It had taken nearly a month but Blake's arm had finally healed properly. During that time, her team had somehow convinced her to stay with them. Sun had also played a massive role in decision to stay in Beacon but she couldn't help but shake the feelings of guilt she had for his near death.
She quickly shook her and cleared her throats as she lazily trailed behind her team. Though her body obeyed, her mind was focused on her brother and what he had become. All the loving memories they shared seemed so far and gone as she thought of what happened not long ago.
She trailed off from her team without them realizing and found herself in the middle of a moderately occupied bookstore. Blake silently waded through rows and rows of books until she found herself browsing rows of books. She stopped at a book with a beautiful silver shade with golden letters running down its spine.
" Ancestry Without Shame. I read it but it just "
Blake tensed up as she turned to her side, that voice all too familiar.
" Don't turn around, Blake. Looks like your arm has healed up nicely, I'm glad. You shouldn't have gotten in may, that whole mess could have been avoided. Aurellia's a hell of a sharpshooter, be glad I only took your own because she'd have taken your life."
" What do you want Nero ? How did you even find me ? "
" Two reasons I tracked you down. First was a warning and the second's an invitation. First off, it'd be best if you don't compete in that tournament and get out of Beacon in general. The second, Sister, is for you and me to settle things once and for all."
Blake tensed up at the notion." Well it just happens that I've already decided to stay with Beacon."
" I don't know whether to be proud of your pride or be disappointed. Because you're my only sister, I'm giving you a chance to save your precious Schnee friend."
" So that's what your little invitation is? You giving me a chance to save Weiss for good."
Nero couldn't help but smirk. " That's right, Sis. The day you beat me is the day you can finally look her in the eyes and not be ashamed because your kin isn't after her head."
" Very well " Blake said with conviction, " I'll beat you at your own game. We'll beat you and stop the the White Fang once and for all."
" Oh I wouldn't do that, bring friends along I mean. We both know I could never bring myself to kill you, even if my life or Aurellia's depended on it. Those brotherly feelings don't extend over to your little gaggle of friends, however. If you want to face me alongside them then fine. However, I won't show them the same mercy. In truth, it's better if you just left them behind."
" I'm not like you, Nero. I'll never abandon them, even if cost me my life." Blake told Nero bluntly. Nero only sighed as he placed a hand on Blake's shoulder.
" It just might cost you your life, or someone else's"
Through the cold and the silence, Blake had arrived at the place where she was to face her brother. Gambol Shroud was on her back, her hands gripping the weapon's handle tightly.
" Blake, we're in position," Blake heard Ruby said through her ear-piece.
Blake had told her team about her recent encounter with Nero and they had insisted to back her up no matter what.
" You three just stay hidden. We've gotta play this smart, Nero is a-"
" Not to be taken lightly, under no circumstances," Yang said with a sigh. " We know Blake, you just be careful."
" I will." Blake said nervously as she cautiously walked among shipping containers. Nero had picked the same place where Blake, Sun and Penny had fought against the White Fang. It was just another of Nero's ways of toying with Blake mentally and throw her off her game before anything happened.
She stopped in her tracks as a black knife landed directly in front of her, piercing the stone ground. She looked up and saw that Nero was there, sitting on a shipping container, looking down at her.
Two swords were strapped on his back, encased in clean dark sheaths. Nero peeled back his hood, showing off his second mask which was practically identical to the one he allowed Blake keep.
" So you actually showed up, Blake. Oh and you brought your friends, lovely. Well no point in standing on introductions, let's see how you've improved."
Nero shot to his feet and drew one of the of swords from his back, his black katana gleamed in the moon's light. He dropped to the ground, watching Blake as she drew her weapon as well.
The sounds of metal clashing echoed through the docks, shattering the night's fragile silence.
Nero's kick found it's mark as he boots connected with Blake's stomach, knocking the out of her. Blake's weapon changed into a pistol as she began to retreat and fire of rounds, managing to land a shot on Nero's shoulder.
Nero winced in pain slightly but also smirked at how much Blake had improved. Blake slid to a stop and threw Gambol Shroud at Nero. He side-stepped and grabbed it by the ribbon and pulled Blake into him. He struck her with the back of his sword on her temple, dazing her as he threw her against a shipping container.
He threw her away from him and flurried his blade. " You've gotten better, Sis but not enough to take me on alone. Your friends haven't even poked out their heads to come to your rescue."
" Say's WHO!" Yang yelled as she kicked the shipping container above Nero, sending it toppling. Nero barely rolled out of the way as a wall of ice blocked his path.
Yang landed in front of Nero, her hair flickering with flames as she charged and swung at him. Nero side-stepped her swing as she shattered the icy wall. She let her rage overtake her and before she knew it, Nero had her pinned against the shipping containers and his sword to her throat.
The ground around Nero became a small blizzard as a series of glyphs appeared around them, creating a dome around them. Yang took a gamble and took advantage of Nero's confusion. She harshly headbutted him, sending him staggering back as she drove her foot into his stomach. Her strike connected, hitting Nero square in the stomach and launching him into the air.
Weiss appeared in a white blur, Myrtenaster's barrel rotating as she channeled her aura around into the blade. Nero, who had accepted the beating he was taking, shot to attention.
He dug into his coat and threw several black objects at Weiss. Black smoke clouded her vision and she felt a piercing run through her body as he grip on her weapon slack, her arm going numb.
She landed but with a bloody, a gaping gunshot wound in her shoulder. Blood began to pool around her as she cried out for help. Yang ran to her side but a wall of smoke cut her off.
Nero appeared behind Yang, driving his elbow into the base of her neck. She dropped to her knees, clenched her fist and braced for the next blow. Nero's leg came down, again striking Yang in the base of her neck, rendering unconscious. He walked away from her twitching body and dusted off his coat.
" Thanks, Aurellia. As always, you're an excellent sniper," Nero said gratefully over his earpiece.
He and Blake thought alike and they both brought their own form of reinforcements, only Nero's was instructed to act when they wanted to unless told otherwise. He hadn't told her not to help during the fighting.
Blake lunged at Nero, only for him to spin around and strike her with the blunt edge of his sword. She crashed against a nearby shipping container, the blow knocking the breath from her lungs. She shook her and focused, only to be stung in the neck by a sharp object.
Nero sheathed his sword on his back as she watch Blake pull Aurellia's sedative from her neck. The drugs took immediate effect as Blake's sight became cloudy , her movements became sluggish and she collapsed to her knees.
" Sleep for a while, you've caused me enough to trouble."
Nero returned to the wounded Weiss and crouched down next to her. She was gripping her wound tightly, trying to cease the escape of her spilling blood.
" Now that wound doesn't look good, Schnee. Here's little anesthetic for the pain." Nero said a grabbed Weiss back of her head and smashed her face against the ground, knocking any sense of pain and consciousness out of her.
Blake could only watch with horror as Nero turned his attention to her. She tried to retreat, lost her balance and fell to her knees with Nero's sword at her throat.
" This is the difference between us, Blake."
" What?! That i'm the one who has a sense of morality and justice! For all of your strength your strength, talents and skills you're just a MONSTER!"
Nero's grip on his sword wavered for a moment. He then took off his mask and laughed slightly before pointing his blade at the defeated Weiss. " And what about that one? If i'm a monster then what in the world is she and people like her? People like her and her father never learn unless you give them the same pain you've felt, hundred fold."
" Blake, how many friends have we lost? How long were we persecuted, treated like trash and discriminated against because of how we were born? You just don't want to acknowledge the fact that there's a tide coming and you need to get on the ship or sink!"
Nero was so lost in rant that he didn't notice the mask figured above and behind him. He payed for his lack of focus as a black tipped arrow pierced his shoulder.
The figure struck Nero at the base of his knees and kicked him away from Blake. He grabbed Blake by her shoulder yanked her to her feet.
" Run, NOW!"
Nero pulled the arrow from his shoulder and growled with annoyance as he turned to face his attacker.
A male, roughly the same height as Nero. He wore an open blue shirt, with a light armored patches on his knees and the areas from his elbow to his wrist. On his back was a blue quiver of arrows. He wore thick boots, obviously designed for combat in different types of terrain.
What stuck out most to Nero was the male's face, was covered by a bandanna much like how Nero's mask covered his lower face. The male's were a serene blue but were filled with ruthlessness.
" And just who the hell are you?" Nero questioned as he flexed his shoulder, finding that it worked well enough despite the pain.
" Someone who'd rather not have a war engulf the kingdoms. You can call me Midnight."
" Oh so scary." Nero taunted.
" Just like the Phantom of the White Fang, right."
Nero's eye twitched at Midnight's quip. " And how exactly do you know me?"
" I know a lot of things, Phantom. Another thing I know is that you might not leave here alive ."
Nero shook his head before switching gears. He and Midnight moved in unison and charged at each other as Nero redrew his black blade. His sword connected with Midnight''s bow but it didn't last as Midnight's spun around struck Nero in his side, followed up with an elbow to his ribs and headbutted him, causing him to stagger.
Nero regained his focus and quickly deflected an arrow that was shot at him. He threw down a series of black bombs, releasing a dense smokescreen. Midnight saw through it easily enough as Nero ran along the top of shipping containers, Midnight kept up with him from the ground floor.
Midnight kicked off and jump into the air after Nero, only to be smacked down to the ground by Nero, now wielding a black staff instead of his swords.
Nero landed and took off towards Midnight. He spun his staff and forced Midnight onto the defensive. He rained down a hail of blows to Midnight's unarmored regions, his thighs, back and face mainly.
Finally, Midnight threw his bow up and drew a knife that almost looked to be made of glass. Nero quickly learned that it was sharper than it looked and definitely more durable than glass as the blade scratched his mask and nearly took his eye.
He flipped back and retreated just as Midnight caught his bow. When he landed, Nero took that chance to catch his breath and Midnight did the same.
" Not bad, Phantom."
" You too, Midnight."
Nero's staffed retracted to a small baton that he stashed away into his cloak. He drew his black katana again just as a black darkness overtook the area. Midnight notched an arrow with a deep red arrow head as he as a dark chill began to overtake him. He was robbed of his sight but remained calm and composed regardless.
" The fact that Aurellia hasn't shot you yet means that you took her down while I dealt with the others. You can die knowing that you have my respect, for a human."
Nero's semblance was absolute in the fact no living being could see once they were under it's power and they were gripped by a feeling of cold should they feel fear or uncertainty.
However, there are ways around it. If one doesn't have vision to begin with they aren't affected, if they're other senses are attuned enough they can detect Nero through those senses and lastly is if they possess ether a sixth sense or an ability that lets them counter it.
Midnight's semblance was akin to a sonar, allowing him to not so much as Nero but rather his soul. Midnight's semblance allows him track and see another person's aura in the form of a pulse wave.
This allowed Midnight to not only see through Nero's semblance but also counterattack.
An arrow tipped with Dust struck Nero in his abdomen, and exploded in a feast of lightning. Nero's shadows vanished to reveal Midnight, now with a red Dust tipped arrow aimed at him.
The paralysis wore off but not before Midnight's arrow found its mark on Nero, sending him flying from the force of the explosion that rendered his cloak nothing but torn and ragged.
Smoke followed the explosion wake, rising to the sky and filling the area. Midnight used his semblance to see if Nero had survived. He found his answer not by his semblance, but by the wounds his received from throwing knives that cut his legs and pierced his exposed shoulder.
He notched and let loose another arrow into the smoke, but realized that Nero was retreating as he saw him run along the tops of containers. Midnight, right on Nero's heels, let loose more arrows while on the move. Nero deflected those arrows with his sword and dug let loose another black bomb, blocking Midnight's vision.
" I can still see you ," Midnight yelled as he lined up another shot, but began to twitch wildly before being brought to his knees. Above him, Nero breathed in pain and looked down at Midnight.
" I know, but that bomb was more than a smokescreen. The Belladonna flower can be turned into a deadly poison, but with the right mixture it and several other ingredients become a powerful nerve gas. You won't die, I want the honor of doing it with my own hands."
Midnight unwillingly dropped his bow as he succumbed to the gas. " You're pride is going to be your downfall."
" Maybe, but I've never lost to the same opponent twice. I think we'll be meeting very soon.." Nero forced himself to say as the he too dropped to his knees and gripped his ribs. Midnight saw that his arrow had left a massive burn wound. Nero forced himself to his knees and dropped several bombs, releasing a dense, black, smokescreen.
When it cleared, Nero was nowhere to be found and Midnight felt his body's movements become his own. He grabbed his bow and soon the adrenaline that he was feeling began to fade, replacing itself with the pain from Nero's knives.
" You bet we'll meet again.."
With his wounds bandaged and his head clear, Midnight down with Ruby's team to explain why he had rescued them.
" So, why'd you save us ? " Ruby asked Midnight who laid his bow on his lap.
" It's not that I planned on saving you four, but i'm glad I did. You see, the White Fang's actions could incite another Great War, one that'll pit brother against brother, friend and against friend and in turn make fields run red with the blood of humans and Faunus alike."
" Well that's not an appealing thought." Yang said as she shivered slightly.
A/N : Hey guys, I just wanted to thank my buddy Diamond Rose for letting me use her OC Midnight for this story. Personally, I think you guys and gals should go and give her stories the usual fav and follow. She's talented as they come.
Also sorry about the hiatus, I was busy moving ( ugh IRL problems I know), but that's all settled now so it's back to business as usual. Sit tight and be patient my friends.