Remnants of a World I Once Knew: Volume 2

Chapter 12

The Faunus continued to sprint away with surprising speeds. As he whizzed past Team RWBY, he casted a wink at Blake. Blake was left stunned as he shot past her like a rocket with the police hot on his tail. "We must observe him!," Weiss darted after the cops. "Weiss wait!," Ruby squeaked and dashed after her. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?," Yang jabbed. Blake's expression turned sour and glared at Yang before running to catch up to Weiss and Ruby. Yang chuckled and gave chase as well. The group continued their pursuit after the Faunus. "Weiss! Slow down!," Ruby squealed. "Hurry...!," Weiss rounded a bend but ran headlong into something, falling onto the floor. "Uhhh did I run into a wall or something? Uhh he got away," Weiss moaned. "Nope! You ran into me!," a girl responded. It turned out to be someone that Weiss ran into. The girl was wearing a white and light gray dress with black stocking boots and had orange hair with green eyes. The girl proceeded to roll on her back and spring herself onto her feet, performing a kip up. "Salutation! My name is Penny!," Penny saluted. One thing that was odd was that Penny's body seemed to be rigid. Stiff. Almost robot like. That would explain why Weiss felt like she ran into a wall. "I'm Ruby Rose!," Ruby smiled. "Weiss Schnee," Weiss smirked in her usual spoiled look. "Blake," Blake spoke in an emotionally less tone. "You sure you didn't hit your head?," Yang asked. Blake stepped on her foot. "Oww...he...oh I'm Yang," Yang smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," Penny smiled. "Heh. Nice to meet you too," Ruby smiled. The conversation was struck by an odd silence for a spell. "Sooooo, it was nice knowing you, friend," Ruby smiled as she and her team walked past Penny. "Well she was weird," Yang replied. "What was that?," Penny appears before them. "Oh I'm terribly sorry," Yang apologized while Weiss was trying to figure out how did Penny appear before them when she was behind them 2 seconds ago. "Not you," Penny told Yang and walked past her, approaching Ruby. "You. You called me friend," Penny spoke. "Am I really your friend?," Penny asked. Ruby looked behind her. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were all shaking her head, pleading Ruby to say no. "Uuhhh yes I am!," Ruby smiled. Her teammates fell to the floor collapsing from the moment. "Spectacular! We could hang out, paint our nails and talk about cute boys!," Penny smiled. "Is his what I was like when we first met?," Ruby groans at Weiss. "Yep but you're tolerable," Weiss replied. "That doesn't help," Ruby shifts her gaze at Weiss. "So....what brings you to Vale?," Blake asked. "I am here to fight in the tournament!," Penny replied. "You are?," Ruby asked. "I'm combat ready!," Penny spoke triumphantly. "You hardly look the part," Weiss rolls her eyes. "Says the girl wearing a dress and high heels," Yang replied. "It's a combat skirt!," Weiss corrected. "Yeah! Tell 'em, Nice Weiss!," Ruby replied. "Hold up. Does that mean you know that degenerate lowlife thug?," Weiss looks at Penny. "Who?," Penny asked. "The Faunus from the ship that sailed in minutes ago!," Weiss replied. "Stop it!," Blake hissed. "What?!," Weiss asked. "Stop calling him a thug! He's a person!," Blake yelled back. "Oh pardon me! Should I stop calling a lamp post as a lamp post?! Or this trash can as a trash can?!," Weiss argued back.

"Stop it!,"

"Stop what?! He broke the law. Give it some thought and he'll join up with the other Faunus in the White Fang. He's probably a White Fang member already!,"

"Ugh! You disgraceful, spoiled brat!,"

"How dare you?! I'm your teammate!,"

"You are a disgusting person if you ever believe that discrimination is okay!,"

"Oh excuse me for pointing out how the Faunus are extremist!,"

"You're just a despicable ignorant girl who has no idea about the Faunus!,"

"We should head back," Yang told Ruby. "Back to where?," Penny asked. "Our dorms," Ruby replied. She noticed Penny a bit down. "What's wrong?," Ruby asked. "I do not like it when friends fight," Penny replied. "None of us do. But it's natural for it to happen," Ruby sighed.

Weiss and Blake were still arguing, well after their dinner and into the night. Had the doors not been closed, Ruby would've gathered that the whole of Vale would never sleep. "I do not understand why is this such a big issue to you," Weiss hissed at Blake. "That is the issue! You haven't a clue!," Blake yells back. "You realize that you're defending a radical race known for inciting death and carnage all across Anima, right?!," Weiss asked. "What utter bullshit!," Blake glared back. "Hey! Watch your tongue!," Weiss scolded. "Oh we're way beyond that! Missy!," Blake replied. "Oh yeah! Let's get back to how you're defending a purely evil organization!," Weiss replied. "That is a load of garbage! Why do you think the Faunus hate humanity so damn much?! It's because of people like you and Cardin!," Blake hissed. "People like me?! How am I anything like Cardin?!," Weiss asked.

"You're a racist scumbag!,"

"I'm a victim!,"

Blake was left seething but couldn't utter a single word out as she was also surprised by the latter statement. Weiss leaned out the window. "Since you have no clue as to my own dislike to the Faunus, let me fill you in. "The Faunus have been in their own war against my family for years. Every day, I would hear news of SDC trains stolen, transports blown to smithereens. Everyday, my father would come home, furious. It's bad enough that the cars and transports were stolen or damaged beyond repair but employees and or board members killed. Publicly executed. I used to have 6 cousins. And now. I have 0. I lost them all in supposed accidents. Those fits of anger my father had and the funerals I attended to made for an extremely difficult childhood," Weiss grips the lamp desk very tightly. "You're not the only one whose lost much," a voice interrupted.

The girls turned to see Fives standing in front of the doorway. "Professor..," Blake stood up. "Not today. It's just Fives," Fives replied. "What do you mean?," Ruby asked. Fives removed his huntsman armor and his shirt. At first site, Yang would drool and whistle at how built Fives was but a closer inspection reveals several ugly scars. The girls gasped in horror. "Before I was a Professor, I would take on missions for Ozpin. Many of them involved the White Fang. I went on missions like protecting supplies to escorting important members. The recent one up on my neck was from an engagement with Adam Taurus. I was sent to investigate a possible sighting of White Fang activity. Although not to engage, I began asking around. This one family I asked were a mixed of Faunus and human. The child was a mixed breed. They would often stand with the Faunus and understood why the White Fang were resorting to brutal tactics. But they offered me food and a place to rest when I was on patrol. Good family. Then Adam came and ransacked the place, slaughtering everyone. He would often say give no quarters to those savages...,"

"See?! I told you!," Weiss glares at Blake.

"Did you know those savages were the family I mentioned? Yeah. When they saw Adam murdering, they pleaded with him, hoping to resort to peace. Guess what?," Fives looked at Weiss. "What?," Weiss asked. "He killed them. The father. Broke his arm and cut him in half. The girl. Only 10. Covered in burns and bullet marks. The mother, impaled through the abdomen. So I confronted Adam and sent him and his followers packing. But not before he left a parting gift," Fives pointed to the fresh scar. "Did....did the girl survive?," Weiss asked. "The mother told me to take care of the girl but the girl.....she...... passed away...," Fives sighed. Even as a soldier, it was hard for him to survive. The guilt of him not being able to protect everyone. "Adam doesn't care who he kills. All he knows is to kill anyone who sees a shrivel difference about the faunus and to make humanity suffer," Fives replied. "And the followers?! Should they be swayed? Why should they commit atrocities?!," Weiss asked. "Well maybe we're just TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND!," Blake hissed. The room went silent as all eyes fell on Blake. Eyes and expressions of disbelief. It didn't take long before Blake realized what she had said and zipped away. "Blake! Wait!," Yang hollered. But it was no use. Blake had just revealed the biggest secret. The one she swore to keep when her own view of the world shattered into remnants.

Blake Belladona is a Faunus.