No Forgiveness - Oneshot

Hey. Warning, this is going to be a really dark and angsty oneshot because this came from a discussion me and a few others had: what if Volume 1 Weiss didn't just accept Blake being a former member of a group that specifically targetted her and her family for years? Yeah, this is gonna be heavy.

Side note - I know some people are gonna accuse me of bashing Blake given how rough this story is on her. No. Despite all the jokes about her being Worst Girl, I actually do like Blake. I wouldn't have written a bunch of fics with her, many of them positive, as the focus if I didn't like her. I've written her as both reasonable and memetic Worst Girl because both can be funny and enjoyable.

This was just an interesting thought experiment that came because I found the idea really heavy.

[line break]

The cold night air stung Blake's face as she stood at the docks, surrounded by the aftermath of chaos. The broken shipping containers, the lingering smell of Dust and smoke, the White Fang masks scattered across the concrete - all of it seemed like a grim reminder of what she'd tried to leave behind.

And now, as she looked into Weiss's icy blue eyes, Blake knew that her past had finally caught up to her.

"You were one of them." Weiss's voice was quiet, but it cut through the night like a blade, "A member of the White Fang. A terrorist."

Blake felt her bow twitch involuntarily, her faunus ears sensitive to the venom in Weiss's words, "I was. But I left. I realized - "

"You realized what?" Weiss took a step closer, her hand hovering near Myrtenaster's hilt, "That bombing SDC facilities and murdering my family's employees wasn't working out for you anymore? That you needed a new hobby?"

Ruby stepped between them, silver eyes darting nervously, "Weiss, please, Blake's our teammate. She's our friend."

"Friend?" Weiss laughed, a harsh sound devoid of humor, "Do friends lie to each other about being part of an organization that has 'disappeared' people I've known since childhood? People at my father's galas one day, gone the next, their families receiving nothing but a White Fang insignia painted in blood?"

Yang placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, "People change, Weiss. Blake left because she didn't agree with what they were doing."

"So she says." Weiss's gaze never left Blake, "You know what I'm going to do? I'm going straight to Ozpin. Right now. Tonight."

Blake's blood ran cold, "Weiss-"

"If he has any sense of justice, he'll have you removed from Beacon immediately, preferably imprisoned."

Ruby grabbed Weiss's arm, "Weiss, please don't! We can work this out as a team!"

Weiss shook her off, "There is no team with a terrorist in our midst." She turned and began walking away, her white hair gleaming under the shattered moon.

Yang shouted after her, "You're making a mistake, Weiss!"

Without turning back, Weiss replied, "The mistake was trusting any of you."

[line break]

Professor Ozpin's office was eerily quiet, the mechanical gears turning overhead creating a rhythmic backdrop to the tension filling the room. Weiss stood rigidly in front of his desk, hands clenched at her sides, "You knew," she said, disbelief coloring her voice, "You knew she was White Fang, and you let her in anyway." She almost didn't believe it. Surely, she thought, it was a mistake. The headmaster simply missed her and didn't let a member of those murderers enter the school deliberately.

Ozpin took a sip from his mug, his expression unreadable behind his glasses, "Ms. Schnee, Beacon Academy evaluates students based on their current character and abilities, not their past mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Weiss's voice rose sharply, "The White Fang has killed dozens of SDC employees. They've bombed our facilities, sabotaged Dust shipments, and caused accidents that have killed innocent workers. These aren't 'mistakes,' Professor. They're atrocities."

"Ms. Belladonna has demonstrated her commitment to a different path," Ozpin replied calmly, "She left the organization of her own volition, recognizing that their methods had become-"

"I don't care what she's 'recognized,'" Weiss cut in, "Do you have any idea what message this sends? That a terrorist can simply decide they're done, walk away, and be rewarded with elite Huntress training? I suppose we should let every serial killer and rapist go once they decide they've had their fun, hm?" Her fingers dug into her palms, "What if she's here gathering intelligence? Learning combat techniques to take back to her White Fang comrades?"

Ozpin set his mug down carefully, "I believe in second chances, Ms. Schnee. Ms. Belladonna deserves the opportunity to-"

"Then you're a fool," Weiss said coldly, "And clearly unfit to run this academy."

A brief flicker of surprise crossed Ozpin's face before he regained his composure. It was obvious he wasn't used to such blatant disrespect from a student, "That's a serious accusation."

"Here's another one: you're knowingly harboring a terrorist. How do you think the Vale Council will react when they learn that? Or the Atlas Military? Or the SDC board of directors?" Weiss leaned forward, placing her hands on his desk, "My father may be a cold-hearted businessman, but at least he doesn't train our enemies to be more effective killers."

Ozpin's expression hardened slightly, "Are you threatening me, Ms. Schnee?"

"I'm promising you that by tomorrow, everyone in Vale will know that Beacon Academy is a safe haven for the White Fang. That Blake Belladonna, a known terrorist, sleeps in the same room as the Schnee heiress." Weiss straightened up, "Unless she's removed immediately."

"You should consider carefully before taking such actions," Ozpin warned, "There are complexities to this situation that you may not fully understand."

"I understand perfectly," Weiss replied, "You've made your choice. Now I'm making mine."

[line break]

Blake threw the last of her belongings into her backpack, movements frantic and jerky. The dorm room felt suffocating now. What had briefly been a sanctuary suddenly transformed into a trap closing around her. Every second that ticked down felt like a vice wrapping tighter and tighter around her neck.

"You don't have to leave," Ruby pleaded, watching from her bunk with tearful eyes, "We can talk to Weiss. She'll understand!"

"There's nothing to understand," Blake said tersely, "Weiss is a Schnee. I... I was White Fang. Those two things don't coexist." She zipped her bag shut.

Yang leaned against the wall, arms crossed, "So you're just running away again? That's your big brain idea?"

Blake paused, amber eyes flashing with hurt and anger, "You think I want to leave? This was the first place I felt like I could start over, could be something more than..." She swallowed hard, "But it doesn't matter what I want. Once Weiss tells people, the SDC will put a bounty on my head so large that every bounty hunter in Remnant will be looking for me." Even Beacon wouldn't be able to shield her. The Huntsmen may have been independent, but they had their limits.

"Ozpin won't let that happen," Ruby insisted.

Blake zipped her pack closed with finality, "Ozpin can't stop it. The SDC has tentacles everywhere - law enforcement, media, government. They practically own half of Atlas's military." She shouldered her pack, "I need to be gone before morning."

"Where will you go?" Yang asked softly.

"Better if you don't know." Blake hesitated, then added, "And better if you forget you knew me at all when people start asking questions."

Ruby jumped down from her bunk, silver eyes filled with determination, "We won't let them take you. We can hide you, protect you!"

"And then what?" Blake's voice cracked, "Become fugitives too? Throw away your futures at Beacon?" She shook her head, "No. This is my burden to bear."

Yang pushed off from the wall, moving to stand in front of the door, "I can't just let you walk out of here without a plan."

"I always have a plan," Blake lied, her bow flattening against her head. The accessory suddenly felt heavy, "I've been running my whole life, Yang. I know how to disappear." The words came out too bitter to be confident. She'd always ran away. She ran away from her parents, ran away from Adam and the White Fang, and now she was running away from Beacon. Because what was the alternative? Let Weiss rile up a lynch mob?

The door to the dorm room burst open suddenly, revealing Weiss. Her pale face was flushed with anger, eyes burning with cold fire as she took in the scene before her, "Going somewhere?" she asked Blake, voice dripping with contempt.

Blake's hand instinctively moved to Gambol Shroud, "Get out of my way, Weiss."

"Or what? You'll add me to the White Fang's list of Schnee casualties?" Weiss's hand rested on Myrtenaster, "Ozpin is a sentimental old fool, but even he can't ignore public outcry. By this time tomorrow, every news outlet in Vale will know exactly what you are."

Ruby stepped between them, "Weiss, please! This isn't right!"

"What isn't right is that my teammates are defending a terrorist instead of standing with me," Weiss snapped, "She infiltrated our team, our school, lived among us while belonging to a group that would slaughter my family without hesitation!" Blake winced. There was no doubt in her words. Weeks of being a team, the scattered conversations that were almost friendly; all gone. Now she was just another Faunus terrorist in Weiss' eyes.

"I left them because they became exactly what people like your father accused us of being," Blake said, her composure finally breaking, "I wanted equality, justice - not blood!"

"A convenient story," Weiss scoffed, "How many SDC workers died before your conscience finally kicked in? How many families were torn apart while you 'realized' violence wasn't the answer?"

Blake flinched like she'd been hit, "You don't know anything about me."

"I know enough." Weiss's eyes narrowed, "I know that Adam Taurus led the Vale branch of the White Fang - the same branch responsible for destroying an entire mining camp on the border. No survivors, Human or Faunus. Was that for 'equality,' Blake? Was that for 'justice'?"

The color drained from Blake's face at the mention of Adam. She wanted to fight, to argue, to justify herself. The White Fang had only gone after the most deserving targets at first. The racists, the corrupt, the greedy. But then, something changed. Suddenly, collateral damage wasn't just a mistake. SDC employees who couldn't even fight back? They worked for the enemy. Miners caught in collapsed tunnels? Sacrifices for the cause. Faunus who weren't part of the White Fang? Traitors to their race. Always another justification.

Yang's eyes flashed red, "That's enough, Weiss!"

"No, it's not nearly enough," Weiss countered, "The authorities will decide what's 'enough' for a member of a terrorist organization."

Blake took a step backward, her back hitting the window, "You have no idea what you're doing, Weiss. The White Fang will see this as the SDC persecuting a faunus who dared to leave. You'll be making their case for them, radicalizing even more faunus." Even as the words left her mouth, she could already tell how pathetic she sounded. Just deflecting and trying to pass the blame.

"Don't you dare put that on me," Weiss hissed, "You made your choices long before we ever met. Now face the consequences." For a moment, the room was filled with tense silence, the four girls frozen in a tableau of broken trust and impossible divisions.

Then Blake turned to the window, glass shattering as she leapt out into the darkness of the Beacon grounds.

"Blake!" Ruby cried out, rushing to the window.

Weiss didn't move, "Let her run. It won't change anything."

Yang whirled on Weiss, eyes crimson with rage, "How could you?! She was one of us!"

"She was never one of us," Weiss replied coldly, "She was living a lie, and you two were fool enough to believe it."

Outside, Blake melted into the shadows of the campus, the broken moon illuminating her path as she ran - not just from Beacon, but from the brief, beautiful dream that she could ever outrun her past. Behind her, she left shattered glass, shattered trust, and the fragments of what might have been a place to call home. No reconciliation waited on the horizon. No understanding to be reached. Only the cold reality that some divides ran too deep to cross, and some sins couldn't be washed away.

The dorm room's atmosphere was tense. Yang stood with her fists clenched, hair glowing with the heat of her semblance, eyes burning crimson as she faced Weiss, "You had no right!" Yang screamed, her voice cracking with emotion, "You just destroyed her life! Where is she supposed to go now?! What is she supposed to do?!"

Weiss remained unmoved, her posture rigid, chin raised defiantly despite Yang's burning anger, "The better question is how many lives did she destroy before she conveniently decided the White Fang was 'too violent' for her tastes?"

"She left them! She was trying to make things right!"

"By lying to us? By infiltrating a Huntress Academy under false pretenses?" Weiss's voice was ice-cold, but her eyes burned with an intensity that matched Yang's fire, "Would you be so quick to forgive and forget if the White Fang targeted Ruby? Or your father? Or anyone else in that island village you call home?" Yang faltered for a moment, clearly shocked by the reversal, "It's so easy to cry forgiveness when you're not the one who dealt with the consequences," Weiss continued, stepping closer, "If Blake had killed one of your old island friends, would you be so quick to hug it out? Would you welcome her with open arms if she'd slaughtered someone you loved?"

"The SDC's got their own fucked up shit," Yang countered, but her voice had lost some of its conviction, "Your daddy's company ruined more lives than-"

"Notice you didn't answer my question," Weiss cut in sharply, "It's always deflection with you. 'But the SDC is bad too!'" she said in a high, mocking voice, "I never claimed my father's business practices were ethical. But the White Fang doesn't target just my father: they target anyone associated with the company. Security guards. Miners who needed the work. Secretaries. Cleaning staff. People whose only crime was needing a paycheck. Why does Blake get to go on to be a Huntress while they have to bury their loved ones?"

Ruby sat on the edge of her bed, tears streaming down her face, "Please stop fighting. We need to find Blake. We need to help her."

"Blake is beyond help now," Weiss said, her voice softening slightly as she looked at Ruby, "She made her choices long before she met us. And I've made mine."

Yang's semblance flared again, "So that's it? You're just going to ruin her life and walk away?"

"Her life was ruined the moment she joined a terrorist organization," Weiss scoffed, "All I'm doing is making sure the truth comes out before someone else gets hurt."

"Gods...you're such a bitch," Yang whispered.

Weiss didn't flinch, "No. I'm just the only one here who understands that actions have consequences."

[line break]

True to her word, the following morning Weiss made her move. She didn't do it quietly or behind closed doors. Instead, she chose the most public venue possible: a press conference on the steps of the Vale Council chambers, where her family's connections had easily secured her a platform. She didn't like the idea of calling her Father for help, but once he found out the situation, it only took one quick phone call to get her the time and space she needed.

Camera flashes exploded around her as she stood at the podium, dressed impeccably in Schnee white, the family emblem prominently displayed on her bolero jacket.

"Thank you all for coming today," she began, her voice clear and unwavering, "I stand before you not just as Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, but as a Huntress-in-training who believes in protecting the innocent from threats both Grimm and human." The reporters leaned forward, sensing that this was no ordinary statement, "It has recently come to my attention that Beacon Academy, under Headmaster Ozpin's leadership, has knowingly admitted a former member of the White Fang terrorist organization into its student body."

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. Camera flashes intensified.

"This individual, Blake Belladonna, was not only admitted to the academy but placed on a team with me. The very heiress whose family has been repeatedly targeted by the organization she served. She was given access to advanced combat training, Dust resources, and sensitive information that could easily be channeled back to her former colleagues."

Weiss paused, letting the implications sink in.

"What message does this send when our most prestigious Huntsman Academy harbors those who have actively worked against the kingdoms? What does it say about our standards when we train the very individuals who have destabilized our society? Most importantly, what are we telling the victims of terrorism when we extend such opportunities to those who may have participated in their suffering? That they should forgive? That they should accept that the woman who helped take a family member or a friend should simply be allowed to walk free without consequence?"

A reporter called out, "Ms. Schnee, do you have proof of these allegations?"

"Headmaster Ozpin has confirmed to me personally that he was aware of Ms. Belladonna's background when he admitted her," Weiss replied smoothly, "I invite him to deny this publicly if he wishes. I also invite the Vale Council to investigate this matter thoroughly, as the safety of our kingdom may well be at stake."

Another reporter shouted, "Where is this Blake Belladonna now?"

"She fled Beacon last night, after I confronted her about her past," Weiss answered, letting the implication of guilt hang in the air, "I believe that speaks volumes about her intentions and the validity of my concerns."

The press conference erupted into chaos as reporters shouted questions. Weiss remained composed, answering selectively, painting a picture of institutional failure and dangerous negligence that left no doubt about her message: Ozpin had compromised the integrity of Beacon Academy for reasons unknown.

By noon, the news had spread throughout Vale. By evening, it had reached the other kingdoms.

The Vale Council called an emergency session.

[line break]

Ozpin sat behind his desk, hands steepled in front of him, as the holographic projections of the Council members glared down at him, "This is a public relations nightmare, Ozpin," Councilwoman Hill said, "A terrorist? At Beacon? What were you thinking?"

"Ms. Belladonna is a young woman who made the conscious choice to leave an organization when she recognized it had strayed from its original purpose," Ozpin replied calmly, "I believe in second chances."

"Second chances are for petty criminals and troubled youth," Councilman Jade countered, "Not for members of an organization responsible for hundreds of deaths and millions in property damage."

"The girl is barely seventeen-"

"Which means she was actively involved in the White Fang during their transition to violent tactics," another councilor interrupted, "The timing lines up perfectly with the Dust shop bombings two years ago."

Ozpin took a slow breath, "There is no evidence linking Ms. Belladonna to any specific attack."

"Because the White Fang operates in cells specifically to prevent identification of individual members," Hill snapped, "Don't play games with us, Ozpin. You've put all of Vale at risk with this decision. The headmaster of Beacon Academy deliberately allowing a terrorist to receive Huntress training?! The public is in an uproar!"

"I believe I've made Vale safer by giving a young faunus with exceptional abilities a path away from extremism.

"And now she's disappeared," Jade pointed out, "Perhaps back to her White Fang associates, with whatever intelligence she gathered during her time at your academy. If this Belladonna is so sincere in her regret, why did she run instead of facing the consequences of her actions?"

Ozpin's grip on his coffee mug tightened slightly, the only visible sign of his frustration, "I stand by my decision."

"That's unfortunate," Councilman Rook said coldly, "Because the Council doesn't. We'll be launching a full investigation into your admission practices, and you'll be required to submit detailed background checks on every student currently enrolled. If we find another questionable student in your midst, you'll have a lot of explaining to do."

"And Ms. Schnee," Councilman Jade added, "She'll need to be protected from any potential retaliation. The White Fang has already demonstrated their willingness to target SDC assets. We can't have the SDC heiress becoming a victim on Beacon grounds."

Ozpin nodded once, his expression unreadable, "I'll see to Ms. Schnee's situation personally."

[line break]

The summons to Ozpin's office came the following afternoon. Weiss walked through the academy with her head held high, ignoring the whispers and stares that followed her. Some students looked at her with admiration, others with disdain, but none approached her - the invisible barrier her actions had created kept everyone at a distance.

Ruby and Yang had barely spoken to her since Blake's departure. They'd moved their belongings to the far side of the dorm room, creating a physical divide that mirrored the emotional one. Ruby's eyes were perpetually red-rimmed from crying, while Yang's smoldered with barely contained fury whenever they made eye contact. Weiss paid them no mind. Hypocrites, she thought. So quick to jump to Blake's defense and demonize her because she dared not be comfortable with living with a 'former' terrorist.

The elevator ride to Ozpin's office felt longer than usual. When the doors opened, Weiss was surprised to find not only Ozpin waiting for her, but also Glynda Goodwitch and General Ironwood, who had apparently arrived from Atlas in response to the situation.

"Ms. Schnee," Ozpin greeted her, his voice neutral, "Please, have a seat."

Weiss sat down, back straight, hands folded in her lap, "Headmaster. Professor Goodwitch. General."

"I'll get straight to the point," Ozpin said, hands steepled together, "In light of recent events, we believe it would be in everyone's best interest if you were to continue your education elsewhere."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "You're expelling me for telling the truth?"

"Not expelling," General Ironwood said. Judging from his tone and the way he looked at the Headmaster, he wasn't happy to be here either, "Transferring. To Atlas Academy, effective immediately."

"I see." Weiss's expression didn't change, "You're removing me rather than addressing the actual problem."

"You've created an untenable situation, Ms. Schnee," Professor Goodwitchsaid tersely, "You've undermined the headmaster's authority, damaged Beacon's reputation, and compromised the safety of a fellow student."

"A fellow student who was a member of a terrorist organization," Weiss countered, "I notice none of you have denied that fact."

Ozpin leaned forward, "Ms. Belladonna deserved the chance to rebuild her life."

"And the people who died at the hands of the White Fang? Did they deserve to have their killer walk free, given elite combat training, with no justice served?" Weiss's voice remained level, but her eyes had hardened, "What about the next victims when she inevitably returns to her old colleagues?"

"You don't know that she would have," Ozpin replied.

"And you don't know that she wouldn't," Weiss shot back, "But you were willing to gamble with innocent lives to find out." A heavy silence filled the office. Because what could they say, really? Was she wrong to not want to live under the same room as a Faunus terrorist? If they said so out loud, no amount of justifications would allow them to save face.

"Your airship to Atlas leaves this evening," Ozpin finally said, "General Ironwood will personally escort you to ensure your safety."

"Good." Weiss stood up, smoothing her combat skirt, "I fought for the right to attend Beacon because I thought you were the best of the four academies. That I could learn more here than I ever could in Atlas." Her gaze swept across all three of them, landing finally on Ozpin, "I've never been more disappointed."

"For what it's worth, Ms. Schnee," Ozpin said as she turned to leave, "I hope one day you'll understand that forgiveness is not weakness. It is perhaps the most difficult strength to cultivate."

Weiss paused at the elevator. "How convenient for Blake that forgiveness requires her to not face any consequences for her past actions. That's not forgiveness, Headmaster. That's coddling and enabling." She stepped inside and ignored the old man's look of disappointment. She was beyond caring what he thought of her.

[line break]

In the dim dorm room, Ruby sat on Blake's empty bed, holding the black ribbon her teammate had left behind in her hurried escape. Yang paced back and forth, muttering curses under her breath, "She's being transferred?" Ruby asked, her voice small, "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Yang confirmed, punching her palm, "Atlas Academy. Ironwood's taking her tonight."

"So our team is just... gone?"

Yang stopped pacing and sat beside her sister, putting an arm around her shoulders, "I don't know what happens now, Rubes. I guess they'll reassign us, or..."

The door opened, and Weiss walked in. Both sisters stiffened, watching as she went to her side of the room and began methodically packing her belongings into pristine white suitcases. For several minutes, no one spoke. The only sound was the soft rustling of clothing and the occasional click of Dust containers being secured.

"So you're really leaving," Ruby finally said.

Weiss didn't look up, "Yes."

"Does that make you happy?" Yang demanded, "You got what you wanted. Blake's gone. Now you're gone. Our team's gone."

"I didn't want any of this," Weiss replied, her voice tight, "I wanted honesty. I wanted accountability. I wanted to attend an academy that didn't harbor terrorists."

"Blake was changing," Ruby insisted, tears welling in her eyes again, "She left the White Fang because she wanted to do better."

"Perhaps." Weiss closed one suitcase with a crisp snap, "But you don't get to wipe away blood with good intentions."

Yang stood up, fists clenched, "You don't even care, do you? About what happens to her? About what happens to us?"

Weiss finally looked up, and for the briefest moment, there was something vulnerable in her ice-blue eyes, "I care about justice. I care about the people who never got to have second chances because the White Fang decided they didn't deserve to live."

"You could have handled it differently," Ruby said softly, "We could have helped her make amends, do better, actually make a difference!"

"And who would that have brought back from the dead?" Weiss asked quietly, "The security guard with two children? The Dust miners buried in a collapsed tunnel? My mother's best friend who disappeared three years ago, whose body was never found?" She let out a frustrated breath, "You never did answer my question, Yang. If Blake and her merry little band of extremists killed someone you knew, would you be arguing that I made the wrong choice?"

Neither of them answered. Typical.

Weiss returned to her packing, "General Ironwood is waiting for me. I have an airship to catch."

Yang turned away, looking out the window at the Beacon grounds below, "I hope Atlas is everything you want it to be, Schnee."

"It won't be," Weiss replied, so softly they almost didn't hear her, "But at least it won't be built on lies." She picked up her suitcases and walked to the door, pausing one last time to look at the room that had briefly been her home, at the teammates who had briefly been her friends. For a moment, Weiss was tempted to say something more - something kinder, something that might bridge the gulf between them. If not reconcile, at least leave on a less bitter note.

But the moment passed. With a small nod, Weiss walked out of Team RWBY's dorm room for the last time, leaving behind the broken pieces of what could have been.

[line break]

The cargo container reeked of fish and salt, the stench so potent it made Blake's eyes water. But the smell was the least of her concerns as the ship lurched violently in the rough waters between Vale and... wherever this vessel was headed. She'd stopped caring about the destination days ago. Anywhere but Vale and Solitas would suffice.

Blake pressed her back against the cold metal wall, knees drawn to her chest, her newly shorn hair barely brushing her shoulders. The rough scissors she'd used had made a mess of it, but that was the point. To look different, to be unrecognizable. The bow was gone too, snagged against the window when she jumped out the dorm room. Her faunus ears were exposed to the damp air, twitching at every creak and groan of the ship's hull.

She hadn't seen daylight in three days, emerging from her hiding spot only during the darkest hours of night to steal water from the ship's stores. Food was whatever she could scavenge - stale bread, canned goods with labels worn away, anything she could take without being noticed.

A small portable scroll she'd picked up on the black market in Vale's seedier districts was her only window to the outside world (her old one shattered and thrown to the bottom of the harbor. Its screen cast a pale blue glow over her face as she scrolled through news reports, each one worse than the last.

BEACON ACADEMY SCANDAL: WHITE FANG INFILTRATOR EXPOSED

SCHNEE HEIRESS NARROWLY ESCAPES ASSASSINATION PLOT

VALE COUNCIL LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO HUNTSMAN ACADEMIES

SDC INCREASES SECURITY AFTER TERRORIST THREAT

Her own face stared back at her from every report - not her Beacon school photo, but an old White Fang propaganda image someone had dug up. Blake in her White Fang mask, standing beside Adam, fist raised in defiance. Jacques Schnee's media machine had worked overtime, crafting a narrative that painted her as Adam's right hand, sent to Beacon specifically to eliminate the Schnee heiress. The SDC was just another victim from those dirty Animals.

The irony was bitter. She'd shared a room with Weiss for weeks. If she'd wanted to harm her, she'd had countless opportunities, "God damn it..." Blake whispered, closing the news feed. The Schnee patriarch had transformed her from a former White Fang member seeking redemption into a bloodthirsty assassin lying in wait. The public ate it up. It was far more sensational than the truth.

More painful were the statements from the White Fang itself. Adam had released a video, his masked face filling the screen as he condemned her as a traitor to the cause, a deserter who had abandoned her people to curry favor with humans. The organization had formally disavowed her, declaring that Blake Belladonna was no longer welcome among their ranks. He even brought up how she attacked their Brothers and Sisters at the docks. Which was, of course, disregarded by the legitimate news networks as another false flag operation.

She was caught in a lethal crossfire. Hunted by the authorities as a dangerous terrorist and branded a traitor by her former comrades. The White Fang wouldn't actively hunt her down - they had more important things to worry about than a disillusioned teenager - but she couldn't expect any help or sanctuary from faunus communities influenced by the organization.

She thought about Menagerie. Home. Or what had been home, before she'd run away to join the White Fang, before she'd spat in her parents' faces and call them cowards for seeking peaceful solutions. The thought of facing her father made her stomach clench with shame. And her mother, whose letters she'd ignored for years. How could she return now, a failure, a fugitive, with nothing to show for her years away but a trail of destruction?

But what choice did she have? Vale was lost to her. Atlas was Schnee territory. Vacuo might offer anonymity, but its harsh desert climate and lawless society would be difficult to navigate without connections. And Mistral's complex social hierarchies and widespread discrimination against faunus made it nearly as dangerous as Atlas.

She could try to disappear into some remote village in the hinterlands of Anima or the badlands of Vacuo, places so isolated they barely received CCT signals. Places where news traveled slowly, if at all. But surviving in places like that without resources or support would be challenging at best, fatal at worst. Menagerie, for all its flaws - overcrowded, under-resourced, effectively a glorified reservation for faunus - offered her best chance. Her parents' position might shield her... assuming they were willing to take her back.

Blake leaned her head against the cold metal wall, amber eyes staring into the darkness. Her dream of becoming a Huntress, of making a difference and redeeming herself through protecting others - all of it shattered in a single night. No academy would accept her now, not with her face plastered across every news outlet as a dangerous terrorist.

She thought of her teammates. Ruby's unwavering optimism, her belief that they could work things out. Yang's fierce loyalty, her readiness to stand between Blake and danger. Even Weiss... before everything fell apart, there had been moments when Blake thought they might understand each other, move past their histories.

But Weiss had proven her wrong. And maybe Weiss had been right to do so. Maybe some sins couldn't be forgiven, some bridges couldn't be rebuilt once burned. Her gut burned with indignation. Weiss' family had done horrible things to her race under the guise of legality because it was profitable. How was this any different?

The ship lurched suddenly, sending Blake sliding across the damp floor of the container. Outside, she could hear shouting, the heavy footfalls of the crew moving with urgency. She crawled to the small air vent that allowed her to hear what happened on deck, pressing her sensitive cat ear against it.

"Atlas military vessel, two o'clock!" someone shouted. "They're signaling for us to stop for inspection!"

Blake's blood ran cold. Atlas military meant Schnee influence. The SDC had likely paid for increased patrols, especially on routes to going anywhere but Solitas.

"What are they looking for?" another voice asked.

"What do you think? That White Fang girl from Beacon. The one who was after the Schnee girl."

"She wouldn't be stupid enough to board a commercial vessel, would she?"

"Desperate people do desperate things. And the bounty's high enough that they're checking everything."

Blake retreated from the vent, heart pounding. She needed to move, now. If they found her here, there would be no escape, no second chances. She grabbed her meager belongings - Gambol Shroud, the scroll, a canteen of water, and what little food she had left - and stuffed them into a small pack. Then she pried open a maintenance hatch in the floor of the container that she'd discovered on her first day aboard. It led to a narrow crawlspace between the cargo hold's floor and the ship's hull.

As she lowered herself into the tight space, Blake wondered if this would be her life now. Always running, always hiding, never able to stay in one place for long. A ghost fleeing from her past with no future to run toward.

She thought of Adam, of the path he'd chosen, of how his hatred had consumed him until violence became not just a tactic but an end in itself. She'd left to avoid becoming like him, but now she was trapped in a different kind of cage.

The distant sound of boots on metal reached her sensitive ears as the inspection began. Blake pulled the hatch closed above her and began the slow, painful process of worming her way through the cramped crawlspace toward the stern of the ship. There was a small maintenance door there that led to the outside - meant for emergency repairs at sea, but it would serve as her escape route if needed.

The irony wasn't lost on her. Once again, Blake Belladonna was running away. It was what she did best, after all. Run from the White Fang when their methods became too extreme. Run from Beacon when her past caught up with her. Run from the authorities who saw her as a terrorist and the former allies who saw her as a traitor.

But where do you run when the whole world is hunting you? When your face is known across every kingdom? When both sides of a conflict you tried to leave behind want you dead or imprisoned?

As she inched her way through the darkness, Blake realized she had no answer. Her second chance was gone, shattered by Weiss's unyielding sense of 'justice' and her own inability to outrun her past. Her dream of being a Huntress - of using her skills to protect the innocent rather than terrorize the guilty - had slipped beyond her reach, perhaps forever. All that remained was survival. One day at a time. One hiding place to the next. And the faint, fading hope that someday, somehow, she might find a third chance in a world that rarely offered second ones.

Above her, the sound of the inspection grew closer. Blake held her breath and pressed herself against the cold metal of the ship's hull.

And waited for her next opportunity to run.

[line break]

OOF. Yeah, like I said, this is heavy. No happy ending, no reconciliation, just a team completely shattered. Blake's a fugitive, Weiss has completely lost faith in Ozpin and Beacon, and Ruby and Yang are just checked out completely. Assuming stuff like the Fall is still in place, Cinder must be gleefully running her hands together about how Weiss just made her job of spreading negativity way easier.

Question:

1. The obvious one. Do you think Weiss was right and/or justified to do what she did? From what I gather, the White Fang has been targeting the SDC since Weiss was a child. Unjustifiably? No, we hear about all the awful things the SDC has done. But Weiss would've been a target since she was a child and that would shape her view heavily growing up.

Likewise, was Blake justified to run instead of staying to deal with the aftermath? Weiss brushes away her company's actions, but unlike Blake, she wasn't an active participant given that she was a child and then a teenager for the worst of it whereas Blake was actively helping plans and participating in raids. Even if she never directly killed innocent people, she assisted Adam and others that did.