A Cosmic Journey

A/N: Happy week of Halloween! Much candy, costumes, and likely alcohol ahead this week. Also, the premiere of RWBY Volume 7 is this weekend, and next weekend for all non-FIRST members of RoosterTeeth! Can't wait! In other news, I'll be answering some good questions posed in The Crowned Reaper and rey dreemur's reviews. I previously answered most of these to people that messaged me, but I'm happy to answer them for the readership at large.

For starters, Kouzai does have a last name, or will at any rate. It's just that much of his daily life doesn't require formal documents or the like requiring a surname, so he's just coasting by with Kouzai for now. On the subject of Beacon, I won't say too much beyond that Kouzai will be at Beacon, but he will not be on a team of OC's, replace anyone or be added as a plus-one to any team. Especially that last one, considering I don't know exactly how far Ozpin is willing to flaunt team rules that have likely been in place for decades. As for romance, I'll divulge that it's in the cards for him, but there's a few hurdles he's gotta get through before then. I definitely have plans for it though.

In addition, Kouzai's semblance, Chronometry, channels Aura to his eyes in order to process visual information faster. To Kouzai, the world around him appears to slow down, including slowing his movements as well but not his thoughts. Finally, please note that questions do not bother me in the slightest, regardless of the number. If I have an answer for them, great. If I don't, that just means there's an area of my story that I've overlooked and I'll be thankful for the help, so don't be shy. Now, let's get to it.

Chapter 10: Paved With Good Intentions

Chapter Date: 10/28/19

Ah, palpable tension. Between sparring, studying under Ms. Fujiko's watchful eye, and fights with traffickers, bandits and Grimm, I'd likely spent more time in such an atmosphere than not. However, this was the first time I was the creator of such tension, and the one inflicting it on the rigid faunus next to me. 'For that, I apologize, Ilia. Even if I can't say it out loud.'

The two of us drifted over to the park across the textiles shop, coming to the bench I'd sat at previously. Plopping down unceremoniously, I patted the seat next to me. "Now now, I won't bite." Ilia threw a look of loathing = before slowly lowering herself to the seat.

"What…do…you…want?" Ilia gritted out, hands fisted upon her lap as her eyes darted back and forth among the trees. Looking for…something… 'Oh…yeah, I did not come across as a good guy, did I?'

"I promise this isn't a trap, and there's no one else in this park but us two. And the occasional jogger," I relented, and Ilia flinched at having been caught. "I swear, all I want is to have a civil conversation with you, and we can part ways, the authorities none the wiser to your identity."

"Then talk," Ilia growled, clearly still on edge. I sighed and held my hands up in defeat. 'Yeesh, talk about Blake vibes to go with that appearance…'

"Ok, well, for starters, mind returning to your standard appearance? It feels a little awkward chatting with you in disguise." 'Especially when you look rather like Blake.' Ilia jerked away at my words, then stared at me, likely trying to gauge how I knew about her camouflage.

"It's the freckles." I pointed to my cheeks, watching Ilia clap her own. "No matter the hair or eye color, no matter what skin tone you took, you always had freckles. After I found that out from the business owners I talked to, it wasn't hard to put the rest of your disguises together, especially when you don't change the length of your hair."

Vague synonyms of frustration were all I received from the chameleon faunus, before she relented and dropped her hands back to her lap. Taking a breath, her appearance shifted before my eyes, hair lightening to dark brown, skin tanning to light brown, and eyes changing to bluish-gray. Now before me sat the normal Ilia Amitola.

"Thank you. Now, I just wanted to ask a few questions. Yes or No answers are fine if you want." Glumly, Ilia sagged slightly in her seat, though I readied for her to bolt at my next words. "So, can I assume that you're a member of the White Fang?"

True to form, Ilia made to spring up, but I caught her wrist and halted the attempt. Eyes shifting to red, Ilia's glare seethed at me while I looked calmly back, before she sat back down and I released her wrist, letting her fold her arms and look away. "What's the point of asking? If you interviewed those humans, they would've already told you the White Fang trashed their shops."

"True, but I tend not to take the words of bigots seriously, so there's no guarantee the White Fang hit all of the shops," I replied as Ilia looked quizzically at me. "Plus, I was asking about you specifically."

"…yes…"

"Thank you," I repeated. I just hoped the thanks were getting through, or this would become bad very quickly. "Can I also assume the White Fang has plans to attack the SDC facility outside of Kuchinashi?"

Thankfully, Ilia didn't bolt this time, though that was due to her shocked posture and dropped jaw. "H-h-how did you know?"

"Uhh, it's not a hard guess to assume the White Fang isn't in Kuchinashi just to attack some anti-faunus shops. With an SDC facility close by, it'd be a prime target wouldn't it? I mean, even the citizens of Kuchinashi know an attack will probably happen, and I'm sure the SDC is on guard too." At my words, Ilia turned back away from me and grumbled under her breath. I swear I caught the mutterings of 'bullheaded edgelord', and my breath hitched before I sighed exasperatedly.

"Okay, bear with me now. I'm not trying to eavesdrop, but I heard a little bit of what you said. Are you telling me…your group is working under Adam Taurus?"

Any shocked reservations on Ilia's part evaporated away, and she made to run again before I again grasped her wrist, and this time hauled her back of my own accord. 'This doesn't sit right with me, but I'm not crossing any lines here.'

"Who are you?" Ilia hissed as my grip forced her back to the bench. Glaring at me, she attempted to wrench her wrist away, but I held firm, waiting for her answer. "Fine, yes. You already knew that though, didn't you?"

'No.' I couldn't tell her that though, so put some pieces together in hindsight. "Taurus is a known ranking member in the White Fang's hierarchy, and the most active branch of operations is Mistral. Given Taurus' more…violent policies, an operation such as this one would likely be headed by him." 'Plus, you follow Blake, who follows Adam, at least for now.'

"Tchh, lucky guess," Ilia scoffed, oblivious to the fact that it really was. Her shoulders sagged. "It doesn't matter. The attack will still happen, regardless of who tries to stop it."

"You don't sound too happy about that though, even though you'll be attacking the SDC," I replied, half digesting the words myself. 'Why would she be unhappy? C'mon, think about her personality…'

Then it hit me, and the words tumbled out before I could rephrase them. "Is Adam prioritizing the attack over the 'liberation' of faunus from the mines?"

Ilia's shoulders sagged further, no attempt to clam up this time. "…yes…"

'Damn, so Adam's anti-Schnee agenda is already overtaking other priorities. How long before anti-Schnee becomes anti-human?' I couldn't do anything about Adam right now, but I had a different opportunity before me. "And do you agree with his priorities? His methods?"

Ilia's freckles darkened to green, then blue. "They get results; it's the only way that works…besides, my opinion doesn't mean much anyways."

"Except that it does," I stressed, and Illia turned back. "You're the one out here doing recon for the White Fang in these kind of vandalism missions. Impact on faunus aside, without you, the Fang would have to put in much greater effort and resources for much less reliable results. That gives you some importance. Even if Taurus himself doesn't hold you in esteem, he must have someone he listens to, so talk to them instead." 'Like a certain cat faunus.'

"But what's the point?" Ilia muttered, bringing her knees up to her chin, feet resting on the bench. "Adam probably has it right, and his way works. The faunus are getting better treatment now, and our demands are being heard, thanks to people like him and the High Leader."

"But at what cost?" I asked, and she paused. "Sure, the faunus may now be getting better treatment, but it's out of fear of attack and retaliation. Your rights are being built on the foundation of the assumption that the White Fang can force change, as opposed to the peaceful ways of change that the previous High Leader Belladonna favored. If the White Fang or faunus as a whole lose the ability to force change by violence, all that was built on such violence will crumble with that leverage. So tell me, what happens when the rest of the world realizes that the only way for the faunus to maintain such a militant wave of change is to become the dominant force of Remnant?"

Ilia remained silent, but we both knew what the answer would be. War, like the Faunus Rights Revolution. And after the 'concessions' granted to the faunus at the end of the Revolution, would the faunus be able to prevail over a Remnant that might be united under fear of the faunus. With Atlas' technology?

"So that's it? We just roll over for the humans, and go back to peaceful protests and just hope for change and equality?" Ilia shifted unconsciously, turning blue with her hair and freckles red. A sorrowful anger, one that weakened the knees and voice. "We just suffer under bigoted humans, and pray for mercy that humans will change themselves to bring change for us?"

"Yes and no," I replied sheepishly, rubbing my neck as I let my harsh façade crumble. I couldn't remain impassive in front of such vulnerability. "Equality, real equality, can only happen if both sides let it. Sure, you can claw away the parts necessary to call yourselves equal, but what's to stop the other side from taking it back, now or later?

But no says the Faunus just have to sit on their thumbs and wait. They can do something that both humans and faunus are equipped to do; talk. Debate. Persuade. I'll admit, there are a lot of bigots, both in Mistral and Atlas, and some in Vale and Vacuo as well. But there are still a majority of humans open to the idea of equality, or could have their eyes opened to it. They're also innocent people, even if it doesn't seem that way when you have those prejudiced acting in front of you. Would you attack them for 'standing by and letting it happen'? Would you force them to choose sides, knowing that they might side against you if they're attacked first?

Change comes slowly. It's like evolution. It can take decades, maybe generations to occur, and you still might get unexpected results. But force a mutation or evolution rapidly, and you have all sorts of side effects to deal with. Here, now, those side effects are already showing. Violence, like a cancer, is spreading on both sides. Force your 'equality' on Remnant without consent? That side effect might just doom the whole system." I finished. Throughout my analysis, Ilia had shifted colors multiple times, a cycle of interpretation that I was not privy to. Now though? She was back to her original appearance, but her thoughts looked to be anything but calm. Shakily, Ilia rose to her feet and started walking away, and this time I didn't stop her. I just had one more thing to say.

"Ilia!" The faunus paused but didn't turn back. Good enough. "I'm not trying to persuade you. Just think things over. Decide whether in your heart of hearts if the White Fang's methods are the right way, and if you think you can be one to change things."

Ilia's hand's clenched at her sides, before she continued walking away. I waited for a solid minute for any ambushes to occur, fingers close to Corona. When faunus failed to spring from the trees, I left the bench and began walking back. 'Looks like our vacation is over…'

… … …

"Why! Do! You! Keep! Breaking! Your! Own! Rules!" Nora's punctuated every word with a solid blow to my shoulders, and when I tried to escape, my back. Ren looked back with blazing eyes of pink.

"Owowowowow, stop! Ok ok, I went a step further than planned, but that's it! I didn't pick a fight, and wasn't planning on talking to them anyway! I just happened to find someone after interviewing the business owners, and thought it'd be useful to ask her a few questions!" At my words, Nora froze, hand frozen above my head with a still-threatening aura.

"Ask her a few questions, hmm?" Slight sparks of electricity jolted off Nora's skin. "Sooo, Kouzai thought he could pull a few moves on a faunus girl, HMMM?"

The meaning of her words dropped into my brain, and my jaw dropped to the floor. "Nooooo, nonono, that was not the intention. I just wanted to ask her some questions, that's it!" I looked desperately at Ren, knowing his calm mind would see the logic in the action, and how hitting on random girls was something that I did not do. Ren proceeded to stare me straight in the eyes, and fucking winked.

"Kouzai does interact with a great many women, most of whom he encountered as strangers. Why, even Pyrrha was rumored to be one of his conquests at first." Ren smirked behind Nora as the lightning-wielder turned back to me, literal electricity bunched up in her hands.

"Ren says it's ok!" A fistful of electricity collided with my chest, confirming that Aura didn't do much to mitigate electrical shocks.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" After a good half-minute of writhing and panting on the floor, I picked myself up and glared at Ren. "Was…that really…necessary?"

Ren merely shrugged and levelled a look translating to, "Payback for leaving me behind in Mistral." Then he asked, "Did you end up getting useful information from this individual at the very least?"

"Yeaaahhh…it's not exactly good news though…" I hedged, before coughing as Ren and even Nora deadpanned at me. "The vandalism on businesses has just been a prelude, icing on the cake. Their real goal is to attack the SDC facility outside the city and free the faunus working at the mines."

Ren brought a hand to his chin in thought, while Nora looked conflicted about the matter. 'I can't blame them. Faunus discrimination is a can of worms that I do not have the philosophical chops to solve.'

"Look, whatever the case is, if the White Fang go unopposed when they attack the SDC facility, people will die. Whether it's the SDC facility workers, the White Fang themselves, or even the innocent faunus workers or citizens of Kuchinashi, there's gonna be blood on the ground." I knew I had their attention with the mention of the last two groups. "The things we've dealt with in the past have been pretty reactionary. We took on the Cleansers to save Sun, and we fought the Branwen Tribe mostly to survive. This, though…us intervening is as proactive as it gets, and rather up there on the danger scale too. So if you want to get involved, we need to be absolutely certain, because there won't be any time for wavering once we've made up our minds."

Honestly, it might've been easier if neither of them wanted to go. That way I could sneak away on my mission for Lil' Miss uninterrupted. Well, mostly uninterrupted. Ren at the very least appeared to be considering the options. "What if we warned the Kuchinashi authorities of the attack preemptively? Would that not dissuade the White Fang from attacking?"

I shook my head sadly. "From what I understand about whoever's in charge of this particular mission, I don't think they'll stop for anything. Any shoring of the defenses would likely get chalked up to a harder assault, leading to more deaths and injuries. Any additional support for the SDC facility would need to be discreet, and even if the SDC themselves could manage to be such, I wouldn't necessarily trust them with the information."

"So, what? We're acting like a wall between the White Fang and the SDC?" Nora questioned.

"I don't think we could manage that even if we wanted to," I replied. "At best, we're the deterrent that tries to keep things from turning into a bloodbath. But we'd have to be discreet ourselves, given that the White Fang definitely won't be happy to see us, and the SDC will likely be suspicious of outside 'help'."

"So long as we have the opportunity to prevent needless bloodshed, then we have the duty to act," Ren replied, fingering a sheathed knife at his side. Nora and I could both tell what it meant to him. "Welcome or not, we will protect others as huntsmen should."

Nora laid Magnhild across her shoulders, brow furrowed. "I don't know all the complicated stuff on who's right, but I do know that whoever's trying to hurt or kills others needs a hammer to the face."

"Well, this makes things easier and harder. Can't say I didn't see it coming though." I nodded at both of them. "Alright then. I didn't get a day of attack from the White Fang member, but one has to assume it's soon, considering things seem like they're coming to a head. The first thing we need to do is plan."

… … …

Three days. It'd been three days since my talk with Ilia, and our preparations were finished with haste. As had been done the past three days, we divided ourselves in a rotation to observe the SDC facility, as well as monitor the situation in Kuchinashi. Given our priority on making sure the people of Kuchinashi wouldn't be harmed, two of us covered the city while the third kept an eye on the facility.

'And thank the gods Chronometry lets me pick up motion better than average. It's no night vision, but it'll do.' That perk was how I managed to sell Nora and Ren on giving me the evening shifts on surveilling the facility. 'I also neglected to tell them the Fang will most likely attack during this shift as well. All the better for me to slip into the facility.'

What I wasn't sure on was what day the Fang would come. More preparation served to aid all parties involved, but the Fang were likely running on some sort of timetable, and Adam Taurus didn't strike me as the exceedingly patient type. 'Then again, he did tail Blake and crew across the entirety of Anima during Volume 6. Maybe I should give him mo-' A dust explosion flared in the night, and an alarm began ringing. 'Nevermind.'

I whipped out my scroll and called on our group communication, already making my way towards the facility. "It's happening. You both know what to do."

"We'll put in an anonymous call to the Kuchinashi police on imminent attacks on shops," Nora promised.

"And Kouzai, make sure you stay away from the conflict-"

"Unless the situation lethally escalates, I know, Ren," I replied, keeping my voice even as I neared the facility. Even from the far side of the facility, away from the main entrance and the direction of the mines, I saw groups of masked faunus engaging white-clothed groups. "Just hurry, things are already getting heavy."

Hanging up without preamble, I secured my scroll away and checked my attire to make sure everything was in place. Taking a deep breath, I grasped Mirror's Edge in both hands, and dashed forward. 'Fifteen minutes until Ren and Nora get here. Okay, time to rely on that nonexistent info from Lil' Miss.'

Using Chronometry, I stayed on the outskirts of the skirmishes taking place at the main entrance of the facility. Having cased the building, I knew there were no outer windows for easy access, and opted for a side door, four guards with hair-trigger fingers posted outside.

"Hey! Stop or we…what the…" The guard speaking trailed off, his colleagues freezing, as I loomed before them. Expecting Grimm-masked faunus, the sight of a full-face volto mask, along with a full-length black robe flaring behind me, caught them unawares for but a moment. It was all I needed as I brained two of the guards with the flat ends of Mirror's Edge, before parrying a couple shots from one of the remaining two. Throwing one-half of Mirror's Edge at the guard firing, I jumped and rebounded off the building's wall to bash the hilt of my other longsword into the man's neck. As the third guard went down grasping at his windpipe, I pivoted and pressed the flat of my remaining longsword against the last guard, forcing him flat against the wall.

"Sorry." I slugged the man once, twice across the jaw before his eyes rolled up, and he slumped down as I stepped back. Turning to look at the door, I quickly pawned the four guards' key cards off their persons, slipping them into my pockets after swiping for entry into the building. 'Could've maybe forced the door open, but better to make it harder on the Fang in case they find this door.'

I quickly paced down bland metal corridors, sounds of battle echoing off the walls. Turning a few corners, I was thankful the different area of the facility were marked above the entranceways. However, I was not thankful for the automatons guarding these entranceways. 'Faaaantastic. If only I could steal one of you to give to Lil' Miss, but smuggling one to Mistral would be a bit cumbersome.'

Not nearly as agile as some of the characters portrayed fighting the Atlesian Knights, I opted to deflect their bullets using Chronometry as I closed in, until their AI directed them towards melee. I handled their blades much better, and Mirror's Edge flashed a fluid web of steel as I carved through half a dozen metal chasses. 'At least I don't need to hold back in case they don't have Aura.'

My scroll showing my time already halfway through, I hurried into the section labelled 'AK-130' and was greeted with a large laboratory, the interior flashing red with evacuation signs flashing along the walls. 'Empty. Makes my job a whole lot easier.' Passing alongside the tables, my eyes beheld numerous arrays of stray machinery and blueprints. With limited engineering experience and even less in robotics, I did my best to parse out which blueprints detailed the core AK-130 units, stuffing them into my belt pouch. As I turned and began making my way out of the lab, the side area caught my eye as I happened upon a row of mechanical arms.

'Blades, guns, even riot shields. Must be the attachments for the…bots…' Coming to a specific attachment, my eyes widened as I noted the blueprints. 'That…that could come in handy…'

Grabbing the robotic arm off the table and adding its blueprint to the ones already in my pouch, I fastened the arm into the spare firearm holster on my back, before smoothing my robe out and grabbing Corona. 'Alright, this might put a dent in Jacques Schnee's bottom line, but it's better than the Fang getting their hands on any of these blueprints.' Using Fire Dust bullets, I shot the more flammable parts of the lab, and soon the room was ablaze. Keeping Corona in my hand while the barrel cooled off, I kept Mirror's Edge on my back as I exited the lab, going back down through the corridors.

'Alright, got a few minutes left until Nora and Ren get here. Just need to get outside to run some Fang vs. SDC interference, and we'll be out before Kuchinashi police redirect their resources.' Any further planning stopped as loud voices came from around the corner. 'Aww, crap.'

Holstering Corona, I drew Mirror's Edge as longswords, before racing around the corner into the sights of a handful of White Fang. Using Chronometry, my perception saw the one in front shout maybe two words of warning, before I lashed out with Mirror's Edge. A full slash down his front showed shimmering Aura, as a slice across the stomach of the one at his side revealed similar results. 'Ok, maybe all the Fang have Aura. Good to know.'

As the first two crumpled, the third charged forth with a saber while the other two tried laying covering fire. Taking the initiative, I dashed forward and tackled the sword-wielding faunus, sending them backwards as the other two stopped firing for a moment. Taking that chance, I closed in and brought the flat of both my longswords onto one's collarbones, then wheeled around to bat the torso and legs of the other. As the last guard regained their footing, I jumped and kneed them in the face, before twisting and kicking them in the head. As the corridor became still again, the thought popped into my head.

'Wait, if the Fang are here, then what's going on outside?' Dread flooding my insides, I made for the front entrance of the facility, noting that I didn't pass any other squads of White Fang. 'Did they split up and make it further into the building? If so…'

I ran out of the facility into main courtyard, and stopped in my tracks at the carnage. Some White Fang members laid devoid of life on the ground, but even more SDC guards were scattered around them. Further shouts and bangs off to the side registered that fighting was still going on at the mines, but here in this courtyard, only two figures still drew breath. Both I and the figure across from me were adorned in black and wore white masks, but whereas my mask and robe were meant to hide my identity, his attire drew attention to his.

A black blazer, dress pants, shoes and gloves that looked more at home in a fancy dinner than on a battlefield. Floral patterns and sigils of white and red trailed along the front and back of his blazer, highlighting the red shirt worn underneath and the shock of blood-red hair on his head. A white Grimm mask with red sigils accentuated the sharpness of the two black horns breaking away from his hair. His left hand held a shotgun sword sheath, while his right grasped a red katana with heart-pounding similarities to Raven Branwen's.

'Oh fuck me…'

"You don't look like the kind of scum employed by the SDC, but you are present at their facility and smell human. State your purpose now or suffer the consequences," Adam Taurus commanded.

'Ok, a couple minutes tops, I can do that.' I slowly sheathed Mirror's Edge onto my back and held my hand up. "I'm only here to prevent needless slaughter. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Needless you say? Are you referring to the loss of brave faunus giving their lives in the name of freedom? Or maybe the faunus enslaved in the SDC's mines wasting away in the name of cheap Dust?" Adam's sneer became even more pronounced. "Surely you don't mean the humans pervading these evils, now slain at my feet?"

"I mean any loss of life, be it human or faunus," I replied, and Adam's sneer dropped away. "You have to know that death of either humans or faunus will just inflame hatred against the other. Whatever victory you may be jockeying for here will be overshadowed by the darkness that you've stained this chapter of history with."

"Humans like you have always hated the faunus! If the faunus wish to hate the humans back for how we have been treated, that is our right!" Adam yelled. "Our victories will lead to a better world for faunus, and our history will be written with faunus as the winners, as it should be!"

"But at what cost?" I asked. "Even if the White Fang can take on the entirety of Remnant and win, they won't be able to win forever. Power always changes hands eventually, be it between kingdoms, between companies, between races. But how it changes, and how the less powerful are treated in the aftermath, that's what's important."

"Any faith humans may wish for faunus to have in them has long since been squandered. The faunus have spent far too long as second-class citizens to rely on change from humans anymore." Adam's face turned frightfully neutral. "Death is better than bondage."

Any thoughts on movie references went on the backburner as Wilt was sheathed. "Now, step aside, or face my blade."

'Ah, damnit. Nora, Ren, you guys better be here soon.' I activated Chronometry and slowly drew both my longswords, holding them in an escrima stance. Adam grasped Wilt and tilted down in an iaido stance. 'Here's to hoping I did enough planning.'

With a bang, Blush shot Wilt from the sheath as Adam lunged forward, grasping his katana out of midair as he rocketed toward me. Gritting my teeth, I dug my heels in and held my right longsword outwards in a guard. As the distance between us closed, I heard a low whistling sound. As both Adam and I looked sideways, I was able to see the small object hurtling towards the ground in front of us. Realizing exactly what it was, I jumped backwards, just as a grenade canister hit the ground between Adam and I.

BOOOOOOMMM

As a familiar cloud of pink smoke billowed outwards, I was yanked even further back and whirled around to face two other robed and masked figures, one at my height and wiry, the other short and powerful. The short one proceeded to smother me in a bone-breaking hug.

"We said to stay away from the fighting till we got here!" Nora hissed worriedly.

"Until things escalated," I wheezed. "Trust me, they've escalated." Nora let go as the three of us looked at the expanse of courtyard clear of pink smoke, and the corpses littering the ground told the tale.

"Do we know if any SDC employees remain inside the building?" Ren questioned as the smoke cleared.

"Not sure, but I know some White Fang slipped inside. The SDC has robots though, so any employees inside might be able to escape," I grimly assessed as the smoke fully dispersed, with Adam remaining in the same spot, face impassive at the two newcomers. "If he gets inside though…"

"I was afraid of that," Ren sighed, deploying Stormflower from his robed sleeves. "It appears we have no choice then."

"Oh, we have plenty of choices. They're just mostly awful," I quipped, hands clenching Mirror's Edge.

"Any options that let us beat tall, dark and brooding?" Nora muttered, aiming Magnhild in grenade launcher form.

"Stick with me and let's find out."

… … …

… … …

"Ilia, I need you to focus!"

Ilia snapped back to attention and stared her unspoken crush in her amber eyes. Crouched behind a rock outcropping, they were shielded from enemy fire, but ricochets and impacts against the stone sent Blake's feline ears into a twitching frenzy. "Sorry, what's the plan?"

"They think they have us pinned, but if you retreat and camouflage, you can circle around and flank them." Another near-miss had them both wincing, as Ilia nodded before turning coal-black to match the shade of her uniform. Stealthing away, Ilia got some distance away from the fight to avoid the SDC's portable searchlights. Running off to the side, Illia gripped Lightning Lash as she counted the number of remaining mine guards ganging up on her and Blake. Anger at the unfairness of it all threatened to turn her red, but she calmed herself as she closed in on the cluster of guards. Activating Lightning lash, she slashed down on the backs of three guards as they neared Blake's hiding spot. As electricity coursed past their Aura, the remaining five whirled around to get eyes on the ambusher, but a flurry of shots from Gambol Shroud chunked their Auras away, and the two girls fell upon them in the momentary surprise.

Was it considered unfair to set Adam upon such unskilled guards? Or even the researchers?

"Ilia, let's get to the mines! We have to free these faunus!" Blake sprinted towards the mines as Ilia made to follow, mind still in turmoil. A horrified gasp pierced through the fog though, as Ilia stopped next to Blake, her own feet frozen at the sight.

Dozens of faunus miners, piled together and riddled with bullet holes. The rocky ground beneath them repelled liquids, and so the blood of the slain puddled around the bodies. The direction most of them faced and their terrified expressions indicated they tried to flee. A sickening feeling took root in Ilia's stomach as she realized what the mine guards had been busy doing before sieging them.

"Gods…so many…" Blake sobbed, ears flat against her skull. With their faunus vision, it was easy to tell that none had been spared.

Would these lives have been saved if Adam had put more men towards rescue than the attack? Ilia's hand clenched Lightning Lash. Another explosion from the facility highlighted the slaughter before them, and the screams of those unfortunate enough to face Adam in battle followed.

So much bloodshed…was the harm done to the SDC this night worth these lives?

"W-we need to get back to the hideout," Blake whispered, regaining her voice. "We have to report what happened here to Adam. Something has to be done about this."

As Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and stumbled away, she didn't notice Ilia turning red and yellow, anger and hatred written on her skin. For the first time though, she wasn't sure who it was for.

A/N: The fun never ends, and by fun I mean near-death experiences. Welcome to Remnant! I hope everyone enjoyed that and is looking forward to the showdown with Adam.

OMAKE

"T-t-this doesn't even make sense!" I forced my words to come out even, despite my chattering teeth. "How can it be this cold out?"

"Welcome to Atlas, kid. Where it snows nine months of the year and hails the other three!" Roman exclaimed cheerfully, looking quite snug in his thermal Fire Dust-lined coat. Next to him, Neo appeared unphased by the chill even in her normal clothing, though I wagered she was quite bundled up under an illusion created by Overactive Imagination. Either that, or she was a demon unaffected by the elements. I'd buy either one.

"Alright, kid, remember your role?" Roman questioned as we trudged across a snow-covered rooftop. Below in progress was the annual charity gala thrown by the Schnee family, meaning that everyone who was anyone was in attendance. Including the big man himself.

"When I said we need to stop the White Fang from attacking an SDC R&D facility, I'm not sure how that translates to 'let's have Kouzai pickpocket Jacques Schnee for his access credentials'," I stated dryly as we passed by the second of the two unconscious guards posted on the roof.

"Why, I thought the train of thought was rather simple. We stop the White Fang from getting their hands on valuable SDC research, by stealing it first." Roman's nonchalance on the matter had me gritting my teeth. "Beggars can't be choosers now, and if Neo and I are sticking our necks into this business, you can be sure we're getting something out of it."

"Of course, how could I possibly forget?" The chill of my sarcasm was fast approaching the physical chill outside, a fact I remained cognizant of as Roman went to work on the locks on the roof access door. "Remind me, why exactly am I the one pickpocketing Jacques Schnee again? Considering the wealth of experience in the area you two have."

Roman didn't even have time to quip back before Neo pulled out a rolled-up paper on her person to show an international wanted poster of Roman, with a lot of lien as the reward. Snapping the paper back up, she deadpanned while pointing at her throat, before twirling her finger around to land on me.

"Okay, I see your point, sad as it is," I sweatdropped as Roman got the door open and we passed through the doorway. "I still think it's a terrible idea to hinge the most important part of the plan on me being able to pickpocket the richest man on Remnant in plain view of all of Atlas' elite."

"Anyone ever tell you you worry too much? Oh yeah, me. You'll be fine. You've got an unnatural level of maturity for a kid who's only fifteen, so blending in and schmoozing with the snobs of Atlas shouldn't be a problem." Roman's usual snappy remarks carried genuine approval, before their usual bite returned. "Besides, if things go sideways, Neo's waiting in the wings to pull off a great escape. Happy hunting!"

I sighed and slipped off my winter clothing, leaving me in an immaculately-fitted suit, courtesy of Roman's tailor. Descending the stairs, I heard the low buzz of hundreds of conversations getting louder, signaling my likely impending demise. 'Ok, showtime.'

As I turned the corner, I was ill-prepared to bump into anyone, but such a collision had me stepping on the back foot. Noting the other individual's smaller size, I quickly leaned forward and pulled the girl up by her forearm and waist, setting her down a comfortable foot away from me to avoid any misunderstandings. "I profusely apologize; I was caught up in my own thoughts and…"

My words died as I noted the pale blue dress worn by the girl before me, her sideways ponytail, her pale skin and white hair. But most importantly, the crystal-like eyes that shone like aquamarine, with furrowed brows heralding one of her legendary tantrums. Instead, the girl huffed and looked sideways.

"Be more cautious next time. Honestly, it's like you've never been instructed in the ways of graceful movement. Well, At least your stumbling was accidental and you respected my personal space, unlike the other groping buffoons in attendance. I assume you are aware of who I am?"

Heiress. Singer. Huntress-in-training. Future BFF to a silver-eyed cinnamon roll.

"Of course. How could I ever forget the beauty that is Weiss Schnee? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kouzai Higure. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

A/N: Well, at least this Kouzai got to meet a main character of RWBY. Actually, Beaconpoint Kouzai met Yang and Ruby pretty early on in the omakes. Maybe I'll have an encounter with Blake written in the future. Until next week!

-SE

Next Chapter Date: 11/04/19