Disclaimer: RWBY is not mine. I don't own it.
AN: Hello, all. Hyde here. Back in action. Hoping there's someone out there willing to read this. =D
There is nothing new under the sun.
All that was will be again. What is to come already was. As they say, the players and the stage may change but the game stays the same. 1000 years ago, there was war. 1000 years from now there will be war. It is human nature—to repeat the follies of the past over and over again until the existence of man ceases completely.
People claim humankind learns from past mistakes. Yet, here we are standing on the precipice of another war. One that threatens to be bloodier, more violent and far more devastating than any other before it.
The war to end all wars.
The innocent people tremble, fearful for their lives and fearful of an uncertain future, while their leaders sit on their thrones twiddling their thumbs. The pain and bloodshed is hardly ever their own. These leaders (dictators, more like it) claim they hate it. War, that is. Yet, their ability to start wars is tremendous. One moment everything is fine, and the next there are planes and combat ships on the horizon; the deafening roar and the quaking of the earth as the armies march.
Promises are always made. To their people. To their children; they say things will change, that they will be different. Better. But they never change. 1000 years from now a mother and a father will make the exact same promise to their children our mothers and fathers made to us—these descendants of the war-mongers who promised peace but instead brought suffering and death.
Guess what? Even then, things will not change. They will not change because we cannot learn, and if we cannot learn, then we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
Things cannot change. They WILL NOT change. Not until mankind changes its mind, attitude and heart.
Easier said than done…
The young woman stares blankly at the provoking words written in a small, leather notebook. The ink is faded, the pages yellowed and the leather cracked, weather by the years and constant handling. A name is inscribed on the cover. Beautiful, gold lettering that swoops and swirls elegantly from side to side.
Her mother's name.
She laughs. The irony of the thing is not lost on her. Her mother was one of the people who condemned those who used violence as a tool. In the end, she was one of the main expediters of the latest war, that of humankind versus Faunus kind.
They both really were a sad lot.
"Think you'll come through this time?,"
A gruff voice tears through her thoughts. It belongs to a hypocrite, a man who cried indignantly at atrocities committed against the Faunus, then turns around and does the exact same thing to humans. He used to be her friend, a trusted ally. Now he's a bloodthirsty warlord in the making who gets off on being feared.
But she doesn't fear him. Maybe that's a problem.
"I'll come through," She says, her voice steady. She didn't wait for him to respond. She pivots on her heel and turns away, daring to give her back to a man she knows has the blood of many, too many, to count.
Outside the warehouse, she draws a deep breath and let's herself deflate. The back of her shoulders scream with tension and her neck is stiff.
It's a quiet night. Hardly any noise save for the croaking of frogs in the jungle and the maddeningly constant low buzz of insects. It's late, well past two in the morning. Even the Atlesian base has gone dark, and there is very little movement by the night shift. The air is still and humid and heavy, as if there's a storm forming in the atmosphere. On the island of Menagerie where the weather is as unpredictable as the nature of its inhabitants, there may very well be a typhoon at their doorstep come the morning. For now, however, it's peaceful.
She knows better than to trust it.
Several minutes later, a train's whistle shrieks, breaking the silence of the night. It's an Atlesian Military supply train carrying weapons, food, medicine and everyday essentials. It's due to arrive in forty minutes.
She watches a column of gray smoke rise against the starry night sky. It's practically a homing-beacon. The smoke is leaving a trail as the train nears its destination and starts to slow down.
It's time to move.
"Here I go, putting out fires with gasoline," She mutters to herself, slithering into the shadows.
Blood…
It was everywhere—the streets were dotted with puddles ankle deep of it. One could literally bathe in it. As Atlesian soldiers attempted to gather themselves in formation, their once pristine, white pant-legs and boots turned crimson as they sloshed through the gore. The whole damn thing—it was a massacre.
As gruesome as the blood was, it wasn't the worst of it. There were several bodies riddled with so many bullet holes it was surprising they were in one piece. The ghastly faces of the dead were wide-eyed, mouths agape in frozen expressions of terror and pain. And there was the stench—foul and utterly repulsive. It permeated the already stifling air, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Colonel Yang Xiao Long of the Atlesian Knights Elite Forces stared at the macabre scene in front of her. Rage and disgust roiled her stomach. There was a hardness around her eyes and mouth she could feel stiffening her face.
The heat was already unbearable, the humidity causing her uniform jacket to stick to her skin. Flies buzzed around her head, adding to the maddening cacophony of the muttering crowd gathering nearby. It consisted mostly of Faunus, and from the looks of it, they weren't planning to let her do her job in peace.
Yang sighed. She felt exhausted already.
The day had only begun.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a swipe of her arm, then fixed her eyes on the group of soldiers in front of her. Six altogether.
"What happened here?" She demanded.
A wave of tension rippled through the soldiers standing at attention. Nervous glances were exchanged. However, no one spoke up. Yang's lips pressed into a hard line. Irritation darkened her expression.
Behind her, some Faunus in the crowd began mumbling louder. They kept sending nasty looks in her soldiers' direction; they didn't bother to be subtle about it. Yang felt it in the air—their desire for the soldiers' blood. It was thick and heavy, carrying a tangible weight. She imagined the tension in the area like the pressure inside a crockpot, and the lid was about to get blown off.
She turned and leveled a look at one soldier in particular, the highest ranking of the bunch. The redhead couldn't be older than 22. She was so very obviously fresh from the academy. She looked immaculate. And scared shitless.
Not for the first time, Yang questioned what the hell the Atlesian brass was thinking; were they really so desperate for bodies they were willing to throw babies into the shit storm?
She gave her head a shake.
"Well, second lieutenant?"
The Lt. stepped forward and snapped a smart salute. Her alarmed, green eyes stared straight ahead, unwilling to meet Yang's eye.
"Ma'am! There was an altercation between a family of Faunus and my men. My men were forced to open fire."
The urge to snap at the redhead was insurmountable. "Well no shit," Yang muttered under her breath, loud enough for only the redhead to hear.
At least she had the decency to look embarrassed.
"My apologies, ma'am."
"What's your name?" Yang asked.
"Pyrrha Nikos, ma'am."
Yang's head snapped to the side. She peered over her shoulder. The crowd of Faunus was growing.
The air teemed with unrest. Tensions between the Atlesian troops and the Faunus were reaching the breaking point. Yang feared the worst—an island wide riot.
Yang sensed the Faunus coming closer. She spun around, no longer comfortable enough to keep her back to them. She shot them all her best no-bullshit glare.
"This is Atlesian Military business! Do not interfere with my investigation, civilians!" She barked, her voice loud, clear and commanding.
"Your subordinates indiscriminately killing our people is our business!" A male Faunus snarled, inciting the crowd. They sneered and jeered in her direction.
"I will get to the bottom of this. Disperse at once!"
"There's nothing to investigate!" The same Faunus roared, his dark eyes burning with righteous anger. He stabbed a finger at her soldiers. "They opened fire on a family! There were children! Children, for fuck's sake!"
Yang stiffened, hands curling into fists at her sides. "What happened, Nikos?"
"A family of Faunus came off the boat. One of the women was pregnant. We carried out Law F-150H, but the patriarch attacked Private First Class Black. A scuffle ensued between them. Other male members of the Faunus family jumped in to help the patriarch, outnumbering PFC Black. Our soldiers attempted to him help.
"It all happened so fast after that. The next thing I knew, a gunfight broke out. I—I tried to put a stop to it," She added lamely, chin tipping down in shame. "I was too late."
Yang hissed at the soldiers' incompetency. They screwed up. Bad. Like unbelievably fucking bad.
She turned her ire on PFC Mercury Black. He had a reputation for being a trouble-maker. Yang lost count of the times she'd found him at the center of a chaotic situation. There were usually Faunus involved, too. His hate for them was legendary among his comrades. It almost rivaled her own.
The only difference between them was that she had the authority to do as she pleased, and the brains to be subtle about it.
"Mercury," Yang snarled, her disdain for him evident in her sneer. "Explain yourself."
Mercury scowled. "General Schnee said execution of Law F-150H is to be handled at the arresting officer's discretion." He shrugged. "I handled it."
Yang wished so desperately to wipe the smug look off his infuriating face, but there would be time for disciplinary action later. At the moment, she had to figure out a way to prevent a full blown riot. It wouldn't be easy. Mercury admitted to initiating the slaughter of an entire family of Faunus. Out in public, nonetheless.
"You're a fucking idiot, Black." Yang had a sinking feeling in her gut. Things could take a very nasty turn if she wasn't careful. "I'll deal with you later," she spat.
Her attention return to Pyrrha. If possible, the girl looked even more afraid. That was smart. She was smart. It meant she understood and appreciate the severity of the situation. Unlike shit-for-brains Mercury. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.
"Have you ever shot that rifle of yours at anyone?" Yang inquired. Pyrrha swallowed hard. She shook her head. "Have you been in combat?"
Another negative. Yang figured as much. "If you want to avoid having blood on your hands today, do exactly as I say. Understood?" Pyrrha inhaled sharply. Yang took that as a yes.
"Welcome to war, second lieutenant Nikos."
Several hours after the incident, Yang made her rounds through the market district of Menagerie. The usually busy hubbub was located a few strolls' distance from the main docks where new Faunus arrived every day.
Menagerie had become a safe haven for the animal/human hybrids; their last bastion. In a world full of discrimination and violence against their kind, the Faunus had sought a place they could call their own. That place ended up being Menagerie, a previously uninhabited island 500 miles off the coast of Patch, Yang's home.
Despite having found refuge, Menagerie was not all it was cracked up to be for the Faunus. Not anymore. The number of Faunus on the island had grown so exponentially over the course of five years, the Atlesian Government decided they had to step in and control the population increase. They claimed it was for safety and health reasons, but everyone knew their true motives; they had essentially turned Menagerie into a zoo, and the Atlesian troops were the zookeepers.
At first, the powers-that-be were satisfied with simply running the Faunus off the main-land. 'Give them a country of their own so they can stay the hell away from ours' was the idea behind it. Then Atlesian spies reported tremendous Faunus population increases. This made the powers nervous; what if the Faunus decided to turn on humans? They would most certainly use their unchecked numbers to their advantage.
To quell their fear and the probability of such an occurrence, the leaders of Atlas came up with a "sanitation' plan. In order to scale back the number of Faunus, Law F-150H was created. F-150H made it illegal for Faunus to become pregnant after it was signed into effect. Faunus found to be with child were to be executed. No questions asked. They justified F-150H by claiming the overpopulation of Menagerie was straining the island's resources and creating sanitation and health issues. They claimed the law was passed to keep the existing Faunus population healthy and happy.
… Yang didn't care about the bullshit justifications the brass came up with for what they did, she was just happy, fucking elated, to do it. As far as she was concerned, they didn't need an excuse to take out wild animals.
Today, the market was empty. Word of the incident at the docks between her soldiers and the Faunus family had spread quickly through the village. A combination of fear and rage had driven most Faunus to the relative safety of their homes. Were it not for Yang's soldiers posted at their designated locations, the streets would be mostly abandoned. There were still a handful of brave (or stupid) Faunus roaming about. Mostly fruit-stand and fish-market vendors hard-up for cash.
Yang marched down the main market street, exuding confidence she didn't necessarily feel. Through sheer luck, she managed to prevent a riot. If only for one more day. But at what cost?
While the Atlesian troops were not to be trifled with, it was never wise to antagonize the enemy while on enemy territory. The troops and the Faunus didn't get along, but they'd managed to remain (mostly) civil towards each other, barring a few incidents here and there. Now, because of the incident, the troops didn't have a friend in the world.
That made things… complicated. Especially considering the presence of the White Fang, a supposed revolutionary organization fighting for Faunus' rights. Yang called them as she saw them—they were a terrorist group lead by a blood-thirsty Faunus with a penchant for blowing up Atlesian Military property. So far, the White Fang hadn't tried starting trouble in Menagerie, largely due to the civilians' insistence to keep their village as violence and turmoil free as possible. Aside from keeping a bomb-free, violent-free village, one of the perks of having White Fang activity banned was the unintended, continued safety of the Atlesian troops.
Yang couldn't be sure that was still the case. The prospect of having to potentially deal with the White Fang on top of everything else was alarming. Mercury created one hell of cluster fuck. All this because he didn't have the presence of mind to pull a Faunus away from her family and the public's eyes before executing her…
Yang didn't completely Mercury. He claimed the sight of the Faunus' pregnant belly set him off. Had she been in his shoes, she might have been tempted to shoot the Faunus on site, too. Faunus were trash, but their spawn were abominations. Nastier than the shit sitting at the bottom of the latrines in the barracks.
Honestly, the fact the sub-human species wasn't annihilated upon discovery was beyond her. To think there was a point in time when they believed human beings could coexist with the savages. Yang shuddered to think it, but she supposed even a civilization as advanced as hers was entitled to make a few mistakes—the mistake being showing compassion to the Faunus species. That's why Yang took her job as a Grimm, an elite soldier trained specifically to exterminate pregnant Faunus, very seriously. Put very simply, her job was to clean up after the messes of her people.
Yang was hopeful one day there would be no need for specialized killers such as herself. That day would come when the last Faunus was wiped off the face of the earth. Until then, Yang was determined to keep control of this outpost. Keeping control could mean many things…
Yang halted and frowned. Just ahead was a monkey Faunus speaking with one of her soldiers. She watched as the blond Faunus used his tail to steal several items from the distracted and unsuspecting soldier. She felt the urge to pull her gun out and blow his tail off. Instead, Yang carefully stepped back into the shadow of a vendor's stall, assessing the Faunus. He continued to chat up the soldier, whom Yang now recognized as the dim-witted Corporal Jaune Arc. The Faunus was practically robbing him blind, all while flashing her soldier a disarming smile.
…Sometimes keeping control meant breaking up a would-be mob. Sometimes it meant teaching a sneaky thief a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.
Sun looked over his shoulder. Again.
His instincts told him he was being watched. They were usually spot on. However, every time he checked his surroundings, there was no one there. If someone really was following him, they had run out of places to hide some time ago.
He narrowed his eyes, scanning the scattered passersby for anyone that might look suspicious or out of place. In all honesty, he was probably the most out-of-place looking Faunus of the bunch with his open shirt, torn jeans and flashy hairstyle.
After a minute, he shrugged. "I'm just being paranoid."
He continued on his way, whistling a tune and swinging the sack with the stolen goods.
He kept going in the same direction, south, for a distance of four blocks before swinging a left at a Sushi stand. He stopped long enough to pick up his order and pay the old man, all without missing a beat. His nose wrinkled as he brought the plastic container of Sushi up to his nose and sniffed.
"Ugh," he shuddered.
10 minutes later, he finally reached his destination—the Wharf. It was an abandoned section of the island filled with old homes and some warehouses, surrounded by an 18-foot wooden fence topped with barbed wire, courtesy of the Atlesian Military.
The Wharf used to be the life of Menagerie, filled with markets of vendors offering exotic goods imported from around the world. The people called it the 'Old City.' It was the star attraction of the island before the Atlesian Government raised the taxes on all the imported and exported goods to ridiculously high rates. After that, no one was stupid or desperate enough to buy or sell from or to Menagerie. It was just one more way Atlas had ruined the Faunus' lives.
With practiced ease, Sun scaled the 18-foot gate preventing people from entering the Wharf. He landed on the other side with a soft grunt then arched his neck to look up at the top of the gate.
No one was coming. Whoever had been following him, unless they were a specific kind of Faunus, wouldn't be able to get over the gate.
"Can't monkey around a monkey," Sun grinned, utterly pleased with himself. Spinning around, his set his mental sights on his ultimate destination—the small but stylish beach house he shared with his friend. It was on the other side of the Wharf, and not many people knew about the private beach. It took him another fifteen minutes to run, jump and flip his way to the back side of the Wharf.
He came to a stop just before the back gate and set down the sack of stolen goods. He waited patiently, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his skin and the heavy scent of salt in the air.
…Sun sensed a minute shift in the air around him, almost imperceptible but there all the same. His lips stretched back in a grin, his blue eyes fixated on a shadow against the side of an old house.
"It's like you go out of your way to be all mysterious and stuff," He teased.
The shadow stepped forward. As it walked into the sunlight, it revealed itself to be the cat Faunus, Blake Belladonna.
Blake slinked out of the shadows with a languid yet somehow still graceful stride. She often exuded qualities of her feline nature—being infuriatingly stealthy and graceful were just a few of them. She hardly made a sound as she walked over to him. The only exception was the gentle fluttering of her white, twin-tailed coat and the occasional groan of her leather, knee-high boots. Sun's smile widen as Blake settled her glowing, amber eyes on him, her thin lips twitching faintly.
"Honey, I'm home," Sun joked, using his tail to pick up the discarded sack of goods. He lifted it near his head, positioning it at Blake's eye-level. "And I brought presents."
Blake's eyes twinkled with amusement despite a huff. She took the goods from Sun, giving the contents of the sack a quick check before closing the bag.
"Good job, Sun."
Sun nodded. "I have something else," He waved the container of Sushi, waiting for Blake's killer senses to pick up on its scent. "Maybe we can have lunch together?"
"Don't you hate Sushi?"
"That's beside the point."
Blake rolled her eyes in good nature. Sun didn't know how to take a hint sometimes. It was usually extremely annoying, but today she found it slightly endearing.
"Sun, I—"
Her ears shot up. The hair on the back of her neck and arms stood straight up. In front of her, Sun froze. The color drained from his face. Her own weary reflection stared back at her from his terrified blue eyes. The click of several gun safeties at her back made her blood run cold.
"Turn around. Slowly."
A woman's voice. Hard. Scathing.
Blake shared a look with Sun before putting her hands up in the air and slowly turning.
What she saw was so bizarre she couldn't keep the look of surprise off her face. Three soldiers held her and Sun at gunpoint. Two of them, men, wore the standard white armor uniform. The third, a blonde woman, wore a tan, two-tailed coat over a tan vest with yellow trim; black, form fitting jeans and brown, knee-high riding boots. Her hair was a wild mane of gold billowing in the breeze. A pair of the strangest colored eyes Blake had seen on a human glared daggers at her and Sun. She was taken aback by the sheer hate teeming in those lilac eyes.
"Drop the sack," The blonde snarled at her.
Blake's ears flattened at her tone. She shot a look at Sun. "You were followed?!"
The monkey Faunus eyes bulged and his jaw was slack. The expression managed to capture all his stupidity in one go.
"Th-there's no way!" He sputtered.
'Idiot,' Blake thought, baring her teeth in a grimace at his blunder. She had a few choice words for him.
"You. Monkey," The blonde snapped, "You're under arrest for stealing from an Atlesian soldier. And you-" She pointed at Blake, "-are under arrest for being in possession of stolen government property."
Blake scoffed. She kept her attention on the woman but addressed Sun. "There's only three of them. We can take them," She said under her breath.
Sun shook his head. "Not in your condition."
Blake cringed as if she'd been struck. All of the soldiers' expressions changed, becoming tight with anger. Why the hell did Sun have to be so damn loud?!
"Sun!" She hissed.
Sun was immediately aware of the gaffe. His baby blue eyes were apologetic as he mouthed, "Sorry."
Yang scowled. Was the Faunus pregnant? She quickly assessed the brunette. She had a tall, slim frame. Moderate sized breasts. Thick legs. Wide hips. Perfect for pushing out and nurturing disgusting offspring.
"You're pregnant."
Blake swallowed. It was both a question and an accusation. The blonde's voice was steely, cold and sharp like the edge of blade. It made Blake shudder. She'd never experienced someone looking at her with so much derision in their eyes. This woman, whoever she was, indubitably despised Blake.
Blake didn't get much more of a chance to wonder why this soldier appeared to hate her. She barked at her soldiers—"Arrest the blond. Execute the girl."
"You can't do that!" Sun shouted, throwing himself in front of Blake, using himself as a shield.
Blake momentarily panicked at the sight of two rifles pointed at him. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, preparing to lash out. The soldiers might have guns but she and Sun were exceptionally fast. They could escape. They could make it out of here. They could—
Her eyes cut to the blonde soldier, giving her the most menacing glare she could muster. Blake understood the look in her eyes now. She was looking at a Grimm. A Faunus-child killer. One who enjoyed what she did.
Soldiers like her were the reason Blake joined the White Fang, and behavior like this was the reason why killing Atlesian troops no longer bothered her as much as it used to.
Blake attempted to calculate the best way to approach the blonde. She was obviously skilled—Grimm weren't any old soldiers picked off the block. Her eyes widened as the approach came to her just a moment too late.
A single shot was fired. The blast of the rifle made her ears snap back against her head in pain. The thunderous noise had her head spinning due to her keen senses. Her eyes widened as they fell on the smoking gun in the blonde's hands.
Droplets of hot wetness spattered across Blake's face. She touched a finger to the wetness then brought it in front of her face. It was blood.
As if a gory scene from a low-budget film, Sun's head began to split open. Blake watched in stunned horror as crimson sludge poured from the widening gap in the center of his skull.
Sun's body slumped to the ground with a thud. He fell to his knees, the insides of his head making an unspeakable sound as they sloshed and spilled over. Blake would never forget it. Then, slowly, so painfully slowly, Sun tipped over onto his side, and his brain, what was left of it, spilled out on the ground. Later, Blake would recall the organ looked a lot like lasagna.
Just like that, Sun was dead. The world came to a grinding, smoking halt for Blake. That's how it seemed when really it kept on spinning, indifferent to her plight. That was the cruel nature of the world—while it may be ending for one, it went on without a hitch for everyone else. Not a moment's hesitation.
"Kill the Faunus."
Blake snapped to awareness in an instant, and darted out of the bullets' path just as the soldiers began to fire. She jumped and arched through the air, avoiding their bursts with the kind of agility that could only come from a Faunus.
Yang grit her teeth, narrowed eyes tracking the Faunus' movement. It was nearly impossible. The Faunus was so fast and agile she was barely more than a blur of white and black. The Faunus displayed an amazing set of acrobatic skills, dodging bullets as she flipped through the air and darted in between her soldiers. Yang was forced to leap out of the way as several bullets came dangerously close to hitting her. Her soldiers were momentarily distracted by that, giving the Faunus the perfect opportunity to escape. She ran for the nearest street, for the maze of old, gutted buildings waiting to provide a hiding spot
"After her!" Yang ordered the stunned soldiers. They broke into a sprint, setting off after the Faunus with Yang covering their asses.
They were quick to catch up.
"I see her!" The soldier taking point shouted, lifting his rifle to line up his shot. "Freeze, or I'll shoot!"
"You'll shoot anyway!" Yang heard the Faunus retort.
"Take her legs out," She ordered under her breath.
"Ma'am," The soldier barked.
He took aim. The Faunus happened to look over her shoulder, but it was just a little too late. Yang's soldier fired. The bullets zipped through the air. The Faunus' pupils turned to pinpricks, small black points in a sea of shimmering gold.
"Auggggh!" The Faunus released a terrible, chill-inducing scream, crashing to the ground as a bloody mist sprayed from a hole in her right shin. She tumbled head over heels several feet then skidded to a stop on her front in a crumpled heap.
"On her!" Yang shouted, swinging her rifle around her neck to free her arms. She pumped them hard, blowing past the second soldier and catching up to the first in a few strides. She reached him just as he was about to shove the whimpering Faunus onto her back.
"What the—"
The Faunus disappeared. Fucking disappeared right before Yang's eyes just as the barrel of the soldier's rifle touched her shoulder. Her mind scrambled to make sense of it.
The thought process came to a grinding halt as her eyes focused on the device at their feet. A black, metallic plate with a blinking red light and a logo of a white wolf.
'Oh, fuck,'
She heard the frown in her soldier's voice as he spoke. "Is that?... An IED—"
"Move!" Yang shouted, shoving the soldier out of the way. She grit her teeth as she did so, knowing it would probably be the last mistake of her life.
A heartbeat later, a blinding light, a deafening blast, and pain unlike anything Yang had ever experienced assaulted her senses, body and mind.
Her last conscious thought was one of rage, and she cursed the golden-eyed Faunus to hell and back.