"So. Oniyuri," Yang said. "Anything I should know about the place?"

Vernal didn't take her eyes off the road to answer, which was a small blessing, with how fast she was driving. "It's a shithole district."

Yang blinked. "...How?"

"Well, they started building it a few decades ago, and then they stopped," Vernal said. "People don't really live there. At least not of their own choice. The place doesn't get much support from the city officials - they like to pretend it doesn't exist."

"But that… That can't be a thing," Yang said. "City like Haven, they can't just abandon a whole district just like that, can they?"

"You've got a lot of living to do, girl, if you think that is a tough pill to swallow," Vernal said. "But don't take my word for it. You'll see when we get there."

Yang looked out the window. Qrow and Raven had flown on ahead, leaving Yang and Vernal to catch up to them in the car. It was a bit frustrating, but Yang was glad to be separated from Raven, even if it meant being alone with Vernal.

"If Oniyuri's such a bad place, why would Shields go there?" Yang asked.

"Hell if I know," Vernal said. "And she's not Shields anymore at this point. She's just… the thing."

"Is she?" Yang said. "Look, if we're assuming she got possessed by the evil crystal fiend when she interfered with the deal, that means she's been like that for, what, five days?"

"Your point?"

"That's an awful long time for someone to be possessed. Wasn't the crystal supposed to drain the host to a husk or something like that?" Yang said. "Shields stayed at home for three days. She felt sick, she didn't speak much, but she didn't hurt her husband or her daughter. And then one night she just got in her car and took off."

Vernal frowned, even easing on the gas as she glanced at Yang.

"I'm just saying, maybe we're not giving her enough credit," Yang said. "Maybe she went to this abandoned district of yours because she knew there'd be less people for her to hurt there. She knows something's wrong with her, and she's resisting."

"That's a hell of a lot of assumptions to make, kid," Vernal said. "And optimistic ones at that."

"But I've got a point."

"…Maybe. But this changes nothing about what we've gotta do."

Yang nodded. She didn't have Vernal completely convinced, but it was a start. When they reunited with Qrow, she could get him to see things her way. She'd seen how he'd reacted to Mr. Shields and Sadie – he didn't want a broken family in his conscience any more than she did.

But Raven… That was going to be a tough sell.

"Can you help me convince Raven when we get there?" Yang asked.

"After that fiasco in the park?" Vernal scoffed. "No. I know my battles, kid, and she's not gonna wanna listen to anything you say after that."

"Excuse me, am I being blamed for her being a terrible person now? And the name's Yang, so you can stop calling me kid already," Yang said.

"Whatever. That thing in the park – that was her trying to open up to you," Vernal said. "And you shot her down. Hard."

"No. I'm not gonna feel sorry for her. If she got her feelings hurt, that's her fault," Yang said. "She could have come to talk to me anytime, but she chose not to. I have no sympathy for her."

Vernal scowled. "You don't know Raven."

"No, I really don't," Yang said. "But you do. So, woohoo and congratulations. Is my skin green or has the envy not started showing yet?"

Vernal opened her mouth to retort, but closed it a moment later. She focused her eyes on the road, her fingers tight around the steering wheel.


Vernal hadn't exaggerated about the state of Oniyuri District. The roads were mostly unpaved, smooth mountain rocks covered by dust and dirt. Yang could have counted on her fingers and toes the number of buildings that were fit for someone to live or work in; there were but a few that hadn't been abandoned mid-construction. The place was like a ghost town, and that reflected on the faces of the people they passed by in the car.

Yang had always heard good things about Mistral, from its beautiful sights to its rich culture. And for all she knew, those things were true. But as she got more familiar with Haven, her opinion of Mistral as a whole was plummeting fast. If the capital had all these problems, what did that say about the rest of the country?

Vernal parked on the side of the dirt road, and they both got out. Qrow waited ahead, stood beside another vehicle – a really high-end kind of car, which couldn't have stood out more. Raven was there too, perched atop the hood in bird form.

"Hey," Yang said as they met, pointedly avoiding looking at the bird. "This is Heather's car?"

"What gave it away?" Qrow said.

"I see the riffraff wasted no time," Vernal said, leaning to look inside. The driver-side window had been shattered, probably by a rock, and there were files and documents scattered on the floor and seats. The keys, however, were still on the ignition.

"Why would someone break in but not steal the car? The keys are right there," Yang said.

"Think they realized who they'd be stealing it from," Qrow said. "Nobody wants to make an enemy out of an agent of Beacon."

Yang looked around. She didn't see anybody in their immediate vicinity, but there might be people watching from their houses. If so, they didn't pose them any threat, but the knowledge still wigged her out.

"I went up and down the street, got a few words out of the neighbors who didn't shut their door on my face," Qrow said. "Car showed up here the morning after Shields vanished. Nobody saw her, but my wager is she left the house while her husband was still asleep, drove away in the dead of night, and left the car right here before dawn. Went the rest of the way on foot, and considering that she didn't bother to take the keys or even lock the car, I don't think she was planning on coming back for it."

"Somebody saw her," Vernal said. "They just don't want to say it."

"I know, but I can't force them to talk, so we work with what we get," Qrow said. "We might have better luck as we spread out, people might feel more favorable to answering questions if the car is not parked right outside their house. Who knows, we might even stumble upon Shields herself."

"Wait, how do we know Heather is still here? I don't think she's left, but how can we be sure?" Yang asked.

"We can't be sure of anything, but this gives us an area to start searching, at least," Qrow said. "I've got agents watching every exit point to the other districts. If they spot Shields leaving Oniyuri, we'll know right away. I would have asked them to help us search, but after seeing her handiwork, I'm not letting anyone without Aura anywhere near her."

"Well, it wasn't her handiwork," Yang said. "It was the demon's."

"Right," Qrow said. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah. Speaking of…" Yang took a deep breath. "I think we should talk about what we're gonna do once we find her."

Vernal muttered something under her breath and turned away. Raven's bird-head turned to look at Yang, and she skipped to the edge of the hood, red eyes boring into her intensely.

"Yang, I know what you're feeling, but despite what we've learned, I don't think the end goal has changed," Qrow said, shaking his head solemnly. "Heather Shields was a good woman, but she's long gone at this point. And if we want to stop what happened to her from happening to anyone else, we have to kill what is left of her."

"Is she gone, though? If the crystal took over her, why did she drive all the way here instead of just going on a rampage?" Yang said. "I think she came here to protect her family. Heather's not gone - not yet. We can still save her, without killing her."

Qrow crossed his arms. "That would be ideal, yes, but thinking this way is useless unless you have a real plan, Yang. So, do you?"

"I don't know exactly how to save her. But maybe your guys at Beacon can figure something out," Yang said. She gestured at Vernal and Raven. "And let's look at the facts. Heather might be possessed, but we're four very powerful people. We can subdue her if we work together."

"I don't know about this, Yang. We'd be risking a lot on the slim chance that one woman might be saved," Qrow said. "How many people have died already because of all of this? How many more will die if we don't end it now?"

"I know it's a hard decision to make," Yang said. "But please, Uncle Qrow. We have to try."

Qrow sighed and looked away. The air above the car shimmered in a blur of red and black, and suddenly Raven stood beside Yang, gripping her shoulder firmly.

"I knew this would happen," Raven said. "You know what has to be done, Yang, so stop behaving like a child and accept it. The woman is gone, and you'll be doing her a kindness by killing the thing that stole her body."

"I already said it – she's not gone," Yang said. "And I'll be doing her a kindness by returning her to her husband and daughter."

Raven shook her head. "I'm not going along your ridiculous plan."

"Then you better hope you find her first," Yang said, "because I will fight you to protect her. I'll fight all of you if I have to. I'm not letting a girl grow up without her mother because we were too afraid to take a risk."

She pulled Raven's hand off her shoulder and stared at her in challenge. Raven stood silent, her hand twitching near her sword.

"She's right," Vernal said, walking over to Yang's side.

Raven blinked and looked at her. "What?"

"It might not work, but we have to at least try," Vernal said. "And if things take a turn for the worse, we can always go back to the original plan."

"We might not get such a chance," Raven said. "Vernal. You know this is foolish."

"I'm sorry, Raven." Vernal began to bow her head, but stopped and looked Raven in the eyes instead. "I'm following the kid's lead."

Yang cleared her throat.

"Don't push it," Vernal said. "I might have something that can help."

She opened a pouch on her belt and took out a ribbon made of red fabric, no more than ten inches long. She pulled on it and it stretched to five times its size, then joined the two ends to make a circle. As soon as they touched, the ribbon shrank down to its original length, and so it remained.

"I've humbled more than a few loud-mouthed idiots with this thing," she said.

Qrow chuckled. "Kinky."

"What? You – they were being pigs, so I tied them up and left them in the mud overnight to teach them a lesson," Vernal said, glaring at him. "I'd do that to you right now if we didn't have more pressing concerns."

"I was just saying what we were all thinking," Qrow said, and Yang was glad he didn't turn to her for confirmation. "Do you think that'd be enough to restrain Shields if we had to?"

"Probably yes."

Yang looked at Qrow, and he took a moment to think, before he sighed.

"If there's a chance, I say we try it," he said, and looked at Raven. "Ball's on your court, Sis. Are you gonna help, or are you gonna be trouble?"

Raven stared at the three of them in turn, as if considering who she was most disappointed by. Her eyes landed on Yang, and she shook her head, then hopped off the ground and flew off.

"That didn't sound like a yes to me," Yang said, pursing her lips.

"We'll have to take it as one," Qrow said. "Okay, let's split up. I'll go that way and keep an eye on Raven." He pointed to one end of the street. "You two go that way. Stay close together. Yang, you keep your Scroll at hand's reach in case we need to talk."

"Yes, sir," Yang said.

He nodded and walked away, taking his flask from under his vest and uncorking it.

"Guess we're stuck with each other again," Yang said, turning to Vernal. "Thanks for having my back."

"You're welcome." Vernal walked away. "But I didn't do it for you."


Yang kicked a tin can across the road and spun around to look at Vernal, her hands on her hips.

"Well that's two hours of my life I'm never getting back," she said.

Vernal looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Truly, your patience knows no bounds."

"Oh, and you're going to pretend you're happy not one person had anything useful to say to us?" Yang said. "Not that that's much of a surprise. If you came up wanting to ask me questions with that angry mug of yours, I'd run for the hills too."

"Right, it's probably all my fault," Vernal drawled. "Maybe I should have followed your lead and softened them up with a tantalizing glimpse of my cleavage."

Yang gasped. "Excuse me? I didn't-"

"What, you weren't doing that on purpose?" Vernal said. "Hmm. Now isn't that embarrassing."

She flashed Yang a grin, then turned and walked back the way they'd come. Yang pulled up her shirt a little, and once she was sure her cheeks weren't burning anymore, chased after Vernal.

"Maybe we should split up on the way back to the car?" Yang said. "We might have missed something on our first pass."

"Don't think that'd be wise. If one of us found Shields alone, that could turn out badly," Vernal said. "Besides, I have no way to contact your uncle on my own."

"You would have if you'd added his number to your phone like he asked," Yang said.

"Yeah, I'd sooner jump off a bridge," Vernal grumbled.

"What about Raven? Can you reach her with one of your magic thingies?" Yang asked.

She had a brief mental image of bird-Raven trying to accept a call on her phone by smacking the screen with her wings, to no avail. She almost laughed, before she remembered who she was thinking about.

"Not while she's shifted," Vernal said. "And seeing as she's in a mood, she won't be shifting back unless she has to."

Vernal's harsh tone of voice was nothing new, but it surprised Yang nonetheless. This was the first time she heard her speak of Raven with less than total respect. And if it was surprising to her, it seemed to be even more so to Vernal herself, as she squared her shoulders and walked on faster.

"You're angry with her," Yang said, matching her pace. "That's why you sided with me before. To spite her."

"That's ridiculous," Vernal said. "I sided with you because you were right. There is a little girl and she deserves to grow up with a loving mother." She glared at Yang. "What do you take me for, a child?"

"No. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like-" Yang stopped herself. She'd put her whole foot in her mouth, and she was not getting it out of there anytime soon. "I'm just sorry. But you are mad at Raven, I can tell. You've been mad at her since I showed up. It's why you've been such a bitch to me this whole time, right?"

"No," Vernal said shortly. "That's because you're a brat, and I'd rather you weren't here."

They reached a stairway, and Vernal climbed on ahead. Midway through, she stopped, and stood still for a while. Yang stared up at her from the base of the stairs.

"I'm sorry," Vernal said, turning around. "This has clearly been a difficult time for you. I didn't mean to make it harder than it already was."

For a moment, Yang didn't know what to say. She could barely believe she'd heard an apology – a genuine, heartfelt apology – come out of Vernal's lips.

"That's okay," Yang said, getting up the first step. "I'm pretty sure we're on the same boat, so… I'm sorry too. For making things harder on you."

Vernal shrugged and descended to Yang's level. She sat down on the steps, and Yang sat beside her.

"I'm not angry with Raven," Vernal said. "Not exactly, anyway."

Yang grinned. "Are you disappointed with her?"

"That's… not far off the mark, actually," Vernal said. "You need to understand something. All of us that joined the tribe, we did it for a reason. We were looking for a new life, because there was something about the one before that we had to escape from. And that's true even for Raven."

Yang felt her stomach drop. "Me. It was me she was running from, right?"

"I think so," Vernal said. "To be honest, I always suspected she might have a child somewhere she didn't tell anyone about. Some of the things she said – and there was a look she got in her eyes, when she thought I wasn't looking. But I never asked, because maybe I didn't want to know." She sighed. "I knew the truth the moment I saw you. I guess I just wasn't prepared to accept it."

Yang swallowed dry. She couldn't say anything, even if she wanted to.

"There's something that happens when you grow up knowing someone abandoned you," Vernal said. "No matter how much love you get, there will always be a part of you that wonders what it was about you that was so terrible. Can't shake it. Can't pretend it's not there." She paused. "I'm sorry she did that to you."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but only a squeak came out. Startled, she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands, and breathed in and out evenly. This… She had not been expecting all of this.

"You want my advice, kid?" Vernal said.

"I mean…" Yang croaked. "We're already getting all mushy, so I feel we're past the point of asking."

"Right," Vernal said. "What Raven did, no one could ever ask you to forgive her. But she took me in when I was more of an animal than a person. I've been with her for eleven years, and she's never done me wrong."

Yang frowned. "And that matters to me why?"

"It doesn't. Hate her if you have to," Vernal said. "But try and give her a chance first. A real chance. It'll be good for the both of you."

Yang sniffed. It wasn't like she hadn't already given Raven plenty of chances to prove she wasn't a terrible human being. But… The circumstances they were in weren't exactly easy.

"Fine," Yang said. "But only because you made me cry."

They sat side-by-side, sharing in the silence for a minute. It was surreal, and it was peaceful, and Yang almost found herself wrapping an arm around Vernal and pulling her in for a hug.

Damn, she missed Ruby.

"Alright." Vernal stood up suddenly and cleared her throat. She offered Yang a hand. "Enough of that. We have actually important things to be doing."

"What, my mental health isn't important to you?" Yang asked, taking the offered hand and pulling herself up.

"Shut it." Vernal pointed a finger at her nose. "You mention this conversation to anyone, and I will kill you in your sleep."

Yang nodded. "Only way you could ever kill me."

Vernal huffed and started climbing up the stairway. Yang followed after her, one step, two steps – and stopped, a sensation like an icepick piercing through the back of her neck. Her head shot up and she looked around wildly, searching for something unseen, until her eyes settled on the space between two houses.

Yang vaguely heard Vernal calling to her, but she ignored her, vaulting over the stairs' railings and heading towards the alley. The air seemed to grow thicker the closer she got to it, and everything in her was screaming for her to turn away and leave, to forget all about this – but her feet were moving of their own accord. She couldn't turn away.

Suddenly, Vernal was at her side, grabbing her by the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Yang blinked. She met Vernal's incredulous gaze, and looked at the alley again. "Don't you feel that?" she said. "It's like – I don't know. Don't you feel it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about and I don't care. We've wasted enough-"

Vernal stopped mid-sentence, her whole body going taut. She looked at the alley, and backed away from Yang, a haunted look on her face. A moment later, she shook her head and put her arm in front of Yang, stopping her from going any further.

"That," Vernal said, "is the demon's trail."

Yang swallowed dry. "So it – Heather – they went that way?"

"Yes. And we almost missed it," Vernal said. She pursed her lips, a look of wounded pride flashing across her face. "It's good you picked up on it."

Yang hadn't really been trying, but she figured saying that would only upset Vernal further. Besides, she wasn't in a mood to boast – she could still feel that awful presence in the air, and it was only worse now she knew where it came from.

"So I guess I should call my uncle now," she said.

"Yes," Vernal said. She lowered her hands to either sides of her belt, where her blades hung. "Yes, you should."


Yang found it surprisingly easy to follow the demon's trail, though the path it had taken was not a straightforward one, slipping between houses and going up and down whole blocks with no rhyme or reason. It was almost like it didn't know where it was going, yet Yang could track its movement by pure instinct. Vernal followed right behind her, having accepted her lead without a word of complaint.

They neared the outskirts of Oniyuri, where the effects of its abandonment became clearer than ever, with nary a standing house to be seen anywhere. The demon seemed to find its purpose then, its path becoming a straight line, and Yang followed it surely.

It was at that point that she saw Qrow. He came soaring high in the sky by the corner of her vision, a crow of slick gray feathers, and took a nose-dive towards her. He shifted just before he hit the ground, falling into pace beside her with startling grace.

"Sup," he said, rolling his shoulders. He closed his eyes for a brief second, shuddering slightly. "Yeah. That's our mark alright."

Vernal quickly caught up to them. "Raven come with you?" she asked.

Qrow nodded at the sky, and Yang saw the shape of a familiar bird soar past so fast, it was barely more than a blur.

"If you can follow the trail so easily," Vernal said, looking at Yang, "imagine how it is for her."

"Hope she's not gonna cause something," Yang said. "We need to get there before she does."

"Calm your horses," Qrow said. "Raven's a hard-ass, but she's not unreasonable. Just don't give her an opening, and it'll all go alright."

The condition that as long as they did everything perfectly, Raven wouldn't abandon the plan, did little to appease Yang's worries.

"Hey." Vernal tapped Yang with her knuckles. "We're bringing that woman back to her daughter."

She raised an eyebrow, and Yang nodded. "We are."

They walked for another minute, until their destination appeared in their sights – a five-story building halted in the middle of its construction, all the scaffolding and materials left there since perhaps years. The area surrounding it was positively covered in dust, but Yang cared little about it. The closer they got to the building, the more her skin tingled, and it wasn't at all a pleasant sensation.

Before they arrived at the building itself, Raven appeared, landing just beside the group as they stopped to look.

"It's in there," she said, her hand closed tight around the handle of her sword.

"Did you see Shields?" Qrow asked.

"I did not," Raven said. "It-"

"She's hiding," Yang said. "She knows we're here, and she knows we're a threat."

For a moment, Raven seemed troubled by Yang's interruption, but she soon gestured at her and turned to Qrow. "What the girl said."

"Okay," Qrow said. "Shields is not coming out anytime soon, so we have no choice but to go in and find her ourselves. And we need to be careful – this place is unstable. Things could turn out bad if we end up in a fight."

"With the approach you've so wisely chosen, this can only end up in a fight," Raven said. "But worry not. I'm nothing if not a team player."

She walked into the building, and Yang followed her closely. As they crossed the threshold, the foreboding presence seemed to vanish altogether, and Yang found herself letting out a huge breath.

The first and second levels were mostly finished, or they were more finished than the rest of the building, at least. There were walls and support beams, and though they looked frail, they were something. Yang didn't look forward to exploring the upper levels.

"Ah, damnit," Qrow muttered behind her. He was crouched near a pillar, a grave expression on his face, and Yang knew why when she walked over – there was a man sat against the pillar, his face bloodied from a broken nose, and his neck bent at such a terrible angle, Yang had to force herself to not look away.

"Well, then," Vernal said, joining them. "Who's this fellow?"

"Couldn't tell you," Qrow said. He raised a hand towards the man's face, then thought twice about it. "He's very dead."

"Of course he is," Raven said nearby, looking thoroughly unsurprised by the scene before them. She turned to Yang. "And you know why."

Yang crouched beside Qrow, frowning as she inspected the body up close.

"I think he was running," she said. "Running from her."

Qrow considered that for a moment. "Shields was chasing after him, is what you're saying. That's why she ran all this way?"

"Yeah. He must have found her, wherever she was hiding," Yang said. "Why go through all that trouble to kill him, though? He was scared enough already."

"Because that's what it does," Raven said. "It hunts. It kills. It grows stronger. And when its host reaches their limit, it discards them in favor of the next best one."

"So what, you're saying he was prey to her?" Yang asked.

"Perhaps. It doesn't matter to me," Raven said. "I only care about ending this, one way or another."

"Then let's do that." Qrow stood up. "Raven, you're coming with me to the fifth floor. We'll conduct a search from top to bottom. Yang, Vernal, you two stand guard here and make sure Shields doesn't run. All good on the plan?"

"Don't slow me down," Raven said, and flew back out the doorway. Qrow quickly followed.

Silence fell. Yang looked at Vernal.

"So. Guard duty." She exhaled loudly. "Ex-citing."

Vernal didn't so much as look at her, so Yang let her be. Clearly, neither of them were up for a chat.

Yang wandered away, walking slowly through the first floor, avoiding the general vicinity of the dead body. She noted that, although the demon's presence was lesser now, it was still there. It just wasn't enough for her to track it like before. She wondered if that was some kind of survival mechanism, like how some animals camouflage themselves. In that case, she would be the predator it was hiding from right now – which was funny because she really didn't feel like one.

"Psst."

Yang turned around. Vernal had wandered off too, though now she was stopped at the other end of the floor. She put a hand on her lips and gestured for Yang to walk over.

"What?" Yang whispered.

Vernal silently pointed at the ceiling, and Yang noticed specks of dust falling from it. It took her a moment to understand why Vernal was pointing it out.

"You think Heather's…?" Yang said, and Vernal nodded. "Should we go up there?"

"Why the hell would we go up there? Raven and Qrow will get there eventually and then we'll see what we can do," Vernal whispered, looking at Yang like she was an unruly child.

"You don't have to come with me. Stay here, watch the exit," Yang said, "I'll go up and engage her. If I talk to her one-on-one, maybe I can get her to help us help her."

"And you can do that better than the trained Beacon agent?" Vernal said.

"Oh, so now you respect him." Yang put her hands on her hips. "Look. I'm a people person. Just… watch my back?"

Vernal squinted at her, as if rethinking every decision she'd made that had gotten her to this point, then sighed and gestured at the ceiling. Yang flashed her a grin and two awkward thumb-ups.

The only way to the second floor was a shoddy-looking metal ladder near the back wall. They walked over to it, Yang taking a moment to psych herself up before she started climbing. She threw a look back at Vernal, who nodded and tapped her blades, then pulled herself up the last step.

Yang rested on one knee for a moment, listening for any unusual sounds, but there was only silence. She slowly rose to her feet and turned in a circle. It looked like construction had ended during this floor – only the south and east walls had been erected, and still Yang had little confidence in their integrity. The area was barren, with only a few makeshift support beams scattered throughout it to hold the upper half of the building. And yet Yang saw no sign of Shields.

Looking up, Yang saw a flash of gray between the wooden boards above – Qrow scouring the fourth floor, it looked like. It was then that Yang felt a chill on the back of her neck, and she spun around fast. Her heart skipped a beat.

A woman stood between two beams, staring at her in silence, her head lolled slightly to the right. Yang had never met her, but the faded blond of her hair reminded her of Sadie. Even without that, she knew immediately who she was looking at – there was no mistaking the dark veins that weaved across her skin, and the black pools which had taken her eyes.

"Heather," Yang said, standing as still as she could manage under the chilling glare. "I'm Yang. I'm a friend."

Heather's head rose, and she took a step forward, but stopped at that. Her fingers twitched above her waistline, the tips of her fingers caked with blood. The whole floor seemed to reverberate with every breath she took.

"Heather," Yang said. She raised a hand, slowly so as to not startle the woman. "Listen to me. I know you can still understand me. You must be freaking out right now, but I promise you I just want to help you. Okay?"

She heard steps above her, and met eyes with Qrow through the wooden boards. Looking back at Heather, she realized his presence hadn't gone unnoticed by her either, and she appeared ready to fight or flee at an instant's notice.

"Hey. That's just my uncle," Yang said. "He's here to help too."

Heather stepped back, a dry growl rumbling in her throat. Qrow slid down a ladder, and came to stand to the right of her, his hands raised in a gesture of peace.

"Agents Shields," Qrow said. "I'm Agent Branwen. Do you remember me?"

Heather jerked away from him, her eyes darting from him to Yang.

"Yang's telling you the truth. We're here to help you," Qrow said. "You must be in terrible pain. If you allow us, we would like to take you to Beacon where they can take a look at you. We can get you healthy again, healthy and safe. And then you won't have to be scared about hurting your daughter anymore."

"Sadie. You want to see her again, right?" Yang said. "You will. You just have to come with us."

Heather stopped twitching, her eyes narrowing, and for a moment Yang thought she saw something human in them – hope, a cry for help – and then it was gone. Heather made a fist and struck herself in the face with it, and blood gushed from her nose and splashed on the ground like raindrops.

"Woah!" Yang walked towards her. "Stop th-"

Heather crossed the distance between them in an instant, her arm swinging around to strike a savage blow on the side of Yang's head. Sent reeling backwards, Yang lost her footing and fell on her back. Heather lunged at her, fingers curved like claws, but Qrow appeared beside her and grabbed her arm before she could strike again.

"Shields!" he exclaimed, pulling her away. "You have to get a hold of yourself! We want to help you, but if you refuse to cooperate, I won't hesitate to-"

Heather spun and thrust a fist that would have flattened his nose, had he not sheld it just in time with his free hand. She growled and trashed, and threw herself forward, her teeth closing around his arm and chomping down forcefully. Qrow shouted and put his foot to her stomach, and kicked her away before she could tear through his Aura and take off a chunk of flesh.

"She's like a goddamn animal," Qrow grunted, shaking his arm. "Watch yourself, Yang!"

"Don't have to tell me," Yang said, standing up. "Come on, Heather… I know you're in there somewhere."

Heather tensed for another charge, but stopped as Raven flew past and landed behind her. Heather spun to face her, growling at the cold look in her eyes. She turned once again as Vernal came up the ladder from the first floor and took position opposite Yang, leaving the possessed agent surrounded on all sides.

"You've got nowhere to run, Shields," Qrow said. "Stand down. You don't wanna hurt any more people, do you?"

"Sadie's waiting for you back home, and so is your husband," Yang said. "I promised them both I'd bring you back and that's what's going to happen."

Heather hunched down, her lips parting to reveal her teeth.

"This talking isn't getting us anywhere," Raven said, glancing at Yang.

"Shut it! She remembered her daughter before," Yang said. "We just have to-"

Suddenly, Heather charged, choosing Vernal as her target – but she didn't make it halfway to her before Raven caught up and stopped her, wrapping arm around the woman's neck and dragging her backwards. Heather flailed in her hold, but Raven didn't let go, turning to face Yang.

"You wanted to talk to her," Raven grunted, "so talk to her."

Yang stared at Heather, suddenly unable to speak as she was faced with those two black orbs. It would have been easier if she could see fury there, hatred, plain hunger, but there was no emotion to be found, just a void.

"Come on!" Raven shouted. "This was your plan, so go through with it!"

"I – I don't know what else I can say," Yang stammered. "Heather, you've got to – You're here for a reason, right, 'cause you wanted your family to be safe. And that's all well and good but that doesn't mean much if they lose you anyway. So please stop fighting us!"

Heather trashed harder against Raven, spit flying from her mouth as she shouted wordlessly. Yang looked to Qrow, begging for help, but he seemed just as lost as her.

"I don't think there's anything we can say to her, kiddo," Qrow said.

"So we tried," Raven said. "Now we do things my way."

"No! We can still take her to Beacon," Yang said. "Vernal, you've still got your ribbon-thing, right?"

Vernal jumped at the sound of her name, looking away from Heather and fumbling with her belt.

"You want us to drag this thing kicking and screaming all the way to Beacon," Raven said. "That's madness. We'll never make it there with her. We'll be lucky if she doesn't kill us." She whipped her head around to look at Vernal. "Do not take that out. You know what we have to do."

"Vernal," Yang said. "She's wrong. We can do this."

Vernal stood frozen, looking from Yang to Raven with wide eyes. She brought her hand away from her belt, then back to it… and took out the ribbon, her lips moving in a silent apology.

Raven grimaced, her shoulders dropping as she stared at Vernal – and suddenly there was a hand around her throat, Heather breaking an arm out of her hold and reaching back to grab it. Yang had no time to react, much less Raven, as Heather bent low and, with a strength that was beyond human, heaved Raven over her head and shoved her to the ground.

A strangled gasp escaped Raven's lips, her eyes rolling back for a second before they focused on Heather again, and she lifted a hand to defend herself, only for Heather to hoist her off the ground, still holding her by the throat, and slam her down again. The floor broke under Raven, and she disappeared in a cloud of dust as she fell through to the first level.

Before Yang could even think to do anything, Vernal ran for the hole, shouting Raven's name. Heather turned her attention back to her and lunged, and Vernal had but a second to take out her blades and push her away with a gust of wind. Howling in confusion, Heather broke through a pillar and went skidding on the ground, and as debris clouded over the area, the whole building started to shake.

Yang couldn't bring herself to move, her thoughts overtaken by panic. She wanted to go to Vernal and help her find Raven – she was still down there, and she hadn't made a sound, nothing to indicate she was well or even alive – but Heather was right there, biding her time as she recovered from her stupor – and everything was shaking

And then she saw Qrow by the corner of her vision, stumbling back until he was flush against a wall, and he turned his eyes to the sky and startled to mumble something over and over. She barely heard him over the rumble.

"Don't. Don't. Don't-"

A terrible screech deafened every other noise, so loud Yang winced and covered her ears. A snap followed, and she looked up just in time to see a steel beam break from the scaffolding on the fifth story. Gravity took hold and it plummeted, breaking through wood and concrete before it reached their floor, tearing another hole just beside Yang. She gasped for air and stumbled away – she would have been crushed if she had been standing but a couple meters to the right.

"Yang!" Qrow took her by the shoulders and dragged her further away. "You need to get out now! The whole place is coming down any second!"

"But Raven-"

"I'll get her out! Go!"

He shoved her and sprinted to the hole Raven had fallen through, jumping into it without hesitation. Yang looked around, searching for Vernal, but she was nowhere to be seen – she must have jumped down when Yang wasn't looking.

The noises above her intensified, such a terrible cacophony she couldn't hope to make out a single sound in it. Another smaller beam fell, though it lost speed on the way down and didn't crash through to the ground floor. More and more debris rained down as top half of the building became unstable, filling the air with dust, and Yang swayed back and forth on her feet, torn between going after Qrow and getting away safe-

And then she saw Heather running on all fours towards the west side, where there was no wall. Yang ran after and tackled her, and they went rolling on the ground, stopping just short of the edge. Heather got up first, towering over Yang and rearing back a hand to claw at her, but Yang acted a second earlier, kicking off the ground and catching Heather by the throat. She stumbled back, her right foot meeting open air-

And they fell.


Qrow landed on his feet on the first floor and covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the dust in the air – there was so much of it he could barely see anything, and it got worse with every second as more of the building came crashing down.

Fortunately, he didn't have to look far to find Raven. She was on the floor nearby, out cold, with Vernal knelt beside her, holding up her head slightly off the ground. Qrow crouched beside them. A wave of relief washed over him as he saw Raven's chest rise and fall.

"She's fine," Vernal said hoarsely, throwing him a swift look. "She's bleeding from the back of her head but it's small. We've got to get her out before this whole thing collapses on us."

Qrow nodded. "Can we still get out through the front?"

"Hell if I know! There's no time to-"

"Go check. I'll stay with her."

Vernal seemed unsure, but she ran off after a second. Qrow held Raven's head up, and with his free hand took his Scroll out of his pocket – good, it was still working. Instead of his password, he typed out an eight-digit code, and his Scroll flashed red as it sent out an emergency signal to all nearby agents and the city headquarters. He put it away just as Vernal returned.

"That way's good," she said.

Qrow nodded. "Help me carry her out of here."

They each got on one side of Raven and grabbed an arm. As they started to lift her off the ground, she blinked and shook her head slightly. Her eyes found Vernal's, then Qrow's.

"What-" She winced. "Goddamnit. That fucking bitch!"

"Easy, Raven," Qrow said. "Building's coming down. We gotta get out."

Raven grunted and pushed him off. "I can walk on my own." She looked at Vernal, her head swaying back and forth. "Let me go. This is nothing."

"Raven, you're bleeding. You might have a concussion, too," Vernal said. "You can kill me later, but please don't make this difficult."

Raven pursed her lips. "That thing caught me off guard. I knew we should have just offed it the moment we found it. It's strong, stronger than it's ever-" She stopped abruptly, turning her head painfully to look around. "Where's Yang?"

"She's fine. I told her to get out," Qrow said.

"And you think she's going to just wait for us outside like a good little girl?" Raven said, her voice like a whip. "She's probably fighting that thing right now, and that's not going to end well for her."

Qrow frowned. He knew Yang could hold her own in nearly any situation, but after what he'd seen Shields – no, not Shields, shewas long gone – what the thing that had taken her body was capable of, he didn't feel so confident about her chances.

"Vernal," Raven said. "Go help her."

"What?" Vernal spat. "But you-"

"She won't be able to do what's necessary," Raven said. "I'm asking you, Vernal. Make sure she doesn't get herself killed."

Vernal let go of Raven. She looked at Qrow, unsure, and he nodded. Vernal took a step back, casting a lasting look at Raven, before she ran off to the entrance.

"Alright. That was very noble of you," Qrow said. "Now let's get you out of here."

He took her arm, but she brushed him away and tried to walk ahead on her own. She didn't make it two steps before her legs buckled and she nearly collapsed.

"You are going to get yourself killed," Qrow said.

"I don't need your help!" Raven exclaimed, her voice breaking. "If you lay one finger on me I'll-"

"Shut up, Rae."

Qrow tapped the back of her knee with his foot, and she fell backwards. He caught her before she hit the ground, and lifted her up in his arms. She scowled at him, stiff as a board.

"Let me help you, for once."


Yang wasn't sure whether she or Heather hit the ground first. It hurt like hell either way, and Yang didn't have time to think about it any longer as they went rolling on the dirt, punches and kicks flying as they tangled with each other.

Suddenly, Yang felt teeth closing on the flesh of her left shoulder, and she instinctually thrust out her leg with unrestrained force. Heather went flying, but it took her no time to recover once she hit the ground. She charged, such a single-minded viciousness in her movement, it made the hairs of the back of Yang's neck shoot up straight.

Yang barely stood in time to defend herself. She put her arms before her, grabbing hold of Heather's shoulders, and felt her feet making trails in the dirt as she went skidding back. It felt like she was holding back a charging bull, or a truck, or a thousand trucks-

Heather threw her whole weight forward, overpowering Yang and lashing out with a fist. Yang's head snapped back, her neck straining with the sudden motion. It wasn't night yet, the colors of twilight creeping in the sky, but she saw stars.

She heard a roar, and she felt more than she saw Heather lunging at her again. Yang reacted without thinking, righting herself and throwing out a punch. The air ignited around her for a split second, and she felt her fist connect with Heather's chest – an explosion of cataclysmic proportions contained in a square-cube.

Heather flew for a good five seconds, and then she fell, limp.

Yang stared, cold seizing her lungs and heart as she found herself unable to breath all of a sudden. The noise of the collapsing building nearby faded in her ears. Her hand felt wet, and she looked down to find her knuckles red with blood, and she felt the contents of her stomach rushing up her throat-

Heather moved. Her arms twitched, and then she rose, almost floating back to her feet as if tucked along by invisible strings. She looked at Yang from a distance, her mouth opening wide, and a half-growl-half-wail echoed across the distance.

Yang raised her arms before her. "Heather, please-"

She barely got a word out, and Heather stumbled forward, blood spluttering from her mouth. She spun around, and Yang saw a familiar crescent blade embedded in the small of her back. Far behind her, framed against the ruins and debris, stood Vernal, her arm extended in a throwing motion.

"That's for Raven, you fiendish bitch," Vernal growled.

Yang stepped forward and waved her arms. "Vernal, don't-"

Vernal closed her hand and pulled it back. Heather staggered forward, screaming from a gurgled throat, as the blade dug deeper into her back and slid upwards, cutting a jagged crimson line on her skin. She threw herself to the ground, and the blade came flying to Vernal's grasp.

Without a second's pause, Vernal took out her other blade and threw both out. They closed in on Heather from opposite directions, converging as they got closer, until they found their target and sunk into her arms. They would have cut through her neck, if Heather hadn't moved to protect it a second before.

Yang ran towards Heather without saying a word – she knew Vernal's intentions, but the time for arguing was passed. If she wanted to stop it from happening, she had to act fast and without hesitation.

She reached Heather and made to tackle and immobilize her – but the woman fell on her own without Yang so much as touching her, hitting the ground with a resounding thump.

Yang slowed to a halt, staring at Heather with wide eyes. "What just-" She looked at Vernal. "Did you just-"

Vernal approached, retrieving her blades and putting them away. She stood a few steps from Heather, raising a hand to stop Yang from coming closer. "Watch it. Could be a trick."

They watched Heather in silence, waiting for her to twitch or stand up or attack them, but her body was unmoving. After a minute, the veins in her face started to fade, like roots retreating back into the earth. Without them, she looked bright and youthful.

And cold.

"You did." Yang fell to her knees beside her. "Fuck. You killed her!"

"I had to." Vernal's lips twisted in a snarl. "I was saving your life."

"Well congratulations on a job well fucking done!" Yang shouted. "You want me to hand you a trophy, or should I get her husband to do it for me?!"

Vernal scowled at her, but her callous expression soon broke. "The crystal."

"What?" Yang spat.

"Give me the crystal," Vernal said. "She must have it on her."

Yang almost got up and punched Vernal across the face, but somehow she found the restraint to do as she asked. She patted Heather's pockets, disgusted by the action, until she felt a jagged edge and took out a black crystal. She barely looked at it as she tossed it to Vernal.

"Happy now?"

Vernal walked away, covering her eyes with a hand.

Yang looked down at Heather. She wasn't breathing, her heart had stopped beating, but that didn't mean – that didn't mean she was dead for good, right? There was still hope. There had to be.

Fighting the panic and dread, Yang tried to recall what she could about this sort of scenario. She must have learned something in class – yes, she had! – and those hundreds of hospital shows on TV had to be good for something. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on Heather's chest, one above the other, and pushed.

Nothing happened, but that was fine. She pushed fourteen more times, for a total of fifteen - that was the right number, right? - and then breathed into Heather's mouth. Nothing. She repeated the routine, fifteen pushes – was it ten instead? Twenty? - then the breath-thing, and again, and again-

On one of the pushes, Yang heard a crack. She kicked away from the body, muffling a gasp with her hands. Did she… Did she break a rib? That wasn't good. Or was that fine? Maybe it didn't matter. Maybe she had been doing everything wrong from the start, or maybe there had never been any hope.

She hugged her knees, staring at the body. With the desperation slowly fading, all she had left to contend with was the despair it left behind. What was she going to tell Heather's husband? What was she going to tell Sadie? What if the girl's whole life was screwed up because of this and it was entirely her fault?

She stared, and Heather moved. It was just a slight movement, her lips parting wider than Yang had left them. Relief washed over Yang, she nearly cried – but that was quickly supplanted by a cold dread, like when she'd been chasing the demon's trail.

Somewhere to the side, she heard Vernal shouting at her, but Yang remained magnetized to the spot. A noise came from Heather's throat, a low wheeze that slowly built up until it seemed to come from all around Yang. Something slipped past her lips, a fine black mist, translucent, but in the colors of the twilight it became almost solid in its shape. It towered over the body, over Yang, and it stared at her.

"Yang!" Vernal screamed, running to her. "Get away from it!"

Yang jumped to her feet and stepped back, shielding her face with her arms, but it was too late, the mist converging towards her like a typhoon-

-suddenly Vernal was at her side, the ring in her right hand flashing as she grabbed Yang's wrist-

-and Yang stood where Vernal had stood a second earlier, holding her wrist, as the mist descended on Vernal and went inside her through her mouth.

Yang let go. The mist was gone, and the building lay in collapse. Silence reigned.

"Vernal?"

Vernal swayed back and forth, her head hanging low. Yang took a step back, and Vernal raised her head to look at her. Dark veins raced up her neck, extending past her chin and spreading across her face like the branches of a tree. The white and blue of her eyes were gone, replaceable by a fathomless black.

Vernal's fingers curled like claws, and Yang tensed. A moment passed, and Vernal opened her mouth.

"Don't. Follow."

She turned and ran.

Yang fell to the ground, sitting beside Heather's body.


"Your reflexes are normal," Qrow said, crouching before Yang. "Think you're just fine."

Yang mumbled noncommittally. She'd hardly expected she was hurt, but she'd let Qrow check her anyway, if only to alleviate his worries. Also because the shock was wearing off, and she'd take anything to distract her from… everything.

"What about you?" Yang said numbly. She nodded back to the crumbled building. "You were in there for way longer than me."

"I didn't get into a fistfight with a demon," Qrow said. He was silent for a moment, turning his Scroll's flashlight on and off before he put it away entirely. "No, I'm just fine. Not a scratch on me."

Somehow he didn't seem all too happy to make that statement.

Yang caught a flash of movement to the right of her, and saw a pair of Beacon agents walk past, carrying a gurney between them. They stopped beside Heather's body, covered by a tarp, and carefully lifted it up to the bed.

"What'll happen to her?" Yang asked.

"They'll take the body to HQ. There they'll clean it up, make sure it's… presentable," Qrow said. "And then they'll notify her husband."

"I should be there to talk to him," Yang said.

Qrow looked at her, brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Because. I have to explain to him," Yang said. "Everything that happened. How I couldn't keep my promise…"

"And how would that help anyone?"

Yang shrugged weakly. "At least they'll have someone to blame."

Qrow shook his head. "No. You're not to blame for anything that happened here, and even if you were, I wouldn't let you talk to him like this," he said. "You can talk to him when you're ready, but not now. I won't let you."

Yang could tell him he couldn't stop her if she tried, but she was too exhausted to argue with him.

"Yang, I know it's too soon, but I hope you can answer a few questions I had about what happened with Vernal," Qrow said.

He nudged her arm, and Yang nodded hesitantly.

"Heather," Qrow said. "Vernal killed her, and then the demon jumped to her?"

"I… I think so," Yang said. "I mean, it wasn't… instant. Not completely? Vernal hit her with her blades, and it hurt her and everything but she was still standing… and then she just dropped to the ground."

"So, just to make sure," Qrow said. "Vernal attacks Heather. Heather dies. Then the demon jumps to her. Heather was dead when that happened."

"Yes? I was trying to resuscitate her, so yeah, she was dead," Yang said. "Why does that matter?"

"Because it doesn't fit with what we know. If Vernal killed Heather, that should have forced the demon back into the crystal," Qrow said. He looked up. "Raven?"

Raven didn't reply. She'd just been standing there in silence, her back turned to them, since Yang had explained what had happened to her and Qrow. Her head was fine, but that meant little to her.

"Doesn't wanna talk," Qrow muttered. "Can't blame her."

"Do you think…" Yang leaned forward a bit, afraid to even look Raven's way. "Do you think she lied to us?"

"About how to get rid of the demon? No, she was pretty adamant about how we were supposed to do things," Qrow said. "I think there's something else at play here which even she doesn't understand."

Yang nodded. "So… What do we do now?"

"We do nothing."

Raven's voice hit Yang like a brick. She shrank as Raven turned and walked over, staring down at her with cold eyes.

"You've done more than enough already," Raven said.

Yang bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

"Are you? For what?" Raven spat. "For failing to do what you were told, or for making me have to kill Vernal now? Be very specific."

"Raven, that's enough." Qrow stood up. "This is a bad situation but we all need to cool our heads before-"

She shoved him with a hand to his chest, and Qrow stumbled back, looking at her warily. Raven's eyes never left Yang.

"You're not sorry. I am. I'm sorry I was so foolish to let you come along when I knew this is what it would lead to," Raven said. "You asked me why I left you? This is why. Because I don't need a mewling child weighing me down at every turn."

Yang looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I didn't want you then, and I don't want you now," Raven said. "From now on, stay out of my life."

She turned and took off, her bird form disappearing against the night sky.

Yang put her face in her hands and sobbed.

Qrow crouched beside her, patting her back hesitantly as he looked from her to the direction Raven had gone. Minutes passed as Yang tried to stop herself from trembling, but every time she thought she got herself in order, another sob came and shook her to her core.

She heard a Scroll ringing, and put down her hands to look. Qrow took his out, visibly irritated, but his expression changed when he saw the caller. He looked at Yang, mumbled something to himself, then walked away to take the call.

Yang watched, her stomach knotting with anger. She knew it was irrational – it was probably an important call if Qrow was leaving her to take it – but she just wanted him to be there for her. Couldn't the rest of the world wait an hour?

After a few minutes, Qrow returned. He took the Scroll off his ear and offered it to Yang. "It's for you."

Yang swallowed a sob. "What?"

"Just take it."

He handed the Scroll over, and Yang put it to her ear. "Hi…?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then she heard a familiar voice. "Hey, kiddo."

Yang nearly jumped to her feet. "Dad? What – why are you calling Qrow? Do you know…?"

"Yang, calm down. It's okay. I know that you're in Mistral, and I know why. And apparently there's some stuff going down – I'm not so clear on that part, but I figured something would happen," Taiyang said. "I just checked in at a hotel. Think you can come meet me?"

Yang looked at Qrow in disbelief. He shrugged, a look on his face that said he was guilty but he didn't feel at all bad about it.

"I know this is sudden, and you probably have a lot on your plate already, but," Taiyang said. "Well."

He was silent for a while, and Yang waited with her heart in her throat.

"We have a lot to talk about."


Best Dad stealing Worst Mom's iconic line? Yes, I just did that.

This chapter was certainly a doozy to write. Had some major troubles getting through the first part of the Heather fight, and I'm still not entirely happy with the last scene, but better for it to happen here than at the start of next chapter.

Also, sorry for those hoping for a happy ending for Heather. Twas not meant to be, I suppose. (we'll be seeing the Shields again, so don't worry about me just forgetting about it)

Special thanks once again to Fell for her gracious beta-ing. This chapter benefited from it greatly.

-Zeroan