"We need to hurry," Qrow said as he opened the hangar of the Quinjet. "Those weirdos have been busted and they know it. Chances are they're going to do something stupid because of it."
"Something stupid like…?" Yang asked.
"Kicking a puppy," Qrow looked at her exasperatedly. "I've never been in a cult, how the hell should I know?"
He walked inside, and Yang and Ruby followed. Ruby stopped in the middle of the hangar and looked around in awe. Yang gave her a gentle push to get her going, though she didn't blame Ruby for having a reaction like that.
"Get Ruby's whack-a-thingy! It's under the bed!" Qrow shouted, hurrying to the cockpit.
"It's a- oh, forget it," Ruby sighed.
Yang went to the retractable bed on the wall and crouched. There was a footlocker there, but it was closed with a padlock.
"Oh no, it's locked," Ruby said sadly. "Let me get uncle –" Yang ripped out the padlock and tossed it behind her "- oh okay that works too I guess."
Yang rummaged through the contents of the footlocker, then got up and handed Ruby her phone and weapon. Ruby ran one hand through Crescent Rose before unfolding it. The blade was sharp as ever, and there was nothing to indicate anything was off about it.
"I've missed you, baby," Ruby cooed, rubbing a cheek against the scythe's handle. "I'll never lose you again. Never."
More than a little weirded out, Yang went to the cockpit. Qrow had just closed the hangar, and was carefully getting the Quinjet off the ground. Looking at the control panel, Yang learned that the plane was in cloaked mode.
"What's the point?" she asked. "Isn't there too much noise?"
"I don't care if they see us taking off," Qrow said. Ruby joined them, having put Crescent Rose away, much to Yang's relief. "Listen to me, you two. Your target is the Grimm. Under no circumstance will you engage the cultists – that's my job," he paused. "I recommend you stay as far as you can."
"But what if you get in trouble, uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.
"That's cute," Qrow said under his breath. "If."
They ascended high above the town, stopping just below the clouds. Slowly, the Crow turned to face Mountain Glenn.
"The entrance to their – ahem – lair faces east, you said?" Qrow asked Ruby.
"Uh, sure," Ruby stood on the tip of her feet to whisper on Yang's ear. "Where's east?"
"Hmm. And there is that opening at the top…" he smiled roguishly. "How would you two like to make a grand entrance?"
Ruby looked coyly at Yang, as if asking for permission.
"Are you kidding me?" Yang smiled. "That sounds awesome."
"Alright," Qrow said. "Get back there and get prepared, then."
Yang and Ruby walked to the back and stood side by side, facing the closed hangar door. Yang cast Ruby a wary glance as she examined Crescent Rose a second time, just to be certain it was in working order.
"Hey, Ruby," Yang called quietly.
"Hmm?" Ruby mumbled, not looking at her.
"Stay close to me, okay? I don't want you to get hurt," Yang said.
Ruby raised her head, the corners of her mouth quivering, as if she were barely holding back laughter. "Sure."
Yang put her hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"
"Well…" Ruby grinned. "I'm not new to this stuff. Maybe you should be sticking close to me."
Yang frowned. Maybe Ruby had a point, but even if she had been doing this for two months already, that wasn't that much time. She wasn't the ultimate Grimm-slaying agent, and she could still use some help, even from a newbie.
Besides, it wouldn't matter if Ruby were the freaking Director of Beacon. Yang was still her older sister.
"Okay," Yang said. "Whatever works for you, sis."
The Quinjet stopped. A green light came on in the corner, indicating the hangar was about to open.
It was time to go.
Inside mountain Glenn, in the first hollow cavern in its network of tunnels, the Shepherd and his flock gathered. They had suffered heavy losses in a single day, but they still totaled more than thirty, and they were more united than ever.
The Grimm watched from every corner, every perch, red eyes glowing in the darkness untouched by the light above. There was something ominous in the air, which was normal in their presence, but today it was stronger than ever. They were on the verge of being unleashed – or, more accurately, of dismissing the presence of the flock, which they had been merely tolerating them until now.
The Shepherd knew that, and he knew that something needed to be done about it, or else everything they had been working towards for so long would be ruined. And so he spoke, with every one of his fellow men and women standing in a circle around him, listening avidly.
"Brothers and sisters, the time has finally come," he intoned gravely, looking around, his hood drawn low to reveal the glint in his eyes. "We have waited long, but at last, reckoning comes. Reckoning for humanity; reckoning for all sinners."
"I see the doubt in your eyes, and though that is a sin, I do not condemn you for it. The greatest storm comes before vindication, and what a storm we have faced. Many of our own were taken from us – but they have not left us! Their spirits remain with us, and they too shall enjoy the coming paradise."
"But the storm has not yet passed. To end it, to see our glorious destiny fulfilled, we must claim it with our own hands. You all know what that means, and I know you are all prepared. We shall fulfill our duty to the Black Ones."
"Come, and let the-"
But a loud noise interrupted him, like a boulder had just come crashing down from the sky just behind him. A cloud of dirt washed over him and his flock, and as he turned, he saw a figure rise through it.
Two red eyes shone faintly, fixed upon him. "Sorry, am I late to the party?" Yang cracked her knuckles. "Oh, and I forgot about the offering, had to buy something last second. Is a big serving of gratuitous violence okay?"
The Shepherd scowled nastily, and the other cultists converged around him, drawing daggers. "No!" he hissed. "The Black Ones will punish her. We are not to stand in their way."
The Grimm sprung to life all around, leaving their resting spots and converging on Yang. A giant black bird, a Nevermore, hovered above her, its feathers shining like sharp metal. It opened its beak and screeched, but then a crimson blur passed by it, and suddenly its head was on the floor, severed from the rest of its body.
Ruby landed beside Yang and slammed Crescent Rose on the ground, then glared at the Shepherd. "Vengeance has come, meek fools!"
Yang nodded once, then blinked and turned to look at her. "What?"
"It's… it's the language they use," Ruby said awkwardly. "Don't judge me, judge them."
"Retreat!" the Shepherd shouted. "To the inner caverns! Leave the heathens to their judgment!"
"See what I mean?!" Ruby exclaimed.
The Shepherd and his cultists ran away, disappearing in a tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. Even if Yang and Ruby had wanted to chase them, they wouldn't have been able to, as now more than a hundred Grimm surrounded them, and more waited nearby, ready to take up the place of any that fell.
"Alright, so, do you have a plan of attack when in this kind of situation?" Yang asked.
"Yep," Ruby answered, lifting Crescent Rose and point it downward. "You kick butt and that's it."
She shot the ground, and the recoil of the blast sent her flying up the air. She became level with a trio of Griffons and swung Crescent Rose, slicing them all and turning them to smoke. As she began to fell, Ruby pointed Crescent Rose behind her and shot again, and went rocketing towards an Ursa on the other side of the cavern.
"Okay then," Yang said, raising her fists.
A Boarbatusk came rolling at her, but she strengthened her stance and crossed her arms in front of her, blocking it. The monster spun against her in midair for a moment, trying to break through, but it quickly lost momentum and fell on its back, exposing its vulnerable underside. Yang stomped on it with all her might, vanquishing it.
Now half the horde was closing in on her, Beowolves and Ursas and Boarbatusks and other species Ruby had not told her about. Yang was tempted to take them on where she stood and build up her power to deal with all of them at once, but she knew that was more risk than was worth. Edging backwards, she tried to get hit as least as possible while whittling down the Grimm one by one.
It was harder than she had expected, requiring every ounce of her attention. One slip-up, and the Grimm would overwhelm her, and then she would have to hope she had enough strength to free herself from them. Maybe Ruby had been right, after all, about who needed help from whom.
Although she gave all her focus to the fight, she was still caught by surprise when two talons wrapped around her shoulders and lifted her from the ground. Yang looked up into the underside of a Nevermore. She tried to break free, but the creature's grip was too strong, even for her. The bird ascended at an alarming speed, passing the top of the cavern into open air, then turned sharply and, in the same motion, released her.
Yang spun helplessly as she plummeted, brain unable to keep up with what was happening. Suddenly, an agonizing pain shot down her spine, and she was lying dazed on the ground. Yang got to her knees slowly and looked up, only to meet eyes with the hugest Grimm she had seen yet.
A Beringel. Ruby had talk about fighting one of those during the Breach at Patch. It had almost killed her. Even if Yang was tougher than her, she suddenly found herself fearing for her life.
Yang got up, facing the Beringel, and raised her arms. The other Grimm were waiting behind it, as if afraid to interfere. Yang grit her teeth, deciding to teach them who they should be afraid of, and dashed to the Beringel, landing a punch across his face.
It didn't even flinch. Before she could retreat, the Beringel's humongous hand shot forward and closed around her torso. It lifted her above its head and roared, then brought her down, slamming her against the floor. The brutal attack hurt as much as the fall the Nevermore had inflicted on her.
Yang didn't even have enough time to take in the pain, as the Beringel slammed her down again, and again, and again. All she could see now was the blurred transition between the brown of the ground and the blue of the sky as she was jerked up and down. There was no respite, no opportunity to fight back. Her power was rising fast, she could feel it, but her Aura was withering away in equal measure.
Maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew…
And then she heard a loud bang, and the Beringel released her, flinging her upwards. As she reached the apex of her ascension, Yang regained her sense of space and corrected herself as she fell. She landed on her feet and looked up. The Beringel was clutching an eye with both hands. A shadowy red smoke was spilling between its fingers.
Now that she was standing, Yang could feel the power coursing through her, and it was overflowing. Her eyes positively shining red, she threw her arms downwards at her sides, and a fiery aura erupted from her. She dashed forward, feet leaving the ground, and delivered upon the Beringel a punch so powerful her whole body shook with the impact. The monster's armor-like skin broke apart, and then a burst of fire released from her fist, enveloping the Beringel and incinerating it, as well as a handful of Grimm behind it.
Panting hard, Yang turned her head to look over her shoulder. Ruby lowered Crescent Rose slowly, giving her a look of equal amazement and fear. "Wow. You really shoot fire."
Yang nodded stiffly. Ruby looked around awkwardly, then took a couple steps away.
"I'll go back to my stuff, then," she said. "Unless you, uh, need any more help?"
Yang grunted, then jumped at the horde in front of her, becoming like a living inferno that quickly halved the mass of Grimm.
"Yep," Ruby turned away. "Got the message!"
Qrow ran down the dark tunnels of Mountain Glenn, listening hard to the distant sounds of the retreating cultists to not lose his way. He held his pistol low in his right hand, ready to use at first notice.
Frankly, this whole thing was pissing him off. He got the need for these lairs – well, he didn't get it, but he got that types like those cultists liked their evil lairs – but why on Remnant would anyone choose a place with so many diverging paths, and worst of all, install no lights? No wonder these people were crazy. They probably were used to not seeing the light of day for weeks at a time.
Also, there were Grimm. There were a lot of goddamn Grimm. He was afraid he was going to run out of ammo with how many he was having to kill to keep going. If the tunnels were a bit larger, he could have used another method, but that was too much to ask.
Bad luck, but he couldn't really blame his Semblance for it this time.
He was almost pleased when he left the tunnels into a small cavern, but that triumphant feeling quickly evaporated when he noticed something unusual. At the other end of the cavern, resting with his back against a wall, was a dead cultist. There was blood running down his robes, flowing from a small hole right where his heart should be.
"But how-" Qrow stopped himself. He already had figured it out. "Oh, hell no."
He ran into another tunnel, following the noise of the cultists again, and now he could tell it was getting progressively lower. He nearly tripped on another body in the darkness. He needed to go faster.
When he finally reached the noise, he had seen far more bodies than he had been hoping for when planning the assault. Leaving the tunnels, he walked into a place unlike any before. It had actual walls and a floor built of flawless stone. No matter where Qrow looked, there were symbols and lines that together seemed to form a bigger picture, though he couldn't hope to understand.
Standing in the middle of the room, firmly inside a drawn circle like a rune, was the Shepherd. There was one last cultist standing before him, but Qrow had no time to intervene. The Shepherd had already pulled back his dagger from her chest.
"Rest well, sister."
The cultist crumpled to the floor, where she lay unmoving. Qrow sneered with disgust.
"Now, you," he said, walking towards the Shepherd. "You are a real son of a bitch. I really thought I had seen the worst of it, but you keep surpassing expectations," Qrow stopped not far from him. "I'm supposed to bring you in alive, but I have to admit I'm finding it really hard to obey that order right now."
"I do not care. Yours is a league of sinners," the Shepherd said. "To call you misguided would be heresy."
"Damn, you're deep in it, pal," Qrow tapped his temple. "Seriously. Just shut your mouth and I'll make it easy for you. Easier."
"I'm afraid you are quite lost. You will not accomplish your mission," the Shepherd grinned viciously. "But perhaps you can be useful for mine."
He reached inside his robe and took out a pistol. Wasting no time, he pointed it at Qrow's head and pulled the trigger.
There was a click, then nothing. He tried again, to no avail. Shaking with fury, he lowered the gun.
"That's some bad luck," Qrow noted dryly.
"It matters not. You would not have fallen anyway," the Shepherd's eyes narrowed. "Demonic freak."
"Thanks!" Qrow exclaimed. "Now, turn around and put your wrists together…"
The Shepherd raised his gun again, but this time did not aim at Qrow. Instead, he pressed the barrel to his own head. Swearing, Qrow ran forward, but it was too late.
"For the Black Ones."
Qrow turned away, wincing as the bang rang in his ears. As he was mustering the stomach to look, he noticed a red glow tinging the walls. He turned around, and above the runic circle in the center of the room saw a black and red portal materialize from thin air. It grew bigger and bigger, almost reaching the ceiling.
And then he saw two red eyes glare at him from the other end, and he jumped aside. Something burst past him, a snake-like body that crashed into the wall of the room and, forgoing use of the tunnels, burrowed into the rock and sped up the mountain.
Qrow stood in panic, watching as more and more of the snake emerge from the portal. Did it have no end? It took a minute and more for the Grimm to finally come out fully, the portal closing immediately behind it.
Doing the first thing that came to his mind, Qrow jumped and grabbed on to the tail, and was dragged up into the darkness.
Ruby swung in front of her, slicing through a Beowolf, then shot and jumped backwards. Spinning, she cleaved an Ursa that had been about to blindside her, cutting through its back like butter. She landed and raised Crescent Rose again, aiming at more distant Beowolves and killing them with red Dust rounds.
As she changed her aim to another Grimm, she was suddenly lifted off the ground by her cloak. Looking back, she met a familiar, if unwelcome, face – or rather, eye. The Golem which had been her warden stared at her with cold maliciousness, as if looking forward to punishing her for escaping.
Well, she didn't have a shock collar around her neck now, and most importantly, she wasn't unarmed. Turning Crescent Rose, she aimed straight at the Grimm's singular eye and shot. The Golem dropped her, but otherwise didn't appear too fazed.
Ruby didn't let up, however, firing round after round, all exploding in its eye or next to it. The Golem stumbled back, then fell on its back. The main rock that formed its torso was cracked. Smiling victoriously, Ruby raised Crescent Rose above her head, then hammered the rock with the blunt end of it.
The rock shattered, and the Grimm released a strange noise, like air filling a vacuum. Its eye faded, then disappeared completely, and the rocks that had comprised the Golem rolled away from each other, no longer connected by whatever force had held them together before.
"Sorry, buddy," she said. "But you really had it coming."
Looking around, Ruby was surprised to find there weren't that many Grimm left. She had expected this to take a lot longer, and that she would have a harder time than at the Patch Breach, but it had actually been easier until now. She had underestimated how useful having a partner was.
Yang joined her, cracking her neck and moaning quietly. "You know, killing Grimm really takes a lot out of you."
"Yep. We're pretty much done, though," Ruby said. "Nice job, by the way!"
"Eh. You kinda saved my ass back there," Yang admitted.
"Language!"
"You absolutely saved my ass back there."
"…Okay, I'll accept that," Ruby said grudgingly. "Hey, have you seen uncle Qrow? Maybe we should help him with the weirdos."
"No, let's just finish with the Grimm," Yang shrugged. "I'm sure he's doing fine."
A tremor shook the cavern, nearly making them collapse. Even as they stumbled around, Ruby made sure to glare at Yang.
Suddenly, the whole floor gave way, shattering and falling into a void below. They began to fall, spinning around, hopelessly confused about what was happening. And then they looked down together and saw a huge snake coming up, its body somehow sticking to the walls.
The snake's eyes fixed on Ruby, and it turned its head her way and opened its mouth, so that she would fall right into it. Shrieking, Ruby aimed Crescent Rose to the side and shot, sending herself hurling away. She buried the blade on a wall and hung there, taking short breaths to calm herself.
"Are you okay?!" Yang yelled, clinging to the wall opposite.
"Yeah!" Ruby replied, watching the snake's body race past.
Finally, the tail arrived, and clinging to it was none other than Qrow, screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs.
"Uncle Qrow!" Yang jumped from the wall and shot a burst of fire from her fists, boosting herself upwards, and grabbed onto the tail.
Ruby joined them a few moments later. Qrow looked both pleased and annoyed that they were there, for whatever reason.
"Uncle Qrow, what the heck is this?" Ruby asked, poking the snake's hide. "Is it a Super Mega King Taijitu or something?"
"I don't know, it's never been seen before!" Qrow grunted. "We need to kill it before it gets out!" The snake's head reached the open air and disappeared past the edge at the top. "We need to kill it before it gets even more out!"
"How?!" Ruby exclaimed.
Yang looked up and down the snake. It was going to be out entirely soon, and then there was no way it was getting back inside the mountain. If they didn't do something fast…
"I have a crazy idea," she looked at her sister and uncle. "Jump off!"
Ruby and Qrow looked at each other dubiously.
"Just do it!" Yang shouted impatiently.
Ruby nodded and grabbed Qrow around the waist – "Watch it!" – and jumped off. She swung Crescent Rose clumsily and buried it in a wall.
Yang waited a little, bracing herself, then stuck out her feet and fixed them on the wall. The rock shattered around them, and her toes hurt like crazy. She held on to the snake with all her strength and bended her knees.
The effort of holding back the snake was beyond anything she had ever felt. For a moment, she thought she was going to be ripped apart. Then, the Grimm started to slow down, before coming to a halt entirely. Shouting hoarsely, Yang stood with her feet buried on the wall and swung her arms over her head. She saw the shadow of the snake across her, then the deafening noise of it falling back down, shattering the wall opposite as it went. Yang let go of the tail.
"Uncle Qrow," Ruby whispered.
"What?" he asked roughly.
"I think I have the best sister in the world."
The snake plummeted for a long while, nearly disappearing in the darkness, but it eventually managed to turn and burrow into a wall. They all waited in suspense as the mountain shook all around them. Where was it going? What should they do?
Suddenly, the snake's head burst from the rock just above Yang and tried to bite her, but she dropped a couple meters, avoiding it. The snake screeched at her, jaw opened wide. Freeing one hand, Yang swung it again and again, shooting spirals of fire that went right into the snake's throat.
The Grimm closed it mouth and just hung there for a moment. Yang sighed in relief, thinking she just might have done it in, but that wasn't the case. The snake opened its mouth again and released a fiery breath upon her. Yang grit her teeth. The flames didn't set her on fire, but they hurt.
The snake stopped, having released everything she had thrown at it before. It edged back into the wall, then shot outwards, burrowing into the other side. In mere seconds, it came out again, this time going straight for her. Yang jumped away, only barely avoiding being gobbled up.
The snake must have known that it had almost gotten her, as it tried again to catch her like that, and once more she only just managed to dodge. The Grimm repeated the tactic without rest, sending Yang into a frenzy as she jumped from wall to wall. Soon, the hollow length of the mountain had sections of the snake's body sprouting from everywhere. She could only imagine how twisted it was in its entirety.
Thankfully, Yang didn't have to endure that forever. After another dodge, she grabbed onto a wall and looked around, listening for the familiar tremors of the snake's movement, but there was nothing. Was it resting, or was it planning something else? Regardless of what it was doing, Yang was glad to have a moment's pause.
"This is the worst vacation I've ever had!" she shouted between breaths. "Anyone have a plan?"
She looked around and, after a while, located Qrow. He was hanging by the handle of a curved blade, looking up for some reason. But Ruby was nowhere to be seen…
"Where's Ruby?" Yang shouted across to Qrow.
He looked at her, then nodded up. Yang followed his gaze and noticed a trail of roses floating gently in the air, going ever higher. Her eyes widened when finally, at the end of the trail, she saw Ruby – though she was nearly a blur – running up the walls to the top of the mountain.
As Yang watched, Ruby reached the edge and took a wide turn, then jumped off and started falling, building even more speed. She was going so fast, so fast - Yang completely lost her.
A shrill noise pierced her ears. Yang watched in amazement as, all around her, sections of the snake's body were inexplicably cut in two. The separate pieces flopped against the walls, then slid out of their holes, disappearing in the darkness below.
And then an enormous cloud of smoke rose from there, passed by her and Qrow, and dissipated in the sky. A few seconds later, Ruby appeared, running up a wall. She stopped beside Qrow, grabbing his leg and sighing, her eyes closed.
"Oof, that was scary."
Yang looked at her uncle. He had the same amazed expression she imagined she was wearing.
"Uncle Qrow?"
"What?"
"I think I have the best sister in the world."
The death of the giant snake – which Ruby decided would be temporarily named Mister Bad Fangs – brought an end to the assault. It seemed the other Grimm had died because of the collapse, and if by any chance any remained, Qrow said it was unlikely they would be able to get out of the mountain with the mess it was now.
They waited at the foot of the mountain for Beacon to arrive and handle the situation, not saying a word to each other. They were too tired to speak after the battle. As soon as the agents landed, Qrow uncloaked his Quinjet and ushered his nieces inside, and took off.
While they traveled, Yang sat on the bed at the hangar, leaning against the wall behind her. Ruby was lying down, head resting in her lap. And Yang thought…
…maybe this vacation hadn't been so bad.
It was well into the morning when they reached home, as they had to cross almost the full length of the country, from Mountain Glenn at the very north to the southeastern sea that surrounded Patch Island. By then, everyone was feeling considerably refreshed. Ruby was skipping around the cockpit, pestering Qrow with questions about the intricacies of his job and Grimm Goodwitch refused to tell her about. He humored her, in his snarky way.
But as they drew closer to the city, Yang found that she couldn't join in on the conversation. There was an anxious feeling prickling at the back of her neck, and once or twice she felt her stomach churn at the thought that, in mere minutes, she would be back home, in her dad's presence.
She could just imagine how that talk would go. He had pretty much freaked out when he found out Ruby had superpowers, and now he had discovered his eldest did too. And in the worst way possible, too… Yang wished she hadn't insisted Ruby call him. Then she would have had the opportunity to tell him herself and in person, which sounded much, much better.
To both sisters' surprise, Qrow didn't land at the edge of town as they had been expecting, but kept flying into the city. Soon, they were hovering above their house, and then he landed right on the front yard, causing pieces of the fence and the mailbox to go flying away violently.
Taiyang came running out the front door, waving his arms above his head as if the sky was falling. He skidded to a halt when he saw the Crow sitting there. Qrow smirked at him through the Quinjet's windshield.
"Qrow! I can't believe-" Taiyang roared, looking around at his ruined yard. "Why would you do that, you idiot!"
"Heh," Qrow chuckled, pressing a button to open the hangar.
Ruby squealed happily and disappeared from the plane. The next second, she was tackling her father into a hug, nearly knocking him down. Taiyang looked down at her as if in disbelief, then a huge smile parted his lips.
"Ruby! You're – you're here!" he yelled, voice catching in his throat for a moment.
"I am!" Ruby pressed her cheek against his chest. "I missed you, dad."
"I… I didn't know they had found you," he said. "Was it Qrow? I might forgive the damage if that's the case."
"Yep, uncle Qrow found me," Ruby smiled. "But he had help."
Yang was halfway off the Quinjet, having paused as she listened to the conversation. She was so confused – hadn't Ruby told him? Had Ruby… lied?
"Get a move on, ya dingus," Qrow said, shoving her forward. Yang stumbled into the front yard, paused for a moment more, then walked around to the front of the Quinjet.
"Yang?" her father said when he saw her. His head was almost parallel with the ground as he stared at her. "You were with Qrow?"
"Uh, yeah," Yang said awkwardly, looking back at her uncle momentarily. "I was."
"Why?" Taiyang asked.
"I roped her into it," Qrow said as he walked past Yang. "You got food? I'm starving."
Taiyang looked from him, to Yang, to Ruby, looking completely lost. After a while, he made a little noise, then pointed to the front door and walked inside. Ruby let go of him, looked back at Yang, then scurried after him, head bent low.
"Hope there's popcorn," Qrow said to Yang, beaming. "I love me some family drama."
Taiyang quickly fixed a breakfast consisting of sandwiches and orange juice, and they sat around the kitchen table to eat. Yang didn't eat much, but rather listened as Ruby narrated an abridged version of the past two weeks to their father, leaving out all the parts involving Yang having superpowers, which resulted in several holes in the story, obviously, but if Taiyang noticed that, he didn't say anything. He was overjoyed to have Ruby back home, safe and sound.
Yang also realized that Ruby's account of her days in captivity was much milder than the one she had given her and Qrow – there was no talk of sacrifices or people threatening her with daggers. At first, Yang thought she was trying to appear brave, but she discarded that notion fast. Ruby didn't want their dad to worry about her. With that being the case, Yang couldn't help but feel uneasy as she wondered what details she might have been spared.
Was it her imagination, or was Ruby shooting her guilty stares every once in a while?
"And then I turned back and started falling, and I held out Crescent Rose and aimed the blade at Mister Bad Fangs," Ruby made a chopping motion with her hand. "And I sliced him like sushi!"
"Yes," Qrow said dryly. "Like sushi. A snake."
"You know what I mean!" Ruby pouted at him. "You were there to watch."
"Wow. Taking care of a Grimm that big… all by yourself," Taiyang paused. "Did you see that too, Yang?"
Yang nearly choked on her sandwich. She dropped it to raise both thumbs at him. "Yeah! Ruby kicked butt! …All on her own!"
Her ears turned red as her father fixed him with a knowing stare. Beside her, Qrow stopped eating altogether to press both hands to his mouth. By the sounds he was making, her uncle was close to collapsing in laughter.
"You know, Ruby, I think you ought to go to your room," Taiyang said, still looking at Yang. "You must be very tired after all of that. A good rest would do you good."
"Nah, I'm okay, Dad! Look, I'm so okay, I can do-"
"Your bedroom's just as you left it at the start of summer," he continued, ignoring her. "Beat off the dust, and your bed is as good as ready."
Ruby didn't try to argue. She glanced at Yang apologetically, then left the kitchen. Yang listened to her going up the stairs to her room, a sense of dred paralyzing her.
When Ruby's door closing was heard, Taiyang shifted in him chair to look at Qrow. "How long have you known?"
"Almost as long as she has," Qrow shrugged. "I came to visit sometime when she was ten, and one morning, she came up to me and said she was afraid she was becoming a werewolf-zombie."
"What?!" Yang turned to him, losing her anxiousness. "You're making that up!"
"Yeah," Qrow grinned. "It was actually werewolf-zombie-shark she said, but that's just dumb. I've been trying to convince her of that ever since," he leaned forward. "Anyway. I explained to her what was actually happening, and I told her not to tell you."
"And why, pray tell, did you do that?" Taiyang asked, rubbing the top of his nose in frustration.
"You had enough going on," Qrow answered shortly, his dry smile gone suddenly.
Taiyang shook his head, as if he couldn't decide between hating or appreciating Qrow in that moment. He stood up, paced a little, then looked at Qrow again.
"Is it the same as hers?"
"It's very similar," Qrow said. "But your daughter also shoots fire."
"Excuse me?" Taiyang blinked. "She didn't shoot fire."
"She did, metaphorically speaking."
"Come on, she wasn't that bad…"
"Really? Man, look who you're talking to."
Yang looked at the two of them in turns. "Who the hell are you talking about? Who's she?"
Taiyang pursed his lips, and Qrow was suddenly very interested in the ceiling. Yang frowned, wondering what could shut them up so quickly-
"Oh my God," Yang sank in her chair. "Everyone. Not one person is normal in this family," Yang looked at Qrow. "Did she work for Beacon too? Sorry, I meant with?"
Qrow opened his mouth, but Taiyang cut him off. "That doesn't matter right now," he said. "Yang, why didn't you tell me? All these years, and you kept quiet. And when Ruby…!" he waved his hands helplessly at her.
"Uncle Qrow already told you why," Yang said. "I didn't do it just because he told me, though. I agreed with him then, and I still do."
"Are you joking?" Taiyang scowled. "I'm not some… hopeless widow, you know. I'm not going to burst into tears every time something like that comes up."
"You freaked out when you found out Ruby had superpowers," she pointed out.
"I freaked out because your sister was going out and getting shot at by criminals every night."
Yang slammed her hands on the table, causing her plate to fly up and shatter on the floor. She looked up at her father, her eyes shimmering red.
"It's been eighteen years, and you still can't talk to me about my mother," she spat. "It's your fault. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you were going to – to look at me like – of course she's all wrong, look who she came from, I should have guessed!"
Silence.
Suddenly, she realized she was standing, and that she had been yelling, and that Qrow was shaking in his seat - in anger or whatever else.
"But sweetheart," her father said brokenly. "I love you."
Yang hunched against the table, keeping her eyes far away from his. If she faced him for another second, she was either going to break down or start screaming again.
"Uncle Qrow."
He shifted in his seat.
"Are you going to tell me about her?"
"I want to," Qrow said. "But I can't. I'm sorry, kid."
"That's fine," Yang took a deep breath. "You were right. I can't pretend I'm normal. Everything is not okay," she paused. "I want my motorcycle."
"Yang!" her father exclaimed, distressed.
She turned around and marched away, leaving the kitchen and the house through the front door. Taiyang made to follow her, but Qrow held him by the wrist, stopping him.
"What?" Taiyang hissed. "You're gonna let her go?"
"Yeah," Qrow got up and pushed him away. He reached the front door and looked back. "We screwed up."
The anger was fading when she reached the docks. By the time she had bought her passage and parked Bumblebee on the boat that would take her mainland, it had vanished completely.
But she didn't go back.
Ruby made her think again, though. She arrived in a blur, looking breathless and at the verge of tears. Yang immediately felt awful.
"Yang!" Ruby hugged her and didn't let go, as if afraid that Yang would jump into the water to escape if she did. "Why are you doing this? Where are you going?!"
Yang sighed. She had known Ruby wouldn't let her go without trying to stop her, and she wasn't upset about it. She didn't want to go without saying goodbye. But it made leaving that much harder.
"It's complicated, Ruby," she said, trying to weasel out of a proper explanation.
"I don't care if it's freaking rocket science!" Ruby exclaimed. "I heard everything, okay? I get that you're upset, but – come on, Yang, let's go back!"
"Look, Ruby, it's not about anything Dad or Qrow said, okay? I'm not mad at them – well, I am, but…" Yang groaned. "This isn't a temper tantrum."
Ruby stepped back, eyeing her carefully. Her chin trembled the next time she spoke. "Is it… is it because I lied to you?" she asked. "I'm sorry! I thought it would be better if you told Dad in person. I didn't think-"
"Ruby, no! You didn't do anything wrong! I'm – I'm happy you did that, because you were right," Yang nodded. "I needed to have that talk with Dad."
"But it wasn't a good talk! It was a bad, bad talk! The worst talk! It would have been better if you had just mimed at each other!"
Yang smiled despite herself. Ruby looked at her hard and put her foot down, as if she had had enough of Yang dodging the question.
"Ruby… I think it might be hard for you to understand – and that's not a bad thing, okay? – but I've… I've never really known what to do with life," Yang said. "You know, I had school and kickboxing and my friends and all that… But that's temporary, you know? I'm not like you."
Ruby blinked, her posture slouching, and Yang could tell she wasn't demanding anymore, but listening.
"You always knew what you wanted to be, even if that wasn't always clear. I mean, you got your Semblance, and then…" Yang snapped her fingers. "That was it."
"It wasn't easy!" Ruby frowned.
"Oh, really? When did you think twice, before or after I made you a costume to go chasing bad guys in the street?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "The point is, I don't have that vision you have. I don't know who I am. And I think that's because, at least in part, I don't know anything about my mom – who she was, why she left, why Dad and Qrow won't even speak her name…"
"So, what?" Ruby crossed her arms. "You're gonna try to find her or something? And when you do, you think you're gonna have all the answers?"
"Probably not, but it's all I've got," Yang said. "And, like they say, it's not about the destination, but the journey. Maybe something's gonna happen between now and then. Maybe I'll stumble into an art museum and develop an obsession that'll set me on the road to become the greatest painter Remnant has ever known."
"Or maybe you'll be eaten by wild coyotes. Wait, do we have coyotes in Vale?"
If Ruby was joking, that meant she had accepted what Yang was doing.
"…Fine," Ruby said grudgingly. "But you're gonna keep in contact, right?"
"With you, I will."
The boat's honk echoed across the docks, and a voice started blaring safety instructions. Ruby looked around in distress.
"I'll call very soon, okay?" Yang bent over to kiss her on the forehead. "Stay safe. And don't get kidnapped again!"
"I'll try," Ruby smiled weakly, holding back tears. "Bye. And keep that promise!"
Ruby lingered for a moment, swaying on the balls of her feet. Then, she turned around and started walking away – and then she was back, petals floating around her, and holding Yang's arm.
"You could work with me!" she pleaded. "You're, like, the best superhero ever. Super Sisters, remember? We could go on missions together, fight back to back, we'd become legends!" she opened and closed her mouth, as if she wanted to say something but knew she'd better not. "Director Ozpin has this really important Initiative thing going, and I think you would be a great addition to-"
"Ruby," Yang laid a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need me, and you know it."
"But…" Ruby's cheeks reddened with irritation. "Did you just forget you rescued me from a bunch of lunatics yesterday?!"
"You escaped on your own. And if you needed help at any point, Qrow was there," Yang said. "You don't need me."
"I do need you!" Ruby shouted, tears coming to her eyes. "I've always needed you!"
Yang closed her eyes. God, she was close, so close to crumbling. If Ruby actually cried…
"Ruby. You don't need me, okay?" she managed to say, very quietly so she didn't betray how weak her conviction was. "Not anymore. You… you're my hero now – so start acting like it! Go kill some Grimm and stop bad guys from stealing from people," she drew in a shaky breath. "And I'll be somewhere else, trying to be as strong as you."
Ruby shuddered. For a moment, Yang thought this was it. Ruby was going to cry, and then she was going to cry, and everything would be over. She would go back home, apologize to Dad and Qrow, and beg them to forgive her.
And then Ruby raised her chin and smiled.
"Alright. Let's talk soon, sis."
And she turned and walked away. She turned one last time to wave goodbye, and then Ruby was gone, leaving behind a trail of rose petals.
The crew drew up the ramp to the boat, and a minute later, they were leaving Patch, headed towards the greater Vale – towards whatever waited next.
Yang leaned on the rail, letting the breeze blow against her face. Strands of her hair whipped against her eyes, but she pushed them away. In doing so, she discovered a stray rose petal, caught amidst her golden locks.
She kissed it, then let it fall gently to the ocean's surface.
RUBY AND YANG WILL REUNITE IN
THE HUNT
Oof. Well that was a long chapter. Quite hard to write too - emotionally, I mean. Hope y'all enjoyed it.
Oooof, again. What to say about this story? My thoughts on it are a jumbled mess, haha. I'll do my best to share them.
I'll admit that, prior to getting to work on it, this was the story I had the least planned for. In the earliest drafts of the universe, this was Ruby 2, actually, because I couldn't (and still can't) think of a good Yang story to tell that doesn't involve Ruby. That's not to say that Yang needs Ruby to work as a character, but Ruby is essential to her, especially at such an early stage. Ruby also needed Yang for her first story, but I had Torchwick and Glynda and (kinda)Summer to work with. I couldn't put Raven or Blake or Neo here - there hasn't been nearly enough time yet for that.
Turns out that was exactly the story that I could tell. Yang needs Ruby, Ruby needs Yang - but do they really? I'm far more pleased with how it all turned out than I thought I would be. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as me (or more!). Thanks for reading this story, for reviewing, all that! My heart goes to you!
Anyways, next comes the post-credits scene (it's a spicy one, ooooh) and then the story for the final member of the Hunt...
Cardin Winchester: The Living Legend
-Zeroan