Chapter 30

Wilting Rose

Team RWBY's dorm room door burst open nearly flying off its hinges as a tall blonde rushed in carrying a small, unconscious girl in her arms. She was whimpering from some kind of nightmare, twitching violently and occasionally trying to raise her arms in a defensive, possibly submissive posture.

"Not now, Zwei!" Yang snapped, nearly tripping over the small ball of fur playing chicken between her legs.

"Lay her down on my bed," Weiss said, scooping up the over-excited corgi in her arms and holding him tightly to her chest. She glanced back at the doorway where Blake stood as if afraid to enter or waiting for an invitation, but instead of offering one Weiss knelt down beside the once pristine bed that Ruby was now laying atop of swaddled in her cloak. "Ruby..."

Yang spent the next several minutes senselessly fussing over her sister, trying to decide with some difficulty what position would be most comfortable and how high her head should be raised. After changing her mind at least a dozen times she turned to her teammates expectantly but only received a half-hearted yip from Zwei, who immediately began to squirm in Weiss' grasp.

"Alright, here you go." After a kiss between the ears she reluctantly released him atop the bed and he immediately went to work cleaning Ruby's face and checking for boo-boos. His search was meticulous and thorough, but eventually he curled up in a ball in the space between her stomach and knees, and looked up at the girls with a long face and his ears folded back, whining slightly.

"I-I know, puppy-tart," Weiss choked. "We don't know what to do either, b-but she'll be alright."

"Just like old times, huh?" Yang half-joked, half-sobbed. She scratched Zwei behind the ears which seemed to reassure him enough to finally lay his head down and get comfortable.

They watched Ruby breathe for the next several minutes, holding their own and standing as if ready to pounce, or in Blake's case sprint down the hall and get as far away from Beacon as possible.

Occasionally the caped-girl would murmur in her sleep but no longer was she screaming and thrashing. Much of what she had to say was nonsensical, but occasionally she'd ask for her mother or sister, or ask how much longer she had to wait. Occasionally she'd even answer herself saying, 'Mommy's here' or 'They'll be here soon, sweetie'...

Yang wiped something from her eye, and perhaps needing something to do she carefully undid the straps on her sister's boots but stopped short of removing her socks and bandages underneath. She was afraid that one wrong move might somehow cause the screaming and thrashing to begin again, but also wanted to be considerate of this being Weiss' bed seeing how she still had hopes of inheriting her sheets someday.

While she tried to keep her mind occupied Weiss sat brushing her partner's matted hair, noting not for the first time just how small and helpless she looked, especially while sleeping. Feeling her eyes beginning to burn she swallowed a lump in her throat and turned to the girl standing in the doorway. "It's safe to come in now," she said evenly.

Blake hesitantly entered, looking around the room as if waiting for an ambush. She closed the door behind her and slowly began backing away from her roommates before bumping into the desk. With her knees already wobbly and threatening to give out from under her, she took a backward seat in the chair and hung her head over the back, breathing heavily.

Once Yang couldn't find anything else to fuss over she looked around for Blake finding her alone and practically merging with the shadows across the room. She opened her mouth to say something but found herself unable to speak, and so pretended to be interested in the engineering marvel that was her sister's levitating bed. As far as Ruby's roommates were concerned, the bunk beds might as well have been a breakthrough in quantum mechanics as they gave the team enough space for essentials such as an extra dresser, more bookshelves, and a secondary entertainment area, which helped keep the girls from killing each other, or at least prolonged the inevitable.

"Alright, I'll say it," Weiss murmured just loud enough for everyone to hear. "That wasn't just mind manipulation, if there ever was any to begin with. Yang, you know what that was about, and you're going to tell us and don't you dare lie."

She got to her feet, her legs as unsteady as her voice, but regardless she sized up the tall blonde with a hand resting on her rapier, the blade rattling as it shook.

Yang remained silent, seemingly lost in thought as she studied the intricate designs her sister had recently engraved on Ember Celica, something she found herself doing a lot lately.

"It almost reminded me of a seizure," Blake said, sounding as though she might've been talking to herself. Weiss gave her a dirty look that she interpreted as 'Don't give her any ideas'.

"Yang, I don't care if she is your sister or if this is about your family's secrets." She took a step toward her. "Ruby is my partner and absolute best friend. If I have to bribe or threaten someone to see her sealed medical records I will, and I'll have them by the end of the day. I'll unseal every classified document relating to your family if that's what it takes. Your choice."

Normally the frequent sight of Weiss standing on her tiptoes and tilting her head just to look Yang in the eye was humorous to Blake, if not tiresome. Rarely was there ever an outcome that wasn't complete and total domination on Yang's part, but for once Weiss seemed to realize this. Although her stance and posture were combative, her entire demeanor and aura around her was defiant as though not even Yang's worst beating would stop her from discovering the truth. Not even if it came at the cost of their friendship.

Watching from the sidelines Blake couldn't help thinking that she was finally about to witness the implosion of Team RWBY. Perhaps it had always been inevitable that Ozpin's glorified social experiment wouldn't be able to coexist forever, or perhaps it was simply fate that Blake's families were doomed to fail...

She made no move to get in between her friends or stop the collapse of everything they had worked so hard for, and it was to her great surprise and relief that when Yang finally acknowledged Weiss' presence she nodded. "Okay..."

Weiss let out a deep breath and grabbed Yang's shoulder to keep herself from falling over. "Thank you."

"For agreeing to talk or for not beating you to a bloody pulp?" she asked, leading Weiss over toward the desk.

"Both actually, but particularly the former."

"Good, because I'm saving the beating for later..." Yang walked around Blake to get into the mini-fridge and began digging around the back, leaving the pair to wonder whether she was kidding or not.

'Tread carefully,' Blake silently suggested. 'You might be willing to bribe, threaten, or even fight somebody for Ruby's sake, but if it means protecting her sister Yang will KILL for her."

'So would I, but I prefer more elegant ways of resolving problems.' Weiss smiled, having often wondered how she and Blake hadn't been made partners considering how well they seemed to understand one another.

'Because we'd kill each other,' she answered honestly. 'Filthy Schnee...'

'Degenerate White Fang crony...'

Neither could hold back a grin but they began to diminish when the pair noticed Yang struggling to open a bottle, her twinkling eyes still fixed on the girl wrapped in her favorite blanket and snuggling with her comfort corgi.

"That's how they spent their first days together," she said in a hollow voice, taking a seat atop the desk. "Rubes was barely talking before our uncle brought him home. Sometimes she'd go days without saying a word. Sorry you missed it, Weiss..." Her shaking hands finally twisted the top off and she gulped down several mouthfuls. Afterward she took a deep breath and sighed, her bright lilac eyes dimming slightly.

"She was remembering Patchwork, wasn't she?" Weiss said quietly. It didn't sound much like a question, and Yang responded by draining the rest of the bottle.

"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" she demanded. "Ruby, s-she thought we were Grimm and that we were mauling her! That I-I was mauling her..."

"It's called 'The Patchwork Massacre' for a reason," Blake murmured, causing the pair to look at her curiously and for Yang to wince. Realizing she had spoken aloud her body tensed up and Blake became all too aware of her partner's legs kicking beside her. She glanced up but just as quickly looked away again. "I-I'm sorry, Yang, but Ruby asked me not say anything, a-and I wasn't even sure if it was important enough to tell you about."

Yang set the empty bottle down, and Blake tried swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth. "The day after your birthday when you kicked Ruby out of the bathroom, I-I accidentally saw some scars on her stomach, and a few on her thighs and hips. I'd never seen them before but they didn't look recent, and when I asked her about them she told me they were from Patchwork."

Blake squirmed in her seat feeling her partner's eyes flicker and burn into her back. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, sounding equally as hurt as she did angry.

"I-" her voice caught. "Ruby didn't want to worry you, a-and she also didn't want you feeling guilty. She told me about your dad and uncle, about how it's affected them, but she didn't need to tell me that you haven't been yourself lately. I wanted to tell you, both of you, but I also didn't want to worry you any more than you already were..."

"That wasn't your call to make," Yang growled, balling her hand into a fist.

Weiss leaned over and put a hand on Blake's shoulder, putting herself slightly in between them. "You're right, it wasn't Blake's call to make. It was Ruby's, and I would've done the same thing."

She nodded at the faunus who smiled appreciatively, but the room's temperature rising caused them both to turn their attention back to Yang. "Alright, I'm adding a new rule to the handbook. From now on if it involves Ruby it involves me. No exceptions, understand?" When she didn't receive an immediate response she glowered over them. "Understand!?" she said more forcefully.

"You're just as scared as we are so don't take it out on us!" Weiss snapped back "And as scared as we are imagine what Ruby's been going through! Imagine how scared she's been all because her family's kept her in the dark about what really happened in Patchwork!"

"That's because this is what it was always going to lead to!" Yang yelled, jumping to her feet and pointing at the bed. "You didn't see her when she was first brought home! You didn't see what my dad and uncle saw! My baby sister went through hell and I wasn't there for her!"

Yang covered her face as tears quickly began rolling down her cheeks, but wiping them away, she continued. "I don't know how much Ruby actually remembers from that day but she buried it deep for good reason. Maybe she's always known what happened but the memories weren't quite there. I don't know. I don't know because she's never talked about it with me. ME! The closest she ever comes is telling me about her nightmares, and that's only because she wants me to make them go away."

When wiping her eyes was no longer doing any good she buried her face in her already sweat stained tank top, quietly sobbing.

"Yang..." Blake whispered, putting a hand on her partner's shoulder. "You're here for her now."

Yang shook her head. "You heard her," she sniffled. "Ruby was crying for me earlier. I should've been there for her..."

Blake and Weiss glanced at one another. Yang feeling guilty over anything happening to her baby sister was nothing new and exactly what Ruby had been hoping to avoid, but something was different about her voice this time. Guilt was one thing, but it almost sounded as though she honestly blamed herself for what happened, as though she could've actually prevented the massacre.

"You were supposed to be in Patchwork that day," Weiss gasped, covering her mouth. Yang answered by sobbing louder, and Blake grabbed hold of her and helped her back atop the desk.

"It's okay, Yang. It's okay."

She shook her head. "I left them," she said, almost sounding as though she were drowning. When she lowered her top back down her eyes were puffy and pink, and her cheeks tear stained. "I was supposed to spend a few nights with Ruby and Summer b-but I, um, I caught a bad cold from school and my dad came and got me the next day. Patchwork fell a couple days later, but if I'd just toughed it out-"

"Then you'd probably be dead too..." Weiss said, adding a hand to Yang's other shoulder before embracing her.

Besides sniffles and sobs which were shared between all three, for the next several minutes the room was eerily quiet as they found themselves listening to Ruby's rhythmic breathing. What remained of their auras after practice began to overlap, and when they finally gave each other room to breathe they all had smiles on their faces, with Yang's looking only slightly forced.

"I-I don't think Ruby remembers me being in Patchwork or getting sick, a-and I've never been able to admit it to her. I'm sorry for not telling either of you the truth but I've always been scared of something like this happening someday. I'm used to burying secrets deep in my aura where Ruby can't find them, but I honestly never wanted either of you to ever have to hide anything from her in your auras. I didn't want either of you having to lie to her, especially you, Weiss..."

Weiss glanced back toward the bed wiping her eyes but Blake chuckled. "Ruby told me the same thing actually. When I saw her scars she asked that I wouldn't tell you, but she also told me not to lie to my partner."

Smiling and without either having to prompt the other, the partners pressed their foreheads together and allowed their auras to intertwine. Weiss watched as a silent conversation took place between them, and feeling as though she were eavesdropping on something private she wandered over to her own partner to make sure she and Zwei were comfortable.

Eventually they separated, and feeling rather lonely at the moment Weiss rejoined them and cleared her throat. "Ruby's scars coming back and today's panic attack, or whatever it was, can't be a coincidence, right? And why are they even coming back at all? There's no way that as a child her aura would have been strong enough to heal claw marks from a Beowolf, and if they had healed naturally the scars wouldn't have disappeared at all." She pointed at her scarred eye. "So then how is it that-"

Weiss' face lit up in sudden realization, and Yang couldn't help wincing again. "Her mother! She was an aura match to Ruby and a master aura manipulator! Didn't you tell me something about her being able to use transference glyphs? Summer must've saved Ruby from the Beowolves and healed her wounds, and over the years Ruby's own aura must've taken over but never completed the process because her aura and healing factor are still developing!"

Yang swallowed, almost appearing relieved when she stopped talking. Weiss on the other hand seemed as though she couldn't decide whether to be proud of herself or horrified. "T-that means her mother might've used too much of her aura saving Ruby, meaning she didn't have enough to-"

"-save herself or the rest of Patchwork," Yang finished, allowing a few quiet moments to pass before continuing. "Ruby already knows that Summer chose to save her instead of their neighbors and friends, and I don't want her knowing that she's the reason there weren't any other survivors. In her mind Summer died because she'd been a support fighter who'd never been meant for front line combat and wasn't exactly the same huntress after retiring. Maybe there's some truth to that, I don't know, but Summer made her choice, and I thank God every night she made it..."

Both Weiss and Blake could hear the silent plea in her voice, and almost reluctantly they agreed to keep Summer's dying act a secret. After what happened down in the training hall both girls found themselves understanding why Yang and her family kept the truth from Ruby. Perhaps this moment had always been inevitable like Yang suggested, but perhaps together they could prevent it from happening again.

All they needed to do was find the cause...

Blake closed her eyes which quickly began overflowing. She knew who was to blame. She'd known from the very beginning. Internally her shadow had been screaming the perpetrator's name calling for their blood, and after fighting it for so long the dam broke and she began to sob.

Almost immediately, perhaps even a moment or two just before, Yang wrapped her arms around her and brought their faces together. "Hey, I know what you're thinking and about to say, and the answer is 'no'. This isn't your fault and nobody blames you."

"Of course it is! I stabbed your sister and half an hour later she's hallucinating that she's back in Patchwork being mauled by Beowolves!"

"Almost stabbed her," Yang corrected half-jokingly, grabbing her hands and squeezing. "Blake, this wasn't your fault and nobody blames you. I don't blame you, Weiss doesn't blame you, and when she wakes up Ruby-"

"If her scars are coming back because her aura's so low maybe me dropping it below zero's what caused this! I knew about them, and I'd even noticed that she's been holding her stomach ever since the mission but because I didn't say anything-"

Yang rested Blake's head against her shoulder to cry into. "I told you this isn't your fault," she whispered, instinctively flaring her aura. "Blake, I love you, but you've gotta learn to stop blaming yourself all the time..."

She turned to Weiss who watched on unsure if she should give her support as well or continue pretending she wasn't there to give the partners privacy. She looked utterly exhausted Yang noted, physically but especially emotionally, and believing she was being asked to add her support Weiss nodded.

"That's good advice. Maybe we should all listen to it." After giving Yang a lingering gaze she glanced back toward the occupied bed fighting an almost uncontrollable urge to crawl in beside her partner.

"If her aura dropping below zero is the problem then I might know the solution." Yang lifted Blake's face up to look her in the eye. "No more training and no more stockpiling aura for a tournament we weren't ever gonna win anyway. From now on Ruby's rest is our number one priority. We'll give her some space, and I won't mention her scars, but from now on we keep an eye on her at all times. Understood?"

The pair nodded as giving them a task to focus on seemed to help take their minds off the current situation.

"What do we tell her when she wakes up?" Weiss asked, turning back around.

"We tell her the truth," Yang said with a slight mischievous grin. "First we'll ask her what she remembers, then we tell her that she collapsed on the way to the dressing room. We've all passed out during or after practice, and it's at least partially the truth. Unless she wakes up remembering her hallucinations and wants to talk about them I'm not sure if bringing up Patchwork is such a great idea right now."

Weiss slowly nodded. "I suppose that's fair, but what happens when other people start asking her about what happened? There had to have been at least thirty students in the training hall, and I'm not sure if you've noticed but news and gossip travel fast around Beacon."

Yang's eyes flickered. "Just let me handle them. I-"

*bbbrrrpp*

"Huh?" Confused and slightly pinkish in her cheeks, Yang turned to Blake for an explanation before grinning almost as if embarrassed. "Sorry, my butt started vibrating and I got excited for a second." After giving her partner a playful wink Yang retrieved her scroll from her back pocket.

"What is it now?" Weiss asked, massaging her temples.

"It's a text from Glynda," she said in a mixture of relief and annoyance. Her usual tone when discussing their combat instructor. "Apparently you were right. News travels fast. She wants to know if Ruby's alright, and if it'd be okay if she came by to visit or if I came down to her office to talk."

"What are you-"

"I'm telling her I'll be down in a minute, but if there's any change in Ruby's condition you call me, understand?"

The pair nodded dutifully, knowing a threat when they heard one, but Weiss couldn't help glancing back at her partner. Yang gave them both a lingering hug before stalking over toward the dresser, having been ready to change out of her clothes for the past half hour.

"Yang," Weiss squeaked, "I know you don't want to hear this, but-"

"Then don't say it," she replied, pulling her tank top over her head.

"-but I think it's past time we took Ruby to see a doctor."

"No doctors!" She spun around glaring at them both, but with her head still covered and her bra exposed the threat was more comedic than actually intimidating. Still, neither dared laugh. Yanking the top off she threw it across the room at Weiss who barely ducked out of the way in time. "I'm not gonna let my baby sister be anybody's guinea pig ever again!"

'Again?' Weiss and Blake glanced at one another thinking the same thing but wishing the other would raise their voice.

As they silently debated whether or not the importance of the question outweighed their simple curiosity, Yang continued removing her clothes and huntress gear, tossing everything over Blake and Weiss' heads into the bathroom to be sorted out later. She wasn't quite as indecisive as she usually was when she wanted to wear something comfortable but still captivating, and so settled on a simple black sports bra and shorts, along with a tan vest and her mini-skirt-like ammo belt. Something she'd normally wear while jogging around the school or in the exercise room. After she was done admiring herself in the mirror she turned to her teammates with Blake having to nudge Weiss to turn back around.

"I'll talk to Glynda about Rubes seeing our family doctor back on Patch," Yang said, sighing. They didn't seem entirely relieved or convinced, and continued watching as Yang adjusted her hair and attire in the mirror. Eventually she glanced back at her teammates for their unnecessary approval, with Weiss' only complaint being that she shouldn't show so much skin, which was validation as far as Yang was concerned.

Afterward she tiptoed around the other side of the bed and ran a hand through Ruby's hair before giving her a kiss atop the head and a peck on the lips. "I love you, Rubes. Don't move while I'm gone, okay? I'll be right back. I pinky promise." She turned to Zwei and also gave him a kiss. "You're in charge while I'm gone."

Zwei nodded dutifully, and with a deep breath Yang started toward the door with a mixture of hesitation and quickness in her step as if she didn't want to go but at the same time wanted to be anywhere but there.

*knock, knock*

Yang paused a few feet from the door her hand already outstretched to turn the knob. "Why did she bother asking to come over if she was just gonna come anyway?"

Blake got to her feet while Weiss put herself between the door and her partner, a hand resting on her rapier. "Somehow I doubt that Professor Goodwitch is as impatient as you."

The team nodded and slowly approached the door with their weapons drawn. Looking through the peephole however Yang sighed and signaled to lower their blades. She went to turn the door knob but the moment she gave it the tiniest twist she was slammed back against the wall.

"WHERE"S MY RUBY!?" demanded a short, stocky girl with orange hair and rosy cheeks. "IS SHE OKAY? WHAT HAPPENED? DOES SHE NEED MOUTH TO MOUTH? I KNOW CPR! WHAT ABOUT A DEFIBRILLATOR? I RESTARTED JAUNE'S HEART ONCE AFTER HE AND PYRRHA FIRST KISSED AND HE'S ALRIGHT! HIS HEART FLUTTERS A BIT SOMETIMES BUT-"

"Calm down, Nora!" Weiss pleaded, jumping into the doorway with Blake hoping they wouldn't have to shield Ruby with their very easily thrown and electrified bodies.

"IS SHE DYING!? OH MY GOD SHE IS! DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT, RUBY! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG AND THERE'S SO MANY COLORING BOOKS WE HAVEN'T-"

A hand wrapped around Nora's mouth and she was forcibly yanked back out into the hall. Yang appeared a moment later from behind the door, her eyes flickering and holding her nose.

"Oww," she grumbled, checking for blood.

"Sorry," whispered a tall red headed girl in black-stained, bronze colored armor. "We got on the elevator together but she ran out the last second and took the stairs. To be honest I don't think she's ever run that fast in her entire life." She glanced down fondly but exasperated at the girl kicking her legs mid-air, failing to break free from both the taller girl's grasp and the magnetic pull around her hammer and harness.

"Pyrrha!" Weiss beamed, marveling at her and how she was able to restrain Nora with seemingly little to no effort despite her strength being a match even for Yang. Once her excitement began to wane however, thanks in part due to a playful wink and nudge from Yang, she began to notice The Invincible Girl's unusually disheveled appearance, as well as the dents and claw marks in her armor. "I-We weren't expecting you back so soon. Wasn't your security detail for at least two more days?"

"You don't really need bodyguards when there aren't any Grimm," Ren said humorously, appearing behind Pyrrha alongside Jaune who were both in worse shape than their partners. "I did the scouting, Jaune here did the planning, and Nora and Pyrrha took care of the rest."

"It wasn't as easy as he makes it sound," Jaune said sheepishly, pushing his way to the front. There was a hint of impatience to his voice but it was outweighed by his overwhelming concern. "We'd just landed when we heard about Ruby having some kind of accident and came running. I-is it true that she was screaming?

Weiss and Blake shared a worried look with each other then at Yang who seemed to be still upset about her nose. Nora gave an urgent muffled squeal and pointed into the room, and her teammates saw something they couldn't recall ever seeing before.

Ruby lying atop of Weiss' bed...

Clearly something was very wrong, and Pyrrha had to stop Jaune from getting any closer while also resisting the electricity coursing through Nora's body into hers, which was causing her hair to stand up straight. "Wait..."

Yang glanced at her teammates letting them know their earlier conversation from had been for their ears only, then leaned over and whispered in Weiss' ear so quietly she could barely hear and made it look as though she was simply trying to scoot past.

"Keep an eye on Blake. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Weiss nodded. She'd seen how Yang fell to her knees in tears when her partner seemingly abandoned her earlier, and the times before. While Blake running away for good wasn't something Yang seemed to be actively afraid of, it was still a fear she harbored and something fresh on her mind.

"Ruby's asleep," Yang said, pushing through the crowded doorway and sounding as though she had a severely stopped up nose. "We had an accident while training and she passed out from aura exhaustion on the way back to the room. Nothing to worry about, and now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go have a drink with my old babysitter..."

As everybody watched her go Weiss grinned and graciously offered Pyrrha to come inside and sit down, holding the door open for Ren so he could follow his bound and gagged partner, only to slam the door shut in Jaune's face.

"Oww!"

Yang lost track of time as she wandered the school courtyards and labyrinth of corridors below, cursing and muttering to herself as she went. She'd taken possibly the most circuitous route to reach Professor's Goodwitch's office as it was normally only a five to ten minute walk from the dormitory, but she'd needed time to clear her head and mentally prepare herself for whatever might come next.

"Hi, Uncle Qrow," she said in a sweet, enthusiastic voice, "this is your favorite niece calling again to tell you to ANSWER YOUR FREAKING SCROLL!"

She closed the holographic device with such a force that it was audible, and with a roar she slammed her fist against the wall, cracking the tile and leaving something resembling a small crater. Afterward she rested her arms and forehead against the wall taking deep breaths and murmuring phrases she'd been taught in order to help sooth her semblance. Unsurprisingly none of them were working. Yelling at her dad and uncle seemed to be helping though.

Once again the men in her life were nowhere to be seen when she and Ruby needed them most. When Yang needed them most...

She banged her head against the wall a few times before continuing her breathing exercises, only pausing when a whimper or sob made its way through her defenses.

"Yang?" She whirled around having never been happier to see her combat instructor and frequent disciplinarian walking toward her as quickly as her long legs would allow.

"Glynda!" her voice cracked, running to wrap her arms around her former babysitter. The embrace only lasted for a moment however as she quickly began being led down the hall.

"We'll talk in my office," Professor Goodwitch whispered. "It wouldn't do for your classmates to see you like this."

As she was being dragged away by the towering woman Yang glanced behind her hearing something scraping against the wall only to realize it was in fact the wall, or the wall repairing itself to be exact. "We've got more hole just like that back home if you ever wanna go from fixer to homemaker," she teased.

Goodwitch sighed and shook her head. "How is it possible for someone to inherit every single one of their family's worst traits?"

"Because if I hadn't I wouldn't have had anything left to inherit. Now admit it, you and Dad would be perfect for each other. You said yourself the other day that you used to have a thing for him."

"That was a long time ago, Yang," Glynda said in a stern yet gentle tone. "If we lived together your father would be dead by the end of the first week and you wouldn't even last a day, and that mutt of yours would be finding a new home. And do not even get me started on your uncle..."

Yang nodded, feeling similarly about her father and uncle at the moment. She did take exception to Zwei being called a mutt however as he actually had a rather extensive pedigree but uncharacteristically decided to let it go. The brief distraction had served its purpose and by the time they arrived at the combat instructor's office Yang's mind had begun to wander and she daydreamed of herself soaking in the bathtub back in the room. Her body was stiff and sore all over from her grueling match with Weiss, and she desperately wanted to let all of her emotions go down the drain.

As the pleasant daydream faded she settled on a leather chair across from Goodwitch's lavish ebony desk, and sighed pleasurably as she made herself comfortable. The office reminded Yang of a library, which probably explained why it always made her so sleepy and feel in need of a shower, but its one redeeming quality was the sizable collection of trophies and other awards that the combat instructor had either won herself or been awarded because of former pupils she had personally trained.

Even those quickly got boring however as Yang had never cared much about championships or prestigious tournaments that didn't include herself. She generally made it a point to watch them on TV with her sister, at least until she got bored or they inevitably started their own tournament, but off the top of her head, she couldn't even remember who had won the previous Vytal Festival despite most of her classmates practically being able to recite every winner off the top of their heads.

She also didn't exactly have pleasant memories of the professor's office, which to her irritation appeared to be a little larger than her team's dorm room, and while she'd never been inside the bathroom she assumed it was probably bigger as well. Looking around however she found the leather tomes encompassing the office to be holding her attention for the first time longer than five seconds, blowing past the previous record. She thought she recognized a few from Weiss' own collection, and their earlier conversation about Grimm conjuring and transference glyphs tugged on the back of her mind.

Yang knew however that she'd never get the answers she wanted from Glynda, and without knowing even the fundamentals of ancient runes or glyphs Yang quickly gave up looking for any familiar symbols on their spines. Besides, she had more important matters to discuss and worry about.

Instead of taking a seat behind the desk as the combat instructor normally would when scolding her perpetually mischievous and rebellious student, she took a seat in the leather chair beside Yang, moving it so they were perpendicular with each other.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked. Without waiting for a response, she waved her hand and the filing cabinet on the far wall unlocked and opened, and a bottle and two glasses emerged. After setting themselves carefully on the desk, color changing liquid began to poor from the decorative bottle, and once the professor was satisfied with the amount the glasses floated over to her.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell my coworkers about this," Goodwitch said with a wink. "They don't know that I keep the good stuff in the second drawer. Actually, how about we just keep this between you and me? This isn't Signal Academy after all."

Yang accepted the drink which was cool to the touch, and sniffed it to make sure it was to her liking. Afterward she took an experimental sip so as not to waste good, expensive liqueur, but as soon as she swallowed she began shaking her head violently, imagining someone having shoved a lit cigar up her nose.

Goodwitch watched with amusement before taking a small sip herself. "Blame your mother for introducing me to the stuff. I still haven't quite forgiven her."

"You actually drink this stuff?" she coughed. "I didn't think it was possible but you actually have even worse taste than my uncle."

"It tastes better in coffee, and it's not nearly as strong after the first sip. I would offer you a strawberry sunrise but I'm afraid somebody took the bottle when I wasn't looking."

She glared pointedly at Yang who grinned innocently. "Probably Professor Peach. She looks like she knows how to party. You know there's a few rumors about the two of you..."

"I'm sure there are and I'm sure I know who started them. Now, if you're not gonna drink it give it here."

Yang retreated back in her chair shielding the drink from the professor's grasp. "I said that you have worse taste than my uncle. I didn't say it wasn't good." She tapped the glass against Goodwitch's and took another sip, this one going down much more smoothly, possibly the smoothest she ever had.

She gave a satisfied sigh, already feeling the alcohol soothing her semblance. She'd have to remember the brand's name and keep it in mind the next time somebody wanted to buy her a drink, and also remember to ask Weiss for the money to stock their mini-fridge.

"So," Yang said after another sip, "what'd you wanna talk about? No offense but I'd rather be taking a shower right now. Weiss and I have this little tradition where we shower together after training practice. Don't ask me why but she's kinda into me choking her with the hose from the shower head. Must be an Atlesian thing. Personally, I'm more into-"

"I'll try to keep this brief then," Goodwitch said, looking at her as though she were having the strangest sense of deja vu. "You don't want to be here but I'm also guessing you don't want to be up there either. I understand, but I'm afraid you're going to have to tell me exactly what happened down in the training hall with your sister. I've already watched the footage from her and miss Belladonna's match, and her collapsing in the hallway, but I'd like to hear your version of the story, and any theory you might have as to what actually happened."

"Sounds to me like that just about covers things. Thanks for the drink. I've got to be going now if you don't mind. Weiss is waiting." She stood up to leave but with the flick of the combat instructor's wrist Yang's chair charged forward taking her legs out from under her. It was only through sheer determination and countless hours of practice that she didn't spill a single drop of her drink, something she seemed to be rather proud of as she took another sip.

Goodwitch scowled and a black military grade scroll floated off the desk into her hand. "Whenever there's an accident in a training room the school requires a report be given by the team to the head combat instructor. See where I'm going with this?"

"Um, actually we took a vote and decided I'm not allowed to speak on behalf of the team anymore. The vote was four to zero in case you're curious. And technically she fell out in the hallway, not the training room, so-."

"Close enough," Goodwitch snapped, her patience wearing thin. She took a much needed deep breath and laid a hand atop her student's. "Yang, I'm not here as your combat instructor or on behalf of Beacon. I'm here as a friend who's worried about your sister and you."

Yang swallowed and nodded, and seeing how the unfinished drinks had served their purpose Goodwitch placed them both atop the desk.

"If you saw the match then you already know what happened," Yang said quietly, looking down at her boots.

"I do." The professor activated the scroll and brought up the security footage. "Your sister and miss Belladonna were moving so quickly I nearly had to slow the video down frame by frame, and it looks to me like two people who've fought each other countless times trying to anticipate the other and not paying attention to what's in front of them. A careless accident that's avoidable with proper care and training, but an accident nonetheless and all too common."

"We're not so sure, at least Ruby and Blake aren't." Yang fast-forwarded the video to the end of the match, all too aware of herself asking Weiss about glyphs and being in the office of Beacon's resident expert.

"There! See how their eyes turn red for a couple of frames? Both Ruby and Blake said they saw the other standing somewhere they weren't, and you can see they're not even looking at each other. Blake thought somebody might've altered their minds but we can't see how that's possible, and we came to the same conclusion you did."

Goodwitch's brow furrowed as she studied the red eyes more closely. "Mind altering semblance generally need direct line of sight, but there are some skilled and powerful enough to enter a person's mind and leave a backdoor if you will for future access, or hop from one person's mind to another. With your sister's aura so low and undeveloped I don't believe manipulating her mind would be all that difficult, but to alter both her and miss Belladonna's at the same time without direct line of sight should be nearly impossible. I've never met a huntsman with that kind of power and skill before. Miss Belladonna may be a faunus and therefore her senses easier to overwhelm and trick, and obviously she was distracted, but she still had an active aura shield that was strong enough to be in combat with, which for the record your sister's was not." A gave Yang an admonishing glance before continuing "If their theory is true, even partially, then seeing what was going on out in the hallway at that time may shed some light on the situation."

Yang's breath caught, unsure if someone manipulating her sister and partner's minds was actually more of a relief than it was disturbing. With a few button presses the professor logged into the school's security system and brought up a live feed of the training hall from several different vantage points. She then dragged her finger across the bottom of the screen, stopping the live feed and going back to the approximate time of the accident outside the team's reserved practice room.

A group of seven haggard-looking students had gathered nearby to talk, presumably about the missions they had just returned from. Despite three of their backs being turned toward the camera Yang recognized two of them as Mercury and Emerald, second year students from Haven and acquaintances of her team, though her sister seemed to at least consider Emerald a friend. Beside them, standing to the Vacuoan girl's right was a rather short, dark haired girl wearing black and white huntress gear and clothes not too dissimilar to Blake's, and Yang suspected she must've been their partner-less teammate Lolita.

Yang barely paid them any mind however as she recognized one other person standing outside their training room. Surrounded by her teammates was a tall young woman with dark skin and platinum blonde hair. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a serious expression on her face while listening, and despite those around her all looking worse for the wear, her traditional Mistralian garb and huntress gear barely even looked wrinkled.

"Arslan..." she growled, her eyes flickering.

Goodwitch gave her a curious glance. "Do the two of you know each other?"

Yang shook her head. "Not yet, but I get the feeling we're about to. Let me guess, her aura's red, isn't it?

The professor continued studying her student's odd behavior but slowly nodded. "Her aura's fiery like yours. Most of the time it's the color of her hair but it can have shades of red, or green like her eyes. Miss Altan's semblance isn't mind manipulation however. She's a master flame glyph practitioner but mainly she uses her powers to augment her already impressive physical abilities."

The way she spoke Yang got the feeling her combat instructor may have had some lingering regrets over not being able to recruit Arslan to Beacon.

'Pity,' she thought, tightening her hand into a fist.

They continued watching as the two teams presumably traded stories from their respective missions, nodding and occasionally laughing at what was likely only humorous in hindsight. Yang continued barely paying the others any mind, her eyes solely on Arslan when suddenly everyone jumped as though an explosion had just gone off beside them. Arslan hardly seemed concerned but like the others glanced toward the training room.

"Crescent Rose..." the pair muttered in unison, practically hearing the explosion themselves.

One of Arslan's teammates, a turquoise haired girl with what appeared to be a snowboard strapped to her back, nudged an exhausted-looking Vacuon boy with pink hair standing beside her, pointing toward the door.

"Reese Chloris and Nadir Shiko," Goodwitch said, unamused by what she was seeing. "Miss Chloris can push and pull objects toward her but only if she already has her aura around the object and if she's strong enough to manipulate it, much like miss Nikos' semblance or a telekinesis glyph, just to a much lesser extent. She prefers using her semblance like a bubble while she's riding her hover board to keep objects from hitting her and to keep from falling off, which is a frequent issue I hear. Mr. Shiko on the other hand is capable of manipulating his shadow like miss Belladonna but can't make it corporal like she can. It's still useful for scouting and being used as a decoy however."

"Shadow..." Yang murmured, narrowing her eyes. "Earlier, when we were looking back at the footage, we saw a shadow pass under the door."

Goodwitch nodded and pointed. "It appears your team had a spy."

Nadir's shadow moved away from his body toward the door where it lingered for a few moments before he jumped backward, his shadow shrinking much like Blake's often did. As he spoke animatedly, the two teams all looked at each other concerned, and appeared to be waiting around to see if everything was alright. Eventually when nobody came running out screaming for help the two teams seemed to take it as a good sign and began going their separate ways, but not before bowing respectfully to each other in typical Mistralian fashion.

"The other boy is Bolin Hori," Goodwitch said quietly. "He's Arslan's partner and has preflexes, a type of semblance that allows him to subconsciously sense everything going on around him as well as the path of least resistance while in combat. He's also a very capable aura manipulator, and being Arslan's partner he's developed a strong resistance to fire and can even use it in small quantities similar to your friends miss Valkyrie and Mr. Ren."

Yang barely gave the tall Mistralian boy wearing a gold sash a second glance. "What about them?" she asked. "Mercury, Emerald, and Lolita."

Goodwitch's countenance soured a bit as she narrowed her eyes at the three. "Mr. Black can manipulate air dust and miss Sustrai can create spheres of aura to use as projectiles. Miss Gothic can teleport herself and her chain scythe short distances, but I've been told that her powers haven't been the same since her partner was killed during a mission earlier this year. She mostly focuses on her physical combat prowess now, though I suspect she might drop out at the end of the semester."

She laid a hand atop Yang's shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, and I'll be having a talk with Team ABRN and Haven Academy's head combat instructor Hazel Rainart about them eavesdropping on another team while in a practice room. Believe me, he won't let them off easily. No matter how brief or good their intentions might've been it's still a major violation of the rules, not to mention incredibly coincidental given the timing and circumstances. However, none of them are capable of mind manipulation. As far as I'm aware nobody in that hallway is capable of it, but I'll continue investigating until I have something more conclusive."

Yang nodded barely listening. "What about later when Ruby started hallucinating? Were they still hanging around?"

The professor brought up several camera angles of the training hall and fast-forwarded the footage but remained silent, both pairs of eyes searching for anything even remotely suspicious. Soon enough Ruby limped into the bathroom while the rest of the team stood guard outside, discussing the accident and impatiently waiting for her to finish changing.

"Tell me about what happened," Goodwitch said while they waited themselves. "Any theories?"

Yang sighed and shook her head. "I dunno know, maybe. Blake dropping Ruby's aura levels below zero and triggering something makes the most sense. I-I didn't know it but apparently some of Ruby's old scars have been coming back. I-I think it might be because Summer's aura hasn't been able to keep up with everything wrong with her, and that if she just rests and concentrates on getting better she'll be alright. A-am I right or do you think I'm in denial? Did coming here before she was ready get my baby sister k-killed?"

Goodwitch gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I don't know, sweetie, I honestly don't. I'm not Ozpin and I can't see the future. Do you think it might do her some good if you took her home? With missions being assigned and preparations being made for the tournament it's not as though either of you will be missing many classes. Maybe being away from Beacon would help take her mind off things. Your family's cabin is beautiful this time of year, and I could even see to it that miss Schnee and miss Belladonna came with you."

Listening to her forced optimism Yang couldn't help thinking this was the professor's gentle way of saying that perhaps she and her sister should make the most of their remaining time together, and felt her eyes begin to sting. "Beacon is her home," her voice cracked. "Besides, nobody's there waiting for us and are partners are already here. If...if her time's coming then I want her to stay here where she's happy. Signal was never really her home, and neither is some old cabin they let us rent..."

"What would your father and uncle say if they were here?"

Yang's eyes flickered and she had to keep herself from growling. "They're not here, I am. And when I turned seventeen one of my birthday presents to myself was signing the papers that say if anything happens to them then I'm Ruby's legal guardian until she's seventeen. And seeing how they've both dropped off the face of Remnant that means Ruby's big sis is now her surrogate mom, which is good because I have been practicing since I was ten."

The professor watched her from a moment, studying her labored breathing and how the tears from her eyes almost seemed to evaporate before embracing the girl. "I'm sorry, sweetie. You're the toughest student I've ever had the pleasure of teaching, you know that?"

Yang didn't respond nor did she return the embrace. When Goodwitch tried to look at her Yang turned her head and stared at the floor.

"You don't think rest is enough. You're holding out hope for another miracle, aren't you?"

"You got a better idea?" Yang snapped. "The day before we went out on our mission Ozpin didn't seem the least bit surprised when Ruby showed up in his office suddenly able to walk again. It was like he was expecting her, and he seems to think she's the key to stopping the woman that attacked Amber. For my entire life everyone has told me to trust Ozpin, and right now that's my only option. Doctors couldn't help Ruby then and they're not gonna be able to help her now. The only person who can help her is Summer..."

Goodwitch laid a hand atop hers and began brushing back her unkempt mane. "I trust Ozpin with my life," she said sincerely, "but more importantly I trust him with my children. In a manner of speaking he views the world as a chess game, and I've been playing against him for about twenty years now. Give the man a minute to make his move and he'll be excellent. An hour and he's unbeatable. And if you gave him an entire century, well then, I suppose the past hundred years of peace makes sense then." She smiled and gave her student another embrace which she didn't shy away from this time. "Yang, I'm sorry if by coming here I've upset you. You're right, Ozpin's not worried, and maybe you're right and all your sister needs is rest. If that's the case then I can personally see to it that she's under house arrest, or I could use a glyph to make her immobilized for a few weeks. Remember that time back at Signal when she tried running off to play without doing her homework?"

"Which time?" Yang smirked and wiped something from her eye. "Don't worry, I've got handcuffs. Look, here she comes."

In the largest camera shot Ruby exited the bathroom and a moment later the team began making their way back toward their dressing room. "And look who's standing around pretending to be minding their own business..." She pointed at Team ABRN standing at the end of the hall talking amongst themselves, with Arslan coldly studying those who walked by. Goodwitch nodded but continued watching the caped-girl's painful-looking trek, waiting for the inevitable.

The moment that would forever haunt Yang's nightmares came without warning, her baby sister looking at her terrified as though she were a Beowolf looming over her before tearing into her flesh. Yang had to look away, and when she finally glanced back she saw herself alone, cradling the most important person in her life and trying not to cry as Ruby screamed for her mom. It had felt like an eternity but it was only another minute or two before Blake and Weiss exited the locker room and helped her carry Ruby to the nearest elevator.

Her eyes stung just watching but Goodwitch's were meticulous, studying every face in every camera shot, occasionally slowing or rewinding the footage. Neither saw Ruby's eyes change color, but they'd also been closed most of the time. Team ABRN also hadn't reacted any differently than their classmates, though for the first time Arslan had shown the least bit of concern.

"I'll double check everyone in the hallway to see what their semblances are," she said quietly. "From her reaction I'd already guessed that your sister was hallucinating that she was back in Patchwork, and I've ruled out illusion type semblances triggering her attack. Beacon's cameras are capable of detecting projected illusions due to a person's aura making up the illusion, meaning we would be seeing someone's aura at work if it were. The only way an illusion can get past our cameras is if the person uses their powers on themselves as the cameras will just pick up their auras acting normally, and in my experience it's not uncommon for students with such powers to hide pimples or make themselves look more presentable for class, or when they want attention."

"I hate illusionists," Yang muttered. "Ice cream, trains, umbrellas, acrobats, and illusionists..."

"Yes, I recall something about that in your mission report, as well as vulgarity and a few colorful death threats. Back to the task at hand, miss Belladonna must've thought something was suspicious about the locker room to have left you and your sister like that. Any reason beyond the fact you happened to be passing by when Ruby's attack began?"

Yang shook her head. "I think a part of her just wanted to get away while another wanted someone to blame other than herself..." She felt a pang of guilt for thinking at the time that her partner had abandoned her, especially when she had been trying to find the culprit of her sister's hallucination. No matter how much she tried to believe that Blake would never leave her again it was something always tugging on the back of her mind, and decided to make it a point to thank her later and remind her that none of this was her fault.

The professor sped up the footage once the crowd began to disperse and go about their business. They focused their attention on the girls locker room waiting for who would come out, and once the door cracked open slightly Goodwitch slowed the footage again. A girl with rabbit ears poked their head out and appeared to be checking to see if the coast was clear. She ducked back into the locker room for a moment before reemerging with her arm around another girl, and Yang couldn't help smirking and letting out a chuckle at the freshly showered pair. Although Coco and Velvet weren't partners they'd been friends since their time at Pharos Academy together, with some suggesting that they'd been more than just friends.

After a few moments of studying them however Yang's amusement wore off as she noticed that Coco was having difficulty walking, much less standing upright, and appeared to be dragging her left foot behind her slightly while Velvet did her best to carry her weight despite looking equally as exhausted.

"Team CFVY just returned from a difficult but successful search and rescue mission," Goodwitch said quietly, distress and pride in her voice, "and it would seem that miss Adel is having difficulty with her cybernetic. With the changes in weather I'm not surprised."

Yang nodded, suddenly no longer in a laughing mood. It wasn't exactly a secret that Coco had lost her left foot in either her freshman or sophomore year, but being an untouchable upperclassman often made it difficult to imagine Coco, or anyone from Team CFVY for that matter, coming back from a mission missing anything but sleep and ammunition. Perhaps it was something lesser students just didn't want to think about, or in this case talk about. If word got back to Coco that people were talking about her behind her back it was possible that she'd shove her metal foot up their backside, and there wouldn't be anything they could do to stop her.

Watching the pair Yang got the feeling that Velvet may have used one of her hard light constructs to create something for Coco to sit on while in the shower, and that them showering together, if they even had, had been less sensual than she previously thought. Neither looked to be capable of enjoying themselves at the moment, and Yang knew from experience that after a while teammates tended to lose all modesty around each other. She herself had helped her sister, Blake, and a few friends back at Signal undress or get into a bathtub when they physically couldn't do it themselves. Huntsmen and huntresses in-training were all in the same grisly boat together, and if you saw somebody struggling it was expected of you to help them. Plus after sharing your soul and memories with somebody, sharing a bed or even a shower seemed rather mundane and much less intimate.

When the doors opened again however, Yang's amusement returned ten-fold as Emerald and Lolita exited together also with their arms around each other, but not because either needed help walking. Actually they seemed to be in good spirits with Lolita practically beaming as her green aura shimmered around them both.

"You go, girl," Yang cheered. When she received a bemused look from the professor she grinned ear to ear. "Weiss said that the only people in the locker room were showering and that there were only two showers going. And it looks like somebody's double dipping on her team. Lucky. Hey, is it true what they say about Emerald and some teacher from Haven?"

"That's none of your concern," Goodwitch said, "but in the off chance that it helps dispel that nasty little rumor it wasn't a teacher miss Sustrai was discovered possibly having a relationship with. It was a member of the dormitory cleaning staff. It's not against the rules but even at Haven it's frowned upon, especially when the other person either doesn't have their aura unlocked or isn't trained to properly use it. You would do well to remember that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said flippantly, a mischievous grin on her face, "but is that why Beacon doesn't have people cleaning our rooms or doing our laundry? Y'all afraid we'll try seducing them or something? My mom or dad wouldn't have anything to do with that, would they?"

"Yang, please..."

"Right, task at hand. What do you think? Coco and Velvet, or Emerald and Lolita? Criminal masterminds or just girls needing some-"

Goodwitch sighed loudly and began rubbing her temples. "I should've stayed a private tutor. I just realized that I'll have to follow up with both pairs to corroborate miss Schnee and miss Belladonna's story..."

Yang's chuckling turned into a fit of laughter possibly brought on from her drink but too soon it began to fade. "I guess this means what happened to Ruby really might've been a freak accident, huh?"

The professor remained silent but glanced back down at the scroll where the video was still playing.

"Say..." Yang drawled, a thought that had been on her mind creeping to the forefront. "Do you think I could take Arslan one-on-one?"

Goodwitch turned and studied her for a moment, heartache in her eyes. "Yang-" she shook her head- "if this is about the tournament I'm sorry, but-"

"We're not gonna be in the stupid tournament," she snapped. "I figured that out a while back and stopped caring even before that. I wanna know about Arslan. I know she's almost as good as Pyrrha, if not better now, but as my combat instructor do you think I could take her?"

The professor's expression hadn't changed throughout her outburst, and almost reluctantly she shook her head, snapping Yang out of her indignation. "I'm not saying you couldn't beat her. Your fire resistance would take away some of her offense, and your semblance is the ultimate equalizer when it comes to fighting tougher, more skilled opponents, but-"

"You're saying she's better?"

Goodwitch sighed, part of her appearing hesitant to speak but another seemingly relieved to be having this conversation. "What I'm saying is that while you might enjoy fighting and the rush it gives you, for miss Nikos and miss Altan it's their life. I would never doubt your reasons for wanting to be a huntress, Yang. If they were truly selfish like you pretend you'd have given up by now, but while you're incredibly powerful and skilled because of your uncle's training and sparring with Amber, you've never set your mind to being a champion or the jewel of a generation like they have. You want to kill Grimm, protect the innocent, and live life to the fullest. I understand and admire that more than you'll ever know, but they want to go down in history as some of the greatest champions and huntresses to ever live, and neither will settle for anything less."

Yang's mouth suddenly became dry and she felt heat on her face but not because of her semblance. "A-alright, I can accept," she tried swallowing but her mouth only became drier, "but that reminds me of something else I've been meaning to ask. Why won't you let me and Pyrrha go all out against each other in class? If I need the extra motivation and you're trying to make us the best we can be, why wouldn't you want your top two freshmen beating the hell out of each other and making each other better?"

The professor raised a brow. "You're free to do so on your own time but I suspect you're both putting it off for the same reasons I am. After the tournament you two are going to be paired up with each other at least once a week and you'll be free to hospitalize each other to your heart's content, but until then I only want the two of you getting a feel for the other's abilities. If you faced off against Pyrrha in the tournament it would be a vicious, grueling match for you both, but not nearly as much as if you two were already familiar with each other. In that case the match would drag on much like when partners or teammates face off, and one of my top two freshmen would drastically lessen their chances of winning further rounds. Also, knowing how proud the two of you are, I don't want a painful loss prior to the tournament negatively affecting either of you. I believe it would, and as Beacon's head combat instructor, and as a former participant myself, I simply can't allow two of my top prospects not being at their best during the Vytal Festival."

Yang opened her mouth to speak but found herself at a rare loss for words. Perhaps she had always considered something similar, just less eloquent, but coming from her combat instructor she found herself nodding in agreement.

"And while neither of your semblances are exactly secrets I still don't want your classmates or the other schools getting an idea on how to combat them. That's for them and the two of you to figure out. Also, neither of your strengths or weaknesses compliment the other. In fact it's the exact opposite. You're the best offensive fighter in the class but miss Nikos is a close second and also the best defensive fighter, with miss Belladonna being a distant second. If you two fought until there was a winner you'd both fall back on your greatest strengths when I prefer forcing my students to overcome their weaknesses and flaws, something your uncle taught me. Your weaknesses are fast moving opponents and ranged weapons, which are the kinds of opponents I pick for you and why you've improved so drastically against them. As for miss Nikos, well, that's something you'll just have to figure out if you want to be top of your class."

"Is that your way of saying she doesn't have any weaknesses?"

"No, but my recommendation would be to learn how to counter her semblance when your aura starts dropping below fifty percent, because I promise in a match with her it will. You may get stronger the longer a match goes on, but in her own way so does miss Nikos. I'd also recommend training against someone as technically sound as miss Schnee and defensively oriented but still aggressive like miss Belladonna."

"That's what I've been-"

"At the same time," she interrupted, pausing for a moment to let the gravity of her words sink in. "Also, I'd highly recommend studying footage from the past four Mistral Regional Tournaments. Miss Nikos defeated miss Altan twice in the finals for a reason, and perhaps you'll discover how she did it."

Yang slowly nodded, feeling something pressing down on her chest making it difficult to breathe, but she could also feel something kindling within. Pyrrha was a close friend and each other's natural rival, but while being second to her might've stung and been a blow to her ego, Yang felt nothing but anger and contempt at the thought of Arslan possibly being better than her. It meant that she couldn't protect her family and friends, which was unforgivable as far as she was concerned.

"Yang," Goodwitch said in a stern yet comforting voice. "I want you to promise that you'll leave the investigating to me, and that you won't confront anyone. I don't want you jumping to conclusions, and I also don't want you putting yourself, your sister, or your friends in any more danger than you are already in. The four of you started the school year with targets on your backs because of miss Belladonna and miss Schnee, but this Fall Maiden business complicates matters, especially if those responsible for Amber's attack discover how close the two of you were at Signal. I'll increase security around the school and inform the staff of a possible situation with a mind altering semblance, as well as remind everyone of your umbrella wielding friend. I'll keep you informed, but for now be with your sister and take care of her, and yourself."

She nodded, listening but also deep in thought. "Is there any chance Arslan had anything to do with Amber's attack?" she asked, her hand clenched in a tight fist.

Goodwitch didn't seem particularly surprised by the question but was slow to answer. "Haven's records show that she was on a mission in Anima at the time Amber was in Forever Fall, but as I said I'll be investigating further."

"So you're suspicious of her too."

"No, I'm thorough, and I want to find Amber's attacker as much as you do, sweetie. Now please, leave this to me and go be with your sister. She needs you, and you could also use the rest, and a shower. You look like hell, you know?"

With a huff that was more humored than upset, all anger and irritation drained from Yang's body as Goodwitch's words reached her, and she found herself embracing her combat instructor unsure who had instigated it.

"Stay safe, sweetie," she said, her aura flaring.

"No promises, but you do the same."

Yang got to her feet groaning as she did and stretched her sore, achy limbs. After finishing what remained of both her and her professor's drinks she began making her way toward the door when Goodwitch cleared her throat.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry to ask this, Yang, but would you mind returning the emergency first aid kit to the training room? It's in your sister's backpack. I'm afraid miss Belladonna may have injured her more than she let on."

Yang winced but slowly nodded, and after watching her student close the door behind her Goodwitch sighed and made her way to the leather chair behind her desk and got herself comfortable, never taking her eyes off the video surveillance. With a flick of her wrist another drink was poured and a nearby coffee pot began to hum.

Sneaking into the room Yang found that the lights had been turned off and the curtains pulled, letting in only a faint amount of waning sunlight. She waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, and when they finally did her smile brightened the room as she found Ruby and Zwei still curled up on the bed together, as well as a new occupant with an arm around them both.

After admiring the scene for a moment she tiptoed over and gave all three kisses atop the head. "Dibs on the next shift," she said to the sleeping heiress and corgi.

Turning around she found Blake lying atop her own bed reading, or at least attempting to. By her furrowed brow she might've been having difficulty seeing the words, but Yang knew it wasn't for lack of light.

"How is she?" Yang asked, ducking under her bunk to get a better look at her partner.

Blake set the book down and rubbed her eyes. "Sleeping. JNPR didn't stay long, and after they left Weiss took the quickest shower of her life and crawled in bed with her."

"What about you?"

"I-I already showered. There should be plenty of hot water if you want to shower and soak in the tub. And no, I'm no joining you."

"That's not what I meant, though the offer stands if you change your mind." Yang crouched down trying to look her partner in the eye but Blake quickly glanced away. "I meant how are you?"

"Oh, f-fine."

Yang nodded absently, her lip twitching. "Liar..."

Without another word Yang crawled into bed with her and snuggled close, willing Blake's aura to overwhelm her own.

"I'm scared, Blake. I can't lose her. I just can't..."

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Well, Ruby was finally able to go an entire chapter without something terrible happening to her, which is progress I suppose. I always enjoy scenes where Yang and Weiss are scared because they both have such an incredible range of emotions and can shift between angry, scared, and sad seemingly on a dime, which feels very real to me. They both strike me as the type of people who yell at someone they love for worrying them before hugging them tightly and making them promise to never do it again. Obviously there were some omissions in Yang's story, and possibly a few little white lies, but I'm sure any discrepancies will be made clear soon enough. It was fun to write another scene between Yang and Goodwitch, and I like the idea of Team ABRN being a red herring (spoiler-no-spoiler) as to who caused Ruby's accident and hallucinations, and for Yang to have a rival in Arslan. I wanted to have some build up to their Volume 3 tournament match, as well as give the heroes a "possible" lead on Amber's attacker, though I suppose we'll just have to wait and see if Arslan actually has anything to do with Cinder's plan or Emerald, Mercury, and Neo. Speaking of which, I know I probably hit the nail on the head with Goodwitch's explanation of mind altering and illusion semblances, but it's something that I felt needed to be addressed. They're not exactly key suspects in Goodwitch's investigation, though she apparently does still hold a bit of a grudge for Mercury wanting to test Pyrrha's abilities earlier, and I wanted to explain why Neo can't use major illusions while cameras are watching.

I debated for a while whether just one person or two should come out of the first shower, but the more I thought about it the more it felt wrong for just one member of a team to be showering in the locker room. Plus Yang wouldn't get to react otherwise. Prior to posting Chapter 29 I thought about having two showers running with Neo dragging Emerald into a third at the end, but obviously once Goodwitch followed up on Yang's story our villains would be exposed rather sloppily. Also for whatever reason three people for two showers just felt rather suspicious to me, and I thought Emerald and Neo would seem less suspicious if they exited the locker room after another pair. I chose Coco and Velvet partially because of their later connection to Emerald and Mercury (and because I needed two female characters that I've already introduced), but also because I felt that after several years of being friends/teammates in a military-like setting that being in the same locker room shower stall together probably wouldn't be all that awkward for them, especially after a grueling, emotionally draining mission. It's up to you whether or not there's ever been something romantic between them, or if anything sensual happened here. And as for Coco's cybernetic foot, it's just an idea I had that seemed oddly fitting to me and helps explain her sometimes limited mobility.

Now it's time to gush about my amazing readers.

Thank you, friends, for all the love and support you've shared with me this year, and years previous. While 2019 has been an incredible year it hasn't been without its hardships, but I suppose without them I wouldn't be who I am today. After posting Chapter 25 back in March I had intended on taking a short hiatus to finish writing the remaining chapters of "The Patchwork Prodigy", but as some of you know I ran into some health complications around then and my "short" hiatus turned into six months. I did achieve my goal by writing the remaining nineteen chapters (26-44), as well as a dozen or so chapters (for other stories) and short-stories I hope to share with you, so I like to think it wasn't a complete waste. And despite the many setbacks I was able to post nine chapters in 2019 (22-30), which ended up being over 70,000 words, or somewhere around 233-280 pages of a book.

I don't mention this to brag or excuse myself, or to be self-indulgent, merely share my thoughts with you. A lot of love and heartache has gone into writing this story and I hope that comes across while reading, not for my sake but because I want the love and heartache these characters experience to feel real. I first began writing what would eventually be known as "The Petals Scatter Now" in December of 2014 (December 2nd if I recall correctly), which means I just celebrated my five year anniversary of writing RWBY fanfiction earlier this month. There have been many bumps in the road, trials and tribulations along the way, but since day one God has been with me and He's blessed me with the most amazing readers in the world. Thank you for all the love and support you've shared with me. I hope I've been able to give back a little of what you've given me this year. Merry Christmas, friends.

All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and with all of you wonderful readers. God bless)