Yang walked off the airship with a scowl on her face, the sun radiated down on her golden hair, her right stump clearly visible for all to see. Many faces stared at her as she passed, she was known by everyone, the monster who broke an innocent boy's leg. The faces quickly turned around as she neared, fearing the same fate. Yang didn't care, she was angrier that she had to come find Ruby. However, beyond that façade of rage, she was truly frightened for her little sister.
Ruby had disappeared a week ago, it had taken that long for a message to get to Yang and their father. Taiyang completely collapsed, Qrow was watching him now, making sure he didn't do anything stupid. That left Yang to find her little sister, in the city of Vale, with Grimm, and White Fang running around. She also had a second goal, she needed to find someone else…and punch them in the face.
Yang arrived at the makeshift command center, two soldiers directed her inside. They followed her into the room with Goodwitch presiding.
"Thank you gentleman, you may leave." The woman ordered.
"Ma'me, we can't do that…we've already seen what this girl can do and…" The soldier started, right before Goodwitch's glare silence him.
"Leave." The woman ordered, the two soldiers gulped and practically ran out of the room.
"So…should I shake your hand?" Yang said, making a pun to cover her rage.
"Yang, I'm sorry to have brought you all this way…" Goodwitch started before Yang cut her off.
"No…I'm happy to be here," The sun dragon said sarcastically, "But this is what I'm wondering, how the hell did Ruby get kidnapped? You have an army, how the hell did the White Fang…"
"It wasn't the White Fang," Goodwitch cut her off again, "It was someone else, it was a mysterious man that we call the Black Swordsman."
"…A single person managed to get past your security and kidnap Ruby?!" Yang screamed with rage, taking a few steps forward.
"She ran after him, I'm sorry, but I couldn't give you the full story till you got here. Let me explain," Goodwitch said with a gesture at a chair, to which Yang took, "It all started a few weeks ago, a group of soldiers found a White Fang hideout completely ransacked, all of the men were dead, most of whom were killed in gruesome fashion."
"How bad?" Yang asked, the fire gone from her voice with the concern for Ruby coming into it.
"Bad, I have the pictures from the reports," Goodwitch said as she set them down, Yang's hand went to her mouth. The pictures showed images of dead men, not just stabbed or shot, but brutally hacked apart. The worst part was the meat hooks, the place had been a butcher shop before but the White Fang had taken it over, but some of the soldiers had been impaled and left to die, "These are just some of the reports."
"My…Dust." Yang said, her eyes tearing up at the thought of Ruby being stuck with this…monster.
"After this, we kept getting more reports of these kinds of findings, then, a week ago, we got something else," Goodwitch said as she slammed another file down, this one had a picture that Yang knew all too well, Adam Taurus, "He came to us seeking sanctuary…but something happened after he told us what he knew."
Goodwitch gestured for Yang to get up and she led her to a room, the blond girl gasped as she saw what was in it. Adam Taurus's dead body, with the bloody katana right next to it. His arm had been hacked off, giving him an ironic pose.
"He was killed on our front steps," Goodwitch continued, "Ruby saw it and tried to go after him, which was the last we saw of her."
"Is she…" Yang started before Goodwitch held up her hand.
"We don't think so, she doesn't fit the killers MO…and there is another factor, you may want to sit down for this." Goodwitch said with a gesture at a nearby chair.
"Uh…sure." Yang said, she had seen enough cop movies to know that this wasn't good.
"This is something that we've found at all the sites, this is the other MO that allowed us to identify him." Goodwitch said as she put down another photograph, Yang was really happy she was sitting down. The picture was of a symbol…the symbol of Pyrrha Nikos.
"But…that's impossible, she's dead." Yang said, her voice strained.
"Yes, me and your sister have gone over that, but…with recent events, we have reason to believe that the killer…is none other than Jaune Arc." Goodwitch said in a calm voice, only to have Yang burst out laughing.
"Really? Come on, I know Jaune, he would never stoop to being something like this guy." Yang said, though…more on hope that anything else.
"We discovered some hair on the katana that was thrown in Mr. Taurus's chest, we are still analyzing it, it was contaminated, but it matches the Arc lineage." Goodwitch said, her voice strained as well. It was clear that she didn't want to believe it either, while she might not have approved of Mr. Arc's character…he was still innocent.
"That's…it can't be true…" Yang started, right before a soldier burst in.
"Ma'me, we've got something you need to see." The man said, prompting the two women to follow him out. A symbol had been light on a nearby skyscraper, Pyrrha's symbol, one that used to inspire affection, now inspired fear amongst the soldiers.
"Yang, stay here, men, let's move!" Goodwitch ordered, the men snapping to as they readied themselves. Soon, the camp was clear of all except a few men, Yang sat down on a nearby crate, trying to wrap her head around this entire thing. Jaune Arc, that lovable blond idiot, a murderer? That just wasn't possible, then of course…he had been closest to Pyrrha. Had this just sent him over the edge?
As Yang though, she suddenly heard shots, she whirled around to see a soldiers head be blown completely off. Standing in his place? Someone she hated about as much as she hated Adam, Mercury.
"You know Blondie, it's good to see a friendly face," The grey haired boy said with a grin as he approached, Yang grit her teeth as she raised her one hand in defense, "However, I did say that next time there wouldn't be a next time, I don't like lying."
"Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it." Yang growled, she didn't even have Ember Celica to help her out now. Mercury smirked as he suddenly ran forward, launching himself forward in a kick. Yang dodged and landed a strike of her own, sending him flying into a stack of crates.
"So…you still got some fight left in you," Mercury said as he jumped up, "Gonna have some fun with this."
Yang charged forward, only for Mercury to deliver a kick to her chest, sending her back. Yang roared as she got to her feet, attempting to plant a fist into his chest. Mercury laughed as he dodged it, allowing Yang to fall on her face. He followed up with a kick to her stomach, sending to her back. Yang couldn't move, she couldn't activate her semblance, she was just…done.
Yang heart had been crushed, her own team turning against her after Mercury lied, Adam cutting off her arm, Blake abandoning her, Ruby running off, Jaune being a murderous psychopath, what was left for her? She had nothing, no heart, and no will to keep on living.
"What? No more fighting?" Mercury said as he stood over her, "I wanted to hear you scream, but…I've got a better idea."
As he said that, he suddenly reached down and ripped open her shirt, exposing her breast. Yang suddenly screamed as he grabbed the mounds, she tried to fight back but Mercury swatted her hands aside.
"There we go, going enjoy this." Mercury said as he lowered his lips to her neck, Yang cried out in disgust. He was going to do it, she could feel it in his touch, she didn't want this but…with everything that had happened…she couldn't find the energy to stop him. She had discovered something new, something called hell. She closed her eyes as tears fell down her face, Yang knew that she was done for.
"What the hell?" Mercury suddenly cried as a black form suddenly kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back. Yang gasped as she looked up at her savior, both in relief and in shock.
"Get the hell away from my partner!" Blake yelled, her voice teeming with pure rage. Mercury laughed as he got up.
"So…kittens here, at least now I've got a challenge." Mercury said as he charged forward again, launching himself into combat with the ninja. Yang could only watch as Blake and Mercury fought, Blake's speed matching Mercury's kicks blow for blow, her clones allowing her to back up and rush in for more powerful strikes. However, it soon became clear that something wasn't right, Blake was tiring out and Mercury wasn't breaking a sweat. He landed a kick on her that sent her stumbling back, the foot fighter laughed as he tried to kick her again.
That's when Blake laughed as she leapt back…creating an ice clone that Mercury's foot got stuck in.
"You bitch!" Mercury yelled as he tried to free his foot, the cat ran over to Yang and dragged her to her feet.
"Yang, we've got to go." She whispered gently as she led the girl away, Yang nodded as the pair started towards the gate.
"Not going to get away that easily." Mercury said as he broke the ice clone, walking towards them. The pair tried to move faster, but Blake's exhausted form collapsed shortly before the gates.
"Blake, get up!" Yang cried, trying to pull the cat to her feet.
"Yang…go, I'm sorry." Blake said with a sad grin.
"No! I'm not losing someone else," Yang yelled, "I've lost Pyrrha, I've lost Ruby, I'm not losing you!"
"Nice speech, but your Aura's fucked," Mercury said as he approached them, "You couldn't beat me…if…you…tried…"
Mercury's steps faltered as he looked beyond the pair, the two slowly turned to face what he was looking at. A black figure slowly approached them, in his hands, a huge blade, a black hood covered his face as he approached. The pair stared at the man, a grim reaper come to claim a soul, as he neared them. He stopped…then charged and leapt over them, Mercury yelped as he jumped back from the sword swing.
Blake and Yang could only watch as the two fought, Mercury's feet stood no chance against the huge sword. It deflected the legs at every turn, and for every time Mercury got one hit in, it seemed like it didn't hurt the swordsman at all. In one last attempt at dispatching his opponent, Mercury jumped up and kicked at the man's head…only for the bullet to bounce off, only damaging the hood.
All three present stared at the man behind the hood, Yang gasped at the face. Jaune Arc looked horrible, his long, greasy hair hung to his scalp, stubble graced his face, Pyrrha's symbol was branded into his neck roughly, like he had done it himself, but his eye…by Dust his eye. It had been gouged out, roughly, scar tissue grace the area around it. Someone had taken a knife and had a field day with it, his other eye looked more like it belonged to a soldier in a war than to a young teenager.
Jaune grabbed Mercury and threw him across the ground, the two girls watched as he moved forward.
"Nice legs," The black swordsman said as he grabbed one of them, his voice had barely changed, it seemed angrier, more…deadly, "Mind if I take one?"
Mercury screamed as Jaune set his foot on the grey haired kid's crotch and pulled one of the legs, the teen could feel the pain as the leg started to give way, the tearing sound was heard and could be seen by all as the leg was pulled. Soon, it gave way, tearing muscle, bone, and sinew along with it. Mercury's scream could be heard as his Aura sealed the wound up, he was very happy as his Aura was mainly full. Didn't stop him from passing out though.
The two girls stared at him as he turned, the leg in his hands. His eye suddenly snapped to them, both girls jumping as it did. Jaune looked them over, then walked away, disappearing into the city. Blake and Yang stared at the sight, not knowing what to do or what to say.
A few hours later…
"Girls, I've got news." Goodwitch said, the two girls had been put into the command center, both with no idea what to say.
"What? Did you find Ruby?" Yang asked.
"How's Mercury doing?" Blake asked, a bit more hatred in her voice.
"Mercury…the grey haired boy will live," Goodwitch said, Blake growled at that, "But…he'll never walk without the assistance of crutches, Jaune Arc made sure of that."
"What about Ruby?" Yang asked, jumping to her feet.
"Yang…this is all we found, I'm sorry." Goodwitch said, a tear forming in her eye. She pulled out a red bundle and unrolled it, revealing a red cloaked…soaked in blood and cut in half.
And a second chapter down, first things first. Thanks to both SKULLMAN159 and Heart of Steel 1994, your stories inspired me to get my ass in gear and write this son of a bitch.
Second, credit were credit's due, Thanks to Zivon96 for giving me the idea about Mercury's leg (and tolerating my crazy idea for FF.)
And finally…thanks to all of the readers, seriously, this is one of the most popular stories I've written and I'm just happy that I can entertain you all. (Shameless plug) Feel free to check out my other stories if you'd like.
Overall, hope you enjoyed, stay tuned for the next chapter (whenever that may be.) Read and Review please.