A/N: You're not imaging it: Unbroken rises from its watery slumber, like a sea grimm smelling fresh blood. I am sorry about how infrequently I'm able to write and release chapters. In truth, ch. 11 was supposed to be more than twice this long but it flowed better as two separate chapters. That means ch. 12 is already written and I have no excuse to take six months to release it. In any case, enjoy.
"Winterburn? You awake?"
"Yuki?"
Fox's voice slowly woke up the Atlesian. Yuki looked at Fox but didn't say anything. Neither did Fox, at first
"So…", Fox eventually started.
"Y-yeah?", Yuki replied carefully.
"I'm so sorry for your parents."
"I'm sorry for… how you must have been treated as a kid."
For minutes, Yuki stayed in bed, looking at the wall. Fox went to sit at the desk, not saying anything.
"I'm… broken, I guess.", Yuki suddenly stated.
More silence followed.
"Not really. Not for life.", Fox replied.
It took Yuki a while to formulate a response. Before the redhead had thought of anything to say, Fox continued.
"What you went through… It's horrible. Losing your parents to grimm is one thing, but what happened to you… It's…"
Before Fox could finish, Yuki cut in.
"Casualties of war. Just not the one with the grimm.", the redhead summed. "What you must've gone through… I can see why Velvet respects you so much. You know what it's like. Really know, even though you're a human."
"I think I get why you're here.", Fox observed.
"I think I get why you insisted on coming with me.", Yuki replied
Another long silence followed.
"Fox… I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't expect you to trust me. I'm just putting this out there. I'm sorry. I'll try to do better."
"I think I can forgive you in time, yeah."
"What do you mean?"
"I'd like to think I have an idea of what set you off. What your struggle is. I'm trying to understand, at least. I'm not going to say I'm cool with being raged at, but I… I'm not sure I can blame you."
"You can totally blame me. I was really an asshole."
"It's not like I did much better.", Fox laughed wryly.
Yuki took a deep breath.
"Look, the truth is, I can't promise it won't happen again. I have a short temper and I don't trust people. I work by myself. I live by myself. I drive people away when I feel threatened."
"You got along with your team."
Yuki scoffed.
"I had a working relationship with my team, sure. I trusted their skills, and they trusted mine. Ironwood was kind of a genius. A human, a faunus with two faunus parents, a faunus with an all-human family except for the mother… and then there's me. A shunned human child of pro-faunus humans. As far as anyone knew."
Fox thought for a moment.
"A team of lifelong misfits… Misfits suddenly working together, everyone with something to prove. Why does that sound so familiar?", he pondered sarcastically.
"Something to prove?", Yuki challenged. "We were just… glad to escape racist bs when we were by ourselves."
Fox laughed wryly.
"Sure. That must be the one and only reason. That's why you were one of the best teams of your year."
Yuki chuckled quietly.
"Okay, felt pretty good to beat the racist jerks. Metaphorically on the scoreboards and literally on the arena. They think they're somehow superior… until everyone sees they're not."
"Yeah… The Cardin Winchesters of the world kinda pipe down when they get their asses handed to them by a "wild animal" and a "cripple".
Yuki gulped.
"Umm..."
"Yeah, Cardin's literal words.", Fox confirmed.
"That the kind of shit you'd expect from a Schnee. Well, Jacques or Whitley, at least. Winter is… a hard-ass and a snob, but at least she's not racist. I really hope Weiss Schnee takes after her sister", Yuki sighed.
Fox laughed.
"I've heard this story a few times from Velvet. Every time someone complained about that family. It's the current head of the family, Jacques, who's a real pile of crap. He married into the family for the money and power. His son… just as bad, like you said. Schnee's wife was apparently trying to do some good at first, and the daughters aren't anywhere near as bad as they could be. Hell, Weiss eventually got along fine with Velvet. Mostly, anyway."
"Mostly?", Yuki challenged.
"Weiss was… difficult at first.", Fox started sliding to the edge of his bed. "She got better. She was willing to listen if there was someone to listen to. And Blake Nightshade, her teammate… she was all about speaking out for the faunus, if you know what I mean."
Fox slid off the bed and landed of the floor with a soft thud. Yuki smirked.
Nightshade? Almost clever. Almost. And Blake ended up in the same team with Weiss Schnee… Ozpin must have known.
Yuki let out a wry laugh, looking Fox in the eye.
"Yeah, trust me, I know what you mean. My parents, remember? We knew the people willing to talk. We knew the people unwilling to talk. The Schnees, the Ironwoods and the Belladonnas of the world. My parents actually talked to the leaders, and the people willing to work with them diplomatically. The extremists, though...", Yuki sighed.
"Not much sympathy for the violent ones?", Fox asked.
"Honestly… it's not that simple. Not even close.", the redhead stated. "I know how horribly Ilia was treated, what Sam went through, the shit our team faced just because our lead was a faunus… They said it should've been Alex leading us. Alex was the first one to tell them where to stick it."
"Yeah, Team A.S.W.Y. just doesn't work.", Fox joked. "So… What are you saying? No remorse for beating up the bigots?", Fox asked, picking up his t-shirt.
"I'm not saying violence is the answer… But they have the right to defend themselves against a society that wants to see them dead. We have that right.", Yuki stated.
"Couldn't they… go somewhere safer?", Fox asked, sounding genuinely uncertain, fiddling with his shirt.
Yuki gave Fox an icy glare.
"And where the hell is that? They were hunted… like animals. Ilia did probably go back to Menagerie. Sam and Wattana… Sam is a citizen of Atlas, born and raised in the city. Wattana was born in Argus. As much in the kingdom of Atlas as Mistral. Do you think they should live in exile on Menagerie just because other people have something against them?"
Fox's face blanched.
"I- Sorry. That's not… Well, that is what I meant but yeah… it was stupid. Sorry."
Yuki took a deep breath to calm down. Fox took the pause in conversation to put his shirt on.
"Way too personal a question.", Fox warned, looking at Yuki.
"Affter what I just told you? No such thing.", Yuki replied.
"You're passionate about this. Not just someone wanting to do their best to help. Someone up in arms about it. You just said, "We have the right to defend ourselves.". You're counting yourself as one of them, and if I didn't know better, I'd say you're willing to die for the faunus cause.", Fox observed.
"I didn't hear a question.", the redhead replied dryly.
"This isn't just your parents' fight. You're not even going about it the same way they did. You said neither humans or faunus trust you. Yet, you always stand up for the faunus, unless it's the violent extremists. Why fight? Why fight for the faunus like you're one of them? You could have flipped every living being on Remnant the bird and disappeared. Sounds about what they would've deserved."
Yuki stared at Fox. The brawler, watching his partner's eyes narrow into mere slits, filled with pure rage, was starting to regret asking.
"I hope you're not saying that just because I happen to be human, I shouldn't fight for my friends. For my family. That I don't have the right. That they don't matter and I've betrayed the humans by helping them.", Yuki spoke, the redhead's words filled with venom.
Fox flinched, opening his mouth to explain. Yuki cut him off.
"Why do I fight? Ilia. Ilia Amitola. For a start. My mom. My big sister too. Do I need to go on?", Yuki continued without hesitation or contemplation. "I saw what happened to them. No, it didn't just "happen" to them. What was done to them. Made my blood boil that a person could treat another person like that. And honestly? You're right. Disappearing is what exactly what I'd done up to that point. Ilia is the one who finally convinced me to fight, my way."
Fox laughed tensely, the tension he hadn't realized was there leaving his body.
"Fight your way? And you only oppose the extremists if they target civilians. Suddenly I'm imagining you planting bombs on S.D.C. trains. Or maybe White Fang camps."
Yuki let out a dry laugh in turn.
"Not my style. The Fang extremists and the S.D.C. can have their war by themselves for all I care. My sister is the one hellbent on taking down both Jacques Schnee and Adam Taurus. Me, I intervene when someone goes against unarmed civilians."
"So you… You sould like you'd be willing to go pretty far to protect innocents. Does that, well, include pre-emptive strikes against armed groups you know are going to-", Fox carefully asked.
Yuki's laugh drowned out Fox guestion.
"You're asking me if I'd attack, say, government forces. Or corporare 'security'. Basically, if I'd do the same things the Fang does. Or maybe give the Fang a taste of their own medicine."
Yuki looked out the window, smirking at nothing before continuing.
"I'm the "accident" that arms one of your bombs early when you're hauling a load of them to blow up Argus Union Station during the rush hour. I'm the "lit cigar in the trash can" that forces them to evacuate the mine you were planning to collapse on top of rebelling workers. I'm the stupid, idealistic kid that thinks any of these things makes a difference."
"So you've… Saved innocent lives?", Fox asked, putting on his black jeans.
"Saved some, taken others. A lot of Fang grunts are misguided youth who probably didn't deserve it. A lot of Atlas security is just trying to earn a living, brainwashed into thinking they're protecting something that matters. Brainwashed zombies, mindlessly following orders on both sides. And here's me, a teenager driven by half vengeange, half survivors' guilt, pretending I can make a difference. That their deaths are more justified because there may be one or two 'innocent' people mixed in with the racists at Atlas airport. Anyway..." Yuki paused for a moment, tirning back to Fox. "When Ilia left, I went back to hiding. Either I'm lucky or Ilia is scary good, because the only thing anyone's connected to me is the beat-down a few months ago."
Yuki finally got out of bed and headed into the bathroom.
"Does your team know?", Fox asked.
Yuki stopped, one hand resting on the bathroom door handle, and replied without turning around.
"No. I don't need more people scared of me or hating me. The general didn't know when I was admitted to the academy, either. Still doesn't. I wouldn't be getting this second chance if he did."
