Chapter 6
"Reunion (Part 1)"
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City of Vale, ten days ago
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"It's quiet a sight, isn't it?"

Yang was completely dumbfounded as she stepped off the ferry. The last time she had been in Vale, she was in a hospital in the "Upper Class" district. When her family had left for Patch, they did so via the western docks. This time around, Yang and her uncle stood in the heart of the Commercial District. It was the first time she had actually laid eyes upon Beacon since it's destruction, and it was just as Qrow had described. The top of Beacon Tower was shattered. On top, a Grimm Dragon, frozen like a statue. Even from this distance, she could see several Nevermores circling the ruins. It was almost like they owned the place.

Correction she told herself. They DO own it.

Six months ago, the thought of so many Grimm in one place would have excited her. Just a nuisance waiting to be exterminated. Now? Yang now knew exactly how dangerous they truly were. Seeing a place like Mountain Glenn was one thing. Witnessing the Fall of Beacon and actually seeing Grimm so close to a major city was completely different. "How has Vale managed to stay standing?" she asked, as they began to walk away from the docks. Qrow was leading the way. As always, his answer was quick and to the point.

"That's simple. They haven't attacked."

The answer caught her off guard. "What?" was all Yang could manage to say. She couldn't believe it. Qrow saw the look on her face and elaborated. "Think back to those two trips you took to Mountain Glenn. What did Oobleck tell you guys about the Grimm in that area?" Yang had to think for a moment. Team RWBY's first trip was when they were investigating the White Fang. Their second trip was during the Merlot Industries incident. Yang racked her brain trying to come up with the answer. She remembered speaking with Oobleck about why she became a huntress. He had similar conversations with Weiss and Blake. As for Ruby, the two of them observed some ancient Grimm in the distance. They it hit her.

"They're waiting."

Qrow didn't say anything, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't have to. The Vytal Festival was the spark that brought them to Beacon. Now, with the school gone, the Grimm were repeating the process. Aside from some younger, weaker Grimm that had moved into the damaged parts of the Commercial and Residential Districts, the majority were gathering at Beacon. It was a ticking time bomb. All it would take was one more spark, another situation like the Vytal Festival, then Vale would be another Mountain Glenn.

To say it was unsettling was a massive understatement.

Yang looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone within earshot of what she was about to say. Even so, she still kept her voice down. "What I don't understand is why you don't just get the Spring, Summer and Winter Maidens, and then send them to kick their asses." Qrow sighed. Yang took the existence of the Maidens and The Warrior fairly well. Much better than Raven did he thought bitterly. Despite everything however, Yang still had a slight tendency to look at problems as being easily solved by brute force. Granted, it was no longer in the vein of rush headfirst into the situation, but she still had a 'throw numbers at the problem' mentality. "It's just not that simple" Qrow told his niece as they walked down the sidewalk. "Remember what I said? Those facts? They fly in the face of thousands of years of history. As long as people believe everything is going the way it should, the way it always has, they won't panic. What do you think mass hysteria on a worldwide scale would do? Plus, they're powerful, but they aren't unbeatable. We don't need to draw the attention of more people like Cinder." Yang was about to say something, but then a thought crossed her mind. She suddenly realized why her uncle's explanation about the Maidens started with the legend, and ended with the deaths of Amber and Pyrrha.

"You have no idea who the other three are, do you?"

Qrow had wondered how long it would take Yang to finally realize he didn't know the identities of all the Maidens. "It was one of Ozpin's annoying rules. His inner circle consisted of James, Glynda and myself. We each knew the identity and location of a single person." Qrow made sure not to say the word Maiden, while they crossed the street and walked by several people. "No overlap. The only one who knew of all four was Ozpin. The only time we would learn about the others was if there was direct threat to them. My assignment was Fall. Glynda has Spring, James has Winter." As he said that last part, a lightbulb went off in Yang's head. Qrow seemed to know what was coming, so he cut her off before she could ask. "No. It's not Winter Schnee. By that logic, everyone named Winter or Summer is a Maiden. In any case, the general rule Oz had was this: if you don't need to know the identity of a Maiden, they you simply wouldn't know it. Realistically, I can't say if it helped or hurt. Cinder still somehow found out who Amber was." This information troubled Yang. "It's sad that Ozpin couldn't even trust you guys enough to tell you everything" she said. Shaking his head, Qrow told her, "It was less about trust and more about keeping everything compartmentalized. If one person aside from Ozpin got compromised, then only one target was at risk. I didn't always agree with that choice, but it apparently worked for a long time. I still don't know if he's dead or alive. If he's alive however, you can bet your ass that when this is all over, we're going to have a long talk about possibly doing things differently moving forward."

Yang just nodded in agreement. Having only known about the Maidens, The Warrior and their Guardians for about three weeks, she couldn't really say much on the matter. All she could really do as a newly minted Guardian was ask questions, learn more and prepare herself for eventually meeting up with Ruby. Deep down, Yang actually had a feeling that despite all she had learned that Qrow was still keeping some info from her. However, it wasn't the time or place to push the matter. Even after three weeks, it was still a ton to take in. Tai still wasn't happy about how things were turning out, but he had at least agreed to help get Yang back into fighting shape. At this point, Yang figured she'd learn more when she was ready.
Turning a street corner, Qrow's attitude changed. Laughing a bit, he told his niece, "Enough about all that. It's time to put the more troubling matters aside. Don't forget why we really came to Vale. You didn't get a proper 18th birthday party. Let's fix that!" As he led the way to his favorite bar in Vale, Yang stopped in her tracks, took one look at the sign and realized the sole reason why he liked the place so much.

"The Crow Bar? You've got to be kidding me."

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10 minutes later
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"Hey! What'd I tell you about those girly drinks?"
"It's called pacing yourself! You should try it sometime!"
"Never in a million years!"
"Whatever you say Mr. 'I don't know what's in a Strawberry Sunrise!'"
"I said it was a phase!"

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30 more minutes later
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"So then I shed, 'Yeah? You should schee me when I'm clog-dancing topless!'"
"NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT UNCLE QROW!"

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20 more minutes later
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"So I guess what he was sheaing was that he lives 'the pug life.'"
"Dammit, Yang. You have no white to jush my dokes ever again!"

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10? 20 minutes after that?
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"I couldn't delp myshelf. I jush kept staring at that guy in the men's room. He was so handshom that it may have turned me gay."
"I'm pretty shur you were the only guy in there."
"What are you sheaing?"
"Were you looking at the mirror?"
"Couldn't nav been. I wash at a urinal."
"Are you shur it wasn't the sink?"
"......dammit."

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Nearly two and a half hours after their arrival
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Following her uncle's misadventure with the bathroom sink, Yang decided that was a good stopping point for her. She was definitely tipsy, but she wasn't completely obliterated like Qrow. While she had quickly grown to like Vacuo Rum, Yang decided one of them had to be the responsible adult and stuck to her usual drink of choice. As for Qrow, if it came in a bottle, then it eventually made it to his glass. By this point, Qrow was in another corner of the bar, leading the other patrons in an impromptu song:

In the store, there's a teddy.
Little straps, like spaghetti.
It holds me so tight, like handcuffs at night.
Walkin' 'round in women's underwear.

Yang just shook her head as she sipped on her water. Taiyang had told her plenty of stories about how he was such a depressed drunk. Hell, she had seen it herself at some points. However, her father also had stories of a younger, happier Qrow. He apparently still drank way too much, but instead of depression, Tai had described a man who just loved being the life of the party. In recent weeks, Yang had heard hints regarding why her mother left. Something about the truth about the Maidens pushing her over the edge. Qrow and Tai didn't elaborate, but they didn't need to. Yang's own world view was shattered once she was brought into the loop. Unlike her mother however, Yang loved stories about adventures growing up. She figured that made it easier for her to accept. Raven however, was apparently well-read regarding world history and religious. Yang could easily see such a person having their mind shattered, if everything they believed in or knew about turned out to be a lie. She could see such an event forcing her uncle into a shell. Summer's death, years later, likely only made it worse.

Then it hit her: that's precisely what Yang was starting to do before she snapped out of it.

Yang still had her moments when she felt down in the dumps. Slowly, but surely however, she was recovering. Seeing the parallel between her, and her uncle however made Yang realize that, unlike her father, Qrow never really did recover. She figured that the two of them trying to one up each other, with their stories and terrible jokes, was what ultimately got him to drop his guard a bit. Yang made a mental note to try to have a serious discussion with her uncle in the near future.
As she took another drink, Yang caught something out of the corner of her eye. It was just outside the bar, and as she turned her attention to it, she nearly choked on her drink. From the angle, Yang could only see her back. The woman wore a white dress shirt that exposed her midriff, black pants with gray trim and a black pair of boots. She had long, flowing black hair and wore a black bow. There was not a single doubt in Yang's mind.

Blake had just walked by the bar.

Yang spent the last several months hating Blake for running. Honestly, she had no idea what she was going to say if and when she caught up to her, but she wasn't going to lose the opportunity. Signaling the bartender over, she said, "I've got to run. Hunter emergency! Qrow's got the tab." Stepping on the floor for the first time in over two hours, Yang noted that while her vision wasn't too terribly blurred, and her speech no longer slurred, she wasn't exactly light on her feet. She couldn't afford to lose Blake and did her best to ignore the dizzy feeling. "Hey! You sure he's going to be ok without you?!" the bartender shouted as Yang stumbled to the exit. Looking over, she saw that Qrow was totally oblivious and singing another bawdy song with his fellow drunks. Waving him off, Yang shouted back, "He'll live! If he skips out on the bill, send it to Signal!"

Ignoring the protests from the bartender, Yang stepped out and quickly looked around. It was starting to get dark, and for a moment she thought she lost Blake. Then she saw it: a flash of white turning the corner, moving away from the boardwalk. Half running, half stumbling, Yang drew several curious looks from people as she went by. She had no doubt some of it was due to her obviously drunken movement, while others were likely looking at her arm out of shock. Now wasn't the time to worry about her appearance however. She had to catch up to Blake.

As she turned the corner, Yang got further confirmation that it was indeed Blake. While she hadn't seen her face yet, she could see a scar on the left side of her lower back. It was, without doubt, the result of the wound Adam gave her at Beacon. Actually seeing the scar filled Yang with anger. Even if she never patched things up with Blake, Adam sure as hell would have much to answer for.

Drawing a bit closer, Yang slowed her pace a bit, and as much as she wanted to shout out Blake's name, she refrained from doing so. She was so close to getting answers. The last thing Yang wanted to do was spook her. If Blake decided to run, that would be it. Yang would not be able to catch Blake in her current condition. Eventually, Blake turned a corner down an alleyway. Yang quickened her pace a bit, as she did her best to keep from stumbling. The alley itself was a dead-end. Aside from a fire escape, the only way out, was the way in. At the end of the alley was Blake. Yang was about to shout, but soon noticed Blake wasn't moving. She was just standing there. Yang slowly made her way towards the still figure. Deep down, she already knew what happened. Reaching out to touch the figure only confirmed it, as it disappeared.

Yang had been duped by one of Blake's shadow clones.

Frustration had filled Yang at this point. Without warning, she turned and punched a nearby dumpster. Old habits had kicked in however, and she did so with her prosthetic. It wasn't an overly hard punch. Not enough to damage the limb, but definitely enough to put a clean hole into the dumpster. Her augmented strength, resulting from the combination of her Semblance and her arm, had a far greater effect than expected. It was one of the few times Yang was glad her right hand was no longer flesh and blood. If it was, then there was no doubt in her mind that even with her aura, she'd have broken every bone in her hand. Briefly, Yang looked up at the fire escape ladder and considered giving chase. However, Blake had more than enough time to get over a building or two, then drop down. Yang had to accept defeat this time.

As she began to turn around to walk bar to the bar however, that was the moment everything went to shit.

Without warning, Yang had been punched right in the face. Blinded for the moment, Yang went straight on the defensive. Her first reaction was to swing back, but all she caught was air. As soon as she missed, she felt a hand grab her by the hair, pull hard and send her flying face first into a wall. Yang wasn't sure what was dazing her more at the moment as she hit the ground. It was either the booze, or the concussion she just got. What she did know however, was that in the morning her hangover would be sent directly from hell.

Getting herself to her knees, Yang thankfully noted that her attacker was holding off for the moment. As her vision cleared up, she noted it was a rather large, faunus man with wolf-like facial features. In his left hand, he held a large chunk of Yang's hair, which had apparently been ripped out when he threw her. The man just let it drift to the ground as he simply said in a nonchalant, uncaring voice, "Oops!"
Yang wanted to charge in right at that moment, however she already learned that lesson the hard way. Instead, she attempted to bide her time. As she looked over the man, she quickly noted she had seen the tattoos on his left arm once before. Eventually, she remembered where: it was on a train, in Mountain Glenn. The man before her was one of Adam's top lieutenants in the White Fang. Yang didn't have many options. She figured her best one would be attempting to lure him into making a mistake. "So, it's Adam's right hand man" she said, as she got to her knees and wiped away the blood from her busted lip. "Why do they call people like you the 'right hand man' anyway? Is that the hand you guys use when you're jerking your boss off?" To drive the point home, Yang began making the motion with her left hand, while whistling and winking at the lieutenant.

The tactic seemed to work, because before she could blink he rushed at her and threw a sloppy left hand. Despite being a little unsteady on her feet, Yang managed to easily duck the blow. She needed this guy to stay down, so despite her better judgement, she threw a hard right. She connected solidly with his jaw, causing his aura to flash away. By pure luck, she hadn't damaged her hand, and was positive he'd be out cold a second later. Instead, the lieutenant merely smirked at her as he spit out a broken tooth. Yang went completely wide-eyed as he no sold that attack.

"Oh, for fu...."

She never finished expressing her shock. The man quickly had her by the throat, and pinned against the wall. Before she could even attempt to break free, she had been punched in the gut four times. She could smell his foul breath, as he practically growled at her, "Where is Belladonna?" Yang started to get the sense that Blake wasn't avoiding her, she was avoiding this guy. Even despite everything, the last thing she would ever do is sell out her partner.

"Go to hell!"

All that did was earn Yang another punch to the face. She wasn't sure if her nose was broken or not, but she could feel the blood dripping from it. Between the booze, the multiple blows to the face and the lack of oxygen, Yang could feel herself starting to black out. While her Semblance had given her a small power boost, it still wasn't enough to break free. Soon, it wouldn't matter however. As the man continued choking Yang, he produced a simple dust firearm and pressed the barrel to Yang's head. Even her remaining aura wouldn't be enough to stop this at point-blank range.

This is it. This is how I die.

Yang mentally prepared herself for the end of her life and closed her eyes. Instead, she heard the sickening sound of a blade meeting flesh, as the lieutenant started to make choking sounds. The gun had gone off unexpectedly, but thankfully the attack threw off his aim enough to send the bullet into the wall as opposed to Yang's head. It dropped to the ground as his grip on Yang's neck loosened. Falling back to her knees, Yang took several greedy breaths of air, as she attempted to recover. Opening her eyes, Yang couldn't quite make out her savior, but she could see what had to be a dagger plunged into the side of his neck. As her vision cleared up, Yang was soon able to make out the hilt of a weapon she knew. It was Gambol Shroud. At that point, a thought crossed Yang's mind. Wait a moment. Gambol Shroud isn't a dagger. Before she could consider possible reasons for the change, a voice confirmed the weapon's owner when she told the lieutenant, "Attacking her was your last mistake Keir!"

That was the voice of Blake Belladonna.

Blake let the lifeless body of the lieutenant drop to the ground between them. Yang's vision was still blurred as she turned her attention to Keir. This was literally the first time she had seen something other than a Grimm kill a person. Part of her felt sick to her stomach. It was a major mix of emotions. Yang wasn't sure if she should thank Blake, or seriously question the fact that she had just killed a man without a second thought.

Now's not the time. It was him or you.

Yang didn't know if she really wanted to justify it so easily. Right now however, they had to get out of there. Almost on cue, Blake's hand came into her line of vision just as it finally cleared up. Reaching out with her right hand, Yang heard an audible, shocked gasp as Blake got her first good look at the prosthetic. Feeling a need to attempt to lighten the mood, Yang looked up at Blake and was about to say something, but only proceeded to return the shocked gasp.

The woman in front of her was definitely Blake Belladonna. Yang had pictured her face several times the past few months. She had even seen it in her dreams on more than one occasion. However, this wasn't the face she expected. On her right cheek, Blake now had a very faint, almost unnoticeable facial scar. It actually didn't look that bad. It resembled a training injury far more than a wound taken in a life or death battle. Had it made full contact, it would have ran straight from her human ear, to her nose. That wasn't what concerned Yang however.

What concerned Yang the most, was the eyepatch over Blake's left eye.

The edge of that scar, which peeked out from the top of the eyepatch, was far more noticeable. The scar itself was reminiscent of the one Weiss had. The difference was, the scar Weiss had, was on the left side of her face. Blake's ran at a 45 degree angle. That left no doubt about the outcome: whoever attacked Blake had taken her eye. Not even Gambol Shroud was left untouched. Blake was missing the sheath. The weapon itself had a broken blade, and resembled a dagger more than a katana. Instead, Blake carried a simple leather sheath designed for a dagger on her belt.

The sight rendered Yang speechless. She had spent nearly six months of her life feeling betrayed. Those feelings went out the window. She didn't agree with Blake's choice to leave, but she also knew she didn't deserve this. Blake finally broke the silence between them. "Well, at least the worst ones are out the way. When we eventually sit down to talk, try not to get too shocked. I've picked up quite the collection from Adam the last few months." Yang should have known. She was about to ask a question when a pair of voices shouting from just outside the alley got their attention.

"The gunshot came from over here!"
"You think he got her?
"It's was only one bullet, but you can never be sure with that bitch."
"No chances then. Weapons ready. If she's standing, make sure she dies this time!"

The fear in Blake's lone remaining eye was clear. "There's no time to waste. Grab his gun and get up the fire escape!" Yang didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed the dust revolver and joined Blake.

Yang was officially done with the White Fang. She didn't know if she had it in her to kill one of them. But, she'd be damned if she let them lay another finger on her partner.