A/N

Hey everyone! Today is the day to post the first chapter to the sequel! As of this upload the story is not finished, but I have planned to get the final chapters done on time so there is no "dead air" in my upload schedule. I will be uploading twice a week, once on Mondays and again on Thursdays!.

I have found writing this story to be more challenging and more enjoyable than writing the first one. I no longer have to rigidly stick to the canon of the first three volumes, but this means I have to be on my toes when it comes to creativity and story progression.

In terms of canonical timeline, the events of this story take place during the events of Volume Four.

Also, fair word of warning to those who are interested. This story (like the first) contains mentions of sexual themes, but most of it is left up to the imagination. Still… be warned…

Whelp, without further ado!

Chapter 1…

The soldiers tensed behind their deployed cover, checking over their rifles to ensure that they were loaded and free of jams. One soldier gave a once over to the hastily set up MG, the heavy machine gun being propped up over the defences by a turret stand. The troops were setting up in the middle of a walkway in between two of Beacon's dormitory buildings, the narrow passage creating a perfect killbox.

"We almost ready?" A very tall man asked, crossing his heavily muscled arms over his chest. He struck an imposing figure but his face was kind, accentuated by his neat crew cut and light brown eyes. His stubble had grown quickly the last six months, progressing from scruff to a short and neatly trimmed beard. His combat clothes had remained the same, the one exception being his white henley being replaced with a tight black t-shirt.

"You tell me…" The soldier on the MG chuckled. "We still got radio contact?"

Rust pulled his scroll of his belt and unfolded the device. "Eagle-1, how's the view?"

"Eagle 1?" Mauve warbled back, her confused face appearing on the screen. "When did we settle on codenames?"

"Right now!" Rust laughed. "No word from Asher… can you see him?"

Mauve's face disappeared from the screen for a moment. Rust looked over the barricades to where Sage was hiding; his friend and partner was ducking into the nearest dorm building, waiting for his cue. The blue-eyed boy flashed Rust a quick thumbs up to signal his readiness.

Rust turned his eyes back to his scroll; Mauve had set up her own on the rooftop she was waiting on, it was perched to show her looking over the roof of the building. Mauve turned away from the vista and jogged back to the scroll, picking it up with her hands. "Get ready," she called. "Asher's popped the flare and is on his way."

Rust nodded and shut off his scroll, tucking the device back onto his belt. He turned to address the waiting soldiers. "Light's green fellas… grab your spots."

'How did I get roped into this?' Asher internally screamed at himself. The fair-haired boy was currently racing through Beacon's narrow alleys and footpaths, a growing horde of beowulf's hot on his heels. In one hand Asher was tightly clenching a lit flare, the other arm was pumping wildly.

Asher was in intense discomfort as he sprinted. His armor had been left in tatters and rendered unusable after the Battle of Beacon; he was quick to replace his ruined kevlar pads with surplus gear provided by Vale's military, but it felt much bulkier and very unwieldy compared to his old set.

The grey-eyed boy's helmet had also been destroyed and until he could construct a new one he had to settle on a stuffy rebreather to protect himself from the smoke his semblance generated.

Asher yelped in discomfort as the stock of a rifle slapped against his back. His beloved Jackhammer had also been destroyed during the Battle of Beacon and Asher needed a quick replacement. The loaner rifle he had secured from Vale's military was barebones, but served its purpose well enough.

Asher briefly lost his grip as he raced around a corner, dashing forwards five meters with his semblance to avoid the many clawed beasts who were chasing him. His hair flapped in the wind as he sprinted at full tilt towards the killbox, waving his arms wildly at the soldiers and Rust to signal his approach.

"Let's go!" Asher screamed as he threw the flare upwards, his voice muffled by his rebreather. "Signal!"

The plan went off without a hitch. Rust held out his hands and closed his eyes as he focused his semblance. A powerful gust of wind manifested behind Asher, turning the corridor behind him into a powerful wind tunnel and slowing the horde to a crawl. Asher huffed as he gained distance and the second part of the plan commenced. Sage jumped from cover and unfurled his riot shield, Asher leapt behind him for cover from the grimm as the mounted MG opened fire.

The incapacitated horde were shredded by the heavy rounds, the bullets amplified by Rust's wind semblance. Sage pulled out his submachine gun and began firing into the crowd to add to the overall firepower; Asher assisted him by sending bullets into the fray as well.

But the true power player was Mauve…

The lynx faunus was standing atop one of the dorm buildings, using her electrokinesis semblance to blast the grimm below. Hefting one of her two blades, which she had eventually dubbed Static and Nimbus, Mauve fired a prolonged bolt of lightning. The electricity arced through the engraved weapon and fried swathes of grimm below.

One very determined beowulf managed to break past the winds and charge straight at Sage's shield, nimbly dodging gunfire. It's leap was cut short by a shotgun blast, Asher having drawn his sawn-off and decimating its head. It's disintegrating body slammed against the shield, only to be knocked back by Sage's ricochet semblance and thrown back into the crowd.

Under the sustained fire of multiple guns and Mauve's unrelenting lightning blasts, the grimm horde was quickly reduced to a splatter of gore, with black fumes radiating from the noxious puddles.

Sage coughed as a curl of smoke entered his nose, turning his head back to address Asher. "Do you mind?"

Asher rolled his eyes as more smoke curled off his form. "Sorry… nothing I can do."

"Good work so far!" Mauve called down from the rooftop. "I see another horde coming in… reload the MG!"

The soldiers compiled, quickly replacing the spent belt and fumbling a new one into the unwieldy weapon. Rust shrugged Ruination off his back and hefted the mighty weapon in his hands.

Another howl broke out in the distance and a fresh batch of beowulfs skittered around the corner, dagger-like claws scratching and tearing at the cobblestone. Mauve opened up immediately to cover the reloading soldiers, a blast of lightning reducing the first few grimm to soup. Sage stored his gun and hefted his grenade launcher as Asher began firing again. The green haired boy checked to make sure the drum was full before giving it an affectionate spin.

Rust propped his axe against a nearby wall and held out his hands again as he once again channeled his semblance. It seemed as if everything was still going to plan…

… until a nevermore swooped down from the overcast sky with a mighty caw.

The soldiers on the MG gawked and pointed the freshly loaded weapon up, but were forced to scatter when the giant grimm's claw swiped the MG, tearing the weapon off its turret stand. The swipe also caught an unaware Rust off balance, knocking him back and causing his aura to shimmer.

Rust being knocked off balance interrupted his semblance, the once incapacitated grimm now swarming forwards.

"Move up!" Asher roared. Sage began a slow walking forwards, releasing his grip on his launcher and pulling his submachine gun out again. The two formed a moving wall of lead, concentrated bursts dropping the beowulfs before they could spring onto the barricade.

"Heads up!" Mauve roared from the rooftop as the nevermore came around for another pass. The giant flying grimm reared its tail to fire off a stream of sharpened quills. Sage raised his shield to cover himself and Asher, redirecting the quills to spear an incoming beowulf.

"Mind if I use your launcher?" Asher yelled over the gunfire and roaring.

"Knock yourself out!" Sage yelled back.

Asher stored his gun and nabbed Sage's launcher, unhooking the weapon from its bandolier. Asher raised the rotary launcher and emptied the weapon in the direction of the horde, leveling more than a dozen grimm and giving them some breathing room.

The nevermore quickly retreated when a lightning blast from Mauve burned its side, the monster squawking and taking to the skies again.

Asher and Sage felt a rush of air as Rust flew past them, his heavy axe spinning in a deadly arc and immediately bisecting several leaping grimm. He spun around and pointed the top of the weapon towards the horde, slowing them down with two heavy shotgun blasts. Behind him the soldiers were hastily repairing the MG, lifting up the heavy weapon to set it back on its stand.

The nevermore came back for another pass, cawing loudly as it dive bombed from the clouds; Mauve was faster, leaping off in an aura infused jump and flying towards the nevermore. Rust spotted his leader and quickly channeled his semblance, a powerful gust of wind manifesting behind her to propel her faster. Mauve slammed onto the nevermores body with a yelp, sinking Static and Nimbus into the bird's flesh. The nevermore screeched and took off, taking Mauve for a ride.

Asher gulped as he watched his girlfriend fly away, but trusted Mauve's ability to handle the situation. Dropping Sage's empty launcher Asher drew his pistol and continued fighting the horde. Breaking away from Sage, Asher ducked and rolled underneath a paw, drawing his knife to jab the beowulf in the eye before swiftly executing it with a headshot.

Sage redirected a stream of bullets he fired off from his submachine gun into an ursa and held up his shield to ricochet and shatter the bones it it's paw.

Behind them the soldiers succeeded in re-mounting the MG.

"Get down!" The trigger man roared as he wrapped his hands around the grip. The three males of Team MARS dropped to the ground as the MG rattled and roared, leveling the remaining grimm. Rust conjured his semblance as best as he could, propelling the bullets at higher speed using the wind.

Far above the firefight Mauve crawled her way to the head of the nevermore, stabbing her blades into the beasts flesh. The nevermore shrieked and cawed in agony every time Mauve stabbed it, her electrically charged blades searing its flesh. Mauve yelped and held on as the nevermore dropped its altitude, clipping the top of a dormitory building and sending brickwork flying.

Mauve snarled and continued her crawl. With great effort she finally made it to the beasts neck, sinking her blades deep into the monster. Mauve grinned as she yanked her blades and the nevermore tilted, she had some level of control over the monster, using pain to steer it. Mauve struggled with the nevermore and managed to point it back towards the ongoing firefight. Charging her semblance up Mauve released a massive electrical discharge, stunning the nevermore and sending it dropping to the ground.

Mauve ripped her blades out of the falling nevermore and leapt off the creatures back, balancing herself mid air so her feet were pointed down. The disabled nevermore impacted the cobblestone streets with a ground rattling crash, crushing an incoming horde of beowulfs.

Not to be outdone, Mauve charged her semblance in mid air as she rocketed towards the ground, landing into an aura infused shockwave that electrocuted any grimm that survived.

Everything fell silent as the last remaining electrical charges traveled to the ground. The soldiers on the MG stopped firing as soon as Mauve fell and the rest of Team MARS shakily got to their feet. The small street between the dormitory buildings was now a mess of chewed concrete, disintegrating grimm and spent shell casings.

Mauve made a show of dusting of her shoulder as she stood up and sheathed her blades.

"Show off!" Asher called in the distance.

Mauve grinned and flipped him off.

Later...

Rust stretched his free arm above his head and yawned as Team MARS entered the command point, his other arm was busy slinging the MG on his shoulder. The operation to reclaim the Beacon campus was already six months in the making and the council had deemed it prudent to make a foothold. A neatly arranged command point had been constructed around the Beacon air docks and surrounding gardens, ensuring the military had a safe point from which to conduct extermination missions.

Team MARS had been successful with today's extermination, having thinned the grimm presence around the southern dormitories. Mauve led the team towards the command tent where they would report to their superior officer.

Rust held up the flap of the tent as they all filed in.

Standing around a central table and poring over a map of the campus were two people, a smartly dressed and bespectacled blonde woman and a military man with a wolf-like mane of blonde hair. Neither of them had noticed MARS enter, too focused on planning the next operation.

"I think we should move on the CCT relay," the soldier suggested.

Glynda closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "For the last time Flaxen… while restoring the CCT tower is important that area still has a high concentration of grimm…"

"Lieutenant Flaxen," the scruffy man corrected with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not seeing the problem… one hard push and we can scavenge the parts needed to properly call for help…"

"I-" Glynda trailed off when she noticed Team MARS. Lieutenant Flaxen turned his head and his eyes widened, he spun around to face the team and straightened his back.

The blonde soldier turned his gaze towards the team leader. "Team MARS! Have you come to give a report?"

"Yes sir." Mauve responded with a quick salute. "Grimm presence has been thinned near the southern dormitories."

"That was quick!" Flaxen congratulated, a wolf-like grin crawling up the sides of his face. "Impressive work, your four can take the rest of the day off, go to the center square at oh-eight hundred hours tomorrow morning for your next assignment. Go on." The blonde man shooed them away and turned back to Glynda, pressing his hands back onto the table.

Lieutenant Flaxen had been placed in charge of the command point after his successful defence of one of Vale's biggest police precincts during the evacuations. He had been quick to request Team MARS being put under his command, given that they had been instrumental in the defence of the precinct. Flaxen was a rather straightforward man and a competent commander, having run mostly successful operations in Beacon for the past few months.

Team MARS filed out of the tent, making a quick stop at the armory to store their equipment before heading into their personal tent. The tent was large enough to accommodate two bunk beds and personal trunks but wasn't decorated with anything else.

"So, rest of the day off." Asher mused, rubbing the red ring around his cheeks that had been caused by his rebreather. "You guys want to head into Vale? Most of the restaurants have reopened."

"Gonna have to count me out." Sage responded. "VHLT should be returning soon and I want to see Honey."

"I second that!" Rust interjected, a weird look coming over his face. "To see Vermillion though… not that I don't like Honey or anything, but-"

"We know what you mean." Mauve drawled. The faunus girl took a moment to stretch her arm before heading to her personal trunk, opening the container and pulling out a deck of cards. "Poker?"

Team MARS sat on the floor in a loose circle and played a few games of poker. Their eyes shifted between each other as they hid their cards, not wanting to betray their hands. Mauve won the first few games, her natural resting face making her near unreadable.

Team MARS was about to start a new game when someone knocked on the metal pole of the tent.

"Come on in!" Mauve called. The tent flaps parted and a tall redhead walked in, ducking in the door frame so as to not bump her head. Vermillion had retained her red and gold jacket but now wore a stab proof vest underneath it for increased protection. She had once arranged her hair in a long braid but had cut her hair shorter in recent months, it was now arranged in a neat ponytail that reached the small of her back.

"Hey!" Rust called, he moved to stand up but Vermillion held up a hand to stop him. The redhead plopped down next to her boyfriend and rubbed an affectionate hand on his back.

"Hey you guys." Vermillion yawned. "Room for another?"

"Yeah." Sage responded as he dealt everyone a new hand. "Mission went okay?"

"Honey's fine…" Vermillion smiled. "That's what you're actually asking… she'll be here soon, just needs to put her stuff away."

Sage nodded and the game commenced. Honey poked her head in not long after, parting the tent flaps and adjusting her sweater sleeves as she entered. Sage dropped his cards and moved to quickly embrace her, an affectionate display that she quickly returned. Their relationship had grown more tender in recent months in response to the new dangers of their lifestyle.

"Hey you." Sage smiled as they shared a kiss, he reached up to slide a strand of her golden hair behind her ear.

"Hey you." Honey responded. "Mission went okay?"

"Grimm didn't know what hit 'em."

Honey chuckled and moved to pull him in for another kiss. Sage and Honey broke apart and observed their small audience, the poker game put on hold as they displayed their affection.

"You two done?" Vermillion groused, receiving a quiet nod of support from Asher. "Were in the middle of a game here…"

"Right!" Sage yelped, pulling Honey down gently to join them.

Later...

Asher was hoping the strange dreams wouldn't occur that night… but his mind did not obey him.

As soon as the grey-eyed boy drifted off he found himself relieving an old memory. Like when he was back in the coma, Asher could walk around the room without much difficulty but was stuck being an observer, completely unable to react with anything physical.

Before him was one of the better memories he had of his childhood, one of the few times his parents weren't completely consumed by hatred and spite. Asher watched as a younger version of himself and his mother prepared a batch of cookies for baking.

He must have been four or five when this happened… but it was hard to guess his own age.

"Dearest..." Penny Russet began. "Would you mind passing the chocolate over?"

"Extra chocolate?!" A younger him grinned.

Penny smiled, the expression fitting well on her gently beautiful face. Asher had inherited her brown hair and olive-y complexion, but he did not inherit her copper coloured eyes. "Yes dear… maybe we can cheat your training a little…"

Young Asher cheered and slid over the package of chips. Penny picked up the bag and poured a hefty amount into the mixture.

Asher felt a pang in his chest as he watched the tender display. How desperately he wished now that his entire childhood could have been like this… caring parents who were actually involved in his life. Asher watched the younger version of his mother lay the batter out on the cooking sheets and slide the raw dough into the oven.

"Dearest, why don't you go wash up and put your books away?" Penny asked. "Cookies should be done once you are…"

Young Asher cheered again and gave his mother a hug before jogging up the stairs.

A new figure entered the scene, Slate Russet walking in through the kitchen door with a sour look on his face. "Hello dear." Slate muttered, accepting a kiss of greeting from his wife. "We have an issue."

"What is it?" Penny questioned, the smile dropping off her face.

Asher felt his heart sink… he had been upstairs when this happened…

"A large rabble of animals are gathering downtown." Sage grumbled. "They're trying to protest and repeal the old miscegenation laws… even though they haven't been properly enforced for years!"

Penny's face lost its gentle features, instead hardening into a stony visage that was far less attractive. "I see… then we should head down and impede them."

"My thoughts exactly… let's not waste time."

"What about Asher? Should we bring him?" Slate nodded at her suggestion and Penny turned to the stairs. "Asher!"

Asher watched as the younger version of himself poked his head out from behind the banister. "Yes mom… hi dad!"

"Asher honey…" Penny spoke quietly. "You're going to come with us to a protest… can you go grab your sign?"

"But mom!" Young Asher whined, his big grey eyes widening. "I thought we would make more cookies!"

"There will be a time for that." Slate said gruffly.

"I don't like the protests." Young Asher mumbled. "All those people screaming and being mean-"

"Asher!" Penny snapped, the gentle and motherly tone that was once in her voice completely absent. "Enough whining… grab the sign!"

Young Asher's eyes watered and he stomped upstairs. Penny reached over the oven knobs and turned them off, leaving the cookies inside half-baked.

"You're too soft on the boy…" Slate chided.

"Maybe…" Penny sighed. "But he's still just a boy…"

"And he needs to learn right now that he's above the animals," Slate retorted. "Asher! Where are you!?"

Asher felt a catch in his throat as the younger him descended the stairs. "I'm here!"

Clenched in his young hands was the picket sign that he would be holding… a disgusting message printed on the board...

"BACK TO THE ZOO, YOU ANIMALS!"

Asher was completely silent as the world shimmered away, the room dissipating into thick clouds of grey smoke. Asher normally woke up once the memories ended, but he now found himself in an unremarkable void. The ground below his feet appeared to be obsidian glass and was flat as the eye could see. Asher couldn't see very far in front of him, a thick ring of smoke surrounded him, obscuring the unremarkable landscape.

"Still not here yet, huh?" A deep and scratchy voice spoke out, Asher whirled around to find the smoky figure that had confronted him during the coma. "Keeping me waiting?"

Asher tried to speak but his voice still disobeyed, he managed a gurgle.

"It'll be awhile before you're here completely." The stranger muttered. "It's hard to visit while you're awake… but it's easy to drop in while you sleep… of course, you have less control when it's just your mind…"

Asher stepped back and grasped his throat as it began to constrict.

"Relax," the stranger soothed, their deep voice anything but calming. "Looks like your waking up again… careful not to hit your h-"

Asher woke up with a silent scream, cold sweat flicking off his form as his head made contact with the bunk bed above him. The boy felt a throbbing pain on his forehead and quickly channeled a small amount of aura to prevent a bruise.

"You alright?" Whispered a soft femenine voice, Asher turned his gaze downwards to find two amber eyes that glowed in the darkness. Mauve was sprawled on the floor with all the covers, a peeved look on her face at being knocked off the bed. Asher briefly flicked his gaze towards Sage and Rust who were still sleeping soundly in their own bunk.

"Sorry." Asher muttered as he wiped his face. "Did I knock you off the bed?"

"You think?" Mauve muttered back, raising an eyebrow. Mauve stood up and gathered up the covers, her pajamas ruffling quietly as she moved. Asher scooched over to help her but she held up a hand to stop him. The lynx girl threw the blanket back onto the frame and Asher pulled it up.

Mauve crawled under the covers again, laying her comforting weight on top of him and pressing her face into his neck. "Nightmare?"

"Yeah." Asher breathed out. "Just a bad nightmare…"

"You seem to be having a lot of those lately…" Mauve huffed, her warm breath tickling his neck. Asher sighed as he felt her soft ears rub against his cheek. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"It's mostly nonsense." Asher reassured her. "Nothing really…"

"Alright then…" Mauve answered, but there was an unsure tone in her voice. "Try not to have another… the floor is freezing… and if you knock me off again that's where you'll be sleeping for the rest of the night."

Asher chuckled to himself and pressed a kiss on the sensitive spot between her lynx ears, hearing her quietly purr in satisfaction. He pulled Mauve closer as he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep again.

He had no more dreams that night… he was thinking of crediting that to Mauve…