Jeff, Jackie, Blade, and I set out for Aftin's hideout. It wouldn't be a quick or easy trip, especially since we had to walk there on foot.

“Why are we walking again?” Jeff asked, “Why can't we just take an airship or a car or something?”

“We gotta be stealthy remember.” Jackie said, “If we ride in on an airship, Aftin will notice us in moments.”

“Damn.” Jeff groaned.

“Heh, I see becoming the good guys hasn't changed you guys much.” I smiled, “That's good.”

“Whatever.” Jackie remarked, rolling her eyes as she walked.

“I see she still loathes me.” I sweat dropped as I walked with Jeff and Blade.

“Yeah.” Jeff nodded, “She'd try to kill me for telling you, but she was inconsolable when you left.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah.” Jeff nodded, “It was weeks before she talked to any of us again.”

“I never meant to hurt her like that…” I said, feeling bad about my actions.

“I know you didn't.” Jeff said, “And she does too. Just give her time.”

“Yeah…” I nodded slowly. As a former assassin,  I was practically a professional at hurting people. The worst part about that, is that I can also accidentally hurt people close to me.

My team and I walked for a few hours, until we could see it in the distance: Aftin's hideout. It was an extremely tall skyscraper of a building, looming ominously over the land. And I could see what seemed to be a field of blood red mist surrounding the outside of the tower.

“Creepy mist…” I said, “Nice touch.”

“We'll have to camp out for the night.” Jackie began, “We still have a ways to go before we arrive, and we have to prepare ourselves.”

“Makes sense.” I nodded.

“Shut up.” Jackie snapped. I sighed.

Later that night, we camped out with a bonfire. Jeff and Blade went off to hunt something to cook, leaving me and Jackie alone.

“Hey,” I began, “Listen, I-” I was interrupted by Jackie slapping me across the face hard, leaving a handprint on my right cheek.

“Shut it!” Jackie yelled, “I don't wanna hear a word from you! I hate you!” she looked down for a moment, looking for something else to say, but gave up trying to come up with something and just slapped me again. “You don't have any excuse for what you did!” she added, turning her back to me.

“No… I don't have any excuse.” I agreed, shaking my head, “I ran away, abandoned you. I should've just talked to you guys, but I ran. A decision I've regretted for a long time.” she turned to me, surprised. Clearly she'd expected me to make up some excuse.

“I loved you, Nathan Black…” she said slowly, “And you tore my heart out… I hate you but…” she looked down, her eyes tearing up. I walked up, then hugged her tight.

“I'm so sorry for hurting you…” I apologized, “Please forgive me.” she was quiet, then hugged back. After a minute, she spoke again.

“Alright… I'll forgive you…” she said, “But first… Hiyaa!” she then violently drove her knee into my groin with an unsettling crunching noise. My eyes became white circles as my jaw dropped. I collapsed to the ground with my hands on my crotch as I groaned in pain. “There, now I feel better.” Jackie smiled, “Now we can be friends.”

“G-good…” I stuttered, my voice breaking, “I'm glad…”

Jeff and Blade returned with some food and sweat dropped as they saw me face down, clasping my manhood as Jackie sat on my back waving at them.

A few hours later, Jeff was the first to fall asleep as I was still making sure my business was going to survive.

“Hey.” Jackie said joining me, “Sorry about the low blow. I just felt like I had to hit you hard before I could forgive you.”

“It's fine…” I groaned. She held out her hand, a chunk of ice appearing in it.

“Here.” she offered.

“Thanks.” I nodded, taking the ice and pressing it on my wounded area, “Aaaahh, that's better.”

“Alright, listen…” Jackie sighed, taking a seat next to me, “I'm gonna try and forgive you. I wanna move past this, I'm sick of being angry all the time.”

“I understand that feeling.” I nodded, “... I'm really sorry for what I did. I wish I could change my past decisions, but I can't.”

“You know what's worse…?” Jackie asked slowly, blushing, “I… I think I still have feelings for you…”

I blushed, “Wh… really?”

“Yeah…” she looked down, “I really care about you Yin.”

“Yin…?” I echoed. Her mention of my old name surprised me.

“Your real name… Yin Baransu.” Jackie said, “I've always liked that name. Maybe you should change it back.”

“My real name…” I thought for a moment, “No… Yin Baransu is the name of an innocent boy who died long ago. He was replaced by Nathan Black, a monster that kills other monsters.”

“I see you've barely changed since you left.” Jackie sighed, “Still all dark and moody. Anyway, we should get some rest… tomorrow won't be easy.” I nodded in agreement. We laid down, staring up at the night sky. “Can I ask you something…?” Jackie asked.

“Hm?” I looked at her.

“That girl, Ruby…” Jackie began, “What do you see in her?”

“What do I see in her…” I echoed, pondering the question, “I'm not completely sure how to explain it… I guess a way of putting it is, I like her innocence.”

“That's creepy.” Jackie gave me a stare.

“Not like that!” I sweat dropped, “What I mean is, take us for example. We were exposed to the world's dark side when we were young. We were both scarred, physically and mentally, since childhood. But she's different. She hasn't seen just how cruel the world can be, and she still has a light in her eyes that we lost long ago.”

“That's a shaky reason to be her boyfriend…” Jackie sighed.

“Hmm?” I asked.

“Think about it.” She explained, “You like her because she hasn't seen the world's dark side yet? What happens when that dark side hits her hard? It's only a matter of time. She'll see a loved one hurt or killed eventually, and she'll start to lose that ‘innocence’ as you call it. What will you do when that happens?”

I paused. In truth, I wasn't sure. Maybe she was right, I was starting to feel a little distanced from Ruby already.

“... I don't know…” I sighed, staring at the sky. I wondered if maybe I should spend more time with her, find more reasons why I like her. I was never really the romantic type so maybe I was doing something wrong. Jackie and I didn't say anything else the rest of the night.

The next day came as Jeff, Jackie, Blade, and I continued our trip to Aftin’s tower. On the way we developed a small plan. Once we got there, I’d use my speed semblance to quickly scope out the building. Once I had a clear layout of it, I'd come back to my team and we'd prepare our attack. Soon, we were in the midst of the red fog surrounding Aftin’s tower as we approached.

“Alright,” I began, “I'll be in and out before you know it.” I tried using Ruby's semblance, but nothing happened. I tried again, but again, nothing. “What the…?” I breathed, looking at my hands, “I can't use my semblances…?!”

“Ah, welcome Nathan Black.” a familiar voice made my eyes turn red as I turned to face my enemy.

“Aftin…!” I hissed.

“Welcome to my humble home.” Aftin said with a cocky smirk.

“What have you done…?” I questioned, “Why aren't my semblances working?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Aftin asked with a slight grin, taking in a deep breath and motioning at the red fog around us.

“The fog…?” Jackie asked.

“It's a little creation of mine.” Aftin explained, “This fog deactivates a huntsman’s Semblance and Aura, rendering them vulnerable.”

“So… You use this to protect your secret weapon?” Jeff questioned.

“Heheh, you imbeciles.” Aftin chuckled, “This IS my secret weapon! Without their auras to protect them or their semblances to empower them, any Huntsmen or Huntresses in this fog will be just as easy to kill as any normal human. The only ones that won't be hindered by it are my army.”

Suddenly, in a flash of black, Jeff, Jackie, Blade and I were knocked back. As we got up, we saw we were right in front of Aftin's building. Aftin was in front of us with a small army behind him. Half of the small army had black eyes, with black fire radiating off them, indicating they were BlackBloods like me. The other half were people with patches of black fur, yellow eyes, and beastly claws, indicating they were Half-Grimm like Xena. It soon began to rain heavily on the soon to be battlefield.

“BlackBloods and Half-Grimm won't be harmed by this.” Aftin continued, “Since they don't need either Semblance nor Aura to survive a battle. And once my machines have manufactured enough of the fog, it will take no effort to crush Beacon and its students beneath our feet.”

“Don't bet on it!” I hissed, “You won't live long enough to try!” I ran at him and drew my sword. I was knocked back by a blast of black flame as the BlackBloods and Half-Grimm protected their master. “Grr…!” I grit my teeth as my eyes turned red.

“Kill them.” Aftin ordered, and the inhuman fighters all charged at me and my team.

I quickly drew my sword, but a Blackblood knocked it out of my hand. I grit my teeth as I threw some punches at him. We traded blows for a moment, then I made the hidden blade in my right wrist pop out as I slashed him, knocking him back. I reclaimed my sword and clashed blades with three other BlackBloods. They tried surrounding me and attacking, but I managed to parry and counter their blows. I then felt one slash my back as another stabbed me in the chest. The third blasted me back with black fire. I fell back, groaning from my wounds.

“Is that all the Grimm Reaper can do?!” Aftin exclaimed as the BlackBloods charged at me with swords drawn. Without my semblances, I couldn't use Ruby’s speed to escape or Violet's healing to recover. They were closing in too fast, all I could do was close my eyes and brace myself for the fatal blow.

I heard the sound of blades piercing flesh and scraping bone. I heard the splash of blood spilling out and hitting the ground. But I didn't feel any of it. I opened my eyes, and what I saw made my whole body go cold. Jackie stood in front of me, impaled by three swords, protecting me with her own life. It was as if time stopped as crimson blood sprayed out of her new wounds, some getting on my face and clothes.

“J… Jackie….” I breathed, my eyes wide.

“NO!” Jeff yelled, knocking the BlackBloods back as he and Blade fought them. The blades left Jackie’s body as she fell back. I caught her in my arms, looking her in the eyes. The rain fall made it look as if she were crying as she chuckled slightly.

“Heh… Guess I never… Really could get over you… Yin…” she said in between pained breaths.

“J-Jackie don't talk…!” I managed to say, “Save your energy, we can treat you…!”

“No you can't…” she shook her head, “We're in the middle of nowhere… And I don't have long… so just… let me have some last words…”

“O...okay…” I sniffed, tears welling up in my eyes.

“I… still love you, Yin…” Jackie began, “You're not the monster you say you are… you're a good man, and I wish I had gone with you when you left… never forget that…”

“I won't…” I promised, holding her hand as her blood sank into my clothes.

“There's just… One thing I want from you… Before I die…” Jackie requested.

“Anything…” I nodded. Suddenly, she grabbed the back of my head and put her lips to mine. I was surprised, but after a moment I started to kiss her back. The kiss was passionate, something you'd only expect from a fairy tale, which caught me off guard. As we pulled away, Jackie smiled.

“Just… wanted one last kiss…” she said with a smile. Then it happened, the light in her eyes faded as her body went completely limp. She was dead.

I gently set Jackie down as the BlackBloods and Half-Grimm surrounded me. I closed her eyes as sadness and rage curdled inside me. A Blackblood aimed an attack at me. I quickly grabbed my sword and brought it up, splitting the Blackblood in half. As he collapsed, I screamed in rage, black flames exploding from my body.

“What is that…?!” Aftin breathed with fear in his voice. I looked down and saw why. Looking into a rain puddle, I saw my reflection, and I had changed. Black bat like wings were now sprouting from my back, a black reptilian tail came out of my lower back, my fingernails had lengthened and sharpened into claws, my teeth were sharp, and my eyes were black with yellow pupils.

“Nate…?!” Jeff gasped. This change was new and weird, but I didn't care. I had only one thought on my mind. I didn't care about the odds or even if Jeff and Blade would be okay, I just wanted to slaughter Aftin and everyone who worked for him.

“I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!!” I screamed, gripping my sword and charging at the army of BlackBloods and Half-Grimm. I started with the three that killed Jackie. I slashed one's throat, then turned and cut the second in half, then rammed my hand into the third’s chest, impaling them with my claws. As they fell dead, I found myself hunched over, standing on all fours like a beast as I glared at the other enemies. Several Half-Grimm charged at me. On instinct, I shot a large blast of black fire from my mouth. The flames incinerated the challengers as I charged at another BlackBlood and decapitated him. As his body fell lifeless, another Half-Grimm came up and stabbed me in the chest with a sword. I just glared at him, then dug my claws into his upper chest and lower stomach. I lifted him up, and tore him in half. As the last challenger passed away, I turned to Aftin.

“Very impressive.” he smirked, “I don't know how you managed to change your form, but it certainly helped you.” I charged at him with a slash, but I just passed through him. He was just a hologram the whole time. “Come now,” He sighed, “You didn't really think I would be out in the open did you? We'll meet again.” he then vanished. I screamed in frustration, punching Aftin’s building as hard as I could. The force of the punch cause the whole building to crumble. As the dust settled, Aftin's fog and the heavy rainfall began to seemingly fade away. I breathed heavy, my malice turning into despair as I turned back into my normal self. I stumbled over to Jackie, then looked down at my blood soaked self. I collapsed to my knees, sobbing over Jackie's lifeless body.

Two days later, Vincent and the rest of us former assassins hosted a funeral in Jackie’s honour. We took her to her old hometown, her birth place, and buried her at a hillside, where her parents had been buried long ago. It only seemed right. I couldn't return to Beacon until I'd buried Jackie, as she deserved. For a group of assassins, everyone was emotional and saddened by her death. They discussed their grief and cried on  each other's shoulders. But I didn't say a word. I couldn't. I knew if I began to speak I wouldn't be able to keep my tears back. I had to appear strong, for her at least.

Why wasn't I strong enough? How could I let this happen? How could she give up her life to save me? Thoughts like these raced through my mind as I kneeled down and laid flowers at her freshly dug grave. I could feel my eyes getting watery, and began wiping the tears away.

“What will we do now Nathan?” Blade asked.

“No… don't call me Nathan anymore…” I shook my head, “Nathan Black is a fake name, and Jackie liked my real name. So, from now on, I am Yin Baransu once again.”