(A/N) Sorry for the delay, turns out that buying a house is a lot more complicated than just "acquire cash for down payment" and "sign a few papers". Speaking of, the first week of June will be a Bye Week, as in, no chapter that week. I'm sure you can guess the reason.

Anyways, here's the chapter!

Chapter Sixteen

Mutare Ad Custodiam

/-\ Yang Xiao Long /-\

It was a good minute or two after the Skyranger touched down before I finally moved again.

My muscles ached almost as bad as the burns on my back I'd received from a sneaky Sectoid while we cleared out the last few pods in our sector. Blake waited for me at the end of the ramp, looking tired but otherwise no worse for wear. I stood up, my laser shotgun slung over my back, and meandered towards her. "Is every mission like this?" I asked.

She shrugged as I caught up and we both started walking towards the armory to change. "I don't really have a reference for XCOM missions, but that one was tough even by my standards."

"Just tough?" I gave her a lazy glance, seeing her armor blackened with soot. "I'd hate to see what a bad one looks like." I don't even know how many times one of us almost bit it, I thought. I'd say it was a miracle we all made it back, but miracles don't exactly have names and ours was right beside me.

By now, we'd reached the armory – it was only in the next room, after all. The others had long since finished, probably already taking showers by the time we finally arrived. "Well, I've had a few of those..." Blake said. She turned around, slipping off her armored vest. I turned around as well, giving her some degree of privacy, but I still caught what was obviously a deep scar running through her left hip.

I shivered, the involuntary action making me fumble with the straps of my heavier carapace armor. Letting out a sigh, I calmed myself and tried tugging at the thing once more, only to discover it was stuck; the joint was partially fused together by extreme heat. Frowning now, I stopped tugging and started forcing. That shower was the most luxurious thing in the entire world right now and all that stood between me and it was the stupid armor not cooperating.

"Need some help?" Blake asked.

I turned around again to face her and accept help, but the words died on my lips when I saw she was only clothed in her bra and fatigue pants.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Finally, I found my words. "Uhh, I just- uhh, I umm-" Or maybe I didn't quite find words.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess Valerian thoughts about people's bodies transcend planets too. You do realize you're about to see a lot more than this, right? The armory showers are communal. Actually, you have seen more than this when we workout."

"Th- That's different," I said, finally tearing my eyes away.

"Whatever. Come here, let's get you out of that." She immediately found the problem area and with a surgical application of brute force, finally freed me from my alloy-clad prison. The armor peeled away and I finally deposited it in the "needs fixing" pile along with a few other sets. Then I began getting ready for my shower, grabbing my toiletry bag before heading inside.

Blake was already there, washing up in the communal area. I couldn't tell if the increase in temperature was due to the shower being so warm or if it was just me, but I did my best to not look at her alluring figure while I scrubbed off the dirt, soot, and sweat from my skin. This was even more awkward than my last after-mission shower – at least then, the others were just randos I'd only recently met. With Blake, though, it felt... different. I felt much more exposed. That feeling made me feel all the more guilty every time I caught my gaze wandering southward of her chin. On top of that, I'd been in a committed, long-term relationship with someone else maybe a month ago – someone who I deeply loved. Now, the second he was gone, I was already admiring the scenery.

What kind of person did that? Not the kind I wanted to be.

The shower was thankfully over in not too long, the both of us dressing ourselves in our standard-issue fatigues. I looked up from tying my bootlaces, seeing Blake do the same. Despite my earlier mental tirade when we were less-than-clothed, the silence started to get to me. So, naturally, I said the first thing to come to my mind without thinking. "You uhh, seemed pretty used to that. Did they have showers like that at Beacon, too?" The second the words left my mouth, I felt my face heat up even more. Why the hell did I ask that? It's already awkward enough.

She shook her head. "No, we had stalls at Beacon. I got used to it before I went there, though."

Yes! Thank you God, a distraction! "Huh. You don't really talk about before Beacon that much," I said.

She froze for just a second. "I… umm, no, I really don't."

"Wanna, uhh, change that?" I asked, plopping down on the bench.

Her ears folded back and she looked away. "I…" she frowned in silence for a few moments, clearly weighing something out in her mind. "Does it… really matter?" she finally asked. "I mean, it's not like I'm ever going back there."

"I uhh, guess it really doesn't, but I was just kinda curious, y'know?" I said. "I mean, you're from this weird world of monsters and superheroes. What does that look like to a kid? Here, it's just… y'know, go to school, hang out with friends, maybe play outside or something."

"Well, I didn't really have the most average childhood on Remnant, either."

"Yeah, I guess not everyone would've been a huntress. Still, you were probably going around doing backflips and jumping across buildings at the same time I was sitting in math class or something."

She didn't answer for a few moments, staring off into the distance. "...yeah. Doing backflips and stuff."

"Private Belladonna, please report to the office of the Central Officer," the intercom blared, making the both of us jump slightly. "Again, Private Belladonna to the office of the Central Officer."

Blake stood up, grabbing her own bag. "I should probably go get that. See you later!"

I barely had the time to say bye before she was out of earshot. After a few moments, I let out a sigh and tried to get up, but my muscles still protested just about any movement in their exhausted state. "Goddamnit," I muttered, resolving to stay there for a few more minutes. I leaned my head back against the cinderblock wall, relaxing. My eyelids drooped, feeling like they were weighted down by little anvils, so I shut them for just a second.

I woke up when my face hit the concrete floor. I swore, getting back to my feet and looking around. The shower room was still empty, thankfully, but a glance at the wall-mounted clock revealed that almost half-an-hour had just magicked itself away. Letting out some noise between a groan and a yawn, I grabbed my bag and bumbled my way towards the door. I met Strike Three just as they arrived in the armory, giving them a friendly wave as I passed through. They seemed no worse for wear, which was always a plus on any kind of mission. Soon enough, I passed through the door leading to the rest of the base.

I didn't make it five steps before getting glomped by some very familiar faces dressed in overalls. "We're so glad you're okay!" Ruby said, nuzzling further into the crook of my neck. She'd flung herself at me so hard that her feet were dangling in the air.

Mom, meanwhile, squeezed me just a little harder. "You had us so worried!"

"Sorry," I grunted, trying to keep my tired muscles from dropping my little sister. In the end, I simply couldn't manage any more than setting her back down. "Kinda part of the job, though."

My Mom pulled back from her hug just enough to look me in the eye. "I know, I know. It's just… did you really have to join a strike team?"

"You know what the aliens do. This is the best way I can help kick them off our planet."

She looked away. "I could find you a job in Engineering as an assistant or something; I know you like working on your truck, you could help with the SIVs or maybe extremely basic aircraft maintenance. It's… it's a lot safer. You wouldn't have to put your-"

"Mom," I interrupted. "I want to do this. I need to do this. I've proven I can do this."

She sighed, withdrawing fully now and crossing her arms. "Why do you have to turn out as stubborn as I am?"

"What else was I supposed to do? Not learn from the best?"

"You were supposed to stay here and be safe," she said, but her glare died after only a few moments. She turned around, motioning for us to follow. "C'mon, everyone's finally off-shift and I bribed the lounge admin to let us have one of the theaters to ourselves."

I blinked, though still followed her down the metal hallway. "I mean, that sounds nice and all, but… bribed?"

"Just half-a-batch of cookies, don't worry about it," she said.

"How did you even make cookies here? I thought only the cooks were allowed in the kitchen."

"Well, yeah, but there's a room off the lounge that almost nobody ever uses with a couple kitchen sets. It's for people like me who actually like baking occasionally."

"You mean weirdos like you, Sum?" Qrow said, stepping out from behind a corner. Right beside him was Penny's robotic and dog-like form, several tubs of popcorn and a couple two liters of pop strapped to her back.

She gave him a light smack upside the head as she passed. "It's really sounding like someone doesn't want any more apple pies for the rest of the decade."

"Yeah, you're totally gonna stop making 'em when you like 'em just as much as I do," he said, following her as she passed.

"I could just stop giving you any."

"But you won't," he said.

We all continued marching down the metal hallway, boots clanging all the while. My muscles ached with every step and I stared hungrily as we passed a small break area nestled into the wall with the comfiest looking folding chairs I'd ever seen. However, I knew there was even comfier chairs where we were headed. I could probably even put my feet up, given that nobody else but us would be there. Even if there were only two rows of seats, it'd be more than enough room.

That image was enough to get me to the lounge and barely into a seat before my muscles gave out. I went limp, head lolling back as I sighed. I fully believe I would've fallen asleep right then and there if Ruby hadn't shook my shoulder until I opened my eyes – I didn't even realize they were closed. But seeing as I was awake-ish again, I kicked my feet up on the empty seat in front of me and reached across Ruby to grab a tub of popcorn from Penny.

Soon enough, the movie started. My hand froze half-way to my mouth when I realized it was one of Dad's favorites – Castaway. My other, unoccupied hand felt a calloused yet gentle grip – a quick glance revealed it to be my Mom's hand over mine. She gave me a soft smile and I instantly understood the choice. We'd all had a movie night back at the house, much like this one, after her and Penny quote-unquote "died"; me, Dad, Ruby, and Qrow all sitting together watching one of Mom's favorites, then one of Penny's.

With a sad sigh, I realized that it was starting to feel… normal without him. It still hurt when I thought about him – which was still fairly often – but the surreality of his absence had dulled significantly. I found it hard to focus on the movie or the snacks for a while; instead thinking about how this was the exact opposite of what my life had been for… months, now. Before the house got flattened, it was Mom and Penny who we'd had to bury without bodies. Now, it was Dad instead. The only difference that mattered was that his body very much was buried, just in a less-than-traditional manner.

I was shook out of my thoughts when the plane started exploding on-screen, the flashes of light and the booming sounds making it nearly impossible to concentrate on anything but the action. With a deep breath, I resolved to focus on the movie in front of me. Dad loved it and while I wasn't super into the movie, I could at least sit back and enjoy it too.

I leaned back on the metal wall, muscles protesting from the massive weight I'd just squat.

Well, relatively massive – I could and usually did squat more, I just didn't want to overwork myself only two days after the mission. Instead, I was simply keeping my muscles active, even if my body really didn't like it. Regardless, now seemed like a good time to grab a drink, so I walked over to the nearby bench, plopped down, and took a nice big gulp from my bottle.

Blake walked in front of me just as I set it back down. Oddly, she wasn't wearing her gym clothes – just her normal civilian pants and short-sleeve shirt. "Y'know, Bradford's gonna get mad if you don't wear your fatigues."

She shrugged. "It's Sergeant Von Mayer that really cares about that."

"Yeah, and he'll complain about it to Bradford, who will get mad that he's gotta deal with it instead of doing a million other things instead."

"Well, maybe I wanted to workout in these clothes," she said.

I finally looked up, meeting her oddly grey-lined eyes. "You won't, though."

She looked away, brushing aside her hair – now cropped much shorter, just like mine, to conform to regulations. "I actually was," she said. "I, umm, haven't done laundry in a bit and I don't have any clean workout clothes."

That struck me as very strange. Blake has always seemed to be very independent and more than capable of looking after herself, so how did she miss laundry? I met her gaze again and suddenly the bags under them were a lot more concerning than they were a few seconds ago. I stood up, concern written all over my face. "Blake, did… did something happen?"

"I…" she hesitated for a moment. "...no, everything's fine. It's always fine."

"Don't give me that, you look like you haven't slept since the mission!"

"Yang, I'm-" she yawned. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

I gently grasped her arm. "If something's wrong, you should tell someone. It doesn't have to be me, but it helps. It really does help."

She was quiet for a few moments before letting out a sigh. "Not here," she said, turning on her heel and marching out of the gym. I followed her for quite a ways – all the way back to her room, even. Just like my own, the dorm she was assigned was built for four people. Unlike mine, however, she was alone here; even if anybody wanted to room with an alien, Bradford had deemed it as having a "high potential to generate unnecessary drops in unit cohesion". Worst part was, I didn't even disagree. The rest of the room was fairly standard; just as sparse as ours. The only differences were the lack of computer terminals and that the bookshelves actually had books or notebooks on them.

"So, what's up?" I asked after the door slid shut.

She glanced around the room for a few moments, clearly avoiding my gaze. Eventually, she took a deep breath. "What does it mean to be a Faunus?"

"...What?" I muttered. "What kind of question is that?"

She gave a bitter chuckle. "The kind that I've been asking myself for the last few days," she said. "Did you know that the people here can just… edit people's genes? Alter their very being on a whim? A day in the tank and you can come out with skin that can sense things nearby, or another heart that'll keep you alive longer in the worst of situations, or eyes that can adapt faster than any normal person's can…" she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "...or a pair of cat ears…"

I glanced up to the top of her head, seeing her own ears lying flat. For just a moment, I pictured looking in the mirror and seeing a pair atop my own head. Then I realized what she meant and my fists clenched. "You mean they took your own trait from you and are just giving it out?!"

She held up her hands. "No, no! I- I mean, they can- It's-" she took another breath. "They… took a sample, like they do with all the recruits. Vahlen was able to engineer a mod basically in her spare time but neither she nor Bradford thought they should actually deploy it without asking my opinion," she said. "I just… I don't know. On one hand, it's a clear tactical advantage, but on the other… they weren't raised on Remnant; they're lacking so much cultural context, so much history. Sure, they'd look like Faunus, but would they really be?" She huffed. "Does it even matter? It's not like there's even a way back to Remnant where that cultural context would be important."

"I think it's an important question," I said. "I mean, I'm not gonna pretend to know if there even is an answer here, but it's probably good you're asking."

She blew out a puff of air. "Real helpful."

"Always am."

She shook her head. "Sorry, just…" she groaned. "I didn't mean to dump this on you. I just…"

"It's been eating at you and you don't know who else to talk to," I said. She stayed silent, giving only a single nod. "One question, though, where the hell did that come from?"

"It's why Bradford called me to his office after the mission," she said. "I've been thinking about it ever since."

"Geez, no wonder I haven't seen you around." I walked over to her table and pulled out a chair, plopping down onto it. "Welp, I did want you to spill, and you did. Now let's figure this out."

She blinked. "...just like that? You think it'll be that easy?"

"Oh hell no, it's gonna suck. But it's eating at you. If we don't deal with this, you're just gonna keep spiraling until you either collapse or figure out an answer. At least this way, you'll have someone to bounce ideas off of – get it done a bit quicker so you can catch up on all the sleep you've clearly skipped."

She was already moving to sit down by the time I'd finished, but she froze mid-motion, eyes going wide for just a moment. However, the freeze was very brief, and she finally sat down across from me.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"No, no, I just… had a bit of deja vu."

"Oh-kay…" I said. "So, let's start with why this is such a big deal to you. You said it yourself: we aren't on Remnant. People are already getting other gene mods and nobody's treating anyone differently."

One of her ears folded downwards. "That's not the issue. It's… complicated," she said. "Look at it this way. You find yourself on a different planet surrounded by people that look like you, but nobody's Human, per se – you're the only one. Now, you've come to terms with that over the course of months and you find out that the people there can just… make those non-Human people into Humans using your genetic material. Even getting past that bundle of moral questions, you then realize that just changing their form will not change their lived experiences, or lack thereof. These new Humans won't have experienced the cultural history you have, they won't have had to deal with people antagonizing them for immutable traits they had no choice but to be born with. In fact, these new Humans will very much have had a choice in their Human-ness, unlike you." She let out a deep sigh. "So at the end of the day… what makes a Human? Is it purely your body? Purely your experiences or culture? Is it a combination of both? Or is it something completely different? I'm a huntress, Yang. While there were a couple big questions I signed up hoping to answer, these were most certainly not among them."

I blinked, taken aback by her not-so-little rant. "That's…" I muttered. "Holy shit."

"Not as simple as you thought, is it?"

"No, it's not," I said, letting my head droop back over the end of the chair. "Fuck, I… I don't know anything about this," I said. "God, I know I'm a badass superpowered soldier now, but wow. I want to help you, I really do, but I wouldn't even know where to start unpacking that."

She nodded slowly. "Can't say I'm not having a similar problem."

"The only thing I got is to just do it and work things out from there; hell, I'd be down to get cat-ified if it helped. But I really think it'd be a good idea to bring the nerds in on this."

"The nerds?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, like… uhh, I dunno, Vahlen? Maybe one of her people? Scientists take ethics classes, don't they?"

"They did on Remnant, at least," she said. "But don't you think the Head of RND would be a bit busy to see just one person?"

I shrugged. "She spent time making the gene mod, didn't she?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a yawn. "Ugh, excuse me," she said. "I guess she did. Fine, I'll see if I can get a meeting with her."

"Ah, ah, ah!" I shouted as she reached for her base-provided flip phone. "I'll ask them to see you. Right now, you've got another appointment." I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, pointing right at her bed.

She blinked. "...right…" she muttered. "Okay, I'll take a nap or something. I'll come find you later and ask about the appointment. Now shoo."

I stood up, giving a mock salute. "Catch ya later, Blakey!"

In the corner of my eye, I saw her freeze for another moment, but I was already half-way out the door. Part of me wanted to go back in and make sure she actually did go to bed, but another wanted to trust that she'd abide by her word. In the end, that's what I did.

In another world, we were partners. There was bound to be a great deal of trust there, right? Even here, it wasn't like she'd done anything really sketchy, either.

With a sigh, I whipped out my own phone and texted Bradford, asking to schedule what I'd volunteered for.

On A Planet Far, Far Away

/-\ Ruby Rose /-\

I set down my scroll, letting my head flop onto the nice and soft bed.

It was nice to have one under me again after so long on the road. Sure, we'd occasionally taken a night at an inn as part of our payment in some villages, but we'd still slept in our bags – and tent while that lasted – for about eighty percent of the journey. I rolled over, eyeing my usual attire with all its haphazard field stitches, worn fabric, and now bloodstains of the man my sister killed.

Groaning, I realized that meant I'd have to go to a huntsman supply store at some point in the near future – they always sold bolts of fabric or leather for repairs. At least we have all that money from the Nuckelavee bounty, I thought. As it turned out, the word of a reputable huntsman coupled with an evaporation cloud big enough to attract distant airships was proof enough to get paid several million lien from that village killer.

It's a good thing we did run into that monster, besides the fact that we were able to stop it. I was far from at my best during the fight, but at the time, I'd just chalked it up to still recovering from my accident a few nights prior. However, upon a cursory medical examination, it turned out that the Scorpion Faunus actually did manage to inject me with a small amount of venom during the fight. Jaune's new semblance had kept it from being the worst it could be, but I still needed antivenom from the hospital.

It's been a week since we settled in and it was only yesterday when Yang finally let me be on my own again. I love her and I know she's been through a lot, but would it kill her to give me some space? I thought. For now, however, my stomach grumbled. With a sigh, I got up and padded down the stairs to the kitchen. I passed Jaune on the way, who was just reclining on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table, passed out with his scroll in his hand still unlocked..

I ignored him, other than to drape a nearby blanket over his sleeping form, and continued in my quest for food. I'd just turned on the stove for some mac and cheese when someone loudly knocked on the door. I poked my head back out of the kitchen and saw Jaune was completely unfazed by the noise. I kinda expected that – he'd actually slept through a couple Grimm fights on our long walk through Sanus and Anima.

"Coming!" I shouted as they knocked again. Just as they said that, though, I realized that everyone who didn't have a key with them was already present and accounted for. So who's at the door? I wondered. For just a moment, I considered not answering at all, but I'd already announced my presence. After only a moment's thought, I grabbed Crocea Mors from its spot besides Jaune. I may not be a swordswoman, but any weapon was better than nothing.

So I approached the door, sword held in my left hand out of view from whoever was on the other side, and slowly opened it. Right outside was an olive-skinned boy dressed in overalls and a roughspun white shirt. "Uhh, hi?" I let out.

He looked up, his smile just a touch nervous. "Umm, is there a Ruby-" he blinked, pausing for a moment. "Oh! You're Ru- err, uhh, are you Ruby Rose?"

I gripped the sword just a touch tighter, remembering the last person who was looking for me. "Are you sure you have the right house?"

He blinked again. "Well, umm-"

"Iiiiiiii found him!" Qrow shouted, stumbling through the doorway. "I found him!" Clearly not noticing Jaune on the couch, he drunkenly flopped down on top of him. Jaune flailed his arms and legs around, pushing my uncle off of him and somehow snapping one of the coffee table legs in the process. Qrow, head still swaying, picked up the broken-off leg as he sat on the floor. After a moment, he shrugged, throwing it over his shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on down he- what the fuck?!" I looked over to see Yang at the foot of the stairs, rubbing her face. She groaned. "Really?! Why are you people throwing things in the house?!"

"Eh… sorry, Fiiiiire… Fear… Foy… You," Qrow slurred. "But I found him! Iiiiiiiiii did."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Qrow, you found… him," I said, looking towards the boy. "Hey, thanks for bringing him back safely. He's… not usually this bad. I'm, uhh, Ruby, his niece." I held out a hand for him to shake. My left hand. The one with Crocea Mors still in it. I quickly realized my mistake and hid the sword behind my back with a nervous chuckle… and giving my tail an impromptu haircut in the process.

He glanced between me and Qrow. "Well, umm, I certainly see the family resemblance," he said before turning his head to the side slightly. "Ugh, one second, do you know how awkward that is to just say?"

"Huh?" I let out.

He cleared his throat. "Umm, I'm… supposed to say that you have silver eyes," he said. "Wait, no, it's… Ruby Rose, you have silver eyes."

"...something important about her eyes to you, bud?" Yang asked, suddenly standing beside me with a hand on her hip.

"U- Umm, it's just… the first thing he said to her. Professor Ozpin, I mean."

I took a slight step back. "How in the world did you know that?"

He rocked back and forth on his heels. "Well… I umm, might be a farmhand from way out in the country, but…" he closed his eyes for just a moment. When he reopened them, they glowed a bright green before returning to normal. "I am also Professor Ozpin," he said, voice suddenly much deeper. "And despite the obvious injuries and… absences, it is so very good to see you again, students."

What followed was probably the most confusing and world-shattering conversation of my life. I didn't think it got any weirder than the Maidens and Gods, but now apparently the headmaster has been alive for untold millennia and the man who tried to kidnap me was working for his mortal enemy.

Later that night, I slumped back against the wall in my room. What was next, aliens? I chuckled to myself.

As if my life could get any more complicated.

(A/N) Oh Ruby, if only you knew what was coming. Actually, probably better you didn't, you'd immediately try and mount a rescue operation for Blek, despite having absolutely no idea what you were doing when it came to transdimensional travel.

We're closing in on the conclusion of Act Two of the story, just a few more chapters. This act is the longest, though I wouldn't call Act Three short by any means. I'm sure you can guess one of the major plotpoints remaining in this act, given what the catgirl was worried about for a large section of this chapter.

Oh, we had another review! So let's see what it says:

Maglad said: "Nice. I thought you were gonna kill her off as a sobering moment, but it may be interesting to see two Blakes interact.

Also, deeply amused by the Terminator OST"

I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider it, but ultimately I decided that she has more potential alive. That's not to say nobody else is going to die, but it won't be her. Sadly, though, it's gonna be a very long time before the two Blakes interact again. Glad you're enjoying the story, though!

Anyways, that's all I had, see ya next week!