Chapter 70: Something cast into the light

Another chapter, Cyanide being seriously ill… But still! A chapter for all of you!

Friday the 13th. Spooky day!


A terrible time (Yang Xiao Long)


It was the first thing that she noticed about Pyrrha, which sent off alarm bells. A look in those green eyes, a hint of something that was like a swelling wave that would crash down on something, her eyes glinting with something nefarious, something that had happened, a fearlessness that sent worry going through her. Ruby was hugging Pyrrha's arm. She was hugging pyrrha's arm and acting like the world hadn't got a care for her, like nothing was wrong.

Pyrrha's eyes smouldered with something indeterminate, something brutal and vicious. It wasn't some loose kind of rage, it was something fierce, growing and moulding, as the redheaded girl threw her head back, ponytail bouncing a little.

She looked like Rowena.

She looked like Rowena when she'd been on that mission to Mountain Glenn, where dad had fucked Ruby and she'd narrowly avoided that, together with Weiss. Pyrrha's eyes met hers and the fake smile slipped onto the redhead's lips, as she lightly brushed her hand over Ruby's shoulder.

"Ruby? Would you mind if I spoke to your sister for a bit? I've got a feeling that we might need to have a spar."

A spar that looked dangerous, Yang could tell from how Pyrrha seemed to be getting ready for fighting, her arms shaking lightly to get the stress out of them, her fingers tapping against the school uniform she wore, Yang realizing that they weren't ready to fight yet, but the indications that Pyrrha gave for her to come at her were real. Ruby looked at her with an expression that didn't make her feel secure or confident.

"Yang, you should be careful. She's strong, and she's… she's a better friend now."

There was some meaning in those words, something that made Ruby look at Pyrrha as if she'd been given the answers to life's questions, worked into the question that Yang had just not answered yet about a spar. Pyrrha looked dangerous, even though the smile was as kind as it had always been, polite.

A plastic mask that gave the right impression, but those eyes looking as dangerous as Blake's mom's eyes had looked. Ruby couldn't see it, or she didn't want to acknowledge it, but Yang could see the danger within those eyes.

"It'll be fine, Ruby. I just want to talk with her, see whether she's available for a spar. Keeping one's skills fresh for the Vytal Festival would be good, don't you think?"

There was a certain truth to that, but PWN was now just a team that was defunct, with the loss of Ren. Pyrrha looked like she was going to contemplate murder, with the fake smile looking about as sincere as an offer for a totally non-drugged drink in a shady bar.

Yang's eyes checked Pyrrha out, before she nodded. A spar couldn't be denied, and there would be safeguards for that. Pyrrha smiled, as Yang remembered that she should talk with Pyrrha, that there was more at stake than she knew. Ruby was acting awkwardly, and she'd been… mean.

"Ready?"

Ruby stood there as a referee in the ring, her scythe carefully tucked below her red cloak, Pyrrha's eyes looking with deliberating expressiveness, as she weighed her javelin-weapon, her shield already in motion, as Ruby gave the signal.

Yang leaned back, avoiding the spear thrust at the last possible moment, the wooshing of the sharp tip barely passing by her nose, the smell of Pyrrha's perfume in her nostrils, mixing with sweat and something else, their close proximity already beginning to make her work, her weapons slowing down as the punch that she wanted to land just didn't, the metal in her bracelet-weapons slowly starting to inch towards its counterpart, Pyrrha's body moving, as the javelin tapped against Yang's gut.

A mortal blow, one that Yang hadn't seen coming, Pyrrha's legs in motion, Yang feeling how the world turned upside down before she slammed down, the boot bearing down, the greaves that Pyrrha wore glistening in the light, as she gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, the death that would come if that boot had hit her face with her Aura broken definitely real.

"You can do better than that, Pyrrha! You're slow! Meanie-lady was up against you and you won!"

That was Ruby-speak for Rowena, for the woman who had suffered so much. Yang got up and got herself ready, Pyrrha's eyes meeting hers. They looked frigid and cold, Yang feeling another hint of something dark and wicked behind those green irises, as Pyrrha slowly undid the hairband, her fingers touching the loose hair, Ruby making an ooh-ing sound.

Yang knew that there would be another bout coming from Pyrrha, who loosened her hair, her eyes looking at her, the curtain of red hair covering her face, before she got back into position, leaving Yang to get up again.

Yang watched Pyrrha as her hand pushed the hair back again, the javelin zooming back up into her grip.

"No funky Semblance, Pyrrha."

A challenging grin, as Pyrrha's eyes glinted with that thirst of challenge, of being pressured, and Ruby called for the fight to start, a loud 'Go and get em, Pyrrha!', a small stab of betrayal in Yang's chest as she no longer seemed to be the big sister that Ruby supported, her body twisting out of the path of the javelin-spear, Pyrrha's body shifting a little, a stunning kick delivered, absorbed by Yang's Semblance, the heavier blows that Pyrrha had delivered the previous bout having been mended by the regenerative effect of Aura and the counterattack delivered, Pyrrha's shield ringing like a foundry bell as she hit it with the full force of Ember Cecilia, one of the shotgun rounds exploding, sending Pyrrha bouncing back, the champion looking at her with the challenge flaring in her eyes, as the spear shot out, faster than it had been before, about to hit her, but Yang blocked it with Ember Cecilia, another heated explosion rocking across her body, as her hair caught fire and her body moved, hitting Pyrrha once more, the force greater than the shield could take.

The ringing of the gong-like shield was loud in the air. It was a signal of victory, a signal of resistance being shattered, Yang's eyes glinting as she caught sight of the delicate expression that faded into something that was almost wicked, Pyrrha's eyes gleaming, as she darted forward, decking Yang's face with a fist, clearly going for the melee option, the spear discarded and just plain-out entering the melee.

Punches, a set of legs that pushed her down, and Pyrrha's green eyes staring at her as she delivered a beat-down, the champion just as dangerous without a weapon as she was with it, her tongue licking over her lips, her eyes glinting with that darkness that she'd seen as well. Wickedness, drive and more, a dark-seeded corruption that she'd witnessed once.

Red eyes that had looked into her own, which had been emotional and laden, the release of emotions that he'd kept bottled up. Jaune and Pyrrha were the same, similar in that feeling, pain and frustration and a deep darkness within them.

She didn't know what that meant, but Rowena supported Jaune, Heather supported Jaune, there was only a sparse moment for mother and son to be together, and she hadn't told him yet about her motherhood, about who she was in comparison to him.

Distractions paid off, as Yang heard Ruby call it in favour of Pyrrha, the redhead getting off her.

"Let's head for the showers, Yang. You're in need of a shower."

The command from Pyrrha was something that made Yang snap to attention, looking at Pyrrha, who was getting herself already a little free-er in the chest, Yang not having been that sweaty to start, as Pyrrha looked at her, raising an eyebrow in quizzical question, her tongue sliding over her lips slowly.

"I'm not that sweaty, I'm- I'm fine, you know?"

Ruby looked at Pyrrha, seemingly asking for clarification, but Pyrrha only smiled.

"We'll just take a shower, Ruby. Just together, Yangs going to be paying me back for losing by washing my back. It's nothing bad, okay?"

Yang thought she could see a jealous expression in Ruby's eyes, as Ruby pouted and she opted to follow Pyrrha to the showers, watching the redhead strip naked, doing the same, underwear having to be replaced later when she got back, the shower button pushed, and hearing Pyrrha get under the spray, the redhead turning her head to the spray to let it wash over her.

"Pyrrha, I'm-"

A hand pulled something out, a mask. A familiar mask, one that she'd seen before, worn by the moms who loved her. A mask that indicated enough, that told her that Pyrrha was one of them, the enemy that came within the shadows.

"Oh, you're a member of the… the club."

Pyrrha turned to her and smiled. The sudden knee that rammed right against her groin sent pain going through her, as she felt her forehead be hit with the force of a battering ram, the blood inside her head pounding back and forth, as she was forced down to the grount, getting a perfect view of the naked Pyrrha, who seemed to have pulled out a small dagger of sorts, putting it on her throat.

"Do you believe in him?"

A small whisper in her mind told her that the answer was Jaune, something that showed in those eyes, as Pyrrha pressed the dagger against her skin, not activating her Aura yet with the pressure, but with her Semblance… It would be a kill shot, if the dagger was repelled and shot through her neck. A kill shot that would leave her dead and buried, without even the recourse of death, her eyes opening and then closing after a moment, trying to find the right answer.

"I thought it strange, you know? I could see it in your eyes. He's been around you. You smell of him. She's not going to let just anyone take the cloak, especially when you had to fight a battle against her."

Pyrrha meant Rowena, probably, and she wondered whether there had been a mark placed on her by the woman or whether Pyrrha had simply guessed.

"Do you mean…"

She mouthed Jaune's name, Pyrrha's eyes giving her all the answer she needed. She answered with a lie, just in case they were being overheard.

"The Grandmaster?"

Pyrrha's fingers let go of the dagger, tucking it back in her hair, her eyes darkening.

"Yes. Ruby doesn't like her teacher much, but you can learn from those who have more experience more than those who hold none. My former teacher was a person who held wisdom, as well as great age. It's good that we know on whose side we stand, sister."

Pyrrha didn't seem to think that there was anything untoward happening, a shudder shooting through Yang's lower body as she looked at the expression that Pyrrha wore, something dark and calculating, prideful and yet stronger than she had ever been.

"Yeah, I did say that I'd be supportive. We both belong to the same team, cloak and mask included."

Pyrrha helped her up, starting to wash her hair, acting as if nothing was wrong, hearing the faint murmur of the water in the air, her tongue licking over her lips.

"How was it?"

A question, murmured in her ear, the smell of shampoo and soap invading her nostrils, as Yang was prominently aware of the fact that Pyrrha's breasts rubbed against her. She wasn't… that gay, but Pyrrha was beautiful.

"What?"

A small snort, something that showed Pyrrha's disdain for the circumstances, as she took a deep breath, her tongue sliding over her lips, trying to find the proper circumstances.

"Being tested by her? Meeting the others who believe in him."

Yang remembered the kiss. She remembered seeing the look on the faces of her mothers and the other women. He'd been with Blake's mom, with her moms… and they'd liked it. She would like it too, she knew. A cousin.

"Great, I'm… We're going to do the great work, Pyrrha."

That was how it would be in the world, with Pyrrha Nikos and Yang Xiao Long… or rather, Yang D'Arc-Night, if that had to be the name she would go by. She was a woman who held within her the hopes of a mother who had been taken away, whose other mother had been beguiled.

"Of course. We are those who have been chosen, after all. We both know…"

A sickening smile on the lips of the other teenager, whose red hair curtained her features under the water spray, something not quite right in her way of smiling, as the eyes seemed to blaze with something that frightened Yang, the intensity of those eyes just like Rowena's.

"There will be nothing but the will of the Master."

A shiver ran up Yang's spine as she could feel the devotion, the mindless zeal that Pyrrha held. The door opened and Yang's head cracked as she rapidly turned to the sudden entrant, Ruby standing there, naked.

"I thought I'd join! Ooh! Are you talking about the Grandmaster's plan? We're all in the Order together, aren't we? Do you think we can be a three-person team? It's not proper, but the Grandmaster said that I have special eyes."

Pyrrha's face turned into that horrible mask again, as Yang took a deep breath, Pyrrha's hand patting her on the butt.

"I wouldn't dare to take your big sister from you, Ruby. We've not…"

There was a pause, as Pyrrha's shoulders rolled a little, the teenaged champion of the Mistral fighting circuit yawning for an instant, and Yang could see the look on Ruby's face as she checked Pyrrha out.

If things hadn't been so tense, she might've teased Ruby about her crush later, but now Yang just felt a feeling of despair shoot through her, Pyrrha's eyes looking as intense as they always were, her tongue sliding over her lips in a mockery of something that might be appealing. This woman, this trained Huntress who had fought so hard, was a monster.

She was a monster in raw skill, a monster who seemed to have found a religion, a faith that was unshakeable, in the young man who was so dear to her.

"The Grandmaster said that he'd have a special duty for me, one the bud has sprouted. The Rose Clan will take care of everything, he said."

Pregnancy.

Yang remembered the pills that she'd been crushing and feeding to Ruby, she remembered that that would not be happening. It would be a thing that she could control, with Weiss still in casts and traumatized.

"That's great, Ruby. I'm not sure when I'll be getting my orders."

Orders to f-

'I feel sick.'

She couldn't imagine it. She didn't want to imagine it.

"We're sisters, silly. We switch, so when my bud is sprouted, you'll be getting to blossom. That's what happens when you go and become a member, but that meanie-weenie probably didn't explain it to you! Ooh, the Grandmaster always says that she's a disobedient girl, but she is powerful. If not for her skill, she'd be killed. She's one of the greatest warriors in the Order, but nobody who faces her survives… I think he's a little afraid of her."

That was a good thing. Rowena had been like a mother, a friend, someone who had promised her a prince, and who knew that there was only a grim task in her future.

"Well, I've not met the man yet. He's… He's been teaching you things, hasn't he?"

The headmaster of Beacon Academy, Ozpin, a man who had his finger in a lot of pies, his eyes watching them for what they were, nothing more than incubators for the next generation of silver-eyed maniacs to serve the Order.

"He has. Ooh, Pyrrha, shall we go shopping? He said that we should perhaps get you something that's a little bit more subdued in colour, because you do kind of stand out, being as pretty as you are and looking great- b-but don't think that you're not beautiful because you really are. I mean, you are gorgeous, nobody would deny that, and I totally am happy to be your partner in the Order."

Yang intervened.

"Ruby, I think she's got the message."

Pyrrha continued that creepy smile, aware of her younger sister's fascination with her. Yang would've given more of a comment, if she wasn't so creeped out, Pyrrha smiling at her, her gaze turned from the youngest in the shower, the spray turned on, as Pyrrha lathered her hair up a little with shampoo.

"Care to help me wash my hair, Ruby?"

The happy chirp from Ruby was more than enough to silence any questions that Ruby might've had, as Yang watched how Ruby seemed to work on Pyrrha's hair without objection, without questioning it. In a relationship in the Order, Ruby would be the senior one, but Pyrrha commanded her, probably playing on her little sister's feelings.

Yang didn't deny the little voice that told her that she would have done the same, if Ruby had acted so creepy. She barely recognized the girl that she'd gone to Beacon with, the girl who laughed, cried and brought more into the world than just some misery and a child that her father had put in her.

'Oh gods… Oh gods, I'm going to be sick.'

Ruby had said that the bud would be sprouting, that there'd be…

'No, no, no…'

She didn't want to do it with her father. Not with the man who she'd cared for after Rowena left, after there had been a lull in Uncle Qrow's visits. She shuddered, knowing that there would be a moment where he'd walk into the room and smile at her, and-

Gooseflesh appeared on her skin at the thought as she pulled out of the showers, rubbing herself with the towel that she'd habitually brought, her eyes watching Pyrrha being washed by Ruby's hands, the sweet smile on her sister's face spoiled by what she thought was growing within her.

She was at the dorm ten minutes later, having left with a somewhat breathy 'I'll be going now, enjoy things, Ruby!' and nearly bailing out into a sprint. The strawberries in the mini-fridge were easily crushed and pulped, a general helping of sweet syrup to mask the taste, before she mashed two banana's and added milk to it, just so Ruby wouldn't notice the awful taste of the pills, just to be sure.

'I don't want to- I-'

There was someone who could help. Someone who could make it so that she'd be safe, to make it that she'd have less to worry about. Ozpin was focusing on Ruby, and she hadn't been given a partner yet, so that meant that there was no official guideline for her to follow. She wasn't going to be someone who bowed and groveled before the people that supposedly knew best.

She set the smoothie on the bedside table, looking at the small wardrobe that belonged to Weiss, a feeling of melancholy going through her.

'I should visit her…'

She'd leave Ruby here.

After she'd seen Ruby drink the smoothie though.

You never left things to chance, after all.


The war one fights against one's nature(Jaune Arc)


Blood clung to his shoes, his gaze stretching over the bodies that had been mangled, the survivors no longer able to muster any defence against the assault of the Grimm, his eyes watching clearly how the final bastion was swarmed, his fingers tapping lightly onto the staff, the Relic within glowing a little.

Information requested. Accessing data function. Analyze? Y/N?

The Y was indicated with a thought and he caught the information burst right at the time when his eyes closed, brilliant glow making his eyes open wide, a shudder going through his body as Kali touched his back.

"Is everything alright?"

The question wasn't all that it could be, knowing that Kali would be the one who would be driving the spear into the heart of the dragon Grimm, like in the stories. During the nights, she was the shadow in the flickering embers of the fire, the men who stood guard decapitated or worse, her efficiency something that was frightening, but to his own surprise, not even a blip of worry for her.

She was a woman who did what was asked of her, who served him and did not question his orders. He missed Whitney, whose voice seemed to be so far gone, what with him being over in Anima right now.

'I miss you too…'

He had infused Weiss with the power that would mend her a little. It had been just a little help, just a little aid to her. She looked so weak, so frail, Whitney had pleaded with her eyes for him to help, and he did.

He caught a flash of the things that had happened to the poor girl. It was not a good thing, Jaune knew, to see something like that, to feel the fear of a girl about to be violated like that. It was not a good thing to enjoy that feeling of fear, to nearly feel the Vitae Tenebris rush into her, tainting her like he'd tainted her mother. Whitney was fine, she was- She was definitely fine, she felt fine, even at such a distance. It was just something that would need to be arranged for, later on.

"No."

He had felt Weiss… He'd felt her inside thoughts, her deepest feelings and thoughts. It would have been easy. It would have been like Pyrrha and Ren and Nora, pushing the power into her and making her his. He didn't want to hurt his friends, but the darkness inside him pulsed.

'I'm a monster…'

A monster of the making of generations, of one infusion with the pure blackness that was the Vitae Tenebris. He shuddered at the thought that rushed through his mind, the image of Weiss, bound to him. It had been easy to push it in, to make Whitney feel the bond with her daughter, but he had not done so.

He was murdering hundreds upon hundreds of people in this conquest. Kali's blades were cleaned of blood every night, before she joined them in bed. Raven had been warmer, more active. A woman that loved, that told him that he was perfect for her.

It hurt a little sometimes to know the feelings of the woman, that… warmth.

Confused feelings in his chest continued to pound, Kali's hands rubbing over his back, as the blood around them reeked of copper and pain. It was perfect, and he lingered. A young man wish ash-coloured hair and red eyes, clothing that hardly looked suitable for combat, but still bringing with it protection, a hint of something that continued to ooze and tremble inside his heart, his eyes glowing faintly as his lips pressed together.

"Don't feel like that, Jaune. I don't like it when you're feeling sad."

Kali's voice was like a light in the darkness that surrounded him, knowing that she had the best of intentions for him. It was in her every move, within every stride that she took to make his happiness her paramount objective. Raven had called her 'the scarily obsessed woman' once, but Kali had denied it, but… still.

"I'm just… I'm just realizing that I'm not…"

Her hands grabbed his and she turned around, her Faunus trait twitching once, her eyes looking into his own.

"Not going to stop, Jaune. You're not going to stop. Until the world knows who the wonderful man is that I bow my head for, who the bright bold boy is that looked up to the heaven and wanted to be shining like a star. I remember your sister telling me about that."

Embarrassment came, as he'd remembered that he'd said that he'd take a star and give it to Rowe, because she was so beautiful, that it'd be a perfect wedding gift before they'd get married. It was not something that he'd wanted to remember, because she'd gotten really sad, because of what he'd said.

Asking your oldest sister to marry you was not something that he'd like to think about again, because it was embarrassing.

"I'm-"

She looked fierce, as she kissed him, the breath chased from his mouth as he felt the terror that she held within her wash around like an exploding paint bomb, the bandits cowering before her as the shadows wrapped around her, her mouth releasing his own.

"You're ours, and nobody is going to deny you anything. Even these bandits cower before us, and we will make our mark on them. You deserve to be lauded as a hero, not a wicked man!"

He could barely believe that himself, knowing that there was so much that he should be able to do, with the power that he held within him. The Grimm that he'd created were now inert, without his will slackening one bit, and it grew easier.

It would be so easy to just pull out a few Grimm to butcher all of them, and he couldn't help but be aghast at how little he could care for the bandits, who had their lives snuffed out by the power that lurked within him.

His arm was fake, his eyes had taken on Her colour, the blue fading to angry, bitter red. He didn't want to be a villain, but it was so easy to fall into the darker emotions, like there was this force pushing for him to be like that, though he knew that the power was different from that. It held no more sway over him than the wind held sway over his motions.

The Grimm, they embodied negativity. His acolytes, they were negative as well, but their minds kept that dark aspect in check. He reminded himself of Rowena, a mixture of Lux Aeterna and Vitae Tenebris, his oldest sister, sacrificing herself for the need to keep him safe.

"Jaune? You need to listen. No matter what, we will be there for you. Summer and Raven will obey, even if they might not wish to. You are what we have found to be perfect, a great man who would love us even more than we would know. A man who does not think of himself as some great man, a young man who cherishes us."

There was a hint of despair in her voice, demanding from him that he affirm her faith in him, that he bring his words to her ears to make her believe in the warmth and the vision for the future that he had seen.

Jaune looked at Kali and then nodded his head to her, as he looked at the bandits, taking their distance between the two of them and the camp.

"I'll… I'll try my best."

The hesitation was solely because of the warmth that he felt surging inside him at the darkness around them, as the Grimm dissolved back into their components, surging back into his inner well of power, a shudder shooting through his lower body as he felt his arm ache.

He wouldn't become like the Grand Witch.

He mustn't become like her.

A hero did not surrender to the darkness.


The princess at peace(Weiss)


"Weiss?"

Her mother addressed her, her head turning up to look at her mother, the hands that she was slowly moving around a little, trying to get some flexibility back into them after the long time since she'd had to move them around, her mother's eyes looking gentle.

"You've got that friend, the blonde, Yang?"

Weiss looked at her mother, nodding, unsure of what her mother meant, as she walked to her, holding a Scroll.

"Hey Weissey? How's my little sweet princess today, huh? Mind if I visit?"

It was Yang, completely absurd as always. Something made her feel awkward though, the tone of Yang different from how it had been before. There wasn't a teasing hint in Yang's voice now, and she'd called her a 'sweet princess', something that was entirely too girly for Yang to even utter, with the knowledge that Weiss had of the blonde brawler.

"Oh, eh… Yes? Mother?"

She implored her mother, who nodded, Yang smiling with a hint of confidence in her.

"I'll be there in half an hour, maybe a little longer. Don't worry, I'll bring some takeout. You've got to have something in your stomach to get better soon, Weiss. I'll make it nice and spicy!"

Weiss smiled, knowing that it would be a little different than the haute cuisine that her mother and her had been eating, or rather, the things her mother had been feeding her beforehand.

"That would be… fine, yes. Thank you. We'll obviously reimburse you."

That was only fair, and it wasn't like money was much of an issue for them. Some cheap, greasy food with a bit of kick to it would be perfect for Yang, who always seemed sunny.

"So… I shall cancel dinner for tonight."

Her mother looked amused, Weiss frowning a little.

"You are going to eat with us, are you not?"

She knew very well that Yang would be present with food and that it might be something that would be hard to swallow…

A flash of memory, something from her mother's brief touch thanks to their Semblance being the same, a ghost memory of something large and big in her mouth, a hushed whisper that begged for it, and a flash of the pain of nearly being ra- assaulted – by the White Fang.

"Weiss? Are you feeling alright? Is there pain?"

Worry in her mother's voice, her eyes concerned, Weiss shuddering.

"Bad memory… I… I liked feeling good like that. C-can you do that again?"

Her mother's eyes were warm, as she nodded, Weiss slowly loosening her pants a little. It would be messy, and she'd better stuff a towel there, in case the sensation got too much for her to take.

"Careful, Weiss…"

Cool hands touched her temples, holding her head in a soft grip. Weiss felt heat shoot through her body as she felt herself be wrapped in lustful craving.

Fingers ghosting over her hair, holding on to her head as she worshipped the shaft between his legs, whimpers and moans of a voice that sounded familiar, the hushed whispers of her mother in-between lustful caresses of her tongue.

"It's okay… Just let go, my dearest."

Looking at his face, at those blurry features and seeing how much joy there was within his body as he bucked to her tongue, to her… to her mother's tongue, as she danced a delicate tongue over his member.

It was delightful to see him enjoy her. It was love, beating within her heart. She, Weiss Schnee, made a man groan, and it felt so good. Her whole body felt warm and protected, knowing that he'd be a good father for her, to-

Weiss groaned as the orgasm rocked her petite body, her mother smiling softly, as she brushed her hands through the strands of hair that'd stuck to her cheeks. Weiss swallowed heavily, her eyes looking up at her.

"Do you want to take a shower before your friend comes here?"

Weiss nodded wordlessly, getting up from the bed that really wasn't needed anymore, the soaked towel looking like it needed a wash, her body feeling a little weaker than it had been before, when she'd been able to fight at maximum capacity, aware of the muscles that had barely been exercised during her revalidation process.

She was a Huntress and she would do the name of Schnee proud.

As she stepped under the hot spray of water, she let the heat pool over her body, shuddering from the contrast to cool and warm, as her nipples hardened, her fingers brushing the sponge over her body, aware of what it felt like to have an orgasm still ebbing through her body.

She'd nearly been raped. She'd been saved by- by something that made her feel fear, by Jaune's mother, who had never told him that she was his mother.

Jaune Arc…

Blue eyes and blonde hair, a face that looked a little girly, if she had to be critical of his looks. Girly face, but built like a man. She could just imagine him saving her…

Saving her and beating those bad Faunus up. He'd have been there to make certain that she was safe, like a little princess that needed a gallant knight.

It wasn't fair. He was dead now and he'd never be the hero that he'd wanted to be, according to Ruby.

Weiss realized that her finger had pushed into her depths, hyper-alert to the sudden pleasurable sensation. He would have saved her, he would have kept them away, kept the dark one away and not hurting her. There was blood and pain, but he was there. He would be her knight, the bulwark against the evil men.

"A-ah…"

He'd be a knightly hero, a man who could look into the eyes of whoever stood opposite of him on the battlefield and then do some goofy little trick, before he'd beat the ever-loving stuffing out of them.

Anger rose inside her, as she'd heard the women of the White Fang jeer for her death, for more hurt and pain. He'd pay them back. He'd have been… he'd have been a bit awkward in the beginning, but he'd been stronger than she had been during her first few years of training.

Another finger joined the one already inside, knowing that he would…

She didn't know why she was thinking about him but the lack of men in their year that looked appealing was definitely a thing. She remembered overhearing something about several of the upperclassmen comparing men, saying something about the lack of available partners, her eyes half-closed as she enjoyed the stream of warm water.

He had been taller than her. He'd been taller and broader. Just the right side to pull her up… and do things to her body that would have mother blushing.

He'd have protected her, if he hadn't died. Mama wasn't going to give up on her man, but… but she might've liked to explore where these feelings would lead to.

If Jaune Arc had still lived, she would've… she would've allowed him to serenade her, to bring her flowers and she would give him the best reward she could muster.

"Ah-ah, ahhh…"

The long and drawn-out moan was utterly feminine and utterly deniable. She was just… 'cleaning' herself. She wasn't thinking about a boy in that way, about a young man who would've…

'Yang will be around soon… Keep a lid on it.'

She just sped up a little. It would be an affair, something kept silent about. Just a secret message passed and a bottle of wine, sharing her body with her lover under the shattered moon, knowing that he would be bigger than her, giving her the joy of sex.

A flash of the White Fang touching her, of that being so close to the finish line, where she'd be feeling the pleasure go out of her and the terror came, and then, him, appearing in his stupid hoodie and his sword and shield swinging. Lifting her up and carrying her to the bed, making her magically heal and then making love to her.

"Jaune-!"

She came, guiltily feeling how she'd banished the spectre of fear from her mind with the heated thoughts about a boy who she'd once scorned and dismissed.

She emerged from the shower, towel covering her hair, her eyes going to her mother, her mother's lips twitching in a smile.

"Nice shower, Weiss?"

She flushed. Her mother had heard. The warm expression on her mother's face was like embarrassment and genuine love, her mother looking like she'd personally freshened up, her skin shining with that beautiful pale alabaster sheen, her hair looking done up, the mature features of a woman who knew her worth and her beauty beheld.

"It was… it was nice, Mama."

Whitney Schnee laughed softly at her tone, motioning for her to go to the wardrobe, opening it up with her hand, finding a nice blue dress already prepared.

"Your friend would not like to see you looking messy. It's a surprise for her to see you able to move again, isn't it?"

The warmth and the heat of the vision that she'd beheld, her mother's special gift, thanks to her Semblance, as her mother's face turned a little quizzical, her expression shifting to motherly concern after a moment, as Weiss dressed herself, her elegant arms pushed through the sleeves of the dress, the blue colour perfect against her skin, as she looked at the Glyph that appeared in the space between the two of them.

"Weiss? Don't be afraid, okay?"

'Why would I be afraid?'

Ren appeared above the Glyph, looking pale and translucent like a ghost, and Weiss breathed in sharply, as the unemotional young man looked at her, a small expression that might be happiness of some sort flickering on his face.

"Hello Weiss."

She had to sit down. She found her bed and she sat down, watching Ren step off the Glyph, kept animated next to him. It resonated with her own Semblance in a way that she instinctively knew, that made her feel like she knew how to do this.

"I've been with your mother, she's… quite a woman."

He spoke as if death was merely an obstacle, his gaze directed to her, a hesitating expression on her mother's face, as another Glyph appeared next to the one that kept Ren animated, a pale-ghostly woman appearing upon it.

"Hello. I am Cremea Arc. It's a pleasure to meet you, Weiss."

The unemotional tone, as cold as her father, spoke without inflexion or care for her as a person, just some robot-like woman who continued to move as her puppeteer willed, her gaze resting upon the one who had summoned her for a long moment before she turned to Weiss again.

"It is time for us to meet. One Family, one semblance."

The clear-cut words from Cremea Arc made Weiss worry, as Cremea Arc dissipated into thin air, Ren remaining, a small smile on his lips, as he took a deep breath.

"I know you haven't been in contact with Nora, I am a little ashamed to say that I- I was not fully willing to meet with her again. She should be thinking about the future, not now that I am dead."

It was an understandable feeling, as the door opened and Ren fizzled out of existence, cut off before he could continue, Yang entering with a smile on her lips and a look in her eyes that made Weiss worry.

"Here's the food and the gorgeous blonde that accompanies it! Weiss! You're sitting up! Are you okay?"

She waved at her friend, who broke out in a big smile, and her mother took the takeout, the smell of something that definitely had been soaked in frying oil and fatty stuff that would give her pimples and such again, but would be so delightfully sinful as a treat, coming to her nose.

"You're back."

Weiss hugged her friend, as gently as she could. She was back, indeed.

She was back and she wasn't going to be some toy for the whims of Ruby. If Ruby wanted her to fuck her dad, if she'd even dare to… well, Weiss Schnee was not going to be anyone's girl except the man who had made her Mama happy.


A blooming rose (Summer Rose)


The blood cleaned easily off the blades that she wielded, as Raven slowly drew back her Dust-blade and then started to clean the sheath of the weapon, her fingers delicately shooting over the creases with a finger-attached cloth, soaking the blood into it.

The plan would have to be abandoned. Raven had grown… affection.

"We kill him tonight, Raven."

A test for her partner, and the blade that found her throat, the heated expression on her face that showed raw anger and rage, something that the killer in Summer's chest found to be intensely attractive, aware of how the blade was cutting into the neck of little Rubedo's body, though it had assumed her shape. It was such a sweet body, so sculpted with the girl's efforts to become a good girl for mommy.

"No. Summer, no. You want to go back to Taiyang, do the Order thing again?"

Summer Rose looked away, the edge drawing blood, her Aura slowly mending the cut. The blackness inside her, that which composed the curse that had been passed through the ages in the shape of Grimm, was something that could not be excised.

"No. I… it was a test."

The blade was pulled from her throat and Summer turned, to come face-to-fist, Raven's gauntleted fist hitting her straight in the nose, a sickening crack loud, as her partner looked down at her.

"You're not ruining my happiness, Summer. No. You're not taking him from me. I was afraid, I was- I was so afraid, but I know that you would, all for that creed. Sisters we may be, but I know you, Summer Rose. You would hurt him, and I wouldn't do that to him."

Emotions that had been hindrances, but which had been perfect for Raven. The killer instinct, the feeling of knowing who the alpha predator in the room was, who swayed in their position as the king or queen of the jungle and who would need to be carved out of existence, her eyes glinting at the sight of her best friend, the sister that she'd never known about… The feeling of rage inside her. A test, something to see whether Raven still obeyed or whether she had freed herself from the Order's shackles.

'Good.'

There might be a time when she couldn't be holding the hand of her best friend and partner, sister in everything but blood.

"I'm-"

Raven punched her again, straight in the face, her expression darkly gloomy as she peered into her eyes.

"No. You're not going to ruin my happiness, Summer. Taiyang fucked your daughter. I am not going to let you hurt my man."

Another punch right to the face, Summer groaning in pain at the sensation of being punched by her bestie. This wasn't going the way she wanted, and it was-

SMACK

Raven let her go after that punch, leaving her there, Raven's expression moody.

"You're not doing a thing, Summer. I'm… I'll make sure that he's safe."

Raven turned away from her, Summer feeling her lip push back into place as she called upon the dark ichorous fluid within her to mend the damage, her Aura flickering for a moment as she breathed in, her eyes closing as she tried to get up.

'Damn it, you've got a darn straight right hook there, Rae!'

It was for the best. Raven needed someone to believe in, even with the Order being a threat in the future, Summer's eyes looking at Raven's retreating form, the dark power within Raven a blessing from Jaune, from the young man who had managed to bust Raven's shell open with a small push, to open up that dark bird's heart to the possibility of love with another man.

The Order would reap the lives of those who bore the cloak and the mask, that was how it had always been. Raven had never been born into the blood, she had never been the one to know what it was like to abandon all of your hopes for a dream of peace and to do what you had to.

Summer had seen it in Rowena Arc. The woman was a paragon of power, the Order's greatest asset, if Summer guessed right.

There must always be the Roses of the Rose Clan.

She was going to kill them all, no matter their face or their pleas.

To cut the flower from the thorny stem was the order of the Master that Raven owed her allegiances to, and Summer knew the pain of losing yet another hopeful spark within her life.

It would be an assassination, next.

The Summer Rose bloomed, as the Wilting Rose wilted.

The Wilting Rose was nourishment for the Summer Rose…

From death and decay came fresh life.

There must always be a balance.


A new chapter! On Friday the 13th!

Yeah, things haven't been great for me. Getting a tumour cut out of me and then having to recover a bit, a PC crashing (the motherboard was fried worse than a fried Snickers bar) and then having to get replacement parts, and then trying to get over the flu... Not such a great time for the Cyanide, but he pulls through! One update, with a few important things for the grand crescendo of the Volume coming!

Weiss can walk again, and Yang is seeing what kind of people she's surrounded by... But hey, Pyrrha's accepted her as a friend! There's no way that can go bad, right?

Leave a review if you'd like to!