A/N: Since POV swaps are going to become more frequent from here on out, I figured it would be best to set in place a system to differentiate between time-skips and perspective changes.

From now on, time skips will be represented by the standard horizontal line:

POV changes will be shown using this symbol:

/-/

Also, bear in mind that time-skips and POV swaps might also happen together. In which case, just a horizontal line will be used.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Blood Trails.

Given the dramatic, life-threatening ordeal that the three of them had just gone through not an hour ago, Yang figured that she really ought not to be as calm as she was. Perhaps it was the frigid morning air of Atlas contrasted by the plateful of waffles doused in warmed syrup and coffee that soothed her nerves. Or the wave of relief that overcame her after the adrenaline high wore off.

Or maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the twenty or so highly-trained, heavily armed Atlas Specialists that bustled in and out of Schnee Manor. One didn't get into their little club without being the best of the best; having so many of them in one almost guaranteed complete safety for herself, Weiss, and Jasper. Currently, they were busying themselves sweeping the grounds for any signs of the escaped assassins and investigating the house. It was still a mystery as to how the attackers managed to infiltrate and exfiltrate without setting off any kind of alarm or security system. As such, the Specialists were combing the entire property to find out.

She, Jasper, and Weiss had already been grilled for their statements. Alongside the staff that was on the grounds, they were also made to sign nondisclosure agreements so that they couldn't breathe a word of what had transpired to anyone, not even other forms of law enforcement.

That bit had initially struck Yang as odd. Why wouldn't they involve the police? But then she realized that this was the Atlas military. They never let anything that would cause any sort of panic to get out if they could prevent it. A second attempt made on the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company's life, in her own home no less? Why that just had 'news flash' and 'chaos' written all over it in big, bold, lettering. In fact, it's likely that this event would be kept off the books entirely, considering it was Weiss's sister, Winter - who had complete control over what did and didn't get logged in official records - that was in charge of the Specialists.

Now that she gave it some thought, Yang came to the conclusion that it wasn't the Specialists' presence that made her feel at ease, but Winter's. When that woman wanted to get something done, she damn well did it herself and did it right. The second they arrived, the captured assassin, once more wide awake and scared out of his mind, was properly restrained and loaded on to the bullhead for questioning.

Which was convenient, considering as soon as he awoke from his blunt-force-trauma-induced nap, the guy had snapped right out of Weiss's toy handcuffs. Since the Ice Queen had basically outright said what the things were used for, Yang was not too surprised or alarmed when he had, either. However, any kind of teasing she might have done was put on hold when she took in the sight of the man as he tried to escape her fireman's carry.

Firstly, he didn't get far due to a terrible cut on the back of his leg. Apparently, Jasper had sliced through the backside of his knee during their duel. Gruesome and unfortunate as it was for her nephew to be forced to take such an action, she couldn't fault him for his ability to end a fight. His hands were also injured; blood and puss oozed out of disgusting blisters, and small pieces of shrapnel were lodged in his palms. She later found out via Jasper's statement that Cotton - his name was - had pulled out a flash grenade and let it go off in his hands. Most of the damage had been absorbed by his aura, preventing him from losing his hands, but leaving him with severe burns.

Fine, she thought, but that didn't explain why the faunus was so terrified at the mere sight of Jasper. Enough to try and pitifully scrape his way across the ground to get away from him. The look in his eyes had told a story of pure horror, and all of it centered around the Arc.

Come to think of it, Jasper didn't seem to be the same either. When she'd left to go aid Weiss, he'd had full confidence in himself. Now, however, there was a strange look about him. He held a calm face, but his posture and the way he tensed whenever someone, herself included, approached; it was as though he was expecting another attack and didn't trust anyone at all.

Understandable, given that this had been his first real fight for his life. Sure, he and Yang had trained and sparred for years, but neither of them ever came away with anything more severe than a few bruises. Never in his nineteen years on Remnant had he faced an opponent whose blows were meant to draw blood.

Yang could barely recall her first time with the experience. Two and a half decades ago, a shady nightclub affectionately dubbed "The Club" by its owner. She'd come in looking for information on her mother and had been met with swords and submachine guns trained on her. The looks on the thugs' faces were priceless, and she wished she'd thought to take pictures with her scroll. She would've had them framed and hung them up in the Team RWBY dorm room in place of her "Achieve Men" poster. No matter what Weiss would have said, her taste in art was anything but shallow, the Ice Queen just didn't have the refined eye that it took to be able to appreciate the sacred practices of blackmail and puns.

Yang's own experience with life or death combat notwithstanding, Jasper didn't seem to be taking it very well. Of course, that might have had something to do with his nearly killing an opponent he'd already taken down. She had told him before that they were most likely going to have to kill a few of the assassins before the whole mission was over, what he almost did wasn't self-defense. Not when the killer couldn't even fight back.

It would have been murder.

That was not a line she was willing to allow him to cross. Luckily, she and Weiss had thought to check on him after they drove off the larger group of attackers. She had opened the door just in time to see him standing over the unconscious faunus, raising his sword up in preparation to end him. The whole scene was like something out of a horror movie; the blood that dripped from Blutrache's blade, Cotton helplessly laying on the floor, and the dead, emotionless expression on Jasper's face. There was something very wrong with him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was there. The hopeless confusion and shame in his eye after she stopped him from going through with taking the faunus's life proved it. She made it a point to confront him about it.

Although, for now, it would have to wait a while, as Yang was pulled back into the real world by a stern, yet caring voice addressing her. Suddenly made aware of the woman that had approached her, she looked up from her now cold breakfast. "Huh?"

With a sigh that spoke not of displeasure, but mild annoyance at having to repeat herself, Winter Schnee replied, "Since you clearly were not paying attention the first time," she cleared her throat and extended a hand to her. "Thank you, Miss Xiao Long, for being here to defend my sister."

Standing up, Yang accepted Winter's gesture and gave her a firm, bionic handshake. "First off, you can call me Yang," she said. "And two, you don't have to thank me."

"I very much think I do. Were it not for the efforts of you and your nephew, I do not believe that Weiss would have survived this event. That is no small matter, and I am in your debt."

She shook her head at the older woman. "No, you don't owe me anything. Neither does Weiss. I came here because your sister is the closest thing I have to one. She's one of the few people in my life that I can call family. I came here because I refused to let her be taken away."

Neither of them said a word for a moment. Not once breaking eye contact as Winter weighed and processed her words. At first glance, it that appeared that Winter - and Weiss as well, come to think of it - were always calm and collected, in control of their faculties, and not easily swayed in terms of their emotions. However, if one got to know them enough, they would find that that was all a mask built up after years of harsh mental and verbal discipline by their father, Jacques Schnee. One of the few things he'd ever done for them that actually benefited them, honestly; it helped her and Weiss maintain control of stressful situations by presenting a facade of confidence and poise to those around them.

Now, however, she could see that, behind that cold and regal expression, the Specialist was incredibly thankful and relieved at Yang's reasons for aiding Wiess.

"That, and I couldn't turn down a chance at a free stay in what is essentially the best bed and breakfast ever, complete with a gourmet chef." She didn't want to ruin what was obviously a serious show of gratitude, but it wasn't who she was to stay stone-faced and stoic.

With the moment having been shattered, Winter coughed into her hand. "Yes, well, thank you all the same...Yang." She bowed politely and turned away. After taking a few steps, she glanced back over her shoulder. "And when I said I was in your debt, I meant it. If you ever need anything from myself or the Specialists, do not hesitate to ask."

Yang cocked an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip. "I'll hold you to that, Bigger Ice Queen. But I warn you, I'm a dangerous person to owe a favor." She smiled coyly at the latter part of her statement.

"So long as it's within my power, I will do whatever you need. On that, you have my word."

As she watched the woman march back to the bullhead to address one of her operatives, Yang grinned at all the possible requests she could make of her. Winter had said that she would do anything in her power, and such a promise brought with it many childish and embarrassing risks. However, when she made it, she and Yang both knew that this chance only came once in a lifetime. And as such, was not to be taken lightly.

Yang would have to give the matter some serious thought. But it was useful knowing that, should she ever need her, Winter was in her corner.

/-/

With a deafening roar, the engines of the Specialists' bullhead ignited. Having gotten all that they needed from the scene, Weiss's sister and the rest of them began packing up. One by one, the white-clad soldiers boarded the craft along with all their equipment. They worked fast, that was for sure. No sooner had they come and asked all their questions, searched the entire house, and provided on-site medical attention to those that needed it, then they were cleaning everything and making sure that it appeared as though they were never there.

The discipline, the order, and the tactical thought that went into their every move; it was an impressive sight to behold. If these were the kind of soldiers that Atlas put out, then it was no wonder they had the strongest military force on the planet. Then again, the Specialists were supposed to be the best of the best. It was likely incorrect to assume that the whole kingdom had the same level of training and skill.

Jasper watched them work with an intrigued eye. Due to all his time working security at various bars around Vale, he'd acquired somewhat of a hobby in people-watching. Some would call such a pass-time creepy or weird. However, those were the same kind folks who would hypocritically dress in outfits to attract as much attention as possible, only to berate others for staring at them.

Jasper could have cared less about the clothes people wore, though. He was more interested in how they acted. For example, when a person was twitchy and always fidgeting around, it likely meant that they had guilt that they were trying to hide from. Then again, some people were just like that or acted weird for the sake of it. Either way, it helped to know what kinds of things to be on the lookout for. In a way, it also allowed him to understand what people were thinking.

In observing the Specialists, he noticed one trait, in particular, that was present in all of them. Every one of them held a deep and profound respect for their commanding officer. Whenever she would approach, they would drop everything to salute or greet her. However, it went beyond something as mere as recognition of rank. They all seemed genuinely honored by her presence. And, judging by the way her gaze would slightly soften when conversing with them, Winter had a great deal of care in her for the people under her command, as well. Such thoughts helped Jasper to soothe his nerves and focus his mind on something other than the concerns for his own sanity.

A side-benefit of knowing how to spot tells in peoples' attitudes was that he knew exactly how to hide his own - to a certain extent, anyway. Good thing, too. Because at the moment, he was barely holding himself together mentally. However, to anyone that saw him, he appeared calm as could be, quietly sipping his coffee that had gone cold about ten minutes ago. Such a mask would not hold up forever, though. Someone was sure to take notice; namely, Yang. She'd seen him break down in tears after his fight with Cotton. There was no way she would buy that he got over it so quickly.

She didn't yet know the full story of the ordeal, neither did anyone else. How could he have told her in a way that didn't make him sound completely insane? "Hey, Aunt Yang, just so you know, I tortured that assassin guy for information and then a voice in my head told me to kill him." Yeah, that would go over just perfectly. There was no way it could possibly backfire and land him in prison.

The details about the fight were definitely going to come to light sooner or later, given that Cotton was now in Atlas military custody. Jasper just hoped to be out of the kingdom by the time that happened. He had intentionally left out the torture and his potential mental instability in his statement. Partly out of self-preservation, but also because revealing it would prolong their time there and keep him and Yang from being able to move on. He had a feeling that she would want to head out as soon as possible once she found out that Blake Belladonna was also on the assassins' hit list.

Now that he thought about it, why did they want Blake dead, too? Weiss, he could understand the reasoning behind. She was powerful, rich, and a very influential public figure. But Blake, aside from being the third member of Team RWBY, she was just a retired huntress living her life in Menagerie. What kind of benefit could someone get from killing her, other than there being one less huntress in the world?

He supposed that there was possibly some crucial information about the woman that he was ignorant of. After all, he'd only ever met her once; at his parents' funeral, and he'd been a grief-stricken child at the time. His mother never really talked about her, neither did Yang. Blake Belladonna was an enigma. All he really knew about her was that she was a faunus and an old - albeit, estranged - friend of his family. And if she was as close to Yang as Weiss was, then it was imperative that they warn her about a threat to her life.

Once the Specialists were all packed up and the bullhead departed, Winter summoned Weiss, Yang, and Jasper to her personal transport. She wore an expression that might have been a mix of concern and relief.

"Now that things are wrapped up here," she stated. "Weiss, I think it best you come and stay with me for a while. It's become clear that these lowlifes have the skill to infiltrate even the most secure of locations."

Jasper stifled a small chuckle. Yeah, if you could call blowing two giant holes in the ceiling 'infiltrating.'

Winter continued, either ignore him or simply not caring to dignify his laugh. "That being said, I find it highly unlikely that they would try something of this nature again. Particularly if you were surrounded by Atlas military personnel."

"Yeah, the woman's got a point, Ice Queen," Yang chimed in.

Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "As much as I was hoping to avoid involving you, Winter, I suppose that would be the best course of action."

It was indeed the smartest thing she could have done. The assassins may have been bold, but Atlas safehouses were literal fortresses. According to public knowledge, they were built and reserved specifically for high-ranking officers and VIPs, and Weiss Schnee was as VI as it got. Someone with her influence and wealth was most likely up there on the kingdom's essential list. If anybody even thought about coming after her now, they would be just begging for one or two thousand high-powered bullets to the brainpan.

"It wasn't a suggestion, but I am pleased that you agree," Winter nodded.

I don't want to imagine what she would've done if she said 'no.' That being said, it would have been entertaining, no doubt.

"Well then," Winter said with a relaxed sigh. Shifting her attention, she addressed Jasper and Yang. "What will be next for you two? Will you be returning to Vale?"

Yang glanced his way. "Unless the kid's got any more plans here in Atlas, I was gonna try and figure out where these assassin guys are headed next."

"Menagerie." All three women looked at Jasper curiously, the name seemingly coming out of nowhere. "They're headed to Menagerie. Their leader's probably already there."

"How do you know that?" Yang furrowed her brow.

Winter echoed her. "And why was it not in your statement?"

He swallowed hard. His mouth felt dry. How did he answer? Did he tell the truth, or dodge the question? A little of both, perhaps?

"I heard that Cotton guy say something about Menagerie and Blake Belladonna into his radio during our fight," he lied. Thank god his eyepatch masked at least some of his face because he had the feeling that he had the expression of pure guilt. "It was really quick, and I almost didn't hear him. Didn't think it was important until now."

Weiss and Yang shared a worried look. "He said that? You're sure he mentioned Blake Belladonna?" The blonde demanded in a panicked tone.

"Yeah. Something about how she was their next target."

"Well then we've gotta get to Kuo Kuana now! We've got to warn her."

"Well, I suppose that settles it," Weiss pulled out her scroll and entered a few commands. After a brief minute, she put the device away. "I've just made arrangements for you two to be given passage to Menagerie."

Yang looked as though her knees were about to give way, she was about to punch someone, or possibly both. "Thank you, Weiss."

"You can thank me after you get things sorted out with Blake," she placed her hands on Yang's shoulders. "And if you want to get there before our friends do, I believe you should leave now."

Jasper felt a little confused at that remark. Why would she be telling them to leave if they were all going in the same vehicle?

"Just this once, because I know you know how to pilot it, I'll allow you to use my private bullhead to get to the airport. There will be a plane there waiting for you, bound for Vale. After that, I've reserved spots on a boat to Menagerie for you." Her words were so clear and precise as if she were giving some sort of statement to her underlings. Yet, her voice carried a bit more weight than that; a twinge of fear. Perhaps that they might be too late, or that her aid might not be enough.

"Ahem," Winter cleared her throat to get their attention. "Once you arrive in Menagerie, please contact me using the CCT. It is not open to the general populace yet, but I will send word that you are to be given clearance. I will forward any and all information that my people can glean from the prisoner and his scroll."

"Thank you, both of you. You have no idea what this means to-" Yang was cut off by Weiss pointing a sharp finger at her,

"Wrong. I do know what it means to you. You forget all too easily that I was also a part of Team RWBY. And though I may not have gotten on with Blake as well as you or Ruby, she and I were just as close. As such, I have no desire to see her life threatened or, even worse, taken."

Seemingly blocking out the rest of the world, the two women simply stared into each other's eyes, their expressions serious and grim. Jasper suspected that this was a part of the bond that they shared as teammates - no, more than that, sisters. That they could speak a thousand words with a mere glance. He wondered if he could have ever had that with his own team had he not been expelled from Beacon. Could they have been a sort of replacement for the family he lost?

They concluded their silent conversation with a final hug before they all said their farewells. Weiss expressed a fondness at seeing Jasper again, albeit wishing that it could have been under better pretenses. He returned the sentiment and was caught off guard when, in place of a handshake, she wrapped him in her arms.

"Your mother would have never forgiven me had I not done that," she explained upon letting him free.

He could do little more than laugh awkwardly. "Yeah. It uh... was nice to see you too."

She nodded and bid he and Yang one last goodbye before disappearing into Winter's transport. Her sister, far less willing to show any emotion, simply extended a hand.

"Once more, Mr. Arc, thank you for coming to my sister's aid. I understand that it could not have been easy to incapacitate the assassin we took into custody, but thanks to your actions, there is one less killer roaming free." Her grip was firm and unyielding, and she held his hand captive for the duration of her commendation. "Now, I must bid you both a swift and pleasant journey. I do hope we can meet again someday, although, I would prefer if it were under less acrimonious circumstances."

And with that, the Schnees left Yang and Jasper standing in the courtyard of Schnee Manor alone. The two of them turned away as the vehicle disappeared into around a bend, and headed into the massive house to collect their things for the journey ahead. Jasper steeling his nerves for the long and arduous bout of air travel he would soon be forced to endure.

If there was one thing Jasper could appreciate about boats and water in general, it was that he could travel on them without having to worry about unleashing a bioweapon. Where he would be completely incapacitated by flight, there was something liberating and refreshing about the smell of salt on the wind and warmth of the sun.

Good thing then, that he and Yang were forced to take a ferry to Menagerie. Well... good for him, anyway. Although he suspected that Yang was champing at the bit.

It had been all over the news lately that Atlas had begun working with Menagerie's leaders to construct a CCT tower for the up and coming province. As a result, Kuo Kuana's airspace was temporarily restricted, making the only way to reach it sea travel. Which just so happened to be very slow compared to flight.

The delay was causing Yang all sorts of distress and unease. Her posture was wholly different from normal. She chewed her lips nervously, kept her eyes glued in the direction of their destination, and was tapping rapidly on the ferry boat's guardrail. In a way, it was rather disheartening to see a woman who was usually so light-hearted and carefree be reduced to the walking bundle of nerves and anxiety she was now.

If only to distract her, Jasper made his way over and leaned up against the railing beside her. "Before we get there, I'd like to know a bit more about Blake," he said. "My parents never really talked about her, and neither did you, so I really have no idea who we're going to see."

"Hmm? Oh, right." Yang looked as though he'd pulled her out of deep thought. She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair before turning to face him. "Well… in all honesty, I don't know where to start. There's a lot more to Blake than meets the eye."

"Okay, how 'bout we start with the obvious; what's she like?"

The older woman smiled softly, recalling pleasant memories, no doubt. "Blake is… complicated, I guess is the best way to put it. She's very driven. If she gets it into her head that she needs to do something and that lives are on the line, she'll push herself to the point of nearly killing herself to get it done." Yang's smile fell a bit and took on a sad nature.

"I remember when we were students at Beacon, she convinced herself that she was the only one capable of dealing with the White Fang. It got so bad that she stopped eating, she barely slept, and she started pushing everyone in her life away. It hurt to see my partner torture herself like that. It hurt so bad that we - your mom, Weiss, and I - dragged ourselves into a war with one of the largest criminal organizations on Remnant."

That was a story that Jasper had heard. Many times, in fact, from multiple people. Every one of them said something different; warehouses getting blown sky high, epic battles with giant robots, an Atlesian superweapon in the form of an innocent little girl. The list of fantastical events went on and on. Though, he suspected that they were all just strange enough to be true.

"I'd say that beats my first semester," he said, laughing.

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, it was a fun ordeal. You know, minus the whole thing about it leading to the fall of Beacon and me going through a rather disarming experience." She waved her bionic hand, causing him to groan at the terrible pun that he'd definitely never heard before.

"Anyway, after that cluster, Blake showcased yet another of her fabulous character traits; running away from the people she loves after a tragedy."

Jasper raised an eyebrow.

"Since it was the White Fang that invaded Vale and killed all those people, she thought that it was somehow her fault that we all got hurt and… lost people that we cared about. So, rather than stay and risk causing us more pain, she thought it would be better to abandon all of us completely and run away.

"She's better now. But back then it hurt worse than any kind of wound we got from fighting. When we finally got back together, about a year later, she swore never to do it again, she meant it too. It took a good long while to get the trust between us back, but we eventually got back to where we could go to the mall, braid each other's hair, and talk about cute boys."

"I find it incredibly hard to believe that I find it incredibly hard to believe that you would let someone touch - let alone braid - your hair," Jasper deadpanned. Yet another thing he'd learned from living with Yang, the woman was very particular and protective of her golden locks. As was evidenced by the comically large arsenal of hair-care products she had stocked in her shower.

"Okay, maybe we didn't do that exactly, but Blake did change. She started to trust us, confide in us more, instead of holding it all in like your typical angsty teen. Things never went back to normal completely, what with us going off on a crazy crusade against the devil herself, but they did regain some shred of how Team RWBY used to be."

Jasper harkened back to the days when he would sit on his dad's lap, looking through old photo albums and listening to stories of the shenanigans that Teams RWBY and JNPR got up too at Beacon. Tales of crazy, semblance-amplified food fights destroying the cafeteria. A dance where Jaune wore a dress. The pictures showed young, happy versions of themselves, smiling and laughing at each other. They were not the stoic and proud heroes that the schoolbook said they were. They were children, as young - if not, younger than him, living their lives and learning how the world worked as friends. It was strange to look at those old images and then see entirely different people nowadays.

"What happened to make you all drift apart?" he asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well, you and my parents never really talked about her, and I've only ever met her the one time: at their funeral. Something must've caused that."

Yang's brow furrowed and she pondered his question. It dawned on him that she might never have given it any thought. After all people, even the best of friends tended to lose contact with each other over time.

"Huh… Ya know what? I never really thought about it."

Bingo.

"I guess none of us really did. After we took down Salem and her cronies, Ruby and Jaune settled down to have you, Weiss went back to Atlas and took over the SDC from her dickwad of a dad, and I started traveling around Remnant doing huntressy things. Blake, like Weiss, went home to Menagerie to help her dad, Ghira sort things out after the White Fang dissolved.

"We all kept in touch for the most part, but after a while of doing our own thing, much as I hate to say it, life kinda got in the way. Looking back, I do actually regret not going to visit or just giving her a call, but what's done is done and there's no changing it."

She let out a long, relaxed sigh, indicative that Jasper's attempt to settle her nerves had been a success. She smiled weakly and looked him in the eye, her own filled with a mixture of sorrow and slight humor. "What kind of friend does it make me if the only thing that can bring us back together is her being in the crosshairs of a bunch of psychopaths?"

What was he supposed to say to that? Though she was estranged, Blake clearly meant a lot to Yang. Could Jasper claim to know what she was going through? He'd lost his parents, sure; but it happened all at once and was over as quickly as it began. The women that Yang considered to be her sisters were being targeted, hunted. She knew what was coming, and yet she could do nothing about it. The fear of not getting to Menagerie in time must have been killing her.

As he opened his mouth to reply, there came a fierce gust of wind from behind him. At first, Jasper may have been some form of airborne Grimm, but given that neither Yang nor any other passengers had said anything, made that seem unlikely. What he found when he turned around, however, both chilled and befuddled him.

There, hovering about half a foot above the deck, was what could only be described as a tear in reality. Unnatural red energy swirled around a hole that was as black as the void. The air around it seemed to warp and flow in abnormal ways, only adding to the eeriness of the portal.

After a tense moment, a figure stepped through the vortex. The woman, for it was a woman, was garbed in black and red robes with small pieces of armor on her shoulders and forearms. In her hand, she gripped a sword not too dissimilar to Blutrache in appearance. Despite being armed, her stance did not suggest she meant to attack; though, with enough experience, anyone could mask their intentions with body language. What truly caused Jasper to reel, however, was the threatening mask that concealed her face. He couldn't help but tense his muscles at the sight of the Grimm-like headpiece.

Jasper's found himself unconsciously reaching up to grip his sword's hilt, his fingers finding their familiar place on the black leather.

"If you plan on using that," her voice was sharp and commanding as she placed her unarmed hand on her hip, striking a pose that dared him to draw his weapon. "I'd suggest not missing on your first strike. Because I can assure you… you won't get a chance at a second."

Before the standoff could progress any further, Yang, thankfully stepped between the two swordsmen, placing one hand on Jasper's chest and holding the other up in the direction of the newcomer. Acting as a sort of human barrier between them.

"Easy kiddo," she said calmly before turning to the scary Grimm lady. "First off, I'd appreciate it if you didn't threaten my nephew."

Jasper got the feeling that the woman was smirking underneath that mask.

"Second, what the hell are you doing here?"

The woman chuckled, which only served to further unnerve Jasper, and slid her blade into its sheath. He didn't relax, however, as he suspected this was a person who just as deadly without a weapon as she was with one. She then reached up and slowly removed her menacing headgear, revealing pale skin and dark - if somewhat graying - hair. Just as he expected, her lips were pulled into a smug grin that screamed superiority complex.

The last thing to make themselves visible were her eyes, which were an intimidating shade of crimson. Though he was certain he'd never met this woman before in his life, her eyes held a strange sense of familiarity, and he couldn't help but think that she looked just like Yang.

"Now Yang," she said in a jokingly critical tone. "Is that any way to greet your own mother?"

Oh… shit.

A/N: And there you have it! I sincerely apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out. The past few weeks have been playing hell with my schedule, due to it being the end of the semester. But I'm free now, and I can look forward to a couple of months of sun, heat, and misery without the omnipresent threat of project deadlines hanging over my head.