Author's Note: Wow. This is now the most popular story I have written. The stats are nothing compared to some other stories, but it makes me happy.

Sorry about the slight delay with this chapter. I was working a fluff story that was my OT3, YangxBlakexNeon called New Start. Go check it out. I've been told it is kind of cute.

As a side note. This story takes place in the same AU as Brightest Light. It was my first fanfiction and I didn't do it justice, but it explains why Penny and Pyrrha are still alive as well as the fact that all of Team RWBY has secondary weapons.

The jeep's engine roared as its oversized tires launched streams of dirt into the air behind the vehicle. The driver smiled as the wind whipped through her short red and black hair. Looking over to the girl in the passenger seat, she noticed that the blonde had her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth and was looking at her scroll with an air of focus and concentration that was rarely seen off the battlefield.

"Whatcha looking at, Yang?" Ruby yelled over the loud tirade of the wind buffeting through the open canopy.

The brunette glanced again at her sister and noticed that her mouth was moving as though she was giving a half-hearted attempt to reply to the question. Whatever was said was lost to the noisy environment.

"Something happen?" Ruby called again, this time keeping her eyes on her distracted companion.

"No, Ruby. Everything is fi- Watch out!" Yang shouted, looking up from her scroll only to have her eyes widen in surprise.

The elder sister reached over and yanked on the steering wheel causing the vehicle to make a sharp turn in order to avoid the boulder it was previously on course to collide with. Catastrophe averted, Ruby slowed their speed down to a more responsible, and conversation capable, speed.

"We would have been fine." Ruby waved her hand dismissively. "I've hit worse."

"Who decided letting you drive was a good idea?" Yang protested, her eye twitching ever so slightly. "Why does Weiss even let you have a car?"

"Wha? Weiss says I am great driver!" She shot back, avoiding her normal attempt at pout persuasion and keeping her eyes on the road. "And she won't let me in her fancy cars anymore because I apparently leave trash and crumbs everywhere if I'm not supervised properly… women, huh?"

The sound of flesh smacking together signified the facepalm that composed the entirety of the blonde's reaction.

"So." Ruby continued. "What was so important on your scroll? I never see you that focused."

"Oh, uhhh…" Yang rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, Weiss and Blake went out shopping today to get Blake an outfit for Weiss' event. We are almost out of range of the CCT Towers and Blake was sending me pictures of the dresses asking which was my favorite."

"That doesn't seem so important." Ruby rolled her eyes and smirked. "The only reason that isn't a normal day for you is because Blake doesn't care for shopping."

"Yeah." Yang's typically rosy cheeks gained a deeper hue as a blush dusted her cheeks. "Well, your wife went on a rant on the store employee about something unimportant so Blakey ducked into a more intimate section of the store and is… uh, having me help her pick out a different favorite outfit."

"Would you like me to slow the jeep down more, sis?" Ruby sniggered at her sister's uncharacteristic embarrassment. "I would hate to get out of transmit range before you made your decision."

"Oh, Rubes. I thought you knew me better." Yang ribbed back while closing her scroll up. "I just told her to buy all of them."

"So glad our rooms are on opposite sides of the house." The younger sister muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said let's see how fast this can go!" Ruby quipped excitedly as she slammed her foot down on the accelerator.

"Wait, Ruby! That's-" Yang tried to protest but her voice was quickly drowned out by the sudden increase of noise from the engine and the wind.

It took most of the day to reach their first location for the hunt. Shortly after their conversation they traveled through a small area of one of the many forests near Vale. Once through the forest they had to slow down to manage the rockier terrain as they approached the eastern mountain range. There had been word of about a pack of migrating Ursa that were traveling up the coast and attacking fishing villages. The location that the sisters chose to ambush was on the other side of the mountain pass and far enough away from the villages to prevent collateral damage.

The reason for taking Ruby's jeep was two-fold. The primary reason was that the strong winds coming off the ocean created violent sheers as they hit the coastal range, this prevented them from making the final approach by bullhead. The second was that the sisters hadn't had much time to spend together recently. So, while an aerial transport could have dropped the two huntresses and their jeep off nearby, driving the whole way meant they could spend time with just each other and didn't have to rely on coordinating with another party. Plus the jeep had military grade dust fuel cells and could easily make the trip several times before needing to be refueled.

Both women gasped as they exited the mountain pass. The view opened up to a beautiful scene of the sun setting over the ocean. Despite wanting to stop the jeep to admire the flare of colors painted across the sky, Ruby urged her vehicle forward. They needed to get the camp set up before nightfall and they still had a few miles left to travel.

After picking out a defensible camping spot, Ruby had Yang get their campfire going while she set about unfolding their 'tent'. The back of the jeep housed one of Ruby's inventions, or more accurately, had one of Ruby's inventions built into it. Unlatching several locks and loosening a few friction grips, the brunette pulled on the bars on both sides of the trunk area. Groaning with effort, she pulled the assembly out of the back and it expanded out into a small hard shelled shelter. Being still attached to the jeep, it allowed them to have access to a power supply and anchored against being swept away by strong winds, especially on rockier areas where it would be difficult to get an anchor into the ground. The shell was also sturdy enough to hold together against a grimm attack long enough for the occupants to be able to defend themselves properly.

"That looks sweet." Yang commented as she walked up to the shelter, having successfully lit the fire. Peering inside she was even more impressed. "Fold out cots and everything. No wonder you take this thing on all your hunts. I was prepared to sleep on a simple camp pad."

"What can I say?" Ruby shrugged. "I like to hunt in style."

Appeased with the fact the shelter was set up properly, Ruby grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her to where the fire was burning, sitting down on some small boulders. "So what's for dinner?"

"You're asking me?" Yang looked incredulous. "You know me and my ability to cook. Either you're making something, we're having packaged field rations, or you can try my latest version of hot dog ash."

"Freeloader." The cloaked girl stuck her tongue out.

"Well, we do need to eat quickly and get headed to bed." Yang explained as she tossed some packets to her little sister. "We need to take out those ursa nice and early in the morning so we can get you back in time for an anniversary dinner with your wife."

The reaper had already opened one of the food packets and was scarfing down the nutrient dense bricks.

"Bef. Fifer. Efer." Speaking with her mouth full of food made her seem several years younger.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Yang sighed nostalgically.

Memories of their youth, when she would drag Ruby out camping on the weekends and summertime flooded her mind. Both sisters always enjoyed the outdoors and exploring new areas. Even on nights that they weren't roaming all over patch they would still have a campfire out behind their house. The tradition died when they had been admitted into Beacon. They no longer had the time to go back home and their weekends were consumed with studies and practices. Though, whenever they were on an overnight hunt, both girls always insisted on having a proper campfire.

"Hmm?" Ruby inquired, finally swallowing the food in her mouth.

"Back when it was just you and me." Yang stared at the crackling fire as she recalled the past. "Conquering Patch one weekend at a time. Campfires every night even if our dinner consisted of pasta you had just made on the stove inside."

"Yeah." Ruby shivered slightly as the temperature dropped now that the sun had set. Getting up and sitting on the same boulder that Yang was on, making sure to sit on her left side, she draped her cloak over the both of them. "I do miss this. But…"

"But you wouldn't give up what you have now." Yang snaked her arm behind her sister's back and flared her aura out, heating the area as Ruby let her head fall on the brawler's shoulder. "Not your fault we got paired with the most awesome partners at Beacon. Maybe we should drag them out camping sometime. I know we stay out in the wilderness on hunts, but we need to go sometime for fun. Fishing, playing in a lake, late night campfires."

Ruby giggled in response. "I don't think Weiss would like that too much."

"I am sure one of could persuade her." She chuckled mischievously. "Or we could tie her up and kidnap her out to the wilderness."

"I don't think she'd forgive you for that."

"I don't think she's forgiven me for the shenanigans that we pulled at beacon."

"Yeah. Especially when you and Blake decided to 'accidently' involve her and Pyrrha in one our third year." Ruby feigned a glare towards her older sister. "If she got a single black mark on her school record I would never have heard the end of it."

"Hey, a little embarrassment helps with humility." Yang lightly tapped the brunette's nose with her finger. "And swallowing her pride was important for her to admit to her feelings for you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Hugging Ruby tightly with the arm wrapped around the reaper's waist she made a fist with her mechanical arm and point the thumb towards herself. "Hey, mama Yang knows what's best for her family."

"You always do." Ruby admitted, returning the tight embrace.

The pair sat quietly around the campfire, the only sound was the staccato of cracks and pops coming from the wood as it burned.

"Speaking of family..." The blonde broke the silence. "I heard whispers about you and Weiss. Something about someone wanting a kid?"

"Yeah." Ruby perked up. "Weiss and I were talking about it."

"And?"

"And…" Ruby gave a coy look. "We are totally going to try to have a kid soon. No need for your little bee to grow up alone."

"Best. Sister. Ever." Yang echoed Ruby's words from earlier. "That is great! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Ruby poked her fingers together. "I uh, well, I was nervous about it and was waiting to talk to you about it on this mission. We just didn't get a chance yet."

"Ah." Yang used her free hand to ruffle her sister's hair. "Well, regardless. I am excited for you. Let me know if there is anything me or Blake can do for either of you."

"I will." Ruby yawned. "I think it's bedtime though."

"Go ahead and get ready for bed." Yawn pushed the girl to her feet. "I'll put the fire out and meet you in the shelter."

Taking one last look around, Yang used her boot to separate the remaining logs from each other and covered the remaining embers with dirt. Making her way to the shelter, she kicked her boots off before entering the "tent" where Ruby was waiting for her.

The two huntresses awoke an hour before dawn. Due to their location, and the vehicle's security system, they didn't need to have someone take a overnight watch. A hasty meal of more field rations allowed them to double check their weapons before hunting down the pack of grimm. Ruby was performing a field strip on Crescent Rose while Yang made sure that the chambers on Ember Celica cycled properly. Satisfied her primary weapons wouldn't jam, the brawler moved on to inspecting her sword.

Designed by Ruby, the sword could extend into a glaive. She had learned to use it during her second year at Beacon and it became instrumental in defeating Neo when they faced each other again. After the loss of her arm facing Adam during their third year, she learned to use the sword left handed and it allowed to continue to fight until she got her prosthetic replacement.

Eventually she named it Superba after the fire lilies that Blake gave her as a gift when she was a little more blind to the affection the faunus held for her. That memory caused her to smile. Even though she didn't use the weapon often anymore, she always took it with her for those 'just in case' moments. Resheathing the blade, Yang turned to refold their shelter back into the vehicle while Ruby trekked off to see if she could locate the grimm.

The pack of ursa had shown consistent northward travel along the coast and, unless they stopped for an unexpected reason, the creatures would be within an hour's walk of where they had camped. Satisfied with her packing job, Yang grabbed a small ration bag and medkit as well as a few extra magazines of ammo. She eyed the ammo carefully, they contained a new fire dust formula that burned at a lower temperature. According to Weiss, the dust was supposed to be just as effective against grimm, but lowered the chance of collateral damage by accidentally igniting the environment around her. A stiff breeze and flurry of rose petals caught her attention.

"Found em!" Ruby cheered. "They're about four miles southeast of us."

"Alright, let's get headed out!" Yang smiled.

Starting with a light jog, they headed down the rest of the mountain pass and towards the coast line. They didn't need to proceed carefully as the terrain became relatively smooth and open with rolling hills. As they crested one of the hills Yang and Ruby were able to see the ursa without the aid of binoculars or the sniper scope on Ruby's weapon.

"Uh, Ruby?" Yang slowed down to a walk put her hand on her sister's shoulder to slow her down as well.

"Whatsup?" Silver eyes flared with curiosity and concern as they met with worried amethyst.

"Those are really old ursa." Yang pointed to the lumbering creatures. "Look at those spikes and armor plates."

There were about a dozen of the beasts gathered at the base of a nearby hill. Most of them were normal whelps that either of the would have been able to handle on their first day of training, but the last three were much bigger. Two of them were classified as majors. They were only about a foot or two taller than their counterparts but had large spikes that made close range combat hazardous and most of their weak spots were covered in their white carapace-like armor. The last ursa was going to be an issue. Almost twice the size of a normal ursa, it was nearly completely covered in armor. The spikes were impossibly long and sharp. If attacked by another grimm or animal in a fight over territory, this alpha ursa probably wouldn't even have to try to defend itself. The opposing creature would probably skewer itself just trying to attack it.

"Yeah… That thing has got to be several decades old." Ruby murmured as she analyzed the situation. "I am glad you came with me."

"Me too." Yang patted her sister's shoulder before winking. "You know why?"

"Why?"

"Dibs!"

"Yaaannnggg…" The younger girl whined. "That isn't fair!"

The brunette gave the best puppy dog eyes that she could. Yang tried to hold her ground but she knew that defeat was inevitable.

"Fine." She conceded. "We are within range for you to get them with Crescent Rose, right?"

Ruby nodded slowly as she gauged the distance by making some gestures with an outstretched hand.

"Good." Yang flicked her wrists, causing her gauntlets to transform into their battle ready position. "Target the weaker ones and see if you can bring a few down. I will circle around and ambush them as the run past. See if we can thin their numbers before they can strike back."

"Alright!" Ruby extended her weapon into sniper form before going prone on the hilltop and sighting in on the nearest ursa. "Two minutes, Yang. Then I start firing."

Starting to count in her head and testing the wind, the blonde made her way down the hillside, making sure to stay downwind from their targets. She picked out another hill that she would be able to stay concealed on until the ursa passed her. Also going prone when she reached her destination. Ruby would start firing any second now.

Several loud reports confirmed that her timing was almost spot on. Pained roars reached her ears shortly afterwards. There would be no way to know how many of the ursa Ruby brought down until she left her hiding place. The booms of the high-impact rifle kept coming as the brawler heard charging footsteps approach her. Jumping to her feet Yang inspected the battlefield. Three of the smaller ursa were already laying on the ground evaporating while one of the majors was limping. Another trio of shots bore down on the creatures and two more of the ursa fell to the ground.

Charging down the hillside, Yang unloaded her weapons into the side of the nearest major ursa. Most of the rounds impacted on armored sections exploding ineffectively, but the fire dust spread through the air and ignited the creature's fur. Taking a few moments to aim, the brawler launched another salvo at the ursa major as it turned to face her. This time the rounds found their way to softer areas of the creature, one in particular made its way between the armor on the beast's foreleg, separating the limb from its host. Closing the final gap, Yang pounced on the ursa and drew her sword. An easy swing decapitated it and she backed up to observe her surroundings. All the minor grimm were dead, leaving an injured major and the alpha.

"Hwuatcha!" Ruby's voiced echoed across the field as a blur flashed past the blonde.

Rose petals surrounded the injured grimm as Ruby cut it to pieces. Now there was just one very angry ursa alpha left. Drawing her fist back, Yang threw a punch and heard… nothing. The new cartridges had jammed her weapon.

"Watch out!" Ruby called as Yang fumbled with her weapons.

Ruby tried to leap at the ursa, but it turned its body, meeting the red-cloaked girl with its spikes. Her aura protected her from the brunt of the attack, but the pain made its way through. Ruby cried out as she bounced off of the larger creature. Yang dove forward and caught her sister before she landed on the ground.

"I'm fine, Yang." She gasped, taking a deep breath. "I was just surprised."

Despite her claims, Yang dashed away from the beast, still holding her sister in her arms. Once they were a significant distance away Yang finally set her down. Pulling out her scroll, the brawler checked their health stats. While her own aura was still green, Ruby's had fallen to about fifty percent.

"We have a problem." Yang announced once Ruby had caught her breath. "My weapons jammed with those new dust cartridges."

"That's dumb." Ruby stated back. "I was assured they would work just fine. Oh… They probably leave residue in the weapon since they don't burn as hot. It's probably an incomplete combus-."

Yang held her hand up, silencing the chatty girl. "Not the time, Rubes. What do we do if we can't get close to it."

"Hmmm…" The reaper's face screwed in concentration. "Give me your ammo. All of it."

The brawler complied, handing over the extra magazines that she brought with her. Pulling an empty pouch off of her belts, Ruby pried the cartridges open, pouring the dust into the bag.

"That doesn't seem safe." Yang warned.

"Yes, but this is the best way to take that thing down." Finishing her task the girl gave a small smile back to her older sister. "You think you could ignite this at range with your semblance?"

"I can try."

As most hunters age, their semblances change over time. Yang's had developed allowing her more control over the fire she exuded when she activated her semblance. Most of it was the ability to control the blaze at close range, but lately Yang had been experimenting with the ability to throw a fireball.

"It's going to take a lot of aura to activate that much dust though" Yang continued. "So if this doesn't work, I am going to be fairly exhausted."

"Well, don't miss." Ruby smiled. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

With that, Ruby took off in a flurry of petals. Jogging to a vantage point, Yang spied the alpha making it was towards her. Ruby stopped in front of the grimm and cocked her arm back before throwing the dust at the gargantuan. The pouch hit the ursa in the face, spreading a cloud of dust that coated its whole body. In a blink of an eye, Ruby was gone.

Yang dug into her aura. Focusing on the letter she had received the previous day, she evoked the anger she had learned to suppress when dealing with discriminatory people. Unleashing the pent up emotions flared her semblance. Fire exploded outwards as her hair lit up and eyes burned red. Focusing on the flames, she drew them back in towards her and focused them into a ball in between her hands. With surprisingly deliberate moves, the normally impulsive brawler carefully aimed towards her target. She could feel the drain on her aura that holding the fire was causing, but as it drained her it also empowered the fireball. As her scroll dinged at her, notifying her that her aura was now below fifty percent, she took a step forward and threw the projectile at the grimm.

The maelstrom that was created was magnificent. The concussive shockwave reached Yang in a few seconds and knocked her off her feet. The roar that followed the explosion was disheartening, the creature survived the blast. Pushing herself up into a seated position, she could see that the fire had burnt most of the hair and armor off of the beast but it retained its spikes and it eyes still glowed red. It was on the verge of death, but still incredibly dangerous.

"Yang! Distract it!" Ruby hollered from somewhere behind her.

Remembering that Ember Celica was out of ammo, Yang drew her sword with her left arm and held her mechanical right arm up as a guard. Dashing back towards the ursa, she managed to dodge the paw it swung towards her and sliced off the end of the spike nearest to her. Spinning underneath the neck of the creature, Yang extended her blade into it's glaive form and stabbed downwards, cutting through flesh and rock, she pinned the other paw to the ground. Unfortunately, that maneuver prevented her from dodging the previous leg's second swipe. Catching the claws with the metal arm, she was thrown away from the grimm just as a red blur went flying past her yet again.

A curious squelch followed by a heavy thud piqued the brawler's curiosity. Carefully opening her eyes, not even realizing that she had closed them in the first place, she saw a familiar shadow standing over her.

"Well." Ruby offered a hand to help her sister up. "That was a thing."

Yang allowed herself to be pulled up while uttering a miserable groan. Her body was sore, but she walked over to the evaporating grimm to retrieve her weapon before wordlessly setting course back to their campsite. The walk back to the jeep took longer than their trip to where they fought the ursa. Both of the girls were exhausted by the time they made it back, but were happy they completed their mission so quickly. Checking her scroll, Ruby bounced on her toes.

"Let's go!" She squeaked as she hopped into the driver's seat. "We can still make it back for dinner!"

"Alright." Yang grumbled as she slid into the passenger seat. "I am going to take an hour long shower when I get home."

Starting the vehicle, they drove back up the mountain pass to the direction they had come from the previous day. They passed the time chit-chatting as they slowly made their way back to civilization and, more importantly, transmit range. A series of beeps notified them that they were back in range as both girls received two days worth of missed messages.

"So which dress did Blake go with?" Ruby called to Yang as she checked her scroll.

The lack of reply piqued the reapers curiosity. Giving a sidelong glance to her sister, she was surprised to see the blonde's face was pale.

Yang quickly stabbed her scroll repetitively with her finger before bringing it to her ear.

"Ren, I need emergency aerial transport ASAP. I am sending you our coordinates."

I typically don't like writing in depth combat, but after writing fluff for two weeks I was aching for something a little more action-y.

This was actually only half of what was originally planned for the chapter, so more stuff coming!

Reviews are appreciated.