Had a hell of a time getting this uploaded for some reason.

Time for another chapter! Got a good few reviews on the last one and one I consider a fair criticism about how Crue didn't get much accomplished, bouncing from one opponent to the next without doing much damage. I can give his reasons for that here, but I'm not sure if it's cheating lol.

He wanted to fight Cinder on his own for revenge, obviously and was in the process of doing it when Raven joined in because Crue was going to out her as the Spring Maiden. They fought, Raven hurled Crue away so his next attack was directed on her, and then he heard Hazel hurt Neo.

So yeah, drop everything and kill. Then, it turned out Hazel was a much bigger threat that Crue didn't want Neo fighting.

And now, here we are with the continuation of that fight!

The age old adage, The Unstoppable Force Meets The Immovable Object, has been the subject of great debate among scientists, philosophers and other such professions for quite some time. Arguments have been made in favour of both sides, however, none of them stopped to consider what would happen when two Unstoppable Forces meet.

This was the case of the fight between Crue and Hazel. The two had been trading devastating blows, their fight carrying them around the room and even into a different hallway, now sans the doors that led to it.

Crue considered the hallway a blessing and a curse. For one, they were far away from the rest of the fighters, those he cared about, which meant he didn't have to worry about holding back or them getting hurt.

He ducked under a meaty fist that slammed into some kind of trophy case that was completely obliterated as he considered how having a much smaller place to dodge was definitely a problem. But, Crue thought as he grabbed a heavy looking award, that meant Hazel had less room to dodge as well.

Crue jumped up, swinging the award and cracking it against Hazel's face. The man barely blinked and continued forward.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU MADE OF?!" Crue complained, bringing one hand up to catch Hazel's punch, the force of it sending him skidding backwards.

Hazel did not respond to Crue's question, which, out of everything Hazel was throwing at him, Golden Eyes and Dust empowered punches included, worried Crue the most.

His main way of beating opponents was pissing them off into making a mistake, and that was a damn sight harder when they wouldn't give him any ammunition to work with. Out of all Salem's minions, Hazel was the one he knew the least about.

Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, he could do an entire comedy special about if they fought. In the middle of fighting one of Salem's strongest followers, Crue made a mental note to trademark 'CEMentertainment'.

Tyrian and Solaris both seemed too crazy to actually care about insults directed towards them, though maybe insulting Salem in front of them could work. Watts... the moustache alone would give him hours.

But Hazel? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. "Hey what's another word for nothing?" He asked, grabbing onto Hazel's outstretched arm that had nearly took his head off and activating his Semblance.

Hazel didn't help with Crue's synonym situation, instead remaining silent as Crue used his Semblance to latch onto the ceiling and throw several punches at Hazel's face in quick succession.

Hazel had clearly never fought an upside-down opponent before, but he did not get this far by refusing to adapt to his situation. Barely reacting to the punches striking his face, Hazel brought both arms in, attempting to crush Crue.

It was an interesting sensation to duck and end up closer to the ceiling than when he was standing, but Crue used it to his advantage. There was a few feet of space between Hazel's head and the ceiling, and so Crue rolled along it, dodging Hazel's fist as it punctured the roof.

Dropping from the ceiling, Crue landed and immediately jumped onto Hazel's back, raining blows down on the back of his head as fast as he could. Still, nothing stopped seemed to work as Hazel kicked off the ground, slamming his back into a wall.

Crue let out a cough of pain, his grip on Hazel loosening and the larger man immediately taking advantage of it, reaching a hand up to grab Crue's arm and pull him off his back, slamming him onto the ground.

His wind knocked out of him, Crue tried to stand only to see Hazel still holding onto his sleeved arm. Eyes that matched his namesake stared down at Crue as Hazel tightened his grip. "You should have stuck with Salem." He rumbled, his voice like a landslide.

Lightning ran down the muscular arm and lashed out with glowing tendrils to connect with Crue's arm.

Crue looked at his left arm, feeling nothing from the shock. He turned his attention back to Hazel, who seemed to realise the attack wasn't working. Crue brought his hand back into a shaking fist as his eye burned Gold.

"And you shouldn't have hurt my fucking pack." Crue growled, leaning back before putting his whole body into the strike.

His gauntlet struck Hazel centre-mass, and Crue was able to see the impact ripple through his body, before the much larger man buckled, launching from his place and rocketing down the hall, crashing through the still standing door frame of the hallway and rocketing across the main Hall.

Several people had to jump out of the way as Hazel flew past with a whistle, becoming embedded in the wall that he crashed into. Those who had fought with Hazel before, either in sparring or life or death situations, knew what a brick wall he was.

And even those who had not fought him could easily see how large he was, and knew it would take an ungodly amount of force to send him flying. Many heads turned to the recently destroyed set of doors, a small cloud of dust gathering thanks to the debris.

Crue marched out of the dust, his face one of determination as he shook the hand he struck Hazel with. His one blue eye scanned the room, checking who was still standing. He frowned, realising Raven and Cinder were missing.

And so was Yang.

His eye sought Ruby, and found her running circles around Mercury, shooting at him randomly so he couldn't figure out a pattern, while Blake was up close and personal, using both Gambol Shroud and its sheath to deliver some much deserved pain on the assassin.

She didn't look overly worried, which meant Yang being missing was either planned or not something to worry about.

He saw Weiss fighting Vernal again, and was somewhat impressed with the woman's ability to get back up after all the punishment she had been put through.

Not enough that she wouldn't get a swift punch to the head for kicking Weiss earlier. It seemed the Heiress had something to prove, as she swung her weapons with purpose at Vernal. Crue blinked for a second, surprised to see Setanta in her grasp. He remembered Winter mentioning she had brought it with her after the Fall, but it had been a long time since he had seen his own weapon.

She wielded it well, the sight bringing a small smile to the Faunus' face. A flash of pink caught his attention, as he saw Neo fighting Solaris alongside Jaune. The latter had a surprisingly intense look on his features, and seemed almost upset that Neo was there helping.

He made a mental note to ask him what the deal was afterward. He spied Nora and Ren attacking an older man with a lion tail. Crue figured that was Leonardo Lionheart, the Headmaster who Neptune had said was acting strangely the last time he had seen him.

"What in the fucking Yu-gi-oh is that weapon?" He wondered, seeing the Headmaster's weapon. It was a strange shield with runes on it that seemed to be able to form balls of fire and ice. "It's better than Vernal's at any rate."

His eye flicked to see who was fighting Emerald, and found himself smiling once more. Pyrrha was alive and well and kicking ass! ...along with a small farmboy that Crue had never seen before. He wondered who would bring a kid here, before his attention was stolen by the sound of cracking.

Looking directly across from him, Hazel was currently pulling himself out of the woodwork, "This motherfucker doesn't stay down, does he?" Crue wondered aloud. If he kept fighting, he might get to the point where his Aura ran out.

He would not risk turning into the wolf while surrounded by those he cared about. A slight groan sounded out from his left. "He's sheer willpower." Crue turned, seeing Qrow leaning against the wall while clutching his side.

"Qrow?! You alright?" He asked, scanning the older man's body for any other injuries.

"Caught a stray when I was a bird. Talk about unlucky." He tried to chuckle, before noticing Crue didn't respond in shock at his words. "You don't seem too surprised."

"I called your sister an egg-laying bitch." He pointed out. Crue could tell Qrow wanted to know how he knew that he and his sister could transform, and Crue certainly intended to tell him. After taking care of Hazel.

He watched as Hazel ripped himself free, landing with a thud and immediately reaching into two pockets hanging off his trousers. His hands came out with two glowing red gems, before bringing them up and slamming them into each arm.

"That can't be healthy." He murmured, as Hazel let out a roar that had Crue squinting his eye as he leaned back, his ears folding in as he wondered if that was what he looked like whenever he did the same.

"His Semblance lets him ignore pain." Qrow grunted out, as Crue turned to face him. "It's the only way he's able to fight like that, shoving Dust into your body isn't exactly a good feelin- DUCK!" His red eyes widened, and Crue barely had enough time to spin his head round, before his legs split and he narrowly dodged two flaming balls of fire.

"Goodness Gracious." Crue found himself managing to gasp out, and was surprised when no music began to play. "Right. No Author." With both legs pointing opposite directions, and his face contorted in a wince, Crue quickly got back to his feet and began to march towards Hazel as the towering man slammed his fists together.

A much larger ball of fire began to form, the flames contained by a crackling cage of lightning. While walking, Crue held out a single arm, and activated his Semblance, picking up the speed in his gait.

In the middle of fighting Vernal, Weiss felt her hand suddenly stray, as Setanta shook in her grip. She looked confused, before hearing Crue call out. "DIREWOLF!" Her brain clicked, and a wide smile made its way onto her face.

Their team attack! With a spark in her eyes, Weiss released her grip on Setanta. She watched as the weapon went flying to its proper owner just as Hazel unleashed his attack.

Setanta fit perfectly into Crue's grasp, and the Faunus smiled at the familiar weight. He spun once, getting both hands onto Setanta's hilt before swinging right as the ball of fire and lighting neared him.

The hurl connected, and Crue felt himself straining against the force behind the attack. A growl rumbled from his throat, but he willed his eye to remain his own. This was no gargantuan Grimm or a hundred Huntsmen.

This was hurling. This was the one thing Crue could do well before coming to Remnant, and he'd be damned if some magic bullshit tried to do his job for him!

Crue let out a yell, his eye a true blue as he managed to fight against the force and send Hazel's projectile rocketing back at him. It whistled as it increased in speed, Hazel barely having enough time to bring his arms up to block as it exploded, throwing up dust and debris.

A small shockwave ripped through the Hall, and when it hit Crue he smiled, glancing to his weapon as he did. He held Setanta out, tossing it up into the air. It spun a few times, before gravity brought it back down and it fell into Crue's waiting hand.

His smile was nothing short of ecstatic. Setanta was back in his grasp, back where it belonged. He turned his attention to the sight of Hazel emerging from the smoke and dust, his face set in a permanent scowl as his arms swung in tandem with his steps.

Crue met his pace, holding Setanta at a diagonal, before they both increased in speed. Both sides let out a roar as they swung, the flat of the hurley and Hazel's fist connecting in a blow that rumbled the ground beneath them.

…

The world around Yang rumbled from the fighting taking place above and below as she fell down the dark hole. Her robotic hand grinded against the stone wall, scoring thin grooves as her hand fought for a grip.

She had no idea where this drop would lead her, but wherever it was, Cinder and Raven would be there. The darkness, along with the lack of fighting, actually allowed Yang a moment to think.

So much had happened in such a short time frame that it had sent her mind spinning. Neopolitan had shown up, protected her from Cinder and then started fighting her alongside Ruby. With her sister not showing any problems working alongside her.

She knew Neopolitan was Polly, with Ruby telling her what took place atop the Atlas Battleship the night of the Fall. And she could, begrudgingly, understand why Ruby would work with her in order to defeat Cinder.

They both wanted revenge for the same person, after all.

Except. Said person crashed through a stained glass window, showing he was alive and immediately punching Cinder in the back of the head as the first action any of them had seen him take in just under a year.

Crue had come back from the dead and decided to make it everyone's problem.

She was beyond happy he was alive, of course, but she also had so many damn questions. Like how the Hell he knew Raven was magic, just before she and Cinder used that magic to try and kill him.

Not that it worked, but still. Besides, everything could wait until they had beat the bad guys, and until Yang had stopped Cinder and Raven from grabbing the Relic under Haven.

And then she could think about everything properly. About Neopolitan. About Crue. About Blake…

Yang nearly lost her grip as she slid down the stone wall, some stones tumbling into the darkness below. Blake being back was nearly harder to accept than Crue. At least he had a good reason for going missing, he was dead.

But Blake, as much as Yang couldn't believe she was back, she also couldn't believe how easily she wanted to forgive her just after a bit of shared eye contact. But, that was something that could wait til later.

Especially as she was nearing the end of her fall, the platform that Cinder and Raven descended on coming into view, along with flashes of colour that had to be the two of them fighting. She kicked off the wall, getting a three-point landing and finding a scene that had her lilac eyes widening.

She was in the middle of a cavern, a path of glowing blue leading towards a massive orange door surrounded by rock formations, a massive tree with what looked like glowing leaves grew behind it. The scene was beautiful, but Yang's eyes were not focused on the scenery.

They were focused on Raven.

She was standing before Cinder, who had her back to her, and held an empty hilt in one hand. Her flaming red eye noticed Yang land, but Cinder didn't, a molten sword in her grasp that looked ready to strike.

A freight yard of trains of thought was currently running through Yang's mind as she figured out what to do. She didn't know who was winning the fight. She didn't know how low their Aura's were. Did she want Raven to die? Maybe. Did she want her to die to Cinder? No, absolutely not.

But what to do? Shoot her. Blast her. Punch her in the face. A lot of options, but not a lot of time. Then, something green glinted in her periphery and she acted. She reached out, grabbing the emerald helmet that Crue had been wearing when he first appeared.

The same helmet that caused Cinder to know who he was immediately. The one he wore as 'The Wolf'. She brought her arm back, Ember Celica ready to blast, and yelled.

"HEY BITCH!" Yang hurled the helmet with all her might, a shotgun blast added for good measure once it left her grasp.

Cinder turned on a Lien, ready to deflect whatever attack was coming her way. From her position, Yang saw Cinder's one eye contract in abject terror as the helmet flew towards her.

She didn't know why, but she didn't need to as Cinder managed to bat the thing away, sending it sailing into the darkness, as Raven suddenly appeared behind her with a grasping hand.

Cinder turned just in time for Raven to slam her open palm, which crackled with blue lightning, onto Cinder's face. The Magic infused impact sent Cinder flying off the path. Her obsidian mask, which had taken so much damage throughout the battle, had finally shattered completely, showing a look of shock that she could be defeated, before Raven raised her hand.

The same shocked expression would remain on her forevermore, as ice began to encase her body. In seconds, she was frozen completely, shards of ice sticking out at random angles, before falling into darkness, never to be seen again.

Raven let out a breath, a single sigh that was probably the closest to a showing of weakness in front of Yang she'd ever allow. Yang slowly approached, as Raven sheathed her sword, turning to face her as red flames slowly dissipated from her eye.

Mother and Daughter stared at each other, lilac meeting blood red.

"You helped me." Raven stated. Helped. Not saved.

"Don't remind me." Yang grimaced, her eyes glancing over Raven's shoulder to the massive glowing door.

Raven bristled, immediately aware of what Yang was looking at. "Don't, Yang." She ordered.

Yang's eyes flared red. "You don't get to tell me what to do after I just saved your ass!" She threw an arm out angrily, before her hand clenched into a shaking fist and her eyes reverted to normal.

"I'm not leaving without the relic." She told Raven, face set into a scowl. "You open the vault. And then you'll never see me again. I'm sure you want it that way."

"I can't do that, Yang." Raven's eye flared angrily as wisps of flame flickered into being.

"Can't? Or won't." Yang stated, beginning to circle her Mother. "You're the Spring Maiden. Qrow and Oz told me how the Maiden powers are transferred. The girl you found... she would've had to have trusted you if you were in her final thoughts. Cared about you a lot."

"I'm sure they told you plenty." Raven scowled. "And you just sat, and obeyed."

"No."

The simple word extinguished Raven's flames. "I'm starting to ask questions, like you said. So tell me..."

Yang came to a stop, staring her Mother dead in the eye. "What happened to the last Spring Maiden?"

…

Crue slammed his hurl against Hazel's arm, sending the fist that was about to strike him crashing into the ground. Using the momentum from his swing, Crue practically threw his body upward, bringing Setanta round and slamming down on Hazel's shoulder.

The man barely even budged. "God, where's your banter!" Crue complained, leaping backwards as Hazel swiped for him. "You're so boring to fight!" He hoped insulting the giant would garner some sort of reaction, but he'd have had a better chance convincing Nora never to eat pancakes again.

"Why do you even work for Salem anyway?" He asked, blocking a blow that had his knees buckling. There was no one immediately around him to hear the name, not that anything could really be heard over the fight.

"Tyrian, he's crazy so I understand that." A duck and a swift punch to Hazel's kidneys. "Solaris, equally nuts."

"Watts is a pompous dickhead, so I'm guessing she offered him something." Crue could see Hazel's teeth begin to grind from Crue's constant dialogue, and smiled, knowing his tactic was working. "Cinder wants power like a kid wants candy, throwing a tantrum whenever she doesn't get it so Salem gives it to her."

That one seemed to have hit a bit of a sore spot, as Hazel increased the furore of his attacks. "But you?" He asked, giving himself enough room to wind up a proper strike with Setanta. "What the Hell happened that you'd stand with the Grimm? Against Ozpin?"

He began to swing, as Hazel's eyes flashed gold, and he finally spoke. "It's because of Ozpin my sister is dead!"

Crue froze.

Hazel didn't.

He struck with all the force of a train, and Crue, who had literally been hit by one, knew the comparison was apt. He went sailing, his mind running a mile a minute before colliding with someone and sending whoever it was crashing into a nearby wall.

The pain shocked him to his senses, and he quickly looked round to make sure he hadn't hurt someone he cared about. He found Ren and Nora staring at him with wide eyes as they panted for breath.

"Please tell me whoever I hit was a bad guy." He requested. The two looked behind him, and Crue followed their gaze to see Lionheart struggling to his feet, the shimmer of his Aura failing him catching Crue's eye.

"Yep. Bad guy." Nora confirmed, smiling as she hefted her hammer. "Kinda rude to butt in on our fight, but you just came back from the dead so I think I'll look past it this time." Her smile was bright, and it was clear she was just as happy he was back as everyone else was.

"So thoughtful of you." Crue smirked, before looking between her and Ren. "And, uh, speaking of interrupting fights." He had to duck as a ball of fire shot towards him. The three turned their attention on the steadily approaching Hazel.

"Do you guys mind trading? I, uh, suddenly have a moral quandary about fighting him." The panicked expression on Crue's face was enough to have them both concerned.

They looked between him and Hazel, wondering what 'moral quandary' Crue was having. "We can trade." Ren stated regardless. "And..." He seemed to be hesitating for a moment, reaching out and bringing Crue into a one armed hug.

Crue felt his jaw drop as Nora squealed from behind him. "It's good to have you back." With that, Ren ran toward Hazel, peppering him with bullets from Stormflower.

"Oooh Ren's got another bromance!" Nora seemed ecstatic, and threw one arm out wide, clearly intent to deliver her own bone crushing hug.

"Hold on." Crue requested, slipping something out from his back pocket. Nora changed her actions as Crue did, instead the two sharing a muscle straining handshake as they both smiled. Nora felt whatever it was Crue had grabbed within her grasp as they broke.

"Been holding onto that since Vale." He smiled dangerously, as Nora looked at the object within her hand. It was a rectangular black box, with various grooves and two prongs at one end. Her aqua eyes widened as she pressed the big red button on it.

Electricity crackled between the prongs of the taser, as Nora's eyes lit up, flicking back up to meet Crue's. "Thunder and lighting." He smirked, holding out a fist as Nora bumped it immediately.

She was practically vibrating with stars in her eyes as she looked to Crue. "I'd kiss you if that wouldn't make Polly want to kill me!" She said, before running off towards Hazel, cackling madly as electricity flooded her veins.

"Oh I've created a monster." Crue smiled, turning and immediately searching for Lionheart. He clocked him trying to slip away through a door under the broken window that Crue had entered through.

"Like Hell." He growled, running after him and up onto a wall. Lionheart's Aura was gone, which meant he'd probably be easy to take out. He remembered Winter mentioning Huntsmen stopped fighting once their Aura had broken, that apparently it was 'common sense'.

For those on Remnant, anyway. Crue leapt into the air, over a gaping hole in the ground, and realised he'd probably be fine with just Freedom and Sorrow to take Lionheart down. With that in mind, he brought the hand holding Setanta back as his eye locked onto Weiss and Vernal.

He threw Setanta, the hurley spinning several times as it whistled through the air, before striking Vernal's legs as she ran towards Weiss. The bandit tripped, eyes going wide as her face hit the ground, her momentum causing her to slide as the rest of her body stuck up in the air.

She came to a stop just before Weiss, who had looked up in time to see Crue give a wave mid-air before landing on a railing and jumping towards the door Lionheart had ran through.

Weiss managed a smile, before looking down at the groaning Vernal. She managed to push her head up enough to notice where she was, her blue eyes trailing up Weiss' legs to meet her gaze.

In that moment, Weiss remembered how the bandits had treated her when she was in the exact same position, and raised her foot so that her wedged heel was pointed directly at Vernal.

Crue heard the distinct smack of someone getting what was coming to them as a smirk made its way onto his face. It faded as he saw Lionheart's tail disappear around a corner. This was the first time meeting the man, so he had no long term hatred like Cinder.

But he was the Headmaster of Haven who had clearly had a hand in orchestrating the attack. How badly would it have gone if he hadn't arrived when he did, Crue didn't know. What he did know, was that Lionheart was going to regret being such a damn coward as to run from this battle.

"Oh my god he's the cowardly lion." Crue came to a halt, his feet scrunching up the carpet as he slapped a hand against his face in disbelief. He groaned, before another realisation came to the forefront of his mind.

"Wait, did she say Polly?" The thought couldn't be followed, as Crue's ears flicked atop his head, hearing the sound of a man screaming.

"PLEASE! I CAN STILL BE USEFUL!" Crue ran, following the scream around the corner and further down the hall. He sprinted, not sure what was happening but assuming the worst.

The threw open a large set of doors, and felt his eye widen. There was a Grimm in the middle of an office, a horrible, bulbous thing with bright red tentacles that ended in sharp white teeth. Crue had never seen the Grimm before, but could quite clearly see several of the tentacles attacking Lionheart.

Crue saw a Grimm attacking someone, and acted on instinct.

His revolver slipped out of the holster and took aim at the Grimm in less than a second. The balloon-like head seemed to turn right as he pulled the trigger.

It wasn't a bang, but a BOOM that came from Kindness as the bullet decimated the Grimm, splitting it apart like it was a watermelon. There was not even a screech from the dying Grimm, as it slowly disintegrated and the ringing in Crue's ears soon cleared.

As soon as it did, Crue blinked and realised what he had just done. A thunderous scowl appeared on his face as he stepped into Lionheart's office, the man himself on his back, breathing heavily as the bright red ring around his neck slowly faded.

"I was saving that bullet." Crue growled, flicking open the chamber and taking out the spent casing, seeing the etching flicker in the moonlight. '50%'. He'd need to get a hold of some Dust sooner than later.

"You, you saved me." Lionheart managed to get to his knees, looking up at Crue, his eyes bloodshot from the lack of oxygen. "Thank you! Thank you!" He practically bowed before Crue, his head lowering as he reached out to touch him.

"Saved?"

The single word had Lionheart freezing, fear gripping his thumping heart as he slowly looked up at Crue. An eye of steel blue stared down at him, piercing into his soul and judging his actions.

"The way I figure it." He began, taking a single step toward Lionheart, who immediately leaned back, landing on his rear. "You started this whole mess by letting Salem put you under her thumb."

"Y-Y-You don't understand!" Lionheart gasped out, throat still sore from the Grimm attack. "She's immortal! She can't be killed!"

"And?" Crue asked. It wasn't as if this was new information to him. Salem had said she'd been around for millennia. Not as though she couldn't be some sort of immortal. But, having watched what was probably a less-than-healthy amount of shows and movies, Crue knew ways around beating immortals.

"Do you think that will stop me?" His claws came out as he slowly approached Lionheart, who backed up on his hands, his whole body shaking in fear.

"You-You work with Ozpin!" He tried, his back hitting his desk as his heart rate spiked. "He's a good man!" A good man he betrayed. "You're a good man!"

Crue's hand grabbed Lionheart by the throat, dragging him to his feet as though he weighed nothing. He raised Sorrow up, the claws glinting in the moonlight as they were reflected in the terrified eyes of the former Headmaster.

Then, he spoke. "Do I look like a good man to you?" His eye turned a molten gold as he brought his arm back to strike, as Lionheart's scream came to a swift end.

…

In the Grand Hall, the fighting had ceased.

Not because it was over, but because so many people were exhausted that they had to take a break at some point. There was a strange sense of sluggishness that seemed to be affecting everyone, save Hazel.

Not to say the giant didn't look just as haggard as everyone else.

"That's enough!" Ruby called, aiming Crescent Rose at those opposing her. "Just, give up." She sounded tired, but there was no ignoring the determination in her silver eyes.

If they were to continue to fight, it could only go in their favour. It was ten to four on Haven's side, even with Qrow and Oscar currently off to the side, nursing injuries, the odds were not in their enemies' favour.

And with two fighters missing from each side, whoever reappeared first would definitely sway the fight.

It was clear to those on Salem's side they were close to losing, Hazel and Solaris shared a glance while seething, as the two highest of Salem's ranks, they needed to make a decision quickly.

"It's not over!" Emerald gripped her weapon tight, looking between everyone as she began falling back on bad habits in desperation. "Cinder will come back, she'll have the Relic, and she'll stop all of you!"

"She won't let us down." She seemed to be saying that one more to herself than those surrounding her.

A humming suddenly sounded out from the hole, as the platform that had brought Cinder and Raven down to the fault began to grow closer. The room seemed to still, as they waited to see who would arise victorious.

A blonde cowlick appeared, and immediately it was clear who had come out victorious. Yang raised with the platform, a strange glowing blue lamp ordained with gold held aloft in her hand.

Emerald's blood red eyes widened, as Yang looked down over all those before her, as her friends began to smile upon seeing she was ok. "Yang..." Ruby breathed out.

Tears began to stream from Emerald's eyes as Mercury, Hazel, and Solaris began to slowly back away. The thief fell to her knees, droplets hitting the floor as Mercury hissed at her. "Emerald, get up. We need to go."

Her body wracked with sobs as all she could do was shake her head. "Emerald!" He exclaimed. Emerald's breath came out in sharp, frantic gasps as she looked around. Her hands gripped her head as she let out a scream.

And the world turned black.

Every light turned a sickening blood red.

Smoke started to pool in the centre of the room, spinning, growing, as a body began to form out of the smoke.

It towered over everyone, deathly pale skin, limbs contorted at disturbing angles and glowing red veins running up its arm.

The body finally snapped into place, and a piercing scream rang out as eyes darker than the pitch snapped open, glaring at those below with pupils that burned like brimstone.

The screech reached its highest pitch, before it swooped down, the jaw opening well beyond what it should have been physically capable of.

And like that it was gone.

Everything returned to normal, leaving many shaking in fear at what they had just witnessed. Looking around, it was clear those under Salem's employ had decided to vacate the premisis. Though, off to the side, passed out and left to fend for herself was Vernal.

"What-" Blake began, shaking as she looked around in confusion. "What was that?" Next to her, Neo had a white-knuckle grip on her weapon as her eyes shared the same colour, looking equal parts confused and concerned.

"An illusion." Oscar answered, pushing himself up with his cane and sounding older than a boy his age should. "But an accurate one. That... was Salem."

He said it as though it should be a warning to everyone present. Blake glanced at Neo, the two sharing the same thought process, but only Blake able to voice it.

"Who the Hell is Salem?!"

…

Hazel ran, Emerald tossed over his shoulder as Mercury and Solaris followed in his stead. The plan had gone much too wrong much too quickly. Cinder had lost the battle for the Relic, and it was now in Ozpin's hands.

They could have stayed and fought, but they could have lost. Salem had to be informed as soon as possible. They had managed to slip out in the confusion, running along the forest path as spotlights flew about overhead.

The three skid to a stop as someone leapt out of the bushes, brandishing a bright red sword. Adam Taurus glanced in their direction, doing a double take as he realised who it was.

He barely brought his sword back up in time as another figure burst from the treeline, a deafening clang ringing out that sent Adam skidding back from the blow, his feet digging into the ground to try and keep himself steady.

The newcomer glanced at group, clearly on guard. He wore a dusty, silver coat and hat and wielded a long spear. "I've no quarrel with you." He stated, his voice raspy.

"Nor we, you." Hazel rumbled back.

"I thought I was your ally!" Adam yelled, his teeth grinding against one another.

"This is your business." Hazel's eyes flashed gold, freezing Adam in his tracks as memories of Beacon flashed to the Faunus' mind. "Not mine. Fix it." With that, the three ran past the man, who true to his word, did not attack.

Adam snarled at the man across from him. "I know who you are. Sienna's lapdog." He growled, sheathing his sword for a moment to prepare for a powerful draw.

"And do you know who you are to me?" Vaus asked, raising his head so that Adam could see into his unblinking eyes. "Abssssolutely no one."

Adam roared in anger, shooting his weapon out as the sound of metal striking echoed throughout the forest.

…

The world was, for the moment, calm. And it allowed people to breathe a sigh of relief that the fighting was over. Team JNPR were off to one side, sharing a group hug while offering words of comfort to Jaune about who he had fought.

Blake's ears twitched as she heard her parents walk into the Hall, tiptoeing around the debris to enter.

Neo immediately clocked their entry, running over with Blake to make sure they were ok. She came to a stop as the three Belladonna's shared a hug, while Neo looked upon the scene with a hesitant expression.

She noticed Sun off to the side, watching with a small smile upon his face. She raised her arm to sign something to him, before a hand suddenly shot out to grab her. Her pink and brown eyes widened as Kali pulled her into the group hug.

She felt Kali's grip loosen, but she kept her hand on Neo's arm. The massive hand of Ghira came to rest on the small of her back, pushing her further into the embrace. She had to keep her head down and eyes on the ground as she forced her eyes not to water.

"So this is what a family is supposed to feel like." The hug ended much too soon for her liking, as Neo stepped back, weaving a small illusion to make it look as though there weren't any tears in her eyes.

The tiny smile on Kali's features suggested she saw right through it. Neo spared a glance towards Blake, and found her body completely lax, even with her in such close proximity. "The police rounded up the remaining White Fang members. Haven is safe." Kali explained.

"And as for Adam…" Ghira turned to look out the massive hole in the doorway, where Neo could make out a beaten up Bullhead soaring over the forest, shining a spotlight down into the foliage. However, the lack of bullets firing suggested one of two things. Either it was out of ammo, or…

"He appears to have escaped." His words caused everyone to scowl, Neo especially as she never got the chance to fight him in the first place. Never got the chance to pay him back for hurting the people she cared about.

"Wait. What?" Neo blinked in surprise at her own thoughts, before a voice distracted the group.

"It's ok." A woman with tan skin and a long brown ponytail stepped into the building. Illia approached carefully, still unsure as to her place among them. "He was the only one to escape tonight. Those in the White Fang that followed him won't support a leader that abandons his people."

"He won't have their help after this. He'll have no one at all. And the White Fang will be left divided."

"We've been fighting amongst ourselves for too long." Ghira sighed, looking years older as he spoke. "Perhaps it's time for a new brotherhood. Though, I get the feeling I'll be having a long talk with Sienna about such a thing."

"I feel as though Sienna would be quite open to stepping down." Kali smiled knowingly, as Neo remembered the conversation they had shared with the Tiger Faunus.

Her eyebrow raised as she watched Sun wave over her head, stepping forward and wrapping his tail around Blake, spinning her around so she could see the friends. Blake's expression immediately became nervous, as she slowly walked towards them.

Neo glanced back at Sun, jabbing a thumb towards Blake as she did so. The boy smiled, bringing a hand to his chest and signing. "She happy. I happy." It was enough for Neo, nodding as she brought both her index fingers together and pulled them against one another as she met Sun's eyes.

"I try." Sun said with a smile, resting both hands behind his head.

Among those who had been in Haven from the start, Yang reached the bottom of the stairs and handed the lamp towards her Uncle, keeping it at arm's length the entire time.

"What happened?" Qrow asked, red eyes meeting lilac.

"I got down there, and Cinder and Raven were fighting." Yang explained. "I distracted Cinder, and Raven used magic to throw her down this massive chasm. She froze her, and then fell."

"Where is she now?" Qrow asked, a mixture of feelings within in. Clearly, those same feelings swelled within Yang as her eyes briefly turned red.

"Gone."

Qrow sighed, before reaching out and placing a reassuring hand on Yang's shoulder. "Well, we're all glad you're still here, firecracker."

A groan suddenly distracted them, as Ruby held her side before nearly falling to her knees, only to be caught by Weiss at the last moment. "Are you ok?" She asked, looking over her leader carefully.

Ruby let out a sigh as she spoke. "I feel like I should be asking you that." She managed a smile, before they both looked up to see Blake approaching them as Yang dropped down beside her sister, placing a hand on her back as she did so.

"So Blake, what're you doing here?" Ruby asked, glancing behind her as she did, spotting who she could only assume was Blake's family.

"I… was about to ask you three the same thing." Blake responded, watching as the three before shared knowing glances.

"That's… a loooong story." Ruby smiled up at her.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Blake stated, managing a hopeful smile as she said it. It had Ruby and Weiss smiling, as Yang's eyes focused on the ground.

"That's all that matters." Ruby giggled. "That we're all here together… Right?" Her silver eyes sought her sister as she spoke. Blake found herself swallowing as she glanced away, a sorrowful expression forming on her face.

"Yeah." Blake turned back, here amber eyes widening as Yang looked up to her with a smile.

A similar smile blossomed on Blake's face as Weiss held out a hand. Blake couldn't have been more eager as she joined in on the first group hug RWBY had after such a long time apart.

In that moment, all was well. And all was whole.

Almost.

There was something missing.

A distinct lack of cursing wolves.

"Wait!" Ruby's head suddenly shot up, looking around the room with wide silver eyes, and managing to catch Neo's gaze. She had a similar expression of concern as she scanned the room.

"Where's Crue?"

Before anyone could even begin to ponder the question and let the worst case scenario enter their minds, a voice shouted out from above them all.

"Incoming!"

A scream followed, different to the one who had shouted as Leonardo Lionheart was flung over the railing, above them, hogtied and sailing towards Qrow.

The older Huntsman reacted instinctively, holding his hands out to catch the falling man, before remembering who he was and what he did, and stepped to the side, letting Leonardo crash into the ground and be rendered unconscious.

Everyone's eyes had obviously been drawn by the flying man, but they quickly snapped back the sound of a "Hup." And someone jumping, with much less screaming, from the balcony.

Crue landed right before the statue, a middle distance between the two teams. "Wriggly bastard." He dusted his hands together, before freezing as he finally realised everyone was staring at him.

It was the first time since crashing through the window that Crue was able to properly think about the situation and realise he back, with everyone he cared about surrounding him. He blinked once, his throat suddenly feeling very dry as he raised a hand, looking between everyone.

"Uh, hey guys." He swallowed. "Don't say 'What I miss?' Don't say 'What I miss?'."

"I missed you."

Everyone moved.

It was like a race to see who could get to him first, with Ruby disappearing into rose petals and Neo shattering into glass, only to both reappear before him. It was a good thing they both had such small frames, as the two slammed into Crue, wrapping their arms around him and sending him back a pace.

Weiss was next, slamming into his right side while Nora did the same on his left, dragging Ren with her.

Jaune and Pyrrha joined in, reaching over their shorter friends and wrapping their arms around everyone. Yang and Blake were last, jumping into the hug and reaching to get some kind of a touch on Crue.

There wasn't a dry eye within the group hug, and Crue himself was no exception. He laughed, happy tears streaming from his eye as he did his best to hug back.

Ruby managed to tilt her head up, pressing her chin against Crue's chest as her silver eyes swam with tears. "We missed you! So much!" Everyone shared the sentiment, saying in their own words how much they missed him.

Crue's heart felt fit to burst with the emotions running through him, but he never lost his smile as he looked upon his friends and managed to choke out a few words.

"I missed you guys too."

Ah, my heart is warm. And ready for what comes next!

I know some people will be upset at the distinct lack of bad guys dying, but trust me when I say I need them alive for now. Maybe so they can die later when it's appropriate, or maybe for other reasons. Who's to say.

I'm not in the business of killing off characters randomly, this isn't Game of Thrones lol. And no offscreen deaths! For major characters anyway. RIP Ballius. I'll explain Crue's reasoning for keeping Lionheart alive next chapter, don't worry.

Regardless, the Battle Of Haven has ended, and everyone is reunited once more! And absolutely bursting with questions for our resident protagonist. Well, we'll have to get to the confession next chapter!

Before I leave I just want to say I appreciate the comments people have left about finishing both stories and seeing a jump in quality. The fact there is a jump is something I am well aware of, as even I have trouble rereading the start of EHL without dying from cringe lol. I'm just glad I'm able to write these stories without issue-oh right speaking of made a Kofi. lol

My name on it is FridayKnightWrites. It's my first time setting up anything like this, so don't worry too much about donating, I'm still going to keep writing this story regardless. Crue's story is far from over.

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

Until Next Time

-Friday