I wanted to try something new.

REAPER IN RED

Interlude 6: Blake ch.1

Her first interaction with the girl she would come to know as Ruby Rose, was a fairly mundane, if somewhat memorable occurrence. Not every day do you get to see a girl hold their own against the Heiress to the Schnee dust empire herself. It also helped that the heiress had given her a perfect set up to tear down some preconceived notions about her family's less than stellar business practices.

A minor victory for faunus kind everywhere, if there ever was one. But, with that out of the way, and Ruby leaving the heiress with a shout of "Nice to meet you Weiss!" there was nothing left for Blake to do, but continue on with her day.

Truth be told, she did reach a fairly good part of her book and the girl in the red hood did seem like a talker. And quite young compared to everyone else.

The way to the main hall was easy to find, even with her head stuck in a book. If one just followed the large procession of students, or asked any of the many elder students walking around, they would point you in the proper direction.

Blake found herself a nice, semi-quiet corner, and waited as the hall filled up with initiates and the stage was swept and set up by Beacon's illustrious staff.

Headmaster Ozpin's speech was quick, concise, and altogether as strange as the man himself. It bothered her how little information there was on the guy. It doubly irked her, that even as a talented once-agent of the white fang, with experience in espionage and intrigue, all she could really find was what anyone who picked up his biography would be able to find. He grew up in a small community, which had been overrun by Grimm. Then to another small village, which was ransacked by a horde of zombies. The Zombie Stampede, it had later been dubbed. The largest single herd of zombies in generations. Said to have been led by at least three Necromancers. Ozpin had lost most of his family during the fighting, since his parents were both semi-retired huntsmen. He and his sister escaped to Vale, where she fell off of notice. Only showing up some twenty or so years later when Ozpin was already a professor at Beacon, on track to becoming deputy headmaster.

It seemed like a lot of information, but was troubling was how broad it was. Very little of that information was truly about who he was as a person. That was the information that Blake truly wanted. It was a necessity for her, in a way.

The last person she had decided to renege on a deep background check before trusting was Adam… she shivered. That was not a trap she wished to be caught in again. But the speech came and went with little fanfare; just a single speech and a handful of instructions with a polite round of applause to conclude as everyone began setting up their sleeping bags and preparing for the busy day tomorrow.

Blake decided that the quiet near darkness at the back of the hall would be the perfect spot to finish those pesky last hundred pages of her book. Curling up, with her book resting on her knees, she smiled pleasantly, flipping to where she had left off.

Almost like an electric shock down her back, she remembered what she was. Blake was in hiding. A faunus passing as a human thanks to a little cloth of fabric twisted into the shape of a bow around her ears. That meant no night vision.

That meant -much to her annoyance- she'd have to turn on a light. One of the greatest perks about being a faunus with night vision in her eyes, was that night reading no longer involved the annoyingly awkward shading that came from small light sources like the lamp now irking her.

"Hello, my name's Ruby." The whisper shouldn't have come as great a surprise that it did. Usually, she had a knack for sensing approaching people. An extra pair of extra-sensitive hearing aids called ears was generally all she needed. But this Ruby. The girl which she had bumped into earlier that very same day, had approached her without so much as a peep. It was uncanny how quiet she was when she walked.

Blake wasn't sure whether to be miffed at meeting someone who could be quieter than her, or appreciative that she was attending the same academy as someone so gifted in the art of stealth. Instead, she responded with her name.

"Blake."

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Ruby asked, sitting down in front of her.

Blake shrugged with an imperceptible eye roll. "Shouldn't you?"

Ruby was quick to change the topic of conversation from there. Luckily, it was towards something that Blake was all to pleased to discuss, books. Soon after, Ruby left, returning to her sleeping bag.

Blake watched her walk back the entire way, trying to gauge what made her footfalls so silent.

She yawned. "Nothing," she whispered to herself. There was nothing different.

Her book lay open and unread, balancing on her knees, and all the while forgotten, as Blake's attention was still pinned on the young girl she had spoken to. With one final yawn, she marked her page, shut her book and flicked off her light. Questions and answers could wait until the morning.

Initiation started with a hike across campus, through the throngs of older students waving to them and offering their kind words of encouragement. Blake smiled and waved at the rabbit faunus who smiled and took pictures. It was great to see another faunus among the students, even if Blake was in hiding.

Partnering with Yang Xiao Long was at it was. Blake had no real feelings, either positive or negative towards it. Not to say that over the course of fighting off zombies as well as the largest nevermore she had ever seen, that those opinions didn't change.

They did.

They very much did.

Yang was reckless, wild, open and probably the best partner she could have gotten out of such a strange initiation. In the end, the two of them were accompanied by Ruby and the Schnee heiress herself. Ruby and Yang turned out to be sisters.

Blake couldn't see the resemblance. Not even a little bit. Nothing was the same. Bone structure, hair or eye colour, height, speech patterns, how they walked. Even what foods they tended to prefer. Yang tended to eat… well… anything that was placed in front of her with little exception. In the few meals that Blake had with Ruby so far, it seemed like her diet consisted of nothing but fruits, nuts, and anything else that could be foraged. And some meat which she dug into with the gusto of someone who didn't need to hunt for it for the first time. Something that Blake was all to aware of seeing, during her time with the White Fang.

Watching Ruby run up that cliff, with the help of the Heiress's glyphs, cleaving the head from the Nevermore's body, Blake whistled in surprise.

She felt Yang place a hand on her shoulder, the both of them looking up at the cloaked girl, dancing and shouting up above.

"She's pretty strong." Blake mused.

"Sure is!" Yang replied with a smile in her voice. "Can't say that I taught her everything she knows, but I can definitely say that she's probably the strongest of us all."

"Ruby definitely looks talented, but the strongest?"

Blake felt Yang shrug. "Try looking at her eyes during a spar or fight sometime. She might not know it, but Ruby's got the look of my uncle Qrow. If she doesn't come out of Beacon on track to being the youngest Reaper hunter in history, then I'll shave off my hair."

With that, Yang ran forward, laughing and waving up at her little sister.

"For collecting the white rooks. Yang Xiao-Long. Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. And Weiss Schnee. Together you will form Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose!" Ozpin's words were drowned out by the cheering and applause from the crowd.

It felt amazing to be part of a team again. A team Blake had no doubt would do so much good in the world. After hearing Yang's words during Initiation and mulling them over for some time, it felt like this team might be destined for fame, in some way or another. The Schnee Heiress, two extremely strong and talented huntresses, and herself. Not to toot her own horn within her own head, but she was the daughter of the chieftain to Menagerie, as well as an ex-member of the White Fang. If they somehow didn't do something impossible, then, like Yang had said, she'd shave her own hair. Though maybe, the better analogy would be she'd give up eating fish entirely.

Their first class of the year as official huntresses-in-training was with Professor Peter Port. Blake had quickly learned to tune out his voice, even after only a few minutes in their very first lecture. It wasn't that he was a bad teacher, per say. Just that it sounded like his stories tended to hold only a fraction of truth to them. At least that was what it sounded like to Blake. Peering over at her teammates, she saw that Yang was equally as bored, and Weiss was trying her best to pay attention. Her eyes rolling every time Port attempted a joke, which fell un a classroom of uninterested ears.

Ruby looked to be loving it. Dutifully taking notes, her pencil scratching across paper. Her eyes widened with fascination for his stories.

Then the professor called on Yang to fight a Grimm. How could Blake not try and show her support for her partner and teammates? Even with Weiss putting a damper on the moment thanks to her prissy attitude. Something Blake was quick to admonish with a harsh glare in her direction.

Then the topic of conversation turned to Salemites. Particularly Higher Order Salemites. Names were shouted and Port did his best to quickly explain each and every Higher Order.

"Can anybody tell me the final Higher Order Salemite?" The professor said, looking around the classroom with bright eyes. Blake looked around for any raised hands, not seeing any that were particularly confident.

She frowned. Why was Ruby blushing and sliding further into her seat? Did she not know about any of them and was embarrassed about her lack of knowledge? It was understandable in a way. She did apparently skip ahead two years to get into Beacon.

"Anyone? No?"

As Professor Peter Port explained the Grim Reaper, Blake could only watch as Ruby's face turned from a heavy red blush, to pail white. Fear was definitely present as the professor continued his speech. Grim Reapers were only hunted by the strongest of the strong. Even Port, who seemed to relish in telling his outlandish stories about taking on impossible odds, was talking about his fear of those creatures.

Blake could understand that fear. When the White Fang was travelling, if there was even mention of a Grim Reaper somewhere nearby -whether through local legend or apparent sightings- they stayed well clear of the area. Even if it meant adding days, weeks to travel time.

"If she doesn't come out of Beacon on track to being the youngest Reaper hunter in history, then I'll shave off my hair." Yang had said. Were their parents putting pressure on Ruby to fight Reapers? Was she supposed to follow in the footsteps on their uncle?

Blake felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She did not seem to be enjoying the end of the lecture. But, the bell did eventually ring and the class was let out.

"Hey Rubes, you alright?" Yang said as they were packing up their notebooks.

Ruby nodded slowly. Blake pursed her lips and gave the girl a small nod of support. Weiss rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated huff.

Something unexpected happened that very first night, as they all were in their beds. Blake as usual, was reading, her feline ears flickering underneath her bows, waiting for her teammates to sleep so that she could let them free and give them some much needed rest. Ruby was sleeping peacefully on top of her own book, a hand covering up the cover, so Blake wasn't quite sure what it was about.

Yang too was passed out in her bed, snoring up a storm which Blake desperately hoped she would get used to.

Weiss was still at her desk, a single lamp shining over her work. Blake watched her as her head roamed across the page she was writing, then pause, then turn to look up at Ruby's sleeping form, before darting back to continue her work. Blake frowned. What did the Schnee heiress have planned for their leader? Blake already knew that Weiss was furious for not becoming team leader. After the tantrum she threw during the teams ceremony after initiation, as well as during their first class with Professor Port.

Ruby was too young, too small, too immature. So many reasons why Ruby wasn't good enough for the position, but none why Weiss would be better. Just that the girl was a Schnee. 'Naturally talented' she called it. Blake rolled her eyes when she saw Weiss turn back from another look at their young team leader.

With a sigh, the heiress put down her pencil and left the dorm.

"Wonder what's that about," Blake mused, shaking off the thought and returning to her book.

Only five minutes later, and Weiss returned, now carrying a steaming container, which she carefully placed down on her desk, alongside two mugs.

Ruby yelped when Weiss touched her shoulder. "Oh sorry, I didn't even realize I fell asleep." Ruby rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, stifling a yawn. "I must have been more tired than I though."

"That's alright," Weiss answered, sheepishly scratching her shin with one foot. "I'm sorry to wake you. I-I wanted to apologize for today."

Blake put down her book, fascinated with what Weiss was going to say to Ruby.

"In class this morning, you were just trying to help your sister in her fight, and I just had to snap at you. A-and hit you. I was just so annoyed that you were intruding into someone else's situations and I never though I would act so much like my fath-"

The word seemed to choke on her lips. She paused, letting out a sigh.

"The point is, after that, you were just so upset, and I felt responsible for it."

Blake nodded. Ruby did look upset after that class. She'd believed it to have been about Ruby's future potential of hunting Reapers. Maybe it was just as simple as not getting along with her partner? Both options seemed plausible.

"Huh?" Ruby replied intelligently.

"I'm trying to apologize you dolt. I had a talk with Professor Port this afternoon and he really helped me understand myself and how our experienced deferred. From the very beginning, I treated you more like a child than a student here. I just wanted to say that from now on, I'm going to be the very best team member and partner you could ever hope for."

"Thanks Weiss, I'd really love to be best friends with you too."

Blake smiled at that.

"Let's just start as… friends for now. How do you take your coffee?"

"What?"

As Ruby confused Weiss with her lack of knowledge about coffee, Blake picked up her book, letting the two bond without listening in. They both seemed much happier, even with Weiss scolding Ruby for her coffee drinking habits.

A last goodnight, and Ruby tucked herself in and shut her eyes.

There was a knock on the bedframe. Blake glanced up to see Weiss looking down on her, with another mug of coffee in her hand.

"For you," Weiss said.

Blake reached up for it and took a slow sip. Cream and very little sugar. Just right. "Thank you."

"You were listening in to mine and Ruby's conversation?"

Blake responded with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Moving on, I felt like I should apologize to you too. We, erm, didn't get off to a perfect start either. And I know that has much to do with my personality, on top of who my family is. And, I just want to apologize for our interaction and say that-"

Blake cut her off with a raised hand. "You're forgiven. Apologizing to Ruby went a big way towards bonding with the team. We do have our issues with each other, and I'll be surprised if they don't come up again in the future, but for now, let's say that we aren't enemies and we have a healthy appreciation for one another. Fair?"

Weiss stared down on the secret-faunus for a moment. A small nod. "Fair."

"Thanks for the coffee."

"Have a good night."

As the story is entering into its next major arc, I thought to myself, "why take the time and write a new arc when I can just rewrite/sum up the story in a few chapters from Blake's perspective?" So that's what I'm doing! Some things will be the same, obviously, but hopefully there will be enough extra information presented throughout that keeps it engaging. I'm hoping for 3-4 max chapters of this (including this chapter) before I return to our favourite Reaper's point of view. I'm mainly doing this for two reasons. 1. It's been a while since I reread my own story, so this gives me a perfect opportunity to do so, and see if my notes missed any important or minor plot points. 2. I'm entering into assignment and exam season fairly soon, so this will give me a bit of lighter writing, so I can actually get chapters ready in time and still study for class.

Also, this was supposed to be just a quick summary of the last few chapters of Reaper from Blake's perspective, but I had a dream telling me I should do the whole story, so here I am!

Guest #1 - Yes she does have silver eyes and no, that was not a retcon! Check what colour Ruby's eyes are. :)

firewyrm2 - Phew! I know it wasn't the greatest. I still think I might go back and touch up that chapter. Who knows when though...

Guest #2 - Glad you liked it! And like our other guest, Cinder's eyes were not a retcon! I promise you it makes sense if you check what colour Ruby's eyes are! Salem holds a very different place in this story, compared to canon RWBY. Reread the Hero's Daughter or Farmer's Daughter interludes for that. I'm going for platonic sunflakes, but honestly? Who knows! Romance isn't a huge point to this story, so if you want to consider them romantic, feel free! :D

Kayden - Love your questions. To your first one, yes. Salem is like a divinity-ish thing. Reread the Hero's Daughter and Farmer's Daughter interludes. One of those is a human fairytale, the other is a Reaper story. For your second question, *spoilers* yes. Maybe not 1-5, since I'm doing this rehash, but it's coming up very soon, for at least some of the cast. *spoilers* As for your question about Qrow, his discovery of Reaper Ruby was one of the first things I came up with when plotting out portions of this story, so I am so pumped for it.

Dragon Lord Draco - Hooray for Cinder!

Alucard45 - Question for you. Did Summer ever want to live as a human? ;) And that certainly is an interesting idea for Ruby's magic.

FN75 - Let's just say, there is a reason why I waited so long between confrontation and discovery. Hopefully, these interludes will help with that.