.

My Sunshine

.

You are my sunshine,

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are gray.

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.

Please, don't take my sunshine away…

.

.

Neo choked Blake down with one hand, while the other held a sword aloft. A mad glint shimmered in the small girl's eyes, as she glared down at the feral cat.

Blake thrashed about wildly, as animals often did when held forcefully down. Her claws scratched at Neo's face, hissing with anger.

Both of them were disheveled and heavily wounded. Their throats dry as they gave raspy breaths in between.

Neo finally managed to get a secure position on Blake. The second she was able, she jammed her sword into the rabid girl's eye.

Blake's thrashing ceased and her limbs lost all tension, and fell to the sides…

…

Then the body convulsed again as black wisps billowed from her wounds.

Neo drew the sword back, ready to stab again. When it came down, Blake tore her head out of the way. The blade caught the cat Faunus's ear instead, and pinned it there.

Blake screamed in mad pain.

Neo snarled with a similar insanity.

It was the fifth time she killed Blake. And there would be a sixth, or a seventh, or however many it took as Neo brought her blade up once more.

"Whooaaa!" Yang awed, when she entered the clearing.

Varying sizes of glass shards embedded themselves all around the forest. Some of it was covered with the smoking, black mist that emanated from Blake's body. Although it was late afternoon, the immediate surroundings made it seem like night.

"Hm… You and Blake did all this?" Yang came and knelt beside Neo. "You guys really went at it, huh?"

Neo puffed her cheeks and started poking Yang's boob furiously.

"My fault?"

She nodded and poked harder.

"Yang…?" Blake's voice sounded distorted and weak.

She stopped thrashing and calmed at seeing Yang. One of her cat's eyes lost its sharpness, rounding into a more human-like one. Blake's appearance had a sort of lopsided effect, as half her face seemed normal, but the other side still bestial.

"Wait! Don't look—!" she tried to cover her face, but Neo held down her arms with her feet.

Yang put a finger on Blake's extended canines to feel that they were real. She made the same sounds of awe she did before.

"Neo. Give us a minute, okay?"

Neo puffed up and poked her again and again.

"Come on! Just one second!"

Neo threw her an angry look she had never seen before.

"Neo?"

The small girl got up with a fury and stepped away, but only back by a few paces. Yang turned to Blake to assess the damage.

The injuries would heal with time and proper treatment. Her ear looked especially painful, but nothing too serious. In fact, the dark mist pulsing from Blake's body seemed to be making corrections to it already.

Yang smiled and took the cloth tied around her leg. With it, she wrapped the damaged ear with tender care.

Blake shivered and cried. She clung tightly to her former teammate like a baby kitten.

"P-Please don't go, Yang. Just—!"

"Blake."

"Take me with you. I'll go anywhere. Yang, I lov—"

Yang hugged her tight in her arms and pressed her head to her chest. She nuzzled the top of Blake's head and smelled her hair.

"Hey, Blake. Would it sound like a lie if I said, I love you?"

"…"

"Not that it would mean much, anyway."

"…"

"I can't stay with you right now, and I can't take you with me."

"WHY?!" Blake cried. "I'll do anything! I swear! Just—let me…"

But Yang was already standing up. Her golden bangs hiding whatever expression she portrayed.

"Goodbye, Blake."

Yang walked to Neo's side as the smaller girl scowled at her.

"What? You jealous?"

Neo snatched Yang's jaw and pulled her down to her height.

Violently, she kissed her. Neo's tongue entangled with hers. And with one flickering eye, Neo glared at Blake to make sure she was watching the whole thing.

The small girl let go with a thin smile that stretched from ear to ear.

A parting gift that burned at Blake before she passed out.

.

X

.

On their way back to the train, Yang and Neo met up with Mercury and Emerald. The four stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.

Then, Emerald turned to Mercury.

"Told you she'd win~ " she sang.

"We sure it wasn't Neo?"

"Was it Neo?"

Yang frowned. "I beat Weiss. Neo took Blake."

"See? Another hundred lien. Fork it!"

Mercury groaned, as he reached into his wallet.

Yang crossed her arms. "Youbet whether I could fight my friends?"

"And win," Emerald added. "Merc didn't think you had it in you, but I—I had faith," she chuckled.

"Wow. Unbelievable."

"Oh, don't be like that." Emerald rested an arm on Yang's shoulder and waved the cash in her face. "I'll buy you something cheap and pretty."

Yang gave a matching smirk and pulled out Weiss's wallet. "I'm good, thanks."

Neo tugged on her arm and pointed to herself with a hopeful look.

"Fine, I'll buy you something nice…"

Just then, Emerald gave a frightful gasp and clasped the sides of her face.

"What? What's wrong?" Yang asked.

"We forgot to loot the bodies! MERCURY!"

"Yeah. They're gone by now."

"All we have are her stupid sunglasses and her stupid hat!"

Yang took a close look at her. "Nice shades, though."

*Sigh* "Thanks. I guess."

"What about me?" Mercury posed. "Huh? Huh?"

""No."" Yang and Emerald said simultaneously.

Neo reached up and snatched the beret for herself. It flopped over to one side.

Yang took it and adjusted it for her. "So how'd the rematch go?"

"What do you think?"

"Always wanted to go a few rounds with Coco. I liked her spunk."

Emerald scoffed. "I've met spunkier."

"So, 'W's across the board. Team ENMY gets their first real victory. Do you guys usually huddle or have a group cheer…"

"Ugh." Emerald rolled her eyes and walked away.

"No. Nothing? No celebration?"

"Ice cream. Your dime," Mercury said, following Emerald.

"What?"

Neo pointed to herself.

"Ice cream… Okay."

…

…

…

"Mmm…."

"Awake now, are we?"

Blake blinked her eyes open. She tried to get up, but the lingering soreness in her body forced her back down. She was covered in wounds, as well as undergoing the aftereffects of Bane. It was struggle enough just for her to stay conscious.

Blake rolled her head to the side and saw Weiss sitting there, staring at something in the distance. She followed her line of sight and saw the trail of smoke billowing into the air, followed by the sound of a train's horn.

Blake tried to stand again, more urgent this time. The girl managed to get on her feet before falling forward. She slammed her fist into the dirt, nearly breaking the bones in her hand.

A low growl escaped her. Her hair stood on end and her golden eyes contracted till they were slits.

Weiss had never seen Blake so angry before.

She was about to help her up, but the enraged girl stabbed Gambol Shroud into the ground, and hoisted her body through sheer tenacity. Before Weiss could utter a word to her, Blake turned her feral eyes in her direction.

"We need to go after Yang!"

The girl tried to start a sprint, but only managed a single step before having to catch herself from falling again.

Blake was in no condition to chase a full moving train. Weiss was no better. And then, there was Coco and Velvet to think of.

"We'll go after her again, Blake. I promise you that. But it's not going to be today."

"But, Weiss! THEY HAVE HER!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Weiss moved in front of her and clasped her shoulders. "We messed up! We took them lightly and pulled our punches. It was a late start. We won't make the same mistake next time. But right now we're out of Dust and our Auras are completely expended."

"I… I let them take her, Weiss. I have to get her back!"

"We will."

Blake calmed a little under Weiss's strong gaze and the heiress let go. She sat down on the ground, still angry, the light in her eyes refusing to dissipate.

Weiss couldn't help, but smile at this.

Just like it was the first time seeing Blake so enraged, it was also the first time she had seen her so determined. Weiss always thought of her teammate as too down on herself, and in all honesty, too quick to back away from adversity. The young Faunus had a habit of searching for ways around her problems or hoping they'd take care of themselves.

In their school days, when they tried to stop the White Fang to now, it was all done out of fear and overwhelming sense of guilt. Though, she tried so hard to find them, she never actually wanted to confront her old organization. Such was her nature.

But today, would change her.

Blake rested, while trying to recover her Aura. All the while, her eyes still peering ahead. As if she could still see Yang.

"I'll get her back, I'll get her back, I'll get her back…." Blake repeated to herself.

Weiss's mood shifted.

I can't hesitate either, she thought, as she glared in the same direction.

Once upon a time, Blake parted ways with a loved one from a train—because of a change she convinced herself she could never undo.

And now, history repeated itself again.

She abandoned Adam instead of fighting to bring back the good in him. Now, Yang and her separated for similar reason.

…

Blake made a vow.

I'll save them.

This time I won't fail.

Never again…

.

X

.

—Three Days Later—

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The night rain poured down on the city, like it was trying to wash the slums out of the streets.

There, in the train yard next to the harbor, Team ENMY stood beside the car full of Junior's goods. Right across from them postured members of the White Fang.

At least twenty numbered their ranks. Their faces, hidden by masks, but it was obvious to anyone they were observing the four transporters with keen interest.

Especially one in particular.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" one of them posed to Yang.

To which, she started cracking her knuckles. "Oh. You and me got history. We didn't get to know each other long, but you left a lasting impression."

"Yang?" Emerald called.

"Yeah, Em?"

*Sigh* "…Nothing. Never mind."

"Gonna try to convince me revenge isn't worth it? That it won't make me feel better?"

"Pfft! That's dumb," Mercury scoffed. "Revenge is totally worth it and it alwaysmakes you feel better."

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Emerald sighed again and drew her guns with desperado flare.

All of the White Fang soldiers stood on edge at once, pointing their weapons in their direction.

"Oh! The right arm. I remember now." Adam rested his hand on the katana at his side.

Yang felt lava bubble from the pit of her stomach. Her fists clenched and the leather and metal creaked.

She bore a vicious smile full of hostility and excitement.

"Yeah. You're gonna wish you'd killed me when you had the chance~"