10

 2Chapter 10: V1C10: Uncomfortable Truths

Ruby sighed as she looked over at Blake's empty bed when she woke up. They had practically turned Beacon upside down looking for her the previous night and had been forced to retire for the night when 3 am came and went with no luck. Ruby had held on to the hope that their wayward friend would return during the night but that clearly hadn't been the case.

After getting everyone else up, Ruby trudged to the kitchen where Teams RWBY and JNPR ate breakfast only to find Team JNPR sitting around the table with no Shirou or food in sight.

"Where's Shirou?" Ruby asked as she took a seat next to Ren.

"No idea," Jaune said. "He's usually up and in here before any of us."

"We just figured he slept through his alarm or something so we're letting him sleep in," Nora said.

Ruby shared a concerned look with her teammates before getting up and walking off. "Hey, where's Blake?" Ren asked.

"We don't know," Yang said with a sigh. "There was an argument last night and some things were said that made her run off."

"Have you tried calling her?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, but she won't answer. That little Aura reading app says she's fine so at least there's that."

"Shirou's not in his room," Ruby said as she returned.

"Now that's odd. Shirou is very much a creature of habit so something must have forced a change of schedule," Ren said.

"Maybe he's with Blake?" Ruby suggested.

"They have been a lot closer this past week," Yang commented.

"Have you already checked around Beacon?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, we did that last night."

"Then they're probably somewhere in Vale. I'll make us something to eat and then we can start searching," Ren said as he got up and walked over to the pantry.

"Oh, you don't have to do that! You guys can do whatever you were gonna do. We can search for Blake," Ruby said.

"Nonsense. Blake is our friend, too, so, even if she is with Shirou, we should help look for her," Pyrrha said.

"Thanks, guys. This really means a lot to us," Yang said as she smiled at Team JNPR.

"Ah, don't mention it. It's the least we can do," Jaune said.

As the conversation turned to more casual topics, Ruby looked over to Weiss, who had been silent the entire time. Her partner was currently staring blankly down at her Scroll, looking as if she was reading something but Ruby knew better. She would have to try and talk to her in private at some point before they found Blake. While she was terrible at this sort of thing, she got the impression that her friend could really use a sympathetic ear and providing just that was the least she could do.

OoOoOoO

When Blake awoke, it took her a few moments to remember just where she was and what she was doing there. Once her mind caught up, she struggled with trying to decide what emotion she should be feeling more of and in what order she should be feeling them. Her argument with Weiss had been disastrous, to say the least, and Shirou revealing what he knew and for how long made her feel like a child trying to hide that they had eaten from the cookie jar despite the crumbs all over their face. And now she found herself in his apartment, laying in his bed, wearing one of his pajamas (which fit her surprisingly well), and he was currently cooking breakfast if her nose was anything to go by.

Blake really didn't know why she had accepted Shirou's offer. Well, she knew exactly why but she shouldn't have done it anyway. She had made a mess of everything, revealed things that should have been left secret, and now she had drug Shirou into her problems. Well, no more. She would get dressed and then quietly slip out the window down the fire escape. From there, she could—

"If you're thinking about running away, I really wish you wouldn't," Shirou said from in the kitchen.

Blake froze in her movement, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. How did Shirou know what she had been thinking? How did he even know that she was awake? She knew her friend was very perceptive but this level was just too much. She contemplated bolting anyway but decided that doing so would just be an insult to his hospitality and decided instead to confront him. That being said, she didn't want to confront him while wearing his pajamas but a cursory inspection of the room (which was almost painfully bare; containing only a bed and a clock) didn't turn up her clothing and she didn't feel comfortable rooting around his closet.

With no other option that she wished to take, Blake stepped out of Shirou's bedroom while still wearing his pajamas.

"Glad to see you're awake," Shirou said, his back to her as he worked away in the kitchen of his apartment. "I'm sorry that your clothes aren't ready. I threw them in the wash and you woke up before they were done. It'll only be a few more minutes now."

"That's alright. I've imposed more than enough as is. You really didn't have to do that," Blake said as she walked over to the small couch and took a seat. Somewhat unsurprisingly, she found a pot of coffee sitting on the coffee table along with two cups and various additives. Actually taking the time to look around the place, she found that Shirou's entire apartment was just as scarcely furnished as his bedroom had been and there wasn't a decoration to be found anywhere. The closest thing was a small bookshelf that was filled with about a dozen reference books.

"It's the least I could do. You are my guest and, as such, I must be a good host. Breakfast will be finished in just a moment then you are free to use the bath. Your clothes will be finished drying by the time you get out."

Blake stared down into her coffee, her hands gripping the mug tightly as she swallowed thickly and tried to get a hold of her emotions. "Thank you, Shirou."

"It's no problem. After all, what are friends for?"

As Shirou laid out breakfast— grilled fish, rice, a murky soup that he said was called miso soup, pickles, and a strange looking omelet; Blake warred with herself. This absurd level of hospitality wasn't something she had ever experienced before and certainly wasn't something she expected to receive from someone who knew she was a Faunus. In fact, she felt very exposed at the moment, sitting as she was with her cat ears and secrets fully out in the open. Emiya Shirou was definitely someone she could explicitly trust but she had become so used to deception and lies that having all of them torn away felt so wrong that she had no idea how to deal with it.

As they ate, Blake tried to figure out just what it was she wanted to do. She hated to impose on Shirou any more than she already had but the idea of bearing it all to a sympathetic ear was certainly very appealing. While there's no way Shirou could fully understand what the Faunus went through, he had already demonstrated himself to be of a very open mind and compassionate disposition so he would at least be able to sympathize and probably wouldn't judge her.

After they finished eating, Shirou collected their dishes and returned to the kitchen to clean up. "Feel free to use the shower. The bathroom is opposite my room. I'd prepare the bath for you but it's just a shower. A clean towel and sponge are sitting on the sink."

"Oh. Uh… Th-thanks. I think I'll do that," Blake said almost absently as she both contemplated her future actions and continued to be amazed at the hospitality.

"I'll lay your clothes out on my bed once they're done. Sadly, there's nothing I can really do about your undergarments so you'll have to make due with the ones you're currently wearing."

"That's fine. Th-thanks again, Shirou."

"Again, it's no problem."

OoOoOoO

While Blake got dressed after her shower, she contemplated one of the conclusions she had reached during it. There was something about Shirou's apartment that had been nagging at her ever since she set foot in it and that nagging feeling had only been exacerbated by his insane hospitality. The discovery of both a hair towel and hair dryer that he'd have no reason to own only cemented the discovery.

Emiya Shirou did not care about his own wellbeing.

There was absolutely nothing not strictly necessary in the apartment outside of the kitchen. No decorations, no special furniture, no television or radio, no works of fiction, no board games, nothing. The furniture he did have was so bland as to be virtually nondescript and the layout was purely pragmatic; favoring function over form.

Now, given what she knew of his history, it might be safe to assume that Shirou simply didn't own many personal items and what he did own was in his room at Beacon but Blake had been inside his room on more than one occasion for study sessions. She knew that his room there was just as scarcely furnished as his room here. Aside from his clothing, weapons, and Scroll; he had no personal effects.

Emiya Shirou was a man who would go out of his way to ensure the comfort and wellbeing of others but spared no thought for himself in regards to such matters. Even in the short time she had known him, Blake had countless memories of him doing things for others but couldn't think of a single instance of him doing something for himself aside from telling her his past but, even then, she wondered. He had never even so much as asked for help with schoolwork. Even his outing with Coco and Velvet seemed to have been done purely because Coco had practically forced him.

No matter how much she thought about it, this fact made no sense to Blake. Did Shirou deny himself everything because he had lost everything twice? Did he fear losing everything again? But how does that explain him being so unusually willing to help others and be seemingly unwilling to ask for help in return? Then again, could she ever really understand someone who had gone through what he had? She had never gone through anything like that herself, after all, and if he could never fully understand what she went through due to their differences, what made her think she could ever fully understand what he went through?

Assuming that she could understand him was certainly the height of hubris.

Accepting that fact, Blake resolved herself. She would continue to impose on Shirou by revealing her burdens fully to him but she would also remain vigilant. If it ever looked like he needed help with anything, no matter what it was, she would offer him her help. No, she would insist that she help him since there was no doubt in her mind that he would refuse any offer.

It was the least she could do for such a wonderful friend.

OoOoOoO

Blake sat down on the small couch in Shirou's apartment, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. Across from her, in a simple chair, sat Shirou who was flipping through his herbology textbook. She knew that he wouldn't say or ask anything and would gladly sit through any amount of awkward silence to ensure that she only spoke when she wanted. Blake admired him for that and decided to get it over with.

"I've been a member of the White Fang for nearly all of my life," Blake began suddenly. Shirou looked up at her before shutting his book and setting it aside, giving her his undivided attention. "You could almost say I was born into it. Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as the voice of our people. And I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. I actually thought we were making a difference. But I was just a youthful optimist.

"Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one took his place. A new leader with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor. And the worst part was, it was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect… out of fear.

"So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence and instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. So here I am; a criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little black bow."

Shirou and Blake sat in silence for a moment before Shirou nodded. "I see. Just to be clear, I am familiar with the history of the White Fang. As such, I'm pretty sure I know who your parents are and thus can guess how that impacted your later decisions." Blake nodded slowly, not terribly surprised. "Now, I won't say that you're not a criminal or anything like that. Actions you've taken as a member of the White Fang after Sienna Khan took over hurt a lot of people; directly and indirectly. Those are the sins you bear and no one in this world can free you from them. Only you have the power to do that."

Blake's cat ears drooped as she stared into her coffee, "I know."

"That being said, I can tell that you're trying to atone for them. That's one of the reasons you want to be a Huntress, right?"

"That's right. I'm also hoping that, if I become famous, I can do something for the Faunus as a whole."

Shirou nodded, "An admirable goal. Of course, you do realize that becoming a Huntress will mean that you'll end up fighting the White Fang, right? So long as they remain a terrorist organization, you will be called to fight them."

"I know. I don't like it but I'll be ready to do what needs to be done when the time comes."

"Let's hope you are. I take it you haven't told any of this to your teammates?"

"No, I haven't. Not directly, anyway. Last night, while I was arguing with Weiss, I implied that I was a Faunus and a member, though."

"How did they react?"

"I don't know. I ran before they really could."

Shirou hummed, "I'd suggest that you return to them and explain everything but the choice is yours."

Blake was silent for a long while, lost in thought. "I still don't believe that the White Fang is behind all of these thefts. They've never needed this much Dust before."

"So you want to look into it? Find out one way or the other?"

"Yes, but I don't really know how to go about doing that." At her words, Shirou pulled out his Scroll and began working on it. "What are you doing?"

"The docking and departure schedules for ships is a matter of public record. All I need to do is check the records to see if any ships from Dust companies are either currently at port or are about to make port. While it's impossible to say if our thief will target something that large, staking out a cargo ship is a lot easier than trying to stake out every Dust shop in Vale. Ah, here we go. A freighter from the Schnee Dust Company is going to be making port at Dock 113 this Monday."

"So, if they're going to make a move, it'll be then. Alright. I'm going to wait and stake the place out Monday night and see if anything happens."

"Very well. Then I'll help you."

"No, you really shouldn't. You shouldn't miss a day of school because of me."

"Blake, a single day of school won't matter. Besides, if someone does show up to steal it, they'll need to be stopped no matter who they are and that'll be a lot easier with the two of us. This is especially true if the White Fang really is behind it."

Blake gave Shirou an indecipherable look for a long moment before relenting. "If you insist. Thanks, Shirou."

"You really should stop thanking me so much. This really is no trouble at all."

OoOoOoO

The City of Vale was a shining example of mankind's prowess. Every kind of shop imaginable could be found, any type of food you'd ever want was yours, all kinds of entertainment was at the disposal of its residents, and the citizens enjoyed a great degree of safety thanks to not only Vale's military but also the presence of Beacon Academy not that far away and a number of lesser academies that dotted the area.

That being said, it was also a sprawling maze filled to the brim with people so trying to find one specific person there was a lot like finding a needle in a haystack. As if that wasn't enough, the ever approaching Vytal Festival meant that even more people were here than usual. All of this meant that, even after twelve hours of searching, Team JNPR and the remains of Team RWBY were no closer to finding Blake than they had been when they started. They had even gone so far as to split into two-man teams (with Yang going off on her own) to expedite the process.

This was how one Ruby Rose found herself in a park in Vale's residential district, taking a break with her partner, Weiss. They had been scouring the residential district for the past four hours and both girls were fairly exhausted. They had even gone so far as to use their Semblances but that only succeeded in tiring them out even further. They still had time to check a couple more streets before they'd have to head back to the airship port to meet up with the others but Ruby had another idea in mind.

There had been a couple of occasions where Ruby had the chance to speak privately with her partner but the simple fact of the matter was that she had no idea where to begin. Weiss had been quiet and distant the entire day, only putting enough effort in so she wouldn't fall behind, and anything she did say was done in as few words as possible. Now, however, was different. Weiss no longer looked closed off, she just seemed distracted and sitting as she was on the bench, bathed in the soft light of the setting sun, Ruby felt a hitherto unknown courage well up inside her.

"Hey, Weiss, are you okay?" Ruby asked gently.

"Of course. I'm perfectly fine," Weiss replied as she tried to close herself off again. Ruby, however, was having none of that and gave her partner a flat, knowing look until Weiss caved and sighed irritably. "Well, maybe not perfectly but I am fine."

"But you've been really quiet all day and it's like you're not even trying to find Blake."

"I apologize if my recent behavior offended you. I've just had a lot on my mind today and have been doing a lot of thinking."

"About what?"

"About—" Weiss made a pained expression as she warred with herself for a moment, "About Blake."

"Because she hid that she was a Faunus from us?"

"A little, maybe, but it's the other thing that bothers me more."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really but you'll pester me until I do, won't you?"

"Yep!"

"You remember what I told her last night? About my upbringing? It's just that… the White Fang has always been like a boogeyman to me. A monster in my closet waiting to get me as I sleep. Except mine was real. There really were people out there who wanted me dead and no amount of night lights would stop them. Learning that a teammate, someone who's lived with me for months now, is one of them is just… I don't know how I should feel about that."

"I don't think Blake would hurt you, Weiss."

"I don't want to think that but… I'm not so certain."

It seemed as if Weiss had said her peace but, in a rare moment of insight, Ruby could tell that her partner was still holding back. "There's something else bothering you," she said.

Weiss opened and closed her mouth a few times before sighing deeply, her shoulders slumping slightly as she fell out of her usual almost regal pose. "What's bothering me is that I don't understand why it's bothering me. So a member of my team is also a member of the White Fang. So what? I should be glad. I can out another member of that group, the authorities can probably get more information on the White Fang out of her, and I get elevated in the eyes of my father. If we managed to find Blake, everything works out in my favor and yet… a part of me doesn't want to find Blake. A part of me hopes that, if she really is working with the White Fang, that she just vanishes from my life completely so that way I don't have to bring her in."

"You're worried about her."

"I know I am but I shouldn't be. All my life, I was taught that I had to place myself and my own goals first in order to be strong. The people around me exist only to be used to further myself because, in the end, that's the only thing in this world that matters. I should be able to just hunt her down and turn her in. It's what Father would say I should do."

"Then why can't you?"

"Because… Because… I just can't. She's— Blake's my teammate and I've been working with her for months now and I just can't. She's— I can't— It's just—" Weiss clenched her eyes shut even as she squeezed the hem of her skirt so hard her knuckles turned white. Every muscle in her body was visibly tense, almost to the point of making her shake, as she tried to fight through the confusing hurricane of emotions she was currently feeling. Concerned, Ruby tentatively reached out to place a hand on her friend's back but stopped when Weiss suddenly spoke.

"She's my friend, Ruby," Weiss said in a small voice as tears started to fall from her eyes. "She's my friend and I can't hurt her any more than I already have. Because I was so stupid and shortsighted, I hurt Blake and made her run away and wander a foreign city completely alone. If I find her, I don't know what I'll say. I might just lash out without thinking and hurt her more. I don't want to do that but I don't want things to stay as they are now. What could I possibly say to her to make things better?"

"You could say 'I'm sorry.'"

"It's not that simple, Ruby."

"It might be. How hard this is is up to you and her. Sometimes, two little words are all it takes."

Weiss fell silent as she stared down at her lap, her breathing ragged as she tried to stop her tears. Seeing the partner that she so admired in such duress made Ruby's heart ache with sympathy so she did the first thing that came to mind. Without any hesitation, Ruby reached out and enveloped Weiss in a hug.

"It's okay to be worried about your friends, Weiss. It doesn't make you weak, it just shows that you care about them," Ruby said gently as she felt Weiss stiffen in her arms. A second passed with Weiss completely motionless and Ruby was just starting to wonder if she had made a mistake when the other girl suddenly relaxed and returned the hug was near bone-crushing force. Ruby held Weiss and gently stroked her hair as her partner's tears of frustration finally fell freely.

Ruby didn't know how long they sat like that but she didn't care. Eventually, Weiss finally calmed down and gently pushed herself away from her partner. She sniffed and wiped at her puffy eyes before smiling at Ruby and giving her a playful shove.

"You force me to talk to you, make me cry, and then have the gall to hold me. You're such a manipulative dolt," Weiss said, the fondness of her voice taking the sting out of her words.

Ruby smiled back, "Well, at least I was the only one around to see it."

"I'd say that's bad enough on its own. Anyway, we've wasted enough time here. We should head back to the port," Weiss said as she got up and started to walk away. Ruby smiled at her partner for a moment before following her, glad to see that the weight that had been on her all day was gone.

OoOoOoO

Sunday morning came to find Shirou and Blake sitting in the former's apartment, a shogi board laid out on the table between them as the news played in the background. Saturday had been spent simply enough with the two mostly keeping to themselves with their reading and occasionally making small talk but that night had been a bit more interesting. Blake adamantly refused to go to sleep wearing Shirou's clothing again so a trip to the store was required. While they were out, Shirou just so happened to spy a shogi set and decided to purchase it on a whim. While he wasn't much for board games— or anything that didn't relate to cooking or achieving his goal— his father had a passion for the game and had practically forced Shirou to play against him countless times. The nostalgic feeling the game gave him aside, Shirou also figured that having some other form of entertainment for Blake would be good and, given her personality, he figured that she would enjoy it. While Blake had never played shogi before, she was willing to try it out. After that, the remainder of the night had been spent with Shirou teaching her the rules of the game and now, after breakfast, they were finally having their first real game.

Despite Shirou's years of experience, the game was relatively evenly matched. While Shirou had never been as good as Kiritsugu, he had been fairly good at the game but the fact that he hadn't touched it since Kiritsugu's death left him more than a little rusty. On Blake's end, while she had never played shogi before, she certainly possessed the mindset and base skills needed to be good at it and was picking up on some of the game's subtleties quickly. As such, Shirou was still in a position to win but Blake had been making it a decent challenge.

As the game went on, Shirou's Scroll droned in the background, today's weather forecast currently being displayed. It had been turned on largely to have some background noise during breakfast but it finally caught Shirou's attention when the news came on.

"Our top story today: A Faunus man was shot to death by police in Vale's industrial district late last night. Sources say that Emeric Marcel, who worked as an Assistant Manager for Valian Power Ltd., was on his way to a nearby twenty-four-hour cafe while pulling an all-nighter when police approached him." Wary of his current company, Shirou reached for the Scroll to turn it off only to be surprised when Blake stopped him.

"I appreciate the sentiment but I can't ignore these things just because they're uncomfortable. Vale may be the most progressive kingdom on Remnant in terms of Faunus rights but that doesn't mean I can turn a blind eye to things like this," she said, her tone deathly serious. Shirou nodded and turned the volume up a little.

"—and was shot nine times while attempting to surrender," the reporter said. "When asked for comment, Vale's Chief of Police, Sheldon Flash, said that the officers' conduct was well within the code but that they would be placed on the standard one-month probation while her psychiatric profile is evaluated."

Shirou scowled at the screen while Blake looked despondent. What remained of Shirou's ideals cried out at such a grave injustice but he ruthlessly quelled that voice before giving Blake a concerned look. Without her bow on, it was easy to read her emotional state from the way her cat ears drooped so low as to nearly be flush with her scalp. When Blake noticed his look, she spoke in a not-quite-monotone. "Honestly, that's far from the worst thing to happen to one of my people in recent years."

Despite this line of conversation making them both uncomfortable, it was something that Shirou knew he couldn't look away from. "I have to admit that I'm regrettably in the dark about that. My knowledge of any specific events ends after the Faunus Rights Revolution. I don't even know what caused the White Fang to form."

"That's not surprising," Blake said with a sigh. "It's not your fault, either. Most history books rarely mention us after that. The White Fang was started by my parents nearly forty years ago to try and combat the oppression that was still going on. There wasn't any big event that started it; my parents and a few of their friends simply got a big idea in their heads and got to work. Like I said before, it started out as a peaceful organization that staged rallies, protests, and boycotts to try and change things. While it wasn't without its success, most companies and governments opted to ignore us completely with some even trying to vilify us."

"If they were supposed to be a peaceful organization then why that name?" Shirou asked as Blake paused to take a drink. "'White Fang' isn't really something that sounds peaceful to me."

"A lot of animals have fangs, Shirou, even Humans. That doesn't make them evil, though. It's something they're born with, something that's a part of them, something they can't change. A fang is only dangerous when it's used to fight just as we're only dangerous if we're forced to be; the same as anyone else. The color was chosen because of what it represents."

"I suppose that makes—"

"It was also Dad's idea. The others pointed out the problem with it but he was very insistent."

"I see."

"Anyway, things started to go downhill about five years ago. More and more of the White Fang were turning to more violent solutions and the younger members weren't very respectful of my dad, saying that he was too old and too afraid of the Humans to do what needed to be done. Seeing this, my dad decided to step down as the leader and had his student take his place."

"I didn't know that Sienna Khan was a student of your father's."

"Most people don't, even inside the White Fang. It wasn't really a secret but it also wasn't something that was obvious or openly talked about. Dad hoped that Sienna would follow his example and carry on the spirit of the White Fang as the founders intended and that her being younger would make the newer members settle down. What he didn't expect was for Sienna to betray him and start actively militarizing the White Fang. After that betrayal, my parents left the White Fang and exiled themselves to Menagerie."

"What made you decide to stay?"

"I… agreed with Sienna and the others. Like I said, answering bigotry with violence was actually working. Aside from that, there was… another member that I was… in a relationship with. I wanted to stay by his side and make a world for the Faunus with him."

"What finally made you leave?"

"A number of things. The biggest was when a mission took me through a small town near the edge of Vale's territory. In our efforts to weaken Vale and get them to pay attention to us, we ended up cutting their supply lines. Their supplies were running low, they weren't set up enough to be self-sufficient, and it would take too long for them to get support from the nearest settlement. Everyone there had given up. The entire place was filled with death. Even though no one had physically died yet, the death I could feel there was so heavy that it felt like a curse. A curse aimed at the world, at all those who remained living. That village was a place of walking corpses and, by now, they all should be dead in body as well.

"After that, I started to actually think about things. About the ramifications of our actions. About all of the pain and suffering we were causing to perfectly good, innocent people. Once that village that still haunts my dreams forced open my eyes, I couldn't stop seeing it. I couldn't stop seeing it and I couldn't handle seeing it so I decided to leave. The next chance I got, I abandoned the White Fang and made my way to the City of Vale. You know or can guess the rest."

Shirou sat in silence for a long while, his tea forgotten between his hands. It took all of his willpower to not react too severely to Blake's description of that village but he knew that hiding everything would be impossible. An area smothered by the curse of death, a place filled with the curses of those who are doomed to die, those are places that Emiya Shirou knows all too well and he can likewise understand how seeing such a place can change someone.

When presented with all of this information, with this history of the White Fang that likely very few people, and even fewer Humans, knew, there was but one statement Shirou could make.

"Tell me about the Faunus. Tell me what Humans don't know that we should."

OoOoOoO

Ruby, Yang, and Weiss were walking down a randomly chosen street, calling out for their wayward teammate. Sunday had come and gone without any word from Blake or Shirou and it had taken all of Weiss' powers of persuasion to convince Ruby and Yang to attend at least half their classes on Monday. They had a free period after lunch which gave them an hour-and-a-half to try and hunt down Blake before classes resumed. Of course, Ruby and Yang had no intention of returning if they failed and Weiss had to admit that she'd probably end up staying with them.

At least she had managed to convince Team JNPR to not skip their classes too.

Still, after two whole days of fruitless searches, the remainder of Team RWBY was starting to feel more than a little discouraged. It felt like they had covered every inch of Vale yet there wasn't even a single hint of the possibility of a clue to be found anywhere.

"Man, we've looked everywhere!" Ruby said with a sigh.

"I'm starting to get a little worried," Yang added. "I know we've got that app and she can take care of herself and she's probably with Shirou and all that but still."

"If Blake doesn't turn up by tomorrow, I suggest we tell the professors," Weiss said.

"I don't think Blake would like that. Besides, what do we tell them? That Blake told us she was a Faunus and member of the White Fang and then ran away?" Yang asked.

"Of course not! We tell them that Blake and I had an argument Friday night and we haven't seen her since. If we don't tell them, they're likely to ask us where she is anyway."

"I dunno, Weiss. I think that Blake wouldn't like that very much."

"I think that telling them will be our best course of action. Even if Blake doesn't like it, better that than her getting hurt."

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" Penny said from behind Weiss, having somehow snuck up on the group. The three of them screamed and nearly jumped out of their skins before turning on the newcomer.

"Penny! Where did you come from‽" Ruby asked as she tried to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest.

Penny smiled in blissful ignorance. "Hey, guys! What are you up to?"

"We're looking for our friend Blake," Yang said bluntly as Ruby tried to decide how much to tell.

"Ooooh, you mean the Faunus girl!" Penny said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Ruby asked.

"Uhh, the cat ears?" Penny said as she pointed to her head.

Yang chuckled, "What cat ears? She wears a... boooohhh..."

"She does like tuna a lot..." Ruby noted in a whisper.

"Wait a minute, that doesn't answer anything! She was wearing a bow! How do you know she has cat ears?" Weiss asked.

"You mean you didn't see her bow twitch and move on its own? It seemed like the obvious conclusion."

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all stood in dumb silence at this revelation. All of that time around her and they didn't notice a thing. What did that say about their observational skills when a total stranger could see Blake for all of five seconds and piece together what she was?

"So, where is she?" Penny asked.

"We don't know," Ruby said dejectedly. "She's been missing since Friday."

Penny gasped, "That's terrible! Well, don't you worry, Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!"

Ruby did her best to keep smiling even as the strange girl got uncomfortably close, "Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right, guys?" Ruby looked back to where Yang and Weiss were only to see empty air, her teammates nowhere to be found.

"Some friends you are."

OoOoOoO

"Thanks anyways!" Yang said cheerfully to a shopkeeper they had just talked to as she left the shop. Once outside, she dropped her cheerful facade and sighed deeply. "This is hopeless. Seven people looking everywhere for two whole days couldn't find her. What makes me think that we'll have any luck today when there's only three of us?"

"Are you okay, Yang?" Weiss asked somewhat awkwardly. Seeing Yang look depressed was new and trying to cheer someone up was absolutely not a thing she'd ever tried to do before. Where was Ruby when she needed her? She was good at these things.

"Not really. Penny just got me thinking, is all. I've known Blake for a bit over two months now but I don't really know anything about her. I didn't even notice that she was a Faunus and then along comes someone who's seen her for all of five seconds and she noticed it right away."

"To be fair, none of us noticed it and we honestly don't know that much about each other. I don't even know where you all are from."

"Yeah, maybe, but it just feels wrong. She seems closer to Shirou than to any of us and that's fine but we're supposed to be partners. Partners are supposed to stick together through anything, right?"

Weiss bit her bottom lip as she carefully chose her words. This was farther outside her comfort zone than talking to Ruby had been but it was clear that Yang needed someone to talk to so she would provide just that. Ruby had set an example and now it was up to her to follow her leader. "I… think… you're right. Partners should stick together. But we don't really know each other and… bonds like that… take time to form. I'm certain that she'll come around once she gets to know you more."

"That's just the thing: I never gave her the chance. I never gave you the chance, either! I just make bad puns and punch things! It's no wonder that she'd just run away when something bad happened!"

"Yang, we've only known each other for two months. Getting to know someone in such a short period of time is difficult."

"No, it's not! I didn't even try to get to know her! Just look at you and Ruby! You two have spent a lot of time studying together and working together and I've seen you two just talking about whatever sometimes! Look at Jaune and Pyrrha! Look at Ren and Nora! Hell, look at Blake and Shirou! They spent a lot of time together this past week! It's no wonder she willingly ran away with Shirou but wouldn't even try to talk to her partner! Why should she when I've practically gone out of my way to avoid talking to her!"

"Yang… I'm really not the right person to be talking about this. I study with Ruby, sure, and we've talked about a few things but I don't really know much about her and she knows even less about me. That aside, I'm really not the best partner, either. Do you remember during our first week when I got really angry? I was angry at Ruby because I was projecting my flaws as a partner onto her. I didn't understand the first thing about what it meant to be someone's partner and I'm only learning. But I was given some good advice and I think you could use it, too."

"Oh, yeah? What was it?"

"We can learn a lot from each other. I still don't really understand what it takes to be a good partner and maybe you don't quite know either but we can learn a lot from each other and, if we work together, maybe we can figure out how to do that."

Yang smiled genuinely for the first time in a while as she slightly chuckled, "You know, Weiss, I think you're a lot better at this team thing than you think you are. But maybe you're right. Maybe we can figure this whole mess out together. You and me. You and Ruby. Me and Blake."

"Of course we can. But we need to find Blake before we can do that."

"You're right! Well then, let's get going! I'm pretty sure there are some shops near the residential district that we didn't hit up."

As Yang picked up the pace and walked with more of her usual attitude, Weiss couldn't help but smile slightly as she went back over her words. Maybe she could actually learn from her team. Maybe, with their help, she wouldn't have to be a failure forever.

But if she got stronger by relying on others, what would her father say?

OoOoOoO

As night started to fall, Blake and Shirou waited patiently on a roof across from Dock 113, Blake wearing her hunter's attire while Shirou wore a dark gray, long-sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans. They had been there for a few hours now and Shirou was thankful for all of the patience training his father had put him through. Between that and his magecraft training, sitting in one place doing absolutely nothing for several hours didn't drive him insane. How Blake possessed such skills, Shirou didn't know and he wasn't entirely certain that he wanted to know.

They sat in silence, munching on protein bars Shirou had made earlier (Blake had suggested buying some but Shirou would have none of that and let her know his reason why in a strongly worded, highly detailed lecture) when something finally happened. The wind picked up and bright lights flooded the area as a Bullhead aerial vehicle touched down in the center of the cargo containers. A ramp opened up from the back to reveal what looked to be a young adult wearing a black hooded jacket and a fanged mask.

"Oh, no…." Blake said softly from her place beside Shirou.

"I take it that's them?" Shirou asked. As if to answer his question, the hooded figure turned around and revealed the blood red wolf on their back.

"Yes. It's them."

As the figure started shouting orders, Shirou shifted his focus to Blake. "You wished they weren't the ones behind it," he observed.

"I didn't but I knew they had to be. Even after everything, it just hurts to see the truth. Especially now," Blake said as she closed her eyes in sorrow. The movement of her bow indicated that her ears were drooping.

"Hey! What's the holdup‽" Blake's eyes snapped open as she heard a voice that absolutely didn't belong there. She and Shirou looked down at the docks to see none other than Roman Torchwick standing there like he owned the place. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a Human. Especially not one like that," Blake said as she began to rise.

"Don't you remember what I said the other day?" Shirou said, making Blake pause. "Given his knowledge and connections, it makes sense for the White Fang to use him to complete their goals."

Blake growled before crouching down, "You're right. What do you suggest we do?"

"Regardless of anything else, the fact of the matter is that they're stealing large quantities of Dust and need to be stopped. Getting the police involved would take too long so we'll have to stop them ourselves."

"There are a number of people isolated enough from the others that they can be taken out without being seen. With my Semblance, I can easily move from cover-to-cover and take them out," Blake observed.

Shirou nodded, "Sounds as good a plan as any. While it's not my specialty, I'm decent enough at stealth that I should be able to take down a few. I can also snipe a few of them from up here."

"I'll take the ones nearest us while you handle the ones farthest away."

"Are you ready?" In response, Blake readied Gambol Shroud, keeping the blade safely inside its sheath, and dropped off the roof as Shirou readied his bow.

Blake stayed in a low crouch as she carefully made her way around the containers and removed her bow to give herself full access to her enhanced hearing. She was thankful that her particular animal traits gave that to her but she also had to be wary as there was no telling if any of the members of the White Fang that were present also possessed enhanced hearing. Regardless, sneaking past them was kitten's play. Using her power of Shadow, Blake could move in an instant to any spot of her choosing within five meters while leaving behind a doppelganger that would vanish either at will or when struck. As if that weren't enough of an advantage, she let her mind slip back into her mother's many lessons and let her body move as silent as a wraith. Even if a Faunus with enhanced hearing were to stand directly in front of her, they wouldn't hear a thing.

Blake closed in on her first target who was crouched down to examine one of the latches on a container. Unprepared as he was, he had no defenses in place for when Blake slammed the sheathed Gambol Shroud into the side of his head, knocking his mask askew and him to the ground. Moving quickly, Blake swiped one of his hands away with Gambol Shroud before slamming his head into the ground. She pulled him back up by his hair and brushed aside his cracked mask before striking the bridge of his nose with the butt of her weapon and tossing him beside the container. He groaned quietly but didn't move.

Moving on, Blake selected her next target and pressed herself beside the edge of a container. She whistled quietly a few times, ever so slightly raising the volume each time, until the White Fang member noticed and started walking her way. Blake counted other woman's footsteps and waited until she was in the perfect position before lashing out. Like a flash of dark lightning, Blake rose and rounded the corner, one hand brushing the other woman's mask aside and covering her mouth while the base of the palm of the other hand struck her gut just below the sternum to force the air from her lungs. Using a combination leg sweep and shoulder throw, Blake then threw her behind the container and onto her back before dropping down on her, her knee hitting square on her solar plexus.

Blake's next two targets were tricky. Two White Fang men were standing a fair ways from the rest and well out of sight, complaining about having to work with a Human. She stayed hidden and listened in interest once one of them mentioned that man. It seemed that he had essentially been bought out by some Human woman. Blake filed that information away for later and got to work once the conversation shifted and the kissing started.

Blake waited for them to part before moving in. She struck one of them in the back of the head with Gambol Shroud, forcing him to headbutt his lover in the nose. Before the other could scream in pain, Blake elbowed him in the mouth to shut him up and then kneed the first in the groin. As he doubled over in pain, Blake kicked at the back of his knees to bring him down before flashing behind the second and sending a snap kick into the back of his head to send him falling forward. Blake flashed back over to beside them and brought up Gambol Shroud in both hands. When their heads were aligned, Blake swung down with all of her might, cracking the second in the back of the head to force him to headbutt the first and then forcing them both to hit the ground.

While Blake started her assault, Shirou let the hammer in his head fall and changed himself from a Human to a Magus. Simple reinforcement was all that was required to give him near-perfect vision despite the low levels of light and a quick bit of alteration was all it took to round out his arrowheads to make them less lethal. With practiced ease, Shirou loosed arrow after arrow, each one striking true and rendering another member of the White Fang unconscious. Shirou drew his focus to two goons standing off to the side and was about to take them out when Blake appeared and dispatched them with brutal efficiency. He had always thought Blake to be of average skill in combat at best given his observations at Beacon but it seemed that her forte lie not in head-on combat. He tucked that observation away for later and selected another target.

Even though only a few had been taken out, the others were already starting to get suspicious. After all, when the operation consisted of less than twenty men, the absence of even a few was noticeable. This gave Shirou and Blake the chance to take down a couple more but the others quickly caught on and went on high alert. The White Fang members spread out in groups of three, leaving Roman alone in the center. Seeing an opening, Blake charged forward from her hiding place even as Shirou cursed and loosed an arrow.

Roman pivoted to the side and effortlessly parried Blake's attack before bringing the open end of his cane up to her face even as Shirou's arrow stopped in midair for no apparent reason. "Nighty night, Kitty," Roman quipped and that gave Blake just enough time to dodge. There was a flash of light from the end of the cane followed by a large explosion, the dust cloud it kicked up obscuring everything from sight. Shirou cursed again and jumped off of the roof, his bow transforming into a sword as he charged into battle.

Blake rolled to a stop as she fought to keep herself from coughing. Another red light appeared in the dust cloud and Blake quickly threw herself to the side to avoid another one of Roman's Dust-infused flares, the projectile flying past her to destroy one of the cargo containers. With the remaining members of the White Fang now closing in on her, Blake decided to cut her losses and beat a hasty retreat behind one of the intact containers.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…." Roman taunted as he slowly advanced on Blake's position, motioning with his head for the White Fang to flank her. Before he could get too far, however, he was forced to roll forward in order to just barely avoid being hit by Shirou's sword.

"Give up!" Shirou said as he readied his weapon. "Most of your men have already been dealt with and my friend can handle the rest! Surrender now and no one else will have to get hurt!"

Much to Shirou's dismay, Roman chuckled, "You really think I only came here with thirteen guys? You're not that bright, are you?" As if on cue, the wind picked up again as two more Bullheads made themselves known. Their hatches opened and more White Fang members jumped from them to quickly surround Shirou.

Shirou altered his stance and quickly took stock of his enemies, his mind already running through dozens of plans and scenarios. When several of them charged at once, Shirou became a blur of movement as he got to work. He redirected a punch from one of them and simultaneously lashed out with his rear foot to catch another in the chest while blocking a slash from behind with his sword. He then pulled the first one forward as he pushed the third one's sword away before cracking the first over the head with the butt of his sword and immediately flipping backward to make the third strike the first. Shirou brought his sword down on the man's shoulder to force him to drop his weapon before pulling him to the side to use as a living shield as two other goons opened fire. Shirou then kicked his shield in the small of his back toward the two firing before lashing out with a sweeping kick and rising slash to take out the guy coming from behind.

Just as Shirou was about to charge the two gunners, Blake suddenly appeared above them and dropped onto them, Gambol Shroud fully drawn so she could slash down the back of one while striking the main shoulder of the other. A quick strike to the side of the head to the first followed by a spinning sword slash to the base of the neck of the second was enough to break their Auras and put them out of the fight.

The instant Blake appeared, Shirou turned his attention back to Roman only to see a flare headed straight for him. Even if he had time to dodge, that would put Blake directly in its path and he certainly didn't have enough time for a projection so Shirou was left with no other choice but to slash the blast out of the air. The instant his blade pierced the shell, it exploded in a blinding flash of light and smoke that got Blake's attention.

"He's mine!" Blake all but growled as she rushed past the stunned Shirou. She came at Roman with a blindingly fast series of strikes, the blade of Gambol Shroud little more than a black-and-red blur she practically danced around the man, her Semblance leaving behind numerous shadow clones as she both avoided counterattacks and struck from different angles. However, no matter how ferociously she attacked, no matter how fast her swings, no matter what angle she approached from, Roman always had an answer and didn't even seem to be putting up that much effort. To make matters worse, Roman was actually landing hits on her despite what should have been a massive speed advantage.

Roman finally managed to connect a full hit and send Blake stumbling away but was forced back on the defensive as Shirou charged in. While Shirou lacked Blake's raw speed only had one weapon, the difference in their skill was obvious as Roman started to show signs of effort and was even forced to give ground. Shirou's black blade whirled he shattered Roman's guard, the finely dressed criminal stunned for the precious moment it took for Blake rush in like a whirlwind to strike him across the chest with both parts of Gambol Shroud at once. Roman was sent flying backward from the impact but he quickly rolled with his landing and splayed his legs out, his feet and fingertips sliding across the concrete to slow him down even as his cane snapped up and fired at some point above Shirou and Blake's heads. The two looked up just in time to see the flare collide with the hook of a crane holding up a shipping container before barely moving out of the way in time to avoid being flattened by it; Blake dodging backward towards the remaining White Fang members while Shirou rolled forward.

Shirou came out of his roll only to see the end of Roman's cane pointed right in his face but he was spared from having to experience a point-blank explosion when a shot rang out and Roman's cane was knocked away.

OoOoOoO

Ruby sighed as she put away her Scroll. She was already out way later than they had planned but even that extra bit of effort had proved fruitless. Even the extra pair of eyes that Penny provided wasn't enough. While she hated the idea of giving up, she was starting to think that Weiss had the right idea and that they needed to tell the professors in the morning.

Just as Ruby was about to go back, an explosion from the docks caught her attention. As black smoke drifted in the sky, she thought back to her encounter with Roman all those months ago.

"Oh, no…." Ruby said quietly before signaling for her jet locker and taking off at top speed, a trail of rose petals in her wake. She shot down the deserted streets and back alleys, thankful that the past few days of searching had practically seared the map of Vale into her head, before skidding to a halt at a precise point behind one of the buildings overlooking the docks. Nearly the instant she stopped, her locker crashed into the ground not two meters away from her. She had Crescent Rose out in a flash and scaled the building in a single leap, reaching the far edge not a heartbeat later. She looked down at the scene and saw Roman hovering over Shirou, the business end of his cane pointed right in her friend's face.

Without hesitation, almost without even aiming, Ruby brought up Crescent Rose and fired, the shot hitting the end of Roman's cane and knocking it away.

"Hey!" Ruby called out as she twirled Crescent Rose and readied it in its scythe form.

Roman looked up at her in surprised recognition. "Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" he said condescendingly as he took his attention fully off of Shirou. Not one to miss an opening, Shirou immediately lashed out with his sword which Roman quickly backpedaled to dodge.

"Ruby, are these people your friends?" Penny said from behind Ruby. Shocked, Ruby turned to look at her.

"Penny, get back!"

Also not one to miss an opening, Roman quickly took aim and fired at Ruby with a snarl before returning his attention to Shirou. Up on the rooftop, Ruby's eyes suddenly widened as her instincts screamed at her. She quickly spun around an lashed out with Crescent Rose only to have to brace the weapon with her right hand as the sudden explosion made her slide backward.

Ruby growled as she glared at Roman. "Stay here, Penny! It's too dangerous for you!"

"But wait, Ruby, I'm—" Ruby didn't hear whatever else Penny was about to say as she hurled herself from the roof and dove straight for Roman. Roman sidestepped to avoid Ruby's charge and then brought his cane up to block Shirou's attack. Ruby rolled and slid to a stop before rushing forward in another burst of speed. With a growl, Roman pushed Shirou away and flipped over Ruby's swing but that left him totally helpless as Shirou shoulder checked him once he hit the ground and followed up by slamming the hilt of his sword underneath his jaw and finishing with a rising slash that knocked him away.

Seeing the opening, Ruby rushed forward again and hooked Crescent Rose's blade around Roman, using him as a fulcrum to circle him, the blade sparking as it cut into his Aura, before firing off a shot that made Roman crash to the ground with a yelp. Shirou immediately followed up with a jumping downward stab aimed at Roman's side but the criminal managed to roll away in time to avoid it before springing to his feet.

"I know you like to see me get my ass kicked but a little help would be appreciated, Neo!" Roman called out to seemingly no one. Ruby and Shirou readied their weapons to attack again but Ruby was forced to change her plans when Shirou got blasted away by thin air. The air shimmered and shattered to reveal a short girl of indeterminate age. Her hair was half-brown, half-pink with the pink side having a shock of white and her eyes were heterochromatic; one being pink and the other brown. She was also even more finely dressed than Roman with a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white knee-length boots with very high heels. She even wore a brown corset under her jacket that left a small portion of her hips exposed and numerous necklaces. To top it all off, she was also carrying a light umbrella which, judging from the way it was extended in the direction Shirou had been sent flying, she used as a weapon.

"Two versus two. A bit more fair, then," Ruby commented idly as she drummed her fingers on Crescent Rose's shaft. She wanted to check on Shirou but taking her eyes off of the threat before her would be a really bad idea. Roman chuckled and dusted himself off before bringing his cane up to bear while Neo flourished her umbrella and smirked. Ruby was just starting to contemplate her options when an arrow whizzed by her ear. Neo thrust out and opened her umbrella to stop the projectile only to get blown back when it exploded on impact. Shirou quickly came charging back, his weapon turning back into a sword, and Ruby immediately followed suit.

Ruby and Neo clashed while Shirou and Roman resumed their duel. Crescent Rose was a blur of motion as Ruby spun it around and slashed at Neo from various angles but her opponent was far too agile and skilled, ducking and dodging under the strikes that she could while almost casually redirecting those she couldn't with her umbrella. Not even her scythe's deceptive range or the fact that its curved blade let her strike from odd angles were helping. Then Neo started to press the attack and Ruby found herself powerless. No matter how she changed up her attacks, Neo was finding all of the holes in her defenses and was constantly striking at them. Eventually, the damage built up and Ruby's energy wavered enough for a more decisive blow to be dealt. Neo brushed away a sloppy overhead strike before countering with a deep thrust to Ruby's exposed chest, the umbrella bursting open as the attack landed to send Ruby flying away.

Over with Shirou, he was finding Roman to still be a tough opponent even after the sustained damage. While far from the most difficult fight he'd ever been in, he found his current skills with this weapon to be insufficient. While he might be able to defeat Roman at this rate, the effort would exhaust him and the odds were against him even without factoring in Neo. Still, he continued on with the duel and contemplated his options while also keeping tabs on Neo and Ruby. When he saw Neo go in for a big attack, he disengaged from Roman and went to strike at Neo's open defenses but not only was he too slow to stop the attack, Neo was far more skilled than expected as she fell into a backward somersault to avoid Shirou's attack. Shirou grit his teeth in annoyance and quickly spun around to block Roman's attack only to be defenseless as Neo struck him in the side with her umbrella. This allowed Roman to completely break Shirou's guard and whack him across the face before Neo hit him in the stomach. Shirou doubled over and looked up to see the end of Roman's cane back in his face, the criminal taking just a slight moment to smirk, before Shirou's world exploded.

Ruby rolled to get her feet back underneath her and skidded to a stop in a three-point stance with Crescent Rose held behind her. She looked up just in time to see Shirou get blasted in the face and get sent flying toward her. She tried her best to catch her friend but it was a lost cause as the redhead crashed into her and sent them both tumbling.

"Are you okay, Shirou?" Ruby groaned at as she picked herself up.

"I'm fine. You?" Shirou said as he did the same.

"Never better!" Ruby said tiredly. "Man, these guys are tough. I'm gonna—"

"Ruby," Shirou cut her off as he sheathed his sword and took a couple of steps forward. "I need you to go up high and provide supporting fire."

"But why?" Ruby asked as she looked at her friend as if he had gone insane.

"Because, no offense to you, you'd just get in my way."

Ruby's indignant response was ended before it began as two curved short swords suddenly appeared in his hands. They were twin swords, almost perfectly alike in shape and quality, but it was easy to tell them apart. The one in his left hand was as black a night with a red hexagonal pattern and white triangle going partway down the middle while the one in his right hand was a pure white with a wave pattern and a black triangle. In the center of both where the blade met the hilt was a taijitu that extended past the blade and on to the dark wooden hilt that was wrapped in black cloth. They were undeniably beautiful swords that, to Ruby, seemed to lack any will of their own. She found herself strangely captivated by these swords that appeared as if by magic but she only had a heartbeat to admire them before Shirou surged forward at speeds far greater than he had previously demonstrated.

(A/N: Play "A Stranger I Remain" from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.)

Ruby watched in stunned awe as Shirou fought like a demon, his abilities far greater than any she had seen since coming to Beacon. His strikes were lighting fast and made with pinpoint accuracy and yet his movements contained such a fluid grace that it came off as almost effortless. When Shirou brought up his swords in a cross guard to block one of Roman's flares, the explosion making him skid back slightly, he gave her a sharp look that shook her out of her stupor. Her friend, despite the incredible skill he had been hiding, still needed her help and so her help he would get. Picking a good vantage point, Ruby leaped into the air and transformed Crescent Rose into its gun form before taking aim, waiting for the perfect shot.

Shirou grunted as he pushed forward through the cloud of smoke. The sum total of Archer's experience combined with Shirou's own was enough to level the playing field but only just. Archer had never fought anything quite like what could found on Remnant, after all, so Shirou found himself having to try to make up the difference with his own skills. He also hated having to make such an obvious projection right in front of Ruby but that was a headache he could deal with later. As it stood, Ruby was likely to be seriously injured if he had continued to fight with just his own skill and that was unacceptable.

Shirou parried Neo's attack with Kanshou and broke Roman's guard with Bakuya before lashing out with a roundhouse kick that caught Roman square in the ear and following up with a crescent kick that caught Neo in the jaw. He pressed his advantage and unleashed a combo of slashes on the stunned Roman. Neo came at him from behind with a swipe of her umbrella but Shirou seamlessly transitioned his horizontal slash to a lateral jumping spin to avoid it before bringing both of his blades down on her shoulders. Neo's knees buckled as a shockwave passed through her to kick up the dust on the ground but she managed to stand firm and even trapped Shirou's swords by laying her umbrella across them and grabbing the other end, keeping them firmly pressed against her with a pained smirk.

As Neo did this, Shirou became aware of Roman approaching from behind but his attack was stopped short when a gunshot rang out he staggered backward from the impact. Neo tried to take advantage of Shirou's apparent lapse in attention by kicking him in the groin but Shirou easily brought up his leg to block it before doing the one thing that no warrior in their right mind would do in the middle of combat: He let go of his weapons.

Now weaponless, Shirou disengaged from the stunned Neo and rounded on Roman. He brushed aside the criminal's cane before socking him square in the jaw with a right hook. Neo regained her composure and tried to throw away Shirou's swords but was shocked once again as they faded away only to reappear in the redhead's hands. Neo hastily backpedaled as she blocked Shirou's combo and narrowed her eyes into a glare as she finally found a flaw in his defenses. She took a half-step back and thrust her umbrella forward and was pleased when Shirou didn't parry as her reach was just short of actually hitting him. Then she hit the release and Shirou's guard was shattered as the umbrella snapped open and Shirou's arms were flung to the sides. The umbrella closed as she quickly drew it back and struck Shirou in the gut with a lunging thrust before striking him under the jaw with a rising swipe. She was about to follow up when she abruptly spun around and popped open her umbrella to block a shot from Ruby who growled and changed locations.

As this was happening, Roman recovered and struck the open Shirou in the side with his cane. Shirou coughed out spittle from the blow but pushed past the pain to trap Roman's cane under his arm and elbow him in the face. As Roman staggered backward, Shirou hurled Kanshou at him, the blade a blur of black as it spun, but Roman had enough mobility to dodge out of the way and actually smirked again.

"Bad move, kid," Roman said menacingly as he charged back in. Shirou and Roman resumed their deadly dance from earlier as Shirou tightened his grip on Bakuya and brought his free hand up in a guard stance. While Shirou's fighting style was completely different from before and his physical abilities were similarly increased, Roman was still managing to hold his own now that Shirou only had one sword. When Neo re-entered the fray, it seems that the tables had once again turned against Shirou even with Ruby's occasional shot.

Ruby was wondering just what Shirou had been thinking and was considering going back into melee anyway when she noticed that Shirou was taking great pains to keep Roman with his back toward the water while also keeping himself between the criminal and Neo. She was curious as to what the purpose of that was when she caught sight of something impossible. Shirou's black sword that he had thrown was somehow now hurtling back towards him at a speed far greater than it had been thrown. While the blade had been a blur before, it now looked more like a solid disc. She had no idea how he was doing that but at least now his actions made sense. Unfortunately, Roman seemed to have heard the blade's approach for his eyes widened even as he quickly ducked out of the way. It seemed that Shirou had predicted that, however, as he had taken a long step away from the criminal once his shock was evident and extended his empty hand behind him even as he knocked aside Neo's umbrella. Kanshou's hilt collided perfectly with Shirou's waiting palm in a reverse grip and he brought it down in a powerful slash before kicking Roman under the chin with his back leg. Both of them staggered back and Roman rubbed his jaw while Neo looked in shock where the sword had actually pierced her Aura enough to cut her jacket.

"For fuck's sake, Neo, use your godsdammed Semblance!" Roman snarled before Neo faded from view. Shirou quickly lept towards Roman with a double vertical slash but he had to bit back a curse as Roman and the air around him shattered like glass.

Shirou twirled his swords as he took a couple steps back and got into the best guard stance he could under the circumstances. They could easily take this chance to flee but his instincts told him that he wouldn't be so lucky. His instincts proved to be correct as something struck him in the back of the head. He quickly rolled forward but that proved insufficient as something else clipped his side and turned his roll into a tumble. Shirou quickly got back to his feet and closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses to try and suss out what they were doing. While he could still smell them, the problem with that ability is that it's terrible at tracking moving targets, especially when those targets seemed to be circling him. Still, between it and his other senses, he managed to tell where the next strike was coming from and attempted to parry it. He was partially successful in that it didn't hit his head but the strike still connected with his forearm.

Up in her perch, Ruby growled as she watched Shirou get battered left and right by his invisible opponents. It seemed that he had some vague idea where they were but it was only helping a little bit and it would probably only be a matter of time before Shirou's Aura broke. As Ruby pondered what to do, she was suddenly hit by inspiration and looked down her scope before switching from daylight to thermal. She couldn't help the pleased chuckle that escaped as Roman and Neo were once again clearly in her sights. She took aim, pulled the trigger, and even more pleased with the results.

Back on the ground, Shirou was panting and was beginning to wonder if projecting Hrunting was a good idea when the air suddenly shattered to his right and Roman came staggering into view. While he wasn't entirely sure how Ruby did this, he wasn't about to question it so he lashed out with Bakuya and sliced Roman across the chest before he disappeared again. Shirou just barely had time to get back into his guard when another shot rang out and the air shattered behind him, Neo coming into view this time. On and one this went with Ruby shooting one of them to reveal their position and let Shirou get a hit or two off and Blake, who had just finished dealing with the last of the White Fang, could only look on in awe as it appeared for all the world as if reality was breaking around Shirou.

Eventually, Roman ignored Shirou and aimed at Ruby. "Go to bed, Red!" he shouted as he fired a flare toward her. Ruby instinctually fired at it only to realize her mistake just as the trigger clicked. The bullet collided with the flare in midair causing the flare to explode. Such an intense heat appearing so close to her burned the eye that had been looking through the thermal scope. Ruby jerked her head back and screamed, her right hand covering the injured eye while her good eye clenched shut.

"Ruby!" Shirou cried out, completely distracted and thus unable to defend himself as Neo reappeared and laid into him with a combo. She ended it with another deep thrust to his chest that sent him skidding away painfully on his back.

As Shirou struggled to his feet, Roman, despite his battered and ruffled appearance, actually started laughing as more Bullheads came in and shone their spotlight on them.

"Looks like it's game over, kid!" Roman called out over the noise of the jets. "Maybe you won't fuck with a criminal organization in your next life!"

Time slowed down as Shirou, Ruby, and Blake looked on in fear. One of the Bullheads was revving up its gatling gun and it was aimed straight at Shirou. Even with her Semblance, Blake was too far away to get to him in time while Ruby still too stunned to fully move. Shirou dismissed Kanshou and Bakuya and started raising his right hand. It would be really hard to explain but dying here was absolutely not an option. "Rho—" The choice was taken away from him when a beige blur slammed into his side, knocking him out of the path of the gatling gun.

"P-Penny?" Shirou said, winded and stunned by the impact. Penny smiled down at him before getting up with a look of determination on her face.

"Don't worry, Shirou. I'm combat ready." As Penny stepped forward, her backpack folded open and a large, green blade floated out of it. At first, Shirou watched with mild curiosity as the blade split into six but his jaw quickly hit the floor when information started pouring into his mind thanks to Unlimited Blade Works reproducing it. He had always known that Remnant's technology was a little crazy but to be able to truly create life, to create a gynoid and give it a soul, was technology approaching the level of advanced Thaumaturgy. The ability to basically create a homunculus that, as far as Shirou could tell, was more stable than anything the Einzberns had produced was simply incredible.

Thankfully, Shirou's reaction wasn't strange since Blake and Ruby had similar expressions as they watched Penny's blades fold in on themselves and start rotating in a large, vertical circle in front of her. Penny poured her Aura into the blades as she drew back her fists and everyone watched as a bright, green orb started to manifest in the circle's center. Once her arms were fully drawn back and the orb was nearly the size of the circle, she punched the air and the orb turned into a massive beam of energy that sliced through Bullheads like a hot knife through butter.

Penny looked to her left as one of the first Bullheads started to take to the air with an entire cargo container. She quickly sent two of her remote blades into the nearby building to anchor herself before sending the rest into the Bullhead's side. With noticeable effort, Penny started to pull back on the wires that connected her swords to herself and, much to the shock and awe of everyone, actually started to pull the Bullhead back down. With one last pull and a scream of effort, Penny nearly slammed the aircraft into a large stack of cargo containers causing the aircraft to somehow explode on impact.

As Roman watched from the safety of the last remaining Bullhead that was currently leaving the area as quickly as possible, he could only say one thing: "These kids just keep getting weirder…"

(A/N: End song.)

OoOoOoO

Ruby, Blake (who had reclaimed her bow), Penny, and Shirou were sitting in silence on some boxes. After Penny's display, it took a bit for everyone to recover but, once they had, Ruby practically threw herself at Blake and Shirou. What followed was a hastily constructed explanation from the two of them about what had happened since Friday night and a lot of hugging and relieved crying from Ruby. After Ruby had calmed down, it was Penny's turn to be interrogated by Ruby and Blake while Shirou observed in silence. Penny's explanations were, for the most part, completely true but it was clear to Shirou how Penny was very carefully skirting around the true nature of his existence and he fully understood why even without General Ironwood's orders.

It was shortly after the explanations that the police finally decided to show up. That, naturally, led to the four of them being detained and having to explain everything all over again (although with some personal details left out this time). When everyone's status as students was verified (Penny was registered as a student of Atlas Academy), they were let off with a warning and roundabout congratulations at stopping the largest Dust robbery in recent history.

The four of them had only been sitting down for a few minutes when Weiss and Yang showed up. Shirou watched with idle curiosity as Blake visibly steeled herself while Weiss all but marched up to her.

"Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the—"

"Blake," Weiss said, cutting her off, "I'm sorry. I unknowingly said some hurtful things to you. I want you to know that, no matter what, you're my teammate and my friend. I don't care what you were before, that doesn't change what you are now."

Everyone except Ruby stared in shock at this person claiming to be Weiss. Blake's lower lip started to tremble as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Weiss, I—"

"Just one thing: Next time something this big comes up, promise you'll come to your teammates and not some…" Weiss stopped to regard Shirou who, in turn, quirked an eyebrow at her. "Okay, going to Shirou isn't that bad of an idea but come to your teammates first!"

Blake looked from Weiss to the smiling Yang and Ruby before wiping her eyes. "Alright. I promise." Weiss smiled and nodded, the mood lingering for a second before Ruby shattered it.

"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together! Group hug!" she shouted before nearly tackling Weiss and Blake. Yang gave a cheer and quickly joined in, ignoring Weiss' protests even as Blake softly chuckled and returned the hug as best as she could.

Off to the side, Shirou watched the scene unfold with a melancholic smile. It was good to see them strengthen their bonds. They would need them if they wanted to survive what was headed their way. And as they grew closer, Shirou would watch them, an outsider from beginning to end.

OoOoOoO

Shirou sat in Professor Ozpin's office at the top of Beacon Tower as the aged headmaster finished playing the footage of the confrontation on the docks. Even if no one aside from the involved had been present to witness the incident, the CCTV certainly caught it.

"I take it this had something to do with why you and Blake were absent today," Ozpin said as he took a sip of his cocoa.

"Yes. Blake had some problems with her teammates and her past so I helped her work through them."

"Her team learned of her status as a Faunus and former member of the White Fang?"

Shirou had to bite back a smart reply. Of course Ozpin knew about all that. "Not exactly. She simply implied it and then panicked."

Ozpin hummed and took another sip of his cocoa, "I take it that her problems are currently under control?"

"For the moment. However, now that she's confirmed that the White Fang are behind all of the Dust robberies and are working with Roman, I fear that she might do something drastic in the future."

"Something like go off the radar for three days and then interfere with the operations of a known terrorist organization with only one person as backup?"

"Point taken."

"Still, you have done fine work so far, Shirou. I'm glad to see that you're still willing to help others out even without a mission."

"Blake is one of Ruby's friends so of course I'd help her," Shirou said defensively.

Ozpin hummed and smirked knowingly. "I see that you were forced to use your Projection magecraft. How did that go?"

"Ruby thought it was the coolest thing ever and Blake was similarly impressed. Yang thought it was cool and Weiss seemed interested. I explained it as being my Semblance which I said was the ability to replicate any simple bladed weapon I see."

Ozpin nodded before looking down at his Scroll when it went off with a message notification. "Well, keep up the good work, Shirou. You're dismissed."

OoOoOoO

Elsewhere, in one of Vale's seediest locations, Roman tiredly trudged into the warehouse that served as his base of operations, a briefcase that contained the sum total of what they managed to successfully steal that night in his hand. He placed the briefcase down on a nearby table and wearily sighed as he cursed Red and that kid who came right out nowhere to kick his ass and that freakily strong girl with those huge-ass laserbeams.

Roman nearly jumped out of his skin when a scarily familiar and wholly unwelcome voice came from the darkness.

"How very disappointing, Roman," a certain black-haired bitch said in a tone that was terrifyingly seductive.

"Whoa! Hehe... I wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon..." Roman said quickly as he turned to face them. Being ever so fond of theatrics as they were, two of the three pests were completely hidden by shadow, only their outlines visible, while the third, the woman who spoke, somehow managed to stand in such a perfect spot that only her long, black hair and piercing yellow eyes were visible.

"We were expecting... more from you," she said, the threat painfully obvious to anyone with half a brain.

"Hey! You were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang," Roman quickly fired back. While he honestly had nothing against the Faunus, he also wasn't above throwing them, or anyone, under the bus to save his own skin.

The woman chuckled darkly. "And you will continue to do so," she said before making a fireball appear in her hand as she and her lackeys walked fully into the light. One was a silver-haired man that just saturated the air with smugness while the other was a mint-haired, dark-skinned girl with red eyes who, going by her super serious expression, had a stick shoved so far up her ass that Roman was surprised that it didn't come out of her mouth.

"We have big plans for you, Roman. All we ask is... a little cooperation."

Volume 1

Ripples in the Water

END

A/N: Told you it was going to be crazy. I'm also pretty sure that a lot of you have been waiting for this moment.

I have a couple of announcements to make. The first is sadly bad news. "Remnants of Fate" is going to be going on an indefinite hiatus. The plan had been for me to finish writing Volume 2 while Volume 1 was being posted (since I had finished Volume 1 before the first chapter went up) but that didn't happen for a lot of reasons. While I could post the few chapters I already have finished and try to just stay a week or two ahead of my uploads, I don't want to do that. While it saddens me that this has to happen, this is the best way I can think of to maintain the quality of the story. Just think of it as the season breaks the show proper has.

That being said, there are going to be two more "chapters" uploaded today. They won't be proper chapters but just extra material. The first will be the Volume 1 Omake Collection for your convenience. The second is something a little special that you'll just have to see for yourself. I hope you enjoy the extra content.

As you saw, Volume 1 as a whole is titled "Ripples in the Water." Every Volume will have a name that reflects or describes the central theme of the volume. In the case of Volume 1, the theme was that the rock known as Emiya Shirou (and some other Nasuverse stuff) was dropped into the pond known as RWBY and we were observing the ripples this caused and seeing what those ripples stirred up.