Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-10390252-20130728185452/@comment-4830106-20130803040534

Back to topic: I'd like to see a chapter about Blake that delves into her relationship with Adam, both in real-time and flashbacks. Let's call it "The Beast" or something profound like that.

Theories I'm taking into account: Adam and Blake were very close, but did not have romantic subtext, and they were both either members of, or contractors for White Fang. Now then...

At the end of a typical day or after a training session, Blake receives a message that someone wants to talk to her in private, as soon as she can be spared. Blake is alarmed that it might be her past trying to catch up with her, a suspicion that is proven when the "someone" turns out to be a hitman in the employ of White Fang. The hitman admits he was originally sent to Beacon to recon Blake as a target, but he managed to convince White Fang's leader to change his mind... if Blake personally killed her now-rogue former mentor, Adam. The hitman also warns Blake that if she refuses, the other members of Team RWBY would also be targeted. The hitman gives Blake 24 hours to make her decision.

Meanwhile, Adam has run into Roman Torchwick, who sees in him a very powerful ally with an exploitable thirst for vengeance. Roman has Adam run a few sabotage jobs against the SDC and White Fang, to give him a taste. Roman then offers Adam a huge chance--a direct strike at White Fang HQ--but insists that Adam must prove his willingness to do the job by eliminating Blake "as a security precaution" (but also with implications that Adam would be exposed if he refused). Roman explains: "She knew you, you know me, and she's at Beacon. I don't think I have to connect the dots for you." Adam reluctantly agrees, making up his mind that even if he did have to kill Blake, he would make sure her death was clean and painless.

Blake spends the next day worrying about her course of action--Adam taught her almost everything she knew, but she couldn't condemn her new friends to die either. During this time, Blake has flashbacks of the day Adam accepted her as his student, the first day he taught her how to fight, and the day she forged Gambol Shroud under his watchful, but patient eye.

By this time, Adam has stowed away on an airship that routinely transports food and other supplies to Beacon. While he's waiting to arrive, Adam has a flashback of his own--the first time he used Moonslice. This first usage nearly killed him physically, and he could feel a definite emotional change. As he continued to use it, Blake began to worry about how it was affecting his mind. Adam also remembers how they began running jobs against the SDC for White Fang (after White Fang turned violent) as a means of income, neither of them being thrilled about it.

Blake has an hour left on her ultimatum, and she is extremely distraught. Noticing her distress, Ruby asks what the problem is. Blake is about to tell her to go away, but pauses, then quietly begins to tell Ruby about Adam; the preamble being: "You remember the first night here? That book I was reading about the man with two souls? It wasn't a book, it was a journal..."

Adam, meanwhile, has made his way from the loading docks to the dormitories, and is scanning the rooms for team RWBY. During this time, Adam flashes back to the very end of the "Black" Trailer, after Blake abandoned him. Adam was hurt by that loss, so much that he left the train job unfinished and returned to his home, where he spent the next several days in alternate states of rage and sorrow. Adam resigned from White Fang in disgust, then packed up his things and went on the lam.

Adam finally makes it to team RWBY's dorm and is about to enter through the window, until he hears Blake reaching the end of her tale about him. Blake explains to Ruby that abandoning Adam was the most painful thing she ever did, and that she felt sick for weeks after doing it. Touched by the story, Ruby tells Blake that if she can't bring herself to kill Adam, RWBY would be behind her all the way to fight off White Fang. Blake refuses, insisting that she can't drag her friends into her own problems, and that she would never forgive herself if one of them died because of her.

Just as Blake belts on Gambol Shroud to go after Adam, the White Fang hitman appears in the window and announces to Blake her time is up. Before Blake can reply, Adam drops down on top of the hitman, snapping his neck and throwing him off the tower. Adam says something apologetic to Blake, then tells her: "If killing me is what it takes for you to free yourself of our past, do it." Adam unbelts Wilt/Blush and sets it out of arm's reach, then kneels in front of Blake. Blake raises Gambol Shroud, but stops before she deals the killing blow, explaining in tears that she just can't do it. Adam pleads with her to finish the job while he can restrain himself.

Out of nowhere, Ruby suddenly suggests that Adam turn himself in to Ozpin in exchange for information on with White Fang and Roman, which could conceivably get him a pardon in the process. Adam and Blake are both skeptical, but Ruby eventually wins out on them through pure innocent optimism. Adam admits it would be nice to try and turn his life around, to which Blake wholeheartedly agrees.