Last Huntress - Chapter 6

-Lost-

Ruby's walk back to Ember Heights was rather uneventful, her hood pulled up and over her ears to keep any prying eyes from catching sight of her true nature, as well as stave off the few droplets of rain that had begun to fall. Even with the midday sun still beating down on the paved streets of Vale, it took only a glance skyward to see the dark clouds that were rolling in, bringing with them a warm wind.

The warmth carried with it the crisp scent of fresh fallen rain, blowing through the valleys of the mountains that surrounded the kingdom and displacing the hazy stench of the city's rot. She paused at a street corner, just down the road from her destination, and took in a deep breath of the smell. This was her favorite time of the year, ever since she had been a child. The end of spring, on the precipice of summer. She raised her eyes to the sky, letting the light droplets of rain sprinkle across her face, the tiny beginnings of a smile working its way over her lips.

Her thoughts and her pause to appreciate the weather were interrupted by a loud laugh from a group of humans that exited from a nearby shop, glancing in her direction. Given the way she had caused a public panic earlier, she thought it better to err on the side of caution, and readjusted her hood before continuing on her way. An internal scolding raced through her thoughts, a rebuke to her own carelessness. Her conversation with Pyrrha had set her off balance. A stray comment of the red headed Captain about how they had all believed the girl she used to be was gone was tangled in her thoughts, demanding to be dwelled on.

It had felt good to catch Russel, to not completely screw something up again. But that feeling was soured every time she remembered that her newest job had been handed to her at sword point by one of the most dangerous groups in the city. Aside from the threat of a slow death if she failed them, one in which she was completely certain she would be dumped in a bloody pile at Yang's doorstep - she wasn't even keen to help the White Fang. After all, they had done little to repair race relations, and much of the current atmosphere between Faunus and Humans could be attributed directly to them.

And to think that someone had once told her the Fang could be a positive force in the world with the right guidance. It was almost amusing how quickly ideals were cast aside when there was a profit to be made.

Grim thoughts were interrupted by the pain that shot through her chest when she leveled her injured shoulder into the door of Ember Heights out of habit. A sickening clench in her stomach accompanied the feeling of dried blood cracking and splitting underneath the soiled cloth made her queasy.

Ruby barely had time to curse under her breath as she stumbled into the main room of her sister's bar, greeted by the roar of a lunch rush well underway. Three waitresses were scurrying around the dining area with notepads filled with scribbles, shouting orders as they reached the bar before turning to brave the crowd of patrons. She was largely ignored until she reached the corner of the counter, when wide brown eyes slid over to her. "Ruby! What happened to you?"

Velvet's mind had clearly gone to the worst place, assuming she had been mugged or cornered by angry humans. Such assumptions were common with the rabbit Faunus; never once had Ruby walked in here wounded and the older woman had first thought that it was the nature of her job. "Bagged a bounty earlier, it got a bit rough. Has Yang dragged herself out of bed yet?"

The concern never left the soft features of the cute face that studied her before an answer was given. Under that gaze, Ruby busied herself with looking at the sight that had unnerved the other Faunus, at the rivulets of dried blood that had twisted down the length of her arm, creating a vine-like pattern similar to the thorn tattoo that adorned her other limb. When she finally returned her attention to the rabbit, Velvet was looking towards the stairs that led into the basement. "Yang's down in the ring, 'showing them how it's done.'" They both shared a look at that, more than aware of how viciously the blonde wiped the floor with the competition. Still, people wanted the glory of getting one up on someone trained in a Hunter Academy. No matter how hard she threw down one opponent, there was always another. "Want me to take care of those?"

A hand gestured towards the gash on her arm, but Ruby shook her head. "No, thank you Velv. Looks like you've got your hands full down here." Glancing in the direction of the patron that was staring at them with an impatient expression, the other Faunus got her message and flashed her a wide grin before opening the bar for her to step inside. Setting the small door back into place, she locked the latch and slid by the older brunette on her way to the stairs.

Velvet glanced back at her as she passed by. "I'll tell her where to find you."

The door at the top of the stairs led directly into a hallway. Made artificially narrow by the folded cots that lined one side, the corridor was a death trap to those who were even slightly drunk. Ruby knew this by experience, having tried to brave the gauntlet more than once in an effort to avoid the walk back to her apartment in the middle of the night.

The first door on the left was open as she passed by, revealing the contents of the storeroom. Kegs of beer and cases of liquor were neatly stacked and sorted, and an industrial refrigerator hummed against the back wall, everything the bar used to serve its patrons on the floor below. It was more full than she was used to seeing it, the days shipment already put away.

Across the hall from the storeroom was another door, this one closed. Ruby knew where it led. Utilized by employees and sometimes herself, the room was a place where Yang let people crash. When her sister had first opened the bar and began hiring, she had ended up with more Faunus employees than not. With this came the added risk that sometimes her workers would need a place to stay. Only a couple of times had it been long term, but with the proximity of the bar to the Line that divided the District ensured that there were always a couple of the staff who decided it was better to spend the night than to risk the walk home.

The next door on the right was a bathroom that was more or less used by the employees as Yang's room, the last door on the left, had its own bathroom. Pushing against the heavy wooden surface granted her entrance to her sister's room, unlocked as it usually was during business hours. Unlike the storeroom, where the bar's stock was neatly organized and inventoried, Yang's room was more akin to the remnants of a bomb blast going off.

Clothes littered the floor in separate piles, the more crumpled garments signaling the pile that Ruby assumed was the dirty one. From that heap of soiled cloth emanated the strong stench of sweat that assaulted her sensitive nose, enough that she held the back of hand to her nostrils. A bed was shoved into the corner of the room, close to the single window that provided the light for the room. Beside the bed frame sat a nightstand with an alarm clock and a half empty glass of water. Somehow pushed between the nightstand and the wall was a heavy wooden dresser, probably empty judging from the state of the floor. Next to it was a long mirror, pictures of her older sister and the friends Yang had made at both Signal and Beacon adorning its sides.

Taking up its own corner near the entrance to the bathroom, and looking to be the only clean part of the room, was a punching bag that hung from a metal frame. It was built into the wall itself, designed to withstand the brutal hits that her sister could inflict. Hung over one of the bars were two long strips of dirty and bloodied cloth, the result of Yang's overindulgence in anger and physical training. A brief second of focus revealed specks of red across the face of the bag as well.

Sitting against the wall next to the door was a wooden desk that looked like someone had torn all the pages out of a book and just thrown them on top of it. Ruby grinned as she took a few steps closer, her eyes trailing over the various financial reports and invoices. The bookshelf crammed into the space between the edge of the desk and the adjacent wall drew her gaze next, to the various textbooks and other medical literature. It was always amusing to watch the fighters in the basement get confused when Yang started using the proper vocabulary for the injuries she had generously doled out only moments before.

Not many would assume it by looking at her sister, but Yang had always held a deep curiosity for all things concerning medicine and anatomy. Their Dad had liked to joke that if the profession had offered half the excitement of being a Huntress, her sister would have been a doctor instead. Now Yang managed a bar in the roughest part of town, and coordinated a fighting ring the basement of the establishment.

Her sister's life wasn't lacking for excitement in the least.

Sitting down at the desk so she could dig through the pile of budget reports and find the slim box of first aid supplies that Yang kept there, Ruby froze when she brushed a couple of papers off the spine of an open book that had been placed face down to mark its page. Half-expecting some specialized field of medicine that would sound like utter nonsense to her, Ruby lifted the book free from the table to read the cover, careful to keep the page as she did so.

"The Aftermath of Hunting: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression." Reading the title aloud, Ruby raised an eyebrow as she mentally ran through the last few interactions she could remember having with her sister, silently wondering if Yang had shown any signs of depression. Her inward search came up empty, and so she turned the book around to see if it held any answers.

The page was home to more than just the text it had been bought with. Two sticky notes adorned it now, much in the same fashion as all of Yang's textbooks during their time in school had been. Only instead of notes on the best ways to dismantle a Grimm in ten seconds, these brief notations were scribbled out in messy handwriting and read more like journal entries.

Bottle and a half today, two attempted fights. Did not dodge haymaker after provoking attack. Maybe drunk?

Six shots, no food. One fight, provoked one of the regular fighters. Fought back, but did not try to win. Drunk, but lucid enough.

Ruby flipped to another page, drawn on by a growing realization that her sister had been researching her behavior, watching her from day to day and making notes to try and figure out what was wrong.

Sober today, very irritated. Gets lost in thoughts easily and avoids talking. Hiding something. Signs of intense self hatred. Won't talk to me about it, might ask Velvet to help.

Two bottles in, I brought up Weiss. Got violent, had to knock her unconscious. Did not remember. No progress.

She nearly tore the pages from the spine as she ripped towards the back, seeking more of the notes, and an answer as to where Yang's thoughts on her had settled.

Drowning out nightmares, Qrow told me. Believes that she deserves the pain. Drinking to forget or numb. Book said to confront, did not work. She ran. No progress.

There was an ache just beneath her left breast, not caused by the bruising her tangle with Russel had left her with. This ache was deeper, unfamiliar after years of disuse. She hated it, and forced her mind to continue its search to avoid the sensation. A more recent note confirmed what it was that drove her sister, a few scattered stains present where the ink of the pen had been smudged. Yang had been crying.

Asked about wrist scars. Said they don't bother her, thought I could press for more. She looked away when she answered. Lied to me again. No progress.

Ruby's fingers lingered on the edge of the sticky note that held those damning words, but her eyes trailed down the edge of her palm to settle on the pink and puckered ridge that traveled the length of her forearm. It had been a long time since she had stared at those scars, the matching pair on the inside edge of both wrists. The jagged scar on her face and the cybernetic eye usually served as reminder enough for her to stop thinking of the past, but still the others remained.

They didn't bother her. At least, they couldn't bother her so long as she didn't think about them.

Heavy footsteps drew her from such thoughts, announcing the arrival of her sister in advance. It proved to be just enough warning, as Ruby flipped the pages back to the one she had found the book on, and turned it upside down. A few papers strewn across the back of it sold the illusion as she pulled the first aid kit from its resting place just as the door swung open.

Yang Xiao Long had always been beautiful, ever since they were kids Ruby could remember the remarks of complete strangers complimenting their parents on how adorable her older sister was. The years since Beacon had made it even more noticeable, as any vestiges of their teenage years had been shed from the features of the blonde woman. Gone were the signs of their childhood, replaced by a strong jaw and a ponytail that tamed the golden mane that had once hung free.

A black tank top covered her sister's chest, soaked through with enough sweat that Ruby was glad all she could smell was the rust-tinged scent of her own dried blood. The matching pair of cargo pants was similarly soiled, the entirety of the usual training outfit that Yang wore. Wrinkling her nose, Ruby took a moment to remember it was more the scent of the fighting ring that was now burning at her nostrils than her sibling.

At least Yang had never smelled this bad during their time at Beacon.

More important were the lilac-colored eyes that narrowed upon finding her, the lack of concern reminding Ruby that the injuries she now carried were not going to distract from whatever she had done to get herself cut off last night. "Velvet told me you looked like you got your ass kicked, again."

Settling back into the chair with the first aid kit, she let a grin stretch over her lips as she spoke. "Well, you should see the other guy."

"Shot him?" A single eyebrow rose on Yang's face as her sister stepped toward her, pulling the chair out closer to the middle of the room.

"Dropped a bridge on him, too." Ruby grinned as her right hand was taken and pulled up, her sister silently indicating she should hold it there while the bloodied bandage was unwrapped. "With.. Me on it."

"Smooth." There was a slight pull at the older woman's lips, the beginning stages of a smile that faded away a moment later. "Alright, off with the shirt. Let's see the damage." With Yang's help, Ruby stripped away her vest and and the bloodied cloth that covered her chest, biting her lip to not cry out as the bruised portion of her ribs were pulled at. The growing mass of black and purple had spread further than she had thought it would, the result of both the kick and the fall she had suffered. More concerning was the split along her side that had been scabbed over until the removal of her shirt had torn the temporary covering away.

She let out a harsh hiss that faded into a low growl as she glared at Yang, her sister's hands pressing against the bruised section of her ribs. After a long moment and an unfocused stare from the blonde, the pain was relieved as the pressure abated. "You're lucky, you didn't break anything this time. Lift your arm, I need to stitch this." A finger pointed at the split skin where Ruby had landed on the ground, the wound already beginning to resume its bleeding after the removal of the scab.

Yang turned away to set the first aid kit down on the desk and begin digging through it, fetching a needle and thread as Ruby sat there, her right arm up in the air and resting lazily on top of her head and flattening her ears. Eventually her sister returned, and the sharp pain of a repeated puncture caused her to suck in a deep breath.

The minutes passed in silence between them as Yang stitched the wound closed, working slowly as she tried to navigate the ragged tear that had opened across the face of her sister's ribs. Once she had reached the middle of the gash, she glanced up to find Ruby staring off at the wall with a bored expression. "So, are you going to ask about why I cut you off this time?"

"Probably started a fight or something, right?" The way that her younger sister spoke so casually of such actions, as if it was to be expected at this point, caused a flare of anger to spark up within her. Yang grit her teeth as she pulled the needle through once more, taking the extra time to tug it sharply, drawing a small measure of satisfaction from the yelp it caused the brunette. One silver orb, accompanied by a red hued replacement, moved to glare at her. "Ow! What?"

"You kissed Velvet, and when she had to push you off you tried to fight me. And then before we could even throw a punch you broke down crying because you couldn't find Crescent Rose." Yang spoke each word with a bite at the end of it, having to concentrate on not digging the needle a bit deeper than it truly needed to go.

"That's embarrassing."

Ruby's dry tone didn't alleviate the tension in the air as Yang finished up the stitching. "Even more so when it's your sister and all your customers are watching, for the hundredth time. Then you did punch me." Leaning back to admire her handiwork, she took a pair of scissors and cut the tied thread as close to the wound as possible before setting the needle down. "Let me see that shoulder."

The limb was offered almost immediately after she asked, presenting the cut on the lower part of the shoulder, only a few inches above Ruby's elbow. Freed from the press of a forearm, the wolf ears atop her younger sibling's head gave an irritated twitch before settling into a relaxed position. After a long moment, a quiet question broke the silence. "I'm guessing that ache in the back of my skull this morning wasn't just a hangover?"

"No, I threw you into a wall." Her reply generated a snort that fell into a chuckle, but Yang didn't share in the mirth as she worked to clean the gash that had cut through her sister's arm. "Ruby, it's not funny anymore." The mood shifted instantly, as the limb that she was examining froze in place, along with its owner's body. "We have all had it rough since Beacon, and I can understand that breaking up with Weiss hurt, but it's been four years.

"I'm not saying this to upset you." Yang spoke softly as she reached back to grab a roll of gauze, before leaning back in to find that her younger sibling had moved. It was only the slightest of movements, but now the brunette was looking away from her, avoiding her gaze. With a sigh, she began to wrap the wound. "I want what is best for you, I want you to be happy. But you need to pull your act together, Ruby. I can't stand that this is the person you've become, it isn't you."

The continued silence wore her down faster than expected, the frozen way that her younger sibling sat making it seem as if her words were only falling upon deaf ears. Tucking the edges of the bandage within itself to tie it off, she tossed the roll of gauze back into the first aid kit and let out a long sigh. "So, Pyrrha offer you any more jobs?"

Ruby remained still for a few more seconds, before relenting to look down at her arm and the newly administered covering over the wound. Yang had been too close to asking the right questions, and it had been too tempting to break down and confide the past in her ever-supportive sister. So she had instead forced herself to ignore the conversation, even if the words had cut deep. "She said there were a few I could take, if I kept up on doing a good job. But, I've got something else going on right now, independent client."

Irises of a wonderful lilac color regarded her with a suspicious stare, as the blonde rose from the chair. True to form, they didn't acknowledge the conversation that had happened, nor the way that Ruby had reacted to it. Four years was a long time of trying to fix someone who did not want to be fixed, and they had danced this routine before too many times for Yang to truly put in a full effort. "Nothing too shady, right?"

Ruby let a grin take over her features, washing away the last vestiges of their earlier topics as she leaned back in the chair. "Not at all, just have to go see an old friend for some info."

"Right. Well, take a shower first. You shouldn't subject any of your remaining friends to this smell." Yang playfully tossed the stained shirt in her direction, and then pointed at the dresser sitting on the other side of the room. "You know where to find the extra clothes? Good. Let me know if you need me to rewrap that bandage after." Catching the shirt while letting her smile fall into a smirk, Ruby make a face at her older sibling as the blonde moved exited the room.

Immediately after her sister left, that smirk dropped into a frown.

Ruby felt a shiver coursed through her body as she stepped out from the bathroom. The warmth that had been generated by the use of hot water made the more mild air outside that room seem frigid by comparison, and it made her dash across the room to collect some of the extra clothing that she kept here for just such an occasion. This strange stockpile had been started the first time the shower had stopped working at her apartment, but had proved useful when she found herself in need of clothes that weren't bloodstained on bounties where the target was less than receptive to her pursuit.

Manipulating the sides of the underwear she had pulled on, Ruby made sure the garment was set comfortably before pulling a matching sports bra over her head. She paused to look into the full length mirror that was propped against the nearby wall, raising her right arm to observe how the stitches up her side had held up to the shower. Several of the threads had popped, the ragged tear opened where the stitching had failed. The area around the gash was a nightmarish mass of purple, black, and yellow. Her Aura had begun to work on the massive bruising, but it would be at least few days until the damage was fully healed. For now, it would be a dark blight that marred her pale skin, incredibly noticeable against a sea of white.

Making a noise of discontentment, her eyes found a picture stuck to the mirror next to where she had been studying. Yang had frequently asked Velvet, who had always had an odd fascination with physical pictures, to take a shot of either herself or the team. It seemed all of them had ended up here. As she studied the one that had caught her attention, she felt one wolf ear droop to the side, while the other stood straight up.

She could scarcely recognize the people in the photo, even Yang. Her sister was closest to the camera, leaning forward with a brazen grin and one eye closed in a wink. A muscled arm was slung around the neck of a raven-haired girl who was busy glaring at the offending limb, while in the background Ruby could see herself with her chin perched on the shoulder of a slim girl she was hugging from behind. Even in the scowl that dominated the platinum-haired teenager's face, there was a glint of amusement in steely, blue eyes.

They looked happy, or at the very least, hopeful. It had been taken only a few weeks into their first semester together, and the first stages of friendship had seemed promising among all four of them. Within a year, their team would be down to three. With that thought, Ruby's eyes lingered on the fourth member, Blake.

Strangely enough, it was her greatest failure as a leader that had led to how comfortable she now was with the second pair of ears that poked through the strands of her dark hair. A week after Blake's departure, Ruby revealed her heritage to Weiss, and in the following months completely forsook the habit of pinning the wolf ears down. It had been freeing, and had generated quite a bit of media attention when her team had taken the spotlight on several missions to take down criminals in Vale. They even ended up celebrities of a sort, for a moment there.

Of course that meant that her relationship with Weiss, the heiress to a company that held a decidedly non-progressive view on Faunus, had been the stuff of tabloids for many months. She remembered the accusations of fetishism, of being a traitor to her race. She remembered the screaming matches over a scroll with Weiss' father.

It had all seemed so important then, as if their relationship would last forever.

Shaking her head as she turned away from the mirror and moved to the desk that still held the first aid kit, Ruby retrieved the roll of gauze and went to work on the uncovered gash on the lower edge of her shoulder. She walked back to stand in front of the reflective surface, to get a better angle on how she needed to wrap the bandage.

Tucking the edges of the gauze into the bandage, she took a long look at her handiwork before judging it sufficient and tossing the roll back towards the desk. A clatter announced she had made it into the first aid kit as she turned to head back to the dresser. She rooted around through the top drawer until she found a black tank top that had a flurry of red rose petals dashed diagonally across the front and back of the cloth, another of her personal designs. More fishing around within the container yielded an old pair of dark cargo pants, and she took both pieces of clothing over to the edge of Yang's bed.

Ruby let the shirt drop onto the pile of covers as she worked to fit her feet through the legs of the pants, finding the endeavor significantly easier than it had been that morning. She shimmied into the last few inches, pulling the waistband over her hips and securing the clothing in place. Practiced motions buckled the belt that held her revolver, tightening it so that it rested without issue. Reaching down to snatch up the faded scarf she had worn before and wrapped it about her waist, tying it off so that one end dangled down almost to knee length.

Her boots quickly followed, their laces tied within seconds as she fitted the loose ends of her pant legs over the edges of the footwear. She then gathered the fallen tank top and slid it on, the age of the garment showing in the inch of skin it left between the bottom of the black cloth with the checkered grey and black of the scarf around her waist.

Taking one last glance in the mirror, Ruby swept the curled length of hair that hung from the back of her head forward until it rested on her right shoulder, while a quick swipe set her bangs in a more favorable position across her forehead. Satisfied for the moment, she quickly left the view of the reflection, her eyes already wandering to the scar that cut through her eye.

Within seconds she was out the door, barely looking up until she almost crashed into someone emerging from the stockroom. Reeling back to avoid smashing into a box that made several clinking sounds when her would-be victim made the same motion, she let out a nervous chuckle when she realized it was Velvet she had nearly run over.

The rabbit Faunus' eyes went wide as they regarded her, the ears atop the older woman's head sticking straight up from the moment of excitement. "Ruby! You're in a hurry."

She heard the slight mirth in the accented voice, enough so that she knew the other brunette wasn't too concerned with their near miss. "Yeah, I have.. Um." Ruby felt her mind go a bit blank as she tried to summon up the courage to apologize for the behavior that Yang had made her quite aware of. "About last night-"

"Oh!" There came a slight pink tinge to the pale of Velvet's cheeks at the mention, and the view of the other Faunus' chocolate-colored eyes was obscured for a moment by the bangs that were styled to hang over the rabbit's forehead. "There's no need to apologize. After all, it wouldn't be Ember Heights if I didn't get kissed by at least one drunken asshole during my shift!"

Those eyes found Ruby once again, this time accompanied by a more coy smile than before. "At least you can kiss." It was her turn to feel the heat of a blush, as she stammered to find the correct response. Luckily for her lack of an answer, Velvet gave a playful laugh. "Don't worry, Ruby. We're friends, yeah? Best not to let something stupid get in the way of that."

"Well, it was stupid.." Her mumble was definitely caught by the other woman, as a small smile spread into a wide grin. "Thanks, Velv."

Velvet turned to move towards the stairs, leading the way as Ruby followed. "You bet."

They descended to the main floor, and Ruby exchanged a quick goodbye with the rabbit as she stepped past to speak with Yang. Her sister was busy putting a little elbow grease into working out a particularly dark stain on the surface of the counter, the common area all but empty now that the lunch rush was over. "You apologized."

"You heard?" Sidling up to lean against the bar, Ruby quirked an ear to the side as she studied her older sibling. Yang gave nothing away, only a small noise of frustration as the rag was applied with such force the cloth tore a little against the wood.

"I did. If that could be called an apology." Orbs of lilac snapped to her in a sort of glare, the difference in height between them becoming obvious as Yang stood up from the bent position she had previously been in. "More than I ever got, anyway."

"Look I don't want to have this conversation again, especially not in public." Ruby spoke with a resigned tone to her voice, shifting her weight as she went for broke with an already strained relationship. "I need Bumblebee. This friend I'm going to see, he lives a bit far from here."

A derisive snort was her first answer, as Yang shoved past her with that same glare. A moment later, a hand appeared over her shoulder, causing her to flinch back before she saw the keys clasped between a thumb and forefinger. "Not a scratch on her." Ruby snatched the object from her sister's grasp, surprised it had been this easy. Perhaps it was because she had done well enough keeping the bike from being ruined on the last few trips. Perhaps it was because Yang wanted to be rid of her sooner rather than later.

"You know Ruby.." Pausing as she stepped out from behind the counter, she cocked a single wolf ear to indicate that she was listening. She wasn't ready to look her sister in the eye, not after she had just had to gall to dismiss Yang's complaints and then ask for her help. "If you weren't my sister, I would want you out of my life."

Clenching her hand around the keys until the edges bit at her skin, even through the fabric of the glove that covered it, Ruby took the insult and began to move again. Her journey to the side door of the bar was unimpeded by any more words, but a tense silence had fallen over the staff and the few patrons that remained within. It wasn't as if she could turn around and say something back. After all, even she knew that Yang had a point.

She couldn't even stand to be with her own thoughts, how could she expect others to accommodate her?

From the rooftop of a burned out cafe across the street from Ember Heights, a crouched figure watched Ruby swing a leg over the side of a polished motorcycle, sliding the key into place before starting the machine. The growing shadow of the encroaching storm had yet to pass over this area of Vale, leaving the area bathed in light despite the raindrops that were being pulled in this direction by the wind.

Blake Belladonna watched as the wolf Faunus on the street below pulled out from the side of the bar and turned to take off towards the human side of the District. The gentle summer breeze was slowly displacing more of the charred shards of rubble that had crumpled beneath the immense heat of the fire that had destroyed the building. Pushing herself up from the edge, she brushed her gloves against one another to clean away the ash that had covered them, revealing once again the shining steel surface of the reinforcement above her knuckles.

Normally, this would be the point when she would take off to follow the other, eager to keep a good distance. But her ears caught the sound of the wind gently moving clothing, and the soft tap of boots against the uneven ground of the roof. She didn't need to look to know who it was. "Why are you so interested in our Little Wolf, hm?"

Glancing back, she found Adam standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, his expression hidden behind a bone white mask. "Just making sure that she follows through on her end." Her words came out quietly, nearly lost in the low din of the coming storm. It should have bothered her just how naturally a lie came to her, or just how easily it was dismissed by the man who stood before her. It certainly bothered her that he knew her well enough to know such things in a moment after they occurred. "And with this new treaty, I have the time to do it. Don't you have somewhere more important to be?"

"Maybe I just missed you." A grin spread over the the thin lips that were visible below the mask Adam wore, only growing wider when her own mouth twisted into a grimace. Blake's mask covered more of her face, and was significantly less stylized in the painting of red across its face than her counterpart's. It marked her clearly as a member of The White Fang. As if the howling beowulf design on the back of her jacket was not indication enough. "Maybe I wanted to see if you were running again. Can never be too sure with you. At this point I think you get off on being punished."

The left ear of her catlike second set twitched in response to the mocking, as if the pain from the missing chunk had suddenly returned. Normally the sentence for abandoning The White Fang was death, but not for her. No, she was far too useful. Her punishment had been humiliation, degradation. Acts done that would scar her mind more than her body, memories that would never fade, and a piece of an ear snipped away. With the memories came a numb sensation, a nothingness that spread through her limbs as she froze in place. There had been nowhere else to go once she had been cornered by those that had hunted her. No friends to turn to, no long arm of the law to save her, no onlookers who would care what happened to a useless animal.

At least with the Fang there had been a chance to get out alive. Her fingers curled into fists as she regained some measure of control and strode forward, eager to get away from the sick feeling he was now evoking within her.

Her attempt to push past the other gangster was met with a vice grip on her arm that yanked her back so he could look down on her, the grin no longer evident on his face. "Is it that you desire her? She is quite a beauty, but she is not yours to hunt!" A snarl accompanied a tightening as his gloved fingers dug into the exposed flesh between the short sleeves of her jacket and the ribbon wrapped around her forearm. "You know I will find out what I want to know, what you are hiding from me, eventually."

Blake looked away, her gaze faltering as she let out a long sigh. She did know. Adam got what he wanted. He always did, in the end. It was only a matter of how much pain those in his way had to suffer before that happened. "I knew her, once. She was at Beacon."

"A friend?"

The question was spoken more as an order than a request for more information, and so Blake continued. "She probably hates me now, especially since she is-"

"A Faunus?" Adam sneered as he released her, pushing her away somewhat as her turned to regard her in full. "I saw the way you reacted when you saw her earlier."

"She kept it hidden, like I did." Blake felt a pang of guilt and hurt course through her heart, emotions that had not touched her in a long time, years even. Seeing Ruby kneeling there, with her blade at the younger woman's throat, it had hurt to see those ears. To know that there had been someone so close who would have understood. To know that she had run for nothing. "..I never knew."

A laugh was all she received from the man who now stalked around her like a vulture circling its dying prey, waiting to scavenge meat from a corpse that was barely still standing. But then the footsteps stopped, as the bull's hot breath cascaded down her neck. "Don't let her see you, Blake. I want that name, and Ruby is the best shot to get it. Do not screw this up, you know what the price of failure is.." A gloved hand touched against her shoulder, ghosting the tips of his fingers down the length of her arm before lifting away.

Finally moving unimpeded to the ladder that led down to the alleyway below, where her own motorcycle waited, Blake did not look back as she spoke. "I won't fail."

Author's Note: Aaand I'm back with another chapter! As always lets start with a huge thank you to all you lovely readers out there, and especially the people who follow, favorite, and review this story. You guys rock! I'm always wanting to hear from you so drop a review with your thoughts on the story, or maybe predictions of where it might be going? Or hey, just drop in to say hi. That's cool too! Special thanks to Unjax for continuing to be the best beta out there, he really polished this chapter up to what it is now, so give him a thank you as well. Enjoy and see ya next time! -Fox