Hello and Happy New Year! I hope this story starts of the new year with a bang!

*checks the name* oh right. Fuck.

Uh, hope you like this one!

Yang let out a battle cry as she sent a shotgun blast into an Ursa's face, causing it slump to the ground in a spurt of black blood. The twins had been telling the truth. The White Fang had invaded Beacon.

And they had brought Grimm.

How they had managed to shove the beasts into Bullheads without killing themselves, Yang had no idea. Her two teammates fought next to her, and she still hadn't heard from Ruby. Several white glyphs sprung to life on the ground, as Weiss shot by.

She sliced through Atlesian androids, ones that had been brought to help them, now turning against the ones they were meant to protect. The robots were destroyed in bursts of white, as Blake overtook her teammate to fight a surprisingly small group of White Fang grunts.

She unsheathed Gambol Shroud, using both the blade and it's sheathe in tandem to send her opponents flying. The three met up in the mad melee, standing back to back and protecting each other.

The sound of gunfire caught their attention, as they looked over to see an Atlesian Paladin attacking Atlas Soldiers. Their weapons were ineffective against the massive machines armour, as it swung an arm and crushed several soldiers in one blow.

"Come on!" Weiss instructed, rushing forward to help the soldiers, before someone else beat her too it.

A massive mechanical fist knocked the mech back, as it whirred and attempted to keep itself steady. Yang's eyes widened in glee as she let out a yell. "YOKO!"

The mech looked over, as a voice came out of it. "Hey, don't forget who's driving this thing." Sunny called. "Let me take care of the rogue robots, you take care of the Grimm!" The speaker crackled, as it brought two massive hands together and made the motion of cracking it's knuckles.

Before the trio completely left, they heard a giggle come from the mech. "I've always wanted a giant robot fight." Yang wished she could stay to watch, but Sunny was right. The sound of screams caught her attention as she looked up, seeing an Alpha Beowulf leaping from a crashing bullhead.

"After it!" Weiss cried, as the Alpha took off running. The three followed the Grimm, as it began to clamber up one of the many pillars outside of the cafeteria. A black glyph appeared beneath it, hurling it to the ceiling, before another glyph appeared to hold it in place.

Yang burst forward with her gauntlets, as Weiss gestured downward, sending the Beowulf shooting down. Yang struck it mid-air, unloading a shotgun blast into its chest as she used the recoil to spin backwards, landing in a battle-ready stance next to Weiss.

The Beowulf went flying with a drawn-out howl until it was out of sight. "Huh. That was easier than I thought it'd be. We didn't even need your ninja skills, Blake." Yang said with a short laugh, before pausing as she didn't hear a response.

"Blake?" Yang and Weiss turned in tandem, only to see Blake leaping through a broken window. "Blake!" The two exclaimed. They turned to look through another window, to see their teammate being attacked by a man in long black trench coat.

"Blake!" Yang roared, with a blast from her weapons she burst forward. Her attacker reacted immediately, kicking out and sending Blake backward, just in time to bring his red blade up to block Yang's blow.

The brawler didn't let up, adding a shotgun blast to fist currently pressing against the blade, and bringing her other arm skyward in an uppercut. Her opponent twisted, before slamming his scabbard against Yang and sending her cartwheeling through the air.

She landed with her fists ready in front of Blake, quickly reloading her gauntlets. "Blake? You ok? Who is this guy?" She asked, glancing back to her partner. The Faunus was on the ground, looking at the man in fear.

She shook her head rapidly. "You need to go! He's too strong for you Yang, he's… he's…"

"Adam Taurus." A different voice answered. Heads turned, as Weiss stood in the broken window frame, staring at the White Fang leader in fear.

"Schnee." Adam growled, acid dripping from his voice as he sheathed his blade. The Heiress brought her own blade up, before something wrapped around her midsection. Blake yanked on Gambol Shroud as hard as she could, as Adam swung.

The wall where Weiss had been standing exploded, shrapnel pelting the fighters as Weiss hit the ground next to Blake. "It wasn't enough for you to steal our children for slave labour." Adam's hand gripped his blade as his lips peeled back in a snarl.

"Now you must steal my love too!?" He swung his sword once, his entire body radiating hatred.

"You know, the jealous ex-boyfriend trope is really overdone!" Yang grunted out. She glanced back at her team, seeing both were standing with their weapons at the ready. And both were shaking like leaves.

"Don't tell me you're a part of this Adam! This isn't equality! Huntsmen protect everyone!" Blake exclaimed, her eyes glaring at Adam.

"You do not lecture me about equality!" Adam roared. "Not when you ran from the White Fang and into the arms of a Schnee!" Spittle flew from his mouth as his body shook from anger. "How could you!?"

Yang had to blink a few times, the deadliness of the situation briefly being overshadowed by Adam's words. "Hold on. You think those two are, together?" The blonde questioned, using both thumbs to gesture to her teammates.

Behind her, Weiss and Blake glanced at each other with incredulity. It was a mistake, as Adam burst forward with a swing that nearly cleaved Yang in two had she not dodged at the last second. The floor beneath them was carved up as Blake and Weiss split.

"I know so!" Adam screamed, running forward and swinging his blade down. The three diverged, Blake and Weiss flanking him as Yang brought her gauntlets up to block. "I was told in person, that you were witnessed entering a shop of depravity! TOGETHER!"

This was the first Yang heard about it. But as Weiss gasped, Adam's rage locked onto her. "Mercury!" It was her first words since having entered the fray, and apparently it was enough confirmation for Adam.

"YOU ADMIT IT!" Adam's blade clashed against Myrtenaster, pushing down on Weiss as his attention completely left the others. Blake swung her blade at the same time as Yang delivered a blow to Adam's side.

The man let out a yell that was a mix of pain and rage as he allowed himself to be flung several feet away. His sword slammed into the ground, piercing it with ease as it slowed his momentum.

His head snapped up with a snarl, as he ripped his blade from the ground and sheathed it. "Damn." Yang said, looking at his expression. "Wish you two had told me. I would've given you the dorm at least."

"Yang we're not-" Blake's words were cut off as Adam swung again, turning a table into sawdust as he screamed, rushing forward as his sword glowed crimson. His swings were wild, fuelled by anger as Blake raised her own blade once more.

"It was bad enough you opened your heart to that beast, but to a Schnee!" Said Schnee summoned a black glyph under Adam, sending him flying backward as he caught one of Yang's blasts with his blade.

"Beast? The only beast here is you, Adam! You're attacking innocent people!" Blake threw her hand out as she switched Gambol Shroud between forms and fired.

"You talk of innocents when a Schnee is standing by your side!" Adam's blade caught the bullets, glowing red as he sheathed it once more. By now the three had learnt what followed, as they ducked under a crimson slash that felled the remaining pillars in the cafeteria.

"How many innocents have they let die?! HOW MANY BLAKE!?" He roared.

"He's too strong." Weiss breathed out, getting to her feet along with her teammates. "The only time we got a hit in was when I-" She froze, a lump in her throat. In front of her, Yang stayed on guard, protecting her teammates.

"Oh, I'm going to kill Crue." The Heiress whispered to herself. "I have an idea." She told Blake. The Faunus inclined her head, still refusing to take her eyes off Adam. He had paused in his advance, drawing his sword slowly, getting ready to savour the death of a Schnee.

"Are you compensating for something?"

The battlefield froze. Despite the lessons hammered into them by Goodwitch, Blake and Yang's eyes left their enemy, to stare at Weiss. The Heiress' face was red. Not from anger, but from embarrassment.

"You-." "I'm just asking." Weiss interrupted Adam, the man's voice a mix of disbelief and rage. "Maybe if you were b-better in bed Blake wouldn't have-" She didn't get to finish her insult, as Adam had rocketed forward with a scream of pure rage.

Weiss' rapier came up, as the revolver within already switched to the most expensive cartridge she had. A hard light barrier of Dust came to life, cracking under Adam's blow. "Crue makes this look so easy!" Weiss yelped, before the blade tore free.

"Damn you, Schnee." Adam held his side as he tried to back away, Blake having scored a blow that winded him. Yang gave him no room to breathe, following after him with several quick jabs. She held back from her blasts, having connected the dots between the glowing sword and the glowing slashes.

Weiss took a moment to breathe, as Blake stood near her protectively. "I'm sorry. I can't believe Adam thinks that we're together." The Faunus said, not taking her eyes off of him.

"No need to sound that offended." Weiss attempted to joke but couldn't find it in herself to laugh. "He's high up in the White Fang, isn't he. I recognise his name from when I lost…" She swallowed, an ugly lump in her throat.

Blake knew what she was referring to. The White Fang had killed many of those associated with the Schnee name. And she herself felt a burning in her stomach, now that she could call Weiss a friend. All those lives lost.

They were snapped back to reality when Yang was sent flying into the two. They managed to catch her enough to prevent any serious damage. "Damn, Blake." Yang coughed as her teammates righted her. "Couldn't have just dated some random grunt."

"He's one of the strongest the White Fang members there is." Blake warned.

"I think we'd gathered that much ourselves." Weiss commented, spinning her chamber as she brought her rapier up. The others readied themselves, as the dust settled, and Adam Taurus swung his blade angrily.

"Any more of Crue's comments?" Yang asked, knowing where Weiss drew her inspiration for her 'tactic' from.

"Just one." She groaned in embarrassment. She regretted taking Crue's advice on how to distract enemies. "And Blake, I would like to apologise in advance for what I am about to say and do." She whispered.

"What are you- EEP!" A rather uncharacteristic yelp came from the Faunus, as Weiss slapped a hand against her rear, the noise bringing the battlefield to a standstill as Adam's eyes widened behind his mask.

"ADAM!" Weiss screamed, her face red from mortification. "I BANGED YOUR GIRL!"

A rage filled scream echoed through the night as the Bull charged forward.

…

"Russel!" Crue called, slamming his hurl into a Boarbatusk that went flying, knocking down charging Beowulfs like a set of bowling pins. The mohawked teen turned at the call, dodging under a Creep and twisting his daggers into its gut.

All around Beacon, Grimm were running rampant. The docks were in tatters, and those that arrived in the shuttle were doing their best to clear the area so people could evacuate. "Where's Sunny?!" He asked, dodging the swipe of an Ursa Minor before shifting his hurl into a sword and decapitating it.

Crue hadn't moved much, as Penny sat on the ground behind him, propped up against a piece of rubble. Russel's eyes flit to the broken girl, as he understood immediately. "She's closer to the tower!"

Crue nodded, running over to Penny and picking her up in a fireman's carry. "Crue! What are you doing?" The ginger exclaimed, as Crue took off running to the main tower. The tower, he thought, was both the best and worst place for her to be.

If he got to the tower, he could grab Pyrrha and stop her from going with Ozpin. But that would also be where Cinder would try and breach. If he could group up all the fighters, they could prevent her from getting the maiden in the first place.

"There's a person with a Semblance that allows them to alter machines. I'm not sure how much longer you'll last like that." He explained, leaping up and placing a foot on a Beowulf's snout, using it as a steppingstone to jump further.

A single blade pierced its skull, before retracting back to hover behind Penny. She only had two left of her Floating Array. The rest had been either disconnected or severed from Pyrrha's attack.

She considered it fortunate a warning had been given to her beforehand. A caveat had been put in place, but the android was able to figure out it had been overruled by the virus. Penny couldn't help but wonder how the caveat would have affected the final match, if only her and Pyrrha were left.

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she let out a yell of warning. "Crue! Watch out!" The Faunus' head snapped forward to where Penny was looking and found…

Nothing.

His eyes squinted in confusion, before they widened as he tensed his stomach and brought his Aura to the forefront. "AAGH!" He let out a cry as a searing pain erupted in his midsection, sending him flying backward.

He held onto Penny for dear life, as the world flipped. He landed on one knee and skid back, before glaring upward with his teeth bared. The courtyard was empty. "MERCURY YOU BLUE BALLED BASTARD!" He roared.

A scuff of dirt was kicked up a small distance in front of him, and Crue quickly spun to the side, protecting Penny as he felt heat flash across his face. He backpedalled but turned his head to where he saw the disturbance.

"Even blind and deaf you still can't hit me. Surprised Cinder would recruit an asinine assassin." He smirked, gripping Penny like a vice. Before him, the world shifted, as a pissed off Mercury suddenly shimmered into existence.

"You knew." His grey eyes glared at Crue.

"What, the fact I tried to blow Emerald's head off didn't give you enough of a clue?" Crue's voice sounded as though he was mocking them, and while he was, his body was coiled like a spring, ready to dodge at the slightest hint of an attack.

"THAT'S HOW!" A voice suddenly cried out from behind Mercury. Emerald appeared, her blood red eyes wide in anger. "That's why it didn't work on you!" She and Mercury lined up, as Emerald spun her twin weapons round.

"Well, that. And the fact you clearly don't know Sun." He backed up enough to feel comfortable setting Penny down, and smirked. The android looked up with concern, as Crue stepped away from her.

"Crue?" She asked, voice low as she found herself unable to stand. The Faunus wanted to look back and offer some kind words, some assurance everything would be alright. But with the two ahead of him, he couldn't.

He kept their attention on him, and away from Penny. "The guy's got more quips than Mercury has daddy issues." He ducked as the boy in question kicked a foot out and fired.

The Faunus rose, smile gone from his face. He gripped his hurley as he swung it round, blue eyes darting between Emerald and Mercury. "Cinder not brave enough to fight me herself?" He asked.

"Cinder's got bigger goals than you could possibly imagine." Emerald said, as the world began to flicker before Crue. A dozen Mercury and Emeralds suddenly appeared, surrounding him. The Faunus raised his hurl, holding it tightly in both hands as he tried to figure out which was the real one.

Emerald was the problem. Without her, he could take Mercury. He had before. But that was when there was just one of them. In unison, all of the Mercury's ran forward with a leaping cartwheel, their legs outstretched to strike.

Crue needed to distract her. If he so much as looked like he was going to grab his glasses, he'd probably be riddled with bullets. So, distraction it was. "Aw, and here I thought our kiss meant something."

"YOUR WHAT?!" A shrill voice rang out, as all the Mercury's bar one winked out of existence. Crue dodged at the last moment, before swinging his hurl into the boy's side and sending him skidding along the ground.

"DAMN IT EMERALD!" The assassin roared. "HE'S MESSING WITH YOU!" He slammed a fist on the ground before standing. Emerald unloaded her weapons, as Crue ran to the side, dodging the bullets as he flipped his hurl round to fire back.

"I fuckin' wish I was, mate." Crue cursed, nailing Emerald in the shoulder as she cried out in pain. "I thought it was just some ploy you lot cooked up to distract me." The thief bared her teeth as Crue continued. "But you're telling me she meant it?!"

He made a noise of disgust with his mouth, as Emerald screamed in rage. Her weapons swung, as bladed chains extended from them. They slashed wildly, one shooting straight for Crue as he careened to the side and raised his hurl.

He slammed it down onto the chain, catching it and keeping it in place as he leapt towards Emerald, a fist raised back. The sound of a gunshot hit him before the blast did, as Crue went sailing as he clutched his side in pain.

He didn't have time to check his Aura, but he could feel it was low. The Faunus rolled along the ground, before pushing himself up as he coughed up a lung. He managed to get a knee up as he stared at the two.

Mercury had re-joined Emerald and was hissing something to the illusionist with an angered expression. Emerald looked like she would love nothing more than to put a bullet between Crue's eyes, but she held her ground.

Next to her, Mercury began to walk in a circle, keeping an eye on Crue. "You think you're the only one who can distract your opponents with words?" He asked.

"Please. I've probably heard worse insults from Primary Schooler's than whatever you could come up with." Crue's knuckles were white as he gripped Setanta, eyes flickering between Emerald and Mercury.

"Who said anything about insults?" Mercury stopped moving and smiled. Crue felt his hair stand on end at the sight. "I'm talking about facts. Like the fact that, that, is your fault." He raised a finger to point behind Crue.

To Penny.

Despite himself, Crue's head turned ever so slightly to look at the girl. "DUCK!" She screamed. Crue did so immediately, hearing a bang go off above him as he brought his hurl upward to strike at nothingness.

He felt it connect, as the Mercury who had been talking disappeared, and the real one backed up from Crue's swing. "Last I checked, I wasn't the one who made Pyrrha see a million swords." Crue growled.

"How did you know-" "No, you weren't." Mercury cut across Emerald, not caring for Crue's knowledge.

"But you were the one who told us her Semblance."

Crue's entire body froze as his blood ran cold. "W-What? No. No I didn't. I barely talked to you assholes." He tried to shake off Mercury's words. Was this how it felt from the other side?

"Yeah. But you just cared so much about her." Mercury's voice was sickly saccharine. "Enough that you would tell a General not to let her fight Pyrrha Nikos. Because her Semblance might hurt her." The assassin's face was ridiculously smug.

"You think we didn't notice the block? You think we wouldn't look into why?" He asked rhetorically.

Crue's heart thumped in his chest. It was his fault? Mercury didn't fight Pyrrha, he fought him. They never knew her Semblance because of that. He, he told Ironwood. His breathing became erratic, as something deep within stirred angrily.

"No." He growled out. "This was your fault." He gripped Setanta tightly, as he stared at Mercury and Emerald. They probably weren't real, but like Hell he cared as he swung with a roar of rage. "I SHOULD'VE HAD NEO KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP!"

A gasp sounded out, as Crue caught a brief glimpse of Mercury to his left. He carried through on the swing with a roar, as it slammed into the ground. Something cracked against his chest, Setanta slipping from his hands as he was flung into a pillar of stone, splintering it as he slid to the bottom.

He gasped for air, as the impact had stolen the breath from his lungs. As he looked up, Emerald and Mercury were back where they had started, mouths open in what had to be disbelief. "You knew she was Neo from the start?"

Crue would have retorted, but his voice was still trying to crawl its way out of his suddenly empty lungs. "Of course, you did." Mercury growled, stalking towards the Faunus. "You knew Neo. You knew my legs were fake. You knew Emerald's Semblance."

The assassin stopped a few feet away, a dangerous smile on his face. "But do you know what happens next?" He asked, raising his foot as Crue clawed at the pillar behind him, pulling himself upright. His eyes became levelled with Mercury's, as his boot clicked. Crue's breathing came in harsh pants, but he refused to look away.

"You lose- AGH!" Mercury's leg suddenly veered off, pulverising the stone next to Crue as the Faunus surged forward, bringing a knee up between his legs. Trained assassin or not, when someone knees you in the babymakers, you lose motor functions for a second.

Crue hurled Mercury behind him and into a wall as his eyes flit to his saviour. Penny had dug one of her blades into a wall, holding onto it with one hand as she stood shakily. Her blade had returned to her, floating awkwardly behind her.

Crue sprinted for the redhead, briefly glancing to the side in time to see Emerald raise her weapon. Crue leapt, springing towards Penny with his arms outstretched.

It wasn't enough.

Penny's leg buckled as Emerald's shot hit its mark. Her chest exploded in a shower of sparks and metal. "PENNY!" Crue roared, landing in a roll and wrapping his arms around her as more shots impacted the wall behind them.

Crue held Penny across his knees as he looked at her, face contorted in horror. "I-I-I am-am s-s-s-sorry, C-Crue." Her voice wavered drastically as her eye spasmed.

"No. Nonono Penny don't say that. We'll, we'll get to Sunny. She'll save you." Crue's voice broke as he held her tight, blue eyes brimming with tears.

"I-I-I do not-not-Not believe I wi-wi-will make it." Penny replied. "I'm-I'm so-sorry Crue." Despite her condition, a smile appeared on her face as her bright green eyes began to fade. "I-I would have liked… to be your… sis…ter…"

Silence.

"Penny?"

Deafening silence.

The sound of footsteps approached. Crue ignored them, as he continued to shake Penny's form. "Penny?" He asked, a sob breaking through his words. The footsteps stopped, as a voice spoke up.

"Aw, looks like the puppet's strings were cut." Came Mercury's voice.

Crue's head did not snap up at his words. He didn't shoot up with a snarl and a promise to kill him. The Faunus' head rose slowly, as Mercury looked down on him with annoyance, before wondering why Crue's eyes were different.

They were a molten gold.

"Don't worry." Mercury said, placing the sole of his boot against Crue's chest. "You'll be seeing her soon."

A gunshot echoed.

Aura shattered.

Crue Cullen snapped.

And a Monster broke free.

The monster he tried to hide and keep under wraps finally shows itself.

Much too late.

Until Next Time

-Friday, The Author