A/N- Alright, here's chapter 2. Blake finally makes it to Beacon and encounters Ruby.

As you have probably noticed, I have decided to pair Blake with Midir. This means that at some point he will obtain an actual body, which will make him a dragon faunus (tell me that doesn't sound cool). He will still possess the ability to turn back into his sword form, but his faunus form will allow him to fight personally. I'm still on the fence about whether or not I should give him eventual access to his dragon form, perhaps to go toe-to-toe with the one at the end of season 3, so tell me what you think. I won't make it so that it's OP though. He might only be able to transform once a day for only 10 minutes.

I'll do my best to keep Midir's personality consistent. As you have already seen, he has a strong distaste for Darkness and anything related to it. That includes anyone trying to spread it. He is confident, but not to the point of arrogance, given his humbled backstory. He has a genuine curiosity to the world around him given all the advancements that have been made since he slumbered. He will also take on a sort of adviser or teacher role to Blake.

Also, for the time being only certain people will be able to hear Midir. But as time goes on, more will slowly begin to hear his voice while in sword form.

Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything, despite the fact I think I am.

I hope you like this chapter and be sure to leave a review!

Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!

(-)

The light of the morning sun peeked through the blinds of the window, landing across the eyelids of the dark-haired faunus who was fast asleep on the hotel room bed. She squinted in annoyance before turning over to put her back to the accursed light. Moments later, the alarm she set on her scroll went off, blaring an ungodly loud noise.

"Urggh... Five more minutes." she groaned. It had been a long time since she was last able to enjoy the comfort of a proper bed, and the comfort was not something she wanted to part with just yet.

"Miss Belladonna, I highly advise that you wake up soon. Otherwise you will be late for the airship to Beacon." came the voice of Midir who was propped up against the wall.

The cat faunus let out an annoyed huff as one of her eye slowly opened to regard the sword with a weak glare.

"Glaring at me will prove to be a rather unproductive endeavor. I've received far more dangerous looks from my past opponents. And once again I shall remind you; if you do not wake up soon then you will be late for the airship."

Groaning once again in displeasure, Blake relented and slowly lifted herself up off the bed and stretched. The light of the sun passed through the yukata she had worn to bed, outlining her figure as it did so. As she hopped out of bed, she began to tug at the edges of her sleepwear to take it off, but halted when she realized that she wasn't technically alone. Casting a glance at Midir, she grabbed her change of clothes and went into the bathroom.

Midir of course, was not well versed in such matters, and as such was left to wonder just what that was about. He could hear Blake turn on the 'shower' in the adjacent room. It was quite a marvelous invention to someone like Midir. The ability to create localized rain, and make it hot as well? The application of such technology had sent his mind spinning when Blake first explained it. Though he didn't have much down time between his battles against the Darkness, he would occasionally take some time to clean himself of blood and grime. However such instances were few and far between. Most of the time he would have to settle for letting a passing rain shower give him a quick rinse, and even then it was cold. Sometimes he would stop at a lake large enough to contain him and he would give himself a proper cleaning. There had only ever been one time when he was able to indulge in hot water. It was in the caldera of an near-extinct volcano that had filled with rainwater. The magma below the planets surface had heated the water up nicely to the point that Midir had nearly fallen asleep during his soak. He would have to ask Blake if she could draw a nice hot bath for him to soak in at a later date.

Casting aside such frivolous thoughts for the time being, Midir cemented his focus on the task at hand. According to what Blake had told him, she was to join an academy that trained young warriors to fight the agents of Darkness known collectively as Grimm. It seemed like a sound decision to make. She would be able to further her studies and combat skills, all the while Midir would be able to learn more about the world. Though the dragon really wished he could get straight back to fighting the Darkness, he understood that there were steps that needed to be taken. Even if he is able to provide aid to Blake during combat by lending her his power, he still lacked information on his enemy. And in war, information is as valuable as gold. So it was not surprising that he was feeling more than a bit inadequate about his lack of knowledge. He needed to know just how strong the enemy was. Only then would he be able to properly support Blake.

The turning of the doorknob alerted Midir that Blake had finished freshening up. Walking out of the bathroom, Blake had adorned her 'combat outfit' as she had come to call it.

Although she couldn't tell from sight, Blake had a feeling that Midir was 'looking' at her. "See something you like?" she asked with a slight grin.

"Just observing that you look as lovely as ever." Midir answered. He was not entirely aware of the ramifications of such a statement, rather, it was ingrained in him by the Gods to treat women with respect. Provided they aren't pointing the business end of a sword at you.

The girl chuckled lightly into her hand. "Flattery will get you nowhere with me."

"If you say so." the sword responded. "But putting that aside, shouldn't you hurry up? The airship leaves in 30 minutes and you have yet to gather your belongings or eat breakfast."

Blake's eyes widened in alarm. Had she been in the shower for that long?! Whipping her head over to the rooms clock, she saw that she was indeed running late.

"If I still had my body, flying you to Beacon would be but a trivial matter. However as I currently am, you're on your own."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?!" Blake shouted as she began to pack up her things into suitcases.

"I did. Twice. But you seemed to be content in taking your time."

"Then why didn't you call to me when I was in the shower?!" she asked as she threw her bags over her shoulders and tied Midir at her waist.

"I was told it was rude to interrupt a woman when she is grooming herself. That, and I don't think you would have heard me over the sound of the water."

"Argh! Forget it!" Blake grumbled as she made her way out of the hotel room.

(-)

Blake sighed in relief as she plopped down in one of the seats on the airship. She had just made it on time to board. Though that was at the cost of skipping breakfast. So the girl was now forced to rely on food from vending machines to satisfy her hunger.

"Perhaps next time you will listen to me when I give you advice. My lack of knowledge about this era may be detrimental to my suggestions, but I still know how to judge time."

Blake didn't give any vocal response. Instead, she simply nodded her head.

The airship shook lightly as it initiated the takeoff sequence. Moments later, the aircraft was soaring through the air. Turning her head to look out the window, Blake was greeted by a beautiful sight of the Kingdom of Vale.

"Quite the impressive Kingdom they have here." came Midir's voice. "Being a dragon, I am used to viewing landscapes from above, but this is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Towers of metal and glass that scrape at the sky... Truly this world has become something magnificent."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually." Blake responded in a whisper.

"True. The grandeur of anything is bound to degrade over time."

The dark-haired girl turned back around to face the interior of the airship. It was packed with dozens of other aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses. Everyone was either overjoyed at the prospect of gaining admittance to Beacon, nervous from the gravity of the situation, or a mixture of both. Blake however, managed to maintain her cool demeanor throughout the ride to the academy.

As the airship landed, the students began pouring out onto the campus. Friends from previous schools joined each other in celebration as they made their way towards the buildings across the courtyard.

Blake let out a longing sigh as she watched the people gradually become specks in the distance.

"Envious are we?"

Midir's voice slightly startled the faunus as she was shaken from her thoughts. "N-no. Just... admiring the view." she said, trying to deflect.

"It's natural for you to be a little jealous of them. They came here with their friends. Comrades who will be there to support each other throughout the coming trials... Something that you had to give up."

A somber look passed over Blake's face, but quickly disappeared when her eyes landed on Midir. "True. But now I have you with me. I'll never be alone with you by my side."

"Indeed you won't. So long as you continue on your current path, I will be there for you always."

Blake smiled warmly. "Thanks Midir." she said as she pulled out a book from her back pocket. As she read, Blake continued down the path towards the school. Avoiding any obstacles as she read was a trivial task. It was made even easier with Midir present to alert her to anything in her way.

"Cover your ears."

"Huh?" Blake managed to utter in response. This was just before a massive fireball erupted ahead of Blake. The sound of the explosion left her ears ringing. All four of them. As she recovered, she felt something tap against her shoe. Looking down from her book, she saw that it was a bottle of Dust. The SDC logo was on the side. Turning to the source of the explosion, Blake saw a white-haired girl laying into a younger girl with red/black hair. The girl in white was covered in soot and looked to be absolutely fuming. There was also a familiar emblem on her clothes. And given the girls overall appearance, it wasn't hard for Blake to figure out her identity.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" yelled the heiress.

"I'm really, really sorry!" apologized the other girl. Evidently, she was responsible for the explosion.

"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?" the girl asked incredulously.

"Well, I-I..."

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight monsters, so... watch where you're going!"

"Hey! I said I was sorry princess!" the younger girl rebuffed, having finally gotten fed up with the Schnee heiress.

Blake internally groaned. She was gonna regret what she was about to do. "It's heiress, actually." Blake spoke up as she approached the two, gaining their attention. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss smiled smugly. "Finally! Some recognition!"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Blake continued, taking the wind out of the heiress' sails.

"Wha- How dare- The nerve of... Ugh!" she fumed as she grabbed the Dust vial from Blake's hand and stormed off.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" the younger girl called out to the retreating Weiss.

Blake took a moment to admire her handiwork. It's not everyday that you get a chance to put a Schnee in their place.

"Hnn, that girl reminds me too much of Seath. He was always looking down on everyone like he was King, seeing people as nothing more than test subjects for his experiments."

Blake filed that information away for now. She would have to ask Midir more about his past when she got a chance. But for now she needed to head to the auditorium.

"Who said that?"

The faunus girl froze mid turn when she heard the other girls voice call out. Doing her best to act natural, Blake continued on her way. Hopefully Midir would take the hint and keep his mouth shut.

However...

"Did you hear that?" the girl asked as she followed after Blake.

Feigning ignorance, Blake remained impassive as always. "Hear what?"

"That strange voice. It was saying something about a guy called Seath." she answered as her eyes darted back and forth, looking for the source of the voice. "It sounded like it was right on top of us, but I don't see anyone here but us."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you're just hearing things. Your nerves are acting up is all." Blake responded, trying to supply a believable excuse.

"Well that is true, but I know I heard something." the girl said resolutely as she got in Blake's face.

"Can you please let me go?"

The girl immediately sputtered about and began apologizing for her rudeness. "Sorry! I got a little too carried away! Please allow me to make it up to you!"

"Don't worry. That won't be-"

"Denied!" the goth dressed girl interrupted as she pointed at Blake. "Ruby Rose always makes amends, and I'm not going to stop now!"

Blake sweatdropped at the girls antics. Clearly socialization was not her forte. Seeing that she was gonna be stuck with Ruby for a while, she decided to play along. Hopefully things would get resolved faster that way.

"So, as I said, my name is Ruby Rose! What's yours?" she asked with a smile.

"Blake Belladonna." the faunus answered plainly.

"Well then Blake, now that we got that out of the way, it's time to move on to more important matters."

"That being?"

Ruby reached behind her back and pulled out a boxy weapon. Pressing a button on its side, the weapon unfolded into a sniper-scythe. "Introducing our weapons of course!"

Blake almost facefaulted from the absurdity of the situation. Truly, Ruby was a total gun geek.

"This is Crescent Rose." she said as she caressed the weapons length. "It's a high caliber sniper-scythe of my own design. Okay, maybe my uncle helped me out with it, but the majority of it was done by me." pulling back the bolt, Ruby ejected one of the rounds and caught it. "Bolt action designed for rapid refire, twenty round box magazine, 8x scope magnification that can be traded out... I put my blood and sweat into making her. She is my baby."

It would have been a rather sweet moment in Blake's eyes, had the object of Ruby's affection not been a weapon.

"So, what about you? What are you packing?"

Humoring the eccentric girl, Blake removed Gambol Shroud from her back and held it in front of her. "This is Gambol Shroud."

Ruby had stars in her eyes as she looked over the weapon. "Cool name~."

Blake chuckled lightly as she removed the main blade from the sheath. "The blade itself is a katana that is held in a cleaver scabbard which allows me to duel-wield it. It has a high power pistol built into the grip," she explained before shifting the sword into its hand-scythe mode. "and can transform into a small scythe that I can swing around like a kusarigama."

"Ooooohhhh! That's so totally awesome!" Ruby cheered. "It must've taken you forever to master using it. I bet you can transition between its various forms with ease."

The faunus girl smiled at Ruby's enthusiasm. Maybe the girl wasn't so bad after all.

"What about that one?" Ruby asked as she pointed at Midir.

Blake glanced down at the sentient sword as she returned Gambol Shroud to her back. "That's... Midir."

"Such a mysterious name! Can I see the blade?"

Figuring there would be no harm done in showing it to her, Blake grasped Midir's handle and pulled him out of the scabbard. However when Ruby laid her eyes upon the sword, she gasped in horror.

"AHHHH! What happened to it?!"

"I'm sorry...?" Blake responded in confusion.

"What on Remnant happened to that poor sword?! It's completely ruined! The blade is chipped beyond repair!" Ruby cried out in despair as she fell to her knees.

"Well I-"

"No wait!" the young girl interrupted as she stood back up and inspected the sword more closely. "Despite its broken appearance, it still holds a sharp edge. Upon my initial examination, I believed the blade to have suffered from constant use and a lack of maintenance. When in reality it is the exact opposite. The blade was designed to look frail in order to lull opponents into a false sense of security. In actuality, each jagged mark in the blade was made intentionally. Each groove retains the sharpness of a proper blade. And therein lies its true nature. The sword is not a proper sword in the normal sense of the word. Rather, it is a saw. The chipped edges act like the jagged teeth of a saw which allows it to tear and rend flesh with ease." Ruby rattled off the information at an inhuman speed. "Quite the deadly weapon if I do say so myself."

"Err... yeah." Blake was not exactly sure how to respond to the hooded girls rant.

"However the most curious thing about the blade is the material it is made out of." Ruby continued. "From what I am able to discern, this blade was made before the industrialization age. Meaning that it was made the old fashioned way. An heirloom perhaps?" the girl shook her head. "Regardless, the fact that the blade is black is the biggest mystery. Forging weapons the old fashioned way does not leave much room for altering the metals color. How the blacksmith was able to make it black is beyond me. And then there's the metal itself. I don't recognize the material. Definitely not iron. Obsidian might be a possible match in terms of color profile, but it does not make for good weapons. Titanium is also out because it has a certain sheen to it, whereas Midir seems to absorb light instead of reflecting it."

The young girl continued to mutter various theories to herself as she nibbled on her thumb. All the while Blake was watching silently, concerned for the girl in front of her.

Finally, Ruby stopped her ramblings and turned to face Blake. There was a certain feral look in her eyes. Almost predatory. "Tell me."

It was not a request. Rather, it was an order.

"Tell you what?" asked Blake.

"Everything." Ruby responded simply. "This blade is the biggest mystery I have ever encountered. Frankly speaking, something like this should not be able to exist. So I must know everything about it. When it was forged, who forged it, what materials were used in the forging process."

Blake was somewhat unnerved by the serious look the girl was giving her. It's not like Ruby would believe the whole truth, so Blake decided to just give her half-truths. "In all honesty, I have no idea. I didn't exactly obtain this sword by conventional means."

"What do you mean?"

"I was exploring a cave in the wilds at the time. As I went deeper into the cave, I stumbled upon a large cavern. I found Midir stabbed into the ground at the center of it. Call me crazy, but I felt like it was calling out to me."

"Wow~! So it's a mystery sword!" Ruby gushed with stars in her eyes. "Although I'm disappointed that I can't learn anything more about it, I'm still overjoyed that I've been given the chance to encounter such a weapon. Be sure to treat it with care. And if you ever need help with maintenance, I'll be happy to help."

Blake smiled in response to the girls offer. "I'll keep that in mind. It was nice meeting you Ruby."

As the faunus turned to leave, she was halted when Ruby called out to her again.

"Wait!"

"Is something the matter?" Blake asked as she returned her gaze to Ruby.

"Umm, well, I... It's just, I noticed you're all alone." Ruby stated as she gripped her dress and fidgeted about. "You didn't come here with any friends?"

A faraway look formed in Blake's eyes as she shifted eye contact. "No. I... left them behind to come here."

"Oh, well... Since you're alone... Would you like to be friends?" the younger girl asked quietly.

There was a certain honest innocence about Ruby that resonated with Blake. She was simply an awkward teen in search of companionship. If her young looks were anything to go by, the girl must have been accepted to Beacon early. As such, she would have had to leave behind her friends in order to join. When you boiled it all down, her situation was none to different from Blake's.

Blake held out her hand to the girl. "I would like that."

Ruby beamed at Blake's acceptance and grabbed her hand with both of hers before shaking it vigorously. "YES! My first friend at Beacon!" she cheered happily. "You won't regret this in the slightest!"

And Blake knew she wouldn't. Ruby's upbeat attitude would be a breath of fresh air compared to what she was used to dealing with in the White Fang.

"Now, onward to the auditorium!" Ruby shouted as she pointed in the wrong direction.

"Uhh, Ruby? The auditorium is that way." Blake corrected the young girl as she pointed in the opposite direction.

Ruby sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Ehe, heh, heh, my bad."

(-)

"Wow, this place sure is crowded." the crimson clad girl marveled as both she and Blake entered the large room. It was packed to the brim with aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses. All of whom would be attending Beacon alongside them for the next few years.

"You can say that again." Blake replied as her gaze drifted over the many different faces of her fellow initiates.

"Ruby!"

The two girls turned to see a buxom blonde waving them over.

"Over here! I saved you a spot!"

"Yang!" the red/black-haired girl perked up upon recognizing the girl. She started to make her way over to her, but halted in her steps and turned to Blake. "Come on! I want you to meet my sister!"

"Well? If you're going to follow her, now would be the time." Midir finally spoke up, figuring his voice would be drowned out by the noise of the crowd to all but Blake.

Nodding in response, Blake chased after the energetic reaper. "Coming."

"So, how's your first day going little sis?" the blonde asked once the two reached her. "I see you've already made a new friend."

"No thanks to you!" Ruby responded with a pout. "You tossed me to the Beowolves! I'm lucky Blake was nice enough to help me out after my explosion!"

"Yikes! Meltdown already?"

"Not exactly." answered Blake.

Yang quirked a brow at this. "What do you mean?"

"I literally exploded a hole in front of the school! And there was some fire, and I think some ice...?" Ruby explained.

"Don't forget the lightning." Blake added.

"Are you guys pulling my leg or something?" Yang asked with a big grin.

"I wish!" groaned Ruby. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

"Uhh, Ruby?" Blake tried to interrupt as she poked the girl in the shoulder.

"YOU!"

The shout was enough to startle the young girl and cause her to jump into her sisters arms. "Oh God, it's happening again!"

The trio's attention was now focused on the newcomer. It was Weiss Schnee. The same girl from earlier. "You're lucky that we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!"

"Oh my God, you really exploded." Yang said in surprise.

"It was an accident!" Ruby clarified to her sister as she climbed out of her grasp. Turning to face Weiss, Ruby bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry! It won't ever happen again!" once Ruby straightened back up, she noticed the pamphlet in her face. "What's this?"

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field." answered the heiress as she rattled off the information with practiced efficiency.

"Uuhhh...?" Ruby responded dumbly.

"You really want to start making things up to me?" asked Weiss.

"Absolutely." nodded Ruby.

"Read this, and don't ever speak to me again." Weiss instructed as she put the pamphlet in Ruby's hands. The girl then turned her attention to Blake. "And you."

Blake raised a brow at being addressed by the heiress. "Yes?"

"You have a lot of nerve to talk to me like you did earlier." Weiss said in a rather haughty tone. "But, since I'm the bigger person, I will overlook your transgressions just this once. Let it not be said that I am anything but merciful."

The faunus girl rolled her eyes at the Schnee's arrogance. She really didn't want to deal with the girl for a second longer.

Interposing herself between the three girls, Yang tried to play peacemaker. "Look, uh, it sounds like you all got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

Blake gave the blonde a deadpanned look that screamed 'not likely'.

However Ruby on the other hand, was more than willing to try and make friends. "Yeah! Great idea sis!" she said as she cleared her throat and held out her hand. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

"And maybe for something to remove that stick from her backside." whispered Midir, which elicited a snicker from Blake.

Weiss put on a face that was so happy that it had to be fake. "Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there!" she finished by pointing over her shoulder at some blonde-haired boy who happened to be nearby.

Unfortunately for Weiss, the boy happened to hear her declaration. Even more unfortunate, was the fact that he was not one to understand the concept of sarcasm. And so this led to him believing he had a chance with the gorgeous heiress. But enough of that.

"Wow, really?!" Ruby perked up at the offer.

Blake put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "She was being sarcastic Ruby."

The girl deflated at this. "Aww man..."

Any continued conversation would have to wait, as it was at this moment that professor Ozpin took the stage alongside his assistant Glynda Goodwitch.

"I'll... keep this brief." the headmaster started as he adjusted his glasses. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

As Ozpin finished his speech, Glynda took over for him. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"He seemed kind of... off." spoke Yang.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there." added Ruby.

It was at this moment that the blonde-haired boy decided to make his first attempt at wooing Weiss. "I'm a natural blonde, you know!"

Meanwhile the heiress facepalmed and sighed in annoyance.