Chapter 12: Whole

Even with the shades drawn, the bright morning sunlight slipped into Yang's guest room at the Schnee mansion and chased away the gloom of night. Yang's eyes fluttered open. She was lying on her side, tightly pressed into Blake's back. It took her all of a second to decide that waking up next to Blake in bed was the best way to start the day.

Blake was still fast asleep. Yang knew it would be hours before Blake would awaken if she was left to her own devices. As tempting as it was for Yang to just stay in bed all morning cuddling with Blake, eventually Ruby and Weiss would come knocking. There were things Yang wanted to do before they did.

A mischievous smile snuck its way onto Yang's lips. She brushed aside Blake's tousled hair and started nibbling on a tempting earlobe. Blake mumbled something, but she didn't wake. Yang started kissing her way down Blake's neck. When she got to Blake's shoulder she gently sunk her teeth in, leaving behind a love bite.

Blake moaned softly in her sleep, causing Yang to snicker. Blake's cat ears twitched a few times and she started to stir.

When Blake's eyes opened, Yang said, "Morning, Blakey!"

"Mmmgh," Blake said, closing her eyes again.

"If you go back to sleep, I'm going to have to start tickling," Yang said playfully. She traced her finger along Blake's side.

"I'm awake," Blake said halfheartedly. She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. "It sounds like you're in a good mood this morning."

"After last night, why shouldn't I be?" Yang asked.

Blake blushed lightly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said softly.

"Oh, I did much more than enjoy it," Yang said. "In fact, I think a demonstration is in order."

Yang brought her lips to Blake's. The kiss started slowly, but it quickly became more passionate and more needy.

Just then, a scroll dutifully informed its owner that they had received a new message by emitting a sharp, electronic ding. Blake jumped in surprise at the unexpected noise and her teeth collided with Yang's.

Yang shot up. She rubbed her mouth, although her eyes were turned up with amusement. She asked, "Who's messaging you this early in the morning?"

"Me?" Blake asked. "My scroll's on silent. That's got to be yours."

"It can't be mine," Yang said. "It got busted."

The mysterious ding sounded again. Both Yang and Blake's heads turned. The sound had come from the other side of the room where Yang's jacket was folded up neatly on a chair.

Yang and Blake looked at each other. Without a word they both got out of bed and approached the chair. There was a blinking light shining through the fabric of Yang's jacket pocket. Yang reached in and pulled out a scroll that was colored pink, white, and brown.

The scroll definitely wasn't Yang's, but based on the color-scheme, she had a good idea whose it was.

"Is that…Neo's?" Blake asked, voicing what Yang was thinking.

"I guess," Yang said.

"Why would she leave her scroll in your pocket?" Blake asked.

"I don't know," Yang said. "It doesn't make any sense."

Yang turned the scroll over so she could see the screen. On it was a notification that said, 2 new messages from Neopolitan.

Yang opened the scroll. The messages popped up on the screen.

Are you awake yet, Blondie?

Come on, I didn't stab you that many times.

Yang's eyes narrowed. She started tapping at the scroll's onscreen keyboard.

What do u want?

It was only a second until a reply popped up.

There you are, Sunshine! How's the back?

Yang actually growled out loud.

"Yang…" Blake said.

"I know," Yang said. She took a deep breath and forced herself to be calm. She typed in a reply.

Tell me what u want or im throwing this scroll in the trash

How rude. I bought that scroll as a gift for you! When I saw you and your friends sticking your noses in the White Fang's business, I knew we needed to talk. And I'm much more elegant in the written form you see.

If u wanted to talk whyd you attack me?

Self-defense. You attacked me first, Hot-stuff. =P

"Why that little…" Yang muttered.

Blake asked, "Is she lying?"

Yang signed. "No."

Whatever tel me what u want

The same thing you want. I'm here to bring down the White Fang. And unlike you, I know what they're up too~!

Why shld I believe u? Ur working for cinder

I am NOT working for that bitch! Not anymore.

Why not?

There was a noticeable pause before Neo's reply came.

If Cinder didn't want to be my enemy, then she shouldn't have killed Roman.

Yang scowled. She said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think she's telling the truth."

"I guess everyone has someone they care about," Blake said. "Even people like Neo."

What do u want form us?

You're going to take down the White Fang for me.

U cant handle the wf urself? I thought u were tough

I know you can't see it, but I'm rolling my eyes at you. -_- Something more important has come up and I have to skip town.

Tell me where ur going and ill come help u out

Please stop. You're just embarrassing yourself. Do you want to know what the White Fang are up to or not?

Fine tell me

They came here on an errand for Cinder. If you want to find them, all you have to do is find what they're looking for.

"They're still working for her," Blake said with dismay. "Can't Adam see what this is going to lead to? Cinder will destroy the White Fang once she's done using them!"

"Maybe he doesn't care so long as a lot of humans get hurt," Yang said.

What r they looking for?

Cinder isn't going to be content until she has the powers of all four seasons. So she sent the White Fang here to capture the Winter Maiden before she awakens.

"The Winter Maiden?" Blake asked, confused.

"It's…complicated," Yang said. "Dad explained a little bit of it to me. Bottom line, we don't want Cinder to get what she wants."

Who is the wm?

Really? You must be as dumb as Ozpin and his silly little brotherhood. If she was supposed to be kept secret, they shouldn't have named her Winter. You'd better hurry. The White Fang are going to make their move today. Ta-ta, Blondie. Try not to lose another arm.

"Weiss's sister!?" Yang exclaimed.

"We've got to tell Weiss and Ruby!" Blake said.

One of the Schnee Dust Company's many bullheads tore through the skies of Atlas. Team RWBY was riding in its cargo bay. After Blake and Yang had explained what was happening to Weiss and Ruby, Weiss had immediately tried to call Winter on her scroll. When Winter hadn't answered, Weiss had contacted the local head of her family company's air fleet. She didn't technically have the authority to commandeer the use of a bullhead, but some bending of the truth, some shouting, and some out-and-out threats had solved that issue. Now all they needed was a destination. Unfortunately, no one Weiss could get in touch with seemed to know where Winter was.

Weiss was frantically pacing the length of the cargo bay. She was trying yet again to reach Winter on her scroll without success.

Yang was uncharacteristically quiet, and Ruby had taken notice. She asked, "Are you alright, Yang? Last night…."

"I'm okay, Rubes," Yang said.

Ruby didn't look convinced. She asked, "Are you sure."

"Yeah. I…" Yang sighed. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you through lately."

"Don't worry about me," Ruby said. "I just want to make sure you're going to be alright. You know I'm here for you if you ever need anything, right?"

"I know. You're the most awesome little sister anyone could ask for," Yang said. She pulled Ruby into a hug. She'd never really appreciated how lucky she was to have so many people that cared about her. It was a wonderful thing.

Weiss closed her scroll in exasperation. She said, "Winter still isn't answering."

"She'll be alright, Weiss," Ruby said.

"You don't know that!" Weiss exclaimed. "I don't understand why this is happening! The Four Maidens are just a fairytale!

"No, they're not," Ruby said somberly. "I've seen what Cinder can do."

"But Winter isn't a Maiden!" Weiss insisted.

Yang said, "It doesn't matter if she is or not. The White Fang are still coming for her."

Just then, Weiss's scroll rang. She answered it in a heartbeat. "Winter! Where are you!? Why are…? You have to get…!"

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting came from the scroll's speaker, loud enough for Yang, Blake, and Ruby to hear them. Weiss's face went pale.

"Winter? Winter!" Weiss shouted. She yelled up to the pilot. "Take us to the Schwerhwald Forest outside of the city! Hurry!"

Everyone grabbed on to something as the bullhead banked hard into a turn. Weiss lifted her scroll back to her ear. "Winter?! Are you…?"

Weiss lowered her scroll. The line was dead.

Ruby asked, "What's happening?! Why is Winter in the woods?"

"She was on a remote training exercise today," Weiss said. "That's why she wasn't answering. The local CCTT network doesn't cover that area very well."

Blake said, "It'll be a lot easier to take her when she's so isolated. That must be why the White Fang attacked today."

"Don't you think I know that!?" Weiss snapped.

"Weiss…" Ruby said. She put her arms around Weiss. "She'll be alright."

"Stop saying that! You don't…you…" Weiss stammered. She was trying very hard to salvage what was left of her composure, but it was a losing battle. She finally relented and buried her face in Ruby's shoulder.

There was an uneasiness in Yang's gut. She knew in her heart that something big was about to go down, and the truth was, she was afraid. Yesterday she would've denied it, but she'd seen what the consequences of lying to herself were. She couldn't afford to do that anymore.

Blake said quietly to Yang, "Adam's going to be there, you know. We're going to have to fight him again."

"I know," Yang said. Even though it shouldn't have been possible, her prosthetic arm itched at the mention of Adam's name.

Blake seemed to sense Yang's anxiety. She took Yang's hand and their fingers intertwined.

Yang couldn't help but smile. She lifted Blake's hand to her lips and kissed it. "No matter what happens," she said. "You and me. Together."

"Together," Blake said.

The flight to Schwerhwald Forest was a short one, but every second of it felt like it dragged on forever.

When the bullhead had finally reached the forest, it descended until it was flying just over the treetops. Weiss hit the button to open the cargo bay doors. A bone-chillingly cold wind rush inside. Pine trees, thrusting up from the ground like spears, whizzed by outside.

Everyone scanned the forest below, hoping to find some sign of Winter.

"There!" Ruby said. She pointed at what looked like people on the ground.

"That must be them!" Weiss said. She stepped out of the bullhead without a moment's hesitation.

"Wait Weiss!" Ruby said. But it was already too late. "Everyone follow her!"

Ruby, Blake, and Yang jumped into thin air. Weiss was already bounding from glyph to glyph on her way to the ground. Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose, pointed the barrel down, and fired repeatedly to slow herself down. Blake waited until she was past the level of the tree tops. Then she used a clone to push herself to the nearest trunk and slid down it.

Yang simply let herself fall. She crashed into the ground like an avalanche, landing on her knees and one hand, sending up a plume of snow. Her semblance happily ate up the energy from the impact.

When the snow had settled, Yang stood and brushed herself off like it was no big deal.

The people that Ruby had spotted from the air turned out to be two unconscious White Fang members. There were footprint and broken foliage everywhere around them. It looked like it had been quite a battle.

"Winter must be close by!" Weiss said frantically. She started walking in a random direction. "We've got to—!"

"Weiss, don't run off ahead of us!" Ruby scolded. "We need to stick together!"

Weiss took in a deep breath. She let it out and said, "I'm sorry. You're right."

"Don't worry. We all want to save Winter," Ruby said.

"What's our course of action, then?" Weiss asked.

Blake said. "I can hear fighting." She pointed. "It's coming from that direction."

"Let's go then!" Ruby said.

Everyone followed Blake, weapons at the ready. They ran across dozens of more bodies littering the forest. Some were White Fang. Some were Atlesian soldiers. There was even the wreckage from several mechanical Atlesian Knights scattered about. It was hard to tell who was knocked out and who was dead.

It wasn't long before everyone could hear the clash of swords coming from up ahead. A woman's voice shouted, "I will not lose to you!"

"That's Winter!" Weiss said. "Hurry!"

A man's voice said, "You already lost the moment she took an interest in you. I'm going to enjoy watching what she does to you, Schnee."

A chill went down Yang's spine. She said, "Adam's here too."

Blake said, "Everyone remember what I told you about his semblance!"

Team RWBY burst into an open clearing. Winter and Adam were there, staring each other down with their swords drawn. Winter was dressed in cold weather gear issued by the Atlesian military. Adam on the other hand was wearing the same light trench coat and silk shirt he had been the last time Yang had seen him. The tails of his coat were blowing in the freezing wind, but Adam didn't give any sign that the weather was affecting him at all.

Yang's gut churned as she looked on the face of the man who had so irrevocably changed her life. He was completely unreadable behind his grimm mask, and that was probably the point. Yang swallowed her fear. This time would not turn out like the last time. She knew she had limits now, and she knew she had the help and support of her teammates to overcome them.

Both of Winter's sabers were in her hands. She lashed out at Adam with blinding speed, but he effortlessly parried each attack. Then his sword slipped past hers and slashed her from her left shoulder to her right hip.

Winter's face contorted into a defiant sneer, but she stumbled back and fell to a knee. Blood stained her white coat and splattered onto the ground.

"Humph. Disappointing," Adam said. "I was expecting more from you. She was right. You really don't know what you are."

Adam lifted his sword to deliver the final blow.

Weiss let out a horrified wail. A huge glyph blazed to life in the air above her. It glowed so brightly that it was painful to look at. A wind rushed toward it, creating a maelstrom in the clearing that kicked up the snow and shook the trees.

The spectacle drew Adam's attention away from Winter. "Interesting," he said.

A gigantic, glowing, white hand, wielding an equally large and luminescent sword, shot out from the glyph and lashed out at Adam with speed that belied its size.

Adam raised his sword to block as the gargantuan blade came crashing down on him. The strength of the blow forced his feet to dig into the ground, but he managed to keep himself from being crushed like a bug.

Yang's mouth hung open. "I didn't know Weiss could do that," she said.

Ruby said, "I'm going to go get Winter." She zipped off using her semblance.

The giant arm let up against Adam only to sweep the ground with its sword. Adam deftly jumped out of the way.

A second giant hand sprung forth, joining the first. It clutched the edge of the glyph and what looked like a colossal armored knight pulled itself through. In landed on the ground with a shuddering crash.

Adam stood there calmly. He sheathed his sword and crouched into a ready stance.

The knight charged Adam and lunged into an attack. Adam drew his sword, and the clashing of the two blades echoed loudly throughout the clearing.

Ruby reappeared with Winter in her arms and laid her on the ground.

Winter said with a strained voice, "I see Weiss has been practicing her summoning. That is good."

Ruby asked, "Are you alright?"

"I will live, for the moment," Winter said. She made an effort to stand up. A hiss of pain escaped her lips, but she managed to get to her feet.

"You should stay down," Ruby said. "You're in no condition to keep fighting."

Winter looked insulted, but she said, "Perhaps you're right."

"Weiss can you take your sister to…?" Ruby trailed off. It was obvious that Weiss couldn't respond at the moment. Her eyes were locked open in absolute concentration. The power of her aura was rolling off of her in waves. Controlling her knight was taking everything she had.

Winter said, "Give me your scroll. Mine was damaged. I will get out of sight and try to call for reinforcements."

Ruby grabbed her scroll out of her pocket and handed it to Winter. "Here!" she said.

"Thank you," Winter said. She took Ruby's scroll and slowly limped away to the edge of the clearing as best she could manage.

Blake said, "There's no way reinforcements will get here in time."

"I know," Ruby said, "It's just going to be us three and Weiss's giant knight for now."

Yang looked at Adam. He was fighting off Weiss's knight with unnerving effectiveness. It was clear that the massive construct was nothing more than a speed bump for him. It was intimidating to say the least, but Yang knew the time to be afraid had passed. It was time for Team RWBY to make a stand.

Yang activated her gauntlets and smashed her fists together. "Let's do this," she said.

"Right!" Ruby shouted. "Pearl Jamming!"

Yang, Ruby, and Blake took off in all different directions. Yang came around to Adam's right flank. Blake went to his left. And Ruby used her speed to come around from behind.

"You ready for round two!?" Yang shouted at Adam to get his attention. She faked a punch in his direction. It distracted him just enough that the next thunderous blow from the knight's sword almost squashed him flat. The shockwave from the near-impact set him off balance. Yang tapped into the strength the fall from the bullhead had given her. She unleashed a mighty punch at Adam and fired her gauntlet for good measure. Adam staggered back from the blow but only a little. Yang had never felt an aura as powerful as his.

Ruby and Blake pounced on the opportunity to strike. The two of them plus Yang and the knight all ganged up on Adam. Whoever had Adam's attention would go on the defensive while everyone else tried to get a hit in. Adam took a fair number of blows, but he blocked even more. His skill was almost unbelievable.

Adam sidestepped another attack from the knight and slipped his sword back into its sheath. Yang went in for a hit. Unfortunately, Adam saw her coming. He squeezed the trigger on his sheath. His sword shot out like a rocket, and the pommel collided with Yang's head.

The impact sent Yang flailing backward to the ground. Adam's sword bounced off of her and ended up back in its master's hand just in time for him to block a strike from Crescent Rose.

"Ladybug!" Ruby shouted.

Yang got to her feet. A grin crossed her face as she felt the rush of her semblance. Adam was no Neo; he hit hard. Yang tempered her excitement. Adam was too dangerous for her to charge in blindly. Yang knew she had to play it smart this time. If she did everything right, her reward would be hitting Adam really hard somewhere that it would hurt.

Adam was busy fighting off Blake and Ruby. They were both using their semblances to rapidly switch up the angles of their attacks. It barely seemed to phase Adam at all. Within seconds, he kicked Blake away and put Ruby on the defensive.

The knight raised its sword high above Adam. Ruby jumped away as it came crashing down. Adam blocked and once again found himself pinned by the knight's sheer weight.

"Enough," Adam said. He managed to shift his blade so that the knight's sword went sliding off of it and landed in the ground. In a heartbeat, Adam's sword was back in its sheath and his hand was hovering over the hilt.

The knight readied its sword again, but Adam drew his own blade inhumanly fast before it could strike. A wave of energy shot off of Adam's sword as he unleashed his semblance. It cleaved the knight clean in half. The two halves shimmered brightly and then burst into a brilliant cascade of light that quickly faded.

Weiss yelped in surprise as a backlash of energy from her destroyed knight knocked her flat.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted. She ran for her partner. Over her shoulder she shouted, "Black Dragon!"

Yang leapt into the air, using Ember Celica to propel herself even higher. Blake summoned a clone and sent it charging at Adam as a distraction. At least, that's what Adam had expected. His attention was completely focused on Yang as she plummeted toward him. Unfortunately for Adam, the Blake who had charged at him was quite real. Gamble Shroud and its sharpened sheath clashed against his aura as Blake slashed at him repeatedly.

Blake jumped away just as Yang came crashing down. Yang felt her fist connect, to her immense satisfaction. Adam grunted as he was forced to his knees. The impact sent dirt and snow flying into the air and left behind a small crater.

Yang cocked back her fist to punch again, but Adam's sword came swinging up at her head. She raised her arms to block. The edge of Adam's sword slid upward across Yang's gauntlets with a loud scraping sound.

Yang leapt back out of Adam's immediate reach. She knew better than to fight him one-on-one. Blake ran up to join her as Adam got to his feet.

Behind Blake and Yang, Ruby was helping Weiss to her feet.

"I'm okay," Weiss said. She and Ruby joined Yang and Blake. All of Team RWBY stood together, shoulder-to-shoulder, facing Adam down.

Adam said, "I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again, my love. I'm glad you came back."

"Don't call me that!" Blake said. "I stopped being your love a long time ago."

Yang felt a swell of pride in her chest at how defiant Blake sounded. It got even bigger when Adam's mouth turned down into an almost imperceptible frown. It was the closest she'd seen his stoic demeanor come to breaking.

Adam said, "It's good that you brought your friends. I'm going to kill them one at a time." He pointed at Yang. "I think I'll start with her."

"Hey! No one threatens my sister and gets away with it!" Ruby shouted. Then, she asked softly, "You good to go, Weiss?"

"Yes," Weiss said. "Let's kick his butt."

A confident grin crossed Ruby's face. She shouted, "Pollination!"

Weiss's time dilation glyph appeared beneath where Team RWBY stood. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all scattered at impossible speeds and converged on Adam from every direction simultaneously. When Ruby had come up with the maneuver, she'd told everyone to pretend they were a swarm of angry bees. The description was apt. Team RWBY struck at Adam furiously from every conceivable angle faster than he could hope to block.

Adam was doing his best to compensate for the withering assault he was under, but there was little he could do. He stopped trying to defend himself, despite all the blows raining down upon him, and sheathed his sword.

Yang was a little unnerved at how Adam was just sitting there, taking the hits. But that didn't stop her from attacking him. She hammered blow after blow into him, but his unyielding aura held strong.

Without warning, Adam drew his blade lightning fast and with the same motion swung it in a circle. Somehow, he managed to hit all four of his targets in a single strike. Yang, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all went tumbling across the ground.

When Yang finally came to a stop, she struggled to her feet. Even with her semblance, it was getting harder to get back up. She'd never really thought about what downsides Weiss's otherwise awesome glyph might have, but getting hit while moving at superhuman speed really, really hurt.

Much to Yang's chagrin, the effects of Weiss's glyph had run out. Ruby, who'd landed close to Yang, asked, "Did you get a boost off of that?"

"Sure did," Yang said.

"Alright then," Ruby said. "Enabler!"

Yang held out her hand, and Ruby jumped onto it. Yang spun around and used her semblance-enhanced strength to toss Ruby at Adam as hard as she could.

Ruby fired a shot from her scythe midair and set herself spinning. She flew at Adam with Crescent Rose's blade out, whirling around and around like a drill.

Adam brought his sword up and blocked Ruby. Crescent Rose ground against Adam's guard but to no avail.

When Ruby's momentum died out, she dropped to the ground. Adam was ready and went on the offensive. It was all poor Ruby could do to stave off his attacks.

Suddenly, Weiss came sliding in on a glyph. She lunged at Adam only for him to parry her. Undaunted, Weiss took up a position beside Ruby. The both of them fought in unison, desperately trying to find an opening in Adam's defenses.

"Bumblebee!" Ruby shouted.

Yang heard Gambol Shroud fire. Without looking, she grabbed the blade out of the air as it came flying toward her. She took a running start to build up some momentum while Blake held on tight to the long ribbon attached to the sword's hilt. Blake spun Yang around and around until she was airborne.

Yang continued to pick up speed. Blake shifted her position and sent Yang flying directly for Adam. Yang was ready to plant her fist in the back of Adam's head, but just as she closed in, he shook off Ruby and Weiss's combined assault and turned to counter Yang.

Thinking quickly, Yang fired a blast from her Gauntlet into the ground. The shot propelled her upward, and she sailed clear over Adam's head. Adam was caught off balance when the attack he was expecting didn't come. Weiss thrust Myrtenaster, which was charged with red Dust, into his back. The red Dust exploded and Adam stumbled to one knee.

Yang swung around on Blake's ribbon again, and this time, her fist hit Adam squarely in his chest. Yang squeezed off a shot from Ember Celica and Adam was flung backward.

Adam plunged his sword into the ground to stop himself. He skidded along the ground while his sword carved a long gouge into it, until he finally came to a halt.

Yang wasn't done with Adam yet. His sword was still stuck in the ground; now was the perfect time to attack. She signaled Blake to spin her around one more time.

Yang fired off a few shots to build her speed back up. Her fist was primed as the distance between her and Adam rapidly dwindled away.

Yang aimed for Adam's head, but at the last second, Adam rolled to the side and pulled his sword free from the ground. His semblance flared to life, and he cut through Gambol Shroud's ribbon like it was made of tissue paper.

Yang suddenly found herself flying wildly through the air. She hit the ground hard and tumbled helplessly across it, hitting all manner of rocks and tree roots along the way. The multitude of small impacts chipped away at her aura without giving her anything back in return. Yang only came to a stop when her back slammed into a thick tree trunk and she landed flat on her face.

Yang groaned and slowly got to her hands and knees. Her head was spinning. The lingering traces of the wound Neo had given her throbbed painfully, sending spasms shooting up and down her back.

Yang told herself that she had to get up and fight. Her teammates were counting on her. But her whole body felt heavy.

Yang managed to raise her head. She could see Ruby frantically fighting off Adam a good twenty feet away. Even with Ruby's speed, Adam was too good for her to face alone. He got inside her guard and started mercilessly slashing at her over and over again, rapidly wearing away her aura to nothing.

"Ruby…" Yang called out feebly. She tried to get to her feet, but she didn't quite make it.

A white glyph appeared underneath Ruby and dragged her out of Adam's reach. Adam turned his attention to Weiss, who was standing defiantly a few feet away. He charged at her. She threw up a glyph between herself and Adam, but he neatly sliced it in half with a mighty swing of his sword. The glyph shimmered briefly and then faded out of existence.

With a flourish, Adam re-sheathed his sword. Weiss thrust at him, but he grabbed her sword-arm and lifted her helplessly into the air. He head butted her with his horns repeatedly and then cast her aside like a ragdoll.

"No," Yang said. She finally managed to get to her feet. That's when she saw Adam turn his attention to Blake.

Yang realized with horror that she still had Gambol Shroud in her hand.

Adam lifted his sword high. Yang mustered up as much focus as she could and threw Blake's sword to her. "Blake!" she shouted as loud as she could manage.

Blake caught her sword just in time. She crossed Gambol Shroud and its sheath and blocked Adam's blade as it plunged for her head.

Sparks flew as Adam's and Blake's swords locked. "Blake," Adam said. "I want you to know that this is all your fault."

"First it was the humans' fault! Now it's my fault!" Blake shouted. "You really can't accept responsibility for what you've become, can you? I've been blaming myself all this time, but I was wrong. Everything that's happened has been your doing!"

Adam sneered. "I'm going to make you watch your friends die one at a time. Then you can tell me again who's responsible."

Adam broke the deadlock and brought his sword back to its sheath. Blake split from a clone and jumped backward, but she didn't jump far enough. Adam's next strike went straight through her clone and the tip of his sword slashed across her neck.

Blake cried out in alarm and stumbled backward onto the ground. Her hand flew up to her neck. Her aura had saved her, but only just. There was a tiny trickle of blood were Adam's sword and managed to nick her.

Adam slowly advanced on Blake. His sword was sheathed and he had dropped his fighting stance. He clearly believed the battle was over.

"I'm sorry, my love," Adam said. "It looks like I'm going to kill you first." His hand went to the hilt of his sword.

"ADAM! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yang's voice boomed from across the field. Fire exploded from her. Her hair started to glow and her eyes turned red as her semblance kicked in at full power.

"No, Yang! Don't do it!" Blake shouted.

The power of Yang's semblance had dispelled her pain and weariness. She knew exactly what she had to do. She pushed as hard as she could with her legs and fired Ember Celica directly behind her. She when flying toward Adam at speeds that even Ruby would be impressed with.

Yang was madder than she'd ever been, but at the same time, she was completely calm. She saw everything with perfect clarity as she whizzed through the air. Blake was shouting with tears streaming from her eyes. Her hand was extended in a vain attempt to stop Yang. Adam had fallen back into a defense stance. His hand was poised to draw his sword. He was ready for Yang. But she was ready for him too.

Adam drew his sword to strike. It sliced through the air with an audible hiss. Yang brought her right arm up. The sword struck Yang on her mechanical elbow. The force behind the blow carried Adam's sword upward. It chewed through the metal and carbon of Yang's forearm, all the while slowing down as it met resistance. When it hit the bottom edge of Ember Celica, it made it in about an inch, and then it could go no farther. Adam's sword came to an abrupt halt, firmly lodged in Yang's artificial arm.

Adam jerked in surprise. He tried to free his sword, but it was well and truly stuck. Yang, her nose just inches from his, gave him an absolutely sinister smile. Adam's mouth was agape.

Yang leapt up and brought all of her weight to bear on Adam's sword. It was a simple matter of physics now. As Yang fell to the ground, either Adam's grip would break or his sword would.

Adam never let go. A crisp and beautiful note of metal snapping resonated through the air as Adam's sword broke at the base.

Yang got to her feet. Her right arm hung broken and useless at her side with the blade of Adam's sword still lodged in it. But her eyes burned with righteous power and her expression bespoke the evil things she intended to visit upon Adam.

Adam stepped back fearfully. He was at a complete loss as to what to do. Yang lashed out with her foot and kicked the broken sword hilt out of Adam's unprepared hand. She spun around and used the momentum to punch Adam as hard as she could with her left hand. She fired off a shot from her gauntlet for good measure.

Adam when flying backward. He collided with the ground and rolled over a few times before he came to a stop. Yang wonder if he would stay down, but it seemed he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Adam got to his feet. Before he could do anything, however, a glowing white bullet struck him and exploded into a chunk of ice. Yang turned her head and saw Ruby, with her scythe planted in the ground in a firing position. In front of her, Weiss, who was just barely managing to stay upright, was projecting a glyph in front of Crescent Rose's barrel.

"Ice Flowers," Ruby said. She sounded exhausted, but her voice still held an edge of defiance.

Ruby fired several more rounds at Adam until he was completely covered in a thick layer of ice. Only his head remained exposed.

Yang grabbed her broken cybernetic arm right where it connected to her body. She gave it a twist and pulled it free. Arcs of electricity shot out from the arm's prongs as they were pulled from their ports.

Yang looked at the prosthetic in her hand for a moment before casting it aside. She marched menacingly up to Adam and with a roar, punched him in the head.

Even after all the hits he had taken, Adam's aura still held fast. Yang punched him over and over and over again. She fired Ember Celica until its ammunition ran dry. Yang understood now. Adam was strong. He was stronger than her. Maybe he was even stronger than she could ever become. But he'd still lost. Even the best warrior in the world couldn't win every battle.

Yang's knuckles began to ache from the repeated impacts, but she didn't stop. She felt Adam's aura finally begin to give. Yang pulled back for one last punch and slammed her fist into Adam's face. His aura broke and his mask shattered underneath Yang's fist.

Yang pulled her hand back. The shattered mask fell from Adam's face, and Yang saw his eyes for the first time. They were wide with fear. Yang almost couldn't believe it, but Adam was afraid, desperately so. Underneath the façade, underneath the grimm mask, he was just a person. And he could break like any other.

Adam was completely at Yang's mercy now. She looked around. Blake was standing nearby, watching solemnly. Ruby and Weiss were sitting on the ground, leaning against each other for mutual support. They looked on with somber expressions. Everyone was going to let Yang do whatever she wanted, even if they didn't approve.

Yang's expression grew hard. She'd beaten Adam, broken him, and still she wasn't satisfied. She raised her fist. Adam sucked in a breath. The next punch would kill him, and he knew it. Yang's course of action should've been clear, but she found herself conflicted. Would it be more cruel to kill Adam or to let him live with his shame and defeat? Yang didn't know what would slake her lust for vengeance.

But maybe that was the problem. Nothing would satisfy her need for revenge. It was like a drug. The more you got, the more you wanted. One had to only look at the White Fang to see that.

Yang lowered her fist. She had to draw the line somewhere. This would have to be enough.

However, just because Yang wasn't going to kill Adam, it didn't mean she had to forgive him.

Yang waited just long enough for Adam to start to relax. Then her hand shot out and she grabbed him by the hair. She pulled hard enough on his head to strain his spine. She wanted him to know that she could rip his head clean off if she was so inclined.

Adam gurgled in pain, but Yang didn't let up. She leaned in close, and with enough menace in her voice to make even Cinder afraid, she whispered, "If you ever threaten Blake, my friends, my family, or anyone else ever again, we'll be coming back for you. And next time I'll make sure you die by pieces. I think I'll start with your arm. Do you understand?"

Adam didn't answer. Yang pulled even harder and said, "Do. You. Understand?"

"I…I understand!" Adam choked out.

"Good," Yang said. She pulled back, shifted her grip, and slammed Adams' face into the crown of her head with concussive force.

Adam was unconscious in a heartbeat. His head whipped back, spraying blood from his broken nose, and then rolled limply onto its side.

Yang took a step back. Her hair's glow faded and her eyes shifted back to their lilac color. She was suddenly very tired. She stumbled to the ground, breathing heavily. It was finally over.

The reinforcements Winter had called for eventually came, and the Atlesian military had showed up in force. Soldiers were busy extracting Adam from his icy prison so they could move him to a more permanent one. Medics were attending to Winter and the many other casualties that had happened before Team RWBY had showed up.

Weiss was hovering over her sister, much to the annoyance of the medics who were attending to her. Blake was advising some of the soldiers about Adam's semblance and how they needed to take the utmost caution in containing him. And Ruby had cornered some poor officer and was gesturing wildly as she enthusiastically described every last moment of Team RWBY's fight with Adam.

Yang watched the scene quietly. Her whole body ached, but it was a good kind of ache, like the one she got at the end of a really satisfying workout. She felt light and free like she hadn't in a very long time.

Blake finally finished up with the soldiers and made her way to Yang. As she approached, Yang smiled at her and said, "I'm proud of you, Blakey."

"Me?" Blake asked.

"Yeah! All that stuff you said to Adam? It gave me chills!" Yang said. "I'm glad you finally realized it."

"I guess you're rubbing off on me," Blake said.

"Well, I'm hoping to do a lot more rubbing off on you in the future." Yang winked suggestively.

Blake tried to suppress a laugh, but she couldn't. She said, "You're incorrigible."

"You know you love it," Yang said.

"I guess I must if I'm dating you," Blake said. Then she added, "I'm…sorry about your arm. Again."

Yang looked at her stump. The sight of it didn't bother her at all. She said, "It's alright."

"It is?" Blake asked, surprised.

"Don't get me wrong," Yang said. "I want my robo-arm back. But it's not what makes me me, you know?"

Blake beamed. "I'm proud of you too then."

Weiss walked up, holding Yang's mangled prosthetic in her hand. She said, "Winter is going to be okay. Thank you both so much. Ruby too."

"No problem. We're teammates after all," Yang said. "Besides, I figure it's the least I can do after all you did for me."

Weiss held up Yang's artificial arm. "I imagine you're expecting me to pay to have this repaired."

"No way," Yang said. "I expect your dad to pay. I think saving his daughter's life is worth at least that much."

A smile slowly crept onto Weiss's face. "I like the way you think."

Ruby suddenly zoomed in, sending rose petal scattering everywhere. "Yang! That was so cool! You were like rawr and then blam and then nope and then pow! It was awesome!"

"I guess I was pretty awesome," Yang said, puffing her chest out. "But so were all of you."

Blake said, "None of us could have done it alone."

"Ah yeah!" Ruby cheered. "We are now officially the youngest huntresses to singlehandedly bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the people of Remnant!"

"I think it's a little early to declare the White Fang defeated," Weiss said.

"Ah come on, Weiss," Ruby whined. "After a fight with their leader like that?"

Suddenly Yang's eyes lit up. She said in a singsong voice, "You know girls, I'll say this about the fight…."

Ruby said, "Oh no."

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "Please don't."

Yang waggled her stump and said, "It was really…disarming! Eh? Anybody?"

A chorus of groans filled the air. Ruby buried her face in her hands and Weiss shook her head.

Yang looked at Blake. Blake was trying very, very hard not to smile, but it was too late. Yang already knew that she'd thought it was funny, at least a little. Blake said, "I can't believe I love you sometimes."

Yang grinned. She grabbed Blake and pulled her into a kiss. Blake resisted at first—there were hundreds of people around them after all—but she soon relented and let herself melt into Yang.

Yang broke the kiss. She looked into Blake's eyes and said, "I love you too, girlfriend. Now what do you say tonight you and me go out on a first date?"

"That would be wonderful," Blake said.

Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this story. And a special thank you to everyone who left a comment. (Yes, everyone.) You guys made my first effort in the world of fan fiction a fun and interesting one. It's been quite a ride, and I'm glad I took it.

I'm looking forward to and dreading the actual resolution to Yang's plot in Volume 4. If they handle it right and give it a proper payoff, it's going to be epic. If they don't…. Well, let's not think about that right now.

My pick of Winter as the Winter Maiden may seem a little too obvious, but let's consider that the current Fall Maiden is one Cinder Fall. RWBY is many things, but subtle is not one of them.

I'm a big fan of Neo being actually mute. I'm also a big fan of Neo been just a sassy as she looks. I think Neo as I wrote her in this chapter needs to be about 25% more sassy, but I guess I'll just have to live with that. I'd actually like to see Neo working against Cinder in Volume 4 for the reasons I gave in the chapter. That could lead to some hilariously awkward team-ups.

Speaking of Neo, I wasn't able to format Yang and Neo's text message conversation the way I wanted to. (And this site was especially uncooperative.) Hopefully it's still clear who was saying what. Yang's rather abbreviated style of texting really gave my spellchecker fits. Then again, it gets mad every time I capitalize Winter's name.

It was fun coming up with new team attacks for the final battle. What did you guys think of them? And while I'm on the topic, I use a tumlr blog called rwbyships as my "official" source for RWBY ship names. It lists Ruby/Blake/Yang as Pearl Jamming, which is what I used for their team attack name, but I can't for the life of me figure out how they came up with that name. Do any of you know?

Well that's all from me for now. I'm going to take some time off and recharge my batteries. But don't worry, I'll be back. I've got ideas for some one-shots and some longer series. I'll have to see what piques my interest.

Thank you all once again. I'll see you guys in Volume 4!

Constructive criticism is always welcome so please feel free to review or comment. If you want to be notified of updates or send me a message, you can find me on tumblr under the name electronicyarn.