A/N: Hi guys! It's me, YandereSamantha. This is my first piece of fanfiction EVER here, so please bear with me. I've already posted this in the Warframe Forums: in the "Of Ash and Fire" Thread ( . ?/topic/74088-of-ash-and-fire-how-we-envision-our- tenno-submit-your-own/?view=findpost&p=1486961 )and in my thread, YandereSamantha's Crappy Fanart and Stuff ( . ?/topic/118849-yanderesamanthas-creepy-fanart-and- stuff-added-fanfic-sacrifices-update-fanart-on-hia tus-until-end-of-event/page-3#entry1487050 ).
This fanfic is related to the Gradivus Dilemma. I got a bit tired of grinding and decided to whip this up.
SACRIFICES
"You made the wrong decision!"
She dragged her feet as she walked away from her warlord as he roared in rage after hearing what she had done. She tried to numb herself from the harsh words spewing out of his mouth. This was proven futile. She tried her best to hold back her tears beneath her helmet, painted black like the rest of her Warframe.
"Favoring civilians over our own kin? Sacrificing our fellow Tenno? Had the Corpus brainwashed you? The Tenno only look after themselves. Us and us only," he barked, as she continued to tread quietly away from him.
She had chosen to side with the Corpus because of reasons he will never understand. If she were to support the Grineer like him, the Empire would grow stronger, possibly stronger than the Tenno themselves. Also, the Corpus are traders and merchants, while the Grineer are endless hordes of highly trained clones. The fact that the Corpus is weaker won her sympathy for them. Perhaps because she is "weak" herself? She had been anything but useful over the past few months. She always had been the weak link in a cell.
"Had you forgotten what the Grineer did to mo-" before she can finish, she was cut off.
"You will always be a disappointment. I will never consider you my daughter."
That made her froze in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder gently, and whispered, "Duibuqi, baba."
The Rhino stopped dead in his tracks when she heard her say that. She seldom used that ancient language, unlike her more-favored sister. She continued to walk until she reached her quarters. She retracted her Mag Warframe, put on some fresh clothes, and climbed up the bottom bunk. Lying down, she took out something from under her pillow. It was a portrait of her family. Her father, her long-dead mother, and her sister Xiang, who was still in cryosleep. The intel Yuna, a Nyx, gathered suggested that her cryopod is among the ones Alad V acquired in Sedna. She hurriedly slipped it back in when someone came in.
"Yanmei?" a slight Nova said. It was Misaki, her friend and confidant, peeking from the outside without her helmet on. "Misaki?" she called out, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. "Don't listen to what your father said," she said in her usual cheerful voice. "I'm sure he was just frustrated that you didn't listen to him again." Yanmei smiled and curled up and hugged her knees. "If Xiang were here instead of me, I'm sure father would have been happier..." she said, her voice broken. Misaki frowned. "Don't say that. Your father loves you. You're special, Onee-chan. You're strong and beautiful to me," she said with a reassuring smile. "Anyway," Misaki breathed, "I'm sure being weak isn't the only reason you supported Corpus." She sat down beside her and curled up to ball too. "I can see you fumble around whenever we hear his voice during our missions..."
Yanmei's eyes widened as a blush crept over her milky skin. "You... you noticed?" she said, hugging a pillow to hide her embarrassment. "Mmm-hmm." Yanmei sighed. "Damn, Misaki. You know me better than my father..." Misaki shook her head. "Yanmei, I don't think lusting after people from an enemy faction is right," she started, "Heck, that merchant Darvo whom you were seeing is nowhere to be found now." Yanmei frowned. "He was being pursued by the Stalker..." Misaki held her hands up defensively. "I know, I know! But still, if it is for your happiness, I shall not hinder you. I just hope you won't get into trouble... or hurt yourself," she said worriedly. Yanmei forced a smile. "You know I could never betray you guys, despite what father said." Misaki gave her a tight squeeze. Silence followed afterwards. "I miss Xiang..." Yanmei finally spoke. Misaki gave her a worried look. "I'm sure we can find her, Yanmei." An announcement went off and everyone got ready for sleep. Misaki retracted her frame, got dressed and climbed up the top bunk. "Good night, Yanmei-onee chan. Ignore what your father said." Yanmei peeked up and smiled. "And may you dream of that merchant and Ala-" Before Misaki could finish, a pillow landed on her face.
I will never consider you my daughter.
Those words echoed in her head. She got up and activated her Mag frame, and quietly left the room, careful not to wake Misaki up. When her father said those hurtful words, it further strengthened her resolve. Her resolve to make an even bigger sacrifice. She equipped her Shade armed herself with a Despair, a souvenir from the Stalker when she and Misaki defeated him when he assaulted them in the void, and her mother's favorite gun, a Strun, then jumped into the darkness of night. She stowed away a transport vehicle and began to track down her target: Alad V.
She had a knack for following people around. She had a knack in stalking. In only a couple of hours he located him, in his Gas City. She snuck past civilians, careful not to make a ruckus. She intruded the air vents and snuck around. Still cloaked by her Shade, she snuck around the Crewmen and finally, reached his private quarters.
He was sitting on his desk, eyeing a sample collected from a previously dissected Tenno when he sensed someone's presence. Slowly, he reached for his hand cannon, but it was too late, a slender arm wrapped around his neck and a Despair was aimed at his throat. The apparatus on his shoulders didn't help. "I don't mean any harm," a small female voice said. "I'm here to do business with you." He chuckled and held the arm, unwrapping it from his neck, and stood up. "My, you surprised me, Tenno. You know, you could have set an appointment with me instead of sneaking up behind me. You almost woke up my pet." He motioned to the robotic dog "sleeping" beside his desk. He eyed her and recognized she was one of the outnumbered Tenno who continuously worked for him during the war. "So, what brings you here in my quarters?" he asked.
She sighed and spoke. "Like I've said, I'm here to do business with you." He smiled, and motioned her to take a seat. "I'm listening." Yanmei hung her head low and said, "I would like to do a trade. I will give you my Despair and my Warframe." His eyes widened upon hearing this. A sly smile crept over his face. "I can see the Corpus in you, Tenno. I'll be sure to pay you a hefty amount." Yanmei shook her head. "I'm not asking for credits. In exchange for my offer, let me pick a cryopod and free the Tenno inside it." Alad V chuckled at this. Yanmei eyed him and sighed. She came over him, her helmet dangerously close to his face. "If you let me do so, I'll also give myself to you. You're free to do anything." Alad's face was straight this time, then he smiled. That smile made her blush under her helmet, and she was taken aback. "I was referring to my freedom, of course."
Alad chortled and offered his hand. She extended her hand out and he shook it. "You have yourself a deal, Tenno. Come with me." He led her out the room, and summoned around ten Crewmen should she try something. He led her to a room full of sleeping Tenno. She frantically searched for her sister's cryopod until she found a cryopod being carried by Crewmen. She rushed over and yelled the word stop. The Crewmen were about to put the cryopod down and reach for their weapons when Alad V motioned them to stop. He told them about their deal and the Crewmen placed the cryopod in a private room. She entered and released the Tenno from the pod, making a hissing sound and the room suddenly became colder. She helped her step out.
"W-who are you?" she asked Yanmei as she helped her out the pod. "It is none of your business, young one. Now, activate your frame," she said, then handed her the Strun strapped on her shoulder, "and take this with you. Now, run. Don't kill any Corpus, just run, until you reach your destination on this device." She handed over her tracking device, now reprogrammed to where their clan's Dojo is. The freshly-awakened Tenno activated her blue Ember frame and looked over her shoulder, eyes a piercing blue, like her energy. "What will you do? What about you?" Yanmei shook her head. "I'll be okay."
The Tenno nodded and escaped through an air vent. She looked over her shoulder and shouted, "I will come back for you, my brethren. Wo hui de." She clasped her heart and watched as she disappeared in the darkness. "Wo ai ni, xiao meimei," she whispered to herself, clutching her chest, trying her best to hold back her tears. She turned around and knelt in exhaustion. Tracking down Alad's location for hours, travelling for days in a mere transportation pod and sneaking around the enormous Gas City took its toll on her body; a Tenno isn't invincible, after all. Alad entered the room and motioned her to stand up and follow him back to his quarters. Two Corpus Techs were guarding the door. "A deal is a deal," she said, levitating her Despair for one last time, her bright red energy encircling the weapon, then handed the thing to him. "And for the record," She took off her helmet and wiped the tears on her face. She fluttered her mutant eyes open, bright scarlet like her mother's. "We have eyes." Alad chuckled at her statement. "Someone took the joke literally." She handed him her helmet, and she hung her head in shame, her red-tinted dark hair obscuring the rest of her face. "And your Warframe?" he asked. She retracted her frame and quickly handed it to him, then knelt and tried to cover herself. "I have only one request from you, Alad V," she said, now looking up to the man in front of her. "Please, when you dissect me, don't put me to sleep. I want to see myself pour crimson regret. Not the regret of deciding to trade myself to you, but the regret of not making this decision earlier."
He laughed. Was he mocking her? It doesn't matter. She is left practically with nothing. He took off his visors, bent over and rested his chin over her bare shoulder. She was practically burning red right now. Her head was hazy. Out of impulse, she wrapped a hand around his torso for support. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I'm afraid not, Tenno, because I have other plans for you."
A week later, Xiang had finally reached their Dojo, a hidden fortress. Upon entering, she removed her helmet and was greeted with a bone-crushing embrace from a Rhino. "Wo de haizi!" he exclaimed. She embraced back, despite being weakened because of the flight. "I missed you, baba," she squeaked. Suddenly, her father pulled away from her and removed his helmet, revealing a worried expression. "Where is your jiejie? She went missing a few days ago.." Xiang suddenly froze. That Tenno who set her free was her sister. It was her older sister Yanmei. She frantically explained what happened and the Rhino roared in remorse and punched through the Dojo's wall. Misaki, upon hearing the deafening thud, rushed over to see what happened. She was surprised to see Xiang, and embraced her. The Nova asked their warlord what happened. He explained what happened and Misaki was furious. Her cheerful, bubbly demeanor was gone.
"This is all your fault! If you didn't treat Yanmei like she was a useless piece of s #$, this wouldn't happen!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Now she's gone to the highest bidder!" She pushed their warlord and pinned him against the wall with her Orthos Prime, which she and Yanmei farmed together in the Void, almost costing the latter's life. "Now she's with a man who is God's worst sinner!"
Xiang pulled her away and cradled her as she broke into tears. Yuna was peeking and reluctantly entered. "My brethren," she slowly said. "I think I've located where our Mag is..."
Everyone rushed to the intel room and saw the alert. "Captive Tenno Located - Gas City, ?"
A/N 2: I know, I'm such a noob in writing. ;-;
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this, constructive criticism is welcome, YandereSamantha out.