Neo gulped for air as she sprinted through the ruins of one of the war-torn sections of Vale. Turning a corner and running past a dilapidated convenience store, she heard several blasts hit the wall where she would have been if she hadn't cornered. She had made many mistakes in her past and fought many enemies. Though this mistake in particular may be her last.
The multi-colored girl panicked as ran into a dead end. A large pile of rubble from one of the many destroyed buildings completely cutting her off. Utilizing her semblance at the last second, a dust round tore through her replica, smashing with the sound of shattering glass.
Taking to the rooftop as her pursuer was temporarily confused, she desperately searched for a way out of the ruins.
The ruins she ran through were nothing special; all four of the kingdoms had large sections wrecked from Cinder's bid for power. Even 2 years after Cinder's death, 7 years after the false maiden had put her plans in motion, many of the nations had yet to force the grimm out and rebuild those sections of the cities.
She had long ago turned away from Cinder and her plots. Done with the killing and destruction, Neo had been responsible for much of the progress made against Cinder and her allies. Supplying the hunters with crucial intel and even being personally responsible for the capture of Emerald. Now she spent her days in the ruined zones of the cities, tirelessly helping clear grimm so that one day human and faunus could reclaim what they had lost.
Her most recent task was just that. Patrolling the first part of Vale to be attacked by grimm during the Vytal festival all those years ago. An attack that she helped mastermind and coordinate. An attack she now worked day in and day out to reverse the effects of. If she wasn't running for her life, she would have found it humorous she was working to push out the grimm she helped lead in.
A glancing blow caused her to stumble. She had spent too much time in the open. Leaving another replica behind as a distraction she returned to the streets where the rubble and destroyed buildings helped break line of sight, preventing her pursuer from gaining another clear shot.
The sound of shattering glass and a shout of anger filled the air, letting Neo know her ruse did not last long. Hoping she hadn't been seen, the small girl scurried around another refuse pile before the ground exploded around her. Taking off again she started to feel the futility of her flight. She was probably not going to walk away from this one.
As she ran, Neo took a peek at her scroll. With her aura so low, she wouldn't be able to stand and fight, or use her semblance for much longer. She needed to escape now, but so far every attempt had been easily thwarted. Finally spying a partially collapsed apartment complex with gaps barely large enough to squeeze her small frame through, she took her chance. While there wasn't many options of where to go, at least her assailant wouldn't be able to follow her through the building. Tumbling out into an alleyway, she realized her mistake. One side was a dead end and the sheer walls prevented her from scaling the building. If her attacker knew where she was, she was trapped.
With only one avenue of escape left, the desperate girl took it. Running with the last bit of energy she could muster she took off down the alleyway. If she could make it onto the main street, it was possible she could lose her pursuer. As she cleared the exit a blow caught her on her right side, causing the small girl to tumble down the boulevard. Crashing to halt on one of the many piles of rubble, Neo felt her aura break.
Groaning as darkness began to overtake her, she knew this was probably the end. No matter what you did in life, it only took one act of revenge to end it all. As the footsteps of her assailant approached she blinked her eyes, trying to clear them and get her bearings again.
With her foe was almost on top of her and unable to think of any other way of defending herself, she launched herself forward in a last ditch effort. Wrapping her arms around the neck of her attacker and pressing their lips together in a furious kiss, she was rewarded with a enraged yell.
"Dammit, Neo! You know not to do that!" Yang yelled, eyes burning crimson.
Cowering from the might of her girlfriend's fury, the smaller girl tried to scoot away, only to gasp in pain.
Like a switch, Yang's entire demeanor changed. Her previously red eyes were now a light lavender and filled with worry for the injured girl. Even the blonde's face held atypical traces of sorrow for Neo's pain.
"Are you alright?"
Neo nodded.
"Can you walk?"
She grimaced before slowly shaking her head.
"Up we go." Yang scooped her up into her arms, holding the small girl to her chest before setting back off the way they came from. "We should get out of here before any grimm get too nosy. Hopefully the fire is still going at the camp."
As the rhythmic rocking of Yang's walking started to lull Neo to sleep, she snuggled closer into the taller girl's arms, eliciting a chuckle from the blonde.
"I guess this is what I get for eating all your ice cream."
Neo opened her hand and smiled down at the small lock of golden hair she had clipped earlier that day.
Silly Neo, you knew exactly what was going to happen. Though Yang DID eat all her delicious ice cream. I always thought of Baked Alaska as a pretty competitive relationship where they would always be pushing each other's buttons. I guess all is fair in love and revenge.