29 Chapter 29: Terror of the fate bringer

Fang slid back as he dodged the blade, prompting Mohawk to swing his massive sword at him once again, forcing him father away as Cinder faced off with the other twenty guys. Fortunately, it didn't look like they had aura so she should be fine.

The only real problem was the Mohawk man. He might not have a brain, but he was huge and ridiculously strong going off how easily he was swinging his weapon.

But nothing ventured, nothing gained. And Fang wasn't going to let someone with the moral compass of a twelve year old push him around!

Without any hesitation, he charged at Mohawk, firing from the hip as he went. In response Mohawk let out a battle cry and charged at him, completely ignoring the bullets hitting him.

As they ran towards each other, Fang suddenly threw his blade high into the air. Eyes wide, Mohawk looked up as the blade twirling through the air towards him. It was way too high to reach him and even if it did, it wouldn't do much damage. What was the fool planni-!

Suddenly, Fang's first landed in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could recover, Fang landed a barrage of fast punches before spinning and kicking him into a nearby car.

Mohawk hadn't finished crying out in pain before Fang had reached up and caught his blade and charged at him again. Not having time to recover, Fang shot forward and slammed his knee into Mohawk's face, sending crashing through the window.

Immediately, Fang began pounding Mohawk's body with the hilt of his blade, stoking with terrifying precision, not giving him a chance to recover.

After only a few seconds of unrelenting pounding, Mohawk felt the strain on his aura. If he didn't act, it would break before he had a chance to do anything. Gritting his teeth. Mohawk steadied himself countered with a powerful head-butt, forcing Fang back.

Somersaulting over the car, Mohawk landed on the other side before Fang could recover. Gripping his blade with both hands, he let out a roar and swung it with all his might.

Immediately a powerful gust of wind was whipped up. Tearing the car up and sending it flying at Fang while stunning the white haired boy at the same time. Confident he couldn't dodge, Mohawk charged at his opponent to finish him off.

But Fang was ready.

He immediately leaned back, letting the car sail harmlessly over him along with the fist of wind before backflipping onto his feet where he opened fire at his charging opponent.

Mohawk ignored the bullets once again and the second he got in range, began a volley of stabs, moving extremely fast for how huge his weapon was. What's more, given his incredible range, Fang couldn't counter attack.

Now on the defensive, Fang was forced into a retreat. He was able to dodge easily enough, but every time he tried to close distance or move around Mohawk, the mad used his semblance to trap him with powerful gusts.

Fang's eyes narrowed suspiciously. The gangster was baiting him to parry. He didn't know why, but that much was clear. Fang wasn't so stupid as to walk into a trap, but as he was chased father and father across the parking lot, he quickly realized he might have to take the chance.

And sure enough, he soon found himself pressed between the nightclub and his attacker. Having no choice, Fang swung to deflect Mohawk's attack, bracing himself for whatever came next.

Turning his blade electric, being knocked off balance or even a faint, Fang prepared himself for any of these outcomes. Quickly devising a plan for each one. So even if he took a hit, he would still be able to counter quickly.

But what he didn't count on was the center of Mohawk's blade splitting open at the tip, dodging his parry and letting the hard steel center slam against his neck!

"Gah!" Fang cried as Mohawk drove him against the wall, sending cracks spider webbing across its surface. Before he could recover, the blade clamped shut on his neck! With an evil grin, the gangster began whipping him around, dragging him across the ground and wall leaving huge ruts in the area.

Then, Mohawk released his throat and flung Fang high into the air. Positioning his open blade at the flying huntsman, he pulled a trigger that caused the center of his blade to start to fill with raw electrical dust energy.

"So long annoying little shit!" Mohawk yelled triumphantly. "You should have kept that big mouth shut and stayed out of the way! Maybe next time you'll learn to stay out of the way of your betters!"

Meanwhile, Cinder looked up over the barely conscious bodies of her opponents. She watched Fang flying through the air as Mohawk aimed to blast him out of the sky. A smirk slowly spread across her face.

For all his tough talk, she had been right. Fang wasn't anything impressive as a fighter. Calmly, she changed Midnight into bow form and took aim. She was looking forward to gloating to him later. It was too bad this was the end of their rivalry, but she supposed that she should have seen it coming. Ideology was worthless without the power to back it up.

Suddenly, Fang spun midair. Whipping around to face his opponent and firing a single shot right into the growing energy at the center of the blade. The second the bullet hit it, the energy dispersed, sending a powerful shock through Mohawk

Pointing his blade skyward, he fired another shot, propelling himself down. As soon as he landed, Fang tapped a bottom causing the screws to extend, releasing the guard from his blade. Simultaneously, he plunged his hand into a pack on his back and pulled out a new guard.

Without a single wasted movement, he slammed the new guard onto his blade and pressed the bottom again. Immediately the screws tightened, fastening it to the blade. Swinging his blade back around, he pulled the trigger and blasted himself forward with the force of his shotgun guard.

With the burst of speed, Fang reached his opponent before he had recovered from the shock.

In a second, Mohawk was blasted off his feet and kicked high into the air. Fang quickly followed with a massive jump courtesy of his shotgun. And the second he was within range, the white haired boy launched a flurry of powerful aerial attacks!

Cinder's eyes widened as she watched Fang pound away at Mohawk in what she could only describe as a skyward dance. Somehow, he managed to keep both himself and his opponent in the air while simultaneously putting enough weight into his attacks to do damage. All while using his gun to stay in the sky.

And while Mohawk had a massive size advantage, Fang was able to easily dodge around his clumsy airborne attacks and land another blow to keep him in the sky.

She had never seen anything like it before. Not even Summer or Qrow could do something like this. Fang had rendered Mohawk helpless as the big man, and Cinder would bet on anyone, not being able to properly defend themselves while in the air.

Finally, after a few good seconds, Fang spun his opponent around and blasting Mohawk back into the ground. And with another shotgun blast, he torpedoed into the ground, driving his knee into Mohawk's spine just below the neck. Shattering his aura and knocking the gangster out at the same time. The last sound from the man was a chocked cry as he jerked up before he slumped back to the ground, drool slipping out of his unconscious mouth.

Dismounting his opponent with a flip, Fang turned to Cinder sheathing his blade before dusting off his hands.

"You're sure you're as idealistic as you claim?" Cinder asked as she sheathed her weapons. "That was surprisingly violent for someone who wants to make the world a better place."

Fang just gave his shoulders a shrug. "There's a difference between being idealistic and being naïve. As much as I wish I could help people with nice words and pleasantries, I know at the end of the day, all that does is delay things. Fighting should be as violent as possible to keep people afraid of it. Otherwise people might seek it out for glory or what not. Besides, if I want to truly help others, then the best thing I can do is treat the source of the problem, not the symptoms."

Cinder stared at Fang, a smile spreading across her face. She normally wasn't happy about being wrong, but today? She was glad she was.

She had pegged Fang completely wrong. He clearly had more to him then she first thought. Although, given she had pictured him as being one of those skin deep protagonists from the kid shows Ruby watched, maybe she shouldn't be surprised. After all, he had lived just like her before Summer. It made sense he wouldn't be so naïve as someone who hadn't gone through hardships and pain.

"Urg…." Fang and Cinder both turned to look at Mohawk as the man began to stir. He was as tough as he looked, recovering from a blow like that so quickly.

"You awake already? Not bad. But I suggest you stay down. I fractured some bones and moving might damage them more." Fang said as he walked over, tossing his massive sword away. "Now, I think you owe the manager of this fine establishment an apology for trashing the place."

Mohawk jerked awake as his sword hit the pavement with a dull thud. Immediately he tried to run, but Fang was faster, pinning him to the ground.

"Your not going anywhere until after we've come to an agreement about you leaving this place alone." He said calmly. "So just sit still and be reasonable and you'll walk home soon enough. Otherwise, i'll have to let Lil' Miss know what happened to her business. And believe me, she'll be much less forgiving them me."

"We're forgiving?" Cinder asked as she walked over. "Why not just break his neck and call it a day. Can't do much if he's dead."

Fang shot her a look as Mohawk went rigid. Eyes wide in terror as he lay helplessly on the ground.

"Because that will anger his gang. And getting into a turf war isn't good for lil' Miss, or anyone in the area." Fang said somewhat shortly. "Not every problem in the world can be solved by just killing the other guy. That kinda mindset is what resulted in the sorry state of the world."

Cinder opened her mouth to protest but stopped when she heard clapping from the edge of the parking lot.

"Well, well. It's rare to find someone so young yet wise." A new female said as she approached. "It's a shame we're on different sides. I think I'd love to share a discussion on the finer points of morality."

The woman looked to be in her early to mid to late forties', with short black haired and sharp blue eyes. She wears a black coat embroidered with the same wings Mohawk had. Underneath, she had light kevlar armor covering her chest and stomach over a skin tight bodysuit that had several glowing lines running all over it.

Cinder also noticed a two blade half on both sides of her wrists. A gauntlet style weapon that was designed to enclose the wear's hands. She had a set for both hands. Her boots also held an interesting design. They also had a similar set on her ankles, but if activated the blade would be under her feet. Why did she have one there? That didn't make any sense.

"Miss. Adelaide!" Junior gasped, scrambling back, making the other two turned to look at him.

"Friend of yours?" Fang asked, to which Junior shook his head furiously.

"No! Not anymore! That Adelaide Lorena! The leader of the Enlightened Seraphim!" Junior screamed in a panic. "Back in the war she was feared for the tenacity in which she chased Atlas nobles and killed them in the most sadistic way! Word on the street is that the kingdoms knew about her treatment of her prisoners, but allowed her to continue because of her sheer skill! She isn't someone you want to cross!"

"Well informed, Junior." Adelaide said as she stopped a few feet away from the two students. "But that was in the later half of my career. And let's be honest, those bastards deserve it. But that's neither here nor there. Right now, I'm going to need you to hand over that man immediately. As much as I hate to admit it, but I need that idiot alive."

Fang tensed up as he locked eyes with Adelaide. This was bad. He had heard stories of the terrifying things that happened to those who crossed her. They had earned her the title the white witch. Under these current circumstances, he highly doubted they could win. It might be three on one, but that didn't change the fact that she held the advantage of pure range.

Right now, it was probably best to give in to her demands and-.

"You want this loser? Come and get him!" Cinder said drawing her weapons. " I got pretty bored with the worthless fools I fought. So I'm itching for a challenge!"

All eyes turned to Cinder, each one holding different emotions. Junior's was pure terror and disbelief that she was challenging one of the strongest members of the criminal underworld. Fang's was of incredible irritation and annoyance. And Adelaide's was of surprise and a twinge of amusement.

"Hey! Stand down you idiot!" Fang quietly snapped. "I don't think you understand the ramifications of picking a fight with a crime lord! For just this once, please let me handle this!"

Cinder looked at Fang over her shoulder, then let out a sigh. "Fine, have it your way." She said, lowering her blades. "It's probably for the best. This is your area of expertise. I should just roll over and let you do your thing."

Eyes wide, Fang opened his mouth to speak, but it was already too late.

In a split second, she spun around firing an arrow at Adelaide before charging herself.

"Damn idiot!" Fang snarled before giving chase. She didn't know what she was getting into! There was so much more at stake than a simple fight! Why couldn't she see that!?

Adelaide effortlessly deflected the arrow as she turned to face Cinder, her blade closing around her wrists. The sound of steel clashing quickly filled the air as the two women began fighting.

Cinder was on the offensive, striking with a flurry of lightning fast attacks, trying to force an opening in her opponent's guard. But Adelaide was easily her equal in attack speed, expertly deflecting every one of the girl's attacks.

"Not bad. You have some real skill." Adelaide said as she clashed with Cinder, locking blades. "It takes a fair amount of skill to weld two blades. You might have had quite a future as a huntress, but."

Suddenly, Adelaide's leg lashed out, catching Cinder in the stomach, knocking her back as the blade on her boot clamped shut, letting it dig into the girl right below the ribs. She slid back. She was able to stay on her feet, but she didn't have any time to recover before her opponent raised her leg high into the air, then brought her heel down onto the ground.

Immediately the entire parking lot froze into pure ice! Cinder's eyes widened as she suddenly found herself struggling to keep on her feet on the slick ice. A little ways away, Fang slipped on the ice before he could get close to Adelaide and slid across the lot before he smashed unceremoniously into a parked car. (Which also froze.)

"The hell?!" Cinder cried in shock. What the hell was that?!

But before she could recover her composure, Adelaide shot forward and slashed the girl across the chest before skating away on the blades on her feet.

Eyes wide, Cinder tried to counter when her opponent came around again, but when she tried to dodge, she lost her footing and fell onto the ice before getting kicked back up.

Unable to defend herself, Cinder throws her hands up in a feeble attempt to stop the barrage of attacks from the White Witch. But the older woman expertly struck in between her guard with the precision of a figure skater. And try as she might, Cinder couldn't get anywhere close to hit her as she effortlessly skated away after each hit!

And that pissed her off!

"Hold still, you annoying pest!" Cinder screamed as she was slashed again, practically flailing at her opponent who effortlessly skated away. "Stop running away and fight me!"

"Huh. Maybe I was wrong about you." Adelaide said as she spun around and shot towards Cinder again, landing another powerful slash across her chest before dodging out of range once again. "You don't have much of a future if you think fights are just punching each other until someone drops. If you just try to power through, you'll never advance beyond this level."

Cinder felt fury burst inside her. She didn't need an enemy giving her petty advice! How dare this bitch look down at her! She may not have the experience but she was smart! Fire beats ice, so!

"Let's see you talk so tough after this!" She screamed, and without a second's thought, she brought her fist down onto the ground, releasing a massive surge of heat that expanded into a burst of flames!

Immediately the area around Cinder was engulfed in a massive explosion of steam as the ice melted. Grinning in triumph, she turned Midnight into bow form and readied three arrows. Now that the bitch couldn't skate anymore, she would switch to long range tactics. But if Cinder could get off this shot, she could melt the ice right under her and render her helpless long enough to get some much deserved pay-!

A sudden hissing sound caught Cinder's attention. A quick glance at her weapon had her in utter shock as ice started to on it. She quickly activated her semblance to try and melt it, but to her horror, the weapon was the least of her worry!

Ice covered her entire body forming a cocoon around her. If that wasn't bad enough, the ice had frozen her outer aura as well. Greatly weakening her defense and offense simultaneously!

Panicked, Cinder tried to free herself by creating heat all throughout her body, but before she could make any headway, Adelaide shot through the mist like a rocket. She slammed the blades on her wrists into the younger girl's stomach before ripping out in an x form.

"Aaahhh!" Cinder screamed as she was sent flying, smashing into the wall of the nightclub with a loud crack, before falling to the ground, aura flickering.

"Free advice. Think before you attack. Otherwise your opponent might use your own attack against you." Adelaide said as she smirked at Cinder who had crawled to her hands and knees. "For example. If you know your opponent has the ability to freeze things, maybe don't surround yourself with vapor."

Cinder glared up at her opponent. She felt the familiar feeling of rage fill her insides as she staggered to her feet. She wouldn't let this bitch off that easily! She'd find a way to win somehow! She wasn't going to take th-!

Bang!

The gunshots called all eyes to Fang, who was flying towards Adelaide! Immediately the huntress swung her blade at the student, but with a blast from his gun, he dodged midair and launched a power kick counter. Unfortunately, his opponent was able to dodge by bending backwards letting the white haired boy fly over her.

Immediately, Adelaide skated away, trying to put distance between them. But without any hesitation Fang shot after her, using his gun to stay airborne.

After realizing she couldn't escape, Adelaide spun around and met her opponent head on. She caught his first strike, a downward swing from his blade, and threw it back against him. Rendering helpless for a second, she lashed out with her leg, kicking him high into the sky.

Seeing her opportunity, Adelaide raised her hands, gun barrels extending from her wrists. She aimed carefully at Fang as he slowly fell. In a few more seconds, he would be in range And she could let loose with her full-!

Suddenly, Fang spun in the air, throwing something at her. Reacting immediately, Adelaide lashed out, aiming to slash the thing out of the air only for it to stick to her weapon.

However, it attached itself to her wrists when she struck it! There was a short pause as Adelaide got a good look at the object making her even more confused than before. Whatever it was, It had an outer shell composed of a magnet with a strange cylindrical device at the center. The device was pretty simple, with a vile of red liquid hooked up to a dispersal mechanism.

But before she had a chance to even guess at what it did, the device clicked, then released a huge cloud of red gas that covered Adelaide and melted everything within several feet of it!

"What the hell is that?!" Cinder asked. Her eyes wide as Fang landed next to Junior.

"That's the Obsidian special! The knowledge of how to extract the raw energy from dust and weaponize it!" Fang said proudly. "That energy is then dispersed as a gas with far more potent concentration than any bullet or crystal. A masterpiece of technology that has yet to be surpassed!"

Cinder looked over at Fang. She had never seen him act like this before. All proud and boastful. His normally level head gave her the impression of a man who never cracked a smile or celebrated his triumphs. Like a stick in the mud.

And for the second time tonight, she was happy to be proven wrong.

"Not bad."

Cinder and Fang wiped their heads around to see Adelaide slid out of the gas completely unharmed, though a little out of breath and her aura flickering. Clearly escaping had cost her greatly.

"I don't expect to run into an Obsidian tonight." Adelaide said, leveling her blades at Fang. "My mistake for underestimating a family that lives off the pain of others. I should have expected you to have some horrible trick up your sleeve. But you missed your opportunity, I won't fall for you little trick again."

As she finished her little speech, Fang let out a quiet chuckle, causing the older woman to narrow her eyes at him. Clearly not seeing what was so funny.

"Tempting as it is it comment on the hypocrisy in that statement, I'm willing to swallow my pride to settle this before it gets any messier." Fang pulled a small amulet out of his pocket and held it up for all to see. It was a spider in its web with the letters MM engraved on the spider's back.

"I'm sure you know what this is so I won't waste time explaining." Fang said, stepping forward holding the amulets out like a protective ward. "And I'm sure you know if this fight continues, it'll get far bigger than you'd like. But if you walk away now, I can sweep this all under the rug and Lil Miss needn't know. You can even have your friend back, but only if you agree never to attack this place again!"

"Fang!" Cinder snapped. She wasn't about to let Mohawk go without a fight!

But then Fang turned to her, her protest froze in her tongue. He had the look of both fear and distress. He didn't like this either, but didn't see any other way out. And when she stopped to think, she realized she couldn't see one either.

Adelaide might have been weakened and it might be two on one, but the fact of the matter was both of them had struggled to land one hit! And that meant that it didn't matter if her aura had been depleted, they'd still lose.

Cinder let out a snarl, but bit her tongue and kept herself silent.

With a nod of appropriation, Fang turned back to Adelaide. The two locked eyes for what felt like hours before the woman closed her eyes and let out a chuckle.

"As tempting as it is to kill off the cursed Obsidian family for good, I'll have to take up your offer." She said as her weapons retracted. "I have no desire to go head to head with Miss Malachite. What's more, as an act of goodwill, I'll personally fund the repairs to the building. So Lil' Miss is well aware that this is a blunder that WON'T happen again." She shot a pointed look at Mohawk as she spoke the last part.

With a sigh of relief, Fang slid his blade back into its sheath. Then turned to Cinder and gestured for her to follow suit.

And with one last frustrated glare at Adelaide, Cinder holstered her blades as well.

She clenched her hands into fists angrily as she saw a smirk appear on Adelaide's face. Her frustration grew as everyone there knew that if Fang hadn't come up with a proper excuse, all three of them would have been dead.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Cinder begrudgingly turned away and disappeared into the club house. She couldn't bear to watch the two bastards get away scot free as it was a hard reminder of her own weakness. Her own failure.

Immediately, she slammed her fist through the wall in the entrance of the club, trying to drive away these thoughts. But the pain in her hand only reinforced the most painful part of her reality.

She was still too weak.

___________________

A little while later.

Cinder pouted as Fang and Junior worked out a payment plan. In all honesty, it sounds a lot like when Summer would argue over their cable bill when they were first getting it set up. Who would have thought money laundering was just like talking to a retail clerk?

"Fine. Guess that's as good as I'm going to get." Fang said somewhat dejectedly. "Now, on a more interesting note, Cinder had something she wanted to ask Vale's number one informant."

Looking up, Cinder watched Junior's turn to her, then he let out a scoff.

"What do you think this is? A charity? If the lady wants information she's got to pay. Just like everyone else. I don't care if you brought her in. I'm not giving jack until she coughs-!"

Cinder walked across the room and grabbed his tie before he could finish his sentence. She yanked him down to her level and locked eyes with the criminal.

"Look here, buddy. I trekked all the way across the city to get here and save your sorry ass! So how about my payment is not ripping your balls off and feeding them to you!" Behind her, she heard Fang chuckle as she manhandled the informant. He was enjoying it as much as she was.

Smiling to her, Cinder calmly drew one of her blades as she continued. "And while we're at it, I don't care for that tone. Why don't you start calling me something more respectful, like…Sir would be a good start." She saw the hesitant fear in Junior's eyes as he looked at the weapon. He had already seen what her and Fang could do; she doubted he was willing to get killed for someone else's sake.

"L-look here you little brat! You can't just charge in and start making threats! We have-!" He was cut off as Cinder lowered the blade so it pointed just below his belt buckle. "I mean, I'd be more than happy to accommodate. Sir!"

With a smirk, Cinder let the man go where he slumped back onto the bar. Coughing as he straightened his tie.

"I want to know about the Phantom of the Witching Hour. Who is he and what is he planning? And of course anything you have on his hideout or people close to him." Cinder said somewhat excitedly. For the first time in a week, she felt she was finally starting to get somewhere.

However, Junior just stared at her, eyes wide in alarm. He wasn't expecting that and clearly knew something on the subject.

"Kid, I mean sir! If you had just asked that to begin with, I'd have told you without you needing to put a sword at my crotch." He said, causing both Cinder and Fang to give a start of surprise. Why was he so willing to give out this information?

"Lil' Miss put a bounty on the man's head. Said anyone interested would be given all the information free of charge. Believe me, there's nobody on Remnant who wants him gone more than she does." Fang and Cinder exchanged looks. Lil' Miss was stationed in Mistral, why would she be interned with someone who operated mostly out of Vale?

"Judging by your expressions, I'm guessing you didn't know. That Phantom has all but taken over the criminal underworld in Mistral." Junior gave a grave nod when they both ripped their heads around to look at him in shock. Cinder couldn't believe it, but the dark look on Junior's face told her this was no joke!

"It was about two years ago. A lone man just appeared out of thin air and started attacking criminals. It started as gangs, then it became drug lords. And before anyone could blink, he was a massive kingpin with a Monopoly on the weapons trade industry seemingly overnight! And nobody had a clue it was happening until he was already elbowing out his competition. As you might have guessed, Lil' Miss didn't take kindly to that." Junior paused for a second as he glanced over at his men, ensuring they were out of earshot before leaning in to whisper to them.

"She sent her best assassin to warn the guy not to elbow in on her turf. Nothing too dramatic, just attack him in his sleep and take an ear as a warning. But not three days later his head is sent to her home address with a live grenade stuffed in his mouth! Needless to say, that was the last straw Lil' Miss. and she declared war on him. Only, it didn't go the way she hoped."

"In three months. Literally three months. The Phantom had singlehandedly undone almost her entire influence. Her top enforcers were killed, her crime lords assassinated in the homes, her storage and cashes taken over and her information network in shambles. She had lost almost everything and was now the last thing standing between the Phantom and complete control over Mistral's underworld. And so, she did the only thing she could think of. She bowed to him."

A long silence followed Junior's words. Cinder's mouth was hanging open as she tried to process what she had just heard. The ruthless, cunning, untouchable crime boss of Mistral had been soundly defeated in three lousy months! That was impossible!

"Why is this the first I've heard of it?" Fang demanded, his voice breaking Cinder out of her daze. "Why wasn't I aware of all this going on? I worked there for years. How could one guy take over the entire criminal underworld with anyone noticing?"

"Lil' Miss used all her power to keep everyone in the dark." Junior explained. "Only those directly involved knew. The only others who were informed were her crime lords, like myself. She wanted to keep things quiet. Kill him off and take over without anyone the wiser. But as you now know, that didn't go according to plan."

Cinder hands balled into fists as she struggled to keep herself from shaking. If someone with as much resources as Lil Miss had tried and failed to defeat the Phantom, what chance did she have?

Horrible reality came crashing down on her as the enormity of the task she had set for herself sunk in. Just how far was the gap between them? Just how long was his influence? And just what could she do against him?

Blood slowly started trickling out of her hands as her nails dug into her palms. Her knuckles were white as she clenched her fist as her arms started to shake uncontrollably.

Just what was the Phantom?! Was he even human?! Nobody could be that powerful without getting a lot of notoriety! Yet nobody has even heard of him until a few months ago! How had he done it?! And if he really controlled the entire criminal underworld of an entire kingdom, did she even stand a ghost of a chance against him!?

Cinder staggered back, hand flying to her chest as she began gasping for breath. Her legs trembled as she struggled to stay on her feet. Fang immediately rushed over, trying to help steady her. She could see his lips moving and the concern on his face. But her brain couldn't process what he was saying.

What if the Phantom went after Yang or Ruby!? What could she do to stop him!? He controlled an entire criminal army, he could literally send a hit man anytime he wanted!? And Summer couldn't be there to protect them forever!? Why was there always someone after her family!? First this Salem person, and now the Phantom!? Why couldn't they just leave them alone!?

"Cinder! Calm down! You're hyperventilating!" Fang yelled, shaking her shoulders. But the girl stayed in her daze as her legs gave out underneath her. Fear and panic had overtaken her. The worry about being unable to get her vengeance merged with her fear for her family making her completely unresponsive. What's more, her emotions had activated her semblance and she was starting to burn herself!

"Damn! Cinder snapped out of it! You're going to hurt yourself!" Fang cried, but the girl still didn't respond. In fact, her hand started to burn even hotter!

Taking a deep breath, Fang knew he'd have to do something more physical. Immediately he grabbed a nearby glass of water and threw it into Cinder's face! Immediately causing the girl to start spluttering as she accidentally inhaled a good mouthful.

"Gah! Cough! Aahh! Wha!?" Cinder cried, shaking her wet head as Fang took a step back.

"You were having a panic attack. I had to do something before you passed out." He explained as Cinder recomposed herself. "You can be as angry as you want later, but for now let's get back to school before you have another. Contrary to my incredible display just now, I'm not qualified to treat someone with anxiety issues."

Cinder shot a glare at Fang, but didn't say anything. She wordlessly got back to her feet and made her way out of the club, shoving past one of Junior's men to reach the door as quickly as possible.

Once outside, she took a few deep breaths before beginning the long trip back to Beacon.

As she made her way down the street, she relished in the night air. It stunk of gas and pollution, but it was cold. Something she needed.

There was a trail of blood from her hands on the street as she made her way back to Beacon, but she didn't care. Her aura would heal them as well as the burn on her chest by sunrise. She wasn't so weak that she needed to look after every injury she received.

After a few minutes, the sound of footsteps behind her informed her that Fang had caught up and was keeping a respectful distance. Good. She didn't want to see him after she had just made a fool of herself back there. She was supposed to be stronger than before, strong enough that she wouldn't have to suffer the pain of losing ever again.

Yet just the thought of the mountain the Phantom stood upon made her feel weak in the knees all over again. This was so stupid! She wasn't supposed to just freeze up anymore! She wasn't supposed to need to be protected! She was supposed to be strong enough to chase away the nightmare by herself! Not need someone else to do it for her! She was-!

"It's okay to be scared."

Cinder's head whipped around to face Fang, who was looking straight past her. She opened her mouth to shoot denial at him, but he cut her off before she could even begin. And what he said caught her completely off guard.

"I'm scared too." He admitted. "The Phantom sounds terrifying. And right now there's nobody who's going to challenge him. That's more than enough to scare even a full grown huntsmen. Clearly his stronger than you anticipated."

Fang stepped next to her, still looking straight ahead. "But that's not going to stop you, is it?" He turned to her with a grin. "You're so stubborn, I doubt anything short of death itself would be able to stop you. You might not be ready right now, but in the future, I have no doubt you'll be the one to take him down. After all, unlike all the other opponents who tried, you're different. You don't want to defeat him because of money or power. You want to beat him because you have something much more valuable on the line. And that alone gives you a power that the others didn't have."

Cinder stared wide eyed at Fang. They were the same height, but right now it felt like she was looking up at him from below. His entire presence seemed to radiate confidence, making the horrible knot in her stomach loosen, then disappeared.

Slowly a smile spread across Cinder's face. He was right. One way or another, she would find a way to defeat the Phantom and protect her family. Then she would get even stronger and ensure that what happened before wouldn't happen again!

"Hah! Like I need you to tell me that!" Cinder said, picking up her pace so she could walk ahead of him. "I'm going to surpass everyone, including you! So don't go encouraging me when you're the one who should be training like crazy!"

Behind her, Fang let out a chuckle and shook his head. He should have guessed that would be her answer. He wasn't sure why he expected anything less.

"Thanks, by the way."

Fang came to a screeching halt at Cinder's words. He hadn't expected that from the hotheaded girl at all. A part of him almost thought he had imagined it!

"I mean for tonight! For helping me out back at the club!" Cinder said quickly and loudly, making an effort to keep her back to Fang as she came to a stop. "I know I'm not the easiest…person to get along with, but I'm trying… going to try to change. You and Amber had shown me things I'd never thought about until now. So, thanks, again."

Fang stared at Cinder's back slack jawed before his eyes drifted up to her ear which was bright red. She really did have a hard time admitting her feelings? But he supposed he wasn't in a position to judge. Even he had lingering requests and questions about his future.

With a quiet chuckle, he turned away to avoid further injury to her pride. As much as he loved seeing the cocky get put in their place, he'd make an exception tonight. After all, despite everything, he was starting to enjoy the hothead's company.

"You're welcome."

The two walked back to Beacon together. Neither saying a word, yet still surprisingly enjoying the other's company.

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Yep, this chapter isn't hinting at stuff that's going to become relative later. I had originally planned to show off Fang's semblance during this fight, but I might have been so sick of writing fight scenes that I cut it. Don't worry, I'll show it off next time he fights.

Take your guesses now on what the Phantom's end goal is. I'm willing to bet your completely baffled right now. And as an added bonus, I'll drop the mask right now and give you something interesting about the man as a hint to his future.

He's an antagonist, not a villain.

And with that very subtle hint, I bid you all ado. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Bye!