God, is this really heading the way I think it is?

The Xiao Long-Branwen take a moment to speak with team WNPF (yeah, got bored of writing their names separately at some point)

Chapter Text

“So… you going to let me go at some point or what?”

A simple hum answered a question as Weiss slowly backed away from the blond brawler, who turned around, smiled with tears in her eyes, before hugging her with the biggest, strongest, bearest bear hug she could manage, making Weiss groan in pain, but still nuzzled against the taller woman, a smile on their face, even with sadness in their eyes and expression. They stood still for a second, before someone coughed, making them turn their head, looking at Taiyang, Qrow and the rest of Weiss’ crew. Everybody was smiling, even if Tai was glaring menacingly at Qrow. Sighing, the swordsman just shrugged, before walking towards the grave, putting his hand on Yang’s shoulder with a soft smile.

“You have some talking to do. If I were you, I’d go elsewhere. It’s not really the place, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… You’re right. Sorry Qrow.”

“Heh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Just go before I kick your butt”

They smiled, before they all separated, Weiss and Yang walking back towards the group at the edge of the forest, who was smiling softly at them. When they reached them, Yang slowly presented Weiss, Neon and Flynt to her father, making him smile even more.

“Well, if you’re her friends and, since you” he said, looking at Weiss, who froze when his gaze landed on her “are Ruby’s partner and Yang’s teammate, you are more than welcome to come to my home. But you, however…” Taiyang’s gaze slowly landed on Penny, who smiled at him while waving her hand at him. “I’d like to know, who are you?”

Slowly Weiss and Penny looked at each other, uncertain on how to answer. Did they really want to tell the truth? Especially in this situation, with Yang in such a fragile mental state? Weiss shook her head slowly and Penny nodded in agreement. Weiss sighed and put her hand on the robot girl’s shoulder, with a sad smile.

“I can say that she’s a friend. However, now is not the time, I’m sorry. But… Soon we’ll explain everything.”

Intrigued, the Xiao Long looked at each other, but let it pass none the less. Yang knew that if Weiss made a promise, she would keep it. So, they nodded, deciding not to ask more question and motioned the newcomers to follow them as they walked to their home, further in land. As Weiss and Yang were busy talking, Taiyang leading and Penny walking silently, lost in her thoughts, Neon poked (rather harshly) Flynt’s ribcage, trying to get his attention. He groaned and rolled his eyes and kept walking, ignoring her. Was it really that difficult for the girl to have a normal level of human decency and simply ask to talk to him, or…

“What Neon?” yelled the musician, exasperated at the poking onslaught of the last two minutes. In front of him, the rest of the group was looking at him, eyebrows lifted as they kept their eyes looked on the two of them. “Sorry. She made me lose my cool. Again.” He sighed waving off. They shrugged and Weiss very clearly rolled her eyes, but soon they resumed walking, while Neon was simply smiling at him. “What do you want?”

“I was wondering something…”

“Yes Neon?”

“After I told her to go on a diet, did Yang thing that losing a limb would do the same thing? Does she know that's not what I meant?”

“What. The. Fuck. Did that bitch say?”

Suddenly a wave of energy and fire engulphed the area, Yang’s gaze firmly set on Neon, her eyes red with rage. But, as if an angry Yang wasn’t enough, Weiss was slowly unsheathing her rapier, making the revolver cylinder rotate until it landed on the red dust, with a murderous intent filled gaze set on the party cat as well. Said party cat slowly walked backwards, laughing dryly as she looked at Flynt, who was currently in the process of the biggest facepalm ever. Of all time.

“I said that louder than I thought, right?” she asked, worry filled in her voice

“Yes Neon, yes you did.”

“So… I should run?”

“Oh, yeah you should kitty cat.” Said Yang, a mad grin on her face as she cracked the knuckles of her left hand.

“And you better get started quickly, because believe me, we won’t go easy on you.” Continued Weiss, with a stoic face but with anger filled in her eyes.

Quickly the forest was filled with shrieks of terror, sound of explosions and the smell of fire, lightning and ice, all combining to make the perfect mix of a new perfume that Flynt decided to name “Karma is a bitch”. With a smile, Taiyang simply asked the two other young adults to follow him to his house, claiming that Yang wouldn’t be too long away from home.

It was good to have some life back at home, stuff like this didn’t happen for far too long.

“Are you going to finally explain why, how, and when you came here?”

Weiss looked at the brawler and rolled her eyes, sighing. They were all sitting in the living room of the house, Penny, Flynt and Neon sitting on the couch, Yang on the recliner, while Qrow and Taiyang just leaned against the wall. Weiss however was snuggling with Zwei on the ground, making little sounds of pleasure as he was getting belly rubs. Everybody kept silent, looking at the heiress, deep in thought, until she finally took a deep breath and locked eyes with the blond brawler. Alright, she thought, let’s do this.

“If I do, promise me to answer my questions as well.”

“Weiss, since when do I not answer questions?”

“Well, there was that time with the third year g…”

“Okay, carry on!” almost yelled Yang as she blushed.

She kept looking away from her father, who was frowning as he stared at his daughter, the fire in the fire place growing stronger, while Qrow was simply too busy laughing his ass off as he looked at his niece and her apparent unease. Proud of herself, Weiss smiled before she cleared her throat, making everybody look back at her. She slowly told how it had been back home, she told them about the interdiction of training, everything her father had said, what he had ordered of her, every time she was used to help alleviate public tension, how she had to sing at so many charity concert, only to please the rich and powerful of Atlas, and most of all, keep a perfect facade in front of everybody, for her father’s sake. However, she never saw Yang’s eyes getting redder and redder, Qrow clenching his jaw or penny’s hands tightening on her knees, she never saw Neon and Flynt looking at each other sadly and she definitely never saw the flames in the fireplace bursting up in the chimney as Taiyang fought to keep his calm, the heiress just kept looking at the ground.

“So, three days ago, I was asked by my father to head to Vacuo with…” slowly, Weiss and Penny locked eyes, before the robotic girl nodded slowly. ” Yang… when you look at her” she motioned towards Penny, making everyone look at the fidgeting android who would have been blushing if she could “what do you see?”

“Wh… what?”

“Just answer me Yang.”

“Alright, alright. Well, I see copper hairs, green eyes, a suit that, frankly, I’ve only seen people wear at funerals in tv shows. I see… naivete in your eyes, a little bit like Ruby, but also fear. I see also a stoic face, which is weird, because you have difficulty handling your other physical reactions. Also…”

“God damn it Yang, sometime I really believe that your hair says the truth about your brain power.” slurred Qrow, as he took a large sip from his flask, a grin on his face as he saw the look of betrayal on his niece’s face. “Even me, drunk as I am, can see that it’s the robot girl from the tournament.”

Yang’s face quickly shifted from anger to horror, fear, sadness, incomprehension and a million of other emotions, her brain going on a frenzy as it struggled to understand what had been said, staring at Penny who simply had a shy smile and waved slowly.

“Salutation miss Xiao Long, I’m Penny Polendina, but as I’ve been told, we’re supposed to know each other. Sadly, I have no recollection of you or any members of your team.”

“Speaking of which…” Weiss stood up and stared at Yang, her arms crossed in front of her, standing in front of Yang, who raised an eyebrow at her. “Where’s Ruby? Where’s the dolt?”

Suddenly, it was silent again, Yang, Taiyang and Qrow all looking away, with Qrow standing up to go gaze outside, shutting himself out from everything, everyone, which only made Weiss panic more as she looked back at Yang, with tears in her eyes.

“Y… Yang?”

“She left.” Answered Qrow, as he took out his flask, only to look at it and put it back against the window, before turning back. “She left with the rest of JNPR? Is that it? I can’t remember what it was. The team with Pyrrha in it.”

Mouth agape, Weiss could feel tears running down her cheeks as she turned back to Yang, fists clenched tight with suppressed anger from her own failure as a big sister.

“And… And what about B…”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” answered Yang, her eyes red in an instant as she stood up, only to head outside, slamming the door behind her, leaving the house in complete silence, if not for Weiss’s soft sobs as she kept her gaze on the closed door. She couldn’t tell how much time had passed, before she felt a hand on her shoulder, slowly tugging her to turn around. Stiffening when she saw Taiyang so close to her, she slowly eased up when he motioned her to the kitchen. She shyly smiled at him before following him instinctively.

Her team was torn apart, but if she had anything to say, it wasn’t going to stay that way for long.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go, a few friends of mine are heading on a mission and they’ve asked me to take on a bit of their work at Signal, I won’t be gone for long.”

Taiyang was standing on the porch, a few minutes after they all had a meal, spent talking to each other, telling stories of their past, of their missions or simply of their home. Yang however was not with them, still gone, but that didn’t worry her father one bit. The island was pretty well secured, with only a few grimms from time to time. She is a big girl, he said, but that didn’t prevent Weiss from worrying. Weiss and Qrow were on the porch with him, Qrow sipping from a glass of scotch while Weiss was only being outside to see if Yang had returned. When she saw that she wasn’t there, she simply sighed, before heading back inside, towards the room she was supposed to share with the blond brawler for the time they were supposed to stay here.

“So, who’s leaving?” asked Qrow as Weiss was leaving.

“Oh, it’s team JACL (jackal). They finished their tour so they are taking missions again for a few months while they write new songs.”

“Oh? I thought that Jeff said he and Casey were done with missions and were going to concentrate on music.”

“Yeah…” Taiyang simply shrugged before sighing. “Let’s say that the Fall of Beacon changed a lot of things. For a lot of people.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They stood in silence, before Taiyang just turned around, waving at Qrow while he still headed towards the main town, towards Signal. But what he didn’t tell anyone, was what he had in mind after having been to Beacon. He slowly pulled a piece of paper, where an address was written down. At this time of the day, he was ready to bet that the girl from the other day, the one that had made Yang snap, would be there. And he really wanted answers.

Even if he had to take them by force.

For his part, Qrow simply gave a hand around the house, making sure that everybody was settled for the night. It would have made Summer proud, seeing that he had decided to take his responsibilities in hand, but... it would also make his sister and Taiyang laugh their ass off, thus he made sure to guarantee that the four young adults that were still at home didn't say a thing to the owner of the house. Or else he wouldn't here the end of it. He slowly walked through the house's upper floor's hallway, stopping in the bedroom that Weiss was in, sitting on the bed and looking outside, her gaze empty of any emotions, lost in her thought. The drunken hunter sighed, before walking in and knocking softly, making the heiress jump a smile on her face, before a frown was quickly replaced on her lips.

"What do you want?"

"Ouch, just as cold as your sister."

"Stop comparing me to her!" almost yelled Weiss, snarling as she saw the smirk on the man's lips

"Alright, alright. You're moody. Wanna talk about it?"

"No. Not with you."

Qrow sighed, before looking outside, towards the distant glow of the city. Running a hand through his hair, he groaned when he made a decision.

"I guess you're angry at her for leaving?" waiting a few moment to see if she had anything to say. When she said nothing, he simply sighed again, before continuing. "I know you don't like me, and I've made a lot of things for you to do so, but... Just listen to me. Maybe you'll understand why she was angry. " Weiss slowly turned her head, looking at the man who smiled slowly at her. "So, after she met up with you..."

Four hours had passed and everybody, except Qrow, had gone to bed, the toll of the day having been massive for the group. Flynt and Neon shared the bedroom that Ruby and Yang used to sleep in, Penny didn’t need sleep but none the less went in power saving mode on the couch, while Weiss was laying on the bed in Yang’s new bedroom, who previously was a guest room, waiting for the return of her friend and (ex) teammate. When midnight rang, the heiress sighed, before rolling around in bed, trying the best she could to get some sleep. After a few minutes, she jumped up when she finally heard someone walking towards the bedroom she was in. Standing still but her hand ready to grab her rapier, she tensed even more when she heard the foot steps stop in front of the bedroom. Slowly the door opened, someone walking slowly towards the bed. Suddenly Weiss was hit by the smell of alcohol and she rolled around in bed, her eyes resting on Yang, with an angry look in the ice blue eyes.

“Wh… what… where were…”

“Shhhhhh” Yang said, resting a finger on Weiss’ lips, making her blush at the pressure again her lips. “Sorry… I kinda needed some time to think.”

“Yeah, so you decided to drink?”

“Nah, I drank when I was coming back. I actually went to see a friend of mine.”

“Oh? Who is he?”

“He?” inelegantly, Yang snorted before dissolving in laughter, in front of a dumb struck Weiss “It’s a girl and she’s… six? Or maybe seven? I can’t remember.”

“You… Befriended a seven-year-old?” sighing, Weiss rolled her eyes before setting them back on Yang with a grin “Well, I guess you probably have about the same IQ.”

Yang stared at the heiress, before pouting, grabbing the covers of the bed and throwing them away, leaving the heiress shivering in her sleepwear, glaring back at her. Laughing, Yang grabbed the heiress by the hand, before lifting her up to hug her softly, a smile on her lips.

“Sorry I forgot about it and it's a bit late for that, but… Happy birthday Weiss. I completely forgot to buy you something.”

“Oh, shut up you big oaf, you wouldn’t have bought me anything.”

“… True.”

The looked at each other, before both dissolving in a fit of laughter and giggle, pain and sadness seemingly lifted from their shoulder as they shared, for the first time in almost a year, a pleasant moment with someone from their team, from their new family, or rather, their old family now

“But even if I would have bought you nothing, you’d still love me.” Yang slurred, before pushing Weiss back on the bed, a grin sprayed across your face.

“God you’re a barbarian.” The heiress said while she rolled her eyes with a smile. “It’s not because I’m in your bed that I feel that way. I care about you, I care about my team, I love you, Ruby, Bl…”

“Don’t. Say. That. Name.” said Yang, her smile having quickly disappeared, replaced by a red glare that made Weiss gulp loudly. They stood still for a few minutes, before Yang sighed and sat on the bed, her shoulders dropping as she sighed. “It’s not against you Weiss, it’s just… I feel so betrayed… So, rejected. I don’t know, I can’t stop the anger towards her, but I also can’t stop all the other emotions. And I feel so… helpless when I’m reminded of her.”

“Hey…” said the heiress softly, almost not loud enough for Yang to hear, until she hugged the brawler from the back, her chin resting on Yang’s left shoulder. “I’m pretty sure that she left for a good reason. Your… Your uncle gave me a run down of what you told him about the attack.”

“Hmmm…”

“Let’s… Let’s just get some sleep and we’ll see about the rest tomorrow or another day. Alright?”

“Sure… Why not?”

Yang left the room shortly after that, only to come back in her own sleepwear. She stopped near the bed and slowly, looked down, not meeting Weiss’ gaze. Uneasy, she began to toy with her hair, trying to decide what she had to say, but most importantly, how she could say it.

“Could… you turn around? Please?”

Nodding and blushing, Weiss slowly rolled, looking out the window and the beautiful starry sky. She heard a thud when something metallic and heavy was left on the bedside table and she quickly felt every muscle in her body stiffen as she understood what happened. Still, she decided to keep her mouth shut, not wanting to make it even more difficult. The lights in the room then turned off as Yang closed the few lights with a switch, before heading finally to bed, sliding in it next to Weiss, without a word. The two young women stayed silent for almost twenty minutes, back to back, waiting to see if the other one would drift first to sleep, before Yang rolled around and grabbed Weiss’ midsection with her arm, making the heiress yelp in surprise as she was suddenly the little spoon to Yang.

“Hum… Yang?”

“Just… Thank you. For coming. Even if you thought that you would be able to see everybody… It means a lot to me.”

“Yang… Team RWBY means everything to me. We are family.”

“Yeah… I get it. You’re quite important in my life too. I care about our team. Well… What we had.”

“We’ll have it again one day Yang, one day. I promise”

“Let’s hope.”

“Hey Yang?”

“Yeah?”

“Just so you know… I really care about you, Ruby and… Blake.”

She felt Yang tense and she stayed silent while the brawler fought with her fight or flight instinct. After a few minutes, Yang simply rested her head against Weiss’ collarbone with a sigh.

“Yeah, me too.”

Slowly they drifted towards sleep, one last thought flashing in their minds just before the fell asleep, making one of them smile, the other own frown.

If only you could understand how much you three mean to me.

If only you could understand how much she means to me.