Unionizing

a LegionOfMisfits / Al_Hats collabfic

Chapter 3

Sun and Yang didn't stop until they reached their destination. The apartment was a quaint little brick building next door to an equally quaint coffee shop. Yang remembered seeing the name of the place in the news a few years earlier. Something about a bombing and a gang war?

Shaking her head clear of the thoughts, she stopped and waited patiently while Sun rapped his knuckles on the hardwood door. He waited and listened as the deadbolt was unlatched on the other side, and Yang's jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw the person on the other side.

"Sun?"

"Velvet! Long time no see! How are you-"

Yang resisted the urge to burst into laughter at the sight of the rabbit Faunus slapping Sun across the face, her petite figure practically fuming in the doorway.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here? Your bloody nerve - after what you did last time you 'stopped by?' Are you crazy or just stupid, you angry, pigheaded-"

"Velvet!" Sun cried, holding up his hands to ward off any further exchange of blows. "Trust me, I know - you've made your point, but I wouldn't be here if we didn't need somewhere to go."

Velvet cocked an eyebrow, hands on her hips like a disapproving grandmother. "We?"

Sun nodded slowly and stepped aside, revealing Yang to her old friend. Velvet's eyes widened. "Yang?" she asked. "Oh God..." She looked dumbfounded for a long moment before stamping her foot in frustration and grabbing both Sun and Yang and dragging them inside. The door closed behind them and they soon found themselves in a large and comfortable apartment interior. Two armchairs and a couch were circled around a coffee table strewn with playing cards and empty disposable coffee cups.

In the largest recliner that Yang had ever seen sat Yatsuhashi Daichi, daintily squinting through a pair of reading glasses at a book which barely filled the massive young man's palms. He looked up as Velvet entered and his eyes widened as they alighted on Sun. He set down the book and signed frantically to Velvet, who wordlessly responded with her hands before turning and pointing out Yang.

Yatsuhashi nodded and stood slowly, stooping slightly to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. He folded his hands in front of his chest and bowed deeply in a sign of respect and greeting, to which Yang smiled and returned as best she could.

Velvet turned back to her guests. "Now, would one of you kindly explain what's going on?"

Sun nodded. "Long story short, Yang here is in a bit of trouble and we need a place to lie low."

Velvet looked incredulous. "So your first instinct is to come here? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Seriously Sun, shut up - you're doing a poor job of explaining this," Yang said as she pushed him aside slightly. "Velvet, I promise you that this wasn't our first choice, but our own apartments are on the far side of a lot of people that we don't want to deal with. There are people actively looking for us and odds are they're watching our homes too. We're not asking you to shelter us long-term, we just need somewhere to hang out for a little while. If that's a problem, we'll go and no hard feelings."

Velvet was silent until she sighed. She signed what Yang had said to Yatsuhashi and the large man considered for a moment before signing in response. Velvet turned to Sun.

"If you had explained it like that, or maybe called ahead, we would have rolled out the red carpet, but as it is... you can stay here for a while. But listen here, Sun, when Coco gets back she's going to-"

"Coco's going to what?" came a voice from the doorway. All eyes swiveled (except Yatsuhashi's) and found the remainder of Velvet and Yatsu's team standing in the doorway, clutching trays of steaming coffee and brown paper pastry bags.

Velvet covered her eyes and Yatsuhashi rapidly decided to return to his book once he noticed Fox and Coco's return. Yang was still confused as to what was going on, but from the look on Sun's face she got the feeling that the monkey Faunus would rather go back and face the police and White Fang.

Coco's eyes finally found Sun and, though her face remained neutral, she quietly handed her hat, glasses and the beverages she was carrying to Fox. The dark-skinned Huntsman looked decidedly awkward and took advantage of the situation.

"Whew. Um... Oh, look at that, we have guests," he said. "You guys want coffee? I bet you want coffee. I'll go get some more." He dropped the load he was carrying on a table by the door and backed out into the hallway. The front door closed as quickly as it had opened, and the room was totally quiet save for the sound of cars passing by outside.

"Velvet, is there a reason for this?" Coco asked placidly. The rabbit Faunus gulped visibly.

"He um... they... er, Yang, you did a good job explaining it, you tell her."

"Oh no," Yang said with a shake of her head. "I'm not explaining anything until someone gives me a few answers." Another awkward silence stretched, broken only momentarily by a minute rustle as Yatsuhashi turned a page of his book. Finally, Coco sighed.

"Long story short, this asshole," she jerked a thumb towards Sun, "seems to enjoy sticking his nose where it hurts. Do you remember what I said last time you were here?" She addressed this last to Sun.

The monkey Faunus scratched the back of his head. "Something along the lines of brutal, bloody murder and absolutely no chance of the police ever recovering enough remains for a proper funeral."

Coco nodded and ran a hand down her face, pausing to rub her eyes tiredly. "I came home from assignment one day and found him - with another girl. Serves me right for giving him my keys, I suppose."

Yang was incredulous. "Wait a second… you two…?" Coco nodded. Yang whistled appreciatively, though she wasn't sure who it was she was appreciating. "Damn. The things you miss."

Coco shot Yang a glance out her periphery. Her face was a mask. "Trust me, Yang, you've missed plenty. But there you go - now you know why I'm not exactly enthusiastic about having this one under my roof again. You're the thing I can't figure out though. What's going on?"

Yang took a deep breath and wondered just how much she ought to tell. Then she kicked herself mentally. Coco, Velvet and Yatsuhashi were willing to shelter them - for that alone they deserved to know the full story. So she told it as it was; from the beginning two nights past when Sun had found her at Gideon's to the events of that same day: Haron, the White Fang and her and Sun's flight from the police and their attackers. Coco listened intently, and halfway through Fox returned with two more cups of coffee and picked up on the details as he went. Velvet interpreted for Yatsu and when Yang was finally done everybody sat back in their chairs to mull over the information.

"Quite a story, Yang," Fox finally said as he took a long sip of his coffee.

"Impressive, but all true," Sun said. "I can attest personally - guys look, whatever mistakes I've made in the past, that's fine, but don't turn Yang away. She needs a place to lie low. Besides, I have other business I want to look into." He stood and finished off the last of the coffee Fox had brought him, stretching and making a move towards the door. Yang half stood as well.

"Where are you going?" she asked. "There's a cadre of terrorists and a bunch of police out there looking for you; you don't seriously think you're going to go off alone without waiting a little longer? You said it yourself Sun, we need a place to lie low."

What the Hell was that? Was she defending him? Why? Before this week she hadn't seen the blond Faunus in over two years, and even then the two of them had never been extremely close - friends, yeah, but nothing more. Not like Yang had ever been with Ruby or… or Weiss or...

She shut the thoughts out of her head before they could overwhelm her and realize that everyone was still watching her, seeing if she would say more. Yang shrugged.

"Believe me, Yang, I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't know how to avoid cops and terrorists. I'll see you soon."

He disappeared without a further word, but withdrew his wallet and dropped a 5-lien note in Fox's lap as a silent thank-you for the coffee. The door in the hall opened and shut and the room was quiet again. Yatsuhashi signed something to Coco, who merely made an ineffectual gesture with one hand.

Yang took another sip of her drink and sighed. This was detention at Beacon all over again. "So… what've you guys been up to the last couple years?"

Time passed and Yang found herself wishing that everything could just go back to its normal, shitty self again. Wake up late, work out, beat the shit out of some poor sap, get paid and get smashed. No White Fang, no bounty hunters, no awkward reunions with old relations.

Yang loved CFVY dearly - Velvet had always been a good friend, Yatsu was as dependable as he was stoic and though she'd never known them well Fox and Coco seemed like genuinely good people. All four of them were still working for Ozpin at Beacon, running professional missions solo or as a team. The apartment was paid for Dutch, and the place had the familiar homely feel of a dorm room. The thought made Yang sad. She wondered who was using team RWBY's old dorm right now; were they doing the familiar space honor in the wake of its previous owners' departure?

They'd offered to tell Yang more about others back at Beacon - about Jaune and Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, Cardin, Weiss, Ruby… The names hit her harder than she might like to admit, every one sending a fresh wave of regret. What was this? She hadn't felt like this in years, but suddenly she was wanting - Hell, she felt the need to go see her old friends and teammates - her sisters - again. She wanted to see JNPR and hear another of Ozpin's shitty old lectures and goddamn her for even thinking it, but yeah, she wanted to see Public Douchebag #1 Cardin Winchester and Glynda Goodbitch too.

Whether she wanted it to or not was irrelevant. Yang's new life was being slowly eclipsed by her old one. The question was how would she deal with it?

CFVY let her use their shower - cold, city water but clean and it washed away the residue of her early afternoon brawl. The daylight was fading from the city and a thousand stars were shining out the windows of homes as the weekend came to a close. CFVY decided to eat out and invited Yang along, though she politely declined. Instead she crashed on her hosts' surprisingly comfortable couch and slept for a few hours. CFVY returned with some half-warm leftovers which Yang nuked and ate alone as the rest of the team retired for the evening.

Morning came and Yang was surprised to find that she had slept. Usually she was up until dawn and slept past noon, so it was a welcome change to go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up while it was still morning.

Velvet and Coco were gone out for a morning run when Yang woke. Yatsuhashi was busy in the kitchen, his massive hands delicately cutting and paring vegetables and pushing them into an immense colander. Fox was busily shuffling and reshuffling a greasy deck of cards, his earbuds thrust deep into his head and blaring music loud enough for Yang to hear across the parlor.

Yang took out her scroll and scanned through the local news - a fight had apparently broken out at a small gym downtown. Several Faunus, believed to be members of an organized gang, were arrested after a few eyewitnesses came forward claiming that the group had been involved in the fight. Witnesses also reported that a blonde-haired young woman and a grey-haired man had taken part, though police had thus far failed to apprehend either of them. The police had active warrants for several potential suspects, and were pursuing any and all relevant leads.

Yang sighed. Well, that cut out any possibility that she could go out and get some fresh air. She turned to Fox and leaned in, resting her elbows on the coffee table and her chin relaxing on top of her hands. "Fox?" she asked. The tanned young man looked at her and cocked an eyebrow in silent response.

"Sun... When he and Coco were a... Thing... What was that like?"

Now Fox was well and truly puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Yang shrugged. "I mean how were things? Were they happy? Did they do things together? Did they argue?"

Fox considered for a moment, the cards in his hands flicking back and forth before answering. "Things were alright. It was a few years ago - back when we were still at Beacon. Sun and his team came to Beacon for a semester-long residency; chance for the to really get an idea of what being a student here was like. The two of them starting out together after they had a training bout one day. They hammered at each other for the better part of an hour before the teachers called the match a draw. I guess they just sort of came closer and closer together after that.

"It wasn't so bad. Sun was pretty well-behaved, at least around Coco. There were ups and downs sure, there always are, but she seemed happy and that was all that I cared about."

Yang could detect just the barest hint of bitterness beneath the layers of his voice, and she wondered how Fox had truly felt when things fell through.

"After their falling out, Coco shut down for a long time. She just didn't want to face what had happened. She really loved him, and if you compound that with what else happened..." He hesitated for a moment and Yang raised an eyebrow, silently pressing. "Her father died just a few days after she and Sun... He was an airship pilot. His ship went down over the mainland between Vale and Vacuo. By the time rescue crews got there... There wasn't anything left. The Grimm..."

Yang felt a pit deep within her stomach, and a newfound sympathy for the brunette Huntress. We've both lost people, you and I.

"After that things just got worse. I've known her for more than half my life, Yang. She's my best friend - my teammate and my partner, yeah, but my friend first. Seeing her like that... She stopped eating, slept fitfully, refused missions, and then one night I found her on the roof..." He choked and Yang reached out, laying a reassuring hand on his wrist. Fox took a deep breath.

"You don't need to continue," Yang said.

Fox shook his head. "People make foolish decisions in the wake of grief... But Coco is proof that they can bounce back. Sometimes they just need someone there to catch them."

Yang thought for a long time about that, wondering if he as being as specific as she suspected him of being. He smiled and returned to shuffling his cards, sitting back in his own chair. Yang's reverie was interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

"Well, the good news is that we can go home," Sun said as he strode triumphantly into the room. "I spoke to Ozpin and he sent a writ of explanation to the police, saying that the situation at the gym was part of a Hunter assignment. We're good to go." He turned to Fox. "Look man, I know you and I don't get along the best, but I really appreciate this." He reached into his coat and withdrew a handful of colorful lien notes of varying value. Counting out a few of the notes, he set them on the table between the two of them. Fox looked at the money and shook his head.

"Sun… You don't need to pay. We did this because you guys are friends." Sun shrugged.

"What's the point of having friends if not to loan you money? In this case though, you can keep it. Thanks again, Fox, and tell Coco… that I'm sorry. I know she's heard it but… I'm sorry." He turned to Yang before Fox could pursue the matter further. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Yang cocked an eyebrow. "Go where exactly?" The monkey Faunus smirked.

"We're going to go pay your friend from the fight club a visit."

South Vale General was not the largest, nor the nicest, nor the best-located hospital in the city. This was all perfect for the man in Room 202.

He was a big man - that had always worked in his favor. Whether he was putting on a speech in front of a crowd or smashing someone's skull, his size had always given him a strength and intimidation factor that were hard to match. He sat in the massive white bed, fresh linens cradling his bruised form. By the miracle of his aura, his wounds were healing remarkably fast. His bones had knit and the various aches and pains that had once screamed of the abuse he had suffered now kept their noise to a dull roar.

He was gazing vacantly ahead at a television program that he didn't truly care about when he heard the commotion outside the door. A wood and glass wall separated him from the rest of the inpatient wing, and he was happy to constantly let two of his subordinates stand watch outside while he was left along with his thoughts. At one point one of his officers had come to him, reporting that his bid to find the blonde whore who had done this to him was working: dozens of opportunistic knuckle-dusters were combing the city for any and all signs of Yang Xiao-Long.

When he had realized just who it was who had put him in this accursed position, he couldn't believe it. Yang Xiao-Long - one of the Fang's principle targets, back when the Fang was still organized, along with various others. She had gone missing a few years back and had never resurfaced until a couple nights before, when she'd gone on a rampage which had left one of the Fang's few remaining officers bedridden.

It would almost be comical, if it didn't hurt so damn much. But God in heaven, what was with the racket?

He didn't have to wait long, as a moment later the door flew open. A pair of Fang members in civilian clothes were frantically gesturing to nearby nurses and doctors to do something, but nobody seemed particularly intent on stepping in the path of the burly blonde chick with shotguns on her wrists. The man's jaw set into a firm lock as it rested in the brace that held it. His eyes followed the woman as she stepped slowly into the room, walking around the far side of the bed and stopping near the man's left foot. Her friend followed her in; the monkey Faunus traitor who had supposedly been seen at the gym with her.

"Geez buddy," she said in a mocking tone. "You don't look so good. Lose a fight with a bus?" The man did not dignify that with an answer, but instead set his eyes hard on the young woman, hoping to draw on his old tactics and put some fear into the bitch. It didn't work.

Yang leaned all the way in, her face scant inches from the man's own. The monkey Faunus was arguing with a doctor. "Official Hunter business," he said. "This man is wanted for possible connection to a series of violent crimes in the city of Vale - we are investigating, but we assure you that no harm will come to him."

Best tell that to her; she's the real threat! he screamed inside his own head as yang perched at his bedside.

"You and I have a lot of catching up to do," she said. "I threw the first punch, I admit. Maybe it was uncalled for, but didn't your mother ever teach you it was impolite to send death squads after people? Or to hire bounty hunters? C'mon, friend, we're both civilized folks - so what say we put all those past grievances aside for a bit and just have a nice chat - man-to-woman."

He did not respond, merely set his jaw again and gazed back into two lilac eyes that showed no hint of mercy or placation. She smiled.

"Good. Now, let's start at the beginning."

AN - Boom! Chapter 3! Length-wise it's a step backwards from last week, but Al and I have both been real busy this past week or so and it looks like things are going to continue that way. Nonetheless we'll continue to pump this out as quickly as we can without sacrificing quality, and I'll also be filling in some of the time gap with new chapters of "The Binding Force," which is a RWBY x SWtOR crossover that I've started which you should totally check out because you love me so much 3

So, how did you like seeing CFVY? Don't worry, they'll be more important later on - for now they served as a method for things to cool down and simultaneously to expound upon just how much Yang has missed in the course of the last few years (and trust me, there's much more than just what was mentioned here). Also, Blonde Roast references FTW.

As always, please feel free to stop by and drop off a review - feedback is not merely appreciated, it's goddamn essential. Next time, Yang and her friend have a nice "chat," and we might even find time to fit in some more action. Maybe if you all ask really nicely. Thanks for reading!

~Legion