At the cafe, Sun smiles in relief at Blake talking to him.
"Finally, she speaks! Nearly two days and you've given me nothing but small talk and weird looks!" Blake gives Sun a piercing glare. "Yeah, like that."
"What can I say? She has a habit of giving people the look when they annoy her." Sun and Blake turn their attention to the speaker, seeing Fenrir approach them.
"Fenrir?! How did you-?!"
"You really think I wouldn't be able to track you? I'm part Faunus, remember?" Blake sighs, she knew Fenrir, out of everyone else, would be able to catch up to her. She just didn't count on how quick he was.
"Look, I can explain!"
"You don't need to, you left the White Fang to become a Huntress." Fenrir pulls up a chair and sits down, propping his feet on the table. Blake was taken aback by how correct he was.
"Y-yeah, how did you-?"
"You underestimate me sometimes Blake. I'm a very good listener and a keen observer. I notice how you always put on a sad look whenever the news about the White Fang is brought up, you put more dedication into your studies than you do on eavesdropping and asking about our strengths and weaknesses. And one obvious thing is that if you wanted to kill most of us, you woulda done it in our sleep."
"Fenrir..." Blake was at a loss, she wasn't expecting how understanding Fenrir is. The boy sighs, setting down his feet to sit straight.
"Although, I'm a little hurt that you never told us you were with the White Fang."
"Wait! You were a member of the White Fang?!" After the silence, Sun finally spoke up during the conversation, leaning forward from his chair as Fenrir glances in his direction. Fenrir looks back to Blake, pointing at Sun
"So, who's the monkey boy with banana hair?"
"Banana hair?!" Sun touches his hair, wondering if it really looks like a pile of bananas. Blake represses a chuckle and decides to introduce him.
"This is Sun Wukong, he's a student from Haven, but he and his team weren't supposed to arrive until next semester."
"Eh, I mostly wanted to check out the Kingdom we were going to! So Blake, care to tell us about how you were in the White Fang?"
"I...suppose, since you two already know about my secret. I was a member for most of my life, actually. You could almost say I was born into it... Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as a voice of our people. And I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. I actually thought we were making a difference. But I was just a youthful optimist. Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor. And the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect... out of fear."
As Blake finishes her story, Fenrir and Sun continued to listen intently, having a fully understood grasp of what her life was truly like as a member of the White Fang.
"So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am: a criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow." She twitches the ears in her bow, showing her Faunus ears
"Wow...and you never told your friends about this?"
"Nope, not a word." Fenrir replies. "I was willing to keep your Faunus secret, Blake...but being in the White Fang is something you have to tell the others."
"They already know..."
"Maybe...but they don't have all the details."
"They won't listen to me, you've seen how Weiss hates people like us..."
"And that should give you a reason to hide who you are?"
"You're one to talk, did you ever tell your team who you really are?" That question stops Fenrir from pressing any further, hearing what he's saying now only makes him feel like a hypocrite, but his situation is different from Blake's...at least, that's what he believes.
With the others, the two teams regrouped at the marketplace, not able to find any new information
"Hey! Any luck at the docks?" Ruby asks. River shakes his head
"Sailor didn't see Belladonna or Calavera. It's unlikely either of them could've taken a boat."
"We haven't found Blake in any store in the market street, Weiss isn't being very helpful either." Yang says, nonchalantly pointing at her teammate.
"Oh! You know what might be able to help? The police!"
"Ugh, Weiss..." Ruby sighs.
"It was just an idea!"
"Really? Do your ideas usually involve throwing friends into jail?" Crimson sarcastically asks, folding his arms.
"Only if I discover that they're actually criminals!"
"We don't know if Blake truly is a criminal, Weiss." Jotaro corrects, earning an agreed nod from Yang.
"Jotaro's right, I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions."
"I think that when we hear it, you'll all realize I was right!"
"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" The group jumps, startled from Penny's voice as they see her standing behind them
"Aaaah! Penny! Where did you come from!?" Ruby asks.
"Hey guys! What are you up to?" Penny asks, ignoring Ruby's question.
"We're looking for Belladonna." River replies.
"Ooooh, you mean the Faunus girl!" The group stare at Penny, slightly confused.
"Hold on, how did you know Blake was a Faunus?" Crimson asks.
"Uhh, the cat ears?" Penny answers, pointing at the top of her head. Yang didn't understand Penny's confused answer as it makes no sense.
"What cat ears? She wears a... booooowww..." The realization leaves them in silence as a tumbleweed blows through in the wind.
"She does like tuna a lot..." Ruby whispers.
"Why didn't you ask Fen? He would have known she was a Faunus!"
"Really? How? Does he point out the little bow as well?!" Crimson chuckles mockingly.
"Well, yes, but he can easily sense her too!"
"That doesn't explain anything! How could he 'sense' that Blake is a Faunus?!" Weiss asks.
"Because he's half-Faunus, of course!" The group falls into confused silence again from Penny's answer, leaving them more shocked than before.
"...He's what?!" Crimson exaggerates.
"Oh...did he not tell you?" The realization slowly dawns in Penny's eyes, noticing her own slip up. "Oops! I-I mean, that was a joke! Fen's not a Half-Faunus, he's a natural human boy!" Penny hiccups at her attempt of a lie.
"Hm, it explains a lot." River says, thinking to himself
"But wait, if he's half-Faunus then why didn't he tell us?!" Yang wonders
"If I happen to guess, the same reason Belladonna wears that bow." River guesses.
"So he lied to us..." Jotaro mutters, mostly talking to himself.
"So, where are they?" Penny asks.
"We don't know." Ruby sighs. "Fenrir went off to chase after her and...we haven't seen either of them since Friday."
"That's terrible!" Penny gasps, then walks closer to Ruby grabbing her shoulders. "Well don't worry Ruby my friend, I won't rest until we find Fen and your teammate!"
"Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right, guys?" She looks over Penny to direct her question at the rest of the group, who's blinking outlines are all that's left of their sudden departure from the company of the strange girl. A tumbleweed blows past them again in the quiet.
"It sure is windy today!"
Meanwhile, Fenrir, Blake and Sun walk down an alley, discussing what to do about the Dust robberies
"So what's the plan?" Fenrir asks.
"I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies, they've never needed that much Dust before." Blake says, then looks at Fenrir. "Unless a part of their faction has gone rogue, didn't Crimson mention Vita was helping Torchwick, that could mean she's not directly working with the White Fang."
"It's possible." Fenrir shrugs. "But it doesn't make sense why they would work with another human. Plus, we have no idea where they would hide all of the Dust if it really is a rogue faction."
"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas" Sun speaks up, getting Blake and Fenrir's attention.
"How huge?" Blake asks.
"Huge. Big Schnee Company freighter."
"You're sure?"
"Only one way to find out!" Fenrir runs ahead, with Blake and Sun behind him.
At the Market Street, Jotaro and Weiss just left one of the shops after finishing their questions about Fenrir or Blake
"Thank you again!" Jotaro closes the door and looks at Weiss, who continues to walk. "Weiss...we need to talk."
"What is there to talk about? We find Fenrir and Blake, they explain everything we ask!"
"You know that's not what I meant." Weiss stops walking, her back still turned towards Jotaro. The heiress folds her arms and sighs.
"Does it matter what I said?"
"It matters to me..." Weiss closes her eyes and sighs again, she knows Jotaro won't let this go, so she has no other choice but to discuss the subject about her childhood.
"Alright, I'm all ears..."
"Why didn't you tell me about what happened to you? I would have helped you in any way."
"Because I didn't want to bother you...there's too much on your plate as it was, I didn't want to be a burden."
"You're not a burden to me...or my family. We may have not seen each other for seven years but you could have called me, or scheduled a visit to my family."
"We were 10 years old, Jotaro...do you really think that is the time for children to have serious discussions?"
"No...but still, I could have come back. I would've tried to cheer you up."
"You don't get it, Jotaro! It didn't start when we were 10...it started much earlier!" At those words, Jotaro came to the realization about Weiss, something that he never noticed until now
"...A difficult childhood." Weiss turns her body around, now facing Jotaro.
"Because of the White Fang, I've been forced to live up to my Father's expectations...they're the reason why my childhood was cold. You were the only one, besides my sister, that I truly felt happy...over the years, I waited and waited and WAITED for you to come and save me, that you'd free me from this glass coffin of isolation! ...But you never came back...and I truly felt alone.
"...Weiss, I truly am sorry for what you've been through, but you must understand. You're not the only one who's had to endure so much pain. Take the White Fang for example, they were forced to mine Dust in Solitas, discriminated simply for being different. They became what they are because it's exactly as Blake said, they're tired of being pushed around and being treated like second class citizens...I was tired of the people in my same class looking down at the Faunus in Atlas...I despised being a noble. And this makes you no better than the people that drove them into terrorism in the first place. When we find Blake, talk to her, let her explain everything.
"You're saying I should trust her?"
"I'm saying...you should give her a chance." Weiss looks down in thought, contemplating Jotaro's words.
At the cover of night, Fenrir and Blake lay flat on the rooftop overlooking the shipment of Schnee Dust containers. She looks at Fenrir, noticing he's rubbing the scar under his eyepatch.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I just got an ache on my scar, that's never happened before." Fenrir groans, lowering his hand.
"Ever?" Blake asks, curious about Fenrir's scar.
"Yeah...I don't know what's making it act up but it's annoying...and painful"
"Maybe you should sit back, let me and Sun handle this."
"Not happening, it'll take more than an ache to hold me back. Besides, I've learned to endure the pain." Blake raises an eyebrow to Fenrir's last sentence, what did he mean by 'learned to endure'? Before she could ask the question, Sun lies down between Fenrir and Blake, holding three apples in his arms
"Hey, did I miss anything?" Sighing, Blake decides to hold her question at the moment and answer Sun's.
"Not really. They've offloaded the crates from the boat. Now they're just sitting there."
"Cool, stole some food for you guys!" Sun lifts up an apple with his free hand.
"Sweet, toss it here." Sun tosses Fenrir an apple, who catches it in one hand without trouble. Sun offers Blake an apple next
"Want one? They're juicy~"
"Do you always break the law without a second thought?"
"Hey! Weren't you in a cult or something?!" Blake gives Sun an angry glare while Fenrir repressed his laughter from Sun's unexpected question.
"Ok, too soon!" Sun quickly looks away, avoiding the awkward tension
"Yeah, WAY too soon." Fenrir smirks.
They look up to see a Bullhead's searchlights flashing around for a landing spot, descending in the middle of the cargo containers and extending a ramp for a black hooded individual with a metallic fanged mask to come out of.
"Oh no..." Blake frowns, seeing the individuals more clearly.
"Is that them?" Sun asks. One of the passengers step out, showing the White Fang symbol on his outfit
"Yes... It's them." Fenrir could see the look of confliction in her eyes, she wants to look away but can't blind herself from the truth
"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you, Blake?"
"No. I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right."
Blake closes her eyes in despair, knowing that the White Fang would still go through these lengths to get what they want. She opens her eyes when she hears another voice.
"Hey! What's the holdup!? We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?" She looks down, wide eyed at the sight of Roman Torchwick ordering the White Fang
"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a Human. Especially not one like that." She stands up and pulls out her weapon, jumping off the rooftop before Fenrir could stop her
"Blake, wait-and she's gone..." Fenrir says, reaching out.
Blake falls to the ground in a crouch, then continues on to hide behind one of the containers, peeking around the corner to see Roman berate a White Fang member holding a coil of rope.
"No, you idiot! This isn't a leash!"
Blake sneaks behind Roman, grabbing him into a hold, her blade pressed against his neck. "What the-?! Oh for fu-,"
"Nobody move!!!" Blake demands, holding Roman in a tight grip. The White Fang soldiers ready their guns and equip their swords in response.
"Whoa! Take it easy there, little lady." As the White Fang closes in on her, Blake uses her free hand to go for her bow and remove it, causing the ribbon to fall away as her Faunus ears are shown to the world.
"Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?"
The White Fang members lower their weapons a little at this development, unsure of what to do. when Roman laughs.
"Oh, kid, didn't you get the memo?"
"What are you talking about?" Blake glares at Roman.
"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture with some VERY inconspicuous players!"
"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation." Suddenly, the air is filled with more turbines blowing the wind wildly around the holdup.
"I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation..." Two more Bullheads are hovering above the heist, and as Blake watches in horror, Roman smiles as they both notice three red dots aiming at Blake's forehead.
"And that would be our little backup, I'd let me go if you don't wanna end up swiss cheese." Seeing the snipers surrounding her, she has no choice but to lower her weapon, gritting her teeth in frustration. Seeing his opportunity, Roman fires his cane right by their feet, knocking Blake and himself away from each other
"Blake!!" Sun cries out as he and Fenrir jump from their prone positions, both worried about her from the size of the explosion. Fenrir looks at the warehouse buildings, seeing the snipers looking for where Blake landed.
"I'll take care of the snipers, you go and help Blake!" Sun nods and jumps off the building for Blake's aid while Fenrir runs to subdue the snipers.
Back with Blake, dazed but relatively unhurt on the ground, she quickly rolls and runs out of the way of Roman's continued attacks, flaming missiles destroying cargo and dodging sniper fire behind her, she flips and uses her semblance to dodge then retreats behind more containers.
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..." His taunt is interrupted when a banana peel lands on his head, causing him to toss it aside then look up and growl at the assailant eyes widening
"Woohoo!" Sun leaps from the container above Roman and drops down on the criminal's face feet-first, rolling up and readying himself to fight. "Leave her alone!"
The Bullheads open to let more White Fang members descend on the scene, standing by Roman as he gets up and surrounding Sun.
"You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you, kid?" With that said, the White Fang charge at the monkey Faunus, but he manages to dodge slashes and get some of the soldiers with his fists and kicks until he rolls out of the way of one's sword. Pulling out a collapsible red staff. He quickly uses this to beat down on each opponent that nears him, feeling each one in a single flaming blow when he twirls it around, even creating a scorching shockwave to beat the last of them. Blake peers around the corner of the container to watch Sun jump around and beat another White Fang soldier, landing on his back and causing him to fly over toward Roman's head. The crime boss then growls in annoyance and aims his cane at Sun, firing a shot that he defends himself from just when Blake leaps into the action.
"He's mine!" Blake goes in close and becomes a blur of afterimages as she slashes both blades at Roman, who backs away and deflects each would-be blow with his cane at unbelievable speeds. Blake continues to dash, hop over, and slide around Roman to try and find a weak spot. Finally landing a blow after using her Semblance but he quickly recovers, deflecting several more attacks before attempting to punch her in the face. Only to hit a clone as she flips away. The two clash weapons again, then Torchwick jabs her in the side. Just as Roman deals with one opponent, Sun appears right behind her. Vaulting over Blake he kicks Roman in the chest and disconnects his staff into two spinning circles of flame-firing shotgun nunchucks that only slow down once to show the audience what they are before becoming twin arcs of offense again. Sun swings each gun at Roman while firing everything he has at him, but even with the rapid series of shots and flying bullets, Roman manages to defend himself against every bullet and hit until a millisecond-long pause allows Blake to get a slash in and knock him back. On his back, Roman notices a container hanging by a crane right above the two warriors, and gets up to fire his cane at its supports. Blake leaps behind it, but Sun barely misses when he jumps forward, ending up right below the nozzle of Roman's cane.
"We have the target, ready to fire." One sniper says, aiming at Sun through the lens of their scope. The sniper squeezes the trigger, about to shoot until something covers the scope. He looks away from his scope and sees Fenrir next to him, hand on the sniper's rifle.
"Little late for bird watching, ain't it?" Fenrir delivers a swift punch to the sniper's face before he could react, knocking him unconscious. That's one sniper down, now there should be two left; before Fenrir goes to subdue the other snipers he notices one odd thing about the sniper beside him...he's not wearing White Fang garbs. Curious, he searches the unconscious sniper and fishes an item out of his jacket pocket; on inspection...it looks to be a black card with the image of a Nerium Oleander flower wrapped in green vines. "Who the hell...?"
In a mere second, the card is shot off Fenrir's hand; he drops the ruined card and jumps back in reaction to the surprise shot. Looking at where the shot came from, he spots a sniper perched on another rooftop at the other end of the docks, loading another round into their rifle. Fenrir scans the distance between him, the sniper and the ruined card; it was too direct to be a miss, the bullet went through the middle of the card and it could've shot his hand off, at this distance and with only a slight breeze, the bullet could've easily gone through his head, a warning shot.
"No sudden moves, punk." A voice warns Fenrir from behind. Raising up his arms in surrender, he looks over his shoulder to see five goons dressed in grey and black suits with purple ties, earing fedoras, sunglasses and scarves to cover their identity, each holding stun batons in their right hands.
"Sunglasses at night? Either those things are functional or you just wanna look cool." Fenrir quips. "Which brings a question, can you guys see behind those? Do they come equipped with night vision or are you as blind as a bat?"
"Quiet!" The goon scowls.
"Too embarrassed to say? I wouldn't hold it against you, I think sunglasses are cool too, but they're nothing compared to my eyepatch."
"I told you to be quiet!" The goon gets close enough to grab Fenrir's right shoulder and point the stun baton near his neck. But this only give Fenrir an opening: with a smirk, he kicks the goon's shin with his heel. In pain, the goon yelps and loses focus on Fenrir, who uses the chance to turn and punch the goon's face, knocking him on the floor. The goon's down but not out, his friends charge at Fenrir who equips his scythe.
The first goon swings their baton, Fenrir easily blocks and pushes the goon away for a return attack. The goon dashes to the right, dodging Fenrir's return attack and giving the second goon a follow up attack; the second goon thrusts his stun baton at Fenrir's stomach, but he jumps back and returns with a horizontal swing only for the goon to duck and attack with a vertical swing upwards. In quick reflex, Fenrir blocks the attack with his weapon and emits a short howl from his Semblance to knock the goon off his feet. Whoever these guys are, they're able to keep up with Fenrir and know how to overwhelm him; they're too coordinated and skilled to be ordinary thugs. The two other goons pull out their guns from their suit jackets, ready to open fire. Fenrir quickly spins his scythe to block the incoming bullets; keeping Fenrir distracted for the first goon from earlier to run for a sneak attack. Fenrir senses the first goon's presence behind him and ducks, giving the shooters and opening and hits Fenrir's shoulder; Fenrir yelps in pain, his aura blocked any serious injury but it inflicted enough pain to give the first goon a chance and smacks Fenrir's face with a stun baton, the blow knocking Fenrir in the air for three seconds and hitting the floor on his stomach.
His Aura blinking, Fenrir puts in the effort to get up, fighting the pain the goons inflicted. On his knees, Fenrir observes the shooters reloading their guns, the first goon stomping towards him, the second goon standing up and his scythe too far to reach. In quick thinking, Fenrir summons his scythe using the gravity Dust attached to his glove and scythe, his weapon spinning towards him. His weapon flies into his hand, forcing the goons to react as the first one run towards Fenrir; he clicks the button on his scythe, shortening it into a kama and throwing it at the first shooter's gun, disabling it with its blade. Close enough, the first goon swings his baton but Fenrir grabs the goon's arm and kicks the goon by his pelvis. The goon hunching over painfully, Fenrir studies the distance between the goon and the second shooter; he swings the stun baton diagonally, lifting the first goon in the air and crash on the second shooter just as he was ready to shoot.
Fenrir recalls his scythe, flying back with the first shooter's broken gun, forcing the owner to equips his own stun baton and charge at Fenrir. Scythe in his hand, Fenrir pulls the broken gun off its blade and switches it back to normal size ready to attack. The two goons charging at him stop in caution, anticipating Fenrir's next move.
"Hey!"
Fenrir and everyone else look to one of the rooftops, Ruby appears on top overlooking them, Crescent Rose extended and ready for action.
"Rubes?" Fenrir whispers, wondering why she's alone. He counted on her finding Blake and himself, but why didn't she bring the others? Roman laughs as he sees a familiar face.
"Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?"
Penny approaches Ruby from behind in curiosity
"Ruby, are these people your friends?" Ruby looks behind her in worry
"Penny, get back!"
While her attention is diverted, Fenrir sees Roman snarling and aims his cane at her. The two goons notice the distraction and charge for an attack.
"No!!" Fenrir dodges the first attack by jumping over the goon and plants his feet on his shoulders; he jumps off the goon and in the air as Roman fires his cane, hitting Fenrir mid-air and launching him towards the young Huntress-in-training.
"Fenrir!!" Ruby cries in worry dropping her scythe and reaching out to catch Fenrir only to be knocked down by the force of damage Fenrir took. Both Fenrir and Ruby crash against a wall behind them, both dazed from the hit and crash. Penny looks at them both in worry then turns to Torchwick with an accusing glare. As Ruby recovers, she sees Penny approaching the roof's edge.
"Penny, wait! Stop!!" Ruby reaches out but couldn't stand because Fenrir's on her lap, who's still dazed. Penny glances at Ruby with a smile.
"Don't worry, Ruby..." Penny looks out from the rooftop with a smile. "I'm combat ready!"
Her backpack mechanically opens up, and from its dark depths comes a single sword that extends and multiples into several blades hovering over Penny's back. Leaping from the rooftop with the weapons acting as wings, she sends three of her swords to knock two White Fang soldiers down before even landing on the ground, where she proceeds to fling the swords at one enemy, impale another to a wall, create a barrier of spinning steel against a running attack, leaping over a goon with her swords in tow, and finally making a wheel that she throws to knock multiple Faunus off their feet.
Three Bullheads come from the skies and open fire on the battle, but Penny merely forms a shield and launches two of her swords into the wall behind her, which in turn pull their wielder back with their strings. When her swords swirl around her again, she commands them to open their points and build up a large glowing ball of green light. With a punching action, several bright lasers crack the pavement when they fire at the transports and slice each one in half, causing several of the White Fang members inside to fall, letting Ruby watch as a sliced Bullhead falls and crashes behind her.
Stunned, Ruby turns back to Penny as she aims her swords at the remaining Bullheads holding the crate of Dust and pulls back on their wires, tugging the aircraft with them.
"Whoa... How is she doing that?" Ruby asks. She looks at Fenrir to notice he's stirring back.
"Ugh, wha...?" Fenrir looks around and notices the intense fight Penny is winning. "Pen...?"
Seeing the Bullhead's flight fall under Penny's control, Roman grimaces and turns to run towards the last transport. Penny, after her large green pupils dilate for a second, pulls with all her might on the strings, and the aircraft crashes into a stack of crates, causing an explosion as a result.
"These kids just keep getting weirder..." Roman closes the shuttle doors, flying away from a clearly lost battle.
Later, a handful of police cars are at the docks, where Ruby, Blake, Sun, and Penny are sitting on boxes in silence. Fenrir is sitting on a different pile of crates accompanied by Crimson and River waiting for Jotaro who returns after he finishes his discussion with the police. When the boys notice Jotaro, they see the look of disappointment on his face.
"I fished for whatever information I could, under my student credentials." Jotaro starts, glancing at Fenrir then back to Crimson and River. "There were no snipers on the roof, nor was there any sign of men with stun batons."
"Torchwick's buddies must've pulled them out while we were busy." Fenrir stands up from the crate, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. "They're not with the White Fang, otherwise they would've been dressed in their usual outfits."
"Who are they?" River asks.
"Beats me." Fenrir shrugs. "But they were helping Torchwick and they can't be anyone good. You didn't see how skilled those goons were, they had Huntsmen level training and not just with their guns. The police can't handle whoever they are, especially if they're with Torchwick and the White Fang. That's why we're gonna conduct our own investigations, starting with the name from our last mission...Malevolence."
"But the Headmaster said–,"
"I don't care what Ozpin said." Fenrir interrupts River. "We handled ourselves just fine; we took down a King Taijitu, stopped Violette Village from a Grimm attack, and took down a White Fang ninja! And look at us! I'm a second place tournament fighter, Jotaro's a trained warrior from Atlas, Crimson's a tough and rugged brawler from the Wastelands and River's a brilliant shot with his weapon! We have more than enough skill to tackle this even if the Headmaster doesn't think so. Am I wrong?"
Fenrir waits for a response from his teammates, the three look amongst each other with conflicted thoughts. River doesn't want to be in any more trouble, that's the reason he wanted to be a Huntsman in the first place, Crimson doesn't like sitting around and doing nothing either while Jotaro remains unconvinced, something else is stuck in his mind.
"If you truly expect us to follow you, then you need us to trust you." Jotaro says, confusing Fenrir. "You told us you're a human, but this morning we learned you're really a Half-Faunus...is it true?"
Fenrir was almost taken aback by Jotaro's question, especially the imploring glances from his teammates. Did he let it slip? Was it something he did that seemed strange? Did someone else tell them? The only people who know what he is are his family, Blake, and...
"Pen..." Fenrir sighs, she must've been with the others looking for him and Blake. He can't be mad at her, she's known to make these mistakes like any human should...or would. "Yeah...it's true, I'm only partly Human, the other half is my Faunus genes."
"That explains your vision in dark areas, and your strange sense of smell." Jotaro says, thinking out loud. "Why lie to us?"
"Because I didn't know you guys." Fenrir answers. "You think being a Faunus is bad enough, imagine a person who lives in both worlds. Even as a child, I had to endure so much pain, every rock that was thrown at me, every insult they could think of, I couldn't fit in anywhere! And after I lost my parents...I decided to hide as a Human, I didn't have any revealing traits so it's a piece of cake. I lied to you guys because we were a bunch of strangers who didn't know anything about each other...and I felt it was best to stay that way."
"...Were you ever planning to tell us?" Fenrir looks up at Jotaro, seeing the stern but hurtful expression on his face. Fenrir couldn't face his partner anymore after giving his next answer.
"...No..." Jotaro was hoping he didn't have to hear that...but he did. And after spending nearly three months...you'd think Fenrir would trust him enough to say something. Jotaro turns and walks away, hiding the emotions he's failing to repress, wiping away the tears surfacing.
For comfort, Crimson gives a pat on Fenrir's shoulder before leaving with the River. Fenrir sighs, their reactions are understandable, plus he had a feeling this secret of his would get out one way or another...he just wishes it wasn't so soon, not when they began to trust each other. There isn't much he can do but wait and hope for the best...not like there's gonna be some miracle coming his way...miracles are never on Fenrir's side
Ruby runs up to Weiss, trying to diffuse any tension this team still has by giving her an explanation
"Look Weiss, it's not what you think, she explained the whole thing. See, she doesn't actually have a bow, she has kitty ears and they're actually kind of cute... '' Weiss ignores her and squares off with Blake
"Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the-,"
"Stop! Do you have any idea of how long we've been searching for you? ...Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours, I've decided..." Fenrir and the others wait in anticipation for what she's about to say, Weiss subtly glances at Jotaro until she glances back to Blake. "I don't care!"
"You...don't care?"
"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"
"No, I-I haven't been since I was younger-"
"Ah-bahp-bahp-bahp! I don't want to hear it. All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up... you'll come to your teammates. And not some..." Weiss carefully glances at Sun. "Someone else."
Blake looks at Ruby and Yang grinning at her, then she looks at Fenrir, and he gives her a nod. She wipes a tear from her eye, nodding.
"Of course..." Weiss smiles and nods. The moment is serious for a second more until Ruby screams...
"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!"
As the eight gather with each other, excluding Fenrir, Weiss points accusingly at Sun.
"I'm still not quite sure about how I feel about you!" Sun just laughs nervously, Fenrir watches as Weiss and Blake make up, happy there's a silver lining to this disastrous night.
"Are you the Grimm Reaper?" Fenrir hears the voice too raspy and distorted to be any normal human. Alert, he jumps away, turns to the speaker with a hand hover over his scythe. Getting a better look, the speaker appears to be a person in a black cloak, wearing a black metallic mask with glowing orange eyes. The figure only stands there, staring down Fenrir despite being a few feet away.
"Who the hell are you?" The figure doesn't answer Fenrir's question, they only approach closer and closer to him, every step making Fenrir more nervous.
"Your name...Calavera..."
"Yeah? What about it?"
"I saw your fight...you use a scythe."
"So does the red hooded girl, doesn't make me any special. What do you want?" The figure remains silent again, making Fenrir anxious. He sees the figure reaching into their cloak with its black metallic claw. Is it a weapon? A gun? Blade, ax, saw, daggers? Fenrir grips the handle of his scythe tightly; what the figure does pull out isn't a weapon...it's something worse, something Fenrir's familiar with. The mask of a skull...it's beaten and worn but there's no mistaking the familiarity Fenrir has when he gazes it
"Look familiar? The owner of this mask...disappeared before we were finished. She was believed to be dead...but what of the legend?" Fenrir could hardly keep his composure even with all the mental effort he has. "I'll ask you again...are you the Grimm Reaper?"
"...What's she to you?" Fenrir asks, nearly hyperventilating from the tense atmosphere. The figure lets in a long inhale, filtering the air through their mask.
"I'm...a Sin from her past..." Is all the figure says, which doesn't leave any better comfort for Fenrir. From a quick glance, he notices something else on the figure's arm, a glowing mark. Three circles connected with lines around one giant circle, and a symbol in the middle...one of a Taijitu. At first, it looked important...then a gasp of recognition...he saw that symbol before. The night his village was attacked, the night he lost everything...when he lost his eye. That night, in the woods, he was attacked by these shadowed figures...one of them had a mark...the very same one this stranger in front of him bears, except the one from before was a Sphinx, not a Taijitu.
From remembering that night, the pain in his scar only gets worse. Pain so intense it's like a drill boring into his brain, Fenrir falls to his knees, his hand clutching his eyepatch.
"It doesn't matter...whether you're like her or not, it won't stop me from what I have planned." The figure drops the mask, on the floor where Fenrir can see it. "It's yours now...Calavera."
With their parting words, the figure vanishes into darkness, while Fenrir remains on his knees, staring at the broken mask in horror. Who was that? Were they there when his parents died, could they be the same person who burned down his village? SO many questions but no way to find an answer.
"Fenrir?" At the mention of his name; Fenrir jolts up, his head and back straightened in surprise and looks behind him to see Ruby. He must've worried her, with the look on her face. "Are you ok? You look like you're in pain."
A moment, a few seconds to collect his thoughts. Fenrir looks at the mask, picks it up and stuff it into his pocket; standing up and says.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm ok. Just exhausted, that's all." Fenrir laughs to dissuade the awkward feeling in the air. "Anyway, sorry I didn't call. As you've noticed, things got a little out of hand."
"Oh, yeah, but that's water under the bridge, ya know? I'm just glad you and Blake are ok!" Ruby chuckles, waving her hand dismissively. "Thanks for saving my life."
"Eh, it's no big deal; just don't stand in an enemy's shooting range next time." Fenrir smirks with a shrug.
"Ha ha...Yeah, totally." The air falls heavy with awkwardness, neither Fenrir nor Ruby know what to say next until another thought enters her mind. "Oh, have you seen Penny?"
"Uh, no. Was she not with you?"
"She was, but now it's like she disappeared out of thin air. Do you think she was kidnapped?!"
"Ha, I doubt that; she's capable of fighting for others and protecting herself. If I were to guess, she probably went home?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, I trust she'll be fine. Just like I know you'll be fine too." Fenrir says, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"B-But I hardly helped."
"Not exactly, you've done a lot in these past few months than what could be measured tonight. And I could see it when you tried to assure the Ice Queen who Blake really is. You were defending Blake not because you disagreed with Weiss' feelings, but because you didn't want them to be at odds with each other. You understand what it truly means to be a Team Leader."
Ruby was almost surprised by Fenrir's compliments, and the fact he's speaking from the heart shows how much he means it...it's enough for Ruby to feel her face getting hotter.
"Oh, uh...haha! Thanks, t-that really means a lot! Um, I'm gonna...hide in the darkest shadow I can find now!" Quickly turning her heel, Ruby fast walks away from Fenrir, covering her face, hiding the deep red blush she has with her hands.
Fenrir couldn't help chuckle at how Ruby takes a real compliment, super embarrassed with no idea how to respond...it's a little cute. His thoughts began to make HIS cheeks feel warm so he quickly shakes his head to brush aside his own embarrassing thoughts.
Further away, Yang was watching Ruby and Fenrir's conversation and couldn't help but smirk. After all, it doesn't take a genius to see what's going on even without words.
At Beacon Tower, Ozpin observes a live visual of the docks through his Scroll, showing Fenrir, Ruby and teams interacting after the skirmish. He closes the video and opens up a communication with two names appearing on screen, "Qrow Branwen" and "Yuriko Flowers" whose information are left blank. Ozpin opens Qrow's message, saying: "QUEEN HAS PAWNS." confirming Ozpin's suspicions. He reads Yuriko's message after which says: "THE SINS ARE MAKING THEIR MOVE."
"Hmmm..." Ozpin only hums, this could prove a disastrous problem.
End of Chapter 16