Heart to Heart

Chapter 49: Ghosts of the Past

Yang was walking the path in a forest the sun was out and the familiar sounds and smells of the forest came to her. She was back home in Patch she knew this place like the back of her hand. The smells and sounds would be things she would never forget. The path was one she had walked many times in her life.

It didn't take her long to see the wooden house she grew up in coming into view. Smiling she walked up to the door and turned the handle. She frowned when the door didn't open. She tried again but the door was locked. She checked herself for a key but she didn't seem to have one on her. She checked the spot of the rock with the spare key hidden under it but it wasn't there either.

"The hell, it's always there." Yang muttered as she knocked on the door.

"Hey anyone home? Dad? Ruby?" Yang called out.

She could hear movement behind the door as it opened a bit but instead of her dad and sister it was a young blonde girl. She looked to be about five or so with blue jean overalls with familiar blue eyes. She looked up angrily at Yang.

"What are you doing here." The girl demanded.

"Uh…I'm, I just came home?" Yang asked confused.

"This isn't your home anymore mom, you left us!" The girl yelled at her.

This shocked Yang to her core not only was this girl her daughter but she was saying she left? She felt like a vice had tightened up around her heart.

"N-no! That can't be, I wouldn't leave!" Yang said back.

"You left daddy and me, we hate you!" The girl said slamming the door.

"No, wait this is a mistake!" Yang panicked as she grabbed the doorknob. It wouldn't turn not matter how hard she tried to twist it. She punched the door but it didn't budge, it wasn't even damaged but she hit it again and again.

"Please let me in!" Yang cried out.

"We hate you!" The girl's voice called out. "You left, you left and hurt daddy! Daddy is always sad now because of you!"

"I didn't, please I didn't leave," Yang begged trying the door knob again. "Let me talk to him, let me see him and I can fix this!"

Then she felt herself being pulled, she cried out as she held onto the doorknob as the invisible force tried to pull her away from the house. She felt the cold grip of it on her body but she refused to let go. She refused to leave again but then the doorknob came off and she was pulled away. She screamed out reaching out seeing the house seemingly fall away as darkness surrounded her.

Yang felt herself on a surface but she couldn't see anything around her it was just dark.

"Please, let me go back, I want to go back," Yang begged out to the darkness.

"Congratulations Yang," a familiar voice said behind her as Yang turned to see Raven standing there looking at her. "You became just like me, like mother like daughter."

"I'm not you! I will never be like you!" Yang screamed at the woman that had left her family. Raven had gutted their family and Yang refused to follow that same path.

"Are you so sure about that?" Raven pointed.

Yang followed her finger to see a full-length mirror suddenly to her side. As Yang looked into the mirror she saw that she was wearing the same outfit as Raven only instead of black and red it was black and yellow.

"No…no-no-no-no-no," Yang took a step back.

"Like I said," Raven said. "Like mother like daughter."

Yang watched as her golden hair slowly started to turn black like her mother's. She screamed as she went her fist through the mirror.

Yang suddenly woke up with a start as she looked around the dark room the light from the clock on the wall was the only thing giving the room a slightly eerie green light. She felt herself breathing hard from the nightmare as she felt Jaune shift next to her in the bed. She glanced over glad to see that she hadn't woken him up.

Looking at the clock it was over an hour before they had to get up making her groan in her head. She could feel sweat and reached to wipe it off but then she noticed her hand starting to tremble again. She quickly gripped it with her other hand as she swung herself out of bed and went to the small table. Sitting down she pulled her legs to her chest and hugged herself.

'It's okay, it was just a dream, just a dream. You wouldn't do that.' She mentally told herself.

She just sat there holding herself trying to calm down, she could feel her heart beating as she just wanted to forget what she had just dreamt. Thankfully it was mostly fading but the key parts were still there in her mind. She was so focused she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Yang, are you okay?" Jaune asked. He had been woken up by her leaving the bed and had seen her go to the table. She had looked a bit out of it and gone over to see her.

"Just…had a bad dream," She told him she didn't want to go into it. She wasn't ready to go into that whole thing just yet.

Jaune thankfully understood they both had done this countless times by now. One of them would have a bad dream and would comfort the other. They wouldn't push the other to talk about it, only if the other wanted to talk about it. So, he pulled the other chair over and sat down with her and put his arm around her. She leaned into it as she just took solace in him holding her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jaune asked after a bit.

"Jaune…do you think we're sometimes going to make the same mistakes in life as our parents?" She asked him.

He thought about it, "I mean…it's hard to say, I don't know everything my parents did after all."

"Well how about major things you do know? Do you think that we just do the opposite or we'll just do the same thing as them?"

"I guess…I think as long as we learn from them, we can avoid making the same mistakes. The thing is we're not our parents, they raise us and give us examples to go by but if we follow them or not is up to us. Look at me, my parents didn't want me to be a Huntsman because they felt it was too dangerous and were worried about me."

"What do your parents do?" Yang had never asked so she didn't know.

"Well, my mom was busy raising all of us, my dad works as a manager of a factory."

Yang hadn't figured that she had just assumed that maybe Jaune had family that were Huntsmen but thinking back he only talked about his ancestor that had found in the war. Thinking back, he never once talked about anyone else in his family that had used the family sword and shield.

"Didn't think about being a house husband or going into factory work huh?" She joked.

"Not really," Jaune shook his head. "I always wanted something different and well, here I am."

"Yeah, here you are," Yang smirked. "Bet this isn't want you thought you'd be doing as a Huntsman."

"It has been difficult," He sighed thinking of all the work he had to go through in Beacon, all the horrible things he had to go through. But he also thought of all the good things. Meeting team RWBY, his own team. Meeting Pyrrha had changed him for the better and although he will always miss her, he was glad he had as he wouldn't be the man he was today without her. Sure, there had been a lot of pain with losing her but through it all he felt he eventually became stronger.

Looking over at the mass of golden hair against his shoulder he had to admit it also led him here with her.

"But you know ever after everything, I'm glad that I am here." He told her hugging her.

Yang couldn't help but smile into his chest, it was a cheesy line but she liked it. But the memory of her turning into a copy of Raven still haunted her. Every time she thought about it she felt like a sliver of ice entered her heart.

"Jaune do…do you think that I would become like Raven?" Yang eventually asked him working up the courage.

"What do you mean?"

Yang pulled away gently leaning on the table. "My dream…I become just like her. I left my family and everyone hated me." She couldn't bring herself to tell him exactly what family she was talking about. She didn't want him to panic if she said she had dreams of their life together. Okay it had only been like twice but still she never thought of this kind of thing before and it kind of scared even her.

"I can't see you ever doing that Yang, you care too much about your family," Jaune leaned forward and gently rubbed her back. "I've seen the way you are with Ruby and not just with her but with everyone. You're protective of those that are family and those that you consider family. Trust me, from someone from a big family, I know how important it is."

"I don't know sometimes," Yang thought back to that horrible day as a kid when she had stupidly taken her baby sister out into the forests to look for Raven thinking she might have been in that old house she had. She had nearly gotten them both killed when those Grimm showed up and it was only thanks to Qrow they hadn't died that day.

She had nearly gotten her little sister killed, that day horrified her and she had vowed to always protect her little sister.

"I'm just worried about the future, which is strange because I didn't used to." She sighed.

"I guess it's just a part of growing up."

Yang grunted as she leaned back into him. "I suppose so."

"So you feel like sleeping?" He asked putting his arm around her rubbing her arm.

Yang sighed. "No, I'm all worked up now. We got about an hour before everyone gets up anyway."

"Okay so want to get an early start then?"

Yang just kind of enjoyed the moment too much to leave it. She closed her eyes just taking in the warmth of his body. They had plenty of time and honestly after that nightmare she needed something else. She wanted to push those thoughts away, she wanted to embrace something good in her life. And idea formed as she got up and swung a leg over Jaune straddling him and placing her arms behind his neck.

He looked up surprised but quickly noticed that look in her eye, he had seen that look enough to know what it meant which was kind of surprise.

"Yang are you sure? I mean you just were talking about-" He was cut off as she had placed a finger on his lips.

"You know Jaune, sometimes I think talking is overrated." She smiled at him as she took the hand to run over his still baby-faced cheek. She gently traced is up into his hair as she stared into his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder, do you think if we haven't gone through everything and we would still have ended up together?"

"I don't know…maybe?" Jaune honestly answered and then thought of that kiss from Pyrrha. He might have ended up with her but there was no guarantee that even if they had they would have stayed together. There was no guarantee that he and Yang would stay together, although he hoped they did.

He reached up to cup her cheek as she leaned into his hand slightly. "I wish I knew Yang I really do would have liked to think that. You've been great to me I was in a really dark place and you helped to pull me out of it. I never felt this close to anyone in my life."

She smiled at him. "I feel the same, we both were pretty messed up but it got us together to find something good out of all of it." She leaned down to gently kiss his lips as she pressed into him. She felt his hands roam to her hips as one of them snaked up behind rubbing her spine in that way she liked.

She moaned as she ground her hips into his as she felt him respond in kind as a certain other part of him was also waking up. She pulled back grinning at him. "You know we still got plenty of time."

"Yeah we do."

She got up and took his hand leading him to back to bed but they weren't going to sleep.

After their love making Yang rested on Jaune's chest just enjoying the afterglow. They still had time and she wanted to enjoy it. It was little moments like this that she found she enjoyed. There was just something about sharing an intimate moment between someone you cared deeply for that was kind of profound.

"That was nice," Yang sighed.

"Yeah it was," Jaune grinned as he ran his hand through her long hair. He looked over the clock and they still had plenty of time left. It was something he found out with having a sex life with Yang. All those stories or movies of hour-long sex was way out of to lunch. So far Yang he no complaints and he was certain he couldn't go all night long. They had to take breaks to go a couple more times after all.

Still, being here with her now in these moments was just as nice, the feel of her against him like this was so intimate and relaxing.

Yang rubbed her hand over his chest as she wanted to say those little words to him but again they always seem to die in her throat. She had thought just showing him her feelings would be enough but apparently it wasn't for her. It killed her a little inside that she couldn't muster whatever it was to push past this block.

"Jaune?"

"Mhhh?"

"You know how I feel about you right?" She asked worried. "I know I haven't said it but I wanted to you to know just how important you are to me."

She hugged him tightly. "I just want…need you to know that even though I might not say it I do mean it."

Jaune knew she was having issue with this and it was bothering her from his talk with Blake. He had told Blake he wouldn't let Yang know that she had said anything but in this moment he felt he could give Yang something for taking a step to open up.

"I love you too Yang." He told her gently.

Yang tensed up as she felt her eyes starting to water as her heart ached hearing that. She felt so happy and yet so frustrated. He deserved to have those words sent back to him and she would one day, no matter what she was determined because he was worth it. He was worth opening up her heart fully and maybe he could one day help her in dealing with the deep wounds Raven had left in them.

She forced herself not to cry as she closed her eyes snuggling against him. "Thank you Jaune."

"Anytime." He told her his other hand wrapping around her waist and pulling her into him giving her a hug.

Yang sighed in contentment as she looked over her shoulder at the clock. "Uh…still time before we have to get up for breakfast."

"Well we do need to wash up." He shrugged.

"Yeah…hey you think they talk about how much extra laundry we are giving them?"

Jaune didn't want to think about it, since this was military based they had to just put anything in a small white bag and place it in the hall for it to be picked up and brought back by the end of the day.

Yang stretched out, "Well as nice as a morning orgasm is…we do need to wash up. So…want to share the shower?"

"We do have plenty of time," He said thinking about it.

-Atlas Streets-

Cinder couldn't sleep as she walked the early morning of the city. After finally getting up here and getting a place to hide she just couldn't find herself able to rest comfortably while in this city. This city had too many memories that she tried to bury in her mind. Living in the orphanage, being alone all her life and most of all she hated the memories after what happened when she 'left' the orphanage.

Currently she had on a cape with a hood to hide her appearance. She was certain that her face having the large patch to hid her scars and the hood would hide her features from any automated facial recognition software, at least for the most part. Given that the wanted posters she had seen were of her before she had gotten maimed by Ruby Rose. So, the security programs and people would be looking for a young woman with a full face. It might not last if they updated their profile of her face in the future but for now she had a window to work with.

Still, she preferred walking in these early hours since there were not many people around. She didn't care for crowds and she also hated how people looked at her now. They see the patch and the scar tissue poking out and they would have emotions of pity or disgust. Cinder wanted to burn their faces to see how it felt but she had more control than that.

Walking through the empty streets with the exception for early morning people trying to get their shops ready for the day. Oh how she hated this city, she hated how fake everything was. How fake the people were. Atlas liked to think themselves above the world, why else would they float their city? They could float in the sky likes gods looking down at all the 'little people' below them.

She walked down the mostly empty streets, everything up here was painted white and kept very clean. It was supposed to show just how proper and civilized the city was to everyone. Cinder knew that this beauty was only surface deep and Atlas held more ugliness than the scars on her own body if you peeled it all away.

It was here that Cinder learned the hard truths about the world. The first was that if you open yourself up, you'll only be betrayed. The next was that those in power could do what they wanted without consequences. Then there was that you had to take power or you would never have it and will always be weak and abused by those that did. The final thing she learned, was that hope was a lie.

She had hope once and that had died a cruel death in the face of the truth of the world slamming into her that one night that changed everything.

"I can't wait to see this city crash and burn," Cinder muttered knowing now that Salem had her sights on this city now instead of Shade, well she would get a front row seat. That is, if she can get in Salem's good graces before she arrived. She was under a clock now with Watts here, she had to get her own pieces in order before he did.

She was so lost in thought she hadn't even noticed where she was until she looked up and froze. There down the street was a tall hotel. It was one she knew all too well as it was the place she had once worked and lived. Well 'worked' was too generous a term, she was a slave to the woman that had literally bought her and placed that damn shock collar on Cinder's neck.

Cinder could still feel the phantom sensation of the cold metal device around her neck, she could still remember the pain it caused her, the sounds of her own agony when it was used on her by that woman. It didn't matter whatever the reason was, any mistake, anything real or imagined that woman would 'punish' her. Even her two bratty hell spawn of daughters got in on the action.

She looked at the Glass Slipper with hate but then noticed something. It wasn't called the Glass Slipper anymore. It was called The Briar Rose of all things. She walked closer to it and the outside had a totally new look, new signs, new paint.

"When did this happen?" Cinder asked herself out loud.

"When did what happen, miss?" A man next to her opening what looked like a coffee shop asked hearing her.

Cinder hadn't even noticed him there so lose in her thoughts she kept her eyes on the hotel while she made sure her hood wouldn't show her face to him. "The hotel, I thought it was named something else."

"Oh that?" He looked at it. "Yeah I heard about it from the older employees. Apparently, the new owner didn't want the stigma of the old place so they renamed it."

"Stigma?" Cinder had an idea about what it might be but she was curious.

"Oh yeah," He opened the door and looked at the place. "Heard years ago, the woman that owned it was murdered, her and her kids. Plus, some say they found a Huntsman or two there as well. Some think some kind of Grimm got in, others say some criminal organization was moving in and made an example of them. The story changes on who you ask."

"They even say they were all found on the 13th floor, all bloody and hanging from the ceiling." He said trying to make it sound spooky and failing with Cinder. "They say their spirits still haunt it, which is why they don't have a 13th floor there listed."

"Interesting story," Cinder told him and walked on. She knew full well the bodies were in the basement as that's where she left them and it was only one Huntsman. The one that had shown her any kindness in the world, the one that knew she was being abused but did nothing about it. Instead of teaching her how to survive he should have gone to the authorities. Then the night she had enough of the torture and killed her tormentors he tried to being her, HER the VICTIM in to be judged and sentenced.

That betrayal showed her hope was a lie and that you can never trust anyone in this world, they will only turn against you in the end. Just like him, just like Emerald apparently too if what Watts said was true and she was certain he wouldn't lie about that. Mainly because the truth hurt more than any fiction.

While she was never one for ghost stories, never having seen a ghost in her life, she knew that there was magic, gods, immortals, so who knows. Maybe ghosts did exist and if they did, she sure as hell hoped their spirits were stuck in their precious hotel. Seeing it owned by someone else, its name changed as though the world tried to forget the last of their legacy.

Cinder smirked thinking about that and the thought of them suffering for eternity stuck as spirits, now there was fate she wished upon them all. Casting one last look at the hotel she turned and walked away. It was time to let this place die in her mind anyway, this whole city was going to burn and that place would join it. On that day, she would watch it all burn to ashes with a smile on her face.

-Schnee Manor-

Jacques was not in a good mood, his gamble to try and buy his way into the council was not going as well as he thought. He was very late in the running and needed to catch up to Robyn Hill was proving a bit much. He was going to his personal study to be alone and think, no one was allowed in this room when he was in the house. The staff would only clean it up when he was gone for the day. He needed time to think and plan.

Going into the room he had to think of a way to catch up in the elections. There were news reports of violent deaths, the reporters saying they were people who had vocally spoke out against Ironwood. Maybe he could use this to his advantage? He was sure Robyn would be using it as well as they were supporters of hers that had been killed.

That would only drive the people to sympathize with her. Could he say she was behind it to drive up the votes? No, no one would believe that without proof and it would have to be hard proof at that. He sighed as he opened the door and paused.

There was someone in the room, in his private room and not just that but it was a man that was supposed to be dead.

"Arthur Watts?" Jacques said out lout not fully believing what he was seeing.

"Long time no see Jacques," Arthur smiled broadly at him. "I see you're still doing very well for yourself."

Jacques quickly tried to cover his shock, not an easy task when someone you know comes back from the dead. He had met Arthur years ago when both of them had been young and ambitious men. It had been when he was still dating his wife when they first met both of them had big plans for their future.

"I thought you were dead," He went over to get himself a drink. He needed time to think and this would give him that. Jacques had helped to fund Watts in his career while the man had used his breakthroughs to help with Jacques businesses. He had even used the man to help break into the systems of other companies to gain illegal data or sabotage projects and then he would just come in and buy out the company for a fraction of what it would have cost or bury them completely.

"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," He grinned as Jacques got his drink and sat down across from him.

"I would ask how you got in but knowing you I have a guess. I suppose I'll need to fire my security chief," Jacques told him making a mental note.

"Oh there are very few places that can stop me," He took a sip. "But this was easier than it should, so yes, you should fire him and replace him with someone more competent. Now then as for my visit, I see you are going into politics."

Jacques grunted taking a drink. "Somehow I doubt you rising from your 'grave' has anything to do with that."

"Correct I do have my own agenda but that doesn't mean our paths don't coincide with each other," Arthur leaned back twirling the liquid in his glass around. "Tell me how would you like help in winning?"

Jacques paused in his drink. Arthur could do many things, and this might just be one of them. The man could rig the election in his favor but there was something else he had to consider and that was the price. There was always a price tag for 'favors' like this, that was something he learned early on in life.

"What do you get out of this?" Jacques asked him.

"A few things," Watts told him. "I need a council access code which you can get me when you get elected."

"For what?"

"For my own agenda," Arthur told him nothing more than that.

"Ironwood wouldn't like that, if it came out."

Watts smiled. "Well then we'll just have to get rid of the man then."

Jacques eyes grew in size. "I will not be party to killing a member of the council, no matter how repulsed I am of the man."

Watts waved his hand. "Oh no you misunderstood me. I meant we'll remove him from power. You see I have another friend of mine that I haven't seen in military circles. He's been passed over for promotion to Ironwood's post and now he can't go any further up. I'm going to offer him the chance to help you take Ironwood down and all I ask is that you endorse him for the position."

Now this was something Jacques could get behind murder was a bit beyond him but this? This was like a hostile takeover of another company and that was something he knew all too well. For the first time today, he found himself getting into a better mood.

"Please tell me more of this friend of yours and how we will get rid of Ironwood." Jacques asked him.

TBC…

A little short than normal but I hope next chapter will make up for it a bit.