Chapter 12

It was a few hours past dawn and the hunting party had yet to return to camp. The remaining four sat around the campfire. The wooden structures erected the day before by Ruby and Nora conveniently deflected the wind from the center of the camp. Winters in this part of Mistral were far milder than in most parts of Vale, but it was still chilly and the breeze blowing off the sea was downright frigid that day. The sooner they were found and returned to civilization the better, but until then they would have to make due.

Ruby told Jaune stories of what had happened following the disaster at Beacon, from her awakening on Patch through their shipwreck on Mistral's coast. Jaune seemed interested but disappointed to not have been a part of the adventure. Nora listened intently. Though she had been present for much of what Ruby described, some of the events occurred before her arrival on Patch and she liked a good story besides. Still, she kept Magnhild close, just in case. It was becoming clear to Yang if no one else that though Nora played the part of the ditzy maniac, and played that part well, she was actually very sharp.

Yang leaned against one of the structures with her arms crossed in front of her. She stared at Jaune, watching his every movement. She studied his facial expressions and his reactions to Ruby's tale. She was looking for anything that said he was up to something. To her dismay he seemed like the same old Jaune. It would have been much easier if he was overtly working for the enemy or being obviously deceptive. Then Yang could just give him a beating and be done with it. As it was, all she could do was watch, remaining on guard just in case.

Ruby finished her story and excused herself to go and take a nap. She had been injured in her fight with Neo the night before and had not gotten any rest since. She wanted to stay awake to further catch up with Jaune and to wait for the others to return, but she needed her rest. With no story to listen to Nora wandered off to collect more firewood. Her method was rather brutal, as she took to reducing nearby trees to splinters. Jaune remained by the fire and Yang stood where she had since the hunting party had left.

"Yang, can we talk?" Jaune finally said as the awkward staring contest grew unbearable.

"Go ahead." Yang said, not moving an inch.

"I know you don't trust me, and honestly, I can't blame you." Jaune said. "I know it must be hard to believe me when I say I just woke up a few days ago and was dragged out here with no memory of what happened before that. The fact that Emerald used an illusion of me to ambush Pyrrha can't help either."

"Get to the point." Yang ordered.

"There's got to be something I can do to get you guys to believe me." Jaune continued. "Pyrrha and Ruby seem like the only ones who are willing to take my side. I just want us all to be friends again."

"The best way for you to prove you're on our side is to leave." Yang said. "You're not healthy or skilled enough to help us fight. You're a drain on our supplies and a dangerous diversion of our attention. And that's if you're not actively working against us. I know leaving isn't exactly a realistic option now, but if you want us to trust you, you'll depart at the first opportunity."

"Where can I go?" Jaune asked.

"I don't care." Yang replied. "Go home. I bet your family misses you. Or maybe they don't. I don't know if you get along with them. The bottom line is that the worst place you can be is here. I once told Pyrrha that you would only end up getting yourself killed, or get someone else killed trying to protect you. My assessment hasn't changed. Now I have to worry about you actually being our enemy. The path we walk is too dangerous to add a hazard like you."

"That's brutal but...I guess you're right." Jaune sighed. "I feel like I can help but if that's the way you all feel, I guess I should go."

"Maybe some of the others feel differently." Yang shrugged. "But I'm never going to see you as anything other than a danger. I don't want to see my friends get hurt."

"It will hurt Pyrrha and Ruby if I go." Jaune pointed out.

"They'll be sad for a while, but they'll understand." Yang said. "I'll take a temporary injury over something permanant any day."

"I guess I'll talk it over with everyone." Jaune said. He looked down at his feet and shook his head. "I thought being dead would suck, but coming back is even worse. What do I have if my friends don't even trust me?"

"That's something only you can answer." Yang said. "I really want to believe you. I want to believe that there's nothing to my suspicions. I want to believe that you can be an asset to us. That would make life so much easier for everyone. But I can't let my emotions rule me, not anymore."

"They're back!" Nora announced as the hunting party came walking out of the forest. They carried two deer carcasses and a bag of wild fruit. It looked as though the day's hunt had been even more successful than the previous one.

"We can talk about this more later, if you need to." Yang said to Jaune. "I've said what I have to say."

Ren and Pyrrha again prepared the meal. With a day of practice it came out even better. It was still not on the level of Taiyang's cooking but the result was appetizing in both appearance and taste. Still there was unease. Pyrrha looked absolutely miserable as she slowly ate her portion. Jaune could not help but notice the frequent glances fired in his direction. The intervening hours had done nothing to dampen the group's suspicion of him. He felt unwanted and guilty for having set them arguing against each other.

"We've decided to send you home." Pyrrha finally said to Jaune. She did not sound happy about it and Ruby seemed surprised by the statement. "You're not in any condition to fight right now, so when we get to civilization we're putting you on an airship back home. If you want, when you recover, you can rejoin us at Haven."

"That's probably for the best." Jaune conceded with a sigh. "If anything I'll just hold you guys back right now."

"I'm glad you're taking this well." Pyrrha said.

"I kind of had a feeling this was coming." Jaune admitted. "I can see from the way you all look at me that you don't want me here."

"It's not like that." Nora said. The statement bordered on being an outright lie. "We just want you to get healthy so you can come back better than ever!" That was an outright lie.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Ruby asked. She had not been consulted and was not a fan of the idea. She knew how much the group's suspicion hurt Jaune's feelings and how much more damage sending him away would cause.

"It's fine, really." Jaune insisted. "I understand the reasoning. Once I'm all healed up I'll meet back up with you guys. That is if you don't stop Cinder without me first. I guess I'll have to heal up quick if I want to get in on the action." He laughed but it was half-hearted. He knew they would succeed or fail and he would have little impact on that, whether or not he was present. He felt useless.

"Come on, let's try to be happy now." Nora said. "Jaune's alive! Even if things aren't perfect that's something to celebrate!" The others professed to agree and put on happy faces, but there was little genuine enthusiasm. Even Nora was not really in the mood.

After the meal the group split up to do their own things while they waited for rescue. Nora was in the mood to hit something with her hammer - as much to distract her from the conflict as anything else - so supervised by Ren, she set about obliterating some trees that neighbored the camp. Weiss and Blake split off and started awkwardly flirting with each other. They still had no idea what they were doing or how normal people acted, and Yang got the occasional laugh as she listened to their nearby conversation. Even though she was being entertained by Weiss and Blake's blundering, Yang kept a close eye on Jaune, standing where she had before the meal and watching Jaune who remained seated beside the campfire. Pyrrha and Ruby set up a practice range for Pyrrha's weapons. Now that Pyrrha had been using the new weapons for some time, Ruby wanted feedback so she could further improve the designs. Yang would normally be inclined to join them, but even if she was not keeping an eye on Jaune the highly technical nature of their discussion would have kept Yang away.

A sudden blast of energy emanated from the center of the camp, snuffing out the fire and flattening the crude structures assembled by Ruby and Nora. As the group braced against the overpressure, their auras shimmered and failed. Already in a weakened state, Ruby fell unconscious. Yang felt a terrible pain in her head, as if it were being crushed in a vice. She hunched over and clutched her temples as her vision blurred. Then as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Yang stumbled forward, dizzy and aching. She looked around. Ren was on his knees with Nora bent over him. Weiss and Blake were leaning against each other, effectively propping each other up. Pyrrha knelt at Ruby's side, attending to the unconscious girl.

Amidst the groans and confusion, Jaune stood. His expression was blank and his motions were awkward. It reminded Yang a bit of how it was when she first had her prosthetic arm. Jaune turned around and began walking with a strange, rigid, jerking gait. Something was up. Yang took a step after him but almost fell over, still not recovered from the blast. Jaune was headed for Pyrrha. She was focused on Ruby and had her back turned. Jaune drew his sword and shield. This was the trick Yang had been waiting for. Jaune was being puppeteered, sent to take out the group's strongest member.

"Pyrrha!" Yang shouted. Pyrrha turned her head to see Jaune lumbering toward her. In a flash of yellow Yang was upon him. But this was not the same old Jaune. He whipped around and effortlessly deflected Yang's fist as she aimed to punch at his head. Then, as part of the same motion, he plunged his blade into Yang's abdomen. Yang's eyes bulged as the blade punched clean through her and emerged from her back. With a twist to the blade Jaune drew out his sword. Yang stumbled and her hair briefly burst into flames before almost immediately going out as she crumpled to the ground.

Pyrrha leapt to her feet and screamed in rage. Extending her hands she used her semblance to grab hold of Jaune's sword and shield. She ripped them away, partially embedding them in the dirt as he relinquished them rather than being pulled to the ground with them. She drew her weapon, converted it to its javelin form, and launched it at Jaune with all her might. The weapon sailed straight through the spot where he had been standing as he burst into a cloud of glowing ash that scattered away.

Pyrrha rushed to Yang's side, the others soon gathering around as well.. Yang was still alive but bleeding profusely from the gaping and jagged wound. Pyrrha pressed her hands against the ends of the wound, but the blood just seeped through her fingers. "Stay with me Yang!" Pyrrha pleaded.

"I don't think I'll make it." Yang said, her voice a whisper.

"Don't say that." Pyrrha said as tears began to flow down her face. "You'll be alright. You grew a whole new arm. You can regrow this."

"I think that was a one-time deal." Yang said. "I knew he was dangerous...but I never expected this. I'm just glad I got to him in time. I can die happy knowing you're alright."

"Yang, you're not going to die." Pyrrha wept.

"I'm pretty sure I am." Yang said. "I'm sorry." She coughed, spitting up blood that spattered Pyrrha's face. "Tell Ruby...I'm sorry I broke my promise." Yang convulsed, coughing up more blood.

"Yang, please." Pyrrha sobbed.

"Let me see you smile...one more time." Yang said weakly. "Please." Pyrrha forced a smile and Yang smiled back at her. "Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too." Pyrrha cried. "More than you could know."

"Trust me, I know." Yang said. "Protect Ruby for me." Yang closed her eyes for what she knew would be the last time.

Yang opened her eyes and they were flooded with blinding white light. She was not a big believer in an afterlife, but she could only be in heaven. Her last memory was of her friends, gathered around her, crying. In that moment she had felt so incredibly loved, but indescribably sad to be leaving them. She supposed it could have been worse. At least they would outlive her. Hopefully they would not be too sad, but they would surely be happy again one day. There was no better death than dying to protect them.

As her eyes began to adjust, Yang started to become skeptical about whether she was actually in heaven. If she was, the dress-code was drastically different than she had imagined. The simpler explanation was that she was alive and in a hospital. But could she really be alive? They had been hours from civilization and she was minutes from bleeding out when she had lost consciousness. She tried to look around. Her whole body felt heavy but eventually she was able to force her head to turn to the side. There was Ruby, sitting beside her asleep. She looked as though she had been crying.

Yang struggled to speak but her body was uncooperative. She did not know if that was because of her injuries or from whatever medication they had been pumping into her. Finally she managed the slightest whisper. "Ruby." She said. Ruby remained asleep. Yang was starting to get her bearings and her body was finally starting to respond. "Sis." She said a little louder.

Ruby's eyes blinked open. She yawned and looked at Yang. For a moment she stared at Yang before almost jumping out of her chair in shock. "You're awake!" Ruby exclaimed. Already tears of joy welled in her eyes.

"Yep." Yang said, still rather quietly.

"Guys!" Ruby called. "Yang's awake!"

Yang caught a flash of red out of the corner of her eye as Pyrrha rushed to the other side of her bed. "Yang, are you really…" Pyrrha started.

"Hey." Yang managed. She could not quite turn her head to face Pyrrha. It felt so heavy.

"Do you want to sit up a little?" Ruby asked, noticing Yang's discomfort.

"That would be nice." Yang confirmed. Ruby and Pyrrha lifted Yang a little by the shoulders while the latter adjusted the bed and the former rearranged the pillows to make the position more comfortable. Now more upright, Yang could see that the others were gathered around as well.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Pyrrha said, choking back tears. "I thought I'd lost you."

"It'll take a lot more than a sword to the gut to keep me down." Yang said with a weak laugh. "I'm glad to see you too. What happened? Where am I? How am I...not dead?"

"Right after you blacked out, General Ironwood showed up with a detachment of Atlesian soldiers." Pyrrha replied.

"Ironwood?" Yang said. "What was he doing here?"

"Apparently he and Winter were looking for me." Weiss answered. "I guess we're lucky they showed up when they did. Their medic started treating you in the field and then they rushed you here. You're in a hospital in Mistral now."

"I guess that means you're going back to Atlas." Yang said.

"Nope." Weiss said with a big smile. "Winter and I convinced Ironwood not to tell my father."

"That's not even the best news." Ruby said, bursting with excitement. "Penny's back!" Ruby looked away, just beyond Yang's field of view. "Come on over and say hi!"

Penny walked over looking a little nervous. "Salutations." She said with a salute. "I am happy you have regained consciousness. We were all very worried about you."

"How long was I out?" Yang asked.

"Three days." Pyrrha replied. "The doctors weren't sure if you'd ever wake up. You lost a lot of blood."

"That must have been really tough for all of you." Yang sighed. "I'm sorry I had you worried."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Pyrrha said. "We're just so glad to have you back!"

After a few weeks of recovery and rehabilitation, Yang was released from the hospital. The rest of the group, who had been staying in a hotel nearby, met up to celebrate. They decided to go to lunch, but before even arriving at the restaurant, conversation turned to the future. "So...what now?" Yang asked. "We made it to Mistral. Is there a plan?"

"I never really thought that far ahead." Ruby admitted.

"Why am I not surprised?" Weiss groaned.

"I guess our first step is going to Haven." Ruby said. "Then we can meet up with Sun and his team. Then...well..."

"That's easy." Nora said. "We find Cinder and her people, break Jaune out of her control, and defeat them! Boom! World saved!"

"That's a gross oversimplification, but that's the general idea." Blake said.

"Do you guys have any idea just how to do that?" Yang asked.

"Well, we weren't just sitting around doing nothing while you were recovering." Ruby said. "We found some leads that might help us find our enemies."

"Unfortunately Adam and the White Fang are here too." Blake said. "But their sloppiness allowed us to narrow down our search."

"So straight back into the fight then?" Yang said. "Perfect. There's a lot of revenge I need to get."

"Not so fast." Pyrrha said. "You're not in any condition to fight yet. We're going to take some time first. We'll train and make sure we're all ready before we make our move. We can't afford to be reckless."

"Of course." Yang agreed. "We're only going to get one shot at this, so we need to really think it through."

"That's not the reaction I was expecting from you." Weiss said.

"Yang 2.0 doesn't charge stupidly into danger." Yang said. "Well, I'll try not to."

"I'll be here to help you out." Pyrrha promised. "We all will."

"You guys are the best." Yang said. "So, what do you say we get this day started off with a Yang?!" Yang laughed as the others let out a collective groan.

"Looks like Yang 2.0 isn't that different from the old Yang." Ruby said.

Pyrrha smiled and giggled. "I wouldn't have her any other way."

END

Author's Note: But not the only end! I'll be posting a series of 3 alternate endings (depressing ones) I wrote, along with some additional notes about the series. I want to thank you all for reading and I hope you've enjoyed the ride. I will not be continuing this story, but I hope you'll stick around for the other stories I'm writing.