Evolution

Chapter 41: Survival

He closed his mind off to any outside distractions, focusing only on one thing, which was figuring out where his brother was located. If he could do that, maybe, just maybe, he could figure out a way to contact him. Basking in the silence, Izumi loosened his joints and took long deep breaths, surrounding himself in the peaceful tranquility of nature, its serene aura sprinkling over him gently as he breathed in and out. As earth for an element, nature herself was like his soul mate. The two go hand in hand, syncing their abilities together.

Her heart skipped a beat, beating faster as her eyes witnessed the sight before her. She was told that his aura was dark. It was most likely from closing off his emotions, but now, she could see a radiant orange flowing smoothly around him, outlining his form. She didn't want to disrupt him, but she felt nervous about watching him from afar. And yet she didn't understand why. Why was she acting like some sort of stalker? Granted, she did admit to having strong feelings for the guy, but was it so strong that she had to stalk him? Just how much did this guy have an impact on her?

His aura expanded with a gentle burst as he concentrated it into his hands and placed them on the ground. Taking another deep breath, Izumi released a small shockwave towards the eastern direction. It was a light tremor, hardly noticeable to anyone unless they concentrate really hard. But as the shockwave spread over the area, he could see where the vibrations traveled. It's a very high level type of technique that took two years to even figure out and another three to fully master. He could see everything that the vibrations passed, including the one watching him right now. He could see another camp set up a good ten miles away, and another one set up by the White Fang thirty miles away from that. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any temple or cave entrance that could lead to said temple. His shockwave spread to a max of two hundred miles, but nothing. He couldn't find anything remotely close to what Demetri described.

"Damn, can't find it," he bit his thumb. It was the way his eyes opened that made the person flush red in the face. She didn't know that he was aware of her presence. "It must be really far away then."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pondering the distance away from the enemy's base. "I may have to push it harder then."

Izumi stretched his limbs, shaking out the stiffness slowly returning.

"You know it's quite rude to eavesdrop on someone Weiss," he called out. The younger heiress gasped and covered herself behind her hiding spot. How did he know she was there? She made sure to be absolutely still and quiet.

"How did you know?" She slowly walked out. She saw Izumi in the same position as before, focusing his aura.

"I could feel you from the vibrations," he said. His eyes remained closed as he placed his hands back on the ground. He flared his aura this time, but not powerful enough to startle the white haired heiress. "I suggest you stay over there if you don't want to be thrown on your bottom."

Weiss tilted her head to the side in confusion. What did he mean by that? No sooner than Izumi said that did the ground shake a little more violently. The more noticeable tremor made Weiss clutch to the tree for dear life, completely taken aback by the sudden quake.

"It's an earthquake!" She screamed. Her eyes shifted back to Izumi, who rode the quake as if it was nothing. He remained in that still position as he observed the world through the vibrations. He could see farther this time, but nothing relating to a temple or cave. The earth may be a vast place with many, many secrets, but it took a very determined mindset to find them.

"Still nothing," Izumi growled irritably. "Man how far away is this temple?"

"Izumi?" Weiss decided to step out from her hiding place. She had a befuddled look on her face, feeling a little off balanced thanks to that quake. "What was that? What did you do?"

"It's a complicated technique," Izumi closed his eyes and concentrated again. "I doubt I can explain it properly, but essentially, I force vibrations in the ground, like a mini earthquake, and use my aura to scout ahead for any approaching enemies. It's not easy in the slightest and at most, I can only scout ahead a thousand miles, but that's only if I push it to the absolute. However, if I do that, well, it won't be pretty."

"Wow, impressive," Weiss complimented. "I didn't know you could do that."

She took a seat next to him, smiling joyously on the outside and inside. How long has it been since they last saw each other? It was at the beginning of this war that Weiss decided to take such a big risk and tell the man beside her how she felt. They were small at first, yet still highly noticeable. But over the course of time, she began to miss him very much. She began to miss his piercing eyes, his gentle smile that still to this day never ceases to throw her heart into a frenzy, and his charismatic words. She didn't think he noticed, but Izumi was actually quite the lady killer like his younger brother.

Izumi and Mizu were alike in many ways actually. They came off as a reserved and closed off self, but deep down, both had a heart of passion. Quiet and mysterious, the brothers greatly contrasted with Raiden's sociable and rejuvenating personage. However, that mysteriousness they shared drew Blake and Weiss to them respectively.

"The earth, in layman's terms, is my guardian spirit. When I focus, I can use the earth to gain numerous advantages over my opponents, but at the same time, I can also give myself away if I'm not careful," Izumi's voice snapped Weiss from her thoughts. She flushed red again at the mesmerizing sight. The orange aura bathed Izumi in a righteous glow, projecting a dazzling image when combined with the darkness surrounding the sky. The two just came together and created a beautiful scene for Weiss to witness. Her mouth lay open agape as her eyes grew a little in awe.

"Amazing," she whispered.

"Thank you," Izumi placed his hands on the ground once more. "I suggest you brace yourself. This is going to be rough."

Weiss blinked twice, coming back to the real world once again. She just barely caught Izumi's last words, but fidgeted as she gripped his shirt to cling to. Izumi didn't seem to mind though. The earth commander released more powerful vibrations, not at the absolute limit, but more powerful than the level before. This time, he could feel Weiss grip his shirt tighter to avoid being thrown around like a ragdoll, but again, he didn't mind. His vibrations traveled even further than before, going past the previous limit and stretching beyond the horizon.

Weiss remained quiet, not wanting to distract Izumi from whatever he tried to do. 'What is he trying to do anyway?'

Izumi let the earth guide him as he searched tirelessly for his little brother and his mate. He focused in the direction Demetri told them, but he still didn't find anything relevant to the man's description. A cave should come first, which is then followed by a very large temple at the end of said cave. But why couldn't he find it? Was it just so far away that his sensory skills couldn't reach it? Or was there some sort of black magic keeping it concealed from human eyes? Maybe it was both, but Izumi kept trying.

'I know you're out there Mizu. I just need to hone in on your location.' Izumi was determined to find his little brother, but he feared that he would need to push his sensory skills to the absolute.

Sighing, Izumi opened his eyes after another failure.

"What's wrong?" Weiss forgot she was still holding onto his shirt. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm using the vibrations I told you about to locate my brother and Blake," Izumi relaxed again. He had no choice. He had to push the sensor to the limit if he wanted any chance of finding them. "I've been slowly increasing the power of the vibrations to increase my range, but so far, I haven't had any luck. I don't want to go full blast, but it seems I have no choice."

"Is it really as bad as you said?" the white haired huntress inquired. If the previous one required hanging on for dear life, how bad was the full blast?

"Very, but it's too dangerous, especially with Uncle Michael operating on Raiden," Izumi crossed his arms.

"I see; it didn't sound good back there by the way. I had to leave or else Raiden's screams of pain was going to be my nightmare music," Weiss subtly scooted closer. "I feel bad for him though."

"Same here, but I feel worse for his mom. If she's anything like mine, she won't be able to stop crying," Izumi let out another sigh. Rachel was still crushed about Demetri's death. It just forcibly tore a giant hole in her heart, shattering it to pieces. The only comfort she accepted was that of her surrogate family and him.

Weiss could see the dejected look on Izumi's face. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that Weiss placed her head on his shoulder and he still didn't notice. The heiress wondered what happened to make him look this way. Usually, he kept a nice smile on, but now, she could finally see his emotions plain as day. Even though they were emotions she didn't like to see, she felt a little happy to know he didn't close off every emotion.

"Izumi?" Weiss said his name, bringing him out of his stupor.

"Hm? Oh, sorry Weiss," he scratched his head. "I just have too much on my mind to focus. No wonder I couldn't find my brother; my head was so clouded."

Weiss chose her next words carefully. "Maybe talking about it will help?"

Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes met Izumi's. For the first time, she didn't feel that heart-racing sensation she normally received. Instead, a great wave of worriment washed over her as she stared into Izumi's orbs. For the first time, she could read them. But, why now? Before, she could never guess what the man was thinking, but now, she could see it in the depths of his eyes. Not everything was clear to her. She couldn't fully guess what went on through his orbs.

"Something bad happened," she stated. "Something really bad."

Izumi remained quiet for a moment as he stared at the young huntresses. He took a moment to admire the beauty in her eyes, a fierce tenacity trying to come out, but something was holding it back. He could see something inside her, wanting to be released, trying to form, but was held back. But by what?

"Was it that noticeable?" the earth commander responded. Weiss nodded once.

"For some reason, I can read your eyes now. Not completely, but I can see enough to know that something happened to you," she removed her head from his shoulder and laced her fingers together. "What happened?"

Izumi had to admit, he was impressed by Weiss's perceptiveness. He spent years and years bringing his emotions to a tight lock, but the past months opened them back up again. Not to say he locked away all of them. He could still smile and be happy, but he hid his sadness and anger, except when he told Cinder about how he would never allow Roman to touch his mother. The longer he fought against the Grimm, the more he could feel his emotions return and power his attacks. It felt great though. Izumi already possessed a powerful move set. Having his emotions, the rage to fill his swings with vehemence, the adrenaline to make his movements more nimble and unpredictable, and the sheer happiness making his elemental attacks incredibly powerful.

To Weiss's surprise, Izumi started to chuckle. He didn't know why, but the situation just felt funny to him now. Something always felt different when he was around Weiss. He was still aware of the feelings she harbored for him. When he had the chance, he did ponder his own. It was rare though, as the amount of fighting and recuperation took away time for thoughts like that. Looking at her now, Izumi had to admit that Weiss is a very pretty huntress. Beautiful white hair that complimented her pale skin and gorgeous eyes, a slim figure that strangely suited her very well, including the lack of chest, but not everyone is blessed like others.

"That's some incredible observational skills you have Weiss," he complimented and stared at the ground. "I'm impressed actually, as only a few people have been able to see through my shield. I guess this war has weakened it," he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, can't hide forever I guess."

Izumi let out a deep breath. "While stationed out in the… far west? Yeah far west; we encountered a Dark Soldier called Theta," he began telling the story. "He was a small sized Dark Soldier, but he was incredibly strong. Aside from him, we faced one other Dark Soldier who was on a league of their own."

"How strong are we talking?" Weiss inquired. Izumi snorted, another smile tugging at his lips.

"If it wasn't for a certain someone, I would not be here talking to you right now, but instead dead to the world," he said. The snow huntress felt her heart give way a little. The thought of Izumi dying, the image of his dead body bathed in his own blood; she just found her nightmare. But why wasn't he worried about it? "Theta was strong himself, but the enemy that showed up after dealing with him was like the Grim Reaper in the flesh. I lost consciousness when fighting Theta and nearly died then, but Raiden's father really knows his stuff. If not for him, well...you know how it is."

Weiss found herself unable to speak. She couldn't ignore the thoughts now.

"It's a miracle we escaped when we did, because there's no way any of us would survive against him. It became clear to me when the bloodlust woke me up from slumber. The other Grimm we faced prior are like specs of dirt compared to this monster," Izumi continued, unaware of Weiss's plight.

"W-Who did you face?" she finally managed to say something.

"I'm glad we didn't, but it pains me to say who really did," Izumi shook his head. "We faced Malevolent, the Alpha Dark Soldier."

Silence. Silence washed over the hunter and huntress as the latter couldn't find the words again. The Alpha Dark Soldier, the strongest of the Dark Soldiers, and Izumi encountered him? But, how are the Matsumura, Ragonis, and every other person alive? How is Izumi alive?

"That brings me to the next part," Izumi let out a sigh. "I'm sure there's no need to say this, but we lost many people. I cannot even begin to fathom the total amount, but I've watched many hunters and huntress lose their lives. When we arrived, did you notice anyone missing from our group?"

Weiss thought back. She didn't even see the parents until Izumi filled them in on the data he gathered.

"I can't say I have," she replied. "You told us that Raiden and Mizu's parents are here, but I didn't see them directly."

"Well, let me clarify something. Raiden's parents and Mizu's parent; does that make it better?" Izumi faced the huntress, who returned his look with a confused one. "Michael, Michele, and Rachel are here, so who is the missing member?"

"Missing...member?" Weiss repeated the words. "Michael, Michele, and Rachel are here, but one more is missing. Wh...oh," her eyes grew to the size of saucers as she covered her mouth with her hand. It was Demetri; he was the missing parent.

"Wait," Izumi held up his hand to stop her.

"He's gone Weiss. We did not get separated on the way here, we did not lose him; he's dead, and it struck my mom really hard."

"Seriously?" Weiss whispered. "He's really dead?"

Izumi nodded. "He showed up when Alpha appeared. We were about to engage the beast, but he stopped us and revealed where the enemy's base is located."

"Wait, he knew?" the heiress questioned again. "How?"

Izumi shook his head. "I wonder the same thing, but now I'll never be able to ask."

Weiss couldn't believe her ears. Mizu's father was actually dead.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," she stared at the ground. Silence fell between them again.

"You know Weiss; I've never said this, but I care about each and every one of you," Izumi broke it. His sudden words brought a bright pink hue to Weiss's cheeks and a smile to her lips. "You all became people I cherish, people I want to protect, and believe me when I say I intend to do so."

Weiss could feel her heart starting to race again. How? How come at one moment, Weiss didn't feel the flutter in her chest before, but now, she was morphing into school girl mode? Why did Izumi have such an effect on her? She didn't even know him that well. And yet, she couldn't ignore the feelings swelling up in her chest. It couldn't have been love at first sight, but the more she saw and observed him, the more something sparked inside her. She continued to observe him. At first, it was to figure more about him and his mysterious personality, but soon, it became for the desire to be closer to him.

"I'm happy to hear you say that," she responded with a blush still brightening on her cheeks. Weiss slowly scooted closer to her crush, but again, he didn't seem to notice. And yet, Weiss didn't mind. A golden opportunity presented itself to her and she wasn't about to ruin it.

She wanted to ask if he thought about what she told him. Of course, she figured he had a million other things swarming in his head. The chances of him thinking of that is slim at best, but a girl could hope.

"What do you, Weiss, think of our chances at survival?" Izumi faced her again, unaware of how much closer Weiss was. He didn't even notice she was closer than before; however, he could a small tug grasping him when their eyes met. "Do you think we can do this?"

She couldn't respond. The sheer nervousness jumping at her chest from staring into him eyes was indescribable. A thousand butterflies fluttered around in her small bosom; she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, trying to find the right words to respond, but she was settled on just staring at Izumi. Even now, she found it strange how one person had such a powerful effect on her. Not even Neptune produced such a strong feeling in her chest; and yet, here was Izumi, who managed to make her legs give way with just one look. How? That was the main question swarming around in her head. Just how does he do it?

"Well," she had to look down for her words to flow properly. "There's really no room for doubt. We have to do this, no exceptions. If we don't, the entire world will be consumed by the Grimm. Under no circumstances can we allow that to happen. So, our only option is to fight, for everyone."

Izumi didn't speak. He looked down at the white haired huntress and felt his lips curl upward. Soon he began chuckling, making Weiss stare back at him in confusion.

"Did I say something funny?" she inquired. Izumi shook his head no and placed a hand on Weiss's shoulder, forcing a scarlet hue to wash over her cheeks. Her heart skipped a beat when Izumi's hand gently landed on her shoulder; it was like he knew how much strength to use for maximum effect, and now Weiss didn't want him to let go.

"Not at all; I just want to thank you," he flashed that Izumi smile that made the heiress's heart race faster.

"Wh-What for? I didn't do anything deserving a thank you," she replied, her words almost betraying her for what her mind wanted to say.

"You said exactly what I needed to hear," Izumi told her. "While I was stationed out with my squad, it was hard to keep up morale. I had to be the one to boost it up as best I could, but with the constant fighting, it never lasted long. So I'm glad, thrilled even, to see that you all haven't lost that fire yet," Izumi held up a single finger. "If there's one rule I follow, it's always staying determined and never give up. The battle will be over before it begins if you're not focused or don't have the will to keep fighting."

"Oh, I see," Weiss nodded her head slightly. "It wasn't hard; we had Raiden to keep us motivated."

"Yeah, I had a feeling he would be the one to keep the stride, but now look at him," Izumi removed his hand and looked up at the sky. "Beaten and broken, he really pushed himself hard during these few months."

Weiss could only focus on the fact that Izumi moved his hand. She just got really comfortable with it where it was but he just had to move it.

"Not only that, but he kept us worried the entire time with his antics. He constantly fought off the enemy despite our pleas of recuperation; he always had to be the one to patch people up without healing his own body; and he nearly made Yang lose her mind. She hasn't left his side after our recent Dark Soldier battle except to fight in the waves that followed. We built a hovel to hide him and mask his scent, but there have been a few close cases."

"Really? It's amazing he's still alive after everything he's been through. That's what I call an unbreakable will," Izumi rested his head on an open palm.

"I call it being foolish," Weiss added her own two cents. "I mean recklessly going into combat without any regards for his own life; it's foolish."

"Hmm, well I can't really argue with that. But still, I'm glad you made it through safe and sound," the smile Izumi flashed at Weiss made her turn scarlet. And even though he was referring to everyone within her group, her brain only processed it as him meaning her specifically.

"I'm glad you made it too, but I'm sorry about Mr. Ragonis," she responded.

"Yeah, that definitely was a huge loss," Izumi stared at the sky. He missed the vibrant glow of the sun shining over the world, the beautiful blue canvas of the sky lingering over them as the puffy white clouds glide smoothly to and fro. "And my mom is a wreck. She wouldn't stop crying and screaming his name on the way here. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep and hasn't said a single word since them. She became more like me, completely quiet and reclusive."

"That's so sad," Weiss gripped Izumi's sleeve. It seemed every bad thing happened to the Ragonis family. First the Grimm Father was linked to the Ragonis family, the so called Key of the Ragonis family was captured, and now the father of the Ragonis family has met his end. Why was everything linked to the Ragonis family? That's the question Weiss and Izumi wanted to know very badly.

"I haven't forgotten what you told me," Izumi tried to change the subject. Ba-thump, Weiss could feel her heart racing again. He really remembered. Izumi remembered her words; he didn't forget about her.

"R-Really?" she nearly choked on her words. Izumi nodded back, giving Weiss one last look before reaching out to stroke her cheek. He wanted to try something, and the scarlet blush on her face proved to be a good start.

"I haven't figured out my own feelings, but I never forgot about yours," he cupped her left cheek and tilted her head upward. Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat, an intense nervousness pounding at her chest. "And I will say that I'm really glad you feel that way about me, but I have something to tell you. Something very important; and when I do, you'll understand why I am like this."

"O-Okay," Weiss said apprehensively. "What do you want to tell me?"

"I'm afraid I haven't been entirely truthful with you," the earth commander shook his head. "There's something about me not everyone knows about; I kept it a secret in order to avoid rousing tension, but, if I'm right, this shouldn't matter. Are you ready?"

To be honest, she wasn't sure. Izumi had a certain look in his eyes that Weiss couldn't put her finger on. Speaking of fingers, she twiddled hers as Izumi continued to cup her cheek. She hoped he didn't let go, nodding her head for him to continue.

"It is true that I'm Mizu's brother; however, our fathers are different," he went on with his revelation. Weiss nodded, but she was already aware of that. Rachel told them that after her jerk of a first husband left her, she took care of Izumi and soon fell in love with Demetri. However, she didn't say who her previous husband was, maybe out of respect for Demetri or to keep the memory out of her head.

"Yes, your mother told us that, except who your real father was," the heiress said.

"Do you want to know? I must warn you; you will not like what you hear. Are you sure you want me to continue?"

Weiss bit her bottom lip. That was a good question Izumi proposed. Did she want him to continue? A part of her said yes, but the other part was a little scared to find out. Izumi even said that she will not like his answer. Does that mean she was already knowledgeable of his father's identity, but didn't know it? Now that she had a chance to think about it, she pondered if his father was a bad man. He did leave Rachel and Izumi for reasons even the latter don't know, but why? What happened that caused Izumi's father to leave? And, how would she feel if she found out who the man was? That seemed to be Izumi's main concern.

"Keep going," she whispered. For a moment, Izumi was unable to speak. He was surprised to see her wanting to go through with it, but he was also sure that her opinion of him would change very soon.

"My father…he's actually well known. However, not for good reasons, and growing into a mini version of himself, I had to change my looks and close myself off to my loved ones. My hair; this isn't my natural hair color. I dyed it black because that's a very common hair color. My true hair color is actually orange," he left Weiss confused. An orange hair color; it did seem quite odd how hair had a little secondary color, but what did orange hair have to do with changing his looks?

"I don't get it," Weiss spoke up. "What's wrong with having orange hair? I mean, I can understand if your father too had orange hair and you didn't want people to confuse you for him, but how does relate to your father?"

Izumi caressed Weiss's cheek softly, increasing the red on her face to undetermined hues.

"Who would you say is the most notorious criminal you can think of right off the top of your head?" He asked. Izumi mentally prepared himself for how Weiss would respond. So far, his experiments were proving positive results. He wondered what would happen if he tried a little intimate touch with Weiss without freaking her out. Simply putting his hand on her shoulder wasn't enough; he had to try something else, which led to him cupping her cheek.

"Roman Torchwick," the heiress responded immediately. She didn't have to think hard about an answer. That man was always on the news, stealing dusts from stores and other criminal activities. Was Izumi's father worse than Torchwick? She couldn't fathom the thought really of a sweet woman such as Rachel married to a criminal worse than Torchwick, or a guy like Izumi having the same genes as such a man.

The earth commander nodded back. "That's right; he's the first person people think about when it comes to criminals. However, no one has wondered about his personal life, if he had a wife and kid. They all believed no woman would dare be with such a felonious man."

"And I agree with them. Who in the right mind would want to be that man's lover, let alone bear their children. The only way for the woman's wife to not be a living hell is if she was able to twist Torchwick hands and show him that she wasn't going to follow his games. Other than that, I don't see how the man would find a wife," Weiss shook her head. For a second time, Weiss had Izumi unable to speak. He was quite relieved actually by what she said. Initially, he thought she was going to rant how the children must the worst things in existence next to the Grimm, but she didn't.

"Let's look at from another perspective then shall we?" The man suggested. Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You said no woman would ever consider being with such a criminal. However, what if they were with him before he turned to a life of crime? Let's explore that aspect shall we?"

"Izumi," Weiss could tell he was stalling. She didn't know why he focused so much on Torchwick, maybe to use as reference point, but the suspense was killing her. "Why are you stalling?"

"…I was that obvious huh?" Izumi moved to take away his hand, but Weiss firmly grasped it and squeezed it tight. The two stared at each other in silence, brown eyes gazing into light blue.

"Your father," Weiss whispered. "Is he related to Torchwick in any way?"

She waited for a responded, but only received a short nod.

"You can say that," Izumi whispered back. "And the reason for my hesitation is because I know if you ever learned the truth, it would greatly change your opinion of me," he closed his eyes and shook his head no, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "I'm not the benevolent person you think I am. I've done things in the past I regret, but absolutely had to. I've learned and studied things that people didn't know existed. And even through all that, I had to keep a certain level of myself intact. So what you most likely see me as is probably wrong."

He felt Weiss squeeze his hand tighter. Her chest was about to explode from the aura washing over them. It wasn't a romantic one, but it some elements of it mixed in. The aura that surrounded them was more dramatic than anything, keeping the hunter and huntress on the edge.

"And how do you know that?" Weiss shook her head. "You don't see the images I see, the kind of person I'm with right now. You don't see them so how do you know my vision of you isn't right?"

"Because when you find out Torchwick is my father, everything will change," Izumi declared. He turned his head, unable to stare at the huntress, who stared back in silence and shock. His words echoed in her mind, replaying over and over again. Silence washed over them for the umpteenth time. "Now you know," Izumi clenched his fists. "My real name is Izumi Torchwick. My mother was Rachel Torchwick before remarrying Demetri and becoming a Ragonis."

"But," Weiss whispered, unable to process the new set of news she learned.

"I told you your opinion would change the moment you learned the truth," Izumi cut her off. His hair covered his eyes. "I don't blame you though," he stood up and stretched his arms out. "I guess you want me to go away now. It's actually better if I do, give you a chance to think about what's been said. But, if by some miracle you still feel the same way," Izumi turned his head slightly to see the huntress still stuck in shock. "I want you to find me and show me just how much you're willing to go down this path. I'll be waiting for you."

With that, Izumi walked away, leaving Weiss to her thoughts.


Yang covered Ruby's ears while the red haired leader shook frightfully. It was horrible, the loud shriek of pain raging through the air. The entire camp was silent, forced to hear the agonizing scream fill their ears. Ruby had her ears covered by Yang, Nora covered Ren's ears, and Jaune and Pyrrha covered each other's ears.

Even Sun's team had their ears covered from the piercing screams of agony. The screams echoed endlessly through the forest, ringing through ears as it burned the pitch in their minds. No one had the heart to say anything.

The screams were coming from the makeshift hovel. The only people inside released a heavy and intense aura. Two had sweat rolling down their faces while one sat quietly with tears streaming down the side of her face. The screamer tried to thrash about, wanting the pain to stop, but his mother used her strength to hold him down while her husband went to work. The nauseating smell of blood washed over the hovel as the crimson substance coated Michael's hands. His technique was flawless; it had to be.

Rachel wiped Michael's forehead with a cloth to remove the sweat and then did the same to Michele, who mouthed a 'thank you.'

"Try to hold still Raiden," Michael whispered. "I know it hurts, but you need to endure it."

There was so much blood on his hands, but as a veteran doctor, he wasn't fazed by it. The blood of his son didn't bother him, but he couldn't say the same thing about his wife and surrogate sister.

It took a delicate touch to fix the issues, but a firm hand to hold down the thrasher. Raiden couldn't bear with it, the intense pain coursing through him. Consciousness refused to leave and offer a painless time. It was too much, too unbearable. He wanted it to end immediately.

"Raiden, baby, please calm down," his mother cried. "It's unbearable I know, but we're doing the best we can."

Words fell on deaf ears. Raiden couldn't hear anything said to him, as his screams blocked out the sounds. That's the only thing he could hear. Pain was the only thing he could feel.

"How is it looking honey?" Michele inquired. Michael didn't look at his wife; he had to keep watch over the operation. The man shook his head slowly.

"Horrendous," he said. "He suffered so much damage I'm amazed he's alive right now. There's a very low percent chance of him surviving, but I'll do the best I can. However, honey."

"Please don't say any more; I can't bear the thought," his wife lowered her head, afraid to continue thinking any further the topic.

"I have to be honest Michele. Raiden may be tough, but he's still human. Even with his aura helping, it cannot heal damage to his insides; and I doubt anything I'm doing will make a difference," Michael told her. "I know I said I can fix him, but I can't work miracles."

"Please, at least try," Michele begged her husband.

"Michele," he sighed in response.

"Yes, I know I'm demanding a lot and not considering your feelings on the situation, but this is our son, our pride and joy," Michele cried. "I can't help but be hysterical about this."

"And I understand that, but try to remember that I can only do so much with the given tools. If I had the tools I normally use, things might turn out better, but I don't. I don't have them and neither you nor Raiden is making the situation better," Michael responded again, never taking his eyes off his patient. He didn't get a response from his wife, who only looked down at her son. Normally, she would retort with something else, but the toll of seeing her son in such a state, hearing his screams of pure agony; it terrified her, something very rare.

"Michael," Rachel suddenly spoke up. Her heartbroken voice nearly made Michael stop, but he fought it and kept working.

"Yeah Rachel?" he acknowledge her call.

"What's the likelihood of us finding this temple Demetri spoke of?" she inquired. While the trio stayed with Raiden, Michael filled them in on what Demetri said about Mizu's location. But all he said was the temple past the cave located east of where they originally were, meaning they would need to pass Raiden's camp and keep going in that direction. It wasn't a surefire thing, but any details about Mizu's whereabouts were very valuable.

"I honestly can't say for sure Rachel," Michael responded. "I trust Demetri's words, but I still don't believe it will be that simple. I wouldn't worry about it for now; we should focus on getting our teammates back to full strength. In our current condition, a single Dark Soldier will annihilate us."

"I see," Rachel returned to her silence. Only Raiden's screams filled the air now, once again burning its pitch permanently into the adults' ears.

It took forever, but at long last, Michael finished his operation. His hands were coated in blood, every inch covered in crimson liquid. The man stitched up his son's torso nice and cleanly, finally subduing the cries furiously escaping his lips. Now, he entered a fit of heavy pants, his chest rising and falling rapidly until it slowed.

"There," the man released a heavy sigh, tired from the amount of work he put in. "I've done all I could. Now the rest is up to Raiden," he took his wife's hand and pulled her into a tight and comforting embrace. She didn't care that blood was staining her clothes, as long as Raiden was going to be alright, she didn't care.

"Is he going to be okay?" Rachel walked up to the couple.

"I can't say," Michael shook his head. "There was a lot of stuff that needed repairing. I doubt I have everything fixed, but at the moment, this is the most I can do. It's all up to him now."

"Is it okay to come in?" Yang and Ruby stuck their heads in the hovel.

"Sorry girls, but it's best to leave him alone for now," Michael told them. "I managed to fix up most of his innards; however, I can't guarantee that he will make it out of this alive."

The sisters' faced started to pale. They were hoping for positive news, not this.

"He suffered way too much damage and his body won't be able to sustain them all. So all we can do is pray to Monty that he survives, but if not," Michael just shook his head and escorted the four females out of the hovel. He explained Raiden's condition to the rest of the camp, even going as far as to give them a checkup of their own.

"I think you should rest now Mr. Matsumura," John spoke up. The doctor shook his head as he retied the bandage around Jaune.

"I'll rest when my job is done," he declared. "In the meantime, we need to strategize. The base is located to the east of here, but there's no telling how far. It could be months before we even find the cave, maybe close to a year, which we do not have. Before we head out, we need to come up with a good plan; it's going to get tougher from here on out."

"I tried to find the cave, but it's well out of my range," Izumi showed up, the former telling the camp of his endeavors to find his brother and the results he concluded. It wasn't looking good and time was running out. With Raiden out for a long while, Mizu's whereabouts just within their reach yet so far away, and Demetri's death, a lot of emotions were swarming in the cauldron. But what should they do? That was the million dollar question.


"Are you ready?" Blake whispered to Mizu. She felt his arms tighten around her waist as they shared a brief embrace.

"Yeah," he whispered back. Both were very nervous about the plan, but a situation such as this would never arise again. "I'm ready when you are."

Blake pecked Mizu on the lips to ease both their nerves. "Remember, we're going hunting, but as soon as we get far enough from the temple, we make a break for it. When we do, you must use your nose to the best of its abilities and find our friends. Hopefully, they should still be in the same vicinity before we were captured," she told him the plan. Mizu nodded back silently, accepting another kiss from Blake. "Then let's get going."


A/N: Can Mizu and Blake make it out alive? Will Raiden survive and live to tell the tale? What did you all think of the IzumixWeiss moment at the beginning? And will Yang finally get the chance to beat the ever living shit out of Raiden? Find out in the next chapter.