The White of War - Open for Comments

[ιηƒιηιтє.]

This story is a new project that I'm taking up, set in the world of Remnant in the universe of RWBY. I will do my best to provide information before I post the first chapter, but I highly suggest you visit the wiki before reading. If you are planning to watch the show, there will be one big spoiler that everyone already knew in the first place. No other spoilers will be given. There are set characters and a set enemies, with slight deviations. There will also be eventual, extremely faint, GirlxGirl. Feel free to post! I will be linking chapters, so don't worry.If you don't like this, then don't read. Rated T.

*Resumed as of November 4th.

Oh, and a note, seeing as I got asked about it: No, this is not part of NaNoWriMo. I sadly do not have the speed or time to write so much at once, not to mention the fact that this was started sometime in the summer. cx

Summary:
Yang is an illustrious investigative hunter, famous for her strength and the fact that she has never failed any given case. Suddenly, a dangerous case involving the murderous White Fang organization is dropped into her hands, bringing her closer to danger and death than ever before. Is Yang just a simple hunter, or the harbinger of a catastrophic war?

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This is going to be an index or glossary of sorts, where I describe everything found in the story that most will probably not know.

Bumblebee- Very rarely mentioned. Simply the moniker for Yang's yellow and black motorcycle.

Dust- Plays a major role. Dust is a rare mineral, most often mined. Infused with elements and sub-elements. It comes in the form of a fine grain as well as crystal form. Highly sought after because of it's versatility and destructive power; red explodes upon contact, blue freezes instantly, and others have similar elemental effects. The majority of dust is sold by the Schnee Dust Company, the biggest industrial company in the world. Most often use to power weapons, Dust is used in a variety of things, from powering buildings to giving food an extra kick.

Faunus- Plays a major role. Faunus are half humans, half animals, Nekos who possess night vision and naturally enhanced strength and agility. Often discriminated against for animal appendages. Examples are a rabbit Faunus with rabbit ears, a Puma Faunus with retractable claws, etc.

Grimm- Very rarely mentioned. Manifestations of darkness that come in the form of pitch black, monstrous animals with white bone masks. Usually come in forms of a Nevermore, a giant black bird, Ursai, giant black bears, and Taijitsu, double-headed snakes.

Semblance- Moderately mentioned. Semblance is basically a superpower that some are able to inherit through genetics; it is impossible to recieve these through any other way. These powers vary, from Umbrakinesis -the control of shadows- to enhanced speed. The older you are, the more powerful they become. Many have sub-powers, or small attributes associated with the Semblance, like fire immunity with Pyrokinesis, mirages with Umbrakineses, etc.

More to come later.

For character information (such as detailed personality and weapon descriptions) I highly suggest you visit the wiki linked above.

[ιηƒιηιтє.]

In the world of remnant, there are three types of people. Those who fight for justice. Those who fight for gain. And those who fight to end the cruelty in this world.

The White Fang was of the latter.

Once a peaceful orginization of Faunus who relied on protests and broadcasts to state their views and fight against the obvious descrimination, these people were good. They were just, most were kind, with a single, simple goal in mind; that they would be able to live alongside the humans in peace. In harmony.

Unfortunately, the people of Remnant ignored them. Some persecuted the Faunus even more. Some -cruel people that didn't deserve to be a part of this world- went as far as to kill and bully on sight.

And so, even the most good-hearted of people could be led astray.

But the people of Remnant were blinded by racism, blinded by hate, blinded by jealousy; jealous because what wouldn't they give just to be famous, to be special? And this Faunus race was certainly special.

So they paid no heed as the protests turned violent. Paid no heed as more and more broadcasts ended in pointless bloodshed. As more and more people were killed, and slaughtered, as fights and massacres broke out in the Faunus and Human groups alike.

But every conflict needs a breaking point.

On the winter solstice, nine years ago, in the year X217, the White Fang launched a massive attack on the country of Remnant, targeting it's biggest and most modern city, Beacon. Home to politicians, actors, hunters, and powerful leaders, these people woke up one night to find their city under attack. And what good were politicians against an army? What good was anything, when in the darkest of night you can't see your opponent, but they can see you perfectly well as they pick you off, one by one?

Beacon was quickly destroyed, the citizens inside either captured or killed. Stealing and pillaging as they ruined buildings and demolished houses, The White Fang turned Beacon into the set of a dystopian movie, then set it all ablaze.

But not to make sure Beacon could never be built again, not entirely to make sure there would be no Beacon to return to.

No. It was to send out a Beacon of fear, proclaiming the strength of the Faunus, saying, "Do you see that fire in the distance? Think of this burning city if you ever think of hurting us again."

And as the fire of fear burned in everyone's hearts, Faunus forced their way into society.

The long sought-after "Era of Peace" was finally here. But while fear is a strong blockade, it is also the strongest spark.

And who knows how long it will be until this spark turns into the flame of war?


- - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 1 > >



A/N:
Word Count: 470 (I promise the actual chapters will be longer!)
Well, there's the prologue. I think I covered in the Index/Glossary that all Faunus are able to see in ther dark, so... Yeah.
If there are any glaring errors (I know there are a lot) don't hesitate to tell me. :3
Same goes for any confusing parts.

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Yang twirled around in her chair, gripping the armrests as she cackled maniacally, whooping at the top of her lungs. "Hey Rubes! Check this out! How long d'you think I can keep this going before I barf?!"

Ruby poked her head into the main room, silver eyes rolling in exasperation as she gazed upon her sister's antics. "Oh come on, Yang. Do you really want to upchuck because you sat in a spinning chair for too long? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

Yang stuck her tongue out at the black-haired girl, gesture barely visible as she spun, almost knocking into her desk but pulling back just in time. "Whatever; don't say you don't like spinning on the spinny chair. And it's raining outside! Does it really look like I'm going to get a customer when it's pouring buckets?"

Ruby retaliated with a very mature Raspberry. "You know I don't like spinning on the... My point is, you should still be attentive even if it's raining. Don't you remember that person from before? Miss Nickel, or Penny, or something like that? She came in when it was raining."

"And she was absolutely nuts! Did you know what she wanted me to do!? She wanted me to find her a friend. Me, a licensed proffesional who has gone after assassins and mercenaries, sent to find a little buddy for the girl! And she didn't even give me that much money, but I accepted it anyways because I didn't want to provoke Miss I'm-not-right-in-the-head!" Yang's eyes were wild at this point, hands waving about and the spinning chair forgotten as she recalled the "unique" customer.

Ruby shook her head in exasperation. "She was not that weird! Ugh. You're just weird. Anyways, I'm off to buy groceries; I know you're probably just going to live on takeout anyways, but we're running out of milk." Blowing another raspberry at Yang, she shrugged on her cloak and left, door slamming behind her.

"You and your milk." Yang laughed, leaning back in her chair and propping her feet up on the desk. "Whaaatever.But she just had to leave me alone... Bleh. As if a customer is going to come in now.

A silhouette suddenly appeared at the door, right before it was slammed open.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Woah, Ruby, you really don't need to slam the door open like that, or we're going to have to replace it again-" Yang trailed off as she looked up at who had come in.

This white-haired, blue-eyed, short, and completely drenched girl was definitely not Ruby.

"Um... May I help you? Maybe find the nearest dry cleaner?" Yang said slowly, hesitantly, eyeballing the girl. Or more specifically, her snow-white, high-heeled boots, which was currently dripping water droplets onto her plush carpet.

"Save it, detective." The girl snapped, flipping some white hair over her shoulder in an overly-exaggerated manner, either not noticing or not caring as water droplets splattered against the nearest wall.

Yang disliked her instantly. However, for the spirit of business and seeing as she the first customer since two days ago, Yang slowly walked around the desk and pulled out the chair adjacent to hers. "Then I guess you're hear for business? Would you like to take a seat?" Yang said cautiously, hesitantly; for some reason, this girl reminded her of a rabid arctic fox. Pretty and snuggly, but one scratch and you're on your way to a rubber room and fifty rabies shots.

"Yes... Thank you." The two words seemingly dragged out of her throat, the drenched customer took a seat, then slid a manile folder across the tabletop. Surprisingly, the folder was completely dry.

Yang then noticed the drenched jacket resting on the chair by the door, dripping liquid onto the leather. Oh.

Dragged back to the present by the clipped, commanding voice of the mysterious customer, Yang's gaze focused on pompous blue. "Yes. Well, my name is Weiss Schnee. And this," she tapped the folder, "is a case I'm hoping you'll take up. I'll allow you to read it before deciding whether or not to take the case."

Yang smirked imperceptibly. This girl, this Weiss, would allow her to read the files? Well, you had to deal with difficult customers every once in a while. Grabbing the folder, Yang pulled out the papers inside, skimming through them before raising an eyebrow.

"...This is about the White Fang."

"Yes."

"But... I thought they were terminated after the war."

"Apparently not. And they're active again. Especially these two, which you read about in the files; dubbed "The Beauty and the Beast", they've been killing and kidnapping all across remnant. And they have never failed to reprimand a target."

"Yeah, I heard about them on the news. The police are already on it, so why are you still asking me?"

"Simply because I do not think they are your average "serial killers", or "assassins". I think these two are terrorrists, and they're only two out of hundreds, maybe thousands. I know the White Fang is still out there."

Yang laughed at that, spreading her arms in a placating gesture. "Oh come on, now. You can't expect me to really believe that. Yeah, they kidnapped a few people, killed a person. But the person they killed was a corrupt businessman, and the world's better off without him; and none of the kidnapees have been maimed or hurt. And now you're telling me they're terrorists? You've got to be kidding me. Sorry, but no can do; I think you should leave this to the police, Miss Schnee."

"Is there absolutely nothing that can convince you?"

"Nope, sorry. D'you need an umbrella to get back to your house?"

"...I'll offer you thirty."

"What?"

"I'll offer you thirty."

"Thirty bucks? Lady, I'm not a pawn shop, and I'm definitely not someone who would risk their life for thirty measly bucks."

"Thirty thousand dollars, you poor ingrate."

"I think it's best if you just- wait. What?"

"I meant thirty thousand, I thought a first-rate detective like you would understand that I'm not one to pay poorly."

"Yeah, whatever, you have great morals, you aren't a complete snob at all, I get it. But this... Thirty thousand, eh?"

"So you'll take the job. Perfect. I will be here tomorrow with fifteen thousand up front; the rest will be given to you after completion of the investigation. I want information on them, Yang; I want names, I want living quarters. Do not dissapoint me."

"Wait a second! I never said I was going to-"

"Good day, Detective." The door slammed with an eery finality.

"Take the job..." Yang muttered, a petulant whine in her voice.

The door was slammed open again, and a gust of wind tore into the room.

"Hey! Miss Schnee, I know you're a great customer and such but can you not interrupt me? It's really-"

"What the heck are you rambling about?" A wide-eyed Ruby was hanging up her coat, looking at Yang like she had just grown a third eye."

"...Oh. It's you. How are you back so fast?"

Ruby snorted. "Sis, you seem to have forgotten a thing called semblance? And you seem to have forgotten how my semblance kind of allows me to do things like that?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, superspeed is awesome and all of that junk. Whatever. Anyways, we're going to be fifteen grand richer starting tomorrow."

"Woah." Ruby's eyes grew as big as moons. "That is one rich customer. Was it the white-haired girl that was standing lost in our apartment hall? I gave her my umbrella.

"As a matter of fact, it was."

"What's her name?" Ruby suddenly asked, innocence lathered all over her speech.

A note of suspicion entered Yang's voice. "And why do you need to know? You almost never ask. Customer Confidentiality, remember?"

"Uh, well... You told me about the Crazy Nickel girl!"

"Penny? Well, she was special. In more ways than one. I can't tell you a thing, sorry."

"But Yaaaang..." Ruby's lip started to jut out in a pout.

"Oh no!" Yang shouted, turning her head. "You are not using the puppy expression on me! It is not going to work, nope, nada, NO!"

Yang backed out of the room, slamming her elbow on the hallway wall before finding her room, closing the door.

Ruby sighed in defeat. "Oh come on, that always works... Ugh. She was really pretty, too. I just want to know her name." With the pout still on her face, Ruby went to put away her groceries.

Three meters away, Yang was standing with her back pressed against the door, eyes closed, ignoring the throbbing in her elbow, muttering things about "puppies" and "bane of existence".

To be Continued...

- - - - - - - - - -

< < Prologue ~ Chapter 2 > >

A/N:
Word Count: 1457 (aHA! See!? I told you!)
I kind of cheated and already wrote this chapter a long time ago. xD
Again, same thing as the prologue; if you see anything wrong with it, don't hesitate to tell me!
The rest will not be as light as this. Just a warning. Much feels will ensue.

[ιηƒιηιтє.]

Yang massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She had spent a good two hours doing recon on this "Beauty and the Beast" assignment, and if she didn't know better, she would have sworn it was purposely kept hush-hush.

Thumbing once more through the papers, Yang rubbed her eyes as the words started to swim across the page, ink smearing and blurring. Rubbing her eyes once more, Yang glanced at the clock and groaned. It was Nine-thirty; not late enough to sleep without waking up at the crack of dawn, but not early enough to do anything remotely fun or productive.

"Ugh. I need a drink." Drinking was productive, right?

Grabbing her coat and her motorcycle helmet, Yang bellowed at the top of her lungs, making sure that not only Ruby heard, but so did everyone in her floor and a few more besides. "I'm going out for a drink, Rubes; I'll be back sometime."

"Yeah, try not to get wasted and kiss Jaune! We all know how well that went, with Pyrrha about ready to shove her fist in her mouth and all that." The muffled reply was filled with unrestrained amusement.

Yang shivered slightly as murderous green eyes and bright red hair flashed in her mind. "Y-yeah, Rubes; stop joking with me. I just need a drink to calm down."

Yang bolted out the door, making sure that Ruby would have no chance to reply.


- - - - - - - - - -


Yang grinned widely as the wind whisked past her face, her blonde mane billowing out behind her as the fierce growl of Bumblebee rumbled below her. She could already feel her muscles calming down, her stress leaving her body; all she needed now was a drink to finish the deal. Screeching to a stop in front of the familiar Bar, Yang locked up her bike, patting it lovingly -and creepily- for a second before twirling her keys and walking in, hips swaying so much that it should have been illegal.

Then again, Yang had a thing for sexy entrances.

"Heeeey, guess who's in the house!!" Yang crowed, Throwing her jacket with familiarity, grinning as it landed perfectly on the "Coat Couch", A fancy chair that couldn't show off it's fanciness because it was currently covered with coats of all shapes and sizes. "Give me a beer, Jauney-Boy! Make it a surprise, and put it on my tab!"

The adressed man stopped in the middle of mixing a drink for another customer, brow scrunching over baby-blue eyes as he slouched his shoulders because of habit. "B-but, Yang... You never pay off your tab..." Jaune trailed off, probably not wanting to anger Yang. Or seduce him; he wasn't sure which one scared him the most.

Yang grinned widely, eyes turning predatory as she made a show of slowly licking her lips. "Oh, Jauney-Boy, I don't think it's a problem, is it? You wouldn't deny me a simple request like that, would you?" Frowing slightly, Yang jutted out her lower lip, leaning over the counter to show off some ample "assets". "You wouldn't do that to a lady, would you?" Yang simpered, voice breathy and low.

Jaune gulped, the mixer in his hand forgotten as he nervously ran a hand through shaggy blonde hair. "Uh, well, t-that is, um, Pyrrha... Pyrrhawillbebackanyminutenow!" he finally squeaked, voice cracking as it scaled an octave.

"What about me?" A voice, smooth and mature, currently filled with mischevious amusement, sounded at Yang's right shoulder.

Leaping back and nearly beaning her head on the overhang, Yang reeled like she was shot, Nervous violet eyes locked onto merry green ones. "Ah, Pyrrha! I thought you were... Ah... I wasn't doing anything, honest!" Yang chuckled uneasily, one hand rubbing her neck and the other fidgeting with her belt.

Pyrrha laughed, shaking her head, leaning back on the counter. "Oh, it's fine, Yang. I know you won't try anything on Jaune unless it's desperate or you're drunk. So what is it this time? You ran into a kidnapper on your way here so you needed a drink to calm down? Ruby got hurt so you needed a drink to forget about it? And what was that one again...? Oh yes, a flying pig beaned you in the head and you needed a drink to numb the pain?"

Not backing down, Yang raised her hands defensively. "There were flying pigs, I swear! It was huge!"

Jaune turned around and reached for Yang's requested beer, muttering under his breath. "Of all your lies you choose to defend, you choose that one..."

"What was that, Jauney-Boy?! You want me to climb over this counter myself?" Yang snarled, raising a fist.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Ah, not that I... Would! It's just... An empty threat! Yeah!" Yang hastily added, gaze darting over to Pyrrha every once in a while.

Jaune smirked at Yang, teasingly holding out a beer.

Accepting the beer, Yang popped the cap off and took a tentative sip; with Jaune still smug, and Pyrrha breathing down her neck, Yang was feeling more on edge than ever. "Uh... Well. I'm going to go now; it's such nice weather out that it'd be a shame not to drink this outside." Sliding off her seat and walking away as fast as she could without outright running, Yang barely stopped to grab her coat before sliding out the door.

The entire bar was silent for a moment, everyone watching as one of the most famous and bold customers walked out actually looking apprehensive.

"...She does know it's pouring, right?" Jaune inquired, a worried look on his face.


- - - - - - - - - -


Yang walked out into the rain, groaning as she forgot it was... Well, raining. "What were you doing twenty minutes ago!? Hmmm!? Waiting for me to wallow in embarassment so you can just rain on my already dampened mood? Where is your humanity, huh!? Rain, don't you dare stay silent-"

Realising she sounded just a touch insane, Yang filled her rage with a large gulp of beer. "Ugh. Whatever." Going over to retrieve her bike, Yang was just about to unlock it when a very disturbing sound filled the air, one that was definitely not the hiss of rain.

/Thump/

Yang whipped her head around, confused. Was that...?

/Thud/ /Crunch/ /Rustle/

Yang took a few steps forward, violet eyes trained on an alley a block away, then broke into a run. Was someone getting mugged? Was someone getting beat up? Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't good.

"I'm not going with you!" A low, feminine voice broke out, the sentence hissed with such venom that it made Yang stop cold. But only for a moment, before Yang ran faster than before, urgency know thrumming in her veins. Readying her gauntlets and loading new bullets in, Yang burst into the alley, furious. How dare someone hurt another on her territory!?

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" Yang roared, eyes flashing crimson.

Yang paused for a split-second, taking in the scene. A red and brown-haired man, with a fancy black coat and a strange, ivory Grimm mask pulled over the upper half of his face, was currently hunched over a slightly shorter female with long, wavy black hair and brilliant amber eyes. A long, smoky-black, cleaver-like blade was clutched in her hand, raised in defense. Both were looking at Yang in surprise.

Yang didn't give them any time to react; fury-filled gaze zeroing in on the red-haired man, Yang growled then charged.

The red-haired girl slid back smoothly, dodging the first punch before pulling out his blade from a long leather cover on his back, a pitch black katana sliding out with a soft whisper, impeccably smooth and thin. Landing against Yang's bright yellow gauntlets with a grating clash, Yang continued hammering blows at the man, shotgun infused punches erupting with devistating force, smoke and the smell of gunpowder quickly filling the air.

But it was clear Yang was losing. The Red-haired man had the better reach, and it was clear he certainly had a better manner of fighting compared to Yang's mix of martial arts and kickboxing. He was pushing forward, blade whirring past inches from Yang's face, her arms, her stomach.

Thoughts and emotions whirled through Yang's head, almost on autopilot. This isn't good... I can't hold him off for long...

Grinding her teeth with grim resolve, Yang landed punch after punch, ignoring as searing hot shotgun shells landed on her skin.

"Adam, stop."

A voice, clear and commanding, deadpanned behind the two brawlers. The red-haired man -or Adam, if that was his name- stopped, blade a mere inch from cleaving Yang's throat. Yang froze as well, mostly to keep a blade from cutting into her throat but also from surprise.

Sidling back out of weapon range, Yang was surprised to see the girl with the amber eyes, standing behind Adam, blade pressed against the embroidered rose on the back of Adam's jacket, hard enough to dent the expensive material but just shy of cutting it.

"You know what will happen if you move, Adam." Amber eyes glared at Red and brown hair.

Adam sneered. "Fine." Voice guttural and mocking, Adam stepped forward; Yang tensed, but all he did was hold up his hands in a limp surrender gesture. "Fine, Blake. I'll leave you alone. But I will be back. And you will, too." Sneering at Yang, Adam lept up the adjacent roof with surprising speed and dissapeared.

yang locked her Gauntlets then shoved her fists into her jacket pockets. "Hey, I had it all handled!" Yang threw out, nonchalantly.

The black-haired girl -Blake- merely raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Okay. Maybe you got it. But I definitely helped! Come on, we gotta notify police." Yang checked her pockets, then cursed after she realised she left her phone back at home. "You got a phone?"

Blake silently shook her head no.

"Ugh. Okay. Well, come with me; we'll call the police."

Reaching out to grab Blake's hand, Yang's eyes widened in surprise when Blake pulled away. "You've made a horrifying enemy." She murmured, voice low.

"What? What are you talking about?" Yang said, staring strangely.

"You've made a horrible enemy." Blake repeated, voice pitying, eyes burning as they met Yang's.


- - - - - - - - - -

< < Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 3 > >


A/N:
Word Count: 1719
This has to be the most I've written in a day, dear lord. cx
Of course, I'm on vacation now, so I have more time... What better time to write than when you're out of state, right?
You guys can post, by the way. I think I'm going to stick to the linking thing, so you guys don't have to go through the trouble of PM'ing me.

[ιηƒιηιтє.]

Yang felt a sharp spike of apprehension tear through her like a bolt of lightning. However, it was quickly replaced with righteous indignation as this girl -this ungrateful person that she had just saved- seemed about ready to just walk off and leave Yang hanging. Frowning, Yang reached out a hand and grasped the sable-haired girls' arm, not quite ready to let the woman off with just a cryptic message.

"Okay, I might not understand this whole 'terrifying enemy' thing or whatever, but I'm gonna have to insist that we notify somebody; you sounded like you were getting kidnapped, and we practically used one another as target practice. Don't worry; the cops will take care of everything."

Despite Yang's soothing and mellow tone, her placating words seemed to have the opposite effect on the girl, her bright amber eyes narrowing before flicking left and right, refusing to even glance in Yang's general direction; really, she looked like the epitome of a cornered animal. Slowly pulling her hand from Yang's grasp, she paused before shaking her head.

"No, really... It really isn't necessary. I would appreciate it if you could just... Forget about this incident." Amber eyes flicked restlessly as feet shuffled around on the ground, knocking aside a few stray bullet casings.

"For... Forget!?" Yang spluttered indignantly. "How do you expect me to just forget something like this!? Who d-"

Suddenly interrupted by the strange woman, the girl leapt over Yang with an amazing feat of acrobatics, boots nearly clipping Yang in the head. Turning around after a split second of stiffening shock, Yang barked out an indignant 'hey!' Before reaching her handout again.

However, to her utmost surprise, it passed through the woman's arm as smoothly as it would through air; causing a strange ripple effect, the mirage-like decoy of the girl distorted, then vanished in a split second of unfurling smoke. However, the swirls of shadow seemed to hesitate for a moment, hissing like snakes, forcing out one word;

Adam.


- - - - - - - - - -


Days passed. Then a week. And Yang had seen no trace of the strange, black-haired Blake or the feral Adam. Of course, she had so much to work with; two basic profiles, and generic first names. The mysterious 'Weiss Case' -as Yang had taken to calling it- wasn't giving her much either; a short newspaper clipping here, a grainy photo there... Why, if there was a prize for the most semi-useful junk in one place, Yang was sure she would get top prize.

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

Slumping her head onto her desk and releasing a sigh -the third in the lady ten minutes- Yang waved a hand in a weak surrender, grunt drawing the attention of her sister in the next room.

"I can't do this anymore, Rubes. I have detective's block; this case isn't giving me anything, two people with weapons holstered out in the open have vanished without a trace, and I got my favourite pair of boots wet today. Just... Ugh."

Another sigh, followed by the twelfth groan this hour.

A muffled call came from the next room over, accompanied by avid chewing. "C'mon, Yang, loose up a bit; it's not like you got any deadlines." A slam of a glass, followed by a high hiccup. "Ahhh... Anyways, why don'tcha go visit Nora and the rest of them? I'm sure a little time with them will help."

Slamming both hands on her desk and leaping up from her swivel chair -which swiveled away and crashed into the waste in resting in the corner- Yang grinned with determination and relief.

"Yes! Thank you, Ruby, for your occasional voice of reason! I'm just gonna... Grab a drink. Loosen up a bit." Yang practically pranced out of the apartment, whistling under her breath. Forgoing her beloved motorcycle for a nice walk, Yang convinced herself it was because she needed some quiet time to think.

But she couldn't help but wonder; maybe, if she walked instead of raced by, she might see that intriguing girl again.


- - - - - - - - - -


Yang slammed the glass down, nearly shattering the fragile cup. "Who! This is the stuff!" Yang crowed, languidly relaxing into her seat. Now, this was the life; a drink -or two, maybe three- warming her, filling her with a wonderful buzz... Yang called for another shot, staring at the translucent liquid for a second before tossing it back.

Suddenly, a flash of green and black, before Lie Ren -a friend so owned a restaurant a block over- crashed into the bar counter, wrecking stools and breaking multiple alcohol bottles, quickly filling the air with the sharp scent of alcohol, the heavy fumes dampened by the underlying metallic smell of blood.

Yang nearly spit out her drink, blood running cold, when Ren crashed into the wood with a sickening crunch. The bar fell deathly silent, every eye trained on the fallen Restaurant Owner.

First to react, Yang dropped her drink and whirled around, Gauntlets already loaded. "Who the hel-"

Cutting herself off, Yang's eyes narrowed as she gazed upon the familiar figure. Red and brown hair, impeccable jacket, strange, Grimm mask over his eyes- Yang was a fool to think Adam would have left so soon. And without a fight.

"Me." He said simply, unsheathing his katana. Sneering, Adam raised it slowly and pointed it at Yang's heart. And now that no one can interfere..."

The set man lunged with devastating speed, blade whirring as it sliced through the air. Yang raised her gauntlets, but it wasn't fast enough; Yang had just finished loading in bullets when Adam's shadow fell over her, Katana gleaming, mouth twisted in a bloodthirsty, vengeful sneer-

A rush of black.


- - - - - - - - - -

< < Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 4 > >


A/N:
Word Count: 956; I'm sorry, I'll do better next time, I promise - she says, as she forgets it's the exact same promise she made in the prologue.
Now that RWBY hiatus is in full swing... I've decided to get back to this.
Sorry about this lackluster chapter; will most likely come back to fix this.
Cliffhangers. I am not sorry.
/edit: read it over, hoping it might sound better to me after a few days. Nope. Typos will be edited out tomorrow, after I get a legitimate night of sleep. For once.

[ιηƒιηιтє.]

One second Adam was there, all cruel red and black.

The next, his blade was coming at Yang's chest, only a wild stroke of luck allowing her to pin the weapon and wrench it to the side.

Fear swirling in her stomach, Yang forced her face into a stone cold mask, leaping forward with a painful left hook, but to no avail; sidling back with ease, Adam parried with a quick swipe of his blade, already recovered from the painful wrench that resulted from Yang's strength.

With punch after punch, Yang forced the red-haired man away from her fallen friend, ignoring the familiar sting of shotgun casings as they bounced and hissed on her skin.

In the frenzy of fighting, Yang's wildly spinning thoughts scrambled together in a desperate plan for self-preservation. This is no good. she thought frantically, lunging forward with another futile hook; Yang knew before she even threw it that it was going to be blocked by a frustratingly languid parry from her smug counterpart. If this continues, it's just... It's exactly like before. I know I'm going to lose to him. I just...

Yang gritted her teeth, sharply aware of the civilians around her who were looking on with terrified eyes -the ones who stayed, at least. Most had already fled for the safety of their own homes on the police, And the ones who had stayed were either the brave or the greedy, hopelessly wishing to help or gain from the "spectacle". In her heart, Yang knew she couldn't let them get hurt; for even though Yang was brash, loud, and absolutely horrible with her humour and timing, she was not a coward. And there was... Well... Yang's eyes flicked involuntarily to her fallen friend, gazing at familiar black hair highlighted with pink. Yang wouldn't forgive herself in death, heaven, or any lifetime if her friend got hurt yet again.

However, caught up in her frenzied, wild, and half-formed thoughts, Yang kicked out with a surprisingly sloppy sweep; despite the force behind it, it left her back completely open.

And like a shark that had sniffed out blood, Adam, with a predatory drive and instinct -for how else had he been able to see such a small slip?- swung his blade with new-found ferocity, Yang thought back to the beginning of the fight.

First second, he was there...

The next, he was twisting to the side, black coat slapping Yang harshly in the face, as if reminding her of her temporary lax in judgement. But why...? The sickening squirming in Yang's stomach told her that he would have been able to gut her with one swift, clean stroke. Yang wouldn't have been able to fire off a single shot.

A whirring of mechanized weapon soon told her why this man in front of her, quite literally the epitome of a feral beast, had faltered.

For the beast had fallen to a pretty flower, had he not?

And hadn't Hector, patron of the gods, fallen to Achilles?

And so, with a quick flip of scarlet hair and a flourish of brilliant bronze weapon, Pyrrha Nikos arrived.


- - - - - - - - -


Without missing a beat, the autumn-haired warrior charged into the fight, earpiece falling from her ear and quickly forgotten, stiff black business suit not doing her strength or her finely hammered muscles justice; barbed bronze tip crashing into Adam's sword with a shrieking clang, Pyrrha and Adam faced off in a battle that was above anything Yang had ever seen; both quite literally a blur of jabs, parries, and strikes, red met red and gold melded with black as shots were fired and metal was clashed, each heaving slice of a blade accompanied by a high and keening whirring sound, as if the air was lamenting as it was getting cleaved apart.

Despite the obviously valiant show of selflessness by the truly amazonian bouncer, Yang couldn't help it as the queasy roiling within her stomach only grew worse; gazing upon this fight but with no way to help, Yang knew at this moment that Adam hadn't even been trying. He had been... he had been toying with her.

It just showed Yang how useless she was. How average she was. She was slow compared to Ruby; poor compared to Weiss; and now, in the dance of metal and limbs unfolding before her, not even as strong as a run-of-the-mill assassin. Or whatever Adam was. Yang prided herself on her strength; if she couldn't even live up to that, then what good was she?

Pulled from her thoughts as the fighting shifted a bit too close for comfort, Yang resolved herself to prove herself, to herself, right her and now.

Fists raised and eyes burning a violent shade of red -which apparently, was the theme of this entire day- Yang ached to join the battle. However, Yang feared that she would hit Pyrrha; easily one of the best fighters in their little group of friends, Yang would lose a powerful fighter and, most importantly, hurt a valued friend.

However, it seemed that Yang's frustrated indecisiveness would make her lose the former... And if she didn't act fast enough, the latter.

Dodging out of the way of another slice by the brutish man, Pyrrha seemed to be relaxed enough to shoot Yang a comforting smile going as far as to drop some tidbits of breathless conversation.

"I'm sorry I'm so late! There was this inebriated girl outside who just didn't let me go; honestly, fighting like a rabid or feral panther, with the way she was clawing and trying to get me to-"

Diverting her attention was her first mistake.

Lack of armour was her second, and Yang could only watch as spear was yanked from nimble hands, and alien blade, sharp and cruel, painted the floor with a color practically mirroring it's own.

And thus, Paris shot the fateful arrow.


- - - - - - - - - -


Eyes widening in horror as Yang watched her beloved friend grimace in untold pain and slump to the floor in a widening stain of autumn blood, Yang was filled with guilt and an ever growing maelstrom of self-blame. How dare you le not only Ren, but Pyrrha get hurt as well? What type of human are you?!

A sad, bitter smile flickered on Yang's face. That's right... You're... You're just plain. The average Joe. Nobody important. How could you think to save your friends?

A heartless chuckle quickly rescued Yang from her sinkhole of anguish, smearing away the last dregs of sadness and replacing it with a jaw-trembling fury. Yang whirled on Adam, eyes quite literally burning now as her semblance activated, skin and hair burning with the heat of furious fire, hair growing a brilliant, blinding white, shining with a brilliance that could rival an angels.

But even that couldn't compare to the flame now roaring in her heart, filled with rage, worry, and absolute hate for this man in front of her.

"Jaune." Yang spat, eyes still not leaving Adam, who seemed quite content with scrutinizing the falling warrior and slowly flicking the blood from his blade. A soft but cold chuckle slithering out from time to time. "I need you to take Ren and Pyrrha to the hospital. Call up Ruby; anyone who can get them there in the shortest amount of time." Yang's clenching fists cut off any sputtering argument. "Do it, Jaune. Now." Hissing through clenched teeth, Yang swept rubble away with one foot and swung her fist forward with a devastating boom, gunshot propelling her forward as empty shotgun shells littered the ground behind her, smoking and sizzling.

She would end him. She would kill him. Se would pulverize his face into a million pieces, gather all the pain that he had put Ren and Phyrrha and Blake through, and release it onto him tenfold; she would smite him alive, burn him inch by inch until-

"Stop!" A breathless voice yelled into the simmering air, hauntingly familiar.


- - - - - - - - - -

< < Chapter 3 ~ Chapter 5 > >


A/N:
Word Count: 1414
Phew! Back in the game, people!
Hope this was exciting enough for y'all. I'm rubbish with fight scenes, sorry... >.<
Updates will be sporadic, but will definitely not happen all at once or drag on like it used to.
I love cliffhangers.
But only when I'm the one giving them.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Until next time~

[ιηƒιηιтє.]

Yang stumbled in surprise, tripping on the flat ground, arms flailing about comically and clumsily where only seconds before she had been a seasoned fighter, fists poised. Thankfully, Adam had faltered as well, his blade only tearing through the sleeve of her shirt, leaving a thin slice on her arm that quickly started weeping blood. It wasn't a skin wound, sure, but it was leagues better than a gutted stomach. Or worse.

"What...!?!" Yang yelped, falling onto her parts and scrunching her eyes up so not to howl in pain as her newly injured arm positively screamed in protest. "Who...!?"

It was Blake.

Why wouldn't it be Blake?

With a furious case of bed head, rumpled clothes, and a frenzied look in her eyes, an uncharacteristic blush on pale cheeks and strange stains on her clothes just accented the fact that Blake looked like she had crawled through a garbage chute. Strangely, instead of a weapon clenched in her hand, she was holding a beer bottle that had definitely seen better days, a crack in the side of the glass dripping foam and fermented grain whenever the Sable-haired girl dropped her arm.

"Beast. The Prayer is coming; the fire of death will soon follow." Just what was she saying, spouting lines like that? Yang looked at the newcomer like she had grown a third eye. However, Blake paid no head, and brilliant amber just eyes stared, narrowed and hooded, at something -or someone- right above her. What was she looking at...?

Adam. Yang had forgotten about Adam! She was going to pay for it with her life, Yang was sure. He was right above her; Blake's astute gaze told her so. So, this was the price Yang had to pay for getting distracted, yet again.

When will you learn, you fool? Yang squeezed her eyes shut. Who are you kidding? You have no more chances to learn from your mistakes anymore.

Yet, the sharp stab never came. There was no sickening crunch of bones grinding under smooth metal, no steady drip of painful scarlet tears.

Slowly opening her eyes, Yang readied herself before whirling around, fists raised.

Nothing.

But how...?

Yang looked around at the seemingly equally dumbfounded witnesses. One of them, a disgruntled middle-aged man in a faded blazer, shrugged his shoulder and rubbed his three-day-old stubble, eyes still wide in quiet amazement. "Ain't like nothin' I seem b'fore, Missus. Seemed he was here one moment, an' then... Well, t'put it simply, it 'looked like 'em shadows jus' about swallowed him up." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Must a' been th' alchohol gettin' ta me, seein' a grown man jus' vanish like that..." Without another word, he went to the bar and grabbed what must have been his whiskey, ironically so, seeing as that was what he believed caused him to see such a strange scene in the first place.

However, Yang was having different thoughts. Shadows swallowing someone... Now, where had Yang seen that power before?

Turning towards Blake -who currently had one foot out the door, seemingly intent on slipping from the scene without anyone noticing- Yang bounded forward, grabbing onto Blake's forearm, this time not as forgiving, scared the elusive female would give her another supernatural slip. Pulling gently, Yang shifted to stare at Blake, lavender eyes boring into amber ones, one pair dully surprised, the other alight with righteous indignation.

"Hey, this makes it two times we've met... Like this." Yang waved a hand at the devastating after-affect of the brawl. "You at least owe me am explanation!"

A soft sigh, and Blake broke off he graze, eyes flickering around for a second before sighing again, this time in resignation. Opening her mouth and closing it again, it was only due to Yang's slightly impatient tug that jolted Blake to speak.

"Fine. But... There are some things that should remain untold. Must remain untold."

Yang nodded slowly, brows still furrowed. "Sure. If... Yeah. That's fine." Blake's eyes seemed to relax, from a dulled stare of a caged animal to a touch more relaxed, now more tense than anything. Taking this as a cue to go on, Yang plunged forward. "Well... What about Adam? What will you tell me about him?" She continued. Call it premonition, call it a grudge, but Yang just wasn't ready to let him go. And there was a niggling feeling that told her that the "Beast" Blake was referring to was the cruel man himself.

And hadn't Weiss mentioned that moniker in her briefing?

Yang's eyes snapped back to Blake. "Well?" She persisted.

"Adam?" A soft smirk -or had Yang imagined it?- graced impassive lips. "I'll tell you everything."


- - - - - - - - - -


Blake led Yang through the streets, Yang's hand still clamped around her forearm like the blonde was afraid Blake would vanish at any given minute. Which was understandable, given the circumstances.

"Uh... Where exactly are you taking me?" Yang said, slowing down, forcing Blake to stop her wide strides as well.

Amber eyes that positively glowed in the dark night -or was that just the lamp post?- slowly blinked for a second. "We're going somewhere safe to talk. As you've clearly seen-" pale lips twisted up in a faint smirk "-even your beloved bar isn't safe."

Yang stopped short , quickly shaking her head. "No! We aren't crawling into an alley. You're coming to my house, where you can explain to me exactly what's going on. In comfort. And safety."

Yang raised a finger when the usually quiet girl in front of her started to protest. "No, Blake. at least promise me this. Your 'friend' there almost killed me. Almost killed me twice! Not to mention hurt my friends. Yang's body tensed unconsciously as she thought of the fallen forms of her comrades.

"I just... I need to be able to trust you, Blake. Show me that I can trust you." Yang murmured, eyes staring a hole into the ground.

The other girl, thrown in shadow by the contrast of the lamp and the building, fell silent for a long, agonizing minute.

"Fine. I'll go with you. But... Only for a moment."

Yang nodded, willing. "A moment is all I need."


- - - - - - - - - -

< < Chapter 4 ~ Chapter 6 > >


A/N:
Word Count: 1127
I have a few projects coming in, so I decided to post early, just in case I can't get on for a month or something.
And if I can still drag up a chapter, well... Here's a bonus one, I guess.
I spoil y'all.
Anyways, thanks for reading! See you next update~

[ιηƒιηιтє.]

Preview:

"The White Fang has returned? No. Of course not."

"The White Fang has never left."