Kyousuke squinted slightly as his eyes tried to adjust to the change in lighting. As it turned out, the campus was much larger than any of them had been anticipating. After nearly ten minutes of attempting to navigate through the school grounds (and receiving some unhelpful directions from a couple of upperclassmen) their group finally found their destination near the heart of the campus.

"There's… a lot more people here than I was expecting," Jaune noted; a look of surprise on his face. "The way Goodwitch was talking, I was expecting there to be less than a hundred."

Indeed, there was well over that amount students gathered in the amphitheater. Unbeknownst to his companions, he let out a tiny sigh of relief. With so many other students, there was a far lesser chance of him getting singled out and exposed for what he really is...

"A lot of them are probably going to get weeded out," Yang said offhandedly.

"S-Seriously?" Jaune asked; his face going pale.

"It's a school for training Hunters." Kuroneko sniffed. "The best school for training Hunters. People who can't handle it either fail, drop out…"

"Or die." Kirino said bluntly.

Kyousuke glanced at the blond boy in concern after hearing him make a distressed whining noise. "You okay?"

"Yeah..." Jaune half chuckled, half choked. "Just peachy."

"...If you're sure." The black-haired teen sighed; shaking his head and turning his attention to the empty stage before them. "Didn't they tell us to— ACK!"

Whatever he'd been about to say was immediately cut off as something massive and furry collided into him; sending the boy tumbling to the ground in a mass of flailing limbs.

"The hell is that...?!" Yang asked as the group stared at the creature incredulously. Beside her, Blake and Kuroneko both stiffened at the sight of the beast.

"It's a dog!" The younger of the two hissed; stepping behind her sister; who herself took a step behind Yang and Weiss. "Filthy cretin…!"

"Never mind that!" Kyousuke grunted as the dog assaulted his face with its tongue. "Where did it come from?"

"Wait a second…" Kirino's eyes widened. "I recognize that dog…! It's—"

"Oh, no!" a voice cried out. "Angela, stop that! Bad dog!"

As one, the rest of their entourage turned as someone broke away from the crowd of students and jogged towards them. Kyousuke himself could only stare in mild shock; even as the dog continued to slather his face in saliva.

While all of his female friends were certainly very attractive in their own right, the girl that was approaching them could only be described as drop dead gorgeous. Angelic, even. Long, ebony locks framing a heart-shaped face and violet eyes; unblemished, alabaster skin and a pure, innocent smile. Truly, her beauty was in a class of its own!

Beside him, Jaune was similarly mesmerized by the girl's beauty; his earlier grief completely forgotten in the wake of this angelic creature gracing them with its presence. No words escaped either of them. Instead they simply stood there, utterly slack-jawed like a couple of village idiots.

On the other hand, the girls not named "Kirino" seemed to be completely indifferent to this image of beauty descending upon them or even hostile in Yang's case. The blonde in question had alarm bells ringing in her head as the shorter girl approached them. She had quickly zeroed in on her childhood friend's reaction and was not pleased. Likewise, Weiss also noticed his reaction and filed it away for later analysis.

Threat has been detected.

"Ayase!" Kirino exclaimed happily as the other girl finally came within speaking distance.

"Kirino?" The black-haired girl blinked at her in surprise before her face blossomed into a smile of her own. "Kirino! You're really here!"

"I am," Kirino laughed; sharing a hug with her longtime friend. "It's good to see you, Ayase."

"I hate to interrupt," Kyousuke grunted as the dog continued its incessant licking. "But would you mind…?"

"Oh!" The newly identified Ayase squeaked; an embarrassed look crossing her face. She quickly grabbed her dog by the collar and dragged it off of him. "I'm sorry about that. She just really loves meeting new people. My name is Ayase, by the way."

"It's fine," he said with a small sigh; wiping the saliva from his face. "The name's Kyousuke."

"Oh!" the black-haired girl exclaimed; her eyes widening. "I thought you looked familiar! You're Kirino's brother! She wouldn't stop talking about you after the incident a week ago!"

"Ayase!" Kirino squeaked; her face turning red.

"A-Ah," Ayase started slightly and gave her a sheepish smile. Apparently that was supposed to stay a secret. "S-So… Kirino, who are your friends?"

"I wouldn't exactly call them friends." The other girl huffed; quickly regaining her composure. "More like my brother and his bimbo girlfriends."

This elicited an immediate response as several parties all began to shout at once..

"Excuse me?!" Weiss snapped indignantly.

"I prefer the term battle harem," Yang corrected with a sly grin.

"A-A harem?" Ayase squeaked.

"You have a harem?!" Jaune cried out; turning to stare at his newest friend incredulously.

"God DAMMIT, Yang!" Kyousuke growled; furiously massaging his temples as a headache began to creep into his skull.

"Well, you guys sure are being noisy." Another voice spoke up from behind him. One that Kyousuke hadn't heard in years. "Looks like things haven't changed a bit; have they, taicho?"

'That's not possible…!' The black-haired teen thought incredulously as he spun around to face the speaker. 'They moved to Vacuo three years ago!'

But it was. A familiar face he hadn't seen in years; with the same short brown hair and silver eyes. He still dressed like a punk; with a black leather vest thrown over a white tank top; ridiculous purple jeans with a red belt and black combat boots.

And if that wasn't enough, the distinctive lion tattooed on his right shoulder was a dead giveaway. It was…

"Arghaogfosdaa!" The brown-haired teen cried out something unintelligible as Ayase suddenly spun around and thrust a taser she drew out of nowhere into his chest. The group of teenagers could only watch in horrified fascination as he lit up like a Christmas tree and collapsed onto the ground.

"Oh!" Ayase finally realized what she had done and leapt back. "I-I'm sorry! You startled me!"

"Ugh... And your first reaction is to taser me?!" The boy groaned as he slowly pick himself up. "You remind me of— ARRRGHHH!" Yang suddenly punched him in the jaw; causing him to crash into a nearby wall and leaving a sizeable indent in the once-pristine marble. "Ungh…What the hell was that for?!"

"Sorry," Yang said bluntly; though her face remained completely unapologetic. "I saw your ugly face and had the inexplicable urge to punch it."

"H-His skin...!" Jaune whispered frantically; staring at the black, exoskeleton-like material that had appeared the moment Yang struck the brown-haired teen.

"Feh!" The brunet spat on the ground; rubbing his jaw. The black material was just now beginning to fade away. "I guess some things really do never change, huh? Little Dragon?"

"Don't call me Dragon!" the blonde snapped irritably. "The entire damn school started calling me that thanks to you."

Kyousuke just sighed; still staring at the boy incredulously. "What are you doing here, Akagi?"

"Is it really any surprise we would end up here?" Yet another voice questioned and the black-haired teen could only rub the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Of course she would be here. Where one Akagi sibling went, the other was surely nearby.

"Sena!" Yang exclaimed; her greeting noticeably warmer than her reaction to the older Akagi.

"Sena," Kyousuke greeted with a half smile. "When'd you start wearing glasses?"

"It's been a long time, Captain." The brown-haired girl nodded in return; glancing at her charred and bruised sibling. "Yang." Unlike her hoodlum-like brother, Sena was dressed prim and proper in a pair of form fitting jeans, a white dress shirt, red necktie and beige cardigan.

"As for my glasses, well…" She trailed off, but they understood exactly what she was getting at. The younger of the Akagi siblings had worn contacts in her youth, but ever since Manami's passing, she'd chosen to start wearing glasses as tribute of sorts.

"They look good on you." Kyousuke offered and immediately, the look on Sena's face turned sly.

"Oh, you like them, Captain?" She practically purred. "Glasses always were your thing..."

"Times have changed, Sena," Yang said; patting her on the shoulder and shaking her head pityingly. "You have a lot of catching up to do."

"Really? Darn."

Kyousuke frowned and opened his mouth to issue a retort when a cough drew their attention. He turned to see the rest of their group staring at them. "Are you going to introduce us?" Weiss asked; an irritated look on her face.

"Ah, right," the black-haired teen said; smiling sheepishly. He gestured towards the siblings in order of their appearance. "This is Kouhei and Sena. Yang and I used to hang out with them."

"The siblings that moved to Vacuo?" Ruby asked. The siblings in question turned to her in surprise.

"Yeah." Akagi nodded. "We moved a few months after the... incident."

"I suppose that would explain why Kyousuke was so surprised to see you." Weiss noted. "Why wouldn't you attend the Hunter's Institution of Vacuo?"

"Forgive me for not wanting to spend the next four years at HIV." He said dryly; only to hold his hands up in surrender as she glared at him. "Okay, seriously, though. It's for the same reason a corporate heiress from Atlas would come to study in Vale. It's the best Hunter's school in all of Remnant, after all." The brown-haired teen turned to smirk at Kyousuke. "Well, that and to reunite with our knight in shining armor here!"

Kyousuke sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You know about that?"

"Are you kidding?" Sena asked; raising an eyebrow at him. "Half of Remnant knows about it. Only a backwater idiot wouldn't have heard about it by now."

"Heard about what?" Jaune asked innocently; only to flinch when everyone turned to stare at him. "Er, I mean— Uh…"

"You seriously haven't heard?" Kirino asked incredulously. "What rock have you been living under?"

"It's fine, Jaune," Kyousuke said hastily, but was met by a glare from Weiss.

"It's unbecoming for a prospective Huntsman to be ignorant of international news." The heiress huffed. "Don't encourage such unsightly behaviors."

"Have you heard about the recent White Fang attack on the Plaza Hotel?" Kuroneko asked in a bored tone.

"I heard… something like that." Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Apparently they tried to kidnap the heiress of the Schnee Company or something?"

"They didn't try," Weiss said; crossing her arms. "They succeeded. And they likely would have killed me, too if Kyousuke hadn't thwarted their plans."

"Wait…" Jaune furrowed his brow. "You were kidnapped? But that makes you the heiress of the Schnee Company… And that means Kyousuke is…" Slowly, his eyes widened and he turned to his newest friend in shock. "That was you!? Dude, my sisters won't shut up about you! You're like a knight straight out of a fairy tale to them!"

"It's really not that big a deal," Kyousuke said awkwardly.

"If you say so." The blond shook his head. "But, dude. This'll sound weird, but can I get an autograph? My little sister seriously loves you and she'd kill me if I didn't."

"I don't think—"

"Oh, come on, Kyo!" Yang said with a grin. "You'd be fulfilling a little girl's dream. You just have to write your name."

Kyousuke was about to retort when a sharp screeching sound reverberated throughout the amphitheater. Glancing up at the stage, he saw Professor Goodwitch adjusting a microphone stand. Off to the side, he could see Ozpin slowly making his way onto the stage.

The black-haired teen sighed. "What's her name?" he asked quietly. "I'll get it to you later."

"Bridget," Jaune whispered with a grin. "Thanks."

"Sure..." Kyousuke simply let out another sigh as Ozpin finally made it to the microphone.

"I'll… keep this brief." The grey-haired man said this with a weary look on his face as he adjusted his glasses. "You have traveled here in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

The Headmaster paused and gave the crowd of prospective Hunters an impassive look. "But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose; direction." He continued bluntly. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Ozpin shook his head slightly and made his way off the stage without another word; pausing only to glance at something in the stands behind them. Kyousuke attempted to follow his gaze, but whatever the Headmaster had been looking at had already disappeared. All around him, the teen could hear the murmurings of his fellow students. It appears that the Headmaster's strange behavior had not gone unnoticed by those in attendance.

Even Professor Goodwitch seemed surprised by the grey-haired man's rather curt dismissal as she hurriedly moved to take over. "You will have the rest of the day to yourselves," the blonde woman said primly. "I suggest taking the time to familiarize yourselves with the campus."

Behind her, a large LCD screen came to life; displaying a map of the school grounds with several key points clearly labeled. "Dinner will be held in the dining hall between 1800 and 2100 hours," Glynda explained; gesturing towards the aforementioned building. "You will be housed in the ballroom for tonight and you are to be there no later than 2200 hours. Your belongings are to be stored in the locker room adjacent to the ballroom. The number and combination of your assigned locker has already been sent to you via your scrolls and you may download a map of the school from our wireless network. The password is 'b3acon#'."

The LCD screen shifted to display the proper syntax of the password. "Possession of a scroll is mandatory for all students." The blonde-haired teacher continued. "If you do not own a scroll, visit the Cross Continental Transmit Tower and one will be assigned to you. Initiation begins tomorrow at 0800 hours on the dot. Be ready; tardiness will be met with harsh discipline. If you have any further questions or concerns; you may ask me now. Otherwise, you are dismissed."

"Hey," Yang spoke up with a small frown on her face as their fellow students began to disperse. "Is it just me or did Ozpin seem kind of… off during his speech?"

"He did seem to be rather distracted," Ayase admitted. Ruby nodded her agreement.

"It was almost like he wasn't even there."

"I'm sure he's just busy with running the academy," Sena said as her scroll finished connecting with the school's wifi network. "We have approximately an hour and a half before dinner. What's the plan till then?"

"Apparently Beacon's library and bookstore are the biggest in all of Vale," Blake offered.

"I heard some upperclassmen talking about a rockin' coffee joint on campus," Yang said with a grin.

"We should probably drop our stuff off at the locker room before we do anything else," Kyousuke said before glancing at their blond companion. "Jaune. You're fidgeting over there. Problem?"

"Actually, I should probably head over to the CTT," the other boy said sheepishly. "I kinda… don't have a scroll."

"Really?" The black-haired teen raised an eyebrow at him. Who didn't have a scroll in this day and age? He'd thought Goodwitch just said that as a formality. "Well, I can go with you while the others check out the library."

"Ooh! Me, too!" Ruby said enthusiastically. "I've always wanted to see the tower up-close!"

"It's nothing special." Weiss sniffed. "The one in Atlas is much grander than this plain old thing."

"Either way," Kyousuke continued. "We'll all meet up at the coffee place Yang mentioned in an hour."

The group made general murmurs of agreement and, with their numbers splitting in half, they went their separate ways — completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching them.

From her spot in the nosebleed section of the amphitheater seats, Lightning watched impassively as her apprentice and his companions made their way outside.

"I'm surprised to see you here so soon," a voice said from behind her. "I half expected you to still be searching for clues to Anri's whereabouts."

The Huntress gave no outward reaction as Ozpin stepped beside her; gazing down at the group of teenagers. "You forget that I'm a professional," she replied coolly. "I'm not so undisciplined as to skip over my duties." She turned to him with a single eyebrow raised. "Unlike a certain someone. What the hell was that down there?"

"You saw that, eh?" The Headmaster let out a sigh as his face fell into a weary expression. "I spoke to James before the ceremony."

"Ironwood?" she questioned; raising an eyebrow. "What? He worried about his kid?"

"His child?" Ozpin repeated enigmatically. "I have no idea what you mean. I do not believe Penny Ironwood is enrolled at this academy."

"Cut the crap, Ozpin." Lightning grunted. "I'm not talking about that metal doll he's parading as his daughter. We both know what I mean."

The gray-haired man simply let out another sigh. Neither of them spoke for several moments but when he did finally speak up, it was with a tired frown. "...You know I never approved of him giving her up."

"He did it to protect her," the Huntress said evenly. "She's safer here — ignorant and under your protection — than anywhere else."

"That doesn't change my opinion on the matter," Ozpin retorted. Lightning's eyes narrowed.

"...For everyone's sake, I hope you don't plan on telling her," she said lowly. "The power she holds… What she's capable of doing… It's not something to be taken lightly. That girl has the potential to change the world."

"I'm well aware of that, Claire," the Headmaster said with a small sigh. "This is something that must be settled by James and his daughter."

"Then we'd better hope that she takes it well," Lightning replied; shaking her head. "And that she doesn't fall to the wrong side. The last thing we need is another Anri."

"Oh, I'm feeling quite optimistic about that," Ozpin said; once again turning his gaze down towards the students below. His eyes fell to a certain gunblade-wielding teenager and the man smiled slightly as he saw him speaking to the girl in question. "After all, it is often the friends we choose that show who we really are."

Lightning followed his gaze and frowned slightly. "...Kyousuke?" she asked lowly. "Did you not listen to anything I just said? What her semblance has the potential to do? And you want to put her with him of all people?"

"Oh? Do you not have faith in your protégé?"

"You know what I mean!" She growled; her patience with him running thin. "You know what he just went through. He's been through enough as it is."

"Well now..." The corner of Ozpin's mouth twitched ever-so-slightly. "Aren't we protective..."

"Don't make me hurt you," the pink-haired Huntress snapped. "The White Fang is watching him, Ozpin. Hell, the whole damn world is watching him. And you want to stick him with her? You're just asking for trouble at this point."

"Agreed," the Headmaster admitted. "But you'll find that fate has an interesting way of going about things."

"Fate is something we carve out for ourselves." Lightning retorted. "Our destiny is for us to decide. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"As do I, Claire." Ozpin sighed; shaking his head. "As do I."

"Excuse me…" a quiet voice spoke up from beside him as the group split up outside the amphitheater. Kyousuke glanced at the girl in surprise. The angel was speaking to him!

"Er, yes?" he asked with an awkward cough.

"I just wanted to apologize again," Ayase said; gently patting her dog on the head. "Angela is usually so well-behaved. I've never seen her react to someone so enthusiastically before."

"Eh..." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Maybe she just mixed up my scent with Kirino's?"

The girl shook her head. "Not even Kirino has elicited such a reaction from my Angela," she explained before throwing him a small smile. "But I've always considered her a good judge of character. You must be a very good person."

"I wouldn't say that per say," Kyousuke swiftly veered away from her compliments. "I'd say I'm pretty normal."

"Modest, too?" Ayase giggled. "Even after everything you've done?"

"Actually, I—"

"I can see why Kirino looks up to you so much," she said; causing any rebuttal to fall flat on its face as Kyousuke gaped at her.

"...Are we thinking of the same Kirino?" he asked bluntly; prompting her to resume her giggling.

"Haha! From that reaction, I think we are," Ayase said; covering a wide smile with her hand. "I know Kirino can be a little rough around the edges, but I can tell from the way she talks about you that she really looks up to you. She's just too embarrassed to openly admit it."

Kyousuke could only stare at her in open shock. In other words…

"...she's a tsundere…?" he whispered; realization dawning on him.

"A tsun… what?" Ayase asked; her brow furrowing in confusion.

"O-Oh, nothing!" Kyousuke squeaked. "Just talking to myself… haha…"

The black-haired girl looked ready to inquire further when another voice suddenly broke into the conversation. "Big Bro!" Ruby cried out impatiently. "You're walking too slow! Hurry up!"

The teen didn't even have a chance to respond before the redhead grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him towards the CCT less than a hundred yards away. Ayase could only blink in surprise as he was dragged off towards where the rest of the group was waiting and hurriedly jogged to catch up.

As she fell into step beside Kirino, her best friend turned to question her. "What were you talking about?" Kirino inquired. "He wasn't being a pervert, was he?"

Ayase just smiled and shook her head.

"Ruby, the tower isn't going anywhere," Kyousuke grunted.

"That's still no reason to be walking like a turtle!" she countered with an impatient pout as she dragged him through the automatic doors.

"Hello," a woman sitting at the front desk said; glancing up from her work with a smile. "Welcome to the Cross Continental Transmit Tower. How may I help you?"

"Uh, hi," Jaune coughed. "Professor Goodwitch said to come here to be assigned a scroll…?"

"Of course," the woman nodded. "Would that be all of you or just one?"

"Just one," he replied sheepishly.

"Very well," the woman nodded at one of her coworkers sitting nearby who promptly stood. "If you would please follow Raine, she can help you out."

The other woman smiled. "This way please, Mr…"

"Jaune Arc."

"Mister Arc," she nodded before turning to the group as a whole. "This shouldn't take long. Please feel free to explore the tower. You can use your scrolls to operate the elevator and there is a directory just beside it."

"I'll catch up later," Jaune assured them before following the woman into an adjacent room.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Ruby exclaimed. "Let's go to the communications room! Or how about the the memorial hall? Ooh! Let's go to the gift shop!"

"There's a gift shop?" Kirino asked incredulously.

"Well… maybe…?" the redhead said sheepishly.

"Why don't we go take a look at the directory she was telling us about," Ayase suggested. Kyousuke watched the three of them make their way towards the elevator on the other end of the room.

"Those are some.. interesting friends you've made, taicho," Akagi said, capturing him in a headlock. "That girl apologizes to you but not me? She tasered me! I guess you always were a ladies man..."

"Can it, Bakagi," Kyousuke grunted.

"Haha! It's been a while since I heard that." The brunet chuckled before releasing him.

"And what about you?" the black-haired teen asked as he rubbed his neck. "Your family and friends in Vacuo must've been surprised to find out you came all the way back to Vale."

"Hey, when we heard you were back in action, how could we stay away?" Akagi asked with a wide grin on his face.

"Akagi…"

"Seriously, though..." The other teen's face grew solemn. "After what happened to Tamura, you completely changed, taicho. We were worried. Everyone was. Sena and I even got into a huge fight with our parents when they told us we were moving."

Kyousuke's face softened slightly. "...How was she?"

"Like I said," Akagi sighed. "We were worried. Losing Tamura hurt us all, but I think you took it the hardest. Well, besides Mercury maybe..."

"Have you heard from either of them?"

"Not a peep." The brunet sighed. "And not for lack of trying. You know how Sena has her… connections. But not even she could find a trace of them."

"Emerald always was the slipperiest of us all." Kyousuke shook his head bemusedly before throwing him a half smile. "It's good to have you back, Akagi."

"It's good to be back, taicho," the other boy said with a grin. "We'd better go catch the others. Those girls of yours are looking mighty impatient over there."

Glancing over at where Ruby, Kirino and Ayase were staring at them, Kyousuke had to agree. "Right." He chuckled.

On the other side of campus, Blake looked around in fascination. "This place is even bigger than I thought it would be."

"The result of centuries of scholars gathering their works here," Kuroneko said; likewise gazing at the rows upon rows of books surrounding them. "In a way, it makes one realize how small they are in the grand scheme of things. One could spend a lifetime studying in this library and still not fully understand the knowledge and wisdom accumulated within these musty pages."

"That was deep, Ruri," the elder sister said, glancing at her with a small smile.

"But of course. I—"

"You heard it in an anime, didn't you?"

"...No." She refused to meet her gaze.

"You can't prove that, kupo!" Mog said indignantly from his spot in her arms.

"Really? Well then, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I googled it then…" Blake slowly pulled out her scroll.

"Wait! I, er—" Thankfully, she was saved from having to answer by the timely interruption of Yang and Weiss.

"Emergency meeting," Yang said; grabbing a protesting Blake by the shoulder.

"Sorry to interrupt." Weiss agreed; nodding at her politely.

"Yang, Weiss, what are you—" was all Kuroneko was able to hear before they disappeared behind a bookshelf.

"What was that all about?" a voice asked from behind her. Turning, she saw the younger of the Akagi siblings watching the exchange curiously

"...Akagi-san, correct?" the black-haired girl asked.

"That's me," the bespectacled girl shrugged with a half-smile on her face. "Just call me Sena. There are two Akagis on campus, after all."

"Very well… Sena," Kuroneko said before raising an eyebrow at her. "I'm curious as to why you decided to come with us to the library. I was under the impression you'd been missing the wench's brother for quite some time…"

"Wench's brother…?" Sena repeated; her brow furrowed in confusion "You mean… the captain?"

"Yes. Kyousuke, I believe his name was."

"Well yeah," the brown-haired girl admitted. "But I think my brother wanted to talk to him first. There'll be plenty of time to catch up later." Her eyes turned towards Kuroneko's dress. "In the meantime, I couldn't help but notice your cosplay. The Queen of Nightmares, right?"

"You watch Maschera?" Kuroneko asked in surprise.

"Do I ever!" Sena grinned; her glasses gleaming in the ambient light. "Did you see the latest OVA where…"

Meanwhile, several aisles down Blake found herself being unceremoniously ushered into a small nook between two bookshelves.

"Alright, what gives?" The Faunus asked irritably; crossing her arms with an unamused frown.

"Like I said," Yang retorted. "Emergency meeting."

"It's about that Aragaki girl," Weiss said with a small scowl.

Blake blinked in surprise. "Ayase?"

"Yes," Yang grunted. "Did you see the way Kyo reacted when he saw her?"

She hadn't, to be honest. Her attention had been a little more preoccupied with the... the… creature that had been accompanying her. Blake inwardly shuddered. "N-No…?"

"He was practically swooning!" Weiss snapped. "Swooning! Over her?!"

"...And what does this have to do with me?" the black-haired girl asked; raising an eyebrow at them.

"You're our accomplice," Yang said this as though it were a well-known fact.

"What? Since when?!"

"That girl is dangerous!" Weiss said vehemently. "You saw how he reacted."

Blake let out a sigh; massaging her temples furiously. "...Alright. Say I believe you. What makes this girl such a big threat?"

"Besides the way he reacted?" Yang asked. "She fulfills his biggest fetish!"

"...Excuse me?" Blake asked in a deadpan voice. Likewise, Weiss turned to her with a single eyebrow raised.

"Ah, that's right," the blonde said smugly. "You wouldn't know this, considering that I'm his childhood friend, but—"

"Just get on with it!" The heiress snapped.

"Kyo has a thing for pale skin and black hair."

"Really?" Blake asked; only to flinch as they both turned to glare at her. "I-I just think that's interesting; that's all!"

"Right..." Weiss scowled at her disbelievingly. "...But this makes her an even bigger threat than I originally thought…"

"If she's such a big threat, why did you leave him alone with her?" the Faunus asked curiously.

"We asked Ruby to run interference," Yang said offhandedly.

"You what?!"

"You didn't think we'd come here without a plan, did you?" Weiss asked haughtily. "That's why we came to you. We need your assistance."

"I really don't feel comfortable with…" She trailed off as Yang reached into her bag and pulled out a small black book that read:

Ninjas of Love.

"W-WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!" Blake's voice hitched she cried out. She desperately swiped at it, but Yang quickly replaced it inside her bag with a wide, devilish grin on her face. "Yang!"

"So, do we have a deal?" the buxom blonde asked with a coy smile on her face. Blake could only groan as she buried her rapidly reddening face in her hands but nodded regardless.

"Fine." She said with a deep sigh. "What exactly do you need me to do?"

"Well, you see…"

Time: 2130 hours

"This is the worst plan ever." Blake hissed as she tried desperately to get her blush under control. "Of all time…!"

"Oh, give it a rest already," Yang's voice said through an earpiece. "Just enjoy the show. Your part will come soon."

The "show" that the blonde spoke of happened to be Kyousuke himself. Stripping. As in; without clothes. Blake was currently hiding within the ventilation shaft in the boys' section of the locker room; waiting for the teen to step into the shower as he prepared to turn in for the night.

"Not soon enough!" The Faunus whispered furiously; her face tomato red.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The blonde grunted on the other end. "Just make sure to grab the stuff. All of it."

"And take lots of pictures." Weiss' voice suddenly broke in. "Er... for science!"

"Yeah, right…" Blake muttered before quietly clearing her throat. "Target has entered the showers. I'm in position at the infiltration point."

"Kept us waiting, didn't ya? Commence: Operation Voyeurism." Blake's eye twitched but she took a deep breath and steeled herself. Kyousuke was behind the shower curtains. The steam would cover her entrance. It was now or never. Wasting no time, she leapt from her spot in the vents...

Only to promptly slip on a bar of soap upon landing. "ARGH!" She grunted before she could stop herself and quickly threw a hand over her mouth.

"Jaune? Akagi? Is that you?" Kyousuke's voice drifted over the sound of running water. "I think I left the soap outside there. Could you hand it to me?"

Blake winced and stared down at said soap with wide eyes.

"Hello?"

When Blake reflected on this moment later, she wasn't entirely certain why she had complied with the request. Swallowing, Blake reached down and gingerly picked up the bar. Her heart pounding in her chest, she held it out at arm's length.

Without warning, however, the boy peaked out from the curtains (thankfully, with his eyes closed from the suds in his hair) and smiled. "Thanks," he said; taking the proffered soap bar. But Blake wasn't focusing on his face anymore. Far from it. Rather, her eyes were fixated on the water glistening on his skin; trailing down his hardened stomach toward his…

"Oh…" she whispered.

"Blake?" Yang's voice through the earpiece was the last thing she remembered before everything became a jumbled mess. "Blake, respond! Blake?! BLAAAAAAAAAAKE!"

"So, what happened in there?" Ruby asked her some time later. She waved her hand in front of the black-haired girl's face. "Blake?"

"Hnrgh…" Was all she managed; her eyes glazed over slightly.

"Well, regardless," Weiss spoke up; rummaging through a suitcase containing Kyousuke's belongings. "You completed the mission."

"Good job, Blake," Yang said with a grin.

"Hnrgh…" Blake nodded absentmindedly and the other three could only stare at her strangely.

What had happened in there?

"...I feel like we just made our situation worse." Weiss said.

"Maybe." Yang could only nod sheepishly. "But now the plan can progress!"

"What exactly is your plan?" Ruby asked curiously. "What are you going to do with Kyousuke's stuff?"

"It's not what we're going to do, but what Kyo can't do!" The buxom blonde explained triumphantly. "With his stuff gone, he'll have no choice but to—"

"YANG!"

"Uh oh," she muttered. "That was faster than I was anticipating. Quick! Hide the goods!" Tossing the suitcase towards a panicking Ruby, who quickly shoved it underneath her pillows, Yang turned towards the source of the angry shout. "Hey, there Kyo! What are yooooooouuuuuuuuu— W-What are you...?!"

"What are you wearing?!" Weiss shrieked; her face glowing scarlet.

"Meep!" Ruby squeaked; her own face turning redder than her cloak.

It wasn't exactly a question of what Kyousuke was wearing. Rather, it was what he wasn't wearing that was the issue. Almost entirely exposed, the only thing conserving his modesty was a small white towel hanging at his waist. His hair tousled and his body glistening from his recent shower; their eyes were forcibly drawn to a particular droplet slowly making its way down his chest.

"Where are they, Yang?" Kyousuke snapped.

"H-Huh?" The blonde was snapped from her reverie; absentmindedly wiping the blood trickling from her nose.

"My clothes!" He growled irritably. "I know it was you who took them."

"I-I understand you're upset," Weiss coughed; her face still rosy. "But couldn't you have worn the clothes you were wearing earlier before coming to confront her?"

"I can't!" He grumbled. "She took those too!"

"What?" Yang muttered; a surprised expression taking shape on her face. "But that wasn't part of the plan..."

"I knew it was you!"

Meanwhile, Weiss turned to the Faunus sitting in the corner. "Blake!" she hissed. "What were you thinking?!"

"Hnrgh..." The black-haired girl grunted; her eyes still glazed over.

A/N: Some fanservice for our female readers, if they exist =3

Yes, I've been playing MGS5 and yes, I've been dying a lot. My latest death was me trying to kill Pequod with a grenade launcher, only to have him crash land on my face xD.

Anyway, sorry for the delay. If you've seen the story summary, you'd know that I've been unwell for quite some time now. But thankfully, I'm starting to recover so I'll hopefully be able to resume writing.

Not much happened in this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. Kouhei and Sena have been added under Unassigned Characters.

On a completely unrelated note. Do any of you play Chain Chronicle on iOS or Android? It's an interesting little tower defense/RPG/TCG I've gotten into recently. If you play or are interested in trying it out, my friend ID is 150,368,335. Just remove the commas.

Friend space is limited, so send me a PM or review with your in-game name and party leader so I know who you are. My in-game name is KING and my usual party leaders are as follows:

- Lilith (a green-haired healer girl) on weekdays. If you have trouble with a quest, she can probably heal you through it.

- Shakti (a mage girl with silver hair) on weekends. Her special ability is great for farming gold.

P.S. If you decide to try it out and it asks you to refer a friend, just enter my ID and we'll both get rewards when you reach certain milestones (level 20, 40 etc). Just keep in mind that if you do this, you still need to send me a friend request if you want me to be able to help you out.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.

EDIT: I wasn't expecting so many of you to enjoy the game! I won't be able to add all of you to my friends list on my primary account, but I can add you on one of my other accounts. Check my profile for details!

Anyway, I thank you for your time. Thanks for reading!

- Your King