Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.

WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri. NOTE: unlikely to contain actual smut/lemons!

AN: If anyone is interested, I am looking into acquiring Beta-readers since my usual ones aren't familiar with RWBY. All beta-readers will be credited for each chapter they assist with, along with what role they had in the beta-reading process. (e.g. JohnDoe123 - Proofreading/Ideas/Assistant)

Anyway, hope you all enjoy, and reviews are greatly appreciated! (Seriously, I love getting reviews!)

Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A

RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag

Prologue

"So, Miss Belladonna," the grey-haired Headmaster of Beacon Academy began once a sip of coffee passed through his lips. "Are you aware of why we are meeting like this?"

The amber-eyed girl's gaze didn't falter, though she shifted slightly in her chair at the question. The room was plain, uncolored and small, the sort of room that might make someone feel claustrophobic. Blake didn't have such issues with small spaces, but even she had to admit that this room was almost stifling to her. It certainly wasn't the heat; it was shockingly chilly in this small room.

"I applied to Beacon Academy, so you're interviewing me," she offered, confident in her answer as her hands remained clasped in her lap.

"Indeed. It's not often I perform an interview of a prospective student, but certain 'special cases' require additional inquiry that my transcripts simply do not contain," Ozpin replied, that quiet little smile firmly entrenched upon his lips. "Can you tell me what it is that makes you special, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake held her tongue; her first answer would be that which was currently covered by a little, black bow, but there was no way she was admitting that if she didn't have to. She thought for a moment though, and had the more likely answer:

"...I'm self-taught," she affirmed with distinction. "I've never been to a combat school, or any school for that matter, meaning all I have is a list of skills and feats accomplished over the course of my self-learning."

That smile got a little wider on the bespectacled man's face.

"Indeed again, Miss Belladonna. While it is not unheard of for students to come from backgrounds that prevented a traditional, 'formal' education in the arts of hunting Grimm - and indeed many of the best Hunters were from difficult, rural areas full of practical experience in the art - the interesting thing about your transcript is that it seems you sent it to the wrong type of school…"

Blake's eyes narrowed, frowning in confusion.

"Sir?"

"You see Miss Belladonna, I've been the Headmaster longer than you've been alive, and I've seen all manner of Hunters, and even more combat and skill profiles," Ozpin paused but for a sip of coffee before continuing calmly. "Your transcript does not read like that of someone who has trained to hunt Grimm, though I admire your attempts to spin it to your favor…"

'Oh no…'

"So answer me honestly, Miss Belladonna: who was it that taught you to be a hunter of men?"

The calm, cool presentation had Blake frozen in her seat despite being in a near panic. This wasn't how this was supposed to go; she was supposed to be starting something new! She wasn't supposed to be one of them anymore! She swallowed, hard, then pushed out what she could:

"I'm… I'm not a murderer."

"I did not say you were. Though you certainly have the skill-set of someone who would be quite capable at it, wouldn't you agree?" Ozpin's smile faded after a moment as he leaned back, hands held together in front of him with his cane now propped against the table. "Miss Belladonna, does the name 'Adam Taurus' ring any bells?"

Blake's chair clattered against the floor as she shot to her feet, reaching for Gambol Shroud at her back and grasping at air. Right; she'd forgotten she was not allowed her weapon during this meeting, and found herself cursing and turning quickly towards the door.

"It's locked," Ozpin said, before her hand even touched the handle, making her hesitate and freeze. "From the outside. An associate of mine will be letting us out when I ask them to do so. Simply a precaution, Miss Belladonna, for reasons that you very likely can understand. Now please have a seat; I only wish to continue speaking with you."

Blake was stuck; she couldn't fight the seasoned, armed Huntsman - particularly as she was unarmed herself - and she couldn't escape. The Headmaster also seemed to know more about her than she ever wished for him to; he had to have some sort of connections she wasn't aware of, because nowhere did she volunteer any of this information herself! Every part of her screamed for the Faunus to flee…

But the best she could do was to simply play along until she had a better option. She was cornered, metaphorically and almost literally.

"What's there to speak about? You obviously know what I am," she didn't so much as move an inch when she pushed the words out through a forced aura of calm. "Will I at least be allowed to read once I'm put in a cell?"

"I was hoping you'd have the opportunity to do so in your dorm room, or the library at Beacon," Ozpin countered calmly. "Aside from select members of Beacon's faculty, nobody knows anything beyond what has been presented to us by yourself. Police have not been informed either, at least not as of yet."

Blake could see where this was going; her fist clenched until her knuckles were stark white, and it was only then that she turned around and shot the Headmaster a glare.

"I am not going to be your pet!" she spat, vitriol dripping from every bitter word. "I refuse to let you keep me on a leash!"

To her surprise, Ozpin actually smiled more sincerely, before gingerly reaching for his coffee mug.

"I also did not say I intended to hold this information over your head either, Miss Belladonna," he rebutted quietly, sipping at his coffee once more. "I simply wish to talk, and only expect you to be honest with me, if you'd please."

She hesitated a moment, trying to read this man's intentions. He came across as frighteningly sincere, 'frighteningly' because she was by no means expecting such from a human of such power, age, and prestige. The cat began to relax, her nails pulling back from her palm, and though she was still cautious she moved to right her knocked-over seat. She then had a seat, but her posture was far from relaxed, unlike the older man whom could not appear more relaxed without having gone to sleep.

"Thank you, Miss Belladonna," Ozpin said, shifting slightly. "Now then, I believe I'd asked you some questions…"

"...the White Fang…" she whispered, quiet enough she wasn't sure the human would be able to hear her. "...and yes… I know- no, knew him…"

"Past tense? Interesting… it was my understanding that the two of you were-"

"Stop," she hadn't yelled, but the urgency - no, fear - in her words was louder to the Headmaster than if she had. "...we were a mistake. My mistake. I-"

Her voice caught in her throat, her eyes beginning to water. She'd finally decided to leave, but why did it still hurt so much? This wasn't what was supposed to happen...

"This is going to be rather hard for you, isn't it?" Ozpin's only response was a nod, leading him to continue. "I'm sorry, but this must be addressed… allow me to make this quick then: between your transcript and what information I've gathered, it's my understanding you have no known biological family, extended, distant, or otherwise. You grew up in the White Fang; they raised you, fed you, housed you, educated you, and trained you to be what you are today. When Adam took over several years ago, he took you as his Mate, which formally dragged you into the inner workings of the White Fang. Naturally this would be why a fair amount of intelligence on the White Fang includes information about you…"

Blake's eyes stung as tears streamed down her face. That was who she was wasn't it? An orphan adopted into a political-turned-terrorist organization, trained to steal like thief and kill like an assassin, then Mated to a man she thought she knew when she was far too young, realizing far too late the monster that he was and the beasts her 'family' had become. She was visibly shaking at this point, barely able to hold herself together as the things she wished to hide were so brazenly laid out before her. The only thing hidden now were her ears, but it was hard to lie to herself and say that Ozpin didn't know about that too.

"All of that pales in comparison to the singular fact that you're sitting here in front of me today," Ozpin finished, and Blake could hear him shift his position forward. "Unfortunately my information ends some time before you put in your application, and this transcript doesn't appear to be a cover, even if it is vague and lists you as 'Human' instead of Faunus…

"So my most important question for you, Miss Belladonna, is why do you want to come to Beacon Academy, honestly?"

Her eyes still stung, her voice was dying in her throat even as she tried to make something come out. All she had to do was give a reason, and it wasn't like she was lacking in them; repentance, to do some good in the world, to use as a stepping stone for fixing Human-Faunus relations…

"I don't want to run anymore…" was what eventually left her lips, so very quiet and choked as her head was held low. "I-I just… want to be normal… I-"

"Want to feel safe," she finally glanced up as Ozpin cut in, his tone very much the same, but his eyes exuded an inviting warmth toward her. "I can assure you that Beacon is the safest place in all of Vale, perhaps even safer than Atlas with it's mechanized military. The faculty, it's students, and most assuredly your team will be around you constantly. I'll even make arrangements for you to have a space on campus prior to orientation."

Brow furrowed, it took a moment for Blake to realize the implications of his words, but when she did, it begged the question:

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"You know the truth… so why? Why are you…" she trailed off, not sure whether she was more surprised he was taking such a risk, or… she really wasn't sure what else, but it was there.

"Hmm… our pasts may shape whom we've become, but it's our actions we take in the present and future that matter most," Ozpin proclaimed with a grin, before again helping himself to his coffee. "I'm sufficiently convinced that you've distanced yourself from the White Fang, and my information suggests that aside from a few… shall we say 'large-scale re-appropriations of property and product' - which cannot be connected solely to you, nor your specific role pointed out explicitly - your past actions do not reflect malevolence and criminality.

"What I see is a young woman with the moral strength of the White Fang's 'old guard,' someone who sought idealism, equality, and peace, but was swept up out of youth, naivety, and the charisma of a young man fueled by his own rage and bloodlust…" Ozpin continued, before moving to stand, taking his cane in hand, coffee in his other. "And as you are here, not there, it would seem that your moral - no, your strength of character is what guides you now. What better quality should I search for in a Huntress than that?"

Blake was speechless; it was truly unbelievable that this human man whom knew almost everything about her would stand there and speak so highly of her. It had been so long since she had heard such sincere praise, so long since she had someone speak of who she was and not what she was. Yet it somehow made her feel all the more broken as she started sobbing again, this time out of relief it would seem. Just words, the tiniest bit of compliment and kindness, and she couldn't seem to handle it. She'd left him behind, but he'd taken plenty of her with him, and wormed his way too deep into her memories to pry out so easily…

She wasn't sure how long she was crying, but Blake was never asked to stop, nor did Ozpin make to leave her be. Had she been more aware, she likely would have noticed the empathy and understanding in his eyes. Ozpin had seen more than his fair share of young men and women so wounded by others, and how he wished they were not so wounded, or at the very least, that each he saw would be the last one.

As she calmed down, attempting to recompose herself and clear her eyes:

"Miss Belladonna, while this interview I fear may leave a poor taste in your mouth in your feelings about me," Ozpin began again, a hint of up-curve to the left corner of his mouth as she looked up at him. "Might I suggest- actually, let me ask you this: you said you wish to stop running?"

A pause, a thought, and then a nod was what Ozpin received in response.

"You wish to be normal?"

Another series of fervent nods, and his smile came out in full then.

"Well then, allow me to welcome you into Beacon Academy… with but one stipulation…"

After two weeks of waiting, today was the day she'd been praying for for: the day Blake Belladonna 'arrived' at Beacon Academy to begin her training as a Huntress. Nevermind that she'd been there for two weeks, largely sticking to her dorm room or the library when she wasn't searching for new reading spots and enjoying the quiet she'd been missing out on for many years of her life; today was the official start of the first semester of the first year, with tomorrow being the day she'd be assigned to a team. She wasn't comfortable about that part yet, or that she was going to have to be around a number of people again… but what was she to do?

She'd been told to make sure she appeared to be arriving with the rest of the students, which is why she was at the docks walking towards the campus, book in hand and face buried firmly into said book. To be fair the book was quite interesting, just not that interesting that she'd be so distractedly invested in it as she seemed. However, one thing she'd learned is that if you didn't want to be noticed, then the best thing to do was to stay quiet, don't make eye contact, blend in, and most of all don't get involved in-

The quiet explosion - which Blake realized was quite the contradiction sometime later - certainly got her attention, but the glass vial rolling towards her and bumping against her foot was what actually drew her attention away from the book. Picking up the vial, she turned it over to see an famously infamous logo scrawled across the glass to signify it as none other than top-quality Schnee Dust Company mined-and-refined Dust. By the looks of it it wasn't the cheap stuff either, so who was it that brought this?

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

That was probably the person right there. Glancing over, several things became very clear at once: first was that the dust vial was apparently the property of the person at the center of the explosion, second was that apparently someone who was not the owner had been the one to cause the explosion, and the last thing was that apparently the owner was someone about whom Blake was very, very familiar…

The sight of the white-haired woman gave her pause, as did the sound of her screeching tirade directed at the shorter girl in black and read. Blake didn't want to be around her for a number of reasons, all of them perfectly reasonable and rational considering the long and ultimately poor relationship she'd had with the girl's family for the entirety of her memorable existence. A small part of her however wanted to step in and get her to knock off all the yelling; it was clearly an accident as to what had occurred moments prior, so why was she pitching such a fit over it? Maybe she could just walk away and just not get involved-

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!"

And there went that decision! Best thing to do was to diffuse the situation before it continued to escalate, lest either one of them get hurt or worse on the first day as new students.

"It's heiress, actually," she said as she approached carefully, watching the two shorter girls glance over to her…

...and then up at the top of her head, specifically at the two small, black, furry cat ears that gently twitched with the breeze that was blowing.

Blake silently cursed herself; so much for not getting involved!

End Prologue

AN: And there it is, the seed for this story's plot! I hope everyone liked my little intro (and believe me for me this is a shorter chapter; I historically have shot for 5k words per chapter), and I greatly appreciate any of you who wish to give me a review! I like talking with people and I love feedback, but anyway until next time!

A.W.R. II