A/N: Hello to all once again. As I said, the time between updates has significantly slown down as of late, even more so with such high demand for my other stories to be updated. So this chapter here might be the last one for a while so that I can get the chance to update the others and get them back into the game as well.
And despite it's short length compared to others, it is one that is worth the wait.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Alone in the dorm, Blake sat on her bed with her back to the wall, knees curled up to her chest and deep in thought.
Ever since the night at the docks she'd been thinking a lot about the events going on around her. Torchwick, the White Fang, the dust robberies, everything she had discovered had been running through her mind at almost every waking moment.
She wanted answers. Why would the Fang work with a human criminal? Why would they need so much dust? What were they planning? Nothing seemed to fit, and she wasn't anywhere closer to figuring anything out.
The cat-faunus' thoughts were broken when the door to the room opened and the rest of her team came in. "Blake, there you are." said Yang when she saw her partner, "You feeling alright? You've been kinda out of it for a while."
"I'm fine." Blake said, getting out of her bed and heading for the door, "I'm going to head to the-"
"Stop." Weiss suddenly cut her off, making her pause with her hand hovering over the doorknob. "Lately you've been quiet, anti-social and moody. Which I get is kind of your 'thing'. But you've been doing it more than usual, which, quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you'd let us know if something was wrong. So, start talking, Blake Belladonna."
For a few moments, Blake said nothing before sighing. "I just...I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."
"You're still thinking about Torchwick?" asked Ruby.
"Torchwick, the White Fang, that...guy in the weird power armor, all of it!" the faunus exclaimed. "Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"
"Ozpin told us all not to worry." said Yang, "Between the police and the huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it."
"Well I'm not!" Blake shouted, making everyone save for Adrian jump. "They don't know the White Fang like I do."
Weiss held her hands up and stepped in the center of all of them, "Okay, between blowing up night clubs, stopping thieves, taking on whole squads of enemy combatants, and striving for freedom" her eyes went from Ruby, to Yang, to Adrian then finally to Blake with each statement. "I bet all of you think you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells."
"Uh...who?" asked Ruby, looking up at Adrian who shrugged.
"But let me once again be the voice of reason," continued the heiress. "We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."
[Speak for yourself.] the ex-FEAR operator signed, [Situations like this don't judge by age, experience and preparation level. You either do something about it, or end up falling when it's too late to fight.]
"He's right." the faunus pressed, "Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day! They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not."
The team all looked to another another for a moment before Ruby took a step forward, "Okay. All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses and huntsman to bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale...say aye."
"Yes!" Yang exclaimed, "I love it when you're feisty."
"Well, I suppose it could be fun." added Weiss.
Adrian nodded and gave a thumbs up while Ruby sighed, "None of you said 'aye'..."
"Alright then," said Blake, happy that everyone was onboard. "We're all in this together."
"Let's hatch a plan!" Ruby shouted before gasping, "I just remembered, I left my board game in the library."
"We're doomed." Weiss muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose as their leader bolted from the room.
"I'll be right back in a-OOF!" Hearing the sound of the girl hitting someone out in the hall, Adrian lightly jogged out to see if she was okay in time to see her getting helped up by one of three older students wearing black uniforms.
"Sorry about that. Are you okay?" Ruby asked the green-haired, red eyed girl she had run into.
"I'm fine. Just watch where you're going." the older girl replied, her silver-haired male companion chuckling beside her.
After dusting herself off, the young leader smiled at her boyfriend who checked her over before smiling again at the new arrivals. "I'm Ruby, this is my boyfriend Adrian. Are you new students?"
"Visiting from Haven, actually." replied a smooth, nearly sinful voice. The duo parted and another woman stepped forward.
Adrian's back went ramrod straight and nearly reached for a weapon when he took in her features. Long, raven-black hair and a pair of glowing amber colored eyes that reminded him too much of his mother.
Despite managing to restrain his inner turmoil at the new arrival, something about the woman put him on guard. The look in her eyes and the aura about her gave off the feeling of being hostile despite sounding friendly.
Ruby, however, missed the subtle signs the ex-FEAR operator was picking up from the woman. "Oh! You're here for the festival then! But exchange students have their own dormitory."
"I guess we just got turned around." the male stated. Adrian's eyes narrowed at him, the feeling of distrust magnifying at the condescending tone.
"Don't worry, happens all the time! Your building is just east of here." the red cloaked girl said as the trio walked past them.
The raven-haired woman smiled, "Thanks. Maybe we'll see you around." she said looking between the couple before continuing on her way.
Ruby went to say more, but was stopped when her soulmate put his hand on her arm. When she looked up at him, she was surprised to see the look he was sending at the exchange students.
"Adrian? What is it?" she asked, concerned.
[I don't trust them.] he signed bluntly. [Can't explain it. But something about them doesn't feel right. Especially that woman. Stay on your guard around them.]
Even though she wanted to say he had nothing to worry about, Ruby knew full well that Adrian's instincts were the way they were for a reason. Turning her head to see the trio they had met going around the corner, she started to wonder if they were hiding something.
X
When the other members of their team fell asleep, Adrian and Ruby left the dorm and went to their usual spot on the roof.
Given that they didn't have much lien to go on dates from time to time, they would spend some evenings sitting under the night sky and just enjoyed each other's company while making small talk.
Tonight was one of those nights. Adrian sitting with his back to the wall beside the stairwell door, Ruby sitting in her lap with her cloak wrapped around her. The former FEAR operator had just finished filling her in on the discussion with General Ironwood about the Fairport mission, then the mysterious phone call he got just before he met up with them outside the dorm room.
"Do you know anyone that could have made that call?" Ruby asked, her head resting on Adrian's shoulder with her face pressed into his neck.
Ths soldier shook his head, [None that come to mind. None that are alive anyway. But I guess I'll figure it out when I meet whoever it is in person.]
"But what if it's a trap?" the cloaked girl asked, sitting up so that she could look him in the eye. "It could be Armacham trying to lead you out into the open, and you won't have backup there to help you."
[Ruby, I've been in worse situations, outnumbered and outgunned, and survived.] Adrian signed, [Even if it is a trap, I'll be expecting it and will be ready to escape if need be. Through bodies if I have to.]
Biting her lip, Ruby thought to herself for a couple of moments before voicing something that had been on her mind for a little while. "I think you should tell the others about what happened. Not that I'm trying to force you to or anything!" she amended, trying to not sound pushy on the subject given the sensitivity of it, "It's just, well, everyone accepted Blake for being faunus and a former member of the White Fang. They would accept you too."
Adrian leaned his head back against the wall and looked up at the shattered moon above. He'd thought about letting the rest of their friends and team know about his past and origins, but something was always holding him back each time the subject came to mind.
Perhaps it was fear of judgement, of pity, being looked at as a damaged science experiment. Which was strange since he never once cared about how others viewed him before.
Then again, he never had close friends before either. People that managed to get close enough to him that he became able to trust them. Even after all these months, it was still something that he was trying to adjust to.
[I don't know.] he signed honestly. [They will have to be told sometime, especially if Armacham is involved. I'm just not sure how to tell them. I've barely started coming to terms with everything myself. How do you tell the people your close to that your a failed experiment in a illegal and inhumane psionic-commander project?]
"You're not a 'failure'." Ruby said strongly with narrow eyes, "You may not have turned out the way they wanted you to, but you became your own person. You survived so much, and look at where you are now. You're working to become a huntsman, you have good friends now...and me."
She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, "I'll always be in your corner, you're not alone in this anymore. Okay? And as for letting everyone else in about it, do it when you're ready to. Just know that the others will be just as understanding when the time comes."
Adrian smiled down at her and kissed her as a sign for thank you. The minor peck became another, followed by another. Before either of them knew it they were locked in a heated makeout session.
Ruby shifted so that she was comfortably straddling the ex-FEAR operator's lap, arms around his neck while their tongues moved along with one another. Adrian's hands coming up and holding her waist as he met the passionet movements rhythmically.
In the weeks that followed since they discovered their soulbond, the couple had started to become more physical with one another. Ruby had opened up a lot more as their relationship evolved, though that didn't come without awkward tallks with Yang, who decided to take it upon herself as the older sister to give the cloaked girl tips about dating and having a boyfriend.
Needless to say, the young leader decided to figure things out on her own and did anything she could to avoid hearing about her older sister's history with the opposite sex.
As for Adrian, having never been in one either, and never one to go into something blind if he could help it, he actually took time to do a bit of research on relationships. A lot of it was informative and answered a few questions he had, but the gyst of everything pointed to instinct and level of comfort.
So, in the end he decided to simply enjoy the moments as they came. Like right now.
Ruby's fingers ran through his dark hair, the length of which had grown to nearly reaching his shoulders. The soldier being prone to slicking it back from time to time to keep it out of his face throughout the day.
At the same time, Adrian's hands slipped under the hem of her tank top, feeling the soft warmth of her bare skin under his calloused hands as he slid up her back. Her muscles twitched slightly as he moved and a gently sigh escaping through their joined lips.
Feeling bolder along with the tingling feeling in her stomach, the cloaked girl removed her arms from around her neck and slid them down the soldier's chest before bringing her hands back up under his shirt. Running her fingers over the defined muscles underneath the article, the tingling increased and seemed to flood through her veins along with her speeding heart.
Breaking the kiss, Adrian started trailing a line down the side of Ruby's neck. The brunette leaning her head to the side allowing him to get closer while gasping when he hit a sensitive spot.
She wanted more. Her lower stomach was on fire, and from what she was feeling from her seat on his lap he was just as aroused as she was. Biting her lip, Ruby unconsciously ground her hips down into the hard bulge between her legs. The sudden friction making her moan softly and a tense grunt to emit from the soldier under her.
Adrian clenched his hands beneath the back of Ruby's tank top, pressing his forehead into her shoulder as she continued to press her hips down onto him. A playful grin spreading across his features as he opened his hands and moved them again.
Ruby's eyes shot open and gasped loudly, back arching when she felt her soulmate's hands now gently massaging her breasts. Thumbs running over the hardening tips sending sharp jolts of pleasure through her whole body.
Snapping her attention forward, silver meeting grey with pupils blown wide and breath coming out in deep gasps. Ruby dove ahead, lips crashing into Adrian's, ensuring his hands stayed where they were while her own worked to try and get the soldier's shirt off.
The couple was so lost in their haze of lust they didn't hear the door to the roof open beside them, but they did hear the shocked gasp that caused them to break apart and look up to see a very uncomfortable Jaune and Pyrrah. Dressed in their combat attire and weapons ready for training with their faces beet red and looking anywhere but the duo.
"Uhh...we, uh...didn't know this roof was occupied..." Jaune stumbled, coughing into his hand as he found something interesting to look at on the other side of the roof. "We'll just..." the two members of JNPR left as quickly as they were able, leaving Adrian and Ruby alone again.
Face as red as her cloak, Ruby pulled her tank top down after Adrian took his hands out from under it while he fixed his shirt. "I wish that didn't just happen." she said covering her blushing face.
[Could have been worse.] signed the former FEAR operator, [It could have been your sister, or Weiss, or even Professor Goodwitch.]
The young leader giggled, "Yeah, that could have been really bad." sighing, she smiled at Adrian while brushing hair behind her ear. "Though, everything leading up to that moment was pretty awesome."
A similar smile matched her own, [No complaints here.] The couple shared another intimate kiss before helping each other up, deciding to call it a night given how late it was.
Returning to the dorm without incident, Ruby hung up her cloak before she crawled into bed beside Adrian and cuddled up to his side. "Goodnight, Adrian."
Adrian kissed her on the forehead in his own form of goodnight before they both slipped into the land of dreams.
X
A couple days later, when classes finally ended, RWBY-A had gathered in their dorm to prepare for what laid ahead.
After spending the last few nights planning what they were going to do about the White Fang/Torchwick situation, they were finally ready to act.
The girls had decided to change up their outfits for their little operation, so Adrian figured that he would do the same. Instead of his usual all black outfit, he now wore a dark-green, long-sleeved shirt with leather padding on the shoulders and elbows along with a pair of digital camo pants. A gun harness was buckled around his chest and back with his Strader pistols holstered under each arm and Shade across his back.
(A/N: Pointman's outfit from F3AR)
The former FEAR operator was sitting on his and Ruby's bed, loading bullets into clips for his weapons while the girls finished getting ready.
"I thought that class would never end." Blake said as she adjusted the black ribbons tied around her wrists and forearms.
"Alright guys, today's the day." said Ruby when she finished lacing up her boots. "The investigation begins!" she finished with a jump of excitement.
Weiss shook her head, "Well, I'm glad to see you're taking all this so seriously."
"Hey!" Yang exclaimed from her bunk, "We've got a plan. That's...moderately serious."
"Right." said their leader, "Everyone remember their roles?"
Weiss nodded, "You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."
"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members." said Blake, "If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."
Yang took it from there, "I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."
Ruby nodded, "Great, we'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we've found."
"Wait, what about Adrian?" asked Blake, all eyes going to the former FEAR operator who had finished loading his clips and were slipping them into the proper pockets on his harness and belt.
[I have my own lead to follow downtown. I'll keep you all posted.] he signed while standing up. Ruby looked unsure about what he had planned, but knew that it was something he needed to do on his own and simply nodded in his direction.
"Alright, let's do this!" she said to the team.
"Yeah!"
Adrian vanished in a grey blur and reappeared at the window, sidearm drawn and aimed right between a very stunned Sun's eyes as the monkey-faunus hung upside from his tail outside. "Uh...hi?" he said nervously.
"Sun?!" exclaimed Blake.
"How'd you get up there?" asked Yang.
When the soldier removed the weapon from his forehead, the blonde male shrugged, "Ah, it's easy, I do it all the time."
"You do what?!" shouted Weiss.
"I climb trees all the time!" Sun added, flipping around and landing on his feet in the dorm room. "So...are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"
"We, are going to investigate the situation." said Blake sternly, "As a team."
"Sorry Sun, we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to." said Ruby apologetically.
The monkey-faunus scoffed, "That's dumb. You should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune." he said pointing his thumb out the window he came through.
Looking outside, the team found Sun's blue-haired teammate standing on the ledge with his back pressed firmly to the wall behind him. " 'Sup." he said, trying to sound cool, but failed to cover the terror trembling his voice from being so high up.
"How did you get up here?" asked Ruby.
"I have my ways..." replied Neptune before glancing down at the ground, "Seriously though, can I come in? We're like, really high up right now."
Adrian rolled his eyes as he reached out and grabbed the blue-haired male by his jacket and yanked in him in through the window, dumping him onto the floor.
After figuring the two members of team SSSN weren't going to back down from helping, the plan had to be reevaluated. Everyone kept to their roles, but Sun would be going with Blake and Neptune with Yang on their searches.
When everything was said and done, everyone went their separate ways.
Adrian had boarded a small ship that took him to Vale before hitching a ride to downtown. Following the address he had been given days before with the intention of tracking down the one who called him saying they had information.
Whether it was a trap or not meant nothing. If it turned out to be Armacham laying in wait, he'd still get the information he was looking for.
The address led him to an old, rundown apartment building on the far edge of this corner of the city. Windows boarded up with a large sign with 'Condemed' imprinted on it.
"They certainly picked the perfect place to set up shop." Paxton said appearing beside his brother. "If it does turn out to be a trap, we can simply drop the whole building ontop of them and the police would be none the wiser."
Giving the building a long once over, the soldier drew a Strader and approached the front. Giving the boarded up front door a swift kick that revealed the dark interior. Weapon raised, he stepped inside, his senses on high alert as he looked at the garbage and debris littered floors, paint peeled walls and vacant rooms.
Aside from his brother's apparition, the creaking floors and the smell of decaying wood was his only company as he traversed the interior. Going up the main flight of stairs and ascending the floors one by one.
The directions he had been given mentioned the top floor, so that was where he was headed. Using all of his skill to remain as silent as possible as he reached said floor and scanned for threats.
Nothing, the whole building was deserted from the ground up.
Lowering his sidearm, but keeping his senses sharp as he moved down the long corridor. Reaching a lone door on the far end, the only one that was firmly shut, the former FEAR operator raised his Strader before reaching out and knocking loudly on the wood surface.
The world around him faded as his semblance took over, time slowing down as he prepared to fight.
The knob turned and the door creaked open, Adrian's finger tightened on the trigger...until the one on the otherside was revealed. The shock of seeing someone he thought dead causing his reflexes to return to normal.
"Been a while, Wraith. Now is that anyway to treat an old friend?" asked Jin Sun-Kwon, hands on her hips as she smiled playfully at him.
"Well...this is certainly unexpected." commented Paxton, equally surprised as his older brother.
A/N: And the curse of the cliffhanger continues, though if you have played FEAR then you could have seen this coming at some point.
Will update soon, but like I said, I need a chance to update my other stories. But I will come back to this one before you know it. Keep the reviews coming and show your love.