Chapter 7: Shadow and Light
Waiting was not something that Yang was very good at. It was just so boring. She absolutely hated it. In retrospect, it would've been a good idea to get more specific information out of the wolf-fauns about the White Fang's big, secret meeting. "Tomorrow" covered a lot of hours, and Waren Street turned out to be several miles long. Fortunately, all of its warehouses were in one spot.
Today was the day the meeting was supposed to happen. Yang, Weiss, and Ruby were currently holed up on a rooftop that offered a good view of all of Waren Street's warehouses. They'd arrived there just before noon at Weiss's insistence, despite the fact that Yang and Ruby had argued that the White Fang weren't very likely to show up until after dark.
A freezing wind was blowing, and there wasn't much shelter on the roof. Weiss was bundled up from head to toe in a thick winter coat and other cold weather accouterments. Somehow she still managed to look fashionable.
Ruby was in the same outfit she'd worn yesterday with the addition of a red coat that Weiss had given her. Weiss had claimed that the coat was just something that had been taking up space in her wardrobe. Yang had very sarcastically agreed that it was completely believable that Weiss had just so happened to have a coat in Ruby's size and color conveniently lying around.
Yang was back in her usual tan jacket, yellow crop top, and black short shorts. She'd taken advantage of Weiss's personal tailor—Yang wasn't sure why she'd been surprised that Weiss had one—to have the right sleeve of her jacket lengthened. It and her leather glove kept her artificial arm completely covered.
The sun was finally starting to set, and there was still no sign of the White Fang. Yang was going out of her mind just sitting still. She drummed her finger impatiently. She would've been even more annoyed, but she was pleasantly surprised to discover that she'd mastered her cybernetic hand enough to drum her fingers.
"We really didn't need to show up so early," Yang complained.
"There was no way for us to know that," Weiss said. "This meeting is our best chance to catch the White Fang. We couldn't afford to miss it."
"Weren't you supposed to be in school today?" Yang asked, mostly to mess with Weiss. "What about your new team? Don't they need their leader?"
"This is more important," Weiss said. "And I already contacted Hazelle. She was more than happy to take over for me."
A series of musical beeps came from where Ruby was sitting cross-legged.
"Ruby Rose!" Weiss said. "Are you playing a game on your new scroll?"
"But I'm bored, Weiss!" Ruby whined. "And Yang's right, nothing's happening."
"We're supposed to be on the lookout for the White Fang," Weiss scolded. "How can we do that when you're goofing off?"
Yang said, "You're the one who bought that scroll for her."
"Yes, and I'm starting to regret that decision," Weiss said.
"You know," Yang said. "If you keep showering my sister with gifts, people are going to get the wrong idea."
"I am not showering her with gifts," Weiss said defensively.
"Uh-huh," Yang said. "The jacket, the scroll…."
"I'm being practical," Weiss insisted. "It's cold up here, and not all of us can dress like it's summertime."
Yang smirked at the jealousy in Weiss's voice. She asked, "And what about the scroll?"
"We need a way to stay in communication with each other in case we get separated," Weiss said.
"Right," Yang said. "That's why you bought her the most expensive scroll you could find."
"There is nothing wrong with having nice things," Weiss said.
Ruby chimed in, "Ah, Yang's just mad that my scroll's cooler than hers now."
Yang stuck out her tongue at Ruby. Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Hey," Ruby said. "What did you mean that people will get the wrong idea, Yang? The wrong idea about what?"
"That's…that's not important!" Weiss said a little too quickly.
Yang laughed at the blush coloring Weiss's cheeks. She said, "Well you see, Sis—"
Weiss threw her hand over Yang's mouth. She said, "All of this is distracting us! We should be watching for the White Fang."
"Ah, fine," Ruby said. She closed her scroll and put it away.
The trio waited another few hours. The sun slipped below the horizon. Street lights flickered to life, and the broken moon began its nightly journey across the sky.
Yang was getting ready to declare the whole day wasted when Ruby shouted, "I see them!"
"Shh! They'll hear you," Weiss said.
Ruby clamped her hands over her mouth. "Oops, sorry."
Yang peered into the distance. "I don't see anything," she said.
"Right there." Ruby pointed.
"I see them too," Weiss said.
Yang squinted her eyes and looked closely where Ruby had pointed. She could just barely make out figures moving in the darkness. More of them kept appearing, one or two at a time. They were all converging on a warehouse.
"It's the White Fang alright," Ruby said.
"They're even in uniform," Weiss said. "Unbelievable."
The slow procession of White Fang kept going for quite a while. Yang was surprised by how many of them there were. It was hard to get an exact count, but whatever was going on, it was obviously not a small operation.
Eventually, the trickle of White Fang stopped. Four of them appeared back outside and climbed up to the roof of the warehouse.
"Sentries," Weiss said. "We should get out of sight before they see us."
"Right!" Ruby said, "Let's get a closer look while we're at it."
Ruby leapt from the roof and landed on the ground below. Weiss and Yang followed her. They all quickly ran until they were peeking around the corner of the building nearest the warehouse. There were guards standing at the warehouse's entrance. They weren't in uniform, probably so they didn't advertise the fact that the White Fang were there.
"Alright. Let's bust some heads," Yang said, activating her gauntlet.
"Wait, Yang!" Weiss hissed. "We can't just charge in there."
"I really don't need another lecture from you about being reckless," Yang said.
"That isn't what this is about," Weiss said. "We're here to discover what the White Fang are up to."
"Weiss is right," Ruby said. "We need to be sneaky and figure out if they're working for Cinder."
"Alright. So what's the plan?" Yang asked, crossing her arms. She'd been really eager to get some more payback on the White Fang, but unfortunately, Ruby was right.
"I saw a skylight on the roof," Ruby said. "We can probably listen in from there."
"What about the sentries up there?" Weiss asked.
Ruby looked up at the roof of the building they were hiding behind. It was a good twenty or thirty feet up. A smirk crossed Ruby's lips. She said, "I can handle them. Yang, can you get me up there?"
"No problem," Yang said. She held out her arm.
Ruby leapt onto Yang's arm. Yang spun around and tossed Ruby straight up in the air like she weighed nothing. Ruby landed on the roof above. She pulled out Crescent Rose, jumped over the gap to the warehouse, and vanished in a poof of rose petals.
A few muffled sounds drifted down from above to where Yang and Weiss waited. One of the guards on the ground glanced up for a second, but he didn't seem to realize that his compatriots were under attack.
Less than a minute later Ruby peeked back out from the edge of the warehouse's roof and waved to Yang and Weiss.
"Need a boost?" Yang asked Weiss.
"I'm fine, thank you," Weiss said. A series of white glyphs suddenly appeared in the air. Weiss jumped from one to another and landed on the roof above. Then, with the assistance of another glyph, she crossed over to the warehouse.
Yang stepped back and took a running start. She jumped as high as she could without using Ember Celica and managed to catch the ledge of the roof. She pulled herself up, sprinted in the direction of the warehouse, and sent herself sailing through the air. She landed next to Ruby and Weiss on top of the warehouse and tucked into a roll to bleed off her momentum.
"Over there," Ruby whispered. She led Yang and Weiss past the knocked out sentries to the skylight.
Yang pried the skylight open an inch so that they could all hear what was happening inside the warehouse. Below there were at least four or five dozen White Fang milling about. They all seemed to be waiting for something. Apparently, the meeting hadn't started yet.
Yang noted that there was no sign of the monster with the sword. She was ashamed at how much relief she felt. She shouldn't be afraid of him; she should be itching for some revenge.
"Isn't that the guy you fought on the train, Weiss?" Ruby asked, pointing.
Yang and Weiss followed Ruby's finger. At the front of the room a makeshift stage had been put together. An extremely tall man was leaning against the wall at the back of the stage. He was not wearing a hood, but he had a custom grimm mask that covered his entire face.
"Yes, he's a lieutenant of some capacity," Weiss said. "Be careful if you have to fight him. He's extremely dangerous."
Yang kept searching the room below her, hoping and fearing that the monster would show himself. Then she saw something that made her eyes go red.
There was a faunus standing at the back of the group. He was in uniform and completely indistinguishable from the rest, save for the yellow bracelet around his wrist. It was the missing half of Ember Celica.
Yang's lips curled into a sneer. That bracelet was hers! The blasted thief had probably found it during the battle at Beacon and taken it off of her severed arm like some kind of sick prize. The thought of it sent Yang boiling over with rage.
Without a second thought, Yang opened the skylight wider. She was going to take back what belonged to her. She barely even heard Ruby's and Weiss's alarmed whispers behind her as she dropped into the warehouse below.
Yang landed silently behind the thief. It was very unfortunate for him that he was standing at the back. All Yang had to do was grab him by the throat and squeeze until he passed out. He deserved so much worse. Yang thought about giving him what he really had coming, but she wasn't quite enraged enough to risk alerting his comrades.
Yang crept up very slowly. Her heart was thumping in anticipation. Her fingers itched to feel the thief squirming helplessly in her grasp. She slowly raised her hands. They inched closer and closer to the thief's neck.
Just as Yang was about to pounce, the thief somehow sensed her impending attack. Lighting fast, he spun, drew a sword, and struck. On reflex, Yang brought her gauntlet up and blocked just in time.
The clang of metal on metal reverberated loudly off the walls of the warehouse. Everything went perfectly still. Time seemed to pause.
The thief wasn't wearing a mask, and she wasn't a man like Yang had assumed. Yang found herself looking into amber eyes that were caught somewhere between surprise, fear, and regret. She found herself face-to-face with Blake.
Yang felt weak in the knees. The world seemed to spin around her. "Blake?" Yang said, completely stupefied.
"Blake!?" a booming voice shouted. Yang snapped out of her stupor and saw that every single White Fang in the warehouse was looking directly at her and Blake.
"That's the traitor!" The lieutenant shouted in the same booming voice. "Get her! Adam has plans for her! Kill the human!"
Yang brought her fists up. She had to admit that fifty plus White Fang were a bit much for her to take on by herself, but she knew she had backup.
Right on cue, Ruby and Weiss dropped down from the skylight. Even before they landed, shots from Crescent Rose and Dust-powered blasts from Myrtenaster ripped into the massed White Fang.
Ruby and Weiss landed side-by-side with Yang.
"Let's do this!" Yang shouted.
The White Fang crashed down on Team RWBY like waves on a beach. Yang fought with all her might. There was no shortage of targets. Every step she took another White Fang met her fist. Ruby whirled her scythe around so fast it was like a tornado of deadly steel. Weiss was burning through so much Dust it was a wonder she hadn't depleted her supply already.
Yang tried to keep an eye on Blake, but it was futile. Blake had already vanished into the horde of faunus who were all dressed the same as her.
"There's too many!" Weiss shouted. "We need to retreat!"
"Right!" Ruby said. "Freezerburn!"
Team RWBY had spent so much time practicing their team moves that everything happened on instinct. Yang leapt into the air. Weiss coated the ground with ice. Then Yang landed fist first and fired a shot.
A plume of obscuring mist filled the inside of the warehouse. Weiss, Yang, and Ruby ran for the exit. They got outside just in time to see Blake delivering a knockout blow to the last of the guards who had been stationed at the entrance. At some point, Blake's hood had been knocked off her head. She was still wearing her bow beneath it.
Yang and Blake locked eyes. Without a single word between them Yang understood that Blake was about to run. If Yang had been angry at the thief who'd stolen her gauntlet, it paled in comparison to the pure, unadulterated rage she felt toward her old partner who was about to flee without a word of explanation.
"Don't," Yang said in a dangerous tone. She knew it wouldn't do any good.
Blake took off in a dead sprint.
Yang was about to follow when a strange, tingling sensation washed up and over her. She looked down and saw Weiss's time dilation glyph at her feet.
"Catch her," Weiss said.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted, holding out her hand.
Ruby understood what Yang was asking. She took Yang's hand and used her semblance to propel them both after Blake at superhuman speeds.
Just before Ruby's speed ran out, she jumped up, put her feet on Yang's back, and fired off a shot behind them with Crescent Rose to give Yang one last boot. Yang flew through the air and hit the ground running. She chased after Blake like her life depended on it. The buildings around her whizzed by in a blur.
Blake took a sharp left turn and then ran straight up the side of a wall. Yang followed. Normally running up a vertical surface wasn't something she could quite pull off, but Weiss's glyph made it easy.
Blake bounded from rooftop to rooftop with Yang in hot pursuit. Yang started to lose ground; the effects of Weiss's glyph were rapidly fading. Blake started pulling away from Yang until Yang's own semblance, fueled by pure emotion, kicked in.
Blake glanced over her shoulder and saw Yang gaining on her. Fear flooded Blake's face. She looked like Cinder herself was at her heels. She tried to run faster, but it wasn't fast enough. Yang got closer and closer.
When the next gap between rooftops came, Blake summoned a clone. One Blake made the jump to the next rooftop; the other dropped down to the alley below.
Yang knew how Blake thought. She knew the real Blake was most likely the one who'd jumped down out of sight. But then again, she knew that Blake would know that she knew that. Yang trusted her hunch and jumped to the next roof. When the Blake that she was chasing didn't disappear, she knew she'd made the right choice.
Yang was tantalizingly close to Blake now. She just needed to move a little faster. Just then, Blake summoned another clone. She and her clone turned in opposite directions from one another.
Yang knew this was it. Either she would catch Blake right now or she wouldn't. She leapt after the Blake that had turned right and fired a blast from her gauntlet to propel herself even faster. She collided with Blake, who remained solid, and the two of them tumbled across the rooftop in a tangle of limbs.
Yang and Blake landed in a heap together. Blake rolled away and scrambled to her feet. She split from another clone, but Yang lunged with all her might and just managed to snag the real Blake's ankle.
Blake fell to the roof face-first. She rolled over, but Yang pounced on top of her and pinned her down with her weight. Blake raised her hands to shield herself.
Yang sat there, breathing heavily from exertion. Her face was flush, her eyes were blazing red, and her hair glowed with the brilliance of a sun. She looked like a demon come to burn Remnant to ash.
A full minute past. Yang didn't move. She didn't know what to do. Blake was there, right beneath her and she didn't know what to do. Disparate emotions fought each other inside of Yang until she thought she was going to burst open. Her cybernetic hand clenched into a fist. She slowly brought it up until it was in position to strike.
Blake looked fearful at first. Then resignation crossed her face. Her shoulders relaxed and her arms fell limply to her sides.
Yang was absolutely bewildered. Blake was just going to sit there and take it. She wasn't going to defend herself at all. It just pissed Yang off all the more. She cocked her fist back, really ready to throw a punch this time. But there Blake was, vulnerable.
Yang's vision went blurry as tears welled in her eyes. Her fist slowly lowered. The glow of her hair subsided. There Blake was.
Yang couldn't hold back anymore. She collapsed on top of Blake, a sobbing mess. "Why did you run away?" she demanded. Her question was barely coherent through her crying.
"I'm sorry," Blake said softly. "I'm so sorry."
Author's Note: I promised you guys Blake, and there she is. Strap yourselves in. Things are going to get emotional around here. Actually, I guess they already have. Never mind!
I'm amused that it took Weiss plus Ruby plus some luck for Yang to catch Blake. She's slippery like that.
Constructive criticism is always welcome so please feel free to review or comment. If you want to be notified of updates or send me a message, you can find me on tumblr under the name electronicyarn.