HAPPY NEW YEAR! And all it brings! And let's start the first chapter of the new year off with a bang, shall we?

I have a very late christmas gift for you all. A reader by the name of lanceStryker193 has made what I can only describe as an anime intro for this story! It's called Burning Bouquet and they've uploaded it to Youtube. I'd share a link, but unfortunately this site hates that kind of shit. The channel name is lancestryker193. I hope that went through. And I hope you like the song and the story! On we go!


'What's the worst that could happen?' Blake said. 'It won't come to anything', she said. Well, Neo thought as she ducked under the sword of a man wearing a White Fang mask before slamming the handle of Hush into his face, it had come to be quite a problem.

Blake had gone out to meet with Illia, with Sun following her from a distance to make sure she would be ok and that it wasn't a trap.

Clearly, it was a trap. White Fang had stormed the house, leaving only the few guards that the Belladonna's had on site to defend them, along with Neo of course. She was surprised they had attacked today. There was still two weeks until Adam's attack on Beacon. Maybe it was because of Blake and Sun's success with rounding up people to save Haven.

Neo was probably worth the entire contingent of guards stationed within the mansion, and that wasn't her being egotistical. Simply put, she was better. But she could not be everywhere at once, and right now the most important place for her to be was by Kali's side.

And luckily Kali was quite happy to remain by her side. Or at the very least, behind a table while she took care of the people currently assaulting her. One of them got a shot off before Neo could take them down. Luckily it hit one of the guards in the shoulder rather than Kali.

The guard disappeared behind the table, only for Kali to suddenly pop up, holding the man's pistol as she fired at the White Fang. "GET! OUT! OF MY! HOUSE!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, punctuating each word with a shot from her weapon.

Neo was impressed by her accuracy, recalling what she had said in regards to her being the 'claws' of her and Ghira's White Fang. As if spurred by her thoughts, a loud roar suddenly echoed through the house, and Neo had a few guesses as to who it came from.

It also distracted the current White Fang, and Neo was able to quickly incapacitate them. For once, it wouldn't actually have been easier to kill them. They have some grasp over Aura, enough to protect vital areas, but not enough to stop the blunt force trauma that was the handle of her umbrella smashing over their heads.

Aura could prevent a lot of things on the outside of the body, but someone's brain bouncing off the insides of their skull was not one of them. With a final blow the last of the White Fang within the room had fallen, allowing Neo a moment to breathe.

She was rarely one for prolonged combat against multiple enemies, preferring instead to fight one on one and wear her opponent down. That didn't mean she wasn't capable of taking on several foes, just that it was annoying.

In the silence, they could hear other gunshots ringing out within the building. The sound was cut off by music coming from Neo's Scroll.

"~Briiing meee tooo liii- Neo answered the Scroll, seeing Blake's concerned expression appear on the screen, clearly in motion.

"Neo!" Her amber eyes widened. "Is everything ok? I can't reach my Mom." Blake knew Neo couldn't give a verbal response, and Neo wasn't too sure how good she was at RSL. So, she turned her Scroll around to show Kali helping one of the guards to his feet.

"Mom!" Blake exclaimed, her voice coming out slightly distorted through the speaker. Kali's ears twitched as she looked up at the sound of her daughter.

"Blake! Are you ok?" She handed the injured guard off to another as she quickly approached Neo. She held the Scroll out, allowing Kali to take it.

"I'm fine, Mom. What about you? What's happening at home?" Blake was still running as she spoke, and Neo caught a glimpse of Sun off to the side, also on his Scroll. He was probably contacting the authorities.

"The White Fang have stormed the mansion, your father and I got separated but Neo's been looking after me, and Ghira is with Tukson." Kali explained quickly, the sounds of fighting still echoing through the house.

Blake's amber eyes narrowed. "We're almost there. Just hold out a little longer." With that, Blake terminated the call, causing Kali to sigh as she handed Neo's Scroll back to her.

"That daughter of mine." She shook her head, her age suddenly weighing on her. Neo, in a surprising moment of care that she didn't think herself capable of, reached out to lay a hand on Kali's arm.

The older woman looked at Neo, smiling warmly as she placed her own hand on Neo's. "Thank you, dear." The moment, which definitely warmed Neo's heart in ways she hadn't known, was interrupted by the staccato of nearby gunfire.

Neo scowled at the noise, even as Kali took a step back from it. It was coming from the tea room. There was a rasp of steel as Neo unsheathed her blade from Hush. She made her way to the door, pushing it open carefully and peeking through.

One of the Menagerie guards was pressed up against a pillar, clutching a wound on her shoulder as fighting continued to go on around her. Neo slipped into the room, immediately clocking two White Fang members, both wielding cutlasses.

She dashed forward, catching the blade of one White Fang member and sending it crashing into the ground, before bringing up her knee to smash against the man's face, breaking the mask and sending him reeling.

The other White Fang looked up in shock upon seeing his ally go down, allowing Neo to quickly strike him with her blade, and for the two guards they were fighting to back off and take a moment to recuperate from their injuries.

These White Fang had clearly never fought anyone with Huntsman training, as the one who Neo was currently engaged with had a look of terror judging from what she could see below the mask.

Good, Neo thought. He deserved to feel fear for attacking this place. Neo brought her leg straight up between the man's legs, immediately causing his knees to buckle. Neo used the opportunity to hop up, before delivering a spinning kick to the back of the White Fang's skull that caused his head to smash into the floor.

He stopped moving. Neo hit the ground, tossing her hair back as she took a breath and looking around the room. The two she had saved, and wasn't that a strange thought, had regrouped and were now double teaming a single White Fang member.

Neo was glad to see they weren't playing fair, though her expression slipped as she saw Kali had entered the room, kneeling down next to the injured guard. At least she had brought a gun with her, Neo thought as she made to sheathe her blade.

The sudden shattering of glass that did not belong to her Semblance caused her to quickly look upward. A man was flying towards her, and she used the term accurately as he possessed a pair of bat wings that tucked in as he outstretched his arms in her direction.

Neo didn't have much time to fully examine his face, as she quickly pushed one foot off the ground to leap back from the attack. Only to stumble as something grabbed hold of her leg. Her mismatched eyes glanced down in time to see the White Fang member she had knocked to the floor earlier reaching up to grab her.

Her eyes snapped back to the bat Faunus just as his hands wrapped themselves around her throat, dragging her away from the downed grunt and slamming her head against the floor. The blow caused stars to dance in Neo's vision.

In any other circumstance, Neo could get out of a hold like this like it was nothing simply by using her smaller frame to her advantage and wrapping her legs around the attackers torso. Unfortunately, the man's wings were preventing such a move as he continued to tighten his grip on her.

"Human scum." He hissed out, grey eyes glaring at her with hatred. Neo clawed at the man's face, but leaned back just enough to be out of her reach.

"LET GO OF HER!" She heard Kali scream, and glanced to the side to see the older woman holding a tea tray above her head and glaring at the bat with such anger that it surprised Neo. The last thing the man attacking her saw was the furious expression of a mother, before being smacked in the face by the tray with such force that he went flying from Neo's body.

Neo immediately gasped for air, inhaling as much as she could as Kali dropped to her knees and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" She asked, looking at Neo with such concern that it actually had her gasping for breath once more.

She managed a nod, before glaring at the man who attacked her. He was currently slumped to the ground, but groaning as he attempted to push himself up. Neo tried to do the same, only to meet resistance as Kali kept her down.

"You've done enough, dear." The older woman said, smiling gently before she stood up, gripping the tray so tightly her knuckles turned white. Neo watched as Kali approached the downed man, raising the tray high above her head.

"You know Yuma," She spoke softly, and Neo saw the Faunus freeze as he looked up, eyes wide in fear. "I've always hated that goatee." With that, she slammed the tray down, giving only enough time for Yuma to raise a hand… and press it against his chin in shock.

"BASTARD!" "FUCKING CHRIST!" Sienna woke with a start, hearing another person yell out, followed by a thump and a groan.

Blinking, Sienna let her heart rest as she took in her surroundings. She was in some kind of a bedroom, probably belonging to an inn. Glancing down, she had several bandages wrapped around her, probably more than strictly necessary given a fair amount of them covered her extremities.

The groan sounded out once more as a person pushed themselves to their feet. Sienna watched as a Faunus with wolf ears and dirty blonde hair placed a hand against the side of his head and rubbed it, righting a chair that had fallen over.

Putting two and two together, Sienna realised she must have startled the man off his chair. "Morning." The Faunus said, looking up and meeting Sienna's eyes for the first time. Sienna saw a single, steely blue eye staring deep into her soul, the other covered by a simple black eyepatch.

"Or, I think it is anyway." He continued, glancing out a nearby window. Sienna did as well, seeing an overcast day and the faint drizzle of rain. He turned back to Sienna. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Injured." She tried to smile, feeling somewhat at ease considering the one looking after her was a Faunus. "But, where am I? And who are you?"

The man looked surprised by her last question. "You're in Kuchinashi." He explained, and when Sienna's eyes widened in shock, he held up a hand. "Don't worry. You're safe, we have no idea what the Hell caused you to come stumbling out of the bushes, but we figured it'd be better that no one knew you were up here."

Sienna nodded, releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "And as for who I am, did you hurt your head at all?" He asked, sitting down on the chair and resting his elbows on his legs as he looked at her.

"No. At least, I don't think so." She brought a hand up to her head to check, not wincing in any immediate pain. She considered it a good sign.

"I ask cause you literally said my name when we found you." He pointed to her as he spoke, as if he could possibly be addressing anyone else at all.

"I did?" Sienna blinked in confusion, sitting back as she did so, racking her brains as she tried to recall her last moments of consciousness. She could recall stumbling out of the brush and seeing a group of four colourful individuals, but her eyes were obviously drawn to the Faunus in front of her.

A wolf Faunus with piercing blue eye- "WAIT YOU ARE CRUE CULLEN?!" She suddenly pushed herself back on the mattress, before wincing as a pain in her side suddenly flared.

"You didn't know?! You literally said my name!" Crue, apparently, laughed as he leaned back in his chair, a wide smile on his face. "Good thing it was me then, hate to think what would happen if you said that to anyone else."

"I had been running for weeks! I thought I was about to die and was hallucinating. I didn't think it was actually you! You're supposed to be dead!" Her words brought a rather dangerous smirk to Crue's face.

"Well, rumours of my demise have been great-" "Crue!" The door to the room slammed open, and a boy with blue hair and goggles rushed in, looking around wildly. "I heard shouting! Is everything alright!?" His blue eyes locked onto Sienna, currently pushed up against the headboard of the bed.

Those same eyes suddenly widened as Crue grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and shook him wildly. "Will! You! Ever! Let! Me! Finish! That!" He finished shaking the newcomer, leaving him standing before the door, wobbling as Crue let out an explosive breath and fell back onto the chair.

"Damn it Neptune." He sighed. "I give up on finishing that." He waved a hand at Neptune dismissively, who shook his head once as a frown appeared on his place.

"If that's the thanks I get for checking up on you, remind me to leave you alone next time." He closed the door behind him as he turned to face Sienna. He held up a hand and waved. "Hey. I'm Neptune. And you are?"

Sienna's amber eyes glanced to Crue, waiting to see if he considered this a safe action. He raised an eyebrow, nodding to her in encouragement. She nodded back, taking a breath and steeling herself.

"Sienna Khan." She answered. She saw Neptune stiffen at the name, his blue eyes going wide.

"You know anyone called 'Bagheera' by any chance?" Was all Crue had to say in response. His words caused Neptune to look between the two of them rapidly, before quite clearly saying 'oh shit' silently.

"I know a Ghira." Sienna responded, arching an eyebrow and wondering why Crue seemed nonplussed about his teammates' reaction.

"Eh, close enough." Crue shrugged, before leaning back in his chair as Neptune began to slowly sidle over to him, trying not to make any sudden moves. "So, what were you doing out in the wilds in the first place? Or, who were you running from?"

Sienna swallowed once, amber eyes glancing at Neptune, who froze right next to Crue. The Faunus noticed him, looking up oddly. "I was running from the White Fang." She answered.

The reaction was immediate, Crue going from leaning back to sitting up straight with a serious expression on his face. Neptune, now no longer in Crue's field of view, looked extremely confused. "Why were the White Fang after you? After one of their own." He asked, glancing to Sienna's ears as he did so.

"Because I was on the wrong end of a coup." She scowled. Her words caused Crue to blink, sitting up as his body tensed.

"You were part of the White Fang?" He asked, glancing back to Neptune as he did so. The boy sighed, as Sienna suddenly felt a lot less safe than she had only a moment ago.

"Yeah, I was going to try tell you. But, uh, I think because of your amnesia you didn't know." He explained, putting unusual emphasis on the term that caused Sienna's eyes to narrow. Neptune looked between her and Crue, before speaking again.

"Sienna Khan is the Leader of the White Fang."

Crue's head snapped back to Sienna, his single steely blue eye staring into her very soul as she froze. His hands were clenched into fists as he eyed her warily. Sienna felt herself begin to sweat under his gaze, her nerves burning and her instincts screaming at her to try and flee.

"Is this true?" He asked simply, though the weight behind the question had Sienna struggling to speak for a moment.

"Your friend clearly didn't hear the part about me being on the wrong end of a coup." She tried to regain some self control. "I was attacked. And betrayed by those I thought I could trust. The only reason I got away was-" She suddenly gasped, looking around the room as if Vaus would suddenly come out from hiding.

"Was there anyone with me? When I came out of the forest?" She looked at them desperately, but judging from the confused expressions she already knew the answer.

"No?" Crue shook his head. "It was just you. Who was meant to be with you?"

"A friend. He helped me escape from the attack and the worst of the fighting, he stopped to buy me time while we were running but… I haven't seen him since." She hoped Vaus was alright. He had originally just been hired muscle, but spending enough time around someone made you appreciate their company.

Crue and Neptune looked at one another, clearly unsure as to whether they should comfort the Leader of a terrorist organisation. "Alright, Sienna." Crue eventually spoke up, clearing his throat as he did so. Sienna looked up to find him staring at her once more.

"I am going to ask you a single question. And, depending on your answer, it'll decide what happens to you next." It was as much a threat as he seemed capable of giving with Neptune in the room, as the boy looked decidedly uncomfortable at his words.

Sienna tried to sit as tall as she could within the bed, meeting Crue's eye. If she gave the wrong answer, she would die. But she would at least meet it with dignity. The thought of the fact Crue Cullen, favoured by almost all Faunus, sentencing her to death was one that she could honestly say had never crossed her mind.

"What… do you think of Adam Taurus?" The question knocked the wind out of Sienna's lungs as her mouth opened and closed uselessly. Realising this was probably not the answer the Crue wanted, judging by the way he shifted in his chair, she found her voice fueled by anger.

"I-I fucking hate him!" She exclaimed, and Crue's face broke into a wide smile. "He's the bastard that tried to- DID overthrow me! I want to cut his dick off with his sword!" She ended up panting for breath, her body still recovering from whatever injuries she sustained while fleeing. But the pain was worth it solely for the chance to curse Adam out.

Crue clapped his hands together once, smile never leaving his face. "Oh, I think we are going to get along wonderfully." Sienna's eyes widened, as she felt a smile of her own come across her face.

"Dude!" Neptune exclaimed, holding out a hand to Sienna in disbelief.

"What?" Crue looked genuinely confused. "She hates Adam. She can help us beat him. Probably help us kill him, if it comes to it." He looked back at Sienna for confirmation, and she was all too happy to nod with a concerning grin on her face.

"Ok, hold on, remind me again who Adam is?" Neptune looked as though he had several other questions, but wanted that one answered first.

"He's the dickwad who led the White Fang against Beacon…" Crue held up a thumb. "Stabbed Blake. Stabbed Weiss. And cut off Yang's arm." Four of five fingers were up as Crue stared at Neptune.

Neptune's face morphed into an expression that could only be described as 'Suddenly ok with killing someone but not sure how to feel about it'. Seeing as Crue hadn't managed to get a full hand of issues with Adam, Sienna decided to pipe in.

"He's also planning an attack on Haven."

"See. He's also planning a- A WHAT?!" Crue suddenly rounded on Sienna, his one blue eye wide as pinky finger froze in place.

"He is planning a repeat of the Fall of Beacon, this time on Haven. It's why he tried to kill me, because he knew I would never approve. I didn't even want the attack on Beacon to happen! Attacking a Huntsman academy is one of the most idiotic things in this world you can do." Sienna explained.

"Glad we agree on that but still what the fuck!?" Crue was on his feet, clearly distraught by what she had said. On second glance, seeing the snarling expression, Sienna realised he wasn't distraught, but angry.

"I thought I stopped this shit with the Hana Guild." He ran a hand through his hair, parting his ears as he scowled. Sienna's amber eyes widened at the mention of one of the most notorious crime groups in Mistral.

"They were planning to attack Haven?! Why didn't you mention that along with- everything else?" Neptune's blue eyes flit to Sienna as he threw his hands out in shock.

"Cause I took care of them all and they weren't a problem anymore." He waved off, as though it wasn't even worth mentioning. "But that was a while ago, are you telling me you-Adam had made a deal with them to attack Haven?"

"No!? Those bastards hate Faunus. We would never associate with them!" Sienna spat. "Mistral is one of the worst offenders for racism, at least the Atlesians admit it." She scowled at the idea of joining up with a group like that. She may have been considered a terrorist but at least she had never dealt with trafficking, Faunus or Human.

"But, Adam wasn't alone. He had someone with him, a Human, who he claimed to work for the same benefactor as the one behind the Fall of Beacon." She paused, as she realised what she said and looked to Crue. "I do not mean you, obviously."

"Mixed feelings about the White Fang deciding it wasn't me but I can deal with that later." He made a motion of catching an invisible fly and throwing it to the side. "Anyway, this Human…" He thought for a moment, apparently recalling something in his head.

"Was his name Hazel?" The look of surprise on Sienna's face was all the confirmation he needed. "Fuck. Yeah, this is a problem. Big problem. Neptune, call the other two, we need them here now." Crue looked genuinely worried about Hazel being there.

If someone like Crue was this concerned about a Human, it worried Sienna greatly. Neptune had gotten his Scroll out and was already calling the rest of his team. Sienna tried to recall who else she had seen when stumbling out of the bushes, but it was mostly just blurs of colour.

Shortly afterward, those blurs of colour entered the room, two Huntsmen of red and green. They were carrying what looked like medical supplies in their arms. They glanced at Sienna, but focused on Neptune and Crue.

"What's this about an attack on Haven?" The taller man asked, setting down the supplies and seeming oddly calm for someone who just spoke those words out loud.

"Yeah, please explain!" The other one exclaimed, sounding decidedly less calm about it.

"Ok, first. Sage, Scarlet, Sienna. What the fuck is with the 'S's?" Crue introduced them to each other rapidly, before becoming distracted by their names. "Anyway." He waved off.

"Full disclosure, this is Sienna Khan, ex-Leader of the White Fang." He explained, and Sienna saw Sage and Scarlet tense, reaching for their weapons. She also suddenly realised she had no idea where hers had gotten to.

"We don't care about that right now." Crue continued, causing both heads to snap to him in shock. "Because." He stressed, before either of them could argue. "She is not taking part with the White Fang who plan to attack Haven, in fact she is actively against it."

"And the dude actually attacking it is Adam Taurus. The same dickhead who attacked Beacon and hurt our friends and who I want to take his balls and make Rocky Mountain Oysters!" He made a strangling motion with his hands, along with a slight stabbing motion.

Clearly Sage and Scarlet still had some reservations about Sienna, and the entire thing, but were at least willing to listen if it involved the academy. "And." Crue continued, holding his hands out to try and keep the peace.

"They're working with Cinder again. Or at the very least Salem." "Who?" Sienna cut into the conversation, catching the name and latching onto it immediately.

Crue slammed his mouth shut, realising he had just said something he absolutely should not have. "Uhh." He began, as the other three looked to him, wondering what he would say.

"Worst woman currently living, and she intends to destroy all of the academies, and probably has the power to. It is honestly better if you forget the name. I mean that as genuinely as possible." If it were anyone else, Sienna would have pried for more information.

However, given the situation, and the fact Crue looked absolutely desperate for her not to follow up, she allowed it. "So, yeah. We should probably make sure that doesn't fucking happen." Crue stressed, looking to Sage, Scarlet and Neptune.

They all vocally agreed, obviously wanting to protect Haven as well. "Ok, we're all in agreement then. We kick Adam's ass. Possibly, hopefully, kill him. Hand the White Fang back over to Sienna because frankly she's the lesser of two evils."

At that, there were some mumbles, and Sienna sighed. "I do not believe I would be in any position to take back the White Fang." She gestured to herself, currently covered in bandages. For some reason, it caused Neptune and Sage to look away from her as she did so.

"Running things my way let those like Adam thrive, and I do not believe I would survive if I tried to take over once more." She sighed, leaning back into the bed. "Honestly, I think I might hand the reins back over to Kali and Ghira."

"To who?" Crue asked.

"The previous leaders of the White Fang, and the current rulers of Menagerie." Sienna explained, wondering what Beacon was teaching its students about the geopolitics of the rest of the world. "Kali and Ghira Belladonna."

A silence suddenly enveloped the room as each male stared at her. "Did, did you say Belladonna?" Sage asked.

"Yes."

"As in, Blake Belladonna?" Scarlet's green eyes were wide.

"The very same." Sienna nodded with a small sigh.

"BLAKE'S A PRINCESS?!" "BLAKE HAS PARENTS!?"

Neptune, Sage and Scarlet turned to stare at Crue, his shock completely negating their own. "Dude." Neptune began. "Did you think she just popped out of nowhere?"

"No! But I thought she was an orphan and that's why she joined up with the White Fang in the first place." Crue explained. "I didn't know she had currently living parents! Or that she was a damn princess for that matter."

Sienna should have probably explained Kali and Ghira weren't considered a King and Queen, but honestly they weren't far off in considering Blake a princess. "It does explain some of her more 'high and mighty' qualities." Scarlet murmured, only to suddenly double over in pain as Crue elbowed him in the stomach, not even bothering to turn around.

"That's my sister, dickhead." He frowned. Sienna raised an eyebrow at his words.

"I've known Kali nearly all my life, I'm certain she doesn't have a son." Crue's face turned a shade of red at her words, mildly amusing her. "Though I think she's adopted another daughter. It wouldn't surprise me if that Neopolitan became part of the family."

Crue's entire body seemed to freeze, his head moving at a glacial pace as he turned to stare at her. "Did you say Neopolitan?" His entire demeanour seemed to change, becoming almost nervous.

"Yes…" Sienna nodded, drawing the word out and wondering if Neopolitan was someone she should be concerned about if Crue was acting this way.

"That's Crue's girlfriend." Neptune piped up helpfully, with a small smile as Crue turned back to glare at him.

"The same girlfriend who thinks he's currently dead." Scarlet added, backing up before Crue could hit him again, pleased at getting some kind of payback.

Well, that would explain his expression, Sienna thought as Crue turned back to face her. "How is she?" He asked, looking almost afraid of the answer.

"I didn't spend much time talking to her. I don't think she actually spoke at all." Sienna explained.

"She doesn't. Speak, I mean." Crue tapped his throat as he said so. She was mute, Sienna realised.

"Well, aside from looking a little sunburnt, she seemed fine. I met her when Kali told me about Adam's plans. You were not a part of the conversation." Sienna shrugged apologetically, but Crue took it well, letting out a small sigh.

"As adorable as this is." Sage stated, all eyes being drawn towards him. "Haven. Attack. White Fang. Stopping it?" He reminded everyone of the immediate issue they needed to solve.

"Right, right." Crue refocused, looking at least a little embarrassed about being distracted. "Uh, when is it? Maybe we can get there before it happens." He glanced to Sienna, assuming she knew.

And luckily, she did. "The night of the last full moon before the students are to return. I'm not sure how long I've been out, but we should have some time." She could barely remember how much time had passed while fleeing for her life, let alone how long she was unconscious for.

"Ok. Grand. Uh, when's the next full moon?" Crue asked, looking to the others for an answer. In response, Neptune took out his Scroll and checked his calendar.

"Uh, we're back next week. And the next full moon is…" His blue eyes widened. "Tonight." His word left a deafening silence in the room, only broken once Crue found an appropriate word to describe the situation.

"Fuck."

Followed shortly by: "Hey, anyone know how to fly a Bullhead?"

A gaggle of brightly coloured individuals made their way to Haven Academy's Grand Hall. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Qrow and Oscar all walked in a loose group, with Qrow leading the pack, thumbs in his pockets and a slight frown on his face.

Leonardo had contacted him yesterday, asking them all to come to the Grand Hall, promising positive news in regards to their quest for Huntsmen who could help them secure the Spring Maiden. According to Pyrrha, it was Raven's right hand bandit, a woman named Vernal.

Given she had fought against Cinder and was meant to be the candidate to receive half of the Fall Maiden's powers, Qrow and Ozpin trusted her judgement in the matter.

But there was something about all this that just set Qrow's instincts on edge. After so much stalling and stonewalling, the sudden change in Leo's ability to get help was setting off some flags. Regardless, the motley crew entered the Grand Hall.

He was always a fan of Haven's architecture, having gotten used to Beacon's over the course of his studies. Inside was a wide open space, wooden pillars holding up a walkway that ran around the wall, various doors that led to different parts of the building.

A set of three vertical glass windows close to the roof let the light of the full moon spill in, lighting up the podium in the centre of the room. The podium was held up by a marble bust of a woman, gold chains dangling from her wrists.

"Why hello." Atop the podium was Haven's Headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart. "Thank you for, eh, coming." He seemed nervous, as though he was ready to jump at the slightest provocation. "There… seems to be more of you, than last time."

He chuckled awkwardly. Qrow considered that from Leo's perspective, he was walking up with enough people for two teams. "Eh, you know what they say, 'The more the merrier'. So, what's going on with the council?" Qrow cut right to the chase.

"Why… did you bring your weapons?" Leonardo asked, placing both his hands behind his back, hiding his own from view as he did so.

"What?" Qrow asked, his hands coming up in confusion. "Leo, we're Huntsmen." He frowned, looking the Headmaster up and down. "Are you ok?"

"Of course! Of course, sorry. Just, haven't had my evening coffee." He dismissed. Qrow squinted at the response. He knew how Oz got without his coffee, but Leonardo wasn't on the same level as him in regards to the drink.

"Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do." Qrow reminded him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yang turn her head to stare at something. "Are we getting support from the council or not?" He asked.

Before Leo could answer, Yang's voice suddenly cut across the silence. "Mom?" In the space of time it took for everyone to turn their head and look in the same direction as Yang, Qrow had already removed Harbinger from his back and fired.

The shot blasted away the wooden railing the bird, the raven had been perched on as it flew away, diving behind Leonardo and coming out from him as Raven. Qrow already had his weapon out and pointed at his bitch of a sister, as she slowly took off her helmet.

"If you're going to shoot me, shoot me." She told Qrow, glaring at him with a single blood red eye. And wasn't that a shock the first time he saw her after the Fall. "That was insulting." She placed a hand on her hip as she stared down at Qrow.

"What're you doing here?!" Qrow growled out, planning to do more than just shoot her if she tried anything. Raven responded by casually walking down the stairs to her side, eyeing them all as she did so.

"I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother." She smirked as she spoke, and Qrow wanted to roll his eyes. Born five minutes before him and always holding it over him. "Planning to attack your own sister."

Qrow's eyes widened. There was no way she could have known that. Unless… "Leo!" He turned his gaze upon the Headmaster. "What have you done?!"

He tried to respond, but Raven cut across him. "Leo did what any sane person would in his position." Raven answered. "He looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice."

Raven came to a stop in front of the statue, staring at the group before her. Leonardo said nothing in his defence, instead closing his eyes and looking away. "And it seems you all have too." Raven continued, staring at her daughter as she did so.

Yang responded by clenching her fists and leaning towards her. "You have the Spring Maiden." Qrow stated angrily.

"I do." Raven answered, eye flicking between Yang, Weiss and Pyrrha.

Reluctantly, Qrow put his weapon away. "Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!"

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!" Raven shot back.

"You're wrong."

The small voice had Raven glancing to Ruby. "We've done things most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had each other."

Ruby stepped forward slowly, as Raven listened carefully to her words. "Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please." She held out a hand toward Raven.

She glared at it, before meeting Ruby's silver eyes. "You sound just like your mother." With that, she unsheathed her blade and swung. A swirling black and red portal opened to her right without warning, and a fireball shot out.

It struck Ruby directly, sending her skidding back on the floor as several of her friends cried out in shock, Yang running to her side to make sure she was ok. Then, a voice echoed through the empty room that had everyone's hairs standing on end.

"Hello boys and girls." Emerging from the portal, a mask of black obsidian covering her face and wearing a long red dress, was Cinder Fall.

Others followed her. Vernal, Emerald and Mercury, but it was clear who everyone focused their attention on. "Cinder." Ruby growled out, silver eyes brimming with rage.

"Come on guys." Mercury smirked. "Is that anyway to greet your old friends?" His words had Yang stepping forward, growling as she did so.

"Everybody stay calm." Qrow instructed, holding out his hands as if it might stop the entire fight. The sound of the main doors to the Grand Hall opening had everyone turning round.

"Oh no." Oscar whispered, as two people entered. One, a mountain of a man who shut the doors behind him. The other, a woman with frilly blonde hair and in an undercut, wearing a long white jacket with gold accents.

A sudden sharp intake of breath came from Jaune, but Hazel's voice was enough to keep everyone's attention on him. "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

He turned, slowly approaching the group with the woman alongside him. Nearly everyone's attention turned back to Cinder. "This was all just a trap?" Weiss spoke aloud what they had all realised, hands on the hilts of both her weapons.

"It appears so…" Ren agreed.

"Raven, tell me… how long have you been with them?" He stared at his sister with disgust.

"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird." Cinder mocked, stepping forward confidently. "Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand…" She gestured back to Leonardo. "Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat, Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?"

"Stop it…" Lionheart pleaded shamefully.

"It was you." Qrow's teeth grit together as he prepared to rip into the coward and traitor that Leo was.

Were it not for a soft, broken voice suddenly catching everyone's attention. "Aunt Sally?"

Every head, both good and bad, turned to see Jaune staring at the woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Up until that point, said woman had been glaring at Ruby and Ruby alone, focusing on her completely.

She gave a sideways glance to Jaune as he spoke, only for her head to snap and meet his gaze. The same shades of blue met, as she sucked in a shocked breath. "Jaune?!" She took a half step back, her body facing away from him.

Several heads pivoted between the two blondes, only now realising the similarities. "This…" Jaune tried to speak. "This is a mistake. Why are you here?! WHY ARE YOU WITH THEM?!" He shouted, throwing a hand back as he glared at the woman.

"Solaris." Cinder called out, catching the blonde's attention. Her amber eye bored into her blue. "Will this be a problem?"

Solaris looked between Cinder and Jaune, before her fist tightened around the handle of her whip. "No. It won't be." She met Jaune's eyes as she spoke, showing no hint of remorse.

Jaune shook in rage, as Crocea Mors slid from its sheath with a rasp of steel. Everyone else followed suit, bringing out their weapons and readying them. "Everyone calm down!" Qrow instructed, trying desperately to keep things from getting out of hand.

"This is all your fault!" A voice screamed, directly at Cinder. The Fall Maiden glared at Ruby as she held Crescent Rose behind her back. "You betrayed us! You acted like our friends and you stabbed us in the back!"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, little rose. Beacon still would have fallen even if we didn't pretend to be your… friends." She made a motion with one hand, as though the very word alone sickened her.

Ruby's teeth ground together as she glared. "And then! You killed Crue!" The reminder was left hanging in the air, and only strengthened the resolve of those who had lost him. Even Qrow had paused, giving up on holding his hands out for peace and now inched towards the handle of his weapon.

"You killed the one person you actually cared about!" Ruby exclaimed. It was enough to make Cinder snarl clenching her fist as she did so.

"I never cared about that fool." Cinder hissed. "He was only ever in my way."

"You kissed him." Ruby pointed out.

Every single head, regardless of what side of the fight they were on, snapped to stare at Ruby. To those on what could be considered the good side, this was brand new information that made them look at Cinder in disbelief.

To those on the 'bad side', this was just confirmation of something most of them had long known. Regardless, everyone had turned to stare at Cinder to see what she had to say in response.

She burned red, but it was unclear if it was from embarrassment or anger. "That was simply to distract him!" She yelled, her one eye darting wildly to gauge others reactions. As far as excuses went, it was one of the weakest they had ever heard.

"Oh yeah?" Ruby asked, remembering a lesson taught to her by Crue and smiling in a manner that unnerved Cinder ever so slightly. "Then why'd you use tongue?"

Cinder opened her mouth to scream a denial, but Ruby had already shot forward with her scythe, swinging it directly for Cinder's neck. She barely had enough time to form a fiery sword to defend herself.

And with the clash of sparks that came from the two weapons meeting…

The Battle Of Haven had begun.


Dun dun dun!

So, something I actually forgot while writing all this was that the stuff taking place on Menagerie is actually happening two weeks before the attack on Haven, which is meant to be so they have enough time to gather their forces and travel to Haven from Menagerie. So, just kinda role with it the same way you would've in canon lol

So, a lot happened, a lot changed and a lot was revealed! Because Pyrrha is alive, it means Jaune, while still obviously full of rage and sadness about it, has less reason to direct that towards Cinder, and more towards his Aunt.

Oh yeah, big reveal lol. Blonde hair and blue eyes, and a large amount of Aura. Who could it be but an Arc. While we haven't figured out the reason Tyrian was so interested in Jaune in Volume 4, I decided to throw my own reason in. I did reference it, or suggest a connection between Jaune and Solaris when the opportunity arose.

Tyrian saying there was something familiar with Jaune, and Tyrian tried to tell Solaris one of them looked like her but she cut him off. More of the relation will be explored next chapter, don't worry.

As for the rest, I feel like Sienna Khan is known name but not a known face. And Crue, who only ended up in Remnant after Volume 3, would have no idea about her. Whereas the rest of SSN definitely would know the name.

And now for a completely innocent question I promise. What is the best dramatic entrance song you know? Be sure to let me know for absolutely no reason at all. :)

(I just put in a smilely face I hope it went through.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know if you did, and as always...

Until Next Time

-Friday