The Day...
The teams prepared. It was midnight as they packed ammunition into their vests on both sides of the curtain. Vesna's team had already packed full 'Igolnik' ammo, just in case they were set to meet some form of heavier resistance. In Beacon, Vic and his team shifted and prepared their kit, with Victor packing two extra boxes of 7,62x54 ammo. Hassan carried the boxes of .50 cal ammunition to the Mastiff, nicknamed 'Warhound' by the Romanians operating it.
Paul hummed as he scanned the place. Midnight meant very few students walking around, if any at all, due to the 'curfew' quote-unquote. It was the time most students were probably in their dorms, sleeping, instead of whatever it was the platoon-sized element of NATO troops was about to do. Saila boarded the Mastiff, holding her rifle close as she did so.
Vic shifted his 'luggage' around, throwing his LMG inside the vehicle and onto his seat, before sliding his ammo down below it. Hassan, Jim and Sammy also came back, their mags re-packed with fresh ammunition, then climbed inside. Vic and Sam exchanged a quick glance, then looked away. He, however, patted Sam on the shoulder, to which she smiled and nodded at him. Jim, meanwhile, had learned from Paul and the others what'd happened.
Maybe he'd try his luck after this op...
Hassan took the second seat from the front, behind the driver. He shouldered his rifle, then watched as Diana climbed aboard with her rifle in tow. Alex was also already aboard, far in the back of the Mastiff and fast asleep. They'd let the PJ get his beauty nap in while they readied up. Last one into the truck beside Paul was Dushman, who grinned proudly as he held close his IAR-27 Assault Rifle. He plopped his ass down in a seat behind his fellow Yanks.
Paul paused as he saw Blake running. He showed everyone to wait a moment, before dashing toward her in a full sprint. He caught up to her in the middle of the Beacon square, before stopping behind her and pausing as he saw her pull off her bow. Cat ears. She was a freaking Faunus. He blanked and said, "Blake...?" as he heard her silently crying. The girl straightened up like a ramrod, slowly turning around.
"Paul..." She whispered, then covered her ears, "T-This isn't what it looks li-"
"... That's kind of cute. You honestly look better without the bow. Don't get me wrong, it's cute, too, I guess, but..." He chuckled, absolutely oblivious to the very statement he'd made and its effect on the young Faunus girl. Blake blushed, averting her gaze and suddenly starting to play with her hair. He walked up to her, a hint worried, then asked, "You okay, Blake? Did... Did your team not take this reveal well or-" and he paused as the girl up-and-hugged him. The stunned young soldier pat her on the back, looking around with a hint of concern.
"... We had a fight..." She whispered, "I thought I could... I blew up at them because they were badmouthing the White Fang. Weiss especially. We may've gone a bit more violent, but our people were tired of being pushed ar-" and she blanked. She realized what she'd said as Paul looked at her with slight surprise in his eyes. She backed off from the hug, then stated, "Sorry... I was White Fang, before you ask."
"'Was'?" He crossed his arms to his chest. Blake was surprised, however, by the kind and calm tone he took with her.
She nodded, "I left when it started going... Wrong..."
"Violence escalation which caused acceptance via the use of fear tactics instead of genuine, peer-to-peer equality with us humans?" He asked. Blake was surprised even more by the man now. He'd basically hit the nail on the head. She stared at him with wide auburn eyes, to which he explained, "We've seen similar issues back home, plus it's kind of easy to tell shit's gone wrong when... Well, when we're kind of forced to go head-to-head with them."
"Y-You guys fought White Fang?" She raised a brow, a bit surprised. He nodded.
The Hungarian then calmly explained, "Yeah. They shot at us first, so... Kind of had to. C'est la vie..."
Blake sighed deeply. That meant they'd probably killed a bunch of White Fang, too. She felt a small pit form in her stomach, but it wasn't like she could actually, openly blame the soldiers for doing their jobs, could she? Especially not people like him, Victor and the others, all of whom were veterans of an operation that not even Atlas could wrap their heads around in a thousand years and they were the premier military force on Remnant.
She blushed, then looked to Paul as she actually registered the accent. She shook her head, considering that wasn't important at the moment. She then poked her head out around him, then looked to see the gang was packing their vehicle. She asked, "What're you doing...?" thus causing Paul to freeze for a moment. He looked back, to see Victor manning the .50 on the truck. He waved them over with a smirk.
Sighing, Paul replied, "We were about to head into town, stake out a Schnee Dust Company freighter's arrival at the dock..."
"... Because you think the White Fang are going to raid it..." Blake sighed, shoulders sagging, "... Weiss was right, wasn't she...?"
"There's a lot of stuff to unravel. You can tag along with us if you want and we can give you a rundown of what we found out from a few of our raids. That's if you wanna get away from your team for a little," He offered with a friendly smile while motioning to the truck. Blake considered it for a moment, looking at Victor manning the massive machine gun on the top, then at Paul. She blushed again at his smile, then nodded.
The two walked up to the Mastiff, Vic commenting, "We got room for one more," and he smirked, "You won't have to ride on his lap, Blake."
The girl whined and covered her face, while Paul shot a glare at Vic. The two climbed aboard and Blake froze at the sight of the Romanian troops aboard, all of them wearing balaclavas and goggles and carrying the standard black AK-style rifles of their army. Vic's weapon was sat on his chair, next to the ammunition. One of the troopers also carried a rocket launcher on his back, Blake noted, while another carried a longer-barreled AK with a scope on it. A DMR.
They all greeted her in Romanian, several of their smiles visible despite the masks. She waved awkwardly, then found a seat next to Paul. Before Sam could order their departure, though, a metallic thump echoed from above, with Vic visibly drawing his sidearm. A conversation between him and another boy filtered in, before messy, short blonde hair poked in, followed by the handsome face of a tanned young man whose white shirt was surprisingly open. He smiled as he saw the girl sat next to Paul and said, "I knew you'd look better without the bow."
Sam rolled her eyes, then looked at Blake and said, "Friend of yours, I assume?" to which the girl shrugged. The blonde boy looked at her and let out a short laugh. She sighed and said, "Vic, let him drop in. Figure we'll need all the guns we can get..." before watching the boy slink in, almost like a monkey. Once she saw the golden monkey tail, Sam decided it best to keep her mouth shut.
Blake sighed and looked to the blond boy, then told him, "I honestly think it's better if you don't tag along on this one. Much as I'd love to have a fellow Faunus aboard..."
"Oh, yeah, that's cool," He stated, then looked around, "Lotta soldiers here, anyhow. Heh. See ya later, I guess?"
"Sure," Blake smiled at him. One of the Romanian soldiers popped the door open, allowing the man to descend from the vehicle. She looked around and explained, "He's a guy we met during our trip down to the civilian docking area. Supposedly, a Mistrali competitor in the Vytal Festival's tournament..." and the group paused. She hummed and stated, "Right, I'll... Tell you all about it when we're back."
The driver nodded and looked to Sam. She gave the go ahead, before settling into her seat. The driver pressed a button as Ștefan was eating and the vehicle purred to life, then lurched forward with the press of the acceleration pedal. It rolled forward and down a pathway that was surprisingly meant for vehicles. Blake watched as they started leaving the school behind. They entered a roadway that had multiple defensive walls built around it and lead down to the viaducts within the city.
As the vehicle entered traffic to the staring of several dozen people in the cars around them, the slog through traffic began. Diana rolled her eyes and started scrounging through her backpack. Vic was tapping his foot, while Paul, Jim, Saila and Hassan were playing dice. Alex was still napping away in the back, drooling cutely for a man looking like he came out of the rough end of the battlefield.
The Romanians, meanwhile, tapped on their guns, a couple of them bobbing and weaving. The rocketeer chuckled as he watched the Sergeant pull out a surprisingly large phone that looked reinforced from her bag, set it down and put on a sound set. She linked the two via a USB stick and selected something on her playlist, holding onto it and her rifle. A soft guitar strummed as drums started playing.
Vic poked his head in, grinning ear-to-ear, while Paul and the others laughed. Blake was confused for a moment while Diana hummed along to the song and tapped her foot. As the guitar and drum progressed, Vic started singing loudly from the turret alongside the main vocalist and Dushman, who was stifling a laugh, "Her name is Noelle. I have a dream about her. She rings my bell, I got gym class in half an hour..."
"Oh, how she rocks, in Keds and tube socks!" Paul began, surprising Blake and causing her to blush, "But she doesn't know who I am!"
Sam grinned as she, Hassan and Jim started, "Oh, she doesn't give a damn about me!"
Blake jumped and Alex awoke with a start, before starting to laugh as the whole complement of troopers aboard the Mastiff sang the chorus in unison, save for Saila, who was giggling, "Cuz I'm just a Teenage Dirtbag, baby! Yeah, I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby! Listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me! Ooooh~!" and they all laughed. Blake felt a smile creep up on her face as she saw the Misfits from KFOR surface during this impromptu concert. Smiles on their tired faces brought them back some of the youth from then.
Jim sang alone next, "Oh, her boyfriend's a dick! When he brings a gun to school!" followed by Hassan joining in with the fellow Ranger homie and Dushman tagging in, "And he'd simply kick my ass if he knew the truth. He lives on my block, and he drives an IROC! But he doesn't know who I am! And he doesn't give a damn about me!" and Blake, less frightened this time, heard the gang burst into singing the chorus, the vehicle slogging forward through the traffic.
Following up was a solo, with some of the Romanian troopers singing in higher-pitched voices, "Oh yeah, Dirtbag! She doesn't know what she's missin'!" a couple times, before the solo slowed, the drums vanishing and leaving just the beautiful strum of the guitar. Blake, by this point, was tapping her foot against the Mastiff's uparmored floor, smiling at the silliness of those whom she thought were trained killing machines. Oh, Yang would've enjoyed this.
As the guitar became more subsumed, Vic and Paul's voices took over, "Man, I feel like mold! It's prom night and I am lonely, lo'n'behold, she's walkin' over to me, this must be fake. My lip starts to shake... How does she know who I am?" And Jim joined in, casting a quick glance at Sam, "And why does she give a damn about me...?" just as a female voice took their attention.
Saila held her eyes closed as she sang beautifully, if a little quietly, "I got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby, come with me Friday, don't say maybe... I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like you...!" before the rest of the group burst into singing, the Misfits giving Saila thumbs up and pats on the shoulder. Blake joined in for the last bit as well, smiling as she sang along.
"Go, Saila!" Alex laughed, causing the girl to blush faintly and giggle.
The guitar's last strums and the drum's beats thundered from the speaker, followed by an explosive and heartwarming finale. The entire crew aboard laughed heartily, with Sammy calling out, "Thank you, Corporal Toma," as she gazed up at the machine gunner. He gave a thumbs up in approval, before Sam turned to Blake and said, "Welcome aboard, miss Belladonna. This is the Misfits at our... Half-best, I guess..." She smiled, "We're still missing a few."
"That's fine..." Blake chuckled, "Just a little surprising."
"That supposedly professional soldiers can act like absolute dumbasses?" Diana quipped, looking at Blake. The black-haired catgirl beauty gave a nod, crossing her arms to her chest. The Romanian snorted and said, "You wound up aboard a vehicle full of East Europeans, a Chinese woman and a quad-team of Yanks as crazy as a fucking sanatorium, apparently."
"Hey, I'm the sane one," Alex quipped, but the other Misfits burst into laughter, garnering crossed arms and a glare out of him. Still, he couldn't contain himself either, then laughed, too.
Blake giggled and smiled. Her friends would be happy to know Victor and his team could still joke like this amongst each-other. Another song started playing from the sound system as the group continued talking. The drive was long and a slog, considering the fact it seemed that Rush Hour had hit. By the time they'd reached the city, it was 8 in the AM and they still had plenty to drive through to get to where they needed to get.
Pulling out of the viaduct at a turnpike, the team took a break and got some food while chatting about various things. Blake, Vic and Paul had remained aboard, with the boy on the machine gun descending into the truck's main bay. He sighed deeply, rubbed his eyes, then yawned. Paul looked to him and asked, "I saw you weren't able to sleep that well, dude. You okay?"
"I'll be fine..." He replied, sighing, "I just have a feeling..."
"Y'know..." Blake started, sighing as she decided to break the ice a bit. She might as well throw Yang a little under the proverbial bus right now, "I didn't take you for a heartbreaker, Vic." and, upon seeing the confusion on his face, she spoke, "A certain teammate of mine overheard your and Sam's little parlay... The fact you're so loyal to a single woman is kind of terrifying, honestly. It's also cute, sure, but..."
Vic sighed, "There's nobody else for me out there, Blake."
She smiled, "I know. You don't need to explain it to me."
Vic nodded in thanks. Blake, meanwhile, looked over to Paul as the boy sighed. He leaned back into his seat and checked his equipment for the fifth time this road trip. The hold fell silent, save for a rare exchange or two between Vic and Paul. Once the gang returned from the fast food joint with their order, which was surprisingly like KFC, the vehicle began rolling again. Vic had decided to sit himself down in the hold to eat his chicken sandwich. He scarfed it and his fried down quickly, grabbing his soda and climbing back up onto the .50.
The Police had radioed them a couple times on the road into the city and further forward, but had left them alone for the most part. The Civvies were, however, worryingly recording the vehicle as it rolled through, the Misfits giving waves at the people who were filming with their scrolls. After a while, as the news spread throughout Vale, it seemed that the locals had grown less tense about their presence, some even outright waving at Vic and the others. The Romanian gunner waved back, smiling behind his balaclava.
It must've been a tad worrying to see a truck filled with military males and females, armed to the teeth, wearing a cage meant to protect against HEAT warheads and bearing a high-caliber machine-gun on the top rolling through your city. Still, Ozpin must've made sure there'd be no real police intervention. At least the old man meant well enough for when their operations took place. He probably didn't know they had Blakey aboard, too, though. Team RWBY's other three members maybe needed to be told Blake was with the team, though.
Once the vehicle reached its intended target and found a spot to camouflage in, near by the buildings where the SDC Freighter had docked and unloaded all of its crates, the team all set up in various camouflaged positions. Blake, Sam and Paul had set up on a rooftop alongside the squad's Markswoman, who was shouldering her DMR and keeping herself covered with a blanket that resembled the grey of the rooftop they were on. She used her backpack as a support/bipod for the weapon.
Sammy peered through her binoculars as she asked, "What even happened to have you running, Blake...?"
"I and my team had a bit of an argument..." Blake replied calmly, "A futile one, now, I guess..."
"Because of the White Fang," Paul stated as he shouldered his Minimi, looking down the ACOG. Sam looked to both of them and Blake offered a curt nod, while Paul continued, "Apparently, our dear catgirl was part of them... Left when they became what we've been shooting at..." his voice low, quiet. He peered across at the next rooftop, to see the Romanian rocketeer reading his RPG. Night began to set over Vale, the sun slowly going down. He hummed and said, "What's even weirder is they're working with a human now..."
"What?" Blake snapped, her voice low as she looked to Paul with wide eyes. Sam nodded.
"Roman Torchwick. Local criminal..." Sam replied, then peered down the binocs again as she scanned the now-docked Atlesian freighter. She looked to Blake and told her, "Been robbing Dust stores for some reason or other. We've yet to grab one of'em..." She hesitated, "Well, alive... To interrogate them. Though we do plan on grabbing Torchwick now, if at all possible..."
Blake frowned, disappointed. Paul saw that and quickly asked, "You still held a bit of hope that it wasn't them, eh?"
"No... I think... Deep down, I knew," Blake sighed deeply, "I just didn't wanna be right."
"Contact..." Whispered the markswoman as she zeroed her rifle, "Twelve o'clock... Warehouse, the right wall. They're in the shadows..." And all of them refocused, turning their guns to sight in the incoming. Paul peered through his scope as Sam radioed in the targets, then squinted. Though they were obscured by the shadows and the night, he could make out the faint outline of Kalashnikov-pattern weapons. He shifted and hummed, then a faint smile formed on his face as he saw one figure poke out. Underneath the helmet, he could faintly make out bright red hair.
The roar of aircraft engines filled the air, however. Three Bullheads, two armed with machine guns, flew in above their heads, the jet-wash causing their clothing to flutter slightly, before swinging in for landing. Once the first vehicle landed, the White Fang's troopers dismounted with equipment in hand, ranging from swords to guns. One of them, a male wolf-type, called out, "Alright! Bring out the tow cables!"
The Markswoman hummed as she shifted her aim, stating, "... Some of them have Kalashes?"
Paul had to see this. He zeroed in on the targets, noting the AK-74s with wooden fores, wire stocks and bakelite mags. Three enemy troopers held such weapons. Sam, meanwhile, growled and said, "Don't wanna know where they got those from... Be ready. Once Torchwick makes an appearance, we strike and grab his ass..." before radioing in, "Rockets, ready to take down the gunships on my mark..."
They watched Torchwick's aircraft swing in, the man visible at the side door of the thick-bellied gunship as it touched down. The ginger main in a dapper suit spoke, "C'mon, you animals, what's taking so long!?" words which seemed to annoy Blake. He stepped off the aircraft, letting the pilot and co-pilot lift off, before turning to one of the Fangers with tow ropes and stating, "What're you doing, you idiot? That's not a leash!"
"Wow..." Paul snorted, "He's worse off on the racism spectrum than us..."
Sam snorted, too, but maintained a straight face. She radioed in, "All units, click twice for affirmative radio check. Are you in position?" and got several affirmative responses. She hummed, looked up at the closest gunship, then whispered, "On my mark, everyone... Three," She racked the bolt of her rifle and clipped the rope with which she'd descend onto her belt, "Two..." she primed a grenade while Paul and the Markswoman took aim, "One... Execute, execute, execute!"
The most eerie part was the fact that Dushman's laughter filtered in just as Sam gave the order... It sounded like fucking Muscle Man from 'Regular Show'...
Torchwick was not usually a man that was easily surprised. He had seen the hell that was Vale's underworld from a fairly frail age, enough for it to make an imprint on his feeble little child mind. But the sight of one of the Bullhead Gunships above straight-up detonating as one of its fuel lines was hit by a missile of some kind did stun him for a good two seconds.
He blanked as he saw the White Fang trooper ahead of him have his head split wide open by a high-caliber round, followed by the rattle of assault weapons forcing any of the survivors into cover as a squadron of soldiers and an armored vehicle rolled up. The top-mounted machine gun on the vehicle roared to life and the first impact sprayed blood and gore onto his nice freaking suit.
He staggered, watching the crossfire wipe out a good chunk of the White Fang's troops. Those who managed to return fire only did so sporadically, their heads hidden behind cover. Nowhere seemed to be safe, though, as one WF fighter that tried to poke out with his pistol got a round to his skull for his troubles. He also saw another squad running in from the left. Women, armed to the teeth and wearing camo. Rather than waste time trying to fight, the man staggered and ran back into the maze of containers.
He heard thundering footsteps behind him, to his right and above him. He swore to himself, then turned around and let out a single shot from Melodic Cudgel. The wail of the projectile seemingly warned the target, who ducked back into cover as it landed. Concrete shards sprayed upward, pinging off the hulls of the containers as Torchwick ran. He, however, staggered as he heard the double-roar of a gun and felt two rounds impact his back.
He turned a right and stopped, finding himself in a dead-end. He turned around, growled and charged the girl before she could turn the corner. A cane to the face and one to the stomach sent whoever it was packing, her automatic shotgun swinging high and narrowly missing the man's head. He kicked her away, before turning toward the other girl in the area and firing a blast from Melodic Cudgel again.
The figure of the girl was petite, small enough for her to slink under the shot, but big enough for her to coil back up with enough force behind her cocked-back fist to send the man reeling as it connected with his jaw. He felt his teeth clink together from the hit, then growled and slammed Melodic Cudgel on top of the girl's head, sending the green-haired little one reeling as well, before aiming his weapon and stating, "I hate you fucking kids so mu-!" and he grunted as he felt the butt of a rifle strike him from the left.
The redhead appeared, her weapon's stock slightly dented from the force of the impact. He'd mistakenly squeezed Cudgel's trigger, sending one of the explosive flares arching high into the sky. It detonated and he swore again, before turning and delivering a backhand to the girl with the autoshotgun. He staggered as bullets began to hit his body, then turned around and fired back.
Shotgun slugs struck his back again, but the girl ducked under his attempted grapple this time. He felt another rifle strike the back of his head, sending him reeling, before he delivered an uppercut to the girl that hit him and felt it connect. She staggered back into the formation of four, while Torchwick was still having a blurred vision issue, his Aura flaring from the multitude of hits.
His vision only cleared enough for him to see the muzzle of a really big fucking gun pointed at him. The green-haired one pulled her mask down, revealing a proud grin as she said, "Eat my fucking ass, Cyka!" and fired. The explosion that came shook Torchwick so hard, the man felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt himself weightless for a moment as he soared through the air, before slamming hard into the ground. His aura flared and vanished, his face bruised by the hits. Letting out a groan, he tried to reach for Melodic Cudgel, only to find he couldn't lay a hand on it.
An armored boot landed on his chest and he felt his ribs compress, before the barrel of a shotgun poked him in the face. The shotgunner's voice spoke, venomous, "Sit, pretty boy..." and she made her point clear by further pressing her boot against his chest. With a groan and feeling a slight collapsing lung, the man sighed and let his head drop onto the floor, breathing heavily. Her voice, now filled with a little bit more smug jaunt, said, "Good boy..."
"Well..." Sighed Vesna as she looked at the bruised and battered Torchwick, "Slava Bogu for ear protection... I know we have Aura, but... You couldn't have fired that in a more open space, Lita?" and she turned to the green-haired comrade of theirs as she racked the pump on her thermobaric grenade launcher, letting the spent casing fall off to the side. Lita shrugged and Ves sighed, while Katja walked up with a White Fang trooper's bloodied mask in her hand.
"Hey, over here!"
"This is where that weird-ass fucking flare came from! Move it out!"
Voices. Vesna and her team tensed as they raised their weapons to greet the oncoming, before several familiar figures appeared. Jim poked his rifle in, then lowered it and said, "Holy fuck. Ruskies. Republic ones, too, from the looks of their patches..." while Hassan, Paul and Victor came in next. Sam stayed in the rear as Jim pulled off his mask and smiled at the group, "Good to see friendly ruskies... Here..." and blanked.
Lita stepped up next to Vesna, eyes wide, "... Jim...?" She spoke as she pulled her own mask back down. The two looked at each-other as the team lowered their weapons, dumbfound. Ayesha and Vera stepped up as well, taking their masks off, with Ayesha beaming as she saw Hassan take his own mask off. Lita couldn't believe her eyes. She whispered to herself, "Holy shit..."
"Li...? Holy shit, Li, is... That you?" Jim's eyes shot wide open. The green-haired small woman's lip quivered as she smiled, then covered her mouth.
"Hey, Hass," Ayesha smiled brightly, "Long time..."
"Ayesha..." The Malaysian boy blanked, looking at the red-haired beauty before him.
Katja stepped up just as Paul pushed his way through the crowd, too. Both took their masks off simultaneously, before the blonde-haired Polak froze, just like her friend. Without a word spoken between the two of them, Katja tackled him in a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck and laugh-crying as she whispered, "Paul... Holy fucking shit, you're here..."
Paul wrapped his arms around her, stunned, then buried his nose into her shoulder, eyes wide. He whispered, "Kat..." as he tightened the hug. Kat nodded, making noises that Paul wasn't sure were crying or laughing. Obviously, it was both, it was tears of joy combined with the pure disbelief of the chance that they'd be here. A common trait among the girls, as it seemed, with Ayesha and Lita both tearing up while Jim and Hass processed the sight of their old friends being here, alive, after all these months.
He finally allowed himself to smile as he held Katja close, then said, whispered and low, "You have no idea how good it is to see you, Katy..." and he paused as he saw Vesna there. She had taken off her mask and helmet, revealing ruffled, dirty blonde hair and tired, sunken eyes. Still, the usual smile of the blonde was there, if a little sad. The man, despite wanting to cry or laugh like Kat, looked back at Vic and motioned to him to move forward.
Hesitant, probably worried that the one person he was looking for wasn't there, the boy took two steps forward, moving to Paul's side and looking at him. Paul pointed forward, a smile on his face. Vic followed the direction of the finger and he immediately froze, his eyes shooting wide open, heart racing. His hands trembled as the blonde-haired beauty before him seemed to recognize him.
Her sad smile was replaced with a look of pure shock as she saw Vic taking his helmet, mask and goggles off, revealing not the usually handsome face of a fierce and happy young man, but the same tired, sunken face like she had. Despite it, she still saw the features of the man she'd fallen for in there. Both she and him seemed to grow pale as memories came back about their situation. One, hesitant because he thought he had failed her. The other, hesitant because she felt she failed him.
"V-Vic...?" Vesna's voice cracked. The boy almost doubled over upon hearing her voice. He wanted to take a step forward. No, he wanted to do so much more than that. He wanted to confirm it, to know it was her, to apologize profusely. He'd failed her. He'd fucking failed her and now God was giving him a chance to look her in the eye and apologize. His feet felt like concrete blocks.
He croaked out a few noises as he felt his mouth dry up. He couldn't even move. He stared at the very girl that'd been his driving force in everything he'd done for the past three fucking years and he couldn't even gather up the guts to apologize to her. Was this even real? Was Vic's crazy fantasy finally devolving into pure insanity? Was he having a goddamn nightmare...?
Sam cleared her throat as she stepped up, patting Vic on the shoulder. She stood between the Misfits and said, "Apologies for the interruption... Ladies," and she turned to Lita, Ayesha, Vesna and the newly-arrived Anja, who now gave a wave to a very happy-looking Alex. The Lieutenant spoke on, "As much as I'd love for the conclusion of our first little chapter on Remnant to end on a happy note, I'm afraid I can't let you all just do this here. We have a Bullhead waiting for us to take us back to Beacon. Sergeant Dănilă and her troopers will drive the Warhound back to Beacon with Team RWBY, who reunited here as well..."
"Right," Vic nodded, hesitant. He swallowed his own spit, still staring at Vesna, "... We'll... Finish this home, then..."
The groups nodded, with Katja finally letting go of Paul and wiping the tears out of her eyes. Hass was joined by Ayesha, Lita went to Jim's side and Anja went to greet and hug Alex and Saila, the latter of which cried silent tears of joy as she met with her sisterly figure. The Misfits boarded the transport vehicle, with the girls sitting on one side and the boys on the other.
As the vehicle took off, Vic paled, thinking, what if Vesna wasn't real. What if, what if, what if, so many of those damn questions played in his mind like a reel from an old movie. His fingers clenched, gripping the hem of his uniform's shirt underneath the plate carrier. Paul noticed this and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, smiling. Vic nodded, but couldn't... Just couldn't...
He'd failed her... He'd fucking failed her... He didn't deserve her...
Vesna wasn't doing much better, trembling as she looked at Vic, wondering if he was angry at her, angry for failing to stay alive, to reach her destination, to find somewhere goddamn safe where he could have found her. Vera had noticed the girl clenching her fists, her skin paler than before. She sighed and wrapped an arm around her sister, recomforting her. Did she deserve it, though...? After everything...?
Once the vehicle landed back at Beacon and the girls were lead to the house by Vic and the others, the gang began talking aloud, laughing and welcoming each-other with hugs and the likes. Katja beamed at Paul, while Hass and Ayesha started talking and Jim and Lita were already laughing, reminiscing about their childhood. The only two who weren't really talking were Vic and Vesna...
Standing there, the two looked to one-another. Vic figured it best if he confronted the problem face-to-face with her and nobody else. He tilted his head toward his and Paul's room. She nodded, understanding and following along. Paul and some of the others went silent at this. Ayesha, Lita and Vera watched them walk into his room just as Vic opened the door...
... Vesna stepped deeper into the room and noticed that both Victor's and Paul's few personal effects that they had on them were splayed out across the place. A faint smile appeared on her face as she saw the photo of them sitting, framed, on one of the two desks in the room. She started trembling, however, as the smile disappeared off her face. Anxiety filled her mind as she slowly turned to Vic, who was with his back turned to her as he closed the door. Tears welled in her eyes as she saw him leaning against the door for support.
The dam broke as she saw his fists clench against the door frame. She whimpered at him, "Vic, I... I'm so, so sorry... I tried surviving, believe me, please, I didn't want to die, I didn't... There was... It was an ambush and I... We-we just couldn't-..." And she whined, covering herself as she saw Vic turn toward her suddenly and... Pull her into a hug? She blanked, eyes widening as the first warm tear streaked down her cheek.
Vic held onto her tightly, trembling, fearful. His mouth was dry. She heard him trying to speak... And broke down, grabbing onto the straps of his chest rig as she hugged him back. She whispered tearfully, "I didn't want to die, Vic...! I didn't want to die...! I didn't want to leave you alone... To have you see me like... God, Ayesha and Lita told me you found the mass grave... Found me in... I'm so, so, so sorry, I-..." and she began to silently cry, burying her face in his shoulder.
While Vesna had her breakdown, Vic had his own. Silent, he wondered why she was apologizing. She fell because he couldn't take care of her. Because he didn't find her and her unit in time. A Ruski survivor from that unit had had to point them toward the unit's last position, where they'd found her. He grit his teeth, listening to the quiet whimpers of the woman he loved, still unsure this was real.
He felt like he'd wake up in a ditch within the next moment. She was in his arms and he felt her warmth, but his mind could be playing tricks on him. It could have been trying to soothe his dying mind. He felt his chest burning, his heart racing as fast as his mind. There was only one way he knew how to test it out. He slowly pulled back from the hug, lifting his gloved hand until it was on the back of Vesna's head. She whimpered, crying as she said, "I'm so sorry-" And her eyes shot open with surprise as she fell silent.
Vic pulled her in, their lips meeting. The man tightened his embrace as he felt them. Bittersweet, warm and soft, salted by the tears flowing out of his beloved's eyes, he felt her lips on his. Before long, tears welled in the man's own eyes, flowing like rivers as both of them leaned into the deep kiss. Vesna's hands moved up from around his waist to his shoulders. She held onto him for dear life, not wanting, unwilling to let go.
After a long minute, one in which Victor would have expected to wake up yet again in the hills and mountains of Ichkeria, his lungs burning under the deadly combination of blister and nerve agents, the boy realized that it was the opposite... That it was all real. She was in his arms again. After three years where he had not seen her and another half of a year where memories of her laying, dead in her motherland, plagued his nightmares, she was here.
He pulled back, swallowing empty, before his lips formed into a quivering smile. He whispered, "You're real... You're here..." his words no longer stuck in his throat. He leaned his forehead against hers, putting both his hands on her cheeks to hold her into place. A weight unimaginable slowly began to lift off his heart as he looked her in her beautiful, deep blue eyes. Dumbfound, the girl stared right back at him as he softly spoke, "You're alive... You're alive..." joy behind his words.
"Vic..." She sobbed. How was he not angry? How was he not...? "How are you not angry at me...?" She begged. "I..."
"There's only one person I'm angry at, Ves..." He shook his head, then pulled her into another hug, "I failed you... I should've been there... I should have been there as soon as everything went to hell with Ukraine and..." He berated himself. Vesna blinked, her heartbeat growing. She held onto him, held him close and shook her head, burying her face in his shoulder again. "I'm so sorry..."
"Y-You..." Vesna shook her head, "No, Vic... Y-you have nothing to be sorry for... I-"
He shook his head and cupped her chin as he looked at her again, "I failed you..."
"You failed nobody, Vic... There was nothing you could have done..." She answered, her voice low, "I think it was decided from the get-go..."
"I'd have gone in... Found you out there if I knew they deployed you," He replied, "I should have..."
"... Don't... If you'd have... I don't even want to think what would've happened if... I couldn't live with myself if you'd dared throw your life away for me..." There was no way to say what she wanted to say without sounding selfish. She shook her head and chose instead to say, "You failed nobody, Vic... You are the most amazing person I know. I don't deserve you at all, I don't deserve this... I died and left you alone out there... To suffer..." And she bowed her head.
He cupped her chin and made her look at him. He could see the self-loathing behind her gaze, oh so similar to his own. She didn't deserve to feel like that about herself, even with all the scars the war had wrought. She was still Vesna... He told her, "You deserve all the happiness in the world, Vesna... Happiness I'm not sure I can provide after..." And he looked away, frowning at himself.
She put a hand on his cheek and pulled his gaze back toward her, then smiled, "I was only ever happy with you, Vic..."
The two of them spent a minute, looking into each-other's eyes, before both smiled, their tears dried up. He stated with fondness in his voice, "You're as beautiful as the day we fist met..." Words which got a short, happy laugh out of Vesna. He wiped the drying tears off her face, then caressed her cheek. Despite the mental scars of the damnable war, Victor could only see the woman he had fallen for. And so, too, Vesna could only see Victor Toma, the same caring young man she had pined for.
"And you're just as handsome..." She replied just as fondly, holding him tightly, "I missed you so much..."
"You have no idea how much I missed you..." He shot back. Before long, he planted a kiss on her lips and whispered to her, "I love you..."
Three words Vesna had wanted to hear for three years of her life from the very man that now held her close and made her feel like the safest woman in the world. Her lip quivered again as she smiled, then whispered back, "I love you, too..." and kissed him back. The two smiled at each-other, before Vic paused as he noticed something. He blinked, then decided he was going to ask about it later.
He smiled at her... Then a light came on in his mind as he remembered, "Oh, shit... Right... I..." He paused and took a step back, starting to fiddle with his his pouches. The confusion on Vesna's face didn't deter him as he searched, explaining, "I had bought this for when we met... Hoping to give it to you when we got home..." And he smiled sadly, "I didn't have the chance. So, I've kept it as a memento... To drive me forward on the hunt..." and his fingers brushed against the item in the proper pouch. Two items, in fact. Vesna was dumbfound at first as Vic wrapped the golden cross necklace around her neck, "First, your family heirloom..."
She paused, her heart beginning to race as she saw him go to one knee. He didn't, he couldn't... She covered her mouth as she saw him go down on one knee as he fished out a small box, battered and old and covered in black satin. He lifted it toward Vesna, who, by now, became a flustered mess, tearing up. Opening the lid, Vesna saw a beautiful golden ring with a small diamond adorning a central piece and her heart stopped. He very well could...
Vic spoke, his own heart racing, "Ves... I've decided I can't wait another minute. Not after everything, not after..." He sighed and smiled, "You are the most amazing woman I've ever met. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you and I could never take my mind off of you. So... Will you make me the happiest man to ever live twice and marry me...?"
Through tears, Vesna replied a joy-filled, "Yes!" to which Victor removed the glove off her left hand and slid the ring on her finger to the muffled cheers of their friends outside. Neither he, nor she cared about their friends' tomfoolery. He pulled Vesna into another deep kiss as he stood up, holding her close. He didn't want to ever let her go again. He wouldn't let her go again... Not now...
And never again...