Author's Note: I will admit, the second half of this chapter is not my proudest achievement. It was difficult for me to write it without just repeating the dialogue and events from the show itself, something that you guys don't need to read through. Thus, this chapter accomplishes two things in terms of story. One, it explains what happened to all the dust Torchwick stole throughout the series, in case you didn't know. And two, it defines your characters opinion on the Faunus, helping to develop your relationship with Blake.

Reader's POV:

It had been several days since the night of the party, since Yang fell asleep in your arms. The two of you woke up the following morning wearing a pair of identical blushes, smiling awkwardly at one another. While Yang didn't seem to regret it, the two of you hadn't had much time to talk as the second half of the semester brought with it even more work than the first, the basics having all been mastered. Today you had a special field trip into the Forever Fall Forest, where Professor Peach had requested the class collect a sample of the red sap found in the forest's trees. Professor Goodwitch was escorting the class, warning you all about the presence of the creatures of Grimm in the forest and advising you all stay close to your teammates.

As Jaune was still leashed to Cardin and his team, Pyrrha was left without a partner, and so you decided to accompany her as you collected your samples. "Is everything all right Pyrrha?" You ask as she kneels next to a tree to collect her sap sample. "You seem a little off today."

"Yes. I-I mean no, I'm fine."

"Is this about Jaune?" You ask her, handing her an empty jar as you take the one she's just filled. She looks at you somewhat surprised. "Look, I may not be the best at recognizing social cues, but even I can tell his recent behavior has been bothering you."

Third Person POV:

Team CRDL and Jaune were all laying flat on their stomachs looking over a ledge at the rest of the class below. Cardin was glaring angrily at Pyrrha and (F/N)'s direction. "Those are the two." He says, pounding his fist on the ground. "The red-haired, know-it-all, thinks she's so smart. And that homeless freak from the mountains, trying to be a tough guy. Time to teach them a lesson." Cardin pulls out a box labeled with a black 'W', the sound of a dozen large rapier wasps buzzing inside.

Reader's POV:

"It's just, I don't understand why Jaune would associate himself with someone like Cardin." Pyrrha says as she gets to her feet. "Jaune's a good person, he doesn't belong with a bully like Cardin. He does know that he has friends that care about him. Right?" Pyrrha asks, looking at you, her green eyes meeting your (E/C) ones.

"I'm sure he does." You reassure her. "If I knew it, he certainly does. Besides, I don't think he's hanging around Cardin by choice. It's obvious he's using Jaune for something."

"But why would Jaune agree to that?" Pyrrha asks.

"I don't know. Maybe he knows something about Jaune we don't." You suggest. After saying this, Pyrrha looks away from you, almost like she's trying to hide something. You're about to ask what that is when Russell, Dove, and Sky come running through the forest, screaming about an Ursa.

"What?" Yang asks, picking Russell up by his collar. "Where?"

"Back there! It's got Cardin!" He shouts.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha realizes, dropping her jar of sap.

"Yang, you, Blake, and (F/N) go get Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby shouts as Yang drops Russel.

"You two, go with them." Pyrrha says to Ren and Nora. "There could be more."

The five of you start to make your way back to the rendezvous point where Professor Goodwitch said she'd be waiting for you. As you travel deeper into the forest, the five of you stop, hearing a collection of growls coming from somewhere close by. Peering through the trees, you can see a large group of Beowolves stalking through the underbrush. Just as your about to point this out, three more Ursa come crashing through the forest trees behind you. The five of you pull out your weapons and stand in a circle facing outwards. One of the Beowolves jumps out from the underbrush at Ren, jaws wide and claws sharp. Jumping out of the way, Nora swing Magnhild at the beast, sending it flying backwards and into a tree. You can see the remaining Beowolves start to creep forwards, red eyes glowing. Peering through the tall grass you notice one lurking at the back of the group. Larger than the others, it remains unmoving, watching as the smaller Grimm advance. Looking closer, you notice its large white bones, marking it as an Alpha. More Beowolves lunge at the group, but Ren, Nora, and Blake manage to keep them at bay, leaving you and Yang to deal with the three Ursa behind you.

As Yang jumps over one of the Ursa's claws, you drop the weight of Rhino's Charge on the ground, then slide between the legs of another one of the Ursa, dragging the rope with you. Standing, you pull hard on the rope, causing the head to launch forwards and strike the Grimm in its knees, bringing it crashing to the ground. Yang drops from the sky and lands on its head, then uses Ember Cecilia to strike it in the head, using the force of the blast to flip to her feet. As she does this, you send Rhino's Charge flying in the direction of another Ursa. As it makes contact, the Ursa stumbles backwards and into a tree. Throwing your weapon so it ties the Grimm to the tree, you give mighty tug, causing the tree to uproot and fall on the Ursa, crushing it. Both creatures dissolve into black dust, leaving only one left. Down on all fours, the creature charges at the two of you. Widening your stance and digging your feet into the ground, you grab the beast by it's shoulders and absorb the kinetic energy behind its charge. Yang slides between your spread legs and pushes off the ground, kicking the Ursa under the chin, causing it to rise off its front legs. Ducking under a blind swipe, you send a double punch at the Ursa, striking its chest and stomach simultaneously. You feel something push off your back and look up to see Yang in high in the air, cocking her right arm before dealing a finishing punch to the Grimm's head with the help of Ember Cecilia. Landing, the two of you turn around to see Ren and Blake running circles around the Alpha Beowolf, slashing and slicing, distracting it so Nora can smash its skull with Magnhild.

Catching your breath, you notice a large shadow pass over you. Looking up, the five of you see a Nevermore preparing to dive bomb. Prepared to scatter, you are all surprised to see the trees around you start to uproot, a purple glow surrounding them. The trees then all launch themselves at the Nevermore, impaling it several times. Falling to the ground, the Nevermore disintegrates before it lands. Looking around, you see Professor Goodwitch walking towards you.

"Students, I think it's time we left." She says.

"Professor," Blake speaks up, "the others may still be in danger. Last we heard, an Ursa had gotten Jaune and Cardin. The others went to help, but we were sent to come get you."

"Lead me to them." She says, increasing her pace. "We need to regroup and return to the school."

Returning to the rest of the class, you see them all gathered in a circle. None of them seem badly injured, though Jaune is sporting a few bruises and Cardin is being extremely quiet, his normally arrogant demeanor gone.

"I hope everyone has managed to collect their samples," Professor Goodwitch announces, "because it's time to go. Stay close and keep your guards up."

Time Skip:

The semester is coming to a close, and Vale has begun setting up for the Vytal festival which will take place in a few months' time. Class had just let out for the weekend an hour ago, and you and Team RWBY were out walking through the city. As you walk through the streets, Weiss dotes over the amount of organization and planning required for the Vytal festival to commence, much to the chagrin of her teammates.

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon vising the stupid docks." Yang says to Weiss.

"Ick, they smell like fish." Ruby groans

Weiss however, stands looking out at the ocean and the incoming ships. "I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them, so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake says as you all begin walking again.

"Ugh, you can't prove that." Weiss says, facing Blake with her arms crossed.

"Weiss," You say, "don't you think your time would be better spent training than spying on the other competitors?"

"Well how am I supposed to know what to train for if I don't know what to expect in the competition?" She asks.

"How are you supposed to know the competitions fighting style just by watching them walk off a boat?" You shoot back.

Weiss opens her mouth to retort, but is cut off by Ruby, who directs your attention to dust shop nearby, its windows shattered, and the surrounding area cut off by police tape.

"What happened here?" Ruby asks one of the detectives as you all approach the scene.

"Robbery." He says lazily. "Second dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." He turns his back and walks away.

"That's terrible." Yang says.

Listening to the detectives, you hear them wondering why none of the money was taken, and who could possibly need so much dust, one of them suggesting the White Fang. At the mention of the extremist group of Faunus, Weiss starts droning on about how the White Fang is a collection of criminal psychopaths, sparking an argument between her and Blake. You're not paying much attention to them though, instead you're thinking over the crime. The police have a point, who needs that much dust? As far as you know, there hasn't been an increase in dust related crimes other than the robberies. The news hasn't reported any advanced dust fueled weapons flooding the streets, nor has any black market opened recently, selling massive amounts of dust. These facts concern you greatly, and it's obvious that this string of robberies is the root of a far more sinister scheme. Dust is an extremely powerful substance, and while you know it is most commonly used to power the kingdoms and infused into ammunition, you also know that it has a far more destructive purpose.

Your attention is caught as your team runs back towards the docks. Instead of following them however, you get the attention of one of the detectives. "What?" He asks annoyed.

"Sorry to interrupt, but is it possible that there has been an increase in fires since coinciding with the dust store robberies?"

"None that we're aware of."

"What about building damage or small seismic events?"

"What are you on about kid?" The detective asks.

Just then, you hear a commotion coming from the docks, causing the two detectives to abandon you. Hmm. You think to yourself. Bombs. That's what you were on about. Dust is known to be a prime ingredient in the creation of explosive devices. If they were being detonated discretely, there would probably have been an increase in fires, building damage, or the blasts being attributed to small earthquakes. Since none of these things appear to have happened though, you can only imagine whoever's robbing these stores is saving the dust for something big.

You return home, Team RWBY having already left the city before you. As you enter your room you can hear fighting coming from the room next door. Although their voices are muffled, it sounds like Weiss and Blake are still arguing over the Faunus. You're about to close your door when you hear Team RWBY's door opening and someone running through the halls. "Blake! Come back!" You hear Ruby shout. Poking your head out into the hall, you see Blake's figure run around the corner towards the elevators. You sigh before exiting your room and walking in the same direction as Blake. Quite frankly you're surprised the rest of Team RWBY hasn't deduced her secret yet. And with the things Weiss was yelling, it's completely understandable as to why she was so upset.

You see Blake in front of the large statue which stands at the center of the courtyard. Hearing you approach her, she quickly ducks her head and tries to run. "Blake!" You run after her. "I know you're a Faunus!" She stops and turns to face you, allowing you to catch up. As you get closer you can see the surprised look on her face.

"H-How did you..."

"Wearing a bow may stop me from seeing your ears, but it doesn't stop me from seeing them move." You tell her. "I'm not as easily fooled as most people."

"How long have you known?" She asks you.

"Sun Zhang has seen many former members of the White Fang. I am familiar with the name Belladonna. I put it together that you were Ghira's daughter about two weeks after we first arrived at Beacon"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Why would I?" You ask her. "It's not up to me who knows your secret. And quite frankly, I don't care either way. Human. Faunus. It is not your species, but your actions who define who you are as a person."

"So, you don't care that I'm a Faunus?" Blake asks timidly.

"Look, I may not have been raised in the most loving of environments, but Sun Zhang still has its perks. There, human and Faunus live together in peace."

Over Blake's shoulder, you see a young Faunus with stylishly messy blonde hair approaching the two of you.

"I'm sorry not everyone sees things the way I do. And I'm sorry we live in a world where you feel the need to hide who you are. I wish I could help you, but I'm only one man, and I don't know what it's like to be you. But he does." You say, nodding over her shoulder.

"I knew you'd look better without the bow." The young man says, causing her to turn.

With that, you turn and walk back towards Beacon, leaving Blake with her thoughts and in more relatable company.

Author's Note:

Again, sorry for the lack of quality in this chapter. I hope you all didn't despise it. In other business, we're almost through the first Volume of RWBY. The next chapter is likely to be the last, but I promise, Volume 2 will be uploaded shortly after. Thank you for all your support and for sticking with the story. I may write for myself, but it is because of the kind reader's like you that I continue to upload and create new material. And as always, feedback and constructive criticism is always appreciated.