"Ruby, get a hold of yourself!" Yang said, struggling to hold the girl. Just moments before she'd attempted to jump down to the arena, her sister the only one with the presence of mind to catch her. Rose petals filled the air from her attempts to escape. "Ruby! Listen to me! Look at the screen!"

Ruby stopped struggling to look upward. The screen showing the camera views was locked on a split between the limp Weiss on the ground and the partially frozen Bernard, whose arms had come free as Weiss had tried to crawl away. However, on the bottom was the aura measure of the two individuals. Weiss' was lowered some from her semblance, but remained in the healthy green. Bernard's, on the other hand, was lower – though from what Blake was unsure. It had been dropping slowly and steadily throughout the fight before suddenly dropping with the ice attack and his aura flare. It was now still, sitting in the orange around two thirds down.

Bernard Buck bent down a little, and with a few silver flashes, was free of the ice. He stepped out, shaking his legs and doing a few quick high steps. Blake imagined he was trying to get some blood flowing as the ice had likely numbed him, even through the thick boots. Then the rods extended and he pointed out toward Weiss, who had managed to get a several yards away before falling unconscious. A consistent stream of liquid sprayed out of the rod and the screen zoomed to show a set of holes at the end, just before the sharpened point. The opponent from the day prior had been quick to recover once the fight was over and the arena hadn't been cleaned. She imagined it must be an unstable compound that was quick acting but ultimately harmless and easily broken down. She was impressed, honestly. He possessed skill, as shown by his ability to deflect Weiss' attacks at full speed. Paired with such a weapon, and possibly semblance if the aura drop was anything to go by, he made a truly formidable foe. Bernard began go walk toward the heiress, stopping the weapon's flow.

"He's going to kill her, we need to stop him," Ruby said, staring with an odd mix of fear and anger.

"Wait," Vili said from behind Blake. "I don't think that'll be necessary."

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was a surprising turn around. No need to verify the defeat, Mr. Buck, our indicators show she is indeed unconscious and has therefore lost. Give it up for our winner, the mysterious Bernard Buck!" Jack said, the vine extending over the arena but refusing to lower to the ground. Despite those words, however, Bernard continued to walk toward Weiss.

"Shit," Yang said through gritted teeth. "Go!" she shouted, releasing her sister. Instantly, the screen switched to a full zoom of Weiss. Ruby stood over her, a shower of petals fluttering around her. The red hood was fashioned into a cover for her mouth and nose, the cloak settling over the red themed warrior. Crescent Rose was fully extended, creating an intimidating sight as cold silver eyes locked on the approaching figure.

Yang jumped the barricades, going to join her sister. Blake gritted her teeth, but prepped to follow. With a boost from her semblance, she launched herself forward and into the air. Landing on the green in front of Yang, she ran forward as her partner began to overtake her. A second boost landed her about halfway between Bernard and Weiss, Yang running around to join Ruby. Myrtenaster lay nearby, forgotten when Weiss fell. Though she covered her mouth and nose, she still caught a sweet scent.

"Yang, don't breath!" she said with a quick gasp, turning to face her partner. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a blur of movement. Looking toward the figure as she dodged aside with a shadow, she found a metal rod so close to one of her eyes that it took her entire field of vision. When she blinked in surprises, she felt the tip on her eyelashes. She ignored the surprised and angry shout from Yang toward the man, just as he did.

"You're good, but not good enough," he said, a smile evident within his voice.

"You sure about that?" she said while avoiding inhaling, looking to her hand. In the kama form, Gambol Shroud was against his chest, her finger on the trigger.

"Damn, they weren't kidding when they talked about you," he said with a chuckle, retracting the metal rod in an instant. The hand extended in its place, holding a small bottle. "She should be fine, just keep her in the sun – the poison breaks down in light. If there are any problems, give her this." As she took it, he looked toward the judges' booth for a moment. "There's only one other girl who I enjoyed fighting with – that one also ended in a close call, interestingly enough." He looked back at her. "Take care of each other; it's a nice team you have to all spring up when one of you is hurt. Keep watching each other's back like that. You'll need to." With that, Bernard turned and walked away. The sweet smell was fading, and she risked a breath.

As he walked off, he motioned toward some of the medics waiting off to the side, pointing toward his feet. She imagined he should have frostbite. Usually, Weiss didn't use her ice against other people for just that reason, but she must have thought he was going to kill her. She picked up the nearby Myrtenaster, her mind wandering to her unconscious friend. Had he really been a threat or had Weiss' anxiety clouded her judgment? Then she froze. Damn, they weren't kidding when they talked about you. She snapped her gaze toward Bernard. Who had he meant? The White Fang? Why would they have mentioned her? Her blood ran cold with a sudden realization. They aren't after Weiss… she thought.

"Blake, I think she's waking up. Help us get her off the arena," Ruby called, crouched over her partner. Crescent Rose was holstered now, and the usual demeanor returned to the concerned leader. That cold Ruby had been something she'd never seen before. It held a resolve that seemed wrong for the girl. With a moment of determination, Blake made a decision. Looking at the bracket where Bernard was moved forward, she knew she'd made the right choice. Now more than before, she needed to beat Ruby today. She would face that man and get to the bottom of this.

"Coming Ruby," she said. "I was just getting Myrtenaster for her."

"It's okay, kitten, I got her," Yang said, lifting the unconscious girl with ease. Blake bristled at the nickname, feeling annoyed and embarrassed.

"I see. I figured you'd at least get the girl a ring first," Blake shot back, noting the bridal style in which the heiress was held.

"Get her onto the green, let the medics have a look at her," Jack said, lowering down to them. He kept Yang from responding, taking her attention.

"We've got this, pervert. Go back to your showboating," Yang said, walking past him without any other acknowledgement.

"Yang!" Blake and Ruby yelled out, one in exasperation and the other in mortification.

"He's on our side!" Ruby added. Then, lower and with a glance toward the screen, "He works for Professor Ozpin." Blake had to control her expression, surprised as she was to hear that. He worked for Ozpin?

"Do you have access to his cameras?" Yang inquired, continuing to carry Weiss, who had begun to murmur.

"Uh, only to the ones he grants me access to – look, we really shouldn't be talking about this here. Or anywhere. Ever," he said in a rush.

"What? Afraid to lose your job?" she asked.

"My life, more likely," he muttered before rising off. Blake and Yang stared at him with curiosity. Was this that risky of a situation that he sincerely feared for his life if caught? Blake decided he may be right. He was a high positioned official of the World Government, working for a lowly headmaster. As much as she respected said headmaster, that was treason. Exile was an entirely real possibility – and not just for him.

"We probably should be more careful. Vili's suggestion was the government being corrupt in some manner, and even if he's right, Weiss' scenario of being branded traitors is a plausible future," Blake said.

Yang gave a half laugh at her statement. "'Even if he's right?' You mean 'especially if he's right.' When you make the rules, you don't have to follow them."

"How do you see that?" Ruby said, looking up from the ground to stare at her sister.

Yang brew somber again as she glanced back at the girl. "Because anyone who'd say otherwise get's thrown in jail. I've had a few of my bounties escape because they had friends in high places. Don't even get me started on people like Junior and Torchwick who always manage to find a way out of trouble. Well, not Torchwick anymore, right guys?"

"You didn't even really do anything when we got him, you dolt," Weiss said weakly from her arms.

"Oh, look, she's cohearing!" Yang said with happiness.

"It's coherent, and no, I wouldn't quite call it that yet," she said. She looked around. "Wait a minute, what's…" she added. Blake caught the sharp inhale of shock. "Oh, please tell me this is a dream!"

"Nope! It's one hundred percent real! With recorded evidence broadcast across the world!" Yang said cheerily.

Blake caught a glimpse of the heiress' red face before her hands covered it in mortification. Muffled noises came out, something she recognized as speech but was too distorted to make out. It seemed, however, that Yang had made it out.

"Oh, silly! We'd never let anyone kill our princess! We wouldn't be very good teammates if we did, now would we?"

"So I supposed mercy killing me is off the table?" she said.

"Depends. Am I in your will?" Yang said with a smile.

"S-shut up!" she said, weakly swatting at Yang. "And put me down!"

"Wait, am I actually in your will?" Yang said, smile widening.

"That's not important! Put me down immediately!" Weiss said, thrashing about. Or rather, Blake amended, attempting to thrash about. The movements seemed pretty weak, though she was dealing with Yang.

"I really don't think that's a good idea…"

"Xiao Long," Weiss warned, locking her blue eyes on the lilac ones above her.

"Okay, but remember I told you…" Yang said as she set her down.

Weiss was gingerly placed with her feet on the ground, attempting to take a step. She immediately seemed to lose her balance and nearly fell over. Yang caught her by the arm and pulled her upright. She gave a smug look to the heiress as Weiss struggled to get her bearings. Ruby immediately came to her side as Weiss shook her arm loose of Yang's grip.

"Come here," Ruby said, hunching over a little bit to be equal height to Weiss. She pulled the waving arm over her neck and wrapped her own under Weiss'. Weiss seemed hesitant at first, but didn't fight her off. From her position in front of them, Blake could see Yang put her hands out in exasperation. A ghost of a smile passed over Blake's lips as she turned forward. They were almost to the edge where they could lay her down and have the medics check her out.

As Ruby eased her into a seat, Weiss beckoned for Myrtenaster. Blake held out the blade, which she snatched with a firm grasp. She never did like having others handle the thing outside its case – in that regard, she was not too different from Ruby. To be allowed to touch or handle Crescent Rose was a surefire sign that Ruby liked you. To Blake's knowledge, the list included Ruby's family, herself, and Weiss – anyone else was denied or watched like a hawk. This had only gotten worse after what Cinder did to the thing, requiring her father to essentially re-forge it while she was hospitalized.

She, Ruby, and Yang moved a distance away as the medics came in to do a final check over on Weiss. Blake stared at the heiress, wondering about what her course of action should be. The two had, in an odd twist of fate, become somewhat of each other's confidant. However, with Weiss' anxiety and recent run in, Blake didn't want to risk troubling the girl with her sudden revelation. She'd likely keep the secret, but Blake didn't want Weiss fearing for her. Yang would be her other obvious go to, as she'd surprisingly proven capable of being a good secret keeper. However, this was not something she'd keep secret – her protective nature wouldn't allow it. Similarly, Ruby was a definite no-go. Despite the girl's tendency to be reckless and take risks personally, she'd never allow one of them to do the same. Blake couldn't fault her on that; it was part of what made her such a good leader. However, Blake had always preferred to do things her own way since leaving the White Fang. There was no need to drag others into trouble, and she'd attempted to keep things that way until she'd somehow found herself with a group of close friends. It was surprising for her that she'd expected to not have friends and instead ended up with such a large group. Even more surprising was the continued functionality of her White Fang account under Blaine as well as her sneaking suspicions concerning Adam and the White Fang's slow response to her desertion.

At that, she had another thought. Why would Adam have wanted to be placed on this mission if not for her? Or had they placed him here because of her? She realized this might be a test for him – to prove he was faithful after letting her go. Twice. But he'd failed to get the position – presumably because Vili had gained the attention of Tytus Alba, of all people. Even the White Fang wouldn't attempt to go toe-to-toe with a World Councilmember, especially that World Councilmember. Had Bernard Buck and Michael Bladiamant been the only ones to make it in? Or were there more out there among the other contestants and the crowd? Looking up at the sea of people in the stands, she wondered if Adam was up there watching. Was he wearing his mask, or had he opted for one of the festival masks popular in the nightclubs this time of year? Or was he waiting in Vale, preparing to strike? Where did Junior fit into all of this? She needed answers, but now was not the time. Once they fought, she'd get Bernard to talk. First, however, she had a promise to keep.

"So, just a little while longer before you two go head to head. How are you feeling?" Yang said to the two of them.

The Blake looked at Ruby, finding her silver eyes looking back. It wouldn't be easy, she suspected. However, she knew more about Ruby's style than Ruby did about hers. If she played her cards right, she could come out on top. The difficulty would be her speed. The arena was large, giving Ruby the speed advantage over those distances much like Weiss had against Bernard. The key would be to use her superior speed in close range to negate Ruby's advantage, but that would require precise timing.

"I'm honestly not sure, Blake's really good. As Jaune says, you look like controlled chaos when you fight. I'm going to have to stay on top of that," Ruby said after a moment.

"And you fight like a wildling creature, to use Weiss' terminology. I agree, it'll be a close one."

"Hm, I don't know who to root for. I'll just cheer you both on!" Yang said.

"Yes! Go Blake! Go Ruby!" Penny said, coming up with the others.

"Oh hey guys! Sorry about ditching you, duty calls you know?" Yang said.

"She's your teammate – it's entirely understandable," Vili responded. "For that matter, I assume she's alright? What was that about with Bernard, Blake?"

"She should be fine, he said the poison breaks down in sunlight. The medics are giving her a final checkup now. He gave us this in case there were any problems, however," Blake said, producing the small vial he'd given her.

"Oh, we should probably get that checked by the medics. Be right back," Ruby said, snatching it from her hands and running off in a flurry of petals.

"So, there are petals all over your bedroom, right?" Vili said, eyeing some of them.

"We make her keep it at a minimum in the dorm room," Yang said. "Same rule we had in the house back home – it gets kind of ridiculous otherwise."

"So, that medicine was all the attack was about?" Pyrrha cut in with a hefty dose of skepticism.

"Well, not exactly. I think it was more him testing the waters. We did come in as though we expected to fight, but he also may have been gauging whether he could take us on. After seeing that he hadn't completely gotten the drop on me, and Ruby closing the gap between her and Weiss pretty much instantly, he may have decided it wasn't worth the risk."

"I never would have thought of that," Yang murmured, running her hand through her hair with a head tilt. "So he may still be a bad guy? I figured not killing Weiss and giving her medicine cleared it up."

"I'm pretty sure it's best to keep our eyes on him for now. I still think he's the prime suspect," Blake responded.

"Alright, everybody, our intermission will end shortly. Please begin finding your way back to your seats. We are coming up on the battle between Ruby Rose, who is returning after an absent year, and another first time contestant, Blake Belladonna. Yesterday demonstrated to us the speed of these young ladies, but now we will see who is faster."

"We should let Sun know they're about to fight. He wanted to know if Weiss was alright anyway," Ren commented.

"Ah, right!" Jaune said, producing his scroll.

"When did you talk to him?" Yang asked.

"He called right away when Weiss fell down. You should have heard him – he was really worried. Jaune kept trying to tell him we didn't know anything and he just kept asking questions. We barely got him to hang up so we could come down. Luckily she was fine, right?" Nora ran, seeming chipper again despite the tone of concern.

Blake nodded in agreement. She hid a smile at Sun's panic, however. He was a roguish fellow, but he valued his friends. She remembered when he'd traveled back to Mistral for the graduation ceremony last spring for his friends at Sanctum, followed immediately by his trip to Rakuen for the Singto graduation. His concern over Weiss, despite her seeming dislike of him, was a true testament of his character. She was glad to know someone like that.

"Well, I guess you should go get prepped. We'll keep an eye on Weiss. Just have fun, and tell Ruby we said good luck," Pyrrha said, looking to where Ruby was being examined by the medics in preparation for the fight.

Blake double checked Gambol Shroud, though she'd thoroughly looked over it this morning before coming down. She knew what she needed to do. Locking eyes with Yang for a moment, they had a moment of unspoken agreement. She'd keep her word. With that, she headed toward Ruby to get checked out as well.

Ruby walked onto the arena, opposite of her feline teammate. She was sincerely worried about the outcome of this fight. Though Ruby had the higher caliber gun, the larger weapon, and greater speed, she knew that meant nothing. Each member of her team had proven to be extremely skilled, having trained diligently due to their encounters with Cinder Fall and the White Fang. However, Blake's tendency to train alone had always bothered her. Everyone did their own training, though, so that wasn't right. It was more that when they trained together, she seemed to be holding back.

Ruby and Blake both appreciated the stories within books, the perfect worlds and happy endings within them. The difference was that Blake didn't believe those things were possible in reality. Ruby read them and aspired to be the hero who made those worlds possible. Blake, she believed, saw the peacefulness and desired to have it, thinking she never could. Ruby had chosen to learn how to fight so she could achieve her dream, but Blake had been forced to learn so she could survive. She was not a violent person, and was not prone to overtly passionate outbursts. In retrospect, her eventual snap at Weiss had been long coming, considering the heiress' attitude back then.

In front of her, the girl stood, her yellow eyes seeming pleasant, that faint smile of hers on her lips. Though Ruby had learned to take these as happiness, there was always a bittersweet element. Those brief instances – her outburst against Weiss, her sadness and anger when she'd found Cinder and Ruby – they told her that Blake was indeed passionate, just beneath the surface. What that expression presented was but a shadow of her emotions, a lie of sorts. She wasn't really happy.

Ruby had been raised to believe fighting was an expression of who you are. Blake's fighting style, the controlled chaos as she'd mentioned Jaune saying, matched that mask she wore. Beneath that was the unrestrained chaos, who Blake really was. It had been a long time since she'd seen Blake fight with someone seriously, and even that she had not seen. Blake fought Cinder, but it seemed the woman had escaped as far as Ruby understood. However, Blake had come out unharmed. That belied the idea of her being a lowly huntress-in-training. That was a level matched by a real huntress, a feat even Professor Goodwitch had admitted to being impressive. If that side of her existed, as Ruby expected, then she was not sure she'd do well against her.

Clutching her precious, she had a feeling of peace in the final moments before it began. She and Crescent Rose had been through a lot together. They fought Grimm together, fought Torchwick together, even nearly died together. The large mechashift weapon was just as close an entity as Yang. Family that was irreplaceable, something that would always be there as something she could rely upon and support. She'd need its cooperation and companionship dearly to win this fight.

5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Go!

Crescent Rose, fully extended, was fired toward her rear as she charged forward. She raced across the arena toward Blake, covering the distance in an instant. Another pull of the trigger and the large blade swung around, cutting Blake in two as Ruby spun past. Blake disappeared, Ruby pulling herself into a low back flip. The cleaver of Gambol Shroud shaved past her face, cutting a couple strands of hair in the process. Ruby landed the back flip with one foot, swinging the other around to face her opponent. She went to swing Crescent Rose to bear, intending to fire a shot at Blake and put some distance between them with the recoil. The round hit air, and Ruby felt a building pressure across her back as she flew backward. The ribbon of Gambol Shroud began to wrap around her body, redirecting the flying pistol as it soared through the air. As it began to reach the front, Ruby spun her scythe around. She ducked as it knocked the ribbon over her head, chambering a new round as the head faced the ground. The last bit of tension within the ribbon as it popped off Ruby pulled the trigger, launching the sickle toward her with a sudden burst of speed. With a semblance enhanced jump and a burst of recoil, she shot upward just as the weapon sped under her – dodging by inches. As the ribbon went taught and another shot fired, it went back toward Blake's hand, who watched Ruby in the air. She was crouched low and Ruby knew she'd be up in the air with her in a moment.

As the crowd cheered at the impressive opening moves, Ruby had but one thought. Yep. This was definitely not going to be easy.

Blake pounced upward, using a shadow to do so again without a moment of hesitation when she reached the top of her jump. Having risen above Ruby, Blake descended upon her with a downward swing of the cleaver in her left hand. Ruby knew this was not the real threat, keeping her gaze on the right arm pulled back with the ribbon extending. She prepared to twist while aiming at the sky. Crescent Rose was fired upward as Blake attacked, sending her feet first toward the sickle. Blake had jumped up at a distance, using her momentum to swing the blade toward Ruby from below while she went in for an attack from above once the gunblade's path was on target. As Ruby twisted out of its path, Crescent Rose caught the ribbon, and with another fire, she slammed into the arena. With Gambol Shroud caught and the other end tied to her arm, Blake was pulled down after them.

Ruby had hoped she'd land messily, allowing her to do a follow up attack, but she should have known better. She landed on her feet, just in front of Ruby as each had wanted. Ruby grabbed the ribbon in her right hand, pulling Blake's across to twist her off balance. Ruby's left, meanwhile, swung Crescent Rose with a haphazard one handed recoil boosted swing. It should have hit Blake's exposed back, but the cleaver blocked the swing with aura enforced strength. Silver eyes locked with yellow, finding cold resolve. Blake's aura flared, manifesting like black paint as she charged forward.

Ruby heard a strangled scream, but before she could register where it'd come from she was hit with an intense feeling. Pain. Her world flashed white and then black as pain seared through her entire body. She realized the scream had been her own as she found herself on the ground. Her body shook violently as she attempted to get her bearings. She was winded, gasping to get air in her lungs, but was interrupted as vomit poured from her mouth. The sickly smell and acidic burn in her throat were added to the pulses of pain wracking her body on the list of sensations returning to her. What…what just happened? she thought groggily. But then she realized what it was as the pulses faded. One place burned with agony, the source of the emanating pulses of pain. Her adjusting ears picked up the crackle of aura around it, signifying its agitation. Her wound. Blake had hit her in the stomach, which was still damaged from her encounter with Cinder. Though she didn't have a good sense of where she should go, she scrambled for Crescent Rose in her vomit, preparing to fire a round. It didn't matter what direction, she just needed to get some distance between her and Blake or this fight was over.

Barely even crawling, she fired a couple shots, sliding and flipping across the arena, a limp bundle of bile covered rags. She found herself near the edge, her calf hanging off the edge over the green as she caught her breath, facing the sky. She ignored the sounds of the arena, of her friends crying out in shock and anger, of the spectators' groans, of the medical sirens. She blinked tears out of her eyes so she could see clearly. As her mind cleared and she gasped for breath, she looked toward Blake. She stood roughly in the same spot, Gambol Shroud holstered. Her eyes were determined but apologetic. Tears, Ruby could see, spotted them. She knew how Blake operated. She didn't fight because enjoyed it like Yang. She didn't do it because she felt it was right like Ruby. She didn't fight because she felt it was expected of her like Weiss. She fought because she had to. She won because she had to. Ruby didn't know why, but it was plain to her that Blake felt she needed to do this. Fine, but she wasn't going to go down so easily.

She dragged herself upright, waving off the approaching medics. She attempted to say she was fine, hefting Crescent Rose. However, she fell into another bout of vomiting, planting the blade into the ground to support her.

"Ruby!" Blake called, coming toward her. She held her hand out, telling her to stop. She resumed waving off the medics.

"I'm fine, I can still fight," she said, looking down at more vomit as she fought down dry heaves.

"Ruby, just go with the medics," Blake said, concern apparent in her voice. She turned toward Jack, who held a hand to his ear piece, turning to look toward the judges' booth.

"I said," Ruby prepared to repeat, her aura flaring with a flutter of petals. "I can still fight." Her aura fluctuated wildly, turning a dark color with a sudden pulse, but then stabilized. Her vomit began to turn to rose petals as more fluttered off her cloak. They glowed with a vibrant life, her clothes and the red of her hair matching it. She saw this in the screen above them, having only seen the effect in the petals and hair of her Grandmother and Uncle Qrow before, curious of what brought it about. She fought down her tremors, ignored her pain. Standing, she replaced the clip in Crescent Rose, flourishing the weapon when she was done. Occasional tremors made it through and she still struggled to keep her mind clear and focused, but she had it mostly under control.

Up in the stands, spectators began to cheer. Cries of She can fight! She can fight! were taken up. Looking upward, the screen showed her aura low, near the red and dropping. She didn't have much longer. The judges gave a hand, Jack hyping it. "Well, ladies, continue. Give us an ending to remember," he said, an undertone of regret in his voice. Ruby caught the scream of Weiss cursing the judges, muffled by someone covering her mouth. Blake looked at Ruby like she was crazy.

"If you want to win, the least I can do is make you earn it. What kind of leader would I be if I didn't make you work toward being the best you can be?" she said. Blake hesitated, but then gave her faint smile. "There you go. Now, let's hurry up and finish this. I don't think I can put off going to the hospital much longer before Yang and Weiss drag me off the arena to make me."

That got a mix between a laugh and a sob, but the expression was short lived. Blake reached for her weapon as her face settled back into the cold resolve, her tears wiped away. A fresh clip was inserted into the weapon as the black paint substance appeared on her clothes and hair again. Ruby matched her, no longer concerned with potentially harming her friend. This fight was done. This wasn't someone she could hurt in her current position. She still had so much more progress to make before she'd be strong enough to take on all their problems.

They stood like that for a moment, Blake doing something with the ribbon on her arm. Suddenly, Ruby was gone in a flurry of movement. Her movements were even more wild than usual, relying upon Crescent Rose's recoil and momentum to complete her actions. There was no finesse left, just raw power. She charged with a shot, swinging Crescent Rose with another before the blade swung into war scythe form. The great blade flew with her toward Blake, who'd thrown the sickle Gambol Shroud upward in an odd manner, the left hand once more holding the cleaver. Ruby was on alert for her next move as her gaze followed the pistol upward, eyeing the expanding coils of the ribbon. Blake was making sure Ruby couldn't guess what she'd do, and Ruby had the sinking feeling she'd succeed in whatever it was. Even so, Crescent Rose was coming in on her at ridiculous speeds, and she seemed unconcerned. If she got a good hit in, she might – and it was a big might – stand a chance. Not that her injuries would allow her to advance – she gave herself a couple hours before she was completely bedridden. Again. Thanks, Blake, she thought.

Crescent Rose was almost ready to make contact, but Blake had begun to move. The cleaver, held against her arm as a shield, went to deflect the attack. Was she out of her mind?! Crescent Rose would snap the blade like a twig. Ruby panicked, not possessing the strength to pull the weapon back. Her concern was unnecessary. The massive scythe hit the cleaver, which was at an angle. Though she was taken to a knee by the force, Blake deflected Crescent Rose to the ground. The sudden change in speed and direction pulled the weapon out of Ruby's hands as the blade buried itself into the arena up to the barrel.

The force sent up her body caused her to double over in pain as the shine of her petals, clothes, and hair disappeared. Blake's hand graced her cheek, the cleaver dropped to the ground. However, it slid back to grab her at the nape of her neck, stunning her as the feline scaled and jumped off her back. The force sent Ruby to her knees, her body refusing to listen to her attempts to ignore the pain. She looked up to find the rings of the ribbon falling around her, surrounding her. Realizing what Blake intended, she forced a burst of speed, feeling the tug of low aura for the first time since that day. However, she found there was nowhere to run, jumping right into the tightening ribbon. It was over; she had no way to avoid becoming ensnared in Blake's trap.

Blake seized her sickle from the air, jumping off a shadow toward the ground away from Ruby. Behind her, she felt the ribbon pull taught, knowing she'd caught her prey within the net. Standing and grabbing the opposite strands in each hand, she pulled. When she felt the first contact with something against her back, she leaned forward and adjusted her grip to pull outward. Ruby flipped and twisted in the air over her, Blake putting her arms out to catch her as gently as she could.

Dazed silver eyes stared up at her. Blake was concerned for the girl's well being, despite her being the cause of the state. "Are you alright? I tried to make that as painless as possible," she asked.

"It was fantastic. Ten out of ten, would be caught and reeled in again," Ruby responded with smile as her eyes focused on her. Blake sighed at the words, closing her eyes.

"Was that a-"

"Fishing joke? Yep!" she said, surprisingly cheery for someone who was likely in intense pain.

Blake's ears flattened as she frowned. "Ruby," she admonished. Now was hardly the time for either to be making jokes. Not after what she'd just done.

"Watch the ears, they'll be doing a close up for the winner announcement," Ruby said, eyes flicking between Blake and the screen above them. Indeed, just as she put them up again, it zoomed in on her.

"Well, that makes a winner for us, folks! That was a splendid demonstration of the skills of two of Beacon Academy's finest! Blake Belladonna is the winner, but let's also give a round for her opponent, Ruby Rose – a girl who embodies perseverance, a great virtue!" Jack closed, his gaze falling down on Blake with squinted suspicion.

Medics took her attention, rushing up to unwrap and retrieve Ruby. They took her off, rushing her for preemptive examination before evacuation – she could hear the hospital tiltjet's sirens nearing from the coast. She went back to retrieve the sheath, feeling the thud as the blade was pulled in by the magnetic clamp on her back. Her mind was a hurricane of thoughts and doubts, her own stomach knotting at the sight and smell of the bile, the memory of her scream. It had been just like that night, pure pain. Her hands tightening, she prepared for the worst. She walked down toward the contestants' area, not wanting to meet the gaze of those awaiting her. She stopped when she could see the white heeled boots come into view. Looking up, she found two blue lakes of rage looking at her. It was only a moment before she was seeing stars in their places.

Her cheek stung with the force of the slap, having suppressed her aura to allow it to come through. She'd likely have a bruise if the pain was anything to go by. This was a beating she'd accept, since even she was not convinced of her actions. However, she wasn't done yet. She had to sell it.

"Weiss, I-" she stopped with a flinch, Weiss' hand caught by Yang an inch from her turned cheek.

"Weiss! Once was enough," she said, her expression and tone difficult for Blake to read.

"I didn't think it would be that bad," Blake said while the two were preoccupied with each other. Blake was unsure how Yang would handle this. She was equally protective of Ruby, but she had greater confidence in Ruby's condition. The girl had previously voiced much progress in the healing of her wound, even having Yang continually apply pressure to test the soreness. She hadn't predicted that her attack would put Ruby into such a condition. At least, not so quickly.

"See?" Yang said as she came over to put her arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure it was just an accident – she saw an opening and took it. We thought Ruby was able to take this. She'd been doing so well, right?" Blake's eyes darted to Yang in shock at the words, unsure of how Weiss would interpret it. The heiress' eyes narrowed as they darted between the two, but she didn't argue. However, before Blake could attempt to add upon Yang's words, Weiss' eyes settled on something behind them with a softened expression. She rushed forward, pushing Blake and Yang aside as she ran past them. Following her direction, Blake found Ruby frantically waving her arms to get the medics to stop and allow Weiss to catch up. The poison had certainly seemed to run its course. Blake and Yang shared a glance, following but stopping at a distance.

"How are you feeling?" Weiss asked, the anger replaced with pure concern. It was always a shocking thing to find such compassion from the cold girl.

"I'm fine! Look, I need to tell you some things before they dope me up and, well, you know, I'm out of it," Ruby said in a rush, keeping appearances up. The girl's tenacity was remarkable; Blake imagined most people would be writhing in pain from what she was going through right now. She'd seen the wild way she fought, the way she'd been barely swinging Crescent Rose, which was folded up beside her on the stretcher.

"I think we have differing definitions for 'fine,' but what do you need to tell me?" Weiss said.

"Well, this is for all of you. It's Scott Hashishon. That's the name of that man – you see what you can find on him. The second thing is just for you Weiss," Ruby said, getting serious. Blake wondered what it was. "Go easy on her – that's an order. I told her not to hold back and fight me with all she had, I could take it. I, uh, may have stretched the truth there, obviously – but the point is, it's not her fault." What?! No she hadn't! It was definitely my fault, Blake thought. She went to speak, but Yang covered her mouth, shaking her head. She was right, this was what she needed to get Weiss off her case, but she didn't like it.

Weiss sighed, her folded arms and shift in posture telling Blake she was rolling her eyes. "Fine, I won't kill her in her sleep," she said, casting a glare at Blake over her shoulder. She knew she was kidding, but Blake's skin crawled at the anger there.

"Well, that's progress. You wouldn't have killed someone on my behalf before – I'm glad you care," Ruby said with a smile as Weiss' skin went red again. "I also like having a team that shares my name – RWY just doesn't have the same ring. Blake!"

Her ears pricked up at the call, focusing on her. She waved her over. She came close to stand by Weiss, aware of the beam of focused anger tracking her. "Yes?"

"Your punishment for hospitalizing your leader is…" Ruby began, pausing for dramatic effect. "Story duty. I want you at my bedside, ready to read to me whenever I'm coherent." Weiss gave her a look, and Blake had to hold back a laugh.

"Of course, ma'am. I'll get the book as soon as I'm able," Blake said.

"Good, I can't wait." She went to wave the medics on, giving an encouraging smile to Yang, who waved. However, a call came from the others, who'd stayed away to give them privacy.

"Wait! Sun wants to know where you're going!" Nora called out. Pyrrha seemed to be talking to him on her scroll.

"Summer Memorial, the big hospital in the northwest! Tell him he just needs to ask for her room!" Yang called back. Pyrrha gave a thumb up as she spoke to the scroll.

They loaded her into the tiltjet, the medics coordinating. One came over to them, pointing back at the aircraft. "We can take one of you – any takers?" she asked.

They shared glances. Yang turned to back to the woman. "She's going," she said, pointing to Weiss. Weiss seemed surprised, much like Blake herself. "I went last time she needed an evac – we'll meet you out there soon." Weiss stared at her a moment, but then went toward the aircraft. The medic followed her a ways to it, pointing and talking. However, she stopped and headed off elsewhere as Weiss boarded. Suddenly, Yang turned to her. "She's fucking pissed," she said bluntly.

"Really? I thought she gave me this hand print on my face because it matched my stockings," Blake deadpanned, rubbing the developing bruise.

"Can you blame her?"

"I let her hit me for a reason," she responded. She sighed. "I'm really sorry, I didn't think that would affect her like it did."

"It's fine. I just hope I made the right choice."

"We – and yeah, so do I," Blake said, genuinely doubting her actions today. She needed to win, but not in the way she'd done it. She turned to walk toward the others. "Oh, and by the way, she's on to us," she added as she left Yang behind.

"What?! Really?" Yang said, her voice having a tinge of surprise and… fear?

"It might be my fault. The way you said 'we thought Ruby could take this' – I realize now you meant the tournament, but I thought you meant crippling her. I looked at you thinking you'd exposed us, and I think she caught that," Blake said. She stopped to look at Yang, who was petting her hair and staring down. "You did mean crippling her, didn't you?" She gave a nervous laugh. Blake rolled her eyes and kept walking toward the others. "It doesn't matter now. Maybe she'll think I was surprised by you siding with me. Her being suspicious of that might be just as much of a problem, though."

She stopped as she neared the others, meeting ten glaring eyes. She sighed, preparing for more rebukes. However, they were surprisingly lenient. Looking back later, she suspected they decided Weiss was punishment enough.

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Ren said.

"I have my reasons. I didn't intend for her to end up in the condition she did, but I needed to win. It's become important to me," she said, her gaze flickering to the Blake Belladonna and Bernard Buck plates on the bracket.

"You wanted to be the one to fight him. To avenge Weiss?" Pyrrha asked. That was not untrue, but it was not the whole truth. Even so, she nodded.

"And you didn't think hitting Ruby like that would hurt her that badly," Jaune filled in. "Honestly, I'm surprised too. She seemed so, well, strong – I thought she wasn't hurt that badly anymore."

"So did we," Yang said, looking at Blake. "It's why I'm not as angry with Blake as Weiss – I was the most sure of Ruby being able to handle fighting again." Blake stared at her, surprised at Yang's use of her thoughts to convince the others.

"Well, should we head out to the hospital?" Penny asked, concern evident in her voice. Ruby's status as her first friend meant a lot to the girl. Blake supposed she should be happy Penny was as understanding as she was. That would be a fight she would never want to be faced with.

"No, Penny, we couldn't ask you guys to do that. Your and Nora's fight is later – and Vili's up right now, right?" Blake said, noting that he was not among them.

"Yeah, most of us have one later today – including Yang," Nora cut in, crossing her arms with a pout. "What should we do?"

"My fight's not until later, so I'm going with Blake now and I'll come back. You guys should stay here, we'll be alright. It shouldn't really be a problem – her fever will flare up and she'll be sore for awhile, but it shouldn't be anything beyond that. They just want to check her for aggravated or reopened internal wounds," Yang said, having spoken with the officials concerning Ruby's medical condition prior to her registering. This was the pre-established procedure that enabled Yang to convince Weiss to have her participate. Ironic, then, how it came to be used.

"You sure you don't want us to come with you?" Pyrrha asked, fully sincere.

"Yeah! Look, she'll be fine, I'm sure of it. Just enjoy the day, kick some ass – we can check in on her later once our fights are done, okay?" Yang said, optimistic about Ruby's recovery.

"Yeah, that should work. You're right, we'll wait until later. Besides, we can keep an eye on things while you're gone, right? Let you know when something fishy happens," Jaune said.

With that, they bid them farewell. It was barely coming up on noon, and this had already been a busy and tiring day. She could only imagine what lay ahead, what unseen players had their pieces on this board. She hoped to get some answers during her fight, but would that be successful? They were dealing with a trained assassin, after all. Her stomach tightened with fear at a thought that hadn't troubled her in the past. She might die in a couple days if she was right, but that wasn't what was she was afraid of. Indeed, if that was all they wanted, she'd be fine with her friends spared. She was afraid of who was behind it. Considering things, it was very possible the men who'd been her family for roughly a decade were planning to kill her. She didn't know if she really wanted to find out if that was true.

"So," Yang said, breaking her out of her reverie. "We heading straight there, because I think I can get us a ride to a dock by the hospital?"

No, she had nothing to worry about. It would be unfortunate if they wanted to kill her, but she had new friends, a new family. This one she knew sincerely cared for her as she cared for them. With that in mind, she knew what she should do.

"No, let's take a detour," she replied. Yang gave her a look, obviously curious. "Ruby's clothes are ruined and I still have the smell. Also, I have to get the book – or should I add insubordination to the list of reasons Ruby should be angry with me as well?"

Yang sighed. "That's all the way at Beacon!" she complained.

"Think of it this way – the longer we take, the more time Weiss has to calm down."

"To Beacon!" she suddenly declared, grabbing hold of Blake and running.

"Slow down! If we're too fast, it'll defeat the purpose," Blake said, attempting to keep pace with the girl pulling her along. Yang slowed, but barely. Blake sighed inwardly. This was going to be a long day indeed.

What's this? A Blake chapter during Blake Week on the RWBY subreddit? I couldn't have planned this better. Anyway, we're getting into it guys. As of this moment, the shit is on final approach to the proverbial fan. You've got about two weeks, though, and then chaos. As always, all feedback is appreciated. See ya next time (which may or may not be before next weekend).