KS: Now, when I wrote this chapter, I began to think to myself: "do I want Yang to be miserable and vengeful through the entirety of the fanfic?" And my answer was no. I'll be honest, when I first started this concept on Deviantart, I wanted Yang to be boiling with hatred, focusing on nothing but the people that wrong her. But recently, I decided to change that, just a bit. There's enough characters in anime who are revenge driven (*cough*Sasuke*cough*) and I don't feel the need to add to that list. Enjoy the fic.
Yang miserably laid in the hospital bed, reminiscing on the moments that brought her to her current condition. The first was during the Vytal Festival, where she was somehow manipulated into attacking a student on national television. Not only was her team disqualified for the remainder of the competition, but she was now deemed a savage to the general public, inside and out of Vale.
The second was during the fall of Beacon. While fending off minions of the White Fang, she saw Blake being attacked by one of their members. Blinded by rage, she charged toward the offender, only to have her arm cut off in the process.
The third point was what she considered to be the worst of all. After she regained consciousness, Yang learned that Blake disappeared while she was out. She didn't even say goodbye or leave a note. She just left. To say Yang was wounded would be nothing short of an understatement. Losing her arm was bad enough, but now her teammate left her with no explanation.
And now, she finds herself in a hospital, waiting for the medicine that will cure her of the drug she was forcefully given during her fight with the girls who attacked her. Honestly, she thought it couldn't get worse.
"What's taking him so long?" she muttered. "I've been in this damn bed for over an hour and I've gotten no word from him." She clenched her metallic hand in frustration. "I swear, someone up there likes making me suffer."
Soon, the door opened, revealing Ethan holding a vial of clear liquid in his hand.
"Guess who's getting an antitote?" he said in a cheerful tune.
"Oh, I don't know," Yang said dryly. "Probably some moron who stood too close to a rapier wasp nest and paid for it?"
The scientist let out a chuckle as she kneeled next to her. "No, all he needs is some salve and he'll be good to go. But for you…" He waved the vial in her face. "This should kill the drug from the inside."
"How did you get it?" Yang asked.
"Well, the cops allowed me to analyze the syringe that had faint traces of the drug those harpies hit you with," Ethan explained. "Turns out that the main ingredient is a liquid extract from a plant grown in Mistral. It's been used for medical purposes like muscle relaxant gel. But somehow, the mixture has been tampered with."
Yang sat up, interested in what he had to say. "Tampered with? What are you talking about?"
Ethan sighed and took of his glasses. "The cops allowed me to assist with their interrogation of the girls who jumped you. It took an hour and a half to get any honest words out of them, but we finally got information."
"What did you get?" Yang asked.
A grim look crossed Ethan's face. "They said they used nanobots in the drug."
Yang gasped in shock. "Nanobots? I have nanobots inside of me?"
"In a way, yeah," Ethan answered. "There about fifty of them that quickly entered your bloodstream along with the drug. The bots spread the drug within your body, giving you a dizzy feeling. And if the statement I received from those girls is anything to go on, it really does affect those with high aura reserves."
Yang was internally fuming at that point. It wasn't enough that she was attacked for an incident she had no control of. Now she was drugged by no-name miscreants just for salt the wound. She clenched her fists in boilng anger and lowered her head.
"Did you get a name out of them?"
Ethan was surprised by the brawler's shift in tone. "You want the names of those punks?"
Yang raised her head, her now red eyes glaring straight into Ethan's brown ones.
"I want. A name," she growled.
Ethan inhaled sharply, then released it. "Okay. I got some names, but their ringleader goes by the name Plague Blossom. She's renowned for her skills as an assassin in Mistral's underworld and has potential clients on speed dial."
"You have got to be kidding me," Yang said, breathing heavily.
Ethan scoffed. "I wish. Her methods of neutralizing her targets involve multiple uses of poison. She puts it in foods, drinks, even on her own lips." He noticed the look of disbelief Yang had. "Yeah, I know. She makes sure not to lick her lips lest she be claimed by her own weapon."
"Do her cronies follow the same way?" Yang asked.
Ethan shook his head. "No, they each have their own way of killing off their prey. But they're not to be underestimated." He stood up and stretched his arms, sighing heavily. "I wonder if those people knew they were cheering on trained killers to beat up one girl. It's pitiful."
Yang sighed. "I don't even care anymore. If they want to throw stones at me, then let 'em. I'm not in the business for striking down defenseless people."
"Kind of ironic, considering what happened during the tournament," Ethan remarked, earning an annoyed glare from Yang. "Too soon?"
"Way too soon."
Ethan shrugged. "Alright. I've taken enough of your time." He handed Yang the vial. "Drink every drop of it and the effects of the drug should wear off in the next half hour."
Yang took the vial out of his hands, her eye color returning to purple. "And the nanobots?"
"That will require a more advanced method of treatment," Ethan answered. "Once you got that drug out of your system, meet me outside and I'll take you to my lab."
"You have a lab?" Yang said with interest.
"I sure do," Ethan replied, rising up from his seat. "And let me tell you, it makes what Atlas has look like it came out of middle school."
Yang stared at him with curiousity. "You really have it out for Atlas, don't you?"
Ethan chuckled mirthlessly. "A bit. But there's one guy in particular that I feel needs to be taken down a few pegs. And what happened in Vale is just the the beginning of his downfall."
Yang had a good idea of who Ethan was referring to, but she decided to leave the issue alone for now.
"Anyway, take the vial, sleep for a bit, and meet me next your motorcycle," Ethan said. "By the way, I love the design and function of it. Did you make it yourself?"
Yang let out a rare smirk, one that she never had since that fateful night. "Yeah, I did. It was hard, but I managed to get it to work. After the first five times it broke down."
Ethan smirked in response. "I've been there. I made a customized drone that broke down when I first tested it out. But after making some adjustments, it works like a charm. It just goes to show that machines will always need improvement, no matter how good they work. The same applies with humans and faunus."
Yang chuckled. "Are you sure you're not a professor at an academy or something?"
"Nope," Ethan said, walking towards the door. "I'm just your average scientist with more ideas than he can keep track of."
He walked out of the room, leaving Yang alone with he thoughts.
"Improvement, huh?" she looked down the arm Ethan provided her with. "Maybe I can improve on my fighting. The last thing I want is to go down the way I did again."
She removed the lid of the vial and drank its contents until it was empty. Sighing, she tossed the vial in the garbage and laid in her bed.
"One day, I'll find the strength I need to take him down."
KS: Yang's getting motivated now. She still has one goal in mind, but she's being realistic about it. Let's she'll keep the drive long enough to each it. On a side note, there's a poll that I would love for you to check out. Have a good night, everyone.