Red like Roses

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, Kingdom Hearts, or the characters associated with them as they are the property of Monty Oum, Rooster Teeth, Tetsuya Nomura, and Square Enix in respect to who they are associated with.

"Talking"

Thoughts

Ch. 7

Quite a few days had passed since Weiss and Blake successfully finished their dive and earned the right to wield a keyblade.

But much to Ruby's chagrin they have still yet to summon them.

Laying down on the grass alone in contemplation, she had a faint idea why.

Though they have been teammates for some time now she still felt their reservation.

Weiss and Blake had found what they were looking for during their dive. However they have still yet to commit to it. They were both still hesitant.

"But I can understand" as Ruby gave a weary smile. It had been several years since she touched that ancient keyblade. Not only did it bestow her with great power but great wisdom as well. She understood that what kept her teammates from reaching this power was fear.

After all change was scary. It was natural for anyone to be scared as they constantly question themselves. What if I'm not strong enough? What if it's too hard? What if it doesn't work out? These were always very common things that have led to self-doubt. However some of the best things in life take hard work to achieve. She had no doubt that Weiss and Blake would find the resolve they needed to get them over that last hump.

Sitting up as she hugged her knees, she overlooked the courtyard of the school. There were a lot of new faces around due to the Vytal festival tournament. It was the time where students from the four kingdoms would gather putting their pride on the line as they represent their respective schools. Honestly, she would be lying if she wasn't excited to test her skills against some of the best and brightest hunters and huntresses around.

With no classes or training to attend team RWBY were wandering around town as it was bustling in preparation for the upcoming festivities.

But for where they were going specifically, "can someone remind my why we are spending our Friday afternoon at the stupid docks?" Yang questioned.

"I heard students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today" Weiss explained as she was acting unusually polite. "And as a representative of Beacon, I feel it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom".

"She wants to spy on them so that she could have the upper hand in the tournament" Blake added in as a matter of fact.

"Ugh, you can't prove that!" the Schnee heiress answered defensively.

But before the group could go further, a damaged store had caught their attention. Curiosity getting the better of them they found out that the dust store along with many others in the kingdom were robbed. But what left authorities perplexed was the oddities of the robberies. Only the dust was stolen while leaving the money behind. That made them wonder what were they up too that they needed so much dust for?

Feeling that bitter tinge in her heart, "hmph, the White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates" Weiss blatantly stated.

Feeling a nerve being pinched, "what's your problem?" Blake then asked as she tried to keep her feelings to herself.

"My problem?" Weiss questioned as she waved Blake off. "I simply don't care for the criminally insane".

"The White Fang are hardly a bunch of psychopaths" Blake defended roughly. "They are a collection of misguided fanus".

"Misguided?" Weiss countered feeling her contempt rising to the surface. "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet".

"So they are very misguided" as Blake reflexively clenched her fist. "Either way it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale".

Sensing things were about to boil over, Ruby and Yang tried to redirect.

However, "that still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those fanus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal".

Close to losing her self-control, Blake was about to lash out for the horrible things her teammate had said.

But in that moment the tension was cut as a disturbance was happening at the dock. Apparently a monkey fanus had stowed away on the ship as he was now making his escape. Being chased by security he made a dramatic get away. But not before giving Blake a wink as he passed by.

For one reason or another they ended up giving chase too. Rounding a corner, they ended up losing him only to bump into someone else literally speaking. Knocking her over, this strange girl introduced herself as Penny as she laid on the ground for most of her introduction.

With the many red flags she was showing, Ruby much to the opposition of her team ended up befriending her.

Realizing that Penny was participating in the festival Weiss wasted little time in questioning her. "Does that mean you know that monkey tailed rapscallion?"

"The who?"

"That filthy fanus from the boat!"

Feeling her anger flare again, "why do you keep saying that?!" as Blake could no longer hold it down.

Surprised at her teammates anger, the Schnee heiress wasn't sure how to respond.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"

"Oh I'm sorry" as Weiss didn't bother to hide her disgust. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamp post as a lamp post" as her tone was full of condescension.

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?! He clearly broke the law. Given time he'll probably join up with those other fanus in the White Fang".

"You ignorant little brat!" as Blake tried to storm off to cool her head a bit.

"How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!" as Weiss followed as she wasn't done yet.

With confrontation unavoidable, "you're a judgmental little girl".

"What in the world makes you say that?!"

From there things continued to spiral as the two continued to argue for the rest of the day well into the night.

It wasn't a topic easily fixable as it has been an ongoing social and political issue since the beginning of civilization. Fanus have always been hated by humans for one reason or another. Though movements were being made to balance the inequalities between the two races it still had a long road ahead.

But what got this debate so heated was the topic of White Fang. In the beginning they were a kind and benevolent organization. However as time passed they then became radicalized with fanatics that felt that fanus should rise above humans for everything they have done.

As the final tipping point Weiss revealed why she was so angry. Her family, friends, and close associates had always been attacked by fanus since her grandfathers time. By the time her father took over the company, whatever displeasure he had with the White Fang and fanus ended up wrecking havoc on her family. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang?!" as the Schnee heiress unleashed all the years of anger and frustration in her heart. "It's because they are a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake shot back.

With that one statement everyone was shocked as they looked to her as it only meant one thing.

Realizing she had blurted out her secret, Blake did what she always did. She ran away.

~ Vale ~

A day had passed since Blake ran away.

In that time Ruby, Weiss, and Yang went looking for her. Much to the surprise of the group Penny had returned as she ended up helping them. Breaking off into pairs Weiss and Yang went one way as Ruby and Penny went the other.

During this time as much as Weiss tried to play it off, her conflicted heart was as clear as day. Her distrust for fanus has always been a part of her life. There had never been a reason to think otherwise with all the negative impacts they had on her. Yet getting to know a fanus in person . . . . She wasn't sure anymore. Blake was usually quiet as she kept to herself. But she was kind and deeply thoughtful. More so she was very direct as she wouldn't beat around the bush about anything.

Reflecting on how this argument started, the Schnee heiress carefully reexamined it all. Going over what was said there was one thing that stood out the most to her. 'Fanus were people too'. Just letting that thought float on the surface of her mind, her heart began to ache. Since her dive she felt different to the person she used to be. It was a bit hard to describe. But if anything it was like her horizon had broadened as she felt more mindful towards others. Looking back at any history text, fanus have always gotten the short end of the stick. Even any show of good will felt like crumbs and scraps as they were forced to accept it with a smile. It was pretty much a slap in the face no matter how you tried to look at it.

Thinking about all this now, there was only so much anyone could take till that anger eventually turned to violence.

In relation to herself, though the scars of her past would remain she knew she had to change. Clenching her hand into a fist she placed it over her heart trying to ease the feeling of guilt she felt in relation to Blake. Without condemning or condoning the fanus, she finally understood.

With all the terrible things she said to her teammate, she knew what she had to do now.

Just at that thought an explosion at the docks got their attention.

Scratching her head, "well if I were a betting person . . . ." Yang started.

"Let's go!" Weiss exclaimed as they made their way there.

~ Vale ~

The moment she revealed herself Blake ran away till eventually her legs gave out. In the middle of the schools courtyard she removed her ribbon to reveal two little cat ear she had hidden beneath them.

At a chance encounter the monkey fanus from before greeted her introducing himself as Sun.

Honestly Blake wasn't sure what compelled to air her troubles to a person she just met. But most likely it was due to a number of things ranging from her emotions running high to just wanting someone to talk too.

By the next day, she told him who she used to be and why she ran away in the first place.

Sun was surprised, but he accepted her nonetheless.

Even though it was a small gesture, Blake was happy for his understanding.

But concerning the recent thefts, she didn't want to believe what Weiss said to be true that the White Fang were behind the stolen dust. Perhaps in small batches but not on a scale like this.

Encouraged by Sun they decided to investigate.

Knowing a large shipment of dust was just offloaded at the docks, the pair had decided to do a stake out.

However much to Blake's disappointment, it was as she feared.

Several transports had arrived out of the darkness of night as they landed at the port. The moment they touched down, White Fang soldiers went straight to work taking everything they could carry as some cabled the crates to their ships.

But something was wrong. As Blake watched them she saw that they were taking orders from a human. If White Fang was still the group she knew them to be then something like this was impossible.

Reflecting on what Weiss had said, she couldn't quietly sit aside and let this be as she recklessly got involved. Holding the human leader hostage, she pleaded her case to her fellow fanus.

"Oh for god sake" as Roman rolled his eyes. "Didn't you get the memo?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you hear? The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together".

"Tell me what it is or I'm putting an end to your little operation" as Blake pressed her blade tighter against his throat.

"Well I wouldn't call it a little operation" as two gunships had then descended. Seeing her distracted Roman maneuvered his cane as he fired an explosive round.

Thrown back from the blast Blake didn't have time to recover as she got up to escape the explosive bolts being fired at her.

Not one to sit idly, Sun jumped into action buying Blake enough time to escape. However the White Fang members then jumped in as he found himself occupied by them.

Getting right back in to the fray, the cat fanus went on the attack.

But with all the ruckus being made Roman needed to bail before more serious problems started to show up. So once he was clear he made a run for it trying to steal whatever he could before bailing.

As Blake tried to give chase the gunships started to fire halting her in her tracks as she needed to escape the hail of bullets. However she wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time. Against an onslaught like this she doubted her aura would be able to block something like that.

As her life was about to flash before her very eyes a wall of ice spiked up in front of her.

"Don't just stand there! It isn't going to hold for long!"

Surprised at their appearance Blake had not expected her teammates to have come for her.

Before she could utter a word, "let's save the pleasantries for later. We got a job to do" as Yang was revved up to fight. "I'll do what I can about the gunships. Just give me some support on the ground". Though it was hardly a plan, the fiery blond had already left. Flying up on her speeder she had taken a few hits from the crafts. However due to Yang's ability the bullets were robbed of their kinetic force the moment they touched her. Once she was high enough she jumped to her first target.

She wasn't much of a distance fighter. But within mid to close range, she hasn't met anything yet that could withstand one of her punches. Especially when she combined her semblance with her magic.

Free falling on top of the one of the gunships, Yang flipped in the air recoiling herself for the impending strike. Focusing fire magic into her key she struck the hull of the plane blasting a hole right through it. After knocking it out from the sky she proceeded on to the next one.

"What in the . . . . ?!"

"One of our ships are down!"

"Move!"

Frankly the White Fang pilots were not expecting a counter attack like this.

Meanwhile on the ground Weiss and Blake gave fire support rattling the other gunships.

However these soldiers were not novices. Even in shock at this abnormal enemy they kept their discipline adapting to the situation.

As Yang attempted to attack the next craft the pilot knowing their guns were not slowing her down opted for a different approach. If they could not stop her then they would remove her from the fight. Sacrificing their plane for the sake of their group, the pilot charted a direct course for the fiery blond ramming her on the nose of the ship. The moment they collided the pilot activated the thrusters jetting them away from the area.

"Yang!" Weiss screamed out.

"Get down!" as Blake managed to grab her as the bullets now had new targets. All the attention was on them as the pair took refuge behind one of the containers as the enemy started to close the distance on them from both the ground and air.

Completely pinned, the cat fanus wasn't sure what to do now. Was this how they were going to meet their end she wondered.

"Hey, there is something I want to say to you" said Weiss as two huddled closer as their cover was slowly breaking apart.

"Now is hardly the time!"

"Can you think of any other then?!" Weiss exclaimed as the metal to their backs was starting to give way. Unable to rebuttal the Schnee heiress continued. "Look . . . . I . . . . I'm sorry . . . . . I'm really sorry about before" as she stomached her pride. "I was wrong to judge fanus like that".

Surprised at hearing that Blake couldn't help but chuckle. "A little ironic considering our situation don't you think?"

"Yeah I guess so" Weiss chuckled back.

As metal sparks nicked against her cat ears Blake shuffled again. "I'm sorry too . . . ."

"Huh?"

"I didn't think about what your family has gone through and how much it hurt you. I thought you were just one of those humans who judged us before knowing us".

"I guess we were both a little hot headed weren't we?"

"Yeah . . . ."

"You know if we get out of this alive dinner is on me. Whatever you want".

"I'll definitely take you up on that".

In that small moment Blake and Weiss found what they needed. It is said that when we are at our lowest point is when we are capable of the greatest change. The two have finally chosen to leave their past behind as they were ready to move on.

With their weapons in hand they started to glow. Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud were used as the base as their shapes began to change manifesting their true power. Once the glow of light had faded they were now recognized as keyblade wielders.

Weiss's key had a very serene feel to it. Silvery white with ethereal blue. It was slim as her old weapon with a similar designed hand guard that extended to the hilt. Her keyblade seemed to have runic engraving etched into it as the end tip of it looked like a snowflake.

Blake's key was similar in size to Yang's. Jet black with both gray and purple highlights. Her key was very slick and curved. But no matter how you looked at it, it felt like a weapon meant for a ninja.

Both girls were surprised at the appearance of this mythical weapon. However with hostile enemies closing in behind them there wasn't time to feel any shock and awe.

"Any idea how to use this?" Blake questioned.

"Only one way to find out!" Weiss exclaimed. Recalling her dive, she wielded her key instinctively. Drawing on her experience and how she would use her old weapon she visualized the dust she would normally use. With one swing of her blade a small blizzard had formed freezing her targets in place. Weiss was amazed at the power output. An attack like that would have instantly used up an entire cartridge of dust. Though she felt the drain on her stamina she was quite pleased with the results. "I can definitely get used to this". Looking to the gunships, they needed to be taken out first if they wanted to make it out of this alive.

Blake however was still puzzled at how to use her new found power. It didn't function like any conventional weapon she knew of. But as ground forces were closing in, she needed to act. This new weapon was the only thing she had in hand. Jumping out from her cover as they started to shoot she activated her semblance as a clone copy had appeared. But unlike before her clone wasn't just an illusion stand in. Her clone was actually here as she moved in coordination with her. It was a truly strange sensation. She felt like she was standing in two different places at once as her single mind was processing this.

Recalling Ruby's explanation, the manifestation of their keyblade aided the maturation of their semblance.

So was this what her evolved shadow ability looked like? If so then it was time to turn the situation around.

With awakening this new power, both Blake and Weiss were a little clumsy as they were adjusting to their new abilities. But with every passing second they were getting the hang it.

"Weiss! Focus on taking down those gunships! I've got the ground covered!"

"Got it!"

Creating more shadow clones of herself, Blake matched the enemy ground forces. However she never felt tired before from using her semblance. Thus she wondered if this feeling of fatigue was from the use of magic? But putting that thought aside she needed to focus on the fight. With all the clones acting as one their coordination was perfect. Though it was their first attempt each of them threw their keyblades hitting a target. Raising their arms out Blake's key evaporated into black misty light before returning to her hand. "Hmm, that's rather handy" all the Blake's said as they chuckled at the utility of their new weapon.

Weiss attacked and defended as she needed. She had easily knocked down the remaining gunships with amazing ease. Fire, thunder, ice, and wind. These were just the few she used. But she knew his wasn't her limit. She could still do a lot more.

"Retreat!"

"Just take what we can and go!"

"How did we get defeated like this?!"

It was mind boggling to the White Fang group that for all their numbers and weapons they were completely beaten by just two girls.

"What the hell is up with this generation" as Roman had already boarded his transport and made his escape. It was just like that red hooded girl sometime ago. Was this some sort of new dust weapon? A new curriculum being taught at Beacon? Or was this just plain bad luck?

Whatever the case this heist was a bit of a set back. But overall the plan was still on schedule. Vale was feeling the pressure with the shortage of dust. By the time of the Vytal festival tournament is when the curtains will be drawn.

However Roman could not shake his feeling of foreboding. Whatever these new weapons were they definitely might present a problem in the future for them.

By the time this fiasco had ended police had come to quarantine the area arresting several White Fang soldiers that were taken out during the scuffle.

Yang had managed to return as Ruby had arrived. Though little red was curious where Penny ran off too during their search for Blake.

But seeing the keyblades in her teammates hands, Ruby and Yang eyes shined in amazement.

Even though they had several questions to ask it was already late as it could wait till tomorrow.

Although Blake wanted to apologize for the trouble she caused her teammates didn't pay it much mind. They weren't just teammates anymore as they were now truly friends.

Hearing a light grumbling sound the team laughed as Yang rubbed her stomach. "Got to say that was one heck of a work out we had. Why don't we get a bite to eat before heading back?"

"Sure" Blake nodded. "I know a place we can try out. Want to come too?" as she looked to Sun.

"Sure! I'd love that! What did you have in mind?"

"It's that new place that just opened downtown".

"Isn't it kind of pricey?" Weiss asked.

"Well you are buying aren't you?" as Blake smiled mischievously.

"Wait, what?"

"You did offer to buy right if we made it out of this. So let's get going before it get's too late".

"That's so kind of you to buy for us" Ruby cheered.

"I better warn you" as Yang smacked Weiss on the back. "I'm going to be ordering a lot of stuff".

"Wait, What?!" the Schnee heiress complained as she chased after her teammates. "I only agreed to pay for Blake! Why do I have to pay for everyone? I do have a spending limit you know. Hey! Are you guys listening to me?!"

That's how the night ended with complaining and laughter.

With team RWBY all being keyblade wielders, just how will the world begin to change?

To be continued . . . .

Author's notes: Hope this chapter was alright. Now onto some commentary.

I'm trying to move the story along so I can prepare the group for their trip to the other worlds. I have a few places in mind.

I'll go into detail next chapter about the extent of Weiss and Blake ability.

But for Blake right now, it seemed the most logical that would be how her shadow semblance would eventually evolve with creating solid functioning clones. Essentially the shadow clone technique used in the Naruto series. With them being extensions of her they should also exhibit the same characteristics of being linked to one consciousness. But like every person with a cloning ability if the main body is attacked the copies will disappear.

If there are any questions or concerns feel free to ask as I'll try to answer them.

So thank you for reading as I further extend my gratitude if you can review as well.