It's been a month since I first put the story up… plus a day. 126k+ words, 110 reviews, 95 favorites, and 160 followers… It's insane how far we've come in such a short time.

There is an issue I've run into where Atlas seems to be literally the only Kingdom that has an almost-universally accepted adjective for their culture and people, which makes this a bit difficult for me. I was able to find a good one for Vacuo (Vacuan) and Mistral (Mistrali) but not one for Vale. Bookah was kind enough to humor my random request and provided me with Valian, which I will be using. If you have any other suggestions, please message me or leave them in a review. Until then, I'll have to use what I can find and what Bookah has suggested.

There will be White Rose, Bumblebee, and Arkos scenes in this chapter.

Chapter 32: Preparation and Comfort

Beacon Academy, Training Facility, with Yang and Blake

Blake let out a sigh as she watched Yang fight a pack of holographic Grimm, listening to the news broadcast on the nearby screen. "Talk of the infamous Rose Hunts has started after more than a decade following the disaster of last night's match between Ruby Rose of Beacon and Mercury Black of Haven. Valian and Atlesian authorities announced that the assassin was located and killed by a group of Atlesian and Valian Huntsmen…" Blake glanced at the screen as a picture of Qrow and Ironwood standing opposite an Atlesian soldier with a sniper rifle. "While no name has been provided, the assassin was confirmed to be an Atlesian soldier known for anti-faunus rhetoric that went missing from a base in Atlas about one week ago. General Ironwood and the Kingdom of Atlas have issued a formal apology to the Kingdome of Vale and Ruby's family, with Ironwood promising to ensure improved, mandatory semiannual psychological screenings among active Atlesian military forces in an attempt to prevent further hate crimes. General Ironwood has also stated that the Vytal Festival's Continuation has been delayed while efforts are made to determine what type of sabotage has been inflicted on Amity Colosseum's barrier systems in an attempt to ensure such an incident does not happen again."

"In other news, Ironwood has announced that a recent spike in Grimm activity has forced him to allocate more troops to protecting Vale's walls and Beacon's perimeter. In order to ensure that internal security is guaranteed, the general has revealed that an independent security force has been contracted to compensate for reduced Atlesian patrols. In light of recent events, General Ironwood has also requested that civilians do not panic, stating that they should leave security concerns to the Atlesian military and Valian Council-" Blake flinched as a fireball struck the screen, causing it to explode.

"Yang! What are you doing?" Blake shouted in dismay.

Yang glared at her with red eyes. "What am I doing? Maybe you should be asking what we're doing! Ruby almost died and nobody seems to think it's anything more than just some random Atlesian soldier with a gun and a screw loose!"

"Yang…"

"How do we know they weren't working for Torchwick's boss?"

Yang-"

"Why the hell are we just sitting here while she's-"

"Yang!" Blake yelled, grabbing the blonde's shoulders. "Ironwood and Aurelius said they'll take care of it. I'm sure between the two of them they'll be able to do more than we could right now, especially since Ruby still isn't awake yet!" Yang flinched before she looked away, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I-I know, it's just… She's my sister Blake. We might only be cousins biologically, but as far as I'm concerned, she's still my little sister and someone hurt her. Someone tried to kill Ruby and there's nothing I could do about it! I hate this, I hate feeling so useless!" Blake let out a sigh and wrapped the blonde in a hug, catching her by surprise.

"I know how you feel Yang… I feel the same way right now and it's not the first time…" Yang let out a sob as Blake carefully brought the two of them to the ground, rubbing the blonde's back as she let out her frustrations. "Just let it all out, okay?" After a few minutes Yang took a breath and leaned back, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry Blake, I just… I just don't know what I'd do without you right now." Blake smiled before she spoke up.

"It's fine. How about we go see how she's doing? After that, if she's okay and you're up for it…" Blake took a deep breath. "Come on, Blake, you can do this. She needs to take her mind off things right now…" "We can go get some lunch or something."

Yang blinked before letting out a weak laugh. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to ask me out on a date, Blake."

The cat faunus rolled her eyes. "I'm not, but like you told me before the dance, we need to be rested for whatever comes our way and I doubt Ruby would be too happy if you got hurt because you were too angry about what happened to her to actually think straight… So, I figure since you need to relax, giving you one chance to charm me wouldn't hurt, right?" Yang smiled weakly.

"Thanks Blake, you're the best right now, you know that?" Blake rolled her eyes.

"Come on, we should really check on your sister…"

Beacon Academy Hospital Wing, With Ruby and Weiss

Weiss let out a tired yawn. While she had followed her sister's advice and went back to her dorm room, she hadn't been able to get much sleep. She quickly took a deep breath, trying not to think about her nightmare from the previous night as she glanced tiredly at Ruby. "She's fine… Just relax…" Weiss reached forward hesitantly, grabbing Ruby's hand for a moment. She let out a quiet yawn as she started to doze off. Before she could fall asleep, she heard a groan as Ruby slowly sat up, rubbing her head slightly.

"Ugh… Where am I?" Ruby muttered as she glanced down at her hospital gown, causing Weiss' eyes to snap open.

"Ruby? Oh god, you're finally awake!" Before she could stop herself, Weiss jumped out of her chair, wrapping the faunus in a hug, causing her to go wide-eyed. "Everyone was so worried about you! W-we weren't sure if you'd…" Ruby quickly wrapped her arms around Weiss, wincing slightly as a jolt of pain went through her shoulder.

"I'm okay Weiss…" She squeezed the heiress slightly before glancing at her. "Are you okay though?" Weiss froze slightly, looking down.

"This is it Weiss, it's now or never…" The heiress took a deep breath before she started, sitting back in her chair. "It's just… you've helped me learn what kind of person I want to be, Ruby. You've helped me start to become the person I think I was meant to be and you've been one of the few real friends I've had. When you got shot I… I thought I lost the greatest friend I've ever had and it scared the hell out of me." Weiss swallowed slightly before she continued. "Ruby, I-"

The door opened suddenly as a mass of blonde hair stepped through "Hellooo-oh god, Rubes!" Yang ran over and went to hug her sister before Blake grabbed her shoulder.

"Easy there Yang, Ruby's shoulder might still need to heal and your hugs aren't the most… gentle," Blake said cautiously, watching Yang deflate before she sat down next to Ruby.

Weiss was trying her best to keep a neutral face while she screamed internally. "Damn you, Yang Xiao Long! I was so close to finally saying it!"

"Hey, you okay pup?" Yang asked. "You really scared the crap out of us with that."

"It hurts a bit if I move it too much, but other than that I'm just a bit thirsty… What happened after I got shot?" Yang frowned, looking down before Blake spoke up.

"The entire stadium went into a panic until Aurelius did… something, I don't even know if it was him or not. From what I heard, Ironwood and Qrow went hunting for the would-be assassin and found him at about the same time. There wasn't much left of the body after that, just enough to identify him I think."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, it was some soldier from Atlas that had a few screws loose. Ironwood's planning to crack down hard on anti-faunus beliefs in the military now from what I heard. Based off the soldiers I've seen today, it seems like most of them agree with him on that." Blake nodded before continuing.

"I don't know what's going on, but it sounds like Ironwood and the Council are trying to start an outreach campaign to help the faunus and make people aware of our plight. It seems like Ironwood genuinely wants to make sure something good comes out of this." Ruby smiled.

"I'm glad to know something good came out of it at least. What about the tournament?" Ruby asked, looking around the room. The rest of the girls glanced at each other nervously.

"Well… They've kinda postponed it until they figure out how the hell the asshole that shot you brought the barrier down. I don't think they've stopped to decide if you should continue on, if it's even possible now," Yang said.

Ruby nodded slowly. "I'm not sure if the tournament's going to even be able to finish, but if it can I'm not going to let this stop me." The other girls looked at her in surprise as she grinned. "I'm going to take team RWBY all the way to the final match if I can."

Yang grinned. "That's the spirit Rubes!" She glanced over her shoulder at Blake. "Blake and I have some stuff we were going to do, I'll see you later, okay?" Ruby nodded as the two walked out of the room, turning to Weiss.

"I'm sorry about that, what were you saying?" Ruby asked, had tilted to the side.

Weiss opened her mouth to continue before she stopped, looking down. "I-I don't think I have the courage to tell her now…" "I… just wanted you to know you're an inspiration for me…" Weiss let out a quiet sigh, resisting the urge to cry out in frustration.

Ruby smiled, trying to hide her disappointment. "That's all she had to say? I thought maybe…" "It's no big deal Weiss, really. Listening to your music always helped get me through rough patches in my life. If I've really helped you that much, I'm happy I had the chance to return the favor…" Ruby glanced around. "Um, do you know where my clothes are? I'd really like to get out of here…"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Dolt, let me see if the doctors are going to allow you to leave first." Ruby rubbed the back of her head meekly as Weiss got up. After a few minutes, a warning not to move her arm too much, and Ruby awkwardly getting dressed while Weiss glanced out the window since neither was willing to explain their discomfort, the pair were walking out of the hospital room. Ruby let out a sigh as she pulled her cloak over her right shoulder to cover her arm, causing Weiss to look at her strangely. "What are you doing?"

Ruby glanced at her before shrugging with her good shoulder. "I figure it'd be best not to let people know I can still use my arm, even if it hurts to move. If I'm lucky, someone might think part of it was amputated or I lost the ability to use it." Weiss looked at the girl next to her in horror before Ruby quickly waved her good arm in front of her meekly. "I-it's so if Cinder and the White Fang attack they won't think I'm much of a threat!" Weiss let out a relieved sigh.

"You had me worried there, Ruby… But I will admit it might make you look a bit more… refined." Ruby grinned. "Don't smile yet, there's probably more than one reporter that wants to speak to you about what happened."

Ruby whined, ears flattening out as her tail drooped. "Oh, I guess I can't avoid that, can I?"

"Nope, you're just going to have to handle it I suppose."

Ruby let out a sigh as they stepped out of the building. "Could we get something to eat? I haven't had anything to eat since dinner yesterday…" Weiss rolled her eyes before leading Ruby over to the fairgrounds.

In a café in Vale, with Yang and Blake

Yang took a sip from her coffee cup as she sat across from Blake, watching the girl stir her tea. "So, I know you said you were born outside the kingdoms, but where exactly?"

Blake looked up at the blond before speaking. "I was born in Kuo Kuana on Menagerie." Yang leaned forward.

"Really?" Blake nodded slightly causing Yang to frown. "What's it like there? I've heard some things, but you don't see many people that have been there, let alone are willing to talk about it."

Blake let out a sigh. "Except for the westernmost regions of the continent, Menagerie is mostly desert. You won't find any Grimm there usually, but that doesn't make it any easier. There's scorpions, deadly spiders, and snakes that could kill the average human, and most faunus, within as little as a half hour, which might be why you won't find Grimm anywhere. Just about the entire population is limited to a few crowded settlements like Kuo Kuana, so there's not as much living space as anyone trying to justify the events leading up to the Faunus Rights Revolution would lead you to believe. We just… Try to make do, you know?"

Yang nodded sadly. "Yeah, I think I understand. I think it sucks though. There's all this nice, lush land in the heart of Sanus that nobody's tried to settle. Plenty of space to expand, they would have had help from two of the kingdoms, and if there was a city there, it'd probably sit on a nice trade route between Vale and Vacuo. If people really were thankful for the help the faunus gave during the Great War, that would have been the place to give them since Vale and Vacuo still haven't gotten around to it." Blake blinked in surprise.

"That's… actually a good point. I'm pretty sure if the faunus had been given land anywhere else in Remnant, except on Solitas, Draconys, or some random island, things could have gone better. It sounds like you put a lot of thought into this."

Yang shrugged. "It's hard not to. Even before the White Fang started causing problems, Ruby wasn't always treated well for being a faunus. I tried teaching the bullies a lesson, but they'd just go after some other kid for having to many ears or a tail. I lost count of how many teeth I knocked out before she turned eight, but I managed to at least get people to keep their opinions to themselves…"

"Then the White Fang started their attacks?" Blake asked guiltily.

Yang nodded. "It got to the point where people didn't care if I'd pound them into a pulp, all I could do was sit there going through all the what-ifs. Like what if the faunus had been given central Sanus instead of Menagerie, what if they weren't forced to leave their homes, what if humans actually kept their word on equal rights, what if…" Yang let out a frustrated sigh. "Then I remember that, even though what happened is terrible, some good came out of it. If it wasn't for some asshole deciding that Menagerie was a fair trade for the faunus' help in the Great War, Summer might not have met Qrow, Ruby would never be born, I might not have cared as much as I do about how fanus are treated, and…" Yang looked to the side, a small blush on her face. "I… might never had met you."

Blake looked away with a blush before Yang continued. "Don't get me wrong, I really wish the faunus didn't have to fight for equal rights. I honestly wish humanity had kept its word to the fanus."

Blake reached forward, putting a hand on Yang's shoulder with a smile. "It still means a lot that you care so much, Yang. It really does." Yang grinned. "So, what about you? Where did you grow up?"

Yang took a drink from her coffee before speaking up. "Ruby and I were raised on Patch. It's this small island off the coast from Vale. It's covered by forests and pretty peaceful… except for a massive Beowolf population. Not sure where they come from, it's just kinda… endless. You couldn't go outside alone at night without having to worry about being torn apart, unless you were someone like Ruby. Back when Uncle Qrow was teaching Ruby how to fight, she used to just wander into the woods. I swear, there were months where she must have killed hundreds of them."

Blake nodded. "She does tend to be hard to kill, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but I think that's got a lot to do with her parents and semblances on top of her spirit." Yang leaned forward. "That reminds me, you don't talk about your parents all that much. Do you talk to them at all?"

Blake looked down. "Getting in touch with them is… difficult. Menagerie doesn't have a CCT Tower of its own, I guess we weren't considered good enough to have one. It's hard to communicate with anyone in Menagerie, or for someone there to communicate with anyone in the kingdoms. On top of that… I don't think my parents would approve of my actions in the White Fang."

"I'm guessing they were never fans of the White Fang?" Yang asked before taking a sip of her coffee. Blake laughed a bit before answering.

"Quite the opposite actually. Up until about five and a half… well, almost six years ago, my dad was the leader of the White Fang. I was more or less born into it." Yang spit a bit of coffee back into her mug before she started coughing.

"For real? What's he like?" Blake sighed.

"He's a strong but kind leader. He always wanted to find a peaceful solution to everything… For a while he actually served as one of Menagerie's only real judges in his spare time, going out of his way to make sure everyone was treated equally and that justice was fair. Eventually he gained enough trust and respect chieftan of Kuo Kauna, making him the closest thing Menagerie has to an official leader. When members of the White Fang started to call for more aggressive actions, he chose to step down and leave the organization. Nobody was willing to stop him since he was loved by most of our members, so they just left him alone…"

Yang leaned forward. "But you decided to stay, right?"

"Yeah. I was still just a naïve girl that thought we were doing the right thing. I didn't want to see what my parents saw and I hurt so many people because of it. I doubt my parents would even want to look at me now…" Yang reached across the table and grabbed one of Blake's hands.

"But you regret what you've done. You understand what you did is wrong and you're trying to do the right thing. No matter what you think, I'm sure they miss you and would be proud of you if they knew that. They raised you to be an amazing person." Blake smiled, eyes watering slightly.

"Y-you think so?"

"I know it, Blake. You should try writing to them. It doesn't have to be something long and drawn out. Just say you're going to do good and help people. Tell them you love them and miss them. Just try to get back in touch with them, okay?"

Blake nodded, wiping a few tears away. "T-thank you, Yang. I needed to hear that."

Yang stood up with a grin. "Hey, that's what I'm here for. How about we get going though? We can keep talking on the way back, okay?" Blake nodded and stood up, biting her lip before she stepped forward, planting a quick kiss on Yang's cheek. The blonde stared at her in surprise, a blush on her cheeks as well as the faunus'.

Blake looked down meekly. "Consider that a thank you for, well… everything."

Yang smiled happily at Blake. "Well, if that's your way of saying thank you, I think I'm gonna have to earn it, aren't I?" Blake smiled back before she let the blonde lead her back toward Beacon.

Beacon Academy, Recreation Room in RWBY and JNPR's Dorm Room, with Jaune and Pyrrha

Pyrrha let out a frustrated sigh as she sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. She glanced over as Jaune sat down next to her. She leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. "Pyrrha, what's been bothering you? You've been out of it since before what happened to Ruby."

Pyrrha let out a sigh. "I-it's just… Do you believe in destiny, Jaune?"

"I… guess it depends on how you view it."

"When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape, but rather some sort of final goal you work towards your entire life."

"So… Like how I wanted to be a hero and save people?"

"Right." Pyrrha sighed. "What would you do if something came along that you never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny."

"Like what?"

"Or what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?"

"Pyrrha, you're not making any sense." The redhead suddenly stood up, causing Jaune to follow her.

"None of it makes any sense! This isn't how things were supposed to happen! This isn't how any of it-" Jaune stepped forward, pulling Pyrrha into a kiss. Her eyes widened slightly before she leaned into the kiss, trembling slightly.

When they broke the kiss, Jaune put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "Pyrrha… I need to know what's bothering you if you want me to help."

Pyrrha let out a sigh. "Jaune… I don't even know what's going on anymore. Ozpin showed me something, Bisman isn't who we think he is… I don't know what to do about any of it. All I know is there's a decision in front of me where if I accept what's been placed in front of me, I could have incredible power, but it might destroy who I am. And if I don't accept it, someone far more evil than anything I've ever imagined will take it instead and countless people could die."

"Why would it destroy who you are?"

"Because… Because someone very powerful is dying and they need a person close enough to her personality to take on her powers before she dies, but the power changes who they are." Jaune tightened his grip on Pyrrha.

"And… they picked you?" Pyrrha nodded. "What would it change exactly? How would it change you?"

"It would change who I am, Jaune, it'd make me…" Pyrrha stopped, suddenly realizing something. "It'd make me the kind of person I already am… I-I've been so worried about the fact it could change me I didn't realize they picked me because it shouldn't change who I am." Pyrrha let out a weak laugh as she leaned against Jaune. "I only stopped to think about it because you said something."

"Um, glad I could help… I think?" Pyrrha smiled up at him before giving him a quick kiss.

"You've helped me more than you know Jaune. I love you so much."

"I love you too Pyrrha…" As they were getting ready to leave, a news broadcast started on the screen nearby showing a reporter in the fairgrounds.

"Earlier today, we told you about the attempt made on the life of Ruby Rose during last night's tournament match. Against expectations and in spite of serious injury, Ms. Rose has announced her intention to continue to fight in the tournament." The camera panned over to show Ruby, cloak draped over her shoulder.

"Wow, how bad is it if she has to keep it covered?" Jaune muttered, eyes wide while Pyrrha covered her mouth.

The reporter turned to look at Ruby. "Now then, Ruby, would you mind telling us exactly why you've decided to continue with the tournament?"

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Well, I'm a Rose. Backing down and abandoning something we started when we're still able to finish it isn't something we like to do."

"Aren't you afraid you might be the target of an accomplice of the shooter from last night or concerned that you won't be able to keep pace with only one arm?" Ruby's ear twitched.

"Look, I can see where this is going, so how about I save us both some time? This isn't just about the tournament. When I was a little girl, my mom was a Huntress. She was my hero in every way and I wanted to be like her, to protect people just like she did, more than anything else in the world. Even after she died, I never gave up on that dream. The Rose Hunts will always hang over me and I can't do anything to change that. I can either hide and embarrass my parents and my ancestors, or I can stand strong in spite of the constant threat. Likewise, I still have an arm I can use. I can still fight, which means I can still defend others if I need to. Being a Huntress isn't about being strong and fearless. It's about defending the people of Vale and the other kingdoms, even when you're scared, hurt, or tired. If I use what happened to me as an excuse to leave the tournament, I'm not worthy to call myself a Huntress by my own standards. Are there any other questions?"

"Um, not that I can think of…" The reporter turned to the camera meekly and Pyrrha laughed.

"I get the feeling he wasn't expecting a response that dedicated."

"It doesn't look like it, does it?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha smiled.

"Come on, I think we should try to get some sleep. There's always the chance I end up having to fight tomorrow, after all."

Ozpin's Office, with Ozpin, Aurelius, Ironwood, and Winter

"We've managed to isolate Amity Colosseum's propulsion and barrier controls from the remote systems and your construct, Athena, has attached the override to the CCT Tower's communication systems." Winter started, looking at Aurelius.

"All soldiers are currently ready to deploy to defend the perimeter at a moment's notice and we've isolated the virus in the Aurora's computer to a series of dummy files. Hopefully they won't notice. Do you have everything in place on your end, Aurelius?" Ironwood asked.

The Blue hummed. "Loki has already learned to replicate Penny's fighting style and Artemis' units are already deployed throughout the city with orders to begin hunting the White Fang at the first sign that something's gone wrong. No matter where they come from, we're going to have the first strike on them."

Winter glanced at Ironwood. "General, there was something I was curious about…"

Ironwood glanced at her. "Go on, Schnee."

"You said that Penny was created using the machine that you plan to use to transfer the Maiden's powers to Pyrrha Nikos, correct?" Ironwood nodded before Winter continued. "Would it be possible to create another android to repeat the process, transferring Amber's soul into it before she dies and letting Aurelius extract her power when it becomes possible?" Aurelius looked at her in surprise for a moment as Ironwood spoke up.

"Potentially, but we don't have the time to build such an android, transport it from Atlas, and prepare it for the transfer." Aurelius let out a sigh, slamming his head against the window. "Is something wrong, Aurelius?"

"I just remembered I have something that might be able to serve the same purpose. An Avatar, type construct meant to have a soul implanted into it. Normally it requires the person to be dead, but it's possible it could contain Amber's soul long enough for me to activate it."

Ozpin spoke up. "I get the feeling that there's an issue with this solution."

Aurelius let out a sigh. "I… don't know exactly where it is." Winter looked at him in dismay.

"How can you lose a machine that takes you months to create so casually? You make it sound as though it's a unique design!" she said, causing him to sigh.

"I didn't consider the possibility of using the Avatar and it's been 2000 years since I made it. I brought more than you could believe with me from Draconys, the fact I haven't misplaced anything else is a miracle."

Ironwood sighed. "So, what now? Do we just wait?"

"It would appear so, general," Aurelius said. "Our enemies might be the ones who make the first move, but the board is rigged in our favor now. We wait, but I don't think we'll be waiting for long…"

Next chapter is Pyrrha vs Penny. I hope everyone's looking forward to it.

Poor Weiss can't catch a break I'm afraid…

Yang's joke about Blake asking her out on a date is actually the result of me writing that part out, realizing it sounded like she was asking Yang out, then spending about a half hour trying to decide if there was a way to make it sound like less of a date, then finally giving up and just letting it happen naturally.

I wasn't sure about having the "Do you believe in destiny" line in this, but it felt like it was too important a part of the scene to be left out, so I tried to simply work around it in a way that felt natural. In this story, Pyrrha's hesitance is because she's not sure how to handle any of it, is slightly struggling with the idea that a destiny is potentially being thrust on her, even if it's one she wanted, and latching onto the comment about how agreeing to the transfer could lead to her losing a part of herself without the context around it. In this case, Jaune's normally clueless nature causes her to slow down, attempt to rationalize her reaction, and realize that it wouldn't change much about her, if anything. The kiss was mostly because I felt like the new scene would probably warrant it.