The summary says it all folks, so enjoy and happy fourth guys!

"Get her you idiots! She's got the package!" Roman screamed at his henchman as he fired his cane repeatedly at the thieving nuisance.

This was by far, the worst mission Blake has ever done in her entire freaking life.

This was the dominant thought in her mind as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop, dodging Roman's screaming projectiles Roman was firing and clutching the black bag in her arms. She could feel the bullets zip by as they failed to hit their target. She tried her absolute best to shake the criminals off of her tail, but every attempt to lose the murderous thugs was met with failure. Every time she sped into the darkness of an alley way and every time she slid into a vacant house to seek hidden refuge, the thugs were always there to cut her off, firing guns and swinging blades at her.

In her line of work, she was famously revered for her ability to disappear without the leaving the tiniest trace, but those famous talents of hers were proving to be useless in this situation. The sting of the bullet wounds in her side was a screaming reminder of this.

Desperately searching for a way to evade her pursuers, she noticed a large gap separated by two parallel roads. There was no way the thugs possessed the ability to jump that far, so if she could jump across, she could finally escape the suited men chasing her. As soon as she landed, she would find the closest and most efficient hiding spot, hide the cargo she was assigned to retrieve, and focus all of her attention to escaping.

Normally, she wouldn't take the risk of losing a package she was assigned to collect, but if this continued, Blake wouldn't even be able stay alive long enough to drop it off. She would just have to come back for it later.

"Whatever is in this package better be worth it, or the Council is going to get it." Blake angrily thought as she increased her momentum in hopes of making the jump.

Summoning every last ounce of her strength, she gritted her teeth, planted her feet on the edge of the building, and launched herself across the gap as far as she could.

Skidding to a screeching halt, Roman dug his feet into the ground before he sent himself careening off of the rooftop.

"Damn it!"Roman growled as he glared at the back of his target. The bitch still had his merchandise and was about to get away with it. There was no way he or any of his men could pursue her, for they didn't possess the unnatural athletics of a Faunus. There was only one way he could hope to retrieve his objective. He may damage the merchandise, but he would be damned before he lets a filthy animal like her do him over one.

With malice in his eyes, he raised his cane and aimed carefully at the black figure in the distance. He would only have one shot at this.

"Now!"

Satisfied with his aim, he pulled the trigger, firing a screeching red firework at the girl in the middle of her leap.

Blake could hear the obnoxiously loud projectile flying at her, but there was nothing she could do. She was completely vulnerable, for no matter how agile she was she couldn't change direction while in the air.

This was going to hurt…a lot.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" she screamed as she was engulfed by the scalding explosion and was sent flying further off course. She anticipated the pain of being shot, but she did not anticipate the edge of the roof grazing her stretched fingers as they slipped from her reach.

Screaming in horror, she flailed and spun in the air trying to grab anything that could save her from the impending collision with the ground. Unfortunately for her, there was nothing to break her fall.

Except for the dumpster that she landed on and dislocated her arm against.

As she lied face down on the dirty ground with burns littering her pale skin, she was focusing heavily on the conundrum racking her brain instead of paying attention to the agonizing pain she was in. She couldn't decide who she hated more at the moment.

The Council for sending her on this mission.

Adam for recommending her for the mission.

Or the first person who said that cats always land on their feet.

But she had no time to find out, nor did she have time to lick her aching wounds. She was pretty sure that the bastards were rushing towards her location, and if they found her in her terrible condition, she would have a lot more to worry about then a broken arm and a few burns.

Raising her head slowly, she shot her eyes in every direction in a panic, scanning for any and every potential hiding spot. Once again, her luck soured as the only hiding spot was in the dumpster that broke her fall and her arm, and even if she hid in it, she wasn't small enough to completely conceal herself.

The only way she could possibly fit in there would be to…

Oh no…

Hell to the no!

She promised herself multiple times she would never transform again. As a Faunus, it was degrading on a monumental level and she abhorred even possessing the damned ability, and not only was it humiliating on a personal level, it was also on a physical level. Despite how useful transforming was when she needed to blend in, she needed to abandon almost all of her clothes whenever she did, adding further insult to injury. (Literally in this case)

For her to even consider doing this, she would have to exhaust absolutely EVERY other option.

"I think she landed somewhere over here!" a thug shouted from the distance.

Well… crap…her options just ran out. Well, at least Yang wouldn't be around to annoy her with her constant cat puns.

Bracing her for the appalling smells her poor nose was about to be subjected to, she crawled back towards the rusty dumpster that was the nesting ground for a colony of flies.

It was official; she hated all three of them evenly right now.

Roman was not a happy man. Tonight was supposed short and sweet so that he could return to his quarters and spend the Friday night relaxing with a cigar and a drink, but of course someone from the White Fang had to complicate things for him. The woman had better hope that his shot had killed her, because if he found the contents of his package damaged, she would be begging for death after he was done with her.

"I think she landed somewhere over here!" one of his henchman shouted from ahead.

Good. If he hurried, he would be able to get back before his wine got warm.

Readying his cane to finish the thief off, he followed his henchman into the dark alley way as they marched towards their prey, but they were confused by the abnormal sight before them. Lying on the ground abandoned in the middle of the alleyway was the annoying thief's clothes, torn all over and smoking from the recent explosion. Was she really running around in the dark of night stark naked?

And was one of his henchmen seriously playing with the missing girl's panties?

Bringing his cane up to punish his underling for his utter lack of class, he smacked the back of his head, sending his hat flying off while screaming, "PUT THAT DOWN!"

"Yes sir!" he yelped in pain as he dropped Blake's unmentionables while rubbing the pulsating pain on his head.

Roman would have continued to reprimand the fool, but his concentration was torn away from him as his eyes caught sight of the garbage dumpster next the pile of clothes.

"I wonder…"

"You, search the dump." He commanded as he pointed towards the perverted henchman.

Desiring not to anger his boss any further, he moved quickly towards the garbage ready to get his hands dirty.

After two minutes of swallowing his need to hurl his dinner, he halted his efforts as he saw the "diamond in the rough".

"Sir, I found it!" he shouted excitedly as he ripped the grease stained package out, handing it towards Roman.

Backing away from his smelly peon, he said, "Good job, now stay at least ten feet away from me and carry the package."

"Sir, what about the Faunus?" another henchman said as he sheathed his combat knife.

"It doesn't matter. We have what we want, and if we just so happen to find her, we'll finish her."

Hoping to avoid any more interruptions, Roman signaled his thugs to follow him as they walked through the hallways.

If he had stayed a few more minutes, he probably would have heard the quiet, but painful, mewls coming from deep in the dumpster.

Work today was absolute hell!

Usually, the pizza place was always busy on a Friday night, but today was especially busy because of the all-you-can-eat buffet. Due to the overwhelming amount of people, Jaune and his two friends, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, were forced to work unpaid overtime by their asshole boss. It was bad enough that they had to work three more hours with no pay, but it was even worse when there were only three people to do all of the strenuous work involved.

Sometimes he wondered why he kept this job. He didn't absolutely need it, his house was paid for by his adopted mother, his adopted father was the headmaster of the college he attended so tuition was taken care of, and he could always find another job to pay for his groceries.

The only reason he didn't quit was that his two closest friends were there to make it worthwhile. Whenever he needed personal guidance from someone he could confide in without concerns for judgment, he would consult Ren, for he was perhaps the wisest seventeen-year old in Vytal. As for Nora…well…she was always good for a laugh. Sure, she was an insane menace to society, but she was always good for a laugh.

Oh well, maybe a nice shower and warm cup of tea would clear his mind. He wanted to relax before he went back to class Monday.

As he walked through the streets, brushing past many people quickly so that he could get home faster, he was interrupted by the subtle sound of whimpering coming from the ally way to his right.

Now there were many rules that one should follow if they wanted to live a healthy life in a city like Vytal, and one of the rules that was high on the list was, "Never go into a dark alley way, especially at night.", but Jaune could tell that whatever was whimpering was in pain, and that alone was reason enough to convince him to temporarily abandon the golden rule.

Steeling himself and shivering in fright, Jaune cautiously tiptoed into the intimidating darkness of the alley.

"Oh man, this is a huge mistake! I'm gonna get mugged and die! My parents are going to be devastated when they find out that I died for being stupid. They won't be surprised, but they'll be devastated!"

As Jaune progressed further into the death trap, he slowly began to pinpoint where the source of the small whimpers. To his surprise, the sounds were coming from a garbage dump.

"Ok…here it goes." He thought as he slowly looked over the side of the dumpster, ready to retreat if anything jumped out to attack him.

But as soon as he saw what was in pain, he abandoned any thoughts of running.

"Oh no…"

Curled up in a shivering bundle, coated in dried blood that was leaking from its rib, was an injured and moaning black cat. It was breathing heavily with raspy breaths and favoring its right side, which indicated that its left arm was broken, and he could tell from the singed fur on its spine that it had been burnt recently. But what disturbed Jaune the most was the fact that the blood leaving its body was due to bullet wounds in its left rib, and this disgusted him deeply that someone would shoot a defenseless animal like this.

Feeling immense pity for the poor animal, he racked his brain for any solutions. The feline was in dire need of medical attention, but the vetenarian's office was closed for repairs. He would tend to the animal himself, but he wasn't sure if it would allow him to carry it to safety in its injured state. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he needed to figure it out fast before the animal caught an infection.

"Uuumm…hello?" Jaune greeted questioningly, testing whether or not the poor creature was even conscious.

He received no response. The cat just continued to pant and wheeze.

"Well, I guess as long as its asleep it won't mind."

He didn't care that it smelled like week old cabbage, and he didn't care that he was likely to be clawed and scratched to hell and back. His kind nature simply wouldn't allow him to abandon the poor thing.

"I guess that shower's going to have to wait."

Blake was by no means a morning person.

Whenever her sleep was disturbed and she was forcibly ripped from her pleasant dreams of a better time, she would wake up ready to destroy the one responsible. But as she sluggishly woke up, her mind slowly began to register the aching pain radiating from her injuries from last night. So Blake was woke up against her will and she was in pain; a dangerous combination.

"Ooooowwwww…I haven't felt this crappy since the morning after Yang's last birthday party."

As her eyes slowly fluttered open from the morning sun's rays peaking through the windows, she noticed the clean and inviting bedroom she was in. It was filled with possessions that would typically, belong to a teenager, which included a few video game systems, a T.V, a computer, posters of famous animes, and to Blake's great delight, a large rack of books. She also noticed the large and soft, king-sized bed she was comfortably lying against. The sheets were recently cleaned, as if to intentionally add to Blake's comfort.

"What happened last night? What am I doing here? I remember getting shot…and then the garbage dump…and then…"

Recalling her last memory before the pains of her injuries sent her into unconsciousness, she slowly brought her "hands" to her face, only to be met with the sight of furry black cat paws.

"Oh yeah, this." Blake thought disdainfully.

As she inspected the results the transformation had on her body, she was more interested in the evidence of someone's great care for her condition. Bandages were firmly, but gently, wrapped around her ribs where she was shot. Her injuries and burns were cleaned, her fur was shiny and lustrous from a fairly recent bath, and she tasted the familiar after-taste of pain killers. She was also interested in the fact that her left arm was no longer dislocated. It was safe to assume that whoever gave her all of this generous medical attention was also the owner of this clean and homey room, for it smelled identical to the subtle scent of a human left on her bandages.

As Blake observed her surroundings, her attention was diverted to the sound of the door opening. A blond boy who appeared to be around her age walked through the door carrying two bowls in one arm. To Blake's great amusement, the boy was wearing a blue onesy as pajamas, leading Blake to infer that it was morning.

Noticing the tiny black creature observe his every move with her large and hypnotizing gold eyes, Jaune slowed his movements down, as not to alarm her, and spoke to Blake in a gentle and collected voice.

"Hey there . Are you feewing better this morning?" He cooed at her in a voice usually reserved for babies.

"If you keep speaking to me like I'm a child, I will bitch-slap you with my claws." She growled in reply, but due to her feline form, the only sounds that escaped her fuzzy lips were angry "meows" and hisses.

The nerve of this boy! Talking to her like she's his house cat! Although she was grateful for the care she received from him, she refused to be treated like a pet!

Flinching from the menacing growls from the cat, he quickly replied while placing the bowls on the bed next to her, "Okay, if you don't like the voice I'll stop. Are you hungry?"

Suddenly out of nowhere, Blake zipped off her spot and pounced the bowl on her right.

"You got me tuna! I LOVE YOU!" she uncharacteristically squealed in delight. If he gave her tuna for breakfast every morning, he could talk to her anyway he wanted!

"I'll take that as a "yes"." Jaune chuckled as he collected clothes from his dresser. "Oh yeah, I think this belongs to you."

Instantly seizing Blake's attention, Jaune pulled a tiny black strip of clothe out of his dresser. It was the only article of clothing that managed to stay attached to her when she transformed.

"My bow?" she meowed as she felt her neck for it, only for her paws to feel bare fur.

Hearing the high pitched meowing from the cat; he could tell that she recognized the soft strip in his hands. After putting his cloths aside on the bed, he pulled on the bow to read the tiny golden writing neatly sewn into it.

"Blake; that's a nice name." he said as he slowly approached the cat and started to gently tie the bow around her neck, making sure that it didn't inhibit her ability to breathe. After he finished his delicate work, he raised his right hand and gently stroked her left ear, eliciting soft purrs from her in the process.

"Woooooooowwwww, you have magic hands my friend!" she purred lovingly, greatly enjoying what Jaune was doing to her. Usually she wouldn't let anyone touch her precious appendages, but she just couldn't resist the soothing and relaxing sensation of Jaune's fingers dancing across the back of her ears.

"Well, if you're wearing a bow with your name on it, then you obviously belong to someone. We'll find your owner soon, so don't worry." Jaune smiled as he retracted his hand. After collecting his clothes from the bed, he left his room for a relaxing morning shower.

"l'll be right back, so you just rest for now." He said as he closed the door behind him.

After Jaune left and she washed down her tuna with the water in the other bowl, Blake slowly limped back to her spot on the fluffy pillows.

As she snuggled back into the warmth the pillow collected from her body, she began to consider her next move. The Council would want to know that she had failed her mission, news that Blake was not looking forward to delivering, but in her current condition she wouldn't be able to make it out of the window without collapsing. Her scroll no doubt was destroyed by the explosion that scorched her last night, so there was no way to contact them, or any of her friends, from a distance. With no other choice, Blake simply resigned to the fact that she was going to be staying with the weird, but pleasantly hospitable, boy for a while, at least until her injuries heal and she's fully mobile again. However, she would have to make absolutely sure that he continued to think that she was just some lost cat he rescued, for she didn't want him involved in the dangers of her daily life.

"Oh well, at least the boy will keep me entertained during my stay." Blake thought as she resumed her refreshing slumber.

But what neither Blake nor Jaune knew at the time was from that moment on; both of their lives were to become much more entertaining, and much more chaotic.

Any questions, comments, or concerns? You know what to do! :-)