Okay, so I just wanted to say this

This chapter was a real bitch to write.

Anyway: This chapter marks the beginning of the King's Rise Arc
The Arc will be significantly longer than the other Arcs thus far
and carry a whole lot of Character development for several characters
involved, along with new points of views and the revelation
of new enemies and old ones returning
I just thought I'd let you know before you jump in and
get mad about the obvious lack of Jaune in the next few chapters

Just thought I'd reiterate: Every character I mention
is important to the plot that I've created, I don't make OC's
to fill in some sort of roster. Each was made for a specific
reason that'll propel certain characters forward, or regress them back

Because I'm evil that way
XD

ANYWAY!

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY

Chapter 21: The Decisions We Live With

Fire.

Bullets.

Fire.

Bullets.

Silence.

The battle was over. The waters had grown warm with the blood of her brothers and sisters. Bullets whizzed past her ears and shaved antlers, barely missing her bare forehead. Men and women cried out, screaming in pain as Dust and iron pelted their floating forms in the Bay of Vale. How they lost, was beyond her. Everything was going to plan, but something happened, something turned the tide. Growling against the sloshing waters fighting their way into her ears and throat, the woman pushed forward, waving through the waters, swimming away from the impressive firepower.

Other men and women tried to follow after her, but bullets riddled their backs, or one well-placed shot would pop their heads like melons. But she couldn't afford to be afraid. She wouldn't be afraid. Forcing her aura to her arms and legs, she began to swim. Every ounce of strength she had to spare, every drip of energy she had to burn, she swam. Even with the weight of her armor and firearm practically choking her, she fought past the heavy waves, threatening to send back into the kill zone.

Their transport craft were overturned or burning with a powerful Dust infused inferno. Faunus, brave and cowardly, screamed in horror as their bodies were melted away. Other landing craft had begun to turn around and head back to the Dreadnaught. That was her target – her goal. The men and women around her, fought against time and nature herself. The waves were almost denying them their salvation. As her aura began to burn away and her strength whither, she began to fall behind, lagging away, watching those healthier and more fit to fight, speed through the angry waters.

She clenched her teeth, feeling tears burn in her eyes. Behind her, a loud thump could be heard. Trailing her head back, her blue eyes followed after a glowing missile, burning with a red Dust crystal at the tip. Snapping her head forward, letting her body float on the surface of the water, the missile collided with a transport. The explosion as magnificent, sending shockwaves throughout the water, forcing her back towards the kill zone.

More Faunus fought past each other, trying to jump into the water of the Bay, hoping to douse the flames of a Crimson Dust crystal. They drowned screaming. Those who were left behind, burned to ash, howling like animals – something the Humans would probably take pride in. Clenching her fists, she tried to build aura but she was too stressed. Those remaining in the landing craft, jumped with what they could grab, some practically diving into the Bay. Some weren't trained or strong enough, and many drowned from the sheer weight of their armor and weapons.

Bullets continued peppering the water as those god-forsaken air craft made their rounds. Their engines were silent but rough – echoing in her ears, sending shivers up and down her spine, every time one could be heard, whipping by. The sound was made worse when the miniguns on either side of the transport bays, would open fire when given the chance, slaughtering the Faunus trapped in the Bay like shooting fish in a barrel.

Is that what we are? She asked herself, feeling bullets whizz around her. How did it come to this…?

A soft rumble was heard, breaking the Faunus from her thoughts. Freezing in the waters, she whipped her head around, eyes glowing green. Valean Police patrol boats were coming. But what worried her, the men and women manning the craft weren't police; they weren't even SWAT. They were men wearing red and black combat fatigues and others wore black and grey. They were intimidating to the woman as she tried to escape the bloodbath. But every move she made, even every breath, the waters around her would ripple. With the great spotlights attached to every boat, there was no way she would survive. With no other choice, she held still trying to draw as little attention to herself as she can.

Suddenly, the boats came to a halt.

Floating along, the waves beat against their bows, splashing against her face and the faces of her brothers and sisters unmasked. Fearing the worst, the woman floated along, too afraid to move even a muscle. As the boats danced by, waving against the rippling surface of the bay, some of the Faunus among her, raised their hands, shouting and crying out incoherent words. The sea water and the fear itself, getting to them. Some were splashing violently, causing spotlights to fall upon them, blinding them in the intense white.

But she would not move. Leaning forward, her face submerged into the surface of the bay. Ears stayed above the water, hearing everything that she would dare not see. Holding herself as still as possible, the boats could be felt drifting towards her, the wake of the craft pushed her away, like driftwood.

Click.

Boom.

She felt cold in the water.

As she floated along, a fresh, warm corpse floated to her, bumping her shoulder. Even then, she would not move – she couldn't will her body to. The waters bounced, floating around her. The first blast, was soon followed by several more. The shouts of her friends were slowly silenced by bullets from these humans. Even the ones who openly screamed their surrender – even the ones who were able to speak clearly; their cries fell on deaf, blood-thirsty ears.

But she would not move.

Terror took her.

She wanted to die.

As great white light surrounded her, everything slowly turned black.

"Blue!"

The voice was echoing within her mind.

"C'mon, Blue! Pull through!"

It pounded in her head, almost causing her already painful antlers to ache.

"Stay with us, Blue."

Everything was but a blur. Voices, lights and sounds – everything was nothing short of an ethereal dream. There were tears and there were shouts, all echoing within the recesses of the colorless reverie. There was no explanation, no direction, no end to it all. Lights danced around her, with the same voice echoing around her, gaining decibels as the seconds passed.

Blue!

Blue!

Blue!

She could hear the voice calling to her. She could feel his hands clenching hers. But she could not move – the rest of her body was numb. She couldn't believe where she was. As the pain began to rumble, something exploded around her. Almost like shoving a Yellow Dust crystal into your flesh, electricity, raw as pure lightning, sped through her body, rushing through her nerves.

The once groggy vision and the numb feeling running rampant in her body, had disappeared. Snapping her eyes open, the woman's blue eyes glanced around, taking in the harsh white lights above and around her. Speechless, and dry, the woman turned her head, the pulsating agony had finally calmed down. Beside her, a large machine with numbers and graphs that she couldn't discern, told her she was in a hospital of sorts. Her blue eyes trailed down, spying the patient gown she sported, noticing the patches and bandages, colored red in certain spots, taped and wrapped around wounds.

On the opposite side, no matter how hard it was to even turn her head, her blue eyes locked with the soft, hazel brown of another Faunus; his round glasses were hard to miss.

"P-Perry?" She managed to cough.

"Yes; it's me…" The man smiled, behind his round glasses. "Thank the gods…"

"What happened?" The girl sat up only to be forced back into her bed. A deep, throbbing, searing pain ruptured in her chest. "W-Where am I?"

"Calm down, Blue." The man reached forward, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You were injured badly during the battle. After the patrol craft floated along, we came and extracted as many as we could and brought all of you back to safety."

"W-Where is safety?" She asked. "Our last hospital was bombed by the Brotherhood…"

"This isn't a real hospital." Perry frowned. "We had to make do with what we could get our hands on. At the moment, we're in Vacuo, in some underground organ harvester's lab."

"How long was I out?" She gave the man an incredulous look.

He hesitated. "No more than a month and a half."

"N-No…" Tears burned in the corners of her eyes. "How did we lose the battle?! Where is Adam? Torchwick?!"

"We don't know." Perry hissed. "Some say they saw Adam and Torchwick get apprehended by the King of Vale, while others say they were killed in the battle."

Blue looked up, her fair face burning with ire. Her blue eyes glimmered. "There is no way some mere humans could kill the Adam Taurus. I won't believe it."

"Well…the possibility of it being true is high." Perry sighed into his arms. "Even the Lieutenants are dead."

"No…" She bit her lip. "No! That can't be! We were supposed to win! We had the tech, we had the plan!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Blue." Perry avoided her questioning eyes.

"Can you tell me one thing?" She spoke with a shaking voice. "Was the Brotherhood involved?"

Throw the stone, Cardin! C'mon, don't be a baby.

Throw the stone and you'll be one of us.

Do you remember what you told me of your mother? Of your brother?

Throw the stone, Cardin. These freaks…they're responsible…

Throw the stone…

"No!"

Cardin shot from his bed, aura flaring in every direction. Sweat poured down his brow, dribbling against his bare shoulders and soaking into his muscle shirt. Indigo eyes scanned the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Sliding out of the bed, the boy stretched his arms, and sighed in defeat. Raising his hands to his face, flashes, painful ones echoed in his mind, each leaving a searing heat behind. The cool of his room did little to ease the heat emanating from his chest. It was almost too much.

Throwing the blankets away, he grabbed his scroll. Only midnight?

With a thought, he shifted, rising to his feet. Giving himself a quick wash and dressing into some gym shorts to go with his muscle shirt, he slipped his feet into some flip-flop sandals and headed away. His indigo eyes burned with fire, almost as if they were punched repeatedly. With the thoughts and memories, he was having, getting punched repeatedly would be more than what he deserved. Walking along, his feet dragged against the carpeted flooring of the now, almost completed headquarters.

This place was becoming a second home for himself and the other teams that joined Jaune and his crusade. The people were strong, and each had a real story, a real drive that made them believe in the blond badass. Cardin worked hard in the month since joining, giving every ounce of his ability to rise through the ranks almost catching up to Blake's record. Few of the students even managed what Blake did – barring Coco Adel and the Arc sisters. The rest resigned to being sergeants and small squad leaders or even platoon leaders if needed.

But he would not wallow and fall behind. He was going to change himself for the better. He wasn't going to sit back and let others continuously give orders or tell him how to fight his battles. But most of all, he wasn't going to let his friends be alone in the spotlight of command. Coco seemed to revel in it, sometimes, he'd seen the second year ordering some recruits to carry her shopping results. The Arc sisters, trained with the eldest, the scariest Arc, he'd seen. Their command skills – mostly Clair – was top notch, almost as good as Jaune's. It was no surprise that they were siblings.

His thoughts landed on Blake Belladonna. The first to learn of everything and the first Jaune opened up to. He remembered hearing of how she died, the history their teams had and of course, her burning hatred for him. Thankfully, that hatred died down and now, he could honestly say they were friends. He was still surprised to learn that she was a Faunus, after all, with what he'd done to Velvet and other Faunus across Vale and Beacon, she could kill him – no – she would kill him. Her status as a White Fang operative also caught him off guard, but with the way she treated him and his team, there was no doubt of her heart and sincerity.

Cardin pressed the button of the elevator and sighed as it slid open. Walking in, he quickly slammed his finger against the third-floor button and leaned back as the door began to shut. His heart was pounding in his chest, still feeling the remnants of his shock. The dream hadn't happened in months – almost eight to be exact. It was a memory he did his best to repress, something he wanted to forget and be done with. But the longer he hung around Blake, learning to be more nimble and agile; the longer he spent time with Velvet, learning about her and her struggles; the memories were surfacing, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

Once again, the smile on his face dropped.

Velvet. She didn't deserve hate. She didn't deserve to be treated like a freak. The damn girl wasn't one. She would never be one. Cardin couldn't beat himself up enough about how he treated her and bullied her. Worse yet; she didn't know. She didn't know how much he used to hate her people; the things he'd done to Faunus. He didn't deserve to be her friend. He didn't deserve to be treated so kindly. The boy hissed to himself, feeling his heart tighten in his chest.

She was everything he'd never thought he'd be admiring. Lithe but not a stick. Strong but not overbearing. Shy but not annoying. The more he learned, the more he felt a pull, unmistakable and undeniable. Sighing loudly, his frustration grew the longer he lingered on the subject. There were so many things, so many incredible things about her that just made him smile. But he would not dare to. He didn't deserve to.

Slamming the back of his head into the elevator walls, he took a deep calming breath. Like Ren said. Meditation is key to peace of mind. Deep breaths and clear your mind. Be absent of emotion and let aura flow freely.

"How will I tell them?" Cardin whispered underneath his breath. "My own team doesn't know about this…my father doesn't, my mother doesn't. No one but…but her…"

The doors slid open to reveal the lounge area of the headquarters. A small gaming center with the latest consoles and virtual reality systems were supported and plentiful. The centerpiece of the room was the massive pool table. Across the way, there were several chairs and beanbag chairs, gathered around a stereo that played all types of holo-discs and a bookshelf stocked full of novels and biographies. The nerds among them demanded to having some sort of reading area.

Walking along, he pushed the glass door open and took in the scent of lavender and steak? Peering into the room, he found none other than Jaune Arc himself, standing behind the bar, grilling up a steak. Sitting in one of the swivel chairs was a girl with a massive chest and long, curling blonde hair. The boy was talking about something while Yang listened intently with a giant shit eating grin spread across her face. She was wearing a tank top and gym booty shorts.

He gulped.

Walking along, he froze mid-step.

"Sup, Cardin." Jaune called without even looking his way. "What brings you down to the lounge this late?"

"Couldn't sleep." The boy mumbled, making his way to one of the swivel chairs.

"Wet dreams of a certain rabbit, eh?" Yang faced him with wiggling eyebrows.

Jaune choked on his spit and nearly slammed his hand into the searing hot grill. Cardin was not happy. "Seriously, Yang? C'mon! I'm not into Velvet like that."

Yang grew a dirty look. "I was just trying to be bunny here. No need to hop to conclusions. Eh? Eh?"

"How hot is that grill?" Cardin asked with a deadpanned expression.

Jaune turned to look at him with a raised brow. "Pretty hot I'd say. Why?"

"If I hear another pun, I'm going to give myself third-degree burns." Cardin laughed. "At least that'll be less painful than hearing those god-awful jokes."

"My gods." Yang gasped. "He really did have a wet dream about Velvet."

Jaune snickered, much to Cardin's chagrin. "Being mighty defensive there, Cardin. You should know by now that being defensive –"

"Gives Yang more ammo." The boy groaned. "Yeah. Just…still kinda half asleep here…"

"Wanna talk about it?" Yang asked. "Not about your gross fantasies, but your real dream."

"What makes you think a dream woke me up?" Cardin gave her an incredulous look. "You're trying to make me out to be some kind of wuss? Who even has dreams that can do that?"

"I do." Jaune piped, swinging a plate forward. The steak was medium rare, sizzling and steaming. The plate was suddenly grabbed by Yang. "Dreams are more than just something your mind creates when it's bored. They are imagination running rampant; the manifestation of your aura when you're not in combat; worst types of dreams, are memories."

"Yang and I are the same in that regard." Jaune sighed.

Cardin turned to face the blonde bombshell. "What does he mean?"

Gulping down her first bite of steak, she took a quick drink of the water. Facing Cardin, the confident, cocky, exuberant glimmer in her eyes was gone, replaced with a dull slate of lilac. "This is the first time you'll be hearing this, Cardin so buckle yourself in for a rollercoaster."

"One day, my mother, Summer Rose, went out for a mission. It was the standard kind; extermination of Grimm in a village somewhere in the godforsaken Wilds of Sanus. She'd done this kind of thing before, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of times. She was a damn good huntress, my inspiration as much as Ruby's own. She was a wonderful fighter and an even better mother. But she never came home this time…"

"Y-Yang." Cardin stuttered. "If it's a difficult subject you don't –"

"No, think of this as late-night therapy for those of us with messed up pasts." Yang smiled softly. "It seems we're pretty fucked up for teenagers, ammirite?"

"That's not a good thing." Cardin deadpanned.

"But it could be one." Jaune nodded. "It gives you a new perspective to view the world, rather than the black and white that we're taught in school."

"Yes, yes. Philosophy, yada, yada. Shut up, I'm still telling a story here." Yang hissed, her eyes slowly phasing red.

"Oh, you know you love me." Jaune rolled his eyes, grabbing a slice of steak. "You may continue, my lovely firecracker."

"Anyway…" Yang took a deep breath. "My mother, never came home. Ruby was torn up bad, but honestly, she was too young to really understand what happened. My dad…he…he shut down. It wasn't long before I learned why. Summer…she wasn't the first wife he'd lost. She was his second. The first…was my mom. He wouldn't tell me everything but they were all together on the same team. Team STRQ, apparently some big-shot team way back when."

"My mother apparently left just after I was born. I haven't seen her since. Now…before you ask…no. I don't know why. The million dollar question. Why. I don't know the answer and I'm afraid I won't ever know. But it was all I could think about. I would ask anyone, anybody, until one day, I found something that had the possibility of leading me to my mother."

"So, I waited for my dad to leave the house. Once he was gone, I stuffed my baby sister into a wagon and took off into the wilderness. I must have walked for hours. Cuts, bruises and probably a broken bone somewhere. But I wasn't going to let anything stop me. By the time I made it, I could barely stand, I could barely feel my legs."

"Then I saw it." Yang paused. Her lilac eyes glimmered in the dim lighting of the lounge. "The burning eyes hidden in the darkness. So there we were…a toddler asleep in a wagon and a girl too stupid and tired to cry out for help. But before anything could happen – luck was always on my side it seemed. Our uncle showed up just in time to save us. My stubbornness should have gotten us killed that night…"

Cardin was silent, fists clenched in his lap and against the bar. His indigo eyes darkened in the night.

"I have that dream, every night, Cardin." Yang sighed. "That dream…that memory, replayed, over and over again. Sometimes, my own mind wanders, imagining the outcome if my uncle was late. Or if my uncle never even noticed we were gone…but…despite the pain and the fear that comes with it – I am able to move onward, because I won't let it hold me back. I will happily share the pain I shoulder. Because remember this; the weight of the world shouldn't be yours to carry. The world doesn't revolve around you – don't make it so."

"That was deep." Jaune adopted a thinking pose. "I could have sworn I heard that from somewhere though…"

"Okay! Okay!" Yang hissed with a playful glint in her eyes. "I may or may not have plagiarized your own quote, but it was relevant!"

"Now, Cardin." Jaune nudged the boy with a plate of another steak. "Your turn."

"M-My turn?" The boy coughed. "I-I…look. I get it. Keeping this in is unhealthy and will hold me back…but I can do this. It's just something I need to forget."

"Avoiding is not forgetting, Cardin." Jaune sighed. "I would know that the best among us three. I avoided coming to terms with our friendship and the level of trust we had for each other. I avoided the inevitable confrontation that would bring all of you to learn of my true heritage. I wanted to forget the past; I wanted to forget the things we'd done; the battles we'd fought; the friends I'd lost. But avoiding it only made it hurt more…"

"Forgetting…" Jaune frowned. "Is a lot harder to do…"

The next morning…

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be home soon. We were held up with more orders." A young woman smiled into her scroll. "Will you be making salad tonight?"

"Only the best Mistrali kind." Her mother responded with a giggle. "We'll see you later, love."

"Hey freak!"

Blue looked up, her blue eyes gazing into the distance. The sands of Vacuo blew with the harsh winds and burning sun, forcing her to stay inside. Behind her, several of her surviving brothers and sisters cleaned rifles and sharpened their swords within their large hotel room. Perry wore a tee-shirt with jogger pants, strapped with knee guards and a utility belt. Beside him, several others wore the same attire, having shed their White Fang garb.

The radio chatter was silent, not a single distress call, nor a command from Sienna Khan. The White Fang was silent after the debacle of the docks. Now, they had no direction; no leadership. Everything they'd fought for was for naught. Their push into Vale was met with crushing defeat, forcing them to retreat with almost seventy-percent of their force brought into Vale, arrested or killed. Knowing how the Brotherhood permeates through Atlas and Vale, more so the former, she was betting her brothers and sisters were given watery graves.

News reports were still going on about the attack, praising the police and this King of Vale. Images of dead Faunus and wounded soldiers, sent heated bolts of electricity into her system. Clenching her fists, she turned to face the city under the cover of a sand storm. The megalopolis of Vacuo was slightly smaller than Vale, but had almost the same population. Millions of people crowded the city, piling into every shithole and cave they could find refuge in.

She hated it here. It was too yellow; too sandy; too hot. The people were too apathetic to any cause, other than their own. Even the Faunus of Vacuo were nearly immune to White Fang recruitment tactics. It aggravated her. How can these people, her people, ignore their struggles? How can they happily call themselves Faunus, parade their features about, without even taking into consideration the people like herself? Her own antlers were cut off like a damn trophy. She was beaten so horrendously, her memories were forgotten, save for a few snippets. And of course – she couldn't even remember her name.

These Faunus felt they were above all of that. Finding the politics of Vacuo being as non-intrusive as possible. These people weren't living the dream. They were living a lie; anarchy. The government did almost nothing to aid or subjugate their citizens. And that alone, aggravated Blue. She nearly died for the cause; for the revolution. But these traitors, laugh and walk off, ignoring their pleas and speeches. To some, they were a nuisance, to others, they were an unnecessary tool of a bygone era.

"The decisions we made…" She frowned, bringing her hands up. "The decisions we live with…"

Her hands flashed, suddenly covered in blood and gashes. She gasped, losing her footing. Around her, fire and water, rushed about, bouncing her around. Trying to get a grip, she reached out, pressing against the walls, losing her breath. On the floor, her own body laid. She couldn't breathe.

A woman with silvery locks of hair and amethyst eyes, knelt over her with a knife. She wore armor that didn't bear any sigils or symbols. Behind her, a few men wore similar armor. Their faces weren't even normal – twisted and malignant, they were surrounded with a black aura that hovered over them like a plague. But there was one; one that looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. One that had hatred beyond racism – one that truly despised her. His armor was the only one with enough detail to get her through the lucid memory.

A grey breastplate with golden trims, and a flaming golden eagle emblazoned.

In the Silver Citadel, the Valean Council Chambers…the next day…

"Are you insinuating something, Lord Argent?"

"Are you insinuating something yourself, Lord Arc?"

An awkward cough echoed in the grand Council Chambers. "Please, my lords; is there any chance we can get through this meeting without your bickering?"

"Quiet, Tanager." The Lord Argent hissed with venom. "No one was speaking to you."

"Don't speak to my husband in such a way, Alexios." A goat-Faunus warned.

"Dahlia. Don't get involved." Tan sighed into his palm.

A huff was heard. "Keep your pet on a shorter leash, Winchester. She has no place here."

"Is it because she's a Faunus or is it because you just don't like Winchesters, Argent?" Marie growled. "The lines tend to blur when you speak."

"Marie." Claude sighed as well. "Look. We understand the law; but my children, Tanager's son and retainers sons, are all huntsmen and huntresses. What they did was a civil service!"

"What they did was vigilantism!" Alexios roared, rising to his feet. "What separates us from the animals are rules, Claude. For someone who holds honor, dignity and respect above all else, you seem to make enough amendments to your own mantra. Last I checked, Rosemary was the only registered huntress among your riff-raff. The rest are in training."

"Damn you and your semantics." Claude's sapphire eyes bored into Alexios's amethyst. "Just say it and be done with it, Argent! This is one of your subtle attempts at subduing House Arc! Go after me, I don't care. Insult my wife because of her heritage, I know she could kick your ass. But going after my children – even you have to be a sick man to stoop so low."

"I go after them because they are the cause for the uproar!" He hissed back. "Do you not understand how much work we've tried to put into protecting Vale?! Our forefathers would spit on us if they saw the disparity that is befalling us now, since the incident of the docks, a month ago! We have worked tirelessly to forge peace –"

"Peace?!" Claude howled. Slowly his anger dissipated. He began to laugh. "Peace?! What peace is there when Sanus is plagued by some of the worst Grimm infestations since the Great War! What peace is there when refugees flood our city without proper care and facilities to house them?! What peace is there when the White Fang and the Brotherhood grows with each passing day?! Tell me, Alexios. What. Peace."

"Claude." Tanager rose from his seat. "Please, calm down. There's no need for this shouting. You can yell and spit reason all you want but Brotherhood members can't be reasoned with."

"How dare you?!" A woman with brown hair and green eyes rose to her feet. Evanthe Argent, matriarch of the House. "If being a part of an organization that preaches pride in one's kind is a crime, then why isn't that mutt, Marie under fire?!"

"Watch yourself, Evanthe." Claude glared, white energy glowed around him. "Calm your wife, Alexios. If she continues like this – House Arc will happily go to war with House Argent. Your hate and disregard for Faunus is one thing, openly disrespecting my wife in front of the council is another. You Argents have hungered for my family's prestige and place in Vale for as long as we Arcs can remember. Go ahead, Alexios. Make a move; make a decision you'll regret."

"What you say to my wife, I will return with force, tenfold." Alexios clenched his fists.

"You don't have the courage." Marie glared.

"Sit, dog." Evanthe hissed. "Your owners are speaking."

"Enough!" Tanager roared. His fist glowed with orange energy. Slamming his knuckles into the table, a small, concentrated explosion ruptured the wood and granite top, shattering it completely. "I am sick and tired of hearing you two arguing! For decades, I've had to sit through this! For decades, my father had to sit through listening to your fathers arguing! If I'm lucky enough; I'm damn sure their fathers sat through the same thing! Shut up, damn it!"

"Yes, Argent. My son, my retainer's sons and Claude's children fought in the docks!" Tan roared. "Yes, they fought outside the boundaries of the law. Yes, they aren't legal huntsmen or huntresses yet. No, they did not do the wrong thing. They fought like any true citizen of Vale would do. They defended their home from an invasion! They fought because it was the only thing to do!"

"Claude!" Tanager turned to face his friend, red faced. "Yes, Alexios is a cunt! Yes, Evanthe is a bigger cunt! Yes, Houses Argent and Arc have been at odds since the beginning of time, damn you. But you always preach about being the bigger man, being the smarter, stronger willed and better man. What are you doing? You're falling into his trap and letting your goddamn emotions dictate what you say and do! You literally threatened war over insults!"

"I'm done here!" The man threw his seat back, letting it shatter against the stone walls behind him. "Dahlia, come on. Signal the men, we're going home."

"B-But, Tanager." Claude watched his friend with incredulous eyes.

"Fuck the meeting." Tan said through clenched teeth. "Until you and Alexios set aside your personal vices and learn to work together – I'm done here. Let me know when you lot are finally finished with your childish arguments and decide to do something about Vale. Dahlia and I are hungry."

Claude took a deep breath, falling into his seat. Leaning forward, he began to nurse his beating migraine. "I hope Jaune is doing okay…"

The next weekend…

"Buddy." Jaune spoke, as he leaned against the railing of the balcony. "You can tell me when you're ready. It's been a week since we've started this little thing of ours, and I've gotta say, we are…"

"Fucked up?" Yang asked.

"Misguided." Cardin corrected.

"Fucked up is a good term." Jaune laughed, sipping at his Strawberry Sunrise. "Seriously. I have memories of a future-past where all of us die. Yang's early life was a lie and nearly got her sister killed. You carry the weight of your mother's and brother's death on your shoulders and are still struggling to get over the hate you used to feel for Faunus because of it."

"It's almost depressing." Yang sighed, sipping at her own Strawberry Sunrise, topped with an umbrella. "Who would've thought?"

"I know I wouldn't." Cardin mumbled. "You guys seem so carefree, almost…all the time. It's kinda worrying."

"We mask what we feel." Yang frowned. "It's our defensive shield y'know."

"Really?"

"Fuck no, dude. I'm far from some angsty teen that cries about my life."

"What a relief." Cardin rolled his eyes. "What I would give to be surrounded by normal people…"

"Oh, don't be like that, big guy." Yang sipped away. "We're as normal as you're gonna get."

"I just had a thought. Think Blake would like to join us?" Jaune thought for a moment. "She does carry a lot of baggage."

"No. Can we not invite her?" Cardin cringed slightly. "I'm afraid of what she might do when she hears my story."

"It's the past." Yang nodded. "It's something that forged you; I doubt she'll be one to judge. Ex-terrorist, remember?"

"Fine." The boy took a deep breath.

"What do you know about the Brotherhood?" Cardin asked.

Why am I getting a sense of Déjà vu? Jaune wondered to himself. "Nothing. Can't say I've heard of such a group."

"Ditto." Yang gave him a confused look.

Cardin turned to face the sea of skyscrapers and endless huts and hovels made of blankets and makeshift homes. "The Brotherhood is to humanity as the White Fang is to Faunus. They cry and preach about supremacy and the extermination of each other. Just…while the White Fang only has support in Menagerie, from what Blake told me, the Brotherhood has ties to every human government in the world. They're most prominent in Atlas, which is why Faunus are treated so poorly there. Then Vale…"

"Cardin…" Yang rose from her seat, staring at him with worrying eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I was once a member of the Brotherhood."

Dun, Dun, DUUUN!

Anyway! Here we go into the thick of things!
Blue is more than just some White Fang goon I mentioned in passing
Cardin is more troubled than we like to agree on
Jaune knows how to make a perfect medium rare steak
And Yang wears booty shorts

Enough of that!

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Ja ne!

gottahavekyuubi