Patch Island...

Ever since putting on her new prosthetic arm, Yang's been working tirelessly to train herself, to bring herself back into her prime and even surpass that and her father, Taiyang was helping her out. Currently, the two were sparring in front of the house, with Zwei watching them, panting happily as always. Taiyang delivered a roundhouse kick to Yang, who used both her arms to block it. With a yell, she pushed back against him, causing the blonde man to be sent back but quickly regained his footing. Using her prosthetic, Yang punched him back, with a single hit, causing the father to hold his right bicep while wincing slightly.

Taiyang: "Woah... that thing packs a punch!"

Yang: "We've been at this for weeks. I get it, you wanna make sure I can still fight." She bumped her fists together, recreating her signature gesture with a smirk. "I think I'm doing just fine."

Taiyang: "You're close." He stood upright and began to circle her.

Yang: "Oh, really?"

Taiyang: "You're still off balance."

Yang: "What!? No I'm not!" She exclaimed, a hand on her hip. But then she looked down to her prosthetic, a small pleased smile on her face. "Honestly, I'm kind of surprised. I thought it would be just this huge weight, but... it feels... natural. They did a great job with this thing."

All of a sudden, Taiyang rushed in, striking his daughter in the face with a left hook, causing her to yelp in surprise and rear back from the impact before she got ready to block his right hook, but used her momentum to deal an elbow jab to her father. Taiyang grinned as he easily blocked it and dodged all the kicks she sent flying towards him. Yang swapped back to punching but Taiyang was too on point for her, blocking every one of her attempts. While she used her left hand to block an elbow thrust, Taiyang took hold of her prosthetic arm and pulled forward, causing Yang to start balancing on one leg.

Taiyang: "I wasn't talking about your actual balance." He swept under her leg, sending her crashing to the ground on her back. Taiyang walked over to Zwei, corgi picking up a towel in its jaws and handing it to him. "Although, that could use some work too."

Yang:*sigh* "Meaning?"

Taiyang: "I saw your tournament fights. During the Vytal Festival."

Yang: "Let me guess,'I was sloppy'" She said with an eye roll.

Taiyang: "No, no, you were predictable. And... stubborn. And maybe a little boneheaded." Yang sat back up and faced her father. "Do you realize you used your Semblance to win every fight after the qualifiers?"

Yang: "So what? How is me using my Semblance any different than someone else using theirs?" Taiyang threw the towel to the ground before moving towards his daughter.

Taiyang: "Because not everyone else is basically a temper tantrum." He laughed at his own statement before crouching next to her. "I'm serious! Once you take damage, you can dish it back twice as hard but that doesn't make you invincible! It's great when you're in a bind, but what happens if you miss? What happens if they're stronger? What then? Now you're just weak and tired!" The brunette just looked away with a small sigh. "But you've always been one to burn brighter than everyone else, whether it was with your smile, or... well, I remember your first haircut."

Taiyang playfully tugged at her hair, causing her to playfully bat him away with a small pout on her face, causing him to chuckle in amusement.

Taiyang: "But you gotta keep your emotions in check. Keep a level head, and think before you act. Your Semblance is a great fallback but you can't let yourself rely on it. It won't always save you." He lowers his head. "Obviously. You definitely have your mom's stubbornness." He said, facing a tree,

Yang: "Oh, so NOW we can talk about her?"

Taiyang: "Well, as I have been informed, you're an adult now, remember?

Yang: "Well, sorry I remind you of her." She said with a small grumble, while looking away a bit sadly.

Taiyang: "Don't be. Raven was great in so many ways – her strength, her ambition, her dedication to whatever cause she thought she was fighting for." He then turned to face her. "I'm proud of how much of her I see in you. But, I'm glad I don't see all of her in you. And frankly, that extends to Ace too."

Yang: "Why?" The man lightly sighed.

Taiyang: "Your mother was... a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our teams apart. And, it did a real number on our family. You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. Even when Selena tried to scold her about it, she wouldn't stop to even spare her the chance of talking to her. But if you just take a second look, then maybe you see... there's a way around as well." He walked over to her before extending a hand out to her. "C'mon one more before dinner."

She accepted his hand and was pulled up back onto her feet. After gaining a slight distance between each other, the two reentered their fighting stances. The two circled each other before the blonde man took the first move with a left hook, followed immediately by a right cross and a kick. Yang blocked and dodged each strike before she cartwheeled to avoid an aerial strike from him. Taiyang launched a punch and kick at her, causing her to roll out of the way before rushing at him. They made contact, with their left hands pushing against each other's right elbow, entering a struggle.

Taiyang: "Heh, see? Alright! Now you're using your head instead of your–" Yang however, cuts him off by kicking his leg out from underneath him but catches him before his back hits the ground. Yang smiled at her father as she helped him up. "There you go. I'll go prepare us dinner."

With that, he took up the towel and entered the house with Zwei following, leaving Yang by herself for the moment. The blonde stretched her arms before she looked back at her prosthetic, opening and closing her metallic hand. She remembered her father's words concerning her mother, but then a flash of Ace appeared in her mind, causing her to smile in the end, with her clenching her fist with a new found resolve.

Yang: "Hope you can see me now, bro."

>Chapter 39: Kuroyuri<

Schnee Manor...
Atlas...

After being effectively eternally grounded by her father until further notice, and after having that small talk with Akira, Weiss decided to spend all of her free time, training, mostly, training her Glyphs so that she could Summon like she did back at the charity party. With her taking a graceful stance, she took a knee, stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground as the same Glyph that appeared back at the fall of Beacon, the one with the four massive swords appeared before her, spinning gradually. Slowly, a large white sword began to rise from it, however before the blade could even be halfway drawn, a voice interrupted her concentration, one she didn't wish to hear.

Whitley: "Hello sister." With an annoyed sigh, she spared him a mere glance, the Glyph and sword disappearing.

Weiss: "Leave."

Whitley: "How hurtful. And here I am, about to offer you a favor. Father's taking me into town to introduce me to some of his business partners. I'd thought I'd see if you wanted me to pick up anything, since you're... well, stuck here." The ex-heiress just stared at him, with an irritated expression while starting to stand..

Weiss: "Are you jealous? Is that it?"

Whitley: "Whatever do you mean?"

Weiss: "Is that why you hate me? Are you jealous of my abilities? Of Winter's?" The white-haired boy leaned off of the door, humming to himself.

Whitley: "Hmm..." he then shrugged uncaringly. "No, not really. Honestly, I find it barbaric. It's beneath people like me. Like Father. What can a single Huntsman possibly do then that an army could not? That's why we have one, even if it's run by a fool."

Weiss: "I've met 1, 2... no 3, Huntsmen that could take out an army on their own without much of an issue." She said, as she immediately thought of not only Akito, but also Maya and Akira. The first two were obvious because they possessed Gundams. As for why she thought of Akira, she didn't really know why but she always got this... powerful feeling from everything she was near him. Like he possessed something that was... 'otherworldly'. Whitley just scoffed.

Whitley: "Oh really? Where are they now?"

The white-haired girl just narrowed her eyes, but slightly flinched. She knew Akira was around somewhere in Atlas and she hasn't seen Maya since seeing her with the General during their visit to talk to her father. And for Akito... well, she hasn't seen him since the Fall of Beacon, and when she saw him last, he was in terrible shape, both physically and mentally. Clicking her tongue in slight frustration, she tightly clenched onto her weapon's handle.

Weiss: "I said, leave."

Whitley: "Fine, fine. I've got better things to do." he said, turning around as he stepped out of the room. "Enjoy your... 'training', however pointless it is. What is your plan anyway? What do you hope to accomplish while trapped in your own bedroom?"

Without giving him an answer, Weiss slammed the door in his face, using a Gravity Dust Glyph to do so. She took a deep breath to calm herself down as she remembered Akira's words in her head.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Akira: Show him he can't control me. You've been through more traumatic experiences than that old fucker's been through Weiss. That's just a fact because I know that Jacques has never had to get down and dirty like you, me or the others have. And you've built up a resolve because of those experiences. I'd say, show him that resolve. Show him what makes you Weiss Schnee and not his little pet."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Weiss' thoughts: "Akira..."

With her newfound resolve, Weiss began the summoning process again. She took a good look at what she was attempting to achieve, the picture of the Arma Gigas on her wall. Taking a knee, she stabbed Myrtenaster into the floor as the same Glyph from before reappeared. The Glyph began to rotate faster and glow brighter while growing in size, with the entire room beginning to rumble and shake. Books fell off of her bookshelf as the rumbling intensified, but Weiss didn't slow down. She kept going, no matter what happens, she HAD to succeed. In the end, her glass window shattered completely.

Not even a minute later, Klein raced into the room, a worried expression on his face.

Klein: "Ms. Schnee! Are you alright!?" He'd get his answer however as his eyes widened in complete shock. Weiss stood in front of her broken window, her summon, the Arma Gigas standing before her, its sword stabbed into the floor. It then knelt before her, like a knight serving its princess.

Weiss: "Yes."

Akira: "Well ain't that something." The two looked towards the broken window, spotting Akira standing there, his arms crossed but with an impressed smile on his face. "Looks like you took my advice well, Weiss." The white-haired girl smiled at him and nodded.

Weiss: "Yeah. I did." The two retained eye contact for a bit before they broke it, with Weiss slowly looking at her beloved butler. "Klein, I... No, we need a favor." She said as she looked back at Akira, who nodded. Klein remained a bit shocked before understanding what she meant as he narrowed his eyes and nodded.

Patch Island...

With another shake of the yellow spray paint can in Yang's hand, she sprayed it over the titanium colored surface of her Prosthetic arm and her remaining Ember Celica, coating it in a nice bumblebee yellow. After the paint dried, the blonde went over to the nearby shed and opened it, before sliding off the cloth that covered her beloved motorcycle, Bumblebee.

Taiyang: "I don't remember saying that you were ready." She slightly sighed before lightly clenching her fists.

Yang: "Oh yeah? You're gonna try and stop me?"

Taiyang: "No. I think I'm still too sore after our last fight. I just wanted a better goodbye than a letter. And, I also have a question for you." She turned to look at him. "Where are you going?

Yang: "What do you mean?"

Taiyang: "Well, despite asking him numerous times not to, I know that Qrow told you where your mother's been at these days. I know how much you wanna see her. I've stopped you in the past, but I won't anymore. And we both read the note. We know your sister's headed to Mistral with that Setsuna girl. And we still don't know where your brother's at, but leads say that he's still somewhere in Vale at the moment. So, where are you going?"

The blonde remained silent and a bit conflicted as she looked back at Bumblebee. The obvious choice for her would be to go after Ruby and Setsuna, but there was no guarantee that they made it to Mistral so there is a chance she ends up arriving before them. Her other option would be to try and find her brother, Ace. She didn't believe for a second that he was dead and definitely wanted to look for him, but with a lead as vague as somewhere in Vale, it would possibly take her weeks, maybe even months to find him and certain parts of Vale were still infested by Grimm from Beacon. That left her with her final option; finding Raven Branwen, her mother.

Yang: "... Tell me more about Mom and her Semblance." She said, looking back at her father who seemed a bit surprised but nodded.

Schnee Manor...
Altas...

Night had fallen and all the preparations were made. Carrying a suitcase packed with her things in her left hand and Myrtenaster in her right hand, Weiss carefully sneaked out of her room, not before making sure the halls were clear. Once she closed the door, she was about to go and find Klein, only to be surprised at the fact that he was directly in front of her, a finger to his mouth, telling her to keep quiet.

Klein: "Let's go."

The two began to walk briskly yet quietly through the halls towards their destination, making sure to remain on the long carpet to minimize the amount of sound their shoes, mainly Weiss' heels would make. They descended down the main staircase and walked through the main foyer, before walking through one of the side halls. However, they were suddenly stopped by Klein's scroll ringing. He quickly answered it.

Klein: "Master Whitley! I... Um... Yes, of course. I'll be just a moment." He hung up and looked at her. "Head to the first floor library. I'll meet you there. You should find Master Akira along the way."

The ex-heiress nodded before the butler turned around and began to walk in the direction they just came from. With a small sigh, Weiss proceeded forwards. As she continued, her eyes widened in happiness as she spotted Akira, standing in front of her father's office door, with his arms crossed.

Weiss: "Akira!" She whisper-shouted, holstering Myrtenaster on her hip but was quickly silenced by the black-haired male, covering her mouth. He silently shushed her before gesturing his head towards the door as the two could hear the sound of glass breaking followed by the voices of Jacques and Ironwood.

Ironwood: "You need to control yourself!"

Jacques: "You're talking to me about control? Do you even hear what you're saying?"

Ironwood: "I am basing everything on my reports from YOUR daughter."

Jacques: "A daughter YOU stole!" Akira and Weiss both shared a glance.

Ironwood: "Oh, we are not getting into that again."

Jacques: "Oh yes. We have far more pressing matters to discuss, starting with your apparent lunacy!"

Ironwood: "Jacques!" His raised voice, causing Weiss to flinch slightly and instinctively, grab hold of Akira's hand, which caused him to glance down at their joint hands for a moment, but didn't mind it as he squeezed her hand back gently for reassurance. There was a heavy sigh from Ironwood now. "Winter is one of my best. If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral, I am not going to take that news lightly. She's been there for weeks, people are mobilizing, sudden spikes in weapons and Dust trades. SOMEONE is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop it."

Jacques: "You never trusted anyone other than yourself! Not even that boy you have standing outside of the door you trust, hence why you have that collar on him!"

Ironwood: "And for good reason!" Another slam from inside the room was heard soon after, causing Weiss' eyes to widen in shock. Then she looked at Akira, who just looked away. She looked at his neck, but saw nothing but when she looked lower, her eyes widened as she noticed the distinctive technical white 'wrist band' around his left wrist.

Akira: "... Tch..."

Weiss' thoughts: "Akira..."

Ironwood: "If Oz had just listened to me from the start..."

Jacques: "You need to get a grip."

Ironwood: "That's exactly what I am doing. Our people need protection. By this time, next week, the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing its borders. No one in, no one out. Without the Council's permission."

Jacques: "You mean, without your permission?"

Ironwood: "And if that becomes the case, I would think you would want to be on my good side." The General began to walk towards the door, with Jacques slightly heavily. Weiss panicked slightly, realizing that they were listening for too long, but before she could react, Akira grabbed the door knob, his eyes glowing bright blue as ice covered the entire door, rendering it stuck due to the icicles generated. Just then, Ironwood tried to turn the doorknob from the inside but to no avail, it wouldn't turn. "It's locked."

Jacques: "What are you talking about?" Gritting his teeth lightly, Ironwood began to bash his shoulder against the door but the ice was holding it in place for as long as it could.

Akira: "Hurry." Squeezing her hand, he began to pull her along as the quietly jogged down the hall towards the library. Soon enough, the arrived at the library, but Klein was nowhere to be found.

Weiss: "Klein! Klein, where are you??" Suddenly, a bookshelf shifted out of the way revealing a passageway where the man in question stood.

Klein: "Keep your voice down, I told you I'd be here." He scolded, his eyes red. Without hesitation, Weiss ran up to him and brought him into an embrace. The man was a bit surprised but returned the hug, his eyes turning brown now while Akira watched before glancing around, making sure to look out for anyone.

Klein: "Are you sure Mistral's safe?"

Weiss: "No, but it's where I'll find Winter."

Klein: "I suppose she'll be the only family you have left after tonight."

Weiss: "I'll always have you." She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

Klein: "You most certainly will." However, the loud sound of ice cracking followed by a loud bang and Jacques' angry voice startled them.

Jacques: "Klein!? Klein, get down here this instant!"

Klein: "Go now." He reopened the secret passageway for them, with the ex-heiress nodding.

Weiss: "Thank you Klein. Akira, let's go." However, she didn't receive an answer. She looked back to him, and saw him just standing there, with him looking at the device on his wrist.

Akira: "Go on without me, Weiss."

Weiss: "What??"

Akira: "I'll only bring you danger if I tag along. It's best if you take this on by yourself." The Heiress fell quiet. "Believe me, I wanted to come along... to finally be free from his gaze and just... experience the world again without someone staring down my neck at all times... But, unfortunately, we can't always get what we want. So–"

However, he wasn't even given the chance to finish his sentence as Weiss dropped her suitcase before rushing over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight and warm embrace. Akira was at first taken by complete surprise from this sudden gesture, but wouldn't have much time to process it as Weiss pulled back and stared directly into his eyes, light blue into deep blue.

Weiss: "No."

Akira: "Wha–"

Weiss: "You promised me you'd help me out and it's too early for you to break that promise to me."

Akira: "But the General–"

Weiss: "Who cares?" She suddenly said, taking both him and Klein by surprise. "You're not a bad person to me, Akira, not someone worthy of being watched like a hawk. I've seen all the good in you, and that's all the proof I need. So..." She suddenly grabbed onto his wrist band. "Who cares about what the General thinks? Because, all that matters to me, is what I think!"

Much to the black-haired male's surprise, Weiss' palm had a Glyph, which assisted her in ripping the band off his wrist, causing it to spark out before shutting off completely. She then tossed it to the ground and took his hand gently.

Weiss: "I am not leaving without you, Akira."

Akira just stood there, completely stunned into silence. But even then, he wouldn't have a chance to protest as Weiss pulled him into the passageway, while grabbing her suitcase, with Klein quickly closing it behind them. The two continued down the dark hallway in silence, Akira still blown away by what Weiss said and just did. His wrist hurt like hell from her just ripping off the wrist band like that, but he couldn't care less about it. In fact, the pain seemed to go away as all he felt was the softness of her hand. All he could think was...

Akira's thoughts: "... What a fucking selfish woman... Wow..."

Menagerie...

After the run in with Ilia, Akito laid on a couch, topless as he had a bandage around the wound he sustained to his right shoulder. With a small groan, he began to stir awake, his vision a bit blurry for the moment before it focused up. He glanced around the room, before noticing Blake seated on the other couch, her head lowered and cat ears folded forwards.

Akito: "Blake?" There was a brief silence before she responded in a somber tone.

Blake: "This... is why, Akito. This is why I left them all behind, left you behind."

Akito: "What are you..." He slowly began to sit up as she stood up and walked over to him while clenching her fists.

Blake: "I am done seeing those I love hurt because of me."

Akito: "Blake–"

Blake: "Shut up!" She suddenly barked at him, slightly startling him as he fell silent. "Do you think I like being alone? Every day... every day I think about them! Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Setsuna... they were my friends! I loved them like I never thought I could love anybody. I loved you like I never thought I could love anybody! And I hope you all hate me for leaving." She looked away, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

Akito: "... You know you don't mean that."

Blake: "Yes, I do! You should be hating my guts especially! You were so deeply in pain, losing everything the way you did and you know what I did? I FUCKING RAN! Ran away and left you alone to suffer! You should just break up with me already..." She slumped down into the couch now as tears began to fall down her face. "You'd be better off with someone that wouldn't abandon you like I did..." The wolf Faunus sat up straight and stared at her.

Akito: "... Yeah, maybe I should be fucking pissed off. And honestly, I was." Blake remained silent, just waiting for him to say those magic words that would cut right through her like a hot knife in butter, but they never came. "But, that wouldn't be fair on either of us. I'm not the only one suffering after all... I know everyone else is, heck maybe even Ruby is as we speak. But you especially are hurting. I know my sisters would absolutely chew me out if I were to actually stay angry at you over this, so instead, I'm going to work on helping you.

Blake: "You can't. Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can't. I mean, you saw Ilia last night and she's not even the worst! You've fought your sister and Adam before already!"

Akito: "That I am aware of. But I'm still alive. Maybe with one arm and one working eye for now, but I'm still kicking ass." The ravenette just sighed heavily and shook her head.

Blake: "No. No more. You're all better off without me. I made my choices and I'll deal with the consequences because they belong to me." Akito stared at her before he lightly hummed, more out of slight annoyance than anything.

Akito: "You really think you're being selfless right now?" She slowly looked at him as he scooted over to her. "But take it from one of the most selfish motherfuckers out there. You sure as hell, are not being selfless. Yeah, Ilia got me good with that attack of hers, but I'd do it all over again if it meant that you were safe in the end. And I know for a damn fact that Yang and Setsuna would go through all the pain they went through that night again, just for you. Sure, you can make your own decisions. You are your own person after all, just like everyone else. But there's one thing for sure." He reached over and cupped her cheek with his hand before looking her in the eyes.

Akito: "You sure as hell, don't get to make ours. That's not how shit goes, baby and you know it. When we fight for you, it's because we want to. Not have to, not need to. No. We want to. No ands, ifs or buts. So I'll say this once." Their foreheads now touched. "STOP pushing us out! That's the one thing that hurts the most. More than anyone else like Adam, or Cinder for that matter, could do to us..." he said, glancing down at where his left arm should be. Blake's eyes followed his as she felt a sense of guilt in her heart for everything she's done up till now, from leaving him behind to yelling at him, to nearly getting into a physical fight with him in her own house.

Blake: "I'm sorry..." Her eyes burned as the waterworks came again, her voice cracking with every sob she made. "I'm so sorry for being such a terrible girlfriend..."

Akito: "Hey..." He gently stroked her left cheek, his thumb wiping away some of her tears. "We all make mistakes. I've made more than I can count and so have you. It's natural. No matter what mistake you make, I'll never stop loving you, Blake Belladonna." The ravenette sniffled as she touched his hand with her left hand, while her right hand gently stroked one of his wolf ears.

Blake: "... I love you too, Akira Zara."

The two continued staring into each other's eyes, with a burning passion and desire. They were immediately drawn to each other as their lips met, the first kiss they've shared since the Fall of Beacon. It was filled with everything they needed, love, passion, drive and more. It was everything they could have asked for at the moment.

However, as if on cue, the door suddenly fell open, with Kali yelping in surprise as she too fell with it. The two ended their kiss quickly as they both looked to the door, their faces bright red to see Kali on the floor and both Ghira and Sun standing there, the former with his face in his hand palm and the latter laughing awkwardly.

Kali: "Oh! Oh dear, would you look at that, he's awake! Thank goodness!" She exclaimed, an awkward smile on her face as she stood up.

Sun: "Awkward..."

Ghira: "Kali please..."

Blake: "Mom!"

Akito: "Ah shit... Now I'm really gonna fuckin die..." He sweat dropped as Blake stood up and marched over to her parents, clearly angry at their moment being interrupted.

Blake: "What are you doing!?"

Kali: "Well, sweetheart, your father needed to speak with the two of you."

Blake: "Huh?"

Akito: "Are you gonna attempt to kill me, sir...?" The man just stared blankly at him.

Ghira: "Depends on what you do. But we'll deal with that later." Akito just sighed, not feeling the slightest bit relieved. After everyone gathered in the room, Ghira began to explain his findings, with him putting down a Scroll with a large folder named 'W.F' with multiple smaller sub-folders in it. "I'm afraid you were right to be suspicious."

Blake: "What do you mean?"

Ghira: "Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang, and stage a full-scaled attack on Haven Academy. It would be the Fall of Beacon all over again." Blake and Akito both stared down at their laps, with Akito gritting his teeth.

Akito: "Damn that bastard... I hope Sienna can hold out against him..." He mumbled before he looked up. "What about Mio?"

Sun: "Hard to say. Your sister's been smart to keep all of her documents to herself. But if she was with him last time, like you said, then there's a safe chance that she'll still be with him." Akito gritted his teeth for a moment before Blake gently grasped his right hand with her left one, calming him down and causing him to look at her.

Blake: "Don't worry, we'll get through this."

Akito: "You got a plan, Kitty?"

Blake: "I do." She said as she began to stand up, her expression filled with determination now. "We're going to take back the White Fang."

Anima...

Ruby: "Just hang on Uncle Qrow." She pleaded as both her and Jaune were carrying her sick uncle on a made-shift stretcher. Nora and Dante both walked behind them while Ren and Setsuna walked ahead, their weapons drawn.

Qrow: "Tai... she's not coming... Tai..." Dante remained silent, hearing the words the downed man said as they brought back some rather painful memories, causing him to just sigh.

Ruby: "How much farther?"

Nora: "We've gotta be close."

Setsuna: "According to the map, we should be getting close. But..."

Ren: "We have no idea how lethal Tyrian's poison could be, nor are we sure that we'd make it in time at our current pace. But I feel like we're getting close to something." He said, holstering Stormflower as he began to jog ahead. Setsuna quickly followed, rolling up the map and sheathing her Arondight blade.

Dante: "Whatcha find up there?" He asked as they were coming up to a fork in the road with a sign. Nora began to rush up as well.

Nora: "Hey, hey! It says Mistral!" She exclaimed before her eyes widened and her happiness immediately deflated. "Oh..."

Ruby: "Does it say how close?"

Setsuna: "No... And worse, the path takes us through the mountains." After setting down Qrow, Ruby and Jaune joined them up there while Dante just watched over him.

Qrow: "N-No... Claret's not... Coming back..." The white-haired man sighed a bit somberly.

Dante: "Yeah... I know..."

Jaune: "Guys, I don't know if all of us can make that climb." He said, specifically gesturing towards Qrow.

Setsuna: "Yeah... There's a chance that the wound would just get infected if we went through the mountains while he's in the state he is..." She mumbled, a shiver going down her spine as she remembered a specific time she had to go through something similar.

Ruby: "Okay, well how about this place?" She pointed at the sign, this time pointing to her left, which was its right. "Kuro... Kuroyuri. Can we get help there?"

Ren: "That village was destroyed years ago."

Jaune: "But if it takes us around the mountains, it's the best bet we've got."

Ren: "It will take too long."

Ruby: "Maybe Kuroyuri had a doctor! Maybe we can scavenge for medicine!"

Jaune: "Right!"

Ren: "We're not going to find anything! We just have to press on!" Everyone fell silent, startled by Ren's sudden outburst. Jaune slowly approached his teammate.

Jaune: "Ren, why are you acting–" Nora cuts him off while standing next to her partner.

Nora: "We can split up. Ren and I can cut through the mountains while you guys take Qrow around through the village."

Jaune: "No, we're supposed to stick together. We can keep each other safe!"

Nora: "We don't have time for safe! If we make it to Mistral, we'll bring back help! If we don't, at least we'll have a better view of the land! Up there, we can see if there's somewhere else we can go!" They all heard Qrow groaning and coughing and looked back at him. At this point, Dante decided to speak up.

Dante: "You heard the lady." They all looked towards him, watching as he approached them. "As much as it sounds dangerous, that is our best bet. But don't worry, I'll go with them to make sure nothing happens to them. Setsuna." The Arctic-Wolf Faunus' ears perked up as she looked at him. "I can trust you to keep Qrow, his niece and your friend safe, right?" She was slightly surprised by this but nodded with determination and confidence.

Setsuna: "Right!" Her tone made him smirk and nod.

Dante: "Attagirl." Team RNJR all shared a glance before coming to a collective agreement.

Jaune: "Okay." he walked forwards and brought Ren into a hug. " Just take care of each other."

Nora: "We always have."

Ren nodded to Nora's statement as Dante hummed before turning towards the mountain path.

Dante: "Let's hit the road."

Jaune and Ruby picked Qrow back up while watching Ren, Nora and Dante trek up the mountain path. The group with Qrow continued down the road to Kuroyuri, with Setsuna leading as she looked at the map in her hands.

Ruby: "They'll be fine Jaune."

Jaune: "You don't know that..." The argent-eyed girl looked down, feeling a bit deflated before suddenly.

Setsuna: "Don't worry... With papa with them, nothing will happen to them." She said with confidence in her voice. It made Ruby smile a bit while Jaune, while he wasn't that convinced yet, nodded with a small sigh.

However, as they were continuing their way, none of them noticed that on the pathway they were heading down, there was what looked like a giant hoof-shaped footprint.

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Next Chapter: No Safe Haven

(A/N: "This is it fam. The next chapter is the finale to Volume 4.")