He needed to survive. That was all that mattered right now. Blood dripped down his maimed arm, but that didn't matter. Pain was nothing, just as long as he survived. But the more time that passed, the more unlikely it seemed that he would.
His vision was blurry, his legs felt weak, blood ran down his arm like a leaky faucet, and his entire body ached. Just holding onto his swords took an exceptional amount of effort.
Sheathing one of his blades in its scabbard on his lower back, he let out a sigh. Running his hand through his raven-colored hair, he jumped higher up onto the rooftop, his feet sliding against the ground beneath him. He gasped for breath, with any luck, this would be a good place to hide out for a moment.
It was supposed to be a simple job. Some two-bit thug hadn't been paying back his loans. He should have been no trouble at all to kill. He wouldn't have been any trouble to kill. He shouldn't have been. But he never expected Huntsmen to get involved. Especially not ones skilled enough to have him completely on the ropes.
All Yin could do was flee. If this bastard had hired a professional Huntsman of this caliber, then Yin wasn't suited for this job. One of his superiors would have to take over.
But even then, Yin doubted if even they could handle this guy.
Suddenly, a tingling feeling ran down his spine. His amethyst eyes widened, and he turned, spotting a red-colored line connected to his neck.
The prediction line.
Quickly, he dove out of the way, rolling across the rooftop as he heard the sound of a heavy weapon crashing against where he stood. Sliding back to his feet, he drew his second sword yet again, his eyes landing on his adversary.
A Huntsman, he had spiky black hair and an unkempt appearance. He held a massive scythe, swinging it over his head as he turned to look at the young man across the rooftop from him.
"Huh? So you can see my attacks coming, can't you?" The man asked, resting his scythe on his shoulder. Yin glared back at the man. He wanted to run. But he wasn't even sure if he could. This guy had been catching up to him almost effortlessly this entire time.
Was there any point in running?
The Huntsman pulled a scroll out of his jacket. Yin raised an eyebrow at this. What was he doing with that?
Answering his question, the taller man began to call someone.
"Hey Oz, I found the target. What do you want me to do with him?" The man asked, Yin perking up a bit at this.
The target? He was a target? For what purpose? Was someone after his family? A small part of him was beginning to wonder if this mission had been a setup. And a large part of him was beginning to brainstorm exactly how he could get out of this mess.
"You're kidding, right?" The man suddenly asked, seeming a little surprised. "Well, you're the boss."
He lowered his scroll and spun his scythe around yet again. Yin watched this happen with a cautious look in his eyes. What had just happened? Was he gonna be killed? Or taken into custody?
He couldn't be sure, but he also didn't plan to go down without a fight, he tightened his grip on his swords hilt as he glared intensely at the taller man, his bangs falling into his eyes as he prepared to attack.
But he was broken from his concentration by a sudden, very strange statement.
"Come with me, my boss wants to meet you." The man spoke, gesturing for Yin to follow. But the young man stayed exactly where he was.
"Huh?" He muttered in surprise. Just what was this man trying to pull here? Yin wasn't sure, but he knew that he couldn't trust this guy.
"What, you didn't hear me?" The man asked. "I said my boss wants to meet with-"
"I know what you said, I'm trying to figure out why!" Yin spat in annoyance, standing up slowly, his grip tightening further around the hits of his twin blades.
"Hell, if I know. The boss is just interested in you." The man stated calmly, earning another glare from the younger male.
"Well, you can tell your boss to shove it." He stated a sort of venom in his voice. "I don't answer to him or you."
He lowered his stance, preparing for a fight. He could feel his body growing weaker and weaker with every passing second. Honestly, he was just bluffing. He couldn't fight in this condition.
Unfortunately, his opponent also realized this, picking up his scroll again.
"Just to clarify, you did say 'by any means necessary' correct?" The Huntsman asked, and after a few moments, he nodded. "Got it."
And within a fraction of a second, that tingling feeling returned. Yin's eyes shot open in surprise as he saw yet another red line shooting out from his body, this time, his stomach. He moved to try and evade, but in his condition, he didn't stand a chance.
Of course, even if he was in tip-top shape, that likely would have made no difference. After all, it doesn't matter if you know where an attack will land when you can't even see your opponent move.
His eyes widened further as the man was mere inches away from him in what felt like a nanosecond. The young Assassin didn't even have time to raise his arms to defend himself. A dull pain shot through his entire body as the man's fist buried into her gut. He stumbled back slightly, choking up some saliva from the force of the hit
And just as quickly as the attack came, he felt his legs give out, and his vision began to grow blurry. He stumbled forward, falling to the ground in a heap.
"Hey Oz, I had to knock him unconscious. I'm bringing him to you now." The man spoke as Yin's consciousness faded.
The last thing he heard was a bitter laugh.
"So, finally back to the world of the living, are you?" A calm voice asked as Yin stirred, his eyes shifting throughout the room. He was in some kind of office, sitting in a wooden chair.
He tried to move, but found that his arms and legs were bound to the chair. He could have tried to escape, and he probably could have were he not so dazed. But he saw the scythe-wielding Huntsman from earlier in the corner of the room. There was no point in even trying to run away.
He remained silent.
"You know, Qrow, I did ask you to not hurt him too badly." The white-haired man joked, looking toward The Huntsman.
"He fought back." The Huntsman, now identified as Qrow spoke.
Yin coughed.
"So I take it you're Oz..." The young man asked, looking down at the floor. Even the act of raising his head into the air was a chore right now.
The man nodded. "Yes, I am professor Ozpin."
Yin's eyes widened. What the hell did Ozpin want with him!? He was in really deep shit at this point. He was pretty sure he was more confident when he thought this was a rival group.
At least they would have just killed him.
Feigning confidence, however, the young man replied. "I'm honored, now what the hell does The Headmaster of Beacon want with me?"
"Well, you certainly get straight to the point, don't you?" Ozpin joked, cracking a smile at the shorter boy, who didn't respond. "You are Feng Yin, a member of the Feng family of assassins. You're responsible for two dozen assassinations over your three years of taking jobs."
Yin glared at him. "Get to the point."
Ozpin laughed. "Though I did notice something about your targets. All twenty-four of them were known criminals, murderers, thieves, and worse. Why is it that you only target people like that?"
"Hell, if I know, I just take the jobs I'm given." Yin replied, looking away from the taller man as he did so. Just what was this bastard trying to say.
"I don't buy that. I don't see a heartless killer when I look at you." Ozpin replied, standing up and spinning his cane in his hand. "I see a young man desperately grasping at anything that can support him as he plummets into the abyss."
Yin stayed silent.
"Put simply, I believe you to be a good person, Yin Feng." Ozpin stated, walking around behind Yin.
"And where exactly are you going with this?" Yin asked, glaring up at the white-haired man.
Ozpin smiled. "I would like to invite you to join us at Beacon Academy."
The room went dead silent. Yin stared at the taller man with a dumbfounded look on his face. He had expected to be killed or thrown into a cell for his crimes. But instead, he was being offered...this.
It didn't make any sense.
"What are you-"
"Like I said, I believe you're a good person. Rough around the edges and in desperate need of guidance. But a good person, notheless." Ozpin explained. "And naturally, we'll be watching you like a hawk. We can't place our full trust into someone who kills for a living right out of the gate."
Yin hummed. "And I assume my choices are this or prison?"
"Pretty much." Qrow jumped in.
Yin sighed. It really wasn't much of a choice. Either he could spend the rest of his life in prison for two dozen assassinations, or he could spend some time at Beacon, and hone his skills further.
He didn't need to become a Hunter. He just needed to be strong enough to get away from these people at some point. He needed to recover, get stronger, and finally escape. In the end, that's all there was to it.
"It could be pretty stupid of you to trust me." Yin pointed out, turning to glance at Ozpin, who had since sat against his desk, taking a sip of tea. "How can you be sure I won't betray you once it's convenient for me?"
"Well, I suppose I can't." The mad admitted. "The best I can do is remain vigilant of the possibility."
Yin narrowed his eyes at the man. This offer was too good to be true. There had to be more to this. There just had to be! There was no way that only Yin was benefitting from this. The question was what Ozpin actually gained from this.
He almost wanted to ask, but he also knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. He wasn't an idiot, and this was a golden opportunity for him.
Yin nodded.
"I accept."
At least until he found the strength to get back home.