...I'm baaaaaaack….

Yo Peeps, GateMasterGreen here with chapter one of the second arc of Phantom Rose. It's been awhile, but some stuff has happened. One, the discord group got a massive overhaul and looks better than ever, check out my profile page for the link. Two, I now have a fully workable computer, which is a huge step up from the dinky little laptop that I was using before. It means I'm able to edit thing's a little more painlessly and that I have access to some old drafts, since I can now use Drive again.

For newcomers, check out Phantom Rose on my profile before you read this. It's a bit obvious, but better safe than sorry to have said. Story time.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY…

Blue water stretched as far as the eye could see, waves building across the surface before crashing in on itself. The sun reflected off various points in the sea, light glittering like diamonds among the waves. Perched atop the water was a large ship, stoic majesty amongst the wild freedom of the sea below. It continued its journey, uncaring of the waves striking at its exterior. Soon, though, its destination was within sight.

What seemed like a dot on the horizon moments before grew to become the shore of an island. Tropical vegetation wrapped around obvious human habitation. Or should it be said, Faunus habitation? As the ship drew closer, the people living on the shoreline were soon visible. Various animalistic traits marking them as Faunus. The shore belonged to the island nation of Menagerie.

Soon the ship was docked in the port and its inhabitants vacated. A girl with a white cloak atop her shoulders was the first to step onto the docks. Her dark hair was cut short with tinges of red at the ends. Her face was round and her eyes large and silver. She wore a black corset, tied with red cords, and a combat skirt of similar colors.

Behind her trailed her two companions. The first wore a long white tailcoat. Beneath lay a black crop top with diamond shapes cut out around her neckline. Tight fitting black pants and thigh-high boots finished off the outfit. A long flowing mane of black hair framed her face, but the most notable features were her gold eyes and the two cat ears atop her head.

The final member however, looked rather uncomfortable in the heat. A large baggy jacket, red with various white stripes and black sweats. Combined with a beanie that was pulled down to cover her left eye. The remaining one was a dark steely grey. In the heat of the day, it was obvious she was miserable.

"Why is it so dust-forsaken hot here?" May, the beanie wearing one, asked. "If I'd have know, I may have gotten a lighter coat or something."

Blake, the one with cat ears, answered. "Sorry, May. To be honest, it slipped my mind."

"On the bright side," cut in the last of the three, Ruby. "We can go shopping for clothes later. If we're here to get information about the White Fang, it would do to look the part of someone who lives here."

May remained silent, debating with herself as they all followed Blake's lead. After all, this was where Blake was raised. The cat Faunus lead them from the docks and into the marketplace. Ruby and May were surprised by how packed the street was, but Blake hardly seemed fazed by the sight, walking along with a smile on her face as she continued along.

For Ruby it was fascinating to see all these Faunus. The number of them at Beacon was hardly anything of note, but the opposite was true here. As they made their way past the marketplace, they reached the actual streets of Kuo Kuana. Small houses lay on either side of the rode, humbly built with thatched roofs and resting on stilts, to avoid flooding.

As they passed house after house, building after building, it became obvious where Blake was leading them. Not once did she stray to one house or another, but kept walking towards the largest one within view. It lay at the end of the sloping road, raised above the other houses and noticeably better in its construction. Whereas everything else was made with simple materials, this house was made to last.

The trio soon found themselves at the foot of the stairs leading up to the front door. Blake took quick strides up them, skipping over some as she headed for the door, Ruby and May in tow. She paused before the door and took a deep breath. "It's good to be home," she muttered, garnering smiles from the two behind her. A matching grin stole at her face as she knocked on the door.

A voice could be heard as the door opened. "Chieftain Ghira and his wife are not here-" The guard answering the door froze, when he saw who stood outside. "Oh, Miss Blake, you've come home. Your parents aren't here currently, but you're more than welcome to come in." He pulled the door open and motioned them in.

Blake and the others strode past, the cat Faunus pausing and turning to the guard. "My parents are on their way from the docks. They came to visit me in Vale and I returned with them to take care of some business."

The guard nodded. "Thank you, ma'am. We'll get everything in order for their arrival. Shall I show your guests to their quarters?"

"No thank you," Blake replied. "But I'll introduce you, so you can let the others know." She pointed at the cloaked girl. "The short one is Ruby Rose, and the one who's probably suffering from heat stroke is May Zedong. I'll be taking them to the main sitting room, if you could have someone fetch us some cool drinks, please."

"Of course, ma'am." He scurried off to do as she asked.

XXXGMGXXX

Blake lead them into a room adjacent to the main entryway. A rather simple coffee table lay in the middle of the room, facing a mounted screen on the wall with a couch accompanying it. Large bookcases hugged the walls, and a few potted plants dotted the corners of the room. One wall had glass doors leading to a side balcony, letting in generous amounts of natural lighting.

The three sat down on the couch and a servant soon entered with the requested drinks before leaving them in peace. May watched the door close before turning to Blake. "Is it likely that any more of them will check on us?"

The Faunus shrugged. "Not for a bit. Why?"

"This heat is ridiculous!" May nearly screamed, shrugging off her coat, exposing the small black tank top she wore beneath it. She grabbed one of the drinks and began sipping at it. She noticed the other two looking at her with amused smiles. "What?"

"Nothing!" they parroted.

A knock on the window had May jolting in surprise and letting out a yelp. She set the drink down quickly and made a scramble for her jacket. Ruby and Blake turned to the balcony and saw a familiar red gauntlet waving from the frame of the glass. Blake groaned. "Why is he here?"

Ruby shrugged. "Guess we'll find out." Pecking Blake on the cheek she zoomed over to the balcony in a flurry of white and red rose petals. Sliding the door open, she popped her head out and waved. "What are you doing here Sun? And why are you standing over there?"

Sun was tall and built, muscles showing beneath his opened white shirt. He wore torn short and had blond hair and a mischievous smile, with a blond money tail curled lazily behind him. He fiddled with his collar and laughed. "Didn't wanna walk in on ya, if you three were busy."

Ruby blushed crimson at the insinuation. "We weren't doing anything!"

Blake walked up behind Ruby and patted the girl's back reassuringly. "He knows. He looked in here beforehand, otherwise how did he know we were in here?" She leveled an unamused stare at the boy. "Besides, one wall is entirely windows. There's no privacy in here."

The monkey Faunus fumbled with his words trying to form an apology, but the glares levied against him shut him up. "Sorry."

Blake rolled her eyes. "But seriously, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the rest of your team right now?"

Sun shook his head. "I wanted to make sure you three would be okay and my team and I wouldn't be accomplishing much back at our school."

The caped girl cocked her head. "Then why aren't they here too?"

"I'm the only one good at being a stowaway."

"You ditched them," summed up Blake.

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but shut it at her glare. "I ditched them." The slap he received hardly surprised him and his aura took much of the sting away, but that didn't matter. It still hurt like a bitch.

Or, well, a cat…

End…

Well, here we go. Back in the game. Also, check my profile page for the Discord if you want join us there and I'll be posting a poll as well. Whether I implement the result of it is a toss up, but it's just to get an idea of what y'all would be okay with. Adieu for now!