I was careful not to get caught as I snuck back into my dorm at Beacon. As I did so, I noticed that sneaking out of, then back into Beacon Academy had become a habit of mine, despite the fact I was already on Glynda's bad side and if I did much more of this, she'd probably put a shock collar on me or something like that.

As I entered my dorm, I noticed most of my team was fast asleep in their beds. All except Aria of course, who was practically nocturnal.

"Hey." She greeted, "How're you liking the new Crimson Edge?"

"I'm impressed." I replied, "You and Oliver made some incredible designs. Now, my sheath is its own weapon, Final Sight. Remind me to thank Oliver too next time I see him."

"Alright." Aria nodded, "So, what're you gonna do?"

"I'm going to sleep." I sighed, crawling into my bed, "I'm still feeling a little worn out from Aftin's 'Experiment'. I should be more awake tomorrow."

"'Kay." Aria nodded, "Night." I then went to sleep.

********

I made myself wake up and get dressed early the next morning, before any other member of my team. I decided I'd head down to the infirmary for a bit before breakfast. I walked down to the school's infirmary, letting out a deep sigh as I entered. Just like I expected, team RWBY was still lying in their beds, unconscious from the lethal doses of ShadowDust they'd been injected with ten days ago. I grit my teeth, cursing under my breath. I couldn't help but blame myself for what had happened. If I'd been swifter, I could've prevented this. I sighed, walking up to Ruby.

"Aftin's gonna pay for what he did to you..." I promised before heading back to my own dorm. By the time I got back, Aria and Odd were already awake and Violet was slowly starting to wake up too.

"Well, you got ready pretty early." Odd commented.

"Went to go check on your girlfriend?" Aria asked.

"Not just her." I answered, "I'm concerned for all of team RWBY. I wanna know as soon as they wake up."

"You really care about them, don't you?" Odd asked.

"They're our friends." I sighed, "Besides, I'm the one that wasn't strong enough to save them from getting captured by Aftin. It's my fault they're like this."

"No it's not." Aria replied, "None of us saw Aftin coming."

"But I should have." I argued, "I should've known someone would try and get to me through my friends."

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself." Violet grumbled, starting to wake up, "Aftin Caught us with our pants down, there was nothing any of us could've done, even you. And when they wake up, I know team RWBY will agree. Now please, enough with the depressing crap."

"Heheh..." I sighed, "Thanks, Violet, you always know just what to say..." I let out a deep sigh, "Oh well... Can't change what happened."

"Yeah." Aria nodded, "But what we can do is head to breakfast, I'm starving!"

"Okay, okay." I sighed, "Let's head down for breakfast."

So, we all got ready, going to breakfast. I simply had some pancakes, Odd had a bagel, Violet was eating some pizza, and Aria's plate was stacked with a large variety of foods.

"That's quite the breakfast." Violet sweat dropped.

"WhiteBloods need to eat a lot." Aria explained, "Since I have so much power, I need a lot of food to keep my energy up."

"Did you just make that up?" Odd asked.

"Wha-NO!" Aria blushed, "What makes you think that?!"

"Well, for one, you're the ONLY WhiteBlood out there," Odd began, "Also, you only just recently found out you're a WhiteBlood, leading me to believe you wouldn't really know much about WhiteBloods."

"Sh-shut up!" Aria demanded.

"Comedy routines so early in the morning?" a familiar voice caught my attention. I turned to see John Hiwata, someone I considered a friend, though I didn't see him very often. He was also a team leader.

"Oh, hi John." I greeted as he pushed his glasses up.

"You know this guy?" Aria asked.

"They sparred before we took our trip to meet your parents." Violet answered, her face simplifying.

"Oh!" Aria began in realization, "Now that I think of it, he DOES look familiar!"

"It's been a while," I began, aiming to strike up conversation, "What's up?"

"Nothing, compared to you guys." John began, "I heard about what happened ten days ago. You sure you've fully recovered?"

"Mostly." I nodded, "That fight pushed me farther than I've ever been pushed. I'm just glad team RWBY made it out in one piece too."

"I heard about what happened to them." John sighed, "Are they okay?"

"They'll make a full recovery." I answered, "Hopefully soon. I'd hate for them to miss that tournament between Beacon and those other schools. It's just right around the corner, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah." John agreed, "Just a few months away. Well, I figured you guys should know, apparently, our teams are gonna be sent on a mission together."

"Really?" Violet asked, "Why?"

"Remember, the Grimm population is still increasing fairly dangerously," I explained, "for safety purposes, multiple teams get sent for each mission. Normally, our team would've been sent with team RWBY. But they're... unavailable. So, it makes sense that we'd be paired up with another team, in this case, John's team."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." A familiar, uninterested voice groaned as Heather, a member of John's team and possibly the biggest pessimist I've ever met, joined the conversation and leaned against a wall. "You again." She groaned, looking at me.

"Nice to see you too." I said, sarcasm lingering in my voice.

"Think your team will mind meeting mine?" John asked.

"That's a good idea." I nodded, "If we're working together, we oughta know each other." John then motioned toward the other two members of his team as they walked up to our table. One of them had dark brown hair and a pair of goggles. In his eyes, I saw intelligence. The other guy had light blond hair and displayed much less intelligence. Actually, he seemed reckless and irresponsible, judging from his posture, and the look of his eyes.

"Nathan Black," John began, introducing me to the brown-haired guy first, "Meet Oscar Crane."

"It's nice to meet you, Nathan," Oscar greeted, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Please, the pleasure's mine." I replied, smiling as I offered a handshake. He looked at my cybernetic right hand.

"That's impressive..." He began, examining the hand and arm, "I'm curious, how does this work?"

"The arm goes all the way into my shoulder," I explained, "And it's welded into my skeleton. There's a symbiotic connection between this and my brain, allowing me to use it just as easy as a regular arm."

"Interesting..." Oscar pondered, "How is it powered?"

"This is meant to be a replacement for the arm I lost," I began, "And as such, it runs on blood flow, rather than electricity or anything like that."

"I didn't know that was possible." Oscar seemed impressed, "You'll have to explain more later."

"Yeah, maybe." I nodded, then turned to the other guy, "And you are-"

"Nikey Brooks." The other guy interrupted with an arrogant grin as he flexed his hardly existent muscles, "Must be an honor for you to meet me."

"Sorry about him..." John and Oscar sweat dropped, "He's kinda... sorta..."

"An idiot." Heather finished.

"Well, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" I asked.

"She's right though..." John and Oscar sweat dropped as Nikey walked up to Aria.

"Hey, girl," Nikey began, flirting horribly, "You look good. Would you like to-"

"Don't even think about it." Aria interrupted, not even looking at Nikey, "I WILL hurt you."

"Heh, heard that one before..." Nikey began, then noticed Violet's plate of pizza, "Ooh..." He reached for a slice, but Violet grabbed his wrist.

"Not if you wanna keep that hand." Violet hissed. She then shoved Nikey a little, making him step back.

"Sorry about him..." John sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"It's fine." I sweat dropped, "So, when are our teams heading out?"

"Tomorrow." John nodded, "Figured I'd give you guys a heads-up."

"Thanks." I nodded, "We'll prepare."

After that, the day passed normally. I found out that our mission would be supervised by William Clidesdale, Aria's dad. I'd love to get into detail about each class and such, but as you've undoubtedly noticed, I don't tend to pay a lot of attention in class. However, one interesting thing did happen about halfway through the day. I was suddenly contacted by Vincent through the com-link in my eye. (Remember, only Vincent and I can hear each other at this point, that's how the com-link works)

"Nathan, there's something strange I realized that we need to talk about." Vincent began urgently.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Remember your fight with team RWBY?" Vincent inquired.

"How could I forget?" I sighed, reaching up and brushing my hand against the vertical scar on my right eye.

"During that battle, your body was put into critical condition." Vincent explained, "No matter how I look at it, the ShadowDust in your blood SHOULD have activated! You should have lost control during that fight, going into your full BlackBlood mode!"

"I know what you're saying." I agreed, "I could feel it, too. I was going nuts slowly during that fight. But I couldn't let myself turn. Not around my friends anyway. I wasn't gonna be the monster people fear I am."

"Incredible..." Vincent breathed, "I knew you had a strong will, but to fight off the inevitable change of a BlackBlood... it would seem Ruby wasn't the only one with special genetic traits. If you can fight off the dark effects of your BlackBlood nature, maybe you could even gain control over it."

"Yeah, that'd be swell." I sighed, "So, you're saying I'm good, right? That I don't have to worry about going dark in front of my friends?"

"I wouldn't say that..." Vincent began, "Just because you were able to fight it off then, that doesn't mean the same will happen every time your body is put in critical condition. Also remember, as a BlackBlood, you still need a steady supply of kills to maintain control of your sanity. Finally, you must maintain mental control above all else. If you are put in a period of high mental stress, you won't be able to think straight, and as a result, you won't be able to stay in control."

"Sounds easy enough..." I began, "As far as keeping my body out of critical condition, I don't think anything will match-up to the beating I took 10 days ago. As for a steady supply of kills, that's hardly even a factor. There are so many Grimm out there, I can get my fill of kills easy. And when it comes to mental stress, nothing could be more stressful than that empty year I spent alone, after leaving the Black Program and before joining Beacon. I've never felt less stressed."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're so confident." Vincent began, "It seems you're in full control. However, I would like to run some tests on a sample of your DNA if you don't mind. Perhaps you possess a special gene I had overlooked."

"Alright." I sighed, "I'll swing by DIAL's lab after school. But we'll have to be quick, I got a mission to prepare for."

"Very well." Vincent confirmed, "I'll see you then."

"Right." I replied. After that, the day seemed to finish up quickly.

Sneaking out of Beacon unnoticed has never been a problem for me. Being an ex-assassin, sneaking in and out of places like this is about as difficult as taking a nap. But this time, I was going to head down alone. It was a small thing, I didn't need a group. So, I simply told my team I was gonna take a nap. Technically, I was still recovering from my previous battle, so it wasn't very suspicious for me to take a few hours for resting. While laying in bed, I used Blake's semblance, creating a fake Shadow Clone of myself to lay in bed while I was away. I looked down at the fake me, sighing. I then used Ruby's semblance to speed off toward DIAL's lab. On my own, I was able to make it there in less than a half hour.

"Nathan, welcome!" Vincent greeted as I arrived, "How was school?"

"It was fine." I sighed, "Can we make this quick?"

"Of course." Vincent nodded, and we walked into the lab. As we walked, we passed my ex-girlfriend, Jackie. Jackie and I didn't say anything to each other. We barely even looked at each other. I knew she was still upset about me leaving.

Vincent and I walked into a white room, one that could easily be mistaken for a dentist's office with a chair in the middle of the room.

"The process is simple," Vincent began as I took a seat in the chair, "To appropriately analyze your genetic coding, I need three different samples of DNA: Blood, Saliva, and a strand of hair. Do you mind?" He offered me a swab.

"Alright," I stated, taking the swab and sticking it in my mouth. I ran the swab along my cheeks and the roof of my mouth, then pulled it out and handed it to Vincent. As he accepted it and put it in a sealed vial, I reached up and plucked a long strand of hair from my head and handed that to Vincent.

"Good, good." Vincent smiled as he put that in a sealed contained as well. He then pulled out a large syringe. "Arm, please." Vincent began. I held out my left arm, and he grabbed hold of it. I felt a slight pinch as the long needle pierced my skin, going into my vein. "Hope you're not bad with needles." Vincent joked as he used the syringe, extracting a vial of black blood. He then pulled the needle out of my arm. "Great job." Vincent joked, "Would you like a lollipop?"

"Ha ha." I fake laughed, "There, you got your DNA samples."

"It'll take some time to properly analyze your genetic makeup." Vincent explained, "Looks like a sleepless night of research and data-crunching for me."

"Sorry to hear." I sighed, "Well, hate to cut the reunion short, but I'd better get back to Beacon." I began to walk out.

"Wait, Nathan." Vincent called, making me stop and turn, "Play nice on your mission."

"Heh," I grinned, "and they say you're not funny." I then left.

As always, sneaking back into Beacon was just as easy as sneaking out. I was able to slip past security provisions, passing by teachers and such. I nearly messed up when I almost walked right into Glynda Goodwitch, but I managed to sneak around. I made it to my dorm, quietly opening the door, slipping in, and closing the door without a sound. I let out a deep sigh.

"Ahem!" Someone clearing their throat caught my attention and I turned to see Aria, Violet, and Odd, all with their arms crossed. I sweat dropped, laughing nervously. Aria pointed at the rose petals I'd left on the floor earlier from using Ruby's semblance. As she did so, the Shadow Clone resting in my bed then evaporated into nothing.

"Busted." Violet said simply.

"What were you doing out?" Aria asked.

"Vincent needed some samples of my DNA." I answered plainly, "So I went down there real quick."

"Why all the sneaking?" Aria questioned.

"I know you guys." I explained, "If I had told you I'd be leaving, you'd come with me whether I like it or not." Blade, who at this point was resting on Aria's bed, lifted his head up to speak.

"It is true." Blade confirmed, "In going alone, Nathan was able to keep his visit brief. Had the rest of the team joined, it would have taken much longer."

"Shut up..." Aria sighed, "You still could've told us."

"It was just a small thing." I argued.

"Well, what's done is done." Odd shrugged, "No use arguing about it now. But I'm curious, what did Vincent need DNA samples for?"

"You remember my fight with team RWBY?" I asked, "During that fight, I should've lost control and gone into BlackBlood mode, but I managed to fight it off. Vincent thinks there might be some special gene in my body that let me fight it off, so he needed fresh DNA samples to analyze."

"I see..." Odd nodded, "So, if you DO have some special gene, does that mean you'll get stronger?"

"Honestly, I don't know what it means." I shrugged, "There's a good chance that Vincent's wrong, but I don't know. For now, I think I'd like to relax for the day. I get the feeling that tomorrow's gonna be a tiring mission..."

****(The Next Day)****

"So, you like, fought that team while they were possessed?" Nikey asked as our teams rode an airship, "Was it, like, the Exorcist or something?"

"No, Nikey," I groaned, my left eyebrow twitching in annoyance, "ShadowDust ISN'T demon possession! ShadowDust forces its host to give into their deepest, animal killing instincts."

"Oh..." Nikey began, "So, if it makes you an animal, does it make you, y'know, take a dump outside?"

"Someone stop him!" Violet shouted, hitting her face hard on the wall repeatedly, "He's been going on with the stupid questions FOR TWO HOURS!!"

"Try living with him..." John and Oscar sweat dropped. Aria and Odd weren't paying attention, they were in the middle of a heated arm-wrestling match, which quickly ended as Aria slammed Odd's arm down.

"Soooo..." Nikey began again, "When you fought that team, did their heads, like, spin around."

"Look, Nikey," I groaned, struggling to keep calm, "Stop asking about my fight with team RWBY, I don't want to talk about it. It's bad enough I couldn't keep them from getting hurt..." I looked down.

"Pathetic." Heather suddenly blurted, leaning against the airship wall.

"What?!" I hissed.

"Your friends," Heather shrugged, "You mean to tell me they were too weak to keep themselves from getting kidnapped by a guy that doesn't even know how to fight?! That's hilariously useless!" My eyes turned red as I glared at Heather, who seemed unphased by my glare. "C'mon," She continued, "Even you oughta know, people that weak don't belong here."

Suddenly, I punched the wall hard, mere inches from Heather's face. My fist made the metal wall bend with a loud creaking noise, but Heather didn't even flinch.

"Don't insult my friends!" I threatened, glaring into her eyes, "It might be the last thing you ever do!" Heather held my glare. Suddenly, I felt her fist dig into my gut, a surprise attack I hadn't anticipated. I groaned as she shoved me back.

"Whatever." Heather sighed, walking past me, "You're not worth my time."

"Hey!" Aria hissed, "Don't be such a jerk!"

"Shut up." Heather demanded.

"You little...!" Aria began as she and Heather prepared to fight.

"I see our teams are getting along splendidly..." I sweat dropped as I stood next to John.

"I was hoping for better than this..." John sighed, "I'm sorry about Heather insulting your friends. She's pretty insensitive..."

"It's fine." I began, "I'm not so petty that I'd hold it against you."

"Thanks." John nodded. Meanwhile, Aria and Heather were clashing fists.

"Hey, lovebirds." Violet called, making them stop, "We're just about there for the mission."

"Right." William Clidesdale (Who, up until now was staying out of our conversations) began, taking up a keyboard.

"What you gonna do," Heather sneered, "Make the Grimm go deaf with your awful music?"

"Shut up, Heather!" Aria yelled, throwing a random book at Heather's head.

"Well," William grinned as he folded a quarter of the keyboard over to reveal several different shotgun barrels, "Something like that."

"My X-Ray indicates that the keys of your instrument trigger different blasts of Dust energy." Blade suddenly stated.

"That's right." William nodded, "You're pretty smart, wolf." He then turned to us, "The mission's pretty basic. We're to head into this old abandoned city and 'take care' of as many Grimm as we come across. It's as simple as that."

"So, we just beat up whatever gets in our way?" Heather grinned, "Finally, somebody starts talking sense!" She took up her sword as Oscar readied his staff. Nikey began to twirl nunchucks in his hands with a cocky grin as he also readies some kind of hoverboard, and John adjusted his glasses slightly before unsheathing his katanas. Aria cracked her knuckles, the armor around her arms acting as claws. Violet loaded a full clip of ammo into each of her pistols, and Odd drew his broadsword. Dozens of blades poked out of Blade's legs and his whip-like tail as I gripped Crimson Edge, unsheathing it.

"BlackBloods need to kill..." I began, resting my blade on my shoulder as the airship finished landing in an old abandoned city, "Time to feed the need!"

We all exited the airship to be quickly greeted by a horde of Ursa, Beowolves, and a Death Stalker.

"We'll have to take out the big guy first." Odd began, pointing to the Death Stalker with his sword, "Hey, Nathan, how about we try some of those synchronized attacks we've been working at?"

"Yeah." I nodded, "I think we're ready for it. We'll be right back, John." Then without another word, my team and I charged forward. "First things first," I began, "Odd, Violet! Death Dance!"

"Right!" Violet nodded as Odd ran ahead. Odd stopped, sheathed his blade, then held out his hands. Violet jumped up, stepping on Odd's hands as Odd tossed her over the Death Stalker. As she flew over the beast, Violet shot at its back with rapid blasts from her pistols. It roared angrily as Violet landed on the other side, and Odd slashed the Death Stalker's face while it was distracted.

"Blade!" I called, "You and me, Cybernetic Bloodbath!"

"On it!" Blade nodded. I transformed Final Sight into machine gun form, loaded it with a red Dust Shell, and sent a wave of fiery blasts on the Death Stalker as dozens of knives shot from Blade's body into the Death Stalker's face.

"Let's end it, Aria!" I demanded, turning Final Sight into sword form and attaching it to Crimson Edge with its chain, "Black and White!"

"About time!" Aria grinned as she readied one of her sickles, attached to her armor via a chain. I threw Crimson Edge at Aria while she threw her Sickle at me. Our weapons got tangled into an extra long "jump rope". We both ran by the Death Stalker, sweeping our chain under its legs and tripping it. As it struggled to get back up, I gripped the chain with both hands and began to pull hard, swinging it, and Aria, in circles like a ball and chain. I then slammed it down hard, sending Aria skyrocketing down at the Death Stalker's head. She punched it upon landing, and the collision sent dust and dirt everywhere. When it settled, the Death Stalker's severed head was rolling away from the body as Aria stood on its corpse, grinning.

"Well done, guys." I nodded in approval as Aria and I untangled our chains. I turned Final Sight back into sheath form as an Ursa prepared to attack me from behind.

"Nathan!" Violet exclaimed. Suddenly I twirled my sword, then stabbed the Ursa behind me without looking at it. I pulled out my blade and slowly put it back in the sheath. When my sword finished being sheathed, the Ursa fell into two halves, dead.

"Yes, Violet?" I grinned.

"Nevermind..." Violet sweat dropped, "I think you got 'em..." I looked over at team JOHN, who seemed to be holding out alright on their own against the Ursa and Beowolves.

"Shall we help them?" I asked.

"Why not?" Aria grinned, readying her Sickles. I noticed an Ursa grab Oscar by the face and start thrashing him around. Using Ruby's semblance, I got there almost instantly. I then ran my right fist through the Ursa's back, my hand poking out of its chest. It howled in surprise and pain as it dropped Oscar. It began to thrash around wildly, dragging me with it. I noticed my hand was stuck inside the beast.

"Oh, come on!" I groaned as I tried to pull my arm out, "Fine! If you're gonna be stubborn...!" I then grabbed hold of the Ursa with my left hand. I grit my teeth as I lifted the howling beast above my head. It flailed its arms and legs around wildly as I began to pull. Suddenly, with an unsettling snapping noise, I ripped the Ursa in half, freeing my right arm as I sent the lower and upper half of the beast's body in different directions. Oscar turned a little green at the sight of the brutal killing, but got up.

"Thanks." He managed, patting his clothes to dust himself off.

"No problem." I nodded, brushing shreds of black flesh off my right arm. I then looked over at a Beowolf creeping toward us. "Blade." I ordered. Blade then shot three knives, each going into the Beowolf's neck and face. I looked around as the beast dropped dead. There weren't any Grimm left in the immediate area as Heather finished beating an extra large Ursa to death. "You guys did well." I nodded to team JOHN.

"Tell me somethin' I don't know!" Nikey grinned, twirling his nunchucks. He still seemed overly cocky, but it was something I could overlook. Suddenly, William shot a blast in my direction. The blast went past my face, hitting a Beowolf behind me.

"You missed one." William grinned as the sneaky Beowolf fell over, dead.

"Nice shot." I complimented.

"Dad, you're awesome!" Aria smiled, hugging her father.

"Well, that's it for this bit." William continued, "We'll have to fight a few more hordes before we can head back, but all things considered, we should be back at Beacon in a day or two. For now, take a rest."

"Yes sir." Oscar breathed a sigh of relief as he took a seat on a crumbled chunk of what probably used to be a wall.

"Guess we should follow his lead." I began, looking at my team, "We'll rest for now."

We rested, and the rest of the day passed without a whole lot happening. There were a few Grimm that tried to get at us while we rested, but they were taken out almost immediately. Later that night, we took refuge in an abandoned building. As the team and William rested, Blade and I sat on the roof of the building. I stared up at the large, broken moon, sighing.

"You seem mentally stressed." Blade began, "I suspect that you still feel guilty about what happened with team RWBY?"

"They're my friends..." I sighed, "They trusted me, and I let them down. They've been stuck in critical condition for way too long because of what Aftin did to them, and it's because I wasn't strong enough to protect them."

"I do not believe you have 'let them down' as you say." Blade began, "After extensive analysis, I have concluded that there was no way you could have prevented Aftin from abducting team RWBY and injecting them with ShadowDust."

"That's just it!" I shouted, "People I care about were being hurt and I couldn't do a damned thing! Even after my years of training, I'm so useless! I couldn't help them!"

"That is not true." Blade argued, "Had you not intervened, Team RWBY would have killed innocent people. For that, they would be expelled, arrested, imprisoned, and crushed by their guilt. They will be able to make a full recovery thanks to your efforts. Take that into consideration before punishing yourself." I just looked down at my feet. I wondered why I wasn't strong enough to stop Aftin from capturing my friends to begin with. "I will scout ahead, to make sure the area is secure." Blade began, heading out. He jumped from one broken building to another, until eventually I lost track of him. I let out a sigh.

"Hey." A new voice caught my attention as John climbed up to my level, joining me.

"Hey." I greeted back, "What're you doing up? You need your rest."

"I could say the same to you." John retorted, sitting beside me with his swords.

"I'm keeping watch." I explained.

"I can do that too." John replied, "Part of this team is my team, after all."

"If you insist." I shrugged. John then took up one of his swords on his lap, using a stone to start sharpening it. "Mind if I help out?" I inquired, holding out a hand.

"Sure." John shrugged, handing me his other sword. I took it up, feeling the cold metal against my left palm. I then began to sharpen the blade using my right thumb.

"I kinda missed this." I began, "Sharpening a blade, I mean. It's been awhile since I've had to."

"You don't sharpen your sword?" John asked.

"I don't need to." I explained, "My sword and my arm are both made from a special metal called ShadowSteel. ShadowSteel was invented by Vincent by infusing ShadowDust into molten Titanium. As a result, the ShadowDust's raw power was absorbed into the Titanium, making it well over a thousand times more durable than regular titanium. So, ShadowSteel is the strongest metal out there so far. My sword doesn't need to be sharpened because it never dulls."

"I see..." John sweat dropped, "Not sure I completely follow, but I got that your arm and sword is made of tough stuff."

"In simpler terms, yes..." I nodded.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" John inquired.

"Sure." I nodded.

"Why do you want to become a Huntsman?" John asked, "What's your reason? Sorry if that was a bit insensitive..."

"Not at all." I began, once again looking up at the moon, "Contrary to what you might believe, I'm no hero. I've never been, and I don't think I'll ever be. My past is too dark for me to call myself a hero. My team, Ruby, everyone insists that I'm some good, misguided person. But I know better. My whole life has been a series of failures and misfortunes. I didn't get the luxury of having friends and family to help me stay on the right path, so I made a lot of bad choices, like becoming an assassin. I want to become a Huntsman to make it up to everyone I've failed. I want to protect the weak as an apology to the people I've hurt. And if I'm completely honest... I guess there's a selfish reason to it too. I want to become a Huntsman and track down the one that burned down my home, the one that killed my family... my mother, Marina Blood."

"...Whoa..." Was all John could manage for a moment, "Wait, so that person's your mother?"

"Yeah." I sighed, "Needless to say, there are a few family issues to straighten out..." I then looked at John, "What about you? Why do you wanna be a Huntsman?"

"Oh...!" John began, blushing a little, "It's, uh... a little embarrassing y'know..."

"Humor me." I insisted.

"Alright..." He began, sighing, then looking up at the moon, "I always wanted to be like my dad. He's like, the coolest Huntsman ever, and I want to make him proud. I bet that sounds real cheesy, huh?"

"Not at all." I smiled, "It's healthy for a son to wanna be like his dad." I could tell, from the tone of John's voice and the look in his eyes, he had left out a few details about his story, but I decided to respect his privacy and not push the subject. "So," I began, "You sure about standing guard with me? It'll mean staying up all night, and we HAVE been in a few battles. You must be tired."

"I'm fine." John grinned, adjusting his glasses, "You'll see. I'm wide awake."

It took a good four to five hours before he gave up and fell asleep. I couldn't help but chuckle. At least his swords were nice and sharpened. I picked up one of the swords, the one he'd been sharpening, and ran the thumb of my left hand against the sharp edge. Without even applying much pressure, the blade dug deep into my thumb, oozing out black blood.

"Not bad, John." I began, wiping the blade on my shirt. I sheathed John's swords and set them beside him. I also covered his unconscious body with a blanket, then got back to standing guard, resting my sheathed sword on my shoulder.

Eventually, the sun came up, and my team and team JOHN woke up after several hours. We all congregated together with William and Blade.

"Thank you for standing guard, Nathan, Blade." William thanked.

"No problem." I nodded.

"Wait," Violet began, "Nathan, you stayed up all night? Aren't you tired?"

"Nope." I shrugged, "My cybernetic parts maintain my blood sugar levels automatically. I can stay awake for over a month if I have to. That's why I was the best choice to keep watch."

"Well," William continued, "We should be able to take care of the rest of the Grimm in this city before long. Only trouble is finding them."

"That will not be any trouble." Blade began, "Last night, while most of you were sleeping, I scouted out the rest of the Grimm and tagged each one. I can monitor their current location and health from here."

"Nicely done, Blade." William began, "At first, I didn't think I could trust one of Vincent's inventions, but you've proven me wrong."

"Thank you." Blade nodded.

"Will you guys quit making out already?" Heather groaned, "It's bad enough I'm stuck with you geeks, I just wanna kill the rest of the Grimm and get on with my life."

"'Geeks', huh?" I asked, "Didn't think you'd dwindle to Elementary School insults."

"Shut up, robot boy!" Heather hissed.

"I will not." I began, "See, I won't do what you say because you're not a teacher, and you're not a team leader. You might be strong, but you have no authority over any of us. You don't understand the responsibility that comes with leading."

"You don't scare me." Heather held my glare, "People are only scared of you cause of your robot parts and black blood. You wouldn't understand how dark it got for me."

"Don't talk to me about darkness!" I hissed, a black flame coating my fist as I held it in front of Heather, "Someone who's had it easy like you wouldn't understand what it means to be a murderer."

"EASY?!" Heather snapped, "As a kid, I was ALWAYS getting picked on! People told me I shouldn't have been born! I got beat up all the time, and I'd come home covered in bruises and blood! Then, my parents got murdered, and I was left all alone! All because I'm a F-" She stopped suddenly, gripping her fist. She then landed a punch to my gut. I groaned, but I felt sorry, knowing a bit about why Heather acted the way she did.

"Whoa... awkward..." Nikey began, taking a step back.

"Nathan, Heather, stop arguing." Blade began, "There is something up."

"What's wrong?" I sighed, turning to face Blade.

"The Grimm I've tagged," Blade began, "They're all dying off quickly."

"What's so bad about that?" Aria asked.

"None of us are killing the Grimm." Blade explained, "We're all here and accounted for. So, who is killing the Grimm?"

"Good point, Blade." William nodded, "Let's head out and find out who, or what, is killing the Grimm."

We all headed out for the location, Blade leading the way. As we moved, it began to rain heavily. We stopped at a long trail of dismembered black limbs and a dozen bashed-in skulls. I took notice to a symbol on a broken wall that was drawn in black smears and scorch marks. The symbol was a human heart in two halves, a katana behind the heart. Despite being made from smeared Grimm flesh, this symbol was VERY detailed.

"That symbol..." William breathed, "It... can't be..."

"William, my old friend..." a familiar voice said from behind us, which made me freeze completely. Slowly, we turned around to see her. There was no denying it. Her long black hair done in a ponytail, her murderous red eyes, her black shirt and pants, blood red trench coat, and the horrifically familiar katana sheathed at her side.

"Marina Blood...!" I breathed, taking a step back. Her eyes... they were just the same as the day she cut me down.

"Maria..." William began, aiming his weapon at Marina.

"Will." Marina grinned, "It's been oh SO long! I missed you. How's Katlin doing?"

"Shut up!" William demanded, "You're not my friend anymore!"

"Well, I'm not looking for you anyway." Marina sighed, "I'm looking for our other old friend. Where's Vincent?"

"How should I know?!" William shouted. I tried to reach for my sword, I wanted to fight Marina, but I couldn't move. I'd never felt so afraid.

"We... we need to run!" I began, "She's beyond any of us!"

"Yeah right!" Heather snickered, "You gonna stand there, peeing yourself?! Go on and cry, I'll take care of this!" She then ran forward.

"Wait, Heather, DON'T!" William ordered. Heather threw a punch, which Marina caught effortlessly.

"What...?!" Heather began.

"It's Marina's semblance..." William began, "She makes it so you can't use your semblance!"

"Your semblance must be strength..." Marina began. Heather threw another punch, hitting Marina in the gut. Marina didn't respond at all. "You're stubborn and fearless." Marina sighed, "But I'm not here for you." She then slapped Heather powerfully across the face. Heather spun around before falling to the ground.

"Don't worry, Heath!" Nikey shouted, hopping on his hoverboard, "I'll save ya!" He charged at Marina on his hoverboard.

"You're clearly thick-skulled and stupid." Marina sighed. Nikey was only a moment away from Marina. Suddenly, Nikey's board split into three pieces, and Nikey flew forward, hitting his face against a wall.

"What happened?!" Oscar asked, "I didn't even see her pull out her sword, let alone, slash Nikey's board. She was able to unsheathe her sword and slash the board in an instant."

"No..." I began, "It was hard for my eyes to keep up with her movements, but she pulled out the blade, slashed Nikey's board twice, and sheathed her sword. All in less than a second..."

"Twice...?!" John breathed.

"Are you okay, Nathan?" Aria asked, concerned. Marina then looked into my eyes and my spine went cold.

"You again." Marina began, "Didn't you try and stop my men mid-Dust robbery?" I couldn't reply. "I've done a little research on you." Marina continued, "Nathan Black, the infamous Grimm Reaper. You used to be one of Vincent's assassins. You know what it's like to be a BlackBlood, we should be working together. What do you hope to accomplish at Beacon?"

"I... I can't move..." I began, falling to my knees, "I don't know why, I'm so... afraid..."

"Hey, Nathan?!" John began, "C'mon, you gotta snap out of it!"

"Now really isn't the time for PTSD." Violet added, aiming her guns at Marina. I just stared at the ground, helpless.

"We need to worry about her." William began, "Maria, don't harm the students! They've done nothing wrong!"

"You don't understand my burden, Will..." Marina began, a black flame coating her body as she walked toward us, "I have to kill to stay even remotely sane. I just want to give Vincent what he deserves, then I'll take care of myself. Now, let's make this easy..." By this point, Heather was up, gripping her sword tightly. She swung at Marina. Marina quickly unsheathed her blade, blocking Heather's attack. Marina then turned around, elbowed Heather in the face, and slashed her, blood spewing from her chest.

"Heather!" Everyone but me yelled as they charged at Marina.

"Stop hurting my team!!!" John yelled furiously, aiming several swipes at Marina. She blocked each one, then slashed him too.

"No...!" I breathed as John fell. Oscar aimed an attack with his staff, but Marina yanked the staff out of his hands, then poked him in the forehead with it repeatedly until he fell. As he fell, she slashed him too. Violet and William aimed rapid shots at Marina. With her sword, Marina deflected each shot, slashed William, then ran her sword through Violet's chest. "Stop it...!" I groaned as they fell. Aria aimed a swipe with her sickles as Odd aimed a slash with his sword. Marina dodged their attacks, then with a single swipe, sent them both down with blood spraying everywhere. "Stop hurting my friends!!!" I screamed, my black flame of an aura coating my body as my eyes turned completely black. I gripped my sword and charged forward. Marina and I clashed blades several times. She slashed me across the chest three times at once, sending me back with my black blood spraying.

"You're too hasty!" Marina criticized.

"Shut up and die!" I yelled as I swung at her more. We continued to clash, and she continued to slash me. Then, we both thrust our swords forward. My blade went through her chest as her blade went through mine. Her eyes widened, surprised as we both stepped back. She put a hand to her wound, groaning as her black blood seeped through her fingers.

"Not bad..." She began, "It's been a long time since anyone's drawn my blood..." She then coughed out a pool of blood, "Damn! You grazed my heart... We'll meet again." She then leapt up, landing on an old building. She then left quickly.

"Yes we will... mom." I sighed, falling to one knee as I dropped my sword. My aura faded and my eyes turned back to their usual color. "Crap!" I groaned, "I mighta grazed her heart, but she pierced mine..." I then slowly laid down, groaning as my blood continued to pour out. I soon found Violet standing over me.

"You okay?" She asked, nudging my head with her foot.

"I thought Marina got you..." I groaned.

"She did." Violet explained, "But remember, my semblance is healing. After you got her, I could use my semblance again. Here..." She then placed her hand on my forehead. A light purple energy radiated off my body as my wounds closed up. "There." Violet panted, "I was able to close up your wounds, but I couldn't stop the blood loss..." She then walked over to Odd and Aria and did the same to them. As they woke up, Violet then healed William, John, Oscar, and Heather. Nikey didn't need healing, since he wasn't slashed, though he was really upset about his board getting damaged. With all of us healed and up, Violet smiled at me, then fell face down on the ground. "So tired... that took a lot outta me..." Violet groaned.

"Oh suck it up." Heather insulted.

"She just saved your life and you're still gonna insult her?" I sweat dropped.

"Classic Heather." John sighed, "Thank you guys, by the way. We're lucky you could fight her off."

"Yeah..." I began, "I'm sorry, I was too scared to do anything at first."

"It's okay." John began, "We all have fears. Getting afraid is proof that you're human."

"Yeah..." I sighed, "So, that's my mother. Leader of the Shin-No-Shinigami criminal organization."

"She's looking for Vincent." William stated, "She's been looking for him this whole time. No wonder Vincent's gotten so good at hiding. With someone like Maria as she is after me, I'd get good at covering my tracks too."

"Yeah." I agreed, sighing.

"You okay?" Aria asked.

"Not really..." I breathed, "Seeing her today... I thought I was stronger, but back there, I was so helpless and scared... I hadn't felt like that in years."

"Don't be scared." William suddenly said, "You were able to wound her. From what I hear, no one has ever been able to draw her blood since she became a BlackBlood."

"Yeah..." I sighed, looking down. Suddenly, I found a hand in front of my face. I looked up to see it was Violet holding out her left hand.

"Take it." Violet said.

"What?" I asked.

"My Semblance." Violet explained, "With how many times you get stabbed, I figure a healing power will be a big help."

"Yeah... I guess it would." I nodded, "Thanks, Violet." I then grabbed hold of her hand with my left hand. A dark purple light seemed to go from her to me as I obtained her healing semblance.

"There, feel better?" Violet grinned. I shrugged.

We soon found ourselves heading straight back to Beacon. As we rode the airship back, I decided to use the com-link in my eye to contact Vincent. (For this part, keep in mind that the Com-link is 100% silent for everyone except me and Vincent. It's almost like telepathy)

"Hey Vincent..." I began, "I... I bumped into Marina Blood."

"What?!" Vincent exclaimed.

"She's looking for you." I continued, "To kill you, no doubt."

"I know..." Vincent sighed, "I want to know, Nathan, does anyone at Beacon know that you and I are working together again?"

"Only my team and team RWBY knows." I answered.

"Good." Vincent began, "Let's keep it that way. I am trying to make up for what I've done, but I'm still, by all definition, a criminal. If people knew you and I were working together, it would no doubt get you into trouble at Beacon. I also don't think Will would be generous enough to not hand me over to Marina."

"Alright." I began, "I'll tell my and Ruby's team to keep quiet about all this."

"Thank you." Vincent said. I then hung up our communication and began to talk with our teams.

When we arrived at Beacon, team JOHN had to head out for their own thing. We said our goodbyes (Well, most of us. Heather just flipped us off as she walked away) and went our separate ways. My team, and William decided to explain to Katlin what happened.

"What?!" Katlin asked after we finished explaining, "You found Maria?!"

"She's not the girl we used to know, Kat." William began, "She nearly killed the kids. Even Aria."

"Aria?!" Katlin asked, surprised as she hugged her daughter tightly, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, mom, really." Aria insisted, seeming a bit embarrassed. I chuckled.

"It's good that your mom cares about you so much..." I began, looking down. I let out a deep sigh. Katlin paused, letting go of Aria.

"You've had a rough mission, I see." Katlin began, putting her hand on my shoulder, "I'd say you could use some good news."

"Good news?" I inquired.

"It's team RWBY." Katlin smiled, "They're awake, and in stable condition!"

"What?" I breathed, my eyes widening.

"That's awesome!" Aria cheered.

"That's certainly a relief." Odd agreed.

"Shall we go check on them?" Violet asked.

"Go on." Katlin smiled, "They're having lunch at the cafeteria, so go and see them. Will and I will straighten things out about your mission."

"Right..." I nodded, still a little surprised. Odd, Violet, Aria and I went down to meet up with team RWBY.

We went down to the lunch room, where we usually have breakfast and lunch. I felt all my current stress leave me as I saw team RWBY at a table, fully recovered. It was as if nothing had even happened to them. A big smile stretched across my face as they noticed us. They seemed happy too, getting up and walking over to us. Ruby ran up to me and hugged me tight. She then paused, her eyes widening as she looked at me. She reached forward, brushing her fingers against the vertical scar on the right side of my face.

"... I did that..." Ruby began, looking sad, "I'm so sorry..."

"You don't need to apologise." I smiled, then pulled her in, hugging her tight, "I'm just glad you guys are okay."

"Aww, aren't they soo cute together?" Violet began in a taunting manner, which made me and Ruby quickly separate, blushing.

"H-Hey!" Ruby and I exclaimed, blushing.

"Ruby and Nathan sitting in a tree," Aria sang, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Reeeal mature." I stated, my face going darker with each lyric.

"First comes love," Yang joined in on the taunting, making the situation awkward for both me and Ruby. After they finished their musical number, Oliver joined to check on Aria. Aria hugged him tightly and the lot of us started hanging out. We talked, laughed, and joked for the rest of the day. Even with the embarrassment from earlier, I liked it all. Marina was in the wind again, Aftin was off somewhere doing God knows what, and Aftin's Half-Grimm was nowhere to be found. With all that happening, I was grateful for this one small victory.