Welcome to the next chapter of RWBY: Team DUSK, before starting the story. Let's answer some reviews:
Altajir95: Thanks. Yep, having to witness a happy moment with his mother, then the sad part when she'd died, because of the Cockatrice. Well, Daniel got payback against the Grimm and the duplicate of him it'd created. I'll be sure to make it a good one, and I'll do that.
shephawk: Glad to hear that you liked the chapter. And that you like what I'm doing with the characters and their development using the time spread between the volumes' first couple of volumes.
A Belladonna's Thoughts
In the middle of the night, inside Team RWBY's bedroom, the silver-eyed team leader; her partner, the Schnee heiress; and her blonde-haired older sister were fast asleep. However, the one person who remained asleep was their black-haired and stoic team member, Blake. She found herself leaning against the wall that her bed rested against, dressed in her pajamas. In Blake's hands was the book she borrowed from Daniel, Eventual Twilight, the autobiography his grandfather wrote.
Minimal moonlight seeped into the room through the window, but Blake had no trouble reading with the light that was provided. Even if it was pitch black, she would still be able to read her books if there was no light inside the room. She found herself unable to stop reading Eventual Twilight as it was close to the ending, with the climax being the most enamoring part for her.
{I couldn't help thinking about what'd led me here. I came from a nameless tribe that thrived on both fighting and survival, who fought through all of it without backing down; as if it was our sole purpose. But, losing them left me without much of a path, but continuing on all alone. I arrived at Atlas, where I wasn't accepted since I came from outside their borders. But, Nicholas at that time reached out to me with interest in someone who could survive an inhospitable environment.}
{Never did I think that I could live this kind of peaceful life. I supported him in his mining of Dust using runes for a lot of the unstable ones, interesting enough our abilities were similar but different. I ventured to different places, and kingdoms, seeing things I never did before. Then, I met a woman who made it all worth it and gave me the kind of life that seemed like a reward. I never did once win a single fight against her, other than personality alone, she truly felt as if she was an otherworldly woman.}
{We couldn't get married, but we had three amazing children, who seemed to take over both of us. David, a kind and charismatic person, who could lead others into realizing the true value of life; while continuing to fight for his beliefs. Natalia, a courageous and adventurous free-spirit, striving to become the best Huntress and Leader, able to defeat anyone; that is something that might be my fault. And Olivia, a kind and caring girl who wants to follow her sister and become a Huntress able to protect anything. Seeing them growing up is one of the greatest moments in my life thus far, as no adventures could match it.}
{I'm writing this book for the next generation, my grandchildren, and those they trust, so that whatever part of my life might assist them in their generation. In Remnant, numerous things still need to be explored and secrets that are hidden. About the past before the Great War and the nature of the Grimm, and things that I'd been unable to discover or accomplish in my life. So, this is the final tale of Gerald Norden, someone who'd be more proud of being a husband, father, and soon-to-be grandfather than a nameless warrior.}
Finishing the last line of that book, Blake let out a satisfied sigh and smiled, closing the book in her hands; without making an audible sound. Putting the book right beside her, she was satisfied that Eventful Twilight was what she thought that it would be.
"Gerald Norden lived quite the eventful and amazing life," Blake found herself uttering. She leaned back against the wall, Blake felt a bit uncomfortable, but it came more from the top of her head. Feeling a bit restricted, she looked around at her teammates. "I guess that it would be fine, but I'll head to the bathroom."
Getting up from her bed, Blake walked over to the bedroom without making a single sound, with the stealth of a ninja. It was the same as she entered and locked the bathroom door, letting a light sigh escape from her mouth. It wasn't long until Blake walked right in front of the mirror in front of her. Though it's been well over a month, she'd hadn't removed her ribbon, at least not in front of others.
Reaching out for it, with some hesitance, Blake undid the ribbon and held it in her hands. Underneath the ribbons were a pair of black cat ears on top of her head, which twitched about; as if experiencing freedom. A sigh escaped from her mouth, as Blake found herself staring straight into the mirror. Blake was, in fact, a Cat Faunus.
"Hah, I know that I thought about the idea of hiding them. But, it can get a bit uncomfortable hiding these using a ribbon," Blake pointed out as she touched the right cat ear using her finger, which it reacted it. "Well, it looks like I made the right call in deciding to pretend to be a human. I didn't expect that I'd be partnered with a Schnee. Not that Weiss was as bad as I thought."
Blake thought back to her first meeting with Weiss, as the first impression was pretty much what she'd expect of a Schnee. But, as time passed, she started seeing another side of the heiress, something that she hadn't thought she'd see from her. Of course, most of the time, Weiss could be a little high-strung and a perfectionist whenever her status was mentioned. Outside of that, she sometimes gave off the impressions and reactions of a normal girl as soon as she was teased or disliked anything.
"Yang and Ruby, have been good friends too."
Blake thought about her partner and her younger sister too.
The three of them didn't have the best introduction, but surprisingly enough, Blake loved being around Ruby and Yang. As embarrassing as it may sound out loud, Ruby reminded her of a younger version of herself sometimes; while Yang seemed to try her hardest to have as much fun as possible as if there was no tomorrow.
"I wanted to become a Huntress to do some good in the world, and was serious about doing that for as long as I could," Blake thought about the reason that she came here as the symbol of the White Fang entered her mind. In addition to the different people from her past. "Before I was found out as being a former member myself. Hah, I'd wonder what I'd do if that came out. Do I run? Or do I turn myself in?"
Blake thought about that for a moment, the White Fang wasn't the same peacemaking group and could be seen as a terrorist group nowadays. If it was found out that a former member was among the first-year students of one of Remnant's top huntsman academies, then the reasons would be obvious enough.
"If I did end up being found out and arrested, what would everyone think? I could only guess what Weiss might do in that situation. But, would Ruby and Yang attempt to fight against that," Blake thought about what the members of Team RWBY would do in that situation. In thinking about what her other friends would do, Blake's mind started wandering off to what Daniel would do. "…what would Daniel do in that situation?"
Recalling the times that Daniel and she shared a conversation from time to time, then the time that he came to her aid when Team CRDL tried ganging up on her. Hearing the words from him about both the Faunus and White Fang touched her, sounding nothing short of sincere.
'Hah, you figured it out. …I was on a stroll thinking about something, then I noticed Team CRDL looking in the same direction and decided to visit. As you know, I'm not the kind of guy to leave a friend hanging.'
Blake remembered those words and didn't doubt them either.
"…ah, what am I thinking about?"
Blake shook her head as she felt her cheeks heating a bit from the thoughts that entered her head.
It was slight, but Blake tried calming herself down from the thoughts entering her head, then tried thinking about something else. Thinking about Daniel, her attention went back to Eternal Twilight, which she finished.
"Knowing the kind of personal Daniel is, it doesn't surprise me where it came from. His grandfather was bold and courageous in almost everything he did no matter how small it was. I learned about what led to him forming their family and the people born into it," Blake said smiling a bit as she found herself taking a seat on the counter right beside the mirror. "It's kinda weird learning about your friend's relatives from reading a book rather than talking to them. It's more fun thinking that Daniel's mother back then thought that all her problems could be solved by kicking them. His aunt sounds supportive when it concerned family and friends. And his uncle is about what I had heard, a decent human who cared about his family and life in general."
Blake soon found herself leaning her head against her knee as she was caught in a conversation that she had in the past. And the person in question was her father, the original leader of the White Fang before it turned into the current militaristic state it was in now.
'Dad, are you going to meet face to face with someone from Atlas?'
'Yes, Blake. I know what most people are thinking now, but I know that this person, David Norden is a trustworthy person. All the actions of the Norden Family in regards to the Faunus' treatment in Atlas and also funding support groups for them have been genuine. David's and their goal in wanting to ensure peace between us and humans align with ours.'
'But, dad what if something happens?'
'Don't sound so concerned Blake. David requested that the location chosen would be one that our side chose. A first step in ensuring that both sides can be at peace in learning to trust one another, which is the reason that he suggested we'd choose the location.'
'Alright. Just please be careful.'
'Hahaha, don't be worried. I believe that both the Norden Family and White Fang can achieve peace.'
Blake still remembered the reassuring smile that her father wore that day, at the idea of meeting David.
"Dad looked so sad after hearing the news about what happened to David," Blake mumbled as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "I wonder what Daniel would think if he found out that my father was supposed to meet his uncle that day. A meeting between someone from Atlas, and a previous High Leader of the White Fang. And a Faunus was reported as being responsible for blowing up their train in route."
Blake made an almost despondent look at the thought about that, realizing the irony of her meeting Daniel in the same school. It brought her back to back to the interactions that she and Daniel had since the first time both of them met each other. Just as that entered her mind, someone else's voice came too.
'Don't put your faith in anyone from that family. Neither of them could do a single thing to ensure the future of the Faunus. No one other than us can ensure that.'
In recalling those words Blake found herself resting her head on her hand.
"Each time, I recall something about Daniel, Adam comes up. He showed hatred towards anyone that came out of Atlas, more so the Schnee and Norden family. Hah, I wonder what he'd think if he found out I was hanging out around with the heiress and heir of those two families."
Blake found herself giving a dry, ironic laugh.
Blake remained in the bathroom for a couple of minutes before hearing someone getting up. Thinking that person was heading to the bathroom, she stood up and redid the bow, covering her cat ears. Leaving out the bathroom, a groan could be heard from someone outside as the door opened.
"Oh, hey, Blake."
Blake left the bathroom to find Yang standing there, rubbing her eyes.
"Hey, Yang," Blake said, then turned to find Yang putting on some slippers. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I felt a little thirsty. So, I'm heading out to get some water," Yang replied, feeling a bit tired. But, she found herself managing to send a gentle smile at her partner. "Mind joining me for a bit? Kinda feels weird going alone."
Blake smiled at the sentiment, liking the fact that Yang did her best to show the utmost courtesy and kindness to her friends.
"Sure you're just not scared of being alone at night?"
Blake sarcastically asked, causing Yang to feel as if she was challenged.
"Ah, that sounds as if you're challenging me, Blake," Yang said, becoming a bit more conscious at that moment. "It gives me the idea of having a test of courage in the middle of the night around Beacon Academy."
"I doubt that Weiss would want to be involved in that."
"Well, I'm sure that if I taunted her a bit, she'd want to prove that she'd be the last one standing. Weiss sure does love being a winner," Yang said as she and Blake, who put on slippers walked outside of their dorm room without waking up her sister and white-haired teammate. "Ruby would love doing something like this."
"Are you doing this so that your sister can have fun?"
"Of course, as an older sister. I believe that ensuring her younger sister enjoys life to the fullest is one of my obligations in life," Yang seemed to become happier. "I'm glad that Ruby managed to make new friends here and started breaking a little bit out of her shell compared to her first day."
"Yeah, I remember that."
Blake recalled her first meeting with Ruby in front of Beacon, and then the other official one when all the students were sleeping before the initiation. If she compared Ruby from then and now, then there was a notable difference between them. Despite being the youngest among the team, she was surely growing more and more into her role as a team leader; more than either of them could've managed.
The black and blonde-haired duo continued walking forward in the direction of the dorm's student lounge, while a conversation between them proceeded.
"Yeah, but some part of me doesn't want her to grow up too fast. I wanted her to remain the little girl who used to come to me for a hug, but lately, she has started entering a rebellious phase."
"I doubt it's that."
Blake thought, recalling the feeling of being in one of Yang's hugs.
"It looks like someone thought about getting a late-night something too."
Yang's comment caught Blake's attention as she looked forward to finding that there was a little bit of light shown in the student lounge. A bit of a curious and mischievous look could be seen on the blonde's face as she continued to walk forward. Blake realized that Yang must've wanted to give whoever was inside the student lounge on this night a big surprise.
"Alright, who's here at…," Yang wanted to give the person there a surprise, but she was caught surprised as a deep red could be seen dusting her cheeks. "Oh my god."
"What is it…Yang?"
In that instances, Black became more curious in noticing the stunned look on Yang's face. Upon looking inside the student lounge, she found herself giving a faint blush.
"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think that I'd see anyone here late at night."
It was revealed to be Daniel standing inside the student lounge's kitchen. But, that wasn't the reason that both of them were standing there blushing. Daniel stood in the lounge shirtless, revealing his toned physique underneath the shirt, which was hanging off his shoulders. All three of them remained there in silence as their eyes appeared to remain locked on one another.
Though, the attentions of Yang and Blake were directed towards the black-haired young man's build rather than it being eye contact; most for the same reason. The blonde couldn't help staring at Daniel's well-trained build that was a cut above the other shirtless first-years the night before their initiation. It was almost to the point where Yang didn't register the fading scars, something that Blake registered.
"Yeah, I think that I'm going to put this back on."
Daniel said then started putting back on the shirt hanging off of his right shoulder, much to the disappointment of the women watching; though for Blake, it was a little bit.
Having finished redressing himself, Daniel crossed his arms and leaned against the counter behind him; noting that the two young women still stared at him for a minute or two. In regards to Blake, it was notable that she was a bit stunned about what just happened. But, for Yang, it looked as if she wanted to say something.
"Hah," Daniel let an amused sigh escape from his mouth, then uncrossed his arms. "Alright, get it over with Yang. I know that you want to say something. So, out with it."
"So," as if taking that as a signal for her to proceed. "What kind of training did you do to get a bod like that, Dani? I already knew that you had a nice body. But, damn, I didn't think that it'd be like that."
Blake almost laughed out loud from the response from Yang but managed to hold it in.
"Seriously, it almost looks as if your body was sculpted by hand. If there was a class here in school that involves touching your chest and abs, then I'm the first one signing up."
"You done?"
Daniel asked, once again he and Blake were amused by the bold words that could come out of the blonde's mouth without hesitating. But, Yang was amid laughter, while holding up her index finger, signifying that she had one more comment. He and Blake remained silent for a moment as the two were waiting to hear what Yang was going to finish up with.
"Purr, Dani if you wanted to make a girl's heart skip a beat and hot under the collar, then you succeeded," much to Daniel's and Blake's surprise Yang gave a flirtatious and adorable purr while looking forward. An amused sigh escaped from Yang's mouth as she'd looked too wide a forehead and sighed. "I had a couple of more. If I said all of it, then we'd be here all night. But, if you came and spend a night in our dorm room, then…."
"Nah, I'm good."
Daniel replied waving his hand at the same time.
"Geez, you never let me finish."
Yang pouted as Daniel let a light snicker escape from his mouth.
"That's such an obvious that's what she said joke. But, I'm not doing there," Danial thought, before going the teasing route. "That pout reminds me of a face Ruby would make."
"So, Daniel, what were you doing in the student lounge shirtless?"
Blake asked, interrupting the two.
"Oh, well I couldn't sleep. So, I thought that I'd work out a bit on the dorm roof," Daniel replied, then shrugged his shoulders. "I kinda made a bit of a habit of training around this time, so it's kinda hard to break that habit."
Hearing Daniel's response neither Blake nor Yang could doubt him, more so considering the kind of physique he managed to develop, because of it. Recalling the reason that they'd entered the lounge, in the first place, both of them walked into the kitchen. It didn't take that long for them to prepare themselves a glass of water. From there, all three of them started drinking their cold drinks.
"Hah, there's nothing like a cool drink after a workout," Daniel said, cleaning up the used glass. He then turned to Yang and Blake with the wave of a hand. "So, I'll be heading back to bed, after taking a shower first. As much as I'd loved to. If the three of us hold a conversation with one another, then we might not be heading to bed until an hour or less. And I'm sure we'd get into trouble for being late to school for no reason."
"That's right. If that's the case, then I guess we'll see you tomorrow."
Blake said as she and Yang waved their hands in his direction as Daniel left the student lounge.
"Didn't think that I'd see Dani here shirtless."
"That sure was a big surprise."
Both the partners recalled the moment, as their cheeks heated up a bit after remembering it.
"Yeah, I might have to take a cold shower when we return to our dorm. Either way, I think that I'm going to have a good dream tonight."
"Come on, Yang."
Blake laughed a bit from the suggestive, but the playful tone from it.
"Don't give me that. I know that you're was a face as red as mine," Yang countered, sending a cheerful smile in her direction. "Just thinking about what would have happened if it was Ruby and Weiss who talked in on him instead, causes me to laugh."
"I could just imagine what expression those would make."
At that moment, Blake did imagine what expression both of them would make if they were in their position. Ruby, likely the most innocent girl in Beacon; and Weiss, who has notable trouble in hiding emotions when agitated. For the two of them to walk in on Daniel in that state of dress would garner quite the reaction from them.
Yang and Blake remained there for a time before the black-haired young woman brought up the obvious thing the two of them could notice.
"Yang, you noticed it too, right?"
"You mean those abs that screamed, 'Touch me'?"
"I'm being serious."
Blake turned her gaze toward Yang, who looked to be wearing her usual nonchalant smile. But, it soon faded as she let a sigh escape from her mouth.
"I noticed it too. Dani did mention that he had multiple scars from what happened," Yang chose to be honest for the moment as she noticed the scars too. "I didn't know what to expect when he mentioned them before, but a lot of them still seem to still be healing."
"Same here. When Daniel mentioned scars, I almost didn't know what to think," Blake added as Yang seemed to agree with her. "But, those two scars on his chest look to be the most noticeable."
"I don't know about the other ones, but those two looks as if they were caused by a sword," Yang looked to have agreed with Blake's comment, then she continued. "It wasn't that large, so it could've been from a sword with a thinner blade."
"Hmm, kinda like your katana?"
"Yeah, kinda like my…katana."
At that moment, Blake paused for a bit, while Yang still seemed to be thinking about the scars that she'd seen not so long ago. She was in thought about her comment about the cause of one of, if not both of Daniel's scars were caused by a blade similar to her Gambol Shroud. Thinking about that, a certain weapon came to mind, but the thought came as a shock. It belonged to someone who she thought of as an important person to her.
"N-No, that's impossible. Adam isn't the only person in the world who uses a sword like that," Blake attempted to remain rational about such thoughts, while not revealing those panicked emotions in front of Yang. "When would Daniel and Adam have even encountered one another in that period? If the two of them had encountered one another, no there's a chance he wouldn't have mentioned anything."
"So, Blake. Want to head back to our dorm? I finished cleaning your glass too."
"O-Oh, thanks for that," Blake replied surprised, then smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, it's about time that we head back and go to sleep."
"I wasn't kidding about the needing to take a cold shower, though," Yang replied, sending Blake the kind of smile she'd grown to like. "I still can't get Dani's hot bod out of my head. I might have to take matters in…."
"Please stop that."
"Not you too. At least, let me finish."
In response to that, Blake started giving a faint laugh to herself as Yang pouted. Despite them being opposites in almost all regards to others, the two of them made a good pair. There was something that the two of them liked about one another that others possibly outside of their team wouldn't understand.
The next morning, the students and the members of the three teams found themselves undergoing their regular day; going through class after class. During Professor Anne Green's Stealth and Security, the class found themselves in the Emerald Forest. At a clearing that was surrounded by forest, their female professor was sitting on a rock, with a flag behind her. She wasn't alone as her students, men and female were sitting down legs crossed; dressed in a simple stealth outfit, instead of their combat outfits.
All of them looked despondent while wearing a headband with the word, "Captured" embroiled on them. It was a training session that Anne thought about teaching her students about being stealthier in certain situations. And it turned out to be a basic 'Capture the Flag' game, but neither of the students there came close at all. Most worked in unison with one another to steal it, and it resulted in them being captured.
Of course, in case the situation called for it, the students weren't allowed to use their weapons. Aside from using their semblance, the students were being forced to be more thoughtful and/or creative. Not using the weapons all of them had been accustomed to using, and stealing a flag from an experienced Huntress was almost impossible for them. But, if anything, this proved one more thing to them.
In this training session, it became more apparent why Ann was in charge of teaching them these things. None of their sneak attacks nor attempted surprises got through her. And it proved that aura does let you know someone is there without knowing someone's there. The thing that made it worse was the promise that she'd make things easier for them.
"Hmm," Professor Greene said as she hummed to herself. "Daniel and Blake are all that's left of the class. I can't tell if either of them is glancing over in this direction. More and more, I became interested in knowing what kind of life these two lived. Both of them are more experienced in stealth than someone their age should be. I wonder if those two are planning on coming up with a plan together or waiting to see what the other does."
She looked interested in seeing the kind of plan that the two of them could come up with, either alone or as one team. Of course, the students had until class was close to finishing catching the flag. If the students failed to do so, then it would result in them failing. Amid Professor Greene sitting there, she heard something approaching her at high-speed. Just as there was movement from the brushes, someone leaped high into the air, then started to aim an axe-kick in her direction.
It was Daniel, who was initiating a flawless axe-kick, with the kind of flexibility that surprised the male and female students witnessing it. Looking up as her student was coming toward her, Anne let out a surprised laugh escape from her mouth.
"Oh, I see you're going for the direct approach. I thought as much since Daniel seems more like that type too."
Anne started as Daniel was approaching her, then moved backward as the kick smashed apart the rock she had been sitting on. Not wasting him, he moved into a prepared position as he went straight for his professor, who still looked casual about the entire thing. Despite that, Professor Greene stood in a stance that Daniel couldn't find an opening in. That didn't stop him as he went straight forward aiming another kick in her direction as nothing more than a test.
But, once it came close to her, she block it and Daniel sound the world spinning as she performed an almost too beautiful counter. A handicap for this training session was that she wouldn't attack them, instead, she'll defend her flag. To some of the students, it sounded easy enough, but it didn't take them long to realize that thought was the very definition of ignorant.
Daniel soon found his balance as his hand landed on the ground, then found himself spinning around now aiming a sweeping kick at Professor Greene's leg.
"Good recover and counter, Daniel."
Despite uttering those words, she leaped into the air avoiding that sweep kick, as Daniel was quick to stand up. As she was descending to the ground, he aimed a fast straight punch at her. Noticing that he aimed at the moment that she'd be the most vulnerable for an attack, caused a smile to form on his teacher's face. But, that attack failed as she managed to land on the ground and deflected the attack using the gentlest movement of her hands.
"Good good, I don't see too many students who practice armed and unarmed combat," Professor Greene in the tone he'd expect from a professor. "A good balance in using your hands and feet."
"My dad always did tell me to train in case I couldn't use a sword, and my mother hammered that into me more," he replied, wearing a smile. "She favored kicks, but she could use her hands too. And she told me to be flexible in a fight, like this!"
Daniel reacted faster than Anne thought as he moved both his hands and managed to grab onto her wrists tightly. She was surprised by the grip strength, then noticed someone else's presence as Blake from out of hiding.
"Ah, I see, Daniel came straight in and Blake remained hidden looking for the perfect chance to steal the flag," a feeling of pride as a teacher could be felt welling up within her chest. "A good plan and teamwork between them, something I wouldn't expect from two friends."
Anne smiled in a gentle, giving off a serious air as Daniel prepared himself for whatever was going to happen, as Blake was close to reaching the flag. Compared to before, she started using maneuvers she hadn't used with the other students. Aiming at Daniel's lower legs, then moving her hands, the professor managed to knock him far off balance. He found himself forced to release her wrists before being tossed forward towards the ground but then recovered enough to hand on his butt.
"Ouch ouch ouch, well that's a first."
"Iyah!"
Daniel then heard a familiar scream as he looked to find Blake being sent in his direction.
Instead of her landing on the hard ground, Daniel managed to catch Blake in his arms and kept himself from falling back into an awkward position. But, despite not falling into that awkward position, it was still awkward as it looked as if Blake was now sitting on his lap.
"So, that plan failed."
"Um, Daniel can you put me down?"
Blake asked, a bit flustered at the position she was in.
"Right, here you go."
Daniel agreed without hesitation as Blake stood up on her own.
It wasn't long until Daniel stood up himself as he looked prepared to go for the flag again, but stopped as soon as a beeping sound could be heard. The students recognized it as the timer coming from Professor Green's scroll, a clear signal for them to prepare to return to Beacon.
"Well, students it was a good attempt. But, it looks as if we'll need to return to Beacon Academy so that all of you can get dressed and head to your next class," she said standing up while grabbing onto the flag that she had been guarding the entire time. "Before we return to school, I must say that a lot of you had some good ideas in retrieving this flag from me. Some tried the direct approach and others tried teamwork, both methods no matter the results showed a hint of planning behind them. And I hope that this training session of ours causes some more thoughts to come to mind. Because guess what?"
"What?"
A male student among the students decided to ask.
"Because, we're going through this all again another time," she announced to the students, who weren't looking forward to having another training session with her. "Come on, don't have those long faces. I doubt that quitting a mission would be something good for your career as Huntsmen. Most of you must be aware that there are going to be times when you need to think and plan. So, I want you all to think about what happened this time, then next time we'll see the results."
Professor Greene said as she started trotting in the direction of the airship that'll take them back to Beacon. Not one of them had no other choice aside from following behind her to return to their new home away from home. As the students were heading in the direction of the aircraft that was parked, most of them bunched together in their groups or remained alone, while grumbling to themselves.
Daniel and Blake remained in the back as the students and their professor was heading forward in front of them, not thinking about rushing.
"Well, Professor Greene is a hard person to get passed. Not that it was much of a surprise considering that she'd said we could've come at her all at once," Blake stated as she spoke to Daniel who matched her pace, while both of them continued talking. "But, seeing her proving that first hand was quite something."
"Yeah, almost no student came close to touching the flag and was tossed to the ground soon after. I haven't seen someone who could break free from a grip and toss me to the ground at the same time like that," Daniel said in an impressed tone. "Well, it'd be terrifying seeing her out in the offensive."
"I'd imagine it'd be the same as facing an assassin who'd take you out as fast as possible," Blake uttered out loud then turned her attention to Daniel. "But, it was surprising seeing you fighting without a sword. I didn't think that I could see a guy being that flexible in a fight. And I mean that both figuratively and literally."
"I learned a long time ago that being reliant on one weapon could get you into trouble. So, I often train in wielding a sword, guns, and hand-to-hand," Daniel replied, which was something that Blake could agree with. "And as for being flexible in the literal sense, I could thank my mom for that. It was painful, at first undergoing her so-called self-invented flexibility training regimen. But, I got used to it after a couple of weeks and recovering from it, then rinse and repeat."
Daniel seemed to give a wry smile, thinking about that flexibility training that was almost forced onto him as a child. At first, it felt almost like torture for him, but then he started seeing the benefits of that.
"I see."
Listening to Daniel continuing to talk about his deceased mother was surprising for Blake, considering that he still talked as if she was alive. She heard about that fact quite a long time ago, while still a member of the White Fang and the reason his aunt was the current leader. Blake wouldn't know what she'd do if she lost her parents, though she hadn't seen either of them in a long time.
"I thought that our plan in working together would at least get more of a result than that."
"What'd you expect? We were up against an experienced Huntress, who teaches Stealth and Security."
Blake reasoned as Daniel made a disappointed look but then became enthusiastic.
"Well, it looks as if we'll have another chance at her again. So, let us start planning on how to get that flag in our next training session."
Daniel replied as a smirk could be seen on his face.
"I can tell that you're not the kind of person who takes a defeat laying down. But, I don't see anything wrong with that as long as you're not too reckless about it."
"You know it," Daniel added. "So, from breakfast, I heard that you finished reading Eventual Twilight."
"Yeah, it was quite the interesting read. I never thought that I'd be interested in reading someone's autobiography considering most of them might be filled with false information. But, reading from your grandfather's caused a lot of thoughts about Remnant that I hadn't thought of before."
"I had the same thought when I read it for the first time. I never thought that half the stuff that happened inside of that book was real. But, then again his children, who happen to be my mother, aunt, and uncle were around when some of those events happened, then I don't doubt it."
"I can agree with that. So, Daniel…."
Daniel turned to Blake, who looked a bit unsure about the words that would come out of her mouth next. But, it looked as if she was blushing a bit.
"This is going to sound weird no matter what I say," Blake uttered before calming herself down and saying what she planned on saying. "Daniel after school would you mind going out with me to Vale so that we could talk about the book. I found a cafe that looked like a good place when I was out last with Yang and the others."
"So, we're going to be hanging out after school," Daniel said in a surprised tone, not expecting that Blake would ask him something like that. Blake nodded her head in silence, not knowing how to respond in a situation such as this. But, to be honest he had no trouble going out with her after school and talking to her about this kind of thing. "Sure thing, I don't mind. I can't remember a time that the two of us hung out alone."
"…thanks," Blake looked relieved that Daniel didn't make it sound as weird as it was in her head. "For a second, I thought that Daniel would think that it would be a serious date. N-Not that I would hate it, no…stop thinking of it like that. We're just two friends hanging out, who're going to be talking about a book."
"For a second I almost called it a date. If I did, then it might've made her more nervous than she when she'd tried to ask me out. Not that Blake would've asked me out like that in the first place, right," Daniel looked to be almost confused about whether or not Blake would even attempt to ask him out on an actual date. "So, we'll be meeting at the heliport after school right?"
"Yeah, I'll meet you there sometime after school ends."
Blake agreed as she gave a faint smile.
They thought about what the two of them would be talking about during this date while following their classmates and professor, who was ahead of them. If the two had to be honest with one another, then the who looked forward to what might end up happening.
Once school ended, Daniel found himself standing at the heliport as some students departed to Vale using all the other departing aircraft. He stood there dressed in casual wear that from the perception of others looked to be the definition of 'cool'. He informed his teammates and friends that he would be out this time, and was surprised that he hadn't heard a word about his "date" with Blake from hers.
Not even Yang, who was known for teasing people hadn't bombarded him with texts, something that was most surprising for him. He hadn't even heard the slightest word from Weiss about it.
"Well, either Blake told them that there was nothing about this aside from us talking about a book. Or Weiss feels a bit more trusting of Blake compared to Yang."
"I can see Weiss being more concerned about Yang."
"Whoa." Daniel was a bit surprised once again as Blake seemed to come behind him without making a sound. "I am starting to think that you're a cat or…wow."
Daniel turned around to find Blake dressed in casual attire, something that he hadn't seen her dressed in thus far and fit her well. It wasn't something that was either too fashionable or extravagant like something that Weiss or Yang would wear. But, it was still something quite appealing and matched her favored black color, while being far easier to move around in.
"What is there something wrong with I have on?"
Blake seemed genuinely curious about whether there was something wrong with her outfit.
"No, nothing's wrong with what you're wearing," Daniel replied while waving his hand and giving a genuine smile. "It looks good on you."
"…," Blake looked flustered as she heard that honest response from Daniel, then glanced to the side as she had started recovering from it. "…thanks. We should be going soon."
Blake seemed too embarrassed from the compliment as she started heading out to enter one of the airships that were leaving. Daniel wondered whether or not that was the best comment to give, but it was the truth and it wouldn't have made lying about it better. Not wanting to waste time standing there, Daniel followed behind her. Both entered the airship, then stood a seat beside one another as other students were sitting down too.
There was a slight silence between them, as a result of the previous comment about her outside. Blake could be seen messing with her fingers as she wondered what she was going to say next. But, the person who ended up being the first to speak was Daniel.
"So, did Yang or Weiss say anything about this little outing?"
Daniel asked, turning his attention to Blake.
"Eh, a bit."
Blake replied, then turned her attention to the side, wearing a blank expression on her face.
Thinking back to the incident between herself and her teammates, Black found herself sitting down on her bed as the same blank expression could be seen. Having returned to their dorm room at around the same time that they finished school. In front of Blake was Yang and Weiss, both wearing a different expression on their faces; her blonde-haired partner wore a teasing smile; her white-haired teammate wore an unreadable look.
"So, you're going on a date with Daniel next?"
Weiss started, feeling a bit conflicted.
"It's not a date."
Blake replied.
"You're going out into Vale alone with a handsome teen alone. It sounds like a date to me," Yang replied, still in a teasing tone. "I mean, I should know, I went on a date with the same guy before."
"Shut up, Yang! I went on a date with Daniel first!"
Weiss countered but stirred up Yang more.
"Oh, so someone admits that it was a date."
"Humph, of course. And I was ahead of a certain someone who boasted all the time, so there."
Weiss replied, letting out another "humph" while crossing her arms and glancing to the side.
"She's so cute whenever she's jealous," Yang thought laughing to herself, before turning her attention back over to her partner. "So, spill it. What brought this own? I almost thought that I was imagining things when my partner asked Dani out on a date."
"Again. It's not a date," Blake replied, sighing a bit as she continued explaining things. "You can't even call it a bit. I'm not doing anything aside from going out with Daniel and talking about a book."
"So, then it's a book date, right?"
Blake rolled her eyes after hearing that response from her partner.
"Wait for a second," Ruby listening to the situation right in front of her, spoke as if realizing something. As it was a topic about something she wasn't experienced in, she had been sitting down in her bed doing nothing aside from listening in. "There's a big thing that I haven't realized."
"And what would that be baby sis?"
Based on how serious Ruby sounded at that moment, her comment caught the attention of her older sister, her partner, and her black-haired teammate glanced in her direction. In leaping down from off the bed, she stood there in front of them wearing a serious expression, which turned disappointed.
"I'm the only one who hasn't gone on a date with Daniel!"
Ruby announced, showing nothing wrong with the words that came out of her mouth.
"…?"
Yang looked on surprised and amused about her younger sister's response.
"…."
Weiss looked on surprised and disbelieving at the words she heard, obviously not happy.
"…."
Blake made the same blank expression while being amused at the same time.
"…what?"
Weiss asked, turning her attention from Blake, and aimed it straight towards her partner and team leader.
"What," Ruby responded to Weiss' question with a question of her own, it was obvious that the black-haired team leader didn't see anything wrong with it. "You, Yang, and Blake who's about to go on one too. All of you got to go out on a date with Daniel, but I haven't. That's not fair, I want to do something fun with Daniel too."
"Ah, I wonder what my little sis means about that?"
Yang seemed amused by how Ruby phrased those words as she knew her younger sister had no idea what it meant but giggled either way.
"You will not be doing anything 'fun' with Daniel. It was bad enough that your sister went on a date with Daniel, so I don't want her younger sister doing the same thing. More so, since it would look bad for Daniel being out with along with different girls from the same team."
Weiss reasoned, but neither Yang nor Blake thought that most of it were all true. If was more likely that Weiss just didn't want Daniel to go out with either of them.
"What's wrong with that?"
Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side.
"A-Are you that naive?"
"I'm not naive," Ruby replied, directing her hands downwards, acting in a bit of a childish manner. "I just want to be able to hang out with Daniel like everyone else on my team. Based on what you and Yang said about it, both of you had some real fun going out on a date with Daniel. So, is there a reason why I shouldn't?"
"I-I don't know. Why is it that important that you go on a date with Daniel? Just hang out with him like normal."
Weiss tried making a rational reason for them to hang out without it being a date.
However, Yang and Blake saw through her attempts, thinking that she was doing this in an attempt to ensure that no one else would attempt to go out with Daniel.
"Come on, what's wrong with that? I mean, Daniel is a cool and funny person to hang out with, he's a good cook, knows about weapons, and he helped me a lot," Ruby replied, then started going into talking about things that'd caused her to start feeling a bit flustered. "He also has silver eyes like mine that look nice. And Daniel is what Yang would describe as cute…and handsome."
Ruby said that last part in a little bit more of an almost inaudible mumble but wore a flustered expression on her face. It was cute enough that Yang almost wanted to wrap her arms around her younger sister in a warm manner, but restrained herself. But, Weiss heard most of what Ruby had said, causing her to move forward with more of a skeptical expression.
"What was that last part?"
"Uh, it was nothing important."
Ruby tried embarrassingly moving passed the situation as she glanced to the side.
"We're not going to move past that. I thought that the so-called leader of Team RWBY was fearless."
"I am fearless! Ruby Rose runs from nothing!"
Ruby replied as she stood her ground.
"Then tell me what you said!"
"I don't have to! So, nyah!"
In response to Weiss' demand, Ruby crossed her arms and stuck her tongue straight at her partner.
From there, both Ruby and Weiss started getting into an argument with one another; despite the white-haired girl mentioning that their black-haired leader was being childish, she was matching her in that regard. As their leader and her partner were focused on having their childish argument, Blake moved from the situation.
"So, what're you planning on doing on your little date…I mean book a date with Dani?"
Yang teasingly asked.
"Not much, I plan on talking about his grandfather's book and having a drink at a cafe."
Blake replied, showing no reaction about it, but Yang proceeded forward with something.
"So, this has nothing to do with us walking in on Dani shirtless, right?"
Bringing that up again caused Blake's face to turn bright red as the memories of that moment resurfaced almost as if it were a tidal wave.
"D-Don't bring that up."
Blake stated, sounding embarrassed from remembering that.
"Hehehe, have fun on your date."
"It's not a date."
Blake replied in almost a mumble.
"Hahaha, that sounds about as much as I'd expect."
Daniel was laughing as he heard Blake's recollection of the events that occurred inside of Team RWBY's dorm room. It did sound like something that the three of them could do and say in that situation, more so both the team leader and her partner getting into an argument.
"Yeah, it's never a dull day on that team," Blake said, almost smiling a bit from thinking about that moment for the second time. She opted to mention the incident concerning Yang mentioning the fact both of them walked in on him in the student lounge last night and caused any awkwardness. "Ruby does have a habit of bringing out the more childish side of Weiss. Not that it's a bad thing considering that she is often too seriously most of the time."
"I'm glad that Ruby and Weiss ended up getting partnered together. Aside from me, Winter, and Klein, Weiss puts up a wall around herself and others, often wearing a mask most of the time," Daniel replied as leaned back in his seat. "So being around someone like Ruby is good for her, and vice versa."
"I can see that. Weiss learning to loosen up a bit, while Ruby learns about taking certain things more seriously."
"Yeah, the same thing can be seen about you and Yang."
Daniel added as Blake took a lot of thought into that, thinking back to the moment that she and Yang first met. And hanging out with the sociable and cheerful blonde was something she hadn't experienced before. Thinking back to all that, Blake wouldn't up smiling to herself.
It wasn't long until the airship landed in the capital, Vale, Daniel and Blake departed from the airship, then started heading cafe she mentioned. As the two walked through the streets of Vale, both of them looked around to see what was happening in the bustling area. It wasn't long until there was something, a specific smell that had caught Blake's attention as she looked around.
"Hmm, it looks as if things are living here like always. Right, Blake…Blake."
Daniel turned his head to find that Blake vanished without letting him know, let alone being able to tell that she'd left. He looked around among the crowd of people walking passed him, then noticed where she was standing; it was a store, in particular, one that sold meat. It wasn't long until Daniel approached Blake, not that she seemed to be paying attention to him approaching.
"Uh, so what's got your attention?"
Daniel asked, but Blake didn't seem to be paying attention to him.
For the first time, Daniel noticed an odd expression on Blake's face as if she had been caught in a trance. It was not long until he looked to find that she was staring at what seemed to be fresh fish.
"…aaa."
Daniel was surprised to find that Blake was on the brink of drooling as she stared at the fresh fish, with practically sparkling stars in her eyes. He knew that her favorite food could have been nothing aside from fish, considering she'd pick it most of the time at lunch.
"Hello, Blake," Daniel said catching her attention Blake looked flustered about what she'd been doing there in front of him. "If you want, we could have fish later."
"Th-That's fine! Let's go!"
Blake said flustered while continuing to walk forward in the direction of the cafe; not wanting to show Daniel the reddened face. Taking one more glance at the fish and the fact that Blake wasn't turning around to face him had caused an idea to enter his head.
Some time passed, and Daniel and Blake found themselves sitting outside of the cafe, which she brought them to. Arriving there, the two gave their orders to the waiter, who returned with their drinks after a couple of minutes. Neither of them said a single word about anything at that time, at least not until their drinks came.
"Here are your drink, sir and ma'am."
The waiter placed a coffee in front of Daniel, and tea in front of Blake; he gave a slight bow, then started walking in another direction. Seeing that their drinks arrived, both of them took a slight drink from their respective cups then the person who called for this meeting started speaking.
"So, I almost don't know where to start first," Blake said, placing her tea on the table. "There was a lot that caught my attention when reading your grandfather's book that I don't know where to start first."
"Well, I guess that you should start at the point that caught your attention first."
Daniel replied, showing a faint smile, something that she could agree with.
"Right, so I guess that the first thing that caught my attention was your grandfather's weapon."
Blake replied, catching his attention.
"Ah, I guess that would be something that'd catch anyone's attention since the manner, in which he found it was a bit weird."
Daniel stated, while Blake took her attention from the tea and faced him.
"Most past Huntsman and warriors, in general, created their weapons. Jaune mentioned that his weapon was a hand-me-down that comes from the Great War. But, your grandfather was the exception," Daniel could see that Blake's interest in it did attract her attention. "Your grandfather said that he found his weapon stabbed into ruins located inside of an underground cave that he had fallen into. Based on what he said the ruins alone looked old, before the Great War."
Daniel smiled as he could see that Blake seemed interested and invested in the stories she read about inside his grandfather's book.
"Hard to believe, right? Despite being what could among to being around for almost centuries, that spear looked as good as new. I should know, I saw it for myself when I was a kid and it looked beautiful. If Ruby were to see it, then I don't doubt she wouldn't be able to take her eyes off it," Daniel replied leaning forward a bit, then started to whisper in a low tone. "Sorry, don't know the reason why. But, I can't tell anyone where it is."
Blake couldn't tell whether Daniel was being serious or joking right then, knowing him, it'd likely be a combination of both. Though it wasn't like she was curious about its location in the first place aside from being in the hands of the Norden Family.
"That's fine. I was just curious about where it came from not where it is now. After reading it, I thought that there's still a lot about Remnant before the Great War and even the Four Kingdoms. I haven't read something that made me think this much about the past, what couldn't happen there. Your grandfather's book also turned out to be a big mystery aside from simply his autobiography. It was worth waiting all this time to read and finish it."
Blake gave a bright smile while talking about it.
"Yeah, it did turn out like that. I never knew what to think after reading about that, since it all sounded like one big fairy tale instead of someone's life. My grandfather was someone worthy of being called a hero. Well, one of my favorite parts was the time that he first met my grandmother."
"He did mention that she was the one person he couldn't win against in a fight. A kind and strong-willed woman, who taught him about the true value of life and enjoying it to the fullest. It does sound as if he was madly in love with your grandmother?"
"It's a shame, but I never met her, and no one said whether she's alive or not. So, aside from her name that's all I know for the moment," Daniel replied, drinking from his coffee. "Well, aside from the fact she was a kind, strong-willed woman who had a hand in raising three kick-ass children. Hahaha, you know, it reminds me of something that my uncle joked about once."
"What would that be?"
"It was, 'A Norden man might be fearless, and strong. But, the one thing that'd frighten him would be his Norden wife'," his comment about that caused Blake to almost laugh out loud. "I'm kinda sad that I never got the chance to meet her. I hear all the time that my grandfather was among the best Huntsman on Remnant, but he has never won once against my grandmother."
"It does sound like a shame. Your grandmother sounds like the kind of person that you would love to meet. It's like the Norden family is full of secrets that would ignite the imagination of those who hear about them."
"Heh, you know you're starting to sound more like Ruby, being all excited about this."
Daniel's teasing comment caused Blake to neither openly reject nor deny that.
"Yes, I guess. It's just that reading Eventual Twilight and learning that there are still more things in Remnant has made learning about them more interesting for me. So, want to continue talking about it?"
"Of course, that's one of the reasons that we came here."
"And was there something else that you wanted to do aside from this?"
"Well, I kinda wanted to get to know a certain Belladonna a bit more. Besides, there's something that has been on my mind for a long time."
Daniel replied, wearing a trademark smirk.
"Well, let's continue with this conversation first. And let's see whether or not I'll answer that."
Blake answered back in a sarcastic tone, something that caused the two of them to share a bit of a laugh.
From there, both of them sat there, where their conversation about the autobiography that Daniel's grandfather, Gerard had written. Based on their discussion, it felt as of the two could continue talking about their general enjoyment of the book until reaching its ending. There were certain moments when Daniel and Blake hadn't drank from their respective drinks, causing them to become cold.
Having noticed that, the two shared another laugh and then found themselves ordering a much fresher one while ordering snacks that went with them. Blake never thought that she could hold a decent conversation with anyone else about a book she liked. But, there she was sitting at a cafe she liked, sharing a drink and chatting it up with a friend.
"Hah, I don't think that I've ever talked that long before. It felt good talking like that."
Blake gave an amused sigh while breathing out.
Having paid for their orders, Daniel and Blake noticed that the sun was beginning to set, while the two started to walk down the street. She found herself enjoying that discussion more than she would've initially thought.
"Yeah, it's always fun sharing your thoughts about something you like with someone else. It's better than keeping it to yourself."
Daniel nonchalantly walked right there beside Blake, with both hands in his pockets.
Not knowing what else both of them could do, the black-haired young man and woman found themselves walking around without a general direction. Though, it was obvious that, at some point, both of them needed to return to the airship and return to Beacon.
"I haven't been able to share much about the books that I like," Blake stated, having an easier time talking with Daniel, someone who was like Blake. "I know that Ruby likes reading books too, but I don't know whether or not she'd like reading the ones that I do."
"Yeah, I mean Ninjas of Love might be a bit too…ouch."
In return for that joking comment, Daniel received a quick, strong shoulder nudge courtesy of Blake.
"I was kidding. There's no need to get violent."
Daniel jokingly rubbed his arm, where Blake had nudged him.
"Not funny."
Blake replied seriously, but there was the slightest hint of humor being it too.
"But, in all seriousness, maybe at some point, both of you can share what genres you like. You'll never know the kinds of things you'll like without taking the plunge and trying them out first."
"Is that from personal experience? Or another line that you stole from your uncle or grandfather."
"That's rude. I can be deep sometimes when it comes to saying some things too. I mean, where do you think that my uncle got it from," Daniel replied, feigning hurt feelings. "And it comes a little bit from personal experience. I'd learned to love cooking despite needing to almost do it for necessity. I mentioned this before, but I learned to do a lot more things in Mistral that became a fun pastime for me. Like building those bunk beds in our dorm room."
"Alright, now it kind of sounds as if you're trying to gloat."
Blake found herself laughing at the irony of that comment.
It was obvious enough that there was a notable difference between the bunk beds inside Team RWBY's dorm in comparison to the ones inside of Team DUSK's.
"Who knows," Daniel tried feigning it and even began innocently whistling, but a glance from Blake caused him to shrug his shoulders. "There's isn't a single thing wrong with Team RWBY's bunk besides. Aside from looking a bit unstable, I think that it was a creative take on making them. I didn't think that you'd use your books though."
"I'm glad that some of them weren't books that I haven't read yet. But, getting the ones that I want to read can get a bit troublesome, though. I remember Yang almost fell out of her top bunk after I tried taking out one of them just to replace it with another one."
"I can only imagine how Yang reacted after that happened."
"To be honest, hearing a cute scream from Yang caused me to burst out laughing."
Blake honestly replied, showing no indication it was a lie.
"I could only imagine that."
As both of them continued walking forward, their conversation soon fell into silence as even that was something that the two relished in. It was becoming more of a beautiful and peaceful night, while the two continued walking as a means of passing time. Soon enough, Blake recalled the fact that Daniel wanted to ask her something too, and brought that up. The timing of it couldn't be more perfect as the number of people around them was close to being almost dismal.
"Daniel, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Ah, I almost forgot," Daniel answered, sounding a bit embarrassed. But, it wasn't long until he started looking a bit nervous too as Blake realized that this must be something serious. "Ah, well, this is going to sound almost like an awkward question. So, promise me that you won't run off or something."
"That's quite the request. But, I'll try."
Blake didn't appear to take that comment seriously and instead smiled.
"Right, but keep that in mind," Daniel stopped walking forward and Blake stopped walking too. "Ah, well, this isn't going to be an easy question to ask."
"Just come out with it."
"Alright. Uh, why are you pretending to be a human?"
"…what?"
For the first time, Blake paused as she stared straight at him, appearing truly shocked for the first time. He saw it for himself too, she looked to be a mixture of confused and scared at the same time. Noticing that kind of look on Blake was something that he felt sad about thinking of. But, he was at the point of no return and this needed to be brought up right there.
"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about. Wh-What would make you think that I'm…?"
"You're ears," Daniel said directing his attention to the black bow on top of her head, which she made an effort to hide on reflex. "You're hiding them under that ribbon, right?"
"…."
Hearing those words from Daniel and the reveal that he knew that she was a Faunus had sparked a wide range of different emotions to resurface. The most notable emotion among them was a deep fear. Having all that come out right then and there, caused Blake to do something obvious. Having given Daniel one more glance, she had turned around and then started running down a nearby alley.
He didn't attempt to chase Blake, instead of watching from the same spot as she moved through buildings, then leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Daniel wasn't surprised, but he let a sigh escape from his mouth, then he started scratching his head.
"I know that I said not to run off, but I'm not surprised that she did," Daniel replied, not sounding surprised about Blake's actions. "Well, can't leave her out here alone. She can protect herself, but she's going to need someone to talk to about this."
Stretching a bit, Daniel started chasing after Blake, who got a head start ahead of him. It wasn't a difficult task for Daniel to mimic all the same movements that she had done to maneuver around the buildings and rooftops. It was something that he had done a lot before.
In another location in the industrial district, Blake found herself sitting down on top of an abandoned building, where there wasn't a single soul. She was breathing a bit hard, aside from the fact that she had been running at top speed; one of the secrets she kept hidden had just been revealed. Things were dead silent, which was perfect as she needed some time to think to herself.
"I didn't think that I'd be found out this soon," Blake said, hugging onto her legs while leaning her head on top of her knee. A despondent tone could be heard from her. "I guess that it was going to come out, at some point. I was going to be here for four years and I was hiding my ears using a black bow. Ugh, why'd even I run from Daniel of all poeple, though? Is that going to be my reaction to everything that gets hard?"
A sigh escaped from Blake's mouth as if being ashamed of herself more than anyone. If it were anyone of her friends, or the members of Team RWBY, then it'd make more sense.
"It's not like Daniel hates Faunus. Hell, both his father and older brother are Faunus too," Blake said to herself while thinking about what she was going to do next. "Ugh, what am I going to tell him? I ran from him."
"I don't know. How about an apology?"
Blake looked up, where she found Daniel's hands grabbing onto the ledge beside her, then in one moment, he lifted himself up. His whole body was launched upwards as his feet touched the ledge, then leaped down and sat on top of it. She was surprised that Daniel managed to find her this fast, but that didn't matter at the moment.
"So, aside from being left alone in the middle of the sidewalk. Blake, what was the first thing that I asked? I asked you not to run, and you ran at a moment's notice. And I now feel bad for asking that question."
Despite the words that came out of his mouth, Blake could still hear his usual jovial nature behind them. And it was something that she appreciated from Daniel, as it relieved some of the tension right there.
"…I'm sorry about that."
Blake spoke in a low tone.
Noticing the tone and emotional state, Daniel was careful about what was going to come out of his mouth next, then took a seat right beside her. She didn't move from Daniel and found herself thinking to herself. Neither said one word, Blake didn't know what to say first, and he had wanted her to feel more comfortable.
"So, when did you find out?"
That was the question that had been on her mind since Daniel revealed he knew she was a Faunus.
"You're going to be upset. But, it was the first time we met."
Daniel replied, causing a deeper sigh to escape from her mouth.
"…is that so? I guess that's what happens when you spend most of your time around Faunus."
"Well, it was more or less a ninety percent guess. But, it was solidified from just how passionate you sounded when anything about the Faunus' treatment came up. You kinda had an aversion to meeting touching your head before. Or it could've been like Yang, and you just hated someone touching your hair," Daniel said as he and Blake leaned back up against the ledge. His instance of adding humor sometimes made the situation easier. "It must be hard having to pretend to be Humans when you're proud of being a Faunus."
"It is," Blake didn't see a point in hiding anything if Daniel already knew about this part at least. Coming to terms with that, she reached upwards, then removed the black bow, revealing her cat ears to Daniel. "Since I was a kid, I saw a number of people mistreating Faunus for being Faunus. I haven't met another human, who didn't say something that wasn't negative about me or another Faunus. After I chose to come here, deep down I thought that if I pretended to be a human, then made friends. Not as a Faunus, but pretending to be a Human, then maybe…."
"If you ever revealed you were a Faunus, then it wouldn't matter. You wanted people to see Blake Belladonna for who she was instead of what her race was."
"Dumb, right? I mean, finding out that you're friend or classmate pretending to be human would be something no one could accept. But, then being around everyone made me think that maybe that was possible. I haven't had a single complaint about the friends that I made here. At most, I'd get into arguments with Weiss, but it's never has anything to do with Faunus."
"There's nothing dumb about wanting to be judged by your character, instead of your race. I can't even judge you for wanting to be able to make friends without being judged for being a Faunus."
"Thanks. But, now I feel bad since Hunter must have it way worse than I do. He can't even speak to people, but he doesn't hide his Faunus side."
"It'd be kinda hard to hide as antlers can't be hidden using a bow," Daniel replied as Blake let out a slight laugh. If it came to his friends, Daniel would never make jokes meant to hurt their feelings or demean them. "But, if we're being serious, Hunter wants to show people he can be a Huntsman though he can't speak. And if says anything about him, they'll have to talk to me then."
Blake felt glad that Hunter managed to meet someone such as Pyrrha and Daniel, both of whom encouraged him to follow his path no matter what. She hadn't met another person, no a Human who would do something like that for a Faunus. It made her wonder what would've happened if she met someone like them a long time ago. Not much time passed until Blake felt Daniel placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He'd chosen not to touch her ears because it might not be the best time for that.
"I won't ask anything unless you feel comfortable talking about it yourself. I mean, look at me, I have secrets upon secrets that I can't talk about for reasons that I can't even mention," Daniel casually said, but Blake could hear his clear comforting tone. "But, whatever it is, don't be afraid to talk about it to someone, especially your partner."
"You think that Yang would understand?"
Blake knew the answer to that question without needing to ask it but wanted to hear what Daniel would say.
"I doubt that Yang cares about what race anyone is, as long as you're not a Grimm. And refrain from laying hands on either Ruby or her hair, I think that you're going to be fine," Blake guessed his response caused her to smile. Noticing the current time, Daniel stood up to his feet. "No matter what anyone thinks Blake is going to be Blake, whether she's a Human or Faunus. Besides, if someone is going to hate or fear you because you're a Faunus, then it's no one's loss other than theirs."
Daniel held his hand straight in front of Blake, who stared at it and him. Similar to the first time that the two met, it felt as if she was reminded of Adam again. There were similarities and differences between the two of them, the most notable being their charisma and leadership. But, there was one main difference.
'Humans are afraid of us? So, what, the more they fear us, the easier our lives are Blake.'
"I don't know why I'm being reminded of Adam each time I'm around Daniel. But, though there are similarities, I'm glad that Daniel is this kind of person," Blake reached outwards and took Daniel's hand, who soon helped her to her feet. Blake stared at the black bow in her hands for a moment, then redid the bow around her cat ears. "Let's return before Yang starts coming up with an excuse for why we're returning this late."
"My thoughts exactly. I think that the airship won't be leaving for some time," Daniel said, then had an idea that'd enter his head. "Want to race there?"
"Sure, you're on. Is there going to be a prize this time?"
"Well, I did have this bright idea of making fish tomorrow for…."
"Deal."
Blake energetically replied, not letting Daniel finish talking as she hastily agreed to the race.
If fish was going to be involved in the meal, she'd agree to it, win or lose. Laughing a bit, he started stretching again as the two stood side-by-side. No signal was needed as the two took off towards the airship. Due to their speed and athletic skills, in addition to all the shortcuts taken, it didn't take long for them to arrive at their chosen destination. It didn't matter what the results were as Blake felt more elated than she had been a couple of moments before.
Though it could've been due to feeling invigorated from the promise of fish, Blake ended up arriving there a second faster than Daniel.
During their departure right back to Beacon Academy, Daniel turned to find out that Blake had fallen asleep. Despite returning, she didn't wake up and gave a discomfort groan, when he tried waking her up.
"I guess that the last parts must've exhausted her," an idea entered his head as Daniel already started making it possible. "Alright, here we go."
Not minding it at all, Daniel ended up putting Blake on his back, as her arms were wrapped around on for support out of instinct despite being asleep. He then started heading back in the direction of Team RWBY's dorm room so that he could place her in bed.
"…mmmh. …sorry…."
"Hmm?"
For a moment Daniel thought that Blake had woken up from her sleep and realized what he was doing. But, that wasn't the case at all.
"…mom…. …dad…I'm sorry…."
Blake spoke, sounding tired, but the emotion behind that apology was the most genuine.
"Don't worry, Blake. Good parents always tend to forgive children no matter their mistake," Daniel said, with the hope she could hear some. "That's especially true if yours has someone such as you as their daughter."
He wondered if she heard him, as Blake seemed to find some comfort in their words and found herself nuzzling up against his head.
"A sleeping Blake is so cute."
Daniel thought while smiling to himself and continued walking forward.
A/N: Well, this is the end of the next chapter of RWBY – Team DUSK, this one showed more interaction with Daniel and Blake. She finished Eventual Twilight, then she and Yang soon ended up walking in on a shirtless Daniel, while noticing his scars. Blake was shown having the internal struggles from hiding her Faunus side and guilt about her past while thinking about Adam. During the "book date", she and Daniel shared more about their own thoughts about the book, while having a genuine conversation.
In the end, Daniel revealed that he knew that Blake was a Faunus, and then the two shared a much more personal conversation about that. In the end, some weight was released off Blake's shoulders.