LXII - Flower

~~~(LXII)~~~

Yang was not gentle.

"Aaahhhhhhhh!" His screams blasted through the trees like a banshee of legend. Thankfully, perhaps, his cries of fear were drowned out by the vehicle's engine. "Yang please! I know I've fucked up a lot in life, but I don't want to die yet!"

If the devil heard him, she ignored his pleas.

~~~(LXII)~~~

"So... tell me, Blake... How does it feel to be alone?"

Blake heard him speaking, but she wasn't paying attention to what Adam said as she faintly heard the noise of an engine get closer. In her immediate worry however, Adam raised his sword and let out a loud yell of pure fury as he stabbed towards her abdomen.

Activating her semblance, her form disappeared into mist, another of her clones taking the blow for her. She watched as Adam then looked behind him as Blake picked up her cleaver sheath.

With more confidence than she had moments ago, she spoke to the stalker. "I'm not alone." His eyes narrowed slightly before the noise became loud enough for him to hear as well.

Adam looked upwards in surprise as out from above the waterfall the black and yellow form of Yang's motorcycle drove off the cliff, crashing into Adam and knocking him down hard. The vehicle dealt a mighty blow, but at the cost of itself. The expensive vehicle fell off the cliff and into the river below shortly after.

Yang lands next to her with Oxon only a few feet away, digging his hatchet into the stone arch to arrest his momentum. The two then stood in front of her defensively as they stared Adam down. The four sashes hanging on the armored teen's belts fluttered softly in the wind. They'd made it, thank whatever merciful being is out there for their well placed worry.

Adam, after getting up from the ground, looked at the two interlopers in fury. The blonde and the brown haired teens returned his gaze with equal rage.

"You…"

Yang fired a shotgun slug at Adam, which he blocked, but he wasn't able to completely block the buckshot sent out by Oxon. "I see you copied my sash idea, did I have that much of an impact on you?" There was no response. Yang then activated the shotgun in her prosthetic arm, getting in a ready stance while Oxon stowed New Leaf and brought out Bulls Breath in a defensive stance.

"Yang…"

Oxon snorted in good humor and looked back at her, green eyes glinting amusedly through his helmet. "I'm here too you know…" Seeing her friend and teammate here, Blake made to stand beside them; but before she could, she fell to her knees as she held her stomach in pain. Oxon rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a calming look. "Stay still, Blake, we've got you."

Oxon sent her a nod before turning his attention back to Adam.

"He's right, Blake. It's okay, we have... unfinished business." That was true for both him and Yang. Her partner had to get revenge for the arm he took while Oxon told her that he wanted to bring the man in for his crimes. "Maybe I can take an arm from another of your friends before I kill them."

I can't let them do this alone, they don't know him like I do! Dammit!

Blake helplessly watched from the ground as the three combatants stared at each other down. Adam, aggressive as always, made the first move and delivered a series of quick slashes and semblance arcs that knocked Yang back a short distance. The girl looked more annoyed than hurt, which Blake was thankful for. Oxon, after releasing an angry yell, ran in to close the distance.

Oxon rushed forward with an underhanded swing. The blow was blocked by a red blade and Blake watched as both men began glowing slightly as they traded blows. Oxon was a slower combatant and landed few hits, but the ones he did connect with had a higher amount of force behind them and put strain on Adam's aura. In response, Adam tried for a quick series of slashes, but the heavy left arm guard protected her friend from harm. Though a particularly nasty blow slipped past and impacted his throat. The nasty attack sent him back a step, the red wave that followed sailed towards him and destroyed the flimsy shell he had retained.

Oxon, now on the backfoot, tried to defend himself with his quickly deployed shield, but the more agile Adam used it as a springboard and unloaded a series of buckshot into the base of Ox's neck as well as a spinning sword throw at his thigh. She flinched as the tall teen cried out in pain and sent a wild swing behind him. Adam easily ducked under it and stabbed upwards into Oxon's armpit. If not for aura, she realized that would have killed him. Oxon clearly knew that too and quickly shrank his shield back onto his shoulder and sent a trio of revolver blasts at Adam, trying to gain some distance.

It only fed the man's blade.

Thankfully, Yang came to his aid and started to strike back against the faunus. She managed to land some hits on Adam that he wasn't able to block due to having to worry about Oxon's sharp blade landing heavy blows. Blake had never seen the two fight together before, but they meshed surprisingly well. Yang would charge in a bit recklessly to score a number of blows, and when Adam retaliated, Oxon would move in to tank the blows on his shield.

Maybe they can do this after all?

Yang knocked Adam back a good distance before firing a few shells at him. To her annoyance, he blocked and absorbed the shots with his sword. Before Oxon and Yang had a chance to react, Adam quickly ran in circles around the two before letting out another charged semblance attack that caused Oxon to stumble slightly after sharing the blow with Yang. It was stronger than the first, but not as powerful as needed to fully break the tanky boy's stance.

At this point she knew she needed to warn her partner. Oxon already was aware of the horned man's skills from their preparation for Haven, but Yang did not. "Yang! His Semblance is like yours and Ox's! He absorbs energy through his sword, stores it up, and then sends it back when he's ready." The girl looked back at her for a short moment before glaring at Adam.

"He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it?" The girl clicked her tongue. "That's just cheap…"

"Says the girl that destroyed a paladin two hits…" Oxon looked from the blonde to Taurus with an annoyed expression while he massaged his unarmored armpit. "I just get a shield after landing hits, I don't get anything from blocking. I can't even use it to dish it out like you two crazies."

The red head abuser raised his katana at them and snarled. "No matter how many shields you create, I'll just cut right through them. I will cut through as many as it takes to finish off you worthless humans."

"Oh shut up!" Oxon sneered back at the horned faunus. "I'm getting real tired of your voice."

The three rushed to trade blows once more. Oxon boosted Yang up in order for her to fire downwards at Adam while Oxon lashed out with a series of quick chops. The older man had no choice but to retreat slightly as he frantically blocked the blows. Oxon didn't let up in his pressure and fired at the monster with his rifle. Adam blocked most of them, but a few struck aura.

The man was clearly upset at the changing odds of the fight. Though he didn't have time to breathe as Yang rushed him. She hit him a few times, but after blocking a punch with his blade, he managed to send her back. Yang fell back next to Blake and she glanced back at her. Adam must have noticed the distraction and let out an angered growl. He readied his semblance once again, red accents glowing bright.

Blake, noticing too late, cried out in fear as the red wave washed towards the girl. "YANG!" She reached out with her hand before the blow sent up a blast of debris.

~~~(LXII)~~~

"YANG!" Seeing the girls in danger, Oxon made a quick choice.

Oxon moved on instinct and pulled the trigger in his gauntlet; he planted his feet and tensed his back for the powerful strike. In scant moments before the hit, he placed the barrier in front of Yang and put his armored body in front of Blake. The blow hit his spine dead on and it was stronger than Oxon expected.

When the smoke cleared, Oxon stood tall, though there was a deep gash in the scales that covered his torso below the ribs. He could tell that more than a few of the steel segments were completely gone due to the cold air touching his skin. He kept upright and managed to face Adam a brief moment before his knee hit the stone. The green barrier of light flickered harshly around him, but thankfully managed to stay intact. He and the others knew he was running low after tanking so many semblance blows.

That one stung more than a bit, even through reinforced steel… What a monster…

"Oxon!" Blake slid next to him and checked his back for injury. He still had feeling in everything, but everyone present knew that all he had little left in the tank before his slightly ruined armor was all he had.

"'Bout time you acknowledged me. Do I really have to take hard hits for you to care?" He was trying for a jovial tone, but he only winced when a chuckle made his back hurt.

She gave him a sincere smile. "I was always happy that you came…"

Yang walked past the kneeling Oxon, giving him a worried, thankful nod before turning to the enemy. "Leave. Us. Alone. This is your last chance."

Adam stared back at the three as he gripped the hilt of his sword again. Gritting his teeth from the pain, Oxon could see Yang's left arm trembling slightly from his position. The grin on Adams' mouth showed that he saw it too.

"Heh, do you really believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me away so you won't have to die trying to protect her?" He turned his gaze to smirk at the still kneeling Oxon. "And Oxon, you've never been more than a nuisance, your armor and semblance are annoying I'll admit, but for how long do you actually think you can keep sacrificing yourself for them when you have such little aura left?"

Oxon snarled at his taunt. Yang was also clearly angered by his words and prepared to fight him again despite her hand still trembling. Oxon hefted his rifle with great effort so he could support the two. Suddenly, Blake stood up and took Yang's hand with her own and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She's not protecting me, Adam. And I'm not protecting her." Adam glared back at the three of them angrily. "We're protecting each other. There won't be any sacrifices today."

The partners stood hand in hand in a show of solidarity. Oxon grinned weakly as they glared at Adam together… bracing for the slight twinge of pain, Oxon stood up as well, glaring definitely at the terrorist.

"You can land some alright blows, but I knew a blue eyed bull back in Prism. I tamed that cow in under a week, for you? It'll probably take a few minutes." The - definitely racist - insult had the desired effect. The bloody bull focused all his hate on him. Oxon thought the man would rush in and allow the three to pile on him. However, he recovered his composure quickly and looked between him and Blake.

"You knew you had no chance in a two-on-one at Haven. What makes you so sure you can win now? Especially since the girl already lost handedly before?"

"I don't have a choice! I have people who actually care about me, and I promised I'd never leave them again. So I'm not dying now." Yang smiled at her partner's words before glaring back at Adam.

Adam turned to the blonde, a serious tone in his voice. "You know, she made a promise to me once. That she'd always be at my side. Heh, and look how well she's kept it."

Yang was confident in her bond with the girl between them. "Did she make that promise to you? Or to the person you were pretending to be?" There was only silence from the man across the way. He stood there for a moment before speaking once more.

"So I wasn't just good enough for you?" Oxon snorted at the ridiculous question.

"We all know damn well it's because you're about as toxic as a Black Walnut with all the emotional maturity of a log." The redhead gave him a look, but Oxon was too angry to feel embarrassed at the ineffective words. "Just give up Taurus, ain't nobody needs to die here. The Fang is no longer yours, so why don't you just find a nice farm outside the kingdoms to settle? I'm sure there are many that would appreciate a strong guard."

The single blue eye shifted to him for a moment. Oxon wanted this absurd battle over as soon as he could. There was no reason for the man to follow them to such lengths. But Adam turned his gaze away from him and instead to Blake. "I know you've made your choice... and I've made mine." He crouched slightly, preparing for a resumption of hostilities.

The three combatants then take defensive stances as they resume their battle. Blake and Yang rushed forward together while Oxon fell to one knee and aimed down his barrel at the man. The two girls worked together to strike at Adam with a fast paced series of back and forth blows and slashes. Here and there, Oxon squeezed off shots at the man when his sword was in a poor position to block.

After a well executed series of backflips, Blake grabbed the bottom portion of her broken weapon and threw it at Adam, but he deflected it back at her dangerously. Oxon called out a warning to her when Yang leapt forward and grabbed the pistol grip. Planting her feet, she used the ribbon to swing Blake around. With the high momentum, Blake used her cleaver to clash with Adam's sword; she was in the air for a moment before he sent her flying back.

To the other's horror, Blake's back hits the cliff-side next to the waterfall and Oxon watched her fall out of sight.

"Blake!" Yang then turned around and angrily glared at Adam. Her blonde hair rustled as Oxon sprinted forward to get revenge on the man. He urged her to check on Blake while he bought them time. Adam seemed more annoyed than threatened by the chaotic swings.

"You couldn't beat me two or even three on one. You can't hope to beat me when you're on your own."

Oxon didn't bother replying. He knew that too well, but if he could stall enough for Blake to return, then he'd be happy. To help their odds, his focus was on risking his aura for a desperate gambit. He held Bulls Breath halfway up its haft with his left arm while New Leaf struck out in faster blows from his right and buckshot shot at the man's feet. The smaller weapon let him strike faster at the faunus and Oxon subtly tried to influence the coming blows from the man. A slash from the red blade was deflected when Oxon placed his helmet in the way forcing the blow high. Angry and hot sparks danced over his eyes as he entered Adam's guard.

The bull had a moment to widen his eyes when Oxon dropped his bladed guns and wrapped a hand around each of his opponent's weapons. Oxon forced his arms apart and delivered a punishing headbutt to the scarred man's nose as steel met flesh. Adam had been stunned long enough for Oxon to attempt removing the man's weapons from play. He'd almost got the shotgun sheath out of his hands when the red blade was ripped free and sent straight into Oxon's chest.

The blade grated against his green shell until it faded away from the blow. Oxon threw caution to the wind and flooded his other arm with aura and ripped the sheath out of the man's grip and threw it far across the stone arch they fought atop.

That last little bit of aura seemed to be the last of his reserve… The two of them locked eyes as green motes of light floated away from Oxon's haggard form as he picked his rifle ax from the ground.

"Worth… It…" The man clearly used the thing for his fighting style, and hopefully the loss would hamper him. Oxon was unprepared for the sudden increase of aggression from the man as he lunged forward. The man obviously believed himself far superior to the three, and seemed to become frustrated at the lack of clear victory.

Oxon spun Bulls Breath as fast as he could in a mad attempt to stay in one piece. It was slowly becoming impossible to do so as the raging man started landing shallow cuts on him. It was only due to his slash resistant armor that he kept all his limbs.

"Every damn thing in this world has tried to keep me down! The kingdoms, the Schnee, The Belladonnas, and now a pair of wannabe huntsmen!? Why! Won't! You! Die!?" Each of those perceived slights against him was accompanied by a heavy blow the Oxon tried to defend against.

It seemed like Adam had a plan.

A slash struck at his face and Oxon just managed to shift his head and not lose an eye, but it still sliced the side of his face. "Ahh!" Oxon stumbled back, clutching his cheek as blood dribbled through his fingers. The crimson sword cut through the chin strap and a follow up blow knocked his horned helm off his head.

Oxon was blinded in his right eye by the blood that flowed into it from the dual head wounds. Oxon tried to fire his rifle at Adam to get a safe distance away, but the failed revolutionary chased him with a vengeance. A punch to Oxon's gut forced the air from his lungs and threw him to the floor. The tip of the blade tickled his jugular soon after.

"You have been a waste of time, energy, and focus. I should have left you to rot in that prison when I found you." Oxon felt his heart pound until he noticed Blake being pulled up from the ledge. Oxon subtly shifted his left arm in a way that made it look like he was holding his stomach, his finger ghosted over Virginiana's trigger and grinned up at the prick.

"You would have been better off; probably, but it seems like you're pretty good at making shit decisions, huh?" At his perceived last words of defiance, Adam pulled his sword back and swung down at his exposed head. The sudden shield in the way caused the red blade to bounce off and the recoil threw the blade wide.

He didn't have a chance to try again before a yellow comet slammed into his spine. Seeing the man become engaged by her partner, Oxon let his body relax when Blake came to check on him. Taking his canteen, he let her help him rinse a bit of blood out of his eye. To his immense relief, he still had vision, but the gash from his temple to his hairline continued to bleed.

"Oxon! Are you okay!? Did your aura break?" He tried for a confident smile, but that only aggravated the cut on his cheek.

After getting over the moment of pain, he shook his head. "It's fine, I'm fine, the wounds aren't too deep. Besides, these things tend to usually look worse than they are." Probably. He couldn't see if any bone was exposed, but he didn't have time to worry about it here and now.

I didn't bring my pack with me since I didn't want to weigh Bumblebee down… I could really use my medkit right now. After a few seconds of being clean, blood covered his eye once more. Stupid head wounds bleeding a stupidity excessive amount!

Blake shook her head and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, they were clear and full of conviction. "You need to stay here, let us deal with Adam, you've done enough." He wanted to call bullshit, but his vision was impaired and his aura was shattered. He could try to act as a long range support, but he didn't want to risk hitting the others. He didn't know what level their aura was at, but they surely weren't doing much better.

Oxon looked at her with a worried expression before sighing and shifting his open eye to Yang. The girl seemed to be holding her ground, but Adam seemed relentless. Giving her one last look, he nodded his head.

"Be careful, don't die." She smirked at him before getting up.

"If you can go through one major crisis without trying to take a blow for someone else, then you can say that." He smiled through the pain as she went to back up her partner. Though maybe it wasn't necessary.

As his attention turned to the fight, Yang sent out a powerful, semblance enhanced left hook to Adam's stomach. The girl folded him over her fist like a green stem. The gunshot powered blow sent him flying back dozens of feet and creating a small crater when he hit the stone. From his position, he watched the red embers of Adam's Aura float away.

He's out too, this is over.

Yet the man wouldn't stay down. Adam stood back up and tried to find his blade, except for the fact that his sword is missing. Across the way, Yang still held it in her hand. Adam's eyes fixated on the weapon completely.

"I may not be faster... There was obviously some context to the words, but he'd been distracted by his own issues to listen to banter. The second she spoke, her own aura depleted and flitted away, causing her to sag slightly. "... But I'm smarter."

Yang then threw it to the side, almost near enough for him to grab it. He spun on his heel to catch it, but he failed to grab the weapon before it sailed past him. To his surprise, Blake reappeared from his blindspot after sneaking up behind him and slugged Adam in the jaw. The mad man stumbled backwards where he noticed one half of Gambol Shroud laying on the ground between him and Blake.

Oxon saw his eyes dart to it.

Dammit!

Oxon threw Bulls Breath's barrel upward and sent out a frantic bullet at the man, praying he could land a shot without his dominant eye. His wish was granted and the round struck the man in the thigh, causing him to stumble slightly as it tore through.Before he could regret his decision, Blake grabbed her broken weapon and thrust it in and out of his chest. The blow was followed up almost instantly by Yang impaling him through the spine. Adam looked down at his bleeding chest in disbelief. Oxon saw his mouth move, but the final words were too quiet for him to hear.

Perhaps it was for the best…

Blake and Yang then pull their blades out of his body and watch as Adam stumbled towards the edge of the arch. His head looked upwards briefly moments before he fell to his knees and slumped over the edge.

Realizing what just happened, Blake started to sob and fell to her knees as she broke down crying. Yang quickly moved closer to her and gave the despondent girl a fim hug hug. He saw Blake's hands wrap around the girl as well.

Oxon sighed, dropped his weapon, and fell onto his back in exhaustion. He considered using one of his sashes to stem the bleeding, but he crushed that idea instantly. His eye was fine, but he wasn't about to ruin some of the things he saw as precious. Instead, he pulled out his now cracked scroll and sent a message to Jaune and Ruby. He didn't explain the situation, but sent them their location and hoped for a quick pickup.

~~~(LXII)~~~

The yellow and black pair were still together when the Manta landed on the open area. The moment he'd seen it descend, Oxon used his ax to push himself to his feet and walk up to the lowering ramp. They'd taken their time, and the scorch marks on the white craft spoke of some sort of conflict. That made their delay a bit more excusable.

The forms of Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune were the first to exit. And seeing the shape of his armor, panicked as they ran towards him. The one benefit of their late arrival, his head stopped bleeding which let him wash away the dried blood. The side of his face was still pink and the pair of gashes on his cheek and head were still awful, but he didn't look seconds away from death anymore.

"The hell happened to the ship?" Step one in proving his health: show worry about the others first. Step two was for him to put on a confident smile and mock their long wait. "Did you guys take the scenic route here? I probably could have rode Babe and got here faster."

Step one failed spectacularly.

"Oxon!" Using a glyph, Weiss dashed forward to inspect him. Her small hands grabbed onto his arms as she looked up and down at him and the sorry state of his armor. She was going to freak out when she saw his back, he just knew it. "What in the world happened!? You three were just supposed to disable the radar! What did this to you!?"

She was then joined by the other two who also let out a shout of concern for him. He gave the three a weak smile and explained the situation. The expressions of the group started out surprised, then worried, then panicked, and finally relieved since none of them were seriously injured. Besides Taurus and Oxon's face.

"He followed us all the way here? What is he, a off brand slasher villain?" Ruby nodded at Jaune's comparison, though Weiss didn't get it. Oxon pretended to understand the reference and just nodded.

"Yeah, but it seems like Blake isn't taking the situation well." He shifted his head to show the others the two that were still in each other's arms. "Despite the trauma, the guy was a big part of her life. Taking his life, as likely the first person she's ever killed, has shaken her. We'll need to support her as best we can."

Ruby nodded and went to go speak to them. Hopefully the sisters could console Blake. He knew he had been in a bad way after the Tukson incident. Not to mention Brawnz… But he knew she was stronger than him as well as having a proper support group.

Weiss was still worried about him and corralled him into the aircraft to treat his wounds. Despite him telling her he was not too bad and could take care of himself, she still insisted on bandaging him herself. He could only sigh as she carefully applied clean cloth to the cuts on his face and hands.

Once she was satisfied, he asked her what went wrong on their end. Clearly something happened since the Manta looked like it flew through a wildfire. She told him about the fight with Cordovin and her massive robot. Where it came from and why they had that was anyone's guess, but it had been a tough fight. They'd gotten his location ping and request for a ride just as they beat the thing and raced to help them immediately after.

Cordovin had been screeching over her loudspeakers as they flew away.

After a few minutes of answering questions to the others on the ship, Ruby came onboard with the rest of her team in tow. Blake was still obviously shaken, but she seemed to be recovering. Whatever conversation she had with Yang must have helped her.

The blonde is good with words.

The mood among the group was tired and excited to finally leave the continent. That mood did not last however as the radio on the aircraft began frantic communication between the main base and all other Atlas personnel. Their ship was still Atlesian, so they heard the dire warning as well.

"All units, be advised: Leviathan-class Grimm has submerged but is still on approach. Preparing hard-light shields, over!"

The group looked at the console in shock at the words that came out. There was a what on its way to the city!? Oxon groaned in exasperation at the horrible luck they've had today. The others looked panicked at the situation, whatever was coming would be bad. From what Weiss told them about their fight, that mech they ruined was probably the best chance for killing the thing.

"Fuck…" For once, none of them chastised his swear.

~~~(LXII)~~~

Did you guys and gals like that? What better thing to do for a whole year than for our broody bull to triumph over the bloody bull. This fic is only big enough for one bovine character.

For the anniversary of Successional, I'm curious about what people's favorite scene is? That or what made y'all follow this fic? For me, it's the omake at the end of Frost Crack. The one about the bet.

Originally, I created Oxon's semblance as a foil to Yang. Instead of taking hits to dish them out stronger, I wanted him to be harder to take down the more damage he did. Of course he was not able to properly utilize his ability until recently, and you can see how strong it can be when paired against a proper foe. I'd honestly forgotten about Taurus when making it, but it is sort of similar to the guy.

The song sung earlier is Utah Carol, by Marty Robbins. I love that album like no other. Big Iron, Running Gun, El Paso, and the rest are just fantastic

I want to thank those that leave reviews for this story, it really means a lot to get feedback of any kind.