Shaking her head as she listened to Aero speak, Baren took several deep breaths. She went to speak only to cut herself off quickly. She felt the air around her shift and for a moment, she sensed another aura. A gentle wind brushed against her and ruffled both her clothes and hair. Chills ran up her spine and neck as she quickly looked around. She was alone in the quiet woods. "Damn it." She hissed as she tried to see the truth. The world around her felt different but somehow the same. Hearing footsteps, she quickly turned around with narrowed eyes.
Stepping out between a few trees, Wuile glanced around before smiling at her. "There you are, Blaire." He gave a nod.
Blinking a few times, she slowly squared her shoulders. "An illusionist. I see. I should have known. Where are they?" She looked around. Rather than finding who was to blame, she watched as her former leader, Rosalind, and old friend, Nero, walk up on either side of her. Sighing, she lowered her head. "Okay. This isn't funny."
Lowering her left hand, Baren gripped the handle of her weapon. Inhaling quickly, she sharply exhaled as she unsheathed her ninjato and slashed in a single swift motion. Her blade went straight through Wuile. With narrowed eyes, she gulped a little and clenched her jaw. His body rippled for a moment before fading away into nothing.
"Well that was very rude." Rosalind shook her head with her hands on her hips. Her horse tail swayed back and forth. "How could you go and do that? He-" Before she could even continue, the short blade slashed through her as well. Her body disappeared just like her teammates.
Turning around on the balls of her feet, Baren narrowed her eyes at the last remaining person. But as she lunged forward this time, the illusion jumped back.
"You think I'd let you off me that easily?" Nero raised an eyebrow. With a chaotic grin, he reached up and patted his right metal arm. "Ironic, isn't it?" He eyed her limp right sleeve. "You let me die but still ended up just like me." He quietly chuckled. "I think that's pretty damn funny, don't you? Both of us are disabled idiots. But you haven't gotten a replacement yet... afraid of it, aren't you?"
Without responding, her eyes locked with his as she dashed towards him. With an upward slash, she let out a very quiet grunt.
He calmly stepped out of the way with a grin. "Oh, you're getting old. You're slow."
Doing her best to ignore him, she went in for another attack. And then another. Each time, he would slip out of the way just in time. Growing more and more irritated, she tightened her grip and swung as hard as she could. Feeling her blade come in contact with something, she grunted and stumbled as her ninjato became lodged into a tree.
"Oh man," Jumping up behind her, Nero rubbed the back of his head. "You really are bad at this now. I think I may know why." He chuckled while wiggling his right hand's fingers around. The metal creaked very quietly.
"But your pride won't let you, will it?" Rosalind whispered from behind. "You tell that kid that looks like Wuile that it's because you've come to terms with what happened all those years ago and you don't need it, that not having that arm is a reminder for you not to get over confident again, but I know the truth. I know-" She was cut off. Baren's weapon cut straight through her before slashing through the gray haired boy.
As they both disappeared, Baren lowered her head while taking a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to compose herself. Opening her eyes, she glanced down at her blade. She went to put it away only to stiffen as a voice spoke up behind her.
"You're afraid." Wuile bluntly let out as he approached with his hands in his pockets. "You're afraid if you put a new arm on, you'll be disrespecting Nero and what he went through. You're afraid you'll be dishonoring his pointless death. You're afraid you're undeserving. Tch." He flashed his teeth at her. "And you know, you're right. You are undeserving."
"Quiet!" She snapped while raising her voice. Flipping her ninjato around into a reverse grip, she took a step towards him and slashed upward.
Stumbling back, Kagami raised her left arm and parried against the attack with her bracer. "What the..." She trailed off before quickly slipping underneath and stepping behind her mentor. "Oh you've got to be kidding me..." Still partially out of breath, she reached back and drew her sword. Sliding her right foot back, she readied herself as Baren turned around and glared with a hateful expression. She knew all she had to do was get close enough to touch her. But that was easier said than done.
She very slowly breathed in while tightening her grip on her sword. She watched the pinkette closely for a moment. After a few seconds, she exhaled and lowered her head slightly. Her father's braid fell over her shoulder as she closed her eyes.
"You call that an attack?" Wuile mocked as he spun his old military issued rifle around. Catching it with a small snap, he slid his right foot back. "Come on. I know you can do better than that. Or are you just that weak?" He flashed a toothy grin.
Clenching her jaw, Baren gripped her weapon tight before lunging at him. Bringing her arm close to her chest, she went to stab him while pushing her whole body forward.
"Tch." He scoffed as he brought his rifle up and blocked the attack. "Come on, try harder." He chuckled.
Blinded by the silently boiling anger in her blood, she didn't even notice how she could strike the illusion. Taking a step back, she spun around backwards while slashing at him.
With her sword pointing at the ground, Kagami jumped back as the blades struck each other with a loud cling. Sharply exhaling, she dropped her sword into a reverse grip and shot towards the right of her mentor. She didn't like using Baren only having one arm to her advantage when they would spar, but this was far different from their usual matches.
Whipping her head to the right, the old warrior let out a very low growl. Twisting her body around, she was forced to take a few steps before she could once again attack. Flipping her ninjato into a hammer grip, she raised it up and sent a downward slash.
With her sword resting against her forearm, the jadette quietly grunted as she blocked the heavy attack. Her feet dug into the ground as she kept herself upright. Taking a deep breath, she shifted her shoulders and reached out with her left hand.
Watching Wuile reach for her, Baren growled deeply from within her core. With her weapon and his rifle locked together, she pushed all her weight onto her left leg. Easily holding herself steady, she raised her right leg and drove her knee into his chest. As he stumbled back, she took a step forward while bringing her other leg up. Gritting her teeth, she sent a front kick straight into his torso. "Leave. Me. Alone." She finally broke her silence.
Falling onto her back with a grunt, Kagami softly groaned and blinked a few a few times with wide eyes. This wasn't going well. Whatever Baren was seeing, it had her mad. Madder than she had ever seen her. Calming her breathing, her breath suddenly hitched. Quickly bringing her arms close to her chest, she rolled to the side just as her mentor's blade drove into the ground where she was.
With a frustrated and annoyed groan, the jadette pushed herself up to her feet. "Come on... I know mind games are hard to deal with, but you got to work with me here!" She knew Baren couldn't hear her, but shouting made her feel a little better. Just a little.
Jerking her blade from the ground, the old warrior stood up straight while turning her body to glare at her former teammate. With a low snarl, she spun her ninjato around before quickly tossing it at him with an inhuman speed.
Going stiff, Kagami's eyes shot wide as the blade barely grazed her ear. Her green aura flickering a bit as it protected her. Turning her head slightly, she stared at the weapon that was now stuck inside a tree. With a shaky breath, she went to look forward only to grunt as she was tackled. Her back slammed up against the tree hard enough that her sword was lost from her grip.
Coughing a few times, she shook her head and looked up at Baren who had her pinned with her left forearm across her neck. The look in her eyes... was terrifying. There was no remorse. No mercy. Only hatred and the want to kill could be seen.
"...shit..." The young Huntress in training mumbled very quietly under her breath. She stared up at her mentor with wide eyes. With her insides twisting in knots, her breathing began to grow uneven and her hands began to tremble. There was the fear she felt when fighting Grimm and then there was the fear she felt now. If this feeling could even be called fear. This felt more like raw terror in her opinion.
"Agh!" She let out loudly as Baren pulled her arm away and replaced it with her wooden sandal. Gritting her teeth, her brow twitched as she closed both her eyes. Reaching behind her, her fingers clawed at the rough bark. Hearing the ninjato that was lodged into the tree being pulled free, she sharply inhaled while raising her head.
With one eye closed, she bared her teeth and shakily reached up with her left hand. She could see the light of the sun reflecting off the short blade as it was raised.
"Enough of this." The old warrior breathed out while keeping the illusion of her lover pinned. "You're dead. You're not actually here." With her arm across her body, she slashed to the left with her ninjato. Her aim going for Wuile's neck. Feeling a pressure against her face, her brow furrowed slightly.
Baren's vision suddenly shifted. Her green haired teammate wavered like he was underwater before he became a still image once again. But he wasn't himself now. Looking between Kagami's fingers, she stared at the young jadette. Her body jerked a bit as she quickly stopped her swing.
Breathing heavily, Kagami stared for a moment before letting her left arm fall to her side. Her aura faded away from the overuse of her semblance. Remaining still for a second, she softly grimaced and closed her eyes. Her head tilted slightly as she turned it to the right.
Frozen for a second, the old warrior quickly took a step back. Pulling her ninjato away, she stared at the dark crimson line that remained on the girl's neck. For once, her breathing grew rapid. Glancing down at her weapon that trembled in her hand, her eyes grew wide. Images of Wuile being stabbed with it when it was still a katana flashed through her mind. In between them, images of Kagami with it up against her neck.
With panicked breathing, she dropped the weapon and took several steps back. "No... no." She shook her head. Gritting her teeth, she reached up to grab her face. She had been around for a long time and had seen many things. She was always in control of every situation. But this one? She was still trying to process everything that had happened.
One thing she did understand though.
She nearly killed Kagami.
Falling to her knees, Baren hunched forward while using her left arm to prop herself up. Lowering her head, her large mass of pink hair hid her face. Small droplets fell to the ground and began to soak it.
Catching her breath, Kagami looked over. Swallowing a little, she reached up and gently ran her fingers across the gash on her neck. Wincing slightly, she sighed and lowered her arm. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked over. Her feet crunching the leaves below them. Kneeling down, she placed her hand on her mentor's right shoulder. Rather than saying anything, she kept quiet while closing her eyes and lowering her head. The silence of the calm forest grew once again as the two of them stayed still.
She knew what it felt like having her mind and perception warped and hurting those she cared about because of it. It was a rush of confusion, anger and so much self hatred once everything was cleared up. And she was getting really tired of the rest of Remnant trying to do the same thing to the people she cared about.
Once Baren had her breathing under control, she let her shoulders relax. Exhaling, she pushed herself up while pulling away from Kagami. Resting on her knees, she placed her arm over her thighs. "Are you-"
Holding up a finger, the jadette narrowed her eyes. "Do you feel better?" She knew there was no point in asking if she was okay. She knew she wasn't.
"I... I don't know." She shook her head softly. "I suppose I do but..." She trailed off. Looking up, she reached out to touch the gash on the girl's neck.
Rather than pulling away, Kagami reached up and grabbed her hand to stop her. "It was an accident. There's no need to worry about it." With a smile, she pushed herself up to her feet and held out her left hand. "We need to group back up with the others. Come on."
Looking up at the girl she taught to fight, Baren smiled softly back. Reaching up, she grabbed her hand. She was still so young but already had more wisdom than everyone else her age. Taking a deep breath, she gripped her hand tighter and pulled her close. Her sole arm wrapping around her and holding her close.
Meeting back together at the path through the forest, Elise nearly pulled Kagami down as she examined the wound on her neck. "Will you stop?" The jadette stumbled around a bit.
"I'm just trying to see how bad it iiisss!" The brunet whined with concern in her voice. "It looks kind of deep. I think it might scar."
"Will you stop!?" She tried to wave her off.
Watching the two of them, Baren faintly smiled. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her sheathed weapon and then her right sleeve. With a sigh, she lowered her head. Feeling someone lean up against her, she raised an eyebrow and looked over. "Aero?"
Wrapping her arms around her, the Huntress faceplanted into her chest. "Just... give me this." She spoke with a muffle.
Exhaling, the old warrior nodded a few times before reaching up and patting the bluette's back. They had all seen a lot of horrors. They all needed something.
"So, this is Kit?" Cheyenne softly smiled while gesturing towards said little girl.
"Yep." Kris nodded while holding the blonde on her back. Her small arms wrapped around her neck and her small legs around her hips. "Her semblance makes people see others whose lives have been lost and they blame themselves for. Guilt sounds like a good name for it. It started with her just seeing her cat, but after her parents killed themselves out here she would see them too." She reached up and brushed a few yellow strands of hair from the little girl's face. She was currently sound asleep. "I don't know how long she's been out here either. I know it's been a while but..." She sighed.
"I'm sure Baren can help her. Both with controlling her semblance and letting go of the things that happened." The Faunus reassured. "Gurin could use a friend her age too. They would be good for each other."
"I sure hope so." Glancing back at Kit, the redhead let out a very quiet sigh. Blinking a few times, she leaned over and eyed her leader. "Hey." She called out with a furrowed brow. "When I found you, you were under the same thing everyone else was. Chey saw Prac's brothers, Elise saw her horse, Aero saw Cherry, and Baren saw her teammates, but who did you see?"
Shoving Elise off her, Kagami let out a quiet sigh. She had kept quiet while they were all talking and figuring out what exactly had happened before Kris came back with Kit and was able to fully explain everything. Taking a deep breath, she glanced around. "Shinrin." She finally let out.