Chapter nine: Past pains

(a/n- be advised readers, for the first part of this… uh, part, things will be told from Blake's point of view. How will you know when it's back to normal? Well… Eh, I'll figure something out later, just pay close attention. Anyway, enjoy the story everybody!)

My eyes widened as the woman, who was apparently Jaune's sister, shouted. Everything was quiet, me and Ren digesting what she just said. What? Jaune had murdered his own sister? "Guess some things never change," Jaune said, interrupting my chain of thought. Jasmine seemed to be about to speak, but Jaune spoke faster, "You're still the biggest hypocrite in Mistral." he said, glaring at the girl with the machine gun barrel pointed at his head. She growled towards him, "The hell are you talking about?!" she asked. Jaune glared down at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Where was this sense of family when you butchered Ora." he said, and you could tell he was gritting his teeth.

Jasmine smiled slightly, chuckling, "She was a traitorous bitch, you killed a family member." "You have a very bad interpretation of that word." Jaune said right back, drawing his own gun and aiming it at her head. Now it was a standoff, both with guns aimed at each other, neither wanting or willing to pull the trigger. It would end with one of them dead. The only question was, who would shoot first? "Who's Ora?" I asked, keeping my gun on Jasmine. Jasmine smirked, "You, Little Kitty, might know her as 'Gold knight'." she said. I gulped, I knew that name, I'd know it anywhere. She knew my codename, and the name of a dead beacon heavy. She knew all about us. "Oh? Surprised? I know all about Beacon, you, even that busty whore you came to find." she said, twisting her head so she was looking right at me.

"And you killed her. The moment you found out she worked for Beacon, you killed her without hesitation." Jaune said, glaring towards her. She swung her head back towards him, "Of course I did, I was following mother's orders. You on the other hand, tried to run away. Citri tried to talk you out of it, and you shot her dead without a second thought!" she yelled, tears still running down her face. Jaune took advantage of her distraction, pulling her gun off to the side, bullets ripping through the cloth panels behind us. I felt a hand on my back as Ren pulled me away from the bullets, keeping me from dying instantly. I looked back, seeing Jaune headbutt his sister, knocking her down. He spun her gun around, firing a few rounds into her leg before he tossed it away, aiming Crocea Mors at her head. "AHH! Jaune wait! Let's… let's talk about this!" she said, holding out her hand as I saw real fear in her eyes. "Just let me go!" she said. Jaune didn't even flinch, "You'd only come after us."

BANG!

I heard a ringing in my ears as I saw Jaune step off of his sister's corpse, her face now just a bloody mess from the bullet. He popped open the cylinder, ejecting the spent shells and loading in new one's with the expertise of someone who'd done it a million times. When I finally got my hearing back, I heard Jaune speak, him gathering the shells from the ground and sticking them in his pocket. "Let's get moving. We've got a bandit to find." he said. I walked over to him, grabbing his arm as he put away his gun. "What the HELL was that Jaune!? She was surrendering to you!" I yelled, glaring up at him. The glare he sent a chill up my spine, and for a moment, I saw a glimpse of a man I didn't know. One that killed without hesitation, without remorse, without fear.

It was an assassin's look if I'd ever seen one.

"She would've come after us. The other five of them would've came to kill us, they'd have gotten us arrested and murdered in just a day. I can't… no, I won't let my past get you two killed." he said, looking towards me and Ren. The look was gone, the same, funny and kind Jaune I'd become used to surfacing again. I was kind of glad, the other look freaked me out. "Jaune… no more." I said, glaring at him as intensely as I could. Jaune raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak. But I got there first. "No more secrets, no more cloak and dagger, no more hiding all this! I want the truth, now!" I said, gripping onto his arm. He sighed, looking down at his sister's corpse. I saw sadness in his eyes as he reached for his pocket, putting his cigar right back in his mouth and lighting it. He reached up, coughing as he looked down at the thing in disgust. "Yep, worse." he muttered.

(a/n- okay, obvious sign telling everyone it's back to normal point of view here)

I put my lighter back in my pocket, a bad cigar was better than no cigar I guess. "I'll tell you everything… after we get out of the middle of a crime scene." I said, gesturing to the murdered geisha and my older sister. Blake still glared at me, but nodded nonetheless. Ren walked over, grabbing his whiskey. I gave him an odd look, "What? I wasn't done." he said, sipping at it with a small smile, as if completely unphased by what had just happened. It didn't surprise me, it took a lot to get Ren to show any large degree of emotion, barring a small smile or glare. I stepped over the growing blood-pool and out into the sidewalk, leaving the gruesome scene behind. I didn't really know where I was going, I just started walking, trying to get as far as possible from the scene of the crime.

When I started paying attention again, I found that my legs had taken me to one of my favorite spots growing up. The local bookstore. It was quiet, out of the way, and most importantly to the younger me, it sold comic books as well as regular books. "In here." I said, walking in through the doors. Ren and Blake followed, the three of us heading towards the far back table I frequented. My signature was still there, carved into the wooden table. "Jaune Arc was here. Hehe, ten years later." I thought as I absently traced it with my right hand. Blake looked down, her eyes widening a bit, "You've been here before?" she asked. I nodded, smiling towards her, "What? You thought you were the only one that read books?" I asked, smirking slightly. She sighed, shaking her head as she looked back up at me. "Okay, we're someplace quiet. Start talking." she said.

I smiled, "The irony of that… you're right." I said, stopping myself from making a joke for once. "What do you want to know?" I asked, looking towards Blake. Ren sat there, sipping his whiskey and grabbing a nearby book, one in a language I couldn't read. I almost forgot he was from Mistral too originally. "Everything." Blake said simply, her eyes having that same intensity as when she wanted something. I put out my cigar, the smoke was bad for the books, and tossed it in the trash behind me. "I was born seventeen years ago, to June and Jonathan Arc. Me and my twin sister Ora were the youngest, so we stuck together. My sister's took up roles in the clan, and I…" I looked down, seeing my left hand curling into a fist in anger. Not towards anyone… towards myself, for what I let myself become. I saw a soft hand wrap over mine, and I looked up, seeing Blake giving me a small smile. "It's alright. Just calm down." she said.

I took a breath, then exhaled, smiling slightly. "Thanks. Anyway I… I was a hitman. Someone abandoned the clan? Someone hard to kill? Someone need dead to send a message? They sent me." I said, my smile settling back into a frown as I just looked down at mine and Blake's hand, hers trying to comfort mine, which quickly clenched into a fist at the memories I was stirring up. "How many?" she asked, looking up at me. I sighed, resting my head in my other hand, shutting my eyes as I saw it, the muzzle flash, pictures of random people flashing past me. "Too many. Way too many." I said simply, opening my eyes again. "I was ordered to kill Ora, my own twin sister. I… I just couldn't. I had her lined in my sights, right there… but I couldn't pull the trigger. So, Jasmine finished it… I should've killed her, right then and there. Maybe me and Ora… maybe Ora wouldn't have had to suffer so much." I said, trying to control my breathing.

"Go on." Blake said, standing up and walking over to the seat beside me. I sighed, "For Yakuza, if you disobey the clan, you're dishonored. They ordered me to… well, kill myself. That was the only order I refused. So… they sent my sister, Citri. She was the oldest, and the most skilled. She tried to convince me to come back, and I refused… Look at this," I said as I pulled apart my trenchcoat, pulling up the white shirt I wore beneath it slightly, exposing my stomach. Blake gasped, her hand going over her mouth as even Ren looked up for a second. Along my stomach, a diagonal slash, it was stitches, a scar from three years prior. "Yeah… she gutted me. So… I shot her. I thought I was dead anyway, my family would get their corpse. Then… she saved me…" I said, smiling slightly as I put my shirt back down, pulling my coat back.

"Who did?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. I smiled, looking upwards, I saw a book, entitled 'The Velveteen Rabbit'. "Velvet. When she found me, she brought me back to where she was staying. She patched me up and… well, we got on the next plane to Vale. I thought at first she was a Mistral native but… I guess now she was just hiding out there while… you know, the heat of her death blew over." I said, smiling at the memory. Sure it was practically hell level pain, but something about Velvet made it easier to deal with. She was good with people like that… when she got up the courage to talk to them that is. "How come you never told me this?" Ren asked, setting an empty glass on the table, his eyes only slightly hazy. I smirked, "You never asked." I said.

I jumped slightly when I felt a pressure on my side, and when I looked down, I felt my face tint light pink. Blake had leaned in, hugging me and burying her head in my shoulder. "You've been through so much… I'm so sorry…" she said, her eyes filled with pity. I smiled, wrapping an arm around her, "Thanks Blake… but you've got nothing to be sorry for. I made my choices… and looking where I am now, I wouldn't change a thing… okay maybe I would've invested in motion sickness training when I was younger but, other than that." I said. Blake giggled, smiling up at me as she leaned back. I couldn't help but chuckle slightly, it was always nice when she laughed, and a rare sound to hear to. I looked back down at the desk, tracing my hand along my signature. "That's why I'm so familiar with that hotel. I stayed there all the time… whenever a target was trying to get away. Hehe, funny really, now I'm here to stop a murder instead of do one." I said.

Ren nodded, closing his book and setting it back on the shelf behind him. "Do you still feel them? The urges?" he asked, his eyes showing a curiosity more intense than even Blake's. It was the one look I knew better than any other, telling me to come clean. "Yeah. Sometimes. I tried alot of things to dull them, cigarettes, liquor, then I came to cigars. They were a little less… painful, than the others. They dulled it better." I said, smiling slightly. Blake raised an eyebrow, her mouth shifting slightly to the left, "Wait, what urges?" she asked. I looked at Ren, both of us having small smiles as we shared a look. Innocence. Blake still had it… well, more than the two of us at least. "To hunt. To kill. The urge to fight. Arc clan members are trained to have that 'killer instinct' from birth. If you were born without it, or if you simply couldn't do it, you were exiled, or even killed sometimes. A way to 'keep the clan strong'... can't believe I bought those lies once…" I said, looking outside the window at the outside world.

I always liked doing that when I was in the midst of a crisis or remembering something painful. Watching how, despite the fact I just shot Jasmine, the captain of the Vale police department was looking for a serial killer, Neo was hiding with Nora, and the three of us were looking for a bandit that was formerly a member of the secret organization of Beacon… everything kept going. People still walked the streets, cars still moved along the roads… nothing ever stopped. It just kept going, with, or without you. It always reminded me that, no matter how bad things got, someone else always had it worse. "Hey, could be worse. Citri could've killed me all those years ago." I thought. It could always be worse… words that kept me going for three years.

I took my arm out from around Blake, smiling down at her. "Now, we've got a bandit to find." I said, standing up. Blake nodded, both her and Ren standing back up. I started walking towards the door, walking side by side with Blake and Ren, only for me to stop. The reason? I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I turned, looking out of the corner of my eye to see no one there. "Thank you." I heard. I smiled as I heard it, opening the door out into the street, heading for the gates out of town. I knew it wasn't real, I knew it was just my imagination… though, maybe it wasn't. I turned, looking towards the hotel we stayed at… and I could see myself up there. Younger, smaller, with colder eyes. I could see myself looking through the scope of my rifle, aiming down at targets. Even back then I knew I hated it, even back then I knew the pain when I killed someone. I could see myself setting down the rifle, smiling slightly. I turned back, and I could almost see Ora, standing right where I was… this was the spot I decided she shouldn't die.

"You're welcome sis."

It took us ten minutes to get to the edge of town, right past the ornate gate that, at one time, had been used to keep enemies from entering. Now though, it was just the frame, keeping out no-one. Sad really, they could really use that gate about now. I turned back ahead, seeing the mountain pass the Geisha waitress was talking about, the low valley between the two mountains. They would be stationed just outside, a checkpoint within it. It was a footpath, so if you stuck to the roads, you might be safe. They'd likely come down from the pass to attack travellers or caravans, maybe even armored trucks, who knew how strong they were? "Is that where we're going?" Blake asked, pointing towards the pass. I nodded, reaching into my jacket, the feeling of Crocea Mors in my jacket calming me with it's familiar weight. "Yep. If that woman was to be believed, we'll find Yang inside." I said.

The second we got up the pass, I saw the reason no one had tried to attack them yet. There were at least ten men patrolling along some makeshift wooden and steel walls, a large gate between them. All of them were carrying what seemed to be submachine guns or even a few riflemen. The second they saw us, every gun was pointed at us. "Don't move!" one of them yelled. I stopped, Ren and Blake following my example. "Let me do the talking." I whispered. I held up both hands, showing I wasn't armed. "We're here looking for Raven Branwen!" I yelled. The man looked to his left, seeing a much taller, bulkier man. The taller one was dressed in what looked to be a kimono, while the smaller one was dressed in what seemed to be a bulletproof vest, much like the others. Said man looked down, his eyes gazing over us. He walked up to the edge, "Recruits, couriers, or allies?" he asked simply, his voice sharp and loud. What I'd picture a drill sergeant would sound like.

"Allies." Blake said before I could speak. The man glared at us, then he did something I hadn't expected, and jumped down off the edge. The moment he landed, I saw him reach into his kimono, pulling out a katana. "Where is your blade?" he asked. Blake and Ren looked at one another, both slightly nervous. Though, I just smiled, reaching behind my back. The next time the man looked at me, I was holding out a katana. It was shorter than his granted, with ancient Mistralean runes on the sides. The man nodded approvingly, walking towards me. "Face me, Arc." he said. I nodded, removing my jacket, with Crocea Mors still in it, exposing my white shirt beneath it. I tossed my fedora onto the ground, right on top of my old trench coat.

"Fumeiyo yori shi1." I said, twisting my body around as I held the blade above my hand, my right hand first, then my left. The man smiled, "Fumeiyo yori shi." he said, nodding back to me as he simply held out his blade. Then, he let go, holding out his left hand and flexing it towards himself, asking me to strike first. I didn't disappoint him, I rushed forwards, my eyes zoning in on him as I tried to control my breathing. "Strike swift Jaune, strike true." I heard a voice in my head say. It was my father's, before his passing. I struck down, hearing the clang of my blade against his as I spun around, stepping on the other side of him. I started sidestepping to the right, my eyes narrowing on my target as he held up his blade, slowly walking towards me. Then, he reached into his kimono again, this time tossing it backwards.

On his chest was the familiar tattoo, the same one I had. He had it on his chest, the two lines, like headbands almost, both facing up. I stabbed my blade into the ground, quickly tossing my shirt back behind me, revealing the same tattoo on my left shoulder. The man's eyes widened before he smiled, "So… I was right." he said, rushing towards me. I picked up my blade, holding it up against his as he smiled. "No one else fights so much like a dancer." he said, kicking me back. I felt the wind get knocked out of me as I spun around, holding my blade back up as I landed near Blake, Ren having his gun out, pointed at the man. "Don't shoot Ren. He's not our enemy, if I'm right." I said, standing back up. I chuckled, "Maru Altan. I wasn't sure you survived the fire…" I said, sheathing my blade. He chuckled, sheathing his as well. "I could've sworn you'd died to Citri." he said, walking over to me.

He bowed, "It's a pleasure to see you again." he said. I placed my fist into my palm, bowing down as well. "The pleasure is mine Maru. Now… may we see her?" I asked, gesturing at the wall behind him. He nodded, walking back over towards the gate. "Certainly… just put your clothes back on before the black haired girl has a nosebleed." he said. I raised an eyebrow, but the second I turned around, I saw what he meant. Blake's face was bright red and, I realized it was a little late to stop her having a nosebleed. Mostly considering the fact that there were a few drops of blood already dripping onto the ground. "Uh, Blake?" I asked as I pulled my shirt back on. She blinked twice, then looked at me. "Uh, I… Uh…" she said, opening and closing her mouth, trying to saw something. I pulled my coat on as I saw Ren waving a hand in front of her face, only for her not to react. "Uh… I think you broke her." Ren said, looking towards me.

I pulled my fedora on, pulling my coat back down slightly. I walked over, moving in front of Blake. "Blake? Hmm, lights on." I said, lightly tapping her forehead, only for her to blink and, otherwise not react. "Doesn't look like anyone's home. Hmm, let me try…" I said, reaching up and petting between her ears. The effect was instant, her leaning against me as I felt a low humming. Guess cats tended to purr when you pet them. After a second I stopped, Blake looking up at me for a second, her face still bright red. "Uh… didn't know you were a ninja…" she said, still trying to process what had just happened. I shrugged, "Well uh, you do now I guess. I mean, that isn't exactly much help fighting gun users but uh… let's just go see Yang." I said, grabbing her hand and lightly pulling her along as Ren, me, and Maru headed for the slowly opening gate.

On the inside, it was like we were transported to a whole other world. On the inside I saw people roaming around, makeshift wooden and steel buildings in a style that almost made it look like a shantytown. I mean, I guess that was kinda what it was. There were people in the buildings, some of them selling things by the looks of it, some drinking, even a few kids running around. "Woah, it's like it's own little city…" I said, looking around to even see what looked like a few farmers, growing things in garden plots. "In a sense, that's what it is. Anyone that is outcast in the cities, they come here. You're looking at our little mixed and matched group of bandits, criminals, faunus, humans. Everyone's welcome, so long as they follow the rules. Used to be this place was attacked by bandits almost every week. Though, since Raven showed up and offered this place protection in exchange for a base of operations… well, we've been doing a bit better." he said.

"Explains why no one can attack her. Too many innocents around protecting her." I thought. They may have been the pariahs and least liked people of the cities, but they were still people. The government couldn't just storm the place without some serious repercussions. That and, well, the people here would fight for their homes if they had to. After a few minutes I saw us come up to a larger building, one that looked a bit newer than the others. It still had that hobbled together look, but it wasn't as run down as some of the other buildings. Granted, with some of the people walking around repairing them, I had a feeling this place would be just fine soon enough. Maru opened the door, and sitting right in front of me, was none other than Raven Branwen. She looked just like the picture, same eyes, same hair, same face, same everything. She was dressed in a red and black yukata, one that just came down to about her mid thigh. She had her left hand on what looked like a large, red and white helmet, set on the side of the couch. Her eyes flashed with recognition as she saw Blake.

"Maru, leave us." she said, her voice slightly deep and monotone, not what I'd guess Yang sounded like. Blake seemed taken aback, her eyes widening as she heard her voice. Maru nodded, bowing to Yang, "As you wish." he said, turning around and walking out the door. "Sit down." she said, gesturing to the couch in front of her. We complied, me in the middle with Blake and Ren on the sides. She leaned in, her hand casually resting on a small pistol on the table, right next to a bottle of wine. "Who are you?" she asked, looking towards me specifically. "Lie Ren." Ren said simply, jerking a thumb towards himself. "Jaune Arc." I said, not taking my eyes off her for a second. Blake didn't say a word as I leaned forwards, smiling slightly. "It took me awhile to track you down, Yang Xiao Long." I said. She flinched back a bit before her eyes hardened, her directing her gaze at Blake. "You told them?" she asked.

Blake looked away, rubbing her arm, "Sorry… I said a few things…" she said, her eyes saddening. I glared at Yang, "She was helping me. Coco and Qrow told me, don't pin this on her. You've got much bigger problems right now." I said. Yang cocked an eyebrow, "What?" she asked. I reached into my pocket, pulling out the picture of Raven, and of her. I tossed them towards her, her stopping them with the hand that was on the gun. "Ruby's looking for you. She hired me to find you." I said. She pulled the gun up, aiming it right between my eyes as Ren and Blake both aimed their guns at her. "Relax, I'm not telling her a thing. I came to get some answers." I said. Blake and Ren both set their guns back down, Yang slowly moving back, but keeping her gun pointed at me. "What do you want to know exactly?" she asked.

"I've gotten so many versions of the same story. I want the truth, and nothing but the truth." I said, glaring at her. Blake had told me one thing, Winter told me one thing, Coco told me something different, Ruby told me something different, though I guessed she was lying about that. I wanted to know what the hell was really going on. Yang sighed, leaning back, "Where do you want me to start?" she asked, setting the gun down. I smiled, "Just answer some questions for me. Why did Winter and Blake send me on a wild goosechase that lead me to Coco just so I could find you?" I asked. Yang chuckled, smiling towards Blake. "She trusted you. Winter did too. Guess Coco made you a caretaker if you're here now. If Blake smelled something off about you, she'd have sent you to Qrow, and he'd have killed you straight away. We came up with the cover story of me looking for the white fang to hide my true intentions." she said.

"So the only reason I'm still alive is because Blake trusted me?" I asked, looking over at her. She rubbed behind her head, closing her eyes sheepishly, "Yeah… sorry about that." she said. I chuckled, "Well, seems I'm in your debt Little Kitty." I said, causing Blake to glare at me, blushing slightly. "Oh yeah, Coco told you about her codename? I came up with that by the way." Yang said, smirking towards Blake. Blake growled at Yang, "Oh you little…" Blake sighed, looking down at the ground. "Cat got your tongue?" me and Yang both asked at once. We turned towards each other, her eyes widening a bit. She smiled, "So, the detective's got a sense of humor huh?" she asked. I nodded, "Glad to see someone noticed." I said. Blake just leaned back in her seat, sinking down a bit. "Just… tell him about Winter." she said.

Yang nodded, "Right. Anyway, if Blake didn't find anything wrong with you, she'd take you to the ice Queen. You'd only be able to figure it out if you were working with Ruby, which was our second clue. If Winter sensed something wrong, she'd send you to Qrow, and he'd shoot you." she said casually. I nodded, "And Coco?" I asked. Yang nodded, moving her mask off to her right side, leaning against it slightly. "Well, if she found something wrong with you, she'd have-" "Sent me to Qrow and have him kill me?" I interrupted, smiling slightly. She nodded, smirking at me. "Guess you didn't find me by chance." she said. The she looked over at the door, "So if Coco found you alright, she'd tell you the truth. She'd offer you the chance to become a caretaker. Whether you took it or not, Qrow would find you, and tell you where I was. You're the only one that's showed up so far, and Ruby hasn't found me, so I'm guessing you sent a lot of people to Qrow, right Blake?" Yang asked, smiling at said faunus. Blake nodded, "Sixteen actually. Winter sent four of the one's I let through, and Coco sent five of them." she said.

Yang nodded, "Yeah, she always was better at this kind of thing than us." she said. Blake nodded, smiling slightly, "Well, she's the recruiter heavy for a reason." she said. Ren just sat back, leaning against the couch as he looked around, taking in everything. I looked towards Yang, leaning in slightly. "Tell me, why is it Ruby wants you dead?" I asked. I mean, I figured Qrow was telling the truth, but I wanted to hear it straight from the source. She frowned, lightly rubbing her stomach, "Long story short, she found out who I was working with, and she shot me point blank in the stomach… with a .308 Winchester rifle. Then she tossed me out of a four story window… honestly I think she knew I'd live." she said. Ren decided now would be a good time to interject, "Are you sure she didn't just want you to die of your wounds?" he asked.

Yang shook her head, "Oh no. If she'd really wanted me to die, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'd have never made it out of the house. Ruby's a wildcard since our Summer went to work on her. And Dad more recently…" she said, glaring at the wall. I looked behind her, seeing a dartboard with what looked like Ruby on it, except it looked at little older than she was. I turned back around, seeing yang holding a dart, aiming it at the board. "What do you mean?" I asked, just before she threw the dart. "I mean, Ruby really was a nice, sweet, innocent girl. She was small, fragile, and one of the most adorable people you'd ever know. She liked cookies and strawberries and wouldn't hurt a fly. But the day she turned ten, Summer started taking her into the attic… I'll never forgive that bitch for what she did to Ruby…" she said, grabbing what looked like a knife off the table and hurling it at the wall. I turned, seeing it cracking the dartboard in half.

I turned back, and the look in Yang's eyes reminded me distinctly of Blake's when Velvet brought up Adam. Primal rage, deep and true. "I'm almost afraid to ask what she did to Ruby." I said. She sighed, lowering deeper into the couch. "So many times Ruby would wake up in the night, screaming. 'Don't let the bad man get me Yang!' or 'Don't let mama take me to the attic!'... the worst one was when she said, 'Please, kill me.'... I love Ruby, don't get me wrong. Whatever Summer did to her… it turned her into something different, something evil. She started taking joy in hurting people. She started torturing people when they did her wrong. Someone pull her hair? Normally she'd cry and I'd beat them up. Now though, she'd take whatever was nearby and make them choke on it… then she'd get creative." she said, shivering.

I couldn't help but ask my next question. "What about your dad?" I asked. Yang sighed, tilting her head back as she looked at the wooden ceiling. "It wasn't overtime, like Ruby. Just… one day he changed. Summer brought him to the back room and… that was it. He sounded like Dad, he sort of acted like dad, but he didn't seem like dad. He was more loving towards Summer, and a little less towards me and Ruby. Not much but, I could tell something was wrong. He was also a little more… showy. Like, everything he did was more flamboyant. I think he was just trying to impress Summer more than usual. Not to mention… he didn't have that look, in his eyes, when he looked at me anymore. There was some kind of spark in his eyes back then… but that spark just disappeared. It really creeped me out. I don't know what Summer did to him… but I hated it. Felt like now I was the only one that saw just how wrong our family was… you know what I mean?" she asked, looking towards me.

I nodded, frowning at her. "Yeah… I know exactly what you mean." I said. It was exactly the same feeling I had in my family… was I really the only one that saw how wrong what we were doing was? "You know… I wish I was more like you." I said. She cocked an eyebrow, sitting back upright. "What? A bandit?" she asked. I shook my head, "No… instead of just standing by while injustice happened, you took action… I didn't." I said, looking down as I clenched my fists. I felt an arm on my shoulder as I looked to my left, seeing Blake holding her arm there. "It wasn't your fault Jaune… no-one can blame you for doing what you did." she said, smiling up at me. I sighed, I knew she was trying to comfort me, but it would never work. I'd done too much wrong to ever be comforted with a few kind words. "Yeah… but I still can. And I still do. I was a coward, pure and simple. Too weak to stand up to my family, too chicken-shit to fight back." I said, looking back towards Yang.

"You know… I have to ask. How did they get you to look so much like your mother?" I asked. Yang smiled, standing up as the three of us did the same. "This was nothing for them. They can make you look like anyone. Me and my mom look pretty similar. A few tweaks to my face, some black hair dye, and some colored contacts and boom! I'm Raven Branwen, feared by criminals, loved by the people of Pariha." she said. I nodded, assuming that that was the name of the town. "Feared by criminals huh? So you only steal from criminals?" I asked. She nodded, smiling slightly, "The Branwen Bandits only steal from the families, like the Arc's or the Rose's. Or from other criminals. It damages their profits and keeps us thriving. Need money for bullet's somehow." she said, shrugging. I nodded, smiling slightly as I walked over to her. "Well, unless Ruby thinks you're dead, she'll keep coming after you." I said, smiling slightly. Yang nodded, scrunching her eyebrows slightly in thought, "You're right… hmm, here." she said, reaching behind her neck and unclipping what looked like a locket with a flaming yellow heart on it.

"Tell Ruby that was on my corpse. She'll believe you. It was my mother's last gift, and I'd never part with it if I had the option." she said, frowning towards the small trinket. "I know it's stupid but… it hurts to just give it up. No… no, I need Ruby off my back more than I need a keepsake." she said, nodding to herself as she pulled on her helmet. "Just… take it and leave, before I change my mind." she said, walking back over to the couch. I looked down, opening the locket and seeing what looked like a younger Yang, her mother… or I guess what she looked like now, standing behind her. The man I assumed was her father was standing behind her. On the other side, I saw a picture of Qrow and an older Ruby, assumingly Summer. There was something in Summer's arms but, the picture was blurry. It almost looked like a dog though. "Got it. Oh, and Yang?" I asked, smiling up at her. She looked back at me, not saying a word as Ren and Blake both walked out the door. I stepped out the door as I spoke,

"Xiao Long!"

1 For those that didn't watch Kong: Skull Island or didn't really pay close attention, this roughly translates to 'Death Before Dishonor'.