As the team were heading into the barracks Tomoko's scroll began to ring "Huh, wonder what Aira wants?" Tomoko wondered as she answered the call, Beurling stayed with Tomoko as Maple and Frenda went to head inside.

"Hey sis, what's up?" Tomoko asked with a smile only for it to drop suddenly.

"What?!" Tomoko shouted "When?"

Beurling could see Maple and Frenda stop in the doorway as Tomoko listened to Aira on the phone "Yeah," Tomoko said in a drained almost trance like voice "Yeah, I'll be right there, is it…oh ok." Tomoko said as she ended the call.

"Tomoko?" Beurling asked coming up to Tomoko's side "What did Aira say?"

The brawler could see the faunus struggling to talk for a second as her breathing became rapid "Maple, I need you to come with me."

"Tomoko, what…?"

"I'm sorry Beurling, you can't come, I'll explain later." Tomoko said with a kiss before running off to the landing pads.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her, you stay here." Maple smiled as she passed Beurling by.

'What the heck happened?' Beurling wondered as her fear bubbled and her negative voice which had been quite the last few days came bac with a vengeance 'It's starting to happen again' it said making her worry even worse.

"Sounds like one of the faunus hospitals." Frenda said "They are a bit funny about humans there."

Frenda's observation made Beurling's guts churn, she was about to run after her girlfriend only for Frenda to grab her wrist and stop her "Don't, you'll just cause trouble for her, Maple will look after her."

"But she's my girlfriend!" Beurling shouted her frustration building "I should be there to help her!"

"You can't right now, just wait till she comes back."

Beurling clenched her fist before walking to the wall beside the door and punched it, before slamming her other fist into the wall.

"You done?"

"Not even close." Beurling sighed "What the heck could have happened?"

"Ooh look, the cross breeders got issues with her pet." Gilles said as he passed the pair.

"That's it, you're dead!" Beurling shouted as she went to lunch at him only for Frenda to hold her back "Beurling don't, you'll get your chance in arena."

"Ha, like she will, a cross breeder has no chance against me."

"Enough!" a new voice sounded.

Beurling tuned to see Matilda glaring at Gilles as she walked up to the brawler "Miss Beurling, might I have a word?" Matilda asked

"Sure, we'll be inside, we'll be outside our room." Frenda said as she dragged Beurling inside and up to their room passed Gilles.

Once in the building Beurling wrenched herself out of Frenda's grip "What the hell was that?" Beurling asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well in the past you would have been right there with me beating some sense into him, so go on what changed?"

"Nothing."

"Well something has!" Beurling shouted as she stomped upstairs.

"Hey!" Frenda said as she ran after Beurling "Hey, will you stop and listen to me?"

Beurling threw up her hands as she leaned in the stair's banister "Look, I want to beat him up to, but it won't help Tomoko, just take a breath a calm down."

"How can I calm down, when Tomoko's in trouble?"

"You think you're the only one worried?"

"Well you're not showing it."

"That's because I'm busy keeping your ungrateful backside out of trouble, I want to be there with them to but I can't, so I'm doing what I can for her, which is keeping you out of trouble." Frenda said crossing her arms and glaring at Beurling "She's your girlfriend, but she's my best friend and teammate and I know for a fact she'd want me to do all I could to keep you out of trouble, so cool it and make my job a bit easier, she doesn't want you getting in trouble especially on her account and you know it."

Beurling leaned her arm on the wall before punching the wall again "Sorry."

"I get you're worried, but she's not made of glass, she'll be fine, she's got Maple to watch her to so trust them ok?"

"No, you don't get it." Beurling sighed as she leaned her head on the wall.

"What's that mean?" Frenda asked with a scowl.

"I have this voice in the back of my head, it keeps voicing my negative thoughts, it's the same one that nearly made me chicken out taking the next step with Tomo."

"Beurling, whatever it is saying, ignore it, stop listening to it and maybe focus on the things you know for sure, which is Tomoko loves you and that won't change."

"But…"

"No!" Frenda interrupted by placing her hand over the brawler's mouth "She's not going to give you up, ever, ok?"

Beurling nodded even though she didn't full believe it "Good, because when your beloved Tomo gets back she's your issue and you can't help her with your head in shadows."

"Tomo?"

"That's what you called her." Matilda said with a smile "Are you doing ok now?"

"Better, not ok."

"Guess that will have to do." Matilda sighed.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" Frenda asked.

"Yes, but not here, can we talk in your team room?"

"Sure this way." Beurling said leading the way.

(Two hours later)

"So what you going to do?" Frenda asked.

"Not sure." Beurling sighed as she blew out some smoke from her cigarette "I'm not really thinking about that right now to be honest."

"They will be here in a minute, relax a little, your lighter will thank you." Beurling sighed as she looked at her hand and then put the lighter into her pocket. Beurling looked out at the way Tomoko had gone two hours earlier as the pair waited outside the building to wait for the two to come back.

"I'm going to smack that witch." Beurling muttered.

"Pardon?"

"My mother, I just know she's behind this."

"I don't doubt she is and if we get the chance, I'll lend you my hammer, just worry about Tomoko first."

"If she still wants me to."

"I'm not going over this again, she won't do what your scared of." Frenda sighed "You need to stop fearing the worst."

"Kind of hard to do when the only light I have is being tormented."

Just as Beurling said this Tomoko and Maple came into view, Maple was walking beside Tomoko with her hand on the gunner's shoulder, Tomoko had her face down and her hands buried deep in her pockets. The sight made Beurling's heart shudder and tremble and her anger boiled up, the longer she looked at Tomoko's downcast look, the angrier she got and the more she wanted to tear her mother's house down.

Beurling and Frenda walked up to the pair and met them halfway, Tomoko was playing with her fingers as Beurling approached her "Tomoko what's…" Beurling began only to stop when Tomoko raised her hand.

Beurling could see Tomoko open her mouth the speak and her fear bubbled, only for Tomoko to close it and then try again only to close it again and then start to shake and then Beurling heard Tomoko sniff.

"Tomoko, would you like me to tell them?"

Tomoko nodded her head, just as Maple began to open her mouth to speak Tomoko dived forwards and grabbing two fistfuls of the brawler's jacket and burying her face into the jumper holding on to Beurling tight like she her life depended on it, then she began to shake more and then Beurling heard Tomoko sobbing into her chest.

"Tomoko…" Beurling said as she hugged the crying girl tight "Maple what the hell happened?" Beurling asked a tear rolling down her cheek, while her emotions of anger and fear going into overdrive.

"Tomoko's mom was coming home from work and your mother's minions attacked her."

"What?!" Beurling and Frenda shouted in union.

"What happened after that?" Beurling heard Frenda ask as the brawler felt Tomoko pull her in tighter.

"She was taken to the hospital for the faunus, they did what they could but…" Maple paused as Beurling felt Tomoko shiver more "but the dust in her blood stream from working in the mines made surgery complicated." Maple swallowed "She'll also lose her right eye."

Beurling breathing came out rapid and shallow as her anger peaked and then exploded and a red mist descended "I'm going to kill her!" Beurling shout with all the hate and anger she had for the woman, unable to stand the idea of her mother getting away with all she had done anymore she decided she would stop this.

"Beurling, stop it won't solve anything." Maple countered.

"Oh it will, she'll stop beating down the faunus and I'll be done with that witch for good."

"Beurling let the authori…"

"They don't care!" Beurling cut Maple off "Another faunus crippled by a human, they're more likely to give her a medal, she's a coward, who wouldn't do this if she didn't know she could get away with it." Beurling growled "The law can't and won't help…"

"Beurling?" Beurling stopped and her rage dulled at the sound of Tomoko's quite and tired voice "Your right, your mother is a horrid, wicked woman, but please don't do this." Tomoko pleaded, her voice shaking.

"Tomoko, that woman needs to be stopped."

"I know and she will, but you don't need to be the one to do it, please."

"Tomoko, Atlas doesn't care about this!" Beurling felt her voice rising despite her efforts not to shout "They don't care about you, your sister or your mum being hurt by my witch of a mother, you have those Sneaky's and you get persecuted, yet my mother does the exact same thing and she's ignored and that's because she does the authorities dirty work for them, as long as they can keep their hands clean, they don't care what people like my mother do to you or your family or any other faunus, she's not going to stop unless someone makes her and if the authorities won't then someone else has to."

Tomoko took in a shaking breath "Beurling, I won't stop you if you go, but you'll be leaving me behind." Tomoko shook and held on tighter, for her part Beurling felt a cold chill run up her spine.

'She can't mean.' Beurling thought as her anger was replaced with fear.

Tomoko looked up at Beurling, her tears running down her cheeks "I can live with you rushing in to defend me and other faunus because those acts are from love and righteousness, you're defending and protecting, this is from rage and hatred, your seeking revenge and you've never gone that far before."

Tomoko let out a shaking breath, Beurling could feel her still fragile heart chip and her throat constrict at the sight of Tomoko crying "If you go down that path, I can't follow you, please, just let this one go." Tomoko sobbed as she buried her face in Beurling's chest again.

Beurling felt her heart constrict, the mere thought of losing Tomoko, made her anger die instantly 'I'm not losing her.' Beurling thought.

Beurling hated this no-win situation, she felt if she let this go, she was handing her mum a win and she hated the thought, but the idea of the cost of stopping her was the most precious thing to enter her life, the decision was easy.

Beurling gently wrapped her one arm around the gunner's hips and held her tight as she put one hand on the back of Tomoko's head, Beurling felt Tomoko tense.

"I'm sorry, if you want me to let go of this, then for you I will." Beurling whispered as she buried her head in Tomoko's shoulder "I can't lose you." Beurling added loud enough for only Tomoko to hear.

"You won't." Tomoko whispered closing her eyes as she wrapped her arms around the brawler's neck "Thank you."

The pair forgot Maple and Frenda where there, till the blonde let out a cough "Girls, headmasters coming with Sky and Blau."

"Beurling what did you do?" Tomoko asked.

"Nothing, Frenda locked me in the room since you left."

"Frenda did something sensible?" Maple asked confused "I don't believe you; I require proof."

"Oi!" Frenda said with a hurt look.

"Sorry to hear about your mum Tomoko." Tammy said as she came up to the team.

"Thank you." Tomoko said wiping her nose "Wait, how did you know?" Tomoko asked.

"Part of what made my unit so useful during the war was intelligence." Tammy smiled "And my little birdies have been very helpful here."

"Captain!" Sky said from under her hood, even though it was dark and the hood covered most of her face Beurling could see a small blush on the woman's cheeks.

"Sorry, anyway, miss Blau here has some news that might be of interest."

"I'm not sure about that." Beurling scoffed.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Blau smirked.

"No, the enemy of my enemy is just someone I'm not fighting yet."

"Now, now you two, your goals and wants actually meet quite well here, so hear her out." Tammy ordered.

"Fine, what is it." Beurling huffed as she pulled Tomoko in tight.