A/N: Italics=Thoughts

Tyrian began to giggle and cackle. One hand was on his stomach while the other was slapping his knee. He went to wipe tears from his eyes. Once he calmed down, he leaned forward with his right hand resting on his hip. "You're going to make sure this place will be my grave? What makes you think you can succeed where Qrow failed? Oh! By the way. I killed him. The hunter is no more." He grinned devilishly as Raven. "I killed one Branwen. Now, I'll be killing another!"

Raven scoffed. She shot the scorpion faunus a cold glare. Her gaze so deathly, that both Yang and Robin had shivers sent down their spines. It even unnerved Tyrian a bit. "Do not compare me with that fool I call a brother. I am a far different beast than he is. No scorpion man. I'm far superior to that blundering buffoon. Make no mistake. The only true reason why you won was because he fought like an amateur and allowed himself to be so distracted by the Rose girl that he took his eyes off of you." She could see his upper lip beginning to twitch. The ravenette smirked as she watched Tyrian begin to fume angrily. "Also, my brother isn't dead."

Tyrian stomped his foot forward. "WHAT!?"

"What? Did you think that venom was enough to kill him? HA! I may not like him much, but he is a Branwen. It will take much more than that to kill him off." Raven began to wave her sword at him. Like a parent waggling their finger at a child when scolding them. "Poor, poor Tyrian. Not only did you fail to capture Ruby Rose, but you also failed to kill Qrow. You went back to your precious Queen with your tail between your legs and empty handed." The dark-haired woman grinned condescendingly. She gave a haughty chuckle. "I wonder what that witch would do if she found out that you accomplished nothing."

Yang watched on as Tyrian started stomping his foot and yelling. He looked like a petulant child who was throwing a temper tantrum. A soft cough rang out underneath the loud screaming. The blonde looked down to see Robin. The younger girl's head was lolling around and her eyes were half open. She noted how pale and clammy her face was. All in all, the smaller girl didn't look like she was fairing all to well.

Yang looked back to see that Tyrian was still throwing his tantrum. Looking back at Robin, she figured now was a good time to take the smaller girl away from the battlefield. Now, she knew her mother would never even give the scorpion man a chance to attack the weakened Spring Maiden and she could definitely defend against Tyrian however, it would still be best to remove anything that might give their enemy any kind of tool to use to grant them any kind of advantage. With her mind set, Yang crouched down and gently slid her arms underneath the younger girl. With Robin secured in her arms, she turned around and began to run away from the two warriors behind her.

Tyrian snapped his head down. He watched as his two targets began to make their escape. He growled and jumped towards them. However, he was thrown back into the trunk of a tree. After he shook his head, Tyrian felt a burning kind of pain on his chest. The scorpion faunus looked down to spy a slash mark that went all the way across his chest horizontally. He watched as blood began to ooze down from his wound. Tyrian looked up to see what had hit him, but there was no one directly in front of him. Confused, he turned to the right to see that Raven was still standing in the same spot. "Did she strike me? Impossible! I didn't even see the attack. There is no way she moved that fast."

Raven smirked. "Oh? Are you sure I didn't strike you? Believe you it impossible that I could move so fast?" The ravenette turned her head slowly towards her opponent. "How about you look down there. Perhaps you will believe that it was I who gave you that wound." She said as she pointed at the ground with her sword.

Tyrian followed the tip of Raven's sword. What he saw greatly unnerved him. Perhaps even actually terrified him. The part of the ground that his opponent was pointing at showed clear signs of disturbance. Small, shallow, half circle indentations ran along to the point of where he was when he felt something hit him. When he turned his gaze back towards the avian faunus, he took a small step back while gritting his teeth. It was true. Raven Branwen was nothing like her brother. She was a beast of inhuman strength and power. It was only now that he was truly coming to regret ever coming here.

"Do you see now? I told you. I am far superior than Qrow. That idiot stagnated some years ago. But not I. I continued to grow stronger. I continued to look for ways to push myself well beyond my natural limits. Ever since you bastards killed Summer, I have been relentless in my goal for more strength." She paused briefly. Raven's grin disappeared. It was replaced with a look of disappointment. "As much as I would love to give a slow and painful death, alas, I can not linger here too long to play. Since you put your venom in Robin, I must deal with you quickly." Raven swung her weapon up and allowed the dull side of her blade to rest on her right shoulder.

Tyrian took another small step back. He knew he was strong. Stronger than pretty much most Hunters, but this woman was very different. She was in league all of her own. She had already shown that he stood no chance against her. Tyrian knew he had to escape. He needed to retreat and pick a time where she wasn't around so he could get to his targets. Lifting his tail, he swiped it across the ground to create a cloud of dirt and dust. The scorpion faunus then started to run as fast as he could. He looked back to still see her silhouette behind the cloud he made. Grinning, he lifted up his tail and aimed at the cloud. A spray of purple liquid shot forth from his prosthetic. "That should prevent her from following."

Tyrian brought his gaze forward. He eyes bulged out when saw Raven's visage was standing at least ten yards in front of him with her sword outstretched to the right. Before he could even began to contemplate how she gotten in front of him, he felt himself falling forward. Tyrian tried to will his arms in front of him to break his fall, but found they gave no response. He grunted as his face hit the ground. Pulling his head up, he tried once more to move his arms, but still nothing. It was the same for his legs. Fearfully, he turned his head to see that he no longer had his arms. Instead, they were just small nubs. He looked down to his legs to spy the same thing. Nothing, but small nubs that barely extended beyond his crotch. Even his tail had suffered the same fate. Completely overcome with fear, he began to scream and wriggle in panic. Tears streaming down his face.

"Look at you. Where was all of that bravado from before? All I did was show you some of what I'm truly capable of and from that showing I reduced you to a small, quivering child." She walked up to Tyrian and stopped right in front of him. Raven placed the tip of right boot under his chin and lifted his head up to force him to look at her. "That fear you feel. That is the same feeling Summer felt when you watched as that wretched witch tore her apart. The feeling of despair and pain. All of this is what she felt."

"Y-you bitch. Salem will win! Even though you kill me now, you will never defeat her. She is the supreme being that wreak havoc across the world. Nothing you have can defeat her! Nothi-"

Raven cut him off by kicking his head as hard as she could with the same boot that forced his gaze up. The disgusting sounds of bones breaking and flesh being ripped echoed throughout the forest. A nasty, squishy thud rang out as the remaining of Tyrian's head fell back down on the ground. The entirety of his face was gone. Leaving only a red mess behind. His brain slid slightly out of what was left of his head.

Raven dragged her right boot across the ground several times to wipe off the blood. She looked towards where daughter had ran off. Taking Robin away wasn't really necessary, but she could hardly fault Yang for doing that. It was correct to err on the side of caution. "Right. Now to find them and be done with this whole business."

Yang was starting to worry. Robin's breathing was starting to become more shallow. The girl's fever had also gotten worse. The blonde was hoping that her mother would finish quickly so they could use her portal. A groan came from below. Yang watched as the smaller girl began to sweat even more. It was clear that she would need to find something to hydrate Robin with soon. However, before she could begin to find water, Yang turned around to find her mother starring at her.

"How bad is she?" Raven questioned as she walked past Yang and knelt next to Robin.

"Pretty bad I think. Her fever is getting worse and breathing is becoming harder for her. I think she is also just starting to become delirious." Yang paused and looked to Robin. She then looked back at her mother who stood up. "We should probably get back to the tribe now. Back to Dove."

With a nod, Raven swiped her sword at the air. In an instant, the swirling mass of red energy opened up. The tribe leader looked back at her daughter. "Pick her up and let's go"

Yang nodded and lifted Robin into her arms. Her mother let her go first. Once she disappeared. Raven followed.

Dove snapped her head to her left to find one of Raven's portals. She saw Yang walk out with Robin in her arms looking worse for wear. The blonde woman rushed towards Yang. "How is she? How bad is it? What happened?"

The half-breed blinked in confusion as Dove threw at her a torrent of questions. Yang was shocked. She had never seen the older woman in such a state of panic. She made a mental note to ask her mother about the doctor's odd behavior.

"Calm yourself Dove. Robin will be fine as long as you treat her." Raven's voice echoed from within the portal. She stepped out. Once the portal closed, the tribe leader walked up to the doctor. She then handed her Tyrian's tail. "Our enemy has injected venom into her. I'm sure this tail will be useful for you." Raven turned to Yang. "I want to know what happened."

Before Raven could walk out, she felt something weakly grab at her ankle. She looked to see Robin looking up at her with barely opened eyes. "It's...my f-fault" the young teen wheezed out. Her voice weak and cracking. "It's not h-her fault. It's-" She silenced by Dove placing her finger on her mouth.

"Hush child. No more talking. Just rest. I will have an antidote made in no time."

Raven turned around and motioned for Yang to follow her as she walked out of the tent.

Yang looked to Robin once before heading towards her mother and leaving Dove to work on the teen. When she came outside, Raven turned towards her and gave her an expecting look. "Oh boy. Where to start." With a sigh, the blonde began to tell of the events that had transpired.

"I see. So that's what happened." The tribe leader stated calmly.

"Really? That's it? I thought you were going to be furious. Like, you were going to go off on us." Yang said with surprise evident in her voice.

Raven raised a single black eyebrow. "I don't have to worry about dealing with Robin. Dove will see to it that she is properly punished for her recklessness. As for you however." Yang silently gulped. "I'm not exactly happy with how rash you acted, but there was little else that could be done. It's true, the Spring Maiden had to be protected and you had no way of communicating with me. You were smart to send Eagle for me while you went for Robin." She watched her daughter exhale in relief.

"I honestly thought you were going to chew the hell outta me. Thought you'd be pissed."

Raven let her eyes wonder over her daughter for a few seconds. "For what reason would I be angry with you? You acted well. Also, I have discovered something important."

Yang raised an eyebrow at her mother. "Really? What is it?"

The older woman smirked. "That you are, without a doubt, ready to take your fight to the White Fang and to challenge Adam Taurus."

Yang ran up to her mother. "Really? You think I'm ready? When do I start tearing those assholes apart?"

Raven chuckled at her daughter's eagerness. "Patience Yang. Patience. There are just a few things that must be done before you are set loose against those animals. As for your question about thinking if you're ready. I meant what I said. I saw part of your fight with Tyrian. The fact that you were able to keep up with him and actually harm him, is very telling of just how far you have come. I dare say you could have actually beaten him."

The blonde pouted. "Awwwww. I just wanna start to get rid of them. Also, if you think I could have beaten him then why did you intervene?"

"And you will. Just wait a little bit longer Yang. Soon you will have your revenge. This I promise. As for why I intervened, it was because of what he did to Qrow. He did very nearly kill him and even though my brother infuriates me to no end, he is still my brother and I would not like to see him die."

Yang could understand her mother's feelings. She herself was still angry with her own sister. However, she had no desire to see any harm come onto her and she would still defend her if she needed to. Yang would kill anyone who dared tried to harm her sister. Just then, the mental note she made to herself about Dove popped back into her head. "Hey, mom."

Raven stiffened ever so slightly. She still wasn't use to being called that. "What is it?"

"Why was Dove so panicky? I've never seen her like that."

"Ah! That's because Robin is her daughter. She has always been very concerned about her ever since the girl's father died."

Yang's eyes widened in shock. "Wait. What? I didn't even know Dove had a kid." The blonde started to rub the back of her head sheepishly. "I guess it makes sense why she was acting the way that she was." She frowned. Yang looked back up at her mother. "Hey. What did you mean when you said a few things that need to be done before I start ripping out there throats?"

Raven gave her daughter an impassive look. "Well, one of those things is to get you some new clothes. I'm not sure if you have noticed it, but you have grown taller since you first came here." The tribe leader gestured to Yang to look at herself.

The half-breed looked down and took note of the fact that her shirt and pants did not fit her well anymore. She also noticed that her boots felt cramped. When she looked up at her mother, Yang instantly walked beside her and moved her hand from the top of her head to Raven's. The blonde was surprised to see how much she had grown. She still wasn't as tall as her mother, but she starting to close the gap. "Heh. Well what do ya know. Looks like I had one helluva growth spurt!" She gave Raven a questioning look. "What other things need to be done?"

"Ah. That would ruin the surprise now wouldn't it?"

Yang huffed as she crossed her arms. "Oh, fine. I guess I'll just wait."

Robin groaned and moaned as she turned under her covers. She slowly began to open her eyes. For a time, everything was blurry, but after a few seconds, her sight became more focused. She slowly started to sit up. Robin's eyes landed on her mother's back. It appeared that the woman was busying herself with something. She gulped. "M-mother?"

Dove turned to look her daughter in the eyes. "Oh. Awake are we." The doctor stood up and walked over to her child.

"Mother I-" She was cut off by a harsh slap to the face. Robin's eyes were wide with shock. She brought a hand up to her face. The young Spring Maiden felt tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes as she felt the hot sting of her mother's slap. She couldn't fault the woman. She knew she deserved it. However, this did little to lessen the amount of guilt and shame she felt. Once Robin had gathered enough courage, she looked up to her mother. However, before she could speak, Robin felt her mother wrap her up in a tight hug.

"You stupid child! I was so worried about you." The doctor said with a small hiccup. "Don't you EVER do that again! You hear me? Never again!"

Robin felt her shame coming two fold now. It was never her intention to make her mother worry so much, but she knew full well that did not exonerate her of her actions. "I'm sorry mother. I won't do it again. I promise."

Dove pulled away from Robin and smiled. "Good. You better not." The older woman wiped her eyes. "I'm just glad to have you back."

"You're happy to have me back even though I have brought shame to you?"

"Don't be ridiculous Robin. I would rather you return to me in shame then not at all."

Her mother's words did make her feel a little bit better. She was certain that she was sincere too. The older woman was not one to lie about such things.

Dove's face changed from that a loving parent to fixing a stern look at her daughter. "Well, now that that is out of the way. There is the matter of your punishment that needs to be discussed young lady."

Robin sighed and slumped forward. "Yes mother."

Robin turned her head as she heard someone open the tent flaps. It was Yang. The cobalt-eyed girl watched as the blonde sat next to her.

"Hey. How ya feeling?" Yang asked softly.

"I'm feeling fine. Tired and sore, but otherwise fine."

"That's good, but that's not what I meant when I asked if you were okay."

Robin shot Yang a questioning look. "I don't understand. What did you mean then?"

The blonde sighed. "I meant are YOU okay."

"Oh. I guess. I mean, I'm about as okay as someone can be when they made their own mother worry so much and jeopardized the tribe and Chief Raven's plans." Robin casted her eyes down. She swallowed what was left of her pride. "I'm sorry. I treated you unfairly and was overall generally unpleasant to you."

Yang looked the younger girl over several times. She smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I never took it personally."

"It still doesn't excuse my behavior towards you."

"No. I guess it doesn't, but I never hated you for it."

Robin was truly confused. This girl was just an enigma to her. "I don't understand. How can you forgive me after everything I did?"

Yang gave a sad smile. "Look. I didn't know that I was making you feel like that I was trying to take your place or make you feel inferior to me. I would never want to make someone feel like that." She paused briefly. Clenching her hands into fists. "Since I know what that feels like."

Hearing the low rumble of anger in her voice, Robin was tempted to ask how she knows what that feels like, but decided against it. She thought it really wasn't any of her business and if Yang wanted to tell her then she would.

"At any event, I just want to let you know that I would never do that to you." Yang smiled at Robin. "I hope we can be friends and just move on and forget about all of this."

"You actually want to be friends with me?"

"Well, I did say I wanted to be when I first talked to you."

Robin smiled softly. "You're a strange person Yang, but if you want to be friends then sure. It's not like I can stop you." She chuckled.

Yang beamed down at Robin. She lunged forward and wrapped the younger girl up in one of her famous bear hugs. "See! Now that's the spirit!"

"Gack! L-let go please. Too tight! T-too tight!" Robin chocked out.

Yang let go and laughed. "Hahahaha! Sorry. I didn't mean to be so rough." The blonde stood up and began to walk out.

Robin frowned as a thought had occurred to her. "Wait!" Yang stopped and turned around to face her. "How did you recover from the venom so quickly?"

Yang laughed. "Oh, that? Well, I have a pretty strong healing factor or whatever you want to call it. But that's not what really got rid of the venom."

"If that wasn't it, then what was it?"

"My body will increase it's own core temperature when there is any foreign substance in my body. Simply put, my body burned the venom out of it." She chuckled upon seeing Robin's amazed looked. "I didn't say anything about it to that idiot because I saw no reason to tell him. Seriously, why would I explain any of my abilities to my enemies? It's much more tactically sound to keep your enemy guessing. Force them to devote part of their concentration to figuring it out and keep them flustered. My mother did teach me that the art of war is based on the art of deception."

Robin blinked several times. She then rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess that all makes sense."

"Well, I hope your recovery is fast. Wouldn't do to have a wounded and vulnerable Maiden."

Robin sighed. "It wouldn't make much of a difference. I'm not allowed to go on any raids since I did break some form of trust. Chief Raven agrees with mother. So until I earn it back, I will be staying in camp. Also, I have to wake up early to help mother clean her medical equipment and to do some of the more mundane tasks of the tribe for a whole month."

Yang cringed at the girl's punishment. "Ouch. Sounds boring. Well, you'll be fine. Just hang in there. It'll be over before you know it."

"I hope so Yang."

"Just remember. I'm not ROBIN anyone's place here in the tribe!" Yang said as she waggled her eyebrows.

Robin just stared at the bigger girl with a blank face. "D-did you really just make that pun? Is it too late to take back that token of friendship?"

Yang chuckled. "Yup! I'm your friend now!"

"Fuck."

Weiss looked up at the sky. She frowned when she saw that the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. "We should probably start making camp soon."

"Agreed." Taiyang looked down at the map in his hands. He then spotted a nearby river on it and grin. "We can make camp here!" He said as he pointed at the map. "It's just a mile away too."

The former heiress placed her finger on her chin and hummed. "I guess that's a good spot. Would really help with food. Though I trust you will handle the fishing."

"Ha! You're still embarrassed over the last time you tried?" He didn't even have to press the issue. Taiyang could tell by the red on his companion's face. "Weiss c'mon. Fishing is one of those skills that takes time to learn. Yang's good at it because she has been doing it since she was a child. If it makes you feel any better, Ruby is awful at fishing too. I'm sure you know this by now, but that girl is absolutely incapable of sitting still one place for too long."

Weiss smiled. She started to chuckle in her hand. "That is very true. I often had to bribe her with cookies to get her to sit still and study."

Taiyang threw his head back in laughter. "Hahahaha! That sounds like her alright!

After about thirty minutes of walking, Taiyang's face twisted into a deep frown. He came to a stop. His eyes began to shift from left to right.

Weiss stopped beside the blond man. The white-haired girl shot him a questioning look. "Why are we stopping? We're almost to the river."

"We aren't alone." The man growled. He turned to Weiss. "You might want to pull out that fancy sword of yours." Looking back at the road in front of him. He glanced at the trees to his right. "I know you're there! Might as well come out. No point in a sneak attack if your opponent already knows you're there."

Upon Taiyang's declaration, Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster. She was right to do so as ten men appeared out of the woods. Shivers ran down her spine as they gave her nasty grins. She was certain that rape was most definitely a high possibility if they captured her.

"Don't know how you knew we were there, but why don't you move along blondie. You're not the one we want. We want the pretty little thing back there." He said as he licked his lips at Weiss. She instantly recoiled when he did so.

"Yeah I'm gonna have to give you a big fat fuck you on that one." The veteran hunter began cracking his knuckles. He smirked at the men. "Wonder how you're gonna do against a vet like me and a girl who makes some full fledged hunters I know look like crap."

Weiss gave a soft blush at the glowing compliment she was given by the sisters' father.

"Alright then. It's your funeral old man." He looked back to the group. "Kill the idiot, but leave the girl alive. We can all have our fun with her!"

Weiss went into her fencer stance as Taiyang dropped into his own stance. All at once, the group of ten men charged at them. Just as they got halfway, Taiyang threw out a punch. The group was suddenly being buffeted by a torrent of air and were subsequently thrown back. Weiss, seizing the opportunity, created a few glyphs where they had landed. After a few moments, the glyphs exploded. The explosion wasn't enough to kill them, but it did throw them up into the air.

Taiyang crouched and then jumped up. He threw out a few wide arching kicks. Just like before with the punch, the group was hit by harsh, skin cutting winds. The force of the air sent them crashing into the ground below. Clouds of dirt kicked up as they landed.

The muscular blond man landed and then gave his young companion a grin and a thumbs up. Once the cloud settled, he turned to the group and gave them a shit-eating grin. "So, still think I"m an old man?" His only answer were pain filled groans. "Guess that learned you guys good huh?"

"That form. So, Yang learned from you?"

The older man laughed. "That's right! Though, I could have taught her better."

Weiss looked questioningly at him. "How did you hit them without touching them though? It's like the air hurt them or something."

Taiyang pointed his thumb to himself. "That's right! It's because of my semblance. I can control air and use it as a weapon. Pretty handy when you need range and need to deal with groups of people. Of course I wasn't really trying since they're still alive."

"I...see. A rather interesting semblance. I thought you would have something else."

Before Taiyang could respond, he saw something shift behind Weiss. His eyes widened as he saw someone holding a large club raised over his head with the intention of slamming it on the poor girl below. "WEISS! BEHIND YOU!" Taiyang began to run over to her. "Shit! I'm not gonna make it!"

Weiss looked behind her and gasped in shock. She held up Myrtenaster above her head to block the attack. However, it didn't come. The white-haired girl looked up at the man to see the tip of a saber extending from his chest. The blade tip was then removed. Weiss' eyes lit up like Christmas lights when the man fell to the ground to reveal Winter. "WINTER!"

"Seems I came just in the nick of time." The specialist felt something slam into her. She looked down to see her sister clinging on to her. She swore she could hear a few sniffles too. Winter's face softened. The older woman put her hand on top of her sister's head. "I take it that I was sorely missed."

Weiss pressed herself even deeper against her sister. "I missed you. It was awful being back home." She looked up at her sister. Pools of tears forming in her eyes. "Winter. The things that happened-"

Winter silenced Weiss with a single gloved finger. "We can talk about it in the Dropship that's not too far from here." She brought her eyes up to the blond man who was looking thoroughly confused. "Your friend is also welcomed to come as well."

Blinking several times, Taiyang smiled. "A Dropship eh? Well, shit. This makes things so much easier! C"mon Weiss. Let's go. Wouldn't do us any good to refuse such a boon."

After sometime walking, the three made it back to the Dropship and entered it. Soon afterwards, it took off. A few minutes into the air, Weiss recounted her experiences to her sister and her intentions to make for Haven.

Winter's eyes were closed in deep thought. "Hm. So that's what happened. Well, lucky for you, we are heading straight for Haven. We should be there in about an hour or so." She looked at Taiyang bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for being kind enough to watch over and protect my sister. However, I still don't know why it is that you're with her."

Taiyang laughed. "Hahaha. Don't sweat it! I would always help my daughter's friends. As for why I'm with her. Me and her have the same goal. To find Ruby in Haven."

"Ruby?" Winter questioned. A white eyebrow was raised. "Ah! You mean Weiss' team leader. I had the pleasure of meeting her some time ago. Kind young girl. And you said that she was your daughter?"

"That's right I did. I'm not surprised you think she's kind. Takes a lot after her mother." The blond man clapped his hands together. "Oh, I just can't wait to surprise her and give her a big, long overdue hug!" He gushed.

Winter smiled. It was nice to see a father speak so lovingly about his daughter. She then frowned. "Well, this is all well and nice, but I bring ill tidings about father Weiss."

The younger girl tilted her head with a confused look on her. "What do you mean Winter?"

"There is no easy way to say this, but it would seem father has hired an assassin to kill you."

"WHAT!?" Weiss screeched.

"Yes. And not just any assassin. Gavrilo Princip. The world's greatest assassin."

Taiyang was shocked. He just couldn't fathom how a father could ever hire someone to kill his own child. The very idea of the whole thing just didn't seem like it could exist to him. He then frowned as he crossed his arms. "Seems like we got a bit of trouble then."

"Oh. You know of him Mr. Xiao Long?" Winter asked.

The blond man cringed at being called Mr. "First of all, just Taiyang will do. Mr. just makes me sound old. Secondly, Yeah, I do. That guy is a scumbag. He was the reason for the civil war in Vacuo about ten years ago when he killed a high profile politician. He also almost started another human-faunus war when he killed a faunus diplomat. The bastard even almost started another great war. That guy is just a grade A asshole." He looked over towards Weiss. "If he's been hired to kill you, then you should never be alone."

"I agree. You should always be with at least one other person Weiss. This man is far too dangerous otherwise."

The former heiress looked down at her lap. She could feel untold amounts of fear and anxiety begin to wash over her. "To think. That he would go this far."

Taiyang began rubbing his forehead. He could feel a headache coming on. "I just don't understand what could prompt someone to hire an assassin to off his own daughter."

Winter coughed in her hand. "Well, I can explain. You see, father feels that Weiss has embarrassed him and undermined his authority too much. He believes her to be a disgrace and will do anything to protect the name and image of the SDC. Thus protecting his profits." She looked over to her sister. "It would seem that Weiss' eloping was the last straw."

Taiyang gave Winter an incredulous look. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "That's it? That's his reason? I mean, I always knew Jacques Schnee was a dickhead, but I didn't think he was that much of a dick."

"Yes well, General Ironwood is conducting an investigation as we speak."

Taiyang nodded. He was happy that at least something was being done. He focused his gaze on Winter. After a few moments he smiled. "On a different note, I can see what Qrow was saying about you."

The Atlesian military woman frowned at the mere mention of the name. "What? What EXACTLY did he say?"

The blonde man grinned mischievously. It was time for some payback as far as he was concerned. "Oh, nothing much. Just about how pretty you are. He really wasn't exaggerating when he said that you were as beautiful and as elegant as the snow dancing in the wind."

The woman's eyes widened in shock. A small blush spread across her face. "Wait. What?" She just couldn't believe that the drunkard actually thought she was beautiful.

"Oh yeah! Said you had some of the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen." He crossed his arms and with a twinkle in his eye, he continued. "Qrow also said and I quote 'She also has a really nice butt.'"

Winter's soft, blushing face was replaced with a hard frown. "Of course he'd say something like that. And here I thought that man had actually learned how to be a courteous gentleman, but no. He is still the same crude, drunken idiot."

Weiss just sat there looking at the both them with jaw agape. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. The man who had attacked her sister actually found her attractive? If so, then why attack or instigate a fight with her? None of this made any sense to her.

Taiyang looked over at shorter of the white-haired girls. He let out a loud, booming laugh. "Hahahaha. Confused are we? Qrow has his own special way of showing his care for others. Though I would agree, he's not the smoothest person when it comes to conveying his interest in women."

Winter growled. "He's a damned idiot!"

The younger girl coughed into her hand and looked to the blond man. "Yes, well, changing the subject. How did you know that there were people waiting in ambush of us?"

"Ah! You remember Yang's mother Raven right?" Weiss nodded. "She was the one who taught us how to do it. To be able to sense the life force of others. Though, I'm not nearly as good as her. She would have sensed all of them. If you recall, I missed one."

"I see. What an interesting ability. A useful one to be sure. And anyone can learn this?"

"Yup. Anyone can do it if taught. But your mileage will vary. Some people take to it quickly, while others can take a long time to learn it."

Weiss smoothed out her coat. She then rested her hands on her laps. "Well, time permitting, I would very much like to learn this." She looked towards her sister. "You said we would be at Haven within an hour or so. Is there any way to contact Ruby?"

"I'm not sure. I have never been to Haven. So I am not familiar with their ways."

Taiyang snorted. "We just go to the bars in Haven. Qrow went with Ruby. So, we just go to where ever there is an abundance of alcohol and we will find him and by finding him, we find Ruby. It's that simple."

Winter groaned. She was not looking forward to meeting Qrow. However, she did see this as an opportunity to bring up the things he had said about her and for her to finally put him in a corner for once. She had no illusions about why Taiyang divulged this information. It was clear that he was extracting some kind of revenge. This didn't matter to her though. Winter was just happy to be given some very useful info.

"Now where the hell is that girl?" Sun had climbed up to the highest point on the boat. He was desperately trying to find his friend. With one hand holding the pole and his tail wrapped around it to make absolutely sure he would not fall, he leaned down to get a better view at the deck. "Dammit! We're going to be hitting port soon and she would just have to disappear on me." The blond boy gave an exasperated sigh. He cursed Blake's ninja abilities.

Sun jumped down. He would look inside since it was clear that his ebony-haired companion wasn't on deck.

"What are you doing?" Said a monotone voice.

"AHHHHHH!" Sun yelled rather femininely. He snapped his whole body to face the voice. It was non other than Blake herself. "Holy shit Belladonna! Please never do that again."

She regarded him with a blank stare. "Really Sun? I didn't think you were so skittish." Blake smirked. "I also didn't know you could make that kind of sound. Good to know for future reference."

"Wait? What does 'future reference' mean exactly?" He blinked several times at her. After studying her sly smirk, it finally hit him. "No. Nononono. You're going to try to blackmail me aren't you?"

"I never said that Sun"

"You didn't have to. It's implied!"

The sound of static rang throughout the ship as the intercom came to life. "Ladies and gentlemen. We will be arriving at our destination in twenty five minutes. Please start gathering your belongings and be ready for departure. We are sorry for the inconvenience due to the typhoon at our original destination. We thank you for your understanding and we hope that you have a safe journey once we land."

"Well, you heard the captain Sun. Let's get our stuff and get ready." Blake turned and walked away from the monkey faunus.

"B-but Blake I-" He stopped as he watched as Blake turn a corner and disappear. He slumped over and resigned himself to the fact that he would never be able to get a win with Blake around.

"So this is Qianyang." Blake said with a hint of curiosity.

"It's just a port city. What's so great about it?" Sun said with his arms behind his head.

The cat faunus looked toward her companion. "This isn't just any port city Sun. This place has survived some of the worst Grimm attacks for hundreds of years. These stone roads have centuries worth of blood spilled on them."

"Hahahaha. Of course you would know that. You do like to read." He put his hands on his waist. "Well, at any event. We should probably stock up on supplies. It's going to be a long journey."

Blake nodded in agreement. "From here, we go north. The White Fang HQ is there."

"Blake. I gotta ask. How exactly do you plan on taking back the White Fang?"

"We sneak into the compound and speak with Sienna Khan. He's not like Adam. He is a far more reasonable person. Even if he was the one who radicalized the White fang."

Sun blanched. An uneasy feeling hit him in the pit of his stomach. "I don't know about that Blake. That seems like a big gamble. This could very easily backfire on us. For all you know, he isn't the same person you remember."

She bit her lip. It was hard to find the fault in Sun's logic. Blake grabbed her right arm. "It's a big gamble. You're right, but what else can we do?" Blake closed her eyes. She hummed. Then, another idea came to her. "Well, we could go to Haven. It's in the same direction as the White Fang HQ. We might be able to find someone there who can help us."

Sun smirked and gave a thumbs up. "See! Now that is a better plan. Let's get everything we need and move on out. And hey! Who knows. You might meet up with your team! Yang might be there too!"

Blake gave a sad smile. Half of her was hoping that Sun was right about Yang being there, but the other half of her was hoping he wasn't. It was simple really. She just didn't know if she was ready to meet Yang. What exactly would she even say? What could she say? Just the thought of having to look her partner in the eyes was steadily increasing her anxiety. Blake was broken out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Sun smiling down at her.

"Look Blake. It's going to be fine. I bet Yang will be happy to be reunited with you. I really don't think she hates you. So cheer up! Because she misses you as much as you miss her and she probably feels anxious about meeting up with you too."

She smiled up at the cheery monkey boy. "Thanks Sun. That means a lot."

The blond faunus beamed. "Don't mention it! Now, c'mon! We got places to be!"

Several days had passed since the confrontation with Tyrian. Currently, Yang was standing atop a cliff that was overlooking an entire forest. She looked down to inspect her new clothes. Needless to say, she liked them. Her shirt was a pure black long sleeved shirt. Etched on the back was a large, golden emblem of a bird with flames coming off of it. It's wings extended to the backside of her sleeves. It also had a hood. Yang also had gilded pauldrons and had armored, yellow talon like gauntlets. These gauntlets weren't unlike her mother's. The difference was the color and the fact that they weren't fingerless. Ink black long pants covered her legs with golden greaves on top of them covering her shins. Covering her feet were were knee high leather brown combat boots.

All in all, Yang thought she looked pretty badass. She then looked at her right arm and smiled. Wrapped around her bicep was a small piece of cloth that was the color of her partner's namesake. When her mother had presented her with these clothes, she had made a personal request for it. She choose to wrap it around this arm because it was the arm she sacrificed for Blake.

The blonde looked up to the night sky to see the shattered moon hovering directly above her. She frowned. Her mother had told her to meet her here. Problem was, she was nowhere to be seen. "Hmmm. Not really like her to be late. She usually very punctual. Something must be keeping her."

After about ten more minutes of waiting, Yang began to pace about. She came to a stop and crossed her arms while tapping her foot. "Man where is she? This isn't like her at all."

"My, my. Impatient aren't we?"

Yang smirked before turning to her mother. "What can I say? You told me to meet you here and that got me excited since you obviously want to tell me something big."

Raven chuckled. "Yes, well, I do indeed have something to tell you, but first." She pulled out an object that was completely covered by white cloth. "This is the reason for my delay. Wryneck wanted to make absolutely certain that this was made properly." Yang had began to reach out to touch the object, but Raven had pulled it away slightly. She fixed a serious gaze at her daughter. "Before I give you this Yang. You must understand the significance of this gift."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Raven removed the white cloth to reveal a Grimm mask. It was one similar to her own, but was decorated very differently. Yang's mask had yellow paint in the crevices and in the points above the eye sockets instead of red. It also had two wide, solid yellow lines underneath the eyes. Feathers painted gold adorned the temples of the mask. While the cheeks had flames in the shape of wings.

"As I'm sure you know, these masks aren't just for hiding our faces or for intimidation. They also show status and are a symbol of our strength and accomplishments. Those who have a mask are the ones who have earned it. Only the greatest warriors of the tribe get one. With this comes a certain level of respect AND expectation." Raven handed her daughter the mask. She could tell that Yang was feeling the true weight of it. "This particular mask is only given to those who have conquered Mt. Gulg. So, as of right now, you and I are the only ones who have this mask. The markings underneath the eyes mark you as my daughter. However, more importantly, the painted wings and the golden feathers mark you as the Phoenix. Though your actual wing does that already, it is still important to have it be symbolized on your mask."

Even though the mask felt as light as a feather, it still felt like she was holding a huge Atlasian Airship in her hands. Yang flipped it around. She traced the inside with her finger. "So, this was the surprise you were talking about."

"Yes. Though you have never been officially inducted into the tribe, this mask does just that. You are now truly apart of us. They already see you as family and would do what they can to help you, but with that, you are unquestionably part of this family now." Raven watched as her daughter formed a soft smile on her face. Raven had to be honest with herself. Her chest swelled with pride that she was able to give her daughter this mask. Though she wasn't showing it, deep down inside, Raven was happy. Happy to be sharing her people's culture with her. Happy that Yang accepted their culture with open arms. She truly felt that she and Yang had a real connection with each other. A connection that she herself had craved ever since she gave birth to her.

Yang brought gaze back to her mother. "This is really well made. I'm gonna have to thank Wryneck for his craftsmanship. Though I do have a question or two. Why the hood and what happened to my old emblem?"

Raven smirked. "It's actually very simple. The hood is to better hid your identity. Now, I know you want the White Fang to know who is hurting them, but that's just not tactically sound. Keeping your identity hidden will keep Adam guessing who his real adversary truly is and thus he will never be able to really prepare for the inevitable confrontation between you two. He will never know what to truly expect. As for your emblem. You have a new one because you are not the same Yang from Beacon. You're a different person now. So, your emblem should reflect that."

Yang tilted her head slightly to the right while tapping her finger on her chin in thought. She smiled and shrugged. "I guess that makes sense." Her smile turned into a wicked grin. "So, when do we get to the real reason why we're out here in the middle of the night. I know you wanted to do more than just give me this cool mask."

The older woman chuckled. She shook her head at her daughter's impatience. "The real reason why we are out here is because there is a White Fang camp nearby." Raven walked past her daughter and pointed to a a small clearing within the forest below. "There is where you will find it."

Yang started cracking her neck. The anticipation was starting to build inside her. She really wanted to get out there and start her journey for revenge. "Hmmm. I can't wait to absolutely destroy it."

"Now Yang. I know you're excited, but please try to temper that excitement. That camp is a decent size and has plenty equipment and supplies that would be useful for the tribe." She watched as her daughter gave her a pout. It was clear that the blonde wanted to just go all out. Raven sighed. "Now don't make that face. I understand you wish to use this as an opportunity to flex off you're newly acquired strength and abilities. All I'm asking for is a bit of restraint."

Yang sighed. "Don't worry. I'll make sure I won't go to far. After all, no need to use more power than what I actually need. That would just be a waste of aura and stamina."

"That's correct. Use only what is required. This will ensure that if you do find someone strong, then you will have the energy to fight them." She began to walk past her daughter. Raven stopped a few feet away from Yang and turned her head slightly over her shoulder to look at her. "You need to know this Yang. Out there, you will be on your own. This is your revenge. Your battle. Now, go show those fools the horrible mistake they have made." Raven turned her gaze forward. She gripped her weapon to prepare to make one of her portals. However, before she could, the ravennet felt arms wrap around her. Her whole body went stiff. Raven knew that Yang was hugging her, but she just wasn't use to this kind of thing. It took her a while to get use to Summer and Taiyang doing this.

Yang nuzzled her head into her mother's obsidian locks. "Thank you mom. For everything."

Raven bit her lip. She looked down Yang's arms around her waist. She hesitantly brought up her hand. For a few seconds, the tribe leader moved her hand back and forth until finally she rested it on her daughter's arm. She began to gently rub it. "J-just be careful Yang. You're strong, but not invincible. Pay attention and don't get cocky." She felt her daughter nod her head against her back and hair.

Yang let go of her mother and stepped back a few paces. She watched as Raven created her portal with a swoosh of her blade. In a matter of moments, her mother was gone. It was only her and nature now. The blonde turned around and walked to the edge of the cliff. The wind picked up and blew across her body. Her hair flowing as it did. She looked down at her mask and stared at it for a few moments before turning it over and putting on her face. Reaching back, she flipped her hood over her head to hide her hair.

The young half-breed stared up at the shattered moon. "You'll wish you'd kill me; now I'm stronger. I am the golden one. Who burns just like the sun." A flash of Adam's face came into her mind. She growled angrily. "Next time we meet is your disaster. I'll bring the punishment. Your song will be lament. Revenge, my happy ever after." Raising up her right arm above her head. Facing her hand towards the moon. Yang held her gaze upon her arm for a few seconds. She gritted her teeth. Curling her hand into a fist, she flexed her entire right arm. "Because I'm ARMED and ready!"

Silenced persisted in the air. The only sounds coming from the crickets playing their songs. Eventually, Yang broke down and began to chuckle at her own joke. The blonde girl just couldn't keep herself serious for too long. After a few seconds of laughing, she suddenly pulled herself together and got serious. She gazed out into the direction of the camp her mother pointed at. "Let's get this shit started then shall we?"

A deathly glow of crimson came through the eye sockets of her mask. Yang jumped off of the cliff. Just before she hit the treetops, she transformed into a bird. She pulled up and began her flight towards her destination. The place of where her journey for revenge would began.

A/N: I'm back! I know I haven't updated for a while, but I actually got a job after trying for about a year or so. So that's been taking up some of my time. The other reason for my delay is that ideas come slowly now. I was able to crank a chapter a week or so before because I got lucky and all the ideas came flowing into me. If I don't update for little bit, don't despair. I haven't given up or dropped this story. Just got work and ideas aren't coming to me as quickly. That's all.

Many of you will notice how I put in the lyrics to Armed and Ready in this... I realize this is kind of cheesy, but I couldn't resist it. I had to do it. I am sorry. If there is anyone wondering if Ruby and the gang are going to be coming anytime soon, then do not worry. I plan for the next chapter or the one after it, to have them in it prominently. As for Raven. I just get the feeling that she has like end boss power. I can't be the only one who feels that right? Anyway, Raven is very powerful in this story. I hope you guys don't have problem with it. I practically made Taiyang into an airbender because his whole thing about finding ways to get around obstacles sounded very airbendery. I didn't give him a semblance in the beginning because I wasn't sure what to give him.

FeugoFox42: Thank you so much! Also, I do have tiny little tid bits of Bumbleby in this story in the form of the Blake's and Yang's flashbacks. Do not despair friend! Bumbleby is coming! Just not right away. But rest assured. It is coming.

isaac: Well, what's the point of following the show so strictly right? I only very lightly follow the story. Also, thanks for liking my story as much as you do! However, I do have one question. Are you in anyway related to a man called Dr. Farnsworth?

Randy: Don't worry. I have no intention of belittling history or the significance of what happened. As you read this chapter, I'm sure you'll see why I called the assassin that.

DudebladeX: I can't really set up a scheduel since time doesn't exactly permit me to, but thanks for the suggestions! Don't worry. When both Ruby and Yang get the chance, payback is gonna be a bitch. For the fire thing, you have just given me an awesome idea. I shall use this gift.

Hellwyrm: Hi! Thanks for the love dude! Also, TFS is life for me right now...As well as Videogamedunky. Yeah man. I go back and re-read through my multiple times and edit it out, but I always miss stuff. When I get the chance, I'm going to go through these chapters and edit them even more.

kyrogue23: Well, it was pretty one-sided feud. Lol