Qrow had started to stir awake when they were somewhere over the sea, conscious but still numb. Ruby was at attention within a second, making sure he knew he was safe.
"We're almost back to Patch." Yang reached over to squeeze his shoulder. Qrow reached his good hand up to pat her as a response. She smiled, but felt a pain in her stomach. It might be better that he wasn't talking, Yang didn't think she could take his questions.
She was sure he had some. Blake mentioned their half-conscious conversation, how Ren's semblance seemed to lessen the blow. Half of Yang wanted to delay that conversation as long as she could, the other small, terrible part was glad to be on the other side for once - answering questions instead of asking them.
As soon as they touched down, Weiss was chucking the chains far from the ship. Yang stayed at Qrow's side, opposite of Ruby, and gave her a smile. They were finally home .
In actuality, the team hadn't been gone for more than a day, but it somehow felt like ages. The autumn sun was low in the sky by the time they arrived back on Patch. Their part of the island had become their unofficial base, the Xiao Long property had been transformed into a shoddy sort of camp.
Their shed was expanded into an armory, their backyard a training ground. Sturdy, but temporary quarters were built - more like boxes for meetings. Other large tents were scattered into the woods: students from Vacuo and Atlas who wanted to fight, scraps of the Atlesian specialists who followed Winter and the Happy Huntresses, Headmaster Theodore, SSSN and a few teams from Haven. CFVY, Glynda and a handful of other teams who stayed at Beacon were still on the mainland, trying to slow Salem's army of Grimm from completely destroying the city. But they still had little idea what they were up against.
Until Oscar and Penny returned and they formed some sort of final plan - they just had to hold down this excuse for a fort, make sure the last Relic stayed hidden, and prepare.
Their ship landing, untouched, started to draw a crowd, but Weiss dropping the chains silenced any oncoming questions. Yang saw her shoulders rise as she took a breath. "We got them. And, we need a med cot."
Always to the point . Yang shook her head, but smiled at Weiss' curt nod. She left her to field the barrage of questions, clear out the crowd, and find Winter for a loose debrief. The Specialist couldn't help but try and run this place like a military.
Jaune cleared his throat, and nodded to Ren and Nora. "We'll take the Relics, make sure they're secure until we leave again."
"Right, thank you." Ruby sighed, looking to Qrow one more time before standing. A leader again. "Go with Weiss to talk to Winter. We can be ready to leave in the morning for Haven."
Yang sighed. The new headmaster in Mistral agreed that the Relics should be as far away from Vale as possible. Ozpin hadn't ruled out using the Sword as a last defense, though no one knew if it would actually work against Salem. Without Jinn, the Lamp was just a liability to have so close to the others. It had to stay out of Salem's hands. And Yang was the only one who could open the vault to seal it away.
"You should stay here with Qrow." Yang stood, and raised a hand before she could object. Joanna had effectively taken up the role as their trusted, fully trained medic- which no one could argue she wasn't perfect at - but leaving Qrow alone didn't feel right. Making Ruby leave so soon didn't feel right. "Winter would probably appreciate Weiss staying too. We're taking the long way across Vacuo, but it will only be another two days."
Ruby started to nod, as Qrow cleared his throat. She ducked down again when he tried to push himself up, taking his arm over his shoulder so he could sit. "Don't split up."
Blake shook her head. "We're not, JNR and I will be with her, too."
A cot was wheeled into the ship, Joanna at the helm. Sun was at her side, looking between all of them. "Who's hurt?" Jaune stepped aside to start out of the ship, revealing Qrow and Ruby on the ground. "Oh,"
Joanna pushed past him, kneeling to help Ruby pull Qrow up. She had never minced words, this time Yang didn't mind. They turned him slowly, his legs shaky at the slight weight they held, and Yang heard Blake gasp next to her.
She was staring at his back, mouth agape. Yang followed her gaze to the black mass on his shoulder blades, ickor that stuck out like shards. Bits of white bones were visible through the gaps of black. "Wings,"
"What?"
Ruby hadn't heard their whispers. "Where's our dad?"
"In town," Sun answered quietly. "More Vacuo students came in, he should be back soon."
"You probably flew right over him." Joanna said over her shoulder, inspecting the break in Qrow's arm. "Do you have centralized pain?"
"No," Qrow grated. "Kid blissed me out. She got the rest."
He jerked his head at Blake, Joanna nodded approvingly. "We can take him to the house, if you all are comfortable." Ruby nodded, Qrow grunted a yes. Sun took it upon himself to clear the stragglers of the crowd, boisterously shooing them off with his staff and tail waving in the air.
Yang rolled his eyes affectionately at him, following Ruby and Joanna with the bed. She paused on the porch when Blake stopped. "Hey," she whispered, grabbing her hand. "You alright?"
Blake blinked, and shook her head like she was waking herself up. "Yeah, it's- Let's get inside."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Blake was forcing confidence, Yang knew, but she pushed herself up on her toes to kiss her cheek. Yang smiled on instinct, and followed her. The main house was still relatively private from the makeshift camp around them, which Yang appreciated more than ever. They all needed some food, and a rest. The very thought of the flight to Mistral made her want to groan.
They ended up settling Qrow on the couch, finding a sweatshirt and pants for him and starting a stew in the next room. Weiss returned from meeting with Winter, finding some suitable place with Jaune for the Relics. She helped Blake with dinner, a mostly-broth stew that Qrow could actually sip at.
Yang and Ruby sat with Qrow as Joanna checked the less-immediate injuries Blake could not, mostly internal, and found nothing currently damaging him. She would cast his wrist before it could start healing improperly, and suspected that one or more bones in his legs had already been misaligned. Qrow actually agreed, having already judged that by the pain experienced and how his foot stuck out at an angle.
Yang kept her eyes on Ruby, listening intently. As if they could do anything about it. She didn't voice that bitterness, though, it wasn't the time. If it were, she'd probably be teasing her uncle on how he was cooperating at all, given his tendency to insist being the last person checked out by medical professionals.
They sat in silence, sipping at their stews, while Joanna decided to write down what she wanted them to keep an eye on - rather than trusting any of the exhausted huntsmen to remember. Yang was certainly thankful, her mind kept wandering to what she needed to do before heading off again to Mistral.
Blake's ears swiveled and she perked up, breaking the silence. "I think your dad's back."
Not a second later there were voices at the porch, a loud What? and Taiyang pushed open the door. "Girls?"
Yang pushed herself off the couch, Blake behind her, and met him in the foyer. "Dad, we're-"
He grabbed her shoulders, looking up and down as always. "Are you alright?" He turned to Blake and did the same. "I heard.."
Yang felt her heart drop, Tai wouldn't just take someone's word. Not after his team had left over and over. "We found him." His throat bobbed, and he backed away. Yang nodded to the living room. She glanced at Blake to see a smile on her face.
All of Tai's breath left him as he laid eyes on his brother, struggling to be halfway off of the couch at the sound of his voice. "Shit," Tai crossed the room within two steps, one hand gripping Qrow's better arm and the other around the collar of his shirt. Tai yanked him up into a crushing hug, bearing his weight when Qrow tripped over his feet. "You, you - Oh, gods, Qrow,"
He gave up whatever he was trying to say, instead holding Qrow close. Her cradled the back of his head, the other arm able to wrap almost completely across his back. Qrow buried his head into the crook of Tai's neck, shaking again. He mumbled something Yang couldn't hear, and sniffled. He said it again, and Tai huffed a tight laugh.
"Don't be, don't you dare be sorry for anything, idiot. " Tai shook him with a jerk. He pulled Qrow back just as quickly, a laugh that turned into a sob. "No one knew. You're alive, gods, you're-"
Yang felt her own throat tighten, and looked down to her boots. In the heat of the moment, they didn't have the chance for a proper reunion. Everyone wanted to finish the mission and get out of that place alive. Hearing the hitch in her father's voice, and Ruby wiping a tear from her eye, Yang felt a tidal wave wash over her.
What's she's wanted to say since they found him rushed through her head again. If we hadn't been fighting, Raven would have looked for you. She would've fought alongside you, even if you were mad - she knew she deserved it. Dad was so scared, he didn't leave you. He trusted you, your skill - we didn't want to leave.
She bit her lip, quivering, and covered her mouth. Yang tried to take a breath, flinching when Blake's fingers slid perfectly between her's. She looked up to her, her eyes burning, and Blake gave her the smallest of smiles. Yang nodded, and wiped her eyes.
"I hope he's not angry." Yang blurted when Patch came into view. She had been a bundle of nerves since they left Haven. Flying across Saunus to avoid Vale was necessary, but it took a lot of fuel and a lot of time. When she wasn't sleeping from near exhaustion - Yang couldn't turn her brain off.
Regrets started piling up inside her without permission - she started to understand how Ruby must feel. All her talk of everyone leaving, especially to Qrow, and what has she done? Left him for her dad to handle? Her little sister? In their ragtag defense's excuse for a base camp?
"I know he understands." Blake answered smoothly, and squeezed her hand. "It was a part of the mission. And you're his niece."
Yang sighed. The simple touch cleared her mind, like blowing away fog. "You're right."
"I understand." Blake gripped her hand again. "It's hard when it's family."
Their ship was slowly starting to touch down, Yang forced out a breath. Something about being home made her overthink, this had always been the place where she had to step up responsibility - even with Qrow. She just had to push past it, trust the people around her.
Ruby and Weiss were waiting for them as the ramp opened, and they hugged despite it only being three days. "Anything out of the ordinary?" Weiss asked as she pulled away from Blake.
"Besides a ridiculously long flight?" She rolled her eyes, flicking her ears. "Nothing. Dad has been talking with the new headmaster as part of the new White Fang's initiative, and he feels that he's trustworthy. The vault is sealed, no problem."
"It helped that basically a legion of White Fang members went down with us to make sure nothing happened." Yang added. Even if they were across the world, having allies was better than amazing. Haven was protected and no matter what happened in Vale, Salem was at least further from her goal.
"As long as the Relic is safe." Ruby said, relief clear in her voice. "It's good to be together, and until Oscar comes back, we have time to prepare!"
"Right," Yang nudged her shoulder with a fist. "How's Qrow?"
Ruby cleared her throat, and gripped her arm. Weiss spoke for her. Still a sensitive subject, then . Yang didn't blame her. "He's been staying in the house, mostly, with your dad. His aura returned last night, and Joanna thinks it'll heal him slowly. But his leg is still...impaired. And his memory isn't the greatest."
Yang shared a glance with Blake. "Which means?"
"It's just some, little things." Ruby defended, but Yang felt her stomach drop. "Joanna doesn't think it'll last. But we're writing stuff down for now. And Tyrian.."
"We know, it wasn't easy." Blake finished for her. With a breath, she tried to sound lighter. "Winter and Theodore are probably waiting to talk to us?" Yang felt warmth in her chest - Blake always denied it, but she seemed to always move them along when they needed it.
Weiss took to it immediately, Yang was glad her sister at least shared a groan with her behind the Schnee's back.
Weiss ended up sending her on a mission for coffee, and to "stop your leg from bouncing so much," during their meeting. She didn't mean to have left so eagerly, but she wasn't one with enough patience to try and tell Atlas specialists what to do. Especially with Headmaster Theodore seemingly rousing them up on purpose. The house was usually quiet - but Yang found Qrow in the kitchen instead.
He was slumped in a chair, wearing one of her Dad's hoodies that Qrow might as well swim in, and cradled a mug close to his chest. There were still red, angry marks on his neck, his hair was still long, and his arm was wrapped tightly in a cast, but he was healing. The welts on his face lessened to bruising, he was clean, and being down here meant he had enough strength to get down the stairs.
"Hey, Firecracker." He gave her a half smile. Yang felt her chest tighten - how long had it been since she heard that? And so naturally, she felt frozen with the feeling. "It's just coffee. Cold, but that's all."
Yang frowned. He held out the mug towards her, and she flushed. "No! That's not what I was thinking,"
"I wanted you to know." Qrow shrugged a shoulder - Yang didn't miss how he gritted his teeth at the movement.
For once, she probably wouldn't have been upset if had spiked his own drink. It's not like she's been the most responsible person since Atlas. And even before. But the several times her or Ruby found Qrow passed out on the couch - or hell, the floor - when they were younger always made her cautious. Even when they were in Atlas, when Qrow was trying to stay clean, Yang couldn't help but keep her expectations low.
After he went missing, all she thought was that she should have been more like Ruby. Supportive. Proud, at least. He was trying. All Raven had to do was show up and Yang wanted so badly to believe it was real.
And that was ripped from her even quicker.
"I'm glad you want to take care of yourself." Yang told him, and Qrow shifted in his chair. She could tell he was looking for the right thing to say, and knew how they both hated the feeling. She started the coffee maker instead. "I was gonna make a fresh pot, though. If you wanted any."
"Nah," Qrow tapped his mug. "I'm already making you my accomplice."
Yang raised a brow, a twist of a smile on her lips. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're busting me outta here." Qrow scoffed, but looked over his shoulder. "Your dad told me to stay while he handles something. I want to see the fucking sun."
Yang wanted to see if he could remember what Tai had told him, but she couldn't help it. The joke was right there. She placed a hand on her cocked hip. "You're looking at it."
He snorted. "Save it for your little pretty kitty. And don't think I didn't notice you two."
Yang just shrugged, keeping the smirk on her face. She turned away to watch the coffee fill its pot and it quickly morphed into a real smile. Her chest ached with how much she missed this. There was teasing and joking between the rest of the team, but it wasn't always this natural. With what Ruby told her, she didn't expect this to feel so normal .
She poured the coffee into the portable pitcher, leaving one arm free to offer to Qrow. He pulled himself up well enough, but kept his good arm locked with Yang's. She didn't mind their slow going to the back door.
"Alright," Qrow scoffed, refusing to look at Yang. "This is the only time you can act like I'm old."
"Oh, I'm always going to call you old." He rolled his eyes at her, and took one step down from the back porch. Yang kept by his side.
Their breath and heat of the pitcher curled into the cool air - autumn had crept into Patch slowly, but the sun was shining today despite the cold. Qrow sighed, closed his eyes, and tilted his head back. Yang felt herself smile, and looked onto the camp around them.
People hurried from one tent or shoddy building to another, others headed to the training grounds: one on the other side of the house, another large area further into the woods. Some people glanced their way, Yang just jerked her head to keep them moving.
Except for the lean woman making her way straight towards them, her hands folded behind her back and saber swinging in its sheath on her hip. Winter sighed and cocked her head, but not one piece of her short cropped hair moved from its place. "I was wondering what was taking so long." She nodded to the pitcher still in Yang's hand, then to Qrow. Her expression softened. "We're all glad you're here. It's good to see you again."
"Wow," Qrow drawled dramatically, but Yang nudged him. He cleared his throat. "Same here, Schnee. You got quite the setup."
He jerked his head, Winter shrugged. "It's not exactly an army, though I suppose you were the one to tell us that wouldn't work in the first place."
"Yup."
Yang could tell Winter was trying to school a scowl as she held out a hand, before turning to her. Yang passed off the pitcher of coffee. "Ruby wished for me to tell you that your team is training at sunset."
Yang barely got the "Thanks" from her lips before Winter was turning away, back into the camp. She lightly shoved her uncle. "You're so mean to her."
He nearly stumbled off the step as he was laughing, but Yang held tightly. "Come on, no one's allowed to get all personal just because they missed me."
"Right." Yang drawled.
Qrow started reaching his foot down off the porch steps, she followed his lead and kept their arms linked. His limp became worse, but he didn't slow. She didn't ask where they were going, considering nowadays Yang herself could get turned around in their own backyard, but Qrow led them into the woods.
For a moment, she thought they were headed to the Memorial. Tai had subtly guided people away from propping tents from the site, so the woods leading to the cliffside were empty. Qrow looked over his shoulder, and veered them off the path, straight to a different clearing beside the sharp drop off a cliff.
"What exactly am I breaking you out to do?" Yang eyed the cliff suspiciously, and Qrow pulled away to stand on his own. "And am I gonna like it?"
"Depends," Qrow rolled his shoulders, not taking his eyes from the cliff.
"...On?"
He huffed, placing his hands on his knees, and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It'll work, I remember."
"Qrow," Yang's mouth twisted to a frown, but before she could say anything else her uncle was gone, a small crow looking back at her. He twitched his wings once before spreading them to their full length, and cocked his head at her. "Yeah, okay." Yang shook her head, putting a hand on her hip. "No offense, but you can barely walk, let alone- okay."
She sighed as Qrow ignored her, taking off with a jump. He flapped his wings shakily, but stayed off the ground, quickly gaining speed and height. He had told them all, forever ago, that injuries don't transfer between forms - but endurance was a different story.
Yang understood now more than ever. Magic was...strange. Not like aura, or fighting or even Dust, but it still took energy to use. Skill.
Yang crossed her arms, watching him catch a breeze and spread his wings, gliding for a moment, before heading to the edge of the cliffside.
She tried to swallow the panic - Qrow had to know what he was doing - but how long had it really been? He couldn't be back to full strength after just a few days. Still, she knew the draw flying must have, the freedom it gave after so long. Far enough away, Yang could mistake him for a raven. Another pit settled in her stomach.
She let him glide, watching him twist through the air. "Okay!" Yang called after a while, the crow twisting its head to look through his feet at her. "You've made your point!"
He drifted for a moment more, the wind carrying him through the sky, before he circled back towards Yang. His wings shifted downward, letting gravity pull him towards the ground. Another flap of his wings slowed him somewhat, and Qrow shifted back to his human form.
He stumbled one step, Yang was already sprinting towards Qrow as he landed hard on the grass on his hands and knees. "Are you okay?" She slid beside him, grabbing his shoulders.
Qrow was shaking, his shoulders bouncing, and Yang felt panic rise in her chest before she realized that the bastard was laughing . "Yeah." Qrow huffed, twisted to sit, then lay on his back. He spread his arms out, opening and closing his hands to tense the muscles in his arm. "Yeah, I'm good. I didn't know- There was something about that place. I couldn't change. And, never learned how to land that well anyway."
Yang scoffed, looking him up and down. "Well now I get why Dad's been keeping you so close. The first thing you do is jump off a cliff."
"Not true." He pointed a finger at her, before letting his arm fall to his chest. He was still breathing heavy. "But, kid. I don't really want to be locked up in the house."
"You're not-" Yang stopped herself, sighing. "He just wants to take care of you." A cold breeze rushed over them, she stopped herself from wrapping her arms close to her chest. "We all thought we lost you."
"I know." Qrow waved her off, but stayed quiet for a moment. "He's...I just thought he'd be angry."
"What?"
She could have laughed, it seemed ridiculous. Tai had spent the long months thinking he was alone, the last of his team. If they hadn't been forced to move on to Vacuo, and set up the base at Patch surrounded by friends - Yang wasn't sure how her father would have ended up.
Qrow kept his eyes on the cliffside. "He didn't let you see it, but, I really knew how to piss off your dad." he sighed, and shrugged. "Tai just dealt with my shit, and of course I never said anything."
"You're part of his team. It takes a lot to break that." Yang told him, and kept her voice steady. A part of her figured that he probably had a lot of time to think about these things. "Everyone's glad you're here, Qrow."
He blew out a breath, watching it curl upwards in the cold air. Yang sat back too, not minding the quiet. It had been forever since she's been in the woods. She looked over the dropoff to the woods. The trees hadn't changed to their full spectrum of red, orange, and yellow, despite the cold - but Yang doubted they would have to wait long. By the time they dropped for winter, Salem might even be gone. She could hope, anyway.
"Do you still think we can do it?" The question left her before Yang could think twice, but Qrow didn't flinch.
"Maybe." He sighed heavily, and Yang thought that might be all he would say. It was probably stupid to ask, she thought, Not like Tyrian told him any of their grand plans. "Though usually," Qrow continued, making her look. "Salem wouldn't fight us in the open. With all these people on our side, the Relics out of the vaults, you and…" His mouth twisted.
"Penny?"
"Yeah. She's a good one. So," he waved a hand. "You kids are the best chance we've had. Who knows."
Yang had to suppress a scoff, with all that in their favor and it was still just a maybe . She felt exhausted after knowing for barely two years - she couldn't imagine doing this for lifetimes.
Qrow added quietly, "I know I dragged you guys into this, but don't think I can end with you. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Yang frowned. She looked back towards the house, then stood to offer him a hand. "Dad might be freaking out, but can I show you something before we go back?"
Qrow eyed her suspiciously, but accepted her help to stand. She started leading them back to the path. A new, dirt line veered off before reaching the private memorial - Yang wasn't sure when they would remove Qrow's stone between Raven and Summer's - that was forged by Vacuo and a handful of Atlas students shortly after arriving. Qrow didn't ask, even when they arrived at the monolith.
A jagged piece of stone was centered in the clearing, hooks jutted out from all sides - weapons were hung from every one. Swords, axes, spears, guns, everything. They spilled from the stone to the surrounding grass, circling the memorial around and around. There was a plaque at the entrance to the clearing, Yang had heard debate over what to write on it. There had been debate between writing " Remember the Fallen " and " Remember What She's Done " from students who had been more or less still looking for revenge. They left it with just Remember .
Yang walked past the plaque, and nodded towards the peak of the monolith. Qrow followed her gaze, taking a breath at Harbinger. It's sword form stuck out from the stone, hilt up, right beside Omen. The angle made it look as if the swords were embedded into the rock.
They stayed quiet, just for a moment, before Yang pointed her thumb towards his sword. "I can get it down. If you.."
"Nah," with how intense his gaze was, Yang blinked at his light tone. "I thought it was still in the tundra, or, I don't know. I'd rather it be up there than gathering dust in your dad's house."
She furrowed her brow, waiting until he looked back at her. She almost scoffed at his smile.
"C'mon, it's not like you'll never use it again."
Qrow just shrugged, and looked to his feet. "Well, I, kind of spent a lot of time betting on you guys to do it without me, and, you've done really good so far. I was thinkin' - if I can make a bet with you - by the time I am ready to use it again, it'll all be over. I won't need it."
He leaned against her as a nudge. "I do want to be done with this." She sighed after a moment, and forced a grin. "But I don't think you'll be let off that easy."
"'Course." Qrow rolled his eyes. "Spend all this time trying to stop the end of the world and still have to clean up the mess."
"You'll want to. I'd bet a million lien you couldn't stay retired for more than two months." They laughed, and even among the weapons, it felt right to her. Yang watched his eyes look back to Harbinger, the slight fall of his smile. "But, when you want it, it's here."
"Thanks, Firecracker." Qrow blew out a breath, took one more look at the monument, before turning back to her. He nodded, Yang mirrored him.
They turned back towards the house. It was slow going, and he leaned a bit heavier on her, but neither of them mentioned it. The closer they got back to the house, the louder the noise, and only then Yang realized the quiet of the woods. How much more complicated everything was than "get it done."
Though with all the surprises they've faced in the last few years, she was starting to really think they can handle anything.
A/N: Me earlier: eehh I might have projected onto Ruby a bit, but it's probably not obvious
Me proofreading this chapter: oh boy. Ooooohh dear. Oops! all projection!
But really, I loved writing this, Qrow deserves love (:Thank you guys so much for reading, I have another bonus chapter with Tai written, but I haven't gotten any comments so who knows if I'll post it lol this site might be dead