"So who's winning?"

Yang barely looked at her dad as she took the cup of coffee from him. "Ruby, but only because Blake forgot how much reach that stick of hers has."

Taiyang just grunted in acknowledgment as he sat down next to her to watch the three 'Huntresses' training in the yard. Right now they were playing a version of 'queen of the hill' Ruby had devised. The rules were simple: They'd stand equally spaced halfway between the edge and the center of the practice ring with their eyes closed and backs to the middle. At the start signal, they'd go after each other in a no-holds-barred free-for-all. Well, to a point. Taiyang had put his foot down about sparring with live steel, especially since Blake didn't have a weapon to match Ruby and Weiss' yet. Bruises were a lot easier to explain than sword cuts. So Blake and Weiss were both fighting with something Blake had called a 'broken' and Ruby with some sort of staff.

"Hey, sis, you wanna start the round?" Ruby's voice carried across the crisp morning air. "Standing around like this is kinda chilly."

"One sec, dad brought me coffee, and I've only got one good hand, remember?" Reluctantly Yang set down her cup and picked up the air horn, giving it a toot. Immediately the three sprang into motion, and Yang shook her head. Looked like both Ruby and Blake had decided that Weiss was due for a beating this time. Well, to be fair, Weiss had won the last two rounds.

Ruby charged through the ankle-deep snow, jumping onto one of the pieces of Grandpa's junk had been hauled out into the play area to make things more interesting. Seeing Weiss already under assault by Blake, Ruby took a deep breath, set herself, then jumped into the air weapon held high to strike.

And that was another thing to get used to. It turned out that not only did whatever magic trick the other three had let you see Grimm it also let bounce around like somebody out of those ridiculous cartoons Ruby was always watching. Hell, you healed faster too. Blake had recovered from the battering she'd gotten in the crash in a couple of days. Thinking back, Yang had to admit that Ruby had never been clumsy, or even really gotten sick. Never broken a bone or anything. And here I am, still stuck in a cast, the blonde thought to herself resentfully. Bet my arm would be healed by now, if…

Yang took a sip of her coffee to cover the scowl on her face. Her sister's words from the morning after the crash had proven prophetic. While Blake could somehow now see Grimm, Yang couldn't, so Tai had laid down the law: No fighting Grimm for Yang. Period, no arguments. He might let her spar with the others once her arm was completely healed, but not before.

Out on the field, Weiss seemed to have seen Ruby's leaping attack, and rolled to one side, dodging both Blake and Ruby. Her sneak attack spoiled, Ruby just redirected herself to Blake, coming down on the cat-eared girl with a blow that would have driven Blake to her knees if it connected. Instead, Blake blocked, her knees still buckling slightly from the force of the blow. Weiss took advantage of the moment to come behind Blake, striking her squarely in the middle of her back, Yang winced; fast healing or not, that had to hurt. She'd be sure to show Blake some extra affection later.

"So how's the arm this morning?" Tai asked as Blake let her weapon slide out from under Ruby's and spun toward Weiss, obviously intent on some payback on the ice queen.

"Damn cast itches," Yang growled. Out on the field, Ruby was hanging back for a moment, watching as Weiss and Blake traded blows, gauging whether it was better to jump in or let the two of them exhaust themselves on each other. 'Doc says I'm healing fine, but I've still got at least a month to go. Can't wait till I can join them out there."

"Yang… I'm kinda glad you can't."

"Say what?" Yang's head whipped around to stare at her dad, slack-jawed, as Ruby finally made her move. She darted in, coming high to catch high with one end of her staff to catch Weiss upside the head in a blow that left the white-haired girl staggering backward. Lightning-quick the staff's other darted toward Blake, catching her squarely in the middle the chest, but Blake took it better than Weiss had. With a grunt, Blake just brought her sword under Ruby's guard, hitting her squarely in the gut. The two pulled back from each other, weapons at the ready, while Weiss leaned against one of the obstacles, her weapon hanging limply in her hand and clearly out of it for now. "I thought you were cool with all of this."

Taiyang barked a laugh. "At first I was kinda… relieved. What father wouldn't be relieved to hear that his daughter wasn't crazy, that there was an actual reasonable explanation for all her bizarre behavior? But then I started thinking about it, and it kinda scares me. We don't know anything about Grimm, just myths and legends, and the 'magic' Ruby's managed to piece together is flaky at best."

"But then-"

"-why let it continue?" Tai gestured toward the practice ring where Ruby and Blake were exchanging blows, neither of them backing down and each giving as good as they got. "Well, I don't think Ruby would stop even if asked her to, and the only way to make her stop is to lock her away. I don't want to do that to her again, it'd kill her. She might still be breathing, but that special spark that makes Ruby Ruby would be gone. And if I went to Blake or Weiss' parents to try and stop them from hunting, they'd think I was nuts. You surprise me, though."

"Huh? I haven't done anything."

"Yeah, you did." Now her father looked Yang in the eye. "Looking back, it's pretty obvious how much you and Blake mean to each other. So why'd you let her do this?"

"Because..." Yang sighed. "Because she's everything to me, and I want everyone to know it. It's been over a year and we're still keeping it quiet. I guess I was getting a little desperate to hear her say something, anything, about how she felt about me out loud."

Tai nodded slowly. "I can understand that, I guess. But I do have one question: Are the two of you… sexually active?"

"Dad!" Yang yelled, her face flushed. "That's, that's kinda personal, isn't it?"

"It's the kind of thing dads ask because we kinda have to." Her father's face was kind, but she could have sworn there was a twinkle of amusement in his eye. "So, yes or no?"

Yang took a deep breath. "Y-yeah, we are." Yang was sure her face was about to burst into flames as she remembered the first time they'd found themselves alone after the accident. Blake had been feeling very frisky, even with having to be careful of Yang's arm.

"Okay." Taiyang took a deep breath. I can't stop you, any more than I can stop them from hunting Grimm. But, just be careful, okay? And keep the noise down, an old man needs his sleep."

"You're not that old, dad," Yang said, playfully jabbing him with an elbow. "So, so you're cool, with me and Blake, I mean?"

"Cooler than I am with this," he replied, gesturing with his cup at Ruby and Blake, who were still squaring off, strikes almost faster than the eye could see. Suddenly Blake's sword lashed out, going for Ruby's ankle. But Ruby jumped over it, bringing her staff around to catch Blake's ankle and send her sprawling to the ground. Blake rolled over in the snow to find the end of Ruby's staff inches from her nose.

"And I think that's my cue," Taiyang said, standing up. "Girls," he yelled, "That's enough for now. Time for lunch."

"So what's the plan for the afternoon? Bookwork?" Taiyang asked as he set the pot of stew on the table. One thing he'd learned, the girls needed to be well-fed for kicking invisible demon ass. "Because I'm pretty sure sparring is out the window, Weiss looks like she could use a break." Weiss just nodded carefully, careful not to dislodge her ice pack.

"S-sorry, Weiss," Ruby said, reaching a hand toward Weiss's head.

Weiss started to bat the hand away, but instead wrapped her hand around Ruby's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "D-dolt, it's as much my fault as yours, for forgetting how long that stick of yours is."

"Still, I did hit you kinda hard," Ruby said, her eyes fixed on Weiss a bit longer than necessary. Then she shook her head. "No, dad, no sparring for Weiss. She's been trying to find someone to make us armored coats, to help keep us safe when we fight Grimm."

"Hey, is the Ice Queen fit to drive? Because if she's not, I can drive her. I'm pretty good at driving one-handed," Yang added, helping herself to the stew while she fought to keep a smirk off her face. When Weiss had started coming around, Yang had been pretty sure she was Ruby's first crush and didn't know if she was looking forward to or dreading Ruby's inevitable crackup on Schnee Reef. But they did seem to genuinely get along, and now all the time they were spending together made at least some sense. But every now and again she'd catch one of them giving the other an odd look.

"The swelling has already gone down a lot, I should be fine in half an hour. And if this pair's reputation can be believed, they're skilled but rather odd," Weiss replied, pulling the ice pack away and probing the side of her head gently.

"So, is it study time then or do I have a date with the scanner?" the blonde asked, taking a bite of the stew. She was hoping for study time. It was the one part of the whole 'hunting Grimm' thing she could join in on, and she got to spend it with Blake. Bonus. Scanning in Ruby's notebooks was on par with watching paint dry.

"Neither." Ruby bounced away from the table, coming back with a long cloth-wrapped bundle. "I called in a favor with a friend of mine, and he sent me this." She undid the ties holding the cloth together, revealing a sword in a jet-black wooden scabbard. "It didn't take me as long to do the spells and stuff this time, so maybe I'm getting better at this. I hope you like it, Blake."

Blake found her breath stuck in her throat as her hand stopped, inches from the sword. "It-it's mine?" she asked, her voice squeaking on the last word. Ruby just nodded.

Hesitantly, Blake picked up the sword, drawing the blade from the scabbard. The hilt was wrapped in purple and black, her favorite colors, and just rough enough to keep her grip from slipping. She took it into the living room and gave it an experimental swing, noting the sword's light weight, chiseled point, and single cutting edge. "A katana?"

"I suggested the style of blade since I remembered that you used to do kendo," Weiss said, with a smile. "I take it you approve?"

An unashamed grin spread across Blake's face. "Absolutely. What's its name, what does it do?"

"Standard flaming and no-notice spells, I'm working on something else for it, but I wanted to give you a chance to get used to it as fast as possible."

"Incendio," Blake whispered, remembering it from when Ruby and Weiss demonstrated their weapons, and laughing with delight as purple flames danced along the blade. "Beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as the lady holding the blade," Yang said, walking over and peering closely at the sword. "So, this thing, it's on fire now, but I can't see it?" She reached over and poked at it, pulling her hand back before it reached the blade. "Damn thing's hot, though. Stupid question, why the fire?"

"Grim hate fire. Normal fire works, but magic fire's better," Ruby answered with a shrug.

Tai cleared his throat. "Okay, so shiny new toy Blake needs to practice with. So live steel practice this afternoon for Blake and Ruby so Blake can get used to her new sword, check. Shopping trip for Weiss, check. Yang, you wanna watch your girlfriend and your sister beat on each other, or do some more grunt work?"

"Actually," an idea was forming in Yang's mind, "I think I'll head into town if I can borrow your truck, dad. I can't ride my bike with one arm, after all. I want to go see a friend of mine."

Weiss blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light coming from the skylights. "Hello?" she called, her voice echoing across the cavernous space and bouncing off the half-seen shapes looming in the darkness. "Is anyone here? I was told you could do some custom fabrication for me."

"Hi.' A blonde man poked his head out from behind some machine or another. "Give me just a second, I'm just taping his mouth shut now."

"What do you mean-oh." When Weiss followed him, she could see a man with blue hair and goggles pushed up on his forehead duct-taped to a chair. The blonde man sighed as he put a final piece of tape over the other man's mouth. "Sorry about that, but Neptune, his brain's pretty much stuck on 'flirt' when it comes to women. Doesn't know how to turn it off. I'm Sun, by the way. So, you're Weiss, right?"

"Correct," she answered, shaking his hand when he offered it. "I need some unique coats and I was told you can make them for me."

"Yup, yup, armored coats that don't look armored, and can pass for everyday wear." Sun hopped up on a counter, snagging a nearby coffee cup with his tail. "So, questions: This for winter use, or year-round? If it's year-round, might have to go with a removable liner. And you said you were thinking chain-mail, but how's Kevlar or something like that sound? Lighter, easier to move in, less bulky, and less likely to be discovered if someone hugs you or something."

"I-" Weiss stopped, not liking how Neptune was looking at her. "He's imagining me naked, isn't he?"

"Probably. Or at least scantily clad. If it makes you less uncomfortable, I can push his chair into the closet."

"No need." Weiss took the coffee cup Sun handed her, making an effort not to wince as he used his tail to pour. "I'm not sure about using different materials for armor; there are other factors in play. It might be best if I can take a sample to someone else to consult. I assume you can also do embroidery? Color-matched to the cloth?" Neptune was nodding his head. "Wonderful."

"Yep, we've got a machine that can embroider whatever you want on the cover. All we need is the measurements, a decision on the actual armor for which I am more than willing to give you samples, and we can get started." Sun grinned and decided it was worth the risk. "So, just to torture Neptune and get it out of his system, he doesn't stand a chance, does he?"

"No." Weiss' voice was firm, with just that hint of regret to show she didn't want to give bad news, but… "I'm in a very committed relationship right now, and it's very unlikely that your friend has what it would take to change that." Especially since Neptune seemed oblivious to the palm-sized Nevermore that had just swooped down and was pecking at his head. It was hard to ignore the little creature, but breaking out her gear and killing it would be obvious. Maybe she'd come back later when they were closed and set up some traps and wards.

"Are you sure she's ready for this?"

Yang beat her dad to the punch by about half a second, but his doubt was clear on his face. "I mean," she continued, "Blake's only been training for what, two weeks? And her weapon hasn't even really been tested yet."

"She did well in her first encounter with Grimm, especially under the circumstances. And I've done daylight reconnaissance; the Grimm presence should be rather light," Weiss answered with a sniff.

"There's no real certification or graduation for this sort of thing, Yang." Blake's voice was sad as if her heart was torn in two. "There has to be a first time for me, sometime, right?"

"I..." Yang faltered as she saw the frightened but determined look in Blake's eyes. She knew Blake would stay if she said so, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to do that to Blake. "Yeah, she has been kicking your asses, hasn't she? Fine, but if you get into too much trouble, you run, right?"

"That's the plan," Ruby said, smiling.

"If I may continue…. I think I've found the catalyzing event for the park's Grimm population." Weiss paused; this part was ugly. "Sixteen years ago, a young woman was raped while jogging in the park. She gave birth, put the child up for adoption, then confronted her rapist in the park and killed him, then herself. If, if what happened with my father is any guideline, that may be what spawned our Grimm."

Blake grimaced and Yang whistled. "Stone cold. Yeah, that should do it. When are you going?"

"Tonight, at about ten o'clock. Doing this in a public place is a first for us, but being there that late should help with witnesses."

Ruby jabbed Weiss in the ribs with her elbow. "Pfft, lots of things are firsts for us, Weiss. This should be easy-Schneezy."

Yang chortled at the mortified look on Weiss' face, then grinned. "Okay, let's go over what we know, and what we think we know, one more time. Then I'd like to spend some time alone with my kitty-cat until you leave if it's okay with the rest of you."

Taiyang just waved as Weiss' car headed out, the three Huntresses on board. "You're worried about them too, aren't you, my sunny little dragon?"

"Yeah, but," Yang shrugged with the arm not in a cast, "like you said, what can we do? We can't stop them, and neither of us can see Grimm, so we can't fight with them." She stood up from where she sat on the stairs. "No use waiting up for them, so I'm going to head to bed and try to sleep. See you when they get home."

He was just brushing his teeth when he heard his truck starting outside. Running to the front door, Taiyang thought he saw a familiar mane of blonde hair. And when he checked upstairs, Yang was missing from her bed.

It made him chuckle. Whether she could fight beside them or not, Yang was going to look after the three of them. No sense even trying to sleep now. Might as well see what's on TV. Maybe a cheesy sci-fi movie or something. Not horror.

In the truck, Yang glanced at the bag sitting next to her on the bench seat. No time to lose, they had a head start. She pressed the gas pedal a little harder.

Did you miss me? Sorry, work's been crazy. Oh Yang, what are you up to?