Halo, it's time for the newest chapter. Enjoy the reading.

One shot to the stomach and the journey was almost over for Mandy. She remembered the Battle of Beacon. That night, she revealed her true intentions and together with the White Fang, they nearly conquered Vale.

Unfortunately, the battle was lost and she was shot in the abdomen. She remembered how panicked she was and Derrick was the one who did everything to save her life but they both knew she would die without medical help. She begged Derrick to take her to the hospital, not caring that the authorities would arrest and interrogate her. She wanted to live and wasn't ready to die.

That's when Roman Torchwick and his girlfriend, Neopolitan, came into the infirmary. Roman wanted to discuss something with Derrick, so at his suggestion they left the infirmary, leaving her with Neo. Mandy begged Derrick to stay, but he reassured her that he would be back soon.

This was the last time Mandy saw Derrick, she clutched her wound for a while but Neo stayed with her for emotional support with little success or interest. Neo's indifferent and uninterested face was the last thing she saw before everything was covered in darkness.

When he opened her eyes again, she was lying in another bed, in a ward. She nervously got up from the bed and looked around to see that he was with many other wounded humans and faunus who had been wounded in the battle. She was wearing a white hospital gown, which she pulled up to look at her stomach, which her last memory was spilling the blood from. This time he was covered in bandage, it didn't hurt and she felt that she was on the mend.

Derrick did as she asked and took her to the hospital but she didn't understand why she was in the city hospital and not a prison hospital. The other patients in the room were unfamiliar, not even the faunus, they weren't the White Fang's people but civilians and soldiers they were fighting against.

- Did you wake up? - A female voice addressed her. - If they had brought you in a little later, it's not certain that we would have been able to save you. - It was a nurse in white uniform sitting next to Mandy's bed with a pen and paper in hand.

- Where am I and how did I get here?

- In the city hospital of Vale and a group of Atlas soldiers found you and saved you from that crazy beast. - The nurse quickly put her hand over her mouth after seeing Mandy's fox ears. - Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or your kind.

- None taken.

- Can you tell me your name?

- Um… Mandy… Forrester.

- I see. - The woman just wrote on the paper. - Perhaps you are a Huntress student?

- Why?

- An hour after the bullet was removed from you, your body began to heal much faster. Apparently, your aura started healing you.

- Yes… - Mandy wasn't completely lying, as she was a student at Beacon for a few months. - My friend... - She wanted to know what happened to Derrick, but she couldn't reveal that she was also a member of the White Fang. - Had someone with me... who... - She didn't know how to put it into words.

- I'm sorry, but there was no one with you, only your attacker.

- My attacker? - She remembered Mei, who shot her but killed her in revenge.

- That big White Fang soldier with chainsaw. – Mandy immediately realized that it could only be Derrick. - Don't worry, the attacker was executed on the spot. - It hit Mandy hard that Derrick was dead. - Many things can go wrong with a stomach shot, your stomach wall was torn but we were able to save you with a surgery. You're lucky, it wouldn't have needed much time to damage your spine but after a few weeks you'll be back to health.

- Thank you. – She tried to stand up but she still felt weak and as soon as she tried to stand on her feet, she almost fell.

- You'll have to wait for that. You're in a coma for a whole week, your legs went limp. - Mandy felt after she laid back in bed that she couldn't move her legs and couldn't even feel them, as if they weren't there, not even her toes, no matter how hard she tried, her limbs didn't respond. - The after-effect of the coma, don't worry, you're not paralyzed, one day until the blood flows back into your legs and you can get back on your feet. - The nurse handed her a glass of water. - You didn't eat or drink for a week. – As soon as Mandy sipped the water, she felt how dehydrated she was and felt her stomach rumbling. - Here, eat something too. - She handed her a roll, some cold cuts and an apple on a plastic tray. - I'll be back to see if you're okay but until then, eat and rest.

With that, the nurse left the ward, Mandy, after she finished eating, fell on the bed and put the pillow over her face because she didn't want anyone to see her cry. Derrick died, Mandy quickly put the picture together, what could have happened. He tried to bring her to the hospital but the people didn't want to listen to him and shot him dead on the spot.

"Humans are like trash," she clenched her fists and her hatred for humanity deepened.

- I hope I'm not late for the visit. – Suddenly, she heard a familiar male voice. She quickly removed the pillow from her face, not caring that they saw her teary face.

- Adam? - Mandy couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the faunus boy. - What are you doing here? – Adam wasn't in his usual attire but in a simple pair of jeans, shoes and a hoodie, which he pulled the hood over his head and covered his left eye with a black blindfold to hide the scar on his eye, which would make it quite noticeable. Of course, he didn't have his sword either.

- Derrick called me that he brought you to this hospital before he died. - He explained in a whisper so that no one would recognize him. - You both served the White Fang well. The Faunus came closer to taking control of Remnant with the Battle of Beacon.

- What? - Mandy shook her head. - Isn't our goal that people treat us equally?

- Open your eyes, Mandy. - Adam smiled. - How much damage we caused with a single attack. With the help of Roman Torchwick and Cinder, we almost took Vale. Faunus are clearly the dominant race of Remnant. We shouldn't strive for equality but for faunus to dominate Remnant.

- But this is… crazy. - Mandy hated humans too but to overthrow their rule was a bit much.

- Not at all. Derrick sacrificed his life for you. - Adam knelt down to look Mandy in the eye. - He was a good friend of mine and a valuable fighter for our cause but he chose so that you could stay alive and fight on. The only thing you can do for his memory is to keep fighting and fight till your last breath for what Derrick believed in. What is your answer? Will you come with me back to Mistral and continue the fight?

- I… - Mandy didn't want to take any more innocent lives but she knew that humans wouldn't respect faunus if they didn't change. Until 5 years ago, the White Fang tried peaceful methods but they achieved nothing. Since Sienna Khan took over and started more radical means, they have accomplished more in the next 5 years than since the White Fang was founded. And now that they have shaken Vale, more and more people will respect and fear the faunus. - I can't stand up. My legs went limp. I need a day to recover. - Adam sighed and she could feel the disappointment in his voice.

- I see that. I'll be back tomorrow but I'd like to hear your answer by then.

Adam left the ward and left Mandy alone with her thoughts.

The team RRNJL continued their journey towards Mistral on a forest road with Ruby leading them and looking at the map.

- The next village... - She tried to rotate the map, take a closer look and adjust herself on it. – yeah… um… we got lost. - She lowered her head in disappointment.

- Why did we give you a map? - Lance just shook his head.

- No, we're not lost! - Jaune was confident. - The next village is Shion! My family and I often visited there on vacation.

- Oh yeah. - Ruby shook her head at that. – Don't you have 4 sisters?

- Um... seven. - Jaune admitted as Ruby giggled.

- That explains a lot. - Nora said.

- What are you talking about?

- And… - Ruby changed the subject. - what did you do there?

- Oh, - Jaune got excited and started to explain while pointing on the map. – a lot of things! There's a hiking route here and we camped on it! I always got my own tent because I was special. – He was very proud of this but he soon broke down because of an unpleasant memory. - And because my sisters always braided my hair.

- You're kidding, aren't you? - Lance laughed at that too.

- I think it must have been cute. - Ruby found it funny too.

- The problem that it was always tied in two braids but I would have liked a warlike wolf braid much better.

- You mean, a ponytail? - Ruby corrected and then there was an awkward silence.

- I stand by what I said. - Jaune was firm.

- Um... guys. – Nora, Ren and Lance, who weren't looking at the map, saw a terrible sight in front of them.

- What is that? – Ruby and Jaune, who were browsing the map, now looked up and saw what the others were horrified at.

The smoking ruins of Shion Village, which may have recently been destroyed, were mutilated corpses and ruins still smoldering everywhere. They put away the map, took out their weapons and immediately started searching for survivors.

- Maybe there are still survivors! - Ruby did her best.

- There! - Ren found someone, the others followed him. He was a wounded man in armor with his empty weapon lying beside him. There was hardly any life left in him and it didn't take much for that little to leave him too.

- A Hunter. - Ruby stated.

- What happened? - Jaune asked. - Who killed these people?

- There are gunshots everywhere. - Lance saw that there were a few bodies that had been shot. - The Grimms don't use rifles.

- Bandits. - The wounded man coughed. - A… a whole tribe. Then... panic and fear... - He couldn't continue because of the coughing.

- Grimms. - Ren finished, placing his hand on the man's shoulder and he nodded and closed his eyes.

- Okay, - Ruby summed up what needed to be done. – we have to get him to the next village! - She was composed and determined. - We'll find him a doctor there!

- Yeah, - Jaune agreed. - Lance and I will carry him.

- Ruby, you're the fastest, - Lance continued. – go scout ahead and call for help if you find a village.

- I don't know if he will survive. - Nora wasn't that confident.

- He'll survive! - Jaune didn't care her doubts.

- The faster we act, - Ruby supported. – his chance to survive is better. I'm going. – Ruby was already about to start using her Semblance at Lance's suggestion but Ren stopped her.

- Guys. - His voice was disappointed and she shook his head, showing that the man was already dead.

- Should… - Nora didn't know what to say. - we bury him?

- Let's go. - Ren just left him and moved on. – It's not safe here.

- Ren... - Nora followed in frustration.

- You're right. - Lance also saw there's nothing they could do. - We have to go on.

- Everything will be fine. - Ruby took Jaune's arm supportively.

- I'm just... tired of not being able to save everyone.

- Me too. - Lance replied. - That's why we have to go further to help those we can.

They continued their journey with that, leaving the destroyed village behind them, where they could no longer help anyone.

Lance was unable to sleep the night after the group set camp, built a fire and rested. He remembered the Battle of Beacon and the last time he saw his team. Mandy, who sided with the White Fang and wanted to kill Lynda and Mike.

In order to help them escape, he used his Semblance and transformed into a Berserker. It was the last memory he had of the Battle of Beacon and he doesn't know where his team members are, except for Mike, who's safe with his mother. He couldn't be sure about Lynda, since according to Mike, she went home to Menagerie to her brother. And he hasn't heard anything about Mandy, he doesn't know if she's alive or dead. He doesn't know what he will do with the fox faunus girl but he hopes that she will come to her senses and be with her team again.

Suddenly he heard a familiar, mechanical voice, clearly Pyrrha's. He went in the direction of the voice and saw Jaune in a grove practicing swordsmanship with his sword and shield in hand.

- Okay Jaune, as we practiced. - Jaune's Scroll was propped up against a fallen tree and it played a recording of Pyrrha teaching him how to fight. - Follow the instructions. Shield up, - Jaune did anyway. - hold the sword tightly and remember that your feet should face forward. - He did everything as Pyrrha said on the recording. - Ready? Go! - Jaune held his sword forward and stabbed. - One more time! - Jaune slashed this time but with enough force to create a small windstorm. - And one more time! – This time he spun around and cut another one, stirring the same wind as before. - Okay, as long as you didn't cheat, we can get some rest. – Jaune sadly hung his head panting. - I know it can be a little frustrating and it's very tiring and it takes a lot of work to make even the smallest improvement but I want you to know that I'm very proud of you. I have never met anyone who wanted to be better and improve so much. You've grown so much since we first met and I know this is just the beginning. Jaune… - At the recording, Pyrrha looked a little embarrassed, like she wanted to ask something but didn't dare. - I…I…I want you to know, - Finally she didn't dare to ask. – that I am happy to be a part of your life. I will always be here for you Jaune. – With this, the recording automatically rewound and started from the beginning. - Okay Jaune, as we practiced.

Jaune practiced determinedly every night with Pyrrha's last remaining recording on his Scroll.

- What's going on? - Lance heard a whisper behind him.

- Jaune. - Lance nudged the training boy. Ruby put her hand over her mouth as she saw Jaune practicing following Pyrrha's last instructions. - Do you think he's okay?

- He just needs time. - Ruby, if she was a little sad to see her friend like this, distraught and broken but she was sure he would get better in time.

- I hope you are right. - Lance didn't know what to do but Ruby's eyes lit up.

- What if you taught him? - He suggested.

- Me?

- Why not? You, him and Pyrrha had similar fighting styles. You could help him to evolve and get over Pyrrha's… - Ruby broke down a bit as she thought about what happened to Pyrrha.

- I understand what are you suggesting. I'll ask him tomorrow. - Ruby put her hand on his shoulder. - Now let's leave him alone and go back to sleep.

They did so, leaving a grieving Jaune who had only been practicing swordsmanship all night with Pyrrha's last words.

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