For those of you who might be sad (like I am), there will be another chapter after this filled with some well deserved fluff - look forward to it!
The weather outside was actually quite nice – a few wispy clouds in the sky, sun shining brightly, gentle breeze blowing. Yang would have described it as beautiful if not for the smoke rising from the smoldering wreckage of what had once been several blocks of downtown Vale. The light wind was blowing small particles of debris and ash across the large green lawn lying between them and the front steps of the Capitol.
They weren't standing out there to enjoy the weather, anyway.
Yang could feel the tension laying thickly in the air around their group – they all knew that the coming battle would be highly stacked against their favor. Their only hope was that a single, still somewhat injured, huntress…Blake…would be able to find a hopefully existent drug quickly enough to help them survive.
The odds didn't seem that great, but Yang was still prepared to fight with every breath left in her body. And if she was going to go down, she could think of one person that she was most certainly going to take with her.
Adam.
She had already locked onto the object of her fuming hatred – standing not even one hundred paces in front of her beside the smirking Cinder Fall. Rows upon rows of Atlesian warriors were lining up behind the two leaders, weapons humming as they warmed up in preparation for battle. The captured and traitorous huntsmen lined up in front of the Atlesians – nearly equal in number to the number standing beside Yang.
"Adam's mine," she hissed to her teammates standing beside her.
"Yang…" Weiss began to say, before Ruby rested one hand on Weiss' elbow with a shake of her head.
They couldn't stop her from going after him, and Ruby knew that. Nothing was going to stand in her way this time.
Blake had gotten injured because she had fought against him while controlled by her rage. Fighting in such a state was the best way to get injured – anger impaired clear, rational thinking and decision making.
At least, that's how it worked for most huntsmen. But in Yang's case, that was far from the truth.
She thrived on anger. It fueled her better than the best airship fuel on the planet. When fury coursed through her veins, her body channeled that energy into focus…strength…pure, unadulterated power.
If there was anyone that was going to fight Adam in a blind rage and be all the better for it, it was going to be Yang Xiao Long.
"So…the great Ozpin has convinced his merry band of foolish followers to save themselves after all…how charming…" Cinder called out from in front of them, looking positively tickled with her success. Her eyes scanned the people in front of her keenly, mentally checking off the name of each huntsman in front of her, just as Blake had thought she would.
"Actually…" Professor Ozpin replied slowly, causing Cinder's eyebrow to arch in intrigue.
"We've decided we will not be accepting your offer. We would rather die first."
Cinder's smile immediately turned to a deadly smirk.
"That can be arranged, as well."
Yang felt every muscle in her body tense as an eerie silence fell across the area.
"Kill them all."
The quiet was instantly shattered by the sounds of war. The Paladins forming a line in back fired their first volley of rockets towards the group, causing everyone to scatter as the ground erupted where they had just been standing. Before the dust had settled, the Knights and huntsmen were already upon them.
For his part, Adam was no fool. He knew that Yang was going to seek him out. And, like the coward he was, he was standing with a group of twenty or so Knights surrounding him.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to kill not one, but two members of the famed Team RWBY…" he drawled lazily, confidence oozing from every inch of his posture.
That was, until a red blur sped by, cutting down half of the Knights in a single run. The surviving half found themselves standing upon a very large glyph, which catapulted them hundreds of feet into the sky not one second later.
Yang grinned at the befuddled Adam, seeing Weiss and Ruby speed off to engage Cardin and Dove on the other side of the lawn.
Now it was just the two of them – just as it was meant to be.
Regaining his composure, Adam drew his sword, holding it low in front of him while sneering towards her. Seeing the glinting steel of the weapon, which she had last seen dripping in Blake's blood, Yang's eyes flashed red faster than they ever had before. Her heart exploded into flames as the fire within her burned like a supernova. Heat blazed from her skin, threatening to set even the air around her up in flame.
Adam remained still, waiting for her to make the first move.
She was more than happy to oblige.
Shooting forward like a shot out of a cannon, she easily leveled a fist through a stray Knight that had stumbled into her path. As the metal parts broke apart around her, her vision of Adam was temporarily blocked. When it cleared an instant later, she dove to the ground to avoid the sword hurtling towards her neck.
Tumbling back to her feet, she spun around to face the direction Adam would be approaching her from, just in time to raise her fists to block another attack. Sparks showered through the air – the loud clang of metal on metal rang out as Wilt met Ember Cecilia for the very first time.
Yang didn't think the two were going to get along very well.
She fired two quick shots towards Adam, one from each arm. The Faunus backed off only marginally in order to deflect the bullets and get away from the heat emitting from Yang. He patted a small patch of his coat that had already caught flame from a spark.
She used the opportunity to retake the offensive, charging towards him. She threw several furious blows, each parried at the last second by his sword. She aimed a kick towards his knee, but this time he was prepared for the attack and jumped easily out of the way.
He gave her a quick sneer before diving towards her, sword slashing upwards. Falling for his feint, she moved her right arm down to block to blow, realizing her mistake at the last second when he altered the weapon's trajectory to swing right across her midsection.
The sound of shotgun pellets pinging against flat metal rang out, the blast throwing his attack off by just a fraction of an inch. It was just enough for Yang to leap away with nothing more than a scratch.
A snarl made its way past her lips when she saw the thin red line drawn across her stomach. Hardly more than two inches long, the sting was still enough to set her nerves on fire as her body finally realized the very real dangers of the battle it was waging.
If she had been angry before, well…now she was pissed.
She leapt to the right when the sound of rockets met her ears, watching as the ground she had just been standing upon was obliterated in an explosion of debris and dust. The very next second, the ground in front of her erupted as a gigantic line of icicles ripped through the earth, forming a fifty foot temporary wall dividing the entire battlefield into two halves. With her and Adam now momentarily separated by ice, her eyes locked onto the offending Paladin.
She had time for one pesky little Paladin, right?
Shooting one glance back towards the icicles, she heard the sounds of another round of rockets loading into the machine's weapon.
Yeah, she had time for this one.
Sprinting away from Adam, she was on top of the poor machine before the pilot even had a chance to react. Leaping through the air, she landed on the Paladin's left arm and grabbed onto the first handholds she could find.
Trying to buck her off, the pilot spun the machine wildly in circles, firing in all directions. Yang cringed when she heard several rockets slam into the Capitol building, but grasping another handhold, she was able to swing herself around onto the robot's back. Hastily counting down three plates of metal, she found the exact spot she was looking for.
Thrusting her hand forward while firing Ember Cecilia at the perfect moment, her fist cut inside the machine. After blindly moving her hand around for a moment, she found the giant tangle of wires she was looking for. Tightening her grip around them, she yanked towards her as hard as she could. Her hand came away clutching a handful of wires while the Paladin lost all power, effectively trapping the pilot inside.
Grinning at her handiwork, a glint in the metal plating of the Paladin brought her focus instantly back to the bigger battle at hand. Kicking her right foot against the machine, she spun to the side just as Adam's sword plunged through the steel where her head had just been. Releasing her handhold, she fell the ten feet to the ground, crashing down hard onto her back.
She got to her feet and turned around just in time to see Adam land lightly on the ground, swinging his sword around in his hands as he stalked towards her.
Adam's trench coat was covered in scorch marks, but otherwise he was none the worse for wear. For her part, she could feel the air rushing quickly in and out of her lungs, as she tried to regain the breath that had just left her in her fall.
"I should have just killed you in that hanger," he spit out at her before he came at her again, sword flashing in all directions.
She was forced to focus all of her attention on deflecting the blows, a shower of sparks spraying through the air with each successful block. Holding her ground, she refused to step backwards to move away from the Faunus.
A small opening presented itself to her then and she took it without hesitation. Instead of merely deflecting the incoming slash, she dodged around it and punched the sword hard towards the ground. While Adam was thrown slightly off balance, she allowed her momentum from the punch to carry the rest of her body around, connecting both of her feet squarely on his jaw in succession.
The blows threw him to the ground several paces from her. She began racing towards him, knowing that her window of opportunity was small.
Halfway to the downed huntsman, someone bumped roughly into her side, causing her to stumble to the side while she tried to maintain her balance.
Turning around, she found herself face to face with…Ren.
But not the good Ren she liked…the bad Ren that she was going to have to fight against.
As expected, Ren frowned before aiming StormFlower directly at her head. She rolled to the side as the sounds of bullets rapidly pelting the ground behind her filled her ears. When her feet found their footing, she propelled herself forward towards an unsuspecting Knight fighting nearby. Grabbing the machine around the ankle, she grunted in effort as she swung the robot through the air towards Ren.
The huntsman ducked at the last second under the flying hunk of metal, which crashed into the ground a few yards behind him.
"Don't hurt him!"
Right on cue, Nora jump onto Ren's back, wrapping her arms and legs around his body like a koala.
A loud clanging noise suddenly rang out by her ear, accompanied with a sharp stinging sensation. Instinctually raising her hand up as she jumped away from the perceived danger, she found her ear was bleeding profusely – partially severed near the top - with Adam looking considerably annoyed right behind her.
"You'll be joining Blake soon," he remarked confidently as he prepared to attack again.
But, as it turned out, Adam was telling the truth – Yang noticed Blake racing out the front door of the building at just that moment. Catching a flash of black, Adam glanced over too, eyes widening as if he had seen…well…a ghost.
The split second pause was just enough time for Yang. She shot forward, landing a charged right hook directly on his temple, leveling him to the ground. The force of the blow seemed to knock him temporarily unconscious, leaving his body in a motionless lump on the ground. He didn't appear to be getting back up anytime soon.
"Everyone stop!" Blake bellowed as soon as she was within shouting distance of them.
The battle came to an unnerving halt as nearly half of the fights all stopped their actions. Yang noticed several of her fellow huntsmen wasting no time in tackling their foes to the ground, locking up their arms and legs in the military issue handcuffs Professor Ozpin had had the foresight in providing to them.
"What are you doing? Keep fighting!" Cinder practically screamed, still locked in a vicious battle with Glynda and Professor Ozpin. The earth around the trio was torn to shreds, with what looked like lava eating away at one large section of grass.
The huntsmen became aggressive almost immediately, although appearing to be slightly confused by the conflicting orders they were being given.
"Stop!" Blake shouted again, this time from much closer as she ran into the middle of the battle. "Don't listen to her!"
Yang rushed towards her partner, feeling panic grip her when she realized that the girl was now standing in what was effectively a warzone. She gently grabbed onto Blake's elbow, more for her own support than to help her partner. Checking Blake over thoroughly, thankfully she seemed to be uninjured, just winded.
The last order seemed to have done it though, as auras across the front lawn began to shut down. The good guys continued to bind the huntsmen up as quickly as possible, fearing that they could revert to fighting at any second.
The Paladin pilots powered down their machines, while the Atlesian Knights continued trying to fight. But they were swiftly being cut down by a red blur whipping back and forth across the lawn, leaving a trail of rose petals in its wake.
More huntsmen, Weiss included, began to converge on Cinder, who was the last real threat remaining.
The mastermind took in the situation around her, calculating what options she might have in order to escape. Eventually, she smirked.
"Ok, I give up," she said calmly. "You've won. Very nice plan, indeed…"
"But may I ask that Ruby Rose be the one to apply my restraints?"
She held her hands out in front of her, wrists touching together as if waiting for them to be bound.
Weiss stalked forward, snapped the handcuffs roughly in place, and then promptly punched Cinder in the nose, knocking the brunette squarely off her feet.
"No, you may not!" Weiss yelled shrilly down at her before storming off to find her fiancée, who was still blissfully dismantling Knights with Crescent Rose.
A groan caught Yang's attention at that instant. Glancing to her right, she saw Adam slowly getting back to his feet, holding his head warily. The sight sent anger coursing through her veins, setting her on fire.
She was back on him in an instant, knocking him back out with a vicious kick in the chest. Grabbing him by the collar, she held his head off the ground while she aimed Ember Cecilia directly towards his head.
Even if he was unconscious, she was ready to end his pathetic excuse for a life, once and for all.
"Yang, stop!"
Blake's voice instantly froze each and every one of her muscles. She glanced towards her partner, finding concern written on the girl's face.
A dark, heavy feeling settled upon her heart as she watched Blake rush towards her…
Betrayal.
How could Blake still be protecting him? After everything he had done; after everything that had happened? He had stolen three years of their lives together. He had tried to kill her, and nearly succeeded.
She just…wanted to make sure that he could never hurt either one of them again.
"Blake…" she began, hurt seeping into her tone as she felt her partner lay a hand on her shoulder.
"He lied before," Blake said softly.
Yang looked back at the man, confused about what he could have lied about.
"I wasn't the first test subject…" Blake continued carefully. "He was."
Blake dropped one hand into Yang's field of vision, opening it to display two small vials resting in her palm. The vials were full of a clear liquid - one tinged in a blue hue, while the other was slightly greener in color. Printed in tiny letters on one label was a single four letter word - 'Adam,' while the other one was simply marked with the letter 'A.'
"I found this with matching ones for all of the other captured huntsmen," Blake explained further. "Apparently…he was both controlling some of the huntsmen and being controlled…"
Confusion flooded through Yang at the revelation.
"But…he still…he still nearly killed you!" she finally shouted, not willing to absolve him of any guilt, even due to this change of events.
"I know he did…" Blake began slowly, "I know this doesn't make him innocent. He could have volunteered, for all I know. But I do believe it's at least worth giving him the benefit of the doubt…"
Yang looked back down at the unconscious Faunus held in her grasp. Dropping his collar in disgust, she finally hopped off him, motioning for someone to come over and handcuff him like the rest. She turned away as they carried Adam's still limp body away, repulsed with herself for not being able to finish what she'd sworn she would do.
Feeling a warm hand wrap around hers, she glanced over to find Blake smiling at her, seeming to sense the internal turmoil Yang was dealing with.
"We don't need revenge, Yang," Blake said warmly. "We have each other now – and that's what matters."
"For better or worse," Weiss cut in as she and Ruby walked up to them, with Weiss sporting a slight limp in her gait.
Ruby darted forward to give Yang and Blake a hug, before returning to Weiss' side for support. Yang smiled at her teammates, already feeling some of her anger leave her when she realized that they were all ok.
Blake was right. They had each other now. Adam could go and sit in prison for the rest of his life, and that would just have to be good enough for her.
"How did everything go out here?" Blake asked anxiously, scanning the area around them, eyes taking in the torn up ground and dismembered machines.
"Only a few major injuries," Weiss reported, somehow always having more information than the rest of them. "Velvet nearly lost an ear, but she'll be ok."
Yang looked around them, taking in the full scale of the destruction that had just occurred. Since she had been so absorbed in her own battle with Adam, she had hardly noticed what else had been going on beside her.
Even though the battle hadn't lasted very long at all, the once green and perfectly manicured lawn of the Capitol had been completely destroyed – with hardly a single square inch of grass remaining untouched. Huge craters pockmarked the earth where rockets and other explosives had shattered the ground, with smoke still rising eerily from the heavily scorched areas. Various metal parts from Atlesians were strewn far and wide - now worthless lumps of metal that would need to be collected eventually.
The huntsmen she had been fighting alongside were roaming about, escorting the now compliant enemies towards the far edge of the lawn where they would soon be picked up. Many of them were hobbling or, in one way or the other, displaying signs of fatigue from the battle they had just fought and thankfully survived.
Was this it?
They had been victorious…they had captured Cinder…Adam…they had freed their friends…and yet…she had expected to feel much more jubilant when it was over. But she felt just like how many of the people surrounding her currently looked.
Exhausted. Drained.
Just glad to be alive.
"Oh! Yang, you're bleeding!" Blake suddenly exclaimed, clamping one hand down upon the wound on Yang's ear. She flinched at the sudden pressure, but managed to not jerk away.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," she replied. "Got clipped somehow…"
"Blake!"
All four girls turned when they heard someone shouting Blake's name, finding the only positively ecstatic huntress, Nora, running towards them while practically dragging a handcuffed Ren behind her. Jaune and Pyrrha were hastily chasing the girl, no doubt trying to convince her out of whatever she was about to say or do.
"Blake!" Nora called out again, stumbling to a stop in front of them.
"Nora?" Blake asked curiously. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing's wrong. Everything's great now that I've got my Rennie back!" Nora punched Ren 'lightly' in the shoulder, causing the huntsman to scowl down at her.
"I was just…you know…wonderingggg…since you currently have control over them and all…maybe before they go to the hospital to get fixed up, you could…ask Ren to tell you where he hid my trumpet?"
Pyrrha and Jaune waved their arms rapidly behind their teammate's back, motioning for Blake not to do what Nora had just requested.
"Uh…I don't know, Nora…" Blake responded diplomatically. "I don't think it's really fair to get that information out of him while he's drugged…maybe we can ask him for something we know he would regularly do?"
Not disappointed by the denial in the slightest, Nora tapped a finger on her chin, deep in thought.
"Hmmm…then ask him to say I'm the best huntress ever!" she responded happily.
Yang laughed while Weiss rolled her eyes. It was such a typical Nora response.
"Ok…Ren, please tell Nora that she's the best huntress ever," Blake directed towards the boy.
Ren obediently turned towards Nora, who was already bubbling over in anticipation.
"Nora, you are the best huntress ever," he said casually, with hardly any feeling at all behind the words. Of course, Nora could care less. She squealed in happiness, enveloping her partner in a huge hug.
"Thank you, Ren! And you're the best huntsman ever!" she replied joyfully before tugging him back towards the rest of the captured huntsmen. "Now come on, let's get you all fixed up."
"So they're all going to the hospital?" Yang asked curiously while watching the two members of JNPR walk away.
"They're going to get blood transfusions, just like we did with Ruby," Weiss responded.
"Good, so we can go get your ear fixed, too," Blake remarked, releasing Yang's ear in favor of grabbing Yang's hand and pulling her after Nora.
"Oh…yeah, sorry about that," Pyrrha remarked apologetically, running one hand down her ponytail in embarrassment. "I saw that Faunus about to attack you, so I threw my shield at him. It was a little close and clipped you though…"
Yang laughed, the culprit behind her mysterious injury finally caught.
"Pyrrha, why are you apologizing? I should be thanking you for saving my life!" she remarked incredulously. "And so what if I lose my ear – battle wounds are really sexy; right, Blake?"
The blush that lit up her partner's face was definitely worth any of the pain.
"Let's just go," Blake muttered, pulling on Yang's hand again.
While they walked away from their friends and teammates, Yang squeezed Blake's hand a little more firmly. Picking their way carefully through the dirt and rubble towards where a vehicle would take them off to the hospital, she could feel an immeasurable weight lifting from her shoulders with each step put between her and the scene of the battle.
It was really over. They had survived.
They would live to see tomorrow…together.
"I'm really glad you're ok, Blake," she whispered softly, smiling when Blake turned to face her. "I was…worried…about you."
"I'm glad you're ok, too," the Faunus girl replied with a smile of her own, which quickly turned into a small smirk. "And you even managed to pick up an incredibly attractive battle scar while you were out there."
Yang grinned, reaching one hand up to gingerly touch the wound with her fingers.
After all the years of trials, anguish, loneliness, heartbreak…they had ended up with a pair of scars and each other.
And she would do it all again, in a heartbeat.