Authors note: Yes this is a re-upload from another account. It was bugging me having my RWBY works spread across two accounts so I am moving this story here. For those of you who have already read it, I apologies for the inconvenience, and for those of you who haven't, enjoy.
I would like to say that I never thought anybody would get hurt. I would like to say that but no one, including myself, would believe that. I guess what I am trying to say is I never cared if anyone got hurt. I know that sounds menacing but I mean that in both ways. I never wanted to go out and hurt anybody but, at the same time, I knew that it came in the job description.
The match wasn't going in my favor, I was already down to half my Aura. This boy could take more punches without activating his Aura than I could. With a hard punch I was on the floor. I got up quickly and guarded myself. I hated having to out skill my opponents but I hated losing more. I would rather beat him the way he would beat me, a solid fighting stance and an assortment of hard punches and kicks. Unfortunately pride won over the need to get better and I waited for his next punch. I got a smirk on my mouth as I planned my strategy. This was an anything goes fight after all.
He punched at my face and I dodged to the left. I grabbed his arm and slid between his legs, taking his arm with me as I went. His body followed suit as he tumbled to the ground. I quickly shuffled around and hooked his neck in my left knee. One. Two. Three. Oh, he activated his Aura. At least that means I don't have to count anymore and just look at the screen just outside the ring. His aura slowly dipped from green to orange and finally red. I released him and the official called the match.
"And the winner is Kat." the official announced.
I got up disappointed with myself. If I was ever going to best my brother I would have to learn how to fight like him. Acrobatics and maneuvers like what I just performed weren't allowed in his league. 'Gentleman's boxing' I believe they call it. A tap on my shoulder took me out of my daydream of beating my brother in front of my father and the world.
"Hey, you owe me some lien. That was cheating and I lost my own bet." my defeated opponent huffed at me.
I just pointed to the sign, outside the ring, that stated 'Anything goes Amateur Bare Knuckle Fights. Every Tuesday and Thursday'.
"Hey are you Deaf?" he threatened. 'Close but still wrong' I thought as I just smiled back at him. The announcer was trying to restrain him at this point. I held out my hand and offered him a friendly smile. I didn't care about sportsmanship. I wanted to beat my opponents, entirely. I wanted to be so incredibly out of their league that they would submit without so much as a word from me. Which was a convenient goal because no one had ever heard a word from me. Kind of a messed up goal but false chivalry is still better than none at all. He obviously refused and I pouted and walked away.
"Hey! Don't walk away from me you Bi-" was the last thing I heard for, what I later learned was, several hours. I learned a valuable lesson from that. Never turn your back to a defeated opponent.
I woke up in a back room of the bar. Of course they hadn't taken me to a hospital, these unregulated fights weren't strictly legal. At least they put a towel under my head and had someone waiting for me when I woke up.
"You had us worried for a second. Another hour and we would have had to call an ambulance." the announcer spoke as I got up. I looked around but the place was deserted other than the announcer and a few of his employees.
"Don't worry about that guy at all. He aint here and a few of your regular gamblers beat him pretty bad." he continued. Wait, another hour? I tapped the top of my wrist with my index finger to ask 'What was the time?'.
"Oh it's around 8:30 but just lay back and think of your health. Whatever you got planned can ..." he began his lecture before I pushed him out of the way and sprinted out the door. Crap. I was supposed to have two hours to get ready for the party. I raced through the busy streets filled with drunks and party goers alike. The party I was headed to was on the other side of town, in the big white house, with the cast iron fence around it. I vaulted over the fence and climbed up into a window like I had so many times before. My dress was still laid out on my bed and everything was still in its proper position in my room. I breathed a sigh of relief and changed into my party dress. One of the advantages and disadvantages of being the mute child of a wealthy family is that no one pays attention to you if you cant say anything; that was definitely an advantage tonight. I exited my room and strolled downstairs into the party. The lobby was deserted so I started walking towards the gardens. I was intercepted on the way and pushed into a bathroom.
"Katie! Where have you been?! I thought you said the fight would only last thirty minutes not two hours!" Kelsey scolded. Kelsey was one of my oldest friends and was more like family to me than my real family. The reason, plain and simple, was because she had took the time to learn sign. She had blond hair with the tips dyed pink. I always wanted to do something like that with my hair but her parents were less insanely proper than mine.
I signed 'Sore loser got the jump on me'.
"Is that what happened to your eye?" Kelsey asked with concern. I didn't know what she was talking about so I looked in a mirror. I saw a short teenage girl with brown eyes and a little longer than shoulder length brunette hair. Sure enough there was a dark purple welt right on my cheek-bone. I activated my Aura and the welt slowly faded away.
"You have got to teach me how to use my Aura" Kelsey stated, staring at me in awe.
'It will come naturally' I signed. Kelsey was a year older than me but for some reason she still couldn't activate her Aura. If my parents would have sent me to some kind of battle school I might have already found my semblance. But of course all the princesses of Vale were to good and precious to learn something nasty like fighting or even defending ourselves, hence the sneaking out to underground fight clubs. Kelsey's parents were a little better but they hired a private tutor instead of sending her to Signal.
"Shall we?" Kelsey said with a big grin on her face and an outstretched arm for me to interlock with. I grinned back and we exited the bathroom and entered the party arm in arm. Even as the mute child I was expected to make an appearance and mingle. Some people tried to have a conversation with me but after few yes or no answerable questions they either lost interest or felt too awkward to continue and left. I spent most of my time with Kelsey or glaring at my father. My father told everyone that he made his fortune by being an entrepreneur. He told me that too but the fact that I never knew a time where he had made an investment and the mismatched valuables displayed around the house told me he was a liar. He didn't have the skills to be a thief and he would always go on about his adventures outside the kingdoms. My best guess is that he just got lucky and stumbled across a relatively wealthy village that was pillaged by Grimm and he picked the bones so to speak. After he put me through lightning dust therapy to try to get me to speak I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way to lure Grimm to the town. My last theory seemed more and more likely as I grew up and his obsession with keeping a good family reputation was reenforced with me over and over. Finally I felt I was out here long enough to 'Uphold the family image'. On top of that, most of the guests were leaving so I took the opportunity to leave with Kelsey. We went up to my room and I laid down on my bed, more exhausted from socializing than sore from fighting.
"Katie." said Kelsey in a low and surprisingly sad tone "I think I have convinced my parents to the point were they would let me go to Atlas and get a job with the Schnee dust company.".
That hurt bad. Forget getting knocked out cold earlier today, the clenching feeling in my stomach was excruciating. I knew my parents would never let me go to Atlas. "I just don't want to sit around like my mother, our mothers do and ... decompose on a lawn chair with a husband I hate." Kelsey continued. "If I stay in Vale it won't mean a thing. They will find a way to support me and make it impossible for me to make it on my own." Kelsey concluded.
I just looked at the wall. I knew that if I looked at Kelsey tears would be almost inevitable. She sat down on the bed and lay down beside me to try to catch my gaze. I continued to look in any direction but her. "I know you won't want me to go but -" She started but I didn't let her say another word. My lips were now firmly pressed against hers shutting her up entirely. I kept them there for along time for fear that she would start talking again if I stopped. I finally felt light headed so I stopped to breathe.
"Wow. That was ... um ... that was ..." Kelsey stammered. I looked at her with gleeful eyes. Yes! I could see it now, she was going to be my girlfriend and now we would be closer than ever. Nothing could tear us apart now.
"Katie, I appreciate that but I ... just don't have that kind of spark in me." Kelsey explained. Shortest relationship ever. I looked down dejectedly but Kelsey lifted my head up to meet her eyes.
"Hey, your still going to be my friend whether I'm in Atlas or Vale if that's what this is about." Kelsey explained. I wasn't particularly upset that she rejected me. I didn't even think I liked girls as attraction wasn't a factor in that kiss. But I loved her so deeply as a friend, I loved her more than my family, and I couldn't bare to lose her. To say I felt confused and unsure of myself was an understatement.
"Tell you what, I will let you kiss me one more time if you promise to be happy and make the most of our time together as friends." Kelsey said. I still felt no attraction towards her feminine form but I wasn't going to give up this chance to be so close to my friend before she left me forever. We sat up on the bed and she scooted close to me. I moved my head towards hers and wrapped my arm around her, holding her close. As my lips just started to graze against hers we where interrupted by the sound of a door opening. I turned to see who dared to interrupt me but instead I froze in horror. My drunk father stood in the doorway with a look of confusion which slowly intensified into an insane rage.
Kelsey got up off the bed and started saying things like "You don't understand ... this isn't what it looks like.". I was petrified with shear terror. I could easily fight my father off if I wanted to but when he was drunk he was more terrifying than a Grimm. He advanced into the room with a clear intent to kill in his eyes. He reached for me and then ... darkness. I instantly went from sitting on the bed to curled up in a ball in pure darkness. I thought he throttled me to death for fouling his name but then I heard the distant sound of glass shattering. I extended out of my ball and I saw light again, pouring in from a vertical crack in front of me. The light revealed the darkness for what it really was, the closet in my brothers bedroom. I used to hide here when I was little and my father was drunk or angry. I slowly exited the closet into my brothers unoccupied room.
I had little time to contemplate what happened to me as I heard my father yelling from the other room "WHAT HAPPENED! WHERE DID SHE GO?!".
"I ... I don't know." sobbed Kelsey, obviously terrified of my father.
"YOU KNOW! YOU KNOW AND YOU ARE LIEING TO ME! WHAT HAPPENED!" my father screamed insanely. I crept around the corner and peered into my room. I saw my father cornering Kelsey and grabbing her wrist hard enough to break it.
"TELL ME! TELL ME NOW!" he screamed at her. I couldn't let this go on any longer. I took off one of my shoes and through it at him. It hit him lightly in the back and he turned to look at me. After seeing the rage induced insanity in his eyes I knew I had only one option. Run. I sprinted away but in a formal dress and one high heel I wasn't going that fast. He caught up to me as I was heading down the stairs. He grabbed my hair and I screamed as he pulled me back up four steps. He moved his hand to my throat both choking and holding me.
His voice was now spiteful and venomous "You have been nothing but an embarrassment to me ever since you opened your mouth and decided not to talk. I have earned my fortune through blood and cunning and I will not have you taint this family with your inadequacies.". I was too scared to think. The only thoughts that bounced around in my head were 'RUN, GET AWAY FROM HIM'. I couldn't make him let go so I did the one thing that I relied on in a fight. I grabbed his arm and slid under his legs. As his hand let go of my neck the only thing I did was breathe. My ears were ringing an I just breathed to try to remain conscious. I sensed that there was a person standing just above my head. I was relieved to see that it was Kelsey but I was confused as to why she had her back to me. As my hearing came back I heard general sounds of shock coming from downstairs. I got up and looked over Kelsey's shoulder to see my father's crumpled body at the bottom of the stairs. There was a pool of blood forming under his left ear. Kelsey turned around and looked at me. Oh god that look. She was scared of me. I'm not sure if I just imagined it this way or it really happened but when she finally touched my shoulder to comfort me, I shattered like glass. I stood staring blankly at a dark brick wall for almost a minute before I realized where I was. I was back at the bar where I had fought hours earlier. It was deserted and the bar was closed up for the night. When my mind finally caught up to what my body had done I sat on the floor and curled up into a ball again. I got no sleep that night but instead I settled for crying until morning.