Chapter 11

(A/N: There's a rather intimate scene between Blake and Yang in the latter half of this chapter.)

New Day

A cold wind blows across my face as we crest the hill. Below us a pure white field stretches into the distance, dotted sparsely with dead trees. The only lighting is the reflected moonlight that dances off of crystalline powder. Raven is nowhere to be seen. I'm on edge as we walk down the hillside. The soft grinding of dirt beneath our boots turns to a heavy crunch as the ground transitions to snowy plains. We make almost a minute of distance, the only sound rising with each step.

"I see you brought one of your little friends," Raven's voice is directionless and brings a halt to our walk. "Scared to come alone, Yang?"

Blake's fingers tense around my hand. I offer a gentle squeeze as reassurance and reminder that I am here.

"It's just us, Raven. You can come out now."

"Ah," We spin at the sound of Raven's voice behind us. She's wearing the Grimm helmet that she'd worn while saving me from Neo. "You brought Blake, right? I know quite a bit about you. Tell me, what makes you think you deserve my daughter?"

In a flash, a blue blade of dust appears in Raven's hands. She dashes in towards us. I dance to the side as her blade flashes through the afterimage of Blake. In a split second, Blake's weapon is readied in her hands.

"What are you talking about?" Blake's voice is laden with effort as she knocks aside rapid slices, each glancing blow sends sparks flying. I close distance to catch Raven from behind. She's prepared and I barely react in time to meet her rising blade with a metallic fist. An explosive shell connects with the blue blade and shatters it with a sound like exploding glass.

With a swift motion, another blade, glowing yellow, swings out with a crackling blast of lightning energy. I manage to dodge the heat filled bolt, but a boot to my chest sends me soaring. Ice cold powder bites at my face as I land with a thud.

"You ran away when Beacon fell. You abandoned your friends." Raven's voice fills the air, mingling with the sound of clashing steel. I quickly rise to my feet. Raven's blade becomes trapped in an ice clone as Blake leaps off of her shoulders. She soars through the air and lands with a lithe grace just to my side.

As Blake hits the ground, Raven is already blurring towards us. On the draw of a white blade, a blast of wind slams into my crossed arms. The armor takes the brunt of the blow, but I'm pushed backwards a distance. My muscles ache from the force of the blocked blow. A short burst of bullets emerge from Blake's weapon with high pitched explosions. Raven's blurred speed dances around the projectiles. I fire dust slugs for momentum, charging into the fight.

Raven and Blake are almost flush against each other, sparks fly as their blades grind together. They are staring at each other with fierce expressions. Raven's aura flashes where my fist connects with her side. She's thrown several feet but manages to kill the momentum by burying her blade deep into the powdered ground.

She disengages the white blade, and prepares another from her rotating scabbard. Blake sprints in with a quick swipe towards the older woman, but Raven is faster. A green blade throws Blake's arm to the side, and a blow from her forearm sends the faunus to the ground. With a flick of her wrist, a vine snakes around my leg and pulls my foot out from under me. I hit the ground with a sharp exhale.

"You would know all about running away!" Blake shouts and the sound of a small burst of flame fills the air. I destroy the vine with a dust shell and sprint back into the fray. Raven's in midair and jumps of off Blake's shoulders. Blake is sent stumbling from the force of Raven's jump. I place myself between Raven and Blake while firing a couple of shots towards the masked assailant. A low reverb fills the air as Raven catches the shells on her blade. I'm already charging in with the distraction. I get a good swing in, sending Raven sliding back a few feet.

"You don't get to question the people I love. You gave up that privilege when you gave up me."

"Come on Yang. Who are you trying to fool? If it hurt so much, why take back your partner? What makes her so different from me?" Raven scoffs, there's a moments lull in the fighting as we all gather ourselves.

"Unlike you," Blake's voice is heavy with venom as she steps up beside me, "I know I made a mistake, and it's not going to happen again."

Raven growls in frustration, in the same moment her blade blasts out of its scabbard with an explosive shot. The pommel strikes Blake in the stomach. Her aura takes the shot, but in an instant Raven has the hilt in hand. Blake manages to dodge away leaving an earthen clone to take a sideways blow. The green blade shatters on connection. I throw out light rapid swings causing Raven's aura to flare with each hit. She has a dark blue blade drawn and swings it into my fists. A forceful wave of water follows the blade's arc. Unprepared for the dust fueled strike I'm sent somersaulting to the cold ground.

"So, that's all it takes with you Yang. A little apology and it won't happen again, then suddenly everything is fine. If I were to say those words, would everything be sunshine and rainbows?"

I clamber to my feet as Raven clashes with Blake again. Blake fires her weapon, but Raven is already a blur behind her. Blake back flips over a swing and Raven's blade passes through an empty clone. Blake lands a kick in Raven's back while mid air. Her aura absorbs the impact but she stumbles forward. My fist is already rising to meet her form, but my blow snaps Raven's blade instead of hitting her. I see Gambol Shroud fly over her shoulder. I catch the weapon and toss it back. The ribbon wraps around Raven's waist and she's pulled backwards as Blake catches the weapon. She lets the ribbon go, and dropkicks Raven.

I go to swing in for another hit. The flash of a crimson blade freezes me. In a panic I fall back into the snow. Flashes of Beacon burn behind my eyes. Adam's crimson blade, his Grimm mask, that smirk. I can taste copper in my mouth. Sharp pain stabs through my missing arm. I don't even realize I'm hyperventilating until Blake is at my side. Raven doesn't let up though. She swings the crimson blade at the faunus. Fire lashes out like a whip. Blake dodges the blow and is forced backwards as she tries to meet a true-red flurry of blows.

"Look at her! You let this happen!" Raven's voice is thick with furry

"No I didn't! Yang chose to protect me!"

With a single delayed swing, the blade shatters against Blake's aura. Her aura sparks and fades, out of energy. I fight at the panic clawing in my chest, ripping apart my insides.

"So you're just refusing responsibility? Yang lost her arm and could have lost her life. For you."

"No," Blake staggers back to her feet. "I'm not refusing responsibility. I'm refusing to disrespect Yang, and I won't let you do it either. She chooses to fight now, just like she chose it then. Sure, she fought to protect me. But she made that choice because she cares about me. A choice that she is still proud of."

I finally find the strength to return to my feet. My arm is still trembling. Blake looks at me with a worried expression.

"Just... flashbacks. You remind me of Adam... Mom."

With a roar of anger, Raven charges at me. I activate my semblance and catch the blade mid swing. The force of her angered strike fills my aura with a swirling wild energy.

"Gotcha."

I wink and release the energy back into her with a haymaker swing.

Raven flies through the air and smashes through a tree. An explosion of splinters hides her next movement. A flash of red appears in the settling cloud. I prepare to block, but the blow comes from behind. I'm sent crashing to the ground. My aura fizzles and the wind is knocked out of me. I roll onto my back to catch my breath. Raven is standing over me, blade pointed at my chest. With a flick, she sheathes the weapon.

"That was a good start Yang." Raven offers a hand. I eye her warily as I take the offered arm. She pulls me to my feet and takes off her Grimm mask. "Tell me, what's the advantage I have over you?"

"Easy. You have magic maiden powers." As I spit the sarcastic words, I dust some snow off of Blake's clothes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. What about you?"

"I'm fine." I turn back to face Raven who's approaching me.

"I could've killed you easily back there Yang." Raven pushes me. "If you're going to fall apart in a fight like that, you need to find somewhere else to be. Otherwise you will get people killed. One of those people might be yourself."

I push her back, "What do you even care? What's the point of all this? You show up out of nowhere after eighteen years of absence, bring me out here for some stupid fight, and you question my partner. You suddenly want to act like a mother now?"

"I told you Yang. I won't let you get yourself killed. You are my daughter. You need to be prepared to fight people. You can kill Grimm well enough sure. But you have never won a single one on one fight. None of you have."

I open my mouth to argue her, but the truth of her words rings in my head. Every victory I've had has been with my team. The fight with Mercury... he wanted to lose. Blake seems shocked at the thought as well. Raven looks between the pair of us and sighs.

"You kids are a good in a fight, when you work as a team. But if you split up, at all, you become useless. That's why I wanted you to stay out of all this. You weren't ready. None of you were"

"That doesn't matter any more," I state and look in the direction of the town. My thoughts drift to Ruby and the others. "Whether we were ready or not, this is our path."

"I know. That's why you're going to come back and train with me for the next few weeks. The both of you."

Blake meets Raven's unimpressed gaze with a fierce one of her own.

"It seemed pretty clear that you have a problem with me. Why would you want me here?"

Raven doesn't immediately answer. She continues to stare at my partner for a spell. After a few seconds pass she looks back at me instead.

"Yang, I have done great and terrible things. And I have seen worse. I have my reasons for everything I've done. The world is a cold and broken place that awaits a death that it doesn't know is coming. What I can say with certainty, is that whatever hope is left for this world. It is in what you kids do in the coming days." Raven places a hand on my shoulder. "I want you to have the best chance possible. If you are willing to place your life in the hands of this girl." She looks at Blake. "Then I will have you prepared to defend it."

"Tell me why mom. Tell me why you left," My voice is soft as I speak into Raven's crimson eyes.

"I told you Yang. You have to beat me first. Be here tomorrow at five in the afternoon. We'll start training right away." Raven walks away and pauses after a few feet of distance, back turned towards us, " And Yang? Keep this between us. I'd hate to have to beat down my dear brother."

"Okay, seriously. What are you girls doing out there?" Dad has a look of concern on his face as we stumble into the house. "You leave for hours and then come back looking like you've wrestled a Goliath."

The living room of the Cotta-Arc household is mostly vacant. Dad, Oscar and Qrow are spread out on a couch. Oscar has Adrian, Saphron and Terra's infant, bouncing on his leg and making faces. Qrow has a pensive shadow over his face. The strong scent of coffee floats out of the kitchen.

"I told you Dad. We're just doing some training."

Blake lets out a chuckle, which turns into a groan. I had hit her pretty solidly in the chest near the end of the sparring session. Our aura's are having trouble healing our wounds since we're so exhausted.

"Training? I guess you could call it that," Blake has a bitter tone, but I can see a twinkle in her eye. It's true that Raven is knocking us around, but we are definitely getting better. I've personally gotten a much better control over my fear. "I'm going to go get washed up. Are you hanging out down here for a while?"

"Yeah," I reply, taking a seat on the empty couch. Blake nods and disappears up the staircase. I watch her leave with a smile. She's gotten much better too. Raven has taught her to use her sheath as more than just a back up. The spars we'd been in against each other have helped us understand the others fighting style better, and our teamwork has seen rapid improvement as a result.

"You look like shit Firecracker."

"And, you look like you couldn't count to ten."

Qrow grunts and leans back with a sulky expression. I raise a questioning eyebrow at Dad. "What's his problem?"

"Ruby snapped at him. Jaune had an idea for getting us to Atlas. It's not exactly the greatest plan, I'll admit. Qrow was being a jerk, as usual, and Ruby had enough. She got him good too."

Weiss comes around the wall that leads towards the kitchen. She's carrying a tray full of mugs and a coffee pot. With steady, practiced steps, she strides forward and places the tray on the table.

"We've been here for two weeks and no one else has come up with something else. At the very least," Weiss fills the mugs as she speaks. "It is a well thought out plan, if mildly suicidal."

"Yeah, just steal an Atlas airship. You kids are trying to get us killed."

"If you spent less time getting wasted, Qrow, maybe the kids wouldn't be the only ones doing something."

"Oh yeah Tai? I don't see you being useful. All you've been doing is knocking around the rest of these lot."

"It's called teaching Qrow. A job that you used to do." Dad's crosses his arms glaring over Oscar's head. "One that you should still be doing. Even Maria has been more of a hand, helping Ruby with her eyes and scythe work. If Yang can be up and about, so can you."

Weiss has passed around the coffee mugs and taken a seat at my right. She leans over and in a quiet voice asks, "Are they always this argumentative?"

I shrug in reply, taking a swig of the steaming liquid. It's nice to have some heat in me after fighting in the snow for hours. I drum my fingers on the back of the sofa watching Dad and Qrow bickering back and forth. Adriana is laughing at the heated energy between the pair. Oscar looks like he's trying to sink into the couch. He meets my eyes with a nervous gaze. With a sigh, I clear my throat. "Why don't you stop fighting and fill me in on the plan?"

"Yeah, fill her in, Professor."

"You wanna take this outside smartass?"

"Heh, like you can handle me. Look at you, gone soft on us Tai."

"Meet me out back, I'll show you what soft looks like Branwen."

The pair get up and stalk out the back door, trading insults the whole way. I meet Weiss's worried gaze and wave dismissively.

"They get like that all the time, it's how you know they care."

Saphron enters the front door and waves at us. "Hey there. Thanks for watching Adrian, Oscar. Terra got called back for some emergency repairs. You'd think the military'd be able to build a functional radar. What a joke." She takes the baby from the farm boy. "Anyway, guess who's bed time it is? Yeah, it's yours. My little cutie pie." Pausing her ascent up the stairs she looks out at us. "You guys have a good night. I'm going to get Adrian down for bed."

I wave and make a goofy face at the baby. The pair disappear up the stairs. "So, what's the plan?" I turn towards Weiss and Oscar, the latter holds up a finger. There's a pause until a door shuts upstairs. Weiss lets out a sigh. Oscar resettles his collar and meets Weiss's gaze.

"Are you going to tell her or..." Oscar's head tilts slightly as he speaks.

"You go ahead, I wish to enjoy my coffee. Nora has, very, high expectations for workout performance. I'm not exactly built for endurance." Weiss crosses her legs primly and smooths her skirt.

I chuckle and poke at her arm. "All skin and bones, Weiss." She turns up her nose with a small sound. A small smile betrays her humor.

"Alright... So put simply, Jaune thinks we should steal an airship," Oscar leans forward, one hand on an extended cane and the other swirling his cup of coffee. The sight fills me with a touch of sadness, he's more like Ozpin every day. "He proposed that we send Weiss with your Dad and Qrow as an escort. Seeing as they're fully fledged hunters, there shouldn't be any issue. Maria will be with them, hiding in Weiss's luggage. Once they get out of range of the radar, they'll take over the airship." He pauses to take a drink of the coffee. I follow suit. "They'll stay out of range, leaving a short window, for a small strike team to deactivate the radar. The airship flies in to the nearby cliff, picks everyone up, and we should be gone with none the wiser."

I lean back, staring into the steaming mug. It could work, the plan is definitely well thought out. If anything goes wrong, taking on the full military outpost seems unrealistic. Weiss was right about it being mildly suicidal.

"I don't hate the plan," I state in a low voice. I look back at the brown haired boy, "Do we know how far the radar's range reaches? What's security like at the tower?"

"Well, after some discreet questions to Terra. We managed to learn that the radar runs off of the same bandwidth that the comms tower does," Another sip. "So when those on the airship are out of range of our Scrolls, we'll signal the strike team. Team RNJR is currently out scouting the tower itself. We'll know more when they return."

I nod and lean back into the couch. My leg is bouncing and I take a drink of my coffee. I'm pretty satisfied with the plan. "The upcoming Winter Festival would be a perfect time to do it. The military will be so busy with the hordes of people and keeping out Grimm, that even if we are compromised, their response will be slow and weak. Anything major would just terrify the locals."

Weiss purses out her lips in thought. Oscar seems to be contemplating the thought as well.

"The Festival is going to be taking place in just two days." Weiss muses. "With the borders closed, no one from Atlas will actually be present. The smaller influx of people will leave the base some spare forces, so I could theoretically still get a ship. My relative isolation during my stay at Atlas recently would lend itself to a claim of escaping the crowd."

"So it seems that we have a plan," Oscar states and I nod in agreement. "All that's left is to prepare for a strike on the tower." We spend the next ten or so minutes in quiet conversation.

I finish the rest of my coffee and rise to my feet. I stretch, reaching towards the ceiling, and am relieved to find that my aura is already hard at work repairing my injured body. "Well, I'm going to get a shower and head to bed. I am exhausted." With a round of good nights from the pair I find my way upstairs and to the bedroom I'm sharing with Blake, Ruby and Weiss. I step into the room and pull the door shut.

The room is plain with two large beds on opposite walls to the left of the entrance. Between them are two nightstands and a single large dresser. A small table with three chairs is in the back right corner. A door in the middle right leads to a bathroom. A couple of simple paintings are the only decorations on the walls.

I'm digging out night clothes when the bathroom door swings quietly open.

"Hey," Blake's voice is as light as her steps across the wooden floor.

"Hey back. I was chatting with Oscar and Weiss. Seems like we have a pl-" I cut off, stunned, as I glance back towards my partner. She's walked to the entrance of the door and the audible click of the lock fills the room. She turns back towards me. A slightly too big orange tank hangs just over her belly button and a pair of black boy shorts cling to her upper thighs. She has a small smile and her cheeks are pink from blush. She avoids my eyes and has an arm draped across her chest clinging to her other arm, her cat ears are flat against her head.

"I uh... I thought it'd be okay if I..." Blake bites at her bottom lip, her light blush turns crimson. I stand from my crouch at the dresser as she wanders closer with nervous steps. She tucks a stray hair behind her ear and looks up into my eyes with round yellow orbs. I can feel burning heat climb from my neck into my face. "How do I look?"

I part my lips as if to speak but a pair of thin fair-skinned arms drape themselves around my neck. My breath catches in my throat as the weight of her form is pressed against me. The scent of fresh lavender attacks my senses with the close proximity. My knees go weak and I have to lean against the dresser behind me to stay standing. Warm, flowery breath dances along my skin like the flames of a fire. The stirring in my chest is matched by the dancing heat in my stomach. Passionate darkness expands in the golden pools of her eyes.

Warm fingers send lightning through my stomach as they glide along my collarbone. The sound of a zipper reaches my ears and a pressure on my hips betrays the unbuckling of my belt. My jacket is pushed slowly from my shoulders by lithe fingers that follow the trail of fabric falling from my arms. As the suffocating garment hits the floor, those electric fingers glide over my lightly defined abs.

A gentle nip at my collarbone elicits a slight whimper. A trail light kisses up my neck has my heart skipping a beat. "B- Blake," The name passes my lips in a breathless whisper. Another line of kisses trace their way along my jawline.

"I really like watching you fight."

Blake's whisper drips with honey. The hot breath on my ear sends a shiver down my spine. I'm vaguely aware of another noise escaping my chest. I find enough to control to place my hands on her waist. As I do, a gentle push finds me flat on my back. I hit the airy mattress and my knees are bent around the edge of the bed. The faunus straddles my waist, a hunger fills her eyes. I start to reach up, but she catches my wrists.

"I sent Weiss a message," Blake whispers as she leans over me. My arms are pinned to the bed above my head. Her hips rise into the air as a rain of light kisses flow from my forehead and down to my ear. I can feel myself writhing beneath my partner. "I'll be getting you all to myself for a while." The whisper has my back arching into her. A light nip at my jaw draws forth a soft moan. She pulls back and she meets my lavender eyes with a searching gaze. "If... you're okay with it?"

"Please," I gasp out, I can't stop squirming below her. A smile dances across her face. The darkness in her eyes seems to become a molten heat. I lean up towards her, pleading silently. She dips back down and captures my begging lips with her own. The desperate ember of need below my stomach flares into a devouring flame. The desire that had been building for weeks consumes my flesh. My fingers are grasping desperately at nothingness. The taste of jasmine dances in my mouth. A low moan rumbles from her chest. Eternity passes in a torturous crawl.

She pulls out of the kiss panting, her face is filled with red heat. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I gasp hungrily for breath. The reprieve is short as the faunus dives back in. I fight out of her grip and grasp wildly at her hips. I pull her flat against me and a gasp against my mouth begs for more. My metal hand presses against the small of her back as the other glides up her spine. Warm hands find their way beneath my orange crop top, pushing it up as they travel from my abdomen towards my chest.

Slim fingers send electric heat towards the pool of fire below my abdomen. I buck against the woman above me involuntarily. She breaks out of the kiss with a sharp breath. A tremble wracks her body.

Her fingers' dance forces out a quiet cry. "Blake!" My head presses back against the bed as my body forces itself against her hands. My fingers dig into the muscles of Blake's shoulder. Wet kisses trail like a blend of fire and lightning down my exposed throat and stop at my collarbone. Her ministrations pause and she sits back, fingers splayed out against my rib cage.

Our eyes meet and I catch my bottom lip between my teeth. I grasp at the hem of my top. Her eyes seem spell bound as I lift off my top and toss it on to the floor. "O-oh" In a trance, her gaze follows the trail her exploring fingers leaves behind. I can't help but writhe and moan at her touch. I reach out and pull at her shirt, demanding.

There's another pause and she meets my eyes with an anxious energy. Her hands gently grasp at my wrists. A light smile touches my face and I pull her down with a gentle touch. I cup her cheek and press a light kiss to her nose.

"Only when you're comfortable," My words are a whisper. "I'll follow your lead." Blake nuzzles into my neck, pressing dozens of soft kisses.

"Thank you," She whispers softly.

"Of course, Blake... I love you. I will never force you into anything you're not ready for."

She pushes up, her hair hangs like a curtain around the frame of her face. A blockade that separates us from the world. Warm tears drop onto my skin. I touch her cheek and she presses into my fingers. "I love you, too." A long moment passes before I wipe away her tears. A small smile tugs at my lips.

She dips down and soft lips ghost against mine. The flame between my legs reminds me of its existence and a shiver travels down my spine. A slight intake of breath is all the encouragement she needs. Blake captures me in another kiss. The now familiar taste of jasmine fills my senses. Her hands rest on my hips as her weight presses against me once more.

When I break away for breath, the lobe of my ear is caught in her teeth. I gasp as she pulls at the flesh. "Blake..." Her name is a plead for more, a beg, a need. Lithe fingers find their purchase on my chest. I can't hold back the soft cry of pleasure. I grasp her hips and buck against her core. I struggle to think as the heady feeling eats away at the edges of my sanity.

Wet lips connect with my collarbone and travel down slowly. When the wet warm heat of her mouth connects with my chest, fire fills my veins and consumes any coherent thought. My fingers tangle into her thick black hair holding her close. My prosthetic hand tears at the bed sheets in desperate desire. I writhe beneath her as a free hand finds its way down the center of my stomach. Those delightful fingers dip just beneath my pant line.

"Oh gods," The words escape my throat involuntarily. She pauses and looks up at me with a questioning gaze. "Don't stop," I beg desperately, staring into those golden orbs. I feel her hand slip below my clothes and gentle fingers find their destination. Lightning and fire are my world. Every touch and movement sends unimaginable heat between my thighs. I writhe and squirm as the all consuming heat grows uncontrollably. Then suddenly the pressure bursts.

"Blake!" I gasp her name with a horse voice. A flood of pure white hot ecstasy consumes everything. My arms wrap around Blake's form, hugging her tightly against me. My head is thrown back mouth open in silent cry. I can feel my body tensing in unstoppable waves. Each wave of overwhelming pleasure escapes me in a low moan. My face buries itself in her shoulder as time slowly begins to find passage once more.

I collapse back in a breathless mess. The intense pleasure stops pulsing behind my eyes. I gulp down air as the tension flees from my muscles. Blake is on her side, propped up on one arm. Her other arm and a leg are draped across my body. She's studying me with an intense gaze. I meet her gaze with tired smile. "Blake, that was..." I can't find words so I just pull her into a kiss. She relaxes into the kiss and gentle fingers brush stray hairs from my face.

"Yang," Blake's voice is a whisper. "I- That was wonderful." I cup her neck with a metal hand and gently rub my thumb along her jaw.

"You're telling me," I chuckle softly, "That was absolutely mind blowing."

A warm blush fills her face and she buries her face in my neck. I grin and brush my fingers slowly through her hair. We lay cuddled for what feels like hours. After a while, I shift out from under the faunus. She looks at me with a tired, questioning gaze. "I'm going to go shower and clean up before bed. Will you let Weiss know they can come to bed?" She nods with a lazy smile. I wink before unlocking the door and going to the bathroom.