AN: Thank you for the follows, favs and comments! Its keeping a procrastinator like me motivated lol


That night, Yang couldn't seem to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind went into overdrive. Every possible horrible outcome of tomorrow came screeching into view. What if she chickened out and didn't show up? What if Sun got hurt trying to make up for her weakness? What if she got hurt again because she wasn't as strong as before? There were just too many things flying around her mind. It didn't help that she ran into Mercury tonight. For a second, it seemed like they were actually getting along. A little tension filled of course, but that was to be expected. They were on opposite sides of a war. But just for a moment, there was a whisper of normalcy. A tiny little window when everything melted away and they were just them.

Then Mercury had to go and ruin it. Yang knew she shouldn't be surprised; she knew he was a no good, rotten excuse for a human. She just didn't realize how much that title suited him. And honestly, she really wished she wasn't right.

Maybe it was wrong of her to be so mean. Maybe her temper got away from her again. Maybe she should really be thanking him. After all, he has no reason to stay. And yet, she knew that he would. She knew deep down that he was going to show up tomorrow. No matter what she said to him. And she had no idea why. She really should be thanking him.

Yang fell into a fitful sleep, her mind wanting to stay away but her body just too tired to comply.


The sun had just begun to rise over the tiny island of Patch. For a while it looked like any other day. That is until Mercury spotted a dark shadow heading for the docks. From his place on the cliff side, he could just make out the town on the eastside if the island. The waves were crashing into the rocks harder than ever, almost like there was a storm nearby. Off in the distance, the thrashing water where the Grimm were crossing looked pitch black. Mercury stretched his arms over his head and headed back into the trees.

Looks like it was time to wake up the firecracker and monkey. Last night Mercury realized he needed to treat this like any other mission he went on with Cinder and Emerald. He needed to be quick and accurate. Not get distracted by anything or anyone anymore. It was a mistake hanging around with Yang last night, and also offering to help her the first night they met. He needed to distance himself from it all. Approach the day like he normally did and then get the hell out of town. He'd keep his promise and that would be the end of it. Why was it so important that he keep his promise?

Mercury had wandered all the way to the path near Yang's house. His thoughts were interrupted by a herd of people shuffling down the dirt path. On the opposite side directing them deeper inland was Sun. The Faunus noticed him right away and edged his way through the crowd to meet him.

"They're heading to high ground to stay safe. Yang was right; none of them know how to fight." Sun crossed his arms and watched the steady stream of people pass by.

"They're almost here." Mercury commented. Sun just nodded and looked down at the ground. The two stood still while the last family hurried down the road. A low thunder-like roar made the both of them shutter.

"Before we do this," Sun stepped in front of Mercury; looking more serious than he thought possible, "how do I know I can trust you? Like what's stopping you from just bolting the second a fight starts?"

"Honestly? Nothing." Mercury took a little joy in seeing the other boys' confusion. He waited just a little longer before continuing. "There's really no reason for either of you to trust me. The only thing I can give you is my word and we both know that's not a very good thing to go on."

"Yeah that's for damn sure." He grinned and began messing with his gloves. "Ready then?"

"Shouldn't you go get the other one?"

"Yang isn't coming." Sun stared of into the distance.

"Come again?"

"I'm not going to get her because she's not coming."

Mercury shook his head. "I must have hit my head or something, but I thought you just said were not bringing the human wrecking ball? And were about to collide head on with a wall of Grimm? This is a must be a bad joke."

"Look, Yang is my friend. I know her better than you do and she's- she's not the same." He glanced over at the fork in the road; where Yang's little house lay hidden. "I know she's probably gonna hate me for it, and maybe this isn't the right thing to do but right now she needs time. Time to get better."

"Y'know time can damage a person just as much as it can heal them."

Sun turned away, his shoulders dropping ever so slightly. Mercury felt like he did it again; like he spoke too much. But maybe this time it wasn't a bad thing. Just then there was another roar, only this time it sounded much closer. The two boys turned towards the town, the dark cloud looking more menacing.

"Looks like that's our cue." Sun glanced over at Mercury. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Let's go."


Yang woke up suddenly as Zwei jumped up on the bed. "Wha-? Zwei… not now, it's too early…" She lay back down and pulled the covers up to her chin. Something was off though. Everything was just too bright. Yang opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust. Finally her mind caught up.

The covers flew off the bed as Yang barreled over to her closet. Zwei nearly getting stepped on in the process. She tore off her pajamas and got dressed as quickly as she could.

"Sun! Why didn't you wake me up! " There was no answer. Yang stomped into the kitchen. The room was empty. She looked around, confused. "Sun?"

Zwei ran into the room heading straight for the front door. The little dog began pawing at the door, running around in circles and barking. One faint pop made her jump. It took a few seconds for her to realize what had happened. Sun had left her behind.

A dull fire began whirring around in her belly, her anger tainted with uncertainty. All last night she wrestled with the idea of staying behind. Letting Sun and Mercury handle things on their own. Zwei jumped up on his hind legs and barked at her. Yang shuffled back to her room, feeling defeated. She fell back on her bed and sighed. A loud roar rattled the window.

"That sounded kind of close…" she mumbled. Yang's legs began bouncing up and down, she closed her eyes. Not too long ago Yang would have jumped on the chance of showing off her skills. Charging head on into fight and tearing everything apart. There was a part of her that missed it; that thrill that came with being in the heat of battle. That overwhelming sense of pride when you came out the winner. But everything was different now. She was different now… or was she?

Yang suddenly felt a thought dancing around in her head. Everything had change, but instead of changing with it, she had let herself be drowned by it. Carried along in a direction that was so not her style. Yang opened her eyes and raised her arms up. With her one hand, she made a fist and punched the air. "Screw this." Yang jumped out of bed and grabbed her gauntlet. She wedged it underneath her short arm and slipped her free hand into its glove. It felt comfortable; its weight so familiar. She stood for a moment, letting herself get used to the uneven feeling.

A loud rumble interrupted her thoughts. Yang hurried to the front door and ran off towards the sound. As soon as she was out the door she could see the looming darkness the Grimm had brought with them. A horrible storm cloud had planted itself over her town.

Yang ran as fast as she could, hoping that Sun and Mercury were alright. As she rounded the corner to town, a Beowolf blocked her path. Yang skidded to a stop, firing a shot in the ground to catapult her out of the way. A claw whooshed past her. Yang leaped forward and attacked, striking it six times before the thing even had the time to react. She pulled back one last time and hit the Beowulf square in the jaw. It crumped to the ground and slowly began to fade away.

There wasn't time to revel in the glory. The rush of adrenaline that was now pulsing in her ears. Yang grinned and rolled her shoulders. There was plenty of work to be done. She charged ahead, gaping at the now wrecked town she grew up in. Buildings were crushed and smoking, Grimm were fading away into nothing, and there was rubble absolutely everywhere.

Yang punched her way through monster after monster. Each hit fueling her adrenaline. There was still a crazy amount to deal with and no sign of Sun or Mercury. A quiet worry began swimming around the back of her mind. After she dealt with the last of the Beowolves, an Ursa burst out of a nearby building and attacked her right side. Yang wasn't fast enough to block and was sent flying into store front.

The glass shattered and she was sent straight into the back wall. It cracked as she hit, nearly giving way completely. Yang stood up quickly and shook out the glass from her hair. Her temper rising in the best possible way. The warm feeling of her semblance was beginning to stir.

Yang launched herself forward with a blast from her gauntlet. She punched the creature right between the eyes and sent it flying back where it came from. She grinned triumphantly. Just then, something else came flying by.

Sun crashed into the ground, an Ursa falling close behind him. Yang acted quickly and struck the thing down before it could cause a problem. Sun jumped up and shook off the dust that had stained his shirt.

"Thanks. Guess I wasn't paying attention." He looked a little beat up, but nothing too bad. Most of all he looked tired.

"Don't mention it. Oh by the way," Yang walked over to him and punched him in the arm.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"That is for leaving me behind this morning."

"Er… well you see-"

"It's okay. I get it." Yang shuffled her feet, unsure of what to say. She decided to stick to business. "So how are things going? Where's Mercury?"

"He's somewhere near the docks. We got separated a while ago but I'm pretty sure I heard some shots from over there. Things are going better than I thought. There's a lot of them, but they're not too strong. Looks like we got lucky."

"Kind of lucky. We still have a lot of work to do." Sun nodded in agreement. Yang loaded more rounds into her gauntlet and turned towards the docks. It was barely there, but she definitely heard the familiar boom of Mercury's boots. "Alright, you stay here and make sure none of them make it any further. If they go too far inland they might attack the others."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to help out Mercury."

Sun grinned knowingly. What he knew exactly, Yang couldn't figure out. "Sounds like a plan. Good luck!" And with that, he hurried off after a pair of Beowolfs that had tried to slip by. Yang took a deep breath and ran in the opposite direction.


"What a pain…" Mercury blocked a swipe from the monsters claws with his leg. It bounced the metal, making the Wolf confused. He dashed in and attacked before it had time to recover.

Mercury felt like he had been fighting forever. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Sun. It could have been minutes or maybe even an hour. These things just kept coming. One after another after another; like some never-ending parade. They weren't posing much of a challenge, but they were sure wearing on his stamina.

All the sudden the ground rumbled beneath his feet. The Beowolves that had been gearing up for an attack howled sharply and suddenly ran away. Mercury looked around frantically, trying to figure out what was going on. The water around the docks exploded, rising in the sky like a geyser. And from the water a giant Death Stalker charged onto the beach. The terrifying monster thrashed back and forth and screech. It tore at the wooden dock with its giant claws.

"Perfect…" Mercury mumbled. He thought about high tailing it out of there. Looking for Sun and taking the thing down together, but the moment had passed. The Death Stalker's beady red eyes locked on to him. It screeched again and began to charge. Mercury stood at the ready.


A piercing screech made Yang's ears ring. The sound was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. A pack of Beowolves came galloping from the docks. Yang stopped and prepared for another fight. The beasts completely ignored her and ran passed; yelping and whimpering all the way.

"Okay…? That was weird." Yang watched them head into town, confused. Just then there was another screech. Louder and more frightening that before. Yang hurried to the noise. It took a moment for the scene to sink in. A huge Death Stalker was tearing up the tiny port on her island. It claws snapped nearby trees and its tail struck down all the buildings in reach. Something like this could level a good chunk of Vale. Last time it took all of Team JNPR to take a Death Stalker like this down. And right, now Yang was on her own.

A grey streak zoomed in front of the monster, a claw chasing after it. Mercury was doing an incredible job of staying alive as the Death Stalker thrashed this way and that. Yang watched, impressed as he managed to get a few shots off while dodging. The monster shrieked and tried swiping at Mercury's legs with its tail. He jumped, dodging the attack perfectly. Unfortunately, this Grimm was smarter than the others. The Death Stalker attacked with its claw seconds after Mercury jumped. It latched onto his leg with a loud snap.

Yang's anger burst forward as Mercury let out a cry of pain. "GET OFF OF HIM!"

She launched forward, catching both of them by surprise. Channeling that oh so familiar fire of her aura, Yang struck the claw that had a hold on Mercury. It cracked, making the Death Stalker shriek. Mercury was released and fell to the ground. He rolled off to the side, nearly avoiding being stepped on. Yang leaped back, dodging the other claw.

"You okay?" she asked, concerned. Mercury responded by pushing himself off the ground and firing two shots from boots. The monsters broken claw was too slow to block the attack. They hit it on the side of it head.

"Took you long enough!" he grunted.

"HEY-"

"Move!" Mercury pushed her back as the monster tail came crashing between them. Yang charged, firing a few rounds at its face. Even though it only had one good claw, that didn't seem to make this any easier. In fact it seemed to make it even more dangerous. The Death Stalker began attacking sporadically, making it impossible to figure out what to do. Yang jumped back, her mind racing.

"Hit it in the head!" Mercury shouted.

"I'm know- oof!" That brief exchange distracted her. The monsters tail slammed into her side, knocking the wind out of her. Yang latched onto the pointed tail. She held on tight with her arm completely at a lost for what to do. The head was right below her. She had a clear shot. Only her one arm was too busy holding on to actually take the shot. What was she going to do?

"Yang!" Mercury was running towards them. "UP!"

She grinned. Yang positioned her feet underneath her and waited. Mercury dodged the Death Stalkers one good claw. He quickly climbed on top and launched himself into the air with two blasted from his boots. Yang leaped towards him, grabbing his outstretched arm. Mercury boosted her higher into the air with another two shots and then let go. He fell back down and landed one incredible blow to the claw; cracking it just like she had. Yang fired round after round behind her, riding on the extra air time Mercury had given her. Once she felt this was as high as she could go, she spun around and began plummeting back to the ground. With both claws out of commission, she had a clear shot. Yang took aim. Her fiery aura exploded as soon as she made contact with the Death Stalker; helping her drive it into the ground. In one incredible hit, the fight was over.

Yang coughed; a huge puff of dust was floating everywhere. When it finally settled, she realized that she had created a crater. It wasn't the first time this had happened but what was new was the fact that she had gotten her fist stuck in the ground. The Death Stalker was already fading away, the only thing left was its tail. Yang tugged but her hand was firmly in the ground.

"Need a hand?" a voice called from above.

"Good pun; annoying timing." She called back. Frustrated she fired a round from her gauntlet. The shot freed her hand, but caused her to fall on her bum. Yang groaned.

"Smooth." Mercury called. Yang looked up and frowned however her retort got lost somewhere in her throat. Mercury was perched on the edge of her crater; smiling at her. Actually smiling. Not that cool guy smirk her seemed so fond of, but a genuine smile. Yang felt a different sort of heat rise to her cheeks. She shook off the feeling and stood.

With a little bit of difficulty, Yang climbed out of the hole and rolled onto the surface. She took a moment to catch her breath. She peaked over at Mercury who seemed to be doing the same. He was sitting on a nearby rock, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic motion. All the sudden, Yang remembered something. She got up, stomped over to Mercury and punched him in the arm. He fell off his perch and was completely covered in dirt.

"What the hell was that for!?" he sputtered, dust falling from his sliver hair. Yang smirked.

"That was for letting Sun leave me behind this morning." She said factually. Mercury mumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms. Yang reached down to him. "C'mon, let's go find Sun."

"I'd rather not." He looked away.

"Stop being antisocial. Come on."

"No."

"Fine," Yang looped her arm around his and yanked him off the ground. As soon as he was standing, he shoved her off. "Don't go disappearing now." She grinned.

Yang turned to leave but stopped when she heard a thud.

"Son of a-"

"Did you just trip?" she scoffed. "And here I thought you were more coordinated than that."

"Just leave me alone." He looked away again. Yang frowned. She looked down and suddenly noticed his hand resting awkwardly on his knee. Something was wrong. She knelt down next to him and gently placed her hand on his. He didn't resist when she moved it away. Yang tired not to gasp. Mercury's pant leg had been torn at the knee revealing his prosthetic leg. The Death Stalker's claw had crushed part of his knee. It looked more like a scrap pile now than something useable.

"Can you stand?" she asked. He nodded. Yang stood and offered her hand again but this time he took it. "Try putting pressure on it."

"I know." He snapped.

"Hey don't be mean. I will push you." She semi- threatened. Mercury groaned as he tested out his leg, looking utterly furious about the whole situation. "Can you fix it?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah… I should be able to patch it up. Damn thing nearly ripped my leg off."

"Would that hurt?"

"Get your own metal limb and find out." He snapped again.

"Calm down, I'm just asking a question." She pulled his arm over her shoulders, letting him use her as a crutch. "Let's find Sun and head back to my place. I have a tool kit you can use."

Mercury stared at her. "You're helping me now? Why are you helping me?"

Yang shrugged, "Isn't it obvious?"

"You've fallen madly in love with me." He said bluntly. Yang blushed and felt a weird shiver shoot up her spine. She ducked out from under his arm and watched as he fell for a third time.

"Oh come on! Can't you take a joke?" he sputtered. Yang sighed.

"First off, it wasn't that funny. And second I'm helping you because you helped me. You know, I'm returning the favor." She grinned mischievously and held out her hand. "I'm making sure you get a leg up on the situation."

"Oh great, the puns are back." Mercury grabbed her hand and stood.

"Everyone knee- ds a little help every once and a while."

"I changed my mind, just leave me here."

"Okay, okay I'm done." Yang chuckled. She shouldered his weight once again and turned towards the mainland. "Let's go, Captain Peg Leg."

"I hate you so much."