Last Huntress - Chapter 17

-I Was Supposed To Do Great Things-

A thundering headache was what greeted Blake to a new day, a pounding in her skull that caused her to groan as she opened her eyes to the comfortable darkness of the room. A sense of disorientation set in as she glanced around, trying to figure out where she had gone to sleep. After a long moment the realization that she was in a bed set in, and her memories righted themselves.

She sat up in an instant, running a hand through her wild mane of hair as she tried to locate the girl she had spent the night with. "Morning." Red tipped wolf ears twitched atop Ruby's head as the younger Faunus made her way to the bed, offering out a glass of water. Blake took it eagerly, drinking it down in a manner of seconds to slake her thirst. Her actions brought a chuckle from the other brunette, who sat down on the mattress beside her. "You went a little heavy on the bourbon last night, remember anything?"

Blake let out a noise of relief as the water washed away a dry throat and the chill of it tempered the ache in her head. Setting the glass on the nearby nightstand, she fixed Ruby with a confused stare, feigning ignorance. "Not a thing.." Dropping her act, she let her lips spread into a wide grin. "I think I'll need something to jog my memory."

Ruby looked happy to oblige, hopping up on the bed to straddle the cat-girl, with both hands draped over the older Faunus' shoulders. "How's this?" Blake let out a low purr, and was made painfully aware of the fact that Ruby was wearing nothing but a black shirt that was a few sizes too big, allowing the cloth to ride up over creamy white thighs.

Her shirt.

There was a lump in her throat as her thoughts tried to untangle themselves, leaving her a bit breathless as she tore her gaze away from the pale skin atop her and back up to two shining silver eyes. "Better, but it's all still a little foggy." A daring smirk met her playful smile, and the younger Faunus reached down before slowly peeling the shirt up and off, treating her to a generous show.

Blake was unable to resist as the shirt passed over Ruby's head and obscure the wolf-girl's vision, diving in to place a kiss directly between the younger woman's breasts, her arms wrapping about a slender waist. She laid back into the bed, pulling the trapped Faunus down with her as she let out a victorious laugh. She immediately followed it up with a groan, her hands finding their way back up to grasp at the sides of her head. "..Ow."

Ruby managed to free herself from the shirt, and looked down on the cat-girl with a sympathetic smile. "You really don't do this often, do you?"

Looking up between fingers, Blake shook her head with another noise of pain. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been drunk enough to be hungover. "What time is it?"

"It's still early." The wolf Faunus stretched up from her position atop Blake, craning her neck to peer out the window on the far side of the bedroom. "I think it finally stopped raining, though."

Blake weakly reached up and gently tugged on the hair that was curled and rested on Ruby's right shoulder, bringing the younger Faunus' gaze back to her. "We should get up." She stared for a long moment at the bangs that were swept off to the left of the wolf-girl's face, at the way dark strands of hair became bright red. When silver eyes locked with her own, she caught sight of a playful spark within them.

"Hm." Ruby vanished from her limited vision, and all she saw was two furred ears as a pair of soft lips played over her collarbone. Each kiss was enticing, taunting, daring her to risk more pain just to throw the younger Faunus over and claim her again.

Blake shuddered at her own thoughts, a shiver of excitement that was tempered as she gently ran her fingers through the strands of dyed hair. Her memories had aligned, and she recalled much of the night, as well as waking up earlier. "Ruby.." Her soft tone brought those argent orbs back to her gaze. "Did you have a nightmare last night?"

She saw the internal conflict that the younger Faunus went through, the way Ruby paused and considered whether or not to let her in. The events of last night, their proximity now and their very naked bodies, Blake knew it was not as significant a step as she desired. She knew with some certainty now that the wolf-girl had extensive experience in the bedroom, and had a few guesses as to how the last four years had shaped the younger woman's perceptions of sex and intimacy in general.

To her surprise, there was a relaxation the the girl with the lupine ears, and a small smile. "We fucked, Blake." Ruby's scars stretched as the young woman let out a quiet laugh, her messy hair framing her face. "And it was fun, so much fun that I want to go another few rounds with you. But I think we both know it isn't going to magically fix things.. Please don't expect that from me."

"You're right." Blake laid back into the mattress of the bed, mentally kicking herself for having thought just that. She had hoped that admitting their feelings and what had ensued in the wake of that might open the other Faunus up a bit, allow her to get a grasp of what it was that had scarred her old friend so thoroughly. "I'm sorry, I just.." She cringed, realizing that she was beginning to sound like a broken record.

"You should know, though.." Blake watched as Ruby slid down underneath the heavy blanket they had slept under, leaning down low to press soft kisses near her belly button, each one more agonizing that the last. She writhed against the sheets against such ministrations, finding it harder and harder to concentrate on the conversation as she was toyed with. Silver eyes opened slowly and stared up at her, a wicked smile on the wolf-girl's lips. "You do help. I slept easier last night than I have in years."

"Ruby." As a tongue left a wet trail up a thigh, her utterance of the name trailed off into a whining noise of exasperation. She hated how easily she was plied by the younger Faunus, who was having far too much fun learning the various ways she could be excited. It took all of her will to focus and force her heart to stop hammering against her rib cage, and a groan came with the knowledge that any chance at a serious conversation was ruined by her giving in to these desires. "What are you doing?"

With lupine ears pushing against the blanket and creating a hood of sorts that framed Ruby's face, the younger Faunus' grin was nothing short of sinfully enticing as she pressed a brief and tantalizing kiss near the top of Blake's thigh. "Thanking you."

Yang wasn't sure if she had seen Ember Heights truly empty during the day in a long time, all the chairs neatly placed upon the tables and an unusual silence blanketing the bar's main room. With things in the city escalating as they were, she had decided to give her employees a much needed break, while Velvet had insisted that she take one as well. Even so, she found herself standing behind the long counter, idly checking through the inventory.

She had never imagined herself as the type of person who would get caught up in their work. Her teenage years had been spent dreaming of the adventures she would go on as a Huntress, the endless danger and excitement that would have come with never knowing what the next day would bring. Those desires had been tempered during their third year at Beacon, when a routine mission gone wrong had landed her in the infirmary.

Her team had been charged with clearing out several minor Grimm nests in the canyons North of Vale, nothing new after a few years at the school. It should have gone off without a hitch, but her own carelessness had caused part of the cliffside to collapse, taking her and several dozen of the monsters over the edge. When she had woke up in the rubble, everything had hurt. Except her legs.

The doctors had told her than she was lucky to have lived, but that she would also require several surgeries and implants to be able to walk again. The weeks of laying in bed turned into months of physical therapy, all with the intention of getting back at it as fast as she could. Then the Breach had happened, and that infirmary became much more crowded. It was those days of trying to help tend to hundreds of wounded that had truly brought reality down upon her aspirations.

Even if the Academies hadn't been disbanded, she was no longer sure if she would have continued with her training.

As if on cue for the turn in her thoughts, she heard the door to the upper portion of the bar open. Slim arms wound their way around her waist and a soft body pressed against her from behind, emitting a sleepy groan. A glance over her shoulder gave her an eyeful of long rabbit ears, and she chuckled as she leaned back into her girlfriend. "Got cold up there without me?"

"Mm, warm." Velvet's voice was muffled as Yang felt the Faunus nuzzle into her, gripping her tight with a quiet and pleased sigh. She grinned as she set her scroll down, the display dimming the inventory list as she turned to embrace the rabbit-girl. With her arms around a slim waist, she rested her chin between the two long, furred ears.

The feeling of being content was a rare one these days, but one that she felt regularly in such moments with Velvet. It was these moments that drove away all doubts of the life she had chose after the Breach. She loved fighting, but the thought of fighting Grimm instead of challengers in the basement of Ember Heights these last few years was simply exhausting. In fact, thinking at all of the life she would have led as a Huntress brought some measure of stress. She had already seen so much death and destruction, the countless dozens who bled out on the infirmary floor enough to haunt her for all her days.

Perhaps it was her apprehension to that life that had made her so unwilling to go after Ruby, too. It had been so much easier to give up, something she never would have done at seventeen.

That thought stole away her smile, and the Faunus she held in her arms noticed. Without budging from the warm chest that the woman had buried her face into, Velvet spoke quietly. "It's your day off, stop brooding."

Yang didn't respond, positive that any attempt to refute the claim that she had been brooding would not be believed. Instead, she buried herself in the embrace, closing her eyes as she nuzzled against a furred ear. She was sure that avoiding the fighting in the city that had sparked in recent weeks was a good decision, but abandoning Ruby to the hands of a girl she hadn't seen in years was one that she could never justify. Not even her girlfriend could melt away the thought that she had failed when it had mattered, that she had shut down when she was needed.

She wondered if that was how her father had felt when he had lost Summer. Overwhelmed and hopeless, unable to focus and unable to do more than hide away from the world. She wondered if he had felt just as guilty.

Weiss brushed a piece of lint from her pant leg as she listened to a Councilor drone on about the dedication ceremony, sitting back in her chair to fix a steely gaze upon the audience. She was sat just shy of the podium, her donations to this project ensuring she had a say at a the ceremony. She could almost feeling the anticipation from the various journalists who kept glancing their way. Every station wanted the latest on Weiss Schnee's plans for the future.

She let out a soft sigh, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as the speech went on and the Councilor mentioned how deeply he resonated with the mission of this project. Between the Barricade and rebuilding the Commercial District, construction had been a norm for the kingdom for years now, but this project had been proposed to the Council just last year. None of them wanted it.

But she did, and she had refused to take no for an answer. It was a statue, built in the middle of the primary plaza for the Commercial District, the center of the indoor markets. Engraved at its based were the names of everyone, citizen or Hunter, who perished in the Breach. Weiss had assured all those attached to the project that there would be no expense spared, and all she required in return was perfect quality and the utmost respect for the fallen.

Whether it was her deep pockets or the fact many who worked on the project had lost family in the Breach, she was immensely satisfied with the result. Atop the base were several faceless Hunters, all brandishing weapons towards a nearby trio of alpha Beowolves. It symbolized the line the students and Hunters had formed to hold back the Grimm, buying civilians precious time to evacuate.

Weiss could remember the moment clearly, as she watched as people she had come to know as friends were torn apart under a massive wave of Grimm. She felt the familiar and hollow pang of loss echo through her heart as she thought of this, and had to suppress the instinct to tear up. Especially as her turn to speak was rapidly approaching.

"Without further ado, it is my great pleasure and honor to present to you the woman who made this memorial possible. Veteran of the Breach and CEO of Schnee Dust & Arms Corporation, Weiss Schnee!" She stood to the sound of applause, a wave of noise accompanied by a few cheers from the section of the audience comprised of the construction crew.

Exchanging a nod and a polite handshake with the man as she approached the stand, she placed her hand upon the mic and adjusted it to her height. "Thank you, Councilor." She waited for the sound to die down before speaking up again. "And thank you all for coming today, so rarely do we get a chance to celebrate something these days."

"The Breach changed our world forever, it is a fact. It gave us the push to look for real, lasting ways to keep us safe from the Grimm, an answer we once thought laid at the feet of the Academies." Weiss cleared her throat as she laid her hand on the podium, her mind running through the prepared speech. "And while this statue signifies the event, I feel compelled to state that its purpose is much more personal."

Scanning the crowd, she saw the confusion in some attendee's faces, the way they tilted their heads as if trying to understand what she was getting at. "The people of Remnant are no strangers to loss. After all, we've been fighting the Grimm for as long as anyone can remember. But many of us here lost someone that day."

There were a few sniffles that echoed over the plaza, but otherwise an absolute silence had fallen as the crowd waited for her words with bated breath. "I was there. I watched as friends were torn apart by monsters, while innocents died by the dozens trying to escape the wrath of humankind's ancient enemy. I fought through blood and bodies for hours until we pushed them back."

"And yet, I think even those who were not there lost a part of themselves that day. For generations we have held faith in the bravest of us, that the few could keep the many safe. We were wrong, and that realization came at a high cost." Weiss gripped the podium as she forced down a bubbling rise of emotion, the space where her right arm should have been aching with a constant itch, a burning phantom that taunted her. "We learned our lesson, we have rebuilt, and we have moved forward."

"It is on the very ground where we lost so much that I dedicate this monument to the times ahead of us. It is a bright future for Remnant that I see, one where we no longer live our lives in fear of the monsters that lurk in the dark." Even with her efforts, she heard her voice crack and felt wetness at the corners of her eyes. "I dedicate this memory of the past to the future because I know that those who lost their lives would want us to move forward, to do better."

"As we enter this new age of safety, it will be important to remember. Not just the lessons of the past and the horrors we have experienced, but of those who gave their lives in the name of the many, who fought to hold back the darkness far longer than we could have ever asked them to. Our friends and loved ones may be gone.."

Weiss stood tall, steeling herself as she looked over the audience and at the massive statue atop the memorial. "But they will never be forgotten."

Ruby let out a sigh as she flexed the muscles in her arms and back, popping her joints as she stretched and moved her neck from side to side until it produced a satisfying crack. A shower had been just what she needed after the morning's activities and the sparring with Blake that had taken place before lunch. Steam had filled the bathroom, to the point where she had to wipe the mirror to reveal her reflection.

Staring at the girl who stared back at her, Ruby blinked a few times. It was still a little unsettling to not see a red glow emanating from her right eye. She had been told that the new implant had a color setting, but she had yet to test it out. The default was a metallic silver, close to her natural color but not quite the same, noticeable only with study. Recent scarring was present around the eye, the signs of the surgery that the doctor friend of Blake's has performed now just small pink lines that looked a lot better than the scars they had been cut over.

Closing her cybernetic eye, she focused on channeling her Aura into the implant. Intuitive technology read the impulses, and she heard the whirring before her eyelids opened. The blades that made up the iris of the construct spun in several rotations before settling back into place, and as she watched the color of the eye faded to match that of her remaining organic eye.

The effect was immediate, causing her to suck in a breath as she felt a smile twitch at the corners of her lips. Blake hadn't been kidding when she had said that the implant was the latest and greatest. It felt no different than her natural eye, and with the colors now matching, Ruby was treated to a sight she had not seen in four years. She looked into the mirror and saw someone familiar staring back at her with a bemused grin.

For a moment, she didn't even see the scars.

The pink lines that were cut into her cheeks were not long ignored, however, and she soon found her elation stolen by a reminder that her features had been marred further than before. Pads of her fingertips traced the claw marks on her left cheekbone, all the way down to her jawline, the tissue raised into small ridges that were noticeably denser than the skin around them. A single line crossed from her hairline down through her right eye, ending halfway down the cheek, a lasting gift from the Breach that she had carried for years.

Alone it had not bothered her much, but with the new additions it brought up doubts. All of the marks upon her body brought up doubts in recent years, obliterating confidence in her appearance. But there was something different this time, something she saw within that reflection as her hands worked to style the mess of her hair. Blake saw that she was a survivor in those scars, saw that she had undergone trials that would have killed most.

Blake saw beauty where she still struggled to see more than ruination.

Ruby smirked at the mirror, unsure of what to make of that. It made her feel a warmth in her chest, a thrum of happiness that was a stranger in these long days. It made her feel a tinge of fear that slithered up her spine, and it made her feel a nervous sense of excitement at an uncertain future.

She had spent nights with several different partners over the last few years, but each morning had been marked by either them or her sneaking off before the other was awake. It had been different to find Blake still there, and to feel no great desire within her to run off and pretend the night before had not occurred. Ruby felt a twinge of guilt at that, knowing that it was her hope that Blake could understand that had prompted her to grasp for a chance.

The thought that they could be more than just a string of one night stands screamed at her, begged her to run before she was proven wrong. As her fingers closed around the edge of the sink before her, she was assaulted by a voice that spoke only of how she would only pull Blake down with her. But she had pulled secrets from the feline Faunus that she was certain had remained unsaid for years, suffering that had festered below the surface with no one but the victim to know.

She steeled herself against the doubts that pulled at her frayed psyche, repeating the mantra that no matter how much she needed Blake, Blake needed her as well. That they helped one another. She prayed it was true, that she was not simply a leech clinging to a stronger soul for some vain hope at survival, for some distant fantasy of not carrying this crushing weight alone. Bangs obscured her vision as she looked down at the marble of the sink, silently wishing she had more that hopes to lean on.

An ache drew one of her hands up over her shoulder, rubbing at the mass of scarring left by the claws of a wolf. Her fingers worked at the knot of muscle beneath the ruined skin as she slowly lifted her gaze to regard her own reflection again. Perhaps she could see herself as Blake did, in time.

Not ruined, a survivor.

Not ruined, a survivor.

Murderer.

Yang lazily turned another page in the book laying on the bar's counter, resting her chin on a fist while words were read but not processed. She had studied this particular book from cover to cover at least a dozen times, looking for some small detail she had missed that might be of use to helping her sister. Continually her fingers brushed pages over, barely pausing until she closed the back cover.

It wasn't about actually reading, though. She was trying to find some way to relax when she had opened the book, only serving to let her mind wander. Still, she had gone through the motions, pretending that the written words were being comprehended as she basked in the simple calm that was filled with the sound of soft humming.

Velvet was working on lunch on the other side of the bar, swaying her hips from side to side in time to the upbeat music that was being played from a nearby scroll. The sight of it brought a smile to Yang's lips as she watched, her vision blurring momentarily as she felt a yawn coming on. Stifling it with the back of her hand, she reopened her eyes to find a pair of plates sliding down onto the surface in front of her.

The rabbit-girl didn't seem to notice that she had been staring, continuing the little dance to the tune around the side of the bar. But those floppy ears twitched in surprise when brown eyes found her, and Yang flashed a brilliant grin that caused a rush of crimson to color the Faunus' cheeks. "I.. Like this song."

"I didn't say anything." Yang raised her eyebrows up before turning back to the sandwich that had been prepared for her, snickering softly when a smaller body sat down beside her and bumped their shoulders together. Velvet shot her a smirk to let her know she didn't mind the teasing, continuing to hum along to the chorus of the music.

That music paused right as Yang's fingers closed on the crispy edges of the toasted sandwich, the scroll sitting between the two plates lighting up as a rock song with angry lyrics began playing. Recognizing the ringtone, she glanced over to find a picture of her little sister displayed on the screen, an older photo of Ruby that had been taken back in Beacon. With a wide, happy grin and two fingers held up in a peace sign, the younger sibling had her arm around someone else outside the edge of the picture.

It wasn't the old photo that made Yang's gaze drag up to look at Velvet, though. The contact that was now calling her scroll was the same number that Ruby had had since before they had attended the combat school, the number of the scroll that her sister had lost when she had been captured by Torchwick a short time ago.

Velvet shrugged, looking to be as lost as she was. As the rock song continued, her eyes snapped back to the device, and a tentative hand reached out to gather it up. Swiping the green icon across the screen to answer the incoming call, Yang hesitated as she raised it up to her ear. "H-hello?"

The voice that came through wasn't familiar, but there was a heavy dose of fear evident in it. "Please, you have to help me!"

The edges of the engraved names were smooth as Weiss' fingers drifted over the face of the memorial. With all the necessary speeches done, a party of sorts had commenced. The attendees of the ceremony now wandered the space of the plaza, many of them carrying small plates laden with catered food.

Weiss found her appetite lacking.

She had circled the monument once already, recognizing some names, while most were those she had only seen when the initial lists had crossed her desk. But those that were familiar stood out, the names of those who had attended Beacon alongside her and the rest of her friends, or those from beyond Vale that she had come to know during the Vytal festival. Breathing became difficult as a weight on her chest grew with each name she picked out of the thousands, constricting and tugging at her heart as if the very stone demanded her sorrow.

She had stood here, alongside her partner, four years ago. When she closed her eyes, she could almost hear the screams of the terrified and the dying, she could almost smell the rancid scent of death that had filled the area. With her palm flat against the memorial wall, she could almost feel the agony that had torn through her body, emanating from her arm.

"Ms. Schnee." Penny's voice cut through the dark to reach her, drawing her from the waking nightmare and causing her to glance over in surprise. The redhead was watching her with a worried expression, dutiful as always. "Are you alright? You have been standing there for several minutes."

"Have I..?" Weiss looked back at where her solitary hand was placed, over a name that generated that pang of familiarity and loss. She pulled herself away, forcing herself to not stare overlong at the etchings. Appearances were important, and there were far too many here who would capitalize on any weakness she could show. "Thank you, Penny."

Her assistant opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a male voice. "Schnee!"

The hostility in the way her name was called was palpable, turning more than just her head as a man with dark hair and a graying beard marched toward her. He towered over her, as most people did, but the aggressive way he leaned over her slight frame was clearly meant to be intimidating. It might have worked, if she thought anyone here would be stupid enough to attack her. "Mr. Vex. Did you enjoy the ceremony?"

"Unfortunately, I was not able to attend." The man bit the words at her through clenched teeth, trying so dearly to hold to some measure of propriety in public. There was an undisguised fury and loathing in his brown eyes, a bitterness that seemed unwarranted. She had no doubt that if this conversation were behind closed doors, he would be screaming at her. "I was detained by the police, who had questions about whether or not I was smuggling Dust into the city."

She felt one of her eyebrows raise as she stared up at the man, unwavering in the face of his rage. With every passing second, he was backing away from his attempt at intimidating her. Silence filled the air around them, with those nearest doing their best to look as if they were not listening in, and all the while the red in Vex's face grew deeper. "I'm sorry, did that merit a response? Dust is a minor interest of my company."

A near feral growl escaped the man as she began to turn away, her utter disinterest in his problems only fueling his fury. "Don't play innocent with me, Schnee! There's only a handful of us still importing it, so you listen here-" He reached out to take her wrist, seeming oblivious to the danger of such an action until she narrowed her eyes as his fingers neared.

Her hand moved in practiced motion, drawing upon an inner power and willing it into existence. She may not have graduated to becoming a full Huntress, but that did not mean she had let her skills get out of practice. A black glyph appeared around the offending wrist and wrenched it away from her, before pulling the arm behind the man's back. With a flick of her fingers, the arm now held by her semblance was twisted in such a way that it brought him to his knees before her. An inch more and she knew she could snap his forearm with little effort.

Gasps of shock ran through the crowd, and with such a simple action their conversation at the attention of the entire party. Weiss glared down at the man, holding him in place with the glyph as she approached. "Never assume to touch me, Mr. Vex." She waited until he looked up at her, the pain of his twisted limb clear in his eyes as she leaned down. "Now I have been more than fair in my dealings with you, out of respect for your late daughter. I could have simply bought your company out and taken those contracts, but instead I gave you a good price for them."

Vex Security Corporation had been one of the first to invest in the Barricade Program, and had been talking to Ironwood even before the Breach. By the end of the first year, they alone had held the few contracts that the SDAC had not. Weiss had forced all others from the initiative, trusting none but herself to do the job that was necessary. Vex had held out for a better deal, and she had allowed him to, for she had known the man's adopted daughter.

She lowered her voice so that only he could hear her, and leaned in close. "Iris was a good friend, and I watched her die not far from where you now kneel. I know you only saw her as a PR piece for your company, and I know that you do not mourn her. When it was needed, she laid down her life for those in need, and I will always respect her for that. I extended that respect to you, but my patience has limits."

"If you try anything like this again, if you accuse me of such things, I will dismantle your life piece by piece." Rising back up to her full height, she placed her hand behind her back and turned away from the man. With a thought, the glyph released him, and his whines of pain turned to a sigh of relief. "I hope I've made myself clear."

Those gathered for the ceremony had frozen in place, a stillness that spoke of their wariness as her icy blue eyes swept over them. It was time for her to leave.

Weiss moved towards the entrance of the plaza. Only Penny walked with her as she mentally chastised herself. She had allowed her anger to get the better of her, and in doing so had reminded all those who trusted her that she was something they had grown to fear. It was so ironic that it almost made her laugh, that she now had all the money and power in the world that she could do nearly anything she wanted, but what the masses truly feared from her is what she had learned to do years ago.

The party was just starting to unfreeze as she neared the wide arches of the plaza's entrance. Chatter between the guests started up again, and in the true fashion of society's elite, no one mentioned the recent altercation in a higher tone than a whisper. Weiss slowed as she reached the steps that led down to a street jammed with expensive cars and limos, leaning against a nearby pillar and placing her hand against her forehead.

It was only now that she realized the burning in the remnant stump of her arm, and reached over to grip a hand that was in discomfort. When she grasped only air, she noticed the way her assistant was watching her. "I'm sorry, Penny. I shouldn't let you see me like this."

"I only wish to help, Ms. Schnee."

Of course she did. Weiss smiled bitterly at that thought, and then looked to the parked vehicles. "Thank you. Have the driver bring the car around, please."

Author's Note: Okay, can't believe I have to say this but I got a rather nasty message about it: Blake and Ruby are going to be together in this story, this was planned from the beginning. I'm sorry if you like White Rose more, but you would not want them to be a thing in this AU. I like White Rose in other stories, it's a great ship. But I can promise you that in this AU, in the universe that Last Huntress takes place in, you would not like the relationship they would have after everything that has happened! The story is properly tagged to show this, I honestly don't know why this person was surprised.

That was unpleasant to deal with, but I want to say that I do not mind questions so long as they are not accompanied by.. Jackassery. Speaking of questions, there are a few floating around I'd like to take a moment to address!

First, Last Huntress did not split off from canon in any way. The entire world has been different from the beginning, and just assume that nothing in canon ever occurred in the previous time before this story starts. I've made it close, but not quite. Cinder was teacher at Beacon, Salem doesn't exist, there are no Maidens and Ozpin isn't.. Whatever he is in the show.

Second, Ruby does not have Crescent Rose any longer, it was surrendered to the authorities with every other Hunters weapons when they were disbanded. I know there's been a lot of questions about this and I blame myself for taking so friggin' long to update this story, a lot of details from before can get jumbled. And that applies to both of these questions.

Now, as always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns, please don't be afraid to PM me on this site or anywhere, or drop a review with the question. I don't mind answering them! Thank you to all my readers, and to everyone who as followed/favorited/reviewed this story, the response to it has been nothing short of awesome, and I love you all for it. Thank you for the birthday wishes, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to drop a review with your thoughts!(I'm fairly sure someone will correctly guess who called Yang)