Blake

The past week had been rough for Blake. With the start of the second semester, along with it came new challenges and more schoolwork. The first semester had seemed easy to Blake and she had breezed through the tests, essays and tasks that their teachers set upon the students of Beacon.

However, the work that they were getting now, made last semester seem like one of the introductory schools that normal people would go to, even before training at a combat school such as Signal Academy, where her dear leader had come from.

The essays came in numerous waves, three to five of them coming at once and all being due in a week or so. So Blake would spend lots of her free time searching through the library, looking for books that could answer the questions for her essays, and spent many nights there until it was closed, and then doing even more work back in her dorm room with the rest of her team. And once she handed the assignments back in, the process started all over again.

To make things even more difficult, with the arrival of the Vytal Tournament coming soon, Ruby had been pushing them extremely hard when it came to their training sessions after lunch. She knew that the team leader just wanted to make sure that they were all prepared for when the tournament came, but the amount of time and energy they spent each day, made it difficult for all of them to keep up with their schoolwork, even Weiss.

Blake felt as if the present time was always two steps ahead of her, causing her to stress over her schoolwork and training, as well as being able to help the rest of the team along, especially Yang, who Blake felt as if she had a duty to her as she was her partner. And to make it even worse, it seemed that she could also not escape from her past either.

It had started during that first training session when she saw the leader of team Legion, Lupis. Although she recognised his face, she could not place where she had seen him, or why he was so familiar to her. She was definitely sure that she had met him before, but no memories came to mind when she tried to think about him.

And then the message had arrived.

A few days later, Blake had received a small letter in the mail to the school, which she was utterly confused about, seeing as she had no other friends outide of Beacon and no family either. When she opened the letter, she had to struggle to keep a straight face as she was in the room with her teammates at the time.

Blake

I know that when we last saw each other, things were not as friendly as they used to be.
However, I was hoping that we could meet up, as I desperately need to talk to you.
Even if you decide not to help me, at least come see me at the port in bay 7 this Sunday, midday.

I will be waiting,
Adam

Blake was torn with what to do. She both wanted to see Adam again, and not see him again at the same time. She knew the authorities would want to see something like this to be able to take him into custody, as he was the leader of the White Fang, but it would be too difficult to explain how the letter had come into her possession, and why Adam needed to see her.

Struggling with this, Blake had looked to someone else for advice. Someone who could give her an honest opinion on whether she should go and meet with an old friend again, even though they had not last met in the best conditions.

Yang was too curious, and asking her would have lead to her partner figuring out who Blake was talking about, and would then try to keep her as far away from Adam as possible. Weiss was too busy and impatient, and she would be suspicious of who Blake was meeting with as well. Although she was much more trusting of Blake after she ran off and fought Roman last semester, Blake also felt as if it was a shaky trust that could shatter quite easily if she discovered Blake was going to talk to a member of the White Fang.

And so that left Ruby. Her team leader was extremely innocent due to her youth, but also held wisdom that Blake hadn't seen before. She had heard her talking to Jaune one night, and the little girl had been very wise when talking to the swordsman, and had even been able to convince him, indirectly, to be able to stand up to Cardin in the Forever Forest.

Which was now the next challenge that Blake had to undertake. Talking to someone had seemed like such a simple idea, but actually going through with it was much more difficult. She had been brooding over it for the whole week, and now it was Saturday night, and Blake had to make a decision now.

She had hoped that a walk through the school grounds would help her clear her head, but sadly, it had not. The darkness that now enveloped the school grounds grew lighter as she reached the dormitory building. Open curtains let out a luminescant glow and even shone behind the closed curtains too.

The chilly winter air that was biting into her skin vanished as she opened the door leading inside and closed it behind her, changing into a warm feel against her cold skin, like that of someone returning home after a cold day.

She walked through the empty hallways, making her way to her teams dormroom, her footsteps non-existant as she casually walked down the corridor, nobody any the wiser that she was there.

Once outside her room, she took in a deep breathe, preparing herself for the conversation she was about to have. She knew that it shouldn't be such a big deal, but to her, telling people things about her life, even if what she would say didn't actually contain any big details, was always difficult for her.

Swiping her scroll across the automatic lock that sat on the wall next to the door, the light flashed green and the door unlocked. Blake turned the handle, and pushed the door open, hoping that they were not already asleep.

At least Ruby wasn't, however Yang and Weiss were both asleep in their beds, Yang snoring loudly as per usual, and Weiss with her back to the door which made Blake doubt if she was really sleeping. Her incredible hearing helped Blake determine that she was asleep when she heard the slow breathing of Weiss.

Ruby, was still awake on her top bunk, a sheet rigged up around the edge of her bed so that the light from her torch wouldn't be too bright for the other too girls to try and sleep. Blake could see Ruby's silhouette against the light, and based on how Ruby did not react from the door opening, did not know that Blake was in the room.

Silently crossing the room, Blake reached up to Ruby's bed and gently brushed aside the sheet that hid Ruby from view.

Startled, Ruby jumped when the sheet began moving, but when she saw that it was only Blake, calmed down quickly.

'Hi Blake, you've been gone for ages, where did you go?' Ruby whispered.

'I was out walking,' Blake said, stepping backwards slightly. 'Listen Ruby, I need to ask you something.'

'Uhm, ok Blake. What is it?' the young girl asked her.

Blake took another deep breath before beginning to speak to Ruby.

'That letter I got earlier this week, it was from an old friend of mine.' Blake said slowly, watching Ruby's face for any signs of understanding in regards to who the friend may be. Although Blake had never told any of them about Adam, they knew her past with the White Fang, and Ruby could probably guess that it was likely someone from the group.

If she did, Ruby showed no signs of it, and simply let Blake continue with a nod of her head.

'Well, they asked if we could meet up again, tomorrow to be exact. The only issue with this is that the last time we saw each other, you could say that we weren't exactly on the best of terms.'

'And you're wondering if you should go or not. But why ask me?' Ruby questioned the cat faunus.

'Because I can't decide whether I want to go or not. Because I don't really trust them anymore because of what drove us apart, I can't decide what I want to do.'

Ruby stared at Blake for a moment, thinking deeply on what to tell Blake. Blake patiently waited for a response, not rushing her leaders thought process.

'Well Blake, I think that you should go and meet them. You can't let the past get in the way of a friendship. Sure, they may have done something bad before, but maybe now they just want to try and make it up to you.'

Blake marveled at the simplicity of Ruby's thinking, but was still uncertain whether she really wanted to go.

'It's just, I'm kinda scared Ruby,' Blake whispered quietly.

'I'm sure that whatever happened couldn't have been that bad. They wouldn't have contacted you if they didn't want to apologize, no matter how long it took them too. Even if you don't accept it, you should at least give them a chance to say what they want to say.'

Blake thought about it before nodding at Ruby. 'Ok, I'll go and see them then.'

Ruby smiled at her teammate. 'Cool, good luck for tomorrow Blake.'

'Thanks Ruby,' Blake quickly replied, silently changing out of her clothes and into her sleepwear. Crawling into bed, Blake curled up like a cat and closed her eyes, snuggling her face closer to her pillow.

Blake had taken a more casual attire that what she normally wore. A white collared V-neck shirt that led down to the middle of her chest replaced her usual white blouse and black vest. Ribbons were wrapped around her forearms with another one tied around her waist like a belt. Her black-purple pants were replaced with ones that were completely black, but kept her black boots on her feet. A black shirt of the same design of the one Yang wore hang off her hips and draped across the back half of her legs. And as usual, Blake kept her ribbon, tied up in a bow on her head to hide her ears from view.

Blake often tried to avoid the port, as it always smelt like fish, and Blake really liked the smell of fish. The only problem with that, was that she became very irrationally when she could smell her favourite food, especially tuna.

The workers down at the port were staring at Blake strangely, wondering why somebody like her would be in a place like this. The very few that thought they would try anything funny with her were quickly steered away when Blake gave them a glare that told them not to screw around with her.

Once she reached Bay 7, the first thing she noticed was that Adam was not there. Checking her scroll for the time, she could verify that it was just after 12, and that Adam should be there by now. Sitting down on a nearby crate, Blake waited patiently for Adam to arrive, all the while keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity, just in case this was all just a trap.

The minutes passed by, and Blake was beginning to think that she should just leave until she heard footsteps approaching her from behind.

Spinning her head around, she looked for the source of the noise, her eyes widening when she saw him.

He looked the same as he did three years ago, at least from what Blake could see. Behind his mask his eyes probably made him seem years older than he really was, but they were hidden just like always.

His mask was different, likely so that people wouldn't immediately realize who he was. Instead of the usual white bone mask with red highlights, it was a pitch black with lines running across it horizontally. His brown-red hair and dark red horns were still sticking upright as they always did, both slightly longer than they were when Blake had last seen him.

The rest of his clothes were the same as they always were however. He still wore his short trench-coat, with the intricate designs leading from across his heart to his back and along the bottom of his coat. The coat was buttoned across his stomach, revealing a dark red shirt underneath it. Wilt and Blush were still on his hip, sheathed it simply looked like a black sword, but Blake knew first hand the damage that the weapon could do.

Once he was close enough, Adam stopped in front of Blake, and although she couldn't see his eyes, knew that he was looking her up and down, examining her, taking in every detail that he could. Blake swiveled around on the wooden crate, hanging her legs off the end of the box once she was facing her old partner.

'Adam,' she said calmly.

'Blake,' he said, nodding his head towards her slightly. 'It's been a while. You look good.'

Blake closed her eyelids and rolled her eyes so that he couldn't see. Opening them again, she looked at Adam once more, a look of impatience on her face. 'Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere Adam. It may have worked before, but not any more.'

Nodding his head again, Adam swiftly replied, 'Of course, I wasn't expecting it to, I was just stating facts.'

Forcing herself not to roll her eyes again, Blake sighed before speaking again. 'Why are you here Adam?'

'Straight to business huh? Don't you want to catch up or anything?'

'No. We are not friends Adam. That is in the past now. I came here because you said you needed to talk to me to ask for my help. That is the only reason I am here, nothing else.'

'Alright then. We should start walking, we look a bit suspicious right now.'

Narrowing her eyes at him, suspicious that he was trying to lead her into a trap. 'Fine, but if you try anything, you will regret it.'

'I don't doubt it,' he said, holding his hand out for her to hold as she jumped off the box.

Ignoring it, she leapt off herself, landing on the wooden dock quietly, making no noise as she landed. She began to walk away from the dock, Adam closely following her. He caught up to her quickly and started speaking to her once he was by her side.

'Listen Blake, I know that you left because you lost faith in us, in me, but right now, I really need your help right now. How much do you know about Roman Torchwick?'

'Not too much other than he's a thief and that he is using the White Fang to help him gain whatever he needs. I had a run in with him and a small band of them a couple of weeks ago at the docks. He was trying to steal lots of crates full of dust. Because of that, I had trouble deciding whether I should come at all.'

'It's unfortunate that you went through that. If you took that more angrily, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't show up, but I'm glad you did. Torchwick has someone inside the White Fang that has been taking members away from me to help work with Torchwick without my consent. I've been losing control of them all for the last couple of months now, and I need them back to continue with my work.'

Blake stopped walking, grabbing Adam's arm so that he stopped too. 'Why would I help you get them back then? I left because I didn't like the methods of the group anymore, so why should I help you get your soldiers back just so you can continue with what you were doing?'

'Because Torchwick is only a pawn in a bigger game. I can tell from what I have seen that Torchwick is only following orders from a higher power. I don't know what the long term result him and whoever he is working for is hoping for, but with someone like him acting as the person who is the public face of the group, there have to be forces bigger than the White Fang at work.'

'And that's a risk that I'm willing to take. Adam, whatever Torchwick is making them do can't possibly be as bad as what you have been forcing them to do to humans over the last five years. I'm sorry Adam, but I just can't help you with this.'

The silence between them was extremely tense as Adam stared at Blake from behind his mask, and Blake stared back at him. It was a while before Adam backed down, sighing. He took a step back and started to turn away from Blake.

'I thought that may be your answer, but I had to try, you understand that, don't you Blake?' he asked, turning his head to look for her answer.

'Yes, I do,' Blake replied.

'Good, but if this is how you feel, I won't bother you again. Good luck at Beacon Blake,' Adam said, turning away from her. But what he had said made Blake remember something else that had been on her mind, and she realized that he may be someone with answers.

'Wait!' Blake called out. 'Can I ask you something?'

Adam stopped and turned back around. 'Go ahead.'

Blake took a breath before asking him, 'Does the name Lupis Drake mean anything to you?'

Adam hesitated for a second, before replying in a dark and brooding tone, 'No, it doesn't.'

Blake wan't sure if he was lying or not. His hesitation suggested that he may have, but the way he said no made it seem as if he did not. Blake was unable to tell, but decided that she wasn't going to get any answers out of Adam. 'Ok then, goodbye Adam.'

'Goodbye Blake.' And Adam left, turning on his heel and walking away, down a side street out of her sight. Once he was gone, Blake leant against a nearby wall and slid down it to the ground, her legs pressed against her chest. Putting her head in her hands, Blake sighed and fought to hold back tears. She had always been close to Adam, and even after all that had happened, she still had feelings for Adam, and acting in the way that she just had made it even harder to say goodbye than the last time.

After a few moments, she collected herself before standing up again and making her way back to the airport to catch the Bulkhead back to Beacon.

Roman

'Do you understand the task that I have given you four?' Roman asked rudely, towards the four criminals standing before him.

'For the seventh time Roman, yes! We know what you have told us to do!' Emerald snapped back at him, her bright red eyes almost glowing in the light of the almost empty warehouse that the rest of the White Fang members were moving the rest of the crates of dust from.

'However Roman, your task is only secondary compared to the one that I have set us to complete. It would be a shame for me to have to punish you again now, wouldn't it?' Cinder asked, gently caressing the side of Romans face with a hand print burnt into his skin.

Flinching from the touch, Roman backed away, causing Cinder to smile. 'Do not worry Roman. We will get both tasks completed at the same time. And once I am satisfied with out work, you may begin the second stage of your own plan. It is not often that I allow people that are under me to make plans, but seeing as what you want also helps me out, be grateful that I you were given this chance.'

'Yeah, I get the vibe from those two over there,' Roman said, jerking his thumb towards both Emerald and Mercury, the former sticking out their tongue at the orange haired criminal.

Turning towards the fourth member of the group, Roman stared at the faunus boy that stood before him. He had extremely short brown hair on the top of his head so that his short, brown bear ears were easily seen. Obviously some sort of pride thing with these members of the White Fang. Black eyes of the same colour as the uniform that all four of them were wearing to be undercover stared back at him.

'And you, you are going to be the one that I am relying on most to get me the rest of the intel I need. You need to stick around these three to make it more believable that you are all exchange students, but you also need to be able to get around the school, so make sure you co-ordinate what you are doing with them, got it?'

'Yes Roman,' the faunus said, nodding his head.

'Good, the next Bulkhead heading to Beacon will be leaving shortly, you should all get moving.'

'Don't worry Roman,' Cinder said, as they all started to leave. 'We will all be just fine.'

See? Four days? How good am I?

So, this was actually more of a filler chapter again, but in all honesty, I had to get the whole Adam thing sorted out as well as get some more stuff about Roman and the rest of the criminals in the story. I know that there was a distinct lack of Team Legion in this one, but I'm bringing in another OC anyway, so that kinda counts right?

I am also going to start uploading these every Saturday now, so that includes the one in 3 days. After that, it should be a chapter per week (hopefully :P)

Other than that, thanks for reading and I hope you'll still be back for the next one :)