From Black Shadows (Blake Belladonna x MaleReader)

You had finally made it; graduated from training and accepted into Beacon Academy. Stepping off of the airship, your (e/c) eyes adjusted to the sunlight and a breeze blew through your mid-length (h/c) hair. Other people were departing behind you and heading off onto the campus, while you were waiting for your friend Jaune Arc who was currently facedown in a garbage can dealing with his upset stomach.

“I told you dude; you should’ve taken those motion sickness pills.” You said as you leaned against a wall to wait for him to finish

Watching people leave the ship, one particular person caught your eye. A girl wearing a black buttoned vest with a white sleeveless undershirt and black stockings that faded to purple near her black low-heeled boots. She had wavy black hair with a black bow on top and her sharp amber eyes had some light purple eye shadow around the edges. There was something about this girl, you really didn’t know what it was but there was an air of mystery around her. Catching her gaze for just a second, the two of you quickly looked away from each other and when you chanced a look back up she was gone. Noticing how quiet it had suddenly gotten, you looked around to find that you and Jaune were alone on the port. Jaune however, did not notice this until he announced his presence to the empty space. Watching your friend just stand there, you couldn’t help but chuckle as you noticed a girl off to the side and pointed her out to Jaune.

You and Jaune soon found out that the girl’s name was Ruby and you walked around the gardens talking about weapons. You were pretty impressed that she was able to build her High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe, named Crescent Rose, herself; and she thought that Tooth & Nail, your Dual Dust Projection Gauntlets with hidden blades were pretty cool too. A little more wandering around and you met up with Yang, Ruby’s older sister, as Professor Ozpin addressed the class. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted that girl again in the back of the auditorium reading a book. As Ozpin finished his speech, you and the other new arrivals were herded to the dining hall where you were going the spend the night before your teams were formed tomorrow.

Setting up your sleeping bag near one of the dining hall’s enormous windows you pulled your sketchpad out of your pack. Opening to a blank sheet of paper, you began to draw out the view, including the moon and skyline of Vale. Off to your left, you could hear talking and you looked up for a second to see what it was. Seated not too far away were a group of three people, one boy and two girls. The boy was wearing a white shirt like you with blue pants and he had brown hair and was wearing silver glasses; the girls were in red and yellow nightgowns and what was especially different was that they were Faunus. The girl in yellow had rabbit ears and the girl in red had fox ears and a fox’s tail; while plenty of people treated Faunus differently to the point of discrimination, you were not one of these people. You had been exposed to living with Faunus at a young age and didn’t really see them as different, however, you also knew of the White Fang group that had been becoming quite active recently and you were definitely in the majority opinion concerning them.

You had spaced out for a while now and came back to earth just in time for the fox Faunus to notice you. She gave you a friendly wave and her friends turned to see you and follow her example. You gave them a friendly wave in return and resumed sketching as Jaune sat next to you to talk. He seemed kind of down that he wasn’t meeting any cute girls and suggested that he take his time, pointing out the trio from before as an example that sometimes friends find you when you aren’t looking for them. Jaune seemed to agree with your advice and decided to head back to his sleeping bag and get some rest while you did a little more sketching. However, it was a little hard to concentrate as you could her Ruby and Yang talking rather loudly with a girl in white, whose name was apparently Weiss. You also spotted the same girl from before sitting against the wall nearby reading another book, or at least trying to. Eventually, she closed her book and picked up the candelabra next to her and headed, to your surprise, in your direction.

“Hey.” She said, you noticed how soft her voice was

“Hello there.” You responded

“Mind if I sit here?”

“Not at all.” You said as she sat down next to you

The two of you enjoyed the silent company as you finished up your sketch and turned to her, noticing and recognizing the book she was reading.

“Good choice.” You said, her eyes turning from the pages for a second

“Hmm?”

“Your book, I’ve read it before. It’s a good read.”

“Oh, thanks. I just picked it up from a bookstore before coming to Beacon.” She said as she closed the book and got up and started to leave, “Well, good night.”

“Wait! I…I didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Blake, and you are…?”

“(Y/N), nice to meet you, Blake.”

“You too.” She said as she left to get some sleep and you decided to do the same thing.

The next morning, you and the other first-years grabbed your weapons out of your storage lockers to get ready for today. As you slipped Tooth & Nail over your hands, you clicked them together and the gauntlets unfolded in their entirety so you could give them a routine check. Everything checked out so you collapsed them and met up with Jaune, helping him down from being pinned to a locker and heading out to where Ozpin told you to meet. Arriving at the edge of a cliff overlooking a massive forest, you saw that the students were standing on gray metal squares and you immediately knew what they were.

“Oh man…” You said before turning to Jaune, as oblivious as you thought he would be

“What?” He asked when he noticed you looking at him with a face of concern

“Nothing dude, forget it.” You chuckled as you headed further down to the left to find an empty square while he stood next to Ruby.

Unlocking Tooth & Nail to ready for the launch, you saw off to your left that students were started to get sent off into the forest and to your right, you saw Jaune asking Ozpin a question, probably about how you were going into the forest. Since you already knew the answer, you were prepared as the plate beneath your feet catapulted you out into the forest.

Sailing through the air, you flew over the treetops, using your Wind Dust to give you some extra lift as you smoothly landed on a branch about halfway to the ruins that Ozpin mentioned. Ozpin also said that once you landed in the forest, the first person you made eye contact with would be your partner for the next four years. Thankfully, the answer came soon enough as you saw a flash land in some bushes nearby. A few minutes later, the fox Faunus from last night tumbled out of the shrubbery and laid on the ground for a few minutes. She had an orange long-sleeved shirt on and a white tank top over that, and blue jeans with an orange belt and black sneakers and matching gloves. Her hair was red and a few seconds later her brown eyes opened to see you standing over her.

“Nice landing, partner.” You said as you offered her a hand up

“Yeah, yeah.” She said taking your hand and lifting herself up, “You were that guy by the window last night right?”

“Yep. Name’s (y/n).”

“Carmen. Nice to meet you.” Carmen said before turning to the west, “We should get moving, I think the ruins are this way, and maybe we can meet up with the others too.”

“Others? You mean that guy and other girl you were talking to last night?” You said as the two of you started walking

“That’s them. Nick and Daisy, nice people; I hope we can be on the same team together.”

“You never know with Ozpin.”

After walking for a little longer, Carmen decided to stop and check the surrounding area. You were going to ask her how she was going to do that, given how thick the treetops were when you noticed her eyes turn a bright green. She looked around, her fox ears turning in various directions as her eyes turned back to normal a few seconds later.

“We’re in luck! Nick and Daisy met up and they’re a few miles that way.” She said pointing to the northwest

“How can you be so sure?” You asked, getting a giggle in response

“My Semblance, duh! It’s called Master Tracker; I can see and hear out farther than most coupled with my already awesome Faunus senses.”

“Nice, well then let’s go.” You said with Carmen leading the way

You and Carmen ran through the forest, not meeting up with anyone else until the two of you came upon a wide open clearing. Hiding in some bushes and looking around, you spotted a girl lying unconscious in the center of the clearing. She had a yellow dress on with brown knee-high brown boots and white detached sleeves extending the length of her arms. Her brown hair was tied off in a ponytail and you also noticed her rabbit ears, suggesting that this was the rabbit Faunus Carmen was with last night.

“Daisy?” Carmen said when suddenly a pack of a dozen Beowolves came onto the scene and surrounded her

The alpha of the group proceeded to approach the unconscious girl when she suddenly vaporized into yellow specks of light. Another instant later, an arrow made of fire pierced the alpha’s shoulder, setting his fur ablaze before a shot from above felled the beast. Then from out of the trees came Daisy, alive and kicking as she hopped around the pack with her naginata staff dealing some serious damage.

“Clever girl,” you said as you looked at Carmen with a smile on her face, “we gonna let her have all the fun?”

You activated your Fire Dust and loosed your blades, which were now cloaked in flames, as Carmen pulled out a pair of tonfa and returned the smile.

Charging out of the bush, you cleaved one of the wolves in two as Carmen used you as a springboard and clubbed another two in the head. From behind you, another shot blew an arm off of one and someone dropped out from the trees on top of the injured Grimm to finish it off as you and the girls took care of the rest of the pack.

“Well, that was a good workout.” You said as you retracted your claws

“Got that right.” Said the boy, who as you thought was the guy you saw talking with Carmen and Daisy

He had brown hair and bright blue eyes behind his silver glasses. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with blue camouflage pants and black combat boots. Over his shirt was a white sleeveless hoodie and he had white fingerless gloves.

“Nicholas Frost, nice to meet you.” He said with an outstretched hand

“(F/N) (L/N).” You said as you shook his hand, noticing Daisy off in a corner of the clearing and a large bush behind her start moving.

Soon a roar could be heard from behind Daisy as an Ursa rose from behind the bush and moved in to swipe his giant paw at the rabbit girl. Daisy, being caught off guard, flinched as you acted. Tapping into your Ice Dust, you shot a beam of cold energy from your hand, slowing the monster’s movement until it was frozen solid as the others turned to see what was happening. Activating your Semblance, your hair started to stand on end and your eyes became your signature bright yellow with sharp vertical slits as you charged at the frozen Grimm; you jumped over Daisy and punched the Ursa in the chest, your enhanced strength shattering the Grimm into a million pieces.

“Wow!” Daisy said with wide eyes as she hugged you while your Semblance wore off, “You saved me, thanks so much!”

“No biggie, but let’s get moving. We can talk on the way.” You said, receiving nods from the three of them as you left the scene

Taking to the treetops, the four of you hopped from branch to branch in the direction that Carmen pointed out.

“So (y/n), you got any family here in Vale?” Daisy asked

“My parents are back on Patch after we moved from Atlas, but I have an uncle who runs a café in Vale with my cousins.”

“Awesome! Do you think we could go there one day?”

“Oh sure, you guys will love it; plenty of people, human and Faunus, go there.”

At this point, you had neared the ruins and the four of you descended to the ground level to travel on foot.

“You said humans and Faunus go to your uncle’s café?” Carmen asked, “nobody has a problem with that?”

“Nope,” you said as you pulled out an old photo of you and your cousins, pointing out one with a tiger’s tail named Lily, “my uncle adopted her when I was a kid, and we had tons of fun growing up. Eventually, he opened the café and she and her sister started working there. When my uncle opened the shop, he made it very clear that there was a zero-tolerance policy concerning Faunus discrimination and no one’s really argued with him.”

“That’s really cool.” Carmen said, “Hey, I think we’re coming up on the ruins.”

Approaching the ruins, you found that the ‘relics’ that Ozpin mentioned were chess pieces. There were two kinds, black and gold, and there were two of every piece.

“Thoughts?” You asked the group as Nick approached the pieces

“There’s two of each kind, and a team of Huntsmen is usually made up of four people.” He said as he picked up the black rook piece, “So I think that each pair is supposed to pick a piece, and pairs with the same piece will be in a team.”

“Sounds solid to me.” Carmen added as she picked up the matching black rook and you all headed back to Beacon.

Once all of the first-years were done with the test Ozpin sorted you into your teams and like Nick had guessed, pairs with the same chess pieces got put together in a team. Jaune became a part of Team JNPR and he was actually named the leader of the team; looking behind him he saw you and you gave him a thumbs-up. Next, you saw Ruby, her sister Yang, Weiss and Blake as team RWBY, led by Ruby; which surprised you but you knew that she could do it. After Blake and the others stepped down, Ms. Goodwitch motioned for the four of you to step up to Professor Ozpin.

“Finally: (Y/N) (L/N), Carmen Rouge, Nicholas Frost, and Daisy Amarelo. You four retrieved the black rooks; from now on you shall be Team (T/N), led by…(Y/N) (L/N).”

When Ozpin said this, your eyes opened wide as the two girls piled on you in celebration.

Wow, you thought, this is definitely going to be an interesting four years.

About a month into the semester, you were woken up by Nick’s Scroll Alarm and headed out to your favorite spot on campus. Sketchpad in hand, you arrived in the school gardens; the quiet allowed you to concentrate on drawing and the view gave you plenty of opportunities to draw. You didn’t have any classes today, and soon you spotted Daisy and Carmen coming into the courtyard; waving at them when they saw you under your favorite tree and returned to sketching.

“(y/n)? Is that you?” said a voice, causing you to look up from your pad to see Blake standing in front of you

“Oh, hey Blake. How’s everything?” You asked as she sat next to you. Over the past month, your team and Ruby’s team and Jaune’s team had formed close friendships and occasionally Blake would also sit under this same tree to read

“Alright, I guess. Draw anything new?”

You turned a few pages back to show her some of your other sketches: Ruby sleeping in class, Jaune and Pyrrha training, and even a portrait of Weiss.

“Not bad.” Blake said as she turned to her book while you got back to sketching

You two were often seen together like this on off days and Carmen and Yang would regularly joke about how cute you two looked together. Enjoying the silent company like you usually do, after a few hours Blake closed her book and got up.

“See you around (y/n).” Blake said as she left

“Later.” You called back as you stayed for a little while longer to finish your sketch before meeting up with the girls and heading back to your dorm

“Sooo…” Daisy said looking at you

“So what?” You asked with a raised eyebrow

“You like Blake don’t you?” Carmen joined in giving you the same look as Daisy

Your face started blushing red despite your hardest efforts to not. “We’ve…We’ve been over this you two. We’re just friends.”

“Uh huh, you keep telling yourself that.”

The next morning, you and your team entered the dining hall for breakfast and sat at your usual table with Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Blake, still reading another book, wasn’t as immersed in the table conversation as you or the others; but when you heard laughter coming from behind Jaune everyone present turned to see the source. Cardin Winchester, the leader of Team CRDL, was messing with Daisy’s friend Velvet Scarlatina again. He was pulling on her rabbit ears while his team sat there and laughed, and only when it looked like Ms. Goodwitch was approaching did Cardin finally let go.

“Man, poor Velvet.” Daisy said watching her friend walk away

“Seriously,” you said gripping your fork a little tighter, “people like Cardin really tick me off.”

“Didn’t think you’d be so quick to defend a Faunus.” Weiss said

“My cousin was always getting bullied around when we were younger, other kids liked to pull on her tail. So I stepped in and did what I could when it happened, it worked more often than not.”

“Aww…” Blake said looking away from her book for a second, “That’s actually sweet of you (y/n).”

“Still, there must be something we could do about Cardin,” Pyrrha added, “this kind of behavior is unacceptable, not to mention extremely rude.”

“I know! Let’s break his legs!” Nora jumped in, causing everyone else to turn to her

“Nora, that seems a little…extreme.” Ren commented before returning to his homemade juice

“Besides, Cardin seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t really respond to words.” Nick pointed out and you knew he was right.

After breakfast, the group decided to spend a little time in the library before Dr. Oobleck’s class. Team JNPR sat at a table together and studied while yours and Ruby’s team occupied a nearby sitting area. Ruby, Weiss and Yang were trying and failing to take down Nick in their game of “World of Remnant”. That left the rest of your team and Blake sitting on some couches reading. Aside from the sound of turning pages and scribbling notes, coupled with the occasional groan coming from Ruby or Yang as their game progressed, the library was peacefully silent. That is, until the library doors opened and Team CRDL stepped inside; you locked eyes with Cardin for a few seconds before returning your book, a sneer on Cardin’s face as he approached you. Slowly moving around your couch, you could hear his teammates start snickering as they followed behind. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him moving to yank Carmen’s ears but she saw him coming and swatted his hand away.

“Hmph, freak.” He said under his breath as he continued slinking around you and heading towards Daisy

Unlike Carmen, Daisy wasn’t as aware of Cardin’s presence in the room as she was listening to some music. You watched as Cardin moved behind her and passed by, but it wasn’t until she was just out of his reach that he tugged on one of her ears, causing her to let out a sharp squeak of pain.

That was it; you slammed your book closed hard enough that everyone turned to see you get up and move toward Cardin.

“Winchester!” You said as you approached, “I don’t appreciate you messing with my teammates like that, so I’d advise you to knock it off.”

“You defending these freaks?” He chuckled, unfazed by your threat as expected

“The only freak I see is the 6-foot-tall ape that likes to swing a big stick around standing right in front of me.”

Cardin seemed to recognize what you just said that time and turned to you, a hint of anger on his face as Ruby, Yang, Nora and Carmen all shouted “OOOOH BURN!”

“What did you just call me?”

You heard me Cardin, but maybe I should call you ‘Chicken’ with how you’ve been acting lately.”

Ruby and the others proceeded to give another resounding “OOOOHHH BURN!” as Cardin got right up in your face

“You trying to start something?”

“The better question,” You said before turning to the door, “is just where are you going Bronzewing?”

Everyone turned to see Cardin’s teammate Dove with one foot out the door before he stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to see that he had been caught.

“So that’s your game eh?” You said taking a step back, “Fine, we’ll play it your way. Hey Ruby, could you do something for me really quick?”

“What’s up?” She asked

“I thought I saw Ms. Goodwitch outside a few minutes ago.” You said as the eyes of Team CRDL widened, “Would you mind getting her for me?”

“You got it!” She said with a smile before dashing off, leaving a trail of rose petals behind

Cardin stood there in silence as you headed over to Daisy. “Everything okay?”

“It stings a little, but I’m fine. Thanks (y/n).” She said with her signature little smile

“No problem, it’s time someone put their foot down with him.” You replied as Ms. Goodwitch entered the room with Ruby right behind her

“Mr. Winchester, have you been bullying your Faunus classmates again? This is the third incident in the last two weeks young man, and my patience is wearing thin.” Ms. Goodwitch said as Cardin snapped back to reality and couldn’t find words for some reason, “Honestly I don’t know what we’re going to do about this but it needs to stop.”

“I have an idea Ms. Goodwitch.” You said as she turned to you, “Obviously Cardin hasn’t responded to previous attempts to stop this behavior. So I suggest that he and I settle this since it was my teammates involved this time, one-on-one in a duel.”

Blake and the others looked up at you as Ms. Goodwitch pondered your offer until another voice was heard in the doorway

“I think that’s a very sound idea.” Said Professor Ozpin as he sipped on his coffee, “We were going to be making an announcement tomorrow and have a few sparring matches lined up as a part of this announcement. I think we can add this match into the mix, and should (y/n) win the match, Mr. Winchester will stop with this un-Huntsman-like behavior. However, I don’t want this conflict to escalate any further until then, which means I don’t want to hear about any more incidents of you bullying your classmates Mr. Winchester, am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Cardin said as he and his team left the scene

“The same goes for you (y/n), this gets settled tomorrow and no sooner.” Ozpin said to you

“Understood.” You said as he and Glynda left the room and you all headed to Dr. Oobleck’s class.

“Hey (y/n)?” You heard Blake ask you on the way

“What’s up?”

“Why did you talk Cardin into that duel? Ozpin could’ve settled the matter.”

“He messed with my teammate, so I guess I snapped into a defensive state like when I was defending my cousin Lily back in the day. No one messes with my friends.” You said as you arrived to class

The next morning, you and the other students were corralled to the main hall for the announcement of the Vytal Festival and Tournament to be held soon. Ms. Goodwitch then watched over a practice match between Jaune and Nick to explain that your Aura was going to be gauged during matches and used to determine when the match was over. While Jaune did put up a good fight, showing how far he’s come thanks to Pyrrha’s training, Nick always thought three steps ahead and quickly had Jaune’s Aura at the level where the match was called. The two of them took a step down with a handshake and the Ms. Goodwitch stepped aside for Ozpin to say a few words.

“An excellent match between Mr. Arc and Mr. Frost, and now I would like to point out something to you all. Mr. Arc’s Aura was at about 10% when the match was called, and normally at that point, the match would be called in any standard tournament. However, in the flow of battle, we sometimes go beyond this point; to the point where one’s Aura can be completely depleted. Let me be clear, when one’s Aura is depleted they are susceptible to serious injuries; and as students of this Academy, you are expected to conduct yourselves accordingly. Now, to demonstrate this, we have another exhibition match between Cardin Winchester and (y/n) (l/n).”

Cardin stepped out on the opposite side of the stage, mace in hand as you stepped forward as well. A few cheers for Cardin could be heard, most likely from his teammates; but there were more cheers for you coming from your team, Ruby’s team, Jaune’s team and a few other students. You couldn’t help but smile, especially when Daisy and Carmen started a chant to “free the beast”, most likely referring to your Semblance.

“This won’t take long.” Cardin chuckled as he wound his mace-swinging arm

“Don’t sell yourself short,” You said as your hair stood up and your eyes turned the yellow of your Inner Beast Semblance, “you might last a few minutes.”

“Ready? Begin!” Ozpin called out

Cardin came charging at you while you stood there with a smile on your face as you activated your Wind Dust, causing vortexes to start spiraling around your arms. Once he got in range, Cardin swung with his mace and at the last second, you blocked with your gauntlet. Taking the small opening Cardin left for you when you stopped his swing, you released the vortex on your left arm and knocked Cardin’s mace out of his hand. While he was reeling from the shock of being swiftly disarmed, you swept his legs and kicked him in the stomach which sent him up into the air. Tapping into your enhanced speed, you jumped above him before delivering a final punch to his chestplate, your strength coupled with the vortex around your arm sent him shooting back down with an echoing crash and you saw a brown field crackle around him, his Aura dropping to 0% with your one punch as you landed in front of him. The hall was silent for a few seconds until it exploded with cheers and applause as you helped Cardin to his feet and let his team carry him off as you met up with your friends. Carmen and Daisy piled on you with Nora and Ruby while Pyrrha, Nick and the others applauded your fight as you left the hall.

“THAT. WAS. AWESOME!” Daisy shouted into the air when her stomach audibly growled “Oh…heh, who’s up for lunch?” She asked as an idea popped into your head

“I’ve got a better idea. How about we go to my uncle’s café?” You asked

“Does he make good pancakes?” Nora asked, knowing how serious she was about them

“The best.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Nora shouted once more with cheers from the others as you headed off to the city of Vale

About twenty minutes of walking through the commercial district of Vale, you and the gang came upon your uncle’s café. It was a good-sized building placed on a well-known street corner near one of Daisy and Velvet’s favorite boutiques. Even from outside, you could smell your uncle’s homemade recipes as his trademark bright blue sign hung over the doorway.

“Wow! Looks pretty busy in there, are you sure we’ll find seats for all of us?” Weiss asked

“Oh yeah, Uncle Jay loves big groups. Helps sell the family-friendly bit of his businesses.”

“Businesses?” Jaune said

“Oh shoot I totally forgot to mention that! My uncle’s café doubles as a bookstore.”

“Really?” Blake asked, her amber eyes growing wide with excitement

“Yeah, Lily was a total bookworm growing up so he was hard pressed not to add that in on the side. Let’s go, I’m getting hungry just standing here.”

Walking inside and hearing the doorbell ring, it was just like you remembered it. Tables were full of happy smiling people, both human and Faunus, and some were even meeting with each other. There was a bar up at the front of the café and off to the left was the bookstore portion of the establishment with a few shelves along the wall and a spacious sitting area. As you and the others walked inside, you heard a hearty laugh coming from up at the bar; behind the counter was a tall man in his 40s with short blue hair wearing a white chef’s apron over his brown shirt. His skin was a little darker than yours but your faces were similar enough for the others to tell that that was your uncle Jay; and as he turned to the sound of the bell, the biggest smile on his face appeared as he stepped out from behind the counter.

“Well I’ll be a Nevermore’s uncle! (Y/N), how have you been son?” He said as he wrapped his arms around you in the biggest bear hug possible

“Doing good Uncle Jay, sorry it took so long for me to stop by.” You said as he finally let go so you could breathe

“Ah, no worries; as a matter of fact, I just talked to your folks the other night. It’s good of you to take time from your studies and see your Uncle Jay, and it looks like you brought friends.”

Everyone introduced themselves and Uncle Jay welcomed them all with open arms.

“Nice to meet you all, now let’s find you kids a table; your cousins are going to be so happy to see you.” Your uncle said as he led you and the others to a large table near the bar as he headed to the door into the kitchen and stuck his head inside, “Lily, Neo, come out here for a second. There’s someone here to see you two.”

A few seconds later, two girls came out of the door both wearing your uncle’s brown waitress uniforms. The taller of the two had dark skin like your uncle and pink hair with brown eyes behind a pair of black glasses, and the shorter of the two, while her skin tone was more like yours, she was easily recognizable by the whisker-like marks on her cheeks and her tiger-striped tail. The pair scanned the restaurant before spotting you and their faces lit up as your cousins ran up to meet you.

As Uncle Jay got everybody their food, you couldn’t help but smile as everyone was having a good time. Nora looked like she fell in love when she tried your uncle’s signature pancakes, and it took both Jaune and Pyrrha to get her to slow down after her third helping. Ruby and Daisy were telling Neo and Lily about school stuff, and vividly described the sparring match you had against Cardin earlier.

“That’s my cousin!” Lily said as she hugged you again

Aside from the great food, Ren, Weiss and especially Blake enjoyed browsing through the bookstore side of the place. After a while, the sun started to go down and you decided to head back to campus. After everyone settled up with Uncle Jay and giving Neo and Lily a hug goodbye, you all headed back to Beacon. Looking back at everyone, there were smiles all around as Jaune and his team headed back to their dorms.

“(y/n)?” You heard Blake say behind you

“What’s up Blake?”

“Um…Would you like to go for a walk with me? It’s such a nice night, it’d be a shame to just head back and not enjoy it.”

“I can agree with that.” You said as you turned to the others, “You guys go on, we’ll catch up later.”

Ruby and the others nodded and went on their way as you and Blake turned towards the school gardens.

The two of you walked around for a while as darkness set in over Beacon, a cool night breeze blew through your hair as you reached your favorite tree and just looked up at the stars for a little while. You started to get lost in the night sky when you felt something on your shoulder; when you looked down you saw Blake resting her head and looking up at you, her amber eyes almost glowing.

“Hi there.” You said, getting a giggle out of the girl

"I never got to really congratulate you against Cardin. It was really sweet to see someone defend a Faunus for once, it’s something I haven’t seen in a while.”

“You’ve seen it before?” You asked and Blake nodded

“When I was younger I used to have a friend who was a bit like you, standing up for Faunus who couldn’t defend themselves.”

“Used to…what happened?” You asked

“He started…changing. It wasn’t in an instant, it was gradual – little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first, they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long his actions grew extreme, too extreme; so I decided to make a change and took him out of my life. As much as I thought he cared… he was starting to give people like Carmen and me a bad name.”

“You?”

Blake stopped for a second and thought about what she just said, covering her mouth as the realization hit her.

“Blake?” You said as she reached for the black bow on top of her head. Looking around like she didn’t want to be seen, she slowly undid the bow and you were shocked to see that beneath it was a pair of black cat’s ears. “You…You’re a…?”

“Faunus, yes.” She said, “So, what do you think?”

Blake looked like she was ready for harsh words of some kind, but you simply smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “Human or Faunus, you’re still Blake to me; and that’s not going to change anytime soon.”

Looking up and seeming almost shocked at what you said, Blake saw a warm smile on your face and soon a little smile of her own appeared as you ran your fingers through her hair.

“But if you really want to know what I think,” You said as you softly petted her ears, “I think you look a lot cuter without the bow.”

Blake quickly looked down, but you thought you saw a hint of blush on her cheeks which caused you to chuckle as you stopped petting her ears.

“Come on, it’s getting late. We should head back.” You said, motioning to the dorms

“Okay.” She said as she retied her bow and started walking back with you.

Over the next few days, you and Blake were seen together with more frequency than before, and the resulting jokes that you two made a cute couple increased as well. While something inside you said that Blake hiding the fact that she was a Faunus wasn’t a good idea, it was what she wanted so you respected her wish. About a week later, you and your team were walking back to Beacon from lunch at your Uncle Jay’s when you got a message on your scroll.

“What is it (y/n)?” Daisy asked

“Message from Blake,” you said as you read the text, “says she wants to talk with me in front of that statue in the gardens.”

“Alone? How romantic!” Carmen said

“Knock it off, you guys.” You said, trying to hide the blush growing on your cheeks

When you approached the entrance to the gardens, you saw a shady-looking figure look around before going inside. You didn’t get a good look at him, but the white mask with red markings was pretty clear to you, and to the others from the look on their faces. Looking to each other and nodding, you silently scouted ahead while the others called in their weapons lockers.

Slowly following the man, you were able to get a better look at him. He had reddish-brown hair and was wearing a black trench coat with black pants and shoes, all of them with red trim and decorations. The others caught up with you just as the man reached the statue where you were supposed to meet Blake. Speaking of Blake, she soon appeared on the scene and seemed very surprised to see this man.

“Adam?! How did you…What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for you, my love.” The man named Adam said

“Stop calling me that, I’m not your love.”

“Of course, you have someone else in your life now.” He said as your friends looked at each other and then at you, “Do you really think he’ll still love you when the truth comes out? You’re going to have to tell him at some point, Blake, this isn’t something you run away from forever so why waste your time? Come back to us Blake, the White Fang always has room for you.”

When Adam said this, you all froze for a second. Was Blake a part of the White Fang?

“I’m not running, and I’m never going back. I’m making a difference the way I want to.”

“I see…then you force my hand, my love.”

Before you even had time to think about reacting, Adam knocked Blake out and slung her over his shoulder before dashing back towards Vale.You tried to follow but he was too fast and you quickly lost sight of him.

“Carmen, can you track him?” You asked, looking and sounding visibly worried

Carmen nodded and activated her Semblance, her eyes glowing bright green until she came back to normal.

“He went to an old warehouse a few miles from your uncle’s café. (Y/N) that guy was from the White Fang, are you sure you want to mess with him?”

“He kidnapped Blake, and no one messes with people that I care about.”

“So you do love her!” Daisy said

“I... I…We’ll talk about this later, come on!”

About 30 minutes of running through the silent streets of Vale, you had arrived at the warehouse. Nick had called Ms. Goodwitch and she would arrive in about 10 minutes with the authorities.

“I’m not waiting for 10 minutes, who knows what could happen to Blake?” You said

“So what? We just walk in the front door?” Carmen asked

You knew that the front door was suicide, but you then spotted an open window to the second story and a plan came to you.

“I have an idea. Daisy, I need you to make a copy of me.”

Daisy nodded and concentrated, her hands started to glow yellow as your own body started to glow (f/c). A portion of your Aura left your body and Daisy molded it into an exact duplicate of you. Looking at your double, you and your group nodded as you climbed up to the window and walked along the upper rafters of the warehouse.

Thankfully, no one noticed your entrance since the lights hung from these rafters. The four of you looked down to see about 30 or so White Fang moving crates around the large warehouse. Near the back, you spotted what looked like covered cages and various sounds could be heard from inside of them. Looking to the other side, however, you saw Adam walk in with Blake still over his shoulder; from the sound of it, she was starting to come to so you signaled Daisy to bring the double in. Silently falling to the ground, the clone moved behind crates as he unlocked his version of Tooth & Nail, then Daisy made a motion towards you and your hands started faintly glowing to signal that you now had control over your double. You moved him into position and the others readied their weapons as Blake regained consciousness and began to realize where she was.

“Why am I here Adam?”

“I told you, you’ve forced my hand Blake. Take a look around you, these Dust and weapon shipments will be moved out of this warehouse within the next few days, right under the authorities’ noses. Our plan is moving along quite nicely thanks to the help of some new…acquaintances. We’re that much closer to bringing peace to this world.”

“In exchange for possibly millions of innocent lives!” Blake responded

“No one’s life is completely innocent anymore, you seem to forget that we’ve lost just as many brothers and sisters at the hands of mankind. What're a few human deaths in retaliation? I thought you and I were going to change the world together, we were going to light the fires of revolution!” Adam said, earning cheers from some of the White Fang as they continued with their work

“I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace!” She said as she noticed Gambol Shroud still on the ground next to her

“What you want is impossible!” Adam yelled as he kicked Gambol Shroud away, “What has to happen for you to see that?!” He yelled as he struck Blake with the back of his hand

That was the line; you commanded your double to rush out from behind the crates at Adam.

“STAY AWAY FROM HER!” your clone yelled as Adam and Blake turned to see you rushing forward

“(Y/N)?” Blake said, her eyes widening as she noticed Adam grab for Wilt, “NO, NO (Y/N) STAY BACK!”

Despite Blake’s pleas your clone charged at Adam, and with a single draw of Wilt, fell to the floor behind him. As the blade cut, you felt a sharp pain in your stomach but it subsided quickly as Blake crawled over to your “body” while you dropped down to the opposite side where your clone appeared.

“(Y/N)?” Blake asked your clone, receiving no answer as you could hear her sobs start to build from up in the rafters, “No…No (y/n) please. Please don’t leave me.”

“He isn’t dead,” Adam said as he removed Wilt from Blush, “but he will suffer; and you will suffer with him, my love. You will suffer for your betrayal.”

Suddenly, from out of the shadows you charged forward, Tooth & Nail’s blades extended as you nearly got the drop on Adam. But at the last second, he blocked with Blush, the force of your strike still sliding him away from you and Blake.

“(Y/N)?!” Blake said in shock as she looked at your double, glowing (f/c) as he dissolved into flakes of light and returned to you, your Aura now whole again.

“No one messes with the people I care about.” You said looking back at her for a split second

“Clever ploy,” Adam said as he readied his counterattack, “at least now you can die togeth-” His hand left Wilt and answered what looked like an earpiece communicator, “What? … We’re working on … how soon? … Very well, I’m on my way.”

Outside, you could hear a Bullhead jet overhead as another White Fang entered the building. He looked very different from the others, he wasn’t wearing much armor and he wore a mouth cover, which had green markings to almost represent fangs, in addition to the standard mask, which also had green markings around the edges.

“I’ll take it from here Taurus, you’re needed elsewhere.” This new White Fang said

“Tamer…Well this is your operation. Very well, prove to us that you are deserving of the title of Alpha.”

You remembered watching a newsfeed regarding these Alphas, high-ranking White Fang with unique skills

“Our day is coming soon my love, and I will not forget this betrayal. So as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love.” He said as he pointed to you, “Starting with him.”

Blake grabbed Gambol Shroud and stepped in front of you, “You’ll have to kill me first.”

Adam stood silent for a minute, before turning around and saying “Why must you hurt me, Blake?” Taking his leave, the doors closed behind him as you heard the sounds of a Bullhead leaving the area.

You and Blake stood silently as this “Tamer” gathered his minions and uttered commands to them. Most of them grabbed weapons from the crates, arming themselves with swords, axes, and rifles, while a few of them rolled one of the covered crates next to him as he removed an elbow-length black glove covering his left hand. Beneath the glove was a cybernetic forearm with tubes connected into his actual flesh.

“So boy, you decided to be the brave knight and save the raven-haired beauty? How poetic, but now your story shall enter a darker chapter.” He said, and with a snap of his fingers, the cloth covering the cage was removed to reveal an Alpha Beowolf chained to the floor of the cage. He then lifted his cybernetic hand and pressed a button, extending needles out of his fingertips which he then stabbed into the Grimm. A deafening roar of pain came from the Grimm as the Tamer’s needles extracted some kind of black liquid from the creature, which was then pumped into his body via the tubes in his arm.

You and Blake looked on in horror as the White Fang’s body began to change shape, getting taller and more muscular. White claws grew out of his fingertips and more spikes of bone starting coming out the length of his arms and creating armor on his chest and shoulders. Finally, his mask started to merge with his face as a muzzle developed, complete with sharp fangs.

“After all, what’s a good story without a climactic battle with a great beast?” The Tamer said in a distorted voice, his body now fully fused with the Grimm

“You seem to have forgotten one little fact,” You said as you put away your blades and activated your Ice Dust, your gauntlets becoming coated in a thin layer of frost, “no knight travels alone. NOW!”

Twin beams of ice blasted out of your gauntlets; the Tamer blocked the brunt of the blast but the surrounding area was covered in ice and frost. Within the whitewash of the blast, Daisy and Carmen dropped down and dealt with the White Fang. Daisy danced around the warehouse disarming soldiers left and right with her staff and Carmen followed up with a blow from her shock tonfa, rendering them paralyzed. In the back, you could hear gunshots and the cries of Grimm, and you knew that Nick was dealing with whatever was in the other cages; a smart idea since you had no idea how long the Tamer was going to stay in that form.

As you ran out of Ice Dust and the beams began to weaken, the Tamer started to go on the offensive. You could see that the cold had slowed his movement a little but he was still much faster than the other White Fang as he darted around you and Blake, his claws just barely missing you.

“Nick, I could use a weak point!” You yelled blocking another swipe

Nick finished off the last Boarbatusk and turned to you, his twin guns Ebb and Flow fused into their rifle form. Firing off an ice shot right behind Blake, he trapped one of the Tamer’s legs in a thick casing of ice. Jumping up to the rafters for a second, his glasses glowed white as he activated his Semblance while you blocked his swipes with your own blades that were coated in Earth Dust for extra defense. Looking over the Tamer, he split Ebb and Flow into their individual guns and then into their sword forms. Jumping down, he just barely missed as the Tamer freed his leg and ran back into the shadows.

“Aim for his cyber-arm, it’s keeping that black junk circulating through his body. We take that out and he turns back.”

“A little help here!” Carmen yelled out as what looked like reinforcements came through the back doors

Nick ran ahead to help Carmen and Daisy as you and Blake followed quickly behind. The White Fang attacked relentlessly, and they seemed to focus on attacking Blake probably because of her turning on them. When it looked like you had gotten all of them, you used the last of your Earth Dust to restrict their movement. As you turned back to Blake, she had a thankful smile on her face when her eyes widened and she suddenly vanished. Another instant later, you heard Blake shriek in what sounded like pain; turning around you saw that the Tamer, which you hadn’t seen for most of the fight, was biting down into her shoulder, something most likely meant for you. The Tamer then threw her to the side, the last of her Aura being used to resist the impact against the concrete wall as she slid to the floor with a purple field crackling around her.

“I guess cats don’t always land on their feet.” The Tamer said with a bloody smile as he kicked some nearby crates, causing one on top to come crashing down onto Blake’s leg.

“BLAKE!” You said as you felt the deepest anger possible as the Tamer turned to you. A green flash of light radiated from you as you rushed your Semblance’s activation, using your increased speed to rip the Tamer’s robotic arm off of his body. Crashing your fists together and using your lightning dust, your fists were violently crackling as you beat the Tamer with some strong punches and a few choice words.

“I. SAID. STAY. AWAY. FROM. HER!” You yelled with each punch, the last of which sent him flying across the warehouse before crashing into a rather large weapon crate.

Almost instantly after the Tamer was dealt with you dropped to one knee, your body worn out from using your Semblance so suddenly. Another second later, Glynda burst through the doorway along with a police squad. While the authorities dealt with the White Fang, she turned to you and your team.

“What happened?” She asked

“We’re fine.” You said between heavy breaths, “But Blake needs help.”

You pointed to the crate that fell and Ms. Goodwitch lifted it with her telekinesis to find Blake unconscious underneath it. Nick and Carmen helped you up as you and the others left the scene to the police.

The next day, officers asked you and your team about what happened in the warehouse and you answered their questions. Blake was in the school’s infirmary, but she didn’t wake up until a few days later. The morning you found out Blake had woken up; you were on your way to see her when you ran into your teammates after they came back from running some errands.

“Hey (y/n), you going to see Blake?” Daisy asked

“Yeah, just got word that she’s up. What are those?” You said noticing the letters they had

“Oh, they’re letters from General Ironwood of Atlas. He wanted to congratulate us on the blow we dealt to the White Fang.”

“Cool, leave mine on my bed. I’ll read it when I get back.” You said as they let you pass

“(Y/N),” Carmen said as you turned around, “you are going to tell Blake how you feel about her right?”

Like you promised, you and the others talked about you and Blake when you got back from the warehouse, and it helped to sort out your feelings concerning Blake.

“Yes.” You answered

“Okay, well when you see her, tell her that she’s still our friend no matter what.” Carmen said with a smile, causing you to smile as you headed for the infirmary

The nurse at the front gave you directions to Blake’s room and when you turned a corner, you saw Ruby, Weiss, and Yang sitting in front of the door.

“(Y/N)?” Yang said noticing your approach

“Hey guys.”

“What happened to Blake?” Weiss asked

“She hasn’t told you?” You asked to which they shook their heads

“She said she wanted to talk to you first. She didn’t say why.” Ruby answered

“Oh, okay. Is she awake?”

The girls nodded and you turned to her door.

“Listen, what Blake tells you might be a shock, but let her explain herself first, all right?”

The girls nodded again and you entered the room.

The room had the standard Beacon infirmary layout and in the lone bed looking out the window to the gardens sat Blake, a cast around her right leg which was broken when the crate came crashing down.

“Blake?” You said, causing her to turn head to you

“Hey (y/n).” She said as you sat down next to her

“You doing okay?”

“I guess. You?”

“I’m fine.”

There was an awkward silence before you finally addressed the elephant in the room.

“I have to know Blake; why did you leave the White Fang?”

Blake looked shocked that you brought it up so suddenly, but you could tell that she knew why.

“We were being treated like equals, but not out of respect. Out of fear. So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. Instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress.”

“Well at least you realized what was happening. I’m assuming Ozpin and Goodwitch know, does anyone else?”

Blake didn’t respond, instead, she looked down at the cast on her leg. Her shoulders started shaking and you could see tears falling from her face.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong?” You said as she looked up at you still crying

“I’m sorry (y/n). I’m so sorry.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You almost got hurt because of me. You learned about my past in a way I hoped you never would. The reason I messaged you that night was because I wanted to tell you myself. I was so scared that if you didn’t know and it came up some other way, you and the others wouldn’t think of me as a friend anymore.”

You slowly reached for Blake’s hand as you wiped away a tear from her cheek. “I don’t care about what happened in the past. The important thing is that you made a change for the better. You’re still a friend Blake, to me and my teammates and…I guess I see you as more than a friend.”

Blake looked up to see you were blushing, and a blush appeared on her cheeks. Scooting closer to you, she wrapped her arms around you and you reciprocated the hug. As you held each other, you thought for a split second that you heard her purring in your arms. When you released each other, you moved some hair out of her face and caressed her cheek. She leaned into your touch as your faces slowly moved into a kiss. Time seemed to slow down as the two of you savored the moment, before finally releasing each other since you needed to breathe.

“I love you (y/n).” She said

“I love you too Blake.” You said as you heard a knock on the door

The two of you turned to see Ruby and the others, your team included, at the door.

“You want me to stay with you?” You asked

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” You said with another kiss to her cheek as you wave everybody in

After having the cast removed a few weeks later, Blake was walking out of class when she felt something on the end of her ribbon. She looked down to see a note taped to the end, and looking at the note she recognized our handwriting.

Meet me by our tree after class. Got a little something for you.

Arriving at the tree in the gardens, Blake looked around but couldn’t see any sign of you.

“(Y/N)?” She called out

“You called?” The tree replied

Jumping at the sound, Blake looked up to see you in the tree resting on some branches.

“Come on up.” You said as she climbed up to meet you

“This is nice,” she said as she rested on your shoulder, “so you got me a little present?”

“Maybe, but first you have to take off your bow.”

“Why?”

“I told you,” you said as you kissed her on the cheek, “you look cuter without it.”

Blake smiled as she undid the black ribbon and revealed her Faunus ears as you took a book out from behind your back. You learned from Ruby and Yang that Blake’s favorite book is “Ninjas of Love, Volume 1” and in your hand was a copy of “Ninjas of Love, Volume 2”.

“Uncle Jay got it in just last week.” You said as Blake’s face lit up with joy

“(Y/N)! Thank you!” She said as you gave her the book

“But you want to know the best part?”

“This isn’t the best part?” She asked as you shook your head

“Take a look inside.”

Blake opened the cover and you couldn’t help but smile as her jaw dropped to see the sketch of her you had drawn on the inside, coupled with the caption: “To my raven-haired beauty”

Closing the book and kissing you on the cheek in return, Blake nestled herself in your arm as the two of you enjoyed the day together.

“Love you.” She said as she started reading

“Love you too.” You said back