Hey guys, here is the next update of this story.

Hope you enjoy the read.

Chapter Cover: Ruby taking a pose with her giant Scythe.

Chapter Twenty-One

Dance of the Red Petals

Ruby Rose clashed violently against the Faunus girl. Since she had done her transformation her Aura had become strong and then they were evenly matched in their clash so far. Each time their weapon met it caused a shockwave to appear around them as they clashed in the sky above Vale. The small girl grit her teeth as she spun her Aura shaped weapon around, slashing at the Faunus she was fighting against but the girl had managed to avoid the attack completely.

Then Ruby used her Light Steps technique to instantly move close to her and she could see the surprise in the eyes of the Faunus girl as the violet eyes stared shocked at her. The dark red Aura grew around her weapon as Ruby launched her attack straight at her.

"Crimson Wave," she yelled out.

The blast of darkish red shoot out straight toward her and the young Faunus was completely overcame by the large blast that had completely covered the sky they were fighting in. Ruby had her eyes narrowed lightly as she stared at the large claw like shaped attack she had launched at the enemy. The explosion of Aura spun around in the air as she stared at the place.

As the black crimson wave dissipated Ruby found her eyes widening as she took notice of the black orb that was floating in the air where her enemy was. Then in front of her eyes, the black orb was completely destroyed revealing the young woman with the animal ears.

"What is that?" Ruby said, "There weren't any damages."

"Black Dust Level 35, Reflective Orb," the Faunus spoke out, "You really think that I wouldn't be able to protect myself in other way other than my sword."

The violet eyes narrowed lightly at her.

"Your power is quite impressive," she continued, "I can admit that, but it will take more than raw power to take me down."

Ruby narrowed her silver eyes at the woman across her. Then the Faunus charged at her and Ruby blocked the attack with her weapon. The claws that were on the woman's hand reached at her but Ruby had blocked them as she was pushed back lightly. As quick as lightning, her Scythe was put on attack mode and she slashed at the Faunus who dodged the attack by disappearing from sight.

Ruby followed her Aura and found her coming from behind her, so she continued to spin with her weapon aiming it straight at the Faunus's form. The woman jumped backward as the bladed top of the Scythe passed right in front of her form. She placed her hand into a clawing shape as the glow of her Aura appeared around it.

"Tiger Claw," she said launching it toward the small girl.

Ruby didn't have time to block the attack as blood flew from the wounds that appeared upon her body. The attack had managed to push her back through the air, but the girl managed to regain her balance as she slid in midair, using her Aura to stay upright. The redhead girl yelled out as she aimed her Scythe straight at the Faunus.

"Aura Shot," she said.

The blast tore the air as it aimed straight at her enemy who tightened their hands into clawed like motions and then she yelled outward, clawing Ruby's attack into pieces sending many of the attacks crashing everywhere in the city beneath her causing numerous large explosions as the Faunus charged toward her.

Ruby grit her teeth as she blocked the attack that came at her and the force behind the attack pushed her back a few meters through the air as the Aura around the Faunus grew even more powerful. The other arm was raised with the claws and was launched at Ruby who raised the bottom half of her weapon upward to block it. Then the clawed strikes become many aiming at Ruby, and it was thanks to her speed that Ruby had managed to block them all.

It was quite something to be able to do all of that thanks to Crescent Rose power.

Then Ruby spun her weapon in her hand as the enemy jumped back and with her Aura, the Scythe actually extended as it aimed straight at her enemy causing her eyes to widen quite considerably at the phenomenon but she had managed to avoid it.

Ruby followed her with her eyes as she used her speed to appear where the enemy had appeared. She yelled out as she sliced with her Scythe at her as blood flew from the wound that had appeared upon the woman's form.

The Faunus jumped back holding her side at the slash mark that had appeared there. The violet eyes stared at Ruby and they narrowed lightly.

She had managed to catch up to me when I used my Acceleration, she thought, This girl's speed just keep increasing as this battle goes on. She is twice as fast as she was before when she first released her Soul Weapon. If I continue to fight her like this…her speed is going to continue rising and soon enough, I will be the one who has trouble keeping up with her.

The Faunus stared at the girl above her.

I'm going to have to use Black Dust to be able to counter her, she thought, But when she fought, she is still a novice…

The Faunus placed both of her hands together.

"Black Dust Level 77, Demon Shadow Hands,"

All around her in the air, purple vortex were appearing causing Ruby to frown lightly at the phenomenon that was appearing around her. Then from those Vortex, hundreds of shadowed hands shoot out, aiming straight at her. Ruby spun her weapon around as the large hands aimed at her as she hacked through them.

But they were still coming at her.

There is so many of them…

Even as Ruby had tried to cut through them, the hands took hold of her body and soon enough, she was paralyzed in midair with the many black hands holding her body.

"Don't be surprised," the Faunus said looking at her, "There is no one who can avoid thirteen hundreds hands coming at them from all sides. Despite your speed increasing all the time, not even you could escape their grasp."

Ruby grit her teeth as she tried to move but it was impossible. The Faunus raised her hand toward her.

"Don't bother to try to escape from this hold," she said, "The amount of Aura that is surging through the hands is strong and considering the number of hands that is holding you, it's stronger than your Aura even in your released Soul Weapon state."

A glow appeared around the raised hand and all over the arms, strange writing were appearing upon them drawing Ruby's attention at the purple glows that were upon them. Upon the Faunus's hand a similar symbol was forming there.

"Second Song, Engulfing Darkness," she said.

The purple glow suddenly became a large ball of dark purple Aura as Ruby was completely enveloped within them. The younger girl screamed out in pain at the attack tore through her being causing the small girl to scream out in pain as blood flew through her wounds and when it was done, Ruby fell down toward the ground as she slammed down upon the ground in a large crater.

The Faunus stared down at her as she lowered herself down until she was standing right beside the small girl's form. Her body was covered in bruises and her weapon had disappeared from her hand as she lied there unmoving.

"It's over," she said, "You have lost little girl. I don't know what Schnee promised you to risk your life for her but you should now when you associate yourself with that family, death is the only way to step out of it."

"I…IS that so…?"

The Faunus blinked to herself as she glanced down toward her. Ruby was moving as she was pushing herself to her feet.

"I'm amaze that you are still breathing," the Faunus spoke out.

Blood was falling down from Ruby's lips as she stood back up on her feet. The silver eyes stared at the woman in front of her, filled with nothing but anger.

"You think…I care…what Weiss's family…can offer me?" she said, "All I am doing…is protecting a friend…"

The Faunus girl narrowed her eyes lightly.

"A friend you says?"

"I know…what the Schnee had done to you Faunus," Ruby continued, "I know…it was a horrifying times…and I know many of you die at the hand of Illus Schnee…but you're blaming her for something that had happened years ago…From before a time she was even born…and I can't stand it…"

The silver eyes stared up at the Faunus. Her Aura was growing around her body again.

"I can't stand people…who will judge the person by their name…rather than the person themselves," Ruby growled, "You only see…what you want to see…and not what your eyes are telling you…"

Ruby thought back to Weiss and she remember how empty the Manor was. That there was no member of the family that lived with her in the home…and it made her heart cry out toward the girl, wanting to reach Weiss…

"Because of you…Weiss is always alone…," she said, "In all the time I knew her…her family never come to see her…her eyes are always filled with pain…"

Her Aura just continues to rise as the Faunus stepped back a little at the amount of power the girl was releasing.

Despite attacking her with her Level 77 Black Dust technique, she still has enough strength to stand and her Aura…it's even more powerful than before…

Ruby's eyes were shining silver as her power continued to rise and then her Scythe was formed yet again from her glowing power. The girl's eyes narrowed at her before she was gone before the Faunus girl could blink and then blood flew out of a wound that appeared upon her shoulder causing her to glance down at it, taken aback.

Her speed…has grown even more…

The Faunus girl turned around to face her but all she saw was red petals dancing around her as blood flew from another wound that appeared upon her body. The red petals were starting to spin around her as the young woman glanced wanting to see the girl that she was fighting against but she couldn't see her at all.

Where is she?

Then Ruby glide past her causing the young woman to glance at her, surprised to see the girl walk past her with her Scythe upon her shoulder.

"Dance of the Red Petals," Ruby spoke out.

Blood flew out of the numerous wounds that appeared upon the Faunus body as her eyes widened in shock. She didn't even notice the wounds that she had received from the numerous strikes of the Scythe upon her body.

"Fast…," she said as she fell forward upon the ground, "I couldn't even…see her movements at all…"

"That's the power of Crescent Rose," Ruby spoke to her, "Despite knowing it's name, I still have trouble mastering the speed, and throughout the battle, I pushed myself to go faster and as I reach even higher speeds, all you could see of my movements where the red petals of my Aura. I didn't have full control over the large amount of speed that came with Crescent Rose full power but now, I do."

The Faunus stared at her shocked.

She was that fast and didn't have full control yet?

Suddenly large howl of the Grimm drew her attention. Ruby had almost forgotten about the Grimm from how absorbed she was in the fight with the Faunus girl. The girl took hold of her weapon getting ready to fight when a large explosion happened right in front of them. Ruby covered her eyes at the amount of dust that rushed toward her and the fallen Faunus.

Noticing the Grimm crawling out at her like wave of darkness, the girl took hold of the Faunus girl before running away with her.

"Wait…Why are you helping me…?" the Faunus asked, confused, "I'm your enemy."

"Maybe," Ruby told her, "But…I'd feel worse if I left you to be devoured by those Grimm."


Schnee Estate Grounds

Blake stared at the figure in front of her, her golden eyes wide with surprise. The Faunus couldn't believe what she was seeing right in front of her. There was no way this was possible and yet the image of the man in front of her didn't disappear.

"N…Noir," she whispered.

The man's dark eyes stared at her.

"It's been a while Blake," he said with a light smile, "You've grown up since the last time I saw you."

Blake golden eyes stared at him, unblinking for a few moments.

"This is quite a plan the White Fang cooked up," the young man, Noir continued as he turned his gaze toward the Doorway in the sky above Vale, "To be able to open a Doorway like that. You guys must have been planning this for a long time, probably even longer since you came to Vale."

His eyes turned toward the young woman across him.

"That's not really your style Blake," he said.

Something about the way he said it caused something to snap within Blake for the girl was upon him in seconds, her sword drawn and coming down straight toward his head. Another sword was there, blocking the deadly attack that came at his head.

"I should say the same thing about you Noir," she growled, "I never expected you to become a Schnee dog."

Noir pushed her attack off and the girl landed down on the ground in a crouch sliding upon it.

"I don't serve the Schnee," the man said, "I follow Weiss. There is a difference."

"That girl has that accursed blood flowing through her veins," Blake yelled at him.

Noir's eyes narrowed lightly at her.

"You sound just like Adam," he said, "I'm surprised that he didn't take part in this operation. This tactics is more up his alley than yours Blake. You always prefer the more silent approach."

Blake narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is this why you abandoned us Noir?" Blake yelled at him, "Is that why you turned your back upon your brother and sisters so that you could serve a Schnee?"

Noir stayed silent for a few moments.

"I turned away because I saw how pointless this entire feud was," he said, "We preach about wanting revenge for the Faunus, but how can we ever hope to end this war when by the end of it, the Faunus will be as tainted as the Schnee blood is?"

Blake narrowed her eyes.

"Blake…do you know who this guy is?" one of the Faunus behind her said.

Blake stared at the man across them.

"His name is Noir," Blake spoke out, "The man who taught me how to use Aura…and my older brother."

The look on Noir's face became amused.

"I am impressed you even still call me that," he said, but then his face became even more serious, "I didn't teach you Aura so that you can kill…I taught you how to use your Aura so that you could have become a Huntress for one of the Clans. Because of your ideals back then, I thought through you, the Faunus clan would have been revived…"

Blake disappeared in a burst of speed causing Noir to spin his sword in his hand and aimed it toward his back to block the attack that came from there. The girl jumped away from him and the young man turned toward her.

"All that is ancient history," she said, "The girl I was back then could never change anything in this godforsaken world of Remnant. My only goal right now is to kill the Schnee girl and finish this war."

Noir let out a sigh.

"I never thought I'll be saying this," he said, "But, I have failed you Blake."

He took his stance getting ready to do battle and Blake did the same but then a sudden powerful Aura washed over the two. It was a like a frigid cold had fallen down upon them causing the sky above them to darken considerably…

Noir turned his gaze behind him.

Standing there floating above them, with her white hair flying behind her was Weiss Schnee. The girl was holding her sword in one hand as her cold blue eyes stared down toward the two people down in front of her.

"Weiss," Noir said.

Weiss didn't even acknowledge him as her eyes were fixed upon the dark haired girl below her. The black robes danced in the wind around her body.

"You want to kill me," the girl spoke out, "Well here I am, White Fang."

Weiss enters the battlefield...

Next Time: Black and White

Jacques0 out.

R&R