I would like to once again apologize for a late chapter, even if the wait wasn't as long. Of course, I say this as if two months wasn't a long wait... but hey, compared to the entire year the last one took, a chapter not even a thousand and a half words, this one, which is definitely well over a thousand words more, taking me not even a quarter of the time is darn impressive to me. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
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Skyler liked to think of himself as a logical human being. That whenever something came up to trouble him, he'd solve it through sheer common sense and thinking it through. This showed through his and Yang's little "confession war", as his plans usually only occurred multiple days, or even weeks, after his last one.

But even he had to admit that at the end of the day, his emotions can run rampant often. When faced with a situation where immediate action is required, his mind couldn't keep up with his body. Which is why a good number of times, his instincts pretty much amounted to "hit them a lot and improvise along the way". And so far, this strategy has worked well, so he never fought against it.

Unfortunately for him, this strategy only worked on the battlefield. So when a guilty-looking cat Faunus walked up to him and spoke, his mind nearly stopped processing.

"We..." Blake hesitated for a moment, "We need to talk."
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Once they sat down in a private section of the library, Skyler spoke up, "So, I'm guessing this has nothing to do with the upcoming dance?"

"Of course not." Blake replied. "I just think that... you know... there's this unspoken connection between us."

He raised an eyebrow at the wording, but understood what she was getting at, "So, we're finally having this conversation... What brought this up?"

"I had a talk with Yang. It just brought a few things into perspective, and then I learned... well, that your parents were killed by the White Fang."

Skyler's eyes slightly widened, "...So Yang told you, huh?"

"And ever since we met, I've gotten the strange feeling that I know you. But despite all of my efforts, I just can't place where I've met you. And I get the feeling you have the same issue. So with the connection between us being the White Fang, I thought you may have come to the conclusion by now that... well-"

"That you might have been involved in the murder of my parents?" Skyler finished.

Blake nodded, "I just want to clear that up. I... I don't remember being involved in anything like what's been described, much less killing anyone in general, but still. The connection is uncanny."

"Well, you said you left the group a long time ago, right?" Skyler pointed out. "My parents were killed about five months before our first day at Beacon, during the previous Vytal Festival. Is that long enough ago?"

A shiver was sent down Blake's spine, "...No, actually. You see... I wasn't exactly telling the truth back then... it has felt like a long time since I left, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not that way at all. I only managed to leave the organization about one and a half months before Beacon."

"...Oh. So, you very well could have been one of the Faunus who were there that night, but you can't seem to remember, same as I, right?"

"Right. So, is there anyone you do remember seeing that night? It might clear things up if I know them or not."

The Huntsman in training was silent for a moment before answering, "Only one. I know he was with a group, but I can only remember him clearly. He wore a mask over his eyes, and his hair was red. And his sword seemed to glow the same color when it..."

Skyler halted, memories flooding back to him all over again. He flinched as he remembered the Faunus' red blade glowing brightly before taking his mom away from him. Blake, on the other hand, as much as she wanted to comfort him, knew precisely who he was talking about and could only look on with realization and horror.

"Adam..." She muttered, looking down, not wanting to meet her friend's eyes. "His name is Adam Taurus..."

Skyler let out a quiet gasp, "So... you do know him?"

"More so than that." The Faunus replied. "We... We were partners, in more ways than one. He's pretty much the sole reason I advocated for the White Fang to make more aggressive actions. We went on so many missions together the year before I left, and they all just blended together in my head... And around the time you described, my only thoughts were looking for an opportunity to escape."

Skyler was silent, his head lowering in contemplation. So... the guy's name was Adam Taurus, huh? Not only that, Blake knew him on a personal level, and that meant that, in all likelihood, she was there that night. He gritted his teeth at the thought, trying his damndest not to get mad at her. She very well couldn't have been there too, only the chances that she had been there were raised exponentially. So, to get further to a full answer, he needed to know more.

"So..." He finally spoke. "Had he... always been a guy like the one I met that night?"

"No." Blake immediately answered. "At first, he just fought back when humans unreasonably attacked us. It only made sense. When he first killed someone, it was an accident. The next time it happened, it was in self defense. He told me not to worry. I believed him. He'd never given me a reason to doubt him. Next thing I know, almost every human involved in an operation had to die. It was almost too late for me when I realized what was happening. Adam's hatred for humanity seemed to keep becoming clearer to me as we got closer, and it wouldn't be long until he started killing as many humans as he could."

The Faunus finally found the courage to look up, "But I swear to you, I don't remember being in a situation like yours. If I did, I swear I would immediately come clean. It's the least you deserve."

Skyler took a deep breath, "This is... a lot to take in. Adam killed humans... did you?"

"No. I can say that with absolute certainty. Killing in general never sat right with me, even if someone deserved it. I've never killed anyone in my life."

"So... If I said I wanted to kill this Adam guy, would you hold it against me?"

Blake flinched at the question and bit her lip before responding, "...That's a bit of a loaded question... I suppose I don't blame you for wanting to, but-"

"Don't worry, I get what you mean." Skyler cut her off. "While I do want a bit of revenge, killing someone like him... It just doesn't sit right with me either. I just want him brought to justice, as well as get a question of mine answered."

Blake had to raise an eyebrow at that, "If I may, what question is that?"

Skyler hesitated for a second before answering, "I want to ask him why he did it. Even after all this time, I don't know why. It's been itching me in the back of my brain for years. My parents were murdered in front of my eyes, but it hurts even more because I don't know WHY."

"That is a tad strange." Blake admitted. "While Adam has no problem killing, it hasn't been without reason, and never on the completely innocent. Well, innocent in his mind, that is. Your family didn't have a connection to the Schnee Dust Company by any chance?"

Skyler merely gave her a blank stare before she awkwardly replied, "...Right. My bad. But still-"

"No, no, I get it." SHDW's leader waved his hand dismissively. "But trust me, if my parents had any connections to anyone on the bad side of the White Fang, I would've known or found out about it by now. And so, here we are."

"Indeed. So... where do we go from here? What would you do if I was there?"

Skyler thought for a moment before letting out a deep breath, "I honestly don't know. Part of me would know that you're not at fault. That you wanted no part in what went down, and even more so, you weren't the one who killed them. Of course, the other part of me would be mad that you were involved at all, but it's a much less vocal side. The fact that you're clearly being honest definitely helps."

Blake let loose a breath she didn't know she was holding, "Thank you... If I was there, I probably don't deserve it, but-"

"But nothing. I get the situation. If anything, I should be thanking you. Because now I know more about the man who killed my parents. I guess this meeting is... adjourned? Gods, that sounds needlessly professional..."

Blake chuckled a bit before gasping, "Wait! There's one more thing."

"Oh?"

"There's possibly someone else who would've been there that night. Her name is Ilia Amitola, a chameleon Faunus who routinely worked with me and Adam, all together or in a pair. If Adam wasn't alone that night, there's a good possibility that she was there too."

Skyler nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you again."

She smiled, "It's no issue at all. I'm just glad Yang finally talked to me about everything recently. Really told me to get my act together and talk to you about this. Oh! Speaking of which..."

Blake said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Mind if I give you some advice, one future Hunter to another?"

"Uh... sur-"

"Grow a pair."

Skyler had to blink at that, "Excuse me?"

"I'll put it to you bluntly. You and Yang have been going in this confusing and frustrating circle for most of the semester now. You both put on this stupid mastermind act, and frankly, I'm getting sick of it. Our friends are getting sick of it. And I'm fairly certain you're both getting sick of it."

"We're not-"

"Skyler, be honest with yourself. Are you playing this game because you're actually convinced that you'll win, or because you're afraid of the off chance that you're wrong?"

And just like that he was silent as Blake turned to leave, saying, "I'll leave you with that. Best of luck."
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For all Yang was (and believe him, Skyler knew her as many things), cognizant was not exactly one of them. For all of her flirting, he knew for a fact that she had no game. That's right, Yang had no experience in the romance department outside of said flirting, and as such, she could be quite... dense when it came to people liking her romantically. That personality trait had been his greatest ally in hiding his feelings for her... but now, it had turned into his greatest enemy.

And that brought them here, alone together in the cafeteria at dinner time. The remainder of their teams and friend group were either at a different table or conspicuously absent. Yang hadn't noticed quite yet, but Skyler had caught a glance of Dante parading some of said friend group away. Great. The team leader's nervousness was noticeable at a distance. Just. Great.

"I think we're about as good as we're gonna get when it comes to school dance prep." Yang suddenly spoke up, about to finish up her meal. "Now all that's left is to see how things turn out tomorrow!"

"O-Oh, is that so?" Skyler managed to get out.

His hands were shaking. Why were they shaking? He'd spent their entire second semester thus far was trying to coax a love confession out of her! So why was his body fighting against his brain with everything it had?!

"M-Maybe we should go tomorrow?" He finally managed to squeak out. "You know... to see if anything needs last-minute fixing... together?"

The room was ominously silent for a few seconds, but to him, it might as well have been years. What was she going to say? Did she secretly hate him now? What was she going to say? Was everything she'd done up until now an act? What was she going to say?

Then he heard a small chuckle as she grabbed her now empty lunch tray, "There's no need for that. Weiss is going to be there, so if there's anything missing, she'll straighten it up, no matter how small."

Skyler was quiet for another few seconds before saying, as casually as he could, "Y-Yeah... I guess you're right."

"I mean, come on," Yang waved off as she began to walk away, "it's not like you have to worry about every little thi-HHHRRRKKK."

Ah. A delayed reaction followed by the crashing of a meal tray. That was new. But if there was any consistency in the family tree, there'd be a freak out in three, two, one...

"WAS THAT WHAT I THINK IT WAS?!?!"

Skyler's face turned bright red as he thought, Yeah... I'm never living this down...
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Normally, I don't address comments/reviews in these author's notes, but one stuck out to me. This person basically asked why Skyler and Blake haven't talked prior to this point in the story. Despite the way it was worded, I truly don't believe they meant any disrespect (I mean, they did favorite this story too, so...), and it was a valid point, so I'll do something I don't normally do and talk about it. My explanation for these two not talking about that before now is simply because they... really didn't want to. Seems strange, but hear me out. Blake clearly expresses guilt over being in the White Fang during its violent days, but rarely ever talks about it to her team. I could just chalk it up to "RoosterTeeth bad", but I decided to interpret it as her memories during this time are not pleasant. She only ever brought up Adam during the middle of Volume 3 (and didn't even name-drop him), and never brought up any friends she might've made (*cough*Ilia*cough*). Basically, she does not like focusing on the past, and really only does so when necessary.

Skyler, on the other hand, is still shaken from the loss of his parents. Keep in mind, his parents were killed mere months before he attended Beacon. It's still a fresh loss, and he's coping with it by trying to repress the memory, something he's finding increasingly more difficult to do with Blake around. Essentially, this conversation was a long time coming, and it was only a matter of time before something sparked it. Something like, say, Yang deciding to snap some sense back into Blake to get her to stop being moody. All of this to say, the reason they haven't talked before is because both of these characters are people who really don't like talking about their respective pasts, and avoid it as much as possible. Hopefully this explanation is satisfactory.

Oh yeah, originally, Skyler getting told to get his act together about Yang was going to be from Hazel, but I realized that smash cutting to that conversation after the heavy talk with Blake was a bit of a pace-killer, so I decided to lighten up the conversation at the end and naturally incorporate that talk with it, making this a more coherent chapter where one scene leads into another. Did it make Blake a tad out of character? Maybe a bit, but she's had some good influences from fellow Hunters in training, and that talk from Yang really got her to lighten up a bit.

But anyway I've been prattling on long enough. Next time, we get to the dance proper, and the remaining chapters of RWBY Volume 2 after that are going to include a bit more original stuff, simply because finding stuff for Team SHDW to do while RWBY is at Glenn was... challenging. I think I've come up with something good, but we'll see. Till next time guys!