Southern Wilderness, Kingdom of Vale - 17:02
"Remind me again why we're in the middle of a forest?" Weiss spoke as she uncaught herself from yet another bush that had decided to rip into her skirt.
"Because Nora moved out here after the Vale experimentation incident." Ruby reiterated for what felt like the thousandth time.
"And even though you've said that, I still have no idea what that was." Weiss sighed, wishing to get an actual answer out of her old partner for once. It seemed leadership wasn't the only thing Ozpin had taught her.
"I'll explain later. I'm not sure exactly where she lives so I don't want to get caught explaining when we find her." Ruby said, pushing the topic off.
The two continued through the forest in silence as they had done countless times before. Weiss looked around as Ruby led her farther from civilization and deeper into grimm territory. It wasn't uncommon for hunters to venture into the wilderness, but Weiss felt that they were woefully underarmed if they happened across a large gathering of grimm.
After several long minutes, Ruby sped up in a slightly different direction, leaving the already overgrown path and heading into the dense forest.
"Okay Ruby, I get it." Weiss grumbled, using her rapier to slash at the growth in front of her. "I'm not used to this so just stop already!"
"Quiet!" Ruby ordered as she came to a stop about twenty feet in front of an ancient looking vehicle that had been cut in half resting next to a large tree.
"Ruby, I-"
"Shh!" Ruby cut Weiss off as she slowly reached back to her weapon. A crazy scream and a flash of pink exploded from the bush just to Ruby's left. A massive hammer swinging around at deadly speed as Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out and deflected the hammer before shooting it's head so the weapon left it's owner's hands from the massive recoil. Ruby dropped her weapon, drawing a single blade from it's compacted blade and spinning to face her assailant.
Nora stiffened as the knife bit into her neck just gently enough to avoid drawing blood.
"We're not here to kill you." Ruby spoke seriously.
"And how do I know that?" Nora asked, not moving a muscle as she maintained her posture.
"Because if we were, I could have already run you through with my sword." Weiss stated from behind Ruby.
"Maybe… you just want to find out where my base is, then kill me." Nora suggested. At this, Weiss noticed the girl's eyes were different from the last time she'd seen them. She couldn't exactly tell how though.
"It's in the trunk of that half car." Ruby stated calmly. "Ren already told me that."
"You lie! He'd never tell you anything like that!" Nora accused as she seemed to press herself slightly farther into the knife.
"He would if we could give you a warning that might save your life." Ruby replied. Weiss noticed she'd eased up on the knife just enough so Nora didn't cut her own neck from her slight bouncing.
"Why would you help me? Last time I saw you I tried to kill you." Nora asked, still distrusting.
"Why would I still be mad? That was years ago." Ruby asked in response.
"People hold grudges." Nora replied simply.
They stared at each other for a moment as they sized each other up.
"On the count of three, I'm going to remove my knife." Ruby stated. "I'm not here to kill you."
"Ruby is that-" Weiss started but was cut off as Ruby started counting.
"Three!" Ruby counted and pulled the knife back and moved her arm off to the side. "Are you happy now?"
Nora looked at Weiss over Ruby's shoulder, her odd eyes contacting the ice blue of the CEO. She stared at Weiss for a moment before she got the question.
"I'm just following her. We don't have any problems." Weiss rolled her eyes as Nora turned back to Ruby.
"Okay." She said, still not moving. "So what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, for starters, I'd like it if you could get your knife out of my crotch." Ruby stated bluntly.
Nora looked down and her eyes widened. "Right…"
At that moment, an airship flew directly overhead making Nora jump. She edged toward the trunk of a tree until the noise of the aircraft had disappeared.
"Should I be concerned?" Weiss asked Ruby as they watched Nora looking up through the trees.
"Nah, she's probably harmless." Ruby waved Weiss off and looked back at Nora.
She finished watching the aircraft as it moved out of sight over the forest, then she quickly turned to Ruby and Weiss.
"It might be time to move again, those no good party killers with their squishy eyes are always trying to see what I'm doing, but I know better!" Nora announced as she waved the couple over to the half vehicle. She kicked the trunk and it popped open to reveal a stairway going down to some underground structure.
Ruby followed behind Nora with Weiss trailing behind. They stopped and let Nora start climbing down, holding back to give her a respectable amount of space.
"I'm not so sure about this, Ruby." Weiss muttered, noticing the flickering of the lights in the stairwell that went on for quite a distance.
"We'll be fine." Ruby dismissed Weiss's concern with a wave. "She hasn't changed that much."
"That's what I'm worried about." Weiss whispered under her breath.
"What's that?" Ruby asked as she took a step into the stairwell.
"Nothing." Weiss responded.
"Okay, just watch your head." Ruby said as she turned to follow Nora.
Weiss stepped into the stairwell, ducking under the trunk's lid and pulling it closed once she'd gone a few steps.
Sunny Side Retirement Community, Atlas City, Atlas - 17:20
She walked through the chaos of the flashing lights and emergency personnel. The large building was being evacuated as police cordoned off the area and other emergency personnel were helping the other residents get settled until they would be allowed to return to their home. Orderlies were making the usual rounds, handing out pills.
"Sorry miss, no one is allowed past this point." An officer said as he stepped into her way. She sighed in response.
"It's not a problem." She pulled out a badge and showed the man who backed up in response.
"Oh, sorry Lieutenant. I thought Travis was heading this one up." He said while scratching the back of his head.
"He is. I just happened to be on my way by and wanted to see what the ruckus was about." She said.
"Well, I don't know myself since I pulled door duty this week. Forensics is already looking around but Davis said it was pretty open and shut." He said while stepping back to let another man in a white lab coat out of the door. "Go on up if you want, just follow the eggheads."
"You wanna go, John?" The man in the lab coat asked.
"Just razzing ya, Bill!" The officer responded with a laugh.
"Thanks." She nodded and stepped past him into the home.
Inside was just how it had been almost an hour previous, minus the residents and the smell of recently completed dinner. She walked casually, taking in the sights of the empty building. She passed by the common area and made her way to Yang's room.
As the officer had stated, there were five people in white lab coats taking pictures and processing evidence. A large white sheet lay in the center of the floor, covering what was most definitely a body. She ignored it, moving to the desk.
"Has this been processed yet?" She asked the nearest investigator who had a part of his face covered with a dust mask.
"Not yet. I doubt there is much of interest over there anyhow." He replied while angling his camera to take another picture.
"Mind if I take a look?" She asked out of curiosity.
"Go ahead, just wear these." He handed her a pair of gloves from a box on the bed. She nodded and pulled them on.
She took her time looking over the top of the desk, as the forensics technicians kept at their work. When she felt that they had started ignoring her she opened the drawers, quickly sifting through the contents. There was nothing of note, just as she'd expected. She checked to find all evidence of the concealed holster on the bottom of the desk missing and then moved over to the stack of old news papers. She shifted through them, looking for any papers that might have been hidden. She found nothing. What she did find were a few articles that stood out detailing her old teammates. She made a quick list of the papers and gave it to the nearest investigator before tossing them into a large plastic bag and carrying it out of the room.
One quick look around told her that nobody was watching, so she slipped up a nearby stairwell and took the backpack she'd stashed in a nearby alcove earlier on in the day. She transferred the papers and tossed her gloves and the evidence bag into a fireplace as she approached the rear balcony.
As far as she was concerned, her job here was done. But she hadn't survived this long by just completing her jobs. She pulled out her scroll and dialed the number she'd memorized long ago.
Only a single ring was heard before the line opened to silence.
"It's me. Let's grab coffee sometime." She said as she climbed the rail of the balcony.
"Sure thing, Kitty! I know a purr-fect place." Yang replied with an audible grin.
"Remember, I take two shots in mine." Blake smiled back into the phone.
"Sure thing, sweetheart. Later." Yang replied and Blake ended the call. She quickly jumped over the neighboring fence and headed to the back lane to avoid the crowd out front.
Junior's Club, Atlas City, Atlas - 17:45
"Alright, alright, I'll ask him!" The bartender panicked. Yang had his hand bent backwards on top of the bar with one hand while the other held her strawberry sunrise.
"It's appreciated." Blake replied as she joined her old friend at the bar. "When you've got a moment, I'll have a Monte Cristo, no whip."
Yang released his hand and he immediately reached for a phone. He dialed and made Blake's drink at the same time. He passed it to her before turning away and walking a few paces down the bar so he'd be out of earshot.
"So… any particular reason you brought those with you?" Yang asked with a nod to the backpack, knowing that Blake had collected her collection of memories.
Blake shrugged while taking a sip of her drink. "Not really. Thought you might like them as souvenirs."
Yang nodded and downed her drink. She motioned for another then looked over at Blake. She was about as you'd expect. The years had been… well, kind wasn't the word for it, yet to say they were unkind was a lie. Blake was still about the same as when Yang had first met her: quiet, smart, and caring. But the years had added many more things onto that small list. She was one of the world's best contract killers, so naturally what remained of a conscience was often quickly silenced by an extra fifty million lien. She had finally taken the ninja thing to a whole new level with her additional katana on top of her variant-ballistic chain-scythe, not to mention the now entirely black outfit. On top of all that though, there was one thing Yang knew she could trust even if it dated back to their time in beacon.
"Looks like you could use a vacation." Yang said as the bartender passed her the new drink.
"I could say the same to you." Blake replied shortly. It was a testament to the amount of time they'd been apart that the conversation only continued in small segments, but Yang knew they were both just unsure of each other. In the world they were a part of, it was constantly a game of trust and mistrust that kept you alive. Saying the wrong thing to the wrong person was sometimes even more effective than digging your own grave.
"I guess you might have heard some rumors of why I've been in that retirement community when I'm not even retired." Yang started the topic she knew was weighing heavily on her teammate's mind. Even if Blake had become even better than Weiss at hiding her thoughts and emotions from her face, there were a few benefits for those who had spent years in constant contact with the faunus.
"Rumors rarely have any basis in fact." Blake replied, still facing the wall of bottles behind the bar.
"Come on, Blake. You already know the answer to the question, just ask. Please?" Yang prompted. Blake hesitated with her drink half way to her mouth. After a moment, she took a generous sip and sighed.
"Yang, I…" Blake found that for once she couldn't continue. "Are the rumors…"
Yang waited patiently. She'd had difficulty accepting the facts at first as well, but Blake… she'd left years before and had never returned, so Yang hadn't bothered to update her. Now she realized what she'd done by cutting her old teammate off. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"No… it's fine… it's…" Blake took a deep breath and closed her eyes, still not looking at Yang. "It's cancer, right?"
"Yup." Yang popped the end of the word as silence fell between them.
After a brief moment, Blake nodded and continued. "And now it's turned terminal?"
"Accurate as ever." Yang replied before downing her drink.
Blake nodded in response. The two sat beside each other at the bar, simply waiting as the bartender continued to talk into the phone. After a moment, Yang felt Blake's head hit her shoulder and couldn't help but smile. Even after all the years, she still knew exactly how to cheer the brawler up.
"Hey there, kitty." Yang whispered, scratching Blake's ears and planting a simple kiss on the top of her head.
"I'm sorry Yang… for not keeping in touch." Came Blake's reply sadly. "Are you okay?"
"It's no big deal." Yang grinned. "Everyone's gotta go at some point. You might say that stiff back there was trying to rush me."
"I know how pointless trying to rush you is." Blake replied, earning her a small flick from Yang.
"I missed you a lot, Blake." Yang mumbled, knowing full well that Blake was the only one who could have heard her over the music in the background.
"Junior said he'll see you in his office." The bartender interrupted as he hung up his phone and turned back to the women. "Straight at the end of the hall, can't miss it."
Yang nodded when he turned to leave. Now all she wanted to do was stay here with Blake's head on her shoulder but there would be time for that later, when her family was safe. She smiled that even after all they'd gone through together, fighting both at each other's sides and at times against one another, they all still felt like family to her.
"Come on kitty, let's get this over with and go home." Yang gave Blake a one armed hug and stood up. Blake followed suit and together they made their way down the hall to see the club's owner. Junior may have been in his mid eighties, but when it came to finding information, he was still the best broker around. And right now, there was quite a list of things Yang wanted to know.
Author's Note:
First off, I'm sorry for not updating this story more often, but I've been quite busy with my other stories as some of you may already know. I am officially putting this on hiatus until I can honestly put some effort into this story to make it what it deserves to be. I have information about estimated dates on my profile in the update information section. I will hopefully come back to this story within this year, and I hope that you will all look forward to that as much as I do.
Thank you all again for reading, and I will change the title back once I have resumed publishing in this story.
-Spat915