Chapter 9: Retribution

The streets of Vale were empty this late at night.

A dissonant silence punctuated every step Blake took, drowning in fluorescent orange rays every time the streetlights touched her skin. Those same lights chafed at her eyes, buzzing with a low, irritating hum audible only to her cat ears.

All of these contrasting sensations weren't enough to stifle her thoughts. Her quest was supposed to be simple: leave the White Fang, become a huntress, atone. In doing so, Blake would be able to escape from a past heavy with regret and spend the rest of her life earning her redemption.

Her past was a Nevermore that dug its talons in her brain and ensnared her convictions, twisting them under the immense weight of her doubt. There was no escaping it, no matter what she tried. The White Fang still existed. She was still a Faunus, hidden ears or otherwise.

Being aware of that fact, and being willing to work for her atonement didn't prepare her for the trials she was forced to endure on this arduous path. She would never get used to the endless scourge of bigotry and racism her people had to suffer through, but what made it truly disgusting to stomach was the fact that none of her efforts bore fruit.

What had she accomplished during her tenure in the White Fang, other than being witness to her comrades murdering innocent people for their cause and watching her parents' efforts to bring peace be strangled by the White Fang's policy of fear?

Nothing. Nothing worth taking pride in.

The fact that Weiss Schnee of all people had ground to stand on while her family's company denigrated the Faunus and she got away with her vile rhetoric aggravated her like almost nothing else had in months.

It was that thought that lingered in her mind as she trudged on, eventually finding a place to stay before exhaustion claimed her and left her body defenseless to anything that might harm it. Sleep didn't come easily to her, but when it did, morning swiftly arrived, and she was relieved of most of her fatigue.

Since it was the start of the weekend, she didn't have to go back to Beacon, not when she'd have to explain her absence and deal with that prejudiced little girl. In spite of herself, a wry, disdainful smile crossed her face.

She was a coward to her last breath. At the first sign of adversity, she closed herself off, and at the second, she tried to run. The only reason why she hadn't succeeded was because her partner had convinced her otherwise. Ruby Rose had enough courage for them both, that was the truth.

The least she could do for herself was grab something to eat. She found a decent coffee shop not too far away from her hotel, facing the ocean. The cacophony of noise coming from inane – yet pleasant – conversation and speeding cars came as a stark contrast to last night's desolate loneliness.

In a way, it was a reprieve, a reminder of better times. Prejudice aside, she was doing well at Beacon, bonding with Ruby and being on good terms with Yang, finding a kindred spirit in Velvet and enjoying the company of Team JNPR. Those memories shouldn't have been tarnished by one person, not when she could make so many more.

Yet...

"Is this seat taken?"

Blake blinked, looking up at her visitor. It was Sun, a pleasant smile on his face.

"No, it isn't," she said. "Take a seat."

Sun did just that, and Blake returned to her breakfast. She picked this coffee shop in particular because it had a seafood breakfast special, and she didn't plan on missing out on fresh fish for anything. Tuna was her favourite kind, for how the meat exploded into a barrage of flavours that sank into her tastebuds, but she also liked salmon, hake, yellowtail, bass, trout, and every other fish in all of Remnant's many seas.

Along with their refreshing milk tea that warmed up her body the second it passed through her lips, she was glad that she found one positive on her lonesome trip.

"What are you doing out here?" Sun asked.

Blake swallowed her food, wiped her mouth with a napkin. With how immersed she was in her meal, among other factors, she had nearly forgotten that Sun had joined her, and was waiting patiently for her to engage in conversation.

"Eating."

"I can tell. The food looks great."

"It tastes better."

Blake was about to return to her meal, but a pang of guilt seared her chest. She wasn't obligated to speak to someone she barely knew just because he was nice and good-looking, but it was pretty rude of her to waste his time. Normally, she wouldn't have cared about that, but she had been learning to consider other people's feelings over the past month, so she decided against leaving Sun out in the cold.

"Do you want some?"

Sun shook his head. "I already had breakfast, but I appreciate the offer."

"No problem."

Another pleasant smile graced Sun's face, striking Blake with a strange feeling. It didn't take long for her to figure out what that feeling was: resentment.

"How are you doing, Sun?" Blake asked, keeping her voice level.

"I'm doing great. What about you?"

'Okay' would have been an okay response, but not only was it not true, she didn't ask about Sun's feelings just to receive some platitude.

"Could be better."

Sun nodded, smile never wavering. "How can I help?"

Blake immediately frowned. "You're a really positive person, aren't you?"

"I try to be."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Blake sighed, trying to stave off her mounting frustration. "When that officer pointed his gun at you, most people would've been too shocked to keep their cool, and if they weren't, they would've been angry or afraid, but you shook it off like it was nothing. Not only that, you're always smiling, too."

Sun set his hands on the round table, mouth pulled in a half-smile.

"It wasn't like I was in any real danger, was I?"

"No."

If Sun was a huntsman-in-training, he was more than capable of surviving a gunshot, more than capable of defending his life if he ever needed to do so.

"But it's not about the danger, it's the message that officer sent. He profiled you just because you were a Faunus, and he would have thrown you in jail if those sailors didn't bail you out."

Even if they hadn't, she would've stepped up and protected Sun. She wouldn't let herself be a bystander a second time.

"They did, which is all that matters. I don't have to tell you that this stuff happens to us Faunus, so what's the use in getting angry at them?"

"You should be angry, Sun. You should be furious for what you've had to go through."

Sun's smile waned. "I was, but it got me nowhere. It didn't feel good, either. Besides, it's not really that bad in Vacuo, and from what I've seen, Vale has it pretty good, too. Why should I let a few jerks ruin my day?"

Blake couldn't respond to that, even though she desperately wanted to convince Sun that they had to fight back against their oppressors, keep them from bullying and harassing them just because of their race.

She didn't because Sun wasn't resigned to his fate, he was fighting back in his own way.

"I bet you've had to go through all that crap too."

Sun's question sounded innocuous enough, but from the sharp look in his blue eyes, he knew more than he was letting on, just from intuition.

Blake's shoulders dropped. "I have." She glanced around the coffee shop and saw no one looking their way, so she wiggled her cat ears, nestled comfortably beneath her black bow.

"Thought so." Sun smiled pretty tenderly. "I don't blame you for wanting to hide."

"Thank you."

Blake returned to her breakfast, finishing it off before it got cold. She didn't mind eating cold food, but it was better fresh. It also gave her time to think about a proper response.

"Have you thought about hiding your tail?"

"Yeah. It's not something I'd do, though. I'd rather have people hate me for who I am than love me for who I'm not. If I hide who I am, what happens when the cat's out of the bag?"

Blake bit her lip. "You raise a good point." She frowned, staring into her tea cup. "I'm really tired of dealing with all of this hatred."

"At least you're not joining up with those losers in the White Fang."

She fixed with with a cold stare. Sun immediately flinched.

"What's up?"

Blake sighed. "They're not supposed to be losers. They've been fighting for Faunus rights."

Sun frowned. "No offense, but that's not how I see it. All they do is use force to get what they want and act like a bunch of arrogant, self-righteous creeps. They give all us Faunus a bad name."

Hearing Sun criticize the White Fang brought up a reflexive wave of annoyance, but Blake clamped down on her sharply-honed instinct to defend her comrades. After all, it was different when it came from a Faunus, and she wasn't blind to their faults.

"You're right. It's why I left."

If Sun had been drinking something, he might have choked on it. As he wasn't, his fist curled as he did a double-take.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. You could say I was born into it."

She told Sun about the movement her parents began – without telling him who her parents were – and how they strove for peaceful protests and demonstrations, to make progress on the tenuous peace the humans and the Faunus constructed in the ashes of war. She told him how the mounting desire for violent upheaval resulted in a change in leadership, which led to the White Fang using terrorism and chaos to achieve their goals.

It worked, and the humans were starting to treat the Faunus with respect and dignity, but it was born from fear. And somewhere along the way, they had lost sight of their true purpose. She watched good, proud people become shadows of their former selves, pain and hatred driving them to acts she couldn't condone.

So she left, ran away from the White Fang, because she wanted nothing to do with this mockery of their cause.

"After I left, I chose to be a huntress, and spend the rest of my life doing good."

Sun took a few moments to process everything she said. It was clear that he listened to every word.

"Sorry, Blake. Didn't mean to hit a sore spot."

"It's okay."

"Do your friends know?"

Blake frowned. "They do. I wasn't planning on telling any of them... until it happened."

"So that's why you're on your own."

"Yes. But I'm going to return. I made my partner a promise."

Sun smiled. "I hope you get to keep it."

Blake let herself smile. "I'm going to."

With that said, she still didn't feel like she was ready to return, so she decided to spend the rest of her morning together with Sun, walking around Vale. His steady presence and constant stream of conversation was welcome, since he understood a lot of what she was going through, and was kind enough not to judge her for what she did or how she expressed herself.

It reminded her of Ruby. She didn't have Sun's easy-going confidence or roguish charm, but her enthusiasm and her empathy more than covered the difference. In addition to that, she found herself wondering what Ruby would think about a book she'd just finished reading or looking forward to spending time studying with her.

If anything, seeing Ruby struggle and manage to resolve her own demons made Blake believe that she had a chance to truly redeem herself, no matter how hard it got. However, a chance was not a guarantee of success.

As they passed shops cordoned off by police tape, Blake tensed up. The police were still on high alert patrolling the streets, and she was worried about Sun being out in the open, even though the only thing he was guilty of was being a bit too debonair for his own good. Her disguise would hold up to scrutiny; she trained her cat ears to stay still on command, and tempered her instinctive urge to scratch them.

"I still can't believe the White Fang robbed all these stores," Sun said.

Blake frowned, but she kept herself in check. "I don't think they did it. They never needed that much Dust, and if they did, they'd take it from a bigger target."

Sun's eyes lit up. "What if they knew about a shipment coming in tomorrow?"

She nearly stopped walking. "What are you talking about?"

"When I was on that ship, I heard some guys talking about a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas. Apparently, it's being brought in by this big freighter owned by the Schnee Dust Company."

Blake bristled. "You're sure about this?"

"Positive."

She stopped walking altogether. The White Fang might not have robbed those Dust shops, but an SDC freighter was definitely within their wheelhouse.

"Then let's check it out."

"Just the two of us?"

If the White Fang were going to be in the area, it would be dangerous going in with only Sun as backup.

"No. I don't want to do this alone. I'll call in a favour."

"Good idea. I've got a friend who can help us out."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You trust this friend?"

"I don't think she can lie. You'll see what I mean."

She sighed. "I'll vet her when we meet up at the site."

Sun nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Ruby walked to her dorm after studying for a couple of hours at the library. There weren't any classes today, since it was a Saturday, but she got a couple of odd looks when people noticed Blake wasn't at her side.

She remembered one conversation in particular that involved her classmate Tori, that awkward brown-haired girl who asked her a lot of questions on her first day of school, in her attempt to learn all about those rumours.

"Hi, Ruby. I was wondering where Blake was."

"She needed some alone time. She'll be back when she's ready."

"Okay. Thanks for telling me."

"No problem."

"I know what it's like to need some time for self-care, so if you see her, tell Blake that I hope she's feeling better."

"I will."

It was still a surprise that Tori had actually accepted Ruby after finding her answers, considering how skittish she was. She was pretty nice, but somehow, she was worse at talking to people than Ruby was. While Ruby wasn't close to Tori, it was good to have someone she could talk to whenever her team wasn't around.

However, that conversation was a firm reminder of how much she missed Blake, even though she hadn't even been gone for one whole day. It had only been a few months, but Blake had wormed her way into her life and marked a big place in it. They practised and exercised together, spent free time by listening to music and talking about all sorts of things.

Being on her own wasn't nice, and while she could hang out with Yang or Weiss, or anyone from Team JNPR, she wanted Blake to be around them. She belonged at Beacon with her friends, and if anyone wanted to kick her out because she was a Faunus, she'd fight them off with Crescent Rose or even her fists.

When she reached her dorm, she expected it to be empty, since Weiss and Yang were off working out at the gym. Instead, Blake was there, sitting on her bed.

"Blake? You're really here?"

Blake faced her, and smiled. "I am, Ruby."

Ruby grinned, and raced to her partner's side. She wanted to hug her, but she still wasn't sure if Blake liked that, so she settled for sitting next to her and smiling widely.

"You came back. Thank you, Blake, thank you so much."

Blake looked away from Ruby, smiling rather shyly... almost like she was hiding a blush. "I promised. So now, I'm back. Did I miss anything?"

Ruby regaled Blake on her adventures during the day. Not much happened, but she was happy to share her experience with Blake, grateful and overjoyed that she returned and kept her promise.

"That's great, Ruby. I had a good time myself. I spent some time with Sun, and he helped me come to terms with a couple of things I was struggling with. In fact, there's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

That was when the door opened, revealing Yang and Weiss engaged in a conversation that ended the second Weiss noticed them.

"Welcome back, Blake!" Yang said, smiling like she always did.

"Thank you, Yang," Blake said.

Weiss swallowed audibly, staring at Blake with a hawk-like gaze. Blake didn't make eye contact, staring at her lap instead. She was holding back a lot of anger, it was written so clearly on her face.

"Weiss has something to say to you, Blake," Ruby said. "Isn't that right?"

Blake glanced at Ruby, bewildered. "Come again?"

Ruby looked at Weiss, giving her the room to speak. Weiss inhaled, then took a step towards Blake and exhaled.

"Regardless of my feelings towards the White Fang, I shouldn't have used such awful language when referring to the Faunus. It wasn't necessary, and not only did it weaken my argument, there is no justification for calling a Faunus a degenerate or any of the other insults I used."

A silence fell in their room, as Ruby waited for Blake's response with bated breath.

"Nice try," Blake said. "Who put you up to this? Was it Ruby, Yang?"

"It was me," Ruby said. "But Weiss is serious, Blake. You don't have to forgive her if you don't want to, but please don't put her down."

"Thank you, Ruby," Weiss said.

Blake frowned. "Fine, I won't put her down. I didn't return for Weiss or her half-hearted attempt at an apology."

Weiss scowled. "Half-hearted? How dare you? I meant every word I said!"

Yang set a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Give her some time, okay?"

A rough breath escaped Weiss' lips. "Fine. If it means hearing her accept my apology, I can afford to wait."

Blake shook her head. Ruby chose to step in, before things could get worse.

"What did you want to tell me, Blake?" she asked.

They made eye contact, which helped Blake find her focus. "There's a shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas tomorrow evening. I'm suspecting that the White Fang might be involved, and I want to see that for myself. Can you come with me?"

Ruby bit her lip. "Shouldn't this be something the police can handle?"

"We're just going to check it out. If they're there, we'll contact the police."

She wasn't eager to fight criminals again, or get close to them... but it was an opportunity to do good, and help out a friend.

"Okay. This means a lot to you, so I've got your back."

"Can I come along too?" Yang asked.

Blake shrugged. "Sure, if you're up for it. The more, the merrier."

Yang grinned. "Awesome."

That left Weiss, who placed her hand on her hip, sneering.

"So, you've finally come around, have you?"

Blake scowled. "Whatever you're insinuating, I don't want to hear another word."

Weiss frowned. "I'm not insinuating anything, Blake. I was intending to offer my assistance to your plot."

Blake froze from shock. "You're joking."

"Please. The White Fang are going to attack that Dust shipment. Of course I'm going to get involved. I'd rather drop dead than let those people commit any more crimes."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Right." She stared right through Weiss. "If you're willing to help us, then I won't stop you."

Weiss didn't flinch. "You made the right decision."

"Looks like Team RWBY's got a mission," Yang said.

"That's right," Ruby said. "And when the time comes, we'll be ready for anything."

The next day, Team RWBY was suited up and ready to investigate the docks, where Blake said the Schnee Dust Company's freighter would be arriving. First, they had to meet up with Sun, who wasn't alone.

A girl with bright, curly orange hair tied up with a pink bow was standing next to him. She was dressed up rather modestly, with an off-white long-sleeved blouse tucked into a short gray dress that hung just below the top of her black stockings, which covered almost all of her legs.

"Hey, ladies, nice to see you," Sun said.

Yang smiled. "Good to see you too, Sun. Who's your friend?"

Sun smiled. "This is Penny. We met yesterday, after you guys helped me out of that jam. She's touring the city, too, and we hit it off."

"Salutations!" Penny said. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"You too," Ruby said. "I'm Ruby."

"Weiss."

"Name's Yang."

"And I'm Blake."

Penny smiled, a bit too widely for Ruby's liking. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Didn't you say that?" Yang asked.

She looked at Sun, who shot her a thumbs-up. "I did! That means I'm doubly pleased to meet you!"

Blake gave Penny a once-over, frowning slightly. "Are you sure that Penny can help us, Sun?"

Sun chuckled. "I wasn't sure at first, but she said she's combat ready, and trust me, she means it."

"That doesn't mean she understands the significance of what we're about to do," Weiss said. "We're not participating in a training exercise, we're about to engage with hardened criminals. Is that something you're capable of appreciating, Penny?"

After Weiss found out who was shipping the Dust to Vale, her resolve became bolstered by a fierce, burning desire to protect her family from further ruin. If Penny recognized Weiss, she didn't give any hint of that, but she wasn't fazed by Weiss, either.

Penny nodded, firmly. "Our goal is to gather evidence of the White Fang wanting to steal the shipment of Dust being transported to Vale's docks by the Schnee Dust Company. Once that evidence is secured, we'll inform the police and other relevant authorities to secure their arrest and prevent them from stealing the shipment."

Ruby blinked. That was one impressive summary of their plan.

"It sounds like you understand," Weiss said. "Are you ready to fight?"

"I am!"

Weiss smiled, cold and mirthless. "Excellent."

"Fantastic!" Penny said. "I look forward to working with all of you, and helping my new friend Sun help you all."

Yang smiled. "Same here, Penny."

"Let's get started," Blake said.

By the time they reached the docks, gray clouds were starting to cover the setting sun. They split up into three groups of two: Ruby was with Blake on one rooftop, Weiss and Yang were on a white shipping container adjacent to them, while Sun and Penny were on top of the building opposite Ruby and Blake.

There was definitely a shipment of cargo being off-loaded from the big ship, and every container bore the Schnee Dust Company's logo. So far, the staff transferring the cargo into the nearby warehouses were doing their jobs. Other than the large police squad watching them, it looked like a completely ordinary day of work.

At least, it seemed that way to Ruby.

Nothing was really happening, so she counted the number of police cars and officers in the area. In total, there were three police cars, one SUV, and twenty-four officers. One of them put a hand to his ear, before quickly issuing orders to his allies. In a matter seconds, most of the police officers left, leaving the SUV and a half-dozen officers remaining.

A couple of minutes after they left, a bullhead – a black VTOL aircraft with twin thrusters – descended, very close to the cargo containers. Winds blew all around it as made contact with the ground, and once it landed, a bunch of people clad in black hoods and wearing gray masks emerged from the cabin and walked down the black ramp: some were carrying assault rifles, others were carrying long swords.

Ruby recognized the insignia on their backs: a bloody wolf with three claw marks.

It was the White Fang.

"I wanted to believe they weren't going to get involved," Blake said, bitterness saturating her every word. "But I knew it, I just didn't want to admit it."

"It's okay," Ruby said. "Now we know the truth."

"Move it!" one of the White Fang's members said. "This cargo is official property of the White Fang!"

Before they could go any further, four of the police officers ran behind their cars, holding up assault rifles of their own.

"Drop your weapons!" a police officer said. "This is your first and only warning!"

They were held in a stand-off, the White Fang holding a slight numbers advantage... until another bullhead arrived. A blur burst out of the cabin's entrance and hitting the ground without pausing for breath, immediately racing towards the two officers, who stood about fifty metres behind their comrades as backup.

One of those officers noticed the oncoming blur and blasted a warning shot. It didn't stop the blur for a second. Both officers fired their rifles, but they weren't unable to hit as the fighter weaved around the bullets, faster than them both. About five metres away, the fighter leaped into the air and split her legs into, slamming her feet onto both of their jaws, knocking them out.

For a moment after landing, the fighter stopped moving, revealing the fighter to be a young woman with pink hair. She was dressed in a sharply tailored white jacket and dark brown leggings tucked into white boots, a pink umbrella held loosely in her right hand. Her onslaught was enough for the White Fang to start shooting at the officers, triggering a firefight between the two forces.

"Why is a human aiding the White Fang?" Blake asked.

Ruby frowned. "I don't know. I'm calling the police."

Blake scowled, face pinched from stress. "Do it."

She pulled out her scroll and dialled Vale's emergency number. It picked up in less than five seconds.

"What is your emergency?" the operator asked.

"There's a robbery taking place at Vale's docks!" Ruby said. "It's the White Fang and an unknown fighter who's responsible."

"Understood. Help is on the way. For your safety, I advise you to stay as far away from harm as possible."

Once Ruby hung up, she watched the woman rush at the police cars, deflecting the bullets with her umbrella and swiftly knocking out all four remaining police officers, who were too distracted by the White Fang to properly defend themselves from her assault. That didn't mean that they didn't contribute: three of the five White Fang operatives were wounded, not having an Aura shield or body armour for protection.

As for the woman, she brandished her umbrella and pointed at the cargo containers, tilting her head to the side. Compared to the White Fang, she was very short, even though she was wearing heels, but the White Fang listened to her, and started latching the containers to their bullheads with tow cables.

"Let's go!" Blake said.

Blake jumped off the roof, rolling twice after she landed. Ruby was about to follow her, but she froze. This was it. She couldn't make a mistake, she couldn't afford to hurt anyone too badly. With a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and followed her partner into the fray.

All they had to do was protect the cargo from being stolen and wait for the police to bring in reinforcements. As Ruby ran, she saw Weiss and Yang touch down on the concrete floor, Sun and Penny run towards the second bullhead, and the staff run for cover behind cargo containers and cranes.

A third bullhead had landed, bringing more members of the White Fang. Some of them were defending their allies from being attacked, while a couple were heading towards the innocent staff. Ruby knew what she had to do, so she activated her semblance and intercepted the pair of terrorists, hoping that Blake would be fine on her own.

One of the White Fang terrorists sneered at her. "Get out of the way, kid, if you know what's good for you."

Ruby unveiled Crescent Rose, and transformed it into a scythe. "I won't. If you're going to hurt these people, then you've got a problem with me, got it?"

"Your funeral," the other terrorist said.

The first terrorist began firing at Ruby with his assault rifle, but dodging the bullets was easy, and Ruby rushed towards him, slamming the flat of her scythe into his stomach, before sweeping him off his feet.

A second later, the other terrorist swiped at Ruby with her long sword. With a quick spin of her scythe, Ruby deflected the slash, and knocked the sword out of the terrorist's hands. It didn't take long for Ruby to knock her to the floor with her comrade. Both of them were clutching their stomachs, winded and in pain, but they'd get back up if she didn't do something.

She glanced at the terrified staff members, noticing that one of them was watching her, calmer than the rest.

"Get to safety!" Ruby said. "Now, before it's too late!"

The calmest dockworker nodded, quickly convincing his fellow employees to run away from the battlefield. He did well, because three more White Fang terrorists were coming after her, eager to avenge their comrades' defeat. By the time they were out of harm's way, Ruby defeated them all without breaking a sweat. She needed rope or some other material that could bind them, so she looked at Blake, who was about two hundred metres away from her.

Blake was busy asking the White Fang why they were aiding a human. Said human looked at Blake and grinned, slowly slicing the tip of her umbrella across her throat. Her message was very clear: not only were they working together, fighting them would lead to a violent death.

Ruby was closer to Blake than the woman was, but the woman wasn't so far away that she couldn't find a way to hurt Blake before Ruby could get to her. Not only that, the woman wasn't that far away from Ruby, and she had proven to be a pretty adept fighter. Her allies were busy doing their own thing, so it was on Ruby to make a quick and sudden impact.

First, she ran a few metres away from the fallen White Fang terrorists, so they wouldn't get in her way. Then, she loaded a single round filled with Dust into Crescent Rose.

"Blake!" Ruby shouted, grabbing her attention. She grabbed the woman's attention, too. Her eyes were trained on Crescent Rose. "Smokescreen!"

She transformed Crescent Rose into its rifle form and blasted the round three metres above Blake's head. Blake pulled out Gambol Shroud, firing a pair of purple blasts at the round, making it explode and release mounds of steam that hid Blake from view.

A sharp whistle crowed through the air, and when the steam cleared, Blake was gone. So was the sharply dressed woman. Ruby heard footsteps, saw the woman charging right her as the White Fang terrorists chased after Blake. With how dangerous she was, there was no way Ruby could run to aid Blake without drawing her ire.

Immediately, Ruby fired round after round at the woman, trying to slow her down, but she opened her umbrella and deflected every bullet, flames from the explosions billowing off it, unable to pierce through her weapon. Ruby's opponent closed the distance, shutting her umbrella and thrusting the tip – much sharper up close – at Ruby's stomach, an attack Ruby was barely able to dodge.

It didn't deter her opponent, as she struck again, and again. Ruby did her best to avoid her attacks, but it wasn't easy. Her opponent was fast, much faster than she was used to fighting against, and she wasn't giving her enough space to transform Crescent Rose and parry her attacks. Not only that, her opponent was starting to land glancing blows that chipped away her Aura.

She needed to make some room.

So Ruby fired a single round at point-blank range and immediately activated her semblance. Rose petals marked her tactical retreat, and when she stopped a fair distance away, Crescent Rose became a scythe once more, just as Ruby's opponent set the shaft of her open umbrella on her shoulder, unharmed.

In spite of the circumstances, Ruby was relieved that she hadn't wounded her opponent with that shot.

It didn't matter if this woman was shorter than even Ruby was, she handled herself with supreme confidence, a wide, menacing grin nearly splitting her face. Her eyes were mismatched, matching her hair's two colours: pink on the right, brown on the left, but somehow, that wasn't what made her eyes stand out. It was the pure, unrestrained hatred they exuded that made Ruby quiver in her boots.

Who was this woman, and what had Ruby done to deserve such an awful look?

She didn't know, but what she did know was that this stranger's feelings weren't that important right now. What mattered was making sure that she didn't achieve her goal.

Ruby went on the offensive, using Crescent Rose's long reach to her advantage as she slashed at her opponent with long, sweeping blows, trying to get a read on her patterns, any holes in her defense that she could exploit. It was easier said than done, because her opponent dodged every single strike with deft footwork, nudging Crescent Rose away with her umbrella whenever it got too close.

For the time being, Ruby wasn't only keeping up, she was keeping her opponent from fighting back. She swung for the fences with a horizontal strike strong enough to slice through steel, but her opponent jumped over it, landing on the flat side of her scythe and bouncing off it, crushing Ruby's nose with her knee.

Fortunately, Ruby's Aura held fast, but her head whipped back, and she had to resist the reflex to hold her nose. When her opponent landed, she was wedged in between Ruby and Crescent Rose, forcing Ruby to think fast before she was punished for overextending.

Ruby chose to slip to her right, but her opponent drove her umbrella handle hard into her right wrist, lashing out with a front kick that sent Ruby flying. She hit the ground back-first, and clutched at Crescent Rose... only to realize that her beloved scythe wasn't in her hand.

Her opponent approached, pulling out a sharp blade from her umbrella. Ruby jumped to her feet and rushed to Crescent Rose, but she was intercepted. The sharply dressed woman jabbed at Ruby's flank, then her sternum, and without Crescent Rose, Ruby was practically defenseless, covering her torso with her arms in a vain attempt to protect herself.

She had to distract her opponent, and as Ruby's Aura began to fade, she latched on the first thing that came to mind. Ruby screamed her lungs out, catching her opponent off-guard and giving her one second to move. That second counted, as Ruby used it to pick up Crescent Rose.

Ruby fired a round from the edge of her scythe. It was blocked, batted out of the way by her opponent's umbrella. Then she flipped to the side as Yang hit the concrete she was just standing on, shattering it with a single punch.

"Get away from my sister!" Yang yelled.

Yang stood up, cocking Ember Celica and firing round after round of shotgun shells. The sharply dressed woman was more than capable of deflecting them, but she was being driven back. It wasn't by much, but Ruby was really, really glad to see her sister.

Her eyes were scorching red, and her blonde hair was starting to burn as brightly as the sun. Ruby took time to recover as Yang chased after her opponent, but in spite of her fury, Yang's punches weren't landing and she was quickly losing her advantage.

In fact, all it took was one cleanly placed strike aimed at Yang's sternum to knock the wind out of her lungs. Ruby dove in before the woman could kick Yang's jaw, slashing at her umbrella. She missed, but it gave Yang just enough time to catch her breath and punch their opponent in her face, and it came very close to landing.

Close wasn't good enough, although their opponent did swerve out the way.

Both sisters put everything they had into taking down this woman, a whirling dervish of pure pressure, but nothing they tried worked. In desperation, Ruby resorted to a combination attack she and Yang were still working on.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted. "Rocket!"

"Got it!"

Yang made a smokescreen with Ember Celica's shotgun shells, granting them valuable time to get away from their opponent. Once they were out of harm's way, Yang thrust out her hand. Ruby grabbed it, and started to spin around Yang, gathering speed. When she spun enough times, Yang threw Ruby at their oncoming opponent, and Ruby used her semblance to boost her momentum into speeds she could barely reach on her own, whirling like a buzzsaw that couldn't be stopped.

Her opponent wasn't fast enough to dodge this strike, and Ruby drove Crescent Rose through her torso, shattering her apart into millions of pieces. Ruby crashed against a cargo container, denting the metal.

Stopping herself once she got going was the main thing Ruby had to work on, but it looked like it worked. Their opponent was nowhere to be seen.

"Awesome, Ruby!" Yang said.

Ruby smiled... then her smile melted into a gaping grimace as Yang's knee buckled, and the sharply dressed woman kicked the side of Yang's head with her shin, slamming her into the concrete floor. Ruby staggered back, her grip on Crescent Rose tightening so much that her hands were starting to chafe.

Fear turned into unhinged anger as Ruby charged towards her opponent, for daring to hurt her sister. She swung wildly with Crescent Rose, desperate to make this woman pay, but nothing she did was working.

Ruby screamed, and sliced ahead. However, her opponent grabbed Crescent Rose's handle and flipped into the air, both of her legs wrapping around Ruby's neck. In one violent movement, Ruby was driven into the concrete head-first, depleting her remaining Aura.

Ruby turned around to see her opponent reveal her umbrella's blade once more, grinning triumphantly, gleefully. She brought the blade down, right at Ruby's heart.

Ice cocooned around Ruby, blocking the sharp blade. Through the clear ice, Ruby saw Gambol Shroud lunging forward, past the crazed woman and whipping around to blast her back. She avoided it, of course, but before she could hurt more of Ruby's friends, she was blasted away by a massive green energy beam.

Once the beam receded, Ruby saw Penny leap towards the wreckage her would-be assassin was blasted into, an arsenal of matching swords flying out of her backpack. Somehow, Ruby's opponent was still standing, still able to defend herself. However, from what Ruby could see, Penny was doing a better job at fighting her than both Ruby and Yang had done.

The ice melted around Ruby, and Ruby stood up, finding her footing after taking a couple of shaky steps.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" Blake asked.

Ruby frowned. "I think so."

Her head was pulsating, but it was from pain, hopefully not a concussion. She was immensely grateful that she wasn't seeing double – or worse – after having her Aura crushed by her opponent.

"Excellent," Weiss said.

She looked at Yang, who was climbing to her feet, mostly unharmed. From the scowl on her face, she wasn't done fighting, not by a long shot.

"Where is she?" Yang asked. "Where the hell is she?"

Ruby looked at the carnage. Her opponent hadn't just been blasted into a container, she'd been blasted through one container and into another one. Penny was doing a great job at fighting her off, swords striking at her from all sorts of angles. Somehow, some way, the woman with two-toned hair was actually gaining ground, working overtime in dodging the swords, deflecting them and striking at Penny, even nicking her in places.

Before Yang, or anyone from Team RWBY could help Penny out, sirens blared all around them, heralding the police's arrival. In the blink of an eye, Ruby's former opponent disappeared in a crack of shattered glass. One of the bullheads was already in the sky, hauling off a cargo container full of Schnee Dust.

It was the only one, though. Ruby saw Sun knocking out the last few stragglers left standing among the White Fang. Another bullhead was destroyed entirely, laying in pieces, broken structures of ice and shallow craters marking the destruction this brawl had caused.

Ruby tried to take a step forward, but she stumbled. Yang caught her, while Blake set a steadying hand on Ruby's shoulder. Weiss had a fraught look of concern as she examined Ruby.

"I'm fine, you guys," Ruby said.

Weiss scoffed. "I disagree. But don't worry, Ruby, you're safe. We'll protect you."

"Yeah, we will," Blake said.

Yang bit her lip. "Yeah."

Ruby smiled. At least Weiss and Blake were agreeing on something. Not only that, they kept the White Fang from stealing all of the Dust, protected innocent lives from being harmed, and she beat nearly every opponent she fought without seriously injuring them.

Even though she was utterly defeating by a woman she only just met, and seconds away from being killed by her, she could take solace in what she achieved, in knowing that she was surrounded by people who would fight to protect her. That was the important part, not the fact that she wasn't good enough to win. She had people outside of her family that she could rely on.

People she could actually call friends.