In a lower voice, Coco asked again, “You in there, Yatsuhashi?”

His face didn’t change—he was good at hiding emotion—but he whispered, “I’m back in control. But I don’t want Jax to realize that.”

Coco glanced over at the last location she had on Jax. Now he was surrounded by a ring of soldiers.

“Good,” she said. “You’re going to need to get close to him.”

Yatsuhashi grunted in assent.

“And then you know what you have to do,” she said.

She saw shame and anxiety pass over his face. She blocked a punch and slapped her hand, palm out, into his chest. He stumbled backward, shaking his head. Then he grabbed her arms and they wrestled—pretended to, so he could get closer.

“I understand what’s necessary,” he said when he was sure no one could hear.

“Then let’s bring the fight closer to Jax,” Coco huffed. “Just make it look good. What do you think: Maneuver Twelve?”

Yatsuhashi didn’t answer, he just launched right into it, sending Coco flying through the air in Jax’s general direction.

She landed and turned to see Yatsuhashi barreling toward her. She dropped to her back and kicked upward with both feet to catapult him ever closer to Jax. They executed the move perfectly.

Coco ripped off her beret and used it to wipe sweat from her face. The Crown’s forces had plenty of Aura to burn, but fighting was already wearing her out and slowing her down. She surveyed the moonlit battlefield, wondering how long Shade’s defenses could hold out. Their numbers were about evenly matched, but the real power was all with Jax and Gill.

- RWBY: Before the Dawn, Chapter 20