The Games We Play

Chapter 173: Homecoming

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryuugi. This has been pulled from his Spacebattles publishment at threads/rwby-the-gamer-the-games-we-play-disk-five.341621/. Anyway on with the show...err read.

Homecoming

I stepped out of the portal and let my senses expand at once. I'd checked it out as best I could from the other side, but when it came to dropping into an unknown location, I figured it was best to be cautious. For that same reason, I went through under an illusion of invisibility, ready to retreat back through the gateway behind me and plunge us back into Naraka at the first sign of trouble.

Normally, I'd do my preliminary investigation of an area inside of Naraka to at least get the lay of the land, but this was a special occasion. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was looking for and it probably wouldn't be visible from within Naraka anyway, so checking things out that way didn't accomplish much. Worse, while I was in Naraka, nobody in this world could see me, but I couldn't see them either, which made breaking it in an unknown location risky.

For that reason, I asked Raven to make a portal about a kilometer from our chosen location to allow me a chance for reconnaissance. As both Raven and I were firm believers in caution, she did so without question or protest, and here I was. I searched my surroundings carefully and found nothing of note except for a few Grimm that I reached out and killed Psychokinetically. I waited for a moment to see if there would be any reaction nearby or if I'd triggered anything, but when I found nothing I leapt up to the tallest tree nearby and held still, holding my illusion of absence around me. After another few moments of observation, I leapt down.

"Clear," I said and waited as my team followed me through the portal, with Raven making her way through last. She held it for a moment to check her surroundings for herself and then shut it behind her, quirking an eyebrow at me as she did so.

"How did it look?" She asked.

I held up a hand, conjuring an illusion of a house above it. Giving her a moment to identify it and nod to confirm it was the right locationnot that I'd had any doubt given what was insideI cut away the front of the house, revealing the inside. There was a pair of men in the living, sitting around a table with several drinks as the television played in the background.

"They're the only ones in the house," I stated. "Ruby and Yang are at Beacon, I'm guessing."

Raven turned her head slightly and her gaze went distant for several seconds before she nodded in confirmation. She probably had her daughter's location on metaphorical speed dial.

"They're accounted for," She replied, glancing at the illusion again before quickly looking away. "Those are Taiyang and Qrow."

I nodded as if I hadn't known that already, because explaining how I perceived the world would take forever and I didn't want to. Nonetheless, their names were hanging above their heads. In fact, that was pretty much the only thing I could see from either of them.

?

LV ?

Taiyang Xiaolong

?

LV ?

Qrow Branwen

"They're uninfected," I told her, having checked both over thoroughly. When it came to people whose levels were at least a hundred and fortyand good God but Raven's former team was powerfulI wanted to be extra sure they weren't being controlled.

Raven relaxed slightly at the words, sighing quietlyand at the same time, I could tell that she was worried, even pained. She was glad that they were safe but I was pretty sure she was happy to so far from the house. I knew how she was feeling and not just because I was an empath; it was a hell of a thing looking at what you'd left behind. Her former team, her ex-husband and brother, the house she could have had and raised her daughter inthat was the type of thing that could hurt anyone. And the fact that she'd walked away from it all of her own free will and because of extenuating circumstances didn't really help.

I would know. I'd committed patricide with the very sword my father had handed down to me. The fact that it wasn't my fault and that I'd done everything I could didn't keep that from being a kick in the balls whenever I thought of it.

But we were both professionals.

"That's good," Raven replied, all business. "Is it safe to approach?"

I expanded the illusion to cover the surrounding buildings and streets, marking the locations of everyone in the vicinity. Not just the humans, either; I was careful to note the positions of all the cats and dogs nearby, because, really, if I'd done all this to avoid notice and we were somehow given away by someone barking, I'd just be humiliated. Not that it was particularly likely with all the measures I took to prevent detection, but still.

"These positions should be clear," I answered, marking several positions on the map with brightly glowing dots. "If Summer infected Ruby, then she should have done so near or within the house. If there are any traces left, they're likely nearby as well, so shall we start from the house and expand outwards?"

Raven nodded.

"That one," She said, pointing towards the fourth dot from the house. "Is that close enough for you to do what you need? If possible, I'd like to avoid getting too close. Qrow and Taiyang are not to be underestimated."

Given that she would know, I nodded without arguing and glanced towards by team.

"Adam, you and Gou hold position here," I ordered. "I'll keep an eye out for any threats and we'll fall back here if anything happens. Autumn, just stay close to me, okay? And if you feel drawn to anything you see, point it out?"

"You couldn't have dropped us at a bar, huh?" Adam complained.

"In fairness, I do not believe I would be allowed in such a place," Gou put in.

"Are you kidding?" Adam asked, tone incredulous. "You're the size of a truck and you can hit building size in a few seconds. You could call any bar in Vale and say 'This is Tiangou speaking. I'm gonna swing by in a few minutes and you better have all your booze ready for me when I get there' and they'd do it."

Gou's mouth dropped open in a massive doggy grin and he snorted a quick breath.

"That would be rather impolite," He told Adam. "Besides which, I think it would take a rather significant amount of alcohol to affect me."

"That's why I said all the booze," Adam answered.

Raven didn't quite roll her eyes at her son, but it was a near thing.

"Be good," She told Adam, causing him to sigh and nod. Then she opened another doorway to a roof down the street from the house and the three of us walked through and crouched down. With the way the roof was sloped and the dormer window that stuck out of it, it was unlikely anyone would have seen us even if I hadn't made us silent and invisible, but no need to tempt fate.

"Keter," I murmured. "Check around and see if you can find anything odd."

There was no reply and Keter didn't bother returning to visibility, but I felt him take flight and rise high into the air. He probably wanted to get high enough to view the whole island and see if anything stood outI'd have done the same if I knew what I was looking for and could see it from that range. While he busied himself with that, however, I focused my attention on the house again, taking advantage of the fact that I was far closer and that there was less in the way. Between my hands, I formed another illusion, displaying the interior and exterior of the house piece by piece to see if Autumn responded to any of it. All the while, I kept track of Qrow and Taiyang, but largely in my periphery, making sure they didn't move or do anything troublesome.

After several minutes without getting any reaction, however, I turned the illusion towards the living room again, displaying the two men within, as well as the many picture frames. Many were of Ruby and Yang as they grew up, often with Taiyang or Qrow but sometimes with a white cloaked woman that could only have been Summer.

I didn't find any pictures of Raven there, howeverbut then, she'd probably left before then. I thought the absence would be a touch glaring, but Raven didn't react to it, busy alternating between trying not to stare at the pictures and gazing at them outright. Autumn patiently looked at each and every picture, but while a few would briefly catch her interest, probably for the sheer novelty of a bunch of unknown humans, none caused any real reaction.

Disappointing, but not particularly surprising. I held the illusion on that spot for a while, searching the area again, but I didn't find any conveniently glowing object, anything with a level above its head that normally shouldn't have one, nor any odd markings. I wasn't certain what I was looking for, but I couldn't seem to find it.

Perhaps I should ask for Bianca's help. If her power worked the way I thought it did, she might have an easier time of this then me. If Keter didn't find anything, it might be a good idea to introduce Raven to herI didn't want to draw my sisters into anything dangerous if I could avoid it, but if it was just surveillance

Raven shifted suddenly, eyes flicking from me to the illusion and back again.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" She asked and I nodded, understanding why she was asking after listening for a moment. No point in making her lip-read and she obviously didn't want to open a portal too close to either of them.

"Ozpin said Ruby and Yang are doing fine," Qrow said. "He says Ruby's taking to the role of leader quite nicely."

"My little girl, already leading her own team," Taiyang answered, sounding almost tearful. "I was worried she'd have trouble coming out of her shell, but I shouldn't have doubteddid you know she got into Beacon two years early?"

"I was the first one to tell you, so yes," Qrow answered calmly. "You'll be happy to know there are no boys on her team, so you can stop worrying."

"I was never worried," Taiyang assured him. "If there had been, I would have just had to kill them. That's hardly a problem."

"That's kind of rich coming from the guy who married both women on his team," Qrow noted acerbically.

"Yeah, about thatI hope you didn't feel left out, Qrow," Taiyang replied. "If it makes you feel any better, I've always kind of thought of you as my third wife."

"Go screw yourself," Qrow answered, rolling his eyes.

"I mean, you helped me raise my kids," He continued heedlessly. "You taught Ruby how to use a scythe. I get to make you pick up food when I'm feeling lazy"

"You said you were sick!"

"I was sick," Taiyang stated. "I was so lazy I couldn't even make food for myself. I probably would have died."

"You bastard," Qrow clicked his tongue.

"But seriously, you practically live here anyway," Taiyang continued. "I'm still not sure why you didn't just accept my offer to come live with us."

"Because one, there was no way in hell I was going to live in the same house as you while you were having sex with my sister," Qrow answered firmly. "And two, you would have made me do all sorts of shit."

"That is true," Taiyang admitted. "In fairness, I had permission. Raven said very clearly that I could make you do shit while we were busy. I fully intended to annoy the hell out of me. But it's as if you avoided that by living elsewhere, now did you?"

"Did you take that job at Signal just to bother me?" Qrow asked.

"Maybe," Taiyang drew out, smiling widely. "I did or I didn't. But seriously, the two of us have to stick together now, right?"

"I had a dream that you followed me to hell once," Qrow stated, shaking his head. "That's how I knew it was hell."

"I was probably there to rescue you," He mused. "I always seem to have to rescue you."

"That is not the case," Qrow answered flatly.

"Yeah?" Taiyang wondered. "Because I remember carrying you out of the Emerald Forest after initiation. I think there's a picture of it somewhere. Hell, actually, I know there's a picture of it somewhere, because Raven took it."

"I was unconscious, because I exhausted myself saving the day," Qrow claimed.

"I don't remember that," Taiyang murmured, grin widening. "In fact, I remember"

Qrow lifted a hand, abruptly frowning and the smile faded from Taiyang's face at the same time.

"We're definitely being watched," Qrow whispered.

"Where?" Taiyang said back just as quietly.

"Follow my lead," He replied and the two of them stood as one.

The smile that had been slowly creeping onto my face abruptly faded and I tensed. Until that point, I'd been thinking that the two of them sounded like Adam and I and had been amused by their banter, but

"Code?" I asked, the surprise obvious in my voiceand that, more than anything, made me worried. While I'd admittedly been distracted scanning the surrounding area, I'd still been paying a fair amount of attention, but I hadn't felt anything from either of them. With my senses, my Empathy especially, I should have caught on if either of them had been worried or suspicious, but if there'd been anything of the sort, it had been to light and brief to draw my notice.

Which was saying a hell of a lot. Most molecules couldn't do that. Which meant they'd sensed our presence, filed it away, and not only hadn't given it away by reacting, but hadn't even felt a flash of doubt, worry, or fear. They'd remained as calm then as they were now, smoothly transitioning into motion without so much as increasing their heart beats. If anything, their presence felttranquil.

"I told you not to underestimate them," Raven said, though the sudden widening of her eyes kept it from having too much bite. Even so, she nodded in answer to my question, letting a hand fall to her sword as she did.

"My mistake," I apologized truthfully. I hadn't thought I was underestimating them, but the simple fact that I'd been noticed spoke for itself. Even as I moved to follow Raven's lead, my mind raced as I tried to figure out where I'd made a mistake. Had we simply gotten too close? It was possible. All Hunters had something of a sixth sensewhat my power registered as Sense Danger, Detect Bloodthirst, and other such thingsthat alerted them to danger and could tell them if they were being watched.

In truth, it was something similar to echolocation, allowing one to sense their surrounding with their Aura. It could alert you to the presence of things and even read targets to a certain extent, both in terms of body language and the state of another Aura, when it was applicable. If something acted aggressively, it could trigger a reaction in a trained Hunter, but while doing that from a block away wasn't particularly unfeasible, neither Raven nor I had any particular hostility towards them. No, if they'd sensed us that way, then they must be reacting to our proximity and attention. They'd actually noticed something wrong simply because we'd been watching them from down the street?

Or maybe even before that. If that entire conversation had been coded, then maybe they'd even detected me spying on them from a distance, though that seemed unlikely. Either way, it didn't matter right now, we had to react quickly and intelligently, which meant keeping a cool head, the same as they were doing now. They'd given away the fact that they knew we were there, but why bother giving away such an advantage. Granted, they probably knew that any onlookers would be suspicious if they suddenly left the house and started looking around, but if they wanted to catch us, every second would count and even a moment of confusion could be of help. If they wanted to find us

Ah.

I reached out and caught Raven by the hand before she could do anything. She frozen instantly and I feared for a moment that I'd overstepped my bounds, but after a moment exhaled and relaxed.

"They're trying to make react," She realized, giving me a nod as I let her go. "My apologies."

"No need," I assured her, lifting my left hand to Autumn'slet's call it a shoulder. She hadn't reacted visibly to the sudden change in atmosphere, but I wasn't sure how much of the situation she understood or cared about. At the same time, I also lifted my free hand and held it up as if to forestall action. "I must admit, I was fairly surprised myself. But it's obvious they want to narrow down their search by causing us to move and give ourselves away. Do you have any idea what they were saying?"

Raven hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"They've changed it," She said. "I thought something might be wrong when they started acting like they were kids again, butit's been a long time and it seems they've changed their code as well. Ididn't understand what they were saying."

She sounded saddened by that, by the fact that she was no longer able to grasp what had probably once been familiarbut also seemed resigned to it, as if it were inevitable. Which I supposed it probably was, after over a decade.

"Do not worry," I replied. "I was merely curious. In the end, we aren't here to eavesdrop on them."

"True," She agreed. "Shall we withdraw then? It's possible they might notice, but if you conceal my portal, it shouldn't make a difference."

I hummed slightly, considering it even as I watched the two men. They're left the house with brisk, purposeful strides that helped conceal the fact that they didn't have any destination in mind. If they knew where we are and were in a hurry, they would have moved far more quickly, but instead they were hardly more than walking.

"No," I answered after a moment, curious despite myself. "Let's stay a bit longer while Keter finishes his search. Should anything happen, it would be quicker to withdraw into Naraka regardless."

Raven took a deep breath at that and nodded, turning to watch her former teammates as well. Now that the two of them were in motion, there was no trace of the insulting camaraderie that had reminded me of Adam and I; without changing in the slightest, it was still as if I were looking at different people. Their expressions were blank, alert, and professional and they moved without exchanging a word, first circling the house and then meeting up again by hoping onto the roof.

By that point, Qrow and Taiyang had already donned their respective weapons, which reminded me of Ruby and Yang's, if Ruby and Yang had possessed a far larger budget and been less conservative. Qrow's High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe had been built for rapid fire, something that demanded the user be able to adjust quickly. The blade of the Scythe had a mechanism thatwell, quite frankly, it reminded me of a chainsaw. As for Taiyang's Dual Ranged Shot Gauntlets, they were built to fire multiple shots simultaneously and had a rapid-fire feature. Both men had a fair number of different Dust rounds stored on their person, preparing them for a variety of different situations.

But they still didn't know where we were. I kept up the illusion of invisibility and controlled the air around us to mask both sound and scent. With a thought, I brought my Aura under control and then stretched it over Autumn and Raven carefully, trying to hide them as well. It was hard, like washing out their presence with my own at the same time I tried to be invisible, and I wasn't certain how well I did, but

Well, that was one of the reasons I wanted to stay for a bit longer. Would they be able to find me without relying on any of their physical senses? If they came close, I'd immediately withdraw into Naraka, but I'd like to know where my weaknesses lie. If they could find me, then others could to, and I'd rather learn that no then in an actual life or death situation.

Several seconds passed without anything happening before Taiyang twitched. I knew why his act was falteringit was really hard to keep an act going when someone called your bluff and there was nothing you could do about it. He shifted slightly, elbow bumping Qrow's and the two men moved again, leaping a roof closer to us. Raven's heart beat picked up slightly at that, but, I kept ahold of her Aura and she didn't otherwise react.

At that point, Qrow and Taiyang exchanged a glance and I could tell they were grudgingly impressed. Taiyang lifted a finger and Qrow replied by raising three, making him frown. He lifted his other hand and splayed all five fingers before dropping them one by one and Qrow nodded. The two men jumped again, drawing nearer to us in the process, before pausing and doing so again until they were on the roof with us, at which point they stopped and exchanged another glance.

"We know you're here," Taiyang said at last. "Why were you spying on us?"

I didn't answer, though if Keter hadn't been active, I'd have probably had to struggle to keep from making Levant create a directionless laugh, just to unnerve them. As it was, I could still manipulate the Elements, but my Elementals themselves were gone, making it more difficult. Instead, I just kept us silent and concealed.

Taiyang heaved a long sigh and gave Qrow a helpless look and shrug.

"Well, I guess there's nothing we can do," He said at last, walking easily across the rooftop until he stood atop the dormer window. He took one more look around, turned away, and

Qrow moved. Though he'd been standing farther from us than Taiyang, he drew with a speed that impressed even me, all but appearing right above us. The head of his scythe drew back into a shape more suited for harvesting, and he swung it as fast as anyone I've ever meet, even though he barely seemed to be trying. Raven's hand snapped down to her sword at once and began to draw it to block, but I moved faster, sensing the attack coming.

Bai Hu's Five Hundred Years (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00% HP: 5000 MP: 5000

The life of the White Tiger. Born in an age of chaos and war and honed by a lifetime of fighting, the great Bai Hu rose to rule as a King of Beasts and the Lord of the West. Born from endless effort and repetition, this is his penultimate technique, pushed to the limits of its power

2500% Increase to Physical Attack Damage.

2500% Increase to Attack Speed.

2500% Increase to Movement Speed.

Additional 5000 HP used per minute.

Additional 5000 MP used per minute.

Reaching out with one hand to grasp Autumn and the other to grab Raven, I lifted each of them with and drew back pair of steps, striding up the rooftop. I had to control not only my motion but the very air around me, guiding its passage even as I kept it from igniting from the friction. At the same time, I hardened it beneath my feet so as to keep from shattering the rooftop, and then Shed a skin to drop to the ground below.

Just as I was about to go the final step and transport us all to Naraka, however, Raven stopped me, laying a hand over the one I held at her waist. For a brief moment, I worried that I'd offended her, but I dismissed it just as quicklystuff like that didn't matter in situations like this and we both knew it. Instead, I met her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

She nodded up towards the rooftops without saying a word and I followed her gaze, understanding after a second. Taiyang looked abruptly tired, as if he'd suddenly aged several years, and his face was briefly drawn in a pained expression.

"For a moment, I thought" Taiyang began after a moment of silence before trailing off, shaking his head. "Nevermind."

"No," Qrow replied. "I sensed her, too. She was here."

"But" Taiyang didn't seem to know what to say next and instead simply closed his eyes. "I guess I'd hoped for something else."

"Mhm," Qrow hummed in agreement, tone and expression devoid of the faked joviality from before. "But we both know how you are, sis."

Raven looked pained again, but though the two men above us held still and waited, she didn't say a word.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "For interrupting."

She looked down at the hand on her sword, blade half-drawn from its sheath, and shook her head.

"No," She said quietly. "Thank you. Qrow and I, we always used to play around like this. Even now, my first instinct was to draw my sword. Butif I had"

Then they'd have faced each other. They'd have seen one another, met, and spoken. She didn't say it, but I understood how she felt in a way. But at the same time

I thought about my father and our last words. I wonder if she'd said anything to her brother and husband before she left or if she'd simply vanished.

"If you say something, they'll hear you," I said. "I can reveal us, as wellor if you prefer, I can carry a message to them from a distance. If there's anything you wish to tell them, I will ensure that they hear."

Raven smiled at that, grateful, but shook her head.

"Thank you," She said. "But not today. We have other matter to deal with regardless."

I nodded once and looked up at the sky.

"Have you found anything yet, Keter?" I asked aloud, so Raven wouldn't be excluded. I wasn't opposed to talking to myself, but it seemed rude not to let my friends in on the conversation.

"Perhaps," Keter answered, suddenly in front of me. Raven jerked slightly in my arms and I remembered belatedly to let her go. "Follow me."