Gamer4 in, and... wow. That's all I have to say. One day on, and we've already got seven favorites and twelve follows going for us- what more could a fanfic writer ask for, especially when stepping into a new fandom? Really, no complaints here- this response is above and beyond anything I expected. To express my appreciation, let's go ahead and dive right into the next chapter! Hope you guys don't get too annoyed with my notes clashing with the story's tone- let's go!

Disclaimer: Don't get me wrong, I greatly respect Monty Oum, Rooster Teeth, and Team Ico, but really, I should only have to say I don't own their series once. Heck, I doubt a single one of you came into this thinking I did own RWBY or Ico.

Chapter I

The Girl in White

Blake leaned back on the mat. So, this was to be where she died, was it? Never had she imagined going out like this- sacrificed to this castle so the village didn't have to suffer more than its due. Bitterness rose like bile in her throat- after all the time in the village, the only other members of the community with a second of hesitation about locking her away and forgetting she'd ever existed were her closest friends. Hatred welled up within her towards the ears on her head- they made her feel marked, unclean... cursed. Sneering faces filled her mind, images of the less kind villagers who failed to recognize the faunus' sacrifice, pelting them with stones even as they were carted off to a castle that they would never return from, where they would quite possibly never again see the light of day. It was almost enough to make her remember him... his philosophy, that had needled its way into her heart early on. Despite her time with a much more idealistic Yang and Ruby, she had yet to truly free herself from his shackles...

"Ah!"

She leapt to her feet. She'd just rolled over onto her side when she felt something hard poking her waist. That was odd- her pockets had been emptied out before she'd been sent across the lake to this stone prison. By all rights, there shouldn't be anything there to jab at her as she lay there, waiting for her time to come...

Except there was. Rummaging through the offending pocket, she produced a small slip of paper, folded over several times. Her heart was on the verge of failing as she unfolded it, and out from the center fell a small, metal item- a key.

Heart racing, she gazed at the paper itself first. Scrawled on it, in all-too-familiar handwriting, were two lone words: Castaway Beach. And suddenly, warmth seemed to spread through Blake as she realized what must have happened. While Ren's training in the arts of stealth naturally lent itself more towards removing items from the pockets of others, it seemed he was also ready to return objects to pockets, should the need arise. It seemed she still had friends on the outside after all.

Moving quickly but quietly, she picked up the key and lifted it to her eyes to examine it closer. Sure enough, if the key's appearance was anything to go by, it would fit neatly into the lock on her cell's door. A slight smirk appeared on her face- she couldn't help wondering if this was Ren's idea from the start, or if Nora had talked him into it. She'd have to ask him- after all, it seemed her death sentence had been revoked.

Keeping both human and feline ears pricked for the sound of any guards (though, now that she thought about it, the only other people she'd seen in the castle thus far had been Pyrrha and Ren,) she approached the bars keeping her trapped in the cell. Mentally crossing all of her fingers, she reached through the bars, turned the key around, and gently pushed it into the lock. To her nervous mind, every sound was deafening- the scrape of metal against metal, the tap-tap-tap of the mechanism within the lock responding to the key... and finally, a cannon blast echoed throughout the dungeon- representing the soft click of the lock undoing itself.

The door swung open. Hardly able to believe it, Blake stepped over the threshold, glancing behind her. She was free.

Well, compared to her situation before now, she was free. She was out of the cell, and in the middle of a dungeon from which there was no immediately obvious means of escape to the outside world. From where she stood, she could spy two doors, and she was aware of the existence of a third- the one through which she'd entered with Pyrrha and Ren, and through which they'd made their own exit. However, that door was currently blocked by a wall, and call her crazy, but she didn't like the idea of giving herself head trauma in the name of chipping away at solid granite.

Of the other two doors, one was too high for her to reach- she wondered if the stairs had rotted or eroded away over time, or if the architect for this castle was simply insane. Either way, that door was of no use to her, leaving only the small wooden portal at the top of a nearby flight of steps for her to try. Praying desperately that it wouldn't be locked, she approached it and tugged on the handle.

It opened up very easily. Breathing a sigh of relief, Blake stepped through and took stock of the situation on the other side.

She seemed to have stepped into a large tower- the room before her was cylindrical, ascending higher and higher with the aid of a spiral staircase. Periodically along the walls was a door that no doubt led elsewhere in the castle. Her heart began to sink. Seeing this place from the outside, she'd known it was a huge building, but it seemed even bigger now that she was faced with the monumental task of navigating her way to the exit, with no idea where to even begin. Nevertheless, she had to start somewhere. A journey of a thousand miles, and all that.

The climb was longer than she'd expected- and she'd expected it to be pretty long. Each door she came to, she tested- the majority of them were locked tight, though others opened into closets, large rooms, or hallways. However, she didn't take any of them, electing instead to see what lay beyond each accessible door before she made her decision.

Finally, many, many stories above where she'd begun this grueling climb, she paused on a landing to catch her breath. Glancing up, she saw that the tower still extended for several floors more. Sighing, she collapsed against the stairs, ready to close her eyes and take a nice, long nap.

"Mirror, mirror, tell me something... who's the loneliest of them all?"

Her eyes snapped open, her ears pricking at the sound of the soft voice, carrying down from even higher up in the tower. She'd thought she was alone in this place- up to this point, she had yet to notice any signs of life. Had she been incorrect?

"Mirror, tell me something, tell me who's the loneliest of them all..."

Steadily, Blake rose to her feet and continued her ascent, trying to trace which door, exactly, this singing was coming from. However, a few more flights up, and the singing began to fade, eventually disappearing altogether. "No!" Blake muttered to herself- if there was someone else in this castle, she wanted to know about it.

She kept her ears pricked for another few minutes that seemed more like a few eternities, but was unable to detect any sounds from the person who seemed to be sharing this tower with her. What she did notice, however, was a delicious smell coming from only a floor or two up. She licked her lips lightly- she hadn't eaten since noon the previous day, when her ears had been revealed to the village. Ever since then, it had simply been preparation for her sacrifice, leaving her wondering if she'd ever get another meal at all. Perhaps it was the circumstances that were making this particular smell so much better than usual- but at this point, she didn't care. Her stomach was grumbling in hunger.

Up two final flights of steps, and through the nearby door, revealing what seemed to be an abnormally large dining room, complete with an incredibly long table, though only set for one.

Blake's eyes flicked to the doors set all around this chamber. Somehow, she doubted that this food was for her, but at the same time, her stomach was yowling at her, making it absolutely clear that if she turned her back on the feast before her, there would be serious consequences down the road. Besides, if she planned on escaping this gargantuan labyrinth of stone, it wasn't something that was going to happen on an empty stomach.

She took a seat, eyeing the food before her- primarily fish from the sea, cut up and prepared by what seemed to be an expert hand. Slowly, gently, she reached for the utensils and began to eat, savoring each bite. Funny- she'd liked fish before, but for some reason, it suddenly tasted better than anything else she'd ever consumed. Chalk it up to hunger, the fact that she'd been expecting to die of starvation or dehydration just an hour or so ago, or- the thought chilled her to her bones- something to do with the ears on her head, currently flicking about, keeping vigilant for any approaching noises-

"Ah!"

-like that gasp. Blake looked up, fork still in hand, paused midway through carrying a bite to her mouth. Just as she had suspected, she was no longer alone- standing in the doorway across from where she'd entered was a girl.

She was short, but not overly so- she seemed to be somewhere in her late teens, around the same age as Blake herself. Her clothing and hair were both blindingly white, hair tied off in a ponytail on the side of her head, keeping it well away from her icy blue eyes- over one of which ran a thin scar. Both eyes were currently wide open as she stared at the intruder currently eating fish at the dining table.

For a long, long moment, neither girl moved. Tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, neither daring to make the first move. At long last, Blake slowly began to lower the fork back to the table. As she watched, the other girl began to move as well- slowly turning around, before bolting off.

"Wait!" Blake called, leaping to her feet and giving chase. "Stop!"

The girl ahead of her skidded as she turned to one side and took off through another door in the adjoining room, Blake hot on her heels. This girl, whoever she was, had an advantage over Blake- she seemed to know exactly where she was going, whereas Blake had to rely on the very person she was chasing for any sense of direction.

On the other hand, it seemed the other girl had significantly less stamina, as well- less than a minute after the chase had begun, she was already panting, compared to Blake who had yet to feel even a tickle in her lungs. The other girl seemed to realize that she was outclassed- she brought the chase into another room, surprising Blake greatly- a vast library, stacked from floor to ceiling with books. In other circumstances, she'd have liked to stop and peruse some of them, but right now, her quarry was escaping. The girl in white darted to a nearby bookshelf, complete with ladder, and scurried up it to a balcony marking a second floor of sorts to the library. The moment she was off the ladder, she kicked it over and turned around to gaze triumphantly at her pursuer, stuck on the ground floor.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Blake called up to her. "I just have some questions!"

The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glancing around to ensure that Blake had no easy access up to the balcony she was perched on. Finally, she turned her gaze back to the faunus, raising a finger and pointing behind her. "Take a seat."

Blake blinked- the girl had suddenly taken on an authoritative stance backed by a rather cold tone of voice. "Huh?"

"If you really just want to talk, take a seat," the girl repeated. Blake glanced around, following the girl's finger to a nearby armchair, presumably for reading any chosen books. Glancing back, she saw the girl with her arms crossed, glaring down at her. Slowly, Blake complied, walking sideways over to the chair so as not to lose sight of her quarry. Once she had assumed the seat, the other girl cleared her throat. "Now, I think I have the right to ask some questions first. To begin with, who are you? For that matter, what-" her gaze seemed to flick pointedly towards the cat ears exposed on Blake's head- "are you?"

A flicker of anger arose in Blake's stomach at the girl's rudeness, but she shook it off. "My name is Blake Belladonna- I'm a faunus."

"A faunus?" the other girl's arms tightened. "Don't try to confuse me with made-up words."

"Made up?" Blake asked, an eyebrow raising. "No, that's the word for people like me- people who grow animal ears, or tails, or anything like that- aren't you one too?"

A shake of the head. "Last time I checked, I don't have any mammalian appendages," the other girl answered curtly.

Now Blake was truly confused- she'd been assuming, up until now, that this girl was in a situation much like her own, confined to the castle after becoming a faunus- was that not the case? "Then how did you get in this castle?" she asked.

For the first time since ascending to the balcony, the girl's brave face seemed to crack. Shaking it off, she tried turning things around again. "I'm the one asking the questions here!"

"No, no, no, this is important to me," Blake interjected. "As far as I can remember, the only people who come into this castle are faunus and their escorts- where do you fit into that?"

The girl faltered again- Blake could tell she was straying onto sensitive territory. "I- that doesn't matter! I- I just live here, okay?"

"You live here?"

"Yeah, here, in this tower! Is that so strange?"

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Yes, it is- because my village has been sacrificing faunus to this tower- this castle- for years now, and you claim you don't even know what faunus are?"

The girl stuttered, looking truly off-put now. "Yes... well... just because I live in this tower doesn't mean I meet up with everyone who passes through it, does it?"

"But not once?" Blake asked skeptically. "All this time, and you haven't made contact with someone from the outside, faunus or human, once?"

"No!" the girl burst out. "Fine, you got me! You're the only other person I've ever seen in this castle, alright?!"

Silence fell. Blake's jaw fell open, as the girl above turned red, covering her mouth as though she'd let slip something she shouldn't have. "Never?" Blake asked in disbelief. "You've never spoken to another person before?"

Shaking the redness off, the other girl scoffed, attempting to reassert herself. "That's what I said, isn't it? Ever since I came to this castle, I've been alone! Nobody else ever comes in, and nobody ever goes out!"

A great number of thoughts went through Blake's head at that moment, but something about the girl's sentence just now seemed to ring louder than anything else. "Nobody... ever goes out? Meaning you've tried to leave before?"

The girl seemed to curse herself again- she really wasn't doing great at keeping her secrets. "What of it?" she repeated. "Yeah, I've tried to get out, and yeah, I always end up back here again- what's it to you?"

Blake opened and closed her mouth for another few seconds. "Who- who are you?"

The girl leaned back a bit. "My name's Weiss Schnee, if you must know."

Schnee... something about that name tickled Blake's memories. "And... what did you do before you came here?"

Weiss turned red once more, failing to make eye contact as she muttered her response: "Ahdnnknff."

"What was that?"

"I don't know!" Weiss repeated, louder this time. "I've been in this castle as long as I can remember!"

"You mean, you were born here?" Blake asked, trying to make sense of all this.

"No!" Weiss shook her head, groaning with frustration. "I- I just woke up here one day, alright? Just woke up in a bed a few floors away from here, with no idea where I came from or how I got here! The only thing I can remember about the outside is my name- Weiss Schnee! Aside from that, all I know is here, in this castle- and nobody else ever comes into this castle!"

Blake didn't even know what to say anymore. "You mean... you've been all alone... ever since?"

"Well, if you want it in obvious terms, I suppose that would be accurate," Weiss nodded, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"How long?" Blake asked.

"Excuse me?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"How long have you been here- all alone?"

Weiss seemed to be biting her tongue now. "I don't know- I used to keep track, but I lost count at... ten years or so?"

Blake's mind was rejecting this idea outright. Ten years- alone? All alone, with no contact whatsoever from the outside world? "And what about that food?"

"The food I caught you stealing?" Weiss asked, attempting to return to her assertive manner, but failing to put any bite into her words. "I don't know- three times a day, food appears in that room. I never see who makes it or puts it there- sometimes I think it's the castle itself. Other times, I think that's ridiculous... but if there is someone else in this castle, they keep themselves nice and hidden."

"And... in all that time, you've never tried to leave?"

"What kind of question is that?" Weiss suddenly flared up again. "Of course I've tried to leave- who wouldn't? I hate this place- I hate being alone- these books are the only evidence I have the outside world exists at all! When I first came here, I did nothing but try to escape! I know this whole tower- and the parts of the castle closest to it- like the back of my hand! But I can't! I can't leave- nobody can!"

The gears were really turning in Blake's mind now. Slowly, steadily, she came to one single conclusion. "Until now," she muttered.

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked, backing away slightly as Blake rose to her feet.

"Hop on down, Weiss Schnee," Blake gazed up at her. "We're leaving this castle- today."

Weiss scoffed. "Oh, you think you're funny. I'd love to hear how you plan to do that."

"You say you know this tower, right? This place has to have a front gate- just get us as close as you can, and from there, we'll work out how to finish the trip- one step at a time."

Weiss scoffed again. "Well, look who thinks she's special. I've been to the front gate, don't you understand? I could show you the way, easy! But it wouldn't matter- nobody leaves this castle, ever!"

"And why is that?" Blake prompted.

Weiss seemed to clam up. "Well, it's just that- you see... they just don't, okay?"

"Not okay," Blake shook her head. "I was brought here against my will, and from the sounds of it, so were you. I've got friends on the outside, waiting for me to get out of here and meet up with them, see?"

She removed the paper Ren had slipped into her pocket and tossed it up as high as she could. Weiss reached out and just barely managed to catch the wadded-up note. She unfolded it again, and read out, "Castaway Beach... what's Castaway Beach?"

"A beach, not far from here," Blake explained. "Me and my friends used to go there to play all the time, when we were younger. And, once I get out of here, that's where I'm heading- and I don't plan on leaving without you."

"Why?" Weiss folded her arms. "Why the interest in me all of a sudden?"

Blake was confused- was this girl really so unaware of basic empathy? "Well, because I can't just leave someone who's been trapped here all their life, not when they've spent all that time trying to escape. It just wouldn't be right!"

"Right?" Weiss asked, an eyebrow quirking.

Blake sighed. "Just... trust me on this one, alright? Now, you say you can lead me to the front gate?"

"Yeah... I can," Weiss spoke guardedly.

"Well, think about it- worst case scenario, we get there, can't leave, and you get to rub it in that you were right. But best case scenario- we get there, you're wrong, and we both get to leave this place- I'll take you through the forest and all the way to Castaway Beach, we'll meet up with my friends, and you can finally see the outside world! What do you have to lose?"

Weiss bit her lip, glancing around herself as though afraid the walls would hear what she said next. "Nothing... I suppose..."

"Then come on down," Blake offered a hand. The slightest of smirks crossing her face, she added, "No need to be the loneliest of them all anymore."

Weiss turned violently red and began spluttering. "You- you heard that?"

"It wasn't a bad song," Blake reassured her. "Personally, I'd have shifted around the lyrics a bit- 'Mirror, mirror on the wall' rolls off the tongue a bit better, but maybe that's just me..."

Weiss eyed her suspiciously for a moment before motioning to the ladder she'd kicked over earlier. "Alright, put the ladder up. I'll show you to the front gate. But only," she added quickly, "so you understand why we can't leave, got it?"

"Got it," Blake nodded. "And I'll follow you, so you'll see that we can." As she spoke, she crossed the room to the ladder and raised it up for her. Weiss swung around onto the rungs and slowly descended, at long last turning to face her new ally. "So, want to introduce ourselves properly now?" Blake asked, extending a hand. "Blake Belladonna."

Weiss glanced away, but slowly reached up and accepted the handshake nonetheless. "Weiss Schnee," she nodded curtly.

Blake smiled. "See? You can be nice when you try. Come on- the sooner we get out of here, the sooner I get to meet up with my friends."

Still somewhat reluctantly, Weiss stepped ahead of Blake, guiding her back to the staircase, and officially beginning their journey to the castle's exit.

XXXX

Honestly, I was expecting this chapter to go on a bit longer, but that seemed like a better cut-off point that I initially had planned. It's started to make me wonder if that nine-chapter ultimatum might not be a tad ambitious- I didn't think so at first, but now... well, you know what, I'll turn to you guys. Would you rather have a story with a small number of longer chapters, or a large number of shorter chapters? Like I said, I already know where the story's going- just trying to piece together just how broken up it'll be.

Aside from that, just in the time it took me to type this up, we have another two followers! Holy cats, (no, Simba, I'm not talking to you,) I never expected this from my first foray into RWBY! You guys are all awesome, and I hope the story as it develops will meet your expectations. There might be a longer break between this chapter and the next because I do have another story to attend to, but rest assured I will not forget my due with this tale. Hope to see you all next time, and until then, please R&R, constructive criticism embraced, flames, not so much, Gamer4 out!