"Ruby!" Yang yelled out as she approached the younger girl. "I thought I told you to stay away from Menagerie!" The older sister stalked towards the red-haired girl menacingly with her fists clenched tight.

Ruby, however, did not seem to falter as she responded with a powerful glare. "And I told you that I couldn't just stay back if someone was in trouble! Or did you happen to forget that while you get to go off fighting the bad guys?!"

"This isn't about what I'm doing, and you know it! This is about keeping you safe so that nothing bad happens!" The two were practically propped up against each other as they stood face to face. With the exception of Frost - who was currently checking on Neo as she sat propped against the light pole she had collided with, a hand clutching the side that had taken the brunt of Ruby's attack – all eyes were glued to the sisters with baited breath as they waited for events to unfold.

"I don't need protecting!" Ruby exclaimed as she stomped a foot in anger. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself in a fight, and you know it! Professor Ozpin wouldn't have brought me to Beacon two years early if he didn't believe that!"

"Yeah, well, we won't ever get to exactly get to find out why he did it considering he's gone! So that's beside the point!" Yang's eyes flashed red for a moment as she returned fire on her sister. "How do you think dad would react if it turned out you were killed as well?! He already lost Summer to the Grimm and it nearly ruined him if it hadn't been for Uncle Qrow! How do you think we possibly deal with things if you died, too?!"

"I never asked for-" The redhead paused as some of Yang's words sank in. "Wait, we?" The rage-induced tunnel vision faded for a moment as she took another look at her sister's face, the telltale signs of tears dusting her cheeks as she stood over her. Ruby's eyes widened as Yang's arms suddenly embraced her tightly, a slight shaking sensation making her rock slightly as silent tears fell from the blonde's eyes.

"You dunce. Of course I meant "we"." A smile filled her face as she held her sister close once more. "You really think that dad would have been the only one affected by anything happening to you? I was so cold to you right before you left after everything that had happened because I was being selfish. How was I supposed to feel with the possibility that the last thing you really remembered of me was broody and sad when I'm supposed to be your cheerful older sister that always watches out for you?"

"Yang…" Ruby replied quietly, unable to form the words as countless thoughts rushed through her mind at once. In the end only a few came to her, but what they happened to be meant all the world.

"I love you, too."


Frost silently turned back to Neo as he decided to give the sister's a moment of peace. The stray tear falling down her cheek caught his eye as he reached out to brush it away with a gentle touch. The action did not go unnoticed as she turned to face him with a startled look, to which he responded with a small smile of his own before carefully helping her to her feet. Neo normally would have taken the chance to check for other injuries, however the close proximity of herself and Frost was too tempting an option as she leaned into him somewhat, neither of them realizing the arm that unconsciously reached around her shoulders to keep her balanced. The two both looked on the scene with gentle smiles of their own, basking in the reunion that had many anxious for various reasons.

The moment was not to last, unfortunately.

"Alright, where's the baddies?!" The bubbly voice of Nora echoed across the open area as the other redhead landed in view, her weapon drawn and primed in its launcher form as she swiveled left and right looking for targets. A disappointed look filled her face as she noticed the lack of fighting. "Aww, we missed it! No fair!"

"Nora! Slow down!" The voice of Lie Ren echoed from a nearby alleyway, soon followed by himself and Jaune coming into view as well. The two males paused to catch their breath for a moment, not near as fast or hardy as Nora or Ruby by a longshot after having travelled so quickly from the docks.

"Looks like we finally caught up with them, huh?" Jaune gasped out as he straightened his posture after taking a few moments to breathe the air without losing it immediately. "Soooo…what now?"

"I…don't know, actually." Yang replied as she and Ruby broke their embrace to address the rest of the crowd. "Qrow just told us to head to the place that looked like the most heavily guarded part of town and wait for him. I'm not sure what we're supposed to do until he gets here."

"Maybe we should talk about why, she-" Ruby started as she gestured towards Emerald, her original focus now returned. "Is here with the rest of you?!"

Now noticing Emerald as well, Jaune, Ren, and Nora all took fighting stances with their weapons drawn as Emerald slowly started backing away with a fearful look in her eyes. Much to their noticeable surprise however, Frost and Yang both stepped in front of the four of them as though to protect the green-haired girl. Both gave the newcomer group expectant looks, waiting to see what would happen next. This scene was enough to give pause to the battle-ready team as they gave confused looks to those standing in front of them.

"Yang? What are you doing? She helped Cinder collapse Beacon! She helped the White Fang hurt so many people! Why are you defending her?!"

"Because she never meant to do any of it." Frost's calm voice washed over all of them as he spoke for the first time since they arrived. This in turn resulted in all four of them now focusing on him, his fighting instinct kicking in for a breath moment as he felt the adrenaline course through him briefly at the sight of their stances. He shook his head to clear the lingering bloodlust that the Grimm had been starting to infect him with once again before continuing. "She was a much a pawn of Cinder as Neo or I were, that's why you should give her a chance."

"I can understand giving you two a break after everything I heard about what was happening, but her?" Jaune's skeptical voice responded as he continued standing with his weapons drawn, ready for combat the moment it should occur. "She was completely aware of what Cinder was planning from the start. She was in on the entire thing and even helped to stage it all. How are we supposed to trust anyone after that?! After what they did to the innocent people of Vale?! To Penny?! TO PYRRHA?! HOW?!"

"Jaune, you need to calm down." Yang tried to butt in, but the male blonde was having none of that as he charged in with a bellow, though he was not followed by any of the rest of his group present.

"Like hell I will!" His voice was laced with pure rage as he charged straight towards the two blocking his path, neither of them moving as they took up stances to try and stop the boy from proceeding.

Their preparations were for naught as a large chunk of ice suddenly emitted from the ground just beneath him and spread out as it rose to grasp him by the legs to the point that everything from the waist down was trapped within a block of ice. The blonde continued to struggle however, his intent clear as he glared at Emerald through the gap between Yang and Frost.

"How could you?! She never deserved any of it! She didn't ask for any of this! So why did you do it? Huh?!" His voice was slowly overcome with sobs as his emotions swelled and overwhelmed him. His arms eventually went limp as he remained trapped in the ice. "She was a good person, and you didn't do a thing to stop it. You never stopped to save anyone."

"That's where you're wrong, Jaune." Frost replied as he walked towards the other boy and stood facing him. "She did save someone. She saved me and Neo from Mercury that night. She risked herself to stop him from killing either of us under Cinder's orders. She could have saved more people, yes," Emerald winced visibly at that statement as the white-haired boy continued. "but she only stopped to save us. People that had belittled or insulted her since we first met because we saw her as just another pawn of Cinder and Torchwick. Though, that was mostly me if we're being honest. And to this day, I've never stopped feeing thankful for that. There's always that lingering doubt that maybe it's a ruse, maybe she's just setting us up to be betrayed to Cinder or someone else down the line. But then I remember that night, and how close we were to not making it out of that chaos like so many other people." His head turned to face said girl as she looked at him with a shocked look and wide eyes. "That's why I forgave her…a long time ago. Because as much as the two of us may have shown her there's a chance to get away…she gave us that chance just as much. She just refuses to admit that she deserves that second chance."

Everyone was silent as they looked at the boy standing in front of Jaune. Varying expressions of shock and disbelief flashed across different faces save for Neo as she had made her way over to Emerald where she stood giving the girl a gentle hug as the green-haired girl wept openly. Ruby looked at her own weapon with shame as it sat next to her, having been dropped as she had clutched tightly to Yang during their reunion. Nora and Ren had long since holstered their weapons as Frost had gone on in length about his opinion of Emerald. Yang's face was filled with surprise at hearing so many words spoken by Frost about the ex-criminal and in such high regard that even she was second guessing everything she had thought upon first encountering the girl in Patch. Jaune's face was filled with warring emotions. It was clear that he still wanted to hate Emerald for her part in everything, but hearing the words spoken to him made him doubt his original assumptions as the ice around him suddenly dissipated as the clacking of heels sounded from nearby.

"It seems like everything's been resolved then. That's probably for the best at this point." Weiss stated calmly as she approached the rest of the group.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed as she started dashing over to her teammate, only to stop short with a gasp as another figure came into view. Tears filled her eyes as her lips spread into a sad smile at the sight before her. "…Penny?"

The android calmly walked forward, carefully following Weiss as she responded in a calm manor, very much unlike her. "Hello, Ruby."

"Penny!" Ruby exclaimed even louder as she suddenly flew past Weiss in a flurry of rose petals, much to the evident shock of the girl who had moments earlier expected a tackle hug form her energetic partner. The scythe-wielder collided with the robot girl in a solid tackle that sent them both crashing into the ground, much to the bemusement of those paying witness to the scene.

"Is…this going to be the trend for today or something at this point?" Frost asked with an unsure tone as he looked at the scene before him, Ruby gesturing for Weiss to join them as she holds Penny tightly, to which the girl profusely refuses and yet still approaches to greet her teammate once more. Eventually Yang joins them as the majority of their team has now been reunited in one place.

"I…don't know." Neo remarked from beside him. "But would it be such a bad thing if it was?"

"Not really, it just seems like….I don't know…a lot for one day for anyone to process. I don't like the feeling it gives me that it's too perfect." Emerald snorted from his other side at his comment as Neo glared at him with a pout.

"Okay, I swear, if that ends up ruining things you are going to get it later. Stop being so paranoid and just enjoy some peace for on-"

The sound of shattering glass echoed across the courtyard as a body was sent sailing from the upper floor of the building they had been defending. The body bounced a few times across the gravel and debris before settling into a low stance close to the ground as another form stood within the frame of the now shattered glass as it looked down towards the group. Eyes then widened once more as they realized who had just fallen into their midst, quite literally.

"Blake!" Multiple voices rag out in surprise as the raven-haired girl stood straight with her weapons drawn in each hand. Her focus was elsewhere however, as she regarded the figure in the window.

"When are you going to understand, Adam?! The faunus and humans are meant to be equal! This war solves nothing if we just end up reversing the roles!" All eyes turn to face the figure framed above them, one pair in particular filled with anger but also a heavy dose of fear and caution.

"There is no such thing as being equal with the likes of humans, Blake!" The man snapped back as he continued to stand in the one position. "I thought you understood that when you stayed with the White Fang when leadership changed, but I guess I was wrong! You're weak, just like the other Faunus on this island that choose not to fight for their own rights!"

"Just because I refuse to kill an innocent person, that doesn't make me weak!" She replied vehemently as she glared at her former mentor. "It just makes you a tyrant and a monster for believing that people can be treated that way!"

"Is that how you see me, Blake? As a monster? Something to be feared? All I've ever wanted was a better life for the Faunus! Is that so bad?"

"It is when you try to overthrow everything in the process! What happened to the man I used to admire that fought passionately for Faunus rights without resorting to violence?!"

"He grew wise to the things around him and at how flawed things have become! Just like all the other humans and Faunus in this world! You're all weak and unfitting to see the coming of a new world order!"

"A new world…what are you going on about?! I thought this whole thing was about the Faunus being the superior race!"

"Oh, Blake. It seems you've fallen out of touch after being away from the Fang for so long." The red-haired man leapt down from his perch as he slowly started marching towards the large group of kids. "I still believe that Faunus are the superior race when compared to humans. But I found out about something so much stronger since Beacon fell." His hand reached up to remove the mask on his head, his bare face now visible for all to witness.

What they saw shook them to their core, for where a normal looking Faunus should reside, they saw pale skin and black veins trailing in from the outer edges of his head. The piercing red and black eyes that stared wide at them froze them to the ground as all took in the face of the man that had helped lead the assault on Beacon.

"Adam…what have you done?" Blake barely managed to ask as a sick feeling washed over her at the sight of what her old ally had become.

"The worst thing he could have done." Frost stated with clenched fists as he glared back at one of the most vile creations in existence. "He's become part-Grimm. I don't know how, but it means that there could very well be more of them within the White Fang itself at this point."

"Someone's been doing their research apparently." The pale visage of Adam Taurus gazed back at him; his interest peaked as he gave Frost an almost appraising look. "But of course it would be you of all people that would know, given the circumstances. You know, he still wonders how you've been able to hold out for so long after how long it's been a part of you. It must be so difficult, standing right on the edge and yet not feel the unstoppable power that comes with it. I could show you, if you want."

"No thanks." Frost retorted as he tightened his hands into fists at his sides. "Now that I've seen the end result, I think I'll keep that bit of my humanity still intact, thank you very much."

Blake looked to Frost with a half-confused, half-concerned expression. "What is he talking about? As far as I knew, he just wanted Faunus superiority. This isn't even like what I saw him turning into when I left the White Fang."

"He's talking about the Grimm that's inside me since I was forced to work for Torchwick." A few sets of gasps and confused utterances echoed at that moment. "But unlike him, I'm choosing to not give up what's left of the real me to some mindless beast."

"Oh, I wasn't giving you a choice. I was just talking to the part of you inside that so desperately wants to come out. The rage and anger that, to this day, still calls out for vengeance at what was done to it." His gaze turned to face Neo at Frost's side. "And I think I know exactly how to do it."

Eyes wide with fear, multiple bodies slowly started moving to intercept the man as he pounced towards Neo. Were her Aura not spent she would have been able to teleport away in the blink of an eye to safety, but that was not the case here as the red-haired demon approached her. His hand casually reached for his blade even as he took long strides towards her. Whatever kind of Grimm had been infused with him, he was far faster than any of them nearby could act. Even Ruby, with her speed-based Semblance, could not close the gap in time to attempt anything without putting herself at severe risk, not that the tightly clenched hand on her forearm from Yang would have allowed anything in the first place as the fear and instinct had set in and froze her to the spot.

Before anyone had time to properly process what had happened, Adam had arrive in front of Neo and cleanly speared her through the abdomen with his blade, a gurgling sound leaving her throat as she fell to the ground from the blade being pulled free. Blood began to stain her outfit as she held both hands tightly against her center in the hopes of stemming the tide of blood. But it was to no avail as her skin began to pale from the rapid release of her life force. Her mouth opened as she tried to form words even as Frost knelt next to her and tried to stem the flow himself with patches he tore from the longer part of Neo's coat as tears fell from his eyes.

His mouth moved as though in slow-motion as her vision began to fade, darkness beginning to creep in from all around as other figures moved to stand in front of the two of them and block Adam from them, even though the damage had already been done. Even as everything began to go completely black, she had just enough energy to reach out one hand and gently caress Frost's cheek with a weak smile before her entire body went limp. Then, all that remained faded to black.

The last thing she remembered was a vicious howl of rage, tinged with the bitter pain of loss.


And with that we reach one of the chapters that has been in my mind practically since the makings of this story. There have been some minor tweaks here and there since then, but overall this was one of the major turning points that I've had pre-determined since day one. I hope that so far people have felt a connection to some of the story/characters and I hope you continue to enjoy this project of mine that I've spent so much time on to this day.

As an aside, I also just recently ordered a new computer to replace my old laptop, so if at some point in the next month or two I forget to update a chapter on time, blame the new setup that's letting me playing games better. In all seriousness though, I'm not actually going to let something like that keep me from doing regularly scheduled updates for something I have never stopped enjoying doing. I was just trying to be funny.

Until the next update (whether that be next week's MHA or the RWBY update in two weeks) I will leave you all to your devices. And Happy Thanksgiving to those of you reading from the US! I already pseudo-celebrated my Canadian Thanksgiving a month ago, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't all enjoy yours with the people you care about. The irony of saying that while I toy with my own characters is not lost, trust me.