Inside the room which Captain Caesar allowed team MACE to rest, all four girls of said team were in a mess and a distraught state. Each of their voices echoing through every corner of the room and back at them in the middle.
"We need to tell someone! Captain Caesar! The Vale army! Anyone!" Cheyenne shouted, tossing her arms down. "This is serious guys! There is a whole group of bandits out there ready to swarm in on Vale at any moment!" She looked between her friends, eyes wide.
"BUT Kagami made a deal with that woman." Elise pointed out, holding up a finger with a smile. "And she could totally kick that woman's butt."
"And if she can't?" Kris looked over at her, sitting on the edge of a bed. "What if she loses and they storm the place? Huh?" She held out her arms. "Then what? No one would know! And if we told someone then think of the lives we would save!"
"Well how do you know that if we went and told someone the BBB wouldn't just come charging in anyway?" The brunet glared over. "We have a better chance at putting our faith in Kagami and having her win!"
"But what if she doesn't win!?" The deer Faunus snapped. "Wat if she loses and more loves are lost!? How do we even know she has the strength to win!?"
"Because I know she does!" Elise shot back.
Kris rolled her eyes, standing up. "But what IF Kagami doesn't have the strength to beat her?"
"You know," The jade haired girl finally spoke up. At the moment, she was slump in a chair. "Kagami has a voice of her own and can speak for herself."
The three other girls all stopped talking and turned to face her. They each blinked before Elise gave a sigh and stood up straight. "Well, fine. What do you think?"
"Honestly..." Kagami took a deep breath, lowering her head some. "I'd think I'd lose to her..."
Elise blinked once before she immediately facepalmed with a scream.
"But..." She looked back up at her teammates. "If this group of bandits are as bad as you say, then telling the authorities and having them start preparations would only cause them to be on alert and have them attack sooner."
At that, both Cheyenne and Kris groaned, the Faunus reaching up and rubbing her face as the red head spoke. "So, what do you think we should do?"
Kagami gave a small sigh, shaking her head. "I really don't know... I am pretty sure if that man didn't show up and almost kill me, she would have gotten me with whatever her semblance was. I don't know what it was, but it was definitely powerful." She looked up.
"So, you just have to copy it." Cheyenne added. "Isn't it that simple?"
"It would be but..." She trailed off again before holding up her hands. "Okay, look. You have two mirrors." She held her hands across from each other. "Mirror one." She shook her right hand. "And mirror two." She shook her left. "Now picture them facing each other." She turned her palms to face each other. "Like this, if you were to cut a hole in one of the mirrors and look through them and towards the other, you would get an image of a mirror reflecting itself infinitely. That's... kinda what kept happening when we locked eyes with each other." She gave another sigh, lowering her arms. "We got stronger and stronger, but after a few minutes, heavy exhaustion would sink in equal to that amount of strength. Like Yin and Yang. So, if I were to copy her semblance, which I would have to figure out first before I could even use, she could just reflect it back like a mirror and double charge the strength of hers. Got it?"
"No..." Kris shook her head slowly before she was pushed out of the picture by Elise.
Cheyenne blinked al few times, slowly nodding. "I see... if only you had your semblance figured out."
"Actually," Elise glanced over with a faint chuckle before she looked at Kagami. "Go ahead and show them."
"Show us what?" Kris popped her head over, blinking a bit.
"Her semblance, idiot!" The brunet snapped. "We've been practicing every night!"
"Oh." The red head blinked a bit before sighing. "Daaarn iiittt... I was hoping you guys were secretly having se-"
"Christmas!" Cheyenne warned to which the young girl quickly hushed up.
Elise blinked once, slowly reaching up and grabbing the bridge of her nose. "Oh, for the love of Oum... just... show them." She waved towards Kagami.
Kagami gave a sigh, standing up. She rolled up the sleeve on her left arm so it showed her shoulder. She took a deep breath, holding out her arms as she shut her eyes. A second later, her eyes shot open. The light green fabric wrapped around her forearm burst, falling to the floor in small pieces. As it did so, a bright green pattern slowly drew itself from the back of her hand and down her forearm while going up to her shoulder where it trailed off.
Breathing softly, the jade haired girl lowered her arms, moving her left around a bit. "Neither of us know exactly what it does..." Kagami trailed off as the glow faded and her skin returned to normal. "And it never last for very long..." She looked up at her friends with a faint smile. "But it seems pretty cool so it must do something awesome."
"..." Kris blinked several times, her hand raised before it slowly lowered. "...?"
"Okay, I'm pretty sure dot dot dot dot dot dot dot dot dot dot dot and dot dot dot question mark aren't real responses..." Elise quietly mumbled.
"It's... a pretty accurate feeling and response sometimes..." Cheyenne blinked several times, her own eyes wide. "Especially for something like that."
The brunet just sighed, looking back over at Kagami. "So, what do you think we should do? Maybe in the next three days we can figure out what that is and you can go win."
"I don't know." Kagami shook her head some. "I mean... even if I do win, I can tell that she was speaking the truth about leaving Vale alone... but I don't know about that man. Even if she talked him into it."
"Well, we'll just need a backup plan." Elise smiled.
"Yeah," Cheyenne shook her head some before holding up her hand. "What if we still do this whole fight thing, but still inform someone who can keep their mouth shut just in case she loses or if they don't hold up to their bargain."
"I guess that could work..." Kagami nodded slowly, scratching the back of her head. "But who?"
Elise and Cheyenne both glanced at each other, smiling before they looked over at a still dazed Kris. "Jess." They both said without a hint of stutter.
That night, after a very long and tiring conversation between team MACE and Jess, the group of girls were all resting in bed. Now, normally a conversation as crucial as this would be repeated, but with the vile and vulgar words spoken from the older red head, it best be left alone and in the past. Besides, all that mattered was the fact the four got Jess to agree to be quiet unless it was clear something horrible was about to happen. If she didn't hear word of victory or saw suspicious activity after the battle, Jess knew what to do.
The following day, the group of young girls trained their hearts out. Whether Kagami wanted to admit it or not, and even if her friends didn't want to admit it, they all knew Kagami still had a long way to go.
So, when the leader of team MACE started to get tired along with one of her teammates, another teammate would switch out with the other as they began again. It wasn't solely for Kagami though, Cheyenne, Kris, and Elise too became better than what they were the day before. Who wouldn't after a day under Captain Caesar's training and then endless sparring? These four girls were still growing, in more ways than one and we're definitely going to continue doing so.
That night, as Kagami completely crashed and fell asleep on her bed without so much as a word, Elise gave a small sigh, sitting down in the chair as she leaned back. "I... now I've been way more tired before but I'm honestly so tiiired right now..."
"Oh, same..." Kris muttered, tossing off her hat as she flopped down onto her bed with a soft grunt. With her face shoved into her pillow, she let out a muffled mumbled, one which no one could understand but no one felt like asking what she had to say.
Cheyenne sighed, sitting at the edge of her bed as she took her shoes off. "At least that's over with..." She took off her boots, glancing up at Kagami, who was already snoring, before she looked back at Elise. "Do you really think she has what it takes to win over that woman though?"
"I don't know..." The brunet sighed, shaking her head as she kicked off her boots. "I hope she does and I believe she has what it takes... but I don't know if she will. We are all still children here... but..." She looked up at Kagami's bed, chuckling softly as she saw her sleeping friend with her shoes still on. "She's not like any of us. That's for sure. She's stronger than all of us even though she won't admit it. And smarter too. But she doesn't go flashing it around like other people do. She doesn't flaunt her skills around." She softly chuckled, leaning her head back. "She's like a quiet samurai from all those legends... or maybe a warrior princess?"
Cheyenne couldn't help but laugh softly, putting her hand over her mouth. "Kagami? A princess? Those words go together like oil and water."
"Hey," Elise shrugged. "You can freeze a bottle of oil and water and it still becomes a solid object."
The Faunus blinked a few times. "Wh-What..." She shook her head. "That doesn't even make any sense! That's like saying since ice floats on water, rocks should float in lava!"
"Wait..." She blinked, tilting her head. "Rocks float in lava?"
She blinked a few times, facepalming as hard as she could. "Oum save us..." She laid back, letting her head and antlers hit the pillow softly.
The next day, after sleeping nearly half of it away and waking up past noon, Kagami slowly stepped through the Emerald Forest as she heard Grimm growling in the distance. "Okay, guys," She took a deep breath. For once, the sword her mother had given her wasn't strapped to her back. "This seems like a completely awful idea."
"Come on! You'll be fine!" Elise called from the treetops, currently not visible. "Trust us! We got your back just in case things go south!"
The jade haired girl took a deep breath, slowly nodding. "Right... okay." She started stepping forward some more before she stopped. Slowly, stumbling out from the trees and bushes came an Ursa. It wasn't an Alpha and definitely wasn't that big, but to someone unarmed it definitely meant trouble.
"Alright..." Kagami slid her right foot back, lowering her center of gravity as she held up her arms. She tightened her hands into fist, eyes narrowing at the beast before her. "Let's get this over with."
The Ursa took a step forward, sniffing the air. Its chest then puffed out as it stood up on its back legs, letting out a roar as it charged forward, straight towards Kagami.
She gritted her teeth, running at it and sliding underneath its feet before she jumped back up. "I really don't like this idea!"
"Calm down!" Kris shouted from above. "You have two snipers and me watching out for you!"
"That calms my nerves so much..." She rolled her eyes, ducking down under the paw from the Grimm. She then sidestepped, missing a lunge from the Ursa. She took a deep breath, bolting towards a tree. She jumped up onto it, her feet bracing against the trunk.
Just as the creature charged at her again, Kagami pushed herself off the tree. She gritted her teeth, her back barely missing the claws of the monster. Rather than flying all the way across to land on the ground, she grabbed ahold of the Grimm with her right hand. She swung around, her feet slamming into its back.
"Now or never!" She shouted, giving off a battle cry. Her left arm began to glow, the fabric blowing off as the bright green markings reappeared. She pressed the palm of her hand onto the Ursa's back, the beast jerking.
Kagami jumped off it, panting softly as the glow faded away. The monster of darkness stumbled around a bit before it crouched down, hands over it face as it snarled. For a moment, it was stunned.
Kagami's sword suddenly stabbed the ground in front of her. She stepped towards it, pulling it out. She gave it a twirl, smiling. "Okay, even I say that's cool." She raised her weapon, the blade shining in the light above the Ursa's head. Just as the beast started to move again, the sword crashed down across its neck.
"Huh." Elise jumped down from the trees. "So... it seems to stun Grimm... but doesn't have an effect on humans."
"Maybe it's only a Grimm harming semblance?" Kris asked, landing next to Kagami.
"Or perhaps it interferes with darkened things?" Cheyenne added, coming down next to Elise.
"Kinda like... a purity blast?" Elise raised an eyebrow.
"I think so." Kagami sheathed her blade just as the Grimm began to fade away. She turned around with a smile. "It's kinda cool though." She smiled a little more, glancing back at the Grimm. "That thing was on its knees without so much as a weapon harming it."
"It would make sense on how Val was able to break free from Valentine's hold on her." The deer Faunus glanced at her. "You must have messed with the darkness inside of her and caused a shift in power."
"Maybe it's more than darkness." The Kris raised an eyebrow. "What if it is more like purity? You know how some people can create illusions? What if she could break through that and find the truth behind it all? Like something that seeks and finds what is right, morally and fact wise to the person, and gets rid of or stuns the other parts of it? It would be cooler if it was your right hand though..." She sighed. "You could have been named the Right Hand of Rightness!"
Cheyenne blinked a few times before facepalming. Elise shook her head some with a sigh as she crossed her arms. "You were on such a roll shorty, and then you had to ruin it with Right Hand of Rightness."
"Shut up you jerk!" Kris snapped, waving her arms around rapidly. Kagami simply smiled, glancing down at her left hand. No matter what anyone said, what she had just done was really amazing to her.
When the next day came around, Kagami's heart was racing a million miles an hour. She didn't want to worry her friends by saying she was scared, but deep down she was terrified. She took a deep breath, picking at the fingerless tactical gloves she had on. Pressure or no pressure, she knew she was up against an opponent she wouldn't win against easily.
The jade haired girl glanced up, her teammates leaning on the side of a building at the edge of the city. There, she saw the father and daughter Monomanes who used their gift for not so good deeds.
"This is utter stupidity." Shinrin half scolded his daughter, his arms and body hidden under his thick green cloak. He turned his head to face her, his long ponytail swaying slightly. "We could have been in and out of this place right now. Why do you even have to fight her?"
"It's hard to explain." Jade said, glancing up at her father before looking forward with crossed arms. "I've fought tons of people but she... one of our cousins would definitely put forth a challenge."
"Then why not just spar with me?" He sighed.
"Simple." She held out her hand for him to stop walking as she stepped onward. "We spar. If I fought with her, when we both have something great to lose," She glanced back with a grin. "Then you just have a better reason for fighting and a far better drive."
Shinrin sighed, reaching up and grabbing the bridge of his nose. "Just like your mother..." He shook his head while whispering to himself.
Kagami gulped some, slowly stepping up towards Jade. It was just a small fight, but it was giving her more anxiety than she had ever had in her life. She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a moment. Her mind going back to the night before.
Last night, while most people were asleep, Kagami slowly opened the door the room Captain Caesar had for them. She inhaled softly, stepping inside the room with a steaming cup of green tea.
"Can't sleep, huh?" Elise mumbled softly, her hands behind her back.
Kagami blinked a little, glancing over at her awake and standing teammate. "Yeah... I mean, could you?"
"Probably not... but, since you're always helping us out." She smiled innocently.
The jade haired girl sighed, taking a sip of her tea as she sat down on the floor. "What have you done?"
"Weeeeell..." The brunet smiled, quickly holding out Kagami's book filled with poems. "I wrote a poem!" She smiled some more.
Kagami blinked a few times as Elise awkwardly chuckled. Finally, she sighed and took another sip of her tea. "Okay..." She raised a hand. "Do we not remember the whole 'I read your poems and our whole team split up and got beaten to a pulp and the entire city was attacked and Beacon fell' adventure?" She cracked a small smile.
Elise rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Okay, to be fair, pretty sure ALL of that wasn't solely because I read your poems."
"Or maybe it is." She chuckled some.
"Whatever..." She groaned, sitting down in front of her leader with a smile. "Now, you're always making us feel better with poems, so now I made one for you." She chuckled a bit. "It's clearly not as good as yours... but I hope it helps some. It's clear you're not completely confident you'll win so... you know... I'm here to find that hope buried deep inside you." She smiled some more before she began to read.
When things in life give you a rough time
And I need a rhyming line
When you know that it may not be alright
You know you have to fight
Your victory is in your sight
If you don't want to win, you might as well try
There are some moments you just can't deny
End the end it doesn't matter
As long as evil is left in tatters
You have to fall to lose it all
You can't take it back, gotta make a tough call
Don't lie baby, don't cry
Spread your wings and you can fly
Feel your way through the darkness
Wicked, cold, and heartless
And when everything is falling apart
We can go to the shopping mart
Find the light inside
Our faith in others becomes our lifeline
Kagami blinked a few times, nearly spitting out her tea. She choked just a bit, shaking her head as she coughed. "That… that was…" She couldn't help but laugh a little with her hand covering her mouth.
"Huh?" Elise raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. "What?"
She simply shook her head, chuckling softly as she reached a hand out and placed it on Elise's shoulder. "Keep trying, alright? I'm sure you'll get better. Trust me, it was sweet and nice but… it was pretty bad." She laughed a bit more.
Elise's face shot a deep shade of red as her chest puffed out. She slammed Kagami's book shut and threw it at her friend. "You're such a jerk! I spent like two hours on that!"
Kagami blinked a few times, raising an eyebrow at the page which Elise had written on in her book. "You would think if you spent two hours on this your handwriting would look a lot nicer." She chuckled.
The brunet gave off a small scream, her face still red as she turned on her heels and hauled herself up into her bed. She paused though, glancing back at her still grinning leader. "But… anyway… good luck." She smiled with a small nod. "And just have hope that you'll win."
"Definitely." Kagami gave a nod with a soft smile before she flashed another grin. "And you keep practicing your writing skills so you can be like that Roy G. Biv guy you like."
Elise's face shot a deep shade of red again as she reached over, tossing her pillow at her head. "SHUT UP!"
In the present, Kagami gently smiled to herself as she stopped several meters in front of Jade. The young woman ceasing her walk as well.
"So, you ready?" Jade calmly asked, an eager smile pecking at her lips.
Kagami gulped some, smiling softly at a line from Elise's poem. If you don't win, you might as well try. She gave off a small laugh, her out of control heartbeat starting to slow down. "As ready as I'll ever be." She glanced up, reaching for her sword. All fell silent, the wind gently blowing between the two.
Kagami simply flashed a grin, letting her blade click softly as she unsheathed it.