Black and White

Your hopes have become my burden. I will find my own liberation...

Music: From Shadows by Casey Lee Williams

It was a peaceful time at the forest. The trees flourished the land and the mountains remained strong and tall. The animals were having a joyous time with the deer happily grazing and the birds sang in harmony.

The wind arrived and began to blow away the piles of leaves that had fallen from their branches. As it happened, a young woman watched them from the ground.

She was a girl of pale complexion with long, wavy black hair and her eyes were as bright as amber. She wore a black scarf around her neck, black ribbons wrapped around her arms and a black buttoned vest with coattails worn over a white, sleeveless undershirt. She had white shorts which had dark stockings covering her legs and black low heeled boots. Behind her back, latched onto it was a gray cleaver that had a sharp edge. And lastly, on top of her head was an abnormally large black bow.

The girl looked at the leaves that flew above. The leaves soared through the air, going higher as the wind blew harder. An entertaining sight indeed that relaxed her but unfortunately, this was not the reason she was here. She was on a mission.

A few days ago, a private investigator came to her requiring her help in a case. She was hesitant at first but the investigator managed to change her mind when he presented the pictures to her. Whatever was on those pictures ultimately convinced her to assist.

Subsequently, the investigator explained the mission to her. Using a map, he marked out different locations. Each of those locations contained a specific item that was of great value. The mission was to infiltrate, obtain the items and bring them to a secret rendezvous point where the investigator will collect them.

The girl was ready to take on this task but the investigator informed her that the places the items were kept were heavily guarded. She could not do this alone which was why the investigator brought in one more member to be her partner.

The girl refused upon hearing it. She had experience with a partner and it was not a good one. The investigator however persuaded her to let this other person helped her. Lives were at stake and whatever feelings she had, she needed to put that aside just for this. After she thought long and hard, she reluctantly agreed and welcomed her new partner who called himself Zangetsu.

Together, they carried out the mission. It was intense and dangerous but they pulled through. They had all of the items in their possession except one.

According to the investigator that due to the recent thefts, the last remaining item was to be relocated to another location. Fortunately, the investigator had gotten a tip that the item was being transported in a black train and will be passing through this forest.

That was why they were here. Zangetsu volunteered to scout ahead to confirm its arrival while Blake waited. A while later, he returned.

Zangetsu wore a white bodysuit. Over the suit was a kind of samurai armor composed of golden gauntlets and greaves, the front plating was mainly green with gold accents and had spiked shoulders. His helmet had large green eyes, a silver mouthplate and a golden crescent moon on the forehead. The back of the samurai helmet had the appearance of a melon's skin, gold sidings and what appeared to be a melon stem. His belt was unique. Apart from his golden strap, on one side, there was a knife attachment and the other, his picture and in the middle, was an opened padlock. The samurai had two weapons: a black cross-like sword with a gold line on the blade with a trigger under the sword guard and a large shield with a golden center ending in a crescent moon with gold sidings and a round disk on the top. The rest was covered in the same textured green as the armor the samurai wore.

Zangetsu approached the girl and said, "Blake, it's time."

The girl named Blake ceased what she was doing to look at him and replied, "Okay."

She got up and the two dashed away.

After a few minutes of running, they arrived and stopped on top of a hill. They then heard a roaring sound from the distance and turned to the source. Not far from where they were, they saw their target fast approaching.

Zangetsu told Blake, "Be ready."

"Got it," she nodded.

The black train rushed through the forest in great speed. When it was near the cliffs, Zangetsu and Blake made their move.

The two slid down the hill, leapt high and landed on top of the speeding train. After jumping over a few boxcars, Blake sliced a lock of a roof hatch and both boarded the train.

It wasn't long upon boarding that they found themselves surrounded by the train's security forces. There were two groups. The first ones had spiky armor looking like foot soldiers. Black in color, silver headbands, and wide yellow visors. They wielded spears and had belts just like Zangetsu's but there were no pictures of themselves on the sides and had silver belt straps rather than the samurai's golden strap.

The others wore uniforms consisted of white tunics over black bodysuits with black hoods and masks. They wore black boots to cover their feet. The masks had four red slits over the eyes and looked menacing. The most unique feature about this group was that they either had horns or tails.

Zangetsu and Blake were back to back. Despite the odds, they remained perfectly calm. They looked at one another and nodded. The white warrior brandished his shield and sword and rushed at the enemy fighters. He slashed at a couple of the hooded men from behind before doing a spin kick that hit a third hooded man.

From shadows, we'll descend upon the world, take back what you stole.

The black armored soldiers ran to the girl who grasped her sharp cleaver. When they were near, she responded by leaping towards them, strangely leaving images of herself, and took them down with her weapon.

The samurai pulled the hammer on his sword and fired several shots at the soldiers. The girl dashed and knocked out a few of the hooded men who were about to attack the samurai from behind.

Together, the pair slashed seven of their opponents targeting either the chest, legs, or arms. The samurai threw his shield, knocking out one of the soldiers. The shield then bounced around the room, hitting three more soldiers before returning to its master.

Zangetsu and Blake jumped out of the way, avoiding a hit from a chainsaw belonging to the leader of the hooded men.

From shadows, we'll reclaim our destiny, set our future free.

Three hooded men took out their guns and started firing. Blake intercepted them while Zangetsu handled the masked man. She scaled along the walls, avoiding the deadly bullets. As she did, she unsheathed her weapon, revealing her katana. She jumped down and sliced one of the hooded men's gun before kicking him in the gut. She headed for the other two, defeating those that got in her way. She was near and hit the two hooded men at their vital parts.

After dodging several swipes from the chainsaw wielder, Zangetsu administered a palm strike and followed up by smacking the leader around with his shield.

Gaining some distance, Zangetsu used the opportunity to take out another padlock, one that looked like a watermelon. He dodged and kicked. He replaced the old padlock with the new one. Dodged again and backhanded the enemy. The samurai pressed the knife attachment.

And we'll rise, and we'll rise.

The leader shook off the dizziness and was about to resume only to see a mini gun barrel close to his face.

BOOM!

Then out came the explosion and Blake and Zangetsu entered the flatcar. More enemies arrived. Zangetsu took aim and fired, mowing them down.

Above the darkness and the shame, above the torture and the pain.

Blake began beating up a few stragglers. After attaching a ribbon to her katana, the blade converted itself into a pistol. She threw it and the weapon automatically fired, shooting past one soldier.

When she pulled the ribbon back, it pressed the trigger, firing the weapon, launching it back towards its user, hitting the soldier in the process.

Above the ridicule and hate, above the binding of our fate.

The girl jumped and twirled, swinging her gun around. Those who got close to her received painful cuts across their bodies. Some even went flying up into the air only to face with more slashes as they came down.

The danger began to escalate further. The pair heard an unusual noise and turned around to see more black armored soldiers heading towards them, riding on flying motorcycle like vehicles.

The black soldiers flew to Zangetsu and circled around him. The soldiers had the green and white samurai locked on and they unleashed their lasers on him. Zangetsu raised his shield to defend himself, deflecting much of the attack. He opened fire only to return to defense when they resumed firing.

Three of the black armored soldiers separated from the others and decided to choose Blake as an easier target. They steered their hover bikes towards her. Blake ran with the lasers not far behind. Thinking quickly, she jumped towards a nearby cargo, using it as protection. When the soldiers flew past her, the girl hurled her weapon at one of the vehicles.

The bladed portion of the pistol hit the side of one of the soldiers' flying vehicles, latching onto it in the process. With the ribbon tied around it, this allowed the girl to be lifted off the train.

The black soldier felt a bump. Before he could take action, the 'stowaway' threw him off his flying bike. Now taking control of the vehicle, the girl opened fire on the remaining riders.

The soldiers were caught by surprise when lasers hit their vehicles. Few spiraled out of control until they strayed away from the train and crashed hard to the ground and exploded.

With them distracted, Zangetsu fired once more and the barrage of bullets shredded either the vehicles or the soldiers riding them.

Having dealt with the last one, Blake jumped off from her vehicle and reunited with her partner. The vehicle she had converted itself, getting smaller until it transformed into a small padlock. She grabbed it and put it in her pocket. With that, they continued the mission.

Blake and Zangetsu, the latter returned to his first form entered the next boxcar. From what they could see, much of the interior was shrouded in darkness. The only light illuminated at the center of the boxcar and under the light was the item they seek.

They sensed no traps around but even so, they needed to be very cautious. Zangetsu covered Blake while she handled the item.

Nothing yet happened when she was near. After that, she took it and put the item inside a pouch, "It's done, let's head to the rendezvous point."

The samurai nodded. Just as they were about to leave...

"Blake." Suddenly, they heard a voice with Blake being the most surprised at the voice that called out her name.

Then, lights lit up the entire room, revealing they were not alone inside. Standing in front of them were two figures. A tall brown haired man, wearing a pure black trench coat with a red and white design on the left. He wore a mask on his face with red flame symbols decorated on the front. The man had a long sword which for now was sheathed.

The other beside the man was a creature. While humanoid in appearance, but that was only in its general shape. Beyond that, it was completely inhuman. Its hide resembled organic plated armor with spots in a distinctive pattern. It had a head that resembled a leopard with its jaw open to reveal a human-like mouth between the jaws. It had wild long white hair that trailed down its back. Its legs were double-jointed and its fingertips ended in claws. Finally, as an accessory, it wore a leopard skull that was mounted on its right shoulder.

Out of the two enemies, Blake stared solely at the male in the trenchcoat.

"Adam," she whispered. She knew the man named Adam. Long ago, Adam was once a mentor and partner to her but that all changed when the time came to pick a side. Blake chose one path while Adam chose another. They parted on bitter terms and they haven't seen each other for a long time until now. It seemed destiny has brought them back to a somewhat similar situation, only this time, they were at opposing sides.

Adam started the battle. He pressed a trigger on his sheath and his sword was blasted out. Zangetsu blocked the attack with his shield and the weapon bounced back to Adam. He seized the sword and attacked.

Born with no life, into subjugation, treated like a worthless animal.

While Zangetsu took on Adam, Blake fought against the Leopard creature.

Blake avoided a pounce from the monster. Blake fired her gun at it. The bullets had no effect on the Leopard who shrugged them off. It casually backed away to the walls and disappeared.

Blake was surprised by this new development. She looked around and finally sensed something. She jumped away on time, avoiding a thrown scimitar.

The Leopard then reappeared, grabbed its weapon from the ground and resumed the fight.

Stripped of all rights, just a lesser being, crushed by cruel ruthless Human rule.

Blake charged right in. She avoided a few swipes and proceeded to slash at the Leopard. The Leopard was not affected. It swung its weapon but Blake somersaulted away.

Dodging another swipe, Blake slammed her leg on the Leopard's head. However, the Leopard smirked at this. It quickly grabbed Blake's leg and smashed her against the floor a few times before flinging her into the air and punched her across the room.

When it started, all we wanted was a chance to live our lives, now in darkness.

Meanwhile, the two sword wielders' blades clashed against one another and small sparks flew out of them showing how much power was applied to them.

Adam changed tactics. He aimed his sheath which had now turned into a rifle and fired bullets out of them. The samurai avoided them. His opponent attacked but Zangetsu used his shield on time. The samurai blocked it and pushed Adam back.

Out of nowhere, the Leopard clawed Zangetsu from behind. The armored man growled in pain. Adam took advantage of this to shoot him in the stomach.

Adam slashed his opponent, prompting the warrior to raise his shield. This left him wide open to receive an attack from the Leopard as it lunged at him and knocked him aside. Zangetsu recovered and raised his sword to parry another blow, but it was knocked out of his grip before Adam landed a powerful kick to his stomach, sending him reeling back to Blake who was unconscious on the floor.

Taking everything we want and we will rise, we'll rise, we'll rise.

Seeing his opponents down, the Leopard growled sinisterly. Adam saw this and stepped back, knowing what was going to happen. The Leopard reared its head back. As it did, its entire body began to glow. At the sight of this, Zangetsu hit the blade on his belt three times. When he did, the shield glowed.

He raised his glowing shield as the Leopard unleashed a powerful roar. The monster's attack struck the shield but it held while ripples of sound waves could be seen. The surrounding area, however, was taking damage.

The roar was getting louder and louder until everything was consumed in light and…

BOOM!

...exploded.

As the smoke began to clear, Blake started to wake up. She touched her head to steady herself. When her vision got clearer, she stared at what was in front of her. The flatbed was still intact but much of the boxcar was blown to pieces. She continued looking until she gasped as she saw her weakened partner.

"Zangetsu!" Blake shouted.

The smoke faded away. When it did, revealed Adam and the Leopard, completely unharmed.

Zangetsu grimaced. He and Blake were outmatched. There was only one way now.

"Run," Zangetsu ordered with Blake loss for words upon hearing that.

Blake understood the situation. Continued fighting them was pointless. She must take the item away or the mission will be a failure. But...could she? Could she just leave her partner at the mercy of her former partner?

Zangetsu yelled, "Run, NOW!"

Remaining still for a while, Blake closed her eyes. She stood up and ran. She jumped off the train, threw her weapon that caught a branch and disappeared. Blake was gone. Adam saw this and his response was a rageful hiss.

"Looks like Blake abandoned you like she did with me," Adam taunted.

Zangetsu frowned as he climbed to his feet and prepared to fight. Adam and the Leopard did not let him have the chance. Both overwhelmed him with slashes that went across his body. Then, the Leopard's swipe sent Zangetsu flying and crashed on the cold metal flooring.

Adam strode over, drew his sword and raised it, "You will burn in Hell."

Before he could strike, he stopped midway as he along with the Leopard heard a noise. Up at the sky, one of the flying bikes was heading towards them.

All of a sudden, the bike fired its lasers. They jumped back but as they were distracted, the flying vehicle sped towards them. Adam opened his eyes and saw who was driving.

It was Blake.

When her hover bike was near, Blake leapt off the vehicle. Adam jumped out of the way leaving his partner, the Leopard to be the target of the unmanned vehicle that slammed against it and rocketed the monster back into the previous boxcar.

Blake went to Zangetsu and tended to him. After confirming that he was okay, she then focused on Adam, who was very not pleased.

Thinking quickly, she grabbed Zangetsu's shield and threw it at Adam. Adam tilted to the side, avoiding it. Adam readied his blade, unaware that the shield was coming back.

In an instant, the shield hit Adam from behind. Blake attacked the stunned Adam. She punched him followed by an uppercut. As Adam stumbled back, Blake jumped and delivered a powerful kick, sending Adam back to the other boxcar.

The black haired teen headed straight to the rolling coupling. Without hesitation, she used her sheath to make a swift cut, disconnecting the train cars as a result. As the train cars separated, Blake watched as they went further away, separated from the main engine.

Sadly, the danger was not over when a roar was heard. Eyes wide, Blake spotted the Leopard making a giant leap towards the moving train. The monster miraculously cleared the distance and landed on the still moving train, grabbing hold of the boxcar with its claws before climbing its way up. Once it got its feet settled, it turned its glare towards Blake and snarled.

Having regained enough strength, Zangetsu assisted Blake. He blocked a blow that was meant for Blake and swung back.

Blake and Zangetsu struck multiple times but the Leopard parried their blows. It counterattacked with an array of kicks putting them on the defensive. Soon, it broke through their defenses and they rolled to the floor. The Leopard brandished its claws wickedly. The beast was going to take its time, tearing them apart.

"None of this is working," Blake panted, "Any ideas?"

Zangetsu replied, "Just one."

He unveiled two objects. One was a belt that looked gleaming and sleek. The other, a padlock like the one he was using except it had a clear casing.

Seeing them, Blake understood, "I'll buy you some time but hurry!"

Blake confronted the Leopard, serving as a distraction. While she kept the Leopard occupied, the samurai switched his current belt with the new one. The belt latched around his waist, he put the padlock in and activated it.

The Leopard stopped and covered its eyes as a bright light blinded it. The light soon dimmed down allowing the Leopard to see what has happened.

The white warrior has changed his appearance again, this time looking like a White Devil. His sword and shield were gone, replaced by a high-tech bow.

Blake glanced over her shoulder to see the newly transformed Zangetsu and gave a small smirk. The Leopard gritted its teeth and raised its claws at Blake.

Zangetsu didn't allowed that as he took aim and fired a shot, an arrow made of pure energy which left a spiraling trail as it cut through the air. Blake rolled away and the arrow hit the Leopard forcing it back.

Blake leapt over the Leopard, swinging her bladed pistol. This time, the blade did damage on the monster. After Zangetsu fired a few more arrows, Blake used an upper kick that hit the Leopard in the chin.

Zangetsu stopped firing and decided to head in. He and Blake attack the Leopard from both sides. The Leopard snarled in pain as its opponents' blades cut through it.

Blake and Zangetsu jumped together and performed a double kick. The Leopard stumbled but that wasn't enough as it got up and roared in blood rage, its body was glowing once more.

It was time to end it. Zangetsu pulled out the padlock from his belt and attached it to his bow.

"LOCK ON!"

Zangetsu drew back on the shaft of his arrow. The entire bow shone with green energy. When the Leopard unleashed the devastating roar, Zangetsu finally fired. His bow fired a powerful arrow. It pierced into the Leopard's roar and shattered the attack to pieces. The Leopard was at shock before the arrow pierced into its heart. The monster screamed in pain and exploded in flames.

The enemy was defeated. Zangetsu lowered his weapon and sighed in relief. It was over but he now paid attention to Blake who watched as the train moved more further away from the other boxcars.

Blake was in thought as her face showed sadness. She knew she had to fight Adam someday but she didn't realized that the pain would be this great. Nevertheless, she did what was right and Zangetsu was saved but still...it hurt so much.

Blake then felt something. She turned her head and saw Zangetsu placing a hand on her shoulder. The samurai looked at her and nodded to her as reassurance that everything will be alright.

XXX

After getting off the train, Blake and Zangetsu went to the rendezvous point and meet up with the hardboiled detective. They gave the items they had collected to him and with that, the mission was complete.

Blake and Zangetsu left. They were currently at a fork road. Since the mission was done, there was no point in being together until the next time.

Zangetsu bowed, "It has been an honor working with you."

Blake did the same, "Likewise."

With that, they departed and journeyed to the paths they took, where their hopes maybe fulfilled.

Sangokuden x RWBY: HUNT OF THE ARMORED WAR GODS

COMING SOON

Note: I need to inform you all that the first four chapters are "non-canon". I initially wanted to create "Red and Blue" only but after Busterleader92 gave the idea to do the rest, I did some thinking and decided to do it. It's the fifth chapter is where the real story starts. So please be patient.