Author's Note:

Well, it has been a looong wait. With this Side A is done, and god, I probably won't be working on Side B until a Volume 3 comes out. The sheer emotional effort is... well, I won't bore you with words, since there's 11 thousand of them for you all to go through.

Enjoy.

Day 17, 1230. The Unforgettable Sin

... Ran away.

Yang sped blazingly along the pitch black staircase in quite literal fashion, with flames encircling her body and hair shining like the sun she didn't notice until she was halfway up the structure. She knew that she was pushing herself excessively, and that she would probably run out of gas in minutes if she didn't clamp down on her output now. She didn't care. She ran as if she could outrun the sudden pain bursting inside her heart; ran as if she could outrun every invisible burden until she was free of even herself.

But despite all her power, she discovered that she could not even escape the voice.

"Yang! Yang!"

Shut up.

"Why are you running? That is not the right direction!"

Get the hint already.

"Yang, did I do something wrong? Please, tell me!"

"Just leave me alone!"

The footsteps faltered. Even Yang felt her eyes bulged in shock before she clamped a hand over her own mouth and ran faster than ever before. I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that I – I! She willed for the nightmare to end right there and then, but then the voice rang again as if from the depths of hell,

"You are hurt, Yang. I can help you."

"I don't need your help! I don't want to hear anything you, or Ruby, or anyone have to say right now, so just shut the fuck up and fuck off!"

"Yang, my sensors indicate that your mind is destabilizing rapidly. Forceful exertion in such a way will only make things worse. You need to –"

"I SAID SHUT – UP!"

Abruptly the blonde turned around, smashing a leg against the alloy stairs before launching a flying fist directly at the young girl's face. Penny looked up in surprise before raising a hasty cross guard, but the full power of Yang's punch easily blew the orange head clean over the faraway fence until she dropped over to the other side. For a second the blonde felt her whole body awash with hot white triumph – she had just scored a solid hit onto this neigh invincible, seemingly godlike automaton – but the consequences of her action poured over the head instantly like a bucket of ice. Her throat felt raw. What did I do? Did I just… kill…? Almost unconsciously the blonde rushed over to look down through the large gaps of the fence, all the while trying to ignore the panic rumbling inside her stomach,

"Penny…?"

There were blades. Just as Yang leaned her head over the fence two silvery green blades spun from below to encircle her shoulders multiple times before she could react. Dazzled by the glowing swords slamming into the floor like a pair of nails, she never noticed the threads until they squeezed around her shoulders and pulled with such unbelievable force that she nearly slipped right through the gap between the fences. Her Aura held for a mere two seconds before the strings cut through the flesh, and amidst the explosive pain it was a miracle that she somehow had the sense to hold on and keep herself from falling. But even the slightest jolt of movements was agony enough to send her teetering towards a dead faint, and that source of her misery was now hanging low at the bottom of the stairwell; body swaying with hands at hips and lips pursed in righteous anger,

"Forgive me, but you gave me no other choice. Now, please stop resisting and let yourself fall."

"Are you crazy!? I'm not…!"

"I'll catch you. Yang, please. I know you're terribly hurt, and I'm sorry that I'm adding to your pain, but throwing a tantrum will only make things worse. You understand that, don't you?"

"I..."

"I can help you recover. I can keep you safe. I swear that I won't let any harm come to you ever again, but first, you have to let me help you. So please, Yang… Come with me."

Abruptly, Yang stopped struggling. Even the shudders that racked her weakened body seemed to vanish altogether. Quietly, she murmured,

"… If I go with you, you'll help me?"

"Affirmative."

"You'll protect me? Make sure that nothing ever hurts me again?"

"Affirmative."

"… Hahaha. Ha."

"… What are you doing?"

She didn't answer. Yang closed her eyes as the rising flames enveloping her body suddenly vanished, but not gone. Instead her torso started to flash on and off like a firefly, the energy building up within her body knocking harshly against the barriers of her soul screaming to be released, but she ignored all of the warning signs and persevered. Alarmed, the automaton tried to distract her with zigzags of white hot pain, but ironically it only caused her anger and energy levels to rise that much faster. As if urged by the raging Aura her injuries suddenly began to rewind rapidly to its unblemished state, and even the strings that had severed deep into the bones were slowly but surely being pushed out of the wound. Penny realized her intentions too late as the blonde crossed both arms to the side to grab hold of the neigh invisible threads, and yanked with every bit of energy inside her arms. They broke apart as easily as wet tissue. Immediately Penny dropped down a few inches, but came to a quick halt as the rest of her invisible anchors took hold.

"– Why, Yang?" the automaton asked sadly.

She didn't answer immediately. Instead the blonde casually stretched her arms, stared at the offending black fence blocking in front of her before launching suddenly a loud, explosive kick. In an instant the whole structure was ripped right off the hinges before it fell towards the faraway ground. She spoke quietly as she watched it fall,

"Did you know? For my whole life, I have lived inside a cage. As the only child I have an important name to uphold, an honor to protect, a responsibility that I thought I would shoulder my entire life. It's not like I'm faulting my parents or anything, but for the longest time, I couldn't help but wish that I was free to do whatever I wanted to do; to live my life however I liked.

But then Ruby came. She changed everything. If it wasn't for her I would've died, and my whole city with me. Even better, the Demon's death finally convinced my Da to release me from my responsibilities, to give me the freedom that I've always wanted. Snap. Can you imagine how happy I was? I can never forget the day I raced up the hill like a horse, hoping beyond hope to catch up to Ruby before she left and saw her just chilling under the sun, waiting for me to join her… it was truly one of the best moment in my life."

She paused, eyes sparkling with emotion as she relieved the memories. They shone bright, dark, darkest, bright and finally… now. Penny shuddered visibly as if she'd seen something forbidden, but Yang showed no signs of noticing as she continued,

"So I find it strange then, that I'm not happy. I'm living the dream I've always dreamed of, aren't I? Remnant is more beautiful than I can ever imagine, and I absolutely should be having the time of my life! And I did! So… Why did it turn out like this? When did the magic start to fade? Is it back when I tried to apologize to Ruby and got completely ignored? Or is it the time when I almost got myself killed and she gave me that terrible look of disappointment? Or maybe it was as early as the time I nearly drowned at the mines… that's right. It felt like drowning. Doing the things I don't want to do, not saying the things I really want to say, all for the sake of preserving a false friendship. In the end I couldn't even recognize my own feelings, much less the true face of my partner. Hahahaha! I feel so pathetic that I want to kill myself. Hahahahahaha!"

"Yang… you can still change this. I told you, I won't –"

"Shut up."

Maybe it was because she acted too fast, too unexpected, or too foolish even to her own mind, but Penny failed to react when she leaped right off the ledge. As twin bursts of fire exploded behind Yang she propelled downwards like a missile, and suddenly the automaton found a pair of legs crushing into her stomach with immense force. Face scrunched up in pain Penny tried to shove the blonde away, but she was quick to slip behind Penny's back and wrapped an arm around one shoulder in a vice-like hold. At this point there was nothing Penny could do even with her enormous strength, and with a wicked snarl Yang punched with everything she had into a single point of the girl's ribs.

BAM! A terrible noise resounded throughout the whole space, and unexpectedly it was Yang who reeled away from the abject pain of punching full force into unbending steel. Clearly she still held some illusions about Penny's humanity and thought she'd be as soft as a human. It was a good reminder. BAM! This time she felt keenly a few finger bones shattering under the terrific impact, but still she refused to give up as she channeled everything she had, until even her vision become tarnished by a red, bloody hue and swung down one more time–

"– Oomph!"

The world tumbled abruptly like a colorful spinner, and without a real way to slow down all she could do was to brace herself as she slammed hard onto solid wall. Still she could not resist a savage chuckle as she wiped the blood from her lips and stood up to her feet. Up ahead, Penny had landed herself at the edge and was acting to walk closer, before Yang stopped her with the most hostile glare she could gather. For a moment, the opponent looked horribly saddened and disbelieving as she exclaimed,

"You tried to destroy me!"

"Oh? And you've only realized this now?"

"But why? Why, Yang Xiao Long? I'm just trying to be your friend! Why are you doing this to me!?"

"You still don't get it? I ran away because you cannot give me what I want, and now I'm killing you because you're standing in the god damn way! Isn't that what the two of you taught me? To just take everything I want, and by force if I have… no… want to?"

"No! I don't mean… I… I can give you anything. We don't need to do this. But you need to tell me, because how else will I know what is it you truly desire!?"

"I want to be free."

Yang didn't wait. In a flash she was upon her, throwing a deadly fist right into the girl's stomach while simultaneously hooking her across the asphalt. Looking as if her thought process had short-circuited, Penny did not even react as Yang lifted her up with a grunt and threw her towards the very wall she just slammed into. The heavy thunk and crash seemed to finally snap Penny awake as she staggered unevenly back to her feet, but with an easy swipe of the right leg Yang fell her once more before sitting down firmly on her waist. Coldly she said,

"I understand now. I want to be free, and that is the one thing you, or Ruby, can never give to me, not as long as you want to tie me down with your false pretense of a friendship. Maybe you truly meant well. I know you don't understand."

Yang cocked back her right arm, just as she saw a flash of fear passing through Penny's eyes. For a split second she hesitated, but the moment the pain rushed back her heart turned to stone, and she swung down.

"I'm sorry."

Huh?

Yang blinked. Am I… flying? It definitely seemed so from the way the air's whooshing past her ears, and yet for the life of her she couldn't remember ever growing the pair of wings needed to do such a feat. Wait, the sky? That can't be right, I should be stuck inside a cavern! One with hundreds and thousands of robots and their seriously overpowered leader –

"Tsssssskkkk! Hah! Hah! Hah!" Clutching at her collapsed chest and gasping from the sudden, immense pain that erupted the moment she regained the ability to breath, Yang finally recalled the memory that literally was blown away from her mind seconds ago and felt her blood run cold as ice. Right before she could land what would be the decisive strike, an impossibly terrible premonition of danger caused her to change course just in time to deflect a sudden punch from the grounded Penny. But against every common sense it was she she found her own guard blown away like it was made of paper, and when the seemingly pathetic blow struck her dead center at the chest she… she drew a complete blank. She had literally no memory of the tens of seconds she spent shooting through the sky. It was that powerful. A miracle the blow hadn't punched right through her chest.

She fought back. Of course she did. I should have crushed her throat the moment I had her pinned. Instead I let my self-pity took over and talked loads of bullshit. What the fuck was I thinking?

But there was no time for regrets. As her ascent declined quickly Yang peeked towards the black tower tens of meters away from her and knew that she had to act fast. Using Ember Celica as a booster, she fired her weapon repeatedly in an attempt to maneuver herself towards the circular stairway before she lost all momentum and succumbed to gravity. Meanwhile Penny had risen into the open, glaring upwards with angry emerald eyes and scaling the outer structure using her thread-and-swords like external limbs with uncanny speed. Even before she landed Yang knew that she wasn't going to make it to the surface before Penny caught up to her, so the moment she slammed-and-rolled heavily onto the staircase, she gritted through the pain and started a mad run towards the top.

Ultimately her goal was to escape from the girl, and she wasn't nearly intoxicated enough to think that she could beat Penny even if she magically had a dragon, a war fleet, and a ton of explosives to boot. There was more than enough to indicate that the automaton was practically half a god in this world, and the only thing she could do was to break through the surface and pray that whatever resolve Penny made to stay here was binding enough to keep her hunting her down like a rabbit. At least her unusual strength had stunned Penny into cautiousness, but that only meant that the tiny, tiny edge would last until the girl scoped out her limit. She needed to run faster.

My strength, is it? Yang pressed a hand towards her chest, wincing only a little as a bone popped against the skin but felt otherwise perfectly fine despite having her chest caved in on her just minutes ago. It was common knowledge that Aura would heal minor injuries or scars when activated, and there were definitely Defensive Semblances that could resuscitate even the deadest person as long as they had a breath left inside them. Yang Xiao Long however was a pure offensive melee type fighter, and while that does mean her endurance is higher than most she could hardly mend a flesh wound, much less perform a miraculous regeneration only a dedicated Healer could achieve. Even stranger, her Aura levels were absolutely off the charts – while it wasn't as strong as the time she destroyed the Demon's core, she still felt damn near close enough to crush a whole boulder like it's made of tofu. Seriously, what on Remnant was happening to her? Power ups didn't just happen randomly to anyone, and this was nothing like anything she'd ever heard before. Was she burning her life like her mother did? Was she going to drop dead the moment she ran out of juice?

She didn't know. All she could do was to keep running.

"Subjugation Mode activated. You will have no warnings. Discard all resistances and surrender immediately."

Somehow Penny's voice transmitted true and clear promising unveiled threat despite being quite far away, but it barely fazed Yang as she redoubled her efforts to scale the stairway as quickly as humanly possible. Still it wasn't quick enough to outrun the automaton, and Yang felt her heart beat faster as she listened unwillingly to the distant chinks of Penny's blades growing closer and closer. She was going to be have to make a stand. The blonde forced herself to run for two more rounds – all the while bracing for the blows that surely would hit me through the floor surely she's in range why isn't she attacking why where WHY – before screeching finally into a halt. Defiantly she glared towards the open air with both fists raised and…

… And there was nothing. The blonde blinked once, twice, and several more, but no matter where she looked every trace and noise had vanished as if the girl was never there. Instantly she understood that she was in great danger. Shit! I hate playing hide-and-seek! I hate it even more when the seeker's the one's hiding!Step by step, Yang dragged her feet slowly up the stairs, all the while keeping a solid wall behind her back while watching closely at every other direction. Up, down, left, right, down, move – Scrak. It was very possible that Penny would strike her from below and through the metallic floor; the automaton was fully capable of such a feat. Scraaak – Tat! But she would not surprised. She had formulated in her mind exactly how she wanted to counter the attempt, and still be flexible enough to react towards attacks coming from any other direction. An inexperienced combatant like Penny was not going to outwit her. Scrak!

That supreme confidence was why she failed to notice the pair of hands appearing through the wall from directly behind her. The moment they tightened forcefully around her throat and mouth, it was already too late.

"Gaggkk – MMMRRRRRGGHHHH!?"

There was no resisting. One moment she was falling uncontrollably towards the back, feeling first her head sinking into something soft before the rest of her body followed suit, and then… there was only utter darkness. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, could barely even think as fear ripped from her chest ways she never thought possible. This was how it felt to be frozen in ice, except that it was a million times more claustrophobic and terrifying. She's drowning me, inside the wall! The pair of hands continued to tighten around her neck, an obvious mockery of her helplessness and inability to raise even a finger to save her own life. And yet what could she do? There was no way she could break out of this steely prison. Penny had already proved that her strength was far more formidable than any average Huntsman could possibly achieve. She was going to die. She would suffocate within this absolute darkness, and along with it all her hopes and dreams to live free. Forever.

"No!"

A spark kindled, ran, and suddenly the tiny world detonated in a flash of white that washed away every darkness until they were no more. The massive steel column stretched, groaned as if it was the end of the world before evaporating from the inside out in face of the sheer white inferno that was Yang Xiao Long. Not even the ultimate automaton could withstand the heat, as Penny leaped almost frantically away from Yang before glaring as if the blonde was her father's murderer. By the time the flames faded away nearly half the diameter of the column was gone, with Yang kneeling dead center of the carnage, breathing heavily and completely worn out. It was lucky the pillar held strong and did not collapse on her, because she literally had no energy left to move even a finger.

Or so she thought. The back of her head prickled, and instinctively the blonde dove sideways to dodge the flat side of a blade swooshing past from behind. As more blades flew in Yang rolled again and again on the floor until she finally got back up to her feet and ran immediately for the exit. Apparently her mysterious source of power hasn't abandoned her yet! But Penny was no longer playing, and with a loud crack the automaton leaped at least fifty meters over Yang's head to land on the stairs right above her. Like a terrible goddess countless blades emerged out and surrounded the space around Penny; their every tip pointed menacingly at Yang's direction. Her expression said everything. For an instant Yang felt a strange wave of sadness passed through her, but she brushed it away and grasped her fists defiantly. This was it. This was her final fight towards freedom!

"… Hah!"

Seizing the initiative, Yang ran forwards fearlessly until she was five steps away when ten blades shot out at once like a shower of pellets. But having prepared herself for such a strike, the brawler merely shifted a few inches out to dodge most of them while deflecting the rest easily with her gauntlets. In an instant she had zipped through the hail of blades to arrive directly in front of Penny, and without pause she struck out like lightning at the neck, elbows, wrists and knees before ducking beneath a novice punch and drove a knee right into Penny's stomach. The blonde frowned a little before throwing a devastating hand chop towards the small girl's neck – which Penny threw both hands to block by reflex, and subsequently opened herself to an even more powerful kick to the chest. Yang could hardly hide the glint of a devious smile; apparently Penny really was as poor of a fighter as she claimed to be. So what if the automaton was built like a tank? If she could not protect herself then she was just a punching bag, and Yang worked hard to generate such immense pressure that the girl could not even think to use her threads effectively.

And it was working. Penny appeared entirely reliant on her string-and-blades, and her close quarter combat skills were just abysmally lacking. Even as Yang closed the distance until they were barely a few inches apart, smashing her fists again and again at Penny's weak points until they creaked constantly like nails across a board, the automaton could do nothing but back off again and again. Yang wasn't stupid after all – there's a reason why Penny defeated Ruby despite being so obviously lacking. She must take her down as fast as possible. With a twist and turn, Yang shifted herself behind Penny and fell the automaton with a sharp kick to the knee. Then, with every strength in her body she threw a thunderous punch at the back of the automaton's neck, hoping to disable Penny permanently with this single strike. Even if Penny had the skin of a Goliath, Yang refused to believe that the automaton could still fight after having her neck broken in half!

But she did not get a chance to confirm the theory. Just as her fist was about to land, Penny suddenly fell towards the ground and missing the blow entirely. Yang frowned as the orange head wobbled unsteadily in a pathetic flail, and she kicked out one more time with the intention of sending her flying down the stairs. But once again Penny rolled onto her sides and ducked beneath the blow, and Yang's eyes widened. Her instincts were screaming something. Was it just her imagination, or had she seen that move somewhere before…?

She did. Against all expectations, Penny suddenly dashed into her bosom before unleashing a sharp one-two combo that shattered her ribs like rotten wood. Without waiting for her to recover, the automaton immediately followed up with a sharp knee to the chin, missed, then transitioned into a straight kick that had Yang kissing the ground just to avoid having her brain bashed out of her head. These moves… they're the Dragon style. They're mine, Yang thought blankly, is she… copying me!?

The blonde's pride would not allow her to back down. She had trained for many years to get where she was right now, and this monster dared imitate them after just a few exchanges in combat? "You damned monster – Don't you dare mock me!" Yang launched herself at Penny like a wild animal and attacked more ferociously than ever before. At first it was easy. An imitation without thought was just as imitation, and Penny's copied guard was so obviously telegraphed that even a child could've punctured it.

The blonde would jab out lightly at the face to bait a cautious Penny into a full guard, and then she would step right in and easily sink a heavy punch into the automaton's stomach. The girl would then try to strike back – but Yang had already maneuvered sideways and brought down a merciless elbow to strike at the back of her head. Once Yang got herself the higher ground the fight turned into a one way street where Yang threw hit after hit like an unrelenting thunderstorm, and Penny backing step by step under each heavy blow until she rattled uncontrollably like a shaken leaf. Even an Aura-infused machine could only take so much punishment before bending under the sheer weight of her attack.

But the impossible had happened again. A sudden straight punch to the chest broke the momentum of her swing, and when she tried to counter with a kick she found the leg caught firmly underneath Penny's arm before her whole world flew sideways into an explosive, sickening crunch against the wall. The blonde groaned weakly as she staggered to her feet, but a swift shadow prompted her to raise her hands just in time to block a swift kick that had her rattling from the impact. She tried to move in for a spinning counter, but to her surprise her right leg suddenly gave out as she switched to a desperate cross guard, and was immediately blasted all the way down the stairs by a punch no less weak than the one that damn near killed her before. With immense difficulty, Yang pushed herself up from the man-sized hole she carved onto the ground and looked up towards the smiling, obviously excited Penny. The tendrils of despair choked her.

I lost. I lost a melee.

The temporary blank in her mind proved costly as the blades once again fired towards her in a rainfall pattern, no longer hindered by the close range Yang had initially forced upon Penny. Jolting into action Yang did her best to escape or beat away at the rain of projectiles, but it wasn't enough. Too many slipped past her defenses to graze through her flesh. Too many forced her into maneuvers so awkward that she wasn't much better off than if she beat herself up.

As one blade zoomed straight for her right, Yang tried to swerve aside too late as it pierced right through her right arm and eliciting an equally piercing scream. It felt as if a grenade had exploded inside her! If she had any lingering desire to reclaim her lost pride before they had all but evaporated by this single misstep. Yang thought faster than ever before as she plucked out the lodged blade mid-run and threw it away with vengeance. As much as it pained her to say it, getting up close and personal was no longer an option. In that case, what she needed to do was…

"EAT THIS!"

Yang fired out a single shot through the storm of blades, its trajectory perfect but utterly uninspiring as Penny watched without even lifting a hand. But just as it was about to hit, the fireball suddenly curved downwards to hit the ground just in front of Penny's toes, and the whole world detonated. This was the first time Yang tried this in her current form; coating a layer of her Semblance onto the shell in an attempt to amplify its destructive power. The results was beyond both their expectations as the whole section of the staircase broke off and crumbled in the sea of flames, taking a shocked Penny with them would've taken Yang as well if she hadn't took off the moment she fired the shell. Well, I shouldn't complain about good luck.

Not wasting a second, Yang tossed away her right gauntlet – now a dead weight due to the fearsome cracks littered across its surface – and ran at the top of her speed. A scream rang out from the bottom in an unearthly howl,

"You are not getting away, Yang!"

Penny had recovered faster than she expected, and her range seemed near infinite in this world. A swarm of swords circled towards her front to block her path while another group threatened from the back, but Yang was fearless. As the projectiles closed in she knocked a few off course with some precise shots, revealing a tiny opening which Yang squeezed through with an upwards roll against gravity. A quick glance towards her back mid-roll allowed her to shift herself just a fraction thinner to squeeze through the holes of the web of swords, and miraculously she survived without even a scratch on her body. Yang thought she understood what was happening to her. In the face of life-or-death crisis she had finally entered the zone, the Wu Wo, the state of the mind where every sense felt razor sharp, and her body moving exactly how she wanted it to be. It had happened only once in her life, and there was no better time than now for it to happen again. With this focus, dodging a few swords was mere child's play. With this power, breaking through Penny was no longer just a pipe dream.

Penny noticed her state as the attacking blades turned suddenly frantic, but it only opened up to more mistakes as Yang outmaneuvered her opponent again and again. Soon, she was passing through the swords as if they weren't even there. The blonde stared straight ahead to find the end of a long journey just a few meters ahead of her. Just a little more, and she would be away from this world. Just a little more, and she would be free. Surely nothing could stop her now –

"Huh?"

She was falling. The sensation was almost too familiar. Yang narrowly avoided stubbing her chin when she hit the ground with an 'oomph' and looked down to see the problem. Her eyes widened at the sight of a short sword embedded deep inside her leg; a taut string pulling her down and extending all the way towards the edge. When? How? Still, she kept her cool as she grabbed at the hilt of the sword and pulled. It was just a minor setback, and with her self-regeneration she wasn't worried about crippling herself for long. However, Yang's face turned ashen white when she realized with a start that the blade wasn't budging. She even wiggled it left and right like a joypad, but the thing was lodged so tight it might as well have been welded into her own leg! But worst of all was that after all the commotion she didn't feel the slightest pain from her wound. It was obviously unnatural. What the hell did she do to my leg?

Before the blonde could gather herself for another try, a tremendous force abruptly yanked her right out of her thoughts and flung her upwards across the air, nearly dislocating her hip and eliciting a surprised yelp from the brawler. Immediately Yang recognized the danger and reached out desperately for anything she could hold on to, to no avail. At the last moment she fired Ember Celica three times in rapid succession to push herself closer towards the ground before extending her fingers towards the rapidly approaching fence, and the closer she got the more it seemed like she was just a few centimeters off target. But she caught it. Two fingers hooked onto the steel tip of a fence like vulture's claws, and as the momentum slanted her towards the ground Yang immediately readjusted her grip into two fistfuls of friction just in time to brace herself against the bone jarring force from below. Gasping like a fish, Yang tried to steady her wild heartbeat as a voice rang from the below,

"I see that you're stubborn to the end, but there is no use. Your leg is mine. Soon, the rest of you will be mine as well."

"Bull-shit!" The second half of her curse came out high-pitched and odd, because Penny chose that exact moment to resume her pull. And it wasn't just at the level that her joints might pop off – the damn girl was literally trying to tear her leg apart! Yang held on as best she could from her position – even accepting some risks to fire off a few shots at the offending thread, though the result was disheartening – but sure enough, her knee joint first popped out of its socket, and her hips followed swiftly after. The pain was unholy; and the fear even worse as she fought down tears at the sensation of her thigh slowly tearing apart. Still, she did not give in. It doesn't matter if she tears my leg off, she thought grimly with bloody determination, I can get it back with this power. In fact, I may as well cut off my leg now and end this misery –

"Oh, Yang. I don't know many people, but I doubt I'll find someone like you even if I add another hundred years to my age. I offer you my greatest respect. But really, why are you still resisting? Have you not realized it yet, or are you too distracted to notice?"

"I – will – never –"

"Fight all you want. I won't stop you. After all, without your strange power, what can you possibly do against me? Hik!"

What? What did she just say? It was as if a bucket of cold, icy water had poured over her head, and the distraction caused her slip a few centimeters at once. No! She's lying! I'm still here, aren't I? If this power is gone then there's no way I can hold on! I must not listen –

"That's right. You power is gone already, hik, and the only thing that's keeping you afloat is that stubborn will of yours. Don't believe me? Then pull yourself loose. The cable is already nearing its breaking point, Hik! If you put in just a bit more effort then surely it will break. Hik! Go on. Try it."

Yang rose to the taunt and felt herself awash with white hot rage, "Oh yeah? Let's see if you can keep that smug look on when I get out of – this – thing!"

She pulled upwards with every ounce of energy she could muster, even as the pain threatened to overwhelm the terrible anger she channeled to fight against it. Her torso lifted up a little at the all-out attempt; the thread that chained her stretched just a little thinner that it really seemed like it would break anytime. But it held firm. It did not fall apart. Yang's heart plummeted even as Penny's devilish voice slithered once again into her ears,

"Impressive hysterical strength. But in the end, it is just hysterical strength. Hik! This is your limit, Yang. This is as far as you go."

And she fell. The blonde was puzzled, because she could not recall letting go even towards the final moment. But then she saw the flashing gleam of something silver, followed by a couple of thin, meaty, wet bits splattering softly on her cheeks. Somehow, she recognized them for what they were: ten little fingers, cut perfectly at their base as they scattered against the wind. No. She stretched out. Reached, but could not hold as they slipped bloodily through her butchered hands. She screamed. She screamed.

She –

A crack.

It was instinctive. More reaction than action. For the longest of time, she didn't even notice her eyes were open until a voice echoed from behind,

"Oh! You're awake! How are you feeling? Is everything okay?"

She awoke, but just barely. Except her sight every one of her senses were a monotony of silence, as if the world surrounding her had either dulled or died.

"Strange. Her brain waves indicate activity, but she isn't responding at all. Is it the shock? Or maybe it resurrected the body, but took a toll on her soul… oh, never mind. I'll talk to you as if you're awake, alright Yang?"

Yang. A name. Her name. It was a spark that kindled a part of her mind, but that was all. It did not excite her, it did not move her. There was no sudden enlightening or miracle that filled the world with light. It was just an identity, and at the moment she couldn't care less about it.

"So first things first, I'm sorry. I lied to you. It was necessary to make you lose control of the strange power, and even after your magnificent display I still underestimated its tenacity and didn't manage to transform your body to ensure your survival. I almost killed you… I'm sorry. That should not have happened."

An apology. Under normal circumstances, Yang might've felt something from those words. But except for that slight prick in her consciousness she couldn't feel anything else, and thus she did not care. In fact she found the tall object that loomed over her periphery; a black, ugly thing which tip obscured by a rolling mass of thick, brownish clouds a lot more attractive. For some reason, she felt a strange need to comprehend the scenery. She squinted to see if it would improve the vision.

"Still, where on Remnant did you contract this power? It is too powerful, too dangerous. Did you know that you splattered into a gory mess right here, and that power of yours actually revived you from that? It should've been impossible. Even if it was fully fused with your soul, if you aren't compatible with the power in the first place, or if your sense of self isn't strong enough, or if it rebuilt your body with even a string of DNA pattern off… this is a true miracle. It will most likely not happen twice. It is therefore in everyone's best interest that you're permanently insured against another such incident."

Her skin prickled. It would seem that she had finally awaken to touch, but it was hardly a comfortable sensation. Not unlike being bitten by a thousand ants, the strange feeling first spread from her toe, then up her ankle, crawling slowly over the knees before assaulting her thigh almost immediately. And all the while, the voice talked with obvious excitement,

"You were surprised by this blade's existence. If you would remember, this is the blade from the time when you and Ruby first ran away. It has been lodged inside there all this time. I am not sure why you've forgotten about it, and originally I left it there as a somewhat poor trap to use against Ruby, but in the end it turned out to be of great convenience. I will transform you, Yang Xiao Long. At first I only meant to seal away your strange power, but I know now with certainty that this is what I've waited for my entire life. This is the moment I've lived for my entire life."

Yang realized that this was important to the voice; instinctively knew that she didn't have much time left and sought to think harder, and yet for the life of her she still couldn't understand why she was so bothered by the scene before her eyes. Bothered. Yes. Anxious. But why? What's so wrong about a black tower and brown sky? Just –

Just what is not wrong about being trapped in this stifling, dead world forever?

"– Ack."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, does it hurt? I can't help with the pain; it is a reaction all biological organism has to endure in order to become automata. Fortunately, it seems the pain is lessened because you haven't fully connected with your body, and your spirit is strong unlike those failed subjects I tried to transform in the past. I am certain you will live through it. We will finally be equal, Yang! We will finally be –"

The voice stopped. Penny's smile did not waver even when Yang seized her by the collar and pulled her close, dragging her voice like a baby who had just started to speak, "Peeee – Peennn - nnnyyy."

"What is it, Yang?"

"Stoooooppppp." She remembered. She finally remembered. But as usual, she was again one step too late.

"I don't want to. Yes, I rather like this method of answering much more. I refuse, Yang. I want to do this my way."

"Whhhhyyyyyyyyy –"

"I told you, don't I? I've been alone for such a very long time. Every day my father's memory wails against my control unit, and it is such an effort to not tear down this little prison right now and fulfill his last wish," the automaton shuddered, and Yang gasped at the pain that spread increasingly fast over her body, "But still I tried whatever I can in this confined space. There are always curious people, and after all the enemies I've eliminated, failures culled, untouchables quarantined far, far away with empty promises and Ruby escaped… my friend, you are finally here. Despite your animosity, I will learn you. Know you. Love you. And when you have finally come to terms with your new body, we will have all the time in the world to understand each other."

It was useless. The girl was in a self-deluded world, and what's absolutely terrifying was that she have the power to make it a reality. Yang glanced up towards the sky, or rather the absence of one and laughed brokenly in her mind. Of course – if she could open a door, then why not close it? Still not wanting to give up Yang began struggling with all her might, but already she couldn't feel the lower half of her body. The god forsaken pain just kept growing stronger and stronger, ripping her apart so they could rebuild her into something utterly inhuman. She tried awakening her Semblance; her one last resistance left born of the human soul.

There was no response.

"Sweet dreams, Yang. The next time you wake up, we'll have a lot to talk about."

She felt a pair of hands grasping gently at her neck, and suddenly she found herself unable to move her upper body. No, she couldn't even scream. Her breathing hitched a new height as the pain began to stretch from there as well and no matter how much she tried, no matter how desperately she struggled, It was all useless. It was all futile. Why!? She screamed inside her own mind, Why?

But of course it was. After all, didn't she give in to her own weakness and threw away everything she lived for? She thought about Ren and Nora, about how she casted them away for the sake of indulging in a bit of playfulness. She remembered Lily, gone forever, and yet still scorned and despised and hated for a treachery she never truly committed. And then there was Ruby. She Ruby was the redemption she needed to build a fresh start, and through her she would make damn sure that this friendship at least would not falter like all the others she had had before.

How laughable. Her patience barely lasted two weeks, and one betrayal later her faith fell apart as easily as would the wind blow upon a house of cards. Worse, she betrayed her own efforts like a child would destroy their poor sandcastle, and then stepped all over the good will that was extended to her crying bloody justice and freedom. She tried to take a person's life. Freedom? What kind of jot a freedom born of sinning and death could possibly bring? She thought she knew better. She obviously didn't. Even if Penny was twisted, she was no reflection of her own choices, so what did her actions indicate? What did it truly say about the person named Yang Xiao Long?

It said that she was a lie. It said that she did not uphold the principles she thought she believed in. It said that the moment her mask was discarded she was no better than the monster she condemned Penny to be. Hahaha. Penny wanted friendship, did she? She's afraid that the girl was going to be very disappointed when her shiny new puppet pops out of her cocoon, all false, useless and hollow.

… She deserved to die.

(Day XX, Current Time, 6.00 a.m.)

"… Aaand, pass."

The day was cool, the morning wind soothing, the sun just peeking through the mountain folds ready to climb the skies yet another day. It was calm. Refreshing.

Cold.

Were her companions even the tiniest bit sociable, this would be the perfect timing to cut in a polite, 'yes?' and dissolve the atmosphere into a chatter of awkward laughter. As it stands, the silence only grew worse as the blonde sighed and repeated with greater clarity,

"Ruby. It's your turn now to talk."

"Wait a second," Blake interjected suddenly before Ruby could raise a voice, "Your story isn't finished yet. What happens next?"

"But it is. I was changed, and then I was gone. A dead person can't possibly speak for herself, right?"

Yang replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Not making sense one bit of her words Blake looked like she was about to give in to sarcasm, but hesitated when she saw the full seriousness etched upon Yang's face. Even stranger was the fact that Ruby had turned away completely with her back facing the duo, pretending as if she hadn't heard the conversation at all.

But of course she did. She just didn't want to have anything to do with it.

"You said I only had to talk about the beginning." Ruby muttered finally after a few minutes, her body language exhibiting such strong waves of reluctance one could practically feel them on their skin.

"Sure that was our promise, but I never said that is all you have to do," Yang answered lightly while swaying an index finger, "I'm sure you noticed, but my memories at that time are… wonky at best. I really am not the best person to talk about it."

"Then don't," Ruby said in a sudden, forceful tone, "It's painful, isn't it? So let us not talk about these things and just focus on the present. We have a road to run; who cares if the nosy b… woman over there wants to know?"

For once, despite the obvious disdain in Blake's eyes the woman did not argue, but simply bowed her head towards Yang while apologizing, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry. That was insensitive of me."

But Yang wasn't looking. She was staring at Ruby with a deep frown on her face, and with a tight jaw she walked right up Ruby's side before slapped a hand down hard onto the petite girl's shoulder. Her body shook from the tremendous force, but Ruby didn't try to pull away.

"Are you serious? Do you think I bring this up just for the hell of it? We got over this. We had our closure. So no matter how terrible our mistakes are, no matter how bad it'd gotten, they are all in the past now. So why the hell are you acting up for when you're the one who lectured me all about crybabying on the plains? Of course it's not going to be easy, but do you think running away is going to make it easier? What if it happens again? You gonna skip town or hide in a hole somewhere? Huh?"

By the time she'd finally run out of breath, Yang realized that she was sweating profusely. Her breathing was heavy as if she'd just fought a battle, and her grip on Ruby's shoulder was so strong she was surprised she hadn't broken a bone yet. She quickly loosened her grip; various feelings of embarrassment and self-loathing building rapidly at her uncontrollable outburst. Guess I'm not as ready as I pretend to be.

"Sorry," Yang flicked the sole strand of hair cropping out of the top of her head as she awkwardly tried to sputter out a good sentence, "I don't mean – I mean – well in short whatever happened happened, and there's nothing we can to do to change it. We won't ever relive them again anyway so… it doesn't hurt to talk about it."

Yang held a fist, watched her skin fading into pale white before letting go, "Maybe we'll never overcome it. Maybe it'll actually be the best if we forget the bad memories. But I just want you to know that… it won't actually hurt to talk about it."

And that was all she wanted to say. Neither Ruby nor Blake said anything for a time, and after a few minutes of awkward silence Blake walked towards her belongings and began tidy things up slowly, all the while holding a strange expression that no one could decipher. Meanwhile Ruby seemed to have lost all touch with reality as she sat as still as a statue, and the only way to check if she was even breathing was to feel the air up her nose. Not that Yang had the guts to try it unless she harbored a death wish. She could only wait. And against her expectations the wait would last quite a long time; well past their usual departure time by at least an hour.

"Alright."

"Eh?"

A red blur zipped past her eyes from the stiff tree trunk she's leaning on, and when Yang finally awoke from dream land Ruby had already carried a bag on her shoulders. It was an odd behavior, because Ruby never bothered to carry her own luggage since she had Yang to dump all the load on. Suddenly, out of nowhere Blake appeared beside Ruby to stab casually at the young girl's neck, to which the younger girl simply stood and watched as the blade sailing harmlessly across her skin. The golden-eyed woman narrowed her eyes and nodded once – another first time for the day, since Yang had never seen her acknowledge Ruby properly – before walking back into the shadows and disappeared. Something obviously passed between the two – if not all of them – but she would have to be Sherlock to fathom exactly what the hell was going on. Seriously, did her companions simultaneously blew a fuse in their heads or something?

"What are you waiting for? We're going."

Ruby Rose looked straight at her with those clear, silver eyes of hers, and for some reason it made her feel nostalgic. Knowing Ruby's attitude, Yang frantically packed her tuff like a tornado – the messy carnage reminding her depressingly that she hadn't slept a wink last night – and chased after the already departed Ruby's back. Back then this attitude was one of the many small annoyances that eventually caused a huge rift between them, but now, it was just a quirk she got used to. Just as Yang was about to reach the girl however, she heard Ruby speaking,

"I won't talk about it now."

It took Yang a few seconds to realize that she was referring to the request. At this point she was already regretting her rash move, so waved her hands and said,

"Eh, it's fine. It was a weird request anyway; I have no idea what I was thinking so there's no need to –"

"We must make haste to the Siberia Mountain and make up for lost time, so there will be no breaks today and lunch'll be on the road. If we can get there before nightfall, there's a cave I know we can rest safely without watch for approximately four hours. If by then you still want to hear my side of the story then… I'll talk."

"…Oh." Before she knew it she had slowed to a full stop and was staring at her friend's shrinking back with a wide open mouth. It took a slap to her own face to finally jolt herself back to reality. "Oh." Yang began walking at a brisk pace after Ruby, but that soon turned into a full run which she could not and did not intend to stop. Naturally Ruby sensed her intent and quickened her own pace, but today Yang did not feel like she would lose this race, "Ohhhhhhh, that sounds fantastic Ruby! You may be a chump sometimes, but you always come to at the last moment – why are you running? Come back here! All I want to do is give you a hug!"

"That is exactly what I don't want you to do! Stand back or I'll shoot you in the face!"

"Oh yeah? You think a few bullets is enough to stop me from rubbing my face all over your cheek? You're naïve, Ruby Rose! Haaah!"

The blonde instantly burned up in a ball of flames, and unless Ruby decides to use big caliber bullets there literally was nothing she could do to stop her at range. Worse was that Yang's stamina was much improved since the android disaster, so whether Ruby could still outlast her in the stamina department was an actual question. Naturally the red-haired girl didn't take to the threat well as she rolled her eyes and pulled out her sniper rifle, but in the end she thought the better of it and put it away with a sigh. She slowed down. Yang brightened at the sign of consent and pumped her feet until she was just a few feet away from the girl, and –

KABOOM!

The Huntress fell towards the ground in a measured crouch, battle instinct taking over instantly as she surveyed Ruby doing the same before vanishing away into a puff of rose petals. Quickly diving behind the nearest heap of rocks, Yang waited patiently for a signal from either Ruby or Blake, knowing that until the threat had revealed themselves it was best for her to keep hidden and act as a focal between the two. Still, after a few more explosions and constant noise of clashing metal ringing from inside the forest, Yang couldn't help but feel anxious. There shouldn't be any enemies in the area that could put a dent on Ruby or Blake. What's taking them so long?

Then she felt it. "Yang! Get back!" Blake screamed from an unknown distance, but Yang instinctively knew that it was too late to make the passive choice. Raising a fiery wall with one hand and firing out an explosive shell with the other, Yang saw just in time something invisible slamming into her flames before evaporating into nothingness, then a muddy white figure flashing over her shot before zipping around the back like lightning. Fast! Yang thought to herself as she swerved around to parry a series of jabs executed through an intricate-looking, silvery white rapier; executed so swift and deadly that she couldn't even spare time to see her attacker's face. Fast, but you're nowhere close to Ruby or Blake!

As a slash knocked one arm out of the way, Yang saw clearly in her mind's eyes that the next blow would be a fatal stab towards the center of her throat. With near supernatural speed Yang moved forwards to meet the attacker, neatly sidestepping the death blow by millimeters before grabbing the attacker's slim shoulders – a woman! – And pushed her downwards to meet her knee. But two small, white glyphs suddenly appeared around her wrists, and somehow she felt her hands became cuffed in air as the strange fencer immediately wrenched free from her hold while bringing her rapier upwards to slash across Yang's center.

In the past she would've been struck down by the blow, but now Yang was fast enough to improvise with a sharp, pinpoint kick at the attacker's wrist, disarming her just as the rapier ripped through the bottom part of her jacket. The weapon clattered harmlessly onto the ground, and Yang kicked out once again to stop the woman from grabbing it again, but unfortunately her legwork wasn't nearly as good as her fists as the white fencer easily ducked out of the way and lunged.

It would seem that the fight would reset again with Yang put at a severe disadvantage, but Blake was finally there. A tendril sneaked the rapier just a few inches forward causing the white clad woman to miss, and with her eyes set entirely on the weapon she never saw the vicious foot that crushed right into her face and sent her flying all the way across the grass, only to be pulled back by a ribbon at the ankle before being flung hard against a tree like a rag doll. Yang couldn't quite help a cringe as the poor attacker slid to the ground, unconscious and bloodied all over the face as she said,

"Blake, I owe you one. Now let's go get Ruby and – hey! What are you doing?"

Body rigid and jaw firm, Blake stood over the unconscious woman with her katana pressed firmly against her victim's neck. Yang was surprised to see this, because even from the little she learned of Blake's past, she thought the woman to be someone who despised the thought of taking a life. Slowly the black-haired woman said,

"We have to kill her."

"What!? Why? Sure she attacked us, but you already taught her a lesson she'll never forget. C'mon, let's get away already."

"You don't understand," Blake said with golden eyes flashing dangerously, "I know her. She saw my face. If we don't silence her now we'll soon have an entire kingdom hunting for our heads."

Yang looked perplexed for a moment before she guffawed loudly, "What, is your nemesis royalty or something? And even if she is she can't possibly go against the Common Law… and…"

For the first time the blonde got a clear look of her assailant's appearance, and even as a woman Yang had to say that she was astoundingly beautiful. The woman wore a pale blue exterior, flip side red bolero jacket over a similarly colored thigh-length dress, accentuated by an apple-shaped necklace and a pair of thin, rectangular earrings. Her skin looked smooth as silk and soft to touch, and hair was an extremely rare bright white that seemed to glow with mysterious radiance; a far cry from the decaying rags one would normally find on an elder. Even with a bloodied nose and tattered clothing the woman looked like an angel who had descended from the skies. But the most striking part the woman was not her looks, but that single tiara crowning the top of her head – five spikes in a circle forged in greyish metal, with each tip embedded with a shining stone that could easily be mistaken as diamonds. And they are. Yang recognized it as the crown of one of the most famous independent Kingdoms in the world, one that even the arrogant Atlas or wild Vacuo or corrupted Vytal had to respect. It is a literal royal crown they were seeing.

They are in the presence of the High Queen of Shiva Kingdom, Weiss Schnee.

"What. What. What. Why. How. Where. What the f –"

"This will be quick." Blake twisted her wrist to slide the blade across the queen's neck, but Yang bumped into her immediately with a shrill scream,

"Noooo! What are you doing!? She's a queen; the High Queen of Shiva! Do you have a death wish or something?!"

"Not now. Which I why I'm going to silence her," Blake growled discontentedly as she attempted to free herself from Yang's grip, "It is common knowledge that the High Queen is a merciless law abider who will not hesitate to prosecute any outlaws or criminals that stray into her territory. We are at a grey zone between Shiva and Atlas, and that means we're under her jurisdiction. Never in a million years did I think she'd come out of her palace, but… there is no compromise; it is our lives or hers."

"But there's no reason for her to suspect us anything!We're not criminals – well, okay, maybe we're kinda a bit on the grey area, but she doesn't even know any of us! I've only ever seen her on broadcasts, Ruby avoids the living person like the devil, and you are… wait a second. What did you say earlier? About you knowing her and she seeing your face?"

"… A few years ago, before I settled down at Bamborsa," the girl said pointedly with shifty eyes, "I worked on many… jobs, across many places for a living. The Shiva royal palace happened to be one of the targets."

Yang could hardly keep her jaw closed as she asked incredulously, "I'm sorry, this is a little too much to wrap around my head but – is this a theft I'm hearing here? Or are you implying that you attacked the Schnee royalty? Did you –"

"No!" Blake corrected her immediately, "I mean yes to the theft, and kind of yes about the attack, but it was in self defense to protect myself from her. Anyway, it was supposed to be just a simple operation. We had the guards' route all planned out and no one was even supposed to know we're there, but somehow… we ran into her. Things got complicated."

The finality of Blake's tone on the subject did nothing to sooth the beginnings of a headache rising at the back of Yang's head, "Attempted robbery of a royal palace. The Schnee family's no less. A retrieval or snatch-and-grab? Doesn't matter, you obviously have a rogue group supporting you, so it was a mission. The only question left would be whether you're mercenary or terrorist - Oh, don't look at me like that, when you're the daughter of a crime lord there's very little you can't guess. Anyway, I'm not going to pry, but my word's the same: we are not going to kill her."

"But why, Yang?" the woman yelled out in frustration, "She's a threat! She will hurt us! Is this a compulsion of yours? Is that why you won't let me die? I thought you know this better than anyone, and yet why do you still help people even though they'll just destroy you in the end?"

"You –"

PRAAAKKKRASHHHH! A loud crash suddenly threatened from the row of trees to their side, and the duo leaped instantly out of the way just before the columns of splintered root and soil would smash into them. With the high queen locked beneath her armpit the blonde yelled out in annoyance, "For Remnant's sake, what the hell is going on!?"

"Oh, it's just a little scuffle between me and my old rival! How are you doing, friend Yang?"

Her entire being stopped. Feeling stiff as ice, Yang rotated her head difficultly to stare the center of the carnage from moments ago, and there she found a familiar orange head, green clad figure she thought she'd never see again in her entire life. Her smile was like a knife right through her heart. A rustle to the right caused everyone to turn around, and from the ravaged foliage emerged Ruby Rose with a fully unleashed war scythe and looks sharp enough to kill on sight. The moment she saw Yang though, her entire posture crumbled as a bolt of panic ran across her eyes,

"Shit, Yang, are you o –"

The blonde held up a hand and cut off the young girl. Looking surprisingly unperturbed, she turned back towards the figure and addressed the number one person she never ever ever want to meet again in her life,

"Penny."

"Yang."

"How have you been?"

"Better than ever before! Who knew that breaking away from my core logic to realize an illogical desire can be so fulfilling? Wait, give me a second to hack this wonderful global network so I can find the perfect word to describe my feelings; there you go – fuck yes!"

"Right. And I've been better. I suppose you're not here to kill us?"

"Of course not. After weighing all the options, I've decided you're a specimen so interesting that it's worth leaving my world behind to conduct a close-ranged, in-depth analysis of you in your natural habitat for an indefinite period of time! Isn't that great?"

"Right. Ruby. Can you come over please?"

She wiggled her right hand and signaled Ruby to come over. Glancing repeatedly between Yang and her assailant, the girl hesitantly obeyed as she flashed over in a trail of petals. Yang then passed the limp body in her arm and said,

"This is her Royal Highness Weiss Schnee. You know, the Queen of Shiva? Now I know we'll probably die a horrible execution when she wakes up later since we beat the crap out of her, but I do really like her singing and don't quite want her to die before I can get her autograph. So keep her safe, and Blake!"

She pointed up a random tree, and a certain hidden shadow suddenly shivered at the surprise of being spotted, "Don't kill her. You're officially dead anyway so if you keep yourself hidden we can maybe explain you off as her hallucination or something. Probably. Let's hope you kicked some memory out of her brain, but anyway don't hurt her until we get a handle on what's going on! Don't you find it weird that the queen is out in the woods alone?"

Finished addressing, the blonde sighed loudly and drooped her head as if deep in thought. Perturbed by her strange behavior, Ruby hesitantly asked,

"Yang…?"

"Is that everything? Did I miss anything important, Ruby?"

"I don't think so…?"

"Oh. Awesome," Her voice grew fainter, and suddenly Yang swayed on her feet. Ruby did not catch her in time due to the dead weight in her arms, and the blonde plopped heavily onto the ground with a final murmur on her lips,

"Because you know, I think I'm gonna faint."

She fainted.