The Last Respite

Pyrrha peeked over the side of the roof, keeping as much of herself behind the edge as she could. She pulled back and looked at Jaune, holding up two fingers. The young leader nodded. He turned and tapped Ren, who was watching the roof behind them in case anything attempted to catch them unawares. Whenever his teammate glanced at him, he repeated Pyrrha's motion before motioning in between her and Ren.

Ren shifted so he was crouched facing the edge. He met Pyrrha's eyes, and they nodded at the same time before exploding into action simultaneously. Pyrrha vaulted over the side while Ren jumped up and out. Pyrrha plummeted like a rock.

She landed like a boulder.

The dark-suited man she had been aiming for was crushed to the ground beneath her.

His comrade beside him jumped in surprise. "Hey!" he shouted, beginning to draw his pistol. He didn't get very far before Ren's heel connected with the curve of his neck, and he dropped to the ground soundlessly. Ren continued with his flip, landing in a crouch, eyes darting up and down the deserted street.

Pyrrha was doing the same through her rifle's sights. Upon seeing that they had drawn no unwanted attention she lowered her gun, turning back to the rooftop and calling softly, "Clear."

They heard a scuffle, and shared a confused glance at the noise.

"No, wait, Nora-hrk!"

A second later the orange-haired girl came soaring off the building, giggling to herself. "Ready, Jaune?" she asked, glancing back at the blond boy she was dragging through the air by his hood. She didn't give him a chance to respond, though, and proceeded to start flipping them end over end on the way to the ground.

Ren counted five complete rotations by the time her feet touched pavement, and breathed an internal sigh. He was going to have to deal with her boasting of a new record the rest of the day now. Nora smiled widely and held out a rather sick looking Jaune toward his partner. "I brought you a Jaune," she chirped happily.

"Please…help…" said Jaune groaned.

Pyrrha stifled a smirk with her hand before reaching out and freeing her partner from Nora's grip. "Thank you, Nora, it's just what I wanted."

Jaune, now standing on his own two feet, leaned over, putting his hands on knees while he took a few deep breaths to try and quell the queasiness roiling in his stomach. "Nora," he panted, "you know I get motion sickness."

She shrugged. "The best way to defeat your fear is to face it!"

"It's not a fear! It's a physical...thing!"

"Impairment," Ren offered, earning him a glare from his leader.

"Regardless of Jaune's anything," Pyrrha interjected, "we're making decent progress."

Jaune took inhaled one last time before nodding and straightening up. "At this right, we'll should reach the city's center by nightfall." He glanced around. "You know, I'm actually pretty glad there doesn't seem to be any Grimm around. Their senses are a whole lot sharper than these guys," he motioned toward the two unconscious goons, "and taking them out silently would be much harder."

"That's true. But at the same time, that also means far more trouble for our friends at Beacon should anything happen to the shield."

"They're going to be fine, Ren. The shield will hold. Reinforcements shouldn't be too far away."

Ren shrugged lightly. "Let's hope."

"Well, regardless," Jaune said, drawing their attention back to him, "the only thing we can do for them at the moment is get our mission done as quickly as possible and get back there to help them out. So let's get moving." The others nodded and they set off, moving as quickly but as cautiously as they could.

Pyrrha had been correct when she had said they were making good time. It was late afternoon, the sun burning high and warm, though the chill of Autumn prevented them from overheating at all. The most time-consuming part of their journey so far had been the cliffs. They sheer rock faces hadn't been difficult to traverse, even for Jaune. There were caves and steps carved into the side of the stone leading all the way down to the boat docks below. There was also a passage that led them into the outskirts of Vale's residential district. It exited into a little park in the suburbs, far away from the heaviest of the action.

They had to identify the passage from a bunch of older, outdated maps of Vale and Beacon they scrounged up from the library. It had taken them hours of research to find the correct path, and even longer in real life to actually navigate their way to it within the confusing, twisting labyrinth of Beacon's underground tunnel system. By the time they reached the end of the tunnel sometime after noon, Jaune had called for a break for lunch. They had eaten quickly and continued on their way.

Junior's men had started appearing more and more the further they got toward the center of the city's residential district, and JNPR had so far been able to eliminate them silently without concern. They were undetected thus far, though he couldn't be sure for how long that would last. If they did any sort of periodical check-ins, it wouldn't take their enemies long to discover that something was amiss. Jaune seriously hoped they had fond Roman by then, or at the very least a good hiding place.

Several more hours passed, and the sun was sitting low on the horizon. They only had another hour or two of daylight left, Jaune figured, but they had reached the inner city. Even if they couldn't locate Roman tonight, they could find a safe spot to spend the evening and then get after him early in the morning. Still, the young leader would feel an awful lot better if they managed to actually identify where Roman was before the day ended.

Pyrrha stopped ahead of him and held up a hand for them to stop. Jaune, lost in his own thoughts and not paying attention, walked his face straight into it. He was jolted back to reality as he felt Pyrrha's gloved hand brush against his cheek. He flushed as Pyrrha whipped around in surprise, green eyes wide and confused. When she saw that it was Jaune, they grew tender, and she let her hand linger for perhaps a second too long before pulling it quickly back to her side.

The flame-haired woman fought back her own blush and held a finger to her lips. She pointed out of the shadowed alley in which they were currently hidden. Two of Junior's men were leaning against the wall of an antique's shop across the road, talking loudly enough that their voices were carrying clearly to JNPR's position.

"Why's the boss so scared of blondes?" the one was asking.

The other adjusted his bowler before fetching a dust lighter and a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He pulled a cigarette from the pack, placed it in between his lips and lit it with a practiced ease. He seemed older and gruffer than the other. A breath of smoke passed his lips before he answered.

"'bout a year and half back some psycho girl beat the shit out of him and fucked up his bar."

"For real?" A nod from his comrade answered his question. "Shit. I thought that was just a rumor. I didn't think anyone could take the boss."

"Yeah, well, she could. As well as the Malachite twins and every man in that club."

The younger man whistled. "Damn."

"Listen, son, you're new, so I'll give you a piece of advice. Never talk about that incident in front of Junior. Unless you want to find yourself on the bad side of Militia's blades."

"Which one-"

"The red one. Scary hand-claw things."

The other goon visibly gulped. "Noted."

Jaune made to indicate to his team to eliminate the two men so that they could proceed unimpeded, but a brief noise of warning from Ren made him hold off. His teammate had his head tilted to the side, listening intently. Soon enough they all heard the same thing; the clatter of footsteps approaching hurriedly from up the street.

Soon enough a third man entered their field of vision. He looked to be slightly out of breath.

"Oh," the more experienced of the two already there began, "you find something interesting over there?"

He shook his head as he stopped in front of them, taking a second to catch his breath. "Just got a message from Torchwick. He wants at least one person from every squad to meet up back at HQ. Got some sort of plan he wants to make everyone aware of, I guess."

"HQ?"

"He means the spa, son." Upon seeing the still-confused look he got in return, he sighed. "Didn't they tell you anything? Torchwick's set himself up in that big fancy resort over on the cliffs. What's it called, the um...Grand Vale Spa and Resort, I think it was. Something stupid and uppity like that."

"Anyway, I'm gonna head over there and see what's up. Hold down the fort 'til I get back."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be fine." The goon tossed away his cigarette. "Not like the anybody's gonna try anything anyway. Too busy cowering in their homes."

"What about Beacon?"

"They're surrounded by Grimm, son. They're not going anywhere."

Jaune almost laughed at that, but thankfully he was too busy rejoicing over the information he had just gotten. They knew where Roman was now. They could end this.

Though not today he thought with a wince, glancing at the setting sun. He wasn't comfortable moving around after dark. While none of their enemies were faunus, and thus lacked night vision, neither were any of his teammates. It was best not to take any unnecessary risks. They'd find a quiet, secure place to settle down for the evening, and tackle Roman tomorrow.

He silently told his team to fall back, and they did so. When they were in the clear, he explained that they'd get as close to the resort as they could with what daylight they had left. With everyone on the same page they set out again, this time with a specific destination in mind.

"Man, Ruby and Blake really nailed it on the head," Jaune commented quietly before taking a bite from his ration bar.

"We'll have to remember to thank them again whenever we get back," Pyrrha replied, finishing up her own bar. They had set themselves up for the night in a rather nice apartment over a small café. There were two sizeable bedrooms, and plenty of defensible points, should they be assaulted.

Nora and Ren were in the next room, sleeping semi-peacefully on a queen-sized bed. Semi-peacefully because Nora sounded like she was wrestling Ursi in her dreams. He and Pyrrha were sat in the master bedroom. They had deemed it too risky to use the portable Dust lanterns they had brought along, and so the only light in the room was the moonlight streaming through the window. Though with most of the city's power out, the moonlight was almost as bright as the sunlight.

"If we get back," Jaune muttered quietly, though Pyrrha still heard him.

"Jaune!"

"I know, I know." He sighed. "It's just hard to keep a positive outlook sometimes. I don't know how the hell Ruby does the stuff she does."

She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's hard, Jaune, but you've been doing a great job. And this mission's going really well, too. We even know where to find Roman now."

"Yeah, but can we get to him in time? And can we convince him to pull out of Vale?"

"The only way to find out is to try."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I know. I'm sorry about all of this. I just want to get back to Beacon as soon as possible. I've got a bad feeling."

"You've always got a bad feeling," she teased with a light smile.

He smirked. "Fair point." They sat in a companionable silence for a time, and Jaune, despite his best efforts, felt his thoughts turning back to the possibility of failure. What could he say? Old habits died hard. He tried not to let it show, but clearly didn't do a very good job of it, because soon enough he heard Pyrrha sigh.

Her hand, which had been lying on his shoulder this whole time, slid up and into his hair, gently the cupping the back of his head. She firmly tugged his face forward as he looked up in surprise. The closer her face got, the harder his heart beat. "Pyrrha?" he said breathlessly. She continued to pull him forward until their foreheads rested together.

"Believe in your team, Jaune. In your friends. We're not going to fail. We're going to be perfectly fine. We're going to go back to Beacon with our heads held high. And you," she gently bumped his nose with her own, causing a furious blush to spread across Jaune's cheeks, "are going to be the one to lead us through it all."

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling her scent. Oil and leather and earth. It comforted him, calmed his nerves. He opened his eyes again, locking sapphire with emerald. "I wonder if you don't have too much faith in me."

"No," she said, pulling away with a smile. "It's just that you have too little faith in yourself. You always have."

He shook his head. He couldn't argue with that. "Thank you."

She smiled at him, and he was almost knocked senseless over how beautiful she was, painted with the moonlight and shadows. "There's nothing to thank me for. I'm your partner, it's what I do. Now c'mon, let's get to bed. We'll need our sleep for tomorrow." He nodded and set off for the bathroom.

The entire time he was washing his face and brushing his teeth, his mind was focused on one thing. Pyrrha. More specifically, what she was to him. More than his partner, Pyrrha was his strength. She helped keep him grounded, gave weight to his convictions and informed him when he was out of line. She had dragged him from a terrible position their first year with patience and kindness, and he didn't feel like he would ever be able to properly repay that debt.

He finished in the bathroom and walked into the bedroom, leaning against the doorframe for a minute to simply observe his partner as she stretched. She noticed his gaze and turned to him.

"What?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

You're the single most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and I am so stupidly head-over-heels in love with you that it is not even remotely funny.

Of course, what actually came out of his mouth was, "Nothing."

She gave him a look, but seemed to let it go. She patted the opposite side of the bed. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."

Jaune slouched forward, wondering if he'd actually be able to sleep with the knowledge that he'd be sharing a bed with Pyrrha. He climbed under the covers. "Goodnight, Pyrrha."

She leaned over and, before he could react, planted a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Jaune. Sleep well." And then she rolled back over.

Jaune stared up at the ceiling, the spot where her lips had touched his skin burning.

Oh yeah, sleep was going to be a difficult achievement tonight.

"Yang." The blonde shifted slightly in her slumber and mumbled against her pillow. "Yang."

"Mmm five more minutes..." she grumbled sleepily. Blake rolled her eyes. Her partner wasn't even awake, it was literally just a reflexive action she had developed. The faunus reached out and gently shook Yang's shoulder, repeating her name once more. The brawler finally stirred, lilac eyes blinking open slowly and blearily.

"Wha-" she focused unsteadily on the girl kneeling over her. "Blake?"

"Hey," she said quietly, and Yang was instantly alert. Something in the tone of Blake's voice set off alarm bells in her head. She sat up and, now awake, took a moment to study her partner's face. Even in the half-light filtering through the curtain, Yang could see the anxiety that pulled at Blake's features.

"What's wrong?" she asked fervently. She looked to her sister's bunk and the one beneath it. Both beds seemed occupied, so she could assume nothing had happened to either of them.

"I..." Blake swallowed. She wasn't used to letting her feelings out, to going to someone else for comfort. Normally she would keep it all to herself and remain silent, choosing to vent in other ways. But for some reason, she couldn't suppress the dread in her stomach, or the fear that gnawed at her heart. Every time she tried to imagine how this all could end, she felt an earth-shattering chill overtake her body. So she decided to fight the cold with the warmest thing she knew of. "I...can't sleep."

Yang relaxed a bit, knowing that there was no sort of immediate danger. She scooted toward the wall a bit and patted the opened area on the bed next to her. Blake laid down facing her. Yang couldn't help but marvel at how her eyes glowed, every single detail of her irises etched in the deepest gold.

"What's up?" she asked simply, and Blake couldn't hold back a small smirk at how candid Yang was.

Blake was silent as she tried to organize her thoughts. Yang, patient for once in her life, waited quietly for her. She took the interim to take in her partner's figure.

"Would you think less of me if I said I was scared?" she asked finally in a quiet voice. Yang was so surprised that she accidentally let out a small laugh before she realized it. Blake glared at her as her ears flattened against her skull. "Did I miss something amusing?"

Yang shook her head. "How about the fact that you think that anything you could say would make me think less of you?" Blake opened her mouth to say something, but Yang, mirroring the faunus' move from the night on the roof, gently pressed it closed with her finger. "The answer to your question, my dear Blake, is no. No I would not think less of you for being scared. Not in the slightest."

Blake was quiet again, twisting onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. "I've never really been afraid like this before." Yang propped her head up on her elbow, listening intently. "I've been anxious in the past. I've been scared of losing comrades, or at my secret getting out and facing discrimination. I was terrified to leave the White Fang. But that was mostly because I didn't know what the future held for me after that. Where I'd go. What I'd do. Whether they'd pursue me, or try and take revenge. But this," she closed her eyes and opened them as she turned her head toward Yang. "This is unlike all of those. This is...paralyzing. My throat clenches and my body feels heavy. Thinking about all of the awful ways this could end-"

She was abruptly silenced as Yang reached forward and flicked her in the forehead. "Yang what the hell," she hissed, rubbing at the spot.

"Stop thinking about all of the terrible things that could happen. You were the one telling me the other night that we'd all get through this, remember?"

"I know, but the longer we stay in this situation, the bleaker it all begins to look. I can't help but worry about everyone. I've...I've never had anybody like you guys before. If I lose any of you, I don't know how I'll handle it."

Yang reached out and draped an arm across Blake's waist. She wasn't sure where her boldness came from, but for some reason it just felt right, and she wasn't embarrassed by it, as she might normally have been. "You wanna know a secret?" she whispered, locking eyes with Blake. Her partner nodded silently. "I'm scared too. Hell, I'm fucking petrified." Her arm cinched a little tighter around Blake's waist. "Not for myself. I threw away my fear for myself so long ago."

"I know," Blake breathe, and at Yang's questioning look rolled her eyes. "Have you ever seen how you fight?"

Yang snorted. "Funny."

"I have my moments." Her gaze softened. "So even the mighty Yang Xiao Long feels fear, huh?"

"Everytime I watch my sister, my friends, or my partner," she pulled her a little closer, "literally propel themselves into danger, yes."

Blake reached forward and rested a hand on Yang's cheek. The blonde turned into it slightly, but squashed the impulse the press her lips to her palm. Now was not the time.

"Yang," she breathed softly, and Yang nearly started at how intense her eyes suddenly were. "If...anything happens to me, there's something I want you to know. I-"

"Ah!" Yang cut her off, pressing a finger to her lips. "None of that now. We are so not doing this cliché."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "I'm trying to tell you-"

But again, Yang interrupted, "Then you can tell me after this is all said and done." Blake continued to glare at her, but she merely shrugged and said with a grin, "Consider it incentive."

Blake rolled her eyes for the third time that night. "You're impossible."

"I get that a lot," she said cheekily. "Now, c'mere, kitty!" she exclaimed and Blake, which she would lately vehemently deny, squeaked in surprise as she was yanked up against her partner. Yang had somehow managed to turn her around as she had pulled her close, so they ended up spooning, Yang's arm wrapped firmly and securely around her waist.

Blake's face burned fiercely. "What are you doing?"

"You weren't going to be able to get back to sleep, right? I figured this might help." She nuzzled into Blake's neck a little, and the faunus gulped, feeling even more heat rush to her cheeks.

Despite knowing the Yang couldn't see her face, she ducked her head anyway. "I suppose," she muttered, and felt the rumble of laughter in Yang's chest through her back.

"Goodnight, Blake."

She settled further into her partner's arms, deciding that maybe this wasn't so bad. She felt safe, warm.

"Goodnight, Yang."

It didn't take long before Blake's breathing slowed and Yang could tell she was sleeping. She could feel every expansion of her lungs, and an overwhelming protectiveness welled up in her chest. She tightened her hold on the faunus girl that had somehow managed to steal her heart.

Yang swore to herself, right then and there, that she wouldn't let anything happen to her partner, her sister, her team, or any of her friends. Nothing. She would do anything to make sure of that.

Even if it cost her life.

A/N: Do you feel it coming? Do you feel the awful things I have planned? kehehehehehe

I didn't realize how much I liked writing Arkos until I actually did. It's just this pure, innocent, adorkable thing. I like how it turned out. and look, I got you more Bumblebee! Wooooo!

I decided to say fuck the author's note at the beginning of the chapter, as it really wouldn't have served any purpose

Anyway, please drop me a review and let me know what you guys think. As always, I love every single one of you. Forever.

I hope you enjoyed, my friends. Until next time!

PS - probably not gonna be a new chapter next weekend, as I will be indisposed and will not have time to write, unfortunately. sorry about that