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Malicious Mind Trick
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At worst,
We can be the products of cruelest imagination.
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Yang was running herself ragged through the school. Her mind jumbled with thoughts of the worst.
It was a disaster. Beacon was overrun with Grimm, Ruby was missing, the White Fang were wreaking havoc everywhere. And if that wasn't enough, a goliath-sized dragon was laying waste to Downtown Vale—with its next destination being the school.
In the midst of the chaos, one feeling egged at Yang constantly. Down to her bones, she could feel something wrong. A premonition that dwarfed all else. And Yang pulled on that thread, following its trail as if fate bidden to.
She fought.
She ran.
She fought, and ran again.
A Grimm Ursa appeared in her way.
Without a trace of fear, Yang ducked underneath its swiping claw and planted her feet within in its space. An earth-shattering uppercut cracked, and the bear's skull blew clean off. It perished, but not without striking Yang back with a final retaliatory blow.
She felt the last traces of her protective Aura fade. The girl felt exposed, a bit fragile even. But it wasn't the first time she took a hard hit. Yang's Semblance thrived on it. Her usual stubbornness dispelled the doubts, as she forced herself to keep going.
I've got more important things to worry about!
Unease nestled deeper into her gut, refusing to leave. She turned the next corner and found her worst fears realized. Yang spotted two figures through the windows of the cafeteria.
Adam advanced on Blake. His sword drawn and ready to strike.
Yang's mind blanked of any thought. Her body moved on pure emotion. She rushed Adam with the sole focus of protecting her partner. No care spent to her own defense. A mistake she would pay for dearly.
Yang never felt the sword cut, or even the edge of the blade against her skin. The girl only knew she was wounded—bad enough that she lost consciousness.
When she woke, it was next to Blake grasping her left hand. Her right arm was severed above the elbow. An insurmountable grief flooded every fiber of her being.
Something inside her broke in that moment.
Blake clutched her hand tighter with tears in her eyes. Everything in that look said she was sorry. It was because of her that Adam was there. Because of her, Yang fought so desperately to get there, and as a result…
…
"It was because of you…"
What?
"This is because of you…!"
What am I saying?
Blake's face contorted with hurt at Yang's words.
"This was your fault!" her past memory shouted.
I didn't say that! That's not what I said back then!
"I WISH THIS HAPPENED TO YOU INSTEAD!"
Yang's vision twisted and refocused. The moment back at the cafeteria played out again. This time it was Yang about to be struck by Adam and Blake who came to her rescue.
STOP THIS!
Blake's arm was severed and her body fell haplessly beside Yang's. She glared at her with accusing yellow eyes.
"This is what you wished for, isn't it? If I lost my arm instead?"
No…! IT'S NOT TRUE!
"Or how about Weiss? Or Ruby?"
STOP IT!
Yang's words disappeared into the swirling void of her surroundings. The world flipped upside down and her nightmare cut out with violent abruption. Sudden reorientation corrected her to lying flat on the warehouse floor, leaving her sick to her stomach.
Everything just felt so wrong—physically and emotionally.
It took a second for her to adjust. The nightmare seemed so real, so vivid she could still see flashes of it when she closed her eyes.
From a little bit away, Yang heard a voice.
"—You can do it. I believe in you. Gooo~ blondie… You're doing awesome~…" Mercury cheered lazily, not once looking up from the game on his scroll.
"She's been laid out for a while now," Emerald commented.
"You're so good. You're a genius. You'll be better in no time~" he continued, paying zero attention.
Meanwhile, Yang lay spread eagle on the floor. A victoriously smug Neo was mounted on her torso.
"This is the worst," Yang muttered.
Neo began drumming on her breasts.
"I know! I'm getting up!"
Yang shooed Neo off and stood with painful effort. After dusting herself off, she looked down at the new prosthetic arm. Ugly, bulky, heavy. She hated it.
As if the dream wasn't bad enough, her rehabilitation program was going horribly. And sparring with her "new teammates" never failed to make her feel worse about everything.
Yang struggled from adapting to the absent weight of her arm to the increased weight of her new one. She felt lopsided just standing. As a result, all the punches she threw were atrociously rough and clumsy.
The old confidence Yang had in her fist, the satisfaction and thrill she found in the fight—gone. She couldn't feel closer to rock bottom if she tried. There was only an emptiness akin to a broken glass jar where her heart should be.
Yang was on her feet two seconds, before Neo swiftly dispatched her again.
She didn't lose consciousness this time, but she didn't try to stand back up either. Whatever scrap of motivation she had was already erased by the nightmare.
"I'm done for today," Yang rasped.
Neo shrugged and offered a hand, but had it batted away instead. Yang stood and limped her way across the floor. Not a single look spared to her other teammates.
Once she left the warehouse to get fresh air, Mercury paused his game and turned to Emerald.
"I didn't know you could hallucinate dreams."
"You don't know a lot of things."
"What did you show her? She looked pretty traumatized when she woke up."
"Just a little something. She needs to get over herself already."
Neo started pouting faces at Emerald.
"I know, I know. But I'm really getting tired of waiting on her ass. Sure, the missing arm needs getting used to, but she's not even mentally at the starting line! Which reminds me, we need to pay another visit to the Doc. You too, Merc."
Mercury groaned, "I haaate checkups."
Neo started poking his leg with the tip of her umbrella.
*Ting ting ting*
"Cut that out!" He tried to brush her away, but she persisted.
After a moment, Yang returned.
"I forgot to—" she stopped midsentence.
A great bead of sweat trickled down the side of Yang's cheek. Her mouth hung open and dry, trembling uncontrollably. Heart palpitations so hard, she could hear it drumming in her ears.
Before her, stood Ruby. Yang's precious little sister was here for some reason. She smiled like always, holding something out to her.
"Here, Sis! If you want, you can have mine!" she offered.
What Ruby held out was her own right arm, freshly torn from her shoulder. Blood dripped from its exposed end onto the floor.
*Pat*
*Pat*
*Pat*
And then, she was gone.
Yang shook her head vigorously. She thought she was going crazy.
Did she really feel that way? Was the recent dream and the apparition just now part of her subconscious? Maybe she really did wish her missing arm on someone else—even those closest to her.
"Doing okay there, southpaw?" Emerald asked.
"Yeah…Fine. I'm fine," Yang panted, holding her head. "Just…tired."
"Right, well. We need to drop by Masa's. Time for another tune up."
"Oh, joy…"
Yang forgot what she came back for and turned around to leave.
"Okay. You've got to show me what you're hallucinating her," Mercury said. "It's like watching only half a really good movie!"
"Nah. Not worth the headache."
Neo tugged Emerald's arm again and again.
"Ugh. Maybe, next time."