AN: I would like to address Gry24 once again: Thanks for the suggestions! I'll put it to good use! If you don't mind sharing, what did you have in mind for Blake?

I would also like to once again thank Lord Maximus for the help with this chapter.

Onwards!

(TW: Abuse)

Chapter 81

Blake leaned against the railing of the ship, watching as the ocean slowly drifted past. She had changed her look after escaping from Vale, and was now wearing a short black crop top under a long white jacket, black pants, and black high-heeled boots. Since her jacket was worn open, if one looked closely, they could see a scar on the left side of her abdomen. On top of her head was her trusty bow.

A noise to her right startled her, and she looked over to see two kids laughing. She shook her head, chuckling at her own paranoia, and looked back out at sea.

"Traveling alone?" a voice asked, prompting her to turn around and grip the hilt of Gambol Shroud. She realized her mistake when she saw the old man's cap, denoting him as the ship's captain. He held his hands up. "Now, now, no threat here. Just here to chat." Blake sighed and put her own hands down at her sides.

"And why is that?" she asked.

"Well, not many people travel by boat on their own," the captain said, leaning against the rail next to her. "It can be quite a lonely voyage. But I found those that do tend to have the more… interesting stories."

"Maybe it's just… better for some people to be alone," she said, not meeting his eyes. The kids made noise behind her, startling her again before she realized what had happened. She heard the captain chuckle.

"Maybe, but with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt."

"Who says I'm paranoid?!" Blake snapped, prompting the captain to chuckle again.

"No one, dear, no one," he said. "I'll leave you be." He turned to walk away, but stopped to look back at her. "But, uh, fair warning: these trips can be awfully boring." Blake watched him leave, before looking back at the ocean and undoing her bow, allowing her cat ears to breathe free.

"Won't be needing this," she muttered, tossing the piece of cloth into the ocean.

Where she was going, no one would care that she was a Faunus.

Yang sat on the front porch, watching Marlene and Barret play in the yard with Zwei while Mom sat in her wheelchair near her. Mom had let the two of them stay over for the last few days, thinking that having Marlene around would help cheer Yang up.

Yang really wished she wouldn't worry so much. Mom was in way worse shape than her, after all.

She shook her head and went to continue watching Marlene try to ride Zwei like a horse, but she saw someone approaching the house from the woods.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Aqua Branwen?" the man called out.

Yang and Mom were slightly wary to see someone approaching the house, especially considering his uniform. He was a young Faunus with long greenish-black hair tied in a bun and blue eyes. His trait was a dark grey canine tail. He wore an Atlesian Specialist uniform, and was carrying a long rectangular case under his arm.

Yang was especially wary considering the last time she saw someone wearing an Atlas uniform show up unannounced, it ended up with her entire team locked up in a jail cell, and her sister strapped into a straitjacket.

"Who are you?" Yang asked, stepping in front of Mom. She could see Barret slowly approaching, his left hand braced against his gun.

"Um, my name is Marrow Amin," the man said. "I'm a Specialist that works with General Ironwood. He sent me here to deliver this to a Miss Yang Xiao Long." He lifted the box up so she could see it. He opened up the lid, revealing a sleek robotic arm.

A right arm.

Her eyes widened.

"A new arm?" Mom asked.

"Yup," Marrow said. "The General wanted you to know that you fought admirably, and this was his way of saying 'thank you'."

"Hm, not bad," Barret said, having joined up with them.

"Wow, this is incredible, Yang!" Mom said happily, excited to be able to help her oldest daughter.

"Are you gonna try it on?" Marlene asked, the girl perched on Barret's left shoulder.

"Um, maybe later," she said. She knew she should have been excited, but for some reason…

She just felt scared.

"He also has a proposal he would like to make to a Mrs. Aqua Branwen," Marrow continued.

"That's me," Mom said.

"Um, is it okay if I come in?" he asked nervously. "This, uh, this might take awhile."

"Sure," Mom said. "We'll make tea."

Yang put the kettle on the stove to heat up, opening the cabinet to grab one of their tea cups. She carefully laid the tray out on the table, and started pulling cups out of the cupboard one at a time. She had managed to place four of them on the tray, and was reaching for a fifth, when it slipped out of her hand. It fell to the floor and shattered.

She remembered.

The slash.

The mask.

The red hair.

The pain.

She gasped loudly, leaning back against the counter, trying to catch her breath.

"Yang?" mom called. "Are you okay?"

"U-Uh, y-yeah!" she called back, unable to keep the trembling from her voice. "Just…uh…just dropped a cup!" She placed her left hand against her chest to try to steady her heartbeat, when the tea kettle suddenly started whistling loudly, startling her again. She slapped herself in the face to try to snap out of it, and took the kettle off the stove. She took her time pouring the water into the cups…

And then remembered that she wouldn't be able to carry the tray one-handed.

"Hey, Barret!" She called out. "Can you help me carry the tray?"

"Sure thing!" he called out, stepping into the kitchen. He paused in the doorway, seeing the beads of sweat still lingering on her forehead. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped.

"…Whatever you say," Barret mumbled, picking up the tray by the handle with his left hand, and using his gun as support underneath it. They both walked out into the living room, placing the tea tray down so everyone could take a cup. Marrow gently blew on his to cool it down, before taking a sip.

"Wow!" he said. "This is really good tea!"

"Heh, thanks," Yang said with a slight grin as she sat down with hers. "I've had a lot of practice lately."

Mom had always liked tea, but ever since she was injured, she had taken to drinking a few cups a day, which Yang also partook in. They figured, if they had to stay around the house all day, might as well make their drinks interesting.

"So, you said the general had some kind of proposition for me?" Mom asked.

"Oh, right," Marrow said. "General Ironwood would like me to bring you to Atlas for treatment." That surprised everyone in the room.

"Treatment?" Aqua asked. "You mean an implant to help me walk again?" Marrow nodded.

"It's a pretty standard operation, but it's one that can only be done in Atlas."

"So, the Tin Man has a heart," Barret commented. "Who knew?"

"What does that mean?" Marrow asked, his eyes narrowed.

"…Nothing."

Yang and Mom exchanged a look. Yang knew the look in her eyes.

She was planning to say no.

Blake calmly watched a young Faunus couple walk past her, her previous conversation with the captain having helped her to calm down.

Or so she had thought, when she saw a cloaked figure on the deck above her, looking down at her.

"Who's there?!" she shouted. Was that the man that had appeared before her team at the Keyblade Graveyard? The figure turned around and ran away from her, but before she could pursue them, she felt the boat sway violently. She turned around, being met with a giant, long-necked Grimm looming over her.

"RED ALERT!" a crew member shouted over the loudspeaker. The Grimm threw its head back and roared.

"All hands to battle stations!" the captain shouted. It was time for Blake to earn her keep. She ran towards the railing, jumping off the ship and creating a clone of herself to toss her upwards. She threw Gambol Shroud and embedded it in the creature's neck. She used it to swing into the air above it, shooting down at it. It roared in anger, and Blake landed in the ship's crow's nest, continuing to fire at the Grimm as the ship's cannons were unveiled from the sides.

She jumped out of the crow's nest, firing at the Grimm, but lost her balance when she landed as the ship lurched again, and landed hard on her shoulder.

"Hold steady men, it's not done with us yet!" the captain shouted. "Get the heavy cannon loaded!"

A large gun appeared from a trap door in the front of the ship's deck, pointing at the Grimm. However, the Grimm suddenly sprouted a pair of wings, and with a flap, a gust of wind was fired at the ship, rocking the boat hard.

"Heavy cannon, OPEN FIRE!" she captain yelled, but the Grimm easily evaded thanks to its new wings. The creature opened its mouth, seemingly building up electricity. Blake got ready to jump back into the fray, but then someone stepped on her head, and used her as a foot stool.

"Hey!" she shouted, seeing the cloak fall away and revealing a familiar blond boy with a monkey tail. "Sun?!" she shouted in surprise. As Sun launched himself towards the Grimm, he clasped his hands together and summoned two glowing yellow clones of himself. They latched themselves onto the Grimm's head, the clones pulling on the top if its head while Sun grabbed its lower jaw.

"Not today, pal!" he shouted. The Grimm's electric blast fired into the air rather than the ship, thanks to Sun's interference.

"What are you doing?!" Blake shouted at the boy, who was now holding onto the Grimm for dear life.

"Oh, uh, you know, just… Hanging out!" he said back.

And here Blake thought she had finally escaped the puns.

The Grimm generated an electric charge against Sun, prompting him to let go with a yelp. Blake swung herself from the crow's nest to catch Sun in midair, landing on a small nearby outcropping of rocks. By the time she landed, she realized she was carrying him bridal-style.

"My hero!" he said dramatically.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Blake yelled at him.

"Yeah? Well, it looks like you can use all the help you can get."

Blake glared at him for a second, before unceremoniously dropping him.

"Just shut up and fight!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" he said, the two of them jumping back to the ship. Blake stood on the deck, while Sun used his staff to deflect an electrical blast from the Grimm before landing on the barrel of the ship's gun.

"Huntsmen!" the captain shouted. "If you can clip its wings and draw it toward the bow, we could take it!" Blake looked up at Sun, who simply shrugged.

"I mean, you're the one with the swords," he said, prompting Blake to growl in frustration. Sun holstered his weapon and ran towards the Grimm. "Now or never!" he created three clones and jumped up into the air. Blake used each clone as a springboard, each one launching her closer to Sun, who was waiting for her with a smile and open arms.

Yeah, no.

Instead of letting the boy catch her, Blake flipped over him, landing on his shoulders and leaping off of him, just like how he used her head earlier. She landed on the Grimm's right wing, digging her blade into it and running along it and slicing the wing clean off. She jumped off the giant creature, this time allowing Sun to catch her in the rocks. She landed in his arms bridal-style. Their eyes met, and Blake couldn't help the small smile that crept its way onto her face.

"This is the part where you say it," Sun said. Blake dropped the smile, turning her head away in disgust. She jumped out of his arms, moving to see what the Grimm was doing. "Okay, maybe later!" sun said, following after her. They were just in time to see the ship ram into the Grimm, pinning its body against the rocks. The cannon fired, blasting the upper half of the monster's body to pieces. Sun cheered loudly, holding up his hand.

"Up top!" he said. Blake turned a glare at him. He wiggled his hand. "Eh?" he asked. She swung her open palm towards him…

And slapped him in the face.

"Seriously, it was no big deal!" Sun said to the young Faunus couple Blake had spotted earlier, who had come to thank the duo for their hard work fighting the Grimm. "Just enjoy the rest of your trip and everything will be cool! We got this!" The grateful couple walked away, and Sun turned back to look at Blake, who was leaning against the railing again. "You'd think they'd never seen a fight before."

"What are you doing here, Sun?' Blake demanded.

"Digging' the new outfit, by the way," he said, completely ignoring her question. Was there only ever one thing on his mind?! Normally, she might have been flattered by the compliment, but she was too pissed to care now. "Never did like the bow," he said, pointing his finger at her now-exposed ears.

"Sun!" she said, angrily slapping his hand away.

"Geez!" he exclaimed.

"Have you been following me?!" He at least had the decency to look ashamed when she put it that way.

"I saw you run off," he said. "The night Beacon Tower fell. Once we landed in Vale, you just took off, without saying anything."

"I had to," she said. "You wouldn't understand."

"No, I get it! The moment you left, I knew exactly what you were doing!" Blake smiled at him. She had thought he would never understand her or would judge her, but to her relief—"You're going on a one-woman rampage against the White Fang!"

And just like that, her smile fell.

"What?"

"You always felt like the Fang was your fight. They show up, trash your school, hurt your friends. It makes perfect sense!"

"I can't believe you," she said in exasperation.

"But there's no way I'm letting you do this alone! It's an honorable approach, for sure, but you're going to need someone to watch your back. And that's where I come in!" he put his arm around her shoulder. "Us Faunus got to stick together!

"You're wrong, Sun," she said, pushing Sun's arm off of her. "You're so, so wrong."

"What are you…?" he asked.

"I'm not going anywhere near the White Fang. Not yet."

"Seriously?" Sun asked in disbelief.

"I need to sort things out."

"Then why not do it with you're team?" he asked. "Your friends?"

"You're one to talk!" Blake yelled. "Assuming Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet aren't hiding below deck!"

"You really think I could get Neptune on the ocean?" Sun asked. "They flew back to Mistral! I told them I'd catch up! It's not the first time I left them to take a boat! So, if you're not going after the White Fang, where are you going?"

"Home, to Menagerie."

"Well, I'm coming with you," Sun declared. "The Grimm are getting worse; you saw it yourself! And just because you're not going after the Fang doesn't mean they won't be coming for you! Besides, I'm… kind of already on the boat."

"There's really no stopping you?" Blake asked with a sigh.

"Nope! This is going to be great! Never been to Menageries before! It'll be a regular journey to the east! Yeah, I like the sound of that."

Blake rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long trip.

"I think you should take it," Yang said, she and Mom cleaning up the remains of the tea in the kitchen. Marrow had left already, promising to give Mom a few days to think about General Ironwood's offer. Barret and Marlene were still in the living room. Mom looked at Yang with a surprised look on her face.

"Just like that?"

"Come on, Mom. I know it's been torture for you being stuck in that wheelchair and needing help all the time," Yang pointed out.

"And things haven't been hard for you?" Mom replied coolly. "Besides, can you say for sure that we can trust Ironwood after he threw us in the brig and treated Ruby so poorly?"

Okay, she had a point there.

"Maybe, but he did apologize for that," Yang said with a shrug. "This could be what we need."

"You mean what I need," Mom said, frowning. "I didn't know my condition affected you this bad."

"Mom…" Yang walked over and knelt down in front of Mom, grasping her hands. "I didn't mean it that way. I know you don't want to leave me alone but I'll have Barret and Marlene with me. I won't be alone. You should be out there with Ruby like how we imagined one day. Travelling through Remnant, taking out Grimm and bad guys while looking for that Keyhole." Mom put a hand over the stump where Yang's arm used to be.

"Why are you talking like it's just going to be the two of us?" she asked. "Besides, I've heard these implants aren't for active-duty Huntsmen."

"Oh please, like you'd let that stop you," Yang said. "…And I need some time to work things out before I'm going to be anywhere near ready to put that arm on. But it's nothing I can't handle. One of us should get back out there and be with Ruby." Mom looked at her sadly before she leaned down and kissed Yang on the forehead.

"Do you really want this for me?" Yang reached with her one arm and hugged Mom tightly.

"I do, Mom. You said in Kingdom Hearts that you'd sacrifice everything for us until we didn't need you anymore. But we'd never forgive ourselves if you gave up your legs for us. Please, take this chance, get your legs back, find Ruby, and give her my love. Give her both our love. I'll be right behind you." Mom hugged her daughter back.

"All right, I will. For you, Yang. For you and Ruby. I'll take it."

Mercury smirked as he approached Cinder in the halls, his former boss surprisingly being without Emerald for once. He flinched slightly as the smirk stretched out the scarred tissue on his face.

The scar she gave him.

"Hey there, boss," he said. She stopped walking, and looked at him with that vacant stare she had adopted. "Where are you going?"

"Lady Salem wanted a report," she replied, her voice totally devoid of emotion. "I was on my way back to Lady Emerald."

"So, she's 'Lady' Emerald now?" Mercury asked, his eyebrow raised. "Did she tell you to call her that?"

"No," Cinder said simply.

"What, it's just automatic?"

"Yes."

"So, am I 'Lord' Mercury?'

"Yes." Mercury chuckled.

"Well, I guess that's one perk of you being a mindless slave," he said. "So, do you have to do anything we tell you to?"

"Lady Emerald is the one in charge of me," she answered. "However, I will still obey anyone in this castle, as long as their orders do not contradict orders given to me by Lady Emerald."

"Except for Salem, right?"

"Correct. Lady Salem's orders are absolute."

"Got it, got it," Mercury said, putting his finger to his chin as if he was thinking. "So, say if I were to… do this!" he shouted, slapping her across the face. "You'd just sit there and take it?"

"Is that an order?" she asked, turning her head back to face him.

"Yes, it's an order," he said with a smile on his face. "I still have to pay you back for doing this to my face!" He jumped up, kicking Cinder in the face, knocking her to the ground. "Stay down!" he yelled, and Cinder complied, lying still. He stood over her, grabbing a fistful of her hair. He slammed the back of her head into the floor, lifted it up, and did it again. He kicked her in the stomach, hard, slamming her against the wall. He looked down at her prone form with a smile on his face.

"Ask me for more," he said.

"Please, hit me more, Lord Mercury," Cinder said, making Mercury's smile grow wider.

"Cinder, defend yourself!" a voice shouted, and Cinder quickly stood up, her left eye alight with her Maiden powers.

Shit, Mercury thought to himself as a blast of fire knocked him into the wall behind him. Before he could recover, a glass sword was pressed against his neck, the passive face of Cinder staring down at him.

Honestly, the fact that she didn't even look angry was the most disconcerting thing about it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Emerald shouted, having been the one that told Cinder to defend herself. She was pointing her own pistols at him.

"Relax, I was just having some fun," he said. "I wasn't gonna break your toy." Emerald leveled a fierce glare at him.

"Back. Off," she said.

"Fine," he relented.

"Cinder, stand down," Emerald ordered, and Cinder complied wordlessly. "Get out of here, before I make her kill you."

"See?" he asked. "It's fun to order her around sometimes." He walked away, stopping when he turned the corner.

"Are you okay?" he heard Emerald ask Cinder. "Did he hurt you? Let's get you cleaned up." Mercury shook his head in disappointment.

Just when things were getting fun.

AN: So, for a little bit of context, Cinder is actually fully conscious. She can still see, hear, and feel everything going on around her. But she has no control over her own body. She was fully aware that Mercury was beating her up, and she had no choice but to hear herself ask him for more.

In other news, and this is a SPOILER for Volume 8:

Apparently Rooster Teeth has confirmed that Ironwood is indeed dead. He died when Atlas crashed into Mantle.

So, now we've got all of the Team RWBY members covered. Sorry if Blake and Weiss's stuff has seemed redundant so far. I promise things will start to be different soon.

As always, thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you all next time!