Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo while RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth
Chapter 27: Not Always Black and White
The last thing Ichigo remembered was him falling asleep at the dorms, lying down. So, what is he doing standing up? Why is he in this dark alley way? Why can he hear sirens? Why is he surrounded by unconscious thugs?
And why are his knuckles covered in blood?
When his eyes finally adjusted to the dark, he sees that he still has an unfortunate soul in a death grip on his collar. Ichigo took in the damage he knew he caused but have no recollection of. Blood seeping out of a broken nose, a fracture around the right eye socket, a broken jaw, and a few broken teeth.
Ichigo stared in horror. What did he do? He numbly released the broken man and let him fall heavily.
'What did I do? Why did I do it? What's going on?' he thought frantically. The sirens sounded like they were getting closer.
They deserved it, a voice said
"Wh-What?"
These asshats deserved every beating. Especially after everything they did.
Ichigo looks at the unconscious men again. After some thinking, he realized who they were. They were a bunch of petty thugs who would harass Faunus and force themselves on women…But did Ichigo have any right to go this far? Are they even breathing?
"No…this isn't right…" Ichigo muttered. He grasps his hands in his orangey hair. He did care about the blood now in his hair. He didn't care about the police getting closer to his location.
A white blur appeared in front of him. Tatsuki knew who it was. "I-Ishida?" Ichigo remembered the bodies around them. "I-I don't know what happened I—"
"Shh," Uryū shushed. He takes Ichigo by his wrist and used his fine control over his Aura to get himself and Ichigo out of the alley and out of the sight of the police that had just found the unconscious men.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Any word from Blake?" Ruby asked.
"No…" Yang said.
"It's been nearly two days now," Ruby said. She glances over to Weiss, who has been nonchalantly filing her nails. "Weiss, aren't you worried?" The heiress stopped to give her partner a sideways glance before returning to her filing.
"What heart-felt emotion," Yang said dryly.
"Okay, we'll start our search again over in the commercial district," Ruby said.
"Why bother?" Weiss asked, finally speaking. "You both heard what she said."
"Weiss…" Ruby chided.
"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't," Yang said. "That doesn't matter right now. We need to find her."
Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes. "She's probably back with her own kind. Just watch, the next time we see her, she'll be with the other White Fang Faunus."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There is an awkward silence between Blake and the monkey Faunus from the day before, Sun Wukong, sat at a table in a three-star hotel room. The only thing making any sort of noise is a clock, Sun tapping his finger on the table, and a shower running. He forced a grin at Blake, who was disinterested. The shower was eventually turned off and Yoruichi emerges from the bathroom in an orange robe and an orange towel wrapped around her head.
"I see you two are having a lively conversation," The woman joked with mirth. Sun only chuckled sheepishly before turning his head away, his face blushed from seeing Yoruichi in just a bathrobe, especially with it clings on to her body, showing off curves. The older Faunus giggled at the flustered boy.
Blake sighed. "…Thank you for letting me stay over."
Yoruichi goes to Blake a light hug. "Anything for my favorite niece."
"…I'm your only niece."
"Which makes it even better." She moved over to a tea brewer. "Who wants tea?"
"I-I could have a mug, if you don't mind, Ms. Shihoin," Sun said.
"Just Yoruichi would be nice," Yoruichi said as she handed the mugs to the younger Faunus'. "I don't care much for formality." After taking a sip from her own mug, she asked, "So, what are you going to do today?"
"What?" Blake asked.
"I asked what are you going to do today? You can't exactly stay in here all day," Yoruichi said.
Blake looks down, seeing her reflection in the tea. "I…I don't know."
"Does it have anything to do with the White Fang robbing Dust shops?" Yoruchi asked.
"You believe it too?!" Blake yelled. Realizing she had raised her voice, she said, "…sorry."
"It's okay," Yoruichi said. She takes a chair to seat next to her niece. "Blake, why did you leave the White Fang?"
"…What?"
"I am happy to see that you've decided to leave the White Fang, especially with how extreme their methods are now with Sienna Khan as High Leader. Despite this, you still defend their actions," Yoruichi said. "So, I ask again: Why did you leave the White Fang?"
Memories of someone Blake once loved returned to her mind. She remembers how he was long before: Brave, righteous, and he cared so much for the Faunus and their cause. Then…he changed. And not for the better. Where there once was embraces and words of assurance, they were replaced with vicious hits and words of spite.
"…I grew tired of all the violence and hate, and I wanted to do something that would actually make a change," Blake said. When she realized what her aunt is really asking, she said, "I guess… deep down… I didn't want to believe it."
"It's not much of a surprise. You were practically born into the White Fang," Yoruichi said. "If you still think that way about the White Fang, then there is only one solution." Blake and Sun look at the older woman. "Stakeout a potential lead."
"Is it professional for a pro Huntsman to encourage students?" Sun muttered.
"The thing is I don't know where to look first," Blake said. "There are still more Dust shops here in Vale. I wouldn't know where to start."
"Um… I may have an idea," Sun said. "While I was on the boat, I've heard some workers about Dust shipments arriving today. And they're huge. Like, SDC freighter huge."
"…Well, it's a start."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Over at the mall, RW_Y asked people about the whereabouts of Blake. Well, Ruby and Yang are.
"Excuse me. Have you seen this girl?" Ruby asked politely to an old lady, showing her a picture of Blake reading on her Scroll. The old lady shook her head and left.
"Come on. Are you sure you haven't seen her?" Yang asked a young man, who was trying to walk away from her. Yang hangs her head in defeat. The sisters look Weiss, who is seating at a bench, flipping through her Scroll. "Weiss, aren't you gonna help?"
"There's a police station over there," Weiss said, thumbing at the direction. The sisters gave the heiress an unamused glare. "What?"
Ruby's Scroll starts to ding. She looks at the caller id. It was Jaune, though Ruby labeled his call address as 'Vomit Boy'. She has no doubt that Jaune's label for her number is 'Crater Face'. She answers it. "Hello?"
/Hey, Ruby. Any luck?/ Jaune asked.
"No…" Ruby answered.
/Are sure you don't want us to help you look around Vale?/ Jaune asked.
"You guys are helping plenty by staying at Beacon. Just in case Blake had returned," Ruby reassured.
/…If you say so./ Jaune said with some hesitancy. Despite having very little interactions with Blake, Jaune still worried for her wellbeing. /Call me when something happens./
"Will do. Bye," Ruby said before hanging up. She sighs. She started to hear music. "Hm?" She walks out of the mall to see a concert happening at the square. She makes her way over, followed by Yang and Weiss. There was already a crowd, cheering as the song come to an end. The band in question was Meg2umi, with Halibel being the lead singer.
"How is she able to sing with a mask over her mouth?" Weiss asked.
"On her profile page, she revealed that she had it specially made by Atlas technicians," Yang said.
"She could be lip-syncing for all we know," Weiss said.
"…Wow, you are judgmental," Yang said.
"Oh, shut up," Weiss said, her bracelets jingling as she crossed her arms.
"Salutations!" Penny greeted, surprising the other three.
"Penny, don't do that," Ruby scolded, holding a hand to her chest.
"Oops, sorry! I just saw you guys and I just had to say hi," Penny said. "So, what are you three up to?"
"Uhhh…" Yang said.
"Wait. Where is Blake?" Penny asked.
"…She's missing," Ruby said.
Penny let out a gasp. "Oh, no! Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Uh, actually, uh…" Ruby said, trying to think of an excuse.
"We were thinking about splitting up to cover more ground," Yang said quickly. "How about you and Ruby go check out the industrial area while the Ice Queen and I check around here some more?" Weiss glared at the blonde at the 'Ice Queen' comment.
Penny salutes. "I understand. Let's go, Ruby. We won't rest until we find your teammate." The redhead takes Ruby by the hand and drags her away, the younger girl reaching out for her sister feebly.
"We've made no such plan," Weiss said, arching a brow at Yang.
Yang looks serious. "Listen: I get that you had a rough childhood and all, but that doesn't mean that you can be hostile at any Faunus. Even if Blake was a member, I'd think that she was too young at time."
Weiss huffs. "I'm surprised that you let your little sister be acquainted with shady people. I thought you were protective of her."
"I am. But that doesn't mean that I can shield her from everything. Believe me… I want to. But, look at her now. Besides, if I was so protective, then I wouldn't have her be partnered with you." It sounded like a jab, but there was probably a deeper meaning.
"Very funny," Weiss said.
"Hey." They heard Tatsuki say as she and Rukia walked over to them.
"Tats, Rukia, what are you guys up to?" Yang asked.
"Monitoring the concert," Tatsuki said, thumbing at the stage. "Where's Ruby?"
"She's checking out the industrial district."
"I'll take a guess that Blake is still missing." Rukia looked down, knowing full well of who else is absent.
Yang looks crestfallen. "…Yeah." Weiss on the other hand wasn't.
"What exactly happened?" Rukia asked. "We were never told of the reason why she disappeared."
"We…" Yang started with some caution. "…sort of found out that she's…a…"
"She's a Faunus," Weiss blurted. Yang smacks her arm. "Hey!" Tatsuki and Rukia looked slightly surprised.
"I know, right?" Yang said, noticing their expressions. "Man, I'd never would have guessed. Well, it does explain why she'd go into the showers with her bow on and why she puts a lot of tuna in her—"
"I think you misinterpreted Tatsuki and I," Rukia said.
"Why?"
"We've always known Blake was a Faunus," Tatsuki revealed. "It's kind of obvious."
"How?" Weiss asked.
Tatsuki and Rukia exchanged glances before looking back at Yang and Weiss. "Her full name is Blake Belladonna, right?" Tatsuki quizzed.
"Yes?"
"Who was the previous White Fang leader before Sienna Khan?" Rukia quizzed.
"Oh, that's easy," Yang said. "It's Ghira Bel…la…don…na." Weiss smacks herself in the face.
"Anyways, I'm free for the day. Mind if I help?" Tatsuki asked.
"The more the merrier." Yang said.
"STOP! Just stop!" Weiss exclaimed. "Why are we even doing this?! Don't you remember all the things she said? She's a member of the White Fang! A filthy Faunus! So, why bother?"
Anger started to boil in both Yang and Tatsuki. But, before either one of them could say anything, Rukia places a hand on their upper arms. "Weiss, I wish to speak with you about something important. Tatsuki, Yang, please go on ahead without us."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ugh! I just can't stand her sometimes! I mean, she's gottin' better since she and Ruby made up, but this…" Yang turns to Tatsuki. "What is your take on this?"
Tatstuki only shrugged. "Nothing really. I mean, I don't like the whole racism and discrimination and the like. I grew up in an open-minded household. However, I was never keen on picking sides."
"What do you mean?"
"Say that you, as a human, sympathize with the Faunus and White Fang and wishes to support them. Other humans might look at you and say 'so, you side with murderers and thieves' when none of that is the point. On the other hand, as a Faunus, you wish to make peace with humans, but other Faunus would berate you for 'going against your own kind' even though it would benefit them greatly. Eventually, such communities would grow to be so toxic that people would not want to pick a side anymore."
"So, you're neutral from all this?" Yang asked.
"Pretty much. Not to say that I'll stand by and watch Faunus getting bullied because of their heritage," Tatsuki said. "Tatsuki's the same."
"With all this discrimination, I'm surprised that there isn't much of that against the Quincys." Yang commented.
"I think part of that reason is because of the fact that Quincys look more human, besides their ears," Tatsuki said. "That and the positive influences of the Ishidas, the Blumes, and the von Johanns. Even the Sanguis family until they were killed in a fire. Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't any bad apples from the Quincy side of things."
"Wandenreich, right?"
"Heard of them?"
"A little bit, yeah. Not as open about their goals as say the White Fang are, but I've heard of some bizarre rumors, like weird blood rituals, kidnapping, sacrifices, mass suicides…Talk about drinking the flavored juice. I've heard about a sectioned group of the cult getting caught red-handed and arrested thanks to an undercover agent or something."
"…Yeah…" Because she wasn't paying attention, Tatsuki bumps into someone.
"Sorry," they both said at the same time. Tatsuki takes a moment to look at the other man… has he seen him somewhere?
"…Tatsuki?" she muttered. When did he dye his hair…and had it grow out?
"Oh, hey!" Yang greeted. "Your name is Zakuro, right?"
The man's lone red eye widened. "I'm surprised that you remembered my name."
Yang shrugged. "I tend to remember faces of handsome men."
"Thank you?"
Yang gets an idea. "Oh! Hey, have you seen this girl?" She shows him the picture of Blake.
"…Oh, I've seen her. I think I saw her with a monkey Faunus."
"Yes! Finally, a lead!" Yang cheered.
"Do you also happen to know where they are?" Tatsuki asked, now over the shock of seeing a near clone of Tatsuki.
"I think they were heading in the direction of the industrial district," Zakuro said.
"That's where Ruby is!" Yang said. She uses her Scroll to call her sister. "Come on, Tatsuki!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Rukia, what are we doing back here?" Weiss asked as she and Rukia make their way through backstage. There, they see Renji speaking with Halibel. Renji notices his teammate coming in.
"Hey!" Renji greeted.
"Renji, may I ask you a question?" Rukia asked.
"Ask away."
"What are your views of the White Fang?"
"My views?" Renji made a quick glance at Weiss. "Well, I knew that my Ma and Pa were supportive members—"
"See? What did I tell you?" Weiss interrupted.
"Weiss…Let him finish," Rukia said. Because of the serious tone of her voice, Weiss complied. "Continue."
Renji nodded. "Right. You know how the WF has different factions for each Kingdom?" Weiss nodded. "My Ma and Pa were members of the Vacuo branch. They were icons for the community at the time when Ghira was in power. The reason for that is…remember what I said about my Ma?"
Weiss took a moment to remember. "She's…human."
"Yep. My Ma was disgusted of the irrational fears and discriminations. How she met my Pa was kinda funny. My Pa was part of a guerilla Faunus group that had no connections to the WF. They were at war with a group of humans and they often butt heads. During one battle however, my Ma came to put a stop to it."
"How?"
"You'd think that she'll give them a heartfelt speech about friendship and the power of love and the like… No, not my Ma." Renji laughed at the memory of the story. "Apparently, she took a rifle and shot it in the air and gave both groups one hell of an earful." Renji wished that he could go back in time watch the whole thing happening. "After that, they joined the White Fang, during the time that humans could join, and grew closer from that. Soon they got married and, dundun, I'm here. After Ghira stepped down and Sienna rose, things changed. Since Sienna didn't want any humans in the organization, she banished them. My Pa was angry when they kicked Ma out solely because she was wasn't a Faunus, so he quit too. They then decided to make their own organization for both humans and Faunus. They called themselves the Neo-White Fang."
"I've heard of them." The band's drummer, Franceska Milarose, said. "They're always at odds with the Vacuo branch of the White Fang. They often appear at places where the WF start to cause a ruckus and put a stop to them. The Neo-White Fang was almost like a police force."
"I don't understand why you are telling me this," Weiss said stubbornly. "For all you know, your father tricked your mother. Like I keep saying, all Faunus are liars."
The keyboardist for the band, Emilou Apacci, stood up to front Weiss. "Why you little…" She stopped when Halibel lifted a hand.
Halibel spoke up, "Is that how you see Faunus?"
"Yes," Weiss said.
"Look, Weiss, I have no idea what your deal is about the White Fang, but don't go lumping other Faunus that has nothing to do with them," Renji said. "Not all Faunus are like that."
"Oh, yeah?" Weiss challenged.
"So, do you think that the Faunus would be there for their own kind?" Halibel asked.
Weiss shrugged. "I don't see why not."
"Not exactly." Renji said grimly.
"What?"
"Remember how I said that my Ma and Pa founded the Neo-White Fang to go up against the WF? Well, the executive members of the WF started getting tired of their constant meddling, so they decided to destroy it from the inside."
"…How?"
"They started drugging my Pa with an illegal substance called Wrath. Not much is known about it, only that it stimulates aggression. Because of its influence, it made my Pa more violent, especially towards me and my Ma. Soon, we started to lose some followers. Then, one day, it got so bad that I had awakened my Semblance and I accidentally killed my old man."
Weiss was nearly speechless. "Oh…"
"I was under mandatory watch on accounts of involuntary manslaughter and I had to wear a monitoring anklet. That was fun." Renji commented sarcastically. "I nearly lost my chance at attending a Huntsman Academy, but it's thanks to Rukia's family that I'm here right now. To show my gratitude, I plan on joining the Atlesian Special Ops when I graduate."
"What? Really? After what happened with Gin Ichimaru?" Weiss questioned.
"Don't forget, we, Team IURR, were there too. We saw what happened. We saw what he did to Sosuke Aizen, as well as the consequences that followed. But, that's not the reason for me joining the Atlesian military. It wasn't for the other Faunus or to get revenge; it was my way of saying thanks to the Kuchiki family. I'm aware of the pressure that I would undoubtedly face because of Ichimaru's actions, but I'm willing to face them."
Weiss felt conflicted. With the war with the White Fang, she was always exposed to one side, the humans effected. Never had she heard about the Faunus-on-Faunus crimes.
Seeing Weiss' contemplation, Halibel spoke again. "You'd think that people of the same race would have each other's back, huh?"
The older woman's question grabbed Weiss's attention. "…You're a Faunus, too?"
"That's right." Halibel's voice was soft, almost kind.
"So, you hide your Faunus trait with that mask?" Weiss asked.
"No, I don't." The heiress looked puzzled. "I have no qualms about my heritage. If you'd look up my profile on Meg2umi's website, you'll see that I don't hide the fact that I am a Faunus. A shark Faunus, in fact. I use this mask for a different reason." Halibel goes to remove the mask.
"Wait!" Franceska exclaimed. "You don't have to do that!"
"Yeah, you don't have to show this brat anything!" Emillou said.
"It's alright, girls." Halibel takes off her mask. What Weiss saw shocked her, her hand hovering over her mouth in horror. Defiling Halibel's beauty was a Glasgow smile, the ugly scars began from the corners of her mouth and ended at her cheekbones.
"Wha…? Who…who could've done…?" Weiss breathed.
"It happened when Meg2umi first formed." Halibel began, Weiss saw glimpses of her shark teeth as she spoke. "Because of my Faunus trait allowed me to look more human, some Faunus saw that as a disgrace. They believed that I was ashamed of my heritage and passed myself off as human, which was a lie. So, they broke into a hotel I was in and took me to an alleyway. There, they me laid on a table and one of them took out a knife and said, 'let's see if you'll still look human after this'. It hurt. It hurt so much, that I was crying and screaming. My screaming caught the attention of a human man from down the street. He came running with a flashlight and the other Faunus' ran off, leaving me behind. Thankfully, the man was a doctor and he treated my wounds pro bono." Halibel closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. She replaced the mask on her face. "That night, I was assaulted by Faunus, my own kind, but it was a human who saved me. He even had this mask custom made for me because I didn't want to scare my fans with this ugly face of mine." She chuckled. "Of course, he said that I was still beautiful… Despite such act, I still garnered no hatred against my own kind. Just like how there are good humans and bad humans, there are also good Faunus and bad Faunus."
Weiss remained silent, taking in everything she just heard. Seeing this, Rukia places her hands gently on her friend's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go." Weiss nodded, following the petite woman out.
"Weiss," Renji spoke. She stopped to turn at him. "When I first heard that the Schnee heiress was gonna attend Beacon, I wasn't exactly thrilled, especially since I've met Jacques Schnee before. But, Uryū insisted that you were a good person… And, after this, I would like to say that he is right." He grinned a toothy smile at Weiss. A smile of her own started to creep on her face. She shyly walked out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Weiss and Rukia walked in silence. The heiress thought back on everything she 'knew' about the Faunus. Her father would charge into the family mansion, steam practically fuming from his ears in anger. He would always say 'those filthy Faunus' and other vulgar words that shouldn't be said in front of a child and she would hear kids at the Atlas Elite Elementary school talk about how Faunus carry diseases, would rob you blind, and that you would, bizarrely enough, turn into a Faunus by getting bitten by one. Weiss remembered one kid freaking out because a homeless Faunus child bit him… Now that she thinks about it, the kid was throwing rocks at the Faunus because he wanted to test the rumor… It was a stupid idea.
"Weiss," Rukia said, bringing the heiress out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry for having you see that. But, this blind hatred had to stop."
"N-no, it's fine…" Weiss said.
Rukia sighed and turns to Weiss. "If you don't mind, I want to give you a hypothetical scenario."
"Hm?" Weiss said.
"Say that a Quincy wants to join the Wandenreich." Rukia said. "The reasoning behind it is because he was dealt with a bad hand and wanted a new way of life. The Quincy is accepted in the Wandenreich with open arms. But, he soon learned that it was a mistake. He was forced to participated in blood rituals, kidnappings of young children, human and Faunus sacrifices, and… other things I hesitate to say."
"Oh my gosh…" Weiss said, not sure of what else to say.
Rukia smiled. "Keyword: Was. That Quincy was able to escape the group he was in. Do you see the similarities? The Quincy joined the Wandenreich in order to have a better life, while Blake joined the White Fang in order to have equality. They wanted a positive outcome. Unfortunately, no such outcome was in sight and they left. Now that I have told you this and with everything that you heard, what are your thoughts? Do you think that Blake is still nothing more than just a Faunus or would you look over her past mistakes and see her as just Blake Belladonna?"
That sounded familiar to Weiss. For the past few years, she has begun to notice the repercussions of her father's actions. As soon as Weiss was named heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, people didn't see Huntress-in-training Weiss Schnee, they only saw Jacques' successor. Jacques, Jacques, Jacques… Funny how Jacques was only married into the family…
Weiss just wanted to be Weiss Schnee.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Night has fallen as Blake peered over at the shipping containers, preferably the ones with the SDC logo on them. Sun hopped down next to her, carrying an arm full of apples. "Anything happened yet?" He asked her.
Blake shook her head. "Nothing for now."
Sun hands her an apple. "Hungry?"
Blake eyed the apple for a moment. "…You stole that, didn't you?"
"…Maybe."
"Do you always break the law without a second thought?"
"Hey, were you in a cult or something?" Blake angrily glared at him. "Too soon?"
A strong gust of wind whipped around them as a Bullhead flew in and starts to descend. When the cargo hold opened, a man in a black hood and wearing a Grimm mask that the WF wore stepped out.
"…No." Blake muttered in disbelief.
"You really didn't belief they were behind this, did you?" Sun asked softly, looking sympathetic.
"…No. Deep down in knew. I just didn't want to be right." Blake said, heartbroken.
"All right! What's the hold up?" Blake looks down to see the infamous Roman Torchwick ordering the Faunus.
Blake narrowed her eyes. "Something isn't right. The White Fang wouldn't work for a human like that." She gets up from her position and leaps down.
"Hey! Wait!" Sun called out.
Using the shadows, Blake sneaks her way towards behind Roman and grabs him at blade point.
"What the—? Oh, for f—"
"Don't move." Blake demanded. Roman rolled his eyes. Looking at all the White Fang goons pointing their weapons at her, she removes her bow, revealing her feline ears. "Brothers and sisters of the White Fang, I am Blake Belladonna. Why are you aiding this scum?"
One of them, a woman, huffed. "Like we're gonna answer to a deserter."
Roman chuckled. "It seems like you didn't get the message then."
Blake inched the blade of her Gambol Shroud closer to Roman's throat. "And what message is that?"
Before Roman said anything else, another Bullhead flew in. Seeing that Blake is now distracted, Roman shoots his cane at the ground.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ruby heard a familiar gunshot from where she and Penny are. They see a Bullhead and a plume of smoke. "Oh, no…" Ruby said.
"We need to hurry." Penny said. Ruby nods and they run towards the direction of where Blake might be.
Blake, please be okay, Ruby prayed as she ran. She doesn't care if Blake was a member of the White Fang, she only cares to see her friend unharmed. They made it to the container storage area as Blake and Sun battled against Roman. Meeting up with them is Tatsuki and Yang.
"Ruby!" Yang exclaimed before hugging her sister.
Tatsuki watches the battle from the roof they are at. "What the hell is going?"
When Ruby noticed the career criminal had the monkey Faunus at gun/cane point, she decided to take action. "Hey!" She shouted. She extends Crescent Rose and flips it around before slamming it into the concrete.
"Was that even necessary?" Tatsuki asked.
Roman chuckled. "Well, well, well, if it isn't little Red. Isn't it your bedtime yet?"
"Ruby?" Penny spoke up.
"Penny, get back." Ruby said, diverting her attention. Roman sees this and shoots at her, sending her back.
"Ruby!" Tatsuki and Yang exclaimed before brandishing their weapons. Penny, remembering what happened with Nnoitora, narrowed her eyes and made her way to the roof edge.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Tatsuki asked the girl.
"Penny, wait!" Ruby said. The bright green-eyed girl smiled at her.
"Do not worry, Ruby. I am combat ready!" Emerging from a small pack on Penny's back is a folded-up sword connect to the pack via a string-like cable. The sword extended before splitting into ten. The girl leaps from the rooftop and into the fray, plowing through the White Fang goons. She even took down a Bullhead by have the swords pierced into it and pulling it down using the cables.
Tatsuki was amazed, as was Ruby. "How is she doing that?" Ruby wondered.
Good question. During his time at Beacon, Tatsuki had seen a wide variety of student capable of amazing feats. Some, of course, is thanks to ones Aura. This, however, seems… different.
Seeing that this is a losing battle, Roman takes off in a Bullhead, escaping to do crime for another day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The police arrived to investigate the situation. Tatsuki explained to them about Roman's involvement and his apparent partnership with the White Fang.
"Well, that at least explains why the guy has been robbing a large amount of Dust lately." One officer, Yesman, said.
"That pegs the question: What for?" Yesman's partner, Barnie, asked.
"We better report this to the chief." Officer Yesman said. He turns to Tatsuki. "Thank you for looking into this."
"It's no sweat. But, you should really thank them." Tatsuki said, gesturing her head at the younger teens.
"Well then, please tell them how thankful the Vale Police Department for uncovering one mystery." Officer Yesman said gratefully, before walking off and talk into a walkie talkie.
Tatsuki walks back to the small group when Weiss and Rukia arrived. Seeing the stern expression on the heiress' face, Ruby springs up from her seat. "Listen Weiss. It's not what it looks like. Blake was helping to stop them, and she has little cat ears and they are kind of cute," She rambled.
"…Weiss," Blake started. "I want you to know that I am no longer affiliated with the White Fang. Back when I was—" She was silenced when Weiss held out a hand. It was positioned in a way for a handshake. "…Weiss?"
"You said that you are no longer a part of them, right?" Weiss asked.
"… Right."
"Then we don't have a problem anymore." Weiss said, holding out her hand again. Blake stared at it for a moment before smiling and clasping her own hand onto Weiss. Weiss expression turned to worry. "Blake, please remember this. If you're having a problem like this again, come to us, your teammates, your mentors, your friends and not… someone who take gratification in breaking the law." Sun grinned nervously.
Blake giggled a little. "…Right."
Ruby threw her hands up in the air. "Yay! Team RWBY is back together." Tatsuki and Rukia exchanged smiles. Rukia's smile went away, replaced by a sad frown. Ruby then realized something. "Hey, where's Penny?" She looks around for her friend.
Unbeknownst to her, a solemn Penny was being driven away in a limo with a symbol on the side. By her side is her caretaker.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They return to the student residential area where Nora spot them. "There you guys are!" she exclaimed, running over to hug Ruby hard. When she let go, Ruby breathed in a gulp of air. "You guys are just in time for dinner. Ren and Uryū worked together to make a Mistralian smorgasbord that is to die for as a celebration for passing our exams!" They make their way to the 3-A building, which houses teams IURR and TAIM. When they entered the third floor, they were hit by an aroma of variety of flavors. They go to the kitchen area to see the counters filled with mouth-watering food. Tonkatsu, takoyaki, skewered yakitori, miso, rice balls, steamed pork buns, dumplings, eggrolls, tempura, sushi, stirred-fried rice and fluffy white rice, curry, and noodles such as soba and udon.
Teams JNPR, TAIM, CFVY, and Renji and Uryū are there too, talking amongst themselves. Orihime was the first to notice the arrivals. She gently puts down a pitcher of tea and scurried over.
"Belladonna-san!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the girl. Blake was a little taken back by the action. She heard sniffling from the older, more buxom girl. Orihime sniffed. "I'm so happy to see that you're okay!"
"We all are." Pyrrha said. Blake looks at everyone in the room. She shyly smiled, but then she felt her cat ears turn with her emotion. She tries to hide them with her hands, but Weiss and Yang removed them.
"Oh, don't hide those ears. They're adorable!" Nora gushed.
"Blake," Tatsuki said. "No one cares that you are a Faunus. We only care about you." Blake nodded.
Uryū claps his hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that everyone is here, let's eat. Ms. Belladonna, I've made a special plate just for you."
"What is it?" Blake asked.
"You'll see. Please go take your seat after you get a drink." Uryū said with a smile.
Blake did so. She made herself a glass of iced tea and sat down at the table outside on the rooftop above the gym. Several of the standard dorm dining tables were pushed together to make one large table for the big party. There are also fairy lights strewn about, probably courtesy of Nora, and there is some music playing. The song playing now is a slow one, the vocals being that of a woman.
~When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only
Light we'll see~
~No, I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me~
Blake was pulled from the music when Ruby sat down. "How are you feeling?" Ruby asked, sitting next to Tatsuki. She has a bowl of miso soup with soba and tofu and aside of takoyaki with a chocolate syrup topping.
"Okay," Blake answered.
"You sure?" Yang asked, seating adjacent to Blake, her plate having eggrolls, fried rice, and soba noodles.
Blake nodded. "Yeah."
"Good to hear," Weiss said, siting adjacent to Ruby.
"Here you go." Uryū said as he placed Blake's plate in front of her. The plate is rectangular and on it is slices of meat with a side of stir fried udon. The smell of the meal was familiar to Blake.
"…Is this…"
"Grilled tuna drizzled with miso for an umami flavor," Uryū said as he sat next to Weiss with his bowl of mackerel miso soup.
Blake picks up a pair of chopsticks and picks up a slice to take a bite. Her feline ears perked up at the flavors delighting her taste buds and Ruby gushed at the sight.
"That looks so cute!" Ruby said. "Doesn't it, Weiss?"
A genuine smile formed on the heiress' face. "It does."
Soon, everyone else has come to the table to eat. Ruby noticed that they were missing one more person. "Where's Ichigo?" she asked.
Rukia, Renji, and Uryū froze for a moment. "Um…he's busy," Rukia said.
Watching from afar, is a single back cat with golden eyes.
~So, Darlin', Darlin', Stand by me
Oh, Stand by me
Oh, Stand now
Stand by me, Stand by me~
I like all versions of 'Stand by me' (that includes Timon & Pumbaa), but the one for FFXV by Florence + The Machine was absolutely beautiful. I like it when Japanese games and movies do that. One Piece Film Z had Avril Lavigne sing How You Remind Me from Nickelback and Bad Reputation from Joan Jett.
Next Chapter: Looking for Answers