Let me tell you one thing.

It's getting nearer to chapter 1.

Pa-treon: The Tanker, FB page: IBurn 'Tank' RWBY Fanfic Author.

I do not own RWBY.

#

Chapter 22: A Precious Gem

"Hello? Qrow?"

"Yes Roman?"

"I need your help with something."

"What is it?"

"I need you and the Huntsmen Union's help."

"With what?"

"I…I've found my stepdaughter, and we think we can locate the White Fang."

#

Another two years passed.

Weiss Schnee was pulling the soft curtain apart, letting the dim moonlight shone through the window.

"Congratulation on turning eighteen today, Ruby." The heiress smiled as she sat beside her best friend.

Blake and Yang never visited Ruby; even if they did, they picked different times and were clearly avoiding Weiss. She made sure to visit Ruby whenever she was free to keep the girl accompanied.

"You know, you look better with long hair." Weiss smiled as she held Ruby's hand.

Ever since the winter two years ago, Qrow and Summer had been really busy with something. They didn't tell Weiss much about it, but it had something to do with the Huntsmen Union and it involved a huge operation.

They told Weiss to be with Ruby on their behalf if they couldn't make it on her eighteenth birthday.

Whatever that operation was, it sure was important.

Schnee Dust Company had wonderful performance over the past few years so Weiss had taken the chance to withdraw herself for a week or so from work.

Plus, it was Ruby's birthday.

"I don't know what to get for you as your present." The heiress took a polished Crescent Rose and expanded it to its scythe form, then leaned it against the bed, "I got your baby nice and clean. And I wrote a song for you so…happy birthday, Ruby."

Weiss cleared her throat a little before singing the song that she had been composing for over a month.

Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

Wake me up, when September ends.

Like my father's come to pass

Seven years has gone so fast

Wake me up, when September ends.

Weiss couldn't continue anymore as tears starting to drip.

"Please wake up…wake up Ruby…"

She grabbed Ruby's hand tightly as she sobbed.

Oh, how she wished the black and the yellow were here too – but if they were here, could Weiss face them?

She remembered how she slapped Yang when the latter attempted to touch her; that hurt on her face was so…heartbreaking.

She also remembered how she chose to ran, abandoning Blake alone in Signal. She knew the girl could handle it; she had Team JNPR by her side.

But that was a stupid excuse to justify her shameless action.

Ever since she came to Atlas, she had been burying herself in work. She even abandoned her studies; she just learned under her father as the CEO of the company and kept on accepting more work to keep herself busy.

She couldn't face her friends – she couldn't face the two that loved her unconditionally.

She could've searched for them.

But she didn't.

She was a coward.

"I can still remember…when we're still together as Team RWBY." Weiss smiled faintly, "I miss the time."

Adventures, hide and seek, summer festival and firework – she couldn't possibly forget those happiest moments in her life.

"Please wake up, Ruby…only you can fix us…only you can bring back Team RWBY…you brought us together, and when you're gone, we were separated…only you can once again reunite us…"

Weiss rose and planted a kiss on Ruby's cheek.

"You're the most precious gem ever, you know that?"

#

Weiss never fell in love with anyone ever since she inherited the company.

She didn't know if it was because of Blake and Yang.

There was a period where the heir of the Vasilias family showed love interest in her and strangely, although she kind of liked him before, she didn't feel anything for him when he confessed to her.

When Neptune Vasilias told her that he wished to go out with her, she didn't accept it; because when she heard the words 'I like you', Blake and Yang came to her mind instead of the man in front of her.

And she always questioned herself if she loved the both of them.

Even if she really did…was it Blake or Yang?

She couldn't tell.

She was confused.

After seven sleepless nights, she still didn't come up with a conclusion.

Yang was warm and gentle, but Blake was sassy and seducing.

Do I like them in a romantic way in the first place?

No…after so long, they must've forgotten about me.

Even if they don't…even if I love them…do I really have the right to even call them friends after what I've done?

Will they ever forgive me?

So, after the seventh night, Weiss decided to once again use her work as an excuse.

"We will be expanding into the fashion market this week. We're gonna get real busy soon, so I want the related documents on my table by Wednesday. Dismiss."

#

"Blake."

The Faunus flinched as she quickly turned around, only to saw a pair of mesmerizing lilac orbs.

"Yang?"

"Finally found you."

"No, leave me alo-"

"No. Blake, you listen. You listen good." Yang grabbed her friend's shoulder tightly, but loose enough to not hurt her, "The things you told me in Secret Base two years ago…they don't matter anymore, okay? You left the White Fang, so you're not a criminal. You took my advantage when I left, but that wasn't your fault. Let's leave the past in the past and keep moving forward, Blake."

"Yang-"

"I haven't finished yet."

The preparation for the biggest operation in the history of Remnant took as long as two years to be done. After Roman contacted Qrow, the Huntsmen Union stepped in and hatched an ultimate plan together.

They assigned different role to everyone involved in the operation to take down the White Fang.

Qrow was appointed as the director of this operation and everything went pretty well under his control; at the same time, the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin had offered to help with pushing Faunus rights through legal ways. This was to prevent the White Fang from recruiting more members, so that things would be easier.

Yang and Roman were also in the operation and they played important roles; both of them and Summer Rose were assigned as scouts to collect intel on the White Fang's latest activities while five other huntsmen were spying on their base camp.

The other huntsmen involved were to keep an eye on any abnormality among the four kingdoms, and another team acted as the backup for emergency, camping in the huge abandoned warehouse they used as a base.

They kept on observing the White Fang, trying to figure out a right time as well as strategy to wipe them out at once. If they just attacked their base, they wouldn't know if there was any other activity being carried on, so they had to catch the leader to crush the whole organization. And since Adam Taurus was always on the move, they had to lure him out, or ambush him during his assault on the SDC.

This operation wasn't allowed to fail.

Qrow and Summer had to sacrifice their valuable time with their precious daughter for the sake of Remnant; even other huntsmen who had families had to dedicate their time towards this operation.

And no one ever complained about it.

They knew that ultimately, it was to save the people they love.

With the White Fang's violence and reckless behaviors, it was just a matter of time before an actual war happened.

"It took us two years to finally get everything ready. We'll fight together, Blake. We'll crush the White Fang." Yang smiled, "It's to protect us. To protect…Weiss."

Blake's eyes widened.

"You know if Adam Taurus wasn't being put into jail or killed, he would eventually harm Weiss, right?"

The Faunus looked away from her friend, nodding slightly.

"I told you I would beat Adam's ass two years ago. But I couldn't." Yang continued, "I was too weak. But now I have friends helping me. Roman, Qrow, Summer and the Huntsmen Union were in this together."

One of the reasons the operation took so long to be ready was because they lacked intel.

It was difficult to figure out stuff going on with the White Fang, and they didn't want any sacrifice to be made so they didn't put a spy into the organization. What they needed was a former member – in other word, Blake.

Yang told Qrow about Blake joining the White Fang, and the man ensured her that since Blake had left on her own will, that meant she wasn't part of them anymore, so she didn't have to be punished by the law.

However, Blake was really hard to be located, especially when she didn't want to be found.

Without her help, they could only rely on wires and bugs and endless observations.

"Join us, Blake. You know how the White Fang works."

The Faunus hesitated.

"We've got solid intel." Yang released her grip and pulled out her scroll, fingers skillfully swiping through the screen.

Shortly after, Weiss' photo popped out.

"SDC decided to invade the fashion market." Yang said, "They've officially bought some brands and there will be a fashion show held in Vacuo."

"Vacuo?"

"I know, it's strange, considering it's basically a desert there." Yang shrugged, "I heard SDC wanted to take this chance to build shelters for the people outside the city there and supply them with foods and stuffs."

Blake nodded, encouraging Yang to continue.

"Since they announced this over the media, White Fang also knew about it. From what we got, they plan to assassinate Weiss when she was on her way there."

The Faunus frowned.

There was only one way to get to Vacuo – train.

Airships weren't allowed there by the government as they would blow up the sand and cause a mess. Cars were allowed inside the city, but there wasn't any road being built connecting it to Atlas. So, the only option left was the train. There were a few rails that connected Vacuo to the other kingdoms so Weiss had no choice but to rely on it.

Unless if she planned to walk on her feet.

"Train assassination." Blake mumbled, "Classic White Fang. It must be Adam's idea."

Blake didn't state the reason, but she knew why.

She left Adam on an SDC train and clearly the man thought it was because she still loved Weiss. This assassination plan had a double meaning behind it.

"Blake…I was lost. We all were." Yang's eyes shone with determination, "Because we…didn't communicate well. We need to find a time and…talk properly. All of us. Weiss, you, me and…Rubes."

Amber stared into lilacs for a moment – and Blake nodded.

"I've always been on the run…it's time…it's time I face it."

"Yes. You've got me. You've got us supporting you this time. You don't have to be afraid of Adam anymore, Blake. We'll take him out together, then we'll sit down and have a nice talk."

"Right." Blake nodded, "Thank you, Yang."

The blonde smiled and spread her arms.

"A hug, kitten?"

Blake hesitated, but took the offer and hugged her friend.

"It was good to see you."

"Me too."

#

Although Blake was intentionally avoiding her old friends, she did keep in touch with Ren and Nora. At first she thought they hated her, but Nora was so happy to see her she leaped straight into her arms and cried for nearly an hour.

When Blake told the two that she was going to join in the operation to take out the White Fang, the two had offered to help her.

They were huntsmen too and they were the honor graduates of Beacon Academy. Professor Ozpin was totally cool with them to be involved in this dangerous operation too.

"Alright, we've organized everything. I've sent them to your scrolls and I want you all to stick to the protocols no matter what." Qrow said, eyeing every member in the base, "And only use our inner network. If White Fang's got ally, it's likely that they are capable of hacking."

"Aye Qrow." All the members said in unison.

"Good. Now we just have to talk to Weiss Schnee to arrange everything. I only want the core members to stay, others please return to your positions."

Soon, only Summer, Roman, Yang, Blake, Nora and Ren were left.

"Okay, so…" The man looked at Yang.

"No Qrow. I…I'm not quite ready yet…" The blonde squirmed.

"She's right…if…Weiss saw us…the three of us might be affected and not be able to…fully concentrate in a fight." Blake stood up for her friend.

"She's not wrong." Roman shrugged, "Want me to do the talking?"

Qrow scratched his head, then paused for a moment before nodding.

"Take Nora and Ren with you."

"Okay."

"Just…don't mention about Blake and Yang…okay?"

"We understand." Nora said.

#

The talk with Weiss went pretty well.

Presently they were on the train to Vacuo; however they weren't on the real train.

"Remember guys, our priority is to get Adam Taurus, dead or alive." Qrow gave them the last reminder before the real train started to move, "We can force the lieutenant or his men to talk about the White Fang's activities, but Adam is an SSS level criminal. Do not hesitate to slash his throat if he fights back."

All the huntsmen nodded.

This operation basically was set like this:

The SDC would announce their departing time as thirteen hundred in the afternoon, and a train carrying the backup team of this operation with Summer and Roman leading would be moved to fool the White Fang into attacking it.

If they thought Weiss was in that train and started their assassination, they would be falling right into the trap.

The real train that Weiss would be boarding was the train that would depart at fourteen hundred. Qrow thought Adam would be smart enough to figure it out, so he left the more powerful huntsmen on the real train to protect Weiss.

Blake and Yang were assigned to dress as Atlas soldiers to patrol on the roof (so that Weiss wouldn't recognize them and also to fool the White Fang) along with other huntsmen; Qrow, Ren and Nora would stay with Weiss just in case.

If Adam Taurus appeared, Ren and Nora would have to bring Weiss into a secret room hidden near where the clothes for the fashion show were stored, and Qrow would assist in taking the bull Faunus down.

It was presently an hour after the real train departed.

Qrow got a call from Summer saying that the first train was attacked and it took them very long to capture all of the assailants. She called him right after the last man was captured.

After a while, he hung up the scroll and sighed.

"Adam Taurus didn't show up in the first train."

"You mean…?" Weiss frowned.

"Yes Ice Queen. It means you're in danger."

Now Weiss wasn't a bad fighter – she was excellent and her skill could easily rival Ren's – or even Nora's.

But if she died, then it would be really hard to locate the White Fang again, so they did their best to keep the heiress alive.

Qrow then told all of the huntsmen in this train to be prepared for the most fearsome Faunus in the White Fang.

#

"How-"

"I know, my dear. I can recognize you no matter how hard you try to disguise yourself." Adam smiled gently at his ex girlfriend.

Right after Qrow had spread out the word, the train was attacked by the most skilled fighters from the White Fang – the leader included.

The other huntsmen were busy battling Adam's subordinates while Blake and Yang were facing the man on their own before Qrow arrived.

"Hey."

Yang's body was bursting with flame as she glared at the man who had hurt her best friend, and planned to hurt her crush.

Adam tilted his head.

"Who are you?"

"You abused my friend." The blonde took off the helmet, "And you'll pay for it."

"Think you can take me, blondie?"

Yang charged at him without giving him time to react; however the man was faster as he parried Yang's punch perfectly.

Blake followed her friend after recovering from the shock. She made use of her clones as she slashed repeatedly at the man.

Adam's right hand was blocking Yang's attacks with Blush and his left was blocking Blake's with Wilt.

They had studied about Adam's semblance beforehand.

They knew if the man wasn't able to absorb energy, he couldn't send it back either, so they refrained from using range attack. Adam also needed time to charge if he wanted to use his semblance, so the bumblebees kept on attacking him, keeping his hands busy.

Qrow then arrived and it became a three versus one fight.

#

"Finally…I get to kill a Schnee…" The White Fang Lieutenant kicked an injured Nora to a side as he dragged his chainsaw towards the heiress.

Weiss withdrew her rapier, getting prepared to fight the man.

Ren was injured too and he was lying beside Nora, both couldn't move at all.

The man charged towards Weiss as she tumbled away, then used a glyph to push herself like a bullet to stab the man.

Myrtenaster clashed with chainsaw and after a few sparks were ignited, they separated, both flying backwards. The lieutenant didn't give Weiss time to react after she was knocked back; he attacked the heiress with the activated chainsaw.

Weiss did a beautiful back flip to evade the attack, but was soon sent flying to the roof by a powerful punch.

#

"Ah!"

They recognized this voice.

A white object landed not far from them as a hole was blasted on the train cart.

"Weiss!" Blake and Yang shouted.

Qrow quickly dashed to fight the lieutenant as the heiress was unable to defend herself; she fainted.

They saw blood coming out from her face, but couldn't get to her because Adam was keeping them busy.

Blake's aura was completely depleted and she tried her best to use only ordinary attacks to distract the man.

"So that's the woman you love." Adam said; he was injured by Qrow but he could still fight two people at once and that had shown how powerful he was.

"No!" Blake shouted as the man dashed towards the unconscious heiress after pushing both girls out of the way.

Qrow was still dealing with the stubborn lieutenant and he didn't notice the incoming bull Faunus.

The train took a turn at that exact moment, heading up a mountainside, just like the place where Blake left Adam.

Except the fact that it wasn't red like Forever Fall; it was plain brown, covered by sand.

And that turn slowed Adam for a second as Yang fired Ember Celica, utilizing the recoil to launch herself towards the man, trying to stop him from hurting Weiss.

"Get away from her!"

"Shut up!" Adam halted, turned around and withdrew his sword.

"No!" Blake shouted as she tried to save Yang-

-But it was too late.

Adam's sword released a huge amount of energy, hitting Yang hard and sending the girl flying backwards.

"Yang!"

The man then turned towards the heiress, getting ready to stab her.

Qrow tried to stop him, but was interrupted by chainsaw.

And at this very moment, Blake made a decision.

Unable to use her semblance anymore she launched herself towards Adam, hugging the man tight. He didn't expect this and was startled – and Blake took this chance to kick the train hard.

"Blake!" Qrow shouted as both Faunus fell from the train.

#

"There's still no news of her yet?"

Qrow shook his head.

"Damn…" Yang cursed.

"Take a rest, firecracker." The man smiled, "White Fang's completely been wiped out now. Oz made a new peaceful organization named the Grey Fang to enforce Faunus right. Everything's good now."

"But Blake is still missing."

They never found both Adam and Blake at the leg of the mountain ever since they fell. The lieutenant was captured and he spilled everything about the White Fang; all their bases and activities – even the list of all the members.

Within a month, the terrorists of the organization were all captured.

Remnant had once again experienced a time of peace.

And most importantly, Schnee Dust Company was finally free from attacks.

Weiss was only injured lightly, thankfully, unlike Yang who got her right arm and leg cut off by Adam.

The Huntsmen Union had Yang gone through a surgery to attach robotic limbs as a token of appreciation. She contributed a lot and she deserved this; all the huntsmen that were in the operation had agreed on donating to the blonde.

However, Yang wasn't happy at all.

She was still recovering from the massive injury she sustained; she needed to be hospitalized for at least a year.

The only body parts she could move were her head and robotic limbs. Any places other than those were basically covered in bandage.

And the worst thing was, Blake was missing.

They didn't find any of her remains, which was a good thing, but they didn't know where she went either.

It wasn't even sure if she was still alive.

Yang purposely requested to be hospitalized far from where Ruby was at – she didn't want Weiss to see her in this state. Of course, the heiress was told that there were injured huntsmen, but they never let her know about Blake and Yang.

#

Another year passed when Yang was fully recovered – she however needed to go through a series of rehab before the doctor could release her.

There was still no news of Blake.

#

It was summer when Yang was finally being discharged from the hospital – she spent half a year trying to get her limbs to move before being released.

She was officially twenty two now.

And Blake was still missing.

She didn't know if she should fulfill what she had promised the Faunus – to see Weiss together as a team or to see Weiss on her own first.

If she was to find Blake before finally meeting Weiss, then she would need a very long time. Plus, Blake could possibly be dead.

"Argh, what am I thinking." She shook her head, "Blake must be alive. She's just…hurt and can't contact us. She must be."

And Weiss must be hurting too.

The blonde knew Weiss was in pain and she knew despite not making an effort to find them, the heiress wanted to see them. She was just scared – like how Yang was.

It was time they cleared things up.

But without Blake…would it be unfair?

After a long night of debate, Yang had decided to head to Secret Base to cool herself down and think this through. It was her real home anyway.

So she hopped on Bumblebee, drove all the way there from Atlas and sat on the huge rock beside the lake.

A voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she flinched.

"Yang?"

She quickly jumped down from the rock as she posed a battle stance, glaring at the intruder.

"Weiss?"

Her crimson eyes faded back to lilac as she transformed her gauntlets back to its bracelet form.

"You've…grown up."

"It's been nine years Weiss."

"Why…are you here?"

Why? It was because she didn't know if she should see Weiss. It was because if she did see Weiss, she wouldn't know how to break the news to her – how to tell her that Blake was missing and she didn't even know if the Faunus was alive or not.

"I didn't expect you to come here at this time." She half lied with a flat tone.

"Me neither." Weiss' expression softened.

"It's been a while, princess." She smiled; her eyes however didn't because of Blake, "It's nice to see you again."

#

Finally eh. After 22 chapters of waiting, we're finally back to chapter 1.

The title of this chapter not only reflects to Ruby, but also Blake. I think there's a type of gems that is a shiny black color? Think it's named obsidian or something like that.

Also, the song that Weiss was singing was 'Wake me up when September ends' by Greenday. I found this song and the lyrics 'seven years' suit this so I used this song. Ruby's been in coma for seven years coincidentally.

I didn't tell about Yang's feelings after learning the truth about Taiyang. I'll just leave that to your imagination. Roman, Melanie, Miltiades and Junior were there with her so I figured she would be comforted by them.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Let me know what your opinion is in the review section or you can direct PM me.

I do not own RWBY.