Chapter 13: This Feeling

There were many things people called trudging through the ruined cities made up of broken concrete, bent rebar and crawling with Grimm. Maybe they'd call them "ruin zones", "collateral damage", "nightmare", "Mountain Glenn" or "Again? I can't believe it". The last one being a courtesy of her father.

Oobleck had called it "moving through hostile territory". Fancy way of putting it.

That was the part that managed to affect Yang the most, where rows of Beowulf teeth, towering Ursa and the occasional charging Boarbatusk had failed. Even more than the incessant questioning on why she wanted to be a Huntress, as if it was any of his business.

She checked to see if her scroll's earpiece still worked before an Ursa intercepted her stride, they were too fast when they wanted to be. She adjusted quickly, grappling with the Grimm and using its own weight to slam it on the pavement, before ending the creature with a dropkick.

By the time she hit the floor, the beast was dust, and her train of thought continued.

What did he want her to say? That she wanted to be a Huntress to save others? That she needed to find her mom and figure out why on Remnant she'd left her family for a band of nomadic bandits? That she was doing it so no one else in her family had to?

If her dad could finally have a good reason to retire early, maybe he'd be there for Ruby where he couldn't be for Yang. Not that he was absent, it was just that sometimes he worked more like Vale climate. Some days were sunny and full of light, others were cloudy, no light, no color.

And, of course, that plan was a dud. Ruby went and found a way to skip three years right into Beacon.

Thanks a lot, Ozpin.

She couldn't blame her little sister though, far from it. She was proud of her, if things kept going as they were then maybe Yang would be the one left to retire early, and wasn't that a thought?

A pack of Beowolves waited for her as she turned the corner, five of them.

Remember, focus on speed. Keep your guard up at all times .

It was a basic lesson, but those are often the most important. She put her hands up, guarding, and mindful not to lose her breathing rhythm, not because she needed to -her aura could simply regenerate the fatigue- but it was better not to let it fall to that. She wasn't sprinting to her objective, she was running a metaphorical marathon.

You're right handed, but like me you're fighting southpaw, so just focus on connecting the hits.

A Beowulf broke from the pack and charged at her. It had to be a young one since it barely had any armor. A quick jab to the snout gave her ample time to sweep it's legs from underneath, She then followed with an uppercut to the beast's side, where it's ribs should be, hard enough to pulverize the beast. The remaining four were too easy, they swung wide enough for Yang to slip under, bobbing and weaving through attacks as she delivered body blows.

They were simply a delay. Fighting Grimm became easy once anyone got enough firepower, and with a semblance like hers,Yang had it to spare. It was a blessing that all she really needed to do was boost technique, after all, there weren't many places to go once she was strong enough to carry Bumblebee on her back, after a certain point hitting harder was just useless, and her father knew it too.

Remember to think, Yang. Don't just let instinct do the talking, take control, think about what they're doing, then find a way to counter it. And if you can't, then force them to do something you can fight.

She kept moving, if Oobleck was right, then the rumbling they felt came from nearby. It didn't take a minute before she found Zwei, barking at a hole in the ground, one that seemed to lead into the subway system

She whistled, and the corgi stopped barking, moving closer to her legs. She whistled harder, looking at the nearby rooftop, and Weiss poked her head from a nearby rooftop. From her earpiece Yang could hear the girl panting heavily.

"You. Are. A. Brute." she said between breaths.

"What's the matter, Ice Queen? Having trouble keeping up?"

Weiss breathed deeply, "Yes!" she answered, loud enough that Yang might've been able to hear her without the earpiece, "I know Ruby is your sister but I didn't think turbo mode ran in the family."

Blake cut in before Yang could give a proper response, "Well then we might need to make a pit stop. I think this is where we lost Ruby."

Once again someone cut in before Yang could respond, this time it was Oobleck, "Indeed, and if she is currently lost inside the tunnels, then we have multiple problems on our hands. First the Grimm, secondly, the inherent negativity in moving through dark small spaces, and third, our suspects. We must take appropriate measures immediately!"

"Appropriate measures?" Yang asked. In the ten years from Signal to Beacon, she couldn't think of a single class where 'appropriate measures' were discussed for a case like this. What would they even say? In the event a teammate is swallowed by the ground, please follow steps one through 'oh my god, my sister is in danger let's hurry up people!

Oobleck continued, too quickly for Yang to understand at first, "-And since she has not responded to any means of contact, we must assume she is either incapacitated, or currently being held hostage by an enemy force."

"You mean the White Fang?" Blake asked.

"We did suspect them during the briefing, but we must also consider the possibility of bandits, mercenaries and even criminal warlords. It's not uncommon for them to use grounds like these as meeting places. We need to gather and form a plan of attack."

Yang sighed, annoyed at the teacher. It wasn't his fault, not really, she knew why it was necessary to make sure everyone was on the same page, plus he wasn't the one with a missing sister, but he just kept talking, about the origin of the tunnels and the history of Mountain Glenn.

She wasn't listening. Not more than she listened to the voice of her father.

"Force them to do something you can fight," she whispered to herself, "easier said than done."

"Would you like me to call in the next one?" Pyrrha asked as she walked out of the infirmary.

The doctor looked up from her papers, "No need, thank you."

She tried not to make too much noise walking out to the waiting room where the rest of Team Juniper waited for her. It wasn't ever packed, but there were the odd one or two students waiting. Nora was the first to sit up from her chair, she ran all the way to Pyrrha so they could speak more privately, followed by Ren and Jaune.

"So, how did it go?" Nora asked.

"As far as check ups, pretty standard stuff," Pyrrha answered, "A poke of the needle here and there, some eyesight tests, and exposure analysis. She says I'm cleared, no signs of… well, anything. In fact I'm healthier than I've ever been."

She showed the record on her scroll, where it displayed the words 'Cleared for Deployment'.

Ren looked at the scroll screen, "Well that's strange, but who am I to doubt an expert."

"Sure," Jaune said, "But still, remember what Goodwitch said, we're volunteering for Beacon. If that record says one thing but you feel another way, you can tell us, Pyrrha. You don't need to put yourself in that much danger just for them."

The statement took Pyrrha by surprise, "I feel fine, really! That's what's so weird about this, all the tests, the exposure to fake threats, it didn't even make me flinch. But I guess these things come and go right? At least that's what I heard, it's really not that big of a deal."

Nora poked a finger at her side, standing on the tip of her toes to better scold Pyrrha, "Nuh-uh missy, it's a huge deal! If you come out of there confirmed with PQAI we'd be putting you first and Beacon quests in second, you bet!"

"Nora, you're crowding her…" Ren warned in the usual, tired tone.

"Am not!"

"You kind of are," Jaune considered.

Pyrrha laughed, "Guys, I'm not made of glass you know."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed, "Pyrrha's the champion here remember?"

Ren opened his mouth to argue, then promptly closed it and sighed, "Fine. We'll meet outside then? I still need to run some quick maintenance on StormFlower, last time I used the lockers they almost broke them on impact."

"Mind if I go?" Jaune asked. When Ren nodded, they moved past a couple of guards to the exit.

Pyrrha smiled. She was left alone with Nora as they walked to the girl's changing room, and although her friend talked about the upcoming patrol with excitement, keeping her mind off the issues her aura had was something of a fruitless task; especially when she was now so sure there was nothing wrong with her.

That was good right? There was nothing wrong with her, it was the kind of thing to be in high spirits, merry, delighted, happy. Happy, happy, happy.

"You're still thinking about it aren't you?" Nora asked.

"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha answered, her train of thought running off the end of the track into air.

"You're still thinking about your aura aren't you?"

"How did you..." Pyrrha sighed, it was confusing, she couldn't tell how exactly Nora would always know what she was thinking, but they said that's how friends were. That sometimes, they can just tell.

Nora continued, her worried look made Pyrrha face the other way, "Wanna talk about it?"

The question made Pyrrha stop, "I don't know. Is there really that much to talk about? Aura stuff was making me feel weird, and seems like I'm fine, so everything is fine."

"Is that really everything?"

"It is! I mean, maybe it was trying to tell me something? I've never had to think about it, it only warns me about something when we're in the field, the kind of thing that happens in a second and is gone the next."

"So what's making you angst so hard then, girl?" Nora said, to bring some light into the situation.

Pyrrha looked around, checking the hallway for other students and atlesian guards. Fortunately, they were alone at the time.

"It's because I only felt it when Cinder came close okay? Happy now?"

"I-but that-."

"Doesn't make any sense? I don't know, maybe it does."

Nora looked confused, "What do you mean?"

Pyrrha stared back, incensed. For once, she let the cheery facade fall, perhaps because her friend couldn't understand.

"What do you think I mean Nora?" She jabbed a finger at the girl's chest, "Our mission wasn't even that bad, we've been through worse even back during initiation. What did you say a while ago again, that Cinder was bad news? Two plus two equals my girlfriend wants me dead."

Nora's mouth twisted into a frown, "That's not true."

"Oh it isn't? Tell me why then."

"Because…" Nora trailed off, struggling to find something. "Because you've seen her, she had so many chances to try something, wouldn't she have done it by now?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Would my aura really keep flaring up over nothing? It was trying to tell me to get away," Pyrrha stopped for a second, taking in what she'd just said, "...That's what I felt."

"Pyrrha...

She let the words sink in for a moment. It was her aura, so why was she treating it as if it was some outside factor, like it belonged to someone else? It didn't, there wasn't really a difference between her and her aura.

It's my soul, so I am my aura.

"What?" she snarled, returning to the present.

"Is that really how you feel about her?"

Her logic still spoke. The evidence was there, the tests made sure of it, and it was wishful thinking to believe something like stress or involuntary aura reflexes would simply cease just before consultation. Intentionally or not, Nora's first assessment seemed to be right.

She stopped to think. Being with Cinder definitely felt good, they could understand each other. She knew what it was like to feel so alone and empty, and after all the things she said it'd have to be a very elaborate lie if she simply wanted to hurt Pyrrha.

When she kissed Cinder, it felt real.

"No, deep down I don't feel like I need to leave her."

Nora shifted on her feet, a concerned look on her face, "So is it because of what I've said? Is that what got you to feel that way?"

Pyrrha turned away and held herself, hands gripping upper arms. She knew the answer to that question, and couldn't bring herself to lie, instead preferring to stay silent.

Nora's voice still hit hard, as Pyrrha could hear the choked out words, "I get it. Sorry. See you later then."

Annoying. The number of guards in Beacon at the time was nothing but another source of irritation in Cinder's path.

They were following her. More accurately, they were following everyone under the guise of monitoring, and unfortunately Cinder found herself included in the 'everyone' group. Fortunately, it made her goal of outwitting them that much easier, they wouldn't miss one student out of hundreds. She'd overheard talk about increased security, something that Glynda's warning helped piece together.

There was a chance she would've been able to leave unnoticed if she sneaked on the dropships that were taking the students to patrol. She could've tried it, but that had some chance for failure, and so it was unacceptable. Instead she preferred filling out the absence form, not to cause alarm. She didn't exactly pay attention to the option she chose, it wouldn't matter either way, she could come up with an excuse later.

Pressing her back against the Bathroom wall she decided that once the pair that watched their hall stopped moving, she'd escape through the window. The windows didn't open far enough for a person to slip through, but that was acceptable, she could simply melt the glass silently. Climbing outside, the guards below were just about to make their way around the building. She leaped to a nearby tree, then used the parasite-ridden arm to briefly flash the maiden's powers, digging fingers into the tree to slow her descent.

It was a little known fact that living trees could resist fire-somewhat-due to their water content, something she used to her advantage. She landed the way Tyrian taught her, silently, bending her knees as her feet made contact with the floor to soften the impact.

Getting to the boat ride wasn't difficult, as far as Atlas security was concerned, once outside the walls of Beacon there was no need to keep watch. A little arrogant, if she did say so herself.

So they're doing a security clampdown. Putting the cart before the horses, aren't you? She thought, mentally addressing the unseen general. Odd, that he had enough power to cause his forces to affect so much, while doing so little himself. She wondered, was the general even in Vale?

Sitting down on the nearest bench allowed her to rest, barely twelve hours into the day and Cinder was feeling the weariness wash over her. The rocking of the boat didn't help, and she hated the wait, the smell of the river and how empty it was at that time. It was easier to blend in when spaces like these had at least some people other than herself, the lone girl in a scarlet dress.

What should I do now?

Cinder leaned forward, burying her face on her hands. It made her hair drape over her.

Could she pull Emerald and Mercury out of their mission? Perhaps convince them to infiltrate Beacon alongside her?

No, that would only make them doubt her more. They had to respect her, and part of that was gained by simply being more powerful than both of them, yet what mattered for keeping said respect was following through with her promises, never backing down. She believed in her plans, she knew how the upheaval at Vale city would leave Beacon completely undefended. They were already

Backing down on the bombing mission would fester doubt, which would inevitably result in their desertion. Although it might keep Pyrrha out of danger, for some time she couldn't find it in herself to simply let it happen, tough as it was to admit it she needed both of them.

Could she convince Team Juniper to defect instead? She could tell Pyrrha her plans, but the soon-to-be Huntress would never agree, she needed more time to make her understand, make her see every problem around her.

How could she not see it? The infantilizing of military terms, the doctrine? They called dangerous assignments 'quests'. They painted dangerous weapons, firearms bright colors as if it'd make the idea of children with guns palpable. Those so-called 'protectors' put kids as young as thirteen in combat schools just so they could grow to be glorified mercenaries by the time they hit eighteen!

That was if they ever hit eighteen.

She didn't have the strength to pull her face from her hands, instead electing not to move. Perhaps some time without moving around too much would bring elucidation.

Could Pyrrha even see any of it? Behind the beautiful smiles and intoxicating presence, could she even see how tragic her situation was, how they made her into a tool to be discarded? How dared she! How dared she understand Cinder so well while being so blind to her own maladies?

Places like Beacon, people like Ozpin would never, ever appreciate her selflessness as much as Cinder would, as much as any other ex-slave, downtrodden, hungry and alone human or faunus would.

An idea washed over her, a spot of hope; could she kill Roman and Adam instead? Switch the factors of her plan around a little, take control of their forces? She'd need to dispose of the Neopolitan girl too. Mercury and Emerald sure didn't have any attachment to them, and with their skillset they could probably take out Adam when he was distracted.

It was a tempting idea, yet the more she thought about it the more flaws she found in her plan. Adam was an obstacle but the White Fang was very loyal to him, and that loyalty might make them turn on her. She'd need to earn it if something happened to him and she wanted control. More likely scenario was that Sienna would take over, and although she was far more reasonable than the Taurus, she was also inflexible, hard to maneuver. And while Roman might be taken out, Neo was far more elusive, something that would turn itself into a long term fight.

Cinder dug her fingers into her scalp out of frustration, there wasn't a way to deal with the fallout of killing both of them. It was one thing if they died in a large-scale battle, but something else entirely if they were assassinated. It meant she'd just circled back around into the same problem; she couldn't keep Pyrrha safe and execute her plan.

For the first time in years, Cinder could feel her hands trembling, despite her attempts to keep herself under control. She hated every second of it, far more than she could hate any Huntsman or Huntress that betrayed the people around them, more than the media that slandered her over how she looked, surrendering to such feelings was loathsome, abominable, something Salem would scold her over.

Her eyes widened at the thought. She took her scroll, slowly considering it. Added to Watts' program in the list of contacts was Salem. Convenient for her overseer, not so much for Cinder, something likely by design given Athur and his tendency to be a wrench in the cogs of Cinder's plans.

She didn't want to type a message. The parasite in her arm would hurt again and her mistakes would come to light, but Salem knew best. Better Salem than a repulsive pretender like Goodwitch or Ozpin.

It was the most logical course of action. Faced with a dilemma she couldn't solve, the easiest, most direct way to do so would be asking someone with more experience. And Salem's experience was vast.

It was the only way to show her gratitude. When she was a runaway, wanted, homeless, starving and alone, Salem was the one to take her in. To feed her, give her a roof and knowledge that would put historians to shame. She showed the truth behind the curtain of Remnant, showed her the path to victory, to freedom. She even gave her the power to take the maiden's magic.

Salem was basically her true mom. Would any good daughter worry their mother like that? Disappear into dangerous territory without ever giving news, find a partner and put their lives on the line without even letting the parent know?

It wouldn't even be difficult.

Please, I need help. I've been lying to you and seeing that girl you told me not to. I think I like her, but now she might die and I don't know what to do.

Moments turned to minutes as she stared at the unsent message. Despite the words she told herself, Cinder couldn't touch the 'send' button. She couldn't even tell why.

A pair of heels clicked, coming closer and sending Cinder back to reality. By the time her thought formed on who could it be, all she could do was look up from her scroll, crestfallen. Glynda goodwitch stood before her, the same stoic look, the same coldness.

Cinder couldn't utter more than a single word, her voice was horse and she hadn't even spoken that day.

"How?"

"Your absence form," She explained curtly, "You marked dust shopping. Your weapon doesn't use dust."

A rookie mistake. Was she there to terminate Cinder? Fighting back would only be a formality, delay the inevitable. Her heart raced and she almost hyperventilated.

Instead, Glynda crouched in front of her, keeping her knees together, she could now look at Cinder eye to eye, at the same level.

"My turn now. Why?"

When Cinder didn't answer, she continued, "I mean, I understand, I used to sneak out too, though I didn't melt any windows back then. But I get here and you're like this, what's going on?"

Cinder looked in disbelief, on any other day she'd think that her eyes and ears were deceiving her. She didn't know?

How could she not know? Why would she care?

Who even does that?

Was she mocking her? No, It didn't feel that way. Cinder's throat tightened, and she could feel her eyes sting.

"I need help," she finally answered.

Pyrrha sat on the edge of a building, ready to start her break. She opened up the bag of food, where a sandwich awaited her.

Patrolling wasn't easy, but it wasn't as difficult as she thought. She could leap from building to building, from the streets to the rooftops, and so on. There wasn't that much crime at that time of the day, and no ongoing disasters, thankfully. With a semblance like hers it made her senses a little overburdened, enough to make her wonder how Goodwitch dealt with it.

The really difficult part was standing still when there was something she felt needed to be done immediately. She regretted everything she told Nora, and even how she said it. In retrospect she really wished she could take it back.

They weren't even scheduled to take the same airship, so Pyrrha had time to really think about what she said. Opening her scroll, she dialed Nora's number. Understandably, she got the voicemail instead.

"Hey Nora, it's me. I know you're busy, I just want to talk later okay? I'm sorry about what I said earlier today, I wasn't thinking right; it was way out of line. So… I guess see you later then?"

Without much else to say, Pyrrha finished the voice message. She only had enough time to take a bite from her sandwich before she felt a macabre shuddering pulse through the building. A moment later, she heard the explosion, followed by windows shattering, all coming from the city square. A commotion followed not too long after.

This is what I'm here for.