.
Desperate Measures of Mistral
.
She didn't know how empty people could be
Until the she saw the light inside them fade.
.
.
The Prime Minister cracked his knuckles loudly. A coping mechanism he often used when weighing between difficult decisions.
He had the sudden urge to break something nearby so he could vent his frustrations. And if he were in his own office, he'd likely have found something—but this wasn't his office. Not to mention, all the equipment in Stein's lab was probably expensive, even for Argent's paygrade.
Perhaps sensing his tension, the professor eyed him with worry.
"Thhhe experiment is working, correct?"
Argent shook his head. "Yes, doctor. The experiment is a success. Bean is diverting the Grimm towards Atlas and away from our forces."
"Then, where l-l-lies the problem?"
"—Battle conditions: degrading," Bean iterated in monotone from his chair. "Atlas technology: too advanced, higher than expected volumes. Grimm: outmaneuvered. Vector of reinforcements: limited…Prime Minister's frustration: understandable. Retreat—inevitable."
The boy had summed up Argent's thoughts well.
He had just gotten off communications with Raven, who had the same evaluation.
Mistral was on the backfoot. The Grimm Vlad were being wiped out slowly, but surely. A few of their nests falling already.
If the tide did not change soon, Raven was given permission to authorize a retreat.
Argent brushed his long silver hair back, trying to determine the best course of action. Should he attempt sending reinforcements? Or should he cut his losses and save the army he could?
If Dracul fell, they would need to concentrate on defending the continent's beachhead next. It would be easier and many of their forces were deployed there already. This battle was only one of many to come.
Argent cracked his knuckles again. His tall frame paced back and forth in slow steps, sometimes sparing Bean a glance.
The boy performed to expectation. Because of him and Professor Stein's science, they were able to manipulate the Vlad into focusing aggression on Atlas forces, while ignoring their own. A feat that was impossible until now, even for Salem. The Prime Minister was sure it was enough to win them the fight.
However, he did not anticipate Atlas sending such a sizable force. By all accounts, it was overkill. The opposition sent their best warships, deployed their newest weapons. From another standpoint, Mistral could count this a success. Atlas made a fool's move in revealing the cards they meticulously prepared for this war.
Argent almost told himself the battle was a result of bad luck and served more than its worth of purpose, but stopped himself.
No…
Failure is failure.
There is merit in this battle, but it still should have ended with our victory.
The weight of leading the Kingdom was a burden he took with honor, even in defeat. The man pulled out his scroll to dial Raven's number. He would tell her to authorize the retreat. The war against Atlas would resume another day.
"—It…It is possible to exert further control over the Grimm," Stein added.
"What are you talking about?" Argent puzzled.
"By your reports and B-Bean's readings, the problem lies with the disorganization of the Grimm. Iffff they were more regulated in their attack," he coughed, "micromanaged, as it were. Then the battle might—um." The professor's stuttering caused him to lose his voice. Speaking about uncertainties always made him more nervous than usual.
The Prime Minister was able to fill the blanks himself.
As things stood, Bean was simply guiding the Grimm's instincts. But if he was able to control them to the extent of carrying out specific instructions, the entire scope of battle would change. Also, the boy was the top of the Strategic Class. There were few better to take command of the Vlad.
"Then, what are you waiting for?!" Argent nearly roared.
"T-th-the process is still in experimental stages, but…"
The doctor hesitated in turning his head to the boy in the chair. That fragile body of a child wasn't something he could ignore, even if he tried to push the image out with thoughts of his wife. His guilt made him more unsteady by the second.
"—It is alright, father."
Stein's mouth went dry at Bean's words.
"My mind will cope. Stress values: within threshold. Consciousness and connection will not be lost. Please, proceed."
"Bean…"
"My…acquaintances," the boy hesitated. "They are also present on the battlefield. Would prefer they not die."
It was then, Argent took a step beside Bean.
He had been trying to ignore the child since he first entered the lab. Trying to treat the boy as a mere weapon in order to stay detached—but no longer. He wouldn't allow any further disrespect on his part.
"Thank you, Bean." The sincerity, clear in Argent's voice. "You are a very brave soul."
"Gratitude unnecessary, Prime Minister. But acknowledged."
"You heard the boy, Henry. Do what it takes."
The professor nodded gravely. And with one last look at Bean, he faced the computers once more. New values and commands were entered into the console.
"Bane volume…increasing," Stein recited.
Bean's body jumped hard on the chair. He would have broken the bindings and fell to the floor, if the Prime Minister hadn't held him down personally. The man's muscular body tried to restrain the child as gently as he could.
Black mist gathered above the boy. The black veins under his skin extended, like trees taking deeper root.
Stein watched the digital projections as the numbers and graphs climbed.
"S-s-synchronization measuring at 90%."
.
X
.
"SIR!" an officer shouted, unable to keep the shock out of her voice. "The Grimm's behavior…! They're…"
But Ironwood could see it for himself.
Not two minutes ago, the Vlad were attacking with mindless abandon. Now, a disturbing amount of intricacy could be gleaned in their movements.
Groups of mosquitos dog-piled specific dropships and carriers, breaking the Fleet's formations. They prioritized targeting the Dust Reactors, seemingly knowing they were the ship's weaknesses. Some of the Grimm even broke off to go back and protect their nests.
"Do not panic!" Ironwood ordered over the communicator. "Steady forward!"
The crew of his ship faced the man and saluted. As if on cue, the other dreadnoughts hovering beside them waded forth at even speed. The entirety of the fleet made ready to deploy the rest of its android reserves.
Ironwood didn't know what brought this sudden change in the Grimm, but they still possessed the upper hand.
.
X
.
Raven could hardly believe her eyes.
A Paladin mech was about to unleash a barrage of ordinances on a squad of White Fang, when several Grimm Vlad skewered it from atop. Their bodies sacrificed, as they exploded in a tower of fire. This happened not once, but to all the Second-Tier Units in sight.
The giant insectoids crawled alongside the Mistral troops within inches of them, but showed zero hostility. Not even when the soldiers attacked them out of fear, they never fought back.
"What the hell…?"
A call came from Raven's scroll, and she answered.
"Raven. I need you to coordinate with the Grimm," Argent voiced from the other end.
Her voice caught in her throat for a second.
"Argent…What the hell did you do?!"
"I can explain in due time. For now, we must regroup and resume the offensive."
Raven snarled, but set her personal feelings aside.
"We're still on the losing end of this. I wouldn't be surprised if Atlas decided to just plow through and finish it. How much control do you have over the Grimm?"
"Complete control, Commander. What do you advise?"
Raven watched the airships and the Vlads with discorded feelings.
"Well…"
.
X
.
"You want us to do what?!" Emerald exclaimed.
"You heard me," Raven's voice came from her scroll. "We're going for the jugular. I want Team ENMY to head a detachment to take out the Fleet's flagship."
Emerald glanced at the aircrafts dotting the skies, then at the Vlad waiting to be mounted like docile horses. She opened tabs on her scroll that showed the trackers on her teammates.
The readings made Emerald shake her head in frustration.
"My people have been tapping Aura and Dust for the last four hours! We're running on fumes! The team's not up for this."
"This is an order, Sustrai. If you don't follow it, I don't tell you what you need to know. This is a deal breaker."
"…" Emerald contemplated what she should do. In the end, she spat bitterly on the ground. "How do we know which one's the flagship?"
"That's easy. It's the biggest, most obnoxious-looking one."
Emerald scoured the skies and spotted the largest dreadnought flying a collection of Atlas flags.
"And it has the most guns, too. Of freakin' course."
"Do whatever it takes to sink it!" Raven ended the transmission.
Emerald pocketed the scroll and turned to her teammates.
"Wouldn't be much of a Team ENMY job if it wasn't a little suicidal."
She then, hopped on the back of one of the awaiting Vlad. Mercury and Neo followed suit, while Yang remained wary.
"Scared, Xiao Long?" Emerald smirked.
"This isn't weird for you guys?" she asked back skeptically.
"Not the first time we've seen Grimm controlled. You get used to it."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. Now, get your ass on the creepy bug horse. We have a job to do."
Yang grumbled to herself before mounting up.
"So, how do we—"
As soon as she was secure, Team ENMY's rides catapulted into the air.
While they were elevating, they saw other Vlad with Mistral troops perched on them. A worried expression wore on each of their faces.
As they drew closer to Atlas carriers, fractions of Mistral's "air fleet" dove towards them with a hurdling speed that almost threw off its riders.
Upon landing, the warriors fought their way through the decks and entered the ships' interiors. For the first time during the whole battle, they would be engaging Atlas on an even plane—an opportunity Mistral soldiers took on with a fervor.
But it wasn't as if Atlas was taking the new events passively.
Their smaller hovercrafts began evasive maneuvers. The carriers and dreadnoughts were distributing androids smartly, and the cannons they were equipped with were nothing to scoff at.
At this point in time, the main focus of the fight transitioned from the Isles to the skies. Armies clashed midair. Ships exploded, while soldiers of both Kingdoms fell to their deaths.
Amidst the aerial warfare, Team ENMY's mounts made for Atlas' rear line. Swarms of Vlad were gathering around them to join the attack, and more importantly, provide cover.
But while the horde of mosquitos approached, something unexpected occurred.
Two enormous Glyphs materialized and brightened the sky. The Schnee Crests spun and hummed on activation. Though Yang had never seen them that size, she recognized the designs immediately.
"THIS IS BAD! I KNOW WHAT THOSE DO! WE CAN'T LET THEM FINISH CASTING!" Yang yelled over the wind.
Unfortunately, seeing as the Vlad couldn't travel quick enough, their options were limited.
"NEO!" Emerald shouted. "SEND YANG DOWN!"
It would bring her Semblance to its absolute limits, but Neo resolved to do it anyway. She summoned a pair of mirrors and connected a pathway from one to the other.
Yang saw the slab of glass reflect its counterpart and jumped into it, charging her Ember Celica on the way. She could hear the crystals shatter as she dove through.
The crest flashed before her eyes. Yang's fist, engulfed in flames, made contact with the rotating Glyph. Her knuckles combusted at the point of impact and sent conflagrations across the rest. What power was left in the Glyph burned away.
Despite Yang's success, the victory was short-lived. There was no time to destroy the other summoning circle, as a ghostly Nevermore burst out and took to the open air.
The pseudo creature set upon the swarm of Grimm immediately. Its talons clawed and knocked them out of the sky. With one beat of its wings, it sent droves of feathered projectiles in a wide-scatter spread. Half the detachment was wiped out under the Nevermore's onslaught.
In addition to claiming air superiority, the colossal bird circled the flagship protectively.
Meanwhile, Yang landed on the back of Neo's Vlad, and Team ENMY was forced to reassess the situation.
Much of their escort had been decimated, or were in the process of being so. The ghostly bird was going to make short work of the remaining Grimm if left unattended. Their side stood on the verge of defeat closer than ever.
Emerald measured Yang's condition.
"How much gas do you have in the tank after that little stunt?"
"Not much, but I can manage." Yang pulled out the pouch her mother had given her before. "Worse comes to worse, I have a couple of cards up my sleeve."
"Neo's almost empty after that move. Merc and I are bleeding dry, too. This is ridiculous! There's no way we can keep going!"
"But if we don't take out the flagship, who will?"
"Looks like it's not going to be anybody."
"Em, I can do it," Yang argued. "If you distract the summon, I can reach the ship and destroy the engine."
"…That's too risky. Even for you."
Yang turned her head to see the Grimm Vlad and the Mistral soldiers dying on top of them. Their morale was dipping to an all-time low. If the battle was to end, she would have to force it now.
"I can do it," Yang repeated herself.
She and Emerald locked stares.
"Alright, powerhouse," the team leader relented. "You're on demolition duty. The rest of the team will buy you a window. You go in, leave a little present on their carpet, and bug the hell out! Nothing extra! Read me?!"
"Aw. I didn't know you cared."
"Please. I don't want to give Raven a reason to back out of our deal."
"Yeah, yeah."
Neo gave Yang a peck on the cheek, before flipping onto Emerald's mount.
Mercury pulled parallel. "I get sole ownership of the Bumblebee Mk. II if you bite it, right?"
"As long as you don't change the name or the paint job," Yang chuckled.
"Mmm, no deal."
"Guess I'll have to make it back, then. Good thing I have the easy part."
"Right?"
They gave each other a fist bump.
Team ENMY then set off, racing towards the flagship. The four weaved between artillery battery and android gunfire. Mercury flew point, Emerald and Neo followed close on his tail, and trailing a safe distance behind was Yang.
In an impressive display of acrobatics, Mercury started swinging his feet like he was performing gymnastics on a pommel horse. An array of bullets hailed in all directions. Emerald and Neo sniped what was left behind. Their efforts clearing them a flight path.
When they reached near proximity of the flagship, the summoned Nevermore took notice.
Mercury somersaulted off his mount and concentrated Aura into his left boot. A silver glow began coalescing at his heel. The faint image of a wing could be discerned as he drew a powerful arc with his kick.
"Stick a needle in your eye~ "
The sound barrier shattered as Mercury blasted the Vlad he was riding towards the Nevermore. It catapulted headlong, like a speeding missile. The blade of the mosquito stabbed right into the eye of the ghostly bird.
Yang took advantage of the opening and dove under the dreadnought, outside where she hoped was close to the engine room.
With a great leaping punch, the afterburners on Yang's arm rocketed her into the side of the ship…
And through to the interior.
.
X
.
Yang's Dust was running dangerously low and so were her Aura levels. A situation she was all too familiar with and didn't care much to remember.
"Maybe I'll lose my other arm this time. Hehe!" she joked, trying to make light of the situation.
As Yang ran through the flagship's corridors, she avoided fights as much as possible. Whenever met with soldiers, she either changed her route or ended the confrontation quickly. Luckily for her, most of the personnel she met were engineers not trained for combat.
Yang turned the corner and saw another map.
Convenient they have all these evacuation plans on the walls.
She was closing on the engine room. Only a floor away now.
When she skid into the next corner, a squadron of soldiers took up the hall. Each had their rifles leveled. There was no taking them out in time.
"Crap!"
In an act of desperation, Yang took a short hop, before swinging an axe-kick down. The momentum of her body carried her through the floor to the area below. Bullets whizzed by, ripping past some of her hair.
But she had successfully escaped and dropped into the large room a few stories high from the ceiling. Her legs landed hard and she offset some of the impact in a roll.
Yang cursed.
The last bits of her Aura dwindled with the last maneuver.
Suddenly, she realized a loud humming in the room, as well as a pulsating glow. After she brushed the debris from her head, she saw the ship's Dust Reactor. Its construction giving it the shape of a hadron collider.
After a quick scan of her surroundings, Yang tensed. The whole place had been evacuated. There was no one she could coerce into sabotaging the engine or get an idea on how to disable it.
The reactor was too large and reinforced to be destroyed by her brute strength. Or at least currently.
"Thought it might come to this."
Yang took out the pouch Raven had given her, and emptied the contents into her palm.
What rolled out was a tiny black crystal the size of a thumbnail. Its surface glistened with a seductive luster. It felt like it was trying to draw itself through Yang's hand just by holding it.
"Bottoms up."
She knocked the shard back and swallowed. The crystal traveled down her throat like any ordinary pill. As nothing seemed to happen, Yang wondered if it was fake.
But as the Bane hit the pit of her stomach, a dark sensation welled from her gut.
It felt like her blood circulation was flowing at a hundred feet per second. Her depleted Aura came rushing back, too much for her to contain. The excess energy poured out as fire from her mouth and caused her hair to burn an angry light. The whites in her eyes dyed black and her irises shimmered with a haunting crimson.
Yang's senses sharpened to fine degree too acute to restrain. An overload of sensory inputs bombarded her, threatening to drive her insane. But it was also because of this, she was able to detect the surprise attack behind her.
Yang side-stepped out of the way of a beamed projectile aimed for her head.
Five more followed in succession. The first three dodged, and the last two parried away.
A revolver emptied its bullets in Yang's direction, but she dodged them with a body nimbler than it had ever been.
"—Yang Xiao Long?" a male voice sounded.
As she viewed the two figures in Atlas uniforms, recognition hit her on who one of them was.
"Well, if it isn't Mister Ironwood—the best general money can buy!" Yang smiled widely.
"What are you doing here?!" he stared at her dumbstruck. "Do you understand the gravity of what you are doing?!"
"More or less," Yang shrugged. "What are you gonna do, arrest me again?" she then grinned, finding strange joy in the situation.
She couldn't explain it. Pain was coursing through her body, an unimaginable strain. But there was also a kind of emotional high she was experiencing. Also, a confidence she could not hope to quench.
Yang turned her attention to the second figure, beside the General.
"You must be Winter. Gotta admit, when I first saw those Glyphs, I thought it might be Weiss."
"You are her former teammate?"
"Yup! Hm?"
As Yang continued to stare at them, something peculiar began happening.
Veins seemed to crackle and seethe across their bodies. The electricity given off from Winter's body was more illuminating than Ironwood's. And when Yang scanned the room, she could see these veins stretch across the surface of everything. Especially the Dust Reactor, which had a jagged scar burning right through its middle.
Hmmm… I bet if I hit where the cracks meet…
Something awesome'll happen!
Like a cold drop of water, Yang felt a chill travel the back of her neck. The Aura she could barely contain, rescinded by half. A sudden bout of lightheadedness tipped her off-balance for a second.
Ah! That shard was tiny. I only have a couple of shots in me before the effect's gone.
That's a shame…
I really wanted to smack these guys around!
Yang bolted for the wall. In response, Ironwood and Winter opened fire. The General specifically aimed nonlethal shots.
Though her Aura was obliterated for a second time, Yang still made it to her destination. Whereupon she detonated a fiery fist to blow a hole to the outside.
A violent vacuum filled the room. Papers and equipment flew off, then sucked out into the open sky. Winter held on by digging one of her sabers into the floor. Ironwood doing the same with his prosthetic limb.
While both were encumbered, they were not able to stop Yang from launching herself at the Dust Reactor.
Her fist drove right into the concentrated veins with a bloodlust she couldn't control. Pure energy surged through, like harnessing the power of a dynamo. The feedback from the Reactor to her body was pure exhilaration.
Then, the ship's engine erupted and transformed into exploding shrapnel. Pieces of the machine cut up Yang, Winter, and Ironwood. By chance, a large slab of the casing covered the gap in the wall.
The whole flagship shook, causing passengers onboard to be thrown around its interior. As power was lost, the carrier entered freefall.
Yang felt the life draining from her body. She was losing blood and didn't know the extent of her injuries. The effects of the Bane were starting to backlash. Her strength was sapped, but the strange sight she acquired remained.
"—I can't believe what you've done."
Yang looked up to the judgmental voice above her.
"I'm putting you under arrest. The only reason I'm not pulling the trigger right now is out of respect for your father and Qrow."
Ironwood and Winter stood only a few feet away. Their weapons trained on Yang.
"Okay, okay," she coughed. "You got me."
Yang got up slowly with her hands raised. Far from defeated, her lips broke into a devilish smile.
"You got me."
Ironwood was the first to react.
A playing card folded out between Yang's fingers, and she flicked it at them.
…
Across the sky, Inna was providing cover-fire from her position.
Suddenly, her attention drew to the far-off distance.
Without any hesitation, the marksman loaded a new clip into her rifle and activated her Semblance.
Five shots rung out in swift succession.
…
The bullets pierced the ship's hull and then, through each of the five hearts of the playing card at varied angles. Even with the assorted trajectories, the rounds homed in on their targets with devastating accuracy.
Ironwood managed to block the shots in time with his mechanical arm, and tried to cover Winter in the process. But the abruptness of the shooting was too much for the General's reaction.
Two of Inna's rounds struck the heart.
"WINTER!" Ironwood yelled, as he held the officer's body.
Blood stains bloomed on the woman's pristine uniform. Her eyes glazed and she blinked repeatedly in confusion. Her lips quivered, trying to ask what just happened.
"Hold on! I'll get you a medic!"
Winter swallowed hard as understanding donned on her. She knew she was dying.
Far from afraid, she smiled, and tried to speak her last words.
"You'll be fine! Don't say anything! JUST HOLD ON!"
Ironwood struggled to carry her. The arm he used to block the rounds was malfunctioning. Tears could be seen falling from his chin.
All the while, Yang stood in shock.
With her vision, she could see the veins of light in Winter's body growing fainter. Like the woman was somehow becoming emptied of her life. Yang didn't know exactly what it was, but the sight made her insides run cold.
Ironwood ignored her as he carried Winter out of the room. The automated voice over the intercom notified all personnel to evacuate. But the bells and whistles felt so distant to Yang.
At that moment, she felt her arm being pulled on.
In her daze, she saw Neo beside her with a worried look. The small girl checked her wounds vigorously, as if in search for something. Yang remembered she was bleeding a lot, and it was probably scaring her partner.
She could hear glass scattering across the floor, as she found herself outside the sinking flagship.
.
X
.
The skies dyed red as the sun was setting. Orange and yellow clouds swirled its canvas.
There were no longer burning ships or flying Grimm streaming across the skies. But fragments of the conflict remained in the sea and along the Isles.
The battle was over.
Atlas forces retreated once their flagship was out of commission. Additional Mistral troops landed and set up a fair distance away from the Vlad nests.
Along the ground were rows of dead bodies that stretched longer than any wanted to know. Some of them covered, while others were not.
Kneeling by one of the fallen was Inna. Her hat in hand. An expression trying its hardest to contain the grief.
After Yang was bandaged up, she caught sight of her and went to her side.
"I wonder how many Atlas lost," Inna muttered.
"…I know what you mean."
"Besides the pilots and them operators, we were mostly fightin' androids." Inna tipped her hat over her eyes. "Some of our people died…fightin' tin cans."
"…Yeah."
"Atlas. They were supposed to use those things to combat the Grimm, remember? To protect people and limit human casualty? They advertised they'd one day replace Huntsmen and Huntresses."
"…"
"Instead, they used 'em to end lives rather than save 'em. Should I be surprised?"
Yang could only shake her head silently in response.
"No, s'pose not," Inna winced. "It's not surprisin' at all."
They both went quiet, trying to process the dead. Inna didn't move her eyes from the covered body in front of them. Yang noticed she was completely locked onto the person's face.
"Did you know her?"
"A little," Inna replied.
"Did you know a lot of them?"
"A little."
Yang scanned the distance, like she was checking for someone in particular, but knew she wouldn't find any. Because she didn't attend classes until later on, combined with entering Haven in the middle of the year, she didn't have the chance to get close to many people. Only the one next to her.
"Maybe, it's a blessin' you and yer team kept yer distance from everyone. No hurt involved."
"Doesn't feel that way."
"Sorry," Inna sighed. "'Course not. Just me bein' bitter."
"It's okay," Yang assured her, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You need some time alone?"
Inna's back shuddered as she took a stuttering inhale.
"Yeah, I'd appreciate that."
Yang squeezed Inna's shoulder once more before letting go.
As she walked away, she took one last look at her friend and could see the glowing veins trace over her. They were only visible if Yang concentrated hard enough, and even then, it was only barely.
Her attention drew to the corpses. There was no light or warmth to them. She could make out a dull outline of where the veins should be, but there was something missing. An absence that unnerved her.
Yang didn't know how empty people could be. How fragile life was until it wasn't there anymore.
She blinked and felt her vision refocus. The Bane unlocked something within her, but at present, she was too mentally exhausted to care what.
Yang walked to the edge of the cliff where a woman peered into the distant harbor. The lights from transports ferrying people back and forth to the mainland could be seen.
"Mom."
"…It's a hill."
"What?"
"The answer to your question. About the corpses I've seen and the ones I've made." Raven paused. "I've lost count already. Now, it's just a hill. And it gets taller every time—and every time, there's a little less light peeking over that hill." She turned to Yang, looking her straight on. "I hope you never have to bury the ones you love. They never live on in your memories or whatever nonsense they tell you. They die and a part of you dies with them. Period."
"…And your enemies?"
"The same. Each take their own slice of your soul, too. Sometimes it's redemption, and sometimes it's the nightmares. One way or another, they collect their piece."
"…"
Yang thought back to Winter. She remembered the cold sensation of seeing light fade from her body. How it beat feebly, struggling to keep burning.
"Still want to have that talk?" Raven cut through her thoughts. "I'm sure you have more questions now—about your powers. You can see them, right? The veins?"
"Yeah…" Yang sadly nodded. "But I don't want to talk about it right now."
"I understand. Call me whenever you want to collect your payment."
Yang left her mother to wander the camp. Everything on her skin felt numb. She wasn't even sure where she was walking to.
Without noticing, she arrived at her team's tent.
Upon seeing her, Emerald and Mercury got up and moved past her. Mercury mentioned something about having something to eat, but Yang didn't catch it.
And then, there was only her and Neo.
She sat beside the pig-tailed girl on the same cot. Yang brushed Neo's hair—and seeming to pick up on something—Neo turned the black strands into their more familiar pink and brown.
Oddly, the sight of it relieved Yang.
And the twisting tension in her body released all at once.
She buried herself in Neo's tiny frame. The thin arms held her firmly as her shoulders shivered.
Streams poured down her cheeks. Her throat made painful, choking hiccups.
Yang couldn't remember the last time she cried so hard.
She felt like a child.
And while she bared the remainder of her soul, Neo continued to hold her.
Until Yang drifted off into sorrowful sleep…