Hi! So this chapter makes a reference to events that happened in chapter 4 just in case you needed a reminder :)

Chapter Text

"No way!" Exclaimed Yang, looking at Blake in disbelief. "You're mum's a Huntress from Shade?"

"Was." Blake quickly corrected, leaning back in the cushioned chair she was sitting on, her hand casually draped over the table before her and it held the air of a room well used. The study room was surprisingly welcome, sand coloured tables and chairs filled the majority of the space. Natural light streamed in from the large windows that made up one fo the walls, illuminating the photographs of previous graduates that hung across the other walls. "She quit being a Huntress when she found out she was pregnant with me."

"That explains the wicked moves she showed when she fought off the White Fang in Menagerie!" Loudly added Sun, as he slowly walked before the old photographs, eagerly trying to guess which one was Kali Belladonna. He half wondered if she'd look like Blake.

"Right… Menagerie." Yang muttered under her breath. That had been the first and only time they'd been a part for such a significant portion of time. The whole of team RWBY had been scattered across Remnant. Her sister had been in the wind and Weiss called back to Atlas. Blake had meant to make the journey back home alone while Yang recovered from her injury on Patch. However, while she'd been wallowing in self pity and resentment and wasting energy on being annoyed with Blake and her sudden departure, someone had chosen to go out of their way for the Faunus, to be there for her, even if she had wished to be alone. Someone not from their team or even from their Academy. That person had been Sun Wukong.

Maybe that was the reason why seeing the two Faunus together and getting along so well would leave a bitter taste in Yang's mouth. It was a reminder of her failure, that he had been there for Blake when she had not. In truth, that may have been only one of the reasons why, but she was in no mood to address the rest right now.

"According to dad, mum's team was pretty famous around the academy." Blake continued to explain, unbeknownst of her teammate's thoughts. "Much like Team STRQ was in Beacon."

Blake smiled as she said this, and Yang could do little else but reciprocate the expression, although it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Team STRQ?" Sun casually asked, looking over his shoulders and away from a photograph of a number of students with hairdos a few decades out of style.

"My Parents' and Qrow's team when they were in Beacon." Yang simply explained.

"Awesome." Breathed out Sun, continuing with his search. "Wouldn't it be epic if they'd known each other as students?"

"The chances of that happening are pretty slim." Admitted Blake. "But mum doesn't talk about Shade or her teammates much anymore."

"Had something happened?'' It wasn't unheard of for teams to split up after graduating, but Yang couldn't imagine fighting Grimm with anyone else besides Ruby, Blake and Weiss.

"She used to when I was very young." Blake corrected. "But then she suddenly stopped, I don't know why."

"I think I found her!" Excitedly yelled Sun, his tail twitching in response. He peered at the photograph before him, straining his eyes against the sun faded photo at a young woman with cat ears that was standing amongst her teammates. She really did look a lot like Blake, although her battle attire echoed more her Eastern heritage than Blake's did. She was smiling beside two of her classmates- a man with curly brown hair and dark eyes who was looking at the photographer as if seriously questioning why he was there. Standing between the two, her arms draped around their shoulders, a ginger haired girl was broadly smiling. Feathers were braided into her long hair, her eyes closed in response to her own smile. Standing in the corner, away from the trio, was the final member of her team, a man whose dark hair was slicked back into a braid, his pincer tipped tail barely visible over his shoulder as he looked out of the photograph in annoyance, his stinger posed as if ready to strike down anyone who dared to look upon this photograph. 'Team BTKV' was written under the photograph, along with the names of who made it up.

Sun couldn't help but give a low whistle. Kali's team had quite the renowned names in it, not all of them for good reasons. Looking at them closely he could somewhat recognise Dr Dell and Valerian Carrie in the photograph however, if it hadn't been written, he was certain he'd never have recognised them and the pair were quite well known at Shade Academy. As for Tyrian, he never knew he'd been a student of Shade, most likely not one of the alumni graduates they proudly advertised. Looking more closely, he still had the same manic gleam in his eyes, that seemed to have survived the passage of time quite well.

Sun excitedly opened his mouth to call to his companions again, not only had he found her, but they'd never have guessed who her teammates were! However, as he did so, another sound filled the air, one not produced by Sun Wukong.

A scream.

A scream that echoed through the halls, but was cut off as quickly as it began. Blake and Yang frantically got to their feet, the scraping of chairs against tiling a superficial sound after the scream that had just pierced through them.

"What was that?!" Blake demanded, looking at Yang.

"I don't know, but definitely not something good." She replied, pulling her arms in slightly and arming her gauntlets. Blake turned to Sun who nodded his head in agreement, already retrieving his nunchucks from his belt. Blake was the first one out of the study room, however she'd barely taken a step out before she suddenly stopped, Sun and Yang, who had closely been following her, almost crashing into her as a result.

"What's wrong?" Yang questioned, worried, but Blake did not respond. Her ears were pressed firmly against her head, her body shaking slightly. Her grip on her swords tightened but it did little to reduce the tremor. Her golden eyes were wide as plates and, for a moment, Blake looked so very small, and so very terrified.

It took Yang only a glance to understand what had induced such a reaction from her teammate. Her own eyes widened, and she swore under her breath.

Not him, not again.

How many times did this foul man have to fall before he'd stop haunting the two of them?

Was this truly him? He somehow looked different from the last time she'd faced him. There he'd looked like he had in life- his true intentions hidden behind a mask, his sword bathed in blood. When things had finally calmed in Atlas, Oscar had explained what that thing they'd encountered in Monstra had been- the Chill. A possession type Grimm that had sieved through their minds to try and stop them reaching Salem's palace. It had created flimsy copies of those they'd lost or killed, to tug either at their hearts or their fear. For Jaune it had been Pyrrah Nikos, for Ren it had been his father and for her… she'd been gifted another encounter with this man.

Adam Taurus had been her opponent during that confrontation. He had been simply an empty echo of the man she'd lost her arm to. His strength had barely been a portion of what they'd struggled so much to overcome almost a year before. It had been almost comical, a single hit had been enough to turn him back into the dark sludge he'd been made from. However, like, at last, the stains of his life had manifested themselves onto his being, the Adam Taurus that stood before them now looked far less like a man, but rather, a monster.

Then again, even before his defeat, it had been many years since Adam Taurus could have been considered a man. The monster, now, had just taken a more apparent form.

In many aspects he still appeared to be humanoid, standing on two legs and draped in the same black and red attire he'd worn the last time Yang had seen him. But the monster overlapped with the human beyond that. His clothes were tattered and the mask he wore upon his face was different from what he'd usually worn. The slits through which his eyes should have been had a faint red glow, and the skull-like mask extended skywards to end in a pair of jagged horns, their ivory white tips gleaming in the light. Similar, white plates protected his lower arms, each one protruding backwards into a number of white spikes.

He looked at the new arrivals, and an evil grin spread across his once handsome face to reveal a number of jointed teeth, as if, since the last they'd met, he'd filed them to a point.

The unexpected appearance of Adam Taurus, the Faunus that had stolen Yang's arm from her and crushed both Blake's spirit and heart had caused them all to stop in their tracks. Not even in their wildest dreams had they expected him to appear before them at Shade Academy. But it was the unmoving body of Velvet Scarlatina that filled them with forlorning. Blood ran down her painfully pale face, the colour living up to her name. She was crumpled on the ground, the only thing keeping her upright was the iron hard grip Adam had on her ears, one of which was the source of the bleed. She looked at her companions, her large brown eyes vacant and, for a horrid moment, fear gripped them all. Was she still alive?

However the Huntress-to-be let out a shaky, uneven breath and it superficially filled them with relief, just barely covering the terror that hindered their movement. For now, Velvet was alive. However, how long would that last? It hadn't been long since they'd heard that scream and the signs of a fight were minimal and yet the Faunus had somehow already been brought down to such a state. How was simply one of the many questions that raced across their minds.

How was this possible?

How was he back?

How had he survived that fall?

How has he subdued Velvet so quickly?

How? How? How?

"Velvet!" Sun called, the least phased at seeing Adam's reappearance. Of course, he had only heard stories, he had not been there when he'd been killed. He had not been tormented by the man as Blake and Yang had been, torn to pieces and left alone to put their own lives back together again.

However, if Velvet heard him, she did not respond. Her eyes continued to look past them, focusing on the distance. One hand draped limply across her camera bag, its clasp still closed. There was nothing stopping her from reaching towards it and fighting back. Yet, she did not.

"What have you done to her!" Sun called, outraged. This man, Yang had told him she and Blake had killed him. How was he here, now? Hurting his companions as he had done back in Beacon and Haven?. "I thought he was dead."

"So did I." Yang replied, her teeth gritted so harshly it felt as if she may cause cracks to form. Seeing this man filled her with the same contempt and disgust she'd felt when she'd encountered his copy back in Monstra. It had been several days later when the feeling had finally faded.

Was this another apparition like of that horrid night? Those creatures had been easy enough to destroy, they had been nothing more than mere shadows, destroyed by the weakest of hits.

Yang carefully looked towards Blake. They had told the others of their encounter with the Chill and Yang had silently been thankful that, for that one occasion, Blake had been nowhere in sight. She'd never wanted to see the fear that now filled her golden eyes. Her hands were grasping her swords, shaking openly at the sight of him. She had bravely fought against him before however she had not been prepared to face this ghost that now stood before them. Was this her curse? That Adam Taurus would continue to walk in her shadow, following her, for the rest of her life?

"It's a trick of Salem's." Yang tried to reassure her. Carefully putting her gloved hand on Blake's shoulder, her comforting touch aiding with her tremor slightly. "This is not Adam, he's gone."

"Are you so sure about that?" Adam very slowly said, as if he had needed time to think of and vocalise the words.

"We saw you fall." Yang answered, standing up straighter and raising her arms to above her chest.

"Yes, you did." Adam slowly answered, taking a small number of steps towards them, dragging Velvet by the ears like an old blanket.

"Was he always this weird?" Sun hissed beside her, raising his staff, his blue eyes never leaving his teammate.

"He always had a screw missing." But Yang knew what he meant. The apparition she had met of Adam back in Monstra had moved and spoken just like him but this one sounded more hesitant like he was still learning to speak.

"We need to get Velvet away from him." Insisted Sun.

"I know." It wasn't often she agreed with Sun but this was one occasion she did so without question."But we need to warn Ruby, whatever this thing is, it means Salem's here."

Sun nodded his head in understanding and he shot Blake a quick glance. She had not moved and seemed ready to continue staring at the ghost for some time more. Had Adam's reappearance startled her that much? Without hesitating, Sun retrieved his Scroll from his pocket. They had to warn the others .

Sun blinked at the screen, momentarily looking away from Adam. However, it all happened too fast, Yang's eyes had barely begun to shift to red when Adam suddenly appeared between them, an ivory sword in his hand.

"Can't have that now." He mocked, gripping Sun's hand and twisting it so roughly the bone cracked. The Scroll fell to the ground and the Faunus was pulled over his shoulder and sent crashing onto the communication device. Sun let out a pained gasp as stars played before his eyes. So fast and so strong… had Adam always been like this?

Yang blinked, her movements feeling sluggish compared to Adam's abnormal speed. He hadn't had a sword before, up close it seemed to be made of the same bone-like material as his gauntlets, it most definitely was not the same weapon he'd fought with in their previous encounters. With graceful motions and without sparing Sun another glance on the ground, Adam stopped before Blake, his head tilting to the side as the Huntress looked up at him with frightened eyes. The sound of her weapons rattling in her hands filled the air. Her ears flattened against her head and, as if she were a real cat, her short hair seemed to bristle. The man took another step towards Blake, ignoring her reaction, and raised a gloved hand to her pale cheek. Streaks of blood painted where he touched , Velvet's blood a stark contrast against her flash.

"My love." Adam whispered, never looking away from the woman.

"Get away from her!" Yelled Yang, her hair glowing in response to her outburst and she raised her hand ready to hit the man. However her motions were halted by a single hand, raised in response to her yell before he'd even turned to look at her. He'd stopped her as if she were nothing more than an irritating fly… even if he had blocked, that attack would have been enough to destroy the previous copy she'd dealt with. This one was different, but they'd known that part. The real question was, how was this one different?

"I see she still keeps you on a leash beside her." Adam observed, tightening his grip on her hand and causing Yang to cry out as the metal creaked in response.

"Stop it." Begged Blake, her voice barely audible. She had not expected him to listen but, maybe, his hearing too had been enhanced for Adam stopped increasing the pressure and turned his attention back to Blake.

"Didn't you miss me, my love?" Adam insisted, his voice remaining calm.

Blake wanted to take a step back but her feet, the same feet that had always urged her to run away, refused to move. Each word he uttered felt like acid polluting her mind, eroding away every thought but one- how was he here?

"She said get away from here!" Adam dodged Sun's strike with ease and an irritated 'tsk', as he was forced to release Yang who staggered to a halt. He gracefully stopped between the group and where Velvet was lying, unmoving, on the ground, the rise and fall of her chest barely visible. "You think you can beat me with just a stick?"

"No," Sun admitted, putting his knuckles together. "But five sticks will defInitely leave more of a mark. "

While he said this, five golden images of himself appeared around him, each one raising his staff in anticipation.

A sly smile spread across Adam's face, revealing his pointed teeth once again. He extended his sword as the first of Sun's replicas charged at him, the sound of metal hitting something that wasn't quite metal, filling the air

"Blake!" Yang hissed, momentarily turning to her teammate as Sun and his copies continued to distract the man.

"I was so stupid, Yang!" Instantly began Blake, if possible her eyes becoming wider and her ears flattening so much they almost disappeared within her own hair. Her voice shook as she spoke. Although remaining low, the hysteria within it began to rise. The instinct to run, to escape that predator, was almost overpowering. "I should have known he'd come back! He always does! I thought the two of us... last time… We can't fight him again! We have to get away-"

However Blake's final statement was cut short as the sound of flash hitting flash echoed through the air. It was only when the pain swelled in her cheek did she finally comprehend that Yang had just slapped her.

"Blake." Yang sternly said her name, hair violet eyes never leaving her golden ones.

However Yang never got to say what she intended to as she was knocked off her feet and sent crashing into the wall. Yang's Aura flickered at the impact, and she watched, partially dazed, as Adam stood a few centimetres away from Blake.

"How dare she hurt that pretty face of yours?" Whispered Adam, raising his hand to her cheek once again. But, before he could touch her, Blake raised her own and stopped him. His hand felt strange in hers, an unnatural combination of hot and cold.

"The only one who ever hurt me was you." She finally answered, a steeliness entering her eyes, her tremors easing ever so slightly.

And that's the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed it and thank you so much for reading. Next chapter will be up on Tuesday, see you then :D