Hello !

Once again I took an eternity to post, I'm sorry, I suck at fight scene, etc ...

I hope you'll like it !

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At this time of the year, it was still quite warm, the sun was hitting vertically, and barely a bit of wind was blowing over what was now a peaceful glade. Yang had never visited her mother's grave other than on the anniversary of her death during autumn, but this time she had felt an urgent need for comfort.

-I ruined everything …

As she wouldn't dare look her mother in the eye, she didn't dare look at her grave, and her gaze fell instead on the doll in her hand. Its lilac eyes were now rolling inside her head, the wax that held them in place had melted in the heat, leaving only two empty black holes instead of a calm gaze.

It had started well though, a normal mission with a few unforeseen complications, but nothing they couldn't adapt to, Rook took care of the Huntress in the back of the train while Yang watched the target in front and retained her until the return of her mentor to fight her together. It was the plan Rook had made.

-Why did I not follow it …?

Yang sighed.

She was hidden behind a crate again, in the middle car this time. If the target tried to get to the back of the train to help her colleague, she would have to go through here and it would be easy to intercept her. Rook must have already started the fight on her side, it wouldn't be long before the Huntress sounded the alarm. The fight was about to begin, and Yang was already feeling the excitement boiling in her blood, she almost wanted to get up and go face her right away, but that would go against the plan. Rook thought they wouldn't make it if they didn't face her together, and to be honest, Yang felt a little offended by that. They both knew how strong she was in combat, her weak point was stealth.

-I'm sure I can beat her on my own.

Raven never needed help killing Huntsmen during raids, no matter their level or number, and she couldn't even use her Semblance during those fights. Yet she must have faced a few stronger than average.

Rook had told her to wait as long as possible so that they could fight the target together, but even though she was stronger than the others, she wasn't the first Huntress fight alone, that shouldn't be much harder than her previous fights. And even if it was difficult, it would give her a little excitement, nothing interesting had happened in the last two years, mission, rest, training, and we start again… Being an assassin was no longer so thrilling when it got too easy and repetitive, and Rook no longer took on big missions like that kidnapping a few years ago in order to avoid media attention. One of Qrow's conditions apparently.

It was nice of them to be worried, but Yang was no longer a child, she didn't need to be mothered! And she was going to prove it to them!

-If I go to meet her now, I will have the effect of surprise. And I'm supposed to start fighting her alone anyway.

Decision made, Yang got up from her hiding place and walked to the next car.

-It will be easy.

-Arg!

Rook landed hard on her back, and barely had time to stabilize her vision before rolling onto her side as she stood up. Where her head was a second ago, a round shield with sharp edges was now planted in the metal floor. The hit wouldn't have killed her but her Aura would have taken a hell of a beating, and she had another fight after that so she had to finish it quickly and with minimal damage, as she usually did. Problem, this white-caped Huntress was way better than she expected.

Without giving her time to breathe, the woman tore her silver shield from the ground and threw it like a murderous frisbee. Rook deployed her own shield to parry, but the force of the impact brutally pushed her arm behind her, causing her to stagger. The frisbee-shield struck a crate before returning to the hands of the Huntress, who took advantage of her opponent's moment of weakness to rush at her at full speed with the help of the momentum given by the train. A normal person would have flown through the wagon after a collision like this, but after spending so much time training with the cannonball that Falcon was, Rook had developed some resistance to impact, she protected herself at the last moment with her right arm, and slipped for two good meters without falling, while the Huntress jumped back.

Unfortunately, despite her resistance, the blow had been hard, her boots had even left marks on the ground, and her Aura had had a hard time, she couldn't take a second blow like this and hope to win another fight soon after, even with help. She had underestimated her …

The Huntress straightened up, not even out of breath and with a hard gaze, as Rook started to sweat, she was made for short, quick fights with decisive blows, she didn't have enough stamina to last the length alone, that was why she usually left that part to Falcon.

-You are losing, so surrender before I have to stop you myself!

Rook couldn't help but laugh. Has a single person on Remnant ever actually surrendered in this situation?

-You are not the only one with people waiting for you.

The Huntress sighed, disappointed, and got back into position, more than ready to continue fighting.

Rook did the same, although she was already at a level of Aura that was a little too low for her liking. It was very bad for the mission, but what worried her the most was Falcon. The Huntress hadn't told her partner yet, so the firecracker was still waiting somewhere to take action.

-If I get caught without being able to tell her to get the hell out of here, she'll end up alone.

Rook pointed her weapon at her opponent. The mission was already a big mess at this point and it would be a miracle if it ended without further complications, but she wasn't the type to give up.

The two fighters stared at each other for a few moments, before rushing towards each other again with determination. But just as their shields were about to collide, a deafening noise from the front of the train echoed, and the ground heaved as the whole car shaked by the shock wave. Rook and the Huntress found themselves propelled onto the crates around them that had almost come loose, and looked at each other with the same look of incomprehension.

But if the white-caped woman had no idea what had just happened, Rook unfortunately had a pretty good one …

-Dammit Falcon!

Without caring about the Huntress anymore, Rook rushed to the front of the train.

The target was right in front of her, on the other side of the wagon, looking her straight in the eye despite the near total darkness. The ground was burnt where she was just before. It wasn't a hard attack, Yang wanted a fight, killing her opponent with a blow to the back would be terribly disappointing.

The blue haired woman frowned.

-You're that kid of earlier.

Yang's eyebrow twitched at the word kid. Without further ado, she drew her sword and rushed forward. The first blow fell vertically with the force of a meteorite, creating a flash of light and sending lightning to the four corners of the car. As the light dissipated, the partly dissolved yellow blade rested against a forearm shield of gold and navy metallic scales. Yang jumped back to regain momentum, but her opponent, far from being an amateur, took advantage of this moment to attack back.

Yang felt the excitement build up and her blood boil in her veins. She loved it when her opponent wasted no time asking questions before a fight and attacked her head on without worrying about her age or her missing arm. No rules, no restrictions, no "morale", a real fight just like she liked them! A shame it was so rare.

As the Huntress filled the space between them, a golden blade adorned with blue lines came out of her scaled forearms, about twice the length of her hand, like a sharp extension of her arms. Yang countered the blows with her sword, causing electric bursts with each impact that the two fighters had to dodge by moving back and forward in the little space left by the crates, before returning to the charge with force, as if they were bouncing on each other.

Inevitably, after a few exchanges, Yang's blade melted completely. So when she stepped back, she ejected the little that was left of Lightning Dust and sheathed her sword. The Huntress hurried to attack her before she could equip herself with another blade, but unfortunately for her, that was not Yang's intention. Killing was easier with a blade, but fighting? She was much better with bare hands!

She had activated her Semblance long before the start of the fight, having a habit of carrying out her missions with red eyes. When she started it was out of fear of showing her true face to people who would notice her more than when she was quietly walking in the streets, then it had been by strategy, every hit she took made her stronger, not taking full advantage of it would be a huge mistake. But now … she just loved to feel the adrenaline rushing so hard in her veins …!

The golden blade hit her left shoulder full force and bounced off her Aura, while her hair began to shine. Seeing that she didn't even tremble from the blow, the Huntress took a step back with caution and suspicion. Yang wasted no time and jumped straight towards her, her fist covered in fiery flames. It was the kind of fight she loved! The kind of fight where she could give it all! She didn't have to hold back because it was just a practice, and she didn't have to be done in an instant attacking from behind! Rook had promised her a big fight, so she would have a big fi-…!

As she landed, Yang's left foot found itself stuck to the ground with something cold, causing her to stumble forward with all the strength and speed she had. Her fist smashed against the ground, making a hole in the metal until it came out under the train. Yang groaned more in annoyance than pain, and forced on her right leg to free her arm and straighten up, when a foot violently made contact with her face. Due to the near darkness, she could only feel that her foot was torn from the ice that held it to the ground, as she flew through the wagon and finally crashed forcefully into the back door, deforming it in shock.

Yang fell to her knees with a cough, and as her flaming hair, the only real light in the scene, fell over her shoulders, a slight smile formed on her face. It was the strongest blow she had taken for so long, and yet she had faced and killed many Huntsmen before. This one was really on another level!

-This is your only chance to give up kid, even though I know you won't take it.

Yang laughed mockingly and stood up slowly, her Semblance even more charged than before, and gazed at the Huntress with her red eyes burning with her Maiden powers, a smile quivering on her lips.

-Stop calling me "kid"!

Torn between the excitement of a fight at her level and the annoyance of still being considered a child, Yang put her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw the first blade that would pass. The sound of the rotating chamber was barely heard in front of the sound of the train, and with a click, the young assassin pulled out a red blade that was at least twice the length of her arm, and defiantly pointed it at the Huntress of the other side of the wagon. The latter moved into a defensive position, golden blades crossed in front of her to parry the next attack, her gaze focused and determined.

Yang darted forward with lightning speed, her sword over her right shoulder to deliver the most powerful blow she could possibly have, her entire legs ready to instantly magically melt any ice that would attempt to make her stumble again. By this point, she had completely forgotten about the mission, she just wanted to fight!

With the superhuman strength she was known for, Yang started to bring her sword down on her opponent. Was she going to parry? Was she going to take it? Was she going to dodge? Until then, Yang had always known what her attacks did, they destroyed everything, but this time she didn't know, and the excitement was only mounting!

-Raven Junior then?

The Fire Dust blade came to a stop just a few millimeters from the woman's throat, who hadn't even moved in defense. The sudden stop of movement caused a gust of wind in the wagon, but her golden gaze did not move, it was still focus.

She hadn't said that sentence at random, she knew the impact it would have, she knew she was right. She knew.

In an instant, all of the excitement, all of the energy, all of the joy in Yang vanished into cold, pure terror. The Huntress was still looking at her from above, straight in the eye, analyzing her reaction. On the outside there was nothing more than a slight tremor of her hand and sword, but inside it was a different story.

She knew. Someone knew. Someone had recognized her. Someone knew she was Raven's daughter. She was facing someone who knew Raven well enough to recognize her! The only people close to Raven outside of the tribe were the people who worked for Ozpin! Ozpin would know she existed! He was going to know she was a Maiden!

Someone she wasn't a hundred percent sure she could kill.

-I sacrificed everything I had to keep you safe, away from them. And you ruined everything.

No ! No no no no no ! She wouldn't ruin all the efforts her mother had made for her! She wouldn't become another pawn of Ozpin! She wouldn't blindly follow suicidal orders! She wouldn't let him control her! Never ! NEVER !

-… Never again … Don't ever do that to me again …

And suddenly, Yang's vision turned red.

Oceane looked at the teenager in front of her. Her red eyes, though turned towards her, only stared in the void, with a mixture of terror and incomprehension. The young girl who was overflowing with an unhealthy thirst for combat a few seconds ago seemed to have turned into a statue of ice. Only her arm was shaking, causing the blade of Fire Dust to rub against the Huntress's throat. It was starting to get dangerous, so Oceane grabbed the blade with her right hand and pulled it away from her neck, keeping it over her left shoulder.

She knew this sword. Raven was just a friend of a friend to her, but they had had the opportunity to work together a few times. The first time she saw the girl her face had looked familiar to her but she wasn't able to explain why, but now that she saw her sword and her red eyes, it was hard to doubt.

Oceane tightened her grip on the blade, shielding herself from the edge with her Aura, and broke it. The noise seemed to wake the young girl, who blinked, before her eyes began to produce intense red flames again as her face twisted into an enraged grimace. The Huntress stepped back almost instinctively but managed to keep her composure, and activated the Dust contained in the blue stripes of her blades. In an instant, the girl's arm was covered in ice, taking her by surprise, her mind visibly not at all focused on the fight despite the anger she was emitting.

Oceane wasted no time and retracted her left blade to punch her opponent in the face with a sharp blow. She was not going to hold back because of her young age, if she was fighting with the intention of killing, then she had to be stopped. The girl fell back under the force of the blow without even defending herself, and Oceane didn't wait to continue her assault, lifting her off the ground with a kick, before giving her another punch in the stomach which left her knocked the back door again, and smashed the ice on her arm.

The Huntress was about to continue to attack until her opponent's Aura was broken, but stopped. Her feet were glued to the ground, the soles of her boots had melted against the metal, and the temperature of the whole car began to rise rapidly until it reached a dangerous level. Oceane immediately activated her Semblance around her before other pieces of her outfit start to melt, and snapped her boots off the ground.

Further on, the girl rose slowly, her hair shone yellow flames that lit the wagon, and the air around her was twisted in the heat she gave off. Maiden's powers were igniting the eyes, not the hair, so it was her Semblance manifesting, and Oceane had no idea what it could be. However, she knew what magic was capable of, and she knew she mustn't give her opponent time to use it. For the moment she seemed too confused to think about it but it wouldn't last. Keeping the air around her cool enough, Oceane sprang forward again, and raised her arm to strike.

The only thing she had time to see before a fist made contact with her stomach was a pair of red eyes filled with both hate and terror. Everything went dark for a few moments after that, and when she came back to her senses she had hardly any Aura left, and the air around her had returned to normal temperature. Oceane straightened up as her head was still spinning, so much so that she struggled to understand what she was seeing until her vision stabilized. In front of her, at least three wagon doors now had a hole the size of a person, and through those holes she could see a burning yellow figure dangerously getting closer.

-Shit …!

Oceane tried to stand up, but her head was spinning so much that she fell immediately. The girl, the Maiden, was getting closer and closer, but the Huntress was no longer able to face her on her own, her back ached, her head was spinning too much for her to stand, and she was practically out of Aura. But she had to keep a cool head. Let's see, if she couldn't face her head-on right now, she had to stay hidden while she came up with a plan.

Oceane staggered to the crates and hid behind them. After a few moments, footsteps echoed in the carriage, and a light similar to that of a large candle cast the shaking shadows of the crates on the wall.

-Don't try to escape!

One of the cables holding the merchandise was snapped, and the heavy metal crate resting on the one behind which the Huntress was hiding was lifted easily and thrown against the holed door, blocking the incoming wind, as well as any hope of escape.

-Think Oceane, think!

There was no point in using a cold Semblance on someone who could make heat, her Ice Dust could be used as a diversion but it would be pointless if she could neither flee nor attack, her weapon was made for hand-to-hand combat but with what little Aura she had left, to pounce on an enraged Maiden was anything but a good idea. She should have called Summer for help when she had the chance, now she would be spotted if she made any noise and lose the element of surprise … Unless the girl was the one making the noise! If Oceane could push her to make enough noise to shake the whole train …

-I'm going to regret it …

-Hey !

The girl turned to her, still with the same gaze. It was practically suicidal at this point, but she wouldn't have stayed hidden for much longer anyway, and if she could hold on until Summer's arrival then they would have a chance.

-I heard you wanted to fight me.

-I'm going to regret it so much …

The girl raised her arm, her sword was sheathed so she would use either her Semblance or her powers. Not very reassuring, but she should be able to dodge.

-I won't let him do it …

What? Him?

-I WON'T LET HIM CONTROL ME!

Oceane didn't even have any time to understand what she meant, before a thud resounded and everything turned white.

-What was that?

Summer was running at full speed through the cars, her opponent had rushed right after the explosion and was now ahead of her! Oceane was not responding, something must have happened to her, maybe a bomb? No, the assassin she just fought left in panic to see what happened so even he didn't plan it, but he knew what it was. The most logical thing was an accomplice, who would have faced Oceane while the other assassin faced her.

It was not the train that was targeted, it was them, but why would people specifically target them? They weren't rich or anything, they had no competitors or rivals of any kind, they had no enemies … Except maybe …

-Oh no …

Summer accelerated. If it was what she was thinking about then it was really, really bad! She had to hurry and go help her friend before it was too late! On the way she passed some panicked guards whom she sent to the back of the train, and continued to advance at full speed, she didn't need any collateral victims, she needed to hurry, the assassin was already too much ahead of her.

-Oceane you hear me ?!

Still no answer. But what had gone well ?! Summer slowed down and analyzed the wagon she was in, the floor was wet in places, there was a hole in the floor, burning marks on the crates and … were those holes in the armored doors ?! Summer left the combat wagon, going through the holes to save time, until a metal crate blocked her passage from inside the next wagon. Clever, but hopefully the hatch on the roof wasn't sealed, so Summer quickly climbed the ladder next to the door, and her eyes widened at what she saw. The explosion that rocked the entire train also caused a huge hole in the side of the wagon, as if a giant had bit it, and the smell of burning was still very present despite the wind. Summer didn't hesitate a moment longer, and jumped inside the wagon, shield raised to parry a possible attack.

But no one attacked her. Apparently she hadn't been noticed yet, the faint neon lights on the ceiling no longer worked, the moonlight didn't shine much because of the passing trees, and the sound of the train and the wind had drowned out the sound of her landing in the wagon. With a brief glance she analyzed the scene. Oceane was nowhere in sight, probably fallen from the train in the explosion, if she survived it, at least she was no longer in danger immediately. The hooded assassin she had confronted earlier was crouched down on the floor, holding the shoulders of a young girl with long, curly hair who didn't seem to even notice her partner's existence. Maybe she had been hurt during her confrontation with Oceane, she wasn't in position to fight anyway.

Summer frowned, trying to get a better look in the dark and spot the girl's weapon. She had to make sure that Oceane was okay and the train was going fast, she didn't have time to face them, but if there was a chance that they worked for Salem then she had to gather so much intel on them as she could, before jumping off the train to go help her friend. If they were the targets, the staff was not in danger.

The universe seemed to be on her side, as the train got out of the forest seconds after she had jumped into the wagon, and the moonlight was now directly illuminating the scene, finally allowing her to see more than silhouettes. Her silver eyes took barely half a second to find the weapon, strapped to the girl's right hip. She was black so it would have been completely impossible to see it in the darkness a few seconds ago. It was a thick scabbard and the sword was inside. There was also … was it a rotating chamber? With Dust? Yes, it was exactly the same system as …

Summer pressed her hands to her mouth to stifle a cry, but despite the noise of the train, the sound of her voice had for some reason reached the girl's ears, because she brutally turned her head towards her, and Summer found herself completely unable to move.

She could have noticed the missing arm. She could have noticed the age difference. She could have noticed the flames coming out of her eyes. She could have noticed the blonde hair. But she didn't see any of that. The only thing she saw at that moment was a face she hadn't seen in over a decade, and red eyes that made her legs tremble under the weight of her guilt.

-Raven …?

Summer didn't even have time to realize what was happening, she didn't even really see what was going on right in front of her anymore, all she saw was her dead teammate who stared at her with a look that was both terrified and full of hate. One moment she was in the car, the next moment she was falling from the high bridge over which the train was passing.

Phew ...

This was hard to write ... I could try to blame it on my neices being glued to me all the time for the past three weeks, but since they go to bed hours before me it doesn't work ...

More seriously, Yang's state of mind is VERY hard to describe and keep coherent, I'm a very calm person so I really suck at writing about anger ...

Anyway, see you next time !