Time for more KOLD action. I like what happened in this chapter, please do leave your thoughts as usual as we dive back into the adventures of Koa and friends.
Chapter 23: Shadows and Cherry Blossoms
Title Song: The Blue Rose Sword Battle - SAO III OST
A few days had passed since the fight with Roman. Team KOLD kept up with their studies, as did three quarters of Team RWBY. Lilo once again found herself disappointed by one of her peers. First it was Jaune. Then it was Weiss. Now? It was Blake.
Damn kitty-cat's just gonna kill herself at this rate. She thought, watching the ninja girl reading something completely unrelated to Professor Goodwitch's lesson. The class was with the usual students. Teams KOLD, RWBY, JNPR, and joining them due to the Vytal Festival was Team SSSN, composed of Sun Wukong, Scarlet David, Sage Ayana and Neptune Vasilias.
Scarlet was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt and light grey pants. He had scarlet red hair that came down over his right eye. His left eye had some red markings around the edge. A green, navy blue and mulberry themed earring on his left ear, and wore a red military pelisse-like jacket over the left shoulder. Around his neck was a grey bandanna, and around his right bicep and hand was a grey band and fingerless glove. He wore a pair of big, brown laced boots.
Sage wore an open white coat that had asymmetrical sleeves and a green wing design on the back and sides, displaying an impressive set of abs, with the top two having dark blue tattoos of wings. Around his neck were a set of roman numerals. He had grass-green hair and yellow eyes. Below the waist, he wore a pair of black pants, held by a white belt. His left arm, in the sleeve, was cuffed by a golden wristband, and on the opposite shoulder was a matching pauldron.
Also joining them in the room, just to observe, was Cherry, who had been left with Lilo while Grey had a meeting with General Ironwood.
"Hmm… Let's see who we haven't matched up yet… ah! Mr Arc! Let's find you an opponent…" Professor Goodwitch said, the class turning to the overhead monitor, with Jaune's image next to a spinning wheel with every other class member involved. It stopped, and Onyx stood. "Mr Arc against Mr Stone. Please go prepare for the match."
A minute later, Jaune and Onyx entered the ring.
"Let's fight fair and square Jaune," Onyx said, holding out a hand.
"Y…yeah!" Jaune nodded, accepting the handshake.
"If both fighters are ready. Let the match begin!" Goodwitch called.
Onyx instantly opened fire with his new rifle, blue bullets screaming free, which Jaune span his sword to deflect, impressing everyone.
"Whoa…" Lilo muttered.
"Not bad at all…" Koa agreed.
Jaune then charged, keeping his profile narrow as he kept his shield forwards, sword behind him before he swung up diagonally. Onyx blocked using the blade under the barrel of his rifle, then he swung it from the stock like a small axe, the blades under the trigger catching a returning swing.
He then transformed it into the great axe form. Kicking Jaune back with a bolstered boot, he followed it by sprinting and leaping, bringing down the axe with both arms. Jaune blocked it with his shield, but Onyx rolled over with the momentum, landing on his feet and swinging Obsidian Guardian with one bolstered hand, hitting Jaune in the side.
Onyx glanced at the aura levels, and frowned seeing that Jaune's had barely been hit. Weapon still in extended mode, he levelled it, firing several high powered dust rounds that impacted on Jaune's shield, and a third that hit him in the arm, sending the shield sprawling. What Onyx didn't expect was Jaune to use the momentum, spinning with his shield, bashing the blunt object into Onyx's side, followed by a slash with his sword.
Pyrrha smiled, "He really has become his own person. All he needs to do is figure out his semblance," She muttered.
"How's the training going?" Lilo asked. "Comparing this guy to the bragging mess that barely beat an Ursa, it's like he's a completely different person."
"Just fine. Just look at the results. However, I do see this matchup taking a long time. Onyx's semblance allows him to reinforce his aura, but it wears off quicker. On the other hand, Jaune's got a lot of aura. It will take a lot to bring down those two stalwart titans," Pyrrha chuckled.
"I see what you mean," Lilo nodded.
Jaune was sprinting in again, shield in front. Onyx ducked under the sword, then bolstered his arm to catch a bash from the shield. He then leapt over the knight, weapon shifting into the rifle, charging up. Suddenly a powerful dust blast spat free, impacting on Jaune's shoulder, shattering and revealing it was an ice round.
Onyx fired this projectile twice more, one hitting Jaune in the knee and the other hitting his chest. Jaune grunted as he struggled to break free from the ice. Onyx changed weapon form again, his axe bashing upwards, sending Jaune's shield flying from his arm, then jabbing the muzzle, glowing with blue lightning, into Jaune's torso, providing a short but effective shock.
Onyx tripped the knight over, then aimed the muzzle at his face. "Give up." He suggested.
"Yeah," Jaune nodded.
A round of applause was for the two as Onyx helped his opponent to his feet. "Jaune! That was great!" Ruby called out.
"An excellent use of dust Onyx," Weiss smiled.
"Not bad Big Deal," Lilo smirked.
"You were amazing Jaune," Pyrrha agreed.
"I agree with them. Whatever training you've been taking in your spare time seems to be doing the trick. Keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll be fine in the tournament," Goodwitch said.
"Thanks Professor," Jaune nodded.
"And Mr Stone. I think we've all seen by now that you have a new weapon. What happened?" Goodwitch asked.
"Obsidian Rage didn't really respond to me. It belonged to my grandfather, who was a great Atlas commander back in the day before he died in service. His weapon was all they found of him, and it was brought home," Onyx said.
"Your axe was a hand-me-down too?" Jaune asked. "Crocea Mors belonged to my great-grandfather. But I never really felt right about rebuilding it as something new. Either way, you make the new axe work way better."
"I agree with Mr Arc. You're much more fluid and energetic now. This new weapon is clearly the cause. Keep it up," Goodwitch nodded.
"Understood Professor," Onyx said, bowing to both her and Jaune, before heading back to the seats with Jaune.
"Hmm… I think we may have time for one more match, any volunteers?" Goodwitch asked after looking at her watch.
"Yo." Lilo raised her hand. "I've got a sister to impress. I need a chance to show her what I can do."
"Very well. Do you have someone in mind Miss Fuchsia?" Goodwitch asked.
Lilo glanced at her little sister, who grinned. "Yang Xiao Long," The younger wolf faunus said.
"YES! About time! I've wanted to see this fight for a while!" Koa whooped, as the two brawlers stood, staring at each other.
"Approved. Step into the ring," The professor gave a sigh, already knowing she was repairing the arena before the day was done.
A minute later, Lilo stood, facing Yang who stood across from her, tossing a pair of magazine belts into the air, catching them in the compartments of her Ember Celica. The wolf faunus was flanked by Shadow and Snowfall, who were calmly waiting their alpha's go.
Cherry and Ruby sat next to each other, both ready to cheer with all their might for their elder siblings. "Alright. Let the match between Lilo Fuchsia and Yang Xiao Long begin!"
Yang moved first, firing her gauntlets behind, blasting her with startling speed towards Lilo, who's eyes watched the incoming haymaker. Shadow, under. Snowfall, left, ice shard.
Yes Alpha! Came the instant reply. Lilo slid under the arm, claws extending to graze Yang's hip as she passed over the wolf.
Snowfall sprang left, engaging her ice collar and throwing a hail of shards at the blonde, who blasted them with some fiery rounds from her gauntlets.
Shadow claw! Lilo commanded, and out of Yang's shadow came a shadowy set of claws as Shadow appeared, slashing. Yang gasped, barely avoiding the swipe. Shadow fully burst from the ground, attempting again, which Yang ducked under, and she spun, kicking the wolf in the chest, sending him flying.
Snowfall. Ice Beam. Lilo opened fire with the guns above the claws, dust rounds shooting at Yang. The blonde blocked what she could, but some pinged off her aura. Yang barely noticed the white wolf behind her concentrating a small ball of blue, which suddenly shot out like lightning.
She leapt back, but not quick enough, as her foot was encased in ice. "You know. You are something else Lilo," Yang said, stomping and breaking the ice.
"Same to you Yang," Lilo grinned. "But we're only getting started!" Her claws extended, and she charged. Yang reared back a fist, and her armoured punch connected with Metal Wolf Claw. From then, it turned into a slug-fest, Lilo alternating between slashes and punches, while Yang returned the favour with her own fire fuelled punches.
"Uh oh…" Koa noticed it first. Yang's hair was starting to glow.
"Lilo's gotta wrap this up fast…" Cherry murmured. "Come on sis!" She yelled.
Yang finally mixed it up, Lilo not expecting the fiery uppercut of buckshot to slam into her chin, sending her flying into the air.
Alpha! Shadow yelped, worried.
Combo time. Ominous Blizzard Bulletstorm! Lilo instructed.
Shadow emerged next to Snowfall, and the two howled loudly as their collars lit up with purple and blue respectively. Snowy, shadowy winds picked up, hail and snow mixing with oppressive shadows. Lilo then landed between her wolves, opening fire with her guns.
The combined onslaught caused Yang to drop to a knee, covering up. Lilo glanced at the aura levels. Yang's getting low. She's probably about to erupt. Get ready!
She was right. Yang suddenly lit up like a bonfire. Her hair was covered with white hot flames, and her fists were similarly glowing. With a massive bellowing warcry, she rocketed forwards. Lilo was prepared to dodge, but Yang surprised her, sending her full powered punch into Shadow, who was sent flying into the wall, before shrinking down to the small, pup form.
Niflheim! Lilo yelled to Snowfall. Ice erupted everywhere, crags and icicles forming all around them. Suddenly, everything shattered, before everything was redirected towards Yang.
The blonde may have been burning up like a wildfire, but even the hottest fires can run out of steam, and she began to falter, dropping to her knees, her aura dissipating.
CEASE! Lilo ordered, this being the command to halt hostilities or battle immediately.
The snow vanished, and Lilo ran over to Yang. "You ok Sun Dragon?" She asked.
Yang was shivering, but nodded with a grin. "It'll t-t-take more than that to s-s-stop me," She smirked, teeth chattering.
"And that's the match," Goodwitch spoke up. "Miss Fuchsia, great work. Tell me, the attacks your wolves use. Did you come up with those together?"
"We did. We've been working hard on upping the tempo of our coordination, as well as working on our combinations. To any of you I fight during the tournament, I hope you're ready for a fight," Lilo nodded, turning to the crowd with a feral grin.
"You were awesome sis!" Cherry beamed, snapping the rest of the class out of their stupor.
"That fight was crazy. Remind me to never try to stop them if they go all out," Koa muttered.
"Only if you do the same," Weiss agreed.
After class, Team KOLD and their young charge headed to lunch. Lilo requested a ham for the pups to share, and everyone tucked into their food. "You and Yang are so awesome!" Cherry grinned. "One moment you're slugging it out. Then she blasts you back, and you turn it into a chance to give her the full power of the pack!"
"I agree. You kicked all kinds of butt back there," Koa nodded.
"Looki…g good Lilo," Jasmine gave a thumbs up, coughing after speaking.
"Only one stutter. Almost there," Onyx put an assuring hand on the Fox faunus' shoulder.
That afternoon, Lilo, with permission from Grey, decided to hop on an airship and head into Vale with Cherry. She was certain that Grey's trip would end soon, and offered the girl to come and see Vale before they went home.
First, she took Cherry over to a boutique she knew about. "Lilo?" It was there she found Weiss out doing some browsing.
"Hey ice queen. Want to help pick out an outfit for Cherry?" Lilo asked.
"First, please don't call me that. Second, absolutely," Weiss beamed.
The three examined several clothes, before Lilo made a discovery. "Ha! Look at this sis," Lilo gave a chuckle, showing her sister a white summer dress. "Fuchsia silk, want to try it on?" She asked.
"Yeah!" Cherry nodded.
"Now hang on," Weiss said. "I think it's… missing something." She sifted through before fishing out something that caught her eye. A red/pink cardigan.
"Excellent choice," Cherry went to change.
"Thanks Weiss, Cherry loves trying on new clothes that mom made for her. Still does, but she's grown to the point where she wants to expand her wardrobe, you know?" Lilo smiled, leaning against the wall.
"I can relate. Sort of…" Weiss sighed. "When I was growing up, I loved it when my mother or my older sister brought home a gift. Whether it was a new dress or something flashy, I would always love it."
"Actually, I've been thinking this over, you wanna head down to the beach? Maybe have a nice day out before Cherry goes home?" Lilo asked.
"The beach huh? I've never been before, and I don't have a swimsuit. I'd have to buy a new one," Weiss thought it over. "I'll bring it up with my team, as long as we do bring Team JNPR along."
"Maybe we could include a second year team that my team worked with, have a big game of volleyball or something," Lilo smiled.
Cherry then came out, wearing the outfit picked out. Lilo then suggested a bow to give her hair a new look, taking her salmon-pink hair and tying it in a single ponytail. It looked good, and Weiss offered to pay, but Lilo scanned her card quickly.
"See ya later Weiss," Cherry waved to the heiress before they headed off.
"What do you wanna do now?" Asked Lilo.
"Let's go get some ice cream!" Her sister smiled.
"Sounds good to me, come on, Ruby told me about a really good place," Lilo grinned.
The two wolf faunus stared up at the sign above the door. "'Vanilla's kitchen'," Next to the text was a cartoony image of an ice cream bashing on a Beowulf with ice pops.
"Looks good, come on," Lilo nodded. "Pups, sentry," She instructed her pack, who barked in response.
"Ah, welcome!" They were greeted by a young woman behind the front counter. "What can I get you two ladies?" She had very light yellow hair, and wore a matching maid costume with a black trim.
The two examined the flavours before making a choice. "I'll take vanilla and mint please," Lilo said.
"And strawberry and raspberry for me," Cherry added.
"Coming up," the woman, Lilo assumed to be Vanilla, beamed, setting to her task. Soon, the two were sitting in the park with their ice cream, savouring both the flavour and the moment.
Alpha! Watch out! Shadow alerted. Lilo's eyes turned, and widened upon seeing several White Fang men storm into the park.
"Hold on to this," She said to Cherry, passing her the vanilla and mint ice cream. "And get ready to get down."
One fang soldier took aim at the duo, and that was all Lilo needed to see before she gripped Cherry around the waist, leaping back and kicking over the picnic bench.
"Stay down!" She warned her sister, suddenly glad she brought her weapons. Shadow, what am I looking at? She asked.
Seven members of the meddling faction. Closest is by the fountain. Shadow reported.
It's not just you they're aiming at, several other civilians are in danger as well! Snowfall added. I'm over by the parlour!
And I'm in the shadows, limited they may be in this weather, Shadow finalised.
Lilo took a glance through the gaps in the woodwork, before holding out a gauntlet, firing a volley of shots at the man by the fountain.
This isn't good… There's no cover here… normally, I'd just take them out, but we've got to assure the safety of the citizens, and of course there's Cherry…
I'm able to help the civilians over by the parlour! Snowfall chimed up.
Do it! Lilo ordered.
Over by Vanilla's Kitchen, Snowfall's collar glowed before an icy wall rose, protecting a family of four. The father was covering his daughters while the mother put a table in the way.
Bystanders protected, Snowfall went on the offensive, using her dust collar again, summoning an array of crystals before willing them forwards. The wolf herself followed, claws raking through the nearest soldier.
Suddenly, the parlour doors opened, and out walked Vanilla, armed with a heavy looking machine gun. "Alright… who's busting up my front door?!" She snapped, firing a shot at the white fang man Lilo was struggling with.
"Ms Vanilla, I need to get to you with my sister, can you cover her?!" Lilo asked.
"Sure thing sugar! Come on honey!" Vanilla nodded, her gun suddenly changing, the ammo box suddenly extending out sideways, creating an armoured shield, with the gun barrel still poking through the front.
"Go pup, I'll be fine here," Lilo assured the girl, before she sprang out, shooting wildly towards the White Fang, getting their attention.
As she did so, Cherry desperately dashed to Vanilla and Snowfall. "Come on kid, we've got you," Vanilla called out. Suddenly a shot rang out. Cherry jolted, her body thrown sideways as a dust bullet ripped through her very limited aura and shoulder.
"CHERRY!" Lilo screamed, horrified by the sight. She glared at the attacker, eyes narrowing to slits and pointed at him. Shadow suddenly rose from the attacker's shadow, fury dancing in his eyes as ghostly claws ripped the man's aura to shreds and knocked him out.
Cherry grunted as she tried to get up. It hurt. It hurt so much more than anything else that she had felt. Not even the nasty scrape she got one time could compare to the pain she was feeling now. Her aura was already working overtime to close the wound.
Lilo made to run for her, but she found herself under attack from the other fang soldiers, who had ditched their rifles for swords and the like. "Out of my WAY!" She yelled, backhanding the first to reach her.
Pack! Get to Cherry, no matter what! She ordered.
Snowfall was about to dart out to grab the girl when a shot rang out, followed by three more, eliminating the remaining white fang soldiers. "Wish I'd got here sooner. Hang on little one…" Lilo gasped with relief when Mari crouched before Cherry, holstering Sunshot at her belt..
Lilo sheathed her claws, rushing over, sliding to a halt next to her sister. "Let me see the damage," She insisted. Mari gently pulled the girl onto her side, and Lilo examined the wound. It looked like it was completely healed.
Cherry yelped slightly at Lilo's touch, and the elder sister instantly retracted her hands. "Give me a number, one to ten," Lilo said.
"Nine," Cherry whimpered. "I'm having trouble lifting my arm."
Might be slight nerve damage, Shadow growled.
Sirens wailed as several cars screeched to a halt. A yellow motorcycle also pulled up and Yang dismounted. "What happened?!" The blonde asked, seeing Cherry's condition.
"Fang attack, Cherry took a bullet in her shoulder," Lilo said.
Mari and Yang went and helped the police round up the White Fang, throwing them rather roughly into the back of a large van. Meanwhile, some paramedics examined Cherry.
"Aura should have healed most of the damage," One said. "We'll take her down to Vale General Hospital and run some scans."
"I'm her sister, let me help get her there," Lilo insisted.
"Right, come on then," The second medic said.
Lilo whistled for the pups, who came over, shrinking into their chibi form, climbing Lilo's shoulders. "They come too. We're a family, all of us." Lilo helped the medics get Cherry onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.
As they travelled, Lilo updated the team with a call.
"What?" Koa asked. "Say that again."
"You heard me. The White Fang interrupted my sister time with Cherry. She's hurt and we're heading to hospital," Lilo repeated. She was on speaker to Koa's scroll as the rest of Team KOLD and Team JNPR were studying in the library.
"Unbelievable…" Onyx growled. "It seems their child hurting days aren't over."
Jasmine was beside herself with fury, and Koa and Pyrrha put a reassuring hand on her shoulders. "Don't pop a blood vessel." Koa soothed her.
"How is she?" Asked Ren.
"She's having trouble lifting her right arm, docs and I both think she's taken some nerve damage," Lilo explained. "On the official Cherry pain scale, she says it's a nine, so I'll take her word that it hurts like heck."
"Want us to come over?" Jaune asked.
"Just the rest of the team for now, the docs said she's gonna need some scans to check for nerve damage," Lilo said.
"We'll be there," Koa said. "See you soon. Tell Cherry we all love her," As he was about to end the call, his eyes widened as he saw Lilo's big brother pass their table.
"Oh! Mr Grey!" Onyx flagged him over.
"Hmm? Yes? Can I help you?" He asked, approaching their table.
"Hey bro," Lilo's voice spoke up. "I've got some good and bad news regarding our trip into Vale."
"Tell me everything. What's happened? How's Cherry?" Grey asked.
"Cherry took a blow to the shoulder when we got caught in a firefight with the White Fang. Thanks to a second year and a huntress-turned-ice cream-shop-owner, they're in custody, but we're heading to VGH to check Cherry for damage."
"You three heading over now?" Grey asked Team KOD.
"Yup. Cherry's become a little sister to our entire team. We'll get an airlift over to Vale Hospital," Koa nodded.
"Come on. My position as an official huntsman should give some weight," Grey said.
Cherry sighed as she sat back in the bed at the hospital. "It's not permanent?" Asked Lilo to the doctor.
"No. She's extremely lucky. If that bullet had been an inch to the left, it would have torn her nerves to her arm completely. Nerve damage can be a tricky thing. Since it was just traumatised, it should recover by itself over six to twelve weeks," The doctor smiled, showing Lilo the scan. What Lilo saw tightened her heart.
Cherry's nerves to her arm weren't severed, but the key parts that moved her arm were thinner, like they'd coiled up. "Thanks doc. That's such a relief to hear."
At that moment, the door to Cherry's room opened, and the rest of the team and Grey walked in. "I'll give you some time to yourselves." The doctor smiled, heading out the door.
"What's the damage?" Asked Grey.
Lilo relayed what the doctor told her, and Grey slumped against the wall. "Thank the brothers…" He mumbled.
"Hey kiddo," Koa smiled as he, Onyx and Jasmine stood, knelt and sat next to her bed respectively.
"You know, Lilo told us that you tried to get back up despite getting hurt. That takes guts kid," Onyx grinned.
"Did it… h-hurt?" Jasmine asked, coughing slightly.
"Uh huh," Cherry nodded. "A lot."
"Well. At least now you're in good hands. Although… I might not be when I get to calling mother about this…" Lilo groaned.
"Oh… thanks for that Lilo. I forgot about that…" Grey agreed.
"Why? What's the situation?" Asked Koa.
"We promised mom that we'd not let hair nor hide of Cherry get even scratched while she was on this trip. Now she's been shot," Lilo groaned.
"Well. It's not like you're to blame. Those White Fang scumbags did it. Honestly…" Onyx shook his head.
"Oh trust me, one more reason to end that organisation once and for all…" Koa nodded, a scowl on his face.
"I'll bring this up with Ghira when I return to Menagerie," Grey said. "I'll be amazed what Fennec and Corsac have to say in defence to this. I'm willing to go all the way to their leader for this."
"Please do," Koa nodded. "And bring up this Adam Taurus using faunus children for inhumane experiments."
"What do you…?" Grey trailed off.
"Me. They used m-me. T-t-tortured me," Jasmine coughed, removing the bow from her tail, allowing them to spread out.
"Nine… tails? Impossible!" Grey gasped.
"They c-called it t-trait multi-" Jasmine coughed again. "Multiplication. Could have stopped at t-two. Did it eight times."
"That's your longest sentence yet. Good job," Koa pulled her into a hug. "The stuff they did to her effectively muted her for eleven years. She was taken when she was four."
"Gods… That… to our own people?" Grey breathed. His eyes flickered as his mind raced. "You'd better bundle them back up before someone else comes in."
At that moment, the door opened, and Koa blinked, coming across the face of Silver Maru. "Dad?" He asked.
"Koa?" The Maru patriarch asked. "I'm going to ask that you step outside, all of you. Visiting time is over and Cherry is going to need her rest."
As if his words were magic, the girl in question gave out a monstrous yawn. "Alright. Doctor Maru, please do take good care for my sister," Lilo nodded. "You rest now pup. I'll be back as soon as I can tomorrow."
"'Kay…" Cherry mumbled.
"She's in good hands, Dad's one of the best doctors in Vale," Koa assured the Fuchsia's as they headed down to the lobby. There, they found both Yang and Mari sitting on Yang's bike outside.
"How is she?" Yang asked.
"She'll live. Damage isn't permanent, but will take six to twelve weeks for the nerves to heal to their fullest," Lilo explained.
"That's good to hear. Poor little thing was so brave," Mari smiled. "If only I'd gotten there sooner…"
"Mari, it's ok. I'm at fault here for not giving us better options to work with in the first place," Lilo shook her head.
"You'll be thrilled to know that those goons are not getting away with this. Straight to jail with the lot of them," Yang perked up.
"Tch… not good enough in my opinion," Koa growled. "But that's why I don't want any role with more authority than I already have."
"Yeah… your sense of 'justice' is a little biased," Mari shrugged.
"Want a lift back to Beacon?" asked Koa.
"Eh, I'm not done with the Team's errands, I'll see you back there," Mari shook her head, heading out with a flap of her poncho.
"I'll head back my way. See you there," Yang said, turning the key and starting up Bumblebee.
"No more being nice," Lilo said. She was sat on the roof above the dorm, looking up at the moon. "No more. I've got to get stronger. We've got to get stronger."
And we shall. We cannot allow the Beta or any soul to be harmed by those who seek to cause chaos, Shadow growled.
"Lilo?" A voice got the trio's attention. Looking down, Lilo saw Koa poking his head over the roof edge. "You doing… ok?"
Lilo gave him a look. "My sister was shot. Under my watch. I vowed to keep her safe and she's gonna have problems for at least two, maybe four months."
"I see…" Koa hopped up. "Is there room for one more?" He asked. Lilo offered the spot next to her. Silence lingered between them before Koa sighed.
"Lilo. I understand what you're going through. I may not have any siblings to share your pain, but I have something else," Koa said, and Lilo's eyes widened as she realised he was talking about- "Jasmine." That.
"Remember that I said I went hunting for her kidnappers, to find where they took her?" At her nod, he continued. "Well… during that time… I was horrible. I kept a good front to my family and friends, but… when I went after the WF, I felt like a monster of grimm. Some of the injuries I gave them… I'm still not proud."
"Are you going somewhere with this…" Lilo asked.
"You need to relax. I'm already worried about Blake having a vendetta against the White Fang. Jasmine still has anger attacks at the mere mention of their name. I don't want to see another friend become the monster I was." Koa sighed.
"I know. Believe me, while I am thoroughly peeved that the White Fang hurt my little sister, I'm not going to become a bloodthirsty hunter as I work to bring down those scumbags," Lilo shook her head. "Don't worry about me boss. I'll bounce back. Cherry will make sure of it."
"I'll make sure to tell her to keep an eye on you," Koa grinned. "Come down and get some sleep, alright?"
"Sure thing Koa," Lilo smiled.
Koa: Lots of things happening in this chapter, I don't know what to mention first!
Lilo: I do. My sister was shot!
Onyx: And the culprit will burn in hell. Other noteworthy things include Jaune actually proving to be a fight.
Koa: I believe that has to do with our dear writer wanting to give underdogs a chance to be better than they already are. He's doing it with all sorts of characters. Jaune, Luna and Leo from Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, Silica from SAO, Wendy from Fairy Tail. I'm sure he'll continue to give those characters more spotlight.
Marcus: He's right!
All: Next time: Wait... I Can't Dance!