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Chapter Text

(Y/n)'s POV

"Shit, I'm going to be late!" I thought as I ran through my village, holding a small box in one hand and a sack with my tail. When I reached my home, I slowed to a stop.

"Mother, I'm not late, am I?" I yelled when I got to the door. My mother opened the door to our shack slowly, her piercing yellow eyes, tinted with gold, reflecting a motherly glow of happiness and love.

"No, my child, you're right on time" Mother stepped aside, revealing a room full of little Lion Faunus cubs. I squealed, running into the shack and picking up a small cub with honey-colored hair

"Happy Birthday Eva! I love you so much!" Eva groaned as she tried to push me off of her "Sis! You know I love you, but you're really annoying when you embarrass me in front of my friends!"

Eva flailed while I continued to smother her shamelessly "Okay Children! Time to cut the cake and open the presents! Please follow me out to the yard!" Mother announced, marching the cubs out of the door with the small box and sack I'd just brought.

I put Eva down and nuzzled her nose lovingly "Happy Birthday, little sis" Eva smiled and gave me a hug before she ran to catch up with the other cubs. I smiled and headed downstairs to our cellar.

My mother and I were the best hunters in the Pride, so we were also tasked with the job of cleaning and preparing the meat for the rest of the Pride.

I unlocked the door and began to work on the meat grinder, daydreaming about my future. Because the only adult males in the Pride were the High Court, I was related to many of the people in the Pride.

Even though wealth is determined by class and skill, We still had to work extra, sometimes even steal, to survive. But, because my Pride didn't use the worldwide currency, the Pride didn't have much money for trading with the outside world. And because our village was located in the Savannah of Anima- far from any other settlements, It was getting harder and harder to gain access to technology that was vital for our survival.

I didn't want that, I wanted to be the hero, the one that went down in Pride history as the person who saved The Pride from becoming obsolete, the person who merged modern life with tradition. Most Pride members would say I'm crazy, but I had always dreamed about being a hero, like the ones in the storybooks Mother read to me when I was little.

But, my place in the Pride was decided before I had even been born. I was going to be the next Hunt leader, the female version of the Chief, and I was going to be right hand woman to the Heir.

I growled angrily, moving the freshly ground meat to the oven ."I don't want to be another stupid wife to the Chief! I want to help people....I....I want to be a huntress!" I slammed my hand on the button to the industrial oven, starting the cooking process of the meat.

I sighed, bowing my head in defeat "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to end up staying in the same village for my whole lifetime..." I yawned in defeat, reclining on the soft hammock as I waited for the meat to cook.
..
...
.....
"(Y/n)!"
I sat up quickly, waking from my dream with a start. I broke into a fit of coughing, inhaling a mouthful of smoke. I jumped off the hammock and ran over to the oven, the meat was done, but it wasn't burning 'Strange..' I thought to myself, turning to the door of the cellar.

I opened the door, fanning smoke away from my face as I coughed again. My eyes forced themselves shut, already watering from the exposure to the ash from the flames.

"Fire?" I pulled myself out of the cellar, feeling around for the walls of my shack "Mother?! Mother!! cough* Something's burning!" I forced my eyes open, gasping at the horrendous state of my home.

The flames were small and scattered, but everything was charred and destroyed, indicating that my home had been like this for many hours. I looked to my side, gasping again at the bodies scattered around the ground, varying in size and shape. I spotted a pair of golden-tinted eyes, staring dully out at nothing.

Choking back a sob, I fell to my knees, my tail dropping on the ground beside me. "Mom, Eva..." I started shaking, my whole body hit with wave after wave of tremors "I swear...when I find who did this..I'll rip them apart with my bare hands!" I tangled my hands in my hair, my furry ears twitching whenever my fingertips grazed them. "I swear on my life, I'll kill you!" I roared in total rage as everything went black.

Chapter Text

- 2 Years Later -

I sat by the large curved window, looking out at the city passing by excitedly. My ears twitched and my tail swayed, as if trying to mirror my excitement.

Since I'm a Faunus, most humans passed by without a second glance and many of the other Faunus seemed to be intimidated by me. Because of this, I decided to sit at a window booth by myself.

I yawned, leaning my head against the windows. I had, in a sudden wave of self-consciousness, scooted into the corner of the booth. I shuddered, watching the different people as they walked past the booth.

I was in a whole new setting, not the calm, knowing vibe of my village. I scooted back to the edge of the booth and looked around the ship. One person in particular caught my eye, a girl with short black hair that ended in red tips. I squinted, trying to get a better look at her.

She was obviously younger than usual, and her mannerisms further proved my point. I jumped, feeling the burning sensation of someone staring at me.

It was then that I noticed a slightly taller girl next to the red one staring at me intently. This girl had long, blonde hair and an almost biker-like style. "W-wow...pretty" I muttered to myself, staring at the blonde intently as she stared back. I felt my tail perk up and stiffen.

The red haired girl noticed me staring and looked straight at me. I inhaled sharply, her eyes seemed to cut straight through me. "Silver eyes..." I thought as I looked away, my face burning painfully.

I looked back up, but both girls were gone, I sighed, slightly disappointed that I didn't get a better look at the blonde girl.

I rested my head on my hand, in an attempt to soothe the sudden burning sensation in my cheeks.

~Timeskip (3rd person POV)~

After a short speech by Professor Goodwitch (and after you got over the embarrassment of screaming and clawing at the windows, because the Professor's hologram was "Stuck in the window!!") The airship landed. You walked off into the courtyard, set on taking a tour of the campus before initiation.

You quickly abandoned the idea when an explosion shook the ground, a large chunk of concrete flying past your head. "Huh?! What the fuck?!" You yelled, anger flaring out of your confusion. You stomped over to the small pillar of smoke. "Hey! Watch out! You could've killed-"

You stopped, the same red-haired girl that you'd had an extreme match of 'Try not to blink' with turned towards you "Oh! I'm so sorry!" You looked away, hoping she wouldn't recognize you "Oh no, it's okay..."

You turned on your heel, but you were too late. "Hey...aren't you the one that was screaming at the windows?" You turned around again and smiled. "Heh...yeah..." The other girl, the one dressed in all white raised an eyebrow at you. "Have you never seen a holographic window before?"

You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly, your ears drooping slightly. "Actually, no. I came from a small...uh...farming town. We didn't exactly own the newest technology." Red laughed "Well, tech savvy or not, my name's Ruby. Nice to meet you, stranger" You nodded quickly and continued staring at her, in total awe of her silver eyes.

The girl with white hair cleared her throat. "Do you have a name?" You jumped, blushing in realization. "O-oh yeah! I'm (Y/n) (L/n)" You smiled again and looked at White.

"What about you? What's your name?" "I'm Wei-" "She's Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust company, and also queen of the world" Ruby interrupted, mocking Weiss' voice, earning a little giggle from you. "Shut up! I do not sound like that!"

"Excuse me.." You felt a tap on your shoulder, causing you to turn around. "Hm?" A girl, dressed in all black, held up a small container full of red dust. "Are you the one who dropped this?" You stared at the container blankly. "What is that?" Weiss quickly snatched the capsule from the girl in black. "I dropped that, thanks to a certain someone." She glared at Ruby, and Black rolled her eyes, turning to walk away.

"And you! (Y/n)!" Weiss pointed at you. "Hmm?" "How do you not know what dust is? Don't you need to use it to survive the Grimm?" You shrugged "I can transform myself into a lion, and so could the other hunters at my village, so it was easy to take down the occasional Grimm that attacked." Ruby and Weiss stared at you with shocked looks. "You can turn into a lion?A full lion? Is that your Faunus trait?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide with excitement. You nodded, "Yeah, it's a semblance that's been passed down for many generations" "Wow! That must be really fun! Imagine that!" Ruby yelled as Weiss rolled her eyes and started to walk away, her butler rolling a cart full of luggage behind her.

You smiled apologetically "Well, I'd better get going, see you around!" Ruby waved enthusiastically as you walked away, set on starting your tour of Beacon.

~Timeskip~

After the vague speech given by Ozpin and a day of exploring the campus of Beacon, you were extremely tired. You laid out your bedroll, put down your bag and started to undress yourself.

You heard gasps as you absent-mindedly pulled your shirt up over your head "Ahh! (Y/n)! What are you doing?" You turned towards Ruby's voice and cocked your head at her. "Huh? I'm changing into my pajamas, of course...?"

Ruby covered your partly exposed chest with her hood, her face matching the crimson color of the fabric. "G-good thing we're in the girl's wing, or you'd never live that down" You groaned as Ruby forced you to change in privacy.

"Damn you Ruby, I'll change anywhere I please" You muttered to yourself, still confused as to why you couldn't change yourself where you wanted.

Chapter Text

"(Y/n) wake up! Ozpin said we need to be at the Cliff by 10:00!" You moaned groggily, sitting up on your bedroll. "Ruby?" You gulped, looking at the clock, it read 9:35. You sprung up, disregarding Ruby's pleading as you pulled off your pajamas and pulled on a fresh pair of clothes.

Ruby put her hands on her hips, an embarrassed blush on her face. "How are you so comfortable just changing like that?" You smiled and fixed your tunic as you made eye contact with her. "Heh, I was raised by mostly women, so I don't mind changing in front of other girls. Honestly I-"

You paused when you noticed a familiar blonde staring at you from behind Ruby. "Hey, I'm all for it. I'm not much for modesty either. And you're easily a perfect ten so no complaints from me."

You blushed a deep red, struggling to stutter out an introduction. "Th-thanks. I'm (Y/n)." You shot your hand out, cringing inwardly at your own actions. Yang smiled and took your hand "The name's Yang. Nice to meet you (Y/n)."

You involuntarily blushed harder and twisted your tail around your ankle. Yang smirked, taking a mental note of your actions towards her. You looked away as you let go of Yang's hand. "Nervous much?" You jumped slightly. "No! I just...I get really embarrassed and anxious around pretty girls for some reason.."

Yang smiled sweetly at you. "Aww, Thanks! That's so nice of you!" Ruby crossed her arms. "Hate to break you lovebirds up, but we now only have ten minutes to get to the cliff..." You and Yang nodded in unison and the three of you made your way to the cliff.

~Timeskip~

You positioned yourself, groaning in annoyance as the blonde guy a few spots down from you asked Ozpin question after question about landing and how he should do it. But, as if the gods answered your question, you were abruptly shot from the ground.

Due to not being prepared (You'd make sure to 'Thank' that blonde boy later) You found yourself landing rather unpleasantly in a tree. "Shit, I probably should have listened to Father when he lectured us on landing strategies.." You grunted, struggling to free yourself from the tree.

You winced when your feet hit the ground, contemplating whether or not you should use your semblance. Your thoughts were interrupted by an ear splitting Ursa scream. "Ah shit, where is that coming from?!" You looked around before running deeper into the woods in the direction Ozpin told you.

~'Nuther small Timeskip~

You gasped, spotting the Ursa at the same time it spotted you. The Ursa roared again, charging at you and barely missing the surrounding trees. You tried to move, but found yourself frozen in fear.

You had never seen such a big Grimm in your life, you'd only ever fought small Beowolf Grimm, not gigantic Ursa Grimm. You braced yourself for impact, activating your aura as you raised your hands up submissively.

You jumped when you heard a grunt, a slash sound and a loud thud. You snapped your eyes open and looked at the scene in front of you. "Huh?" The Ursa was on the ground in front of you, blowing away with the wind. You looked up at the girl standing behind the Ursa with her back turned to you.

"Hey...You're that girl from yesterday..What's your name?" The girl sighed and you looked away. "...Blake..." You smiled slightly as the girl shrunk back into the forest, her back still turned to you. "Thank you Blake. I'll remember this" You looked around and continued to run through the forest, deciding it would be best to move on.

Chapter Text

After a while of hiking through the forest (and hiding from Grimm) You found the ruins of the temple. Because you didn't have a partner you just grabbed whatever relic you were closest to- a king piece.

You smirked and turned around, spotting two familiar girls running at you "Oh..Hey (Y/n)!" Yang exclaimed when she got close to you. "Hello..." Blake muttered when she was beside you. You smiled at them, stuffing your relic into the small pouch at your side.

"Hey Blake...which one should we get?" Blake shrugged, moving a bit closer to you as Yang roamed around the ruins of the temple, searching for a relic. Yang gasped and held up a black Knight relic "How about a cute little pony?!" You giggled and looked at Blake for an answer. Blake flashed a tiny smile and rolled her eyes. "Sure, it works with our-"

Blake choked on her words and snapped her head at you, her mouth agape in surprise. You looked at Yang for an answer, but she seemed just as surprised as Blake. It was then that you squeezed Blake's muscular thigh again with your tail.

You yelped and jumped away, quickly unwrapping your tail from Blake's leg. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize.." Blake nodded with unnatural calmness "It's okay, I understand" You pursed your lips, tilting your head in confusion. "Uhh, if you say so..."

The three of you jumped when a high-pitched scream cut through the air. "Oh my god! Some girl's in trouble!" Yang yelled, searching for the 'girl' in the surrounding forest.

You growled, turning towards the brush when it rustled. You leaned down, as if you were going to pounce. "Stay back. it might be a Grimm" Blake warned sternly, sticking her arm out in front of you to hold you back.

Ruby burst out of the brush, startling you. "Haha! That's no Grimm!" Yang laughed as you jumped up, snapping your jaw shut. "Oh! Ruby! Are you okay?" Ruby shrugged, glaring down at her feet.

"Weiss is just so...Ugh!" You nodded knowingly. "I guess she seems like she could be a bit annoying...But she also seems like she could be a really-"

Suddenly, another scream ripped through the air, making your blood run cold. You covered your furry ears and crouched down in pain, while Blake cringed beside you. "Ahh! Fuck! What is that?!"

Blake pointed up into the sky, "Uh, Isn't that Weiss right there? Hanging onto that Nevermore?" You looked up and whimpered, flattening your ears and cowering behind Ruby, why seemed to appreciate being used as a barrier.

"Huh...Hey! It's Jaune!" Ruby yelled pointing up at the annoying blonde boy from earlier as he flew into the trees on the right of you. You grumbled, glowering up at the trees Jaune crashed into. "So that's his name. Jaune..."

"Hahaha! I'm queen of the castle!" A loud voice called out behind you, causing all of you to turn around. "Nora...please..." A man with long hair pleaded quietly.

"Uh guys..Weiss!" Yang screamed, capturing your attention again. "I've got her!" You yelled, springing into action. You pounced across the battlefield, transforming into a full grown lioness as you flew across the field. You stopped and jumped up, catching the collar of Weiss' dress in your teeth, tearing it a bit.

You transformed back the second after you caught Weiss, wrapping your arms around her waist so she wouldn't injure herself when you hit the ground. Weiss brushed herself off, both blushing and whining about her ripped collar.

Jaune burst through the trees, his eyes wide. "D-did you just turn into a lion?" You nodded at him, stepping in between him and Weiss instinctively. "If you saw it, it happened." "Wow! Can you do it again?" Jaune yelled enthusiastically, but you just rolled your eyes in annoyance. "I have to save my energy just in case, sorry."

Weiss walked towards Ruby and the others, all staring wide eyed at you. Yang hugged you from behind, making you gasp and claw at her arms. "(Y/n)! That was amazing! Who knew you were such a beautiful Lion?!" You blushed and looked up into the sky. "Hey, the bird is circling back..." 

"Get out of the way!" The red haired girl you saw with Weiss earlier ran out of the forest, followed by a giant Death Stalker. You looking at the Grimm, suddenly intimidated by it's size.

"PYRRHA! We'll save you!" Jaune yelled, unsheathing his sword, with everybody else readying their weapons after him. "Wait! we don't have to fight them!" Blake nodded as you as you spoke. "The Headmaster only said we needed to get back to the cliffs with our relics."

Pyrrha was thrown onto the ground before the group of you with a grunt. You and Jaune quickly helped her up "We need to head back now if we aren't going to fight, because they're coming back" The boy who had arrived with Nora pointed out, looking up at the Nevermore. You winked flirtily at Pyrrha, before running to catch up with the others.

~Timeskip~

By the time you reached the cliff everybody was out of breath "How....how haven't you broken out into a sweat after running so much?" Jaune gasped out, pointing at you weakly. You smirked "After years of running after my prey, I've gotten used to it"

Yang laughed loudly and wrapped her arm around your waist yet again. "Yeah, I could tell! You've got some of the best legs I've ever seen~" Yang ran her finger across your collarbone playfully.

You blushed, shaking yourself out of her grip. "Uhh guys...?" Nora turned, pointing back at the Death Stalker, with the Nevermore flying above it. "They're back..."

Ruby shot her hand out, pointing at the four people closest to Pyrrha. "Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren! You guys take care of the scorpion-thing!

Jaune nodded contently at his newly-appointed group and lead them towards the Death Stalker. Ruby smirked at the rest of you and cocked her weapon. "We've got the bird"

Ruby led the four of you to the bridge, all of the girls surrounding you suddenly opening fire on the Nevermore. You looked around, they seemed to be making a tight circle surrounding you.

You looked around, balling your fists as a replacement for a weapon. Yang grunted and ran to a pillar, trying to get a better spot to attack. Weiss opened a glyph for Yang, helping her up to the top.

Yang laughed, shooting round after round at the Nevermore, causing it to screech in pain and dive at the bridge, sending both you and Ruby flying off the edge.

You gasped in shock as you fell towards the river below. "(Y/n)!" Ruby yelled, snapping you out of your trance. Her arm was wrapped around your waist, and she was holding onto a black ribbon. "Huh? We were just falling..."

Ruby sighed in relief as Blake and Weiss helped pull the both of you back into the bridge. Yang yelled in fury, shooting into the Nevermore's open mouth as they soared through the air. "How'd she get there?!" You gasped out, anxious on Yang's behalf. The Nevermore screeched again, causing you to cover your furry ears in agony.

"Yang! Stop! We need a plan!" Ruby yelled, nodding over at Weiss. "Jump you idiot! Or you'll be stuck on there!" Weiss yelled angrily at Yang.

Yang jumped out of the Nevermore's mouth, with it snapping shut powerfully just seconds later, and landed on the edge of the bridge. You rushed to help her up and walked her over to the rest of the group. Ruby nodded at Blake, seemingly just ending a conversation. "Okay, got it?"

Blake and Weiss nodded, and Blake flung her ribbon in between two pillars "Yang! Center the bird in front of the cliff! (Y/n), pull the ribbon back, Weiss will help you" You nodded and sprinted towards the ribbon, transforming yourself by the time you got to it.

You bit the ribbon firmly, pulling it back with the help of one of Weiss' glyphs. Yang grunted shooting rapidly at the bird until it was centered in front of the cliff. "Okay, my turn!" Ruby ran past you, still in your lion form. She jumped onto the ribbon and looked back at Weiss. Weiss shot her up as a response, summoning glyphs up the cliff to aid Ruby with her mission.

Ruby screamed in adrenaline, hooking the Nevermore by the neck and dragging it up the cliff as she ran, shooting booster rounds to increase her speed. You stared in awe at Ruby, pointing at the small bulge on the top of the cliff. "Ruby! Watch out!" Ruby caught the bird's neck on the bulge and leaned forward. Her momentum ripped the Nevermore's head off it's spine with a loud pop.

You stared up at Ruby in awe. "Wow...She's powerful.." "(Y/n)! Blake! Watch out!" You looked up, and nearly wet yourself, your tail extending between your legs. The body of the Grimm was falling back down at you, disintegrating slowly into the air as it fell. Blake gasped and tackled you, pushing you down onto the other side of the bridge just seconds before the bird's body smashed through it.

You grunted, trying to sit up but finding yourself unable to. You opened your eyes and looked up at the sky through Blake's black hair. "Blake...your hair smells like coconut..." You chuckled quietly while Blake squealed and jumped off of you. "Sorry about that." Blake mumbled, a small blush on her face.

You laughed, dusting yourself off and sitting up. You instantly stopped when you caught the scent of another Faunus "Huh? I smell like cat Faunus all of a sudden..." Blake shot you an unreadable look before turning away from you. You tilted your head, flicking your tail in confusion.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry (Y/n)!" Ruby apologized profusely as she helped you to your feet. You smiled and waved your hand at her "It was no big deal, really" Ruby blushed slightly and looked away.

"Hey~ First one to the tunnel is the best fighter" Jaune sang as he ran past you and Ruby, the rest of his team following behind. "Oh you're on!" Yang yelled, sprinting after him. "C'mon (Y/n)! Let's go!" Ruby grabbed your hand, dragging you towards the tunnel, laughing happily the entire way.

Chapter Text

Act I

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren. You four will form team JNPR. Your team leader is Mr. Arc. Congratulations." You cheered, twitching your ears happily. You hoped you'd be in as great a group as JNPR.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. You four will become team RWBY. And your leader is...Ruby rose" You cheered again, slightly disappointed that you weren't teamed up with anyone you knew.

Ozpin turned towards the crowd. "This concludes the annual Beacon grouping ceremony, I trust that you all will achieve greatness with the help of your teammates. Please see Professor Port in the main hall for further instruction" You felt your face twist and your ears flatten in disbelief. He totally forgot about you.

When the auditorium was mostly emptied out, you stormed up to Ozpin, nearly tripping on your own feet in your fury. "Hey! Ozpin! What's the deal?!" You tapped the headmaster on the shoulder, resisting the urge to spin him clean around.

Ozpin turned towards you and smiled. "Ah, Miss (L/n). Truly one of the most promising students at this school. How may I help you?"

You growled and rolled your eyes. "Skip the formalities Ozpin. Why wasn't I grouped into a team?" Ozpin tapped his chin. "May I see your relic?" You gave him a confused stare as you reluctantly pulled the King piece out of your pocket and handed it to Oz.

Ozpin raised the relic and adjusted his glasses, as if he was trying to examine it. "Ah! Well that's just it (Y/n). You chose the outlier piece. You've been chosen." You flicked your tail, confusion written over your face.

"Chosen? Chosen for what?" Oz simply waved his hand. "In time, (Y/n). But you do have a choice" Ozpin lowered his voice, staring at you intensely. "You can join any team of your choice and be trained normally alongside your peers...with the addition of...unnatural training, of course. Or, you could live in a single dorm and be trained privately by me. Which do you choose?"

You looked around, suddenly noticing that the entire auditorium was empty, save for you and Ozpin. You looked back at Ozpin, your tail swinging behind you, extremely puffed up, signaling your unease.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Well?" You grasped your tail and wrung it nervously. "I....I want to be with team RWBY!" Ozpin nodded and stepped back, as if he already knew what you were going to say.

"Very well." Ozpin looked up at the ceiling. "Give team RWBY a dorm big enough to fit seven people! And bring a few guards to escort our...queen to her new dorm" You hissed and looked around. "Who are you talking to?!"

Ozpin smiled again, turning towards the back door of the auditorium. "Automated system" Ozpin looked back at you one final time. "I hope to see you soon (Y/n). There should be a few guards waiting for you at the entrance" And with that, Ozpin made his way out of the auditorium, leaving you confused to no end.

Act II

I blushed and turned away, flattening my ears in defeat. Ozpin was sitting beside me behind his desk, on the other side was team RWBY.

While Oz was explaining the entire situation, a certain blonde decided that instead of listening to the information Ozpin was feeding them about me, she'd flirt with me shamelessly.

I sighed and looked back at the team, though I made sure to ignore Yang. "I trust this makes sense to all of you now?" Ozpin asked after he'd finished explaining things.

Yang raised her hand and winked at me, earning a scowl from both Blake and Weiss. "Yeah, one question. Can you get rid of the fifth bed? (Y/n) can sleep with me~" I froze, my face flushing a dark red.

Ozpin cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm afraid we cannot do that Miss Xiao Long" Yang shrugged and smirked, leaning back into the sofa, seemingly immune to the evil looks she was getting from the rest of her team.

"That's fine, she'll be sleeping in my bed soon enough~" Weiss groaned and elbowed Yang in the ribs, earning a choked grunt from said blonde.

I covered my face as Ozpin stood up. "Well ladies, I'll leave you to it..." Ozpin walked out, leaving the five of us in an awkward silence.

Yang smirked once again and stood up, starting to make her way towards me, only to be shoved out of the way by Weiss. "So (Y/n)...we already have our beds set up. Is it okay if we just keep your bed in between ours?"

I nodded, grabbing Weiss' hand. "That's fine with me...but...I have no idea where the dorm is...could you lead me there?" Weiss looked away and pulled her hand out of my grasp. " Idiot...You should've paid attention to Ozpin when he was talking about our dorm location!"

I whined, flattening my ears. "Aww, Okay.." Weiss huffed and turned back around, grabbing my hand roughly. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to walk you to the dorm...but you need to pay attention if you ever want to be successful in life!" I giggled and nuzzled Weiss' cheek, earning a firm smack in return.

Ruby sprung off the sofa, following me and Weiss out of Ozpin's office. "Welcome to team RWBY, (Y/n)!" Yang laughed from behind me. "Yeah! Welcome to Beacon!"

Chapter Text

"Ugh, Weiss..."Ruby whined, leaning onto my shoulder. "Why are we at the docks again?" I asked, squeezing my nose shut "She wants to scope out the other teams before the Vytal Festival." Yang chimed in, pretending to snipe out one of the people on the giant ship that carried all the Vytal competitors.

"What? The festival is weeks away! We"ll have plenty of time to study the other teams!" I groaned, slowing down my pace as a way to express my disapproval.

           "Damn! Who needs that much dust?!" An officer across the street yelled in frustration, drawing the group of us over to the other side of the street. "What happened here?" Blake asked the officer on the other side of the police tape stoically.

"Ah, some scoundrels robbed another dust shop" The second officer stepped out of the shop, holding a bag full of broken glass. "Yeh' but 'ey left all the money...again"

Weiss raised her eyebrows, "Maybe it was those White fang criminals" Blake snapped her head over at Weiss. "What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss shrugged, "Well, the White Fang have a reputation for being low-down, dirty criminals. So I'd expect it from them."

Blake growled at Weiss, "Ugh! You're such a brat!" Blake half screamed, making Yang, Ruby and I jump in surprise. "Why do you care anyways? It's not like you're affiliated with the White Fang." Blake shook her head, "It doesn't matter whether I'm affiliated with them or not! Where's your human decency?!"

Weiss raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the loud blaring sound of a ship horn. Signaling that the ship was now secured to the docks.

"HEY! Stop that Faunus! A faint voice yelled, stopping the heated argument between Blake and Weiss. "Heh! Nice try! You're already too far away to catch up!" Replied a blonde haired monkey Faunus as he ran down the street, winking suggestively at Blake as he passed.

I narrowed my eyes, wrapping my tail around Blake's ankle protectively. "(Y/n)? What's wrong?" Blake looked over at me, her expression a mix of anger, sadness and embarrassment.

"N-nothing! It's fine!" I stuttered out as I unwrapped my tail from Blake's leg, kicking myself for acting on the wave of jealousy that washed over me.

          Ruby wrapped her arms around my neck, smiling apologetically. "Hey, let's ease this tension...cookies?" I looked away from Blake, my ears flattening slightly. "Y-yeah..Okay..."

Yang wrapped her arm around my hips, causing a blush to spring up on my face "Hey, Ruby." Yang growled out playfully, looking over at her sister on my opposite side. "I've already claimed her." Ruby glared at Yang and tightened her hold around my neck. "Whatever, Yang. Let's just go."

Chapter Text

You sighed. The only exciting thing that happened today was meeting a strange girl and the watching the Faunus boy run down the street.

When you crossed the street to start heading back to the dorm Weiss stopped walking and looked around. You stopped as well, looking back at Weiss "Weiss? Why'd you stop?" Weiss was silent for a few seconds but eventually shrugged.

"I thought I heard something, and I was just looking around to see if it was that Faunus degenerate." Blake growled and stormed up to Weiss. "Stop saying that! Don't call him a degenerate! Don't call him anything! He's a person just like me and you!"

Weiss scoffed, "What? Do you not want me to refer to the trash can as a trash can? Or the lamppost as a lamppost? He's a Faunus that causes trouble, and I'm sure in time he'll join those White Fang scum."

Blake narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists dangerously. "I guess we couldn't expect anything else from a Schnee."

~Timeskip~

You, Yang and Ruby sighed from various places in your dorm room. The argument between Weiss and Blake continued all the way to the dorm, and was getting more heated and more personal by the second.

"The White Fang want to kill all humans, and you call them misguided?!" Weiss spat out at Blake, her eyes glistening from her previous speech about her family life. "Then they're very misguided! But still! You shouldn't assume anything on anybody! Especially a race of people who are already at wits end with your family line!"

Weiss looked out of the window., "Please, I don't need to point out why the White Fang is bad when they do it themselves. They made their reputation what it is."

Blake puffed her cheeks up in anger. "Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around, Okay?!" The four of you gasped, looking at Blake in shock. "U-uh..." Blake stepped back, tears springing into her eyes. "Blake..." Ruby began, but before she could finish, Blake sprinted out of the room and down the hallway.

"Blake, wait!" You yelled, following her out of the room. Transforming yourself when you realized that Blake was getting away. "Blake! Don't run! I'm here for-" You stopped when you reached a tree a little ways away from her. Sitting in the tree was a boy with messy blonde hair and a long blonde tail to go with it.

"Hey! You're that Faunus boy from earlier!" The boy jumped slightly and turned towards you, smiling gently. "Yeah, The name's Sun. Nice to meet ya..." "(Y/n)" You answered quietly as you sat by the base of the tree.

"Um, can I ask why you followed us?" Sun nodded, "I was curious as to why you had two physical Faunus traits, and why that one over there was hiding her heritage. So I followed you to find out."

You face palmed and looked up at Blake, only to watch her pull off her ribbon to reveal two black cat ears.

You gasped, a small blush spreading over your face. Sun smirked and turned back to Blake.

"I knew you'd look better without the bow, looks like your friend did too."

Chapter Text

Blake's POV

I stepped out in front of the statue in the middle of the courtyard. "Why did I have to say that?" I muttered to myself, wiping my tears away. I sighed, reaching up and slowly unraveling the bow I kept tied tightly around my ears.

"I knew you'd look better without the bow, looks like your friend did too" I gasped at the soft voice and turned around quickly, gripping the handle of Gambol Shroud.. "Who's there?" I looked around the courtyard, noticing two figures beside a tree a few feet away.

"Blake..." (Y/n) stepped out of the shadows the lamppost cast over the tree. I let go of the handle, my hand falling back down to my side. "Blake, I'm sorry...I shouldn't have followed you." (Y/n) looked at me guiltily before turning back to the figure sitting on a low branch of the tree. "Sun, you can come out now."

The Faunus boy from earlier dropped out of the tree and walked up to (Y/n)'s side, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You...You followed us?!" I hissed out at Sun, taking a step towards the two of them.

"Hey, calm down! I was just curious about you two!" Sun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Nice ears by the way, they add a lighthearted feel to your toxic aura." "Wha- Toxic?" I stepped back when I noticed (Y/n) staring at my ears.

I looked away, covering my ears in shame. "I'm sorry, I should have said something sooner..." (Y/n) jogged over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Blake, you don't have to cover them. They're beautiful." (Y/n) whispered, burying her face in my hair.

I jumped slightly at the shock of being touched so sensually, my breath hitching slightly. "Hey, I'd hate to break you two up but we're on the campus after curfew...annnd the security just spotted us."

(Y/n) pulled away quickly, causing my ears to droop slightly. "Okay, Sun, create a diversion. Me and Blake will take them out." Sun nodded and smacked his hands together, closing his eyes as he did so. Suddenly, two yellow silhouetted copies of himself sprung out at his sides and ran towards the two officers.

(Y/n) grabbed my hand and dragged me back to the tree she'd stood under earlier. "Blake, I'll use my semblance to take down the fat one on the right. You take the skinny one on the left." I looked at (Y/n), who smiled sweetly and started to run over to the guards.

I reached out, grabbing (Y/n)'s arm and stopping her harshly. "H-Huh?! Blake?" (Y/n) looked back at me curiously and I lowered my head. "I...Yeah...Great plan."

I let go of (Y/n), stepping back apprehensively. (Y/n) smiled again and ran towards the big security guard, transforming into a beautiful lion mid-pounce. I gasped in awe as I watched her. "...She's beautiful..."

I was snapped out of my thoughts by an ear-splitting, pain-filled roar. The skinny guard was beating (Y/n) with his baton as she lay sprawled over the fat officer, still in her lion form. I twitched slightly, my blood starting to boil. "How dare you!" I breathed out in a fiery rage, sprinting over to the officer and stabbing him in the shoulder.

The officer exhaled quickly in shock as he collapsed to the ground beside (Y/n) and his unconscious partner. (Y/n) sucked in a breath of air quickly, transforming back into her natural form. I kneeled down quickly, lifting up (Y/n)'s shirt. I gasped and covered my mouth. (Y/n)'s torso was covered in big, crimson red spots where the guard had hit her.

I looked back at Sun, who was running towards us. "She's hurt! Where do we take her?!" Sun picked (Y/n) up carefully, holding her bridal style in his arms. "We can go back to my hotel! My team and I are staying there until the Vytal festival is over. I can take care of her there." I nodded and looked back at my dorm window. "Yeah, that sounds fine."

"Hey! You three! Stop right there!" A deep voice boomed from behind us. Sun looked back and jumped slightly. "Shit! More security! Let's go!"

Chapter Text

Blake's POV

I tapped my foot anxiously in Team SSSN's living space. "Remind me again why I left (Y/n) alone with Neptune?" I asked Sun, "He might do something pervy to her."

Sun shook his head, "Nah, Neptune's not like that. He's just a flirt." The lanky boy with red hair put his hand on Sun's shoulder. "Sun would know, Neptune flirts with him all the time."

"Shut up Scarlet!" Sun yelled, pushing the red-haired boy away. The tall boy with green hair laughed from behind Sun and Scarlet. "These guys are goofs, don't mind them." The boy smiled at me. "My name's Sage." I nodded, relieved to have finally found a sane person in the room. "Blake."

Sage stood up and smiled at something behind me. "Oh, you're back. Did he wrap you up good?" I turned to see (Y/n), wearing only a sports bra and sweatpants to cover her bandaged body, and Neptune standing behind her with a satisfied smile on his face. "Heh..yeah.." I raised an eyebrow as (Y/n) looked away from Sage, her face dusted a bright pink color.

I cleared my throat and looked back at Sun. "Do you have any spare space for the night?" Sun nodded, jumping off of the sofa he was sitting on and pulling on the bottom, extending the couch into a twin-sized bed. "We've got this futon and some blankets." Sun bowed, "Mi casa es tu casa."

Scarlet yawned, and walked to the room he shared with the rest of his team. "Well, you two are all set up, we'll leave you be."

Scarlet stopped, turning to look back at Sage, who was still talking to (Y/n). "Sage! Leave the girls alone for fucks sake!" Sage said his goodbyes to (Y/n) and headed to his room, winking at (Y/n) right before closing the door.

I sighed and turned off my scroll. "Are you going to stop swooning and lay down? You need to rest." (Y/n) giggled and turned towards me, walking over to the small futon slowly.

"Sage seems like a great guy..." I hummed quietly in response, scooting my body over to make room for her on the small space. (Y/n) crawled into the bed slowly, and turned towards me as she lay down.

"Blake..." "Hmm?" I replied, not turning my body around to face her. "Blake...I know you're a Faunus, but what I don't know is why you got so angry at Weiss' comments about the White Fang." (Y/n) sighed and wrapped her arms around me yet again, resting her head on my upper spine.

"Are you really one of them?" I turned in her arms, embracing her gently. "(Y/n)...When I was younger the White Fang wasn't about violence, it was about equality for the Faunus and only that...but when our leaders changed, the White Fang became infamous for doing terrible things to people that didn't accept the Faunus...and that's how we gained equality. By killing and destroying. At first I didn't see what was wrong with a few windows broken, or a few homes egged, but when we started burning homes and....killing people who didn't agree with our ways....I knew I had to leave...and here I am." I pulled the blanket up to our necks. "A criminal hiding in plain sight."

Your POV

I stared at Blake for a few seconds, trying to detect an emotion other than sorrow and regret. After a while of trying and failing I gave up. "Blake, I-"

Blake shook her head, cutting me off. "I've always been a coward, too slow to react, too quick to run...and now someone I care about is hurt." Blake looked at me like a scared kitten, "Blake stop it." I whisper-yelled, "Stop blaming yourself for things that nobody else blames you for! You're just as innocent as anybody else! You're just as forgivable as anyone else..."

Without thinking, I slowly started to lean in to Blake's surprised face. "Stop putting yourself down, Blake." I muttered, wrapping my tail around her calf affectionately.

Blake moved her head away quickly and turned back around "Goodnight (Y/n)." She muttered quietly, a small hint of malice in her voice. "G-goodnight Blake..." I stuttered out, embarrassed at my previous actions.

'Why was I leaning in like that? Why is my stomach doing flips?' I thought to myself as I turned around opposite to Blake, closing my eyes and falling fast asleep, despite willing myself not to.

Chapter Text

Blake's POV

Okay, tell me if I'm wrong. You followed us because you were curious, correct?" (Y/n) asked, turning so that she was facing Sun "Um, yeah" Sun chuckled sheepishly, "I was mostly curious about you, (Y/n). I was wondering why you have two physical Faunus traits"

I looked over at (Y/n). Though I wouldn't ask her directly, I was curious about the topic as well. "Oh, that's an easy one! As you may or may not know, my semblance is the ability to transform my body into a Lion's body. Without the second trait, transformation would be extremely stressful on both of my forms, and using my semblance would affect my natural form. So, instead of being born with one trait, I was born with two. That way my semblance can manifest on my natural body" Sun stared wide-eyed at (Y/n), who returned the expression with a sweet smile.

Sun ran a hand through his hair, "Wow (Y/n), that's...that's really cool. Is your semblance hereditary? Or just random?" (Y/n) nodded, "It's hereditary. The hunters in my pride all had the same semblance. In fact, my Pride was known for breeding children with rare and powerful semblances. It was so predictable what child was going to have what semblance that there were different areas in my Pride for different semblance-carriers. Though, sometimes a child would be born with a different semblance than their parents, like my little sister."

(Y/n) smiled sadly "She had the ability to manipulate the mind, no matter how strong their mind's barriers were..." (Y/n) trailed off, looking to the side. A pained expression replacing her cheery one.

Sun noticed the sudden change in attitude and cleared his throat. "So...Blake" Sun pointed at my bow, "Why do you cover your ears?" I sighed, setting down the cup of tea that I was occasionally taking small sips out of. "Sun, (Y/n), are you familiar with the White Fang?" (Y/n) looked over at me, her ears perking up curiously. Sun nodded, "I don't think there's a Faunus in the world that hasn't heard of them. They're no-good freaks if you ask me"

I nodded slightly, soaking in his comment, "Well, I used to be one of them.." (Y/n) gasped and Sun widened his eyes comically, choking on his tea. "W-what?" He stuttered out in shock, while I stared at him and (Y/n) as stoically as I could "We weren't always known to be cruel and violent. Our previous leader wanted to earn equality through protest and nonviolent boycotts. But when he stepped down, the new leader used her power for the worse. The protests became less and less about equality, and more about revenge. And the worst part about that mindset was that it worked. The Faunus were finally gaining the equality they wanted, but not out of respect."

I traced my finger around the rim of the teacup I was holding "It was out of fear." I looked down into the dark liquid in the cup, squeezing my hand into a fist "And that's when you left." I looked up, "Huh?" (Y/n) placed her hand over my fist, gazing at me intently. "Blake, I can tell you hate yourself for going along with what the White Fang did...but...you left them because that wasn't the kind of equality you wanted."

(Y/n) smiled, reducing me to a blushing mess. "Blake, that just proves that you're a great person!" (Y/n) squeezed my hand, "Yeah, we don't blame you for what happened in the past, and if we don't, I'm sure the rest of your team won't either" Sun blurted out, shooting me a thumbs-up.

Your POV

"Okay, so what now?" Sun looked over at Blake, "Now we figure out if these robberies are really connected to the White Fang" I raised an eyebrow, "And how the hell are we supposed to do that?" I questioned, speeding up my pace in attempt to keep up with Blake.

"Well, when I was on the boat I heard about a huge dust shipment at the docks tonight"
Blake stopped and looked back at Sun, "How huge?" Sun smirked, "Huge. Like a few dozen tons" I grinned and wrapped my arm around Sun's shoulders as best I could with our height difference. "Well then, let's head over there right now!"

Chapter Text

Act I

"Hey! I'm back! And I brought snacks!" Sun announced, landing beside you on the roof of the dock's warehouse. "Oh?What's up Sun?" You smiled, grabbing the apple Sun offered to you and taking an eager bite out of it

"Do you always break the law without thinking? Blake rolled her eyes, ignoring Sun's outstretched hand. "Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun retorted, earning a small chuckle from you and a scowl from Blake. "Huh? Too soon?" Sun shrugged his shoulders.

You laughed again, but you were cut short by a loud droning noise from above. "What's that?!" You cried, covering your ears. "It's a....ship?" Sun yelled, pointing up at the large airship that was landing on the loading deck. You stood up, shaking your head in attempt the soothe the ringing in your ears.

"Maybe it's whoever committed the robberies." Sun nodded at you, "Yeah, maybe a gang of robbers or something" Blake gasped and narrowed her eyes. "No...It's them..." Sun looked down at Blake apologetically, "You really didn't think it was them, did you?" Blake shook her head, "No, I think deep down I really did know...I just didn't want it to be true"

"Hurry up you animals! This isn't a zoo! No lounging around! We need to grab this dust and dash!" A man yelled, his voice echoing around the dock. You strained your eyes, "I can't see him..."

Blake suddenly stood up, pulling Gambol Shroud out out of it's sheath. "Blake?" You asked, looking over at her "This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially one like that." Blake stepped forward, resting her foot on the edge of the roof. "Blake, wait!" Sun yelled, though he was already too late. Blake jumped off of the roof, landing on various Schnee Dust Co. shipping containers on her way down.

"Sun! What do we do now?" You yelled at Sun, trying and failing to keep your sights on Blake. Sun growled, spitting out the chunk of banana he'd just bitten. "We help her" You nodded, jumping off of the roof and landing on your feet, with Sun following close behind.

Act II

I laughed, giving Sun a high-five "Haha! Nice job Sun! That's all of them!" I gestured to the group of White Fang members at my feet. Sun looked around "Now let's find Blake."

After a while of running around the various shipping containers, I was totally out of breath. I crouched down, taking a breather while Sun patted my shoulder "Damn...where the fu-" I gasped, startled by a large explosion nearby. Sun pointed up. "More airships incoming! Oh? Blake!" Sun ran around a corner, with me following behind.

When we rounded the corner we found ourselves standing at the entrance to a large clearing on the dock. Blake groaned, laying on the ground before a tall, red-haired man. "Blake! Are you okay?!" I ran over to her and kneeled down, helping Blake back up to her feet. Sun grunted angrily, running past us to attack the man.

Blake squeezed my wrist. "Yeah, I'm fine." Blake looked past me at Sun. "Oh shi-! Look out, Sun!" There's more White Fang members in the airships!"

I let go of Blake and looked up. "Shit!" I yelled out. "Okay, I'll take them." Blake nodded and ran towards the red-haired man.

I leaned down, transforming my body halfway. Just enough so that my claws were sticking out of the tips of my fingers, and my teeth were sharpened to points. "Come at me!" I yelled, sticking up my middle fingers at the White Fang members as they ran towards me.

"Hey!" A high-pitched voice rang out from the roof of the Dock's warehouse. I looked up to be graced with the sight of a small girl dressed in a crimson red hood and a 'Combat Skirt'. "Ruby!" Ruby looked down at me and smiled widely "Ah, Red! We meet again! Though, isn't it past your bedtime?" The red-haired man mocked as he raised his cane at a distracted Ruby. "Boom" The man murmured, shooting a large ball of fire dust at Ruby, knocking said girl out of sight on impact.

"Ruby!" Another voice rang out from the roof. "Huh?" I wondered out loud, dodging a few attacks from the various White Fang members I was engaged with. Penny ran up to the edge of the roof, an angered expression on her face. "PENNY?" I stepped back, taking a slash at the last remaining member that surrounded me, knocking him unconscious just as Sun and Blake ran back to my side. Penny waved and gave me a thumbs up "Don't worry you guys! I'm combat ready!"

Penny sprung off the roof, using swords that seemed to float behind her to take down the remaining White Fang members. "Woah" I muttered to myself, watching in awe as Penny single-handedly sliced two airships in half, with both of them flying into the ocean soon after.

Hey! Where'd that guy go?!" Sun turned, looking around for the man. I looked up, watching him as he flew away in his airship, cackling like a madman "He's gone.."

~Timeskip~

"Weiss! Yang!" Ruby yelled, standing up and running towards the two. "O-oh, (Y/n)!" Yang stuttered out, seemingly surprised to see me. I looked at Sun, unsure of how to answer. "Just be casual" Sun whispered.

I turned back to Yang and Weiss, flashing them a toothy smile and a peace sign. "Sup, cuties~" Sun facepalmed, while Weiss and Yang's eyes both widened two times their natural size.

Weiss shook her head, focusing her attention on the cat Faunus beside me "Blake..." Blake looked up, her face creased with worry "Weiss...I just want you to know that I'm no longer affiliated with the White Fang-" Weiss shot up her hand, silencing Blake.  "Upupup! Do you have any idea how long we've searched for you?!" Blake shifted on her feet "Uh..." "Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this...and I've decided that I don't care!"

Blake raised her eyebrows in confusion "You don't care?" Weiss sighed "You said you're not one of them anymore, right?" Blake nodded, crossing her arms behind her back "No, I haven't been since I was younger-" "I don't care!" Weiss yelled, silencing Blake once again. "You aren't one of them anymore. And regardless of that, you're my friend." Weiss softened her expression "Just next time something this big comes up, come to your team about it. Not...someone else.." Weiss glared over Blake's shoulder at Sun, who laughed awkwardly.

I smiled, pulling the team into a group hug. "Hell yeah! We're back, bit-" Yang slapped her hand over my mouth, glowering at me and nodding towards Ruby "(Y/n)..." I laughed sheepishly, licking Yang's hand affectionately. "Sorry Yangy~“

Chapter Text

"Ugh, Yang" I raised my eyebrows at said blonde from beside Weiss. "How can you just eat those?" "Hm?" Yang looked at me, chewing a grape that Nora had just thrown her way.

"It's simple, really. I catch the grape in my mouth, close my mouth, chew, and swallow." Yang smiled proudly, obviously congratulating herself for her witty response. I facepalmed, cursing myself for walking into that.

Weiss smirked sideways at me. "You've got to admit, that was a good one" I rolled my eyes, "Anyways" I nodded my head in the direction of Blake, who didn't seem to notice, seeing as she was wrapped up in her notebook.

Yang smiled knowingly at my gesture and leaned into Blake, squinting at the writing on the paper. "Whatcha readin'?" Blake gasped, slamming the notebook closed. "Uh! Just some notes from last semester" Yang raised an eyebrow, catching yet another grape in her mouth, much to my disgust. "Lame."

"Guys!" Ruby cleared her throat, slamming a giant binder down on the table and managing to startle Blake. "Ruby! What in the world was that for?!" Ruby smiled apologetically, "Sorry Blake, but we only have one day left before second semester starts. And with our schedules, we won't have a lot of shared free time to be together." Ruby glanced at me, her cheeks flushing a bit. "A-as a team, of course!"

Ruby cleared her throat, "So, I've prepared a day's worth of events for us to do together...as a team!" Ruby smiled determinedly, "We're gonna start this semester off with a bang!"

Yang shrugged, "I don't know Ruby. I don't usually start off with a bang" Yang smiled deviously up at her little sister. "I always start them off with a Yang!" Yang laughed, ignoring the various groans coming from us.

Yang leaned back, opening her mouth in anticipation for another grape, only to be met with an apple to the nose. "Aww, poor Yang~" I cooed mockingly, "Maybe instead of 'Yanging' around, you should've been paying attention to your surroundings~" I giggled at Yang's blush.

"W-whatever" Yang muttered, angrily grabbing the apple and throwing it back at Nora. With a small "Ow!" accompanying a thud sound soon after.

Weiss shook her head and stood up, holding her hand up as if she was making a speech. "Well, whatever we end up doing, I think we should do it as a tea- Ugh?!" I covered my mouth, desperately trying to keep from laughing. Weiss' moment had been ended by a cream pie to the face.

Weiss grunted, wiping the pie out of her eyes. "I swear to all things holy..." I smiled up at Weiss, resting my head on my hand. "Hey Weiss, need any help cleaning up?" I flirted, sticking my tongue out teasingly. Yang, Ruby and Blake scowled while Weiss turned a dark red color.

"N-no..." Weiss closed her eyes, picking up a napkin and wiping the pie off of her face. "What I need you to do is avenge me" Weiss smirked at me, her eyes gleaming. I nodded, picking up my discarded apple core. "Your wish is my command, Ice princess."

Chapter Text

"Aw man!" You yelled in exasperation, planting your face against the table. "Weiss, I said attack, not stay back! You were supposed to attack Yang's nevermore with your Archers, not hide in the forest!" Weiss scoffed, turning to you, "Well sorry! I'm not an expert player, you know!"

Yang laughed, pushing the small plastic pieces that were Weiss' Archers off of the game board. "Expert or not Weiss, I'll still kick your ass!"Weiss sucked in a breath of air, her head snapping back in anger. "Excuse me?! You looked at my entire deck you cheat! Why, I bet that if you didn't look I'd win by a landslide." Yang chuckled, cracking her knuckles, "Yeah? Then I'd beat the title of 'Winner' out of you!" Ruby held her hands up between Weiss and Yang, laughing nervously. "Guys, let's not fight. The librarian will yell at us for being loud...again..."

You rolled your eyes, turning your attention to Blake, who was staring down at the table. "Blake, it's your turn." Blake jumped, scattering her cards all over the ground. "Wuh?! Oh..um...Sorry, what am I doing again?" Yang chuckled, "You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the kingdoms of Remnant."

"Hey guys!" Jaune exclaimed from behind Weiss, nearly startling you out of your seat. "Hey, watch it!" Weiss yelled at Jaune, after secretly glancing over at you to make sure you were okay. Jaune laughed sheepishly, "Heh, sorry...can I play with you?" 

Ruby clicked her tongue, "Sorry Jaune, we already have four players." Jaune whined, pointing at you. "But (Y/n)'s playing..." You gasped, dramatically laying a hand over your chest. "I am NOT playing! I'm Weiss' strategist." You wrapped your arms protectively around Weiss' waist, rubbing your warm cheek against Weiss' cold one.

Weiss gasped quietly, pushing you away as a crimson red blush spread up to the tips of her ears. When she finally regained her calm composure, she cleared her throat.         

"S-so yeah, we don't need you, Jaune." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, his smile faltering slightly. "Aww come on Weiss, can't you just let me play a turn for you?" Weiss leaned away from Jaune, scrunching up her face in disgust. "I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!"

Jaune grumbled, "Why not?! You've trusted me with way more important information! Don't forget, you're the one who told us that Blake is secretly a Fau-" "Fun loving person, whom we all admire and respect!" Pyrrha interrupted, quickly running over and covering Jaune's mouth.

Your POV

I grinned at Pyrrha, "Nice save, Nikos." "Thank you, (Y/n)." Pyrrha smiled back, making my heart jump slightly.

"Sup losers." Sun waved, walking up to Blake's side. "Oh, hey Sun." Ruby mumbled, sorting through her card deck. "I-is Sage here?" I whispered out, hiding behind my ears, "Nah, sorry. But I did bring someone."

Sun looked back as Neptune stepped out from behind a bookshelf. "Uhm, I might be wrong, but aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune gestured at the board game splayed out on the table. "Thank you!" Ren yelled out from behind me, stirring Nora to snort a quiet, "Pancakes!" before falling back asleep.

"Shut up, don't be a nerd." Sun chuckled, punching Neptune on the shoulder. "Hey! Intellectual!" Neptune crossed his arms, dramatically turning away from Sun. "So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss crossed her arms, feigning a smile.

"Haven, and I don't believe I've caught your name, Snow Angel~" Weiss raised her eyebrows, looking over at me as a cry for help. "Uhm, I'm Weiss." "Yeah, and Weiss is MINE." I growled out at Neptune, hugging Weiss against my side and earning shocked looks from everyone at the table.

Neptune held his hands up, smiling nervously, "H-hey, no need to get mad, I didn't know you two were together." "They're not together." Ruby crossed her arms, her face void of emotion, "Yeah, (Y/n) isn't even into girls." Yang sighed, turning to stare out of the window with a disappointed look plastered over her face, while Pyrrha and Blake just shook their heads solemnly.

"W-what the hell does that mean?!" I stuttered out, looking at the stone cold faces of the various girls around me. "It doesn't mean anything. It's a fact, right?" Ruby muttered, turning to look me in the eye. "Well...maybe...I was going to get married to the son of one of the members of the high council...but I left for Beacon...and I never really had any feelings for him beyond close friendship."

The room's mood darkened almost immediately, "So, what you mean to tell us is that you have a fiancé back at your home?" Yang stared at me angrily, her eyes burning bright red. "You shouldn't leave someone who loves you like that!" Yang slammed her fist on the table, silencing everybody and making me flinch.

"Yang..." Ruby looked over at her sister, worry lines creasing her childish face. "No, Ruby!" Yang grabbed the collar of my tunic and pulled me out of my chair to her face level. "How could you do something like that to someone?! Don't you know what that does to their pride?!"

I opened my mouth to speak, but decided to rip Yang's hands off of my tunic instead. "I didn't leave him. He died fighting when my village was destroyed two years ago by the White Fang." Both team RWBY and team JNPR gasped in shock, "(Y/n)...I didn't know, I...I'm so-"

*Slap*

Yang's head flung to the side, as quiet gasps and murmurs rang out from different areas of the library. "Shut up Yang.." I lowered my hand, nearly collapsing back into my chair. "Just shut up."

Blake looked over at me, "(Y/n) (L/n)...(L/n)? You lived on the Savannah of Anima?" I nodded, avoiding eye contact with Yang, who was still standing and holding her cheek with a shocked look plastered over her face.

"Yeah, we were a big tribe of lion Faunus." Blake gasped and covered her mouth, starting to look like she was going to vomit. "Blake are you okay?" Weiss patted a frozen Blake on the shoulder.

"Adam." Blake pointed at me, "Adam Taurus is the one who destroyed your home." I gasped, "Your 'mentor' killed my entire family?! Why didn't you stop him?!" I yelled at Blake in a sudden rage. "Wait...were you with him? Did you take part in this?" Blake looked down at the ribbons wrapped around her hand. "No, I wasn't on board with the idea of threatening a smaller village just because they'd stopped trading with us. Adam said he just went to talk about the trade dispute, but your Leader...your father...had gotten violent and he had no choice but to..."

I stood up in anger, my tail flicking rapidly, "(Y/n)...If only I had stopped him." Blake looked up at me, a lost, guilty expression on her face. "It's my fault you lost your home..."

Sun clapped his hands together in attempt to lighten the mood, earning himself a deadly glare from me. "H-hey...Blake, I didn't take you for a board game playing type." Blake glared at her hands, yet again "Yeah, well, I think I'm done playing." Blake set her cards down, standing up and pushing Sun out of the way as she headed out of the library. "Blake.." I whispered out, following Sun as he jogged out after Blake.

Chapter Text

I stood up, following Sun out of the library in attempt to pursue Blake. Because I was so focused on getting to Blake before Sun, I didn't notice the footsteps walking in perfect unison behind me.

"(Y/n), stop!" Yang grabbed my shoulders and spun me around to face her. I wrinkled my nose, leaning away from her. "What do you want, Yang?! I need to talk to Blake!"

Yang's eyes went cold, flickering between her usual violet color and bright red, as if she was trying and failing to control her emotions. "Blake has Sun to talk to her, and besides, I need to apologize to you."

I looked away, furrowing my eyebrows. Yang sighed and pulled me into a hug. "Yang?" I breathed out, surprised by her suddenly gentle nature.

Yang looked down at me, quickly letting me go. "(Y/n), I'm so sorry that I snapped at you without knowing what you went through to get here. It's just...When I was younger, my mom, Summer Rose didn't come back from a dangerous mission. Ruby was totally crushed, though, I don't think she completely understood what had happened at the time."

Yang grabbed my hand, staring into my eyes with an unrecognizable expression "And my dad totally shut down. It wasn't long before I found out why. Summer wasn't the first love he'd lost. The first person to leave him was my real mom, Raven. She left a little while after I was born." Yang clenched her teeth, glaring down at our intertwined hands.

"One day, I found something. Something that I thought would take me to her. So, when Tai left the house, I put Ruby in a wagon and headed off. It felt like I had walked for hours, and when we had finally gotten to my destination, I was too tired to even sit down."

Yang looked back up at me, tears streaming down her face. "That's when I saw them, those gleaming red eyes, those disgusting yellow teeth...And there we were, a toddler sleeping in a wagon and a stupid little girl too exhausted to even cry out for help."

Yang cupped my cheek, sending a warm blush across my face. "But just in time, my uncle Qrow saved us. My...issues...could've killed us that night, and I've always had a small strife with...abandonment and things like that ever since."

I pulled Yang into a tight hug. "I-I'm sorry too Yang. I shouldn't have hit you, I should've..." I looked down, covering my face just as tears started to spill down my cheeks.

"Hey, it's okay." Yang's smooth voice rang out as she gently tilted my face up to look at her and rested her forehead against mine, wiping away my tears as she did so. "I'm just glad we got to talk about it. I love you, (Y/n)"

I gasped, my eyes widening slightly. "W-what? Yang, I..." Yang shook her head quickly, seemingly just as surprised as I was. "N-no, not like that! I-I just...value you a lot as a...friend! Y-you're really important to me."

I nodded, amused by Yang's cute flustered face. "Same here, Yang. You're one of my best friend- mmph?!"

3rd person POV

Without warning, Yang lifted your chin up and pressed her lips against yours. You blushed a light pink color, immediately pulling back and covering your mouth. "W-what was that?!" You stutter-yelled, your voice slightly muffled by your hand.

You looked up at Yang's face, panting heavily from excitement. Yang looked down at you, a small smirk curling the ends of her lips. "You've never been kissed before? I would think that Sage has done something, seeing as you two are always out on dates."

You shook your head, avoiding eye contact with Yang, who was staring at you smugly. "N-no. Sage hasn't done anything..." Yang nodded knowingly, licking her lips. "Well, guess I'm your first, then."

You punched Yang on the shoulder, trying to mask your embarrassment and excitement with an angry expression. "Shut up, Xiao Long!"

Yang laughed, pointing down at her leg. "You liked it, tails don't lie." You looked down curiously, squeaking in surprise at the sight of your tail wrapped firmly around Yang's knee. 'Damn, I need to stop doing this.' You thought to yourself as you quickly unwrapped your tail from Yang's leg.

"So, can you come back with me to the library please? Sun's friend joined the game as Blake's replacement and Weiss is lost without her strategist~" Yang smiled at you, grabbing your hand. "But Blake..."

Yang grunted, her face growing cold. "Blake's fine. Sun followed her." You looked down the hallway in the direction Sun and Blake went, trying to push down the lump of jealousy growing in your throat. "Well...if you say so..."

Chapter Text

"UGH! Ruby, you never should've let him play!" Yang yelled as she angrily barged into the dorm room. "This never would've happened if you'd just attacked when I told you, Yang." Ruby chuckled, closing the door gently.

You smiled, glancing over at Blake, who was just getting up to walk out of the room. Weiss pointed at Blake dramatically. "Stop."

You looked over at Weiss, surprise written all over your face. "Lately you've been quiet, antisocial and moody."

Yang scoffed, crossing her arms. "Uh, have you met Blake?" Weiss waved her hand, dismissing Yang's question. "Which I get, it's kind of your thing, but you've been doing it more than usual. Which, quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong. So, Blake Belladonna...What is wrong?!"

Weiss shoved you off of the chair you were sitting on and quickly jumped onto it mid-scentence. You desperately covered your mouth to keep from laughing at the scene in front of you as you watched Weiss struggle to balance herself on the chair. "Uh..." Weiss cleared her throat, jumping off of the chair and pushing it back under your desk.

Blake closed her eyes, lifting her hand up like she was having a headache. "I just...I don't understand how everybody can be so calm."

You shifted on your feet, glancing at Ruby's worried face. "Still thinking about Torchwick?" She asked, stepping towards Blake.

The Faunus nodded, "Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it. Something big is happening and nobody is doing anything about it!"

You cleared your throat, taking the silence as your turn to speak up. "Ozpin said we shouldn't worry Blake. Don't you think an experienced Hunter like him would have it under control?"

Blake looked to the side dejectedly, "He doesn't know the White Fang like I do!"

Blake looked you square in the eye, causing you to take a step back in surprise. "People have died...and are still dying because of them. They're dangerous, and he just blows it off like it's nothing!"

"Okay, okay" Weiss held out her arms in an attempt to diffuse any growing arguments. "Between blowing up nightclubs, stopping theives, traveling around Remnant, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure you all think you're ready to go apprehend these ne'er-do-wells."

"Uh..who?" Ruby leaned over, whispering into your ear. "But let me once again be the voice of reason." Weiss continued, her expression softening. "We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Well yeah, but-" Weiss grumbled, her expression turning cold once again. "We're not ready."

"And we may never be ready!" Blake snapped, startling the four of you. "Our enemies aren't just going to sit and wait for graduation day! They're out there, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready, or not."

Ruby smiled widely, holding her hands up excitedly "All in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses to single-handedly bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale...say 'Aye'"

Yang laughed and pointed at Blake. "Yes! I love it when you're feisty!" Weiss crossed her arms, "Well, I suppose it could be fun.." You laughed, tackling Weiss in a hug. "If you guys are in, so am I!" Ruby whined, sitting down on Weiss' bed. "Nobody said aye.."

Blake smiled down at you, causing a blush to spread over your cheeks. "Alright then, we're in this together" Ruby sprung off of Weiss' bed, "Let's hatch a plan!" She screeched, seemingly regaining all of her energy.

Suddenly, said redhead gasped, looking around your shared bedroom frantically. "I left my board game in the Library!" Ruby grabbed your hand, rushing out of the room. "Hey!" Yang yelled after the two of you. "Why'd you only take (Y/n)?!"

Ruby laughed, looking over her shoulder as she ran. "Sorry not sorry!" "Ruby! Look out!" You screamed, pointing at the three students dressed in Haven Academy uniforms in front of you, but you were too late.

Ruby crashed into the girl with emerald green hair, and you slammed into Ruby's back a few seconds later, sending the both of you to the floor.. "Oh, ah, sorry..." Ruby laughed sheepishly, taking the green-haired girl's outstretched hand and standing up.

The green-haired girl nodded. "I'm fine, just watch where you're going.." Ruby smiled, "I'm Ruby, and this is (Y/n)" Ruby gestured to you as you waved, still sitting on the ground. "Are you three new here?" You asked curiously, eyeing the trio's uniforms.

"Visiting from Haven, actually." A smooth female voice called out from behind the green-haired girl and the silver-haired boy. The person that spoke had jet black hair, amber eyes, and a sinister yet alluring smirk. The second you made eye contact with this girl, you felt your heart sink and your tail force it's way between your legs. This woman was gorgeous, but had a bad aura surrounding her.

The girl with the amber eyes leaned forward, holding her hand out for you while Ruby eyed the trio suspiciously, obviously trying to decide if what the girl said was truthful. The girl looked up at Ruby after pulling you off of the ground.

"Ooh! You're here for the festival, right?" Ruby finally inquired, "Oh, but exchange students have their own dormitory." Ruby cocked her head, "Well, I guess we just got turned around." The silver-haired boy finally spoke, sending chills down your spine.

"Ah, don't worry! It happens all the time!" Ruby laughed obliviously as the boy and girl Ruby ran into walked past her, with the green-haired girl staring intently at you as she passed. "Uh..your building is just east of here!"

The amber-eyed girl smiled, beginning to make her way past the two of you. "Thanks. Maybe we'll see you around." The girl stared into your eyes for a second before following her group down the hall.

"Yeah! Maybe!" Ruby waved, "Oh...uh..and welcome to Beacon!" You shuddered, gripping Ruby's forearm. "Let's get going, the library is going to close soon." Ruby blushed, staring at your hand as she nodded. "Y-yeah...let's."

Chapter Text

"Alright girls! Time for action!" I announced, bursting out of our dorm room's restroom, holding a towel against my damp body. "I thought that class would never end." Blake retorted, adjusting the ribbon that was wrapped around her forearm.

"Well, today's the day! Here, I have a custom stealth outfit just for you, (Y/n)" Ruby giggled, jumping off of her bed and handing me a bundle of dark-colored clothes. I nodded gratefully, running back into the restroom to change before returning back to my place.

"Wow! It's really nice! But...a bit tight, don't you think?" I turned slightly, massaging the base of my tail. "Wuh..." Yang drooled, while Ruby's face began to turn red. "Y-yeah, I guess I must've heard your measurements wrong..." Ruby muttered, very clearly eyeing my tail as well.

"O-okay, great!" Ruby clapped, breaking herself from the staring contest she was having with my stealth suit and the rest of her team from the awkward silence that fell upon the room. "Does everyone know their roles?"

Weiss nodded, stepping off of her bed. "Ruby and I will head to the CCT to check the Schnee records for any other dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

Blake crossed her arms behind her back in a matter-of-faculty way. "The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If (Y/n) and I can get in, We can hopefully find out what they're planning."

Yang threw her right arm around my shoulders, a wide grin plastered over her face. "I have an...old friend on the shady side of town that usually knows everything that's going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."

"Great! We'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found. Let's do this!" Ruby yelled enthusiastically, pumping her fist up in the air.

"Yeah!" A familiar blonde haired monkey-boy chuckled, hanging upside down on a tree branch beside the window. "Sun?!" I screamed in surprise, my tail and ears perking up painfully. "How did you even get up here?" Yang raised her eyebrows at Sun, taking a defensive step backwards. "Ah, it's easy. I do it all the time." Sun played with his hair cutely.

"You what?!" Weiss shuddered, glaring at Sun. "What? I climb trees all the time!" Sun cried, swinging himself into the room. "So. Are we finally going to get back at that Torchwick guy?"

Blake growled in annoyance, stepping towards Sun. "We're going to investigate the situation. As a team" "Yeah!" You nodded, placing a supportive hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Sorry Sun. We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to..." Ruby muttered, tracing the handle of Crescent Rose apologetically. "Pfft, that's dumb!" Sun chuckled, gesturing out of the window. "You should always get friends involved. "That's why I brought Neptune."

I grumbled, crossing my arms while the Sun and rest of my team looked out of the window for Neptune. 'Great. These two are always ruining my bonding time with Blake and Weiss.' I thought to myself as I pouted and sat on Weiss' bed.

~Timeskip~

"Alright! Me and Weiss'll go with (Y/n). Sun, you can go with Blake. And Neptune, you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner." Ruby clapped her hands as she directed us on our newly-formed teams.

I punched Sun in the gut as he tried to pass me to get to Blake. "Ow! What was that for?!" Sun looked up at me from the ground as he clutched his stomach. I pulled the boy up to my height by his collar, whispering menacingly into his ear. "Next time, bring someone who's actually capable of fighting, like Sage."

Sun chuckled, shaking himself out of my grip. "How cute. You're mad because I didn't bring your boyfriend~" Sun pranced in a circle around me, while I felt my face start to heat up. "Sh-shut up! He's not my boyfriend! I-I mean...it's not like that. I just don't want my teammates to get hurt. And Neptune doesn't exactly help with my worries."

Sun smiled, leaning down slightly. "Mhm, whatever you say lover girl~ By the way, you're cute when you get angry. You look like a little bunny." Sun tapped my nose gently, and I swore I could faintly hear someone yell 'Boop' from the courtyard.

"I am a lion! Not a bunny!" I cried, transforming my canine teeth into sharp fangs and snapping my jaws in front of Sun's face. "W-woah! Lion, I meant lion! Mercy please!" Sun shouted, running over to hide behind Blake.

Weiss' POV

I crossed my arms, nearly green with envy as I watched Sun flirt with (Y/n), until an idea popped into my head and I walked up behind Ruby.

"Actually Ruby, why don't you and (Y/n) go with Yang, you all seem to be very close." I glanced over at (Y/n), recalling the moment when she and Yang returned from the hallway after Blake stormed out, holding hands and laughing together as if they were a couple.

"But...who will you be with, Weiss?" Ruby's high-pitched voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Well, I guess I could be with Neptune..." I batted my eyelashes at Neptune flirtily, relishing in the jealous expression that washed over (Y/n)'s face.

"Pfft! Nah!" Ruby laughed, wrapping her arm around (Y/n)'s shoulders and walking towards me. "Sorry Weiss, but you're stuck with us." "Mhm..." (Y/n) glared at me, flashing a sharp-clawed middle finger from behind Ruby's line of sight as we left the room.

Chapter Text

Act I

"Woahhh!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly, "I forgot how big the tower looks up close!" Weiss smirked over at Ruby, crossing her arms calmly. "You should see the one in Atlas."

You nodded, racking your brain for any information you knew about the CCT in Atlas. "That was the first one, right?" Weiss turned to face you, obviously surprised by your knowledge on the CCT.

"C-correct! Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

"Ooh~ Look at me. My name's Weiss. I'm rich." Ruby cooed mockingly in a high-pitched whiny voice, a large grin spreading over her face when you let out a hearty laugh.

Weiss crossed her arms, "Don't be a pest, Ruby. Besides, the only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much. We could have just as easily made a call from the library."

Ruby froze like she had just been caught red-handed stealing cookies from Ozpin. "I-I know...but it's soooo cool!" The small redhead squealed, earning another laugh from you and a jealous glare from Weiss.

"Ooh! I'm gonna take a picture!" Ruby dug into her pocket, pulling her scroll out so quickly it slipped out of her hands and landed with a clack on the ground.

"Oh. You dropped this." A ginger-haired girl bent down, picking up Ruby's scroll and holding it out towards her.

Weiss blinked a few times in surprise while both you and Ruby let out a bewildered "Penny?!" Penny gasped in realization, her eyes widening. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks!"

"Uh...uhm...I-I think you're mistaken!" Penny stuttered, ending her scentence with a hiccup was so powerful that Ruby's scroll went flying back into the air, before landing gently into it's red-haired owner's hands.

"I-I've got to go!" Penny spun on her heel, speed walking away from your little posse. "What the hell was that about?" You pointed at Penny, looking at Ruby for an answer. "I don't know. But I'm going to find out." Ruby shoved her scroll back into her pocket, a determined expression set on her face. "Weiss, stay with (Y/n) and stick to the plan. I'll meet up with you guys later! Take care of each other!" Ruby sprinted after Penny, waving back at the two of you.

"W-wait!" You stretched your arms out towards Ruby in a panic. "Don't leave me with Ms. Grumpy Skirt!" You wailed, sinking down to your hands and knees dramatically.

"Oh please," Weiss scoffed "I'm not that bad." "Not that bad my ass." You grumbled quietly, standing up and dusting yourself off. "Don't you have a call to make?" You tapped your wrist, glaring at Weiss coldly.

"Yeah..." Weiss looked off to the side dejectedly, and you could feel your heart ache at Weiss' sad expression, until you remembered the Neptune thing from earlier. "Well, then let's get going. We don't need to waste time."

~Timeskip~

"Thank you for calling the Atlas- oh! Ms. Schnee! Good afternoon!" A young woman, who you presumed was the Schnee Co. secretary, answered the call.

"Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well..." You smirked slightly, looking down at Weiss. Her face scrunched up for a second, until relaxing again.

"No thank you. I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list." Weiss pulled out her scroll and connected it to the Terminal with a small click.

The secretary raised her eyebrows at Weiss' list of files. "I see...If you don't mind, what, may I ask, is this for?" Weiss smiled innocently, showing off her perfect teeth. "School project~"

You smiled, liking the sudden change of  attitude. 'I'm so going to tease her about this later.' The secretary put her hand on her chin thoughtfully, breaking you from your trance. "Hmm..There are some sensitive documents on this list, Ma'am." Weiss nodded knowingly, "Well then, I'll be sure to treat them with care!"

The secretary let out a small sigh. "Very well. The documents are being transferred to your scroll now." "Wonderful. That will be all then." Weiss grinned, pulling her scroll off the terminal. "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?"

Weiss face dropped once again, "Yes...I'm sure..." "Well then, have a nice day." The secretary smiled as the terminal faded to black, mirroring Weiss' downcast face.

"Okay, what was that about?" You tapped Weiss' shoulder gently. "What was what about?" Weiss answered coldly, shaking your hand off of her.

"Y'know, the whole 'I'm a completely happy and content person...until you mention my father' thing." You rested your hands on your hips, awaiting an answer.

Weiss sighed and picked herself up and out of the chair. "That's nothing. Mind your own business."

You scoffed angrily, crossing your arms, "What's your problem? Why have you been acting so mean lately?" Weiss laughed sadistically, as if you should've already known the answer.

"You're just so clueless, aren't you?" Weiss took a step forward, so that you were face-to-face with each other. "Yeah! I am! And, quite frankly, I'm justified because I haven't done anything wrong!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes, "Nothing wrong?! Don't act like you don't know that I-" You held your finger against Weiss lips, making the latter's usually pale cheeks flush a dark red color.

"Not here, Weiss" You muttered quietly, glancing at the crowd that had gathered around the two of you. "Let's go somewhere more private and discuss this." Weiss looked around, finally noticing the crowd as well. "F-Fine. But we're going to talk about this today."

Act II

I stirred my tea slowly, waiting silently for Weiss to start speaking. "We're finally somewhere private, y'know...You can talk now."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, placing her coffee down gently. "Oh, really? I wasn't aware that sitting at a two-person table on the café's patio was 'private' to you."

I growled quietly, glaring at Weiss. "Well, this is as private as it's gonna get, Weiss. So I suggest you start talking now."

Weiss sighed, tracing the rim of her coffee cup with her finger. "(Y/n)...The real reason that I've been acting this way towards you is because...I'm jealous..."

Weiss blushed and turned away from me, avoiding eye contact. "Jealous? Jealous of what?" I cocked my head, scrunching my face up in confusion.

"I'm jealous because...you n..." Weiss mumbled the end of her sentence, her blush growing more severe by the second. "Say that again, please?" I uttered monotonously, becoming annoyed with Weiss' stalling.

"I-I'm jealous because you never pay attention to me! You don't know what it's like to value someone and be ignored by them! You don't know what it's like to feel so isolated that you can't do anything other then act bitter and angry!" Weiss yelled, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. "I...I just want attention...Your attention...Even though I don't deserve it..." Weiss sighed, sinking back into her chair.

I sat in awe of Weiss' outburst for a few seconds, only to be brought back into reality by a fly buzzing by my ear, making it twitch wildly. "Weiss...I...I'm sorry," I leaned forward, grabbing Weiss' hand gently. Weiss jumped slightly, but eventually relaxed and returned the grip. "I guess I didn't know you cared about my opinion that much, with me being a Faunus and all."

Weiss feverishly shook her head, leaning forward as well. "No! Your opinion has always mattered to me, (Y/n). Y-you could even say I value your opinion the most..." Weiss trailed off, her cheeks growing dark red once again.

I smirked, raising an eyebrow, "The most, Huh? Well, Weiss, I think you look amazing today~" I rested my face on my fist, watching as Weiss started to freak out again.

"I like flustered Weiss, it's a nice change from cold, unloving Weiss..." I laughed quietly, making Weiss' expression grow cold again. "Hmph! I'm not always cold and unloving. But only special people get to see the other Weiss."

I nodded, looking up at the darkening sky. "I guess I'm a special one, then."

Bzzzz

Weiss jumped, quickly pulling her scroll out of her pocket, reading the screen and raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Blake's calling?" I leaned forward, looking at the screen curiously. "Don't just stare at it, Weiss! Answer it!"

"Everyone!" Blake panted, "If you can hear me, we need back-" "Heeelp!" Sun wailed, cutting Blake off.

"Fuck!" I cursed, standing up and throwing a few Lien on the table, running over to the patio's railing. "I can see them! They're just north of the dust shop!" I quickly jumped over the railing, with Weiss following close behind.

Chapter Text

"Dammit!" I yelled, frustratedly slamming my fist against the building I was standing beside. "What is it?" Weiss panted as she ran up beside me.

"They ran out onto the highway! I've lost sight of them!" Weiss tapped her chin thoughtfully, "They're doing construction on road 63. Maybe we can get a good view of them from there..."

I laughed gleefully, enveloping Weiss into a tight hug. "Weiss, you're a genius!" Weiss gasped and quickly shoved me off of her. "H-hey! I'm still mad! No affection for you!"

I rolled my eyes, "Well, if you want to help Blake before she gets killed by that giant robot-mech thing, then I suggest you hop on. I'm the fastest ride in town, baby." I winked playfully at Weiss, earning a firm glare in return.

"Alright, alright, sorry." I leaned forward, activating my semblance and fully transforming my body. I nudged Weiss' shoulder, lowering myself so that she could climb onto my back with ease.

"Road 63 is that way!" Weiss exclaimed, pointing to my right and fixing her dress after she scrambled onto my back. I grunted in agreement, and sprinted off towards the freeway.

~Timeskip~

"There they are!" Weiss jumped off of my back and ran to the railing of the highway, peering down at the fight below. I hurriedly transformed back into my original form and ran to Weiss' side. Sun and Blake were hopping from car to car as the large mech that was chasing them earlier easily shoved cars aside in pursuit of them. Close behind, Yang and Neptune were following on Yang's bike.

"Guys! What's going on?!" I snapped my head sharply in the direction of the high-pitched voice. Ruby was running up to us, waving her hands in the air frantically. "Blake got into a pickle.." I mumbled, looking back down at them.

"They're coming our way! We have to jump now!" I took a step back. "J-jump? No, I can't...We can't! We'll die!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, holding up her Myrtenaster. "Did you forget?" Suddenly, with the wave of Weiss' hand, black glyphs began to form. Going all the way down to the road below.

"Aw yeah!" Ruby laughed excitedly, speeding past me and simultaneously jumping over the railing. "Dammit, Ruby.." Weiss facepalmed, but quickly recovered and held a hand out for me. "If you're afraid you could...h-hold my hand..."

I raised my eyebrows at Weiss, making the white-haired girl turn a nice shade of rose and turn away. "You go first, Weiss. I want you there to catch me."

Weiss nodded eagerly, quickly and quietly jumping over the railing as well. "(Y/n)! Hurry! They're almost here!" Ruby's voice echoed faintly up to me as I walked up to the very edge of the freeway.

I sighed in attempt to calm my nerves and looked down at Weiss. She was holding her arms out for me. 'Here we go again...' I closed my eyes and reluctantly jumped off of the railing.

Chapter Text

I felt at peace as I fell through the air. The wind roared around me and seemed to blow my worries away with it. I closed my eyes and opened my arms, surrendering myself to my fate; But just as suddenly as the feeling appeared it had vanished. I landed on my feet gently thanks to Weiss' gravity glyphs.

"Thanks for saving my life" I joked, sending a playful wink Weiss' way. "Let me repay you?" I leaned back, stretching my arms and growling lowly as I allowed my transformation to overtake me. "Heck yeah! Lion joyride! C'mon Weiss!" Ruby pumped her fist in the air, rushing past Weiss and plopping herself on my back. Weiss crossed her arms, silently walking up to me and looking down at me expectantly. I tilted my head to the side, grunting in confusion.

"I'm wearing a skirt. A lady of the Schnee family shouldn't be seen in such a scandalous position!" "Ugh! Stop stalling Weiss! They're getting away!" Ruby groaned in annoyance, grabbing Weiss by the arm and pulling her onto my back with surprising strength. I shook my head and sprinted to catch up with my teammates.

'Wow, this is some real shit' I thought to myself as I weaved between the cars scattered haphazardly along the highway. 'I wonder how they got their hands on such technology...' "Hey look! It's Yang and Neptune!" Ruby yelled, pointing to the two just ahead of me. I roared as I approached them, sending Yang a sharp look as we trailed behind the giant mech. "Nice to see you again kitty~" Yang grinned flirtatiously, giving her motorcycle a loud rev.

"Woah! K-Keep your eyes on the road!" Neptune squealed, shooting his blaster at the mech. That seemed to get it's attention as it slowed down just a bit. Neptune pointed his blaster down and shot himself into the air, transforming his weapon in midair and sticking the blade of it into the mech's back. "Watch the tires!" Yang growled out, swerving to get out of the way of the cars flying by.

"Neptune hang on!" Sun yelled from afar, activating his semblance to combat the enemy while he also launched himself into the air. But just as Sun was about to reach the mech Neptune was flung off of his weapon and right into his old friend, sending them both careening off the edge of the highway.

"(Y/n), If you can get ahead of this thing I can knock it off of the highway!" Weiss yelled urgently, pulling out her Myrtenaster. I nodded, pushing past the cars and moving to the front of the mech. I looked up at Blake, who was staring down curiously from the top of a car. "Now, Weiss!" Ruby encouraged as Weiss jumped off of my back and stuck her weapon into the ground. In a flash, the highway was covered in a thin sheet of ice that sent the mech suit sliding through the highway's barriers and onto another road below. Ruby followed suit, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her.

Quickly, I turned around and grabbed Weiss by the back of her jacket, being careful not to hurt her with my teeth. "Hey, these are very expensive fabrics!" Weiss wailed. Just then, I felt a weight on my back. "Follow them!" Blake urged, gripping onto my fur gently. I roared in affirmation, following Ruby down onto the road below.

I landed with a thud, rubbing my sore tailbone. "Geez Weiss, couldn't spare a single glyph for your savior?" Weiss' face scrunched up in rage as she pointed angrily at her torn jacket. "Quit standing around, we've got to help Ruby!" Yang called out from above, landing with a crash louder than mine.

The four of us looked at the small girl in red standing before the giant mech suit. "She's fucking fearless" I breathed out in awe as we rushed to her side. Just then, the mech groaned loudly, beginning to move towards us. "Razorburn!" Ruby yelled out, as she took both mine and Blake's arms and moved us out of the way.

Weiss and Yang nodded at each other, seemingly coming up with an unspoken plan within seconds. Weiss created another thin sheet of ice that surrounded her as Yang launched herself into the air with her Ember Celica. I could hear the clicking sound of Yang's weapon reloading as she punched a round of fire dust into the ice, creating a cloud of steam that covered the entire area surrounding us.

To make up for the loss of visibility, the mech deployed tracking lasers to locate us. Luckily for Blake and I, we could see very clearly as we weaved around the volatile machine. "Feline!" Ruby called out a few feet away, sending both Blake and I into action. Blake threw her Gambol shroud my way and ran to one side of the mech. I quickly followed suit, running to the other side until the ribbon was taut. The tracking lasers didn't seem to catch the ribbon and the mech tripped, falling down with a loud crash onto its side.

"Red Tail!" Ruby called again, readying her weapon. I sprung into action, dropping Blake's weapon and transforming my hands. With a loud, guttural roar, I began to slash at the back of the suit, hoping to get to the pilot's chamber. Just then, Ruby rushed forward out of the clouds, the small girl letting out a roar of her own as she shot and slashed at the front of the mech with all of her might.

The ground rumbled as the mech began to stand up again, forcing Ruby and I to fall back. "Checkmate!" Weiss and Blake burst through the fog, attacking the mech with enough ferocity to send it back a few steps. This seemed to anger the pilot of the suit as they deployed multiple missiles that exploded into the ground, sending debris and shrapnel flying all around us.

"Ladybug!" Ruby shouted, running between the mech's legs and attacking it from behind. Immediately, Blake was on her tail, focusing the brunt of her attacks on the giant rocket launcher located on the mech's arm. Ruby echoed her attacks and soon the entire arm crashed onto the ground. The sudden change in weight sent the mech suit staggering back, giving Yang an opening to attack from the front, repeatedly punching the window to the pilot's chamber in an attempt to unmask the attacker.

In what seemed to be final desperation, the mech thrust forward violently, sending both itself and Yang through multiple support pillars. "Yang!" I yelled out in anguish, readying myself to attack again. "Don't worry, (Y/n). Yang's semblance makes her stronger with each hit, and she uses that energy to fight back!" Ruby assures me with a firm nod, which I return, though still worried.

Yang slowly picks herself up, her hair beginning to glow luminously in the fog. The mech rears back it's only remaining arm and attacks Yang with full power, but it's stopped by Yang's own hand. The girl smiles dangerously at the pilot of the suit.

"Nice one; now here's mine." With surprising speed, Yang deals a blow of her own, but this time it destroys the arm on the suit. The mech quickly recovers and runs towards Yang, kicking her hard enough to send the girl flying backwards.

"Bumblebee!" Blake throws her Gambol Shroud towards Yang reflexively, to which Yang plucks the weapon out of the air. Like a flaming dragon flying through the sky Yang uses her momentum to fling herself around the battlefield.

Ruby and Weiss spring into action, taking advantage of the mech's distraction. Ruby readies her weapon and with the added help of Weiss's ice glyphs she unloads a powered up round that freezes the mech's joints in place. Yang then uses her Ember Celica to catapult herself into the mech, dealing a blow that completely dissipates the mech.

I lurch forward, transforming myself in an instant and seize the pilot in midair. A man in a goofy black top hat. But just as I'm about to hit the ground a small woman drops in from seemingly nowhere, aiming her gun directly at me. I hear a deafening crack, feel a searing pain rip through my abdomen and everything goes black.

Chapter Text

My footsteps seem to kick up specks of golden embers as I stumbled through the charred remnants of the village I used to call home. The ravaged buildings around me looked just as they did when I left; smoking with uncontrolled fires and smeared in the blood of my people.

Suddenly, my foot hits a hard support beam, now collapsed and charred to a blackened crisp. Though I could still faintly make out the familiar etchings on the side. Faintly, I recalled standing against this pillar as my mother carved a small line just above my head. "You're growing so fast, my daughter." She would say, smiling radiantly though her golden eyes displayed a sadness only a mother could understand. Golden eyes that now gazed lifelessly at me from the rubble.

An animalistic panic overtook my body. The chill of fear froze me to my core. "Mother! Where is Evangeline? What's going on? Answer me!" I shrieked, haphazardly throwing the rubble of my own home around as if I was trying to dig up the answers myself.

"What a sight." A silky smooth female voice cooed at me from what seemed to be the very air around me. Though the voice was calming, the presence it came from was dark. Terrifyingly so. Despite this, I did not stop my fruitless attempts at saving my mother. "Child, the answers you seek will not be so easily attained. The anger you must feel, the pain... How incredibly enticing" Out of breath and utterly exhausted, I finally looked around to find the person that was speaking to me. "Join me, I sense great potential within you. I will grant you the answers you seek."

I stood, panting and hopeless, but not defeated. With the last remnants of my energy I pulled out an obsidian dagger that my father had gifted me on one of my past birthdays, waving it around wildly. "Fucking show yourself! I dare you!" The mysterious voice laughed quietly, amused by my reactions. "So much fire inside you; your sister must take after you."

I opened my eyes with a start. My throat was dry and raspy and I was overcome by the sudden urge to move. I began to sit up, but a pain like I've never felt before effectively took me back down.

"Hey, breathe. You're safe." Blake whispered, rubbing my arm. Her voice calm and soothing but her eyes glinted with worry. "Wha- What happened? Where are we?" I asked in a panic. "We're in the hospital. You... you got hurt..." I sighed, looking around and taking in my surroundings. It was late, the only light came from the faint moonlight shining through the window. In the chairs surrounding my bed was Yang, Weiss and Ruby, all sleeping soundly. Blake's chair was empty, save for the thick book sitting closed on top of it.

I looked back to Blake who was standing beside the bed. "I'm so happy to see you, you don't even know" I croaked out, grabbing her hand to which Blake smiled shyly and turned her head. "Bad dream?" Now it was my turn to look away. "Did I say something?" Blake stared silently at me, her golden eyes evoking a feeling inside that I couldn't quite pinpoint. " You were mumbling about something, but I couldn't really understand you. Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" I echoed sourly, peering down at my body. The dark crimson of my blood was a stark contrast to the sterile white bandage wrapped around my stomach. "Yeah. I'm fine." Blake frowned, "Look, I'm not saying you have to tell me what's wrong but... just... know I'm there for you. And I understand." I smiled, "Yeah? Well would you mind helping me up? As you can see, I'm having some trouble." Blake rolled her eyes, placing a firm hand on my shoulder and helping me into a sitting position.

"They were really worried for you. We all were." Blake spoke quietly, handing me a glass of water. "I've never seen Ruby fight like she did after you were knocked out. Any of them, really." The cold water seemed to rejuvenate my aching vocal cords, and for the first time since I woke up I was able to speak clearly.

"That woman, and-and the man with the top hat, what happened to them? Who are they?" Blake looked down to her feet, her brows knitted together tightly. "Neopolitan and Roman Torchwick. They're some kind of organized crime duo. The girl, Neopolitan, she used her semblance to help the both of them escape." Blake spoke through gritted teeth, her hands closing into fists. "And I just know they have something to do with Adam and the White Fang."

I frowned. My tail seemed to mirror my emotions, flicking and swaying in the moonlight. The White Fang's influence kept growing by the day, and I would be lying if I said it didn't worry me. "Okay. So what are we going to do about it?" Blake's head snapped at me, her eyes seemed to smolder like molten gold. "You're going to rest and get well. I'll figure this out, I'll- I'll do something."
I narrowed my eyes, moving to get out of the bed. "You can't do this alone. Blake, this isn't just your burden to carry. I have a score to settle with them too."

Blake's ears flattened against her head. And she rushed to my side to aid me. "No! They've already hurt you once and I'm not risking you or anyone else! I've got it, trust me." Her voice softened when she noticed my shock at her outburst . "...Fine. But don't think for a second that I won't deal with them too when the time comes. We're a team. We'll get to the finish line together." Blake nodded, her face hardening with determination. "Of course (Y/N). When the time comes."

Chapter Text

The sound of swords clashing and feet beating against armor echoed throughout the lecture hall. You sat amongst your team as you watched Pyrrha battle against the entirety of team CRDL. And quite frankly, she was beating their asses. "Yeah! Give them what they deserve Pyrrha!" You cheer, raising your fist after she deals Cardin a heavy punch right in the jaw. 

Ruby was right next to you, squealing whenever Pyrrha got in a trick shot or screaming like a 50 year-old man if she happened to get hit herself. Though, not quite as loud. Still, your displays of... encouragement got the pair of you a few dirty looks.

Before long the match was over and Pyrrha stood victorious. "She didn't even break a sweat!" Ruby exclaimed, grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you with surprising strength. "Woah! Hah.. I can't wait to get to her level, she's like a real huntress already." You mused, still dizzy from being shaken around like a cocktail.

"Quiet down children." Professer Goodwitch began, "It looks like we have time for one more match. Any volunteers?" You sigh, placing a hand against your healing bullet wound. "Ms. Belladonna? You've been awfully quiet these past few days. Why don't you-"

"I'll do it." A gruff voice spoke up from behind you. You turned curiously, trying to get a look at the person who stepped up. It was the silver haired boy you and Ruby ran into a few weeks earlier. You frowned as you watched him take a step forward and cross his arms confidently. This guy practically screamed bad news. "Well then, Mercury Black, was it? Please don't keep us waiting, Mr. Black. Choose your opponent." The Professor replied, glancing at the clock every few seconds. 

Mercury smirked, pointing across the room at Pyrrha. "I wanna fight her." Pyrrha's face twisted in confusion as several gasps rang out through the hall. "You want to fight me?" Professor Goodwitch crossed her arms, "I'm afraid Pyrrha just finished a match, so you'll have to choose another partner." Pyrrha shook her head, readying her sword. "No, I'd be happy to fight you." Mercury's smile seemed to widen, but you couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Okay children." The Professor spoke, typing a few words onto her terminal. "You have 5 minutes. The first person to have their aura drop below 40% loses. Start." Like a switch was flipped, Mercury exploded into action, surprising Pyrrha with his vicious offense. She stumbled backwards a few steps, but quickly collected herself enough to block a high speed kick with her shield. 

Mercury doubled his barrage on Pyrrha, waiting to find a weak spot. The smell of dust filled the air as he forced her onto the defense. Just when it seemed like she was pushed into a corner, Mercury missed and the inertia of his kick swung him to face the opposite way. Pyrrha had an opening to attack; she shoved her shield against Mercury's back to gain some distance between them. 

You narrowed your eyes. Mercury hadn't made a single mistake before now, so it was unusual that he'd miss a simple roundhouse kick. Especially when it seemed that his fighting style revolved around kick based attacks. You turned to Weiss, hoping that the worry you felt wasn't as obvious on your features as you though is was. "Weiss, you're the fangirl here-" Weiss frowned, a deep crimson blush forming on the tips of her ears, "-what's Pyrrha's semblance again?" 

Weiss' brows furrowed, "I am not a fangirl. I'm just very... appreciative of her... fighting style." You chuckle, waving your hand dismissively. "Yeah, sure. But really, what is it?" Weiss looked down at the two thoughtfully. "Pyrrha's semblance is polarity. She can use magnetism to control metals." You hummed, looking back down at the match; your mind was racing. 'She can use her semblance in combat without drawing too much attention to it. So Mercury must have some type of metal in his boots that she can control...'

Mercury must've taken notice of this as well because once Pyrrha started getting a few good hits on him he held his hands up in defeat. "I forfeit. You're way too good for me." Pyrrha came to a grinding halt. "You... don't even want to try...?" Yang chuckled, leaning over to whisper into your ear. "She's always a good sport, that's for sure." 

Professor Goodwitch's face twitched in annoyance. "Next time take greater care in choosing an opponent." Just then, the bell rang; signaling the end of class. Blake jumps in surprise, caught off guard by the loud ringing. You glance over at her, worry crossing over your features. "Well that's all the time we have for today. Your essays on the 5 core fighting styles are due tomorrow. Class dismissed."  

Yang groans, stretching her arms out above her head. "I'm starving, let's grab something to eat before curfew, yeah?" Ruby jumps out of her chair, following her sister out of the class. "And Weiss is paying!" "What?!" You laugh, waving at your teammates as they stroll out of the room. "We'll catch up with you, I've gotta talk to Blake for a sec." 

Blake rubs her eyes, slowly rising from her chair. "Hey, Blake, are you doing alright?" You inquire, placing a hand on her shoulder. Blake sighs, her grip tightening over her notebook. "I'm fine." You frown, placing your hands on your hips. "Look, I said I'd trust you, but this is getting out of control. I-" Blake pushes her way past you and out of the classroom. "I said I'm fine. Don't worry about it." 

"Hey! You can't expect me to just sit around and watch as my friend destroys herself!" You shout, running up behind her and spinning her clean around. Blake yelps, but quickly regains her composure to scowl at you. She opens her mouth to say something but she's cut off by a familiar cheery voice. 

"What's good, Faunus squad! We were waiting outside for so long, we thought you guys were gonna have a sleepover inside the classroom!" Sun chirps, wrapping his arm around Blake's shoulders. "We?" You question,"Yeah, we! I brought Sage with me~" Sun smiles mischievously, pointing behind you. You watch as Blake's eyes harden and slowly turn around. 

"(Y/N)," Sage clears his throat, holding out a bouquet of flowers. "I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to the dance this Sunday." You gasp, heat rising from the base of your neck to your hairline like a glass thermometer. Sun guffaws, wiping tears from his eyes. "Dude, I told you she'd react like that!" You send a deadly glare behind you to shut Sun up. "Sage, I... I'd love to!" You smile sweetly at him and he hands you the bouquet, mirroring your smile with a flirty one of his own. "I'll pick you up at 7, see you around." With that, Sage spins on his heel and jogs to catch up with his teammates. You sigh, hoping that your smile reached your eyes.

You turn back to Blake but to your surprise she's already studying your face intently, her eyes narrow and unreadable. Sun fixes his hair obliviously, "So Blake, you wanna tag along with me and make sure those two don't get up to any funny business?" Blake pulls herself out of Sun's grasp, turning to look at him. "What?" Sun frowns, "The dance, you wanna go?" Blake looks to you then to Sun and begins walking back to the dorms. "I don't have time for a stupid dance. I thought you of all people would get that." You sigh, mouthing an "I'm sorry" to Sun as you run to catch up with her.

Chapter Text

"You... What?" Blake asked, throwing her arms up incredulously. "We want you to go to the dance." Ruby offered again, her voice raising in pitch. Silence hung in the air as Blake absorbed her leader's words. "That's ridiculous." She mumbled, crossing her arms. You hummed, staring down at Blake inquisitively from Ruby's bunk. The girl looked unwell to say the least, dark bags forming under her eyes from days of working tirelessly without ample rest. Her hair was disheveled and oily, and she was visibly shaking from her lack of nutrition.

"Blake, we're worried. Your investigation is turning into an obsession." Yang sighed, putting a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Look, you're not sleeping, you're not eating, and it's even started affecting your grades!" Weiss tried, her eyebrows knitting themselves together in concern. "And not to mention, you haven't been the kindest to us either. We just want you to be okay." You finished, your eyes beginning to sting with tears.

Blake's eyes softened, but her posture remained distant. "None of that matters right now!" She growled "People's lives are at stake! You can't expect me to ignore it like everyone else!" Blake stood up, turning to start towards the door. You quickly jumped off of Ruby's bunk and put a hand on her chest, stopping her in her tracks. "Stop for a second and listen to us! I told you I wouldn't watch as you destroyed yourself and that's exactly what's happening right now." You glanced behind Blake at your teammates, all of them wore the same worried expression. "Blake, I want justice just as much as you do, but we need to do it smart. We're doing as much as we can as fast as we can."

Weiss nodded thoughtfully, "We know from you two and Sun that they're operating somewhere just outside of Vale, which matches up with Schnee company records regarding dust robberies." "And General Ironwood's missing military tech." Yang chimed in. "That's not enough, there's still so many unanswered questions..." Blake trailed off, her voice falling to a whisper. "Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open." Ruby shook her head. "We just want you to relax for a day. We should be allowed that much." She finished, her grey eyes flashing with empathy for the black haired Faunus standing in the middle of the room.

"Plus, it'll be fun" You smiled at Blake, "Yang and Weiss are part of the planning committee." "I don't know about Weiss, but I'll make sure this dance is Yangin'" "Hey!" Yang laughed, flexing her impressive biceps. "And after that, we can keep looking for answers, rested and ready." Ruby grinned, looking at Blake with hopeful eyes. "So what do you think?" For a moment, Blake's features seemed to soften as if she was truly considering going. But as quickly as the moment arrived it was gone, her eyes becoming cold once again.

"I think this is a colossal waste of our time." Blake spoke bluntly, pushing your hand off of her and stomping out of the dorm. "I'll be in the library." In a split second, all of the hope in the room rushed out like an open balloon. "Goddammit.." You sighed, resting your hands on your hips to keep yourself upright from the exhaustion of that draining conversation. "We need a better plan."

~~~

"That's the plan? I prefer Y/N's way." Sun groaned, spinning around aimlessly in his chair. "We are not handcuffing her to a pole in the middle of the dance floor and leaving her there until the dance ends." Weiss asserted in disbelief while you and Ruby snickered. Yang rolled her eyes, standing up to stretch her arms out. "She'll be there, I promise. In the meantime you all better get ready. I can't be the only one turning heads." Yang winked at you, making a kaleidoscope of butterflies explode in your stomach.

"Oh don't worry" You stood up; sauntering over to Yang and pulling her closer by her bandana. "I'll have everyone doing double takes tonight." You sneered, only letting the blond woman go and walking out of the dance hall once you were satisfied with the shade of red her face had turned.