Chapter 28

Yang sighed as she collapsed back onto the cool grass. Summer was almost over and the Vytal Festival was only a few weeks away. Once that started, so too would the tournament. She was excited and raring to go.

She did wish they were training more. Oh, they were training plenty as it is, but it was heavily focused on countering fast enemies. Adam wanted to fight his ex. Beat her without resorting to killing her.

Sure, Yang could have split off and trained something else but she wanted to be there for that fight. She wanted to support her partner. To fight alongside him..

So that she wouldn't drag him down.

Weiss fell down next to Yang, gasping and trying to recover. It obviously took a lot more mental effort for Weiss than it did Ruby, but Yang could attest to the white-haired girl's improvement. She'd lasted a lot longer than she had a week ago when they'd started.

They watched together as Ruby and Adam continued. Ruby was nothing but a blur these days. Not full speed, but faster than most would ever go. Adam was deflecting some of the attacks, but most of them still got through. He could reliably block or counter attacks slower than this, however.

He was becoming even more of a beast in battle. It was kind of terrifying if Yang was honest.

Yang closed her eyes and enjoyed the sunshine. The end of the year was fast approaching and after all the business with the White Fang and the Breach, she felt like she needed a break. Even if only for a few hours.

Yang let out a contented sigh. Life was pretty good, all things considered.

Life was complicated. Ozpin knew that better than anyone. But really, handing security over to Atlas was a new one. The Council didn't trust Ozpin to be able to protect the people. It was insulting and if he hadn't the experience of so many lives he would probably have taken offense.

Instead, he sighed and continued his work. He may not be in charge, but that didn't mean he had no say. A few calls here and there to some old classmates and students had some Huntsmen returning to Vale. Far fewer than he would have liked, however. Only half a dozen or so would make it back before the tournament ended.

If he had been in charge he could have recalled far more Huntsmen. But he couldn't be seen undermining the Council, so he would have to leave it be.

Ozpin did wonder sometimes if having a Council was a good choice. Perhaps it would have been better to leave the monarchy in charge. Things might have gotten done. No, I should not think that way. I must place my faith in the Council. They represent the people that I and all Huntsmen fight for.

He took a deep breath and returned to his work. He may not be in charge of security, but running a school was tough enough. Especially when he also had to figure out what Salem and her forces had planned. Are they supporting the White Fang? If so why? They aren't the most reliable of allies and it's unlikely they have the strength to help retrieve Amber or the Relic. Who is the puppet master? I doubt Salem is interacting with the White Fang herself. One of her lieutenants probably. But who? It is times like this that I wish I had a spy within her ranks.

Ozpin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He'd tried to get a spy in her ranks several times, but each had ended in failure. Many had defected, others had been caught, and some had despaired and given up upon seeing just how strong their enemy truly was. He'd tried infiltrating himself once. That had been the most painful death yet.

Ozpin poured himself a cup of hot chocolate and took a long sip. He was letting the tension get to him. He didn't know who he was fighting nor how close they were. If he wasn't careful he was going to lose everything.

Ozpin stood and stepped up to his window to look out over the city. It was a beautiful view. The sprawling cityscape was better than he could have dreamed of even a hundred years ago. So many people, safe and sound. Most had never even seen a Grimm in person.

It was something he could never have imagined. Even during his days with the Circle. He had to protect the city with everything he had. That included the girl currently in a coma beneath the school.

He needed to find a candidate to transfer. And soon.

But who will I entrust the terrible burden to? Who will I sentence to being hunted for the rest of their life?

Sometimes he wished he had never gone to that tower. No matter how much the girl within had needed him.

Life truly was complicated.

"That was good… thank you, Ruby." Adam said before he took a long drag of his water bottle. He then splashed some on his face.

"No problem!" She said while flashing him a big smile. "Always happy to help! Though I think for tomorrow we should practice teamwork. The tournament is coming and I wanna try and win!"

Yang and Weiss were walking over by this point. Adam simply nodded. "Sure. We may as well. I need to reevaluate the best way to counter you anyway. I didn't make much progress today." He said with a sigh.

"Alright! Tomorrow we try new team attacks!" Ruby exclaimed happily, practically bouncing as she walked to meet their teammates. Her sheer joy at the idea of training as a team put a smile on his face.

Why couldn't the recruits have been so enthusiastic? If everyone had been so dedicated we might have actually won! Adam was mostly joking of course. Up against Atlas and rich companies they didn't stand much of a chance no matter how dedicated they were, the difference in resources was just too great..

As the team reconvened he let the others do the talking. He felt like he was being watched. Glances around revealed nothing strange. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

And then he felt it, like a shift in the air above him. His passive Aura sensing alerted him just in time, for as he ducked back a massive blade pierced then ground where he had been. Adam back-peddled further, creating some distance.

"Argh. Damn it… I was hoping to get you with that!" The red-caped man grumbled as he drew his blade from the ground. He turned to face Adam, using a hand to wipe his mouth. "Sorry. I'm usually a lot better. But your training was so boring I started drinking."

Adam's eyes twitched. So he was watching us? Damn. What's his game?

"Uncle Qrow!?" Ruby and Yang yelled in unison.

"What?" Adam deadpanned.

"Oops. Hey kids! Don't mind me, just gonna clear out some trash!" The red-eyed man said with a little wave before jumping into action. The man was fast, clearing the space between them almost instantly. Adam barely managed to bring his sheath up to block it.

"Argh!" Adam cried out. Qrow was putting a staggering amount of weight behind the blade. He was tired and spent from a day of training. How was he supposed to deal with this bastard?

Qrow grinned cockily as he pushed down. It ticked Adam off. Wilt clicked free. Adam twisted, letting the man's blade glide from Blush towards the ground as Adam cut into his side. Qrow took it, let his sword drop and punched Adam in the face. He then grabbed his sword and cut into Adam.

Adam screamed as his Aura shattered, having been weakened from all the training. He crumpled to the ground in pain. Qrow chuckled. "That's all you got? Well, I guess the infamous Adam Taurus wasn't that strong after all. Maybe I should have-" Qrow was cut off as a fist socked him in the face and sent him skidding across the ground.

"What the hell Uncle Qrow!" Yang growled, her eyes red. "You can't just come out of nowhere and beat up my partner!"

"Yeah!" Ruby yelled. The sisters stood between Adam and Qrow while Weiss helped Adam back to his feet. Qrow sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Look. Your buddy over there is a wanted criminal. It's safer for everyone if-"

"Yea, we know! We heard the same bs from that stupid general!" Yang interrupted. "Adam made a lot of mistakes. I get that. But he's trying to make up for it!"

Qrow's eyes narrowed as he studied his niece. Adam coughed. "You're Ozpin's man right? Well, he guarantees my safety and I dedicate myself to being a Huntsmen and helping people. Did he send you here to break our agreement?" Adam glared at the older man.

Qrow glared back for a moment before he started to laugh. "Fine fine. You trust him. Then I guess I'm just going to have to hear about everything. All the little details." Qrow sheathed his blade. "So how about we go find a nice place to sit down and talk?" He said with a slightly feral smile.

He doesn't trust me or like that they're defending me. But he trusts his nieces. He might actually give me a chance.

Team RSTY nodded and followed after the drunk, finding a nice solitary area to talk near some trees.

Qrow was angry. Really angry. Beyond angry even, a terrorist was friends with his nieces. They'd even defended him!

But as he sat there, listening to Yang and Ruby explaining all they could about the year's events and Adam's actions, he felt like he might have acted rashly.

There was no denying the boy had been a monstrous terrorist but that was the point. Had been. As far as the girls were saying he had been on his best behaviour, with a couple rough spots. But considering his past that was to be expected. But if he didn't know any better he wouldn't think Adam was a murderer hiding in a school. It sounded more like a troubled teen trying to connect with his new team.

Reminded him a lot of a certain set of twins years ago.

We did everything to avoid Summer and Tai, and yet they got us eventually. Could the same be happening here?

Taurus remained quiet with his hands away from his weapon. If Qrow didn't know better he would call the boy cocky or overconfident, but it wasn't. He knew just as much as Qrow did that as long as Yang and Ruby were around Qrow wouldn't start anything.

Damn, I need a drink. "So you really think he's trying his hardest to become a good citizen?"

"Yes!" His nieces decried together. Qrow sighed.

"Fine. I'll leave him alone. But I'm keeping an eye on him alright! He does anything bad and I'm taking him down."

"You and every Huntsman in the kingdom." Adam grumbled.

Qrow hummed in response. "Well, now that that's sorted. What else have you been up to?" He leaned in and listened intently as his nieces started to talk about all their little adventures throughout the year.

They seemed to have grown a lot. The presence of Adam Taurus seemed to have helped. He would need to keep an eye out, but as young and naive as Yang and Ruby were they had a good eye for people.

Qrow Branwen had arrived in Beacon. Mercury had passed the news on to Cinder quickly. It was earlier than hoped, but unlike Adam Taurus, he hadn't seen their faces nor current attire. Not even their fighting styles.

They needn't worry about being caught by him unless she showed off her powers.

Cinder took a long sip from her glass of wine and sighed. Mercury was out training and Emerald had snuck out to aid in training Belladonna. The girl had taken initiative. Cinder was pleased. After all it wouldn't hurt them unless she was caught, and there were plenty of excuses.

I should make sure she knows them ahead of time. No use getting caught this late in the game. Cinder smiled down at her scroll, watching as the data rolled in.

Amity Colosseum had arrived an hour ago, floating in with an additional pair of Atlesian Battleships and the personal vessel of a certain Specialist. More pieces for her to manipulate.

Once they connected to the Beacon systems she would be able to gain full control over the Colosseum's settings. As much as she despised Watts, she couldn't deny that the man was brilliant.

Soon I shall watch you fall Ozpin. Everything she said about you was right. I can't wait to claim what is mine!

Now all she had to do was give Ozpin a little push. And what better way than having one of his students break the rules? Or maybe more than just rules? Cinder smirked.

Yes. This tournament was going to be very enjoyable.

A/N: Something I've thought about before. Why does Ozpin not have spies in Salem's camp? Because it's an awful lot of trust to put on someone who will be learning more than you wish for them to know. Considering his desire to keep information from his allies, I don't think he would trust spies. At least not these days. The Tournament, and Volume 3, is just around the corner.

I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!