Hello everyone! I'm baaaack! Author notes are at the end of the Arc. Have fun reading!

I don't own RWBY. It belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, may God rest his soul!

Arc I; Meetings

Chapter 1

Streets of Vale

This really isn't my night! Blake Belladonna though, as she ran down a back alley.

Luckily for her it was a new moon out tonight and the sky was pitch black. That and the dark alleyway along with her dark wardrobe helped her a great deal in trying to evade her pursuers.

Though obviously not enough, the girl thought bitterly once she heard a crash coming from the entrance of the alleyway.

She quickly ducked behind one of the trash containers and listened.

Not a moment later there was a large commotion

"Son of a Faunus!" a male voice shouted in anger. "Stupid trash can!"

Risking a glance around her hiding spot, the girl saw the trio of teens that had been chasing her since the late afternoon.

"Shut up Sky!" another voice joined the first. "We don't want the bitch to hear us!"

Blake smirked at the statement, her Faunus ears twitching a little in amusement under their bow. To think that they had any chance of tracking her silently was beyond arrogant.

Not that she could afford to be. After all, unlike herself, the three young thugs in training probably hadn't spent the greater chunk of the last 24 hours running for their lives with no food or rest.

She took a deep breath and examined her surroundings thanks to her enhanced vision. Unfortunately nothing in the form of a potential weapon stood out to her.

So, she sighed annoyed. Hand-to-hand it is.

Even as those thoughts crossed her mind she had to admit it was less than ideal. She did manage to scan her surroundings when she entered the alley, but nothing stood out as a potential weapon (Props to Vale's cleaning service!) meaning that she had to rely on her own skills to get away.

While she had no doubt that on a good day she could take three times as many untrained young thugs as there, this was not such a day.

For the last 20 hours she had been running for her life, been thrown around various spaces, haven't slept, eaten or taken a break for more than a few minutes.

She had to take them out quickly and hide, because if she kept this up she was as good as dead.

Still,… Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Blake closed her eyes and concentrated, listening to the men's footsteps. She couldn't afford a single mistake this time.

The first move she made was to eliminate their scrolls. The handheld communication devices were the only source of light in the alleyway and removing them would put her pursuers at a great disadvantage.

The Faunus girl listened to every footfall, trying to make out the optimal distance before her pursuers were in range.

Time seemed to slow down as the men inched closer and closer, each step a deafening countdown toward the inevitable.

Once the first of the three was in range, Blake pounced, grabbing the man's leading hand, which held the scroll and twisted until the wrist nearly snapped. Her efforts were rewarded when the small translucent device fell out of the man's hands and onto the ground, light flickering off.

Once that was done, Blake stepped so that her back was against her victim and using his outstretched hand as leverage, flipped him onto the ground.

Her efforts were rewarded with a pained cry as he collided with the hard pavement.

Not stopping her movement for a moment, Blake whirled around and delivered a kick, straight to the abdomen of the second pursuer. The speed of the blow probably caught him unaware as he fell backwards on his rear end.

The last of the three actually managed to get his bearings right and lunged toward Blake, attempting to grab her.

Undeterred by the development, the raven haired beauty simply continued to move with the momentum built up with her kick and drove her elbow into the last assailants face.

The blow might have sent a jolt of pain through her right hand, but the anguished scream and sound of broken bones, told her it was much worse for him.

Not wanting him to recover, Blake drove her foot into the inside of his shin, causing him to drop to the ground clutching his leg.

Between the sheer ferocity of the kick and the heavy soles of her boots, Blake could make an educated guess that the leg was broken.

A sound caught her attention and rounded to see that the guy she kicked in the stomach had gotten to his feet and was attempting to sucker punch her. Due to the sudden darkness however, the hit was wild to say the very least

Ducking under the hit, Blake quickly jabbed the man in his right kidney and solar plexus making him double over in pain again and allowing her to slam her knee into his face, knocking him out cold.

Not wanting to waste any more time with the three, Blake turned and delivered a kick straight into the face of the first man she downed with the throw.

As the unfortunate victim of Blake's last kick fell limp to the ground, the adrenaline that pumped in her veins began to recede and was replaced with strain of the day she just had. Her arms felt heavy, legs started to shake to the point she had to support herself against the nearest wall to keep from falling. Her mind felt bogged down, no longer being guided by instinct and years of muscle memory.

As Blake caught her breath, thinking what her next move should be, she heard a quiet song coming from somewhere in the alley.

It took a few seconds for her mind to register that it was coming from one of the fallen scrolls.

Weakly, Blake picked up the communication device and answered.

"Yes?"

"I suspected that you'd be the one picking up," a quiet male voice came from the other end of the line. "I hope you didn't find the three young men too much of a challenge Blake?"

"Adam," the raven haired girl spat. "What do you want?"

"Oh this and that," the man, Adam, taunted. "But most importantly at the moment I'd like you to come home!"

"Is that why you send these," Blake trailed off looking at the three figures on the ground and quickly realized her three 'assailants' were no older than her. Hell two of them even looked younger. "Boys… Too afraid to fight your own battles now Adam?"

"No," Adam replied calmly. "But I figured I'd like to stop finding my men beaten senseless by you. I thought that these three would at least wear you down enough for my real hunters to catch you."

The words sent a chill down Blake's spine and her eyes immediately started darting left and right, trying to detect if there was indeed someone closing in on her.

"Don't fret my dear," Adam taunted. "They only have instructions to bring you back home, not…"

"I don't have a home," Blake countered. "Not anymore!"

With those words, the Faunus girl threw the scroll away and took off again, leaving the three unconscious boys in the alley behind her. All she could do for them was hope that there was enough of the Adam she knew left to spare them.

Not a minute later, Blake came across a busier street and quickly slid in between the dwindling traffic of people.

Given that it was the dead of night, even in a city like Vale, this was a temporary solution though.

She knew that given the time, the amount of people on the street would continue to dwindle and make her easier to pick out. She needed a place to lay low and recover, at the very least sit down without worrying about every single flickering shadow.

Blake continued to wander aimlessly along the street for a few minutes, before something caught her eye; a night club.

Given the time, the place was probably filled with young people and that accompanied by the dimmed lights and her own attire should at least buy her a few hours of rest, if not the rest of the night. It wasn't after all uncommon for people to pass out in clubs. And while the White Fang had covert operatives, the chances of them trying something in such a crowded, by the sound of it place, were slim to none.

Here goes, Blake steeled herself and tightened the bowl around her ears to make sure that her ears were mostly isolated from most of the loud music she would have to subject herself to.

The commotion coming from within grew with every step Blake took toward the door and as soon as she pushed the heavy wooden door open, Blake froze.

The scene inside the bar resembled that of an old cowboy movie, or more specifically, the part where everyone started brawling with each other.

Before she could take stock of where to properly avoid the melee however, a yell caught her attention.

"Watch out!"

Those were the last words Blake Belladonna heard before a yellow blur collided with her vision and she lost consciousness.

This really isn't my night… she thought as she drifted toward darkness….

17 hours earlier

Xiao Long/Rose Household

Ruby Rose sat at the workbench in her room, working on a weapon and getting increasingly frustrated with every sub sequential attempt to make the part she was holding fit.

On the workbench itself, balanced on a pair of scale stood a Lagune M28/30, painted in flashy neon red, with an attached sniper scope, which Ruby herself had designed to fit better to the stock and provide more information, such as wind speed, distance, angle and other variables to help perfect her aim, thanks to a small computer fastened to the side of the rifle.

It was a far cry from a professional job and she hadn't really tested it outside the firing range, but so far she reasoned that 6 out of 10 times was good for a first attempt.

The piece Ruby was now trying to adjust though wasn't nearly as cooperative as her scope had been.

"Urgh!" the young teen sighed and banged her head against the workbench. "Still off kilter."

With a defeated sigh the brunette reached for her coffee cup, only to find it empty.

I could swear I just made some, she thought and scrambled to find her scroll to see what time it was. That was easier on paper though as the entire room was cluttered to the point of it actually looking like a warzone.

Magazines, handbooks, manuals and blueprints lay across any surface that wasn't the floor, which was only spared because it housed pretty much all the parts Ruby needed for said projects.

When the young girl finally found her scroll, it was beneath a pile of empty casings, she was re-fitting.

"Oh," she muttered to herself when she saw it was already morning. "Guess I pulled another all-nighter… I should probably go wake up Yang."

Carefully sidestepping the various objects in her room, including the home made flash bangs, Ruby slipped out of her room and into her sister's.

Predictably, the first thing that greeted the girl were snores.

Loud, buzzing snores, emanating from the battlefield, her sister called a bed.

As usual Yang was sleeping stretched out completely on the bed, limbs and hair everywhere, her blankets indignantly thrown on the floor and her pillow under her feet.

How her sister found such sleep restful was beyond Ruby and the younger girl hoped she would never understand.

"Yang!" Ruby called out from the door. "Wake up! It's seven already!"

As Yang continued to snore, Ruby sighed and moved across the room.

"Yang!" she started poking her sister. "Yang, wake up! We have to get ready for school!"

"Ghhh hway, Rhby!" was all Yang muttered and turned her back toward Ruby.

Ruby sighed in defeat and looked around to see why Yang's alarm clock hadn't gone off by now. A quick glance at the bedside table confirmed her fears that Yang had indeed smashed another alarm clock.

Dad is really starting to get suspicious when I tell him we need money for a new clock every week, Ruby thought as she surveyed the damage her sister had inflicted on her latest mechanical victim. Upon a few glanced though, Ruby was almost convince she could salvage it this time though.

Still that was for later. Right now she needed to rouse her sister.

"Yang if you don't get up, I am calling Coco and telling her you agreed for her to do your hair!" Ruby threatened.

"Uo, tu nhce fur tht." Was all Yang grumbled and Ruby had to admit she had a point. After all, there were some things you just didn't do to people.

"Okay, Yang… You asked for it!" Ruby muttered to herself and left back toward her room.

Once there, Ruby picked up a shotgun that was stashed in the gun locker on her wall and then picked up some rounds from the cabinet under the rack. On her way out she also picked up her earmuffs.

On her way toward Yang's room, the petite girl started the coffeemaker and chambered a round in the shotgun with practiced movements.

Once those preparations were done, Ruby entered Yang's room and walked straight up to the bed.

"Last chance Yang!" she threatened her sister and when she received no reply, pulled the ear mufflers over her ears.

Then she fired at the ceiling.

Ruby was a lot of things, when it came to guns. Maniacal, obsessed, paranoid about her favorite sniper rifle… One thing she wasn't though was irresponsible.

And that was precisely why she fired flash bang rounds.

They didn't have any projectile in them and were just for show, but they sure woke people up in the morning.

Ruby's efforts were rewarded as her sister indignantly squawked like a startled animal and tumbled out of her bed, face first onto the floor.

Just to make sure Yang didn't fall asleep again, Ruby chambered and fired the second round she brought. As soon as that was fired off, Yang rose from the floor, giving her sister an impressive glare that could send lesser men and women running for their lives.

Ruby though was unfazed and began with a cheery voice.

"Now that I have your attention ladies and gentlemen," she spoke as she removed the ear protection, which was why she could still hear. "It's seven in the morning and some of us take over an hour to get their hair ready!"

"You are a horrible little sister," Yang narrowed her lilac eyes.

"There's coffee and pancakes," Ruby added cheerfully.

"Have I ever mentioned what a great little sister you are?" Yang smiled, all her annoyance forgotten. Coffee in the morning was Yang's greatest weakness and one Ruby constantly exploited.

"Come on," Ruby invited. "Emerald will be picking us up in an hour and you know how she hates to wait."

"I know…" Yang muttered through a yawn. "Thanks Ruby."

"No problem!" Ruby smiled. "Oh, and you shattered your alarm clock again!"

"Meh," Yang waved it off. "It's just one of my alarming tendencies."

"No," Ruby's face fell at the pun. "Just, no, Yang!"

"Oh, come on!" the blonde protested. "That one was good!... Did you even sleep Ruby?" she asked turning serious all of a sudden.

"Not really," Ruby muttered.

"Ruby you need to stop doing this," Yang said in an exasperated tone.

"Crescent Rose was giving me trouble!" Ruby retorted. "I didn't realize how long it was and all of a sudden it was morning and…"

"It's okay, Rubs" Yang smiled and patted Ruby's head. "Just make sure you get some sleep in the afternoon. It is a big night tonight."

"I know," Ruby beamed. "Now get going! I'll have coffee ready in a bit!"

"Thanks!" Yang said and headed toward the bathroom.

Schnee Manor

"Miss Schnee,"

Weiss heard someone calling her, but didn't open her eyes, willing herself to fall back asleep.

"Miss Schnee, its morning." the voice repeated, more on edge this time.

Sighing to herself, Weiss opened her eyes and was greeted by the blinding white of bed's canopy that reflected the morning sun into her eyes.

Gracefully Weiss picked herself up from the bed and sat up, only to be greeted by the familiar sight of her personal maid, waiting to begin their morning routine.

"A pleasant night Miss Schnee?" the woman asked with a smile, just a bit too forced.

"Quite," Weiss replied curtly, forcing her own face to adopt the so called 'aristocratic smile'. Most days Weiss wondered if it was possible to actually have your face stuck like this. Most of the other heiresses she spoke with seemed to suffer from that after all.

"Is my sister in?" Weiss asked as she moved toward the bathroom for her morning shower.

"I don't think so Miss Schnee," the maid shook her head. "But you'll have to ask Mr. Schnee about it."

Damn it Winter! Again? Weiss thought bitterly, resigning herself to another day of monotony and forced smiles.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Half an hour later, Weiss had taken a shower and gotten dressed.

She had picked a knee-length white skirt, with blue, slowly creeping in around the edges and the sleeves. She had also donned light blue, high laced sandals and to complete the image of a perfect young lade, s small silver hairband was keeping her hair back.

The entire arrangement was Weiss' own choice and it felt… Suffocating.

Everything was so unlike her it was painful.

The dress was suffocating in its tightness, the sandals were painful to walk in and the hairband felt as if it was pulling her hair out.

And the coached smile was still on her face.

Walking briskly across the halls of the manor, she watched as servants moved out of her way as she neared the dining room.

Once in front of the lavish white door of the hall, Weiss stopped unconsciously and took a deep breath, before pushing the door open.

The room, like the rest of the mansion was primarily white, even down to the alabaster wood table and chairs.

The only two other occupants in the room, save the few servants who were hurrying with breakfast were her mother and father, who stopped their conversation as soon as they heard Weiss' steps.

"Good morning, little snowflake!" her mother greeted in her usual fresh and loving voice. Unlike with Weiss' smile, she knew her mother's was the real thing.

Willow Schnee was the happiest person Weiss ever knew, her dark hair in its usual pixie cut and her opposing silver clothes just disheveled enough to make her appear like a living being next to all the meticulously dressed personnel and other high society ladies.

The affectionate name did still get a flinch out of the teen though, despite her best efforts.

"Good morning mother," Weiss bowed respectfully, earning herself a saddened glance from the older woman.

"How many times must I ask Weiss?" Willow pouted. "'Mom' is more than enough!"

"Do not encourage her Willow," Weiss' father spoke up, his voice cutting through the air like a whip, a clear unwavering baritone. "Good morning Weiss."

"Good morning Father." Weiss replied automatically, all the warmth her mother's greeting offered, completely replaced by her Father's cold tone.

Unlike his wife, the head of 'Schnee Mining and Distribution' was dressed meticulously, from the freshly pressed suit, to the perfectly tied business tie, right down to the immaculately maintained white hair.

To Weiss her Father looked like a painting, whose pale blue eyes seemed to follow you wherever you went.

Silence reigned for the next few moments, before accepting defeat, Weiss asked the question that had been plaguing her.

"Has Winter come home at all?" the teen asked as she sat down on the table to her Father's right.

"Your Sister," Mr. Schnee began picking up his cup of coffee. "Has been busy with her work for the Atlas military. From what I gathered, she is quite the invaluable member according to General Ironwood. Clearly the private tutors were of benefit after all."

The barb hadn't escaped Weiss' notice and she grit her teeth behind her smile, quietly picking up her utensils.

"Dear, we talked about this," Willow interjected, from across Weiss. "I allowed you to keep Winter homeschooled and that was a mistake in the social aspect. Weiss attending Beacon has proven anything but a mistake in that regard."

"That remains to be seen, once Weiss finally drops her silly hobbies and attempts to take control of a business," the head of the Schnee household responded, his words not laced with either malice of contempt, yet each hitting Weiss like a physical blow.

Only someone like her Father could declare second place in fencing for the entire continent a silly hobby. It was always about taking control of the business with him, nothing else. Weiss was sure that if the man had his way, she would have already been buried under a desk somewhere in Vacuo, pulling her hair out.

At least here, she was buried under homework and people pretending to be her friends, instead of lawsuits and people trying to take advantage of her inexperience as a businesswoman.

How Winter could take the man's philosophy and actually embrace it, all be it in a different direction was something she could never get her sister to properly explain no matter how much Weiss had tried over the years.

The result was one that Weiss both hated and loved; the only way she would ever be considered a candidate for the head of the company was in the unlikely event Winter couldn't. That meant that maybe one day she could be free.

And all it cost her was her sister becoming a cold heartless and manipulative bitch…

It took a lot of pain to get Weiss' cold, smiling mask to crack, but the little voice in her head that whispered that such a sacrifice would be worth it, was enough right now.

"Weiss, honey," her mother's voice cut through the cloud of haze around Weiss' mind. "Is everything okay?"

"Perfectly fine, Mother," Weiss replied, readjusting her smile. "Just a little… tired is all."

Beacon Academy Student Parking

"Thanks for the ride, Emerald!" Ruby waved as she got out of the car with the same exuberant energy she used for everything.

"It's no problem at all," the green haired driver said. "You and Yang are great company early in the morning."

"See you later Yang!" Ruby called out to her sister and headed off toward the school. It didn't escape Yang's notice that Ruby pulled up her hoodie as she came closer to the school. Nor that she missed how her sister wasn't talking to any of her classmates.

"She'll be fine you know," Emerald assured her while locking the car. "No one in school is stupid enough to mess with your sister."

"Oh that's not it," Yang sighed. "She can take care of herself. It's just… She doesn't have any friends Em! It's just me and her guns…. Okay and maybe a few people at the range, but with them it's just… I don't know… Am I overreacting?"

"No," Emerald shook her head smiling. "You're just being a good sister. And speaking of which, what am I? Chopped liver? I don't hang out with Ruby, just because she's your sister. She's actually enjoyable to talk to."

"Sorry, it's just,…" Yang scratched her head. "I worry is all. I mentioned it to her a few days back that she needs friends to grow up."

"What did she reply?" the dark skinned teen asked.

"Said she doesn't need friends because," Yang smiled at the memory, cleared her throat and put up her best Ruby impression. "I DRINK MILK!"

"Hahahaha" Emerald laughed at the image and Yang herself joined her a few moments later. "Your sister is adorable! She'll be fine Yang. Stop worrying!"

"You're just saying that cause you've got nothing to worry about, Miss Councilwoman's Daughter!" Yang smirked, elbowing Emerald lightly. After all one of the reasons she and Emerald managed to hit it off was because the red-eyes girl could take some teasing.

"Hm," her friend hummed. "You'd be surprised."

Yang thought it over for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Nah!" the blonde replied. "I'd be more surprised if Schnee managed to dislodge that stick from her…"

"And I" a haughty voice came from behind the two girls and they whirled around to see none other than the Schnee heiress marching toward them in a manner that distinctly reminded Yang of one of Goodwitch's war documentaries. "Would be surprised if you've actually learned some manners, Xiao Long!"

"Ouch," Yang feinted being hurt. "Hitting me where it hurts the most! My manners! Schnee, you fiend!" at which point Yang burst out laughing and the white-haired 'princesses' expression and was soon joined by Emerald.

"Hmpf!" the white witch, moved pass them, her nose high up in the air. Yang wondered if she could use it as a sun clock. "And you, Sustrai… I am surprised you still hang around such a brute!"

"Just because our families do business together, doesn't mean you know anything about me, Ice Queen!" Emerald spoke in a low tone that Yang had always found to be unnerving. She had known Emerald for the better part of two years now and whenever the normally up-beat girl spoke in a low whisper, Yang had always felt threatened by her.

Knowing her history though, the blonde wouldn't have been at all surprised if that was a defense mechanism left over from Emerald's life before being adopted.

"Whatever," Weiss scoffed and walked pass them. While she walked pass Yang however, her lilac eyes did notice that Weiss' shoulders were shaking a bit.

"Sometimes I really wonder what's up with this girl," Yang admitted once she was sure that the stuck-up heiress was out of earshot.

"She's a spoiled brat, that needs to be put in her place," Emerald declared and for a brief second Yang could swear she saw her best friend's face darken. Not wanting this to be the tone of her entire morning, the brawler reverted to her best skill.

"Leave the Ice Queen be, Em," Yang waved it off and put a hand around Emerald's shoulders. "After all she is Weiss cold!"

"How does your sister live with all those puns?" Emerald asked in an exasperated tone, but Yang felt the tension leaving her body.

Mission accomplished!

"My devilish good looks of course!" she replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

"While I would love," a bored, familiar male voice came from the girls' left. "To see you two kiss, I don't think Goodwitch would approve."

Yang's head snapped toward the source of the voice and saw that her guess was spot on as against the locker stood none other than Mercury Black, a regular at Yang's gym and one of two people who have ever beaten her.

And, most importantly, someone who shared her love of teasing people.

"Mercury!" Emerald glared and marched right up to him. "Don't you ever get your head out of the gutter?"

"Sure I do," the silver-haired male lied and casually turned the page of his comic. "It's just fun to get you mad."

Sensing another squabble, Yang rolled her eyes and stepped between her friends.

"Now, now everyone!" she began. "Before you tear each other apart, could you at least tell me if you'll come see my match tonight?"

"Sorry, Yang," Emerald shook her head. "As much as we love to see you break someone's jaw in the boxing ring, my mom has some work for us."

"Oh," the blonde groaned. "Come on! You guys are my biggest supporters next to Ruby! I need you there cheering!"

"Against Winchester?" Mercury asked, looking up from the comic. "If you need help against him, how do you expect to survive our rematch?" the teen taunted.

"Don't get any ideas Black!" Yang turned around, crossing her arms casually. "I can still take you any day of the week! It would have just been nice to have someone besides Ruby to party with later."

"I see you still have an unshakable faith in your fists, Yang," Emerald smirked.

"Yep," the blonde replied. "And after I beat Cardin to a pulp, I'm gonna use the cash to finish my little project!"

"You mean that scrap pile in Penny's garage is finally going to be built?" Mercury observed. "I thought you lacked… 'Inspiration'."

"Laugh all you want mister, but I am telling you, one glorious day inspiration will hit me and that bike will be ready and I will no longer be a slave to public transport… And Emerald." Yang cheered. "No offense, Em!" she added as an afterthought.

"Yes… It must be torture to ride in an air-conditioned vehicle talking about make-up and chick flicks," Mercury taunted.

"Do you want me to knock you out Black?" Yang asked narrowing her eyes.

"I wouldn't mind," Mercury smirked. "Means I'd get to miss Port's test."

"Test?!" both girls asked simultaneously.

"He announced it last week," the silver haired teen smiled. "Thought you knew?"

"You know very well I sleep through literature!" Yang fumed. "Why didn't you remind us yesterday?"

"Emerald said she'd pay me if I stopped talking for an entire afternoon," Mercury shrugged. "I accepted."

Not waiting for either of his two companions to reply, Mercury strolled off, whistling to himself.

"I'm going to kill him," Yang threatened and tried to take a step forward, only for Emerald to stop her.

"Not before you knock me out!" the green-haired girl pleaded.

Letting go of her anger, Yang sighed and accepted defeat.

"Come on Em," she groaned. "Let's see if we can salvage our academic careers."