Blear eyes reluctantly blinked open, her small tent was filled with soft light, shadows cast from the trees above danced subtly in the morning breeze. She felt something… cold against her side after a moment of wondering, she remembered; it was her arm. A deep melancholy spread through her chest like ice water but still she took a deep breath and held up her arm, bringing up the heavy prosthetic above her, moving her fingers one after the other before balling them into a fist.

This isn't the time to be sulking… Yang shook her head before forcing herself up, pulling the blankets away as she reached for the zipper at the entrance of her tent. Light and cool air streamed in, forcing her sleepy eyes to blink as they adjusted.

She pushed herself out, rubbing her eyes with her non metal hand before throwing her arms into the air and giving a long, satisfying stretch. The early morning sun glinted off her prosthetic and a soft breeze flowed around her. Birds chirped in the branches, filling the tranquil morning with their songs.

Humming with her stretch she brought her arms back to her side as she looked around the camp, her eyes falling on two sleeping figures cuddling closeby their ash filled fire pit. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she stared at the sleeping Ruby and Mercury, her little sister snuggled up to him, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her holding her close.

Looks like those two are getting cozy… and awfully close. Still, after a moment she couldn't help but be disarmed by the peaceful, content look on Ruby's face. With a resigned sigh Yang shook her head and walked off towards a little deeper into the woods, following the faint sound of twigs snapping.

As the cool mid morning air began to warm with the sun yang felt a little more comfortable in her pajamas and orange tank-top emblazoned with her emblem. Yang came out into a small clearing not even a minute from camp to find the fourth and final member of their unlikely team doing some sort of yoga in her sleepwear.

Neo's pink and brown hair was tied back into a ponytail and she wore white yoga pants and a light pink blouse. She stood on her hands and spread her legs out with almost inhuman flexibility as she eased into a slip until her toes just barely touched the ground. Neo's head turned to Yang staring at her as she leaned up against a tree, seeming to be patiently waiting for her to finish her morning routine. So, Neo pulled herself up and brought her legs back together pointing her toes to the sky before letting them fall forward as she gracefully landed on her feet, staring quizzically at Yang.

"Hey Neo, sorry to interrupt… whatever that was." Yang didn't even want to know. "Mind if I talk to you for a bit, something's on my mind."

Neo tilted her head bemused for a moment before wiping off some lingering drops of sweat with her forearm. With an amiable smile Neo walked up to Yang, standing before the much taller girl, waiting curiously to hear what she had to say. Meanwhile Yang stared at her for a long moment, it was strange to her, seeing Neo's distinctive hair tied back in a ponytail, but it didn't look bad on her at all.

"W-well, it's just, I guess you saw them too since you were up before me." Yang felt a little flustered both by Neo's expressive stare and by how awkward she felt even talking about it. Still, she let out a soft sigh and gathered herself. "Well, it seems like Ruby and Mercury are pretty close huh?"

Neo blinked and for a moment she looked almost suspiciously at her teammate, but her multicolored eyes softened as she gave a small nod, letting Yang continue. The two of them had very little interaction with each other under their belts, Neo knew very little about her adoptive sister's biological sister, however she knew Yang undoubtedly cared for Ruby so that was reason enough for Neo to trust her.

"Okay so, I guess Ruby kinda sees you like a big sister so I just thought you and I should have a talk with Mercury while Ruby is out of the way, you know, let him know that he better take care of her? I mean… I kinda always wanted to intimidate her first boyfriend, you know, protective big sister stuff?" Yang gave an awkward, bashful laugh, her eyes looking around the forest instead of those big brown and pink eyes that stared up at her with a complicated expression. Finally, Neo's lips formed a playful, devious grin as she tilted her head back, looking up at yang with one hand on her hip. I guess that's a yes?

"Good, because I see how you are around Ruby and I figured you think of her like a little sister too… which is nice." Yang shook her head softly, her shoulders slumped as she leaned more heavily against the tree, her gaze falling to the ground as she hugged herself, her entire visage exuding dejection.

Neo's smile faded, replaced by a confused but worried frown, her hand fell back to her side as she took a step closer, unsure of how to make Yang feel better or even what was wrong with her. She reached out her hand, hoping a gentle touch might help but before her fingers touched her arm, Yang spoke up, compelling Neo to retract her hand and listen.

"Neo, I know you're not much of a talker, but I kinda have something I want to ask you, but first… I- I want to thank you." Now that threw Neo off, the candid, genuine sadness and gratitude in her voice was a side of Yang Neo had never seen, still she didn't interrupt, instead letting Yang get off her chest what was clearly important for her.

"I want to thank you for being there for Ruby when I wasn't, she was probably scared and confused after she lost her memory and I can tell she trusts you a lot and cares about you, so you must have done a lot to earn that from her. I was supposed to be the one to pick her up when she's down and I was supposed to comfort her when she cried…" Yang bit down, her jaw muscles bulging at the sides of her face as anger and bitterness burned in her chest, all directed at herself. With a shaky exhale, she let her rage go, forcing herself to continue. "I wasn't there for her… but I'm glad you were, actually, I'm still glad you're here for her. So, thanks."

Yang couldn't meet her eyes, both out of bashfulness and out of sadness and anger towards herself. Even so, she hoped that Neo understood just how grateful she really was. She recalled what Thistle and Weiss told her when they were on the trail in Mountain Glenn, when they knocked Ruby out and just before they could take her, Neo did everything she could to protect Ruby from them. At the time, Yang cursed the person who kept her sister away from her, but now she was thanking that very woman for doing just that… It's funny how things can work out.

For a moment, Neo's eyebrows were raised in surprise, her eyes wide as she looked up at Yang. She certainly wasn't expecting that. She had spent so long fighting Yang, hating her for wanting to take Ruby away, hell, Neo recalled the time that she gleefully smiled at the prospect of killing Yang after they captured her back in mountain Glenn but now she was happy to be on a team with that very person, because she knew that Yang cared for Ruby just as much as she did. After the surprise wore off and she had a second to really sort out how she felt about what Yang had said, Neo smiled warmly and gave an affirming nod.

"So, with that in mind, I wanted to ask… how was she? Back then I mean." Yang's voice was soft as she looked up to the clear blue sky, her gaze wistful with no small hint of sadness. "I only got to see her twice before she came to Beacon, once that night after we destroyed Torchwick's Paladin and then on the train, we didn't get to do much talking either time. So, I want to know, how was Ruby while she was with you? Was she eating okay? Was she smiling enough? When she was sad was she comforted? Did she laugh? I think a lot about that you know, everything I missed with her. After our mom… after she passed away, I swore I would protect Ruby and be there for her, but I wasn't. So, how was she?"

Once again Neo was taken aback, the question seemed out of nowhere but she could tell Yang was holding on to these thoughts for a long time. At the same time that it made her happy that Yang cared so much for her sister, Neo was saddened by the pain in her teammate's soft lilac eyes.

Yang didn't exactly know what kind of answer she was waiting for, Neo didn't talk and she knew there would be a communication gap between them, still, it didn't hurt that Neo was one of the most expressive people she'd ever seen. The smaller woman had a way of conveying a lot through just a look or a smile, Yang actually found it pretty impressive. After a long moment of staring up at the sky, she looked back into Neo's sparkling, colorful eyes that shimmered with both immense gratitude and deep empathy and her small, soft smile told Yang enough, even more than the gentle nod she gave her. Ruby was happy, she was well taken care of and loved, she was okay. I feel like that's what she's trying to say and that smile… it's enough for me.

"Thanks Neo… for taking care of her." Yang let out a soft breath, fighting to push back the sadness and regret that was welling up in her chest. She shook her head lightly, bringing her hands up to her face and rubbing it gently, one hand was soft, warm and familiar… the other was cold, hard and alien to her. She held her hands down, looking at them side by side, pale skin warmed by the light of the sun, the other glinting and heavy.

"Can I ask you a really weird question?" Yang spoke without looking up from her hands. "I mean, it's kinda out there and it maybe wrong to ask something like this but I have to know… have you ever killed anyone?"

Somehow even Neo seemed to grow more silent at the sudden and very, very unexpected question. Her expression was blank and unreadable as she looked to Yang for a long moment, deliberating how exactly to answer, or if she she should even do so but in the end, Neo finally gave a small shrug and responded with a nonchalant nod, finding no reason to lie to her newest teammate.

"I see… I thought so, I just wanted to be sure." Yang sighed softly, putting her hands back into the pockets of her pajamas. "I guess that means I'm the only one of us who hasn't... even Ruby has killed people. It feels really weird you know, I'm on a team of murderers, but I can't think of you as bad people anymore… if I'm being honest, I'm starting to care about you and Mercury, even after everything you've all done. Still, what if Ruby decides she wants to be on Cinder's side? I- I don't know if I could follow her, I don't want to hurt people, but I want to be there for Ruby. I guess this has been really bothering me and I just wanted to get it off my chest, I'm really sorry for unloading all of this onto you, I just-"

Yang was silenced, her spiraling thoughts coming to a stop as she felt a gentle pressure land on the top of her head. Neo reached up, tenderly stroking Yang's head, carefully running her fingers through her hair as she had done for her adoptive sister many times when Ruby needed comforting, Neo figured Yang could really use it now. She was right, under Neo's touch Yang felt herself relaxing, the dark clouds dispelled as her teammate closed her eyes, seeming to be trying to channel clam through her touch. A fragile smile formed from Yang's lips as her own eyes fluttered closed. I guess things are more complicated than good and evil, like Mercury said.


Shimmering sunlight pierced through the darkness of sleep, stirring him from unconsciousness. His body felt heavy but a pleasant warmth and pressure threatened to lull him back to sleep but the more he fought it, the more he became aware of a weight resting on his shoulder… and a steady movement under his arm.

Mercury forced his eyes open, green leaves in the trees above him swayed in a gentle breeze, breaking up the morning light beautifully as it rained down onto the forest floor. It didn't take him long to cut through the fog of grogginess as he tried to figure out the time just by the position of the sun. He guessed it was around mid morning and that he had slept in. Blinking the bleariness from his eyes he finally turned his head to his side and was very surprised to see a head of short black hair resting on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her as Ruby snored softly, her chest rising and falling steadily as she snuggled against his side.

He couldn't remember when she could have joined him or how he didn't notice, but as she looked down at her, he couldn't help but smile and hold her just a little tighter. He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest and the rhythmic breathing of his girlfriend who pushed herself just a little bit closer to him as he held her. I should probably wake her up… but I like this, maybe I'll just let her sleep a bit longer, not like we're on a deadline or anything.

A thought crossed his mind, nothing more than a whim but as he looked down at his girlfriend he felt more and more compelled. Finally, seeing no reason not to, Mercury gingerly craned his neck and kissed to top of her head. Her black hair was soft and warm from the sunlight and it smelled still vaguely of strawberries. He wanted to just roll onto his side and wrap both his arms around her, hold her close and just fall back asleep in her warmth, but he knew the should probably get up soon.

I can't believe I'm here, with her and Neo and Yang, being on a team with them almost seems surreal, but I really wouldn't rather be anywhere else. Besides, I care for this girl right here and if this crazy plan is what she wants, I'm happy to follow her, make sure she doesn't get herself killed… and maybe, along the way, I can enjoy these little moments that I never thought I would have. I feel pretty good right about now…

"Mercury…" A soft murmur hummed from the girl laying beside him as Ruby began to shift around, coming to alertness. She lifted her head, looking up at him with bleary eyes as she slowly blinked herself awake smiling softly at her boyfriend. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Mercury let out a small huff of laughter as he looked into her beautiful silver eyes. She looked like she was still half asleep but between Ruby's dazed voice, sleepy eyes and warm smile, she actually looked even cuter to him. "You sleep alright?"

"Mm-hm" Ruby hummed in response, stretching beside him, pressing her face against his shoulder, taking in his warmth as she draped her arm over his chest and held him close. "After I came out here I slept like a baby."

"I'm glad, even if it means I can't feel my fingers anymore and my whole arm has just about gone numb from having to be your pillow." He smirked at her.

"But warm…" She whined indignantly before reluctantly scooting down, relieving his arm and placing her head under his armpit, resting her face against his side with an playfully aggravated huff.

"Well we should be getting up soon anyway, looks like Yang and Neo are already up for who knows how long." He sighed. Still, he figured since they were both awake now, why not get a little more comfortable? With Ruby now off his shoulder he rolled himself onto his side, letting cool morning air rush between them for a moment before he and Ruby at once came back together, Ruby smiling contently as rested against his chest, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close, his chin nestled in her soft, short hair. But maybe we could stay like this for just a little bit longer.

"Merc, you're gonna make me fall back asleep." Ruby giggled, adjusting herself slightly to make herself more comfortable, practically purring as a comfortable warmth washed over her, his steady breathing and his heartbeat lulling her more and more back into to a blissful sleep.

"Just a few more minutes…" He held her just a tiny bit tighter, she felt so small resting against his chest, under his arms. It was strange but also endearing, especially knowing that this small, cute girl could easily kick his ass.

"Fine, but if I fall asleep I'm blaming you." She giggled, seriously feeling sleep threatening to take her back.

"Hey, you're the one that came out here in the first place so this is your fault." Mercury gave a huff of laughter, jerking Ruby to snap her into alertness. "It's my turn to cook breakfast for everyone, I'm pretty surprised Yang and Neo didn't wake us up sooner."

"They probably didn't want to disturb us." Ruby shrugged. "I guess if you're cooking I'll head to the nearby stream to get some water."

"That sounds good. Yang can get firewood and Neo can do the dishes." He wondered exactly where their other two teammates were but then a realization hit him, a pang of worry hit his heart.

"Hey, you said you slept well after you came to sleep with me… what was making you have a hard time sleeping before that?" Immediately he could feel Ruby stiffen against him at the question. A long moment passed before she said anything and that alone was enough to confirm his fears.

"It's the nightmares… they keep waking me up and it's hard to go back to sleep after one." Her voice was colder than before and Mercury could distinctly hear the hint of fear in her words.

"I'm no therapist, but it sounds like you've got some issues going on with these constant nightmares… wanna talk about it?" He knew Ruby was tough, or at least, she liked to seem tough. She was their leader, she didn't want them to think she was hurting or dealing with issues as she led them down a very dangerous path… I get it, but she should know better. We're a team because of her, all of us want her to be okay.

"Maybe later, this is a good morning so far, I really don't want to ruin it." She took a long, deep breath, smiling softly as she pressed herself up against him. "But… thanks, for holding me, I didn't have another nightmare after I joined you out here."

"Any time Ruby, any time." Despite his worry, he smiled too and again he gently kissed to top of her head, lingering there, taking in everything he could about the the moment with her feeling genuinely content and very happy, his chest filling with a deep warmth as she gave a soft hum, relaxing in his arms. Yeah, I like this. I like this a lot.


"That was good! Thanks for cooking again Merc!" Yang hummed happily, her plate wiped clean and her stomach satisfied, well worth the wait she had endured waiting for the lovebirds to wake up.

Neo smiled brightly giving a nod of agreement as she too finished her breakfast, placing her plate down beside her before getting up, collecting her teammate's dishes as she readied to clean them before their morning routines got started.

After about a week of traveling the ground found themselves a nice rhythm for the day. They rotated chores and duties, though they didn't follow it strictly as Mercury tended to be the one who did about half the cooking, but he consistently said he didn't mind. After breakfast they would each start their morning workout with Ruby bouncing between her three teammates, getting in three separate workouts. First she went with Mercury for some light sparring, then she joined Yang for intense strength training and then she did stretches and yoga to keep up her flexibility with Neo. Their mission was extremely dangerous so they all had to keep sharp.

"Glad you liked it." Mercury wore a cocky grin, of course they liked it, he hadn't got one complaint about his cooking and seeing them all enjoy it stroked his ego in the best way.

"Well, we should get started." Ruby stood up, looking pumped and ready to go as she handed off her plate to Neo. "You ready Mercury?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Mercury stood up, handing off his plate to Neo with a thank you before turning back to Ruby. "I'll try not to kick your ass too bad.

"Great, I saw this perfect spot by the river!" Ruby smiled eagerly, completely ignoring his taunting as she walked around their cooking fire while yang snuffed it out. Taking her boyfriend's hand into her own they began walking away, leading him to the spot where they would spar.

"Hold up!" Yang called out, rushing over to them. The couple stopped and turned to face the smiling with suspiciously forced innocence which Mercury would have thought was strange before Yang put her hand on his shoulder gripping it almost painfully hard while still looking at Ruby as though nothing suspicious was going on. "Neo and I need to talk to Merc about something so you go on ahead, he'll catch up."

"Oh." Ruby tilted her head somewhat confused, meanwhile Mercury was doing his best to hide his growing fear at the prospect of staying behind with his girlfriend's two protective sisters.

"Alright then, try not to keep him too long." Ruby shrugged, letting go of his hand before turning to him and standing on her toes, her lips gently landing on his cheek before she pulled away. "See you soon."

And with that… she began walking deeper into the woods towards the Ruby, Mercury looking pleadingly after her before reluctantly turning back to Yang. His worst fears seemed to be realized as Neo had joined them looking at him with a stern, angry look, meanwhile Yang wore a disturbingly bright smile.

"So, it's time." Yang said cryptically, finally taking her hand off his shoulder, though somehow that didn't make him feel any better. "Since you and my sister seem to be getting pretty close, Neo and I thought we needed to give you the talk."

"Um… what talk?" Mercury gulped as Neo and Yang stood menacingly close, glaring at him with extremely protective demeanors.

"The, 'You break my little sister's heart and we break you' talk." Yang narrowed her eyes menacingly as she took a firm, stomping step forward while Neo smiled casually while she tapped her umbrella against the ground, its hidden blade partially unsheathed.

"Oh." Mercury hadn't even been as afraid of Cinder as he was of these two crazy, over-powered and super protective women. However, Yang's viciously protective demeanor softened, her arms folded over her chest as she took a step back, letting out a soft sigh.

"But with that being said, I can tell you make Ruby happy and that makes me happy, Neo too. She really likes you, you're lucky, so don't screw it up." Yang gave him a warning glare, beside her Neo sheathed her blade and brought her umbrella over her shoulder, looking expectantly at him as she awaited his answer.

"Yeah… I know I'm lucky." He turned his head, looking in the direction that Ruby had gone, a warm smile forming from his lips before he even knew it. "I'm not going to screw this up because I really like her too… she makes me happy."

With that, Mercury put his hands in his pockets and followed Ruby towards the river, leaving Yang and Neo looking at each other, taken aback by the sincerity in his words. However, after a moment, Neo smiled up at Yang and she gave in with a resigned sigh. I guess this is our team, my sister, her boyfriend, her adoptive sister and me. Three murderers and a traitor… I guess I could be in worse company.