WARNING TAG: BLOOD!

P.S. Everything is worse when Adam is involved.


Yang Xiao Long would have loved to say that they fought valiantly and that through the power of friendship, teamwork, and pure badassery, prevailed against the might of their enemies.

Yang Xiao Long would also have been a liar if she had said that because the fact of the matter was, they were getting their asses kicked and it all started when Blake did the dumbest thing ever.

"Hello, Blake."

She was just about ready to go and ask Blake who the red-haired guy was when her partner suddenly grabbed her and Weiss' hands and pulled backward.

That was mistake number 1.

Not expecting the move, Yang stumbled before she could even pull her hand back.

"RUN!" Blake shouted panickedly.

See, panicking just before a fight is always a bad thing. Not only does your breath come shallower but your nerves also twitch, as small as they are, they still make your legs almost useless. It's why horror movies always show people stumbling away from the monster. As silly as they looked, that shit was real and it was the same thing that happened to Blake.

Blake and Weiss tripped over each other in a tangle of limbs and at that point, Yang half expected the bad guys to dogpile on them but it seems luck was on their side because they looked at Blake just as incredulously as Yang did..

"Blake?! What are you doing?!" Weiss gasped in pain as she tried to get up.

"T-That's Adam Taurus!" Blake shouted, scrambling straight up even as Yang snapped towards her.

There goes mistake number 2.

Never look away from your enemy.

"Your ex?!" She shouted but Blake's eyes only widened in her direction.

"YANG!"

It seems this time, the enemy didn't let the opening pass without exploiting it.

Her heart skipped a beat at that because as fast as she turned back, Adam Taurus was already dashing towards them. He was too close, too fast, and with her unbalanced, Yang could do nothing but watch as he pulled out a katana.

The same could not be said for Ruby however.

CLANG!

Crescent Rose met the katana in a shower of sparks as Ruby and the guy didn't just exchange one strike. They exchanged three at such speed that nobody else even had the time to interfere.

The guy's scabbard then shot out bullets, forcing her sister to disengage and transform to her petal form as she flies backwards towards them.

Ruby materialized beside her, ready with a furious roar in her lips even as everyone else brandished their weapons.

"What did you do to my uncle?!"

Instead of answering Ruby however, Adam Taurus satisfies himself with staring at Blake.

"I am disappointed, Blake. You would hide behind a little girl's skirts instead of facing me?"

Yeesh. Talk about hitting where it hurts. Blake only cringed at that even as Ruby reeled back in offense.

"Little girl?! Well this little girl will kick your ass if you don't answer my question!" Ruby shot back but as weird as it sounded, Adam Taurus only had eyes for Blake Belladonna.

"Why are you even here, Blake? I would've thought you would be content spending your days lazing around with your masters."

Content to let them speak, Yang took the time to assess their opponents. First, there was Neo who blatantly smirked at her. Next was Roman, casually twirling his cane as he assessed them himself. Finally, there was the big guy, LT if she remembers right, glaring straight at Weiss.

Weiss only glared back before scowling at Adam. "We're not her masters. We're her friends."

"Yeah! Tell him, Weiss!" Ruby shouted supportively, sporting a smile on her face.

"Friends? With a Schnee? Unbelievable or…..have you come to deliver them to me, Blake? Because if so, I must say the Schnee heiress is an appropriate gift." Adam scoffed before humming thoughtfully as he looked at Yang's partner.

Blake froze at that with wide eyes before quickly shaking head even as Gambol Shroud shook in her hands.

"N-No! We've come to stop you, Adam!"

Adam only tilted his head at that however.

"Stop me? Why? We weren't even doing anything to anyone. You're the ones who attacked us….just like that Huntsman." He finished whimsically and the words entered Yang's brain like a thunderbolt.

Huntsman…

Huntsman…

They killed Uncle Qrow!

Ruby's words return to her like a flash of lightning.

"You! What did you do to Uncle Qrow?!" She shouts immediately as she sees her sister freeze.

"Qrow? So that's his name….Not that it matters much considering he is already dead."

Yang's brain stopped at that.

Dead.

Dead.

DEAD?!

Yang's eyes flashes red and her hair blazes in anger.

"I'll-"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Ruby roared with tears in her eyes, drowning out Yang's own cry as she charged forward.

Yang reeled back at the uncharacteristic emotion on Ruby's face but a heartbeat later and she was there to back her sister up.

And then the fight was on.

Team RWBY charged towards the forces of evil.

Again, Yang Xiao Long would have loved to say that they fought valiantly and that through the power of friendship, teamwork, and pure badassery, prevailed against the might of their enemies.

And again, Yang Xiao Long would also have been a liar if she had said that because the fact of the matter was, they were getting their asses kicked and this time, it wasn't because of Blake.

As good as Team RWBY was, their enemies were just plain better individually. Combined with the space they currently had, there was no way any of them would be able to make any meaningful combination.

Checkmate? Weiss was already being engaged by LT as the large Faunus gunned for her, charging past Adam and Ruby as he revved his chainsword.

Bumblebee? Not enough space for Blake to swing her around with Gambol Shroud and with Ruby charging ahead, Yang was busy protecting her sister as Neo tried to flank her. Fists blocked a thin sword as Yang gritted her teeth and pushed forward past Adam and Ruby.

Ladybug? Again, Ruby was already charging ahead and while Blake would surely have loved to gang up on her ex, she finds herself having to intercept Roman Torchwick to stop him from ganging up on Yang.

Shadows blinked in and out of existence as Blake slid under one of Adam's swings and while Adam would have loved to chase after her, he finds himself in the same predicament of being engaged with an opponent he does not want to.

Overall, it was a brawl.

And it was a brawl Team RWBY was losing.

Yang grunted as Neo slipped past her guard once again. She barely just managed to raise a hand to block the kick coming for her head before the pipsqueak's sword was already thrusting for her leg.

Yang tries to flex her leg to tank the hit but it was a feint, Neo instead lets the move carry her forward to shoulder-check Yang.

As small as the space was, there was only so much any of them could move before they started interfering with each other.

Yang bumps into Blake behind her who suddenly pulls her head down.

"Duck!"

Roman's cane passes inches above her head, not willing to waste the opening, Yang leaps with a gazelle punch, catching Roman in the chin.

"Fuck!" He cried out in pain, stumbling backward as Yang smirked at him.

It was the first good hit she's landed since the fight started and it felt good. Yang was not about to waste it. She charges forward with her right hand cocked and a savage grin on her face.

Right at the last moment however, Roman trips and Yang's fist lands just beside his head…straight into the control panels.

Circuits sparked and Yang's blazing hair died down and her eyes turned back to their original lilac color as she stared at the damage.

Yang blinked.

Roman blinked.

In fact, everyone else paused as they felt the train shake before it started to speed up.

As everyone turned towards her, she had one word to say.

"Oops."


Perry was gritting his teeth inside the Paladin as he faced the dog in front of him.

A dog. He was facing a dog and he couldn't beat it.

SHIT!

"Watch out!" He shouted to the others behind him as he saw the dog curl into a ball again before launching itself towards him.

Perry tried to duck down but-

BOOM!

A fireball shook the Paladin as an elderly man aimed a long staff towards him, making Perry have a front-row seat to how a corgi turns itself into a wrecking ball. Flames burst around the dog just as it hits the Paladin. It almost launches it off the train completely and only Perry piloting it to grip the sides of the train tightly saves it from colliding with the others behind it.

"PERRY! YOU OKAY?!"

"Yeah! Just keep following!" He replied to the voice coming out of his radio before he once again tried to stand up and swat the dog away from him.

Instead, as if defying the laws of reality, the dog bounces away from Perry and back into the elderly man's side.

FUCK!

Perry wanted to scream in frustration. Were they really so weak that an old man and a dog could stop a whole squad of Paladins?! To add to that, Grimm were already chasing them from behind!

"Oh Gods! It's gaining on me! Guys! It's right behind-chzzk!"

Perry had to turn his radio off as he heard the screams. He cringed as he heard metal creak and the Grimm roar behind him.

As one of the few who actually got on top of the train, Perry was lucky that he didn't need to keep the Paladin running like the poor souls behind him. That came with the responsibility of having to push forward however and it was a responsibility he was failing.

His eyes immediately widened as he saw the old man and the dog hop onto another carriage in front of them before aiming the staff-thingy down between the two carriages.

"They're disconnecting again!" He warned desperately, turning the radio on again and pushing the Paladin forward just as the carriages began to separate.

Perry lunged for the distance between them, crossing the Paladin's arms in front of it as he saw fire come to life in front of him. He felt the heat diffuse into the cockpit and he was soaked in even more sweat than before. It was worth it however because he manages to grab onto the carriage, making it shake and the dog and old man stumble.

Before he could even relish his accomplishment however, the whole train shook as an explosion happened behind him.

BOOM!

Perry looks back for a bit and lets out a sigh of relief once he sees his comrades have successfully avoided the carriage thanks to his warning. No such luck for the Grimm however because they met the carriage head on and caused it to explode.

Still, as much a blessing as it was to destroy the Grimm, the explosion also destroyed the tunnels behind them. The very same tunnels that were keeping Grimm out from burrowing into it. Perry saw Deathstalkers, King Taijitus, and even Beowulfs, as well as Ursae, and Boarbatusks flood into the newly created breach.

He watched them chase for a bit but his eyes furrow as he sees his comrades begin to struggle even more.

"IT'S GETTING FASTER! WHY IS IT GETTING FASTER?!"

The voice from the radio jolts and now that he mentions it, it is getting faster!

Perry's eyes widened, turning the Paladin's head backwards to look at his comrades behind him struggling to keep up.

"TAKE MY HAND!" He shouts as he stretches one hand towards his comrades.

Metals clanked as large hands clamped together and it wasn't long before every single one of them was connected into a single line of Paladins running after one another.

Perry pulled, letting his comrades catch up with him but he pauses as he feels his Paladin shake. Looking back towards the train, he sees the old man and the dog flying straight at him.

It seems they weren't the only ones struggling because both the Huntsman and the dog clung to him desperately.

Just what the hell was happening?!

White Fang, Huntsman, and dog screamed alike as they were all taken for the ride of their lives.


It was inevitable that in the ensuing fight, Team RWBY would be pushed out of the Engine Room and back into the bigger Carriage 2.

Yang grunted as LT punched through her guard.

She barely just managed to cross both her arms but the force of the blow still sends her sliding back to slam into the wall behind her.

It wasn't hard but it was almost always a bad thing when you find your back against the wall. Her eyes widened as LT tried to follow up with a slash of his chainsword and Yang was just about to trade blows with him when Weiss decided to come flying in with a drop kick supported by gravity glyphs.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Yang smiled as the Faunus was launched towards his own side of the wall but her joy was short-lived however because before she knew it, the shortstack, Neo, was suddenly there and thrusting her sword towards Weiss' midsection.

Aura flared brightly and Weiss screamed in pain as she flew out of the Engine Room and back into Carriage 2.

"Weiss!" Yang cried out, charging with a punch of her own only for the pipsqueak to dance away from her.

She tried to look for her team but before she knew it, Yang was already feeling a boot on her chin. Her head snapped upward and she barely managed to keep standing as Aura took the brunt of the blow.

"Weiss! Yang!" She heard Ruby call out, rushing to try and help them only for Roman Torchwick to come between her and Neo.

"Nu-uh, Little Red, you can't just forget about me, you know?" Roman smirked as sparks flew once Melodic Cudgel intercepted Crescent Rose.

"Roman." Ruby growled and Yang then tried to rush forward to help her sister.

Instead, she finds herself pulled into a fight with Neopolitan when the pipsqueak flips to kick her arm mid-punch.

"Damn." She growls as Ember Cilica gets pointed to the ground.

Not to be outdone however, Yang glares at the pink and brown eyes looking smugly at her before punching forward again.

The controls were already destroyed so there was no need to hold back.

This time, she follows through so when Neo backtracked, Yang was there to follow. She charged in, letting her shoulder make contact with Neo only for the smaller girl to break into glass.

Yang immediately swung wide, expecting Neo to attack one of her blindsides, instead, what she got was a face full of Blake as her partner flew at her with wide eyes.

Yang yelped as they tumbled in a tangle limbs. "Blake?! What the hell?!"

"Sorry!" Blake shouted, spitting out some of Yang's hair before leaping back and pulling her partner with her.

Yang's eyes then widened as she saw a sword cut the air she and Blake were just occupying.

ADAM!

"Oof!" Yang huffed as instead of letting her go, Blake continued pulling her away from the fight with wide eyes. "Blake, what are you doing?!" Yang asked but Blake only ran farther, grabbing Ruby's cloak on the way as they regrouped with Weiss who was nursing her side.

"You always did tend to run away from a hard fight, Blake." Adam called out, leading his own band of misfits behind him as they walked to follow.

Blake shook a bit, fear present in her eyes as she stared at Adam.

Yang growled at that, shaking her hand away from Blake's as she stared at the enemies in front of them. "We need to stop the train."

"How?! Someone destroyed the controls!" Weiss glared at her sharply and Yang cringed a bit at that.

Alright, she deserved that.

In hindsight, it was a bad idea to push that far forward but in the heat of battle, all she saw was an opportunity and she took it. So what if she destroyed a few more than what she wanted to, Yang never claimed to be perfect.

What's done is done and all they could do now was deal with the problem in front of them. Mainly the bad guys.

"I don't know but it would be easier to think of a solution if they weren't trying to kill us!" She shook her head, pointing towards their enemies as Ruby nodded gravely beside her.

"She's right. What's done is done. Let's just fight."

Yang winced. As much as she liked to have her sister agreeing with her, Ruby wasn't agreeing for the right reasons. She was agreeing because of….Uncle Qrow.

Yang gasped sharply at that before shaking her head as tears pricked her eyes. This wasn't the time to have a breakdown. She of all people just found out firsthand the consequences of losing their cool.

More problems.

As hypocritical as it might sound, Ruby needed to calm down.

"Ruby, you need to calm down." Yang calls out, laying a hand on her sister's shoulder even as she keeps her eyes on their enemies.

Ruby however only snapped her. "How can you say that?! They killed Uncle Qrow, Yang! Uncle Qrow!"

Yang cringed and she only cringed more as Roman Torchwick laughed loudly.

"We sure did! Did he happen to look like this?!" He asked with a smile on his face as he waved at Neo. "Neo, do the face please."

Neo paused a bit at that before nodding thoughtfully and Yang's face paled as suddenly, she was looking at Uncle Qrow. Or his face at least. As strange as it was to see Uncle Qrow's face atop a petite girl's body, the act was no laughing matter because the face that stared at them was pale and filled with surprise as if he couldn't believe what just happened.

Yang couldn't believe it either but it only adds credence to their words and it becomes even worse because Roman Torchwick just laughs louder. "Do you know the best thing about it?! He died looking at your face, Red!"

Horror fills her bones as Neo suddenly switches into looking like Ruby, complete with her clothes and all. Gods, she even had the audacity to wink at them.

Right.

Fuck calm.

It was time for round two.


Blake's eyes widened as she saw the two sisters charge into the fray.

SHIT!

Her heart thundered out of her chest as she tried to follow.

As loud and as flashy as Yang's roar of anger as she used her Semblance was, Ruby was far faster. In the heartbeat it took for the rest of them to act, she was already halfway there, swinging Crescent Rose back before slicing it towards Neo.

It was the wrong thing to do because Adam was already there, crouching with a hand on Wilt's hilt. Blake already knew what was going to happen.

It was the same damn tactic she and Adam were fond of using! Back when they used to conduct raids on SDC supply trains, everytime Blake found herself in the crosshairs of the SDC drones, Adam was suddenly there to take advantage of their distraction and decapitate them!

It was the same damn thing here only this time, he did it with Neo.

"RUBY, NO!"

The warning escaped her mouth in an instant but it was already too late. Focused as she was at Neo, there was no way Ruby would be able to avoid Adam. The world moved in slow motion as Adam pulled his sword out of Blush and sliced towards Ruby's neck.

Blake wanted to close her eyes but she felt like a statue as she watched things happen.

She never should have been worried.

As the blade approached inches away from Ruby's neck, petals suddenly burst forth and Adam slices nothing but air as Ruby materialized behind him in front of Neo. Before he could even turn around however, Yang was already following through.

With him overextended and Yang successfully using her sister as cover for her assault, Adam Taurus gets punched in the face.

Hope surged inside Blake as she heard Adam grunt in pain.

That hope died however when Neopolitan suddenly changed back into Qrow Branwen. Blake saw Ruby freeze for a moment as her uncle's face looked at her in horror. It was a moment that Roman Torchwick took advantage of.

"ARGHH!" Ruby cried out in pain as Melodic Cudgel spat out an explosive round.

It was all downhill from there.

"Ruby!" Yang screamed out, snapping her head towards her sister. It was a distraction she could not afford because LT took the chance to tackle her away from Adam.

As one, Weiss and Blake were already nodding at each other as they charged after each of their own partners.

Blake kicked LT off of Yang while Weiss prevented Neo from attacking Ruby. Sparks flew everywhere as they all clashed in a tangled mess.

"Traitor!" LT yelled even as Blake danced away from him, allowing Yang to take the hit and dish it back out.

Before she could even follow up however, Blake's eyes were already widening as she brought Gambol Shroud up to block Wilt from hitting Yang.

"Blake!" Adam shouted even as Blake cringed away from his voice. She gasped shortly after that as Adam took the opportunity to kick her away.

Yang was just about to step in but LT blocked her path and revved his chainsword against her gauntlets.

Blake's heart stopped however as she saw Adam crouching down to his signature move, a quick draw. He sheathed Wilt, tensing his muscles, and looked straight at her.

Was he really going to hurt her?

As the world slowed while Adam pulled out his sword, Blake finds out the answer.

CRACK!

Wilt lashed out, light flashed, Aura broke, and finally, Blake falls to her knees.

Someone screamed and it could have been anyone really but at the end of it all, Blake Belladonna watches glassily as Yang Xiao Long falls sideways, blood spurting out of her neck as her hands shakily climbed up to block it.

"YANG!"

As Ruby and Weiss froze in shock before getting subdued by their own opponents, Adam swiped his sword to the side, splattering blood all over the place as he looked at Blake.

"This is the price of your betrayal, Blake." He says, pointing his sword at Yang's crumpled form. "This? This is all your fault."

And then a red portal appeared.


Find out next week what happens next in Jaune's Pineapple Jam!

I debated whether to end it this way or another but here it is. Tell me how it feels.

The choices for the damage were chest, guts, neck, and hand. Let me know which you think is best. My wife says chest would be better but I want the shock factor for Raven to be at maximum no chill... I think this is because I just read too much grimdark stuff.

P.S. For chapter 69. I posted some fanart in AO3 for all of you.

Want to support me, vote on polls, get early access, look at some fanarts?

You can find my P place in the link below.

pa tr eon.c o m (slash) MrLightbringer0

Just delete the spaces in between and use / for the slash.