Red hair swept back, and blowing with the wind on a dreary Saturday afternoon, the clicking of shoes echoed across a narrow alley leading to the main street.
A man was walking, a half-mask shaped like a Grimm's over his face.
His name was Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang, a Faunus revolutionary group who's goal was for the betterment of Faunus rights.
He stared out into the bustling streets of Vermillion, the home he and Blake had shared after leaving Menagerie. He frowned, wasn't this what he and Blake had been fighting for?
Blake had left him. After so many years and struggles, she had left him.
You've changed Adam.
He straightened his black suit and shook his head. What had changed? All he had done was endanger the lives of Schnee workers.
They're civilians, Adam! This isn't what we were fighting for!
He grimaced before he stopped, a child entering his filed of view from across the bench he inadvertently found himself sitting on while touring the residential districts.
The child was young, five at most, and seemed to be lost. He paid it no mind till he noticed the pair of wolf ears the child possessed. He let out a breath before glancing at his watch. He was early anyway.
Standing up, he paused as a thought struck him. What was he doing? What would be the point in helping?
"You've changed, Adam."
It was like a voice that continued to play in his head, nagging and criticizing at the same time.
"Boy," he said as he neared the child.
The child froze upon seeing him, but he supposed it was natural with the mask he was wearing. Luckily, it wasn't uncommon in the streets of Vermillion as it was a day before festivities to celebrate the founding of the city. Although, his Grimm mask was rather uncommon.
"Boy," he repeated, but the child had yet to respond. He sighed before pulling off his mask to reveal strong brown eyes. "I'm no one to be afraid of."
The boy opened his mouth, but closed it again after staring long and hard at his face. It was only after the boy began to relax that he spoke. "A Grimm mask?"
He smiled wryly. "A symbol," he stated with nostalgia, remembering the first time he and Blake had donned the mask.
The boy's eyes widened. "L-Like the Huntsman of Red?"
The boy's response sent Adam reeling in hidden frustration, bringing back memories of months of false leads and wasted time.
"Mister?"
The boy snapped him out of his musings, but he had yet to answer.
"Are you looking for your parents?" a voice spoke from behind Adam.
Adam turned around to face a red-haired teenager with distinct Faunus ears: Lion ears based on their appearance.
"Here," the teenager said as he knelt down and handed the child a balloon. The teenager smiled. "I believe your parents are over there," he said pointing with a finger.
The child's eyes widened before he thanked the teen, and ran off to meet his parents, giving Adam a brief glance before he left.
Adam watched silently, content that the matter was dealt with. It wasn't every day that he could witness other f
Faunus going about their lives without oppression. He clenched his fists, it was what the world needed to realize. That Faunus weren't inferior, but regular people. In order to achieve that goal, force would be necessary. Just as Vermillion was made through the Huntsman of Red's strength; the White Fang would do the same.
There are other ways, Adam.
His mood soured.
"I take it you wouldn't appreciate a balloon?" The teenager roughly his size asked holding out a big red one.
The question baffled Adam, but it did bring him back to his senses. "No," he spoke curtly. "I would not."
"Perhaps it would match with that mask you wear. Offset its frightening qualities along with the sword tied to your waist." The teenager's eyes paused over Adam's sword. He frowned. "It would be a better option than what you're doing now."
Adam eyes hardened. "What do you mean?" He demanded. There was no way his cover was blown. The only one who could truly recognize him would be Blake and his close associates.
Unperturbed, the teenager walked away as he noticed a child calling out to him for a balloon. He turned his gaze back at Adam just before he left. "There are other ways, Adam," he spoke just before disappearing into the crowd.
His eyes widened as his name was called, but it was too late to do anything. The teenager was gone.
Putting the matter aside, he gave a quick nod to his Fang informant following him in the crowd. Like it or not, it was time for the operation to begin.
He placed on his mask, and walked back to the meeting destination, a hand placed firmly over the hilt of Wilt. His men stationed in Vermillion had warned him to be weary of this unlikely acquaintance.
Walking silently, he soon opened the doors of the district warehouse used for the meeting. The room was dark, lit only by a single bulb illuminating a table in which a raven haired woman sat.
Cinder Fall.
She smiled at his approach, her expression betraying nothing of her thoughts. A lock of her hair shadowed her amber coloured eyes, but she easily swept it back.
Adam wasn't fooled by her feminine displays. He wouldn't be lowering his guard anytime soon. His men were never wrong, she had to be dangerous. But more so than him? He didn't think so, nor would the Fang simply concede to her wishes. This meeting was solely to ascertain Cinder's objective and threat level. Something his men, which he could clearly determine from the airs around the woman, were right about being unable to deal with.
"What is it that you want with the Fang?" He asked as he reluctantly sat at the opposite end of the round table made for two.
Cinder Fall smiled. "What I want?" She stood up and stepped forward, a sway to her hips that Adam ignored in favour of glaring. "Well," she began slowly, finger tracing over Adam's shoulder. He tensed. "I want a lot of things, but I suppose you'll just have to find out."
Jaune was not having a good day. He glared daggers at the orange haired she-devil prancing in front of him. The Devil. Acting as if she had done nothing wrong. His life over a god damned plate of pancakes?!
Pyrrha smiled wryly at Jaune's behaviour, but said nothing. Despite a few days already passing, the Arc seemed to have developed a tiny grudge against Nora. It didn't matter though, Jaune didn't seem like the type to hold a grudge against someone for too long. If anything, he was justified as Shirou had bribed Nora more than once to spar against the Arc. At first she was worried about her partner, but more and more she was seeing the effects of Shirou's unorthodox training. Strikes that were made to pulverize concrete, dodged within a hairs breadth, utilizing the minimum amount of movement necessary to ready himself for the next debilitating blow.
Still, girlish screams aside, she was impressed with her partner.
She herself, though talented, could not boast such a fast growth rate when compared to the Arc. Nora was formidable, and unexpectedly ruthless when pancakes were on the line? She had looked to Ren, but he had only sighed before shaking his head in exasperation. Either way Nora Valkyrie was not an easy opponent, and for Jaune to adjust to her level in a mere few days was astonishing. The amount of focus he must have possessed was just unimaginable to her. What could have possibly been going through his head to keep himself so calm?
Jaune Arc had not in any way been calm in the last few days. He was the exact opposite of calm, he was panicked. No matter how anyone could look at it, he was fighting for his life! Just one hit of that stupid hammer and he was Jaunished! No matter what others say about his large reserves of Aura, he still highly doubted he could survive a direct hit. Improvement? Improvement?! Fighting for his life was not improvement. It was instinct if anything else. And now. Now he was fighting for his life once again.
"Puke on me again, and you Die." Yang eyed Jaune wearily from where she stood across from him in the bullhead. The rest of RBW was behind her, Weiss coming along as she made up with Ruby a couple nights back, eliminating the whole purpose of the trip. Still though, Yang was just glad that her team was starting to get along.
Jaune gagged from a sudden motion, and instantly brought a hand to his mouth.
"Emergency!? Driver driver, where are the parachutes?" Nora chirped, bouncing on her heels. "Jauney's in trouble! He needs to get over board."
Jaune glared. If anything, he had just decided who his vomit would end up on. Luckily for Nora, it was at that point that the bullhead landed. Priorities changed, Jaune ran straight out of the vehicle.
"Was it something I said?" Nora asked Ren.
Ren shook his head. "Come on Nora, let's go," he said as he noticed Pyrrha and the others leaving. Blake however, stood idle for a moment before departing, releasing a breath she was subconsciously holding.
Stepping out of the Bullhead, Blake immersed herself in the nostalgia of it all. After all, Vermillion was a home away from home. Humans and Faunus, both were intermingled into a meshwork society that worked. Thus, proving that it was possible for co-existence, and that her goals had a true cause. Which was unfortunately something he had lost sight of. She rubbed at her arms in discomfort, her parting memories with him surfacing within her mind.
She pursed her lips thinking about that day on the train.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. They were partners. Adam had always had her back, in turn she always had his. It was how they learned to survive.
Her gaze wandered off to a distant building where she and Adam were given free housing when they first stumbled into Vermillion after they left Menagerie. As children no older than thirteen, they had brought no maps with them on their journey, and had no idea where any of the Kingdoms were, granted they still had their optimism. It was miracle in itself that they stumbled into a local diner. She remembered fondly how Adam was prepared to strike a deal with the restaurant in exchange for food to give to her. It was beyond stupid, yet he had done so again and again to keep her from starving. He ate as well, but only after she had finished eating.
It got to the point where even she would return the favour by labouring to pool in her own resources for the both of them behind Adam's back. She was sure if he had found out then, he would have disapproved and worked harder to secure both of their needs. But the restaurant in Vermillion they had stumbled into that day was a miracle: Berg's Grill.
A Faunus ran the shop, and rather than have Adam work for a meal, the senior faunas sat them at a table and fed them till their stomachs were full for free. It was there, and by that very same Faunus that she and Adam had understood, comprehended even, what exactly Vermillion was.
Vermillion, the Kingdom of Faunus.
It was no wonder why she and Adam had found it weird to see so many Faunus out in the streets.
The Faunus at Berg's Grill had set up a portable building beside his shop by pooling in his resources, and it was there where she and Adam had lived for a time. Nowadays, it was being used to shelter more Faunus children, as an orphanage of sorts.
She smiled, pushing back any of her reservations about returning to Vermillion.
"Staring at something, partner?" Yang's eyes sparkled with a knowing smirk. She turned to stare in the direction of Blake's gaze. "Tall, red, and handsome, maybe?"
Blake didn't respond verbally, her eyes lowering down a degree to stare at the crowd of people milling about in front of Berg's Grill. What the hell was Yang talking abo-
She stiffened.
Back turned towards her, she spotted the man Yang pointed out standing next to a child on the verge of tears. Red hair, black suit, weapon strapped to his side, but she needed to be sure. His gaze turned in her direction, but he didn't notice her. She released her breath as she quickly noticed that he wasn't wearing a mask.
It wasn't Adam, it couldn't have been Adam. He hadn't been without a mask in years.
"L-Love at first sight?"
The question from Ruby startled Blake enough for her to move her gaze. "N-No," she denied quickly. "He just reminded me of someone."
"A special someone?" Yang asked. This was just too good. She had never seen Blake so flustered before. A smile crept its way onto her face, but was quickly smothered as soon as Weiss opened her mouth.
"So this is Vermillion?" Weiss huffed as her gaze wandered around. She had heard stories, bad one's really, from her father and distant relatives about the upstart Kingdom of Vermillion. "Atlas and Vacuo are better, more dignified and orderly."
Blake growled. How dare she, the Schnee. Her lips thinned after every word that continued to spew from Weiss's mouth. Yang caught on quickly, perceptive as she was about her new partner.
"Weiss," Yang began with a strained smile. "Maybe you could, you know – that."
Weiss gave her a blank look.
"You know," Yang scratched at the back of her head. How could she say this without just saying shut up? Luckily, she wouldn't have to.
"Hey guys! Jaune's over there!" Nora pointed and ran, pulling a sighing Ren along by the neck of his shirt.
Yang grinned. Perfect. She placed an arm over both Ruby and Weiss, and pulled them along after team JNPR.
Blake glanced back at the red-haired man as the rest of the group began to move. It was only then when she noticed the mole in the crowd.
A Fang informant, but what was he doing here?
Informants signaled the start of any Fang operation. Although weak in physical capabilities, their natural Faunus abilities were suited for scouting and signaling others. A cold feeling welled up from within her.
Blake's gaze moved from the back of her group, to the disappearing form of the informant. She made up her mind.
Moments later, Blake was gone.
This woman was crazy.
Adam Taurus fingered the hilt of his katana, eyeing Cinder Fall warily. He couldn't read her intentions. That, at least, he understood from the moment she opened her mouth.
Cunning as a snake, yet masked behind the visage of feminine beauty.
She hid her strength well, but not well enough. Posture, words, and actions, they all reflected poorly with her demure demeanor. It was all an act to lower his guard against the threat of her inner machinations. And she was good at it. Excellent even.
Do the White Fang not wish for change?
Cinder's earlier words wrung within his head. Echoing and echoing, playing with his beliefs. The prospect was enticing, a plan sure to bring the White Fang into a new light.
But at the cost of Vermillion? No. Never. Where others had turned their back on them, Vermillion had provided warmth, shelter, food, and above all acceptance.
He couldn't do it. He would never do it, not even for the White Fang. There were other ways, just like Blake had said. Despite Blake leaving, the goal remained the same. A world of peace for Faunus. The destruction of Vermillion would be hypocritical to the cause.
He paused in his steps, his eyes easily discerning what lurked int he shadows. His action subsequently stopping Cinder in her tracks.
"I see you've noticed," Cinder said, her gaze lingering on Adam before staring back in front of her. "Mercury, Emerald, didn't I say to keep them hidden?"
Two individuals he had not taken note of before appeared before him, both of their countenances slightly apprehensive. One had green shoulder-length hair with her bangs completely covering her forehead. She was brown skinned, and her round-shaped red eyes seemed to shimmer with unconcealed ill intent. Still, if it weren't for the weapons she had slung behind her back kept secure by a strap attached to the white tank-top she wore, he wouldn't have paid much attention to her.
This was why he didn't place as much attention on the other individual who was striding forward with no weapon.
This other individualistic, Mercury, had grey hair with two long bangs parted at the center for his forehead. His face was narrow, his eyes downcast as he refused to meet Cinder's gaze. However, an aura of aloofness was present in his gait, contradicting his body language.
From Cinder's subtle tone, Adam could tell the threat laced within her words. He reevaluated her as his gaze wandered throughout the room. Not just crazy, but a sadistic bitch.
"You smuggled Grimm into Vermillion," he stated as he quelled his spike of anger. This wasn't what she had mentioned in her plan. She said she'd had ideas for Vermillion. She didn't say that she'd destroy it.
"They are useful you see," Cinder spoke softly, smiling as she stepped towards a boarbatusk cage. "So easy to understand their intent. So simple minded."
Adam's gaze followed Cinder's every move. He noted how he was suddenly boxed in. Mercury on his far right, Emerald on his left. He clicked his tongue.
"Well, Mr. Taurus, what is the Fang's answer?"
Adam, we do what we know is right.
And that was how he and Blake had always lived despite all the scorn of their child hood.
He readied his blade.
"How unfortunate." Cinder stared at her nails. "It would seem that it was about time that the White Fang had a change of leadership. Don't you agree Mr. Adam?"
Blush was pointed at her face in an instant, Wilt hanging loosely from his right hand.
He didn't say anything.
The message was clear.
The White Fang would never bow.
Mercury whistled while Emerald shrugged her shoulders; both however, stepped towards him. As for Cinder, she remained relatively calm under the barrel of Adam's sights.
Cinder stepped forward. "This is going to go in one of two ways," she spoke slowly. "Surrender and follow my will for the good of the Fang, or," her hand lit on fire, embers flittering towards the ground. "Burn."
Adam didn't answer as perspiration formed over his brow. The heat of the flame was intense, even now he could feel it against his skin. He'd stay away from Cinder for now. Deal with her last lest he risk getting fully boxed in should he be unable to bring her down in a single strike.
The girl named Emerald was the most appealing target. From the way she walked, her weapons now lazily hanging by her sides, clearly she wasn't expecting to do much work. From her perspective, Cinder and the Mercury fellow should be more than enough to deal with him, and quite frankly, from the sheer presence of Cinder, he couldn't fault her. But he could use this.
The target walked on, unaware.
Three.
Two.
One.
"The fuc-"
Mercury stumbled from the sudden grab, feet flailing in the air as Adam tossed him head first at Emerald.
Knees buckling beneath him, he swerved past the flames smoldering overhead, and fired back at Cinder in retaliation.
His bullets melted before they could even reach her. He frowned, but didn't let it show on his face.
Cinder raised a brow mockingly. "Is that the best you can do?" He's fast. Faster than Mercury by far, but his attacks are useless against my flames.
Cinder eyed the sword in Adam's hands with a hint of trepidation before raising a finger. "One chance," she spoke slowly. "One chance to reconsider."
Adam shook his head. "There are other ways than following the words of a snake." He would never allow Grimm to wreak havoc on Vermillion. This was his home, his people, and his memories, and he'd be damned if he'd allow it all to burn.
He fell back into a drawn stance.
"My name is Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang-" He raised his blade, and then he was gone.
Cinder's eyes widened, reflecting the descending edge of Wilt. Impossible! "-And the Fang bows to no one."
Clang!
Cinder stumbled back in relief as Wilt grazed past her head, a full lock of her hair falling lightly against the floor along with two bullets.
"Take that, bastard," Emerald said from the ground as she blew the smoke away from her guns, grunting as she forced Mercury off of her before promptly staring down at him. "Idiot."
"Oh shut up," Mercury mumbled. "It's not over yet, and I think you just pissed him off."
"Really?" The sarcasm was apparent in Emerald's voice. "And what gave that away?"
"Duck you fool!" Mercury tackled Emerald to the ground as a sword came over head.
"How is he still standing?!" Emerald yelled. She shot him at the face. Twice. So how the hell was he up and attacking her?
Cinder stood oddly quiet, observing. She had seen it, how Adam had cut Emerald's bullets with his sword on its trajectory to behead her.
Adam Taurus was dangerous indeed.
Cinder walked slowly around Adam, watching the way he was pressuring both Mercury and Emerald with remarkable tenacity. No matter if he got hit by Emerald's bullets, or Mercury's kicks, the man just didn't stop.
Cinder positioned herself directly behind Adam, allowing her flames to trickle down her arms and condense into a molten sphere.
She could wait, after all, she was a patient woman. It wouldn't be long now before Emerald or Mercury would provide her with an opening to end it all; she had at least that much trust in them. Her lips curved up into a smile.
What the hell was wrong with this guy?! Emerald strained under the pressure of Adam's blade pressed up against her own, and she was losing ground. Fast. "Mercury!"
Adam grunted as he was forced to move from a two-handed grip to a one-handed grip to fend off Mercury with a blast from Blush.
"Mother fu-Guh!" Mercury bent backwards, barely avoiding the blast to his face. He smirked before he kicked Blush to the side. "Now Emerald!"
Emerald nodded before she disengaged from Adam. Let's see how he likes this.
Adam repositioned Blush and kicked Mercury away, turning his attention back on Emerald. If he could just reduce their numbers, things wouldn't be as difficult. Based on Emerald's fighting style, she was more of a ranged fighter. Although she was adept at close range he was her better. He chanced a glance at Cinder, and grimaced.
He had to end things quickly.
He fired at Emerald, disorientating her before he swiftly moved forward. This was her end. Wilt came down in a lethal arc, only for Adam's eyes to widen.
His strike stopped, edge cutting a thin line over the child's neck. What the hell? It was the child from before? "Wha-"
Adam flinched, a dust bullet shattering his mask before he could intercept it. Brown eyes glared hatefully. He growled at the smirk on Emerald's face. Illusions?
His senses spiked.
Cinder.
He could feel the sudden heat approaching his back, his clothes singing at the ends. His body moved before he knew it; side-stepping to the left before his mind blanked.
He had dodged the flame, but realized something too late.
From the smirk on Mercury's face, he realized it too, and he capitalized on it as he went in for the blow.
Blake.
He left his back open, but Blake was no longer with him.
He grunted before he braced himself for impact, raising his already mildly fluctuating aura levels. He had taken a few hits from Mercury, but he knew this one would top them all.
A moments breath.
The tiniest of movements, but a whistling noise like none other.
Thump!
An arrow lodged itself into Mercury's leg, killing his momentum and shifting the smirk on his face to dumbfounded disbelief.
Adam kicked Mercury in the face and sent him flying to the other side of the room.
Silence echoed across cold steel walls as Adam tensed when red entered his view.
The boy's eyes widened. "L-Like the Huntsman of Red?"
Yes, the symbol of Vermillion.
Adam stared hard at the man who appeared before him, eyes taking in everything: The red cloak, the twin falchions, the face obscured behind a hood, the lion tail. Everyone in Vermillion knew that description. The Huntsman of Red.
Impossible, it was impossible. He and Blake had been searching for years, and not once have they ever caught sight of him.
A small pit grew in Adam's stomach as the famed Huntsman pointed a falchion at him. The protector of Vermillion, the city of Faunus, and he was his enemy. No, that can't be right?! They were both fighting for a just cause.
You've changed Adam.
Adam grit his teeth, comprehension dawning on him. The Huntsman of Red only appeared in times of trouble, and only ever to apprehend the Villians. This was probably why he and Blake had never run into the famed Huntsman, but now...was he the villain? A liability to Vermillion?
You've changed Adam.
"I-I'm not-"
You've changed Adam.
Damn it. Adam parried the strike of the white falchion and attempted to make space, but the Huntsman kept up with his speed."I'm not your enemy!" He yelled.
The falchion stopped mid-swing, and Adam was sure he could imagine a smirk beneath the hood the Huntsman wore.
"Vermillion, I stand with Vermillion," Adam spoke. Vermillion was his home, and a home for his people. There's no way he would allow any harm to come to it, nor would he fight it's defender.
"You pass," the huntsman spoke softly after a moment, confusing Adam. He then turned his attention to Cinder. "I've kept you waiting."
"If anything I'm a patient woman," Cinder spoke. She took a glance at Mercury, watching him fail to stager to his feet after pulling out the arrow that severed his mechanical leg. "Quite an entrance."
Shirou looked upon the Grimm surrounding the area and grimaced. Who was this woman? "You get one chance," he spoke.
"Oh?"
"Surrender, or be forced to."
Cinder hummed to herself. "You would force a lady? How rude," she spoke trying to get a rise from the mysterious hooded Huntsman.
If anything, she could learn something from this experience. An unknown huntsman - an unknown variable in her plans. It just wouldn't do. Vermillion itself was one big variable that should not have existed. One could say that her entire operation in Vermillion was to test the waters, to gather information about anything she could use against the latest Kingdom.
Atlas had their technology, Vale had Ozpin and his school of Huntsman and huntresses, and Vacuo and Mistral had their geography, all could be exploited. But Vermillion? Just a mere city of Faunus and Faunus lovers from what she, Mercury and Emerald had gathered. Nothing to exploit except a mysterious hero.
Either way, she could deal with whatever the huntsman had up his sleeve. She, Mercury, and Emerald had dealt with the Fall Maiden, what did she have to fear from an upstart huntsman? Her hands lit aflame as she goaded him further.
"So be it," Shirou spoke. "If you won't surrender peacefully, you leave me with no choice."
Shirou narrowed his eyes. "I am the bone of my sword."
It was a brilliant flash of light.
Steel grating against steel, sparks showering in a wave of heat that gave way to looming shadows.
"Set," Shirou's gaze swept across the room, blades forming wherever he willed it. "Mark." The blades rotated till their tips faced forward. "And hold."
Blades and blades and blades, everywhere.
Mercury had a great start to the morning. Making fun of Emerald, keeping out of Cinder's ire, and being able to walk being at the top of the list. He stared begrudgingly at the pointed blades that surrounded him from every direction. He shuddered. This was one hell of a semblance. Fear gripped his heart for the first time in years as his eyes stared at how easily some of the blades cut through steel and concrete as they had formed around him. His aura would not hold up against that.
Emerald gulped, eyes darting around frantically. She was caged. "C-Cinder, ugh, not to sound defeated, but- you know, Do something please!" She yelled panicked. She had never seen anything like this before. A single glance, a friggin single glance was all it took to surround her in layers and layers of pointed steel.
Cinder fared no better than Emerald and Mercury. Her entire body ablaze and doing nothing to melt the steel that surrounded her. What were these things made of? It should have been impossible; she was using the Maidan's power! Everything should have burned.
She narrowed her eyes. They were burning. However, the blades just kept constantly reforming.
Cinder clicked her tongue. Retreat had just become a priority until she could find a way around the huntsman's semblance, but for that she needed more time.
She reeled in her flames and made sure she had the huntsman's attention.
She faltered as a blade nicked her arm, but smiled sweetly. That's what back up plans were for. "I'm sure we could be more civil about this- Emerald." She quickly motioned with her eyes. Emerald nodded slowly, but quickly clicked a switch in her pocket.
"For the child's sake," Cinder continued as a door opened revealing a Faunus child tied by rope suspended above a crowd of Grimm.
"Insurance is insurance," she spoke as she waited for Shirou's response. "Although this was actually intended for our friend over there."
Adam snarled.
"Talk," Shirou uttered as he withdrew his blades, the air clearing of the steel constructs.
Emerald sighed in relief. Even for her, it was a first to be surrounded completely with no escape. Illusions or no illusions, regardless of what she could do, she had been trapped. It was not a feeling she would like to have the pleasure of experiencing again. She quietly made her way to help Mercury stand on his one leg, ignoring his protests. He could be a jack-ass about things later, for now, Cinder had things in control.
"Glad you see things my way, but sadly I seem to have overstayed my welcome." Cinder moved carefully across the room to join up with Emerald and Mercury. She turned her gaze on Adam. "How unfortunate that you chose to refuse my proposition."
A fierceness seemed to appear in her eyes at that moment before Emerald understood her intentions.
They wouldn't. Adam moved faster than the Huntsman of Red, his speed working in his favour.
Emerald smiled as she clicked the button in her hand.
BOOM!
Blake stared warily at the entrance of the warehouse the Fang informant had been standing guard for the past hour or two. What was happening? She had never heard of a White Fang operation in Vermillion before. There was nothing to be gained in a kingdom that already valued the integrity of Faunus kind.
Tired of waiting, she readied herself to infiltrate into the building as apprehension welled within her. What if Adam was there? It had only been couple weeks since her unexpected departure, and she dreaded meeting him again so soon; however, an explosion startled her into action. She moved quickly, disabling the informant before he could even notice and slipped into the building.
Her eyes traveled around the interior, her nose twitching as she inhaled the nearby smoke. It was sheer chaos inside the building, flames engulfing everything, and was that a child?
She released a breath, and with no hesitation ran through the flames towards the child. Her eyes watered from the smoke, her mouth going steadily dry, but that didn't stop her from reaching her goal.
"Are you…" She trailed off as she noticed the sheer number of Grimm around her. She pulled the child behind her and readied Gambol Shroud.
T-This couldn't have been a Fang operation, Blake denied. Why would they bring Grimm into Vermillion, a Faunus haven?
She grit her teeth, realizing what it would mean if the Grimm were able to escape the warehouse: Mass panic and hysteria that would draw even more Grimm from the bad lands. She couldn't let that happen, but she wouldn't risk the child either.
The situation was bad.
Surrounded and unable to leave the child alone.
Silently, Blake released a breath to ready herself for the coming conflict, but it never came.
She stilled, confusion marring her features as she couldn't understand why the Grimm weren't attacking. Looking closer, she realized why. Numerous blades pinned down their bodies to the ground, some already fading away from their injuries.
In that moment, she relaxed.
"Look out!" The child yelled as he clung to Blake's leg.
Shit.
Four Beowolves were right on top of her.
She pushed the child away from her and raised her guard, but even she knew it would be difficult to survive an attack from four beowolves. One, or two was manageable, but four? She raised her aura levels and hoped above all that they would hold.
We promised we'd protect each other.
A memory flickered through her mind as a flash of red energy encompassed her vision. All four beowolves were gone.
Blake blinked, mouth going dry, and hands growing clammy. She couldn't have imagined it. She knew that technique.
Shirou sighed as he aided Blake by impaling the Grimm around her. She had gotten away, the woman who had orchestrated this entire mess.
True, he could have given chase, but the button Emerald had pressed had not only released the boy to the Grimm, but unlocked their cages as well. Priorities being what they were, he chose to deal with the bigger problem: the Grimm. He couldn't let a single one out into Vermillion's streets, but luckily, Adam had thought the same; however, Blake's sudden arrival was unexpected.
Still though, he watched Adam kill off the beowolves not in Blake's peripherals. It was a testament to how long they've known each other that he was able to remain completely in Blake's blind spots.
Adam Taurus.
At first, he didn't know what to make of the man, but his weapons spoke louder than words. He wanted change for his people, fought for it, and had gotten lost in his own justice. Deep down however, he was still the same boy Blake had used to know. The one who looked out for both of them as children.
He gave him a chance to let him see his own faults, and he had passed. The wonders that news would bring Blake brought a wry smile to his face, but that wasn't news for him to tell.
"Done already?" Shirou asked as he finished off the last of the Grimm on his end.
Adam nodded. "You're a Faunus," he stated.
Shirou pulled his hood down and moved his tail and lion ears; a side effect of the mystic code of the Zulu dagger of Lion strength and blessings of the buffalo. But that was exactly why he had it strapped to his belt.
The Faunus needed a figure head. One of their own to draw strength from.
And he was staring at a candidate.
If Adam noticed anything from his stare, he didn't show it.
Shirou smiled wryly as he pulled out a red balloon and inflated it. "Need the balloon now?"
Adam didn't say anything, merely took the balloon from Shirou's hand and stared at his own reflection. It was the teen from earlier, he noted.
"There are things you can't see when your vision is too narrowed," Shirou spoke, holding out a fragment of Adam's mask for him. "The White Fang is better than some terrorist group."
Adam mulled over the words the famed Huntsman was telling him, stuck between indignation and resignation. The Fang needed to lash out, how else could they change the world.
Shirou sighed at Adam's indecision, nothing good was ever easy. "Here," he said as he drew a card from his pocket. "You can talk to Tukson if you need to contact me. All I ask is that you at least think of what the Fang needs to do."
Adam took the card labeled, 'Tukson's bookstore,' and stored it in his pocket. In the next moment, the famed Huntsman was gone. Turning his attention to the crowd of growing bystanders, he stashed his weapons away, tossed on a cloak, and blended into the crowd.
Adam saw her, but she didn't see him. It had been a long time since he'd appeared before her without his mask, even rarer without Wilt or Blush in view. He didn't doubt however, that she would eventually notice. He could already see the way her eyes were analyzing him. Nostalgia welled up from within him, but not a single emotion crossed his face.
Their eyes met, and she turned hers away, not wanting him to realize she'd been staring.
It's rude to stare Blake.
A distant memory.
Step by step, the two approached each other, time seeming to stop as Blake felt a gentle hand rub her head and tussle her hair as the two passed each other.
She froze.
Adam felt Blake freeze under his palm, and he quickly removed it before vanishing behind the next curb. He pulled up his hood and mixed into the crowds of Vermillion. He had a lot to think about: The words of the Huntsman, and the path the Fang should follow. But either way…Goodbye, Blake.
Meanwhile, Blake clenched her fists, her mind in turmoil. It couldn't have been-
She spun around, and ran, leaving after-images in her haste.
She turned the curb, her eyes darting frantically throughout the crowd, yet finding nothing.
Check out a Grimm Recollection for another RWBY story if you want
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