Happy new year everyone !

What ? No I'm not late, we're still in January !

I hope you guys had a nice Christmas despite the covid, for my part I got the chance to see all my close family (we were still very carefull) so it was great n_n

So, sorry for the long wait (again), we are back in a big important arc that I've been waiting for so long and that turned out to be a hell to write ... The writers among you must know that, when you feel like "ok, time to work on this chap!" but after hours of work you realise you wrote only one or two lines and you don't even like them and it just destroys your motivation on the moment so you put it aside and when you come back to it on another day it starts again ... Well that's basically the story of this chapter AND the next one (yes, I already wrote it but it still need some work).

But that's managable (still very annoying though), what really bothers me about the story now is the rhythm. Part I was made of 4 parts, one for every season of the year, Yang would be a different age in every part, and each part would have its own theme. Part 1, Yang is 3, it's winter, and it's about the snowstorm and showing how she sees magic. Part 2, Yang is 6, it's spring, and it's about learning who is the other side of her family. etc ... But I couldn't make such a plan for part II, wich is one of the reasons I struggle so much ... I'll keep on like that though, because it's more adapted to the story, I just needed spit it out n_n' I usually talk about things like that with my mother since writing is one of her hobbies to, but it's nice to talk with someone else for once.

Bref ! Good reading !

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-Are you sure about that?

-Of course I am.

-My mom is the best!

-Exactly!

Tai rolled his eyes as his daughter and his wife gave each other a high five. It was the last year before Ruby entered Signal Academy, and from there Summer would also become a teacher at Beacon, so they would all be on the same school hours, and he wouldn't have to worry about Summer not coming back from a mission. He knew she hadn't been doing "Ozpin" missions for a long time, thank goodness for that, but she still took a risk every time she left.

He had already lost Raven, twice. He couldn't bear to lose Summer.

-Well, let's go, and don't get in trouble in my absence or I'll scold you when I get home.

-Yes boss !

After a last laugh, Summer left on her mission, leaving Tai and Ruby alone in the house. There was always a little time of hesitation after Summer closed the door, but as always, her miniature version knew how to end it.

-Hey dad, can you help me with my homework? I still struggle with History.

-Show me that.

And she ran up the stairs. Tai smirked as he walked to the kitchen. By the time Ruby found her notebook in the mess that was her room, he had plenty of time to make himself a coffee.

-Would things have been the same with Raven …? I guess I'll never know …

-Argus? That's where you pass to go to Mantle, right ?

Rook nodded and showed her Scroll to Falcon. The image was of a woman with short curly turquoise blue hair and golden eyes. It had been a while since they took a contract for killing a Huntress, at least six months, and there were two reasons for that. Firstly, as a good mentor, she tried to vary the types of missions to give her apprentice more experience, teach her all the little techniques she knew, whether it was basic stuff like picking a lock or knocking out and hiding a guard, or more complex things like knowing how to use an underground information network. And secondly … it was starting to get really scary, especially with how much she knew.

To preserve her sanity, Rook had made it a rule when starting the assassination to never question the motivations of her clients, to know only what they would tell her directly and what she needs to know to find and kill her target. So it wasn't really her who was guilty, but the one who hired her. As long as she was on a mission, she was a weapon. When a person was stabbed, the killer was blamed, not the knife. She had nothing against the people she killed, and the police would try to find the person who hired the assassin rather than the assassin himself.

That was why even though she did find it strange to receive so many contracts for mere Huntsmen, she never try to know why someone would do that. But that was only until she met Falcon.

The little girl, now a teenager, she had taken under her wing a few years ago was apparently entangled in something big. Avoiding the headmasters of the Huntsmen Academies, hiding being Raven Branwen's daughter, having a panic attack at the thought of being found or saying too much, Qrow apparently taking big risks to help her to stay hidden from the same people he worked for, having what looked like two Semblances, all of that with a witch on the unexplored continent ?

And on top of all that, someone seemed to be trying to get rid of all of the Huntsmen on Anima?

She would have tried to question Falcon directly, but the girl was finally starting to open up to her, she didn't want to ruin it.

-We're gonna take the train to get there, which means going through a station full of security guards. You're okay with that ?

Falcon nodded hesitantly. She still wasn't comfortable with law enforcement since the mission in Atlas, but she was doing her best to stay calm about it. The police weren't as vigilant as she thought, especially in a kingdom as easy to corrupt as Mistral, passing the station would be a snap.

-By the way, have you been in a train before ?

The girl shook her head. It was going to be fun.

-OUAAAAAH!

Yang closed her eyes and let the wind blow against her face. It had been so long since she had felt this way! If she had known that a train could go as fast as its top speed as a bird, she would have taken it a long time ago !

-Having fun ?

Yang blushed and tucked her head back into the cabin. In front of her, Rook looked at her with a mocking smile.

-What?

-I think it's the first time I actually see you act like someone your age. It's cute.

Yang groaned as she closed the window and returned to sit down, her gaze still turned outward. It was late spring, the trees were covered in green leaves, a few even had fruit, the forest stretched as far as the eye could see, and no Grimm in sight to break the mood. Everything had been so calm lately. Too calm. Boring even. Luckily she had the missions and the fights to give her her dose of adrenaline, or she would die of boredom, but even that wasn't so exciting anymore. Still not having a valid mask, she had done everything to go unnoticed, and so far, she had done pretty well. Rook covered her when there was really a risk she would be recognized, and she generally avoided situations that were too risky for her. It was nice of her, but it made Yang feel like a burden …

She liked Rook. Besides being an excellent fighter and a great teacher, when she decided to take it seriously, she cared about her. She could have abandoned her when she realized the danger, she could have forced her to give her answers, she could have tried to harness her power. But instead …

-Catch!

Yang raised her hand and firmly grabbed the apple that had been thrown at her. Rook smirked with a thumbs up, then started to eat her own snack, a clementine, while looking at something on her Scroll. She looked like any ordinary Huntress, no one could guess that she was one of Mistral's most dangerous assassins. Appearances were often deceptive, Yang was also an assassin, but when people looked at her they only saw a little blonde girl with disabilities and probably in combat school. Or rather a teenager now, she would be fourteen in a few months. As the time fly …

-Next stop, Argus. Terminus of the train. All passengers are asked to leave the train.

-It was fast. Come on, get up firecracker!

Yang sighed as she grabbed her bag. No, outside of missions, Rook had nothing of an assassin.

-When Mother was with me, she had nothing of a bandit either …

Yang shook her head and followed her mentor out of the station, then into a small hotel. Argus looked like a much sunnier version of Mantle, the style of the buildings and streets were the same, but the vibe there was more akin to Mistral's. The high floors at least.

As always, once settled in, Rook gave a brief mission recap. Yang was so used to it that she could do it on her own. The Huntress they were targeting would be a little harder to take down than the others, on the one hand because she was apparently very strong, a former winner of the Vytal Tournaments as well as several small regional tournaments before that, but also because as her Semblance apparently allowed her to cool things to the point of freezing them, she could even create ice crystals from the humidity in the air, and therefore could easily counter Yang's powers, which were their best asset in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Strategy would be very important, Argus had a port area AND a military area, the location of the attack would be decisive, and there would probably have to be some way to distract the military so that she couldn't call for help. They also had to watch out for civilians, there was a combat school and therefore a lot of young Huntsmen in training, and although Yang knew she could easily beat them, they could become a problem if she had to waste her time to fight them all at the same time. And Rook obviously wouldn't agree to let her killing them, she hated making innocent victims, which Yang accepted but still didn't understand, killing was much easier and it wasn't that big a big deal. If they died, it was just because they were weak, and they didn't have the excuse of being simple civilians since they were training to become Huntsmen.

The ideal would be to attract the target in an isolated place, even a closed place, as dry as possible, and to play on the effect of surprise, Rook's specialty. And if it failed, Yang's specialty, on the contrary, was the fights that were played on endurance, and then-…

-Falcon …

-He?

-Stop mumbling while I speak please.

Oops …

The next morning, Rook was awakened by a ray of sunlight that must have deliberately aimed at her eye. She stood up growling and quickly prepared herself. Falcon was not there but she had left her sword, she must be gone for the field scouting, a teenage girl would be less suspicious than a Huntress, and she trusted her to keep a low profile. She might be reckless, but her paranoia kept her from getting in too much trouble in public.

It was still early and it was the weekend, there weren't many people outside. She would have taken the opportunity to take a little walk, but first she had to concentrate on her mission, she couldn't have fun while her apprentice was working, Falcon was not an intern.

The first step was to find the target. According to the information given by the customer, she was supposed to arrive in the morning, so Rook started to walk towards the station. She knew the place well, she passed there whenever the airships for Atlas leaving directly from Mistral were full. She knew for example that there was a very good cafe in the east of the city, with a beautiful park just in front, she would usually go for a walk there when the waiting time between the train and the airship was too long. Of course, she had also done a few missions there.

As she walked, she passed a candy store. It was still closed, but maybe she could come back later to have marshmallows, Falcon loved it, she almost smiled when she ate some. And Rook really hoped to see her smile for good one day …

She was about to leave, but lingered for a moment on her reflection. Her warm, drab outfit didn't quite match the cheerful surroundings and warm weather, but people rarely questioned the Huntsmen's dress style. Not that she had taken on many missions as a Huntress since she had her license, she soon realized that working as an assassin would pay her more and faster. She wasn't going to spit on her friends' job either, protecting people was quite an honorable profession, but places like Mantle needed more than protection from the Grimms. What good is stopping monsters from enter the city if the inhabitants were die of hunger and cold ? Did the Specialists buy hot meals for the children who lived on the streets ?

Rook lowered her head with a sigh. She didn't make a big difference either, but it was always better than doing nothing at all, like some councilmen …

-If it was me, I- …

-Uh … Excuse me?

Rook jumped when she heard a voice next to her, she hadn't even noticed someone had approached, yet she had remained attentive.

-Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.

-No, it's okay, I was just lost in my mind. Can I help you ?

The young woman nodded and showed her her Scroll.

-Yes uh … I'm completely lost, I've been going around in circles for an hour, do you know where can I find this address?

Rook leaned down to read. The address was of a hotel two blocks from here, quite close to the train station.

-It's on my way, I can take you there.

-Really ? Oh that would be great !

The two women set off. It wasn't really Rook's habit to spend time with strangers on her missions unless it was to gather information, it increased the risk of being spotted, but the hotel the woman was looking for was reserved for Huntsmen on mission. This woman, even if she did not look very demure with her childish smile and her meter sixty, was therefore a Huntress. It was best to keep an eye on her, if only to make sure she didn't run into Falcon.

-I guess you're not from here. Do you live far from here?

-Yes, around Vale actually.

-It's a hell of a ride. What brings you so far then?

-Mission. Another Huntress and I have been hired for train protection, she's supposed to be in town this morning. Normally they take local Huntsmen for it, but it seems Mistral has been running low on Huntsmen lately. Are you from Mistral?

-Well, I don't really have a fixed home, I travel.

-Ooooh!

The woman smiled warmly and Rook smiled back at her. But not an authentic smile like when she was with Falcon, a cover smile, with no emotion behind it but deceptive enough. This woman could be a problem if her co-worker turned out to be the target, even if the odds were slim.

-How long are you staying?

-Oh, the train we must protect leaves tonight.

-I see. … Couldn't you just wait for her at the train station then ?

-…

-…

-I'll think about it next time …

She chuckled nervously, and they kept moving forward, the young woman blabbing to herself about trivial things like cookies or her daughter's school prowess, not realizing that Rook was only half-listening to her … By spending so much time alone or with Falcon, her tolerance for chatter had greatly diminished. It was a relief to finally arrive at the hotel.

-Alright, it's here.

-Ah, perfect, thank you very much.

-You're welcome, now if you'll excuse me I have to go.

-Oh yes, of course.

Rook smiled at the Huntress and continued on her way to the station.

-I might as well check how is Falcon doing with the field scouting.

-Come on, come here.

Yang stretched out her hand a little more, and the bird took a few steps back suspiciously, still not flying away.

In the "don't be fooled by appearances" category, she must have been breaking records, crouching on the ground in a secluded corner of a park, trying to hold a bird in her hand. She had noticed it since her fight with the Geist, the birds seemed less afraid of her presence than that of other humans, or even Faunus. She thought it might be due to her transformation power, she was sort of half-bird after all, even though she hadn't done it for quite some time now.

Her gaze fell on the right sleeve of her jacket, floating gently in rhythm with the breeze. It had been so long since she had lost her arm, fighting and living without it had become normal, she didn't even care anymore, she adapted rather than complaining, as she had been taught. But no matter how much she wanted or how hard she tried, she could never adapt to fly with only one wing. The Maidens were supposed to be able to levitate, if she wasn't blocked for some reason she could fly again …

Why couldn't she make anything else than flames ? That was her main element, okay, but she should be able to use the others anyway. With the same time of experience, Raven was able to lock up a snowstorm in pebble! Yang couldn't even move a leaf!

So if the special bond she was developing with birds was related to her magic, it was a good lead to try to solve her problem.

-Don't worry little one. Come over there.

The bird hesitated a moment, before slowly advancing towards her, making very small jumps. Yang rested the back of her hand on the ground to allow the little thing to climb more easily. The bird stepped forward a little further and gently pecked at her fingertip, before finally jumping into her hand. Yang smiled softly and stood up, the small ball of feather tickling her palm.

-See ? I don't mean to hurt you.

The bird looked at her, tilting its head, before jumping from her hand into the neckline of her T-shirt, making her let out a small shrill cry.

-Hey! Get out of there !

With her hand now free, she tried to shake her T-shirt to pull it out, only to realize that her new friend had sat between her breasts, and didn't look ready to leave. Yang sighed, since she was almost fourteen it was normal for her to start having breasts, but she certainly did not expect them to grow so fast! At that rate it would end up hampering her in the fighting. She knew she should buy bras, but she didn't know how to choose them, and she frankly didn't dare ask Rook after the humiliation it had been to ask her for help about hygienic towels …

-Well, we don't see that every day. It's cute.

Yang jumped and almost drew by reflex. Luckily she stopped, remembering that no one was going to attack her here. It was a simple park, and she was just a passerby. She didn't even take her sword anyway. She slowly looked up at the person who had spoken to her, and her eyes widened. It was a woman in her thirties with short curly turquoise hair, a pair of gold aviator sunglasses slung over her bangs, with golden eyes, and a dark blue biker outfit.

And above all, it was their target. Their target that wasn't supposed to arrive for another hour or two. What the hell was she already doing there ?!

Yang swallowed and tried to stay calm.

-What's cute?

-You and your little friend. Looks like it likes you.

Yang looked down at the bird still comfortably seated in the hollow of her chest. It looked like it was sleeping …

-I guess so …

She looked up again at her target. She might as well take advantage of the situation.

-Are you a Huntress?

She already knew the answer, but it was a good way to start the conversation and try to get some info. Hey, she was listening when Rook was teaching her!

-Yeah.

-Are you here to arrest criminals?

The woman gave an amused laugh.

-No, don't worry, there's no criminal around here, I'm just passing, I'm leaving tonight.

-Oh.

-And you ? Are you a student at Sanctum?

-No, I'm an apprentice. It's more efficient than spending my days in front of a desk.

-Not wrong. But at least school allows you to make friends. I've got a nephew who's about your age you know?

-I already have a friend.

-Who? The bird?

Yang growled, and the Huntress laughed. She seemed to be a lot like Rook, relaxed, teasing and confident. But people who allowed themselves to display such confidence were either much more arrogant than they should be or strong enough to afford it. And both Rook and the target were in the second category. Yang was about to ask her another question, when her Scroll rang. The bird, until then comfortably asleep on her breasts, woke up with a start from the noise and started to gesticulate to run away, clawing at her in the process. Yang let out a high-pitched cry in surprise, before taking it in her hand and tossing it into the air so it could fly away. With a groan, she pulled her Scroll out of her pocket.

-Stupid feather ball …

-It was just scared.

Ah yes, she was still there. Shit.

-I have to call my mentor. So if you don't mind …

-Oh right. Have a good day kid. And good luck with your training.

Yang kept a tight fake smile until the Huntress was far enough away not to hear her, then picked up. She would get angry to have been called "kid" later.

-Rook, we have a problem.

-What is it?

-I just crossed the target, she's already here and said she was leaving tonight.

-Shit ! It wasn't in the plan …

-You don't say. What do we do ?

-We meet at the hotel and draw up a new plan, we still have a whole day to find out. And I swear this is the last time I don't get Lil' Miss to check my info …

Rook hung up before Yang could answer her, not that she had much to add. Without wasting time, she got up and ran out of the park, under the suspicious gaze of a blue haired woman.

-Ah! Oceane! Here !

The Huntress gave a friendly gesture to her friend, who was running towards her, her long white cloak floating behind her.

-You know Summer, I never understood how you manage to fight with that thing on your back.

-Oh I'm just used to it !

The two Huntresses entered the hotel, chatting happily.

-I thought you wouldn't be here before a few hours. How can you be already here?

-I arrived last night, I was able to have the last train so I thought I could arrive a little early, just to have a little more time to catch up with my old friend.

Summer collapsed miserably on one of the beds in the bedroom.

-Did you really have to say "old"? I hate that word …

Oceane laughed and sat down on her own bed.

-Well, if that's any reassurance, you don't look like you're thirty-five at all.

-Thirty-four!

-What's the difference ?

Summer threw a pillow at her, sticking her tongue out like a child, making her laugh. Finally, she followed her in her good humor, and sat down properly.

-But more seriously. It's good to see you again, Sum.

-Yes, me too. I have the impression that we haven't seen each other for centuries.

-Since you have your daughter actually. How old is she now?

-She's eleven !

-Eleven. And you say you're not old?

-Now you're just being mean …

-And you haven't done any mission for Oz since then?

-No. I don't want to risk Ruby growing up without her mother, and Tai already had a hard time losing his wife once. Twice, in a way.

-Raven … I almost forgot about that one … It must have been hard for you.

-Yeah …

Summer lowered her head, before quickly lifting it up with a big smile as she clapped her hands.

-But enough about me! How are you doing?

-Oh, nothing new, I juggle between classic missions and Ozpin missions by visiting my sister and my nephew from time to time.

-Exactly like Qrow.

-If you want, but I don't carry tons of alcohol everywhere I go. Until a few years ago I was looking for Cherry, but apparently … the power has changed hosts, and Oz refuses to tell me who's the lucky girl.

-Oh … I'm sorry to hear that …

-Don't be, it's been more than ten years since she had set sail anyway …

Oceane looked up thoughtfully, before frowning.

-Just like Raven actually …

-What?

-…

-Oceane?

-He?

-You said something about Raven.

-Ah? No no, I was just thinking out loud.

-If you say so.

-…

-…

-I feel a little uneasy, don't you?

-Yes.

The two women laughed. It felt good to see an old friend again. After all, the more the merrier, what could possibly go wrong?

-The train to Mistral is leaving, please stay away from the tracks.

A few seconds after the loudspeaker announced, the train started, at first slowly, then accelerated. It was a freight train so Grimm risk was low, since there were fewer people inside. The journey was to last five hours in total, all during the night, without stopping until Mistral. Yang held her breath as a man in uniform walked across her wagon, absently passing his flashlight around him to compensate for the very dim neon lighting on the ceiling, muttering about energy savings and working conditions.

When he was gone, Yang got up and got out of the car to climb onto the roof, two cars from the tail of the train. The wind was very strong because of the speed, and even though she had enough balance not to fall, she couldn't open her mouth without eating her own hair in whole strands. Rook had offered to tie it to her, but she refused, she didn't like having her hair touched by anyone, even Rook … She didn't expected the wind to be so strong though …

After learning that the target was only in town for a day, they had to do an emergency hunt to information. In the end they had succeeded in discovering that the Huntress was on a mission to protect the train, but also and above all that she would not be alone, another Huntress would be with her, the same Huntress Rook talked with earlier. It was hard to come up with a plan of action at the last moment, but they had seen worse.

The first step in their new plan was to spot the Huntresses, then separate them if they weren't already, and kick the non-target off the train. She was a Huntress, she would survive to that. Of course they could just kill her, but, as usual, Rook didn't want to kill more than necessary … Without wanting to question her, Yang sometimes wondered why she had become an assassin if she hated to kill that bad, it didn't make any sense …

Rook would be the one to eject the woman, while Yang would keep the target busy until she returned to face her in pairs. It wouldn't be an easy target, and as always, the anticipation of an intense fight sent a shiver down her spine. On the one hand, she liked to fight, especially melee, it gave her the occasion to let off steam, and if her opponent didn't end up charred, beheaded, or stabbed in the heart in less than a few hits, it was even better. Not many people could counter her versatility and power. But on the other hand, not having the advantage, being on the defensive, not being sure she was going to win … It reminded her of that night, when she had been badly injured with disconcerting ease, then just froze with fear until her mother threw her into the portal. She had been weak, useless. Worse, it had been a burden!

Yang's fist clenched. If she hadn't been hurt, if she had continued to fight, if she had managed to move when her mother ordered her to …!

-I see the target, she's in the front half of the train, the other one must be in the back.

-We switch places then.

-Yep. Go through the roof, I'll pass through the inside. And be careful.

-Yes ma'am.

Rook removed her hand from her headset and started to walk towards the back of the train, being careful to check that no one was in the next car before continuing on her way. She saw her target pass in the direction of the locomotive, so there was no risk of crossing her, but there were a few other people on board, mainly to make sure that the goods did not move despite the jolts of the road, while the Huntresses were there only in the event of an attack by Grimm or thieves. Although who would come and steal unassembled furniture …?

Speaking of Huntress, Rook was apparently going to have to deal with the white cloak one she had met this morning. She just had to get them to fight outside of the car and knock her off the train, and the more they did this in the back, the less chances she had of catching a wagon and get on board again. She could have left that part to Falcon, she would have settled it in a few fireballs, while the more experienced of them two faced off against the high level Huntress. But in terms of power, Falcon was at a level that Rook couldn't even hope to reach one day, and with her "second Semblance", if it was actually one, she would have an easier time holding up until Rook had finished her part.

Besides, "not killing her opponent" was not really in her habits. She should have a word with her about it later.

As she got to the back part of the train, the door opposite the wagon opened. Rook immediately hid behind a crate, waiting for the guard to pass. But the footsteps were too light to be those of a guard, they could hardly be heard, and no flashlight light was projected on the walls. The assassin looked cautiously over the crate and saw the white-cloaked woman standing in the middle of the wagon, looking around before heading back in the opposite direction. As Rook had thought, each of them was taking care of half of the train, it would just make things easier for the assassin, all she had to do was wait for her to get into the last car by herself to get her stuck.

-I have the target in sight.

-Alright then.

Rook got up from her hiding place and rushed through the next cars, making sure to wait until the Huntress was one car ahead to make sure she wasn't spotted.

-Don't loose her, and engage her in combat only if she tries to come to me.

Rook continued to advance in the cars, until she was in the second last. She was tempted to just detach the wagon, but the knuckle was too strong for her, it was made to hold several freight wagons even during a climb, her small blasts of Fire Dust wouldn't be enough. Maybe she should have let that part to Falcon after all … Anyway, it was too late for that, so she took a deep breath, made sure her green scarf was hiding her face properly, and stepped into the last car.

Hello again !

So ? Was it worth the wait ? I can't tell exactly what part of the chap took me the most time because I really blocked every 3 fucking sentences ...

Also, I wanted to tell you guys about something. The video of Eruptionfang about Raven. I. Fucking. Cried. Litteraly, when I watched it I had to make a pause at the half to get tissues XD Seriously, I imagined this fic because I was angry at the people who were angry at Raven because I felt they were unfair, and this video just says everything I was thinking about and more !

I'm the type of person who hardly get angry and never show when I do, but I easily cry of frustration, especially about people I care about, and YES I considere Raven as someone I care abour a this point, and her situation frustrates me a LOT ! And it really helped me to watch this video, so I had to say it ...

What do you mean "it's not a diary"?! It's my fic, I write what I want !

*cough*

Anyway ... I don't know when I will post the next chapter, it's not completely finish yet, but I guess you'll have the surprise then !

See you next time !

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PS : I finished my cosplay of Raven.