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Sorry for the long wait after that infuriating cliff hanger :P Hope you enjoy :3

Together In The End.

Forever fall forest, three miles from the mountain.

The students weaved between the trees, making best speed towards the mountain. The mist that had hindered their flight had coalesced into a thick fog which settled in the forever fall forest, cutting visibility in half. "Can we slow down?" Dove panted. "Sky doesn't look so good."

Flint glanced over his shoulder. The Stimm addict was indeed looking worse for wear. He was pale and limp, pushing on despite his fatigue. "Well he's going to look even worse when he's Beowolf shit." He shot back.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dove asked incredulously.

"He means that the slower we move, the more creatures of Grimm will have a chance to catch up to us." Gray interjected.

"We could split into two groups, one waits here while the other rescues Velvet and Cardin?" Flint mused.

"And where would I be in this plan?" Dove asked hopefully.

"Probably getting shit out by a Beowolf." Flint stated flatly.

"The only reason we have survived this long is because we're sticking together and keeping mobile." His brother added.

"Fair enough." Dove panted, suddenly finding a reserve of energy to keep going.

Meanwhile the three members of team CFVY were on point. Yatsuhashi had to consciously reign in his speed. He needed to make sure Velvet was safe, he had to fight his natural instinct to use every ounce of energy to reach her. The reason for this was two fold; it was doubtful that he would be much use in a fight if he burned himself out just getting to her. Secondly it would be better to arrive with proper reinforcements rather than just by himself. Yatsuhashi kept these two facts at the forefront of his mind, repeating them in his mind like a mantra.

A silhouette came into view ahead. The tired looking male figure devoid of any detail at this distance. The silhouette leaned against a wizened tree trunk, shrouded in shadow, its right arm curled around its body out of sight. The figure was about Cardin's height (though its hunched position made it hard to tell) but there was no sign of Velvet. Yatsuhashi's eyes widened as he frantically searched for his teammate as he ran towards the silhouette. "Where is she? Cardin? Where did you leave her?" Nothing. The figure didn't so much as flinch at the words.

"Answer him you bastard!" Fox snarled.

Yatsuhashi reached the figure's position and placed a hand on its shoulder. He pulled the figure round to face him, flinching away in surprise as he took in the sight that greeted him. A Grimm. It hadn't been shrouded in shadow at all, its hide was blacker than the fabric of a widow's funeral dress. Baleful red eyes bore into his soul with a hateful glare. On its right arm in place of a wrist and hand, there was a massive bone sword, almost as large as Yatsuhashi's own blade. The Grimm swung its bone sword towards the second year's head. Recoiling in disgust saved Yatsuhashi's life as the bone blade cleaved through the space his head had previously occupied. He felt the slipstream of the blade caress his neck during the near miss. The humanoid Grimm gnashed the triangular teeth of its lipless mouth and made to swing again. The chatter of Fox's remaining armblade reached Yatsuhashi's ears, the dust ammunition tearing into the creature's hide with gusto. The force of the shots blasted the Grimm off of its feet.

"Thanks." Yatsuhashi said, nodding to his blind friend, who returned the gesture. The rest of the group caught up and Yatsuhashi turned to regard them.

"Just one Grimm, went down easy enough." Coco answered the other's unspoken question.

Behind Yatsuhashi the slight rustle of fallen leaves warned him that his assailant wasn't actually dead. A single shot from Professor Port's blunderaxe silenced the creature and destroyed everything from the neck up. The tutor slickly sheathed his weapon and crouched down over the corpse for a closer look. "Shambler." He stated, naming the deceased Grimm. "How odd." He added a moment later.

"Why is it odd?" Dove asked, prodding it with the toe of his boot.

"There hasn't been a Shambler sighting this close to the kingdoms since the great war." He said as he rose to his feet, his knees making an audible crack. "They used to be quite common, a rare sight these days, though I've killed my fair share," he puffed out his chest. "They're rather durable, the only sure kill is severing the head or destroying the brain. They're also extremely intelligent. Shamblers have been known to open doors and set complex ambushes for prey. Females tend to be smarter though." The gathered students nodded in understanding. "Males have bone swords like those." He continued, pointing towards the deceased Shambler's weapon. "Females have a splinter rifle instead, it fires bone dart projectiles at a velocity similar to dust bullets." Pairs of crimson eyes became larger as they steadily closed in through the mist, dark figures drifted from the fog around them. The Grimm whispered, indistinct words just shy of the cusp of being understandable. "They also hunt in large groups." Port added casually as he pointed behind the gathered students. More lean black silhouettes ran out of the mist. The female Shamblers opened up with their splinter rifles as everyone dived into cover.

"Try opening with 'they hunt in large groups' next time!" Russell yelled in annoyance as bone darts whickered over head, though professor Port seemed not to hear him.

"I know, right?" Ember answered as she took a peek from behind the tree she was using for cover. A half assed grin was plastered onto her face.

For dusts sake, she fucking thrives off this, Russell fumed internally as he crawled to the tree beside hers. He eyed up the unfamiliar Grimm, their sizeable weapons leaving them with a lopsided gait that gave them their namesake. Though their odd walk didn't seem to slow them down as a few males quickly advanced, taking advantage of the female's suppressive fire.

Male Shamblers moved from cover to cover, astounding Russell with their intelligence. To his right Coco deployed Arma with a loud clack. She took a breath before emerging from cover to fire. She managed to mulch two enemies before the ranged Shamblers switched targets and forced her back into cover. "Fuckers!" Coco bawled, clutching her upper arm.

"You hit?" Fox yelled over the gunfire.

"Ripped my shirt." Coco growled, her tone turning angry. She came around the other side of the tree and let loose a prolonged burst, waving Arma left and right to produce a wide cone of fire. The forest evaporated under the onslaught as her bullets scythed down tree and Grimm alike with impunity. Coco cackled gleefully as the mound of spent shell casings reached ankle height. Steam rose from Arma's barrels as the gun cycled to a halt, its ammunition depleted.

Fox shook his head and resumed firing short, clipped bursts of his own. A short distance behind him, Rod, Flint and Gray blasted Shamblers encroaching on the left flank, adding to the students return fire. Yatsuhashi calmly stood with his back to a tree, his sword held upright in front of him almost touching his lips. His eyes were closed and a serene expression was present on his face as he calmly waited for the Grimm to come in range of his weapon. Port bellowed a great laugh as his blunderaxe slew a melee Shambler that was slightly too sluggish in making it behind cover. Dove and Sky had squeezed together behind a single tree. Dove tentatively peaked out to fire the occasional round.

Ember ducked out from cover and threw herself behind the tree in front of Russell. He brought his attention back to her as the second year's maroon, skin tight body glove alluringly clung to every crease and crevice on Embers body. The sounds of battle faded away for a moment as he stopped to appreciate her lithe form.

"See something you like Russ?" Ember asked. Russell tore his eyes from her body and forced himself to look into her eyes. A cocksure grin smiled back at him as she raised an eyebrow and placed one hand on her hip.

"I uh...no… I mean yes, I mean I don't know." Russell stammered in reply as his face turned instantly red.

"You sure know how to piss a girl off, don't ya lady killer?" She teased as she stabbed behind her blindly with her sword into the stomach of a male Shambler that had hoped to catch her unawares. A moment later flames erupted along her blade and the Shambler burst into flames. The beast stumbled forward as Ember withdrew her blade. She twirled her weapon in her hands and decapitated the still burning Grimm. She looked up to give Russell yet another smug smile. To her surprise Russell was in the process of throwing one of his daggers in her direction. The red tinted blade spiralled through the air and slammed into the forehead of a Shambler Ember hadn't seen coming around the other side of the tree. The Grimm stood transfixed, just as it started to slump down the blade detonated (since Russell had set a five second delay on the explosive dust). The explosion blasted the dagger back to Russell, who caught it deftly. The Shambler came apart above the waist and showered Ember with bloody hunks of flesh. She flicked a particularly sticky section of Grimm hide from her shoulder and grinned at Russell. "Nice!"

Most of the ranged Shamblers had been picked off by the twins, so the Grimm's suppressive fire was becoming sporadic and less of a hindrance. Yatsuhashi listened to the sounds of battle, focussing on the slight changes to the sound of bone darts whickering by. A break in the barrage occurred and he took this as his cue to advance, they couldn't waste anymore time, Velvet needed his help. A strange prickling feeling in his aura alerted him that something dangerous was close by. He tilted his sword out of cover and used the reflection of the shining blade to see what awaited him without exposing his body. Four melee Shamblers neared his position. Yatsuhashi came around the side of the tree and blocked the first attack with his blade, a weighty clang echoed through the damp tree canopy, sounding almost like as wet slap in the fog thickened air. He responded with a vertical slash that bisected his enemy with surgical precision. The next Shambler stabbed forward with its boneblade, Yatsuhashi angled his sword and deflected the attack before coming around the enemy and cutting into its spine. The next Grimm swung its blade at his face, he hastily blocked it with his own weapon one handed. He twisted his body, catching the wrist of his foes sword arm in the crook of his elbow and spun past the Grimm, his sword slicing into another Shambler's midsection as he threw the Grimm behind him into the one he had just disemboweled. Yatsuhashi cleaved their heads from their shoulders before they could stand.

Ember moved past him intent on exploiting the opening he had made. Three of the humanoid creatures fell to her sword in quick succession, she stabbed a fourth through the abdomen, though it gripped the hilt of the blade and tore it from her grasp as it keeled over backwards. She blasted a ranged Shambler with a fireball and then caught the sword of a melee Shambler with her gauntleted hand. The Grimm tugged desperately on its blade, unable to wrest it free from the second year's vice like grip. Her sword hand gripped the top of its head even as her armoured fist heated the Grimm's bone blade to melting point. The creature screamed as the sword (which was still a part of its body) liquidised, rivulets of melted sinew dripping from its arm like wax from a candle. Its cries fell silent as Ember twisted its head violently to the right, snapping its neck.

Russell appeared alongside her, finishing off the Shambler Yatsuhashi had crippled and tossing Ember's sword back towards her. In the meantime Yatsuhashi had pushed on ahead. The pair glanced behind, relieved to see that their teammates were holding their own pretty well. They elected to follow Yatsuhashi, cutting a bloody swathe through the Grimm tide, widening the path of destruction Yatsuhashi had left in his wake. Russell was running low on both burn and lightning dust, so he cycled both daggers to Ice and pressed on. He pounced upon a Grimm, slamming his left dagger into its forehead, as the right dagger parried a strike from another Shambler's bone sword, encasing it in ice. Ember's ignited sword swept over his head as he ducked and shattered the weapon with ease and continued on, passing halfway through the creature's torso before stopping. Russell somersaulted over her and defended her from the next two Shambler's rushing their position. He blocked the vertical slash from the left Shambler and ducked the sweep of the right Grimm's sword. He tilted his head and stooped his shoulders as the bone blade scythed through the air mere millimetres above his Mohawk. Ember sliced a burst of bone darts from the air, intercepting the projectiles before they could reach Russell. They swapped positions, Ember cooking the two melee Shamblers while Russell fired bursts of wickedly sharp icicles from the tips of his daggers into a trio of females. The duo moved as one, in perfect harmony, they were a song of ice and fire as they struck down their enemies with merciless efficiency.

Finally they caught up to Yatsuhashi as he cut down a Ranged Shambler and the tree it cowered behind with one fell swoop of his soul sword. The others weren't far behind as the din of battle petered out behind them. An ear piercing, earth shaking screech assaulted their senses as they regrouped. It came from the mountain.

"Let's move, no more delays. Whatever made that noise must be huge." Coco shouted, not even bothering to wait for her professor's agreement, she took off at a sprint.

"I swear to dust if that fucking Faunus has gotten Cardin killed…" Russell seethed as he ran after the leader of team CFVY.

"Fucking… Faunus…" Ember mumbled haltingly, rolling the disgusting term around her mouth with a bitter tongue. She stared down at her sword hand. With a flick of her right wrist her Faunus features made themselves known, small claws erupted from her fingertips, piercing the fabric of her maroon body glove. She looked up, fire in her eyes as her gaze burned into Russell's back. Her claws retracted and she clenched her fist tightly, stretching the material of her combat gear around her knuckles. "Fucking. Faunus." She seethed, echoing his words once more as unfallen tears stung the corners of her eyes.

Mountain crater, a few minutes prior.

Cardin charged, the Hiveguard flexed its triple tails and also began closing the distance. Cardin leapt over Velvet's prone form, wishing he had time to check her for injuries. Making sure he was between her and the Hiveguard would have to suffice.

Within moments he was within striking distance of the creature's stingers, he didn't slow down. The central, largest tail jerked in his direction, Cardin leapt forwards and rolled, narrowly avoiding the stinger as it struck the ground behind him. A second stinger, the left one this time, struck down at him. He brought his mace up in an underarm swing that met the stinger before it could strike his body. The blast of his mace's dust crystal combined with Cardin's semblance strengthened power batted the blow away. The third and final stinger speared down at him. He side stepped nimbly to the right and span around to retaliate with the still screaming chainsword clenched in his right fist. He struck the point where the glowing amber stinger merged with the muscular tail. He remembered Jaune once mentioning that it was a vulnerable point in a Deathstalker's armour… he hoped the same could be said of Hiveguard's. The chainsword made a different noise as it bit into the Hiveguard's flesh. An ugly half ripping, half gurgling sound accompanied the screaming which was now an octave higher. Cor Ruptor bucked against his grip as it met bone and armour plate. Cardin pressed the blade into the weeping wound until it erupted from the other side of the creature's tail, along with litres of blood. The Hiveguard hissed as its disembodied stinger toppled to the ground with a heavy thud.

It darted forwards and snapped one of its pincers at Cardin. He flinched away from the attack and swung the chainsword at the claw, but it bounced off harmlessly, the teeth of the whirring blade unable to find purchase on the colossal creatures thick, chitinous hide. Cardin's eyes widened in fear as the claw swung back the other way. He moved to avoid the attack but the back side of the claw still caught his leg with a glancing blow that knocked him off his feet. The Hiveguard pressed its advantage, stabbing down with its two remaining stingers. The vulnerable student froze in terror. The two car sized stingers slammed into the ground either side of his prone form, smashing the stone into fragments as they impacted. A worrying realisation hit Cardin; the creature had expected him to roll out of the way, it was learning...it was adapting. Cardin jumped to his feet and ran towards the beast, mashing his mace into the creature's face and bursting its rightmost eyeball. A disgusting cocktail of yellowish ocular fluid and blood dribbled down the things face.

Cardin retreated as the Grimm swung a claw towards him. Both stingers came at him again, this time the central stinger lagged behind the left one, so that even if he managed to evade then the Hiveguard would still have time to adjust its follow up strike. Cardin was just about out of options so he performed the only action he had left open to him, leaping forward and rolling beneath the beast. He swung Cor Ruptor into the spindly front left leg of the creature, severing it with ease. Cardin gasped as the creature pushed itself as high up as its relatively small spiderlike limbs would allow, planning on crushing him beneath its sheer mass. He rolled to his right, over the Hiveguard's disembodied leg, the empty space the spindly limb had previously occupied providing a perfect escape route.

The creatures massive body slammed into the ground, unaware its prey had managed to evade yet another attack. Cardin used the beast's reduced height and lack of awareness to climb onto its back. He stumbled as the Grimm regained its footing. The desperate student slammed his mace down into the top of the creature's torso, his semblance, Brawn, multiplying his strength exponentially. The Hiveguard's chitinous hide cracked as it screeched in surprise at being attacked from such an unexpected angle. Cardin brought the mace down again, chunks of splintered bone plate were blasted clear of the beast's body by the explosion from his weapon's dust crystal. He brought up his mace to deliver a third blow, but the creature dragged its left tail across its back in a low, sweeping motion.

Cardin countered by bringing his mace down into the muscular tail, armour plate met unforgiving metal with a sickening crunch. Another dust explosion rang out and the segmented armour of the Grimm's tail buckled. Some tendons or other such internal mechanism must have been damaged by the blow as the tail fell limply onto the Hiveguard's back. Cardin hefted his mace up for another strike, but the stingerless right tail caught him by surprise and flicked the weapon from his grasp. Pain shot through his hand as he let go on reflex, cursing himself as he watched his mace bounce down the creature's carapace. Beneath him the creature bucked and jerked, desperate to rid itself of its human cargo. He flailed into the air and painfully slammed back onto the Hiveguard's back. His fingers found tenuous purchase at the edge of the small crater his mace had left in the creature's back. Again the beast's attempts to rid itself of his presence propelled him skyward. Cardin twirled Cor Ruptor in his hands, altering his grip from tip up to tip down. His right hand gripped the handle with white knuckles while his left cupped the upturned pommel. He fell back down towards his enemy, the screaming chainsword slammed down into the already damaged section of the Grimm's hide with Cardin's full bodyweight and strength behind it. The first half of the blade plunged into the Hiveguard's flesh in an instant. Cardin's chest impacted the carapace a moment later, winding him. He didn't dare let go, instead he forced the roaring weapon deeper. Another inch of the chainsword sank into the Grimm.

The Hiveguard screeched in agony and was answered by several screeches resonating out from the tunnels around the crater's walls. Fuck… more are coming, Cardin thought to himself. He could occupy the Hiveguard, maybe even lead it away from Velvet but whatever was coming out of the tunnels would overwhelm him in moments and then Velvet would soon join him in death. Cor Ruptor gave one last defiant cough before it sputtered and died. The teeth could chew no deeper and the chains seized with gore. Cardin flicked the weapons power switch off and on, praying his ministrations would be enough to restart the blade. Cor Ruptor whined like a wounded animal breathing its last then fell silent once more. "Dust fucking damn it!" Cardin cried in despair. Another sudden movement from beast below him threw him from his precarious perch and into the side of a nearby boulder. His aura absorbed most of the damage, though the impact left him dazed and bruised. He had no time to dwell in that however as the Grimm rushed him once more. Three muted beeps from his scroll indicated that three quarters of his aura had been spent. That was partially because of the damage it had just absorbed, but Cardin had a feeling his new found semblance had also played a part in depleting his aura pool.

Cardin ignored the throbbing pain in his skull, stumbled to his feet and turned to face his enemy. One massive claw scythed towards the defenceless student. The huge pincers open wide in anticipation of cutting him in half. Cardin barely had time to react and only just managed to get his hands up and tense his muscles. The creatures sheer momentum pushed him back into the boulder, his feet left deep ruts in the soil as his hands caught the bladed edges of the pincer as they closed around him. His neck bulged with the effort and his entire body trembled from the exertion. His semblance lent him strength and his aura protected his body...mostly. Deep gouges in his palms wept with blood that trickled down his quaking arms. Cardin knew he couldn't endure much longer.

Velvet awoke with a sharp intake of breath. An action she soon regretted as particles of ash caught in her throat. She retched and spluttered as she pushed her face clear of the dirt. She blinked away tears and yet more ash from her eyes and took another breath. Every inch of her slender body ached but she could feel her aura pool wasn't quite empty, though it was dangerously close. The pain stopped her from even craning her neck to glance up at anything further than a few feet away. She mulled over using her aura reserves to dull her pain. A dilemma that was soon answered as Cardin's mace lying abandoned in the dirt a few feet away caught her eye.

Pain was no longer a factor in Velvet's mind, her long forgotten aches replaced with an overwhelming concern for her comrades wellbeing. She forced herself to stand and took in the scene around her. To her front a car sized stinger was beginning to disintegrate into black smoke. A sound behind her caught her attention and she turned to see the Hiveguard. One of its tails was slackly draped along the ground behind it like a puppet with its strings cut. The second tail was missing its stinger and curled in protectively against the wounded beasts body. The third, central tail, (which was by far the largest) hoisted its stinger aloft, poised to strike. Velvet's breath hitched in her throat and one hand unconsciously reached out towards her companion. Cardin was caught in one of its enormous pincers pinned with his back to a large boulder. The stinger lanced down towards Cardin's head.

He jerked his head to the left and the stinger pulverised the stone behind him instead. Velvet let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. Blue lightning danced between the fingers of her outstretched hand. Palpable static filled the air. An arc of blue electricity leapt from her hand and struck Cor Ruptor, her chainsword was still embedded in the Hiveguard's back. Her weapon acted like a lightning rod, channelling the electricity straight into the Grimm's flesh. The beast screeched in surprise, its grip on Cardin slackened. He capitalised on the distraction, his trembling arms pushed apart the pincers, forcing them wider than they were previously able to go. Something inside the colossal claw gave way with a wet snap and the pincers swung back and forth limply. Cardin ducked under the crippled claw and rolled out of the way as the remaining pincer attempted to crush him. The enraged Hiveguard jerked backwards as Velvet let loose another stream of lightning into the weapon lodged in it's back. The Grimm turned to engage the faunus second year. Velvet froze, transfixed and in awe of its immense size as the massive creature rushed towards her.

The beast barely covered half the distance to its target before coming to a sudden halt. Cardin had wrapped his arms around the crippled tail that still dragged along the ground behind it. The threat to his companion had jolted his semblance into overdrive. The Grimm visibly strained to get within range of Velvet, gaining a few inches at a time. Brawn wouldn't hold the Hiveguard in place for long, Cardin already felt his strength ebbing. "Velvet, run." He said through gritted teeth as his grip faltered.

"No." Velvet answered quietly as she stared down the struggling creature.

"Please Vel-" that was as far as Cardin got before the Grimm tore free of his grasp and sent him sprawling to the floor.

It covered the final few metres in second, bearing down on the Faunus She spurred into action, no longer intimidated by its massive stature. The one undamaged stinger struck first, Velvet danced nimbly to the right, the epitome of grace. Next came the crippled claw, hoping to pulverise her with its sheer mass, Velvet spun low and ducked under the blow, her brunette hair flowing behind her. The undamaged claw swung in, intent on cutting her in half. Velvet rolled beneath the attack, towards the creatures face. Her hands wrapped around the haft of Cardin's mace mid-roll. Her thumb depressed the single button on the handle, she flooded the weapon's dust crystal with her aura. She flipped to her feet, the Hiveguard's mandibles flashed, the mantis like appendages intent on slashing her. "Eat this!" Velvet yelled as she thrust the mace into the creature's maw, totally bypassing the Grimm's armour. Her thumb slid off of the button and a dust explosion blasted the Hiveguard's head open from the inside. Splinters of armour, hunks of flesh and gallons of ichor rained down onto a now heavily panting Velvet as the beast's spindly legs gave out and the twitching body slammed into the floor.

Cardin rushed around the still twitching corpse and held Velvet close. "I told you to run." He chastised, tears of relief making his eyes shine.

Velvet wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and inclined her face up towards his. "We go together or we don't go down at all" she said breathlessly as her petite frame pressed alluringly against his tall, muscular one.

Cardin inclined his head down, his hands slid down her back before resting at her waist. The tentative touch of his rough palms, a microcosm of the gentle soul she had exposed beneath the brash bravado he exhibited towards most others. Cardin closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to one side, Velvet mirrored his move as he gently brought his lips to hers, hesitant at first but the moment their lips met there could be no doubt of how deeply they both wanted this to happen. Their hearts hammered in their chests, not from the exertion of battle but from the sweet release from weeks of pent up tension. Velvet savoured the taste of Cardin's lips. Her first and only kiss, the experience somewhat marred by the fact both of them were soaked in sweat and blood, but it was a kiss Velvet wouldn't change for the world.

Cardin's mind was a whirlwind of questions; am I doing it right? Is it weird to smile during a kiss? Is this her first too? Her lips were sweeter than anything he'd ever tasted, Cardin knew right then that he'd give anything to relive this moment. He realised he needed Velvet more than the very air he breathed. That moment told him that he'd go anywhere, overcome any challenge, fight anything, just to be by her side. He loved this beautiful woman more than anything and he needed to tell her.

Velvet broke off the kiss and opened her brown eyes, finding Cardin's shining indigo orbs staring back. She opened her mouth to speak but Cardin got there first. "I love you Velvet." The certainty and adoration in Cardin's voice as he said those words made Velvet's heart flutter. "And there isn't a force on Remnant capable of changing my mind. You're smart, strong, graceful, beautiful and above all else you are kind." Cardin continued, pausing to delicately stroke one of her rabbit ears. "I love everything about you. I don't care what anyone says or thinks, I love you Velvet Scarlatina."

The way he ardently said her name kindled a fire deep in her chest. She took a breath before speaking. "I love you Cardin, I love your gentle soul, your thoughtfulness, your loyalty. I love you more than mere words can convey." She pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his for a moment before continuing. "And I always will." The sudden admission of their feelings for one another had left both students with uncontrollable blushes and untameable desire. They lovingly stared into each other's eyes, both becoming lost in their lover's gaze. Time seemed to stand still as the recent couple embraced, all worries swept away by the culmination of their deepest dreams and the joy of their perfect moment.

The moment was shattered by a series of inquisitive hisses and screeches echoing from the tunnels that dotted the edges of the crater which they stood in the centre of. Cardin cursed himself for forgetting the Hiveguard's frantic call for reinforcements. The newfound lovers ended their embrace, Velvet tossed Cardin his mace and clambered onto the Hiveguard's corpse. "We always seem to get interrupted." Cardin said with a sad smile.

Velvet smirked at his casual manner as she toggled the direction of her chainsword's blades into reverse and engaged the motor, Cor Ruptor slid free without incident and growled as it idled in her hands. "It does seem to be becoming a theme." She sighed.

Cardin spoke up again as the sound of clicking mandibles and tapping limbs reached their ears. "Bunny… I… I'm glad we got to share our true feelings before the end…" He rasped, his throat raw with emotion and his eyes hot with tears. The denizens of the Deathstalker hive burst forth from the tunnels around them, three dozen Deathstalkers of various sizes surrounded the students in the centre of the crater. Even with luck on their side it was doubtful the pair could take down more than a couple of the Grimm with their remaining aura.

Velvet's right hand grasped his left tightly. She turned her body so they were back to back, never letting go of his hand. "We're not going to die here Birdy, we can't, there's so much we haven't said or done." The confidence and steely determination in her voice quelled any doubt in Cardin's mind. "We are going to get through this." She promised.

Cardin nodded, focusing on the reassuring pressure of his partner's back against his own. He uttered a single word as the two lovers, back to back, hand in hand, stared down annihilation.

"Together."

Please leave a review!

So yet another cliff hanger, sorry everyone, I'm a terrible person.

Thank you to the Beta reader Nemris for being awesome as all hell. He just put up a story on here called Chaos is the prize, it's a warhammer/RWBY crossover but if you don't know anything about 40k lore you can always read it as an elaborate OC centric story, so stop reading this and go look at it damn you!

s/11599330/1/Chaos-is-the-Prize

Thank you to MechaG11 of deviant art for the new cover art and for being absolutely amazing, go check him out he's super talented.

Also check out Zygarde22 his profile features a couple Cardin x Velvet fics that are definitely worth a read.

I also recommend Web of Shadows by crushcommando it's a Star wars x RWBY cross over and I love it, so will you I reckon.

s/11584261/1/Web-of-Shadows