The rattling of the truck as it meandered down the country road did little to help her burgeoning headache. Constant shifting and bumping on the uneven dirt caused noises that suggested the vehicle might fall apart at any second. It was by far the least ideal mode of travel that Raven could think of, let alone one that suited the throbbing in her skull. She closed her eyes as a spirited bark rang out from the back seat, followed by the sound of tiny claws scampering across the leather.

"Almost, Zwei," Taiyang reassured as he kept his eyes on the road ahead. "We'll stop and make camp in the woods soon."

"You said that an hour ago," Raven reminded as she rubbed at her skull.

"Sun's barely up," Taiyang pointed out. "It's best to drive while it's dark and hide during the day. Sanus is crawling with grimm, now… as well as people actively looking for you. We should be good for another half hour or so, before anyone with eyes on the road is awake…"

"Then ditch me, if I'm that inconvenient," Raven said with a snort. "It wouldn't be undeserved."

Taiyang let out a weary sigh.

"We're not doing this for the entire trip to Vacuo," he mumbled. "I'm tired, too. I also feel like garbage, and now that I know what you know… I'm scared. For us, for Yang, for Ruby… for Remnant. I'm just… doing the best I can. It'll be easier with your help."

"The best we can might not be good enough," Raven protested as she rubbed at her temples. "You heard Glynda. You saw Beacon. They have no idea what to do without Oz… and Oz has no idea what to do in general. They just want to hold down the fort as long as they can and wait for him to come back. That isn't a plan. They won't last if Salem comes knocking."

The truck rolled to a stop as Taiyang turned to look at Raven, feeling an uncomfortable mixture of emotions.

"Then what? Should we go back? Help them hold the school? It's not too late to turn around."

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and kept her eyes closed, simply thinking. After a long, tense silence, she shook her head and sighed heavily.

"…I don't know what we should do. Beacon at least has defenders who are somewhat aware of what's going on. Atlas has Ironwood, for all his faults. Mistral is no longer a priority target. Vacuo… Vacuo needs us."

"Yang needs us," Taiyang tried. "So does Qrow."

"I told you- Qrow and I aren't on good terms, after Haven," Raven insisted.

"Does that even matter, considering what's at stake?" Taiyang countered.

Raven blew out a tense breath and shook her head once again.

"…drive."

Taiyang did as he instructed, stepping down on the gas and kicking up plumes of dust as the truck once again began to crawl down the road.

"…Raven…"

"Don't," the woman warned. "And don't do the thing you always do, either."

"Like I can help it," Taiyang replied with a bit of venom in his tone. "You know how a passive semblance works. I can't control my empathy abilities any more than Qrow can control his luck. You knew what you were walking into when you came to me. I'm feeling what you're feeling, and I'm not going to be able to just 'turn that off'. I know how conflicted you are, and I know how upset you are right now. All I want to know is what actually matters to you. What's driving you to keep going?"

"That answer never changed. Survival," Raven stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Surviving and living are two entirely different things," Taiyang pointed out. "You could survive on your own. You've been doing that for what? Ten years? More? Something changed. Yang got to you."

Zwei let out a bark, his paws braced up on the top of the back seat. Taiyang immediately looked up to the rearview mirror, where a car could be seen approaching as a small black dot far in the distance.

"Shit," Taiyang cursed as he immediately veered off the road and down into the grass. "Hold on to something, we're going into the woods. About time to camp, anyway…"

"I've been trying to," Raven mumbled as she grabbed the handle on the ceiling of the vehicle and braced herself for the imminent off-roading. "I think… I think we might need to stop."

"That's what we're doing," Taiyang explained as he slowly began to guide his vehicle between gaps in the trees.

"No, not for the day," Raven clarified. "I mean… what we're doing. I don't know how I feel about going to Vacuo. I feel like we're just doing this for the sake of doing it. What if Shade has already fallen? No one here would even know. We could be making this journey for nothing. I just… Tai…"

The vehicle rolled to a slow stop, mostly obscured by the surrounding trees. Taiyang clenched his fingers around the steering wheel and kept his eyes forward. He knew what he would see if he looked over at Raven, and he wasn't sure he would be able to deal with the sight.

Feeling her breaking down so suddenly was bad enough.

"Raven?" Taiyang said softly to no response. "…Raves?"

Raven wiped her eyes upon her sleeve and shook her head.

"…this is wrong. All of this is wrong. I'm just… doing things because I feel like I need to be, but what's the point? We have no chance, Tai. Even if we do find someone to help, somewhere to fortify…"

"Hey," Taiyang interrupted as he laid a gentle hand upon Raven's shoulder. "That… isn't true. We can do this. We're still Team STRQ… or part of it…"

"Are we?" Raven asked with a labored sigh.

"…we could be," Taiyang replied. "Remnant could use us again."

"Maybe. Maybe you're right about some things," Raven considered, seeming unsure. "We need to rethink this."

"Maybe we do," Taiyang agreed.

Both of them jumped as Zwei leapt onto the arm rest between the front seats, only to begin pawing at Raven's shoulder. The woman rolled her eyes before hesitantly patting the dog upon the head.

"Well… what now? Head back to Beacon?"

"I think… I think before we do, we should just… figure out what we're doing. The two of us. What, and why."

Raven breathed out a heavy sigh as she scratched beneath Zwei's chin.

"…fine. Let's settle this."

"I know a good place where we can just… unwind for a bit, and talk things out," Taiyang suggested. "We'd have to turn around and drive through some mountains, but… that also gives us time to talk a bit on the way there. Traveling the way we are through the night, we could be there in a few days. It's got a nice view of a lake."

Blake made her way down the stairs and into the main floor of the restaurant, her hair still damp from her morning shower. The sun had just barely crested the horizon, and yet, the faunus felt totally renewed after only a few hours of sleep. Her energetic state didn't come as a surprise to her at all, though she completely understood the odd look she received from the man nursing a cup of coffee at one of the round tables.

"Someone's ready to take on the day," Qrow grumbled before taking a long sip. "I thought you'd be the type to sleep in."

"Not when I have motivation," Blake corrected as she made her way behind the vacant bar to search for food and drinks. "There's a lot to get done, and now, there's a path pointing to the goal. I have direction again… and for the first time, I gave it to myself."

Qrow chuckled, watching as Blake went about filling a glass with orange juice.

"That excited to see Sun again, huh?"

Blake looked up, arching a brow at the older man.

"It's… actually not all about him… though that is part of it. I can't deny that," Blake admitted with a wry smirk. "It's more about the effect he's had on me, and the way it's changed my thinking."

"Do tell," Qrow encouraged. "You've said some things that make a lot of sense, lately. I could use a little wisdom."

"Wisdom… might be pushing it a bit," Blake said sheepishly. "It's just… it's about being in touch with yourself. Figuring out what you need to function, instead of watching other people being successful and wondering why you're not. Sun comes off as strong and determined, but… he's also vulnerable. He's not afraid to admit his faults or tell me what he's feeling and why. He knows what he can and can't do, and he's all the better for it. I'm trying to be more like him in that way."

"Alright, sure," Qrow considered, "but what does that have to do with being full of energy right now?"

Blake took a swig of orange juice before folding her arms atop the surface of the bar and giving Qrow an even look.

"Well… I've realized something about myself, using that line of thinking. Having a goal isn't enough for me. I'm good at making them- I've always had some grand, ambitious goal to work toward, and for some people, that alone would be motivation enough to keep pushing forward. But I… I get lost. When things seem too big, too complicated, or like a losing battle… that doesn't make me want to take on the world and push back. That makes me feel like I'm drowning. I start to get a little… irrational."

"Hm," Qrow considered as he looked down into his coffee. "Yeah, I've… known people who fit that description. I've seen what it does to them when they don't have that separate motivator. Those people tend to run when things get to be too much."

"That's exactly what it is, for me," Blake agreed with a hint of guilt in her tone. "My goals… they're not things I want to do. They're things I need to do. Big, grandiose things that I feel compelled to pursue out of obligation. Reforming the White Fang. Fortifying Kuo Kuana. Fighting Salem. Where do you even begin with any of that? It seems impossible. It all seems so big, while I feel so… small."

"None of this is particularly encouraging so far," Qrow pointed out. "You do know that, right?"

"I do," Blake nodded. "But that's the thing… Sun is that motivator for me, now, for everything. Having him at my side is enough to make me feel like I can function against any odds, and I'm only now realizing why, while we're apart. He's my direction. He just… picks me up no matter how much I kick and scream, puts me back on the path, says 'go', and then walks beside me. That's what I need. The fact that we're going back to him… I feel like I can breathe again."

"So it's as simple as having someone to love, for you," Qrow reasoned.

"I… don't know," Blake replied. "Maybe. Then again… I never felt like this with Adam. The thought that I had him at my back was never really reassuring. It felt more like another obstacle. Before you ask… yes, I did love him. Once."

Qrow rubbed at the back of his neck, taking everything into consideration.

"…I'm more of a… 'beat my head against a brick wall until it falls over or I do' kind of person. Maybe that's why Oz relies on me so much- he knows I won't back down no matter how bleak the situation is. That being said, I'm not exactly thrilled with how thin we're spread and how desperate things are getting. Going dry is making those feelings worse."

"Then you need to find a 'why' other than alcohol, and other than 'because it's the right thing to do'," Blake suggested. "Or at least, that's what I think. People change as things change around them… and we're going through a lot of change right now. It might not be love, but there must be something, or someone out there that can keep you going forward without making things worse."

"Yeah," Qrow agreed as he drummed his fingers upon the surface of the table. "Maybe there is. Maybe I'll give it some thought while you all are figuring out the way forward for Kuo Kuana."

"I think that's probably a good idea. I'm going to go and see if the others are up. If they are, I'll cook us something. Be right back," Blake offered as she slipped out from behind the bar and headed back up the staircase.

Qrow watched the faunus as she went, before hanging his head and running his hands through his hair.

"…my 'someone's' been dead for a long time, kid…"

Author's Note:

This one's a little different, but it's something that had to happen now.

For reasons.

-RD