Ugh…
Everything hurt.
Wait, why was she in pain?
Needing to find out, Yang struggled to sit up. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest. It was a hard feat to accomplish as she grimaced. Instead of lying on the flat ground, Yang felt like she was suspended. Her legs were bent down at an angle like she was floating.
It wasn't cold. Whatever was underneath her felt lukewarm. When Yang successfully sat up in a daze, she glanced under her. A pair of legs longer than her own were sprawled out. Startled, Yang rolled off whoever was under her.
Apparently, her full body weight had been on top of Cinder.
Thankfully, the half-demon's eyes were closed. She didn't move the slightest inch as Yang examined her. Her hair and clothes were in disarray. Smudges, cuts, and bruises scoured her entire form. Dry blood mixed with dirt in splotches.
To Yang, it was a relieving sight, to say the least. To see the half-demon finally out of commission. At last, Cinder had been knocked down a good few pegs. And it took a fully grown demon to help take her down. Somehow, the blonde successfully managed to use the dragon against her.
It had been a direct hit. Judging by how they were positioned when Yang woke up and how Cinder showed no signs of stirring.
Glancing around, Yang realized that the aftermath was excruciating to the forest. Dozens of trees had been ripped out of the roots because of the human-fireball technique. Everything had been scorched in her path. The ground itself had been split open. Nothing was spared.
The temple burned in the distance as the smoke joined the overcast sky. The first signs of dawn had appeared. Orange and friendly colors enshrouded the atmosphere. The only thing that blocked the light was the deadly smoke.
To Yang's surprise, Ruby was just to the left. She was lying on the frosty ground, beginning to come to.
"Ugh…"
"Ruby!"
Now that Yang saw Ruby, Cinder was the least of her concerns. Not caring about the half-demon, Yang made her way over to her beloved sister, but not faster than she'd like.
The earlier fireball technique did a number on her body. Whether she wanted to admit it or not. Her limbs throbbed, her torso ached, and she had dozens of black bruises all over, so she reluctantly took it slow as she hobbled over.
When Yang stood over her sister, she dropped next to her on the crispy grass. Carefully, she coddled her in her protective arms. "Ruby? Ruby? Can you hear me?"
"Ugh…" Ruby's lips slightly parted to groan. Her face flinched a few times.
"That's it- come on," Yang coaxed with a soft voice. "Ruby? Ruby?"
Finally, hazy silver pools were revealed. "Yang… what…?"
To Ruby's relief, Yang's face was the first thing she saw. That eased her nerves. It especially helped when Yang cupped her cheek and wiped away some dirt.
"Easy," the blonde whispered. "You took a hard hit. You know that, right?"
"Uh-huh…" Ruby mumbled as her lips twitched upward, suggesting that she had no regrets.
"Hold on," Yang said.
Carefully, Yang tilted her sister to sit upright. During the process, Ruby's eyes were squeezed shut as she let out a few deep exhales. Luckily, Ruby braced her aura for the previous impact. If she hadn't, her body would no doubt be so much sorer.
Yang made sure to keep an arm around her back while the other was around her shoulders. Ruby relaxed in the embrace as she enjoyed the fresh air. For once, it was calm on the battlefield.
"You're such an idiot," the blonde said gingerly.
Seeing her baby sister like this sent a pang of worry shooting through her. Having Ruby restrict Cinder's movements wasn't part of the plan. Although, it helped immensely, Yang had to admit. It was thanks to Ruby's quick-thinking that they succeeded in hitting Cinder.
That caught Ruby's attention as she looked up at her sister. "Excuse you?"
Yang noticed her muscles stiffen. "You didn't have to hold Cinder in place like that-"
"She was going to escape," Ruby interjected, sternness in her tone. "Weiss' glyph that kept her in place was fading. We couldn't take the chance."
"You got hurt!" Yang blurted.
"And you didn't?!" Ruby retorted as she wrestled out of Yang's grip. Willingly, the blonde let her go as lilac matched silver. "Getting hurt is part of our duty," Ruby noticed that her sister looked downcast, and she fondly cupped Yang's cheek in response. "I don't like it, either."
A small chuckle escaped Yang's lips as she experimentally wiggled an arm with a grimace. "It does suck."
That elicited a short laugh from Ruby. "Yang, you were on literal fire!" she beamed in excitement. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, turns out I'm fireproof," Yang said like it was the most casual thing in the world.
Ruby quirked an amused eyebrow. "Why am I not surprised."
Jokingly, Yang fanned herself. "I'm so hot not even fire fazes me."
"Your modesty is back," Ruby quipped with a smirk.
After the sisters shared laughter, they stared over at the half-demon. Luckily, Cinder hadn't moved so much as a millimeter.
"You got her, huh?" Ruby asked, wanting to make sure.
"Direct hit," Yang confirmed, solemness in her voice. "Thanks to you."
Ruby nodded, glad that her sister wasn't seriously injured from the risky move. The two held onto each other in a brief hug before they started to stand. With each other's help, the sisters were back on their feet. Albeit a little wobbly.
"Easy," Yang kept a hand around her waist as she staggered. "That hit took a lot out of you."
Ruby playfully rolled her eyes as she wrapped a hand around the taller girl's waist. "It did for you, too."
Yang let out a short huff of acknowledgement as they walked over to Cinder. They took it slow as they focused on breathing, which came much easier. Any searing pain gradually faded, leaving aches and light throbs.
It didn't look like Cinder would be getting up anytime soon. Her eyes were still closed and her clothes were tattered as she lay there in defeat.
"Is she dead?" Ruby asked, hesitant.
Cautiously, Yang knelt to check her neck for a pulse. There was a heartbeat, albeit a faint one. Yang didn't know how to feel about that.
"She's alive," Yang reported, not sounding happy about it.
"I'm gonna fucking kill Cinder."
Those words pounded in her head relentlessly like a gong. When Yang said them at the time, her beloved girlfriend was in critical condition because of the half-demon's curse. Weiss had been on a tightrope of life and death for several agonizing hours. Watching every second of that caused Yang's loathing to increase toward Cinder.
Anyone who dared hurt her princess had to pay.
Yang's nostrils flared, her teeth were grit, and her fists were clenched. Her entire body shook as she debated what to do. What path she should take. If she was going to finish Cinder off, it'd have to be now. When she was defenseless and already half-dead. Yang would make it quick and painless. Unlike what Cinder did to Weiss, Yang wouldn't draw out her suffering.
While Yang was facing this inner turmoil, Ruby watched her sister. On the outside, Yang looked mad. But Ruby knew. On the inside, Hell was brewing and boiling over.
"Yang," Ruby called softly. Like she was almost afraid to.
"She's done so much shit to us," the blonde tried to reason, looking to Ruby for approval.
Ruby just looked away from her sister's primal, frustrated gaze. Silver eyes fixed on the half-demon. Truly a pitiful sight.
"I know," was all Ruby said.
"She made Weiss suffer more than any of us!" Yang exclaimed, seething through her grit teeth. Although she was angry, her voice wavered halfway through. "She killed her mom!"
Ruby set a firm hand on her back, not worried about a possible bite. "I know."
The contact didn't bother Yang. In fact, it soothed her. "I want to kill her."
"I know."
Ruby didn't doubt her for a second. Yang wanted to get revenge. Maybe not kill to achieve it, but her entire form burned from the yearning goal.
Yang said softly, not firmly. "I'm gonna do it."
"Can you?" Ruby caught the waver in her voice. Sure, Yang was protective, but she wasn't a cold-blooded murderer.
"Of course I can!" Yang blurted like she was a child trying to prove an adult wrong.
Yang had waited impatiently for this moment for a long time. Yet, her body stiffened and refused to budge so much as an inch. No matter how much Cinder frustrated her, she couldn't bring herself to finish her off. Yang hated that and mumbled a curse as her eyes remained fixed on the half-demon.
Ruby squeezed Yang's shoulder to show her there was nothing wrong with not being able to commit such a violent act. "You're too good of a person to be a cold-blooded killer, Yang."
In response to those truthful words, Yang dipped her head in defeat. Frustrated tears almost spilled over and dropped on Cinder.
The whole time, Yang kept telling herself that she wouldn't hesitate when the time came. Yet here she was, motionless. When the blonde stared at Cinder, she no longer felt the hatred. Instead, she felt pity.
"I know," the blonde said.
Unexpectedly, there was a familiar shout.
"Yang, Ruby!"
It was Blake, who was rushing over to them. Not far behind her was Weiss. The pair looked visibly worn out. The battle so far had taken a toll on them, and the run to reach the sisters didn't help.
"Blake, Weiss!" Ruby called.
With care, Blake and Weiss checked over the sisters. They each adorned scratches, bruises, and dirt all over, but they seemed fine. Which was remarkable, considering Yang was a meteor that crashed directly into Ruby and Cinder.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked.
"Yeah," Yang blankly answered.
Ruby sent them a thumbs up. "We're good. Are you?"
"Roughed up, but fine," Blake said for them.
Weiss examined her girlfriend, who was already checking her over.
When Weiss was done, she sighed. "You took a hard hit."
"It's nothin' I'm not used to," the blonde reassured.
Together, the relic hunters stared at the downed half-demon. At last, Cinder began to come to. When she opened her eyes, this prompted the team to step back and give her some space.
A low growl rumbled from Cinder's throat when she noticed the four staring down at her.
"Are you satisfied?"
Cinder tried and failed to move like her limbs like they were super glued to the ground. She couldn't even lift her head to properly glare at the relic hunters. All she could do was stare at the sky that was beginning to show some signs of light.
Ruby just stared down at her with pity written all over her face. "That's not the word we'd use."
"Don't look at me like that," Cinder breathed.
Hesitantly, Weiss stepped forward and held out her hand directly above the half-demon. The pale hand blocked Cinder's view of the calm sky.
"Are you satisfied?" Cinder repeated, directing the question at Weiss.
An interesting question. One that Weiss didn't know how to answer. She didn't feel satisfied from this at all. Seeing the once all-powerful half-demon Cinder like this caused her stomach to churn. Yes, the half-demon killed her mother. But seeing her like this- motionless and unable to move- on the frosty ground didn't make her feel better in the least bit.
The only thing she could do was send Cinder off to a better place. Peacefully.
"I forgive you."
Like those were the words Cinder wanted to hear, her lips twitched upward.
It didn't take long for the white to glow from her pale hand to enshroud Cinder's form. Instead of screeching like they expected, Cinder sighed in relief as the pale glow of an angel enveloped her like a warm blanket.
Slowly, Cinder shut her eyes as she enjoyed the chilly warmth spreading through her body. Her figure began to break off into little specks of white that joined the atmosphere. It looked like she was at peace as her form slowly withered away like the grimm.
The shroud of white light didn't vanish. Not until every sign of her body disappeared. When nothing was left except the dent of her body from impact, Weiss lowered her hand. Soon after, Weiss bent over with her hands on her knees as she harshly panted.
"Good job," Yang praised, keeping a hand on her back. "That couldn't have been a more peaceful way for her to go."
Blake offered a smile. "It was mesmerizing to watch."
"I'll say," Ruby agreed as she looked to the sky.
Over the horizon, the sun was steadily rising. It began to peek over, ready to spill light onto the planet. No clouds were in sight. Except there was still the familiar smoke looming and painting the sky dark.
While Weiss caught her breath, she felt like the world was off her shoulders. A dark purple shrouded over her chest and formed a sphere. The grape orb began to crack as friendly green filled the crevices.
This caused her friends to look at it in wonder, knowing that was the embodiment of the curse and the seal that'd been protecting the green was powerful, it encased the grape before it shattered into a million pieces. The colors swirled together before drifting to the calm sky.
"I'm free," Weiss said softly, the realization hitting her at full force.
Until now, it felt like she was trapped in her own body.
"Yeah, you are!" Yang cheered with glee. "A stupid curse has nothin' on you!"
"We did it!" Ruby chirped.
From the news, Blake sighed in relief. "Thank god. I was having doubts that it wouldn't work."
"It did," Weiss confirmed as she held a hand over her heart.
There was no longer weight on it. It beat freely now.
Ruby grinned widely, glad to know that her friend will be okay. After all that's happened, she just wanted to settle down.
"Who wants to celebrate? Oh, let's get ice cream!"
Yang sent her sister a look of disbelief. "You don't want to, oh, I don't know, take a nap first?"
"Now?!" Ruby blurted, bouncing up and down in excitement. "Nope!"
Before the banter could continue, a deafening roar cut them off.
The trees around them trembled from the shockwaves and the Earth to shook. The very ground vibrated and almost caused them to fall over.
"Oh yeah," Yang said casually as she looked to the sky. "We're not done yet."
Above, the dragon encircled the scorched temple. From the looks of it, Ozpin and Glynda were busy fending it off. Dark yellow and green clashed with the black mass.
Determined, Blake unsheathed her katana and rested it by her side. "Looks like Kevin requires our attention."
Firmly, Ruby cocked her sniper rifle.
"Let's go, team."
How could they forget Kevin?! The chapter title is after the song I'm a Believer by Amalee: "Does anybody know 'what path I should take?' I won't hesitate!"
Stay dandy,
~Toto
