A/N: Guess what AU I'm in guys. Yep, Funblade and Amipiai's future AU. This time decided to try something not from Weiss's perspective, but she still plays a reasonable role. If you guys care I would put this probably about three months before Forgotten Date, another of my one-shots. Maybe I should just change my username to "doesn'tknowhowtowriteRWBYwithoutWeiss." Tired fleshing out a semi-complex villain as well. Not sure how that went. Blake speaks a lot in this, which may seem OOC; but I mean its her job. She can't really be reading a book while she is working can she? She has to interact and try and gain information. I don't know. Enjoy.

"Blake, honestly, we don't need such a large entourage. When was the last time we had problems with the White Fang?" Weiss rolled her eyes at the plans on the desk before her. They called for several snipers, a close security team of ten huntsmen, and four armored trucks as escorts. There were several hand written notes in the margin that mentioned dog units as well, but Weiss decided to ignore them.

"That only means I've been doing my job well." Blake turned her eyes on the Ice Queen.

Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed. "You and Sun have done a superb job dealing with the White Fang yes. Don't you think that would constitute less security for once?" Weiss crossed her arms and glared at her Head of Security. "They hardly make things easy and half the time they end up harassing me for autographs; hardly professional if you ask me."

Blake shook her head. "We have done a good job improving faunus relationships. But, all that means is that the only ones who would attack you still are the radicals. And they are the most dangerous." Blake ran a hand through her hair before continuing. "It doesn't really matter if they are professional or not, as long as you make it out safe." She shrugged and waved one hand towards the plans, "and this is how we're going to do that."
"Blake." Weiss's tone was tight and strained. "I am a trained huntress. I think that I can protect myself if things go south." She had crossed her arms over her chest. Wrinkles formed on the front of the white shirt and her tie bunched. Blake would have mentioned how those would detract from her professional appearance but decided against it.

"What if they go North? Or West? Or maybe East? What then?" Blake eyed her boss. She wasn't usually this sarcastic or combative; but then again, Weiss didn't usually fight her on the plans that she made. Something was off. Blake knew it. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but that didn't really matter. All that mattered was that her friend was distressed.

"You're insufferable, Blake." Weiss groaned. She lowered her gaze from Blake and returned it to the plans. She dragged a finger across each of the sniper teams, making a small X over each one. "The snipers go." She moved to the trucks next and repeated the crossing out process over two of the trucks. "And the procession is to be decreased to only two trucks." She began to move her finger to the list of names assigned to be her personal body guards but was stopped as Blake grabbed her wrist.

"We need those snipers. They'll provide information on the movements of the crowd and any suspect individuals. The snipers can also provide support if things go any of the cardinal directions." Blake let go of Weiss's wrist and pointed to the trucks. "By getting rid of two of the trucks, there is a fifty-fifty shot that you could get hit by a missile or bomb. Further more-"

Blake was about to continue when a hand came up slamming down on the table. "No." Weiss's eyes had hardened and no longer held any kindness or warmth for her friend. "I am the boss. I make the decisions." Blake puckered her lips but didn't say anything. Weiss nodded her approval at the silence. "What impression will we be giving if we show up in a faunus-heavy area armed to the teeth? Is that an impression of trust? Is that an impression of wanting to continue healthy relations?" Weiss smirked grimly at Blake. "The snipers go. The entourage is halved. My guard will only consist of three huntsmen. End of story. No more debating."

Blake bit back a sharp retort and thought of her options. She could continue to argue with Weiss. That wouldn't get her much. Something was clearly clouding Weiss's judgment and trying to use logic with her obviously wasn't going to work. She could mouth off to Weiss and give her a taste of her own medicine. Again, not a great option. Weiss being as she is, Blake would probably only succeed in getting herself fired. Or she could just agree to Weiss's demands. While Blake didn't like the idea of decreasing the security, Weiss did have a point. Coming in with guns out and safeties off probably wouldn't help any relationships with the faunus. Weiss also had a point in that nobody had tried anything serious for about two years now.

Blake bit on the inside of her cheek and thought for a minute longer before responding. "I'll only agree if you make it five huntsmen and I am one of them."

Weiss looked as if she was about to come back and start shouting but quickly deflated. She sighed heavily. "Fine. Are we done?" Weiss moved away from the desk and turned towards the wall sized window behind her, and began staring out. Watching the city from her castle. Blake couldn't help but think of how easy it would be for a sniper to shoot her silhouetted form before remembering that it was bullet proof glass.

Blake folded up the plans and put them in a pocket of her coat. She didn't leave though. Instead, Blake continued to stare at the back of her friend. Weiss didn't look like she used to. Her attire hadn't changed much, if at all since she had become the head of the Schnee Dust Company. No, she still wore the same suspenders, the same shirts, the same ties. That wasn't what had changed with Weiss.

It had taken some time for Blake to notice, but there was a definite change. The first thing she had noticed was Weiss posture. The Ice Queen had begun to slouch. Not enough for rival business partners to notice or even for close friends like Ruby or Yang to notice, but Blake did. It was a defeated slouch. Like the weight of the world was slowly crushing the girl. Slowly crushing her. But surely crushing her.

Then her appearance had started to suffer. While by any man's standards Weiss was still as close to perfection as physically possible, Blake had noticed that slipping as well. A few strands of hair missing from her ponytail. A few misplaced strokes of makeup. An unhealthy pallor disguised by the normally snow-white skin. The toned muscles beginning to sag. All the signs had been very subtle. Things anybody would have and should have missed. But not Blake. Blake saw it all.

Blake saw the weight of the company sapping the strength from the CEO. Blake saw that Weiss was slowly slipping. Blake knew that Weiss wouldn't ask for help. Maybe it wasn't her job to provide help, but as a friend it was certainly her duty to.

Weiss turned from the window and caught sight of Blake still standing there, staring at her. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" She wasn't trying to be rude, but some venom slipped into her words. Blake didn't move and continued to stare. Observing. "Blake. You're dismissed." Weiss motioned with a hand to the door and sat down at her desk. She grabbed a pen and started reading a document Blake was positive she had already finished. After all, who re-reads a document they have already signed?

"Weiss." Blake kept her voice neutral. She wasn't trying to start a fight. She didn't want to step on a mine. She just wanted to help. "With all due respect," the Ice Queen's eyes shot up and glared at the amber ones looking down on her, "I think that you need some help." Weiss quickly opened her mouth to retort, but this time Blake held up her hand to silence her. "Not mentally. I mean with this job. It's too much for one person to handle on their own. I know you're against the whole 'assistant' idea, but you might want to consider one. While nobody else has noticed, I have. I don't want to have to watch my friend fall down a pit and not even try to help them. I don't want my friend to fall towards a pit, and see them not trying to help themself."

Blake put one hand down the front of her collared shirt and came up with a necklace. She quickly removed it from her neck and held it in the air before Weiss. Despite the light and spinning making it unclear, Weiss knew exactly what it was. It was the four family emblems of the old team RWBY welded together into a diamond shape. It didn't have colors. It wasn't beautiful in any way. Ruby had made one for each team member before they had graduated saying that, "we'll always be team RWBY. And if any of us need it, we can always count on each other for help."

Blake placed the pendant on the desk in front of Weiss. "We'll always be team RWBY Weiss. I can't personally help you, that's not my place. But I can help you, help you." Blake turned and walked towards the door of the office, her boots thudding softly on the carpet. Blake was sure that she heard the tinkling of metal from behind her as she closed the office door.

Another explosion rocked the world and debris came raining down on the group of six hunters. Blake pulled a rookie to the side as a rather large piece of building came down right where he had just been. The man mumbled a thanks but Blake ignored it.

She was furious.

This wouldn't have happened if Weiss hadn't been such an idiot about security. That man wouldn't have gotten so close to the stage if Blake had snipers on the roof. They wouldn't be running right now if Blake had four trucks instead of two. They could have made a stand if there were ten hunters instead of five. Blake was confident that if the group made it out alive, she was going to have to lock herself up. After all, it was her job to keep the biggest threats to Weiss's life at bay, wasn't it?

Blake turned down an aisle and spotted a metal door. She tried the handle to no avail. Taking one step back, she kicked it and the door dented slightly. She tried again and this time the door bent inwards enough to reveal a deadbolt. Unsheathing Gambol Shroud, Blake swung it downwards and sliced the lock. The door swung open and she nodded at the halted group behind her. Three hunters went in before Weiss, followed by another and Blake on the rear. She didn't bother to close the door behind her. If they had any pursuers, then it wouldn't be difficult for them to figure out which door the party had gone through.

Blake looked around; they were in a large, mostly empty warehouse. They had run farther than she had thought, making it as far as the docks in only about twenty minutes. Her group was tired though. While Weiss and herself weren't particularly winded, it looked as if the rookies were about to die. Blake rolled her eyes. Amateurs. Most likely the team CRDL of their class; getting by on mostly luck and brown-nosing. It looked like they would have to stay here for a bit before they could move to a safer location.

Blake's ears twitched in response to a footfall and she whirled around. Standing in the middle of the warehouse was a man. How hadn't she seen him before? How long had he been there? Was he friendly? No, not with that look in his eyes. The man smiled at Blake. His teeth were black.

Apparently the rest of her party became aware of the intruder a second after Blake. One of the huntsmen, a young man, charged the man. Blake called for his retreat but the young man continued forward. Just as the boy reached Mr. Black Teeth, he was swatted aside. A white club had materialized out of seemingly nowhere and slammed into the boys ribs. He flew to the side and landed amongst some boxes with a heavy thud. The entire time, Mr. Black Teeth had been staring at Blake. She shivered and turned to the rest of her team.

"Alright. This guy looks serious. I want you guy to take Ms. Schnee and get her out of here. About three and a half klicks from here, in the financial district is a rendezvous point. Go there and make sure she is safe. I'll stay and buy as much time as possible."

Three of the watchers nodded but Weiss narrowed her eyes. "You are not staying behind. We can work together to take this guy down and then we can al-"

"Weiss. It's my job to make sure you get back safe. You are under my command now. No ifs, ands, or buts about it." Blake eyed her. The Ice Queen looked as if she was about to protest but didn't say anything. "Good. When I turn, head towards the door on the west side." Blake gestured with her hand to the east, so that the enemy might be confused. Her team nodded. "On three. One. Two. Three."

Blake spun and, at the same time, pulled four smoke bombs from a pocket in her coat. She threw all four at the man in the center of the room and they all landed within five feet of the man. Blake heard the distinct scurry of feet behind her but didn't look back. They had their orders. She had hers.

Blake sprinted forward and unsheathed Gambol Shroud. She reached the man quickly, but didn't hear the distinct sound of coughing in the blackness of the smoke. Her ears twitched and she rolled forward as a white club whooshed over her head. Now, she too, was in the smoke with the man. Her faunus night vision helped her to see the man through the billowing smoke and she moved to strike at him. Again her ears twitched and this time she dodged to the left and the club came crashing down vertically onto where she had just been. Blake caught sight of the hand holding the club and lashed at it with her blade. It struck home, but instead of a cry of pain, a laugh came out from the man.

"You fight dirty Ms. Belladonna." The voice was raspy. It sounded like someone was simultaneously choking and speaking at the same time. It set Blake's teeth on edge. "But so do I." Blake felt a hand on the back of her coat and she was flung from the smoke into the open. She landed lightly and quickly managed to get back to her feet, but not before her opponent broke free of the smoke.

It wasn't the man's height or complexion that Blake noticed first though. It was his weight. The man looked malnourished. His skin was stretched incredibly tight over his bones and it looked as if he had absolutely no muscle mass. This couldn't have been true considering the massive club he held in one hand, but it was eerie. If Blake didn't know any better, she would have assumed a skeleton in a nice suit had decided to attack her. The man's eyes were pits of darkness and his thin smile mirrored the attribute. Blake noticed a set of underdeveloped horns on the top of his head. A faunus.

"Who are you?" Blake quickly unbuttoned her coat and it slid to the ground. She didn't want a repeat of what had just happened inside the smoke. She would fire herself if she made a mistake like that twice.

"Depends on who you ask I suppose." The man rasped. He smiled at Blake, his mouth lined with those disgusting black teeth. "Some call me The Bone Daddy. Others call me The Bleached One. Those are my most common names." The pits of his eyes twinkled. "Yes, it would be rather embarrassing to have a repeat experience of the smoke wouldn't it? I agree the best course of action was to remove your coat."

Blake tried not to let her surprise show but couldn't be sure how successful she was. How had he known that's why she took off her coat? A lucky guess? Something more? She had to be quick about this fight if her opponent was that intelligent. She kept her voice and face neutral, "And what should I call you then?"

A sound like nails on a chalkboard emitted from the man. He was laughing. "I suppose you can call me LeBlanc, Ms. Belladonna." He began to move, his long legs beginning to step in a circle around Blake. The Head of Security mirrored his actions. Soon they were equidistant from the center of the circle they were creating with their steps.

"So what do you want with Ms. Schnee, Mr. LeBlanc?" She eyed him up and down to see if he had any distinct limps or injuries. From the way he walked it, Blake couldn't detect any, but she noticed his eyes remained glued to her, no matter what. She put the information away to be utilized later.

"Who said I wanted anything to do with Ms. Schnee?" LeBlanc flexed his right hand and shifted the weight of the club in his left.

"You're a faunus who organized an attack on her press conference. I would assume that you wanted harm to come to her."

LeBlanc laughed again. "We both know that wasn't an organized attack Ms. Belladonna. The bombs were weak, nothing more than destabilized dust crystals; and if I had really wanted to kill Ms. Schnee, why wouldn't I have just shot her? You didn't have any snipers looking out for gunmen after all." Blake knew that she had let some of the surprise slip this time and swore inwardly. "No, this was more, spur-of-the-moment, if you will." The man smiled.

"You can't expect me to understand a psychopath can you Mr. LeBlanc?" Blake readjusted her grip on Gambol Shroud. The leather on her gloves whined when it scraped against the leather of the grip. She took another step and noted they had completed the circle about ten times now. The pair stopped circling and stood facing each other.

"Harsh words Ms. Belladonna." LeBlanc licked his lips. "I would say I expect more from you, but considering how you have left your brothers down already, I would be lying."

Blake leapt forward. LeBlanc swung his club, but instead of dodging like last time, Blake jumped over it and used her forward momentum to get to the legs of her opponent. She slashed at both knee caps with her blades before rolling between them. A hand swung down to where she had just been and Blake exited her roll to spin and slash at LeBlanc's face. Her blades connected and an X was drawn across his face. Blake, leaving an after-image, retreated to a safer distance.

Blake paused before resuming her attack. She had cut his face. But how? She had gone beneath his legs. He hadn't had the time to turn around. Blake looked up from the ground and noticed that LeBlanc wasn't doubled over like he should be. Instead, he was standing upright. On the knees she had just slashed, with his back towards her. But his face was towards her. A giant black X was crisscrossing his face. Both corners of his jaw connected to the opposite temple with long gashes. No blood. No pain. Just a smile. Blake looked at his knees and noticed they weren't bleeding either.

LeBlanc let out another bout of nails on a chalkboard. Without moving his head, his body turned one-hundred and eighty degrees. "You see Ms. Belladonna, I've been wanting to talk to you for a very long time." He began to walk in a circle again. Blake followed suit. "You see Ms. Belladonna, you betrayed us."

"What are you talking about?" Blake was nervous. How could she kill an opponent that didn't bleed or seem to even register pain? He wasn't limping from the cuts and his face was moving without being bothered by the cuts present.

"How indeed Ms. Belladonna?" The man's black smile returned. "I'm talking about your relationship with Ms. Schnee. Not presently of course. The relationship you had with her back at Beacon Academy. When you were assigned as team members together."

"What about it?"

"Why didn't you kill her?" LeBlanc's voice was dead serious.

"Excuse me?" Blake didn't bother to hide her shock. What kind of lunatic would ask a question like that?

"Why didn't you kill her?" LeBlanc repeated. "You knew that her death would destroy the Schnee Dust Company. It would have ended all the torturous oppression and labor that it brought about as well. You knew that. So why didn't you?"

He had to be joking. There was no way that he actually thought that Blake would have known that, let alone acted on it. "I didn't kill Weiss because she was my friend then, as she is now."

"So?" LeBlanc shifted the weight of his club again and flexed his right hand. "If the death of one would help the many would you not kill the one? The many are more important than the one. The group's good comes before the individual's good. It is quite the common philosophy. You even executed it yourself by staying here and sending the others away." LeBlanc smiled at the confusion that he saw pass over Blake's face. He licked his lips hungrily as he waited for an answer.

"Immediate results aren't always the best results." Blake was picking her words very carefully. She was dancing around a philosophical minefield and she was not prepared to deal with the repercussions if she stepped on one. She re-adjusted the grip she had on Gambol Shroud. Again it whined loudly. "The long term results must be considered." She had changed tactic. Appealing to the kindness and speaking of friends wouldn't get very far with this guy. "If the long term of saving one person outweighed the immediate benefit of killing that person, than I would save the individual."

The circling stopped again. They had performed ten revolutions. Just like last time. Blake noticed her back was to the same boxes as last time as well. They stood staring at each other. Blake didn't want to be the first one to attack again. But she could feel something telling her to. It was like a whisper in her ear. Telling her to attack. Not forceful, but persistent.

Blake rushed forward again. This time, she ducked under the club that was swung at her. She slashed at the hand but, once again, nothing seemed to happen. Another hand seemed to come from nowhere and it seized Blake by her tie. Quickly, she cut the fabric and rolled backwards. LeBlanc didn't even stumble from the loss of weight that he was holding. Instead he tossed aside the purple fabric that was left in his hand and began to circle again.

Blake started circling again. The voice was telling her to do so, but that wasn't why she did. Now she knew what was happening. Now she could formulate some kind of attack plan. Now she could win.

"That is quite an interesting philosophy you have Ms. Belladonna." LeBlanc spoke. "But who are you to decide the probabilities and determine the correct course of action? Because of you, millions of faunus suffered as laborers and died in the mines of the Schnee Dust Company." His voice was growing in volume with increasing anger to match. "I suffered in the mines of the Schnee Dust Company. My parents died in the mines of the Schnee Dust Company. My wife died in the mines of the Schnee Dust Company. All of them, dead! Gone! Because you didn't strike to save your brethren when the metal was at its hottest!" LeBlanc was shouting by the end of his turn.

"And who are you to decide that more people haven't been saved by my actions than hurt by them?" Blake didn't raise her voice. Her tone was still neutral, monotone. "You don't know any better than I do."

"I do! I lived through the pain that you caused us! You! Blake Belladonna!" LeBlanc shifted the weight of his club and flexed his right hand. They were approaching the sixth revolution. "No one else did this to us! You had the opportunity to save us! All of us! But you didn't! You must be punished!" LeBlanc was frenzied. He was screaming now; spit flying out with every word. He licked his lips. They had reached the final revolution. Both began the final circle. "I am the punisher! You deserve this!"

"Too bad. You almost had me." Blake rushed forward before the circle had been completed. LeBlanc was taken by surprise and swung too late with his club. Blake jumped so that she was face to face with him. Using her semblance, Blake left and after-image behind her and propelled herself forward. As expected, she went straight through the LeBlanc's image. She swung her blade at eye level as she was passing through the image and felt it connect with something. A howl of pain reached her ears as she landed on the ground. She had got him.

Suddenly, LeBlanc was no longer behind her. He was standing in front of her with his hands covering his face. Blood was seeping through the cracks in-between his fingers and was beginning to drip onto the floor. He was screaming. "How! How! How could you have-!"

"I must say that is one of the most powerful semblances I have ever encountered." Blake stood up and reached her full height. "Being able to enter the mind of your enemy. That's one thing. Being able to convince them of actions and create images that weren't real. That's a whole different level." She took a few steps toward the screaming man. He slashed a hand at her blindly and a few specks of blood landed on her black shirt. "You're right. You do fight dirty."

Blake moved her blade so that it was level with his neck. "I would say that next time, the patterns you suggest should be less obvious, but there won't really be a next time." Gambol Shroud slashed down onto LeBlanc's neck and he fell silent.

Blake grabbed her jacket up from the floor and quickly put it on. The heavy cloth felt good on her body. It had always been her favorite coat. Plus it made her look intimidating. Besides, the mental battle was the more important half of the battle.

She heard a groan from the boxes and remembered the huntsman who had been knocked aside. Walking over, she could see that his impact had shattered several wooden crates and crushed several boxes. When she reached him, it very was apparent that he wouldn't be able to walk out, given the direction his legs had decided was ideal. Apparently, it hadn't been an image that had struck him. Blake shuddered to think what would have happened to her if she had lost to LeBlanc.

Without a word to the man, Blake lifted him and slung him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She wasn't very gentle, but the man didn't make a noise. He was lighter than Blake had been expecting, which was good. They would make better time that way.

With a heavy thud, Blake dropped her passenger onto the medical table and began to walk away. There was a quiet thanks from the medic, quickly followed by another moan from the man. Blake quickly began to walk away. If she had to hear that man moan one more time, she was going to be two for two on killing obnoxious men today. Blake spotted the command tent and made her way towards it. A few of her employees gave nods of recognition, but for the most part she was able to slide into the tent unnoticed.

Not as soon as the flap of the tent had closed, a high-pitched verbal assault came her way. "What were you thinking Blake? This is a military checkpoint. In the middle of the city. Our company looks like bunch of paranoid lunatics now! We're going to have to deal with the bad press and the unhealthy relationships this'll cause not to even mention the-"

Blake slapped Weiss. A sharp smack was heard throughout the tent and it the other occupants quickly vacated. Nobody wanted to be around when those two went at it. Weiss's head snapped back to Blake.

"How dare you." Her voice was low and sharp. It reminded Blake of thin ice that was cracking under foot. "I am your boss. How dare you treat me this way. I could have you-"

Blake slapped her again, but this time on the other cheek. It would be indecent to have Weiss leaving the tent with only one red cheek after all. Besides, with two red cheeks, she could blame it on the cold autumn air.

Blake spoke, her voice and tone neutral, "If you were any sort of boss, then you would recognize that I did my job well today. I got you to safety. There was a failsafe if and when things went wrong. Now you are surrounded by personal and no one can get to you. Seems like a reasonable excuse to create a checkpoint like this if you ask me."

Weiss's eyes hardened. "Well I didn't ask you did I?" Blake recognized the tone of her voice. Weiss knew that she had been defeated, but didn't want to show weakness. It was a tone she had become very familiar with over the years at Beacon. The icy-blue eyes retreated from Blake's and looked down at the desk between them. "I have been thinking about what you said earlier today and I think that it is time that I get a secretary. Not for my benefit of course, but for yours. I can tell that you think my judgment is suffering from the workload and if it will make you happy, then I will hire one immediately."

Blake didn't show any emotion and instead crossed her arms behind her back. "I think that would be a wise course of action, especially if it will help to prevent any further fiascos like this in the future Ms. Schnee." She added the last part under her breath, but either Weiss didn't hear or chose to ignore that statement.

"Oh, and this is yours." Weiss pulled a necklace out of her pocket throwing it onto the desk. Team RWBY's pendant clattered loudly on the wood before coming to a halt. Blake looked at it, but didn't take it.

"I think you need that a bit more than I do." Blake's eyes flickered mischievously as Weiss gave her an incredulous look.

Weiss reached under the collar of her shirt and pulled up the same pendant, showing it to Blake. "Please Blake, they call me the Ice Queen. That doesn't mean I don't acknowledge bonds that are important to me." She quickly stuffed the necklace back down her collar before anyone else could see. That would be truly mortifying.

Blake grabbed her pendant off of the desk and stuffed it into one of her numerous pockets. "Anything else you will be needing today Ms. Schnee?" Her voice was laced thick with sarcasm.

"No Ms. Belladonna. You are dismissed."

Blake nodded once and turned to exit the tent. Weiss had given in to her demands. She was getting help. To herself, Blake sighed and rolled her eyes. If other people knew how much Blake did to help Weiss and keep her safe, they would be horrified. Weiss knew. Weiss knew all about it. She would just never admit it and she would most certainly never thank Blake for it.

But Blake didn't need that. Blake didn't need the appreciation. She just needed her friends to be okay. Besides, if she had wanted appreciation, she wouldn't be working for Weiss Schnee.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I know it was certainly a time investment. Let me know what you thought with a review or favorite or flame or something.