BOOOOM!

The deafening thunder crack of an explosion ripped through the narrow alley, shattering windows and sheering concrete from the earth immediately below, leaving a small crater in its wake.

"Run!" A tiny young woman screamed above the painful reverb of her own Semblance, sweat clinging to her exposed skin and flicking from her side braid as she rapidly turned to follow Blake and Lilah.

Thistle kept her body, eyes and head moving, looking up, to her sides and behind her, but every time she checked for danger, her eyes darted back to the two women in front of her.

"Over there! In the alleys!" A deep voice roared from some unseen place.

Fuck, I need to be more subtle. I could probably take them all no problem, but this Lilah bitch doesn't even have her Aura unlocked and Blake isn't much of a fighter, and she doesn't even have a weapon. Okay, okay, I need to focus on getting them safe and out of sight so I can deal with this.

"I don't know these two!" Lilah shouted back while keeping her legs moving. Even so, Thistle couldn't help but notice that she slowed down to match pace with Blake.

"Shut up! Just stay with us, you can trust Thistle." Blake kept her eyes forward, with Thistle covering the rear and Lilah having no fighting experience, she kept watch for anyone who might get in front of them.

The clapping of many boots on the ground slowly became audible over their own frantic running. Their enemies were closing in, fast. Thistle could faintly hear people barking orders, though more quietly than before. They're playing this smart, probably surrounding this whole part of the ghetto. They're organized, well armed and weirdly dedicated to catching Blake. This is gonna trouble.

"Found them! Three targets at my location, Blake is here!" A voice spoke up from behind, the static of a walkie-talkie popping on for just a moment before he reported them in.

"Get down!" At Thistle's command, Blake threw herself and her friend to the ground, putting her body on top of Lilah's. Her ears folded down and her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for the shooting to start.

Bang!

Bang-Bang!

Shots rang out and bullets flew, over it all, Blake's ears could hear Thistle's semblance hissing with anticipation.

Chains and clattered and metal scraped concrete before she heard the sounds of flesh striking flesh.

"W-wait! Don't- GAAAH!" The distinct snap of bone breaking melded with his scream of agony. "Help! Backup! H-"

Before the man's voice could utter another syllable, what sounded like a fountain splashing on cement cut him off… and the metallic smell of blood filled the air.

Silence…

"We need to move." Thistle's voice was cool but firm, with just a little hint of thrill as her footsteps splashed in the shallow pool beneath her feet.

Blake's head slowly lifted up, her heart pounding as adrenaline flooded her body. Looking back, she saw the crumpled body of a White Fang solder, twitching just once more, before life left him completely.

"You can get off me now, how can you be so heavy with such a flat ass?" Lilah grumbled, lifting herself up with Blake's help as soon as she got off of her.

"You're welcome." Shaking her head at her friend's attitude, Blake couldn't help but smile just a little.

"Hey, your girlfriend there is a psychopath… I like her!" Lilah grinned excitedly as she brushed the dust out of her mane.

"She's not my… uhg, later, come on, let's get moving." Without having a moment to catch their breath, they bolted down the alley, voices shouted commands, organizing a large force of White Fang soldiers to surround them, just like Thistle had predicted.

Thistle stayed alert, but her position less than ideal. Protecting two non combatants by myself against a large group… I can't protect them from the front and back at the same time.

Gritting her teeth, Thistle ran faster, trying to catch up and get in front of her two… less than combat inclined charges. Her senses were sharp and her mind flooded with information, experience, the life she had before joining Ruby.

clink

The tiniest sound, one barely within range of human hearing, caught Thistle's attention. Grinding to a stop, her head shot up and the sun shined down into her eyes, she could barely make them out…

"Keep running!" Thistle shouted at the top of her lungs as she bolted for the wall to her left, where three men sat on the roof with the sun to their backs, one armed with a sniper rifle ready to fire.

In the next instant, two simultaneous explosions blasted her knives into the stone face of the wall. All the men saw next was a little girl in short shorts and a strip of purple fabric around her chest, screaming as she ran up the the against gravity towards them. Then…

BOOOOM!

Thistle loosed explosions from beneath her feet and her knives in sequence, the timing and placement of her Semblance powderized the concrete and brought the building's side crashing to the ground, men and all.

Within an instant, Thistle felt free, her whole body soaring through the air after she launched herself upward. Light set her hair aglow and the free flowing air wicked away her sweat, pleasantly cooling her body. For just a moment, the exhilaration almost eclipsed what intended to do.

Gravity took its inevitable effect. Quickly, she twisted herself, reorienting her body mid fall. She didn't get as far up as she'd hoped… but it's enough.

Thistle's tiny body hit the ground with a roll, her Aura protecting her from the trauma of the fall, but she still definitely felt the impact. No time to relax, Thistle sprang up, not wasting any momentum from her tumble while she broke into a full sprint to catch back up with Blake and Lilah who thankfully hadn't gotten too far.

"As much as I hate being the reasonable one, where the fuck are we going? That bitch is crazy and I dig it, but are we really fighting our way out of this shit?" Lilah could see Blake was barely coherent, and she was slowing down. She found it a pain in the ass to match her slow pace.

"Thirty meters south-east, There's a warehouse we can hide in, they're spreading out to cover the most area but they're thinnest there." It wasn't much of a plan, it was more to keep them calm and moving than anything else. But if we don't get out of the slums and get to where the police actually care to go, we're screwed. Maybe this is big enough to get the the police and Huntsman's attention. Okay, that's the plan, we call the police once we have a moment to-

"Blake! Get off her you creep!" Lilah growled in disgust as she came to grinding halt.

A man clad in standard White Fang grunt wear popped out from a side alley, throwing his arms around the cat faunus. She struggled, but he was stronger.

"Heh-heh, you're coming home, Belladonna." His grip tightened around her, his arm wrapped over her neck and his other hand rushing to his pocket.

"L-let them go." Was all Blake could say before he crushed her throat harder with his arm. Then, she felt a surging pain through all her muscles when his taser forced her body limp. This is all my fault…

Thwop!

The dull but unmistakable sound of someone getting bashed in the face by a fist rang out and seconds later… Blake hit the ground.

"Don't touch her you low tier canon fodder!" Lilah roared, her knuckles red from punching him in the face. Her expression contorted with disgust she launched a devastating kick to his balls, putting him straight to the ground.

"Can you get up!?" Thistle knelt over Blake, arriving just as the grunt went down. She carefully, lifted her, quickly looking over for any serious injuries. Aside from a scrape on her chin and hands, she was fine.

"Y-yeah…" With Thistle on one side and Lilah on the other, they pulled Blake up, getting hre to her feet. "Thanks… but-"

"We don't have time, we need to keep moving." Thistle parted from Blake as soon as she was stable on her own. Her mind solely focused on getting them all out alive.

"Hey, you, get over here!" With a deadly growl, Thistle grabbed the much larger man, twisting his shirt in her fist as she raised him up to her eye level, his legs limp on the concrete. "If you don't want to die, you're going to do exactly what I say."

"G-get your hands off me, my people will kill y- youch! Fuck!" Without hesitation, Thistle kneed him in his balls.

"If you want to ever have kids or live long enough to see tomorrow, you'll shut up and listen." Thistle was done playing, with her free hand, she brought her knife down between his legs. "First I'll castrate you, then, if you still don't cooperate, I'll cut your femoral artery and you'll bleed to death."

"F-fine… just, just get that thing away from there." His tough persona melted in an instant.

"You're going to call in and tell them you found us running north west, then you're giving me your radio. You try anything, and I'll make sure you die a lot more slowly and painfully than a quick bleed out." Thistle's Semblance made the air tremble again, a trademark of her rage, the tiny girl's raw power slipping out with her emotions.

"We get those radical rejects going the wrong way, I like it." Lilah approved, getting a kick out of them running around like the idiots they were.

"Wait, will that really work?" Blake, however, saw the big problem with that plan. We have to take him with us, knock him out and hope he doesn't wake up or have to report in… or we kill him.

"No, it won't, that's why he's coming with me. I'm good at making a lot of noise, if he reports seeing us while I blow up a few buildings, they'll come after me in force. You hide until my second explosion. After that, you run, you run to the warehouse and you don't stop." With a solemn, hardened look in her chilling purple eyes, she began to drag him off.

"Wait, you're leaving us?! Hey, none of my business if you're suicidal, but off yourself on your own time, we need you!" Fear and anger weighed heavily in Lilah's words, mingled with a soft ache of worry.

"No, I'm not letting you do this." Blake reached out, grabbing Thistle's arm through the hissing air stirred by her power. "I can't let you put yourself in danger anymore, you're always being so selfless, just… just stop! You need to live. Ruby needs you too!"

"Lilah, keep her safe for me… I'll be back." Without turning to face them, she jerked her arm free from Blake, and began to walk away. I couldn't save Ruby, I'm not going to let you down too.

"Fine!" The lion faunus huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "But if we die because of you I'm haunting your ass forever."

"Thistle… come home safe." There was nothing more she could do. Thistle was the most stubborn person she knew, resilient was her defining word. If she wanted things this way, nothing could stop her. I hate this… I hate this so much. I'm so- no! No, I don't have time for this, Thistle is strong, and she wouldn't abandon Ruby by dying here. I just need to do my part.

"We need to hide." Blake shook off her doubt and self pity, focusing on making sure she protected both herself and Lilah so Thistle wouldn't take that risk for nothing.

"Yeah, I heard your tiny psycho friend, but neither of you idiots have mentioned where the hell we're gonna hide." Lilah snipped, shaking her head at her misfortune. Between the obnoxiously cute health hazard and the gloomy doomy kitty cat, I'm the designated functioning brain cell here.

"Um…" Blake's reeling mind finally caught up to where Lilah's already was, and she began frantically looking around. "Okay, there's a pretty big pile of garbage over there, we just-"

"No, uh-uh, I would rather die and stalk that knify bitch for eternity than wade into that." She grimaced at the thought of getting in there, but Blake was already walking ahead.

"Well, those are your options." Shrugging off her friend's bitchiness, she got ready to settle into her hiding place.

"Uhg! Whatever, if we don't die, you're paying my dry cleaning. This dress is worth more than you."

"Aright, this should be far enough." Thistle mumbled, peering out a dirty, cracked window with bars on the outside. She had managed to break into what seemed to be an abandoned storage unit, the dust and stale air was nearly suffocating, but it was cover. They were smart, chasing us this way, almost every building around here is abandoned, Ghost Town Row, they call it. Well, it's no ideal, but at least I can fight all out without worrying about collateral damage, and there's a lot of places to hide. I just hope I last long enough… for them to get away safely.

"F-far enough for what? W-what are you going to do? You know, there's over a hundred of us here, you kill me and-"

"Yeah yeah, your friends will come after me, got it. Now, it's time to make the call. You tell them exactly what we went over." With a flick of her wrist her knife jumped into her hand.

With next to no effort, she shoved him to the hard floor and knelt down over him, keeping him down while the tip of her knife pressed into his shoulder. Crinson tinged his white uniform as he bled from the small, largely harmless wound.

"If you don't sell it, I'll have to make you sound more convincing." Her eyes stared hard into his, and she could see his throat move as he gulped down his fear.

Chhhhhhht.

"T-targets spotted! Fleeing north by northwest in the bottom left quadrant! Three girls on foot, Blake is with them and-"

BOOOOOM!

With a lash of her knife against the ground a concussive blast rang out, shattering the windows and blasting apart the floor.

"Think they heard that?" She grinned, pulling him up while carefully taking the knife out of his body. "Come on, you're not done playing your part."

Grabbing his wrist she ran head, kicking down a door and bolting back into the alleys. As they ran, Thistle rapidly looked back and forth, keeping an eye on her unwilling accomplice as well as scanning for any trouble. I can't let them report that I'm alone or with this guy, as soon as anyone sees me, I have to kill them, quickly.

She could hear shouts of soldiers and the hisses of radios, as organized as they were, the White Fang's forces were way too eager to broadcast their movements. It also didn't hurt that she could keep tabs on them through her captive's radio.

I wish I had time to interrogate him, this is a hugely disproportionate response for one random girl. Who the hell is Blake? Damn it, she never should have left Ruby! Because of her, Ruby's falling and I'm running through the slums with a captive while being hunted by terrorists. If we don't all die, she's not gonna be able to run away from me! Biting down with Rage, Thistle focused on getting back and confronting the stray cat faunus.

She stopped, throwing the White Fang against the wall while she pressed her back against it, keeping as quiet as she could. She could still hear a lot of movement, they were definitely getting closer. We haven't gotten far enough to give the signal, we need to keep moving, but not getting seen might be impractical at this point.

"Get out there." Thistle growled as they approached the end of their cover, where two alleys converged. Without giving time to explain, she kicked him into the open, the fool toppling at the light push.

With that she followed him, looming over the terrified man while she quickly looked left and right. Without waiting for him to regain his composure, she grabbed him by his collar and burst into mad dash.

Come on, come on, just a bit further, just a bit-

"Hey! Stop!" Thistle was snapped out of her thoughts by an commanding shout as three guys came from an connected path.

"Make yourself useful!" Was all the man heard from Thistle before he found himself sent flying down the alley with a single, powerful throw. His dead weight knocking down his comrades like bowling pins.

Thistle rushed in, wasting no time in her attack, lashing out with her blade, cutting the first one's throat just as he began to stand. In the next second she took out the second one, landing on his face with her shoe, all her of momentum and weight cracking his skull as soon as it hit the pavement.

"Help!" Was all the last one managed to scream before the knife that was lagging behind Thistle followed her, the chain wrapping around his neck, choking him before she jerked his body up and then landed a powerful kick to the back of his head.

"Time… time to get moving." Thistle was already feeling the fatigue of running and fighting. Heavy, panting breaths stung her dry throat she she walked over to her captive and pulled him up.

Hope they heard that scream. Not much further, this should have been enough time for them to mobilize. Shifting priorities, Thistle looked around frantically for an easy entrance into one of the abandoned buildings. "Up you go."

"W-wait! Don't-"

Crash!

Too late, his body had broken through a large window in an abandoned house covered in vines and falling apart. In the next instant, the impact of a pair of shoes landing hard on his back knocked the air out of his lungs.

"Phew, at least this is good cardio, heh-heh." She giggled to herself as she stepped off her impromptu cushion. However, as her eyes adjusted to the dark… her smile dissapeared.

There, huddled in the corner… a small family, three children and a teenager, all faunus, the older boy positioned himself between the kids and her. He looked afraid, he was shaking and as she stepped closer, she could see he was crying. Shit...

"Hey, you, what the hell are you doing here?" She didn't have time for nice.

"W-w-we live here. Get out… please." Poor kid was terrified, no worse than the children behind him though.

"You with the White Fang?" She didn't know what she would do if they had said yes. Thankfully, the boy responded with a tremoring shake of his head.

"This girl is an enemy of the faunus, a filthy human, the kind that keeps you down and-"

Crunch!

The sound of his nose breaking as Thistle's fist crumpled his stupid face filled the otherwise silent house.

"Shut the hell up." Her voice was soft but filled with contempt as she flicked the blood off her hand.

"Ash, I'm scared!" A little girl clung to her older brother, her, crying unabashed while he tried to maintain at least the appearance of strength.

"Are you a Huntress?" His voice stabilized, forcing bravery conviction into his words as he stared into Thistle's eyes.

"Not exactly." How was she supposed to answer that?

"You have weapons, and you're strong." His hard, desperate eyes were in stark contrast to the rest of his features. Scrawny, weak, dark circles under his eyes. He was starving, sleep deprived and sick. The children behind him weren't much better off.

"Just tell me what you want, kid, there's a lot going on right now and I don't have a lot of time." She had a feeling she knew where this was going, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Take them out of here with you, I can stay behind but it's not safe here for them." His knees buckled from fear as he stood up, taking a weak step towards the smaller girl.

"Kid, it's not safe here for me. I can't babysit for you while I'm fighting an army." She growled, trying to dissuade him. Please, just shut up already!

"My dad unlocked my aura before he died. I can help you fight." He was steadfast, stepping into light shining through a dirty window, she got a good look at him.

He had a horn in the middle of his head, a rhino faunus she guessed. He had short, messy black hair and dark tan skin. His eyes, though dull, were a beautiful mix of browns and greens. He tried to look intimidating and strong, looming over the shorter Thistle… until a strong, blunt force knocked the air out of him and threw him to the floor.

"Ash!" The children cried out as he struggled to regain his breath.

"Aura or not, you can barely stand. You'll die in an instant out there." Thistle was huffing with rage as she bent over and pulled him off the ground with one arm. "You stupid, suicidal fuck! What do you think happens to them if you die huh?!"

"I- I-"

"Just shut up! Damn it, fine!" With a bitter hiss, she let him go. "I'll come back for you, so just stay hidden until then, got it?"

"Will you… will you really come back?" He looked exhausted, but hope renewed some light in his eyes.

"Yes, you're too stupid to take care of your brothers and sisters, so I'll do it. Is there a basement here?" She ran her fingers through her sweat soaked hair, more than ready to get back to the action just to burn off her immense frustration.

"Yeah, there is." He nodded, getting the message and not wanting Thistle to take back her offer he turned to his siblings. "We're going downstairs, she's gonna get us out of here but we have to stay quiet."

The three children nodded and went to follow him do a door barely hanging onto the hinges. Except for one little girl, with big green eyes and sandy, light brown hair. She looked to be the second oldest, maybe twelve to the older boy's fourteen.

"Don't let him down…" Was all she said before she went with her family to the basement, leaving Thistle alone with her White Fang captive.

"Shit, what did I just get myself into?" With a hot and heavy exhale she huffed out her irritation before turning back to the man who was bleeding on the floor. "Whatever, time to make that last call. Tell them where I am and you can take a nice nap until this is over."

"F-fine…" He was less than thrilled, but he did as he was told, pulling his radio out while he kept his free hand on his nose to stop the bleeding.

Chhhhhht.

"I've found them again, five minutes north west of my last location. Blake is there but she's being protected! Send everyone! I need backup n-"

BOOOOOOM!

The wall exploded out in an instant, letting in a rush of fresh air as a spray of blood and bone washed over the building across the alley.

Fuck, I didn't think that through. If the kids see this, they'll get nightmares. Damn it, this is a huge pain in the ass. Looking around, she found a large blanket stretched out on the floor. That'll have to do.

Quickly, she grabbed it and ran back to the giant hole she made in the house. Standing up on her toes she tried to hang the blanket on the frayed wood and metal that was holding the house up, but… Why do I have to be so damn short!

The tiny walking explosive hopped up and down frantically, throwing and catching the blanket several times before screaming out in frustration.

Looking around once more, she grabbed a chair from the dilapidated kitchen, the old thing was barely holding together, but it managed to survive her dragging it back to the hole she had made.

Standing up on the chair in what had to be the most humiliating thing she had done all day, she got on her toes and hung it up as best she could, shielding the splattered body bits from view.

"Good enough, time to go." Her cheeks flushed red, she hopped down and gave the chair a swift kick, smashing it to pieces before running out the front door.

Bolting through Ghost Town Row, she made sure she was followed, letting off periodic explosions so they knew just where to find her.

Blake and her friend must have heard that second explosion by now. I need to keep all the attention on me so they have a chance to-

"Found yer." A low, deep voice with a thick accent spoke up as Thistle rounded the next corner.

A large, bulky man with two long teeth protruding down his mouth, a hippo faunus with a very large sword. Accompanying him, was a force of over thirty White Fang soldiers.

She was surrounded in the next instant.

"Dis Little Gurl wus causing all this fuss? Heh- heh." He seemed more than a little amused.

Well… I definitely have their attention… Taking a long, deep breath, Thistle calmed herself, unraveling her chains to their full length while her hands reached up to her hair. With her eyes closed, she undid her side braid, letting her hair fall softly against her face, swaying freely in the gentle breeze.

Don't worry, I'm not dying here. I promise I'll come home someday, so we can talk about how we feel, the right way, Ruby.

Boooooom...

"Thistle…" Blake stopped, looking towards the dull sound of her familiar explosions in the distance mingled with faint screaming and gunfire. It sounds like a warzone over there.

"Hey, get your flat ass moving!" The sudden shout made Blake jump before a hand firmly took hers. "Newsflash, staring like a useless idiot isn't doing shit."

"But she-"

"Hey, that psycho bitch is dying this so you can get away, ya know? Geeze, don't you know it's rude to waste someone risking their life for you?" She kept ranting as she pulled Blake away, following Thistle's directions.

"Thistle won't die!" Blake tried to sound certain, but instead, her sadness bled through and her declaration sounded more like denial.

"Damn fucking right she won't. If She dies, and you die, I got garbage in my beautiful mane for nothing and then who am I gonna take it out on?" She kept her eyes forward, looking back and forth, making certain no one popped out in front of them, counting on Blake's ears to hear someone approaching from behind.

"Yeah… I'm broke so she'll be the one paying for your dry cleaning." Blake's mind and body relaxed, just a little as a faint smile lit up her face. You won't let them kill you, I know you won't.

"Damn straight, both of you are so fucked when we're out of this shit storm." She was pissed, but Blake was calmed by her being there. As the two walked through the maze like Ghost Town, she kept holding Blake's hand, pulling her forward with her.

Thistle is out there fighting, best thing we can do is get to the rendezvous point and wait for her there. Fear and guilt burned away as a flood of conviction soared through her chest. Her eyes rotated, upright and alert, listening for any sounds nearby. Easier said than done with Thistle giving them hell over there.

Scuff

"Stop." Blake whispered, pulling back on Lilah's hand and bringing both their backs to a nearby wall."There's someone over there."

"How many?" Lilah strained her hearing but her ears where nowhere as acute as her friend's.

"Hmm… sounds like just one." She wasn't one hundred percent sure, but in between gunshots and explosions, she could only hear the sound of one set of boots, and one person breathing.

"You wait here for a second, I got this." Running her fingers through her hair and fluffing up her mane, Lilah prettied herself up as much as she could… before fearlessly stepping out of cover.

"What are you doing…" Blake kept her voice as quiet as possible, but either her friend didn't hear her, or she just chose to ignore her, because Lilah didn't even slow down.

"Hey there…" Lilah stepped into the adjacent alley, relieved to only see only White Fang grunt in their way.

"Stop! Who are you?" He raised a rifle to her, but she didn't flinch.

"Hmm, me? I'm a fan, actually, I love the White Fang, I think what you're doing is really badass." She kept her eyes locked on his, walking slowly and sensually towards him. "I live around here and I heard all the commotion, I just had to see what was up. I'm glad the White Fang is here to help liberate us."

"Y-yeah, that's what we're here for." He blushed, lowering his gun as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, such a hero. Tell me, how can I join?" She got right up to him, her fingers delicately caressing his hand while she lowered his gun all the way down.

"You want to, um… join?" He wasn't thinking with the head on his shoulders anymore once his arm was resting against her chest.

"Yeah, you know, rah rah go White Fang and all. Plus, I think the men in the White Fang uniform as super hot." With the most seductive smile, she slowly brought her hands up his chest, turning him so he was at eye level with her.

"Well, you know, I- I um… I have some sway with the higher ups, I could definitely get you in front of the line to get recruited…" She felt his hand on her hip, but she didn't even flinch.

"Hmm, well then, sounds like you're somebody I should get to know." She twisted up his top in her hand while she leaned, her lips moving towards his.

Bam!

Her head smashed into his face full force! She didn't let him fall back, instead pulling him back for a painful punch in the face and then a knee to his guts.

He was down for the count. She threw him onto the ground like a bag of garbage.

"As if I'd be interested in low tier trash." She literally spat on him, before stepping on and walking on top of his unconscious body. "Come on Blake, let's get moving."

"Right…" Blake looked down at the guy she had destroyed, making sure he was out.

"Ew, it got blood on my hand, gross." She looked disgusted at her knuckles, as walked off with Blake.

"That's my bitch." Blake laughed softly, more thankful than ever that she had Lilah as a friend.

"Kill her!" A scream rang out amidst the chaos of battle… just before his throat was slashed open.

Sweat poured down Thistle's face as she weaved between attacks. The large hippo faunus swung his huge sword towards her, the petite girl rolling under it just as two shots were fired at her back, his weapon shielding her from being shot.

Tumbling into a sprint she rushed into the crowd of enemies, parrying a sword slashed towards her with her knife, knocking it upward before her karambit slashed down through his wrist, effortless severing flesh and bone. With one kick she threw him back, knocking down all the men behind him.

In a fluid motion she grabbed his sword, disembodied hand still gripping the hilt.

She turned, twirling her knives with the momentum, the chains blocking a barrage of shots, the bullets exploding into a shower of sparks as soon as the touched her chains.

Diving through the gap in her chains she threw the sword as hard as she could, lodging it into the chest of a soldier before she sprung off the ground and jumped up.

Her feet landed on the hilt of the sword, her weight plus the shock of his wound brought him down, her feet pushing him up once her back hit the ground.

In the next instant blades and bullets shook and slashed the body, but his bones made for a decent shield.

The adrenaline of battle filled every fiber of her being with excitement and energy as she launched the corpse into the air while her body went into a handstand, dodging another swing of the big guy's sword, it slicing into the pavement centimeters from her face.

She reared back and gave a double kick while he was busy yanking his blade out, the hit knocking him back enough for Thistle to find her feet again.

I got most of them down… few goons left, then the big guy. She may have had adrenaline on her side, but she knew her body was reaching its limit. Damn it, never thought I'd say this again but I wish Vitali were here. Tight quarters and lots of enemies are the worst for me, his Semblance was a lot more tactical than mine. Made us the best team…

"Ya fuck'n dead!" A battle cry shook her from her thoughts as a blade rushed to cleave her in two!

She jumped back, barely dodging it once again… only for a powerful boot to her side to send her tumbling to the ground.

"Think yer so bad huh? I'll drag yer tiny ass home like a trophy." He laughed while a few more grunts stood up, roughed up, but not down.

"Shut up!" With a defiant roar the air crackled and her heart pounded with battle rage.

She rushed in, running directly towards the White Fang Lieutenant, her hands gripping tight on her chains, letting her knives hang down by less than a meter. Just like she thought, he went for another cleaving kill, swiping across at her… big mistake.

She jumped, tumbling into a flip, timing it perfectly so her hand landed on the flat of the blade. Loosing another explosion she launched herself into the air and smashed his sword back into the ground.

"Aaaaaah!" A furious scream echoed through the battlefield as she stopped her ascent and then, with a blast let out from each knife, she sent herself into a deadly spin.

BOOOOOOM!

Thistle made impact with the ground, blasting it apart like a meteor, the force knocking the Lieutenant down and killing the group of men she landed near instantly. As she staggered up from the crater, her body bruised and bleeding, a spray of bodies painted the area around her.

Damn it, I'm glad Vitali wasn't around to see that. I'd have to admit that the Thistle Meteor was a stupid idea. I feel like I'm gonna throw up, never doing that again.

"Wut the fuck? Yeh kill all mah boys! Ya think ahm impressed? I'm still taking your ass home." He easily ripped his sword from the ground again, his physical strength was impressive, even to Thistle.

"Sorry, my ass is already spoken for." She forced back her nausea and dizziness while she prepared to end the fight. I don't have much left in me… please let this guy be a pushover.

"Too fuck'n bad, heh-heh." He licked his lips, hoisting his sword over his shoulder.

"Fuck off!" Growling, Thistle lashed her karambit at him, keeping her distance from his sword. Just keep your distance, I can chip him down without risking hits to my aura.

Bang!

The explosion went off… but it was weak, the Lieutenant swatting her explosive blade away with almost no effort, leaving Thistle staring in frustration and annoyance.

"Fancy tricks, but ahm yer worst nightmare, girl." He chuckled, stabbing his blade into the ground. "Mah Semblance dampens damage that hits mah skin. Yer little pops en't gonna do nuth'n."

"Don't brag so much!" Thistle rushed in again, pulling her knife back to her and catching it in her hand, ready to start slashing up close and personal.

"Blades won't do ya much good either." He got ready for her attack, grabbing his sword's hilt, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

Just like last time the blade lashed at him, exploding as he swatted it away… but the second one was just behind it, poised to strike him in the face.

Bang!

The explosion went off, but this time, it didn't hit him directly.

"Aaaaaaaa!" Thistle rushed in while he was stunned, putting her hand on top of his hilt and throwing herself up to him.

He leaned back, trying to avoid it, but two more explosions followed, one from each hand simultaneously. It was only then that he realized… he couldn't breath.

Thistle was relentless, a vicious onslaught of explosions, one after another, the pressure waves leaving behind a vacuum that sucked the air right out of his lungs.

"Let's see you dampen this!" She screamed, pushing away from him with another explosion at his face while he desperately grabbed his sword, swinging it all but blindly to get her away.

As soon as she hit the ground, her knife followed, letting loose another explosion at his face, keeping the air away.

She couldn't slow down, she couldn't stop even for a moment. Rushing back in she swung her blades at his face again, this time, both hitting his sword, the full power of her explosions returned when not hitting his skin, each enough to keep the air away.

In the next instant she jumped up, letting a flurry of punches fly at his face, detonating each shock wave just before it she hit his skin. Between the force of her onslaught and the lack of air, he toppled to the ground, and she went with him.

BOOOOOOM!

She pushed her Semblance to its limit, a full body explosion that pushed all the air away from both of them… only she had the forethought to close her eyes and hold her breath.

Then, the biggest flaw of her power took effect… her aura broke, from her own explosions.

Her ears felt like she had nearly blown out her ear drums from the vacuum and her entire body hurt, her fists were bleeding and she could barely stand. But I'm still conscious…

Gasping for breath, she weakly pulled her blades across the ground towards her, each seeming like they weighed a ton. Her muscles felt like they had been replaced with solid lead and her vision was blurred.

"Y-you put up a good fight…" Was all she said, before shakily putting the knife to his liver… and letting her body weight do the rest.

She felt him writhe for just a moment as blood began to gush from the wound, but she severed his thoracic aorta, a trick she learned from Ruby. It's… finally over.

Her body wanted to pass out, all her aura was drained and her body was pushed further than it had ever been before. All around her were the remains of over thirty bodies. She won… but she couldn't rest.

"Blake… please… be safe." She didn't even have the strength to coil her chains as she stood up, instead, all she could do after pulling the knife out of the White Fang Lieutenant, was to let them drag limply behind her.

"S-stop…" A pain filled groan sent a wave of terror through Thistle's heart as she spun around. Only a meter away, someone survived, and they were still armed.

Thistle rushed him, she didn't have her Semblance or her aura, one shot and it could be it for her. All she could do was throw herself at him and hope for the best.

Bang!

His gun fired and a searing pain burned into Thistle's shoulder just as she took him down. Pain sent her fight or flight response into overdrive… and she chose fight.

She slammed her elbow down on his face before wrapping her hands quickly with her chains and letting loose with weakened punches over and over again, grunting as his blood spattered over her… until he stopped moving.

Deadly silence returned her crimson stained knuckles were burning and her breathless gasps were the only sound that filled the air. Fuck… I've been shot.

"I- I've got to get back." Every muscled screamed for her to stop moving, but she refused to listen, pushing herself every millimeter as she got to her feet, and walk away from the carnage.

I don't want to die, not until I see her again. Please don't let this kill me.

"Should we kill him?" A aggravated but curious voice spoke up, echoing softly inside the large metal warehouse.

"He's knocked out, we should wait for Thistle." Blake sighed, her deep concern for her friend who stayed behind growing by the minute.

"But what if he wakes up and he starts screaming?" Lilah grabbed the unconscious White Fang grunt by the back of his shirt, lifting him up as though he were dirty laundry, before dropping him back on his face with an audible thud.

"If we wakes up and starts screaming, we kill him, but until then, we should wait for Thistle, she's the most experienced with this." Blake looked up to the sky through the cracked windows near the ceiling. I haven't seen action like this in a long time. I'm so useless… to think I used to daydream about becoming a huntress.

"Fine but I think she'd side with-"

Knock… … … knock…

Weak, drawn out thumping at the metal doors stole the girl's attention. Both Blake and Lilah exchanging apprehensive looks before optimism got the better of Blake, walking cautiously over to the door. Glancing back quickly to her friend, all she got in response was an indifferent shrug.

Drawing in a deep breath, Blake readied herself for a fight… and opened the door.

"Told you… I'd make it back." At the door, a girl with messy, wild red hair, covered in dirt, blood and bruises smiled with more warmth and relief than she had any right to in her state.

"Thistle…" In an instant, Blake's fear snapped to heartache, relief and guilt. Warm amber eyes shimmered in the late-day light before tears washed sweat and dirt from her cheeks.

"Good to see you too, Kitten." She gave a weak laugh, playing with Roman's nickname for Blake as she staggered in, her hand clutching her blood soaked shoulder.

"You're hurt!" Wasting no time, Blake ushered her in and closed the door quietly behind her. "Lilah, get her something to sit on."

"Hey, do I look like your assistant?!" The lion faunus hissed, but all the same, she did just what she was tasked with, pulling a small crate over to them.

"Got shot in the shoulder, don't worry, I got off way better than the poor bastard that shot me, heh-he- cough- heh…" She kept her smile, trying not to worry the two non combatants that were counting on her to still be able to protect them.

"Don't be so reckless anymore. You could have died." Blake didn't waste any time tending to Thistle, still, just pulling her small hand from her shoulder, the wound gushed hot vital fluid and the tiny badass winced in pain.

"T-think you can patch me up?" The question was rhetorical, Thistle had no doubt in her mind that Blake was up to the task.

"I'll do everything I can." Examining the wound, she thought back to the drilling Ruby gave her on anatomy. "I need a cloth, take his shirt off and bring it to me."

"Fine." Lilah huffed, a little too exhausted at this point to put out her full attitude.

"The bullet is lodged in your deltoid muscle, with this much blood, I'm worried it might have hit an artery." Her heart was pounding, she'd never had to work on a living patient like this before. I wish Ruby were here, I- I don't know if I can-

"Do what you need to do. Ruby trained you, don't look so nervous." Her smile was growing weak and she seemed barely able to sit up.

But she's encouraging me anyway. Damn it, what did I say about being selfless. Blake smiled back, a warm and thankful grin, until the wound caught her attention once again.

"Okay, it looks like the bullet hit your clavicle, it may have shattered there and and the fragments are what's causing so much bleeding." She redoubled her focus, putting pressure with her bare hand on the wound to stem the bleeding.

"I don't need a dissertation, heh-heh…" Thistle felt light headed and so pathetically weak, still, she forced a smile to her bloody, bruised face. They're scared… I'm scared. If more show up, I'm not sure there's anything we can do. It'll be a few hours at best before my Aura recharges enough to fight, even then, I might only get a minute or two before my body gives out.

"Here's your gross shirt, you sure you should be putting that on there?" Draping the White Fang apparel over her shoulder she took a few steps back and made herself as comfortable as she could leaning against a stack of boxes.

"We can worry about infections later, Ruby will know how to handle it, for now, we just need to stop the bleeding." So she did just that, taking the sleeve of the top and tying it around Thistle's shoulder as tight as she possibly could, all while maintaining pressure on the wound.

"Hey, where'd you get him." All she could do was gesture with a nod of her head towards the unconscious and now topless White Fang grunt while she tried to ignore the pain of Blake's first aid.

"Oh, him, he was wandering around outside of this dump so we kicked his ass. Kinda pathetic how easy he went down too." Lilah snickered until a light-bulb seemingly went off in her head, reminding her of something. "Oh yeah, by the way, we were debating whether to kill him or keep him alive. Which would you have done?"

"Alive. He… might have… information we need." Thistle spoke between labored, pain heavy breaths.

"Told you." Blake took the petty victory and ran with it.

"Pssht, whatever." Huffing bitterly, Lilah begrudgingly accepted her defeat.

Thud!

A sound from right outside sent a cold chill through the girls' blood as all their eyes slowly drifted to the source of the sound.

That was a car door closing. If we're lucky, it was the police or military or huntsmen… but I don't exactly feel lucky right now. Thistle glared towards the source of the sound, taking a deep breath before forcing herself to stand.

With a motion of her hand she commanded the others to stay still and quiet and she struggled to climb a stack of crates that brought her up to the windows. Every single time she pulled herself upward, the pain in her shoulder felt like she was getting shot all over again.

By the time she made it, even more car doors could be heard slamming shut, followed by the chatter of men. Peering out the window, her heart froze with fear while her mind raced.

Four more carfuls of White Fang were there, including another big guy… Great, this one's got a chainsaw.

"We've got… a problem." Thistle huffed, nearly collapsing to the floor if not for both Lilah and Blake catching her and holding her up.

"Yeah, what else is new?" Lilah griped as she and her roommate eased Thistle back to her small crate.

"How bad is it?" Blake was afraid to ask… especially when Thistle's hardened, almost confrontational eyes landed squarely on hers.

"Twenty more guys, and another Lieutenant from the looks of it." She sighed, shaking her head. "Lot of trouble to go through for just one girl. So, Blake, I'm only going to ask you this once, and all I'm asking for is the truth."

She was dreading this, she was dreading this since the day Ruby and Thistle first saved her life, what felt like a long time ago.

"Who the hell are you?" Stern, unwavering light purple eyes stared into her own, daring her to lie, like they were looking into her very soul.

"I- I…" She wanted to tell the truth, she was going to tell the truth… But… I don't want to be alone.

"Do you know who Adam Taurus is?" Blake looked defeated, like a lost child who was admitting something terrible they did.

"The leader of the White Fang. What about him?" Thistle was too exhausted to play the guessing game.

"Yes, but to me… he's… he's my… he's my husband." Her eyes squeezed shut tight, she couldn't bring herself to look, she couldn't face either of them, what she was hiding, all this time. And now- and now they-

"What a pain in the ass. Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Thistle sighed, she sighed. No rage, no disgust, no judgement… just… hurt.

"I'm sorry! I didn't want anyone to get involved and-"

"When you become part of someone's life you get them involved. You're so stupid, you don't want to be alone but you run away all the time, you don't want to get people you care about hurt but you keep them at a distance. You're stupid." Thistle Shook her head, trying to come to terms with Blake's unimaginable stupidity.

"Yeah, what she said, you stupid bitch!" Lilah gently smacked the back of her head. "If I had known you were were the wife of that sociopath, I would've asked for a different roommate, now I'm stuck with your dumb ass."

"You… you both…" She was in awe. Tears poured from her eyes silently and effortlessly while her mind struggled with a reality she never let herself even dream of. I really am stupid.

"Alright, enough emotional shit for now. We've got to figure out a way to get- to get… w-what are you.. do..."

With just a bit of pressure on her carotid artery… Blake rendered Thistle unconscious.

"What the fuck was that?" Lilah was equal parts confused and scared as she watched Blake tenderly lift Thistle's tiny, unconscious body into her arms.

"I'm not letting you two die here. You're going to hide with her, keep her safe, then you're going to run to Ruby. I'll tell you how to get there." She hugged her sleeping friend, closing her eyes and sending a silent apology for what she had to do.

"What do you plan on doing?" No attitude this time, just pure worry and caring.

"I'm giving myself up. If they have me, they'll leave." She took a deep breath, and handed off Thistle to Lilah, finding it strangely painful to let go. "This isn't a request. I'm doing this."

Without letting her nerves have even a chance of getting the better of her, she bolted for the door, leaving Lilah and Thistle behind.

"You stupid bitch…"

I'm scared… Blake felt apprehension in every cell of her body. Her hands were bound the moment they grabbed her, and she was shoved into an armored vehicle, no windows, no light, no escape.

Blindfolded for good measure, and legs shackled with heavy chains, she knew they weren't taking any chances.

This is it… they really got me this time. I- I just hope Thistle and Lilah made it out. She could feel her restraints digging into her wrists and ankles.

I don't even know where I am. She felt at once claustrophobic and too terrified to move.

Where have they taken me? She tried to get some sense of her surroundings. All she knew was that the floor was hard and cold, and the air was so stale it was stifling.

What happens next? The question that kept playing through her mind over and over again from the moment she stepped into the open to be captured. Only one other question plagued her more viciously than any other.

Is he here? A wave of fear so potent that it brought with it sweeping nausea as it washed through her body and mind.

Everything I've done, it's led up to this. Me, here, alone.

Click

Her ears twitched at the sudden sound, she could hear breathing, and people moving around.

"First, I'd like to thank you all for coming."

At the sudden, familiar voice, Blake's heart skipped a beat. N-no way.

"Today is a momentous day, and a victory for so many who are suffering."

"Hmmrf!" Blake struggled, dragging herself towards the voice with her elbows and knees, until her head thumped against solid metal bars.

"Before we get into the details, I'd like to say that this victory is only possible thanks to the cooperation of many individuals, coming together for a common goal."

It can't be. Blake struggled, forcing her face against the bars of her cage, pushing and pushing until the blindfold slipped off. Then… she saw…

"Ruby…" Blake's body shook and went weak at the sight of the doctor who had saved her, who she had lived with… Who I… who I…

"Venom addiction." Ruby spoke to the cameras and the press. "It's an epidemic that has been ignored far too long, while families suffer, while children watch their parents waste away."

Ruby looked like she was in rough shape, even on the small TV screen. Blake recalled what Thistle had told her, that Ruby was addicted to Venom. Why would she do that? She couldn't be giving up, everything she's done, she's done for her sister, for the people she loves.

"Every day, the death toll grows. I've seen this suffering first hand in my clinic. I know the pain it brings… the misery that you need to feel to even take it, just to cope. The pain it brings to- to people you love. How it pushes people away who care about you. Until you're all alone."

Ruby… you idiot. Thistle still loves you. Yang, Roman, Neo, they all love you. Blake felt inexplicable anger and empathy for Ruby, wishing she could reach into the screen and tell her that she's not alone.

"Recently, a contaminated batch has been circulating the streets, but even the sharp increase in deaths this month, is nothing but a blip compared to the hundred thousand that die every year from Venom."

Do you really want to die? If you do, why would you still be doing this? No, I know you, you won't abandon the people that need you… would you?

"No! No more statistics, no more numbers, no casualties of an invisible war, with corruption, money and violence pulling at the strings. Today, we bring the war into the light. I'm proud to announce that, in partnership with the Vale Public Hospital and its satellite offices all around the kingdom, we will be creating the first network of rehab clinics."

The crowd cheered and clapped, and all the while, Ruby looked off. She smiled, but it was the smile Blake knew from the day she overthrew Rexxie, or the genuine smile while the three of them, herself Thistle and Ruby, were together. This was all wrong. Is she high right now? Has it gotten that bad?

"We will exert every effort, exhaust every option, and fight for every patient suffering from an illness long dismissed. With funding from the Vale Department of Health and our alliance with the Schnee Dust Company, we will start our Pilot Program today, in the VPH, and within the next month, we will have eight hundred rehab clinics spanning all of Remnant."

What are you doing all this for? What's the point? How does taking down the Venom Cartel help you? What are you thinking right now? Even with how far Ruby had fall, Blake felt completely absorbed in her world, it was the most beautiful and terrifying thing about living with Ruby.

"Now, we must all face the facts here. While Venom addiction can reach any life, anywhere, there is no doubt that Venom is a problem for the poor and suffering." Finally, her smile faded, replaced with righteous anger. "The people society has pushed down, the people that have been forgotten, the people that have been left behind. The sick, the lost… they're the most Vulnerable, and I refuse to let this go on any longer."

The lost… the sick… you really do care, don't you? Is that what you saw in me? In Thistle?

"Faunus are disproportionately represented among Venom casualties. A class of people who have long been mistreated and oppressed. This, I won't stand for either."

You… want to save the world. A small smile returned to Blake's face. For just a moment, she saw Ruby as a child, innocent and naive, someone who thought their love could save the world.

"I can't do this alone. Here, now, I am calling on the White Fang, to join me in saving the Faunus from Venom, and breaking the cycle of suffering and addiction. Help your people… help us."

In that moment… Blake felt the whole universe come to a halt.

Her pupils widened and her heart was pounding, every thought was burning away as she looked into the silver eyes staring into her own from the other side of the screen.

Tears poured down her face and she was shaking as every emotion imaginable rocked her from the inside out. Awe, pure, unimaginable awe, glowed inside her from the very core of her being.

She… she's doing this for me… Blake muscles all gave out with only the cage bars holding her up. She's going to... destroy the White Fang.

Click.

"Fucking whore, thinks we're gonna take orders from a human." A White Fang grunt spat on the ground as he turned the TV off.

"Hahaha, I know right? Adam's gonna kill her." Another man stood up beside him, holding his stomach while he chortled.

"Hey!" Blake had been seen. The two men walked up to her cage, but she barely noticed, still reeling from what she had just experienced. "Who told you you could take your blindfold off, traitor bitch!"

"Aww, look, she's cry'n, bet she thinks we'll take pity on her if she looks pathetic enough." The two shared another laugh, getting a kick out of slamming their weapons against the railing of the cage, making Blake jump.

"She's kinda cute, dressed up like a slut and all." The larger of the two men, bald and smelling like he didn't know how to wash his clothes, leaned towards the cage to get a better look at Blake's outfit from the strip club.

"Think the boss would be mad if we had some fun with her? I mean, his only instructions were to bring her in alive." The skinnier man, with koala's nose and slicked back brown hair reached between the bars towards their captive.

Chomp!

"Fuck! She bit me!" He screamed, flailing his bleeding hand.

"You don't want to touch me." Blake glared, baring her teeth. "If Adam doesn't kill you, you couldn't imagine what will come for you if you hurt me."

"Oh look, thinks she's all big now cuz she nipped your hand like a misbehaved pet. Well, we'll fix that attitude of y-"

Ring-ring-ring-ring!

Everything came to a stop as a scroll on the counter began to ring and vibrate. The men backed off, before the closer of the two to the scroll answered it.

"Hello?" He said dumbly before immediately stiffening up. "L-Lord Taurus! Um, yes, we still have her. Oh, okay, yeah, one sec."

A dark grin grew across his face as he slowly walked towards her, holding the scroll up just outside her cage.

"Hello… darling." The voice that gave her nightmares every single night, the voice that haunted her, the voice that whispered to her in her darkest times…

"A-Adam…"

"You remembered me, after all this time, you do care." He relished the terror in her voice. "It's been long time, my beloved, since you left."

"What do you want from me!?" She shouted, out of fear and impulse, and immediately, her instincts made her flinch, fearing retaliation.

"What do I want? I want you to suffer, every minute, every second, until you and I are together again. Then? Well… until death do us part." He laughed maniacally, savoring the sweet sound of her terror and imagining all the horrible things he would do to her once he had her back.

"No."

"Wait… what did you say?" Adam's voice took a turn for confusion and amusement.

"I said, no. I'm not going to be afraid of you anymore." Blake took in a deep inhale, and with her exhale, released her fear and tension in a single breath.

"You will always be afraid of me." His amusement had ended, and he sounded like his usual self once again.

"No, because you're nothing, Adam." She glared right into the scroll, speaking without wavering or faltering. "You're a monster, a weak and pathetic monster. I've seen your eyes, they're nothing compared to the eyes you'll be staring down the day you die."

"Is this some kind of game? Are you trying to bluff your way out of this?" He laughed, but Blake's face was stoic.

"A monster like you, is nothing. The will that moves the world, the fallen angel who gave up her soul to do what was impossible, the one who took in a stray, and gave her a home… the one who will save the world, is someone you can't even come close to. You're nothing compared to her, and you're nothing to me."

"You're delusional."

"You're finished. She's coming for you, and it's not malice or spite or lust for power that compels her, it's- it's love!" Now, her expression broke, and she was crying again. Love…

"Nobody, will keep me from you." He tried, he tried so hard to sound in control, but his frustration and anger bled through.

"Nobody can keep you from her. I won't die here, or wherever you plan on bringing me. Because… Because I'm going-"

"Enough!" He screamed through the scroll, enraged and burning to hurt her. "Boys, do what you like with her… but I am the one that gets to kill her."

Click.

Just like that, he hung up.

"Hehehehe, looks like it's our lucky day." The man grinned disgustingly as he tossed the scroll onto the small, dirty couch in front of the TV.

"Back off!" Blake growled, pushing herself to the back wall of the cage, showing her teeth as the two men reached in together.

She tried to fight back… but a powerful blow to her head stunned her while they dragged her out. The larger man pinned her up against the wall, while they took turns beating her.

Each blow felt like they were trying to kill her. She was sure her rib cracked from a knee going into her chest. Her inner cheek was gashed open by a blow to the face. She barely noticed when they began to take her top off.

"Adam sure knew how to pick 'em when it comes to looks." She vaguely heard one of them mumble.

Ruby, I- I don't know if I'll ever get to see you again, but if I die, please… don't close your heart. I'm not the only one waiting to-

BOOOOOM!

A heavy metal, reinforced door exploded from, taking a large chunk of the concrete wall with it.

Through blurry vision, Blake weakly raised her head over one of men's shoulders to see a tiny figure with flowing, short red hair, while the room filled with the sound of dangerous hissing and popping.

"Let her go." Thistle's voice was so leathally cold that even the men who had been beating her did as she said.

"Th- Thistle…" She smiled, even through all the pain, she smiled.

"Stay calm and keep your head down. I'm here now." She smiled back, looking in even worse shape than the person she came to save, but even so, she stepped into the White Fang den without hesitation.

"Who the fuck are you?" The men grabbed their guns and swords… but before they could even move, Thistle had bolted towards them.

Her fist smashed into the face of the smaller man, breaking his jaw and sending teeth flying. She only had one good arm, but they didn't stand a chance.

As she and the now unconscious man hit the ground, she immediately rolled forward, getting behind the larger guy who was still turning around.

"Gaaah!" He shouted in pain as her blade followed behind her, slashing his leg before she jumped up, landing a powerful uppercut to his jaw stunning him then she slashed his belly open, spilling out his intestines. He immediately went into shock, and collapsed.

"Come on, we need to get out of here. It took almost all my aura just get that door down." Thistle broke through Blake's restraints and put herself underneath her arm, the two supporting each other as they stood.

"How did you find me?" Blake staggered to her feet, trying to keep her weight off Thistle as much as possible.

"That White Fang guy you knocked out." As the exited the building, Blake felt cool, fresh night air wash over her.

"Where's Lilah?" She asked weakly.

"Taking care of some kids I… you know what, never mind, it's a long story."

"Thistle…"

"What's up?"

"I… I want to go home now."

"Yeah… me too."