Hey guys, sorry this took longer than I expected. I was still grieving for a bit and I started another fic to take my mind off of things, AND THEN I had finals to worry about, but I'm all good now. I FINALLY have a Beta-Reader now and he's been a total blast talking to, so I would like to thank demonic1556 for being awesome!

Anyway, without further ado, let the story commence!

Dreams are such wonderful things.

To Blake, they were like story books, every different one unique and exciting in their own way. She enjoyed scouring through the events that would transpire in her personal sleep realm, eager to see what the next would bring.

The dream she was currently having was one of the few exceptions to her eagerness; she wanted to savor every last second of it.

She was tranquilly walking through fields of jade-green grass littered with a sea of flowers of all different colors and shades. The endless cerulean sky above expanded across the horizon and passed the thick forests beyond to create a blissful scenery the likes of which Blake had never seen in reality, the glimmering lake to her left was teaming with wildlife of all types, and the wind was gently caressing her bare-cat ears so smoothly that it made them twitch in delight sporadically.

It was the most beautiful environment that she could have possibly imagined, but that was not the most enjoyable piece of the dream. It was the presence of all of her friends walking with and around her just as happily as she was.

Yang and Ruby were in the front of the group, laughing ecstatically at a joke Penny's hologram, who was sitting contentedly on Ruby's left shoulder, was currently telling them. Sun and Neptune followed behind them, arguing about some unimportant and asinine topic, but were still merrily enjoying their conversation as they verbally jousted at one another. Even Adam was in the back of the group enjoying himself, staying silent as usual, but the characteristic angry scowl that had always stained his face was replaced with a wide blissful smile that was almost believed to be impossible to show on his face. And if that wasn't enough to make this the happiest dream possible, then their choice of clothing was. No longer were they geared with clothes with Dust sewn in for protection, no longer were they armed to the teeth with deadly weapons, and no longer did they constantly keep their Aura activated in case of an attack. They were simply dressed like a bunch of teenagers ready to enjoy a fun-filled day.

They had won.

The war was over, the world didn't need them anymore, and they could finally live peaceful lives without raising another weapon again.

The dream was a lie; a hypnotic fabrication of her mind as she slept, and Blake was under no illusion to the contrary, but it was a happy lie.

The group stopped in their tracks to wave happily at something in the distance, surprising Blake as she almost walked into Sun's back when he stopped. She looked over his broad shoulder to see what the sudden excitement was, then almost leaped in joy when she saw who they were waving at.

Standing in front of the entrance to a beautiful looking village filled to the brim with Humans and Faunus co-operating with one another under the banner of friendship instead of hate, were her three newest friends: Jaune, Nora, and Ren.

Her instincts once again shrouded her reserved nature as she ecstatically zoomed past all of her fellow former Beacon agents. She zipped past the roses and the lilies and the violets in her mad dash towards her loved ones, ready to embrace all of them lovingly. She inadvertently changed forms during her run and was now running on all fours towards them with vigor as they all huddled closer and simultaneously beckoned her over with open arms, ready to hug her as if she was one of their own.

With a happy meow, the kitten leaped towards the group with her paws extended and ready to grapple on to her friends.

Unfortunately, as soon as her paws made contact with them, her team took an immediate shift for the worst.

She opened her eyes expecting to see the happiness that she quickly became accustomed to, but instead found herself to be in the center of nothing but darkness and despair.

The once thriving village full of co-operating Humans and Faunus was now a bloody battlefield littered with dead bodies and roaring with Faunus and Humans murdering one another. The once architecturally astounding buildings that magnified the beauty of the establishment were now nothing more than smoldering remnants lit ablaze by the various weapons being used by the combatants. Blake would have tried to stop them, but was paralyzed in horror as she began to closely observe some of the bodies lying at her feet.

Her friends, her extended family that she treasured above all else, were lying on the ground in lakes of their collective blood. They were all dressed back in their normal attire for battle and their weapons lied next to their corpses in smoking shambles. Hysteria and sorrow began to arise in her heart, and she completely forgot that she was in a dream. The scorching heat of the flames of the buildings, the stinging wounds speckled throughout her body, and the metallic scent of the blood soaking the dirt; it felt all too real to feel like a dream.

And the worst part of the entire scenario was not the blood and carnage that surrounded her, but the scent of her friends' blood oozing off of her hands.

"So, how does it feel?" a hauntingly demonic voice whispered in her ear from behind her, motivating her to spin around in fright.

She couldn't make out the shape of the figure that was snickering darkly at its own question; all she could make out was the ebony-black cloud shrouding her vision of it.

"How does it feel to be the perpetrator of your "family's" demise? Assuming that an animal has the capacity to feel to begin with." The voice mockingly asked again, taking great pleasure in Blake's horror and despair.

"NO! Shut up! I didn't do this…I couldn't!" Blake screamed through tears in defiance as she closed her eyes and cupped her blood-soaked hands over her ears, trying to shield them from the figure's hurtful words. However, it proved fruitless when she heard its voice as clear as day in her head.

"Oh, is that so?" The voice sarcastically asked as the scenery began to change once again.

Blake fearfully opened her eyes again to find herself atop a hauntingly familiar cliff side, and not only was the current setting of her nightmare off-putting, but so were the two figures engaged in combat in front of her.

It was both herself and her dearest friend Yang, exchanging menacing blade swings and passionate punches towards one another respectively. It was no longer a nightmare; it was now a memory of a time in which Blake wished with all her heart that she could erase.

"If I recall correctly, you've made plenty of attempts on a friend's life before. Even after she tried oh so desperately to make you see the errors of your ways, you refused to listen and tried to take her life, even when she refused to reciprocate the intention."

Almost to intentionally magnify the effect of the voice's words, the Blake engaging Yang in combat attempted a lethal swing of Gambal Shroud at the blonde's neck. Yang managed to dodge it, but not without sustaining a small cut that did little to harm her health, but undoubtedly inflicted emotional pain that far outclassed any possible physical pain.

The betrayal and hurt that oozed from Yang's tears as she threw punch after punch at the Faunus, it sent waves of aching regret through her heart.

"Abandoning all reason, trusting only yourself, and lashing out at all who oppose you with the intent to kill; if that's not becoming of an animal, then I don't know what is."

Blake wanted nothing more than to escape the emotional torture the figure was inflicting upon her and tried desperately to sprint away from it. She was painfully tripped by a black tendril of darkness that slithered out of the figure's cloud as it gripped her ankle, then began to drag her back towards it while laughing evilly at her sorrow.

"You couldn't remove yourself from me any more easily than you could remove heat from fire. Running from me won't solve anything." The voice cackled with the intent to demoralize as it dragged Blake closer and closer into the cloud of darkness.

"LET ME GO!" Blake roared angrily and fearfully as she desperately clawed at the ground in a tearful frenzy.

The voice laughed ominously as more tendrils latched on to her, systematically destroying any hope of escape with each tendril. Both of her ankles, wrists, her waist, and her neck bore astem of terrifying darkness that pulled her further towards the growling monster.

Blake gave one last fearful glance at the evil that was consuming her.

Her heart froze at the sight of the gleaming blood-red eyes smiling at her.

Blake eyes shot open as she jumped to her four feet in an alarmed fashion, finally awaking from her nightmare and returning to the world of consciousness. As she gradually regained control of her breathing, the panic coursing through her system began to wither as well, but still leaving Blake in shivers.

She knew it was a dream, she was always aware of that.

So why did it feel so real?

Blake rapidly shook her head to help discard the disturbing memories, simply grateful that the nightmare was over.

She craned her neck to observe Jaune's room around her, hoping to see the comforting face of her blonde friend, but then took notice of his absence and the lingering traces of his warmth in the bed she was lying on. Deducing that he must be downstairs getting ready for school, she released a drowsy yawn of exhaustion she exited the room and descended down the stairs leading to the living room.

Just as she suspected, he was sitting comfortably on his couch enjoying a plate full of chicken nuggets and watching an episode of Attack on Titan.

"Is if Friday already?" Blake thought as she looked at the calendar, knowing that Jaune would usually celebrate the last day of the school week with a morning routine of his favorite food and anime. The calendar confirmed it, reminding Blake that Tukson had messaged her to visit him today for some reason.

Noticing the tiny black fur-ball at the bottom of the stairs observing him from afar, Jaune smiled at his favorite cat and greeted her with a friendly "Hello!" as he waved.

"Someone's happy." Blake commented in the form of a calm meow as she walked towards the bowl of warm tuna that Jaune always prepared for her in the morning. Not realizing just how hungry she was until the enticing scent of her favorite meal reached her nose, Blake wolfed down every last bit of the delectable meal in a matter of seconds.

After annihilating any trace of the tuna's existence, she blinked confusedly at the empty bowl as she licked its remains from her fuzzy mouth. She had no idea why, but for some reason her appetite grew stronger with each day. Usually, she would be satisfied with one bowl of tuna, but that began to change over the course of the week. Every time Jaune would leave the house to go to school, it was a struggle to refrain from raiding his fridge for additional sustenance. It was tempting, but she didn't want to risk Jaune noticing the unusual absence of food, so she endured the aches and pains of her growling stomach.

Speaking of growling stomach, the rumbling in her stomach returned with an angry vengeance that had Blake groaning in discomfort.

With her bowl of tuna completely vacant of any more chow, her golden eyes zoomed in on the plate of steaming chicken nuggets that had her mouth overflowing with drool at the mere sight.

He wouldn't be too opposed to giving up just one would he?

Jaune looked away from the T.V. and turned towards the feline that abandoned her bowl and leaped next to him on the couch.

"What's up?" he asked, curious as to why his cat was staring at him so heavily.

Almost as if to intentionally answer his question, Blake's gaze shifted towards his plate as she hungrily licked her lips. Jaune looked behind her to see if she had even touched her plate, then flinched at the sight of the spotless dish.

She must really be hungry.

"Do you want some more tuna?" he asked with a humored chuckle.

The prospect of additional tuna did sound pleasing, but in all honesty, there was only so much tuna she could consume before even she would become sick of it.

Jaune's chicken nuggets sounded much more appealing at the moment.

"Meow." Blake mewled as inched closer towards the plate of seasoned poultry.

Before she could even so much as touch even one of Jaune's nuggets, he retracted them further away from her and out of her reach.

"No kitty, there my chicken nuggets." Jaune whined with a disapproving frown.

Normally Jaune would be happy to share his food with the kitten, but chicken nuggets were his absolute favorite and he intended to savor every last bite.

This did not please Blake in the slightest.

"Reeeoorrrr!" Blake angrily cried as she leaped at the plate in Jaune's hands. Her attempt at the nuggets was as successful as the last as Jaune swiftly raised the plate higher.

"No kitty, that's a bad kitty!" Jaune scolded in an irritated fashion.

"REEEOORRR!" Blake protested.

"No kitty, there my chicken nuggets!" Jaune shouted defensively as he shielded his precious food with his arms, making sure to deny Blake access to them.

He would have continued to reprimand his kitten for her unusual naughty behavior, but visibly cringed as he noticed the voracious gleam in her eyes.

The last time he saw that look in her eyes was when he took her to…the…vet…oh crap.

"RRRREEEEOOOOORRRR!" Blake roared ferociously as she charged at her unfortunate caretaker with her fangs and claws extended to their peak, ready to reunite with the subtle flesh of their favorite victim.

"No kitty that's a bad goddamn kitty!" Jaune screamed fearfully as he prepared to flee the demon that was about to send him careening back into the ever familiar world of pain he was accustomed to.

"Wait…" Jaune thought before turning around.

Horrific flashbacks of the pain his rump was subjected to every time he tried to escape the pursuit of his cat. If he simply refrained from turning his back on his adversary, there was no way she would be able to attack his bottom if just made sure to keep her at his front.

It was foolproof!

"I'm ready for you this time! Bring it on pussycat!" Jaune growled challengingly he braced himself and stood his ground with his arms ready to block her attacks.

He expected the rabid feline to slow down to at least attempt a change her course of direction, but he was baffled by Blake's unperturbed charge.

If anything, he could have sworn that the cat chuckled sinisterly as she increased her speed.

But why? How could she possibly cause him more pain than how she usually did?

The only place that she could damage that would even come close that amount of pain was his…

Oh crap…

"Oh, looks like I found a new scratching post." Blake chuckled darkly as she leaped at her target.

If there was anything that could be said about Jaune as a man, it was that he had endured colossal amounts of pain like a champ throughout his life. He had been hit by a train that broke half of the bones in his body, he was slammed into the wall by an airborne couch thrown by one of his best friends, shot in the ass with a tranquilizer gun by his other best friend, and on more than one occasion suffered the agonizingly painful barrages of kicks to his groin from his crush.

None of those painful experiences could hope to compare to his current incident in terms of agony.

(One hour later)

"So after we took our seats, this incredibly rude waitress walks up to our table and basically calls me fat!" Nora angrily narrated with an irate huff as she crossed her arms.

"Nora was getting impatient because our food hadn't arrived yet, and the waitress offered her a salad as an appetizer, free of charge." Ren corrected in a bored monotone voice as he sipped his water bottle.

"Ren, being the manliest man of manly men, decided to defend my honor and attack that bitch for her rude comment!" Nora continued with a celebratory fist-pump.

"Offended by the waitress's offer, Nora grabbed me by the collar of my suit, used me as a weapon, and sent me flying into the poor lady."

"But if calling me fat wasn't enough, that tramp decided to piss me off even further by making a move on MY MAN!" Nora shouted ferociously, livid by the mere memory of the confrontation.

"I accidentally landed face first on her chest, and the waitress was too shocked and scared to react."

"Knowing that I was upset, Ren heroically ceased attacking the witch that insulted me and carried me away from the emotionally distressing scene in his arms." Nora cooed as she wrapped her arms around Ren's left one and nuzzled her cheek against his bicep.

"The manager threatened to call the police if we didn't leave the building in the next ten seconds."

"And during the morning that followed, Ren looked me in the eyes and said "Don't worry baby, I won't take you back there."

"We're forbidden from walking within fifty feet of that restaurant for the rest of our lives." Ren concluded the wholly exaggerated tale with another sip of his water.

Cardin, Velvet, Russel, and interestingly Coco, all stared dumbfounded at their friends from their seats as the eccentric couple finished their comical tale.

"So how often do you guys have normal dates?" Velvet skeptically asked as Cardin and Russel started snickering at the couple's story.

Coco simply remained silent as she pushed her sunglasses further up the bridge of her nose and tried to restrain the laughter that threatened to escape her wiggling lips.

Ren chuckled at the Faunus's question. "Oh Velvet, don't be silly."

Velvet's head leaned slightly to the left in confusion at her friend's response.

"We've never had a normal date." Ren finished wittily, yet truthfully, sending his fellow men into stronger fits of laughter and shattering any of Coco's restraint on her own.

Nora was about to indulge her friends in yet another story of one of her various misadventures, but her eyes shot towards the door as the last member of their group limped through it and towards the unoccupied seat next to Ren.

"Oh look, there's Jaune! Hi Jauney-Boy!" Nora greeted her long-time friend as she happily waved at the blond.

His only response was a moan of pain as he collapsed onto his seat with his face plastered against the surface of his desk.

Ren and Nora exchanged knowing looks with one another, easily guessing the culprit behind Jaune's current condition.

"What the hell happened to you?" Coco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Kitten?" Ren and Nora asked as they chuckled at the boy's misfortune.

"Kitten." Jaune wheezed in confirmation without separating his face from his desk, strengthening Ren and Nora's subtle laughter and confusing the rest of their group even further.

They would have liked to ask the unfortunate blonde to elaborate, but their professor started his lecture before they had the chance.

As they spent the next hour and a half listening to their teacher ramble about the subject of their study, they strongly questioned whether or not Jaune was conscious to listen along with them.

He had yet to remove his face from his desk, and was silently whimpering "Why me?" as he kept his legs crossed.

(Beacon)

"Come on Weiss! Just a bit further!" Ruby called out from ahead of her albino "friend" as she brushed aside any tree branches out of her way.

"Whatever." Weiss grumpily and uncaringly responded as she stepped over a pile of sticks and followed the annoying Faunus.

For whatever reason, Ruby felt it was necessary to once again disturb Weiss's sleep early in the morning to bring her back to the Emerald Forest. Weiss had very little patience for the red agent's antics today because her meeting with one of Beacon's Councilman was very soon and, truth be told, she was nervous. She only wished to stay in her room and collect her thoughts, so she resisted by burying her head under her pillow in an attempt to block her out, but Ruby was apparently hell-bent on making her life a living hell and threatened to impose upon her a fate worse than the most agonizing of hells: having the monkey-tailed rapscallion sing karaoke in her room.

Weiss shuddered at the mere memory of the Faunus boy's atrocious singing booming through Ruby's scroll last week, and certainly didn't want to subject herself to such heinous torture, so she begrudgingly did as Ruby requested and followed her out into the forest.

She just hoped that Ruby wasn't leading her into another all out war. She was still cleaning snow out of her ears from Christmas.

Weiss patiently walked behind Ruby in comfortable silence as they traveled through shrubbery for what seemed like forever until exclaimed "Aha!" in triumph as she moved aside one final bush.

They had apparently arrived at Ruby's destination; a cliff, barren of any trees or bushes, that gave them both a wonderful view of the rising sun.

The globe of warmth inched its way above the vast horizon of trees and painted the sky a magnificent shade of pink that instilled within Weiss feelings of awe and serenity, very rare and unfamiliar emotions that she rarely allowed herself to feel due to the nature of her lifestyle.

"You haven't even seen the best part yet." Ruby commented with a grin, humored by the gaping mouth of the former-Order agent.

Ruby walked further ahead of Weiss, who instantly collected herself with a small embarrassed blush, and surprised her by sitting on the edge of cliff, letting her slim legs dangle in the air and planting the palms of her hands on the ground to make sure she didn't fall.

"Look down." She suggested happily in anticipation of seeing Weiss's reaction to the sight below.

Weiss was very hesitant to do as Ruby asked, she didn't like the mischievous grin on her face as she did so, but she had already spent so much time being led that she decided that she might as well see if it was truly worth it.

With a deep sigh of resignation, Weiss walked to Ruby's side, made sure that she was at a safe distance so that she didn't accidentally fall, and peeked her head over cliff to see what Ruby was grinning so giddily about.

They were high up; extremely high up.

The multitudes of trees below blurred together into a sheet of rigid green and barely discernible treetops that seemingly crawled further away from the cliff with every second, the birds themselves seemed as if they were completely unaware of their presence above them as they flew in flocks below them, and clouds of white floated peacefully and undisturbed right under the cliff.

Weiss wiped her eyes to see if her drowsiness was affecting her eyesight, but the sight below remained unchanged.

It struck upon her a shocking revelation concerning Beacon HQ that explained how Beacon had become the most elusive faction of the war. They were not located in some hollowed out cavern underground, and they were not hiding in a secluded field surrounded by normal society. They were located in the direction that one would be least likely to look: up.

Beacon was a floating island in the sky.

"How…I don't…what?" Weiss stuttered as she stared at the world below her, trying to find the words to convey her shock.

"Relax Weiss, it's just a twenty-thousand…foot…drop." Ruby said with initial comfort that slowly shifted into hesitance as she finished her absurd sentence. "Well jeesh, now that I say it out loud, it does sound pretty dangerous."

"Beacon is on a floating island the sky?! This is completely impossible!" Weiss shouted after finally regaining her ability to speak.

"Nothing's impossible." Ruby replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"How?!" Weiss questioned, completely stunned that she had been residing on something so fictional for weeks and didn't know until now.

"Umm…" Ruby hummed nervously as she scratched the back of her head. "I don't think I'm aloud to tell you that Weiss. I almost got Purged for just bringing you to HQ. I don't think that I'm allowed to tell you much about our main means of secrecy. My boss barely let me bring you here actually." Ruby explained, looking apologetic as she did so. "Your meeting with my boss is right around the corner and I noticed that you've been kinda nervous, so I just wanted to show you the prettiest thing about Beacon to calm you down, and just in case you're Purged."

Weiss's shock morphed into confusion at Ruby's answer.

"Purged?" Weiss quoted, hoping Ruby would elaborate on the dismal sounding term.

"Well…sit down, and I'll tell you." Ruby offered as she scooted over and patted the vacant space to her left.

Weiss sighed in frustration, not at all desiring to sit closely to Ruby, but her curiosity overcame her pride as she begrudgingly complied.

Ruby smiled victoriously as Weiss grumpily sat down next to her and kept her sour gaze focused on the beautiful scenery before them.

"Well, you know this already, but the Order and the White Fang have a habit of killing people who know too much about them, or agents that betray them or are considered a hindrance."

"You don't say?" Weiss cynically thought, still emotionally sore from the conditions in which she arrived at Beacon.

"Beacon…is different." Ruby continued with hesitance.

Weiss looked towards the Faunus with a raised eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

"I won't lie; Beacon has had to kill before to stay alive in this war, but the majority of us try our best to avoid killing unless we truly have to. Instead of killing a person because they know too much, we found an alternative method: Purging." Ruby explained as she shivered at the mere word.

Judging from Ruby's body language as the word left her mouth, Weiss found it hard to believe that Purging was a more desirable fate than death.

"When someone is Purged, they are surgically put into a near-death state and hooked up to an electric chair. However, instead of electrocuting the person inside to death, the chair sends non-lethal pulses of heavily controlled electricity directly into the hippocampus of the brain."

Weiss's eyes narrowed as she came to a conclusion from Ruby's explanation.

"You wipe their memory." Weiss answered knowingly.

"Yep." Ruby confirmed.

"So Purging is just a memory-wiping procedure?" Weiss asked, not at all seeing why it disturbed Ruby so.

"Not exactly." Ruby answered as she continued. "Even after their memories are wiped, there is always a slim chance that their Aura might repair the damage to their hippocampus and repair some, if not all, of their memories. So, after the person's memory is wiped and they are unconscious, they then undergo a complicated surgery; a surgery designed to ensure that they can never properly use Aura again. That is Purging."

Weiss remained silent for a few seconds as she processed the information presented to her.

"And what do they do with the people after they're purged." She asked.

"They are thrown back into normal society to live a normal life, completely unaware of who they were and what they were a part of." Ruby finished solemnly as she hugged her legs to comfort herself.

Weiss gradually looked back towards the horizon, know knowing what Purging entailed. It did indeed sound like a better alternative to death, but she also understood why the mere prospect of being Purged disturbed Ruby. If there was anything that Weiss learned about her during their time spent together, it was that Ruby was very dedicated to her job, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Through Ruby's eyes, Purging was most definitely a fate worse than death.

Which raised a very good, yet infuriating, question.

"So why?" Weiss asked forcefully, surprising Ruby by the frustration in her voice.

"What?" Ruby asked, confused by her question?

"If you're so afraid of being Purged, they why did you risk your entire reason for living by saving me?" Weiss growled as she jammed her finger towards herself.

Ruby was slightly taken back by how angry Weiss became so suddenly, but she chose not anger her further and answer her question.

"It…was a very personal choice Weiss." Ruby started with nervousness oozing from her voice. "Ever since I started basic training as a little girl, I wanted to do my very best to save lives that were in need of saving. You may have been my enemy, and you may have tried to kill me, but what they did to you at the docks that night was just…monstrous. Your life was definitely in jeopardy; I couldn't just leave you to die like that, so I did what my heart told me to and saved you."

Weiss's face was a mixture of puzzlement and anger as she shot to her feet.

"Ruby, I tried to kill you!" Weiss enunciated forcefully, slightly intimidating Ruby and making her jump slightly. "I utilized almost every tactic and technique at my disposal in my attempts to end your life! I was going to stab you in the heart, then move on to your friends and kill them as well! I am a Human, you are a Faunus! Are you seriously telling me that, despite all of these things, you brought me here because you took pity on me?! You dolt!" Weiss shouted angrily.

"Jeesh! What's your problem?! You're alive, aren't you?!" Ruby complained as she rose to her feet as well, confused and slightly hurt by Weiss's soured attitude.

"And that is only because of you, believe me, I know this, but being merciful in a war like this is a luxury you cannot afford!"

"So what?! Am I supposed to just kill all of my enemies like some remorseless machine?!" Ruby shouted back.

"YES! That is exactly what you should do! The Order isn't going to show you any mercy, ESPECIALLY since you're a Faunus, so you must be willing to reciprocate that same ill-will if you want to survive!"

"What does that solve Weiss?! I became an agent to save as many people as possible and heal the hatred plaguing the world! If I just kill my enemies indiscriminately out of sheer hatred, then I'm not solving the problem of this war, I'm just adopting it! I spared you!"

Weiss took a forceful step towards Ruby with a grim frown on her lips.

"Look where we are Ruby." Weiss commanded icily without breaking eye-contact with Ruby. "I have been an agent of the Order for as long as I can remember. I've seen firsthand the brutality of some of their more questionable members, and I have come to understand that they heavily outnumber agents who, like you, try to maintain a tight grip on the foolish weakness called "compassion" because they're willing to do what it takes to survive and win. Hear me when I say this Ruby, if I had been almost any of those agents that have no regard for you as another person, if my situation was any different, I could have easily pushed you off this cliff, sent you falling to your death, then use my Semblance to escape Beacon while supplied with all of the information you've foolishly granted me. You know this, so why would you even consider giving me, a Human and an Order agent, so many opportunities to jeopardize you?"

"I brought you here because I trust you! Because if the Council does decide to Purge you, I wanted your last moments here spent with a friend who's willing to overlook your past and especially your race!"

Ruby's heart felt as if someone delivered the swiftest and most painful of strikes directly into its core as Weiss heatedly hissed her response.

"We. Are. Not. Friends." Weiss growled angrily as she stomped towards the incredibly hurt Faunus with every word.

Ruby couldn't find the words to respond to the livid albino as her face was only inches away from her own.

"I am a Human; you are a Faunus. If the bloody history of both of our species has taught the world anything, it is that we lack any hope of ever co-existing with one another, and despite any measures we take as a whole to promote an environment of equality and kinship, it will all come crumbling down and we will inevitably try to destroy each other in the end. Beacon is fighting a lost cause."

"That's not true!" Ruby shouted angrily, fed up with Weiss's pessimistic and hostile behavior. "Beacon is living proof that that's not true! My family is living proof of that! We've withstood everything that the world has thrown at us and we're a closely bonded family because of it. Humans and Faunus can live together; you just refuse to see that because you were raised to despise everything we stand for without even trying to see the good that we've accomplished!"

The fury that was rampant across Weiss's face slowly transformed to display an emotion that Ruby had never truthfully seen before on the proud ex-heiress's face: Sorrow.

"You think that I've abandoned hope for the world because of my upbringing? Is that what you really think of me?" Weiss lowly questioned in a strained voice.

Ruby couldn't bring herself to answer as she felt her own anger begin to wither; the sadness oozing out of Weiss's usually proud eyes put her off immensely.

She was brought out of the hypnotism of Weiss's sad gaze as the ex-heiress slowly raised a single finger in front of Ruby's face, confusing Ruby greatly in the process.

"Name one time, just one outside of Beacon, when Faunus and Human kind were able to live in harmony and tandem with one another, and it didn't result in a destructive amalgamation of animosity, racism, and conflict. Name one time when Faunus weren't living on the lower rungs of society and struggled to sustain themselves because they were forced to live in an oppressive environment filled to the brim with racist humans. Name one time that humans weren't constantly attacked in the streets by disheartened and violent Faunus who have perceived every human to be as evil as the ones who have wronged them. If you can do that, I swear on everything under the sun I will take back what I've said. Just name one time Ruby." Weiss requested without abandoning the depression coating her voice.

For the first time in a very long time, Ruby was speechless.

As much as she would have liked to do as Weiss requested and inspire some sliver of hope in her icy heart, but she simply couldn't. Humans and Faunus could co-exist with one another, Ruby still strongly believed that, but there had never been a time in which peace was as strong as Weiss was asking for. Beacon was truly the only establishment in which peace between the two races had withstood the test of time.

With no satisfactory answer in mind, Ruby's lips remained sealed as her head depressively dipped toward the ground.

"That's what I thought." Weiss said as she retracted her finger. Her eyes no longer bore the glow of anger; just the milky haze of sorrow. "Peace is nothing more than a fabricated illusion that desperate victims of war pursue in hopes that they will find solace in a dark and dreary world, but the only thing that they truly find in the end is a violent and gruesome death. Deep down, I think you know this. I can see it in your eyes; you've lost plenty of friends and family to this war, just like I have."

Ruby's eyes widened as they rose to meet Weiss's. She sounded so dismal, so lifeless, when she added their similarity.

At first Ruby was angry at Weiss for her cynicism, but now as Ruby gazed into the pools of foggy ice that were Weiss's eyes, her anger was replaced with nothing but pure sympathy.

What happened to her?

Weiss sighed as she felt she was being a bit too harsh on the girl, but she felt that the girl needed a strong dose of reality. Too many good people have died without it, and as much as Ruby annoyed the hell out of her, Weiss did not wish for her to die because of foolish optimism.

"For what it's worth Ruby, in another time, in another world, in another reality, I would have called you friend. If there were more Faunus in the world like you, a great deal of fear of your people would be non-existent, and if there were more humans like your friends, Faunus could actually have ample chance in this world, but it is simply not meant to be." Weiss sadly said as she began walking back to Beacon HQ, trying to avoid eye-contact with Ruby as she walked away. "I'm grateful that you tried to save me, I truly am, but I died long before my father even tried to have me assassinated."

Before Weiss completely disappeared behind the thick shrubbery and collection of trees, Ruby's sensitive ears managed to pick up the last utterance that left Weiss's lips.

"You should have just saved us both a lot of trouble and killed me."

Ruby's heart dropped drastically at the horrible declaration, but that was not the worst thing that disturbed her the most.

It was the subtle scent of tears that were left in Weiss's wake when she left.

(Elsewhere)

"Tukson?" Blake called out as she closed the door behind her.

"In here!" he shouted from the back of the house, obviously busy with something.

Curious as to what exactly the old puma was doing that he couldn't greet her at the door, she walked down the hallway, passively observing the painted frames hung on the wall as she passed them. It was refreshing to see that Tukson still managed to find the time to explore his artistic side and paint as well as read. It reminded her of better days in the White Fang when her old friend would be constantly paid to paint for them. Even Adam bought a frame or two to decorate his quarters, even though he would never admit it to anyone in Beacon.

Hearing the furious rapping of typing on a keyboard behind the final door on the left, Blake opened it to find the old puma in a room full of beeping computers along the wall connected to one another by various different wires, but the most interesting thing inside the room that caught her attention was the enormous screen connected to the computers as it hung on the wall opposite of the door. Tukson was typing on a keyboard as he was talking on the phone, and he didn't look too pleased with whoever he was speaking with.

"You tell them that there's a huge freaking difference Fox! For the last time, I am not a leopard, I am not a jaguar, I am not a tiger, and I am most definitely not a god damn rat! I AM A F*ING PUMA! Say it with me now!" Tukson roared as his claws extended and his fangs began to poke out from his mouth.

"Um, Tukson?" Blake said, wondering if he was too angry to even notice her presence.

Tukson shot towards her with a short look of apology as he turned back towards the screen and leaned his head further into the phone. "Whatever Fox! Look, I have company right now, but this isn't over yet!" Tukson growled as he hung up and placed the phone aside. "Sorry about that Kitten." He apologized as he continued to work on his computer.

"So, is there a reason you called me over?" Blake asked, smirking at her old friend's frustration at being called anything but a puma.

"Yeah, just give me a sec. I'm almost done, so you can take a seat if you want."

Blake took one the seats next to Tukson as she observed the various pieces of technology littered across the room.

"And what exactly are you doing?" Blake asked as Tukson continued to type.

"Contacting my boss." Tukson answered plainly.

"Really?" Blake asked as her eyes widened in surprise.

Ever since Tukson and her had reunited weeks ago, he had always spoke fondly of his superior, often describing her as a strict mother hen, yet caring and considerate as well. Blake was rather interested and somewhat excited to finally meet this "Broker", not only to ask for her assistance in contacting Beacon, but also meet the person who had earned Tukson's unconditionally loyalty, a great feat to anyone who knew him.

"Yep, just need to establish a secure line, and we'll be good to go." Tukson confirmed. "So, I see your little boyfriend got you something special for Christmas." He teased with a snicker as Blakes cheeks brightened in embarrassment.

"Shut up." She growled as her left hand grabbed at the gem stone hanging from her neck and resting on her bosom. Ever since she had received the beautiful gift from Jaune, she always kept it around her neck at every possible opportunity and never took it off unless she needed to continue posing as a cat. She treated it with the utmost care when it wasn't dangling from her neck and kept it in its box when it was hidden in her secret compartment. She treasured the loving gift, and she always would.

"Y'know, I got to hand it to the kid, it does look exactly like the real thing. He sounds like he really cares about you Blake." Tukson said with obvious respect for the boy, but also with a cracking voice that reverberated with subtle sorrow.

"Tukson…are you alright?" Blake asked out of concern, already knowing the answer, but still feeling the need to ask.

Tukson fingers ceased their frenzy across the keyboard as he took a deep breath, completely losing focus on his work as he froze.

"Tukson?"

He looked towards the cat with a subtle quiver on his lips. "I…I don't want to…talk about it right now. Another time perhaps." He responded solemnly as he continued to type on his computer.

Blake wished that he would indulge her and satiate her concern for him, but it was clear that the subject was a painful one to discuss for Tukson, so she respected his wishes and dropped it.

"Annnnnndddd…done. We're ready to make the call. You ready?"

Blake nodded her head, ready to finally meet the enigmatic woman.

After pressing one last key, he rose from his seat and motioned for her to stay in her seat as he stood alert and erect in front the large screen. It flickered to life and displayed static at first, but then it quickly cleared up as the screen displayed video feed of the one receiving the call. Whoever answered the call was sitting comfortably in a large wheel chair, and was going through great lengths to conceal their appearance by wearing a torn up crimson hood that shadowed their face. And for extra measure, the person was keeping the room poorly lit so that they could barely see their surroundings.

Tukson wasn't kidding when he said that his boss was secretive; they almost reminded her of the Councilman back at Beacon.

"Tukson?!" the figure shouted in a surprised, feminine voice as she realized who was calling her. "You haven't reported in weeks! Where the hell have you been?!" she crossly asked out of concern for the puma.

Tukson chuckled embarrassedly as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, there was kind of a problem back at the book shop."

"What happened?"

"Long story short, the Order found out that I work for you and tried to squeeze me for information concerning you, but thanks to an old friend of mine I was able to escape with my life. Sorry it took me so long to reestablish connection." Tukson explained apologetically.

"It's quite alright Tukson. I'm just glad that you're safe. However, I would like to find out how the Order discovered our connection." She replied forgivingly as she stroked her shrouded chin in contemplation. "So you say that your old friend from Beacon saved your life? Does she know of our connection?" she asked, apparently already knowing of her.

"Well, she didn't know when she saved me if that's what you mean. To be honest, she kind of showed up completely by accident."

The cloaked woman seemed more relaxed by his answer. "Good, I don't want more people knowing of me than necessary."

"Weeeeelllll, that's kind of the reason I called you. Promise not to get mad?" Tukson fearfully requested as he nervously gulped.

"Tukson…" she growled warningly as she crossed her arms angrily.

"I kind of told her about you." He nervously admitted as he began to sweat profusely under the woman's disapproving glare.

"You have approximately twenty seconds before I send my friend over there to "relieve herself" at your expense." She threatened as she flexed her fingers to make quotations.

"WAIT! Let me explain!" Tukson shouted fearfully, surprising Blake immensely.

As long as Blake has known him, she has never seen the man afraid of anything before. He has fought off entire squads of Order soldiers with nothing but a pistol and his claws, defected from one of the most dangerous organizations in the world with no fear for the repercussions, and has put himself at risk by working for this woman. Even with all of these fearless feats under his belt, the mere mention of his boss's "friend" had him almost pissing his pants.

It was rather hilarious actually. Blake enjoyed the fact that she now had more ammunition against her friend should she decide to tease her boyfriend…wait…what?

"Look, she's stranded here in Vale because she was too injured to go out and look for her friends and her scroll is destroyed. Can you help her out? Plleeeaaaaassse." Tukson begged while clasping his hands together.

The woman groaned in a frustrated manner as she face-palmed in restrained aggravation.

"Tukson, I can't help everybody who just asks." The woman groaned.

"C'mon boss. She's been my friend since my days in the White Fang and I trust her with my life. She won't talk about you, she's one of the most tight-lipped bitches I've ever met." Tukson complimented/insulted Blake in his attempt to inspire trust in his boss.

"Well screw you too Tukson." Blake mentally hissed as she was almost tempted to flip him the bird.

The woman spent the next half-minute silently contemplating if she should trust Tukson's friend to keep quiet about her, and trust her enough to go out of her way to do something as difficult as track down Beacon. But then again, Tukson's trust was something he rarely gave to others, so that spoke volumes of his friend's character.

With a huff of exhaustion, the woman uncrossed her arms and asked, "Where is she?"

"Right here in the room, actually." Tukson happily answered as he motioned for Blake to come next to him.

"GODDAMN IT TUKSON!" the figure screamed angrily, pissed that the puma was going through such great lengths to expose her.

Blake did as she was told and walked to Tukson's side, slightly enjoying the way Tukson was cringing at the sight of the livid figure.

"If it's of any consolation, I would never do anything to jeopardize anyone that can make Tukson shudder like this." Blake greeted with a small joke at her friend's expense, doing her best to make a good first impression.

"Screw you!" Tukson growled angrily.

"I'm finding it rather difficult to believe that you two are friends." The shrouded woman joked back with a chuckle.

"You and me both." Blake replied as they both chuckled at the way Tukson was angrily gritting his fangs.

"JUST GET TO THE F#% ING POINT!" Tukson roared ferociously, fed up with being the center of his friends' ridicule.

"My apologies Tukson." The woman chuckled one last time before abiding by his request. "So, you wish for my assistance? Why me exactly?"

"Well, after I saved Tukson from the Order agents that almost murdered him, he let me borrow your T.O.M.E to keep in touch with him. I met him again weeks later and explained my situation to him, and he said that you might be able to help me get back to Beacon." Blake explained.

"Of course he did." She commented exasperatedly as she narrowed her eyes at her employee, making him gulp timidly again. "Look, I don't know what Tukson has told you about my capabilities, but I have absolutely no idea how long it would take to locate Beacon, and even if I did, there's no guarantee that they'll be in that same position. Locating a floating castle in the sky is almost a miracle, especially since you Beacon agents go through great lengths to remain hidden."

"Look who's talking." Blake and Tukson thought with raised eyebrows at the hypocrisy behind her statement.

"So…it is hopeless?" Blake asked disappointedly with a small frown.

"I never said that." She added, noticing the depression behind the Faunus's tone. "It would just require much more time than I'm willing to spend at the moment. Something... "urgent" requires my attention these days and I can't afford to derive away from that at the moment."

Blake sadly sighed as her gaze dropped to her feet. "I understand." She moaned in resignation.

"Wait, boss, if I might interrupt for a second?" Tukson interjected, desperate to get some assistance for Blake.

"Yes?" she replied curiously as she turned her head towards the puma.

"What if she traded you a favor? Maybe do a job for you in return for your help." he offered hopefully, surprising Blake by the offer.

It sounded sensible enough, and fair considering what Blake was asking of the enigmatic woman, but she wasn't sure of what kind of job she would be asked to fulfill. Tukson trusted her, so she didn't have to worry if the woman's morals were questionable, but she was still very hesitant to do potentially dangerous work for someone she barely knew.

"Hmm…" his boss hummed as she stroked her chin in contemplation. "Well, there is one thing I could use help w-"

Before the cloaked woman could finish her sentence, she was abruptly cut off by the lights in her room flashing on and the booming sound of a door to her right being slammed open. The cloaked woman spun her head towards the source of the disturbance with an irritated huff, but was then further interrupted by the culprit as they swiftly sped over to the woman, rudely pushed her off of her seat, and gave Tukson the most horrifying smile that Blake had ever seen in her life.

The culprit was a very familiar face to Blake; a face that surprised her greatly as she recognized the girl giving Tukson an unholy smile, motivating him to scream like a prepubescent female and hide behind his friend.

"You?!" Blake exclaimed in shock as the girl on the screen also recognized her and ceased scaring Tukson to wave excitedly at her.

"GODDAMN IT NEO! How many times have I told you to not interrupt me while I'm working?!" The disgruntled woman shouted at the tri-colored girl who was completely ignoring her and waving happily at Blake.

"Wait, you know her?" Tukson asked incredulously as he receded from behind Blake's back.

"I met her Halloween night." Blake answered lowly, still shocked to see the weird girl again.

"You were the girl Neo was out with Halloween?" the Broker asked cautiously asked as she grabbed Neo by the collar of her coat, pulled her up into the air out of her seat, and placed her to the side.

"Yes? Why?" Blake asked, curious as to why the woman sounded so wary.

"She didn't do anything "usual" did she?" she asked as she slowly turned towards her partner.

Blake's eyes darted towards the mischievously snickering girl as she tried to stiffen them with her small hands.

"Not that I know of? She ditched me in a party and I never saw her again." Blake answered, recalling the Halloween party and how she ended up there.

"Right…" the Broker said as she dropped Neo on her feet and sat back down in her seat, but letting Neo lean against it as she stood. "Well, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," she growled in a giggling Neo's direction, "I indeed do have a job that I could use your help on, but it is highly dangerous and I can't guarantee you won't come out of it."

"Sounds about right." Blake mentally deadpanned as the Broker continued to describe the job.

"However, if you do accept, you'll have my trust, and I swear to you I will do my absolute best to find you a way back home. I can't give you too many details just yet, but you will be fully informed prior to the job. So, do we have a deal?"

Blake contemplated the Brokers offer as she thoughtfully crossed her arms in concentration. The job didn't sound too different from her missions back at Beacon, and she currently didn't have any other options at the moment.

There was very little to think about actually.

"Deal." Blake complied as she nodded her head.

"Then it's settled." The Broker happily commented as she interlocked her gloved fingers and Neo excitedly gave Blake a thumb up through the screen, ecstatic by her choice to work with them for the time being. "I look forward to working with you Ms…"

"Blake. Blake Belladonna." She replied with a respectful bow in her direction.

The Broker chuckled at the Faunus's formal attitude, then reached for the hood concealing her face to pull it down so that she could properly greet her new acquaintance.

Blake was expecting a wizened older woman under that cloak; definitely not very young woman who didn't look much older than her.

"My name's Pyrrha Nikos. It's very nice to meet you, Blake Belladonna."

(Jaune)

"Now class," Bartholomew continued in his lecture as he zipped from place to place in a matter of seconds, completely astonishing his students as they tried to keep up with the Doctor's movements. The only student who was able to actually keep up the speedster was, interestingly enough, Jaune, and that was only because he has had teachers in the past just as quick as Oobleck.

Now that Jaune thought about it, they kind of sounded like Oobleck as well…

"One of the most important things to know about the beginning of Human-Faunus relations was that it was filled with suspicion and animosity from both sides! Humans colonized the wilds of the Faunus homeland continent, of which is now known as Fera, expecting to mine it dry for its natural resources! This did not please the local Faunus that had been living there for centuries, so the Human's were seen as invaders aiming to destroy their home, so they did whatever they could to impede their progress! Unfortunately for the Faunus, human technology was far more advanced than theirs, leaving them at a grievous disadvantage!"

"How the hell can you keep up with this guy?" Cardin whispered astonished to Jaune as the blonde effortlessly took notes.

"Practice makes perfect." Jaune answered with a subtle chuckle.

"Another strong disadvantage that the Faunus suffered was their separation into warring tribes that left them divided and weaker compared to Humanity! The Faunus tried their best to mend this issue by setting aside their differences and united to drive out Humanity under organized attacks referred to as "Crusades", but they did so far too late! They were able to mount three Crusades, but the Third Crusade was their final failure that resulted in their enslavement by Humanity.

The usually hyper and peppy doctor's voice took a complete turn and became slow and grim, surprising most of the students who knew the doctor well.

"If they were not killed, they were shipped back to the continent of Vale as property and wouldn't gain the simplest of basic freedoms for decades, and by the time they were finally granted citizenship and some semblance of equality, they were too domesticated to return to the wilds from whence they came. Even today, more than seventy-five percent of Fera remains untamed and unsettled due to the harsh weather and violent wildlife, but more and more Faunus of today's society disregard the dangers and are emigrating to their ancestor's homelands, hoping to escape the hostile environment of oppression they usually reside in."

"But sir," One student interjected with a raised hand, "wouldn't the Faunus have had an additional advantage in their extensive knowledge of the land?"

"Right you are Mr. Eyup," Bartholomew confirmed ecstatically as his trademark hype and excitement returned with a vengeance, making some of the other students snicker at the mention of the class's affectionate nickname for the boy, "knowledge is a very powerful weapon that can mean the difference between victory and defeat, but to quote an old friend of mine, Knowledge can only take you so far."

Jaune, Nora, and Ren snickered quietly into their hands at Bart's flawlessly executed impersonation, knowing full well who he was referring to.

"Even armed with all of their knowledge of the land that held enormous strategic value, it was their lack of unity that enabled their downfall! I encourage you to learn from this, and-"

Bartholomew was cut off by his alarm clock that alerted him that his class time was over, eliciting a few relieved sighs from a few students.

"Well then, class is over students, and good news everyone: no homework!" Bartholomew shouted cheerfully, making the majority of his students leap in joy as they almost literally trampled over one another during their speedy exit.

"Owww…" Jaune moaned from the floor as he attempted to climb back up to his feet with his back now covered in shoe prints.

Bartholomew chuckled at the hilarious chain of unfortunate events that was Jaune's life as he walked over to him and helped him back up to his feet. "Might I recommend sitting closer to the front of the class so that you can get a head start?" he chuckled.

"So I can get trampled by the entire class? No thank you." Jaune wheezed, making Bartholomew chuckle even harder.

"Care for a quick cup of coffee before you leave?" Bart offered kindly as he zipped back to his desk.

"Sure." Jaune replied as he took a seat in front of the desk, observing how swiftly and expertly Doctor Oobleck was pouring two mugs of coffee.

Bartholomew handed Jaune his beverage as he took his seat in front of Jaune.

"Thanks." Jaune gratefully thanked as he took a sip of the warm drink.

"Decaf? He's so hyper during class, and he doesn't even drink normal coffee?" Jaune thought in amazement as he swallowed, fearfully wondering what the results would be if the speedy doctor decided to drink normal coffee.

"So Jaune, I see that you've been getting much more sleep as of late." Bartholomew commented as he sipped his coffee, happy that his student was recovering from his insomnia.

Jaune scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile and replied, "Well, I've been taking your advice and talking to someone about my problems. It really helped a lot."

"Excellent!" Bart cheered before sipping his coffee again. "Might I ask who has been helping you?"

"Well, she isn't anyone you know since she doesn't come here. She's just a girl I accidently ran into one day…literally." Jaune answered, mentally smiling at the memory of how he met the amazing girl that has done so much for him.

Bartholomew almost spat his coffee onto the desk at the mention of a girl outside his usual group of friends that actually wanted to spend time with him.

"A girl you say?! Remarkable!" Bartholomew responded curiously as he stroked his chin with his unoccupied hand.

Jaune flinched as a sly grin stretched across the doctor's lips.

"It's not like that!" Jaune protested frantically with the vivid stain of a blush caking his cheeks. "She's just a really good friend! That's all!"

"The crimson tinge flushing your face says otherwise Jaune." Bartholomew rebutted slyly as Jaune did his best to wipe the blush from his face, but to no avail. "If it makes you feel any better Jaune, I'm also infatuated with a special woman."

"Really?" Jaune asked in disbelief. "Who?"

"Oh just a friend, not anyone you know." He replied, annoying Jaune that his own words were turned on him. "But my point still stands, though to be honest, it would be rather refreshing to see you pursue a woman who might actually return your feelings."

Jaune couldn't help but agree with the doctor's statement. It had taken an excruciatingly long time and over a hundred physically painful rejections, but his misplaced feelings for Melanie were finally beginning to wane. It had become apparent to him that he most likely wasn't really infatuated with her to begin with. Perhaps, he was more infatuated with the idea of dating her. Not even her specifically, just the fantasy of having a girl that was always there for him, always having fun with him no matter what they did, laughing with him instead of at him, and giving him a shoulder to cry on when he truly need it.

Just…like…Arryn…

"Oh…my…god." Jaune deadpanned as the shocking possibility occurred to him.

Did he…like Arryn?

"And there it is." Bartholomew commented with a smile, confusing Jaune greatly as he recoiled from his shock.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked with a nervous stutter.

"That's the same face your father had when he realized that he was "interested" in your mother." Bartholomew answered with a smile, a smile that efficiently hid the inner pain that threatened to reveal itself as he spoke.

"Wow…you've known my parents that long ago?" Jaune asked amazed, clearly remembering that his parents had been together for a very long time before he was born.

"Indeed." He confirmed with a small smile. "In fact, if it weren't for your father, I wouldn't be the man that I am today."

"What?" Jaune replied incredulously, wondering just exactly what was the relationship between his father and the speedy doctor.

Professor Port reminded him of his dad because they both shared such a boisterous and animated personality, so it was easy to believe that those two knew each other, but he could barely see anything in common between him and Doctor Oobleck.

"Well, as a young man I, like you, used to suffer from a crippling depression and lack of confidence. I felt that I didn't, and never would, amount to anything significant and would often lose hope for myself. However, whenever I almost completely lost my will, your father would always be there to encouragingly punch me out of my rut." Bartholomew narrated nostalgically as he looked upwards toward the ceiling, as if to speak to the soul of his deceased friend.

If Jaune didn't know his father any better, he would have assumed that the doctor was using a metaphor to describe his father's "pep talks", but he did indeed knew better. If Uncle Ozpin's stories were true, his father was very notorious for forcing his friends into a fist fight to invigorate them and cheer them up, as well as sending them to the hospital accidentally.

"Every time that I hopelessly believed that I would grow to become a failure and say that it was impossible for me to be anything else, he would charge at me with the speed and ferocity of a rhinoceros and slam his fist into my face screaming "NOTHING'S IMPOSSIBLE!" as I tumbled to the floor. It was because of him that I was able to believe in myself and become what I am now."

They both chuckled at the mention of Zackery Arc's personal motto that he would shout to the heavens at every possible opportunity.

Jaune could have sworn one time, as a child, that he heard him shout it from his parent's room during their "activities" at night.

Jaune shuddered in slight disgust as he shook his head to stave off the disturbing memory.

"Well, I believe that's enough socializing for now. I have papers to grade, and I do believe you have work in an hour." Bartholomew said as he finished his coffee.

"Don't remind me." Jaune moaned miserably as he did the same with his own coffee. "Thanks for checking in on me Dr. Oobleck." Jaune gratefully thanked as he walked towards the front door.

"You're welcome." He replied happily as he began digging in one of the cabinets of his desk for the many papers he would be working on for the night. "Oh, and Jaune,"

"Treat her right." Bartholomew teased merrily without turning away from his work.

Jaune's blushed returned with a furious vengeance as he froze in place before speeding off at speeds that would put the doctor to shame.

"Heh heh heh…Arcs." Bartholomew chuckled under his breath, coming to the conclusion that all Arcs were romantically awkward as they were socially.

(Hours later)

Blake strode down the dark, yet busy, streets of Vale on her way to visit Jaune at work again, carefully contemplating her situation as of now. After weeks of healing and patiently waiting for the opportunity, she may have finally found a way back to Beacon. She could finally return to her dear friends and resume her life as an agent, just like she had always planned.

She thought she would be happier.

Her conflicting emotions continued to rage inside of her soul whenever she realized just how close she was to returning to Beacon, but leaving Jaune behind in the process.

And Tukson's constant attempts to convince her that she was in love with the blonde did little to ease her emotions.

As much as she gave Tukson hell every time he attempted to do so, she could not deny that something was there. The way Jaune smiled at her whenever he managed to make her laugh, how caring he was whenever he asked her if she was alright during a bad day, how awkward he would act at the most tame of her teasing jokes, all of these qualities bred butterflies in her stomach whenever he would do these things. She had never felt this way before about anyone before, and it scared her.

She was not admitting that Tukson was right, but she wasn't removing it from the realm of possibility that he might be right.

She prayed to Monty Oum that he was wrong. She didn't desire the emotional torture of leaving a boy she fell for, and Jaune deserved someone so much better than someone like her.

Deciding to abandon the thoughts for another time, she shifted her focus on her walk through the sidewalk among her fellow night-prowlers. As soon as the pizza shop entered her sights, she grinned in anticipation of seeing her friend in his uniform that he despised to no end.

Her anticipation was immediately morphed in to shocking dread as she felt the ever familiar feeling of a blade being pressed against her back.

"Do as I say, and you might live tonight." A gruff and raspy voice threatened as he increased the pressure on her back.

(Jaune)

"Hurry the hell up Arc! We have another order!" Luigi shouted angrily at the blond who was making pizzas.

"Sir, there's no more room in the oven. I can't cook any faster." Jaune plainly replied to his asshole of a boss who was reprimanding him for every little thing.

"I don't want your excuses Arc! I want to do as I say!" the fat bearded man shouted began preparing another order.

Jaune sighed out of frustration as he opened the oven to see if any of the cooking pizzas were ready to be taken out so that he could appease his boss by putting the next one in. None of them were even close to being ready; the cheese was barely beginning to melt, and the crust still looked considerably doughy on all of them.

Ren and Nora were also beginning to get a tad bit annoyed with how their boss was treating their friend. Ren was scrubbing soapy plates and cups as he usually did, but if one looked closely enough, one could tell that he was applying much more force than necessary with his clenched fingers. Nora was tending to the cash register away from the kitchen, but her usual smile that she greeted customers with was forced and barely restrained the rage she held for her boss.

To be perfectly honest, Ren and Nora would have quit the frustrating job of working under Luigi, but they had few other options financially. They would rather be jobless and poor then ask their parents for help, and although Ren's uncle Lan had always took care of them in the past years, they didn't want to burden him and depend on him for money, so they put up with Luigi's verbal abuse, but working with Jaune was the only thing that made it worthwhile.

As Jaune did his work, his thoughts returned to the subject of his hoody wearing friend in black. Doctor Oobleck's teasing was most likely nothing more than that; harmless teasing. However, it stimulated serious questions that teasing usually never did. Could he actually be starting to have romantic feelings for the mysterious girl? Does she feel the same? How does one know when you really like a girl and not the idea of just having a girlfriend? All were questions that floated within his mind the more he thought about Arryn. There was so little he knew about her, and yet he felt that he already knew her well enough to be able to answer these questions himself, but he could not.

He gave a huff of mental turmoil as he aimlessly turned towards the window in thought.

It wasn't just her personality that instigated his interest in her. To quite frank, she was still possibly the most attractive woman he had ever met. Even though she wore a hoody and pants that were many sizes too large for her, he could easily tell that her figure was slim and well toned, which meant that she worked out often.

And her chest…that ample…cushiony chest…

WAIT WHAT?!

Jaune furiously and repeatedly slapped himself as his thoughts took a sudden turn to perverted territories. His slaps magnified in force and speed as he failed to succeed in deriving his thoughts away from the subject his friend's…voluptuous…frame…

"GODDAMN IT!" Jaune mentally screamed as he began to use both hands in the rapid assault on his face.

"Y'know, I think your cheeks aren't red enough." Nora joked mockingly as she closed the cash register and turned towards her friend with a cheeky grin.

Jaune angrily spun towards the maniacal ginger and shouted, "SHUT UP NO-"

He froze in a cold sweat as he turned towards Nora.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Nora asked curiously as she wiped her cheeks.

She initially thought that Jaune was just being his usual goofy self, but nothing could be further from the truth, and this became painfully obvious when she looked into his eyes.

They were not eyes filled with comical anger; only soul strangling shock and fear.

"Jauney-Boy? What's wrong buddy?" Nora asked worriedly, not at all liking how her friend was acting.

It didn't take long for her to realize that he was not staring horrified at her; he was staring behind her.

Nora turned around at the sound of the surprised chattering of their customers as the front door opened and the bell above ringed in tandem with it.

"Bell?!" Jaune shouted frantically at the sight of his injured friend.

Blake winced in pain with the smallest of movements of her left arm.

"Do you have a first-aid kit I could use?" Blake politely requested through painfully gritted teeth as she grabbed at the angry-red, deep cut along her left arm.

"Ren get the first-aid kit!" Jaune shouted as he leaped over the counter separating the kitchen and the cash register to get to Blake. "Oh my god! What happened to you?! Are you alright?!" he questioned frantically as he led her away from the crowd of shocked customers and towards the storage room in the back of the building.

"Calm down Jaune, I'm not dying." Blake replied in attempt to ease the boy's worries as he gently led her into the room filled to the brim with sealed cardboard boxes. "It's just a cut from a thug that tried to rob me. Nothing more."

"But…your arm." Jaune lowly said as he caringly sat her down on one of the boxes.

"It's nothing rubbing alcohol and bandages won't help. You can relax." Blake comfortingly said before Ren rushed in carrying a white case with a red cross on it.

"Bell, I need you to take off your hoody, please." Ren professionally and politely requested as he opened the case and began preparing alcohol-soaked cotton wipes to treat Blake's cut.

Blake gulped in slight apprehension at his request, and this did not escape Jaune's eye.

"I'll…try." She said as she grabbed the bottom of her hoody.

She yelped in pain as she tried to bend her arm to the necessary angle to pull the hoody off. Every attempt at doing so was met with searing pain that shot up her appendage as she gritted her teeth and futilely tried to suppress her exclamations of pain.

"Arryn stop, we'll help you." Ren said as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Jaune, come to her left." He commanded kindly as he strode to her right side and laid one hand on her hoody, and used the other to raise her arm.

"Right…" Jaune complied as he mirrored Ren's actions, only with Blake's bloody left. He tried desperately to cause as little pain for Blake as possible, but it sent shockwaves of numbing sorrow through his soul with every one of her whimpers and flinches.

Among his group of friends, it was commonly believed that Jaune didn't possess a mean bone in his entire body, but the current feeling circulating his soul proved that to be a false conception. As he and Ren pulled her bloody hoody over her head and off as she squirmed in agony, for the first time in Jaune's life, he truly wanted to end another living being's life. He wanted to plunge his fist into the heart of the person responsible for hurting his dear friend like this.

Jaune's anger disappeared as he and Ren finally relieved Blake of her heavy clothing. He was now shocked and speechless as he finally saw his friend's full appearance in its entirety.

Including the furry cat ears twitching atop her head.

"Arryn…you're…" Jaune mouthed silently, baffled by the revelation in front of him.

"Yes…I am." Blake admitted as she suddenly found the ground easier to look at than her friend.

"It's…off. I can treat your cut now." Ren hesitantly said as he leaned down to her level and carefully rolled up the left sleeve of her white t-shirt that was stained with her blood. With expert thorough precision and swift speed, Ren cleaned her wound with expert proficiency that she had only seen in Beacon's lower class medics. As effective as he was at the moment, he still felt incredibly awkward that he was in the middle of such a heavy moment between the two.

Jaune was still trying to find the ability speak again as he stared at Blake's ears, still recoiling in surprise and not expecting it for one second.

All he could manage was one question. "Why hide this from me?"

Blake's somber gaze hesitantly rose to meet his own, filled with guilt and shame as she replied, "I wasn't hiding it from you Jaune, I was hiding it from the world…I always have."

Ren's fingers froze at her answer as they were in the middle of cleaning her cut with disinfectant. Blake didn't see the volley of feelings oozing from Ren's eyes, for she was too busy facing Jaune, but Jaune saw them clearly. It was not the look of surprise at her revealing, and it was not the look of pity that would anyone else would usually give someone like Blake in this situation.

It was a knowing look of pure understanding.

"But why?" Jaune repeated, still not understanding why she had been so secretive of her Faunus heritage.

"Why not?" Ren calmly interjected as he continued to treat Blake's cut. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to Jaune. You know as well as I do that it isn't uncommon for Faunus to masquerade as humans in order to be treated with some type of respect in this world. I can't truly say that I blame her."

"It's as he says…" Blake regretfully admitted, but not before giving Ren a momentary look of confusion.

For a human, he certainly seemed to know her intentions rather well…

"If it's of any consolation, I didn't intentionally try to keep this hidden from you, I've tried so many times to tell you in the past, but whenever I could work up the courage we would be in a…crowded area." Blake explained in her defense, trying to answer his question the best that she could.

Jaune remained silent as he soaked in her answer, but then dropped to his knees to meet her at her level.

"Arryn…I-"

Jaune was interrupted by the echoing sound of the door slamming open and the angry shouting of an enraged Luigi.

"What the hell is this I hear that you let someone in…who's…who's…"

Luigi couldn't finish his angry shouting as he stared horrified at Blake, confusing Jaune and Ren greatly as he clenched his fists with a ferocious growl projected towards her.

"Get out." He growled venomously at Blake, looking ready to attack her at any given second. This both alarmed and angered Jaune as he protectively moved in front of Blake.

"Luigi, she's hurt badly and she needs medical attention! You can't just kick her out!" Jaune shouted frantically, appalled by how heartless his boss was acting.

"I don't care!" Luigi roared with a forceful stomp, making a few of the stacked boxes around sway slightly from the resulting vibrations. "I refuse to help one of the god-forsaken beasts who killed my father! Put my first-aid kit down, get the hell out of my restaurant, and DON'T COME BACK!" Luigi shouted at Blake.

Jaune flinched at not only the fact that his boss was a blatant racist against Blake's kind, but also the reason why exactly he was so. He didn't know much about Luigi, he didn't like him enough to make the effort to get to know him well, but what he did know was that Luigi was very proud of the fact that his deceased father was a soldier of the Valean military, and he also knew that his father died in service decades ago.

However, he had no idea that a Faunus took his life, which led him to believe that his father must have been involved in the Faunus Revolution and died as a result.

"Luigi, I know what it's like to lose a father, believe me, I know the pain, but you can't associate every Faunus with the ones who killed him! My friend wasn't even born by-"

"SHUT UP! YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ARC!" Luigi shouted monstrously as he slammed his fist into a nearby box, making Jaune and Ren flinch at how livid the man was. "YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH BECAUSE OF MY FATHER'S DEATH. MY MOTHER DIED OF HEARTBREAK AND LEFT ME ORPHANED AND LONELY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE BECAUSE OF IT! You at least had godparents to look after you, but I had no one, and it's this bitch's people's fault!"

"That's not true! You're not being fai-"

"Enough!" Blake loudly interjected, silencing the ferocious argument between Jaune and Luigi. "I will do as you ask and leave." Blake lowly said as she gently separated her arm from Ren's cotton balls, grabbed her blood-soaked hoody from the ground, and left the room before she got Jaune and Ren in any more trouble than she already had.

"You're a heartless bitter old man Luigi." Jaune growled angrily as he stomped past him to follow Blake, concerned that her cut hadn't been bandaged properly yet.

"And you're fired! Now get the hell out of here!" Luigi shouted at Jaune's back as he left with a threatening tone to his voice.

He turned towards Ren with a furious glare to make sure that he didn't make off with his first aid kit, then grew even more angry at the disapproving scowl Ren was giving him in return.

"If you've got a problem, you can go join him." He growled at Ren.

"Gladly." The boy replied as he uncaringly dropped the first-aid kit on the ground and began to follow his friend. "But before I go, let me say one thing."

He gave one last glance at Luigi with a dark gleam in his eyes, sending shivers down his spine as the usually docile and calm eyes bore into him. "I won't pretend to understand what you've been through Luigi, unlike you I have no respect for my father, but what you're doing is a spit on the face of your father's memory. He died fighting a war that came to be because of people who degraded the Faunus and treated them with undue hostility, just like you. All you are accomplishing for your father is becoming the kind of person that allowed such darkness to grow to such a level. You're pathetic, you dishonor your father's soul with your attitude, and it's people like you that allowed his death to come to fruition."

He gave one last soul-damaging insult before he closed the door behind him.

"Before blaming some of my people for the untimely death of your father, take heed that you don't help instigate another Rebellion by becoming the kind of person that had him killed."

(Blake)

After discarding all of her clothes and placing them in her compartment, Blake sighed exhaustedly as she sat down on Jaune's bed with a wet cloth prepared to clear her cut. As soon as she was out of Jaune's sight, she stuck to the rooftops to avoid him and return home unperturbed. He was undoubtedly out there looking for her, worried for her condition and still needing to speak to her about her newly discovered ears, but she was simply not in the mood to speak. She felt guilty for keeping so much from him, but it was for the best considering that she would have to leave him forever soon. It hurt her in ways that outclassed any wound she had ever received in battle, but she had no choice.

She was also still depressed about the way the old man had treated her, like she was less than a person; like an animal. But her inner pain was immediately soothed as she recalled the way Jaune had jumped in front of her in such a protective manner, and before that when didn't treat her any different when he saw her ears. He wasn't hurt that she was a Faunus, he was hurt that she had neglected to tell him. His pain tore up her insides, but it was so relieving to see that he was as open minded and caring as she always thought she was.

She huffed in silent frustration as she tried to ignore the increasing beating of her heart and the rising heat in her cheeks the more she thought of the blonde, and chose to shift her attention towards her newest wound. It wasn't as bad as it looked, even though it was deeper than the average cut, but it was nothing a night of healing from her Aura wouldn't fix. It had already healed a considerable amount on her way home, Ren's attentive and thorough cleaning did much to speed up the process, and it was barely bleeding anymore. If she transformed, she would easily be able to hide it from Jaune whenever he returned home.

After giving her cut one more thorough cleaning with the wet rag and hiding it under the bed, she situated herself on the center of the bed and assumed her customary meditative stance; folding her bare legs and resting her arms on them to attain full concentration, but not before putting her bow and collar back on to avoid suspicion. She did everything as she was supposed to like the last fifty times she had transformed, but something wasn't right this time.

"What the hell?" Blake thought as she grunted in effort, forcing her Aura to travel throughout her body and transform, but it was unusually difficult this time. With enough effort, she was finally able to initiate her transformation, but gasped in shock as she looked at her left arm.

It was gone. The painful cut that trailed along the length of her arm was completely gone, leaving no indication that she had ever been injured to begin with. But how? Never before has she ever healed from an injury just by transforming, yet her arm was as fit as a fiddle. Was it possible that her transformation held more abilities than she had originally thought? She had no time to contemplate the oddity as she heard the sound of the front door opening, indicating that Jaune had returned.

As usual, the first thing he did was head straight to bed, but not with the humorous glow he usually exuberated after a hard day's work. The dullness of his sapphire-blue eyes was hauntingly chilling as he stripped himself of his uniform for the last time ever and lied down on the bed next to her as she carefully observed him. He had apparently decided to sleep without his blue onesy this time, wearing absolutely nothing but his boxers. Normally she would have been nervous about his lack of clothing, but the somberness of both of their moods eliminated any capacity for nervousness.

"Well Kitten, I got fired." Jaune sadly chuckled as he grabbed Blake and placed her atop his bare chest.

Blake's guilt returned with a vengeance as she realized that she had just cost her friend his only job.

She was slightly surprised at how he smiled as he continued. "Not that I'm particularly sad about it. Luigi was an asshole, and I'm kind of glad to be done with him. But I am worried about my friend though."

Blake remained silent as the topic of their one-sided conversation shifted towards her. Jaune began petting her gingerly as he stared longingly at the ceiling.

"Tonight, I found out that she's a Faunus, but that's perfectly fine, I'm not a racist, but I was hurt that I had to find out under the circumstances I did."

Blake's eyes watered at the depression oozing from his voice. "I'm sorry Jaune. Truly and deeply sorry." She thought as lied down in between his pecs to lean closer to him.

"I don't blame her one bit for hiding it though, especially considering how awfully Faunus are treated in this city and beyond. I just wish that she could have told me herself; trust me enough to reveal herself to me. She's done so much for me Blake, more than she'll ever know. She wormed her way into my emotions and healed my spirit, whether I wanted it or not. She gave me the blessing of having a friend that would always be willing to listen to anything I had to say, and she gave me back a large fraction of my self-worth back. I…will never be able to repay what's she's done for me, but I had always hoped that I could return the favor for her, and give her someone to speak to for a change."

Blake's lip quivered more strongly the more Jaune spoke of her.

"She's been through so much. I don't know what, and I don't know why, but I know that she's suffered horribly in the past. I just want to hold her consolingly in my arms; let her know that I would always be there for her, just as she has been for me."

Jaune reached over to his lamp and turned it off; shrouding the entire room in thick shadows that were barely touched by the moonlight seeping in through the window.

"My history teacher says that I like her…and… I think he might be right."

Jaune sighed exhaustedly as he ceased petting the small black frozen on his chest.

"Oh well, goodnight Kitten." Jaune yawned as he allowed sleep to consume him, completely unaware of the bomb he had just dropped on the creature before him.

He liked her.

Jaune Arc, the goofy blonde with a heart made of a beautiful gold, liked her.

Blake stared at his sleeping form for what seemed like hours as that one thought echoed in her mind.

Tears dripped down her fuzzy cheeks as she recalled how tenderly he had described her and how much her friendship truly meant to him. She couldn't believe how much her help had healed him and how much he wanted to help her with her own issues, but she could finally allow herself to believe one thing as she rested her head against his chest and wiped her tears away against it.

Her heart was beating more furiously than she had ever thought was possible as the slow rising and descent of his chest lulled her to sleep with her own revelation.

There was no denying it now.

Tukson was right.

Blake Belladonna had fallen in love with Jaune Arc.

(Elsewhere)

Tukson violently sneezed in the middle of his sentence during his conversation with his boss.

"Bless you, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked through the screen out of concern for her employee's health.

"Yeah, I'm fine, and thanks. Anyway, as I was saying, what do you think about Blake?" Tukson asked curiously as he leaned back in his seat.

"Well, I've been doing research on her, and I must say I'm very impressed by her skills. She will certainly be a welcome asset in the job to come." Pyrrha replied as she complimented the Faunus's abilities.

"I wasn't talking about her combat prowess boss. I meant her personality." Tukson elaborated, yet still happy that his younger friend had so easily gained his boss's respect.

"She's very polite and calm, both welcome traits in a good person." Pyrrha continued. However, she frowned sympathetically as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her seat. "And yet, I sense great pain in her."

Tukson mirrored her facial expression as he recalled his years in the White Fang, as well as the person that Blake used to be. "She's had…a very hard life boss."

"Haven't we all?" Pyrrha rhetorically commented as she took a delicate sip of her wine, looking towards her partner who was sleeping peacefully in Pyrrha's bed with a blissful smile.

"How is she?" Tukson asked sadly, noticing how heavily the woman was staring in her closest friend's direction.

He frown grew in size and intensity at her answer.

"I found another strand of white hair this morning." She replied somberly as she turned away from Neo, finding it too painful to look at her friend at the moment.

"Damn…" Tukson growled as he angrily rubbed the back of his head. "Any leads?"

"That's why I need this job to succeed Tukson. It is my lead. My only lead." She replied heavily so that the Faunus could understand exactly why she was so desperate for its success.

"Don't worry boss," Tukson comforted confidently as he leaned forward in his chair. "Blake won't fail you, I'm sure of it."

"Don't be so sure," Pyrrha replied sadly, "As I said before, the chances of success are rather low, and as credible as her skills are, I don't think that she alone can make such a difference. What makes you think so?"

Tukson chuckled heartily, despite the dismal atmosphere of the conversation. "Because I believe Pyrrha." He answered plainly and informally, referring to her by her actual name instead of his affectionate title for her. "Not everything has to be reduced to arithmetic and probabilities. Don't you ever rely on fate every now and then?"

Pyrrha smiled sadly at the question, having already answered that question years ago. "Not anymore Tukson. Not anymore."

Tukson frowned sympathetically as his boss rose from her seat, still retaining the sorrow on her face. "We should probably go to sleep now Tukson. We've a busy day tomorrow."

"Right…sweet dreams Pyrrha." Tukson warmly saluted.

"Likewise, Tukson." She replied as she ended the line, making sure to reciprocate the same warmth in her tone as he did.

She turned towards the peacefully slumbering girl, who had made sure to leave plenty of room for her should she decide to go to sleep. Smiling at the cute sight of Neo lightly kicking in her sleep like a puppy, she silently strode to the bed and lied down next to her dear friend, deducing that Neo was probably chasing some unfortunate soul in her dream.

"Chasing Tukson through the Gumdrop Forest with a whip again?" she whispered with a giggle as she petted the sleeping girl's hair that identified her.

Neo giggled drowsily as she continued her chase without waking up.

Pyrrha continued to enjoy the lovely sight of Neo's cuteness, but any happy feelings were erased as her hand brushed over the white of the pink half of her friend's hair. It was becoming painfully obvious that Pyrrha, and most importantly Neo, was running out of time, and every new strand of white hair atop her dear friend's hair was a hurtful reminder of this. She would have loved nothing more than to take a page from Tukson's book and believe with all her heart that she could find what she was looking for, but she had lived without faith for so long that it was now foreign to her. There was very little faith to be had in a goal such as hers.

After all, how could one believe that they could find something that didn't truly exist.

(The next morning)

"No dreams this time? Odd..." Blake thought as her eyes sleepily unfolded and opened after hours of calm sleep. She could still feel the elevation and descending of Jaune's chest as she awoke, so she knew that he was still asleep. She rose from her spot on his chest and completely peeled her eyes open as she felt her stiff body shudder due to the movement of her muscles. Now completely up and awake, she looked at Jaune to observe him sleep peacefully, then giggled affectionately at the small trail of drool that escaped from his mouth as she snoozed.

"I think you drowned your pillow." She lightly joked as she noticed the soaked pillow.

Her mind went blank as she slowly realized something damning.

Meows did not escape her lips as she spoke; fluent and proper English did.

"Oh no…" Blake thought in horrification as she slowly looked down to confirm her suspicions.

There was none of her fur to greet her eyes as she looked upon her own body that was straddling Jaune's; only her shimmering pale skin, her normal arms and legs, and her uncovered breasts.

"Oh crap!" Blake breathed silently as she slowly and very carefully rose from atop Jaune's abdomen, trying her best not to accidentally shake him awake. As soon as her bare feet met the floor, she utilized a lifetime's worth of stealth training and sped off to the Jaune's bathroom with speed and silence only a cat could achieve.

"How the hell did that happen?!" Blake mentally screamed after quietly closing the door behind her.

She had absolutely no idea exactly why she had inadvertently transformed in her sleep. Ever since she had discovered the ability as a child, she had always maintained perfect control over it with no difficulties. Memories of last night struck her as she recalled how difficult it was to transform the night before, minutes before Jaune returned home. Why was she having so many problems with her transformation all of a sudden?

Her frantic thoughts were interrupted by a sudden realization concerning her body's state of balance. The bottom of her spine where it met her rump felt a tad bit heavier than usual.

She looked towards the mirror to her right to observe her body for any abnormalities.

And boy, did she find some.

Dangling from her bottom, hypnotically swaying back and forth in the air against her will, was a two-foot long furry black cat's tail.

"What…the actual…hell." Blake whispered in shock she turned neck back as far as she could and grabbed the new appendage to get a closer look, flinching in surprise as she felt the tail being grabbed; her tail. The fur on the tail was as slick and shiny as her hair, and it emanated the same amount of warmth the rest of her body did, eliminating any doubt that it was the same tail she would always grow when she transformed, only longer.

Her head shot back towards the mirror to see what else had changed about her appearance and instantly took notice of her eyes. Her pupils were no longer perfect circles and were now more vertical and sharp, not unlike an actual cat's. Her irises retained the same golden color they always had, but Blake could clearly see that they were now glowing more brightly than usual. One of the most subtle signs that someone possessed the ability to utilize Aura was an unnatural glow of their eyes whenever they tapped into their Aura, but Blake wasn't tapped into her reserves at all and her eyes could practically illuminate a mildly dark room with their current glow. Another thing she noticed was how clearly she could see her own Aura within her own body, another thing that she shouldn't have been able to see so clearly given her conditions, but that was not what really alarmed her. What alarmed her was the color of her Aura. Her Aura had always been a forebodingly dark violet shade, but now it appeared as if her Aura had been bleached, giving it a brighter shade of purple that was much more serene in appearance. What the hell happened last night?!

She didn't have time think anymore on the subject; her ear's twitched at the shocking sound of a deep yawn and two feet meeting the floor in the other room.

Jaune had woken up and was undoubtedly heading to the bathroom, and she was completely nude inside with her bow and collar still on.

"Oh crap!" Blake squeaked as she shot her head in all direction for a hiding place. She would have clenched on to the ceiling with her claws like before, but she couldn't control her tail and she didn't want it thumping against the ceiling to give her away. She only had one option: the shower.

Wasting no time, she leaped into the shower and pulled the shower curtain to conceal herself, praying to Monty that Jaune would decide to eat breakfast before showering.

As the bathroom door opened, Blake froze and held her breath in fright, trying her best to remain calm and silent so that Jaune wouldn't hear her.

She could hear Jaune turn the sink on as he brushed his teeth, but even though she couldn't see him during the start of his morning ritual, she could instantly tell that something was wrong. The first thing that tipped her off that something was amiss was how slowly he was brushing his teeth. The bristles of the brush were scraping against his teeth much more slowly than usual. The other thing that let her know that something was wrong was that he wasn't humming happily, indicating that he wasn't as energetic as he usually was on a Saturday morning. At risk of her hidden position, she moved the curtain slightly to peak on her friend.

He looked so depressed, much worse than he did when he was suffering the nightmares of his parents' deaths. He obviously didn't sleep as peacefully as she had initially thought he did, the tired look in his dull blue eyes was clear proof of this. What was wrong with him?

Jaune released a depressed sigh as he finished brushing and left the room, not even bothering to so much as look towards the shower and dragging his feet as he left.

Blake was deeply worried for him now. Showering was the thing he enjoyed the most in the morning and it looked like it was the last thing on his mind.

As soon as Jaune left the room, she took her chance and focused heavily on transforming, gritting her teeth and grunting in sheer effort as she tried her best to initiate the process. Her efforts finally paid off as her body released the usual amount of steam as her muscles and hair shifted. She was exhaustedly breathing from the enormous effort she put into her transformation, then leaped out of the shower and onto the sink to see if there were any changes to her appearance as a cat. Surprisingly, there weren't any differences to how she usually looked, even to her eyes. This only confused her even more, but that wasn't her primary concern at the moment. She exited the bathroom to find Jaune sitting on his bed as he pressed buttons on his scroll. He looked towards her as she jumped up to the bed and landed beside him, then gave her sad smile that was obviously forced.

Blake frowned at his façade as whoever Jaune was calling answered their scroll.

"Hello Jaune." The voice greeted politely, who Blake easily identified as Ren. The screen was black as he had turned off the video feed for some reason.

"Hey Ren, I don't mean to bug you or anything, but have you been out to town today?" Jaune asked hopefully, sounding apologetic as he did.

"I haven't seen Arryn today, no." Ren answered knowingly, already understanding the intent behind Jaune's question.

Jaune's face flinched at how well Ren knew him. Blake would have found the small moment between the two comical if she wasn't emotionally hurting for Jaune. He wasn't depressed, he was worried about her, and this touched her.

She would have loved nothing more than to just stop pretending to be his house pet and reveal herself, ending his worry for her and finally tearing down any barricades between the two, but it was never going to happen. She would be breaking so many rules that would have her Purged, and she couldn't risk that.

"Oh…alright." Jaune replied demoralized as he frowned.

"Are you worried for her?" Ren asked, already knowing the answer but still feeling the need to ask.

"Yes." Jaune admitted sadly.

Arryn's arm did not look healthy in the slightest and didn't receive enough medical attention before Luigi heartlessly kicked her out, and Jaune was never able to find her after leaving the pizzeria to go after her. He wasn't able to sleep very well knowing that one of his closest friends was badly hurt, especially since she meant more to him than just simply a friend, even if she probably didn't feel the same.

If he only knew.

"Do you like her?"

Jaune didn't see any point in lying to Ren; it was clear that he already knew.

"Yes."

The volume of Ren's voice elevated to heights that Jaune rarely heard and Blake had never, surprising them both and making them jump in shock at his booming voice.

"Then what the hell are you calling me for?! Go out and get your woman!" Ren shouted at his blonde brother-in-spirit with more passion than either of them thought he was capable of expressing.

"But-"

"NO BUTS!" Ren interrupted vigorously, silencing Jaune and intimida