Here we are again, boys and girls. So I finally came to a decision, I will be doing one more arc for this volume. I feel sorta bad for admitting that publicly like this because it's like a very small spoiler, but I kept thinking about it, and yeah. I can see it being done rather finely. No time-skipping just yet, (Not it would be noteworthy or significant anyway) but time for some more content!

Besides, I figured this volume was a little on the shorter side. Might as well extend it a little and then focus on V3 when that time comes.

Beta: CrowSkull

Coverart: Nova

The Blind Huntsman

Chapter 75

Volume 2, Episode 16

Kai sighed as he sat down basking in the morning sun, Silver Ebony lying at his side and glistening in the light. Training that morning had been sluggish at best since he couldn't get the events of last night out of his head. Raven had dropped quite the big bomb on Yang last night, and it even got him thinking. He kept thinking of his own father, and about what he could have done versus what Tyrian had told him back in that warehouse. Raven might as well had told them that she was forced to leave Yang soon after she was born. Something that was very different from everything that Taiyang and Qrow told them whenever they asked. Did they know? Surely not, Raven was secretive and mysterious even at the best of times and was prickly and bitchy if you every pried. He doubted that anyone even knows the real truth but her.

It had taken a while to calm Yang down after what had happened. She needed comfort and he had to be there to give it. She apologized for being mad at him again and the forgiveness came easily to him. After he walked her back to her dorm they hugged and that was that. The closure of at least the most closure Yang was ever going to get for a long time, seemed to have done wonders for her mentally. He wished he could say the same for himself. He could barely sleep during the night. He felt too energetic, his mind was racing too much. He had to get out of his bed and burn off some of that energy but now he was just tired and energetic at the same time. It felt weird, wanting to move around and expend energy he didn't have. He didn't like how it felt.

"Kai?" Blake called out to him as she walked over. Her cat ears stretching atop her head as she stretched her arms up above her head. She yawned after calling his name. "What are you doing up and training so early?"

"Why are you awake at this time?" Kai sniped back. He could guess that it was still around six in the morning. "You normally sleep until the last second, and we have classes today too."

"Yeah well, you snuck out again." His partner said, sitting beside him. "Right after getting out of the infirmary too. Is it so bad that I am concerned for my partner?"

"Being sassy doesn't fit you," Kai said with a light chuckle to show he wasn't serious about the insult. "Yeah, I can see how that might irk you a little."

"Hmph," Blake huffed, stretching her legs out as she sat. "How do you feel?" She asked a few seconds later.

"Huh?" Kai absentmindedly assessed himself. Nothing really felt out of the ordinary except for his strange feeling earlier. "I'm feeling fine, better even. I'm healing fast."

"Yeah, I can see that," Blake said as she eyed him up and down. Since he was blind she didn't even have to hide the gesture. Kai's scarred arms were still scarred, but far less so than she thought it would. He burned himself back then, such wounds would stick around the rest of his life and yet… What Qrow told her echoed in her mind. She couldn't believe that they would-

"Is everything okay?" Kai asked her, suddenly facing her. "Your heart rate just skyrocketed suddenly."

"I'm fine, just thinking about something." She half lied. She knew Kai would pick it up but she didn't care.

"You know I can…" Sensing that he really shouldn't push anymore, he stopped himself and turned away from her. "Alright, I won't pry if you don't want to talk about it." He said, picking his legs up so that his chin was resting on top of one of his knees.

"You were training again?" Blake asked after another few moments.

"Yeah," Kai accepted the new topic of discussion and went with it. "Nothing too tiring, it was a warm-up if anything. But I needed to get rid of some excess energy."

"And nothing hurts?"

"Nope," Kai sighed. "Nothing hurts. Nothing feels bad. Maybe its silver eye stuff that's making me feel this way, I don't know."

"I'm sorry," Blake said, looking away. "I didn't mean to annoy you. I was just… worried."

Kai instantly felt bad and sighed. His hand raised and patted down on Blakes's knee comfortingly. "It's fine. I shouldn't have gotten annoyed in the first place. I understand what you mean, I'd be worried too if it were you or anyone else acting the same way as me."

"I know, which is why I am doing it for you."

"Heh, you really are my partner," Kai said with a warm smile. "Thank you. Really. If you, Ruby, Orchid, and all the others weren't there for me I don't know what I'd be doing with myself."

"Probably training," Blake said. "Just… even more than usual. You don't seem to have any hobbies so that's what I think."

"Hey, I have hobbies!"

"Letting Ruby force you to play video games while you don't even know what is happening is not a hobby."

"Well…" Kai coughed into his fist. "Ruby is a hobby. Sort of."

Blake laughed lightly at that, which earned a playful punch that bumped into her shoulder. "Well, we have plenty of time before the Vytal Festival begins. Who's to say you can't find one before that?"

Kai smiled, but then that smile died and he turned away and sighed through his nose. "I… don't think that's possible." He said, thinking about his plans for later during the week.

Blake raised an eyebrow at him.

Kai couldn't tell her, no matter how much he might have wanted too internally. His nightly battles were his battles to fight. He had plans to go back out into Vale and hunt down another outpost. After the breach, he couldn't just sit back and recover for too long. Once the weekend came, he was going out again as Stone Face. The vigilante that has been making the news before the events of the breach where it seems he's been forgotten.

"Maybe it is," He amended for Blake's sake. "I just don't have much else that I do besides train. I lived on the outskirts of Vacuo, so it was pretty much train, hunt, and go buy and sell stuff in town before I moved to Patch to go to Signal. There wasn't much time to find hobbies… not for a lack of trying, I assure you."

"Well, it's never too late to start right?" Blake said with a smile. "Have you read a good book before? I can find one for you that's in braille. We can read it together if you'd like."

She was really trying, Kai noted. And she was being genuine about it. "Sure," He shrugged his shoulders. "During lunchtime or our free periods maybe. Just make sure it isn't what I heard Ruby yelling at you about the other day." He felt Blake's heart rate spike up again because of his subtle call out. "What was it she said? I believe it was along the lines of-"

"Not those kinds of books!" Blake promised, silencing him before she could be embarrassed even more. "Gah, you guys act like that is the only thing I read."

"Isn't it?"

"NO!"

Kai laughed as Blake lightly slapped him on the back of his head. It was always so easy to get a reaction out of her when he wanted to. Just bring up the porn books that were totally not porn books and everything just went downhill from there. It didn't last forever, unfortunately. They had classes after all. Then later that night he'd seek out Qrow to get some more information about what is going on out there in Vale. He knew about him being Stone Face, so he'd help him if he didn't want him working by himself — or with Raven and Vernal — so he knew that he could count on the older huntsman. He might as well make use of this quick recovery drug that was injected into him, right?

"We should go," Blake said after a few more minutes of just sitting there together. "Ruby and Orchid are going to wake up soon and I don't want to deal with their silly assumptions and questions. Though, can I ask where you were last night?"

"I was handling something important with Yang," Kai said with a slight nod. Blake knew he was telling the truth this time. "Something to do with Raven… you should be able to guess the rest of it."

"I see…" Blake stopped questioning it then and there. She knew about the woman Raven who trained Kai from Ruby and Orchid, who told her since she was Kai's partner and should expect some strange actions from him every once in a while. She also knew that the woman had a relation to Yang. Her mother, she guessed. Though they never explicitly told her what was happening there. She pitied Yang for it. It couldn't have been easy and Kai was good for being there for her when it happened even though she knew that Yang was probably the one who asked for it all.

Going to class felt somewhat strange after the day of the dance and the breach. But there she was able to let her mind rest a little. Nothing was wrong with Kai just yet and everything was just as Qrow told her so far. It wouldn't mean she would stop keeping an eye on him just in case, but it put her mind at ease if anything.

Kai, on the other hand, was hardly paying attention in class. Being blind and able to wear a blindfold made it easy for him to make it seem like he was there but mentally he was in a totally different place. Not that Professor Port would notice, he was too busy telling the story of how many brave huntsmen and huntresses just like himself battled in the breach to protect people. It was only a little annoying, Kai thought. But it wasn't anything that ate away at him. The breach was stopped and that was that. What was next was holding the people responsible for it accountable for their actions and he knew just how to do that.

Sienna Khan. No, once the Khan of the White Fang. Opened her eyes tiredly. The soreness of her muscles and the exhaustion of her mind and body immediately crashed down on her as she regained consciousness. Her yellow eyes winked open and she found herself pushing her tongue around her dry mouth. It felt uncomfortable, much too uncomfortable. Even more so when she tried to move around. Her arms and hands were bound and her feet were changed to a metal floor that was about three feet in length. She sighed, the memories of what happened before this moment coming back to her quickly. The Breach plan, the basement Cinder took her and Adam to, the battle with Ozpin and the moment she was knocked unconscious. It seems it has been days, and efforts to rescue her were slim to none. She knew a prison when she saw one. An Atlesian one at that too.

"Grr," Sienna growled as her chains clinked when she tried to snap herself free. Her cell was claustrophobic and she felt naked without her weapon at her side. Vulnerable. Helpless. She hated it.

"It seems the stimulatives have finally done its work," Sienna's frown dragged even further down her face as she heard that wretched voice. General Ironwood of Atlas. Her greatest enemy whom she's never personally met. "You were sedated for quite some time. Weeks. You must be starving."

She couldn't see the man but she knew that he could see her. She looked around her cell, which was easily not even tall enough for her to stand in nor wide enough for her to stretch her limbs even if she wasn't bound to her seat. Her scowl told the whole story of how she felt about that. She looked down when she heard something slide against the floor. A metal tray of food. A piece of meat and some kind of schlop that a person could see in a movie. She knew it was barely edible just by the smell of it, but with how her stomach was aching and rumbling she couldn't help but begin to salivate. Moistening up her dry mouth but somehow making it even worse for her to keep her natural instincts under control.

She couldn't let her sworn enemy see her like that, Sienna swore mentally. She forced herself to look away from the prison meal. Going as far as to bring her hands up to her lap even as the bounds on them loosened and gave her some illusion of freedom. Not that her stomach agreed with her. The General was right when he said she must be starving. She felt it. Had they really not fed her anything while she was asleep? She may have been branded as the leader of an extremist group of faunus revolutionaries, but for all of Atlas' promises of treating their prisoners fairly and honoring their rights as people, she was unsurprisingly disappointed and enraged.

"Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be," The bastard Ironwood said as a small part of the cell door before she slid open to reveal part of Ironwood's faces standing outside of her cell. The sudden light made her wince, she didn't even notice that it was pitch black in her cell because of her faunus eyesight.

"Figures," Sienna spat when she saw Ironwood's navy blue eyes. "You Atlesian's always make yourself out to be the greatest heroes of Remnant. You even have yourself as a mock source of light. How ironic, since you and I should both know you humans are anything but."

"Your petty insults are striking a brick wall, terrorist," Ironwood told her. "As did your plans to tarnish the name and reputation of Atlas and Vale. What did you think creating that Breach was going to accomplish? You've failed to kill the maiden. Failed to defeat Ozpin. And failed to even keep yourself safe. For a woman who has made herself a thorn in my side for almost a decade, you made it painfully trivial to derail everything you have worked toward."

Sienna snarled at the General. The shackles on her wrist banged and clanged loudly as she tried to bare her claws and scratch the man's eyes out. She stopped when she realized that was going nowhere and sat back down with a huff. Glaring at the General with all her scorn and the promise of death in her eyes.

"You have no idea how little my capture changes. I imagine I've already been replaced by the successor that I have been brewing for the past couple of years. You simply replaced me with a more dangerous enemy, General. Soon, you will realize that."

"Adam Taurus will be dealt with in time," Ironwood's eyes narrowed. He didn't let it show, but Sienna was right in that regard. Adam was a man he knew precious little of. Of course, there's everything the media paints him out to be as a mindless brute who cares for nothing but the pain of humankind and is the one to drive the sword forward. But that was all just propaganda. Not even with Albedo's visions of Cinder's past could they find anything out about the bull faunus. All they knew was that he was incredibly dangerous, and a talented leader. He could be his greatest enemy or a fool who was in for far more than he was prepared for. Time would only tell. "However, it is not him that I am concerned with at the moment. You, Sienna Khan, find yourself locked away in my primary flagship. The most advanced and powerful ship in my entire armada." He explained. "It even has its own prison for top priority criminals such as yourself. If I wished it, I'd let you see the dozens of other White Fang terrorists that have been captured."

"You must be so proud of yourself hm?" Sienna barked out, interrupting him. "You've got me, a portion of my men, and the means to do whatever you want with them. Don't keep beating around the bush with me human. What kind of means are you going to use to get what you want out of me?" She scoffed loudly. "Torture? Leverage? Perhaps you've hunted down members of my family from Menagerie? Should I expect my daughter to be used against me?"

"No such methods!" Ironwood snapped. "As much as we are enemies I will not have you thinking that I am some kind of monster. I cannot speak for all the men in my roster, but I hold no grudge for your kind. Only for the kind of person that some of them became. Terrorists, such as yourself." He explained. "You will be interrogated, and simply put there will be an easy way and the easier way of going through with it. Both depend on how compliant you are in the next few minutes."

"Oh really?" Sienna scoffed, leaning back in her seat and having the audacity to smirk cockily at the human outside her cell. "Care to explain to me what those ways enclose?"

"The easy way is if you answer my questions as I ask them," Ironwood said. "The easier way is having my associate here simply use his semblance on you and skip the entire debacle of playing nice with you."

"Associate…?" Sienna muttered.

"That would be me," Ironwood stepped to the side and a different man with a lighter shade of blue eyes came into vision. Sienna took a moment to take in who he was, then gasped and shut her eyes tight. Looking away with a scowl. "Come now, I haven't even activated it yet." Albedo chuckled. "James here requested my assistance in convincing you while I also double as a… coach of sorts. You'll see. You won't need to look into my eyes unless your next words call for it. Of that, I promise you."

"Damn you, humans…" Sienna growled. "Some variety of choices I have…"

"You're lucky you even have one at all." Albedo pointed out. "I could open this door and force your eyes open and violate each and every aspect and privacy of your life. While also seeing everything you have planned. But no, us humans have a shred of decency and mercy within our souls. You may find it hard to believe but not all humans share the same ideals. You, however, tainted your soul has become, are still a person in spite of the extra ears and stripes…" His eyes closed, an aura of sadness suddenly overcoming him that Sienna wouldn't have seen if she didn't crack an eye open to look at him. "You tiger faunus are very rare nowadays… I had a student with the same stripes and eyes. I was quite sad when I heard she perished during the battle of the last Vytal Festival three years ago. Shae Cider was her name, did you know of her?"

Sienna didn't, but the news of the death did shake her slightly. Albedo noticed, and she couldn't see the sad smile he had on his face. Another tiger faunus? The only other one she knew of was her mother and she had died over twenty years ago. She genuinely thought she was one of the last of the tiger faunus. To hear of another, one as young as a child had been killed due to her actions? It… didn't fare well in her mind.

"I thought not." Albedo stepped away. "Hopefully your next actions can save lives rather than destroy them. James, take it away from here."

"I shall." Ironwood reappeared in her vision and this time there was no such ferocity in Sienna's eyes. He looked at her with a mixture of disappointment and satisfaction. Sienna was already being brought low. It seemed that she had a conscience after all. He made sure to mentally note that and commit it to memory. It may prove useful soon.

"If you are ready to talk, I will start asking questions." Ironwood began. Sienna made no motion to stop him. "Firstly, the Breach. How did you manage it?"

"I thought you'd know the answer to that already," Sienna sniped. Ironwood patiently waited for her to speak. Of course, not everything Cinder had planned has been revealed to them. Albedo's semblance was terrifyingly accurate but not perfect. "The dust that Torchwick robbed from everywhere in the city," She answered honestly, there wasn't much point in hiding it. The dust had already been used. "The abandoned subway system in Mountain Glenn. We refurbished and repurposed one of the trains and used it to our advantage. Stocking almost every train car with explosive dust and having a skeleton crew drive it all the way to Vale. On the way, we created other breaches in Glenn and lead them all through the tunnels until we rammed the train into the rubble left behind by the explosives the council saw fit to use to seal the tunnels. As you can see, the plan worked out just as we expected it would."

"Mountain Glenn…" Ironwood sighed. He knew he should have sent a ship over there as well to see if anything was happening over there. If only he had more time! He might have been able to prevent it. "I see. The breach as you can imagine has been sealed."

"It has?" Sienna nearly gasped out. An explosion from a train ramming into rubble couldn't have been just a small light show. The breach it made wouldn't have been small. "How!?"

"Because of the efforts of my military, huntsmen, and Beacon's students and huntsmen we were able to push back the Grimm," Ironwood explained, giving the people who fought the honor they deserved. "They all fought admirably. And with a few semblances that were fit for the job, the Grimm were pushed back into the tunnels and the breach was sealed."

"What kind of semblances could push back an army of Grimm and seal a hole that had to be dozens of meters long?" Sienna thought for a second, then smirked. Ironwood didn't like the way she smugly looked at him. "Ah… it was the boy, wasn't it?"

"Whom do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Ironwood. The blind boy. The one with the semblance to manipulate nature itself…" Sienna laughed. "Heh, Cinder always did hate that boy. It seems Adam and I were right…"

"About what?" Ironwood asked, not liking where this conversation was going. "And I'd prefer it if you didn't talk about a teenage boy like that in front of me. While I will admit he was a great help during the battle of the breach, he was not the only one who made a difference."

"Don't worry General, I actually find myself admiring the boy." Very different from before, Sienna was smug, and somehow relaxed despite her situation. "Besides, Adam and I had plans of trying to form some kind of alliance with him." She found great satisfaction in the way Ironwood's eyes widened at the revelation. "Of course we never really got around to it. It was hard to with Cinder always looking over our shoulder."

"You mean to say that you were planning to betray Cinder Fall?" Ironwood asked.

"I do." Sienna nodded her head.

"I don't believe you."

Sienna frowned at the man.

"I don't think it's far from the truth," Albedo spoke up from the side. Ironwood turned to him with wide eyes, demanding some kind of explanation from him. "Think about it. All the other White Fang members we'd captured all have very little good to say about Cinder Fall. And besides, isn't it a little odd that a terrorist group whose sole goal is to force humans to acknowledge the rights of faunus to work with a human who treats them in the exact way that they are fighting against?"

"I…"

"I've even used my semblance on some of them, and let me tell you…" Albedo shook his head and sighed. "You don't want to know what Cinder does to those who don't listen to her. Much less those who actually speak out against her."

"She is a monster," Sienna said, going off of Albedo's support. "The name of the White Fang is tarnished by her presence. If I knew that she was going to use us for what she has accomplished thus far, I would have let Malikai Matsuoka kill her when he had the chance." She shook her head, that scene was burned into her memory ever since it came. He'd beaten her, bested her, had her at his mercy! If she just did nothing then her greatest nightmare would have died before it ever got on its feet. "It is one of my deepest regrets. You may be my enemy, Ironwood. But as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Even if that friend is me?" Ironwood asked.

"Believe me, I'd never want to be friends with you." Sienna laughed at the thought of it. "But if it means stopping Cinder once and for all, then I don't see why I can't make an exception for now."

The General turned to face her, his hardened eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "You do know that this will earn you no leniency in court. At best you will get a life sentence in the most maximum-security prison in Atlas. At worse, the death penalty. If you think that suddenly complying and trying to make amends now will get that, then you will have another regret to torture you."

Sienna smiled sadly at the floor. Her eyes suddenly looked exhausted, her arms slacked and she leaned forward. "What else is there for me?" She asked. "I've been captured, the White Fang has already moved on, and everything I have ever lived for has already been ruined. You don't need to tell me that I have nothing left. Not even my own daughter would want to see me again. I'm a monster in her eyes as well as the rest of the world. Is the White Fang even fighting for the faunus anymore?" She asked herself more than him. She shook her head after thinking about it for but a moment.

Sitting there in regretful silence, Ironwood thought he saw just a normal woman. It was hard to believe that this was Sienna Khan. The supreme leader of the White Fang and the one who brought so much for the faunus, but then was also the one who ran its name through the mud and made the faunus even more hated than before. It was admittedly difficult not to feel sympathetic for her, but he stomped such emotions down. It was her own actions that brought her to where she was now. She wasn't forced to make the White Fang violent and he even knew how Cinder roped her and the White Fang into her service. It was fear. In the end, she was just trying to protect her people, just as he was trying to defend his.

"I will come to speak to you again tomorrow," Ironwood said as he turned away. "Eat your food and rest. I prefer you in a more healthy state of mind before we send you off to face your trial."

"Sure, whatever." Locked away in darkness again, Sienna leaned down to pick up the tray of food. On the outside, Ironwood sighed and walked forward in silence. Not nearly as satisfied as he thought he'd be with the former leader of the White Fang in his custody.

"Not what you expected?" Albedo asked him as they walked.

"No," Ironwood admitted. "I expected a tyrant of a woman who might have been worse than Cinder. Not the shell of one. She was broken before I even started interrogating her."

"She was," Albedo agreed. "She is not the true enemy, as you know. Despite everything she'd done she had good intentions in them. At least in the beginning."

"I know. It's why I think Ozpin would like to have a chat with her next."

"You think so?"

"I do." Ironwood looked at him. "You know how he is better than most. He would be better in this kind of interrogation whereas I may be too hard. He has a certain delicacy when it comes to speaking with enemies, especially ones that didn't quite know what side they wanted to be one." Ozpin was thousands of years old, after all. He has been fighting this war against Salem long before he was even born. At some points, he was even by himself against Salem and her previous lieutenants. He had to have some charisma, or developed some as time went on. Enemies turned friends and friends turned enemies all the time for him.

He thought Sienna had no further use, but perhaps he might something for her.

"Kid," Qrow called him before he entered his next class. Kai stopped on the spot and the rest of his team turned to face the older huntsman. Ruby, instead of darting over to her uncle and crushing him with a hug, instead of raised an eyebrow at him instead. Orchid stopped speaking and Blake glared at him. All went ignored as Qrow was most focused on Kai more than anything. They knew who he was referring too. "Come with me, let's have a chat."

"About what?" Blake asked, stepping in front of Kai with her arms crossed. The protective gesture through Kai off, she was acting strangely.

"Important stuff," Qrow shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure he'll tell you all about it after we're done. And don't worry, Glynda over there already knows about this so you won't get in any kind of trouble. I doubt sparring with kids leagues behind your level of skill will do anything for you anyway unless its that Pyrrha girl."

"Hmph," Kai huffed and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder. "It's alright Blake, it's not like me missing a class or two is anything out of the ordinary nowadays. I'll catch up with you guys later."

Blake reluctantly got out of his way and entered the classroom while Ruby and Orchid waved goodbye to them as Kai made his way to Qrow, who leaned against the wall as he waited for him.

"What is it?" Kai asked, propping a hand on his hip when he reached the older man.

"Oz wants to speak with you. Walk with me."

"Already?" Kai asked as he followed him. "It's a little soon, even for him."

"I know but there isn't much we can do about that. Let's just say that he has something that popped up and he wants your opinion on it. Being part of our little group of ours means you gotta participate, you know."

"Oh…" He almost forgot about that, honestly. He was part of Ozpin's inner circle but he hadn't actually done anything with them since he was introduced to General Ironwood and was let in on the knowledge about the existence of the Gods and the relics. To be called so suddenly... was this going to be something for him to expect now? Only time would tell. "Well, what is it that he wants my opinion on?"

"You'll find out when you get there," Qrow said as they continued to walk together. To make it easier for himself, Kai grabbed on to Qrow's sleeve so that he didn't have to focus so much on sensing his surroundings. If Qrow noticed it he didn't pay it any mind. It was hard to imagine that Kai was still just a seventeen year old, almost eighteen now actually. Or maybe he already was eighteen? Qrow felt bad for not knowing, but it wasn't like he had no other important things to remember on a daily basis.

He leads Kai to the tower and rode the elevator up to the headmaster's office where Ozpin was there sitting waiting for him. As was Ironwood, standing near the windows and Albedo on his left. There was also another person there that Kai recognized but couldn't place his finger on it.

"You sure took your time." Winter Schnee made herself known as she stood near Ironwood with her arms crossed.

"Sorry, taking teenage boys away from their classes isn't something I do often." Qrow snapped back as he made his way to Ozpin's side. "Besides he's here isn't he?"

"That he is," Ozpin remarked as Kai made his way to the open seat. "I am sorry for calling for you as abruptly as I did. The situation called for it and I value your opinion on the matter at hand. As a member of the circle here, I thought I'd include you."

"It's fine," Kai said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "What's the matter? I imagine its important if you want someone as new as I am getting into it all."

"You know of the maiden we keep in the sub-level of this tower, correct?" Ozpin asked.

Kai subtly nodded his head. Qrow told him about that a while ago. "Amber," He thought out loud. "The fall maiden before Cinder."

"Correct," Ozpin nodded his head. "She is being kept alive by the machines Jame's created just for fatal cases like hers. If it weren't for that Cinder would be a much more powerful foe. The powers have been split for the very first time in history, and if we are not quick to select a new maiden, we will be in dire trouble."

Kai narrowed his blind eyes. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Pyrrha Nikos was the first option," Ironwood said. "As were many other female first-year students that you happen to know on a personal basis. But as you can imagine, all of those options may earn your ire. So we thought it best to speak with you on the matter first."

"Does it have to be any of them?" Kai asked, obviously against the idea of one of his friends being thrown into this battle. He was fighting so that they didn't have to, having one of them become a maiden was going to defeat the entire purpose of that motive.

"It does not," Ozpin spoke up again. "We have considered others, such as Miss Schnee here."

Winter stepped forward.

"However, she is lined up for another maiden type later down the line. I will have you know that the Winter Maiden is in her later years and is suffering from a severe case Alzheimer's. She is alive, but sadly she is in a similar state as Amber and bedridden. So that leaves one of the students here at Beacon or… someone else."

"Someone else…?"

"While the breach was undergoing, we managed to capture the leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan." Ozpin continued quickly. "While we were interrogating her last night and earlier this morning, she has asked to speak with you directly."

"Me?" Kai scrunched his brow down in anger. "Why the hell does she want to speak with me? I don't want anything to do with her when she was the one who helped kill my father."

"And we understand that all too well," Albedo spoke up. "However, it is imperative that we comply and being earning her trust. Despite her long history of criminal violence, there could be the use of her yet. The White Fang, for example. What would they do if let's say hypothetically Sienna called for them to stand down?"

"I doubt they'd listen, but it'd stir up the pot for sure." Qrow pointed out. "I don't like the idea of it either kid, but all it is is one conversation. We aren't asking you to become best friends with her. Just let her think that everything is coming together for her and we can use that to our advantage."

"Hmph…" Kai shook his head and snarled silently. Sienna Khan… he never actually met her. Adam, he knew and fought with. While Sienna was mostly a mystery. She was the leader of the White Fang and therefore an enemy. But now she was behind bars and locked away. Isn't that what he wanted? Justice? A morbid thought wanted a more painful sentence, but it was just that. A morbid thought. "All I have to do is talk to her about whatever it is she wants from me?"

"Yes," Ozpin confirmed. "That is all."

"Fine," Kai said with a huff. "If it will help, I'll do whatever I need to do."

"Thank you," Ozpin smiled at the boy, even if he was blind he wanted to show that he was grateful. "You may return to class in the meantime. I will have Qrow come to collect you again later. You are doing wonders, Mister Matsuoka. First the Breach and now this, I have high hopes for you."

"Hm," Kai nodded his head and moved away. No-one stopped him as he got in the elevator and made his way back down.

"Of all the ideas you've had Ozpin…" Ironwood said the moment Kai was gone. "This is by far the most extreme. How could you let her get what she wants?"

"Because I know potential when I see it," Ozpin replied as he took a sip from his mug. "It would go wasted if we simply sent her away to go rot in a cell on the other side of the world."

"Still… I don't like it."

Ozpin chuckled.

"We don't have too. We just have to bear it and sometimes, making extreme calls count for everything."

And there we go, another chapter down. Time to start getting into some new stuff. Y'know, the usual. I actually wrote this when I was sick and let me tell you it SUCKS. Not again, break time. See y'all next week.

By the way. 75 chapters. Volume 2... Damn, I really know how to pace.

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