"Any ideas?" Yang said as she looked up at the monster towering overhead. Each step it took with its titanic legs shook the ground.

"Bring it down!" Ruby shouted. The other members of her team dashed towards the Grimm. Weiss stabbed into the monster's leg with her sword, causing a large pillar of ice to form around it. It was for nothing, as the Grimm simply moved forward with little care for its frozen flesh.

Yang punched at the thick, muscular leg with all her might."This thing is too big! It's shrugging off everything we do to it."

Ruby took aim through her scope. She saw the beast's head bobbing along as it marched. She adjusted her aim and squeezed the trigger, intending to shoot it right through the eye. Instead, with a speed no one could have predicted, its head suddenly swerved out of the way. Chagrined, Ruby fired again and again, but each shot missed.

"Are you kidding me." Ruby complained.

The Grimm suddenly looked down at Ruby. Its neck curled inward, like it was preparing to strike. Ruby's eyes widened as the gigantic blade sped towards her faster than she could have imagined. But amidst the screams and the sound of the rushing wind, she didn't feel anything. She was sure she would be cut in half, but instead she heard the deafening noise of bone against steel. Iris had leapt in front of Ruby to protect her. Both hands braced her axe against the monster's attack. The faunus girl had grit her teeth so hard blood trailed from her mouth.

Before Iris had a chance to do anything, the Grimm had attacked again. Sparks flew as Iris was batted by the endless blows. The deafening sound of steel against bone was like the endless clanging of church bells. The perfect accompaniment for such an occasion.

Iris was easily able to deflect the blows, but while her strength and speed were without question her endurance was another story. Iris' attacks slowed down, and in time the Grimm was able to land a blow. Iris raised her axe, letting it take the brunt of the blow, but it still sent her flying. She skidded along the ground and didn't move.

"Iris!" Ruby shouted.

Lotus looked down at Iris. Satisfied that her teammate wasn't dead, Lotus tried to think of a strategy.

Legs are too thick to cut through, and a frontal attack is out of the question as long as it's got that weapon. Better get it from an angle.

"Yasmin, Blake, get up there and cut that thing's head off!"

The two girls understood instantly. Both moved in perfect sync as they dashed towards the nearest intact tree. The two girls raced to the top, and with as much strength as they could summon, leapt towards the creature's neck. Their blades crossed with a flash of light, and the creature's neck was sliced in two. Its head fell to the ground with a deafening thud that kicked up dust and dirt every which way, but they had defeated it.

The girls celebrated and congratulated each other, but as the moment stretched on and the girls watched the Grimm's head dissolved into black sludge, they noticed that the body still stood, the black blood flowing from the headless stump the only movement it made.

At that moment, Lala fell to the ground, a searing hot pain burning through her head. She could hear screams of agony, dozens upon dozens of voices crying out at once. The sound was all consuming, like Lala was lifted off of her feet and carried away by it. In truth she simply lost consciousness. Yasmin ran to Lala to protect her, and that's when she saw it. Like ripples on a black sea, the skin on the Grimm's stomach warped and shifted, and then split apart, revealing multiple blood red eyes.

The Grimm stamped its feet, intending to crush all of its foes beneath its massive feet. The girls scattered and prepared to counterattack. With the girls out of the way, it once again resumed its march towards the village.

"Any ideas?" Yang shouted.

"We have to smash it to pieces and hope that works," Ruby said. "Lotus, do you have any ideas?"

Lotus searched the area for her teammates. She saw Iris, still recovering from earlier, and Yasmin guarding Lala who was incapacitated.

"Fucking useless," Lotus muttered under her breath. "Hey!" she shouted. "My piece of shit teammates crapped out on me. I have a plan, you just need to follow my lead."

"Okay," Ruby said with a grin. "What's the plan?"

"The head was just a decoy. Its real brain is probably in the stomach controlling all those eyes. Help me get on top of it and I can bring it down."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Okay!"

Lotus ran towards the Grimm from behind with Ruby alongside her. One of the eyes on the Grimm's stomach looked directly at the two girls. The red iris began to glow, and there was a high pitched keening noise right before a red laser sliced through the ground Lotus was standing on only a second before.

Soon the battlefield was like a light show. Beams fired off in every direction, carving away the forest ground and kicking up thick clouds of dust.

As Lotus and Ruby kept running, Lotus kept time in her head. She realized that every eye needed the same amount of time to charge before they fired. That was her way in.

She watched the eye focused on her glow brighter and brighter as it gathered power. Right before it fired, she swerved to the right and ran faster than before and leapt for the monster's tail. Her fingers dug into the hard scales as she pushed herself upwards to its back.

Of course Ruby didn't know what Lotus was about to do, so when the dancer girl suddenly broke right it left a confused Ruby running right into the path of the laser. Using her semblance, she avoided the attack at the last moment, the air around her suddenly unbearably hot.

Ignoring the goings on down below, Lotus stood in the middle of the creature's spine. She closed her eyes and focused. She could hear the grinding of bone, the undulating and pulsating flesh, but one sound was louder than all the others. She could feel the thunderous roar of a massive heart that pumped blood throughout the Grimm's gargantuan body.

She raised her hand overhead and struck down with all her might. Her aura flew through the Grimm's body like an arrow until it reached the heart. Lotus knew from the unmistakable sound of tearing flesh that the heart had been destroyed. The body began to warp and spasm as it began to dissolve.

As the smoke cleared Lotus smiled at her kill. But something in the endless black sludge caught her eye. She reached down and grabbed a small piece of bone. Turning it over in her fingers, she could tell that this was a human bone. She examined it closely, before putting it away in her pocket. She found herself deep in thought, so deep that she didn't even notice Yang until she felt the girl grab her shoulder.

"What the hell was that?" Yang shouted, her eyes a furious crimson. "You could have killed Ruby back there."

Lotus almost looked annoyed that she was being bothered with something so menial. "Could have, didn't. Either way we got the job done. Besides, Ruby's a big girl, she can take a hit or two. If she can't handle that she shouldn't have taken the job to begin with."

The fight started before anyone could stop it. It wasn't like the playful spat in the hallway. This time it was two trained warriors trying their best to hurt each other. Each one of Yang's punches were imbued with her burning rage, while Lotus danced around each strike, waiting for the right moment to counterattack.

Lotus had seen Yang fighting enough times to know how her semblance worked. She knew that hitting her back would only lead to her defeat. A grin slowly spread across her face as the idea formed in her head.

"Stand still!" Yang grunted, frustration mounting as each of her blows was avoided.

Lotus was smiling now. She ducked and dodged every punch that came her way, getting closer and closer to Yang as she did so until they were close enough to kiss. Lotus threw a punch straight at Yang's face. Yang moved to counter, but Lotus' arm suddenly curved and she suddenly had her arm around Yang's neck. She squeezed as Yang fought and thrashed to free herself. Lotus kicked Yang's leg out from under her, and the girl was on the ground completely helpless.

"Gotta say, you're not living up to my expectations. We're barely past the foreplay and you're already tapping out."

Lotus kept squeezing. Yang's vision grew dimmer and dimmer, until she passed out.

When Yang woke up, she was on a Bullhead. Her teammates were sitting by her, all looking worried. On the opposite side were Team LILY, with the leader looking at Yang with an amused grin.

"Enjoy your nap?" Lotus teased.

Yang jumped out of her seat, and for a moment it looked like there would be another fight.

"Enough, both of you," Doctor Sapphire said with an authority in her voice that made both girls back down.

"If you want an apology you're not gonna get one," Lotus said. "But I gotta say, you're way better than the dead weight I'm stuck with."

"Uh huh," Yang said. "No objections to any of that?" she asked, looking at the other members of Team LILY.

None of them said a word. Lotus was right, and they knew it. During the forest initiation they had completely fallen apart. It was only thanks to Lotus' leadership that they had survived at all. Even today their uselessness had put everyone at risk.

"They ain't so bad," Lotus said. "Worst comes to worst they make good shields."

"You're a real bitch, you know that?"

"Sorry, but I was taught how to kill people, wasn't much time for etiquette lessons."

"So that stuff you were saying about being part of a mercenary band wasn't just talk?"

"I'm a lot of things, Blondie, but I'm no liar."

"Well, if you're some big bad war-fighter you've probably got a story or two."

Lotus shook her head. "Sorry, strictly don't ask don't tell on that."

While the two girls were locked in conversation, Yasmin tended to Lala.

"Are you feeling any better?" Yasmin asked, gently stroking Lala's head like she was a child.

Lala made a small noise of discomfort.

Yasmin sighed. "It's your semblance again, isn't it? Don't worry, we'll get you back home and then you can take your medicine."

"I took it already. It's not working."

Lala's body began to glow a pale green. Tendrils of light formed around her body and extended around the plane's cabin until they made contact with everyone within. Everyone felt the exact same sensation, like they were being pulled by a giant hook. Everything went black, until a picture came into focus. It was like they were having a video projected directly onto their eyes.

XxX

The girl couldn't see anything. She couldn't move. She felt the weight on top of her, and she could smell the smoke and the sharp iron scent of blood. She couldn't remember how long she had been down here, or how much air she had left. She knew, this was where she was going to die.

Something shifted. She heard heavy things being moved and thrown aside. Bit by bit, pinpricks of light began to pierce the dark, until the full light of day shone through.

"We got a live one!" a voice shouted. A hand reached down to pull her up. The girl was on her feet and covering her eyes until they adjusted tot he light. She felt someone shove a bottle into her hand.

"Drink slow. We saw the smoke a couple days ago. What happened?"

"I don't know," the girl answered. "I heard the alarms, and my parents told me to hide, and after that it all went dark."

she looked around and saw her village in ruins. Homes destroyed and reduced to blackened piles of rubble. Roads streaked with blood and scorch marks, bodies torn apart and left there in the streets to rot in the sun.

She felt a pair of hands on her face and she was facing the man again. "Don't go looking at that. We searched around, looks like you're the only one left. I'm sorry kid."

The man suddenly turned. "What are we doing with her, boss?"

The one he addressed as boss stepped in front of the girl. It was a young woman with a short bob of blonde hair. The girl couldn't see her eyes through the thick sunglasses. The woman had a frown on her face, like she was annoyed at the inconvenience.

"What's your name, kid?" the woman asked.

"Lotus, Lotus Chahna," the girl answered. "Are you a huntsman?"

The woman laughed. "Not at all. The name's Honey. I'm a mercenary. We were on our way to a job when we saw this. I hate to put you on the spot but you've got a choice to make. You can either come with me, but that means joining my crew. And I'll tell you right now, everyone pulls their weight in the outfit, even the kids. That means you fight when I tell you to fight, and you kill who I tell you to kill."

"What happens if I say no?" Lotus asked.

"Then I leave you here and you can fend for yourself. If you're lucky a huntsman will find you before more Grimm come by to pick at the scraps."

The choice was simple, meaning it wasn't a choice at all. When Lotus agreed to join, the world seemed to fill with static like a malfunctioning television and the scene changed.

It was nighttime, a few months after Lotus had joined the band of sell-swords. They had set up camp for the night and it was time for dinner. Lotus waited in line like everyone else, but when she got to the chef he simply looked at her with a scowl.

"None for you," he spat.

Lotus didn't argue, she walked away with her bowl and stomach empty. She sat alone by her tent and tried to take her mind off of her hunger.

"Why aren't you eating?" she heard Honey ask.

Lotus tried to smile. "I wasn't hungry."

Honey frowned slightly. Lotus knew that look, like there was a problem that needed solving immediately. She went into her tent and came out holding her shotgun.

"Come on," she said, stomping back towards the mess line.

Lotus watched Honey stare down the chef. "Why are you fucking with the girl?"

"You're the one who said we all gotta earn our own food. But all she's been doing is hiding in your skirt."

Honey paused for a moment. "I had no idea you felt that way."

Then without a word she pulled raised her shotgun and emptied both barrels into the man's chest. The man's shirt was dotted with burnt holes where the buckshot had ripped through him. He fell to the ground, gasping and wheezing trying in vain to keep himself alive. Honey stood over him, her face completely placid as she watched the man rattle off his last breath.

"Anyone else wanna file a complaint?" Honey asked. The answer was the total silence.

Honey poured some stew into a bowl and handed it to Lotus. "Eat up, kid. Now that I think about it, he was right. Next job you're coming with me. Time to put you in the field for real."

The film sped up to the next scene.

Lotus stabbed into the man's body over and over. Tremors ran up her arm and blood sprayed on her face every time the knife plunged into the man's body. The first stab had split the man's heart in two. The other six were to be absolutely sure. She was covered in mud and blood and grime and her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst out of her chest and she realized that this was the most fun she'd ever had in her entire life. She looked down and realized that the man had stopped moving. Just to be sure she gripped her knife and dragged it across the man's throat. She stood up and looked around and saw that the fighting had stopped. The other mercenaries were either rummaging for loot or finishing off any survivors.

Honey clapped Lotus on the back. "Good job kid. Grab the head and you can get a little extra for yourself off the bounty." She knelt down in the mud flipped the body over. "Right here between the bones in his neck. It's like taking apart a chicken."

Lotus smiled as she sawed the man's neck apart. The scene shifted again, and Lotus sat on a hill outside her tent and watched the sun rise. As the sun grew larger over the horizon, she heard sounds like someone arguing. She looked and saw Honey shouting into her scroll.

"What the fuck is your problem? I'm telling you what it is but you're too goddamn stubborn to listen. Fine, fuck you then, just know that whatever happens next is on you."

Honey hung up. "Asshole," she muttered under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Lotus asked.

"Huh? Oh, hey kid. We're packing up and heading out. Mayor wants to be an asshole about my money so I'm not wasting another second here."

Lotus jumped to her feet. "What? But you said yourself that we only beat the scouts yesterday. The main force is still out there. If they reach the village everyone will die."

"All of that stopped being my problem when they decided not to pay me."

"We're just gonna leave these people to die?"

"Of course we are," Honey replied as if it were the most simple thing in the world. "Listen, kid, we do what we're paid to do and nothing more. You wanna be a hero, let these people use you up and toss you aside when they're finished go right ahead. I'm not going out like that. Now start packing, I'm not gonna tell you again."

Lotus sighed and went to her tent. As she walked the scene grew more and more distorted until it was illegible. The girls were thrust back into reality as forcefully as they were taken out of it.

When everyone came to, they found Lala on the ground unconscious and Lotus quietly seething in her seat.

The rest of the ride home was conducted in total silence.

XxX

After landing and informing all relevant parties of the day's events, the members of Team LILY were out and about doing various things by themselves. Yasmin had traveled to the CCT station and sat herself in one of the booths. She entered a number and within seconds she saw the aged face of General Ironwood, supreme commander of the Atlas military staring back at her.

"Hello, Yasmin. I hope you're doing well."

"I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news to report. Lala's semblance is evolving. The current medication isn't strong enough."

Ironwood leaned forward in his seat. "Evolving how?"

Yasmin described experiencing Lala's semblance, watching as the furrow in the general's brow grew deeper and deeper.

"It wasn't like before, where I just received the vague recollections. It was like I was experiencing those events myself in first person. I could feel what Lotus felt in those moments down to her very core. For a moment I forgot who I actually was."

"I see. That is troubling. I'll speak with the doctor and see about increasing her dosage. In the meantime, continue to monitor her condition and call me immediately if anything changes."

"I will, sir."

"Do you have an idea of what might have caused this change?"

"It had to be that Grimm we fought. It didn't look like any I'd seen before, and there was something Lala said about it."

"What?"

"She said she heard screaming. Most Grimm aren't capable of higher thought, they're only thinking about their next meal. And it wasn't just one voice, it was dozens of them."

"That is strange. Send me any information you have about that Grimm. I'll conduct my own study. If that is all, then I must go. Take care of Lala, and yourself."

"Goodbye, general."

The screen faded to black and Yasmin left her seat. She left the terminal and hurried to the nearest airbus stop to get back to Lala as soon as possible. Or she would if she didn't get stopped.

"Hey. Don't see you outside the school too often. Whatcha doing?"

Yasmin saw that it was Rock, the sometimes irritating boy that seemed to be drawn to her.

"Hello, Rock. I was just talking with someone."

"About that mission, right? Iris told me about it. That was some rough shit."

"It's nothing I'm not used to."

"Well if you're up for it wanna go get something to eat? I know all the best spots."

Yasmin looked for a moment like she was considering it. "I'm sorry, I have to get back to Lala. But thank you for the offer."

Rock shrugged. "Suit yourself. See you tomorrow."

Yasmin watched Rock walk away. After he left she wordlessly turned away and fought the urge to scream. It was brief, but she felt disappointed at not being able to join him.

What was that? A voice in her head said. You were disappointed? You were sad that you had to take care of your friend instead of going on a date? Did you forget whose fault this is? Well let me remind you: that girl took you in when you had nothing, you would have died without her. She gave you a home, food, an education, and how did you repay her? You betrayed her. You got everyone she loved killed, and worst of all you destroyed her mind. You left her a drooling invalid and made her claw her way back up. So I don't care how many dates you miss, Lala is your responsibility until you die. Don't you ever forget that.

"I won't," Yasmin replied.

Yasmin knew that this was the only way to atone for what she did. She would find a way to heal Lala's mind, and then let the girl take revenge on the one who ruined her life.