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Chapter 17

Adam's back slammed into the wall for a second time and he slid down until he was sat at its base, panting and covered in sweat. Again, Yang stumbled over to collapse next to him, bleeding from her lip and leaning her head back to take huge gasps of air into her tortured lungs. They were both of them flushed red, shaking like they'd run a marathon and buzzing with adrenaline. It was, Adam reflected, the best drug. After another tough day, he couldn't believe how much he needed this.

"You fight like a bastard," Yang said. From anyone else, he might have taken that as an insult, but the way she laughed straight after undid it. Adam allowed an uncharacteristic smile instead, too tired to be grouchy.

"I've always relied on my weapon before. I have to fight cruel to stand a chance."

"Is that, hah, a compliment?"

"Hmph. Take it as you will."

Blake had always rolled her eyes when he'd refuse to say something nice, but Yang laughed like he was the funniest person in the world. "I'll take it as a compliment then. You know, I'm glad you're up for this. It was so hard to find anyone willing to blow off steam like this in Signal."

The feeling was very much mutual, but he was still curious. "How so?"

"Ungh. People would be weird." Yang reached limply for her water bottle and, when it was out of reach, he kicked it up and passed it over to her. "Thanks. Anyway, I dunno. Some guys jumped at the chance like they thought I was going to make out with them in the training rooms, then they got angry when I wanted to fight…"

"Heavens forbid a training room be used for training."

"I know, right!? It's not like I was speaking in code or something." Unscrewing the cap, Yang took a heavy swig and then offered it to him. Adam shrugged and helped himself. "That's an indirect kiss, you know."

"Please. I trust you don't believe that nonsense."

Yang grinned. "Nah. Just ribbing you. Anyway, once I'd burned through people thinking I was inviting them for make out sessions, I did have a few who kept up, mostly the competitive ones who wanted to get better. Problem is, they started to drop out when I kept winning. I guess their egos couldn't handle losing to me. You don't seem to have a problem with that."

"I'm fighting unarmed," he said with a little shrug. "As I said before, this is new to me, so it's expected I'll lose. If I was going to lose my temper at that, I might as well lose it at every new thing I try."

"Ugh. Where were you four years ago in Signal?"

In Atlas, waging a guerrilla war against the military, blowing up supply depots and trying to push the intestines of his comrades back into their stomachs. Adam shrugged. "Around. Maybe the problem wasn't so much them as their age. Hormones."

"Yeah, maybe. Guess what I'm trying to say is I appreciate you doing this."

"Hmph. I appreciate it as well. This is… relaxing."

"Cool." Yang grinned and leaned on him again. It was hardly romantic, as sweaty and smelly as they both were, and more of a companionable thing he put up with because moving right now sounded like too much hard work. "I was afraid I was taking and not giving. Yang Xiao-Long always puts out."

"Yang Xiao-Long is a virgin," Adam drawled, smirking at her indignant squawk. "And I can tell that despite your best efforts to imply otherwise. For the record, you're trying too hard."

Yang laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, yeah, we can't all be cool like you."

He was the last person someone should consider cool, and thankfully the last person anyone did. There was always that ridiculous fictional trope wherein the quiet asshole would be the most popular, usually showing in those trashy books Blake read, and he was grateful of the fact that it didn't happen in reality. He much preferred being left to his own thoughts.

"Hey. You mind if I ask something maybe personal?"

"If you wish," he said. "I may not answer."

"That's fine. Miss Goodwitch. Is she as big a racist as she lets off, or is there something else there? Because she's a capital grade bitch to you, and Ruby is at the end of her rope. I don't want to imagine the headmaster would hire a racist, though, nor keep them in power if it was this obvious."

Adam sighed. He really had tried to warn Goodwitch she'd be seen this way, and she'd slapped away his commentary with the same anger she did his presence. I tried to tell her. Even if she dislikes me, that doesn't mean she should ignore everything I say. It would be easy to let Yang think what she wanted here, watch Goodwitch squirm and take his own vile satisfaction in it. Easy, but pathetic. For someone who had spent his life fighting racism, the thought of falsely laying the accusation on someone for his own benefit would be like fighting for women's rights while abusing your own female employees.

"She isn't racist. There is… a fundamental disagreement between us. Goodwitch has reason to dislike me. Good reason," he added. "While she and I may literally despise one another, I can say with clarity that she is a good person." He scoffed. "Mostly."

"A teacher having beef with a student. What does she think you are, some psycho killer?"

Something like that.

"Ah, whatever. I'll take your word for it, then. Try and rein in Ruby, too."

"I'd appreciate that. Her concern is sweet but… misplaced. I can take care of myself. Not that I'm saying I'll do everything on my own," he added when her lilac eyes pierced into his. What was he saying? Why not do everything alone? It was what he'd been doing for years now. I can't believe I'm giving in just because she looks my way. Am I going soft, or is it just easier to give up then argue with these stubborn girls? Definitely the latter. It just wasn't worth the effort. "I only mean she shouldn't make an enemy of Goodwitch for my sake. Not all battles are worth fighting or need to be fought at all."

"Hm. If she isn't racist then I guess I agree. That'd Ruby for you, though." Hooking her hands behind her head, Yang let out a long breath. "Ever since losing mom, she's been hooked on the idea of filling her shoes. I don't know what to think of it. On the one hand, it's heroic and all, but mom's shoes are empty precisely because she wanted to be the hero. I don't want the same for Ruby."

Why was she confiding this in him? He had to be the worst person… well, their team didn't have many friends, he supposed. Yang really only had him, Weiss or Pyrrha to talk to, and Pyrrha was more a training partner than a companion. He could understand why she'd chose him over Weiss. The Schnee would be too eager to wade in and try to fix things. Being on the foot of offering comfort, though. It was a strange experience, and not one he had much knowledge in.

"I expect your mother would feel the same way," he tried. At least he hoped their mother wouldn't have wanted Ruby to die.

"Yeah. I know. It's just… I wish Ruby could see that. I never know what to say. How can you criticise someone for always wanting to do the right thing?"

"Call her naïve."

Yang laughed. "Alright, smart ass, but Ruby happens to know she's naïve already. She just doesn't care. If there was a burning building then she'd run in, which is heroic and all, but she wouldn't care what state it was in. It could literally be already falling down, and she'd still run in, even if just to die instantly. I worry. What happens when there's some village under attack, no hope of survival, and her training tells her to retreat? We both know she won't if someone is in danger."

They did. Retreating was never easy, especially when adrenaline clouded your judgement. Many a bad decision had a commander made in the heat of the moment, and he was sure Ruby would be no different. What advice could he offer, though? There was no solution to this. Everyone, human and faunus both, was susceptible to the flaws of their own mind. Even him. Especially him. The worst decisions he'd ever made were made in anger, and he fell for it time and time again.

Yang thought Ruby was bad, but he was no better. His only saving grace now was that he no longer had command of anything. Not of a single person. As a grunt, a soldier, a lowly huntsman, such flaws were acceptable. Not in a leader.

"Hey." Yang pushed off the wall. "You thinking that hard about it? You don't have to!" she said, laughing. "I'm just venting, you know. Getting it out there."

He frowned. "You don't want my help?"

"Of course I do," she said quietly, "But it's not your job to fix all my problems anymore than it's mine to fix yours." He wished he could counter with something, preferably with the perfect answer, but Adam's mind was blank. Yang stretched her arms and pushed off the floor. "Welp. That was heavier than I meant it to be. It's weird how you can be so pumped on adrenaline, then when it goes you turn into the most morbid person possible." Laughing, she offered him a hand. "Sorry about that."

"It's hardly a problem." He took it and let her pull him up. "And you hardly have the monopoly on being the depressing one here. What was it you called me when we first met? Mr McBroodypants?"

Rather than be embarrassed, Yang threw her head back and laughed. "You heard that!?"

"I have good ears."

"Meh. Tell me I'm wrong! Tell me I pegged you wrong!"

"I'm introspective, not broody."

"Pft. That's what Mr McBroodypants would say."

At any other time, he might have reacted poorly to that. At a time when he wasn't so pleasantly aching and wonderfully spent. With exhaustion promising the best night's sleep in weeks, and the simple camaraderie of a fight done well, he could only shake his head and walk out the training rooms with her. He'd put some thought into her problem, though. Even if it wasn't his to solve, there was no harm in offering a hand.

/-/

"Another night where the two of you come back hot, sweaty and satisfied," Weiss remarked over breakfast and after another suspiciously pleasant morning training experience with Adam Taurus. "I'm not normally one to jump on the bandwagon but are the two of you dating? You can tell us," she said, earning quick nods from Ruby. "We won't tell."

"For the love of- guys!" Yang laughed. "We're not sneaking off to make out. Sheesh." Her grin grew as she leered his way. "Adam just has a special way of scratching this itch burning deep inside me."

"We're training," he said flatly, killing Yang's efforts before they could begin.

"More training? Do you ever stop?"

He wasn't training right now, he felt like pointing out. Though some would say eating was only a step away from preparing for your next training session. "This is a combat academy," he said simply. "It's expected we train hard."

"Uh. I train hard. I have had some of the best tutors money can buy. Waking up before dawn every day, training through the day and then doing more before bed isn't training, Taurus. It's destruction. Is your body even able to handle such ridiculous extremes?"

It hadn't failed him yet. But, in all fairness, he hadn't trained this hard with the White Fang. The main reason was because even when he hosted his morning drills, it was the recruits who did most of it, relegating him to wandering around fixing mistakes and offering advice. Mentally taxing, but not physically.

Perhaps she has a point, he thought, rubbing a muscle in his arm that really was rebelling against the pace. I can't keep this up indefinitely. Well, I'd sacrifice our morning sessions to keep burning off steam at night, though I'm not sure Weiss, Ruby and Pyrrha would agree.

"I'll try and take it easy." He offered the compromise and Weiss nodded. "I've no interest in burning myself out. If needs be, I'll visit Tsune."

"That's the doctor, isn't it? She's a faunus."

"She is," he said casually. "What of it?"

"No. Nothing. I was just making a statement."

"My apologies." Sighing, he looked away from the Schnee. "I jumped to conclusions."

"Wow." Ruby tilted her head to one side. "Adam is apologising."

"I have apologised before," he said crossly.

"Yeah, when you literally run into someone, drop something or it's a little thing. I don't think I've heard you apologise to Weiss, especially about this. You usually just say she's wrong and blind to what the SDC does."

"Which she is."

"Aaand we're back to normal." Yang said. "Good job, Rubes."

Adam snorted and dug back into his breakfast as Ruby argued it wasn't her fault. For all the confrontation with Coco the night before, he didn't feel in too bad a mood. At the end of the day, Coco was working on incorrect information and he didn't care to correct her. He supposed she was right to assume he hated Velvet, but he certainly wasn't going to go out his way to get back at her for being so passive.

With Team CRMN suitably chastised as well, no one had made to challenge him outside of sparring classes either. No more insults in the cafeteria or snide comments in corridors. They still glared, those that hated faunus, but it could be considered a benefit that they focused their hate on him now and left most others aside. He'd even received a few grudging nods of respect from other faunus at the school. Insulting considering he'd been fighting for them for so long, but still a nice change.

Not every faunus was willing to throw away their comfortable lives and fight for change. Some were afraid or had convinced themselves that if they just tried hard enough, they could prove their worth to their superiors and earn that promotion which kept going to humans less qualified. Poor idiots. Didn't they realise the simple fact they had to prove themselves twice over was indication of the problem? It was a sad state of affairs, and one he couldn't do much about anymore.

And I'm still no closer to speaking with Blake. Every time I come near her, she runs. Adam sighed, spooning porridge into his mouth mechanically so that Team RYST wouldn't notice and start to worry.

Was it worth it? Was leaving the White Fang and abandoning his allies worth this chase? The longer he waited, the less sure he was, and that bothered him. He'd committed to this, and in the heat of the moment it had seemed like the most obvious thing in the world.

He loved Blake. She was his everything.

Wasn't she…?

He didn't know. The more time he spent away from her, the more the sharp pain in his chest lessened. It wasn't so raw, and that annoyed him. It was as if his body itself was questioning his love for her. I do love her. I know I do. Time is just doing its job dulling the pain, but I am still in love with her. I'm sure I am. Angrily, he stabbed his spoon into the bowl and pushed it aside. He had to be in love with her still, because if he wasn't then it meant he'd thrown away everything he ever achieved to chase after someone he didn't even want.

The simple fact I'm still here proves I love her. I shouldn't be doubting that.

Fortunately, the ringing of the school bell provided an escape from such troubling thoughts. Adam carried his bowl back to the kitchen counter and departed with Team RYST chattering away comfortably.

/-/

"-and don't forget I want to see a one thousand word piece on why the Vytal Festival is so important to the co-operation of the Kingdoms and the current peace we hold," Oobleck called as the lesson bell rang for lunch. "You have until next Wednesday to get it to me. Dismissed. Team RYST, please stay behind."

Adam sat down again along with his teammates as the rest of the class hurried out like the food would grow legs and run away if they didn't chase it down. Blake was among them, head down and eyes averted, hurrying past without so much as a glance in his direction. Did all the years they'd spent together mean so little? Didn't he at least deserve a polite nod of the head? Some acknowledgement, at least. He'd come all this way and done everything he could to avoid causing trouble.

Wasn't this proof that he wasn't the violent extremist she'd called him?

Once they were alone in the class, Doctor Oobleck addressed them. "I am sorry to keep you behind, but I received a message from Miss Goodwitch partway through the lesson."

"Again?" Weiss groaned.

"Adam hasn't done anything," Ruby complained. "We've been with him since four in the morning!"

Oobleck chuckled. "I'm always pleased to see teammates defending one another, but in this case you needn't worry. It is actually Miss Rose and Xiao-Long that the headmaster wishes to speak with. I simply kept your team behind to prevent any unfortunate rumours spreading had I called you by name."

"Oh." Ruby looked relieved.

Yang didn't. "What have we done wrong?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, but I don't believe it something to worry about. If it was, then Glynda wouldn't have hesitated to come and drag you out of class personally." The teacher smiled. "Take the fact she was patient enough to wait as a good sign. I'm sure you'll be fine."

It was a welcome relief that it wasn't him for once, though Yang obviously disagreed. He could well imagine she didn't have fond memories of being called up to speak to teachers. Ruby looked nervous, too, despite Weiss' assurances. All in all, they were probably fine. They really hadn't done anything worth being punished over, and for all the complaints he would make about Ozpin, the man was fair in his dealings. At least to students who weren't terrorists.

Poor Ruby and Yang trudged off like they were being sent to their execution, however. Adam snorted, while Weiss rolled her eyes at the theatrics and collected her books. "I suppose it's just the two of us, then," she said.

It seemed that way. A Schnee and Adam Taurus; not exactly what most would have expected to be a good combination – and it wasn't – but he could keep the peace, and as long as the conversation was steered away from the SDC, Weiss was manageable.

"I suppose it is. Lunch?"

The heiress nodded primly. "Sure. We may as well save those two seats."

/-/

Yang's foot tapped on the floor of the elevator as they waited for it to take them up. Even if the Doc had told them it'd be okay, she wasn't fully convinced. Too many memories from Signal, though at least here she didn't have a dad who could be called up to give her the disappointed stare. That sucked ass.

Mean as it sounded, she was kinda glad Ruby was there. Not a shared misery sorta thing, but more that Ruby was a goody-two-shoes, so her presence made it less likely they were in trouble. Unless they want Ruby to give me the disappointed looks, she thought in horror. They might have called Ruby up as team leader to give her a talking to. Oh come on. That's totally unfair!

Judging from Ruby's panicked expression, she was feeling no better.

When the door did open, Miss Goodwitch was stood on the left of Ozpin's desk, and Uncle Qrow on the right. Instant bad vibes. No teacher called a family member in unless it was bad news. Since dad was in Signal and about as likely to be in danger as her and Ruby, that meant it was something they'd done.

"Ah, crud."

Evidently, Ruby had come to the same conclusion.

"Crud, indeed," she whispered back. Louder, she said, "Oh hi! Uncle Qrow. It's so good to see you. Areweintrouble?"

"That depends, firecracker."

Even though he said that he still smiled. That alone let Yang relax. Uncle Qrow liked to think he was the cool uncle who could tangle with them, but he was ridiculously easy to read, and they'd had a long time to learn his tells. He was sober, which was a bad sign funnily enough, but he was making jokes, and that was an instant tick in the `not in trouble` column.

He was easier to read than Miss Goodwitch anyway, who was still scowling. Honestly, she could have won the lottery and looked displeased. Yang couldn't even imagine what it might be like growing up with someone like that as your mother.

"Come in," Ozpin said. "Take a seat."

"We've done nothing wrong!" Ruby said instantly after sitting down.

Ozpin chuckled. Another good sign. "I'm aware. You're not in any trouble. In fact, I'm hoping that no one will be in trouble today, but I do have to go through the motions to satisfy… certain parties. I can see that I'm confusing you."

No shit. They'd been called up and now he was talking in riddles.

"I'll be frank, then. This morning there has been… something of an uproar surrounding Beacon. You're aware of the spurious newspaper article about your teammate, yes?"

"It's fake!" Ruby yelled.

"That's what spurious means," Qrow commented.

"Oh. Then yes!"

Ozpin laughed again, eyes shining. "I'm glad to hear it. I personally stepped up to defend Mr Taurus' character and see the stories off, and I thought the issue dealt with. Alas, some incriminating and rather worrying footage was shared online this morning, after breakfast and before first class. The media has only just picked it up, but Lisa Lavender is having a field day."

Yang had a bad feeling even before Ozpin clicked play on a video and turned his terminal around so they could see the projected video. When it played, Yang groaned, instantly knowing what it was the second she saw herself and Adam alone in a training room.

It… It looked brutal.

There was sweat, heavy impacts, even blood in some cases. One bit had Adam pinning her down and wailing on her like a man clubbing his wife to death, and the scene cut off after, failing to show her frankly awesome leglock to get him off, and the chokehold she'd used to make him tap out the surrender not seconds after. He was a lucky man to almost suffocate between her thighs, but the video hadn't shown that, and she had a feeling no one would connect the dots.

"Naturally, I was concerned on seeing this," Ozpin said, "But I also wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, and after speaking with Qrow and your father-"

"You showed this to my dad!?" Yang cried.

"Firecracker. Most people in Vale have seen this. Tai had already been notified."

Fuuuuck. Yang sank down in her seat. Her dad had always been on her back about her unhealthy ways of dealing with her temper. It wasn't like she was beating people up, though. Adam gave as good as he got. He liked it!

"Quite." Ozpin said. "Your father and Qrow have assured me this is not atypical for you. We've also seen worse in Beacon. That said, I am required to ask you if this was a consensual sparring practice."

"Of course it is!"

"And Mr Taurus is not forcing you to say that?"

Yang's eyes flashed red. "What are you implying!?"

"I'm implying that I have to ask these questions, Miss Xiao-Long, whether or not I believe them to be nonsense. I personally believe Mr Taurus would not need to beat on you if he wanted relief. There are more than enough people vying to earn his enmity." That was true, and Yang relaxed a little. "Still, I have to ask the question if only to avoid suggestions you've been intimidated into sticking up for him."

"I haven't been. Me and Adam have a thing going on. It's fine."

"It is not fine," Miss Goodwitch said caustically. Yang might have thought it to do with Adam's race if he hadn't assured her the woman wasn't like that. "Some of the comments on this video are calling Beacon into question for allowing such – and I quote – barbarous displays of violence to be committed."

"Fuck that. It's training!"

"Miss Xiao-long! Watch your language."

Yang grumbled and rolled her eyes. Now wasn't the time for caring.

"It is training," Ozpin agreed, "But those outside the academy often struggle with what they believe training is or should be. There are already plenty of people arguing children should not be taught to fight until they are older. Now to see two young people beating one another until blood is spilt is making that worse. One thing that exacerbates the issue is that the footage cuts off, leading me to believe someone is framing the session this way intentionally."

"Yeah! Me and Adam were all buddy-buddy after."

"I believe you. I truly do. That said, I must ask you to put an end to these training sessions for the time being. I know this is not pleasant news," he added when Yang threw her arms up in anger. "You should not have to deal with this. None of you should. However, certain elements who would enjoy seeing faunus portrayed in this manner are using Mr Taurus' actions, and the earlier rumours of his battle with Team CRMN, as ammunition. This is a sensitive time, especially so close to the Vytal Festival, and we can't afford to have it made worse by your late night training sessions."

"Yang will stop," Ruby promised, and what could she do but nod? It wasn't like she had a choice. Fuck, this sucked ass. "But if it's all about Yang and Adam then why was I called up here?"

"So that I could deliver a warning of sorts, Miss Rose. As team leader, you should be made aware of these claims and how they might impact your team. While I am hopeful that no one within our walls will believe this nonsense, I'm sure you are well aware that there are some who would believe Grimm crawl from your partner's nostrils if it suited them."

Ruby scowled. Yang did, too, but she was already out of shits to give at this point. Some fucker had followed her and Adam, recorded them and then shat it out over the internet. That person needed two black eyes, a broken nose and to see what violence really was.

We had a good thing going. I was happy! Fucking hell…

Adam was going to be livid. And technically, it was her fault. He probably wouldn't see it that way – as grouchy as he was, he was deadpan on where the blame really laid – but she would. If she hadn't told him about this in the first place, they wouldn't be here.

"Thanks for letting us know," Ruby said. It was all she could say. "What's going to be done?"

"As much as I can do, I shall," the headmaster promised. "I will be addressing this video, I will even be releasing some other videos of our sanctioned spars – some of which are far more violent, and with bladed weaponry and live ammunition. If needs be, I shall remind the city and its populace that we train huntsmen, not stuntmen."

"And the one responsible for the video?"

"We will be looking for them, but there is no evidence to go off and, if you will forgive me saying, Mr Taurus has not been shy in making enemies. I will, however, ask you not to jump to any conclusions of your own. I know full well you'll look into it whether I ask or not, but please bring any suspicions to me before acting on them. If you accuse someone and are wrong, then you may only make the situation worse." He watched them carefully through his glasses. "My door will be open to you. Please trust me enough to come to me before making any rash decisions."

Damn right she was going to look into this. It couldn't be Coco or Velvet. As much as they had the reasons to hate Adam, she'd watched them go the other way after their run-in with Miss Goodwitch. It wasn't Team CRMN either since they were avoiding Adam like the plague. Sadly, that didn't rule a lot of people out. Few were as vocal in disliking Adam as them, but there were plenty who would do this.

"Either way, I'm hopeful we can have this unpleasantness dealt with-" The intercom on Ozpin's desk buzzed angrily. "Sorry, I need to take this. Ozpin here. What is it?"

"Ozpin!" Doctor Oobleck's voice came through, tinged with panic. "There's a brawl in the cafeteria. I'm on my way there now, but help would be appreciated!"

"A brawl?" Qrow asked.

"The news and the video were only released recently." Ozpin said, standing up quickly. "I fear people have already jumped to conclusions. Quickly!" He rushed past their chairs, leaving Yang to scramble up and after him. "Before this gets any worse than it already is!"

/-/

This had blown up far more than she thought it would.

Blake watched with wide eyes as Adam buckled over a fist driven into his stomach. He was held by two larger boys, his arms dragged out to the sides and his feet suspended off the floor. In a normal fight he could have bested them both, but unarmed and caught by surprise, there was little he could do against their raw strength.

"You think you own this place?" the boy hitting him roared, slamming a fist into him again. "Think it's okay to beat on people because it makes you feel better? How does it feel now, huh?" Another devastating blow. Adam gasped for air. "How does it feel!?"

"Stop it!" Weiss Schnee all but screamed, held back herself by two female students. Unlike Adam, she bit, screamed and kicked like a wild animal, and had already caused a third person to come up and hold her shoulders. "Stop it!" she howled. "I'll have you expelled for this! I'll have your entire teams expelled! You'll pay! I swear it!"

Why wasn't Adam fighting back? Even if he was overpowered, there had to be something he could do. The fact he was taking it over and over was unusual for him. Ridiculously so. Blake's nails dug into the table and she flinched with every blow.

The flash of a scroll caught her eye, and her realisation. It was because they were recording it. Adam was on thin ice already, and he'd be in trouble if another recording came out of him losing his temper. She doubted that would be enough on its own, but he really couldn't do much against three bigger people without a weapon.

It wasn't meant to get this bad. I thought he'd just lash out and get in trouble.

Another blow. Another flinch. The whole cafeteria was on edge, bystander behaviour kicking in full time as people watched in horror but remained too shocked to do anything constructive. Those who tried were being herded away by students blocking their paths. Not fighting them, but just getting in the way and not letting them approach.

"I can't stand this!" Jaune snapped, smashing his knife and fork down. "I'm going to do something!"

"Jaune, wait-"

Blake caught his sleeve, but he ripped it out her fingers and sprinted in. The table almost buckled a second later under the force of Nora's feet as she hurtled herself over and after him. Ren followed, determined to look after his friend, leaving only her to sit behind with their plates and watch the brutal display with her lip caught between her teeth.

I can't go up there. People will ask why, and if they find out I'm a faunus…

She'd already seen how they were treated in Beacon. Better than Atlas and Mistral for sure, but still so much worse than she was treated when they thought her a human with a penchant for bows in her hair. If she got into a scuffle here and had her ears revealed, everything would change. The humans would hate her for lying to them, and the faunus would hate her for pretending to be human.

Adam… Adam would be fine. He'd taken worse. It wasn't like Jaune and the rest of her team were getting close, either. They were headed off by about eight people forming a wall of bodies before them. Jaune slammed in, trying to brute force his way through, but they closed ranks like an ancient phalanx and knocked him back.

"You don't belong here!" the attacker yelled between punches. "You filthy, vicious, sub-human trash!"

Blake gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

It wasn't her fight. The White Fang and Adam had proven themselves lost. They were violent, cruel and bloodthirsty. Adam still was. He hadn't come to redeem himself; he hadn't come because he wanted to escape that; he'd come for her. To chase her.

"Now let's see what you're hiding under there."

Her head snapped up. Not his scar! There were lines you didn't cross, and this was one of them. Blake was up on her feet, eyes wide as she tracked the distance and knew she couldn't intervene in time. The man's hand was already reaching for the bandage, and Adam's red bangs had fallen low over his face.

The hand had only just touched Adam's hair when he moved. Adam cracked his horns into the man's hand, piercing unprepared flesh and drawing an agonised cry. The two holding him slackened their grip in shock, giving Adam the chance to kick up and twist his lower body, driving a foot into the face of one, then twisted in a way she'd never seen him manage in the White Fang, lock his legs around the neck of the last and drag them down in a brutal chokehold.

Chaos ensued. The student with the bleeding hand activated his aura and charged in. Those blocking the onlookers turned back, and she couldn't say for sure who threw the first blow, but she knew Jaune was one of them. The line buckled, and people clashed, an outright melee bursting into life in a matter of seconds. Jaune, Nora and Ren were scrapping with a few, Ren blocking, Nora cracking heads and Jaune wrestling someone down as best he could.

Several faunus were involved as well, and almost exclusively on Adam's side. One crashed a plate over the head of one of the girls holding Weiss Schnee, and while it didn't give her the chance to escape, she did stamp a heel down onto the foot of the other and tackle the third back. In the middle of it, Adam was a whirlwind of red. Teeth bared, eye flashing and fists lashing out left and right.

This was Adam. The unrestrained fury, the bloodlust, the wanton violence. Blake swallowed as she saw those same people from before continue to record. This more than anything would prove her point, but at what cost? This was getting dangerous, and it was all her fault.

It's not my fault. If Adam hadn't followed me then this wouldn't be happening!

Jaune was knocked back and off his feet, holding his face. Blake felt her own fury raise, but Nora was already there and dropkicking the person who hit Jaune away. There was no method to the combat now. Where before they'd been trying to get to Adam, now it was just pockets of people fighting each other and no one knowing why. The dinner staff were shouting from the kitchen counters, trying their best to bring some semblance of order to things, but they weren't huntsmen. They could be killed if they waded into this mess.

The doors slammed open and Ozpin, Goodwitch and Oobleck entered. The headmaster's cane clacked down as the man looked over the violence, his usual calm countenance shattered for a moment.

Only for a moment. The man slammed his cane down and a crack far louder than should ever have been possible sounded over the cafeteria. Green light shattered out from it, and though it had no discernible effect, the volume was greater than a hundred guns going off at once.

Everyone stilled. Everyone but Adam, panting in the centre, knees bent, head low, eye blazing and blood running down his chin. He looked like a cornered animal, a wolf surrounded by jackals and fighting to the last breath.

"ENOUGH!" Ozpin, the normally calm headmaster of Beacon, roared. "Disappointed does not even begin to describe my feelings right now. All of you, every single student, to their dorms immediately! Except for the injured. Those requiring treatment stay. Mr Taurus, to the infirmary immediately. Bart, Glynda, see to those needing aid. Well?" he shouted when no one moved. "Did I stutter? To your dorms!"

Blake flinched and rose with everyone else, moving slowly toward her team. The headmaster couldn't punish everyone, and she hadn't been involved, but she certainly felt responsible. On the way, she was forced to pass by Adam heading toward the main doors, and though she tried to slide by, he caught sight of her. Blake kept her eyes down, shoulders hunched, walking past without acknowledging him as she had all the time at Beacon so far. Unlike all those times, however, he mumbled something to her as she passed by.

"If you were the one being attacked, no force on Remnant would have stopped me coming to your defence." The words made her freeze. For a moment she thought he might strike her, but he spat blood and wiped his chin clean. "I wouldn't have stood and watched. To think I'd see the day a Schnee would stand up for me where you wouldn't."

Blake swallowed, but forced her own words out. "We're nothing now, Adam. A-As far as I'm concerned, we don't know one another. We're complete strangers."

"Fitting," he sneered, walking by. "I certainly don't know you anymore…"

Just so you know, Blake isn't intended to be a beating stick for the whole story. It's just that she is Adam's primary motivation for his being here, so her presence is necessary. In all reality, this is probably the last of Blake's schemes, because what she has set off can run on its own now without her involvement.

Fun trivia. I have been involved in one school brawl. It happened in our school's bus stop where about 200-300 students would wait for the buses after school ended. My friend got in trouble with a popular girl (we were about 15) and she got some of her "friends" who were 17-20 from the nearby school, to sneak in and confront him. He was punched in the face by an 18 year old girl wearing loads of rings, and she ripped his lip open and smashed three teeth out.

Even to this day, I can't remember who threw the first punch. I just remember we all charged in and it was ridiculous. The police had to come, along with ambulances, and we had anti-violence talks for days after in assembly, and even police speakers coming in, etc. The girl who threw the punch got suspended from her school, but we basically escaped punishment because it was impossible to tell how many or who was involved.

I caught a black eye, however, and it swelled up like mad. I also have a scar from it that I've kept to today, which bisects my top lip. It's hard to see the scar, but easy to notice it because I don't grow facial hair on it which means after a day or two of not shaving, I look like an idiot who shaved a diagonal slit into my moustache. It looks ridiculous, lol.

I also remember the teachers going on about how ashamed we should be, but my parents saying I did the right thing sticking up for my mate.

Next Chapter: 27th October

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur