I will not hurt her… I just want the cycle to end."

Archer paused before nodding, "Okay, that's very mature of you, Penny." He said with Penny smiling. However, as she turned around to walk away, the red mantle hero noticed the tightly clenched fists of the Atlas Android.

"She couldn't forgive Cinder," Irisviel commented to Archer, "But Penny knew what the right answer was." She then looked back to her son, "Do you know the answer for yourself yet?" She asked, but Archer did not respond. Rather, he walked the other direction with Cinder in his arms, adjusting his grip so she would not fall. Irisviel sighed before taking out her scroll, "Kiritsugu, please find Chloe." She said to herself as she typed the situation, a look of worry in her eyes.

Sisigou.

At a gas station, Sisigou just finished filling up the tank before sighing. In his right hand was a plastic bag of an assortment of food, "Back here again." He said before looking over the area, "Vale's not too far." He said before hearing his stomach growl, looked to his bag, "I'll just use this junk to hold me over until I meet up with Kiritsugu." He said before paying for the gas, then entering the driver seat.

As he tossed the bag in the back seat, his scroll buzzed with a new message, "It's Yang." He saw as he took out his scroll, reading the message from the blond brawler, "When you get into Vale, tell Junior to take off the bounty for Raven. I tried calling him but got no answer." He read before seeing a new message come up, "Don't worry, everything is fine now. I promise." Sisigou read before seeing a selfie of Yang smiling, the faint tears of joy still in her eyes.

"Heh, I wonder what I missed." Sisigou typed with a smile before sending the message, "Okay, I'll make sure he gets the message." He said before realizing something, "I probably should do that before meeting Kiritsugu, for Yang's sake." The necromancer commented before reaching into the bag, but had a look of confusion, "Odd, I thought I bought two hotdogs." He said while discovering only one in the bag but shrugged, "Oh well, I don't feel like going back in there to waste time." He said before unfolding the wrapping while typing on his scroll, "When does The Club open." He searched on his scroll before taking a bite. While Sisigou did see the answer, he also saw a news article. The headline causing him to almost gag on his food, "Oh no!" he said as a line of sweat ran down his face, then typed a new message to the blond brawler, "Yang, read this!" He sent before starting the car, driving off at high speed. The screech of the tiers masked the groan of pain from the hidden passenger.

AN: There you go, Yang was able to rebuild her family after all. Raven is still crippled to show she did not get out of this mess without losing something, but regained something more important. Cinder tells Archer about Chloe's fate, or what she believes it to be. Iri has some nice moments here, as well as a good character moment for Penny. And finally, Sisigou learns of the fate of Junior at The Club and tells Yang. Next chapter we touch base with each member of Team RWBY as the next big battle begins. This one I have been waiting a long time for and am super excited for it. However, since we are at what I consider the mid-season, I will take a couple weeks break to rest and prepare for the next chapters. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.