Author's Note: Death Battle: KO!

*raises hands in the air* Woooooooo-

Brain: ooooooooo!

Alright, Yang won her Death Battle! So glad I avoided that punch to my inner soul. I had no interests in the facts or anything like that; I just wanted Yang to live! Fortunately, it seems my prayers were answered and she kicked some ass!

Brain: With all the times that the fandom likes to kill her off in fics, she deserves at least this much.

Indeed. Although…eugh…I grimaced pretty good when she killed Tifa. I'm not a monster; I wasn't cheering for Tifa's death. Just happy that Yang lived is all.

Alright so…..here we are. Another fic about to be completed. I said I had no plans for this, I had no intention of doing so…but here we are.

As always, a round of thanks, particularly from all the reviewers, especially the ones who would leave such lengthy reviews like sarista wow and Moongarm. Novels themselves but, trust me, I enjoyed reading every sentence whether they had criticism or praise. Then there were others who would review most if not every chapter that came up to the point where, whenever I posted a new one and the reviews would come in, I would think, "Oh there's mega-dark, DoomLich, Yuri-hime, LongSean22, Tatya1999, SilverCivic, Xelar8, ethereal-23, aaannnnd…Dom380!"

If I missed anyone, please don't take it personally. As for the Guest reviews, thanks a bunch although there are a few that I wish had their own profiles so that I was able to respond to their questions and other concerns that they brought up in their reviews. And I'll toss a nod over to snake screamer who always tries to keep ey updated on RWBY news. My thanks also extends to fans scattered all over the internet who make mentions of my work on tumblr, reddit, tvtropes, spacebattles, and wherever! Don't think I haven't noticed.

Of course, the last and most well-deserved round of thanks goes to RoosterTeeth. No matter how I may disagree with some of their choices, that doesn't diminish any of my respect for them. They have such pride and always have so much fun in RWBY while also working so hard that, no matter what, they will always have my respect. Though there are a lot of people who look to Volume 2 unfavorably, I'm confident that, one day, they'll learn, adapt, and really start kicking off RWBY the way that'll make us entertained!

With that all done, time to bring this to a close!

Sometimes, there were days where Roman could be very impressed with himself. This was one of those days.

Since, by all rights, he should be dead right now.

He had woken up in the train. For how long he had been lying there he wasn't sure, but had quickly managed to deduce that he was alone. There was no bothersome cat faunus, or any faunus in fact. Nor was there Neo or anyone else. Only a very irritating droning.

It took him a little longer to realize that the noise was in fact the chorus of growls and roars of a horde of Grimm that were right outside the train.

No other wake-up call could've shocked him so as that did, nor could anything match the freezing of the blood in his veins when he pieced together what was going on. The plan had succeeded. They had penetrated Vale, the Grimm were probably taking a very thorough tour of the city at this very moment.

And he was right in the middle of them.

As it stood, this was not exactly how he imagined where he would be at this stage of the operation. He had imagined himself several miles away from it really.

It was undoubtedly thanks to the Grimm deciding that they had much better pickings elsewhere that Roman wasn't currently seeing a Beowolf gnawing on his leg or something as gruesome. The only obstacle that he had to get out from was a crate that had tipped and fell half onto him. Nothing a little squirming couldn't fix, and Roman was given a tiny reward in the form of Melodic Cudgel lying and waiting for him to take once he was free.

Though he had his health and his weapon all checked out and ready to get out of the death trap, Roman nonetheless lingered, taking a look around just as he was about to attempt the feat of sneaking on out. When he found no hint of what he was looking for and was about to leave with a heavy heart, he found the tip of the feather sticking out and he reacquired his hat.

Navigating through the train cars was, as one would expect, quite harrowing. The Grimm ignored the train completely, but he had to watch his step and the rents in the metal could give any of the monsters a glance inside and of him if they happened to look over. He also had to keep his calm. He couldn't let himself be overly fearful of the noises that they made. The hissing, the squealing, the growling – a symphony of sounds that, at any moment, could be directed towards him and sing for his death. They bumped and all-out bashed into the train in their hurry to get to the surface.

Crossing into the next car in line had to be the worst; that second of venturing out into the open where any Grimm could spot him before he ducked into the next. Each crossing assailed him with doubts and fears of how the doors may be stuck, that he'd be left out in the open, and it would only take a single Grimm to bring a dozen of its brethren down on him.

A couple times, once he completed his crossing, there came curious tapping of the door he closed behind him – a Grimm that had, for just a moment, picked up on his fear or his scent and was attempting a brief investigation before it gave up and continued on into the city.

In spite of the exorbitant amount of opportunities that could've led to his discovery, it was when he was performing another crossing did Roman encounter not the darkened, closed-in space of the subway tunnel, but the open sky and the bright sun above.

He had about five seconds to enjoy his success before the train started getting pushed back into the tunnel, threatening to take him with it and undo everything.

There was no more room for caution. Roman jumped clear and made for the closest hiding spot that he could find.

It was through the broken doorway of a shop that he was able to get a full picture of what had gone on while he had been out. The Grimm, as he suspected, were loose. What he did not expect, however, were their low spread and numbers which were getting thinner thanks to the Atlesian Knights and, of course, Hunters. Nor were they about to get reinforced as he soon spotted a very familiar blonde Huntress with a purple cape sealing the subway tunnel.

That would be my exit cue, he recognized. Once that Huntress turned her back to him, Roman repeated his same strategy as before – stealthily moving down the street and taking what cover he could as he attempted to make it out from the plaza.

Even though he was so focused on not getting caught, Roman was already beginning to think of his next step. The plan, he decided, was ruined. He delivered the Grimm as promised but something told him that this was far from what Cinder had wanted. The death and destruction was far from the scale that it could've been had everything gone on as scheduled.

The notion of actually trying to appear at Cinder's feet and explain the situation in hopes of mercy was one he immediately laughed at. No, if there was one thing life experience taught him, it was not to depend on logical explanations and good graces – not for something like this. He'd be lucky to get a couple words in before Cinder turned him into a pile of charred bones with Emerald sweeping up his remains and waxing the floor in order to make it spotless for her to walk on again.

His only strategy – and one that he happened to best at – was to run. He did have to question whether even someone like him could hide from Cinder as he had gleaned enough from their cooperation to get a better idea of just what she was capable of but what other option did he have? None whatsoever. He'll take his chances.

He still needed to get out of Vale first and Roman halted when he saw the latest snag: an entire line of the VPD's finest that was cutting off his escape route.

Roman knew enough of the area that the only other way out was to go back, cross through the plaza, and go down to the other side. He rejected the idea immediately, not only because that meant trying to get past the many Hunters and androids – who he knew would find him as he expected the rest of the Grimm to be gone by then – but most likely that exit was just as closed off.

Plan B: hide, wait until they came in to take stock of the damage, and sneak away during then. He wished that he could contact Neo – if she was still around or even alive for that matter – or some other support but he noticed early on that his comm bead had fallen out of his ear whether because of the crash or his defeat at the hands of Blake.

The criminal slunk into a building at random, backing away into a corner. So intent on keeping watch outside so as to make sure to confirm that no one had seen him, he didn't realize he wasn't alone until he backed into a wall.

A wall that breathed deep and blew hot air down his neck.

Maybe if I ignore it- Roman began until a growl interrupted that train of thought and forced him to rotate around so that he could stare directly into the red pits of an Ursa Minor. "…Come here often?"

He was thrown through the broken window of the building, grunting when he hit the street, Melodic Cudgel coming free from his grip.

The Ursa that attacked him stood within the window and was joined by another. This second Ursa had something clamped between its jaws – a piece of the shop owner or an unlucky civilian that had been cornered and caught by the pair, explaining why it was that they had denned inside there. It released it when it decided that it would prefer the fresh victim right in front of it.

Roman rolled onto his stomach, looking and finding Melodic Cudgel only a short distance away. He hurriedly crawled towards it, stretching a hand out when he was close enough to reach for it.

A huge paw landed and put itself between Roman and his cane, attached to a tree trunk-like leg. A head dipped down so that a third Ursa could inspect its catch. As his luck had run out and was currently spiraling way down, this third Ursa was a Major.

And if things weren't bad enough already, they got worse.

When the two Minors left the building to join their mama bear in their next meal, bullets were shot and came drilling into their sides, picking them off. A couple rounds deflected off the more armored hide of the Major, doing little more than to aggravate it as it turned and snarled at the interruption.

Roman couldn't see who was responsible, but what he did see were two curved blades that scratched at the white bone of the Ursa before hooking and sinking deep into its back. A thin chain was attached to each and they went taut so that the latest arrival could come swinging in, passing beneath the Major before being sent above it. The hooks cut deep lines before they were freed and returned to their wielder who twirled in the air and lashed out with them again.

The attack got the Major to stumble and flail about as it tried to hit its assailant, inadvertently clearing the way for Roman to regain possession of Melodic Cudgel. It wasn't needed, not for the Major, as the Grimm's attempts to beat at its attacker were met with the individual deftly passing over or under its strikes, those sickle blades designed for the maximum amount of cruelty to catch and rend deep into the meat of its target.

However, it wasn't the Major that Roman was threatened by.

The beast was brought to an end after one haphazard swing bared its stomach to the tearing of the blades. Surrendering to the dozens of deep cuts made all over its body, the Major slumped and then fell over altogether, issuing one last groan before it went motionless and began the process of disintegration.

Emerald Sustrai kept her sickles poised, directing them forebodingly towards Roman.

Roman took note of another presence to his right and found the smirking visage of Mercury. "Who's the rat scurrying across the streets now?"

"Hardy har," Roman responded with sarcasm but was already tensing, registering how the two brats were positioned to keep him cornered as they regarded him.

"You screwed up, Roman," Emerald condemned, one mantis-like claw twitching in what he believed to be the direction of his throat.

"Hey now," Roman replied, holding up his hands in a placating manner but, really, it was to get his cane at a better position to react to whatever attack that was going to come at him from the most likely angles. "I did my part."

"Your part," she hissed, "isn't supposed to be until days later."

"Ah, yes. Well, as anyone with half a brain can figure out, there were some unavoidable complications that forced me to hasten that particular step. I would think that the two of you together could reach that much on your own."

"Oh?" Mercury tilted his head with a grin, arms crossed, but there was the discernable weight that was present in his back foot. "Well, I'm thinking that any of that blame can be placed squarely on you."

"I fail to see how you came to that conclusion. You were the ones that were at Beacon. Excuse me for thinking that you two would actually prove to do something useful like warn me about a Hunter team that was being sent to snoop around." Roman singled out Emerald. "I don't remember you mentioning anything like that in our last chat."

There was murder in the girl's eyes and he was ready for the inevitable strike that the quaking of her weapons said was on the verge of being sent his way. Yet, strangely, it didn't come. Nor did Mercury make any move. The two were broadcasting the right signals and the amount of violence that wanted to be unleashed in his direction but neither of them were obeying those murderous urges.

Eventually, Roman was beginning to grow stiff with how long he was waiting before he asked, "So how are we going to do this?"

Emerald gritted her teeth, looking like she was about to spring at him, but a grunt from Mercury stopped her. A silent communiqué was passed between them, the cockier of the pair seeming to actually be stepping up to some responsibility to take Emerald's reins with an expression of warning.

Now why would he be doing that? Roman wondered.

Whatever the reason, it was to the criminal's amazement that Emerald obeyed. Her weapons lowered until they were pointed to the street and she clamped down on her killer instincts with a set jaw. When she addressed Roman again, there was still a longing for his life and she was struggling with its suppression when she ground out, "We're to move on to our next phase."

Roman blinked, the admission so surprising that his defenses fell when he translated the meaning behind it. Oh. He couldn't help it as his brows jolted way up. Oooooooh!

Emerald's blades folded and locked into their places beneath the barrels of her revolvers. While she shoved them into her holsters with enough force that she threatened to tear them right off, Mercury took a step towards Roman and held out a hand, his chin motioning for Melodic Cudgel.

Roman gave them a glance each before he flipped his cane around and began holding it out to Mercury, handle first. "So when can I expect the displeasure of seeing your faces again?"

"Too soon," was Emerald bitten off response, arms crossed tight to her chest, refusing to look at him.

"Ah. Well, in that case…" Mercury's fingers were just about to close around his cane before he suddenly thrust it forward, the curved handle hitting him hard in his stomach.

Emerald spun her head around at Mercury's explosive exhale, surprised, but before she could even make a move to reacquire her weapons, Melodic Cudgel came whipping around and cracked across her cheek. While she was rocked back, Roman returned to Mercury, lifted his cane, and caught the high kick that he sent sloppily at him, still recovering from the jab. Roman hooked his handle around his ankle and Mercury snarled in pain when Roman twisted weapon and limb, the latter at such an angle that Mercury was forced to drop to a knee at Roman's urging.

A click sounded right next to Roman's head.

"Ah, ah, ah!" he interrupted, lifting one hand in surrender while he kept his other on his cane to keep Mercury down.

Emerald glared down at him with utter loathing, a visible imprint of Melodic Cudgel on her brown cheek. The barrel of her revolver pressed right against his temple with her finger tight around the trigger.

With slow movements, Roman freed Mercury of his cane before standing, now with both hands up. The gun remained against his head the whole time and Roman admitted to maybe pushing his luck, able to recognize that Emerald's control was hanging on by a very delicate thread.

"Gotta make it look good," he said and motioned his head to the side.

She was smart enough to learn from her previous lesson of taking her eyes off him. After a tense moment and only when Mercury had recovered and was similarly glaring at Roman, Emerald glanced where directed.

Coming down the street towards them was Red. With her, a faunus with bunny ears and a trio of Atlesian Knights.

Roman casually held out his cane to Mercury again, and the boy didn't waste any time in relieving him of it. "A little adult lesson before you kiddies go back to mommy." Roman placed his hands behind his head. "When you find yourselves with the first shot, always take it."

"Hey, you guys got Torchwick!" Red said as soon as she arrived, smiling at Emerald and Mercury. "Good job!"

Emerald finally lowered her weapon and turned a very strained smile towards the cloaked girl. "It was no sweat."

That was all she could say and Roman was able to see how it killed her. It was hilarious and way worth whatever she would do when they saw each other again.

It seemed that Cinder still had a use for him after all. That, he decided, was enough peace of mind to keep him going until the process repeated all over again.

And if he was honest with himself, a part of him couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

With the breach sealed, it was a simple matter for the gathered defenders of Vale to clean up the rest of the Grimm. Once the last Beowolf had fallen, the police and other emergency services took over, driving onto the scene to inspect the damages and perform thorough sweeps of survivors or the off chance that a creature of Grimm had enough developed self-preservation instincts to hide once they realized that the battle had become very one-sided.

This included the arrival of a couple airships that landed on the cleared landing zones. One, an Atlesian dropship, came to take custody of Roman Torchwick.

"Oh I can't believe that you've caught me," Roman mocked as Emerald and Mercury handed him over to a pair of AK-200s. "You've really taught me the error of my ways."

One Knight seized him by the arm and yanked him roughly towards the boarding ramp of the dropship. Apparently its friendlier programming did not extend to criminals.

"Hey, hey!" Roman restraightened his bowler that had tipped. "Watch the hat!"

The other ship to land was a Bullhead for Team RWBY to take them back to Beacon. With three other Hunter teams and professors in the area to keep watch on the off chance that the Grimm still roamed, there was no need for RWBY to remain, the exhausted team being relieved from their duties.

Ruby didn't make any kind of insistence on staying. One look at her teammates and she was able to see what everyone else did and probably why the Bullhead was called for them in the first place. They had done more than enough for today; it was time for them to rest.

While they all boarded, Oobleck walked alongside Ruby. "You've done a commendable job, Ruby – you and your team." He stopped at the edge of the ramp, Ruby traveling up halfway before she looked back to see him smiling at her. "Rest well with the knowledge that you all demonstrated just what it means to be Huntresses today. This," he pointed back to the plaza, "is why we are here. This is why we fight. This is our reward."

A line came to Ruby's mind, one influenced by years of listening to those heroic tales and playing pretend in her home. It was the most heroic – and corniest, as Yang once told her when she had heard it in the next room – one that happened to be her favorite. "It's the only one I need."

There was no pretending at just how much she meant it.

Oobleck smiled in approval. "Cherish it well." The ramp lifted and he and Ruby remained there all the way until it closed and took them from each other's sight.

Ruby walked deeper into the belly of the Bullhead and saw that her friends had each taken their seats. To her left, Yang had taken a whole bench for herself to lie face down with arms and legs sprawled about. Blake stood over her, smiling a little before asking, "Care to make some room?"

"Yeah, sure," Yang mumbled tiredly, scooting as much as she could to open up a spot for Blake.

The faunus took the cleared space before grabbing the back of Yang's jacket and tugging her over.

"What, you want more- oh," Yang began to complain until her head was brought on top of Blake's lap. "Nevermind, this is fine." She nuzzled into her pillow. "Totally fine."

Blake just smiled, hand brushing along her curls.

Despite her usual emphasis on posture, Weiss couldn't maintain it against the gathered fatigue. Across from the bumblebee pair, she was resting her back against the bulkhead, eyes closed, but she found it in her to devote a hand to rubbing Zwei's head, the corgi having acquired similar attention from her by hopping onto her lap. Ruby chose a spot next to the two, Weiss opening an eye to give her a glance before closing it again.

They all felt the tremor and heard the muffled whine of engines as the Bullhead powered on, ascended, and then took off towards Beacon.

Towards home.

A leisurely quiet filled the passenger compartment of the airship, the Huntresses content to just sit and relax, but Yang rolled over so that she could smile up at her faunus girlfriend and say, "Well, we did it."

"We did it," Blake returned with the same expression.

Weiss didn't bother opening her eyes when she said, "If we don't get extra credit for this, I'm going to be seriously disappointed."

Yang looked over at her. "Weiss, a two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. I wouldn't count on it."

"Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything," Ruby added with a frown. She wanted to relish in this flush of success at a mission completed but now that they actually had time to think about all that had happened, she began to realize that things weren't perfect. Thinking of the terror of those who had been hounded by the Grimm and the pilots of the dropship that had helped her only for it to be taken down, she said, "A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did this or who that mystery girl was."

"Not every story has a neat and tiding ending," Weiss pointed out.

The frown remained to weigh down Ruby's features. She had wanted her story to be more like that.

"We might not have all the answers," Blake conceded, "but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars, and I think that's something we can be proud of."

"Yeah…" Ruby slowly nodded, her lips turning up when she repeated it with more enthusiasm. "Yeah! And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them!"

It wasn't over, but what kind of story would it be if it just ended now? There were still threats out there but hadn't she known that when she wanted to be the Huntress who would defend the world from them and make it better in the process? This had only been one conflict of the many that she intended to take part in and settle in the future.

Yang held up a hand to hide a yawn before raising it up high. "Yeeeaaah…teamwork, camaraderie." She moved it in an exhausted imitation of a victory wave. "Go guys, go team…" It fell back against her chest. "Alright, good job."

Ruby stifled a giggle, amused but also boosted. They had done a job well done – and only in their first year! They still had plenty more training to go through and knowledge to acquire and by the time the next threat came to endanger Vale, they'll be even better equipped to handle it!

They didn't say anything else for the rest of their flight to Beacon and though the fatigue was creeping up on her, there was something very uplifting about seeing the familiar towers that had Ruby bouncing up to her feet when they reached the air pads.

"I'm going to sleep forever," Yang murmured as she and Blake disembarked.

"Absolutely," Blake agreed. With her hand currently clasped in Yang's, it struck Ruby that the faunus seemed less shy of showing such affection. Probably in response to this success of their mission and the young leader was happy to witness it, regardless of it being most likely temporary.

While about to follow the two out onto the main path that would lead into the campus, Ruby felt someone suddenly grip her by the wrist, stopping her. It wasn't soft or loving as the one shared by the girlfriends but noticeably tight. "I need to speak to you."

There was no warmth in Weiss's tone or in her features when Ruby turned and saw her partner staring at her. Not staring - the tightness in her eyes more reminiscent to glowering.

"You guys coming?" Yang asked, noticing how they weren't following her or Blake.

"Oh, yeah, in a bit!" Ruby called, stumbling for an explanation. "Weiss and I are just gonna…enjoy the view for a bit! Yeah! We'll catch up!"

The blonde and the faunus both gave them suspicious looks, but Ruby could see how the exhaustion crushed any thoughts of satisfying curiosity as, with a tired shrug, Yang decided to continue walking with Blake, tossing back a, "Don't take too long."

Ruby was waving at the backs of her teammates before a forceful tug put an end to it. She stumbled a step, recovered, and she regarded the back of Weiss's head with a question that the heiress didn't turn around to answer, instead pulling her over to the edge of the airpad.

Weiss was angry. Ruby didn't know why but the slight digging of Weiss's nails in her skin that matched the icy bristling of her Aura that the leader could feel through this direct contact was more than enough for her to know that she was upset about something.

Rather than go with Blake and Yang, Zwei had chosen to stick with the other half of RWBY and padded along behind them, all the way to the edge where Weiss eventually sat down, letting her legs dangle over the side. The pressure that she kept up on Ruby's wrist coerced the younger girl to take a spot next to her.

"Weiss, what's wrong?" Ruby asked when Weiss let go.

She didn't say what it was just yet, instead lifting a hand for silence. As to why, Ruby figured it out when the Bullhead, now empty of passengers, powered back on and lifted itself off the airpad. The engines tilted to point backwards and a boost of power soon had it flying back towards Vale.

Ruby watched it go, unconsciously bringing a hand up to rub Zwei's head when her pet came to her side and nudged her arm, wanting attention. Tracking the Bullhead brought her gaze to two Atlesian dreadnaughts that were suspended over Vale. Once having just stuck to hovering around the city, they were now actively patrolling around its borders, guarding the kingdom for any possibility of a renewed Grimm attack.

The sight of the warships reminded her of their success which only increased her confusion as to why Weiss was angry.

"You're making this very difficult for me," Weiss said unexpectedly.

Ruby's hand froze on top of Zwei, dog and owner regarding her with dubious tilts of their heads. "What do you mean?"

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Weiss sneered, still staring out towards Vale. "That you don't know, even after all the times that you've done it."

Ruby didn't reply, mostly because she didn't know how to. She had no idea what Weiss was talking about and her uncertain blinking said it all.

Weiss glanced over, becoming even more frigid at Ruby's cluelessness. "Fine, let's go over just what it is you've done." She raised her hand from before again and stuck up a finger. "You went off your own at Mountain Glenn. You didn't give us as so much as a word of what you were doing. You just followed a couple White Fang guards in the middle of the night that were heading right to their base without backup and you were caught."

"But I tried!" Ruby quickly defended. "When I found out about their base, I tried to call you guys but my scroll couldn't get a signal!"

"You should've came back and told us from the beginning."

"I was afraid that they were going to be gone by the time I got you guys." Ruby frowned in offense at Weiss's accusations. "They were the only signs we had of the White Fang and I couldn't give that up!"

"Even if it meant putting yourself in a position that could've endangered your life as it clearly did?"

Ruby opened her mouth, the urge to protest getting her to do so until, when she tried to voice an answer, nothing came to her.

Weiss waited until her leader closed her mouth and then she brought up a second finger. "The CCT."

"That again?"

"Yes," Weiss confirmed testily. "That again. You saw something, you went off on your own, and got into a fight with a dangerous person. What, may I ask, stopped you from contacting us when you realized just what kind of trouble there was?"

Ruby felt that instinctive desire to protest again but her lips didn't even part when sense hit her. What had immediately came to mind when she saw that dark figure was to pursue on her own and let her teammates continue to have fun. It might've just been nothing. But then she saw the knocked out guards, had pulled out her scroll…and called Crescent Rose.

It would've only taken just another second to send an emergency call to her teammates or one of the Hunters of Beacon. Whether she would've taken the time to wait for them or not, if she had gone in after that then she would've done so with backup on the way. If she had done that…maybe things would've played out differently. Maybe they could've caught the intruder and one of those loose ends that she had just been complaining about could've been tied up.

But her one and only thought at that moment was to arm herself, go in there, and take on the danger head-on.

Weiss nodded briskly at the second round of silence. "You made a promise before this whole thing started – a promise which convinced me to take part in all this. You said that we would work together as a team. That we wouldn't rush into things. That we would do it together."

Ruby grimaced at the last, bowing her head beneath the accusation in those cold eyes. She had promised, with those exact words. Yet, as her partner just pointed out, where had she kept it during the situations which she just spoke of?

"It wasn't just that," Weiss corrected and began throwing up more fingers. "The ridiculous idea of riding a Nevermore at initiation."

"You agreed to that-" Ruby started to say but was ignored, her partner throwing up another finger.

"Rushing into that Death Stalker by yourself."

Ruby shut her mouth again, the memory coming all too clearly of being pinned in place by a giant feather with that stinger about to run her through.

Another finger. "The Bewolves from before." Another. "The first thing you've ever done to get into Beacon was chase after Torchwick during the Dust robbery."

What was I supposed to have done? she thought, wanted to say it out loud, but she knew what was coming as Weiss threw up one last finger.

"The docks."

Seven fingers. Seven moments of carelessness that had started since even before she went to Beacon and had kept on going to now.

"But...we're Huntresses," Ruby meekly defended. "Danger is a part of what we do."

Those fingers were thrust forward and Weiss drilled, "This much danger? Let me ask you, who else – our teammates, JNPR, any of our friends – has run into this much?"

Ruby didn't have to say it; they both knew the answer, and Weiss dropped her hands when they were no longer needed.

"I also made a promise." The heiress's voice softened. "I promised you that I would be the best teammate you ever had."

"You are-"

Weiss instantly interrupted with a shrill, "Then let me help you!"

Ruby jerked away, silvers huge with alarm, and Zwei snapped to the heiress with ears standing on end.

"You don't understand what this is doing to me," Weiss explained, words still sharp. "Ruby, that night on the docks, you died. You weren't breathing and your heart stopped. I was the one who brought you back so no one understands better than me as to just how far you were gone." Bitterly, she added, "Not even you, it seems."

Ruby was still too shocked to act when Weiss snagged a fistful of her cloak and held the red fabric out to her, bunched between her fingers. "Your blood was on my hands and during the days after that I thought that I could…that I could never get it off."

Her voice lowered again and the cloak slipped through weakening fingers. Tears were brimming but Weiss was stubbornly holding them back with a continued expression of anger despite how the emotion behind it was giving out as she whispered, "Before I met you, I learned to stop feeling. I didn't want to feel anything anymore, not with how many people had been dying because of my name. And yet I gave a piece of myself to you. Because we were friends. Because I…"

Her teeth clenched, something in Weiss holding it back before she pushed out with, "Because I cared about you. After so long, you became a person that I wanted to open up to, right down to my very soul. I didn't want to at first, because I didn't want to get hurt like that again, but I chose to believe in you – in this thing we have between us now. I wanted to trust you and now…"

Droplets escaped and slid down Weiss's cheeks. "And now…" Breaths came out ragged, Weiss trying to clamp down on so much but her composure was breaking. "Why are you hurting me?"

How small and pathetic the question was astonished Ruby more than her partner's previous shout. She could do nothing but stare, Weiss sticking her with the blame as long as she could before her arm came up, viciously wiping at the wet streams that were gaining momentum down her cheeks.

Since she was a little girl, Ruby had always wanted to be a hero. She wanted to go out there, right into the path of danger and take it on herself so that others would be safe. Her Semblance was a manifestation of that desire – to be able to run fast enough and never be too late to save the day. No matter the threat, no matter the odds, she wanted to face it and triumph over all. She had just always wanted to be like…like…

…Like Mom.

That burst of pain thrust like a dagger, sharp and deep.

Summer had been like that. A full-fledged Huntress who couldn't ignore the call of duty. Always she would go out on missions, fighting monsters and defending the world, and she would always come back, unharmed, and take little Ruby in her arms to tell her about her victories, her daughter nibbling one of the samples of a fresh batch of cookies that she would bake when she came home.

Until there came the day when Summer didn't come back.

She had been a toddler, but Ruby could still remember the pain when it set in that her mother was gone. She remembered crying for days in her room, wondering why her mother had left her when she always came back all those times previously.

But then there was what came afterwards. The pain would still come to her like this but, because of just how young she had been when it happened, there was a different trigger for it. When Summer would be mentioned by Taiyang, Qrow, even Yang…when she happened to look through their family photos and see Summer…what would hurt the most was the memories that she didn't have and would never gain. Her dad, her uncle, even her sister – they had more memories of Summer than she did. They got to know her more, even if the difference was only a couple years in the case of Yang.

Really, the most that Ruby had and what she kept of what she knew of Summer was that she had been a hero. She had gone out there, she had been the one to fight monsters and save the world, and Ruby had wanted to be just like her. Focusing on that helped her forget about that day when she didn't come back. Instead of dwelling on her death, she would focus on how she lived and how she would be able to be just like her to help the people and the world. Maybe that would let her connect better to her mother in the place of memories.

She never thought of the dangers or the consequences when she would charge in just as she had been doing. Whenever she perceived danger, she went out to meet it without doubts.

Or care, as she was realizing now as she looked upon Weiss's wet face. It was hurting her partner – her friend – and one who did not come from a life such as hers. Ruby did know enough about what Weiss had been forced to go through when growing up; that there were no heroes for her to look up, nor friends or family, and those who were acquainted with her family became targets that she had learned to steer clear from.

Even with her near-death experience, Ruby was still braving on through and going out there as if she was invincible. Still trying to embody the image of Summer that was all she had…and leaving Weiss behind.

Weiss had seen her fall. Whenever Ruby left her behind, she feared for her safety. That if she wasn't there with her or was too late to catch up as she almost had been at the docks, Ruby would not come back alive as she did that time.

That time…

Ruby slid over to be better at Weiss's side. With the heiress still wiping at her tears, she didn't see Ruby's hands until they were taking her own and pulling them away so that they could be held gently between them.

"I forgot," Ruby said with a small smile. "I never said mine, did I?"

Weiss stared blankly at her with cheeks tear-stained and a bit of moisture still remaining on her face. She sniffed once.

"I do remember something of that time," Ruby continued. "When you saved me. I was somewhere dark and cold, but you still reached me. I felt the warmth of your touch that brought me back…and the words of a girl that I found to be so sad." Her smile lengthened. "Someone who would offer their soul as a guide and anchor to let me live so long as she breathed."

Those icy blues widened in recognition, Weiss's breath halting as she heard the words. The oath that she had cited to establish their bond. Her eyes widened even further when she glanced down and took note of the red Aura that sprung up around Ruby's hands, engulfing her own in the process.

"I heard yours, but I never said mine. The oath that I made as a promise to the person who cared about me so much." Ruby closed her eyes, the red outline of her Aura glowing brighter and encompassing all around her form.

"Cold and alone, without family or friend
you will be never again. A shoulder to cry on,
a hand to help you rise, happiness in your heart
and joy in your eyes. Every day and night these you will
know as never again will I leave your side."

When she opened them it was to see Weiss's Aura having responded, surrounding the heiress to present itself to Ruby's. Deep inside the formerly cold girl, the seed she had planted that sprouted in the thawing ground grew once more. Mystical nutrients of the soul feeding its stem to grow larger, the bud now upright and showing the earliest hints of bloom.

And within Ruby was that niche that a part of Weiss was embedded in; a place that exuded all that Ruby swore to give and more. The only addition was her pledge that she would remain close so that her partner would never have to fear losing it for as long as they both lived.

"I'm sorry, Weiss," Ruby apologized. "I've been pretty thoughtless, haven't I? I wish I could promise you that I won't go running whenever there's danger but, at the very least, I can promise that, from now on, I will make sure to slow down enough so that you'll be able to keep up and I can have my partner at my side."

Weiss's cheeks were still stained, her eyes glassy, but now there was a smile present that she wasn't afraid to show now that she had this certain proof or Ruby's sincerity.

It was here that Zwei, deciding that he was being ignored for far too long, stood up and licked at the tears.

"Alright, alright!" Weiss giggled, hand pulling away from Ruby's so that she could push the corgi away. Not too far though as she cupped his face, rubbing it adoringly as she cooed, "You're cute. Yes you are."

Zwei barked happily and Ruby stood up on her feet. When Weiss switched back to her leader, it was to see Ruby holding out a hand to her.

"Ready to go for our next adventure?" she questioned, another warm smile appearing. "Together?"

Weiss reached up with that same hand and clasped it with Ruby's as she declared, "Together."

High above, an individual watched the small red and white dots past the ticking hands of the clock when they finally stood and began their trek back to Beacon.

Behind him, a voice spoke up. "Ozpin?

A chin lowered in order to sip from a steaming mug while he tracked their journey back to Beacon.

The voice spoke again, this time with the agitation of one who was being ignored. "Ozpin!"

Ozpin's chair slowly swung around to his desk so that he could view the holographic display that hovered above it. "Yes, councilman."

The three members of the Vale Council sat around a table on the other end – two men, one woman. The voice, retaining its hard tone, came from the man in the middle. "You've left us with no choice. The Vytal Festival Tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone held, if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens."

The headmaster said nothing in return, simply taking another sip from his mug, which earned him a loud and intentional clearing of the councilman's throat to bring his attention back to them.

"Therefore," the councilman went on, "we have reached out to the Atlas Council, and together have decided that the best option is to appoint General Ironwood as Head of Security for the event."

"Thank you, councilman." Having taken up only a small corner of the display with a showing of professionalism, Ironwood's image enlarged in order to take over the majority of the screen. The general bowed his head. "Our kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure that this event runs as smoothly and safely as possible."

"And we thank you, general," the councilman returned politely, he and the rest retaking the screen.

"Will that be all?" Ozpin questioned with indifference.

The councilman's voice rehardened. "For now. But after this festival comes to a close, we are going to have a serious discussion regarding your position at Beacon Academy. General Ironwood's reports of these last few weeks have left us somewhat…concerned."

His gaze shifted over to James whose cool composure betrayed nothing.

"I'm sure you understand."

Ozpin maintained his stare, ignoring the final words of the councilman before he and the other members vanished, leaving Ironwood behind to dominate the display. The general did not so much as twitch.

"This is the right move, Ozpin," he attested. "I promise, I will keep our people safe. You have to trust me."

Ozpin did not offer anything in return, waiting until it was James who eventually broke their connection, leaving the headmaster to view the turning gears of his desk. His chair swiveled around, bringing the clock window back in sight, but instead of looking down at the campus, he looked up towards the dreadnaught that hovered just beyond the cliffs of Beacon Academy, focusing on where he expected his friend to be standing and looking back in return.

He didn't rest on it long – only to when he deemed it to be enough before he expected James to turn away and return to his duties. Once that moment came, he turned to regard something else off to the side: a short table, atop of which was a chessboard with the game pieces situated in their orderly battle lines.

Maybe at one point, years ago, someone could argue for the comparison between war and chess. Two opponents with equal forces on a level playing field.

However, for Ozpin he had played one for long enough and experienced the other, in his opinion, too many times to know that the comparison was false in this age. The kind of conflict that was being played was not one that was being carried out in the open as it was out of sight, between a force that greatly outnumbered and was far more equipped than the other and he had seen for himself that the one they were playing against, though the inferior, was growing in numbers and strength in spite of its initial weaknesses.

Equality being one prime factor in chess that did not translate to war, there was also that of a level playing field. Every battle that was waged in chess was done in that eight-by-eight grid. There was nothing beyond it. No blue pieces suddenly sweeping in to attack one or even both sides. No other threats or complexities that the two players have to worry about save for what they brought to the table. They could focus entirely on this little eight-ranked universe.

War was not as simple as chess...but people could yearn and be seduced by that simplicity. Want it, and let it delude them into believing that they could see everything and achieve victory with the right strategy. Maybe that was what could allow tactics that were meant to be restricted to chess to be applied to war.

Scanning the two rows of the black force, Ozpin picked up one of the center pieces at the back to hold it up.

He wondered if they were being led along by the Queen's Gambit. Start the battle off by sending such a powerful piece into the front lines. Use its movement advantages and high rank to bait and lead the enemy pieces along, setting them up for a trap. As this was war where there were no limits to the battlefield, the attack could be carried out with a level of surprise and intensity that could result in enormous casualties.

But there was no guarantee of survival for the queen. It was powerful but it could be sacrificed. More importantly, it could be replaced, even by a piece that had started off as a lowly pawn.

Because for all the power that the queen possesses…

Ozpin set the chess piece back down, right next to the most important piece of all.

It is no king.

After the conference with the Vale Council ended, Ironwood reoriented to better gaze out through the viewing window of the dreadnaught towards Beacon Academy. Specifically, the top of the high tower where the headmaster's office was located.

"You brought this on yourself," the general accused. There was the bitterness that had built up during the weeks. Weeks with his friend having done nothing to prepare despite all the resources that he had offered him and look what happened.

But beneath that bitterness was…regret. He hadn't wanted it to be this way. They could've done this together. Work side-by-side, upholding the peace of Vale and, potentially, all of Remnant.

But what choice did James have? A city breached, Grimm having desecrated their sanctuary, and it was only by sheer happenstance that they had been able to stop it before it was able to spread and get worse.

This may not be the best thing to do but it was, without question, the right thing to do.

James had lowered his head in response to what he was sure was the ridicule if not outright condemnation that was being sent across the miles between his ship and Beacon Tower, taking what he thought was the suitable amount of time to express that shame he nonetheless felt with his actions, and then forced himself to move onto business.

Back straight, fists clenched, and eyes solid, James walked along the line of containment cells, his destination the one that had a pair of his soldiers standing on guard. He took his regret, his shame, his sorrow, and pushed it all down.

He kept his anger not only to use as the proper motivational tool but to direct it at the one who was locked inside as it was he who deserved a portion of it.

His soldiers came to attention and saluted smartly. With his hands clasped behind him, James sent a signal from his prosthetic to the cell door, the lock recognizing his electronic ID and authorizing the opening of the cell door.

"Leave us," he ordered as soon as it opened.

The soldiers dropped their salutes, turned, and filed out from the brig.

James waited until they were out of earshot before saying into the cell, "I've been informed that so far you've refused to cooperate with the authorities."

Roman Torchwick, minus his hat, straightened to look at the general, a smirk appearing. "I know this might be hard to believe, general, but I'm not the biggest fan of local law enforcement."

A trait that James had predicted when he took it upon himself to have the criminal delivered to his flagship. Usually, custody would be going to Vale what with the fact that Roman's crimes were those that directly harmed the kingdom and its citizens. Along with the matter on how to deal with Ozpin, another subject that James had negotiated for was about what to do with Torchwick.

Given all that his military had done, the Vale Council had been almost too easily swayed by his suggestions which had landed Roman here.

"How about the world's strongest military power?" James queried, granting himself a proud grin.

"Hm…first impressions?" Roman examined his tiny cell. Barely any room to stand up straight and absolutely none to give more than the barest of movements for the prisoner. Other than the short bench he was sitting on, there was nothing in it. "Not great."

James erased his smirk. "I'm going to give you one chance."

Roman perked up, picking up on the obvious threat.

"Who's really behind all this?"

Roman leaned forward, enough to get him out from shadows of the cell and into the light, revealing a more serious expression. "Isn't it obvious?"

The general did the same, a brow raising as he wondered if, for just a moment, it would really be that easy to get a piece of intelligence that could bring this matter to a speedier close.

The grin returned and stretched wide across Roman face as he leaned back against his cell, arms held out as far as the cell walls would allow them as he declared, "You're looking at him!"

James sighed. He should've known better. "Very well, then."

"What's the matter, general?" Roman mocked when James began moving away from his cell. "I thought you wanted to talk!"

"The council has given me custody over you for as long as I see fit," James informed, his pace steady. "So you can make yourself comfortable. I can assure you that we'll have plenty of time to…talk."

He waited until he heard Roman's "Oh, wonderful" followed by the beginnings of a laugh before he sent another signal, this time to close the cell door and cut the man off.

Laugh it up while you can.

Other than a select few, no one knew that Roman was here. With his crimes against civilization, a swift trial and brutal execution would undoubtedly be called for if his existence and his part in the assault against Vale were to become known to the general public. James would like to see how long Roman would last in that cell, alone, until he became a bit more talkative.

If he wanted to be given any kind of leniency, he won't wait too long although James rather liked the idea of having Roman spend the rest of his natural life in this prison. An anonymous prisoner who's care would be the responsibility of androids. Closed off from human contact and locked away in the heart of this dreadnaught or whatever hole that he could come up with later. Left to be forgotten.

While James was keeping him around on the off chance that he would provide useful intel, the general doubted that he would need it. Their enemies had failed in their assault. The materials and manpower that they had donated to it had been wasted, and for what?

No one would know about them. Other than Roman, all other evidence had been buried underground. A story was already circulating that the cause of the Grimm attack was due to a mix of structural weakness and malfunctioning machinery within the old subway tunnels. Thanks to the efforts of Huntsmen and Huntresses along with the timely arrival of the Atlesian military, the attack had been beaten back, the breach sealed, and efforts were already underway to make sure that a repeat would not happen again.

The last part was at least true and that was what mattered. Once the Vytal Festival was in full swing, everyone would forget about this. What would live on was the added trust from the people who had just witnessed how their way of life could be entrusted to their guardians without fear. Peace would be maintained.

In what he hoped to be in the near future, James would make sure that that would never be threatened again either. They had the advantage now. While their enemies were recovering from their defeat, they would track down the ones who were really responsible and he expected this brig to be quite full by the end of it. If they attempted another assault like that again, James would make sure that they were well prepared for it.

This was how he envisioned it to be one day although it went beyond that. There will come a time where peace would be about more than just the citizens. Those same guardians would one day be allowed to be given their rest – to lay down their arms that they had been forced to take up since human and faunus kind first walked across Remnant and encountered the monsters that inhabited it.

They would not need to ask their children to give up their innocence. The casualties that would come in future wars would be like what he had read in the report after the battle in the plaza had been concluded. Even if what he wanted would be achieved long after his time, he would at least be able to rest with the knowledge that everything he had done –the good and the bad – had all been worth it.

I don't think any amount of stitching is gonna fix this, Yang surmised while she examined her jacket in front of RWBY's shared closet. She was holding the garment in front of her, turning it around to better inspect the full extent of the damage that was at her jacket sleeve. She was a little amazed that it was still attached, the thinnest strips of leather all that was keeping it from falling away.

The dwindling energies of her Aura had caused its protection to shrink to a hairbreadth of her skin and the puffy quality of her jacket sleeves went beyond that. When the Creep had clamped down with its teeth, it had bit and torn into the unprotected fabric which was better than the flesh and muscle of her shoulder.

But it had been close, her Aura having been on the verge of failing. If she hadn't pulled it off when she did, she could only assume that her deltoid would be looking pretty similar to her jacket except much bloodier.

The speculation got her to remember the feeling of how those jagged tips had scraped along her Aura and it managed to instill a minor case of the jitters and one that Yang cured with a shot of optimism. "Guess I'm going to need to go shopping for a new one of these," she said a tad loudly. When she got no response, she added, "What do you think, Blake? Hit the city tomorrow, just the two of us? I think we earned that much at least."

Her girlfriend didn't say anything and she looked over to see Blake resting on her side on her bunk, covers pulled up and back to Yang.

Yeah, better idea, the hand-to-hand specialist decided. She placed her jacket in the closet which hung lopsidedly on its hanger due to the damage. Dating plans later. Sleep now.

Blake must've drifted off only just now, she having been awake if already lying on her bed when Yang had exited from the shower and mustered up enough of her strength to put her strewn clothes away before she would retire on Blake's order. Thinking of how she was about to achieve her own sleep, Yang gave her hanging bunk a fond look before she went over and gripped the edge to boost her up.

"Yang?"

Yang blinked and looked down. "Blake, you're still awake? Thought you were asleep."

"Almost." She shifted on the mattress, enough so that she could glance back at Yang. "But I wanted to ask you a favor."

Yang tilted her head in question, her hands letting go of her bunk. "Sure, what is it?"

Blake patted at a spot behind her. "Could you sleep here? Just for today?"

Yang admitted to being caught off guard by the request. Apart from when she had slept with Blake the night before the dance, they had never shared the same bed before. Their dorm was a place that was the most private and, simultaneously, the most restricted place to demonstrate their relationship – either of which depended entirely on if Ruby and Weiss were present. With Blake so sensitive and private, even cuddling on the same mattress in the presence of their teammates was something she shied away from.

Although those two had no problems with snuggling, Yang quietly accused, remembering when she and Blake had returned to find Ruby and Weiss sleeping in each other's arms. As shocking as that had been, she was aware of the circumstances that could've led to that and was later proven correct by the two blushing partners when they explained themselves to Yang in the morning.

The line of thinking led her to recalling those two dancing as well and suddenly Weiss's request to speak to Ruby alone at the airpad – something which Yang had been too tired to suspect anything – was making her start to wonder…

You know what? I'm still too tired. The latest mental load taxed what reserves she had left, proving to be too much. Let's end the day with some Blake cuddles and deal with it for another.

"Yeah, sure," Yang finally answered while she set down on Blake's bed, positioning herself behind the faunus. She didn't need to, but when Blake lifted the covers for her, Yang decided that getting under them was very appealing as it meant one less layer between her and her girlfriend. She was rewarded for that thinking when Blake pressed up against her and her arms slid around her slender waist to pull her close.

"You know," Yang added with a yawn before burying her face within Blake's tresses. "It doesn't have to just be for tonight."

Blake gave a noncommittal grunt but Yang didn't pursue, content with feeling her warmth and her presence before consciousness left her.

While Yang went to sleep, a disturbed Blake remained awake. With careful movements, she shifted her position just a bit, turning her head so that one human ear could come up against Yang's chest and listen to the stable heartbeat. On top of her head, her hidden cat ears listened to her breath through the covering of the bow that she breathed on.

Her hands went to where Yang's arms were folded across her stomach, holding onto them, and even attempting to pull them closer. Blake did anything that she could to bring Yang closer, needing to feel, hear, and smell everything she could of her human girlfriend in order to chase away this uncertainty that had been hanging over her ever since they had left Vale.

They had won. Triumphed against such odds and came back home in one piece. Their teamwork had been tested, and it held to see them all through to the end.

But why this growing sense of unease? And why is it that it got worse and worse when they put the battleground further behind them and came closer to Beacon? Why did she feel like her words to Ruby were trying to convince herself as much as they were trying to convince her leader as to their success? Why this growing need for contact – for support – that she desperately desired from the one person who had solidified her place in her heart and soul?

Why wasn't it working?

Blake closed her eyes, not yet sleeping, and tried to focus on the center of their sacred pact that was located deep inside. The center of their trust and their love which would help them endure anything that may come against them.

Why was it that the source of her worry was located there?

"Closer than you think."

A hand removed itself from Yang's arms, drifting up, and fingers clutched at a section of her yukata that was over the center of her chest.

"And he has not forgotten about your betrayal."

There was something there. Beyond the reach of the light, where shadows became darkness, there existed something grim.

It was there. Lurking.

Waiting.

Slender legs swung languidly from where they hung over the rail of the balcony, the glass heels occasionally clinking against the stone masonry. Being positioned on this relatively tall building, it was open to the frequent gusts that got the tail of the red minidress to flap behind her.

Eyes of tarnished gold flicked up, catching a passing Atlesian airship, and then focused back down towards Vale.

She had an impressive view of the plaza at this height and of the efforts that were still ongoing. The police cordon had been partially lifted, allowing select groups of civilians to return and recover what they could from their damaged homes and businesses. Officers kept watch, both for the safety of those people and to prevent looters from making off with valuables. With all critically-injured people already treated and sent on their way to the nearest hospital, the ambulances and paramedics that remained were stationed to treat minor injuries and what emotional damage may be setting in on the survivors. Temporary shelters had been set up for those who were told that it was still too dangerous to return to their structurally-unstable homes and didn't have friends or family who could take them in.

It was quite a mess, although the plan had intended for this kind of scene to stretch to at least a good half of the district rather than this tiny patch of cityscape. Alas, that kind of carnage was to remain in Cinder's imaginations as she wondered what would've happened had everything gone right.

To start, what would've happened had the attack been carried out at its intended date, days from now? When many of the first-years and, in extension, the veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses who were to shepherd them were either out beyond the limits of the kingdom or scattered within the city?

There would've been no one to stop the White Fang had they been able to break through and bring all their toys to bear. She expected those beasts in human clothing to be just as savage as the Grimm, firing away at human and faunus traitors alike, painting the entire plaza in blood. Paladins would stomp around, blasting buildings apart, and then turn their guns on the underequipped VPD when they rushed to the scene.

There would've been no cordon. No way to keep them back. By the time the nearest Hunters arrived, they would've gone beyond the plaza.

And all the Grimm had to do was follow in their wake.

Such madness and unadulterated chaos. Grimm attacking White Fang, White Fang attacking Grimm, innocent people torn apart by both, and all the Hunters, police, and soldiers dividing their efforts to stopping the invaders while protecting the people.

Eventually the attack would've been brought to an end once the Hunters and the military had been sufficiently rallied, but by the time that happened – oh, the destruction; both from the battle and when the defenders would have to scour every square inch of the urban territory to dislodge the last of the radical faunus and mindless Grimm afterwards. The despair that would've lingered would've kept the kingdom's borders harried for days to come. She would've loved to see how they enjoyed their little festival after something like that.

Cinder had to admit, it was quite an…unpleasant surprise when she heard the sirens and saw the first Bullheads taking off from Beacon's airpads to head to the city. When Mercury had asked what they should do, even she didn't know the answer. Not immediately.

As for now?

Cinder swung her body around and pushed off the rail, setting herself back down on the balcony. She sauntered into the room where her underlings just arrived, the two looking uncertain with how things had occurred.

She decided to take care of most of their worries. When they looked to her warily, she generated a coy smile and declared, "All-in-all, I call today a success."

The birth of their shock was not unexpected as, when it came down to it, the plan had gone horribly wrong. However, in the grand scheme of things, Cinder much preferred the results that came from it rather than if everything had gone right.

Victory or defeat of one particular battle hardly ever impacted the entire war. What usually did was what occurred afterwards. If things had gone as they wanted it, there would've been chaos, terror, most likely distrust and instability of the government and its allies in the eyes of the citizens.

Their enemies would've been wounded with the next phases meant to finish them off. As sweet as that sounded, a wounded enemy was one who became more cautious, and a tragedy like the one she dreamed of could rally as much as it could destabilize the populace. It invited added complications that Cinder would rather do without.

What she would have now, was an enemy that was utterly ignorant. If she knew the likes of someone like Ironwood as well as she did, he would make sure to turn this around as a shining example of the fortitude of the military and the Hunters. He prided himself as a general but he could act as quite the politician when the opportunity presented itself. He would take full advantage of it, burying the truth and currying favor with the Vale Council who, in their gratitude, would pass on more of the responsibilities to him while taking it away from others who would be better suited to counter what would come later.

She lost strength and numbers, but what she would gain was positioning which was what she valued far more.

Killing a wounded enemy was satisfying in its own way, but what she was finding to be much sweeter was to kill one who was running high on their success - boosted up by a pillar of arrogance and confidence. They would see today as a victory, carry it with them, which would double their weight when they fell in the defeat that would come later.

Mercury and Emerald shared a glance that broadcasted their shared disbelief, but they knew better than to question her. They have proven to be useful so far, but they tend to think and act to what was right in front of them and not the bigger picture like everyone else – something that had created unneeded complications before.

Thankfully, they seemed to learn from those instances when, instead of arguing, Emerald frowned and said, "Those stupid kids really made a mess of things though."

"Ah, yes," Cinder all but purred. "Them."

She needn't say anything else, Emerald already producing her scroll. After a couple taps, she handed it over to Cinder.

A very interesting lineup, Cinder mused when she saw the four portraits. In this case though, interesting was a quality that was proving to be quite a nuisance.

A faunus who had once belonged to the White Fang and the youngest daughter to the Schnees. It proved Cinder's earlier point of how a setup that should instill chaos had instead become beneficial to her enemies. She suspected that this girl and her little bow carried quite the amount of the blame when it came to the discovery and deviation of her plans concerning the White Fang.

And this one, she thought as her gaze shifted to the white one, could potentially do the same considering what else will soon be involved. She was going to have to keep an eye on them. Especially this one.

A delicate nail slid over and tapped on the portrait all the way to the left, bringing the face and the name forward.

Ruby Rose. Rolling it over in her mind, Cinder found the name to be suited to this girl. As pure as a gemstone, as pretty as a flower, but she had proven that she had the thorns that would prick any who would underestimate her.

This would be the fourth time that Cinder has found herself looking upon this face – two of which had been during combat. Ever since she began conducting her operations in Vale, it was this face that had been popping up since the start. Suffice to say, describing their encounters as coincidence was something that Cinder scoffed at.

She may have to deal with this one herself and take some extra pleasure in it. This girl was to be her prime example of what would come to the rest of these people as Cinder wondered just how much pride this girl was carrying thanks to her team's intervention. How confident was she that, after this victory, she and her friends could handle what was to come next?

Yes, Cinder was going to enjoy seeing the despair that would blemish this little gem and get those bright petals to wilt. Those thorns won't save her against the fires that would incinerate them.

"A lot of faunus didn't make it out of the tunnels," Mercury pointed out next when Cinder returned Emerald's scroll. "You still think the White Fang's going to listen to us?"

Cinder didn't let it show but this question did give her pause. She doubted that the leaders of the White Fang would find as much to gloat about as she did. She got them equipment, gave them access to this kingdom to roam free, promised them more, but they may disregard all of that when they saw what it had led them to in the end.

Would they listen to her?

The answer to her and Mercury's question came from the balcony. "No."

They all turned, none of them having heard or noticed him, but when they did, Cinder had to suppress a grin when the man walked in, dressed in a black trench coat with a sheathed blade clutch in hand. Well, not quite a man, given the slightly curved horns that stood within his spikey red hair, just above that white mask with the red detailing drawn on the front.

The latest piece that she had managed to coerce into joining the ranks of her army.

"But they'll listen to me," Adam stated.

Wind chimes.

Wind chimes that resonated within the eerie wind as Yang found herself walking down yet another path that she felt compelled to take.

The surroundings were familiar. The standards that flanked the stone path, broken by an occasional red-leafed tree, and the high towers up ahead. This was Beacon but things felt…off. Other than there being no one around, everything seemed blurred to her sight; like looking through a camera that was slightly out of focus The wind that caressed her hair and clothing did not affect any of her surroundings, everything else remaining still.

She couldn't help but get a strange idea that even though the ground beneath her was definitely solid and real beneath her feet, she was somehow separated from her home. She could see it, feel it, move through it…and yet there was something about the distortions that made her wonder if she and Beacon were separated in two different dimensions.

Her…and the one who stood to greet her at the end of the path.

Someone dressed in red and black, with feathered hair stretching out from the back of the raven-like skull mask that covered her head. There was a sword at her side but her hands were far from it, expressing no desire for conflict. Like Yang, she seemed to be the only one that could be touched by the wind that manipulated her hair and skirt.

Yet when Yang came in front of her, her fingers curled in preparation for a fight, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the lower, human-like pair of red eyes that exhibited intelligence. "Who are you?"

She didn't answer right away – not with words. The woman lowered her head, a hand guarded in the segmented armor of a gauntlet grabbing the top of the mask to begin pulling it off. In so doing, a change occurred. The stiff, feathered strands of her hair softened and curled. The grayish-black color darkened to an inky black that banished the red streaks.

Her mask discarded, the woman refaced Yang.

Yang's eyes gradually widened. That human pair of crimson remained, the second having been removed along with the mask, and although the hair was black…she recognized the face instantly.

For it was a face that she saw in the mirror every morning.

"Yang." The barest hints of a smile emerged on the woman. "We have a lot to talk about."

Author's Note: As always, starting off with notes for this chapter with the first being…we all want Mercury and Emerald to get a slap. Don't lie. Anyone who says they don't is a dirty liar.

Brain: Rotten kids deserve it!

Now the White Rose bit…that was an idea thrown out there by Kenju when he pointed out just how many instances Ruby has displayed her recklessness with a good like…half of them having the potential for her to have gotten seriously hurt if things had played out differently like the Death Stalker, fighting Roman and Cinder during the Dust robbery, etc. I changed it a little bit as he suggested a cry to sleep session in each other's arms in RWBY's dorm but I chose not to, especially when I realized that I'm doing a reversal here where, at the end of Soulbound, you had Ruby and Weiss who fell asleep together while Blake and Yang were walking home to Beacon hand-in-hand.

What convinced me of the idea was also to try explore a different angle with Summer. Now, I think nearly every fic out there that focuses on Ruby and Summer involves Ruby being devastated by the memory of her loss and there are a lot of authors out there who make it worse by not only creating their own Summer death scenes but make them as brutal as possible with little Ruby in the vicinity to traumatize her to the max. That…that's another thing that has gotten stale for me and I chose to look at it from a different perspective.

With a little personal experience behind it, when a toddler – as Ruby was one when Summer vanished – loses a parent, it's just how it is if they're too young to really understand as Yang had said. However, there is pain to be found as I wrote here. For a girl like Ruby who lost her mother young, she may not fully understand it, but she would have some memories of Summer – enough to know that she did have a mother who loved her and was such a great parent. Now, the pain in this situation won't necessarily come from when the parent departed, but would come afterwards as that child grows up, hears so many stories about the deceased parent, knows enough that they were such an important part of their life…but they will never have their own memories of that parent like everyone else does – including what older siblings had been able to know them for longer. They can cling to what scraps they have, but it will always hurt that they will never have anything with more substances to hold onto.

Of course, this is just speculation. Hopefully with Vol. 3 and what we've seen so far, we'll be hearing more about the Rose-Xiao Long-Branwen family. For some other notes…I like Ironwood. I truly believe that he is a good guy that just wants to do the right thing. I don't think of him as a villain at all and I certainly hope he doesn't become one later on. I've been trying to portray him as that but I think I've been coming up short going by the reviews. As for Ozpin and the little chess scene…that was a respectful nod to Liberty's Crusade where you have Arcturus Mengsk breaking down just why chess cannot be compared to war – at least not anymore. I've gotten a small distaste for chess metaphors thanks to that book which is kind of funny since they're everywhere in RWBY.

Alright, so, I guess we're back to the same question as before: do I have plans to novelize Vol. 3? Obviously I won't say no cause we all know how that turned out. While I do entertain thoughts of novelizing Vol. 3, especially with, ya know, Blake and Adam possibly finally meeting face-to-face again, it's all gonna depend on the Volume itself. Soulbound and Reflection are both fics that came about in response to some of the…criticism that a lot of fans had and what I wanted to make up for. If Vol. 3 comes around and its completely awesome, I may not feel inclined to novelize it.

There is also the fact that…I'm not that proud with Reflection. I don't consider it as anywhere near as good as Soulbound. I may even go as far to say that a small part of me might kinda…regrets doing this. The main problem is how my motivation fluctuated a lot while writing. Although I had plenty of it when I thought of Reflection and what convinced me to go ahead and try it, as you can see I ran into a lot of bumps while writing it. Most of it was due to real life issues but I think another main problem was the fact that I may've been running myself ragged at this point. I didn't take that break after Soulbound like I wanted to, instead making fics like Black Fang/Burnout followed by Soulforged and then jumping right into Reflection. I think I was pushing myself too hard by that point and it caught up to me.

This time, I do intend to take a break. We got the start of Vol. 3 soon, got Halo: Guardians coming out after that, and I actually have a vacation coming up – my first in years in fact. I'm also on the verge of making some drastic changes in my working habits– for the better – which could leave me with more time to do fun stuff so I don't feel so pressured and overworked anymore. I'm going to take a break, recharge, and when I come back to the writing scene, we'll see if I'm up to doing a novelization of Volume 3. I may decide to pursue some AU ideas that I've been entertaining instead. We'll see what happens.

Until then, hope you enjoyed this second novelization! Even if I do hold some uncertainties over the fic in general, there are a lot of things that I am proud of such as the changes I had set out to do: the dance, the breach, and giving more of a better light to characters such as Sun and Neptune despite all the fan hatred. Leave a review, tell me how I did, tell me what I could improve, etc. Like Soulbound, I will be going back through this story and editing things, some of which has been listed by sarista, and some which he didn't but I know still exist. An offsite reviewer – Restalaan – had mentioned that I didn't really give the Goliath the proper death it deserved in my last chapter and I agree with him so that's gonna be a scene that I'll probably get around to changing sometime to give it a more respectable death.

Brain: And for those who have not fav'd Soulbound for whatever reason, DO IT YOU FOOLS! Only eight favs away from a total of a whopping 700 favs.

xT-Zealot, signing out.