A/N: Italics are thoughts and song.

Qrow was sitting at the bar counter calmly drinking his liquor. He was starring at the brown liquid as he swirled it around. The veteran hunter was very much so enjoying the quiet. Eventually, his thoughts once again drifted to the conversation he had with his sister. If what his sister said was true, then shit was really going to be hitting the fan soon. His thoughts fell onto Yang. It was already clear to him that Salem would know of what happened and of course, she would have to deal with Vale's hunters coming after her.

He took another swig of his drink. If he was honest with himself, he still wasn't sure if he believed Raven. However, she did say that Tai was coming. He would ask him to see if his sister was telling the truth. Qrow let out an exasperated sigh. "What damn shit show this whole thing is."

"Well, you don't exactly look better than said show."

Qrow swirled around to the direction of the voice. His jaw was slightly hung down and his eyes wide with surprise. Standing in the door way of the bar was none other than his ex-teammate, Taiyang. Once the scythe wielder regained his composure, he smirked at the blond man.

"Well, looks like she was right." He whispered. Qrow smiled when he saw Ruby's partner come out from behind Taiyang. However, his smile disappeared when Winter came through the door. "The fuck is she doing here?" Looking at the rather cold glare she was giving him, he sighed as he took another sip of his liquor. "Great. Only two seconds and she's already pissed with me. Sheesh!"

Taiyang's jovial expression turned serious. He walked forward and took a seat next to his old partner. He turned to meet Qrow's red eyes. "Qrow. There are somethings we have to talk about."

The dark haired man began to trace his finger tip around the rim of his glass. "Let me guess. It's about what happened with Yang isn't it?"

"Dad?" A voice rang out before Taiyang could respond.

The group looked over to see Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren standing at the entrance.

Ruby shifted her eyes to her right. "Weiss? What are you doing here?" She then looked back to her uncle and father. "What do you mean 'what happened with Yang'? What's going on?"

Qrow groaned as he placed a hand over his head. He mentally cursed his semblance. He looked towards Taiyang. "Well, shit. Hope you're ready for this Tai. Because this isn't going to be easy."

Before Weiss could rush forward to greet Ruby, Qrow stood up from his seat and moved past the two girls. He stopped and turned towards the group. "Let's go somewhere else to talk about this." He said. His red eyes settled on his niece. "You're gonna want to brace yourself kiddo. What me and your father have to say is going to be ugly." He walked out of the bar with Winter following closely behind.

Ruby folded her hands together. A terrible chill ran down her spine. She couldn't shake the awful sinking feeling in her stomach. All of her instincts were telling her that something terrible has happened to her sister. Ruby jumped as a hand gently gripped her shoulder. The petite girl looked behind her to see Weiss giving her a comforting smile.

"Come on Ruby. We can catch up later. For now though, you need to hear this." Weiss said as she began to gently lead Ruby outside. She was really hoping for a happier meeting, but there was no getting around this. It would have to happen eventually. The smaller girl had the right to hear what happened to her sister. Weiss wished she could do more to help Ruby feel better, but the only thing she could was to just be there for her.

Taiyang followed after his daughter and Weiss. He looked back at the rest of RNGR. "Well, what are ya sitting around for? C'mon kids." He motioned for them to follow with the wave of his hand.

After Taiyang left, Jaune was the first to speak.

"Okay. That was weird." He looked down thoughtfully. He gave Ren and Nora a puzzled look. "Did we miss something?"

Ren sighed. "We should just follow them. I'm sure all will be explained. Though I'm certain the news will not be pleasant." The long haired boy began to make his way towards the exit. He turned back to Nora. "Come Nora. I'm sure you don't want to miss out on all the 'juicy' details."

"COMIIIIIIIING!" She yelled back. Causing Jaune to hold his ears.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" The blond said as he ran after his friends.

Once Qrow had taken the group to his room, Taiyang had told him that he would be the one to tell Ruby what happened. Qrow didn't argue with it at all. He was the one who was there. There was also the fact that he is Ruby's father so the scythe wielding hunter figured his ex-partner felt completely obligated to be the one to break the news to her.

Qrow had taken to leaning against a wall as Taiyang began to explain what had transpired on Patch. He kept a careful eye on his niece. What he found was what he was expecting. Heartbreak.

Each piece of information that her father gave, sank his poor niece's heart even more. Once Taiyang got to what happened or his version of what he believed happened in Berm, Ruby got even worse. He eyed the entire group to see their horrified faces. Even Winter was expressing genuine disgust and discomfort. Then, his ex-partner confirmed what Raven had said about Yang. She destroyed half of an island. He was now forced to see that the Phoenix was no mere myth and that Yang was it's reincarnation.

At the end of Taiyang's tale, Ruby was already clinging onto her partner Weiss. Sobbing into the white-haired girl's chest. The news of her sister brutalized and almost killed had understandably made her upset and wrought with sorrow. The rest of the group just sat there with stunned expressions. For him though. His own blood boiled with anger. Although Qrow was not a person to be happy about someone killing another person, he couldn't help but feel some sort of joy at the news of his sister completely murdering Gray and his cronies.

When Taiyang saw his daughter look at him, he immediately went to her and hugged her. "No. Don't you say what I know you're about to say Ruby. It's not your fault."

The small huntress-in-training looked up at her father with tears starting to well in her eyes. "But I-"

"He's right kiddo. It ain't your fault." Qrow interrupted her. He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he continued. "Look. Even if you were there. That stuff would have probably happened anyway. There are just some things that out of your control."

Ruby looks down and buries her head in her father's chest. "I-is she safe?" She mumbles out.

Qrow and Taiyang exchanged measured looks at each other. Then the blond-haired man smiled down at his daughter. "Yes. Yang is safe."

"Trust me when I say that nothing is getting past Raven." Qrow decided to chime in.

Ruby gave a sniffle and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, but who is Raven? I know dad just said she's Yang's mom, but who is she exactly?" The young girl asked.

"Yeah. I kinda want to know too." Jaune said.

Ren looked over to Qrow. He put his arms behind his back. "Perhaps you have another story to tell? Because I too must admit that I am rather curious of this Raven character myself." He shifted his eyes over to his dear friend Ruby and shifted them back to two adults in front of him. "Besides, it might do some good for Ruby herself. Could ease her mind a bit if she knew something of this person."

Both Huntsmen sighed. They knew this was coming. Explaining Raven was going to be something of a challenge.

Qrow stepped forward. "Alright then. Gather round kids and listen closely." Once he had the attention of everybody in the room, he continued." First, let me say this. My sister, Raven, is not someone you want to fuck with. She is definitely the kind of person that will tear you apart if you cross her."

The folks of team RNJR gulped. Weiss though was already kind of expecting this. She kind of got that impression from what little Taiyang had told her. Winter just looked upon Qrow with an unamused look with a single brow raised,

"Wait? Did you just say sister? You have a sister!?" Jaune blurted

Qrow just looked onto the teen with an unblinking, tight-lipped expression.

Jaune shrunk back. He began to laugh nervously. His drooped down. "Okay. I'll shut up now." The blonde boy said in a quiet and timid voice. Face red with embarrassment.

The black-haried man coughed. "Now. If there no more interruptions. Then I can continue."

Jaune merely whimpered.

"Anyway, Raven is the kind of person who is very serious about her training and growing stronger. There is no such thing as limits to her. The woman lives to break limits and do the impossible. She's also a very ruthless and merciless warrior. Intelligent and powerful." Qrow took a swig from his canteen.

"And beautiful. Don't forget beautiful and sexy." Taiyang waggled his eyebrows. A cheesy grin was plastered across his face.

The scythe wielder groaned. "Shut the hell up Tai. I'd rather not have to listen about how 'beautiful' my sister looks. Pretty sure the kids don't want to be grossed out either."

A mischievous smirk was etched on his face. "Well, I can always tell about how one night me and-"

"DAD!" Ruby screeched.

Taiyang just began to howl with laughter. "You kids are always so damn easy to embarrass!" He said as he wiped a tear away from his eye.

The rest of the group just sat there with red faces as the older blond man laughed at their expense. Qrow on the other hand was actually contemplating about reaching for his weapon.

"Alright you idiot. Are you done?" Taiyang nodded his head as his laughter settled into small giggles. Qrow merely rolled his eyes. "Anyway, before I was so RUDLEY interrupted." He gave his ex-partner an glare. However, Taiyang just continued to smile innocently at him. With a grumble or two, Qrow continued. "Raven is also in charge of an entire tribe. Now, you wouldn't think that this was a bad thing, but this tribe survives off of pillaging towns and villages."

Everyone let out a gasp of surprise. Weiss then glared daggers at Taiyang.

"You never told me that she was a criminal!" Weiss yelled.

Winter scrunched her nose in disgust. " I do not understand how you could allow that kind of a woman to take your daughter. She's a veritable monster who kills innocents. Who knows what nefarious things she is planning to do with her."

Taiyang began to rub the back of his head and started to laugh nervously.

The older white-haired woman looked at Qrow. "You knew this about your own sister, yet you never did anything to stop her. Not even notifying the authorities of her atrocities!?"

That's when Qrow did something that no one expected. He began to laugh. His gravely voice echoed throughout the room.

Winter began growl. "I fail to see the humor in any of this Qrow!"

Once he calmed down, he looked towards the Specialist with an amused twinkle in his eye. "Right. Let me call the police so they can go and get slaughtered." His voice dripping with sarcasm. "As for why I haven't tried to stop her, it's because I can't. She is far more powerful than me. Raven is in a league of her own and trust me when I say this Ice Queen." He leaned in closer to Winter. She pulled back slightly. "If you can't even beat me when I was drunk, then you don't stand a ghost of a chance at beating her and neither does anyone in the Atlasian military or the Atlas Hunter's Academy."

"Surely you are exaggerating about this woman's power. There must be some sort of hyperbole to your claims."

"He ain't joking Winter." Taiyang chimed in. He watched as the Schnee girl looked over Qrow's shoulder. Still not looking convinced.

Qrow turned to team RNJR. "Let me put it this way. You remember Tyrian? The scorpion faunus?" The teens nodded their heads. "Well, Raven could kill him in a matter of moments."

Nora was the first to speak up. "Are you kidding me? I couldn't even dent him with my most powerful attack! He held it back with a tail. A TAIL DAMMIT!"

Ren was holding his ears. After her loud outburst, the quiet teen put his hand on his childhood friend's shoulder. "Nora, there is no need to yell."

"Yeah. Please spare us our eardrums." Jaune said.

"Hehehe. Whoops. Sorry." The energetic hammer user apologized while rubbing the back of her head.

"Anyway, back on topic." Taiyang said. He eyeballed Winter. "As for why I let Raven take her, I'm pretty sure I didn't have a choice. Like I told your sister, Raven is far too powerful for me to stop. Also, there was no way for me to get her the medical attention she needed. The tribe is elusive. You won't find them if they don't want you to find them. Unless you're really good at tracking."

Taiyang looked down at his feet. A tidal wave of guilt and sorrow began to wash over him. "Besides, there was no way for me to protect her from all of the hunters and huntresses that will be coming after her. With all of this in mind, Raven was the best chance of survival for her and at the end of the day." He stopped. His blue eyes holding Winter's with a deathly serious look. "That's what matters the most."

Winter was slightly taken back by this change in demeanor from the Huntsman. She had no idea that this normally jovial and jokey individual could have such a harsh stare and that his voice could hold such steel in it.

"Besides." Taiyang continued. "You two-" He stopped in mid-sentence to point at Weiss and Winter. "-need to understand that the world isn't separated into black and white. You see, the reality is that black and white are merely just thin strands floating in an overwhelming sea of gray."

"How is stealing and killing not considered black or evil? These are definitely evil things." Weiss countered.

"It's true. They are not good things. However, what you are forgetting is motive. What is the reason for this? From what both Qrow and Raven have told me, the Tribe does this for survival. I could hardly call that evil. It's not nice for sure, but evil it is not. You also must understand that out there, in the wilderness, there are no laws. There is no one out there to help you or look after you. The other thing that must be taken into account is that as their leader, Raven has to do things that are in her people's best interest. They are HER responsibility. They look to her to lead them and to ensure their survival." He looked at Qrow as he crossed his arms. "Something that you constantly forget."

The black-haired man rolled his eyes. "Bite me."

After coughing into his fist, he continued. "For as long as I have known Raven, I can safely say that attacking innocent and defenseless people is not something that she enjoys. However, she doesn't have to enjoy what she needs to do. That's just part of what being a leader is all about."

"The lesson here." He added. "Is that you should always look beneath the surface of things. You may find your preconceived notions to be wildly inaccurate."

"Thanks for the wise words oh great sage." Qrow said sarcastically as he gave a mock bow.

Taiyang grinned. "No problem. You were always one who needed my wisdom most feather-brain."

"Okay. So Yang is safe. That's good." Ruby said as she wiped her eyes. The petite brunet then frowned. "However, that doesn't answer how she was able to, you know, DESTORY HALF AN ISLAND!"

Qrow held up one finger to his mouth and shushed his niece. "Careful kid! That kind of info is pretty sensitive."

Taiyang raised a single yellow brow. "You know, I would like to know that too Qrow." He turned to face his body toward his ex-partner. "C'mon already. Spill the beans dammit. I know you know something about my daughter."

It almost unnerved Qrow that Taiyang could have the most jovial voice in the world, but then have change to something that had the harsh edge of a blade. The scythe wielder sighed. "Alright, alright. Sheesh." He walked over to a chair and sat down. "You guys are gonna want to sit down for this one. It's kind of a long story."

"So." Ruby whispered. "You're telling me that my sister is the reincarnation of...some god?"

Qrow nodded. "That would appear to be the case." He sipped from his canteen once again before letting his head hang. "Looks like her visions were right once again." He muttered quietly.

Lie Ren gave him a questioning look. "Her...visions?"

"That's my sister's semblance. Future sight or premonitions of the future. And just like me, she doesn't have the ability to control her semblance. The visions just come." Qrow responded.

Winter raised a brow. "Can't control his semblance?"

"Look. Yang his being hunted by the Hunters and Huntresses of Vale. It also won't be much longer until Mistral's government finds out about this. I'm sure Vale has sent messengers. But that's not Yang's biggest problem." His eyes hardened and narrowed. "By showing this amount of pure destructive force, she has made herself a target for someone else."

"Salem." Ruby whispered under her breath.

Qrow nodded. "Exactly." He saw Taiyang's confused look. He gave an exasperated sigh. "I'll tell you about it later."

While everyone was silently going over everything they had just heard from Qrow, Jaune stepped forward.

"So this Tribe are the only ones, besides us, who knows about this Phoenix right."

"That's right." Qrow said.

"If this Phoenix was the creator of the faunus and this Tribe has kept it's existence a secret." The blond teen folded his arms and looked down. After a moment of deep thought, he brought his gaze back up to the Hunter's red eyes. " Does that mean that they are faunus as well?"

"Your point being...?" Qrow questioned. Giving the boy a flat look as he did so.

Jaune continued. " My point is that you and Yang's mom are from that Tribe. Which would make you both faunus." The teen paused for a couple of moments. His eyes widened as just came to a sudden realization. "Which makes Yang a half-breed!"

A few moments of silence and Jaune was starting to sweat nervously. He looked around to see everyone giving him a look that said really?

"Thanks for stating the obvious Captain Obvious. But most of us had already pieced that together." Weiss said in a flat, unimpressed tone.

"Hehehe." The blond teen laughed nervously

"Anywaaaaaay." Ruby drawled. Her soft silver eyes locking onto Qrows sharp, harsh red ones. "What do we do now?"

"Nothing." He stated simply.

"What do you mean nothing!?" She growled. Ruby didn't want to accept that answer. Her sister was somewhere out there and she wanted to see her.

"Calm down Ruby. There is nothing we can do for Yang right now. Let Raven handle this. Trust me. My sister knows what she is doing. In the mean time, we should meet with the Headmaster of this place's Academy." He said calmly. Qrow understood that Ruby just wanted to see her sister. Dust did he understand the feeling. He could relate. There were many nights where all he wanted was to see his sister and be with her as a child. Even now, as an adult, he still had those nights.

"I agree with Qrow." Taiyang chimed in. "Look, Ruby, you don't even know where to start looking. You would just be wasting your time and energy trying to find a group of people who are practically impossible to find."

"Besides." He continued. His face became as hard as stone. "We have our own problem to deal with." Casting his gaze over to Weiss. She looked away and placed a hand on her chest. "Weiss' father has placed a hit on her and hired none other than Gavrilo Princip."

Team RNJR let out a collective gasp. None of them could believe what they were just told. The news about Yang was already pretty unbelievable, but hearing a father hiring an assassin to off his own daughter? That seemed incomprehensible for them. Especially since most of them had nothing, but loving father's. Only Nora was the one who didn't know what having a father was like, but she still only saw fathers loving their children.

"Tch!" Qrow let out. He dug his hands into his pockets and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. He was getting rather frustrated. It just seemed like none of them could catch a break. A well deserved break in his honest opinion.

Leaning forward once again, he rose from his chair and immediately went to his window and closed the blinds. He turned to Weiss. Giving her a solemn look. "Look, I know you're not going to like this, but it's for your own safety."

"What are you talking about? " The fair-haired girl questioned.

"What I'm talking about are some things you have to follow. Some rules if you will." He walked back to his chair and just plopped himself down. "Listen to me very carefully. First, only eat food that you have prepared. Do not eat anything anyone gives you. That includes us. Eat only canned food. Next, stay away from windows. He could try to kill you with a sniper rifle." Her face seemed to get more depressed as he went on. Yeah. He expected that.

"Make sure you never go out into the open either. Do not, under any circumstances, open your door for anyone other than us. Lastly, make sure you are with at least one other person." The dark-haired man took a sip from his canteen as he finished.

Weiss held her right arm and looked away, "Seems like I left one prison, only to come into another one." She whispered.

"All of that can't be necessary! Are we really gonna keep her caged up!?" Nora protested. She didn't like this at all. Weiss was her friend and she didn't like the idea of her friend being locked up and away from the world around her.

"As much as I am loathe to say it. I agree with Qrow." Winter gave her sister a sympathetic look. The elder Schnee walked over to the younger one and gently placed a hand under her chin. Once Weiss locked eyes with her she smiled. "Don't worry Weiss. This is only temporary. I assure you of that. Once we deal with this scum, you can be out and about again. Just understand that this for your safety."

Winter turned towards the giant hammer wielding girl and frowned. " To answer your question, yes. It is very necessary. We are talking about the world's greatest assassin. By doing this, we severely limit the amount of ways that he can get to my sister. This is also one of the best ways to catch him. He will be forced to take risks to get to her." She turned to Qrow. "I assume that was part of your plan."

Qrow smiled. Part of him did love the way she could just take command of a situation. It made her more attractive. The scythe wilder shook his head. He then focused his gaze onto her. "Yup. You got it Snow Queen!" He chuckled upon seeing her expression turn sour from his nick name. "He may be the world's greatest assassin, but he isn't perfect. He will make a mistake. A miscalculation. That's when me, Tai, and Winter will take him."

Ruby frowned. She wanted to fight too. This was Weiss they were talking about. She wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing while her partner was in danger. The young girl clutched her chest when she looked over at the melancholic form of Weiss. She didn't really understand what it was that she was feeling right now, but she knew that she hated seeing her like this. Ruby would much rather see her smile.

Ruby stepped forward. "I-"

"No." Taiyang interrupted.

Pools of silver glared angrily at her father. "No? Why not!? I can fight too! I can help!" She argued.

Taiyang frowned. "I said no." His voice full of steel. "This guy is way out of your league Ruby. He didn't earn his moniker for nothing. You kids just simply don't have the experience to deal with this kind of guy."

"We took out a massive Grimm that was destroying entire towns and villages on it's own!" Ruby shot back angrily.

"A Grimm that me, Winter or Tai could have killed on our own." Qrow countered. He understood his niece perfectly well. The amount of times he was made to sit out on missions due to his semblance when he was with the Tribe was absurd. It made him feel like he was useless. He hated that feeling and apparently, so did Ruby. However, he wouldn't budge on this.

"Did you learn nothing from your fight with that scorpion bastard?" He watched as Ruby look away with defiance still in her eyes. "She looks so much like Summer."

"I know you don't like it kiddo, but you shouldn't go biting off more than you can chew." Qrow continued. He went to take another sip form his canteen, but he noticed that he was empty. Qrow grumbled as he put it away.

Taiyang sensing an outburst coming from his daughter, he decided to get down to eye level with her. He gently gripped her shoulders. Ruby snapped her head at him. Seeing her angry glare and slightly puffed out cheeks almost made him laugh. He have her a soft smile. One only a father can give to his child. "Ruby, you have a very important part to play."

Ruby scrunched her nose. "Like what? Because it sounds like you guys are trying to keep me, us, out of this."

"Well, if you guys try to fight him with us, who will be there to protect Weiss? I know she a very capable fighter, but like you, she needs some more experience under her belt. If, by some miracle, he manages to slip past us, he will come straight for her thinking she is undefended." He said gently as he placed his hand atop her head. "If that happens, you guys will be there to help her. Even if you don't defeat him, you can definitely slow him down long enough for either of us to come." Taiyang reasoned with his daughter.

The blond man hugged Ruby. "If you want to be a better leader, then you need to not be so impulsive and allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment. You know this is the best thing to do."

Ruby was having a hard time trying to find any flaw with her father's logic. In the end, she knew he was right. If they, team RNJR, wasn't around, then Weiss would be vulnerable. She gulped. Ruby couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let another Penny happen, She couldn't let another Pyrrha happen. The heartbreak would be too much for her to handle.

Ruby looked up to her father with fiery determination in her eyes. There was no way she would let Weiss share their fate. "Fine. We'll stay with Weiss while you guys look for that guy."

"Good."

Ren looked at the clock. He noticed that it was past one int the morning. The calm teen coughed in his hand to grab everyone's attention. "I think we should retire for the night. It's rather late."

Jaune let out a yawn as he stretched his limbs tiredly. "I agree. I'm friggin sleepy." He said as he rubbed his eyes.

Winter began to walk towards the entrance. "I will go to seeing about setting up Weiss with her accommodations." Once she strode past Qrow, she frowned and turned her head to look at him from over her shoulder. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would keep your eyes ABOVE my waist line drunkard." She turned her back with a grin hidden on her face. His surprised gasps and bewildered look were priceless.

Once Winter left, Qrow turned his angry eyes to glare at Taiyang. "You bastard! Why did you go and tell her that!?"

Taiyang shrugged while smiling innocently. "I only meant to help a dear friend. You should be thanking me. I'm speeding up the process."

A vein popped out on his forehead. Qrow grabbed his ex-partner's collar. "What else did you tell her Tai! What game are you playing!?"

The blond man looked away with a grin on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about Qrow!" He said in a singsong voice.

It was right then and there that Weiss remembered something that veteran Hunter told her. She might not be happy about her current predicament, but that wouldn't mean that she wouldn't make the best of it.

The white-haired girl grinned as she placed her mouth near her partner's ear. "I hope you do a good job at watching me Ruby-roo."

Ruby placed her fist into the center of her chest and held her head up proudly. "Of course I'll do a good jo-" She stopped mid-sentence. The shorter girl snapped her head at Weiss. "W-what did you just say!?"

Weiss placed her finger on her bottom lip and blinked innocently at Ruby. "I only said that I hope you do well in watching me Ruby-roo."

There was a look of absolute horror on the younger girl's face. Her face turning about as red a tomato. She whirled around to her father. "DAD! WHY!?"

Jaune, Ren, and Nora were all laughing at the Ruby.

Ruby suddenly appeared before Jaune. Leaving a trail of petals behind her. "I know you aren't laughing at me you bunny hoodie wearing sissy!" Ruby spat indignantly.

The blond boy stopped laughing. He took a step back. "H-hey! This hoodie is very comfortable!"

She then zoomed over to her father. She pulled out her scythe and gave Taiyang an evil glare that even the Devil himself would be impressed by. Qrow was mimicking his niece's actions beside her. Both scythe wielders began to inch closer to Taiyang.

The blond man started to slowly back away from his ex-partner and daughter while also carefully maneuvering his way towards the door. He put his hands up in a defensive manner. "C'mon guys. It's not really anything to get so upset over."

"I'm gonna kill you!" Both niece and uncle said at the same time. They both had the same psychotic, murderous voice.

Once Taiyang figured he was close enough, he made a mad dash for the door. Screaming at the top of his lungs. He sounded every bit the man that was extremely fearful for his life.

Once Taiyang got out into the hall, he ran as fast as his legs could carry his frightened body.

"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!" The two scythe wielding warriors exclaimed. They ran out of the room and gave chase.

Weiss and the rest of team RNJR just giggled at the antics of the small family. It was a rather welcoming thing since they had been given nothing, but bad news. It was just nice to see some humor amidst all of the darkness.

Winter came into the room while keeping her eyes off in the direction of the trio of people that had ran past her. She sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. The Schnee looked to her sister and smiled. "I have everything set up for you Weiss. Come. Let me show you to your room. You must be tired and sleepy."

"IT'LL BE A COLD DAY IN HELL BEFORE YOU RUNTS CACTH ME, THE GREAT TAIYANG XIAO LONG!" They all heard him yell pompously from the other side of the inn.

Weiss chuckled into her hand. She then looked to her sister. "Very well. It is rather late and I am in desperate need of a bath." The white-haired girl turned towards her friends. "I will be retiring for the night. It was nice to see all of you again. Though, I wish it were under better circumstances. Good night everyone."

Weiss groaned as she felt something gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyelids slowly opened. Once her vision cleared, she saw a figure standing over her. Squinting her eyes, Weiss tried to see the shadow standing at the side of her bed.

"Weiss. C-can I ask you something?" A familiar voice mumbled out weakly.

With her eyes acclimated to the darkness, Weiss could now put a face to the familiar voice. It was none other than Ruby.

Hearing a whimper, Weiss immediately shot up. "Ruby? What's wrong? What happened?" Concern pouring out from her voice.

"C-can I sleep with you tonight?" She hiccuped. "Please?"

Weiss blinked several times. She recalled Ruby doing this with Yang whenever she had terrible nightmares. Weiss didn't tell anyone that she had woken up to her partner's soft crying. Though, thinking back on it, Ruby didn't do this much. In the entire time she had spent her teams dorm, she only counted two times this had happened.

Now with her eyes having the full effect of their night vision, she could faintly see that the younger girl was in her pajamas. Her hair was also a mess. It would appear that the girl had just woken up. Weiss could also barely make out the expression on her partner's face. It was stricken with fear, pain, and desperation. She also noted how Ruby clutched at her chest.

Weiss smiled warmly. She lifted her sheets. "Of course you can Ruby. I don't mind."

Taking the invitation, Ruby slowly climbed under the sheets. She wrapped her arms around the white-haired girl and pulled herself into her as much as possible. Her lips began to quiver as the pain she felt inside her chest was becoming unbearable. Eventually, she buried her head into Weiss' chest and started to cry. Ruby desperately tried to stop the flow of tears, but dam was already broken and there was no stopping the stream of water that came from that hole.

Weiss wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. This was truly not a side of Ruby she liked seeing at all. She wanted to cry herself just from the sight of her partner's heaving, gasping form. However, she willed herself to stem her tears. She couldn't breakdown and cry now. Weiss didn't have that luxury tonight. Tonight, she needed to stay strong for Ruby.

"I want her back." Ruby choked out in between her sobbing.

"Ruby-" Weiss started, but immediately cut off by the girl in her arms.

"I want Yang back!" She cried louder.

Weiss brought up her hand to the back of Ruby's head and started to rub it comfortingly. "It'll be okay Ruby. I'm sure Yang will be just fine." She tried to placate the girl's worries. "Yang will come to you soon."

"No! I want my sister now!" Ruby yelled. Her voice muffled by Weiss' chest. "I j-just want my sister. I want Yang here!" She said as she become increasingly more hysterical.

Weiss winced. Ruby was starting to sound like a scared little girl crying for the warmth and comfort of her mother. She had to think of something fast. If this continued, Ruby might become inconsolable. It was then that she remembered a song that her mother would sing to her whenever she became grief stricken and couldn't sleep. Well, when she still interacted with her.

Weiss placed her hand at the small of Ruby's back and began to gently rub circles into it. She cleared her voice and set her tone to be that of comfort and warmth. Then she moved her mouth close to Ruby's ear.

Sleep, baby, sleep,

Thy father guards the sheep,

Thy mother shakes the little trees,

There falls down one little dream,

Sleep, baby, sleep!

Weiss felt Ruby's body begin to relax. Her crying had calmed down to the point of it just being a few sniffles and whimpers here and there. She was glad that Ruby was no longer hysterical, but she had to keep going.

Sleep, baby, sleep,

The sky draws the sheep,

The little stars are the little lambs,

The moon, that is the little shepherd,

Sleep, baby, sleep!

By now, Weiss could fell how Ruby's breathing returned to normal as did her heart rate. Her partner had finally calmed down. Now the only thing that was left to do was to finish the song.

Sleep, baby, sleep,

I shall give you a sheep,

With one fine golden bell,

That shall be thy journeyman,

Sleep, baby, sleep!

Ruby felt her heavy, tired eyelids start to close. She felt with each word Weiss sung, her mind drifted closer to unconsciousness. Her partner's breath caused a certain kind of pleasing, tingly sensation in her ears. From her ears came a comfortable euphoria that eventually rippled its way throughout the rest of her body.

A few minutes after Weiss had finished her song, Ruby felt the older girl's fingers lace themselves into her hair. They moved up to her scalp and began to message the skin gently. This proved to be the final straw for the scythe wielder. Her eyes shut closed. Ruby was finally asleep.

Weiss let out a quiet sigh. She had finally done it. Never again did she want to see Ruby like this. To see her just breakdown and look so defeated. It was all too much for her. One night of this was enough for her.

She ran her fingers through Ruby's hair. The smaller girl hummed contently in response. Smiling, Weiss pulled up the sheets and wrapped her arms around her partner. Giving Ruby one last look, she closed her eyes and let out a quiet yawn as sleep was beginning to creep over her mind. "You better come back Xiao Long. At least come back long enough to let your sister know that your okay." Was her final thought as she fully succumbed to the pull of sleep.

Taiyang was leaning on the wall next to Weiss' room. He had noticed his daughter leaving her room and walking down the hall. Some part of him wished he hadn't followed Ruby to see what was wrong with her. The sounds of her crying and desperate pleas for her sister made his stomach turn and twist. He really felt like he would vomit at any time. The blonde hunter was glad that Weiss was able to calm down his daughter and put her to sleep with her song. Taiyang didn't know how much more he could endure if Ruby continued her crying.

He clenched his hand into a fist. This and his treatment of Yang really drove home the point that he had been thinking since this whole thing started. That he was a failure. A failure as a man and a failure as a father. He placed a hand over his eyes. "Damn it!" He let out in frustration. A single tear left his azure eye.

"You're bleeding" A rough, gravely voice said.

Taiyang looked to his right to see Qrow staring at him. He watched the black-haired man nod to his right hand. Taiyang looked to his hand to see that he was indeed bleeding. So overcome from his own pain and despair over his daughters that he didn't notice the damage he was doing to his own hand from how hard he was clenching his fist.

"Is she fine now?" Qrow asked. His concern for his niece very evident in his voice.

"Yeah." Taiyang answered. "Weiss was able to calm her down, but I'm worried about her in the long term."

"What makes you say that?"

"Look Qrow. Yang wasn't just Ruby's sister. She also filled the role of mother to her. The two of them share a special bond with each other. For Ruby, the idea of that kind of bond being severed has very much so upset her. Yang has always been there for her whenever she felt insecure or frightened. However, that kind of bond is being threatened to be taken away and that has disturbed her a great deal."

Taiyang removed himself from the wall. He stared at the wound on his hand for a few seconds and then looked back at Qrow. "From everything you have told me about this Salem and Ruby's eyes, I can only think of how terrified she is. She may not be showing it Qrow, but Ruby is scared. What terrifies her even more is the idea that she will have to face this without Yang. That idea terrorizes her on a level me and you just don't really understand."

Qrow sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He really hated this whole thing. He always hated it when things got complicated. The scythe wielder knew that he probably didn't fully grasp what Taiyang was feeling right now. After all, he wasn't a father.

He put his hand on his ex-partner's shoulder. "All we can do is to try to make Ruby as happy as possible and hope Yang will come back soon." Qrow put his arm around Taiyang's shoulders and started to move him to his room. "In the meantime, you should get some sleep. It does no one any good if you become sleep deprived."

Taiyang sighed and let himself be led. Qrow was right. It benefits no one if he denies himself proper sleep. "Yeah, alright."

Weiss was the first to wake up. She sat up and stretched her limbs with a stifled yawn. When she felt her bed move from the shifting weight of a person, she suddenly remembered that Ruby had come into her room last night. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Weiss looked over to her right to see Ruby sleeping peacefully. She giggled. Her partner was sleeping with her mouth opened slightly. She thought the light snores coming from the younger girl were adorable.

Ruby tossed and turned for a few minutes before finally opening her eyes. Yawning, she still felt groggy from sleep. Her ears perked up a bit when she heard someone chuckling beside her. Ruby turned to the source of the chuckling.

"Well, good morning Ruby." Weiss greeted.

The brunette pursed her lips. "There is no such thing as a good morning. All mornings are evil Weiss." Ruby said with sleep still heavy in her voice.

Grabbing a tissue from the nightstand, Weiss then wipe away some saliva at the corner of her partner's mouth. "You have never been a morning person. I always had to wake you up. If I didn't, then you would sleep into the afternoon."

Ruby blushed slightly. She was touch bit embarrassed that she had been drooling in her sleep. Weiss cleaning her only added to her embarrassment. Strangely enough though, she felt her heart rate increase from her partner's actions. The slight tingling sensations in her chest and stomach were alien to her. Ruby didn't understand what or why she was feeling this way. "Maybe I should ask dad or uncle Qrow?"

Yes, that's exactly what she would do. Deciding to stop trying to reason out these feelings, she instead choose to answer back to her partner.

"No I wouldn't. I so would wake before that on my own!" Ruby retorted childishly. Her cheeks puffed out in defiance.

Weiss merely gave Ruby a knowing look. "Really?"

"Well...I would wake up eventually." She said quietly. Pushing the tips of her index fingers together.

The white-haired girl laughed as shook her head. Even after all that has happened, she was still the same Ruby Rose. Wishing to get the day started, Weiss swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "Well, I'm going to start getting ready." She looked back to her partner. "If you're still tired Ruby then you can stay in bed and sleep for a little longer. I don't mind."

As Weiss started to make her way to the bathroom, Ruby grabbed her hand. She looked down at her partner with a questioning look.

"Thank you, Weiss."

At first, Weiss didn't know why the younger girl was thanking her. Until she remembered last night. With a loving smile, she reached down and put her hand on top of Ruby''s head. "Don't worry about Ruby. If you feel like you need to be with someone, my door is always open for you."

"I'm gonna hold you to that promise." Ruby said in mock seriousness.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Weiss said in the same tone.

Ruby let go of her partner's hand. She watched the ex-heiress make her way towards the bathroom. Suddenly, she remembered the whole thing about an assassin being after her partner. Images of Penny and Pyrrha flashed before her eyes. They disappeared as Weiss came back into her vision. "Don't worry Weiss. I'm going to protect you no matter what!" She thought resolutely.

Looking over to a chair that was next to a small dinning table, Ruby found the coat that she had bought for Weiss. Getting up from the bed, she shuffled her way over to it. Reaching out and grabbing a sleeve, she rubbed her thumb against the smooth leather. It brought back memories from a simpler and happier time. A time when almost everything was so innocent. Back when they didn't worry about someone like Salem or have the fear of having someone they all cared about being assassinated. A time where she didn't have worry about her sister's safety.

Before stepping into the bathroom, Weiss looked back to see Ruby standing next the coat she gave her as a gift. She could tell the shorter girl was in deep thought. Most likely reminiscing about the happier times in their lives. Sorrowfully, she turned her gaze to the ground. They all wished that things would just go back to the way they were.

She smiled as she stole glance at her partner once more.

"You were right." Weiss said.

Snapping out of her daze, Ruby turned to look at Weiss. "Huh?"

The dumb look that Ruby was giving her made her laugh. "The coat silly. You were right about it looking pretty on me." She said sweetly.

Blinking several times, Ruby looked back at the coat and then back to her partner. Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, she let out a nervous laugh. "What can I say? Maybe I have some real sense of style like Coco."

"Hmmm. Perhaps. Anyway, I'm going to take a shower and then get ready. Like I said, you're more than welcome to stay Ruby." With that, she entered the bathroom.

Before Weiss entered the bathroom, her eyeballs were suddenly trained on the girl's rear end. She seemed to be hypnotized with the way it swayed. A warm feeling started to fill up her stomach. Once the door shut, Ruby shook her head. Coming out of her stupor, she rubbed her eyes. "Geez. What's wrong with me? What's this feeling? I'm definitely gonna ask dad and uncle Qrow."

"So." Taiyang said in drawn out manner. "When are you gonna stop with all this crap and just be real with Winter?"

Looking up from his cards, Qrow frowned. "You know why."

Taiyang rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You're still being an edge lord with that whole semblance thing? Winter is strong. She can handle just about most things."

"This is different. I don't like being the one responsible for someone else getting hurt all because I can't control this thing."

Peeking through his hand, he found the card he was looking for and placed on the table. "Oh yes. Dust forbid you actually enter into a relationship with the someone who can make you happy." Taiyang said sarcastically.

Before Qrow could give a retort, there was a knocking sound came from the door.

"Come in." Qrow yelled.

The door opened to reveal his niece. After she walked in and closed the door, he smiled at her. "So, watcha want kiddo?"

"Um can I ask you guys something?" She was asked.

Taiyang put his cards down and smiled at his daughter. "Sure Ruby. What is it?"

She was feeling rather nervous about this for reasons she didn't quite understand. However, she put on a brave face and went on to do what she came in here to do.

"What does it mean when your with someone and you get tingly feelings in your chest and stomach and your heart feels like it's beating really fast?" Asking with all the innocence of a child.

Qrow's eyes started to bulge from their sockets. He turned slightly to see the blond man turned as pale as snow with his mouth agape.

Seeing her father's reaction and experiencing Qrow's silence, she was beginning to become very apprehensive. The teen was starting to believe that this was a mistake.

"D-did I do something wrong?" Her voice cracking with a bit of fear.

Snapping out of his stupor, Taiyang immediately spoke up. "N-no. No! Of course not Ruby. You haven't done anything wrong. However, I'm a bit curious as to where this is coming from?"

Ruby exhaled. Knowing that she wasn't in trouble, the girl felt much more confident about this now. "Well, I was with Weiss and for some reason I started having these feelings when she wiped off drool from my mouth with a tissue."

Qrow snickered. "Uh oh. She's gotten to that stage Tai."

For Taiyang, he was actually happy that it wasn't some random boy. If anything, he was actually a little happy for his little girl. A sudden flash of an image of Ruby when she was a small child came into view. It was then quickly replaced with the Ruby of today. "It seems like yesterday when she was up to my knee. It really is true what they say. Children really do grow up fast." He thought with a serene smile on his face.

"Dad?" She called out.

Coming out of his happy thoughts, he looked at his daughter. "Well, those feelings mean that you really like Weiss." Sensing that Ruby would likely mistake his use of the word "like", he continued before she could respond. "What I mean Ruby, is that perhaps you are starting to become romantically interested in Weiss."

"Romantically interested?" Ruby understood the concept of romance. However, the emotions that came from that concept were foreign to her. Crossing her arms, she frowned. "Oh!" She exclaimed as she remembered a little detail that she had forgotten to mention. "I forgot to mention one thing."

With an amused grin, Qrow asked. "Really? What did you forget?"

"Does staring at someone's butt also mean I'm romantically interested?" Ruby asked. Tilting her head cutely while placing her finger on her chin.

Qrow burst of laughing. He didn't blame his niece. From his experience, the Schnee women had very nice butts. Perhaps he should teach her some of his sneaky staring techniques.

Taiyang on the other hand was absolutely mortified. Here was his innocent, cute daughter talking about something like staring at some person's butt. He was beginning to think that maybe Weiss had put his daughter under some sort of spell.

Qrow looked at his stunned ex-partner. He couldn't help but laugh. "Hahahaha. Well, Tai, she is at that age ya know." When he didn't receive a response, Qrow chuckled. He turned to his niece. "Do you remember the talk about the birds and the bees?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with this?"

"Well, it means that you want to do those kinds of things to that person. In other words, you find that person sexually attractive."

Seconds went by. The sounds of gears turning could be hear from Ruby's head. Once she realized the meaning of what Qrow was saying, her face became the same shade of red as a tomato. "B-b-b-but I...I mean...wow."

Taiyang finally decided to join back in. "Ruby."

"Yes?" Voice filled all the embarrassment of the world.

Taiyang cleared his throat. "Whomever you decide to be with in...that manner, I hope they make you happy. Knowing that person is Weiss takes off a lot of worry because I know that she will respect you and look out for you. She definitely has your best interests at heart. "

This was strange. She really thought her father would be furious. After all, she had always heard about how protective fathers are of their daughters.

"But."

"Uh oh. Here it comes." Ruby thought.

His face turning dead serious. The look in his eyes promised great amounts of pain. "If she ever hurts you. Then I will make sure she regrets it!"

Laughing nervously, Ruby began to back up to the door. "W-well, I'm going to just go to the...parts shop? Yeah! Parts shop! So, uh, yeah. Bye!" She said as she closed the door.

"You know, she will never be the same around Weiss ever again now. Right?" Qrow said with a shit eating grin.

The blond hunter smiled. " I know."

Both Taiyang and Qrow continued playing their card game in relative silence. The two men thinking about how life for a certain rose was going to be rather interesting.

Weiss was sufficiently bored. Being stuck inside this building was not fun. She knew that they made her stay inside for her own safety, but it was still boring. The girl was starting to crave for some form of excitement. Ever since her stay at Beacon, she noticed that she had gain a craving for adventure. Especially since she had been introduced to the sisters. It was times like this that she wished that Ruby was here with her. Speaking of the smaller girl, Weiss had not seen her since this morning. She was wondering where the girl had gone off to.

"Weiss! Are you in there?"

Recognizing Ruby's voice, she immediately perked. Getting up from her bed, she half jogged to her door. Once opening it, she was greeted with a pair of shopping bags. Weiss blinked in confusion several times before the bags moved apart to reveal the smiling face of her partner.

"I got you some stuff!"

"I can see." Looking at the bags, she raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What exactly did you buy?"

"Weapon parts!" Ruby beamed.

Weiss chuckled. "Of course it would be that?"

"Hey girls!" Taiyang greeted from down the hall.

"Hey dad!"

"Hello Taiyang" Weiss greeted politely. "Was there something you needed?"

"Hahaha. Not in particular. I just thought about how bored you must be, so I decided that maybe it might be fun to share some stuff about team STRQ."

"But dad, I was gonna help Weiss with Myrtenaster. It must need some cleaning or sprucing up!"

Taiyang waved off his daughter's comment. "You can do that as I tell my stories. Besides, you might get more insight into who Raven is. I think it will make you feel better about Yang's safety."

Weiss had some sneaky suspicion that there was another reason why he was here. Still, she moved to let the two in. Closing the door, she immediately turned to Ruby and grabbed her wrist. "Ruby, if you must work on my weapon then I must ask that you refrain from making modifications to it."

Ruby whirled around with a gasp. "B-but Weiss. I could make sooooooo many cool upgrades!"

"Yes, I'm sure you can, but the only thing you'll wind up doing is making something that will be unfamiliar to me and I would have to learn and master my weapon again. Which is something I really do not feel like doing." Blue eyes bulged as Ruby started laying her puppy dog eye trick hard. Weiss bonked the other girl on top of her head. Causing her to scrunch her face. Weiss quickly spun her partner around and began to push into the direction of the desk she was using to keep maintenance on Myrtenaster. "That look will not work this time. Just do some regular maintenance, take out old parts and replace them, but do not make any upgrades or modifications."

Ruby slumped over in defeat. "Yes ma'am."

Taiyang watched as his daughter make her way over to he partner's weapon. He felt a little bad for Ruby, but he completely understood Weiss. His daughter could get a bit...carried away with her enthusiasm for making weapons better. The memories of a very angry Yang barreling through the house because Ruby had tampered with her gauntlets in an attempt to make them "cooler".

Seeing the two girls interaction with each other, he had to admit it. They were rather cute together. "Yes. Weiss is very good for Ruby. She keeps her reigned in. She will keep her out of trouble."

With Ruby getting to her work, Weiss turned to the girl's father with a smile. "Now, you wanted to tell me some of your team's history?"

"Oh! Hahaha! Yes."

"Well, please, I do love to hear stories." Sitting down with all of the grace and etiquette that she was taught. "It's certainly better than being bored in my room all day."

"Well, to start, let me just say that team STRQ is coolest team to have ever been in Beacon."

Ruby snorted. "Yeah right! Team RWBY took that title already!"

"When team RWBY graduates then you might be able to say that, but until then, you shut your gums missy!" "He waggled his finger exaggeratedly. His daughter just stuck her tongue out at him. Turning back to Weiss, he continued. "Anyway, that team consisted of Qrow, Summer, Raven, and then me. Summer, Ruby's mother, was the leader. Now I said we were the coolest team to have ever come out of Beacon, but we weren't exactly always the most stable."

With a one brow raised, Weiss asked "Why? Team cohesion and stability are essential."

"You're right. Those things are important, but we didn't always have it. The reason for that is because of Raven and Summer. You see, even though they were partners, they didn't really get along at first."

Ruby laughed. "Remind you of anyone Weiss?" She asked with a wide grin on her face.

"Hush you. Not another word of that. That whole thing was...an embarrassment on my part." Remembering the first days of team RWBY always left a bitter taste in her mouth. It made her feel awful for the way she treated Ruby. Coming out of her thoughts, she turned to the blond man. "Please continue."

He cleared his voice before continuing. "Well, like I said, Raven and Summer just didn't really get along at first. This was because of their differing ideologies. Summer's way of doing things and Raven's philosophy of only someone who has proven that they are stronger than her can lead her."

"I can definitely see how that line of thought would damage the team cohesion." Weiss said.

Taiyang nodded. "Yup. It got real ugly too. There wasn't a day where those two weren't at each others throat. One time, they actually got into an actual fight between each other." Crossing his arms, sighed sadly. "That really wasn't one of Summer's best ideas. That fight had landed her in the infirmary. While Raven had to see Ozpin."

"Wait!?" Ruby interrupted. "Yang's mom beat up my mom?!"

"Simply put? Yes. However, they were both equally responsible for that fight. Both were egging each other on. Both women weren't able to overcome their egos." He paused. Looking up at the ceiling, he hummed thoughtfully. "It certainly didn't help Summer that she often heard about what other students were saying."

Taking a moment from her work on Myrtenaster, she turned to her father. "What do you mean by that?"

"Yes. I am also curious about that as well." Weiss added.

"Well, people were saying that Raven should have been picked as leader. The reason for this was because Raven had the top scores of the entire school. Combat classes and academics, she excelled at all of them. Hell, her scores are so high that they remain as unbeaten records to this day. Summer on the other hand had fairly good scores herself, but nothing compared to Raven. Not too mention, Raven had years of real combat experience and it showed."

"So that's who put all of those records that I've been trying to beat or at least get up to." She said with a frown. The white-haired girl had tried so hard to try to match those records, but it was to no avail. Throwing Taiyang a questioning look, she asked. "So what made Professor Ozpin pick Summer over Raven? It seems to me that it would have been more logical to pick her over Summer." Weiss turned to Ruby. "N-no offense Ruby."

Ruby waved it off with a screwdriver in hand. "None taken!"

Taiyang gave hearty laugh. "Honestly, at the time, even I thought that. However, Summer had something Raven didn't have. Something that was crucial to be a leader. Summer had the ability to inspire people to follow her. Her presence filled people with warmth and that warmth gave them the strength and courage to fight on. Raven however, didn't have that. People respected her for sure. That respect didn't come because others did so willingly, they respected her out of fear."

Taiyang ran his hand through his hair. He gave an exasperated sigh. "Raven didn't inspire or encourage anyone to stand up and fight. I'm willing to bet that was the reason why he choose Summer. Though, I'm sure it's different with her Tribe." The hunter laughed. This caused both girls to raise their eye brows. "Sorry. It's just that all of this reminiscing is bringing back so many memories. Anyway, let's just say that things got so bad that Ozpin was actually debating about the idea of separating those two. He probably would have done it to if that day didn't happen."

"What day?" Both girls said at the same time.

Taiyng smirked mischievously. "Well, one day, Raven and Summer were arguing as usual. Me and Qrow were just about to leave the room so that we could study in peace. However, just before we left, the both of them suddenly went silent and just stared at each other. Then they just threw themselves at each other and started sucking each others faces! Needless to say, me and Qrow were shocked." He then frowned when he remembered the next part. "Of course Qrow was a dick. Those two were starting to take each others clothes off and that rat bastard pulled me out of the room before the best part happened! Damn jerk!" Crossing his arms in a huff. " At least I got to hear the noises." He finished with a grin.

Weiss was blushing. She really hadn't been expecting this kind of thing. She also, didn't realize how much of a pervert the veteran huntsman was.

Ruby was mortified. She really did not want to hear about her mother getting it on with anyone. Before her father could continue on, Ruby jumped up and yelled. "NO!" Her eyes wide with desperation. "No more. I don't want to hear anymore about what those two did...to each other."

"I'm with Ruby on this one." Weiss said.

"Hahahaha. Alright, alright!" He laughed. " Anyway, things changed drastically after that. Raven actually became rather protective of Summer. Even started treating her kindly. I'm not sure what they talked about in that room, but whatever it was made their relationship do a complete one eighty. Of course Raven and Summer still disagreed in regards to strategy and tactics, but at least they weren't yelling at each other anymore."

"W-well at least that's something positive that came from them doing...that with each other." Weiss said awkwardly.

"But wait! I'm not done." Taiyang said with excitement. "I remember when I was in the library doing research for a paper when I heard Summer grumbling behind me. She was cursing herself for being so short while trying to reach a book. Raven happened to walk by. She heard Summer complaining and came to check in on her. Once she told Raven her plight, Raven then put her hands around your mom's waist and lifted her to the book. This of course made Summer very happy. After that incident, Raven started having the bad habit of spoiling Summer." Finishing with a happy smile on his face. He genuinely liked seeing those being so close to each other. "Raven really started to open up that day.

"Honestly dad, that's one strange way to start a relationship."

"Hahaha. It sure is Ruby. But sometimes you need strange things to happen to begin a relationship with someone." He looked down at his watch. The numbers told him it was midnight. "Wow. Didn't think it was this late, but I think I got time for one more story. The story of what happened to Ironwood or, as we called him at the time, Irondick. This story will tell you how he got all of those machine parts on him."

Weiss wasn't impressed with the name, but Ruby started to snicker and giggle.

"Let me ask you girls something. Did you know that back then, Ironwood was a racist?"

"Really? He hated the faunus?" Weiss asked. Surprise evident on her face. It was hard for her to imagine. Ironwood always seemed so proper and gentlemanly. Her short interactions with him made it seem like such things were beneath him.

"Oh yes. He was not their biggest fan. However, this is important because in the Vytal tournament, the team that came from Atlas had decided to send in their strongest member for the one on one match. So, naturally, we sent in our trump card. Raven. That guy thought he already had the win because Raven is a faunus. To him, they were inferior to humans." Taiyang grinned dangerously before continuing. "Unfortunately for him, what followed was the shortest match in the history of the tournament."

Ruby gasped and went wide eyed with wonder. "Oh! Ohhhhhh! Tell me. Tell me. What happened!?"

Weiss giggled at her partner's childish behavior. There were times when Ruby was just too cute for her own good.

Taiyang's laughter was deep. It bellowed throughout the room. Wiping a tear, he continued. "Well, Raven beat Ironwood with one attack. Because Ironwood was making fun of her heritage as a faunus, she decided that she would only hold back just enough to not kill him. Once the announcer declared Raven the winner, she turned to leave the arena. However, Ironwood's pride would not let him accept defeat from the likes of a faunus. So he actually charged at her."

"I can't imagine this ends well." Weiss said.

"You imagine well. As soon as he got within striking range, Raven swirled her big ass sword around her several times and then continued to walk away without even sparring him a glance. There were red lines all over the right side of his body. Then Raven pulled the trigger and then there was an explosion and after the dust settled, Ironwood was on the ground, missing his right arm and leg. The right side of torso was also a mess." Now, Taiyang wasn't the kind of person who would be happy about something like this happening to another person, but Ironwood had that coming for a long time.

Weiss blanched. Her pale skin somehow, impossibly got whiter. "Didn't she get in trouble for that?"

Taiyang shook his head. "No. Everyone agreed that Raven acted out of self defense of an unprovoked attack. The Headmaster of the Atlesian academy also didn't punish Ironwood. Deeming his disfigurement more than enough of a punishment. And that is how Ironwood got his prosthetics."

Ruby frowned thoughtfully. Something was nagging at the back of her mind. Her silver eyes looked straight into her father's blue. "If my mom and Yang's mom were in a relationship, then how'd you come into the picture?"

"That is honestly a very good question." Weiss said.

"Uhhh...w-well." Rubbing the back of his head, he started to laugh nervously. "It's, uh, kinda complicated."

"Complicated how?" Weiss pressed.

He gulped. "Well, the three of us just kinda fell for each other. So, because of that, we just ended up together."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. Her face fixed with unpleasant frown. "Polygamy."

"Really? Dad. Seriously?" Ruby questioned.

Taiyang held his hands up defensively. "Hey! Look. It wasn't my idea. That was your mother's idea kiddo." A part of him was filled with glee. He actually got use that excuse.

Both girls had their jaws dropped.

Checking his watch again, he beamed. He had his way out of this awkward situation. "Welp, That's all from me tonight. It's getting late and I like to sleep early and wake up early. So good night girls." He ran all the way to the door and opened it. Getting halfway out into the hall, he turned to his daughter. "Make sure you get to bed Ruby." He closed the door and sprinted to his room.

Shaking herself from her shocked state, Ruby crossed her arms defiantly. "Even though we're not at home, he's still trying to enforce a sleep time. I'm not a little kid darn it!" Ruby said with all the petulance of a small child.

Th ex-heiress laughed into her hand. "Well, I myself am getting pretty sleepy Ruby. I think I'm going to get ready for bed now."

"Wait." Ruby said before Weiss could go to change for bed. With he partner now having her attention on her, she began to twiddle her thumbs nervously. "C-can I sleep with you again?" Ruby gulped. Her face turning slightly pink. She felt her heart begin to beat a bit faster.

Weiss smiled at her partner. Her face becoming slightly flushed. Just like Ruby's. "Sure. I don't mind. Also." Weiss paused. She looked over at her weapon to see that it was cleaned. Many of the older parts were strewn across the desk. "Thank you for working on Myrtenaster."

"No problem!" Ruby said with a laugh. "Oh! I got to go back to my room to get my pajamas!" She ran to the door. Looking back, she grinned at her partner. "It's gonna be like a sleepover or something!" Ruby yelled with excitement. She could feel the warm, tingly sensations she felt earlier in the day. Ruby just wanted to get be with her partner. She wanted to be closer to her. These feelings were new to her, but she wanted to follow through with them.

Once the short scythe wielding girl left, Weiss laughed. She shook her head. "So childish." Walking in to the bathroom, she closed the door and began to take off her clothes. After taking off her shirt, Weiss stared at her reflection in the mirror. She ran her finger down her scar. It reminded her of her father. She frowned. "You won't have your way. I'm going to survive, get stronger, and then." Squeezing her hand into a fist, small crystals of ice were forming around her feet without her knowledge. "I'm going to beat you and take back the company and change it!"

Three people were gathered around a campfire. The shadows that the light formed flickered across the masks of the three. One of them threw a log into the fire. It made a whoosh from the sudden intake of fuel.

"Man, this shit is fucking boring." One grumbled.

"Yeah I agree. I would much rather be gutting some filthy human than sitting here." Another said.

"Shut up you two. We have been given an important task. Guarding this area will further our cause. Even if it's just a small thing, it could still go a long way to get closer to goal." The leader of the squad said.

"That might true, but-" He was cut off with a ball of fire hitting him in the face. He landed behind his team with a thud.

The two remaining men gasped in shock. They both stood up with weapons drawn. One of them dared to glance behind them to see if his comrade was okay. What he saw terrified him greatly. Once the squad leader took notice of his ally's frightened stare, he followed his subordinate's line of sight.

"What the fuck?" The leader's voice trembled. The man that got blown back. His head was no more than a burnt skull. However, before he could act, another fireball flew out and hit his other subordinate. This time however, he was able to watch in horror as his comrade's entire face was melting off. The moment he turned around, he was immediately face to face with their assailant. A deathly glow of red came from the eyes of the Nevermore mask.

Suddenly, a talon like hand was gripped tightly around his mouth. He felt himself being lifted from the ground. He began to desperately kick his legs in the air. The hand squeezed even tighter. He tried to aim his gun at what he believed to be a demon. This proved to be worthless as it casually swatted his weapon away. In a final desperate bid for his life, he began to punch at the arm and face futilely.

His attacker made their grip even stronger. Tears of pain and fear came down as he felt the bones in his crack. His teeth began to snap and break apart as well. Adding more strength to the already monstrous hold, the sound of bones breaking rang out. Blood streaming from his mouth. Then, with one final squeeze, the White Fang member's body gave a jolt and then went limp. His face was completely crushed.

Throwing the corpse to the ground, Yang looked up to the path that would lead her directly to the camp. She looked down at her hand. It was covered in blood and pieces of teeth. Fire covered her hand. The tooth fragments and blood began to burn off of her. After a few seconds, her hand was completely clean.

Walking through the dark forest, she eventually came upon the White Fang that her mother had told her about. Yang stayed hidden in the shadows. None of them were even remotely a threat to her. The power that she sensed form them were much lower than hers. However, she had no intention of underestimating any of them. Yang would not let her guard down.

The blonde walked out into the front of the camp. The inhabitants took notice of her immediately. They all came out with their weapons drawn. They all put their weapons down when they noticed the mask and her wing. Thinking that she might be another faunus looking to join their cause, the leader of the camp stepped forward.

"Sister. Have you come to fight the scourge that is the humans? We could always use more people."

Yang instantly closed the gap between herself and the leader. A loud, wet snap rang out. The entire camp began to yell with fright. Yang had put her entire arm straight through the chest of her enemy. She slowly moved the corpse on her arm. Yang's crimson eyes locked with the denizens of the camp.

"It starts here."

A/N: HOLY SHIT! I'm back! This fucking chapter gave me soooooo much damn trouble. Seriously, the amount of writers block I had was fucking stupid. But the chapter is out. This is why I don't have a schedule. Ugh! Anyway, I'm back and as an apology for taking so damn long, I made this chapter a bit longer than usual. Also, the song Weiss sung is called Schlaf, Kondlein, Schlaf. It's a german lullaby. I know the translation isn't perfect and it's most likely not the whole song, but I didn't want to use the whole song. Just wanted to use Weiss' singing abilities.

Just as promised. This chapter was meant to be Ruby and the gang centric chapter. Kind of a lull in the action kind of deal. I do think it is well within Ruby's character to be the way that she was when she heard about what happened. I also wanted to make it clear that Yang is a very important person to her. She's not just a sister to her. She's also a mother. So, of course she is going to be scared of losing any kind of bond with her. This is also the start of a relationship between Weiss and Ruby. They'er aren't dating just yet, but they will be in the future. Also, I'm pretty sure Ruby knows what sex and romance in general is. However, what she doesn't understand are feelings associated with those things. Basically, this is a coming of age thing with her.

Just want to say this real quick. All Might is a total fucking badass! My Hero Academia is so cool! I watched all of the episodes. I have yet to read the manga. This is literally my favorite Shonen anime ever! It's right up there with Hunter X Hunter.

YNI1: Thank you! I really wanted both characters to grow and develop. Blake and Yang's reunion is something I'm still trying to work out. Just know it isn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows. Both girls have a lot of tings to work out with each other. As for Yang knowing about the White Fang, I got something in mind for that. But to answer, no. Yang doesn't know that only one branch has gone to be terrorist. Yes. As Qrow said in this chapter. It's only a matter of time before Haven and all of Mistral starts going after Yang.

Ultimatrix bearer: Tyrian served his purpose for this story. I never had any intention of having him live. He was to show case Yang's growth and show off Raven's power. Also, there wasn't really a way for me to have him escape without some sort asspull since Raven is as powerful as she is in this story. Don't worry though. The only villians will be around for much longer. I got an idea for Neo that you might like. Just gotta wait till I get to that point. As for the White Fang, I got something planned. So stick around for that.

Rambler: Thank you! As for Yang and Blake's reunion, I still haven't really figured out how I'm going to do that, but it won't be a happy one. And it shouldn't be. Both girls have a lot they need to workout. Also, I don't live in Texas. So I'm pretty safe, but I do feel for them. Makes me wish that I could help them, but I can't and that frustrates me so much.