And here we are! It's always a good thing when you upload a chapter and the only complaint people have about it is the fact it's got a cliffhanger. Well, I won't keep you all waiting anymore. On with the chapter!
[Alternative Chapter Title: Pinch Me.]
There was a moment of disconnect at what the room was seeing.
The man before them stood tall atop the small balcony, and could be no one else but Crue.
But, for some reason they had trouble accepting it. It was almost as if the reality that he was alive had yet to kick in. They needed a way to prove it. Something. Anything.
"Now I know…" The 'maybe Crue' began, staring Cinder dead in the eye. "That imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but between the two of us…" A feral grin stretched across his face as tilted his head, winking as he did so.
"I think I rock the eyepatch look better."
The insult. The casual way he addressed one of the most dangerous people in the room with nothing but a mad smile and a deadly glint in his eye.
It was him.
It was Crue.
The fact spread through the fighters below like wildfire, nearly everyone overcome with different emotions. Those who were devastated by his death, now overjoyed, an energy surging through them that filled them with hope and joy.
It took a great deal of self-control for those who were happy to see him not to immediately drop everything and run to his side.
For those who had fought him before, they were, for lack of a better term, bricking it. "No!" Cinder exclaimed, pushing herself to her feet and throwing a hand out, her one eye shrunk to a pinprick. "You should be dead! How did you survive!?"
"Oh, yes, of course, where are my manners?" Crue waved a hand dramatically, still standing atop the railing. "I'll be sure to go into a very long winded and in depth explanation as to my survival…" He began to lean forward, bending his knees as he did so.
Gravity kicked in and he began to fall, before springing forward, rocketing toward Cinder and bringing a fist back as he did so. Cinder's amber eye widened, rolling forward as she dodged and hearing the CRACK of the impact. "Y'know. After, I kick your ass, of course."
He stood up slowly, turning around to face Cinder and bringing his fist out of the small crater it had made. And through it all, the same smile stayed on his face.
A smile that promised Cinder a world of hurt for all she had done.
"Well?" Crue threw his hands out wide, looking around the room, meeting the eyes of all those who had lost him, still wearing that mad smile. "This a fight ain't it?"
His hands clenched, forming fists as a set of claws popped out of each gauntlet. His head snapped back to Cinder as he rushed forward, immediately slashing the claws and going for her throat. Cinder's eye widened, backing up and bringing the flaming sword up to deflect the attack.
The sound of the weapons clashing kicked most everyone back into motion, those on the side of good fighting with a renewed vigour against their opponents. Cinder and Crue traded blows, Crue's claws scraping against the molten weapon.
Sparks skittered off the blade, reflecting in the steely blue eye that stared at Cinder, and made her remember why she feared Crue in the first place. The feeling that she was being hunted. That she was in danger. That one eye seemed to hold double the Wrath that two once did.
It shouldn't have been possible. But knowing what she did now, that Crue was meant to be by Salem's side, it made sense. Salem would only want the absolute strongest beside her. And as she already had six people under her thumb, all of them already given gifts, it left only one option for Crue.
He did not just have wrath. He was Wrath. And it was aimed directly at her. Cinder brought a hand back, before slamming it against Crue's stomach in an attempt to get him away. With some added Maiden Magic, it sent him skidding back.
He immediately slammed a fist down, the claws digging into the wooden floor and slowing him to a halt, until he ended up sliding to a stop between Neo and Ruby. Both of them still had wide eyes as Crue looked up from the ground with a smile, head swerving so he got a good look at both of them.
"Hey girls!" His one eye was turned upward in a genuinely happy expression. "I missed you. I'd give yous a hug but I'm pretty pointy right now." He said, bringing his hand back as the claws were pulled out of the ground.
It looked as though they were both ready to hug him to death regardless of how pointy he was, or the current situation, so Crue made a quick promise. "You guys can have first dibs on hugs after we kick all their asses, deal?"
"Deal!" Ruby exclaimed, and Neo smiled widely while nodding her head.
"Great. Now, I'm going to reintroduce Cinder's face to my fists. You guys mind leaving her to me? Please?" He requested. His eye focused solely on the Fall Maiden, who was currently clenching her weapon tight, breathing heavily as she stared at Crue.
Ruby and Neo leaned a little behind Crue to meet each other's eyes. A short, silent conversation took place. "Yeah, that seems fair." Ruby nodded, speaking for Neo as well. "Kick her butt Crue! And…" Ruby's eyes watered as Crue glanced at her.
"We're glad you're back."
Crue's chest seemed to swell with happiness at her words, and as he looked between Ruby and Neo, his eye grew damp as well. "Good to be back." He smiled widely, before rushing towards Cinder, claws out as he jumped in the air and spun horizontally, slashing fiercely as he did.
Neo and Ruby shared a surprisingly friendly smile, before they both split to join other battles.
Ruby shot towards her sister, slamming Crescent Rose down on Mercury's extended leg and causing him to yell out in pain before retracting it.
Yang looked to her sister with a smile that completely filled her face. "He's back! He's really back?!" She had witnessed the same events as Ruby, of course, but she still wanted to hear it from her sister.
"It's him!" Ruby's smile was blinding as she looked at Yang. And the smile stayed, but gained a dangerous edge as she turned to face Mercury. He did not look as happy as them to see Crue, obviously.
"What's the matter Mercury?" She asked, as Yang matched her expression, staring at the assassin. "Aren't you glad to see an old friend?"
Unsurprisingly, Mercury did not look all that glad to see an old friend. He glanced between them, the current battle between Crue and Cinder, and then the door.
"If it wasn't for the fact I'm sure she'd hunt my down, I'd be out of here and leave you to deal with him." Mercury said, glancing to the currently spinning ball of blades and insults that was Crue. Ruby and Yang glanced at each other in confusion, wondering what Mercury meant by letting them deal with Crue?
They didn't have much time to think about it, as Mercury immediately kicked off, swinging his extending leg and causing Ruby to shoot upwards in a burst of petals while Yang ducked under it, rolling towards him and tossing punches like there was no tomorrow.
Across the room, Neo was smiling so wide it almost hurt her cheeks. She felt as though she was walking on air, her eyes pure pink as she skipped off in search of a good fight to kill the time while Crue kicked Cinder's ass.
She smiled even wider. Crue was alive! He was alive! He was alive and back and ready to kick Cinder's teeth in at the drop of a hat. She wanted to join in, of course, and introduce Cinder's remaining eye to the business end of her sword, especially after seeing that eyepatch that was now a part of Crue's person.
But, she wouldn't want to take away the chance for Crue to get his revenge. She may have lost him, but he was back now, and she figured that his revenge on Cinder for nearly killing him took precedence over her own.
And besides, she could just take out the rest of Cinder's allies to let her know how it feels. The largest fighter in the room caught her eye, and was currently throwing punches at a young boy she didn't recognise.
He looked younger than Ruby, yet was still taller than her. Neo didn't care much for that last part, as she ran towards them, her sword drawn.
The man's attention was fully on the small boy, which allowed her the opportunity to slash at the back of his knees. The giant let out a grunt and toppled, falling to one knee and slamming a hand onto the ground as Neo leapt upward, using his back as a springboard and pirouetting over him.
She landed next to the boy who looked extremely surprised at her entrance. She looked him up and down while the opponent was still getting to his feet. He was dressed like a farmer, and wielded a cane that Neo could have sworn she saw Professor Ozpin walking around with while she was at Beacon.
Maybe it was his kid or something. The boy was looking at her as well, wide hazel eyes taking in her appearance. She gave a small wave, before stabbing at the large man. He brought up a massive hand to block the attack, the blade scratching off his Aura as Neo weaved under his other arm.
Oscar looked at the newcomer with wide eyes. "Who's she?" He asked quietly.
"...I have no idea." Ozpin answered.
With both Ruby and Neo fighting other opponents, it let Cinder devote her full attention to the fight in front of her. Not that her attention had strayed at all from Crue. Her heart beat a mile a minute as her molten blade began to crack under the force of Crue's blows.
"Nothing to say, Cindy?" Crue asked, his one eye wide with a grin that stretched across his face. "I thought you'd be happy to see me." He hopped back, swinging one arm in a wide arc, the claws whistling as they swung.
Cinder brought her sword up to stop the blades in their tracks, but could only watch as Crue clenched his fist, and the claws receded into the gauntlet. Her own fiery weapon stopped nothing, as there was nothing to stop, and Crue's fist passed under it.
He struck hard and true. His fist hit dead centre, nearly winding her as she was forced back, leaving scorch marks as her heels scraped along the floor. She righted herself immediately, prepared to block another attack.
Nothing came, and she found herself lowering the blade and looking across it to see Crue making no real effort to chase her. "I'm in no rush." He smirked, walking slowly, purposefully, towards her. "I've been waiting for this since I woke up in the damn forest."
"You've been thinking of us meeting again that much, have you Crue?" Cinder tried to mock him, to regain some control, but her voice wavered as it came out. And to her dismay, it didn't work. It made Crue laugh.
"Thinking about it?" It was a full bellied laugh, one that had him wiping a fake tear from his eye. She watched as his hand lowered to his side, reaching not for the pistol strapped to his leg, but for his pocket.
"Bitch, I have a playlist ready!" He took out his Scroll, tapping it once and sliding it back in almost immediately before getting back into a fighting stance as music flooded the hall once again.
[Back From The Dead – Skillet]
No one reacted, instead just fighting along to the music, and Crue was no different. He threw out two test punches, the claws coming back out of his gauntlets. He bared his teeth in a mad smile and launched towards her as the beat kicked in.
The claws were two green blurs as Cinder used her blade to block and strike back where she could. For all the good it did. Crue had a strange confidence to him that he lacked the last time they fought at Beacon.
That was presumably due to the fact that Crue had a full tank of Aura, or at least that's what Cinder gathered from his movements. She had repeated the night in the tower in her mind ad nauseam, and could perfectly recall Crue's movements.
The night of his death, he moved with the knowledge it would be his last fight. That there was a definite chance he could die. But now? His movements were fluid, focused, and without any visible weak spot.
This was a Crue completely confident in his ability to defeat her. And Cinder was starting to believe he may be able to.
"You really think this will go any differently than last time?" She asked, thrusting her sword towards Crue's face. Crue leaned his head slightly to the right, allowing the blade to pass by harmlessly as a feral smile sprung to life on his face.
"You mean with you failing to kill me?" He asked, ducking towards Cinder and spinning as she swung the fiery sword sideways with such force it would have decapitated him if it hit. Crue had brought his fist back as he ducked, before launching it towards Cinder's abdomen.
It struck, causing Cinder to cough roughly, spittle flying from her mouth as she was flung back, her flaming weapon falling to the ground. Crue stood, flexing the fingers on his fist. "Yeah..." He smiled, his steely blue eye staring at her.
"I'm pretty sure that's exactly how this night will end."
Cinder stood with a hand on her stomach where she was struck, trying not to panic. This was every nightmare she'd had since Beacon fell and she killed Crue. Or since she thought she killed him as it turned out.
She knew how those dreams ended. And she was terrified of them becoming reality. But that was probably what Crue wanted. He hadn't even moved from his place, fist still clenched as he stared her down. Daring her to move.
He wanted her afraid. Wanted her too scared to attack. Well, he wouldn't get what he wanted, Cinder decided. She wasn't alone this time.
"Vernal!" Cinder exclaimed. Crue glanced off to the side, seeing a woman with a buzz cut he didn't recognise fighting Weiss. He turned back to Cinder, before his head snapped back to the fight.
"WEISS?!" Crue exclaimed. Weiss was here? In Haven!?
Winter was going to kill him.
The Heiress, looked over at the call, a smile forming on her face, as did the woman fighting her. Crue began to smile as well, having only given the room a cursory scan of allies earlier and hadn't realised she was there.
Vernal used the opportunity to deliver a kick to Weiss' stomach that sent her flying back and crashing into a pillar.
"Oh you did not." Crue immediately locked onto Vernal, a fierce scowl on his face as he managed to get a few steps towards making introductions with his fist, before a wall of fire sprung up, cutting him off.
He turned to glare at Cinder, her robed arm outstretched and wisps of flames fading from it. Cinder met his gaze with a knowing smile. Vernal ended up standing next to Cinder, looking a little confused at the situation but ready to fight.
Crue gave her a once over, already having a rather poor opinion of her given what she just did to Weiss, and it only worsened when he got a look at what she was holding. "Those are the dumbest looking weapons I have ever fucking seen."
Vernal scowled at the insult, spinning said weapons round once and aiming them at Crue. It looked like she had a remark ready, but Cinder talked over her. "You think you'll be able to beat one Maiden. But what about two?"
Fire sprung to life in her palm as she spoke, reflecting in her amber eye. Crue raised an eyebrow, looking to Vernal once more.
"Who?" "The Spring Mai-" "Asked." Crue interrupted, causing Cinder to growl as she grit her teeth and glared.
"Wait." Her words caught up with Crue's brain, and it sounded as though he was starting to laugh. "Who did you say she was?" Crue was smiling as he asked, which definitely set of some warning flags in Cinder's brain.
"The Spring Maiden." She answered, confident that there was no way Crue could take on two Maidens at once, even with a full Aura.
"Ha! Really?" He barked out a single laugh, before glancing around the room quickly. He apparently found what he was looking for, as he turned his gaze back on Vernal and Cinder. "Alright. I'll fight the Spring Maiden."
"Good." Cinder tried to mimic Crue's dangerous smirk, but couldn't manage to accurately recreate the genuine danger it made her feel.
"Now, let's-" "I said!" Crue interrupted Cinder once again, that smile still on his face. But this time, he was staring directly at Vernal. "That I'd fight the Spring Maiden!" He raised his voice, enough so that it could be heard throughout the Hall, though no one really paid attention to his words.
Except for one, as Vernal inhaled sharply and her eyes glanced just over Crue's shoulder. Crue's smile grew, as he raised his arm behind his head and shot out his claws. There was a deafening clang as Crue strained to keep his arm steady.
"Hey Rae." He didn't even bother turning around, instead watching as a red and black figure flew overhead, the pressure on his gauntlet alleviating as Raven Branwen slammed down onto the ground next to Cinder.
Cinder looked confused as to the sudden entrance, as she wasn't aware of any immediate hostilities between Crue and Raven. "Well would you look at that." Crue smirked, staring at Raven's face.
"Between the three of use we've got enough eyes for a bowling ball." A single blood red eye scowled, but Raven remained silent. "Red, yellow and blue." The trio of occularily challenged glanced at each other as the colour of their eyes were spoken."
"There's a joke here about primary colours, but I'll figure it out later." He rolled his sleeveless shoulder once. "Not that there will probably be a later, for you." He made sure he was staring at Cinder as he spoke, the Fall Maiden clenching her fist as he did.
"And you?" Raven pointed her sword towards Crue as he spoke. "Shacking up with Salem? Really?"
"Like you're one to talk." Raven shot back.
Crue opened his mouth to retort, only to let out a kind of blustering cough. "Fuck. Walked into that one."
While the pre-fight banter was going on, Cinder's mind was connecting several pieces of information at once. With a gasp, she turned her body to face Raven, a ball of flame forming in her hand. "You're the Spring Maiden! You lied to me!"
"Oh don't be a hypocrite." Raven snarled at Cinder, her red eye glaring at flames sprung to life from both women's eyes. "You wanted the Spring Maiden's help, right?" She nudged her head towards Crue.
"You know I can hear you, right?" He called. The two Maidens turned in tandem with a mirrored scowl. Due to the fact Cinder lost her left eye, and Raven her right, they were able to share a glance while facing Crue.
As one, they both raised their hands as wisps of red and amber fire formed in their eyes. Crue's own eye widened as he realised what was about to happen. "Oh shi-" He managed to bring both arms in front of his face in an 'X' as two sparks flickered in their palms.
The sound of air rushing in preluded devastation that came not a second later. A massive swirling gout of fire and lighting erupted from their hands and enveloped Crue, but such a force of nature did not stop after consuming one man.
It continued unfettered, a torrent of flame and crackling electricity that rushed towards the door. Anyone who had been in the way quickly found other places to be, regardless of what side of the fight they were on.
Fighters dodged out of the way as the tornado of elemental Magic struck the door to Haven's Grand Hall.
...
Moments earlier...
...
Spotlights flooded the grounds of Haven, illuminating the White Fang and completely invalidating the advantages they held to fighting in the dark. Not that there was any kind advantages to be had, fighting against their own kind.
The White Fang were outmanned and outgunnned, with several of their friends and families standing before them, armed with shields and clubs and ready to defend the Academy.
Adam himself was slowly getting to his feet, after being forced to his knees while fighting Blake. "I'm going to make you regret ever coming back.." He seethed, glaring at Blake behind his mask.
"More police are on their way, Adam. Huntsmen too." She told him. She was not interested in continuing this battle. She needed to get inside and see what was going on. All she knew was that Neo had teleported in, and she hadn't heard from her since.
Adam must have thought what she said to be quite amusing, judging from the way he chuckled. "Still too afraid to face me on your own." He stated.
"I'm here for Haven." Blake's eyes narrowed. "Not. You."
Adam's teeth ground together as he tore Wilt out of his scabbard to aim it at Blake. She responded immediately, drawing her weapon and waiting for Adam to make a move.
"Heh." He laughed. "You are still afraid, and you should be. I've made powerful friends while you've been away." A disconcerting smile sprung to life on his lips.
"Oh yeah?" A voice called, catching him off guard. He turned, pointing his sword at the newcomer. The blonde Monkey Faunus from before, gripping a red staff with golden trimmings as he approached.
"Where?" He asked.
Adam chose not to respond to that question. Instead making sure both weapons were pointed business end first towards each opponent. "Tell me, does Blake make all of her classmates fight for her?"
He hoped his question would cause some kind of slip, a crack in the facade, but the man before him simply gained an easy smile. "Nah, it's a volunteer gig. I'm just saying', for someone who claims to have such great friends, there doesn't seem to be a lot of people here willing to fight for you."
Adam looked around at his words, seeing members of the White Fang, of his White Fang, surrendering. "But don't worry, there are plenty willing to fight against you." Sun smiled, twirling his staff once before slamming it vertically onto the ground. "You're just lucky Neo isn't here instead of me."
Adam had a vague memory of a name like that in a report from the Albain brothers about someone who had been spending a lot time around the Belladonna's. The name meant little to Adam, however, just another person to use against Blake.
The grip on his weapons tightened as he waited for an opportunity to attack. His allies were inside the Grand Hall. Surely they should have noticed everything going on outside.
Apparently, they did.
The spotlights from the airships suddenly changed trajectory, as the vehicles veered away from the center of the plaza, causing everyone to look upward. Adam looked to the Grand Hall, and found himself grinning.
An unmarked Bullhead was flying towards them at ridiculous speeds. Something like that had to be reinforcements. He would not waste the opportunity, he decided, as he turned his attention back to the two in front of him.
The Bullhead screeched overhead, as Adam pulled the trigger on his scabbard, sending buckshot towards Blake and propelling him towards Sun. The Monkey Faunus' attention had been on the Bullhead, but his head snapped back down at the sound of the gunshot.
Blake had her Aura up, and her eyes hadn't strayed from Adam at all. A clone took her place, disintegrated by the attack and Blake had barely enough time to scream as Adam slashed his sword across, memories of Beacon suddenly flashing to the front of her mind.
The blood red blade swung for Sun, only to be stopped by a massive claymore suddenly piercing into the ground. Adam's sword bit into the weapon, his eye widening behind his mask as he let out a shout.
"WHAT?!" He exclaimed, only to feel a shocking pain erupt in his shoulder as he was sent flying back. Electricity coursed through his veins, locking up his muscles and keeping his sword in his grip as his back hit the ground, his Aura grating against the gravel.
"OI! GET AWAY FROM OUR LEADER YA TOSSER!" Adam managed to push himself up enough to see three Huntsmen land in front of Sun, the largest of them crashing down and grabbing the handle of the massive sword.
He pulled it out of the ground with ease, pointing it at Adam as his yellow eyes glared at him. "You mess with our Leader, you mess with all of us." As if their interruption couldn't have soured Adam's night any further, he realised something as they all stood together.
They were Humans.
The sudden arrival had caught a lot of attention, with those from Menagerie looking with dropped jaws and wide eyes that Humans came to defence of a Faunus so readily.
"Guys!" Sun's smile was bright as he threw his hands out wide, looking as though he was going to initiate a group hug in the middle of a battle. "What are you doing here?!" It wasn't a question born out of anger, but out of disbelief.
"Some jerks think they can try destroy our school?" Neptune piped up, smiling at his partner while keeping his weapon aimed at Adam. "Like we're going to let that happen."
Adam scowled, he had no idea who these Humans thought they were, but he would not allow them to interfere any further. "And we're not the only ones with a bone to pick." Scarlet smiled, nodding his head upwards.
"We found a few friends along the way." As he spoke, the sound of the external speaker on the Bullhead whined as it activated.
"ADAM TAURUUUUUUS!" A voice screamed, tinny and distorted in such a way that it made it difficult for anyone to recognise the speaker.
Anyone except those who had ordered their death. "Sienna..." Adam hissed out, teeth gritting. Now that the Bullhead was hovering, the Mistrali Airships closed in on it.
"Unidentified Aircraft! Identify yourself!" The airships kept a safe distance from the Bullhead, as the speaker crackled to life once more.
"This is Sienna Khan!" There were gasps among the Faunus present, both from the White Fang and Menagerie. Adam growled, getting to his feet. Sienna was supposed to be dead! She was to be a martyr for the cause. This ruined everything.
"And I am ordering any and all White Fang to surrender immediately!" Her words caused any White Fang who had been hesitating to throw down their weapons. "And to leave Adam Taurus… to me."
The sound of a gun spooling up could be heard even over the engine of the Bullhead, and Adam quickly realised there was a minigun attached just under the cockpit.
And it was pointed directly at him.
In the span of a second, Adam weighed his options. He could maybe catch the first or second bullet from the minigun if he timed it right, but with Blake knowing what his Semblance was, she wouldn't let him build up enough power to utilise it.
He could run into the crowd, but doubted he would make it very far with the Huntsmen surrounding him. He turned and ran as the bullets tore up the ground where he had been standing. Bits of chewed up gravel and stone pelted his back as he ran towards the treeline, one of the spotlights illuminating his way.
Sun immediately moved to run after him, only to be held back by his team and Blake. "You might want to wait for her to run out of ammo, first." Sage suggested, as the minigun continuously fired into the foliage.
Luckily, they were quite far away from any other buildings, so there was no risk of collateral damage. "If we follow him, he'll just try and pick us off one by one." Blake added, before turning her attention to the rest of Sun's team with a confused expression.
"How on Remnant did you end up in a Bullhead with Sienna Khan to help save Haven?" She asked, stressing the name of the White Fang leader.
In response, Neptune gained a confident smile. "Well, let's just say Sienna isn't the only friend we found along the way." He jabbed a thumb backward over his shoulder, towards the doors of the Grand Hall.
THOOOOOOM!
Right as the doors to the building exploded outwards in a massive explosion of fire and lightning. Several screams of shock and fear sounded out, people scrambling to get away from the danger.
Neptune didn't even turn around as his smile died an ugly death and his pupils shrank. "That wasn't me." He felt the need to say, as Blake and Sun turned on a Lien to stare at the destruction.
Sage and Scarlet sighed next to him. "But, it might be our other friend."
"W-Who is this other friend?" Blake asked, wondering who they could have met that would be able to do this.
The three looked at one another. "You're going to have to see for yourself." Scarlet told her. "We didn't even believe it at first, and we saw him in the flesh."
Blake and Sun were still in the dark, but as the elemental tornado finally dissipated, they ran towards the Hall to check on whoever was inside.
…
The torrent of fire and lightning scorched the ground around it, with those closest feeling the blistering heat coming off in waves and beginning to sweat. And nearly everyone shared the same, shocked realisation.
Crue had been standing right in front of it.
Raven and Cinder clearly cared not for that fact, and eventually lowered their hands, cutting off the flow of magic as the flames and lighting finally ceased. The ground was blackened, a trail of ash leading towards the remains of the front doors, and right in front of the two Maidens was all the remained of Crue.
And it was all of him that remained.
He still stood, arms blocked before his face and not a scratch or singe on him. Raven and Cinder were left with wide eyes, as Crue lowered his arms, a single blue eye peeking over the gap in his arms.
Crue glanced down, seeing he hadn't been burnt to a crisp. The room was in a state of shock, their emotions flip-flopping from Crue coming back from the dead, to being burnt alive in front of them, and now being ok again.
The Faunus pat himself down, performing what looked like a high speed Macarena as he checked for injuries.
There were none.
"Ha!" He barked out a single laugh, before his steely blue eye narrowed as it stared at the two who attacked. "You're fucked." He leapt forward, claws slashing towards the two Maidens as a mad smile grew on his face.
Swords were summoned and drawn as Cinder and Raven blocked the attack, both of them still in disbelief that their magic did nothing. Crue took full advantage of their confusion, even if he himself didn't understand how he was alive right now.
But he would take what he could get in this fight, as his one eye tried to focus on both opponents at once. While sparks flew during the Mélee é trois, Crue got a brief glimpse of Vernal waiting for an opportunity to jump in and attack.
Crue decided to give her one. He slashed once at both of them, catching their swords between his claws, leaving his back exposed to Vernal. She took the bait easily, rushing in with her weapons ready to slash him to pieces.
Crue pulled his arms in, intending to bring Raven and Cinder into a collision with one another. They resisted, leaving Crue's arms taught and caught in the middle of the two. He smirked, bending his knees slightly before launching upward.
He leaned back as he did, Vernal running under him, her eyes widening as she realised her mistake. With Raven and Cinder keeping him in place, Crue flipped mid-air, slamming his feet down onto Vernal's head and sending her facefirst into the ground.
"That's for Weiss motherfuck-ah!" His victory was short lived, as Raven and Cinder took the opportunity to hurl him away. Cinder let her sword disintegrate, while Raven spun round and let momentum do the rest, as Crue's claws slid down the sword, throwing up sparks before he eventually went sailing and crashed through one of the doors leading further into the building.
"Lionheart!" Cinder called for the Headmaster immediately. He was currently hiding behind a pillar, but jumped as his name was shouted. "Get the vault open now!" The man stumbled, running towards Cinder as he pulled out a small token from his pocket.
This was the scene that Blake Belladonna walked in on, her amber eyes widening as nearly everyone she had become friends with during Beacon was in the room fighting against those behind its fall.
Including her team.
Ruby, Weiss and Yang all paused, seeing Blake entering through the destroyed doors. It was not a moment of silence, however, thanks to the rest of the fighting that was still going on.
Mercury noticed the pause and tried to take advantage of it, only for Blake to snap off a shot with Gambol Shroud, pinging off his Aura and stopping his attack short. Yang and Ruby turned on a Lien, angered that Mercury would try to interrupt such a thing.
As one, the sisters attacked, forcing Mercury onto the backfoot as Weiss began to run over to Blake. "Oh wow. That's a lot of people." Sun said from her side, blue eyes wide at the amount of fighting taking place. "So, who do you think it was that my team picked up?"
Blake was unsure, but as Weiss approached her with a wide smile and sparkling blue eyes. "Blake! You won't believe it!" She came to a stop before her, looking as though she wanted to hug her, but hesitated due to both the situation and the fact she had weapons in both hands.
Blake's eyes strayed to Setanta as Weiss spoke, before meeting her eyes. "Weiss, what happened? What was that explosion?" She asked.
"That would be those two." She pointed towards the centre of the room, along the charred ground to Cinder and Raven. Blake didn't recognise the older woman, but she looked vaguely similar to Yang.
"But that's not important!" She shook her head, still wearing a smile. "Blake! He's alive!" She said, bringing her hands up to just below her chin.
Blake could only think of one person who died recently that would have Weiss so ecstatic, the weapon in her hands reminding her of the only option. But, it couldn't be true, could it? She opened her mouth to question her, but a shout suddenly rang throughout the room.
"RAVEN YOU EGG-LAYING BITCH!" Bursting out of the doors he was flung through, Crue ran at a dead sprint towards Raven, jumping at the last point and slamming both his claws down on her sword. Blake's eyes went wide as her breath left her lungs, unable to say anything.
Sun had no such issue. "CRUE'S ALIVE?!" He exclaimed, bringing his hands to grip against his hair. The exclamation caused Crue to glance over while pushing down on the bright red sword.
He looked so different to how they remembered him, but the smile that bloomed across his face when he saw them was all too familiar. "Hey guys-whoah!" Crue suddenly flipped, Raven sweeping her leg across his legs and knocking them out from under him.
His body ended up parallel to the ground, before continuing to spin with his feet going towards the ceiling. Crue smirked at Raven's widening red eye. "Never learned my Semblance, huh." He asked, bringing his own leg up to try and stamp down on Raven's knee.
Aura reinforced her leg, but she grit her teeth and slashed her sword once more, as the marble statue behind her descended into the ground, Cinder waiting next to it impatiently with a glowing sword in her hand.
Blake and Sun were still dumbstruck by Crue's appearance, but Weiss noticed Vernal getting to her feet a small distance from the fight. Her eyes narrowed. "Blake." She said, catching the girl's attention and bringing her out of her stupor.
"Would you be interested in a team building exercise?" She asked, stowing her rapier and gripping Setanta tightly, the metallic hurley shining in the light. Blake looked confused, before seeing Vernal getting to her feet and pointing her weapons at Crue's back.
She had no idea who the woman was, but her amber eyes narrowed as she grabbed the ribbon of Gambol Shroud. "That sounds wonderful."
Vernal aimed her weapons directly at Crue's back with a scowl, before feeling something wrap around her waist. She didn't even have enough time to glance down, before she was yanked roughly towards the entrance.
Her eyes practically bulged out of her head as she was wrenched away from her position, getting a brief glimpse of Raven and Crue fighting, before spinning round to see what it was that was dragging her away.
Her eyes widened, as she saw Weiss waiting with Setanta over her shoulder right next to the length of what appeared to be a ribbon that was bringing her towards certain pain. Her arms were splayed out behind her, having been caught off guard by the sudden change in direction.
She tried to bring her arms down to cut the ribbon, but it was too late.
Weiss swung Setanta with all her might, connecting the flat of the hurl with Vernal's face and feeling a concerningly vicious amount of satisfaction from the action. A satisfying crunching noise sounded out as Vernal went flying back, the ribbon still wrapped around her midsection.
She suddenly found herself coming to a halt midair as the ribbon pulled taught. Blake grabbed it with both hands and swung down with a yell, sending Vernal careening into the ground. She groaned, struggling to push herself up as Blake finally unraveled the ribbon, catching her weapon and changing its form as she did so.
Sun took a few steps back. "You guys seem like you got this. I'm going to go make sure everything is going well with the Faunus." He turned, eyes wide and very glad Blake and Weiss were his friends rather than his enemies.
Weiss and Blake split off to help where they could, as several other fights continued within the room.
One such fight was that between the tallest and smallest of Neo and Hazel. Both were used to fighting opponents of different sizes, but not to this sort of extreme. Nothing Neo did seemed to faze the giant, no matter how many times she struck it was as though he just powered through the pain.
Even aiming for the Lightning Dust crystals he had stabbed into his arms proved fruitless.
Hazel would have had an easier time grasping air than trying to get a hit on Neo, the girl bending and swerving at impossible angles to avoid his fists. But with the fight quickly becoming a battle of attrition, it would be the one with more patience who came out on top.
With a speed that belied his size, Hazel shot out one massive hand that managed to completely engulf Neo's torso, pinning her arms to her sides. Her pink and brown eyes widened, as Hazel squeezed tight, sending lines of electricity racing down his arm and towards Neo.
Lightning could not easily be blocked by Aura, and Neo's nerves burned as she was struck, legs flailing erratically as her eyes rapidly switched colours unwillingly. She was unable to physically scream, but a strangled, raspy breath managed to leave her mouth.
Crue had just slammed down onto Raven's sword from above, actually landing on her sword with both feet and pushing down as Raven tried to shove him off. His smile was full of fangs as he brought a fist up to slam down on her face, when his ear twitched.
His smile died and his eye shrunk to a pinprick as the sound of a choking gasp filtered into his ears. His head snapped to the side, seeing Neo caught within Hazel's grasp, lightning coursing through her body and causing it to spasm.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled from his throat at what he saw, his entire body tensing up as he prepared to launch from his place towards Hazel. Raven clocked his reaction to what was going on, realised what he was doing, and decided the best way to get rid of Crue was to let someone else deal with him.
Raven pushed her sword in the direction of Hazel as Crue stretched out his legs with enough force to send himself flying and Raven skidding back. "HAZELLL!" He yelled, fist outstretched as he rocketed towards the larger man.
Hearing the scream, Hazel ceased his electrical attack, instead orientating himself so that Crue would collide with Neo. With the speed he was going, it would be impossible for anyone to avoid crashing into his outstretched hand.
Anyone that wasn't able to change their trajectory mid-flight that is.
Crue's Semblance tugged him to the side allowing him to stare Hazel dead in the eye as he rapidly approached. At the last second, before Crue's fist collided, he switched to an open palm. His hand slammed onto Hazel's face, his spread fingers allowing him to catch a glimpse of shocked golden eyes.
Crue's body continued to sail forward with momentum, but his hand remained latched onto Hazel. Instead of flying forward, Crue's grip caused Hazel's head to turn, following the path of least resistance with the force being exerted on it.
Crue swung his body round, hand still in a death grip as clenched even tighter. Between Crue's rage at Neo being injured, and Hazel's neck, something had to give.
And it wasn't going to be Crue.
A horrific popping noise suffused with cracks came from Hazel as Crue continued unperturbed, swinging his leg up and slamming it down on Hazel's outstretched arm at the inner elbow joint.
The hand convulsed, briefly tightening before releasing Neo who immediately gasped for air. Crue finally relinquished his grip on Hazel's face, kicking off to catch Neo as she fell. His arms caught her and he rolled, hitting the ground first and forming a protective barrier with his body.
He came to a stop on one knee, Neo in his arms and breathing heavily. Her eyes were mere dots of white as they looked upon Crue. "Are you ok?!" He asked urgently, looking her up and down for any visible injuries.
Despite her situation, Neo managed to convey 'What does it look like?' through expression alone.
"It looks like Cinder and her fucking cronies still haven't gotten the message about what happens when they mess with the people I care about." He responded with a small smile, seeing she was clearly well enough to point out the idiocy of his question.
Neo's breathing calmed, and her eyes flickered back to pink and brown. She blinked once more, both eyes becoming pink as she stared up at Crue. The Faunus' throat suddenly became very dry, the idea of finally being able kiss Neo again sending his heart beating faster than any of the fights he had just been in.
"Impressive."
Hairs stood on end at the back of Crue's neck as his skin suddenly became clammy. He stood up immediately, still holding Neo, and turned around while backing up.
Hazel's body was still upright, but his head was facing the complete wrong way. Then, the two massive arms reached up to grab the front of back of the head.
With a sickening twist, and a repeat of the grotesque noise from earlier, Hazel's head snapped back around, the smallest of winces visible on his features. The man's eyes opened, showing shining Golden Eyes.
Crue's eye flashed gold in response, his grip on Neo tightening as a defensive growl left his throat. "Neo." He said seriously, angling her so that she was able to stand. The minute girl looked at him with no small amount of concern as he continued.
"You need to leave this one to me." He told her. Neo immediately made her lack of a voice heard, shaking her head. Hazel just survived getting his neck snapped, there was no way she was going to let him fight alone.
"Please." He requested, his eye meeting hers desperately. It was enough to make her hesitate, but there wasn't much time to make a decision. Eventually, through grit teeth, Neo nodded and let herself leave Crue's embrace.
"Thank you." He whispered, standing tall before Hazel. The giant of a man was still, clearly treating Crue with caution.
Neo gave him a stare that suggested he had better be careful, before turning to leave and find someone else to sink her blade into. "Wait." Crue's hand caught hers as his voice did the same. She looked back in confusion, before seeing the small blush across Crue's face.
"One for the road?" He asked, a coy smile on his face.
Neo's eyes widened with glee as she smiled, immediately leaping towards Crue and pressing their lips together as Crue caught her and spun.
Compared to other kisses they had shared, this one could be considered remarkably conservative. But the simple fact they were able to do this after so long without one another made it that much better.
Warmth spread through their nerves from the touch of the other, synapses firing off like fireworks in glee.
It ended much too soon for either's liking, but they parted with wide smiles. "Kick some ass." He requested, still spinning as he grabbed Neo's other hand and increased in speed. She nodded rapidly, and Crue released his grip, sending her flying into battle.
Neo let herself be thrown, an unkillable smile on her face as she immediately started on her downward trajectory, one leg outstretched and aiming for Solaris, who was currently focused completely on her fight with Jaune.
The sound of shock that came from Solaris reverberated through the chamber, and Crue's smile remained as he let out a sigh. "Thanks for that." He said, turning to face Hazel properly.
He grunted, rolling his neck as he did so, several small cracks sounding out. "Your last memories should be something pleasant."
Crue let out a small laugh. "Last memories, huh? If that's the case is there anyone here you want to kiss?" He asked, genuinely considering letting Hazel go through with it if he did.
Golden eyes narrowed. "No." He grumbled out, before shooting towards Crue and raising both his arms high to slam down onto Crue.
The Faunus threw his hands out, catching the fists and holding them in place as his blue eye shone gold.
The sins of Sloth and Wrath had clashed.
I hope I was able to do his return justice! I had a lot of this planned for quite a while, specifically the Cinder/Raven funnel and the Hazel part. There were a lot of perspective shifts at random points and a lot of different battles going on, just to show just how crazy the fighting going on is. Also, with the arrival of Blake the bad guys are now very outnumbered. But, that's something to get into in the next chapter.
It's funny how I have the least to talk about this chapter lol. I've been planning it for so long that I don't have any extra commentary! Everything finally came to fruition and I couldn't be happier!
Anyways, that's all for now, if you enjoyed this chapter, let me know if you did, and as always...
Until Next Time
-Friday