Much about you had changed in the nine months you'd spent at Beacon. The difference between the person you were then and the person you had become was as sharp a contrast as night and day. Perhaps one of the most noticeable differences though, to you at least, was how much your sleep schedule had shifted. You used to rise before the sun and spend the first few hours of everyday training in one of the many Sun Zhang temples. Even during your early days at Beacon, you would be up hours before even the staff, working on your endurance and keeping your skills sharp. All that had changed when you met Yang. Or rather, after she had stolen your bamboo sleeping roll and forced a bed upon you. It had been the best rest of your life, the soft mattress delivering you into a sleep so deep you slept past your alarm. Perhaps this was why disciples of Sun Zhang weren't afforded the comforts of mattresses, instead given only wooden sticks upon which to sleep. Now that you thought about it, you never did find out what Yang did with your bamboo roll. Regardless, all this to say that over the past month during which you had resumed your training at Sun Zhang, your body was not properly acclimated to the demanding schedule the Grandmasters kept. This was quickly rectified however, and as a result, you found yourself awake before the first traces of day.

You slipped out from beneath the blankets, carefully as to not disturb your girlfriend, and slipped on your clothes. The Council could only teach you so much in the month they had, there was still much work to be done, refining the lessons they had imparted on your own. You placed a soft kiss in Yang's hair and took a moment to admire her soft features as she smiled in her sleep. Silently taking your leave, you stepped into the hallway and closed the door softly behind you. Your hand was on the railing, foot hovering over the first of the stairsteps, when something caught your eye.

Ruby's bedroom door. It had been left ajar. Quite unusual for the little flower to be so careless. In the past, she had always ensured her door was secure, as to not let Zwei escape and wreak havoc on the household whilst everyone else was still sleeping. You walked back down the hall, hand on the nob and about to close her door when you noticed her bed was empty. Odd. You had never known Ruby to be an early riser. Where could she possibly be. Come to think of it, you hadn't seen her all of yesterday either. You had been so preoccupied reuniting with Yang, that you hadn't thought much of it. But now? Something didn't seem right. Curiosity getting the best of you, you pushed open her door and crossed the threshold into her room.

The air was stale, dust mites drifting before your eyes. You moved towards her still-made bed. No one had slept in it last night. And judging by the lack of a body indent, it had laid empty for quite some time. Several weeks at least. A quick wipe of your finger over the bedside table turned up a concerning amount of dust on your fingertip. Her closet door had been left open, mostly emptied except for a few spare garments. Crescent Rose was nowhere to be seen.

"She's gone."

You looked over your shoulder to see Tai leaning against the doorframe, his eyes looking over the room with a concerned sadness.

"Left just over three weeks ago." He told you. "Gone in the middle of the night."

"Where did she go?" You asked.

"Mistral." He said quietly. "Off to do something incredibly stupid. And selfless."

Walking past you, he opened one of the drawers in her desk and pulled out a small piece of paper.

"She left this, if you'd like to read it."

You silently took the letter from Tai and, smoothing out the wrinkles, began to read.

Dad,

I'm sorry to do this to you and Yang, but I have to leave. The things that happened at Beacon are just the beginning, and I can't just sit around while more innocent people get hurt. Not when I know I could be doing something to help them. Whatever's happening, Mistral is next. I can't tell you everything about what's going on. Mostly because I don't know myself. But what I do know is that I won't let what happened to Beacon happen to Haven. I have to do something. So, I am. But don't worry, I'm not doing it alone. I have my friends with me. Jaune and Nora and Ren. We'll keep each other safe. See you soon.

Ruby

You stared at the note for a few seconds after finishing, then handed it back to Tai.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Ruby?" You asked yourself.

"I wish I knew." Tai said. "I wish she would have talked to me. That I could have tracked her down and forced her to come back home. But..."

"Yang." You said, already knowing what he was about to say. "You have to make sure she's okay."

"Yeah." He sighed.

"And is she?"

"To be honest, (F/N), I don't really know. She doesn't seem to want to talk to me. Or anyone for that matter. But maybe she'll open up to you."

"I hope."

"You and me both." He said. "I should apologize." He added after a pause. "To you. I'm relieved that you're okay, given everything that happened, but if I'm being honest, the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw you yesterday wasn't relief over your wellbeing, but a hope that with you back, taking care of Yang, I might be able to go after Ruby."

"It's alright." You said. "I understand. You're just worried about your daughter. So am I. And, if you feel you need to after her, I'll make sure Yang gets back on her feet."

"I appreciate the offer. But I can't." Tai said, shaking his head. "Even with you here, Yang still needs all the help she can get. I just, I have to be one-hundred percent certain that she's okay."

"You and me both." You said, echoing his earlier sentiment.

"Until then, Qrow said he'd keep an eye out for Ruby."

Both of you looked over at the sound of the door creaking open. Yang stood there in her night wear, rubbing her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"(F/N)?" She asked quietly. "Dad? What are you two doing in Ruby's room?"

"We were just talking sweety." Tai answered, moving closer to his daughter. "Go back to sleep."

Yang shook her head and walked towards you, wrapping her arms around your torso and sinking her weight into your chest.

"Come back to bed." She said.

"Sorry gorgeous." You said, sitting the both of you on the edge of Ruby's bed. "Duty calls. It's time I get back to training."

"You're not leaving again, are you?" She asked fearfully, her hold on you tightening

"No. Never." You assured, stroking her hair. "But I can't spend all day in bed. As much as I'd like to."

"But I..."

"Hey Yang, honey." Tai said, sitting on the other side of Yang. "Why don't you go back to bed and I'll bring you some hot chocolate. Let's let your boyfriend start his day, huh?"

"But I don't want him to go." She whispered; her face buried in your chest. "Don't go. Like Weiss and Blake and Pyrrha."

"What happened to Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha?"

Yang didn't answer, but you could feel the hotness of fresh tears rolling down your bare chest.

"Well, Weiss' father had her escorted back to Atlas." Tai answered for his daughter. "And no one's heard from Blake since Beacon fell. As for Miss Nikos," he paused, "I, uh, well... there's no easy way to say this, but I'm afraid she... she didn't make it."

You suddenly felt your body become very cold and your stomach twisted into a series of uncomfortable knots.

"Didn't... make it?" You asked. "You mean she... she's..."

"I'm sorry." Tai said. "I know you two were friends."

Friends. It didn't seem like the right word. Pyrrha wasn't just a friend. She was family. All your teammates were. Jaune and Ren, the brothers you never had. And Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Nora, and Pyrrha, your sisters. And Yang. They were the family you never had. The one you weren't allowed to have growing up at Sun Zhang. And to discover so abruptly that one of your family was now gone, that you would never see her again. You could still remember the first time you'd spoken. During initiation, she and Jaune had interrupted your meditation in the Emerald Forest. Your sparring match with her just a few days later was one of the best matches of your life. She told you she knew you could have easily bested her, and at the time you had still been too prideful and arrogant to admit it had been closer than she had thought. To think you'd never see her smile again or hear her voice. It felt like a part of you was missing.

"Yeah." You said shakily, a tear falling down your cheek. "We were."

You unconsciously tightened your hold around Yang's shoulders, holding her close to your beating heart. Tai placed a hand on Yang's head, softly rubbing her hair. And then entered Zwei, feeling left out, and he hopped up onto Tai's lap and curled up into a ball, rumbling in content as Tai scratched his ears.