Feedback is always appreciated! Thank you for reading ;)
For years, Yang trained with her gauntlets. They were a part of her and she wore them without thought. The weight on her wrists was a part of her for so long, she'd grown used to it. In a way, she felt stranger without them than when they were locked and ready.
Now there was only one, the other lost somewhere in the remains of Beacon. She'd wondered a few times what might have happened to it. Perhaps that bastard Adam had taken it as some kind of trophy.
Adam…it was odd to put a name to the face she'd seen so many times in her nightmares. He was such an empty figure to her before Blake's confession. Nothing more than a White Fang henchman who'd gotten the better of her and her teammate.
How Blake had managed to kill him now was beyond her. Maybe she didn't want to know.
Before the first encounter, she'd been fighting so many Grimm just to get to Blake, when she found him her aura was low, but not gone. Not nearly depleted enough for a single strike to break through so easily.
Then again, that's who Yang was at the time. She struck without second thought and always assumed that she could take enough hits and hold out long enough that her opponent wouldn't have anything left for when she finally turned on the afterburners.
It was her own fault her life had fallen apart. She leapt in head first when her body was hurt and tried to outpunch the world.
Seeing Blake that day, the memory of her cry when that man…Adam, stuck his blade in her chest, would live with her forever. She didn't regret her actions for Blake. She didn't regret fighting for her.
She only wished she'd been able to actually save her.
"Hey," Blake's voice was timid and Yang looked back to see her holding a lone bag over her shoulder as she stood in the doorway. "You okay?"
Yang remembered she was holding her lone gauntlet. "Yeah, just contemplating whether or not I should bring it with me. I haven't fired it in years, don't even have rounds anymore." She stroked her thumb over the smooth metal plating. "It's not the same with just one."
"You could build another." Blake shuffled inside and sat her bag down.
"I've still only got the one arm." Yang said with a lighthearted tone—though Blake frowned. "Relax, I can joke about it from time to time."
Blake shook her head. "I don't like those jokes." She said and then nudged Yang with her shoulder. "Though they're still not as bad as your puns."
"My puns are legendary." Yang found herself smiling even more. "I didn't lose as much as I thought considering I'm still armed with my amazing sense of humor."
"Ugh," Blake rolled her eyes and dramatically threw her head back. "Really? An arm pun?"
"Oh come on, it was funny. If I could, I'd give it two thumbs up."
"Yang!" Even Blake let out a soft chuckle that Yang considered a mission accomplished. "Will you stop, I thought we were helping you through an emotional dilemma."
"Oh is that what this was?" She quirked a brow and watched as Blake reached out and took her gauntlet from her to examine it.
She tried not to flinch when Blake grabbed her left arm and pulled it towards her. For someone who had fought for most of her life, Blake had incredibly soft hands and Yang wondered if she was the only one who felt lie her skin was going numb at the contact.
Shifting her focus, she studied Blake's eyes as she felt the gauntlet slip over her hand and fit tightly on her wrist.
"These used to go on a little smoother."
Yang shrugged. "My left arm has put in a lot of extra work the last few years." Blake only nodded in agreement before flipping Yang's arm over to finish putting the gauntlet on. Once properly armed, she took a step back and Yang lifted her hand up to study the finished result.
It looked mostly the same as she'd always remembered. Perhaps with the added strength of this arm they felt a little lighter, but if she only focused on this one gauntlet—it felt strangely empowering to be wearing it again.
"I think you should bring it." Blake said matter-of-factly. "You never know when you might need a little firepower. Besides, I'm always getting into trouble." Blake winked at her and Yang was fairly certain her heart skipped a beat or two.
Still feisty…and I'm still weak as fuck for it.
"Thanks, Kitten."
"No," Blake growled and Yang put on her best pout.
"Aw really?"
"Absolutely not."
Yang watched Blake's ears lay down atop her head. They really were the cutest thing in all of Remnant. "You know I still have that laser pointer."
Blake's eyes narrowed. "Oh my gosh, just…finish packing!"
As Blake turned and walked out of the room, Yang couldn't help but stare as she walked away.
Not an hour into their flight, Yang felt the pain coming.
At first, she tried to ignore it—despite knowing exactly what it was. She thought she might be able to ride it out and fall asleep. They were going to be in the air for a long time and this was the absolute worst time for an attack.
She knew it wasn't real. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how hard her mind tried to tell her that this pain was there, she knew it wasn't. Yet, when she closed her eyes it was all she could feel. The muscles in her arm tried to flex, she wanted to move fingers that weren't there.
It's not real.
Over and over again she told herself, as she tried not to fidget to much. Her eyes were shut too tightly; she knew that her father was moments away from asking if she was okay. Blake would have no idea, she would only worry and fuss—which Yang didn't want. She hated being a burden and it would be even worse if it was Blake. She could handle this, she was stronger than this.
It wasn't real. This pain in her arm wasn't real because her arm wasn't there.
No, no…
"Ah," she muttered as another wave settled in and she doubled over, trying to clutch towards the sensation.
"Yang?" Her father called and she opened her eyes. It was fairly dark in their small cabin of the airship, save for the small window Blake had open to light up her book. She and her father were trying to sleep their way through the long flight, but Yang's body wouldn't allow her to rest. "Hey," he called again and she glanced up at him as Blake sat her book aside and watched them with worry. When he touched her shoulder, she jerked at the sensation and smacked her head against the chair. "Easy."
"It hurts," Yang said through gritted teeth, her eyes focusing on Blake who looked ready to unbuckle her seatbelt and cross their small cabin. "It'll pass, I just…" it struck her again and she winced.
"What's going on?" Blake asked and the worry in her voice upset Yang even more. She did not want to be a burden.
"It's phantom pain, it's bullshit. It will pass." Her breathing was erratic, not at all the calm and relaxing pattern she needed. Instead she felt her stomach start to knot because the pain was throbbing—it was all she could focus on.
"Here," her father started digging through one of his bags and eventually pulled out a small bottle of pills. Yang was so glad he'd remembered to bring them because they'd completely slipped her mind. These things didn't happen as often anymore so she rarely took the medication—now, it was all she wanted.
Chancing a look at Blake again, she saw her unlatching her belt and scooting to the edge of her seat.
"Blake, in Yang's bag can you get her shrinker sock? It's a small black sleeve."
Even though she nodded, Yang could tell that Blake was confused. "It's near the bottom—tucked away under my gauntlet."
Her dad raised an eyebrow as he handed her the medication. "You brought your gauntlet?" Instead of an answer, Yang gave her dad a hard look. He seemed to pick up on her irritation in answering the question and instead handed her the open bottle.
Yang threw back the rather large pills and winced as they slowly slid down her throat.
Before she could try and settle her breathing down, a pair of hands touched her knees. She opened her eyes to see Blake had left her seat and was kneeling in front of her. "Here," Yang could feel the fire tickling in her throat. She was furious, not at Blake—just at this entire situation and the way Blake was looking at her. Poor, pitiful and injured Yang. Nothing but a victim.
Blake handed something over to her dad who grabbed her stump and carefully put the sleeve over it. The pressure was welcoming, she let it distract her for a moment before the painful sensations returned. Her eyes shut tightly while he finished pulling the sleeve up, she opened them again to see that Blake was still in front of her.
"It's not safe to be out of your seat," Yang said with very little emphasis.
Blake grinned. "Nora once knocked me off of a bridge while we were fighting a death stalker. I'm not too worried."
Yang took a few shallow breaths and nodded. "That was a good day." Though she could see her father's curious and slightly concerned look out of the corner of her eye, he remained silent.
"We did almost die."
"Good day," Yang repeated. "We didn't die, and we formed our team."
She watched Blake glance over at her dad before continuing. "You also jumped into a Nevermore's mouth."
"You what?" He couldn't control himself any longer. "Yang, seriously?"
A stab of pain shot through her, but the look of distress on her dad's face made her smile. "It was fine—I had a plan."
He huffed. "No plan should involve jumping into a Nevermore's mouth."
"She asked it if it was hungry as she shot bullets down it's throat." Blake teased and Yang could feel Blake's hands squeeze her knees.
"You heard that?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "Everyone heard that, you were screaming."
"Dammit Yang, you're going to drive me crazy. You're just like—" He stopped himself but she knew what he was going to say. It wouldn't be the first time something she did reminded him of her mother. "So the day you were partnered up you fought a Nevermore and a Death Stalker?"
Yang didn't answer, just watched Blake nod at her father with a smile. "We did, Ruby cut its head off after her partner shot her through the air."
"I don't know whether to be proud or horrified." Despite some genuine concern, he was smiling all the same and Yang felt some ease at being able to openly talk about Beacon. The way it all ended had made it a sore subject for her, but not all of it was terrible. She met amazing people there and had wonderful memories of battles and bonding with her teammates.
Her eyes started to feel a bit heavy, the medication had kicked in and all the talk of Beacon had taken her mind off the pain. Blake was still in front of her and Yang couldn't help but smile.
"I'm so happy you don't hide your ears anymore." Yang said before she reached up and gently touched one with her index finger. "Is this okay?"
Blake's ear flicked slightly at the contact, but she nodded. "It is…just not all that used to it."
Yang pulled away, not wanting to make Blake uncomfortable. Still, in her haze she couldn't help but lose herself in those amber eyes and that light smile that touched Blake's lips. She seemed so different from their time at Beacon. Like she knew something the rest of the world didn't—she was unburdened
"Get some rest, Yang." Blake said before standing up and backing up to her seat.
A few moments later Yang drifted to sleep—her fingers still able to feel just how soft those ears were.
Yang was practically running when the ship landed. This place was bigger than she could have imagined and the security force was immense, but she was on a mission.
Ruby was here—that was the only thing her mind could process. Somewhere in this gigantic military base, Ruby was here.
The ceilings stood tall and the metal walls on every side only added to the feeling of stability this base had. That, and the hundreds of armed guards standing watch at every corner.
She continued to follow the man who'd greeted them upon landing—Blake and her father behind her. Yang wasn't sure how her Uncle Qrow had managed it, but he obviously had a little sway with this place considering the door to door service.
As they rounded the next corner, Yang stopped when a tall, slender woman in uniform stood in front of her. She was gorgeous, Yang couldn't deny that, but she had a certain…presence too her that was all too familiar.
"You must be Yang Xiao Long." The woman said and Yang felt Blake come up behind her.
"And you are?"
"Specialist Winter Schnee, I'm the one responsible for bringing you here."
"You're Weiss' big sister?" Yang said more to herself than anything else. There was no denying the resemblance in their stances and hair, the eyes as well. However, Winter was much taller and had a very powerful frame with broad shoulders and strong arms.
As skilled as Weiss had been, she never really had the most intimidating physique.
However, along with the strong frame, Winter Schnee had an even stronger glare. "I am Weiss' sister, the term 'big sister' is trite and archaic."
"Yep, you're definitely a Schnee." Yang said before Blake swatted her arm. "Oh right, you're the one who brought us here. Uh…thank you? Where's my little sister?"
Yang didn't think Winter's eyes could narrow any more than they were—she was wrong. "Ms. Rose is currently speaking with some of our strategists to determine the best course of action to slow down the creature that is currently hunting her."
"Hunting her?" Taiyang's beat Yang to the question.
"I'm afraid Ms. Rose has been on the run for quite some time. Based on what Weiss has told me, the creature after her is nearly untouchable in combat and extremely aggressive. It killed many guards in my father's home in it's pursuit of your daughter and with her being the primary target, she has been put on lockdown in this location until the threat is neutralized."
"Why is it hunting her? What does it want?" Blake asked and Yang was a heartbeat away from tearing past all of them to go find Ruby.
She felt so stupid, so so stupid for sitting on her bed and feeling sorry for herself when her sister was fighting for her life every day. Yang knew that she couldn't have done much to help her, but she could have done something. She was no help to Ruby watering plants and making pancakes.
"Those are questions we're hoping to find out."
Yang shook her head. "Ruby's not great with strangers. You have her with some interrogator she's going to be stressed."
Winter sighed. "Ms. Rose is not alone, my sister and your…uncle are both in the debriefing with her, at her request."
"So what are we supposed to do?"
Winter turned her gaze over to Yang's dad and nodded. "I am here, at Weiss'…request…to take Ms. Xiao Long to see our physicians."
Yang took a step back. "Uh…what?"
"Because, as she put it, it's time for you to stop feeling sorry for yourself." Yang knew immediately what was coming next. "She's contacted some of General Ironwood's best prosthetic and robotics professionals, they will be fitting you for a new arm."
It surprised even Yang when she took a step back. "I want to see my sister!" She shouted to keep the uneasiness out of her voice.
Winter sighed. "Ms. Xiao Long I assure you—"
"You don't assure me of anything. I don't know you, I know Weiss so don't pretend I give a damn what you say."
"Yang," her dad touched her shoulder but she shook him off and took a threatening step towards Winter.
"Where is Ruby?"
The annoyed look on Winter's face shifted to a more formal expression. "You're right, you do not know me and I gave you the benefit of the doubt but you will understand that aboard this ship, I am the one in charge. Your sister is being debriefed—"
"Interrogated!"
Winter's jaw tightened and all Yang could see was Ruby being screamed at, asked questions that she didn't want to answer. Something was hunting her—what if it had hurt her? She needed her sister, after all these years she needed her.
A few moments passed and Yang was prepared to start shouting again. However, Winter's shoulders dropped slightly and she took a step backwards. "Take them to see Ms. Rose."
"See," Yang offered a small grin. "You do know what it means to be a big sister." Winter didn't respond but Yang knew her point was made and soon enough she was following a few guards through a heavy, red door and down another long corridor in a building full of them.
"What has Ruby gotten herself into." Her dad's voice was soft, almost a whisper, but Yang peeked back over her shoulder at him.
"You had to know Ruby wasn't going to sit around and do nothing—not after everything that happened."
Blake sighed. "This does seem like something she would do. Ruby has a bit of a hero complex."
"She has a bit of a 'drive her father insane' complex."
Yang had blocked them out, they were approaching another door and Ruby was on the other side of it. Just before she burst through it, a strange feeling of nervousness washed over her.
Did she really deserve to be here? Ruby had come to her, years ago, wanting to do something—to leave and continue the fight. Yang had shunned her away that day, told her to leave her alone—and she did.
Now it had been five years since she'd seen her sister's face. Their conversations seemed so empty over their scrolls—why would it be any different face to face.
What if Ruby didn't want to see her? What if Ruby had changed? Her dad said that Qrow told him Ruby wasn't in the best place. What if she was hurt or scared?
She had probably been both many times over the last five years.
Suddenly Yang was standing outside the door where she knew Ruby was and her body wouldn't move.
"Yang?" Blake called to her and she took a deep breath. "Hey, it's just Ruby."
When Blake placed a hand on her back, Yang steadied herself and threw the door open.
The room was predictably small and uncomfortable—crowded as well. There were two soldiers sitting across with their backs to the door and a table between them and Ruby.
The same Ruby who had tears running down her face.
In one fluid motion, Yang stepped forward and grabbed one of the seated guards by the neck of his uniform and threw him to the ground. A moment later the second rose up, drawing his weapon but Yang was too fast and she grabbed his gun with her left arm and tore it from his hands. Throwing it against the wall, she put that same hand around his neck.
"Yang!" Weiss' voice broke through the chaos and Yang felt a pair of arms around her waist.
"Calm down, kid!" That was Qrow—Yang saw him move from the darker corner of the room he'd been standing in. She didn't remove her gaze from the guard, who seemed very troubled at how easily the one armed girl had disarmed him. "Last thing we need to do is piss off the armed guards."
The arms around her tightened just a bit and the rest of the world seemed to refocus. She turned her gaze to Ruby who was still seated at the table with shock in her expression and tear stains on her cheeks.
"Are you okay?" Yang asked as she finally let the guard go. He gasped for breath and doubled over while Yang continued to stare at her sister.
Ruby nodded. "Y—yeah…it was just hard to talk about some stuff but I'm okay. You're…here—"
Heat burned in the backs of Yang's eyes and she nodded. "I'm here." The arms around her waist fell away as she relaxed.
Ruby leapt up onto the table and climbed over it before jumping into her sister's embrace. Yang may have only had one arm, but she caught Ruby and held her as tightly as she possibly could. Yet, as hard as she squeezed, Ruby was holding her even tighter.
For a long minute, the world stood still and Yang wondered if she could take Ruby and run back home to Patch. She wanted to be ten years old again—building forts in their bedroom and pretending to hunt Grimm with their stuffed animals.
When their dad wrapped them both into an embrace, Yang relented her grip just a little. They were whole again and Yang felt all the pain of the last five years melt away. She had her sister back and she knew Weiss was nearby and Blake was close. They were all here and she could watch over them again.
Ruby, who had been effectively sandwiched between her sister and dad, let out a tiny squeak when she needed to breath. Reluctantly, Yang took a step back and wiped at her eyes.
"Look at you," she finally had the chance to really see Ruby, who was suddenly near eye level and no longer the small kid with the giant scythe. No, she was strong, her shoulders were solid—her torso was thick and muscular. Yet she still retained that same approachable face, those warm and welcoming eyes—even if they weren't as innocent as they had once been. "You really filled out."
Ruby shrugged bashfully. "Funny, because I haven't had milk in years."
"We better do something about that." Taiyang said as he kissed her temple.
Slowly Yang's gaze shifted over to Weiss in the corner who was pulling out of a hug with Blake. Their eyes met and Weiss bit her bottom lip.
"It's about time you showed up." She said in a haughty yet surprisingly affectionate tone. Yang wanted to go and give her a hug but Ruby had a death grip on her waist.
Thankfully, Weiss noticed this and closed the gap herself before slowly drawing Yang into a hug. For as much as Ruby had grown, Weiss was still the same, petite girl she'd met at Beacon. When Weiss exhaled at the contact, Yang smiled—she never thought he'd miss the ice queen so much.
Blake and Ruby were hugging as well, the hold Ruby had on her sister gone and Blake gave Ruby a once over. Yang knew Blake had a protective streak when it came to Ruby.
"If you four are done with this touching moment-" Yang turned as everyone else did to see Winter standing in the doorway with a frustrated look on her face. "I believe now would be a good time to go over our plan."
"What plan?" Yang felt Ruby tense next to her as their dad hovered close by—neither of them really wanting to let her get too far out of reach.
Winter trailed her gaze directly to Ruby who was staring at the floor. "There is a threat currently on the loose, one that will stop at nothing to find your sister. We believe we have the power to take it down, however we have no means to track it. Therefore…"
"No," Yang stomped her foot on the ground—she was ready to fight.
"Yang," Weiss tried but Yang turned to her furiously.
"Really? You of all people want Ruby to risk her life, to play bait so your sister can claim she killed a monster?!"
Weiss' eyes narrowed and she took a step towards them. "Don't you dare think that I don't care about Ruby's safety. It is absolutely priority number one, but we have no other options!"
"Bullshit!" Yang looked back at Winter. "You have an army at your disposal."
"We're not sending an army to track one creature. Not when we can easily draw it in."
"I won't let you." Yang said as she felt a fire building in her stomach.
"Neither will I, she's my daughter."
"Guys," Ruby's soft voice caught her family's attention. "It's not your decision."
Yang turned and stared deep into Ruby's silver eyes. There was so much pain in them, so many stories and nights spent alone that Yang could feel in the eyes that looked back at her. "Ruby, you don't have to do this. You don't have to put everyone before yourself."
For as much pain as Yang saw in her sister's eyes, there was strength and she shook her head. "I won't let anyone else die because of me." The phrase 'anyone else' rotted in Yang's stomach. "I have to do this, Yang. It's my fight and Winter's soldiers will be there. I'll be okay."
"Ruby," Yang reached up and touched her sister's cheek. As much as she wanted to protect Ruby, to take her away from all of this and make sure she was safe—she didn't have the right to anymore. She'd lost that and in a lot of ways, Ruby had outgrown it. "If you're sure, if this is your choice…you know I'll have your back."
"We all will," Blake said and Weiss merely smiled at her sister knowingly. Ruby seemed to focus on Weiss for a moment and they shared a nod.
"I'm sure."
Winter stepped into the room a moment later. "Then let's get to work."