Life at Beacon was good.

Gunfire roared in her ears as she flipped through the air, avoiding the hail of bullets by a whisker. Landing in a crouch, she vaulted forward into a roll as Ren followed her with his twin machine pistols, the stage splintering as dust rounds punched through hard wood with vicious cracks. Closing the distance between them, Blake slashed at his throat, her blade clashing with his bladed pistols in a shower of sparks. She attempted to press the advantage but despite his slim build, Ren was strong. He didn't budge an inch.

Pink eyes met amber, and she saw his face tense as his shoulders flexed. Blake allowed him to push her back, rolling with the momentum and flipping away in a cartwheel. Shifting her sword into its firearm form, she took aim and fired. The first two bullets were deflected expertly before he moved, dashing below her shots and engaging her in close quarters.

They exchanged blows, Blake grunting as his foot found purchase on her hip. She spun with the blow and counter attacked, swinging wildly at his head and forcing him to duck. Her knee rose and struck him in the chest as he attempted to back pedal, throwing him off balance. Shifting her gun into its blade form once more, she dashed in and tried to take advantage of his wrong footing, only to wildly bend back as his foot almost slammed into the underside of her chin.

"Yeaaaaah~! Kick her ass, Renny~!" Nora howled from the stands as Ren let the momentum of his kick carry him into a backflip, landing on his hands before easily vaulting over to his feet. "You've got her on the ropes!"

"Ms. Valkyrie," Professor Goodwitch snapped, looking irate at her use of crass language. Nora flinched and shied away.

"Don't let him beat you, Blake~!" Ruby countered with a cheer of her own, waving her hands in the air. "Do it for Team RWBY~!"

"You can do it~!" Yang followed up, clapping loudly. "Go get him, girl!"

Blake's eyes panned across her team in an instant, a feeling of embarrassment welling up inside her – and pride. Even Weiss was clapping, looking excited at the display of martial skill – but then her eyes settled on Team JNPR, and more specifically Jaune Arc.

His eyes pinned her in place and she almost forgot where she was, and only barely managed to avoid Ren's next attack, his blades whirling a little too close for comfort. Blake scowled as she stumbled, unraveling her ribbon and using it to catch his next swipe, encircling his wrist with the loose material before pulling it taut. Bracing her feet against the floor, she turned her body and swung, creating tension and hauling Ren off his feet in a well executed throw.

He sailed across the stage and the match was almost won then and there, as he threatened to fall out of bounds. At the last moment he twisted in the air, regaining his footing right on the edge, balanced precariously before Blake felt a feeling of unease pass through her.

Bringing his leg up, he looped it around the taut ribbon and stomped down, wrenching her forward before she could release her hold. Yelping, she hastily raised her arms in defense as he appeared in a blur, a chambered kick slamming into her arms. Aura flared as pain raced up into her shoulders, her whole body jarred at the brutal impact. Ren followed it up with a spinning back kick, Blake gasping as the air was driven from her lungs as he kicked her in the stomach. He hit her with such force that she folded over his foot, briefly leaving the ground and thus was defenseless as he flowed into another kick, and then another, the two strikes hitting her so fast that they might as well have been simultaneous.

Blake tumbled through the air, in a world of pain before she flew straight off the stage and into the wall below where her classmates sat. Groaning, she slumped to the ground, cradling her stomach as Goodwitch announced the winner.

"The winner of this bout – Lie Ren!"

Blake lay there for a moment, feeling battered and bruised, annoyance welling up at losing her concentration in the middle of a fight, knowing that in a real fight it could cost her more than a bruised ego – but then she sagged, gritting her teeth as she attempted to stand.

"Ms. Belladonna," Professor Goodwitch called and when she finally straightened up, she continued, "You fought well and played to your strengths, but you seemed to lose focus towards the end of the fight. The cheering of your classmates can be a distraction and you must learn to ignore outside stimuli in the middle of a fight. Only pay attention to that which is important and never take your eyes off an opponent. It can prove costly."

Blake nodded sharply, already knowing this lesson better than most. Yet she'd fallen victim to it and wholly deserved the lecture. "Yes, Professor."

When Goodwitch started on Ren, Blake tuned her out. It was logical to think that the reason she'd been distracted was because of her friends, and she was right – to an extent. But it wasn't the cheering from Ruby or Yang, or even the reserved clapping from Weiss that had thrown her off.

No – it was those blue eyes of Team JNPR's leader that seemed to constantly follow her these days, and she had no idea why.

Jaune Arc was someone she knew almost nothing about. While they were friends in the most loose definition of the term, it was more likely that they were mere friends of a friend. He was close to Ruby, her team leader, and so they spent time around one another. Her first impressions of him hadn't been kind. A little naive, a little in over his head, a head full of dreams, someone that didn't quite belong – but ultimately, a kind person. While he could be a bit silly and childish at times, that was a far sight better than being cruel or arrogant or mean.

From every interaction she'd had with him, Blake had come to the conclusion that he was a good person. Hopelessly, stupidly infatuated with Weiss – but a good person all the same, even if she questioned his taste.

But something had changed in the last week, and she didn't know what.

He thought he was being discreet and Blake would give him credit; he was. It was just that Blake was very good at knowing when she was being watched, and once she'd caught him the first couple of times, it was easy to catch him the dozens of times since. At first, she'd worried that his feelings for Weiss had somehow shifted target and now she was the subject of his heart's desire, but no. He still tried to flirt with the heiress every chance he got, no matter how scathing Weiss' retorts were, and whenever his eyes followed her, he wasn't checking her out. Perhaps she was being a little full of herself but she recognized her own beauty, and knew what a man looking at her that way looked like.

Jaune wasn't looking at her in that way. He wasn't staring at her butt or her boobs, and wasn't gazing lovingly at her face like a love sick fool.

But if not that, then why else would he be sneaking looks at her every chance he got?

Blake glanced at him from the corner of her eye as she made her way over to the stairs. He was still watching her, though when her head turned slightly, he looked away. Feeling unnerved, she returned to her team and endured their attempts at trying to cheer her up, mulling over any and all reason Jaune Arc may be taking an interest in her.

She couldn't come up with anything.

Nothing plausible, anyway.

"Damn, Ren really put you through the blender at the end there," Yang said as she sat down, shaking her head ruefully. "You were looking good and then bam, he hit you with the combo and it was over."

"Yang, stop being a boob," Ruby rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Blake. You'll get him next time, I know it."

Weiss didn't offer any words of comfort or recriminations, instead watching the stage as Pyrrha and Russel from Team CRDL were called up.

"I'm not being a boob," Yang said defensively. "I was just pointing out the wicked combo Ren put on her ass. It was pretty impressive, huh? I know Blake will bounce back from it, she always does. Maybe we just need to kick our training into overdrive. How about a spar after classes today?"

"What? Oh, sure," Blake said absentmindedly.

Life at Beacon was good. Better than she'd ever expected. Leaving the White Fang behind, Blake had been adrift without a cause. Her options had been limited. Return home with her tail between her legs, begging forgiveness… or attempt to make something of her life, something she could be proud of, that her parents could be proud of.

Because she hadn't given them many reasons in recent years to feel proud of their daughter. Their last conversation echoed in her memories, the horrible things she'd said to them…

Blake banished the thought.

Beacon had been an easy choice. Headmaster Ozpin had been understanding of her plight. It had been a risk, going to him – but it was a risk that had paid off. She was here, training to be a Huntress; a real Huntress, someone that helped people instead of something that made them fearful. She wouldn't just be helping faunus. She would be helping everyone. Grimm didn't make distinctions between race or species. They were the enemy of all.

But while life was good, it wasn't perfect.

She was still hiding.

Ruby and Weiss had begun bickering, though it was nothing like the nasty fights they'd had at the beginning of the year. Weiss' wounded pride at being passed over as leader had scabbed over and healed, and now she was trying her best to be the best teammate and partner possible. Some days were better than others, and Blake was willing to admit that while Weiss could chafe with her haughty demeanor, she was far from the monster she'd been expecting when she'd first met the girl. Dare she say it, she even liked her sometimes – when she wasn't constantly reminding her of why she hated her family in the first place. While they were focused on each other, and while Yang followed the thrashing Pyrrha was delivering to Russel, Blake reached up and subtly adjusted her bow.

Covering her faunus traits was something she'd never believed she would ever do. To stoop to such a level, to deny her very heritage… the Blake of old would never have even thought about it, let alone do it. Sometimes she wondered why she was even doing it but the answer was always the same. She wanted to prove a point. That being viewed as human made things easier, that people would treat her differently all because she had two ears instead of four. Now with Weiss on her team, it only made her glad that she'd decided on this course of action. How different would things be if Weiss Schnee knew she was a faunus? It would be a disaster.

But how long could this continue?

Eventually, they would find out. She couldn't hide who she was – what she was – forever. Four years was a long time.

It had taken courage to enroll in Beacon but Blake would never lie to herself; she was a coward, through and through. She would hide for as long as she could, and if her team ever found out, then there was only one thing she could do.

Run.

It was what she was good at.

Her hands curled into fists, her mood plummeting.

She felt his eyes settle on her once more and this time, she didn't bother hiding it. Blake met his eyes and glared, a small twinge of satisfaction rushing through her as he hastily looked away. Whatever his problem was, she was tired of skirting around the issue. If he wasn't going to say something, then she was!

Filled with determination, she waited until the end of their last class. The bell rang just as Professor Port was in the middle of his ridiculous story about wrestling an alligator Grimm into submission. Packing her things away, she stood – only to flinch as she found Jaune standing right next to her desk.

A quick glance showed that the rest of Team JNPR had already left.

"Oh, hey Jaune," Ruby greeted happily. "What's up?"

Weiss' face soured and Blake could see the heiress preparing herself for some type of pick up line that never came. Instead, he cleared his throat and directed his question at Blake.

"I was wondering if I could speak to you," he said, either pausing due to nervousness or dramatic effect, she didn't know. "Alone."

Yang glanced between them, surprise clear on her face.

Blake was so taken aback by his sudden straightforwardness that she couldn't speak, simply staring at him stupidly.

The silence stretched for a beat, and then it was Weiss who finally broke.

"What?"

Jaune briefly glanced Weiss' way and for once, there was none of the adoration he usually showed for the white haired girl. No – he looked serious. More serious than Blake had ever seen him.

"If you can spare a few minutes," he continued when she continued to just stare at him. "It's important."

"Oh?" Yang snapped out of her shock and smirked, looking too smug by half. "Do I smell a confession coming?"

"Nothing like that," he assured quickly, shooting her partner down in an instant. Yang looked disappointed. "I promise."

Ruby glanced back and forth between them, and it wasn't until Jaune looked like he was about to press the issue that her tongue became unstuck from the roof of her mouth.

"Sure," she managed to get out. "Lead the way."

He nodded and turned, and Blake followed after him. She ignored the way her team immediately began whispering amongst themselves, placing one foot in front of the other as they left the classroom and walked down the hall. Her eyes remained trained on his back, watching him carefully as they passed by windows and doors, the afternoon light casting long shadows across the floor. He led her to an empty classroom, and when they entered Blake realized they were no longer alone.

Pyrrha Nikos stood calmly inside and Blake felt her body tense at once, though she wasn't quite sure why. It almost felt like she was walking into a trap. But that was ridiculous, right?

Right?

Pyrrha's eyes met hers for a moment and the champion fighter smiled, putting her at ease if only a little bit.

"Thanks, Pyrrha – can you make sure we aren't disturbed?" Jaune asked.

"Certainly," Pyrrha placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder briefly, a look passing between them that Blake could not decipher before heading for the door.

"Blake," Pyrrha nodded.

"Pyrrha."

When the door closed, it sounded unusually loud.

Now that they were completely alone, in a room rarely used – Blake felt awkward, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her skirt. Awkward and nervous, but hadn't she wanted to know what his deal was? The constant glances and watching? She was about to get those answers.

He turned to face her and something about his expression immediately set her on edge, the hair on her arms standing on end.

"So," she said, voice calm even though she felt anything but. "What's this about?"

"Right," he said, and Blake held her breath. "I wanted to talk to you about something. Er – do you want to sit down?"

She shot him an unimpressed look.

"Okay, forget that," he muttered. "I – I don't really know where to start."

"Are you… serious right now?"

Jaune grimaced. "Look, this is… delicate, okay? I'm trying my best here."

"You called me out here to speak, so speak," she didn't quite snap but it was close. "You've been watching me all week – I noticed, by the way, you aren't very sneaky—"

Jaune made a sound of surprise.

"—and I'm sick of it, so whatever you have to say, just get on with it already!"

"Professor Oobleck – well, I suppose Doctor… anyway, Oobleck set me an assignment because my grades aren't that good. It's for extra credit, see? My score will contribute to my final grade and since I need all the help I can get, of course I'm going to treat it seriously, right? History has never been my strong suit. So…"

Blake stared at him incredulously.

"...I totally didn't mean to snoop or anything, it wasn't my fault! But it was sorta, kinda hard not to come across something. You didn't even change your name or anything and—"

"Jaune," she cut across him angrily. "You're rambling. Get to the point!"

"The White Fang," he blurted – and Blake felt her heart leap into her throat, and she couldn't breathe. "Your parents founded the White Fang."

In an instant, her eyes narrowed – fight or flight instincts kicking into high gear. The shock of being discovered barely settled in and she was glancing around the room, looking for danger, looking for a way to escape. An old habit born of paranoia, of being on the wrong side of the law. The room only had one window but from where she stood, she could tell that it was locked by the position of the lever. Not only that but Jaune was standing between it and her, blocking her path. It meant that she had a free path to the door but beyond that door was Pyrrha Nikos, and Blake realized with sudden clarity why the crimson haired girl was there at all.

This had been all planned out. It was a trap.

Blake knew she could beat Jaune, and beat him easily. But could she beat him before he yelled for help? She didn't have her weapon and even if Jaune's skills were subpar, he had an enormous amount of aura. There was no way she could knock him out or get around him without Jaune alerting his partner.

And she held no illusions about her odds at trying to force her way by Pyrrha. It wouldn't even be a contest. Pyrrha Nikos was by far the strongest in their year, and probably stronger than the upper grades as well. She was a once in a generation talent; perhaps a once in a lifetime one. Blake bet that even the Professors would struggle against her. She wasn't a four time champion for nothing.

There was no escape.

She was at their mercy.

Blake tensed and she watched Jaune back off, hands raised. While he looked worried, he didn't seem surprised.

"What do you want?" she growled.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid," her glare intensified. "You want something from me, don't you? Why else would you set all this up? I thought you were better than this," she really, really had. Jaune Arc, blackmail her? Only minutes ago, she'd thought such a thing was impossible. Hadn't she thought he was a kind person earlier? She took that back. He was scum. "Come on, then. Tell me. What do you want to keep this a secret?"

Jaune frowned. "Blake, I don't want anything."

"Money? Is that it? Or maybe something else?" Blake was filled with revulsion. "Sexual favors? I know some people have a faunus fetish – is that in your lane, Jaune? Am I just an object to you?"

"Blake," he tried.

"I'll claw your eyes out before you touch me," she promised darkly. "I'm not some fetish fuel for you to do with as you wish. I'm not a toy or – or an animal for you to tame, I'm a person! I don't care if you tell everyone at this school what I am, I won't sleep with you—!"

"Blake!" he barked, startling her from her rant. "I don't care that you're a faunus!"

She blinked, taken aback by the heat in his voice.

"Look," he sighed then, deflating. "Like I said, Oobleck set me an assignment and I didn't mean to find all this out, but it was a little hard not to when the subject was the White Fang and your parents founded the organization. It was purely by accident, okay? And I don't care that you're a faunus," he repeated sternly. "And I'm not looking for money or – or sexual favors," that last part was said with disgust. "Do I really come across as someone like that?"

No, he didn't. Not once had he ever shown any inclination towards that type of behavior. But then why? Why had he cornered her here, revealing her deepest, darkest secret?

As some of the panic started to abate, she realized that he had come to her. He could have gone to anyone else and told them, revealed her to her team, to the rest of the student body – but he hadn't. Jaune had come to her.

If he wasn't blackmailing her, then what did that mean…? Blake knew it meant something, she just couldn't figure out what.

Blake grit her teeth. "No."

"And I'm not, okay? I'm not," he implored. "I just… I don't know," he shrugged hopelessly. "I – I'm sure you have your reasons for hiding who you are. I don't care about that. That is none of my business and I wish I hadn't uncovered this at all. But I did. And I saw – I read about what the White Fang has been doing lately. I read about their attacks against the Schnee Dust Company."

Blake felt her mouth go dry.

"I got worried," he said truthfully, meeting her eyes. "I'm a country bumpkin from the sticks, I didn't even know who Weiss was when I first got here, but I know now. And the organization that your parents founded, well – I just read that they are basically at war with her family. Wouldn't you be worried if you read that?"

She had no answer for him, no rebuttal. His reaction was normal.

"That's why you've been watching me, isn't it?" she said, understanding blooming. "You thought… I might try and hurt Weiss."

Blake couldn't lie to herself. That hurt a little.

"I didn't know what to think but it was a possibility. I wanted to believe that you would never do such a thing, that it's been weeks, months since we started school and you've not done anything even remotely threatening to her. At least, as far as I know. I'm pretty sure Weiss would have been vocal about it if you had."

Blake swallowed thickly.

"The girl I've had classes with, the girl I fought with in the Emerald Forest – that girl didn't strike me as the type to do such a thing. That girl was quiet, and a little aloof, sure – but that girl wasn't a bad person. I've seen her joke with her team, and be patient with Ruby and laugh with Yang. I've even seen her work together with Weiss, and not once did anything look out of the ordinary. Maybe you're the best actress in the world, or maybe I'm just too trusting, but that's how I feel."

She didn't know what to say.

Then he asked, "You were in the White Fang, weren't you?"

He sure knew how to drop a bombshell question without warning.

She hesitated – then nodded. There was no point in hiding it.

"And if they could, they would hurt Weiss, wouldn't they?"

She nodded again, unable to meet his eyes. It was the truth, no matter how much she wished it wasn't so. Once upon a time, she may have even agreed with it.

"But you don't want to hurt her."

"No," Blake said and she meant it. She'd thought Weiss was an arrogant brat, and still could be at times. Weiss could also be narrow minded, unreasonable, and cold. Blake thought Weiss' family exploited faunus and profited off that exploitation. But Blake wasn't so stupid to believe that anything the company did was Weiss' fault. At her most unreasonable and emotional, she might think that – but logically? No, Weiss might be heiress but that company was run by her father. And the few things she'd gleaned in conversation told her that Weiss' relationship with her father wasn't a close one. "I don't want to hurt her. I would never hurt her."

"You promise?"

"I swear it," she declared.

Blake felt a little light headed, her heart racing a million miles an hour. Her breathing was uneven, and her hands were sweating. She felt strung out, at her wits end.

Jaune nodded. "Okay."

Blake blinked. "Okay?"

"That's all I wanted to hear."

A little off balance, she stared at him, unable to hide her surprise. "What?"

"I believe you," he said. "Your secret is safe with me."

She couldn't help it. She gaped.

"Oh – uh, Pyrrha knows," Jaune suddenly revealed, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "I needed her advice so I had to let her in on it, but she won't tell anyone either. But she insisted on being around when I confronted you. Just in case, she said."

"O-Oh?"

"I told her it wasn't necessary but she was adamant," Jaune shrugged.

What was going on...?

"Well, uh – right, I guess we're done here," and all of the sudden, it was like Jaune had flicked a switch. Gone was the serious, concerned friend and in his place was the socially awkward, jittery teenager she'd come to know. "W-Well, that was a bit nerve wracking, huh? Hah hah hah..."

Was this really it?

Did he really not care that she was a faunus, that she was a former member of the White Fang?

"Your team is probably wondering where you are," Jaune rubbed his neck, his eyes crinkling as he smiled stupidly. "So I won't keep ya. Uh – yeah, I guess have a good day?"

And then she watched as he passed her, opened the door and stepped out, letting it swing shut behind him. Vaguely, she heard him greet Pyrrha and the pair speak for a moment before their voices faded until only silence remained.

"...what just happened?"

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