Take a guess.
Ruby chewed her lip as she considered the situation before her. She could call in a pack of Beowolves to aid the Ursa Minor but that would put Jaune at risk and while she didn't care if he lived or died, it would force her to explain what happened.
Or maybe not. The forest was huge and the team had no way of knowing where Jaune and CRDL would be but Yang had followed after Jaune, so she would have to fight as well, simply to make it believable.
She nearly growled with the choice ahead of her. Meanwhile, CRDL was proving how ill-equipped they were dealing with even the simplest of Grimm. They were panicking, stumbling over themselves. Such pathetic whelps didn't deserve to survive in this world.
It was a thought shared seemingly by the whole team as Weiss, Yang and Ruby's eyes started glowing. Blake noticed but didn't comment on it.
Jaune moved into the first Ursa's attack, his shield rising to block the bear's swipe. He stopped it, which surprised most of team RWBY.
"Blake, Yang. Take the second Ursa. The rest of Juniper is coming." Ruby said as she rose from her low position. "Weiss with me." She walked out of the trees with Crescent Rose unfolding behind her.
Blake was quick to move, throwing out a shadow clone to distract the second Ursa away from Jaune. Yang was fast to land a solid blow against the Ursa Major's head.
Ruby was about to sweep in with Crescent Rose but was stopped by NPR turning up. Pyrrha took one look at the situation and waved her off. Ruby raised her brow slightly but signalled Weiss to stay back.
Weiss didn't say a word as she stayed a step behind Ruby, Myrtenaster at the ready. Neither needed to act as Jaune rolled out of the way of a swipe. The Ursa turned to follow him, snarling loudly.
Weiss leaned into Ruby's side. "Five Lien says he dismembers it."
Ruby couldn't help but smirk. "I'll take that bet. Five says he bisects it." The pair shared an amused look. NPR looked to them curiously, having missed the bet taking place.
Pyrrha kept her eyes on Jaune, helping him where his guard was too low or guiding his feet so he didn't trip over a branch in his way.
Behind him, Blake and Yang were working on their own Ursa. Ruby could feel Yang's reluctance. Ursa were her most common Grimm soldiers. Blake cast the final blow on the Ursa and the pair stepped back, panting softly.
Meanwhile, Jaune had stepped it up a notch. He'd ducked another swipe and stepped in close, a dangerous move but one that allowed him to avoid the paws.
He drew his sword back and swung for the neck. It wasn't a clean swipe and his sword bit into thick muscle and fur.
The three teams stood watching as the Ursa toppled over, Jaune going with it as his sword was firmly lodged in its neck. He paused as he looked around a bit sheepishly, the Grimm becoming ash around him.
"Well, we found him" Yang raised her hands and Ruby snorted in amusement, shaking her head as she looked at JNPR, now reunited. Her eyes swept over a pathetic CRDL.
The four girls of Team RWBY turn and begin to leave, Yang threateningly cracking her knuckles as she passes by them. When they were far enough away, Yang turned to Blake and Ruby.
"Right, so what happened with the camp?" She asked, tossing blonde locks over her shoulder. Ruby looked at Blake with a raised brow.
"They're doing well, the deal made with Roman Torchwick while Adam was alive is still strong and Roman is working for your Cinder?" Ruby nodded confirmation. "Then everything is going to plan. For them."
Ruby stopped and turned to face her. Blake lifted her chin as her arms crossed over her chest. "Very well. We've been here long enough. Tonight you and I will try to get the information you seek." Blake nodded her approval and turned, leaving the three other members behind.
Weiss watched her go before she turned to Yang and Ruby. "She seems upset."
"Probably about her ex." Yang shrugged before heading back to the clearing to collect their sap jars, only to find all of them empty.
"NORA!"
~~~~~
Upon arrival back at Beacon and with no additional classes for the day, Ruby and Blake returned to their dorm room to get some planning in before a nap.
"I've been looking over the school plans. There are many things left out, I'm sure but for now, what we need is here." She points at Ozpin's tower and Blake's brows shoot up, her ears pinning back as she looked at it.
"Well, I guess he would have everything we need to know about up there." She let out a long breath.
"True, but we don't need to go all the way up. Glynda's office has everything we need and it will be a lot easier to sneak into on account that Glynda doesn't live in it as Ozpin does."
"Why do you know that?" Blake asked, looking at Ruby puzzled. She shrugged in response.
"It's good to know such things." She turns back to the map. "Perhaps it would be easier when Glynda has a class." she paused, considering her words. "Do we know when Glynda has a class next that isn't us?"
Blake looked at her from the corners of her eyes, wondering how she knew Ozpin lived in his office but not when other people had classes. "The third years have combat training for four hours tomorrow." She said simply, letting her questions fall away.
"Wha-? Four hours?" Ruby turned to her flabbergasted and Blake struggled to school her features.
"It's an exam. Glynda wants to make sure they're all up to a drawn-out battle as it can happen."
"Huh." Ruby shook her head slightly. "Right, okay then, we'll get the information tomorrow. Now we get to rest up properly." She turned, a massive gigawatt smile blinding an unsuspecting Blake.
She blinked at her deranged leader. One second she was scheming murder and the next, she was a regular fifteen-year-old girl.
She shook her head, steadily getting used to Ruby's massive smiles. They were changing from startling to warming and she liked seeing the little reaper smile.
She paused, realising what she was feeling and quickly shook the thought away. She was using her and vice versa.
So why did she now feel so uneasy about what she was feeling?
~~~~~
Blake dreamed of blood that night. She dreamed of Ruby, Yang and even Weiss working their way through the students of Beacon.
Blood dripped off Gambol Shroud's blade, stained her clothes and filled the air. Blake was panting as she looked around for her next victim. Her heart pounded in her chest, excitement and adrenaline shooting through her. It was a heady mix.
She was aware she was back in her White Fang mask and clothes. They all were in the clothes that relayed who they were. Even the ever prim and proper Weiss Schnee had blood-soaked garments.
She wore what looked like a military uniform; knee-high boots covered her feet and calves, leading to slightly loose pants and a solid black belt. Her shirt was hidden from Blake by her commander's cloak that covered her body's right side. The inner lining was bright red and glittering gold, but the thing that drew Blake's attention was the White Fang porcelain mask that hid her features.
She turned to look at Ruby and Yang, noting that the sisters were also wearing the mask's variations. While Weiss wore one with two sharp points, Ruby wore one that had a small snout. Yang's was a lot bulkier than the reaper's and featured multiple layers with an inverted triangle crest.
Blake knew the variations well. Ruby's was the recon wolf, a particular branch that scouted ahead of any main battle force. Yang belonged to the Paladins, a heavy combat force that was berserker in nature. Even Weiss' screech owl was a nod to the spymasters and information gatherers.
Blake reached up, feeling smooth porcelain under her fingers. It was a standard-issue mask and she smiled as she touched it. Assassins didn't need to stand out from the regular grunts.
Blake watched as a monkey Faunus engaged with Weiss. He was yelling at her that what they were doing wasn't helping Faunus and Faunus' rights.
She watched Weiss laugh in his face and couldn't help but smile as she watched Weiss cut him down. Faunus that wouldn't help themselves didn't deserve the world they strove to create.
She made her way through the bloody battlefield. The monkey Faunus was still alive, the brutal strike having broken his aura. Blake made sure that he didn't get a chance to get back up as Gambol Shroud sunk into his throat.
"Weiss, my love." She purred the words in greeting, catching the heiress by surprise as she looked up at her. Blake was smirking as she reached out and grabbed her chin, holding her still so she could claim a kiss from her once enemy.
Weiss reciprocated, lips moving against Blake's for a moment before they were pulled apart by a battle cry. Students from other schools were rallying and charging at the pair.
"White Fang!" Blake yelled and the grunts behind them stepped forward, preparing to open fire on the charging students, led by none other than team JNPR.
Blake shot up in her bed before the two sides could clash and her head snapped around, taking in the quiet dorm.
Her heart was pounding in her chest but the heady rush of battle and the joy she had felt wasn't the cause. She looked at her teammates and she could still see the White Fang masks they'd worn. She pulled in a desperate breath to calm herself down.
She frowned slightly, wondering why they had been wearing the masks but it had felt right, seeing them in the both White Fang masks and their true combat attire.
Something else that had felt right.
She had kissed Weiss. Even if it was a dream, it had certainly felt real enough. She took a deep breath and dragged her hand down her face.
She rose silently from her bunk and left the room to get some air. She walked the hallways for a while, deep in her thoughts and ended up on the roof.
She looked up at the sky, clouds covered most of the shattered moon but she watched them darken and lighten the night as they came and went.
Surprisingly, the person who found her wasn't any of RWBY. It was Pyrrha.
"Hello there."
Blake nearly jumped off the roof in fright as the hello woke her from her daydream. She turned and looked at the amazon.
"Hi… Pyrrha." She nearly grimaced at her slight hesitation. "What brings you up here at this hour?"
"I come up here to clear my head sometimes." She looked up at the sky, a soft smile on her lips. "I see I'm not the only one. Want to talk about it?" She looked at the girl beside her.
Blake shook her head. "I just needed some air. I had a bad dream." She sighed heavily, not about to tell her that they had been at war against each other. She reached up to rub her eyes tiredly and shook her head. "What time is it anyway?"
"Thirteen past five."
Blake blinked and pulled out her scroll to check. "Oh." She blinked at the time and then looked up at the sky. It was still very dark and she let out a long breath, hand scrubbing over her tired eyes.
Pyrrha stood quietly beside her, looking up still. Blake was tempted to ask what exactly brought her up there but reframed. She could still feel her mask covering her skin and had to reach up to reassure herself that it wasn't actually there.
"I should get back to my dorm," Blake spoke up after a moment and Pyrrha turned to give her a gentle smile.
"Alright, I'll see you later, Blake."
Blake left with a wave, returning to the shared room. She stepped inside with a soft sigh and rubbed her sore eyes.
"Where have you been?" She nearly leapt out of her skin as Yang spoke from the top bunk, grinning at her.
"I just needed some air." Blake looked away from the blonde, causing her to frown and drop from her bunk.
"You've been out half the night. I think it's a bit more than just some air." She came to a stop before the cat and Blake looked up at her hesitating.
"It's nothing important." Her eyes scanned Yang's face. The Paladin mask fits her nicely, in both shape and meaning. She quickly looked away, which caused Yang's brow to rise.
"That doesn't look like nothing, Kitty cat." Blake let the name slide this time as she reached up and ruffled her ears before she froze, Pyrrha had seen them. She could feel chills running down her spine at the realisation. "What's wrong?"
She blinked back to Yang and reached up to cup her ears. "I just realised Pyrrha saw my ears." Her voice was very soft as she looked at Yang.
Yang smiled back at her softly. "It's just Pyrrha. I doubt she'll tell a soul about them." She tried to reassure her and Blake ended up taking a deep breath, slowly nodding. Pyrrha was trustworthy about those kinds of things. "Come on. You should get some rest before attempting to sneak into Goodwitch's office."
Blake nodded again and walked towards her bed, already lost in her thoughts. Meanwhile, Yang watched her intently; that searching look she had given her had made her curious and she wanted to know what Blake was searching for.
~~~~~
"Hey, Rubes." Ruby turned, her head tilting as she rocked back on her heels, avoiding Yang's punch. "Have you noticed Blake acting strange?"
Ruby hummed as she ducked under a roundhouse kick. "You mean looking intently at our faces and then avoiding eye contact or the fact she can't look at Weiss without turning red or looking contemplative and confused?"
Yang huffed softly. "Yeah, that." She shook her head, blonde locks swaying and missed Ruby's retaliatory punch.
The pair were sparring, passing the time in combat class. Once the girls finish with this, Ruby and Blake would be sneaking into Goodwitch's office to find the list of all current huntsmen and huntresses. They were keeping their activities light.
"What do you think happened?" Yang asked, blocking Ruby's next punch. Her head turned as she watched Blake narrowly dodge a fist from Nora.
"I honestly have no idea. It seems to be important as Blake keeps touching her face after looking at us. Like she's checking for something." A grunt followed Ruby's words as Yang's fist connected with her shoulder. "Point."
Yang nodded her agreement and stopped to take a breath. Most people thought the blonde simple, but she was observant and after having looked out for Ruby for years, she could notice small changes most others missed.
Ruby lunged at her, causing Yang to sidestep, avoiding the incoming fist. Her foot slid out to trip Ruby at the last second and she ended up flying past Yang, landing heavily on her front. Yang turned, walking towards her and offering a hand.
"Point." Ruby groaned into the floor, having not moved as she tried to stop the pain in her face.
Yang chuckled softly and helped her sister up, giving her a little dusting. "So, your thoughts on Blake?"
"No clue, I can't tell you what she's feeling."
Yang hummed softly, rubbing her jaw as she looked at their dark member. She considered her before Ruby socked her in the eye. She stumbled back in surprise, her aura flaring to absorb her blow.
"Nice hit, sis." She shook her head, rubbing her temple and smiling.
Ruby flashed a light-hearted smile back at her before she stumbled away, Yang having thrown a straight punch at her but didn't hit her.
Ruby blinked before she shook her head, a small smile on her lips before she could retaliate, Glynda was calling a five-minute break and switching partners.
~~~~~
"Are you ready, Blake?" Ruby asked, leaning softly against the door and wearing a black-lined cloak.
Blake took a long breath before she nodded. Classes had started and they'd waited ten minutes for stragglers to arrive. Weiss and Yang had gone ahead, stating Yang had punched Blake too hard and made her ill so Ruby was looking after her. It was a story they had come up with on the spot in combat class.
It had worked well to leave that class early and now that Blake was not only feeling better, Yang had hit her pretty hard, breaking her aura but also letting things settle so they could move about freely.
"Let's go." Ruby opened the door, sliding out into the corridor with Blake hot on her heels.
The pair slipped through the halls, avoiding students with free time and heading for Glynda's office. It took longer than most trips would but they were intent on not being seen. They were applying methods they already used back in the Schnee manor. They went via the high ceilings, thankful that hardly anyone ever looked up and when they did, the pair melted into shadows.
Blake let out a long breath as they reached Gylnda's office. "What if she has wards around her office?"
"Then we go quick and keep our heads down." Ruby twirled her cloak so that the black lining was on the outside. It gave her a sinister feel and Blake quickly looked back to the office door.
They stood watching for a moment before Ruby suddenly and silently dropped down. She landed with a soft thump and a rustle of fabric. Blake was only a few seconds behind her and watched Ruby twist the handle.
"Locked." She stated simply and Blake reached for her pouch of subtle tools. She was thankful to have something to focus on other than Ruby's seemingly moving cloak.
It took a little fiddling, Ruby kept watch for her but soon there was a solid thunk and the door was open. They cautiously entered and seeing it empty, raced to Gylnda's terminal.
"Keep watch," Blake ordered, automatically beginning to work on the encrypted computer to get every record it contained.
Ruby raised her brow but a smile curled her lips as she watched the cat Faunus work. She stayed by the door, ears pricked for the sound of footsteps.
Blake slid the burner scroll into the slot. Weiss had been kind enough to get them one with a large amount of memory. Blake drummed her fingers against the desk.
"How long?" She looked up at Ruby's voice then back to the download bar. She chewed her lip, watching the bar fill at a slow pace.
"How long will Goodwitch be gone?" Ruby checked the time on her scroll.
"From now? If nothing goes wrong, three hours and twelve minutes."
Blake bit her lip as she considered Ruby's words. She didn't want to miss anything but it was taking too long already and she was beginning to get antsy.
"Breath," Ruby spoke from beside her and she nearly leapt out of her skin at the reaper's position switch. She ended up taking a startled breath while Ruby leaned down to look at the screen.
"Even if we want to leave before the class ends, which is an excellent idea, that still leaves us with at least two hours and fifty minutes if not three hours." She laid a hand on Blake's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze that Blake did not appreciate.
"I… know. I just don't want to miss anything." She spoke at last and heard a rustle of fabric as Ruby nodded.
"I know but even if we get cut short today, if we do not get caught, we can come back and collect the rest and knowing you, we won't be." Her tone had an edge to it and Blake looked at her. She had a knowing expression that sent shivers down Blake's spine and sent nearly all her instincts into defence mode.
"Right." She turned back to the screen to ignore them. Ruby's hand left her shoulder and the scythe wielder returned to her post by the door, already looking bored.
The hours ticked by slowly—the data taking its sweet time to download. Blake was pacing restlessly around the room while Ruby watched her, mildly amused at how she couldn't stay still.
It was approaching the three-hour mark when there was a happy little ding and Blake nearly leapt over the desk to get to the computer. As the time had dragged on and the deadline had approached, Ruby too had begun to get antsy.
"It's done!" Blake nearly cheered but managed to contain herself.
"Good, let's get out of here." Blake nodded in agreement as she grabbed the scroll and set things back to how they'd initially been or as close as she could remember.
She pocketed the scroll and the pair slipped out of the office. "Do we re-lock the door?" Blake asked, squinting at it and Ruby shrugged.
"Can you do that?" She simply asked.
Blake paused before she shook her head and closed the door. "It would take more time than we have." Ruby nodded, already twirling her cloak back to red and the two began to creep their way back across Beacon campus.
"How did it go?" Yang asked as she and Weiss entered the dorm room.
"We have everything we need," Ruby spoke from her bunk. Blake was searching through the scroll; their curtains closed to give them some privacy.
"A lot of school reports we didn't need." She didn't look up as she scrolled through files, looking intently for what she needed to find. "Huh, that's interesting."
"What is it?" Weiss asked as she reached up, beginning to take her hair out of the lopsided ponytail she wore.
"Jaune's papers here, they look different to the other papers and they're in a file of their own." Blake shook her head, swiping the file into a different folder.
Weiss raised a brow as she walked to her desk and took a seat, setting out their homework for the night.
"Anything else interesting?" Yang asked as she pulled her shirt off, already heading for the bathroom.
"A general list of graduated huntsmen and huntresses, some have marks next to their names."
"Is that not what you were looking for?" Weiss asked, frowning as Yang's shirt flew across the room and landed on the blonde's bed.
"Y-es…" Blake sounded distracted as she slowly moved down the list.
Ruby leaned over on her bunk to look at the ravenette. "What is it?" She asked, head tilting slightly.
"There are different marks. I think…" she trailed off, tapping on a name to check if she was correct. "Yes, these are deceased marks, the circle with a cross through it."
"Oh? What other marks are there?" Weiss inquired, beginning to brush her hair out.
"Regular crosses and names with lines through them." Weiss paused and rose, making her way over to Blake's bunk before she sat and leaned into her to see the scroll's screen.
Ruby watched as Blake jolted before her cheeks went red. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the display. That was interesting.
"Hmm, I see. You would think the lines through the names would be deceased." Weiss considered the screen, drawing Blake's attention back to it.
She frowned slightly, head tilting and in the act almost laying on Blake's shoulder. "Click on one for me."
Blake clicked on a crossed-out name and the file came up before them. "Flunked out?" She frowned slightly, backing out of that file to connect another. "Too mentally unstable to be a hunter, now working as a mercenary…."
"Failures," Weiss stated, standing back up and returning to her desk.
"I don't know, there are others that are simple failures, and they have a boxed cross by their names." Blake was still frowning at the scroll.
"How many have lines through their names?" Ruby spoke up and Blake's ears flicked as she began to count through them.
"A few, not that many." She responded, looking up at the girl above her.
Ruby was lightly tapping her fingers. "What if they're people that oppose hunters and huntresses?"
"That could be it," Blake spoke as she looked at the deceptively long list.
She continued looking through the list while Ruby and Weiss got started on homework, Weiss coaching Ruby through the uses of dust and all its properties.
Yang exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam, the smell of citrus filling the air. "How'd it go?" Three heads turned to her and she raised a brow expectantly.
"Well," Blake responded after a moment of considering the scroll before her. Yang smiled as she headed towards her bunk.
"Good, so who's getting food for us?" She asked and Ruby sighed softly.
"I'll go, Weiss, come with me?" She turned puppy dog eyes that had the heiress shuddering from the unnatural look.
"Yes! Fine! Stop that." She demanded as she turned away from the look, making Yang laugh. She reached up, beginning to put her hair back up.
The red and white duo left the room and Yang moved to her bunk. "Hey Kitty cat, do you know what to look for in that?"
Blake looked at the blonde before frowning back at the scroll. "No, but once we have Weiss' data, we can cross-reference it."
Yang hummed as she nodded agreement, leaning back against the bunks, thinking about what might happen.
"What will you do if he isn't in the files?"
Blake flinched at the simple question but took a deep breath before she straightened. "Once we have the Schnee information, it won't matter. This mission is so that we can get an advantage over any hunter that dares try to stop us." She clenched her hands, half in anger and half to hide their shaking.
Yang nodded as she watched her. If they were to continue together, she'd have to have the ichor. Yang sighed softly, leaning her head back and considered stepping outside to have a smoke although her mother's warning was still in her ears about getting caught. She let out a heavier sigh as she reframed from having one.
She wasn't sure about the ichor; recently, it had changed, formed something else. In some ways, it scared her and it felt like there was a solid lump of pulsing corruption in her chest. While she was used to the feel of full-body taint, this growth felt unnatural.
"What is it?" Blake asked. Having watched Yang's face while she got lost in thoughts, she'd seen the expressions flick across it, from contemplation and longing to resignation, followed by concern and then a tiny frown.
"Ah, nothing, just considering if I should step out or stay in." Yang waved her off, moving to hop onto her bunk. She closed her eyes, ignoring the growth and instead felt for the familiarness of Weiss and Ruby's ichor. She could feel them at the cafeteria and let out a soft huff. It would take them another ten minutes or so to return with everything.
She wondered what it would be like to feel Blake when she had the ichor? If she had the ichor, she had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't a guaranteed situation. The Faunus could leave them once they killed the hunter she was after.
She frowned, suddenly aware of a heavy feeling on her chest. She didn't particularly like the feel, the idea of Blake leaving. She slowly took a deep breath, relieving the weight, if only by a little.
She focused back on Ruby and Weiss, just getting a general feel of their movements. They seemed to be talking together but about what, Yang had no clue. "Probably dust homework" was the thought that passed through her mind.
She perked up as they began heading back, she could tell by Ruby's general movements that Ruby was excited about something but she had no clue what. If she was reading Weiss right, the heiress was exasperated although listening as she was raised to do.
She chuckled softly to herself, making Blake's ears twitch. Yang rolled over to watch her. She wanted to reach down and gently rub her ears but didn't dare. She knew Blake would probably fight her if she did, so instead, she watched them flick around to every sound.
"What is it, Yang?" She asked after a moment, tilting her head back to look at the blonde and making her start.
"Oh! Ah, nothing. I was just watching your ears and how active they are. Does wearing your bow hurt them?" She asked, head tilting in a way that Blake had noticed Ruby doing.
She paused, lowering the scroll for the first time in hours. She considered Yang's question, reaching up to gently rub the furry appendages.
"Sometimes. I have to keep it tight, there are a lot of unintentional movements, so I have to keep them still." She waved her hand slightly and Yang hummed as she considered her words.
"You could remove it. I'm sure that the staff all know."
"Yes but the students don't and I would rather not draw attention to us in that way." Yang frowned at her words.
"What's wrong with showing your ears?"
Blake looked up at her, an amused smile on her face. "I am the leader of the Vale sector of the White Fang. I am a rather well-known figurehead for Faunus in Vale, if not an elusive shadow."
Yang pursed her lips before she nodded. "Right, someone could realise who you are and inform the others. Sorry, it didn't occur to me that that might happen."
Blake shook her head, mouth opening to respond before the door opened and Ruby and Weiss entered. "I got cookies!"
Yang snorted as Blake jumped in surprise at the excited and loud declaration. Weiss shook her head, amused but utterly exasperated by the sugar fiend.
"So, what's for dinner?" Blake asked, setting the scroll down to meet her two teammates.
"You're lucky I managed to grab some as Lady Rose here was trying her hardest to get me to carry back two trays of cookies as well." Weiss set down her treys which held a variety of pasta meals on them.
Yang rolled her eyes as Ruby sat down her treys which were nearly overflowing with cookies.
"Well then, let's dig in. We still have homework." There were groans from the three other girls but they grabbed some food and sat down to eat together.
Zenlord22 & Scooter