As the morning sun rose over the horizon, the darkened sky slowly lit up in shades of yellow and a pale pink, eventually turning blue. Just like every other day, the world of Remnant kept spinning on and on despite what was accouring on its surface.
"Let's see..." Nihilus sighed a bit, searching through a few cabinets in the small house where the group of reckless criminals saught refuge in. Abandoned village or not, the place was rather decent and perfect for anyone. Exspcialy runaways.
He reached in, pulling out a dusty jar of basil, one of parsley, and another of garlic. He set them down, cleaning them off with his hoodie, his sleeves now rolled up. He now had on a pair of black jeans, a few rips and tears here and there on them.
Blowing his shaggy hair from his eyes, he steoped over and opened a fridge. Luckily, Thanaton and him were able to get that working along with a few other necessaties in this place. And even more luckily, they were still criminals. A quick trip to the nearest villiage or even Vale if it was a must, and they would have enough food to last quit a while.
Nihilus pulled out a carton of eggs as well as a bottle of milk and some cheese. He set all three on the counter before opening another cabinet and pulling out a bowl. As he started to mix all he had on the ingredients on the counter together in the bowl, he started to whistle.
Eventually, he went back to the fridge, pulling out a pack of bacon. He placed two strips in an x shape in a frying pain on a stove, and with a little help from a fire Dust crystal, it started to heat up. He poured some of the egg mixture over the bacon in the center, letting it cook together. Soon enough, the smell of food filled the air.
The second the aroma hit Thanaton's nostrils, her eyes shot open wide. She immediately sat up in the bed she was sleeping in and jumped up, dragging the blanket behind her. "Nilly is cooking!" She cheered, skipping down the halls.
Giving a sigh, in her own room, Maya slowly opened her eyes. She was currently curled up under a thick wool blanket, staring at the wall. Though it had been months since the Fall of Beacon, she still wasn't the same. She sat up slowly, bags under her sleepless eyes and her hair a mess. The blanket fell from her shoulder, showing her plain light brown shirt and a glimpse at her brown sweatpants with a few holes.
She took a deep breath, placing her bare feet on the floor before standing up slowly. "Shut up! Thanaton!" She snapped. In the past months, she slowly got back to the usual routine. All the sneeking around and hiding and stealing. She couldn't tell if she was over Fid and Fif, but she had definitely pushed their memories to the deepest part of her mind.
Leaning on the counter with his arms crossed, Nihilus smiled as he watched his twin sister down bite after bite of the breakfast he made for her. "You're the best cook ever!" She deemed before shoving a piece of bacon and egg into her mouth.
Maya gave a soft smile, giving a nod as she swallowed her bite and looked up at him. "You truly are an amazing cook."
He simpky shrugged back. "I'm alright if anything." He glanced at the empty seat across from him. He pushed himself up, walking away. "I'll be back."
In her room, the pink haired woman paced back and forth before stopping in front of a mirror. She looked up, glaring at her reflection with gold eyes. "What the hell did that bitch do to me!?" She roared, sahking her head around.
She reached up, gripping her hair tight. Looking back up at the mirror, her eyes were once again a pale blue. "Did to us..." She muttered quietly before groaning.
She lowered her head, gripping the edge of the mirror tight. She growled deeper, glaring up again. "I can't over poer you anymore... what is this?! What did she do?!"
"Agh!" She dropped her head down, her arms lowering as she took several deep breaths. She looked hack up, gulping as she blinked her blue eyes. "I don't know... all I know is... Kagami is going to get rid of you one day... and I'll be free..."
"Aaahhh!" She jerked away, hands grabbing her head as she stumbled back. Peiring through her fingers and pink hair, she opened one of her golden eyes. "You know that's impossible. I am a part of you know. You can't get rid of me..."
She trailed off, gripping her head again as she thrashed her head around. After a moment, she inhaled deeply and stood up straight, her eyes blue. She took another deep breath, letting her shoulders move back and relax. "And you can't overrun me anymore."
Standing outside the door with his hand on the knob, Nihilus blinked a few times. Slowly, he pulled his hand away and turned around, heading back to the kitchen. He had heard the whole conversation and took note of a certain detail.
Kagami was going to try and split Valentine and Val apart. Even after everything that happened, she was going fo help her. He shook his head some, giving a sigh as he stuck his hands in his pockets. Deep down, he had always wanted to do such, he just never thought it was possible. Or how it would even be possible.
He paused for a moment, blinking a few times. He slowly glanced back at the door, his eyebrows raised. Were those two one being, or was one of them forced into that body and if so, who was the real owner of that body. Even after over a decade and a half with her, Nihilus had no clue who she truly was or where she even came from.
As the clock struck seven that morning, Jess chuckled softly, kneeling down in front of tje four MACE girls who were laying face down on the ground. "Oh don't tell me you guys are tired. That was just a good morning run. After we eat breakfast it will ne way worse." She grinned, patting her younger sister's back.
Kris groaned, slowly glaring up while panting heavily. "I hate you..." She shoved her face back into the ground.
The older red head couldn't help but laugh, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I thought this morning you were ready to kick my ass and show me who's boss?"
Lshe groaned more, putting her hands over her ears. "Shut uuuppp..."
"Jessica!" Julia suddenly snapped, marching over.
Said red head shot to her feet, gulping some as she stood up straight and looked ahead. "Julia, ma'am!"
The orange haired captain crossed her arms, smiling as she stepped up next to her. "You know, I remember your first day with me." She grinned a little, seeing Jess' face go red. "You couldn't even keep up with my men and I." She motioned to the team practically dying at their feet. "These four finished in time with us."
"I-" Jess gritted her teeth, stopping herself. She took a deep breath, looking away. "I remember that too..."
"So don't ne so hard on the little ones." Julia smiled, picking up Elise by Kagami's hoodie and placing her down on her feet. "They did pretty good." She patted the brunet's back.
Elise groaned back in response, her body falling forward and collapsing onto the ground. "I can't breathe..." She muttered, sweat dripping dowm the side of her face. "I wanna go back to sleep..."
"Well..." Julia rubbed the back of her head before sighing. "They at least tried." She tried to smile only to sigh and shake her head. She knelt down, poking at Cheyenne. "Hey, you still alive?"
"Yeeeees..." The Faunus groaned out, rolling onto her back. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail currently yet still managed to be a mess. "I wasn't born... to run... that much..."
"Oh, come on." The captain reached over, nudging Kagami's shoulder. "It was only five kilometers."
"Five kilometers at a near sprint the whole way..." Kagami slowly moved her head to look up. Her hair too was in a pony tail. "That's madness..."
"Well maybe if you cut that hair of yours," Julia stood up. "You wouldn't have it getting in your way all the time and getting hot and sweaty."
"Hell no!" Kagami was suddenly a fair distance away from the group, standing up with near razors for teeth as she glared over. "No one if coming anywhere near my hair eith scissors! I've been growing it out since I was thirteen!"
Elise blinked slowly, pushing herself up to look back at her leader. "I... had no idea you liked your hair so much..."
"I don't!" She gritted her teeth some. "I couldn't care less!"
"So why don't you want to cut it...?" Cheyenne slowly looked over with raised eyebrows. "It would probably help out a lot..."
Julia blimked a few times, crossing her arms with a faint smile. "Five years ago, eh? I see."
"See what?" Elise looked up at her, blowing her brown hair from her eyes.
"Met you on Vytal four years ago, right?" The captain asked Kagami.
The jade haired girl gave a nod, slowly stepping back towards them. "Yep."
"Got it." She nodded, looking down at Elise. "So five years ago, a year before Jimmy decided we needed the Dust buried under Vytal, Kagami's life was normal."
Cheyenne blinked once, looking down before at her leader. "Oh."
Kagami took a deep breath, slowly nodding as she crossed her arms. "Yeah... it..." She glanced down at the long ponytail. "It reminds me of way back when... when my mother and I drank tea and watched the sun set and... everything was calm..."
"You know," Elise stood up, dusting herself off. "You should go back to Vytal. We would surely tag along."
Kagami glanced up, shaking her head softly. "Not... not yet..."
Cheyenne blinked a bit, giving a nod as she too stood. "Well when you are ready, we'll be there." She smiled.
Julia couldn't help but smile at the group of girls. She turned around, walking away. "You five hurry up, breakfast doesn't last forever! And Jess," She glanced back with a grin. "Help your sister up."
Groaning, the older red head looked down at her sister, nudging her head with the tip of her shoe. "Come on... wake up..."
"I... don't think she is gettig up." Cheyenne muttered, scratching at her antlers.
Jess groaned again, reaching down and picking up her sister. She threw Kris over her shoulder, grumbling as she carried her off.
Elise chuckled softly, following behind with a hug grin.
"You know..." Cheyenne glanced at her leader as she stepped up next to her. "I'm sure your mother misses you." She gulped some. "I know what it's like to be away from your family for a long time."
Kagami blinked a little, giving a sigh as she stuck her hands into her pockets. "I know... I just..." She sighed again. "I'm not ready myself to go back to that place. When an Atlas soldier cuts up your back and your mother forces you to leave to protect you... you're kinda afraid to go back..."
The Faunus gave a sigh, slowly nodding. "I get that. When... before I was taken into the White Fang... I lived in a poor Faunus village off side of Vale. Dad was crippled but before he was apart of some shady business and owed a lot of people lien. One day... they came to collect his debts and everything went south... they took me and probably killed my mom... I could go back..." She took a deep breath and sighed. "But I'm way too afraid to..."
Kagami glanced at her, giving a soft sigh and looking down. "I'm sorry..." She mumbled before looking up again. She placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling some. "Not all scars are visible, I know that for sure. Now come on." She started to walk forward, nudging her head. "Let's go eat. I'm starving after that run."
Cheyenne couldn't help but smile, giving a nod as she followed. "Me too."
Far away, in the main city, inside a nightclub known for its mischief, Eri sat at a table, swirling a drink around with three ice cubes in her right hand. She couldn't help but flash a smile at what was before her.
"She cut my face though!" Tohopka shouted, waving his tattooed hand out towards Eri. He lifted up his other hand, rubbing across the thin cut on his face. "She broke through my aura and almost killed me! Why are you letting her in here again!?
"Hush, hush." Mrs. Sanguine waved her hand. "That is exactly why she is here. She was able to harm you. Twice. Which impressed me." Her blood red eyes trailed to the short blonde. "Now tell me... I've done research on you in the past few months. You are very difficult to discover anything about." She smiled.
"Thank you." Eri smiled, tipping her drink towards her before she took a drink of it.
She smiled a little more, sitting down in a chair across from her. "You broke into my club once, and I let you go after our little talk. You left, and I learned every little detail about you. Killed your parents at sixteen, stabbed your first government official at seventeen, became a well known criminal at nineteen, and run from the police, skipping from kingdom to kingdom until she was finally caught in Vale at twenty-one, then two years later somehow breaking out." She grinned. "And oh the lives that fell when you did."
"Just me having a little fun." She smiled a little more. "Blood helps with this youthful glow of mine." She took another drink before setting the glass down.
"Then you come back at my request, almost kill Tohopka once again, and now are sitting in fort of one of the most powerful crime bosses in all of Remnant." She leaned forward, clasping her hands together. "What does the infamous killer want?"
Eri grinned, leaning forward as she licked her lips. "I want to help ruin this city and take control from the ashes. And I know you're going to plan on doing that. Any crime lord would at this point. Expecially one as good as you."
Mrs. Sanguine smirked, leaning back in her chair as she looked up at Tohopka. "I like her."
"She seems like she would be helpful." Katie finally walked up to her mother, holding a small light brown chihuahua in her arms and gently stroking its head. "Coco isn't even showing his teeth at her. I think he likes her." She glanced down at the dog with a smile.
"I don't like her." Tohopka grumbled, crossimg his arms as his muscles flexed.
"Well, alright." Mrs. Sanguine leaned forward, smiling at Eri. "You have my attention, a lot of my attention. But before you join me, my daughter, and Tohopka, you hsve to prove yourself."
"Say what it is," Eri finished her drink, standing up as she slammed the cup down onto the table. "And I'll do it." She pulled her hand away from the cup, the left over ice spinning in a circle at the bottom as a small crack slowly grew into a large one.
Later that night, as an exhausted team MACE got ready for bed, Elise glanced up to see Kagami changing into a black sweatshirt. She never bothered to look before, but after today, she decided to at least ask to see. "Hey, Kagami?"
The jade haired girl glanced up, her eyebrows raising. "Yeah?" She looked at the brunet.
With a faint gulp, Elise slowly looked down. "That one time when Dion knocked you out cold and we saw the scars on your back..." She glanced at Cheyenne and Kris. "Neither of us really got a good look at them..." She trailed off, rubbing the back of her head.
Cheyenne blinked a few times, she too was now wondering the same as Elise. So she spoke up and finished the brunet's thoughts. "Could... we see them...?"
Kagami blinked a few times, her eyebrows raising a bit. She glanced around vefore looking at Kris. "Do you want to see them too?"
The red head blinked a few times before giving a small shrug as she kicked off her shoes. "I'll admit I've always wanted a good look at them. But I... always felt to awkward to ask..."
She blinked a little more, glancing down at the floor. Taking a deep breath, she moved her long jade hair out of the way and slid off her green and black shirt, tossing it to the side. "Sure... why not." She turned around, pulling her hair over her left shoulder.
The three other girls slowly stepped closer, coming within arms distance of Kagami.
Even though a black bra covered part of the mutilated skin, it was still visible. From her right shoulder down to her left ribcage, there was a long mark. The second was from her left shoulder blade down to the lower right part of her back. The third mark on her skin was fom the bottom of her left ribcage up to the bottom of her right shoulder blade. The fourth was from her left shoulder down to her the middle of her right shoulder blade. The fifth started just below her neck and went down to the lower left of her spine. The sixth was from her right hip up to her left ribcage. And the last one, it was straight acrosscher back from side to side.
"Holy Oum..." Cheyenne muttered quietly, staring at the pale skin and then the disfigured lines stretching across it.
"And you had this happen to you at fourteen..." Elise bit her lip, unable to look away. She couldn't even imagine that type of pain.
"Can I..." Kris trailed off, looking up at Kagami.
"Go ahead." She nodded back.
The red head nodded in return, slowly lifting her hand to trail across one of the marks. "That's... insane..."
Kagami gave a small, showing a kind smile ascshe reached over and pulled her black sweatshirt on. "I'm just happy they don't hurt anymore. It took months before they were completely healed."
"I can't believe an Atlas soldier would do that..." Cheyenne looked down.
"Pretty sure he was drunk too." Kagami half chuckled, putting her hands behind her head. "Now that I think about it, he probably was."
Kris couldn't help but smile at how her leader could still laugh after something like that. And here she was complaining about her divorced parents and what they do. "Well now that's done." She plopped down onto her bed. "If y'all want me to wake up in the morning, we are sleeping now!"
"Yeaaaaah..." Kagami glanced around, slowly climbing into her bed. "How about we train with Captain Caesar every other day."
"I fully agree!" Cheyenne held up a finger, falling onto her bed.
Elise rolled her eyes, flicking off the light switch. "Okay, even I'll admit, that was pretty brutal today." She jumped into her.
"Let's never talk about it again..." Kris trailed off, yawning.
"Agreed." The brunet mumbled, curling up under her blanket.
Several miles away from the city of Vale, on the outskirts of Grimm territory, a group of bandits were setting up camp for the night. With a dimly lit fire which was now turning to red hot ambers, most of the men and women of the group were sleeping straight on the cold hard ground without any type of blanket. Near the middle though, a man with jade colored hair that was braided was looking down at a map with a flashlight. The city he was looking at was none other than Vale.
"I've jeard rumors the entire academy has fallen there." One man next to him spoke up. "And their defenses are super low too right now because of that attack, boss."
"I see..." The man with the flashlight nodded.
"I saw we attack from the east." A young woman was laying on the ground, eyes shut with her hands nehind her head. Like the man, she too had the same green hair. Her hair though was cut short to her shoulders.
"You're not even looking at the map, Jade." Another man spoke up. "How do you kmow we should raid the place from the eastern end."
"Dunno." She shrugged, sitting up. She opened her eyes, revealing their tea green color. She looked up at the man with the flashlight. "What do you think, dad?"
He gave a sigh, looking up from the map and down at his daughter with narrowed pale green eyes. "I say the south."
"Whatever." Jade rolled her eyes, laying back down with her hands behind her head. "You never listen to me anyway."
"You have one crazy daughter." A female bandit spoke up, looking towards the clear leader of the group. "But then again she is your daughter and you're crazy too, Shinrin."
"Oh, ignore her." He waved his hand. "She's just grumpy she didn't find anything nice at that last village." He smiled some, shaking his head as he turned off the light. "Good night, Jade. I love you."
She grumbled a bit, shutting her tea green eyes as she rolled over. "Love you too, dad."