He pinched the bridge of his nose as the Council watched him. Ironwood stood in front of his desk; his arms resting behind him. A video feed of the VNN coverage of the White Fang attack on the highway was playing beneath their icons.
"Ozpin we cannot ignore this attack." The Vale Councilwoman said.
"And I do not expect you too. But what you are suggesting is out of line."
"If the White Fang has access to experimental Atlesian tech-" Ozpin stood up, slapping his hands onto his desk.
"And where did the White Fang get that technology? Councilwoman?" The Atlesian Councilwoman glared at him.
"I am having that investigated. Prior to today the Paladin has been top secret; the White Fang must have spies somewhere in our R and D facility." She rested her hands in front of her, her fingers interlocked. "But I would advise you to watch your tongue Ozpin. We understand you are upset but we will not tolerate insubordination." Ozpin sighed and sat down.
"If it is true that Lieutenant Taurus has broken away from the rest of the White Fang and is forming his own cell then you are facing an even larger problem then we initially thought." The Mistral Councilman said.
"Taurus is clearly more dangerous then Khan if he is willing to work alongside humans and he clearly does not care about any Faunus that gets caught in the collateral damage of his attacks." The Vacuo Councilman said. "We know you are opposed to the Vale Councilwoman's idea of enacting a curfew for the Faunus in the city but would you be willing to accept a larger security force, at least in Beacon?" Ozpin's eyes flickered to Ironwood and then to the news feed. It was replaying the interview with the city's saviors. Ruby was nervously talking to the reporter, her teammates and Penny standing behind her. Ozpin smiled.
"That will not be necessary. I need not remind you that it was my students who were able to put an end to the attack."
"Ozpin this is not a joke! We need to ensure that the people of Vale will be safe during the Vytal Festival!" The Vale Councilwoman said.
"And they will be. The Hunters already present in Vale, Ironwood's soldiers, the VPD, and my students are more than enough to keep this city safe. Meeting adjourned." He hung up, and leaned back in his seat. Ironwood cleared his throat.
"Are you sure that is going to be enough?"
"It has to be. I will not allow the other kingdoms to interfere with Vale or my school anymore then they have."
"I see." He started to pace the room. "That girl with the orange hair? Did you know she was here?" Ozpin shook his head.
"I was not aware that Ms. Polendina was here. Last I had heard she was still in Atlas with her… father, is it?" Ironwood nodded.
"She disappeared last month and I've had soldier's looking for her in Atlas. I didn't think she would come here."
"Is it not natural for the caged bird to fly away?" Ironwood sighed.
"She needs to go back home to her father."
"Well that clearly isn't what she wants. I believe that we should let her decide." Ozpin stood up. "At any rate, I need to have a talk with my students. General." Ironwood gave him a nod as he hobbled to the door.
She put her scroll against the door. Her entire body ached and she was looking forward to getting some sleep. Yang stifled a yawn as Ruby pocketed her scroll. She opened the door, and shrieked.
"Hello to you as well, Ms. Rose," Ozpin said. He was sitting in a chair in between their beds. He stood up and walked towards them.
"Are we in trouble sir?" Weiss asked. Ozpin shook his head.
"Far from it. You should be proud of what you did today. But I'm going to have to have a talk with your leader and Ms. Polendina in my office. Ms. Xiao Long."
"Yeah?"
"I want you to spend the night in the infirmary. Doctor Sorrell will be waiting for you." She heard her sister groan before walking off. Ozpin smiled at her. "Now then, let us be off."
She fidgeted around as she stood next to Ruby in front of Mr. Ozpin's desk. Mr. Ironwood stood next to him, a scowl on his face.
"Ms. Rose do you know what most students do on their day off?" Ozpin asked.
"Not fight the forces of evil?" Ozpin chuckled.
"That would be accurate, yes. Would you mind me asking why you and your team were out in Vale fighting the White Fang?" Ruby rubbed her arm.
"Blake's been really anxious about them after her run in with them at the docks, and we wanted to learn more about what they were doing to calm her down. We weren't expecting a fight." Ozpin nodded.
"I see," he said. He looked over at Penny. "And how long has Ms. Polendina been staying in your dorm room?" Ruby laughed nervously.
"About a month," she mumbled. Ironwood stepped forward.
"Were you aware that she was a runaway? That she is important back in Atlas?" Ruby shook her head.
"I didn't know until today. And it sounds to me like she was more of a prisoner back there than anything else." Ironwood narrowed his eyes.
"Ms. Rose you-" Ozpin held up his hand and Ironwood backed away. Penny cleared her throat.
"May I speak?"
"Of course you can," Ozpin said. She looked from him to Ironwood, and finally looked to Ruby.
"I love my father very much and I do miss home." She grabbed Ruby's hand, holding it. Ruby blushed. "But I want to stay here. Ruby and her friends are teaching me a lot about the world. Father did not allow that and although I love him I do not want to go back to that." Ironwood's face softened. He sighed and looked away.
"Fine," he said. Ozpin motioned towards the door.
"You are dismissed. If you want to have a less crowded dorm, Ms. Rose, let me know." Ruby shook her head and looked down at the hand Penny was holding.
"Nah, I think we're good. Goodnight Professor!" Ruby turned and began to walk towards the door. Penny followed after her, smiling as Ruby continued to hold her hand.
Ironwood waited until the door shut behind them before speaking.
"Do you think she knows?"
"It's more than likely."
"Brothers damn it. If word gets out-" Ozpin held up a finger.
"If. If word gets out, James. Penny clearly trusts Ruby enough to let her know something like that. And I do not believe either of them are going to be letting that piece of information become anything other than a secret between them." Ironwood grunted.
"I'm going to trust your judgment on this Ozpin."
"Thank you James." Ozpin turned in his seat to look at Ironwood. "She was your initial candidate for the procedure wasn't she?" Ironwood looked away.
"She was. That was the whole reason she was built."
"And what led to you deciding that Winter would be a better candidate?" Ironwood sighed.
"Penny is too naïve. She wouldn't know what to do with that kind of power and she is a terrible liar; it would be hard to keep their existence hidden with her."
"So you would rather put that power in the hands of a bigot?" Ironwood rounded on him.
"I already told you, she is not like her father. She has been disowned by him in all but name because of her actions. I know Jacques has ruined her family's legacy but she is not like him and you should trust me on this like I trust you." Ozpin stared at him before pushing his glasses up.
"Fine. But I would still rather have someone else as a candidate. Someone that we can all agree on. I know Qrow and Glynda would not approve of her."
"She's the best chance we've got." Ironwood said.
"For now, James, for now."
Darkness. Her oldest ally and her only friend during the worst parts of her life. As far as she could see, there was only blackness. She began to walk forward, her steps echoing all around her. She didn't know how long she walked for but she just knew she had to keep moving forward.
"Please!" She spun around, drawing her weapon and pointing it at the source of the sound. She gasped and her hand began to tremble, her weapon unsteady in her grip.
She saw herself standing over a human, a SDC emblem on his white uniform. His gun was out of his reach. She thrusted down, her sword stabbing into the man's belly. His body started to spasm, and he grabbed the blade, vainly trying to stop her from pushing the blade any further. He screamed as she pushed the blade deeper and deeper into the man's stomach; the red spreading across his white uniform. The man raised his bloody hand, and pleaded
"Please… I don't want to die." She twisted the blade, and the man screamed again.
Blake fired.
The shot hit her and she and the man froze, cracks beginning to appear all around Blake. The darkness fell apart, shards of blackness raining down on her.
She was in a train car, the lighting poor. She shuddered as she saw herself slit a man's throat; gently caressing his body as he slowly died in her arms. The blood flowed and ran over her hands.
Blake fired.
She stood in a forest now. A woman was tied to a tree, a sign reading 'YOU DID THIS JACQUES' written in red marker sitting in her lap. Blake saw herself standing behind a camera, Adam standing next to her, his shotgun slung over his shoulder. She saw herself smile at him and he smiled back and walked over to the woman. He put the barrel underneath her chin, and she began to kick her feet in a vain attempt to get free. She grimaced as she saw herself grin as the woman began to cry.
"Please! I'll do whatever you want! Just let me go! I have a family; you can't do this to me!" Adam looked back at her.
"What do we want?" he asked. She saw herself motion to the sign. Adam turned back to the woman.
"We want to send a message to your friends the Schnee's." The woman's eyes widened as Adam pulled the trigger.
Blake screamed and fired.
Darkness; her oldest friend.
She stood in the black void, her body shaking and one hand covering her face. She felt tears running down. She heard footsteps and looked behind her.
"No," she breathed.
He was walking towards her, his mask gone and his jacket unbuttoned, his emblem on full display.
"You can't escape Blake." He said. Her left arm began to burn and she grasped it, hissing in pain. Her arm sleeve had burned off and when she raised her hand she saw her own emblem, burning red against her olive skin.
"Blake?" Gods no, anyone but her. She slowly looked over at the voice and saw her. She was staring at Blake's arm in shock; her icy blue eyes wide in fear. She covered up her emblem.
"Weiss, please, I can explain." Weiss shook her head and backed away. "Weiss!" She reached out to her. Weiss drew her sword, scowling at her.
"Stay away from me! I knew I was right about you! About all of you disgusting Faunus! I can't trust any of you!" Blake clutched her hand against her chest.
She screamed as she felt her stomach erupt in pain. She felt a hand grab her chin, pulling her head back. His breath was in her ears, his sword in her stomach. He began to nibble at her neck, trailing kisses down to her shoulder. She could taste blood and she struggled to raise her weapon. She put it against his head and squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled the trigger.
He disappeared in a red mist and Blake collapsed, clutching her stomach. She looked down at the wound; her intestines were slipping out of the hole in her belly and blood was gushing out. Her body began to convulse and her skin felt clammy; black spots appearing in her vision. A pair of white wedges appeared in front of her. She looked up.
Weiss glowered at her.
"Serves you right, you filthy animal." The words sent icicles into her heart. She was starting to change; she couldn't see her go back.
"Weiss…" She coughed, blood filling her mouth, and running down her chin. Weiss grinned wickedly and raised her sword.
"Poor thing. It isn't right to let animals suffer like this." Blake reached out weakly, her hand shaking and smeared in blood.
"Please…I-" Weiss thrusted forward, her blade stabbing through her heart.
She bolted upright, her breathing ragged and her body drenched in sweat. The room was stuffy and moonlight filtered through the window. She saw that Penny and Ruby weren't back yet. She threw off her blanket and silently climbed out of bed.
Weiss was in her bed, her blanket barely covering her. Her mouth hung open and she was drooling; her nightgown contorted. Blake smiled at the uncharacteristic uncouthness from the sleeping heiress. Weiss groaned in her sleep, and Blake stiffened.
"Blake…" She rolled over. "I'm… sorry." She mumbled. Blake's ears flattened against her head. She sighed and turned away.
"So am I," she said. She went to the bathroom.
The water felt cool against her skin, and she let it pool in her cupped hands before splashing it against her face. It felt good as it ran down her neck. She stared down into the sink before she sighed and looked up at her reflection.
There were bags under her amber eyes, and her coal black hair was a mess. Her eyes trailed down from her face and to her left arm. She undid her yukata, and lowered it to look at her arm. The White Fang emblem looked back at her. She ran her hand over it, feeling how scaly it felt against her finger tips, before resting her hands on the sink.
They could never know. They could accept a Faunus but a White Fang member? Out of the question. She shook her head, and looked at her hands; there was too much blood on them. Everything they knew about her was a lie. Even if they did accept her they would never trust her again. And Weiss… all her progress. Gone. Poof. Just like that.
She gripped the edge of the sink.
The faces of everyone she killed flashed in her mind; their eyes as they slowly glossed over, their voices as they slowly fell silent, and the smell as their bowels emptied as they died.
Murderer.
Her grip tightened.
The adrenaline as she got into firefights with SDC guards, the high after a successful mission, the euphoria when he entered her.
Terrorist.
She grit her teeth.
How she had punched Yang when they first met in the woods. How she had refused being her partner because of him. How she had ignored Ruby whenever she asked about book suggestions. How she had hated Weiss, how she had wanted to see her dead. How she had talked of murdering her entire family when with him. How she had wanted to see her get torn apart by a Nevermore.
Animal.
She slammed her fist into the wall, the tile cracking underneath her blow. Her breathing was heavy as she stood there; her body quivering.
She heard Weiss stir in her sleep, and she stepped away from the sink. There was blood on her hand. She shook her throbbing hand, blood sprinkling onto the floor, and sighed. Going to be hard to explain this.
She turned off the faucet, exited the bathroom, and quickly got dressed; she needed to get some fresh air.
Soft, beautiful music played, filling the black void of her dreams. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up with a yawn, stretching her arms. She turned off the alarm on her scroll, and rubbed her eyes. She looked over-
Blake was gone.
She got out of bed and looked up at Ruby's bunk. Ruby was sleeping; Penny was sleeping next to her.
"Ruby get up." Ruby groaned in response.
"Five more minutes," she mumbled. Weiss frowned and twirled her finger in the air; a celeste colored glyph appeared beneath Ruby. Ruby's eyes shot open and she jumped out of bed with a yelp. "Cold! Cold! Cold!" She was shivering and wrapped her arms around her torso. Weiss rested her hands on her hips as Ruby rubbed herself. She heard Penny snort in her sleep and roll over.
"Was Blake gone when you got back?"
"What?" Ruby asked, her teeth chattering. Weiss pointed over at Blake's empty bunk. Ruby looked puzzled as she continued to try and warm herself. "She might have been. I wasn't paying attention." Seeming to be warm enough she unwrapped her arms and let them hang at her sides. "Or maybe she got up early to go get some breakfast? Or get a new book at the library?" Weiss looked away.
"Maybe. It's just… she's been acting so strange lately, and I got worried that she might have run away again." Ruby smiled at her.
"Aw, you're worried about her."
"Why wouldn't I be you dolt? She's my teammate." Weiss snapped back.
"It's just sweet Weiss, that's all." Weiss huffed and walked over to the bathroom door.
"Whatever. I'm going to shower, and you need to get-" The words died on her tongue as she opened the door and looked at the bathroom. There were drops of blood on the floor and several tiles on the wall next to the mirror were cracked. Her breath hitched in her throat.
"Blake." She whispered.
"Whatcha say Weiss?" Ruby walked over to Weiss and peeked over her shoulder. "Woah." She said. Ruby looked at her. "Okay, so we should probably be worrying now."
He exited his aura conditioning class, and rolled his shoulder; it, and the rest of his body, was sore.
"Hey Jauney boy!" Cardin's arm wrapped around his neck, and he playfully rubbed his hair.
"Hey Cardin, what's up?" He managed to say. Cardin let him go and started to walk next to him.
"Nothing much, just thought I would ask you about something."
"Sure, what is it?"
"You're friends with Weiss aren't ya?" Jaune cocked an eyebrow.
"Sorta. Why?" Cardin grinned.
"I was gonna ask you for her number. I'm going to take her to the dance."
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Cardin shrugged.
"I already asked her on a date and she said no. Figured she might respond better on her scroll." Jaune stopped.
"She said no?"
"Yeah. That a problem?"
"Well yeah man. If she said no the first time she probably isn't going to say yes this time."
"Psh, that's quitter talk Jaune. So do you have her number or what?" Cardin pulled out his scroll.
"Yeah. It's eight nine one. Five five five. One two three four." He lied. Cardin grinned as he added the number to his contact list.
"Thanks man! Any girl you have your eye on for the dance?" His thoughts went to Pyrrha and he started to blush. Cardin chuckled. "I take it that's a yes?" Jaune hesitated before nodding. "Nice Jauney boy. Who's the lucky lady?"
"I don't want to say. She's one of my friends and I'm afraid that if I ask her out it'll ruin what we have. Or that she won't like me back. And I don't want to make things awkward between us."
"Is it Ruby?" Cardin asked. Jaune was taken back.
"What? No, she's too young for me." He shrugged and started to walk away.
"Well whoever it is she'll be lucky to have you. Well I gotta get to class. Thanks for the help Jaune!" Jaune waved goodbye to him, and once he was out of sight he frowned. He pulled out his scroll and started to text Ruby, walking towards his next class while doing so.
"Hey Rubes wanted to give you a heads up" It took a few seconds before she responded.
"Sure wut about?"
"Cardin plans on asking Weiss out to the dance. Said she already turned him down but that he wont take no for answer. Just thought Id let ya know."
"O. Ill let Weiss know. Thanks Jaune! Ur the best! :)" Jaune smiled.
"No prob. We still meeting up at the library to discuss combo attack names?"
"Yea! See u then!" Jaune pocketed his scroll and continued to walk towards his next class. His thoughts drifted back to Pyrrha; her beautiful crimson hair, her gorgeous smile, and her vibrant green eyes. The way her face lit up whenever he told a stupid joke; the music that was her laughter. He smiled and felt his cheeks grow warm as he pushed the door to the classroom open.