Chapter 8

Little Red's Hood

Nestled between the industrial and commercial districts was the notorious 'shady side of town' which sat as an island cut off from the rest of the City of Vale by the forking of a mighty river, effectively keeping its less than reputable nightclubs and even lesser inhabitants isolated unto themselves.

While the neighborhoods just offshore of the more respectable businesses had built their infamy from an ever indulgent party crowd, the rest of the micro-district was considered out of bounds to all except those searching for things most unsavory, and those who would feel right at home in what the Atlesian side of town had dubbed 'Little Menagerie'.

Despite the commercial district being radiant enough for pedestrians to forget dusk had fallen hours earlier, the only illumination in this land of disrepair was the shattered moon that occasionally peeked out from behind the clouds. And for one peculiar girl hiding beneath a red hood, it was all she could do not to sprint toward the district's inviting glow as a passing group of young men wolf-whistled from across the street.

Uncertain whether to feel offended, agitated, or somewhat flattered by the unprecedented act, she raised an unsteady hand intending to wave back politely when a voice spoke up in her ear offering some friendly advice.

"Unless you're looking to stay at a cheap motel tonight, I'd suggest keeping your hands to yourself, princess."

The caped-girl froze mid-motion and instead raised her hood just enough to glare at the source of all her indignation, who along with her partner was peering down from atop the abandoned building she was standing beside. Although her warm breath and golden mane was hidden from even the sharpest of eyes, Weiss could see the crooked grin clearly in her mind as it was difficult picturing the blonde's face without it.

"It would break my heart knowing what's become of my baby sister."

A growl escaped from behind Weiss' clenched teeth as she kept a cautious eye on the slow moving gang while someone breathed heavily in her ear.

"Then again..." Yang drawled in a sultry voice. "The three with big ears look like they could be fun. What do ya say, Rubes? Wanna do them the honors of buying us lonely girls a couple of drinks?"

"Humph!" she huffed, turning away and keeping her voice low. "No thank you, but I'm sure the local motel managers and bartenders would give me a substantial discount if I told them my sister's a frequent customer."

Yang's snickers and cackles only furthered Weiss' irritation as she fought the urge to rip the earpiece out and stomp on it.

"Come on, sis. There's a club out there with cute boys just waiting to buy you milkshakes, or if you're feeling really adventurous, rootbeer. There's even this special one not far from here I'd been planning on treating you to for your birthday, but if you're a good little girl and promise not to tell Dad, I'll be the best big sister ever and let you have a sneak peek..."

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked herself. "And please, kill me now before you speak any more of corrupting the innocent."

"That's not a no," replied a sing-song voice. "And I'm sure even your innocent ears have heard of 'Every Body, Needs Some Bawdy'."

Weiss made a choking sound that filled the other girl with glee and caused her voice to become huskier with each deliberately spoken word. And the girl beside her could practically hear the well-mannered heiress' blood boiling as it rushed to her face.

"It is by far the BEST show in town, and wait til you see what the guys aren't wearing..."

"I take back everything I have ever said." The girl with scarlet ears shook her head vehemently. "Ruby is definitely the sane one."

Yang snorted at such ridiculousness and attempted to make a compelling argument to the contrary, but either she gave up or her not-so-quiet fantasies got the better of her while the girl down below rocked back and forth in her boots as if trying to find a more comfortable position, or perhaps simply just trying keep her mind occupied.

Because all air taxis had been grounded at night ever since the city's breaching, and because the team thought it best to keep a low profile, they'd mostly traveled through the shadows of the less populated plazas by foot, which under normal circumstances would've had Weiss' sharp tongue making up for the silent sufferings of her pedicured toes which she dared not ever attribute to her adorable heels. But in her partner's padded socks and extra comfy boots, even she couldn't complain about her delicate feet troubling her. However, despite enjoying the sensation of curling her toes around the world's softest cushions, she still occasionally muttered something about wearing clown shoes whenever she stumbled or tripped over her own feet...

"Weiss," Blake said calmly, speaking for the first time since getting into position. "Stop shifting your weight like you're nervous. You'll only draw attention to yourself."

"I can't help it," she hissed. "Yang's here, and this isn't exactly the kind of neighborhood I was raised in."

"Yeah, you probably locked the limo doors whenever you passed us commoners and our straw houses."

When she didn't respond they assumed she was probably trying to recall ever going through a neighborhood where anyone less than a millionaire resided. Just on their way, Yang had taken the somber duo on a slight detour showing them some of the reminders of the city's near collapse as well as their own heroism, and Weiss seemingly had been brought out of her melancholy seeing with her own eyes just how well the cleanup was coming along and how quickly the city was returning back to normal. However, after crossing the southern bridge into the blonde's domain, she had voiced her dismay when the tidiness started becoming less apparent until it finally came to an unceremonious halt, to which Blake curtly informed her was how the area always looked, and their tour guide wistfully noted it had escaped relatively unscathed compared to the other districts of her beloved home.

"The alley smells like a men's room..." Weiss grumbled, interrupting the heavy breathing in her ear.

"And how would you know what that's like, princess?"

Feeling her shoulder nudged, Yang lying on her stomach turned barely able to make out as the official adult of team RWBY shook her head effectively putting an end to their fun.

"Weiss," she sighed. "You're my sister who's been coming here for God knows how long by herself, and I honestly can't think of anything more terrifying than a happy-go-lucky fifteen-year-old girl skipping around the hood at night with a six foot scythe completely clueless and in her own little world. Would you want to run into that in a dark alley?"

"N-no b-but," she stammered, "I'm not exactly a happy person, I'll be eighteen in a month, and I feel naked without Myrtenaster."

"And not in a fun way I'm guessing?" Yang teased before receiving another elbow.

Weiss frowned and pulled the cloak closer to herself taking a deep breath. "I'm also not as insane as my partner..."

The pair atop the roof slowly turned to one another hearing the words Weiss never needed admit aloud as they were perfectly clear by the admiration in her soft voice.

"You'll be fine," Yang soothed, instinctively protective of the girl wearing the red hood. "We're here watching your back and I've got Myrtenaster right beside me."

"What do you think I'm afraid of?" Weiss swallowed but her throat felt just as raw and she dared not wipe her brow in fear of her hand visibly shaking. "Excuse me for being just a little tense about the prospect of finally having my throat slit by the locals. Being a Schnee will do that to you after awhile..."

Yang's grip on the rooftop ledge turned her knuckles white as a large knot formed in her chest hearing the girl's bitterness as well as her sense of helplessness which she instantly sympathized with. Being without her own weapons and having barely any aura herself, it was hard as a huntress not to feel the least bit vulnerable in such a weakened state, but it must be especially so for a dainty heiress on the wrong side of town who normally refused to leave the school campus alone or without an aura shield.

Having been raised outside of the kingdoms and rule of law, her partner was accustomed to even lesser neighborhoods, and Yang herself had been coming to these parts since her time at Signal searching for fun and mixing business with pleasure until they became one. However, even without weapons or aura, their sizes coupled with combat training, natural strength, and tough demeanors gave the two teenage girls at the least somewhat formidable presences, unlike their much smaller teammates who were barely above five feet and perhaps a hundred pounds soaking wet.

Their leader and her partner needed aura fortifying their muscles in order to accomplish the same incredible feats as Blake and Yang without, but despite their shortcomings they regularly defeated opponents over twice their size and seemingly never realized just how remarkable they were or just how much respect they'd earned from the inherently gifted faunus and genetically blessed blonde brawler who were naturally protective of the smaller girls even if they'd proven in countless battles they were more than capable of taking care of themselves, with or without their weapons and aura.

"Weiss, the person who even tries to lay a hand on my baby sister will be lucky to ever walk again," Yang said. "You hear what I'm saying?"

Down below, the red hood gave the slightest nod but her uncharacteristic fidgeting gave herself away as Yang laying off on teasing her must've meant she thought the situation was alarmingly serious. Blake taking notice of the change in resolve slapped her partner across the shoulder.

'You're not helping,' she mouthed.

Yang squinted at the dark shape in front of her and the faunus rolled her eyes in annoyance, but at the sound of a soft voice clearing their throat they glanced back down.

"I suppose things could always be worse. At least I don't have to lug around an overgrown gardening tool with me," Weiss said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "My sister's not the only one who's going to have back problems in the future..."

"You say something, sis?"

"Nope," she said popping the 'p'.

Yang turned back wearing a smug smirk that took up most of her face.

'Yes, I am,' she mouthed with a wink.

After a moment of silence filled only with indistinct sounds carried by the wind and Yang's chuckles as she pictured her partner's irritated face staring back at her, Weiss cleared her throat again.

"Ruby was probably just coming here for cheap weapons parts and ammo. R-Right? Maybe somewhere around here she found good deals on reasonably tasteful corsets and combat skirts? Or maybe she just found a dealer who sells black market cookie dough and this isn't what it looks like?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," Yang laughed, again easing her nerves. "And I've lost count how many times I've walked in on you and been told 'This isn't wha-"

Her rising voice and brightening aura were smothered by a shadowy hand covering her mouth, and despite the only light coming from the surrounding districts, Yang knew her every detail was being picked up by amber colored eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt, but in case either of you have forgotten, this is faunus territory, and many of us have very excellent hearing to go along with night vision."

Weiss stiffened like a statue along with the formerly billowing red cape, and Yang recalled that her partner was the only one not needing an earpiece, but whether she could hear the girl from several stories below or through her own receiver with its nearly maxed volume she hadn't said.

"Also," Blake sighed having reached her end, "would you please try breathing through your nose, Yang?"

Her partner responded with a muffled remark that if she interpreted correctly made her seriously consider covering her nose as well, but upon realizing her crimson faced glare was going unnoticed the skeptical hand withdrew revealing a shameless crooked grin.

Pleased to have won yet another round, Yang turned her attention back to the heiress who again was making choking sounds, but knew she could be of little help now to the red figure down below as she couldn't even see that Weiss was wiping her face, let alone with an unsteady hand.

Being blind as compared to her partner, she drummed her fingers on the ledge and waited patiently for the moon to come out of hiding, then finally peeked out the corner of her eye at the girl who had scouted the entire neighborhood while veiled in shadow, and had found them a position so well hidden from the street that not even the faunus herself had been able to see her partner up above. That is of course until she removed her jacket's hood and flipped her blazing mane as if she were on the cover of one of her countless hair magazines...

Watching the bow atop Blake's head continuously twitch in every direction filled the bored girl with amusement but also gave her a sense of ease as what lay underneath was tirelessly searching for danger while her sharp eyes darted around catching even the slightest movements in the darkness, and she had to physically restrain herself from telling the peevish girl down below what the cat faunus might be tracking in the alley behind her.

Just this quick glance was all she needed to know that Blake was clearly in her element, but it did nothing to help the night chill from piercing her heart.

After some time had passed being together, Blake had shared with her friends what being born outside city walls was like and how drastically different life was in the lawless territory of Menagerie. But only with her partner and after some prodding had she shared the realities of being a hungry child living on the streets looking for her next meal, as well as some of her less glamorous moments where she'd been forced to decide whether she simply just wanted to survive in the forsaken land of her banished ancestors, or whether she wanted to thrive like a predator.

From an early age she had seen the horrifying consequences of not doing everything it took to survive, and with nightmares fully ingrained in her mind Blake had promised herself that would never be her...

Even as a rising upstart member of the White Fang she had slept under the stars sometimes shivering and her stomach growling, but always in confidence that she was leading a righteous revolution which had kept her spirit kindled even when tears were stained on her cheeks.

She rarely spoke of the darkest moments of her former life even to her best friend, but to Yang alone had she fully recounted how wonderful yet absolutely terrifying it had been running away from the only home she'd ever known only to bounce around the villages of Vale, sleeping where she wouldn't be found, eating what wouldn't be missed, and talking to the only person who understood her and was more miserable than herself. Her own shadow...

It was then while doing the most mundane of huntress jobs that were usually little more than glorified babysitting that she'd been visited by a peculiar man wearing a green turtleneck and walking with a cane who turned up wherever she went offering her a place she could call home, make friends, and become like the legends of her then few treasured books. All this, as well as a chance at redemption which at the time she had foolishly scoffed at to his face, had been made possible by a scholarship to his academy that would be repaid once she was a registered huntress going on adventures. Which for a hungry little girl without shoes was all she ever dreamed of being before she stopped believing in fairy tales and happy endings.

She had told Yang that after his final visit, she had come to the City of Vale with her entire life packed inside a small knapsack, and just like so many other undesired and wayward faunus, she found herself a transient on the shady side of town. But unlike so many others without futures, she could see her's clearly from across the city and had learned to pickpocket like a patient predator. Her best marks had been in nightclubs where she'd walk around as if dull from her drinks and her wallet poking out of her back pocket so it was just too tempting to resist, and later the inconspicuous girl would stalk her prey and effortlessly snatch it back along with interest without any notice.

Those who robbed her at gunpoint however were lucky to be so fortunate as there was a reason why katanas forged in Menagerie had a stigma about them, and she had wielded her's since before donning her first a Grimm mask...

After only a short time thriving where others barely survived, she'd gathered enough interest to afford a cozy apartment where she had spent her days reading more books than she ever dreamed of owning, and awaited the next chapter of her life which she had long since given up praying for.

While Yang herself might spend a few fun filled hours a week on a shady side of town, for Blake it had simply been all she'd ever known, and her partner couldn't have felt more at ease with their lives in her hands. At the same time however, she also couldn't help glancing down at the girl whose life couldn't have been more opposite, yet so similar.

The caped-girl came to a halt having been mindlessly pacing around the sidewalk, and now squirmed uncomfortably at every unexpected sound as if troubled by the unnatural silence that so rarely followed her team, or perhaps sensing the damp eyes hovering above her.

"So who am I waiting for?" she asked with a slight accent, "and what sort of sleazy date did my loving sister trick me into? I wonder quietly to myself."

"And the transformation's finally complete," Blake muttered.

"Well, Ruby," Yang teased, blinking something from her eyes. "Your big sis was having a few grown up drinks the other day with an old friend, and imagine my surprise when he told me you've been hanging out with an info broker right here behind my back. I Just wanna make sure you're not doing anything that I wouldn't do, but if so I think it's time your boyfriend meets the family..."

"There's nothing that you wouldn't do, sis. But what would my gentle, kindhearted and very forgiving big sister do when she sees him? I wonder to myself quite worriedly."

"Depends..."

The heiress winced as knuckles popped in her ear.

"If you've been coming here for black market cookie dough I'm grounding you for a month and giving you all of our chore duties. If this guy's been selling you something I don't particularly like, then I'm breaking every single bone in his body, and then you and I are going to have a long talk in a nice secluded area where there are no witnesses..."

*gulp*

"We're still talking about other me right?"

Yang let her brooding speak for itself while a gentle hand squeezed her shoulder but whose owner also remained silent.

"She might be a dolt but she's far from stupid," Weiss said dropping the accent. "Trust me, your sister had a good reason for coming here. But if not I'll break his bones myself for making me stand here all night, and then I'll be there for Ruby and her chocolate intervention which has been a long time coming."

The words hung in the cold air as they repeated the sentiment to themselves, and while Weiss didn't have confidence in herself, she did have faith in someone which caused her knees to stop shaking as she tightened the red cloak around herself and straightened the cross pendants.

Yang turned just able to make out her partner nod in agreement as the moon peeked out again, but once the light faded so did the faunus' reassuring smile.

Blake loathed the cynical part of her brain that whispered the various reasons why a teenager might come to this particular neighborhood, and knew the same dark thoughts were going through Yang's if not also Weiss'.

In the beginning, Blake had presumed her leader to be foolishly naive and living in a childish fantasy, but slowly she began to see that the optimistic girl lived in the same world as her and had more than her fair share of sorrows as well. Like herself, the young girl also had nightmares but her's were almost nightly and sometimes even violent. However, she'd been the one to make Blake a believer that true good could exist even in a world like Remnant.

Feeling her hand tremble, the stealthful girl went to retrieve it afraid her best friend might sense the fear over her little sister, but froze upon realizing she wasn't the one shaking.

Looking down at her unsteady hand, Blake saw something she never thought possible and caused her breath to catch.

Yang Xiao Long was shivering...

From atop her perch the faunus could see for miles, and she cursed herself for not seeing what was less than an elbow's length away.

Never taking her eyes off the hooded blonde's profile, Blake muted the scroll around her wrist then did the same for her partner's, and in doing so came into contact with icy skin normally so feverish she could be easily mistaken for a portable heater.

"Yang, are you cold?"

The larger girl didn't acknowledge the question but from the way her jaw was set it seemed as though she was busy keeping her teeth from chattering.

Worry sunk to the bottom of Blake's chest as she stared in almost disbelief having watched her partner stroll into the student freezer countless times in nothing more than pajama shorts and a thin tank top, and saunter out minutes later eating ice cream without so much as goosebumps, and had even once caught her using the frosted tip of Myrtenaster to pick her teeth.

Now for the first time she took notice of the sharp breaths and irregularly rising chest, and questioned whether her heavy breathing had less to do with habit and good-looking guys walking below than it did with tightly bandaged ribs.

Blake had thought it strange in the beginning that her partner never bragged about injuries or ever showed them off as badges of honor like her sister and most other students did, but shortly after the mission realization had slowly come to her as she honestly couldn't remember the last time Yang had so much as a lingering bruise after a fight, and could count on one hand the number of times she'd actually seen her bleed. And now she wondered if the uncharacteristic jacket and jeans weren't just to cover her pride and sometimes questionable modesty.

"Yang," she repeated, "are you alright?"

Her partner turned looking as if it were the dumbest question she'd ever heard, but slowly she gave a curt nod.

"I wasn't lying when I said I haven't been feeling too hot lately. But I guess that's what happens when you blow up an Alpha and part of the city using yourself as a firebomb. Heh, a body as hot as this just wasn't meant to burn itself out that fast and all in one go. And I swear it's never happened to me before."

Her tight grin fell as any attempt of humor in her voice was lost in the cold, and Blake couldn't help seeing the dark irony that for possibly the first time her partner was more covered up than she was and her powers even less conspicuous than her own.

While their aura shields had been lowered so as no faunus caught sight the pair's faint glows no matter how dull they might be at the moment, Blake's passive aura was effortlessly melding them into the shadows but it should have felt as though she were rubbing elbows with a hot stove instead of a refrigerator.

Having been raised in Patchwork, the northern mountains of the Isle of Patch, Ruby was used to a chilly climate as well as the occasional wintry flurry courtesy of her partner's northern kingdom whose own frigid aura was the exact opposite of the blonde's, and Blake of course was no stranger to enduring the elements no matter the extreme.

Yang on the other hand practically lived on a beach on the opposite side of the large island with its much warmer weather, and her fiery aura meant swimming and sunbathing even on the coldest day of winter wasn't an issue, and usually garnered an attentive albeit freezing audience.

Blake's biggest worry however wasn't that her partner was shivering due to low aura or was obviously in discomfort lying next to her. It was knowing she wouldn't have the team's unstoppable cornerstone beside her if a fight broke out, and instead possibly had a stumbling block that she and another girl with barely any aura would have to compensate for, something that was simply unnatural to think about.

Just like so many of the others who hadn't seen the dainty heiress as a brilliant fencer or the carefree caped-girl as a ruthless yet ingenious warrior, Blake at first also hadn't seen Signal's most beloved party girl as anything more than a ditsy blonde coming to a huntsman academy looking for a good time.

Although she was slightly taller with a more muscular build than herself, and already had quite the fearsome reputation before initiation, Blake also couldn't help from overhearing the rather unflattering gossip about her future partner and wouldn't have said she'd been exactly impressed by the sunny blonde she had foolishly mistaken for as some sort of beach bunny or aspiring swimsuit model who only desired to become a huntress so she could meet Remnant's wealthiest and most powerful young men.

But despite not thinking much of her first encounter with her, Blake now respected her best friend as the toughest and possibly most intimidating person she had ever laid eyes on.

When Yang Xiao Long walked into the room it was best to leave your ego at the door as even the most brilliant flames couldn't compare to the burning sun. Wherever she went heads turned and captivated eyes followed to see where her legs took her, but while she privately enjoyed the attention and the many perks that naturally came along with it, she was also all too willing to prove why she had graduated from combat school the top of her class and why her combat rating was comparable to many third year students at Beacon.

While many believed the undefeated brawler should've had the highest rating among the freshmen, being a close second behind only Pyrrha Nikos stemmed mostly from her enjoying the rush of battle and savoring the intoxicating peaks of her semblance. As well as for generally only ending fights when she got bored or irritated enough, which often put her at odds with her combat instructor.

Despite her aggression however, the lovable blonde had always been popular and well liked among her professors and fellow students, principally the males. But it was no secret that even her best friends avoided combat practice with her as it usually meant a trip to infirmary, especially if she were in a particularly foul mood or simply didn't want to shower first thing after class.

Having shared a cramped room together for so long, it sometimes became easy for Blake to forget just how extraordinary her roommates were and how wearing their souls freely on their sleeves filled them with an empowerment and kinship that normal citizens simply couldn't understand, but for the girl she shared a bunk with it was sometimes difficult comprehending how incredible she was and not take her partner for granted. Yang's awesome powers being directly linked to her emotions meant those around her could feel the confidence and invulnerability radiating off of her at all times, and the normally cheerful girl stood out as an intimidating force in a profession ordinarily dominated by men much larger than herself who she could turn speechless with a flirtatious wink or turn to ash with a simple gleam of crimson in her eyes.

Now however, Yang did nothing to hide her weakness in front of her best friend and almost seemed at ease no longer having to hide the discomfort she was feeling from simply lying still on her stomach.

"Yang, I don't think your plan is-"

Her partner brushed the hand off her shoulder and faced the figure hiding in the darkness.

"Would you be this worried if my little sister was the one who made the plan?" she asked not unkindly. "I might not be able to do this on my own, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. Or that I don't appreciate what you and Weiss are doing for me and especially Rubes."

Blake's expression softened, but because her partner couldn't see she went to return the hand to its former position but found one atop her's instead.

"For a long time now I've had to be the person everyone else depended on, and if I didn't trust you I wouldn't have asked you to do this for me. Forget the plan if you want, but I'm gonna find out why she's been coming here one way or another. And I'm hoping it's another..."

She removed the hand and set her eyes back on the figure down below while Blake stared back swallowing the lump in her throat.

'You and Weiss had better hope you're at least half good as making plans as your sister, otherwise...'

Blake didn't bother finishing the thought and instead looked out into the darkness with her elbow brushing up against a block of ice as she laid a reassuring hand on her blade keenly aware of a familiar presence inside her jacket which Yang had asked her to bring but made her sick just thinking about, let alone possibly donning once again.

"I can't hear the irritating voices or heaving breathing in my head," said the caped-girl. "Has the impossible happened that I'm finally sane, or did somebody mute me? I ask myself rather crossly."

Yang catching her partner in the eye pressed a button on her scroll and Blake followed suit.

"Oh! Sorry, Weiss, we sorta forgot about you. We've been kinda busy..." she replied panting heavily. "Blakey was cold and shivering so like a good friend I snuggled up to keep her warm. She didn't want your innocent ears hearing what she had to say but basically she told me she was very grateful, I told her to prove it, and now I've got my hand on her-"

*smack*

"You're unbelievably incorrigible, sis. And it's because of your sick, twisted sense of humor that I've always been Dad's favorite."

"Probably," Yang said, rubbing the back of her head while her partner did the same for her hand. "But more importantly that's exactly why I've always been Uncle Qrow's favorite."

The caped-girl puffed out her cheeks and blew the red tips out of her eyes. "You wish."

"And it's good to hear your elementary school vocabulary finally expanding, Rubes. It's just too bad your accent makes it sound like you went to school in a farm house. Oh wait that's right..."

"Would my big sister like me to come up there and show her what I've learned from my nearly perfect partner who just so happens to be the best fencer at Beacon? I ask myself hypothetically."

"Is this you wanting an invitation to join us? I call dibs on the middle along with Blakey's Bellebooty."

*smack*

"Did my sister just-"

*SMACK!*

"Erm, I think I'll stay down here where it's safe and everyone keeps their hands to themselves..."

"So how're you feeling, Weiss?" Blake asked smoothly, now unable to feel her arm along with the lower half of her body which she desperately fought the urge to massage.

"I thought my name was Ruby," she answered over the sound of weak moans. "Thankfully the clown shoes my considerate and much more petite partner bought for me are comfortable because I get the feeling I may be standing here all night."

"Just try hold out for another hour," Yang said softly with arms cradled around her skull. "If he doesn't show by then and my head's stopped spinning, I'll buy us something warm to eat on the way home."

"Then can we go ahead with my plan and just tickle your sister until she tells us why she's been coming here?"

"We talking about you or other you?"

"I'll hold her feet," Blake offered.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Deal."

With their conspiracy in place, Weiss began counting the minutes as she had nothing better to do other than try to look as inconspicuous as possible while wearing a red cloak, combat mini-skirt, and a pinafore which in no way resembled a corset despite what anyone else might say. But while the Atlesian found the cool weather delightful, Yang atop the roof was gritting her teeth harder by the minute, tensing up with every gust of wind, and feeling as though her skin might blister from the cold.

Although she'd only been trying to get a rise from her partner, Blake muted their scrolls again and offered to scoot closer to share body heat, but was shot down just as quickly as she'd expected from the proud girl who didn't even bother playfully teasing her about the suggestion.

And as per her earlier request, Yang and Weiss no longer conversed which had been the one thing keeping Yang warm and her mind off what trouble her little sister might have been up to. And occasionally while wandering around the sidewalk, Weiss would mutter something under her breath perhaps trying to instigate the contentious girl above but eventually gave up after her third or fourth attempt was ceased by their adult supervisor.

Long after she'd given up on counting the minutes, Weiss heard bones popping in her ear and found herself immensely grateful for Yang's always reliable impatience.

"Alright that's it," she groaned pushing herself up. "I'm sick of this. When we get home, I'm sitting on Ruby's chest and we're gonna find out why we just wasted our time freezing our-"

She would've let out a startled cry but a hand covered her mouth as she was roughly pulled down beside her partner where she bit her tongue and shut her eyes so as to keep her body's protests to herself.

Blake held up a finger in front of both their faces, ending the struggles to free herself which more resembled writhing. "He's here..."

Weiss' breath caught and as casually as she could manage, looked to her surroundings but was unable to find anyone. Minutes passed feeling like hours, and just as she began believing her friends might've been playing a cruel prank, a pair of boots appeared beside her seemingly out of the darkness and without a sound.

Her heartbeat skipped and her body naturally flinched, but she recovered quickly and played the involuntary motion off as if she were simply adjusting the cloak, and once the hammering in her chest stopped she had to keep from covering her nose as despite not having seen or heard his approach, standing beside him the heiress couldn't believe she hadn't smelled him.

"Well this is a surprise," grumbled a rough voice. "I wasn't expecting you here again, especially on a chilly night like this."

The caped-girl nodded but found it rather pleasant herself even feeling a tad overdressed for the occasion.

"This part of the city isn't safe at night. They say there's a monster going around gobbling up little girls wearing red..."

Weiss couldn't help noting the man sounded as though his teeth were in the way of his tongue, and knew from the direction of his voice and from glancing out the corner of her eye at his long coat and thick legs that she was being towered over.

"I can take care of myself."

"Is that so?"

*sniff, sniff*

"Weiss," Blake said carefully. "He suspects something."

"Act like Ruby," Yang barely breathed.

The heiress swallowed and with the moon acting as a spotlight, she said goodbye to all humility and dignity in favor of something less sensible and more happy-go-lucky.

'Dolt mode activated...'

"Yep! I've-been-drinking-lots-of-milk-and-because-of-my-super-awesome-teammates-and-my-best-friend-forever-awesome-partner-I've-got-super-awesome-huntress-moves-like-this!"

She kicked a leg into the air and began making chopping motions to go along with the sound effects made with her mouth, but all at once she lost her balance and began flailing her arms like a bird until she was upright again posing dramatically.

"Ta-Da!"

A cool breeze blew her cape and despite keeping the hood down she grinned so widely it felt as though her face would crack, and in her ear she could hear stifled giggles and the sound of tears running down bright faces.

"Well done, Weiss," Blake commended. "Ruby couldn't have done it any better."

"That's my little sis," Yang said wiping her eye.

Her smile didn't fade despite feeling fierce eyes studying her from above, and she didn't even notice her body relaxing the more she asked herself what a certain other dolt would do in her situation, and so while pondering she brought a finger to her nose to the amusement of those in her ear.

The stranger grunted in what sounded like disinterest, then slowly reached into his long coat causing her to hold her breath and resist the natural instinct to activate her aura or at the very least look up from his filthy boots. Weiss trusted her friends completely with her life as they had saved it countless times before and treated it as if it were more valuable than their own, and after months being together she couldn't have felt more secure being at their complete mercy if he were to pull a weapon.

Her breathing finally returned to normal after hearing the sound of paper crinkling but her stomach sank wondering what might be inside.

"You have the money?"

Weiss nodded and dug around the overstocked ammo belt moving several yellow dust crystals to the side before clumsily retrieving a blue lien which she playfully twirled between her fingers.

He made an ugly sound that might've been a snort. "The stuff you wanted wasn't worth half that, but if you insist..."

Fingernails that more resembled claws swiped through the air at a startling speed, but the caped-girl effortlessly withdrew in time and held out her other hand which had a faint golden hue that quickly faded.

She wiggled her long, thin fingers and before she could blink a manila envelope dropped into her hand, and seeing no other option she held out the small fortune which was snatched up without hesitation.

Weiss weighed the package in her hand unable make out what all may be inside due to its thickness, but also because her senses were preoccupied from feeling his eyes on her once more.

"Aren't you going to open it?" he asked. "I've been carrying those records since summer and been dying to seeing your reaction..."

From his tone the caped-girl thought looking inside might be the last thing she wanted to do, but with a silent apology to her partner, she began breaking the seal when gnarled nails dug into her wrist causing her to yelp as they broke pale skin.

"What clean hands you have, miss Rose, especially for how much faunus blood you have on them..."

She looked up seeing grey hair covering his yellow eyes as the wolf bared his fangs down at her.

"And what heartless eyes you have. They almost remind me of a Schnee's..."

He raised her arm so her toes barely scraped the sidewalk then brought his face so close she felt hot breath prickling her neck.

"Not even perfume can hide the stench of your retched family."

The claws dug deeper and her injured arm screamed in agony, but all that escaped from her mouth was a growl as heartless, cold eyes stared defiantly into his daring him to make a move.

"A lot of my people are dead because of you, princess. And the White Fang's put a pretty price on your not-so-pretty face..."

He trailed a finger down her left eye and Weiss flared her aura trying to pull away, but the wolf faunus was well over twice her size and even stronger than he appeared. A white glyph began forming under his feet but before she could flick her wrist, she hesitated as heavy boots landed merely a few feet away.

"I'd let go of her if I were you," said a quiet voice. "That's my baby sister you've got your hands on..."

Weiss noticed how the ground sunk beneath the girl's aura, but mostly she focused on the rapier in her hand and how her lilac eyes kept flickering red as if unable to make up their mind.

She removed her dark hood revealing long blonde hair that fell below her waist, and with the wolf faunus basking in the newfound sunlight, Weiss quickly activated the small glyph sending them both flying backwards and herself skidding to a halt at Yang's side, and after shoving the envelope into her waistband she gladly retrieved Myrtenaster.

Weiss manually spun the stubborn cylinder until it landed on a red dust vial and scratched her finger on the trigger waiting for her would-be attacker to make the next move, or more likely her incorrigible roommate.

Hearing laughter, she turned her head as several men wearing similar long coats stood in the alley as if they'd been there the entire time, and at the sound of Yang popping her knuckles, she turned back to see over half a dozen more joining the info broker who had their sights on the impressive blonde who'd seemingly fallen from the sky.

"Tell ya what, blondie, if you'll just let us keep the Schnee we'll let you go without any trouble whatsoever..."

Seeing the wolfish grins directed toward her, Yang followed their hungry eyes and fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

"And what makes you boys think I'd let you off that easily?" She giggled girlishly and nudged the smaller girl, pointing excitedly at all the men surrounding them. "Thanks for the early birthday present, sis. How'd you know this is what I've been wanting?"

"Call it sisters intuition," she replied barely able to keep her voice from cracking. "That and you talk in your sleep..."

"Hmm, just so you know I wasn't actually sleeping. And I'll tell ya what, sis, if we finish early I happen to know a special club not far from here with much better looking guys..."

Weiss glanced at the malicious and ravenous looks they were being given and swallowed. "Sounds good. I've been told they have excellent service, though of course I wouldn't know myself."

Yang laughed and seeing the same faces she winked. "Careful boys," she cooed. "Stare at the sun too long and you could go blind, but if you try to touch her..."

"You will get burned," Weiss finished, setting her rapier aflame.

The leader narrowed his eyes looking back and forth between the two teenage girls, and with the snapping of his fingers the men retrieved knives from their jackets which glowed red from dust crudely infused with the blade, something meant for burning through aura shields quickly and painfully.

Although it would've been intimidating for most, Weiss' first thought was how highly illegal they were before setting her left foot forward and readying her blade while Yang let out a relieved breath they hadn't pulled guns. They wanted to make this memorable and take their time, something fine by her and only made her more excited.

The info broker stepped forward feeling brave surrounded by his men. "The two of you are about to find out why humans are at the bottom of the food chain."

Yang's grin widened looking more devilish by the second. "Then I suggest you all get in line." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Because it starts behind me..."

Steam began rising from her mane as well as her shoulders followed by the rest of her body, and when her eyes finally reopened they were glowing blood red.

Facing toward the alley, several men tried flanking her but were sent skirting back as Myrtenaster's flames singed their coats. Weiss pressed her back against her teammate as they'd done countless times before always feeling as though the sun was shining on her, but now found herself shivering as she felt the other girl's muscles beginning to tense up.

Yang's joy never faded from her face despite the agony every inch of her body was feeling as it only made her rage grow, and when the first faunus darted out of the alley at an inhuman speed, she almost felt disappointed as he seemed so slow compared to those she trained with, especially the annoying little girl who'd steal certain articles of clothing from her and run around the house singing about them.

She expected this wouldn't end much differently...

The attacker's knife came within inches of her chest when a hand caught him by the wrist and squeezed until the blade fell from his hand into her own. He cried out but his suffering came to an abrupt end when her elbow caught the side of his head and sent him flying into a brick building where he collapsed.

His fellow faunus stared in disbelief as she twirled the blade in her fingers before letting it drop to even more surprised faces that were slowly backing away from the flames.

"Let's make this fair shall we?"

Several concerned eyes blinked as she instead raised her fists with only fingerless gloves for protection, and again she sported a cocky grin which faltered slightly when her vision blurred.

Two men lunged toward the heiress' throat but were sent flying as fire danced off her blade. With the flick of her wrist, she flourished her blade and despite the flames several of the thugs swore the temperature was dropping, and suddenly cried out in pain dropping their knives as it felt though they'd stuck their hands in a bucket of ice water and an oven at the same time.

Weiss smirked trying to hide how much expanding her aura and activating the red dust of their weapons drained her, and despite her partner's snug clothing she found none of her elegant movements restricted as she sent another faunus howling in agony.

She felt her teammate's body tense again and caught a man in the head who'd thought himself clever in flanking the larger girl only to writhe on the ground from the rapier that when imbued could trade blows with even Crescent Rose and its relentless wielder.

Yang sent another another man flying and showed no concern of the knife meant for her face as she simply sidestepped with Weiss mirroring her movements as another blade slashed at her chest. She ducked under a left hook and gave the faunus one of her own, but he simply growled as smoke rose from his chin. And without Ember Celica around her wrists, Yang caught the knife on her jacket's sleeve with only a thin layer of aura between her and the blade already burning its way toward her flesh.

With a roar she swiped the knife away as if she were parrying, and extended her other arm back this time feeling something break on contact.

Her foe fell to the ground but she had little time to celebrate as electricity shot through both arms causing even her toes to curl. She heard someone rushing forward, and relying heavily on past experiences, she braced what little aura she had and covered her face as a large fist caused her boots to leave the ground.

Before Weiss could shout, Yang landed back on her feet already charging forward when another thug moved in at an unnatural speed. She spun out of the knife's reach but felt a searing sensation in her shoulder that caused her vision to darken and something warm to trickle down her left arm.

Weiss sent another volley of flames at her attackers, striking a few square in the chest as she regrouped with the doubled over cornerstone who very nearly knocked the smaller girl away as waves of malicious aura washed over her. And she knew in that instant that people were going to die if this didn't end soon, and she said as much under her breath.

Roaring like an animal, Yang flew towards the unfortunate man who'd caused her to bleed, and he crumbled to the ground as her mighty fist connected with his skull, but immediately gasped as she felt ripples throughout her sides and thought she could hear her muscles tearing.

This time she didn't have time to brace for the punch even if she'd had enough aura, and merely closed her eyes as she was sent flying atop Weiss who struggled to keep them both upright.

"Yang!?"

"I'm fine!" she yelled, wiping the blood from her lip and slamming a fist into an approaching body which she couldn't raise her arm high enough for.

Normally she would've gotten a few chuckles from the large man who'd fallen to his knees crying out in a pitch higher than both her sister and Weiss combined, but with crimson replacing her pupils and arms curled against her chest, she left a deep impression of her boot across his face.

More men lunged forward and she cried out, and Weiss didn't even see who struck Myrtenaster so forcefully that she flew through the air onto Yang where they both collapsed.

"Huntresses aren't so tough without their auras now are they?" the leader asked, spitting blood after having been informally introduced to Yang's fist. "Think of this as a very brief history lesson as to why we faunus were never completely wiped out by your kind. Not that there will ever be another lesson for the two of you..."

The few men still remaining on their feet chuckled darkly, but were all nursing burns and various other injuries, and their laughter sounded more like a pack of wolves impatiently waiting to be fed.

Weiss tried to raise her rapier but in a flash, a filthy boot snuffed out the flames and she nearly cried out as what felt like hot knives twisted inside her tightly bandaged arm, and she almost couldn't believe there weren't real blades sticking out of her flesh.

The info broker gazed at the heartless, cold eyes underneath the hood and smiled seeing traces of fear, but what he failed to see was his prey holding onto the other girl who was shaking and her blood literally beginning to boil on her skin.

"Yang, calm-"

The boot landed on her hand and she gritted her teeth holding onto her even tighter as she felt the uncontrollable power coursing through Yang's body ignited from seeing the small girl dressed as her little sister tormented in front of her very eyes.

'They're all about to die and they don't even know it...'

Weiss smiled inches from her face hiding the agony and opened her mouth. 'Hold on just a little longer, sis.'

Yang closed her eyes and buried her face under the mane while she furiously tore through the concrete with bare hands.

With all the man's weight pressing down, Weiss bit her tongue refusing to make a sound or let go of her beloved rapier.

He chuckled at the false bravado and stooped down brandishing a knife in front of her left eye. "The White Fang are going to be very pleased when they hear about this..."

*twitch*

"Hear about what exactly?"

Weiss' heart fluttered but across her face she wore the familiar coldness she'd felt her entire life which had long since turned into bitterness until only a few months prior.

Every head turned to the source of the muffled woman's voice but saw nothing until a slim figure stepped out of the darkness revealing little as the shadows seemed to follow her.

The men narrowed their eyes having trouble even with their superior vision discerning her features apart from an unremarkable black jacket and jeans, as well as the face of a horrifying beast. A Grimm mask with large fangs and ornate designs that reminded them of a predatory cat gazing at its next meal.

Only afterward did they notice the katana with battle worn chips and claw marks held loosely in her hand, as well as the pair of ears atop her head that swiveled at even their slightest movements.

They swallowed looking back and forth between their boss who stepped back and their approaching shadowy visitor.

"I can handle the Schnee filth myself..."

The raven haired woman behind the mask spoke with a dull, almost bored sounding voice as if they were discussing the fair weather, but the regal name had been soaked in such venom that it was a wonder it hadn't also dripped from her sharp fangs.

She growled sounding like the monster whose face she wore and took a step toward to the small, frightened heiress lying the ground as one of the men foolishly rushed forward.

"No way!" he cried waving a knife in her face. "We did all the work which means-"

In less than the blink of an eye, the masked woman became enshrouded in darkness and it was as if her katana was shaped into a pistol by the very shadows themselves. The man didn't even have time to react as he fell to the ground in a cloud of yellow dust as she pulled the trigger multiple times without even the slightest hesitation or hint of remorse.

His fellow wolf faunus watched with wide eyes as the pistol hovered over the shallow breathing man's head.

"The White Fang does not need the help of amateurs..." The masked woman with the monotone voice moved the gun over the cowering heiress who covered herself in the red cloak as if hoping it would serve her better than it had its original owner, all the while the other girl slowly crawled toward the man who'd just been crushing her baby sister's hand.

"Neither of you have any idea how many times I've thought about doing this," the masked woman said, "especially tonight..."

Her shadows attacked and the men fell to their knees as if the world was swallowing them. Those who struggled were the first to fall either to gunshot or from an unseen cleaver striking them down with the flat of the blade.

The info broker watched on in horror as his men cried out in the darkness, and somehow got to his feet to run when he heard something snap before feeling his kneecap twist completely in the wrong direction.

He fell to the ground screaming with his knife skidding across the pavement, and a warm body rolled atop of him leaving burns wherever they came into contact with.

Despite feeling like a cord stretched far beyond its limit, Yang pulled her arm back with a feverish hand around his throat.

"Name of the woman who attacked the CCT," she growled barely able to get the words out.

He shook his head and whimpered as her snarl only worsened.

"Wrong answer!" She slammed her fist and watched the back of his skull bounce against the concrete, and there his body lay very still.

Behind her, the darkness dissipated as the last man fell and Weiss gasped for breath as she flicked her wrist and the black gravity glyph around their feet vanished. She lay her head against the cool ground vaguely aware of someone standing over her, and with her head pounding, she opened her eyes to see the masked woman breathing heavily and her pistol hovering over her, and Weiss half wished she'd pull the trigger.

"Bang," Blake deadpanned. "You're dead."

Weiss scowled but sat up and readjusted the wig and hood before taking the hand that was offered to her.

"Maybe if that was Crescent Rose," she scoffed, pointing at the low caliber pistol. "High-grade yellow dust hurts but it'll only seriously injure someone with a weak or nonexistent aura shield."

Her masked face cocked to the side. "And which one do you think the you are?"

Weiss' expression soured but after a moment her eyes softened, and Blake kept her steady while she swayed back and forth dizzily.

"I'm very much appreciative of being alive right now," she said with a weary smile. "Thank you, and I think you may have saved their lives as well." Weiss took a hard look at her fallen attackers then at Myrtenaster which dangled and weighed heavily in her bruised hand. With the ever so slightest hesitation, she clipped the rapier to her belt and removed her eyes from those lying at her feet.

"Don't mention it..." Blake took her by the shoulder and half carried, half dragged her to where Yang was still atop the info broker with crimson eyes and bloody knuckles exposed through her once padded gloves.

Walking over, they saw the man's chest barely rising underneath her, and her face contorted as if in deep thought. She glanced up looking as though they'd interrupted something important.

"Bang, you're dead."

The girl on the ground blinked several times at the black pistol as if unable to understand what had just been said or who had even spoken, but finally clear lilac returned and she shook her head.

"I could've taken at least three more of them."

"Maybe," she agreed, honestly believing her. "But the fourth or fifth would've killed you, and Weiss."

With a swift motion, Gambol Shroud became a katana once more and returned to the cleaver over her shoulder that also acted as its sheath, and Weiss shook her head that the complex weapon could still transform so smoothly despite having been barely maintained since the mission. A true testament to her neurotic partner's meddling.

They offered their hands but Yang ignored them, and instead rolled off the large man before digging into his coat pocket and holding up a decaying wallet.

"Are we robbing him too?" asked the muffled voice.

"Blake," Weiss grimaced, "would you please take that hideous thing off now? You know it gives me the creeps."

The faunus hesitated having forgotten she was still wearing the face of a monster as it'd felt so natural on her own.

"Sorry..." She complied and returned the mask into her jacket before expertly retying the bow over her ears and again offered a hand to her partner.

Yang sighed reluctantly accepting the offer, and the larger girl was of very little help getting back to her feet being difficult for the pair to even hold onto as blood and sweat mingled on her hands while she kept her arms tightly cradled against her chest.

"That actually went better than I expected," she groaned halfway up.

"I will never take your insane sister's plans for granted ever again," Weiss groaned back.

Once she was on her feet again, Yang swayed and collapsed into her friends' arms for an impromptu embrace that was gladly received and returned.

They stood there for a moment but once the girls felt they could stand on their own they slowly released one another but stayed close together.

Yang being slightly hunched over smiled weakly and held up a blue line for Weiss who blinked. "I believe this is yours."

"But that isn't." She pointed, taking the card and sticking it in her partner's belt for safekeeping.

The larger girl retrieved a handful of lien varying in colors before dropping the still heavy wallet onto his chest.

"I told you I wasn't gonna let some scumbag have Summer's money, and Rubes would've paid half upfront the night she asked for info and the other half tonight. I don't know how much this guy charges, but I do know he owes me a new jacket."

She glanced down at her shoulder and Blake's nose twitched as she caught the scent of something burning, and realized it was her best friend.

While Yang regarded the tear in her clothes with an annoyed scowl, the other two were more preoccupied with the bloodstain, or more specifically the small flame emerging from her flesh.

"Um, is that from the dust or your aura?" Weiss asked meekly.

Yang shrugged unconcerned. "A little of both, but I'm good. I just wish I had less vests and one more jacket to wear."

"We should get you to the infirmary, just to make sure that doesn't get infected."

Yang snorted as if the thought amused her. "In case you haven't noticed but I'm kinda used to red dust."

She motioned at her wrists but only raised them a few inches from where they were curled. "After practice it's practically the only thing I can smell and taste until I shower, speaking of which..."

"You don't have to worry about dust infections?" Weiss asked having never given it much thought.

The other girl grinned. "Being as hot as I am has its perks, besides the obvious of course."

Weiss rolled her eyes but nearly jumped when the girl who'd been silently studying her partner's injuries with a twinkle in her moist eyes, slapped her good shoulder so forcefully it caused her entire body to shudder and fight to remain standing upright.

"And your hotheadedness is what nearly got the two of you killed!"

"Hey." Yang forced a grin and motioned at the unconscious bodies. "It all worked out didn't it? And now every faunus in the area has a reason not to trust the White Fang. When you and Sun went to that warehouse you told me there were hundreds of new recruits, and-"

"That was never your plan and we know it! You just wanted an excuse to punch someone and get punched back! Are you really this reckless or is this your way of punishing yourself for Ruby getting hurt!?"

*buzzzzt*

*buzzzzt*

An awkward silence filled the chilly air and Weiss was all too eager to glance down at her wrist scroll's belated aura alert which along with Yang's had just gone off.

"I guess none of us remembered to change settings after the mission," she said as they both removed the earpieces that only activated at a certain distance apart from teammates. "They're set to only go off after aura inactivity so they don't annoy us in battle. Ruby's idea, not that you two ever wear them anyway..."

Ignoring her continued anxious chatter, Blake rolled up her sleeve noting her low aura in the orange while the other two were deep in the red with her partner's barely hovering above zero. She frowned but soon found herself marveling that either were still on their feet. And even after all this time she couldn't help admiring their stubbornness and unyielding resolve, attributes her team had in spades but especially the girl who even while running off fumes would've ended the fight herself if she hadn't stepped in, and Blake suddenly found her first point rather mute as everything had gone exactly as planned at least according to her partner.

Both girls shut off their scrolls and Yang set her jaw looking away while still cradling her arms. With a wry grin however, she gingerly reached into her heavy ammo belt which was mostly hidden by her jacket.

"Either way we got what we came for, and I didn't even need to use this."

She held up a silver fist with a pistol grip and two sawed-off shotgun barrels crudely welded on and spun it around as if she were a gunslinger.

Weiss took a step back and gaped. "I cannot believe you actually brought that thing here."

"I was feeling a little not-so-fun kinda naked so I decided to bring it as an insurance policy. And give me at least a little credit. You and Ruby haven't blown yourselves up yet so I must've done something right."

She holstered the makeshift weapon again sporting a proud grin, and Blake shook her head at how easily changing the subject came to her partner. But she also found herself secretly appreciative as it was difficult staying mad at upbeat girl for too long, sometimes infuriatingly so.

"So," Weiss drawled looking up at the faunus. "How did he know I wasn't Ruby?"

"He probably just remembered her voice or scent, or maybe he thought even she wasn't that excitable and over-the-top." Blake smirked and stood on one foot while flapping her arms.

"I don't think so," Yang shook her head. "Your impression was spot on, and right now you could fall in a pile of Schnee and come out smelling like a Rose."

"Thank you for that," she grumbled. "Has anyone ever said you have a way with words?"

"She's not wrong," Blake's nose twitched again. "You only used rose scented soaps and shampoos in the shower, and we practically bathed you in perfume, and-"

"Could've been literally if you'd been a good sport and taken us up on our kind offer."

"And," she nudged her partner, "the only reason it doesn't fool me is because we've all shared a room for so long."

"You saying you know my sweet scent by heart, Blakey?" Yang poked her partner who shook her head again but couldn't help grinning at the girl's unwavering persistence to lighten the mood.

"Definitely not the word I would use and let me rephrase, 'shared a room for too long'..."

While the pair traded playful slaps, Weiss bit her lip not liking the conclusion. "So how did he know then?"

After a moment of thought Yang's eyes flickered. "Maybe he actually thought you were Rubes but your manicured nails gave you away. Or maybe my friend decided to kill two birds with one stone and accidentally let something slip on the streets. And if that's the case my birthday just got even better..."

Her eyes flickered once more but she wobbled unsteadily before they grabbed hold of her.

"Thanks," she said, "for everything. I couldn't have done this without either of you."

Weiss beamed and Blake wiped her eyes looking down at the bodies strewn across the street, as well as the blood and remnants of dust.

"So what if this guy figures out the two of you aren't dead, or thinks that the girl with a cat-eared bow and black katana looks kinda familiar next to her teammates during the Vytal Festival?"

Yang shrugged seemingly more interested in her jacket's tear. "Something tells me most of these guys won't be walking anytime soon, or be wanting payback for that matter. And if they do give us a second thought they'll probably just think we got away somehow or you let us escape so the White Fang can kill the princess at a more convenient time. There's no way anyone actually saw you tonight, but didn't we already decide you'd wear a hood in the tournament and keep Gambol Shroud sheathed?"

Blake opened her mouth but slowly nodded. It'd been her partner who suggested this after she revealed her anxieties about fighting in front of an audience of tens of thousands while millions watched around Remnant. And now she couldn't help wondering if her leader wasn't the only natural born planner in her family, or if perhaps she simply might've picked it up somewhere.

"Plus, I think we've got bigger fish to worry about that some low-life info broker and his gang, and I wouldn't be too surprised if the Malachite twins were hanging around waiting for us to leave..."

The faunus barely heard her as she thought of the growing list of people who may want herself and her friends dead, but they were interrupted as Yang cleared her raw throat.

"You alright, Weiss?"

Blake turned to the small girl who glanced up having been quietly massaging her left arm while blood was frozen to her hand.

"Just pondering on my inevitable demise is all," she said coolly. "That and it's nice seeing someone else's jacket ruined for once. I'm starting to think your fashion-senseless sister might have the right idea about wearing economically inexpensive clothes that hide blood, sweat, and dirt, but I haven't quite decided yet."

Yang tilted her head. "Did you just call my baby sister cheap?"

"You're both cheap, just in different ways."

"Oh okay. For a second there I thought you were being rude. Next time we go shopping, follow Rubes out of the women's department into the kids section with the playground, and-"

Blake coughed getting their attention. "I'm sorry for all that," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, watching as frost accumulated on the girl's sleeve in an attempt to numb the injury. "Not all faunus support the White Fang or hate your family, it just seems like we all do..."

Weiss looked indifferent but something seemed to tug on the side of her lip. "I already know that, Blake."

The dark haired girl nodded in thanks but couldn't help thinking how much difference a year makes as a night like this might've ended very differently for the heiress back then...

"I suppose I should be flattered that I'm to blame for all the innocent lives tragically lost on my family's stolen train. The same train and crew mind you that just so happened to be on their way to destroy the City of Vale and slaughter thousands of civilians. I believe I can live with that on my conscience."

"Weiss," Blake comforted, "we were there too."

"And Rubes was the only one who actually tried to save anybody." Yang grabbed their shoulders and gave a small smile that obviously pained her. "I don't think any of us have lost a minute of sleep thinking about a hundred White Fang members dying even though we probably could've done something. But I know for a fact that the little girl who jumped off a moving train and fought through a horde of Creeps sometimes can't sleep at night because of them."

Weiss' hand drifted toward her rapier. "I hate them," she murmured watching as the cape fluttered.

"And if the White Fang's really put a hit out on you then we shouldn't have brought you here," Yang finished looking upset with herself.

"Humph!" Weiss crossed her arms over her chest. "You told me you needed someone who doesn't shop in the big girls department like the two of you do, and I've had a price on my head since I was born and faunus trying to kill me since I can remember."

Blake flinched and once again lowered her eyes at the thugs she was once no better than.

"Besides," she continued, "I have my friends watching my back now. Right, Blake?"

"Huh?" Her head shot up. "Oh, right. Of course..."

Yang nodded but her smile faltered as something occurred to her. "You know, this guy actually might've known you're Rubes' partner. And maybe thought he'd get some payback through her."

Both blinked but Blake was the first to speak. "It's not exactly a secret there's a Schnee attending Beacon, or who her teammates, leader and partner are..."

Weiss pulled the cloak closer as she shuddered. Lowering her cold gaze, she realized who the large wolf faunus might've been waiting for and her aching hand tightened around Myrtenaster, and Yang understanding the look on her face all too well squeezed her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," she said kindly. "Rubes could've taken care of these guys with her feet tied together and in a corset two sizes too small, and she's not dumb enough to come to the shady side of town without aura."

"No only we are," Blake snapped not completely willing to let this go. "You can't even stop a knife with your aura."

Yang yawned already tired of the conversation. "Which was red dust imbued if you hadn't noticed."

"And I've seen you grab Myrtenaster barehanded."

"Um, imbued and infused aren't exactly the same-" The resident dust expert was cut off by the girl in black who held up a hand.

"But you're right," Blake relented. "White Fang recruitment probably won't go over real well next time around, and we got what we came for."

She motioned at the caped-girl's belt where a manila envelope was tucked into her waistband, and blue eyes widened having forgotten it was there while Yang's seemed have been avoiding it altogether.

Weiss retrieved the package with an reluctant hand and silently asked Yang to take it but was pushed away with the intent clear on her face. If it wasn't good news she wanted it broken to her gently, and she trusted her friends with whatever trouble her sister might've gotten herself into as they'd been the ones to get them both out of it.

Smooth, supple fingers broke the seal and their owner paused looking for the older sister's permission.

Yang glanced at the other girl. "Blake, be honest with me. Why do you think she's been coming here?"

Their eyes caught and the faunus lightly touched her arm. "I think your sister's been coming here for the exact same reasons you do."

The blonde bit her lip looking disheartened which only caused her partner's reassuring smile to grow. "For someone who talks so much about coming here for 'fine drinks and finer guys', you sure know a lot about info brokers. And I think you're more like your sister than you're willing to admit..."

Yang sniffed, wiped her nose and motioned for the envelope to be opened with her hair covering her face.

Weiss watched her with unreadable eyes but obeyed. With the shattered moon hanging high above, she retrieved several packets of paper as well as a small photo that fell to the ground which Blake stooped down to retrieve.

On the back was a large black question mark which she knew hadn't been from Ruby as it wasn't written in red crayon. Flipping it over was a young woman with long dark hair wearing a white dress shirt that was left unbuttoned at the top and sitting in a position that greatly emphasized her rather short red skirt. The young woman looked to be posing for someone as she partially withdrew a long curved blade from its sheath while giving the camera holder a crooked, sultry grin that took up most of her face.

Blake chuckled shaking her head at the photo's subject who left little to the imagination and might've been a model if it weren't for her weapon and the familiarity in which she held it.

Inspecting the image closer, she noted how the colors had faded some and assumed it must've been either a bad copy or possibly poorly developed as the fringes of the woman's hair looked reminiscent of feathers and her eyes glowed crimson with pupils barely visible. There was also a strange white streak off to the side her face, but the harder Blake looked the more she realized that the uniform's colors as well as her large mane, warm crimson eyes, and even crooked grin were all too familiar.

Breathlessly, she held the picture up to her partner's profile and gaped.

"Yang?" She swallowed. "This looks like-"

"You!" Weiss cried looking up from the papers with scarlet cheeks.

Blake handed the photo over to her partner who studied the photo with a bored look about her.

"That's because her name's Raven Branwen," she said sounding just as disinterested. "She's my mom..."

The monochrome pair stared at her as if waiting for an explanation but the girl didn't seem in a hurry, or even surprised.

"My dad took this when they were about our age. Even back then they'd known they were made for each other, and I guess you could say my mom wasn't exactly camera shy."

"She um, doesn't exactly seem too modest either," Weiss said with an awkward yet not unkindly voice.

"She had absolutely nothing to be modest about..." Yang smiled fondly at the woman in the photo but something haunted her words making the night seem a tad colder.

"Summer was the only one who really kept any pictures of the team, but after what happened in Patchwork we lost most of them. And most of my dad's pictures look a little something like this."

Yang held the picture up mimicking the pose and expression, and the two couldn't help seeing the many resemblances.

With mist in her eyes and her smile fading, she lowered her head. "She's beautiful..." Yang murmured, touching the woman's face. "I'm really glad Rubes chose this one..."

Weiss coughed and pretended to go back to the papers as something in her eyes was making it difficult to read, but Blake continued staring at the photo preciously held in calloused hands that were stained red.

"Why would Ruby come all the way out here with a picture of your mom?"

Her partner sighed and fidgeted a bit with her hair then her torn jacket, and finally shrugged wearing a sheepish look. "I don't think Ruby's ever really believed me when I'd tell her what I was doing late at night. Even when I'd sneak into bed smelling like a nightclub and go into vivid detail about what I'd been up to and why I was covered in sweat, she'd still give me funny looks." Yang wiped the sheen from her rueful face and held it up as if it were evidence.

"I'm not sure if she followed me into town one night or if Rubes just knows me too well, either way she knows I don't always come around looking for a good time. Sometimes I come looking for answers. And sometimes they're about my mom, the kind no one else will give me."

"Oh..."

"Most guys start spilling everything they know once we've both had a few drinks, but others need a little more persuasion..." She pointed at the unconscious info broker and looked at her friends almost apologetically. "I guess both of you know that too now..."

The pair glanced at one another with knowing smiles and twinkling eyes.

"Don't give yourself too much credit there, party girl," Blake said with a smirk as well as a wink. "We know you better than that, and you're nowhere near as bad as you make yourself out to be."

"Even if we do find you more than a little exasperating at times," Weiss added mirroring her expression. "But it's like she said, you're more like your sister than you're willing to admit."

Yang's face brightened with the first amount of color in hours and suddenly seemed very interested in her economically inexpensive boots. After a moment she cleared her throat and clapping her hands together she motioned for them to keep going through the envelope's contents, but couldn't help focusing on the question mark on the back of the woman's photo.

While Weiss squinted to read the papers, Blake noticed something green sticking out between the pages and removed it.

It was a sketch of another young woman, and she instantly recognized it as having been drawn by her surprisingly talented leader. It was hard to tell, but the tanned skinned girl seemed to be about their age, but her only real distinguishable features were a dark green cloak with a hood that partially covered her chocolate brown hair, as well as her matching eyes that seemed to glow with a slight orange hue off the paper even in the dark.

"Who's this?" she asked handing the picture over.

Yang frowned and slowly turned it over seeing another question mark. "Ruby, you idiot..."

"Yang?" her partner raised a brow.

"At least I know you're smart enough not to give her name..."

Blake was surprised to hear what sounded like disappointment in her voice, and glanced at Weiss but she was too busy reading to notice.

"Yang," she asked again. "Who is she? And why would Ruby draw a picture of her?"

"No one you need to worry about." Yang paused as her words had come out more harshly than she intended. "Sorry, but she's a close family friend and there's a very good reason why we don't carry pictures of her. And Ruby knows better than to have some info broker start digging. But I guess it doesn't make much of a difference now..."

Blake slowly nodded seeing with her own eyes the many emotions on her partner's face. "Did something happen to her?"

Yang swallowed a large lump in her throat as her eyes threatened to flicker. "You could say that..."

She looked away and crumbled the piece of paper into a ball, and as she did Blake noticed red fingerprints all over the paper and even saw a few on the photo as well.

"Sorry, Rubes, but that's not going on the refrigerator back home."

After a moment to regain her composure, she turned to Weiss, and Blake thought that for the first time that her partner looked as though she wished her friends were no longer there.

"Whatcha ya got there?"

The caped-girl bit her lip squinting. "I'm not sure. They might be her aura records but I can't tell. There's a lot of spikes in the beginning and other stuff I don't understand."

Yang eagerly took them off her hands but flipped through them lazily. "They're her's. Starting from when her aura first unlocked and I suddenly had the world's fastest younger sister to do all my chores, to what looks like her last semester at Signal where I took advantage of her super speed every chance I had thinking it'd be my last opportunity at three minute food deliveries while also getting in some last minute corruption for Dad to deal with. Now she's your problem."

"Thanks for that, but why wouldn't she just go to the lab if she wanted tests done?"

The larger girl was quiet for a moment as she contemplated something. Finally she looked up from the papers unconcerned. "She's not seventeen yet. Rubes would need Dad's permission first to see anything sealed and wasn't current. And these are actually illegal for this guy to have now that I think about it..."

"Why would she need to see anything else?"

"And what about her aura spikes?" Blake asked, eyes moving between her partner and the packet. "Those look like they started not long after her aura unlocked, a few years before it should've started really developing."

Yang held the papers up at an angle so the faunus couldn't see, and flipped through them again as if she hadn't heard.

"What's the last paper say?"

Both girls glanced down at the final packet in Weiss' hand.

"It's a hospital record, I think," she said, having to squint due to the small print and poor lighting. "All I can read is-"

"-Beowolf victim?" Blake said aloud. "Wait, is this-"

Before she could finish, the papers was plucked from Weiss' hands and Yang barely took a glance before it along with the aura charts burst into flames from a spark that traveled down her mane, and was followed by the crumbled picture of the mysterious girl, and after the slightest hesitation, the photo of her mother.

"Yang!" Blake cried as her glove burned away and her hand began to blister without their usual protection.

Once all that was left was a pile of ash on the ground, Yang dusted her hands and glanced up as though nothing happened.

"Come on, let's go home. It's late, I'm cold and hungry, I could really use a shower, and I'd rather not stick around for Weiss to get mugged again."

She turned leaving Blake and Weiss but only got a few feet when she stumbled.

"If you two wanna stay here that's fine. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Yang took a few a few more steps each one looking more painful than the last while the small flame at her side burned a little brighter.

Without a word, the pair followed the only source of answers they had, taking her by the shoulders and began the long trek back home.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry..."

"Don't mention it, sis. Dinner's on us..."

*sniffle*

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I deeply apologize for the long wait and must thank you again for your incredible patience as it honestly could not be helped. As you can see, it's a great deal longer than usual and having this story in my head for over a year I wanted it to be perfect for you. I did consider splitting this chapter into two but that would've hurt the flow in my opinion. I hope the chapter did not overstay its welcome as I had a lot of fun writing it. I loved the interactions with Yang and her friends as well as getting to see the unstoppable cornerstone in a fight again as well as our favorite champion fencer and katana wielding ninja. I hope Yang's jokes weren't taken too far as I honestly did get a kick out of them and enjoyed hearing Blake and Weiss' thoughts on her 'party girl' image. I especially like the idea that both Ruby and Yang are a lot like their moms, but how much is them trying to be like them and how much is simple 'like mother, like daughter' is up to you. I also really loved the idea that most of what Yang has to remember her mother by are pictures of a stunningly beautiful woman that she perhaps tries to emulate. As I said, that's up to you and I hope you enjoyed.

As this narrative continues, I can't help but worry sometimes that team RWBY have grown away from their show counterparts as they have many different backstories, personality quirks, motivations, and even abilities. So thank you so very much for following along on their journey and all of your support, and I hope I've done them justice and treated them all with the respect they deserve. I hope this story captures their spirit as that's what I fell in love with and I hope you enjoy. Thank you for all your amazing support as there have been days where writing was the last thing I wanted to do but you got me smiling again even hours into editing sessions. The Lord has truly blessed me with you and He answers my prayers sometimes before I even know what to pray for. In my weakness His strength is made perfect.

Once again, thank you so very much for your support and for being so incredibly patient with me. Thank you for all of the followers, favorites, reviews, PMs, shout outs, and humble readers. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)