Wait, what do you mean it's not Friday yet? Where's my weekend?
So, yes, doubling my writing schedule has gone well enough so far that I can start posting twice a week. I can't guarantee it'll stay like this forever, but the new schedule is sticking for now. Besides, I knew I couldn't make you guys wait to find out what happened to Cardin.
Except Cardin's not in this one. Oops.
As I had hoped, I got a lot of praise for that last chapter. I'm glad I did the Cardin vs Yang fight justice. And now for a quick shout-out to the reviews:
To HeartMachine782, are you quite sure that was Weiss going with him, or perhaps someone who looked like Weiss? After getting nearly shot to death, Cardin wasn't exactly thinking straight…
To xfel, I have not forgotten Qrow. His presence has been implied a few times, but he'll be entering the story very soon, along with the reason that Cinder hasn't found herself at the business end of his scythe yet. Also, looks like you pieced together what happened very well. Good review.
To Darksen, I actually decided to change the summary. "Lobotomy" was a word I was on the fence about, something that almost fit what I had in mind for the story at the time, but I've since revised that part. The specific phrase used in its place now is "back-alley brain surgery". Only slightly less ominous and disturbing. I think.
And finally, a couple announcements.
First off, I tweaked the summary again. Second, this story finally hit the triple digits for followers, so let's pretend that's why I'm doing two posts a week now. Yeah, totally planned that.
And third, big one, I think it's about time this story had some proper cover art. I'm putting my money where my mouth is on this one. I'm willing to pay around fifty dollars for cover art for this story. For any readers interested in this, I'll give you a week to hit me up, show me an example of what you can do, and give me a price tag. I'm willing to spend more, but I better be impressed by what I see. If I don't get any offers in a week, I'll sniff around Deviantart and see what I find. Either way, I hope to have something for this story before it's over.
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Fractured Team
Yang stood over a pool of Cardin's blood, numb to the world, as she watched the past thirty seconds play out on the giant display overhead. She knew what she saw, she knew she saw Cardin lunging at her with his mace, crouching low, hoping to smash her kneecap into powdered bone, and she knew she saw her fist connect with his breastplate, blasting him harmlessly away with a shotgun blast. The screen showed a different picture. On the screen, Cardin had held out his hand for a congratulatory shake, and she shot his guts out. She knew what she saw, but that didn't change the fact that the only thing keeping Cardin from dying at her feet was the torrent of Aura pouring into him from Jaune.
She didn't even notice when the robotic Knights tore the gauntlets off her hands, nor did she pay any mind to where they were taking her. Her mind was stuck on that gut-wrenching second the world snapped back into place, when Cardin's armor squelched and bled around her fingers, when she could feel his heartbeat pounding on her hand, and when he slid off of her with a breathless moan, pale and cold as fresh-fallen snow.
When hunger snapped out of her shock, she found to her surprise that she was back in her room. For a blissful moment, she imagined that she had dreamed up the whole thing until she went to the bathroom to take a shower. As she reached for the curtain, Cardin's blood was still on her right hand. She scrubbed her hands over and over in the sink, but no matter how much soap and water she used, she couldn't remove the red tinge from her arm.
A firm knock came at the door. Before Yang could reach it, the door opened just wide enough to let someone slide a platter through. They had given her a buttered roll, a thick-cut slice of cold ham, a pickle, and a glass of water. Assembling her sandwich with just her left hand was tricky, but the thought of touching her food with her sullied hand made her sick to her stomach.
When she knocked on the door, no one answered her. She shouted for whoever was on the other side to tell her what was going on, to let her know where Ruby was, to say something, but only silence answered her. She tried opening the door, but it was locked from the outside.
Anger boiled up in her, and she balled up a fist. Her hand trembled as she goaded herself into smashing the door to splinters, grabbing whoever was standing closest to her by the collar and shaking them for answers, but she couldn't pry her eyes away from the bloodstains on her fingers. The anger froze into a cold, solid lump in her throat. With nothing else to do, she curled up in her blankets and closed her eyes.
Before Yang could fall asleep, a knock came at the door, this one gentle, almost hesitant from the way it caressed the wood. Yang pulled the covers tighter over her head and hid beneath the pillow.
"Sis?" Ruby asked from the other side of the door. "Are you okay?"
Yang sat up. She had to fight to keep the desperation out of her voice. "Ruby? I'm awake, come on in."
Ruby came in first, followed by Weiss and Blake. Her sister sat on her bed, while the other two teammates stayed in the opposite corner. The door clicked shut behind them.
"Is Cardin…" Words failed Yang as her throat seized up. Ruby took her hand, but the troubled frown and her refusal to meet her eyes made Yang's heart plummet.
"We don't know," Ruby said. "Weiss' sister had him taken to the Atlas flagship. It's closer than Vale's hospital, and, well, they didn't even know if he would make it there." She forced a smile, and her voice grew hopeful. "Jaune was helping, so it might not be so bad. We just have to wait and see."
Tears ran down Yang's cheeks as she grabbed Ruby's cloak and dragged her closer for a hug. The words poured out of her in a frantic flood. "You have to believe me Ruby, I saw Cardin attacking me. I thought I was defending myself, then the next thing I knew, he was on the ground. I swear, I wasn't trying to kill him! It was just a tap on his armor, I was just trying to knock him away, please Ruby, you trust me, right?"
"Really?" Weiss asked. "That's your excuse? Please, we all know how much you hate Cardin. Don't try to tell us it was self-defense when we watched you kill him over a handshake."
"Shut up!" Yang hissed. Ruby squired out of her arms and backed away. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about. I saw him attack me, I swear! You're just mad that I hit your crush!"
"She has a point, Yang," Blake said.
Yang felt the floor fall out from under her. "Blake?"
"I don't know what happened out there," Blake said. "Maybe you saw something, or maybe you didn't. Either way, what you did was completely out of line. You let your anger control you, again, and this time, you might have killed a student in front of the whole world. Everyone saw what you did, what a student from Beacon did, and to one of their own classmates no less." She crossed her arms and looked out the window. "There's talk of having Ozpin resign and firing the teachers. Some people even say the Vytal Festival should be banned, if students are going to kill each other to win it. Like it or not, Yang, your anger has consequences, and you're not the only person suffering for them."
Yang tried to argue against her, that it wasn't her fault, that people are overreacting and everything would blow over in a couple days, maybe a week at most, but she could barely breathe.
In the silence that followed Blake's lecture, Weiss cleared her throat. "I had been considering this for some time, but I've made my decision, and it is final. After the Vytal Festival is over, I'm going home."
Both Blake and Ruby looked at her in shock. Yang's anger returned, and she shouted, "You're just going to run away? Coward!"
"Run away?" Weiss asked. "You and your sister have been nothing but nuisances all year, and you expect me to put up with it? Ruby, I know you've been trying to be a good leader, but you let Yang get away with her silly grudge against Cardin, and this is the result. And you, Yang, you never stopped complaining about him. I don't know what he did to rub you the wrong way, but you should have let it go a long time ago. Instead, you stayed angry this whole time, you spread nasty rumors about his behavior, harassed him at every opportunity, and now, you killed him." To Blake, she said, "Don't think you're off the hook either."
"You're still mad about the docks?" Blake asked.
"There's that. You went off on a suicide mission, alone, without telling us." Blake opened her mouth, but Weiss cut in, "That miscreant doesn't count. And not only that, I still feel like you're keeping secrets. It's not like you stopped wearing that bow, is it?"
Blake's hands went up to the fabric around her ears. "I like wearing it," she said meekly.
"That's a lie and we both know it." Weiss went to the door and gave her teammates a haughty frown. "I will be staying with Klein for the time being. Good luck sorting out this mess."
The door slammed behind her as she left. Blake put a hand on Ruby's shoulder as she went to leave. "I don't know what I'll do yet, but for the time being, Jaune made space in his room. Call me if you need me." Taking a deep breath, she added as she crossed the doorway, "Weiss was harsh, but I think she's right. Think about it and decide what you need to do."
Yang shook as Blake left the room. She didn't dare break the chilly silence that settled between her and her sister. Ruby looked back at the closed door and blinked back some tears.
"Yang, I believed in you."
Yang's voice, worn raw by emotion and crying, came out as a hoarse croak. "Ruby?"
"I wanted Weiss to be wrong. I wanted Cardin to be the bad guy so I could say you were right and end the arguing, so I could show her I was not letting you be angry for no reason. But she was right about both of us."
"Ruby, no, please, I didn't mean it, I swear!"
"Ozpin made me the leader of this team. I don't know why he picked me. I'm younger than the rest of you and can't do anything right. We couldn't even get through one year without everything fall to pieces. Weiss would've made you behave better."
"You can't be serious! You think that stuck-up bitch would've been better than you?"
"You've been in detention ever since we got here!" Ruby yelled. "You destroyed school property, mouthed off at Goodwitch, got in fights, and went out drinking! And now, you might have killed Cardin."
"Ruby, I–"
"It's my responsibility." Ruby spoke in a low, solemn voice. "I am the leader of this team, and it is my responsibility to make sure my team does what it's supposed to do. Look at us. You killed someone on TV, Blake nearly got killed by the White Fang, and now, Weiss is leaving."
"None of that's your fault!" Yang reached for Ruby to hug her, draw her close, but Ruby drew away, towards the door, gripping her cloak in both hands.
"I could have stopped it, if I was a better leader." She took a deep breath and put a hand on the doorknob. "Maybe it's too late, but I have to try."
"Try what?"
Ruby stared into Yang's eyes, and Yang found herself looking down in the floor, unable to match Ruby's unwavering, stern gaze. Ruby cleared her throat and said, "Yang, use your head. You can't solve all your problems by punching them to death. Everywhere you go, I see you getting into arguments and solving them by giving the other person a bloody nose. That has to stop. As a Huntress, you're expected to protect people, and no one's going to feel safe around someone with a horrible temper." Tears streamed down Ruby's cheeks as her tirade faltered. "Just… just stop, please."
"Ruby, wait!"
"I'm staying with dad. Sorry."
With her face buried in her sleeve, Ruby flung open the door and vanished in a cloud of rose petals.
Yang called after her, but the door was closed, and she was long gone. A fresh trickle of tears poured out of her as she balled up in her bed, drawing the sheets tight around her. By the time she moved again, the sun had already set, and the food left at the door had gone cold. Driven out of bed by hunger, she spooned beef stew into her mouth without tasting it, gnawed at the bun without adding butter, and drank the water in one long gulp.
As she went back to the bed, a knocking sound echoed in the room. Yang hid under the sheets and mumbled, "Go away."
The rapping got louder, more insistent.
"I said go away!"
The knocking got loud enough to rattle the glass. That was when she realized the knocking wasn't at the door, but at the window.
Qrow was perched on the window ledge, peering through the hole in the curtains. He grinned as Yang walked over.
"Hey, mind letting me in?" he asked, his voice muffled by the glass.
Yang opened the window by a crack. "Are you supposed to be in here?"
"No, so keep it down. Goodwitch is outside your door, and she wouldn't let me in without taking my booze."
Yang smothered a laugh and threw open the window. Qrow stretched his arms and rolled into the room.
"They don't have anyone watching the window?" Yang asked.
"I guess not."
"So, if I wanted to, I could just climb out the window and run for it?"
Qrow shrugged. "Nothing's stopping you, I suppose."
Yang looked out the window. True to his words, there wasn't anyone in sight on campus grounds. She looked up and only saw the ledge of the next story up.
"Would you say something if I ran for it?"
Qrow frowned and took a deep breath. "It's your choice. I won't stop you."
Yang looked out the window again, and shut it. She sat down on the bed, and Qrow sat next to her. He took his flask out of his jacket pocket and took a quick swig. The cap wasn't open for more than a few seconds, but the smell of alcohol hit her nose like a hammer.
"So, why'd you do it?" Qrow asked.
Yang's fingers closed around the bedsheets in a white-knuckled grip. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"
"Why?"
"I – he was attacking me, I mean, I saw him attacking me, and I was just trying to knock him back–"
"Why?"
"I was defending myself." Yang crossed her arms. "He was attacking me, and I was defending myself."
Qrow put a hand on her shoulder. "Why did you really do it?"
Yang looked into his cold crimson eyes. Her breath hitched, and she started shaking.
"I didn't have a why. I saw him coming after me, attacking me even after he lost, and I got pissed. What am I supposed to do, let him clobber me?"
Taking another swig of alcohol, Qrow put his head in his hands and massaged his temples. "Let's suppose for the sake of argument that Cardin was actually attacking you, as you described. What would've happened if you did nothing?"
"He would've hit me. He was aiming for my knee, I think he was trying to break it."
"Which would suck," Qrow said, "But on the bright side, Cardin would've been the one locked in his room, not you. Going back to our little story, what would happen if you hit him like you wanted to."
"Then I wouldn't get hurt, and Cardin would still be in trouble."
"Yes, but what else would have happened to Cardin?"
Yang looked at her uncle. "What do you mean?"
"How badly would you have hurt Cardin by doing that?"
"I dunno, probably some bruises, which would serve him right."
"He was out of Aura. If stray buckshot from that round you shot wouldn't hit something, then the impact would've broken ribs, even through his armor. Trust me, I know how hard you can punch, and you put everything behind that one. People would sympathize with him a little if they felt you had also gone too far."
"So, what, you're saying I shouldn't do anything when people attack me?"
"I'm saying you should be more careful. Maybe, instead of using your Semblance and a bullet on someone with their Aura broken, just dodge, or if you have to, go for a regular punch. It still would've been a media shitshow, but at least we wouldn't have a dead student on our hands."
Yang stopped breathing. Her heart hammered in her chest, and the world spun around her. She would've fallen out of bed if Qrow hadn't caught her. "He's dead?"
"Not yet," Qrow said grimly, "But last we heard, he's in rough shape. Atlas took Cardin onto their flagship, and they don't have the right equipment for the job. What's worse, Ironwood's stopping us from taking him."
"What about Jaune? Couldn't he use his Semblance?"
"He tried. According to Winter, he passed out right when they made it to the doctors. Turns out he spent too much of his Aura fighting that other kid."
"So, what? Ironwood's just going to let him die?"
Qrow scowled. "I wouldn't put it past the bastard, except he'd look really bad for keeping him. More likely, Ironwood's worried that someone intends to finish the job."
"What do you mean?"
"He's a Duke's son, and from what Ozpin tells me, plenty of Dukes have something to gain from Cardin's death. Given how the media won't shut up about forcing Ironwood to hand over Cardin, I think the Headmasters are right."
"So, what? Did they plan this?"
"That is a very good question." He paused for a swallow of liquor. "You keep saying that you saw Cardin attack you."
"I'm not crazy, I know what I saw!"
"Whether you're crazy or not is up for debate. However, it's not entirely out of the question that someone might have a Semblance that could make you see things."
Yang punched her bed hard enough to make the stacks of books holding up Blake's bunk slide an inch. "That has to be it. Someone set me up!"
"Easy firecracker. It's only a possibility. Ozpin isn't entirely sure such a Semblance exists, and even if it did, it would be impossible to prove that it was used on you." He gave her a stern frown. "And even if it is true, it doesn't excuse how you reacted."
At her uncle's words, the fire died in her chest. She sagged forward and rested her head on her hands. "Then what do we do?"
"Well, that depends. Best case scenario, Cardin pulls through, then we very politely ask him not to press charges. It'll still go to the criminal courts, but considering you're still a minor and didn't kill anyone, the worst they can do is give you six months of juvie and ban you from Huntsmen Academies."
"Banned? But, if I didn't kill him – that's not fair!"
"If he does die," Qrow went on, ignoring her protests, "It'll be ten years in the slammer."
The blood rushed out of Yang's face. "Oh gods, Ruby. Would I be able to see her?"
"I'm sure she'd visit. Just don't expect to be bringing her birthday presents anymore."
More tears fell to the blankets in Yang's lap. "But – I didn't want this! I didn't mean to, I – there has to be a way to make this right." She looked up at her uncle. "Isn't there?"
Qrow wrapped an arm around Yang's shoulder and hugged her close. "I wish there was, but fact is, that's not how life works. Sometimes, yeah, you get a chance to fix your mistakes, but more often, you have to deal with it. And you will deal with it. You're strong enough to take whatever life throws at you. It's not going to be fun. You might never get to be a Huntress, or see Ruby very often, or get any liquor that wasn't smuggled in through the back door, but you will manage. I know you will. This isn't your first mistake, and it won't be your last. We all make them. Heck, Ozpin loves saying how he's made more mistakes than anyone else alive."
"But I'm still going to prison for this, aren't I?"
With a long, deep sigh, Qrow shook his half-empty flask and stared at the light shimmering off its metal surface. "You're still looking for your mom. Your biological mother."
Yang didn't meet his eyes. "I want to know why."
"I don't think that even she knows why," Qrow said. "But that's not the point. Your dad and I talked it over, and we both agree that it looked like an accident, or if Ozpin is right, foul play. If it's just the six months, we think that's fair, but neither of us think you'd deserve the ten years you'd get if Cardin dies. So, I have a suggestion."
"I'm guessing it involves mom?"
"Excellent guess." He looked her over one more time before saying, "Your mom doesn't exactly live on the right side of the law. She leads a bandit camp, though I'm not telling you where just yet. If you want to, I could get you to her, and she would take you in."
"Bandits? Wouldn't I have to… kill people?"
"Yep. That's what bandits do. You'd roam from town to town, killing anyone that crosses your path, stripping homes of valuables, and running like hell before the Grimm show up. It's a cruel life, and the people are worse, but you'd be free, and you'd be with your mother."
Yang looked down at her hands for a moment. "I'd never see Ruby or dad, you, or anyone else again, would I?"
Qrow shook his head. Yang grabbed for her uncle and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll never be like my mom."
Returning the hug, Qrow said, "I had a feeling you'd say that." He drew up from the embrace, but kept his hands on her shoulders. "I swear, if anyone's responsible for this, I'm going to find them and beat them to a pulp."
"Don't beat them up." At Qrow's raised eyebrows, Yang grinned and slammed her fists together. "I want to do it myself."
Qrow chuckled and made a mock bow. "As my niece commands."
He took his flask, unscrewed the top, and offered it to Yang.
"Really?" Yang asked, taking the flask. "Dad would kill you."
Qrow shrugged. "I know you've done your fair share of underage drinking. Goodwitch wouldn't shut up about it." He chuckled at Yang's sheepish expression. "That might be your last drink for a long time, and trust me, window liquor tastes way better than any of the backdoor stuff."
Yang brought the flask to her lips, but before she took a swallow, she lowered it and stared pensively into the dark opening. With a sigh, she screwed the top back on and handed it to her uncle.
"What, too strong for you? I could get one of those stupidly sweet strawberry things you like."
"No, thanks uncle Qrow. I think I'll hold off for a while."
"What, worried about losing control?" Qrow waved his sword in front of him. "You don't see me chopping up everyone in my path, do you?"
"That's because you're too drunk to hit anything."
"Hey, watch it," he said in a playful growl as he made to tickle Yang. She let out a muffled shriek and shuffled away from him, but he didn't follow after her.
"It's not that," Yang said after she regained her composure. "It would probably look bad if people found out I got drunk right after nearly killing someone."
Qrow put away the liquor. "At least one of us is using their head. Well, guess I'll save you one for after this mess is over. Deal?"
Yang gave him another hug. "Deal."
"Thank you for setting this all up on such short notice," Weiss said as she plopped onto the hotel room's bed.
Sitting on an air mattress, Klein neatly folded Weiss' dresses and packed them in suitcases. "It was no trouble at all, Weiss. It must be hard for you to see what had happened to your teammate."
"She had it coming," Weiss said coldly. "She was always too hot-tempered for her own good."
After an awkward silence, Klein asked, "Are you sure you want to go back, after all the effort you put into convincing your father to let you come here? I know it's bad now, but it'll blow over in a couple weeks."
"I'm sure. I was a fool for ever leaving. If I want to run the company some day, I have to work for it. Playing around in Vale won't do any good."
"If that is what you wish." Klein hid a worried frown as he kept packing.
"I thought Jaune would be here," Blake said as she set her bag of clothes and toiletries on the floor.
"He's still on the Atlas flagship." Pyrrha slid the spare sheets over Jaune's bed. "And it doesn't look like he'll be back anytime soon, from what we heard."
"Which means we get to have an all-girls sleepover!" Nora shouted. "Who wants to play truth or dare?"
"Um, Nora, I'm not a girl."
Out of her purse, Nora snatched out a handful of makeup and accessories. "Don't worry, we can fix that."
Ren looked back at Blake with a stoic expression of silent suffering as Nora dragged him into the bathroom. A minute later, he came back out with blush, eyeliner, lipstick, and Nora's spare pajamas, complete with a bra padded with towels.
"All set! Now let's get started!" She sat them down in a circle in the middle of the floor and asked Pyrrha, "Truth or dare?"
Pyrrha looked helplessly at the two students sitting at either side of her and said, "Truth?"
Nora grinned and asked, "Who's your biggest crush?"
The moment Ruby opened the door, she vanished in a flash of rose petals and slammed into Taiyang. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing into his shirt.
"Everything will be alright, Ruby," he said as he stroked her hair. "We'll find a way."
"I can't believe I said that to her!" Ruby wailed. "What kind of sister am I?"
Taiyang reached around his daughter to turn on the coffee maker. "The kind of sister that cares very much. So, why don't you tell me what happened?"