I was running, I didn't know where I was going. I needed to get away from Mercury. He used to torment me when I was in the Fang.

_________________________________________________________

~Years Ago~

I looked around the training camp. My Fated Hour was being worked. Something unusual was in the air, a woman in a red dress, a Douchebag looking MoF and a girl with bright emerald hair. The Emerald hair girl was the only black one in the group.

I knew Blake left the Fang so she can be attending some school somewhere. I looked at my black long sleeve shirt and white pants. Stealth was my friend.

I ducked behind a crate, trying to stay out of sight as I watched the group from a distance. The woman in red exuded an air of authority, and the man next to her, Mercury, looked like he was born to cause trouble. But it was the girl with emerald hair who caught my attention. She was different from the others, not just because of her race, but because something in her eyes seemed conflicted—like she didn’t want to be there.

I knew what that felt like. I had been with the White Fang for a while now, and every day felt like I was on the edge of something I didn’t fully understand. Blake had left, and I had heard whispers about her joining a school called Beacon. She was out there trying to make things right, but here I was, stuck in this mess. Stuck with people like Mercury.

I clenched my fists, anger and frustration boiling inside me. Mercury was relentless. He tormented anyone he thought was weaker than him, and that included me. I still had the bruises from our last "training session." My Faunus traits made me a target, even among the White Fang. I was supposed to be strong, but every time Mercury got close, I felt weak—like I was just a pawn in some sick game he was playing.

"Get up, Towika!" I heard his voice echo in my mind, a memory of one of those moments. "You call yourself a fighter? Pathetic."

I bit down on my lip, trying to shake off the thoughts, but they kept coming back. He’d laugh, kick me while I was down, and no one would stop him. No one ever did.

I shook my head and focused on the present. I was no longer that scared kid. Not anymore. I had come too far to let those memories hold me down. But seeing him again—Mercury—brought it all back. The fear, the doubt, the anger.

I glanced back at the group, taking in a deep breath to steady myself. I needed to stay focused. If they found me, who knows what they’d do? But I wasn’t that same kid. I’d fought my way out of the White Fang, found a new path, and I wasn’t about to let the past drag me down. Not again.

I watched as the woman in red walked away, Mercury and Emerald following behind her. As they left, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. They hadn’t seen me. Not this time.

But I knew it wouldn’t be the last.

I looked down at my hands, my claws hidden for now, and clenched my fists once more. Blake had left the Fang for a reason, and maybe it was time I did too. Stealth may have been my friend, but it wasn’t enough anymore. I needed something more. Something stronger.

I straightened up, determined to settle in. There was a better life waiting for me outside of this nightmare, and it was time I went after it. I ditched my old Uniform for a black cloak. I hid myself from the Fang.

_________________________________________________________

~The present~

I remained hidden from my friends. I was leaning against a wall. 

As the teams meet up to their progress of finding their missing friends. “We spent all day and nothing. We couldn't find them.” Ruby looked defeated.

Dan was holding an actual cat. “This could replace Corey. He's sarcastic and an asshole. All we need is a black cloak.”

“I'm not sure how that would work?” Yang looked at the Cowboy with blue eyes. “It doesn't have his charm and it's a female cat.”

Josh looked at them. “Well, did you guys check the pier? I saw a blonde-haired monkey Faunus there but Boo boo and Blake weren't with him.” He pretended to faint.

“Why is he being so dramatic?” Azu shaking her head. “You huma…I mean he's being too confusing.”

“I like my idea better.” Dan is looking for a cloak to put on the cat.

“I swear you're going to drive us insane.”

They were looking for me? They cared about me? Here I am running from my own past, here I am being a coward, a terrible leader, and a terrible person all together.

I'm not deserving of their trust.  Who am I kidding, they could easily replace me. I lean against a wall. I’m unworthy.

I slumped against the cold wall, feeling a weight on my chest that I couldn’t shake. They were out there, searching for me—worried about me. Why? After everything I’ve done, all the running, all the lies, I didn’t deserve their trust. I didn’t even deserve to be their leader.

From a distance, I could hear their voices, a mix of frustration and humor. Dan, ever the joker, was now trying to replace me with a sarcastic cat. A cat, of all things. Maybe it was fitting. After all, wasn’t I just a passing-through Faunus? Easy to replace.

I closed my eyes, picturing Dan draping a cloak over that poor cat, Yang rolling her eyes while Ruby tried to remain hopeful. And Josh, always adding his flair, probably distracting them with some over-the-top fainting act. Azu’s voice echoed too, her confusion over human antics always present, but her loyalty unwavering.

They cared. They really did. Even though I’d distanced myself, they still saw me as part of their team. But I didn’t feel worthy of that. Not after what I’d been through, not with what I was hiding.

I sighed deeply, my claws lightly scratching the ground in frustration. Why did I run? Why did I always run? It’s what I’d been trained to do in the White Fang—survive, no matter the cost. But now, survival wasn’t enough.

I looked at my reflection in the small window nearby, the hood covering my ears, concealing my true self. My faunus features—the part of me I had learned to hate. I could hear their voices getting farther away, and my heart ached. They didn’t deserve this. They didn’t deserve a leader who couldn’t even face his own demons.

Maybe it was time to stop running.

With a deep breath, I pushed myself off the wall. My body felt heavy, but I had to keep moving. Not away from them this time, but toward them. Toward the team that trusted me, toward the people who believed in me, even when I couldn’t believe in myself.

I took a step forward. Time to face the music.

Dan looked at me. “What?” The cowboy approached me.

Yang hugged me. This isn't what I expected to happen. “I missed you.”  What? I'm at a loss for words. Yang kissed me. My hood falls.

Josh looked at me. “Boo boo, I missed you.” He approached me with his lip puckered. I decked him as hard as I could.

Josh hit the ground with a thud, rubbing his jaw as he looked up at me with an exaggerated pout. "I was just kidding!" he whined, still holding his cheek. "No need to deck me, Boo boo!"

Dan chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, you had that coming, Josh." He then turned his attention back to me, giving me a stern look. "You ran, Corey. Why?"

Yang pulled back slightly from the hug, but her hand rested on my arm as if she was afraid I’d disappear again. Her eyes were searching mine, full of concern. "Corey, we’ve all been looking for you. We were worried."

I let out a shaky breath, feeling the weight of their attention on me. My hood had fallen, exposing my ears fully for the first time since I ran. There was no hiding now. "I…I didn’t want to drag you all into my past. It’s messy. And Mercury—he's part of that mess."

"You think we care about that?" Ruby spoke up, her voice soft but full of resolve. "You're part of this team, Corey. We care about you, not whatever happened before. And if Mercury is part of that, then we deal with it together."

Azu nodded, stepping up next to Ruby. "You're our leader, Corey. Whether you like it or not."

I rubbed the back of my neck, glancing around at all of them. They were serious. They really weren’t going to let me off the hook this time.

"I don’t deserve you guys," I muttered, half to myself. "I’ve been running my whole life, from the White Fang, from my past, from everything. And now…I ran from you."

Yang shook her head, her grip on my arm tightening. "Maybe you think you don’t deserve us, but we’re not going anywhere. You’re stuck with us, cat ears and all."

"Yeah, and stop trying to punch your way out of emotional conversations," Dan added with a smirk. "You’re lucky it was just Josh this time."

Josh, still sitting on the ground, raised a hand. "I agree with Dan. Next time, maybe use your words instead of your fists."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, the tension in my chest finally starting to ease. Maybe it was time to stop running from them—because they weren’t running from me.

"Alright," I said, letting out a long breath. "Guess I’m stuck with you guys."

"Finally," Yang grinned, pulling me back into a hug. "Now, let's go kick Mercury's ass."

“If I'm facing my past, so does Dan.” I added in. Dan's face was drained of all color. He grabbed me by the coat.

“Don't you know who you're talking about? She's not an ordinary fighter, she's a killing machine. She made Ace Ops before even graduating from Atlas's academy.” Dan falls to his knees.

“I'm facing my past, it's fair Cowboy.”