Yang now understood why the phrase sweating bullets had been invented.
Her mouth was full of salt and iron, blood burning copper red. The air was rank with gunpowder even though Ember Celica hadn't fired a single shot, but the sweat soaking through the inside of her gauntlets left behind the sharp tang. It was like breathing fire, streaks of gold and black dancing across her vision as she dodged again and again, skin flushed from the strain as every muscle in her body screamed for mercy.
Not yet.
Darkness lunged forward and Yang lashed out, driving her fist square into Blake's face. A split second before it made impact, she knew she had made a mistake and tried to punch a shadow; the phantoms gave off no heat or breath. When the blow sliced through air, there was too much momentum for a clean retreat, and Blake's knuckles promptly tapped her right between the eyes. It was a brush of contact, barely enough to feel, and Yang swallowed a hard knot of frustration, tension dropping into the pit of her stomach like lead.
"Fuck, Blake." Her throat was raw, voice cracking. They hadn't taken a break for water since this had started. "You have to really hit me or it's not gonna take."
The edges of that black bow flicked in silent protest. "If I really injure you, you'll slow down."
Even more were the words that went unsaid, with them both treading so close to exhaustion. Yang fought the urge to spit, clean the bile out of her mouth that was coating her throat, her lungs.
"I have to push past it." Shifting one leg back, she settled into a defensive stance. "I have to get faster."
Despite the lines of concern that formed between dark brows, Blake nodded and then shadow-stepped back across the mat. Yang had just enough time to raise her arms and block the first punch that came before she was fending off a flurry of blows, the Faunus' fists rattling her like strikes from a hammer. Stopping had killed her rhythm and Yang staggered after each sluggish counter, jerking back when a one-two broke through her guard. The next punch went straight to her gut before another clocked her in the jaw, making the room spin. Reeling and panting for breath, she didn't even see Blake's leg move before it was hooked around her ankle and a sharp tug sent her crashing to the floor.
Swallowing a jolt of panic when her back hit the mat, Yang scrambled to put some distance between them, palms scraping old canvas. Pain lanced through her skull when it struck the wall from behind, tears springing to the corners of both eyes as a red haze ebbed and flowed through her line of sight.
"Hit me!" Yang shouted; spots danced, black dotted with crimson, and Blake was right in front of her again. "Fucking hit me. Get it over with."
The silence that came in turn was too much to bear. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she started to sob, every choked sound torn out like a chunk of flesh. "Just kill me already."
"Yang." A pair of fingers brushed bangs stiff with sweat away from her face. "Is that what you've been having nightmares about?"
Closing her eyes for a moment was all it took to see that merciless wink of silver bouncing through an empty pink stare, hard and mocking. No matter how quickly she struck or dodged, Neo was there a second faster, untouchable as Blake's shadows but doling out hits that left her entire body weak. Her Semblance hadn't even fired, its pathetic sparks swallowed every time Neo's parasol struck, chastising her like an unruly child.
"You're bleeding." As soon as Blake spoke, Yang felt a fat drop of blood roll down from her nose. Whether it was from strain or a delayed reaction to a punch, she wasn't sure, but the response from her Aura was a mere flicker. "I'm going to get a towel, okay? I'll be right back."
Yang managed a nod, keeping a tight grip around her knees.
The color in the room had dulled by the time Blake returned, no longer awash in red. A wet cloth was swiped across her face, each pass gentle until dribbles of pink bled through the pale cotton. Then the towel was folded and pressed against her brow, the cool weight an immediate relief. Yang sniffled and gulped down a couple of quick breaths, trying to force the tension back out of her chest.
"I told you about when I took Ruby to find my mom, yeah?" Blake nodded, keeping the cloth against her head. "Right when I saw those Grimm in the barn, I thought, wow am I going to die? I was too young to be as scared as I should have been, I think. It was almost like a sense of…wonder."
"Then Qrow came." Blake said.
"Right. And in all the years after, no matter what trouble I got into, I never felt anything like that against — not until her." Yang's jaw clenched, knowing she had to force the name out. "When Neo knocked me down, I felt myself passing out and I've never been so afraid in all my life. My eyes were closing and I saw her smile. She didn't have to say a word because I knew she was going to tear me apart and like it. When I woke up, I thought I was seeing things, but now I can't sleep at night without seeing her stare at me with that fucking smile plastered on her face."
Guilt spread across Blake's face like wildfire, and Yang couldn't stand to look. "We should have stayed with you."
"I should have been able to take her down myself." Yang snapped, low and bitter.
"No. Hey." Calloused fingers gripped her chin, tilting it up until they were looking into each other's eyes. Calm gold, never-changing. "Whatever Neo's packing, it's going to take more than one of us to get her for good. She makes Roman look like a schoolyard bully."
Shaking her head, Yang grimaced. "I said that you wouldn't be able to take him out and you did it in one shot."
"Because I had Weiss' Dust." Blake insisted. "Without her help, I wouldn't have had the element of surprise."
For a moment Yang stayed quiet, simply breathing as the words sank in. Then a faint smile tugged at the edge of her mouth, blossoming into a laugh. It hurt her lungs, but she needed it. By the time she recovered, Blake was giving her a wary look, and Yang realized that if she didn't explain the joke, it would probably seem like she had cracked.
"The element of surprise, Blake? Fire, ice, and all that? Wow."
A few seconds ticked by before the Faunus' eyes widened, failing to stifle an indignified snort immediately afterwards. "That's awful. You're awful."
"I know you keep me around for the high-class comedy, babe." Slumping back against the wall, Yang started to stretch out her legs.
"If you're good enough to joke, I think you can manage a shower." Blake stood up straight and then offered a hand. "Together, if you like."
She raised a brow. "Together-together?"
"As long as you promise to scrub my back." A firm tug brought Yang to her feet, their fingers tightly linked. "We can talk more too. I think you need it."
"You're not mad I didn't say anything before?" Yang asked, a bit sheepish.
"Considering what I hid from you?" Blake's smile was small and a touch sad. "I'm glad you trusted me enough to ask for some help and then found the right time to tell me. I missed both those marks, if we're comparing."
Although she had been steady enough to stand, Yang wobbled a little with her first few steps. Blake was quick to catch on, an arm wrapping tightly around her waist so they could walk to the showers.
"I'm still sorry." Yang murmured.
The reply was a moment in coming. "I know. We'll do better together next time, won't we?"
"Yeah."
Leaning against Blake's shoulder, Yang shuffled forward, exhausted but feeling like a thousand pounds had just fallen off her back. Neo had been a thorn in the center of her palm, agony with every twitch of movement, but that sharp thing had been pulled out. Not healed, far from it, as the wound bled and she had to breathe through the pain, but it would close with time. She had faith.