Here we go again. Sorry that these updates aren't going to consistent anymore but I'm going to keep going whenever I have the chance to keep writing. I am planning on enlisting for the Army National Guard soon, so when Basic Training comes around I'll predictably be gone for months before I get the chance to write again. However, I still plan on doing what I can until that time comes.

I've promised before and I'll promise again, this story will get an end. No matter how long it takes or how many hurdles I have to leap through in order to get it done.

Beta: CrowSkull

The Blind Huntsman

Chapter 107

Volume 4, Episode 7

Blessing in Disguise

Blake sat in between for the first time for what felt like since she was a little girl. Her widely built father had an arm draped over her shoulders while her petite and beautiful mother held her left hand, stroking it lovingly as any mother would to her child after spending so much time away from them. Blake still didn't feel like she deserved such attention. Internally, she loved it, the pampering her mother always gave her combined with the steadfast support of every kind her father showed her was enough to make her of all people emotional. Her face struggled to show that appreciation, especially after what she nearly did, almost attacking Adam the very second she saw him speaking with her parents. The obvious questions were still on her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask them just yet. She wanted this familial moment to last as long as it could, she wanted to feel their love for just a little longer. She knew that it wouldn't be able to last forever, but she wanted to try anyhow.

Ruby Rose and Taiyang sat across from the family. Taiyang reached over to hold Ruby like Ghira was doing to Blake and since Ruby wasn't Yang, she allowed him to hold a hand on her opposite shoulder. Ruby looked up at him and smiled, leaning into her father while they waited for Blake and her parents to be ready to talk about what they desperately needed to get out of the way as soon as possible.

"I can't believe you're back, it's almost impossible," Ghira said lovingly as he pulled Blake into his side. "But I am so happy to be able to see you again, my little kitten."

"D-Daaad…!" Blake exclaimed, burning red with embarrassment as she saw Ruby giggle into her hand adorably.

"Don't you dare try and escape from this, daughter," Kali said with a chuckle of her own. "You've spent several years defying your parents after you ran away before, we get to pamper you for just as many years to make up for that now, young lady."

"Mmm…" Blake hummed, hanging her head in shame upon hearing the mention of her running away like she had done when Adam convinced her to keep fighting for the White Fang outside of just being next in line to succeed her father. Kali noticed and shook her head, grasping Blake's other hand and squeezing them gently. They just kept smiling at her, why? What had she done to deserve this continuous and unconditional love from her family after she had hurt them so much from leaving?

"Why?" She couldn't help but ask. "Why are you two still so…"

"You're our daughter, stupid," Kali reassured. "No matter what happens or what silly misguided thing you do, we will always love you."

"Your mother is right," Ghira added and continued. "We cannot fault you for wanting to continue a fight that we were content to let go and retire from. You were so passionate about the White Fang, and you had a fire in you that we both shared once upon a time. The Belladonna spirit is not one that can be taken lightly, I'm sure even Taurus could attend to that fact."

"I want to say that's too much information," Taiyang commented. "But judging by the looks of you and after hearing you speak for a bit, I think my mind is just in the gutter."

"So it appears," Ghira suddenly remembered that Taiyang and Ruby were there and eyed them down cautiously. "Are these friends of yours, Blake?"

"Yes," Blake confirmed without a moment's hesitation. "Dad, Mom, this is Ruby," she added, gesturing to the redhead. "She is a teammate of mine from Team KRBR, she is a close friend. The blonde man is her father, Taiyang."

"Call me Tai, for short," Taiyang said with a wink. "I'm also a huntsman if that can still make you two feel more comfortable. After seeing my only two daughters go toward two different directions in the world, I figured that I might as well help one of them. She was so adamant on making sure Blake didn't have to be on her own anymore that there was no convincing her otherwise, and with the recent Grimm on the up in Vale, Patch wasn't really a safe place to stay anyway."

"I see," Ghira said with a small smile, seemingly entrusting Taiyang quickly. "You will find out quickly that the reputation of huntsmen and huntresses aren't so diminished here on Menagerie. Many faunus with great skill in destroying Grimm have moved here to help support their fellows after the fall of Vale. I am afraid that as much of a curse the fall of Vale is, there was a silver lining in all the destruction. Without the added support, I fear that Menagerie wouldn't have been nearly as safe from the Grimm as it is now."

"Ah, that's good to hear," Ruby said with a polite grin. "Has the Grimm been in too much trouble recently? I am a-"

Taiyang gripped her shoulder tightly, warning her to keep silent about such important information. Ruby looked up at him and pouted, disappointed in her father's stubborn protective sense over her. She still appreciated it, but the secret of the silver-eyed warriors wasn't so much of a secret anymore ever since she and Kai used it so many times during the battle for Beacon and Vale respectively. Still, she could understand where he was coming from and continued off on a different tangent.

"-Huntress. Technically still in training, but I fought in Vale the day it fell. I'm sure I can help a lot of people if you'd allow it."

"Oh sweetie, you will never need our permission to save lives on Menagerie," Kali said with an amused glint in her bright yellow eyes. "In fact, you two are welcome to stay as long as you like. Though… I will warn you that humans aren't exactly common here in Menagerie."

"What do you mean by that?" Taiyang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We aren't racist toward humans," Blake said, before correcting herself. "Well… most of us aren't racist toward humans. Sadly, right now Menagerie is the place where almost all of the White Fang today are stationed at. They have a powerful hold here, and so that influences the culture of the faunus living here. Some of them probably have never even seen a human in person before. Which brings in question…" leaning away from her father and looking up at him in the eyes, Blake finally asked. "Have Adam and the White Fang forced you two to do anything for them? Anything at all?"

"Sweetie, it is adorable that you are being protective of us for once," Kali said. "But Adam has - admittedly - surprisingly not been forceful with us at all. He has been very patient with us, I dare say that he has become very temperate in these recent days."

"Adam, not being forceful… and temperate?" Blake laughed sadly. "That does not sound like the Adam I know. He lies, he is dangerous and violent. He's killed so many innocents and indirectly caused the deaths of millions!"

"I agree," Ghira said. "I agree that he is dangerous, powerful, and more intelligent than I initially thought. However, there is one thing about that man that I must disagree with you about. Adam Taurus is anything but a liar."

"How could you say that!?" Blake nearly shouted, jumping up to her feet and crossing her arms angrily in front of her father. "He used me! He forced me to do things I didn't want to do and I have blood on my hands because of him! He used to be good, but that was when we were growing up. Ever since he started getting strong, he has changed!"

"We know," Kali raised a hand, stopping her daughter from continuing. "We watched him grow up as well, don't you remember? We all lived on Menagerie, Blake. Adam as well, and when he visited Atlas for work and got put in those mines at such a young age, I do agree that he changed then. He changed again when he and you got together, and he changed again when you left and changed once more when he became Sienna Khan's, right-hand man. However, after everything he has done and after being appointed the new Supreme Leader of the White Fang, he has changed once again. It took us some time to come to terms with that fact, believe me, he has still not earned my forgiveness," Kali stood up with her daughter, and although she was barely taller than her, she had an imposing presence that demanded Blake to not interrupt her when she spoke. "But when he told me about the time he let you and your friends live time and time again… I hate the man, I can feel comfortable saying that, but I still respect him for keeping those feelings you left him bottled up inside him."

"T-That doesn't change anything," Blake stubbornly replied. "He is still a monster."

"A monster who thinks and feels is not a monster at all," Kali said. "In this case, Adam is just a man with issues doing his best to continue down the path he believes is right for the faunus. I am not saying that what he has done is absolved," Kali emphasized. "But right now, Adam needs us just as much as we need him, and if we directly oppose him, the faunus will be even worse out than they are right now. Trust me, if I could punish Adam for taking my little girl's heart and first and hurting her, I would have done so a long time ago."

"So you're saying that we should just work with him, despite everything!?"

"I am," Kali said. "We don't like it but life is not fair."

"It's better we continue diplomatic negotiations rather than have a faunus civil war on our hands," Ghira added.

"I…" Blake bit her life and shut her eyes, letting out a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding. Sighing to herself, she ran a hand up her face and then through her hair and between her faunus ears. Deep down, she knew that her parents were right in taking this approach, she just hated that she was going to have to take it as well.

"So…" Ruby piped up awkwardly, reminding the Belladonna family that they were in fact still there beside them. "Uh… Blake, could you show us around Menagerie? It is still sorta out first time here and we don't know where anything is like you do. It could also… um… sound like a plan?"

"Nice job Ruby," Taiyang said with a laugh as he patted his daughter's head. "We'll find our way around," he said to Blake and her family. "You keep talking about what you need to talk about. Don't mind us right now, we have our own things to worry about anyway."

"R-Right… hehe," Ruby added, getting the hint.

"Feel free to take a tour around the island," Ghira said. "Give me your scroll credentials. If there is anything that needs to be addressed immediately by a huntsman, I'll let you two know. Until then, thank you for helping get my daughter here safely. We are in your debt."

Orchid Rosa's eyes lit up with a red-pink fire as she stood in front of Yang Xiao Long, her designated training partner when it came to practicing the use of her Spring Maiden abilities. Leonardo Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven Academy and so far a secret conspirator with Cinder Fall herself supervised the oncoming sparring match from the safety of an observation stand high above the training arena that once was used for Haven's combat class professor. Thankfully Haven was still inactive, and so this training room went relatively unused. Still, just in case he had set that Cardin boy up as a guard to make sure no one enters as the maiden and the boxer blonde fought to their heart's content. The rules of the bout were simple. The girls were allowed to use everything they had as long as it wasn't too destructive to the training room, and the rules were to stop once aura got into the red. There were no ring outs or anything of the sort. Other than that, anything went. On the sidelines stood Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc, and Pyrrha Nikos. Qrow Branwen could not be present during this training as he was out looking for new huntsmen and huntresses that he could potentially recruit into the new inner circle as allies. Sadly, Lionheart had been unable to fully keep his promise on sending huntsmen and huntresses to their deaths as Atlas' presence and Mistral building its own military caused the concept of him handing out missions privately and directly a very rare occurrence. However, it was a blessing in disguise because it meant that Qrow would be busy for most of the day, meaning that he had a full view of what this current Spring Maiden was capable of.

"You may begin," Lionheart said loudly after cupping his hands over his mouth. Just in case, he kept his weapon and aura activated in the event that a stray attack was sent his way. Call him paranoid, but he preferred to be better safe than in agony later.

"Ready?" Orchid asked as she slowly hovered off the ground. She wasn't able to fly around as easily as Cinder was at Beacon with the powers of the fall maiden, but the fact that she was even able to hover was already an accomplishment in itself.

"Of course," Yang said with her usual competitive smirk. "We were equals before you were a maiden and I plan on trying to keep it that way, Orchid. Just because you're the spring maiden now doesn't mean that I can't beat you up anymore!"

"Prove it then!" Orchid exclaimed as she flew at Yang with her sword held in two hands, carrying it behind her and slashing upward toward the ceiling. Yang jumped back but allowed the strike to bluntly hit her guard, fueling her semblance with more power and causing her hair to light up in bright yellow flames as her eyes changed color to a crimson red. When she landed on her back foot she twisted around and ducked under a follow up attack she knew was coming from Orchid and threw a roundhouse kick over her own head. Orchid enhanced her forearm and wrist with aura and blocked the strike, creating a loud echoing clang as aura struck against aura. Yang felt her shin shake and vibrate as her bones and muscles took the full force of the blocking counter, whereas Orchid didn't look much phased by it at all.

"Because of Yang's semblance, she is gradually losing small percentages of her aura overtime," Ren explained as he looked down at a scroll indicating the aura meters of Orchid and Yang. "However, Orchid's maiden powers have to at least drain some aura. But according to the aura tracker, it isn't sucking up as much as you'd think. After that block, there's barely a dent in her aura at all." Now that they finally had a signal and connection to the CCT in Mistral, keeping track of this information and gathering more was much easier thanks to their scrolls. Ren especially was interested in the effects of magical energy combined with the hypothetical power of the soul imbued into aura. In Orchid's case, he has discovered that at the very least, her aura has increased by two times. Aside from the obvious strength, speed, and durability enhancements thanks to the presence of magic within her soul and body, Orchid had become a much more capable huntress. Easily the strongest of them all, even above Pyrrha herself. She used to be Orchid's training partner, but her semblance and fighting styles did little against the raw power that Orchid was able to produce, thus Orchid wasn't able to really learn from their spars. Yang however had a semblance that was perfect for wailing on with full strength. In hindsight, she would only get stronger the more Orchid attacked her, which would then lead to her needing to exert even more power as Yang grew more powerful, thus making her a better matchup for Orchid to face up against in order to gain better control and understanding of her newfound abilities.

That was the hypothesis at least. Already, this was panning out to be a repeat as the last dozen times they sparred together. Despite those advantages Yang had fighting against such a powerful opponent, she lacked magic, and ironically enough, her semblance just wasn't able to absorb as much damage as she'd liked. It was something that frustrated her greatly. Yang remembered Adam Taurus and knew that his semblance was similar to hers in the way that he needed to absorb energy from blows he'd take or blocked in order to power up his sword for a devastating blow. He was able to do that against her, Blake, and Orchid, and defeat them so easily. She swore that the next time they met, Yang would defeat him on her own. In order to do that, however, she needed to surpass her semblance even beyond his. If she became able to absorb powerful attacks from a maiden, then surely she can absorb a Moonslice from a simple man as well.

"Uraaahh!" Yang exclaimed as she spun on her heel and attempted to sweep the legs out from under Orchid. To her credit, the blow struck, but Orchid simply hovered before she could hit the ground. While still hovering, Orchid spun and used the momentum to smash her thick greatsword into Yang's shoulder, a sparkling pink splatter of energy being left beyond on her clothes as she took her weapon away. Yang shouted out in surprise as a colorful and almost beautiful small explosion caused her to launch back and hit the ground on her back. She rolled through the sensation and landed back on her feet, her shirt collar burned and destroyed and her orange tank top visible through her clothes now.

"A-ah," Orchid hesitated as she stopped herself from firing a blast of energy from one hand. "Yang?"

Yang smiled. "What are you hesitating for!?" She screamed, getting back up to her feet and slamming her fists together. Her hair glowed brighter and her eyes shined red. She spat out a wad of saliva and felt her muscles tense as she felt her semblance enhance her strength even further. "Every time you hit me I just get stronger! I thought you knew that!"

Igniting buckshot behind her back with Ember Celica, Yang launched herself forward like a yellow version of Ruby's speed semblance. Orchid widened her eyes and was forced to block a powerful strike that nearly broke her sword into two. Physically, she became far weaker than Yang in just a few blows, and she flew back in a surprised yelp as she lost control of her flight and struck the ground, landing on her butt. Yang kicked her down and straddled her further, pushing down on one of her shoulders and cocking a fist up next to her head. There was a wild smile on her face, she felt as though victory was so close, within grasp even. When her fist struck Orchid's cheek and magenta aura flared all over her body, Yang was given a devastating reminder. Orchid was still the spring maiden.

Orchid's expression changed, she went from concerned for her friend's wellbeing to screaming out in fury and blasting her off of her body with another colorful explosion of fire and ice and lightning. Yang flew high into the air and slammed against the ceiling, bouncing off of it and falling to the floor. Orchid met her halfway, catching her by her shirt and spinning her over her body, and throwing her to the floor with even more force than if she had landed there normally. Yang's aura flickered on and off and her semblance winked out, her eyes returning to purple as she watched Orchid through one open and pained eye. After some hesitation, she tapped the floor several times, indicating that she gave up.

"Yield! I yield." Yang exclaimed, pushing herself up and finding trouble in doing so. "Damn… you're still hiding so much power… O-Orchid!?"

"Stop! Get out!" Orchid screamed as she hovered in the air, clutching her head and thrashing back and forth and side to side as her personalities struggled to all take control at once. "This is my body! My mind! I am the one who was born, not you all!"

"We were all born!" Another personality challenged. "We are all the same!" Another exclaimed. "You've had control long enough, let me give it a spin!" The personality that had defeated Yang added. "You're too weak-minded to use the full power of the spring maiden, but I can handle it!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" What Yang hoped was the real Orchid kept chanting. "Get out! Please, it hurts!"

"Uh… guys?" Yang said as she started crawling back away from Orchid. "Is it just me or are her hands glowing very ominously?"

"It definitely is!" Jaune cursed as he jumped onto the stage, running over to Yang with the intention to block the incoming attack with his shield.

"Orchid, you have to stop!" Pyrrha shouted next, using her semblance to pull down Orchid from her position in the air. The only thing Orchid wore that was metal however was her sword and her scabbard, meaning that all she managed to do was pull those garments to the floor and little else.

Orchid's eyes flashed blue, and an angry expression came forth as her entire demeanor changed with it. "Fuck! Is this what I have to live with now!? Huh!?" This Orchid looked down at her glowing hands. "A-am I actually talking for once-"

"Ah!" Orchid yelped as Nora threw Ren into her. Ren wrapped his arms around Orchid's body and activated his semblance in a desperate attempt to nullify what little negative emotions he could and get Orchid back under control. All his color along with Orchid's turned black and white, and while Orchid's eyes were still glowing, her expression and everything about her calmed down. Slowly, she hovered back to the ground, Ren holding onto her and using his semblance for as long as he could as they touched down on the ground. Nora joined in the second they did, holding Orchid's face in her hands and patting it lightly.

"Hey, this isn't an Orchid that'll try and kill us, right?" She asked jokingly.

Orchid, now much calmer than she was before, laughed sadly. "No… I'm back… I-I'm sorry, I lost control again."

"Hah," Ren released control on his semblance after she said that. "Don't worry, that's why I worked so hard on enhancing my semblance to be more than just masking negative emotions. I can't negate them completely just yet, but I am glad to see that my hard work hasn't been in vain."

Cardin peeked through the door awkwardly. "So, It sounded like a hurricane in here for a minute there. Everything alright?"

"Yup!" Nora answered for everyone. "Orchid almost killed us, but don't worry. Ren lullabies her."

"Huh, fair enough," Cardin said, closing the door back behind him and returning to his guard duty.

"We should respond faster to that," Jaune said, sighing. "Just because we have the tools to calm her down doesn't mean we can relax. Still though, I'm sorry but I gotta ask, how are you doing, Orchid?"

"I…" Orchid swallowed nervously. "It hurts… sometimes. It's so hard now, it used to be so easy to keep control but… these maiden powers are so strong. Sometimes I just… I just can't."

"Do not worry at all about that!" Lionheart bellowed from his position in the observation deck. "You still displayed great power in that spar! I am very assured that the Relic of Knowledge is in safe hands as long as you are the spring maiden!"

"B-but-"

"No buts!" Lionheart continued. "You children have done so much already today. Rest for now! With Atlas here and Mistral taking care of itself, you can all rest assured that we can handle any major issue that comes our way. I can promise you that." Before they could speak up and reply to him, Lionheart backed away from the Observation deck and condensed the file holding a recording of the sparring match between Orchid and Yang so that it would fit in a message to send directly to Cinder Fall. She wanted to know how that Vernal's successor was doing in the method of controlling and understanding her power, and fortunately, Cinder was very confident in the thought of being able to best her and take what was rightfully hers. Sighing, Lionheart sent the message and pocketed his scroll, feeling it vibrate again just seconds later as Cinder replied.

"I've seen enough," Cinder's text read. "I can easily deal with her and take her power. Keep them busy, but not busy enough to make them any stronger. You have two months until we strike. Do not disappoint me, Leonardo."

Lionheart felt his heart squeeze in fear.

"I won't, I swear it." was his response.

Aiden was getting anxious, and he feared that Kai was beginning to figure that out as he, him, and Neo walked down the ramp and onto the road that he told them about when he talked to them about the map that he had that may be able to lead them to the tribe that may be holding Kai's sister like he said during one of their campfire rests. This was it, this was when he was going to get his revenge, finally. That day, that blasted training mission that he had taken with his former team MAVR so long ago was finally going to be avenged. Vanessa was going to be avenged. It didn't matter that he wasn't able to get the real deal in Malikai, but the fact that he was already killed in a relatively painful manner in front of his wife and only son would have to satisfy him for now. If only he was able to see his death for himself. If only… Bah, the boy would have to do it. Sadly, he couldn't just surprise attack him and kill him instantly. Not only because he wasn't sure it'd work because of his seismic sensing, but because that Neo girl was always keeping an eye on him for some reason. She was suspicious of him, even though the boy trusted him. Oh well, she'd have to die as well. As long as his hired guns came through for him after he gave them practically his life's savings, then everything should be okay.

Kai and Neo followed him. Not close, but they still followed him. They weren't talking, but as he glanced back he saw that Neo was pressed up against his side with one hand on his chest and the other on his back. Cute, he supposed. It would have been cuter if she hadn't still been glaring at him. Paranoia told him that they were onto him but he knew that he was careful. He's done everything perfectly up until now and not even Tyrian would be able to stop what was about to happen. It was just a little further now, just a little further down the road, and he'd catch Kai and Neo off guard and get his revenge. He had to admit to himself that he was a little excited. One might say that killing a teenage boy and his girlfriend for revenge against his father was insane, but he saw it as justice. After this, he would be fully content to live out the rest of his natural life normally. Perhaps he could raise a family of his own, and make fully sure that they would never break promises and hurt their own friends as Malikai did.

Ah… that day, Aiden would have to swear to not think about it anymore after today. He still remembered the cold wings blaring into their faces as their huntsman guide was killed by the Grimm. But through all the pain and the battle and the terrible weather, the dying face of his former love and partner Vanessa was what troubled him the most. He could never forget the expression she had as she slowly died from her wounds. The begging look in her eyes as she realized that she was going to die. All of which lead to Malikai activating his silver eyes for the first time in front of them. He dared to say that they were safe now, even though he knew for damn sure that he had let one of his teammates die under his leadership.

"Haaaah…" Aiden sighed heavily as he stopped, planting his hands on his hips as he came to a slow stop. He heard Kai and Neo stop behind him, watching him carefully as he started to chuckle lightly under his breath. This was it. Finally. "Here we are, this is where my story finally comes to an end." Aiden said as he turned around to face them, crossing his arms but still ready to draw his weapons at a moment's notice.

Kai just tilted his head in response. Neo traced a finger into his back, speaking to him through their secret sign and feel language while Aiden couldn't see. "It is, isn't it?" Kai said, unsurprised.

"Ah, that explains it. I was wondering why you've been so distant lately, but I won't ask why, it makes this a lot easier." Aiden said as he pointed a gun in the air and fired a bullet. He expected Kai and Neo to attack him then and there, but he found himself surprised when they not only continued to just stare at him, but made no motion to reach for their weapons at all. Aiden wondered what was going on, and began to panic when that team of rogue huntsman and huntresses he had paid never came.

"What's wrong, Aiden?" Kai asked, taking a single step toward him. "You feel nervous, anxious, scared even. Why is that?"

"W-What?" Aiden choked on his words. "Where are they!? They said that they'd be camped out here waiting for us to arrive!"

"Do you mean the dead bodies I sense about five hundred feet away from where we're standing?" Kai asked. "Just far enough for me to not sense if I wasn't focusing. You certainly did your research on me while we were working together, Aiden."

"H-How!?" Aiden asked in a panic, drawing his weapons and aiming at Kai as he lunged backward. "How did you do this!? I was with you ever since we got off the ship!"

"I didn't do anything," Kai said. "Neo didn't either. I had to… call upon some very unlikely temporary allies to do this for me. Well, not really call, but I knew what he was going to do regardless."

"Huehuehe." Tyrian Callows leaped out from behind Aiden, clamping his hands on his shoulders and pinning his arms together. Aiden yelped and immediately began to struggle, but it was too late. Tyrian activated his semblance and destroyed his aura in an instant. "Come now Aiden, don't scream like you are so surprised! I told you what my order was. I need to align myself with the Prince there and make him see the light! That means I need to keep him alive and earn his trust!"

"T-Traitor!" Aiden whimpered.

"Traitor?" Tyrian looked confused. "Oh Aiden, you sad, pathetic excuse of a man. I was never on your side to begin with. All I needed you for was finding the Prince of the Grimm, that is all your role was ever meant to be."

"Ah!" Aiden yelped as Tyrian pushed him forward, kicking away his guns before he could aim them at Kai.

"He's all yours, Little Prince," Tyrian said, bowing toward Kai as he walked backwards back into the shadows of the forest. "Do take your time, the ones who betray are always deserving of the worst agony."

"No!" Aiden exclaimed, getting up and ripping out a knife almost long enough to be called a short sword. It was more like a dagger, in reality, but he waved it around like a sword regardless. "I will not die like this! Not before I get my revenge, I'll make you suffer, Kai Matsuoka!"

"I am going to kill you." Kai replied simply. "I am going to cut off your hands and stab you exactly twelve times in the chest. More if you keep squirming around after that. I've been planning this for days, I've been thinking of all the different ways to kill you. A lot of them involved torture, but that's just not the way I do things." Kai took Silver Ebony and its sheath and dropped the scabbard on the ground, freeing himself of some hefty weight. "I like to get things over and done with. I am not going to waste any more time than I need to on you. But for once… I might just enjoy killing."

"Aaaggghhh!" Aiden roared as he charged at Kai without aura or his guns. Kai sighed internally, reading the man's movements with every heavy step he took on his way toward him. He really was an incredibly weak person. His movements were not that of a huntsman, his body didn't feel strong. He might have been annoying to fight against if he had his aura and semblance and guns, but Tyrian made sure he wouldn't even be able to put up a fight.

He had surpassed that of a normal huntsman a long time ago. For this, he didn't even need his eyes. Nor most of his strength.

Silver Ebony cut through the steel dagger like a hot knife through butter. The metal snapped like a twig, and the sword dug into Aiden's arm all the way down to his forearm. The grown man screeched like a child as his hand was cut in half. It wasn't cut off like Kai originally planned, but that was good enough, he supposed. Aiden had some more fight in him then he thought he'd have, throwing a punch at him despite having no aura to enhance his strikes or protect his hand from destroying itself with his own strength. But Kai simply let it hit him. He felt Aiden's bones crack as his knuckles smashed against his forehead, bending forward and backward. In the next instant before Aiden could even feel the pain, Kai grabbed that wrist and stabbed his sword through it, cutting off that hand instantly.

"You wanted to kill me for something my father did when I wasn't even born!" Kai screamed as he kicked Aiden to the ground, completely dismantled and defeated within seconds. "I trusted you! I wanted to believe you! I didn't want to believe in Tyrian, but you forced me to do this! Like everyone else… like everything else… why do I always have to end up hurting people?" Kai shook his head angrily. "No, I won't speak about that to a man like you. You're pathetic, Aiden. You should have been virtuous, you should have been someone I could call a friend… but… you're just another face I'm going to forget now." Kai gripped the hilt of his sword in two hands and held it above Aiden's chest. "Die with the rest of your teammates. That's the only redeeming factor you've ever had going for you since you abandoned Beacon."

Kai stabbed down and through Aiden's chest. Ripping it out and causing a splash of blood to splatter across his chest and face. He stabbed through his chest again, pulled out his sword, and then stabbed him again. Then again, and again, and again, much more than the initial twelve that he had promised himself. By the time he was done, his arms felt tired and he felt hot blood cool on his face, chest, and arms. Aiden died a long time ago, and Kai felt… he felt fulfilled. He liked it, he liked killing him. There, he admitted it at last! He enjoyed killing Aiden. For the first time, he enjoyed killing someone!

"Hah…" Kai looked up at the sky, using his silver eyes to grant himself vision temporarily. He wanted to be able to see what he had done, and it was a bloody mess. Aiden's chest had holes that you could see all the way through the ground, and blood had begun pooling all around his body. He wouldn't even get a burial, he would just lie there until someone else found him or animals came to pick his corpse clean.

Neo walked up from behind him and brought a hand up to his face, looking up into his eyes and realizing that they weren't the normal white that they usually were, but a piercing black that blended well with his dark silver-eyed abilities. She smiled up at him, knowing that for the first time, he was getting a good look at her. She licked her lips, dragging a finger across his chest and taking some of the blood with it. She licked the blood clean off her finger, then stood up on her toes to get closer to his face.

Kai didn't care to suppress his fury anymore. The fury of emotions, and his body's desire for Neo. He didn't love her, but he knew that he was attracted to her. And that was fine by him. He closed the distance quickly, capturing Neo's mouth in his. She was much more assertive and certainly more experienced than he was, but he was eager to learn.

Neo tasted the fury of his fury in his mouth, and she loved every second of it. When they parted, a thin line of blood mixed with their saliva still connected their mouths and they both felt out of breath.

Kai cursed under his breath as he held Neo across the waist and let his forehead rest against hers. It was certainly one hell of a kiss, but they shouldn't go any further than that. Not when they were standing over a dead body. As much as his lower body desired it, he forced himself to keep moving. Neo held his hand and skipped beside him, seemingly pleased with herself as they continued on their journey together.

Tyrian watched them disappear into the forest, knowing what was going to happen with those two when they were alone in the forest in a camp. "I'll let you two have your privacy tonight," Tyrian said with a quiet cackle. "You deserve it, little Kai. I'll be able to make you a true successor to the Queen Salem yet at this rate. However, enjoy yourself for now. You're only young for so long, after all… Hehe."

Yup, so that happened. Finally, Kai is in a relationship, though I want to make this clear, there is no real love in this relationship. It's purely based around attraction and lust that the two shared for each other. We all know Neo has some obvious mental issues and she definitely likes killing. So much so that she probably gets off on it judging by the expression she wore when she was about to kill Yang on the train in volume 2 in the show. Kai also has been going through some clear mental evolutions as we've been witnessing for about 50 or so chapters so far, and now that has finally made him snap. He just doesn't care anymore at the moment, I'm not saying he's completely gone insane or has "gone to the dark side". But he's at that breaking point that everyone has or had gotten to in their lives. He snapped, and Neo likes that. And well, the ship between them has sailed for now. For now…