CHAPTER VII

Weiss knew better than to try to stop the coming fight. She could do nothing but watch as the two Faunus drew their weapons and prepared for an intense battle.

Adam's weapon was like that of a shotgun, but the halves were detachable so that one part was the butt of the shotgun, and another was a gleaming red blade. Blake was using her katana, using the sheathe as a secondary weapon. The dark-haired Faunus was tying some long black ribbon onto the ends of them both, and Weiss couldn't figure out why she would ever need that ribbon…

"Shall we settle this argument?" Adam asked as he watched Blake prepare herself and her weapons. "Oh, wait, it won't be settled until Mr. Schnee fixes his ways."

"You forget that his heir is behind you, Adam," Blake says as she switches to a battle stance. "If anything, you should be afraid of what she could do in the future."

"Afraid?" he gasped, his voice dripping with sarcasm as his head turned to the silver-haired heiress. "She doesn't even know how to fight!"

"I'll show you another day!" Weiss cried out while she struggled in the strong henchman's grasp. "I can show you right now!"

"Nah, Schnee, don't get mixed up in this," Adam said. "This is a Faunus matter, you won't relate to it."

"She doesn't have to relate to it to know what's going on," Blake said, at the same time called Adam's attention back to her. "She's already heard of it, thanks to you spoiling it all for her."

Adam's aura was definitely becoming deadlier by each passing second. "She needs to know! She can't change the Company's ways if she doesn't know what her father's up to-"

"Her father's a good man!"

Blake was the first to attack, her patience having run dangerously low during the exchange of words. She thought she could land a hit on Adam while he was caught unaware, but then again, he was never unaware. Blake's katana met the shiny red blade which her old friend held up with ease.

"Well, clearly, you aren't aware of the current events," the bull Faunus said as he lunged at the ninja. "There's been another explosion in the Quarries this week!"

WHAT?! Weiss and Blake thought as Adam continued on his flurry of attacks which Blake was effortlessly missing.

"It's the same as before," Adam continued, his voice and attacks getting stronger, mixed with hatred. "Only this time, there was proof that a human bearing the Schnee insignia launched the bomb!"

The ninja moved around him quickly to throw a blunt ninja star behind Adam, and it distracted him for a while as it hit his back hard. Everyone in the room could tell that it angered him to get attacked from behind as his next attacks were relentless. Blake had to find out unique ways to counter them.

"Who bears the insignia?!" the masked Faunus asked as he almost hit Blake' side. "Only the family members, correct?"

Weiss replied, "You're wrong! Everyone who works for Schnee Dust bears the snowflake insignia!"

"Whatever you say," Adam grunted as he sidestepped, avoiding Blake's katana. "Junior, please show Miss Schnee our video footage proving that it was none other than her father who launched the bomb!"

The little heiress' eyes widened, her mouth hung agape in shock. She was at a loss for words, and only moments later, she was given the strength to lift up the lower half of her body to deliver a swift kick to the henchman's face.

"Arghh!" Junior cried out as he nursed his nose and shades, letting go of Weiss who was now running to a telephone in their living room. It was the closest she could get to; she hoped that no one was waiting for her outside. Slamming the wooden kitchen door behind her seemed effective as well in landing a third injury to Junior's poor face.

"Good job, Weiss!" she heard Blake cry from the kitchen despite the several clashes and clanging of the Faunus's weapons. "He's down for now!"

"Junior, get up, you ass!" Adam cried out to the fallen man. "You'll let a little kid get away?!"

Weiss sprinted to the telephone hanging on the wall, but not before stepping up on a stool because she was such a tiny kid. She dialed her father's office number and looked about, scared that maybe she might get caught by someone behind her.

Ring, ring, ring ring…

Why was no one picking up!?

Ring, ring, ring – click!

"Hello?" a female voice asked from the other line. "How can I help you?"

The heiress heaved out a sigh of relief as she heard the woman's voice. "Ah, hi, hello! I'm Weiss Schnee! Is Daddy there?"

"Oh, hello, Weiss!" the woman greeted, her voice cheerful as ever. It was evident she had no idea what was going on and that this was a freaking emergency! "Your father's not here right now, he's in the two-week business meeting still. Would you like me to leave a message?"

"Ah, uh, no! I mean, yes! I mean, ahh!" Weiss screamed in panic as the kitchen door opened. "Tell him I'm in trouble! Please send help!"

The woman's voice then switched from super friendly to serious. "Are you at home, Miss Schnee?"

"Yes, yes I am!" the little girl replied. "And there are these guys in black who want to kidnap me! Blake's trying to take one of them out right now, and there are still lots of people lurking about, and ahhh I don't know what to do!"

Weiss started crying. She watched as the bull Faunus from earlier was dragging Blake by her purple scarf in one hand and Junior by the white collar in the other towards her, slowly but surely.

"Calm down, Miss Schnee," the voice told her, so calm despite the situation Weiss was in. "Who's there with you?"

"Well, there's Blake the cat Faunus," she replied, her voice shaking as Adam advanced. "There's a guy named Junior, Russel, Cardin, and a bull Faunus named Adam, and an orange haired bowler hat guy—"

"Quit it, Schnee!" Adam shouted, dropping the two bodies and bringing out his weapon. "I'll shoot you!"

Weiss froze upon hearing Adam's words and shotgun reloading, turning pale and ignoring the voice on the other end telling her to keep calm and that help would be on the way shortly.

"He's pointing a gun—"

The phone was snatched from her hands from behind and she was pushed off the stool. She cried out in pain at the impact and was silenced when the bull Faunus kept her in place by pointing his gun at her.

"Sorry 'bout that, we're completely okay now," a man's voice said. "Thanks for your concerns."

He put down the phone and turned to meet her scared gaze. The air was heavy with the scent of tobacco and smoke, and Weiss realized that this man before her is the one who pointed the gun in her face earlier that day. He held a cane in his other hand and a bowler hat sat atop his orange-haired head. The only ways to describe his emerald eyes were menacing and cunning. Weiss didn't know someone could actually possess that.

"Hello, Weiss!" he greeted as he stretched his hand for her to shake. "My name's Roman Torchwick. Say, as heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, why don't you take your daddy's place, and let's go on a joint business venture together?"

No, no, no, the heiress thought. No way!

"No, no, no, no, no!" she cried as Roman Torchwick held her and pulled her by her arm. "Blake! Blake, save me! BLAAAAKE!"

She's as good as dead.


Blake woke up to the sound of two people knocking loudly on the front door of the Schnee mansion. She could barely get up due to her injuries from the previous fight, and she tried her best to remember what happened before she fell unconscious.

Adam had defeated her. It was a misjudgment of timing her jumps and movements, she recalled, as she jumped when Adam feinted a low kick to her feet and later on knocked her down with the butt of his shotgun. It was hard on her head and she still felt dizzy from the impact.

She looked at herself, at her wounds and at her bruises that were already turning purple. She was beat up pretty badly, and she was in no condition to fight now.

Wait, there was no one to fight. Her yellow eyes widened at the realization that the henchmen have taken Weiss away.

She had failed.

She started to cry and blame herself for ever letting this happen. Would it have happened if she was left alone in that library? If she didn't offer her help? If she had trained for her chance meeting with Adam a bit more?

She was the only one to blame, after all.

"Yoooo! Hello?" she heard someone call from outside the house. "Anyone home? We heard that some girl's in trouble."

"Yeah," Blake called out weakly as she struggled to get up and make her way to the door. It was a slow and painful process, but she had to do it. These were the authorities, looking for Weiss Schnee and her kidnappers. "I'm coming."

She finally made her way to the door. She was surprised she actually had the strength to get there. But what surprised her more were the two youngsters on the other side, armed with a scythe and wrist-guns. The taller and most probably older girl wielded the wrist-guns and was blonde and wore a leather jacket, shorts, and boots. The smaller girl was a brunette and was wearing a billowing red cape on her shoulders, behind her dark hoodie and skirt. She, too, was wearing boots.

What kind of kids are they?

"Are you supposed to be the police Weiss sent for?" she asked, shock evident in her features.

The smaller one of them, the one with the scythe, nodded her head vigorously and smiled a great, big smile.

"Yep!" the girl replied. "I'm Ruby!"

"And I'm Yang," the taller girl said, pointing her thumb at herself. "Ruby's older sister!"

They then said in unison, "We're from the Vale's Junior Hunters and Huntresses Department! Well, just Huntresses, really."

Junior Huntress Department?! What were they thinking, sending juniors to a kidnapping case?!

Yang and Ruby failed to notice the disappointment in Blake's face as the older of the two asked with great excitement, "So, where's the girl who needs her butt saved?"