Gamer4 in. At long last, I'm back to provide some opening and closing notes for the final chapters of this story. I have some dedications to dish out, but that seems better suited for the final chapter than the penultimate one, so for now, I will simply say... enjoy.
Disclaimer: Close your eyes- don't you cry. Love's around you, in time you'll fly...
Chapter XLVIII
Team Loser Makes a Promise
It took a great deal of cajoling to convince Yang to leave her sister's remains behind- in the end, she settled for carrying the bones and cloak to an area just outside the door into Its lair, where Weiss used her rapier to carve a small cross into the stone above- it wasn't much, but it was the best they could do on such short notice. With that, they turned back into the tunnels and began the long journey back to the surface.
It didn't take long after that for Yang's glow to flicker and die. After all that had happened, she no longer had the energy to provide them the light necessary to guide the way, leaving them to mostly feel along the walls, using Weiss's memory as a guide for what turns needed to be made. Even Blake's faunus vision relied on trace amounts of light- in this unrelenting darkness, she was just as blind as the rest.
On the way in, it had taken a matter of minutes to get from the solid black hallways, through the earthen tunnels to the door. Now, however, time seemed to be stretching minutes into hours as they searched for those smooth walls and floors.
"Yang..." Ren spoke gently. "I understand that you're tired... but if you can summon even the tracest amounts of light..."
Yang struggled, but all her energy had been spent on the Fire Walk and the immediate aftermath- there was hardly any emotion left in her for this slog back to the surface. "S-s-sorry... I've g-got n-n-nothing..."
"It's going to be okay," Weiss spoke up, hoping she sounded more convincing than she felt. "If we just keep following the left wall from here..."
Or was it the right? she wondered- but kept such thoughts to herself. The last thing she needed to do was lower her friends' morale even more.
"Things... things are gonna be okay, right, Renny?" Nora asked, delivering perhaps the worst blow of all- even the usually chipper voice of Nora Valkyrie had been reduced to a weary hopelessness. "We're... we'll get out of here alright, right?"
"Of course, Nora," Ren agreed, a firmness in his voice that was nowhere in his heart. "We'll head back to my place, and I'll make you all some pancakes."
"That sounds... nice," Nora smiled weakly as they continued to trudge on through the dark and quiet.
XXXX
It took twenty minutes for the band to finally feel their way back to the hallways. They were warmer than the group remembered, but still just barely above freezing, leading them to band closer together for warmth. In her desperation, Yang managed to at least increase her body heat- a definite step up, but she still wasn't managing to glow.
When they came to the great chamber where Team CRDL had encountered Adam Taurus, they found the bodies of Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark... but no signs of Cardin Winchester.
"Where... where is he?" Blake asked, shuddering as she struggled to peer into the blackness. "Where's Cardin?"
"Somewhere else in here?" Pyrrha speculated. "This chamber is rather large..."
"Or he might be back on his feet," Jaune whispered, not wanting to say it but feeling compelled to point out the worst-case scenario. "He might be looking for us, but even more lost..."
"We're not lost!" Weiss hissed back firmly. "We know where we are- we know this room! Once we get across, we'll be back in the hallways, and then... and then..."
"And then?" Blake asked, eyes narrowing. "And then what? We've got an entire labyrinth of tunnels between us and the surface! Assuming we don't freeze to death in these hallways, we'll go ahead and starve to death wandering aimlessly around the rest of these Dustforsaken catacombs!"
"No... no, no, no, no!" Nora whimpered. "I don't want to go like that... I want to get back home... I want to see my parents again!"
"You will, Nora!" Yang spoke up. "You know B-B-Blake- she's just b-being a p-p-pessimist l-like usual... everything's g-going to b-be okay!"
"Then maybe you'd like to let us in on your grand plan for getting out of here?" Blake asked, turning to the area she assumed her leader was standing. "Go on- you're the woman with the plan! What is it?"
Yang choked, because she knew that Blake was right- she'd dragged everyone down here, it was her responsibility to see them all safely out. But the horrid, sad state of affairs was...
"I d-d-don't... I d-d-don't have one."
A strange noise pierced through the darkness- it took a second for the others to realize it was the sound of Blake hissing.
"Please, everyone- we need to stay calm!" Pyrrha raised her voice, fighting to hide the trembling within it. "I'm sure everything is going to be fine-"
"And how can you know that?!" Blake shot back. "We're miles underground, with no way to know how to get back to the surface! How can you say everything's going to be fine?!"
Nora's voice was starting to give in to sobbing. "No... everything has to be fine! After everything we've been through... we can't just... we can't just-"
Her voice was cut off by a surprised squeak. The others couldn't see it, but the reason for her silence was simple- yet so, so complicated. Ren had drawn near, using her voice as a guide, and pressed his lips gently against hers, pulling her close. Her eyes widened as she put her hands around his in return, gladly accepting the kiss.
After far too short a time, in her opinion, Ren pulled away, and spoke again in that characteristically calm tone of his- "Everything is going to be fine. We are going to get out of here."
Nora smiled- whether it was due to Ren's semblance, or something deeper, she thoroughly believed his words, washing into her, warming her up and soothing her soul.
"Yeah... guys, we're gonna get out of here just fine," she smiled as she addressed the others.
Jaune's eyes widened. "That's it..." he whispered. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Pyrrha asked.
"That's what's holding us back- not just being tired, or... or anything like that... this is Its last trick- It wants us to fall apart and die alone down here. We have to stand together again... we have to come together again... then we can get out."
"And how do you propose we-" Weiss was on the point of asking when she felt hands on the side of her face. From the callouses therein, she was able to deduce that they were Jaune's.
"With your permission, Ice Q- er, Weiss?"
Weiss's eyes widened, but she found herself nodding nonetheless as Jaune pulled her into a kiss of his own. Neither felt anything sexual in the act, barely anything romantic- no, this went even deeper, a bond beyond friendship or love. Something bright enough to stave off the darkness around them and see them through to safety.
"Blake?" came Ren's voice nearby. "If you will?"
Blake, of course, could see nothing around her, but the sounds piercing her four ears were more than enough to piece together what was going on. Nearby, she heard Weiss pull away from Jaune, breathing heavily. "Better?" he asked.
"Much," Weiss whispered back. "I... I think I remember the way, now... once we get across this room, I should be able to get us out."
"But that won't do us much good if-" Blake started, only to find herself silenced by Ren's lips against hers. Her ears slicked back... then slowly raised themselves again. Like Weiss, there was nothing romantic here, but being in Ren's arms brought her a sense of security she hadn't felt in years- the last time she had felt so safe must have been when her mother, Kali, held her near, allowing her to suckle from her breast. Her raging mind began to calm... all was well. She was among her friends... friends who had already proven they could beat out the most impossible odds. They were already in the home stretch... her fretting could be laid down at the side. They would be home soon enough.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked.
"I'm here, Jaune," came Pyrrha's voice, sounding almost breathless- she, too, had realized swiftly what was happening here, and there was a certain level of nerves in her voice as she felt her way through the darkness to Jaune's form.
"Are you okay with this?" Jaune asked, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
"Maybe... but Jaune... I don't... what does this..."
She didn't know how to express the whirling emotions coursing through her. Jaune shook his head. "We can worry about that after we get out." He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Whatever we feel for each other, it doesn't amount to much if we're both dead."
She nodded, conceding the point, and allowed him to press his lips against hers.
Bliss... utter bliss. Unlike the others, she thought she did sense a level of romance here- or perhaps hoped- but even so, it was eclipsed by that deeper sense of belonging. After moving around for years, she had finally found a place to belong... and perhaps that was something she treasured even more than Jaune himself.
"Kind, crystal green eyes," Jaune whispered as they pulled apart, "hide a heart as pure as gold... my heart longs to join."
He immediately blushed at the perceived ridiculousness of the line, but Pyrrha smiled as she felt an even deeper warmth wash into her.
At long last, all eyes turned- as best they could- towards Yang. "I... I guess it's your turn, now," Jaune whispered. "If... if you're okay with it, which of us-"
This time, it was he who was silenced as Yang grabbed him and pressed his body to hers. Taller though he may have been, Jaune felt as though she were pulling his lips up to hers before they met.
Both closed their eyes. It was odd, in a way- Jaune knew many boys his age would kill to trade places with him right now, but just as with all the others, he felt no stimulation- this time, he felt security flowing into him. He was safe as long as Yang stood at the team's head. As long as she led, everything else would follow. Everything else would be alright.
Yang's feelings were not at all dissimilar- though directed differently. She felt as though she had been standing at the edge of the abyss, and this moment... everything happening right now was exactly what she needed to be pulled back. Of course... she was their leader, and she wouldn't let them down. She'd hardly be Yang Xiao Long if she did- losing wasn't her style. What was it she did?
Hotter than the sun in the middle of July...
The others gasped as a light appeared before them- a faint glow that steadily began to burn brighter and brighter.
"I... I see!" Nora gasped excitedly. "Ren... Renny! I can see!"
"As can I," Ren nodded with a smile. "Now, if you two would care to take the lead... perhaps we might get out of here at last."
XXXX
At the end of an hour's march, there was no sweeter sound to Team Loser's ears than the running water of the Haven River. Even better was the moment that they realized that they no longer had to rely on Yang's light to see- small cracks overhead were allowing sunlight into the tunnels to reflect off the water splashing beneath their feet.
All their hearts leapt when, at long last, they saw a small circle of light up ahead, growing larger as they immediately rushed towards it.
At long last, they broke free, spilling out of the very pipe they'd entered by, marked by the fallen tree that had momentarily blocked off Team CRDL, what seemed like several hundred years ago. The storm that had broken out earlier had subsided- there was no longer a cloud in the sky.
The passage of time was marked by the sun setting beneath the horizon, turning the view of the Emerald Forest and the Haven river into a beautiful picture of reds and oranges. Several of the Losers laughed in relief, while others actually got down on their hands and knees to kiss the ground.
"We're out..." Yang smiled, looking towards the brilliant sun- she'd never take it for granted again. "We're out."
Jaune cleared his throat as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Um... guys? Is it alright if... if I stay with one of you tonight? I... I doubt I'd be entirely welcome home."
The others turned to look at him, but didn't ask- if he wanted them to know, he'd have come right out with it. Only Pyrrha seemed to understand, looking at him with clear sorrow in her emerald eyes.
"I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind," Blake spoke up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's... it's the least I can do, after... after how I acted down there."
"You were scared," Weiss assured her, shaking her head at the apology. "People do weird things when they're scared- and we all were."
"Still... I'd be honored to have you, Jaune."
Jaune smiled. "Yeah... I'd like that."
They looked around the forest, taking in the fresh air and the soothing sounds of the trees.
"Perhaps... perhaps you could all come over to my place tomorrow," Ren suggested. "We can... we could celebrate with a pancake party."
"My kind of celebration," Nora smiled, clinging on to him tightly.
"I do believe we could all do with a pick-me-up after the summer we've had," Pyrrha nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching.
"Yeah," Yang smiled. "When school starts up, I think I'm gonna punch anyone complaining about summer school in the face."
A chuckle ran around the group- nobody even commented on the disappearance of Yang's stutter. After everything that they had just survived, it was hardly worth a footnote in the grand scheme of things.
"See you tomorrow, then?" Weiss asked.
One by one, the others agreed, and they began making their way back up the hill towards where they'd left their bikes.
XXXX
"My Dad was pretty freaked out," Yang admitted as she swallowed a mouthful of pancake.
As it happened, they'd had to delay their celebration by a day- they'd all slept in so long the day after their ordeal that they had agreed to reschedule. However, they had all awoken bright and early today, determined to make it to Ren's house and put this all behind them once and for all.
"As soon as I came in, he came right at me- wanted to know where I'd been, why I smelled like a dump full of old porta-potties, that kinda thing."
"What did you tell him?" Pyrrha asked, helping herself to one of the smaller pancakes on the table before her.
"That we were playing at the dump," Yang admitted, an odd smirk-blush combo overtaking her face. "We just... lost track of the time."
"That sucks," Nora muttered, before continuing to inhale her own flapjacks as though they were the last meal she'd ever have.
"Not really," Yang shook her head. "We got to have a long talk afterward... we got a lot of things off our chests. I haven't felt this close to him since..." she paused, looking at her reflection in the maple syrup below. "Since last September. It was... nice."
"Cathartic?" Ren suggested, wiping Nora's mouth with one hand even as he kept his gaze on Yang.
"I suppose so, yeah."
"My parents didn't notice squat," Nora huffed, crossing her arms as she finally took a break from her meal. "By the time they got home, I'd taken a few showers to get all that gunk offa me, so I guess they didn't really notice anything unusual."
Ren gave a quiet chuckle. "My parents were curious, of course, but they like to give me a great deal of leeway. If anything, they were more curious about how Weiss came to be in that state."
"True," Weiss nodded, blushing slightly as she struggled to feed herself one-handed. "They were kind enough to take me to the hospital as soon as they saw... this..." She motioned to the eyepatch covering her left eye, so nearly gouged out by one of Neo's raving appendages. "They did what they could, but they said it will likely scar."
"Too bad, huh?" Jaune threw out, currently sitting between Blake and Pyrrha.
"Not really," Weiss smiled. "I... I kind of like it. It's... a badge of honor, if you know what I mean."
"I can see that," Yang nodded, smiling. "You take a trip to the hospital too, Blakey?"
"Of course," Blake nodded- predictably, she'd been the quietest the whole time, mostly sticking to eating her hotcakes in silence, giving one or two word responses as necessary. "I spent yesterday in some bandages, but I was pretty safe to remove them today. Those wounds healed... rather quickly, all things considered."
"Any problems fitting in with the Belladonnas, Jaune?" Ren asked courteously.
"Oh, no, they were great," Jaune smiled. "Her mom, especially- if I didn't know better, I'd swear she was trying to play matchmaker with us."
Laughter went around the table, except for Blake, who blushed furiously and sunk as low as the table would allow. "You don't know how right you might be," she whispered.
"What about you, Pyr?" Jaune asked, turning his gaze to the red-headed girl next to him.
"Oh- well, my mother took it relatively okay. I told her I tripped into a mud puddle out in the forest, and she seemed to believe that... or at least, not ask me any more questions." Pyrrha smiled. "She did make me eat third helpings of everything at dinner, though... that's just how she shows she cares."
Yang nodded, before taking a glass of milk in her hand. "Well... here's to a job well done." She stood. "To Team Loser!"
"To Team Loser!" everyone else chanted before taking a long drink of milk.
Yang's eyes instantly landed on one of them who didn't seem as enthusiastic as the rest. "Something wrong, Blakey?"
"Kind of... in a way," Blake muttered, not meeting her eyes as she returned to her pancakes. "I... I'll tell you, but... maybe not here."
"Why?" Ren asked. "My parents are out until evening- anything you have to say, we can say it-"
"It... it just seems like something I ought to say... elsewhere," Blake admitted. "After the celebration, you know?"
Team Loser glanced at each other, then nodded. "Okay," Yang agreed. "We'll finish up here, then head out into the Forest. Cool with you?"
Blake nodded, then returned to eating.
XXXX
After a long meal full of exchanged stories and the laughter that followed, the group marched out of Ren's house and grabbed their bikes, assuming what had rapidly become the usual formation- Jaune pedaling his bike with Pyrrha wrapped around him, Nora taking control of Ren's, the bike's usual owner grabbing on from behind, and Yang leading on Bumblebee with both Blake and Weiss right behind.
They made their way through the town, following the familiar path from A Simple Wok to the edge of the Emerald Forest, where they dismounted near Autumn Bridge and began following the Haven River deeper into the trees.
Finally, they stopped, not too far from where Pyrrha had first met Yang and Weiss a couple months ago- Holy Dust, has it really only been two months? Pyrrha couldn't help but marvel.
The sun shone brightly overhead as they stood at the river's banks. One by one, everyone turned to Blake. "So... what is it, Blakey?"
"I... I don't want to be that person," Blake muttered, "but I can't help but feel... like it's not quite over yet."
"How d'ya mean?" Nora asked. "We killed It, Cardin's behind bars... what else is there?"
Indeed, the news had broken in that morning's paper- Cardin Winchester had been discovered on the banks of the Haven River, in a near-comatose state, and had immediately been taken into custody on suspicion of involvement with the disappearances.
"God is in Heaven, all is right with the world," Ren quoted.
"Maybe," Blake nodded listlessly. "Maybe, but... but I can't help wondering... what if It's still alive? Still down there somewhere, hiding out, waiting for another chance?"
A deep chill ran through the group at the prospect- Yang bit her lip, and Weiss raised her good arm to cover her shoulder as she shuddered.
"Nah... nah..." Nora scoffed nervously. "We... we all saw her turning to dust... what is that, if she's still alive?"
"It's a shapeshifter," Weiss muttered, eyes fixed on the ground. "It might have been a trick..."
"We'll keep an ear out, then!" Jaune spoke up. "We'll watch out for anymore disappearances, and if there are..."
"But what if there aren't?" Pyrrha wondered gravely. "What if... what if we just forced It back into hibernation? If it is gone for now... but it comes back later? Twenty-seven years from now?"
"Then we'll come back, too."
Everyone spun to see Yang, looking just as serious as she had when she'd rallied them together in the depths of Vale. Her eyes weren't quite red, but they were flickering. "Swear to me... all of you... swear to me that if It's not dead... if It ever comes back... we will, too. We'll all come back... and finish that fucker off."
The others looked rather nervous, but Ren was the first to answer. "I swear," he said firmly, standing up and looking Yang in the eye. "I... I swear."
"If Renny's gonna come back, then so am I!" Nora jumped up immediately, rushing to his side. "That bitch won't know what hit her!"
Pyrrha smiled once more at Nora's antics. "Well... if all of you are coming back... then who am I to turn my back on you? I swear, too."
"Right," Jaune nodded, stepping up next to her. "I don't want any unfinished business in this town- if It ever comes back, it's our duty to smack It down again."
Finally, they turned toward Weiss, who looked very nervous as she was suddenly thrown on the spot. She looked from one determined face to the other, before taking a deep breath. "There goes all those lessons on avoiding peer pressure..."
She took a deep breath before opening her eyes again, firm and determined. "Of course I will, Yang. I swear."
"Blake?" Yang asked, looking around, only to see Blake foraging around by the river. She eventually stood up, a glass bottle in her hand that looked to have once held twelve ounces of People Like Grapes soda. She crossed to a nearby tree and smashed the bottle against it, forming a decent makeshift knife before returning to them.
Wordlessly, she raised her right hand before pressing the sharp end of the bottle into it, using the former neck as a handle. She dragged the shard across her hand, leaving a trail of blood behind, and ultimately, a wound that would very obviously scar. "I swear," she nodded.
She then approached Weiss. Weiss hesitated for a second, but ultimately raised her left hand, palm up. Blake pressed the glass shard into it and dragged it along- Weiss twitched, but made no move to stop her.
Jaune stepped forward next, not waiting for a prompt to raise his right hand, removing the glove he'd been wearing over it. Blake shot him a questioning glance, which he responded to without speaking, nodding slightly. He took a deep breath, only letting it out once the deed had been done.
"Hey, uh... we really gotta do this?" Nora asked nervously, rubbing the back of her head.
Blake shot her a light smirk. "Just for that, you're going next."
"I'm hurt- betrayed- a little hungry!" Nora gasped dramatically. "That last one's not your fault, though- Ren!"
"Beep beep, Nora," Ren smiled. "Just because I wouldn't let you have seventh helpings of pancakes..."
Nora gave an exaggerated pout before turning to Blake and raising her right hand. She inhaled through her teeth as her palm was cut open, and immediately started shaking her hand when Blake moved on.
Pyrrha stepped forth, smiling gently as she waved. "Hello, again."
"No offense, but... maybe you should try to lose some weight before next time," Blake suggested quietly. "Make yourself a less appealing target."
"Or I could just hope It's on a diet," Pyrrha fired back without any venom. Her hand raised, the glass flashed, and Pyrrha backed away, gazing at the injury with fascination.
"If I may," Ren spoke up, stepping forward, raising his left hand without preamble. Blake nodded silently, and performed the deed for him.
At last, they all turned towards Yang, who couldn't help smirking.
"You know, second thought, I don't really feel like it," she shrugged, before turning away. The others raised their voices in mock protest, prompting Yang to laugh as she pretended to give in, returning and snatching the glass from Blake's hand and making her own cut herself.
She dropped the shard to the ground, looking around at them all. Without any further words, they reached out and took each others' hands. Yang holding Weiss's holding Blake's holding Jaune's holding Pyrrha's holding Nora's holding Ren's holding Yang's again. They stood there, eventually closing their eyes, letting the pact sink into them all.
Yes... if It came back... they wouldn't be far behind. They were, now and for all time, Team Loser.
The moment couldn't last forever- after a few minutes that seemed like hours, they broke apart. Blake stepped backwards. "Jaune and I... we ought to get going." She turned before throwing one glance back. "Oh, and Yang... if you want to make up for nearly getting me killed, go ahead and leave a shipment of tuna on my doorstep for the next week or so, okay?"
The others stared, until they noticed the small smile on her face. They broke up, laughing, as Jaune approached and the two of them set off back into the trees. One by one, they all followed, until only Yang was left, gazing out on the Haven River, her heart calmer now than it had been in well over a year.
XXXX
As things turned out, Jaune was the first to leave Vale that year.
The Belladonnas were gracious hosts to him throughout his stay, offering him anything he needed as long as he fulfilled his share of some simple chores- which, with his upbringing, was actually quite lenient. They had gotten in contact with the proper authorities to report his mother's behavior, and begin laying the groundwork for his return to his father's custody.
It was three days after the incident that his mother was found and arrested, and roughly a week afterwards that Theodore Arc arrived in Vale to pick up his precious boy. There had not been time for a meeting to bid the boy farewell- Blake simply appeared at one of the team's meetings and announced that he was gone.
In the meantime, Weiss had returned to her father, weaving a tale about having been taken by the kidnapper, but managing to escape and eventually being rescued by her friends. How much of the story her father believed, it was difficult to say, but it was enough for him to lay off her friends, leaving them be. Unfortunately, he also immediately launched into plans to move out of Vale to a Schnee-owned building in the Kingdom of Atlas- not far from the company's headquarters. As such, she was the second to leave- though, against her father's wishes, she managed to sneak out one final time for one final meeting with her friends- they all met down in the forest, building a campfire and telling a round of scary stories, this time uninterrupted by Oobleck or any lurking terrors- unless one counted the terror Blake felt when she realized Ren may well be a better storyteller than she.
The next day, Weiss was gone.
It was only a day or two after that when Pyrrha showed up and delivered a grave announcement- her mother's job had transferred her yet again, and as such, they would be returning to Mistral for the foreseeable future. On some level, of course, she had known this was liable to happen, but it didn't make the impending split any easier to deal with. It was with her mother's blessing that they performed one final get-together, heading out to the movies where they watched Love More than Likely- Pyrrha's pick. Yang had made sure to give some token resistance, but in the end, she caved and gave the departing girl her way.
Blake was next. As it turned out, her parents had been making arrangements to leave Vale for quite some time- when questioning Blake, the others were unable to determine whether she had known as well, or if she had been just as much in the dark as they were. They had held off, determined to give Blake one last summer with them, but with that summer drawing to a close, it was time to pack up and leave. For her final farewell, they all headed to A Simple Wok, where they chipped in and bought her the largest fish bowl they could. She had immediately professed her deep, undying love for each and every one of them before finishing the bowl in what the owner declared to be a new record.
Perhaps what stung the most was when Nora showed up to a gathering of the three remaining losers and announced that her time to leave had come as well. Her parents had been tossing the idea around for a while, particularly as the kidnapping epidemic had continued escalating, but, distant as they were, they hadn't bothered telling her about their plans until now. This was followed by a long day out in the Emerald Forest, taking in the sights alongside Ren and Yang, before returning home, and disappearing the following day.
In the end, it was only Ren and Yang who remained, meeting up at the arcade, where Ren had promised to show his own skills in certain games- particularly pinball and a few rail shooters.
"I've... got some bad news, Renny," Yang admitted as they tossed some balls along the ramp- indeed, Ren's technique put even Weiss's to shame.
"It's your time to leave as well, I presume?" Ren guessed, landing another perfect shot.
Yang tilted her head, caught off guard. "You're... surprisingly calm about that."
"I figured it might happen," Ren admitted. "Of all of us, I knew I was the only one guaranteed to stay behind- my parents worked hard on that land, they'd sooner die than give it up for anything."
Yang looked away guiltily. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be," Ren shrugged, lining up his next shot. "This is just where the pieces landed. "At least this way, there'll be someone behind to call you all back if you're needed."
"I suppose that's true," Yang acknowledged, glancing out of the window- there had been hardly a drop of rain since their excursion into the sewers. "You're... you're sure you'll be alright on your own?"
"I'm sure I can do what needs to be done," Ren nodded.
"To tell you the truth... my memory... it's already getting a little foggy. There are pieces I'm having trouble remembering..."
"It was quite the experience," Ren pointed out. "Perhaps your mind is simply... overwhelmed."
"It makes me think..." Yang admitted. "Ren... if you end up having to call us back... maybe you shouldn't tell us everything all at once."
"Why not?"
"It's like you said... it's overwhelming. It's hard enough to accept this stuff now, but if you dump it all on us- grown adults, after twenty-seven years? Who knows what it might do to us? Maybe you should... just do your best to help us remember on our own."
Ren nodded. "That sounds perfectly reasonable."
Yang smirked. "Now, knowing myself the way I do, I'm sure I'll get on your case about it- Dust knows what I might say, trying to get you to spill the beans early. Let me just say... I preemptively apologize, and take it all back."
Ren turned to smile at her. "And I preemptively forgive you."
The two stared at each other for a moment, before Yang pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you... for everything," she whispered.
"Thank you," Ren countered, hugging her right back. "Don't worry... you're my leader, right? Whatever orders you give, I'll follow."
Yang smiled back at him. "As of now, you're the leader of Team Loser- I hope you lead it well."
Ren chuckled as he turned back and tossed his final ball.
A perfect shot.
XXXX
The time had come for Yang to leave Vale behind- everything of importance had been packed away, and all that was left was for her and her father to pile into their car and take off into the great unknown.
As she threw a last few odds and ends into her suitcase, she heard her door open behind her- she turned to see her father standing there, nervousness in his eyes. "Yang," he muttered. "I... I just wanted to say that... I know... I know I haven't been exactly fair to you, since... since Ruby died... I should have known you were being affected just as deeply as I was... maybe even more. I shouldn't have shut you out like I did. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
Yang smiled wanly as she stood and approached him, pulling him into the tightest hug she could muster. "All I wanted was my father back," she whispered happily.
Tai pulled away, smiling back. "I know... I know this place has a lot of bad memories... for both of us. But maybe... maybe where we're going, we can make a new set. I'm sure... I'm sure that's what she would want."
Yang nodded, turning to grab her suitcase and drag it down through the stairs. It was odd, realizing that she would never see this house again- she threw it one last glance before shutting the door behind her and placing her case in the car's trunk.
Before she climbed in, she raised her right hand, opening it up one final time to gaze at the scar upon it- she hadn't shown it to her father. It was for her eyes only- her eyes, and the eyes of her Team, who had forged a bond beyond the oceans that separated them.
One day... one day, we'll come back.
She glanced at the sky, where a few dark clouds were forming, before climbing into the passenger seat.
She leaned against the window as the car pulled out and began to rumble down the streets. For reasons even she couldn't fathom, a few streets down from her house, her eyes were drawn to one of the stormdrains, just as a few drops of rain began to fall down from above.
XXXX
Thus concludes the childhood saga of The Ice Cream Lady. Tune in next time for the conclusion to the adult saga, and by extension, the conclusion to the story. Until then, please R&R, constructive criticism and questions embraced, Gamer4 out.
