Chapter 7: Painting the Red Tiger Crimson

"Read about the terrible murder! Much worse than that other murder, that poor Cinder, dead. Found this morning. Lock your doors, stay inside, not even a house of worship is safe!" The paper boy yelled as he attempted to sell his paper to the few people who happened to be brave enough to roam the streets.

Stepping up to the boy, Yang handed him a small amount of money before receiving the paper. The blonde continued on her way home. She had been there, to visit the murder scene. She had to make sure it wasn't her. It couldn't be…could it? Yet she wakes up in odd places, with torn and tattered clothes, and always with a splitting headache. The last murder had been particularly brutal… burned alive. Why there wasn't a death that could prove more horrible, and in a church of all places. Whoever this murderer was, they were getting bold. A public place such as a church was risky, for another person could have walked in and ultimately ruined this vile person's plan. Unless the killer just didn't care if anyone saw…

With this in mind, Yang opened the door to her home before being greeted by a distressed Blake.

"Morning…" Yang trailed off as she shut and locked the door behind her and shrugged off her coat.

"Where did you go?" Blake asked with a slight tremble as Yang gently pushed passed her and into the kitchen.

"I just went out to pick up a paper." The blonde answered before taking in Blake's disheveled appearance. "What has you so shaken?"

Blake lowered her gaze to the floor, "It's just after you left last night…you never returned."

Yang's mouth opened in alarm, brain trying to process exactly what she had been told. "But weren't you asleep all night?"

Blake shook her head in response, "No when your sister got home, it woke me up. So the two of us looked for you, but you weren't in the house. You said you had some business to finish up before leaving yesterday. Surely that business wouldn't take nearly 12 hours?"

Yang staggered as she sat down, putting pressure on her temple. Another headache was coming on. "I don't even remember leaving last night…"

"Yang?" The cat asked as Yang doubled over in pain, her head between her hands.

Yes, she could feel it. In the back of her mind. Something was… taking over…

"Yang are you alright?" Blake rested a hand on her shoulder as she examined Yang's form.

After a moment or two Yang straightened up. Yet something was off, her eyes were red. "I'll be fine Blake. Just probably need some rest."

Upon seeing those blood stained eyes again, Blake was frozen in shock. She hadn't imagined them. Something was going on with Yang. Something bad. "Here, let me help you." The Faunus grabbed ahold of Yang's arm and slowly stood her up.

All the while, Yin's jaw locked as she bit down desire to kill the girl on the spot. After all her plans would have to alter. Allowing the girl to help her to her feet, the demon frowned.

"Hang in there Yang, I'll get you upstairs and then call a doctor."

Upon hearing that, the demon shoved the cat aside roughly. "Oh, I'm feeling much better now Blake. So see you later!" Rushing out of the front door, Yin didn't stop as she heard the other girl in pursuit of her.

Turning a corner to an alley, Yin skidded to a stop. She looked up, there had to be somewhere she could climb to. Then she saw it, a fire escape. Getting a running start, the blonde jumped and just managed to get a hold of the ladder. She pulled herself up to the top, just in time to look down as Blake rounded the corner. The cat looked around utterly confused as to where the blonde could have disappeared to, for there was nothing but brick. Not a door, nor crack in which the she could have escaped to. Above the cat, Yin perched on the fire escape watching with glee as the cat struggled to locate her. Holding back her laughs, Yin watched silently with a Cheshire grin as Blake ultimately gave up and turned back towards the house.

Now with the cat gone, Yin could get on with her business.

"I guess I could do the blondie a favor…" The demon grinned to herself as she stormed towards the now familiar establishment. "After all…her rage did hand me over control so easily."

Once again the blonde pushed open the doors of the Red Tiger before opening, this time however there were no employees sitting around preparing for later that evening…no one was there except for a certain bull that the blonde had decided to put down.

Upon hearing the doors swing open, the bull looked up and locked eyes with the blonde. He sneered at her before sitting down the mug he was polishing.

"The little bitch isn't here, she won't be for a long while." Mischief danced in his eyes as he narrowed his gaze at the intruder.

"I'm very aware…I'm actually here for you." Yin grins at the man as she sees him shuffle slightly unsettled.

Adam sneers, "So the kitty went and tattled to her human friend, huh?"

Yin takes a few steps closer to the bar, her fist clenched at her side. "No she didn't tell her 'human friend'. She told the devil herself,"

Adam volts over the counter of the bar to confront the blonde, "The devil huh? Guess I'm going to have to reclaim my title."

The blonde didn't bother to give the man a reply before charging at him with all of the ferocity of his own kind. Taken aback by the speed in which she moved he wasn't able to block the swift uppercut that connected with his chin. The blow had been hard enough to knock the bull back several feet and just as he was regaining his wit, the blonde was upon him in an instant throwing punch after punch and only leaving him a fraction of a second to get his arms up. Blocking several punches in a row, he was once more caught off guard by a knee to the gut. Bent over, gasping for air he locked eyes with the crimson red.

"I thought you were a scientist! Ain't no scientist can fight like this!" The bull's eyes focused on her as she paced a few feet away, a predator ready to strike.

Yin sneered before taking a sharp step towards him, causing Adam to flinch. Cackling the blonde responded, "I told you, I am the devil."

With that she slowly approached the bull, stopping just short when he raised his shaking fists.

"Still have some fight left?" Yin grins as she looks upon his shaken form and her grin turns sadist as she plans the marvelous way in which she is going to dismember him.

Adam gulped as he saw the glint in her eye, "Does…Does Blake know what you are?"

The demon smirked at him, "That is where you are wrong…While the scientist and I share the same body. We are not the same person. But yes the cat does know that something isn't right with the poor scientist. So I figured I would do the two a favor by killing you before the scientist is gone."

Looking up the bull looked out of the corner of his eye for an escape route, "All of those other murders, that was you? Thought you only killed the rich and the human."

Yin laughs at his statement, "Death knows not of rich or race and neither do I. I only know who has wronged me."

Lunging once more at Adam, the blonde was able to swiftly trap him up against the bar. She grinned down at him and opened her mouth to laugh at his fear before feeling something stab her side. Yin pulled back and looked down only to find a katana stuck into it. The demon laughed before pulling it out.

"That's it? Your ace in the hole was to stab me? How pathetic. At least you put up a fight though." Yin stalked back to her prey before running him through the chest with his own sword. "How does it feel? Being killed with your own sword?" She twists it inside his chest drawling out a scream of agony.

Laughing hysterically she runs the sword down his chest, splitting it wide open. Adam begins to choke on his own blood as he looks at her, pleading her to end the torture. Yin stares right back with the smile of a lunatic. Her gaze focuses on his heart as it begins pumping frantically.

"This one muscle, this one small muscle is all that keeps you alive. And whether it's the scientist in me or not, I enjoy watching it work in vain to keep you alive." She grinned as she watches the blood pour out of him and onto the bar and floor.

After several minutes the muscle finally stopped its constrictions, and all life drained from Adam's form. Yin grinned at the sight before pulling out the katana and using all of her strength to decapitate Adam's head from his lifeless body. Bending to pick up the body, she tossed it behind the bar before placing Adam's decapitated head onto the bar. Grinning at her handy work she suddenly flinched and grabbed her side.

"That little bastard actually got me pretty good…I guess I'll let the scientist take care of it." Taking a seat on one of the benches, Yin took a deep breath wishing the adrenalin would come back and numb her body once more.

As her vison began to grow fuzzy from pain she heard a noise. A door. And a gasp. A person. Forcing her vision to focus her gaze settled onto a faunas. Yin forced herself up from the stool and in a surge of energy had the faunas by the neck before they could snap out of their fear trance. The faunas pushed against her, trying in vain to get out of the strong grasp.

A familiar voice called out for her to stop, "P-lease…Y-Yang…st-op."

It was the faunas she had in her grasp. Grinning at her despite the pain the demon replied. "Guess again… Your death is unfortunate but I can't have any witnesses." And with that Yin squeezed with all she had left until the faunas went limp in her hands.

After taking her pulse and feeling none, the demon dropped the faunas. However before she left she looked upon the one that had simply bad luck and she realized that she knew this faunas. It was the rabbit, Velvet, a friend of Blake. The shock of who it was caused for Yin's control to fade and brought back Yang to a very scary place. Looking down she spotted Velvet and dropped to a knee.

"Velvet…COME VELVET! PLEASE! PLEASE!" Tears slipped out of the scientist's eyes as realization of what she had done hit her like a truck.

Eyes wide she stood with trouble and took in what happened, and violently vomited on the floor at the sight. She did this. She was the murderer. She had to get out of her. Holding her wounded side she pushed her way out of the Red Tiger and onto the streets. Home. She had to get home. But she couldn't got home. No Ruby was in danger. Everyone was in danger because of her. She had to get away. Get far awa- Her last though was never finished for her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell to the ground. Far enough away from the Red Tiger to not be suspicious but covered in blood and still bleeding from the wound she obtained.