Hey there everyone, and welcome to this newest chapter of Corruption. Guys, its unreal to me how awesome you lot are. All the support you gave me during my break was amazing and it's a big reason why I'm still here doing this. Please enjoy

-Vale, 3 days later-

Once Ruby and the others had sent the details of their attempted rescue mission to him, Ozpin had taken immediate action. An official missing persons mission was posted, and several huntsman had been deployed to follow it. In addition to doing that, he had gotten ahold of Qrow as well to have him use his contacts to aid in finding her. Team JNPR had visited them, promising to go with them the moment they had a solid lead on where to go.

It was frustrating to be put on the sidelines for this part, but only so many hunters were allowed to be focused on a search and rescue job at a time, and by the time the remainder of RWBY got back, that max had been reached. While Blake was outraged and was who knows where right now, Weiss was thankful, knowing Ruby was in no shape to go.

Ruby had watched all this, and listened to all the promises, but she still hadn't spoken much in the past couple of days outside of answering a few questions here and there, and it was starting to worry Weiss. She hadn't even responded when Ozpin said they wouldn't be sent out on the search.

Currently Ruby was sitting in the weapons workshop of their shared apartment, but wasn't really doing much, just fooling with the same part over and over every time Weiss had checked on her. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She walked into the workshop and approached her.

"Ruby…Ruby come sit with me," She said gently, carefully pulling her girlfriends hands away from the workbench. Ruby didn't even try to stop her, allowing herself to be guided to the living room. Weiss sat her down, wrapping both arms tightly around her. She felt Ruby start to tremble a bit after a few minutes of sitting without a word. "Shhh…" Weiss whispered, her hand slowly stroking through her hair.

"What if…what if she's gone for good Weiss?" Ruby asked in a tiny, choked up voice. Weiss shook her head, pressing her lips to the top of her head and tightening her hug further.

"You can't think like that, Ruby. Im not entirely sure what could have happened to her, but she is SO strong, and I don't believe for a moment she's gone. Someone has her, and someone knows something, and I can promise you right here and right now, that we will find whoever this is and make them pay." Ruby stared up at her, her silver eyes still full of tears and it made her chest clench uncomfortably. If there was any sight on all of Remnant that could break Weiss' heart it was Ruby crying. "I promise," she repeated softly.

She cupped her cheek with her hand and leaned down, pressing her lips against hers. Ruby reached up and put her hand over the one on her cheek, returning the kiss. After a moment, Weiss separated from her a bit, placing her forehead against Ruby's. "Better?" She asked. Ruby smiled a bit and nodded silently, closing her eyes and just letting her girlfriends presence soothe her.

Weiss definitely didn't give herself enough credit when it came to being there when Ruby needed her. There had been numerous times over the last couple years that, if it hadn't been for her support, Ruby didn't know how she would have ended up. Weiss may have liked to downplay those times, saying that as her girlfriend it was simply what was expected of her. But Ruby never would. She would always be thankful, and she considered herself the luckiest girl on Remnant to have Weiss all to herself.

Their relationship hadn't been the smoothest thing at the start. She hated to admit it to herself, but Ruby hadn't taken well to all the secretive behavior back at the beginning of things and it caused a lot of problems between the two of them. But that was behind them now. There was no one, outside of her family members, that she loved more than Weiss. Wrapping her arms around her shoulders, Ruby opened her eyes a bit. "I love you Weiss," she said softly.

Weiss smiled and brushed some hair away from Ruby's face. "I love you too, Ruby." The moment was broken by a knock on the door. Weiss kissed her forehead before standing up and heading over to answer it. When she opened the door, her eyes widened a bit seeing Qrow standing there. "Qrow? Why are you here?"

"Just figured I'd check on you girls before I head back out. Mind if I come in?" Weiss nodded and stepped to the side, allowing him to walk into the apartment. Qrow walked over to Ruby, grimacing a bit as he took in her appearance. He knelt down and playfully ruffled her hair. "Hey kiddo…how you holding up?" He asked softly.

"About as good as you'd think, Uncle Qrow," she said, her hands fidgeting in her lap. Weiss took the seat beside her and took her hand into her own, squeezing it tightly. Ruby smiled a bit at this, but it fell away as she looked back to Qrow. "Is..dad one of the people they sent out?" She asked.

"Yep. He was halfway out the door before I got done letting him know what was going on. You see where your sister gets her..attitude from," he chuckled softly. Ruby tried to smile, but it came out as a pained look that made Qrow sigh. "Look kiddo..I'm not going to tell you everything will be okay..your probably sick of hearing that, even though you should be believing that. Just..try not to let yourself fall apart, okay? All of us, Yang included, need you at your best, right Weiss?" His eyes flicked towards her, startling her for a moment before she nodded her agreement.

"I-I know..I just feel so helpless," Ruby said softly. Qrow smiled sadly, nodding at this. He understood that feeling better than most. "Your right though..I need to be ready for when we go out," Ruby continued, her free hand balling into a fist as she tried to sound as confident as she could.

"That's my girl," Qrow said, messing up her hair again. Qrow stayed for a bit longer, going over who was out looking at where, making sure they were kept up to speed. When Qrow was heading to the door to leave, Weiss walked with him.

"Ruby, sweetheart, can you go get my scroll for me?" Ruby nodded, heading back towards their bedroom. Weiss turned back to Qrow. "Level with me…what are the odds this is going to end well?" She said softly. Qrow let out a breath, making sure Ruby was out of earshot before answering.

"Not great…matter of fact, pretty freaking slim. No trail, no witnesses, nothing. I don't know what were going to do." He opened the door and walked out just as Ruby returned with her scroll.

"Weiss? Everything okay?" Ruby asked. Weiss shook her head and smiled, giving her a nod. "Well um..would you maybe want to watch a movie or something? I think that might get my mind off this for a little while," she said.

"Certainly. You go pick something out and get it going, and I shall make us some popcorn to eat while were watching it," she said. Ruby smiled a little and hurried off to dig through their shelves where they kept the movies.

The movie was an animated comedy that Weiss didn't really care for. Some parody of a military, one wearing blue armor the other wearing red, constantly bickering about flags, what to name vehicles, stupid stuff such as that. Ruby adored them though, and hearing her giggle and smile at the jokes was what made it bearable to sit through.

Weiss wrapped both arms tightly around Ruby, bringing her in close. Ruby rubbed her face into Weiss' neck, smiling softly as she continued watching the screen. "Thanks for this Weiss..I don't know what I'd do without you," she said softly.

Weiss kissed the top of her head gently, smiling down at her. "Your quite welcome..and likewise. Im pretty sure I'd be lost without you," she said. Ruby responded by snuggling into her further and Weiss could only roll her eyes playfully as she looked back to the screen.

-Juniors club, Downtown Vale-

Drinking was typically something Blake avoided like the plague. Various times during her relationship with Yang she had been dragged to clubs just like this one, and Yang would always have a few too many. Sometimes it was amusing, but more often than not it ended up with her puking and being an utter mess until the next morning. That, and the fact that she couldn't really handle much of the stuff anyway, made a powerful deterrent.

Now here she was, sitting on one of the stools at the bar, half finished drink still in her hands as she stared down at it. She had been worried about being bothered, but she supposed she was giving off enough of a 'screw off' vibe that the other patrons got the hint. "You planning on finishing that drink tonight?" Junior asked, walking by to grab a bottle for another customer.

Blake shot him an angry glare that caused him to visibly shake. "I didn't realize it was a race. You'll get paid for it when its gone, so kindly shut your mouth and leave me be," she snarled. Junior held his hands up in a placating gesture and walked back to the other customer.

Blake shook her head and took another sip, the stuff burned her throat as it went down, but the warmth that followed was comforting in a small way. She knew she should probably be with Ruby and Weiss, but after her discussion with Ozpin, she'd needed to get away for a bit. She didn't want to snap at them because of her own problems, gods knew Ruby in particular didn't deserve that at the moment.

She'd been plagued with guilt since they discovered the battle site. Going over in her head more than a handful of times the sour way their relationship had ended, and all the times she could have called and made things right, or at least tried to, and she just didn't.

Stupid. That was the only word she kept coming back to the longer she thought about it. If she had just sucked it up and tried to mend things, Yang wouldn't have thrown herself into the missions to the degree she did, she wouldn't have reached her limit and whatever had happened to her wouldn't have happened.

Her grip on the glass tightened and she felt tears well up in her eyes, and she had to quickly wipe them away before they could start running down her face. Junior walked back over and held a hand up when Blake's eyes shot up to glare again. "Easy there, I come in peace." Blake's eyes narrowed, but he didn't flinch back. He cleared his throat, and handed a receipt over to her.

Looking down at it, Blake saw it was her copy of her drink order. It had a small blue stamp that read 'paid' across it. The anger on her face replaced with confusion, Blake looked up at him again. Junior let out a breath and placed a hand on the bar. "I'm…sorry. To hear about blondie I mean. The news reporting her missing was on earlier."

Blake was taken aback for a moment. "I thought you hated Yang."

Junior chuckled softly. "I hated that she would smash my place up, and I wasn't fond of how she'd treat me if I didn't have info for her… but she was still a good customer. And well..she seemed like she really cared about you all the times you two were in here. Can't be easy for you, and I hope it works out." She nodded slowly and he bowed his head a bit, walking away.

She hadn't been expecting that from Junior of all people, but she supposed that was what Yang was capable of-even someone who appeared to hate her was sorry she was gone.

After finishing up her drink, she decided to go for a brief walk around Vale before heading back. She passed a few more shops and restaurants where she and Yang used to frequent, every memory stinging more and more the longer it went on. Yet despite that pain, she also used them to fuel her determination.

"I'll fix this. If it's the last thing I do, Im going to get her back," she said softly. Whatever happened between the two of them after Yang was back, she'd cross that bridge when they got it. As long as Yang was back and safe, she would accept whatever waited for her.

-Sullist, Northwestern Vacuo-

Coco stretched her arms over her head, her back making a satisfying popping sound as she did so. She was sitting atop one of the two watch towers that were built along the walls of the settlement, keeping a lookout. The place wasn't built in the worst area she'd ever seen. A large set of mountains to the west, and a huge stretch of desert to the east.

Any enemies trying to get here from either direction would have a hell of a time of it. Still, that seemed to matter little to the grimm of late. This place had been getting terrorized more and more to the point where this temporary protection detail had been expanded indefinitely.

Coco couldn't really understand it. Sullist was a just a dust mining community. A relatively large one maybe, but still just a mining town and grimm couldn't do anything with dust regardless. And the people were usually in pretty good spirits, all things considered. What could the grimm be drawn to here that was causing the frequency and ferocity of these attacks? It was an oddity for sure, and Coco had been stumped for answers.

"I've been out here too long…my brain must be baking alive," she muttered, tugging at the collar of her shirt.

If there was one thing Coco hated most about missions in Vacuo, it was the gods damned heat. Her normal combat attire had been a nightmare to wear here, with the sleeves and the material it was made out of. Thankfully after the last time they were here prior to this protection detail, she had a modified version made of it. The sleeves were much shorter, and the material breathed easier. It helped, but she wasn't a fan of the design as a whole.

Fox would probably laugh if she made that comment out loud, though. He enjoyed mocking her to no end for her obsession with fashion, but come on, a girl had to look her best. She jumped a bit when the door leading to the staircase opened, smiling when she saw who it was. "Hey there, Velv. Come to keep me company?"

"Yep! My patrol is done for the time being, and what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't come keep you from falling asleep on watch and killing us all because a grimm wave comes?" She said in a exaggerated sweet voice as she sat down next to her in the chair Coco pulled up for her. Coco rolled her eyes as she took her hand tightly.

"You are really lucky I love you as much as I do. I probably would have smacked Fox for that comment," she said. Velvet giggled and kissed her cheek, making her grin. She supposed if there was an upside to being in Vacuo, it was that Velvet was always more relaxed here than any other kingdom, given the fact faunus were welcomed here without issue. Not like Mistral, Atlas, and to an admittedly lesser extent, Vale.

"So, how was the patrol, babe?" Coco asked softly.

"It was…odd. I didn't see any signs that the grimm were massing, neither did Yatsu or Fox, but I…I felt something was just off. Like there just felt like there was this dread hanging in the air all around me." Coco frowned and squeezed her hand tighter.

"What the hell is it with this place.." she muttered. Velvet shrugged, resting her head on Coco's shoulder. They sat there in silence for a bit, Coco feeing more relaxed now that Velvet was here. She was trying not to focus on the grimm, but it was hard. After about an hour, she felt Velvet stiffen, and when she looked down the rabbit faunus' eyes were glued to a spot out towards the desert..

She was just about to ask what was wrong, but looking out herself, she saw it plain as day. The very air around the spot appeared to be twisting and warping before slowly appearing to tear open. A black vortex began to expand, encompassing a huge area of space. By the time it stopped growing, it was nearly as wide as the stretch of wall Coco and Velvet were sitting on.

"Oh hell…" Coco breathed in horror as the first few sets of burning red eyes appeared within the swirling black mass. They came by tens, Beowolves, Ursa, every kind of grimm, aside from the flying Nevermore. When two fully grown Deathstalkers appeared last, standing as opposing titans above their smaller counterparts, Coco broke from her stupor and practically smashed the button that triggered the grimm alert.

"Coco I..I think theres someone out there," Velvet said in confusion. Coco frowned and hurried back over, grabbing the binoculars from her pack and looked out towards the horde of grimm. It took a moment to find where Velvet was looking, but when she found the spot, her heart sank.

There, walking through the grimm as though she'd always been able to do so, was Yang. At first, Coco thought she was seeing things, but it was her just..changed. "It…It's Yang," she whispered

"What?! B-But..how is that possible?"

"I don't know Velv..She doesn't look like herself, but I can't imagine that's anyone else. I'd know that hair anywhere"

While they were discussing this, a Seer grimm had appeared beside Yang. When she turned to it, Salem's face appeared within it. "We've arrived at the settlement," she said

Salem nodded, a cruel smile appearing on her face. "Very well. Wipe it out at your leisure. Enjoy this field test of your new power, my dear," she said. Yang smirked, her eyes glowing briefly in anticipation. Salem chuckled as her image faded away.

Yang turned back towards the settlement, and raised her hand in it's direction. "Go! Wipe them out!" With one twisted voice of their various cries, the grimm advanced

So! Some Whiterose fluff that i definitely needed to write, a bit of Blake and the start of the Sullist attack. Hope you all enjoyed!